Gone (Gone #1)(109)

The three of them, Edilio, Astrid, and Little Pete, were in the office that had once belonged to the mayor of Perdido Beach and most recently had been occupied by Caine Soren. Sam had resisted the idea of takingthe office, feeling it made him seem self-important. But Astrid had argued that symbols were important and kids wanted to think that someone was in charge.

She settled Little Pete into a chair and handed him a Baggie full Of Rice Chex. Little Pete liked to eat them plain, no milk. "Where's Sam?" Astrid asked. "And why are we here?"

Edilio looked uncomfortable "We have something to show you "

Sam opened the door. He did not smile at Astrid. He looked warily at Little Pete. He said hello, then, "Astrid, there's something you need to see. And Pm thinking Little Pete shouldn't see"

"I don't understand,"

Sam flopped into the chair last occupied by Caine. Astrid was struck by how alike the two boys looked superficially. And by how different a reaction >he had to their similar features. Where Caine hid his arrogance and cruelty beneath a smooth, controlled surface, Sam et his emotions play out on his face. Right now he was sad ard weary and concerned.

"I wonder if L. P. could sit wit!) Edilio in the other room"

"That sounds ominous" Astrid said. The expression on Sam's face did not contradict her She managed to get Little Pete to move, though not without a struggle. Edilio stayed with him.

Sam had a DVD in his hand He said, "Yesterday I sent Edilio to the power plant to get iwo things. First, a cache of automatic weapons from the guardhouse"

"Machine guns?"

"Yeah. Not just for us to have, but to make sure the other side doesn't get them."

"Now we have an arms race" Astrid said.

Her lone seemed to irritate Sam. "You want me to leave Ihem for Caine?"

"I wasn't criticizing, just. .. you know. Ninth graders with machine guns: it's hard to make that a happy story"

Sam relented. He even grinned. "Yeah. The phrase 'ninth graders with machine guns' isn't exactly followed by 'have a nice day/"

"No wonder you looked so grim." As soon as she said it, she knew she was wrong. He had something else to tell her. Something worse. The DVD.

Tve been wondering, like you, why the FAYZ seems to be centered on the power plant. Ten miles in every direction. Why? So Edilio went through some of the security video at the plant"

Astrid stood up so suddenly, she surprised herself."! really shouldn't leave Petey alone"

"You know* what this DVD will show, don't you?" It wasn't a question. "You guessed it that first night. I remember we were looking at the video map. Y:>u put your arm around Little Pete and you gave me a very weird look. At the time, I didn't know what to make of that look."

"I didn't know you then" Astrid said. "I didn't know if I could trust you"

Sam slid the DVD into the player and switched on the TV, "The sound quality is pretty bad."

Astrid saw the control room of the power plant from a high vantage point with a wide angle.

The camera showed the control room. Five adults, three men and two women. One of them was Astrid's lather. The image brought a lump to her throat. There he was, her father, rocking in his chair, joking with the woman at the next station, leaning forward to till out some paperwork.

And sitting in a chair against the far walk his face lit by the glow of his omnipresent Game Boy. was Little Pete-The only sound was muddy, unintelligible conversation.

"Here it comes." Sam said.

Suddenly a Klaxon sounded, harsh and distorted on the audio.

Everyone in the control roorr jumped. People rushed to the monitors, to the instrument readouts. Astrid's father shot a worried glance at his son, bul then leaned into his monitor, staring.

Other people swept into the room and moved with practiced efficiency to the untended monitors.

Panicky instructions were shouted back and forth. A second alarm went oft, more shrill than the first-A strobe warning light was flashing. Fear on every face.

And Little Pete was rocking frantically, his hands pressed over his ears. He had a look of pain on his innocent face.

The ten adults now in the room were a terrifying pantomime of controlled desperation. Keyboards were punched, switches thrown. Her father grabbed a thick manual and began snapping through the pages, and all the while people shouted and the alarms blared and Little Pete was screaming, screaming, hands over his ears.

"I don't want to see this "Astrid >aid,but she couldn't look away.

Little Pete jumped to his feet.

He ran to his father, but his father, frantic, pushed him away. Little Pete went sprawling against a chair He ended up Hung against the long table, staring at a monitor that Hashed, flashed, Hashed a warning in bright red.

The number fourteen.

"Code one-four," Astrid said dully. "I heard my dad say that one time. It's the code for a core meltdown. He would make a joke out of it. Code one-one, that was minor trouble, code one-two, you worry, code one-three, you call the governor, code one-four, you pray. The next stage, code one-five, is ,.. obliteration."

On the tape. Little Pete pulled his hands from his ears. The Klaxon was relentless.

There was a flash thai blanked out the tape. Several seconds of static.

When the picture stabilized, the warning alarm was silent. And Little Pete was alone.