Cage of Glass (Cage of Glass Trilogy Book 1)

by Genevieve Crownson

  Nothing could screw this up. Nothing.

  Besides, hadn’t I just decided he was an annoying tag along? Not to mention a potential pathological liar? I groaned. What was wrong with me?

  Two steps ahead, Zander abruptly stopped and at first, I thought he’d overheard me groan. But when I looked up, I saw we were mere feet from the edge of the clearing. I hurried over and came up beside him, hands on my hips, surveying our target. Zander stretched his arm out, warning me not to go any further. I toyed with the idea of making a smart remark but decided against it. Instead, I gazed at the Dillinger Research Center which stood almost like a ghostly mirage, shadowed by the other buildings.

  “We have to be careful, Luna,” Zander said in a low voice. “I can’t get inside to turn off security this time. They figured out someone had tampered with it when we were here before. As a result, they’ve beefed up security, both physically and on the internal server. The good news is that there’s still only one camera near the front of the building. All we have to do is bypass that and make it to the back. Obviously, our chances of getting caught are a lot higher. Are you okay with this?”

  He turned his gaze from the structure he’d been staring at to look at me in the semi-darkness.

  “How do you know they’ve beefed up security?” I whispered.

  “That’s not important right now. All that matters is we make it to that secret door. Are you in?”

  I made a mental note to interrogate Zander later—if we ever got out of here alive. For the moment, I just nodded my head in affirmation and Zander settled in to work.

  I watched in fascination as he knelt down on the ground and pulled out a small device from his pocket, about half the length of a pen. He pressed down on one end and a tiny blue ring of light appeared at the tip. He pushed another smaller button on the side and a filter the size of a snowflake popped out and magnified the light into an arc in front of us. Curiosity got the better of me and I finally piped up, “What on earth are you doing? What is that thing?”

  “You’ll see,” he whispered. “Watch.”

  He placed the device in his palm, light facing out, and somehow the cone grew wider and bigger. I gasped when a series of red webbed lines appeared around the buildings.

  “Motion detectors,” I whispered.

  “Bingo,” Zander said. “And we have to make sure we don’t touch any of them or we will trigger their alarm. No problem, right?” He grinned at me to lighten the mood, but I wasn’t having it. I’d done enough breaking in to know it would be suicide to mess with those. I crossed my arms and glared at him.

  “Since when did they install motion sensors?” I growled. “You failed to mention that very important piece of information.”

  “I found them when I did some recon work last night. Once I received the rumors about the increased security, I figured I better go have a look. I’m glad I did.” Zander shifted on his knees making more room for me. “Come closer, I want to show you something. It’s not as bad as it looks at first glance.”

  He motioned for me to kneel beside him. I lowered myself down, and he tucked me under his free arm so we were fully lined up with his left hand, holding the device, the gadget still emanating the cone of light. “Won’t they be able to see that blue light from the building?” I whispered.

  “No,” he grinned. “I like to think I have a few tricks up my sleeve. The illumination from this can’t be detected through an indoor lens. Especially the tinted windows P8 is famous for. Neat, huh?”

  “You’re a great one for secrets,” I muttered.

  Zander ignored my cryptic comment and pointed toward the DRC building.

  I tried not to dwell on the fact Zander held me so close I felt his body heat through my jacket. Instead, I focused on his words.

  “If you look carefully, there are only four real lines crisscrossing the front expanse of grass. At first glance, it appears like there are many more. It makes me wonder why they needed a mirage for invisible motion sensors.” He let out a soft low whistle. “These guys don’t mess around. Anyway,” he said, “if we stick to the perimeter, we should be fine. I planned a route yesterday. We can crouch down and go to the right side and stay out of the camera’s viewpoint. It’s the same one we saw hidden under the eaves before.” He gestured to the roof.

  I brought my gaze up to see the almost concealed camera nestled in the building's ridge, blending in perfectly with the aesthetics, like everything else. “Bastards,” I muttered.

  Zander continued, ignoring my sentiments. “Once we get to the back of the structure, it’s only a matter of figuring out how to open that door.”

  I smirked at him through the darkness. “I might have an idea for that.”

  Zander raised his eyebrows in question. “Oh yeah? What is it?”

  I stood up from my crouched position and shook out my tingly legs. “You aren’t the only one with tricks,” I boasted as I reached down and took out what I’d hidden in my left boot earlier that evening. I held out my hand to show him. It’s shiny silver circumference shone brightly in my palm.

  Zander leaned in to inspect it. “Wow, what is that?”

  “I’ve been working on it all day. I didn’t have much to work with, I had to cobble together a few things. But it will suffice. I used some stuff I discovered in Dad’s office.”

  Zander continued to stare at it, confusion clearly showing on his face.

  “It’s a lock pick,” I said, exasperated. God, this kid lived a sheltered life. Didn’t everyone know what a lock pick looked like? Granted, mine appeared a bit handmade, but it would do the job. I’d learned a long time ago how to make tools out of practically nothing. I’d acquired some good hauls back on W1 with my inventions.

  “This is incredible, Luna. I’m so impressed.” He rubbed his thumb along its thin metal ridge and beamed at me proudly. My hackles rose, and I squirmed under his intense stare. Talk about awkward.

  “It’s not that big a deal. Are we ready?” I asked eager to extract myself from this uncomfortable moment. “Time to get this show on the road.”

  “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  I nodded pocketing my lock tool, and joined Zander who had already crouched down to the ground. Slowly and with painstaking care, we crawled toward the DRC. Nervous sweat trickled down my back as we neared the security camera, its incessant whirring ringing in my ears. What if it sensed us and swiveled this way? We would be doomed for sure. Adrenaline fueled me to move faster, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as we moved past the surveillance unscathed.

  Over the next five minutes, we managed to sidestep every booby-trapped line in our path and finally made it to the rear of the building safely—but we were still in danger. We had to get beyond the wall to access the mysterious door. We couldn’t remove the brick and enter in the same manner we had the other day—and for good reason. Zander’s handy pen had shown a motion detector right over that exact spot. Almost as if they knew that was how we’d broken in last time.

  I cringed, a sour taste in my mouth. Perhaps they’d seen us. But if that was true, why hadn’t we been arrested? Or worse, why hadn’t they killed us?

  Zander yanked on my sleeve, motioning that we needed to climb over the barrier.

  Fan-freaking-tabulous.

  It wasn’t an impossible feat for Zander, who stood at least six feet tall, which I guessed the wall height to be. As for me…well…let’s just say it would be a lot trickier. I was strong, that helped—and I could scale it if need be. I looked up at it and gulped. Or maybe not.

  I appreciated the fact that Zander considered me capable, or he wouldn’t have brought me here. And I was glad that he didn’t deem me incompetent. I would have kicked his ass if he’d said I couldn’t do it.

  Zander placed a hand on my shoulder and stood stock-still, his eyes wide and alert as he checked our surroundings one more time. We both strained our ears, listening for the sound of guards. Nothing. I shook my head at Zander, letting him know I didn’t hear anyon
e. As far as I was able to detect, the coast was clear.

  Zander too, must have been satisfied, because he squatted down and crouched into position, cupping his hands together for me to step into so I could launch myself up the barricade. Knowing there wasn’t a second to spare, I didn’t hesitate. I placed my foot in his offered palms. Once my shoe was firmly in place, he hoisted me up and I grabbed at the flat brick. It was almost impossible to get purchase on the slick surface, but my strong fingertips dug into a small area where the slab had broken, and I got some traction. I pushed my right leg up, letting my boot rest on top, then slid myself up and over the divider, agile as a cat. Zander scrambled after me. Instinctively, I gravitated towards the safety of the periphery.

  I’d expected to find the cavalry hiding behind the wall, waiting like silent soldiers to pounce. But the place was devoid of any human presence. I released a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. My eyes darted to the back exit. They had left it completely unattended.

  Unease snaked up my spine. It seemed a little too easy. Shouldn’t someone have caught us by now?

  Zander came up behind me, whispering in my ear. “I’ll keep a lookout while you see if you can pick the lock on the gate.”

  Anticipation coursed through me. I tried to control my excitement and forced myself to take slow, deliberate steps toward where I remembered the location to be. It took a minute for the door to appear, but at least it was quicker than before. I grinned as the shimmery outline of the entry came into view.

  Time to unlock this bad boy.

  I stealthily crept forward until I was almost on top of the door. Up close, I saw it was more of a golden color, like a gleaming pot of gold. My gaze fell to the bolt mechanism. It didn’t look any different from a normal lock. In fact, its silver workings were rather ordinary compared to the gilded trim it was attached to. Honestly, I expected something a little more challenging. What if this was a waste of time? No. I shouldn’t let my mind go there. Maybe they just didn’t expect anyone on P8 to consider ever breaking and entering. After all, this door was never meant to be seen. That had to be it.

  Before I was able to investigate further, footsteps pounded on the promenade. I froze. Soldiers. Headed this way.

  I whipped my head around, fully expecting to see an agent coming at me with a gun. But it was Zander. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the protective shadow of the east side of the building. I didn’t dare breathe as I watched two soldiers talking in the exact spot where I’d been standing only seconds ago.

  “What did you see out here, Agent Rorry?”

  “Movement, sir. The energy sensor picked up red and yellow colors which indicated something alive down here. Sir. Lieutenant Penn. Sir.”

  The agent, who must have only been a couple of years older than me, looked green around the gills. A thick sheen of sweat coated his forehead and his pale bloodshot eyes bulged out. His bulbous nose was as bright red as his protruding ears and he wore a white military-grade P8 uniform that lacked the code of colors of more experienced personnel. This was a newbie.

  “There’s nothing down here, Rorry. I hope you didn’t bring me on a wild goose chase,” Penn barked.

  “No, sir. I’m sure, sir. Perhaps it was an animal.”

  “Don’t contradict me, boy!” the Lieutenant yelled. “Scan the perimeter. Next time, I expect you to double-check all security breaches are valid before you bother me. Hurry up so we can go back inside. That’s an order.”

  Penn puffed out his chest. He towered over Rorry in height and rank. He wore the same white uniform, but the left side of his lapel was covered in medals and colored stripes, indicating he was pretty high up the food chain. One of his medals caught my eye. A gold diamond shape, it stood out from the rest. I strained to see the strange symbol etched into the metal. An outline of a tree, its roots spread out and floating towards the very tip of the pendant. But there was more. Buried inside the roots was something else I had trouble making out from this angle, and I didn’t dare move closer in case they spotted me. But it seemed familiar. Where had I seen that before?

  The sound of Agent Rorry’s voice jolted me out of my musings.

  “Yes sir! Right away, sir!” Agent Rorry yelped, his Adam’s apple bobbing furiously. I silently prayed for him to hurl his guts. That would be a perfect distraction.

  But no such luck.

  He was heading right for us.

  Zander squeezed my hand so tight I thought my bones might snap. I licked my dry lips. Think Luna, think. We needed a disturbance and fast. If I didn’t come up with something, we were about thirty seconds away from being caught. And then it would all be over.

  I scanned our surroundings, desperate for an idea. We had nothing to work with. Unlike the terrain back home, there was nowhere to blend in. There wasn’t a soul here. In fact, I was sure the agent heard my pounding heart. Rory swept his flashlight so near to us he almost clipped the edge of Zander’s jacket. I held my breath as the beam moved away, heading in the other direction.

  That was close. But fortunately, that one scan of light had given me an idea. On practiced silent toes, I took a step forward and reached down to pick up a large rock I’d seen in the torchlight seconds before. Zander tried to stop me, but I shook him off.

  I knew what I was doing. Time to create a diversion.

  I felt the jagged edges of the stone underneath my fingertips and gripped it in my palm. “Here goes,” I whispered under my breath as I threw the object hard—it arched in the air; flying wide and long before landing with a clatter near the front of the building, far away from us.

  The crash sent both men scrambling, and I ducked back to safety just in the nick of time. They bolted past us at breakneck speed, heading toward the noise.

  “I told you there was something out here sir,” the boy panted excitedly.

  “Oh, shut up, you nitwit and start searching for the source of that commotion.” He picked up his receiver as he ran. “Code red. I repeat, code red. Lockdown facility and proceed at high alert level ten until I command you to stand down.”

  The Lieutenant’s voice faded away as he sprinted toward my decoy. Zander and I looked at each other, each thinking the same thing. If they put this place on lockdown, we were done for.

  “Luna, we have to leave now. We can return later,” Zander whispered, his breath hot on my cheek.

  “Don’t be stupid,” I said in a low tone. “It’s too late. We only have seconds until they activate code red. And that can’t be good. Besides, I didn’t come this far to chicken out. Caught or not, at least we’ll know one way or the other what they’re trying to hide. Come on.” It was my turn to drag him along by the hand. I took a quick furtive look around, knowing I probably only had minutes until more guards appeared. But for this moment, we were alone.

  “Let’s get to the door, while the coast is clear,” I instructed Zander.

  He wavered uncertainly, but he didn’t attempt to pull back. We were both willing to take the risk.

  We made a beeline for the glimmering door and crouched down in front of it.

  This would be a race against time.

  The lock seemed to wink at me, as if daring me to open it. I reached out a shaking hand with a mix of fear and excitement. Adrenaline surged through my veins as my fingertips brushed against the metal surface. Instead of being solid as I expected, it became transparent to the touch, then suddenly disappeared. I stared, mouth agape, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

  “Uh…Luna,” Zander whispered poking me, “Look.” I jerked my head up to see what Zander was pointing at. Where there had once been a door, was now a deep, swirling void. It reminded me of those images I’d seen the government post back home of the galaxy. Except there were no stars, only a blanket of rolling black.

  “My God,” I whispered.

  “It’s trying to suck us in,” Zander exclaimed, grabbing for me.

  I felt it, too. It took our combined strength to remain on solid ground.
>
  “What is this?” Zander said looking at me, as we stepped back to safety.

  “I don’t know, but everything in me wants to go through it,” I said.

  “Me too.”

  “Luna, we have to think about this, we might—”

  “I know. You don’t have to say it out loud.”

  We could die jumping into an unknown, this could all be a trap, it could drag us out of P8 forever…there were so many possibilities. But what choice did we have? And what if wherever this ended up led to answers? Could we really walk away from that?

  “We have to jump, Zander, there’s no choice anymore. They will be here any second. It’s either them,” I pointed back to where the agent and lieutenant had gone, “or this black void. My money is on the void.”

  I tried to sound light, but Zander’s eyes were serious. The wind around the opening picked up, and I wasn’t sure how much longer it would stay accessible. That and the fact we were having trouble staying grounded. It seemed to me the decision had been made for us. A loud clap of thunder boomed, and the ominous sky above us unleashed a torrent of rain, soaking us both.

  “Okay,” he yelled over the storm’s fury. “Let’s do this.” His eyes locked with mine. “On the count of three?”

  I nodded, and he grabbed both my hands, holding them in a vice grip. I squeezed my eyelids shut and started to count. “One, two—”

  “Wait!” My eyes flew open, looking to Zander. What was he doing? We were sitting ducks out here.

  I opened my mouth to yell at him, but Zander placed a finger to my lips. “I have to do this first,” he whispered.

  “What?” I screamed, barely able to make out what he was saying over the now howling wind. Suddenly Zander bent down and kissed me. Taken aback, I had no time to go into defense mode. And I found myself tilting my lips up to his, eager for more. My body began to tingle with pleasure as he released my hands and grabbed my hips, gently pulling me closer, deepening the kiss. I didn’t want him to stop. There was a longing between us, something achingly familiar. He trembled as he pressed against me. My heart raced, washing away all common sense. There was only Zander and I in this moment. As he leaned in even further, a sudden gust bulldozed into us, and we nearly toppled over, but at the last second Zander tightened his grip and righted us. He smiled impishly at me; eyes bright. “Well now, I guess that’s our cue to move on.”