“Who pulled us out?”
“Bubba Boom carried you and Hank from maintenance grabbed Logan.”
“How’s the plant?”
“Bad. Smoke spread throughout Inside and made a bunch of people sick. Half the air filters are burnt to a crisp. The air workers are rigging up a temporary cleaning system, but it won’t last long. When you’re feeling better, they’re going to need you to help install filters in the air ducts. It’s another temporary measure.”
Logan lifted his mask again. “Plant fire also…a distraction.”
“And a lure to get you in harm’s way,” Anne-Jade said.
“No. A distraction from…computer.”
Dread twisted and I wished I had stayed in my bed. “What’s wrong with the computer?”
“Compromised.”
A tightness gripped my chest. “How bad?”
“Don’t know…I need to…see.”
I considered. Besides the burning from the smoke, my vision hadn’t been affected by the heat. “Logan was there an explosion in the air plant before the fire?”
“No. Light exploded from—” Another coughing fit seized him. “From…the computer monitor. It burned…my eyes.”
Anne-Jade and I shared a horrified look.
“Who could…?” I couldn’t even say the words.
“I could,” Logan said.
“Who else?” his sister demanded.
“A few…of the Travas. Maybe Riley.” He drew on the mask for a few breaths. “Domotor. Trella’s father.”
“Nolan’s been fertilizer for over fifteen centiweeks,” I said, dismissing him.
“According to…Karla Trava.” He shrugged. “She didn’t recycle you?—”
“We don’t know that for sure.” I squelched any and all hope. It was ludicrous. “Besides he would have revealed himself after the rebellion.”
Another shrug. I mulled over his list. Not Riley and I doubted Domotor, so that left the Travas. “Are there any working computers in Sector D4?”
Anne-Jade scowled at me. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“We disabled them,” Logan said.
“Could they have hooked them back up?” And before Anne-Jade could snap at me, I added, “They don’t have anything else to do. And you and Logan made a number of amazing devices just from recycled parts so it’s a valid question.”
She scratched her arm absently. “I guess it’s possible. I’ll have a team go in and check.” Huffing in annoyance, she slid her hand under her sleeve and rubbed harder.
Logan reached out blindly and touched her arm. “Stop it. Doctor Lamont said…to leave it…alone or it’ll get infected.”
“But it itches,” she said between gritted teeth.
“What happened?” I asked her.
She pushed up her sleeve, revealing white bandages like the ones on Logan and my arms. “I donated skin so the Doctor could grow my brother a new coat.”
