Cage of Glass (Cage of Glass Trilogy Book 1)

by Genevieve Crownson

  I was relieved to get up and have somewhere to go, away from the suffocating silence of this house. All I kept hearing in my head was Mama’s voice.

  Never let them see your weakness.

  I pulled my hair into a tight ponytail and gazed at myself in the vanity mirror, giving myself a talking to. “You will never cry in front of anyone ever again, Luna Redwood,” I whispered, face stern. “You had a momentary lapse, but never make that mistake again.”

  I stared at my reflection, eyes glinting, hard as steel.

  Never again.

  Satisfied, I turned away and noticed the bible Zander had given me, resting on the vanity where I’d left it. I picked it up, running my fingers over the embossed words that read, Holy Bible, lettered in gold on the cover. I’d been in such a hurry to read Zander’s note, I never looked at the verse he'd mentioned. What if it meant something? Before I changed my mind, I flicked to Proverbs 3:27. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.”

  I slumped back against the chair, thinking. What was that supposed to mean? Did Zander want me to appreciate that what we’d been trying to do was “good” and I shouldn’t have guilt about it? One thing I agreed with—I had the power to act. I would do everything within my control to change this situation—even if it killed me.

  With a renewed determination, I stood up and grabbed my coat off the chair before heading out the door.

  I had a job to do.

  It was time to meet Zander and uncover the truth, once and for all.

  The Dillinger Research Center loomed large against the dark sky, creating shadows on the perfectly manicured lawn. I shivered despite my warm fleece jacket. I noticed for the first time that the center stood a bit aloof from the other clustered buildings where I’d tried to get in to see my Dad. It seemed they wished to isolate it and set it apart. A few trees scattered around the perimeter, gave it an asymmetrical feel, contrary to the usual tidiness of P8. It appeared they were haphazardly placed on purpose, in an effort to hide something. I looked harder, trying to penetrate through the inky darkness. The center had no outside lights, like the main buildings. Apparently, nobody wanted to draw attention to the place.

  I edged in closer and could just make out some kind of brick wall fortification around the perimeter. Was that to ensure people didn’t get out? Or for the sole purpose of warding off the general public from entering?

  Why hadn’t it occurred to me to look for my father here? It was almost as if an invisible cloak shielded my mind, preventing me from searching out other possibilities last time I came. I had been so focused on the main building everything else faded away. And to make matters worse—the center was just precisely far enough away from the other construction that it was literally out of sight. Had they made this strange design to trick the eye? To allow you to see only what they wanted? I’d definitely seen all four structures before. But my eyes naturally gravitated to the ornate brightness of the first building, the others, dull and plain, recessed into the shadows.

  Before I determined anything else about the Dillinger center, a hand clamped down hard on my shoulder. I instantly spun around and swung my leg out bringing whoever had been behind me to the ground. It wasn’t the first time I’d used that move. When you were a thief, you learned a few tricks of the trade. It gave you those necessary minutes to escape.

  “Luna, it’s me,” Zander hissed. “Let up.”

  I took my foot off his chest, but didn’t help him up. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that Zander. It can get you killed.”

  “Duly noted,” he muttered, getting up and brushing the dirt off himself. The light of the moon fell on his blonde hair as he raked his fingers through it, sending a leaf fluttering onto the grass. The idiot should have worn a hat. At least he had the common sense to wear black.

  “Why don’t you explain what’s going on? From my point of view, this all seems pretty suspicious. First, I confide in you about what happened with Dad. The next minute, he’s dead.”

  Even the words on my tongue, tasted metallic.

  He sighed. “Are we back to this? I thought you trusted me now.”

  I glared at him. “I’m not stupid. Facts are facts. You’re turning me in, aren’t you? Is this some kind of sick trap to get me?”

  “Of course it’s not. I care—” Zander stopped talking as soon as he saw the stony expression on my face.

  “He was the only father I ever knew. How could you do this to me?” My voice rang high and shrill, but I caught myself and stuffed my emotions back down. Being weak would never do. I’d already made that mistake once tonight. Standing here in the dark with an almost stranger forced me to recognize it had been ridiculous to think Zander had the answers to everything. What a fool I’d been. This place had a strange effect on me and I’d let my guard down. And it cost me my dad.

  Zander cast a quick glance around before taking a step closer, honing in on me. I started to move aside, but he grabbed my hand to stop me and I saw the determination etched in his eyes. There was also something else I’d never seen in him before. Deep anger. Not the annoyed irritation I experienced when I’d shown up at the library, and he asked me to stay away. This was far reaching—and went beyond me. His ghosts from the past haunted him.

  “Listen to me. You have this all wrong.”

  “Oh, do I? Then why is my father dead?”

  Zander spoke so quietly I almost didn’t hear it. “Is he really gone, though?”

  I snapped my hand back. “Don’t even joke about stuff like that, Zander Barringer, or I’ll lay you out again.”

  He shook his head. “We’re wasting time. There’s a reason I called you out here tonight. Let me show you something, and then you can make your own decision about me.”

  I narrowed my eyes, trying to gage him. I might be walking into a trap. But what choice did I have?

  I crossed my arms, and nodded, afraid if I spoke it would expose how rattled I felt.

  Zander put a finger to his lips and led me by the hand away from the shelter of the trees, toward the Dillinger Research Center. From this distance, I made out the profile of a very large insignia on the side of the structure. The same I’d seen on the main building a few days ago. Only this symbol was much larger, the eagle wings expanse stretched from one end to the other. They wanted to make sure everyone understood who owned this construction.

  I considered it a warning.

  My hand grew sweaty clasped in Zander’s grip, and my heart raced. We were exposed out here in the open. A mixture of fear and excitement tore through me.

  The outskirts of the city lay quiet and pristine—but deadly undercurrents rippled below the surface. The closer we got, the more I perceived its pull. But I had no time to analyze it because we’d already reached the six-foot fortress wall. Made with a mix of silver and brick, it had a braided trim, patterned with the number eight, repeated all the way along the outer edge. It was a strange design, and if I wasn’t so freaked that Zander planned to breach the edifice, I might have been more curious.

  “Zander are you insane?” I hissed through gritted teeth.

  He didn’t turn around, only kept moving.

  I tried pulling my hand back to stop him. But he held tight, and I didn’t have the strength to fight him without the element of surprise on my side.

  He spun on his heel and gave me a silent look that told me to be patient. He didn’t dare speak so close to these white stone walls. I reluctantly fell into step behind him. I wasn’t used to following orders, but I forced myself forward.

  Was this the beginning of the end?

  Chapter 27

  Zander bypassed the front gate and made a beeline for the north side of the building, shrouded in darkness. He pointed to a small blinking red light, hidden in the top corner under the eaves and motioned for me to crouch down behind the wall, out of its line of vision. On hands and knees, we crawled over the noticeably warm ground to a section of the barricade that see
med a bit out of place compared to the rest. This area of the wall appeared more tattered, the cement edges worn away leaving an inconsistency in the pristine brick pattern. It wasn’t an obvious flaw, something only a trained eye would detect.

  Zander squatted down in the direct spot where I noticed the oddity. Slowly, and carefully, he began to pull bricks from the facade, creating a hole wide enough for us to shimmy through. He waved me forward, pointing to the opening. I understood exactly what he wanted me to do, but I hesitated.

  What if there were guards on the other side of that barrier?

  Still, I recognized if I desired answers, I’d have to take a few risks, so I bent down and poked my head through the gap to survey my surroundings. We were near the back door, which appeared almost as large as the front entrance. I saw the electronic keypad that allowed access, along with a hefty padlock from the dark ages added for good measure—but there was no guard anywhere in sight. The camera Zander had shown me earlier pointed toward the front of the building, and there were no security cameras on this end.

  Cocky idiots. They didn’t believe they required any surveillance—that was the good news. But unfortunately, the bad news was the door had been grated with heavy steel. I didn’t see how Zander could get through it. Especially not without setting off the security alarms. A small jab from Zander at my back, warned me I needed to hurry. I sucked in a breath and stepped through, Zander at my heels. In an instant, he’d replaced the bricks in the wall and leapt to his feet, racing over to the rear door, coming to a screeching halt at the steps. It was then I realized he wasn’t aiming for the entryway.

  He intended to breach a window.

  Not a bad idea. I probably would have done the same. I watched as Zander pulled a thin, microscopic piece of metal from his pocket and wedged it between the frame and the latch. A soft click penetrated the silence and I held my breath, certain the security system would screech any second, alerting the guards to an invasion. But nothing happened.

  As if hearing the thoughts in my head, Zander whispered, “It’s a special metal, undetectable to computer scans. It won’t even register the unlocked latch. The metal fools the computer program into believing it’s still locked.” He grinned at me, his white teeth practically glowing in the moonlight.

  I crossed my arms and gave him my best withering stare. “And this is supposed to impress me?”

  His grin grew wider. “I’d like to think so.”

  He turned back to search through the backpack at his feet, procuring a small, flat tool, just large enough to wedge between the frame and the sash. He pushed it into place; the window slid up with ease.

  I wondered how many times he’d done this. His movements, fluid and sure, indicated he was familiar with the process. Not to mention that the window must have been oiled beforehand, otherwise it would have squeaked. He’d planned this out, right down to the letter. As someone who prided herself on being sneaky, I had to admit I was impressed. But I would never tell him that. His head would swell so big it would burst.

  Zander nudged me forward, pointing to the opening. “It’s time to go inside. I’ll give you a boost up,” he whispered. He cupped his hands together and lowered them for me to step onto so I could leverage myself through the window.

  I hesitated, if this was a trap, the authorities would be waiting to arrest me on the other side—pinning me with charges of forced entry. I mean, it looked dark but maybe that was all part of the plan, to have the element of surprise. A piece of me wanted to refuse, but curiosity won out. I could always run if need be. I’d done it before. Most of all, I needed answers and my intuition told me this might be the best way.

  So instead of protesting, I carefully placed my foot in his open palms and jumped. My fingers gripped the ledge, as Zander’s strong hands grabbed my waist and lifted to help pull me over the sill. I frowned, irritated that I’d required help—even more annoying was the fact that I enjoyed the sensation of his touch as he encircled my middle.

  Careful, Luna. Remember what we talked about. Trust no one.

  Once inside, I quickly sprang to my feet to make way for Zander, who followed right behind me, smooth and agile as a cat.

  I looked around. Obviously, the room didn’t get much use. I noticed some buckets filled with mops leaning against the wall; I surmised we’d ended up in some kind of utility storeroom. Zander pointed to the small door in front of us and motioned me to follow him. We crept out into a long hall, the antiseptic smells from nearby laboratories hitting me full in the face. Zander knew where to go, his footsteps silent and sure. The hallway hosted a labyrinth of doors. I remained alert; ready to fight any security guard that might pop out. But no one did. I wasn’t positive if it was because of the late hour or because the agents were beyond confident their walls were impenetrable.

  Zander’s familiarity with this place made me uneasy. When we came to what I figured must be the heart of the building, he flattened like a pancake against the wall. He reached out his arm and shoved me back next to him. I assumed it was because there were security cameras parading this corridor, protecting a high clearance area. There were no windows in this section of the structure, keeping us in the pitch black. It would be difficult for someone to make out our two shadows threading their way along the core of the Dillinger center.

  We reached a four-cornered intersection where the wall no longer concealed us. How would we cross the wide expanse without being caught? I inhaled deeply; preparing to run for it, but Zander had other plans.

  He grabbed my hand and took a sharp right turn, leading us away from the open area. But I halted mid-step when something glinted in the dark. Zander skidded to a stop but not before almost taking my arm with him.

  “What are you doing?” he hissed. “We need to keep going,” He turned his head both ways, checking our surroundings, tugging at my sleeve.

  “What is that?” I murmured, ignoring his plea and pointing to the gold I’d seen on the wall. I crept up to it and examined it closer. Even in the darkness I could see it was some kind of photograph. I shut out Zander’s protests. Every bone in my body told me this was important. But I didn’t know why. Quickly, I reached in my boot and extracted a small flashlight, and spun it to the image. Zander didn’t make a sound but tried to snuff out my torch, practically tackling me for it. But I was quick and sidestepped him, shining the beam onto the portrait.

  My heart caught in my throat. It was Mrs. Lennor.

  “Scientist of the month. Elia Watford,” I said in a hushed voice, reading the plaque at the bottom of the image. I let the light shine up to the photograph again to be sure. It was definitely Mrs. Lennor. “Scientist? But—”

  Before I could do or say anything else. Zander took the flashlight from me and wiped it out. “Not now, Luna. We may not be in line with a camera in this spot, but we are only about ten steps away from one. And those aren’t good odds. We’re sitting ducks out here. Come on.” His voice was coaxing and pleading all at the same time, and I could practically smell his desperation. But all I kept thinking was if Mrs. Lennor was a scientist, why was she masquerading as a teacher? It explained her strange behavior but little else.

  Zander grabbed my hand, holding tighter than before. Probably considering me a flight risk. I let him lead me away from the image that had now burned like a brand in my mind. We crept down a few steps into a very long galley; he opened a door and pulled me into another closet. As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I could see this space was filled with a clutter of complex-looking machines.

  I blinked and stared up at the wall of flickering video screens, each one showing different surveillance angles. The massive control panels engulfed the place, casting off colors in contrasting hues. Sweat trickled down my back in the overly warm space as the incessant hum of working machinery resounded loudly in the room, echoing in my ears.

  I stepped closer, observing the screens before me that showed vast, stark white rooms filled with a labyrinth of data ports and huge machines. The
y were silent on screen, but I imagined the roar they had to produce in person. In the center of each room was a circular tower that even now sparked with orange light that danced around and through it, like a spiderweb. The contraption was connected to the floor at its base and was covered in dials and instruments. “What in the hell is it for?” I murmured, more to myself than anyone.

  Zander, who must have heard, stepped up behind me. “From what I’ve been able to gather, the big towers are a power field,” he said. “They‘re used to import all the data from everyone’s phones. This is where everything is tracked. I couldn’t tell you before; you were being so carefully watched. I had an opportunity at the park, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put you in that kind of danger.”

  I took a shaky intake of breath to try to settle my nerves and my temper. I didn’t want any trace of fear to show, even in front of Zander. I bit my lip, trying to calm down. If our roles had been reversed, I wouldn’t have told Zander what I’d found, either. His reasoning was lame. But I couldn’t blame him for something I’d do myself. Besides, we were here now, with bigger fish to fry. So instead, I asked a question that had been niggling at me. “My parents said they run important experiments here. Is any of that remotely true?”

  Zander snorted. “Not that I’ve seen. Probably more propaganda. This place is a glorified spy center. And their so called ‘scientists’, are the government minions eager to do any dirty work necessary. One of the first things that tipped me off was how it seemed a bit warmer out here, beyond town. And the ground held more heat. I soon discovered that they needed to dispose of the waste heat produced by the microchips, and the other electronic components they utilize to track us. They use the ground as a heat sink and there’s so much of it, it’s affecting the temperature of the air. I guess that’s what happens when you need enough equipment to keep track of everyone on P8.”