“It’s not going to be easy.” I explained what Logan had said about the alarms. “We need trustable uppers and we need to know more about Outside. Do you even know what’s there?”
He played with the long strands of his hair. “Not really. I was hoping there would me more information in the computer system.”
“Logan said there were about ten hidden and protected files. He moved them.”
“Protected how?”
“With passwords.”
“Passwords are the old security system. Those files are probably what I’ve been searching for. Did Logan move the files so we can access them down here?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe I can find them now.” Domotor returned his attention to the computer.
“Wait for Logan. He mentioned how the ports log your ID number every time you open a file.”
“I’m very familiar with the security system, Trella. I don’t need Logan.” His voice huffed.
I tried to reason with him. “I’d rather we be all together when you try to open those files. You only have ten guesses. The reason we figured out the password for Gateway was by all of us bouncing ideas off each other.”
“Fine. I’ll wait. With nothing else to do, I’ve become an expert in waiting.”
I ignored his snippy tone. “What about the uppers? Do you know who would be willing to help us?”
“I can give you the names of those whosaidthey would support me. For security, I made sure no one knew who the others were. But one of them ratted me out, and once I was arrested and interrogated.” He shuddered with horror. “I couldn’t hold out…I gave her a few names, hoping one of them—the person I suspected was indeed Karla’s spy. Karla was a power hungry lieutenant then, but she arrested all the people I named and recycled them all.” A hitch caught his voice, andhis eyes shone with grief. “At least I saved the others, and they wisely stopped looking for the files, keeping quiet.”
“Why didn’t they recycle you?”
“Karla suspected I knew more, but her superior officer was satisfied. I spent two centiweeks in the holding cells before the Travas released me. They claimed I was spared recycling for cooperating with them. I went back to my duties, but no one would talk to me or even look at me. The rumors had spread, and everyone feared I was a Trava spy.” He huffed. “Ironic.”
“When did all this happen?” I asked.
“About sixteen centiweeks ago. After I was released, I played the game, acting timid and obedient. Eventually, the Travas stopped monitoring me. I waited another three centiweeks before searching the network for the location of those hidden files. Guess I didn’t wait long enough.” He rubbed his back. “Karla hadn’t forgotten about me.”
I waited for the rest of his story.
“She suspected and had me interrogated again.” He closed his eyes and hugged his chest for a moment. “Vinco broke my back, but I didn’t say a word about the disks I hid. After I recovered, Karla sent me down here as punishment, but also to wait and see what I would do or who I would contact.”
“The spy?”
“I guessed wrong. I doubt Karla would kill her own, so he or she is still spying for her.” Domotor pulled out a wipe board and wrote down five names. He handed the board to me.
I scanned the list. Most of them were women. One name jumped out at me.
Domotor watched me. “Call me old fashioned. When I implicated my cohorts, I named mostly men.”
“Who did you implicate?”
“Do youreallywant to know?”
“Yes.” The word was a whisper.
Domotor gazed across the room, seeing into the past. “There were ten of us.” He huffed in sad amusement. “Ten—the magic Inside number. Before I knew about the Trava take-over, I always wondered why there were nine major families. I learned later that Inside’s original power structure had a voting system, which needed an odd number of voters.” He paused. “I had supporters from each of the eight remaining families. A few were mates.”
He returned his focus to me. “One of the couples was your parents.”
I didn’t care about my parents. To prove it, I imagined a thin coat of metal along my skin. So they tried to help Domotor. So what?
