“Don’t move,” he whispers. “Not an inch.”
“Why not?” I wheeze.
“Look up,” he says, “but only with your eyes. Don’t move your head. Do you see the cameras?”
“No.”
“They anticipated us,” he says. “They anticipated our moves. Look up again, but do it carefully. Those small black dots are cameras. Sensors. Infrared scanners. Thermal imagers. They’re searching for inconsistencies in the security footage.”
“Shit.”
“Yes.”
“So what do we do?”
“I’m not sure,” Warner says.
“You’re not sure?” I say, trying not to freak out. “How can you not be sure?”
“I’m thinking,” he whispers, irritated. “And I don’t hear you contributing any ideas.”
“Listen, bro, all I know is that I really, really need to p—”
I’m interrupted by the distant sound of a toilet flushing. A moment later, a door swings open. I turn my head a millimeter and realize we’re right next to the men’s bathroom.
Warner and I seize the moment, catching the door before it falls closed. Once inside the bathroom we press up against the wall, our backs to the cold tile. I’m trying hard not to think about all the pee residue touching my body, when Warner exhales.
It’s a brief, quiet sound—but he sounds relieved.
I’m guessing that means there are no scanners or cameras in this bathroom, but I can’t be sure, because Warner doesn’t say a word, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why.
We’re not sure if we’re alone in here.
I can’t see him do it, but I’m pretty sure Warner is checking the stalls right now. It’s what I’m doing, anyway. This isn’t a huge bathroom—as I’m sure it’s one of many—and it’s right by the entrance/exit of the building, so right now it doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of traffic.
When we’re both certain the room is clear, Warner says—
“We’re going to go up, through the vent. If you truly need to use the bathroom, do it now.”
“Okay, but why do you have to sound so disgusted about it? Do you really expect me to believe that you never have to use the bathroom? Are basic human needs below you?”
Warner ignores me.
I see the stall door open, and I hear his careful sounds as he climbs the metal cubicles. There’s a large vent in the ceiling just above one of the stalls, and I watch as his invisible hands make short work of the grate.
Quickly, I use the bathroom. And then I wash my hands as loudly as possible, just in case Warner feels the need to make a juvenile comment about my hygiene.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t.
Instead, he says, “Are you ready?” And I can tell by the echoing sound of his voice that he’s already halfway up the vent.
“I’m ready. Just let me know when you’re in.”
More careful movement, the metal drumming as he goes. “I’m in,” he says. “Make sure you reattach the grate after you climb up.”
“Got it.”
“On a related note, I hope you’re not claustrophobic. Though if you are . . . Good luck.”
I take a deep breath.
Let it go.
And we begin our journey into hell.
ELLA
JULIETTE
Max, Anderson, a blond woman, and a tall black man are all standing in the center of the room, staring at a dead body, and they look up only when Ibrahim approaches.
Anderson’s eyes home in on me immediately.
I feel my heart jump. I don’t know how Max got here before we did, and I don’t know if I’m about to be punished for obeying Supreme Commander Ibrahim.
My mind spirals.
“What’s she doing here?” Anderson asks, his expression wild. “I told her to stay in the r—”
“I overruled your orders,” Ibrahim says sharply, “and told her to come with me.”
“My bedroom is one of the most secure locations on this wing,” Anderson says, barely holding on to his anger. “You’ve put us all at risk by moving her.”
“We are currently under attack,” Ibrahim says. “You left her alone, completely unattended—”
“I left her with Max!”
“Max, who’s too terrified of his own creation to spend even a few minutes alone with the girl. You forget, there’s a reason he was never granted a military position.”
Anderson shoots Max a strange, confused look. Somehow, the confusion on Anderson’s face makes me feel better about my own. I have no idea what’s happening. No idea to whom I should answer. No idea what Ibrahim meant by creation.