Inside

by Maria V. Snyder

  The floating dizziness returned full force. I dropped the sheet, and sat on the floor, holding my head in my hands. Discovering the Expanse paled in comparison to this find.

  And then a thought stopped my heart. Should I tell the Committee? The rapid pace of changes in our society had been overwhelming to the majority of the people. Some even had trouble accepting the Expanse and new levels. And what about the saboteur or saboteurs? If they were upset over the fact we traveled through Outer Space to an unknown destination, what would they do when faced with this new discovery?

  Perhaps we needed to deal with our current problems before I added more to the mix. I returned to the ladder and climbed down below the floor, replacing and resealing the near-invisible hatch. I wondered about the daylights and hoped they would turn off.

  I had no memory of the rest of my descent other than the tricky maneuver of reattaching my harness to the safety line.

  By the time I returned to the storeroom, it was hour thirty. Only two hours had passed since I had left Karla and gone exploring. It seemed as if weeks had come and gone.

  I perched on the edge of the couch’s cushion and tried to decide between showering and sleeping. But each time I forced my thoughts to the matter at hand, the image of the Bubble Monster reclaimed all of my attention.

  When Riley arrived an hour later, I hadn’t moved. He sat next to me and I collapsed against him. Should I tell him?

  He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, supporting me. “You look like you had a close encounter with Chomper. What happened?” he asked.

  I opened my mouth, but the words jammed in my throat.

  “Logan told me you talked to Karla Trava. If she upset you, I’ll…”

  Wrenching my thoughts away from my discovery, I focused on Riley, looking up at him. A hard stubbornness radiated from his blue eyes and the muscles in his neck strained.

  “You’ll what?” I asked.

  “I’ll put her in the same cell with Vinco and smuggle a knife to him.”

  “Although she tried, she failed to unnerve me. But it’s so sweet of you.” I tapped my chest. “Nothing says you care for me better than offering to torture my enemies.”

  He grinned. “No sense doing things halfhearted. And to think, some girls have to endure listening to poetry.”

  “Poor things.” I tsked, but couldn’t stop a smile.

  Riley stroked my cheek with his fingers. “That’s better. Now you have some color in your face. Did something go wrong with searching for the bomber?”

  Glad to have a topic I could handle, I said, “No. Jacy sent me to a guy named Bubba Boom.” I held up a hand to stop his snort of disbelief. “Just wait, the story gets better.” Telling him about the stink bombers, I filled him in on what I had learned.

  He fiddled with a piece of ripped fabric on the couch’s arm. “Not much to go on. You can use the computer in my rooms to research the names Bubba Boom gave you. Logan assigned you a ten-degree security clearance so you can access the entire network.”

  “Why would he do that? I barely know how to use the computer.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Riley stared at me as if I had told him Sheepy could talk.

  I ignored his question. “Your computer is fine. I also need a shower. Is your dad working? I don’t want to bother him.”

  This time Riley gave me a slow conspiratorial leer. “What a coincidence. I need a shower as well. Good thing my father’s busy for the next couple of hours and you have a promise to keep.”

  Taking different routes to Riley’s rooms in Sector E4, I figured my path through the air ducts would be quicker than his through the corridors. But when I reached the vent for suite number three-six-nine-five, he waited below, standing on the table.

  I opened the cover and dangled my legs. Riley caught me around my waist and I slid down him the rest of the way. He didn’t let go when my feet touched the table. Dipping his head closer to mine, he kissed me for a long time.

  When he tugged at my uniform, I pulled away. Breathless for a moment, I sucked in a few deep breaths.

  “Are you sure your father won’t be back soon?” I asked.

  He answered with the metallic trill of my zipper unzipping. Cool air caressed my sweaty back. A nervous shiver raced over my skin. His lips found mine and his hands stroked my exposed back. Heat from his touch burned all the doubts away.

  When he began to pull the fabric of my jumpsuit down, he paused. “Shower?”

  A big step, but my heart beat its approval. And the desire to see him naked and soapy overrode all logic. I imagined cold reason melting and steaming away in a puffy cloud.

  We left a trail of clothes to the washroom. Warm water, the scent of soap and slippery skin made for an exhilarating combination. I worried about the ugly scars crisscrossing my torso, arms and legs, but no hint of disgust or pity darkened his expression.

  He wiped the water from my eyes. “You’re beautiful. I—”

  I covered his mouth with mine, afraid to hear him utter words I couldn’t repeat back to him. Grabbing the soap, I worked it into a frothy lather. I explored the hard ridges of his stomach, the smooth lines of his back and his nice grabable butt as we kissed under the spray of hot water.

  His hands were equally busy and quite distracting. And when his lips moved to my neck, I lost all track of time and location. However, Riley kept an eye on the clock in the washroom, and he stopped way too soon with a sigh.

  “Dad’s due in a few minutes. Although…” He trailed a finger along my ribs. “He wouldn’t just barge in here. He’d think I was alone in the shower so we could continue.”

  “And what happens when we both come out?”

  “He would grin like an idiot, beaming with happiness.”

  I pushed Riley’s hand away before it could move any lower. “No. I’m not ready for your father to get any ideas.”

  “Too late. He’s been full of ideas ever since I started talking about an intern named Ella.” Riley pulled me close. “The rebellion distracted him, but he’s back to being way too nosy about our relationship.”

  “He needs one of his own.”

  Riley dropped his arms and turned off the water. “It would be nice, but he says my mother was the only one for him, and he hasn’t met anyone who drove him as crazy as she did.” He grabbed a couple of towels and handed one to me.

  “Drove him crazy in a good way or bad?” I dried my body and wrapped the towel around my torso.

  He paused as if struck by an amazing notion. “He always said both good and bad, but I never really understood how it was possible…” He met my gaze. “Until now.”

  I looked away and rummaged for a comb. My question had almost been in jest, and I didn’t want to start a serious discussion. The knots in my hair resisted the comb’s efforts, but I managed to smooth them out. I braided my hair without drying it. A certain amount of patience was required to dry it first. Patience I didn’t have. Never did.

  Glancing at Riley, I watched him run his fingers through his wet mop before he dressed. I never cared about my appearance prior to meeting Riley, and he’d seen me at my worst. So why would I waste precious time to fuss over my hair? I studied my reflection in the washroom’s mirror. A stranger stared back. Even after fourteen weeks, my blue-colored eyes still seemed like they belonged in another face. The blue had been my original color; otherwise, the reversal drops wouldn’t have worked.

  According to Domotor and a few others, I had my father’s eyes. They also claimed my father was Nolan Garrard. Unlike Lamont’s name, his didn’t make me cringe. In fact, I would be proud to be his daughter. Even though the Force of Ten’s attempt to change our world failed, his final defiance by saving those ten files had been vital. Without them, we wouldn’t have found Gateway. And their existence impres
sed Logan—hard to do when it came to technology.

  Perhaps settling the matter of my birth parents wouldn’t be so bad. So what if Lamont’s my mother? It’s not like I’d be forced to live with her or to forgive her. Nothing would change.

  I hurried to dress before Riley’s dad returned. Riley already sat at the computer in the living area. The apartment had one bedroom, a washroom, a small space for the computer, a table and couch. Posh accommodations from a scrub’s point of view, but still not the huge suite of rooms I had imagined when the Pop Cops kept us from going above level two.

  Riley typed for a few minutes before relinquishing the chair. “I logged you on. You’ll need to pull up the population records to search for those names.”

  Reluctance kept me from claiming the seat. “Can’t you look them up for me?”

  “Sit.” He pointed. “You need to learn how to access the computer files.”

  Not happy, I plopped in front of the screen. He leaned over me as he explained how to navigate the network. I might look like Nolan Garrard, but I didn’t have his knack with computers.

  After more than a few frustrating minutes, Riley almost growled at me. “Think of the network as a map of Inside and the files are stored in different Sectors and Quadrants. In order to find the right file, you need to know the location.”

  “But what if it isn’t there? Logan said—”

  “That the files had been jumbled, but I’m used to them that way. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, I request a search.”

  “From who?”

  “The computer.”

  “Oh. Like from the Controllers in the network?”

  “No. Yes.”

  I turned my head to see him. He squinted at the screen as if in pain.

  “Which one is it?”

  Riley ran a hand over his face. “We learned that the Controllers are really just an operating system. It connects all the information in the network, lets you know if you can do something or not. It protects certain areas. And it will search for files and tell you where they are.” He swept his arm out. “Everything in Inside is all connected to the network. Technically, I could run all the systems from one computer.”

  This fact seemed to impress him, but, considering the recent sabotage, it scared me. “What happens if the network breaks down?”

  “It can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “There are backup systems and everything has been saved in protected files.”

  “But what if they’re compromised as well?”

  He dismissed my concerns. “Won’t happen. And you’re trying to distract me so I don’t teach you how to navigate through the network.”

  “I’m not. I’m just worried another bomb might blow apart the network.”

  “Don’t worry, there are many safeguards in place. Unless you want me to have Logan explain—”

  “No! I trust you.”

  He clutched his hands to his chest. “She… Gasp… Trusts me! Call for medical aid stat!”

  I swung at him, but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet.

  Snaking his arms around my waist, he said, “We need to celebrate this momentous occasion.”

  “What are we celebrating?” Jacob Ashon, Riley’s father, asked from the doorway.

  I pushed Riley away to greet his father. But the damage had been done. He grinned at us like an idiot. Joy beamed from his brown eyes as his gaze went from Riley’s wet hair to mine. I suppressed a groan.

  “We’re celebrating Trella learning the computer system,” Riley said.

  The wattage from his grin dulled a few kilos. His slightly disappointed expression reminded me of Riley. He had his father’s solid build, sense of humor and mannerisms, but, according to Jacob, Riley’s black hair, blue eyes and stubbornness had been inherited from his mother, Ramla Ashon.

  She had been another casualty of the failed Force of Ten rebellion along with Nolan Garrard, Blas Sanchia and Shawn Lamont. Four brave souls who would be honored with a plaque or memorial along with Cogon once our world settled back into… What? Not like we would return to life before. I guessed just when our society settled into a new routine.

  “Oh,” Jacob said, then recovered his brightness. “Don’t teach her too much. She tends to leave a wake of trouble behind her, and I don’t want to spend hours trying to decipher the carnage.”

  “Not funny,” I said, plopping back down in the chair. The diagram of file names on the screen hadn’t gotten any more understandable with Riley’s explanation.

  Riley attempted another round of frustrating instruction before giving in and swapping places with me. I paid attention for a few minutes, but soon lost interest. As he worked, I studied Jacob. He straightened the mess of wires and gadgets Riley had strewn about the room, collecting them into a neat pile.

  Jacob had been thrilled to be reunited with Blake, Riley’s younger brother. Having to send a child to live in the lower levels must be difficult especially since Jacob reveled in the whole family experience. I wondered if Blake’s decision to return to living in the barracks upset him. If I did test my blood to determine if Nolan and Lamont were my parents, I knew Jacob would be happy. Despite Lamont’s first betrayal costing him his wife, and the second one almost killing his son, he stayed friends with her. Crazy.

  “…paying attention, Trella?” Riley asked.

  “Uh…”

  “You’re impossible. Here’s the file you need.” He stood. “You can search through it.”

  Back in front of the computer, I scanned the directory of names with birth weeks, barrack locations and other stats listed next to them. The file contained all the lower level scrubs. All eighteen thousand and change. Ugh.

  As I scrolled down the page, Riley asked his father why he was late.

  “I visited your brother,” Jacob said. “The Committee heard rumors of the kitchen workers threatening to cook only enough food for themselves. I thought I’d check into it and see if I can resolve the issue.”

  I tuned out their conversation, glad I no longer had to deal with the Committee’s problems. Concentrating on the list, I thought there must be a reason why the names had been put in this particular order. It wasn’t alphabetical, by barrack location, birth week, by Care Mother or by care unit. At the end of the stats for each were the same letters: AS.

  When my name jumped out, I stopped. Did AS mean air scrub? I didn’t recognize the other names with AS, but I hadn’t learned the names of my fellow workers either. After I scrolled a few more pages the AS turned into a CS and I found my Care Mother’s name in that section.

  The list had been organized by work area and they had been alphabetized. I quickly bypassed the other workers until I reached the hydroponics scrubs. Sure enough, Ivie was listed. After I wrote down her stats on a wipe board, I found Kadar and copied his as well.

  They had been care mates. No surprise. They were also a few centiweeks older than me, putting them closer to Cog’s age. And they slept in Sector D1, Jacy’s barrack. I tapped the marker against my teeth. This information didn’t mean anything other than they existed. Bubba Boom could have picked their names at random.

  To really find out what’s going on, someone would need to follow those two around. I couldn’t do it as I was too recognizable with my blue eyes and small stature. The best way would be to recruit someone not in Jacy’s network and who I could trust.

  “Trella?” Riley interrupted my train of thought. “Did you hear what’s going on in the lower level kitchen?”

  I turned. “A little. I found those names, and I think we—”

  “There might be a food strike. Don’t you care?”

  “Of course I do, but your dad and the Committee know about it. They can deal with it. Plus they hav
e Blake to…”

  Riley crossed his arms. A danger sign. “To what?”

  “To warn them.” And he would be perfect to spy on Ivie and Kadar for me. “Does Blake come up here often to visit?”

  “Why?” When I hesitated, he said, “I recognize that look. Tell me what you’re planning.”

  By the tension rolling off Riley, I knew to tread carefully. “We need a reliable person to keep an eye on Ivie and Kadar for us. I thought Blake cou—”

  “No. You’re not putting him in danger.”

  “It won’t be that dangerous.”

  “What if Ivie and Kadar are the bombers and they notice Blake’s interest in them? He could be their next target. Besides, he’ll be needed to report to the Committee about the food situation. Trella, you’ve got to keep in mind the big picture, not just the next thing you want to do.”

  The big picture. I almost laughed, remembering what I had said to Jacy about being a big picture girl. Drawing in a deep breath, I held it along with a sarcastic reply. My search for the saboteurs was important, but I suspected his ire went deeper than the recent kitchen crisis, and I had no energy to fight with him. The climb to the ceiling of the Expanse had sapped my strength.

  Instead, I swiveled back to the computer screen. Not sure how to log out, I picked up the wipe board. Before I could stand, a bright whiteness flashed on the monitor, erasing the list. Then it faded to black. It seemed odd, but when I glanced at Riley, his attention remained on me.