He turned to me and took both my hands. “This is the new headquarters for Inside. All the system controls are now here.” Letting my left hand go, he knocked on the door.

A thin hidden panel opened and eyes peered at us before the doors hissed apart. Bubba Boom didn’t hesitate. He strode in like he owned the place, towing me along like a prized possession.

The area resembled the main Control Room in Quad G4, but it wasn’t finished. Computers and half completed manned stations sprouted exposed wires. Desks and diagrams were drawn on the walls. Lots of general activity and buzz of voices that ceased the moment we entered.

My heart paused as I glanced around. A feeling that I had just made the biggest mistake in my entire life overwhelmed me.

I expected to recognize a bunch of the maintenance crew. I also knew a few uppers and a couple scrubs.

I expected to see Hank. And expected he would be the hardest one to convince of my newfound faith. Hank jumped to his feet and barreled toward us clearly upset. No surprise there.

I didn’t count on Karla Trava sitting with a group of uppers around a small conference table. But as much as her presence upset and surprised me, she wasn’t the reason my heart tore a hole in my chest, fleeing for its life.

Two…beings wearing strange white reflective suits stood near a bank of computers. They had round silver metal heads with black tubes that ran from their chests to small tanks on their backs.

The Outsiders had come in.

17

EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE SHAPED LIKE US—TWO legs, two arms, hands, torso and, I guessed, a head—I backed away from the Outsiders. Bubba Boom stopped me. “It’s okay, Trella, they’re just wearing protective suits. They look just like us, and these two men are here to help us get ready for the others.”

Men? Their silver heads reflected like a mirror. Hank’s broad shape alone covered half of the one’s on the left.

“Are you out of your mind?” Hank asked Bubba Boom. “Why did you bring her here?”

“She understands. I was right about her.”

Hank snorted. “You’re a fool.”

It was time for me to convince Hank. I forced my gaze away from the strange Outsiders and met his. “He isn’t a fool. I’m the foolish one. I thought once we gained control of Inside, my job was done. A mistake I plan to fix. I’m here to do it right this time. To get us back on track.”

Hank stared at me as if he could read my thoughts. I suppressed the urge to squirm under his intense scrutiny. “Cogon told me you didn’t believe in the Controllers. And you never stopped to consider our beliefs before you carelessly announced they didn’t exist.” He stepped closer to me. “The Controllers are just system safeguards and directives from our ancestors, you and Logan said. Do you know how upsetting that was?”

He didn’t wait for my reply. “Do you even understand that when you told the scrubs Outside was not the paradise they believed in for thousands of weeks, but some airless void, you destroyed their hope of ever reaching a better place?”

“I do now.”

“Too late! The damage’s been done. I never gave up hope. I kept searching for them. I knew they wouldn’t abandon us.” He swept his hand out. “And here they are. Just like us. On a journey through Outer Space to find a home. And now I don’t have to play nice with the Committee or you.”

I glanced at Bubba Boom. “If everyone believes the Controllers are our leaders, then why did you say you needed me?”

“Because there are many like you who don’t believe. And who trust your word,” Bubba Boom said.

“But all you need to do is show them proof.” I gestured toward the Outsiders. They moved closer. Their gait awkward. And so did Karla Trava. Oh joy. Two nightmares within easy reach.

“We don’t want to spark a panic. They accepted the Committee because you endorsed them, so they’ll accept the Outsiders as our Controllers as well.”

Such confidence that I didn’t deserve. Hank had been right about me. I hadn’t considered the ramifications of my discoveries. But I did know taking out the Pop Cops had been a good thing.

“Why is Karla here?” I asked Bubba Boom.

“The Travas have been cooperating with the Controllers long before your rebellion. She helped us when they contacted us.”

“Did the Travas know they’re from Outside?” I asked.

“No,” Karla said. “We believed they were intelligent beings living inside the computer network. The reality is far more logical.”

“How did you get out of the brig?”

Bubba Boom answered. “Anne-Jade. All this time Logan’s been under our…protection, not the Committee’s. We have control of the life systems as well. Anne-Jade won’t risk her brother’s life. She cares too much to refuse us.”

“I think Trella does, too,” Hank said. “And I’m not convinced of her change in heart either.”

Bubba Boom pulled me close as if to protect me. “She was taken by Jacy. Sloan tried to kill her and she understands.”

“Understands what, exactly?” Hank asked.

“I understand that we need something to unite us,” I said. And this I believed one hundred percent. Except my thinking skewed to uniting us as Insiders and not as servants to the Outsiders. “And I believe the Controllers will help and not hurt us.”

Hank turned to Karla. “What do you think?”

“I think you should recycle her right away,” she said. “She will ruin all your plans. She should never be trusted.”