Chapter 4

4: 4

Outside, dead silence.

Then Chester's voice erupted. "Fox, you called 911? You have any idea what that call means? The plant gets shut down for inspection, the government contract gets pulled. You're going to bury every last person who works here!"

The workers caught the panic and started churning.

Someone began hammering on the door. Others swore.

"Fox, are you out of your mind? You want every worker in this plant out of a job?"

"Calling it in? Who the hell do you think you are? You decide what happens to our plant now?"

"Break the door down. He gets a lesson today, no matter what!"

Russell's face went white. He turned to Chester, terrified.

"Director Finch, we can't wait for the fire department. Get Fox to fix the valve now. When they show up, we say Fox called in a false alarm. The plant can still make it through this."

Chester's face was dark. "And if he won't open the door? What then?"

"Then we break it down and drag him over. He fixes it whether he wants to or not. If something does go wrong, we say he demanded some outrageous repair fee and held up the emergency work. Dump all of it on him. The government can't come after us."

Something vicious flickered in Chester's eyes. He drove his foot hard into the door.

"Smash it! Smash the damn thing open. Tie him up if you have to, but he's coming with us today!"

With the boss's blessing, the furious workers grabbed whatever tools they had and threw themselves at the door.

It rattled and banged under the blows, cement dust sifting off the wall, the panel already hanging loose on its frame.

I pressed myself flat against the wall, my heart slamming up into my throat.

They were insane. All of them. These men had thrown out every last line they wouldn't cross, just to keep their jobs.

"What do I do? Is there really no way out of this?"

Don't panic. Call the police. Open your camera and record all of it, audio and video, start to finish.

My hands shaking, I dialed 911.

"Hello, I need the police. People are breaking down my door. My safety is being threatened right now."

The pounding outside stopped for a beat.

"Son of a bitch, he called the cops too. This kid's dead set on fighting us!"

Russell's voice came through, desperate and vicious.

"Move faster. Fastest they get out here is half an hour. That's plenty."

The door came apart fast. Russell was first through, grabbing me by the collar.

"Fox, let's see you hide now!"

Several workers dragged me toward the tank area.

When we got there, it went exactly the way the text had warned. Russell strapped a gas mask onto me, then took me alone into the control room.

Even through the mask, I could smell it, the sharp bite of the chlorine.

Russell's face twisted as he looked at me.

"Fox, you're too damn slippery. But so what? You're still standing right here, aren't you? If you'd given in earlier, you wouldn't have gone through all this."

"Today, you give up and fix that valve for me!"

He seized my hand and forced it down toward the valve.

His big hand clamped my wrist like a vise. I fought with everything I had, but I couldn't break free.

Hold on. The officers are almost there.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the valve, sirens screamed outside, shrill and close.

Russell froze. Disbelief spread across his face.

"That fast? It hasn't even been ten minutes."

I pulled my hand free in that instant and gave a cold smile.

"That's because I called it in a while ago."