“Doesn’t he need a port?” I asked.
“Not anymore.” Logan smiled with smug satisfaction. “I set up my own account; all I need is a password and the right connection.”
“Why won’t it work here?”
Logan tried to describe the inhibitor function on a lower level computer. I lost him after the second word.
Domotor thankfully interrupted. “Five minutes is all he would need. Can you do it, Trell?”
Could I? Crawling through heating vents was easier than climbing to another level. I doubted Logan had the upper arm strength needed to pull his body up the chains. Unless we rode on top of the lift. But where would we find an unoccupied computer and if we did find one, then how long would it remain unoccupied?
“I need a few hours to think about it.”
“Perhaps Riley could help,” Domotor said. “I’m sure he would know where to find a computer.”
“I don’t think we should involve him,” I said.
“Who’s Riley?” Logan asked.
“It’s better you don’t know.” Too many knew about us already. Our chances of getting caught increased with each new person.Maximum damage, I chanted.
“He’s proven himself trustworthy. This is too important to leave to chance,” Domotor said.
I grumbled even though he was right.
“We’d better go. I don’t want to be late for my shift,” Logan said.
His words reminded me to ask Domotor about his clothes.
“Sure, take what you need.”
When I returned from his room with the pants and shirt he had worn the day we had rescued him, Logan grabbed the shirt. He jerked off the top button. I remembered the listening device.
“Don’t want to lose this,” he said then handed me the disks. “We don’t need these, though.”
I looked at Domotor. He avoided my gaze and shifted in his chair as if searching for a more comfortable position. Waiting, I tapped the disks—the irresistible bait that lured me on this fool’s errand—against my legs.
Eventually, he gave me a sheepish grin. “The programs on them are worthlessnow. If I could have used thembeforeI was caught, they would have worked.”
“But they can help Cog.” Logan said.
They would delay the inevitable. I pushed those morbid thoughts away. “It’s better than nothing.”
Hour ten and Logan had reported to his shift on time, the clothes and disks had been hidden in the storage closet and I had to figure a way to get Logan to level four. I stopped by the laundry room. All the clothes for Inside were washed here. Scrubs rolled big white canvas bins to transport piles of clean and dirty garments. Bins also stood under the chutes to collect the uniforms, jumpsuits, and clothes from the upper levels. Most of the uppers wore shirts and pants once they graduated from their student apprenticeships.
Along the left side wall rested stacks of clean uniforms for the scrubs. Each pile was specific to a different work area and was sorted by size. The blue color of the pipe scrubs seemed bright compared to the rest. Laundry and kitchen scrubs wore the same white jumpsuit.
Stealing scrub’s clothes was easy. A steady stream of people headed to and away from the stacks and no one cared if you picked up one or a hundred. The uppers’ clothes though wereplaced in marked bins, one per family. Pop Cops kept a close watch over them.
After a circuit around the room, I left knowing I would be unable to borrow a few uppers’ garments from the bins. However, if I wasn’t picky, I could intercept a few items as they traveled down the chutes.
I rigged a net in one of the shafts. Clogs in the chutes were rare, but not unheard of. Hopefully, I’ll catch a Logan-sized disguise.
My next problem would be harder to solve. Climbing to Riley’s room on level four, I reviewed my options for finding a computer terminal. I could spy on one of the upper’s suites. Keeping track of their comings and goings, I could determine when the suite would be empty. But how long would it take? And with working my own shifts, I would only have half the picture.
Bluelight shone through the vent into Riley’s room. When I was certain it was empty, I dropped through the vent and onto the couch. The daylights turned on automatically and I jumped to my feet in surprise—it never happened before.
I found the tiny motion detector. Its sensor was aimed at the couch, and the simple device had been wired to the light switch. Everything else appeared to be the same. The ladder leaned against a side wall, and the furniture remained in place. A moment passed and nothing happened. I checked under the couch. Zippy looked undisturbed in his hiding spot.
