Daughter 4254

Chapter 22

I specifically built out my little machine to run on batteries. I knew that I couldn’t count on school power supplies to be at the right voltage and I didn’t know enough about industrial wiring to be sure I would be able to connect it correctly. Plus this way I could test it at night under my bed when there was no one watching (other than the possible deviant AutoEye attendant) or expecting anything electrical to be happening.

Of course my reader wouldn’t work at night. They were school property and specifically programed to shut off with the power each night, guaranteeing a good nights sleep to anyone tempted to stay up late studying. I didn’t want to rely on that little contraption either. It would give too much away and I had no way of mounting it. It took me an extra day, but I managed to find an extra reading port and a data drive. Without having tested it yet, it seemed to me that my invention was ready to go.

I crawled under my bed and flipped the little switch on the side. Instantly light filled the dark space where I lay. An image of a dead tree on a blood red sky lit up the under side of my headboard. The audio wires lay limp on the ground, I didn’t have them hooked up yet, but words scrolled along the bottom of the screen. I grinned with sheer delight, adjusting the focus and moving the lens around, testing it’s versatility. I did the calculations in my head from memory. Once it was in place, it should run perfectly. I flipped the switch off and slid back out from under my bed.

I lay on the floor of my tiny room for a few minutes in the cool night air, holding my little box on my chest. There was a faint blue light coming from somewhere under my door. It made my almost black room feel eerie and strange. I hadn’t been awake at night very often in my life to notice this before. I started to think about all the things I would miss. Even this room with it’s strange shadows and tiny bed... I reached up and touched the soft linens. I would definitely miss those.

An image of 12 and 13 flashed before me then as I remembered a day when they had been so excited about their studies. They were always so happy and full of life, even when they were struggling. It was only in the last few days that their spirits seemed to be down. I thought about them as they were now and hated the Secondary School all the more for having squashed their bright smiles and quick laughter. It was that thought that finally gave me the energy to stand and the bravery to grab my bag, slip the device inside and slide out of my bedroom door into the deserted dormitory. It was time to act.

Getting where I needed to be this time wasn’t going to be a problem. Although security was a priority there were a few gaping holes in their system that had been over looked for years. The Leaders were so used to everyone complying they let things like door alarm updates go. I dropped a small bolt I’d picked up from the supply rooms in my bedroom door jam to keep it from locking. The door needed to close enough that the sensor would not trigger the alarm for a door left open more than sixty seconds, but stay open far enough so that the magnetic lock wouldn't’ engage. The hallways and common room were glowing with the blue light that was hardly a light at all. It seemed to be coming from spots in the ceiling and gave off just enough definition that I could make my way through the room. I stubbed my toe on the edge of a chair I didn’t see and jumped twice, biting my lip to keep from crying out. This was not the time to get caught. Not when I was so close.

I slipped carefully the rest of the way to the main door. It too opened from the inside, in case of emergencies, but would not open from the hallway if it happened to close behind me. I slipped a final bolt into that door jam and slid into the hallway, peering to be sure there were no guards or Professors lurking about. I assumed that Power Out meant everyone was locked down somewhere sleeping, but at the last minute I thought about the night guards at home and realized the dim lights were probably some sort of night vision for them or the Auto Eye. At least with the Auto Eye I should have a few hours jump on them before they realized what was going on and started reviewing the tapes. If a live guard were to catch me, I was finished.

I scurried to the end of the hallway trying not to make any sounds and clinging to my bag of supplies. I hefted myself onto the top of the blue paper receptacle, careful to stand on the edges and not fall into the large hole in the middle. It was quite sturdy and quite tall. I leaned against the wall for a moment breathing deeply and gazing up and down the hallways at either side. There was no sign of any life at all. I reached into my  bag to proceed.

The device wasn’t heavy and my guess was correct, the suction cups and glue I picked out would work marvelously to hold it to the slick white ceiling. I prepped the surface and, after a quick calculation, set the timer. Half an hour after waking would be perfect. That was prime corridor time, when the most students were moving from one place to another and classes were not starting yet. I reached above my head and stood on tip toe to secure my device firmly and make sure it wouldn’t fall. The audio wires were hanging limply to one side. I reached in my bag and pulled out another roll of audio wire I’d borrowed from the tech lab, quickly splicing the old with the new. Then I carefully turned around and felt for the edges of the panel.

I noticed, after spending several hours studying the walls while walking too and from classes, that each corner had an access panel available for repairs and maintenance on what I guessed was the Auto Eye, speakers and lights overhead. I discovered I was correct one day as I passed a maintenance crew working on a panel in the C corridor. Peering casually around them I saw a simple wiring plan that thrilled my heart to the core.

I panel was hard to see but the edges were easily felt out in the dim light. I slid it open and when I squinted I could make out a very lovely sight: perfectly labeled wires leading to only a few devices. I would have no problem at all splicing into the audio system of the entire school. It took me a total of nine minutes before everything was mounted, spliced and ready to go. I glued my audio wires to the wall and smashed the lid on as best I could to hopefully avoid early detection. It was the biggest risk I was taking, leaving the device overnight with no idea of who would come along after me and if they would notice or not.

“Still,” I reminded myself, “this is not the most important part of the plan. This was just the first part.”