Inside

by Maria V. Snyder

  Which meant Jacy knew about them. “What are their names?”

  Bubba Boom squinted at the warped metal in his hands. He turned it over and over. “What if they’re innocent?”

  “Then we keep searching. We’re not like the Pop Cops,” I said.

  “Really? Then why are there ISF goons patrolling the barracks all the time?” he asked.

  “Because of the fights,” Anne-Jade said from the doorway. “They’re not working so they’re bored. Nine times out of ten boredom leads to trouble. We did our share of proving that theory didn’t we, Bubba?”

  A wide grin spread on his face, matching Anne-Jade’s. “We sure did,” he said.

  Logan’s displeasure deepened. “As much as I’m not enjoying this little reunion, we need the names of the two stink bombers.”

  Bubba Boom met Anne-Jade’s gaze. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash? That you will be one hundred percent sure they’re guilty before you arrest them?”

  “When have I ever done anything rash?” Anne-Jade asked.

  He gestured to me. “When you risked everything helping her.”

  “That wasn’t rash,” she corrected. “Risky, dangerous and suicidal, but not rash. We studied the situation carefully before offering our assistance.” She winked at me. “Stubborn scrub almost turned us down, but it worked in our favor.”

  Bubba Boom tapped the metal piece against his leg as he considered. “All right. Kadar works in waste management, and Ivie is one of the gardeners in hydroponics.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Can you keep our…suspicions quiet for now? I don’t want people to panic.”

  “Sure.” He hesitated and glanced at Anne-Jade before leaving the control room.

  “He’s full of sheep’s manure,” Logan said. “A woman named Ivie who just happens to work in hydroponics. Come on, how dumb does he think we are?”

  “At least he didn’t say Crapdar,” I said.

  Logan laughed. “Close enough.”

  Anne-Jade frowned. “I think he’s telling the truth.”

  “You would,” he said.

  “What’s that suppose to mean?”

  Before they could launch into an argument, I asked Logan, “Can you look up those names in the population records, see if they do exist?”

  “I don’t have the time, but you can do it. It’s easy,” he said.

  I tried to object, but Anne-Jade said, “I need you first.”

  Her tone didn’t give me a warm feeling. “For what?”

  “None of the Travas will tell me who worked on the Transmission.”

  Cold fingers gripped my stomach as I braced for the rest of her news.

  “However, ex-Lieutenant Commander Karla Trava is willing to cooperate. But she’ll only negotiate with you.”

  “Do I want to know why?”

  “I think it’s obvious,” Anne-Jade said. When I failed to respond, she added, “Gloating over our problems for one, and just being difficult because she can. Plus she sees you as her ultimate enemy. If it wasn’t for you, she would still be in command of the Pop Cops.”

  “Does she know I don’t have the authority to grant anything she asks for? That I would need the Committee’s approval?”

  “Yes. And that may be part of the gloating.”

  “Wonderful,” I grumbled. “Do I have to talk to her in the brig?”

  “No. We’ll bring her to my office and secure her, then give you two privacy.”

  This kept getting better and better. “When?”

  “Now.”

  The thought of negotiating with Karla Trava sapped my energy. I rubbed my hand over my eyes.

  Logan said, “Trella, each second we stand here brings us closer to a collision. We need to fix the Transmission.”

  “All right.” Let the fun begin.

  Anne-Jade had commandeered half of Karla’s office in Quad A4, including her large desk and multiple computers. The other side held two smaller worktables for her lieutenants. The room remained almost the same from when Karla occupied it. Weapons and handcuffs hung from the side wall, Remote Access Temperature Sensitive Scanners (RATSS) lined a shelf and a bench with chains and cuffs bisected the area.

  The couch had been removed and a variety of high-tech devices filled the long table. Anne-Jade’s little receivers and microphones made the Pop Cops’ communicators look clunky and old.

  While Anne-Jade and her lieutenants fetched Karla, I paced the room. I automatically noted all the points of escape—two air vents in the ceiling and four heating vents near the floor.

  When the door banged open, I steeled myself for the encounter. Sitting on the edge of a hard metal chair, I fidgeted with the buttons on my shirt. Wedged between the two ISF officers, Karla’s smirk didn’t waver as they cuffed her to the bench. She had twisted her long blond hair up into a knot on the top of her head. Her gaze swept my face and clothes, sparking amusement in her violet-colored eyes.

  Now that I knew the doctors could change a person’s eye color, I wondered if Lamont had tampered with hers.

  “We’ll be right outside.” Anne-Jade handed me a stunner. “Just yell if you need us.”

  The door shut with a metallic clang that vibrated in my heart, matching my rapid pulse.

  Karla laughed. “Still afraid of me?”

  “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s disgust and not fear on my face. You reek of the brig.”

  “And you should know, having spent many hours there.”

  “Yes, I spent about thirty hours in your custody before I escaped. You’re up to…what? Fourteen hundred at least and counting. Big difference.”

  Her humor faded. “We underestimated you. Something that won’t happen again. But who could blame us? Look at you. Leader of a rebellion and you’re still a scrawny little scrub.”

  “What did you expect?”

  “Better clothes.” It was my turn to laugh, but it died when she said, “And more power. You risked your life for them, yet you have to beg for the Committee’s permission to do anything.”

  “Unlike you, I’m quite content with my role as support personnel. I never desired power, just freedom,” I said.

  “Uh-huh. And do you have your freedom?”

  “Of course.”

  She opened her mouth, but I cut in and said, “Let’s skip the small talk crap. We need the names of those who know how to repair the Transmission. What do you want in exchange?”

  A sly half-smile teased the corners of her mouth as she leaned back, crossing her legs. “We never had that type of trouble when we were in charge. I think some of the scrubs miss us. And when you combine unhappy scrubs and bored prisoners, you can get an explosive reaction.”

  I studied her. Was she guessing about the sabotage? And was her comment a hint of more problems to come? Either way, a quick negotiation didn’t seem likely.

  “Should we recycle all the Travas to avoid any more trouble?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “You obviously need a few of us to help with unexpected repairs, but this indecisiveness over what to do with us will only cause more problems. Which I’m more than happy to sit back and watch.”

  Anne-Jade had been right about her desire to gloat. “Thanks for the tip,” I said. “But I’m here to get names and not a lecture.”

  Annoyance flashed in her eyes before she returned to acting casual. “Fine. In exchange for fixing the Transmission, we want the people in the brig to be released to our quarters, and we desire trials to determine degree of guilt in your warped little minds. There is no reason the entire Trava family should be confined.”

  I hated to admit this, but she had a point about the Trava family. However, releasing the upper officers from the brig would be a mistake.r />
  Karla waved her hand as best she could while cuffed to the bench. “Run along to the Committee now and deliver my request like a good little scrub.”

  I couldn’t suppress my grin as I toggled on my button microphone. Repeating her demands to the Committee, I waited as they discussed them. She rested her hands in her lap in an attempt to disguise the fury pulsing through her body, but her rigid posture betrayed her. I slid back in my chair, relaxing.

  As expected the Committee was willing to review each family member’s actions prior to the rebellion to determine degree of guilt for each, but they refused to move the brig prisoners. I relayed this to Karla.

  “Next?”

  She scowled and my heart stuttered for a few beats—an automatic response.

  “My terms are not negotiable,” she said.

  My temper flared. This had been a waste of time. “Then we’re done.” I stood to leave.

  “You have to fix the Transmission.” Karla’s voice held a bit of panic. “The survival of our world depends on it.”

  I pressed a finger to my ear as if listening to a message. “The Committee is willing to include those in the brig in the review process.”

  “No. We want out of the brig.”

  Keeping my hand near my ear, I cocked my head and furrowed my brow. “Okay, then you’ll be taken out of the brig and sent to Chomper.”

  Shock bleached her face. “That’s not what I meant. What about the repairs?”

  It was hard not to snigger over her reaction. “I’m sure once the others see how we cleaned out the brig, they’ll be more cooperative.”

  Her hard stare burned like acid on my skin, but I kept my face neutral.

  “You’re lying,” she said.

  “Doesn’t matter if you believe me or not.” I strode toward the door.

  “Wait,” she said.

  I paused but didn’t turn around.

  “I’ll tell you the names if you do a review for all the Travas, including those in the brig.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I said, “All right.”

  I rummaged for a wipe board and marker and returned to Karla. “Don’t lie,” I said. “If the names are wrong, you’ll be the first to be sent to Chomper. I’ll do the honors myself.”

  Karla rattled off three and I wrote them down. I didn’t recognize any of them, but I hadn’t been expecting to. Without saying goodbye, I left the office. Anne-Jade waited in the hallway.

  “Well?” she asked.

  I handed her the board.

  She whistled. “Last I heard, the Committee was waiting for a counter-offer. What happened?”

  “She pissed me off.”

  Feeling rather satisfied over my meeting with Karla, I changed into my climbing clothes and returned to the Expanse. I found the mark I had left on my last trip. The safety equipment hung nearby, so I strapped it on and made another attempt to reach the ceiling.

  The new route looked promising and, after finding plenty of handholds, I climbed higher than ever before. I rested at twenty-three meters above level ten. Craning my head back, I shone my light up into the blackness. Still no ceiling. Logan had found a few diagrams in the computer system, and from them he estimated Inside’s height to be about seventy-five meters, which would put it about two meters above my head. Either the computer or Logan had been wrong.

  I yanked on the safety line and guessed I had another couple meters before I was literally at the end of my rope.

  When I felt strong enough, I continued and discovered why meter seventy-five was mentioned in the computer. A bottom rung of a ladder started at that point. I grabbed the wide cold bar, hoping the rung would hold my weight. The smooth and rounded shape fit nicely in my hands. And my light illuminated the ladder, which continued up with more rungs disappearing into the darkness.

  I climbed on the ladder another meter, confirming the metal hadn’t rusted or deteriorated with time. Squinting, I shone my light higher, but the ceiling still remained out of sight. However, I thought I spotted a dim gleam of a reflection. Wishful thinking or my imagination, it didn’t matter. It was enough to justify my decision to unhook my harness from the safety line.

  Despite the cold, sweat soaked the fabric of my uniform. I rubbed my moist palm on my arm before grasping the next rung. Continuing up the ladder with slow and careful movements, I tested each rung before allowing it to bear my weight. In the silence of the Expanse, my breath sounded loud and mechanical. My heart thudded with urgency as it reminded me of the danger. One slip, and…I wouldn’t think about it.

  Instead, I focused on keeping a tight grip and my balance on the rungs. Concentrating so hard on my hands and feet, I bumped my head on the ceiling. I clung to the ladder in surprise, and when my muscles stopped trembling, I scanned the flat expanse of metal over my head. Finally!

  I checked the altimeter. Inside was eighty meters high, which meant we could build six more levels for a total of sixteen. Wow. That was mind-numbing. I hoped our systems could service all those levels. And what about keeping them clean and in good condition? And when did I turn into such a worrier?

  Eventually, someone would need to explore the entire ceiling. Logan had read about another Outer Space Gateway in the computer files. By the way he described the file system, it had sounded as jumbled as the infirmary’s supplies after the explosion. Between the Travas’ attempts to erase files and the sheer amount of information, Logan had said—with his usual glee over a technical challenge—that it was an utter mess.

  With one last look upwards, I steeled myself for the descent and stopped. Moving the beam of light slowly, I searched for the almost invisible indentation I thought I spotted from the corner of my eye. I swept the beam back and forth over a square meter-sized section. When I was just about to give up, the light skipped over a line.

  I found a near-invisible hatch! Pleased over my discovery, it took me a few seconds to understand the full ramifications of my find. Above each of the four levels we have been living in, was a near-invisible hatch to the Gap between levels. This meter and a half space housed pipes and wires and room for someone like me to move between levels without being seen.

  I had thought I reached the ceiling. But the presence of a near-invisible hatch meant there was something on the other side.

  Chapter 6

  Something on the other side. I repeated it in my mind in order for the logical side of my brain to catch up. No black rubber ringed the hatch, which meant it wasn’t a Gateway to Outer Space. There could be another Expanse and room for additional levels. I laughed, but it sounded strained and metallic as it echoed. I had thought sixteen levels incomprehensible.

  Only one way to know for sure, I hooked my legs through the rungs on the ladder to anchor my body. Stretching my hands up, I felt for the release.

  The pop-click reverberated through the bones in my arms. I pushed the hatch. The metal groaned and creaked, setting my teeth on edge. A dusty stale smell drifted down.

  When the opening was big enough for me to fit through, I shined my light inside. The ladder continued another meter before stopping. Odd shapes decorated the wall. Taking a risk, I climbed into the space. The floor seemed solid so I stepped down, but still held on to the ladder just in case.

  The good news—the floor didn’t disintegrate under me.

  The bad—a strange tingle zipped through my foot and daylights turned on.

  Blinded by the bright white light, I squeezed my eyes shut. Even through my eyelids, the harsh brilliance stabbed like a horrible migraine.

  It felt like hours before my vision adjusted.

  When I could finally see, I saw a giant monster.

  I screamed and hopped onto the ladder before logic took control. The huge thing was a thing, not a living breathing creature. It
didn’t move. No sounds emanated. No lights shone from it. It appeared to be made of an odd black metal without rivets.

  Unable to stifle my curiosity, I stepped closer. About nine meters tall and a hundred meters wide, it was too long for me to guess with any accuracy. A colossal sheep without a neck had been my initial impression. Or a long sock filled with round balls. Or glass balls all stuck together in a rectangular shape.

  Either way, the whole oddity rested on eight thick metal legs with massive wheels. The head—for lack of a better word—had two large glass panes for its eyes, which reflected the daylights set into the ceiling. If the roof above this strange level was indeed the ceiling for Inside. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised to find yet another level and perhaps a whole other society living above us.

  I ringed the structure and spotted its tiny twin right next to it. Not as scary as its super-sized brother, the smaller…what to call it? A lamb? A bubble thing? It appeared to be a conveyance of some type.

  Once the shock of my discovery wore off, I realized that the room I stood in was indeed a room. Inside was approximately two thousand meters wide, by two thousand meters long. This area was a fraction of that size. In fact, my body’s internal sense of measurement suspected the room’s dimensions equaled one Sector or Quadrant—six hundred and sixty-six point seven square meters. One ninth of a level. Or to convert it into Inside’s designation system so it matched the levels below, this area would be Quad G17.

  Which meant, there was potentially four Sectors and three more Quadrants in this level. Did that mean eight more bubble monsters? I shuddered, sending a horde of goose bumps across my skin. Feeling as if I would float away, I leaned against the bumpy wall.

  Remembering the patterns and symbols covering its surface, I straightened to examine them. The pictures and diagrams made as much sense to me as one of Logan’s computer screens.

  I walked along the walls, seeking a doorway. The strange markings continued, filling every centimeter without a break on three of the four walls. In the middle of the north wall, which would be shared with Sector D17, was a Gateway outlined in the familiar black rubber seal. But this one extended almost to the ceiling and was at least two hundred meters wide. Big enough to fit the bubble monster. In the northwest corner, sheets of the black metal had been stacked. I touched the smooth surface. It felt like glass, but seemed too thick. Prying the first sheet up, I expected it to be heavy. But it peeled away with a staticky-crackly sound. It weighed nothing compared to metal or glass. And the edges drooped like cloth, but not cloth. It reminded me of a slice of Outer Space—black, cold and weightless.