After the rebellion we discovered that scrubbing air shafts and water pipes had been one of the jobs created purely for busy work. With a simple programming adjustment, the trolls cleaned the shafts and pipes without a scrub minder. Which worked well for me now.

When I reached Riley’s apartment, I paused for only a moment. The empty living area and bedroom matched the hollow feeling in my heart. I didn’t see Sheepy and wondered where he was. Moving on, I finished searching Sector E4 and crossed into F4.

I found Logan in a small room in the far northeast corner of Sector F. Sprawled on the couch, his arm covered his eyes. His space also had a bed, refrigerator and a tiny washroom. The computer station had a screen, but no keyboard or box.

No guards, but I checked the hallway to make sure. A complex series of locks had been installed on his door. And when I returned to the air vent, I noticed the thick bolts securing it. What I worried most about were microphones and other sensors.

The air shaft was free of any sensors, and knowing Logan, any sensors within his reach would be dismantled by now.

So taking a chance, I said his name.

He sat up and squinted. “Trella?”

“Up here,” I said.

He jumped to his feet and whooped. “I knew you’d find me!” No microphones then. “Come down! It’s safe.”

“I can’t.” I explained about the bolts. “Next time I’ll bring my diamond wire.”

“Oh.” He dropped back onto the couch. “I can’t escape anyway.”

“Did they inject you with a tracer?”

“Yep. Nothing like having your own technology bite you in the ass. If you see Anne-Jade can you punch her in the face for me?”

“She didn’t lock you in there.” I explained about the Controllers.

“The Travas have a link into the network,” he said right away.

“That’s what I thought. How’s your eyesight?”

“Better, I can see about a meter so I can read the monitor if I had a working computer.”

“Could you fix the damage to the network?”

“Of course. First thing I did when we gained control of the computer systems was to secure backup in case something like this happened.”

I considered his problem. “You can’t leave, but I can bring you what you need. Will you be able to hide it when your keepers come to check on you?”

“I should with proper warning.” He surged to his feet, excited. “I have a sweet little sensor you can install in the ceiling of the hallway, and I’ll need—”

“Slow down, Logan. Remember it’s me. Start with the most important and we’ll work from there.”

He listed several items and I determined how many trips I would need.

“Zippy can pull the skid I rigged,” Logan said in excite ment. “Then you can bring more.”

“Where’s Zippy?” I hadn’t seen the little cleaning troll since the rebellion.

“Under the bed in my room.” Ugh. Too close to the Committee for my comfort, but almost all the gadgets he needed could be found there, including the computer.

“Okay, Logan. I’ll be back with your supplies, but it may be a while.” I used more time to locate Logan than planned so I hurried back through the shafts as fast as I could without making noise, which wasn’t very fast at all.

At least I arrived in my room without encountering trouble.

It was hour thirty-five. I changed my clothes and joined Lamont in the exam room. She helped an elderly man down from the table.

“I’m not sure when your ears will stop ringing, Ben,” she said. “You were close to the blast and are lucky you didn’t lose your hearing.” Lamont handed him a bottle of small white pills. “Try these, one pill every ten hours. They might help.”

He thanked her and shuffled through the patient room.

She watched him go then said, “When we move to a bigger place, I’d like a separate waiting room for walk-ins.”

“You should be the one to design it,” I said. “Do you know how to use the blueprint program?”

“No.”

“Here, I’ll show you.” I went into her office and sat at the computer. The blueprint program was the only one I used. After the rebellion, Hank had me draw out the layout of the Gap between levels.

“You might have trouble,” she said. “Something’s wrong with the network. I can’t access patient records right now.”

I wondered why the Controllers would block them. No idea, but the program I sought popped up without hesitation, and I demonstrated to Lamont how easy it was to draw lines and type in labels.

I surrendered the chair to her. She caught on pretty quick. “This is fun.”

Her comment reminded me of my trip through the shafts. I asked her if she had any problems while I was gone.

“Not really,” she said.

“That’s not an answer.”

“One man stopped by to talk to you, but I said you were asleep and he said he’d come back later.”

“ISF?”

“No. Big guy with freckles. Kind of cute.” Bubba Boom. I wondered why he came by.

“No trouble from him,” she said. “But what if the ISF comes by and you’re not here?”

That could be a problem.

“I need a way to contact you,” Lamont said.

I touched my earlobe, but remembered I’d lost my receiver in the riot, and the microphone on my uniform had been thrown into a hazardous waste bag. “I’ll see what I can find.”