“We climb into the Gap before the lift descends.”
Logan stared, and nibbled on his nails. If he was a computer, he would be making the rumbling crunching noise that meant it was calculating.
“Once we’re on, do we have to wait until an upper wants to go to level four?” he asked.
“No. Once it’s down, there are override controls on the roof.”
Logan shivered as we waited. “It’s cold here. I wonder why there is all this extra room. Does the Gap run the entire length of Inside?”
I explained how each level was connected by steel I-beams to the Wall.
“How about under the lower level, is there a Gap there?” he asked.
“Yes. All the levels are surrounded by Gaps.”
“What’s beyond the Gaps on the sides?”
“The side Wall of Inside.”
He considered. “What do the Walls feel like?”
“There’re covered with insulating foam.”
“I meant temperature. Hot or cold?”
“Oh. The foam’s room temperature, but the few places where there isn’t foam, it’s ice cold.”
He grinned. “Have you pressed your ear to it?”
I admitted I tried to listen for sounds from the other side. “I heard nothing besides the Hum.” Produced by the machinery, the Hum was a constant background noise. Inside’s equivalent to a heartbeat. Most scrubs no longer noticed the sound.
“Too bad.”
Eventually the lift passed with a chilly blast of air. We scrambled over the barrier, but landed with care on the lift’s roof. I pressed the override button for the fourth level. I didn’t think it would concern the occupants too much. The Pop Cops always complained about the lift’s odd quirks.
Voices reached us from below, but they were indistinguishable. I put a finger to my lips as Logan’s eyes flew wide when the lift ascended. It moved fast and in a handful of seconds we reached the top. I waved Logan on. In his haste, he fell with a grunt and a bang over the barrier into the fourth level gap.
We halted, listening for sounds of discovery. Nothing but the hiss of the lift’s door shutting. I grabbed the edge of the barrier and pulled until my hips rested on it. The lift dropped away, leaving my legs dangling. Logan scooted back and I joined him on “solid” ground.
After taking a moment to recover, I led him through the maze of pipes and ductwork to the hatch. Finding the hatches the first time had been difficult. I spent hours exploring each gap for the near-invisible hatch. Grinning, I remembered how disappointed I had been when I found the last one. The search had provided me with a challenge unlike my prior week to week pointless existence.
When we reached it, I whispered in Logan’s ear, “No talking, no sounds at all from now on. Got it?”
“Yes.”
The fourth level hatch opened into air duct number fifteen, which crossed over the giant water storage tanks in Sector H4 before cutting through the upper’s rooms in Sector E4. I counted the suites, but then realized I didn’t need to as Riley’s impatience vibrated through his air vent before his worried face came into view. He stared at the ceiling.
Under the vent, he had a step-ladder set up on a table. Removing the cover, I slid my legs out. “Feet first,” I said to Logan before going down.
Riley hurried to put the ladder away after Logan had reached the floor. We stood in the middle of a small living area. Couch, two chairs and one low table decorated the room. The two men eyed each other.
“It’s safer if I don’t introduce you,” I said into the uncomfortable silence.
“He’s a scrub,” Riley said.
“So?” I shot back.
“He doesn’t have a port and can’t access the computer network.”
