Renegade (The Elysium Chronicles #1)(58)

Macie doesn’t stop him or go with him, and in fact appears amused when he finally settles himself next to me and reluctantly takes his own glass, studying it carefully as well.

“Don’t trust me, Surface Dweller?” she asks.

“No,” he says flatly.

“Good,” she says. “That makes two of us. I don’t trust you, either. I’m positive you’re using her and I will prove it, but for now we have to get along.” She glances at me. “For her sake, if nothing else.”

The two nod at each other and, while there is still a heavy feel to the room, the tension decreases.

When my stomach rumbles, Macie smiles at me. “Hungry?”

I nod and she lifts an eyebrow at Gavin, who sighs, but also nods. When she gets up, I realize this may be the only opportunity I have. Gavin will be upset, but there’s no other option. If I stand any chance of getting to the computer and back alive, he can’t be with me.

I stand, grateful I’m not dizzy. “I’ll help you get everything together,” I say to Macie.

She nods and leads the way to her kitchen.

Gavin stands, but I gesture for him to sit. “Please. Let me have a few minutes alone with her. I need to try and fix this. I don’t want to leave it like this.”

He sits back down. “I’ll be waiting right here.”

Feeling grateful that he trusts me and guilty that I’m using it against him, I go into the kitchen. Macie is looking into the refrigerator, pulling out ingredients for sandwiches.

The minute the door closes behind me, I say, “Where’s the maintenance entry?”

Macie turns, her face scrunched up in confusion, holding two jars in her hands. “I’m sorry?”

“Your maintenance entry. Where is it?”

She slowly places the jars on the counter. “Why?”

I fight the urge to yell at her. “Because in order to get our DNA back in the computer, I need to use the tunnels,” I say.

She stares at the door to the living room as if she can see through it. “What about him? He doesn’t trust me. He’s going to think I sent you to your death or something.” The smile she’s wearing slips off her face and she pales. “I could very well be sending you off to your death.”

“I know the Palace Wing like the back of my hand. There’s no one more qualified for this than me.”

“If you can remember your way around,” she says.

I only stare at her.

She eyes my shoulder. “That’s not healed. It’s going to slow you down.”

I shrug, trying not to wince at the sharp pain that zigzags across my shoulders. “Not as much as you think.”

She opens her mouth to argue, but Gavin’s voice sounds from the living room.

“Everything okay in there? Do you need any help?”

Giving Macie a look, I call back through the door. “We’re fine. Just getting some hors d’ouevres put together. Macie likes to throw a party when guests come to visit.”

She forces a laugh. “I can’t help it. Guests are a rare thing for me lately.”

Gavin doesn’t respond, and I hope he hasn’t caught the strain in her voice. Either way, I need to hurry. “Macie. Please. Where’s your maintenance entrance?”

She sighs, then gestures for me to follow. She leads me back toward the bedroom and then points to a section of the wall. She presses her hand to the side near the corner and there’s a soft click. The wall swings toward us without a sound.

“Thanks,” I say as I slip through the opening.

“Wait! What do I do about your boy?” she asks with a smirk. “I can’t stay in the kitchen forever.”

I glance back at the door. “Tell him the truth. That I went to fix our problem. Just don’t show him how to get to the tunnels.”

“What if you don’t come back?”

I meet her eyes. “Then I’m asking for another favor. Please figure out a way to get him out of here. Alive.” Then I pull the door shut. And while the click is practically silent, it echoes in my head like the hammer on a gun.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



There is a need for something special. To make the Citizens better than they are. But it must be kept secret. I fear the critics will not understand if it’s revealed too soon. Meet me in your lab at 1800 to discuss it.





—MOTHER, IN A NOTE TO HER MOST TRUSTED SCIENTIST





These tunnels are different than the ones I used before, brighter and not as musty smelling. There are no red lights in these. Water drips off the mess of pipes and wires running along the ceiling. And this passageway is large enough that I can stand easily. It’s so tall, I’m sure even Gavin could stand easily. At the thought of Gavin, guilt tugs at me, but I ignore it. I’m doing this for both of us. I just have to hope he’ll understand.

The other difference is that these tunnels are used regularly, while the others are only used in case of a problem. Mother found the sight of dirty, grungy workers unpleasant, so she created these to keep them out of view. In essence, they are the city’s servants’ tunnels.

I tread as quietly as I can, which isn’t easy. The ground is gritty and the soles of my shoes make crunchy, scratchy noises with every step. Although I’m sure it’s not all that loud, probably no louder than a soft whisper, I’m convinced that it’s as deafening as an alarm and that Enforcers are going to pop out of the shadows at any minute.