The Last Tree Read online

  When we hear a step outside the door, J.D. and I ease out of the way and prepare to defend ourselves. Our eyes connect in readiness. However, when I spy tufts of white hair appearing around the door frame, I squeal with delight.

  With a flourish, Tuck begins emptying his pockets of treats—nuts and dried fruit, a couple of oranges and ….

  “Soy milk!!” I take one of the pouches and tear it open. I don’t speak until it’s been drained dry. “Tuck, you’re my hero.”

  “I thought I was your hero,” quips J.D.

  “Today it’s most definitely Tuck,” I counter. “Gosh, it’s good to see you.”

  J.D. grabs an orange from the pile and plops down on his mattress, gesturing for Tuck to do the same. “What have you found out?”

  Ivan had promised to call in a favor on our behalf, but I’m stunned to discover Tuck’s actually been accepted to the UTC security staff. “How on earth did you pull it off?”

  “Ivan’s contact made it happen. That man is seriously connected.”

  “You mean he pays the guards to look the other way when he’s bringing in contraband.”

  He gives a small lift of his shoulders. “It’s nothin’ I haven’t done to move goods from one place to another place. A connection’s a connection. His contact set me up with a day guard rotation. You’ll never guess ….”

  “What about your criminal record?”

  “The background check is routine. It’s the first thing they did. All my infractions—at least the ones they got on record—took place when I was underage. Now that I’m legally an adult, they’re obligated not to hold those against me. Plus, they’re short-staffed. They been advertising for weeks over the Nets and people are drifting in from all over the area. The captain says Thorne is increasin’ security in anticipation of a threat to HQ.” He sends us a wide grin. “Guess who the threat is?”

  I point at J.D. and he points at me, our eyebrows raised in query.

  “Yep. Your photos are on every guard’s PDA and posted all over central command. They even have behavioral analysts sending daily scenarios to the force about what the two of you are likely to do in order to rescue Tamara.”

  “Geez.”

  “Don’t worry. They haven’t got a clue what yer going to do.”

  “Unfortunately, neither do we,” says J.D. with a grimace.

  I frown at Tuck, disturbed by this new information. Having our photos in wide distribution is going to make it harder for us to navigate HQ. Thank goodness for Tuck. Having him on the inside will be invaluable.

  “Do you have a weapon?” I ask.

  “A stunner, standard issue for all the guards.”

  “Have you seen Thorne?” asks J.D.

  “Once,” says Tuck. “I spotted him at the end of a corridor. I don’t know the man, don’t want to know him, and kept my head down until I was well out of range.”

  “If Thorne is increasing his security detail, it would explain all the campers we’ve seen,” I remark. “The public lots are packed. Does this mean he’s increasing other security measures—more alarms, more surveillance?”

  “Affirmative,” says Tuck. “I’m keepin’ an eye on this place to see if the address comes up on the work detail for a surveillance installation. No worries as long as you’ve got me on the force.” He gives me a saucy wink. It’s nice to see his spirit has returned. “I’m your man on the inside. And man, am I in. I am in like Quinn.”

  “Flynn.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m pretty sure the correct expression is ‘in like Flynn.’”

  J.D. wipes sticky fingers down his trousers. “Trust her,” he says. “She’s usually right about these things.” He reaches for a container of soy milk. “This is good news, Tuck, much better than we hoped. Have you seen Tamara?”

  “That’s what I wanted to tell you. She’s here. In fact, guardin’ her quarters is one of my assigned rotations.”

  I’m stunned. “Tuck ….”

  “I know what you’re gonna say. It was too easy. But it’s the way their rookie trainin’ works. Every new guard is matched with a veteran guard. We do a couple days at the industrial complex, a couple days in the public areas, and a couple days at the admin building. It’s how they show us the ropes. Not to mention it keeps us on our toes so we don’t get complacent about our surroundings.”

  “But to be on Tamara’s guard detail ….” I insist warily. “Why not some other prisoner or a public official? It’s too neat.”

  “Or maybe somethin’s finally going our way,” he says breezily. “Wouldn’t you say we’re due?”

  I bite back further comment. Tuck has been in and out of juvie his entire life. I have no choice but to trust him to sniff out danger. “Have you heard how she is? Is she being treated well?”

  “Half the guards are sweet on her,” he says. His expression locks down and becomes unreadable. “She’s fine; never better, to hear them tell it.”

  I file that piece of information away for further thought. “Have they got you in some type of barracks?”

  “No. They’ve run out of space in official staff quarters. I’m stayin’ in one of the public lots for now. Some of the other guards stay there too.”

  J.D. and I had stayed at a public lot once. Each lot is a giant slab of foam-biotic surface where registered tenants receive a square grid of protected space for sleeping purposes. Video surveillance and strolling guards provide security. Theft is minimized. Not that anyone has much worth taking.

  “Have you guys figured out an exit strategy?” Tuck asks. “How are we gonna get outta here once we’ve rescued Tam?”

  “It’s tricky,” J.D. relates quietly. “All train stations between here and the Industrial Center are heavily patrolled. That makes sneaking the four of us onto a train highly improbable once officials discover that Tamara is missing. If an alert hasn’t gone out by the time we board, there may be a chance we could get onto one of the trains, but we’d almost certainly be apprehended at our destination, even wearing disguises.”

  “Would it help if we split up?” he asks. “Two go north, two go south?”

  “I think we need to stay with Kira,” J.D. responds. “I don’t want to risk anyone having insufficient hydration. Based on the distance to stations in both directions, I don’t think we could reach a biosphere before word went to other stations to check all debarking passengers. Of course, if we were able to jump off the train before it arrived at its destination, we could find somewhere in the wilderness to hole up for a couple of months.”

  This is the first I’ve heard of this, and I can’t hide my shock. “J.D., these are high speed trains. If the four of us try to jump while the train is in motion, we’ll all end up with broken legs or broken heads.”

  “If we could manufacture something to deflect our fall, something inflatable, maybe, or if we could create a small mechanical issue that slows down the velocity of the train ….”

  I shake my head firmly. What J.D. is describing is out of the question. “Not a single one of us has the skills to pull off what you’re describing. Unless we can enlist a stranger to aid us in our escape—and I can’t imagine our luck being that great—then we’ve got to find another solution.”

  Tuck watches us glumly. We were so excited just a moment ago. But escaping from a high-speed train is simply beyond impossible. There has to be something better; we just haven’t considered it yet. I’ve come to believe there is a solution to just about any predicament, if you deliberate on it long and hard enough. I’ll give this more thought.

  “Tuck, is there a way we can rescue Tamara without anyone suspecting you’re involved? If we bring her here while you maintain your role as a security guard, we might be able to stay below the radar. With your help, we could eat and drink sufficiently to hide until Ivan returns or we see an opportunity to leave. Once no one’s looking for us, maybe there’s a way to slip out with other travelers.”

  He’s quiet, giving it serious thought. “It makes it ha
rder but not impossible. Once I’ve seen where they’re keeping Tamara, we can discuss the rescue plan. If there’s any way to make it look like the two of you was acting alone, we’ll make that our first choice. Perhaps I can stay on the inside long enough to find the four of us a way out.” He whistles under his breath, then shoots us a cocky grin. “Would you look at me? Holding down a real job.”

  11

  Several days later, J.D. and I are reviewing layouts of the city when we hear a familiar tap at the hideout door. J.D. answers and motions Tuck inside. Immediately, he begins removing food from his pockets and tossing the items to me. “Apple. Apple. Kelp bun. Kelp bun.” As he calls out each item, I catch it with one hand, drop it to the mattress, and ready myself for the next toss.

  “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure.” He sits on the floor and makes himself comfortable. “I’ve seen Tam.”

  This gets our attention.

  “How does she look?”

  “She looks better than I’ve ever seen her. She’s clean and rested and well-fed.” He sends us a strange look. “Are we sure rescuing her is a good idea? Does she even want to be rescued?”

  “Of course she wants to be rescued,” I snap. “Don’t be silly. Did she see you too?”

  “Yep. The sight of me knocked her completely speechless. ’Course, I didn’t try to talk to her. There are cameras everywhere. We’re gonna have to snatch her without bein’ able to discuss our plans with her.”

  “Eek.” I shoot J.D. a look. “Ideas?”

  He looks at Tuck. “Ideas?”

  “Just one. We had an interesting debrief today. It turns out Thorne is gettin’ concerned about havin’ Tam in the Admin Center near Council Member offices. He’s afraid what could happen if there’s a rescue attempt by two wanted individuals.” Tuck sends us a wry glance. “That’s you, by the way. He doesn’t want to endanger members of the Council. He wants Tam removed to a more secure location before you two arrive.”

  “How much time do we have before she’s moved?” J.D. asks.

  “Two days.”

  “Have you thought of a way J.D. and I can sneak Tamara out and bring her here?” I ask. “Should we set off an explosion to create a diversion?”

  Tuck frowns. “Have you considered that anything you try to blow up down here could bring the surface crashing down on top of us?”

  “Um, if I recall, the explosives were originally your idea.”

  “True. But now we’re gonna have to rescue Tam without anyone suspectin’ she’s gone … at least for a few hours. We need time to bring her here to the hideout before a full-scale search is launched. I think there’s a way we can do it if we time it just right. Three times a day, meals get delivered to her room. We’ll work around the meal schedule. Our goal is still for me to keep my job so I can feed the four of us till we’re able to make our way out of HQ.”

  “Is there a way into Tamara’s room other than through the door you’re guarding?” J.D. asks. “What about ventilation ducts?”

  “Nope. None you can access without disabling a few guards.”

  “Hmm, okay. Then we’re going to need a ruse to get you and your partner away from the door.” My brain starts buzzing a mile a minute as I consider, then discard, a dozen different scenarios. “For starters, we’ll need the door code.”

  “That won’t be easy,” Tuck says. “Each shift triggers the development of a new door code.”

  I snap my fingers. “I’ve got it. You can use Morse Code to transmit the new code to us, like tap it out with your finger or something.”

  “Do you know Morse Code?” he asks.

  “No,” I admit, wondering how quickly I could pick it up from the Nets.

  “Me neither.” He smiles grimly. “But there may be another way.”

  “Spill.”

  “There’s an old man who camps near me at the parking lot. His name is Higgins. He’s been a traveler for years, but he’s wore out. He says it’s too hard to continue movin’ from place to place. He came to HQ hopin’ to get one of the guard positions, but he didn’t pass the physical. Last night, he told me he was goin’ to do somethin’ to get apprehended.”

  “He wants to get arrested?” I’m appalled at the idea.

  “Before he dies, he says he wants a real meal and a good night’s sleep on a real bed.”

  “If he’s that old, the Territory’s more likely to euthanize him than keep him in lockup.” I’m not exaggerating. Due to the scarcity of resources, it’s not uncommon for the Territory to terminate the sick and the elderly once it’s clear they are costing the community more than they can contribute in labor or wisdom.

  Tuck nods. “He’s prepared for that. He believes he has nothin’ to lose.”

  “What’s your plan?”

  “We’re gonna give some of the explosives to Higgins.”

  “But you just said—”

  “He’s not going to detonate them,” Tuck replies quickly. “But he has to appear to be a genuine threat. We need somethin’ that will force the security office to call guards away from their posts. And we need the surveillance tech whose job it is to monitor Tam’s security cameras to be focused on another part of the building.

  “I’m with you so far,” I tell him. “What’s next?”

  “Higgins can arrive at the Admin Center tomorrow morning at eight o’clock—right after Tam’s breakfast dishes have been removed. He’d be in a completely different area of the Center when he reveals himself and the explosives. You two need to be here.” With his tablet, he opens the floor plan of the Admin Center and circles the location. “As soon as you see me and my partner leave our post by the door, that’s your cue to get inside and get Tam.”

  “And the code?”

  “I’ll find a way to deliver it to you. Look for somethin’ stuck in the side of the door frame. You should each wear a disguise, but have another one packed for each of you, plus Tam. You’ll grab Tam from her quarters and go here.” He highlights a side street behind the Administration Center. “There used to be offices here, but that space has been closed and now the street comes to a dead end. There are no cameras. This is the safest place I can find for Tam to get into her disguise, and for the two of you to change, before you make your way back to the hideout. You’ll need a second disguise so any new footage of you from the streets doesn’t match the surveillance footage from the Admin Center. The guards will be focusing their attention on groups containing three people. I suggest you or J.D. split off immediately after the rescue to give yourselves a better chance of evading surveillance. Keep your heads down, and stay off the cameras as much as possible.”

  “Got it.”

  “Once Higgins has been apprehended, all the guards pulled into the emergency situation will return to their posts. It’ll be another four hours before Food Service brings the next meal.”

  “What about the technician who monitors her surveillance cameras?”

  “I’m still figurin’ that out. I don’t suppose you could put some type of mannequin in her bed so it looks like she’s sleepin’ or somethin’?”

  “You’re giving us a day, Tuck, one day.”

  “I’m only on her door two days a week,” he snapped, “and she’s gettin’ ready to be moved. What would you have me do?”

  “What are you going to do once Tamara is discovered missing?” I ask. “You know you’ll be interrogated, regardless of whether it’s Food Service or the surveillance tech who sounds the alarm. It won’t take them long to figure out her rescuers had the door code,” I add as an afterthought, “which implicates you and your partner.”

  “If we forget about the entry code and use a small explosive charge to blow the door lock, you’ll have to report your prisoner gone as soon as you and your partner return to position,” J.D. counters, thinking out loud. “Will Higgins’s diversion allow enough time for us to get Tamara out, change disguises, and get away from the Admin Center before you return to your post?” He shakes his head, answering
his own question. “It feels too risky. And there’s another disadvantage to that plan. Blowing the door lock instead of entering the code would ensure officials confine their search to HQ. They’d know we hadn’t had time to transport out. But if Food Service reports her missing after several hours have passed ….”

  Tiredly, Tuck wipes his hand over his eyes. “I’m sorry, guys. The door code issue definitely makes it look like an inside job.”

  J.D. and I watch as he quietly reevaluates the situation. If there is a weakness anywhere in the security office, he’ll find a way to exploit it. “There may be a way to cast doubt on my involvement,” he says finally. “J.D., what if you hack tomorrow’s code from the security system? I’ve poked around in the system a bit, so I know there are ways to get past the firewall. I’ll jot down a few lines of code you’ll need. Then if you can leave a fingerprint in the system, my partner and I will have credible deniability.”

  “What about Higgins?” asks J.D.

  “He’ll be interrogated. I suppose it could be a coincidence that his meltdown happened at the same time Tamara went missin’.” He dismisses this idea after further thought. “Nah, no one will buy that. Higgins is clearly the diversion for Tam’s rescue. But he says he’s ready to face death. I’ve met travelers like him before. Eventually, there’s simply no reason to walk another step. They have nothin’ left to live for and nothin’ left to lose. I understand he’s the weakest link in our plan, but I don’t see any other way. If he implicates me during his interrogation,” he shrugs, “we’ll face that when it happens.”

  “I’ll get on the Nets and attempt a hack for the door code,” J.D. says calmly. “Even if I don’t get all the way in, I can leave enough clues to support hacking as the source of the leak. However you deposit the entry code for us to find, we’ll destroy the evidence before we leave the Admin Center.”

  Some things have been worrying me—well, a lot of things—but one stands out. “I know you think you can trust this Higgins,” I tell Tuck. “But even if he’s exactly what you say he is, I can’t be as casual about your safety as you seem to be. Won’t there be surveillance of the camping lots that shows the two of you in conversation? The investigators will pick up on that when they investigate Higgins’s activities leading up to Tamara’s disappearance.”