RIFT (The Rift Saga Book 1)

by Andreas Christensen

Dave didn’t blink.

  Somehow, in the back of his mind, he had realized as soon as he’d seen the poor man.

  “What the hell is this?” he heard Greer scream through the commotion. The camera switched to Greer, who stood up, his night vision goggles pushed up on the top of his helmet. Dave mouthed Greer’s next words silently.

  “What have you done to us? Why…” The drone was filming from behind, and the explosion from Greer’s chest only showed the red haze outside of his silhouette, for which Dave was thankful. Then he saw—all too clearly—Kirilov’s face as he looked around, making sure his rifle quickly pointed away from the dead man.

  Dave realized he was clenching the edge of his desk so hard that his knuckles had turned white. He felt the bile in his throat rising and swallowed hard. What have you done to us? he thought, a single tear running down his cheek. He gritted his teeth and made himself watch as all the Wardens kept firing at those poor people. Had he stopped firing once he heard Greer’s screams? He didn’t remember. He didn’t think so. And what did it matter?

  He began to look away as the slaughter went on, but decided against it. He needed to see this. It was the truth. The raw, unfiltered truth.

  He remembered the words now. From when they got the so-called vaccine. Juri, the medical assistant, who had to be subdued and dragged off by three Wardens.

  Ignorance is Bliss.

  And then, after the carnage, just as he passed out. A soft voice in his ear.

  Ignorance is Bliss.

  It had some truth to it. But it wasn’t the truth. It was all a lie. A big, horrible lie.

  So this was how they “protected” the Covenant. This was how they kept out those from the outside. Why? What was the point of this?

  He watched through it all, forcing himself to see every single piece of footage, even the parts that made him shake and sob. Eyes open, gritting his teeth, breathing slowly to keep the contents of his stomach down, not giving himself a moment’s respite.

  The video ended abruptly, as the airship returned to pick them up.

  Silence. The icon completely still on the monitor.

  As if nothing had happened.

  He had been searching for a murderer, and what he had found was more than he could have imagined.

  Kirilov was Greer’s murderer.

  Then it struck him, like a blow to the head. They were all murderers. All except Greer, who hadn’t fired a single shot. Greer, who had cried out. Who had seen everything for what it was.

  Dave didn’t open the file again, but he began mentally replaying the scenes, and everything that had happened up to that horrible scene.

  After seeing the truth, the pieces began to fall into place.

  Greer had thrown off his night vision goggles. Dave remembered that annoying flicker in his own goggles. A glitch on the edge of the screen. The screen that made humans look like monsters.

  The syringe before leaving camp. A serum to get the mind ready for what was coming, to tear down the defenses of logic. Then the blue pill, another dose of medication, numbing the mind just enough to accept what you saw. Enough to not question it, but not enough to limit combat efficiency. And finally, something he only remembered now that everything began to return to him, the red pill, which blurred the memory, made it difficult to remember the details.

  You have to see for yourself, everyone had said.

  Dave had seen it all. And now he remembered.

  The words of Counselor Novak came back to him. Once you use the key, it might trigger an alert.

  Dave looked around and shook his head. Of course, somewhere an alert would go off, but not anything audible. No sirens or alarms wailing. Just a silent notification of what had happened.

  Someone could be bursting in that door any moment.

  Be prepared to face the consequences.

  Dave quickly copied the file onto a memory card and stuck it inside his boot. Then he locked the computer and got up.

  Time to face the consequences.

  ~

  Dave made sure nobody was following before he stalked out. He didn’t know which building Sue was in, but there was really only one place she could be. He walked quickly around his building and kept walking, passing the shop on his way toward the buildings surrounding the square. There, he had to make a guess. There were three buildings, occupied by younger Wardens, mostly those specializing for security. Then there was one section in the building to his left, in which initiates were staying. That would be where all those who hadn’t made specialization yet would be. He didn’t have anything to go by, so he just guessed she would be among the other initiates. He strode toward the entrance. Except for one guard busily reading a book, there was no form of security in place. There was no need for it inside the fences, since the Warden camp was heavily protected outside the camp proper.

  He entered and quickly scanned the boarding list just inside the door.

  Susan Atlas, init.W, 2nd floor, room 206.

  He took off his boots and climbed the stairs in his socks, taking two steps at a time, moving quietly while keenly aware that anyone meeting him would wonder when they saw him carrying his boots. He didn’t have time to take every precaution, though, and the way he figured, the best he could do to remain unnoticed was to be quick. He half-sprinted through the hallway, finding the door to room 206. He carefully opened it. No squeak. Seems they took better care of this building than the one he’d been assigned to when he was an initiate.

  He stepped inside. It was dark, so he couldn’t see who was in the beds.

  “Sue,” he whispered, too loud. He winced at his own stupidity. There was no answer, though. Someone coughed, and he froze, holding his breath. He could be detected any moment, but he had to take a chance. He tiptoed along the beds, as quietly as he could manage. He almost stumbled on a pair of shoes as he leaned over each bed, one by one, to see in which one she lay.

  He found her on the far side of the room and lightly touched her shoulder. She stirred for half a second before her eyes shot open. A frown displaying her puzzlement made him hold a finger in front of his mouth, quietly urging her not to speak. She nodded once.

  “Come with me,” he whispered in her ear. No need to add quickly or quietly. She would understand something was up.

  Sue got out of bed and grabbed her pants and a T-shirt before they quietly made their way out. Sue closed the door carefully and put on her clothes. Then they moved back through the hallway and down the stairs, past the guard. Dave led the way, and soon, they were outside, sneaking through shadows toward the southern part of camp, where there was a small grove where they might finally be able to talk.

  “All right,” Sue whispered once they were far enough away from anyone who could overhear.

  “What’s going on? Why did you drag me out of bed like this?”

  Dave bit his lip, wondering where to start. He’d only had a vague notion of how to go about this, and now he felt stuck. He looked at her, wondering what she had done to make Legacy want her dead.

  “Why did they send you here?” he asked instead. She squinted and smiled, a mirthless smile.

  “Of course. I should have guessed you wouldn’t buy into it all.” Then she sat down, motioning for him to sit beside her.

  “Can I trust you, Dave?” she asked. He nodded. Of course she could trust him. She seemed to know it, too, even though she’d asked. Sue took a deep breath.

  “I discovered it’s all a lie,” she said. He remained quiet to let her speak, and she continued.

  “The Covenant. All of it. The Moon people. They enslaved us, and we think they saved us.” She shook her head.

  “Yeah, that’s one way of putting it…” Dave said. He didn’t know how to tell her all the horrible details about his own experience, so he asked more about hers instead.

  “So, any idea when the rangers will come pick you up?” he asked. Sue cocked her head.

  “In fact, I do. One of them, Harald something, told me to get a good night’s
sleep, because we’re moving out tomorrow morning.” She yawned. “Which is just… in a couple hours. Dave, I really need to get going. We can’t change the Covenant, you know. We just have to come to terms with how it is. But I really need some sleep before I go.”

  Dave cut her off.

  “If you go with them, you won’t be coming back,” he said. She hesitated for a moment.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “I think you discovered something, and someone up in Legacy thinks you might be dangerous to the Covenant or something.” He paused for a moment. “They want you dead, Sue. They just brought you here because they need to make it look like you die in combat. They want to make a martyr out of you.” She cocked her head, and Dave couldn’t tell whether she believed him or not. He pressed on.

  “But it’s not combat,” he said. He swallowed, trying to hold back the flood.

  “It’s a slaughter. Innocent people…” he said, voice quivering.

  “They made us shoot… made us believe that they were…” He couldn’t find the words and felt the memories jumble about, making him unsure of what was what.

  “They drug us, make us believe we are fighting monsters. But there are no monsters, just innocent people. People from the West, from beyond the Rift. And afterward, they gave us some kind of pill that made us forget.”

  “Ignorance is bliss,” Sue whispered, watching him as if she seemed to remember something herself. Dave nodded.

  “Yeah, that’s what they say. But it’s the other way around,” he whispered back.

  “Bliss must be the drug, the one that changes our memories and our perception, making us their tools.”

  They sat quietly for a moment before Sue spoke.

  “But what can we do? I mean, it’s been like this for decades, centuries probably. In a few hours, it’s my turn. I may be killed or I may not, and there’s not a thing we can do about it.”

  “We could run away,” he said. Sue just smiled, a sad smile.

  “And go where?”

  Dave shook his head.

  “I don’t know. Anywhere but here.” He hesitated. He had told her so much already, but she didn’t seem ready to do anything about it. Then again, she hadn’t seen the video.

  “I have spoken to someone who’s trying to save you,” he said, waiting for her reaction. There was none.

  “You will die tomorrow, Sue. I’ve seen it happen. I know how they do it, and if you go back, you will not live to see the end of tomorrow.” Sue exhaled deeply.

  “This is just… How do you know?” she asked.

  “A man from Legacy told me. A very old man,” he answered. They looked at each other in silence for a moment. She knew who he was talking about, Dave realized.

  “So I have to run then,” she said slowly, as if trying out the idea in her mind. “But you should stay, Dave. You shouldn’t risk your life for me.”

  He shook his head.

  “Too late,” he said.

  “I’ve seen the truth. So I have to die, as well.”

  Chapter 18

  SUE

  They lay covered in shadows, hidden from moonlight and floodlights, watching how the guards moved. Time was running out. If they didn’t get out of camp soon, daylight would ruin whatever slight chance they had. And once someone discovered they were missing, alarms would go off everywhere.

  Sue knew their chances were slim. They were deep inside Warden territory, and running on foot would be all but impossible. With sensors and trackers everywhere, airships, rangers, Bliss, tampered goggles that would make anyone a stone-cold killer, they would have no chance. They had to not only get out of camp, but as far away from the Warden camp as possible.

  They only had one chance, and a slim one at that.

  That was the reason they were watching the guards assigned to airpad security.

  In a few minutes, the airship would arrive. And if Dave’s assessments were correct, the rangers would set off an alarm, like they did when Dave went through his field experience. They would have a small window of opportunity, while the alarm wailed and the initiates were gathered. Once the rangers didn’t find her, they would know something was up, and all hell would break loose. She figured they would have a couple of minutes to do it, at best.

  “The rangers will come looking,” Dave said. She kept counting the steps the guards used between the fixed points on their rounds and wasn’t paying attention to his words. Although the Wardens didn’t seem as keen on routines as the Janissaries, all guards tended to have routines to some extent. Sue thought she might have figured these out, but it was just a hunch. Once it happened, they would have to go through with it, no matter how the guards acted.

  She heard a deep buzzing, like a high-voltage current, and then the airship appeared.

  “Get ready,” she said. She wished they had a weapon, any weapon.

  The airship slowed until it hovered just above the airpad. A serviceman tethered the anchor, and the cage lowered. Three Wardens, rangers, heavily armed and wearing combat gear and helmets, stepped out and walked toward the square. As soon as they rounded the corner, Sue tensed.

  “Okay, Dave. Remember, run like hell and don’t let anything stop you. Count your steps. Once you reach twenty, dive and stay down, like we agreed. The crates will cover us. Keep counting. Once you reach twenty again, you get up and run until you reach the cage. Press the UP button. If one of us doesn’t make it, the other must keep going. We only have one chance. Those topside won’t know we’re coming; they’ll expect it to be one of the rangers or something.” Dave nodded intently, and she realized she had never seen him looking so… competent. He’d always been smart, but right now, he looked like he knew his stuff, even with this wild plan of theirs.

  It was a long shot, and they both knew it. But if they were to have any chance whatsoever, this plan had so succeed. They knew the alternative was worse, and this way, at least they would be doing something.

  She gritted her teeth and flexed her muscles. Now or never, do or die.

  They leapt simultaneously, just as the last guard rounded a corner, moving out of sight.

  She ran as quickly as her legs could carry her, counting silently, not even looking over to see if Dave was holding up. Her eyes were fixed on the crates, stacked high just on the edge of the airpad. Halfway there already. She chanced a glance to her right and noticed Dave was right next to her. She hadn’t expected him to be so physically fit, but then again, he’d been through basic training, as well. And he’d made full Warden, and not just because he was clever.

  Twenty.

  She threw herself against the crates and immediately began to try controlling her breath, slowing it while taking deep lungfuls. Dave bumped into her as he landed, but neither of them spoke a single word. Sue didn’t even dare take a peek to see if the guards had moved as anticipated. She kept counting. Ten, eleven, twelve…

  Dave got something that looked like a knife from his pocket and gripped it hard. A thin screwdriver. Not much of a weapon, but better than nothing. Their eyes met, and she nodded. It seemed Dave was as determined as she. Considering what he had told her, she wasn’t surprised.

  Eighteen. She took a deep breath. Nineteen. She flexed again, ready for the final sprint. Their final desperate move, she thought.

  Twenty.

  They both got up. Dave was a half second quicker, and pushed her down again, hard.

  One of the guards was still there.

  Dave held up five fingers in front of her face. Four. Three. Two.

  “Now,” he mouthed silently.

  One.

  They got up again.

  The coast was clear.

  And then they ran, sprinting even harder than before. Sue wondered if they would have anything left once they reached the cage. It didn’t matter. Unless they reached it undetected, they didn’t stand a chance.

  Dave stumbled and fell.

  Oh no, she thought, hesitating.

  They had agr
eed that if one of them didn’t make it, the other would keep going.

  She realized she couldn’t do it.

  Sue grabbed his arm and pulled him up on his feet. He took a step and winced.

  The guards would be back any second.

  She took his screwdriver in one hand and held him across the waist with the other. She dragged him along as quickly as she could. His face contorted in pain, but he managed to keep quiet.

  Just a few more steps to go.

  They reached the cage.

  Sue grabbed the handle and opened the hatch.

  The guard standing just inside the door looked at them, surprise apparent and confusion slowing him down.

  His rifle moved, slightly.

  Sue stabbed him in the throat, while knocking his hand away.

  He lost his grip on the weapon, and Dave grabbed it before it could fall.

  Sue held a hand over the guard’s mouth as he slid down to the floor, then she pulled the screwdriver out, letting the blood run freely.

  The guard went silent, and Sue pushed the UP button. The cage rocked slightly as it ascended, and Sue looked at Dave. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, but he checked the gun and got a better hold on it, while supporting his weight against the side of the cage. She was probably a better shot, but he looked like he knew what he was doing.

  The cage shook again as the ascent ended. The hatch opened, and they both got out as quickly as they could. There was no one there.

  “The pilot,” Dave whispered. He winced again as he tried to move away from the cage. He shook his head and handed her the gun.

  Sue grabbed the gun, recognizing it as one of the weapons the QRF at Camp Gustavson had used. She knew it well enough. She walked as silently as she could toward the front, where the pilot would be.

  The pilot compartment’s hatch crashed open as a short man, about thirty, red headed and puffy faced, leapt out, holding a small sidearm.

  “Hold it right there,” he shouted. Sue kept her own gun aimed at him.

  “Take it easy,” she said, a sinister grin creeping forth, “and consider this. If we surrender, we’re dead. If you put your gun down, you might live. So who do you think is more desperate?” Her words came out calmer, colder than she felt.