— the retinal scan positioned above the entrance to Suite 512 immediately locking on to her eyes, causing the door to unbolt and swing open. The interior lights bloomed brighter as the nurse pushed the lethargic woman inside her quarters.
“What happened?”
“You had an accident on the Maglev track; you have a second degree concussion.”
“Why am I so sleepy.”
The I.V. we gave you at the clinic contains a sedative to help you rest. Do you want to lie down on the sofa or in bed?”
“Help me to the recliner. What time is it?”
“Nine-fifteen… at night.”
“No wonder I’m so hungry.”
“Concierge, report.”
Ingrid appeared in the living room mirror. “My goodness, Jessica. What happened to you?”
“She had a little accident on the Maglev. Order her some dinner and see to it she rests. If she needs any further medical care, summon me at once.” The nurse held her I.D. badge up to the smart mirror and then left.
The Swedish woman tut-tutted. “I warned you that your blood sugar was low… when will you ever listen?”
“Just order me some food.”
“I already did.”
The front door opened and a waiter entered, pushing a cart. “Will you be dining on the terrace tonight, or should I just set you up in front of the recliner?”
“Right here is fine, Mr. Guzzo. What did the concierge order?”
“Your favorite — the lobster thermidor with the crabmeat and garlic whipped potatoes, and the chocolate crème brûlée for dessert.”
Jessica picked at her dinner, barely able to keep her eyes open. She yearned to sleep, but first there was work to do.
Having dismissed the computer-generated concierge, she unscrewed the inside of the metal container that had covered her main course and removed the zero-point-energy device. She located her hoverboard in the canvas pouch of the wheelchair and popped open the compartment that held the leash. Sliding the device inside, she closed the lid, leaving the hoverboard on the recliner.
Lying on the couch, Jessica summoned Raul. “Wake me at two a.m. please.” She was asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
Jessica’s body jerked awake as the doorbell rang. “Raul… who is it?”
“Logan LaCombe.”
“What time is it?”
“Ten-fifteen p.m.”
“Let him in.”
The door unbolted and opened, allowing Logan to enter. “Jess?”
“Over here.”
The teen laid his hoverboard on the recliner next to Jessica’s board and knelt by her side. “How do you feel?”
“My head still hurts, but I’m okay. Thanks for getting me to the clinic. They gave me a sedative… let me sleep, okay?”
She closed her eyes and drifted off.
Logan waited another moment then grabbed one of the hoverboards and left.
Jessica’s eyes flashed open as the doorbell rang again. “Raul?”
“It’s Logan LaCombe. He says he accidentally took the wrong hoverboard.”
“Pain in the ass kid. Let him in.”
The front door opened and the teenager entered. “Sorry. Guess I grabbed your board by accident. It’s set to your fingerprints or I would have ridden it home.” He grabbed his board, left hers on the recliner, and was gone.
Jessica rolled over, but this time sleep evaded her. Sitting up, she reached over to the room service tray and collected the dessert plate and a fork, consuming the chocolate crème brûlée in three bites. Shuffling in her stocking feet to the bedroom, she entered the master bath and showered, washing the dried blood from her scalp.
When she crawled naked into bed it was 11:47 p.m.…
“Jessica? You asked me to wake you. It is oh-two-hundred hours… two in the morning.”
“Thank you, Raul. Now go fuck yourself, please.”
“I’m sorry. How do I—”
“Consult the concierge manual.”
Forcing herself out of bed, Jessica selected a black unitard and matching sweatpants and sneakers from her closet and dressed. Her head was still sore to the touch, her legs a bit wobbly, but she was dealing with a small window of opportunity. Checking the time, she realized she was ahead of schedule.
Don’t want to get to the elevator too early…
She entered the bathroom and feigned using the toilet, wondering if she was peeing into a urine detector. They probably know everything that’s going on inside my body…
She brushed her teeth and checked the time.
2:18…
Exiting the bedroom, Jessica retrieved her white lab coat from the closet and put it on; verifying the small device Captain LaCombe had given her hours earlier was in the side pocket. She was nearly out the door when she remembered the hoverboard. She located it on the recliner and left her suite.
The thoroughfare was empty, the lighting dimmed to simulate the lateness of the hour. Crossing the Maglev track to the southbound lane, she placed the hoverboard on the track… and hesitated.
If you’re questioned, how will you justify using the hoverboard with a concussion? Force of habit? Or you could just say you forgot… although it’s obvious to anyone watching that you’re thinking about it now.
Retrieving the board, she tucked it under her arm and walked back to the cushioned jogging track, calculating how long it would take her by foot to reach the elevators. Don’t go too fast, you don’t want it to appear like you’re on a schedule.
She reached the Level-5 lobby at 2:29. Elevator-7’s doors opened as she approached, beckoning her in.
Scanning the internal panel, she noted there were no levels listed below the Maglev Train Station on Level-9.
“Lab 3-C. Half speed please, I’m nursing a concussion.”
Sorry, Mr. Mull, there’s been a change of plans.
Jessica entered the Hive at 2:35 a.m. She hurried across the assembly area to Sarah’s private office, her head pounding with each painful stride. Locating the security panel outside the door, she noted the current time on the built-in digital clock as it advanced to 2:38.
Reaching into the pocket of her lab coat, she removed the matchbox-sized device Captain LaCombe had given her and pressed its magnetic side against the wall directly below the keypad, moving it around until she felt it adhere to the circuits embedded inside the wall.
She watched in amazement as the digital clock on the security panel rotated backwards to 2:31 a.m., the electronic dead bolt clicking open.
You’ve only got seven minutes… move!
Opening the unlocked door, she entered Sarah’s office.
The twenty aluminum carrying cases were piled in four stacks of five on the floor by her assistant’s desk. She quickly located the metal attaché labeled Station-3 and removed the fake zero-point-energy unit given to her by Chris Mull. Selecting the Station-16 attaché from the last stack, she swapped out the two devices, placing the working ZPE generator into the Station-3 container, the fake device inside case sixteen.
She had explained her plan to Logan’s parents after the captain had showed her how to use the scrambler to “loop time” on the Hive’s internal security system.
“I’ll order dinner and place the ZPE unit inside my hoverboard as Mull instructed. Send Logan down to check on me around ten o’clock. Have him ‘accidentally’ take my board when he leaves. As he walks out to the Maglev track, he needs to remove and pocket the zero-point-energy generator, using the board to conceal what he’s doing from the security cameras. When he gets out to the track the board won’t power up. Realizing his mistake, Logan will return to my apartment, swap boards, and leave. Instruct him where to hide the unit. If he gets caught with it—”