Shutdown (Glitch)

jumped up. “I’ll help you.”
    “Me too,” Xona said.
    We both followed the three ex-Regs out of the training center and back toward the east wing. Jilia was right. About five feet in, rubble completely blocked the hallway. The ex-Regs were surprisingly nimble in spite of their heavy metal exoskeletons. Eli and Wytt climbed up to the top of the rubble and started handing down heavy pieces of concrete and metal. Xona was about to join them when I held up a hand.
    “Wait,” I said. “I think I have a faster way to do this. Just tell me where we’re putting the debris.”
    “We’ll have to get it out of here,” Wytt said, jumping back down, his metal feet bracings resounding with a loud clang as he hit the ground. “There’s an unpaved dump site along the side of the transport bay, all still underground. It should be a safe place for disposal.”
    “Has anyone checked on it yet?” I asked. “Made sure it’s still stable up there?”
    “Jilia checked last night,” Xona said. “All the transports are fine and elevator’s operational too.”
    I breathed out. “Good.”
    I turned toward the debris blocking the hallway in front of us and let my telek buzz and expand under my skin. I imagined the energy passing through the bridge of my pores and out into the hallway. I could feel the whole space now, in that peculiar way that happened when I focused my telek. It was as if the hall was inside me, rotating in the space of my head like a 3-D projection cube. And in this space, little things like weight and gravity didn’t apply.
    I easily lifted a large five-foot-diameter chunk of steel and rock, carefully dislodging it as best I could from the surrounding wall and ceiling pieces. I brought it out, easily catching the rest of the debris that threatened to tumble down now that a supporting piece had been taken away. It was as easy as untangling a pile of fallen children’s blocks.
    Xona whistled. “Well, if you can clear it away this quick, I bet repairs won’t be as hard as we thought. Rand can help us melt down the steel to mold new struts and you can keep the space stable while we rebuild.” Her eyes were sharp as she calculated in her head.
    I nodded. Yes. I would help them rebuild. But then I would leave. I was sure the news would make Molla and City happy, at least.
    “Come on,” I said, hoping my voice didn’t betray any of the emotion I felt inside. “Let’s get this junk out of here.”
    Xona and Cole walked with me while the other two ex-Regs stayed behind to keep clearing. They were chatting, but I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to listen.
    How would I leave? I’d have to tell Jilia or the Professor, at least, and the techer boy, so he could give me a safe device to communicate in case they needed me. As long as I had a med container to sleep in, I could go anywhere. The Chancellor wouldn’t expect that. She still didn’t know I could control my allergy now.
    But Adrien. How could I leave him ? I missed a step at the thought, barely managing to keep myself upright and not lose hold of the load that was floating along behind us. I clenched my jaw. Steel. I would be steel.
    I was only able to fit half the load in the elevator at a time, so Xona and Wytt stayed up with the rest of the debris while I took a trip up to the transport bay. I tugged the load out of the elevator, glad to see that Jilia had been right: there was no damage here at all. The wide paved runway and three transports were clear of rubble. The walls of the low bay were unfinished rock, machine marks from where they’d been carved out still visible. I squinted a little at the light coming through the windows of the retractable bay door that opened to the Surface at the end of the runway. I dropped the load of twisted metal and rock in the unpaved pit we’d dug out by the far wall.
    When I turned to walk back to the elevator, I paused. What was that strange high-pitched whine? It had been getting louder over the last minute. I frowned and tried to listen closer. Maybe the quake had busted a pipe nearby.
    I followed the noise, walking down the runway to the wide door that opened to the Surface. It must be coming from outside . I looked out the small window.
    Three troop transports circled above the top of the canyon, and they weren’t ours. One broke out of formation.
    It headed straight toward the transport bay where I stood.

 
    Chapter 8
    I BACKED AWAY FROM THE window as if, if I couldn’t see it, I could