Attention: ALL
Subject: Laundry
Due to unforeseen technical difficulties, laundry collection will shift to once a week starting tomorrow. Please remember to empty pockets before depositing jumpsuits into hallway caches. For all non-issued clothing, laundry services will remain available once a month, moving to the third weekend of the month rather than the first. Thank you for your patience during this transition.
—Sanitation
No matter what, Andrek had said.
No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what. No matter what.
But Danny? Sweet, agreeable, helpful, loyal Danny?
“We expected this,” V told me.
Milo agreed. “It had to be done.”
“Sometimes violence is the only way,” Cheese added. “You know it’s true.”
I heard them talking, explaining, filling the air with noise. Every precaution taken, they said. All contingencies prepared for. We used what we had. Any later would have been too late. Any sooner would have been too soon. The president would recover, they were sure of it. They were also certain that Brand wouldn’t kill the others, that they’d be his hostages as he and the trust attempted to sort out what had happened and who had done it. At least we finally knew who the other spy was, the leak, the mole, the traitor, and it made all kinds of sense, didn’t it? As a security officer, trusted by Commander Han so much she was sent to protect the Vice President, Danny would’ve had far more access and influence than poor Stephan.
But in my head, nothing they said added up.
They couldn’t know. They’d planned, expected, hoped. Just like they’d planned on having us take shelter in the subbasement and expected help to arrive in time. No one had ever suspected Danny. If they had, she’d have been stopped long ago, maybe even long enough ago to have made a difference.
I hoped too. I hoped that wasn’t the last time I’d see Andrek and Dad’s faces. Or Joule’s. I hoped what I saw didn’t mean what I thought it did. Because if any of my fears proved true, then I would never be okay again, not for a second let alone a lifetime. Because if I was wrong to trust Stephan and Danny, what else was I wrong about?
Who else?
“Here we go,” Turkey said, and the six videos merged into one.
No. No more.
I couldn’t bear it anymore.
I also couldn’t look away. I didn’t dare.
The woman who’d announced earlier, what felt like years ago, took over the screen. She was larger than life, the bust of her as tall as two people end to end, her deep brown skin lit up with lavender light. “Fellow trustees, I have Vice President Barre standing by with updates on the situation with President Marshall’s envoy. Vice President?”
The image shifted to Barre, who saluted in lieu of smiling and tucked her hair behind her ears. “The president and her entourage are safe for the time being, and they’re recuperating in Dome 2 until we can arrange repairs to the tunnels and ferry them here for medical treatment. In the meantime, we ask that all trustees stay in their quarters when not working. New washroom schedules will be sent following this announcement. We appreciate your cooperation as we resolve this situation.”
“Situation?” Cheese exploded. “Washroom schedules? They’re literally trying to brush this invasion away like it’s a technicality!”
“You should be glad someone came up with a plumbing work around,” Turkey said mildly. “You haven’t known stink until you’ve known recycled air stink without regular showers.”
Milo stared at the ceiling as if searching for words.
“We knew they’d do this,” V said. “Let’s not waste our emotions on met expectations.”
“What she said,” Turkey agreed. “Oh! I’ve got an extra camera hidden. I doubt the RC’s spotted it yet. We can watch while we wait for official news.” She switched to the split screens, but the orchard dome’s square remained blank. I tried to will it to life, so I could see what was happening.
“What kind of sick joke is this? These are restricted security feeds!”
My mom. She stepped off the ramp with the expression of a woman who’d seen far more than she could handle.
“That we installed,” Cheese said.
“And you let just anyone watch this gross display of violence? Did you enjoy seeing my daughter’s heart break?”
“That wasn’t real, Mom,” I argued, though saying it aloud did nothing to erase what I felt. What we’d all seen. Even if Andrek’s ruse was true, that still left Danny’s betrayal. “Why are you here?”
“I came looking for you! I went back to our quarters to be with you when… You can’t possibly imagine what went through my mind when you weren’t there. The way you left everything. And with your father—” She clutched her chest and made a gargled noise. She shook like her bones were gelatin. “I’m calling Barre now and—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Han and a contingent of security came around the last curve of the ramp.
“Commander, you’re just in time!” Mom fumbled with her tablet, squinting at the screen. She trembled and seemed like she was having trouble breathing. “I’m getting Barre on the line and together we can sort out how to recover negotiations. I can’t—I can’t—”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Tanner. I really am.” Han gestured to a guard, who slid a needle into Mom’s neck.
Another guard caught her as she slumped.
“Mom!” I yelled.
Turkey and Steak rushed over to help, and Cheese tossed them a bean bag. They lowered her onto it as I reached her side with V.
V checked Mom’s pulse, counting quietly. She smoothed hair from Mom’s face. “She’s sedated, Lane, but her breathing is steady. I think she was having a panic attack before.”
“Did you have to do that?” I demanded of Han, surprised by the intensity of my rising anger. “If you’d given us another minute, we could’ve talked her down!”
“We didn’t have another minute,” Han said gravely. “We can’t risk her telling anyone what she saw, or heard, when she comes to. I’ll send a medic as soon as I leave.”
“Is it time to suspend transmissions?” Milo asked.
“Almost. Masters will hijack the main channel any moment now. Get ready to move to short wave on my call.”
Milo’s crew moved as one unit, pulling their tabs into laps and tapping out commands.
Han caught my gaze as I looked up from my mother’s too-pale face. I’m sorry, Han’s expression said, while her mouth said, “I’m afraid you’ll think many actions we take in the days to come are distasteful and difficult. I hoped to spare you as much worry as I could by keeping you busy. You’ve been through so much already. But you need to prepare yourself and steel your heart as much as you can.”
She turned her chair to face the whole department. “The RC has, essentially, taken our people hostage and will use them as leverage for their own ends. This revelation about Danny Hetzel is quite alarming. I knew it had to be someone close to me, but I never would have expected it to be her. Luckily, I had the foresight to keep the bulk of our plans under wraps, but even still, we must anticipate she knows about Andrek’s duplicity and a great deal more that disadvantages our position. Trust that if violence weren’t necessary, we wouldn’t consider it, let alone decide on it.”
I thought of the explosion that had destroyed the RC ship, spaced a bunch of RC soldiers, and wounded the president. How that had felt. My dad as a hostage. Andrek and Joule, hostages or traitors or spies, whichever. They were under Brand’s control regardless. How it felt to see my mom, despite all our disagreements, knocked out.
I hated every single thing about this. “What kind of choices am I supposed to prepare for next? If your secret plans fail, what then?”
“Are we going to have a problem, Lane?”
I tried not to notice her closest guard step forward. Alert.
“I don’t know how to prepare without knowing what for. More bombs? What?”
“Is this about your boyfriends? Or your friend Danny?” Han asked. “Because we can discuss Andrek’s decision if you want, but that was his to make, and I, for one, am grateful for his sacrifice.”
“Sacrifice?” I should have calmed down. I shouldn’t have been yelling at Han, but my self-control had evaporated, and my insides felt like they’d melted into goo. “Is that what I should prepare for?”
“Lane understands, Commander,” V said, and Halle slipped an arm around me, coaxing me into backing away. “She’s just upset. She’ll come around.”
Han’s expression didn’t change, but something in the air around her did and her guard relaxed. “I hope so, because I need the three of you on board tomorrow. Meet me in the kitchen as soon as you’re ready and calm, so we can discuss what’s to be done about these spies.”