The Girl Who Dared to Think (The Girl Who Dared #1)

“Don’t read into it. I just memorized the instructions on how to do this years ago.”

Years ago? That was interesting. Especially if that meant she’d known the man in question for a long time, as that would mean he wasn’t likely to stray at the drop of a hat. I hoped.

“So, why are we here?” I asked, trying to dig for more information on this mysterious contact. “I mean, if he’s with the Eyes, doesn’t that mean he can... I don’t know, hide the calls or something?”

“I’m sure he can, but precaution is always the best form of safety. Using a relay station where thousands of terabytes of information are processed every day is the best way of avoiding detection.”

That made sense. I waited for her to continue, but she didn’t, and she hadn’t really left me any tidbits for continuing the conversation. She stopped typing and leaned back in the chair, going still. The seconds ticked by, and still nothing happened.

“What now?” I asked.

“Now I wait. He’s not always on time, but that’s understandable, considering that he’s doing it from the Core. It’s dangerous, and requires excellent timing and security protocols—or so he likes to remind me when I point out that he’s late.”

I considered this. “How can he still be up there? It’s obvious from how he’s helping you and Roark that he isn’t on their side. How does he avoid detection?”

“I’m not sure,” she replied. “I’ve often wondered the same thing, and the only thing I can think of is that he managed to trick the system somehow.”

I considered that too, piecing together the scraps of information that Roark had given me about him. He had contacted Roark before the old man had even finished refining the pill. Which meant he’d been helping him for some time. Cali as well. There was some trust there. It sort of dismissed the hope I carried that the contact was somehow Alex.

I exhaled, and turned back to the opening I was still half-perched in, looking down into the darkness beyond. “Can I ask you something?” I asked after a pause, and I heard the chair squeak. I glanced over to see her looking at me, her face mostly in shadows, save for the light being cast by the computer.

“I reserve the right not to answer it, but yes.”

“What is the big plan here, with all of this?”

“All of this?”

“Yes,” I said, and then faltered. “Not to imply that your home isn’t very lovely, but, I mean... at any moment, things could go wrong for you, and there’d be no one to help you. Doesn’t that scare you?”

“Every night,” she admitted honestly. “I have nightmares about it. About failing to keep my family safe from this world that they, and you, were born into. It’s not your fault that everything is falling apart up there, becoming a screwed-up mess, but, sad to say, you’ll be the ones to fix it... or tear it down.”

I frowned, her words confusing me. I’d thought we were planning to just leave the system, but she was talking about... fixing it or tearing it down? Did Cali want us to fight instead of run?

“Why do you say that?”

“No reason,” she said. There was a pregnant pause, and then she spoke again. “It’s just a feeling. The number of undocs has been growing exponentially for the last twenty years. When I first got out here, you could find but a handful of us. Now? I know of at least seventy people trying to survive outside the shell like this. That’s a sign that something really bad is about to happen inside the Tower—nothing good.”

“Right. Which brings me back to my question. What is the—”

“Shut up,” Cali said abruptly, and turned back to the screen as something began flashing across it. Alarm crawled up my spine, but when she looked back at me, it evaporated under the calm control there. “It’s fine; it’s just him. Just try to be quiet, okay? He doesn’t like surprises.”

I nodded. I’d waited this long. What was a few more minutes? I watched as she hit something on the screen, and then—

“Did you secure the Medic?”

The voice—I didn’t want to say “his,” as it was unclear what gender the person actually was—came out of the terminal, digitally rendered to the point that it didn’t even sound human anymore.

“We did,” she said. “And got two strays with him. His assistant, and a Squire who’s been taking the medication he created.”

“Are they threats?”

Cali didn’t hesitate in her response. “Not that I’ve seen, and my gut tells me they are trustworthy.”

“I trust your assessment, but still want to get some background of my own. The Squire, is this the one Roark mentioned? Liana Castell?”

“Yes. And she needs a little help in regards to a member of her family she wants to bring down here to live with us. Apparently, she knows a bit too much, and her ranking is being adversely affected as a result.”

“I see. And I suppose you want my help to try to make this happen?”

“If you can swing it. I’m not sure how bad things have been in the Tower since Tian wound up interfering.”

“It has not been good,” the voice replied. There was a long pause. “Give me the name of the family member in question.”

“She’s not biological family,” I said, unable to keep quiet anymore, and the look Cali gave me should’ve caused me to die on the spot. “Her name is Zoe Elphesian, and she helped me save Grey Farmless’s life. Her rank was a four the last time I saw her, and if what Cali tells me about Scipio is correct, then she’ll continue to fall. Especially if I’m missing.”

There was a silence, and then the voice returned. “I assume this is Squire Castell.”

“Drop the Squire, and call me Liana. What should I call you?”

“Hey—nice try, Liana. The only name I will give you is ‘Mercury.’ Cali, I would be willing to discuss my assessment and findings later and in private a week from now. I trust that you’ll honor that request.”

“Hey, now, wait a minute,” I started, my face heating as my panic grew. “My friend doesn’t have a week—she might only have days. I need your help to get her out of there, without drawing too much attention to myself.”

“Which is why we have to move slowly with these things,” the voice said through the speakers. “Being fast is the same thing as being sloppy, and we can’t afford to have any mess whatsoever.”