WHAT LIES BEYOND
Chapter 8- Unrest
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Lie awake
I stand before you
Lie awake
Wipe the tears and close your eyes
Lie awake
A choice before me
Lie awake
Wipe the tears and say goodbye
"Lie Awake" by Believer
I stand before you
Lie awake
Wipe the tears and close your eyes
Lie awake
A choice before me
Lie awake
Wipe the tears and say goodbye
"Lie Awake" by Believer
Kai was a heavy sleeper. He used to pride himself on his ability to sleep virtually anywhere--- the floor, a bench, an airplane seat, a school desk... even this stupid pod fit the bill. Every night before now, once he'd night-owled for as long as he'd pleased, he'd fallen asleep the moment his head had hit the cushions and slept until Adam or Mira hauled him out in the morning and sent him on his way up the stairs.
But tonight, sleep wanted nothing to do with Kai. Sure, he was dead tired, but his brain just kept talking about frigging Vanessa. He squeezed his eyes tighter and growled in frustration, hoping it would push her out of his brain. Acidic color patterns bloomed behind his eyelids the more he crushed them shut--- not helping. Kai peeled his eyes open to welcome back the dark room.
"Dumb brain," he muttered to himself. He didn't want to think about Vanessa--- the very thought of her unfortunate beauty and deceptive smile made his insides boil. His heart raced, sending the bad blood pumping fast into his brain and keeping it awake. That just made him hate her reappearance even more. Somehow, she had found a way to get into his head through the atmosphere--- he was sure of it! Kai planted his face into the pillow with another annoyed growl. Stupid. He had plenty of other things to worry about besides her.
Like if he didn't catch some sleep soon, he wouldn't be awake enough to fix that food generator in the morning! He figured it may just need a jolt of power and a refill--- simple enough, but easy to get wrong on a tired mind.
After some time, sleep finally visited Kai. He had just drifted off into a blissful snooze when he heard... voices. Female voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Kai's eyes snapped open. "Mira?" he whispered. No... no, that wasn't Mira; this voice came from outside. And it wasn't Vanessa either; the voice was too low to be hers.
Kai knew he should be creeped out. And, normally, he would be--- but he was tired. So tired that his fear system (self-preservation instinct?) had crashed. Kind of like how Ma had told him Dad used to be when he was drunk--- he'd get brave. Brave and stupid. Kai couldn't remember Dad ever being drunk so he couldn't know for sure; but then, he didn't remember much about Dad anyway, save a few scattered memories from early childhood. He just knew that Ma liked to talk about how similar he and Kai were.
Speaking of Kai's family... one of the voices, now that he thought about it, sounded a lot like Ma when she was stressed out. The boy dropped out of bed and stumbled toward the door, straining to understand what they were saying.
"...What have you done to him now?" she hissed. Kai's heart leaped. That was Ma's voice! How did she get here? Kai crept through the dark. He drew closer to the door, where he was sure the voices were coming from. He was excited to hear her voice again, yet cautious. Who was she talking to?
"Relax, Quinn," spoke the second voice--- the lower voice. Some small part of Kai's brain recognized her voice as well--- though he couldn't think of her name or her relation to him. If she was related at all--- but she sounded similar to Ma, with the same subtle smack of a Scottish accent. Her voice also... pricked his gut for some reason. "First, this wasn't my fault. Second, I know how to help him. I just need your permission." She paused. "You'll just have to trust me."
Kai pressed his ear against the door. Confusion... confusion and anger. Why did he feel this way all of a sudden? He clenched his fists at his sides. Who was "him"? Was it... well... him?
"You're the one who got him into this stupid thing!" Ma shouted, voice trembling with fervor. She was distressed. Kai's heart clenched. "Stop promising him these (something Kai couldn't make out)... Stop telling me you're trying to help him! Just let him be!"
"Would you rather he just stay..." and her words faded out again, much to Kai's mounting anger, "... or help him the only way we can?"
Ma's voice dropped to a hiss. "We?"
"It's only for a few months. It'll be like a fun vacation for him." The second woman's voice was softer now. Apologetic. "Please."
Kai threw open the door, unable to stand this disturbing conversation any longer without throwing in his opinion (why wasn't he involved in this talk?!), only to find... an empty, silent hallway. The voices had stopped. There was no-one. Thoroughly creeped out, Kai slammed the door.
"What the... Who's there?"
A male voice caused on-edge Kai to jump. Realizing it was only Adam, the boy sighed in exhausted relief. "It's... just me, Adam," he admitted.
Adam shifted, propping himself up by his elbows. "Kai? What are you doing?"
Kai shrugged and began to shuffle his way back to his pod. "I was checking... I mean, there were... voices, and I think I was sleepwalking?" Or I'm losing it. That was a possibility. God knew what sort of effect this place was having on their minds, especially his. He climbed back into bed, collapsing flat onto his stomach, both feet in the air. Adam returned to his resting position with a sigh and muttered something grumpy under his breath.
The weird conversation made rounds through Kai's mind. He couldn't seem to shut it out, even though he used to be great at ignoring stuff he didn't want to think about. For example, English homework. Like overdue homework in a subject he hated, he wanted to pretend he hadn't heard a thing. Something about that conversation, though imagined, had deeply disturbed him. He didn't know why. It was just some dumb dream... thing, after all. Maybe a hallucination? He hoped not.
It felt like one of those half-dreams he used to get early on school mornings; the kind that happened somewhere between awake and asleep. That was the most likely explanation. Kai grunted at the thought. Half-dreams were the worst. One time he'd half-dreamed about getting out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom and using the toilet. And, since he'd had to go really bad that morning, well... yeah. That was a long time ago. But more recent than he'd ever admit to his friends.
It had been a while since he'd had a half-dream this convincing. And he'd never sleepwalked before; that was new. Whatever the case, what he'd heard was really creepy. And he sure wasn't about to forget about it and just... fall asleep.
"Hey Kai."
Kai grunted. "What?"
Adam shifted in his pod and breathed a sigh. "I'm sorry for... acting the way I did tonight," he confessed. "I don't know what came over me."
"You're good," Kai mumbled through the pillow. He just wanted to sleep at this point, apology or none.
"Good."
The room was silent for another thirty seconds. Then Adam spoke again, much to Kai's annoyance.
"Think we can trust them?"
"How should I know?" Kai growled.
"Just humor me."
Kai rolled onto his side, glaring through the darkness to where he thought Adam's face was. "I don't know, OK?" He sighed. "I mean, they seemed to be telling the truth. But I fell for it last time. Don't know why you're asking me."
"I don't trust them," Adam rumbled. "When you fix their thing tomorrow, get back as soon as possible. Get the job done and get out of their way."
Kai snorted. "What, no interrogation?" Adam took the tongue-in-cheek comment seriously.
"If they stick to their own floor and their own business after this, I'll be happy to forget they're even here. No interrogation. Get in, get out. Got it?"
Kai sighed, shut his eyes and collapsed back onto his stomach. "Got it."
But tonight, sleep wanted nothing to do with Kai. Sure, he was dead tired, but his brain just kept talking about frigging Vanessa. He squeezed his eyes tighter and growled in frustration, hoping it would push her out of his brain. Acidic color patterns bloomed behind his eyelids the more he crushed them shut--- not helping. Kai peeled his eyes open to welcome back the dark room.
"Dumb brain," he muttered to himself. He didn't want to think about Vanessa--- the very thought of her unfortunate beauty and deceptive smile made his insides boil. His heart raced, sending the bad blood pumping fast into his brain and keeping it awake. That just made him hate her reappearance even more. Somehow, she had found a way to get into his head through the atmosphere--- he was sure of it! Kai planted his face into the pillow with another annoyed growl. Stupid. He had plenty of other things to worry about besides her.
Like if he didn't catch some sleep soon, he wouldn't be awake enough to fix that food generator in the morning! He figured it may just need a jolt of power and a refill--- simple enough, but easy to get wrong on a tired mind.
After some time, sleep finally visited Kai. He had just drifted off into a blissful snooze when he heard... voices. Female voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Kai's eyes snapped open. "Mira?" he whispered. No... no, that wasn't Mira; this voice came from outside. And it wasn't Vanessa either; the voice was too low to be hers.
Kai knew he should be creeped out. And, normally, he would be--- but he was tired. So tired that his fear system (self-preservation instinct?) had crashed. Kind of like how Ma had told him Dad used to be when he was drunk--- he'd get brave. Brave and stupid. Kai couldn't remember Dad ever being drunk so he couldn't know for sure; but then, he didn't remember much about Dad anyway, save a few scattered memories from early childhood. He just knew that Ma liked to talk about how similar he and Kai were.
Speaking of Kai's family... one of the voices, now that he thought about it, sounded a lot like Ma when she was stressed out. The boy dropped out of bed and stumbled toward the door, straining to understand what they were saying.
"...What have you done to him now?" she hissed. Kai's heart leaped. That was Ma's voice! How did she get here? Kai crept through the dark. He drew closer to the door, where he was sure the voices were coming from. He was excited to hear her voice again, yet cautious. Who was she talking to?
"Relax, Quinn," spoke the second voice--- the lower voice. Some small part of Kai's brain recognized her voice as well--- though he couldn't think of her name or her relation to him. If she was related at all--- but she sounded similar to Ma, with the same subtle smack of a Scottish accent. Her voice also... pricked his gut for some reason. "First, this wasn't my fault. Second, I know how to help him. I just need your permission." She paused. "You'll just have to trust me."
Kai pressed his ear against the door. Confusion... confusion and anger. Why did he feel this way all of a sudden? He clenched his fists at his sides. Who was "him"? Was it... well... him?
"You're the one who got him into this stupid thing!" Ma shouted, voice trembling with fervor. She was distressed. Kai's heart clenched. "Stop promising him these (something Kai couldn't make out)... Stop telling me you're trying to help him! Just let him be!"
"Would you rather he just stay..." and her words faded out again, much to Kai's mounting anger, "... or help him the only way we can?"
Ma's voice dropped to a hiss. "We?"
"It's only for a few months. It'll be like a fun vacation for him." The second woman's voice was softer now. Apologetic. "Please."
Kai threw open the door, unable to stand this disturbing conversation any longer without throwing in his opinion (why wasn't he involved in this talk?!), only to find... an empty, silent hallway. The voices had stopped. There was no-one. Thoroughly creeped out, Kai slammed the door.
"What the... Who's there?"
A male voice caused on-edge Kai to jump. Realizing it was only Adam, the boy sighed in exhausted relief. "It's... just me, Adam," he admitted.
Adam shifted, propping himself up by his elbows. "Kai? What are you doing?"
Kai shrugged and began to shuffle his way back to his pod. "I was checking... I mean, there were... voices, and I think I was sleepwalking?" Or I'm losing it. That was a possibility. God knew what sort of effect this place was having on their minds, especially his. He climbed back into bed, collapsing flat onto his stomach, both feet in the air. Adam returned to his resting position with a sigh and muttered something grumpy under his breath.
The weird conversation made rounds through Kai's mind. He couldn't seem to shut it out, even though he used to be great at ignoring stuff he didn't want to think about. For example, English homework. Like overdue homework in a subject he hated, he wanted to pretend he hadn't heard a thing. Something about that conversation, though imagined, had deeply disturbed him. He didn't know why. It was just some dumb dream... thing, after all. Maybe a hallucination? He hoped not.
It felt like one of those half-dreams he used to get early on school mornings; the kind that happened somewhere between awake and asleep. That was the most likely explanation. Kai grunted at the thought. Half-dreams were the worst. One time he'd half-dreamed about getting out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom and using the toilet. And, since he'd had to go really bad that morning, well... yeah. That was a long time ago. But more recent than he'd ever admit to his friends.
It had been a while since he'd had a half-dream this convincing. And he'd never sleepwalked before; that was new. Whatever the case, what he'd heard was really creepy. And he sure wasn't about to forget about it and just... fall asleep.
"Hey Kai."
Kai grunted. "What?"
Adam shifted in his pod and breathed a sigh. "I'm sorry for... acting the way I did tonight," he confessed. "I don't know what came over me."
"You're good," Kai mumbled through the pillow. He just wanted to sleep at this point, apology or none.
"Good."
The room was silent for another thirty seconds. Then Adam spoke again, much to Kai's annoyance.
"Think we can trust them?"
"How should I know?" Kai growled.
"Just humor me."
Kai rolled onto his side, glaring through the darkness to where he thought Adam's face was. "I don't know, OK?" He sighed. "I mean, they seemed to be telling the truth. But I fell for it last time. Don't know why you're asking me."
"I don't trust them," Adam rumbled. "When you fix their thing tomorrow, get back as soon as possible. Get the job done and get out of their way."
Kai snorted. "What, no interrogation?" Adam took the tongue-in-cheek comment seriously.
"If they stick to their own floor and their own business after this, I'll be happy to forget they're even here. No interrogation. Get in, get out. Got it?"
Kai sighed, shut his eyes and collapsed back onto his stomach. "Got it."
Day 32
After a drowsy wake-up and a quick breakfast, Kai made his way down to floor 50 once again, this time struggling beneath a big box of tools. He had to pause every twenty feet or so just to keep his muscles from failing. By the time he reached the kitchen, he felt his arms beginning to burn beneath the weight.
Vanessa was waiting for him by the door. She jogged over and lifted the unsupported half of the box, her eyes wide. "Easy... wow. Did you carry this box all this way? By yourself?" she asked.
"No duh," said Kai. "Do you see anyone else?" They walked the box into the kitchen, where Reeve and Skeet waited. Reeve glanced upward long enough to give Kai the coldest glance possible, while Skeet continued to stare at the floor, hands in his pockets.
"Well, no," said Vanessa. "But I figured you might have had some help on the way. No offense but you don't exactly look like a heavyweight champ." They dropped the box onto the floor beside the food generator's maintenance entrance. Vanessa brushed her hands together. "I'm impressed."
"Don't bother buttering me up," Kai growled, his tone cold. "We aren't friends."
Vanessa raised her hands in mock surrender. "Fine. Whatever. Continue to treat me like I'm the enemy."
"I didn't say you were the enemy," said Kai. "I just said we aren't friends." He narrowed his eyes.
"Ditto," Reeve clipped.
"OK." Vanessa huffed, folding her arms. "Look, Kai... I'm sorry about what happened in the Hollow. But I'm hoping we can move past that and start again." She smiled sweetly. "What do you say?"
The image of her laughing, unrepentant eyes--- that wicked kiss she blew as she dropped him to his icy fate below, knowing full well he didn't know how to fly--- fastened itself into the forefront of Kai's mind with razor-sharp claws. She hadn't even cared that she could have been sending him to his death. He could see it in her eyes now: The lack of remorse. She wasn't sorry then and she wasn't sorry now.
Kai scowled. "I don't wanna hear it," he stated. "Just let me fix your machine. Then I'll be out of your way. I've got other stuff to work on today and I really don't feel like dealing with you right now." He braced himself, prepared for a fight.
Vanessa sighed. "Fine. You win."
Kai blinked. That was underwhelming. He'd expected more from this encounter, somehow.
"All right, here's the deal." Vanessa turned to her companions. "Reeve, you and I will take a look around this floor for anything else we might need. Skeet, you stay here and watch Kai."
Skeet nearly exploded. "What?" His brow screamed frustration. "I can't watch Kai!"
"But you will," Vanessa ordered.
Skeet's voice changed into a furious whisper-hiss. "Vanessa, you know I can't---!"
Vanessa whispered something into his ear that Kai couldn't make out. But whatever she said, it seemed to get Skeet to cooperate. He sighed and pulled himself a seat, then sat down and stared ahead. Kai found Skeet's blank stare to be somewhat offputting, but he supposed he'd have to put up with it for now. After all, Adam had told him to make as little fuss as possible. Get it done, get out of their way.
So of course, as soon as he'd settled in the maintenance room behind the generator wall, Kai tried to make conversation. After all, he'd sorted out his major bones with Skeet; he had very little to hold over the guy's head at this point aside from some complicit namecalling. Skeet was the closest thing Kai had to a friend outside of his inner circle--- and a friend among the others could prove beneficial.
"So... weird place, huh?" Kai chuckled nervously.
"Huh? Oh yeah. Real weird."
"We're used to it now," said Kai. "Sleeping in those pods... eating synthetic food... curfew." He waited for a response, but got none. He knelt down and opened up a service panel behind the machine. "So, I was wondering. Before you guys woke up here... what were you doing?"
Kai heard Skeet shift in his chair. "Hangin' out."
"Hanging out doing... what?"
"There some reason you need to know?" Skeet's tone was terse.
Kai groaned. "I'm just trying to make conversation, dude."
"You're here to fix the food machines," grunted Skeet. "So just do it. I don't feel like talkin'."
Jerk, Kai thought. He rolled his eyes. "Jeez. So sorry I'm trying to get past our differences and actually try to be your friend. This would be a lot easier if you'd just go along with it."
"I said I don't feel like talkin'," Skeet emphasized. His tone stayed level despite Kai's increasing impatience--- and that only made Kai more aggravated.
And whenever Kai would peek up to see what his guard was doing (Skeet was basically a guard, wasn't he?), he found the older teen still sat there, in the same place. Twiddling his thumbs, always staring straight ahead. Still saying nothing. Even when Kai scowled at him eye-to-eye through one of the compartments. It was like Kai didn't even exist--- and Kai hated to be ignored. He opened his mouth to say something angry to his unfortunate companion, but Skeet spoke before he could voice a single syllable.
"OK, fine. Truth is, I don't know what happened, dude."
Kai shut his mouth.
"Reeve texted me about somethin' Vanessa wanted. I snuck out to her place and we were all in her room, talking about some kinda escape key and glitches she'd seen. Just like what you and Adam told me before you all vanished. Next thing I knew we were all wakin' up in those pods, and I couldn't---" He broke off mid-sentence. He turned around, a terrified look on his face. "She's not behind me, is she?" he whispered.
Kai peeked outside. "Nope. She left, remember?"
"Just checking." Skeet shifted. "Cause... she didn't want you guys to know."
"What? Know what?" Kai asked.
"You can tell, right?" Skeet scoffed. "I'm blind."
Kai coughed. "Oh! That! Of course I noticed, haha! I mean, I'm not stupid." He hadn't noticed. He'd just thought Skeet was being weird this whole time. Now he felt even more like an idiot that he usually did.
"Vanessa and Reeve actually agreed for once and decided not to tell you. I was so impressed I just decided to roll with it, so... that's that, I guess." He shrugged. "But Vanessa's been actin' like I'm useless now. I know she only left me here with you 'cause she wanted to explore without me holdin' everyone back."
"I feel that," Kai said. Sure, he was useful here and now, but back at home he'd always felt like the load. That was a burden he still carried.
A few minutes passed in silence as Kai continued to work, his mind churning. "So," he said at last. "You were in there a whole 'nother month, huh?"
"Yeah."
Kai's heart was suspended in his throat. He swallowed. "Do you know... I mean, if we were gone for so long, I was just wondering... how was my mom holding up?"
Skeet scoffed. "How should I know?"
"Uh, news articles? TV news? Hearsay?"
"Who watches TV news anymore, dude?" Skeet half-laughed.
"Ma did," Kai muttered. A pang of sadness seized his heart. He picked up a vat of foodstuff and twisted off the lid. "I can't imagine she's taking it too well."
"Well it's over now," said Skeet. "We were the only ones keeping that simulation running. Your mom, my dad... none of them exist anymore."
"They exist somewhere... I hope. Don't be such a downer," said Kai. He shoved the vat into an empty slot and poured the contents into the larger tank. "Anyway, your food generator? It's just what I thought. You just needed a quick refill and a little power." He fisted the on-switch and the thing rumbled to life. He brushed his hands together. "Now, for the specific foods you want. Any ideas?"
"Whatever you guys have, I guess," said Skeet. "None of us are gonna be too picky."
"Great." Kai opened the control panel on the first food slot. "See, Skeet? You're not such a bad conversationist." He punched in the apple code and set it to generate. "So. What about your family?"
"My dad? He's happier without me," grunted Skeet. "He's probably the reason I'm here."
"You don't know that," said Kai.
"You don't know my dad," said Skeet. He snorted. "Skateboarding is bad. My skull shirts are bad. My friends are bad." Can't say I disagree there, Kai thought. "The music I like is bad, the movies I like are bad. Nothing about me is good enough for him." Skeet's tone became harder and more abrasive. "I embarrass him. And frankly, I don't care. He can't have his perfect son. That's just not me, bro."
"Well..." Kai wasn't sure how to respond. Ma was overbearing at times, but at least she cared. She let him pick his own friends and have his own interests. He couldn't imagine going home to someone who wanted to choke out every ounce of his personality and hobbies. But the sentiment sounded familiar, for some unknown reason. Kai shook the feeling away. "Maybe now that you're gone, he'll miss you."
Skeet shrugged. "I guess. But I doubt it."
Kai frowned.
Skeet barked a laugh. "Y'know, Kai? You're not half bad either."
Adam and Mira had taken care of their daily duties during the morning while Kai worked to fix the other team's food generator. Now they had returned to the ever-tedious task of attempting to get the lights working on the lower levels. They had taken to working on half a floor a day after the initial two. And, as the damage to each floor increased, the work became significantly harder. Some sections of power, no matter how hard they tried to get them online, simply refused to function.
Floor 42 was an absolute wreck. Adam wasn't quite ready to wear a face mask, but there was a lot of fine debris still floating through the stale, metallic air. The entire level was shaken from its foundations, though it felt solid enough beneath his feet. That was more than he could say for floor 43, which was squeaky and creaky in multiple places. At least, Adam mused as he eyed an exposed cluster of uncomfortably close wires dangling from above--- at least floor 43 had very few holes in the ceiling. This level was a ceiling-hole nightmare.
Mira no longer seemed freaked out by the ever-increasing creepiness. For all Adam knew, she could be hiding it--- but maybe that was just his ever-present concern and paranoia talking. Mira had him worried for a while. She still worried him, even though she seemed all right... for now. He often awoke to hear her shifting around in her sleep. Adam knew he should probably stop worrying about her now. After all, he had other people to worry about now--- for a very different reason.
Kai's report to Adam had been part reassuring, part suspicious. A friendly relationship with Skeet could prove beneficial, even if he was blind. An ear was as good as an eye, after all. Reeve sounded as unlikeable as ever. And Vanessa? She sounded as untrustworthy as ever. Clearly she didn't trust them, because she'd kept her teammate's handicap a secret. Talk about a wrong move.
We can't trust them, a voice from the corner of his mind whispered. We can't trust them. We can only trust each other.
"So, what do you think?"
Mira's voice interrupted Adam's thoughts. "About what?" he asked glumly, slamming the panel shut.
Mira shrugged. "What's the one new thing we've had to think about recently? I'll give you one guess."
Adam sighed. "I don't like it."
"Yeah, me neither." Mira shook her head. "It's weird."
"So long as they stay out of our way, I'll be fine." He headed further down the hall, Mira close beside him. "I'd rather not think about it." But his brain had other plans.
"As if things weren't crazy enough," said Mira. "Now the exact same people we played against on the Hollow are the only other people here? What were the chances?"
"Slim," answered Adam. "Very slim."
"There has to be a reason for it."
Adam grew a grim half smile. "My thoughts exactly." Hold on... did he hear voices up ahead?
Mira barked a chuckle. "You know, I never thought I'd be right with you in one of your conspiracy---"
"Wait... shh!" Sure enough, Adam could hear the other team bickering amongst themselves from a distance. This wasn't their floor... what were they doing down this low? He moved in a little closer to eavesdrop.
"Ugh! Get over yourself, Reeve!" Vanessa groaned. "Skeet can't do it. He's blind. You're going to have to step up and help."
"It's not like I can use my telekinesis on it," Reeve argued gruffly. "And if you hadn't noticed, he has twice the muscles I do."
Adam peeked around the corner to see what "it" was. He gathered they were trying to move something heavy--- but what, and why?
Vanessa and Reeve stood in front of a collapsed bulkhead surrounded by a pile of rubble which blocked the rest of the way. Vanessa was holding a flashlight and frowning stormily at her lanky companion, who frowned right back with equal obstinance.
"I can help if someone tells me where to move it," Skeet said. He was leaning against the bulkhead not far from where Vanessa and Reeve stood. "I'm not completely useless, guys. I've still got four of my five senses."
Adam motioned for Mira to come beside him. She scurried up behind him and waited.
"Well, we've got to get through there somehow," said Vanessa. "There might be something down that hall that'll tell us how to get out of this place. Or there could be some kind of escape pod."
"What makes you think so?" asked Reeve. "This level's probably just like all the others. Nothing but halls and doors."
"We won't know until we get past this blockade," Vanessa emphasized.
"Let's offer to help," Mira whispered into Adam's ear.
"Why would we want to do that?" Adam hissed back. "We helped them with their food problem. That was all I agreed to do to help."
"Well, if Vanessa's right about there being a way out past that rubble, it might be worth helping them again," Mira reasoned. "Besides... you can keep an eye on them."
Adam considered his friend's proposal. As much as he hated to admit it, helping the others did seem like the best course of action right now. He feared that if Vanessa and her team managed to get through those collapsed bulkheads, they may take any aid they found and keep it to themselves. That was something Adam couldn't let happen. "All right. But you go first."
Mira went, and Adam followed. Two of three heads turned to watch them as they approached. Reeve frowned, while Vanessa watched them with interest. Mira flashed a smile. "Hey!" she greeted them. "The guys were telling me we weren't alone."
"I was surprised too... at first," said Vanessa with a flip of her hair. "You're Mira, right?"
"Yep." Mira nodded toward the rubble pile. "We were working around the corner and couldn't help but overhear. Looks like you guys could use some help."
"Not from you," snorted Reeve.
"Reevie." Vanessa's tone was stern despite the cutesy nickname. He harumphed and folded his arms, but made no further objections. Vanessa plastered a smile across her face. "We'd love some help. What were you guys working on?"
"Getting the lights back on down here," said Adam, trying very hard to sound friendly. "Unless you guys just like working in the dark."
Skeet snickered a dry laugh.
Vanessa ignored her blind companion. "We've got a flashlight," she said. She clicked the light off, then back on.
"So do we," said Adam. He forced a faint smile. "But, uh... you know what they say about more hands."
Skeet snickered again. Adam frowned. Was everything he said in that fake, awkward tone amusing or something?
Vanessa smiled. "I get it. Well, in that case, one of you can help us move stuff, and the other can go get the lights working." She stared straight at Adam and thumbed toward the pile. "You, with us."
Adam's eyebrows rose. He was surprised, at first, that she hadn't chosen Mira, but then, there was the crow thing Mira had pulled on Vanessa during the game. There could have been bad blood between them, despite all Vanessa's virtuous talk of leaving that stuff behind.
Vanessa was a hypocrite. Now there was something that didn't shock Adam whatsoever. It didn't make him trust these guys any more than before, either, and that trust was already shakier than thin ice.
No man could get over a dirty strike to the back so quickly.
"So," Vanessa began as Adam and Reeve got to work. "What was your name again?"
"Adam." He tossed aside a large slab of plaster.
"Just checking."
Her tone was sweet. Adam brushed her off and continued to work.
"I'm assuming you guys probably know more about what's going on than we do," said Vanessa. She sounded... different this time. More natural. "Any idea why it's such a wreck down here?"
"None," Adam answered. He kicked a piece of piping aside. "Kai's working on getting some answers, but it's a long process."
"Hey." Reeve snapped his fingers for Adam's attention. He pointed out a large fixture--- one of the collapsed supporting structures. "Help me move this." Adam could tell he hated having Adam's help--- begrudgement simmered behind his slate-black eyes. But despite his stubbornness, even he had realized the need to adapt to this new situation. Adam joined Reeve in wrapping arms around either visible end of the structure. Then both boys pulled. Slowly but surely, the fixture began to move.
"It looks like a bomb went off down here," Vanessa remarked. "And I'm sure you've already asked yourselves this, but... why are we, of all people, the only ones in this godforsaken place?"
"More than you know," sighed Adam. He and Reeve heaved a final pull and hauled the structure from its place. The ceiling material, severed wires, and broken pipes collapsed into a dusty heap in its wake. All four teens backed away, coughing.
"Are we through?" rasped Skeet.
Vanessa shined the flashlight through the brownish fog, taking quick breaths. Adam squinted through the haze. While a pile of debris and a second structure still remained, a useable gateway had appeared. Vanessa sighed in relief. "We're through." She touched Adam's arm. The cold fingers nearly caused Adam to recoil. "Thanks for your help. You can go back to what you were doing now."
Vanessa and her friends each passed through the debris gate and moved onward, off to explore more of the broken complex. Adam idly rubbed the place where her freezing fingers had touched his arm. Left standing by himself, uncomfortable and not quite sure what to do next, he turned and headed back to find Mira, a hundred unruly thoughts now buzzing through his head.
Adam had been sleeping well recently. He really had. He'd almost gotten used to the confining space his pod offered. He'd gotten used to falling asleep and staying asleep until it was time to get up and get busy.
But not tonight. Tonight, he lay face-up in bed, his eyes stretched wide open. And he had no intention of closing them until he'd developed some sort of game plan.
Things had been easier when he'd had one objective: Be the fastest runner in track. Finish homework before the end of the day. Bring the Ishibo back to the tree. Try to find a way out of Space Purgatory. All right, so he was still working on that last goal. But now it seemed he needed to add another priority to his list: He had to make sure those other kids weren't up to no good.
He couldn't stop thinking about them. How could this be any sort of coincidence? How could it be that out of all those people he had known, the only other people they'd come across in all this time were those three? The same three characters they'd fought in the Hollow? It was suspicious, and Adam couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to watch them like a hawk.
Especially Vanessa. She seemed to know what she was doing, and her ferocious drive was likely the only reason either of the other two stayed with her.
For all he knew they could be wreaking havoc right now. They could be down in the lowest levels, breaking past barriers and on their way to freedom. Doubtful, knew the logical side of his brain. Those three were almost incapable of working together without a competition to beat. Not to mention Skeet's handicap had slowed them all down. But the paranoid side of his brain was in full gear tonight. He didn't trust them to bring Adam and his team any new information they'd gather. And if they found a single escape pod, he was sure they'd steal it and leave him and his friends stranded.
Adam couldn't let that happen. He swore he wouldn't. He swore that he would get Mira and Kai out of here. He swore that nothing--- and no one--- would get in the way of that.
Resigned to his resolve, Adam finally allowed himself to close his eyes. There was no more time to waste lying awake. He had a long day ahead of him.
Vanessa was waiting for him by the door. She jogged over and lifted the unsupported half of the box, her eyes wide. "Easy... wow. Did you carry this box all this way? By yourself?" she asked.
"No duh," said Kai. "Do you see anyone else?" They walked the box into the kitchen, where Reeve and Skeet waited. Reeve glanced upward long enough to give Kai the coldest glance possible, while Skeet continued to stare at the floor, hands in his pockets.
"Well, no," said Vanessa. "But I figured you might have had some help on the way. No offense but you don't exactly look like a heavyweight champ." They dropped the box onto the floor beside the food generator's maintenance entrance. Vanessa brushed her hands together. "I'm impressed."
"Don't bother buttering me up," Kai growled, his tone cold. "We aren't friends."
Vanessa raised her hands in mock surrender. "Fine. Whatever. Continue to treat me like I'm the enemy."
"I didn't say you were the enemy," said Kai. "I just said we aren't friends." He narrowed his eyes.
"Ditto," Reeve clipped.
"OK." Vanessa huffed, folding her arms. "Look, Kai... I'm sorry about what happened in the Hollow. But I'm hoping we can move past that and start again." She smiled sweetly. "What do you say?"
The image of her laughing, unrepentant eyes--- that wicked kiss she blew as she dropped him to his icy fate below, knowing full well he didn't know how to fly--- fastened itself into the forefront of Kai's mind with razor-sharp claws. She hadn't even cared that she could have been sending him to his death. He could see it in her eyes now: The lack of remorse. She wasn't sorry then and she wasn't sorry now.
Kai scowled. "I don't wanna hear it," he stated. "Just let me fix your machine. Then I'll be out of your way. I've got other stuff to work on today and I really don't feel like dealing with you right now." He braced himself, prepared for a fight.
Vanessa sighed. "Fine. You win."
Kai blinked. That was underwhelming. He'd expected more from this encounter, somehow.
"All right, here's the deal." Vanessa turned to her companions. "Reeve, you and I will take a look around this floor for anything else we might need. Skeet, you stay here and watch Kai."
Skeet nearly exploded. "What?" His brow screamed frustration. "I can't watch Kai!"
"But you will," Vanessa ordered.
Skeet's voice changed into a furious whisper-hiss. "Vanessa, you know I can't---!"
Vanessa whispered something into his ear that Kai couldn't make out. But whatever she said, it seemed to get Skeet to cooperate. He sighed and pulled himself a seat, then sat down and stared ahead. Kai found Skeet's blank stare to be somewhat offputting, but he supposed he'd have to put up with it for now. After all, Adam had told him to make as little fuss as possible. Get it done, get out of their way.
So of course, as soon as he'd settled in the maintenance room behind the generator wall, Kai tried to make conversation. After all, he'd sorted out his major bones with Skeet; he had very little to hold over the guy's head at this point aside from some complicit namecalling. Skeet was the closest thing Kai had to a friend outside of his inner circle--- and a friend among the others could prove beneficial.
"So... weird place, huh?" Kai chuckled nervously.
"Huh? Oh yeah. Real weird."
"We're used to it now," said Kai. "Sleeping in those pods... eating synthetic food... curfew." He waited for a response, but got none. He knelt down and opened up a service panel behind the machine. "So, I was wondering. Before you guys woke up here... what were you doing?"
Kai heard Skeet shift in his chair. "Hangin' out."
"Hanging out doing... what?"
"There some reason you need to know?" Skeet's tone was terse.
Kai groaned. "I'm just trying to make conversation, dude."
"You're here to fix the food machines," grunted Skeet. "So just do it. I don't feel like talkin'."
Jerk, Kai thought. He rolled his eyes. "Jeez. So sorry I'm trying to get past our differences and actually try to be your friend. This would be a lot easier if you'd just go along with it."
"I said I don't feel like talkin'," Skeet emphasized. His tone stayed level despite Kai's increasing impatience--- and that only made Kai more aggravated.
And whenever Kai would peek up to see what his guard was doing (Skeet was basically a guard, wasn't he?), he found the older teen still sat there, in the same place. Twiddling his thumbs, always staring straight ahead. Still saying nothing. Even when Kai scowled at him eye-to-eye through one of the compartments. It was like Kai didn't even exist--- and Kai hated to be ignored. He opened his mouth to say something angry to his unfortunate companion, but Skeet spoke before he could voice a single syllable.
"OK, fine. Truth is, I don't know what happened, dude."
Kai shut his mouth.
"Reeve texted me about somethin' Vanessa wanted. I snuck out to her place and we were all in her room, talking about some kinda escape key and glitches she'd seen. Just like what you and Adam told me before you all vanished. Next thing I knew we were all wakin' up in those pods, and I couldn't---" He broke off mid-sentence. He turned around, a terrified look on his face. "She's not behind me, is she?" he whispered.
Kai peeked outside. "Nope. She left, remember?"
"Just checking." Skeet shifted. "Cause... she didn't want you guys to know."
"What? Know what?" Kai asked.
"You can tell, right?" Skeet scoffed. "I'm blind."
Kai coughed. "Oh! That! Of course I noticed, haha! I mean, I'm not stupid." He hadn't noticed. He'd just thought Skeet was being weird this whole time. Now he felt even more like an idiot that he usually did.
"Vanessa and Reeve actually agreed for once and decided not to tell you. I was so impressed I just decided to roll with it, so... that's that, I guess." He shrugged. "But Vanessa's been actin' like I'm useless now. I know she only left me here with you 'cause she wanted to explore without me holdin' everyone back."
"I feel that," Kai said. Sure, he was useful here and now, but back at home he'd always felt like the load. That was a burden he still carried.
A few minutes passed in silence as Kai continued to work, his mind churning. "So," he said at last. "You were in there a whole 'nother month, huh?"
"Yeah."
Kai's heart was suspended in his throat. He swallowed. "Do you know... I mean, if we were gone for so long, I was just wondering... how was my mom holding up?"
Skeet scoffed. "How should I know?"
"Uh, news articles? TV news? Hearsay?"
"Who watches TV news anymore, dude?" Skeet half-laughed.
"Ma did," Kai muttered. A pang of sadness seized his heart. He picked up a vat of foodstuff and twisted off the lid. "I can't imagine she's taking it too well."
"Well it's over now," said Skeet. "We were the only ones keeping that simulation running. Your mom, my dad... none of them exist anymore."
"They exist somewhere... I hope. Don't be such a downer," said Kai. He shoved the vat into an empty slot and poured the contents into the larger tank. "Anyway, your food generator? It's just what I thought. You just needed a quick refill and a little power." He fisted the on-switch and the thing rumbled to life. He brushed his hands together. "Now, for the specific foods you want. Any ideas?"
"Whatever you guys have, I guess," said Skeet. "None of us are gonna be too picky."
"Great." Kai opened the control panel on the first food slot. "See, Skeet? You're not such a bad conversationist." He punched in the apple code and set it to generate. "So. What about your family?"
"My dad? He's happier without me," grunted Skeet. "He's probably the reason I'm here."
"You don't know that," said Kai.
"You don't know my dad," said Skeet. He snorted. "Skateboarding is bad. My skull shirts are bad. My friends are bad." Can't say I disagree there, Kai thought. "The music I like is bad, the movies I like are bad. Nothing about me is good enough for him." Skeet's tone became harder and more abrasive. "I embarrass him. And frankly, I don't care. He can't have his perfect son. That's just not me, bro."
"Well..." Kai wasn't sure how to respond. Ma was overbearing at times, but at least she cared. She let him pick his own friends and have his own interests. He couldn't imagine going home to someone who wanted to choke out every ounce of his personality and hobbies. But the sentiment sounded familiar, for some unknown reason. Kai shook the feeling away. "Maybe now that you're gone, he'll miss you."
Skeet shrugged. "I guess. But I doubt it."
Kai frowned.
Skeet barked a laugh. "Y'know, Kai? You're not half bad either."
Adam and Mira had taken care of their daily duties during the morning while Kai worked to fix the other team's food generator. Now they had returned to the ever-tedious task of attempting to get the lights working on the lower levels. They had taken to working on half a floor a day after the initial two. And, as the damage to each floor increased, the work became significantly harder. Some sections of power, no matter how hard they tried to get them online, simply refused to function.
Floor 42 was an absolute wreck. Adam wasn't quite ready to wear a face mask, but there was a lot of fine debris still floating through the stale, metallic air. The entire level was shaken from its foundations, though it felt solid enough beneath his feet. That was more than he could say for floor 43, which was squeaky and creaky in multiple places. At least, Adam mused as he eyed an exposed cluster of uncomfortably close wires dangling from above--- at least floor 43 had very few holes in the ceiling. This level was a ceiling-hole nightmare.
Mira no longer seemed freaked out by the ever-increasing creepiness. For all Adam knew, she could be hiding it--- but maybe that was just his ever-present concern and paranoia talking. Mira had him worried for a while. She still worried him, even though she seemed all right... for now. He often awoke to hear her shifting around in her sleep. Adam knew he should probably stop worrying about her now. After all, he had other people to worry about now--- for a very different reason.
Kai's report to Adam had been part reassuring, part suspicious. A friendly relationship with Skeet could prove beneficial, even if he was blind. An ear was as good as an eye, after all. Reeve sounded as unlikeable as ever. And Vanessa? She sounded as untrustworthy as ever. Clearly she didn't trust them, because she'd kept her teammate's handicap a secret. Talk about a wrong move.
We can't trust them, a voice from the corner of his mind whispered. We can't trust them. We can only trust each other.
"So, what do you think?"
Mira's voice interrupted Adam's thoughts. "About what?" he asked glumly, slamming the panel shut.
Mira shrugged. "What's the one new thing we've had to think about recently? I'll give you one guess."
Adam sighed. "I don't like it."
"Yeah, me neither." Mira shook her head. "It's weird."
"So long as they stay out of our way, I'll be fine." He headed further down the hall, Mira close beside him. "I'd rather not think about it." But his brain had other plans.
"As if things weren't crazy enough," said Mira. "Now the exact same people we played against on the Hollow are the only other people here? What were the chances?"
"Slim," answered Adam. "Very slim."
"There has to be a reason for it."
Adam grew a grim half smile. "My thoughts exactly." Hold on... did he hear voices up ahead?
Mira barked a chuckle. "You know, I never thought I'd be right with you in one of your conspiracy---"
"Wait... shh!" Sure enough, Adam could hear the other team bickering amongst themselves from a distance. This wasn't their floor... what were they doing down this low? He moved in a little closer to eavesdrop.
"Ugh! Get over yourself, Reeve!" Vanessa groaned. "Skeet can't do it. He's blind. You're going to have to step up and help."
"It's not like I can use my telekinesis on it," Reeve argued gruffly. "And if you hadn't noticed, he has twice the muscles I do."
Adam peeked around the corner to see what "it" was. He gathered they were trying to move something heavy--- but what, and why?
Vanessa and Reeve stood in front of a collapsed bulkhead surrounded by a pile of rubble which blocked the rest of the way. Vanessa was holding a flashlight and frowning stormily at her lanky companion, who frowned right back with equal obstinance.
"I can help if someone tells me where to move it," Skeet said. He was leaning against the bulkhead not far from where Vanessa and Reeve stood. "I'm not completely useless, guys. I've still got four of my five senses."
Adam motioned for Mira to come beside him. She scurried up behind him and waited.
"Well, we've got to get through there somehow," said Vanessa. "There might be something down that hall that'll tell us how to get out of this place. Or there could be some kind of escape pod."
"What makes you think so?" asked Reeve. "This level's probably just like all the others. Nothing but halls and doors."
"We won't know until we get past this blockade," Vanessa emphasized.
"Let's offer to help," Mira whispered into Adam's ear.
"Why would we want to do that?" Adam hissed back. "We helped them with their food problem. That was all I agreed to do to help."
"Well, if Vanessa's right about there being a way out past that rubble, it might be worth helping them again," Mira reasoned. "Besides... you can keep an eye on them."
Adam considered his friend's proposal. As much as he hated to admit it, helping the others did seem like the best course of action right now. He feared that if Vanessa and her team managed to get through those collapsed bulkheads, they may take any aid they found and keep it to themselves. That was something Adam couldn't let happen. "All right. But you go first."
Mira went, and Adam followed. Two of three heads turned to watch them as they approached. Reeve frowned, while Vanessa watched them with interest. Mira flashed a smile. "Hey!" she greeted them. "The guys were telling me we weren't alone."
"I was surprised too... at first," said Vanessa with a flip of her hair. "You're Mira, right?"
"Yep." Mira nodded toward the rubble pile. "We were working around the corner and couldn't help but overhear. Looks like you guys could use some help."
"Not from you," snorted Reeve.
"Reevie." Vanessa's tone was stern despite the cutesy nickname. He harumphed and folded his arms, but made no further objections. Vanessa plastered a smile across her face. "We'd love some help. What were you guys working on?"
"Getting the lights back on down here," said Adam, trying very hard to sound friendly. "Unless you guys just like working in the dark."
Skeet snickered a dry laugh.
Vanessa ignored her blind companion. "We've got a flashlight," she said. She clicked the light off, then back on.
"So do we," said Adam. He forced a faint smile. "But, uh... you know what they say about more hands."
Skeet snickered again. Adam frowned. Was everything he said in that fake, awkward tone amusing or something?
Vanessa smiled. "I get it. Well, in that case, one of you can help us move stuff, and the other can go get the lights working." She stared straight at Adam and thumbed toward the pile. "You, with us."
Adam's eyebrows rose. He was surprised, at first, that she hadn't chosen Mira, but then, there was the crow thing Mira had pulled on Vanessa during the game. There could have been bad blood between them, despite all Vanessa's virtuous talk of leaving that stuff behind.
Vanessa was a hypocrite. Now there was something that didn't shock Adam whatsoever. It didn't make him trust these guys any more than before, either, and that trust was already shakier than thin ice.
No man could get over a dirty strike to the back so quickly.
"So," Vanessa began as Adam and Reeve got to work. "What was your name again?"
"Adam." He tossed aside a large slab of plaster.
"Just checking."
Her tone was sweet. Adam brushed her off and continued to work.
"I'm assuming you guys probably know more about what's going on than we do," said Vanessa. She sounded... different this time. More natural. "Any idea why it's such a wreck down here?"
"None," Adam answered. He kicked a piece of piping aside. "Kai's working on getting some answers, but it's a long process."
"Hey." Reeve snapped his fingers for Adam's attention. He pointed out a large fixture--- one of the collapsed supporting structures. "Help me move this." Adam could tell he hated having Adam's help--- begrudgement simmered behind his slate-black eyes. But despite his stubbornness, even he had realized the need to adapt to this new situation. Adam joined Reeve in wrapping arms around either visible end of the structure. Then both boys pulled. Slowly but surely, the fixture began to move.
"It looks like a bomb went off down here," Vanessa remarked. "And I'm sure you've already asked yourselves this, but... why are we, of all people, the only ones in this godforsaken place?"
"More than you know," sighed Adam. He and Reeve heaved a final pull and hauled the structure from its place. The ceiling material, severed wires, and broken pipes collapsed into a dusty heap in its wake. All four teens backed away, coughing.
"Are we through?" rasped Skeet.
Vanessa shined the flashlight through the brownish fog, taking quick breaths. Adam squinted through the haze. While a pile of debris and a second structure still remained, a useable gateway had appeared. Vanessa sighed in relief. "We're through." She touched Adam's arm. The cold fingers nearly caused Adam to recoil. "Thanks for your help. You can go back to what you were doing now."
Vanessa and her friends each passed through the debris gate and moved onward, off to explore more of the broken complex. Adam idly rubbed the place where her freezing fingers had touched his arm. Left standing by himself, uncomfortable and not quite sure what to do next, he turned and headed back to find Mira, a hundred unruly thoughts now buzzing through his head.
Adam had been sleeping well recently. He really had. He'd almost gotten used to the confining space his pod offered. He'd gotten used to falling asleep and staying asleep until it was time to get up and get busy.
But not tonight. Tonight, he lay face-up in bed, his eyes stretched wide open. And he had no intention of closing them until he'd developed some sort of game plan.
Things had been easier when he'd had one objective: Be the fastest runner in track. Finish homework before the end of the day. Bring the Ishibo back to the tree. Try to find a way out of Space Purgatory. All right, so he was still working on that last goal. But now it seemed he needed to add another priority to his list: He had to make sure those other kids weren't up to no good.
He couldn't stop thinking about them. How could this be any sort of coincidence? How could it be that out of all those people he had known, the only other people they'd come across in all this time were those three? The same three characters they'd fought in the Hollow? It was suspicious, and Adam couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to watch them like a hawk.
Especially Vanessa. She seemed to know what she was doing, and her ferocious drive was likely the only reason either of the other two stayed with her.
For all he knew they could be wreaking havoc right now. They could be down in the lowest levels, breaking past barriers and on their way to freedom. Doubtful, knew the logical side of his brain. Those three were almost incapable of working together without a competition to beat. Not to mention Skeet's handicap had slowed them all down. But the paranoid side of his brain was in full gear tonight. He didn't trust them to bring Adam and his team any new information they'd gather. And if they found a single escape pod, he was sure they'd steal it and leave him and his friends stranded.
Adam couldn't let that happen. He swore he wouldn't. He swore that he would get Mira and Kai out of here. He swore that nothing--- and no one--- would get in the way of that.
Resigned to his resolve, Adam finally allowed himself to close his eyes. There was no more time to waste lying awake. He had a long day ahead of him.