* * *
"But the Outlands need more stability," Miss Maren said. "If we send artificial laborers into the other provinces, we can help create order. Don't you think that's our responsibility?"
"No, I don't," the governor answered, spearing a large piece of steak with his fork. "They chose not to incorporate. Whatever happens out there now is their business. Not ours."
Quinn made himself small and invisible. It didn't matter that they were sitting at a table for six. It didn't matter that he was seated between Dr. Martine and Mrs. Shaw. He'd become a pair of ears and eyes.
"Our trade is being curtailed. I lost three shipments this month alone." Miss Maren's expression was pleasant, but Quinn could see how tightly she gripped her wine glass. This was the reason for the visit.
The governor sighed. "I understand, but do you really think that introducing artificials into Valardia is necessary right now? We're so much farther along in development-"
"So, Quinn," Mrs. Shaw said, dragging his attention away from the debate. "Do you play any sports?"
He forced himself to flash her a charming smile. "A few. I really like some of those old sports, like fencing and martial arts. I also love to run. I'm pretty quick."
"I bet you are. Do you run track at your school?" She frowned. "And where do you go to school?"
From his research, he knew the Shaws's daughters went to Engleton prep, near midtown. "St. Andrews. I'm planning to try out for the track team in the spring."
"Brilliant."
She kept nattering on about the virtues of organized sports. With a few well-placed nods and "uh-huhs," he could tune her out.
"I'm just saying it's a good time for expansion. Don't you think? The Quad has grown very powerful of late. We can use that to our advantage," Miss Maren said.
"The Quad is a paper tiger," the governor said. "They ceased to be relevant once the four city-states got back on their feet."
Quinn tensed. Next to him, Dr. Martine slowly set down his wineglass.
The governor didn't seem to notice the silence descending on the room. "They meant well, but it's time we were given our independence to manage Triarch. Surely, you agree. Wouldn't it be better to run Precipice without their interference?"
Dr. Martine was staring at the corner of the ceiling. Cameras were everywhere. If Miss Maren didn't handle this, they'd all be dead by morning.
"The Quad gave us our lives back," she said. "We owe everything to them."
"Everything," Dr. Martine echoed, still looking worried. He glanced at the camera again. "Without them, we wouldn't be here at all."
"They have their uses, to be sure," Mrs. Shaw said. "But do we really need them? That's why we're-"
"Not now, dear," the governor said. He nodded toward Quinn. "We don't want to bore the youngster."
Oh, he wasn't bored. Far from it. But Miss Maren gave him a look that said he needed to leave. He faked a yawn. "That's okay, sir. I'm a little tired. Aunt Maren, may I be excused?"
"You may. And Quinn? We're going to be in the library for a while after dinner, so please keep it down upstairs. No loud music or games."
In other words, he and Lexa had time to sneak around and eavesdrop on conversations. "Yes, ma'am."
He left the room, swinging his arms like that human girl who came to the lab with her parents. Carefree, unselfconscious. As soon as he cleared the door into the sitting room, the conversation began again at a more vigorous pace.
Certain that Miss Maren would keep everyone occupied, Quinn dashed upstairs. When he got to the third floor, he bumped into Preston.
"Whoa, there, where are you going so fast?" he asked. "And why are you up here?"
"Um," he glanced down the hall. No sign of Lexa. "The Shaws wanted me to ask if everything was ready with their rooms."
Preston's forehead wrinkled as one of the security guards got up from his chair outside the door to the suite. "Of course it is. Now, down to the second floor with you before we both get in trouble."
Quinn nodded and jogged down to the second floor, fuming the whole way. He headed to his room, changed into his training gear, then went to the gym. As he expected, Doc was there, waiting.
"Well?"
"Miss Maren is keeping everyone busy, but they have a guard on the suite door. I have no idea where the second guard is."
"Lexa hacked into their com system. The second guard is off duty. They're taking shifts."
Good, that meant he wasn't inside the room. He took a deep breath. "Where's Lexa?"
Doc grinned and pointed to the rafters. The vent grate was hanging open. "Slithered right in."
Quinn eyed the narrow duct. "Must be nice to be small."
"I wouldn't know," Doc said. "She was going to find the data pad and plug in a decoder. You're on decryption duty to grab the right files."
He nodded and went to the data bank in the corner. "Doc? They were having an interesting conversation at dinner." He lowered his voice. "About the Quad."
"Don't even want to know. Safer that way," Doc said, backing toward the door. "But make sure you two aren't traced. This runs perfect, got it?"
"Perfectly," Quinn murmured.
Doc threw up his hands. "Now's not the time to correct anyone's grammar."
After he left, Quinn focused on the data feed. Blank. Empty. Nothing.
"Where are you?" he whispered.
Twenty minutes ticked by so slowly that Quinn thought time had stopped. His palms were slick with sweat, and he couldn't help replaying a scene in his mind; one in which Lexa was caught in the governor's room, then dragged away by Piers, never to be seen again.
He pushed his chair back. He had to find her, even if it meant risking getting caught.
A blinking cursor popped up on the screen. Then "LP Online" spelled itself out before his eyes.
His com beeped. "You in?"
"Yep," she breathed. "Gotta be very quiet, okay? Like bunnies."
"You have a weird sense of humor. And where have you been? I was about to come looking for you."
"Got stuck in the ventilation shaft, but that doesn't matter. I'm in their room. Do you see the data pad on your screen?"
A series of icons flooded his station. "Yes."
"Okay, so what are we looking for?"
"Can't you leave the trace and come back?"
"Nope," she whispered. "They'll see the hack. Gotta do this now, then delete the trace. So get busy before I'm caught."
Grumbling under his breath, Quinn typed in a series of search commands: Precipice, Maren DeGaul, outlands, sex.
"Sex?" Lexa sounded scandalized. "That's so gross!"
"And if Miss Maren wants their secrets, maybe that's something she can leverage. Doc always says that sex and lies are what get you into the most trouble."
Data streamed across the screen, and nothing notable popped up. Quinn bit his lip, wondering. Then he typed in "Quad."
Instantly, files flooded his screen. Most were normal stuff like internal memos or governmental edicts approved by the Quad. But there was one that stood out.
It was called "Independence."
Quinn copied the Independence file and cut off the connection. "Lexa, I'm done. Break the hack and get downstairs."
No answer.
"Lex? Lexa?"
Nothing but static. He had no idea what happened, but her sudden silence couldn't be good.
A bang sounded in the wall near the duct, and Lexa, covered with dust, slid out of the opening. Just when he thought she was going to fall headfirst to the floor, she caught a training rope and swung around for a second before climbing down.
"Did we get anything?"
"Yes, but what happened to you?"
"Almost got caught." Her eyes shone with pride. "Almost."
"Did they come back from dinner early?"
"Nope. Guard shift change-they sweep the room at each change, apparently. I had to bug out, but I managed to cut the connection before I left." Lexa puffed out her chest. "N
ever saw or heard me. I'm the best sneak ever."
"Okay, okay, you are the best sneak ever." He pointed at the screen. "This was all I could find."
"We giving this to the boss lady?" she asked. "Or are we gonna read it first?"
"Of course we're going to read it first," he said, laughing, and opened the file.
Dear Mr. Shepherd,
What you propose is interesting, but how do I know the outlanders will keep their word? If we don't succeed, there won't be a place on Earth I can hide. Do you have any assurances that your intel about the Quad is accurate? And, if so, how can you get close to them?
As for my end of the bargain, I'm collecting powerful allies to assist us with our cause. Once I have them convinced-or bought-we can proceed.
R. Shaw
"What's all that?" Lexa asked. "Is he messing around with the outside?"
Quinn thought about dinner, how the governor dismissed Miss Maren's concerns about the outlanders disrupting her shipments, and how he wanted to keep the artificial tech in Triarch City alone as an advantage. What was he up to? Did he want to stir up the outside so Triarch could break away from Quad control?
If so, the governor was right in his note-he was a dead man.
"It's big," Quinn said. "Good work getting into the room."
"So now what?" she asked, brushing dust out of her hair and letting out a huge sneeze. "Those ducts need a good cleaning."
"After we're done with this, I'll send you back through with a scrub brush."
She smacked his arm. "Not nice. And you didn't answer my question."
"Now," he told her, "we listen and learn."
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