Smoke and Shadow: The Fireweaver, Book 1

Chapter 28. LOCKDOWN AND LOOPHOLES

CHAPTER 28. LOCKDOWN AND LOOPHOLES

Even from inside the Exotics Garden they could hear it.

"How did they—"

"Questions later." Rhoke pulled his clothes on, which on wet skin, took longer than it should. His collar flapped about his neck. "Move. Before they lock down the gardens."

Lockdown. They'd be trapped inside, and only a matter of minutes before they'd have Uruques crawling all over the place.

They found the kids, wide-eyed and white-faced in the tunnel, the alarms blaring, looking as guilty as two foxes in a hen house. 

There was no time for anger. Rhoke took two antidotes from his pocket. 

"Take them now." 

They gulped the contents down. 

"You little eavesdropping devils," he said, though he was looking straight at Mehlie. "You hacked into Vane's network." 

Mehlie was stuttering some reply when Santoine stepped forward.

"She didn't," he admitted, looking very much like a penitent criminal. "I did." 

Mehlie, on the other hand, rocked on her heels, looking pretty proud of herself.

Vane's voice cut through. "You need to get out of there. I can't stop the next cycle. They'll shut down the gardens—"

"Lockdown means no one can get out," Dimarrah realized.

"And no one gets in," Rhoke finished. But they left the other revelation unspoken in front of the children. No one would be getting in, but any Uruque already within the dome would be locked in with them.

Hunting them down.

Dimarrah wanted to scream at Mehlie but they needed to get out before the doors sealed.

"The next cycle starts in two minutes. Unless they—" Vane's stopped, then went on. "There's a failsafe in the system. When it detects a compromise, the whole thing shuts down."

Dimarrah locked a knowing gaze with Rhoke.

The kids tripping the alarms meant three things:

They couldn't get out because of the lockdown, and no one else could come in.

Most of the Uruques would be redirected, to lead all the people out.

Even more fortuitous, the air cycles had been stopped by their interference.

Rhoke shook his head in utter disbelief. "How did two delinquents come up with a better plan?"

* * * 

The Empress had been about to leave, to seek out Morejvko, who was at the moment speaking to a Lord from Rendahl, when the alarm sounded. It was barely audible over the din of the crowds, who'd been whipped into a frenzy by the second round of Box Fights. 

"What's happened?" she asked Raj, as people exited the garden domes in droves, shepherded smoothly along by the Uruques. The great doors of the domes were closing. A wave of faces from the crowd turned to the alarm like it was a mere annoyance.

Raj listened to earpiece reports from the Uruques stationed in the gardens. "A leak detected in a small section of ventilation. Rainforest dome. Mandatory evacuation. Shutting down for maintenance."

The Emperor seemed not concerned in the slightest by the garden malfunction, too absorbed in his obsequious crowds, too inebriated to realize all the fake adoration.