A Crack in the Sky

by Mark Peter Hughes

  “Get it off me! Get it off!”

  Marilyn!

  Seconds later Sebastian appeared in the alley, yelling and waving what looked like a length of a rusted pipe. Like a madman he charged at the screaming woman, but by then she was already halfway toward the remains of the old brick house. The last Eli saw of her was when she disappeared through the empty doorway, shouting and cursing. Marilyn had already hopped off her, but instead of following after her, she crouched by the doorway, hissing in the Outsider’s direction. Eli and Sebastian watched, wide-eyed, until finally, a few seconds later, Marilyn crept back to them.

  Nobody spoke.

  Finally Eli felt Sebastian put his hand on his shoulder. Eli could see in his eyes that he was scared. Really scared.

  “I thought you were dead meat there,” he said, his voice quivering.

  Neither of them said anything else. Eli was still breathing fast. After a moment Sebastian started toward the little alleyway, and Eli followed. Soon the three of them were running again, this time sticking close together. Within minutes they were making their way out of the ruins, scrambling across the hard earth, back to the edge of the dome.

  One thing Eli knew: he would never venture Outside again.

  4

  tabitha

  Alone in her cubicle and away from the probing eyes of her classmates, Representative Tabitha Bloomberg at last had a moment to think. She settled into her chair and rubbed her pounding temples. She should have been feeling proud of herself today. Earlier that morning Representative Barnes, her supervising instructor, had delivered her third-quarter assessment report with wonderful news: they were promoting her to Team Leader. It meant she, at thirteen years old, would be the youngest Team Leader in the history of the Department of Intern Relations.

  It was an unexpected honor, the latest in a surprising series of positive developments in Tabitha’s life.

  Even so, the truth was that she had mixed feelings about the promotion. She hadn’t said anything to Representative Barnes, of course. She’d told him she was thrilled. But there was something he didn’t know, something she couldn’t tell him or anyone else.

  A glimmer of milky light fluttered across her face, a reflection from her work sphere. A floating orb of color, it hovered and glowed above her desk, beckoning her back to work. For once, though, Tabitha gave herself a few extra seconds to gather her emotions before jumping back in. She glanced out the window at her view of St. Louis and watched a digital dodo bird clean its feathers as it squatted in a cloud.

  Distracted, she didn’t notice the handwritten note somebody had left on her desk. It had been folded and placed carefully under her coffee mug, with one corner poking out. But Tabitha was focused on her own troubled thoughts just then.

  By all appearances today was an especially rewarding day at the end of an especially productive month for Tabitha. It had started when she’d been selected out of all her classmates, a nationwide pool of more than a thousand of the top interns in the Division of Student Affairs, to accompany Sebastian Papadopoulos, of all people, to New Washington on the first day of his internship, only two weeks from now. It was going to be a huge honor. And despite her secret distrust of the Papadopoulos family, she was thrilled she would be part of such an important occasion.

  Then, of course, there was Ben. The thought of him sent a warm rush through her. She’d known him six months now, and in the past few weeks they had grown closer than ever. Only the previous evening the two of them had been up half the night, talking and holding hands. As far as that went, Tabitha had never felt so content.

  And now this. The promotion was a big deal. It might lead to even bigger promotions. More responsibility. It meant the company trusted her.

  But it also meant more secret weight hanging over her head.

  She should have been happy, but she felt too conflicted to feel anything but numb. Nothing was black and white anymore, just shades of gray. Deep down she wasn’t sure she could ever know real happiness again. In any case she didn’t deserve it.

  Her head still throbbing, she turned back to her work sphere. At last she noticed the corner of paper poking out from under her mug. She froze. She recognized right away what it was. She saw how it’d been folded and placed on her desk in a way that would minimize the chance of anyone else seeing it. It was obvious who must have set it there. Who else left paper notes?

  She felt the first tinge of dread.

  Trying to appear casual, she checked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching. Her classmates were busily manipulating their own work spheres, checking trainee performance records, following up with new Program applications. It was safe to look. As safe as it would ever be, anyway. She reached for the note and gently unfolded it.

  There were only a few words.

  They know. They’re coming for you, Sister. Run.

  Escape to sanctuary Outside, beyond the windmills.

  Help is waiting.

  —The Friends of Gustavo

  It felt like all the air left her lungs.

  * * *

  Tabitha rushed into the bathroom stall and locked the door. Trembling, she sat down and pulled her knees to her chin. If anyone came in, she didn’t want them to know she was there. The folded note, the message that had in one instant turned her whole world upside down, was still in her hands. She read it again. She wanted to throw up.

  She had been part of the secret organization for only a few weeks and already her life was ruined.

  She wondered how the Friend, whoever it was, had found her. How did they even get into the building, past the Guardians, and through the entire office area? Was it possible there was somebody else studying here in the Program with her, another member of the clandestine society, whom she didn’t know about?

  The note was like a bomb blasting her world apart. Everything she’d been working toward for her whole career was finished now. She would be kicked out of the Program for sure. And if the Friends were right, that was the least of her worries.

  But she couldn’t let herself think about that right now.

  She needed to stay calm.

  In front of her, the hologram on the stall door showed three grinning teenagers stuffing pastries into their mouths. Tonight at 9, on InfiniCorp 22: InfiniCorp Runs on Honey-Glazed Energy! Nutrition Tips for the Busy Employee.

  Two stalls away, a toilet flushed and someone stepped out. Tabitha heard the click-clack of footsteps on the tiles and then water running at the sink. She waited until the person left before allowing herself to breathe again.

  Ben! She’d been stupid to fall for him, that was clear now. If she’d never met him, none of this would have happened. And yet, even at this awful moment, she still couldn’t change how she felt about him. Fifteen, charming, and funny, he’d been her first kiss. Her first real boyfriend. She liked him.

  Was that so wrong?

  Now, hiding in the bathroom, she wondered if she’d ever see him again. It was dizzying how fast her whole house of cards had fallen apart.

  Quickly she considered her options: First of all, leaving the St. Louis dome and escaping Outside as the note said … well, it was just too scary to think about. She’d lived her whole life under one dome or another. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d been Outside without a transport. And even if she did it—assuming she could make it to the gate without getting caught first—it would mean leaving the Program, abandoning her whole life and everyone she cared about, and living the rest of her days as an outlaw, hunted and frightened. If she could survive out there at all.

  It was a crazy idea.

  But staying with InfiniCorp didn’t seem possible anymore. The Guardians were coming for her. And if the Friends were telling the truth, the company would almost certainly wipe her memory clean, maybe even throw her in some secret prison to rot the rest of her life away.

  The Friends told her things like that happened.

  But the company ran everything. It was everything. W
ithout it, how could she ever expect to survive?

  The bathroom door swung open again, and new footsteps walked toward her. Tabitha held still. Whoever it was, the person passed her stall and went into the next one. Tabitha knew she was using up precious time. She closed her eyes and hugged her knees.

  Maybe she should go to the Guardians. Turn herself in. She could tell them what she knew and promise to help identify the others, and maybe they’d let the whole episode pass. Maybe she could live the rest of her life as if she’d never heard of the Friends. But was she kidding herself? Was that even possible now?

  And could she bring herself to do that to the others? To Ben?

  She was having trouble thinking straight. Choking back a sob, she knew she had to make her decision right now. What did she believe? Who did she really trust?

  Everything depended on her answer.

  A moment later she stood. Fighting back the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath and stepped out of the stall. She caught her reflection in the mirror and was surprised to see that she looked the same as ever. Tall and slim in her fitted purple balloon blazer, she always worked hard to keep her appearance as orderly as possible, to be the poster girl of young professionalism. Her one albatross was her hair. Dense and unruly, Tabitha’s mop of frizz was like her life. She was forever struggling to control it, to keep it from slipping into its natural state. Chaos.

  And right now it looked to her like a tangled mess beyond fixing.

  Seconds later she was back among the cubes, striding her way across the large office classroom full of teenagers manipulating the work spheres that floated above each of their desks. She struggled to appear calm. She even managed to nod and smile at her classmates, who looked up as she passed. Had one of them left her the note? Was there a Friend here?

  “Tabitha!” a nearby voice called as she was about to reach the exit to the central corridor. She felt her breakfast rise into her throat. Sandra Gates, Tabitha’s suite mate and frequent project partner, waved her closer. “There you are. I was wondering where you’d gone.”

  “I—I’m sorry, Sandra,” she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Can’t talk now. Gotta run.”

  But Sandra grabbed her hand and pulled her into the cube. “But we haven’t talked all morning!” Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “You and Ben were up way past my bedtime. That’s new for you, naughty girl. Details, please.”

  Tabitha tried to pull away but Sandra’s grip was too tight. “No,” she whispered, almost in a panic. “I can’t. Honestly, I have to go!”

  She was on the verge of losing control, but she willed herself not to freak. She couldn’t afford a scene. And the truth was, a part of her wished she did have time to talk with her friend, to tell her about the note and how everything was suddenly falling apart. But she couldn’t have, of course, even if there had been time. Sandra didn’t know about her secret. None of the other interns did. As far as she knew, they’d never even heard of the Friends.

  She wondered if this was Fate’s way of punishing her.

  Sandra frowned. “That’s not fair, Tab. I told you about Malcolm.” But then her expression changed. She stared with concern at Tabitha’s face. “Are you okay? You don’t look so great.”

  “No, I’m fine. Just—”

  Tabitha didn’t have to finish, because that was when Sandra’s InfiniTalk howled. In the same moment that she turned to see who it was, she also let go of Tabitha’s wrist. Tabitha didn’t wait around. She shot away, but just before she reached the glass doors, Sandra called out to her one last time. “Uh … Tab? Everybody just got a general broadcast with your name on it.”

  Something about this news brought Tabitha to a halt despite herself. She looked back. Sandra was leaning over the side of her cube, holding up her InfiniTalk. “I guess the Director wants to see you upstairs right away. It’s marked Urgent. Wherever you’re going in such a hurry, hon, it’ll have to wait.” And then she added, “As if a make-out session and getting promoted weren’t enough good stuff for one twenty-four-hour period.” She smiled. “Perk on, girl!”

  Tabitha stepped quickly through the doors and into the elevator. She was sure of one thing: she wasn’t going up.

  Less than a minute later she was downstairs in her dorm suite. First, she needed her fake ID. If the Guardians were looking for her, she wouldn’t get very far using her own DNA. They’d pick her up the first time she had to ride a transport or buy anything. But the Friends had given her a set of fake finger pads, and if there was ever a time she needed them, this was it. Second, she needed an environment suit. There was no way around that either. If she was really going Outside, she’d be there awhile and would need protection. Unfortunately she didn’t have a suit of her own. But Sandra had one, and Tabitha knew where she kept it.

  Sorry, Sandra. You’ll have to forgive me.

  First, the finger pads.

  Balancing herself on a chair, Tabitha lifted the ceiling tile above her poster of Aristotle the Cat, her favorite band. She felt around up there with her hand. A couple of weeks earlier she’d put the pads in a bag and hidden it up there, and yet now her fingers didn’t feel it. It wasn’t where she thought she’d put it. Her heart gave a lurch. Oh god, where was it? What was she going to do if she couldn’t find it?

  On the opposite edge of the tile her hand finally felt the textured surface she was looking for. Relieved, she snatched the bag, stuffed the pads into her pocket, and leapt back to the floor. Next she bolted down the hallway for the environment suit. She didn’t know how much time she had, but she knew it wasn’t a lot.

  Tabitha tried Sandra’s door. It wasn’t locked. Sandra never bothered to lock it. Hardly slowing at all, she shoved it open and burst inside. The last thing she expected was to find somebody in there.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when she found herself face to face with a pair of green eyes.

  She screamed.

  “Good afternoon, Representative Bloomberg. This is an unexpected surprise.”

  Tabitha struggled to recover her composure. It was only Ophelia, the cleaning robot. Old and worn, she smelled like disinfectant and looked like a mess of tattered plastic tubing, with dusters and scrubbing brushes and appendages that seemed to hang from every part of her chassis. Even though she was just a machine, she looked tired.

  Tabitha had forgotten this was cleaning day.

  She took a step back and made an effort to act casual. “Ophelia, you scared me!” she said, attempting a laugh. “You shouldn’t sneak around like that!”

  But Ophelia didn’t seem to think it was funny. She angled her smooth plastic head to one side like a curious dog. Her mechanical arms paused in the middle of making Sandra’s bed, and her rubber fingers stopped picking up the socks and paperwork scattered across the rug. Her voice was soft and pleasant as always, but gave no hint of a sense of humor.

  “Representative Bloomberg, what are you doing in Representative Gates’s quarters in the middle of the school day?”

  “I just need to grab something I left in her trunk. No biggie.”

  She waited, but Ophelia didn’t move to let her past. Her optical sensors were locked on Tabitha’s face. It gave her the creeps. Finally Tabitha said, “You can go clean up somewhere else now, Ophelia. I’ll just be a second.”

  But the robot still didn’t move. It occurred to Tabitha that Ophelia was connected to the CloudNet, which meant she might have been alerted about the situation.

  As if reading her thoughts, Ophelia said, “You have a message to report right away to the Senior Director.”

  Tabitha fought another wave of panic. She wanted to run, but she had to stay and do this. She needed that suit.

  “Yes, Ophelia, I know,” she said calmly. “Like I said, I just have to grab one quick thing. Let me by, please. It’ll only take a second.”

  “No, Representative Bloomberg. The message is marked Urgent. You are instructed to go upstairs and report to the executive office w
ithout delay.” There was something in her voice that made Tabitha take another step back. Normally she would never have been afraid of a cleaning robot. It was just a piece of equipment, like a toaster. But suddenly Ophelia seemed intimidating. Her glowing green eyes and blank stare sent a prickle across Tabitha’s scalp.

  Then the robot started moving toward her.

  “Okay, okay,” Tabitha said, taking yet another step back, this time into the hallway. She forced another laugh. Giving up the suit meant exposing herself to toxins and facing the elements unprotected, but what choice did she have? “I didn’t realize it was marked Urgent. I’ll head upstairs right now.”

  “I will let the office know you are on your way.”

  Under Ophelia’s spooky gaze, Tabitha moved toward the suite door. She tried her best to appear relaxed and cooperative. They’d just had a misunderstanding, that was all, but everything was cleared up now. Once she was out of the suite and in the main corridor, though, she was out of Ophelia’s sight.

  She started to run.

  They know. They’re coming for you.

  She dashed past the elevator this time and went for the stairway.

  If only Ben were here. He would have ideas. Nothing ever seemed to faze Ben. Oh, how she wished she were holding his hand right now on one of their long, slow walks through the park. But the image felt painful now, something she wanted but couldn’t have, maybe not ever again. And where was he? Was he all right? Should she try to contact him? She couldn’t use his com-code, of course. That was another thing the Friends had taught her: handwritten notes only. Anything electronic could be traced. How about if she tried to leave a message at the regular place?

  No, there wasn’t time.

  Besides, if they knew about her, then maybe they knew about Ben too. And if so, then he was in as much danger as she was.

  Ben! The thought tied her stomach in knots.