Текст книги "Inside Out"

Автор книги: Maria V. Snyder

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

20

I HAD NO RECOLLECTION OF LEAVING THE GAP, OR the trip back to Riley’s storeroom. My body felt insubstantial as if crushed into powder and reduced to a layer of dust to be sucked up by a cleaning troll.

Rooting under the couch, I pulled Zippy from his hiding place. Tufts of dust clung to his brushes. I hefted the troll, cradling his weight. The hunt for Gateway had been a whirlwind. A thrill of risks, and I had been swept up by the excitement. I had allowed myself to believe in something that didn’t exist. Gateway.

Cog. I’d already decided to lie and tell him we found Gateway. It would give him a moment of joy before Vinco played with him again and the Pop Cops recycled him.

I resisted the urge to hide in the pipes. Instead, I sat in the storeroom, savoring an ill humor with the hope I could build up an immunity to it and form another metal layer around my heart. The first one was ill-wrought and had cracked with ease.

“What happened?” Riley stood over me.

I stared at him in confusion.

“You were supposed to report back to the infirmary hours ago and tell us the content of those files.”

The files. I almost laughed. We’d been duped. Domotor had to be a Pop Cop spy.

“Riley, forget about the files. Gateway doesn’t exist. It’s all a big con. The Pop Cops planted those files and sent Broken Man here to see who they could get to fall for it. It’s just a matter of time before we are arrested.”

He rocked back on his heels as if slapped in the face. “Wait. You didn’t say you were going to Gateway.”

“Logan showed me a picture of Outside and I was…excited.” I could have substituted stupid, naive or brainless.

“Really? What did Outside look like?” Even knowing Gateway didn’t exist, Riley couldn’t contain the excitement in his voice.

“Doesn’t exist, remember? It was just a picture.”

He sat next to me on the couch. If he wondered why Zippy was in my lap, he didn’t show it. “Are you sure about Gateway? Were you at the right location?”

“I cleared at least six meters of insulation off the west Wall outside Quad G1. From the floor to the next level.”

“Those files are old. Perhaps the coordinates are wrong.”

“The age of the files is all part of the scheme.”

“What about Logan? Is he part of the ruse?”

If Domotor duped me with ease, so could the others. “I don’t know anymore. I guess those who don’t get arrested are in on it.” Karla and the Pop Cops must be enjoying the show. I wondered when they would spring their trap on us.

Riley wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I sank against him, breathing in his warm scent.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Riley said. “You’re suspicious of everyone. Domotor would have had to be a heck of a liar to convince you to help him.”

“Deep down I wanted to believe. I probably saw what I wanted instead of the truth.”

He rubbed my arm. “I don’t know. It’s a pretty complicated setup. The Travas don’t have the imagination for it. Unless someone else is involved or something else is going on.”

I straightened. “The Controllers?”

He frowned. “It’s possible.”

“Do you know who they are?”

“No. When I think about them in a logical way, I believe they don’t exist. The Travas desire control of all systems, and I don’t see them obeying orders from mysterious Controllers. I’m sure they invented them to have someone to blame when things don’t go well. However, when I access the computer network, I feel like I’m being watched. That every time I go into the system I lose a part of myself, and when I’m done I have a horrible headache. Sounds silly. My dad says the pain is from eye strain.”

“It’s not silly. I wish I knew why someone went to all this trouble. Maybe Karla will grant me a last request and explain it all to me.” Doubtful, but a girl could try.

“Don’t say that.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’ll figure it out.”

I didn’t share Riley’s optimism. Instead I checked the clock. Hour ninety-four. Six hours until Cog’s final walk, until I…

No. I wouldn’t think those thoughts. At least, not yet. Riley’s arm remained around me. I set Zippy on the floor and turned toward him. My sudden desire to be closer to Riley drove out my scary future. Our lips met. A wave of heat rushed through my body as we kissed.

He pressed against me; his hot hands splayed on my back. Wherever our bodies met, tremors vibrated on my skin. I twined my fingers in his hair.

Too soon, Riley pulled away. “My break’s over.” Regret flashed in his eyes. “I need to get back.” He stood. “Don’t do anything rash. Don’t go anywhere. Please. You’re safe here.” He hesitated as if he wanted to say more, but instead, squeezed my arm then hurried away.

When the door clicked shut all warmth fled my body. Reality returned and time continued. My dreamy thoughts solidified and I planned my next move. I would have to find the perfect spot to approach Karla.

My head throbbed. I stared at the opposite wall, counting rivets. Twenty for each sheet of metal. No more, no less. The builders of Inside had never deviated from their plans. No creativity. No surprises.

However, the Pop Cops had managed quite the surprise with a fair amount of creativity. Impressive.

Time marched like Pop Cops on patrol. I located my scrub uniform balled up in a corner of the room. The musty-smelling fabric was stiff with dried sweat and blood, but I pulled it on anyway. No need to dress up for the Pop Cops. I covered the large hole and biggest bloodstain by ripping a part off the student’s uniform and tying it around my waist. My goal was to get as close as possible to Karla and Cog before some other overenthusiastic Pop Cop arrested me.

I debated about bringing the microphone and receiver. Should I tell Jacy the bad news? He could be working for the Pop Cops. Yanking the earring from my lobe, I set it on Riley’s desk with the button. No sense letting the Pop Cops find the technology on me.

Hour ninety-nine. Time to go. I glanced around the room, memorizing the details, and decided to write Riley a quick note. The words refused to come. I scrawled an inappropriate thank-you and an “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble for nothing” message.

Back into the air shaft, I proceeded to the lower level not caring if RATSS spotted me. I reached the bottom without encountering a single one. Figures.

As I crawled through the duct, a strange droning noise vibrated the metal. It grew louder as I drew closer to the vent. Scrubs packed the hallway below. In a few places, scrubs stood three deep on each side, leaving a narrow space.

Pop Cops tried to get them to move, but stubbornness radiated from tight jaws and hard eyes. The hundred-hour assembly bell rang—a faint ring compared to the general murmuring. Again, Pop Cops demanded they report to their assembly locations, screaming and harassing the scrubs to no avail. I wondered how long it would be before they started stunning people. They seemed reluctant to pull their weapons. I wondered if they feared a panicked stampede if they started shooting.

I stayed in the duct until I found a location without Pop Cops. When I dropped to the floor, the closest scrubs jerked in surprise, but soon they beamed at me. The line of people shifted, creating an opening my size. Sliding into the spot, I swallowed, trying to push my heart back down to its proper place, but it refused to budge, choking me.

While waiting for a sign of Cog, my body felt as if it held too much water. My nose dripped and tears blurred my vision. I concentrated on the floor, counting the lines of rivets. If I couldn’t see and was barefoot, I could probably navigate through the hallways of Inside by feeling the little bumps. At least, Inside’s predictability would benefit the blind.

The sudden jolt of insight felt as if I’d just connected two live wires in my brain. I had the answer to question number three, Your eyes can see, but mine don’t work, yet I see what you can’t. What am I? It was the reason I couldn’t find Gateway.

The noise level rose to my left, and Cog’s head bobbed through the crowd. I gasped when he came into view. New bruises covered his swollen face, patches of blood soaked his coveralls and his hands were cuffed behind his back.

But the most astonishing aspect was his smile. He grinned at everyone.

I leaned out past the scrubs. Four Pop Cops led the way, pushing back the edges of the crowd, and four were behind him. Lieutenant Commander Karla wasn’t there. Instead, Lieutenant Arno followed the procession.

I turned to a woman on my right, and stood on my tiptoes so I could talk into her ear. “Can you take a message to Jacy for me?”

She nodded. Her face pale and serious. When I told her the message about Gateway she gazed at me in frank astonishment.

“It’s very important,” I said. “Promise?”

When she promised, I stepped into the middle of the corridor. An angry frown replaced Cog’s smile as soon as he spotted me.

“I found it,” I yelled over the buzz and babble of many voices.

I knew he couldn’t stay mad. His whoop of joy rang through the hallway. Everyone stopped talking. The silence became an eerie almost living presence.

The Pop Cops in front finally noticed me. They shouted and pulled their stunners.

Maximum damage, I thought and rushed them. The element of surprise was the only reason I managed to knock one of the Pop Cops over. I yanked his gun from his hand and stunned him.

“No one recycles Cogon!” I yelled, pleased the ad hoc battle cry rhymed.

Then everyone moved as if my shout were a signal. Scrubs overwhelmed the rest of the Pop Cops, taking their weapons and knocking them down. A short and brutal attack. I gaped at the unexpected turn of events.

The chant rippled through the lower levels. No one recycles Cogon.

It didn’t take long for the scrubs to overpower the Pop Cops. A few scrubs were stunned, and little blood was shed on both sides. Cuffed with their own handcuffs, the Pop Cops huddled in the middle of the dining room. All the tables had been pushed back and scrubs surrounded Cog, slapping him on the back.

Cog organized teams to secure entrances. Every resident of the lower two levels had come to level one for Cog.

Understanding ripped through me as I watched them look to Cog for answers, for plans on what they should do next and for praise.

Broken Man wasn’t their prophet, Cogon was the true prophet of Inside.

Karla made a huge mistake in wanting to parade him through the scrubs as an example. The Pop Cops had grown overconfident and now her lieutenant knelt with the rest.

After a few minutes, I pulled Cog aside.

“Can you believe this?” Cog gestured to scrubs nearby.

I had been surprised, but shouldn’t have been. The signs had been there; I was too wrapped up in my own problems to notice.

“They think I know all the answers.” He shook his head in amazement, then sobered. “We can’t hold out for long. The uppers control everything but the food. All they need to do is send gas through the air shafts or shut off our air. Unless…” He shouted at one of the maintenance crew to install air filters in the ducts. “Now tell me everything about Gateway,” he ordered me.

“Yes, sir.” I dodged his playful swat, then told him how we discovered the location from the files. “I need to get a few supplies to be absolutely sure Gateway is there.”

“I’ll come along,” Cog said.

“You can’t fit through the shaft.”

He laughed. “Trell, you’re still thinking we need to sneak around. Hank,” Cog yelled.

A large maintenance scrub hustled over to us. “What do you need, boss?”

“A hole.”

Raiding a maintenance closet, we found the needed items and climbed through the air shaft. A huge section had been cut open, revealing the Gap above. Hank and his team muttered in amazement and wanted to ask questions, but the urge to hurry pulsed through my veins. The scrubs might have filters, but they wouldn’t last without fresh air.

I raced through the Gap. Cogon kept pace despite his size. We stopped at the uncovered west Wall. I shone my flashlight over the exposed metal, counting to twenty.

Rows and columns of twenty rivets. Starting from the corner and moving right.

Twenty. Twenty. Twenty. Twenty. Twenty. No deviations.

Twenty. Twenty. Twenty. No creativity.

Twenty. Twenty-two. I found the blind. A sheet of metal covering Gateway. I pointed and Cog pulled a chisel from his tool belt and removed twenty-two rivets from each side. The metal blind had been connected to the wall for so long, it remained in place despite the removal of the rivets. Inserting the edge of a crowbar Cog pulled with all his strength. Then moved to another spot.

The metal groaned and squealed and finally dropped down. A loud clang echoed throughout the Gap. We didn’t care who heard it.

Behind the sheet was Gateway.

Wild joy shone on Cog’s face. An ecstatic sizzle pumped through my veins. Gateway even appeared different than a regular door with its rounded corners and a black substance shoved into the crack between the door and the wall. The bulging substance ringed the entire door and was smooth and hard. When I tapped it with my fingernail, it didn’t clang like metal but produced a solid thumping sound.

Cut from one piece of metal, the door also lacked a knob or latch. But a small computer screen had been installed next to it. I pressed my ear to Gateway. Nothing to hear, but the Hum. The icy surface sucked warmth from the side of my head.

I pulled away. Now I knew why Inside was always heated. Outside was cold.

“Do you know how to open it?” Cog asked with a reverent tone in his voice.

“I have a code. But the uppers will be alerted.”

“Trell, there’s been a rebellion in the lower levels. I think the uppers are probably a little busy helping the Pop Cops to restore order. Besides, I doubt we’ll get another chance.”

Good point. Steeling myself, I touched the screen. It grumbled and grunted as if I had woken it from a deep sleep, then it glowed. Squares with numbers shone from the display.

With my heart slamming, I typed in the number code and hit the enter button. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a horrible sucking noise sounded and Gateway’s door sunk in first before swinging to the side with a loud squeal of protest. Weak light emanated as a puff of stale air blew in our faces. We coughed.

Nothing jumped out. Water did not flood Inside. No unknown substance oozed through. No strange beings flew through. No voices called or cheered in welcome.

Only a small room waited within. I stepped in and flinched. Silence greeted me. I looked around. A light panel on the ceiling illuminated the empty, metal rectangle-shaped space, which had another Gateway. No screen was next to this new door, just a panel of oversize square keys lit from underneath with different colored lights. One red button remained unlit.

Cogon joined me. His face showed his disappointment until he spotted the other door. “Do you have another code?”

“No. Logan didn’t mention this little surprise. We couldn’t open all the files.” One of the keys glowed green. “But he did say green to open and red to close, perhaps that was for this part.” I pressed the green button. Nothing happened.

He stared at the lights. “Ten buttons with ten colors. Perhaps…” He pointed to the one on the far left. “This one is the number one. Assuming they’re in numerical order, you can try the code for the outside door.”

I pressed the first number/color and the light under it turned off. Then I inputted the rest of the numbers, noticing that none of the numbers repeated. Nothing except the remaining key lights turned off.

“Or maybe not,” Cog said.

After a few seconds, the lights returned.

“Perhaps the numbers are in descending order.” I tried again. Still nothing. “Or, the numbers start with zero and go to nine.”

This time all the numbers darkened—except the green one.

“Green to open,” Cog said, and pushed it.

The door behind us hissed closed. The green light pulsed. A sucking hydraulic noise sounded, but the other door remained shut. Cogon pushed on it to no avail.

I struggled to pull air into my lungs. No one knew the code to enter. We could be trapped in here. I felt light-headed and my insides bloated as if I had eaten too much.

Cog turned, leaning on the door. The panic on his face matched mine. He clamped his hands to the sides of his head as if holding his skull together.

Without a sound, the other Gateway opened. Pure black waited on the other side. A bone-killing cold reached us. White spots sparked from the blackness, but it was hard to know if they were real or not. Black and white spots swirled in my vision. My eyeballs felt as if they would burst.

My stomach dropped and spun as if I fell from a tall ladder. I glanced down to see my feet no longer touched the floor, but floated. Cog twisted and his body drifted past the door. He pointed.

The red key burned bright. Red to close. On the edge of unconsciousness, I reached for the button. But Cog was Outside. I needed to help him.

He gestured again, but I didn’t press it.

Cog threw his hammer. It sailed toward me as he somersaulted backward. Then the darkness claimed me.

21

I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE SAID THAT I WENT TO A BETTER place. However, the skin-freezing cold woke me. Dumped onto the floor of the small room, I untangled my legs and stood. My skin felt stretched and saggy. I wanted to crawl under a heavy layer of blankets to press my body tight. Red fog tinted my vision.

The outer Gateway was closed, but the door to Inside was open. The panel of colored lights glowed brightly and I wanted to smash them into tiny bits. Cog wasn’t with me and I doubted he’d made it through the door in time.

No way could he survive in that airless, weightless…void. But I had to try. No living with myself unless I tried. I punched in the first few numbers.

“Stop!” a most unwelcome voice ordered.

I ignored Lieutenant Commander Karla, getting in another two numbers before she stunned me. A wall of energy slammed into my body. My last thought was of Cog.

The next time I woke, my situation hadn’t improved. Rows of black bars, the stench of unwashed bodies, excrement and fear and the hard metal bunk underneath me all clued me in. I was under arrest and incarcerated in the holding cells.

When Commander Vinco arrived with the LC at his heels, I wished I had floated away with Cog.

“Just so you don’t think you’ll be rescued by your scrub friends, we have secured the lower levels,” LC Karla said. Her lips flattened into a pleased smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Do you want to know how?”

“No.” The truth. The game had ended badly. Cog was gone. Outside didn’t exist. Nothing was left that Trella cared for. Ella, on the other hand, planned to keep her mouth shut.

“You’ve been rather busy these past four weeks.” Vinco sounded impressed. “A little scrub like you, causing so much trouble.” He tsked. “Finding the portal and opening it. Of course you paid a price. I’m going to miss my stubborn sturdy friend.” He pulled a knife from his belt. The edge gleamed in the sick yellow light.

My pulse reacted to the threat out of habit, but I remained in my reclined position.

“She had help,” Karla said. “She couldn’t have found the space around the levels, hidden Domotor, stolen from my office and stitched the knife wound on her hip by herself. She’s not that smart.”

“You underestimated me. Don’t feel too bad—it’s a common mistake.” I waved my hand in a dismissive gesture.

Vinco crouched down to my eye level. “You will tell us where Domotor is and who helped you.”

I couldn’t believe they’d failed to find Domotor. The game might be over for me, but there were a few others still able to do damage. I repeated my vow to keep my mouth shut.

Vinco straightened. “Key?”

No keypads here. Bored inmates could find the code by trial and error.

He grabbed the ring of keys from Karla. The light jingle sent a vibration of dread up my spine. The snap of the cell door’s lock increased the terror. By the time he stood next to me, my body shook.

A beeping sound emanated from Karla’s belt. She cursed and toggled on her communicator. “What?”

Vinco paused and I hoped she would talk for a long time. But she flipped it shut and flashed me an annoyed frown. “I’m wanted elsewhere. Do you need me?” she asked him.

Yes, I thought. Need her.

“No. I’ll show her what I can do first. Then we’ll come back and ask questions.”

“Fine.” She turned on her heel and left.

The slam of the door echoed in the room. No blankets or pillows or anything soft to absorb the sound. I pushed up to a sitting position, thinking to fight or maybe even escape around him. Maximum damage.

But Vinco’s reactions were as sharp as his knife. He grabbed my arms and pushed me back on the bunk. Using his weight to keep me down, he pulled my hands behind my head and through the bars.

The click slide of handcuffs snapped around my wrists, trapping my hands. Feeling completely vulnerable, I twisted. Fear pulsed through my veins, and I clamped down on a plea. I would not give him the satisfaction of begging for mercy. I would not whimper or utter a word.

He smiled in anticipation and proceeded to demonstrate with the tip of his knife just how much pain he could cause—a considerable amount.

True to his promise, he never asked me a question. Instead he remained quiet, taking pleasure in my screams. Screaming and yelling weren’t weeping or pleading—a difference I clung to with a tiny bit of pride.

I lost track of time. Moments of burning pain mixed with excruciating pain and gaps of dull throbbing pain. Karla came and went. Vinco’s knife danced on my skin.

They asked questions and I refused to answer, and we all settled into a routine. I disconnected from the fear and terror. Growing a metal barrier in my mind, I kept my emotions walled off. The visits tapered and my screaming sessions were further apart. Something was happening to keep the Pop Cops busy. Karla’s insistence on knowing who I worked with grew more frantic.

The clang of a door roused me from a mindless stupor. I glanced around, but no Vinco. Confused, I raised my head and peered into the other cells.

The Pop Cops had locked up another person.

Riley stared at me with horror-filled eyes. I groaned.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

“What do you think?” I couldn’t suppress my sarcastic remark.

“I think you look like something Chomper has chewed on and spat back out.”

“Such sweet sentiment, lying to me to avoid hurting my feelings.”

“At least you still have your sense of humor.”

I let my head drop back onto the bunk. “How many have been caught?”

The silence pressed on me, but I didn’t have the energy to look and decipher Riley’s expression.

“Do you mean from the scrubs’ revolt? They’ve been confined to the barracks and are only allowed to leave in small groups supervised by well-armed Pop Cops. No one’s been arrested yet. I believe Logan and Anne-Jade are hiding with Domotor. Cog is missing.”

I avoided the inevitable conversation about Cog. The rest was nice to hear, but not what I wanted. “I mean of the uppers. You, obviously, have been caught, but what about Doctor Lamont and the others?”

“Oh! I’m here for talking back to a commanding officer. Ten hours extra duty and ten hours in the brig.”

Relief flowed through my skin, helping to calm the angry welts.

He continued, “No upper has been implicated. Karla’s people have been so busy in the lower levels it took me three smart remarks to three different officers to get punished.”

Shame Vinco wasn’t needed below. But then his comment sunk in. “You wanted to get arrested?”

“Since I don’t fit through the vents, it’s the only way to talk to you. Logan and Anne-Jade have been busy.” He huffed with amusement. “Anne-Jade’s been wearing the Pop Cop uniform and delivering these devices—little anti-stunners shaped like belt buckles. It deflects the energy from the stunner somehow.”

I smiled at his awe-tinged voice, but couldn’t share his enthusiasm. Time to burst his bubble. “Riley, we opened Gateway. Outside is nothing. A great big black place of nothing. Cog is gone. He’s out in the nothing. No reason to resist the Pop Cops. No escape from Inside.”

Silence and more silence. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so blunt.

“Sorry to hear about Cog,” Riley said. “I wish I could have met him. He sounded like a great guy.”

“He was. The scrubs revolted because of him. Now they don’t have him or Gateway.”

“But they have you.”

I tried to laugh, but it turned into a coughing fit. “So do Karla and Vinco. Don’t think I can do anything for the scrubs, but keep my mouth shut and hope Vinco’s knife slips.” Slips into my neck and ends my time here. During our last session, I’d lost my grip on my metal barrier and almost told Vinco everything.

“You are the reason I’m here,” Riley said. “If you remember, I didn’t get involved to find Gateway. But to find a way to improve living conditions in the lower levels. I talked to Doctor Lamont and there is a way to even things out between uppers and lowers. The Force of Sheep is worried about being caught, but they’re also motivated.”

“Why?” I figured they would do what they had done before and lay low.

“Because of you.”

“Me? You’ve got to be joking.”

“You’re right. I am. It’s really because of Sheepy. How he risked his life for them, and how he showed them that scrubs are real human beings who care and want the same things in life. Opened their eyes to the fact the Travas are our mutual enemy.”

“Sheepy’s a great guy…er…sheep.”

“He is. But he’s going to be mutton chops soon if he doesn’t fight back.”

Energized I raised my head and glared at Riley. “Hard to fight back when I’m cuffed to the bars.”

“Your legs don’t work?”

“Vinco’s built like a tank. Have you tried to resist him?” I demanded.

“Yes. If you remember, extra duty is being Vinco’s sparring partner. Except he has a weapon and you don’t.” He rubbed his left forearm.

I remembered Riley’s bloody sleeve. “Then you know how hard it is.”

“I never said it would be easy. Giving up is easy.”

I grumbled.

“Vinco isn’t very smart. If you do decide to try resisting, there is a package for you in the heating duct right near the vent.”

“Who—?”

“Logan rigged Zippy to deliver it to you.”

“Hard to get it out with solid iron bars acting as a vent cover.”

“Think about it,” Riley said.

I grudgingly realized Logan would know about the bars and had probably packed the gift so I could pull it through. I wiggled my fingers. My hands felt swollen, and my wrists felt as if the metal cuffs had ripped off my skin.

“All you need to do is free yourself from those cuffs,” he said as if commenting on the food in the cafeteria.

“The Force of Sheep don’t really need me. You have Logan for the computer stuff and Anne-Jade building anti-stunners. In fact, by staying here I’m keeping Vinco and Karla busy for you.”

“That’s mighty nice of you. But don’t you think you’ve suffered enough? Or do you still feel guilty for Cog’s loss?”

I sputtered, fuming. “You act like I can just saunter out of here. I didn’t ask to be tortured. If it were up to me, I’d have been Chomper’s dinner hours ago.”

He sighed. “It’s going to be hard to tell Sheepy that Trella has given up. To tell him that fierce, spunky scrub I first met is gone.”

I refused to comment.

“Poor Sheepy will be sad. He’ll miss his best friend.”

“He’s a toy, Riley. He’ll get over it.”

He remained quiet for a moment. “You’re right. He will recover. But you’ve gotten a lot of other things wrong.”

Now it was my turn to sigh. Here we go again. “I don’t have the energy to argue anymore. My throat hurts.” Every word burned and my dry tongue kept sticking to the roof of my mouth. I rested my head on the bunk and closed my eyes.

“Then just listen to me. I’ll tell you all the things you’re mistaken about. First, you’re not going to be able to resist Vinco much longer. Cog eventually broke. He’s the one who named you and told Karla that Domotor was still alive.” He paused, probably to let the news sink in.

No wonder Cog had been so frantic when I had visited him the second time. But I couldn’t blame Cog for anything. He suffered enough for me.

“Second, you’re wrong about no one needing you. The Force of Sheep has been working to infiltrate the security systems, but they need motivation only you can provide. Doctor Lamont needs her intern back, and I need…”

I waited, but when he didn’t continue, I looked up. He sat on the bunk in his cell with his face in his hands. We both startled when the heavy clang of metal sounded as the main doors to the holding cells were unlocked. For me, it meant Vinco returning for another dreaded session.

Riley jumped to his feet and stared at me through the bars. “Whatever I say to the commander about the scrubs and you is all a lie. Understand?”

A wedge of bright light grew between the doors.

“Yes.” Before he could turn away, I asked, “What do you need?”

“I need you. I need to give you a proper kiss. I need you to be my mate.” His words were a harsh whisper, but tenderness shone in his eyes. Nothing like the shock that must be in my own.

The door swung wide, slamming into the wall. Vinco eyed Riley with disgust. “What’re you in for, boy?”

“Telling Lieutenant Arno to go screw himself, sir.”

Vinco laughed. “That takes balls, boy.”

“Well, I didn’t know there was a scrub in the cells, sir. Otherwise I would have been nicer. Don’t you think being so near one of them is cruel?”

I bit my lip, remembering Riley’s words about lying.

“Worse than extra duty with me?”

“Yes, sir.”

The commander chuckled again. “Okay, boy. You can work off the rest of your brig time. Ensign Hollis,” he called, “release Mr. Ashon.”

Another man entered and unlocked Riley’s cell. Glad to see him free, I watched him leave, but all pleasant thoughts disappeared when the door shut and I was alone with Vinco.

He entered my cell and began his work. Jabbing me with the tip of his knife, I recoiled. With my pain-addled mind, I was surprised when a plan to escape formed. Not a great one, but better than being Vinco’s playmate.

During a particularly intense bout, I shouted, “Enough. I’ll talk.” I tried to ignore the satisfied smirk as he drew back.

“I’m listening,” he said.

“I’ll show you where Domotor is hiding on level two. It’s all I know, honest.”