The Quillan Games tpa-7

by D. J. MacHale

  “This territory is a nightmare,” I said.

  “It is,” she agreed. “But we can change it.”

  “I want to meet the revivers,” I said, gritting my teeth with anger. “Now.”

  Nevva held up the black bag that had to go over my head, and shrugged. “I’m sorry,” she said. “They have survived by living in the shadows. Their trust isn’t earned easily. Even I don’t know all their secrets.”

  “Like who Mr. Pop is?” I asked.

  “That’s a big one,” she answered.

  “What do you know about him?” I asked. “I heard the challengers toasting him.”

  “Mr. Pop is a false name, obviously,” Nevva said.

  I didn’t think it was so obvious. I’d heard plenty of wacky names since I left Second Earth. It wasn’t like “Nevva” was so common either. But I didn’t say anything.

  “He is the heart of the revival,” she continued. “When the movement begins, he will lead us. But until then, he must live in secrecy, for obvious reasons.”

  “Do the trustees know about the revivers?” I asked.

  “Not exactly,” she answered. “They’ve heard rumors, but they don’t take them seriously. The trustees believe their domination of the territory is complete. They aren’t far from wrong. But they’re arrogant. The idea that there might be a movement of tens of thousands of people with the single goal of bringing down the company is so alien to them, they don’t take it seriously. They underestimate the spirit of the people. I believe it will be their undoing.”

  “So they don’t know about Mr. Pop?” I asked.

  “There have been many stories about heroes who will rise up and rescue the people from oppression, but none have proved true. Have they heard the name Mr. Pop? Yes, absolutely. But they consider him to be a myth, born of desperation. They have no idea that Mr. Pop is real. The revivers want to keep it that way, until the time is right.”

  “So how did you hook up with these guys?” I asked. “Isn’t it kind of a stretch to be working for the trustees while being part of an underground organization trying to overthrow them?”

  Nevva said, “That’s the beauty of it! When Press told me of my destiny as a Traveler, I did a lot of soul searching. After visiting the other territories and seeing Quillan from a different perspective, I knew the best way I could help my own territory was to plot against the very people I work for.”

  “And get revenge for what happened to your parents,” I said.

  Nevva shot me a stern look. I wished I hadn’t said that; it was kind of harsh.

  “Sorry,” I said. “Sometimes I think out loud.”

  “It’s all right,” she said quickly. “I do blame the trustees and Blok for what happened to my parents. But this isn’t about me, Pendragon. It’s about what Blok has done to the whole territory. My story is one of millions. That’s why I sought out the revivers.”

  “If they’re so secretive, how did you find them?” I asked.

  Nevva chuckled and said, “I am very resourceful, Pendragon. There isn’t much that gets by me. I listened, I asked careful questions, and I eventually found my way through to the leaders. I have to admit, it helped that I work for the trustees. Having someone on their side who is so close to their enemies was too tempting for the revivers to pass up. I’ve been training with them for nearly twenty quads now-“

  “Just for the record, I have no idea how long a quad is,” I said.

  Nevva didn’t know how to answer that. How would you explain to somebody what a year is? Or a month? That’s a tough one.

  “Twenty quads is long enough for the revivers to accept me. In fact, I’ve proved to be so valuable they made me a unit leader.”

  I didn’t want to ask her what a unit leader was. That probably would have been just as hard as explaining what a quad was.

  “But I still haven’t been accepted on the highest levels,” she said. “Which is why I haven’t met Mr. Pop. With my plan, that will certainly change.”

  “And that plan is…?”

  “It’s about you, Pendragon. That’s why we must meet them now.” She held up the black bag and smiled sheepishly. “Until they learn to trust you, their location must remain secret.”

  I took the bag reluctantly and asked, “What did you tell them about me? Not the truth, I hope.”

  “Of course not. I told them you are someone who can help us,” she answered. “Nothing more.”

  I didn’t have to put the bag on until we stepped inside the building, and into an elevator. Nevva took me on another long journey down and through the bowels of the city of Rune. I figured we were descending very deep, because the temperature took a big drop. We were definitely going somewhere out of the mainstream. After walking for about twenty minutes, it felt as if we stepped into a large area. I say that because up until then everything sounded close, like we were walking through narrow corridors. The only sound came from our footsteps bouncing back at us from the hard walls. But this new place sounded open. We weren’t outside-it was too quiet and cold for that-but it was definitely a much larger area. Like an airplane hangar or a basketball court.

  “We’re here,” Nevva announced, and pulled the bag off my head.

  I had to blink twice to make sure what I was seeing was real. I looked around at the large space, trying to make sense of it. Nevva didn’t interrupt. She must have seen my confusion.

  “It-it’s a mall!” I said.

  It was a derelict, deserted underground mall. We were standing in a central courtyard. Directly above us was a skylight that was bricked over, like the stained glass of the train station. In front of us was a fountain that hadn’t seen water in forever. There seemed to be three lowest. Four sets of wide marble stairs led up from this courtyard to the level above us. I wasn’t sure how you got from that level to the highest. Maybe there were some escalators somewhere. If there were, I guarantee they weren’t working. This place had been dead for many years. Or quads, whatever the heck they were. Like the malls at home on Second Earth, there were several storefronts lined up next to one another. Unlike the stores outside on the street that sold “Clothes” and “Food,” these stores had unique names like “Razzle,” “Storm amp; Kissner,” “Pookie’s Place,” and “The Bountiful Table,” These were stores that sold the kinds of things you’d see at a mall at home. I saw a music shop, flower stands, bookstores, a toy shop, and even a store that sold nothing but candy.

  They were all closed. Deserted. Empty. Dead. Their signs were dark, their windows were clouded with grime. The only clues as to what each store once sold were yellowed signs and empty shelves. I was never much of a mall guy. I know, some people hang out at malls with their friends like it’s the center of their universe. Other people walk around and look at stuff like it’s some kind of museum. I never quite got it, myself. If a mall had a store that sold something I wanted, I’d go. If not, I’d avoid it like the plague. But seeing this deserted ghost mall here on Quillan actually made me sad. It was proof that Quillan had once had free enterprise.

  I was beginning to see the signs of a lost civilization. Like digging through the sands of Egypt to uncover ancient cities, the layer of gray cement here in the city of Rune had covered up a city that once had personality. I could only imagine what else had been hidden by Blok’s quest to wipe away a society. There was no doubt, Blok had killed Quillan.

  “You’re late!” came a voice, echoing from somewhere.

  I spun around and saw someone standing on the top of the stairs, looking down on us. He wore one of those masks over his head like the people who’d rescued me from Veego and LaBerge. He stood with his legs wide, holding something that looked like a long, heavy black wand. He held it in one hand and tapped it into the palm of his other, menacingly.

  “We stopped to watch the competition,” Nevva called up to the person. “I thought it was important for him to see.”

  Another voice boomed from behind us. A quick look showed another person standing on top of the stairs,
across from the first. “You know it’s difficult for us to all get away during the day,” the second person said. “Our time is valuable.”

  “I know that better than most,” Nevva said. She was apologizing, but she wasn’t backing down. “I don’t believe I wasted a minute of our time. Everything we did was important. I hope you’ll trust my judgment on that.”

  Three more dark figures appeared at the tops of the stairs. We were surrounded by these masked people, each with their own black baton.

  I said to Nevva, “Tell me these are the revivers.”

  “They are the leaders of the revival here in Rune,” she said. “Rune has the largest number of-“

  “That’s enough!” the first person barked.

  Nevva fell quiet.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “But if he’s going to help us, we have to trust him.”

  The first person started walking down the stairs toward us. The others walked as well. The circle was closing in around us. These were supposed to be the good guys, but they didn’t know who I was. If they thought I was a bad guy, it wouldn’t matter if they were good guys or bad guys because… oh, you get the idea.

  “What is your name?” the first person asked.

  “Pendragon,” I answered. “What’s yours?”

  Nevva shot me a look as if I were being a little too smartass.

  “Forgive him for that,” Nevva said, trying to do damage control.

  “Should I also forgive him for being a liar?” the guy asked.

  Huh? What did he mean by that? I looked to Nevva. She looked as clueless as I felt. The guy stepped off the stairs directly in front of me and pulled off his mask to reveal… he wasn’t a he. He was a she. And I knew her. It was the woman on the motorbike who’d helped the guy escape from the dados when I first got to Quillan. That must mean…

  I looked around as the other people removed their masks as well. Sure enough, one of them was the older guy who’d helped me escape from the dados, and brought me to the garage where I was captured.

  “This is Tylee Magna,” Nevva said. “She is our leader here in Rune.”

  “I see your loop is gone,” Tylee Magna said to me sarcastically. “Did you remove this one the same as the last one?”

  “Wait!” Nevva said, confused. “You’ve met already?” It was the first time I saw Nevva rattled.

  “I was being chased by security dados,” I said to Nevva. “They helped me get away, at least for a little while.”

  This was going to be tricky. I had forgotten the lies I told these people when they helped me escape. If I wanted to gain their trust, I couldn’t sound like I was making stuff up back then-which I was.

  “You knew our sign,” the older guy said, grabbing his left biceps with his right hand.

  “Pure luck,” I said. “I saw you give that sign to each other when you helped that other guy get away from the dados.”

  The older guy and Tylee Magna exchanged looks. I didn’t know if they were impressed that I was so observant, or angry at themselves for being so obvious about their supersecret spy signals.

  “So you tricked us into helping you, then lied to us,” Magna said matter-of-factly.

  I figured I shouldn’t add more lies to my lies so I said, “Yeah, I lied.”

  “He is from another city,” Nevva said. “I gave him the challenger clothes, and the loop.”

  The older guy with the gray hair said to Nevva, “We’ve seen him compete. You’re right; he is exceptional.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Magna said forcefully. “The risk is too great. There is too much at stake.”

  Nevva said, “But think of what could happen if we’re successful! This could be our defining moment! We have the chance to create the spark that puts the revival into motion. We can’t pass up this chance!”

  “And if he fails?” the woman asked.

  “If he fails then we will be no worse off than we are now,” Nevva answered. “I don’t see that there is a choice.”

  “Uh, hello, folks!” I said. “Would somebody mind telling me what’s going on?”

  Nevva looked at Tylee Magna as if to get the okay to talk. Tylee nodded. Nevva stepped in front of me and said, “We are ready. Throughout all of Quillan there are tens of thousands of people who are prepared to take back their lives.”

  “Are you talking about a civil war?” I asked.

  “In a way, yes,” she answered. “We will start with the security dados. They must be destroyed. We have been storing weapons and training to do just that. Once their security force is no longer a threat, the power will be ours. Blok relies on manpower to exist. If the people revolt, Blok will be powerless. Their factories can be shut down, the tarz can be interrupted, water plants can be controlled.”

  ‘If it’s that easy, why haven’t you done it already?” I asked.

  Tylee Magna answered, “Because the people don’t have the will. Blok not only controls our lives, it controls our minds. After so many generations of living this way, people don’t believe there is any other way of life. Blok has stolen the most valuable possession any person can have-imagination. “

  The old guy who reminded me of my father added, “The revivers believe we can bring that back. We have been working to show people that there is so much more to life than what they have. It sounds so simple, but to do it on such a large scale is daunting. We have tens of thousands on our side. We need millions.”

  “How does Mr. Pop fit into this?” I asked.

  The revivers shared looks. Nevva leaned toward Magna. She wanted to hear the answer as much as I did.

  “Mr. Pop is our spiritual leader,” the woman answered. “Once the revival begins, it will be Mr. Pop who will show us all the way. But it is up to us to take the first step.”

  Nevva added, “That’s where you come in, Pendragon. We’ve been looking for the right person to light the fuse on the revival. I believe it is you.” She looked right at me for emphasis and said, “This could be the turning point for Quillan, Pendragon.”

  Crash!

  Shattered glass and pieces of brick rained down on us. The revivers jumped back, looking just as surprised as I was. I covered my eyes and looked up to see dark figures descending from the broken ceiling directly above us. Like giant marauding spiders they quickly slid down on ropes that were dropped from the roof.

  “They found us,” Tylee Magna gasped.

  They weren’t giant spiders. They were security dados. They had discovered the lair of the revivers.

  (CONTINUED)

  QUILLAN

  We were under attack.

  “How did they find this place?” the old guy said, stunned.

  Nobody hung around for an answer. The security dados were coming down right on our heads. It was like being descended on by commandos. They zipped down the lines with military-like precision and skill. There were about eight of them headed down the lines. Who knew how many more were waiting above? We were outnumbered. Worse. They had guns. My first instinct was to run. For all I knew, this was an assassination squad. The others had the same thought. Nobody wanted to stick around and fight these guys.

  “Scatter!” Magna commanded. “They can’t get us all,”

  The five revivers scampered off in different directions.

  I looked at Nevva. Her eyes were wide and scared. “I’ll find you,” she said, and took off.

  It was time for me to do the same. As the dados slid down their lines, I ran for the stairs up to the next level of the mall. taking them three at a time. I got to the top and took off running down one wide corridor. I was totally winging it because I had no idea where to go. My hope was that I’d find a doorway that led out, before the dados hit the ground and could follow. Of course my fear was that I’d find a door that led to a dead end and the dados would catch me and bring me back to the castle. Or worse. Running ahead of me was one of the revivers. I made the snap decision to follow him. I figured he had to know where he was going. Fum! Fum!

  Too
late. The dados were firing their golden guns before they even reached the ground. The running reviver was nailed by both shots. His head snapped back as he fell forward. I think he was unconscious before he hit the floor. I dove to the ground and slid on my belly across the hard marble floor. I wanted to make as small a target as possible. I looked back quickly to see the dados descending on their lines past the level I was on, down to the bottom, where we had been standing moments before. That meant I had a few seconds before they landed, ran up the stairs, and started shooting again. I spotted the metal wand that the reviver had dropped when he was shot. On instinct I scrambled over and grabbed it. The unconscious reviver had no more use for it. The thing was about six feet long. It was thin, but it had weight. It wasn’t as heavy as the wooden stave weapons from Zadaa, but I needed somiething to protect myself. It would have to do.

  I was about to take off running, when it hit me that the unconscious reviver was at the mercy of the security dados. What if this really was an assassination squad? Or what if they captured the guy and made him give up more secrets about the revivers? I couldn’t leave the guy there helpless. So I dropped the black wand, grabbed his legs, and pulled him toward one of the empty stores.

  Inside I saw row after row of empty racks that spanned from the front of the store all the way to the back. It was once a bookstore. The shelves were barren, except for a few sad and yellowed books. In that split second I imagined these empty rows to be full of colorful books. The idea that the heart and soul of an entire territory could be destroyed, forgotten, and cemented over by a blanket of gray was gut wrenching.

  It was also gut wrenching to know that we were being hunted down by killer robots. I didn’t have time to hang around getting depressed over the loss of Quillan’s books. I grabbed the unconscious reviver guy by one arm and one leg, and awkwardly picked him up in a fireman’s carry. The guy was small and fairly light, but I have to admit, I was getting strong. All that work at the training camp on Zadaa had paid off. It also helped that I was scared to death. Like I’ve always said, adrenaline can be your friend. Once he was up on my shoulders, I knew I could move. At least for a little while. No way I could outrun anybody, but at least I could get the two of us to a safe place where we could hide. I took two steps toward the back of the store, when my big plan shattered… along with the front windows of the bookstore.