“After being tortured, I named your father, Nolan Garrard as an accomplice.”
His name clanged on my defenses even though I already knew he had been recycled.
When Domotor didn’t see any reaction he continued. “I also named Blas Sanchia and Shawn Lamont. Ramla Ashon was also recycled.”
The other names didn’t clang. “I thought the uppers all had two family names.”
“The children do. Once you find a mate, then you pick one family to be a part of. If you don’t find a mate, then you have the support of two families.”
With this new knowledge, I read the names on the board again. Jacob Ashon was listed. “Is Ramla Ashon…?”
“Riley’s mother.”
“And…Kiana Garrard?
“Your mother.”
Her name stabbed through my metal defense. My parents had tried to change things, and my father had been recycled.But those events happened after I was born. No. I didn’t care. I forced my metal skin to grow thicker.
“Do you want to know about your?—”
“No.” I read the list again. Kiana Garrard, Jacob Ashon, Hana Mineko, Takia Qadim and Breana Narelle. “Do you know which one of these uppers is the spy?”
“No. I thought it was Blas Sanchia.”
How would I isolate the spy? My limited knowledge of the uppers once again hindered me. I trusted Riley, but could I trust his father? Perhaps Riley would have a few ideas or Logan could track the uppers’ computer usage and see if one of them could access restricted Trava files.
“What about Gateway?” I asked.
“Find it underneath the foam. Dissolve the insulation and expose the door for now.”
It was hour fifty-two. Eight hours remained before my next shift. I calculated the time needed to sleep, eat and get to the outer wall. Not enough, searching for Gateway would have to wait until my next break. Although, I had time for one errand.
I left Domotor and climbed to level four. Reaching my hidden box, I removed the comb. It was a beautiful gift and should be used and displayed. After counting the teeth—forty one—I pocketed it in my tool belt and headed down.
Finding a warm spot to sleep, I dozed in the shaft. If I was Queen of the Pipes, I should request a better throne. Dreams of Outside swirled through my mind. The doorway hovered in front of me, but stayed the same distance away no matter how fast I ran.
My supervisor waited for me at the beginning of my shift. She scowled at me, and I knew it wouldn’t be good. It wasn’t. She yanked my arm out and slapped a red cuff around my left wrist. It bit into my skin.
“For failure to finish your shift. Explain,” she ordered, “and don’t try the broken troll excuse. Your troll was found in the air shaft in perfect condition, but no one could find you.”
My thoughts raced. “I fell asleep.”
“Where?”
“Air shaft seventeen.”
“You’re lying.” She uncapped a marker and wrote the number ten on the cuff. “Report to Emek in solid-waste for ten hours extra duty. It can be broken into five hours increments during your next two off-shifts.”
“But that’s?—”
“Have Emek sign the cuff and return to me after assembly. Failure to comply will result in your permanent re-assignment to Emek’s team.”
Her punishment was extreme for a first offense. “But?—”
“Mysupervisor was not happy over your disappearance. NowI’mon notice. I’ll be watching.”
True to her word she stayed until I hefted the troll into the shaft, and she waited at each transition point during the next ten hours. I thought she would follow me down to the solid-waste facility in Sector H1, but she just made sure I headed in the right direction.
