Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2) (49 page)

BOOK: Conrad Edison and the Anchored World (Overworld Arcanum Book 2)

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Max folded the suit—difficult to do with such stiff bulky material—and stuffed it in his duffel. He put the air canister inside the helmet and crammed them in as well. The bag bulged like a pregnant cow. He hoped Olga wouldn't ask any questions on the way out. Wiping the sweat from his face, Max walked back into the mechworks, stepping past the recycle workers as if he hadn't a care in the world.

The bladewheel leaned against the wall outside. Max slung the duffel strap over a shoulder, centered the load on his back, and rode the electric unicycle back toward the gates.

"Get what you need, Constable?" Olga looked curiously at the duffel bag.

"Hopefully." He put on an easy smile. "Doubt it'll amount to much, but at least it keeps me busy."

The marshal chuckled. "I reckon it's a lot more excitement than I see around here." She waved. "Father bless."

"You too." Max rode back down Main Street into Central and took a right on Alderman Street, the road that bisected City 7 from north to south. Once he cleared the civvie housing sector, the gently rolling ranch fields spread out to all sides. A herd of cows looked up curiously from grazing, large brown eyes following him.

Far ahead, the huge gray walls of the perimeter rose up, monolithic guardians from the red sandy wastes outside. The wall dwarfed even the trees of the outer circle, rising hundreds of feet into the air. Max sometimes wondered what powers the founders had to build a place like this, but knew better than to ask.

The past is gone. The future remains.

The downtime during the ride to the airlock cleared his head a bit and made him think back to the last few times he'd seen Sarah. During their dinner a few weeks ago, she'd seemed agitated, worried.

Three Weeks Earlier

"Robb took me to Overlook Tower." Sarah twirled her fork in the mashed potatoes.

Max stopped chewing his tough, gristled beef. "Are you serious?" He washed down the food with water and nearly committed treason with his next question.
This is Sarah I'm talking to
. She might be a lab coat now, but he could trust her with anything, right?

Then he noticed the moisture gathering in Sarah's eyes and the question died on his lips. "What's wrong, sis? Did he hit you again?"

She shook her head quickly, smiled, and wiped the tear in the corner of her eye. "I'm just angry."

"Angry about going up to Overlook?" He bit his lower lip and the dead question resurrected itself. "Promise you won't report me for asking something."

Sarah sighed. "I'm your sister, Max. Robb Alderman thinking he owns me doesn't change that."

"Fine." Max imagined being at the top of the tallest building in the dome. There were so many rumors about what lay up there. "Does the window exist?"

His sister blinked. Nodded.

Max's breath caught in his throat. "Did you—"

She shook her head.

"Not even a glimpse?"

"It's best you don't even wonder, Max." Tears pooled in her eyes. "Don't make the mistake Mom and Dad made. Don't question the facts. Just live."

Max stepped around the table and hugged Sarah. She'd gotten the worst end of the deal after their parents fed the father. "I'm sorry."

She gripped his arm and buried her face in his chest. "It's all a fucking joke anyway." She pulled away and stood on unsteady feet. Sarah fingered the Science Division token on her lab coat and burst into a fit of laughter. "Sick fucking joke."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Max grabbed for his sister's arms, but she jerked away.

Her eyes widened. "Our bodies are the lie." She picked up her fork and dropped it. "That's the lie."

"You're not making any sense!"

Sarah shook her head as if waking from a nightmare. "It's nothing, Max." She looked away. "I'm off my meds."

That explains it.
"You'd tell me if Robb did anything to you, right?"

A sad smiled burrowed its way on her face. "If I did, what good would it do? His daddy owns the dome and everyone in it." Sara kissed her brother on the cheek. "Good night."

Before she left, she stopped at the shelf with a picture of their parents and stared at it for a long time, like she did every time she came by. Max let her have all the time she wanted. It was the only thing he found sacred anymore.

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Books by
John Corwin
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The Overworld Chronicles:

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Twisted Sister of Mine

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