Edison leaned forward in his chair, looking both the part of leader and listener. “I take it you want to punish her in some fashion.”
“That would be my first choice. If nothing else, we should at least send a strong message. Maybe we can get through that thick skull of hers.”
“How exactly?”
“I’d leave her out there. For one night, at least. It’s the only way she’ll learn.”
Edison didn’t hesitate with his response. “No, I’m not in favor of that approach at all.”
“Neither am I,” Liz added.
The professor continued, “We’re going to send out a search team like before and bring her in. Safely. It’s just too dangerous with the Scabs in the area.”
“She could already be hurt or in trouble,” Liz said. “We can’t just leave her to fend for herself.”
Krista folded her arms across her chest. “Which is exactly why she needs to follow the rules. They exist to help keep her safe. And us by extension.”
Liz felt the heat rise in her chest. “Well, I don’t know about that. Not after The Council decided to send out Seekers alone. In retrospect, that decision was wrong and never should have happened.”
Krista threw up her hands. “Well, it did. They really didn’t have a choice, now did they? Not after the massacre. Again, those are the rules. They exist for a reason. Everyone has a designated search grid, a quota to fill, and a time due back. How hard is that? Seriously? Otherwise, everything breaks down.”
“I get what you’re saying,” Liz said, needing to let the tension wane a bit before she continued. She knew that if she pushed too hard, Krista would only dig in more with her stance on Summer. “I think the Professor would agree with me on this, that we do understand the need for rules and discipline. They are both important like you mentioned. But in the end, we must protect our own. Seems to me the best course of action is to send out a search team to bring Summer home, like the Professor suggested. Then we deal with her. I’m sure she’ll listen if we sit down and explain it all to her. Calmly.”
Krista shook her head and glared at Liz for a few beats before she responded. “Why should I be surprised? You always side with the Professor.”
“Because he’s usually right. Don’t forget, he built this place. If it weren’t for him—”
“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah,” Krista said. “That’s all beside the point. We have rules and we need to enforce them. That’s the deal we all signed up for. Decisions must be fair and equitable. No special treatment. The rules apply to everyone. Equally. No two-tiered rules of justice. We know from history that only creates anarchy.”
“Can I ask you something, Krista?” Liz said, her tone turning soft and gentle. She’d learned during her years of medical service that a properly worded question of introspection usually helped calm an angry parent. Or a patient, depending on the situation.
Krista shrugged, looking frustrated as she sat up in an attentive posture. “Sure, fire away. Ask me anything. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
“Why do you hate Summer so much?”
Krista leaned back with eyes pinched, taking a moment before responding. “I don’t, really. I’m just sick and tired of her doing her own thing and putting everyone at risk. My job is to keep everyone safe and I can’t do that by enabling rule breakers.”
Liz touched a soft hand on Krista’s forearm. “She puts her life on the line, just like everyone else who goes out there. Remember, it’s a voluntary mission, something most of our people would never do. That has to count for something.”
“It does, but she never follows the rules. This has to end before something tragic happens.”
“Never is a strong word,” Edison said. “I’m sure you’ll agree that’s not entirely true. Summer doesn’t always break the rules. Deep down, she’s a good kid with a big heart. She’s just lost at times, like we all are. Living here isn’t exactly easy.”
“Yeah, maybe, but you get my point. We have to take steps.”
Edison’s eyes grew tight. “The first of which is sending out a search team.”
“Well, I disagree. And since security is my responsibility, I’m not putting my teams at risk. Not again. She’s lazy, undisciplined, and unfocused.”
Edison shook his head, his eyes turning lower while he hesitated. Then he brought them back up. “I guess we’re at an impasse, then.”
“Come on, you two. Work it out,” Liz said. “We all want the same thing here.”
“No,” Krista said. “I’m not budging this time. No more free passes for that little snot.”
“I’m sorry, I can’t sign off on that,” Edison said.
“Neither can I,” Liz added, wishing she didn’t have to take sides.
“Then I guess there’s no other choice,” Krista said, standing in a flash with her back straight and shoulders firm. “I demand Committee. It’s my right as Section Chief.”
Liz looked at Edison to get his reaction. As expected, he didn’t look happy about Krista’s demand for a ruling by The Council.
“Are you sure?” Edison asked, his tone obviously trying to sway Krista’s decision. “You may not like the result. There are never any guarantees during Committee. Trust me.”
“Yes, I’m sure. Once the rest of The Council hears me out, they’ll agree. The rules are the rules.”
Edison stood from behind his desk. “All right, as much as I hate wasting everyone’s time, call a meeting. Let’s get this over with. We have a missing member to attend to.”
CHAPTER 6
A deep, rattling snort startled Summer awake in her beanbag chair, yanking her from a wonderful dream involving her long-lost sister, Hope. Blaze was there, too, beaming his big brother smile. A smile she hadn’t seen since his tragic death.
When her eyes came to bear on the new candle she’d lit, she sat up in a lurch. The wick had burned down half an inch. “Damn it!”
She hopped out of the chair, sending the book in her lap flying into the pyramid of food cans. The paperback hit the middle of the bottom row, knocking the pile down like a perfect strike in bowling.
The room filled with random clanks and thuds as the cans spread out in a mess of directions. The strange thing was, the peaches all seemed to go left, while the tuna cans went right.
They must not like each other much, Summer mused, thinking of her and Krista. They lived in the same space, but that was the end of their relationship. Sometimes you just had to go your own way.
If Summer had to choose a side, she’d be the peaches because of their sweetness.
Krista would be the smelly tuna, all protein and gung ho.
Summer laughed as she grabbed the backpack, deciding to restack the food cans on her next visit. It was time to jet back to the silo. However, before she did, she needed to grab one more item on the scavenge list.
A quick blow of air took care of the flame, sending it into a tuft of rising smoke. She licked her fingers and applied a little spit to the wick, then stuffed the candle back into her pack.
She let her eyes adjust to the darkness, keeping one eye open and one closed, precisely how Krista had taught her and the other Seekers during training. Pupils adjust faster that way.
Summer grabbed the bubble wrap and went through the hidden door with her backpack in hand, closing the secret entrance behind her.
Once the latch engaged, she covered the release handle with the baseboard, then turned and headed for the far corner of the main retail area.
Her target was the tallest of the cardboard boxes. Specifically, the one sitting next to a crusty pair of pink flipflops and a smashed electric pencil sharpener, about ten feet from the board-covered windows protecting the front of the store.