Inside Page 7

  “If the computer works, all I need to do is retrieve your disks and you can access them? Right?” I asked.

  Broken Man bit his lip and said nothing.

  “What’s wrong? I thought you have a gap in your mouth for the port.”

  “I have the gap.” He paused. “Problem is…I don’t have my teeth.”

  “What?”

  “They’re not real teeth. We just call them that. They’re needed to access the internal computer network. They’re designed so the Pop Cops can keep track of who is in the network and restrict access to the computer system by pulling an upper’s port.”

  I sank to the floor. Rubbing my face in my hands, I said, “Now you tell me.”

  Chapter 7

  Nothing more I could do. The end. The Pop Cops had Broken Man’s port. Without his port, he couldn’t access his disks and the information. No information meant no proof or disproof of Gateway’s existence.

  “Lieutenant Commander Karla has my port,” Broken Man said.

  I stared at him. Was he serious? “You want me to ask her for it back?”

  “Think, Trella. She doesn’t know about the disks. Pulling my teeth is standard procedure. She would have sent it to computer ops to check what I’ve been accessing in the system, and they would have returned it with their report.” Sudden understanding lit his gray eyes. “The report! I should have known. A few of the files I’d viewed probably made Karla suspicious and she set a trap in my room. If only I heard about you before she rigged my quarters.”

  His comment reminded me of how I had gotten involved. Cog knew I couldn’t resist a challenge. “If Cog hadn’t told you about me, we wouldn’t be here now.”

  He shook his head. “Your reputation as Queen of the Pipes intrigued me first.”

  “Yeah, but Cog was the only person who knows what I’m really capable of. And he’s too quick to trust, he falls for any line and is too eager to get involved.”

  “The opposite of you?”

  “Of course. I’m not the one getting my hopes dashed every time a new prophet arrives.”

  “Yet here you are.”

  In trouble with no solution in sight. “A moment of weakness and an excellent lesson on what not to do in the future. Provided I even have a future.”

  “From what I’ve seen in the lower levels, do you really want to live the rest of your life in these conditions?” he asked.

  The standard scrub reply was to shrug and say there was nothing I could do about it or to regurgitate the Pop Cop line about a better afterlife. But I had the opportunity to actually prove or disprove the theory about Gateway and Outside. If I wanted to risk my life. Was being alive enough for me? Could I really walk away without trying?

  Broken Man could see the answer in my eyes. “Karla’s office is on level four, Sector—”

  “A. I know. It’s the only area I avoid.” Last thing I needed was for the Pop Cops to catch me in an air duct above their offices and holding cells. I enjoyed a challenge, but I wasn’t crazy. And I limited my time spent in the Gap above four to trips to my box.

  Contemplating the theft of his port from the lieutenant commander, I crossed over from rational to insane. “Do you know what type of security measures are installed in her office?”

  “The door’s always locked, but I’m guessing you’re not going to use it.” He smiled. “Probably the usual motion sensors.”

  LC Karla knew someone had used the pipes to get the disks. Would she rig the air ducts above her office with sensors? Broken Man had said she was smart, so I assumed she had. But did she know about the Gap above the ductwork? I needed to do a reconnaissance mission to her office. It would require a great deal of planning.

  “How do I know which port is yours?” I asked.

  “There’s an identification number etched into the bottom.” Broken Man recited his number and I committed it to memory.

  “I need to eat before my next shift. Hopefully I’ll think of a way to bypass the LC’s security measures.”

  Various scenarios ran through my mind as I returned to the main corridor of level two. No brilliant ideas had formed by the time I shuffled through the cafeteria line and sought a free seat. And consuming the casserole of the day failed to ignite any exceptional plans.

  The only way I could enter Karla’s office would be to find the wires for the motion detectors and disable them without setting them off. It would be time-consuming and dangerous. The probability of missing a sensor would be high.

  The noise in the room rose to an uncomfortable level. I grabbed my tray, intent on leaving, but two scrubs stood right behind me. A young man and woman. They both had the same nose—a distinctly petite feature with a perfect shape. Combined with their matching oval faces and light greenish-brown eyes, I knew they were related. They wore the drab-gray and shapeless overalls of the recycling-plant workers.

  Pitching his voice so the sound cut through the din, the man said, “We want in.”

  I stepped aside so he could claim my seat.

  He shook his head. “We want to help you.”

  “With what?” Confused, I glanced at each one.

  She gestured to the table. Two more seats were empty. The scrubs sat and she pulled me back down.

  I yanked my arm away. “Who do you—”

  “I’m Anne-Jade and he’s my brother, Logan. We want to help you find Gateway.”

  Stunned, I gaped at them a moment. “But, I’m not—”

  “Save it for the Pop Cops,” Logan said. “We know what you’ve been up to. We saw you with Cogon before he entered the lift. Saw the lift stop and Cogon leave the elevator’s maintenance room with the laundry bin. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”

  They hadn’t told Karla, which meant a bribe. “What do you really want?”

  “To help,” Anne-Jade said. Her lips pressed into a thin line, drawing her oval face into a serious expression.

  “Why? You could get recycled.”

  She swept her hand out, indicating the mass of people. “This is intolerable. I’d rather be recycled than to continue to live as livestock.”

  Instinct kicked in. Too many people increased the chances of getting caught. Besides, I couldn’t trust them and I preferred to work alone. “Sorry, no. I can’t get anyone else involved.”

  “We’re already involved,” Logan said. “Who do you think covered for Cogon?”

  I scrambled for a reply. “Look, I’m thankful you saved Cog, but I really don’t know how you can help right now, and—”

  “Listen.” Logan held up a metal wind-up toy near his ear then handed it to me.

  “What—”

  Logan gestured for me to listen to the toy. Not happy, I brought it close and almost dropped it when Broken Man’s voice whispered in my ear. He talked about Gateway and the disks, and I heard my own harsh reply. I stared at the little mouse murmuring in my hand. Its metal key turning. “How?”

  Logan grinned. “Voice transmitting device sewn onto Broken Man’s shirt. This—” he picked up the mouse “—records and replays the conversation.” He held the device in the palm of his right hand, acting indifferent to the incredible danger he had placed us all in.

  Realization finally clicked, and my bad situation turned downright rotten. I groaned. “You’re Tech Nos.”

  Working in the recycling quadrant, Tech Nos “rescued” certain discarded items from the upper levels. They played around with the illegal technology—illegal for scrubs to have—and made it better. The Pop Cops hunted and killed these Tech Nos as fast as they would disease-carrying vermin. It was amazing Logan and Anne-Jade were still alive.

  “How do you… Where do you…” I couldn’t finish. The recycling-plant workers were monitored, their bunks searched o
n a regular basis.

  “We’re allowed to make toys and different supplies from the metal waste.” Logan twisted the key. “Most of our toys are delivered to the uppers for their children, but we keep a few special ones.”

  With space at a premium, scrubs owned few possessions. “Where?”

  “Here and there. A few stay with us. This little guy is my favorite right now, and if a Pop Cop asks about it, I just say I’m doing safety testing on it before sending it to the uppers.”

  Impressive and scary. “How much did you hear?”

  “The conversation you had with Broken Man and Cog,” Anne-Jade said, “and the rescue. But wherever you have hidden him, we can’t get a signal.”

  At least they didn’t know about the port. “I still don’t think you can help me.”

  “We’re assuming you’re going to need to enter a few secure locations in search of Gateway. We have other gadgets,” Anne-Jade said.

  When I didn’t respond, she huffed in frustration. “How did you plan to get past the motion detectors?”

  “With creative wiring.”

  “No need. We’ve built an invisibility device,” Logan said with pride.

  I couldn’t mask my disbelief. “You can make me invisible?”

  “To the sensors. When you turn on our Not-There Machine, the sensors won’t detect your presence.”

  Passion shone from Logan’s eyes, but I wasn’t a sucker. “You two are either working for the Pop Cops or delusional.” I stood to go.

  “This isn’t proof enough?” Logan held the toy mouse up.

  “Yes. Proof you’re working with the Pop Cops.”

  Logan opened his mouth to speak, but Anne-Jade shot him a look. “Fine,” she said. “Think what you want, but you owe us one for covering for Cog.”

  “I don’t—”

  She ignored me. “In the supply closet in Sector H1 is a small cleaning device.”

  “Anne-Jade, if she doesn’t trust us, we shouldn’t trust her,” Logan said.

  She frowned at him. “Someone has to take the first step.” Returning her attention to me, she said, “Do you know the one?”

  “Zippy?” He was a quarter of the size of the regular trolls, and made to fit into tight pipes.

  “You have names for the cleaning devices, and you call us delusional?” She tapped her chest to emphasize her point. “If you hold down its…Zippy’s on button for ten seconds, it not only cleans dirt, but will suck up all evidence of your presence in a place where you shouldn’t be.”

  I’d heard more believable fairy tales. “How can Zippy suck up the evidence?”

  Logan perked up. “Motion detectors emit pulses—”

  “She doesn’t need to hear a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo,” Anne-Jade snapped at him. “It comes down to trust, Trella. You take Zippy out for a spin, and then let us know what else we can do to help you.”

  They wove through the crowded cafeteria, taking their “toy” with them. The harsh clamor of multiple voices seemed louder than before. I suffered the noise as long as I could before leaving the room and reporting for my next work shift.

  My thoughts replayed the encounter with the Tech Nos. If I was found associating with them or using illegal technology, I would be kill-zapped in an instant. I didn’t doubt I would be caught. I just wanted to… What? Find Gateway first?

  I chided myself for such mushy thoughts. The end result would probably be exposing the whole endeavor as a hoax. Instead of wasting time, I concentrated on the next task, letting no emotions cloud my judgment. If Zippy worked, then it would make retrieving Broken Man’s port a whole lot easier. And if it didn’t? Then I hoped I could outrun the Pop Cops again.

  During my shift, I planned how best to approach LC Karla’s office. I overrode the speed control on the cleaning troll and increased the pace. If I finished all my scheduled ducts early, I could sleep for a few hours before sneaking to level four.

  “What do you want to know?” Jacy asked in a low voice. The scrub leaned against a column of bunks, appearing relaxed, but tension rolled off him. Two of his buddies hovered nearby. They kept watch, ensuring our conversation wouldn’t be overheard by the Pop Cops. Bluelight lit the scrubs’ barrack in Sector D1, and the snores and heavy breathing of sleeping scrubs filled the room. The musty smell of dirty socks mixed with sleep-breath, creating a rank odor. No wonder I slept in the pipes.

  “I need to know Lieutenant Commander Karla’s schedule,” I said.

  We were in a poorly lit corner. Rows and rows of bunks, reaching from top to bottom filled the room. Three beds per column. One meter of headroom per bed. The wooden dividers between them contained two drawers. One for the possessions of the first shift scrub who slept there and the other for the second’s.

  Right now the row we occupied was half-empty. Most scrubs had finished their shift at hour thirty and were in the cafeteria.

  “Why do you need her schedule?” Jacy’s dark brown bangs hung over his eyes. He studied me through the gaps.

  “Doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes, it does.” He straightened.

  He had grown since our time together in the care facility. I tilted my head to meet his gaze. If he tried one of his old tricks, I already knew the location of the closest ceiling vent. The design of the bunks made it easy for me to scale them if I needed to escape.

  “Lieutenant Commander Karla’s been causing a lot of trouble for us. I don’t want to upset her any further. In fact, she asked me about you.”

  A stream of cold fear shot down my back. Jacy dealt with information. His group of five always knew where the Pop Cops were. They warned their clients of surprise inspections and raids. Even though the scrubs worked hard, they found time to engage in a number of illegal activities.

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I had a kill-zapper at my chest so my memories are a little fuzzy. Perhaps if you tell me why the LC’s interested in you, it’ll help me remember.”

  His expression remained guarded and I guessed the bastard already knew but wanted to confirm his suspicions.

  “You’ll live longer if you don’t know.” Ha. I managed to surprise him. “Are you going to tell me Karla’s schedule or not?”

  “And what do I receive in exchange?”

  Typical scrub. Nothing without a price. “I’ll act as a lookout for you. One time only.”

  He laughed. “I have a ton of people willing to watch for us.”

  “From air duct seventy-two?”

  His smirk died. “You can get in there without an upper’s help?”

  I nodded. Number seventy-two crossed over a few highly sensitive areas, including the Control Room and Pop Cop headquarters. The uppers didn’t want a disgruntled scrub near them. The two scrubs allowed in the shaft always had a Pop Cop escort.

  Energized, he paced. “Can you install a microphone in seventy-two for me instead?”

  “A mic is illegal. How did you—?” Tech Nos. I didn’t need to know more. “You want me to put it where the cleaning trolls won’t suck it up?”

  “Yes!”

  I considered. “It’s more dangerous than acting as lookout. It’s worth two requests—Karla’s schedule and what you told her about me.”

  “Deal.”

  His response was too quick. I should have negotiated for more.

  “I’ll have her agenda in an hour.” His posture relaxed, but concern lingered in his eyes. “I told the LC the truth.”

  My stomach felt as if I had fallen off a pipe. “And?”

  He huffed. “Same old Trella, giving nothing away. Not even for your fellow care mate.”

  “The mate who bullied and tormented me? I guess you would find it odd I don’t hold any fond feelings from our t
ime together.”

  He waved my comment away. “You were cold from the start. We had to bully and torment you just to get a reaction from you.” Jacy bent close and lowered his voice. “I told her all about it. How you escape into the ducts to be alone. No friends. No interest in associating with your fellow scrubs. But I neglected to inform her about your Queen of the Pipes title.”

  “Why? It’s just a taunt.” Even Broken Man had heard about it.

  “Really? You spend hours in the pipes. You must know every nook and cranny of Inside. If I searched for a missing prophet and had exhausted every known area, I would turn to the Queen of the Pipes for guidance.” He paused, giving me time to understand. “She already suspects you’re involved, telling her about your title would give her a reason to arrest you.”

  “But you could have earned a better post.”

  He shrugged. “I did it for old time’s sake. Besides, if you’re hiding Broken Man, that means you actually care for another person and there’s hope for you yet. Meet me here in one hour.” He strode away with his friends at his heels.

  I spent the time sifting through all Jacy’s comments. He had been wrong about me. I’d had friends in the care facility after Cog left. Before I was picked on and teased—the victim of multiple pranks and nasty rumors. At least one or two girls. I just couldn’t remember their names.

  When I matched LC Karla’s work schedule to mine, I found I would have a single two-hour window between hours thirty-eight and forty to search her office.

  The heating ducts would be my best bet to enter Karla’s office. Low to the ground, the vents opened into every room in Inside. Although they were small, Zippy and I just fit. They also snaked between the rooms. One of the drawbacks to using the heating system was that there were no connections between levels. Since the Power plant spanned all four levels, each level had its very own network of ducts. The other limitation was the heating system couldn’t be accessed from the Gap.