solved his puzzle. Jason was making plans for some action against the Government— something like the rally but safer, Luke hoped. He was telling someone how many boys and girls—how many exnays— were available to help. ~cept... the group that met in the woods had nine boys now, with Luke, and five girls.
Hadn’t Jason told Luke once that the whole group wasn’t brave enough yet to be subversives? Luke wondered whom Jason was counting and whom he was leaving out. Trey was pretty timid. So were several of the others.
What about Luke? What if Jason wasn’t including Luke because Luke hadn’t gone to the meeting in the woods that evening? Or because he knew that Luke was secretly the biggest chicken of all?
Luke started to stand up, to say, “Wait! Count me in!” His legs were quivering, but he could make himself be brave. He’d have to.
Jason had his back turned to Luke again. He was practically snarling into the phone now.
“You want names? All right, I’ll give you the ones I have. Antonio Blanco, alias Samuel Irving. Denton Weathers, alias Travis Spencer. Sherman Kymanski, alias Ryan Mann. Patrick Kerrigan, alias Tyrone Janson.”
Jason was saying the boys’ real names. Luke was so thrilled, he couldn’t speak. If only he’d told Jason his real name. He could just imagine hearing, “Luke Garner, subversive for the cause, coming to the aid of third children everywhere.” Forget the alias. It didn’t matter.
Jason shifted his portable phone in his hand, and Luke had a terrible thought What if Jason~s phone was bugged? Then Luke realized something even worse: Since it was a portable phone, the Population Police didn’t even have to bug it. Luke had learned in science and technology class just last week that portable phones sent out messages indiscriminately Didn’t Jason know that? All the Population Police needed was a receiver.
And of course they had one. They had everything.
Luke rushed out from his hiding place and took the last flight of stairs in two leaps. He had to get the phone away from Jason before he accidentally betrayed another boy’s identity. Jason still had his back to Luke. He was saying indignantly into the phone: “Of course I’ll get the others to tell me their real names. They’re just cagey. They do trust me. They don’t have any idea I work for the Population Police.”
Twenty Seven
Luke had his hand inches from the phone when Jason’s words registered: “. . . I work for the Population Police.” Luke’s hand and arm kept going, even though his mind was suddenly frozen. He watched his hand as if it belonged to someone else. His fingers grasped the phone, jerked it out of Jason’s grip, and threw it to the ground. Then someone’s foot—no, Luke’s foot, acting as independently as his hand—stomped on it.
Jason whirled around.
“You!” he spat.
Luke’s frozen mind was struggling to thaw. Strange facts were emerging from the ice. Jason worked for the Population Police. That’s why he hadn’t cared about using a portable phone. He wasn’t organizing subversive activity against the Government. He was turning in the exnays.
“You’re an informer,” Luke whispered.
Jason’s eyes narrowed, calculatingly. Luke instantly saw his mistake. Why hadn’t he played dumb? He could have pretended he hadn’t heard Jason’s last sentence. He could
have acted hurt that Jason was leaving him out. He could have begged for a dangerous assignment.
It wouldn’t have been too hard to act dumb. Until two seconds ago, he had been.
“Now, Lee,” Jason said cautiously. He seemed to be trying to decide how to play things. Was Luke going to get, “Oh, don’t be silly. What would make you think that? Why would I turn anybody in when I’m an exnay, too?” Or, “So you know the truth. That’s it. You’re dead”?
Jason took a step toward Luke. Luke clutched his history textbook like a shield. Jason came even closer.
And then, without thinking,
Hadn’t Jason told Luke once that the whole group wasn’t brave enough yet to be subversives? Luke wondered whom Jason was counting and whom he was leaving out. Trey was pretty timid. So were several of the others.
What about Luke? What if Jason wasn’t including Luke because Luke hadn’t gone to the meeting in the woods that evening? Or because he knew that Luke was secretly the biggest chicken of all?
Luke started to stand up, to say, “Wait! Count me in!” His legs were quivering, but he could make himself be brave. He’d have to.
Jason had his back turned to Luke again. He was practically snarling into the phone now.
“You want names? All right, I’ll give you the ones I have. Antonio Blanco, alias Samuel Irving. Denton Weathers, alias Travis Spencer. Sherman Kymanski, alias Ryan Mann. Patrick Kerrigan, alias Tyrone Janson.”
Jason was saying the boys’ real names. Luke was so thrilled, he couldn’t speak. If only he’d told Jason his real name. He could just imagine hearing, “Luke Garner, subversive for the cause, coming to the aid of third children everywhere.” Forget the alias. It didn’t matter.
Jason shifted his portable phone in his hand, and Luke had a terrible thought What if Jason~s phone was bugged? Then Luke realized something even worse: Since it was a portable phone, the Population Police didn’t even have to bug it. Luke had learned in science and technology class just last week that portable phones sent out messages indiscriminately Didn’t Jason know that? All the Population Police needed was a receiver.
And of course they had one. They had everything.
Luke rushed out from his hiding place and took the last flight of stairs in two leaps. He had to get the phone away from Jason before he accidentally betrayed another boy’s identity. Jason still had his back to Luke. He was saying indignantly into the phone: “Of course I’ll get the others to tell me their real names. They’re just cagey. They do trust me. They don’t have any idea I work for the Population Police.”
Twenty Seven
Luke had his hand inches from the phone when Jason’s words registered: “. . . I work for the Population Police.” Luke’s hand and arm kept going, even though his mind was suddenly frozen. He watched his hand as if it belonged to someone else. His fingers grasped the phone, jerked it out of Jason’s grip, and threw it to the ground. Then someone’s foot—no, Luke’s foot, acting as independently as his hand—stomped on it.
Jason whirled around.
“You!” he spat.
Luke’s frozen mind was struggling to thaw. Strange facts were emerging from the ice. Jason worked for the Population Police. That’s why he hadn’t cared about using a portable phone. He wasn’t organizing subversive activity against the Government. He was turning in the exnays.
“You’re an informer,” Luke whispered.
Jason’s eyes narrowed, calculatingly. Luke instantly saw his mistake. Why hadn’t he played dumb? He could have pretended he hadn’t heard Jason’s last sentence. He could
have acted hurt that Jason was leaving him out. He could have begged for a dangerous assignment.
It wouldn’t have been too hard to act dumb. Until two seconds ago, he had been.
“Now, Lee,” Jason said cautiously. He seemed to be trying to decide how to play things. Was Luke going to get, “Oh, don’t be silly. What would make you think that? Why would I turn anybody in when I’m an exnay, too?” Or, “So you know the truth. That’s it. You’re dead”?
Jason took a step toward Luke. Luke clutched his history textbook like a shield. Jason came even closer.
And then, without thinking,
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