by Eliza Green
Laura trailed behind everyone. Clement and Margaux kept her company.
Up ahead, Stephen, Arianna and Anton stumbled a few times, guided over the rough terrain by Serena. Laura should have been leading with Serena, but she wanted to stay back, to keep an eye on Emile and Marie.
Margaux had insisted she come with them, even though it was no place for an elder.
‘If Emile and Marie are going then so shall I.’
Her argument was valid, and Laura could find no reason to stop her joining them. Besides, having the former elder there comforted her. Her mind worked on a level different to everyone else’s. She appeared to have an innate understanding of deceit. With the neurosensor in place, Laura hoped to put her own understanding of deceit to work.
She concentrated on Emile, searching for his black ghost, the one that depicted a lie. But under the cover of darkness, it was impossible to see anything.
‘Are you getting a read on him yet?’ whispered Clement.
‘Trying to, but I don’t see anything.’
Clement huffed out, ‘I don’t trust him.’
‘Neither do I.’
Margaux whispered, ‘What are we looking for exactly?’
She was glaring at Emile, as though she could see the ghost for herself.
Emile turned suddenly, flicking his gaze to each of them. It settled on Margaux.
‘What are you looking at?’ Margaux snapped.
Her palpable contempt for the elder made Laura’s skin tingle.
‘I can look at whatever I like,’ Emile retorted.
Marie, the submissive mate, kept her eyes forward.
‘Except back at us,’ Margaux growled. ‘Concentrate on the way ahead.’
‘I’ll look back if I like,’ huffed Emile. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘None of your business. District Three was never your business.’
Laura elbowed Margaux to stop her, then smiled at Emile. ‘I apologise. She’s still grieving for Gabriel. She doesn’t mean anything by it.’
‘I do,’ she mumbled.
Laura jabbed her again.
‘Ow!’
‘We’re discussing the route inside the city, that’s all.’ Laura pointed ahead. ‘Bill’s car isn’t far from here.’
She thought she saw Emile shudder, before he smiled and faced the front.
Clement whispered, ‘Please tell me you’re seeing something.’
She wished. ‘Maybe later. His guard is up, and I’d need to ask him to lie to really see his ghost.’ To Margaux, she said, ‘Cool it. I need him to trust us.’
Margaux smiled sweetly. ‘Sorry.’
The cluster of tall and jagged rocks Bill had parked the car behind came into view. When Laura couldn’t see the vehicle, panic tightened her chest.
She jogged up to Serena and stopped her with her hand. ‘Let me go first. He’s with someone. I don’t want him having a heart attack when we all show.’
Serena nodded.
She hurried on, worried Bill had given up on her and ventured into New Tokyo by himself. It would be just like him. She’d only been gone a few hours. Why couldn’t he wait?
Her heart settled a little when she saw the nose of the car, then the two men waiting inside, slouched in their seats. She slowed her approach, waiting for them to see her. Both men jerked upright. Bill huffed out a sigh of relief. But then his expression turned angry.
He jerked open the door and got out. ‘Where the hell have you been? I thought you’d been captured.’
‘It’s a long story.’
He looked around. ‘Did you bring Stephen?’
‘Plus a few others.’ She looked at Gunnar. ‘There’s nine of us.’
Gunnar’s eyes widened. ‘Are they... friendly?’
His only experience with the Indigenes had been at the interspecies underground meetings. But those talks had been all business, and usually with more humans than Indigenes present.
‘Do you trust me, Gunnar?’ Laura asked.
The Swede nodded.
‘Good, then believe me when I say they’re allies.’
He nodded again. In an almost automatic response, his shaking hand slid to his gun.
She stopped him. ‘No, they need to trust you. I wouldn’t have brought them here unless I did.’
Gunnar nodded a third time, keeping his shaking hands away from his weapon.
She smiled at Bill. ‘I was surprised to see you still here.’
‘You told me to wait.’
‘Since when have you ever done anything I’ve asked you to do?’
Gunnar choked on a laugh.
Bill growled. ‘Fair point. Turns out we still don’t know how to get inside the city.’
Laura called out to the others. One by one, they appeared, illuminated in part by the blue moonlight, and gathered around the nose of the car.
Bill’s eyes widened when he saw Stephen. He strode over to him and poked him in the chest. ‘What the hell happened to you? I’ve been calling you.’
Stephen took a step back. ‘I was busy, but then I tried calling and you didn’t answer.’
‘All comms on Exilon 5 are sporadic right now. Only the private channels are working. Harvey must have ordered those to be kept open.’
Stephen nodded. ‘After our districts were blocked in and I couldn’t get hold of you, I called Jenny.’
Bill rubbed his chin. ‘So planet-to-planet comms are still working... Good to know.’ He looked up in surprise. ‘Wait, what? Your districts were blocked in? When?’
‘Earlier today.’ Stephen flicked his gaze away then back. ‘I thought it was you.’
‘Why the hell would I do something like that?’
‘It’s my fault.’ Margaux stepped forward. ‘I heard them talking. They said they would be reporting back to the ITF.’
Bill shook his head. ‘Not my men—defectors. Working for Harvey and whatever bullshit he’s promised to give them after this is all over.’
‘I know that now.’ Stephen nodded to Laura. ‘She explained it to me.’
Bill rubbed a hand over his hair—a sign he was stressed. ‘But we have a problem. Gunnar and I have been over the schematics for the city and there’s no easy way inside.’
Laura rubbed his arm, hoping to ease his worries. ‘We might have a solution. Emile?’
The elder for District One stepped forward; beneath her touch, Laura felt Bill flinch.
He muttered, ‘What the hell’s he doing here?’
‘Just listen,’ she whispered to him.
‘District One runs beneath New Tokyo,’ said Emile, unperturbed by the frosty reception. ‘We can access it using one of our tunnels.’
‘And what makes you think they haven’t blocked those entry points too?’ asked Bill. ‘I assume your district has the same blockades in place?’
‘They do, but the human renegades don’t know about all of our entry points.’
‘I don’t understand...’
Laura explained to him how they had gained access to District Three, and how they might be able to do the same at District One.
Gunnar shrugged. ‘It’s worth a try. We don’t have any other way to get inside the city. Deighton’s tunnels are out of play.’
Bill glanced at Laura, looking unsure.
She responded with her most encouraging smile. ‘It will work.’
He sighed. ‘Can I talk to you for a sec?’ He pulled her away from the group and nodded at the group. ‘How good is their hearing?’
‘Apart from Clement, the others can’t hear us. They were all ill.’
‘Good.’ Bill glared at her. ‘What’s he doing here?’
‘Who, Clement?’ His anger surprised her. She thought they’d moved on from this.
‘No, Emile.’
‘Ah, I found Clement first. Then Emile and Marie showed up. They were locked out of their district. They were looking for Stephen to give them s
anctuary. I guess this is their way of helping.’
Bill flicked his gaze over to the group. Laura did the same. Only Clement was looking over.
‘And do you trust Emile?’
‘Not really. That’s why I have this.’ She pulled a section of her blonde hair back, revealing the neurosensor.
Bill’s eyes widened. ‘What’s that?’
‘It heightens my abilities. It will help me to determine if Emile is a threat or not.’ Laura used it now to read Bill’s current mood, but came up with nothing. The man was a stone wall. ‘Are we good?’
‘Yeah, I’m just glad you’re okay.’ Bill sighed. ‘And by the way, I might not act like it, but I do like Clement. He’s a friend to you?’
She nodded.
‘Then I won’t stop you from rekindling that friendship.’
His admission surprised her. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Yeah. You and I don’t have many friends.’ The edge of his mouth quirked up. ‘Might as well keep the ones who can tolerate us.’
Laura smiled and nodded, knowing Clement had heard every word. She kissed him on the mouth. ‘I’d like that. And I hope you would, too, Clement.’
She looked over to where a smiling Clement was watching, but also trying not to watch. He nodded once.
Bill relaxed beneath her touch, before pulling back. ‘Time to get Ben back.’
The group headed out on foot to a location marking the start of the tunnels for District One.
Emile walked a short distance and stopped. He pointed down. ‘Here.’ He looked at Clement. ‘We have unfinished tunnels of our own.’
Clement knelt down and dug at the surface like before. Anton, Arianna, Stephen and Serena helped. Even Margaux dug furiously. She seemed to be enjoying the outing. Bill, Gunnar and Laura stood back, as did Emile and Marie.
Soon, their combined efforts reached the rock level. Clement punched the rock with force, tossing out loose fragments as he went. Before long, he’d made a similar hole to the one at District Three. Bill reached into his backpack and pulled out his gel mask. Gunnar removed his from his pocket.
One by one, they dropped into the tunnel. After the last one was in, Emile and Marie led the way inside their district, which had narrower tunnels than District Three. A feeling of claustrophobia hit Laura as she followed the group through the district. They exited one tunnel and entered another that was wider. She breathed out a little of her claustrophobia.
Indigenes from One stopped and stared at the group currently invading their tunnels.
Emile waved at them and said, ‘Nothing to worry about. They are friends.’
Laura checked for his ghost. A shadow appeared to follow him and Marie, but to talk to it she’d need to ask him something.
They arrived in a new area. Up ahead was a door leading to an unknown place.
Emile said, ‘This way out leads into the Maglev train tunnels. It’s tight, so we’ll need to proceed one at a time.’
He opened the door and went first.
Laura entered a labyrinth of tunnels that reminded her of the ones in New London. After a few disguised turns, they exited into one of the Maglev train tunnels. A cool breeze hit Laura’s face and instantly refreshed her. Gunnar and Bill removed their masks while the Indigenes kept their air-filtration devices in place.
Emile headed for what looked like a service entrance. ‘I’ve never seen them using this way out.’
He opened the door and climbed the stairwell, which turned six times. On the last level, he opened a final door and poked his head out. ‘Go!’
The elder disappeared and Marie followed. One by one, the Indigenes left the stairwell. Laura waited for Bill and Gunnar to go before she did. On the other side was a run-down restaurant with boarded up windows. She watched Bill and Gunnar enter a laneway and prise open a creaky side door. They disappeared inside.
Laura checked the way. Not surprisingly, Clement had stayed back with her. It was late and at least the streets were empty. She and Clement raced across to the building and stood in the empty shell of what used to be a sushi bar.
‘We use these empty buildings to recharge,’ Emile explained. ‘There’s poor ventilation and even poorer air. The ITF doesn’t bother checking them at night. And I’m sure your renegades aren’t interested in protecting them.’
‘Do we know where Ben is?’ asked Stephen.
‘Only that he’s in the city,’ said Gunnar. ‘Possibly in one of the disused government buildings.’
‘There’s an abandoned docking station in this city,’ said Emile. ‘We’ve never seen anyone use it. It would be a perfect place to hide out.’
‘Then we should split up, send a small team in to get him,’ said Stephen. ‘Everyone else will watch their backs.’
Bill looked at Gunnar. ‘You and me. You up for the task?’
‘You know I am.’
Laura hated the idea of him going in with just Gunnar. ‘What if Harvey’s there and he’s armed?’
‘He won’t kill me. Harvey needs me. He needs Jameson. Besides, too many of us go in and we’ll tip him off.’
Laura still wasn’t happy. ‘What if this is a trick to get you to hand Jameson over? Your life for his?’
Bill rubbed the sides of her arms. ‘It won’t come to that, but Ben has to be our priority. We need to get him out of there. If it makes you feel better, you should join us.’
Laura flicked her gaze to Clement. He was watching her closely, as were the others.
She shook her head. ‘I’ll keep watch. My hearing is pretty good.’
What she really wanted was to keep an eye on Emile, to study his ghost’s reactions more. She couldn’t do that if she was in the middle of a rescue mission.
Bill kissed her cheek. ‘We’ll be careful. Gunnar will have my back.’
‘And the rest of us will have yours,’ said Stephen.
‘Wait,’ said Laura. She nodded at Anton, who opened his bag and handed a communication stone to Bill. ‘To keep in touch.’
Bill smiled, looking relieved. ‘Just what I need.’
20
Harvey had flitted in and out all day, doing God knew what. He talked to the guards, asked them how everything was going, dropped spent guns back on the table. Not once did he look in Marcus’ direction.
Marcus was done with the silent treatment. Done with being treated like he didn’t matter. Why wasn’t he out there, on the frontline, fighting alongside the other men? He’d had training. He’d been Gaetano’s righthand man for Chrissake.
Okay, not exactly righthand, but he’d been a vital cog in the wheel of a criminal organisation. And if their long list of enemies was anything to go by, they’d been top dog on the east coast of America.
Okay, not exactly vital, but Marcus had been important. And he’d managed to escape an Earth on the fast track to failure. None of his peers still trapped there could boast that achievement.
But sitting outside the room that held a kid he’d rather kill than keep safe had given Marcus plenty of time to think. He’d almost gained notoriety among the Elite. Their plan had been successful, if success meant gaining entry into District Three. He couldn’t be blamed for their failure to see it through to the end.
Again, Marcus had survived that shitshow.
‘You can’t kill a cat with nine lives,’ he muttered as he stood up.
Harvey lingered by the trestle table a moment, checking the gun supplies, then his own. If Marcus did nothing else today, he would at least learn why Harvey wanted the kid here. And learn why Marcus was the only one capable of watching him.
He walked over to the table, slowly. He didn’t want to spook him.
‘Hey, Harvey?’
Buchanan didn’t turn around.
‘Can I talk to you a sec?’
‘Talk.’ Harvey studied one of the guns.
‘How long do I have to keep watching the kid?’
‘For as long as I tell
you to.’
‘Well, that’s not the arrangement we had.’
Harvey turned sharply. His eyes were cold, hard. ‘And what arrangement do you think we had?’
Marcus steeled his nerves. ‘That I was going to be useful on Exilon 5. That I would be given an important role on this planet similar to the one I had on Earth. Better, even.’
Buchanan smirked. ‘And what makes you think you watching the kid isn’t important?’
‘Because...’ He coughed away some nervousness. ‘Because I think there’s more to this operation than one stupid kid.’
Sitting on his ass had given Marcus too much time to think.
‘Yeah? And what do you think’s going on here?’
The only thing he could think of—a fight for power. ‘I’m guessing you want Bill to come for the kid.’
Harvey returned his gaze to the table. ‘I do.’
‘Well, you know I used to command people like him on Earth. You know what I did. I can do more.’
Harvey stared at Marcus. The biting look remained.
Buchanan lunged for him suddenly, causing Marcus to yelp in surprise. Harvey dragged him out of the main hangar through the set of double doors and into the corridor.
He shoved him up against the wall. ‘You do what you’re told, nothing more.’
Harvey was acting like an asshole. Like Enzo used to. Marcus had had enough Enzos to last him a lifetime.
He shoved him off. ‘And what if I refuse?’
‘Then I’ll shoot you.’
The coldness of his words said he was serious—and chilled Marcus to the core. He laughed off the threat and held his hands up. He knew when he’d pushed his luck far enough.
‘Look, I can do more is all I’m saying. Why else would you bust me out of that prison cell?’
