by Eliza Green
‘No, but his rescue, without me or Serena there, will show those who left that they made the right decision to follow him.’
Serena hushed him. ‘You can’t know that for sure. Please. This is a setback; that’s all. We need to stick to the plan. We need to find a way out.’
The heat in the communication stone faded.
Laura spoke into it. ‘Bill, we’re trapped. Bill, can you hear me?’
She shook it and listened.
Stephen took it from her with a sigh. ‘The message was recorded, Laura.’
‘How can you tell?’
‘There’s a different pitch attached to replays than to live messages. Bill probably left this in the last ten minutes.’
She refused to give up. ‘Can we get a message to him?’
He nodded. ‘Bill, we’re with...’ He looked up. ‘What’s your name?’
‘Hetty.’
‘We’re with Hetty. The way out is teeming with renegades. We’re safe for now. Don’t worry about us. We’ll find another way out.’ He tucked the stone back into his pocket.
‘And if we can’t?’ asked Serena.
Laura saw no other option. ‘We have to. Bill can’t come back here. He’ll only try to rescue us.’
She held her hand out for the stone. Stephen handed it to her, then showed her quickly how to leave a message.
Laura spoke into it. ‘Bill, it’s Laura. Don’t come back here. Emile may have used us to get you out.’
The others looked concerned. As was she.
‘What would Emile want with Bill?’ asked Stephen.
‘Not Emile. Harvey. We think he wants Jameson’s research.’
She hadn’t told them that part.
‘To do what?’ asked Serena.
She wasn’t sure. ‘Whatever it is, Harvey’s willing to destroy everything the ITF has worked tirelessly to get.’
Stephen stared at her. ‘What, a peace treaty that actively oppresses the Indigenes?’
‘It was necessary to appease the World Government.’
‘An organisation that no longer exists. An ill-thought-out treaty does not offer equal rights to the Indigenes.’
Laura sighed. The terms of the treaty weren’t perfect, but this wasn’t the time to get into it.
‘Can we concentrate on getting out of here and talk about this later?’
Hetty made a suggestion. ‘If the guards have been rerouted to catch you in one location, it’s possible other places aren’t as heavily guarded.’
Laura’s flagging spirit lifted. ‘So it’s possible to leave?’
‘With enough firepower, anything’s possible,’ she said. ‘But it will mean us breaking our cover.’
Laura faced Hetty, just one member of the underground operation that she and Bill oversaw. ‘When this is all over, I’m hoping we won’t need an underground movement anymore.’
The woman plucked at her dusty clothes, sending a plume of it into the air. ‘I’d like to see that future where I don’t dress like this all the time.’ She gestured to the front door. ‘Come on, let’s get you out.’
23
Getting out of the city had been too easy. That made Bill nervous.
Seeing the city illuminated by the double blue moons, he struggled to control his nerves. He would wait as long as necessary for Laura to show. But after ten minutes of forced patience, even Gunnar was getting antsy.
‘We need to move. We can’t stay here,’ he said.
Gunnar was right. Their mission had been to rescue Ben, and he was safe. Once Harvey found out Bill had taken him, he would come looking for them.
Going against his gnawing need to see Laura, he ordered the car to return to the hospital. He clicked his seatbelt in place as it drove off.
The farther away from New Tokyo and Harvey they got, the more tension released in Bill’s tight shoulders. He pulled out the communication stone and sent a message to Stephen.
‘We got out,’ was all he said.
‘What now?’ asked Ben from the back seat.
Bill turned round partially. ‘You doing okay?’
The teen nodded and rubbed his wrists. ‘They didn’t hurt me.’
Bill pointed to a red mark on Ben’s face.
‘Except for that.’ He shrugged. ‘Marcus slapped me, but not very hard. He’s lost his edge since coming to Exilon 5.’
‘We should be safe at the hospital. It’s the only place I’m sure Harvey won’t check twice.’
Gunnar said, ‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Because Harvey’s after Jameson’s data and it’s all gone.’
The car pulled up to the open gates of the military hospital. The place looked as deserted as when they’d left it.
‘This place isn’t a stronghold for Harvey,’ Bill said. ‘There’s no power here, unlike at Base Station One.’ He released his seatbelt. ‘And we have an escape tunnel if we need it.’
They got out and entered the open-plan hospital. Along the walls were beds, each one separated by a set of baby-blue curtains. What staff had been there were gone. The area was dark and quiet.
‘No power?’ asked Ben.
Bill looked around. The backup supply must have run out. ‘Not anymore.’ He glanced at Ben and pointed to a bed. ‘Sit. You’re still weak.’
To Gunnar, he said, ‘You and I need to secure this place.’
While Ben made himself comfortable on the nearest bed, Bill and Gunnar rummaged through the supplies inside the mobile cabinets, dotted around the space. Behind a fully curtained area at one end of the room, Bill found a kitchen area with a food replicator on one of the counters. Before it, a small, round table and four chairs. Gunnar returned with rope.
‘What do they need this for?’ He dangled it in the air.
Bill shrugged. He couldn’t think why.
‘They used it to tie the Indigenes down when they went through the reversal treatment,’ said Ben. He stood at the curtain. ‘Isobel told me that.’
Isobel was the Indigene Bill had tortured once, after her reversal treatment. She had returned to Earth to be of help to Jenny and Greyson, both of whom had been trying to liberate the people there from the criminal factions.
Bill dragged a couple of chairs to the main doors. He wedged them beneath the handles, while Gunnar looped the rope in and around to secure everything.
‘Do you think the others—Stephen, Laura—are okay?’ Ben asked, sitting back down on the bed.
‘I don’t know, but they know how to look after themselves.’ Bill hoped they were okay.
Gunnar said, ‘Hetty and the others were keeping an eye out for them. I’m sure they found them, brought them to safety.’
The communication stone felt warm in Bill’s pocket. He pulled it out fast and pressed it to his ear. The message was faint, but it was from Stephen.
‘We’re with Hetty. The way out is teeming with renegades. We’re safe for now. Don’t worry about us. We’ll find another way out.’
He breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank God. They’re safe.’
‘What now, Bill?’ said Gunnar. ‘We can’t stay in here, not while Jameson is in danger.’
It was the best idea he had right now. ‘We’ll move when I have a plan.’
He eyed the empty bed next to Ben. It was looking rather inviting.
Ben looked up at him. ‘What does Harvey want anyway?’
‘Dr Jameson. Why? No clue.’ Bill ambled over to the bed, feeling bone tired.
The adrenaline had left his body. His stomach rumbled hard. Gunnar, who had barely stopped all day, paced the area in front of the beds.
‘Who was watching you?’ Bill asked the teen.
‘Marcus.’
‘None of the other guards?’ Ben shook his head. ‘Did anyone quiz you?’
‘No. Harvey came in and out of the hangar, but he didn’t show any interest in me. Marcus asked me questions, but I got the impression he hadn
’t a clue what was going on, either.’
Bill smirked. ‘That must have pissed him off.’
Ben grazed the red mark on his face. ‘It did.’ He looked around. ‘I’m starving.’
‘There’s a food replicator over there. The machines run off their own supply. In case of a loss of power.’
Gunnar said, ‘Handy.’
The three of them returned to the kitchen area. The Swede sat at the table while Ben punched numbers into the machine.
Gunnar said, ‘We eat, then what?’
‘Worst case, we sleep here for the night. It’s why I came here. If we need to return, we also have a way back inside New London.’
‘What good would that do? Without help, we’ll never fight off Harvey’s renegades.’
Bill sighed. ‘I know.’
It was all he had right now.
The stone heated up a second time. He pulled it out and pressed it to his ear. The message was from Laura.
‘Bill, it’s Laura. Don’t come back here. Emile may have used us to get you out.’
He growled and shoved the stone into his pocket.
Both Gunnar and Ben said, ‘What?’
‘Emile tricked us.’
‘Tricked, how?’ said Gunnar.
He slumped against the counter. ‘I don’t know. He wanted us to get out safely. The others weren’t as lucky. It’s possible him turning up at District Three was planned.’
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. ‘Getting Ben out was way too easy. Shit.’ He tugged on his hair. ‘Why didn’t I see this was a fucking setup?’
The Swede cursed. ‘I knew there was something off about that pair. His wife, mate—whatever she is—was too quiet.’
‘Yeah, she doesn’t say much at the best of times.’
Ben gathered up plates of food and set them on the table. He sat down and started to eat.
‘We can’t stay here now,’ said Bill. ‘Harvey may have had us followed.’
A disappointed Ben looked up, food halfway to his mouth. ‘Can I at least eat something?’
Gunnar said, ‘We should stay put until we can figure this out. In here is better than out there right now. They also don’t know about the tunnel.’
At least that was something. Harvey would never have locked Jameson up in the lab had he known about it.
Bill quizzed Ben more. ‘Did you overhear anything about what Harvey might be up to?’
He shook his head. ‘I was locked up the whole time, except when I needed to go to the bathroom. You really think they know where we are?’
‘Probably.’
The teen chewed on a piece of meat. ‘So why haven’t they come for us yet?’
‘Because they still don’t have Jameson.’
‘Neither do we,’ said Gunnar. ‘He’s with the Conditioned.’
A burst of anger filled his chest at his stupidity. He kicked the nearest chair away, startling both Ben and Gunnar. ‘Harvey still wants Jameson. And now the Conditioned want something in return for his safekeeping. How did I mess this up?’
‘We don’t know it is messed up,’ said Gunnar. ‘Are you certain the Conditioned won’t help us?’
‘They haven’t before. Jameson used them. They’re probably only keeping him alive because I promised them something.’ Bill blew out a hard breath.
‘Why don’t we ask them?’ asked Ben. ‘If I learned anything on Earth, it was never to make assumptions.’
Gunnar shrugged. ‘It’s worth a shot, Bill. We’re fighting for their world too.’
24
Their plan to get out of New Tokyo was more dangerous than Laura had expected.
‘You’re going to walk out the front gates,’ Hetty told her.
‘What? How?’
‘Easy. I’m going to create a distraction at the main gate.’
‘No,’ said Laura. Their plan did not include Hetty risking her life—or her identity. ‘We need to find a safer way out.’
But the underground operative persisted. ‘I told you I would be breaking my cover, and I meant it.’
‘That didn’t include you getting caught.’ Laura shook her head. Behind her, the Indigenes said nothing. ‘This—Harvey—is our problem, not yours.’
But Hetty just smiled, as if Laura still didn’t get it. ‘When I joined the ITF, I swore to protect the people here. Bill has been advocating for inclusion for so long, but it still hasn’t happened. I’d like to see something good come out of our efforts. And if that means taking down the bigoted people who are trying to destroy life on this planet, I’ll do my part.’
Serena broke the Indigenes’ silence. ‘It might not be necessary to break your cover, not if I try to influence them.’
Hetty frowned. ‘How would that work?’
‘You could say it’s my superpower.’
‘How many are at the gate?’ Stephen asked Hetty.
‘A dozen, maybe fewer.’
‘Serena, you could manage if there were fewer people at the gate.’
She nodded. ‘The fewer people, the stronger my influence over them. Anything over six and my efforts are spread too thin. I’m struggling to do more than shift them a few feet.’
Hetty lifted her brows. ‘I’m all for the least destructive solution.’
That was one problem sorted.
‘What about the guard changeover?’ asked Laura.
They’d seen a similar occurrence happening at the docking station, before they charged in.
Hetty nodded. ‘We can check it out. Harvey allowed Bill to leave, but not the Indigenes. Harvey might be more interested in Bill than maintaining numbers at the entry points. We should take advantage of any confusion.’
That was settled.
Laura flicked her gaze to the Indigenes. ‘We good with this plan?’
They all nodded. Clement looked determined, as did Anton and Arianna. Both Stephen and Serena looked worried. Margaux had a smile on her face, like she couldn’t wait.
Hetty and her team of three covered their faces and led them outside to the gate. They all exited into the courtyard and took the laneway route stuffed with mounds of rubbish bags back to the streets. At least it was still late and there were few people about. Probably fewer than usual with Harvey’s patrols dotted around the city.
Even in the warm, night-time air, Laura couldn’t shake the chill from her body. Emile had tricked them. Worse, she’d fallen for it.
Hetty’s three operatives went a different way while their leader led Laura and the others down the side of a few derelict properties, over chain-link fences and through non-residential areas. The main gate loomed up ahead, lit only by the lights the men carried. Laura counted four, no, five men at the gate—far fewer than she’d expected. Hetty could have been right about Harvey’s priorities changing.
The leader of the ITF’s operatives in New Tokyo turned to Serena. ‘You think you can influence that many?’
Serena looked unsure. ‘I’m better with one or two.’
Stephen said to her, ‘You did it once before.’
She frowned at him. ‘When?’
‘Eight years ago, when we were facing off against Tanya Li and Charles Deighton in their half-constructed city.’ He explained to the others. ‘She was able to influence several guards at once.’
‘That was different, and I told you earlier. All I did then was move them in a particular direction. To influence the behaviour of one, I’d need to concentrate fully on them.’
Laura remembered her doing that. It had been at the same time Laura had been caught between two species. Serena had come for her and influenced one guard to point a gun at Bill. She’d been too out of it to stop her, but not so out of it that she hadn’t worried for Bill’s safety.
Stephen rubbed Serena’s back. ‘Okay, do that, but times five.’
His mate grunted, before relenting with a sigh. ‘Come on, let’s get this over with. And keep c
lose.’
Serena became a blur as she darted from the laneway to the brick wall opposite her. Laura kept close to her; Stephen and the others were right behind. Clement kept to the rear with Hetty and her team, who had rejoined them. Laura heard them tell her Harvey was not in his usual spots.
The road leading to the main gate was quiet. Dressed all in black, Serena blended in with the night, like one of the ghosts Laura could sometimes see.
‘We need to stay close to her,’ Laura whispered to the others behind her.
They used the shadows of the intersecting roads to hide. A vehicle thundered through the main gate suddenly, setting Laura’s heart to pound thickly in her chest. Everyone blended into the dark shadows of two narrow side streets. When the car had passed, Laura checked ahead for Serena. She saw a black figure creeping up on the group of five men. They were chatting, oblivious to the Indigene in their midst.
Laura checked around for other Indigenes working for Harvey who might be watching Serena, but she saw and sensed nobody else around. It appeared Harvey had no need to protect the gate fully. Bill had gotten Ben out safely. Harvey’s priorities had most likely shifted to Jameson’s whereabouts.
All the more reason for Serena to be successful.
The men at the gate turned away suddenly, as if someone were pulling them in a new direction.
‘She’s doing it,’ Laura whispered. ‘Time for us to go.’
The Indigenes sped on ahead to the gate, but Laura stayed back with Hetty and her team of three.
‘Go,’ she said to Clement. When he frowned at her, she added, ‘I’m right behind you.’
Clement followed the others but Laura didn’t move.
‘You’re not going with them, are you?’ said Hetty.
‘No, I have something I need to do here.’
‘What?’
‘Wait for Harvey. At some point, he has to come back. And when he does, I’ll be here.’
Hetty checked the gates. ‘You’re right; he’ll be back.’
Laura did the same. Stephen, Margaux, Arianna, Anton and Clement must have gotten safely through, because she could no longer see them.
A voice sounded in her head; the neurosensor she still wore enhanced the telepathy link.
