A back door or windows on the main floor would allow me to enter without being seen. I don’t recall the presence of either, but I circle around to the back of the building to check. The black fence that surrounds the building grounds is only chest high and easy to scale. Once on the other side, I confirm what I hoped was not true. The guarded entrance is the only way inside.
As silently as possible, I cross the area behind The Testing Center. The upper-story windows are darkened, making it impossible to know if Dr. Barnes is inside. Have I ever seen light coming from the windows here? I don’t think so. The only time I remember being outside this building during The Testing was in the daytime, when we were waiting for the results of the first test and they allowed us to go outside. Zandri, Malachi, Tomas, and I sat near a small pond. As I approach that spot now, I remember how Zandri’s hair caught the sunlight and the way she made Malachi laugh. Last year the fountain in the middle of the pond was broken. To pass the time, Tomas and I worked together to repair it. The fountain is currently turned off, and I wonder if there’s a way to use it to create a diversion.
The gunfire has stopped, but the siren still sounds as I find the power box nestled discreetly in a pile of rocks. As I did months ago, I remove the cover with the screwdriver attachment of my pocketknife, and this time use my flashlight to view the contents. Everything looks as it did when Tomas and I fixed the fountain last summer, and I think I should be able to make the motor whine and grind enough to attract the guard’s notice.
It takes several tries to make the adjustments to the motor, wrap long pieces of grass around the impeller blade, and block the water-return pump in a way that will cause the now-hindered motor to be even more overworked. The combination should tax the machinery to produce rumbling and a high-pitched whine. Or the motor might overheat and stop working altogether. There’s only one way to find out which.
After taking a deep breath, I get ready to run and hit the power switch. The water gurgles in the fountain as I dash toward the building. The sound of the grinding motor begins as I edge my way along the back of the building toward the north side. The motor lets out a screech loud enough to be heard over the siren. It only lasts for a few seconds before the damage I did causes the motor to give out with a loud bang.
Was the noise enough?
Yes! I hear footsteps and duck around the corner of the building as whoever was in the front now looks for the source of the sound. Hoping to get inside before he returns, I race to the entrance, but I start to panic as I see the small keypad next to the door. I remember Michal using a code with six numbers to gain us entry, but I didn’t see what they were. Even if I had, I doubt they have remained the same. I turn away from the pad and focus my attention on the lock above the door handle, hoping I can jimmy it before the guard returns.
The sound of running feet and the voice yelling for me to stop tell me I’m too late. I do the only thing I can. I turn, aim at the Safety official as he raises his weapon, and fire.
I meant to hit the man’s leg. Instead, my bullet punches into his stomach. His weapon goes off as he hits the ground, and I press against the door behind me and feel it give way. The lock wasn’t engaged. The man behind me groans in pain. I want to help him, but I tamp down that instinct and step through the doorway. Between the unlocked door and the man I shot lying on the ground outside, someone will soon discover I am here. I have to find Dr. Barnes, fast.
Clicking my flashlight, I shine it around the building’s entrance. Everything in the lobby is as I remember it. White walls. Scuffed gray floor. Gray wooden chairs in the corner. The Testing storage room and personal preparation rooms are on this floor. I will not find Dr. Barnes in those. If he is in this building, he will be on one of the upper floors. I run down the long white and gray hallway to the bank of elevators we rode during The Testing to reach the upper four floors.
But I don’t want to be trapped inside an elevator if someone discovers that I am here. So I walk past them, down the hall, looking for stairs.