CHAPTER FIVE
Abe didn’t even know what to say. He’d been rendered speechless before—he hadn’t said one word while Big Face had first told him of his destiny—but he couldn’t remember a time when he couldn’t think of words out of sheer horror.
What if Fragg was right? What if there really were implants in every Mudokon slave? Maybe Fragg had enough money to use that he’d actually installed all of those programs? What if he chanted, and got all the Mudokons in this factory killed?
“And I actually have to believe a Glukkon’s word, for once,” Abe growled.
The BigBros were moving off their regular patrols, poking in the shadows with their huge Blitz Packer rifles since Fragg had ordered them to find and kill him. Abe watched a pair of them as they both inspected a corner.
Idiot designers, Abe thought in disgust. Why do they never equip them with night vision?
Well, if they did have night vision, it really would’ve messed up his cover. But what was he going to do now? He couldn’t rescue the slaves, he couldn’t set off the bombs…
The loudspeakers overhead came alive again. Not surprisingly, it was Lord Fragg again. “All reserve Sligs, begin rounding up the Mudokon slaves. It’s time to evacuate.”
Abe raised the places above his eyes where a human’s eyebrows would have been. Fragg was so scared of him that he was actually leaving? Pulling out? Whoa, that was a new one for the Glukkons to pull off. Usually, they were too profit-hungry to back out of any deal, and stood in their office till the last – and the last was usually announced when he de-possessed them, and their bits went flying.
I think I know what I need to do, Abe thought. If they’re getting the Mudokons out, I can wait until they’re out of range, and then blow this factory to scrap. And first, I need to get myself out of range.
He took a step out of the shadows, tiptoeing only a few feet away from the BigBros, making for the little elevator leading down to the ground floor—
And he accidentally kicked a nail someone had left on the floor.
The BigBros automatically whirled around, raising their Blitz Packers toward him. Abe cursed under his breath, and said aloud, “Oops…?”
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