by Meg Buchanan
Curly shook his head. “No, Jacob never sent us one. It was all set up to send it out from his place.”
Jack fished in his uniform pocket and held up the memory stick with Jacob’s message on. “Here’s one he prepared earlier.” He handed it to Curly.
“How did you get that?” Curly took the memory stick.
“Jacob left it at the Vault.”
“Of all places,” said Nick. “He never made anything easy.” He linked his hands behind his head and stretched. “The rest of the world’s asleep now, no point in getting the message out there yet, we need maximum impact before the Administration find a way to stop it. And we’ve got some tidying up to do. There’s still VTroopers at the University. We’ve wiped out Vector’s communication system for now, but they may have a backup for that.” he turned to Jack. “Anyone of your guys know anything about that?”
“No idea.”
“I might go and ask them.” Nick headed for the foyer.
Jack wasn’t sure he liked Nick’s tone. He followed him. “You’ll ask them nicely,” he said.
Nick snorted. “You’re outnumbered here Jack; I’ll ask them any way I bloody like.”
In the foyer, the squad were still sitting on the floor, their backs to the wall. They looked relaxed. Not quite lounging, but not threatened either and no hands-on heads.
It looked like Levi had joked about something, and couple of the kids were cracking up. Rocco was folding a scrap of paper he’d got from somewhere into a tiny crane, complete with wings and beak. Two girls had rested their rifles against a bench and were kneeling close to him watching.
So much for Nick’s army.
Rocco looked up as Jack and Nick came into the foyer. “What’s happening, Boss?” he asked.
“We’ve disabled the Hovers for a while, so we’ve bought some time,” said Jack.
“We need you to answer some questions,” said Nick.
Jack got in first and asked Dante, “Do Vector have a backup if their communications go out?” Nick had better not overstep the mark.
“Yeah,” said Dante. “Of course.”
“How long before its up and running?” asked Nick.
“Immediately. They’ve got an emergency band everyone is meant to switch to.” Dante nodded at Leach’s tablet. “You should be able to tune in on that.”
“There’s an Icon,” said Dante. “Red, with the danger sign.
Jack slid the screen back to the desktop, and there it was the white circle with the slash through it, the international danger signal. He should have figured that himself.
He hit the Icon, and an Array came up.
“We’re in,” he said. “Orders, maps, general chatter.” Maybe it would come through Leach’s Com as a feed. He touched his headpiece, and the chatter started up again. He handed the Tablet to Nick.
Nick studied it. “It looks like they’re getting organised.
Jack nodded. The orders were coming through the headpiece in a stream. Nothing for him yet. In the confusion, maybe they’d forgotten the squad was here. “It’s still going to take them time to figure out how to get here. With the Hovers grounded they’ve got the choice of the bridge, the MonoRail and a few boats on the Harbour.”
Nick flicked through some of the feeds. “Okay, looks like they’re trying to coordinate the troopers left on this side.”
“Any idea how many?”
Nick shook his head. “But they are ordering them to head for the Administration Building. They’re making that the command centre on this side.”
That made sense. “The Administration are holing up there?”
Nick grinned. “They’ve got no choice but to hole up there. With no power, the doors won’t open. And everything is super secure, bulletproof glass, deadlocks on everything. Every bigwig in the Administration is locked in until they figure out how to get the doors open or smash their way out.”
“Brilliant,” said Jack. “And the rest of the City?”
“The same. Wherever anyone was when the power failed, they’re there until we let them out. The Elite kids in their University, shops, apartment buildings, office blocks, they’re all trapped. Until Vector and the Administration get their shit together, we only have to worry about the few Elite who were outside when the surge went through and a few troopers.”
Yeah, it was brilliant. But what was most important? Stop the Administration from getting their act together or stop Vector from getting into the City?
“Curly to hack into that band, so we have it on the VidScreens,” said Nick.
Curly nodded.
“Dante could do it,” offered Jack. He’d done it in the Hover.
“I can manage,” said Curly. “Then we need to figure out how we’re going to get those kids out of the University before Vector or the Administration start using them as leverage.”
Curly was right. That had to be the priority, and he knew just who should do it. “You and Curly sort things out here,” Jack said to Nick. “I’ll take the squad, and we’ll bring those kids back. Some sort of disturbance to distract Vector would be good.”
Nick stared at him, undecided. This was it. Was he going to trust the squad or not?
. .
Chapter 30
THEN NICK NODDED. “Yeah, that makes sense, you could probably talk your way in and then get the kids out. With no personal Coms working we can’t send them a CatchingFire and get them out that way. What sort of disturbance do you need?”
“Something like the explosion near Humicrib.”
Nick brought up the NavMap of the City on the Tablet, then handed the Tablet back. “At the library?”
“Yeah, that’ll do,” said Jack. The library was half a block away from the University.
“When do you need it to happen.”
“Half an hour. Just give me time to brief the guys and get there.”
Nick nodded, then turned to the kids meant to be guarding the squad. A couple were just idly fiddling with their rifles. The rest had put them down. They could do with some training on focus and weapons safety.
“You can put the guns away,” said Nick. “They’re on our side.”
Finally.
Suddenly all the squad members were up on their feet and looking like soldiers again. Even Levi had shaken off the relaxed, funny guy pose and was standing like he was waiting for orders.
Jack turned to Nick. “You got a briefing room with a VidScreen?” for one last time he’d pretend to be Leach and get the kids out of harm’s way then he and Nick could work together in this fight against the Administration.
“Yeah,” said Nick. “Use the backroom.”
“Coming Fraser?” Jack asked Ela. She knew the City better than any of the squad did, so he’d take her. Besides he wanted to keep her with him to make sure she was safe.
She grinned at him. “Yessir,” she said.
In Nick’s office, he had the City NavMap up on the Screen. Jeron was perched on the side of Nick’s desk, and the rest of the squad were taking up wall space. Nick must usually keep the numbers in his office down as there were only a couple of chairs. Levi and Rocco had commandeered them.
“You heard,” said Jack. He was up the front by the screen. Funny the longer he pretended to be Leach, the more he acted like him. “Our goal is to get the kids out of the University before anything kicks off. Yesterday there was a platoon of Troopers stationed there to guard them. They’re probably still there. And probably wondering what the hell is going on. We know they arrived in a Mamba and the last we saw that was front and centre on the quad. Probably being used as the base for the platoon.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Rocco leaned forward his elbows on the desktop.
“Won’t need to do anything. Hopefully, the thing has been immobilised. Or returned to base. Our biggest problem is going to be with whoever is in charge, but I’ll deal with that when we get there.” Jack turned back to the Screen. “We’re here. Our Viper’s here.” He hit the two loca
tions with his hand. “The University is here. We take the Viper, Levi thinks he can get us into it, O’Hara will override the autopilot then get us to the University. We turn up in a Hover and we’ve got credibility.”
“Then what?” asked Levi.
“We bluff our way in. Take control. When Nick’s explosion goes off, I send the VTroopers to deal with it, we get the kids out, and then we get the hell out of there too.”
He waited for nods from everyone.
“Right? Ready to go?”
“Ready,” came straight back at him.
“Back to the Viper then,” said Jack.
Ela strode along beside the squad trying to match the way they were moving. Jack said to just stick with him, and he’d bluff his way through. But what if someone realised, he wasn’t Leach? She guessed it was fine as long as he kept the helmet on, she hadn’t recognised him the first time she saw him in uniform.
It was nerve-wracking, walking along like they owned the place and the few people still on the streets cringing out of their way. They stopped at the square where they’d landed. Nothing was there.
“Maybe it’s still Hazed,” said Hood.
Ela studied the empty space. It didn’t look like that to her. There was always that disturbance in the air if something was Hazed.
“Nah,” said O’Hara. “It’s gone home.”
“Thought it needed passengers,” said Rocco.
O’Hara shrugged. “Maybe it thought it had one. The pilot’s Locate and helmet were on the co-pilot’s seat. That’d be enough for the autopilot.”
Rocco settled his laser more comfortable on his shoulder. “We’ve got no transport then?”
“I could hotwire an Eco”
Jack looked at Levi, then the few parked vehicles nearby. They all looked just for fun. No credibility there.
“Not worth it,” said Jack. “We’re on foot.”
When they reached the gateway to the University, the guard came over to them. “Do you know what’s going on?” he asked.
The StealthHover Ela had seen in the Vid at the Station had gone, just like the Viper had. Like homing pigeons.
“Power failure. They’re working on it,” said Jack. “I’m taking control here.”
“Glad someone is,” said the guard.
“Where’s your commanding officer?”
Jack acted out being in charge, if he was worried about being found out, it didn’t show.
“Only the sergeant left. The rest of them were in the Mamba when it took off.” Ela looked at Jack. He’d have no trouble taking charge. A captain outranked a sergeant. Didn’t he?
The guard hit the screen, and the gate opened. “I don’t know what the poor kids in here did to deserve all this attention.”
“Radical insurgents,” said Jack. The guard looked at him like he doubted that was true.
Inside the gates, Ela could see a group of about forty VTroopers standing around. They didn’t look very organised or fierce.
“What’s the plan,” asked Hood as they were walking across the Quad towards the soldiers.
Ela saw Jack shake his head. “I make sure everyone accepts I’m giving the orders, then we wait for Nick and his explosion and go from there.”
They got to within a few metres of the VTroopers.
“Wait, stay alert,” said Jack. “Anything goes wrong, take cover and start shooting.”
Ela watched as the other squad members nodded. They all talked tough, but she’d been with them for nearly a day, and so far no one had shot anyone. Maybe it would stay that way.
Then Jack marched around the milling VTroopers. When he got to the front, he spoke to one, then stood on the steps facing them all.
The one he’d spoken to bellowed, “Attention.”
The others looked at Jack standing on the steps, his hands behind his back waiting. And he looked like what he was pretending to be, someone who had the right to be in charge of all these men. The squad snapped to attention, and after a bit of shuffling to get into lines, so did the VTroopers.
Step one accomplished. They accepted Jack was in command.
He was just about to speak when there was an almighty explosion. She’d been expecting it. But it was louder and more ferocious than she expected, and the aftershock and heat wave that followed it nearly knocked her over.
She saw Jack take a step back too and then recover.
“Sergeant,” he ordered. “Take your men and investigate. We’ll carry on here.”
“Yessir,” said the Sergeant and even though she couldn’t see his face through his helmet, his body language was urgent.
“Follow me,” he ordered and swung around to the back of the VTroopers, then marched them in the whomp, whomp, whomp, marching style they always used. Like a bulldozer pushing everything in front of them.
As they went out the gate, Jack called the rest of the squad over. “Now to get the kids out, before that lot gets back.”
Inside the building, the kids seemed to be totally unaware anything was wrong. They wandered around carrying Tablets and bags going to lectures or heading back to the dorm just like this was a normal day. Once Vector stopped shooting to get information, everything went back to normal.
Jack stopped in the corridor of the theatre building. Kids scattered the way they always did, looking frightened. The squad gathered around.
“I’ll clear the lecture theatres, with Levi, Jeron and Ela. The rest of you clear the dorms. Do it as low key as possible. We don’t want to cause a panic. Go into each dorm. Tell them to pack the essentials and assemble in the Quad. Once they’re in the Quad, Ela can talk to them, enough of them should recognise her and trust her.”
“They’re going to think it’s a trap,” said Ela. “No one gave Nick away when Vector was shooting them, why are they going to believe me when I’m dressed like this? They’ll just refuse to go.”
Ela had a point. They might be able to move the kids out dorm by dorm, and classroom by classroom and get them all in the Quad, but what then?
Maybe it would be easier to just leave them here, fight off the VTroopers when they came back and if Vector did get away from the Base, protect the kids for as long as necessary.
No, Nick was right, if Vector got control of these kids, they’d hold them hostage. That’s how they’d controlled the Locals for the last fifty years. Why would now be any different? They needed to be at the Station with the others.
He’d stick with the plan, but he needed someone here the kids would trust. Jack pulled out Leach’s Tablet. Nick was supposed to be monitoring the feed, he’d get him to send someone.
Then with Ela, Jeron and Levi they swept through the corridors, going from lecture theatre to lecture theatre, ordering the kids out to the Quad, watching for problems, but all they found were kids and lecturers.
The question was, how much trouble would the kids be? They had to know something was wrong. They would all have lost contact with their parents. Would they try to fight back? Would they try to stop the University being evacuated?
Then Jack heard Leach’s call sign. Vector had finally remembered them.
Levi and Jeron were coming out of the Lecture Theatre behind him, a tide of kids in front of them, headed for the Quad.
“Carry on clearing out the Lecture Theatres,” he said to them. They nodded and Ela disappeared into the next Theatre, Jeron followed her and Levi was left to herd the kids.
Jack touched the side of the helmet. “Leach,” he said.
“Report position.”
“At the University. Found nothing at the RatsNest. Following up a report of a disturbance here.”
“Status?” asked the voice.
He looked around. “All clear,” he said. “Regular troops checking the perimeter.”
Then he heard, “Jack, need you here,” in his helmet. Jeron must have come up against something he couldn’t handle.
He strode to through the door to the Theatre and there were about fifty kids about to swarm toward
s Jeron. Jeron was lifting his laser but didn’t seem to know whether to open fire or not. Another kid was halfway down the side of room, an arm around Ela’s neck and a knife to her throat, another kid covering both of them with her laser.
“Get out, or we’ll kill her, and take a few of you with us,” said the kid, distraught.
Jack strode at the kids. “Like fuck, you will,” he stormed. They couldn’t possibly think they could get away with this, and the others must know if Jeron really had been a VTrooper they were committing suicide. “She’s trying to help you.”
The two kids looked startled at the black fury roaring towards them and hesitated long enough for Ela to grab the hand that had the knife at her throat, push herself away from him and stumble back, while Jack wrenched the laser out of the kid’s hand, spun him around and hit him in the gut with the butt.
“Now do as you’re told. Nick sent us.” He picked the kid up and pushed him at the other. “This is a CatchingFire, we’re trying to get you out of here without anyone getting hurt.”
The two kids looked back at him like they didn’t know whether to believe him or not. Then started to move over with the others.
“You all right?” he asked Ela as he helped her up.
She nodded, and he put his arms around her. He was bloody stupid bringing her with them.
Now Jeron was covering all the kids properly, and their suicidal impulses seemed to have gone.
“Get them outside with the others,” he ordered Jeron, still holding Ela close. He couldn’t believe the cloud of fury that had soared through him when he saw the two kids threatening her. Then he realised how closely he was holding her to him, and all he felt was an overwhelming need to protect her.
Ela looked up at him puzzled. “Jack?” she asked.
He grinned at her. “I seem to be coming right,” he said. “Now let’s go and get this lot to safety.”
Jack watched the local kids swarm into the Station Control Room, relief lit up their faces.
They’d done as they were told at the University, but he wasn’t sure whether it was the laser’s the squad were holding or the fact they recognised Katie and Scott.
