couldn’t act as though she hadn’t known this could happen. She and everyone else who signed up to work in places like Gold Mills knew the score.
“Tough break.” He leaned closer to the wall, tracing his fingers over the west side of the building, where the river powered the generators. “This sector isn’t on the same lockdown grid. It might not be fun, but you could probably climb through the ducts from the bathrooms to the generator room. Might be a tight fit for Gabe, but he could make it.”
Marci had been to that area exactly once, when she’d been new and gotten lost on her way to the west-sector dormitories. “Most of the doors in that area of the sector have been taken down. They use the rooms for storage, and maintenance crews only go there when they have to, so they didn’t bother outfitting the place with expensive updated locks, just the overall building security measures.”
“That’s it, then. Your yellow brick road.”
Marci vaguely recognized the pre-Fall movie reference. “Okay, now we just have to get out of the lounge. Maybe Gabe should start digging through the wall with a soup spoon.”
“I considered it,” Gabe drawled, speaking for the first time. “They’re not tough enough.”
“So find something that is and lay the halfblood smack down on that door.”
Marci snorted. “Pry open the door? Just like that?”
Trip raised both eyebrows. “Are you being modest, Gabe?”
“I’m being smart.” His stance was still relaxed, casual, but something about it rang hollow.
Sometimes body language lost something in the network, but Gabe seemed distinctly uneasy. “Brains before brute force, right?”
Marci stared at him as a shudder wracked her. “Holy shit. You can open the door, can’t you?”
“Probably.” He shifted his weight, straightening. “It wouldn’t be my first choice, and I’ll need to take apart one of the beds for leverage and have Trip look up the weak spots.” Of course he hadn’t admitted it. Why would he, when he’d gone to so much trouble to trap her with him in the first place? “Fine.”
Gabe sighed. “How would volunteering the information have helped? I could have let you out into the unprotected hallways and…what? Pried open another door so everyone on the other side would know I wasn’t human?”
“And ruin how hard you worked to get me stuck with you in the first place, right?” His jaw clenched, and he looked away.
Trip didn’t. “If there’s something going on…”
“There’s not,” Gabe snapped. “Can you bypass the perimeter alarm?” Marci dropped her gaze to the display in front of her. “It doesn’t look like Asha and Christian ever reset it.”
“So pull up the specs on those doors and do the math, Trip.” It didn’t take long. Trip returned to the display and typed something. “Knee height. The doors should spring if you can find something that’ll work as a lever.”
“The bed frames should work, then,” Marci told him. “They’re solid steel.” Gabe nodded tightly. “Do we need to do anything else?” Trip waved a hand. “Both of you, get out of here. I can handle the rest.” Without a word, Gabe blinked out. Marci followed as fast as she could, rubbing her eyes under the disposable glasses as the virtual room dissolved.
She rose as soon as she dared, and her legs wobbled a little. “Is there anything else you want to tell me before I discover it by accident?”
“I snore.” He stripped the sheets from the mattress and dumped them on the floor next to the blankets.
“I hate eggs.”
She stalked over and stilled his hand. “Have you misled me about anything else? I’ll ask now and let it go, but I want the truth.”
Gabe didn’t meet her eyes. “I didn’t mislead you about that. It’s not going to be easy to get the door open, and I might hurt myself trying. I’m stronger than a human because I’m not human. I never pretended I was.”
It stung, though she didn’t know what
“Tough break.” He leaned closer to the wall, tracing his fingers over the west side of the building, where the river powered the generators. “This sector isn’t on the same lockdown grid. It might not be fun, but you could probably climb through the ducts from the bathrooms to the generator room. Might be a tight fit for Gabe, but he could make it.”
Marci had been to that area exactly once, when she’d been new and gotten lost on her way to the west-sector dormitories. “Most of the doors in that area of the sector have been taken down. They use the rooms for storage, and maintenance crews only go there when they have to, so they didn’t bother outfitting the place with expensive updated locks, just the overall building security measures.”
“That’s it, then. Your yellow brick road.”
Marci vaguely recognized the pre-Fall movie reference. “Okay, now we just have to get out of the lounge. Maybe Gabe should start digging through the wall with a soup spoon.”
“I considered it,” Gabe drawled, speaking for the first time. “They’re not tough enough.”
“So find something that is and lay the halfblood smack down on that door.”
Marci snorted. “Pry open the door? Just like that?”
Trip raised both eyebrows. “Are you being modest, Gabe?”
“I’m being smart.” His stance was still relaxed, casual, but something about it rang hollow.
Sometimes body language lost something in the network, but Gabe seemed distinctly uneasy. “Brains before brute force, right?”
Marci stared at him as a shudder wracked her. “Holy shit. You can open the door, can’t you?”
“Probably.” He shifted his weight, straightening. “It wouldn’t be my first choice, and I’ll need to take apart one of the beds for leverage and have Trip look up the weak spots.” Of course he hadn’t admitted it. Why would he, when he’d gone to so much trouble to trap her with him in the first place? “Fine.”
Gabe sighed. “How would volunteering the information have helped? I could have let you out into the unprotected hallways and…what? Pried open another door so everyone on the other side would know I wasn’t human?”
“And ruin how hard you worked to get me stuck with you in the first place, right?” His jaw clenched, and he looked away.
Trip didn’t. “If there’s something going on…”
“There’s not,” Gabe snapped. “Can you bypass the perimeter alarm?” Marci dropped her gaze to the display in front of her. “It doesn’t look like Asha and Christian ever reset it.”
“So pull up the specs on those doors and do the math, Trip.” It didn’t take long. Trip returned to the display and typed something. “Knee height. The doors should spring if you can find something that’ll work as a lever.”
“The bed frames should work, then,” Marci told him. “They’re solid steel.” Gabe nodded tightly. “Do we need to do anything else?” Trip waved a hand. “Both of you, get out of here. I can handle the rest.” Without a word, Gabe blinked out. Marci followed as fast as she could, rubbing her eyes under the disposable glasses as the virtual room dissolved.
She rose as soon as she dared, and her legs wobbled a little. “Is there anything else you want to tell me before I discover it by accident?”
“I snore.” He stripped the sheets from the mattress and dumped them on the floor next to the blankets.
“I hate eggs.”
She stalked over and stilled his hand. “Have you misled me about anything else? I’ll ask now and let it go, but I want the truth.”
Gabe didn’t meet her eyes. “I didn’t mislead you about that. It’s not going to be easy to get the door open, and I might hurt myself trying. I’m stronger than a human because I’m not human. I never pretended I was.”
It stung, though she didn’t know what
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