“Really? They’re coming inside?” I pretended to be stunned. Then I leaned closer as if suddenly enthusiastic. “Will they repair the air and power plant?”
“Yes, and put our society back in order. No Committee, no ISF, no scrubs or uppers, they’re going to fix it all.”
“How?”
“By returning our society to its original configuration.”
“Original as in Pop Cops?”
“No. As in the Outsiders once again being our Controllers, making the rules, enforcing the rules and the rest of you can return to work. I’ll be one of their chosen liaisons.”
Sounded like the Pop Cops, but I knew better than to argue with him. “When are they coming?” I asked instead.
“Soon. We have to prepare for them. And that’s where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re a natural leader, Trella. You united everyone to fight the Pop Cops. They told us to convince you of their benevolence. They want you to get everyone excited about them. That’s why Jacy wanted you out of the way. He knows about the Outsiders and is trying to prevent them from coming inside.”
“Oh.” A twist I hadn’t been expecting. “Did they contact you?”
“Not me. Hank. He’s believed that the Controllers live Outside and have been instructing us on how to live better lives. Though his beliefs were shaken a bit when you found Gateway and it lead to Outer Space and not to them. He’s been searching the computers since your rebellion. He never gave up faith that they existed.
“All that nonsense about the Controllers being operating parameters and fail-safes was just that. Nonsense. When you think about it, there had to be a higher authority than the captain and admirals. The Travas followed the Controllers’ rules, and we should have as well. A mistake that Hank and I are going to fix. And now you can help us.” He leaned toward me. “We’re not going to let Jacy win. We’re going to have an ordered society again, but this time you and I and Hank and all our supporters are going to be the leaders.”
Bubba Boom closed the gap between us. He wrapped his arms around my back and drew me in for a kiss.
For a second, I froze. Then, remembering my mission, I returned the kiss. It wasn’t the same as when I had kissed Riley. Riley’s zipped through my body, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Bubba Boom’s made me nervous. I wouldn’t be able to do more than kiss him, and I hoped I wouldn’t have to.
When he broke off, he pulled me tight to his chest. “Unlike Hank, you understand,” he whispered in my ear. “Understand what it’s like to be at the mercy of another. To suffer and be forced to make a choice between your friends.”
“Are you talking about Vinco and the Pop Cops?”
“Yes. He wouldn’t stop until I told him who the Tech Nos were, but I kept Anne-Jade’s and Logan’s names to myself, giving him the others. Every time I close my eyes to sleep, I see all their faces. Your mother understands as well.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. Karla had threatened to recycle her husband and daughter if she didn’t cooperate. She had named friends in order to protect them…me. And then we were taken from her anyway. She had lost everyone.
Bubba Boom released me. “That’s why we need Controllers. They won’t torture or trick people.”
“Do you know why they wish to come in?”
Again his face shone with a fervent glow. “We’re their lost children. We have run away and made a mess of things. They’ve been trying to catch up to us, but Inside is faster than they are. But not anymore. We’ve stopped accelerating so they could join us.”
That’s why the Transmission had been targeted twice. “Then we better prepare everyone for their arrival.” I tried to sound like an avid believer.
His smile encompassed his whole face. “I knew you were smart. Hank said you’d be impossible to convince, but the logic is hard to ignore.” He stood. “Come on, we have lots to do.”
I hurried to keep pace with him as he headed back toward the infirmary. When we arrived in the crowded patient area, he said, “Go and get your things. I’ll talk to the doctor.”
“Why?”
“You can’t stay here. It’s too dangerous. We have an extra room for you and you’ll be protected at all times.”
Which also meant watched at all times. Not much I could do without blowing my cover. I collected my meager possessions. When I returned, Bubba Boom was talking to Lamont.
My mother met my gaze with a question in her eyes. I got the impression all I needed to do was signal her in some fashion and she would prevent him from taking me from the infirmary. Half tempted to see what she would do, I almost nodded in encouragement. But the need to find out all I could stopped me. Instead, I kept my expression neutral.
“Trella, can I have a word in private?” she asked.
“Uh. Sure.” I turned to Bubba Boom. “Be right back.”
Lamont led me to her office and shut the door. She motioned toward the chair and I perched on the edge. Remembering how Domotor and Bubba Boom both avoided talking to me in the infirmary, I guessed Lamont’s office probably had a hidden microphone somewhere inside.
“I understand he rescued you and saved your life, but don’t you think you should wait a few weeks before staying with him?” she asked.
“That sounds like a mother’s question and not a doctor’s concern,” I said.
She stiffened as pain flashed in her eyes. “You had a rough week. You’re not fully recuperated.”
“I’ll be fine. In fact, I can rest better surrounded by Bubba Boom and his colleagues. There’s no way Jacy can get to me there.” Unable to leave her without a better explanation, I took a wipe board and marker from her desk and wrote, It’s not what you think. This is part of a plan.
“Oh. Well…then…I just wanted to make sure you considered your health. You’ll come back if your headaches get worse?”
“Yes.” I erased the words from the board and wrote, Thanks.
Bubba Boom led me up to level five. Although it had been completed before the first explosion, the Committee hadn’t had time to decide who should move in. Bluelights lit the hallways and our footsteps echoed. The layout of the new level matched all the others so when he stopped in front of a set of double doors, I knew we were close to Quad A5.
He turned to me and took both my hands. “This is the new headquarters for Inside. All the system controls are now here.” Letting my left hand go, he knocked on the door.
A thin hidden panel opened and eyes peered at us before the doors hissed apart. Bubba Boom didn’t hesitate. He strode in like he owned the place, towing me along like a prized possession.
The area resembled the main Control Room in Quad G4, but it wasn’t finished. Computers and half-completed manned stations sprouted exposed wires. Desks and diagrams were drawn on the walls. Lots of general activity and buzz of voices that ceased the moment we entered.
My heart paused as I glanced around. A feeling that I had just made the biggest mistake in my entire life overwhelmed me.
I expected to recognize a bunch of the maintenance crew. I also knew a few uppers and a couple scrubs.
I expected to see Hank. And expected he would be the hardest one to convince of my newfound faith. Hank jumped to his feet and barreled toward us clearly upset. No surprise there.
I didn’t count on Karla Trava sitting with a group of uppers around a small conference table. But as much as her presence upset and surprised me, she wasn’t the reason my heart tore a hole in my chest, fleeing for its life.
Two…beings wearing strange white reflective suits stood near a bank of computers. They had round silver metal heads with black tubes that ran from their chests to small tanks on their backs.
The Outsiders had come in.
Chapt
er 17
Even though they were shaped like us—two legs, two arms, hands, torso and, I guessed, a head—I backed away from the Outsiders. Bubba Boom stopped me. “It’s okay, Trella, they’re just wearing protective suits. They look just like us, and these two men are here to help us get ready for the others.”
Men? Their silver heads reflected like a mirror. Hank’s broad shape alone covered half of the one’s on the left.
“Are you out of your mind?” Hank asked Bubba Boom. “Why did you bring her here?”
“She understands. I was right about her.”
Hank snorted. “You’re a fool.”
It was time for me to convince Hank. I forced my gaze away from the strange Outsiders and met his. “He isn’t a fool. I’m the foolish one. I thought once we gained control of Inside, my job was done. A mistake I plan to fix. I’m here to do it right this time. To get us back on track.”
Hank stared at me as if he could read my thoughts. I suppressed the urge to squirm under his intense scrutiny. “Cogon told me you didn’t believe in the Controllers. And you never stopped to consider our beliefs before you carelessly announced they didn’t exist.” He stepped closer to me. “The Controllers are just system safeguards and directives from our ancestors, you and Logan said. Do you know how upsetting that was?”
He didn’t wait for my reply. “Do you even understand that when you told the scrubs Outside was not the paradise they believed in for thousands of weeks, but some airless void, you destroyed their hope of ever reaching a better place?”
“I do now.”
“Too late! The damage’s been done. I never gave up hope. I kept searching for them. I knew they wouldn’t abandon us.” He swept his hand out. “And here they are. Just like us. On a journey through Outer Space to find a home. And now I don’t have to play nice with the Committee or you.”
I glanced at Bubba Boom. “If everyone believes the Controllers are our leaders, then why did you say you needed me?”
“Because there are many like you who don’t believe. And who trust your word,” Bubba Boom said.
“But all you need to do is show them proof.” I gestured toward the Outsiders. They moved closer. Their gait awkward. And so did Karla Trava. Oh joy. Two nightmares within easy reach.
“We don’t want to spark a panic. They accepted the Committee because you endorsed them, so they’ll accept the Outsiders as our Controllers as well.”
Such confidence that I didn’t deserve. Hank had been right about me. I hadn’t considered the ramifications of my discoveries. But I did know taking out the Pop Cops had been a good thing.
“Why is Karla here?” I asked Bubba Boom.
“The Travas have been cooperating with the Controllers long before your rebellion. She helped us when they contacted us.”
“Did the Travas know they’re from Outside?” I asked.
“No,” Karla said. “We believed they were intelligent beings living inside the computer network. The reality is far more logical.”
“How did you get out of the brig?”
Bubba Boom answered. “Anne-Jade. All this time Logan’s been under our…protection, not the Committee’s. We have control of the life systems as well. Anne-Jade won’t risk her brother’s life. She cares too much to refuse us.”
“I think Trella does, too,” Hank said. “And I’m not convinced of her change in heart either.”
Bubba Boom pulled me close as if to protect me. “She was taken by Jacy. Sloan tried to kill her and she understands.”
“Understands what, exactly?” Hank asked.
“I understand that we need something to unite us,” I said. And this I believed one hundred percent. Except my thinking skewed to uniting us as Insiders and not as servants to the Outsiders. “And I believe the Controllers will help and not hurt us.”
Hank turned to Karla. “What do you think?”
“I think you should recycle her right away,” she said. “She will ruin all your plans. She should never be trusted.”
Bubba Boom’s grip on my hand tightened. “I trust her. And Cogon loved her like a sister.”
“And look how that worked out for him,” Karla said.
Hank chewed on his lip. “I’ll let the Controllers decide. Come with me.”
It was a good thing my heart had already run away, otherwise it would have exploded in my chest from the sudden surge of terror.
Bubba Boom pried my hand from his. “It’ll be okay. Just tell them the truth.” He nudged me toward Hank and the Outsiders.
They waited for me to join them. I followed them into another room. When the door hissed shut, I couldn’t breathe in the thin air. Gasping, I felt as if I suffocated. Panicking, I glanced around.
The room was a standard conference area with table and chairs. But big silver tanks lined the far wall and metal boxes had been stacked in the corner. Metal plates covered the air and heating vents.
Hank gestured to a chair. Once I sat, he showed me the small tank near the chair’s legs and the oxygen mask. Understanding cut through the dizziness and I covered my nose and mouth with the mask, filling my lungs with thick air.
The Outsiders fiddled with clamps around their necks. A popping noise followed a whoosh and they removed their round silver helmets.
They did resemble us. Short brown hair, brown eyes, a nose, mouth and ears. But their skin had an unhealthy yellowish cast, almost like jaundice. And their expressions were far from friendly.
The Outsider on the right crinkled his nose as if he smelled something rotten. “This is sheep leader?” He spoke with a thick accent. He struggled to pronounce each word.
Hank pulled his mask away from his face. “Yes. This is Trella Garrard.”
“She look…”
“Insignificant,” the other Outsider said.
“She is not. She caused much trouble for our world, but her actions enabled us to contact you.”
As if I didn’t feel bad enough.
Hank introduced the Outsiders. “This is Ponife.” The Outsider on the right inclined his head. “And Fosord.”
“What is problem?” Ponife asked Hank.
Hank explained in concise sentences how they needed me yet they doubted my sincerity. The two Outsiders conferred in a strange dialect. I could understand every fourth or fifth word.
Ponife stood and went to the stack of metal boxes. He removed the top one and set it on the floor, then rummaged in the second one. He returned with a thin silver loop, walking toward me.
“Stand, Trella Garrard,” he ordered.
I glanced at Hank.
“If you truly believe, you’ll do as they say,” Hank said.
Escape would be difficult, considering the blocked vents, and the roomful of people between me and freedom. I rose. Ponife touched a small metal X to the loop and it opened, breaking into two half circles hinged together.
He held the broken loop out and approached me, aiming for my neck. I decided I had learned more than enough, and ducked. Running for the door, I hoped the element of surprise would be on my side when I raced through the new control room.
It wasn’t. The door refused to slide open. Hank tackled me to the ground. Despite my struggles, Hank kept me pinned, and Ponife snapped the loop around my neck. It felt big at first, but the metal warmed against my skin and…softened then tightened. Hank released me and I dove for the oxygen mask, convinced I was being choked to death.
After a few deep breaths, I realized my windpipe had not been compressed. I tried to hook a finger under the loop, but it was skintight.
“I knew you were lying. Did Jacy send you to spy on us?” Hank asked.
“No. I panicked.” I pointed to Ponife. “He scared me.” I tugged on the loop. It didn’t budge. “Wha
t is this thing?”
“A command collar,” Ponife said. “You will…listen to us.”
“But she can’t be trusted,” Hank said.
“No matter. She is…attached to us. We know where she go.”
“She will listen or…” Fosord, who hadn’t moved during the whole incident, motioned to his colleague.
Ponife twisted the metal X with his fingers. Sharp needles of pain stabbed into my neck and traveled down my spine. Unrelenting pulses of fire coursed through my body. I collapsed to the ground, shrieking. Vinco’s knife had been a caress in comparison to this anguish.
The pain stopped as quickly as it had arrived. My relief was almost as intense as the pain. Hank pressed the mask to my mouth as I gasped. Shudders overwhelmed my muscles as sweat pooled. If I had to guess how it felt to be kill-zapped, I’d imagine that torment came pretty damn close.
Hank straightened. “Impressive. Do you have more of those command collars?”
“Yes,” Ponife said. “We find them to be…useful for…solving problems.”
“Can I?” Hank wanted to take the X.
“No. Only Controllers can…correct problems.”
“What else can it do?” he asked.
Ponife pulled on one of the ends. Numbness spread down my body, deadening all feeling below my neck. I could only move my head.
“She is…stopped,” Ponife said. He flipped it around and tugged another side.
Feeling returned with a sudden flush of heat. My body tingled like I had just been kissed by Riley. It intensified as pure pleasure raced along my skin as if invisible hands stroked my body. To me, this was more humiliating than the pain.
“She is…rewarded. That is all.” He righted the X.
The tingling stopped, and I had control of my body. For now.
“Plus you know where she is, right? It works like a tracer?” Hank asked.
Ponife dug into the pocket of his suit. The white material creased like fabric, but crinkled like very thin metal. He pulled out a small box that resembled a hand-puter the Pop Cops had used. He opened it, displaying a miniature screen. Inserting the X into the opposite side, he pushed a few buttons. Then he showed Hank the screen.
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