Elites

by Natasha Ngan

  Percie led them to a room off the main hall. A large circular table took up most of the space, the rest of it filled with chairs and machines crawling with wires. Strips of harsh white light lined the walls. As the door shut behind them, the noise of the activity in the hall muffled slightly, but it still pressed against the door, an endless tide of shouts and crashes and metallic screeches.

  Percie motioned to the table. ‘Sit.’

  Silver and Butterfly took seats opposite her. Tablet screens of various sizes were embedded into the table’s surface. Though many were blank, some blinked with lights and moving lines of text that seemed to be in a strange code Silver didn’t understand.

  ‘This is our surveillance and communications room,’ said Percie. ‘We’ve not got access to as much technology as we like, but over the years we’ve managed to work with our contacts within Neo and those in other settlements to build an adequate system. It’s run by energy siphoned from Neo’s wireless grid and a couple of our own solar generators.’

  So Yasir was right about the energy leeches, Silver thought.

  ‘Joza said you work with the Pigeons,’ said Butterfly, watching Percie carefully.

  She nodded. ‘We also have contacts in the Industrial District – that’s really helped us with getting all the equipment we need. And we have contacts within the police. Even the Council itself. Then of course there are those contacts outside Neo. Let me show you.’ She leant across the table and touched a large tablet screen in the middle. It lit up instantly with a map. She pointed to a red dot near the centre. ‘This is us,’ she explained. ‘Iarassi. The green dots are settlements that are sympathetic to our cause. The yellow ones are ones that are not.’ She moved her finger to a black dot. ‘That’s Neo. Although we get a lot of resources from the city, we’d never have been able to even consider attacking the Council without help from the settlements nearby.’

  ‘Why do you need us, then?’ asked Silver.

  Percie sat back in her chair, her grey eyes expressionless. Silver was starting to wonder whether she ever smiled. Had what had happened to give Percie that scar made her this way, so serious and detached?

  ‘We initially wanted you here so that the Council would track you and send their soldiers here, to Iarassi,’ Percie explained. ‘We’d planned to be gone by the time they arrived, and then we’d have much less resistance while attacking the Council back in Neo. Less casualties all around, and a swifter takeover. It would have minimised the damage to Neo and its people.’ She folded her hands on the table, her eyes on Butterfly. ‘We are sorry for how that plan turned out. But now we need your help with something else – destroying the DNA Holding Towers.’

  Whatever Silver was expecting, that hadn’t been it. Her eyes widened. ‘The Bee-Hives?’ she breathed. The Bee-Hives was the nickname everyone used for the Holding Towers, where the records of every Neo-Babel citizen’s DNA were stored. She shook her head. ‘But you’re already bringing down the Council. Why bother destroying the DNA records?’

  ‘We want a free Neo,’ Percie answered. ‘Whatever new government comes into power, the records of DNA cannot be around for them to use. It’s too easy to fall into the same patterns. We cannot leave this until after the attack. It must be done during it.’

  ‘And you need us,’ said Butterfly, glancing quickly at Silver, ‘because you can’t get to the Bee-Hives without the highest level of authority.’

  Percie nodded. ‘Exactly. Our contacts in the Council have been unable to get anywhere near enough to the Holding Towers to even formulate a plan to break in, and we don’t have enough explosives both to force our way in and destroy the records inside.’ She tilted her head, looking across the table at them. ‘But Elites have access to the Holding Towers.’

  Butterfly pushed back his chair and stood up. ‘I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Silver and I are pretty much outcasts now. Our birthchips will have been invalidated. We won’t be able to get anywhere near the Bee-Hives.’ He moved towards the door and Silver joined him quickly, keen to get out of the room.

  ‘We know that, Butterfly,’ Percie said behind them.

  They turned.

  ‘Silver’s parents said there is an Elite still in Neo who might be willing to help us,’ she continued, standing up and walking towards them. She looked at Butterfly. ‘Apparently he helped your family once.’

  ‘Cobe,’ Silver whispered, touching Butterfly’s arm.

  ‘We need you to call him and ask for his help. Take some time to think about it, by all means, but we’ll need your response within an hour.’

  ‘That’s not long,’ said Silver.

  Percie nodded. ‘We don’t have long. The Council will know you’re alive after what happened at the Purge. They might not know you’re with us, but they have their suspicions about the Pigeons working with a group outside Neo. We can’t risk them heightening security.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘The Ghosts leave for Neo tonight.’

  As soon as they left the room, Butterfly and Silver were swallowed up in the frenzy of the main hall. They found a space by a wall and leant against it, looking out at the Ghosts preparing for their attack. Their pace hadn’t let up all day. Silver felt exhausted just watching them.

  ‘I don’t like this,’ she said.

  Butterfly looked away, his mouth set in a tight line. ‘It’s not ideal, getting Cobe involved.’

  ‘No, I meant …’ Silver raised her eyebrows. ‘You mean you’re actually considering this?’

  He nodded. ‘Aren’t you?’

  She turned away from him. ‘I can’t get over what Joza did,’ she said quietly. ‘Even though he didn’t mean to, he still brought the Council to Yasir’s village.’

  Butterfly was silent for a while. When he next spoke, his blue eyes were fierce, but his voice was steady. ‘I think that’s just the way life is. Everything starts with good intentions. People fighting for what they believe in, thinking it’s the right thing to do. But somewhere along the way, the Council have lost themselves. They’ve gone too far. It doesn’t mean I support Joza and the Ghosts. But I’ll fight alongside them if it means bringing down the Council and stopping them hurting any more families the way they have done mine.’

  Silver thought back to the Purge. For the last few days, she’d wanted nothing more than to forget about it. It was too painful, too raw. But now she realised she could never let herself forget. She had to remember it, to give her- self the courage to fight against the Council. She made herself remember the smell of smoke in Leanor and Emeli’s house, the bits of bodies strewn across the ground, fire still licking some of them. Yasir’s body piled on top of others.

  For some reason, the Council’s motto entered Silver’s mind then; A Place for Everyone. She shook her head. How far they’ve come from that, she thought.

  ‘You’re right,’ she said eventually, taking Butterfly’s hands. ‘Let’s fight. Not for Joza or the Ghosts, but for Yasir. For Emeli and Leanor. For ourselves.’

  34

  The Story Behind the Scar

  Butterfly and Silver stepped out of the building, stopping at the top of the steps that led down from the grand front doors. They still had an hour until meeting Percie again. The city was eerily still, its silent, empty buildings and streets in complete contrast to the busyness of the building they had just left. Butterfly had forgotten how depressing and unsettling Iarassi was. Here, the whole world seemed to have turned grey. Grey buildings, grey streets, grey sky, grey air.

  Butterfly looked at Silver beside him, her hand warm in his. She met his eyes for a second, giving him a quick smile, and his chest tightened. There was nothing grey about Silver. Her eyes, her face, her whole body and presence were bright and fierce and beautiful and alive. He was remembering the heat of her lips against his when they kissed, the two times he had truly forgotten about everything else in the world, when the door opened behind them.

  ‘Mind if I join you?’ asked Joza, stepping out. ‘I have something I’d like to say.’

&n
bsp; Butterfly shrugged. He didn’t like Joza, and not just because Joza had unintentionally caused the death of his mother and sister. The problem was, Joza reminded him too much of the Council, of people like Senior Surrey who were prepared to sacrifice others to get what they wanted. But Joza was Silver’s brother. Now more than ever, Butterfly knew how important family was. He wouldn’t be the one to create a divide between them.

  They followed Joza down the steps of the building and along the street to a bench. Silver and Butterfly sat down, while Joza stood in front of them, his hands in his pockets.

  ‘Well?’ asked Silver.

  Joza cleared his throat. ‘I wanted to apologise,’ he began, shifting uncomfortably. ‘Before we leave for Neo and gods know what happens. I wanted to make sure you both understood why I did what I did.’ He pulled his hands from his pockets, holding them out, and Butterfly could see that he was shaking slightly. ‘This wasn’t easy for me. Please don’t think it was. If I had known what would happen, I would’ve tried to find another way. But there isn’t any other way now. The Purges keep happening despite everything we’ve been doing to stop them. That’s why I needed you to help me. I thought that if you led the Council to Iarassi, we’d have a real shot at bringing them down.’ Joza fell silent and turned away from them.

  He looked so defeated that Butterfly felt a rush of pity for him. ‘He’s trying,’ Butterfly whispered to Silver.

  She nodded. Getting off the bench, she walked over to Joza and touched his shoulder hesitantly. ‘I’m not saying I forgive you,’ she said as he turned to look at her. ‘But I think I understand why you did it.’

  His face brightened in an instant. ‘Thank you. And I’m sorry that you won’t be able to see Mum and Dad until after all of this is done, but they’ll be right behind us when we enter Neo.’

  ‘They’ll be fighting too?’ Silver asked uneasily.

  He nodded. ‘I’ve been training them personally. They’ll be fine, don’t worry. Mum’s a bit of a firecracker when it comes to shooting.’ He grinned. ‘Seems it runs in the family.’

  Just then, a loud beeping sounded. The electronic sound was harsh in the stillness of the city, and Joza and Silver spun round to look at where it was coming from.

  ‘Your comms cuff!’ gasped Silver. ‘It must be Cobe!’

  Butterfly stared at the device on his wrist, his heart beating faster. He nodded. It was the only person it could be; they’d blocked their calls from other numbers. Cobe’s name on the screen confirmed it.

  ‘Is that him?’ Joza asked, looking nervous. ‘The Elite my parents said would help us?’

  ‘It’s him.’ Butterfly met Silver’s gaze. ‘Ready?’

  She took a deep breath, then nodded.

  Butterfly touched his comms cuff to answer the call. ‘Cobe?’ he said tentatively, his head lowered towards the speaker.

  There was silence.

  ‘Cobe?’ he repeated.

  Cobe’s voice came from the speaker. ‘Butterfly.’ He sounded tired. Strained. ‘I just … just wanted to check in. It’s been a while.’

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Butterfly asked. ‘You sound –’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong,’ said Cobe quickly. ‘It’s just … I don’t want them tracking this. Let’s make this short. Have you found Silver’s parents?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Butterfly. ‘But I can’t say any more. Look, Cobe – there’s something we need from you.’

  A pause. ‘Yes?’

  ‘We’re heading back to Neo tonight. We’ll be there by daybreak tomorrow. Are you able to meet us?’

  Another pause. ‘Where?’

  ‘The Stacks,’ said Butterfly. ‘I’ll call tomorrow to set a meeting place. I’m sorry, that’s all I can tell you right now. See you tomorrow, Cobe. And thank you.’

  As soon as Butterfly ended the call, Joza let out a long, deep breath. ‘It’s happening,’ he said quietly, as though barely daring to believe it. He grinned at Butterfly and Silver, taking a step back, his hands grasping his head. His voice grew louder. ‘It’s really happening!’

  Silver threw her arms around Butterfly, squeezing him tightly. When she pulled away, her eyes were bright and fierce. ‘This is it,’ she breathed. ‘This is the end of the Council.’

  There was so much hope and determination and excitement in her eyes that it almost broke Butterfly’s heart. Though he returned her smile, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

  ‘Listen up, everyone!’

  It was an hour till they left for Neo-Babel. The Ghosts were gathered in the main hall. Some looked down from the balconies lining its sides, while others crowded the hall floor itself, a few standing on the tables and benches in the cafeteria and on top of machines. Butterfly and Silver were at the back of the hall. They watched as Joza climbed atop the roof of a crane’s control box. He was wearing his usual grin, but there was a hardness to it, a grim determination that was reflected in his small, sharp eyes.

  ‘There’s so much I want to say to you all,’ he said, his voice raised for everyone to hear. ‘But I know you all know it anyway, so I’ll keep it short. Whether you’ve been with us for the whole five years –’ there were cheers and stomping feet at this – ‘or have only recently joined us here in Iarassi –’ a smaller number of cheers and shouts – ‘you’re all Ghosts through and through. Every one of you is integral to our cause. What we’re about to do won’t be easy. It’s likely not all of us will make it through to the other side. But whatever happens, each and every one of us can know that we risked our lives to take down the Council. To fight for a new Neo!’

  The room thundered with cheers. A chorus of ‘New Neo!’ rose. Butterfly could feel the electricity of the crowd like a charge in the air, powerful and dangerous and irresistible.

  ‘Tomorrow,’ continued Joza, his voice loud to be heard over the rising noise of the crowd, ‘we fight for the future! A future in which Neo opens its doors to the rest of the world and helps rebuild the world that once built it. A future in which people have the right to determine their own lives and no one is held back by what their DNA says they can or can’t do. A future in which people may come and go as they please, and not be confined to either inside Neo’s walls or outside them. So, Ghosts!’ He punched both hands into the air. ‘Let’s take those Council bastards down!’

  The room erupted once more in a deafening chorus of cheers, shouts and stomping feet.

  Before Butterfly knew what was happening, Silver had grabbed his shoulders and pushed him against the wall. She pressed her body against him, kissing him so hard on the lips, their teeth bumped.

  ‘What was that!’ he gasped as she pulled back, laughing nervously.

  ‘Did you mean what you said to Leanor?’ she asked, not quite meeting his eyes. ‘About … about loving me?’

  Butterfly smiled. He curled an arm round her back, pulling her against him. With his other hand he cupped her face. ‘I did,’ he said quietly.

  Silver blushed, looking down. She pressed one hand to his heart. ‘It’s true for me, too.’ She glanced up at him. ‘I just wanted you to know. Before.’

  He nodded. He understood what she meant, but he didn’t want to think about it. They kissed again then, more gently this time, and Butterfly was just starting to forget where they were – the world had shrunk to just him and Silver, the places where their bodies touched, their lips on each other’s – when they heard a loud laugh from nearby. They pulled apart quickly.

  Joza was watching them, the grin on his face even wider than usual. ‘Still a bit young for that, aren’t you, little sis? Anyway, if you two can stop kissing each other for just a few minutes, we’re getting everything moved into the trucks ready to leave in half an hour. We could use your help.’

  Even with all the Ghosts moving at top speed, it still took an hour to transport everything from the hall into the dozen or so trucks that had been driven outside onto the street. Night had fallen fast across the city. A few portable lights
had been set up along the road. As the Ghosts hurried around, their shadows stretched across the ground like watery flames.

  Butterfly and Silver were helping a male Ghost carry a large box to one of the trucks. They had changed back into their Elite uniforms, ready for the battle. Butterfly felt strange wearing it again. He hadn’t touched his uniform since the Purge. He couldn’t help associating it with that day, and he felt every betrayal the Council had done to him pressing against his skin with the fabric.

  ‘Why are we bringing so many things?’ asked Silver as they lifted the box into the truck.

  ‘It’s not just for us,’ said the Ghost. ‘We’d be pretty useless trying to lug all this around and fight the Council at the same time! Nah, we’ve got to bring supplies to the Pigeons too since they’re fighting with us. We’ve been doing some of it in small instalments over time, but it was best not to store too much in the Limpets in case the Council found it. Anyway, thanks for your help. And good luck!’

  After saying goodbye to the Ghost, Silver kissed Butterfly. ‘I’m just going to get our backpacks from the room,’ she said. ‘See you in a minute.’

  As soon as she’d left, a hand clapped Butterfly’s back. ‘Looking good,’ said Joza. ‘We’re almost ready to go.’

  ‘I still don’t understand how we’re getting in to Neo,’ said Butterfly. ‘These trucks are going to have a hard time fitting through the Limpets’ tunnel.’

  Joza grinned. His teeth looked bone-white in the stark lights. ‘Don’t you want to have any surprises?’

  He turned to walk away but Butterfly grabbed him, slamming him against the side of the truck. ‘This isn’t a joke,’ Butterfly growled.

  The grin disappeared from Joza’s face. He pushed Butterfly off him, brushing himself down and straightening his clothes. ‘I know that,’ he said coldly, before walking away.

  Butterfly glared after Joza. After a few moments, he noticed Percie watching him from nearby. He couldn’t read her expression; her pretty face was as impassive as always.

  She stepped towards him, pulling back her long hair, and pointed to the ugly scar that ran down her cheek. ‘Do you know how I got this?’