The buzz rose again, but it had a more muted, uncertain sound.
“These are live images of what the Outsiders are doing,” I said. “They pretended to be the Controllers so they could get into our ship. They’re people from our world who had been exiled for crimes against us, and are now planning to exile all of us Insiders.”
Sloan joined me on the table. “She’s right,” he said over the din. “We’re trying to stop them, but we need your help. Trella freed us from the Pop Cops. She can free us from the Outsiders.”
A man stood up and asked, “How can we trust her? The Committee and Mop Cops were just as bad as the Travas and Pop Cops.”
“This time I promise not to let a Committee make the decisions. You…” I swept an arm out. “You are going to make them.” I waited until the ruckus died down. “You will vote for your leaders.”
Then the image on the screen showed two Outsiders dragging Anne-Jade toward the transport vehicle. She fought and broke free for a second before the Outsider on the right tack led her to the ground. I glanced at Logan. He stared at the screen with his mouth gaping open in horror.
I turned back in time to see the other Outsider twisting a metal X.
“NO!” Logan screamed.
Everyone watching gasped as Anne-Jade bucked and shook in obvious agony. The Outsider kept zapping her over and over until she lay still. Her lifeless gaze stared at nothing.
Logan screamed again and bolted for the door. Sloan and Bubba Boom chased him down. Chaos erupted as fear and outrage rolled through the assembled. Numb with shock and horror, I couldn’t move. Anne-Jade was my friend.
A third Outsider came into view. It was Fosord. He pointed at Anne-Jade’s body and then pointed directly at the camera. Instant silence followed his gesture.
Fosord reached to the side. When his hands reappeared, he held a wipe board. Three words had been written on the board: Surrender or die.
My grief for Anne-Jade would have to wait until later. I shoved it deep down and took advantage of the stunned silence. “They’re scared of us,” I said. “We need to act now before they do.”
“Before they can poison our air?” one man called.
“Before we die of thirst?” a woman asked.
“No to both. We have a team at the air plant. And we’ll either win or lose by the time water becomes an issue.” I conferred with Sloan.
“I’ll need two groups of twenty each to secure the stair ways,” he said. “I’ll lead one team.”
“And I’ll lead the other,” Riley called.
I wanted to say no, but as I told Bubba Boom, Riley knew how to fight. The teams formed quickly and I took heart from the eager helpers.
Sloan, Riley and Bubba Boom grouped together and I joined them.
“...suits then the stunners won’t work unless they have their helmets off. In that case, aim for their heads,” Bubba Boom said.
“Once we have the stairways, we can send bigger teams to advance up through the levels, securing each,” Sloan said.
“How big?” I asked.
Sloan looked at Bubba Boom.
“Hank has at least two hundred maintenance people, plus four dozen Travas and five hundred Outsiders. Watch out for the armed Outsiders. They have this weapon that looks like a black metal tube, but it spits out round disks with razor sharp edges. It’ll slice through skin and bone,” Bubba Boom said.
“What do we do if we encounter armed Insiders working for the Outsiders?” Riley asked.
“Incapacitate, but don’t harm,” I said, handing him the communication set from Sloan.
“How?” Riley asked. “We only have two stunners and a handful of knives.”
“We need more weapons,” Sloan said.
I spotted Ivie and Kadar hovering by the door and gestured for them to join us.
Kadar carried a laundry sack. He handed it to me. “Five stun bombs. Yank the pin out and roll it toward your target. You’ll have about four seconds before it goes off. It should affect anyone within a six-meter radius from the bomb.”
“They’ll help, but still not enough,” Sloan said.
“We’ll make more as long as we can,” Ivie said.
“Thanks,” I said. In the meantime, we still needed weapons. I asked Bubba Boom if the ISF’s weapons were still locked in the safe.
“Hank removed a bunch for his men and the Outsiders, but the last time I saw there were a few left. But he changed the code for the lock.”
I glanced at Logan. He huddled on the floor next to Domotor. Kneeling next to him, I hugged him close for a moment. Then I explained my need.
“Can you help?” I asked him.
He wiped his eyes. “On one condition.”
I waited.
“That I get to kill-zap Fosord.”
“I thought that wasn’t your thing,” I said.
“It is now.”
“No. We’re not killers. Anne-Jade wouldn’t approve and you know it. You can stun him, how’s that?”
“Can I at least kick him a couple times?” Logan sounded like a petulant child. “Yes.”
“All right. I’m in.” He went in search of a few supplies, calling to Emek and Rat to fetch items.
The Captain’s voice startled me. He called through the receiver. Sloan cupped his ear.
“...have us pinned down,” Captain Trava said. “We disconnected the gas, but we won’t last long.”