‘Max!’ I whispered through gritted teeth. He must have closed his safe distance at the last minute. His only response was to thrust a large armful of thick, densely covered branches in my direction.
‘Quick, cover yourself with these. With any luck they’ll just assume the Sweeper went through some rough territory and we’ll be camouflaged.’
‘I don’t need you with me,’ I hissed, adrenaline chasing my veins. We were both in real danger now. This wasn’t a village tree-run, and for once his trademark optimism wasn’t enough. I couldn’t forgive him for saving me over Eli.
Whatever else was on the tip of my tongue was lost in a mouthful of sweet-smelling pine needles and downy birch. I inhaled deeply, hugging the foliage to me; it was the scent of home, and as far as I knew I might not be returning any time soon. I blinked hard as the Sweeper rolled forward into full, piercing sunlight. There was a rhythmic, painful thump against the inside of my ribcage and I swallowed to ease the sudden pressure in my ears, willing Max not to feel my fear.
Fragments of every nightmarish story I’d ever heard about the Inside rattled through my mind. I tried to ignore them, reasoning there was no way any of them could be factual, especially as none of us had ever been inside before; but still they continued like debris caught in a storm. And then the questions. Would we be spotted? Would I struggle to breathe? Was height just the beginning of the differences between us? Was there time to save Grandpa and Eli? Nausea scorched my throat as the questions continued, leaving me dazed and breathless, until rough, warm fingers reached beneath the sweet-scented foliage to squeeze mine. I returned the pressure and was instantly beset with a wave of guilt and resentment. What comfort did I deserve? I’d stood by and done nothing to defend my family when they most needed me.
I pulled my hand away. Despite our shared predicament, a new wall had grown up between Max and I that would take more than a Sweeper ride into the unknown to remove.
We slipped into shadow as we approached the giant Lifedome structure. I lifted my head to peer through the branches and, for a second, my courage deserted me. We’d bypassed the security wall, and were now travelling parallel with the Lifedome itself. Apart from being gargantuan, it was the most unnatural building I’d ever set eyes on.
The Sweeper followed the curve of the first crest around to the right, and I stared, unable to break my gaze, as we passed the peak of its circumference. Contrary to what I’d always heard, there wasn’t one but three mammoth structures, stretching away as far as the eye could see. And not only were the buildings the width of a dozen outside forests put together, they also stretched upwards, nearly as high as the mountain range around the village.
The Sweeper continued forwards at hunting pace, and I tried to distinguish the rise and fall of each of the connected buildings; but each smooth, impenetrable dome seemed to be exactly the same – no windows, doors, nothing. My breathing was quick and shallow, and beads of cold sweat were dampening the backs of my curled-up legs. I’d hunted wild boar, rutting stag, and spring bear, but never before had I felt quite so vulnerable or unprepared.
Then, just when I thought we might never stop, the vehicle veered inwards suddenly, heading straight for one solid white wall. I reached out to grab the base unit of one of the laser guns, and felt the nausea nudge up my throat. Had the driver lost control? We were hurtling straight ahead.
Max cursed profanely, and threw an arm across my back, but we both knew there was no chance of surviving an impact at this speed. The towering expanse sprinted forward to meet us, and every inch of my body braced itself against the inevitable collision. I clenched my eyes tight, expecting to feel airborne at any moment and then … nothing.
‘Max?’ I whispered hoarsely, unable to contain my shock.
His response was to press my back reassuringly, but he was clearly as bewildered as me. The Sweeper decelerated fast against a backdrop of unfamiliar noises, and my heart thumped with denial. We seemed to have passed right through the wall itself and against all odds, made it inside the domes without being detected.
Adrenaline spiked my limbs, as my senses were swamped with layers of new sounds and scents: voices, the hum of machinery, and a pungent, metallic smell that filled my nostrils and grated the back of my throat. I hugged my camouflage of pine branches and downy birch close, and tried to ignore the discomfort. We weren’t in Arafel any more.
All the myths I’d grown up with were finally about to draw breath, or explode into tiny suffocating fragments – and I was terrified.
Chapter Five
I opened my eyes hesitantly.
The bright spring sunlight was gone, leaving a jaundiced, yellow luminescence in its place. But that was nothing compared with the deafening booming noise surrounding us, like the felling of a dozen giant oaks every second. I inched myself up to peer through my sweet-smelling camouflage, and caught my breath in wonder. There was no preparation for the vastness of the holding bay, or its array of chaotic traffic.
At least half of the huge space was occupied with row after row of complex machinery, and varying sized vehicles. I recognized the Sweepers instantly but the rest were new to me, and equipped with a variety of macabre-looking pincer arms and claw grabs, most of which dangled loosely to the ground. Some of the larger vehicles were pulling loaded trailers, while others stood in line, their ominous cargo concealed beneath bulging tarpaulins and packed craters.
As my incredulous gaze followed their progress down the floor, treehouse-high mechanical arms swung and lifted parts as though they weighed no more than bags of goose feathers in all directions. I blinked as random, piercing lights blazed brightly before receding, illuminating parts of the working arms in clear sequence. Tall men in ventilation helmets shouted out commands as the production lines clanged and whirred together, and waiting trailers collected their goods. Somehow, we’d driven straight into some sort of construction heart of the domes.
A loud shout reverberated directly beneath us, jolting me. I flattened out and Max swore softly as a series of heavily fortified trailers lumbered by. Seconds later I lifted my head again. This time I watched cage after cage of subdued animals pass by: roe deer, rabbits, wild pigs, squirrels, wild dogs, and lemurs among so many others; as well as craters stuffed with young forest plants. There was enough meat to feed Arafel for two winters, but something told me these animals were not intended for such a fate.
The hairs on the back of my neck stirred as I recalled the stories I’d grown up with, the stories about how the live samples were used. I forced myself past the harder question that had chased through my head in the past few minutes: if they were so capable of obtaining their own samples, why did they maintain the charade of trading with Arafel? Was it to do with the Book Grandpa had tried so hard to protect in the forest? What possible interest could it hold for anyone in here?
The procession of trailers was completed with a large black cage of silent capuchin monkeys that stared wide-eyed at their new alien surroundings. I could read their fear in their eyes, and my stomach lurched as one small clinging adolescent turned its hollow-eyed gaze back on me. I stared back until I could no longer make out his tiny features, and the chasm in my stomach yawned.
I turned my eyes skywards to steady my nerve. The roof had to reach five times as high as the Great Oak in the forest, only there was no cornflower sky or stars to blink back. Instead, there was a dirty-white expanse, which stretched on endlessly until it met with a bank of black, oval boxes at the top of the far wall. I watched as they pitched and moved fluidly, as though they were somehow following the action on the floor.
‘Tal, we have to move. They’re getting out beneath us!’ Max urged in a whisper.
He was right. If we were to stand any chance of rescuing them, we had to act now, and act fast.
‘There’s some sort of linen truck next to me. I think we can drop down onto it if we’re quick. They’re exiting the other side,’ he added rapidly.
I nodded and quickly as I dared, sh
uffled beneath the branches towards the sound of Max’s voice. Only when we were lying side by side did I venture a look. His face was inches from mine, and reflected the queer violet glow of the holding bay. His eyes were sombre and serious, searching mine.
‘Laser guns?’ I whispered, as quietly as I could.
‘Deactivated. Look.’ He nodded in the direction of the large firing devices, which were lying flat on their sides. I nodded and without further conversation he shuffled sideways and disappeared silently over the edge of the vehicle. Panic climbed up my throat. What if he’d been spotted?
Holding my breath, I slid across to the edge and peered over the side. Max was lying unhurt about a metre below me, cushioned by huge bundles of cloth. The sides of the container were higher than its bundled contents, providing better cover than the Sweeper roof. Five seconds later I was cushioned by the same gigantic cloth nest, and for a few seconds we lay there together, as inert as the sheeting around us.
‘He said he destroyed it – you heard him! There was no point bringing him in here.’ The voice was low, steely, and coming from outside the container. I knew in a breath who it belonged to, and sunk my teeth into my bottom lip.
‘Well, let’s just see what Octavia has to say to that,’ responded the Leader in a harsh whisper. ‘They’re vermin, these Outsiders, genetic rubbish. An old one is worth less than the dirt beneath my shoe. And if he’s related to Thomas Hanway, Octavia will want to deal with him personally. Trust me.’
I strained my ears but their voices gradually faded until finally there was nothing but the terrific booming of the machinery. Carefully, I raised my head and peered over the hard, raised edge of the container. We were about three metres off the ground, and across the floor, several covered stretchers were being ferried into a large white hut. Suddenly, all the noise, alien surroundings, and fear receded. It didn’t matter. We’d made it inside against all the odds, and Grandpa and Eli were within running distance.
Rapidly, I gesticulated to Max.
‘We have to follow them,’ I ground out as we both watched the last stretcher being carried through the white doors. My skin prickled with fresh anger. Were any of them still alive? What did the Insiders want with them?
As the hut door closed a tall, tunic-clad woman shouted something numerical to the Leader. I noticed my assailant standing beside him, and scowled. We had to act.
‘Distraction!’ I urged, nodding my head in the direction of the hut, which appeared to be sitting on some sort of track. Max nodded once, his forest eyes narrowed and purposeful.
‘I’ll lead them off. You get yourself inside and see how bad …’ he paused, rephrasing ‘… what sort of shape they’re in.’
‘Brutus?’ I returned. I hadn’t seen the hound since we’d arrived but knew it couldn’t be far.
‘Leave him to me, just get yourself inside that hut!’ Max hissed before springing lightly over the side of the container. My courage deflated the moment he disappeared out of sight. I cursed under my breath. If Max hadn’t held me back I might not be here at all. I could be at home in Arafel with Grandpa and Eli. Or, you could be in the white hut with Grandpa and Eli. I strangled the thought instantly, and peered over the side to watch Max creep silently along the gully between the two vehicles.
His stealthy, fluid movement was as familiar as my own, although oddly out of place in these sterile surroundings. I studied the distance between my container and the medical hut. It had to be about ten metres at most. I’d covered twice that in a heartbeat when pitted against Max in the tree-running trials. But this was not the forest, and I would rather face the wildest tigers than these hostile people with their blue darts and laser sticks.
Max reached the end of the gully and looked back. He mouthed a few words before winking. His familiar smile crinkled up his forest eyes, and I felt myself thaw.
‘Why run when you can fly?’ I whispered to myself, repeating his words.
Instantly my centre of gravity plummeted. I wanted to call out, to tell him I understood why he’d protected me, to run and hug my brave friend fiercely, but I was too late. He was gone.
The shout went up immediately. Max pelted down the busy track, jumping and swinging from the vehicles and huge machinery as confidently as though he was at our weekly trials. A tiny swell of pride flushed through me. Even in this huge alien space with so much stacked against us, Max could change the odds. Curt commands filled the air and several bodysuited Insiders, including the Leader, gave immediate chase. They were all carrying the short cylindrical devices he’d used on Grandpa in the forest.
I closed my eyes briefly.
‘Keeping flying,’ I whispered, before swinging myself down onto the dusty floor. As I peered around the edge of the Sweeper vehicle, it seemed as if the whole world was now pursuing Max, who was racing nimbly down huge stacks of thick tree logs. Some were as high as the treehouses in Arafel, and the stark reality stirred something deep inside. The sight of so much of the forest trapped in this unnatural, light-starved place was a travesty; and something hot and feral poured through my poised limbs.
Gritting my teeth, I bolted from my hiding spot across to a smaller sized Sweeper positioned next to the white hut. From there, it was only a mater of waiting for my chance and slipping through the door. Within seconds I was inside, and blinking at the bright white sterile walls. I didn’t allow myself to look back.
Inside, the white hut appeared to be a series of small rooms permeated by a low hum. There was no one in the narrow corridor so I tiptoed across to the first door. It was ajar and I inched it open slowly with the edge of my toe, bracing myself for discovery. Instead, I found silence. I stared into the clinical room, lined with shelf after shelf of bizarre-looking medical equipment I’d never seen before. The shiny, sharp instruments, each one sealed in a transparent bag, sent shivers running down my spine. The thought that some Outsiders might have been subjected to tools such as these flickered through my mind. I ignored it. I needed to stay focused, and find a weapon.
Scanning the room, I spied what appeared to be individually sealed needles. They were a precious commodity in Arafel’s medical hut, and used only rarely. I crossed quickly to grab a handful, but movement high on the adjacent wall distracted my attention.
I gazed up at the row of small moving squares, six in total, each depicting a different view. It looked as though each picture showed a different room, which meant I could see exactly how many Insiders there were, including where they had put Grandpa and Eli. I’d read about such technology in Grandpa’s books, our forefathers had called it Television, or Closed-Circuit Television, but I’d never imagined it having such detailed capability.
Carefully, I scanned the pictures. The first two rooms were empty, much like the one I was standing in, although they also contained beds. The third screen was busy. There appeared to be two white uniformed Insiders moving around separate beds. My mouth went dry as I craned my neck to get a better view. Then I spotted Grandpa’s woollen trousers, just visible beneath one of the white sheets.
With a thumping heart, I stared intently at the screen. The Insider appeared to be attaching some wires to his body, before pressing buttons on a square machine above his head. I forced myself to exhale steadily, reassuring myself she wouldn’t be taking such an interest if he wasn’t alive.
Next to him, another equally tall Insider was wrapping a thick cloth around the second body’s arm. She paused to pass something to her colleague, and my stomach turned over when a lock of Eli’s sandy-brown hair became visible. They were so close, but were they alive? I couldn’t allow myself to think about that. I scanned the room rapidly, looking for something, anything, I could use as a weapon. Instead found myself lurching heavily against the wall – we were moving.
Cursing, I shot out an arm to steady myself. Then there was a strange hiss and the whole hut seemed to rise about a metre into the air. I ran to the small circular window and peered out at the ground. I blinked hard but the view remained the
same – somehow we’d risen directly off the track and there was a new buzzing sound beneath us, as though the floor was growling. There was a brief lull, then the whole building started to vibrate. I gripped one of the shelves, which was rattling with equipment, and when I next looked outside, everything was a blur.
If I’d been told when lying in the forest yesterday, that within a matter of hours I would be chasing my family through the Lifedomes in a levitating medical hut, I would have thought it a bad joke at most. But nothing could have seemed less funny right now. I steadied myself on the clinical white units, and spied a row of small pull-out drawers.
I yanked one open, hoping to find a blade, but instead found hundreds of tiny bottles containing transparent liquid. Frustrated, I rummaged through for anything that might help. They were all labelled with strange, unpronounceable names. Ruth, the village healer, would have a field day. Finally, one of the smallest bottles caught my eye. I picked it up.
‘Barbiturate: Quinalbarbitone XXVI Sedative. Caution,’ I read under my breath.
The moment Eli crumpled to the forest floor flashed through my head, and my eyes narrowed vengefully.
‘Perfect,’ I muttered, grabbing a handful of the tiny bottles and stuffing them in my small leather rations bag.
Silently, I crept from the supplies room and down the corridor, trying to work out which door was hiding Grandpa and Eli. Then I heard the murmur of low voices straight ahead, behind a door standing slightly ajar. The tiny hairs on the back of my neck strained, and I gripped the newly exposed syringes so tightly it hurt, but I knew I had only one chance. I stole forward, holding my breath and willing the Insiders to stay in the room.
Book of Fire Page 6
