INSIDE

The roof of Special Circumstances had looked flat andfeatureless from way up on top of the hill. But standing¹ onit, Tally² could see air vents³, antennae⁴, maintenance hatchways,and of course the big circular door that the hovercarshad come through, now closed. It was a wonder neither shenor David had cracked their heads hover-bouncing across it.
“So how do we get in?” David asked.
“We should start with this.” She pointed⁵ toward thehovercar door.
“Don’t you think they’ll notice if we come through thereand we’re not a hovercar?”
“Agreed. But what if we jam the door? If any moreSpecials show up, we don’t want to make it easy for themto come in after us.”
“Good idea.” David searched through his knapsack,bringing out what looked like a tube of hair gel. Hesqueezed out white goo along the edges of the door, carefulnot to let any touch his fingers.
“What’s that?”
UGLIES 375“Glue. The nano kind. You can stick your shoes to theceiling with this stuff and hang upside down.”
Tally’s eyes widened. She’d heard rumors⁶ of tricks youcould play with nanotech glue, but uglies weren’t allowedto requisition it. “Tell me you haven’t done that.”
He smiled. “I had to leave them up there. Waste of goodshoes. So how do we get down?”
Tally pulled a powerjack from her pack and pointed.
“We take the elevator.”
The big metal box sticking up from the roof looked likea storage shed, but the double doors and eye-reader gave itaway. Tally squinted⁸, making sure the reader didn’t flashher, and worked her powerjack between the doors. Theycrumpled like foil.
Through the doors, a dark shaft¹⁰ dropped away tonothingness. Tally clicked her tongue, and the echoes indicatedthat it was a long way down. She glanced at her collarlight. Still green.
Tally turned to David. “Wait for me to whistle.”
She stepped off into thin air.
Falling down the shaft was much scarier than leaping offGarbo Mansion¹¹, or even flying into space from the hilltop.
The darkness offered no clue how deep the shaft was, andit felt to Tally as if she might fall forever.
She sensed the walls rushing past, and wondered if shewas drifting toward one side as she fell, about to crashagainst it. She imagined herself bouncing from one wall toanother all the way down, coming to a soft landing alreadybroken and bleeding.
Tally kept her arms close to her sides.
At least she was sure the jacket would work in here.
Elevators used the same magnetic lifters as any other hovercraft,so there was always a solid metal plate at the bottom.
After a long count of five, the jacket gripped Tally. Shebounced twice, straight up and down, then settled onto ahard surface and found herself in silence and absoluteblackness. Stretching out her hands, she felt the four wallsaround her. Nothing suggested the inside of closed doors.
Her fingers came away greasy¹².
Tally peered upward. A tiny shaft of light shone above,and she could just make out David’s face peering down. Shepursed her lips to whistle, but stopped.
A muffled¹³ sound came from below her feet. Someonetalking.
She crouched¹⁴, trying to grasp the words. But all Tallycould hear was the razor sound of a cruel pretty’s voice. Themocking tone reminded her of Dr. Cable.
Without warning, the floor dropped out from underher. Tally struggled to keep her footing. When the elevatorstopped again, one of her ankles twisted painfully underher weight, but she managed not to fall.
The sound below her faded. One thing was certainnow: The complex wasn’t empty.
376 Scott WesterfeldTally lifted her head and whistled, then huddled¹⁵ in onecorner of the shaft, hands covering her head, counting.
Five seconds later, a pair of feet dangled¹⁶ next to her,then jerked back up, the beam of David’s flashlight swingingaround drunkenly. Gradually, he settled beside her.
“Wow. It’s dark down here.”
“Shhh,” she hissed¹⁷.
He nodded, sweeping¹⁸ the flashlight around the shaft.
Just above them, it fell on the inside of closed doors. Ofcourse. Standing on the elevator’s roof, they were midwaybetween floors.
Tally interlaced her fingers, locking her hands togetherto give David a boost up to where he could wedge thepowerjack between the doors. They crumpled⁹ open with ametal screech¹⁹ that set her hair on end. He pulled himselfthrough, then extended his hand back down to her. Tallygrabbed it and pulled, her grippy shoes squeaking²⁰ on thewalls of the elevator shaft like a herd²¹ of panicked mice.
Everything was making too much noise.
The hallway was dark. Tally tried to convince herselfthat no one had heard them yet. Maybe this whole floor wasempty at night.
She pulled out her own flashlight, pointing it at thedoors as they walked down the hall. Small brown labelsmarked each of them.
“Radiology. Neurology. Magnetic Imaging,” she readsoftly. “Operating Theater Two.”
UGLIES 377She looked at David. He shrugged²² and gave the door apush. It opened.
“I guess when you’re in an underground bunker, there’sno point in locking up,” he said softly. “After you.”
Tally crept inside. The room was big, the walls linedwith dark and silent machines. An operating tank stoodin the middle, the liquid drained out of it, tubes and electrodeshanging loosely in a puddle²³ at the bottom. Ametal table glistened²⁴ with the cruel shapes of knives andvibrasaws.
“This looks like photos Mom showed me,” David said.
“They do the operation here.”
Tally nodded. Doctors only put you in a tank if theywere doing major surgery.
“Maybe this is where they make Specials special,” shesaid. The thought didn’t cheer her up.
They returned to the hall. A few doors later, they founda room labeled MORGUE.
“Do you . . . ,” she started to ask.
David shook his head. “No.”
They searched the rest of the floor. Basically, it was asmall, well-equipped hospital. There were no torture chambersor prison cells. And no Smokies.
“Where to now?”
“Well,” Tally said. “If you were the evil Dr. Cable, wherewould you put your prisoners.”
“The evil who?”
378 Scott Westerfeld“Oh. That’s her name, the woman who runs this place.
I remember from when I got busted²⁵.”
David frowned, and Tally wondered if she’d said toomuch.
Then he shrugged. “I guess I’d put them in the dungeon²⁶.”
“Okay. Down, then.”
They found a set of fire stairs that led down, but they endedafter only one flight. Apparently²⁷, they had reached the bottomfloor of Special Circumstances.
“Careful,” Tally whispered. “Before, I heard people gettingout of the elevator below me. They must be somewheredown here.”
This floor was lit by a soft glowstrip running down themiddle of the hallway. A cold finger crept down Tally’s spineas she read the labels on the doors.
“Interrogation Room One. Interrogation Room Two.
Isolation²⁸ Room One,” she whispered, her flashlight flickeringacross the words like an anxious firefly. “Disorientation RoomOne. Oh, David, they must be down here somewhere.”
He nodded, and pushed one of the doors softly, but itdidn’t budge²⁹. He ran his fingers around the edge, searchingfor a place where the powerjack could get purchase.
“Don’t let the eye-reader flash you,” Tally warned softly.
She pointed at the little camera by the door. “If it thinksit sees an eye, it’ll read your iris³⁰ and check with the bigcomputer.”
UGLIES 379“It won’t have any record of me.”
“And that will freak it out totally. Just don’t get tooclose. It’s automatic.”
“Okay,” David said, nodding. “These doors are toosmooth, anyway. No place to fit a jack⁷ in. Let’s keep looking.”
Farther down the hall, a label caught Tally’s eye. “Long-Term Detention,” she whispered. The door had a longexpanse of blank wall on either side, as if the room behindit was bigger than the others. She put her ear to it, listeningfor any hint of sound.
She heard a familiar voice. It was coming closer.
“David!” she hissed, pulling away from the door and throwingherself against the wall. David looked around franticallyfor a place to hide. Both of them were in plain view.
The door slid open, and Dr. Cable’s malevolent³¹ voicepoured out.
“You’re simply not trying hard enough. You just have toconvince her that—”
“Dr. Cable,” Tally said.
The woman spun³² to face Tally, her hawklike³³ featurestwisted in surprise.
“I’d like to give myself up.”
“Tally Youngblood? How—”
From behind, David’s powerjack thudded against theside of Dr. Cable’s head, and she slumped³⁴ to the floor.
“Is she . . . ,” David stammered³⁵. His face was white.
Tally knelt and turned Dr. Cable’s head to inspect the380 Scott Westerfeldwound. No blood, but she was out cold. No matter howformidable cruel pretties were, surprise still had its advantages.
“She’ll be okay.”
“Dr. Cable? What’s going—”
Tally turned toward the voice, her eyes taking in theyoung woman before her.
She was tall and elegant, every feature perfection. Hereyes—deep and soulful, flecked with copper³⁶ and gold—widened with a troubled look. Her generous lips partedwordlessly, and she raised one graceful³⁷ hand. Tally’s heartalmost stopped at the beauty of her confusion.
Then recognition filled the woman’s face, her broadsmile illuminating³⁸ the darkness, and Tally felt herself smilingin return. It felt good to make this woman happy.
“Tally! It is you.”
It was Shay. She was pretty.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 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。

3 vents   

（气体、液体等进出的）孔、口( vent的名词复数 )； （鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的）肛门； 大衣等的)衩口； 开衩

参考例句：

• He always vents his anger on the dog. 他总是拿狗出气。
• The Dandelion Patch is the least developed of the four active vents. “蒲公英区”在这四个活裂口中是发育最差的一个。

4 antennae   

n.天线；触角

参考例句：

• Sometimes a creature uses a pair of antennae to swim.有时某些动物使用其一对触须来游泳。
• Cuba's government said that Cubans found watching American television on clandestine antennae would face three years in jail.古巴政府说那些用秘密天线收看美国电视的古巴人将面临三年监禁。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

8 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

9 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

10 shaft   

n.(工具的)柄，杆状物

参考例句：

• He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
• This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

11 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

12 greasy   

adj. 多脂的，油脂的

参考例句：

• He bought a heavy-duty cleanser to clean his greasy oven.昨天他买了强力清洁剂来清洗油污的炉子。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

13 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

15 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

16 dangled   

悬吊着( dangle的过去式和过去分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• Gold charms dangled from her bracelet. 她的手镯上挂着许多金饰物。
• It's the biggest financial incentive ever dangled before British footballers. 这是历来对英国足球运动员的最大经济诱惑。

17 hissed   

发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对

参考例句：

• Have you ever been hissed at in the middle of a speech? 你在演讲中有没有被嘘过？
• The iron hissed as it pressed the wet cloth. 熨斗压在湿布上时发出了嘶嘶声。

18 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

19 screech   

n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
• The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。

20 squeaking   

v.短促地尖叫( squeak的现在分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者

参考例句：

• Squeaking floorboards should be screwed down. 踏上去咯咯作响的地板应用螺钉钉住。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Can you hear the mice squeaking? 你听到老鼠吱吱叫吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

22 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》

23 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。

24 glistened   

v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

25 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

26 dungeon   

n.地牢，土牢

参考例句：

• They were driven into a dark dungeon.他们被人驱赶进入一个黑暗的地牢。
• He was just set free from a dungeon a few days ago.几天前，他刚从土牢里被放出来。

27 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

28 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

29 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

30 iris   

n.虹膜，彩虹

参考例句：

• The opening of the iris is called the pupil.虹膜的开口处叫做瞳孔。
• This incredible human eye,complete with retina and iris,can be found in the Maldives.又是在马尔代夫，有这样一只难以置信的眼睛，连视网膜和虹膜都刻画齐全了。

31 malevolent   

adj.有恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Why are they so malevolent to me?他们为什么对我如此恶毒？
• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。

32 spun   

v.纺，杜撰，急转身

参考例句：

• His grandmother spun him a yarn at the fire.他奶奶在火炉边给他讲故事。
• Her skilful fingers spun the wool out to a fine thread.她那灵巧的手指把羊毛纺成了细毛线。

33 hawklike   

参考例句：

34 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

35 stammered   

v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He stammered most when he was nervous. 他一紧张往往口吃。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Barsad leaned back in his chair, and stammered, \"What do you mean?\" 巴萨往椅背上一靠，结结巴巴地说，“你是什么意思？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

36 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

37 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

38 illuminating   

a.富于启发性的，有助阐明的

参考例句：

• We didn't find the examples he used particularly illuminating. 我们觉得他采用的那些例证启发性不是特别大。
• I found his talk most illuminating. 我觉得他的话很有启发性。