. . .
Medulla.
. . .
. . .
. . .
'Where's the clock?'
'Three hours, nineteen minutes.'
'All right, I'm on break. Prep for the next one.'
62. Lev
The detonators are hidden in a sock in the back of his cubby. Anyone who finds them will think they're Band-Aids. He tries not to think about it. It's Blaine's job to think about it, and to tell him when it's time.
Today Lev's unit of tithes are taking a nature walk to commune with creation. The pastor who leads them is one of the more self-important ones. He speaks as if every word out of his mouth were a pearl of wisdom, pausing after each thought as if he expects someone to write it down.
He leads them to an odd winter-bare tree. Lev, who is used to winters with ice and snow, finds it odd that trees in Arizona still lose their leaves. This tree has a multitude of branches that don't quite match, each with different bark and a different texture.
'I wanted you to see this,' the pastor says to the crew. 'It's not much to see now, but, oh, you should see it in the spring. Over the years many of us have grafted branches from our favorite trees to the trunk.' He points to the various limbs. 'This branch sprouts pink cherry blossoms, and this one fills with huge sycamore leaves. This one fills with purple jacaranda flowers, and this one grows heavy with peaches.'
The tithes examine it, touching its branches cautiously, as if it might at any moment turn into the burning bush. 'What kind of tree was it to begin with?' asks one of the tithes.
The pastor can't answer him. 'I'm not sure, but it really doesn't matter—what matters is what it's become. We call it our little 'tree of life.' Isn't it wonderful?'
'There's nothing wonderful about it.' The words are out of Lev's mouth before he realizes he's spoken them, like a sudden, unexpected belch. All eyes turn toward him. He quickly covers. 'It's the work of man, and we shouldn't be prideful,' he says. ''When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but with humility comes wisdom.''
'Yes,' says the pastor. 'Proverbs—eleven, isn't it?'
'Proverbs 1 1:2.'
'Very good.' He appears suitably humbled. 'Well, it
Their path back to the tithing house takes them by fields and courts where the terribles are being observed and brought to the best possible physical condition before their unwinding. The tithes endure the occasional jeers and hisses from the terribles, like martyrs.
It's as they pass one of the dormitories that Lev finds himself face-to-face with someone he never expected to see again. He finds himself standing in front of Connor.
Each was heading in a different direction. Each sees the other at the same instant and stops short, staring in absolute shock.
'Lev?'
Suddenly the pompous pastor is there, grabbing Lev by both shoulders. 'Get away from him!' the pastor snarls at Connor. 'Haven't you done enough damage already?' Then he spirits Lev away, leaving Connor standing there.
'It's all right,' says the pastor, his protective grip on Lev's shoulders still firm as they stride away. 'We're all aware of who he is and what he did to you. We were hoping you wouldn't find out he was at the same harvest camp. But I promise you, Lev, he will never harm you again.' And then he says quietly, 'He's being unwound this afternoon.'
'What?'
'And good riddance, too!'
It's not unusual to see tithes unsupervised on the grounds of Happy Jack, although they're usually in clusters—or at the very least, groups of two. It's rare to see one hurrying alone, almost running across the fields.
Lev hadn't lingered long once he got back to the tithing house—he took the first opportunity to slip out. Now he searches everywhere for Blaine and Mai.
How did he get here? Connor was safe at the Graveyard. Did the Admiral throw him out, or did he leave on his own? Either way, Connor must have been caught and brought here. The one thing Lev had taken comfort in—the safety of his friends—has now been torn away. Connor's unwinding must not be allowed . . . and it's in Lev's power to stop it.
He finds Blaine in the grassy commons between the dining hall and the dormitories, being put through a regimen of calisthenics with his unit. Blaine does them oddly, putting as little force into them as possible, making all his moves low-impact.
'I need to talk to you.'
Blaine looks at him, surprised and furious. 'What, are you crazy? What are you doing here?'
A staffer sees him and makes a beeline toward them—after all, everyone knows tithes and terribles do not mix.
'It's all right,' Lev tells the staffer, 'I know him from home. I just wanted to say good-bye.'
The staffer reluctantly nods his approval. 'All right, but make it quick.'
Lev pulls Blaine aside, making sure they're far enough away that nobody can hear. 'We're doing it today,' Lev tells him. 'No more waiting.'
'Hey,' says Blaine, 'I decide when we do it, and I say not yet.
'The longer we wait, the longer we risk going off by accident.'
'So? Randomness works too.'
He wants to hit Blaine but knows if he does they'll probably leave a crater in the field fifty yards wide, so he tells Blaine the only thing he knows for sure will get him to give in, 'They know about us,' whispers Lev.
'What?'
'They don't know who it is, but they know there are clappers here—I'm sure they're reviewing the blood tests right now, looking for anything unusual. It won't be long until they find us.'
Blaine grits his teeth and curses. He thinks for a moment, then starts shaking his head. 'No. No, I'm not ready.'
'It doesn't matter if you're ready. You want chaos? Well, it's coming today, whether you want it or not— because if they find us, what do you think they'll do?'
Blaine looks even sicker at the prospect. 'They'll detonate us in the forest?'
'Or out in the desert where no one will ever know.' .
Blaine considers it for a moment more, then takes a deep shuddering breath. 'I'll find Mai at lunch and tell her. We'll go at two o'clock sharp.'
'Make it one.'
Lev rummages through his cubby, getting more and more frantic. Those socks have to be here! They have to be—but he can't find them. The detonators aren't crucial, but they're cleaner. Lev wants it to be clean. Clean and quick.
'That's mine.'
