Uprising

by Gareth Otton

  Finally, there were only three left, Jacob, Simon and Brad. Simon sneered in a way that told Tad he was enjoying this far too much, then he too disappeared.

  “Do what?” Tad asked again, more desperately this time and hoping Jacob might answer. However, he was out of luck as Jacob also vanished, and only one man remained.

  “Brad, please see reason. I can tell you don’t want to do this. It’s not too late to change your mind,” Tad tried. For a second he thought he might get through to the man. However, eventually Brad met his eye and shook his head.

  “I’m sorry about this,” was all he said before he too vanished and Tad was left alone in the middle of an enormous field surrounded by a steel cage that had been crafted just for him.

  “What now?” Thomas asked, looking every bit as afraid as he had a moment earlier.

  “Can you break out of this?” Rodney asked.

  Tad shook his head, unable to verbalise his answer as fury made him unable to speak. He was kicking himself for letting this happen. Was this just because he hadn’t gone to the dreamwalker meetings? Or had Jacob be leading up to this for a long time, maybe even from the start of their friendship?

  Whatever the case, Tad knew he’d dropped the ball yet again.

  “No, I don’t think I can, but I’ll try.”

  And with that, Tad turned his attention to the barrier between himself and Dream, and taking a deep breath, he threw himself at it.

  25

  Wednesday, 30th November 2016

  07:45

  For once Jacob didn’t recreate his garden for this newest Dream meeting. Instead, he created a featureless void of infinite blackness with a circle of thrones, one for every dreamwalker. He didn’t want people to feel comfortable and wanted them to take this seriously because this would be the biggest day of their lives.

  There was a lot of nervous chatter as the dreamwalkers who had helped capture Tad were filling in the rest of the dreamwalkers who weren’t there. It was a sad day seeing Tad locked up, but this was bigger than one man, and Jacob needed to remind them of that.

  He stepped into the centre of the circle and raised his hands for quiet. Instantly, over two-hundred dreamwalkers fell silent, their eyes trained on him as they waited to hear what he had to say.

  “Brothers and sisters, thank you for coming. It means a lot to me, to the future of our people, and the future of the world. You know why we’re here, but before we do this, let’s remind ourselves why this is necessary.

  “It’s been a year since the Merging, and in that time we’ve seen miracles and we’ve seen atrocities. We’ve seen people have their dreams come true, seen incredible changes in ourselves, and be given every opportunity to make this world a better place. But we’ve also seen brothers and sisters killed while governments stood by and did nothing. People like the Campbell twins and Joshua King have been fighting for our extinction, yet rather than stand up for us, governments create laws to put us down.

  “And it’s not just governments or crazy idiots with too much power. Normal people protest our very existence. Groups like the children of ADaM, whose numbers grow daily, are a constant threat. Once again governments do nothing. Now there are rumours that countries around the world are preparing laws like those coming out in Britain to make things even worse. Some countries are already killing dreamwalkers, they’re just doing it quietly.

  “We need a place where we can be safe, a place we can call home, a place we can defend. We need to show the world we’re strong, that we won’t lie down and take this, and that we’ll fight for our right to survive.”

  He took a breath and turned around so he could see every face and meet every eye. Then when he was sure he had their attention, he brought his speech to an end.

  “And that is why we have no choice but to do this. Just remember that we do this in the name of survival. So as you complete your mission, remember it’s not about killing and it’s not about proving we’re better than humans, it’s about keeping us and the people we love safe. It’s about securing our future.

  “Now you have your assignments, and you know what you’re doing. So go out there, be safe, and let’s bring in a brighter future for dreamwalkers the world over. Let’s finish what Tad Holcroft started one year ago today.

  “Good luck everyone.”

  There were no cheers like they were in movies, and Jacob still saw nervous faces. However, he would be worried if he didn’t see those faces because the stakes had never been higher. They were putting their lives on the line, risking their freedom, all for the greater good. They risked that because they were smart, so no mindless cheering.

  Jacob turned to find Simion and Brad waiting. Simon looked eager as ever, one of the few people in the room who didn’t have any doubts. He was hotheaded and maybe a liability, but Jacob could use that to his advantage. That passion was why he had one of the most demanding jobs today, and he was leading his team against one of their most dangerous opponents.

  Brad looked terrified, and Jacob was more worried about him than Simon. At least with Simon he could count on him to see this through, however he doubted Brad’s resolve.

  Looking his friend in the eye, he asked, “Are you with me, brother? I need you to be strong. We’ve come too far to back out now.”

  “I’m here, and I’m with you. I’ll do what needs to be done, I just don’t have to like it,” Brad said. “Sorry, it just shook me up doing that to Tad after all he’s done for us. But I will make this work. I’m with you.”

  Jacob clapped his friend on the shoulder.

  “That’s good to hear. Thank you, brother. You’ve made the right decision. Now you both know what you have to do?” Both Brad and Simon nodded, and Jacob smiled all the wider. “Good, then let’s get to it. Collect your teams and go.”

  Jacob watched as they did as asked, disappearing with groups of dreamwalkers until only twenty remained, all waiting for Jacob.

  “Here we go, let’s get this done.”

  Dream disappeared and they were standing in the shadow of a warehouse that overlooked the King Dream Gate, all of them staring at the rubble and the army tents that guarded that gate one year after the tower fell. The security had been beefed up since the Campbell twins broke into the facility. Dreamcatchers had been built into the fences surrounding the perimeter and into the frames of the tents. Any dreamwalker stupid enough to come out of the dream gate would be trapped, and any dreamwalker standing outside the perimeter trying to get in would have no luck.

  However Jacob and his team were ready for this, they’d been training for it. In fact, it wasn’t just them who had been training, and that was the secret of how they would pull this off.

  Turning to his team who stood in the shadows, he said, “Let your ghosts out.”

  Steam rose from the dreamwalkers, the vapour coalescing into clouds that became human beings a moment later. Every dreamwalker brought at least one ghost, an overlooked supernatural element that had been woefully under-prepared for by the governments of the world. They had as much riding on today as the dreamwalkers, and they had a part to play. While every major facility in Britain used Mitena’s dreamcatchers to protect themselves from Dream related attacks, none thought to protect themselves from ghost related attacks.

  Are you ready, Joseph?

  In answer he felt his brother trying to get free, and sensing his excitement Jacob let him out. Steam rose from his body and coalesced into his long-dead brother, who stared back with a smile.

  “Do you even have to ask?”

  Jacob liked his confidence and nodded towards the encampment. Nothing more needed to be said.

  The ghosts slipped from the shadows, running towards the encampment and the soldiers that were lined up behind the so-called security fences. Unless they had a dreamwalker among their ranks, they wouldn’t see their attackers tonight.

  The ghosts had long since learned the trick that Tony had perfected, making themselves invisible and insubstantial when needed. Thirt
y ghosts rushed across the street and through the fences. From there they split into three groups, one running to the dreamcatchers on the fences, another running towards the tents, and the last running towards the unsuspecting soldiers. One by one those soldiers were knocked unconscious about the same time that the dreamcatchers were removed from the fencing.

  Jacob turned to the men and women clustered behind him and nodded towards the encampment.

  “Well, are we going to let our ghosts have all the fun?”

  When he received nervous smiles in response, he led the charge out of the shadows, dreamwalking between one step and the next. They appeared inside the compound just as the ghosts started removing the dreamcatcher’s from the tents.

  The soldiers inside finally caught on that they were under attack, but it was too late. With the dreamcatchers disabled, half the soldiers out of the fight and the other half taken by surprise, the battle was over before it began.

  Within five minutes they captured every soldier, tied them up and dreamwalked them to another part of Brad’s ranch where they could cause no more problems. That was all the effort it took to secure their first stronghold within the Borderlands and win the first victory of the day. Their plan had gone off without a hitch. If only the rest of the day could be this easy.

  Today they would claim Cardiff, their first step in taking the Borderlands that should have been theirs right from the beginning, the obvious home of all dreamwalkers. What better place to start than the King Dream Gate, where all this began?

  Jacob gave orders to his people to secure the site and then he had a choice to make, would he go help Simon take the DTHQ and put the Dream Team out of commission, or should he go to Cardiff Bay and help Brad secure the Prime Minister?

  As soon as he was sure that the Dream Gate was secure, he realised there was another option he hadn’t thought of until now. Running with that thought, he changed the channel, confident knowing that his revolution had begun.

  ◆◆◆

  Norman shivered and looked out one of the enormous glass windows of the Senedd. Though he couldn’t put his finger on what it was, something was wrong.

  However, there was nothing amiss outside the home of the Welsh Assembly. There was just the beautiful Cardiff Bay that was somewhat marred by the overcast sky and heavy rain. Shaking off the strange feeling, he turned back to his conversation that had stopped when they noticed his attention was somewhere else.

  Amelia waited patiently, knowing something was wrong, while Ashley Evans stared with that vampire-like gaze he was so well known for. There was something about that man that was creepy and hard to deal with, and that was before you got to his radical ideas and stubborn refusal to budge.

  They were discussing the bill yet again as time ran out to change it. Once more Norman wasn’t making the progress he would like before tomorrow’s vote. Tad wasn’t alone in dropping the ball on this. Norman should have seen this coming, and now he worried there wasn’t enough time.

  “I’m sorry, Prime Minister, am I boring you?” Ashley Evans asked.

  “Yes,” Norman answered, surprising the straight faced man. “I’m fed up of discussing this. All we’re doing is going round in circles. I have enough to do today without retreading old ground. As soon as Tad shows up I will… Hey where is Tad?”

  Amelia looked at her watch and when Norman glanced at its face, he realised just how late Tad was.

  “My God. How is it that a man who can be anywhere with just a thought is always so bloody late?”

  “Frankly, I don’t understand why you keep him around. I don’t see his use myself. He doesn’t even shows up to the meetings, let alone contribute. He’s a thug that should be left on the streets where he belongs, fighting with the Dream Team, but not in politics.”

  Norman burst out laughing, amazed anyone could use the word thug in relation to Tad Holcroft. He had come a long way from the reserved man Norman met in February, but he was not the bully Ashley thought.

  Norman was about to say something else when Ashley looked up, his head cocked to one side like he was a dog who heard something strange. He turned toward the entrance and swore.

  “What is it?” Norman asked.

  When Ashley turned back, there was fear in his eyes.

  “We need to get out of here. Have you got security nearby?”

  Norman shared a glance with Amelia.

  “What’s wrong?” Norman asked.

  Ashley looked from Norman to the door, his head never still as he shuffled from foot to foot.

  “Ashley?”

  The strange politician was silent a moment longer before saying, “Prime Minister, I know this will be hard to believe, but we’re in trouble. About two-dozen ghosts just stormed through the front door. I know you can’t see them yet but trust me I can—”

  “Wait a second. You can see ghosts? You’re a dreamwalker?”

  “No, but I can see those ghosts clear as day, and they’re all running. That can’t be good and we need to get out of here n—”

  He was cut off as suddenly one of the many dreamcatchers built into the frame of the building over the windows, almost like decorations, burst to life. The enormous metal designs flared like sunlight shining in Norman’s eyes, and he flinched away to protect himself, only to find another dreamcatcher bursting to life.

  Norman wanted to ask what was happening, but didn’t get chance as one of the dreamcatchers fell from the wall and dropped to the ground with a massive clang the made people scream. Then there was another clang, followed by another as those dreamcatchers were pulled apart and went dark.

  Norman looked at Ashley, hoping for an explanation, but never got the chance to ask. There was a pop that came from the centre of the atrium and a man appeared, dressed in jeans and a checkered shirt. He looking out of place in this modern building surrounded by people in suits and dresses.

  There was another pop followed by another and another. Maybe thirty dreamwalkers blinked into existence, scattered around the atrium in a pattern that meant they had the place surrounded.

  “Everybody freeze!” the man in jeans shouted.

  Norman stared at him, wondering why he recognised him. Were those actually cowboy boots? Something about the odd choice of footwear jogged Norman’s memory. This was Brad, one of the dreamwalkers caught up in the dreamcatcher incident four months ago. Norman had no idea what he was doing here, but this couldn’t be good.

  “You’re surrounded. I need you to stay calm and make your way over to me. Please don’t put up a fight, we don’t want to hurt you.”

  Norman shared another glance with Amelia, and this time included Ashley as they shared in their confusion.

  “Is this a robbery?” Norman whispered.

  “Where is the Prime Minister?” Brad shouted from his spot the centre of the atrium. Before anyone could answer there was a lot of movement.

  The armed police securing the event pushed through the crowd, guns raised and headed for the dreamwalker who waited patiently. Frightened people moved out of the way, screaming as they saw the guns, and those that didn’t were pushed aside by the police.

  However, they weren’t ready for what they faced and suddenly Norman realised he made a mistake when he hadn’t insisted on the Dream Team being here. He couldn’t have predicted something like this would happen, but he should have learned by now to expect the unexpected.

  The dreamwalker waved his arms in an exaggerated circular motion. Norman’s hair stood on end, almost like it did when he was near Tad. Suddenly there was a gale of wind that rushed outward from the centre of the room, catching up everything in its path.

  People fell like dominoes, spreading outward until the wind reached by Prime Minister. He set his feet against it, lifting his arm to shield his face and turning his head to protect his eyes. The wind weakened as it moved out, but the Prime Minister struggled to stay on his feet.

  When it died down again he looked up to find men standing over the police who had been blow
n over, removing their guns and tying them up. With no effort they had taken out every police officer and every dreamcatcher, leaving 250 terrified guests.

  Before anyone could respond, the dreamwalkers were back in action, forcing people to their feet and herding them to the centre of the atrium. Brad vanished and appeared again outside the crowd as he started looking for one man in particular, the Prime Minister.

  Norman was tempted to run, but there was nowhere he could go and it would be better to face music, sparing anyone else the trouble of the dreamwalkers having to search for him. He ignored Amelia’s shake of the head as she guessed what he would do and stepped away from her.

  “I think you’re looking for me,” Norman shouted.

  Brad looked up, spotted Norman from across the room and again disappeared, appearing with a pop at Norman’s side. Once again Norman was struck by how useful that talent was.

  “Mr Geller, come with me. The rest of you over there with the others.”

  “What are you’re trying to achieve here?” Norman asked.

  “That will be clear soon enough,” the dreamwalker said, grabbing Norman’s arm and pulling him away from Amelia and Ashley. Once separated, the man seemed happy to just stand there watching the rest of the crowd get herded up. When he still didn’t move after everyone had been collected, Norman realised he was waiting for something. He was about to ask what he was waiting for when there was another pop and a two new people stepped out of thin air.

  The man wasn’t an impressive figure. He was of average height, dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, and the only thing that stood out about him were his thick glasses that made his eyes look huge. He was someone Norman would normally consider an unassuming geek and never give another glance. However, there was something about him now that triggered Norman’s danger sense, and he knew this was someone not to mess with, at least in his current mood.

  It didn’t help that he was holding someone by the arm, a young woman who looked less happy to be here than Norman did. That was surprising considering this woman was normally happy to be anywhere there was a story.