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When they had arrived back at the scene of the riot, all focus was on Connor; all questions were directed to him. He was telling everyone what to do, and they were all listening. Even Roland's closest friends cast their eyes down when they saw him. He instinctively knew that all his support was gone. His absence from the disaster had made him an outsider, and he would never regain what he had lost here—which meant it was time to devise a new plan of action.
Roland agreed to fly the helicopter to save the Admiral's life, not because he had any desire to see the man live, but because taking that flight provided a new door of opportunity. . . .
"I'm curious," says the sour-smelling cop. "Why would you turn in the other two kids when it means turning yourself in as well?"
"There's a reward of five hundred dollars for turning in a runaway Unwind, right:"
He smirks. "Well, that's fifteen hundred, if you're including yourself."
Roland looks the Juvey-cop in the eye—no shame, no fear—and boldly presents his offer. "What if I told you I know where there are more than four hundred AWOL Unwinds? What if I helped you take down a whole smuggling operation? What would that be worth?"
The cop seems to freeze in place, and he regards Roland closely. "All right," he says. "You have my attention."
50 Connor
He's lasted longer than anyone expected. This is the consolation Connor must hold on to as the cop and two armed guards escort him and Risa into the room where Roland is being interrogated. By the smug look on Roland's face, however, Connor suspects it wasn't so much an interrogation as a negotiation.
"Please, sit down," says the cop sitting on the edge of a desk near Roland. Roland won't look at them. He won't even acknowledge their presence in the room. He just leans back in his chair. He'd fold his arms if the handcuffs allowed it.
The cop wastes no time in getting right to business. "Your friend here had quite a lot to say—and offered us a very interesting deal. His freedom, in exchange for four hundred Unwinds. He's volunteered to tell us exactly where they are."
Connor knew Roland would give him and Risa up, but giving up all of them—that's a new low for Roland. He still won't look at them, but his smug expression seems to have grown a little harder.
"Four hundred, huh?" says the second cop.
"He's lying," says Risa, her voice remarkably convincing. "He's trying to trick you. It's just the three of us."
"Actually," says the cop on the desk, "he's telling the truth—although we're surprised the number's at four hundred. We thought there'd be at least six hundred by now, but I guess they keep on turning eighteen."
Roland regards him, uncertain. "What?"
"Sorry to tell you this, but we know all about the Admiral and the Graveyard," the cop says. "We've known about it for more than a year."
The second cop chuckles, amused by the dumbfounded look on Roland's face. "But . . . but . . ."
"But why don't we round them up?" says the cop, anticipating Roland's question. "Look at it this way. The Admiral— he's like that neighborhood stray cat that nobody likes but no one wants to get rid of because he takes care of the rats. See, runaway Unwinds on the street—that's a problem for us. But the Admiral gets them off the street and keeps them in that little desert ghetto of his. He doesn't know it, but he's doing us a favor. No more rats."
"Of course," says the second cop, "if the old man dies, we may have to go in there and clean the place out after all."
"No!" says Risa. "Someone else can take over!" +
The second cop shrugs as if it's nothing to him. "Better be a good mouser."
While Roland can only stare incredulously as his plan crumbles, Connor feels relief, and maybe even a bit of hope. "So, then you'll let us go back?"
The cop on the desk picks up a file. "I'm afraid I can't do that. It's one thing to look the other way, but quite another to release a criminal." Then he begins to read. "Connor Lassiter. Scheduled to be unwound the 21st of November—until you went AWOL. You caused an accident that killed a bus driver, left dozens of others injured, and shut down an interstate highway for hours. Then, on top of it, you took a hostage and shot a Juvey-cop with his own tranq gun."
Roland looks at the cop in awe. "He's the Akron AWOL?!"
Connor glances at Risa, then back at the cop. "Fine. I admit it. But she had nothing to do with it! Let her go!"
The cop shakes his head, scanning the file. "Witnesses say she was an accomplice. I'm afraid there's only one place she's going. Same place as you: the nearest harvest camp."
"But what about me?" asks Roland. "I had nothing to do with any of that!"
The cop closes the file. "Ever hear of 'guilt by association?" he asks Roland. "You should be more careful with the company you keep." Then he signals for the guards to take all three of them away.
Part Six
