by Siegel, Alex
Tawni considered that point. "Are you one of the best female fighters in the Society?"
"Not nearly." Odelia shook her head. "I'm considered middle tier."
They came to an intersection in the tunnels. She used her detector to check all the conduits carefully. She selected a particular direction and continued.
"Who is better?" Tawni said.
"Aaron's girlfriend, Marina, for one. She could definitely kick my ass. The legate, Ethel, is even tougher. She could beat Aaron and Marina put together. Then you get into the true elites like Atalanta and Yvonne."
Tawni remembered the feel of Atalanta's sword pressed against her throat.
"What makes them so tough?"
"Atalanta's skin and bones are as strong as steel," Odelia said. "You could throw her off a building, and she wouldn't care. Her martial arts skills are off the charts. She is a cross between a grand master and a high performance combat robot."
"Wow."
"Those abilities didn't come for free. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh."
"What do you mean?" Tawni said.
"God's wrath is the fuel that drives us, and it burns very hot. In the case of somebody like Atalanta, it has burned away a big chunk of her personality and memories. She's emotionally numb."
"I've felt that burn. Wesley called it God's breath. It's like a spicy tingle in my belly. It hurts a little, but I like it."
"That tingle means God wants you to fight," Odelia said.
"Why doesn't God fight his own battles? Why does He need us?"
"He hates direct intervention. It's our job to suffer and die so His hand can remain hidden."
"That's not fair," Tawni said.
Odelia shrugged. "Go ahead and complain to Him. You won't be the first."
"How am I supposed to do that? Pray?"
"You'll bump into the Boss sooner or later. Speak to Him directly."
That statement sounded preposterous to Tawni, but she had to accept it for now.
"How will I know when I meet God?"
"He doesn't hide His presence from us," Odelia said. "I've had four encounters, and all of them were very obvious."
They came to a steel grill that blocked the tunnel. A heavy padlock held it closed. Odelia took out a set of lock picks and quietly went to work. She had the lock open in just a couple of minutes.
"You'd make a hell of a burglar," Tawni said.
"Thanks. I've had plenty of practice."
Tawni was becoming painfully aware of how much she had to learn. It would take a lot of training before she could call herself a competent legionnaire.
They continued their dark journey through the bowels of Chicago.
"Do you think I can be a success in the Society?"
"I'm certain of it," Odelia said.
"Why?"
"Aaron likes you, and his instincts are solid. Wesley saved your life twice. If you're looking for God's stamp of approval, that's it. Just don't get cocky. Overconfidence is a quick way to get killed in this business."
Tawni sighed. Her feelings about the Society were hard to disentangle. She was excited for one. All of this felt right in a way that nothing else ever had. Even the death of her mother couldn't dull the thrill of her new life, but she was also very intimidated by the challenges ahead.
Odelia continued to lead the way through the darkness. Eventually, they came to a lighted chamber connected to several other tunnels. Hefty chunks of humming electronic equipment were mounted on pedestals. Bundles of thick cables and large ducts came together here. High voltage warning signs were posted all over.
Odelia pulled a paper map out of her pocket. "This is one of the main amplifier stations."
She used her detector to sweep all the cables. She went back and forth, narrowing her search, until her attention focused on one piece of equipment in particular. The cabinet was about four feet tall and had a row of green lights on the front. There were some switches, but except for the main power, none of the labels were meaningful to Tawni.
She reached out to touch the device. Odelia shoved Tawni back before she could make contact.
"Don't touch anything!" Odelia yelled. "Just keep your hands in your pockets if you don't know what to do with them."
"What are you worried about?" Tawni said.
"It could be electrified or poisoned. Maybe a vibration sensor is attached to a bomb. I've seen it all."
Tawni stepped back. There was a chance Odelia had just saved her life.
Odelia took out her phone and made a call. "Come down. I think we found something. The detector is picking up a very strong signal."
Tawni looked up. A vertical shaft with an iron ladder went up to a manhole cover. After a couple of minutes, the cover was pulled off and she glimpsed a few stars in the night sky. Smythe, Norbert, and Wesley climbed down. They were wearing the same "Citizens Gas and Power" costumes as earlier in the day.
Odelia pointed to the suspicious equipment. The men looked at it from all sides without touching it. They used flashlights to try to peek through air grills in the sides.
Smythe took some pictures with his phone. He made a call and turned on the speaker so everybody could hear.
"What is this thing?" he asked.
"A high-power broadband amplifier, sir." The voice on the phone sounded like Bethany. "Standard equipment for a cable company."
"Odelia thinks this is the source of the trouble."
"That would make sense. It feeds thousands of homes. I would like you to bring the whole thing back to headquarters, so Leanna and I can analyze it."
Smythe frowned. "It's bolted down and probably booby trapped. Moving it seems unwise."
"This is Leanna, sir," an identical female voice said. "I'll come there and take it apart."
"What about the possible traps?"
"I'll bring a portable X-ray machine and liquid nitrogen. I should do this, sir. I owe it to the team after my mistake with the video."
Tawni cocked her head. She didn't understand why liquid nitrogen was useful in this case.
"If Aaron approves," Smythe said, "it's all right with me. I'll send Norbert to fetch you."
Everybody went up the ladder to wait on the surface while Norbert retrieved Leanna.
Tawni found herself in an unfamiliar location, but it had the same crappy homes as the neighborhoods she knew. Barriers with flashing yellow lights were placed around the open manhole.
Tawni took a deep breath of fresh air. A cool breeze on her face felt delicious after spending an hour in stagnant, smelly warmth.
Smythe had his arm around Odelia's shoulders. She was snuggling against him and holding his waist.
"How did you two meet?" Tawni said.
"Three months ago," Smythe said, "there was a Society convention up in Wisconsin. The entire leadership of the North American division attended. We still have the video from the fighting tournament. If you want to see some truly incredible fights, watch it. Odelia and I were the medical team. That's where we met."
"Was the convention fun?"
"Do you want to hear the whole story? We have some time."
"Sure," she said eagerly.
He launched into a long tale of betrayal and intrigue involving a man named Xavier. The story fascinated Tawni. It gave her a new and broader perspective on the Society. She began to see the Chicago cell as part of a much larger organization. She also gained some appreciation for Aaron's skills as a commander. He had made Xavier look like a fool in the end.
"Well told," Odelia said when Smythe was done.
He kissed her.
"I want to meet the legate," Tawni said. "She sounds really interesting."
"You may change your tune when you do actually meet her," Smythe said. "She's not very sociable. If you're rude to her, you won't live long."
Odelia nodded emphatically.
Norbert eventually returned driving a truck with the words "Citizens Gas and Power" painted on the side. Leanna was riding in the passenger's seat.
They got out and retrieved equipment from the back of the truck. The X-ray machine looked like something from a dentist's office except it was on a rolling platform. The liquid nitrogen was in a stainless steel container big enough to hold several gallons.
The equipment and a tool chest were lowered into the manhole using ropes. Leanna went down next, but nobody else joined her. It appeared she would work by herself.
"I'd like to watch," Tawni told Smythe.
"You won't be much use down there." He shook his head. "There's no point in risking your life just to be a spectator. She'll be disarming booby traps."
"What if Leanna needs help?"
"She'll yell. I don't want you getting in her way or distracting her at a critical moment. It's extremely delicate work."
"I understand." Tawni nodded. "I'll be very quiet and do exactly what I'm told."
He sighed. "Ask her if she wants company. If she says no, come back up right away. Don't screw around."
"Yes, sir."
She climbed down the ladder and dropped into the chamber. Leanna was positioning the X-ray machine in front of the broadband amplifier.
"Do you mind if I stay and watch?" Tawni said.
Leanna thought for a moment. "Can you be quiet?"
"Yes. And if you need me to do something, I'll do it."
Leanna went back to working with the X-ray machine. After taking plenty of pictures, she studied them using an attached laptop computer. Tawni leaned in for a closer look and saw text appearing on the screen. It seemed Leanna was having an online conversation.
"Is that Bethany?" Tawni said.
Leanna gave her a sharp look. "Yes. We always work together. Now please be quiet, ma'am."
Tawni closed her mouth.
After long consideration, Leanna seemed to decide on a course of action. She snapped on a pair of heavy rubber gloves. She took out a battery powered saw and began to slice into the side of the amplifier. She cut along specific vertical and horizontal lines, stopping frequently to check the X-rays.
As pieces of sheet metal were removed, the guts of the device were exposed. It was packed full of wires and electronic components. Tawni didn't see how Leanna could make sense of the mess.
Leanna snapped a few dozen pictures with her phone. There was another long consultation with Bethany. Tawni was starting to get bored by the painstaking process. It wasn't like the movies at all.
"You can help me with this part," Leanna said. "Put on gloves and pick up the flask, please. Don't touch anything else. Very high voltage is running through the amplifier."
Tawni found another pair of rubber gloves in the tool chest. They were lined with a soft, insulating material. She picked up the flask and discovered it was heavier than she expected. The liquid nitrogen sloshed around inside.
Leanna used a flashlight to illuminate a spot deep inside the amplifier. "The bomb is there."
Tawni looked closely and saw a big stick of plastic explosive. "Shit!" She took a step back.
"You're going to pour the liquid nitrogen over the detonator batteries." Leanna shined the flashlight on two small, silver boxes.
"What will that do?"
"The extreme cold will stop the chemical reactions inside the batteries. It should give me enough time to safely remove the explosive." Leanna sounded completely calm, as if this procedure were part of her daily routine.
"Have you done this before?" Tawni said.
"No, but the theory is sound."
Tawni licked her lips. "Can you just cut the red or blue wire, or whatever?"
"Which wire are you referring to?" Leanna looked at the amplifier which contained hundreds of wires of all colors.
"Never mind. I'm up for this if you are. Ready?"
Leanna grabbed wire snipers and pliers from the tool box. "Don't splash any liquid nitrogen on me, please. I don't want to get frostbite. Proceed."
Tawni unscrewed the cap on the flask. White vapor leaked out as she began to pour. The angle was awkward and the flask was heavy, making it a challenge to hit the batteries. She splashed a little of the clear liquid on her feet, but her heavy boots and the layer of muck protected her. The air became noticeably colder.
"That's enough," Leanna said. "Step back."
Tawni moved back hastily. Leanna went to work immediately with her tools. After just a few seconds, she yanked out the plastic explosive and threw it across the room. The frozen material shattered when it hit a wall. A second later, there was a loud bang.
"What was that?" Tawni said.
"The detonator." Leanna took a deep breath.
Tawni realized she had almost died again. It was becoming a habit she wanted to break.
"Now we have to turn the device off," Leanna said.
"I see a power switch."
"It's trapped. If I flip that switch, the whole thing will fry. We need to sever the power line." She pointed to a steel conduit running across the ceiling and down to the amplifier. "Please go up the ladder and ask for a small cutting charge."
Tawni hurried up the ladder and emerged onto the street. Smythe, Odelia, Norbert, and Wesley were standing around the manhole. They were all staring in the same direction.
Tawni looked the same way. There was a fire a few blocks away, and the blaze was bright enough to make low clouds glow orange. She heard many sirens blaring in the distance.
"What's going on?" she said.
"A major riot," Smythe said. "It's bad. Can you hurry up down there? We may need to leave suddenly."
"Leanna wants a small cutting charge."
He jogged over to the truck and climbed inside. After digging around for a minute, he came up with a strip of explosive encased in a metal shell. He held a small detonator in his other hand.
"Have you ever used one of these?"
"No," Tawni said.
"This isn't a good time to learn. I'll go down with you."
Both of them went down the ladder. Leanna pointed at the conduit, and Smythe nodded. He placed the charge, connected the detonator, and set the timer. Everybody hurried into one of the side tunnels.
Tawni covered her ears, but the explosion wasn't as loud as she expected. Smythe went back into the chamber and signaled that it was safe. Tawni and Leanna followed.
The shaped explosive had sliced cleanly through the thick conduit. The severed ends of copper wires were exposed, and each was as thick as Tawni's thumb.
Leanna stared at the amplifier. All the lights on the front panel had gone dark.
"Is it safe to touch?" Tawni said.
Leanna furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure. It could still have a capacitive charge."
Smythe put out his hand. "Let me have those gloves."
Tawni took off her gloves and handed them over. Smythe snapped them on. He reached into the amplifier and yanked out a long, thick wire using brute strength. He put one end of the wire against an exterior panel and the other against a piece of steel pipe. There was a flash of blue light and a loud pop. Smoke drifted up from somewhere inside the device.
"Thank you, sir," Leanna said. "All we need is the control module."
"Which part is that?" he said.
She pointed to a circuit board.
"Hold on."
Smythe swiftly climbed the ladder. A short time later, he came down carrying an axe. He whacked at the amplifier with all his considerable strength. Broken electronic components flew each time the axe struck. Leanna backed up and covered her eyes with her hands. Even Tawni was a little intimidated by the violence.
It took him just a few minutes to cut out the control module. Some bits of surrounding hardware were still attached.
"Quickly," Smythe said, "up the ladder."
Leanna looked around. "What about the tools?"
"We'll get them later. Come on! Get out of here!"
Leanna and Tawni went up the ladder first. Smythe followed, climbing while carrying the control module under one arm.
The fire had grown in size. Tawni could see a large buildi
ng engulfed in flames.
"Norbert," Smythe said, "take Wesley and Leanna home immediately. Don't stop for anything!"
"Yes, sir," Norbert nodded.
"What about the rest of us?" Tawni said.
"We're staying," Smythe said.
Norbert, Wesley, and Leanna climbed into the truck. Smythe gave the control module to Leanna and closed the door. The truck pulled away, squealing its tires.
Smythe and Odelia remained behind with a very confused Tawni.
"What are we doing here?"
"Figure it out," Smythe said. "I'll give you a clue. Somebody is going to meet us here in a few minutes."
Odelia had an amused expression.
Tawni hated looking like a fool. She thought hard about it. "I guess the cable company is going to come. A lot of customers just lost service."
Smythe nodded. "Go on."
"I get it! They won't just send a regular technician. That was a special piece of equipment. Only special people are allowed to touch it, and we want to talk to those people." She smiled.
"Very good. You're starting to impress me."
The sound of yelling made her look in the direction of the fire. There were a lot of different voices, and the noise was getting louder.
"Shit," Smythe said. "Follow me. Stay tight."
He sprinted towards a nearby alley. He moved fast for a big man, and Tawni had a hard time keeping pace. Odelia brought up the rear with a gun in each hand. She had drawn her weapons in an instant.
Smythe melted into the shadows in the alley. Tawni couldn't see him even though she knew where he was. She groped in the darkness. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down.
"Quiet," he whispered.
She looked out in time to see an angry mob running down the street. They were carrying chunks of wood, rocks, shovels, tire irons, broken beer bottles, and other primitive weapons. The crowd was a mix of old and young, male and female. The only feature they shared was insane rage. Many of them were yelling for no reason at all. Tawni heard windows being broken.
"It's getting worse," Smythe said. "The authorities will bring in the military pretty soon. They'll lock down the whole city."
The mob moved on. The team crept to the mouth of the alley. Up and down the street, Tawni saw broken glass and small fires. The random acts of vandalism had no purpose other than mindless destruction.
