Chapter 18
Flailing and kicking the Outsider, I fought with all my strength. I would rather be sent to Chomper than be under Ponife’s control again.
It took me a couple of seconds to realize he wasn’t fighting back. And finally, his soothing tone and caring words reached me. I stopped struggling and embraced Riley.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. He sat on the edge of the couch. “I just couldn’t wait until you woke up.”
“Not your fault, I was having a nightmare,” I said, clinging to him, soaking in his warmth and enjoying the weight of his arms around me.
After a few minutes, Riley pulled back to look at me. A smile quirked and he smoothed a few strands of my hair from my face. My braid had fallen out hours ago, and I was sure rats would have no trouble making a nest in my hair.
“How did you cut the collar off?” he asked.
“I didn’t.” Confused, I touched my throat. The collar remained in place. My fingernails clinked on its hard surface.
Riley squinted. He ran his fingers along my neck. When he found the collar, he explored the surface and tried to tug it. “No seams. It doesn’t feel like metal. The color is amazing.”
“Why?”
“It blends in. It matches your skin. Didn’t you know?”
“No mirrors in my cell.”
He gasped with mock horror. “So cruel! How did you ever survive?”
I laughed. It had been such a long time since a happy feeling has touched me that I wanted to prolong it.
I cut off whatever Riley planned to say next by drawing him in for a long kiss that left us both breathless.
Deciding that conversation was overrated, I claimed his lips again and yanked him down so he lay next to me on the couch.
My fingers unbuttoned his shirt, I snaked my hands along his chest and around to his back. I would have ripped it off, but he pulled away.
“As much as I would love to continue,” he panted. “We don't have any time to spare.”
“We might not get another chance,” I said.
“If we don't get moving, we're guaranteed not to get any more chances.”
“That bad?”
“Yep. We need weeks to finish installing a second network. Which we won't get now that the Outsiders are already inside. We're hoping you and Logan's idea has a quicker turnaround time?”
“I'm not sure. We'll have to ask Logan.”
“We'll need to regain control of the air plant first,” Riley said. “Without that, we're sunk.”
“I'll get Logan and take him up to the top of the Expanse.”
“The top?”
Describing the top level to Riley, I filled him in.
“Why didn't you tell me this before?”
“I really don't know. Just after I discovered it all this trouble started between us. At the time, I was overwhelmed, scared, and uncertain. Almost like I feel now except for the uncertain part.” To prove my point, I kissed him again, letting my hands slide all the way down his back.
Riley sat up and grabbed my wrists. “Your timing sucks. You know that don't you?”
“I hate to waste this opportunity.”
“We'll get another one. I promise.”
“You can't promise. Not this time. I've seen the Outsiders. I've been…” I closed my eyes as memories of pain rolled through me.
Riley cupped my face with his hands, getting my attention. “Sounds like the Outsiders are too hard to beat. You can't fight them. So you can stay here while Jacy, Logan, Anne-Jade, and I make a token attempt to thwart them.”
“I know what you're doing.”
“Me?” He tried to appear innocent.
“You're telling me I can't fight so I'll get angry and prove you wrong.”
“Did it work?” he asked.
I huffed with amusement. “A little.”
“How about if I add on guilt? Reminding you that Sheepy wouldn't be happy if the Outsiders replaced the Pop Cops and his rebellion was all for nothing.”
Guilt was a factor. Not for Sheepy, but over Cogan.
He would hate this. I'd like to turn back the clock and start again from when we beat the Travas.
That was impossible, but I remembered a phrase that kept me focused during the bad times.
Maximum damage. This time I would impart maximum damage for Cogon.
“I can see that little evil gleam in your eyes. You're back!” he said.
Riley's broad smile shot through me, and I couldn't resist kissing him again. But this time, I pulled away so we could discuss plans.
“Did you have time to make that pulley system?” I asked him.
“One of Jacy's people put it together.” He reached under the couch and pulled it out. “We didn't know how thick the rope would need to be, so we guessed, erring on a bigger size.”
I spun the wheels, examining the device. “What's this lever?”
“The brakes in case you accidently let go. We don't want Logan smashed flat.”
“Good idea.”
When we finished coordinating our plans, Riley rummaged through the drawers of the desk, returning with a small pair of bolt cutters and a jar.
He tossed the jar to me. “Sheep oil.”
I peered at it in suspicion. “Did you have this before?” Riley had cut off a metal cuff from my wrist during our Force of Sheep rebellion, but he had claimed not to have the oil which was supposed to help with the pain.
“I can't recall.” He batted his dark eyelashes at me.
“Look who has the evil gleam now.” I grumbled as I spread the oil around my neck, trying to get it under the command collar. “Okay.”
Riley thought the back of my neck would be the best place to cut it off. I held my hair up. The cold touch of the metal sent shivers down my spine. At first, nothing happened, but when he grunted with effort, a sharp pain stabbed into my throat. I cried out and he stopped.
“What's the matter? I didn't pinch your skin.”
“It hurt.”
“It doesn't look like I even dented the damn thing,” he said. “I'm going to need bigger cutters.”
A sudden and very unpleasant thought occurred to me. “Could it still be active?”
Riley examined Zippy. “He's working fine. Do you have the receiver and listening device I sent?”
I pulled them from my pocket and also removed my sheep pendant. He took all the devices over to his desk. I peered over his shoulder as he tested each one.
“There're all broken.” He then put the tester's two prongs on my collar as he stared at the display. “No reading either. It's busted.”
Relief surged through me.
“I'll have to have Logan help me make another pendant for you.” Riley swept the items into the recycle bin.
I retrieved the pendant.
“But it can't send a signal anymore.”
“Doesn't matter. It's still precious to me.” I looped it around my neck then tried to distract Riley with a passionate good-bye kiss, but he wouldn't let me procrastinate anymore.
Since we really couldn't delay any longer, I climbed the ladder with reluctance and entered the air ducts again.
The trip to Logan's room didn't take long. When I arrived, I peered down to check for his keepers. At first the significance of the mess below didn't register in my mind. Logan was never tidy, but this seemed extreme even for him.
The couch had been turned on its side. Computer parts and metallic gadgets littered the floor. The white stuffing from the ruined cushions had settled over everything like a coating of dust.
But no sign of Logan.
Logan was gone. After the shock wore off, I considered where he might be. If he had decided to “escape” from his room, Riley would have known about it because Logan would have sought him and Jacy out. But what if he couldn't?
I glanced down at the door. No wires hung from the locks, which meant Logan hadn't escaped. Anne-Jade could have opened it from the outside. Again, Riley would know unless she was unable to tell him. But why would the room be in such disarray?
The final and most likely scenario entailed Hank bringing Logan up to the brig on level five. It was a logical move. Logan's knowledge and abilities made him a dangerous enemy. And from the mess, it appeared one of his keepers had discovered his stash of gadgets.
Just in case Anne-Jade knew where her brother had gone, I searched for her on level four. She slumped in her chair in the ISF office in Quad A4, staring at nothing that I could see. No one else worked at the other desks. An odd silence filled the room.
Not wanting to scare her, I called her name before jumping down from the vent. Anne-Jade waved me over half-heartily. Utter defeat looked at me through her eyes. I almost stepped back as my heart lurched in my chest.
“Did something happen to Logan?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
Unsure if I should be relieved or not, I asked, “What do you mean by that?”
“Come on, Trell. You don’t need me to explain it.”
“Did Hank take him?”
She straightened and for a brief second the old Anne-Jade frowned at me. “How did you know Hank’s involved?”
“He tried to recruit me to his cause.”
She slouched back. “You should have signed up. They’re in charge now, you’d have saved yourself a lot of trouble.” A wry smile twisted. “Sorry. I forgot who I was talking to. Trouble is exactly what you crave. I just want peace.”
Anger flared. I banged a fist on her desk.
“I wanted peace, too. And you know what happened while I sat around mooning over our state of affairs. I don’t crave trouble.
It’s just one of those unfortunate side effects when I finally decided to take action.
” I leaned in close to her—almost nose to nose.
“If Hank has Logan, then I know exactly where he’s being held.
Are you going to sit around moping or are you going to help me? ”
“It’s too late.”
“That’s such a load of crap. It’s never too late.”
A spark of ire flashed. “What more proof do you need? My brother’s dead body? Would that convince you it’s too late?”
“No. Not Logan’s. Not Riley’s. Not mine or yours. They haven’t won, Anne-Jade. They just think they did. Which gives us the advantage.”
She laughed. “You’re insane.”
“That’s certainly debatable. But give me another chance.”
“Another chance to do what?”
“Prove to you it isn’t too late.”
She snagged her lower lip with her teeth and chewed. “I don’t have any resources. They took everything.”
“Everything?”
She nodded.