IN CASE OF DAMAGE

They took her to the library. It had been transformed into aheadquarters for the invasion, the long tables filled withportable workscreens manned by Specials, its usual quietreplaced by a buzz of clipped exchanges and commands.
The razor voices of the cruel pretties set Tally¹’s teeth on edge.
Dr. Cable waited at one of the long tables. Reading anold magazine, she seemed almost relaxed, at a remove fromthe activity around her.
“Ah, Tally.” She bared her teeth in an attempt at a smile.
“Nice to see you. Sit down.”
Tally wondered what was behind the doctor’s greeting.
The Specials had treated Tally like an accomplice². Hadsome signal from the pendant reached them before she haddestroyed it?
In any case, her only chance of escape was to playalong. She pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Goodness. Look at you,” Dr. Cable said. “For someonewho wants to be a pretty, you’re always such a sight.”
“I’ve had a rough morning.”
“You seem to have been in a scrape.”
Tally shrugged³. “I was just trying to get out of the way.”
“Indeed.” Dr. Cable placed the magazine facedown on thetable. “That’s something you don’t seem to be very good at.”
Tally coughed twice, the last bit of pepper leaving herlungs. “I guess not.”
Dr. Cable glanced at her workscreen. “I see we had youamong the resistors?”
“Some of the Smokies already suspected me. So when Iheard you guys coming, I tried to get out of town. I didn’twant to be around when everyone realized what was happening.
In case they got mad at me.”
“Self-preservation. Well, at least you’re good at something.”
“I didn’t ask to come here.”
“No, and you took your time, too.” Dr. Cable leanedback, making a steeple of her long, thin fingers. “How longhave you been here exactly?”
Tally forced herself to cough again, wondering if shedared lie. Her voice, still harsh and uneven⁴ from inhalingthe pepper, wasn’t likely to give her away. And although Dr.
Cable’s office back in the city might be one big lie detector,this table and chair were solid wood, without any tricksinside.
But Tally hedged. “Not that long.”
“You didn’t get here as quickly as I’d hoped.”
“I almost didn’t make it at all. And when I did, it wasUGLIES 305ages after my birthday. That’s why they suspected me.”
Dr. Cable shook her head. “I suppose I should havebeen worried about you, out in the wild all alone. PoorTally.”
“Thanks for your concern.”
“I’m sure you would have used the pendant if you’dgotten into any real trouble. Self-preservation being yourone skill.”
Tally sneered⁵. “Unless I’d fallen off a cliff. Which almosthappened.”
“We still would have come for you. If the pendant hadbeen damaged, it would have sent a signal automatically.”
The words sunk in slowly: If the pendant had been damaged. . . Tally gripped the edge of the table, trying not toshow any emotion.
Dr. Cable narrowed her eyes. She might not havemachines to read Tally’s voice and heartbeat and sweat,but her own perceptions were alert. She’d chosen thosewords to provoke a reaction. “Speaking of which, whereis it?”
Tally’s fingers went to her neck. Of course, Dr. Cablehad noticed the pendant’s absence immediately. Her questionshad been leading to this moment. Tally’s brain racedfor an answer. The handcuffs were off. She had to get out ofthere, to the trading post. Hopefully, her hoverboard stilllay on the roof, unfolded and charging in the morning sun.
“I hid it,” she said. “I was scared.”
306 Scott Westerfeld“Scared of what?”
“Last night, after I was sure this really was the Smoke,I activated⁶ the pendant. But they have this thing that detectsbugs. They found the one on my board—the one you putthere without telling me.”
Dr. Cable smiled, spreading her hands helplessly.
“That almost blew the whole thing,” Tally continued.
“So after I activated the pendant, I got scared they’d knowa transmission had been sent. I hid it, in case they camelooking.”
“I see. A certain amount of intelligence sometimesaccompanies a strong sense of self-preservation. I’m gladyou decided⁷ to help us.”
“Like I had a choice?”
“You always had a choice, Tally. But you made the rightchoice. You decided to come here and find your friend, tosave her from a life of being ugly. You should be happyabout that.”
“I’m thrilled.”
“So pugnacious⁸, you uglies. Well, you’ll be growingup soon.”
A chill went down Tally’s spine⁹ at the words. To Dr.
Cable, “growing up” meant having your brain changed.
“There’s just one more thing you have to do for me,Tally. Do you mind getting the pendant from where you’vehidden it? I don’t like to leave loose ends lying around.”
Tally smiled. “I’d be happy to.”
UGLIES 307“This officer will accompany you.” Dr. Cable lifted afinger, and a Special appeared at her side. “And just to keepyou safe from your Smokey friends, we’ll make it look likeyou’ve been a brave resistor.”
The Special pulled Tally’s hands together behind herback, and she felt plastic bite into her wrists again.
She took a breath, her pulse pounding in her head,then forced herself to say, “Whatever.”
“This way.”
Tally led the Special toward the trading post, taking inthe situation. The Smoke had been beaten into silence.
Fires were left to burn freely. Some were already exhausted,clouds of smoke still rising from the blackened wood andswirling through the camp.
A few faces turned to look up with suspicion at Tally.
She was the only Smokey still walking around. Everyoneelse was on the ground, handcuffed and under guard, mostof them gathered near the rabbit pen.
She tried to give those who saw her a grim smile, hopingthey noticed that she was handcuffed just like theywere.
When they reached the trading post, Tally looked up. “Ihid it on the roof.”
The Special eyed the building suspiciously. “All right,then,” he said. “You wait here. Sit down and don’t stand up.”
She shrugged, kneeling carefully.
308 Scott WesterfeldThe Special swung himself onto the roof with an easethat made Tally shiver. How was she going to overcome thiscruel pretty? Even if her hands weren’t tied, he was bigger,stronger, faster.
A moment later, his head stuck out over the edge.
“Where is it?”
“Under the rapchuck.”
“The what?”
“The rapchuck. You know, the old-fashioned thingiewhere the roofline connects with the abbersnatch.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s Smokey slang, I guess. Let me show you.”
A fleeting¹⁰ expression crossed the Special’s impassiveface—annoyance mixed with suspicion. But he leapeddown again and stacked a couple of crates¹¹. He jumped ontothem and pulled Tally up, sitting her on the edge of the roofas if she weighed nothing. “You touch one of those hoverboards,I’ll put you on your face,” he threatened casually¹².
“There’re hoverboards up here?”
He leaped past her and hauled her onto the roof.
“Find it.”
“No problem.” She walked gingerly up the slanted¹³ roof,exaggerating the difficulty of balancing without her hands.
The solar cells of the recharging hoverboards were blindinglybright in the sun. Tally’s board lay too far away, on theother side of the roof, and it was unfolded into eight sections.
Folding it back up would take a solid minute. ButUGLIES 309Tally saw one nearby, Croy’s maybe, that had only beenunfolded once. Its light was green. One kick to close it andthe board would be ready to fly.
But Tally couldn’t fly with her hands bound. She’d falloff on the first turn.
She took a deep breath, ignoring the part of her brainthat saw only the distance to the ground. As long as theSpecial was as fast and strong as he seemed . . .
“I’m wearing a bungee jacket,” she lied to herself.
“Nothing can possibly happen.”
Tally let her bare feet trip, and tumbled down the slope.
The rough shingles¹⁵ battered¹⁶ Tally’s knees and elbows as sherolled, letting out a cry of pain. She fought to stay on the roof,her feet scrambling¹⁷ against the wood to slow herself down.
Just as she reached the edge, an iron grip fastened ontoher shoulder. She rolled off into space, the ground loomingbelow. But Tally jerked to a halt, her arm wrenching¹⁸ in itssocket, and she heard the Special’s razor voice curse.
She swung for a moment, her fall arrested, then theyboth started to slip.
She could hear the Special’s fingers and feet scrabblingfor purchase. However strong he might be, there was nothingfor him to hold on to. Tally was going to fall.
But at least she was going to take him with her.
Then a grunt¹⁹ came from the Special, and Tally felt herselfbeing pulled up in a mighty²⁰ heave. She was thrownback onto the roof, and a shadow passed over her. Some-310 Scott Westerfeldthing hit the ground below. The Special had thrown himselfoff the roof to save her!
She rolled up into a crouch²¹, stood, and lifted half ofCroy’s hoverboard with one foot, flipping²² it closed. A noisecame from the edge of the roof, and Tally stepped awayfrom Croy’s board.
The Special’s fingers appeared, then his body swunginto view. He was completely unhurt.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “Wow. You guys are strong.
Thanks for saving me.”
He looked at her coolly. “Just get what we came for.
And try not to kill yourself.”
“Okay.” Tally turned, managed to get a foot tangled²³ ona shingle¹⁴, and teetered again. The Special had her in hisarms in a second. Finally, she heard real anger in his voice.
“You uglies are so . . . incompetent²⁴!”
“Well, maybe if you could—”
Even before it was out of her mouth, she felt the pressureon her wrists disappear. She brought her hands aroundin front, rubbing her shoulders. “Ow. Thanks.”
“Listen,” he said, the razors in his cruel voice sharperthan ever, “I don’t want to hurt you, but—”
“You will if you have to.” Tally smiled. He was standingin exactly the right place.
“Just get whatever Dr. Cable wants. And don’t you daretouch one of those hoverboards.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t have to,” she said, and snappedUGLIES 311the fingers of both hands as loudly as she could.
Croy’s hoverboard jumped into the air, knocking theSpecial’s feet out from under him. The man rolled off theroof again, and Tally leaped onto the board.

1 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

2 accomplice   

n.从犯，帮凶，同谋

参考例句：

• She was her husband's accomplice in murdering a rich old man.她是她丈夫谋杀一个老富翁的帮凶。
• He is suspected as an accomplice of the murder.他涉嫌为这次凶杀案的同谋。

3 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

5 sneered   

讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sneered at people who liked pop music. 他嘲笑喜欢流行音乐的人。
• It's very discouraging to be sneered at all the time. 成天受嘲讽是很令人泄气的。

6 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 pugnacious   

adj.好斗的

参考例句：

• He is a pugnacious fighter.他是个好斗的战士。
• When he was a child,he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.他小时候很好斗，跟每个人都打过架。

9 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

10 fleeting   

adj.短暂的，飞逝的

参考例句：

• The girls caught only a fleeting glimpse of the driver.女孩们只匆匆瞥了一眼司机。
• Knowing the life fleeting,she set herself to enjoy if as best as she could.她知道这种日子转瞬即逝，于是让自已尽情地享受。

11 crates   

n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱

参考例句：

• We were using crates as seats. 我们用大木箱作为座位。
• Thousands of crates compacted in a warehouse. 数以千计的板条箱堆放在仓库里。

12 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

13 slanted   

有偏见的； 倾斜的

参考例句：

• The sun slanted through the window. 太阳斜照进窗户。
• She had slanted brown eyes. 她有一双棕色的丹凤眼。

14 shingle   

n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短

参考例句：

• He scraped away the dirt,and exposed a pine shingle.他刨去泥土，下面露出一块松木瓦块。
• He hung out his grandfather's shingle.他挂出了祖父的行医招牌。

15 shingles   

n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板

参考例句：

• Shingles are often dipped in creosote. 屋顶板常浸涂木焦油。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The roofs had shingles missing. 一些屋顶板不见了。 来自辞典例句

16 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

17 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 wrenching   

n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛

参考例句：

• China has been through a wrenching series of changes and experiments. 中国经历了一系列艰苦的变革和试验。 来自辞典例句
• A cold gust swept across her exposed breast, wrenching her back to reality. 一股寒气打击她的敞开的胸膛，把她从梦幻的境地中带了回来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

19 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。

20 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

21 crouch   

v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏

参考例句：

• I crouched on the ground.我蹲在地上。
• He crouched down beside him.他在他的旁边蹲下来。

22 flipping   

讨厌之极的

参考例句：

• I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！
• Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

23 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

24 incompetent   

adj.无能力的，不能胜任的

参考例句：

• He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
• He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。