He glances around until his eyes focus on the dark area to the right side of the booth. “The sensors didn’t seem to pick us up in the shadows. Let’s hide there for now, until we can think of something.”
I nod and we hide in the shadows just as a worker enters the booth from the other door.
It’s a woman; I can see her clearly through the window. If she looks closely she’ll see us, too. But she’s too busy fiddling with buttons on the control panel in front of her. Exactly above where we were hiding.
“Didn’t think I’d ever thank a Surface Dweller for anything, but he picked a good night to try to escape. Now that they’ve shut down the Tube, I’ll get to go to Festival and not have to keep coming up with excuses to keep people from going back to Three,” she says.
“But what about Miss Evelyn?” another female voice asks. I can’t see her, but it sounds like she’s on the other side of the booth, closer to the concrete wall.
The first woman turns around, confirming the other woman’s position for me. “I do feel sorry for her. Poor thing is so daft she probably doesn’t even know what’s going on.”
Narrowing my eyes, I fight the urge to tell her exactly what I think about her.
Gavin squeezes my hand and, when I glance over, he shakes his head.
I return the squeeze to reassure him I’m not going anywhere and go back to listening to the women’s conversation.
I freeze when I see how close she is. I dare not breathe in case she hears me, but she’s studying something on the wall. Not me.
“Ugh, the Guards took our first-aid kit. Now I’ll have to fill out a requisition before I leave,” she says.
“Would you like me to do it? I don’t mind. I didn’t really want to go to Festival anyway,” the other woman says.
“Would you? I’ll just fill it out for you, if you’ll take it to Supply.”
“Certainly. My pleasure.”
Waiting for the women to finally leave, I have to listen to their chattering about the men in their lives and clothes. And they called me daft.
When they finally leave, we sneak back into the booth and Gavin bursts into laughter. I stare at him in shock.
“You should have seen your face after they called you daft. I thought you were going to strangle them,” he says, practically doubled over with laughter.
“I wanted to,” I say with clenched teeth.
“Apparently they don’t know you too well.”
With a tilt to my head, I ask, “Why is that?”
“If they did, they would know you’re far from daft. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re the smartest woman I know.”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m not so smart after all.”
He squeezes my good shoulder. “Hey, you’ve gotten us this far and we’re not dead yet. That’s saying something. They don’t even know where we are exactly. We just need a way to get our DNA back in the system, right?”
I stare at him in disbelief. He’s absolutely right. Why hadn’t I thought of that?
“Um, Evie? Am I wrong?”
“No. That’s brilliant. Especially for a Surface Dweller.” I grin when he scowls at me. “And I know what our next step is.”
“Oh, great. What is it?”
“We have to find Macie. She’ll get our DNA back into the computer. And she can probably check while we’re there to see if there’s a real evacuation map. The scientist said that the others had different evacuation plans. That must mean there are other ways out of here. Maybe there’s something close and we won’t have to go to Three. The only problem is getting to her lab. Hopefully she’s there and not at Festival.” Plus, I’d like to find out how to bypass that EMF. The scientist never did say whether or not he found a way around that.
He doesn’t look as relieved as I feel. “Can you trust her?”
“I would trust her with my life,” I say.
He crosses his arm over his chest. “Oh. That’s good, because that’s exactly what you’re doing, you know. And, not to be selfish or anything, I’m also worried about my life.”
He’s right. Again. I know I can trust her with my life, but what about Gavin’s? Will she help me help him? Or will she turn him in?
She did help us once, when she thought I liked him. Would she do it again now that everyone thinks he kidnapped me?
Like everything else lately, it’s not like I have much of a choice. I have to try. I have to trust her. She’s our only hope. Our only chance. If we have any chance at all.
Now I have to figure out how to get from here to there. There has to be a way to get to Macie without being detected. I study the area around the turret, trying to figure out how to turn it off without Mother noticing. Then I narrow my eyes. How do they get it up there? Where do the wires run? How do they replace the ammo? Perform maintenance?
A small grin grows slowly on my face as it dawns on me. It’s so obvious I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me before.
“The maintenance tunnels,” I say.
“Huh?” Gavin asks.
I turn back to him. I’m so excited about this plan, I’m practically bouncing on my toes. “The maintenance tunnels. That’s how we’re going to get to Macie. Follow me.”
“Wait. If we’re going to use maintenance tunnels to get to Macie, how come we can’t just take them to Sector Three?” Gavin asks.
“Because the tunnels don’t reach from here to Three. The only way to get there is via the Tube.”
“That seems kinda stupid. What happens if the Tube breaks?”
“Then we wait until it’s fixed.”
“And if there’s an emergency … Oh, right, never mind.”
I laugh and pat his arm before turning to find the tunnel entrance.
Along the bottom of the wall that the booth is attached to is a small metal door. It’s gray, almost the same color as the concrete, and barely visible. If I hadn’t known it was there, I’d never have seen it. Actually.… how did I know it was there?
The hole is small, but large enough for a grown man to crawl through. Even someone Gavin’s size. There’s a code box instead of handprint verification next to the door and using the same instinct that guided me to the abandoned Sector, I pull off the face of it and reconnect some wires. The door lock opens with a clunk and I pull the door open and crawl in. I’m expecting it to be pitch dark, but while it is darker than the Tube station, there are small red lights set every few meters so it’s bright enough to see. It dead-ends immediately, but a ladder leads up to another larger tunnel toward the top.
Taking a deep breath to relax my nerves, I start up the ladder. It’s hard work since my right arm doesn’t want to cooperate very well, but at least the medication Gavin gave me earlier has dulled the pain and I’m able to slowly make my way up. Gavin follows, making sure the door shuts behind him. It locks again with another clunk that echoes. I wince and hope no one is in the tunnels.
We’re halfway up the ladder when Gavin curses under his breath.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, pausing.
“Just keep going,” he says, his voice tense.
“Do you see someone?” I ask, and pick up the pace. I don’t think they’d have found us already. The wires weren’t snipped for long enough. The whole thing had taken less than fifteen seconds.
“No. Just keep going.”
I close my eyes briefly in relief, but keep moving. “Then what’s wrong?”
It’s quiet for so long I chance a peek down at him. He’s keeping his eyes fixed on the wall behind the ladder and reaching blindly for the next rung.
“Gavin?”
“I can see up your dress, okay? It’s … distracting.”
I blush and speed up my pace again. When I finally make it to the tunnel, I sit and call down to him that I’m up.
He glances up and I smile at him. He doesn’t smile back, but hurries up after me. The tunnel isn’t large enough for us to go side-by-side, so I have to follow behind him. The whole time I’m listening for s
ounds of other people in the tunnels. A few times, I have to pause and listen past the thudding of my heart in my ears, because it’s so loud and I don’t want to miss anything.
When we get to a split, Gavin gestures for me to go ahead and lead the way. I squeeze by him, but I have no idea where I am. However, some nice soul has marked the floor of the tunnels. Left is toward the Palace Wing. And to the right are the Residential, Medical, and Science Sectors.
I go right, hoping Macie didn’t go to Festival. I have no clue what is waiting for us at the other end or where exactly we’ll end up; I just hope it’s not anywhere near a turret.
“So, this friend of yours,” he says after we’ve been crawling for a few minutes, “you really think she’ll help us?”
Without pausing, I glance over my shoulder. “She did before.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s the one who put your DNA in the computer in the first place.”
“Really? Why did she do it?”
Without thinking, I say, “She thought I was falling for you.”
He grabs my ankle, stopping me. “Why did she think that?”
Realizing my mistake instantly I wince, but look at him over my shoulder. “She said, ‘like recognizes like.’” I turn back around. “We have to keep going. I’m not sure how long we’ll have before a maintenance worker comes through. These probably aren’t used very often, but…”
He doesn’t let go when I try to move forward. “What did she mean by that?”
I sigh and look back over my shoulder. “I don’t know. I assume she meant because she’s in love with her chosen mate that means she can see it in other people.”
“Was she right?” His eyes search my face, but it’s hard to tell exactly what he’s thinking. I don’t know exactly what I feel for him, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be risking my life for someone I only liked. I don’t have time to think about it, either. I need to focus on getting us out of here alive.
I turn back around so he can’t see my face when I say, “Come on. We need to hurry.”
There’s a moment of hesitation before he lets go and I continue through the way I was going.
There are more branches along the way—some tunnels that angle up, while others angle down—and more directions, getting more specific with each one. Finally we reach another ladder that is marked as between labs one and two. Since Macie’s lab is number two, I go down it and push open the little door.
Poking my head out, I scan quickly for turrets and cameras. I don’t see any and there’s no one in this particular hallway, so I squirm out the door and impatiently wait for Gavin to do the same. Then I’m pulling him to the lab, taking a quick peek through the door to make sure there aren’t turrets.
The camera is in the corner, but if we stay by the wall, it shouldn’t register us. I step into the room and put my back to the wall. Macie raises her eyebrows, but doesn’t move from her seat.
It’s not exactly the welcome I’m expecting. Little warning bells go off in my head.
“Where have you been?” She narrows her eyes when she sees the bandage on my arm. “What happened?”
I resist the urge to run over to her. “Mother. She set the turrets and cams on us. That’s why we’re here. Can you put us back into the computer again?”
She doesn’t move. “Us?”
I gesture for Gavin to come closer. “Gavin and me. We’re both running.”
There’s a shadow of surprise on her face, but then she finally slides off her stool. I take a step forward, relieved, but it’s short-lived.
“No,” she says, glaring in his direction and crossing her arms over her chest. “He’s a Surface Dweller. A lying, manipulative, and dangerous Surface Dweller. He means nothing to me. And neither do you.”
She spins on her heel and marches out the door before I can stop her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Failure will not be tolerated.
The only result of failure is death.
—ENFORCER STATUTE 104A.3
It takes me a minute to realize what’s happening.
“Macie! Please, stop.” I chase after her, grabbing her shoulder.
She stops, but doesn’t turn around. “Why should I?” She spits it out, as if even the thought of talking to me makes her sick.
I have no idea why she’s acting like this, therefore I don’t really have a reason to make her change her mind, but I do know one thing. “Because if I were in your shoes, I’d help you.”
“But you’re not, are you?” Even though there is a slight quiver, her voice is filled with venom. I pull my hand back when she shrugs it off. “You’ve never been in my shoes. And you never will. You sit in your gardens, clipping your flowers and dreaming your little daydreams, while everyone else caters to your every whim. You want crème brûlée at three in the morning? By Mother, the Maids are going to get it to you. A little thirsty? The Guards will drop everything and bring you a soy latte. You say the water outside your walls is purple, they’d change the curriculum to state the water is purple.”
She spins around. Her eyes are swirling with anger. She glares at me as she hisses out the rest of her rant through clenched teeth.
“Mother and Father adore you. You can do no wrong in their eyes. And that includes not listening to your Guards. Ever. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. When you sneak off and disappear for hours, do you get in trouble? No. Your Guards do. And now when the Governess is willing to give you a Surface Dweller to couple with, because you wanted it”—she says it like Gavin is a disgusting bug instead of a person—“instead of one of your own kind, you run away? And now you have the audacity to ask me for help. Again. When you don’t care about anyone but yourself. You had me fooled. I thought you cared about me. I thought we were friends. But now this Surface Dweller comes and you show what you really are. A selfish, flighty, and foolish little girl.”
Shocked, I open my mouth to speak, but no words form. Her words stab at my heart. I know other people think I’m a spoiled little girl, but Macie is my closest friend. I never expected to hear that from her. Why is she saying that when just yesterday she’d bad-mouthed Mother for Conditioning me again?
I don’t realize I’m shaking until Gavin slides his hand into mine and squeezes, before releasing it and standing next to me. Standing with me, even when my heart is being crushed under the heel of my best friend’s stylish shoes.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I finally manage. “You’re my friend, Macie. My best friend.”
“Sure.” She waves her hand as if motioning me on, then turns around. “Just take your Surface Dweller and go. You’re not welcome here.”
“Macie? Please—” I reach over to her again.
“I said get out of here!”
I’m not exactly sure what I’m intending to do. Tears sting the backs of my eyes, which is stupid—I know better. Tears solve nothing. Emotions are worthless. They only show weakness.
I blink them away and try to speak again, but Gavin touches my arm. “She’s not going to help, Evie. Leave it be.”
I turn to face him. His eyes look like the storm clouds I’ve seen in books as he glares at Macie.
“Besides, anyone who thinks you’re selfish, flighty, and foolish doesn’t know you at all. We’ll figure something out.” He frowns down at my shoulder and I look over to see the bandage is now stained rusty with my blood. “We’ll need to fix you up first, though.” He turns cold, hard eyes to Macie. “Will you let me take care of this before you kick us out, or will you have your friend bleed to death?”
Her eyes are round as saucers as they watch the bandage grow darker. She seems rooted to the floor.
“We don’t have all day. Will you let us stay or not?” His tone is harsh, which seems to snap her out of whatever it is she is thinking.
“Y-yes, of course. She can sit in my seat. I’ll get a first-aid kit.”
She rushes to the wall while Gavin tries to help me ont
o the stool.
“I can get on it myself,” I say. Macie’s words are still playing over and over in my head. I refuse to prove her right by letting Gavin answer to my beck and call.
He ignores me and lifts me to place me on the chair, being careful not to jostle my arm. He then slowly and carefully removes the dressing, which causes the clotted blood that had formed over the wound to tear loose. I hiss at the pain. Blood drips down my arm in tiny rivulets. I watch as each drop falls to the floor in a steady drip, drip, drip. They slowly form a little pool next to the stool’s silver leg.
That’s a lot of blood, I think. More than it should be. I know I should be alarmed at how much I’m losing, but I just continue to watch the pool expand, my mind growing fuzzy.
When Macie returns, she opens the kit. To my surprise, she doesn’t say a word. In fact, she digs into the kit and starts handing items to Gavin, who takes them without sparing her a single glance.
Every once in awhile he glances up at me, worry forming lines around his eyes. Otherwise his face is a blank mask, those gorgeous eyes staring into mine. The loss of blood seems to have dimmed the panic I feel when I touch him. I lift a hand to his face. It amazes me to know how much he’s come to mean to me in just a few short hours.
I open my mouth to tell him, but Macie interrupts me. She goggles at the wound. “A turret did that?”
Shaking off the dizziness, I’m relieved I didn’t say anything. Gavin doesn’t need me spouting my feelings in a fit of delirium. “Yes. It went off down at the Tube station,” I say. “Apparently Mother isn’t playing around. She wants me back. Dead or alive.”
Macie gasps and stares over at the camera. I follow her gaze. The red light is off. Thank Mother.
Her hands clench at her side. “Bitch!” she proclaims, and I lift an eyebrow, but don’t say anything.
Gavin glances over, the shadow of a smile on his face. “I can only agree with that,” he says. He cleans the wound and redresses it, murmuring something softly under his breath. I can’t hear what he says because my head is spinning again, and there’s a buzzing in my ear, like hundreds of little bees are next to my head. The pain is horrendous. Worse than when I was initially shot. I wonder if that’s because the adrenaline and medication are wearing off and with it the numbness they provided. When are the nanos going to start working?
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