Sleeping Dogs Lie

Chapter Twenty-Eight

So, later on the next afternoon, I'm hanging out at my work console in the Kernel, trying like the devil not to think about that little tool, Aaron. And he's disappeared for a good chunk of time again, too, so that makes it really difficult not to think about him. Whoever came up with the old adage, "out of sight, out of mind," must've never been involved with Aaron.

I ping around for him futilely for about fifteen minutes after he first disappears. And then I almost have to laugh out loud at myself, because what I'm doing is so idiotic, I feel like I ought to hang a sign around my neck and advertise my stupidity for the whole Kernel to see. It really is that laughably stupid.

But then things get real serious. Real fast.

Remember that skeezy guy, Lance, who was one of the guards for our squatters' group on the road? Yeah. Well, he kind of disappeared somewhere deep inside the Hex once we got here. Not disappeared disappeared, like some people disappear when they work at the Farm and they walk into the wrong room, and someone happens to walk them home from work later that night, and... Well, you get the picture. Lance disappeared like he was a nobody from nowhere who knew nothing, so they gave him a gray uniform and put him in the least exciting place ever invented down over on Interdepartmental Commerce. And believe me, there are a lot of really unexciting things going on over on Interdepartmental Commerce.

So anyways... Lance... I'd almost forgotten he even existed...

Till today.

I have general surveillance footage that I'm supposed to be watching into several common areas in the Library, the TV room, and the east and west sides of the Caf. What I'm really watching, though, is my own contraband footage.

I'm watching a bank of four different surveillance monitors that are supposed to be covering those common areas that I'm supposed to be monitoring. And I actually am monitoring the Library and the TV room on my top monitors. But on my lower monitors, where the Caf's feeds are supposed to be, I'm watching Aaron's underground lair and his bedroom. All of a sudden, though, Aaron's bedroom cuts out, and that skeezy guy, Lance comes on.

Now, I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl. I've had to be. But that guy... I could've really cared less whether he lived or died once we walked into this place. And when he plopped himself onto my monitor, I could've shit myself.

"Are you live?" I ask quietly, cognizant of the fact that random nerds might glance at him over my shoulder. I always keep my feeds into Aaron's areas lower, though, so the monitor with Lance's huge face on it is buried to the lower left.

"Mmm-hmmmmm," Lance hums affirmatively, and then he gets really crazy eyes.

Oh man, Aaron! Where the hell are you, you little bastard! You'd better get your ass up here, and quick!

"This is for your eyes only, Alecto," Lance says, all crazy-eyed. "You will only see it once, and this cannot be recorded or looped into on the feedback."

"Hey, where are you –" I begin, but he interrupts before I can go much further in verbally location-stamping him. Which I'd like to think I'm plenty savvy enough not to do, thank you very much, Mr. Skeeze-Ball.

"Hmnn-nnnn," he shakes his head briskly. "I know you're used to telling people what to do. At least, you always were before, so I'm sure they've found you someplace in this organization where you can feel suitably in charge. But that's neither here nor there, and you can't let them make you feel comfortable. I know you want to ask me 'Why?' right now, but you can't. I don't have a lot more time. I can't tell you why I know the things I know, or how I found them out, or that I spent a long time making friends with very important people who try very hard to know things in this place. And I don't have time to tell you all the things that I do know. I have to make choices now. Very important choices." He rests his head in his hands, and I am so confused. I want to reach out and touch his monitor, or say something to him. But I know that if I do, I'll call attention to him, and I've picked up on just enough to let me know that whatever his situation is, it's dire, and I need to bring as little attention to him as possible. Finally, he continues, "I don't think I have time to say much to you at all, so you have to listen to me very carefully, Alecto." His eyes are wild and wheeling and crazy. "Only take what you can. Take whoever's closest to you. Have that little boyfriend of yours help you if you need him. However you can figure out to do it... I don't know... You have to figure it out... How to get out of here... And then you run. Run away from this place. Get out. Get out now and run. Do you hear me? R – "