Compliance (29 page)

I turn and pace a few feet. “I panicked. I shouldn’t have run. I’m sorry.” I turn back to Burn. “I got thrown when I saw Larsson. He hates me.”

Now that I’m calmer, I realize it’s probable that Larsson is the mole. He could easily have planted the notes I’ve found. But I can’t be certain. Nor can I be certain of his motives. He could be on either side.

“Don’t worry.” Burn rests his hand on my shoulder. “Something didn’t feel right in there.” He looks up to the sky and pushes his hair back again. “At least I know how to reach Sahid now. Once I get him in touch with Rolph, my mission’s complete.”

I close my eyes for a moment, my mind finally clearing. “What do I say to Larsson in class tomorrow?”

Burn shakes his head. “Your cover’s blown. You can’t go back to the barracks.”

My stomach spins and twists. “But I need to go back. I’ll be fine.”

I’m not sure how, but I need to convince Burn. I won’t accept that my role inside Haven is over. There are so many more Deviants to rescue and the bombing to stop. I can salvage my cover.

“No.” He takes my shoulders in his hands. “It’s too dangerous. I’ll get you out of Haven as soon as I clear a route. Meet me tomorrow night.”

I back out of his grip, wondering if he’s right. If my cover is blown I’m no good to anyone. I might be arrested. “You need to save Tobin and Jayma.”

He curses. “I’ll come back for them once you’re safe.”

I back away. “No. Not a chance. I’m not leaving Haven without them and I’m not leaving without Scout—or Cal.” I add that last name without thinking. Although he’s not in any specific danger, the idea of leaving Haven without Cal is unthinkable.

“Cal?” Burn says his name like it’s dirt.

My heart races. “He’s my dating partner. If I disappear,
they’ll suspect him. I can’t leave him.” I hold up my dating bracelet and Burn lurches back as if I punched him in the face.

“I thought you were just pretending to be with Cal.” The veins on his temples pulse. “I thought he was part of your cover. You said you two were done.”

“I—” My face heats and I straighten my shoulders. “You were the one who said you were done with me. And Zina said some really horrible things when I thought it was you.”

“I didn’t. She did.”

“I know it wasn’t you, now, but I didn’t know at the time, and… Cal’s been supportive and understanding. He’s been my only real friend since I’ve been back.” My stomach flips and churns. My cheeks are on fire. In spite of how I left things with Burn, in spite of his insisting we could never be together, if Zina hadn’t said those horrible things, I might not be recommitted to Cal. But I am. Assuming he’ll still have me.

“You were gone.” My mouth’s dry. “You’d told me we could never be together. What did you expect?”

Fists form at his sides. “I was wrong. You’re not loyal.”

“You want to talk about loyalty?” Anger builds inside my chest. “You claim your control has improved. Well, how do you know that, unless you’ve been practicing with other girls?” Even if Zina was lying when she claimed Burn had a girlfriend, her idea must have come from somewhere. Where there’s smoke there’s fire. “Has your new girlfriend been introduced to your monster?”

At the word monster, his head snaps back. It’s a word I
swore I’d never use again with him, and I want to shovel it back. It’s too late.

He lowers his head. “Do you love Cal?” His voice is a low growl.

“I—” I don’t know how to answer. My head’s swimming in a sea of confusion. “I’m not leaving Haven without him.”

Burn stares at the rooftop. I’m focused on his fists. They’re growing. His whole body’s growing.

Clearly he hasn’t got his Deviance under control. I should run—he might kill me—but I can’t leave him like this. And what if he goes after Cal?

“Burn, I’m sorry.” I cautiously step forward. “Calm down. I didn’t mean to hurt you—and it’s certainly not Cal’s fault. Don’t be mad at him because of me.”

His head raises and his eyes turn red. His normally huge coat pushes out to its seams and tears along the right shoulder. Impossibly huge muscles press on the fabric and the hem rises from the tops of his boots to over his knees as his thighs surge and shape into hard mounds. If I can’t calm him down, he’ll kill someone—maybe me.

Shaking his head, he stomps around the roof, vibrating it under my feet, and he repeatedly punches his fist into his palm so hard the sound hammers my eardrums. He’s going to break his hand.

“Burn, I’m sorry. Calm down. Don’t be jealous of Cal.”

At Cal’s name, Burn races toward me.

I duck, but before reaching me, he leaps and his fists slam into the sky fifteen feet above us.

The metal screeches as he breaks through. The sky’s panels bend and tear into jagged edges. Insulation showers down, blowing down on me as air from Outside invades.

Burn disappears, and booms from his footsteps vibrate the sky as he runs across the outside of the dome. They fade quickly and vanish. I hope that he got away without being shot by a Comp on patrol. I didn’t hear a gunshot, but I can’t be sure.

From this angle I can see only the merest hint of the inky night sky, and it makes me want to follow through the hole. But I can’t stand here staring and yearning. I won’t be alone here for long and I can’t explain what happened. I’m not even supposed to be out of the barracks, never mind on a rooftop standing below a gaping hole.

Movement startles me and I spin.

Larsson strides across the rooftop, and I race for the other side, planning to jump, hoping there’s another roof below to catch me.

“Stop,” he yells. “There’s nowhere to jump to from there. You’ll be killed.”

I don’t trust him, but I don’t want to die, so I skid to a stop, then windmill my arms to catch my balance on the roof’s edge. He wasn’t lying. Below me, a pile of metal scraps juts up, waiting to spear me.

Larsson grabs me around the waist and pulls me back from the edge.

I struggle to get free.

“Get out of here,” he says, his voice hard in my ear. “The Comps are coming.” His eyes and voice seem sincere.

“But the hole in the sky. What? How?” I can’t form complete thoughts.

Loosening his grip, he looks up through the hole and wipes insulation and dust from the sleeves of his shirt. “It’s happened before.”

“What?”

“Shredders have breached the dome before, not to mention the wall around Haven.”

“The wall?” I don’t want Larsson to know I’ve seen the wall, but I can’t imagine anything, even a tank, going through that huge, thick barrier, never mind Shredders.

“An explosion took down part of the wall the day your class viewed the expunging. It’s still not repaired.”

I gasp. The loud boom. The blowing dust. The squads of armed Comps marching in the distance. I take a step back. Does Larsson really think that a Shredder made this hole in the sky?

Or does he think Burn is a Shredder? Zina’s accusation nags at the back of my mind.

Larsson’s takes my shoulders and turns me. “Run. Now. Go back to the barracks. I’ll take care of this mess.”

I nod, not understanding what’s going on, but grateful. I need to remember what’s important right now. Even if my time rescuing Deviants is over, I need to save my friends. And now I need to do it without Burn.

C
AL AVOIDS ME
the next day. He won’t even make eye contact, and I’ve never felt so alone. By the end of classes, it’s been more than sixteen hours since Burn burst through the sky, and I haven’t heard a word about it. No alarms, no rumors, no special bulletins. It’s as if it didn’t happen.

At least Larsson was absent from training today and I didn’t need to face him. I lean against the wall in the rec room. The President’s Birthday is tomorrow and I have no idea whether or not the rebels still plan to set bombs.

Watching Cal and the others play games, I press my hands into my knees to try to keep my body from shaking. I’ve run out of options, and I’m considering going to Mr. Belando to give up Sahid. At least that way the bombing will be prevented. Then I just need a way to get Tobin, Jayma, and Scout out of Haven.

There must be an entrance to a tunnel somewhere in that fabric storage room Burn took me to. If I can find a route that leads us past the wall, I feel sure I can find the way to the Settlement. As long as we don’t run into Shredders.

If Scout is still unconscious, I’m not sure how I’ll transport him. I bite my lip. Cal needs to come.

I leap up and pull Cal away from his game. “We need to talk.”

He pulls his arm out of my hands, but nods.

“Give it up,” Stacy says. “He’s done with you.”

I ignore her and lead Cal down the hall until we’re out of hearing range. He stands with his feet shoulder-width apart and stares above my head, which hurts more than I can bear. It’s not clear whether it’s because he hates me, or whether he’s afraid to look me in the eyes now that he knows the truth.

“Where were you last night?” he asks. “Stacy says you were gone most of the night.”

I cringe at the mention of her name. “I needed to get food to Jayma.”

“That took all night?” His voice drips with suspicion.

“Did you report me?” I ask in a low voice.

His gaze snaps down to meet mine. He shakes his head slowly.

“Did you tell anyone?”

He leans against the wall and rubs his face in his hands before answering, “I haven’t done anything.”

Relief washes through me. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to. I just said I hadn’t.”

I look up at him, searching his blue eyes for a hint of compassion or affection, a tease of what I normally see when he looks at me, but there’s nothing but disappointment. Down the hall, a light flickers.

“Is that it?” he asks. “Because if we’re done, I was in the middle of something.”

“Sorry to interrupt your
game
.” My tone is harsher than I intend. “It’s only my life at stake. No big deal.”

His eyes fill with fire. “I don’t know what you expect from me, Glory. You drop a hundred huge bombs and then expect me to carry on as if nothing happened.”

“I’m still the same person.” I grab his wrist. “Please, tell me what I can say, what I can do, to make you understand.”

He’s silent and his jaw shifts as he looks at me with hurt in his eyes. Hurt is better than hate. Hurt gives me hope.

“I need your help. Jayma needs your help. So does Scout.”

His head snaps back at his brother’s name. “What’s wrong with Scout?”

I lean in close, relieved when he doesn’t pull back. “I’m going to break him out of the Hospital.”

“Why?”

I move my hand near his but don’t touch him. “I don’t think he’s safe there.”

“Leave him alone.” He pulls back. “What’s going on with you? You’re the one who told me to trust Mrs. Kalin.”

“Cal,” Stacy calls from the rec room entrance. “Are you coming back? You promised to show me how to jump higher with the SIM controller.”

I reach for Cal, but he’s already backing away from me, questions and doubt in his eyes.

I’m well and truly on my own.

My legs aren’t fully under my control as I pace in the halls, trying to calm my nerves, to think. Everything’s muddled, but one thing is clear: I need to get Tobin and Jayma off that roof and to the fabric storage room—tonight. Cal knows about my hiding place on the roof and I’m no longer sure I can trust him. Plus, I have no idea where Larsson’s gone and what else he might know.

Stacy’s bunk is empty when I enter our room, and the glue holding me together melts. I drop down to the ground in a heap.

“What’s wrong with you?” Stacy says, and I spin to see her standing next to the door.

“Nothing.” I turn on the floor and lean against the edge of her bunk. “I’m just tired.”

“Don’t try to fool me.” A knowing smile pollutes her face. “I know.”

Alarm courses through me. “Know what?”

She crouches down and puts a hand on my shoulder. “About Cal. That he dumped you.”

I suck in a breath, and her lips twitch in delighted response. She pulls her hand away. She’s bluffing. Cal didn’t dump me. Not exactly. Not officially. Not yet.

“I don’t know where you’re getting your gossip from, Stacy, but I suggest you check your sources.” I stand and pull up onto the top bunk.

She looks up at me, gloating. “Oh, my source is pretty reliable.”

“Didn’t your mother teach you it was rude to eavesdrop?”

“I didn’t eavesdrop.” A grin spreads on her face.

I toe off one shoe, then the other, keeping silent and hiding my emotions. I need her to go to sleep so I can leave, although I’m not sure why I’m bothering to maintain the ruse that she doesn’t know I sneak out.

“I heard the news straight from Cal,” she says.

My head snaps up, and her smug look makes me want to kick the expression off her face. But instead, I lie back on my bed and stretch out as if I’m ready to fall asleep. Maybe she’ll take the hint and sleep too.

Stacy leans on my bunk, her hands on the coarse, gray sheet and her face close to my shoulder. “Cal pretended to be sad, but I could tell he’s relieved. And he made it clear he dumped you to be with me.”

“Liar.” I sit quickly and my head slams into the ceiling.

“Careful,” she says. “Losing a dating partner isn’t any reason to hurt yourself. You’ll get over it.”

My head throbs. “Stacy.” I lie back down. “I need to sleep. Just shut up and leave me alone.”

She’s quiet for a few merciful seconds but I can hear her breathing next to my bunk. “Suit yourself, but don’t wallow. Cal and I will do our best not to flaunt our relationship in front of you—not that you offered me the same courtesy. Just know that as soon as he gets your license hacked off his wrist, we’re going to head to HR to apply for ours. Hope that’s okay. Not that I need your blessing, but I know sometimes
HR interviews former dating partners before approving a new relationship to make sure there was no sexual harassment. I hope you won’t lie to interfere with our happiness.”

I don’t answer. Finally I hear the creak of her landing on her bunk below me.

Jealousy stings the million tiny wounds I’m already feeling. The thought of Cal confiding in Stacy rakes my pain, and when I close my eyes I imagine him laughing with the other recruits, telling everyone how he dumped me. Tears build behind my eyelids but I fight against them.