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

I always hate seeing someone do that, Ms. Dale said, and Owen chuckled through the comms.

The reappearing is worse, Amber replied. One time Quinn got the drop on me—the little imp hung on some pipes for two hours waiting for me to come down so he could scare me.

Did he scare you? Logan asked.

He got a black eye, so what do you think? Amber retorted, and shared a smile with Violet.

I smiled, easily picturing the scene, and waited, trying not to dwell too much on what was coming ahead of us. It crossed my mind that I should cut off nonessential little conversations like this, but I let it pass. The cave was dark and unknown, but we weren’t in immediate danger, and the talk helped take everyone’s minds off the fear of anticipation. Besides, if Ms. Dale was allowing the distraction to go that far, then there was a reason.

It’s in, Owen reported after a minute, and I looked over and saw the device floating off to one side, seemingly suspended in midair.

If the camera sees that… I trailed off, warning in my voice.

The only camera is in the airlock, Thomas replied, his fingers on the handheld as lines and lines of code ran over it. I’m putting it on a loop, but…

He fell silent, his brows furrowing while he read the lines of code as they drifted by. This system is hack-proof, he said. We all looked at him at once, and he blinked. No, I don’t mean I can’t hack it—what I mean is I can’t get into their system from here using what I brought. I need access to a terminal that’s hardwired in. I can trick the doors one at a time, but without that… I won’t know how to stop anything if it is used against us.

Like what? Owen asked.

Like, I don’t know, Owen! Thomas exploded irritably. For all I know, there could be man-sized murderous robots on the other side of the doors! That ride unicorns! And kiss you to death! That’s what I’m trying to say—there’s a computer system there, but I can’t crack the firewall without three days of prep. Each security system we run across I can jack into and take over, but without a direct line into their system, I can’t do it in a way that will let us know what’s ahead of us.

Calm down, Thomas. No one expects you to be a superman, I said soothingly, and the little man seemed to deflate somewhat. Now, is this door hackable?

Yes, they all are. The door’s already open, and the camera is now set on a loop. So if anyone’s watching, they won’t see us.

Perfect. Owen, will you kindly open the door for the ladies?

I heard the hand wheel spin and the door creak open, the hinges slightly rusted, before Owen’s hands began to appear again holding it open. I led the way around the corner, stepping inside what was, indeed, an airlock. Two doors that shut tightly enough to create an airtight seal, ventilation ducts in the top for pressurizing or detoxing the air, a panel with lights and buttons that controlled those ventilation areas. I’d kind of hoped never to see one of these again, after all the troubles we had gone through every time we’d gone into one… Maybe in another lifetime, I thought ruefully.

A sign on the opposite door caught my eye. “Danger: Toxic Environment Ahead.” Several more signs were posted along the walls, all reminding workers to put their masks on.

Well, Violet said wryly through the comms, it’s a good thing someone reminded everyone to bring their masks.

I shot her a glance, and saw her smile as she pulled her own mask out of her bag. Everyone dutifully fished through their bags to find their own, and I saw Logan looking around frantically for a moment, and then reaching over and pulling one from a case on the side of the wall.

Looks like they put some out for us, he declared triumphantly, slipping the straps over the top of his head and pulling it down over his face. He probably hadn’t thought to carry one in the pack he’d brought… Another good reason not to sneak along on sensitive missions, I thought to myself.

When we were all geared up, I pulled my pistol out and began screwing the silencer in. Just because we didn’t see any guards outside doesn’t mean there aren’t any inside, I said, turning to face the group. Be careful and keep an eye out. Remember your suits will help hide you—we want to avoid detection for as long as possible. If we get caught here, the whole plan falls apart.

If we get separated, fall back on our contingency plans, Ms. Dale continued for me from where she knelt on the floor, pulling grenades out of her bag and clipping them onto her belt. Logan, whoever you end up with, you’re following their orders, so try to stick close to Amber, or else there’s no telling where the two of you will shake out once things are said and done.

Awesome, Logan replied dryly, bringing his rifle around to face forward. Behind him, Owen was slowly pulling the door closed behind us. He quickly turned the hand wheel, and there was a soft hiss that went silent as the seal moved into place. Flashing me a thumbs up, he pulled his bag back onto his shoulder and slipped his gun out of its holster.

Thomas, open the inner door, I said, and Thomas nodded, clicking a button. A red light next to the door began to flash, and immediately a white mist began to pour from the vents above, filling the room. I reached out and ran my hand through it, pulling it back to see if it would irritate my skin, but it didn’t.

I focused on the flashing red light, waiting for the room to pressurize. It turned green a few