Chapter 21
The kill-zapper’s nozzle burned my skin as current slammed into me. My muscles twitched with the pulses of power, but the pain seemed minor in comparison to the collar’s. I remained standing as Riley and Bubba Boom ran past me. They tackled Hank and wrestled the kill-zapper from his hands.
By the time Bubba Boom stunned Hank, the tremors in my arms and legs had ceased. Riley scooped me up in his arms intent on rushing me to Lamont.
I wriggled from his grasp. “I’m fine.”
But Riley wouldn’t let go of my arms. He stared at me a bit wild eyed. “The kill-zapper made contact. Your shirt is burnt.”
Glancing down, I saw the scorched fabric. I pulled the material away. My skin underneath was red and blistering.
“My heart’s beating. Besides the burn, I don’t feel any pain,” I said.
“Maybe it didn’t have enough time to do any damage,” Logan said.
Bubba Boom shook his head. “It has a very high amperage, so it only takes a fraction of a second. The command collar saved you. It has a surge protector so an EMP can’t damage it. Ironic, isn’t it.”
“You’re still wearing it?” Riley asked.
“Don’t worry.” I showed him the metal X. “It’ll soon be gone. Although…” I touched its smooth surface. “Maybe I’ll wait until after we’ve taken back our ship.”
“It might neutralize the stunner’s blast as well,” Bubba Boom said. He dragged Hank to an empty cell and then he re-locked the gate to the brig.
“How do we get down to level one?” I asked Bubba Boom.
“The lift. It isn’t guarded on this level, just the other four,” he said.
“And what happens when the doors open on level one?” Riley asked.
Bubba Boom handed Riley one of the stunners he had taken from the guards. He offered the other to Logan.
“No thanks,” Logan said. “That’s not my thing.”
As we descended to Quad A1, I asked Bubba Boom about Hank’s comment.
“Yeah, he’s my father,” he said. “Hank kept track of his four children and made sure we were all assigned as maintenance scrubs. I didn’t know until all this started.
” He met my gaze. Sadness filled his eyes.
“I also learned Cogon was my half-brother. Cog believed in the Controllers, but he wouldn’t have believed their lies for as long as I have. ”
“By helping us, you’ve made up for your mistakes,” I said, hoping that when all was said and done, I could say the same thing.
The guards outside the lift on level one had already been incapacitated. Quad A1 teamed with people. Groups of them sat together. Wary, suspicious, angry, and uncertain, they glanced at the buzz of activity around Domotor. Murmurings of resentment increased as they noticed my arrival.
Riley went to search for his father and brother, and Logan sprinted toward Domotor. He understood what they had been trying to do in an instant and immediately took charge.
“How long?” I asked.
“Give me a few minutes to sort this out, and then I’ll give you an estimate,” Logan said.
Sloan sidled over to me. “Where’s Jacy?”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t rescue him. He has…” How to explain? Not many people knew about the command collars. “A tracer on him that we can’t remove without hurting him.”
He scowled and jabbed a finger at Bubba Boom. “But you could bring him along?”
“Without him, I wouldn’t have been able to free Logan and Riley.”
“How do you know they don’t have tracers?” Sloan asked.
“Only a few have them,” Bubba Boom answered.
“And you trust him?” Sloan asked me.
“With her life,” Bubba Boom said, pointing to the burned patch on my shirt. He turned to me with a puzzled expression. “Why did you? You didn’t know the kill-zapper wouldn’t work.”
“You saved me from the fire. Consider us even,” I said.
“No. You didn’t hesitate. There was no moment of consideration.”
He was right. “As I told my mother a while ago, it’s what I do,” I said.
Sloan snapped his fingers. “Almost forgot. The Doc’s been trying to reach you.”
When I pulled out my receiver and listening device, I laughed even though it sounded a bit like hysteria. Blackened and half-melted, the devices would never work again.
“What happened to them?” Sloan asked, marveling over the ruined pieces.
“Kill-zapped. Do you have more?”
Sloan stared at me a moment. “Not if you keep frying them.” But he dug into one of his pockets and handed me two more sets. “One for Riley.”
Inserting the receiver into my earlobe, I clipped the mic on, hailing my mother. The relief in her voice came through, but she remained professional, reporting that she was in position and would await our signal.
Logan estimated he would have the computer working in fifteen minutes. It was week 147,027, hour twenty-eight. Time for my speech.
I stood on a table as Sloan used a loud and high pitched whistle to get everyone’s attention. Quiet descended and they focused on me with various expressions—all unhappy. I sought the little group of smiling faces and took courage from Riley and his family.
“Thank you for being willing to listen to me.
Scrubs and uppers coming together is vital now.
But I first want to apologize for turning your lives upside down and then abandoning you.
For letting a Committee make important decisions without your input.
For dismissing your beliefs in the Controllers and life Outside.
“But these people who have entered our world are not the Controllers. They’re Outsiders and they plan to exile us. Send us into Outer Space to die.”
Voices rose, yelling I was crazy or deluded. Others reminded everyone I had gotten them all into this mess. Sloan used his whistle to settle them down again.
“I understand why you won’t believe me.” I glanced at Logan; he gave me a thumbs up. “Even if you can’t trust me, at least you can trust your own eyes.”
The lights dimmed and a large bright rectangle lit up the north wall.
Images appeared. First of the transport ship clinging to our world, then of the port.
Outsiders hustled people into the belly of the transports and then the scene switched to inside the ships.
Every image was crammed with people. Scared and frightened people.
The buzz rose again, but it had a more muted, uncertain sound.
“These are live images of what the Outsiders are doing,” I said. “They pretended to be the Controllers so they could get into our ship. They’re people from our world who had been exiled for crimes against us and are now planning to exile all of us Insiders.”
Sloan joined me on the table. “She’s right,” he said over the din. “We’re trying to stop them, but we need your help. Trella freed us from the Pop Cops. She can free us from the Outsiders.”
A man stood up and asked, “How can we trust her? The Committee and Mop Cops were just as bad as the Travas and Pop Cops.”
“This time I promise not to let a Committee make the decisions. You…” I swept an arm out. “You are going to make them.” I waited until the ruckus died down. “You will vote for your leaders.”
Then the image on the screen showed two Outsiders dragging Anne-Jade toward the transport vehicle. She fought and broke free for a second before the Outsider on the right tackled her to the ground. I glanced at Logan. He stared at the screen with his mouth gaping open in horror.
I turned back in time to see the other Outsider twist a metal X.
“No!” Logan screamed.
Everyone watching gasped as Anne-Jade bucked and shook in obvious agony. The Outsider kept zapping her over and over until she lay still. Her lifeless gaze stared at nothing.
Logan screamed again and bolted for the door. Sloan and Bubba Boom chased him down. Chaos erupted as fear and outrage rolled through the assembled. Numb with shock and horror, I couldn’t move. Anne-Jade was my friend.
A third Outsider came into view. It was Fosord. He pointed at Anne-Jade’s body and then pointed directly at the camera. Instant silence followed his gesture.
Fosord reached to the side. When his hands reappeared, he held a wipe board. Three words had been written on the board: Surrender or die.
My grief for Anne-Jade would have to wait until later. I shoved it deep down and took advantage of the stunned silence. “They’re scared of us,” I said. “We need to act now before they do.”
“Before they can poison our air?” one man called.
“Before we die of thirst?” a woman asked.
“No to both. We have a team at the air plant. And we’ll either win or lose by the time water becomes an issue.” I conferred with Sloan.
“I’ll need two groups of twenty each to secure the stairways,” he said. “I’ll lead one team.”
“And I’ll lead the other,” Riley called.
I wanted to say no, but as I told Bubba Boom, Riley knew how to fight. The teams formed quickly, and I took heart from the eager helpers.
Sloan, Riley, and Bubba Boom grouped together and I joined them.
“…suits then the stunners won’t work unless they have their helmets off. In that case, aim for their heads,” Bubba Boom said.
“Once we have the stairways, we can send bigger teams to advance up through the levels, securing each,” Sloan said.
“How big?” I asked.
Sloan looked at Bubba Boom.
“Hank has at least two hundred maintenance people, plus four dozen Travas and five hundred Outsiders. Watch out for the armed Outsiders. They have this weapon that looks like a black metal tube, but it spits out round disks with razor sharp edges. It’ll slice through skin and bone,” Bubba Boom said.
“What do we do if we encounter armed Insiders working for the Outsiders?” Riley asked.
“Incapacitate, but don’t harm,” I said, handing him the communication sent from Sloan.
“How?” Riley asked. “We only have two stunners and a handful of knives.”
“We need more weapons,” Sloan said.
I spotted Ivie and Kadar hovering by the door and gestured for them to join us.
Kadar carried a laundry sack. He handed it to me. “Five stun bombs. Yank the pin out and roll it toward your target. You’ll have about four seconds before it goes off. It should affect anyone within a six meter radius from the bomb.”
“They’ll help, but still not enough,” Sloan said.