The Dark Planet

  what I'll deliver."

  The boldfaced lie made his neck twitch dreadfully and

  Commander Judix couldn't stand looking at him anymore. She

  rolled away, calling over her shoulder, "Bring them to the usual

  place tomorrow just before dark."

  Red Eye wished he'd never made the trip to see Commander

  Judix in person. He was in a cold sweat from head to toe as he

  began walking back to the Silo. He could lie about the reading

  when Grammel came. He could say it had worked before and

  he didn't know why it wouldn't work now. Captain Grammel

  would see this recruit and want him. Who wouldn't want a boy

  like this one? Everything would be fine.

  "Now, about that name," he said to himself, wishing for

  something that would take his attention away from the pounding

  in his head. "I do so hope I'll have to beat it out of him."

  "The powder blocks go across the passageway of lies just like

  the 4200s," said Landon. "Then we never see any of them

  again."

  "What's the passageway of lies?" asked Edgar.

  He wanted to know what a 4200 was as well but didn't want to

  ask too many questions all at once. The barracks door was still

  open, but the boys were lying on their bunks in the dark. Faint

  light crept into the room from the corridor that separated the

  three barracks. There were six boys--seven including Edgar-and all but Vasher were younger than Edgar by a year or more.

  It was hard work in the Silo and sleep was a marvelous escape

  into a world of dreams that almost all the boys, including

  Vasher, were quick to take advantage of. But in every group of

  children there was always one who couldn't fall asleep until

  after everyone else was softly snoring. In this group, that boy

  was Landon.

  "The passageway of lies is the corridor between the Silo and

  Station Seven," continued Landon, happy to have a night

  companion to talk to. "Red Eye and Socket say it leads to a

  place better than the Silo, a place we go when we get old

  enough, if we've worked really hard. But then other times, when

  they don't think we're working fast enough, they tell us what a

  party they'll have after we're gone and how our new home will

  be full of horrible monsters and bad dreams. We can't tell when

  they're lying, or if it's all lies, or if they have no idea where we

  go and just make things up when they feel like it. So we call it a

  passageway of lies. We're pretty sure it leads somewhere bad,

  right, Vash?"

  Two bunks down the line Vasher didn't answer.

  "He sleeps really good," said Landon. "I think it helps him forget

  he's next to go."

  Edgar rolled a little to his left, trying to get comfortable. The

  bender had been painful, but not as bad as he'd imagined it

  would be. He had expected it to be awful, but it felt to Edgar like

  Socket had looked at Edgar's back and for some reason

  couldn't bring himself to scar it too badly. Still, he felt the welts

  and bruises as he moved.

  "You ever hear of a man named Grammel?" asked Landon.

  Edgar shook his head no.

  "That's how I got here. Everyone else got lost in the wood and

  was brought here. Out looking for their parents is what they say.

  I suppose it's true. I never had parents around, far as I can

  remember. And I don't even remember how I got on the beach. I

  think maybe I was sent out for something or snuck out of the

  compound to see the water. This man, Grammel, found me. I

  was only five or six. Anyway, Grammel picked me up in his boat

  and dropped me here at the Silo. He said he'd come back and

  get me someday and we'd have great big adventures, but I don't

  think he's coming back."

  Landon bit his fingernails for a few seconds but started talking

  again before Edgar could say anything.

  "They count the days around here, did you know that? So I'm

  not seven and a half years old, I'm 2730 days old. A 4200 is

  eleven and a half. That's when they send you packing. You get

  used to the big numbers after a while. Not that you'll have a

  chance to."

  "Thanks a lot!" said Edgar, laughing softly despite the bad

  news. Landon giggled, but he stopped short and glanced

  across the bunk at Edgar.

  "I'm sorry you can't stay longer. You're nice to have around."

  "Don't count me out just yet," said Edgar. "I might have a trick or

  two up my sleeve."

  Landon was about to question Edgar when the familiar clanging

  sound of metal-soled boots drew nearer from the passageway.

  A moment later, the door creaked open and a dark shadow was

  cast along the floor of the barracks.

  Red Eye walked in, rubbing the deep sockets of his eyes with

  his thumbs. He was glad to be back in the dim light of the Silo.

  Red Eye took four strides-- bang, bang, bang, bang! --and stood

  in front of Edgar's bed. He pulled the bender from his back and

  slapped it down across Edgar's shins with a loud whish! and a

  snap!

  "Tell me your name," said Red Eye.

  Edgar cried out loudly enough to wake all the boys, but none of

  them stirred. They all knew better than to get involved.

  Edgar glanced at Landon in the pale light in a way that he

  hoped the younger boy would understand. Why does Red Eye

  want to know my name? We better not tell him.

  "Peter is my name," said Edgar. He remembered the name from

  a story Samuel had used to help teach Edgar how to read.

  "That's not what you told us before."

  "What's that you say?" said Red Eye.

  He walked three angry steps and lifted one of the bunks,

  dropping it with a loud boom that left no question that everyone

  was now awake. He stood in front of Vasher's bunk.

  "He said his name was Edgar when we were in the drying

  room. I don't know anyone called Peter."

  Red Eye moved the bender along the front edge of the rusted

  steel bunk where it made a noise like slowly ripping paper.

  "How interesting," he said, glancing down the line of beds and

  seeing that Edgar had sat up.

  He sidled down the row of bunks, a little thrill in his step at the

  prospect of attacking this healthy new worker who had caused

  him so much humiliation with Commander Judix. Red Eye had

  guzzled a tin of powdery water moments before and a chalky

  film lay heavy in the corners of his mouth like froth from a mad

  dog.

  For whatever reason, he now placed all the blame for the

  current state of his terrible life in the Silo on Edgar. The splitting

  head ache was no longer Aggie's fault, it was Edgar's alone.

  Touching the glass at Station Seven, the verbal abuse from the

  commander, his endlessly annoying brother--he wanted to

  destroy Edgar and now the little dirt ball had given him a reason

  to do it.

  "We don't turn a blind eye to liars in the Silo," said Red Eye,

  arriving at the foot of Edgar's bed, his pulse quickening. "One

  bad lie leads to another, and then another, and soon the whole

  place is full of nothing but LIARS!"

  Red Eye lifted the bender over his
head and stared down at

  Edgar.

  "What seems to be the problem in here?"

  A tall figure stood in the doorway with her hand on the latch.

  Seeing he might lose his chance, Red Eye swung the bender

  sideways over the bed with an aim to crack Edgar right across

  the face, something even Red Eye had never done. But Edgar

  was much faster than Red Eye had thought. He leaped back,

  felt the wind from the bender and heard the tearing swish, but

  Red Eye had missed.

  "Get away from that bed!" said Hope. She had a voice of sheer

  magic. It had the kind of power that made an enemy wish

  against his own will to be on her side. For the first time Red Eye

  seemed to lose his nerve. It wasn't that Hope had any authority

  over him; it was the weapon she'd gotten from Max Harding

  years ago that Red Eye feared.

  Red Eye's breath shook with indecision, for he knew that Hope

  could bring him under control if he wasn't careful.

  "You shouldn't even be in here at this hour," she continued,

  striding confidently into the room until she stood only a few feet

  behind Red Eye. There was something in her hand, but Edgar

  couldn't make out what it was.

  "I was only tucking all the little monsters in for the night," said

  Red Eye, dropping the bender on his back where it made a flit!

  and disappeared. "This new one's been giving us some trouble

  today."

  He turned to face Hope for the first time and a thick beam of red

  light pointed into Red Eye's face. The dreaded thing in her hand

  had been activated.

  Like a tractor beam the light held Red Eye and wouldn't let him

  go. Hope moved her arm down and Red Eye collapsed to his

  knees.

  "Let me go!"

  It didn't sound like Red Eye was in pain, but rather afraid, like a

  ghost had entered his mind and was trying to scare him to

  death.

  "I know you think you can torture these kids all you want," said

  Hope. "But just remember what I've always said. You're going

  to get what's coming to you in the end."

  "Leave me alone!" Red Eye pleaded. "And I'll remind you once

  more so you don't forget. If you ever try to get rid of me, every

  child in the Silo will have one of these little gadgets. Young Dr.

  Harding was pretty good about organizing things like this. He

  had a gift for it."

  Red Eye was pretty sure Hope wasn't bluffing. Max Harding

  was legendary for protecting helpless kids in ways no one else

  could have imagined.

  "The barracks is all they have," said Hope. The light continued

  to pour into Red Eye's sockets as he withered closer to the

  floor. "It's the only place they can escape and rest. I won't have

  you destroy it for them, not after how hard you push them."

  "I won't come in again, I promise," said Red Eye.

  The line of heavy, liquid red light fell away and Red Eye

  staggered to his feet. He shook his head and looked every

  which way.

  "Curse Maximus Harding!" he screamed. "I hate him for ever

  existing!"

  He was humiliated and angry as he went for the door, but he

  glanced back before vanishing out into the passageway.

  "Sleep tight, Edgar, " said Red Eye. "It's the only night you're

  going to get in my Silo."

  With a great rumble Red Eye departed, and then every boy in

  the room immediately sat up in the soft light. All but Vasher. He

  rolled in a ball and refused to show his face.

  "Everyone back to sleep," said Hope. She was their protector,

  their healer, and a soft voice to calm them down. "Enjoy your

  rest, my little angels."

  They settled back in and Hope sat across from Edgar on

  Landon's bed. Hope didn't speak a word to him until he

  whispered a question. He'd been thinking about the red light

  he'd seen and what Hope had said about it.

  "Dr. Harding gave you that?" asked Edgar.

  "He did. The good doctor and I were close when he was your

  age," said Hope. "You talk as if you knew him."

  "Oh, no, I didn't mean that--I've heard of him."

  "So you know he used to live here? He didn't like it when

  people were mean."

  "Why did he leave?" asked Edgar.

  "He was very bright. They thought he could help."

  "Help with what?"

  Hope sighed deeply. "It's a long, complicated story with a not

  very happy ending. Let's save it for another time."

  She patted her pocket softly.

  "He made Red2O, this little device in my pocket, and he

  showed me how to use it. He knew how rough things could get

  around here." She glanced over her shoulder. "It's the only one,

  but Red Eye's just dumb enough to believe I've got a hundred of

  them and a plan. Keep it secret!"

  Edgar smiled. "He sounds like a good man--Dr. Harding, I

  mean, not Red Eye."

  Hope laughed softly and nodded. "I'm sorry you won't be

  staying with us very long," she said, looking at Edgar as he

  rubbed his shins. "But I guess you're happy to go after a day

  like today. How much worse can it be somewhere else, right?"

  "Right," said Edgar. He wanted to tell her about Atherton, the

  Raven, Dr. Kincaid, and every thing else, but for some reason

  he held back. What if she turned out to be tricking him? He'd

  been unable to trust any of the other adults he'd met on the Dark

  Planet, and he was more afraid than ever that he'd never get

  back home.

  "Do you know where Dr. Harding slept when he lived here?"

  Hope glanced over her shoulder and pointed to Vasher's bed.

  "Right there. B five. B for boys' barracks and five for the fifth bed

  in the line of twelve. He slept there every night of his stay. A lot

  of empty bunks here now. I guess that's probably a good thing."

  Edgar's head was reeling. L-I-F-T-B-5. It was the combination of

  number and letters from the tablet he'd found. Some thing was

  hidden beneath Dr. Harding's old bed! If only he could get

  Vasher out of it long enough to find out what it was.

  Edgar had one more line of questioning for Hope before letting

  her slip away.

  "What's the passageway of lies? Where does it lead?" If Edgar

  was going there, he wanted to know as much as he could

  before they took him.

  Hope had been asked this question more times than she could

  count. She'd been sending kids off to sea for years and never

  told one of them where they were going, because to be fair, she

  really didn't have a lot to go on. She knew it was outside, and

  that was all she needed to know. Outside was a black lung, a

  hacking cough, a death certificate. She'd only ever said to be

  prepared for some things that might be a little hard, but that it

  would be an adventure.

  Hope's life had long been about giving children a few years of

  hope, to take the edge off a bad place, to love them and care for

  them but never to scare them. And so she told the lie once

  more, hoping it would be the last time and knowing deep in her

  broken heart that she'd be saying it again before long.

  "I can't tell you wher
e the passageway of lies leads. No one

  knows for sure, I guess, least of all me. But it will be an

  adventure--that much I know--and you won't have to deal with

  Red Eye or Socket anymore."

  "When am I leaving?" asked Edgar.

  "The rumor is tomorrow night," said Hope, putting her warm

  hand over his. She felt for his pinky and found it missing, and

  this surprised her.

  "Looks like you've been beaten up a little, after all," she said,

  gazing at the near perfect creature who had landed in the sad

  world of the Silo. She could already imagine this strong, healthy

  boy out in the open air turning pale and broken. "You best get

  some rest. And don't you keep him up all night talking, Landon."

  She let go of Edgar's hand and glanced down at Landon, who

  appeared to be sleeping.

  "Don't let him fool you," said Hope. "He's a little chatterbox."

  Hope leaned over each boy whether they were sleeping or not

  and checked their covers. When she came back and touched

  Edgar on the cheek his heart skipped a beat. Why can't you be

  my mother? he thought as she disappeared out the door.

  Not three seconds went by and Landon was already talking

  again.

  "Got a surprise for you," he said.

  There was a spark of light in the room and an old candle was lit.

  Landon wouldn't look directly at it, but Edgar had always liked

  the light from a candle and couldn't stop staring at it.

  "That's great, Landon. But shouldn't you be getting some sleep

  like Hope said?"

  "I got an even better surprise. You ready?"

  Edgar was looking at the candlelight, thinking about how he

  might use it to help look under Vasher's bed.

  "I'm ready," said Edgar. He was really starting to like this young

  busybody. He had great energy for such a gloomy place.

  Landon jumped out of bed and reached up next to the metal

  wall. A series of thick pipes ran every which way, and he

  tapped on one of them four times. A few seconds later there

  was a distant echo as someone tapped back, and Landon

  jumped out of bed.

  "Come on, we have to go."

  "Wait. Landon, there's something I need you to do for me."

  "Anything! But we need to hurry. They'll wonder where we are."

  Edgar was terribly curious about where they were going and

  who they would meet, but time was so desperately precious. He

  might not get another chance.

  "This is going to sound strange, but I need to look under