Zero had called Patrick this morning to tell him he’d gone back to Newark before dawn and followed the sim bus into Manhattan. He saw where it dropped off the sims at a Harlem sweatshop. Assuming pick-up would be at the same spot, the new plan was to put Tome on line with the workers as they boarded the bus.

“If Tome gets the job done tonight, we could be bringing Meerm here tomorrow morning.”

Betsy smiled and raised her coffee cup in a sort of toast. “I’ll be waiting.”

6

NEWARK, NJ

Meerm hide in cold dark place and hurt. Hurt so ver bad. Tummy go kick-kick-kick. Was food bad? Meerm not think. Not feel sick tummy, just hurt tummy. Hurt-hurt-hurt, then stop. Then hurt-hurt-hurt again, then stop.

Now hurt stop again. Meerm close eyes and breathe. So good when hurt stop.

What this? Leg feel wet. Meerm touch. Yes, wet and warm. Put wet from leg near light from steel door crack. Red wet. Blood? Where blood come? From inside? How come from inside?

Now Meerm cry. Don’t want bleed. Don’t want die. What wrong Meerm?

7

MANHATTAN

Tome keep head down and walk far back in bus like Mist Sulliman say do. Sit seat and wait. Other sim come, say, “My seat, my seat.”

Tome stand wait for bus move, then find other seat.

“Who you?” say she-sim next Tome. “You not shop sim.”

Tome remember what Mist Sulliman tell him say. “Yes, not shop sim. Just old sim looking for friend.”

“Who friend?”

“Meerm.”

Tome know not true, but Mist Sulliman tell say this.

She-sim say loud, “Beece! Beece! Come see old sim!”

Tome look and see he-sim come down aisle. This Beece big. Look down Tome.

“Why here old sim?”

“I am Tome. Look for Meerm. She friend.”

Beece get mad face. “You lie! Bad mans send! You want hurt Meerm!”

“No! Good mans send. Friend all sim. Best friend sim have. Try to make sim union. Try—”

“What yooyun?”

Tome try tell but Beece not understand. So Tome tell Beece bout how Mist Sulliman hurt by bad mans, house burned by bad mans who hate sim.

Beece eyes ver wide. “House burn? Because help sims?”

All other sim who hear turn round, look Tome.

Tome say, “Yes! Good man! Best man. Now want help Meerm. Save her from bad mans. Also Meerm ver sick.”

All sim nod. Yes, some say. Meerm ver sick.

“Good man help make better. Where Tome find Meerm?”

Beece not speak.

She-sim next Tome say, “Beece not know. No sim know.”

No sim speak long time. Tome ver sad. Want help Mist Sulliman but fail. Touch phone in pocket. Must call and tell.

Then Beece say, “Beece know. Not know exact, but can help.” Beece look hard Tome. “Must tell true. Must help Meerm.”

“Tome help Meerm.” So ver happy now. “Tome help good.”

8

NEWARK, NJ

“Get ready,” Zero murmured from the darkness behind her as the school bus pulled to a stop before the sim crib.

Romy raised her binoculars and focused on the front door. Patrick had parked the van in the same spot as last night. He sat beside her behind the wheel, training his own set of glasses on the door, and she knew Zero had his pair aimed between them. They had to know whether or not Tome got off the bus, and all agreed that three sets of eyes were better than one.

Romy licked her lips. Her fingers felt slick against the black matte finish of the binocular barrels. This was the night when it all could come together, when all her years of effort, when everything she’d worked for would come to fruition…

Or go up in smoke.

She took a breath. No smoke. This was going to work.

No movement yet. She noticed Patrick lowering his glasses.

He let out a long, slow breath, as if he’d been holding it. “What if somebody spots him and gets suspicious?” he said.

“No reason they should,” Zero said. “Tome’s dressed just like the other sims. And besides, the surveillance teams are looking for a pregnant female.”

“But what about their warden or whatever you call the guy inside—what if he counts one extra and turns him over to the guys outside. I saw how they cut up those other sims.”

Romy stared at Patrick. Was that a catch in his voice? He was really worried—not about blowing their chance to find Meerm, but about Tome being hurt. Same as last night when he’d refused to let Tome near the building.

She felt a burst of warmth for him. What a change from the hard case she’d met just a few months ago. She laid a gentle hand on his arm.

“We won’t let anything happen to Tome. You know that.”

“Better not,” he said, staring straight ahead. “He’s my roomie, you know.”

“I know. And I—”

“There they are,” Zero said and the three of them trained their glasses on the small patch of sidewalk between the bus and the front door.

Romy wished there were more light as the sims trooped out in ones and pairs. She fine-tuned the focus on her binocs, training her gaze on their faces. Since they all were dressed in identical coveralls, only the faces would tell. She watched one after another swim through her field of vision in a seemingly endless stream, and then suddenly the parade was over.

“I didn’t see him,” Romy said.

Neither had Zero or Patrick.

“Do you think this means what it’s supposed to mean?” Patrick whispered.

Romy felt her heart rate kick up. The plan was for Tome to enter the sim dorm if he hadn’t learned Meerm’s whereabouts by the time the bus arrived. If he’d been successful, he was to hide on the bus until the driver parked it down the street, then sneak out and call for pick-up.

“I hope so,” she said.

Patrick reached for the ignition but Zero stopped him.

“Wait till we hear from him. We’re much less conspicuous sitting still.”

And so they waited. And waited.

“Why doesn’t he call?” Patrick said, tapping the steering wheel none too gently. “Something’s wrong.”

Romy prayed not.

Tome lost.

Turn round and round in dark but not know where is.

Tome bad sim. Old fool sim. Not listen Mist Sulliman. Not do what told. Mist Sulliman say call but Tome not. Fool Tome wait driver go, then open bus window. Climb through, drop ground. Tome not call like Mist Sulliman say. Fool Tome go find Meerm self. Show Mist Sulliman can find. Bring back Meerm. Make Mist Sulliman proud.

Tome do bad thing. Wait by bus. See no car. Run cross street. Hide shadow. Try remember what Beece say. Wish Beece knew better where Meerm hide. Only know, “Left side home building. Many, many turn go see Mickey-D gold arch light over fence. Look black metal door. Red writing door. Meerm inside.”

Tome go, make many many turn. No see Mickey-D. No see black metal door. Now Tome lost in ver dark place.

Tome keep walk. Hear car noise. Many car. See light. Go to and find big street. Many light and car. And there Mickey-D. Tome find! Tome not bad sim! Not fool!

But where steel door? Tome look-look but no see door, no red writing. Tome fail. Ver sad again. Pull out phone, remember what Mist Sulliman say: First press red button, wait for beep, then press 9 button, then press green button.

Tome hope Mist Sulliman not mad and say no more friend with Tome. That make Tome ver sad.

“Yes!” Patrick cried as his PCA chirped.

Romy watched him jab theSEND button and crush the phone against his ear. He’d been sitting there with it clutched in his hand, thumb poised over the buttons like a mad bomber with a detonator.

“Tome!” he cried. “You’re all right?” He turned and nodded to Romy and Zero.

Romy let out a sigh of relief. The last twenty-five minutes had been hell.

“No-no,” Patrick was saying. “That’s all right. As long as you’re okay, it doesn’t matter. Listen, you stay there but keep out of sight. We’ll come by and get you.” He closed the PCA and started the van.