Authors: Norma Hinkens
A
bedraggled figure
bursts into the clearing with a bloodcurdling scream. She hurls herself forward, but Lyong and Owen are already climbing back on board the Hovermedes.
I stare wide-eyed at the woman who crouches down in front of us.
Nikki!
Before anyone can stop her, she takes a shot and downs one of the military clones. The other one returns fire and dives inside the Hovermedes, just as the door slides shut.
“Run! Into the undergrowth before they release the tubes!” Sven yells.
“Grab Nikki!” I yell back to him. “I got Sook!”
We disappear beneath a battalion of giant ferns, and take cover in the darkness. I watch in dismay as the ship begins a rapid ascent.
“Looks like Lyong has no appetite for extraction right now,” Trout says, grimly. “He’s bent on getting out of here as fast as he can.”
I throw myself at Nikki and shake her, tears streaming down my face. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? We were
this
close to rescuing Owen.”
“You weren’t rescuing him!” she screams at me. “You were all standing there, gawking. Lyong was about to execute him.”
Big Ed places his mangled hand on my shoulder. “Let her go, Derry.”
“It was an exchange,” I say, shoving Nikki away from me in disgust. “Lyong agreed to trade Owen for Sook. And for the record, that might have been a military clone you killed, not a Schutz Clone.”
Nikki stares at us, eyes darting around the group, trying to process the enormity of what I said.
I glower at her, shaking with rage and despair.
“We have to head back to the Craniopolis,” Sven says. “There’s nothing left to do but fight, and we’ll have to move rapidly now. Lyong may not know we’ve infiltrated the Craniopolis, but he knows we’re in the vicinity, so the first thing he’s going to do is increase security and patrols.”
I wipe the tears from my face with my fingertips and look up at Sven. He hesitantly reaches out for my hand, and squeezes it. “We can still do this.” He throws a glance across at Jakob. “Just not the way he wanted.”
“I know.” My voice trembles. “Let me say good-bye to him.”
I turn and walk slowly over to Jakob. “I have to go back there with the others and finish this now.”
He lifts his face so his eyes are locked on mine. “I’m coming with you.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “No! It’ll just make things more difficult. We can’t protect you.”
“I’ll do whatever killing needs to be done. I can’t live with myself if I let you go back there without me, not after what happened with The Ghost.” He trades a loaded look with Sven, and a sinking feeling comes over me.
“I’ll grab my pack,” he says, and walks off.
Bid Ed sidles up to me. “That boy’s change of heart has less to do with killing and more to do with dueling for love.” He peers at me through his spectacles. “He’s seen the way Sven looks at you.”
My face flushes. “It doesn’t mean anything. Sven’s a clone.”
Big Ed pulls his fingers through his beard. “All God’s creatures are capable of love.” He peers at me through his spectacles. “And hate.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, frowning up at him.
“I’m questioning Jakob’s motives in coming with us. And I’m wondering who he’s thinking of killing all of a sudden.”
“No!” I narrow my eyes at Big Ed. “Jakob would never hurt Sven.”
“Love is a powerful motivator.” He looks away and adjusts the brim of his hat. “Trust me.”
A slow sonic boom registers inside my head.
Kitty Marsh!
Big Ed killed for love all those years ago. He’s warning me to keep an eye on Jakob. I turn in a daze and follow the others back toward the tunnel entrance. I have to put an end to this rivalry between Sven and Jakob before it goes any further. I hardly dare admit to myself that it’s happening, but deep down I know that Sven has feelings for me. And the fact that it goes both ways excites and terrifies me. There’s something about the way he looks at me that ignites a place inside my soul that Jakob’s never touched. I love Jakob, but more like a brother or a best friend. He was my strong room in a world gone mad for all those lonely years in the bunker. But now that I’m free to follow my heart, I think I might have done something crazy and fallen for a clone.
We trudge along the tunnel back to the Craniopolis in a ticking time bomb kind of silence. When we reach the Biotik Sektor, I clamber out of the tunnel and clear my mind of all thoughts of Sven and Jakob. I can’t muddy my thinking with my emotions right now. I need to stay focused on the fight that lies before us.
The Ghost makes a beeline toward me, Blade latched onto his side like a tumor that won’t go away.
“Well?” he demands, his face like thunder.
I summarize for him what went down, with Jerome chipping in here and there.
“We don’t have much time,” I say. “Lyong’s likely already increased security in the Craniopolis.
“And on the exits,” Jerome adds.
The Ghost’s eyes glint back and forth between us, then settle on me. “Where’s Rummy?” he asks, his breath hot on my face.
I drop my eyes to the floor, feigning shame. “He … got away in the mayhem,” I say.
Blade skewers me with a suspicious look, but he’s learned to keep his mouth shut until The Ghost has his say. For an uncomfortable moment there’s silence and then a cold grin creeps across The Ghost’s face. “You and I had a deal, my help in return for Rummy’s hide.”
Blade’s head swivels toward The Ghost like he’s taken a punch. Evidently this is news to him. I elbow defiantly past The Ghost. “You’ll have to take that up with Rummy,” I say. “The sooner we finish what we came here to do, the sooner you can get after him. Right now I need to figure out our next step.”
Jerome and I join Sven and Big Ed on the other side of the room.
“We need to strike before Lyong has a chance to prepare,” Sven says.
“We can’t leave before Trout returns,” I say.
“The deadline’s come and gone,” Big Ed says, scratching at the back of his neck. “He should have been back by now.”
“What?” My pulse races. “No! It can’t be that late already.”
Jerome frowns. “It’s almost five-thirty.”
“The clones will be arriving back from work duty any time now,” Sven says. “If the Undergrounders were successful in laying the explosives, the first tunnel should blow in about fifteen minutes. That will allow the deviations safe passage to the Biotik Sektor.”
“So we strike the Schutz Clones once the deviations are safely here?” I ask, throwing a quick glance over my shoulder as The Ghost materializes behind us.
Sven nods. “I’ll kill the power in the Craniopolis, at least temporarily, to give us a chance to spread out in the tunnels. We’ll have to take out one Sektor at a time.”
The Ghost folds his arms across his chest. “So it’s come down to slitting throats in dark alleyways after all your pie-in-the-sky plans. Lucky you got us Rogues on your side.” He gives a contemptuous snort, then jerks his head in the direction of Jakob and Brock. “Those two’ll never last out there.”
I arch a brow at him. “It’s Jakob’s choice to stay and fight. But I’ll evacuate Brock with the deviations.” I throw a quick glance over at Nikki, curled up in an oversized pod chair, a feverish look in her eyes. I’d like to send her out with them too, but she’s proven to be more trouble out of my sight, than under my nose. And there’s no way she’ll agree to go back now that she’s seen Owen.
I tense at the sound of voices in the corridor.
“The clones are coming,” Sven says, striding across to the door. Cautiously, he opens it and peers into the corridor, then swings the door wide open. He exchanges a few words with one of the clones, and then motions him inside. I eye the clones curiously as they troop through. It’s obvious which ones are military—they stand head and shoulders above the others, although few are as tall and broad as Sven.
“Lyong’s issued a red alert,” one of the military clones says to Sven. “We have to return for another shift at six. He’s ramping up security at all the entries to the vents and in the docking station.”
“Which means he doesn’t know we’re already inside,” Sven says.
“He will if we don’t report back for duty in thirty minutes,” the military clone replies.
“It won’t make any difference now,” I interject. “Lyong will know we’re here once the tunnel blows in about five minutes.”
Jerome turns to The Ghost. “Get your men ready. I’ll round up the Undergrounders.”
Before The Ghost even gets to his feet, an explosion rocks the Biotik Sektor. The floor vibrates beneath me. My heart lurches. Trout did it! Sven races to a control pod and hunches over it, tapping furiously, his face creased in concentration. A few minutes later the entire Biotik Sektor is plunged into darkness. We pull out our flashlights, ready our weapons, and huddle in restless groups as we await the arrival of the deviations. Every tormented second drags its heels in passing. Finally, I hear the offbeat thudding of mismatched footsteps heading our way. Moments later, the deviations begin flooding through the door.
Behind me, the Rogues mutter in disgruntled tones as they arc their beams over the wave of deformed figures pouring into the room. Some carry lame friends slumped over their own misshapen shoulders. Others grope their way along, and not because the power is out. They have no eyeballs. I press my fist to my lips. What are we doing taking them out of the only world they’ve ever known? How are they ever going to make on the outside? It’s the Sweepers we need to drive from the Craniopolis. I turn to Jerome. “You’ll have to accompany them to the city,” I say. “They’re never going to make it there without you.”
Jerome eyes me stoically. “What about you?”
“I can handle things here with Sven’s help.” I clutch his arm and give him a reassuring nod. “Go! Take Brock with you and get them out now!”
He throws me a grateful look, then jumps to his feet and begins directing some of the Undergrounders to assist the deviations as they make their way to the tunnel entrance.
“Still no sign of Trout?” Big Ed asks, coming alongside me.
“No, but we’ll find him,” I say. “We’ll comb every square inch of this place if we have to.”
I glance across at The Ghost silently observing the deviations as they disappear into the tunnel. “Now you understand why they need someone to fight for them,” I say to him when he joins us.
He tightens his lips. “If this is science, you’re better off school’s been axed.”
Jerome walks up to us with Brock at his side. “That’s the last of them.” He gives a curt nod. “Godspeed. We’ll see you back at the city.”
“Hey!” Brock says, shining the dull light of his flashlight into The Ghost’s face. “I remember you!”
“
D
on’t be stupid
, kid!” The Ghost scowls at Brock. “I never seen your grubby mug before.” He gestures with his chin to Jerome. “Get the kid out of here while there’s still time.”
Jerome picks up his pack and ushers Brock over to the tunnel entrance.
“But I do know you!” Brock calls back over his shoulder. “You hid me in the bushes!” He turns, and disappears into the tunnel after Jerome.
“
You
saved Brock’s life?” I say, staring at The Ghost in disbelief.
“Kid doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he says, gruffly. He turns on his heel and strides across the room to the rest of the Rogues.
“What’s going on?” Jakob asks, coming up behind me.
“Brock just said it was The Ghost who saved his life. He denied it when I pressed him, but Brock seemed adamant.”
“The Rogues are all covered in tattoos,” Jakob says. “Brock couldn’t tell one from another in a raid.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I reply, unconvinced. Brock’s no dummy. The weird thing is that I feel sick about the idea. I was perfectly happy believing The Ghost had no redeeming qualities. I frown across at him, jawing with a few of his men. My mind flashes to Lyong, stretching out his hand toward Sook. He showed up at the exchange to save his son. Seems like even the vilest men have a trace of light inside them. But not enough for their redemption.
I wonder if what I’ve done can be forgiven.
“All the cameras are disabled, power’s down, it’s time,” Sven says. “We’ll make our first move in the Intake Sektor. They might be holding Owen there.”
I turn to Jakob. “Keep an eye on Nikki, and try and keep her away from the frontline.”
“I’m on it,” he says.
I watch him walk over to her. It’s as much for his sake, as hers, that I want them out of the line of fire.
We exit the Biotik Sektor and follow Sven through several smaller feeder tunnels. My heart races as we creep through the shadowy corridors, listening intently for any indication of patrols. “Get ready, we’re approaching Intake,” Sven whispers over his shoulder. “On my command.”
I take a quick glance back at the Rogues behind us, the whites of their eyes reflecting like tribal headhunters in their tattooed faces. I shiver. They look like men with war on their minds, but then that’s why we brought them.
I ready my weapon as we approach the entrance. Sven keys something into the pad and the entry doors slide seamlessly open. He gives a downward swipe of his hand, and then darts through the double doors. We race after him, weapons drawn. The handful of Schutz Clones and Sweepers on duty wheel around, shock and disbelief plastered over their faces. Before they even have a chance to fire off a round, the Rogues fall on them with a measure of fury they’ve only hinted at before. I draw back from the carnage, shaken by the ferocity of the Rogues’ hatred. The massacre lasts all of two minutes. The Sweepers didn’t even have a chance to draw a weapon. Their bloodied bodies lie crumpled where they fell, in stark contrast to the Schutz Clone corpses that fade to gray and curl up like gnarled tree limbs. A shiver goes through me. Will this really be Sven’s fate one day?
“Time to free the prisoners,” Sven says. My pulse quickens. There’s only a slim chance Owen’s being held here. It’s more likely Lyong is keeping him close to him, but I can’t help hoping. I watch as Sven taps something into a control panel on the wall. A large door at the back of the gleaming space slides open. In the shadows, twenty or so teenagers huddle around in small groups, arms draped protectively over one another. Their bleached faces are riddled with fear and confusion, as they dart glances between the Rogues and the Undergrounders.
No sign of Owen.
“It’s okay,” I say. “The Rogues are with us. We’re here to rescue you. Is everyone able to walk out?”
They murmur dazed affirmations, their expressions suggesting they’re questioning if this is really happening.
The Ghost kicks irreverently at the boot of a Schutz Clone corpse. “These clowns weren’t expecting us. Lyong hasn’t figured out we’re inside yet.”
“Believe me, he knows,” Sven says. “But with the power down, the only way he can communicate with the Sektors is by sending out runners.”
“Can we intercept them?” I ask.
“Perhaps, if we split up and sweep all the feeder tunnels leading from the central hub,” Sven says, pulling out his blueprint.
The Ghost scrutinizes the map. “My men can take these six tunnels, if you can cover the other two.”
I nod. “We’ll meet at the central hub.”
I direct Big Ed and Jakob to take Nikki and the Undergrounders down one tunnel, and instruct the clones to follow Sven and me. I steal a glance in Jakob’s direction, but he’s already disappeared into the tunnel after Big Ed. I let out a quick sigh of relief. I won’t be able to focus on the task at hand if I’m trying to keep him safe at the same time.
Sven gestures at the dead Schutz Clones. “Pull their uniforms on,” he says to the military clones. “If you can pass for a patrol in the tunnel, we might be able to take a runner alive and find out what Lyong is planning.”
We creep silently along the tunnel in pitch darkness, single file, only the faint sound of our ragged breathing cutting through the air. A few minutes in, Sven reaches back and motions with his arm for us to halt. I pass the signal down the line, then peer into the shadows up ahead. It’s impossible to see anyone coming, and I can’t hear a thing either. My impatience mounts. As I reach forward to tap Sven on the shoulder, I notice a pinprick of light in the distance bobbing toward us.
A runner!
I shrink back against the tunnel wall, my heartbeat thumping in my head. Any minute now, the runner will see us. Sven signals to his military clones. They step out in formation into the tunnel and march briskly forward. “Halt!” one of them shouts to the runner. “Identify!”
“Research, zero, five, nine,” a woman’s breathless voice replies.
“This tunnel is on lockdown.”
“I have an urgent dispatch from Doctor Lyong for the Intake Sektor.”
“Relay the communication,” the clone replies.
“Undergrounders approaching Craniopolis. Red alert lockdown on all extractees awaiting processing.”
The clone nods. “Where is Doctor Lyong?”
“In the landing dock.”
“Report back to him at once, red alert lockdown activated.”
“At once,” the woman replies. I listen to the sound of her footsteps disappearing down the tunnel, and exhale an icy breath.
“That should buy us some time,” I say to Sven.
“I wouldn’t count on it,” he replies, a grim look on his face. “The Rogues aren’t as civilized as we are. They’ll eliminate any runners coming through. Lyong will know something’s up when the runners don’t return. We need to get to the Research Sektor and find Trout and Panju before it’s too late.”
We hotfoot it down the rest of the feeder tunnel and exit close to the central hub. The Ghost and the Rogues are already waiting for us in the shadows. The sliding doors to the hub are ajar.
“There’s no one here,” The Ghost says. “We checked inside.”
“See any runners?” I ask.
He gives a sly grin, tracing his fingers along the barrel of his gun. “Now you see them, now you don’t.”
I look away and repress a shudder.
“Let’s see how your homeboys did,” The Ghost adds, as Big Ed, Jakob, and Nikki emerge with the Undergrounders from the farthest tunnel.
“No runners,” Big Ed says.
Sven looks up sharply. “They may have got through before you swept the tunnel. Which means the Research Sektor could be on red alert already.”
“Trout might have got word to the scientist and made it out safely,” I say.
Sven grimaces. “If he didn’t, he’ll be detained, along with his bogus posse of deviations. Red alert lockdown means no one in transit, not even maintenance crews. Let’s go.”
We pile into the feeder tunnel that leads to the Research Sektor and the infamous Sektor Sieben. My stomach churns. The thought of the bodies trapped in there brings back a slew of nightmarish images. It’s too late to save them, but the least we can do is give them a decent burial, assuming we live through what’s to come ourselves.
Halfway along the tunnel, emergency strip lighting flickers on, casting a faint buttercup hue along the floor.
“What’s happening? Can they see us now?” I look around in alarm.
“They must have restored the backup generator,” Sven says, furrowing his brow. “We may have only minutes before they restart the cameras.”
I throw him a stricken look. “Come on!” I yell back to the others.
We increase our pace, following the amber line of light at our feet, and charge through the rest of the tunnel to the Research Sektor. We come to a halt outside the main entry and silently ready our weapons. My heart pounds furiously.
“There are four side doors into the Research Sektor also,” Sven says. “I’ll need some of you to take up positions outside those exits. The rest of you follow me.” He cautiously approaches the main double doors and punches in a code. The doors slide soundlessly apart, and Sven eases forward, staying flush with the wall as he enters the room. The Ghost and I close in behind, followed by half the Rogues and Undergrounders. The only lighting inside the cavernous room is a muted, recessed strip along the edge of the floor. The space is a giant lab of sorts, outfitted with rows of steel tables, covered with a vast array of glassware, tubing, microscopes and other equipment. There’s no sign of anyone working, or hiding, in here. I stick my head through one of the side doors and gesture to the rest of the Rogues and Undergrounders to join us.
“Check the storage rooms,” Sven says, motioning the clones forward.
They open all the adjoining doors and do a thorough sweep of the entire area.
“They knew we were coming,” I say.
Before Sven has a chance to reply, the doors to the Research Sektor slam shut. I freeze, then spin around in disbelief. “It’s a trap!” I call to the others. We dive for cover and take up positions beneath the steel tables. I take aim at the double entry doors. Nikki’s on the floor to my right, focused and calm for once, her gun trained on a side door. This is what she does best. I chance a quick glance over at Jakob. He’s staring at the gun in his hands like he wishes it wasn’t there. I grit my teeth in frustration. I can’t cover both of us from here.
All of a sudden the side doors burst open and a barrage of gunfire erupts. I return fire, disoriented by the sudden attack from four angles.
“Turn over the tables,” Sven yells to the clones.
They tip the steel tables onto their sides and slide them into a circle around us. I glimpse the black fatigues of Schutz Clones beyond one of the doors and my heart sinks. There could be hundreds of them out there. I duck for cover as a hail of bullets sprays the table I’m crouched behind. Glass shards and splinters rain down on me. A military clone to my left takes a hit, keels backward and shrivels up before my eyes. I suck in my breath, momentarily stunned, before adrenalin shoots through my veins once more. I eject my clip, slap in a new one, and send the slide forward. I’ll spend my last bullet and final breath taking down these monsters before I’ll surrender.
Time splits from reality as the noise of the weapons bombards my senses. Around me, blurs and smudges of arms and faces streak past my peripheral vision. Guns fire in slow motion sequence, like dull canons somewhere deep inside my head. Several Rogues go sprawling backward. An Undergrounder behind me flops forward like a rag doll, clutching his stomach, his head resting at an unnatural angle on my shoulder. I jerk out from underneath him, my heart thumping double time.
From beyond the doors, garbled shouts of confusion drift into the room. The gunfire from the Schutz Clones continues unabated, but apparently they’re no longer shooting at us.
“Hold your fire!” I yell to Sven and the others. “That could be Trout out there.”
“If it is, he’s outnumbered,” Sven says, sliding across the floor toward me. “We need to help him.”
“Let’s split up and charge all four side doors,” I say. “Hit them hard.”
We swarm forward and let loose with heavy fire on each of the four doorways. Caught off guard, the Schutz Clones spin back to face us, as gunfire greets them from both sides. Beyond them, I spot several of the Undergrounders who went with Trout to set the explosives, and some new faces—scientists. My heart soars. He must have rescued Panju after all. I take another shot and neutralize a Schutz Clone trying to escape down the tunnel.
Within a few short minutes, the assault is over, and the Schutz Clones have been eliminated. The odor of burnt gunpowder hangs in the airless space above the graying bodies. I lower my weapon and take several steadying breaths.
“Have you seen Trout?” I ask, gripping one of the Undergrounders by the shoulder.
She shakes her head. “I don’t know where he went.”
I elbow my way through the jostling crowd of Undergrounders and Rogues, stepping over desiccated Schutz Clones, calling for Trout every few feet.
“Derry!” Big Ed wades through the crowd toward me. I know immediately something is wrong because he’s clutching his hat in his good hand. He takes me by the arm and leads me off to the side.
“What is it?” I ask, cringing at the anguished look in his eyes. “Is it Trout?”
The paperthin skin on his face crinkles, as if to catch a tear before it falls. He gestures reluctantly behind him.
My blood runs cold when I see the body. I stumble past Big Ed and fall to my knees, screaming silently at the injustice of it.