Chapter 15: Trust Issues
Later then. It wasn't like I was going anywhere.
“Skye!” Geoff motioned for her to come closer. Once she was within range, he lowered his voice slightly. “How is he?”
I desperately wanted to know know what they were talking about, but was too awkward to ask about what was obviously a private conversation.
“He wants to see you.” She was in one of those serious moods.
As the three men rose to their feet, I stayed seated, looking hopefully up at Skye.
“You come too Nance,” she said, as if suddenly noticing me. “Romeo might know something about your friends.”
I got to my feet, suddenly excited. Who was Romeo? Skye lead us down the hall into the male block, somewhere I had not yet been. We went up to the third balcony, and despite myself I couldn't help but look around for Dustin. Maybe they were wrong. Maybe he was just tired, hanging out in his cell. We stopped at a corner cell, but it was empty. Confusion coloured Skye's face.
“I don't know where he is. He was really wiped out.
“Skye.” A gravelly voice came from above us.
My chin tilted back, and I looked directly up. Above us was a metal arm that supported the large camera cluster for this corner of the block. On it, leaning back against the wall, was a boy. I backed up involuntarily, trying to get a better look. It was kind of hard to see him, but he didn't look much older than Skye. His dark brown hair was cut in a sort of long swoop, but maybe he just hadn't trimmed it in a while.
For the life of me I couldn't figure out how he'd gotten up there. It was far out of reach of even the highest jump.
“Nice view?” Skye raised an eyebrow.
Then she did something that took the breath right out of my lungs. She jumped up so she was balanced on the metal guard rail that separated us from the three story drop. It was something out of a comic book. The metal bar was incredibly thin, yet Skye stood on it as if it was nothing, as if she was not a slight loss of balance away from falling to her death. Then she bent her knees and jumped again, her hands closing around the pole on which Romeo sat.
“Skye wha-” I couldn't finish my sentence.
“Be careful,” the smooth talker teased.
Geoff must have caught onto my awed expression for he turned to me and said. “Romeo's good; one of those spy types, but he's got nothing on her.”
Was that fatherly pride I heard in his voice?
Like the gymnasts I'd seen on tv Skye used the momentum from her jump, spinning around the bar with straight legs, and landing in a crouch on top. It was almost an unnecessary display of skill. She perched a few centimetres away from the camera cluster, like a bird on a telephone wire, not using the wall like the boy did.
“I thought you were still recovering?” she said, a ghost of a smile on her face.
“Well, guess I'm not.”
He was not in a good mood.
“This is a nice spot and all, but how do you feel about coming back down?” She cast an eye down at us. “We've got a new girl, a current marked.”
Romeo did not look impressed. His cold eyes hovered over me for a fraction of a second before turning back to Skye.
She continued, in a softer voice. “She has two friends here, one that came with her and one from before. Neither of them are in the main blocks.”
Romeo gave me another look, a little more emotion in his eyes, though I couldn't tell which one. Without warning he slid off the bar, landing in a crouch that rattled the whole catwalk. Skye followed suit.
“I guess we're in the same boat then.” He stood up, looking down on me, directly into my eyes.
I tried my best not to gasp, not to react. A big, white scar ran up from halfway down his neck to right through the corner of his lips. It was straight, surgical, precise. Around the collar of his jumper, and even faintly on his cheek a white spiderweb of scaring spread out. What had caused that? Was it a skin condition? He'd seen me staring, he'd noticed. I was scared all of a sudden, like I'd done something wrong. He was shorter than Dustin, not that much taller than me. But he was thicker built, more muscular. And there was a threatening aura about him.
“Electric shock.” He said the words like he was answering an unspoken question.
And I nodded because I didn't know what else to do. He turned away from me then, so that his stare was fixed on Geoff.
“We have to pull ourselves together and do something. No more waiting for the right time, no more planning.” He looked up at the cameras then motioned for us to follow him.
The whole group was caught in anticipation, waiting for him to conclude the speech he'd began. On the ground floor we stopped in front of a large metal door. I looked at Skye.
“Shower room,” she whispered. “They take us in groups. It's also when they inspect the cells, and take away those who's turn it is to be taken. Rest of the time it's locked up. We swiped a passkey. Now it's a safe place to talk.”
Romeo looked at Geoff who withdrew something from deep within his jumpsuit. Scanning it, the door slid into the ground, and we all quickly piled in. The tile covered room was dark, and I stayed close to Skye almost instinctively.
“As I was saying.” Romeo positioned himself in front of us like he was giving a presentation. “We're going to break out of here, all of us. And it's going to be our plan, by us, for us. We will not be used by another UNA manipulator.” He paused, looking over at Skye. “No offence.”
I wanted to ask, I wanted to ask so bad, but I couldn't seem any more ignorant than I already was. I knew I was pushing my luck, being allowed to hear this. The smooth-talker was whispering to Donald. Thank god Geoff seemed to be the leader.
“We need to break out, and get as many people free as possible, no matter why they're here. We have to break out everyone, even those not in the central prison.” He swallowed. “Jesse, new-girl's friends, and everyone else.”
“Excuse me,” Donald piped up. “I don't want to be rude.” He looked at me. “Nance, is it? But we're literally laying our cards down on the table in front of a perfect stranger. Haven't we discussed the idea of a plant in the prison, to find out what we're up to? Isn't the whole thing with her missing friend a little too convenient?” I opened my mouth, waiting for a break in the conversation to defend myself. “I may be coming off as harsh, but I don't want to risk my freedom just because Skye's glad to have found another teenaged girl.”
I was about to speak, but Geoff laid a hand on my shoulder.
“What's the point Donald? You're acting like we have some big secret to protect. I don't remember questioning your intentions when you started hanging around us. If we even consider attempting to escape, we will cross the bridge of who will know when we come to it. Right now I'm not even sold on Romeo's idea.” He turned the the dark boy. “Son, I know you're upset about your brother. But to jump a guard, or start a riot; to get desperate, all it will do is bring a crackdown for nothing.”
The boy curled his lip, his grey eyes narrowing. “Well we can't just wait around either. It's a powder keg up there in the city. And the marking just lit the fuse. I want to get me and Jesse out of here before it blows.”
“I don't know, Romeo i-” Geoff was cut off.
“Skye agrees, right Skye?” Romeo looked back at her.
She said nothing, but he continued on as if she'd justified him fully.
“What about you Nance?” So he did know my name. “Do you know what they're doing to your friends out there? Do you want to just wait around?” I was shaking my head. “You were on the surface more recently than any of us. How are things, stable?”
Was this the moment, did I tell them? But I couldn't make this decision without Dustin. How did I know I could trust them? I trusted Skye, that I was sure of, though I didn't know why. Everyone here respected her opinion, I could sense it. Yes, I trusted Skye. The others, Romeo, I wasn't so sure.
“Not really no.” I tried my best to stare him down.
“I don't know, but I'd like to hear Skye's opinion, for her own mouth.” Geoff interrupted.
We all turned to look at the girl. At first she didn't speak, but there was a profound sadness in her eyes.
“I no longer hold any loyalties to the Unites. And...” She seemed to be struggling to form the next words. “And I don't like the idea of them hurting Jesse.”
“See?” Romeo extended his arms like he was delivering conclusive scientific evidence. “Me and Skye are together on this.”
“I'm for leaving as soon as possible.” I finally worked up the courage to speak. “The longer they have Dustin, the more worried I get. I can't just leave him to whatever they're doing.” I couldn't help but look at Romeo's scars. “And if there's any chance that Lela could be alive-”
“What?” The sudden explosion of Romeo's anger blew me backwards. Where had it come from? He must know who Lela was related to.
Skye moved her lips so that they were an inch from his ear, but I heard her whispered, menacing words. “Say. Nothing.”
He listened. I don't think he would have if it was anyone else, but he listened to Skye.
“How do we suggest we do that then?” Geoff asked both me and Skye.
It was now or never. It was time to take a leap of faith. “I may have something...” I swallowed. “That can help with this.” I stopped. “I have to know though, like one hundred percent, that I can trust you.”
“What is it?” Donald turned to me, suddenly very interested.
I didn't like it. I didn't like any of this.
“I should have waited for Dustin.” I looked down at the ground. “I can't do this by myself.”
“Come on then.” said Romeo.
“I-I...”
Skye grabbed my arm, pulling me away. “Don't say anything.” She touched Geoff apologetically as she passed. “I'm sorry, but I'm with Nance. You have no reason to trust her, but she has no reason to trust you. Whatever this is, helpful or not, me and Nance are going to discus, alone.”
“Hold on one second!” Donald yelled, as I was guided back out into the cell block.
Skye did not stop. I was grateful, so totally and completely grateful. I needed a partner, I was starting to realize, someone to help me make the tough decisions. I didn't work all that well alone. As Skye lead me towards the shower room on the girl's side I was confused. Didn't they only have one card? Much to my surprise, Skye produced it, literally from up her sleeve.
“I pick-pocketed Geoff.” She smiled a small smile, scanning the key.
In the darkness of the opposite shower room I finally let myself heave a sigh of relief. God damn it! Why did I trust Skye? Why had I followed her so blindly, while knowing her for such a short time. Jason's face flashed through my mind. Hadn't he done the very same thing with me? Skye waited patiently for me to start speaking.
“Thank you.” I smiled at her, in the dark. “If this goes wrong... It all will have been for nothing.”
“What goes wrong?” Skye asked.
“Um... well.” I struggled to find the right words. “Dustin and I aren't in here by accident.”
Her eyes widened a little, but she had a remarkably good poker face.
“Here.”
I unzipped the jumpsuit down to my waist, taking it off my shoulders and securing the arms like a kind of belt.
“What are you doing?” Now she was truly confused. No amount of poker face could hide that.
She'd understand soon. “Do you have somewhere to hide stuff?” I asked. “Somewhere the guards won't look?” Once I removed the fake skin I could not put it back on.
She looked thoughtful for a second.
“You have to be one hundred percent sure they won't find this.” I tried to make my voice as intense as possible.
She was nodding. “Yeah... Yeah, we can use the place we stash the card on shower days. No one knows that's there.”
“Okay then.” Now was the time, the leap of faith.
I dug my fingernails in, trying to find the seam on which I should tear.
“Nance, what the hell are you doing?” Skye sounded panicked as she watched my dig my fingers into my flesh.
I ripped the first chunk off and she gasped. After that it was easy going. Peeling the gross substance off of my body felt fantastic. I'd forgotten what my ab muscles looked like, or lack there of. With all of it in my hand, I held it out for Skye to examine.
“What are those?” She picked up one of the small, black balls.
“Be careful,” I warned. “They're explosives. I know they're tiny but they pack a hell of a punch.”
She slowly pushed the bomb back into the squishy mold of the fake skin. I shaped it so it formed a sort of odd ball, protecting the precious materials inside.
“That...” She began but then trailed off. “Is a very big deal.”
“You can set them like charges, and use them to blow the doors, or throw them like grenades.” I recounted the tutorial Sarah had given me back at Alec's hideout.
“So let me get this straight.” Skye took the ball from me, concealing it inside her jumper. “You and your friend got caught on purpose, to come free this Lela girl who may or may not be alive.”
I shrugged. “Alec seemed to think she was.”
She was nodding. “You were right to come to me. In the last escape the group I used to belong to had it all planned ahead of time. We only enlisted the help of others in the final hour, and that's when the information leaked. There were guards waiting for us. Donald was onto something when he said there might be plants in the prison. Not you obviously, since you just got here, but we have to keep this on the down low until the absolute last minute.”
“We can trust Geoff, right?” I asked.
She nodded. “He was a commander for the good old fashioned Western Union military. He was never a spy, which makes him loyal but not so great at the whole secret keeping thing. You can trust Romeo.”
I'd been afraid of this. I knew Skye trusted him, but for once that did not mean I did.
“I know he's a bit much to handle at first, especially now, but he is definitely on our side.” She swallowed, and looked down at the ground. Then, in a smaller voice, she continued. “He got locked in here with this twin brother, Jesse. At first they just threw them in here as they interrogated more members of their cell. That's when I met them. They took Romeo, not too long ago. Before that he didn't have those scars...”
She trailed off, but I knew where she was going. “They have Jesse now?”
She nodded, biting heavily on her lower lip.
It made sense now. “He may be a bit... intimidating, but I know he won't betray us.”
Skye looked back up, pushing the sudden sadness back into whatever dark crevice it had bubbled up from. “Good. Just give me some time to talk to him. He won't like who we got the bombs from.”
She did not elaborate past that.