“You’re telling me I can’t fight so I’ll get angry and prove you wrong.”

“Did it work?” he asked.

I huffed with amusement. “A little.”

“How about if I add on guilt? Reminding you that Sheepy wouldn’t be happy if the Outsiders replaced the Pop Cops and his rebellion was all for nothing.”

Guilt was a factor. Not for Sheepy, but over Cogon. He would hate this. I’d like to turn back the clock and start again from when we beat the Travas. That was impossible, but I remembered a phrase that kept me focused during the bad times. Maximum damage. This time I would impart maxi mum damage for Cogon.

“I can see that little evil gleam in your eyes. You’re back!” he said.

Riley’s broad smile shot through me and I couldn’t resist kissing him again. But this time, I pulled away so we could discuss plans.

“Did you have time to make that pulley system?” I asked him.

“One of Jacy’s men put it together.” He reached under the couch and pulled it out. “We didn’t know how thick the rope would be, so we guessed, erring on a bigger size.”

I spun the wheels, examining the device. “What’s this lever?”

“The brakes in case you accidently let go. We don’t want Logan smashed flat.”

“Good idea.”

When we finished coordinating our plans, Riley rummaged through the drawers of the desk, returning with a small pair of bolt cutters and a jar.

He tossed the jar to me. “Sheep oil.”

I peered at it in suspicion. “Did you have this before?” Riley had cut off a metal cuff from my wrist during our Force of Sheep rebellion, but he had claimed not to have the oil which was supposed to help with the pain.

“I can’t recall.” He batted his dark eyelashes at me.

“Look who has the evil gleam now.” I grumbled as I spread the oil around my neck, trying to get it under the control collar. “Okay.”

Riley thought the back of my neck would be the best place to cut it off. I held my hair up. The cold touch of the metal sent shivers down my spine. At first, I didn’t feel anything, but when he grunted with effort, a sharp pain stabbed into my throat. I cried out and he stopped.

“What’s the matter? I didn’t pinch your skin.”

“It hurt.”

“It doesn’t look like I even dented the damn thing,” he said. “I’m going to need bigger cutters.”

A sudden and very unpleasant thought occurred to me. “Could it still be active?”

Riley examined Zippy. “He’s working fine. Do you have the receiver and microphone I sent?”

I pulled them from my pocket and also removed my sheep pendant. He took all the devices over to his desk. I peered over his shoulder as he tested each one.

“They’re all broken.” He then put the tester’s two prongs on my collar as he stared at the display. “No reading either. It’s busted.”

Relief surged through me.

“I’ll have to have Logan help me make another pendant for you.” Riley swept the items into the recycle bin.

I retrieved the pendant.

“But it can’t send a signal anymore.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s still precious to me.” I looped it around my neck then tried to distract Riley with a passionate goodbye kiss, but he wouldn’t let me procrastinate anymore.

Since we really couldn’t delay any longer, I climbed the ladder with reluctance and entered the air ducts again.

The trip to Logan’s room didn’t take long. When I arrived, I peered down to check for his keepers. At first the significance of the mess below didn’t register in my mind. Logan was never tidy, but this seemed extreme even for him.

The couch had been turned on its side. Computer parts and metallic gadgets littered the floor. The white stuffing from the ruined cushions had settled over everything like a coating of dust.

But no sign of Logan.

Logan was gone. After the shock wore off, I considered where he might be. If he had decided to “escape” from his room, Riley would have known about it because Logan would have sought him and Jacy out. But what if he couldn’t?

I glanced down at the door. No wires hung from the locks, which meant Logan hadn’t escaped. Anne-Jade could have opened it from the outside. Again, Riley would know unless she was unable to tell him. But why would the room be in such disarray?

The final and most likely scenario entailed Hank bringing Logan up to the brig on level five. It was a logical move. Logan’s knowledge and abilities made him a dangerous enemy. And from the mess, it appeared as if one of his keepers had discovered his stash of gadgets.

Just in case Anne-Jade knew where her brother had gone, I searched for her on level four. She was slumped in her chair in the ISF office in Quad A4, staring at nothing that I could see. No one else worked at the other desks. An odd silence filled the room.

Not wanting to scare her, I called her name before jumping down from the vent. Anne-Jade waved me over halfheartedly. Utter defeat looked at me through her eyes. I almost stepped back as my heart lurched in my chest.

“Did something happen to Logan?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

Unsure if I should be relieved or not, I asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“Come on, Trell. You don’t need me to explain it.”

“Did Hank take him?”

She straightened and for a brief second the old Anne-Jade frowned at me. “How did you know Hank’s involved?”