Nine-Tenths

by Meira Pentermann

  Alina groaned. “Max was right. I compromised his operation.”

  A jolt of anger caught Leonard by surprise. “More importantly,” he said sharply, “you compromised your daughter’s safety.”

  “I…uh…I didn’t mean—”

  “Carlyle already knew about Max. Apparently, the Feds are not arresting him because they want to keep track of his activities.”

  “They know about him?”

  “Yes, but Carlyle didn’t seem to know about the fake IDs. Not that I could tell. I believe he thinks you’re passing information to Max.” And why would he think that, Leonard? Did the envelope remark give him a clue? “I don’t know what they actually have on Max. Carlyle seems to want him to fulfill some sort of personal vendetta.” Leonard deliberately did not disclose that the commander desired to snag Alina as well. “He’s trying to show up one of his colleagues.”

  “By gathering information on Max?”

  “By bringing him in.”

  Alina gasped.

  “He wants me to hand over incriminating evidence.”

  “You?”

  “He figures I haven’t quite turned yet. He believes I might pump you for details that will seal the deal on Max’s fate.” He believes I will betray you.

  “You won’t tell him anything will—”

  “I’ve got until Friday morning.”

  “But—”

  “Or I go to the infirmary.”

  Alina put her head in her hands. “No, no, no.”

  Natalia merely stared, her eyes wide with fear.

  Gazing up at Leonard, Alina whispered harshly, “So where’s this chance you mentioned?”

  “Carlyle made me a strange promise. He said he’d turn us off for thirty-six hours. No Watchers until five a.m. Thursday.”

  Alina crinkled her eyebrow and examined her husband skeptically. “And you believe him?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Then why are we whispering if they’re not listening?” she spat.

  “It could be a lie.”

  “Of course it’s a lie. He just wants us to let down our guard.”

  “But what if it’s not?” Leonard said excitedly. “This could be our break. We leave tomorrow instead of Thursday. Be out of town before they even know we’re gone.”

  Alina cocked her head. “There are so many things wrong with that plan. First, we don’t have your ID yet.”

  “We’ll go see Max right now. Maybe he can get it to us by morning.”

  “And when they turn us back on, as you put it, do you think they won’t find us in the mountains?”

  “We’ll get rid of the transmitters. You’re a doctor. Let’s find them and take them out.” Even before the words left his mouth, he knew the idea was ludicrous. It was as if a wild man, desperate to obtain freedom, hijacked Leonard’s common sense.

  Alina merely chuckled. “You have got to be kidding me. Really, Leonard. Do you expect me to operate on the kitchen table with a butter knife? We don’t even know for sure where they put the transmitters.”

  Leonard got up and paced the room. “Have you seen anything on x-rays?”

  Alina looked at the ceiling. “I’m not sure if I’ve examined an x-ray since…”

  “Since the CARS testing?”

  Alina nodded.

  “Perfect. That means they’re visible on an x-ray. X-ray us and—”

  “We’ll never get away with it. Even if I can sneak you through radiology, I’d need to get an OR, at least one nurse—”

  “And how would we get the transmitter out of Mom?” Natalia asked, directing the question at her father in an almost accusing tone.

  Leonard looked away, ashamed he had not even considered that issue.

  Alina ignored his gaffe. “What about something from your end? Can you work some programming magic? Turn us off for good?”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “I tried to hack into the system and disable our tracking numbers.” Returning to his place on the coffee table, he slumped down in defeat. “I didn’t even come close.”

  “Try tomorrow,” Alina suggested.

  “I can’t. I’m on suspension.”

  “You’re not going to work?”

  “Not until Friday.”

  “Oh.” A long silence ensued before Alina made another suggestion. “Do you think you can get in using a library computer?”

  Leonard sighed. “Not likely. First, I’d have to hack my way into the DID computer network. I’m guessing they have a pretty heavily secured firewall. Besides, how many hours can I bang away on a library keyboard before they kick me out?”

  “It depends upon how conspicuous you make yourself.”

  “It’s not going to work, Alina. Even when I was in the WLN system, I couldn’t figure out how to disable tracking numbers.”

  They sat quietly for a long time, succumbing to defeat.

  Natalia broke the silence. “This tracking chip. The…uh…transmitter. Is it like a computer?”

  Startled, Leonard glanced up. “A little. It stores information, has a rudimentary program, and a power source.” He shook his head, mildly amused. “The WLN tracking screen actually has a battery indicator, if you can believe it.” He gazed at Alina solemnly. “Yours was near-full.”

  She winced. “God help us. What will they do when the batteries get low?”

  “Another round of CARS testing, I suppose.”

  Natalia persisted. “So it behaves a little like a computer?”

  “Yes. Like a teeny computer whose only job is to hold a tracking number and communicate with a GPS satellite.”

  “Then how about a magnet?”

  Leonard furrowed his brow.

  “What do you mean, sweetheart?” Alina asked.

  “When I was in fourth grade, a teacher yelled at me for laying a magnet on the rim of the computer. She said it could erase the memory.”

  Leonard shook his head. “I don’t believe a magnet could erase the chip…although the power source might be susceptible to damage.” He touched her arm. “Nevertheless, we would need a very large magnet to disable something like this.” Raising his eyebrows in encouragement, he added, “But it’s a clever idea. Keep ’em coming.”

  “Garrett’s got a large magnet in his science kit. It’s in his closet.” She jumped up. “I’ll go get it.”

  Leonard grabbed her hand and stopped her. “No. I mean large, large. Huge. Anything that would fit in Garrett’s closet isn’t going to cut it.”

  Natalia’s face fell. She sat back down.

  “A really brilliant idea in theory, though, honestly. If we could somehow disable the device while we are not being tracked—”

  “Supposedly not being tracked,” Alina said.

  “Right, right. But if we’re not being tracked and we manage to disable the transmitters before they try to locate us, they’d be clueless. It’s the perfect plan, Nat.”

  She smiled. “Nat?”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “No, that’s good. You can call me Nat. It’s way better than darling.”

  He touched her on the arm. “It’s a great idea, Nat. I just don’t know where in God’s kingdom we could find a magnet big enough to do the job.”

  In the silence that followed, a tinge of electricity galvanized the air. A prickly sensation sprinted up Leonard’s spine at the same moment Alina drew a sharp breath.

  “I do,” she whispered, gazing at Leonard, her cheeks reddening, a wild look of rebellion in her eyes.

  His face flushed in excitement as he guessed her thoughts. “An MRI machine.”

  Natalia’s eyes widened.

  Alina grinned ear to ear. “That’s why.”

  “Why what?”

  “That’s why I haven’t seen an MRI performed in years.”

  Leonard nodded. “Because an MRI might disable the tracking device. A big expense to the Feds, having to replace them all. And why bother? They don’t care if an individual lives or dies so long as the abstract concept
of the people remains intact.”

  Alina got up and began to pace. “We have an MRI in the basement of the surgery building. I saw it when I was searching for supplies several months ago.” She stopped and threw her hands in the air. “I assumed it was broken, that they just didn’t plan to fix it because they’d run out of money.”

  “But what if it’s not broken?” Leonard’s face brightened.

  “Do you think it will work?”

  “No guarantees, but it’s the best idea so far.” He furrowed his brow. “Could we get injured?”

  “I don’t know. Depends upon where the transmitter’s located and what happens to it when it encounters a magnetic field.”

  Silence followed as Leonard considered the possibilities. Remembering the fate that awaited his daughter on Friday, he concluded that it was worth the risk. “We should try.”

  Alina touched her husband on the shoulder. He rose and gave her a hug.

  “Does this mean my idea might be the answer?” Natalia asked, standing.

  Leonard pulled her into a group hug. “Yes, my brilliant daughter, it does.”

  Within seconds Leonard was overcome with tears of joy. “We might pull this off,” he said, kissing first Natalia then Alina. “We might just pull this off.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “You’re not expected at work tomorrow, correct?” Alina said.

  “I’m suspended. Clearly Carlyle realizes I could do a lot of damage on base if I had access to the computer network.”

  “And why not…if you’re doomed to the infirmary anyway?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So no one’s going to miss you.”

  “No. Especially if Carlyle really put a thirty-six hour hold on the Watchers.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Alina mumbled.

  “Stay positive,” Leonard said, taking charge. “We will all go to the hospital in the morning.”

  Natalia tugged on her father’s shoulder. “But I’m expected at school. They get pretty fired up when someone is absent.”

  He tilted his head in amusement. “Can’t you call in sick?”

  “They send a school nurse to the home to verify.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “It happened to several of my friends. Pretty much no one skips anymore.”

  Leonard puffed up his cheeks and pushed the air out slowly. “How about lunch?”

  “We get a half-hour.”

  “And what happens if you don’t make it to your afternoon classes?”

  Natalia furrowed her brow. “I’m not sure. Same thing, I suppose.”

  “But it’s not part of the routine, right? To take a formal attendance?”

  “No, I suppose it’s not. I mean we’re not allowed to go off campus, so it’s not really an issue—”

  “Am I allowed to pick you up?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps you could.”

  “Do I have to formally check you out at the front office?”

  Natalia sighed. “I’ve never seen any parents there. Maybe if you flash your DID pass. They love authority around that place.”

  “Perfect.”

  “But if I’m not back in class, my teacher’s going to notice my absence.”

  “Perhaps she’ll assume you’re sick.”

  “She would probably look it up on the computer eventually.”

  “But not immediately.”

  “I don’t know, Dad,” she cried in frustration.

  “Work with me, Nat.”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “Just give me the possibilities. Could we buy more time if I pick you up at the beginning of lunch?”

  Natalia shrugged. “Possibly. Ms. Springer is a little scattered. I suppose she might wait five to ten minutes.”

  “And when she has a moment she might look you up,” Leonard said. “Then notify the front office. They’d call home—”

  “Wouldn’t they just track her?” Alina interrupted. “That would put us back on the radar.”

  “The listening network I saw was situated in a large, highly secured room at the base. Do you really think they have a WLN computer hook-up in the teachers’ lounge?”

  “I guess that would be a long shot.”

  “If a kid goes missing, they probably have to fill out some paperwork requesting a track.”

  “And if that procedure is anything like the rigmarole we have to go through to get a doctor consult—”

  “Precisely my point.”

  Alina nodded. “All right then. Clearly lunch is our best shot. If you two come by the hospital after lunch, that will give me time to check out the condition of the MRI.” She paused. “But I’m concerned about how much time we’ll have once we start. It’s a noisy machine.”

  “How noisy?”

  “Very.”

  Leonard frowned.

  “But it’s in the basement,” Alina said. “Theoretically, the sound is buffered.”

  “You and Natalia should go through first. In case we run out of time.”

  “Natalia at least,” she agreed.

  Leonard stood up and gestured for the ladies to follow him to the table. He turned on the kitchen radio and grabbed a white tablet from the junk drawer. They huddled together and drew up a plan.

  “So I pick up Natalia at…what time is your lunch?”

  “Noon.”

  Leonard chuckled. “Does everyone eat at noon? Like some en-masse collective feast?”

  “I think so,” Alina said.

  “Who manages the hospital while everyone is in the cafeteria?”

  “I guess there is an emergency staff in the ER, and we have an intercom in the cafeteria.”

  “What about the cafeteria staff?”

  “Clearly they eat at another time,” Alina said impatiently.

  “It’s still rather creepy.”

  “Go on, Leonard. We already know we need to get out of here. Your comments about the absurdity of the new order—”

  “The New Direction,” Natalia corrected.

  “The New Direction, then. Your father’s complaints are unnecessary at this point. What we need is focus.”

  “Right,” Leonard conceded. “So I pick up Natalia at noon. In the car?”

  “Yes, you should have the car. I can go on the bus. We’ll make sure the car’s stocked when we’re done here.” She paused. “I’ll be back from lunch by the time you get to the hospital, but I have two appointments at one and one-thirty. And then I’m supposed to do follow up visits in the surgery wing.”

  “I thought you didn’t do surgeries.”

  Alina gritted her teeth. “I don’t, but I have to do rounds anyway.”

  “Can you reschedule your patients?”

  Alina frowned. After a long pause, she said, “I may be able to get Dr. Whitney to cover for me. She owes me a favor. I took over her morning schedule last month when she wanted to spend a few stolen hours with her fiancé.”

  “Perfect. What excuse will you use? A few stolen moments with your husband?” He winked.

  “It’s probably better if I say I’m going out with Natalia, sort of a pre-birthday mother-daughter afternoon.”

  “No one would buy the husband story…”

  Alina grimaced. “Sorry.”

  He shrugged. “How do we get in?”

  “Come in through the front door. It will look like you’re dropping off Natalia.”

  “And no one will be concerned she’s skipping school?”

  “Dr. Whitney won’t. She’s not a political rebel, but she’s certainly a free spirit.” Alina lifted her shoulders dismissively. “Everyone else will assume Natalia has an appointment.”

  “They’ll assume I’m pregnant.”

  Alina touched her hand softly. “You’ll provide a great cover.”

  “Okay, girls. Shelve the emotions. Save them for our victory celebration.” Leonard clicked the pen several times. “How long will this take? The whole MRI business.”
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br />   “That depends on how long it takes me to get it up and running and make sure the room is safe.”

  “Safe?”

  “Yeah. No surgical instruments lying around that might come flying at us.”

  “Can you check that out in the morning when you go down there?”

  She nodded.

  “So assuming it goes smoothly, how long do you think it will take to run us all through?” Leonard tapped his pen impatiently on the tablet.

  Alina sighed. “Well, we’re not worried about images, so we don’t have to lie still. I could possibly get us all through in an hour. Faster if we just need to be exposed to the magnetic field. How long would it take a magnetic field to disable a transmitter?”

  “How long would it take to disable a pacemaker?”

  “Some pacemakers survive MRIs. New pacemakers and MRI machines with milder magnetic fields are potentially safe.”

  Leonard frowned. “But you said they haven’t done MRIs since the CARS epidemic?”

  “Yeah. That’s right. So they must know that the transmitters are not MRI-compatible.”

  “Good.” He doodled on the tablet. Small triangles with accents on the corners covered the page. One multi-layered triangle sprouted a heavy-headed arrow. Nothing else appeared on the tablet except the word noon. “Let’s not rush it unless we think time is running out. Put Natalia through on the conveyer belt—”

  “And no stopping to examine images. Fifteen to twenty minutes.”

  “So we’ll say about an hour for all three.”

  Alina scowled playfully. “Which is what I already estimated.”

  “And then we leave?” Natalia asked hopefully.

  “IDs,” Alina exclaimed. “I’ll put ours in the glove compartment—”

  “Why not in one of the secret compartments?”

  Natalia interrupted. “What secret compartments?”

  Alina rattled off a brief description of the automobile’s overhaul and the various supplies already prepared.

  “Cool!”

  Then Alina addressed Leonard. “We do not want to open those compartments in public.”

  “Good point.”

  “So I’ll put the papers in the glove compartment. Our IDs and Natalia’s pass. But what about you, Leonard?”

  He furrowed his brow. “Carlyle said he was sending a message to the gates to keep me from leaving. I need Max’s new ID. We’ll have to visit him tonight.”