corners where the haze was thickest. Everyone gathered
around, and Landon was the first to guess what it was.
"It's him, isn't it?"
In front of him stood a sculpture of a boy sitting on the stump of
a tree. The face seemed to be pondering some great invention.
And to everyone's surprise, the face was the same as the one
they'd all seen on the piece of paper.
"Yes," said Aggie, holding out the paper so everyone could see.
"It looks just the same!"
"You see! I told you!" said Landon. "He loved being a kid the
most. He wanted to stay that way."
"I think maybe you're right," said Edgar.
The sound of pounding and screeching was closer than ever
and it made everyone jumpy. Cleaners and Spikers had figured
out they could get nearer to Station Seven. They were wasting
no time trying to lay claim to newly found territory.
"They'll keep coming until the line goes back up," said Aggie.
"It's all-out war."
Edgar knelt down at the statue and felt around the base until he
came up with a way in which to hug the sculpture and try to turn
it. It didn't move at all no matter how hard Edgar tried.
"It says to turn it to the left," said Edgar, pulling the paper out
and handing it to Aggie. "That's correct, isn't it?"
Edgar thought maybe he'd misread, but Aggie nodded that he'd
been right.
"You try it, Vash--you're stronger than I am."
Edgar took the powder block again and Vasher was down on
his knees in a flash, trying to turn the sculpture with all his
might.
"You've got it, Vash! You've got it!" cried Landon as he heard a
clicking sound. Vasher regained his balance and cleared his
head.
"All we have to do now is tip it over," said Aggie. Vasher
grabbed it by the head and pulled away from the corner of the
yards. Young Dr. Harding tipped over, revealing a dark hole
with a narrow set of stairs leading down. Somehow it was
troubling to see Dr. Harding's statue toppled in such a pitiful
way, his face in the dirt.
"He's got a twisted sense of humor," said Aggie, shaking her
head.
"You have no idea," added Edgar, thinking of all the strange
and wonderful things his father had done on Atherton.
The sound of warring Cleaners and Spikers was growing
steadily louder, and another monster was hurled into the line of
electricity amid shrieks and cries.
"Why don't they turn it back on?" said Vasher. "It doesn't make
any sense!"
They quickly started the descent into a secret place they knew
nothing about, fearing an attack from any side at any moment.
No one spoke until they reached the bottom, a long way down,
where the air felt cold.
"I think we can take off our goggles and masks," said Edgar. He
set the powder block carefully on the hard floor and removed
both pieces of protective gear, breathing a sigh of relief as he
blinked and rubbed his sore eyes. He found himself standing in
a room bathed in faint light, full of wonderments he hadn't
expected.
"Don't you dare come back here!" yelled Commander Judix.
"But we have to come back!" cried Shelton. He and Red Eye
had been guarding the Raven in the forsaken wood, but so
many creatures were on the move the two men were growing
more nervous by the second. "We can't keep these monsters off
the transport forever. What's happening over there?"
"Is the door to the vessel open or closed?" asked Commander
Judix, ignoring Shelton's request for information.
Shelton couldn't believe her question. What was wrong with
her?
"It's open," he said, exasperated as he rolled his eyes in Red
Eye's direction. "What does it matter?"
"Then you can't leave! The boy must have the key. Without it
the vessel's not going anywhere."
"You don't actually think this thing has someplace to go?" said
Shelton, bewildered that his commander thought the arrival of
an old relic could mean anything more than some malfunction
of a long abandoned system.
"Commander," he tried again, "you don't believe someone on
Atherton sent this thing?"
"Of course they did!" cried Commander Judix. "I'm going for the
boy. Don't move! And don't let any of those filthy creatures near
my ship!"
The line went dead and Shelton glanced at Red Eye.
"She's finally gone crazy. I mean really crazy."
There had long been two kinds of people at Station Seven:
those who had never really believed in Atherton's viability to
begin with and those who stil believed Atherton was a thriving
world just barely out of their reach. Shelton was the first kind,
Red Eye the second. Red Eye had long lain awake at night
wishing he could get to Atherton--all that clean air and water, no
more children to take care of, no more Commander Judix or
monsters to deal with. He could walk outside if he wanted.
Maybe he could take off his goggles in the light of day!
"She's crazy, just as you say," agreed Red Eye. "And it appears
she's let the fuel go almost dry. Maybe you're right. Maybe we
should go back before things get out of hand. She might lose
the entire station."
The sound of monsters moving all around them outside
continued, but they seemed uninterested in attacking the tanklike transport. The fight was on, and each side was racing for
the new ground that had opened up in front of Station Seven. A
giant Cleaner grazed at the side of the transport, and it tossed
Red Eye and Shelton to and fro inside.
"You're right," Shelton declared as he gathered himself. "We're
getting out of here."
But Red Eye had used the moment to put his hand over his
shoulder and retrieve his bender. He held it out toward Shelton
and smiled menacingly.
"I never liked you much," said Red Eye.
"You're as mad as she is!" said Shelton. It was no real weapon,
not like the military issue Leveler at Shelton's side, which he
reached for just then. But he had underestimated both the
power of the bender and Red Eye's skill at using it. In a flash,
Red Eye whipped it down hard on Shelton's hand, cutting it
open across the back. The Leveler dropped to the metal floor
with a clang and Shelton shrieked.
"Oh, you've no idea what I can do with this superb weapon,"
Red Eye said, kicking the gun out of Shelton's reach as he
stepped closer to the injured man in front of him. "Have to be
careful with the kids. It's a welt you want with them. But I do so
like the chance to really let it loose once in a great while."
Snap! Red Eye swung the bender again, this time across
Shelton's legs, just above the knees. He howled in pain as the
ripped fabric began to stain red.
"They do like the smell of blood. It's sure to slow at least one of
them down, don't you think?"
Red Eye pushed the button that opened the transport door and
it swished to life. In the misty fog of the forsaken wood he
watched the long
legs of a passing Spiker stop and bend down,
sniffing the rancid air.
"Time for you to go," said Red Eye.
"No! You can't!" yelled Shelton. The Spiker heard the cries and
leaned down closer still, where its lolling head could be seen
outside the door. Red Eye mercilessly whipped at Shelton's feet
until the man had no choice but to tumble out of the transport
and run for his life. As the door closed the Spiker chased after
Shelton, but Red Eye never saw the end result. He was too
busy looking into the monitor at the open door of the vessel that
would take him to the place of his dreams.
"Where is he?" demanded Commander Judix, and then again,
much louder before Socket could answer. "WHERE IS HE?"
She had rolled frantically down the passageway of lies,
collecting two of her remaining guards along the way to escort
her. She'd unlocked the door to the Silo and passed into a
world that she had tried desperately to avoid at all cost.
Commander Judix rolled right onto the platform and was lifted
up to the barracks level in search of Edgar. A moment later,
Hope had secretly left the Silo without Commander Judix
suspecting a thing.
"I asked you a question," said Commander Judix, her face
contorted with rage. She had found Socket in the kitchen,
foraging for food. "What have you done with him?"
"He's working in the vine room, ma'am," Socket lied, wiping the
chalky remains of a hastily consumed cup of powdery water.
"But they're very busy today. Trying to stay on schedule for
Grammel."
"Grammel's gone, you worthless --" In her rage she'd said more
than she intended, but what did it really matter? "Just lead me to
the boy!"
"I tell you he's working," said Socket. "In the vine room, with the
others. If you stay here I'll fetch him for you."
Commander Judix breathed a grave sigh of exasperation as
Socket stood blinking furiously behind his goggles. "Get on with
it!"
Socket bolted from the room and in a flash was quickly riding
down the platform in the middle of the Silo. He didn't stop until
he reached the drying room at the very bottom. Picking up the
receiver on the communication box, Socket pressed the code
for the transport vehicle.
"Red Eye? Are you there? I need help!"
There was no answer on the other end, only the fizzing and
popping of dead air.
"Red Eye!" Socket yelled again. "Where are you?"
Still no answer.
Socket didn't know what to do. The entire green team was
missing. How could he have lost an entire team? It was
outrageous! His brother would be furious, not to mention
Commander Judix. What might she do if he didn't return with
this new recruit in hand?
"What is it? What do you want now?"
"Red Eye!" Socket began. "I've made a terrible mistake. You
have to help me! I can't find the green team. They're hiding from
me! I hate them, hate them, hate them! But they won't come out.
The Commander is here and she wants the new one. I don't
know what to do!"
A long pause of crackling static ensued. Socket knew better
than to rush his brother. It only made him impatient when he
was already worked up. But as the seconds ticked away,
Socket couldn't stand it any longer.
"Brother? Are you there? Help me!"
There was a shred of compassion left in Red Eye and he knew
his brother wouldn't survive two days without him. He'd left him
for a few hours and look what had happened! He'd lost an entire
team.
"Better get him," mumbled Red Eye. "He'll never make it here
without me."
"Get outside by the lower door," said Red Eye, his voice was
tinny and distant. "Use the drying room door--the one that we
never open. Hang on."
The line went silent again and Socket glanced at a small door
in the far wall that led to the outside. The combination for its
lock was known only by a few, and Socket was not among
them.
"Twenty-one, Two, Seven, Nine," said Red Eye. "Give me
twenty minutes to race across and I'll get you."
"Can you come any faster?" said Socket.
And so Red Eye raced across the forsaken wood, watching the
monitors carefully in order to avoid the red dots that indicated
moving Cleaners and Spikers. There were surprisingly few of
them about, but there was a huge cluster of red dots moving
along the lines of defense near Station Seven.
"I have a bad feeling about this," he said, pressing his big metal
boot heavier on the accelerator.
Socket was already at the door, trying the combination. He had
the numbers mixed up in his head and couldn't get them
straight. Fumbling at the dial and pulling on the handle for the
third time, he heard the sound of the platform rising on its
hydraulic metal pole.
"Oh, no," he whispered. "She's coming for me!"
Socket turned back to the dials and tried again and again. He
had the right numbers but couldn't seem to place their order.
And it was hard to see through his goggles as sweat began to
pour down his face. He blinked feverishly as the platform came
to a quick stop and began its descent.
"She's coming! And the two goons with her!"
He tried again with the four numbers, yelling over and over,
"Come on! Come on!"
Click!
"Yes!" he cried, for he'd finally gotten the order right and the
door had come open. He had no mask, no protection, and he
knew it would damage him to go outside. But he didn't care. He
simply had to get away from the coming fury of this woman and
her henchmen. He had to find his brother.
Socket passed through the opening and as he closed the door
behind him Commander Judix and her two guards arrived in the
drying room.
"He's not here," one of them said.
"Do I look like a blind fool?" yelled Commander Judix. "Search
every corner of this facility. If anyone gets in your way, kill them.
Find that boy and bring him to me!"
One of the two guards, a slightly older man who'd been her ally
for years and years through a great many bad decisions, was
brave enough to ask her a question.
"Commander, we don't know what boy you're talking about.
What will he look like?"
"You'll know him when you see him. He'll be healthier than all
the rest, like he doesn't belong here. Have Hope help you, she
knows what he looks like."
The men were a little too slow in their departure and heard one
last command.
"If you see Socket, throw him outside. He's lied to me for the last
time."
Commander Judix went straight to the laboratory and let herself
in, rolled in front of the console, and dropped the black disk onto
the screen. She stared unblinking at the dot of light. As long as
it was there she knew the way to Atherton remained. If only she
could find Edgar, take the key, and get inside the vessel. It was
so simple! She would be f
ree at last of all the bad memories, the
awful mess in which she'd had to live.
She heard the sound of giant monsters crashing into the line of
electricity. She hadn't anticipated such uncontained violence
from the forsaken wood. These creatures wanted more space
and would fight to the death for it, and that would mean trouble
for Station Seven. It wouldn't be long before one of them
crashed into the only remaining line of power and broke through
to the other side.
Then she'd be face-to-face with them once again--and they'd
finish the job.
"Where are you, Edgar? Where are you hiding my key?" The
Commander of Station Seven hunched like a cat over a mouse,
unable to take her eyes off the pulsing blue dot against the
black surface.
Little did she know the dot was about to move.
CHAPTER 25THE CHILL OF
WINTER
The green team was standing in a round room with a shiny
black floor and five statues placed around its rim, each about
Edgar's height.
"The legend says he was an amazing artist," said Teagan. "I
guess the legend is true."
"Let's get a look at each one, can we?" asked Landon.
Everyone had calmed down a bit now that the sound of warring
creatures outside was muted from underground, and they
nodded, unable to resist the temptation to explore. A few
seconds later they had gathered around the first statue.
"There's a carving here, in the stone," Aggie noticed. "It says
'The Birth of the Nubian.' What does that mean?"
The statue was of a bird that looked much like an arrow. It had a
mean face that bore down on them as they stared at it.
"That's a flying creature that lives inside Atherton," said Edgar.
"It can't get to the surface."
Aggie had already moved on and found that the next statue
looked like a languid creature bursting out of a river, trying to
clamp down on something with its razor-sharp teeth.
"This one says 'The Making of the Inferno,' " said Aggie. "I don't
like it."
Edgar quickly explained what he knew of the Inferno by the
details he'd heard from Isabel and Samuel. When they stepped
in front of the third statue Edgar recognized it right away.
"'The Fall of Atherton,'" said Teagan, who had jostled ahead of
Aggie so she could be the one to read this time. "What is it?"
"It's Atherton, after it changed," said Edgar, ever amazed by the
bizarre world he'd known his whole life.