My mind is still sharp enough to understand the irony of that statement. “And what about the others? Chale, Ida, Junius..” My thinking feels foggy again as I back up against a glass wall that suddenly slides and becomes an automatic door to a long wide balcony overlooking the ocean. I stumble outside and he follows me.
“You mean that sentimental idiot, Chale. He’s not good enough for you. And Ida – I predict your newly discovered brother Toby will take care of her. She’s quite a beauty - and Junius – well let’s say your judgment’s way off base if you think you can trust him. You have no idea who he is and why he’s involved.”
I shake my head, trying hard to hold onto reality. “No – not true,” I say, aware of the tremor of explosions coming closer and a strange whirring sound that seems to whisk up the air behind us. Suddenly his smug smile changes to a look of horror when I look down to the base of the cliff where the parking lot is crammed with security transporters lining up to form a wall on the west side of the compound because right in front of them is a long line of massive throbbing motorbikes trying to get through. This is my chance to get out but I have to take it now. I grasp the rail of the balcony and close my eyes for an instant to feel the power surge through me then flip my legs over the edge and drop to the balcony below. All I can see is Yul’s face looking down on me as he shouts, “So you found out about your powers,” he shouts. “Don’t worry – they won’t help you with those animals down there. You’ll be back soon and I’ll be waiting for you with Lynette.”
I flinch when I hear her name but I can’t help her now. I just have to concentrate on survival so I leap down onto the next balcony and the next until I reach ground level. Now I have to find a way down the mountainside to the parking lot where the transporter is parked. I figure then I’ll be able to get back to Junius and the others though Yul’s words keep nagging at me. Do you even know who he is? And it’s true. I hardly know anything about him. He just appeared one day – didn’t talk about his past or his donor parents. Never made friends with anyone except me and Kumaresh - people who could help him escape.
I take a quick look around and realize I can’t get a shuttle. The last one left only minutes ago and I don’t want to get caught up with all the chaos in the parking lot. There’s only one way down and as I look over the edge of the outer wall at the thickly forested mountainside I realize it’s going to be a dangerous descent. Who knows if there are snakes or traps in the undergrowth but I have no choice and after taking a moment to get my breath I swing my legs over the edge and plunge in among the rich greeny brown foliage. It’s cool among the trees and the ground is so parched I leave a cloud of dust as I slide down the carpet of dried up leaves and pine needles. There’s a shrill chirping of grasshoppers in the air and small, unseen creatures scuttle away from my footsteps.
The fighting must be around the other side of the hill because I can hear laser fire and explosions. As the dry grass crackles underfoot I realize that just one stray spark could set this whole hillside on fire. Everything’s so dry it would go up like kindling in a bonfire and spread like a whirlwind. I have to get down as quickly as possible. Now I’m skidding and falling and getting up again. Dry branches are tearing at my arms and legs and the taste of blood is in my mouth. At one point I think I catch sight of a dark, furry shape slipping in behind a twisted tree trunk but I catch hold of the stray branches and swing myself downwards, choking and spitting as the gritty dust puffs up into my open mouth. Finally I can see the bottom of the hill and a narrow pathway that winds around it. If I can reach the transporter I’ll find a way through all the chaos and drive back towards Chale and Junius.
The fence is about a hundred yards away when a stray laser shot whooshes just past my left shoulder and buries itself among the bushes. There’s an immediate crackling of sparks and suddenly orange flames lick across the scrubby undergrowth. Just then a long line of shrubs blazes up in front of me – so close I can feel my cheeks scorch and the tiny hairs on my arms sizzle. If I don’t get out of here quickly I’ll be burned alive.
In an instant a wall of fire blazes in front of me forcing me to back away and upwards but I know it’s only a matter of time before it spreads over the entire hillside. The underbrush is like dry kindling – crackling and sending clouds of tiny ashes into the sky and the smell of burning creeps into my mouth and nose making me choke and gag. It’s like a fire-breathing dragon is chasing me and all I want is to get to the parking lot only a hundred yards beyond the flames. The heat sears my throat so I take off my shirt and tie it over my mouth which gives me a moment to breathe. Enough time to catch sight of something sticking out of the ground that looks like a sprinkler valve. If I can only find the switch-on mechanism. I go to touch it and rip my hand back in pain. It’s burning hot. Covering my stinging hand with the shirt I try again only the flames are so close I can almost feel the tiny hairs on my arms crinkling and dissolving. Focus – concentrate I tell myself, then I can do anything. Just as I think it’s too late the valve gives way and jets of water fountain upwards into the sky all across the hillside. Soon I’m soaked to the bone but I can hears a loud hissing like a thousand kettles steaming at once. I soon see that most of the fire is out so I hop across the drenched, blackened grass and vault over the fence.
I’m not sure what to expect when I get within view of the parking lot. Maybe the Crime Lords have broken through. If so they’ll be storming up the hill towards Yul and his lonely fortress but as I round the corner I see the battle’s taken a whole new turn. The security forces are lined up three deep in armoured transporter vehicles and I can just make out the stacked piles of mangled motorbikes and their drivers lying crushed underneath the twisted metal. These riders have ridden in suicidal frenzy towards the massive fire power of Yul’s security forces and he sits there on top of the hill directing the action and watching the carnage as if it’s a big game. What’s even more crazy is the way the motorbikes keep on coming at the laser guns as if there’s even a remote chance that they can make inroads. Every advance is followed by the zap of laser rockets and a sickening, grinding crash until all that’s left is a mountain of smoking metal and charred bodies.
Suddenly I feel sick. This fight is all about controlling the serum – the chance to live forever - and now I know who’s directing the Security Forces I wonder who on the other side has the power to force the Crime Lords to drive to their death. It has to be someone just as – if not more powerful than the Iduna CEO.
The transporter sits alone in the parking lot. It’s my only hope of getting out of here and finding the others. I know I can’t go back the way I came but there must be an alternate route. I feel the communicator in my pocket and check its tiny screen. The blinking light shows they’re leaving the feeder pod. With a bit of luck they’ve freed all those kids but I wonder where they’re planning to take them. We never talked about what we’d do afterwards.
I wave the sensor key and the entry hatch slides open then, checking that nobody’s close I jump inside and close it up. Once I stick the key into the starter panel, a wall of blinking lights comes on. I haven’t a clue how to get this thing going, the sweat’s pouring down my back and the burn on my hand is still throbbing. Then there’s a mechanical whirring sound as a steering column rises from the dash then clicks neatly into place. This is easy, I think – just like driving a car. I turn the steering disk and push the lever I saw Gina using. The transporter lumbers forward and a screen appears showing me where I am. I turn in the opposite direction to the battle line and move at full speed ahead. Clicking through some of the switches I finally find one that looks like a kind of navigation system. I key in Realtown as a destination and a brightly lit map appears showing me I’m a few miles away. Maybe if I can pick up some speed I can make it to the Shoshu in time to meet up with the others as long as the road is clear.
I’m so busy fooling with switches I don’t see the huge crack in the road that looms up suddenly ahead of me until I’m almost on top of it. A
jagged cliff of concrete faces me on one side and on the other a yawning, gaping chasm to nowhere. Instinctively I yank the drive lever back but there’s a sickening grinding sound and the smell of burning oil as the wheels still rumble forward ready to plunge me and thousands of pounds of metal down into the massive crevasse.
32
Putting my whole body and all my concentration into getting this beast to stop, I’m rewarded by a metallic screeching sound as the transporter jerks to a standstill. I pull my hand away from the lever realizing I put so much pressure on my hand it’s pounding in agony and I fall back against the seat feeling as if I could cry my eyes out. But there’s no time for that now so I look around for something to cover it with – anything to stop the pain and protect the blisters that are starting to break out all over the palm. Under the seat I find some kind of first aid box that I tear open. There’s a bottle of something that looks like it could be for burns so I spray it on my palm and feel instant relief as the cold balm settles on my skin, then I wrap my hand in a clean bandage.
I’ll have to find a way around the broken road so I start the transporter up again and climb the hill at the side of the road until I’m clear of the damage then it’s back on the open road towards Realtown. The sky all around me is smoky and orange so I’ve no way of knowing how close I am to the fighting and as Iduna Central recedes into the distance I see it still gleaming and untouched on its mountain top fortress. Yul survived another attack. But for how long?
Soon I start to recognize where I am. The hills of Golden Heights rise up from the roadside, the luxury homes safe and secure so I know I’m close to the feeder pod that Junius and the others have hopefully just emptied. If I pick up speed I might even catch them up.
I’m clipping along at a pretty fast rate when I start to hear the rumble of engines behind me in the distance. I turn on the rear viewer and my heart leaps to my throat when I see a line of motor bikes thundering towards me. I try to power the transporter up but it makes such a terrible grinding sound I think I might have damaged the engine. I can see they’re gaining ground on me but what’s worse is that in the distance I can see a line of people walking down the hill towards Realtown. It must be Junius and Chale and the feeders and now I’m leading the Crime Lords right towards them. What’s worse is they’ve spotted me and the people at the rear of the group are starting to reach for their weapons. If I don’t do something they’ll blow me up with one of those rockets. I have no choice but to stop and show myself but I also have to protect them from the approaching motorbikes. The timing has to be perfect. I have to make a decision in a matter of a few seconds.
So, without another thought I wrench the steering disk around, turning the transporter sideways until it blocks the entire road, then I climb out of the cabin and stand on top of the roof. I scream, wave my arms and yell, Keep going, keep going. I can make out Junius who drops his laser in shock and Chale beside him who’s about to start running towards me when the others hold him back. They can see the Crime Lords thundering up behind me. I turn and see the cloud of dust churned up by their tires. I swear then I can hear Chale screaming and waving for me to come but I yell back and make motions for them to get going. It looks like Junius has to drag him as they all start running into the forest at the side of the road.
At that point I swing back inside and fumble around the panel for the rocket launchers. Just like some kind of weird video game the screen fills with light and the targets come into view. I press the switch and the air fills with fire. Again and again I pound them until there can’t be anyone left. I realize then that I’m screaming and crying as I’m doing it. I don’t care that they might be monsters. Killing is something I’ll never get used to. Even in the heat of a battle.
After a while I stop. Everything’s quiet. I turn on the viewer and see a mangled pile of metal and smoking, charred bodies. It must be safe now. Maybe I can get out and catch up with the others. I check my pocket for my laser gun and climb out hoping I’ve brought my communicator.
I’m so caught up with worry I don’t hear the throbbing growl of an approaching motor bike until it’s right behind me and before I can aim the laser at the shaved head of the man driving it he’s knocked the gun out of my hand, grabbed me round the waist and thrown me over the seat in front of him. My legs are dangling so near the road I can feel the tips of my toes scrape along the gravel. I bend my knees and squirm, trying to shake myself off but he slows down and in a series of quick movements jabs something into my arm, slots my hands into metal cuffs and locks them then pulls some kind of cloth bag over my head. I thresh and scream, sick with the sudden forward lurch of the engine. We’re travelling somewhere and we’re going so fast my head spins but soon it’s like a heavy fog spreads over my whole body and no matter how hard I try to fight it the feeling spreads into the very tips of my fingers and toes.
I think I’m dying is the last thought that crosses my mind as I lose myself to total blackness.
33
Lynette once told me about the bats in her grandpa’s barn at the farm outside Minnie-Apolis. One night when she walked in with her dog Bella they all flew up into the air at once in a whirring, beating cloud. She held her hands over her ears when the sound grew louder and louder as they clawed at each other in their panic to get through the tiny hole in the roof at once, piling on top of each other until some started to fall to the ground like limp black rags.
I can hear a terrifying flapping sound above me when I try to open my eyes and I put my hands over my ears to drown out the noise. Just then a pale face fades in from the darkness and for a moment I think I’m back in the Psych Centre. It’s Junius. Was everything that happened to me just a vivid dream engineered by the therapists?
“Paige, wake up. You’re safe,” says the calm voice.
I try to sit up but my head feels like a band of steel is wrapped around it. I’m aware of a constant vibration all around me and my tongue feels like it’s covered in fur.
“Water,” I whisper. “I need a drink.”
A bottle of water materializes from the shadows and I gulp it down. Gradually the headache subsides and I try to sit up. Junius is next to me and we’re in a small dark cabin. I blink my eyes in disbelief when I see Chale standing behind Junius.
“We thought we’d lost you Paige,” says Chale, kneeling down beside me and taking my hand in his. “When you were firing at the Crime Lords.”
The memories start flooding back now as I try to piece everything together. “The man on the motor bike?” I say, looking around me as if I expect him to arrive at any moment.
“There was no motor bike,” says Junius, his eyes seeming to change colour as my vision clears. “Once we got everyone to safety I came back for you. The transporter broke down at the Sanctuary and you were lying on the ground - out cold.”
I struggle to sit up. “The Crime Lord – he had a shaved head. He handcuffed me.” I look at my wrists to find the marks – any marks – but there’s nothing. How could I have imagined it? I flop back down onto the pillow. “It was so real. It did happen.”
“Your clothes were charred,” says Chale. “Maybe you passed out from the smoke.”
“Well how did I get to the Sanctuary? The transporter was damaged.” I say, trying to stop the tears pushing at the back of my eyes.
“It caught fire on the way,” says Junius in the voice I’d heard him use with frightened children at the Compound School. “That’s how we found you. We saw the flames.”
“That’s not how it happened,” I say trying to search the blurred images that crowd my mind.
“Just rest,” says Junius in that infuriating voice. “Maybe it’ll come back to you later.”
“Don’t treat me like a kid,” I snap. “I found the CEO – I found Yul.”
“And you saved our lives, Paige,” says Chale. “You were ready to give up your life for us.”
“He’s right,” says Junius. “It took a lot of guts to do all that alone. We can never r
epay you.”
I lie back for a moment. So some of it was real. But I still can’t figure out how I got to the Sanctuary.
“We know about that lying, cheating bastard, Yul,” says Chale. “And all that time I thought he was my friend.”
I try to get up. “Where is he? He has Lynette.”
Junius takes me by the shoulder. “Calm down, Paige. He’s not here. He’s still at Central Control. His Security Forces beat the Crime Lords back. He’s safe again – for now.”
“Then where are we?” I say. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Junius pulls me up from the bed. My legs feel so wobbly I stumble but he steadies my arm as he leads me out of the small room into a vast, hollow cabin. I blink my eyes in disbelief when I see Ida, Toby and Kumaresh on one bench with Carl and Edelia on the opposite side. Even Hogan and Sulia are there smiling and waving at me. Beyond them are at least thirty long rows of benches filled with young people I’ve never seen before. When they see me they all start to cheer, clapping their hands and waving their arms. I look at Junius who has a smile spreading over his face. “They’re thanking you, Paige. They know all about your bravery.”
“The feeder pods?” I say, feeling the joy bubbling up inside me. “You got everyone out?”
He nods his head. “It’s only a start, Paige. We emptied the first feeder pod but now we know how to infiltrate them we’ll soon be able to free them all.”
I feel such a rush of relief I forget about the imaginary motorbike and its mysterious rider. I forget about all the other questions as I run to hug Toby, then Ida and Kumaresh and finally Carl. “I thought I’d lost you all,” I say. “Now can anyone please tell me where we’re going.”
“That’s the final surprise,” says Junius as a secretive smile spreads over his face.
“He won’t tell us either,” says Chale, “but we know it’s somewhere beyond the mountains.”
The Forever Ones (The Iduna Project) Page 19
