Fractured Futures

by SY Thompson

  “Yes, there are two at each side of the building.”

  Not so good, she thought. Someone could easily spot them if they just went out a door or through an opening in the metal walls.

  She scanned the area and noticed another possibility.

  “What about that ladder?” She pointed at it with her chin.

  Franz shrugged but before he could answer, Olga chimed in. The woman spoke with a slightly nasal accent but was very clear. “It leads to a trapdoor in the ceiling. I haven’t been through it, but I assume it leads to the roof.”

  Sidney raised her eyebrow for more information and wasn’t disappointed when the wiry girl said, “We weren’t all as gullible as Franz here. This is the big, bad world where nasty things happen.”

  “So, why did you continue with the plan if you didn’t trust Kinsky completely?”

  Olga just looked at her for a second before responding. “When you decide to make a difference, sometimes you have to take a chance. Germany is worth taking the chance.”

  Sidney couldn’t argue with that. She felt the same way about the United States and she was sure the others did as well. With that in mind, she decided to focus on the present. “Let’s hope the ladder doesn’t lead to a ventilation shaft. I need all of you to choose a side and keep watch for the guards.”

  For a moment, the others just stared back at her and then Olga nodded once and walked away. The men followed her lead and Sidney thought perhaps they just needed someone to take control of the situation that wasn’t blindly willing to wait for fate to rescue them. She didn’t know if she was the right choice to be leader, but someone had to take the initiative and it might as well be her. She began to climb the ladder. A quick look at her wristwatch told her they didn’t have much time left. Kinsky and his thugs would probably show up within the hour and she intended to be long gone by then.

  RONAN NEEDED A way in that wouldn’t attract too much attention. She thought about the problem while she drove toward the warehouse district on Sixth Street and an idea occurred to her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go to the office to get the city plans so she reached in her pocket and pulled out her cellular phone. The one person she could always count on, for a price, was Schultz. She dialed the number she had for him and left a brief message on his message mail before she hung up to wait for a reply. If he were willing to help her, the return call would come quickly. Thirty seconds passed and she began to worry that he wouldn’t call. A full minute went by and she began to chant, “Come on, come on...”

  When she had finally decided that she was on her own and prepared to storm the office for the much-needed plans, her phone rang. She checked the caller display and let out a whoop of relief.

  “What took so long?” she asked by way of greeting.

  “I wasn’t sure I wanted the job.”

  “And now you are?”

  “For a price.”

  “That goes without saying,” she said sharply. Ronan tried to remember that she needed his help and forced herself to adopt a slightly friendlier tone. “I need the plans for the city’s water reclamation system but things have changed. I’ll come by there to pick everything up including the papers I talked to you about earlier. Do you have them yet?”

  “Demanding thing, aren’t you?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

  “Schultz, this is no laughing matter. Something has happened to a friend of mine and I need that stuff. If you get it for me earlier than planned there’ll be a nice bonus in it for you.”

  “Well, you certainly know the way to my heart.” Then he relented in the face of promised monetary compensation. “I already have the papers so you can come by now if you want. At least I don’t have to go down there. I’ll have you know that’s a full hour and a half earlier than you requested. As for the plans, that’s child’s play. I’ll have them before you get here.”

  “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  Ronan hung up without waiting for a response and turned the squad car toward the slums. Without the delays of public transportation or the congestion of heavier traffic common to the outer areas of the city, she made better time than expected. Ronan drove straight up into the alley five minutes ahead of schedule. She had started to fidget in her seat while Schultz waited the full amount of the allotted time before he stepped out of the shadows. He had a smarmy grin on his thin face and Ronan knew he had waited on purpose.

  “Damn it, man, I told you it was an emergency,” she growled as she got out of the car and slammed the door.

  “I thought you were kidding, trying to make it sound more important than it was so I would hurry.”

  “Argh.”

  She thrust a wad of cash into his hand and he passed her a folder stuffed with blueprints and then another smaller envelope. She assumed those were Sidney’s papers and took a quick look to verify that they would pass inspection. He had outdone himself and she was impressed. If she didn’t know better, she would swear the papers were authentic.

  “These are the blueprints to the water reclamation system?”

  “Yes, I took the liberty of placing the blueprints for the area around the warehouse district on top.”

  Something in his voice made her look up at him. When their eyes met, she realized he knew exactly what she was up to. Or did he just hope? “You’re part of the resistance.”

  Her comment indicated certainty and he couldn’t deny the charge. To her surprise, his cheeks colored. “I deal with you, Detective Lee, because you are one of the few members of the police force who has a conscience. Anyone with moral fiber would know that this public execution is wrong. Since you want blueprints of the underground runoff systems, I can only assume that you are planning a rescue. If that’s true, I would be willing to help you...no charge.”

  Ronan felt tears prick the corners of her eyes and suppressed them with effort.

  “Thank you, but I think it would be easier with fewer people involved.”

  Schultz nodded. “Good luck. I hope to see you again.”

  Ronan drove directly toward the warehouse district. She parked the squad car amid some dumpsters behind an abandoned factory and took a second to look at the dilapidated façade. Vandals had broken out windows long ago and the entire structure resembled a burnt-out husk. She was tempted to question why they continued to fight then remembered smoke-gray eyes and a quirky smile. That was enough, she decided. Sidney was enough.

  A quick glance at the dashboard clock reminded her that she was on borrowed time. Ronan jumped out of the car with the city plans in hand. She checked them again and looked around the area before she headed west. Within minutes, she found what she needed. At first glance, the small shed looked like a gardener’s storage facility but there were no gardens in this area of steel and concrete. A sign hung on the metal door that remained in good enough condition to look out of place.

  Berlin Water Reclamation System

  Public Utilities Commission

  Ronan wasn’t about to crawl through human waste but the reclamation system was another story. Berlin received so much rain that city engineers devised a method to direct the runoff to the river instead of flooding the streets. The system employed huge concrete tunnels that ran beneath the city. With the right plans and a little luck you could get anywhere in Berlin without seeing the sky.

  She had the plans, now she needed a little luck.

  An expensive, heavy-duty padlock secured the door to prevent anyone from entering the tunnels but Ronan’s laser made short work of that. A quick glance assured her that no one else was around to see her and she pulled the door carefully closed behind her. The shed was small, little more than camouflage for a ladder that led straight down. The phrase “depths of hell” flitted through her mind but she pushed it resolutely away.

  Ronan’s feet landed in two inches of water. Berlin had received a steady drizzle for the last twenty-four hours, but she wasn’t surprised to find the water so low. The automated reclamation system preve
nted flooding and once the water rose to a certain level, it would trigger a switch to release the gates. No doubt, as she wandered farther into the system, there would be deeper areas.

  Lights ran the length overhead, interspersed by manhole covers at regular intervals. Ronan guessed the lights were for maintenance personnel should the need arise. She ignored the eerie echo of her own waterlogged footsteps and set off down the tunnel. Her sneakers squished unpleasantly and she was glad there had been an entrance so close to her objective. She only had four blocks to go before she needed to leave the labyrinth. Then she would exit through a manhole cover at the rear of the warehouse.

  The sound of rushing water echoed louder and she stopped to check the blueprints. A junction of converging tunnels lay directly ahead, which accounted for the deafening roar. When she walked into the juncture, she couldn’t help her gasp of apprehension. Water flooded into the center of a huge collection reservoir fed by five adjacent tunnels. A flood marker stood in the center of the pool and Ronan noted that the water lapped at the six-foot line. Since the marker only reached eight feet, it was safe to assume the trigger would activate soon.

  A suspended catwalk ran over the top of the raging water and she shuddered at how narrow it was. It was no wonder the city automated this system. Otherwise, people would drown every day.

  “Damn, the things I do for love.”

  Ronan swiped a hand over her face, swallowed nervously, and climbed a small flight of steps onto the catwalk. She clutched the whisper-thin strands of chain that were a poor imitation of a safety rail and pinned her eyes on her destination. Though it was only a short distance, she panted as if she’d run a marathon by the time she reached the end. She looked back at the water and wiped at the sweat that pearled on her upper lip. If she had fallen into that torrent, she wouldn’t have been able to fight the undertow.

  Ronan turned around and walked down the tunnel. Three manhole covers later, she reached her exit. A slippery ladder attached to the wall was the only way out. Ronan stepped carefully onto the rungs and began to climb toward the surface. Her wet sneakers slipped a little on the rusty ladder but she soon reached the top. Daylight filtered through the holes around the cover and she looked through them to survey the area as best she could. Unable to really see anything, she looked down at her watch. It was 2:20 and the Black Guard would be there for Sidney and the others very soon.

  Ronan climbed to the highest rung so that her body scrunched up between the ladder and the metal cover. She would need leverage to lift the heavy disc, built to withstand the weight of a two-ton truck. Properly braced, she put both hands and shoulders against the cover and pushed. It refused to budge at first and she resisted the urge to grunt under the strain. When it finally came free, it shrieked loud enough to wake the dead and she felt like her muscles would shred.

  She froze and cursed a blue streak in her head, worried she’d alerted a nearby lookout. When nothing happened, she lifted again and was able to peer under the edge for at least half of the perimeter. She couldn’t turn around to check the other side as her abilities hadn’t evolved to the point where she could stand on thin air. It didn’t matter though. The Guard wasn’t typically subtle. If they were around or knew she was here, they already would have pounced.

  She strained hard and lifted until the heavy disc finally slid free. Then she pushed it over until there was just enough room for her to scoot out of the tunnel. Ronan left the manhole cover where it was. They would use the tunnels to escape and there was no sense wasting time by moving the heavy thing back and forth.

  Ronan darted for the side of an adjacent building to give her a vantage point where she could scope out the warehouse. A guard was supposed to be on duty behind the building, but now he stood near the far corner with another man. Apparently, the sentries had grown bored and decided a little chitchat wouldn’t hurt anything. With his back to her, she took the opportunity to get out of the tunnels unseen. Now she had to figure out how to free the prisoners.

  The roof was likely the best bet. The structures here sat closely together but she didn’t know the condition of the people inside. If anyone inside was injured, they would hardly be able to leap from one rooftop to another. The first objective was to get inside.

  A heavy fire escape clamped into the wall next to her and she climbed it silently. If it weren’t for the squish and slide of her socks inside the wet shoes, she might even have been comfortable. At least blisters weren’t life threatening.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  SIDNEY POUNDED AGAINST the ceiling in frustration. There was an escape hatch as she had hoped, but it locked from the outside. Short of a blowtorch, there was nothing else she could do from here. There had to be a way out of the building, but if not the roof then what? The concrete floor presented little hope and guards occupied all sides of the warehouse.

  “Why does it always have to be hard?” She walked over to the steps and started to climb down when there was a commotion from below.

  “They’re coming,” Olga told her.

  Sidney saw the young band of rebels huddled together in fear near the center of the structure. She was scared too and looked quickly at her watch. It was 2:36. Where was Ronan? She’d saved Sidney’s life repeatedly in the other time line and showed up every time a cat was stuck in a tree. On the heels of that thought, Sidney heard a loud clank from overhead.

  Finally.

  “Sidney, are you down there? Can you hear me?”

  “Yes, we’re here.”

  Sidney ran back toward the sound of her lover’s voice. Ronan lay on the roof of the building with only her head and shoulders stuck through the open hatchway. The laser pistol in her hand where she braced against the edge told Sidney how she’d managed to open the small, square door.

  “It’s about time. They’re coming for us.”

  Ronan smiled at the testy tone. “Nice to see you, too, honey. Now why don’t you get the others and let’s get out of here?”

  Engines reverberated loudly outside from a motorcade and Sidney ran back to the edge of the stairs. The rebels hadn’t moved and looked more like a frightened band of children. There wasn’t time to tell them that everything would be all right and Sidney wasn’t so sure she believed that anyway.

  “Get up here,” she said instead. “We have a way out.”

  Four heads turned to look at her and then the kids ran for the stairs. Sidney waited and urgently gestured for them to hurry. The vehicle brakes squeaked to a halt outside and then the engines shut off. As they neared the top of the steps, Sidney turned and ran back toward Ronan. A metal ladder attached to the wall showed the way out and she didn’t waste time as she leaped onto it. Sidney climbed as quickly as she could with the others so close behind that they bumped into her. Ronan grabbed her by the arm and helped her through the small aperture and then the others in turn.

  “Follow me,” Ronan said in a loud whisper.

  Sidney followed her example and bent over to run along the rooftop. She didn’t know if it would help to make a smaller target by hunching over, but it certainly couldn’t hurt. A fire escape was Ronan’s destination and she quickly led the way down. Just as Ronan put her foot onto the metal rung, Sidney heard a shout of alarm from inside the building.

  “They know we’re gone.”

  Ronan worriedly met her eyes. “Hurry.”

  The small band scaled down the ladder to the ground. Ben Crowder brought up the rear, and was in such a hurry that he slipped a few feet from the bottom, and fell the rest of the way to the ground. Sidney heard him land with a thud and turned back to help the young man.

  “Ben, are you all right?”

  She crouched next to him with a hand on his shoulder. Footsteps pounded on the ground and she heard commands shouted in German as Kinsky deployed his people.

  “Twisted my knee.”

  “Can you make it?”

  Ben shot a look over his shoulder at the alternative. “I’d better.”

  He str
uggled to stand up and Sidney slid an arm around his waist. Ronan appeared on the other side and took most of the weight from her.

  “Come on,” Ronan urged. “It’s not far.”

  Sidney looked around, but didn’t see the “it” Ronan mentioned.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Just trust me and run.”

  It wasn’t like her to be so short, but under the circumstances Sidney wasn’t about to argue.

  “Halt!”

  Sidney turned and recognized Kinsky from the news footage she had seen earlier. He was alone for now and hot on their heels.

  Ronan tugged on Ben from the other side, urging them all into the middle of the street. “Get in.”

  Seeing the open manhole cover, Sidney didn’t stop to question her instructions. All she could think of was out of sight, out of mind. The others had already started to climb down the slippery ladder, but she had to help Ben into the tunnel. Behind her, Ronan dropped to one knee and laid down cover fire with her laser. Kinsky dove behind a dumpster just in time to avoid a well-aimed blast.

  The injured rebel crawled down the tunnel with Sidney right behind him. As soon as she cleared the edge of the utility hole, she shouted up to Ronan to let her know they were clear. A second later, Ronan scooted into the tunnel. In her haste, her foot scraped against

  Sidney’s forehead, causing her to flinch. When she did, the side of her head thudded against the tunnel wall. Sidney shook off the sharp pain and slid down the ladder. She had made room for Ronan barely in time as a ruby lance of light from Kinsky’s weapon hit the wall where she’d just been.

  At the bottom of the stairs, they grabbed onto Ben again and Ronan urged them down the tunnel.

  “How’s your knee?” Olga asked from up ahead.

  “I’m fine,” Ben grunted through clenched teeth. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “She’s not worried about you, she’s worried about us. You’re going to slow us down.” Franz’s tone was sarcastic and Sidney thought it was also more than a little self-indulgent.