The Ark Plan (6 page)

“No,” Shawn said slowly. “I'm not trying to do that. You've been in orphan denial since the day we met. It's just that, if he couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?”

“Because I'm not going to let him down. Whatever is on that plug was worth abandoning me for, and I want to know—I need to know,” I corrected, “what's on there.” When he didn't say anything, I folded up the map and note and placed them in the back compartment of the compass, using my fingernail to screw it shut again. Realizing that there was no way I was going to let this thing ride around in my journal anymore, I looped one of my old shoelaces through the small ring at the top of the compass, creating a makeshift necklace.

“What you are suggesting is insane,” Shawn said, sounding a little defeated.

I slipped my compass over my head and tucked it in the front of my shirt. “I'm going, Shawn.”

“We'll see,” Shawn said, and there was something about his tone that made me look at him sharply.

“Shawn, what do you know that I don't?” Just then the bell rang, signaling that we were going to be late if we didn't hurry.

“We need to go,” Shawn said, grabbing his bag and standing up. Everything in me wanted to skip the assembly. To stay back and reread my dad's note again, to plan out how I was going to get my hands on the supplies I would need. It was going to take weeks of careful planning, a thought that made me itch with impatience. According to my dad's note, I was already a year late delivering whatever was on that plug. But I dutifully grabbed my own bag and followed Shawn out the door. If I wasn't at the assembly, a marine would investigate to find out why. And the last thing I needed right now was an investigation. As we hurried toward the assembly, I couldn't help but replay Shawn's words in my head. No one survived topside. I could only hope that I was about to prove him wrong.

I
f you cut North Compound right down the middle and pulled it apart so you could see its guts, I think it would look a lot like an anthill. At least, that's how it had looked when I'd sketched it in my journal. Tunnels and small rooms made up most of the structure, but in the center of North Compound was the assembly hall. A small stage stood at one end of the room, but instead of chairs, the floor sloped upward so that the citizens could stand and still see the platform. Shawn and I made it to the assembly doorway just as the last and final bell rang out throughout the compound. The marine at the door, Sergeant Novak, gave us a disapproving look, but I saw that he checked us in as present
on his port. We flashed him grateful smiles and slipped inside to stand at the back of the crowd.

“If that had been Kennedy,” Shawn whispered, “we would have had work detail for a month.”

I nodded, my mind still preoccupied with my dad's note. Everyone fell silent as the microphone at the front crackled and screeched.

The five compound council members filed onto the podium and sat down on the low metal bench. Shawn's aunt was one of three women on the council, and I saw her scanning the crowd. She smiled when she saw Shawn, but that smile slipped a little when she spotted me standing next to him. Council member Wilkins, a short, compact man with graying hair and a wide soft face, stood up and walked to the microphone, his port screen in hand.

“Good morning, citizens,” he said.

Everyone chorused back their own “Good morning,” and he smiled at us like we were a pet that had just performed a trick perfectly. “We have gathered you all together to pass on the latest news from our esteemed Noah.” I watched him talk, wishing I was anywhere else. This Noah was just like the other three Noahs that had come before him, and at that moment, I couldn't have cared less what he wanted us to know. Besides, all the information he was going to tell us had been
uploaded to Shawn's port a week ago. If there had been anything important, he would have told me.

I tuned back in to council member Wilkins as he smiled broadly in my direction.

“Our Noah believes that it is his duty to ensure our safety no matter what the cost or inconvenience. As such, he is requiring that all four compounds begin the process of laying up extra supplies in the coming months.” This news was met by a nervous murmur. “No need to be alarmed. We have had supply shortages in the past when the plane hasn't been able to make it, and our Noah believes it's vital to our continued survival for each of the compounds to be capable of functioning independently for periods lasting up to a year.” The decree made sense. I could still remember a few winters ago when the supply plane had missed two drops in a row. We'd lost half our crop because the key valve replacement we'd needed for the watering system hadn't been delivered. Everyone had developed a lean look as we shared and conserved what little we had until the plane finally made it through.

“Here at North, we plan to do our part to help in this endeavor. As we are the primary producers of grow lights, our Noah has asked that we step up production. He has given us two months to complete this task. I am sure that none of our loyal citizens will mind
putting in the extra hours in support of mankind's continued survival.” This was met with more muttering, but no one protested. No one ever did. If the Noah said it, it was law.

I glanced over at Shawn to see his reaction to this, but he was studiously ignoring me. It made me feel uneasy. Shawn never ignored me, and he had an almost guilty look on his face. I made a note to pin him to a tunnel wall and force the rest of the story out of him as soon as this meeting was over. I wasn't done being mad at him for not showing me my dad's note as soon as he'd found it, but I understood why he hadn't. The compound was all he knew or ever wanted to know. Going topside was almost equal to suicide in his book. He'd been trying to protect me, just like he'd done so long ago on my first night in the Guardian Wing.

I thought again about the note. Despite Shawn's arguments against it, I hadn't given up on the idea that my dad was at Lake Michigan. Maybe he'd made it there but something had happened to keep him from coming back for me. At the very least, someone there would know what had happened to him. Answers, I thought almost giddily. I was finally going to get my answers.

“Our Noah also has concerns for our safety,” Wilkins went on. “He believes that compound entrance
hatches present a weakness.” My head snapped up, and for the first time, I really paid attention to what he was saying, feeling uneasy. “In order to ensure our compound's continued safety, we are going to be installing lock mechanisms on all compound exit hatches. General Kennedy assures me that this can be accomplished within the next day or so.” Icy dread washed over me, and I turned tortured eyes to Shawn. He gazed down at his feet, guilt written all over his features. He had known this was happening. It was why he'd given me my dad's note instead of throwing it away. He knew that I wouldn't be able to leave anyway. A cold sense of betrayal slid down my spine as I stared at my best friend.

“This brings our assembly to a close,” Wilkins said. “Those of you involved in grow light production, please remain so we can discuss your altered work schedules.”

I followed Shawn and the rest of the crowd out of the assembly hall and into the tunnels.

I knew my face was a thundercloud, but I didn't care. Shawn Reilly was going to get a piece of my mind, and possibly a black eye. They were locking the compound entrances. I hadn't even had time to wrap my head around this mission my dad had given me, let alone collect supplies I needed. I was out of time before I'd even begun. If I wanted to leave the
compound, I should have done it a year ago. Now I might be trapped. I grabbed Shawn's arm to pull him down a side tunnel. From the resigned look on his face, he knew he was in for it.

“Shawn.” A voice rang out through the tunnels, and we both turned to see Shawn's aunt weaving her way through the crowd. She had white-blond hair like Shawn's, pulled back in a neat bun at the base of her neck. Her compound uniform was perfectly pressed, and she glanced at my frizzy hair and rumpled appearance with disapproval.

She turned to Shawn. “I need your help for a moment.”

“Is everything okay?” Shawn asked.

“Fine,” she smiled. “One of the microphones is malfunctioning, and I volunteered you to take a look at it. I've already alerted your teachers, so don't worry about being late.” I shot Shawn a look that made it clear that we were going to be having a very serious discussion in the near future before he turned and followed his aunt back through the crowd.

I whirled and strode down the south tunnel toward school. I wanted to skip it with every fiber of my being, but my absence would be investigated and a work detail handed out as punishment. I would get through the day, I told myself, feeling my resolve solidify, then I
would get ready to leave. If I had less than twenty-four hours to prepare myself, then I would just have to make it work. I was still going to make a run for it, taking my chances that the locks hadn't been installed yet. I sat down in my first class of the day and swallowed hard. I was going topside.

Shawn's words echoed in my head:
No one survives topside
.

I spent the first few minutes of class thinking up the many ways I was going to make Shawn pay for what he'd done, but he never showed. By fourth period, I'd given up, assuming his aunt had let him take the rest of the day off for being so helpful. She had the power to do that. It wasn't until I was walking home from school alone that I realized that I might never see him again. I was still angry enough that the thought didn't bother me.

When I got back to my room, I shoved my chair under the doorknob and climbed onto my bed to empty out my hiding spot. I spread my meager belongings out on my bed. There wasn't much. The flashlight Shawn had made me sat forlornly next to my journal, scan plug, and my set of lockpicks. I carefully placed each item into my backpack. Opening my journal, I flipped to one of the damaged pages at the back. I had to write small and squish my words around the hole, but I
made a list of supplies I would need to survive topside. It was a long list, and the only place to get everything on it was the marines' barracks. My stomach flopped sickeningly at the thought. Turning a few pages, I found my meticulous accounting of the marines' schedule. I'd written it down ages ago when I first started my runs to the maildrop.

I bit my lip as I planned how I was going to get in and out of the barracks undetected. My dad had stolen his supplies from the marines when he'd disappeared, so I knew it was possible. Difficult. Deadly. But possible. I glanced at my supply list again. If I could get my hands on one of the marines' specialized camouflage body-armor suits and a stun gun, I might just have a chance.
Might
being the key word. Going topside was crazy, but I knew I'd never be able to live the rest of my life locked underground, knowing I'd passed up my one shot at finding out what had happened to my dad.

I sat back and looked around. Tonight was the last night I would spend in the compound. The thought was bittersweet, and I unscrewed my compass to read my dad's note again. Just holding it made me feel tougher, more confident than ever that I could do this. And maybe, just maybe, I would find out what had happened to my dad.

I
woke up at four a.m. when my alarm began vibrating. Turning it off, I crept out of my bed for the last time. My nerves were buzzing. I pulled on the gray leggings of the compound and an old, long-sleeved gray thermal before grabbing my backpack. I looked around my room one last time. My compound blanket was coming with me, but everything else given to me upon my arrival to the Guardian Wing sat in a neat stack on my bed. Years of conserving and caring for our resources wouldn't allow me to leave my things a mess. I glanced at my clock. Time to go.

I eased out of my room and closed the door behind me quietly. The tunnel was deserted, and I could just
make out the faint light of the guardian's desk at the end of it. My heart hammered as I crept down the dark tunnel, staying close to the wall. The last door before the lobby was the supply closet, and I pulled out my lockpicks. Shawn had trained me well, and it took only seconds to get the door open. I slid the padlock into my pocket.

The supply closet was pretty pathetic, with only a few of the bare essentials sitting limply on almost empty shelves. After surveying the soap, extra towels, bedding, and various cleaning products, I grabbed a bar of the compound-made soap and slipped it in my bag. I may not be able to shower topside, but if I survived longer than a few days, I was going to need to get clean somehow. That mission accomplished, I picked up one of the large metal buckets used to mop the floor and eased the door back open. I could see the guardian on duty. It was River, and she was awake, scrolling through her port screen. I took a deep breath, and with as much force as I could muster, I threw the metal bucket back down the tunnel toward my room.

I shut the supply door as the bucket clattered and banged loudly against the stone floors. The sound of River scooting her chair back echoed off the stone floor, and I held my breath, praying I wouldn't get caught. As soon as I heard her run past the supply closet to
investigate, I slipped out and ran. I waited to hear my name called, but I reached the end of the tunnel undetected and turned left, pelting toward the marines' barracks. I slid to a stop outside door number twelve and stood in the shadows, chest heaving. Two minutes later a buzzer sounded, and five marines trotted out just like I knew they would. I slipped inside before the doors could slide shut again.

My eyes scanned the room; I was interested despite having only minutes to get what I needed and get out before the night shift came in. By compound standards it was luxurious. One wall held supplies, while the other had what looked like lockers flanked by thickly cushioned couches. It had a clean, bleached smell and the overhead lights were so bright they hurt my eyes.

Dashing across the room, I grabbed a coil of rope, large canteen, and a ration pack from the wall of supplies. The stun guns were locked inside a large glass-fronted case, and I rattled the handles hopelessly, knowing my lockpicks didn't have a chance against a fingerprint-coded lock. I'd just have to make do without one. Along one wall was a long low table, and I stopped when I saw that three of the marines' specialized, high-tech ports were plugged in to charge. I picked one up so I could see if any of the holes in the side would fit my dad's port plug. I unscrewed the back
cover of the compass and held it up to the port screen, but the plug inside was much too small for any of the available holes. It wasn't until I'd tucked it back inside my shirt that I noticed the small security camera in the corner of the room, its red light flashing. Recording. I'd only ever seen cameras at the compound entrances. This wasn't good. I bolted for the door.

Slipping out of the barracks was surprisingly easy, and I took off toward the topside entrance. Running uphill was a lot harder than running down, and my labored breath echoed eerily in the silent tunnels. I had an hour before North Compound awoke and my absence at school was reported, but only five minutes before the night-shift marines discovered my theft and the compound went into full lockdown. If I was still inside when that happened, it was all over. I was young, so I probably wouldn't be executed—the usual punishment for jeopardizing the survival of the human race—but I wasn't positive on that.

I was almost to the last turn that would lead me to the entrance I'd used the day before when the blare of an alarm sliced through the air. My heart stopped, and I hesitated for a moment before breaking into a full sprint. There should have been two minutes left before the marines even made it back to their barracks. How had someone already discovered the theft? The
security camera? My careful calculations didn't matter now. I was out of time.

My leg muscles were on fire when I finally skidded around the last corner that would lead me to freedom, just in time to see the emergency gate come crashing down. The bars sizzled with the high-voltage electrical charge designed to prevent a dinosaur from entering the compound, and I barely stopped before colliding with them. Ten feet away, just beyond my reach, sat the compound entrance. My eyes raked over the gate, but I knew there was no way through. The blue electricity that raced over the iron bars would stop my heart if I touched it. For a system designed to keep monsters out, it was horribly effective at keeping me in. I balled my hands into fists as angry tears pressed against the backs of my eyes. Swallowing a scream, I slammed my closed fist against the side of the tunnel wall. Stone bit into my knuckles, sending white-hot pain up my arm, but I didn't care. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered now. I'd failed before I'd even begun.

The sound of running footsteps came up the tunnel behind me, and I whirled, my jaw clenched, my feet braced. A figure emerged from the shadows, and the flashing emergency lights illuminated Shawn's familiar face. I felt a momentary rush of relief, followed immediately by gut-wrenching fear.

“What are you doing here?” I cried as Shawn dashed past me to the holoscreen embedded in the concrete of the tunnel wall.

He began typing something, his forehead scrunched in concentration. “I'd ask you the same question, but apparently I know you better than you know me.”

“You don't understand.” I could hear the desperation in my voice, and I glanced nervously back down the tunnel, wishing there was somewhere for us to hide. “You need to leave. They're going to think you stole stuff.”

He gave up on typing and ripped the entire cover of the holoscreen off the wall, letting it fall to the stone floor with a crash. He began pulling at wires. “Sorry, can't do that. Give me a second.”

“You might not have a second,” I warned. I could hear pounding feet and shouts getting closer. I flicked my eyes up to the security camera. The red light winked at me, and my stomach clenched. Someone had fixed it. I turned back just as the gate suddenly flickered and then powered off. I blinked in shock. Without the snapping electrical charge that made it so deadly, it was nothing but widely spaced iron bars.

“Hurry up,” Shawn said. “I could only deactivate it for thirty seconds.” Before I could say anything, he'd ripped my backpack off and shoved it through the
bars, pushed me after it. Turning myself sideways, I held my breath and squirmed through. As soon as I was clear, Shawn's pack flew through the bars, and he threw himself into the same gap I'd used. He got about halfway through before he got stuck, his chest and back wedged tight between the unforgiving iron. He grunted and squirmed, his eyes wide with panic. Lunging forward, I grabbed his arm and, bracing both feet against the bars, I yanked with all I was worth. If the gate came back on now, we were both dead.

“Come on, come on,” I pleaded through gritted teeth as I strained backward. My joints creaked as I pulled with all my might. Suddenly, with a pop, Shawn came free of the gate, and we both flew backward, landing in a tangled heap on the rough stone floor. The gate reactivated. My heartbeat hammered in my ears as I untangled myself from Shawn and darted for the tunnel entrance. With a flick, I turned on the holoscreen. Shawn rushed up beside me and together we began frantically scanning the ground above.

“It looks clear,” Shawn said.

“Looks can be deceiving,” I said, biting my lip so hard I tasted blood. “Those things stalk compound entrances.”

Shawn adjusted his pack. “They've seen lunch-on-legs pop out of the holes in the ground too often not
to. We will have to risk it. I'll go out first and signal if it's safe.”

“You aren't coming,” I said, pulling him away from the ladder. I glanced back at the holoscreen. Still clear. “Stay here. Claim I tricked you into this or something.”

“Stop!” The shout came from behind us, and I whirled to see three of the compound's marines trapped behind the sizzling gate that had almost killed us. One of the marines was messing with the same holoscreen Shawn had. I looked back just in time to see Shawn's feet disappear through the compound hatch. Gritting my teeth in frustration, I followed.