“Zenn’s dad?” Vi asked, her voice pitching up an octave. “Is he still here?”
“He’s dead,” I whispered.
She jerked her head toward me. Dead?
“I’ll tell you the story later.”
Does Zenn know? she asked.
I shrugged, but not in a callous way. More like I don’t know, but I doubt it, and I don’t want to be the one to tell him. In fact I wasn’t sure what I’d do if/when I ever saw Zenn again. Punching him seemed like a good idea though. Then apologizing, and then telling him about his dad.
Vi didn’t remark about me wanting to hit her ex-boyfriend, so I knew she was seriously disturbed that Zenn’s dad had died here. We landed, my team standing in the middle of the empty street, unsure where to go.
“This way,” I said, striding toward a building where I could feel the slightest hint of emotion. “Gunner?”
He joined me, casting his eyes around, up, and down. “What is that?” he asked.
“Someone is unsettled,” I said. “But not afraid. Not uncomfortable. Worried?”
He shook his head. “Worry feels almost right. But it’s a warm kind of worrying.”
“Yeah,” I said absently. I’d felt this emotion before. From a very good friend. My heart skipped with hope. “Vi? There’s a man inside. Is his name Irvine?”
We’d reached the door. The panel on the top flashed with red lights—locked.
“He’s keeping all personal information buried,” she said.
I thought about Indy and what she’d do if she were here. She’d pound that door to the ground, yelling for her brother to cracking open up already. She’d look at me wildly, her pulse bouncing in her throat. She’d say my name in the most desperate way. I wanted the person in the building to be Irvine so bad. If not for myself, for Indy and her parents.
I looked up at the twenty-story building, imagining Irvine standing at the window looking down on us. “Irvine!” I yelled. “It’s Jag Barque!”
Behind me, Thane hissed his displeasure at my announcement. I ignored him as adrenaline coursed through my body. Before I was caught in the Goodgrounds, Irv had been assigned to come south and infiltrate the government. He could’ve done exactly that. He could’ve taken over after Jeffries was promoted.
A nasty thought struck me. Maybe he’s not on our side anymore.
“No Thinkers here,” Vi murmured. “He has talent?”
“Yeah,” I said. “He’s a—”
“Technopath,” Vi finished. “I can feel that now.”
“Vi, can you get us in there? Gunn?” Desperation overrode every other impulse.
Whether Vi did it, or Gunn did, or Irvine did, the door switched to unlocked. Green lights decorated the top panel. I charged inside.
The lobby of the building streamed with tech. P-screens adorned every wall. Gadgets blinked in each corner; seeker-spiders scuttled into hidden places.
Before I could smile—this place screamed Irvine!—a man materialized in front of us, solidifying into a tall, hulking shape with dark skin.
Irvine Blightingdale.
I exhaled for what felt like the first time since watching him disappear into the crowd in the Goodgrounds market. Irvine stepped forward and gathered me into a hug. I couldn’t stop smiling and slapping him on the back. Near the end of the reunion, Irv said, “The time is now.”
“The time for what?” I asked. Vi immediately took my hand, claiming me as hers. Irv noted the movement and raised his eyebrows. He knew me as Jag Barque, the don’t-give-a-damn, don’t-try-to-get-close-to-me leader of the Resistance.
“Irvine, this is my girlfriend, Violet Schoenfeld. Vi, this is Irv, Indy’s brother and one of my best friends.”
As they shook hands, Irvine leaned in and whispered something to Vi that I couldn’t quite catch. She blushed.
After all the introductions, I pressed Irv again, “The time for what?”
“Freedom fell and is ready to be reborn,” he said. “We’re leaving for the capital in five days.”
“We’re coming,” I said automatically.
“I imagine you’ve been traveling. Let’s get you up to speed,” he said, turning toward his teched-out wall. “Anyone opposed to particle acceleration?”
As it turned out, we were all opposed to particle acceleration. Vi leaned against the wall, her eyes closed, moaning. My stomach lurched, upset it had been taken apart and put back together in under two seconds.
Irvine shook his head to reorient himself, then strode down the hallway and into a sunlit room. Gunn recovered faster than me but stayed with Raine, whose face was the color of white-crested waves.
Thane tended to Vi, which seemed ironic, all things considering. She motioned for me to go ahead, and my curiosity won. I stumbled down the hall and into Irvine’s techno lair. Blinking, flashing, pulsing lights bounced along every surface. If the particle accelerator hadn’t given me a stroke, this room would have.
The counters, shelves, walls, and ceiling were all silver, polished and reflective. Irv sat hunkered down in the corner behind a chest-high counter. The winking gadgets shone on his bald head, and he wore dark sunglasses as he worked with white-hot techtricity.
With his bare hands.
“Is it safe to come in?” I asked from the doorway.
“Definitely,” he said.
“Catch me up.” I moved past row upon row of Irv’s inventions. “What is all this stuff?”
“Weaponry. You think General Darke is going to go down without a fight?”
I slumped into the chair across from Irv. “Isaacs said the city is decimated. His tech emptied Rise One. Three other Rises crumbled to the ground.”
Irv didn’t look up from his work. “That leaves at least fifteen left to remove. And their Thinkers. And then the General.” He spared me a glance. “Trust me, you’re going to need weapons.”
“Trek—”
“Doesn’t have a fraction of what he needs to do this,” Irv interrupted. He brandished one of his tech tools at me. “And your voice will do a lot, but not enough. You need me, Jag.”
“I know that,” I said quietly. “I’ve always needed you.” What I couldn’t say was still heard. Irv nodded slightly, acknowledging my nonverbal apology. I shouldn’t have taken him with me on the mission into the Goodgrounds, not when he was scheduled to infiltrate the Association.
I cleared my throat. “So, you been down here all this time, or what?”
“About seven or eight months,” he said casually. “Jeffries appointed me Director after his promotion.”
I choked. “Director?”
“Tech like this doesn’t go unnoticed. Someone had to authorize the production schedule. Turns out Jeffries wanted Rancho Port to be known for something. We thought it would be the tech.” He pushed his glasses up so I could see his eyes. “Sorry about the capsule, brother-man.”
I choked. “You knew about that?”
“We got you out as fast as we could.”
“We?”
“The Insiders. Xander and I coordinated the escape, the day after I took command of the city.” He heaved a sigh and replaced his glasses. “Not everything went according to plan.”
“Xander died.”
“And you got caught,” he said. “But at least you were out of that capsule. Jeffries had been promoted, and I got Rancho Port.” He kept working on his tech, welding this or sparking that.
I wish he’d look at me again. “What’s going on here?”
“Stick around, and you’ll see for yourself.”
“I heard all your people are asleep.”
“You heard?” Irv paused in his welding.
“I’ve got a mind reader on staff.” I leaned back and chewed on my thumbnail.
“Where’s the rest of your ‘staff’?” Irvine asked.