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Wade tapped on the board. “I’ll take the security system. Pretty sure I’m the only one here who knows how to use a computer even, and if I need to get help with coding a virus, I know enough people to get it done quietly.”
“I’ll take the escape route,” Knox said. “I can move around a little easier than the rest of you because people don’t mind me being around.”
“I’ll handle the generators,” Brax offered. “A bit of brute strength would work best there, and it doesn’t call for much finesse. I’ll figure out the best way to approach or get in.”
“Guess that leaves me with communication.”
“Absolutely not,” Brax interrupted as Knox translated for me. “I’ll figure that out, too.”
I frowned.“What? Why?”
Wade let out a sigh and answered for Brax. “Communications is run through the North Tower.”
“How do you even know that?”
“It’s one of those not well-kept secrets. Larkwood likes to keep areas apart for safety, which is why generators are in one place, security in another, records in another. It makes it harder to attack at once because it requires more people and the more people involved in a plan, the better chance someone slips up and gets caught. Communications has historically been one of the most important things, so it’s in the North Tower to keep it safe.”
Which meant I’d somehow picked the part of the plan that required me to go to the most dangerous area of Larkwood. It didn’t seem like bad luck but rather like some strange twist of fate.
I’d figured the North Tower was going to be an important part of my plan back when it had just been me, but now? It seemed that was my part, like the place was calling me back, like I was always meant to end up there.
I swallowed hard, then stared back at the men.“I can do it. The Warden’s already said they might need to send me there, and she’s already watching me. I can’t do anything about the security, I don’t know the layout or people well enough to figure out an escape route, and I’m more likely to get into the North Tower than the rest of you. This makes sense.”
Knox and Wade pressed their lips together, but neither responded. Brax, however, didn’t seem as willing to sit quietly and accept it. “This is bullshit,” he muttered.
“It’s the right choice, and you know it.”
He stood, his hands pulled into fists. “Do you just want to die? If you do, there are a lot less painful ways than getting sent to the North Tower, you know. If this is all just a death wish for you, don’t expect any of us to stop you.” Even though his words were cruel, I picked up the pain beneath them. He stormed toward the door, pausing before he left. “What the fuck is the point of any of this if you get yourself killed in the North Tower? If you take down the communications and we get out and you’re stuck in there? Why the fuck did we do any of it, then?” He didn’t wait for an answer, slamming the door behind him.
I sighed as I remained kneeling on the ground. He didn’t think I could do it. It hurt, the way they accepted everyone else’s tasks, but didn’t think I could do my part.
Even after how much I’d grown, how much I’d done to prove myself, I still wasn’t trusted.
Life never really changed, did it?
Chapter Nine
Knox
I eyed the security cameras, searching for any exit other than the two I knew of. Neither seemed like a good idea.
The roof was difficult to get to, accessible through an emergency exit on the top floor that led to a set of stairs on the outside of the building. The issue didn’t stop after getting through that, though. The exit used a physical key rather than the normal electronic locks, which meant Hera wouldn’t be able to bypass it. Brax could break it down, if needed, but given it opened to an outside staircase, we didn’t need to risk the security of the actual staircase. Plummeting to our deaths because Brax had loosened screws into the building would be a horrible end to our escape plans.
Even if I could get the key, even if we could get up to the roof, what then? Brax could scale all of anything, but Wade, Hera and I were far less physically capable.I could survive the fall, especially if well fed, but that still left two stranded.
I started wondering about things like ziplines, rappelling or even hang gliding over the wall.
The moment I started considering how to make a hang glider, I suspected my plan wasn’t going well. That had the makings of a hilarious story for Larkwood to tell for years to come. They probably wouldn’t even clean up the blood spot from where we landed so they could use it as a cautionary tale for the new shades.
Our other option was the front door. Unfortunately, unless we came up with a really good distraction for the guards, that would be the first place they’d amass in the event of a security breach. No doubt they knew the roof was a hard sell for an escape, so they’d marshal their forces at the most likely exit point.
“What are you even looking for?” The guard currently stationed in the security room asked as he stared at me, nearly pouting.
“I just like seeing the cameras,” I lied. “They make me feel like I’m free.”
The guard, whose name I didn’t bother to learn, let out a soft laugh. “Freedom is a joke. There isn’t any real freedom, not for anyone. You can stare at those screens as long as you want, but it doesn’t make a difference. As someone who spends day after day here, I can promise you that.” He set his hand on mine. “Only thing that can make you feel free are a few moments of pleasure.”
The touch made me shudder both due to what I wanted and what I hated. Of course, that didn’t surprise me. I’d made my way into the room in the first place with little more than a suggestive smile and a few well-placed words. People looked at me and saw sex,so it didn’t take much to make them think they had a chance.
