Cress

Chapter 53

She  was  glad  that  Wolf  seemed  to have  memorized  the  palace blueprint 
better than she  had, because  with  all  this  running  up and  down  stairwells,
around  corners,   and   down    countless corridors, Cress  was completely
  lost. Wolf,   however, hadn't   shown  a   moment's hesitation  as    they
   ran down the abandoned halls.
         "Perfect  timing,"  Wolf  muttered   under  his  breath   as  they swung
  around  another corner. He grabbed Cress's elbow and yanked her back
  before  she could  collide with Cinder and Iko and the unconscious man
  hanging between them.
  "Well, hello there, strangers," said Iko.
   Wolf  nodded,  first at   Cinder,  then  the   unconscious   emperor. "I 
   thought   that might be his cologne. Need help?"
     Neither Cinder not  Iko objected   when   he   stooped   down  and
   swung  Kai  over one shoulder.
           If  Cress  hadn't  been  panicked  and  flustered   and  running on  eight
     quarts  of throbbing adrenaline, she would have been much more impressed.
     Labs are this way," Cinder said, taking the lead. Cress  picked  up   her
      skirt  and hurried after her. "Any surprises?"
     "Not so far," Cress answered. "You?"

     
Cinder show her head as they darted   across   the sky   bridge into   the 
        research wing. "Not really. Just a lot of ... this."
A palace guard appeared in front of them, gripping   his gun. "Stop  ri
        —!"
     The word became a strangled gasp as   his  face went   blank.  His   hands
      felt slack at his sides, the gun dropping to the floor.
     Cress gasped, but   Cinder  pulled  her   around  his dazed  from without 
    breaking pace.
    "Wow,"  said  Cress  between  her  paining. "Good  thing  you've been  practicing,
     right?"
     "I wish that  were  the  reason  it's  so  easy,"  she  said, shaking her  head  as
      they rounded  another  corner. "With  Wolf,  at  least   there   was   some   struggle.
      Some   effort    involved.    But    with Earthens ... it's   too   easy."  She    gulped.
       "If  she   becomes empress, Earth doesn't stand a chance."
They arrived at an elevator bank and Cress  punched   in   the override
        code.
"Well   then," she said, flashing a weary smile. "Good thing she's   not 
        going  to  be empress."
         There seemed to  be  a  mutual  sigh  as  they  crowded   into  the  elevator.
          Cress's nerves were sparking  like  a   million  electrodes. Sweat  was  soaking
        into  the  back off her expensive dress. She  was  frazzled   from  all  the  running
         and  the    stairs  and    the   panic, but   at least   they   had   a   brief  moment 
   to  pause  and  breathe and prepare themselves for what came next.   Cress
         couldn't help  sneaking  a   curious  glance at the man draped over Wolf's
        shoulder. The emperor.
Of all the times she'd imagined meeting him, after years  of spying on 
          him  and his father, she'd never imagined  their   first   meeting   would be
         quite like this.
         Wolf stiffened as the elevator began to slow. "There's a lot of them out
   there."
  "We knew there  would  be,"  said  Cinder. "Thorne  and  the  doctor  had
better  be ready."
  Cress shifted  back, happy  to  keep  Cinder  and Wolf between her  and
  whatever awaited them in the hall.

   
            Iko  bent  toward  her. "That  dress  looks   amazing   on   you,"  she   said.  "Cinder,
      doesn't she look amazing?"
Cinder sighed as the   elevator   came to a full   stop. "Iko,  after  this  we're
           going  to start working on occasion appropriateness."
   The  doors  slid  open  and  dozens  of  palace  guards  in red   and gold   uniforms
           stood before them.
           "And not an  android among them," Cinder  muttered.  "Kai  and I  are 
             going  to have a   long talk   about  palace  security." She  marched into   the  
              corridor. "You,"  she ordered,   without gesturing   to   anyone   in   particular
       as far   as  Cress could    tell,  "are now our personal   guard.  Form  a barrier."
     Eight  guards  shuffled   forward  and, in   robotic   unison,   formed a wall 
      between   them   and     their    peers.    Confusion through    the   eyes   of    the
            others.
       Cinder held her palm out and one of the  guards  set  a gun  into  it, handle
    first.
  She  aimed  it  at   Kai's  head, her  expression  the  picture  of cold  neutrality.
       "If anyone thinks of getting  in   our way, your   emperor   is   dead.   Now,
              move."
       With  their  eight  personal  guards  acting  as   a protective   bubble around
  them,  Cress found herself being herded along   with   the  others toward the
lab rooms. When  they reached the   sixth  door,  Cinder   knocked,   using   the
special  rhythm they devised.
          The door swung open a  beat  later. Thorne  was  flushed  and   scowling.
    He  had his cane in one hand, a cloth bundle in the other, and his blindfold
           still on.
          "Doctor's not coming," he said.
          A hesitation, before Cinder said, "What do you mean he's not coming?"
        He  gesture  toward  the  back  of  the  lab  and  they   all  pushed   inside,
   leaving Cinder's brainwashed  puppets  too   linger, baffled,  in  the  hallway.
   A  window  was set into the  wall, showing a  sterile  quarantine room. The 
   doctor   was   seated  on top of a lab table, his head hanging down, his fingers
               fidgeting with his hat.