The Yellow Pill

by Chaves, Michelle

  “We bloody cracked it,” Lallie said, as if to herself. She finally looked up at the rest of them. “We know what the hell’s going on… and it’s not good…”

  When the two of them had finally calmed down enough to sit, they put the glass screen in the middle of the table, moving the projection of Dome to the side.

  Harry placed it like it was leaf thin, and then pulled his hand upwards to reveal a holographic image of a human, a small animation playing before them. “We all know our pills are cell generating. They repair matter with new and fresh cell’s, right?” He didn’t wait for a response. “The cell’s come from a cell bank that are grown right there in the cell bank… or that’s what we’ve been told anyway…”

  “There is no cell bank. There is no generator that creates and stores them in Base,” Lallie said, her voice silent and her eyes distant. “There never was.” She looked at them all in turn, stopping at Frey.

  Frey felt herself go cold. She knew what Lallie was going to say. She realized in that moment that, in a way she had always known… All those questions. All those times she’d shaken her head and asked “why”. She felt frozen inside, her very blood going cold. “There’s no cell bank, since they don’t need it… the cell matter is taken from the humans in Hole…” She looked up. “The Yellow Pill is eating the cell structure right out of the person taking it.”

  Frey saw the bodies in front of her again. Saw their dry skin and hollow faces, as if the very flesh and fluid had been drained away. Which is exactly what happened…

  “B-but… but how is that possible?!” Tina stuttered. “How would they transfer the cell structure to Base?!”

  Harry spoke up. “They translate the cell information to a digital signal.” He looked at Frey. “But to do that the micro organisms in the Yellow Pill needs to consume the cell to gather the information.”

  Everyone was very silent.

  Frey could feel her stomach clench as if she was going to be sick, a cold sweat breaking out and making her insides shudder. But she firmly pushed the feeling aside. She needed to know these things, needed to know the truth of it!

  “The information is translated into a perfect copy of that cell in Base.” Lallie flicked at the screen to show animations that reinforced her meaning.

  “That’s why the production of our pills stopped when Hole went berserk. As soon as the people of Hole stopped taking the pill, the cell information stopped coming in, making the creation of our pills impossible…” Li concluded, looking off at nothing.

  Frey looked at Jon. She saw it all to clear now… she just prayed that the others wouldn’t notice, because if they did, Frey had no idea what the consequences would be.

  “You are needed by the main entrance,” Luke reminded Jon. “We need to get the gates open for the desert dwellers, or it won’t matter that attention is turned away from Dome.”

  Jon had his hands on the table, staring Luke down. The giant didn’t look away.

  “I know you can handle things without me just fine-“

  “And Frey and I can handle Dome fine! The fewer we are, the better. You know that,” Tina said, her arms crossed.

  “I can-“ Jon started.

  “Don’t.” She knew her voice was cold, but she really didn’t care. He had no right to treat her like a child. She had lived in a place like Slum City her whole life. He hadn’t. She and Jin had been through hell and worse together, and survived it. Whatever Jon thought he knew about her wasn’t so. He had no right talking to her like he knew her…

  Jon was staring at her, and she felt the anger and sadness well up until she wondered where it would all go. She bit down hard on her emotions and cursed the government for playing with human lives. They’ll pay.

  Jon looked away from her. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  The room quickly filled with people as more from the resistance started filing in. Everyone didn’t have room to sit, many standing or leaning against the walls to the sides.

  Li let the silence hang for some time before he pushed the screen, presenting the secrets of the pill, to the side to give room for the Dome map again. “If we wait another twenty-four hours, it will be too late. I just got hold of our Intel at the border, and they have already sent out spies to sweep the desert. Very soon they will have found the desert dwellers. We have to act now!” They all shifted, like one great mass of movement. You could almost feel the tension.

  “This is it…” Lallie whispered, and her brother grabbed her hand in his.

  “Tina, Frey. You will have team two at your disposal. Luke has briefed them. Your team will be small, but we all know that’s how it have to be,” Li said, letting his eyes rest on Jon. “Luke, Jon and Lallie will be going to the border. You know what to do.” They nodded. “Harry. When you reach the power circuit, make sure you time the power cut. When you’re done, get out of there. They will know were you are. Let’s hope the code proves to be the same to access their network as well.” Harry nodded and this time Lallie reached out to reassure her brother. Harry was the only one who was going to be alone.

  Li turned to each and every one of them, giving them orders, assigning their tasks and teams. No one interrupted.

  “There will be twenty-four more groups spread out around Alya to cause disturbances,” Li continued. He took a short breath before continuing. “Me and Joy are moving into Base with Stanly. He can get us in, and we are going to shut down Base.”

  There was a heavy silence after that. This wasn’t news. They had gone through it all before. Getting into Base would be the easy part. Getting in anywhere tonight would be the easy part, and they were all aware that they might not make it out again.

  Now, it was really happening. This was their chance, and they only got one try. Li didn’t have to tell them that. He stood up straight, looking at them in turn. “I’m so proud of all of you.”

  “Frey!” Jon called after her. He grabbed her arm, hindering her from moving away. “Frey, I just have to let you know… If something was to happen to me… I haven’t felt like this about anyone before…”

  No, please don’t. It’s not you talking. These aren’t your feelings! She wanted to yell the words in his face. You’re not Jin!

  “They’ve found the desert dwellers! They’re attacking as we speak!” Someone yelled. The chaos that followed ripped Frey free from Jon. Tina pulled her towards the surface, while Luke pushed Jon towards the underground garage. Frey couldn’t see Li or the others, and instead focused on not loosing her bag as she bolted after Tina.

  She hadn’t been outside the building since the day she was shot. Frey felt her hands shake, the adrenaline not having anywhere to go. She shuddered with the stain to hold it all back. When she had escaped Dome, there had been little time to pay attention to the monuments around her. Now she saw them. Really saw them.

  Tina didn’t give her any time to fall behind, but dragged her along the streets, keeping to the side of the buildings. She let her thumb hover above a glowing blue square and the glass slid upwards to admit a slick black beast of a motorbike.

  Tina grabbed a helmet and tossed it to Frey then, swinging her long leg over the motorbike and starting it with an ear splitting roar. Frey jumped up behind her, and just had the time to twist her arms around the Tina’s middle as it lunged forward into the night.

  Frey decided that riding a bike was something else she might never get used to.

  The city flew past at blinding speed, the stationed advertising becoming lines of light, while the projections on both sides of the rode match their speed. Frey looked above the smiling woman displaying her jewelry, to the immense skyscrapers. They towered above them easily three times higher than any of the skyscrapers in Hole.

  Tina followed the wide road to the right, and the buildings disappeared as they entered a tunnel.

  “Group two are positioned and waiting for us already,” Tina’s voice said into Frey’s helmet. She sounded calm and Frey wished she could sound the same, sure her he
art was drumming in the speakers.

  “Will anyone know I’m out in the city?”

  Tina knocked at her helmet with a finger, not turning her eyes away from the road. “Lallie made sure the line was secure, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get hack into it. That’s also why we need to find the main server as we get to our location. Hacking it would mean they would know what we were up to.”

  Frey glanced up again as they exited the tunnel. No stars could be seen past the city glare blended them out.

  No stars. This time on the outside…

  Tina had parked the black monster at the edge of the great park, and they walked the rest of the way on foot. She led Frey back almost the exact way she had escaped. By now all the government soldiers would be backing up the main entrances to Alya.

  Frey kept close to Tina, keeping the hood of her jacket pulled up. They moved off to the left, onto a smaller road with less people. As soon as there was no one close by, Tina veered off towards the Dome.

  She made a tiny notion with her head as they walked past another bench. Frey looked over, but could see nothing out of the ordinary.

  “There is a camera there…” She reached into her front pocket and Frey could hear a small click. Two seconds later there was a loud buzz as the lights went out behind them. Lamps flickered out and the advertisement projections along the road disappearing with them. The same went for the glass screens the people were carrying.

  Loud complaining could be heard all around as the sudden darkness pressed in. The sound of cursing, surprise and fear grew fainter as Tina and Frey moved away from the park and into Dome territory.

  “Nice,” Tina said. “He’s inside the network.” She laughed, but kept her voice down.

  Frey had no trouble seeing the contours of the park around them. She turned around and was amazed the electricity had been cut off as far as the eye could see. Whatever was charging the city, it obviously powered everything from the great billboard projections to the individual glass screens that people were carrying.

  Calls of distress and worry floated towards them in the shady darkness as the people were at the verge of panic. Again, Frey could hear that the sound spoke of humans not used to dramatic situations.

  Well…. Things are goanna be much worse, very soon.

  Chapter 20

  She dug her fingers into the opening with both hands, locking the wrist and fingers like iron as they supported all her weight, her feet slipping on the glass. Gritting her teeth with strain, she carefully replaced her foot to the side, knowing that if she misstep a second time, her arms wouldn’t have the power to hold on.

  Falling from here would be a one-way ticket to the gates of hell.

  It was harder than she had thought… a lot harder. Sweat trickled down her brow and she thanked the stars for the climbing shoes. Even barefoot, she wouldn’t have been able to grip the surface as she could now.

  She couldn’t see or hear Tina and the others anymore. She knew they would handle things down there. Her job was to get up to the fifth floor… preferably alive.

  Frey flexed her arms as she reached for the next horizontal edge. Just a little more. She avoiding looking down to be reminded of how much of a lie that was.

  As her hand closed around the balcony edge she could feel her whole body shake from fatigue. She gulped air and wondered what the hell they would have done if she hadn’t been able to climb the bloody building. Stormed it, since the guards are all elsewhere… It wasn’t as good a plan as sneaking in, but there weren't too many choices. Lucky I didn’t fall down and break my neck, then.

  Frey took one last swallow of air before she heaved herself up, waiting to listen if she could pick out any noise. Her arms and legs were shaking so bad that she doubted she would bee able to have done much if there had been. She pulled off her chalk bag and dropped it to the ground.

  Her group had left all electrical devices well away from Dome since it could be hacked, and that included any ways of digital communication. Her gear coming down meant she was up.

  Me failing would’ve meant I didn’t make it… Frey actually chuckled and had to remind herself to focus, practically hearing Jin sigh, telling her it wasn’t funny. Frey pulled her bandana up to cover her mouth and nose instinctively. She and Jin always covered their faces when hanging around a bad neighborhood.

  The glass door was open. The electricity might have been cut off, but Tina had warned her that the lower some ran on emergency power.

  Frey got her fingers between the thin glass, prying it open just enough to slip through. The corridor was dark.

  Frey moved down the corridor, then turned towards the stairs. She stepped light-footed down the stairs. Her hand was on the wall the whole time while she listened for any sound of movement.

  At level two, she stopped by an open door. The second floor was lit with a green emergency light, making everything look sick and hazy. She looked left and right and snuck out, making her way towards the balcony.

  Frey found the door easy enough, but had to push her back against the wall as two people came running down the hallway. Her blood pumped into her arms as she felt her fists clench.

  If they hadn’t they been paying so much attention their own discussion, she would have been seen. She reached out to her left, sliding open the door to a bathroom.

  Time to stop pushing my luck and change…

  The lobby was almost empty, and the green light was all that lightened the massive space, making peoples features shadowy and dark.

  Good news for me.

  The outside was pitch black, and Frey knew Tina and the others were waiting out there.

  She pushed the coffee cup towards the man at the counter, again thanking the stars it was a man standing there. Frey put on a big smile as she cocked her head to the side. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she said in a low voice.

  She didn’t let leave time for questions as she touched him the way Joy had touched Jon. She laughed and talked silly, doing her best to imitate her, and almost lost her smile when he responded with eagerness.

  She moved closer to the wall. Between words, she slid her eyes invitingly towards the back door and smiled a crooked grin. His face lit up.

  Not one word had passed the man’s lips as she led him behind the frosted glass.

  They made their way up towards level fifth again. Tina led, having memorized the map and knew where the control room aught to be. The six others walked behind them, the guns tucked away inside the big robes, smaller knifes within easy reach at their wrists.

  They walked through the corridors, meting only a few who hurried their own way, not doing more than give the group a glance. Although, Frey knew that sooner or later someone would really look at them and see they weren’t from Dome at all. Already, someone must’ve found the unconscious man Frey had left in the storage room, but because the power was out, no alarm could be rung.

  Tina led them with such confidence that you could have thought she had been here before. They had to stop as they reached the desired level, a black colored door closed before them. It didn’t budge as Tina tried to push it to the side.

  “Power’s still on from this floor and up, so the doors require fingerprint key cards again…” Tina muttered as she looked around.

  Frey pulled her robe off and tossed it into a corner. “I’ll go back down a level. There must be another balcony somewhere. At this height, I don’t think they would bother to have a locked door on the balcony.”

  Tina nodded at the door in front of them. “I’m convinced there’s a alarm connected to this one,” she said. “So be ready.”

  Frey stepped a little closer. “If I’m not on the other side within-“

  “You just make sure to be there,” Tina said, gripping Frey’s shoulder, hard. “I’m counting on you.”

  Frey nodded. She raced down the stairs again, pulling her bandana up.

  There was indeed a balcony, and she could even see the doors. Problem was, from where she was
standing, it was a big gap between that balcony and hers. The glass was smooth with no handholds at all, probably a piece of some giant artful decoration that just had to be positioned where she needed edges…

  She held her breath as she tried to think. The jump wouldn’t have been as hard if what she was aiming for wasn’t so far above her. Gravity was goanna make this tricky.

  She knew she could go back… this was a big jump, and from were she was balancing on the edge of the railing, there would only be pouncing power to rely on.

  She flexed her legs, knowing her mind had already decided to jump. She could hear and see the city in panic. There were gunfire and screaming, distant and echoing alarms and smoke billowing up in great black clouds. Not often Alya reminds me of home…

  Jon and the others needed backup and counted on her and Tina to deliver it to them… Frey reminded herself of what she used to say before a jump… “Don’t think so much, just bloody jump,” she hissed as she let her legs uncoil. She thrust her right arm up, shoving her shoulder forward and spreading her fingers wide as she gritted her teeth.

  If she had slipped the least on the rail, she wouldn’t have made it…

  Her fingers just managed to reached the edge, her thumb and index finger clenching together automatically in the blink of an eye. She pressed her feet against the balcony wall and heaved herself up.

  When she was over, she moved to the door on slightly wobbly legs. She reached out and pushed at the glass door. It gave way silently under her touch and she grinned to herself. Frey still didn’t see anyone, but knew it was just a matter of time, since the cameras were functional up here.

  The sound wasn’t loud. She had been expecting an earsplitting noise which made you clutch your head in pain, but it was faint and distant, starting a soon as the black door opened.