The Gender End by Bella Forrest (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📕

the line, followed by Tim’s un-subvocalized apology echoing off the walls, and I shook out my aching fingers and continued to move, allowing a bit of a lead to grow between me and Ms. Dale.

The way down was long—long enough for me to start thinking uncomfortable thoughts. If I fell, would I kill everyone below me? I stopped myself before going down that road. I was being morbid.

To take my mind off of the stress of being in such a tight space, I began to count rungs as they passed under my hands. I was at two hundred and fifty-eight when Viggo announced, I see the bottom, and I narrowly avoided shouting “Yay!” into the comms channel. After another fifty rungs, I was at the bottom too, shaking out my aching legs and forearms, straining to catch my breath.

How far down are we? I asked as I shone the light around the wide room, the minerals in the walls glittering. The cave floor looked to be dry, but stalagmites grew in tight little bunches from the floor, with a smooth path cutting through them. I looked around for an explanation for this marvelous path, and noticed that the stalactites above had been cut off over it, left broken to prevent anything from growing beneath. It must have been designed and shaped by human hands—though how they’d accomplished that feat, I had no idea.

Three hundred feet, give or take, replied Thomas, pulling out his handheld and moving it around the room. Got a reading up ahead.

Viggo, Ms. Dale called sharply, and I turned to see her pointing at a sign on the side of the cave wall, with two phrases inscribed on it. “Escape Route” was the top one, and it had an arrow pointing up, I assumed to indicate the direction we’d come from. “East Lab” was the second one, and it pointed to the right, the same way Thomas was directing us.

A lab? I asked. Is it possible Mr. Jenks did his research here?

That makes sense. It would have been close to Elena to monitor the pregnancies, and no one would bother him down here. Ms. Dale followed Thomas as she spoke, her flashlight panning around, and I followed, the group of us forming a single-file line to make our way down the narrow passage. Morgan?

He was there a lot when I was a child, so that seems likely enough, she said, flipping her dark bangs anxiously. I’m just glad he never brought me down here to study me.

Yeah, this cave doesn’t exactly scream happy childhood memories, does it? Owen added dryly, and I smiled in spite of myself.

I got a door, Thomas announced, cutting through our small talk, and our line of people paused and flattened out against one of the walls. I stuck my head out slightly and saw the door—then paused, alarm bells going off in my mind.

It looked just like the ones we’d seen at the Facility and the Liberator base—both designed to keep out the toxic environment of The Green.

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Viggo

I can’t see any cameras, I said after studying the intimidating airlock ahead of us, my voice instinctively down to a whisper even though we still spoke through the subvocalizers. Thomas shifted next to me, grunting slightly.

I’m getting a reading for one. It could be inside the door. There’s a keypad, right?

Yes, that’s the only thing that makes it different from the doors we saw in The Green. Why would it be down here?

He gave me a look and shrugged. If this is supposed to be a last measure against biological attack, then the system would need to be enclosed and self-contained.

It’s a lab, Ms. Dale said, as though the answer were obvious. It’s for keeping whatever they’re working on from getting out.

So there could be biological agents in there, I said, and everyone fell silent.

It’s possible, Thomas said. But we all brought masks, so we’ll just put them on in the airlock. He turned and fixed me with a look. Or do you want to come up with a better way to get into the palace?

I still don’t understand why we aren’t just letting Alyssa handle this, Logan grumbled, and Morgan bit back a growl.

Because my eight-year-old little sister is up there with Elena, she said, getting fed who knows what propaganda, and every minute Elena is given to run around and set her plans in motion is a minute that will cost countless more lives.

Amber gave the man a look through her lashes and shook her head, joining in the argument, much less heatedly than Morgan. You know why we need to stop her. Your men are over there in Patrus getting ready to fire at the boys. You said you wanted to be here—are you having second thoughts? For once her voice was carefully modulated; she sounded more concerned than angry. I listened in mild surprise.

Logan hesitated, and then frowned. You’re right. I’m sorry. I just… I don’t like this laboratory thing. No one knows what we’ll find inside.

Maybe we’ll get lucky and it’ll be a fallout shelter, Violet commented, leaning forward again to check the door. For now, Thomas, I assume you have a way in?

I do, I do, but I need Owen.

Me? Owen looked up from the back of the line, and then shrugged. What’s up, Tom-Tom?

Not you too, the short man sighed, but that was his only protest, and he was soon focused again as he pulled out a small flat box attached to several cables. At the bottom of the keypad will be a port matching one of these heads. Find the one that matches, plug it in, hit this button, and wait.

That’s easy. Why can’t you do it? Owen reached for the device as he asked the question, and Thomas sighed.

Because I’m not as good with the suit as you are, Thomas said simply, zipping up his bag. Owen smiled and unzipped a suit pocket, slipping the device inside and reclosing it.

I always like hearing