I sat there staring at the open door.
In a cushy rolling chair, with my legs folded up beneath me, drinking Tang from a white sports bottle. I’d wheeled one all the way from the conference room down to the lab wing for sessions like this one. Staring sessions.
Because the open door was driving me insane.
Just as she intended.
I knew Sarah had unlocked it somehow. Zero doubt on that account. After her Dr. Evil pitch failed—join me in the secret underground lair, and together we’ll rule the world!—she’d moved to the next plan. Sarah didn’t waste time pouting.
She’d stopped talking to me, too, leaving me to stew over this new riddle. But I watched her on the laptop. Day by day, she was figuring out how things worked. I could barely track her movements through the computer system as she explored subfiles and processing routines, intent on learning everything she could. Frankly, I was in awe. Sarah Harden was the worst enemy I could have possibly selected. Hooray.
I pressed my palms against my cheeks, returning focus to the Pandora’s box before me. Sarah obviously wanted me to go through this door. But why? Where did it lead? All I could see was a dimly lit corridor that took a hard right after a dozen yards. Back toward the command center. Back toward the computer room.
Possibly to exactly where I wanted to go.
Arrrrgh.
My basic theory hadn’t changed. During construction, huge amounts of material had been hauled into the silo somehow. Surely it didn’t all come down the shaft. Too much weight, but more importantly, way too public. Someone in Fire Lake would’ve noticed and raised hell. So that meant, logically, there had to be another way. And the only unexplored area left was the chamber housing the MegaCom. My gut told me this corridor led straight there. Given what I knew of the silo, it was the only possibility that made sense.
So. This hallway had to lead to the computer room. Right? RIGHT?
So why open the door? With the blast curtain retracted Sarah could see into the computer room, but not every corner. She couldn’t say for certain what was inside, and her part of the silo didn’t have a separate way to access it. Tack and I had checked.
So why open the door?
Did Sarah know if there was another way out? Did she suspect one, as I did? She’d read almost every binder in the building by now. The same idea must’ve occurred to her. Sarah didn’t miss things.
So why open the door?
I didn’t think she’d simply open up a way for me to escape. Not after our last chat. Which meant this had to be a trap. Was she hoping I’d get too curious? If so, it was working.
A quick dash? Sarah slept, and I could time it.
No. That’s the trick. The minute I go, she’s got me.
Or maybe there was a way out, and she just wanted me gone. She might have some clever trick to get inside the lab complex, but it wouldn’t work if I was there to play defense. So she was encouraging me to leave.
Or maybe it never occurred to her that freedom might lie that way.
AAAAARRRRRGGGGH.
Not today.
I rose, trudged slowly down the gleaming white hallway. I needed caffeine. The only perk of living in this underground terrarium was a near limitless supply of space food. I entered the kitchen and poured instant coffee into a mug. I was reaching for the hot water dispenser when I heard it.
Thump.
Thump thump thump.
I froze, blood pressure spiking as I worried someone had gotten inside. A moment later the noise repeated. It was coming from the office suite.
Where I keep the gun.
Heart in my throat, I crept to the dividing doors and peeked through. The noise repeated.
No. Not the office. Someone was banging on the blast door.
“Oh, come on,” I grumbled, shaking my head. I set my mug on a table and strode down the hall, pushing through the last set of doors to the sealed portal. There was an intercom button, and I pressed it. “That’s six feet of solid steel, genius! You’re not going to hammer it open.”
Seconds later a muffled voice erupted from its speaker.
“Min, open up!”
Amused, I pushed again. “No.”
“It’s Derrick. We need to talk. Right now.”
“Um. No.” Did he think I’d lost my mind?
“I’m serious, Min! I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help.”
I shook my head, eyes narrowing even though I couldn’t see him. I hit the button again. “The last time we met, you tackled me, tied me up, and had me marched to a jail cell.”
“Things are different now.” A pause. “I’m out, Min. I’m done with these guys.”
Interesting new strategy.
“Right. I’m sure Sarah isn’t sitting right behind you.” In truth, I hadn’t checked the cameras in a while, but Sarah was always in there. Then I paused, momentarily thrown. Was she letting other people talk to me now? No one else had tried before.
No, it had to be a trick.
I pushed the button. “I spotted Mike and Chris rooting through the alcoves a half hour ago. Not buying it, Derrick.”
“Look again.”
Huh? I pressed to speak. “Excuse me?”
“Look. Again.” Derrick’s voice was dripping with impatience. “Eighth level, far left.”
I bumped a fist against my chin. Derrick sounded . . . different somehow.
“Okay,” I said to myself. “I’ll play.” With a sigh, I walked back to the security hub and checked the surveillance feeds. Silo shaft. Level eight.
Then I gasped in surprise. Two people were lying side by side in the last alcove on the left. I zoomed in until I could see their faces. Chris and Mike. Their chests gently rose and fell. But they didn’t stir, appearing to be unconscious.
I straightened, began chewing a thumbnail. What were these guys playing at? The twins weren’t dead, obviously. They were just lying there. This must be an elaborate scam.
They think I’m an idiot.
I stormed back to the blast door and jabbed the button. “I don’t know how dumb you think I am, Derrick, but I’m not that dumb.” I released the intercom and crossed my arms in a huff, unimpressed with my sentence structure but satisfied with the overall message.
“Min, it’s not a trick! It’s . . . bad out here now.” Derrick’s voice crackled through the tiny speaker. “Ethan and Toby, man. They’ve lost their minds! Sarah never comes out of the silo anymore, so there’s no one checking ’em.” There was a pause so long I reached for the button, but then his voice rattled once more. “They’re straight-up killing people, Min. They have firing positions at the reset points and don’t bother capturing prisoners. They just mow people down until they stop popping back up again.”
A hand flew to my mouth. Derrick’s story was ghastly. Had it come to this?
This is what the Program wants.
“Min, please,” Derrick pleaded. “Open up. They’ve even turned on their own. Toby and Mike keep taking people out on patrols, and sometimes they don’t come back. We need you. Either that, or let me in!”
I wavered, heart pounding as I softly shook my head. I was starting to believe Derrick—that this wasn’t a trap—but I couldn’t see his face to be sure. Was he this good an actor, or had opportunity finally come knocking?
GO LOOK.
The notion made my eyes pop. Of course! I had a room full of clones behind me. Those machines had scores. Data. I could fact-check everything Derrick was claiming. And he didn’t know it, either.
I pressed the com. “Hold on a second, Derrick. I have a way to verify what you’re saying. If you’re telling the truth, I’ll be able to tell. And if you’re lying.”
“Whatever. Go. Just hurry. Sarah went into town, but she’s never gone long.”
That was true, at least. I turned and ran for the lab, pushing through three sets of wooden doors, ignoring my staring chair and the stupid open door that was tormenting me. At the entrance to the clone room I paused a moment, taking a deep breath, then slipped through the glass doors. Instantly, I pulled up short. I hadn’t been inside there in weeks, and the change was stunning.
Darkened overhead lights. Everywhere. Perhaps a quarter of the room.
My hands flew to my mouth. All I could think were two names.
I raced among the pedestals, trying to remember the path Tack had taken. I finally located his tube near the back of the room and breathed a sigh of relief. Light on. Sensors green. Just to be sure, I climbed up and wiped condensation from the window.
He was there. His face looked peaceful. But then I saw his stats and nearly screamed.
Thomas Russo. Status: 8.
Oh my God.
Eight.
That number. What had Tack been doing?
In a mild daze, I went looking for Noah. Passing a darkened pedestal, I couldn’t help myself. I climbed up on shaky legs and read the display.
Neb Farmer. Status: eliminated.
I remembered Neb standing in the rain at the summer camp. He’d never wanted to hurt anybody, but now he was gone. I stumbled back down to the floor, unable to make my feet work. Where was Noah’s pedestal? I thought back to when Tack had called out to him. Walked down the row. There were two pedestals near the end—one gleaming, the other disconnected.
He’s one of these.
Limbs trembling, I climbed the unlit pedestal. Rubbed the glass. A girl lay inside, eyes open and unfocused, staring at the ceiling. Kayla Babbitt. I didn’t know her well, but we’d had music class together. I felt a burst of relief, then a tidal wave of guilt over top of it.
I hurried to the next tube. Expelled a pent-up breath upon seeing Noah’s face. Then I jumped down and headed for the door. I didn’t check Noah’s score. Didn’t want to know.
I was firing past the conference room when I stopped short. I dithered a moment, then darted inside and retrieved Noah’s Beretta from the cabinet. Better safe than sorry. Back at the blast door, I slammed the call button. “What the hell is going on out there?”
Derrick’s voice crackled immediately. “It’s insane, Min. The whole thing is falling apart. Please let me in and I’ll explain everything. I’m unarmed.”
Moment of truth. But I’d decided when I saw the darkened tubes.
Whatever was happening outside was madness. I couldn’t sit on the sidelines while the world burned. I had to get out, find Tack and Noah, and somehow help put a stop to whatever was going on.
With a sigh, I grabbed the steel locking pin and hefted it out of place, dropping the rod with an audible thunk. Then I spun the heavy wheel, retracting the bolt. The door beeped, swung open on silent hinges.
I stepped back quickly and crouched, gun in hand. Ready for fight or flight.
Derrick stepped inside. He was breathing hard, eyes round. He clearly hadn’t expected me to open the door. “Thank God. I swear I’m not playing you, Min. Ethan and Toby started a slaughter. They’ll shoot anyone they think is near the edge.”
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. “Then we have to stop them.”
Derrick gave me a calculating look. “We could just stay in here. You’ve got food, right?”
“Not enough,” I lied. Derrick’s news had lit a fire in me. I had to get out of there. Had to see what was happening for myself. The thought of hiding no longer had any appeal.
Derrick grunted unhappily, threw a glance back over his shoulder. “Okay. Let’s go then.”
“There’s something you need to see first.”
He gave me a strange look—almost hesitant—but nodded. “What’s back here, anyway?”
“You have to see it to believe it.”
Derrick turned and closed the door. I waved him a few feet away, then reengaged the bolt, leaving the locking pin out for now in case we needed a quick escape. Then I led him down to the lab, gun in hand and keeping a safe distance between us. Derrick ogled the facilities along the way.
“Damn, Melinda. Nice. Living like a queen down here.”
“Wait until you meet the neighbors,” I grumbled. He shot me a confused look, but I held up a hand. Entering the lab area, I walked him to the glass doors. “Prepare yourself. This is a little . . . hard to see.”
We stepped into the frigid chamber. “Pick a pedestal.”
Derrick shrugged and took a few steps, then stopped, throwing a glance at me over his shoulder. “You coming?”
“Nope. I’ve seen it, thanks.”
Eyes rolling heavenward, he took three long strides to a pedestal and climbed the steps. I watched him reach out and wipe the fogged glass. Bend close. Then he reared back with an unmanly yelp. “Holy shit! What’s Hector doing in here?”
I almost chuckled. “I don’t think that’s him. At least, not the Hector inside the Program. Try another.”
Derrick’s mouth worked. His breathing had quickened to a pant. He leapt down, sped to the next tube, and peered inside. A hand rose to his forehead, then slid down his face. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Want to see yours?”
“No!” Derrick stumbled off the pedestal and careened into another before storming back to the door. “This . . . what . . . Min, let’s get the hell out of here!”
“Don’t you want to know what this is about?”
He shook his head violently. “Not now. Not here. Tell me when I can breathe fresh air.”
What air? But I didn’t press. Derrick was shaken, and I needed him functional to escape.
“Is the route clear all the way up?” I asked.
Derrick frowned unhappily. “I think Finn might be topside, waiting for Lars. If we’re quick, though, we can—”
“Too risky. I have another idea. Let’s go.”
Questions seemed to tip Derrick’s tongue as I swept past him, but he followed without comment. The magical open door loomed in front of me.
I spun to face Derrick, reaching up to grip his shoulders. “You’re sure Sarah’s not here?”
His palms shot up, his mouth twisting as if he’d bitten a lemon. “She said she was going home to change. I haven’t seen her since, and that was an hour ago.”
I nodded. This was the opening I’d been waiting for. Time to toss the dice.
I stepped through the doorway, skin tingling, my pulse racing a mile a minute. I motioned for Derrick to follow, then snuck to the end and peeked around the corner. A second stretch of blank hallway led to another turn twenty yards on.
“Where does this lead?” Derrick asked, his dark temples damp with sweat.
“The room housing the MegaCom, I think.” I hope. “There might be another way out from there. Let’s go fast and quiet, check quickly, and if we don’t find anything we can haul ass back the other way. Okay?”
Derrick nodded, worry lines crisscrossing his forehead. We scurried to the next turning. Beyond was another featureless corridor ending at another monstrous blast door. Reaching it, I grabbed the locking wheel and pulled. Was shocked when it opened without resistance.
Inside was a large hexagonal chamber. The air was warm, smelled of ozone and warm metal. Solid steel plates lined the walls. The room was empty but for the towering machine at its center, a sleek black monolith twinkling with red and green lights.
I stared at the MegaCom, eyes burning, surprised by the powerful emotions coursing through me. I was looking at a fake: a reflection of something that existed tangibly in the real world. But there, in that machine, whatever still constituted me resided as a line of digital code. A burst of electricity, traveling circuits at the speed of light, believing myself alive.
I shivered. Glanced up at Derrick, who must’ve been thinking the same. He rubbed his long arms and shuffled sideways, gazing at the tower with a repulsed frown.
Tick tock.
“Look for a passageway,” I said, circling the machine, desperate for any sign of a hidden exit. But my hopes were already fading.
The floor was an unbroken expanse of polished stone. Steel walls, except for the massive panel that allowed a view from the command center. The wall plating stretched floor to ceiling, fit snugly together without visible gaps. I knew there had to be a power supply somewhere, but I didn’t see any routes in or out, and we didn’t have time to investigate.
Behind me, the door beeped.
I spun, watched in horror as it slowly swung shut.
“Oh shit!” Derrick ran and grabbed the handle. It refused to budge.
The keypad blinked red. I covered my eyes, felt a terrible churning in my stomach. It wasn’t hard to put things together.
A voice sounded over the intercom. “Don’t bother, it’s locked.”
Knowing what I’d find, I trudged over to the command center window. Sarah was standing on the lowest tier with some sort of radio in her hand. Her satisfied smile was one of total victory.
Sarah’s eyes widened slightly as Derrick stepped into view. She regarded him coolly, then nodded to herself, lifting the radio. Her voice hissed from the door’s intercom. “I should’ve seen it coming, Derrick. Good thing you’re no smarter than Min.”
The dig burned, but I couldn’t dispute it. I’d thought she’d given up on the door lure, or grown careless. Stupid. Sarah never gave up. Was never careless. She’d waited for me to take the bait, knowing I eventually would.
She spoke as if reading my mind. “I knew you’d be tempted. But there’s nothing in there but a giant computer and two people destined to be very hungry.” Her head tilted slightly, one finger extending toward the gun still gripped in my hand. “Or will you take the other way out?”
I tensed. Shuddered. Sarah didn’t miss it.
Her expression grew pensive. “You can’t, can you? No more lives to spare, Melinda?”
Derrick marched over and mashed the intercom button. “Well, I can.” He glared through the thick glass, his other fist clenching and unclenching at his side. “I can come right back through the front door of this place, too.”
Sarah shrugged. “If you like. But you won’t find me. I have other plans.” She swung her gaze back to me. “I assume the laboratory wing is finally open?”
No point lying. With the locking pin out, Sarah could get the blast door open.
“You won’t like what you find,” I replied, trying to keep my voice firm. Then I realized she couldn’t hear me.
But Sarah understood. “You may be right.” She began rubbing her chin, considering me. “Stick around, Min. I might have questions for you. If you work very hard to please me, I might let you out one day.” She glanced back over her shoulder. The command center was empty but for her. “For now, however, I’m going to keep you two as my little secret. Maybe I’ll even feed you. But only if you’re good helpers.”
She turned and strode to the closest workstation. Woke a computer and tapped a few keys. Then she looked up at us and waved coyly. “Bye, guys! I’ll be sure to check on you in a day or two. That should give you enough time to think about what you’ve done.”
The blast curtain began slowly rolling shut.
No. Not like this.
“Let us out!” Derrick roared.
I jerked up the Beretta and fired, but the bullet pinged from the glass without leaving a mark. Sarah laughed as the command center slowly began to disappear.
“Sarah, wait!” I shouted, a geyser of panic erupting inside me. “Don’t do this!”
But the thick metal wall rolled forward, relentless, sealing the world from sight.
Her smirk was the last thing I saw before it closed with a boom.