فصل 38

Chapter 38: Out of the Frying Pan

I must have run into a hundred fish on the way up. I broke the pool’s surface gasping for air. Someone grabbed me by the back of my shirt and lifted me out of the water. I almost pulsed before I saw it was Jack. Somehow, in spite of his injuries, he had found the strength to lift me to shore.

The shrill, ear-piercing sound of alarms filled the air. Everyone was sitting on the ground in puddles, soaked and out of breath, partially shielded behind a concrete retaining wall about four feet high. When I caught my breath I said, “We made it.” “Thanks to you,” Taylor said.

“Are you okay?” I asked Nichelle.

“I’ll make it. The bleeding’s not too bad, it just stings.” “It’s the salt water,” Ostin said.

“Let me see,” Jack said. He rolled her sleeve up over her shoulder to examine the wound, then he ripped a piece of cloth from his undershirt and wrapped it around Nichelle’s shoulder as a bandage.

“Thank you,” she said. “Again.”

I looked at Ian. “Any guards?”

“Just ahead at the fences.”

“What’s this wall?”

“It’s a storm wall,” Ostin said. “It keeps water from the plant. In the last fifty years Taiwan’s been hit by more than two hundred typhoons.” We were fortunate to have something to hide behind; otherwise the Elgen would have already been shooting at us. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the compound was lit by flood lamps and was as bright as a nighttime football game. I could see the Elgen guards at the closest fence, which was less than a hundred feet from where we were. There was little movement outside other than the constant panning motion of surveillance cameras.

“There’s too many cameras out here,” I said.

“I’ll try to put some out,” Nichelle replied. She reached out and several of the closest cameras stopped moving.

As I surveyed our surroundings, everything seemed even more hopeless than it had inside the plant. I realized that getting out of the plant might have been the easy part.

“Does anyone have any ideas on how to get out of here?” I asked.

Ostin shook his head. “This place used to be a prison. It was made to keep people in.” “If we try to climb the fences they’ll shoot us,” Jack said.

“Michael’s the only one who can climb them anyway,” Taylor said. “They’re electrified.” “And don’t forget the landmines,” Ian added.

“There’s no way out of here,” Taylor said.

Suddenly the alarms stopped, which should have made things less stressful, but it didn’t. The Elgen must have turned them off for a reason. I wondered if they had found us. I looked over at Ostin. His head was down and he looked like he was lost in thought.

“What have you got, Ostin?”

Without looking up he said, “Ian, what do the landmines look like?” “I don’t know. They look like landmines.” “What shape?”

“They’re round, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

“There are different kinds,” he said, sounding annoyed.

“Are some big?”

“Define big.”

“Bigger than a car tire?”

“Yes. Some of them.”

“Are the big ones made of metal or plastic?” He looked back out. “Looks like metal.” “Can you see wires inside of them?”

Ian shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

Ostin was quiet a moment, then shook his head. “After the Korean War, the Chinese farmers used to clear fields of landmines by starting fires. I was thinking that maybe McKenna could melt the triggering devices. But it won’t work. McKenna would be too bright a target for them. They’d just shoot her.” “Not a good plan,” McKenna said.

“I could stand in front of her and deflect the bullets.” “No you couldn’t,” Ostin said. “Or you would be on the landmine.” “And we’d still have to get over the fences,” Taylor said.

Ostin bowed his head again. Then suddenly his expression changed as if he’d had an idea. “Ian, can you see any balls in the mines?” His brow furrowed. “Balls?”

“Little ones. Like ball bearings. Just look.” He looked back out. “Yes. In the big ones.” “How about the small ones?”

“No.”

“Awesome,” Ostin said. “How close are the mines to one another?” “Depends. Some are, like, three feet.” “Sympathetic detonation,” Ostin said to himself. “Is there a pattern? Like a small one next to a big one?” “The way they’re arranged looks like a flower,” Ian said. “There’s one large surrounded by one, two, three . . . six little ones around it like petals.” “How close are the flowers to one another?” “Close. Less than six feet.”

“Do you have an idea?” I asked.

Ostin was still formulating. “Are the mines near the fences?” “They’re everywhere,” Ian said.

“But how close to the fences?”

“In some places just a few feet. Some are right under the fence.” “Yes,” Ostin said. “I think they might have given us a way out.” He turned to me. “The big mines in the center of the clusters are antitank mines. They’re there to stop vehicles from just running through the fences. The smaller mines surrounding them are antipersonnel mines—they’re triggered by light pressure; if someone steps on them, they blow up. The antitank mines have a magnetic switch. When the metal ball moves around inside of it, it detonates the explosive. But because it’s so close to the other mines, it will probably detonate all six of them with it.” “Why would they put them so close to one another?” “To maximize the blast radius. But the clusters are so close to one another that it might set off multiple clusters. It might even cause a chain reaction.” “So what’s the plan?” I asked.

“You need to create a magnetic force powerful enough to trigger as many of the switches as possible. The antitank mines can blow through a tank, so they can easily shred the fence. If we can blow them all up at the same time, the guards won’t know what hit them.” “I don’t know if I can magnetize that far,” I said.

“Not without a boost.” He thought for a moment, then turned to Nichelle. “Can you do the opposite of what you normally do?” Nichelle was sitting on the ground holding her shoulder, her makeshift bandage soaked with blood. I wondered if she would even be able to walk. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Can you give power instead of taking it?” “You mean like Tessa?”

“Exactly.”

“I might. Not as powerfully as Tessa, but maybe some.” “We need to test it,” Ostin said. He turned to me. “Make a small spark.” I held my thumb and index finger about an inch apart and a thin bolt of electricity began to spark between them. Nichelle looked at the spark. She held her hand out toward me, but nothing happened.

“Try touching him,” Ostin said.

She reached over and touched me on the shoulder. The spark snapped between my fingers. I looked at her and she was smiling. “It worked.” “It did,” I said. “I could feel it.” I looked back at everyone. “If this works, we’re going to have to run. I’ll go in front in case the guards start shooting. Nichelle, you stay with me, touching me. Taylor, create as much mental confusion as you can.” “There will probably be some of the smaller landmines that don’t go off,” Ostin said. “Ian needs to watch in front of us for undetonated landmines.” “We should move in a single-file line,” I said.

“Got it,” Ian said.

“No one steps out of line,” I said. “Ready?” I looked at Taylor and she nodded.

“Cover your ears,” Ostin said. “If this works it’s going to be loud.” “All right, Nichelle,” I said. “Power me up.” She put her hand on my shoulder. I could feel her energy coursing through me. I stood up and stretched my hand out toward the yard. Someone shouted out in Chinese, but if they had seen us it was too late. Way too late. The yard exploded. The shock wave knocked us all back. It was as if the entire compound lifted ten feet into the air. I don’t know if I managed to pull all the triggers at once or, as Ostin predicted, the proximity of the bombs to one another caused a split-second chain reaction throughout the entire compound, but regardless, it was impossible to tell where the explosion started. The flash from delayed explosions reflected off massive columns of smoke that rose hundreds of feet into the sky, shrouding the entire compound in an impenetrable cloud. The peninsula was so thick with black smoke it was impossible to see anything, even one another.

When the explosions finally stopped there was no sound but the ringing in our ears. Then a distant machine gun started firing.

“It’s coming from one of the towers,” Ian said. “He’s firing blind. He just shot his own guys. He has no idea where we are.” “Are the fences down?” I asked.

“Shredded,” Ian said.

“Then let’s go. Which way?”

“Move straight ahead. Be careful as you walk, the ground is mostly craters.” “Nichelle?” I asked.

“Right here,” she said. She put her hand on my shoulder. I covered my mouth with my arm and held my hand out, pulsing to deflect bullets.

“You’re clear for sixty feet, Michael. Straight ahead,” Ian said, before breaking out coughing. I started forward with Nichelle holding on to me. We moved slowly and blindly. As Ian had warned, the ground was broken up, and my nostrils were filled with the pungent smell of fresh earth mixed with smoke and the acrid stink of explosives.

“The fourth fence is still partially up,” Ian said. “I can see some undetonated landmines.” I froze. “In front of me?”

“Not yet. Keep walking.”

“Should I magnetize again?”

“No!” Ostin shouted. “If there are any undetonated landmines around us we’re dead.” “I’ll keep watching for them,” Ian said. “Duck a little, Michael. You’re about to pass through the first fence.” I reached out and touched pieces of twisted wire. “Careful!” I shouted back.

“The second fence is thirty feet straight ahead. After the third fence we’ll need to go twenty yards to the right.” “What are the soldiers doing?”

“Their commander is trying to gather them, but they still can’t see anything.” “Neither can I,” Taylor said, erupting in a fit of coughing.

“Let’s hope the smoke remains,” Ian said. “We’ll have to pass right through the middle of their camp.” I continued forward another twelve feet when Ian shouted, “Stop!” I froze, my foot in the air.

“Don’t move, Michael. You’re right above a mine.” “Where?”

“Right where your foot is about to go.” Nichelle pulled me back.

“Step to your left twice, walk ahead five feet, then two steps back to this same path.” “All right, left two feet.” I stepped over. “Ahead five feet.” I walked forward. “Ian, keep your eyes on that mine.” “Sorry I missed that. I’m going to stand next to it,” Ian said. “Taylor, you’re too close. Step more to the left.” “Thank you,” she said.

I walked about twenty feet past it, then stopped.

After Jack had passed the mine, Ian walked back up behind Nichelle. “Okay, let’s go.” We began to move forward again. We passed through the second fence. It was still sparking where the electrical wires had been separated, and I reached over and grabbed the wire, letting it spark in my hand. “This fence is still live,” I said.

“Why are you doing that?” Nichelle asked.

“I like it,” I said. “It’s like an energy drink.” I paused for just a moment, then continued on. We had moved another forty feet when I heard Jack shout, “Stop!” We all turned back.

“I think I stepped on something,” Jack said.

Ian groaned. “You’re on a mine.”

“Why didn’t it blow?” I asked.

“I don’t know.”

“It’s either bad,” Ostin said, “or it’s the kind that blows up as soon as you release pressure.” “Jack, don’t move,” I said.

“Just get out of here,” he replied. “The smoke’s already starting to clear.” “We’re not leaving you,” I said.

“You don’t have a choice,” he said.

“Yes, we do,” Nichelle said. “We don’t leave family behind.” “Didn’t you say that heat could melt the trigger?” McKenna asked Ostin.

Ostin looked anxious. “Yes, but you would have to be right next to it.” McKenna turned back. “Then let’s do this. Ian, tell me when it’s melted.” She felt her way back to Jack, then knelt down on the ground next to him.

“What are you doing?” Jack said. “Get out of here.” “We’re getting you out,” she said.

“It’s too dangerous,” Jack said.

“Tell me about it,” McKenna replied. She leaned over his foot, and her hand began to lightly glow.

“McKenna, they’ll see your fire,” Ostin said.

“Not if we stand around her,” I said. “Ian, are there any undetonated mines around this one?” “No, it’s an outlier.”

The smoke had cleared enough that we could see one another’s shadows. I walked over to Jack’s side, followed by Taylor, Ian, and Nichelle. Ostin got down on his knees next to McKenna. “If this thing goes, we’re all going with you.” Nichelle knelt down next to McKenna. “I can help,” she said. “I’m going to touch you.” She laid her hand on McKenna’s back. “You’re trembling.” “I know,” McKenna said. She set her hand flat on the ground next to Jack’s foot and her hand began glowing again, orange at first, then brighter, until it was white-hot.

“Not too hot!” Ostin said. “The heat could set it off.” She quickly backed off.

“I think she did it,” Ian said. “Everything is melted inside. The wires look . . . wilted.” “Wilted?” Ostin said.

Ian shrugged. “Yeah.”

“You ready, Jack?” I said.

“I’m not taking my foot off until you’re all gone. I mean it.” “We’ve got to go, Jack,” I said.

“So go!” he said. “I mean it.”

I exhaled. “Come on.” Everyone walked forward, stopping about thirty steps ahead. “Now, Jack!” I shouted.

Even though we couldn’t see him, we didn’t need to. If McKenna’s work had failed we’d all know soon enough. We all held our breath. A moment later Ian said, “He’s off.” I breathed out in relief. “All right, let’s keep going.” The smoke was beginning to dissipate and as we neared the Taiwanese army at the perimeter of the compound the sound of shouting intensified. I passed through the shredded remains of the third fence, then turned back. “Ian, where to?” “Sixty feet to the right. But stay in the middle of the strip—there’s undetonated antipersonnel mines on each side. The fence isn’t down, there’s just a hole. We’ll have to crawl through it.” “Then what?”

“We’ll come out next to one of the army tents. There’s no one in it. When we get there I’ll come up front and lead everyone through the army camp.” “Got it.”

Carefully keeping my distance from either fence, Nichelle and I took about thirty steps before Ian said, “You’re there.” The spotlights were especially intense around the army camp and I could make out the silhouettes of several tents just past the fence, which meant that if we got too close, the soldiers would be able to see us too. The hole in the mangled fence was about the diameter of a bike tire and I got down on my knees and began to crawl through. A stray piece of razor wire caught above my elbow, ripping my skin and stinging like crazy. Blood streamed down my arm. “Agh,” I said.

“Are you okay?” Nichelle asked.

“I’m great,” I said. I bent the wire back, then Nichelle and I crawled the rest of the way through, stopping just a few yards from the fence to wait for everyone else. As Ian came through he said, “You’re bleeding.” “I know,” I said. “We’ll deal with it later. Where to now?” “There’s a trail about fifty yards southeast that leads up into the hills.” “Go ahead and take the lead,” I said. “Nichelle and I will protect the rear.” We waited until everyone else passed, then crouched down and followed Ian through the center of the army’s camp. We could hear soldiers shouting around us in Chinese, but everything was in such chaos that even if someone had seen us I’m not sure they would have known who we were. As we neared the trail leading up the hill Nichelle froze. “Stop,” she said.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“There are Glows around,” she said.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m always sure.”

“Can you tell who it is?”

“Not yet.”

“Stay alert,” I said to everyone.

We crossed a dirt road to a line of trees, then began climbing a steep wooded incline. The camp’s lights were no longer on us, and we hiked in darkness with Ian carefully choosing our path. We were about a hundred yards away from the compound when bolts of lightning began striking the camp, followed by more shouting and chaos. Occasionally a strike was followed by an explosion.

“Zeus?” I asked.

“Sure is,” Ian said. “I think he’s trying to distract them from us.” We continued hiking up the hill until we were above the line of smoke but still well secluded in the darkness of the forest.

“Now what?” Jack asked.

“We get out of here,” I said. “Hopefully Zeus brought something to drive. Ian, we need to somehow get Zeus’s attention.” “We’re okay,” Ian said. “Ben’s here.”

I looked over as Ben walked out from between some trees.

“Where’d you come from?” I asked.

He held up a pair of night-vision binoculars. “I have been watching you. It was very smoky.” He lifted his radio. “Zeus, they are here. Go now to meeting place.” He turned back to me. “We were trying to figure out how to rescue you when the alarms went off.” “How did you know we were captured?” Taylor asked.

“You left everything in your hotel room.” He looked around. “Is everyone here?” “Yes.”

There was one last storm of lightning bolts striking the camp, followed by a massive explosion. The display reminded me of the finale of a fireworks show.

“What was that?” I asked.

“We brought bombs to blow up the road in case they tried to follow us,” Ben said. “We must go now. Come.” “I see the car,” Ian said.

It was another five minutes before the rest of us saw it. Concealed in dense forest was an all-black Range Rover. “It will be crowded,” Ben said. “But we will fit.” Everyone had gotten in except for me when Zeus and Tessa came running up. They were both out of breath.

“Hurry!” Ben shouted.

“Good to see you two,” I said, holding the door for them.

“Looks like you’ve had some fun,” Zeus said, helping Tessa in.

He got in and I jumped in after him, holding my arm. Ben hit the gas and the car lurched forward, its wheels spinning in the dirt before intersecting with an asphalt road.

“Hey, guys,” Zeus said, still panting, “I thought we weren’t going to try to break in.” “Wasn’t our plan,” I said. “We were captured.” “Where’s Jade Dragon?” Tessa asked.

“She’s still inside,” Taylor said, hurt evident in her voice. She looked at me. “Michael, you’re really bleeding.” “I cut myself on some wire.”

“Here,” Jack said. He ripped another piece from his undershirt.

“I’ll do it,” Taylor said. She leaned over the back of my seat and wrapped the cloth around my throbbing arm. The cloth slowly turned red with blood. “I hope you don’t need stitches,” Taylor said.

We drove past three police cars with flashing lights, followed by a fire truck and some military vehicles. Within five minutes we were back on a major thoroughfare with traffic. Ben drove past the Kaohsiung off-ramp.

“I think you missed the exit,” Jack said. “The hotel’s back there.” “We are going someplace else,” Ben said. About ten minutes past Kaohsiung, Ben exited the highway into the shipping district. We drove past a long harbor filled with cargo ships, freighters, and barges.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To a safe house,” Ben said.

The safe house wasn’t really a house—it was a large, abandoned-looking warehouse just two blocks from the waterfront. The building was surrounded by a tall chain-link fence with razor wire and security cameras.

Ben unlocked the gate, then drove the SUV inside and got back out to lock the gate behind us. Then he pushed a remote and a large overhead door in the warehouse opened. He drove inside, then shut the overhead door after us. A light went on, exposing a large open garage with several different vehicles and stacks of crates on wooden pallets. Ben shut off the engine and turned around.

“This is where we will stay until the Volta arrives.” “How many days is that?” I asked.

“The boat is still two thousand kilometers out,” he said. “Maybe three days.” He looked us over. “Do you know you escaped from an inescapable prison?” “What do you mean?” Taylor asked.

“The Zuoying prison is famous like your Alcatraz prison in America. No one has ever escaped. And the Elgen made it even more strong.” “Not to mention the Taiwanese army camped around it,” Jack said.

“Yes, with an army around it, you still escaped. You should be very proud of what you have done.” “We owe our escape to Nichelle,” I said. “If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have gotten out. And if she hadn’t gotten us in there, we never would have gotten Taylor out.” I looked Nichelle in the eyes. “I’m sorry I doubted you.” “Me too,” Ian said.

“Yeah,” Jack said. “We owe you.”

Nichelle looked at the wall, then shrugged. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t have trusted me either.” “We need to get you bandaged up,” Jack said to her.

“And Michael,” Taylor said.

“Upstairs we have medicine and a wrap.” We got out of the car. As we walked over to the stairwell Jack asked Ben, “Do you have anything for pain?” He must have been in a lot of pain because I’d never heard him ask for as much as an aspirin.

“Yes,” he said, opening the stairwell door. “Also upstairs.” “I hope it’s good,” Jack said.

“I am,” Abigail said. She stood at the foot of the steps.

Jack looked as if he’d seen a ghost. “What are you doing here?” “I missed you, so they let me come.”

They hugged and the pain left Jack’s face. He sighed with relief.

“Let’s get you wrapped up,” she said.

As we climbed the stairs Ben said, “I know you must be very tired and hungry. We have food and beds.” “Thank goodness,” Ostin said. “I’m starving.” “We’ll make something to eat,” Tessa said to Ben. “You take care of the wounded.” The stairwell opened into a kitchen, and Nichelle, Jack, and I sat around the kitchen table. Ben walked out of the room, then returned with a plastic case with a large red cross on it.

“Nichelle first,” I said.

Nichelle pulled her sleeve up over her shoulder and unwound the makeshift bandage Jack had made for her. The bullet had grazed her, leaving a four-inch red trough across her shoulder. The wound was deep but wasn’t bleeding anymore. The biggest casualty was her full-shoulder tattoo of the grim reaper.

“I didn’t like that tattoo much anyway,” she said.

“This will hurt,” Ben said, lifting a brown bottle with Chinese markings.

“Hold on,” Jack said. “Abi, help Nichelle.” Abi stepped back. “I’m not taking her pain away.” For a moment there was silent tension, then Nichelle said, “It’s okay. After all the pain I caused her, I deserve it.” “No,” Jack said. “It’s not right.” He looked Abigail in the eyes. “She’s changed. You need to help her.” Abigail looked at Jack incredulously. “No, I don’t.” “It’s okay,” Nichelle said.

The tension in the room was palpable. Abigail looked at us, then angrily shook her head. “Fine.” She reached over and touched Nichelle. “Do it.” Ben poured the liquid over Nichelle’s shoulder and it foamed up around the wound. He patted it dry, then taped a large piece of gauze over it.

“Thank you,” Nichelle said. She turned to Abigail, who had already stepped back from her. “You’re right. I didn’t deserve it, but thank you anyway.” Abigail didn’t reply.

“Your turn, Michael,” Ben said. “Let me see your arm now.” I took off my shirt, which was more painful than I expected because the fabric had stuck to the wound. It started bleeding again. The cut was about three inches long and deep enough to reveal yellow tissue and muscle. The entire area was covered with dirt. “We must clean it first,” Ben said. He led me over to the kitchen counter, and I held my arm over the sink. He turned the water on and waited until it was warm, then lifted the sink sprayer and rinsed my wound until the dirt had all run off into the sink. I grimaced with pain.

“Sorry,” Ben said.

Taylor was drying my wound off with a terry cloth towel when she suddenly exclaimed, “You got your watch back.” “I thought Hatch took it,” Ostin said.

I looked around the room. Everyone was looking at me. “He did,” I said. “They gave it back.” Ostin stared at me incredulously. “Hatch gave you your watch back?” “I didn’t say Hatch,” I said.

“Then who?” he asked.

I wasn’t ready to tell them about my father. “Just one of the Elgen,” I said. I noticed that Ian was looking at me with a curious expression. “Can we get back to my arm?” “Sorry,” Taylor said. “I was just glad to see it again.” “Let me look at your arm,” Ben said. His forehead furrowed. “We have a needle and thread for stitches, but we do not have a doctor.” “Maybe we could just bandage it tight,” Taylor said.

“It’s a laceration,” Ostin said. “It needs to be stitched.” “I can stitch it,” Nichelle said.

“You can stitch?” I asked.

“I like to sew. After I got out on the street I sewed up a few guys after fights.” She frowned. “It’s going to hurt.” “I’ll be your anesthetic,” Abigail said. She took my arm. Even though I could still feel it throbbing, the pain immediately went away.

Nichelle took a needle and thread from the first aid kit while Ben poured liquid from the brown bottle over my wound.

Nichelle walked up next to me with the needle. “Are you ready?” “Yes.”

“I don’t think you should watch,” she said.

I turned away. I could feel the needle tug at my skin, but, thanks to Abigail, the pain was as minor as someone pinching my cheek. It took Nichelle about five minutes to finish stitching up my arm. Finally she said, “That should do.” I looked over. The stitching looked professional.

“You’re good.”

“It’s just like stitching a pillow,” Nichelle said. “Except there’s a lot of blood and tissue and puss.” “That’s graphic,” Ostin said.

“I’m going to put a bandage over it,” Taylor said. She wrapped a piece of gauze around my arm and taped it.

“You can let go,” I said to Abigail.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As she let go of me, pain shot through my arm as if the needle was just going in. Abigail saw me blanch and grabbed my arm. “Sometimes it hurts more than you think it will.” “It’s okay,” I said. “I’ve got to get used to it.” She slowly released my arm again. The pain came back but at least this time I was expecting it.

“Not to interrupt all the fun you’re having over there, but the food is ready,” Tessa said.

Zeus and Tessa had made a large pot of ramen noodles with shrimp and eggs, along with a dozen peanut butter sandwiches. Taylor got bowls for both of us. I was hungrier than I realized, and I gulped down a bowl of noodles and two sandwiches.

After eating, everyone went to the sleeping quarters to rest, leaving Taylor, Ben, and me sitting alone at the table.

“What time do you think it is?” I asked.

“You are wearing a watch,” Ben said.

“I forgot.” I looked at it. “I think it’s still on Peru time.” “I think maybe nine o’clock,” Ben said. “It was a long night.” I looked over at Taylor, who was staring off into space. It was one of those times that I wished I could read her mind. “Are you okay?” “I was just thinking,” she said softly.

“About what?”

She looked at me. “When we decided to come here it was to stop the Elgen from getting information that could threaten the world. I never thought about Jade Dragon being a real person. But now I know her, and she’s really scared.” Her eyes welled up. “We have to save her. Not just to save the world, but to save her.” “We’ll save her,” I said. “Our plan will work. It’s just a few days more.” I looked at Ben. “Are we safe here?” “We have alarms and sentries that can fire six guns.” He looked at us, then breathed out slowly. “But the Elgen are powerful. I do not know if we are ever safe.” We fell silent. After a few minutes Taylor said, “I think I’ll go to sleep.” “Me too,” I said, rising.

The upstairs of the warehouse was divided into a kitchen, two bathrooms (connected to the sleeping quarters), a television area, a radio room, and two long, rectangular rooms for sleeping, each with six cots. After Taylor had gone to bed I walked over to the men’s side.

The sleeping quarters reminded me of pictures I had seen in a history textbook of a World War II army hospital. It wasn’t the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel, but I wasn’t complaining either. I’d sleep on dirt as long as it didn’t belong to the Elgen. Still, less than an hour later I woke thinking about my father. Even after all we had done to escape, a part of me wanted to go back to see him.

After a half hour I walked out to the kitchen. I found some tea bags and put a kettle on the stove. As the kettle started to whistle, Ian walked into the kitchen.

“Did I wake you?” I asked.

“No. I couldn’t sleep. Too much on my mind.” I turned off the flame, then lifted the kettle from the stove. “Want some tea?” “Sure.”

I poured two cups to the brim, then carried them both to the table. For a moment we both just sipped our drinks in silence. Then Ian said, “Something’s bothering you.” “You can see my thoughts now too?”

He smiled. “No. That’s Taylor’s gig. Am I right?” I paused a moment, then said, “Yeah.”

“What’s up?”

“I don’t know if I should tell you.”

“Does it have to do with your watch?”

I wondered how he knew that. “Yes.” I looked down at my cup, then back at him. “You need to keep this a secret. I don’t know how the others will take this.” “I’m always keeping secrets,” he said. “That’s what happens when you see everything.” I hesitated a moment then said, “I saw my father back at the Starxource plant.” Ian looked as if he wasn’t sure how to respond. “I thought your father was dead.” “I thought he was, but he’s not. He’s part of the Elgen.” “When did you see him?”

“Right after we were brought into the plant. One of the Lung Li was torturing me and my father came in and stopped them. He took care of me. That’s when he gave me back my watch.” Ian was quiet a moment, then said, “No, he didn’t.” His response annoyed me. “What do you mean, ‘No, he didn’t’? I was there.” “That wasn’t your father who gave you back your watch.” For a moment I was speechless. “Then who was it?” “Hatch. And Tara.”

“What?”

“Hatch was sitting right next to you and Tara was standing near the door. She must have a new trick.” My head spun with confusion. I began to tick.

Ian leaned toward me. “Think about it. Hatch tortured you. He’s caged and tortured your mother. Would your father have allowed that?” After a moment I shook my head. “No.”

“I was waiting until everyone was asleep to talk to you about this. I saw Hatch give you the watch. I also saw you put your arms around him. I knew there had to be something strange going on.” My mind boiled with emotion. The anger and hurt I understood, but there was disappointment too.

After a few minutes Ian said, “Aren’t you relieved that your father’s not part of the Elgen?” “I should be.”

Ian frowned. “But you aren’t?”

“I feel like I just lost my father again.” “I’m sorry,” he said.

Suddenly I remembered all I had told Hatch. I lowered my head into my hands. “Oh no.” “What?”

“I told him about the voice.”

“You what?”

I looked up. “I didn’t mean to. It just came out.” Ian looked at me anxiously. “Did you tell him anything else?” “He asked me where my mother was. I told him about the ranch. I told him where it was.” “You couldn’t have told him where the ranch was. We didn’t even know where it was.” I hung my head, covering my eyes with my hands. “He asked me how long the flight was from the ranch to Pasadena. Then he asked me about the weather. I told him the temperature.” I felt sick to my stomach. “I thought it was my father.” I looked up at him. “He couldn’t find them from that, could he?” Ian shook his head. “I don’t know. Let’s hope not.” He breathed out slowly. “We need to tell Ben.” I buried my head in my hands again. “What have I done?”