“Trell, I’m not mad—well, not at you. I’m going to throttle both Hank and Bubba Boom and feed them to Chomper myself.” He paused. “I’m thinking of a way for you to escape. You could use Zippy’s short range EMP to disable it.”
“I thought that only worked on weapons.”
“Logan had to limit what the pulse could affect because of all the sensitive equipment and computers back when you ambushed the main control room. But you’re far away fromanything vital right now. Actually, if Zippy was stronger and if we had our network in place, he could have taken out Hank’s new control room.”
“How do I switch him over?” I asked.
Riley told me how to remove the safety filter.
“How can I tell if it works on the collar?”
“You escape, hide, and wait. If it’s operating, they’ll find you pretty quick. But the pulse will ruin your listening device and receiver. If they don’t come after you, meet me in our storeroom.”
“Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the help.” Before Riley could switch off, I said, “If this doesn’t work, I just want to tell you that…” I closed my eyes. Why was this so hard? “That…I was an idiot to keep my distance from you. That I didn’t realize how much I love you until I lost you.”
“You’ll get free, Trella.” Riley’s voice sounded tight. “You’ve survived worse than this. And this time you have more motivation.”
“More motivation?”
“Yes. I’m not going to respond to your comment through a listening device. You’ll have to hear it from me in person.”
After Riley clicked off, I used the diamond wire to saw through the bars over the air vent. I hoped Ponife didn’t check my vitals because my accelerated heart rate would alert him. Once I had enough space to wiggle through, I pulled Zippy from the shaft and removed the safety filter.
With nothing else to lose, I flipped the switch on Zippy. My receiver whined and popped, but the little cleaning troll remained silent. Logan had given Zippy a special protective coatso his inner electronics weren’t zapped as well. I shoved the cleaning troll back into the duct and climbed in after him.
In case Zippy’s pulse hadn’t disabled my collar, I didn’t want to hide in any of my favorite spots. Instead, I worked my way up to the top of level ten, which was the bottom of the Expanse. Finding a space between two storage containers, I settled in to wait.
At first, every single noise jolted me. Eventually, I grew used to the sounds of the Expanse looming over me. After enough time had passed—if my collar worked, they would have found me by now—I descended to level four and headed toward our storeroom.
The glow of bluelights shone through the vent, indicating no one was in the room. Disappointed, I aimed my feet at the ladder and climbed down. The clock on the wall read hour forty-seven. I sank onto the couch. Thirty-nine hours had passed since I left the infirmary with Bubba Boom.
The horror, pain, and fear had taken a toll on me. My head throbbed from the thin air. Exhausted, I curled up on the couch with Zippy, but I wished for Riley and Sheepy.
Chaotic dreams swirled. Outsiders chased me. Daylight reflected off their silver helmets, blinding me. Then a wall of people blocked my escape route. Jacy led the group, and I ran to him. Instead of protecting me, he grabbed my arm and dragged me back toward the Outsiders. He handed me over to Ponife in exchange for the metal X. As Jacy laughed and turned away, Ponife’s white gloves stroked my skin.
I woke with a cry and with cold hands on my shoulders. My nightmare had turned into reality. I was caught.
CHAPTER 18
Flailing and kicking the Outsider,I fought with all my strength. I would rather be sent to Chomper than be under Ponife’s control again.
It took me a couple of seconds to realize he wasn’t fighting back. And finally, his soothing tone and caring words reached me. I stopped struggling and embraced Riley.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said. He sat on the edge of the couch. “I just couldn’t wait until you woke up.”
“Not your fault, I was having a nightmare,” I said, clinging to him, soaking in his warmth and enjoying the weight of his arms around me.
After a few minutes, Riley pulled back to look at me. A smile quirked and he smoothed a few strands of my hair from my face. My braid had fallen out hours ago, and I was sure rats would have no trouble making a nest in my hair.
“How did you cut the collar off?” he asked.
“I didn’t.” Confused, I touched my throat. The collar remained in place. My fingernails clinked on its hard surface.
Riley squinted. He ran his fingers along my neck. When he found the collar, he explored the surface and tried to tug it. “No seams. It doesn’t feel like metal. The color is amazing.”
“Why?”
“It blends in. It matches your skin. Didn’t you know?”
