Outside In Part 29

"Did you have time to make that pulley system?" I asked him.

"One of Jacy's men put it together." He reached under the couch and pulled it out. "We didn't know how thick the rope would be, so we guessed, erring on a bigger size."

I spun the wheels, examining the device. "What's this lever?"

"The brakes in case you accidently let go. We don't want Logan smashed flat."

"Good idea."

When we finished coordinating our plans, Riley rummaged through the drawers of the desk, returning with a small pair of bolt cutters and a jar.

He tossed the jar to me. "Sheep oil."

I peered at it in suspicion. "Did you have this before?" Riley had cut off a metal cuff from my wrist during our Force of Sheep rebellion, but he had claimed not to have the oil which was supposed to help with the pain.

"I can't recall." He batted his dark eyelashes at me.

"Look who has the evil gleam now." I grumbled as I spread the oil around my neck, trying to get it under the control collar. "Okay."

Riley thought the back of my neck would be the best place to cut it off. I held my hair up. The cold touch of the metal sent shivers down my spine. At first, I didn't feel anything, but when he grunted with effort, a sharp pain stabbed into my throat. I cried out and he stopped.

"What's the matter? I didn't pinch your skin."

"It hurt."

"It doesn't look like I even dented the d.a.m.n thing," he said. "I'm going to need bigger cutters."

A sudden and very unpleasant thought occurred to me. "Could it still be active?"

Riley examined Zippy. "He's working fine. Do you have the receiver and microphone I sent?"

I pulled them from my pocket and also removed my sheep pendant. He took all the devices over to his desk. I peered over his shoulder as he tested each one.

"They're all broken." He then put the tester's two p.r.o.ngs on my collar as he stared at the display. "No reading either. It's busted."

Relief surged through me.

"I'll have to have Logan help me make another pendant for you." Riley swept the items into the recycle bin.

I retrieved the pendant.

"But it can't send a signal anymore."

"Doesn't matter. It's still precious to me." I looped it around my neck then tried to distract Riley with a pa.s.sionate goodbye kiss, but he wouldn't let me procrastinate anymore.

Since we really couldn't delay any longer, I climbed the ladder with reluctance and entered the air ducts again.

The trip to Logan's room didn't take long. When I arrived, I peered down to check for his keepers. At first the significance of the mess below didn't register in my mind. Logan was never tidy, but this seemed extreme even for him.

The couch had been turned on its side. Computer parts and metallic gadgets littered the floor. The white stuffing from the ruined cushions had settled over everything like a coating of dust.

But no sign of Logan.

Logan was gone. After the shock wore off, I considered where he might be. If he had decided to "escape" from his room, Riley would have known about it because Logan would have sought him and Jacy out. But what if he couldn't?

I glanced down at the door. No wires hung from the locks, which meant Logan hadn't escaped. Anne-Jade could have opened it from the outside. Again, Riley would know unless she was unable to tell him. But why would the room be in such disarray?

The final and most likely scenario entailed Hank bringing Logan up to the brig on level five. It was a logical move. Logan's knowledge and abilities made him a dangerous enemy. And from the mess, it appeared as if one of his keepers had discovered his stash of gadgets.

Just in case Anne-Jade knew where her brother had gone, I searched for her on level four. She was slumped in her chair in the ISF office in Quad A4, staring at nothing that I could see. No one else worked at the other desks. An odd silence filled the room.

Not wanting to scare her, I called her name before jumping down from the vent. Anne-Jade waved me over halfheartedly. Utter defeat looked at me through her eyes. I almost stepped back as my heart lurched in my chest.

"Did something happen to Logan?" I asked.

"Not yet."

Unsure if I should be relieved or not, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Come on, Trell. You don't need me to explain it."

"Did Hank take him?"

She straightened and for a brief second the old Anne-Jade frowned at me. "How did you know Hank's involved?"

"He tried to recruit me to his cause."

She slouched back. "You should have signed up. They're in charge now, you'd have saved yourself a lot of trouble." A wry smile twisted. "Sorry. I forgot who I was talking to. Trouble is exactly what you crave. I just want peace."

Anger flared. I banged a fist on her desk. "I wanted peace, too. And you know what happened while I sat around mooning over our state of affairs. I don't crave trouble. It's just one of those unfortunate side effects when I finally decided to take action." I leaned in close to hera"almost nose to nose. "If Hank has Logan, then I know exactly where he's being held. Are you going to sit around moping or are you going to help me?"

"It's too late."

"That's such a load of c.r.a.p. It's never too late."

A spark of ire flashed. "What more proof do you need? My brother's dead body? Would that convince you it's too late?"

"No. Not Logan's. Not Riley's. Not mine or yours. They haven't won, Anne-Jade. They just think they did. Which gives us the advantage."

She laughed. "You're insane."

"That's certainly debatable. But give me another chance."

"Another chance to do what?"

"Prove to you it isn't too late."

She snagged her lower lip with her teeth and chewed. "I don't have any resources. They took everything."

"Everything?"

She nodded.

"You mean you don't have a few loyal lieutenants who would take a risk for you?"

"Wella"

I sensed a small victory. "And you didn't keep a few weapons hidden away just in case?"

"I might have."

"Might? When will you know?"

Anne-Jade huffed in annoyance. "All right. I'll make you a deal. If you rescue Logan and get him to a safe location, I'll help you."

"I accept." I shook her hand, sealing the deal.

I turned on my mic and hailed Riley, informing him of Logan's disappearance and my plans to rescue him. He had given me another microphone and receiver. They worked on a specific frequency so it was very difficult for Hank and the Outsiders to pick it up.

"Do you have the diamond wire?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Do you need backup?" His voice held a nervous edge.

"I'll take Zippy."

"I'd be happier if you took a dozen armed men and women along."

"And I'd be happier if the Outsiders decided to leave us alone."

"Point. Be carefulaplease."

"I will."

The problem with using a diamond wire to aid in my escape became apparent right away. Wires ringed the bars covering the air vent to Logan's cell. Wires that I a.s.sumed would set off a loud alarm if I sawed through them.

I hadn't called attention to myself just in case Logan had company. It was interesting how fast my ability to crawl through the shafts without making noise had returned. Either that or just the amount of time I'd been spending traveling through them had sharpened my skills.

Logan sprawled on his back on the thin mat. His cell was a mirror image of mine. I called his name when I was certain he was alone. He jerked and scrambled to his feet.

"Trella, don't touch thea""

"Bars, I know. I can see the wires."

He slouched against the wall and rubbed his face. "I think I'm stuck for good this time," he said in a tired voice.

He didn't appear to be injured, but I knew what the Outsiders were capable of. "What happened?"

"My keepers made a surprise visit," he said. "I didn't have time to hide all my toys. They were strewn all over. I guess I shouldn't have been so relaxed about them. Another mistake caused by overconfidence."

"Another?"

He waved a hand. His right one still covered his eyes. "The whole Outsider fiasco could have been avoided."

"How?"

"If I had kept track of all communications, I would have spotted Hank's link to the Outsiders."

"Why didn't you?" I asked.

"Privacy. I didn't want to spy on the Committee members or others."

"Exactly, Logan. You didn't want to be like the Travas and Pop Cops, monitoring all our activities. You're not to blame."

"I'm not helping, either," he said. Clearly miserable, he ma.s.saged his temples.

"Did you meet the Outsiders?" I asked.

He straightened, dropping his hands. "They're here?"

"Only a couple. I've met them both."

"You? When?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later. First, we need to bust you out of here."

"How? The heating vent has the same trip wires. All you have to do is touch them and they'll set off the alarm."

"How?" I asked.

"There's a weak electrical current going through the wires. If you touch it with your finger, you'll block the current and that sets it off." He began to pace. "But if you touch it with both hands, the current will travel through you and back to the wire. I could cut the barsa No. Won't work. You'd be stuck holding the wires. No way for you to move once the bars and wires are cut. Unless we made a connection with a separate wire and some metal clamps, which we don't have. Plus we would need one bypa.s.s for each bar, unless the wire is continuous."

I traced the wire. It wrapped around all five bars before continuing down the air shaft.

"We still don't have the clamps and wires," Logan said when I described it to him.

"I have Zippy and my tool belt."

It was as if I had told him his computer access had returned. He stood under the vent and explained in an excited tone what I needed to do to bypa.s.s the current. I performed surgery on Zippy, removing wires and various parts, following his instructions.

Well aware that the Outsiders or Hank could come in at any time, we hurried. But it still took time to rig the bypa.s.s, cut the bars and pull Logan into the shaft with me.

"Will it hold?" I asked, pointing to the loop of Zippy's wire.

"It should. Unless a cleaning troll comes by and rips it off."

"Let's go." I put a finger to my lips. "Keep quiet until we get there."