“So what else is a lie? What else should I know?”
“The rest is true. My father is evil. He’s got an auction planned for the richest Enders in the world, and he’ll sell the Metals and the technology to the highest bidder. And odds are, they’ll use it against us. Against our country.”
“All that stuff you just said.” I pointed at him. “How he was messing with my head, that he likes the power—it was really about you.”
“No,” he said.
“Because you’re a lot like your father after all. That’s how come you understand him so well.”
My words had the effect I wanted—he looked pained.
I stopped walking and faced Hyden.
“We need you. So we have to work together. But it doesn’t mean I forgive you or even trust you, after what you’ve done.”
“I don’t blame you,” Hyden said. “Just give me a chance to win back your trust.”
I wasn’t about to grant him anything at that point.
Brockman’s facility was in the middle of the desert, and yet it seemed oddly unprotected.
“There’s no fence,” Michael said. “How come?”
“It’s pretty isolated out here,” I said.
“It would draw more attention. And there are more dangerous barriers than fences,” Hyden said. “It’s like saying to the world, my security’s better than some puny fence.”
We walked around, past the side of the building. There was no landscaping, just some small cacti around the edge. Windows dotted the upper part of the building, too high to do anything but let light in during the day.
Hyden went to a set of tall double doors that formed the back entrance. I looked at the back parking lot, which was huge. There must have been room for over a hundred cars. At this late hour, I counted only seven. That was consistent with what Trax had said. It gave me some hope that we weren’t facing overwhelming odds.
Hyden pulled out a passkey from his pocket that he waved over a metal panel to the right of the doors. We heard a click. Then one of the large doors silently swung open.
“Thank you, Trax,” Hyden whispered. He motioned for us to follow him inside.
We were in some sort of lobby. An illusion of green bamboo stalks was projected onto a glass floor. I spotted two doors to the right labeled Employee Lockers. One was for women, one for men. We all had the same idea at once. Michael and Hyden ducked into the men’s room, and I slipped into the women’s locker room.
Inside, it looked like what I’d seen in the holos as a luxury spa. More illusion floors, teakwood cabinets, giant bamboo plants and orchids, even a waterfall. I imagined that during the day they probably played peaceful flute music.
I opened a locker and found their version of a lab coat— a short white kimono. I put it on over my clothing and tied it at the waist. I put on a white surgical hair cap. When I came out, both the guys had their kimono lab coats and caps on as well.
“Now what?” I said quietly.
“Let’s go to work,” Hyden said.
Hyden opened the door leading to the main part of his father’s facility. I looked over his shoulder and saw only a dark expanse of hallway.
While we held back, Hyden started down the hallway, which blossomed with gently glowing lights as he made his way. Hyden had decided that he would go first and look for a computer while I split off to look for my father. He turned a corner and disappeared. Michael was set to go last and be on the lookout for our Metal friends.
I made my way down the sterile hallway, moving between shadows and pools of light. I cradled the holstered gun underneath the kimono, hoping I would not have to use it.
I opened a door at the end of the hallway and stood there a moment, stunned at what I’d found. The room stretched on forever and contained a wild profusion of plants and small trees with low-hanging branches. I entered the lush space. The air felt warm and smelled rich and earthy. It seemed like they’d modeled it after a rain forest—a total contrast to the desert outside.
I spotted Hyden in one of the side rooms, working on an airscreen. He looked up and motioned for me to join him. I popped in.
“I’m in, so take this.” He gave me Trax’s passkey and I slipped it into my pants pocket.
I went to the back of the jungle room and exited through another door. It opened to a hallway that had a wall fountain halfway through. The sound of the bubbling water filled the space. I walked on, peeking in what appeared to be offices or meeting rooms. They’d decorated the spaces in the style of various countries—India, Russia, Japan. I recognized them from my school studies before the war. School. Would I ever have a chance to return? Not to a Zype School, to a real one.