by JN Chaney
Terry flinched, a sharp pain piercing his chest, shooting through his body and into his brain like a flood of pins and needles. His hands and face suddenly felt warm and numb. He doubled over.
“Whoa, hey, hey, what’s wrong?” John’s voice was loud, each syllable hitting Terry with the strength of a brick. John grabbed him by the arm, trying to help him back up, but Terry pushed him away and instead lay on the ground.
“Stop screaming at me!” Terry cried, throwing his hands and arms over his ears. “It’s too loud.”
Even the sound of his own voice hurt, so he clutched his ears and covered himself. Every shuffle against the pavement was like a siren. His head throbbed like a drum. He closed his eyes and screamed.
Then, as the noise became too loud to bear, everything went quiet and still. The light from the sky hung in the air and the clouds stopped. John, halfway down on his knee, retained a look of panic. Absolutely nothing moved.
Suddenly, he remembered the training room and the gunfire—how the world had stopped and he thought he was going to die.
He remembered the darkness…and the empty chill that followed.
*******
January 1, 2347
The Maternity District
“This is insane,” said Mara. “What’s he thinking, sending those children to the surface? Is he out of his damned mind?”
“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” said Ross. “I tried to talk him out of it, but I can only say so much without bringing attention to myself.”
“I know, Ross. Don’t worry. You have to look like you’re on his side.”
Ross frowned. “It drives me insane.”
Mara and Ross sat in Ava’s apartment, once again meeting to discuss their plans. Ava was listening from the other side of the table, wrapping one of her baskets. It had become a weekly tradition to hold the meetings here, always limited to the three of them. No one could know that Ross was the leak, not even the other mothers. It had become a closely guarded secret, and Mara intended to keep it that way.
“And you say they’ve been given weapons to defend themselves with?”
“Right,” said Ross. “Their mission is to retrieve two other students, who ran away. They were given two days.”
“So the schedule’s been moved forward,” said Ava, not looking up. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“Schedule?” asked Mara. “When were they originally planning to do this?”
“Next year,” Ava remarked. She clipped a piece of wrapping tape and tied it in a bow around the top of the basket. “It sounds like the timeline was expedited. I didn’t get the full report, but I knew the bullet points.”
Ross nodded. “Yes, ma’am. There were a few objections, but Archer assured the colonel they held no merit.”
“Someone besides you objected?” asked Mara.
“Henry Nuber, the children’s teacher.”
“Seriously?” Mara asked. The notion of Nuber objecting didn’t exactly surprise her. What she found disconcerting was the fact that Bishop ignored his concerns. “Why would he ignore their teacher’s advice when Nuber spends more time with them than anyone?”
“He tried to say Nuber’s vision was clouded by sentiment, how he wasn’t being impartial enough.”
“Of course he did.”
“Relax,” said Ava. She finished tying the bow, examined it briefly, undid it and tried again. “There’s no use getting worked up over what’s already happened. We all knew they’d do this eventually.”
“Yes, but we didn’t know when,” said Mara. “We’ve only just started protesting.”
Ava finished the bow again. She tilted her head at it, then smiled and set it aside, moving onto the next basket. “My point is there’s nothing we can do about it now. Leave the worrying and the outrage to the others. It’s our job to focus on the plan. Instead of getting emotional, you must ask yourself how you can use this to your advantage.”
“My advantage? You make it sound so exploitive.”
Ava grinned. “Exploiting situations to gain public favor is politics in a nutshell, darling.”
“It’s filthy,” Mara said.
“But necessary. Now, what are you going to do?”
Mara considered her question, despite her own objections to the idea. “Can you get us some proof of what’s happening on the surface?” she asked Ross.
“Of course,” said the captain.
“Do it, then, and we’ll leak it to the public. We already have the ear of the mothers and several of the farmers. This might be enough to get the rest of them on our side. Have any of the academy staff complained, besides Nuber?”
“Several, yes,” said Ross.
“What about people in the science division?”
“I don’t know, but I can find out.”
“Okay,” said Mara. “Let’s tally a list of names if you can. We’ll see if we can convince them to get involved.”
Ava tied the bow on her basket again. “Excellent,” she said, grinning. “Now you’re thinking like a politician.”
Mara sighed. “Now all I need is a scandal behind me, and I’ll be set.”
Chapter 14
Amber Project File Logs
Play Audio File 164
January 01, 2347
ARCHER: While it is unlikely for the subject to experience any serious mental or physical trauma from the exposure, there is a chance the body’s reaction to such an abundant supply of Variant will leave it overwhelmed. If this should happen, I can only hypothesize that the subject’s cells will begin to degrade, though it is difficult to state with any true certainty.
However, given each subject has previously undergone extensive treatments and prior exposures, the body should be capable of adjusting effectively. The subject’s compatibility rating should also play a factor in this. Considering each of the subjects was chosen based on his or her individual rating, the chance of an effective transition is all but assured.
End Audio File
January 01, 2347
The Surface
Terry opened his eyes to the brightest light he’d ever seen.
A sharp pain jettisoned through his skull as the blinding array engulfed him. The pain was so intense that he let out a short scream, holding up his arms in a desperate attempt to block out the light.
A hand gripped his shoulder suddenly. “Terry, what the hell’s wrong with you?” It was John’s voice, but Terry couldn’t see him. He was so loud. Why was he screaming?
“My eyes,” said Terry, rolling onto his chest. He put his face in the dirt and covered the sides of his head with his arms. “It’s too bright. Why is it so bright?” He blinked repeatedly, trying to focus himself. After a brief moment, he managed to make out the ground and his boots.
“What are you talking about?” asked John, still loud. Still screaming.
“Stop yelling!” cried Terry.
“I’m not yelling.”
“You are! Stop it!” Without thinking, Terry threw his arm up, hitting John in the chest and flinging him several feet away like a rag doll. He landed with a loud thud, sliding against the dirt.
“John!” yelled Terry, jerking his eyes open, filling him with pain. He looked around, half blind. He heard John wheezing for air in the distance and ran in his direction. He found him quickly. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”
John turned on his side. He lifted his head, coughing, his face covered in dirt. “I’m fine…I’m fine. How’d you do that, man?”
“I don’t know what happened! I didn’t mean to hit you.”
“It’s okay, Terry. Calm down. It’s not important.” He gasped for air between the words.
“What do you mean? Of course it’s important!”
“Stop it,” said John. “Just stop and take a second, okay?”
Terry looked at his hands. “It wasn’t me,” he said. “I didn’t mean to do it. I don’t know what’s going on.”
<
br /> “It’s the gas. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Terry felt a flood of panic rush through him. He didn’t know what to say. This was exactly like the time he’d blacked out in the arena, only a thousand times worse.
“Your eyes don’t still hurt?” asked John.
Terry blinked. “They do,” he said. “They did.”
John pushed himself off the ground, wavering a little. “But you’re better now.”
“I think so…but I’m not sure why.”
“I do,” said John. “You stopped worrying about it. Pushed through the pain, you know? Let yourself forget. It’s just like what Nuber used to say when we complained about the exercises.”
“I didn’t push through anything. My eyes were hurting so much. Every centimeter was on fire. My hearing, too.” He touched his temple with his fingers. “God, I can already feel it coming back.”
“You think you’re not used to it yet?”
“To the gas?” asked Terry.
“What else could it be?”
“I don’t know,” said Terry. “What am I going to do?”
“Relax for a minute.” John took a deep breath, using his hand to motion when to inhale and exhale. Terry did his best to mimic it, taking the breaths as they came. One at a time.
After a moment, he was breathing normally again, the beating in his chest a little softer, the throbbing in his head completely gone. “I think I’m okay,” he said at last. “It still hurts. Maybe not as much as it did, but I still feel something.”
“You need to tell Roland about this.”
Terry shook his head.
“It could happen again. What if you don’t wake up the next time?”
“Please don’t say anything,” he begged. “What if he tries to send me home? The doctors will put me in the lab, and they’ll never leave me alone.”
“You’d rather stay here and risk getting sick?”
“I won’t,” he insisted. “It’s like you said. I’m adjusting. The last time this happened I was out of it for days. This time wasn’t even close.”
John waited a few seconds. “I don’t know,” he muttered.
“Please, John, you can’t say anything. Promise me you won’t.”
John stared at him, a concerned look in his eyes. “Are you sure? If anything happens to you, I’ll—”
“It won’t,” said Terry. “I promise, John. Nothing’s going to happen. I’ll be fine.”
*******
Terry and John arrived to find Mei sitting on the ground reading her pad, while Sarah and Roland studied the map, attempting to figure out the group’s next step.
“Seems easy enough,” said Sarah.
“If we’re lucky, sure,” said Roland.
Terry sat down next to Mei. “What’s happening?” he asked.
She kept looking at her pad. “They’re trying to figure out the best way to get us all killed,” she said.
“So what are you doing?”
“The opposite.” She handed him the pad. There was a map with a green blinking dot in the center. The dot was connected to a translucent red line that ran far to the west and disappeared off the edge. Terry zoomed out, revealing more of the terrain. He followed the line to its end.
“What’s this?” he asked.
She pressed her fingers to her temple and rubbed them. “It’s us, obviously,” she said, her voice straining, breathing louder than normal.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Headache,” she said. “Ever since we got here. Must be the light or something.” She closed her eyes.
“Looks like it hurts.”
“Yeah,” she said, nodding slowly.
“Did you take any medicine? I’m pretty sure there’s some in the packs.”
She looked at him with bloodshot eyes. “I’m fine,” she said.
“Hey,” said John suddenly. He collapsed down on the opposite side of Mei. “What you guys talking about?”
“A map, apparently,” said Terry.
“Nice, I like maps,” said John. “What’s it for?”
“I was just about to explain that part,” said Mei.
Terry held up the pad and showed it to John. “She’s drawn some kind of new route.”
“Why?” asked John. “We’re supposed to follow the instructions Central gave us, remember?”
“I know,” said Mei. “Central told us to head to the signal’s last known coordinates, but it’s not going to work. Just look here.” She tapped the pad again, this time pulling up another version of the same map, only this time there was much more than a mere dot and line. This time the map had an entirely new layer to it, with overlapping lines and figures. There were arrows moving east and west, circulating in the north, and even a swirling gray cloud toward the west. The more he zoomed out, the more complex the map became. “Do you know what this is, Terry?” she asked.
“It looks like a weather map,” he said.
“Right,” Mei said.
Terry scrunched his nose. “How can you read this stuff?”
“Because we studied it. It was three years ago for about a week. Don’t you remember?”
“Not like you do,” he said. “But setting aside the fact you obviously studied way more than the rest of us, how are you even getting this feed? This looks like it’s real-time.”
“First of all, you should be glad I studied it and stop implying I’m a nerd before I hit you. Second, yes, this is real-time feed from a few of the local towers.”
John laughed. “Nerd.”
“The same ones we use for the locator signals?” Terry asked. “I didn’t know they could tell you the weather. That’s crazy.”
Mei shook her head. “No, not really. We’ve had these things for centuries now. They’re called Pulse-Doppler Radar machines.”
There was an awkward pause. “Yeah, you’re totally not a nerd at all,” John said, grinning.
Mei rolled her eyes. “My hand, your face,” she said, motioning with her palm.
“Anyway,” said Terry. “How’d you get this stuff to show on the pad? Is yours special?”
“We all can do it,” she said. “It’s one of the programs. They patched it in with the last upgrade, right before we left. I’ve been playing around with them while you guys were gone.”
“What’s the big deal about the weather?” asked John. “What do all those lines and arrows mean?”
“Most of it’s not very important. A cold front here, some strong winds there. It’s all typical,” she said. “The stuff we should pay attention to is right here.” She tapped the gray western area of the map. “Do you know what this is?”
“A lake?” asked John.
“I’d guess some kind of storm,” Terry said.
“Really, John? A lake?” she shook her head. “Yes, it’s a storm.”
“How bad?” asked Terry.
“Pretty bad,” she said. “But it’s not heading our way. It also won’t be there when we arrive.”
John narrowed his brow. “I don’t understand. What’s the big deal?”
“Look at the coordinates Central gave us for Alex and Cole. They’re right there in the storm. There’s no mountains, no towns, or anything nearby—nowhere for anyone to hide. What do you think they did when they saw the storm coming?”
“They moved!” snapped John. “Right?”
“That’s what your line is for, isn’t it?” asked Terry. “It’s your best guess for where they went.”
She nodded. “Yes, exactly. Now you’re getting it.”
“What if they go another way?” asked John. “How do you know this is the right path?”
“Like Terry said, it’s only a guess. Look at the map again, though. The storm’s here, with nothing nearby, but there’s also a road. See where it goes?”
“Looks like a few buildings,” said Terry.
“If they were smart—and I’m not
saying they were—they would’ve stayed on the road and hid in one of these buildings.”
“Good guess. Every other direction is empty. Why haven’t you told Sarah and Roland yet?” asked Terry.
“Tell us what?” asked Sarah, standing only a few feet away. “What are you three talking about?”
“Mei’s figured something out,” said John. “She’s got a plan for where to go next.”
“Mei, what’s he talking about?” asked Sarah. “Roland, come here for a second. Mei has something to tell us, apparently.”
“What is it? I’m a little busy,” said Roland.
Mei looked at the pad, then back at Roland. “I was looking over the maps and I came up with some ideas for a new route.”
“We already have a route,” said Roland. “Central sent us our coordinates and we’re following them.”
“But they’re wrong,” said Mei.
“I think Central knows more about what’s happening than you do,” he said.
Terry stood. “Listen to her. She knows what she’s talking about. Mei tapped into the towers. She’s got intel you can use.”
Roland stopped walking and looked at them. “What?”
“I’m saying you should listen to her.”
Roland approached him, stopping only a few inches away. Towering over Terry, he was almost a foot taller. “I don’t know if you remember, but I’m the team leader here. I say we’re following Central’s orders, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
Terry looked him directly in the eye. Roland was big, but he wasn’t that big. Not as big as John had been when Terry threw him like a doll across the ground. If Roland pushed him now, could Terry do it again? He didn’t want to find out, but he wasn’t about to back down.
“Stop it, both of you,” said Sarah, though she only looked at Roland. “Let’s listen to what she has to say.”
“Why? Our orders are clear about what we’re supposed to do.” He took a few steps toward Sarah.
Terry relaxed.
“We were all chosen for a reason. You’re in charge, sure, but the rest of us have our uses. You think this team was random?” Sarah pointed at Mei. “Ever since we were kids, she’s been the head of the class in practically every subject, except the arena. Why do you think that is?”
