Among the Brave

Trey exhaled very slowly He took another deep breath, then tiptoed to a doorway that seemed to lead out into the rest of the basement. Feeling ridiculously brave, he peeked around the corner.

Mark was, indeed, crouched inside a cage, out in the middle of the floor. The cage was small — Mark couldn’t have stood up in it. Trey had the impression that the cage wasn’t even meant for humans. It was like the Population Police were just improvising, using whatever they could find lying around at the Grants’.

Will that make it easier for me to set him free? Trey wondered.

The guard wasn’t anywhere in sight now, but Mark’s cage was directly under a large, glaring overhead light I’ll wait until they turn that out, Trey thought Then I’ll creep nearby. A pile of boxes stood behind the cage. Trey could hide there.

Trey’s plans were shaping up nicely. The only problem was, what were he and Mark going to do after Trey released him? If they had time to slide a stack of boxes over under the broken metal duct. . if they could do it quietly. . if the boxes were sturdy enough to climb on. . if they were able to climb back up the duct. .if everything fell into place, he and Mark would be safe.

Trey didn’t like dealing with so many ifs, but he didn’t think he had a choice. He sat back, waiting until the light went out.

Instead, after just a few minutes, the guard called down, “Prisoner, prepare to be interrogated.”

Trey grimaced, remembering the conversation he’d overheard earlier. We’re just keeping that prisoner here until we finish our interrogation. Then we’ll dispose of him. It won’t be more than a few more hours. What if he didn’t have time to rescue Mark before they took him away? How much time had Trey already lost wandering around in the heat ducts?

Trey glanced around the corner into the next room once more. And then, before he had time to reconsider, he dashed out and slipped between the pile of boxes and the wall.

Trey ran as silently as possible, but Mark saw him. And positively beamed.

Then he had to erase the smile from his face. Footsteps were coming down the stairs toward them. They ducked behind the boxes. A small gap between them gave him a narrow view of Mark’s cage. Trey saw a Population Police officer striding toward Mark. The chest of the officer’s uniform was completely covered with medals. Trey had a feeling that this guy ranked a lot higher than the guard.

“Explain why you were trying to sneak into our headquarters,” the officer snapped at Mark.

“We-ell, see, I didn’t actually know it was your headquarters,” Mark said, drawing out his words to make himself sound slow and stupid. “And I weren’t trying to sneak in.”

Mark sounded so dumb and innocent, Trey had to smile. Who would have guessed Mark would be such a great actor?

“I was just out in the woods looking for food when I seen the fence,” Mark continued. “I didn’t know nothing about this place ‘cept it belonged to somebody rich. Wouldn’t have even come near the fence, ‘cepting that this squirrel, see, he run right under the barbed wire. And I was chasing him so hard, I didn’t never think about it being a problem, me stepping past that fence. I wasn’t hurting nothing. And then — zap! That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up here. So how about it? How about setting me free so I can go get that squirrel?”

The Population Police officer snorted.

“Hunting is a violation of numerous governmental codes. Do you realize you’ve just confessed to a serious crime?”

Mark hung his head.

“Yes, sir,” he said. “Now I do. But it weren’t like I had a gun or nothing — just a bow and arrow. And I was awful hungry.”

“Didn’t you know the Population Police offered food to anyone who joined up — them and their families?” the officer asked.

“No, sir,” Mark said. “Ain’t never heard that. Can I still do it? Where do I go to join up? I’d be a good employee. And it’d just be me you’d have to feed — my main and pap passed on near about five year ago, and I ain’t got no brother or sister or other kin at all.”

The officer regarded Mark in silence. Then he asked, 'What happened to your bow and arrow?”

Mark blinked at him.

“Well, shoot,” he said. “I don’t know. Reckon I must have dropped it when that fence zapped me.” His face brightened. “Hey, I know. You go find my bow and arrow. Then you’ll know I’m telling the truth.”

The officer narrowed his eyes, as if suspecting a trap. Then he seemed to decide that Mark wasn’t smart enough to try a trap.

“I’m not about to go traipsing out there in the woods looking for your illegal weapons,” the officer said indignantly “But — I’ll send one of my men after it Then maybe we’ll just see what to do about you.”

And he turned on his heel and walked away.

Trey stayed hidden until he was sure the officer had climbed the stairs again. Then he poked his head out.

“Wow, Mark, how’d you know he’d fall for that?” Trey whispered.

“It was written all over his face, that he was dying to go order someone around. And that he thought I was dumber than pond slime. I thought about what you’d said about grammar, and I turned it around — I was saying ‘ain’t’ on purpose, you know.”

“I know,” Trey said.

“So I bought us some time, but I don’t know how much. I can always say somebody must have stolen the bow and arrow if he comes back soon. But I hope it don’t come to that — how about getting me out of here now?”

“Okay, okay,” Trey muttered. He slipped out from behind the boxes. Squinting in the glare — and terrified of being so exposed — They felt around for some sort of latch to release the door of the cage.

But the cage didn’t have a latch. It was fastened with a thick lock

“Mark — I’d need a key—,” Trey sputtered.

“No you don’t,” Mark said soothingly. “Just some pliers or wire cutters — even a piece of bent wire to pick the lock”

“Where am I supposed to get that?” Trey asked.

“This is a basement, isn’t it? Look around!”

Trey retreated to his boxes, figuring he could at least stay partially hidden while he looked there. The first box held table linens. The one beside it held china wrapped in layers and layers of thin crinkly paper.

“Trey?” Mark whispered. “Thanks for coming to get me. I never in a million years thought you’d be so brave. I thought I was on my own.”

“I haven’t saved you yet,” Trey said through gritted teeth. He was on the third box, which held more tablecloths.

“How’d you get down here?” Mark asked.

Quickly, talking as he searched, Trey told him. Mark gave a soft, admiring whistle.

“You joined the Population Police?” he asked. “You crawled through heat ducts past Aldous Krakenaur? I had you figured all wrong. You’re the bravest kid I know!”

Trey didn’t have time to get puffed up with pride. He was on the last box in the stack. This one was full of fancy crystal vases.

Panic-stricken, he looked around. Were there boxes in some other part of the basement? Wouldn’t the Grants have had something useful down here?

But the boxes and Mark’s cage were the only things in the entire basement.

Trey fought to hide his fear from Mark. He tugged on the lock as if he thought he could break it with his bare hands. Mark saw.

“Oh,” Mark said, and turned his face away “Maybe—,” Trey said, but he didn’t have a plan to suggest.

Just then they heard footsteps on the stairs again. Trey dove behind the boxes once more, just before the Population Police official burst around the corner.

“You were not hungry,” the official snarled at Mark “How do you explain this?”

He held something out to Mark. Trey couldn’t tell what it was at first, but when he shifted his position and saw what was dangling from the official’s hand, it was all he could do not to gasp.