Outside In (6 page)

I had thought I reached the ceiling. But the presence of a near-invisible hatch meant there was
something
on the other side.

SOMETHING ON THE OTHER SIDE.
I REPEATED IT IN MY
mind in order for the logical side of my brain to catch up. No black rubber ringed the hatch, which meant it wasn’t a Gateway to Outer Space. There could be another Expanse and room for additional levels. I laughed, but it sounded strained and metallic as it echoed. I had thought sixteen levels incomprehensible.

Only one way to know for sure, I hooked my legs through the rungs on the ladder to anchor my body. Stretching my hands up, I felt for the release.

The pop-click reverberated through the bones in my arms. I pushed the hatch. The metal groaned and creaked, setting my teeth on edge. A dusty stale smell drifted down.

When the opening was big enough for me to fit through, I shined my light inside. The ladder continued another meter before stopping. Odd shapes decorated the wall. Taking a risk, I climbed into the space. The floor seemed solid so I stepped down, but still held on to the ladder just in case.

The good news—the floor didn’t disintegrate under me.

The bad—a strange tingle zipped through my foot and daylights turned on.

Blinded by the bright white light, I squeezed my eyes shut. Even through my eyelids, the harsh brilliance stabbed like a horrible migraine.

It felt like hours before my vision adjusted.

When I could finally see, I saw a giant monster.

I screamed and hopped onto the ladder before logic took control. The huge thing was a thing, not a living breathing creature. It didn’t move. No sounds emanated. No lights shone from it. It appeared to be made of an odd black metal without rivets.

Unable to stifle my curiosity, I stepped closer. About nine meters tall and a hundred meters wide, it was too long for me to guess with any accuracy. A colossal sheep without a neck had been my initial impression. Or a long sock filled with round balls. Or glass balls all stuck together in a rectangular shape.

Either way, the whole oddity rested on eight thick metal legs with massive wheels. The head—for lack of a better word—had two large glass panes for its eyes, which reflected the daylights set into the ceiling. If the roof above this strange level was indeed the ceiling for Inside. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to find yet another level and perhaps a whole other society living above us.

I ringed the structure and spotted its tiny twin right next to it. Not as scary as its super-sized brother, the smaller…what to call it? A lamb? A bubble thing? It appeared to be a conveyance of some type.

Once the shock of my discovery wore off, I realized that the room I stood in was indeed a room. Inside was approximately two thousand meters wide, by two thousand meters long. This area was a fraction of that size. In fact, my body’s internal sense of measurement suspected the room’s dimensions equaled one Sector or Quadrant—six hundred and sixty-six point seven square meters. One ninth of a level. Or to convert it into Inside’s designation system so it matched the levels below, this area would be Quad G17.

Which meant, there was potentially four Sectors and three more Quadrants in this level. Did that mean eight more bubble monsters? I shuddered, sending a horde of goose bumps across my skin. Feeling as if I would float away, I leaned against the bumpy wall.

Remembering the patterns and symbols covering its surface, I straightened to examine them. The pictures and diagrams made as much sense to me as one of Logan’s computer screens.

I walked along the walls, seeking a doorway. The strange markings continued, filling every centimeter without a break on three of the four walls. In the middle of the north wall, which would be shared with Sector D17, was a Gateway outlined in the familiar black rubber seal. But this one extended almost to the ceiling and was at least two hundred meters wide. Big enough to fit the bubble monster. In the northwest corner, sheets of the black metal had been stacked. I touched the smooth surface. It felt like glass, but seemed too thick. Prying the first sheet up, I expected it to be heavy. But it peeled away with a staticky-crackly sound. It weighed nothing compared to metal or glass. And the edges drooped like cloth, but not cloth. It reminded me of a slice of Outer Space—black, cold and weightless.

The floating dizziness returned full force. I dropped the sheet, and sat on the floor, holding my head in my hands. Discovering the Expanse paled in comparison to this find.

And then a thought stopped my heart. Should I tell the Committee? The rapid pace of changes in our society has been overwhelming to the majority of the people. Some even had trouble accepting the Expanse and new levels. And what about the saboteur or saboteurs? If they were upset over the fact we traveled through Outer Space to an unknown destination, what would they do when faced with this new discovery?

Perhaps we needed to deal with our current problems before I added more to the mix. I returned to the ladder and climbed down below the floor, replacing and resealing the near-invisible hatch. I wondered about the daylights and hoped they would turn off.

I had no memory of the rest of my descent other than the tricky maneuver of reattaching my harness to the safety line.

By the time I returned to the storeroom, it was hour thirty. Only two hours had passed since I had left Karla and gone exploring. It seemed as if weeks had come and gone.

I perched on the edge of the couch’s cushion and tried to decide between showering and sleeping. But each time I forced my thoughts to the matter at hand, the image of the Bubble Monster reclaimed all of my attention.

When Riley arrived an hour later, I hadn’t moved. He sat next to me and I collapsed against him. Should I tell him?

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, supporting me. “You look like you had a close encounter with Chomper. What happened?” he asked.

I opened my mouth, but the words jammed in my throat.

“Logan told me you talked to Karla Trava. If she upset you, I’ll…”

Wrenching my thoughts away from my discovery, I focused on Riley, looking up at him. A hard stubbornness radiated from his blue eyes and the muscles in his neck strained.

“You’ll what?” I asked.

“I’ll put her in the same cell with Vinco and smuggle a knife to him.”

“Although she tried, she failed to unnerve me. But it’s so sweet of you.” I tapped my chest. “Nothing says you care for me better than offering to torture my enemies.”

He grinned. “No sense doing things halfhearted. And to think, some girls have to endure listening to poetry.”

“Poor things.” I tsked, but couldn’t stop a smile.

Riley stroked my cheek with his fingers. “That’s better. Now you have some color in your face. Did something go wrong with searching for the bomber?”

Glad to have a topic I could handle, I said, “No. Jacy sent me to a guy named Bubba Boom.” I held up a hand to stop his snort of disbelief. “Just wait, the story gets better.” Telling him about the stink bombers, I filled him in on what I had learned.

He fiddled with a piece of ripped fabric on the couch’s arm. “Not much to go on. You can use the computer in my rooms to research the names Bubba Boom gave you. Logan assigned you a ten-degree security clearance so you can access the entire network.”

“Why would he do that? I barely know how to use the computer.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Riley stared at me as if I had told him Sheepy could talk.

I ignored his question. “Your computer is fine. I also need a shower. Is your dad working? I don’t want to bother him.”

This time Riley gave me a slow conspiratorial leer. “What a coincidence. I need a shower as well. Good thing my father’s busy for the next couple of hours and you have a promise to keep.”

Taking different routes to Riley’s rooms in Sector E4, I figured my path through the air ducts would be quicker than his through the corridors. But when I reached the vent for suite number three-six-nine-five, he waited below, standing on the table.

I opened the cover and dangled my legs. Riley caught me around my waist and I slid down him the rest of the way. He didn’t let go when my feet touched the table. Dipping his head closer to mine, he kissed me for a long time.

When he tugged at my uniform, I pulled away. Breathless for a moment, I sucked in a few deep breaths.

“Are you sure your father won’t be back soon?” I asked.

He answered with the metallic trill of my zipper unzipping. Cool air caressed my sweaty back. A nervous shiver raced over my skin. His lips found mine and his hands stroked my exposed back. Heat from his touch burned all the doubts away.

When he began to pull the fabric of my jumpsuit down, he paused. “Shower?”

A big step, but my heart beat its approval. And the desire to see him naked and soapy overrode all logic. I imagined cold reason melting and steaming away in a puffy cloud.

We left a trail of clothes to the washroom. Warm water, the scent of soap and slippery skin made for an exhilarating combination. I worried about the ugly scars crisscrossing my torso, arms and legs, but no hint of disgust or pity darkened his expression.

He wiped the water from my eyes. “You’re beautiful. I—”

I covered his mouth with mine, afraid to hear him utter words I couldn’t repeat back to him. Grabbing the soap, I worked it into a frothy lather. I explored the hard ridges of his stomach, the smooth lines of his back and his nice grab-able butt as we kissed under the spray of hot water.

His hands were equally busy and quite distracting. And when his lips moved to my neck, I lost all track of time and location. However, Riley kept an eye on the clock in the washroom, and he stopped way too soon with a sigh.

“Dad’s due in a few minutes. Although…” He trailed a finger along my ribs. “He wouldn’t just barge in here. He’d think I was alone in the shower so we could continue.”

“And what happens when we both come out?”

“He would grin like an idiot, beaming with happiness.”

I pushed Riley’s hand away before it could move any lower. “No. I’m not ready for your father to get any ideas.”

“Too late. He’s been full of ideas ever since I started talking about an intern named Ella.” Riley pulled me close. “The rebellion distracted him, but he’s back to being way too nosy about our relationship.”

“He needs one of his own.”

Riley dropped his arms and turned off the water. “It would be nice, but he says my mother was the only one for him, and he hasn’t met anyone who drove him as crazy as she did.” He grabbed a couple of towels and handed one to me.

“Drove him crazy in a good way or bad?” I dried my body and wrapped the towel around my torso.

He paused as if struck by an amazing notion. “He always said both good and bad, but I never really understood how it was possible…” He met my gaze. “Until now.”

I looked away and rummaged for a comb. My question had almost been in jest, and I didn’t want to start a serious discussion. The knots in my hair resisted the comb’s efforts, but I managed to smooth them out. I braided my hair without drying it. A certain amount of patience was required to dry it first. Patience I didn’t have. Never did.

Glancing at Riley, I watched him run his fingers through his wet mop before he dressed. I never cared about my appearance prior to meeting Riley, and he’d seen me at my worst. So why would I waste precious time to fuss over my hair? I studied my reflection in the washroom’s mirror. A stranger stared back. Even after fourteen weeks, my blue-colored eyes still seemed like they belonged in another face. The blue had been my original color; otherwise, the reversal drops wouldn’t have worked.

According to Domotor and a few others, I had my father’s eyes. They also claimed my father was Nolan Garrard. Unlike Lamont’s name, his didn’t make me cringe. In fact, I would be proud to be his daughter. Even though the Force of Ten’s attempt to change our world failed, his final defiance by saving those ten files had been vital. Without them, we wouldn’t have found Gateway. And their existence impressed Logan—hard to do when it came to technology.

Perhaps settling the matter of my birth parents wouldn’t be so bad. So what if Lamont’s my mother? It’s not like I’d be forced to live with her or to forgive her. Nothing would change.

I hurried to dress before Riley’s dad returned. Riley already sat at the computer in the living area. The apartment had one bedroom, a washroom, a small space for the computer, a table and couch. Posh accommodations from a scrub’s point of view, but still not the huge suite of rooms I had imagined when the Pop Cops kept us from going above level two.

Riley typed for a few minutes before relinquishing the chair. “I logged you on. You’ll need to pull up the population records to search for those names.”

Reluctance kept me from claiming the seat. “Can’t you look them up for me?”

“Sit.” He pointed. “You need to learn how to access the computer files.”

Not happy, I plopped in front of the screen. He leaned over me as he explained how to navigate the network. I might look like Nolan Garrard, but I didn’t have his knack with computers.

After more than a few frustrating minutes, Riley almost growled at me. “Think of the network as a map of Inside and the files are stored in different Sectors and Quadrants. In order to find the right file, you need to know the location.”

“But what if it isn’t there? Logan said—”

“That the files had been jumbled, but I’m used to them that way. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, I request a search.”

“From who?”

“The computer.”

“Oh. Like from the Controllers in the network?”

“No. Yes.”

I turned my head to see him. He squinted at the screen as if in pain.

“Which one is it?”

Riley ran a hand over his face. “We learned that the Controllers are really just an operating system. It connects all the information in the network, lets you know if you can do something or not. It protects certain areas. And it will search for files and tell you where they are.” He swept his arm out. “Everything in Inside is all connected to the network. Technically, I could run all the systems from one computer.”

This fact seemed to impress him, but, considering the recent sabotage, it scared me. “What happens if the network breaks down?”