“Can’t be too careful,” the woman said before turning to walk away and lead the uncertain procession in her wake.
Cole’s mind spun.
Why did my name change anything? What aren’t these god damned people telling me?
The torch bearer led them out of the main tunnel and through an old doorway, filling the confined space with fumes from the burning beacon lighting their way until Cole’s eyes stung and his lungs began to complain. They emerged into another corridor, as long and open as the first one had been and seeming less claustrophobic. The woman veered to one side of the tunnel and deposited her fiery lantern in a rusted bucket filled with sand.
They went forwards towards the glowing torches, and a view opened up ahead of them that drew a gasp of shock from the usually implacable Soares. The woman croaked a laugh again at his response and half turned to speak to him.
“Weren’t expecting that, were you, Mister Not A Hunter?”
Soares said nothing, and after a few more paces, Cole saw why. It wasn’t that he had nothing to say, but more that nothing he could say would credit what his eyes were showing him.
Hidden beneath the dead ruins of the city, stretching out through huge excavations supported by concrete pillars the size of houses, a new subterranean world had grown.
Those following behind stepped forwards into the light, all of them shrugging off the dirty folds of cloaks that made them seem like desperate vagrants to expose clean clothing and fit bodies. Appearances were everything, Cole realized, and the concept of a few handless vagabonds scratching a meagre living in long-abandoned train tunnels under the cold ground was nothing but a ruse.
A woman, the one he belatedly realized had held the blade to his throat, stepped in front of him and brushed an errant strand of dark blonde hair streaked with gray from her forehead. She did it with the leather-covered stump of her wrist without shame or embarrassment as she stepped closer and looked him in the eye with close scrutiny.
“Is he really a Mason?” she asked over her shoulder.
“He has a resemblance,” croaky voice answered. “Been a good minute since Tom Mason promised an end to the Occupation.”
“Wait,” Cole snapped, his eyes zeroing in on Soares’ surprised expression. “How do you know Tom? Why did you think he was my father? What the hell’s going on here?”
There were almost five thousand people living under Chicago, according to croaky voice, who was called Renata West back when names meant something. She’d been the daughter of a politician, she said, confusing Cole, who struggled to see the relevance.
“Renata,” Soares said. At the sound of his voice, Cole stiffened, as if controlling his anger. “Tom sent us here. He says it’s time. It’s happening and we need help to make it work.”
Renata turned to face Cole, staring into his eyes so intensely that he felt the burn of her gaze boring through the back of his skull. He tried to hold her stare but failed when his expression betrayed him, and he silently pleaded for answers.
“I take it your bodyguard here hasn’t filled you in on the finer details?” Cole shook his head, too angry to face Soares. “Not my place to say, then,” Renata said with a groan as she stood and made a gesture with her stump to signal her people to leave the room. “We’ll be back soon with some food for you. I suggest you use the time to straighten your shit out, okay, boys?”
The door shut, leaving Cole and Soares in silence for a tense minute before the older man broke the silence, filling the room with a cough to clear his throat.
“Listen, Cole,” he began, “there are things that aren’t my place to say either, an—”
“Who the hell am I?” Cole snarled, turning on him. “I was… I was happy being nobody before you people came along. I find out I have a brother, I find out he’s been a prisoner working for them most of his life, and now there’s some shady stuff going on—”
“You know Tom’s your uncle,” Soares said, interrupting him into silence. The two men stared hard at each other for a few seconds before he continued, speaking more calmly than before. “But you don’t know about your father. I… I raised you like you were my own for a time. I loved your father. I saved his life more than once, but the time came when I couldn’t… I…”
He dropped his head, eyes screwed tightly shut as he seemed to live through a painful memory all over again.
“You and your brother,” he said quietly as he cuffed away tears unashamedly, “you were… you were symbols of the revolution. Tom was betrayed by the man who killed your father, but we got you two out.”
Sitting in shock, Cole said nothing for a while. Soares gathered himself, recovering his poise to become the unsmiling soldier once more.
“One chance,” Cole said softly. “Tell me everything.”
Chapter 27
Alec
Alec had given up trying to find Tom after a couple hours, assuming his uncle was held up in meetings with Zhao. Alec still hadn’t met the man, but people spoke about him with an air of reverence. He was a solid leader, someone who cared for all their needs as well as he could, but it was obvious he abhorred violence.
Alec didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, but this world wasn’t made for those who stood on the sidelines; you were either on one side or the other. To Tom, and now Alec, there was no middle ground.
He decided to head to the medical facility, which was in one of the hidden buildings tucked inside the dense forest cover. They’d created the structures around the trees, rather than making clearings, and Alec thought this was quite intelligent. From above, there would be nothing visible but the greenery of the forest.
Their ground defenses ensured any Trackers would set off the perimeter sensors, and if they did, it was a quick trip to the underground sanctuary they’d created. According to a loose-lipped occupant at breakfast, that had only happened a handful of times over the last few years, implying the Occupation had no idea the group was hiding out along the West Coast.
It was midday, but in the thick copse of trees, the air was chillier than he expected. Alec rubbed his forearms as he entered the medical building. He was stopped at the doors by a woman with short dark hair a dozen or so years older than him. She frowned at him as she appraised his outfit.
“You’re going to have to put a gown on,” she told him. “You’re with the girl? The one who almost died?”
“Rebecca?” He said it as a question, as if she was uncertain.
“That’s the one. I’m Doctor Parvati. She says she’d be dead without the help of a young man, and I’m assuming that man is you since I’ve never seen you before, and you look to belong here as much as a fish belongs on the dirt,” the doctor said.
“I guess so.”
“Don’t sound very confident about yourself.” She tossed a gown at him, and he slipped it on. She told him to turn around, and she tied it up, passing him a facemask. He tugged it over his head, tightening the elastics after she told him how they worked. She pinched the nose and nodded, like he was finally set, and she waved him into the facility.
It was far different inside than he expected by the rough, wooden exterior. Everything was bright, clean, and sterile. There were a half dozen beds set up around the open room, each with a privacy wall between them. Rebecca currently appeared to be the sole occupant.
A man sat at a desk, drinking from a cup, and he didn’t even glance up as the woman led Alec across the room. Rebecca lay there, eyes closed, machines beeping softly around her. She had tubes running into her arm, taped on as liquid dripped from a bag hung by her bedstand. Alec didn’t understand any of it, but he was hopeful when he saw the girl’s cheeks were a little fuller, her color less pale.
“I left you a chair. I had a feeling you’d be by,” Doctor Parvati said. She smiled at Alec, this time without any hint of mockery. He thanked her and took a seat. Soon exhaustion took over him, and even though he’d slept through the night, he dozed in the chair, only waking at the beep of an alarm.
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The doctor arrived, and she turned it off before heading away.
“Alec, right?” Rebecca asked.
“That’s right, Rebecca.”
“Please call me Becca. Everyone does. Or did.” The woman seemed younger than he’d thought, her eyes bright and cheerful.
“How are you feeling?” Alec asked.
She patted her chest and took a deep breath, her gaze settling on the bandages at the end of her wrist where her hand used to be. “Much better, thanks to you.”
“I’m glad.”
“Where are we?” She looked around.
“In a hospital.”
“That’s obvious. I meant where are we?”
“Oh, near the coast. There’s a group out here, hiding from the Occupation,” he told her.
“How can they do that?”
Alec shrugged.
“Tell me your story, Alec.”
“What do you want to know?” he asked.
“All of it. I have nowhere else to be, and I bet you could use an ear,” she said. Her hair fell into her face as she tried to prop herself up, and Alec had to resist the urge to brush it away for her.
“Sure. Why not?” Alec settled into his chair and told Becca his story, from start to finish.
“Have you seen Tom? The old guy that arrived a couple days ago?” Alec asked a woman patrolling the gates.
“He left, son.” The woman gave him a sad expression.
“What do you mean? Is he coming back?” Alec asked.
“I don’t think so.”
Alec tried to understand why Tom would have abandoned him like this and drew a blank. They were supposed to be in on this together. That was what his uncle had told him. Why had he dragged Alec all the way here otherwise?
He turned, running toward the main building. He needed to speak with Zhao. He was the only one who might have the answers. He pressed through, finding a man walking around the warehouse with a tablet.
“I need to speak to Zhao,” Alec demanded.
The man glanced up. “Do you?”
“That’s right. I have to talk with him,” he said, peering around the room. He hadn’t so much as had a whiff of the man in the two days he’d been stuck there.
“I’m sorry, you’re going to have to wait here.” The man raised a hand, but Alec kept walking toward the end of the warehouse.
“It’s okay, I’ll take him,” a new voice said. A woman walked down the metal staircase at the far side of the room and waved Alec over. “Come on, Alec. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Who are you?” he asked, stopping at the bottom of the steps. She was beautiful, and not in the way Alec thought of Beth from Detroit, but in a way that made his mouth dry out and his palms sweat. He instantly felt guilty, like he was betraying the dead girl he’d left behind.
“Name’s Izzy,” she said, sticking her hand out. He wiped his hand on his pants and shook it.
“How do you know who I am?” he asked.
“Not too hard to find out. Word travels fast around here. You came with Mr. Mason and the girl in the infirmary. Doctor Parvati seems to think you saved her life,” Izzy said. She was Asian, her hair jet black, her skin smooth, and Alec had to stop himself from staring. He averted his eyes and glanced at his boots.
“I guess so. I only wanted to help her.”
“How about you come with me for a walk,” she said, and the bluster was gone from his step. He nodded, walking along beside her, past the man with the tablet and outside.
“It’s a beautiful day,” she told him.
“It is,” he replied, unsure of what else to say.
“Would you like to see our fields?” she asked.
“I’d rather speak with Zhao,” he told her.
“Is that so? About what?”
“Tom brought us all the way here to get his help, and I don’t think it worked. Tom took off in the middle of the night. It had to have happened after they met, so he owes me an explanation.” Alec realized how childish his words sounded the moment they escaped his lips.
“I’ll make sure you have a chance to talk with him, don’t worry,” she assured him. She slipped into a tiny car with solar panels on the roof and no doors. She pointed at the passenger seat and he slid in right before she pressed the accelerator. They drove in silence through a pathway in the trees, the entire trip taking only five minutes.
Birds flew happily above as they emerged from the edge of the forest. He could see the ocean in the distance, and next to them were fields bearing crops of various types.
“This is…”
“A lot of work. We’re very lucky the Seekers don’t seem to differentiate crops from grass or other plants. The Overseers are so concerned with humans that they haven’t given much thought to clues to where we might be,” Izzy said, staring ahead at the fields, her left hand over her brow like a visor. “Tell me something?”
“Sure.”
“Do you truly believe we can stop them?” She plucked up a tall piece of grass, the seeds clustered on the top, and stuck it in her mouth, chewing on the end. He grabbed one too, copying her. It was sweet.
“I think so. Tom does too.”
“And then what? We pack our things and go home?” she asked.
“I don’t have a home,” he said.
“Neither do I. How old are you?” she asked.
“Twenty-five. I was born… right after.”
“I’m twenty-three. Looks like we’re both AOBs.”
“AOBs?”
“After-Occupation babies,” she answered. He didn’t like the terminology. “What are we going to call it after we defeat them?”
Alec frowned. “How about we call it the future?”
“Okay. I dig it. You’re a little tense. What’s it like out there?” she asked. Alec sighed as if tired before he told her the truth.
“It’s terrible, Izzy. If you’ve spent your entire life here, then it’s no wonder Zhao must have denied Tom. He doesn’t get it either. I grew up in the camps. I was raised by a group of women at the breeding grounds. They’d pass me from one to the other, only caring for me when there wasn’t a new baby to watch over. When I was old enough, they put me through their indoctrination, then sent me to work in the manufacturing plants in Detroit.
“I’ve spent my entire life watching everyone around me destroyed, people coming and going, most of them likely dead by now, but I survived somehow. I lost…” He stared at the fields, the wind sending waves through the wheat, and he choked up thinking about her. “I lost some very important people to me, and yet I’m here. We need to fight back. The gate will open soon, and when it does, everything will be over. You may think you’re safe here, but for how long? How long will it be before they fill our planet with their own people? Pick us clean of all the resources before burning us to the ground? How long, Izzy?” His passion coursed through him, and he was surprised to see her crying.
She wiped a tear from her cheek, and he suddenly felt foolish. “I had no idea.”
“Why would you? Hiding here while everyone else suffers. I can’t understand why Tom left me behind. He couldn’t have trusted me. He must have doubted my strength,” Alec said.
“I doubt that.” Izzy stepped closer, her hand settling on his shoulder. “I’m going to make sure we help you.”
“And why do you think you can do that?” Alec asked.
“Because I’m Isabelle Zhao,” she said.
“Any relation?” Alec asked with a laugh.
“I’m his daughter.” She smiled, her face soaked with tears.
“And you’ll help us?” Alec asked, hope burning like kindling behind his chest.
“If Dad won’t, I will,” she assured him. “What was Tom hoping to find here?”
“Something about a video. And an army.”
“I wasn’t told about a video,” she said.
“That’s okay. Neither was I. Tom’s going to alert everyone to his plan at the right time,” Alec said.
“And when will that be?” she asked.
“Soon. I have a tablet that has the communicator built-in. I’m guessing within a week.”
“And the gate… where is it?” she asked.
“Detroit.”
She breathed in quickly, a sharp intake of air. “There’s no way to make it in time.”
Alec grinned. “There might be one way.”
“What’s that?” Izzy was clearly excited at the prospect of helping. He hated that he’d need Becca’s help for this. To ask her to return to Vegas, only weeks after escaping, was going to crush her.
“Las Vegas. There’s an old shipyard. My friend Becca worked there. They have the alien hovercars there as well as one of the biggies.”
“The Crushers?” Izzy asked.
“Crusher?”
“That’s what we call them. The menacing ships that roar across the sky,” she told him.
“That’s the one. And she told me its functional.” Alec had been planning on doing this under Tom’s leadership, but plans changed. He was done being scared or complaining about it any longer. Tom had been hoping for a ship to extricate them after destroying the gate, and his wish would be granted.
Chapter 28
Lina
Lina’s gaze met Monet’s and the two women, grown closer by the addition of strangers to their group, wordlessly exchanged their feelings of exhaustion. Their destination was the last on their list to visit before heading to the rendezvous point with their now mostly homeless followers.
She found it strange at first, but when the third village they’d addressed with impassioned speeches collectively turned them away, and the third group of defectors found them within half a day of them leaving, they saw the trend emerging.
They had left the last camp two days before and the weather had turned so harsh that they had been forced to make camp early the previous night. A dry sky greeted them the following morning, but the wet ground had turned muddy and slowed their progress, their strength sapped from their legs with each step.
Salvation (Rise Book 2) Page 17
