by Greg Dragon
“Who’s this?” the thick man in the doorway asked. “A red?”
“My daughter. They triggered punishment mode on her.”
Doubt crossed the chubby man’s expression as he realized the depth of trouble we were in. But he stepped back to let us pass. The room was large, several floors high, with a huge glass screen in the center. The screen glowed white, with blue lines outlining the floor plan of the entire building. Different sections were coded with different colors—I assumed, machinery. The room that surrounded the screen was cluttered in contrast. Between this room and the storage room, the sanitized, marble-white image I’d always had of government buildings was now completely shattered.
“I’m the only one on duty right now,” Kert said as we scanned the room. “But they’re searching for you, probably floor by floor. You don’t have much time.”
“Then we’d better hurry.” My father guided me to a chair and stood in front of the screen.
“What are you doing there, ol’ buddy?” asked Kert, concern apparent in his voice.
“Don’t worry. I’m not changing anything. I just need to check something.” His fingers flew across the screen. “Thank the fates they haven’t changed much.”
“We still use your system,” Kert said proudly.
I leaned far to the right to view the screen better. It went dark for a moment until he completed his sequence with a decisive tap. Suddenly it lit up and said, “Welcome, Jasper.”
Kert nodded in approval. “A back door. Very clever.”
“I knew it’d come in handy someday.” Jasper’s hands flew across the keys again. The screen paused for a second, then loaded several paragraphs of text. I strained to see.
Name: Ametrine Dowell
Rating: 440
Implant Level: Red
Age: 16
Mother: Lanah Dowell
Father: Konnor Dowell
“Konnor Dowell,” Jasper said with a bitter tone. “It’s like I never existed.”
After that, it listed my entire record. I half realized that my mouth was open, but I kept reading, completely fascinated. I’d always known they knew everything, but . . . they knew everything. My free-time activities, my missed questions in school, my hairstyle preferences, my khel goals at each game. It was interesting and horrifying at the same time. There was nothing to explain my Rating score, though.
Jasper gave me an approving look. “Squeaky clean. You’re right to question all this. There’s something wrong here.” He typed in something else, and the screen scrolled down. His eyes narrowed.
“What is it?” I asked.
“A handicap,” he said. “See that icon?”
“But I’m fine,” I said.
He shook his head. “No, I mean they applied a handicap to your record. That explains the low score. Even though you’re a nearly perfect citizen, it emphasizes your misdeeds and gives them more weight. We used to use handicaps for—” He stopped, suddenly self-conscious. “Well, it wasn’t right, I’ll admit it. But we would apply one or two to the individuals we knew shouldn’t advance in their Ratings.”
My eyes widened. “Shouldn’t advance?”
“Don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t my idea, and none of them were contenders for the throne anyway. Just citizens who stirred up trouble and needed to stay out of the way, is all.”
Kert snorted. “Somewhat like you, I’d imagine.”
“Except that we never used more than two handicaps,” Jasper said, a puzzled expression on his face, his eyes still darting across the screen. “Any more than two and it would seem suspicious.”
“How many do I have?” I asked, still confused.
“Six,” he said.
Kert gave a strangled gasp. “Six?” we both exclaimed.
“Six.” My father’s voice was solemn. “We don’t have much time. But I have a theory.” He turned to me, his eyes serious. “Let’s see what your Rating would be without the handicaps.”
He typed in something else. The screen paused again, longer this time, and for a moment I was afraid that an alarm would go off or something. Kert leaned over my shoulder, his hot breath on my cheek.
The screen flashed. I saw it before Jasper could say anything.
Ametrine Dowell. Temporary Rating Score: 979
“Holy fates,” Kert breathed. “That’s higher than the empress.”
I didn’t realize I’d sat down again, but my legs shook uncontrollably even in the chair. 979. That was the highest score I’d ever heard of. If the calculations were correct, that put me above the highest Rated person in the entire republic.
It made me . . . the successor.
PART THREE
35
That . . . that can’t be right,” I said.
“Is that possible?” Kert asked. “I mean, no offense, but a brand-new graduate? It’s never happened before.”
“Vallorah was only eighteen when she ascended,” my father said. “It’s the numbers that matter, not the age.” He pulled up another screen. “Let me check one thing, though. Kert, can you pull up a list of the top ten Ratings right now, and then a list of the top ten over the last three years?”
Kert gave him a funny look, but he complied, and they sat back to study the screen. I scanned its contents. Names and numbers, all unfamiliar. Many of the names had scores higher than mine. “I’m not the highest. See that?”
“Just as I thought,” Jasper said. “Look.” He pointed.
“Deceased,” Kert read.
“Every person above you, Ametrine, has died in the last three years. Everyone except Vallorah.”
“Fates,” Kert breathed. “The empress has been killing off her competition.”
I looked from face to face, my vision fuzzy, trying to comprehend the situation. I wasn’t a red after all. Far from it. It made sense now why she’d been so reluctant to allow the Rating reconsideration. The last thing she wanted was for the Raters to look deeper into my score. Not before she could kill me, anyway.
“There’s got to be a way to reset this,” Jasper murmured. He stared hard at the screen, as if trying to change the numbers with his mind. “The nation needs to know that you’re the rightful ruler, and they need to find out quickly. If only I had my old system back, without the updates.”
A light on the side of the screen suddenly flashed, and the men froze.
“Uh-oh,” Kert said. “The lift just stopped at our floor.”
There was a soft buzz of vibration. I reached automatically for my techband before remembering it was gone. Kert flipped his techband screen open and angled it so we could see.
“Attention all personnel. Security alert lockdown still in place,” my father read. “Suspects: Ametrine Dowell, age sixteen. Jasper Frederick, age forty-three. Detain immediately if seen. Considered armed and dangerous.” He glanced at me. “So much for our escape.”
Heavy footsteps filled the hallway right outside the door. The soldiers had come straight here. I looked around, frantic, but the equipment lined the walls. There wasn’t a single place to hide.
Jasper pulled out the stunner I’d given him, but then his shoulders slumped. It was cracked.
I’d grabbed the wrong stunner.
The door burst open. A team of silver-clad soldiers filed in, their stunners trained on us, helmets covering their faces. We stood and threw our hands upward in surrender. Jasper stepped in front of me, protecting me from their view. Then the leading figure dropped his hand and pulled off his helmet.
36
I aimed my stunner at the first person I saw. A man, short and round, leaped up with his hands stretched to the sky. Another guy stood beside him, and a smaller figure hid behind them. A face peeked out and I exhaled in relief. Treena. She looked deathly pale and unsteady, but it was her. She was alive.
I lowered my weapon and pulled the helmet off. Her horrified expression turned into one of relief as she stumbled toward me. “Vance!”
I caught her in an embrace, then gave he
r companions a questioning look.
“They initiated punishment mode on her,” the graying man said. “I was able to cut the band off at the last moment.”
“And she’s walking around?” I said incredulously.
“Just a little zap,” she said with a weak smile. “How in the fates did you get away? And how did you find me?”
“The empress pretended to give me another chance. Instead, she sent a contingent down to exterminate us.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “The ventilation shaft?”
“Yeah. I took everyone who would come with me.” Once the unit had blown through the door, the fight hadn’t lasted long. Poly had ordered his team to surrender. The last thing I’d seen before escaping was a masked soldier gunning Poly down. My throat tightened.
“I can’t believe it. Why would they—” Her voice trailed off and her face paled. “Because of me, right? The empress did this because of me!”
“Don’t start. It had nothing to do with you. She’s been looking for an opportunity, and I gave it to her.”
She shook her head slowly. “You saw this coming. I thought you were just paranoid, with your special lock and the escape route.”
“If there’s one thing I learned from my father, it’s to be prepared for anything. Can you lean on me?”
“I’ll try.” She wrapped an arm around my waist and turned to face the two men still standing near a tall glass screen in the center of the room.
The older man had a strange look on his face. “The teacher?”
“Yep,” she said.
The graying man stepped closer to confront me head-on. “But that doesn’t explain how you found us, soldier.”
“A hunch, really.” I smiled down at Treena. “Our techbands have been lighting up with alerts about your escape. I knew you’d never leave without answers; we scoured the building for you, pretending to be on alert. Ross used to work here and suggested we try the maintenance room. It’s the only place besides the monitoring room where you can access personal records.”
“And I was right,” Ross said proudly. “About time you guys started listening to me.”
“I’m enjoyin’ the reunion so far. Really touching,” the other guy said, “but please get outta here. After someone stuns me already, ’cause they can’t know I helped you. This ain’t the best job in the world, but I’d like to keep it.”
“Right.” The older guy made a couple of quick keystrokes, then shut down the screen. “Thanks, friend.”
“Anytime.” They clasped hands. “Well, actually, please don’t come back. It’s bad for my tough-guy, tech-geek image, you know.”
The graying man smiled and stepped back. “Hopefully I’ll see you again soon.” He swiped the gun out of Neb’s hand before he could react and checked the setting. Then, with a practiced hand, he pulled the trigger. His friend collapsed to the ground. “May we meet again in better circumstances.” He gave the gun back to a surprised Neb. “Let’s go. But put Treena in the middle of the pack, boys. And give her a decent stunner, for fate’s sake.”
I raised an eyebrow, and Treena gave me a half smile. “My dad,” she said. “I’ll explain later.”
><><><><><><><
We didn’t have much time. Once the bodies in the bunker were identified and NORA realized we weren’t there, my group and I would be in big trouble. I had no doubt the empress would trigger our techbands as soon as she could. The only thing we had going for us was the fact that we were in the last place she’d expect—in the heart of enemy territory.
We made our way to the other end of the building, grouped in a pack of sweaty and nervous soldiers. Each hallway, each door was identical to the last. The office numbers were all that changed. I shook my head in disgust. It seemed NORA architects liked their government buildings just like their citizens.
Jasper insisted on staying near the front, mumbling something about repaying a debt. I had my arm around Treena’s waist. Despite the chalky color of her face and the way she winced with each step, she insisted on walking. At least she was alive. After maximum punishment mode, that was a miracle in itself.
“So where are we headed now?” Neb asked.
It was a good question. We’d already jammed all four lifts, which left two exits. Both led to stairwells and then to the ground floor, which was heavily monitored. I could only imagine how many soldiers were stationed there, all armed and aiming at the doors.
But we couldn’t wander inside much longer, either. With Treena and her dad in the group, our cover was blown. We had minutes left, if not seconds.
“I have an idea,” Treena said. She pulled away from me and leaned against the wall, looking like she would fall over any second. The rest of us flattened against the same wall, watching warily. We hadn’t run into any other patrols yet, but it was bound to happen soon. “They’ll be expecting us to escape underground, since that’s what we’re familiar with, or maybe to fight our way out on the ground floor.”
“What other option is there?” Daymond whispered.
“The exact opposite of what they expect,” I said, a realization dawning. “Brilliant, Treena.”
“What?” Jasper asked.
“We go up,” Treena said.
They stared at her like she’d just sprouted horns. Daymond shook his head. “That’s crazy. We might as well turn ourselves in right now.”
“There are wing suits in the choppers,” I reminded him. “We can use them to leap off the building. Their stunners won’t work well from that range, and their long-range artillery isn’t accurate enough. They’ll have to chase us by transport. With the darkness, it may buy us enough time to escape.”
The hallway was silent, the guys motionless. For a moment it seemed like time stood still. The first person to move, surprisingly, was Jasper. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” he muttered.
“I say we climb out a window,” Ross said, “and descend down the outside. They’re probably just gathered at the exits and not around the entire building.”
“That’s a huge risk,” I said, “and we don’t have the right equipment. Besides, they’ll be expecting that.”
The group was quiet again. Finally Daymond spoke up. “I say we try Treena’s plan.”
I nodded. “Everyone who agrees, show it.”
Daymond and Jasper put a fist to their chests. Ross stared at the floor. “I’d feel much better climbing down the outside.”
“It’s your choice,” Treena said. “Thank you for coming to help me. I really appreciate that.”
Ross looked at me. I shrugged. “EPIC is disbanded. I’m not your leader anymore. But if you really want to try it, use the north side. The alley has fewer lights and less room for soldiers, so you may have a chance. Just don’t jump until you hear them following us.”
“I’ll go with Ross,” Neb said, giving me a level stare. “We’ll split their attention and gunfire.”
I grasped his shoulder, both worried and relieved at the offer. “It’s been a pleasure. You are both excellent soldiers. I hope you can find a better life out there.”
“We’ll see you again soon,” Neb said, a look of fierce determination on his face.
“If you survive,” Ross said.
“Wait! Don’t go yet,” Jasper exclaimed, and we turned to him in surprise. “There’s one more thing we need to do.” He reached into his uniform’s deep pockets and pulled out his tool. It looked like a pair of scissors but had a strange vibration to it, almost like it was electric. He held it up triumphantly.
I knew what it was immediately—a techband cutter. The only way to remove a band without setting it off. I’d seen them before, but only the highest of officials were allowed to touch the things. They were extremely dangerous. If he didn’t know what he was doing, he’d set it off instead of removing it. I held my arm out. “Test it on me first.”
Jasper raised the tool, a look of intense concentration on his face. I winced internally when he sliced though the metal, but before I
knew it, the techband had been cut clean off. I caught it before it fell to the ground.
“Who’s next?” Treena’s father asked.
37
Our trip to the roof was a blur. We jogged—or stumbled, in my case—up the empty stairs and swung the door open slowly. Vance peeked out first, then signaled that the roof was clear. My mind was foggy, and I was shaking so badly I could barely walk. Was it the effects of the techband, or was it something else entirely? I let myself consider what we were about to do, and the anxiety nearly overcame me. Jump. Off a building. On purpose.
My mind went back to that fateful first day as an EPIC team member. This building had seemed so stately and grand, and I’d felt so small. My biggest worry then was failing a mission that had never truly existed in the first place.
But now I knew the truth. I was the successor. The empress knew that, and she wanted me dead. If I gave up now, she would succeed.
The question was, how would I tell Vance? It wasn’t like I could say, “Thanks for your help. Oh, and by the way, I’m supposed to take the empress’s place.” I couldn’t bear the disappointment I knew I would see in his eyes. Would he be disgusted? Would he refuse to help?
Of course not. Vance wasn’t like that. Ratings didn’t matter to him, so this new revelation wouldn’t change a thing.
I’ll tell him later, I promised myself. A surge of determination overcame my nervousness, and I straightened and followed the others.
It was dark and cool outside. Two shiny choppers sat in their places, probably the same ones we’d used before. Daymond touched the first one gently, as if caressing a loved one he’d never see again. I touched his arm. “Are you okay?”
He pulled away. “I’m fine.”
I tried again. “Thanks, Daymond, for coming back for me. It means a lot.”
“The empress has to learn that she can’t just kill people off.” He pounded his chest with a fist. “Especially this person.”
