Rogue (Convergence Series Book 1)

by S. A. Stephenson

  The barracks were dark when they arrived, Rook powered up her computer as Lil sat next to her. As Kit stood behind them, Evie paced as Rook loaded up the vial into the system.

  'Are you okay?' Kit asked.

  'If Cara knew something that we could use against Galen I'm not sure if she would have wanted to use it against her,' Evie said.

  'She was a loyalist?' Kit asked.

  'From birth,' Evie answered. 'But when she found out I was a mutant, she protected me.'

  'Maybe she learnt Galen wanted to kill you instead of her?' Kit asked tentatively.

  Evie didn't respond, she didn't know how to. She turned her attention back to Rook's computer screen and saw code run across the screen. Rook was furiously typing on the computer next to her, and they saw her bring up a second screen of code.

  'This code,' she indicated to the screen. 'Is the virus, the blood was taken from a friend who died from the plague,' Evie saw Lil place a comforting hand on her shoulder as Rook kept herself composed. 'I've matched this with the variations of the virus that we have on record and the code changes as it evolves. To cure the plague we need something that will stop it from changing. Then it can be broken down into something that we can treat. This vial of blood is from someone who grew up in the Shard, or surrounding prefectures and was mixed with mutant DNA.'

  'It belongs to me,' Evie said. 'Everyone who's processed in Volt is required to give a blood sample in the hope of finding a cure,' Evie said. 'They've not found a definite match yet.'

  'Because they don't want to find anything,' Kit said.

  'This is going to take a while,' Rook told them. 'My processors are slow and if we're detected using this system, we can be raided within an hour for breaking security policy.'

  'Do you have anything to monitor if they're tracking you?' Evie asked her.

  'I can write a piece of code but will need a cup of coffee and you should have a break,' Rook said. 'If this is a hit, then we can't hang around.'

  'An alert will be sent to Nox,' Lil said. 'And they'll have guards out here quicker than we'll be able to scramble.'

  'If it's a match, it'll mean that Cara thought you were the cure,' Kit said.

  Evie walked away and outside the building. When Kit followed her, she saw her resting against the wall. 'I should have gone with Jack,' she said. 'For years he's protected us against the reality of who we are and now that could all for nothing.'

  'You can't always be protected from the truth,' Kit said. 'And if you are the missing link, wouldn't you want to know?'

  'I've been trying to end the plague for years,' Evie told her. 'Spending hours in the lab, operating on victims and trying to find something that would cure people so we could fix this country and go back to how it used to be. My government has been working against me from day one, evolving the virus so that it could never be cured. They were using the plague as a way to create a totalitarian regime while making us think that there was going to be an end and we could return to normal, but we're so many years away from what was normal that I don't even know what that is.' Evie breathed heavily at the thought and Kit sat her down on one of the boxes and took hold of her hand. 'What are we fighting for? What's freedom? What's life supposed to be like?'

  'Come with me,' Kit said.

  They walked hand in hand down the main street of the Stacks. They kept to the side of the road and Evie saw people walking along the street, women with a shaved head and metal curls in place of hair, their eyes were bright green, and they had tentacles for hands. There was a man who looked like he had been crossbreed with a reptile. Evie saw them all, and she refused to look away. They were the prisoners she had seen in Volt, the dead victims she had observed in the lab, they were everything Day's government had created in the pursuit of creating the perfect human.

  Kit took them to the Mermaid Inn and found a booth away from the rest of the patrons. 'This is our version of normal,' Kit told her. 'If we're able to liberate Volt, then hundreds, thousands of people will be free for the first time in decades. We're forced to live in the shadows because there's no other place for us, but years ago America was known as a melting pot for everyone, times changed and the country went backwards, but I have to believe that we'll be able to create a community that doesn't have to hide away. The council are already working towards this, but there's only so much they can achieve.'

  'Galen believes that people aren't able to function outside of the law, if there's no rule then there'll be disorder,' Evie said. Kit took a moment, Evie had never lived beyond the wire, and she hadn't spent the earliest years of her life living freely, knowing what it was like to live free from a regime. 'We have a singular journalism outlet, the same reporter has been giving us news for years, alternative history books have been smuggled in and I've read what I've could but conceiving it is the challenge. If you think or say anything against Galen then you're killed, if you do anything against her ideology, then you're sent to a death camp. You're given such little freedom to think that when presented with the idea of what life could be like away from Volt, it's a challenge.'

  One of the waiters served them two glasses of water, Kit didn't notice that Adam wasn't working that night.

  'What do you imagine if you could create your own life?' Kit asked. Evie shifted in her seat, suddenly uncomfortable by the question. 'Nothing's going to happen to you if you share your answer.'

  Evie took a moment, she had thought about an alternative life for so long. She and Lux had often talked about what it would be like, mostly in secret whispers in the middle of the night. Evie always knew it was a fantasy, but Lux had believed it could be a reality. 'I have a little house on the outskirts of Volt,' she said. 'It overlooks the Ice Plains when the sun shines it can be pretty until I see the barbed wire in the distance. I dream, I dreamt, of life where there was no wire, where we could travel freely, have freedom of choice in occupation, marry and love whom we wish and a world where there was no plague killing people outside of Volt's borders. I dream of knowing who my parents were, if they're still alive, of Jack being able to be free from the confines of a military life. I dream of being able to control my abilities, have them accepted, so I don't have to hide them. I dream of others like us being able to be free, to be celebrated for what they've overcome because to live a life of an altered human is not a free life at all. I hope for a day when we have a President that celebrates all of us, believes in fair equality rather than personal gain. I dream of all of this and hope one day we can make it a reality.'

  When Evie finished, she didn't realize that the Inn had fallen quiet and the other patrons had been listening to her. Kit looked at them then back at Evie and smiled at her. 'That's what's possible if we win this war,' she said.

  Evie looked at the other patrons, and they raised their glasses to her in a brief acknowledgement, at that moment she felt the shackles of Volt fall away from her and for the first time she felt like she was one of them and able to fight for them.

  Chapter Sixteen

  KIT AND EVIE WALKED out of the Mermaid Inn and were greeted by a cool gentle breeze. Adam came round from the back ally carrying a barrel of beer when Kit saw him.

  Kit went over to him and Evie watched as they embraced and exchanged a brief conversation, Kit looked back to Evie and brought him over to and introduced them.

  'Adam's one of the originals in the Stacks,' Kit said. 'Got me out of a few jams when I first got here,' she said.

  'Sounds like you had a handful,' Evie joked awkwardly.

  'Could say that,' Adam said. 'But we're always welcoming to newcomers, particularly if they're willing to join the cause,' he said.

  Evie smiled as they fell into the pattern of small talk but as Adam spoke, she thought she could remember him from somewhere. 'Were you ever in Volt?' She asked suddenly.

  Adam hesitated. 'We all were at some point,' he said.

  'So you were?' Evie asked.

  'Adam was a prisoner,' Kit told her. 'He escaped from one of the camps wher
e he was born.'

  Evie sensed Kit was annoyed with the questioning, but Evie knew there was something else. 'Did you ever go to the government building?' She asked.

  'Why?' Adam asked, he scowled at her and she could sense growing anger radiating from him, so Evie relented from her questioning. 'I just thought I remembered you,' she said. 'I must have you confused with someone else.'

  'People who grew up in the camps weren't able to leave them,' Adam told her. 'As an official of the Empire though, you would know that.'

  'Former official,' Kit corrected. 'We need to get back,' she said, not wanting to navigate an argument between the two of them.

  'You know we still need to have dinner,' Adam noted.

  'I know,' Kit said. 'It's just busy,' she said.

  Adam nodded and gave Evie a sideways look. 'It usually is,' he said.

  'I'll stop by when I can,' Kit said. 'Things could get worse in the next few days, if you're able to get out of town, I would advise it.'

  'FSA?' Adam asked.

  'Nox,' Kit replied, and Adam seemed to know what she was referring to and Evie saw him become unnerved.

  'There are the safe houses,' he said. 'Gia and I can get people out if we need to.'

  'Good, go to Cerkis and enact Act Thirty Two,' Kit said. 'They'll be able to help you do the rest.'

  'Is it going to be serious this time?' day asked.

  'When is it not?' Kit asked dryly. 'Go now, I'll try and get word to you if I can but if not you know what you need to do,' she said.

  'Take care of yourself,' Adam said and hugged her. 'Make sure nothing happens to her,' he said to Evie.

  'Nothing will if I can help it,' Evie said.

  'Let’s go,' Kit said as she took Evie's hand, they began to walk back to the barracks and Kit glanced back at day trusting and hoping that he would survive.

  'What's Act Thirty Two?' Evie asked her.

  'It's an order that allows the council to evacuate the Stacks,' Kit said. 'If Rook's computer has generated a result it will be pinged to Nox's computer infrastructure.'

  'She's hacking into their mainframe?' Evie asked.

  'There are more DNA results on file in the mainframe than in her database,' Kit said. 'She has one strand of the virus on record but will be comparing your DNA to all the other strands that have been made known to the government. If there's something in the system, she'll find it.'

  'And if she doesn't?' Evie asked.

  'Then we'd better hope that she logs out of the mainframe before they catch her, cyber warfare is the greatest threat to Nox, so she's creating a huge risk,' Kit told her.

  'Where will the people here go if they're attacked?' Evie asked.

  'We have an underground network of safe houses,' Kit said. 'Gia knows the route better than anyone, she'll get people out.'

  'Gia, as in your ex?' Evie asked tentatively.

  Kit gave her a reassuring look. 'Long ago ex,' she said.

  They rounded the corner to the barracks and Kit heard a whir of helicopter propellers in the distance and stopped.

  'What's wrong?' Evie asked.

  'You don't hear that?' Kit asked. 'Concentrate. Drown out the other sounds and listen carefully,' she said. Evie stopped and looked around her, not entirely sure what she was trying to hear until she heard the faint whir. 'You have abilities,' Kit told her. 'It's time you start learning how to use them against those who gave them to you.'

  'That's a helicopter,' Evie said.

  'We've not got long before it gets here,' Kit said. 'It means Rook has found something.'

  They headed into the building and saw Rook pacing nervously by the computer. Lil was raiding the arsenal and stocking up on ammunition.

  'Any update?' Kit asked.

  Rook looked up at them and went over to Evie. 'Your DNA,' she said. 'It's quite remarkable.'

  Evie wasn't sure how to respond. 'Thanks?' She said.

  'I don't think that was a compliment,' Kit noted and they followed Rook to the computer.

  'Your DNA is so complex it's matching the code in numerous strands of the virus makeup,' Rook said. 'The virus has evolved through genetic manipulation and your DNA has been fueling its growth.'

  'How?' Evie asked quietly.

  'Did you ever have to give regular blood samples in Volt?' Rook asked.

  'Every six months,' Evie said. 'They'd draw blood and give us continuous immunizations to protect us from any residual virus that could be in the corpses we worked on.'

  'They were drawing your blood and infecting you with the virus at the same time,' Rook said. 'Your DNA has evolved to become neutral with the virus.'

  Kit hoped she did her best to look surprised. 'Did you ever have any symptoms of the virus?' She asked her.

  Evie tried to recall back to the months when she sat in the sterilized room for her regular check-up. The masked doctor injected her each time in the same place. Afterwards, she would feel dizzy and Jack would be extra cautious around her. Her hearing would heighten, she would be able to see across the Plains further than before and in the last few years, she could make objects move more and more. Her abilities were always felt more in tune and in control before she had her injections, then last for a few days before they'd disappear again.

  'Evie?' Kit asked.

  'What month is it?' Evie asked.

  'March,' Kit replied as she went round to Rook's desk. 'Why?' Evie placed a pen pot in front of her and looked at it. 'Now's not the time to be admiring stationery,' Kit said.

  'Just watch,' Rook said, then looked up at Evie. 'Go on,' she said.

  'Jack always stopped me from using my abilities,' Evie explained. 'I wanted to try and use them, but if you were found with any powers and worked for the government, then you would be sent to one of the camps,' As Evie focused on the pencil pot she could see it start to move. 'As such, I never freely got practice my abilities,' she said and the pencil pot flew across the room. 'Over time I naturally stopped trying, until the night Kingsley attacked the Institute.' Evie looked at Kit despondently. 'I was responsible for those people dying,' she said. 'Not Kingsley.'

  A hush fell over the room and they looked at Evie the way she had felt most of her life. Like she was a freak, something abnormal. It's what Jack had been trying to protect her from for years but now part of her didn't care. If she was able to do something that would work towards their advantage, then she didn't see how that could be a bad thing.

  There was a series of beeps on the computer that distracted their attention. Rook quickly scanned the data and tried to make sense of it. 'She's a match,' she said quietly. 'Evelyn's DNA can break the code of the virus.'

  'She's the key,' Lil said quietly. 'After all these years, there might finally be an end.'

  Evie was surprised. 'Jack knew all along,' she said in a whisper. 'He didn't just tell me to hide what I can do because it could get me killed, he told me to hide my abilities because he knew it could be a cure.'

  'Why would he do that?' Lil asked.

  'Because if anyone found out, it would have meant they would have killed her,' Kit said. 'And if they've found out now then they're still going to kill you. Rook, did they track the mainframe?' She asked.

  Rook had already begun typing new commands into the computer. 'I'm trying to wipe all the data,' she said. 'But their computers can detect anyone who's in their system for too long and if there are helicopters on the way here, then they've found us.'

  'We need to leave,' Kit said.

  'And go where?' Evie asked.

  'Just get your things,' Kit told her.

  'I've got guns ready,' Lil said as Evie went to gather a few things.

  Kit turned to her with a look that made Lil's heart sink. 'We have to go alone,' she said. 'If Evie's the cure, then they will stop at nothing till they get her, I can't risk losing you in that fight.'

  'We're part of that fight anyway,' Lil argued. 'We always have been.'

  'This is different,' Kit said. 'I need to get Evie to Fort Isa, the
y'll know what to do.'

  'You're going back to the FSA?' Lil asked.

  'They're the next safest place outside of the Stacks,' Kit told her. 'Evans has been begging me to go for years, he's finally getting his wish.'

  'You said you would never go to him,' Lil said, remembering their hushed conversations years ago about the man who led the group of rebels.

  'Volt made him who he was, if anyone can give us sanctuary until we know what we do next, it'll be him,' Kit said. 'Which is why you can't come and need to get to a safe house, find Adam, he's working with Gia, and they’ll be able to get you out.'

  'Great,' Lil said. 'I get to spend time with your crazy ex,' she muttered as Evie joined them.

  'It hopefully won't be for long,' Kit said and was about to try and say something comforting when the first bombs began to drop on the Stacks.

  The bombs shook the barracks. Kit grabbed onto Evie as she tried to steady her balance. 'Go,' she ordered Kit and Rook. 'Get to a safe house, we'll be in touch,' she said.

  Kit could tell Lil wanted to argue with her so desperately. The two hadn't been apart since Kit had first arrived in the Stacks and Lil had always been her second in command, but she knew how to follow an order.

  'C'mon,' she said to Rook, who gave them all a confused look but didn't waste time in following Lil out of the back door of the barracks. Kit grabbed a few of the guns that were fully charged and led them through the front and over to the truck that was parked. They jumped into the seats when they saw the jets fly over, guided by a black helicopter. Evie looked up trying to see the pilot. She saw it was one of Volt's vehicles. She was almost certain Hawk was behind the attack.

  Kit hit the gas pedal and the truck sped through the streets and in a direction Evie hadn't been before. The planes were following them now and had opened fire. Evie grabbed one of the guns and pushed the controls to its on position and saw the lights flare up into its fully charged mode. She turned in her seat and aimed. Bullets ricocheted off the plane but made no impact. Evie fired again, this time clipping the wings and causing a dent, it began to swerve in the sky but was still mobile. Evie felt a pulse run through her mind and she focused her sight on the plane. Kit felt the car speed up without her control and in the rear-view mirror, she saw the jet come crashing down behind them. She looked behind her quickly and saw the devastation.