40

Of course, storming their way into the operations room was out of the question. If they wanted any shot at success, they’d have to use stealth.

Taking a deep breath, Will put a hand on the steel inner door. Andrew and Gaia were right up behind him, breathing—quite literally—down his neck. He turned his head and asked, wordlessly, if they really agreed. This would be the biggest risk so far. Both heads nodded.

After setting Ratty down on the floor, Will pushed. The steel gave way an inch or so. He waited, his heart racing. Now they could hear the voice—more voices—from inside. But the tones did not change. No one had noticed the door shift.

Gripping the control pad tight in his hand, Will sent Ratty scurrying in. Andrew and Gaia crowded around even tighter to watch.

At first, the screen showed only blackness. Then Ratty inched forward, and the room opened up. Ratty was peeking out from what seemed to be a free-standing monitor, broad and low. Beyond that was a bloodred carpet and a man. He was sprawling on a red chair, one arm on a desk. Cutler.

Behind Cutler stood a shaved-headed guard. Vladimir— though, of course, Will did not know it. To Cutler’s right were Vassily Baraban and Caspian. Andrew gripped Will’s arm. And Will could guess why. Caspian’s expression was bizarre. He looked both confident and terrified. His sweatshirt was crumpled. Black hair stuck up all over the place.

Eight years. No, they hadn’t been close friends, but Andrew knew Caspian. At least, he knew the person Caspian had been. And now he was betraying them. Betraying all that STORM stood for.

Cutler barked an order. At once, Vassily and his son moved into a room marked Systems. The shaved-headed guard waited outside, a plastic weapon hanging from his belt. Was something wrong? Or was the father-and-son team simply performing final checks?

A quick right-left maneuver by Ratty revealed one other person in the room. A woman. She had long, dark hair and an ankle in a plaster cast. Her back was to the camera. Afraid Ratty might be noticed, Will withdrew it to a spot behind the screen.

Will turned to Gaia and Andrew. He mouthed: “We go out. We hide where Ratty is.” The screen looked wide enough to give them cover. And it seemed pretty clear to Will that if there was a master control system in there, it was located at the desk Cutler sat at.

Exactly what they’d do once inside the room, he wasn’t sure. Yet.

Gaia nodded quickly. Andrew made the sign for okay. Will could read the apprehension in both pairs of eyes. Strangely, though, he felt calm. Perhaps it was because he knew what they had to do. The only thing that made him uncomfortable was indecision.

Will went first. Gaia and Andrew were noiseless behind him. Gaia let the inner door close around one of her gloves. And then they crouched together, behind the screen. An LED monitor, as it turned out.

At last, they had entered the world hinted at by Ratty and the wall-bugging mike. Now they could hear everything. They could see everything in vivid color. The concrete was cracking, Andrew noticed. Multicolored wires sprouted from the walls like robot hair. Their bare metal ends gleamed.

Cutler was mumbling. He ran his bony finger down a list on the first touch screen. “Beam position. Cryogenics. Check. Automatic timer. Check.”

Will glanced at his watch. The LED was going crazy. The room was riddled with microphones. But far worse was the time. Ten minutes to midnight.

Cautiously, Will maneuvered Ratty out from behind the screen. He wanted a better look at the control panel. Perhaps Ratty could find a clue. No self-destruct button, of course. Just something.

But to get Ratty to the screen, Will had to send it scurrying behind the woman with the long hair, and, as it pattered along behind her, she turned her head.

She stared at the rat—right at it. Her astonishment leaped out of the video screen. Will stared back.

It took all his self-control not to cry out. She was looking into his eyes. It was as though she could see him. Will felt blood throb hard in his neck. It felt as though a vice were squeezing his head. All that pressure building up in his body, and he could not shout.

Then she glanced away. And Will let the screen drop to his lap. Andrew touched his arm. His eyes asked: What?

Will shook his head. Everything was wrong. First Cutler.

Now his mother.