by Chele Cooke
To stop her thoughts, Georgianna recited the directions to the quarantine under her breath, over and over. Off the main staircase at the spiky circle symbol with a square in the middle, turn right. Along the corridor to the far end and up two more flights. Turn right. Down the corridor until the third left. Use the pass to get through the door. Into the main corridor.
She found the spiky circle with no trouble, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Keiran’s rendering of it was near perfect. The spikes even pointed in the right directions, with the right intervals. When he’d first drawn the symbols designating the floor numbers within the ship, she’d thought they were hasty and crude, but she realised now it was just his handwriting. Like the symbols on Olless’ device, these were words and letters, and he was learning to speak the language.
Georgianna slipped out into the staircase, and had to drag her feet up each step, hanging onto the bannister to haul herself up. Maybe it was her imagination, but the pull felt stronger away from the centre of the ship. Her coat felt too hot, too constricting, despite the flimsy material. She paused at the top of the first flight, undoing the buttons and letting the coat hang open for the second. She wondered whether the others were having the same problem.
As she came to the top of the second flight and took the right turn, peering around the corner to check for soldiers on watch, she had to remind herself that there would be hundreds of people flooding out. Even if the Cahlven wanted to stop them, they would have a difficult time of it. The group only had to ensure that they didn’t shut down the main exit from the central column.
When Georgianna had been here last, she’d needed to take a smaller transport craft from the ground up to the main ship. Now, a spiralling column came down from the belly of the ship to the ground. The column had dark-blue tinted windows which made everyone inside look like disembodied shadows. Georgianna joined a group heading up a zig-zagging staircase which had another going in the opposite direction, ducking and diving through it. She was glad she had people to follow, because she would have surely turned around at one of the intersections. Those living under the shield seemed to know automatically which way they were going.
She envied them, until she remembered the cost of that certainty.
The corridor ahead curved around the edge of the ship, but it was clear. Georgianna slipped along until she reached each intersection, where another corridor peeled off to spike in towards the centre of the ship like the spokes on a wheel. She checked for people, and ran past. Apparently, the paths around the outside of the ships weren’t used as often, because they were longer, and when she did see a soldier in one of the spoke corridors, he was heading in towards the centre and wouldn’t have seen her darting between the walls.
On the third intersection, Georgianna froze and pressed her back to the wall, her breath coming heavier than she would have liked. There was a high chance the doors were guarded, and she knew what she had to do, even if she didn’t like it.
She drew the copaq from inside her pocket and closed her eyes. She steadied her breathing, and turned.
Two guards stood on her side of the door: one tapping something into a device, the other peering through the window into the corridor beyond. Georgianna shot. Gel splattered across the back of the soldier’s head, and he headbutted the door as he went down, shaking so hard she heard the snap of bones over his howling. The second looked up, his gaze darting from Georgianna to his partner on the floor. He had nowhere to run without opening the door.
Georgianna aimed again.
The soldier smacked a hand against what had, until that point, looked like any other section of wall.
She fired. The gel hit him in the neck, and he went down, just like his partner.
All around the wall panel, tiny white lights pulsed, getting brighter with every flicker. The combined light rose to an intensity that burned Georgianna’s eyes.
The sirens wailed.
The wailing went on and on, the lights on the wall panel shining so bright that spots appeared in front of Georgianna’s eyes. She crouched between the two guards, their bodies unnaturally dark as she looked away from the lights. She pulled her sleeves down over her hands and searched them both, tugging free their weapons and a card, much like the one Keiran had given her. The markings were different, but it was the one she wanted. She tucked the weapons inside her coat and pressed the card against the door.
Nothing.
Her gaze darted over the door, the walls, the ceiling and floor. There was nothing that stood out as a lock to be opened. This wasn’t like the Adveni devices, with the fittings obvious to anyone who had the right credentials. There was nothing.
Georgianna pressed the card flat against the door, sweeping it from side to side as she moved down, covering as much of the surface as possible. She glanced at the glowing panel: the source of the wailing that would draw attention to her location. Maybe there was surveillance, and the Cahlven were already watching her. Perhaps Olless was watching her, smirking at the prospect of a quick revenge.
She slapped the card against the glowing panel. The panel vibrated and the white lights sparked momentarily red before turning back to their shrieking white.
Shit!
She tried again, and again, with the same result each time. She dropped the card a couple of times and had to collect it from the floor. She slapped it against every panel in the wall.
Shit, shit, shit!
It was useless, but she continued pressing the card against the panel, turning it in every direction. The lights flashed red and white continuously until Georgianna could see the colour in afterimage when she looked away. Even as she fumbled in her pocket for the tsentyl cube, she held the card on the reader.
She knew she should send the alarm. They’d agreed they would send it if one of them got caught, giving the others the chance to run. But she wasn’t caught; not really. The cage door was still open. It was just… noisy. Maybe the others could succeed where she’d failed, if only she gave them more time.
Georgianna sprinted to the next spoke corridor. Another door barred the passage, a few feet from the turning. She measured the distance from the door, and the rough height, and pressed the card against it the wall.
The panel flashed green before going dark, and within the door, a lock clicked.
Georgianna shoved her way through, her chest heaving as the door slammed behind her.
She had two options: she could leave the door the way it was, giving her a known escape route, or she could hit the panel on the other side until it wouldn’t open for anyone. It would block off her escape, but at least it would stop Cahlven soldiers from following her.
Georgianna slid the card along the wall on the far side of the door, searching for the panel. When a small segment flashed, almost indistinguishable from the rest of the wall, Georgianna took out the copaq and smashed the handle into the segment over and over. One crack was not enough; she didn’t stop until chunks of the shattered panel littered the floor.
She pushed against the door; it wouldn’t budge.
She took the tsentyl cube from her pocket, keeping her back flat against the wall, copaq in one hand as she furiously tapped in the message in with the other.
Smash the door panels. Only one escape.
She slid the tsentyl back into a cube and tucked it back into her pocket. She gripped the copaq with both hands as she made her way along the corridor.
It was filled with white metal doors. Each had a small window and an opening at waist height that could be covered over when it wasn’t in use. Georgianna peered into the first window. A man inside was curled on his bed, and even from a distance, she could see he was sick. His skin was the grey of evening clouds, with a thick sheen of sweat. His eyes were closed, and he rocked on his side, back and forth. She shouted, but he didn’t look up.
She placed her card on the lock of his door, but nothing happened.
She tried the next door, and the next, but her card did nothing. The wi
ndows revealed different scenes: some of the inhabitants lay sick in their beds, others covered their ears against the noise. A few came to the window and peered out at her, shouting, desperate to find out what was going on.
Georgianna looked up as she heard a nearby shout among the wailing. She drew the copaq and gripped tight, placing her card between her teeth as she crept to the corner.
She peered around into the next corridor. Halfway down, Alec tugged fruitlessly on a door handle, swearing at it before kicking the frame. He threw his card at the lock, but it did no good.
She relaxed her grip on the copaq and ran to meet him.
Alec whirled towards her, his own copaq raised. He recognised her and his aim fell. Again, he kicked in the direction of the door. “It’s no good. These doors all have different locks. I can’t get them open.”
Georgianna came to his side and peered through the small window into the quarantine room. She didn’t recognise anyone inside, but if he couldn’t open that door, then he wouldn’t be able to open the others.
“Let me try.”
Georgianna slapped her own card against the lock of the metal door, then slid it across the frame, off to the side where panels could be hidden. There was no reaction.
Alec pulled at the handle again.
Georgianna drew her knife from her belt and crouched beside Alec, lining up the blade with the door handle. She shoved the heel of her hand against the knife handle, trying to squeeze the knife between door and frame. The space was too tight, and the metal door too well fitted to the frame. The tip of the blade slid half an inch into the gap, but no further. She tried again—higher and then lower—but it made no difference.
“George, this isn’t working. We don’t have time.” Alec shoved her away. “Give up. Find your family.”
Georgianna trembled, shaking her head. The sirens drilled into her, making it hard to think. She covered her ears, but it made no difference. She pressed the heels of her hands hard into her temples, but it only hurt more.
“Go! George! Now!”
She turned away from him, sprinting down the corridor, checking in through every window, meeting every curious gaze. Some of the inhabitants backed away as soon as they saw her, recognised her. She had caused this. She had abandoned them. She had brought this plague down upon them. Georgianna choked back tears, wiping them away when they spilled over.
The cacophony of noise was overwhelming. Sirens and screaming, perhaps even her own screaming inside her head. But then, in the middle of it all, breaking through like a tiny white light piercing the darkness, there was a cry Georgianna had never been able to bear.
“Da’! Turn it off!”
Georgianna turned. She didn’t care that it didn’t make sense, that there was half a corridor left to check. She took the turning and ran, following the quiet cry in among the wailing.
She crashed into Dhiren as he rounded the corner. He stumbled a few steps back and landed on his ass. Georgianna hit the wall and slumped down against it.
He looked up at her. “Where are you going?”
Georgianna jumped back to her feet and spun around, trying to get her bearings. It all felt so wrong.
She sucked in a deep breath. “HALDEN? HALDEN?”
Dhiren’s eyes widened. He jumped back up onto his feet, peering around as if she might have gone mad. He grabbed her arm. “George.”
“Check the windows. He’s here. I know they’re here. HALDEN?”
Dhiren ran down the corridor, checking the windows. “Here! George!”
She sprinted to join him, and her heart shattered at the sight through the window. Halden stood in the centre of the room with Braedon propped on his hip, pressing his ear as hard as he could to his father’s collarbone, his small hand clamped over his other ear. Her own father was staring right at her, and there was a smile she’d seen before, so long ago.
“We need to get the door open.”
“Any ideas?” Dhiren said.
“I dunno. Break it down. I’m not leaving them here.”
They threw themselves at the door with all their strength. They kicked at the hinges and smacked the handles of their copaqs into the glass.
They barely made a dent.
“No!” Georgianna slumped against the door. “ No, no, no!”
Dhiren fiddled with something, turning away from her. “George, get away from the door.”
“What?”
He moved in, and waved her family further against the back wall. They looked confused, but stepped back. Dhiren waved his finger in a spiral. Halden grabbed his father’s shoulder and they turned and crouched, heads hunched, Braedon shielded.
Dhiren grabbed Georgianna around her middle and hauled her halfway down the corridor, even while she struggled against him.
“Dhiren, what are you—”
An explosion threw debris all over the corridor.
Halden, Braedon, and Lyle Lennox walked out of the smoke.
Georgianna prodded a finger at Dhiren. “You and I need a talk!”
“Family reunion later.” Dhiren grabbed her and held her back. “Escape now!”
“Da’?” Georgianna shouted over the sirens, ignoring Dhiren as she held out her arms to her father. “Da’, I can’t—”
Dhiren stepped in front of her. “She can’t talk right now, because she has to run, like we do.”
“Braedon can’t run,” Halden said. “And carrying him…”
Dhiren stepped up to Georgianna’s brother like he’d known him all his life. After the briefest of glances, he turned his attention onto Braedon. “Kid, you like rides?”
“Rides?” Braedon lifted his head ever so slightly. He looked up at his father.
Dhiren nodded. “See, I’m a bit of a legend at giving great rides, and I was told you like them. You want a go?”
Braedon nodded and twisted in Halden’s grip. Dhiren crouched, turning his back to them, letting Braedon climb onto him. He adjusted the boy so his legs wound tight around his waist, arms locked around his neck.
Dhiren glanced back at Braedon. “Whatever happens, kid, keep your head down and don’t let go, okay?”
“Okay.” Braedon’s voice was muffled into Dhiren’s back.
Georgianna grabbed her father’s hand.
“Alright,” Dhiren said, turning to Halden and urging him ahead. “Follow my directions. We’re getting out of here.”
They were so paranoid they’d been followed that they were almost at the outskirts of the Adveni dwelling quarter before they turned to head into the city. There were so many things that Georgianna wanted to say to her father, to her brother, and yet she walked silently, listening as Alec and Halden discussed anything and everything just to keep the conversation going. Jacob jumped in from time to time, and even her father shared a few words. Only Georgianna remained silent.
They paused outside the city. Alec grimaced as he pulled out a knife.
Halden jumped away from him. “What’s that for?”
The others fell silent and stared.
Alec’s gaze darted down to Halden’s side. “The Cahlven implanted trackers. We need to remove it from you.” He glanced at Braedon before meeting Halden’s glare again. “From all of you.”
Halden leapt in front of Dhiren, with Braedon on his back. He stretched his arms back, but unable to reach Braedon, he gripped Dhiren’s waist instead. “They never touched my son.”
Georgianna felt sick. The sweet relief that the Cahlven had not implanted a tracker in Braedon was soured by the tang of bile in her throat. She was the medic. She had the training. She would have to cut into her family’s flesh.
“Here, do mine first.” Her father was already untucking his shirt.
She gulped back the bile and took a deep breath. She reached out for the knife.
Alec shook his head. His smile was pity and reassurance. He shrugged off his backpack and handed it to her. “There are dressings in there. I cut. You fix.”
She nodded, but was quick
ly brushed aside as Jacob took the bag and began searching through it. Instead, Georgianna clutched her father’s hand as Alec went to work.
They left two small pools of blood and two metal trackers behind them in the snow.
Dhiren carried Braedon the whole way, despite frequent offers from Halden that he take over. At one particularly insistent offer, Dhiren jumped out of Halden’s path and ran ahead, Braedon giggling against his back. They all watched in amusement as Dhiren chatted quietly and happily to Braedon, keeping him entertained for the entire journey.
Back in the tunnels, Alec wondered aloud where they would house everyone. They would need to find something more suitable for the long term. Georgianna didn’t even want to think about how they would find food for three extra mouths in the middle of the freeze. She felt stupid for thinking they’d be able to help the rest of the Veniche. What exactly would they have done, had they gotten them out? Have their entire race live in the tunnels like the rats the Adveni thought they were?
Dhiren crouched, letting Braedon off his back. He moved around behind the boy and put his hands on his shoulders. “Now, Braedon. These tunnels are tricky and scary. I think your dad is going to need help getting to where we need to go. Adults have terrible memories, and nobody knows the way. So you’re going to lead us, okay?”
“But I don’t know where I’m going.”
Dhiren turned him around and stared down at him, suspicious. “Are you sure? Because I was told you were an exceptionally bright kid. Almost magic. So, how about you lead us, and I’ll tell by my nose if we’re going in the right direction.”
Braedon’s eyes widened to saucers. “Your nose?”
“Oh, yes.” Dhiren leaned closer and snuffled theatrically into Braedon’s ear. “I have a good nose, and you smell like exactly the person we need.”
