Chapter 20 #2
The women were alarmed and unhappy until I explained why. “I’ll have to find you first, so if you can hide in one of the rooms in Sector F4 that would be perfect.”
They agreed and went to get into position.
I drew in a deep breath. Sloan and Lamont remained. Since I’d been collared, I needed an admiral to bring this whole attack together. Who to trust? My mother, who betrayed us during the last rebellion or the man who started the riot and slapped me?
Deciding I needed both, I addressed Sloan. “You’re in charge of getting recruits. You’ll need to bring them to Quad A1 and convince them about the Outsiders. Then you’ll be needed to lead teams up to level five.”
He laughed. “And then I’ll grow metal skin so I’m invincible. See? I can be ridiculous, too.”
I stared at him until he frowned. “Why are you here, Sloan?”
“Guilt. I failed to protect Jacy and the Outsiders got him.”
“Leading those teams will save him,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know how I’ll be able to convince everyone about the Outsiders.”
“If Domotor and Emek get the computer and projector working, you won’t have to.”
Sloan straightened his shoulders. “We’ll need to coordinate. Do you have any listening devices?”
“No. Mine busted ages ago.”
He pulled out a couple sets from his tool belt. “For you and the Doc. I’ll make sure the others get them as well.”
I couldn’t wear mine yet, so I slid them into my pocket. “Thanks.”
“If you manage this thing, I might change my opinion about you,” Sloan said.
“Just when I thought there wasn’t a reason to stop the Outsiders, you go and provide me with one.” For a moment I almost forgot the pain he’d caused me. For a moment.
He gave me a sly grin. “After that crack, I can’t like you…ever.”
“Fine with me. Then I won’t feel guilty when I slap you later.”
“If we survive to later, I’ll give you a free shot.”
“There it is! That’s all the motivation I need.”
After Sloan left, I discussed Lamont’s job with her. “You have a legitimate reason to be on level five. You need to check on their health, see if others might be on the verge of having a seizure. Plus, you need to discuss their fertility problems and see if it’s widespread.”
“And incapacitate as many Outsiders as possible when the attack starts?” she asked.
“Unless it goes against your doctor’s creed?”
“I’ll be a doctor up until that moment, then I’ll change jobs for the duration.”
Curious. “To which job?”
“A mother.”
“Fighting Outsiders isn’t in that job description.”
She laughed. “It is when the child is you. No one hurts my little girl and gets away with it.”
Bubba Boom and Ponife arrived right at hour twenty-six. I had just finished changing into my blue climbing suit and adding a few special items to my tool belt.
Ponife gestured to the belt. “Why do you need that?”
“Since you destroyed the air plant, there are a number of air filters blocking the ducts. I need my tools to get through them. Unless you want me to climb down and bypass all of them. It would take up more time.” I shrugged.
“No. Bubba Boom make sure she does not have any weapons in there.”
Damn. I unhooked my belt and gave it to him.
He inspected the various pockets. Handing it back to me, he said, “Looks good to me.”
I hooked it around my waist, suppressing a relieved grin. He knew exactly what a few of my special gadgets did, yet he’d kept quiet. An excellent sign.
The Outsiders had the stairway blocked so no one could go to the upper level. I’d assumed they guarded the other stairs and the lift as well. I hoped Takia and Hana had found a way to bypass them.
As we climbed to level four and walked down the deserted corridors, I asked Ponife how they managed to convince everyone to leave.
“A trick,” he said. “We asked them to come along on a…tour of the great Expanse. To see their world beyond the white metal walls. To go inside the vehicle to see the Outside.”
“It’s an effective trick.” I tried to meet Bubba Boom’s gaze. He ignored me.
“Fosord’s idea. We also avoid them begging to bring personal belongings along. There is no space for frivolous things.”
“Are food and water included as frivolous things?” I asked.
“No. But there won’t be enough. However, our ancestors did not have enough either and they survived.”
“How?”
“Survival was the reward for the bravest, the smartest, and the strongest. All the others died quickly.”
He avoided answering my question, but from his comment, I could guess it hadn’t been pretty.
All the living quarters had been emptied by now. The Outsiders corralled those they found in Sector H4 and the few hold outs in the main control room. I started my sweep in Sector F4. Ponife and Bubba Boom stayed close but couldn’t be with me the entire time.
I spotted Takia and Hana in one of the apartments and the tightness in my throat eased. Takia slouched on the couch while Hana paced. I caught a snippet of their conversation as I passed above them.
“…sure this is a good idea?” Hana asked.
“Doesn’t matter,” Takia said. “This is our only idea.”
Hurrying to the room where they had kept Logan, I dropped from the vent and searched for those little video cameras. None in the living room, I glanced at the clock. Ponife would grow suspicious if I took too much time. I checked the washroom and the bedroom. Nothing.
My whole plan hinged on finding them. I never claimed it was a stellar plan.
It was the best I could devise in two hours.
These thoughts weren’t helping. I stood in the center of the room and imagined I was Logan.
Where would he hide his most prized device?
His most fragile device. His smallest creation.
I returned to the bedroom and picked up his pillow. Stripped off its case, it had been tossed into a corner. Examining the edges, I found new loose thread. I ripped the seam open and dug inside the pillow. Four video cameras were nestled in the stuffing.
I tucked them into my tool belt and raced to where Takia and Hana waited. They both jumped in surprise when I swung down between them. I gave two cameras to each woman.
“If you can, place two of these on the wall of the port without calling attention to yourself. Aim them at the transport ship.” I showed them how to activate them. Holding my receiver to my ear and the listening device up to my mouth, I hailed Sloan and recited the frequencies to him.
“What about the other two?” Takia asked.
“Place them inside the ship at locations where we would see what it’s like.
” Their confused expression didn’t reassure me.
I tried again. “Think of it this way. If you wanted to show an Outsider what’s it like in here, you would place one of these in the dining room.
It’s crowded and noisy and busy there. Understand? ”
“Yes,” Hana said.
“Ready?” I asked them.
They shared a look and nodded. I escorted them from the room and found Ponife and Bubba Boom. Ponife clutched my X in a tight fist, but he relaxed as soon as he saw the women. He called for an escort and soon one of Hank’s people arrived to take them up to the port.
As I searched the remaining rooms, I checked in with my team, receiving progress reports. Not too bad so far. Domotor’s curt reply indicated Logan’s computer expertise would be helpful. I told him to ask Sloan if he knew of anyone. Jacy probably recruited an expert once Logan disappeared.
At one point Bubba Boom and I lagged behind Ponife. He touched my shoulder, stopping me as Ponife disappeared around a corner.
Leaning in close, he asked, “Is it a coincidence Hana and Takia had been missed by the Outsiders?”
I studied his expression. Trustworthy or not? Based on his actions this last week, I decided to trust him. “No.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yes.”
“It won’t work,” he said.
“Why not?”
“You don’t know enough about them.”
“Then tell me.”
“There’s too much.” He jerked back as Ponife peered around the comer.
“What is problem?”
“I’m dizzy. The air is too thin up here,” I said, placing my hand on the wall as if to regain my balance.
“It will be thinner in the transport,” Ponife said. “You will get used to it. Unless…”
“Unless I’m not brave? Or do I need to be smart and strong as well?”
“No. Unless we decide to keep you.”
It felt as creepy as it sounded. “Keep me?”
“On this ship. We will need…” He glanced at Bubba Boom. “Workers.”
“You mean like scrubs?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Why did you change your mind?”
Annoyed, he removed the X from a pocket. I had asked one question too many. Encouraged by my conversation with Bubba Boom, I rushed Ponife, hoping to surprise him.
I grabbed his wrist just as he twisted the X. The pain rolled through me. I clung to his hand for a moment longer, before dropping to the floor. Even with the deafening sound of my heart slamming in my chest, Bubba Boom’s boots thumped as he ran past me.
“You’re enjoying this. You’re a sick bastard, Ponife,” Bubba Boom said.
A thud followed a yelp. The pain stopped. Once I recovered, I glanced up. Ponife sprawled on the floor next to me. Bubba Boom crouched over him. He had my X.
We locked gazes. For a second, I thought he’d keep it, but he handed it to me.
“How do I--?”
“I’ll show you later. Put it in a safe place for now,” he said.
I tucked it into my tool belt. “Thanks. How did you knock him out?”
He showed me the used syringe. “The doctor was very helpful with finding a way to free you. I just needed to find the proper motivation. It was a difficult decision.”
“Why did you help me?”
“When I saw how you and Doctor Lamont tried so hard to save their people and treated them not as an enemy, but as a person in need, I knew you were right. They’d planned to send all of us out to die.”
“Now what?”
“You’re the boss. You tell me.”
“Can we rescue Logan, Anne-Jade, Jacy, and Riley?”
He flinched a bit when I’d said Riley’s name. “Not Jacy. He’s been collared and Fosord holds his key. Anne-Jade isn’t in the brig. She’s been helping us…them. It’ll be dangerous to free the other two. Why do you need them?”
“Logan for his computer expertise and Riley for his knife fighting skills.”
“Knives, huh?”
“All we have besides a few noise makers. Should we look for something else?”
“No, they might work.”
“Might isn’t a reassuring word.”
“A sharp blade can cut the hoses on the Controllers’ air masks, making it hard for them to breath. That is, if you can get close enough. So might is the best I can do.”
According to Bubba Boom, Lamont had filled the syringe with one of her narcotics. I estimated Ponife would sleep for another three hours.
Bubba Boom “escorted” me to my cell on level five. The main entrance to the brig was now guarded by two armed men. He joked with the guards, but when the guy on the left turned to open the gate, Bubba Boom moved.
Punching the man on the right, he then took the guard’s stun gun and shot them both.
“So much for being subtle,” I said as he unlocked the gate.
“No turning back now.” Bubba Boom dragged them one at a time to an empty cell and locked them inside.
We released Logan first. He rushed out and hugged me. “If I live through this, I’m having a spacious suite built just for me. I never want to be locked in a small room again!”
Riley stayed calmer than Logan. He kept his guard up as he eyed Bubba Boom.
The gash on his temple over his left eye had scabbed over, but black and blue bruises colored the left side of his face.
His shirt was torn and bloody. I wanted to make sure he had no other injuries but settled for a quick hug instead.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” he asked me.
“Yes.”
He relaxed a bit. “Then let’s go.”
I stayed next to Bubba Boom and Riley. Logan followed us as we headed to the exit.
Unfortunately, Hank had beat us there.
At first Hank was confused as to why no one guarded the gate. And why Bubba Boom had three prisoners with him. Bubba Boom didn’t say a word, just waited for Hank to catch up.
When Hank put it all together, I feared for Bubba Boom’s life. Murderous rage filled Hank’s face as he drew his weapon—a kill-zapper.
He stepped close to Bubba Boom and said with a voice of steel, “You’re a traitor. You’re no son of mine.”
Hank shoved the nozzle of his weapon toward Bubba Boom’s chest. I yelled and squeezed between the kill-zapper and Bubba Boom. Pushing Bubba Boom back with my hips, I leaned forward as Hank pulled the trigger.