“But you believed us,” I said.

“I saw Logan using level-ten clearance, and I saw the file. This is a huge risk for the uppers. They don’t know me and they won’t trust me. But they’ll trust Domotor. Can you get him up here?”

He would probably do all right pulling himself through the air shaft, but he couldn’t go between levels. “Only if we can use the lift.”

“Too exposed. Domotor is too recognizable in the upper levels. His capture and punishment was discussed for weeks. He wouldn’t be able to blend in up here, and I doubt we could get him from the lift to a room without being seen.” Riley rubbed his face. “Also I’m not one hundred percent sure the people I’m thinking about are really supporters. My dad might know.”

More problems. More people involved. To me, trusting uppers felt like the wrong thing to do, but we needed them. “Domotor would know who to trust. I can get the names from him and some kind of code word or something you can say to them to prove he’s involved.”

“That could work. But I’ll need you here, too.”

“Why?”

“To prove the scrubs are serious about opening Gateway,” Riley said.

“And if I get into these hidden files,” Logan said, “the uppers might have a way to bypass the Controllers and regain control.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Riley smiled.

Uneasiness swirled in my stomach as I steadied the ladder for Logan. I hated having to trust uppers. I trusted Riley, but he was different. Or was he?

“Thanks for your help,” I said to Riley as Logan climbed the table.

“How soon can you get me those names?”

I needed to take Logan back, then go to Domotor’s hideout. “Four hours give or take an hour.”

“I’ll meet you in our room during my break.” Riley grasped my sore elbow to help me up the table.

I yelped and he let go.

“Sorry.” Riley watched me rub the tender spot.

“Must have bumped it.”

Logan called for help. His legs dangled from the vent. I pushed him into the air shaft. When his feet disappeared, I reached for the vent.

A click slide sounded.

“Get down,” Riley ordered.

I didn’t hesitate. He pulled the stepladder from the table, folded it and leaned it against the wall. In two strides he sat at the computer and whispered, “Stand behind me. Follow my lead.” He rested his fingers on the keys.

The door opened as I reached Riley’s chair. We both glanced at the man entering the room. He stopped short when he spotted us.

“Hi, Dad,” Riley said. “You’re back early.”

15

THE SURPRISE ON RILEY’S FATHER’S FACE TRANSFORMED into a smile. He had the same build as his son, but his thinning hair was brown and cut short. Riley’s blue eyes must have been inherited from his mother. His father’s brown eyes and beak nose gave him a friendly and inquisitive appearance.

“I see we have a visitor,” he said as he stepped into the room and closed the door.

“Dad, this is Ella, the student I’ve been training,” Riley said. “Ella, this is my father, Jacob.”

“Hello, Ella, I’ve heard so much about you.”

I shot Riley a look.

His father chuckled. “Don’t worry. Nothing bad. Riley says you’re a quick learner and coming from him that’s high praise.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“Something happen?” Riley asked his dad.

“No. I had to work through my breaks, so my supervisor let me leave a little early.” He glanced at the clock. “Shouldn’t you be reporting for duty? Or are you training Ella here?” He smiled broadly with a gleam in his eyes.

Riley stood. “No. We need to go. Just need to get…something.” He strode into the bedroom.

Jacob stepped closer to me and whispered, “You’re as beautiful as Riley claims. I hope you’ll visit us again.” He winked.

I smiled and wondered what the real Ella looked like. Riley returned.

His father spotted the ladder along the wall. “What’s this?”

“Oh. Maintenance was testing air flow again. They must have forgotten it. I’ll return it on my way to work.” He grabbed the ladder and turned toward the door.

“Wait,” his father said, staring at the ceiling. “They forgot to cover the vent, too. Hand me the ladder.”

“I’ll do it, Dad.” Riley set the stepladder on the table.

“No. You’re going to be late.” He shooed us out.

Riley shrugged and opened the door. I hoped Logan had the sense to scoot away from the vent and to keep quiet. Jacob reached for the air shaft as Riley escorted me into the hallway. The door clicked shut.

“Let’s hope Logan doesn’t give himself away.” He strode down the corridor. “Does he know where to go?”

I hurried to follow. “No. I’ll have to go back and get him. Isn’t this dangerous?” I swept my arm out, indicating the hallway.

“Not really. Just act like you belong here. Walk with confidence. No one knows who you are. Since you’re wearing a student jumper, they’ll assume you’re from another sector.”

“Don’t you know everyone up here?” My vision of the upper levels as one big happy family was being shredded strip by strip.

He laughed. “No. Do you know all the scrubs?”

“There are ten times as many of us.”

“Well, up here everyone keeps to themselves. I have a few aunts and uncles, some cousins, a friend or two and I know my fellow workers of course, but that’s about it.”

“What about the real Ella? What if she sees me?”

A few uppers walked toward us, and I braced for their cry of alarm. They nodded at us and continued past. Riley was right. I relaxed a bit and looked around. There wasn’t much to see. Doors and plain white metal walls, the same as in the lower levels. The only difference was the thin strip of gray carpet on the floor.

When the uppers moved out of hearing range, Riley said, “You are Ella.”

“I am?”

He gave me a don’t-be-stupid look. “How do you think I justify all my time spent in our storeroom? My father likes to know what I’m doing during my off hours, so I tell him I’m training a student. Actually, his unexpected arrival helped me. Now he has met Ella and knows she’s a real person. It should keep him happy for a while. Although…”

“What?”

“He might start bugging me to bring you around more.”

Confused, I asked why.

Riley’s stride slowed as he stared at me. “You really don’t know anything about families do you?”

“Scrub, remember? We have care facilities not families.” I believed I did a good job of keeping the bitterness from my voice, but he still frowned.

“Well, parents want their children to grow up, earn important positions and find mates. According to them, that’s the key to happiness. My father, being no different, wants me to find a mate. It’s the reason why he was grinning so much. He’s hoping I have found someone.”

I considered his explanation. In the lower levels, scrubs waited until after their tenure in the care facility to become couples. Care mates didn’t hook up. It was frowned upon.

“Don’t you already have someone? Another upper?” I asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

He stopped and searched my expression. I tried to let my genuine interest show. He had been right about my lack of curiosity and my assumptions of upper life. I was determined to learn more.

“I haven’t met the right woman yet. Guess I’m waiting for someone to…surprise me.” He continued walking.

“Surprise you how?”

“Oh, the usual way, I guess. Suddenly appear out of nowhere and completely change my life. You know, boring stuff.”

He increased his stride so I couldn’t see his expression, but I thought he might be joking with me.

“How about you?” he asked in a too-casual tone. “Anyone surprising?”

Domotor would qualify for appearing out of nowhere and changing my life, but I didn’t think he was referring to him.