The Extinction Trials(91)

MeshOS Initiating 22% Loaded





She had to get out of here—and soon, while she could still think, while she was still herself.

But how? And where would she go?

For some reason, her mind drifted back to the page she had found in the envelope with her name on it in Station 17. In the airlock to the entry terminal, a drop of liquid had brought writing to the surface of the blank page—in a very similar way as the MeshOS interface had appeared on her skin.

The item was still in her pocket. They hadn’t bothered searching her. And why would they? She was trapped here, and they would soon control her with the mesh.

She rose from the couch and walked to the bathroom, where she closed the door and hunched over the sink, trying to hide what she was doing from any cameras inside—and she hoped there weren’t any.

She turned the water on, drew the page from her pocket, and let the bubbling liquid wash over it.

Slowly, in waves, the image took form, the lines gray at first, then darker, and finally black.

Maya was shocked by what she saw. At first, she didn’t understand it. Then, comprehension dawned on her. It was actually really simple. The symbols had been there all along. Guideposts standing along the road for anyone willing to read them.

She saw what they had to do.

Yes, they had a chance.

Through the bathroom door, Maya heard the door to the outer room fly open, impacting the wall in a loud crash.

They knew—The Colony had seen what she had done. They knew what she had discovered. She shook her head, regretting her actions as she stuffed the page in her pocket.

The door to the bathroom flew open and Maya staggered back. But when she saw who was standing in the doorway, her heart burst.

Owen.

He was panting, a smile growing on his face.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she said, a laugh starting. “How did you get here—”

Maya caught a glimpse of the room then, of Alister standing in the living area, a resigned, surly look on his face—a very Alister expression.

“I know where we need to go,” Maya said.

“You do?” Owen said, clearly surprised.

“We have to get out of here.”

“You’re right about that.”

Owen held his hand out to her, and she took it, and they raced back into the observation room, toward the door, but Alister didn’t move.

“You need to lock me in here,” he said quietly.

“You’re coming with us, Alister,” Owen said.

The man shook his head, swallowing hard. “I’m not.”

“Alister, we don’t leave anyone behind—”

“Not this time, Owen. This isn’t a fairy tale. They can see and hear everything I can. They’re sending more guards. I’ve already done too much.”

“Come with us,” Owen said.

“My place is here. With Carmen. Go now.”

“Thank you, Alister,” Maya said. “Or Guthrie, rather. That’s your name, isn’t it?”

“Alister is fine. That’s how you should remember me. Now go. And lock me in here. I don’t know how much the mesh can control me.”

In the hallway, Owen locked the door with a keycard.

“Where’s Cara?” Maya asked.

“She’s in one of these rooms,” Owen said, glancing down the hallway at the three other closed doors.

Maya realized there were two disabled guards near the door at the end of the hall. That must have been where Owen had gotten the keycard that opened the doors.

“They were the only guards,” Owen said. “But I think more will come—they’re probably in the cars right now.”

Maya nodded. They needed to hurry.

“Cara!” she called out.

“I’m here,” Cara yelled from behind a door nearby.

Owen raced to the door and scanned the keycard but the doorknob simply beeped and a small light flashed red.

“They know we’re trying to escape,” Maya said. “They’ve locked the doors.”

Owen eyed the door as he stepped backward.

“What are you doing?” Maya asked.

“Don’t worry, I used to do this for a living.”

Owen ran the width of the corridor and kicked the door just beside the handle. It shook and the wall cracked, but it didn’t open.

He seemed unfazed. He merely backed up and took another run at it, kicking with just as much force. The wall cracked after that, and the frame shifted. The third kick swung it open, and Cara ran out and the three of them barreled toward the end of the corridor.

At the airlock, Owen scanned the keycard, but like the door, it simply beeped and a red light flashed. The hatch was locked. And unlike the door, Owen couldn’t kick it in.





Chapter Sixty-Nine





For a long moment, Owen stared at the hatch. They had come so far. And now they were at the end of the road.

They had been so close. He had almost gotten Maya and Cara out. Granted, he wasn’t sure where they would go, but at least out there, he had a chance at freedom—and a chance at saving the people counting on him at Garden Station.

Maya marched ahead of him and ran her hand over the white plastic wall beside the hatch.