The Dream Protocol: Descent (Book I)

by Adara Quick

  The Caterpillar was a row of closely spaced peaks, increasing in height and width until they ended at a cliff. Here, riders could get up enough speed to throw themselves into the air, executing a full 360° turn, and land on the opposite cliff. There, a second set of similar peaks were spaced. Many a rider had smacked themselves into the opposite precipice while attempting two 360° turns in a row – the 720.

  Antrim had also gotten herself pretty banged up in the past trying to land this trick on the Caterpillar. But today was different. Maybe she felt that her time until Selection was running out. Or maybe it was that Flynn was in trouble and she needed the abandon of the ride. She started out slow on the little hills and gradually built her speed as they became bigger and bigger.

  Five hills left.

  Three hills left.

  One hill left!

  On the top of the last peak, she threw her weight hard against the right side of the board, beginning a spin to the right as she ascended into the air. She knew that she needed at least three seconds of airtime to make both turns, and she hoped that she had enough height to do it. As she twisted through the air, she felt her long bangs wrap around her face at the end of the first turn.

  “One thousand one,” she whispered. Antrim cleared her mind completely and thought of nothing but flying and turning. Not even a thought of Flynn’s trouble squeaked in.

  “One thousand two.” Coming around the second turned, she kept her eyes on the prize – the ledge of the next cliff.

  “One thousand three!” She landed it, the board’s back edge bumping up and over the ledge from the force of forward momentum. “Yes!” She put two fists into the air and pumped her arms.

  Her body coursed with adrenaline as she easily took the smaller peaks on the other side of the Caterpillar. Leaning left into the next turn, she headed to a medium-sized cliff, her favorite handstand spot. Her heart swelling with feeling, she forced her board up the side of the cliff, feeling her victory all the way to her toes. Reaching the top, she put out her palm on the concrete and kicked her legs and board up into the air over her head. The handstand trick felt epic. She paused there for a moment, body completely aloft, savoring her win. Then she heard a voice calling from the entrance to the course.

  “Pretty awesome 720, Antrim. You finally did it.”

  Antrim looked back and smiled. It was Deirdre. She came out of her handstand and jettisoned herself down the cliff wall once more, making her way back to the beginning. She catapulted up the first drop and threw her weight over the edge. Antrim came to a stop where Deirdre waited. Both girls settled themselves on the edge of the cliff, feet dangling over the side.

  Antrim exclaimed, “You saw!”

  “Of course I saw. Although I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t.”

  Antrim playfully punched Deirdre in the arm, and both girls giggled.

  Deirdre asked, “So, what’s the word?”

  Antrim replied, “Where have you been? And tell me what is going on with Flynn.”

  Deirdre replied, “I’m sorry, Antrim. I was called in by the Ministry for an interview. I had to sit with the top guy in Dream Justice. Again. They’ve got some issue with a dream Maeve and my mother were working on, and now I’m on the watch list because I downloaded it. I think the interview went alright, but still, I’ll need to be careful about where I go and what I do.”

  Antrim picked up her board and hugged it to her chest. “Oh, Dee. I’m scared. As soon as Flynn was hauled out of school, ticker messages went wild. Is he ok? What’s happening?”

  Deirdre said in a halting voice, “Flynn messaged me from quarantine. He’s in real trouble, and we need to help him.”

  “But what can we do?”

  “They know about his ageing disorder, Antrim. It’s bad. The Medical Director wants him scheduled for an early descent. Like, within a few days.”

  Antrim’s face wrinkled up in a tight frown. “Dee, that’s wrecked. They can’t do that, can they?”

  “It will be the Minister’s decision. And you can imagine what that means. Flynn doesn’t have much time.”

  Antrim glanced at Deirdre’s face and said, “Wait. I can tell you’ve got something.”

  “Oh, I do. I’m just going to need you and your new 720 to pull it off.”

  “If it’s skating, I can do it. I know I can.”

  Deirdre smiled and said, “I know you can too.”

  The two friends spent the rest of the morning whispering about the plan. In the early afternoon, they decided to case the medical clinic entrance to finalize their attack. Deirdre smiled to herself as they walked past the Drones on guard. Then she turned to Antrim and giggled like they were two Matchers on their way to get their hair and nails done. The Drones never even looked in their direction. That Medical Director has no idea what we’re about to bring on. This will work.

  It was 2:45, and both girls were ready. They huddled together around the corner from the medical clinic and reviewed the final details of their plan. Deirdre pulled Flynn’s cloak out of her sack and wrapped herself in it, obscuring her face with the loose edge. She said to Antrim, “Is your board ready?”

  “Of course it is,” said Antrim, and she bent to pull it out of her knapsack.

  “Ok. It’s ten minutes ‘til the hour. According to the underground, that snitch should be coming out soon. I’m going to take a look around the corner. Stay out of sight.” Deirdre leaned around into the intersection and studied the entrance to the clinic up the hall. Then she ducked back out of sight. “Just as before. Two Drones guarding the entrance, and boxes of medical supplies right next to them. Now you look.” Antrim leaned around the corner and studied the setup. Deirdre whispered in her ear, “Can you make it up that stack of boxes for your jump?”

  Antrim pulled back and said, “Sure can. But what if I don’t get to the lift in time?”

  “You’ll be long gone before they figure out what happened. Remember, take the lift to the next level up and hide around the corner. They’ll they come off the lift after you. Then jump back on when they’ve moved along. Head home and I’ll meet up with you when this is finished. Trust me, ok?” Antrim nodded. Deirdre looked out again and saw the man in the white lab coat leave the clinic, nodding to the Drones on his way out. She turned and gave Antrim a thumbs up.

  Antrim extended her board and hopped on. “Give me a push and prepare to be amazed,” she said with a wink.

  Deirdre pushed off on Antrim’s back and sent her sailing down the hallway straight for the boxes and the Drones. Then she leaned out again to follow the action. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, preparing to run. This has to work. If it doesn’t, I don’t know what else we can do for Flynn. Fifteen minutes to get this done.

  Antrim kicked off on the concrete floor again and again. Faster and faster she sped, straight for the stack of boxes and hidden from the Drones on the other side. When she reached the base, she threw all of her weight on the back edge of the board, lifting the front into the air. The anti-friction jets connected and she was sent up the side of the stack. The top edge was coming fast, and Antrim went into a half-crouch. With the Drones’ heads in view, she slammed down hard on the back left corner of the board. Then she was airborne. She came out of the first 360 and began the second spin. She was sailing straight for their heads. On plan and on schedule she started screaming, “Victory or death!”

  The Drones looked up, their eyes immediately shifting to red. But it was too late; Antrim came out of the second turn and crashed into both of them. The two Drones went down in a jumble. Antrim went into a roll and leapt to her feet. Her board had continued down the hallway, and Antrim quickly scanned around for it.

  Looking back at the Drones, the redhead said, “Later, jerk weeds,” as she took off after her board. In a few long strides, she was on it again. She looked back over her shoulder to make sure the Drones were following. She saw that their eyes were full red and they were after her.

  They shouted, “Stop, you’r
e under arrest!” Antrim had a head start for the lift, and she was going to need it. As soon as the Drones sped around the corner, Deirdre started down the hallway and ducked into the medical clinic.

  The Medical Director boarded the nearest lift and hit the button for Level 0, Topside. Floor after floor the lift rose, out of the cold concrete of the city. He stepped off and entered a hallway of floor to ceiling glass. The natural light was a little dizzying for eyes accustomed to the low lighting of the underground city. He squinted and took in the view as he walked.

  On one side he looked down on the stone courtyard between Dream Justice and the Academy. Makers in their orange robes scurried back and forth, some in pairs and some alone. The damp sea air caught their robes around their ankles and they bent toward each other against the cold gusts. On the other side of the hall, Odran looked out to sea. The unrelenting wind churned the waves into white crests and they beat against the rock of the island. He walked the length of the hall, happily humming a tune as he made ready for Flynn’s end.

  The doorway at the end was the entrance to the Second’s waiting room. A woman in a tight grey dress stood up to welcome him. She said, “Just a moment. I’ll see if he’s ready for you,” and disappeared into Dylan’s office. Odran sat down to wait, crossing his legs and staring out to sea.

  Ten floors below the Director, Deirdre hesitated in the main hallway of the clinic. It stretched before her, a sterile white corridor with empty exam rooms on all sides. She checked her cloak to make sure her face was hidden and started walking. You never know when they are watching. And if they are, I’m not giving them any clues about me. White curtains covered the doorways to the exam rooms and she could see metal exam tables and gurneys where the curtains had been pushed back.

  Halfway down the hall, she heard voices coming her way. Deirdre ducked into the nearest exam room and waited for them to pass. Then she peeked out from behind the curtain and saw two men walking away, their huge backs squeezed into two white jackets.

  One said, “So. The Director is up meeting with the Second?”

  The other said, “Yeah. I can’t wait to get rid of that boy.”

  Deirdre’s hand tightened on the curtain. Flynn!

  “Me too. But I do want to be there when the Director tells him he’s headed for the cylinder.” Both men gave out a throaty laugh.

  “Let’s get those boxes brought in and be done with it.”

  “Naw. Are you kidding? I’m getting out of here to take a break while I can. Come on. Let’s catch a few minutes of dream.” Then they were out the door, not even noticing that the Drones had left their duty station.

  Deirdre stepped back into the main hallway and hurried on her way. The end of the hall opened up on a large room with a workstation and chairs at the center. Multiple cells lined the outside of the room and in one she saw him sitting on the floor. “Flynn,” she shouted as she rushed toward the barrier.

  Flynn looked up and immediately recognized Deirdre by her eyes and strands of blond hair sticking out from under his cloak. He jumped up and shouted, “Don’t come any closer!” Deirdre stopped short, just before the electrostatic wall. He continued, “There’s an invisible barrier. You can’t touch it. But bloody...” Stumbling over his words, Flynn put one hand to his forehead like he had been struck. “What are you doing here? I told you to stay away!”

  Deirdre said, “I’m not letting you die. Now quick, there’s no time. Tell me where the Director’s desk is.”

  “No, I’m not telling you anything. You need to get out of here.”

  “Flynn Brennan, you listen up good. I’m not losing you, so get over it. If you want me to get out, then tell me what I need to know. Because I’m not leaving. I’m not leaving you, ok? Now, spill it,” she said, pointing at him.

  “Oh, all right. You’re impossible. It’s over there. The main work table to the left. That’s where he sits and accesses the cloud.” Flynn nervously ran his hand through his hair as he watched her work.

  Deirdre went over to the desk and waved her hand underneath. The holo projection of the login screen and digital keyboard appeared over the desk. She looked back at Flynn and smiled. Victory or death.

  Topside, the Director followed the woman in the tight grey dress down the hall. She silently ushered him into Dylan’s office and then left. The Second was sitting at his desk and didn’t bother to look up. Odran took in the three walls of glass and the ocean beyond them, and sat down opposite Dylan. He began, “Thank you for seeing...”

  Dylan interrupted him, silently raising a finger in the air. Odran sat in silence for the next few minutes, waiting for the Second to make eye contact.

  Finally, Dylan brushed aside the holo screen that had held his attention and said, “Good day, Medical Director. I must admit, I was surprised to get your message. A boy with the worst disease on record for the city, and you are the scientist who discovered it.”

  Odran said, “We must make an example of him. My recommendation, of course. Announce his condition and he’ll be hated all the way to the cylinder by the citizens who are with us. The ruined cannot be allowed to prosper, to drain our resources. And for those against us, this will be a demonstration of the Minister’s power. A reminder of his absolute control.”

  Dylan stared into Odran’s light eyes. “It’s the cylinder or nothing. Well. Let me see the data. Talking points for the Minister, you know.”

  Odran logged into the cloud on Dylan’s desk and began the transfer of Flynn’s records to Dylan’s portal.

  Deirdre said to Flynn, “Watch this!” She pulled the dragonfly egg out of her pocket and held it up to the portal. Following Cashel’s instructions, she leaned down and blew on it gently. The egg began to glow a brighter blue, and the colors reflected on the surface started to shift rapidly. Then it started to expand and unfolded into a shimmering dragonfly with four iridescent wings. The wings started to vibrate and it levitated out of Deirdre’s hand. Its luminescent blue eyes began to burn like two blue stars in the night sky.

  On the Director’s holo screen, the login page disappeared, replaced by the file of Flynn’s records. The dragonfly wings beat even faster and it began to execute its programming. Each of Flynn’s files were deleted and replaced with the ones Cashel had written.

  Soon the dragonfly had done its work, and the login screen returned. For a moment it hovered and Deirdre felt sure that it was looking right at her. Then it started to hum and broke apart in a flash of blue light, disintegrating into metallic dust that drifted to the floor.

  Deirdre and Flynn turned to each other and at the same time whispered, “Wow.” The beautiful, fragile thing was gone, carried away like a secret on the wind.

  Dylan’s screen blinked, but it was so fast that neither man noticed. Odran said, “My report is in the file, defining the character of his genetic defect and his status as one of the ruined.”

  The Second opened the Medical Director’s report and read through the first lines of text. Dylan’s lips grew tight and he looked up from his screen. “I’m looking at it. And I don’t have time for jokes, Odran.”

  “There is no joke. I serve the Ministry in all things. The boy is ruined.”

  Dylan said through clenched teeth, “Your...report...states that his lab work is normal. No aging disorder. The watermark header says, ‘Dylan is a princess.’ But I guess you already knew that, since your signature is on it.”

  The Director sputtered, starting a few sentences but unable to get a thought out.

  “This is not funny, Odran. And I don’t have time for this.”

  Finding his voice, Odran said, “But sir. There has been a mistake.”

  “The only mistake was me taking time out of my day to see you. Now I want you to get back to your lab, let the boy go, and get back to work. The weavers aren’t going to upgrade themselves. Now get out.”

  Odran cupped his hands together and held them out to the Second. His white lab coat pulled tight against his back. “Let me have him a while lo
nger. I can repeat the tests! Prove to you what I found,” said the Director in a high-pitched voice. “He is ruined!”

  Dylan stood up from his desk and composed a ticker to his assistant. “Please have the Drones on guard come to my office.” He leaned toward Odran, placing two knuckles on the desktop. “The work of your Selection is managing the weaver program. Are you stating on record that you refuse the work of your assignment?” The Drones came in and took up stations on either side of the only exit in the office.

  Odran glanced back at the Drones and licked his lips. “No, sir. I will perform my duties as required. The Ministry provides.”

  Dylan sat down and motioned for the Drones to leave. “Very well, Medical Director. I look forward to your progress on the new Dream Protocol interface. I want a project plan with deadlines sent to my desk by morning.”

  The Director stood up and backed out of the room, a beaten man.

  Deirdre made a fist and shouted, “Yes!” She turned to Flynn and said, “I think it worked. The Second should be looking at normal lab data right now.”

  Flynn leaned back against the wall and let out a long exhale. “I can’t believe it. You’re serious stubborn, but you’re amazing.”

  “Thanks. On both accounts.” Deirdre turned back toward the desk to close down the login page. But as she did so, the sleeve of her cloak brushed across the visual keypad.

  Flynn raised his arms and shouted, “Stop!” But the damage had been done. Multiple characters had been entered, and each one was automatically submitted to the cloud. Characters that didn’t match the Director’s password.

  The overhead lights switched from white to a blinking red. Deirdre gasped. Alarms echoed through the small space, each one louder than the last. Deirdre whipped back toward Flynn, her face white with terror. He yelled, “You have to run!”