“What did she look like?” Farouk asks.
“Her hair looked like rope,” 13 answers.
“That was Erin,” Farouk responds, to Paz more than to us.
“She was on the Fly with us, 80.” Paz joins the rest of the group.
Now I know why she looked so familiar. She was so quiet on the flight here from Egypt that I forgot she was there. I decide to relay what 13 said. “13 says that she's been following him around.”
“I've noticed that as well,” Paz adds as she reaches for Farouk's hand.
“Let's discuss this later.” Farouk's patience has run out.
“Right,” Paz says. “If she's already been out this way, we shouldn't be greedy with our time.”
I'm about to speak when Farouk's look shuts me up. Paz has pulled out six vials filled with a translucent liquid. The vials clink against each other in her hands. The sound is clean, and unlike anything I've heard before.
She holds them up to our eyes. “This is a fun little mixture that will induce a coma in whoever drinks it. They will remain in that state until an electric jolt pulls them out. This is how you turn the drones.”
“We can use the prods that we shock the outsiders with,” I jump in to tell 13.
Paz gives us a disgusted look, reeling at the inhumanity of what we do to the outsiders, but we all know it's the only way to get most to cooperate.
“You have to be discreet,” Farouk interjects.
“Yes,” Paz continues. “Whoever ingests it will seize violently and go into a cataleptic shock.”
“What does that mean?” 13 asks what I was thinking.
Paz takes a deep breath. “Their body will shake a lot, and they will struggle to breathe. It's all a reaction to their heart slowing down. Then everything in their body will stop. They will appear and feel dead.”
“You guys can discuss this later.” Farouk scans the surrounding area. His nerves are getting the better of him. “Take these. Find a safe area where you can take a couple of drones to turn. A room you can lock or close off. Once you got two in there, go see Paz in her office for further instruction.”
I look at 13. He has the same dumbfounded look on his face that I have on mine. What Farouk and Paz explained seems so farfetched, I'm not sure it will make things easier. How am I supposed to find this room? How will we be able to get drones out there without anyone noticing what we are up to?
“Be careful with these. They can break.” Paz passes the vials to me. They are so light and fragile in my hands. I'm afraid that if I grip them too tight, they might snap under pressure.
“I had her put them in glass in case you get caught. Do not let these get into the hands of anyone else. If you sense danger, you drop them. They will shatter and spill the contents.”
Farouk looks us over to ensure that we were paying attention.
“But please, try not to. They are hundreds of years old and mean a lot to me.” She gives us an uneasy smile.
Farouk puts his arm around Paz and leads her away. “Be smart, you two, but work fast.”
13 and I don't respond. We don't even watch them walk off. The vials transfix us; they shimmer when I hold them up to the dim lights of the stadium. I'm awed by the casing itself. Glass is not a material you see much of, at least not in such a clean state. The shape is also so beautiful. The long, thin bowl looks like it took hours to craft.
“I'll take these and hide them in my room.” I break the silence. “Tomorrow, I will look for a place we can take the drones for the turn. You try to figure out how we can separate two drones from the others to be able to do this.”
“That's easy. I'll tell two to go wherever we need to. I'm still their superior. They have to listen to me.” 13 smiles at me.
I laugh. I forgot about 13 being so high-ranking here. I salute him. “Well, excuse me, sir.”
He joins in on the laughter, and we make our way back to the stadium. “What I'll do is keep an eye out to try to make sure that no one is catching on to what we are doing. I'll make sure that the drones report to me first and let me know of anyone trying to undermine my authority over them.”
I look at 13 as we reach the corridors, where we’ll continue on our separate ways. “Yes, definitely do that.”
“Perfect. Let me know what you find tomorrow so we can get started.” He walks off toward his part of the stadium.
The first thing I do when I enter my room is look for a place to hide the vials. I don't think anyone comes in here while I'm gone, but I can't risk it. I search around for a few minutes and finally find a perfect spot. The bed frame has a gap at the corners right below the mat. I grab a pair of my socks and wrap the vials before placing them in the gap. I'm hoping they won't have to be there for long.
I shed my clothes and climb into the bed to rest. The pace of life has been quickening lately, and I need more rest to keep up. Tomorrow I will head to the city early. I'll try to spot KJ before she makes it to the assembly line, and she can help me out. She knows the city better than I do and will make the search much more fun and efficient. I'll have to remember to bring her some pouches so that she doesn't feel like she missed out.
My eyes grow heavy, and I fall deep into the darkness of sleep. The bed swallows me up, and the last thing I experience before succumbing to the abyss
