Free Secret Value of Zero, The by Victoria Halley

called Tooth, Meke thought. The cat had earned his new name. When one of the soldiers had tried to excise the cat and shoo it away, the cat bared its teeth and claws, making the woman pale and pull back. The cat thrashed his tail, arched his back and bared his impressive fangs at anyone who came near him, except for Meke. Everyone else threw up their hands and resigned themselves to the strange creature.  
      Meke’s eyes roamed the cramped truck bed. Occasionally, her and Theria’s eyes would meet, but Theria’s gaze flitted elsewhere after a short moment. Trove was the only one who would meet her eyes, his gray eyes calm and direct. She tried to push away the feeling of déjà vu, but it refused to fade.
    The truck continued its journey for two days, only stopping for the necessities and to switch drivers. Meke watched as the grasslands became desolate, sandy plains, and then the sands rose up into mountains once again. These mountains were different from the one back at the institution. These mountains were greener—more lush with trees—but smaller. These mountains fell away into flatness once more.  
    The truck wound through a thick forest that looked nothing like the ones in the mountains. This forest boasted giant trees that stretched so far high that Meke’s sense couldn’t feel the tops. Their trunks, tinged with red, stood solidly wide, impervious to the forces of nature. The evergreens in the mountains seemed anemic in comparison.  
    The truck stopped at a small cabin made of rotting logs and chipped stone. Not much of a revolution, Meke thought. Arya led her to the building. Meke could smell the damp mildew before she went through the door. Appearances proved deceiving. As she entered the mildewed cabin, the labyrinth of tunnels that ran under the small cabin became clear in her sense.  
    Everyone descended a long ladder into the earth’s bowels. Meke carried Tooth’s curled, trembling body. Finally the tunnel opened up into a long hallway. Meke could feel the size of this place. It sprawled so large, Meke suspected that it spanned several kilometers, probably more.  
    The flurry of bodies, the rooms, the lowness of the ceilings all made Meke dizzy. She now missed the outdoors’ expanse.  
    “We’re here. Welcome to the Barracks.” Arya smiled.
    Wide-eyed, Meke absorbed her new surroundings. This room towered large above them, the only room with high ceilings. People milled around, mostly in the now-familiar rough black uniforms.
    “This is the Nerve Center,” Arya said, “where everyone comes and meets.”
    The name fit. Meke could feel people pouring in and out of the other rooms, but they all seemed to pass through this place. Nobody looked at her or them. A few men and women in black waved at Trove, ignoring Meke and the rest of her party; their eyes shone with admiration as they looked at Trove’s swords.  
    “I’ll let Sterling know you’re here,” Arya said, and with these words sadness flashed in her face and then was gone.
    The soldiers all walked by with brisk, efficient steps that wasted little energy. Mostly squares shone on their hands. Meke saw a few Equis and Fivers, but Squares dominated.
    Meke shouldn’t have been surprised. Squares, as the normals—average intelligence, average skills, average physiques—occupied the fat middle of the Prosperon bell curve. Despite being the most populous rank, Squares had little power. They couldn’t own handhelds. They only worked at service centers, serving Fivers and Stars in basic technical duties and rituals. They had more money and prestige than Equis and Zeroes, but their homes and cars seemed shabby next to the Fivers and the Stars.  
    Cecil fidgeted behind her, drawing Meke’s attention. Cecil leaned against her, his head limp and eyes squeezed shut. His hand rubbed his ears incessantly. Theria spoke to Trove, but Meke could only make out one word, doctor . Theria slid Cecil’s arm under her arm and led him off to one