Fall of Hades (2 page)

That takes me back to my father's plaque about winning a victory for humanity. The war we're fighting against Dr. Hatch and the Elgen is one the world doesn't even know about. And just like the guy with the train, if we pull this off, no one on earth, not even you, will ever know how close they came to complete disaster or who was “killed beneath the train.” Like Wade. Or maybe, in the end, all of the Electroclan. If we don't win, no one will even know that we tried. How's that for a stupid dilemma? At least we'll have no reason to die ashamed.

*  *  *

My name is Michael Vey. If you're still following the insanity of my life, then you've been all around the world with me. From my home in Meridian, Idaho (which I doubt I'll ever see again), we went to California, where we broke into the Elgen Academy and I was captured and put into Cell 25. (Yeah, I still have nightmares about that.) Then we broke out, attacked Dr. Hatch, and freed all his GPs, aka human guinea pigs.

You went with me to Peru, where we brought down the Elgen Starxource plant after Dr. Hatch tried to feed me to, like, a million rats. It's also where we lost Wade.

We traveled west to the Port of Lima, where we sunk two of the Elgen's boats—their main command ship, the
Ampere
, and their battleship, the
Watt
. Unfortunately, Dr. Hatch got off the
Ampere
just before it blew up.

Then we went to Taiwan, where we rescued a genius little girl named Jade Dragon before the Elgen could get what she knew out of her head—mainly how to get their MEI machine to make more of us—electric people. It was after our escape from the Taiwan Starxource plant that we found out that the Elgen had attacked Timepiece Ranch, our home base and the resistance's headquarters in Mexico.

We flew back to the ranch—or at least what was left of it after the Elgen helicopters bombed it to ashes. We thought that everyone was dead, until we were found by Gervaso, who took us to the resistance's new headquarters at Christmas Ranch near Zion National Park in southern Utah. Then Taylor, Gervaso, Ian, and I went back to Boise, where we rescued Taylor's parents.

Still, in spite of all we've done, the Elgen just keep growing stronger. Now we have a plan to stop them once and for all. We're going to the Elgen base in the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu, to steal the
Joule
—the Elgen's floating piggy bank. As if that's not crazy enough, that's just one of our missions. Hatch has locked up three of his own electric kids for treason—his most powerful: Quentin, Tara, and Torstyn—and we're going to try to free them. I can't believe I'm even considering this. Along with Bryan, those are the same three who made fun of me just before Hatch tried to feed me to his rats in Peru.

This is the first time that all of us electrics (except Grace) will be going on a mission together. Even Tanner and Nichelle. Nichelle will be extremely valuable if Hatch's electric kids decide not to cooperate. Still, this will be really dangerous for her. She betrayed Hatch the last time they met, and he's not exactly the forgiving type. I'm guessing he'll do anything to make her pay for what she did. Then again, I suppose that's true for all of us.

I know, the whole plan seems crazy. If I had to lay odds on it, I'd say we've got a 10 percent chance of winning this one. I wouldn't tell everyone else that. If I did, I'd have to drop that number to 1 percent, because if you think you're going to fail, you most likely will—at least that's what our gym teacher at Meridian High always said. But whether you think you're going to lose or not, sometimes you do what you have to do because it's the right thing, and let the chips fall where they may.

I think we're about to drop a whole lot of chips.

Two Weeks Earlier

S
chema hadn't spoken for nearly a minute when the voice leaned back in his chair. “What's wrong, my friend? Cassy got your tongue?”

“It's not me, sir,” Cassy said, brushing her short blond hair back over one ear. “I'm not doing anything.”

“I know, Cass,” the voice said. “The chairman's in shock. I suppose he wasn't expecting to see me.”

“Coonradt,” Schema said.

“
Doctor
Coonradt,” the voice corrected. “At least that was once my name. Many years ago. Now I'm simply ‘the voice.' That is all you will call me.”

Schema looked even more confused. “But I don't understand. . . . You were dead.”

“Because you killed me?”

Schema said nothing.

“Don't bother to deny it. I know that you tried. You used my own technology against me. And, in a way, you succeeded. Coonradt
is
dead. After you killed Carl Vey, I knew that I was next. I knew that you were behind his heart attack, because it was my technology that allowed you to do it—a mistake I've regretted since I invented it.

“What a simple, perfect way to murder, to give someone a heart attack from a hundred yards away. It's the perfect weapon. In a way, it's the same power that Cassy has, except she comes by hers honestly.” He glanced over at Cassy, who slightly nodded.

“You thought I was dead, but rumors of my death were exaggerated. I was sick, mind you. Quite sick for a while. But then it became clear to me that I had to die.”

Schema shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “If you knew what I'd done, why did you rescue me from the Elgen? Why not just let Hatch kill me?” He looked into the voice's eyes. “Why haven't you already killed me?”

“Because I want your help to stop Hatch. You have information that will help us dismantle what Hatch is building.”

“My enemy's enemy is my friend,” Schema said softly.

“No,” the voice said in a low tone. “You are not my friend. You are an
opportunity
. I'm offering you an arrangement, not a friendship. You can help us or not, it's your choice. But now that you know my identity, if you choose not to cooperate, you will be silenced.”

Schema blinked. “Silenced?”

“I believe that's the word you once used to order my murder,” the voice said. “Hatch would have fed you to his rats. I, on the other hand, am much more merciful. But if you reveal my identity, thousands, maybe millions, will die. Your life is not worth that. So make no mistake, you will be . . .
silenced
.” The voice turned to Cassy. “Go ahead and attach the arrestor.”

“Yes, sir,” Cassy said. She walked out of the room.

“What's an arrestor?” Schema asked.

“Your new companion.”

Cassy walked back into the room carrying a small box. She stood in front of Schema. “Take off your shirt, please.”

Schema looked at her, then back at the voice. “What are you doing?”

“Let me be clear,” the voice said. “Your very existence hangs by a thread. Don't get into the habit of questioning orders. I am not your employee or your subordinate. I do not have time to trifle with you. You will obey me without question or die quickly.” His eyes narrowed and he spoke slowly, carefully enunciating each word. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Then take it off.”

Schema quickly pulled off his shirt, exposing his tan, flabby body.

“Now put your arms through here,” Cassy said.

The device she was putting on him looked a lot like the Elgen RESAT. Schema put his arms through the straps, and Cassy slid the device forward. A thin, rubber-coated box about the size of a cell phone rested over his heart. Cassy locked the straps, then took the other two straps from the box and brought them around Schema's ribs and snapped them shut in back.

“You are familiar with the RESAT machines, of course,” the voice said. “This is patterned after them, but based on the same technology that you used to kill Carl Vey. Except I've made a few improvements.” The voice lifted a small remote. “If you are a half mile or more from the central monitor, which is secured somewhere in this building, the arrestor will automatically activate, immediately stopping your heart. If I push this button, right here, the arrestor will activate, stopping your heart. If you try to remove the device, the arrestor will activate, stopping your heart.

“Of course Cassy can do any of this without technology, but I wanted insurance in case you think you can escape while we're not around. You will wear the arrestor until I take it off you.”

Cassy fastened the final lock, then stepped back. The machine hummed quietly as two diodes began blinking.

“It's on,” Cassy said.

The voice lifted the remote in front of him, his index finger hovering a quarter inch above a red button. “One push, and your heart ceases to beat.”

“I get the idea,” Schema said, sounding more annoyed than scared.

“Of course you do,” the voice said. “You've held others' lives in your hands for some time. How does it feel to be on the opposite end of the leash?”

“Humbling,” Schema said. “But Hatch already put me on that end of the leash.”

“Yes, he has. And it's time to talk about him. Time is of the essence. We have a plan we are about to put into motion.” The voice leaned forward. “We are going to the heart of the Elgen. We are going to steal the
Joule
.”

Schema looked unimpressed. “That's a foolish idea. The
Joule
is tighter than Fort Knox. Trust me, the ship is impenetrable.”

“
Nothing
is impenetrable.”

“The
Joule
is. Its security systems can't be breached. And it keeps its periphery. If anything comes within three hundred meters, it submerges. Its protocols are unbending.”

“Which is why we need you to help us steal it. We need to know the ship's security features and its crew's protocols.” The voice leaned back in his seat. “If you help us steal the
Joule
, you get your life back. We'll give you a hundred million dollars from the boat and allow you to regain control of the Elgen company.”

“I want Hatch's head on a stake.”

“You can get his head yourself. Take your money and buy an army. But first we need to steal the boat. We need protocols and security features.”

“I'll do what I can,” Schema said. “But Hatch has probably already changed the protocols.”

“We'll take what you can give us.”

“I can get you the boat's schematics. . . . There are plans—blueprints.”

“Where are they?”

“They were on the
Ampere
.”

“We sunk the
Ampere
.”

“I know. I was there. But the plans are still on it. And the
Ampere
is resting in only seventy feet of water. The Peruvian government hasn't started to move it yet. The plans are protected in a waterproof safe in the captain's suite. If you can get to the
Ampere
, I can tell you how to get into the safe.”

The voice nodded slowly. “All right, that's a beginning.” He turned. “Cassy, please tell Maggie to come in.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then come back yourself. I want you here for this. I want you to know everything about our plans.”

Cassy's eyebrows rose. “I'm going to be involved in this mission?”

“Maybe. This might be too big even for the Electroclan.”