"What's that?"
"Get me the pass codes for all the exits on the base."
Anais recoiled at the request. "And you call me the spy?"
"Chill," Sibylla said. "I just like to roam around the base at night. You know, check out the scene."
"Okay, first of all, I know you're full of it because I roam the base at night. And secondly, that's some dangerous stuff right there. We could be shot on site for that."
"Fine," Sibylla said, turning around to leave. "Let's go back then.” But before she could take a single step, Anais caught her by the arm.
"Alright," Anais said. "But if we get caught, I'm telling them it was your idea."
Sibylla grinned. "Deal."
Glancing back at the Data Center, Sibylla was filled with a familiar rush of excitement that she hadn't felt in months. It felt good to be bad, to defy the rules, to be a rebel. And breaking into the Nest's main frame was just the thing she needed to release her stress.
"So, when do we go in?" Anais asked.
"Tonight."
Anais looked at her in surprise. "But I still don’t have the schematics. Not to mention a plan.”
"Don't need it,” Sibylla said, dismissing it with the wave of a hand.
"But how do you expect us to get in?”
"Oh, we're getting in alright," Sibylla assured, glancing up at the building's roof with a smile. "Just not through the front door."
28
Dallas
The vent was long and cramped, hampered by the reek of heated plastic and rubber wires. Everywhere they turned, they found themselves at some perilous point; a dead end, an endless pathway—all of which seemed to cause a sense of panic. Sibylla hadn't felt this happy in months.
"Are we almost there yet?” Anais asked. She'd been crawling behind Sibylla for the past half-hour, trailing only inches away from her.
"Just a couple of more feet."
"Good," Anais replied. "Because my knees are killing me, and I've never stared at a girl's ass for this long."
Sibylla halted as they reached one of the panels. The surface was cool, and there was a subtle vibration underneath. Lifting it up, she peaked inside. It was empty. Good, she thought, giving Anais a thumb's up.
The room was dark and cold. Along the walls were stacks of servers housed within metal frames. In the center of the room was a rounded control panel, where Anais quickly took her seat and began to work.
"Hey," Sibylla said, halting the Redhead with a hand to the shoulder. "First thing's first, remember?"
Rolling her eyes, Anais reached into her boot and pulled out what appeared to be a nail drive.
It was against Eagle regulation to bring in any outside technology. But apparently, the Redhead had been crafty enough to hide it when they confiscated her data scroll at the beginning.
Sinking it into one of the drive ports, she began to access the server, ripping the access codes and copying them to the drive. When she was done, she removed it from the port and handed it to Sibylla. "Don't ever say I didn't give you anything."
Sibylla marveled at the translucent device no larger than a piece of scotch tape and smiled. "Don't worry, I won't."
With Sibylla's stuff out of the way, Anais could focus on her mission. She activated the console with the push of a button and Sibylla saw a wall of holographic monitors flicker before them.
"Now," Anais said, cracking her knuckles in preparation. "Time to get what I came for."
Sibylla watched in amazement as Anais hacked into the Data System's Network. She was like an eight-legged octopus as she tapped the holographic command prompts, skipping and searching, swiping away the ones she wanted, partitioning the ones she didn’t—all without even having to look.
When she found one in particular—an image of a leveled city—she quickly enlarged it with her hands and leaned across the console to study it. "I never told you where I was from," she said.
Sibylla moved alongside her, transfixed by the startling image. She saw smoke-covered streets, crumbled buildings, a hazy sky. The city was unmistakable.
"I'm from Dallas," Anais said.
A chill ran up Sibylla's spine as she stared at her. Was she telling her the truth? Was it possible? How could it be? Everyone who'd lived in that city had been killed in the nuclear explosion, wiped away in an unexpected blast.
"How's that possible?" Sibylla asked.
"Because I was out of town when it happened. But my family…they weren't as lucky."
Sibylla turned back to the image, remembering the grim story behind it. The city had been destroyed by two brothers, members of an Islamic terrorist group who’d smuggled a mini-nuclear device into the city.
The blast had been unexpected, a pulse of nuclear rage that blanketed the city under a flash of blinding light. People vanished. Buildings were disintegrated. All that was left were the shadows of where people had once stood and the lingering radiation that warded off any visitors.
"After the attack, I moved in with my grandmother," Anais said, as she cycled through the images. She zoomed in, zoomed out, panned to the side, inspecting every picture with a flashing glance that left Sibylla dizzy.
It was so alien to Sibylla, to see someone drudge up the past like that. For her, the memory of her father's death had been something she'd kept hidden, a past she’d fought to forget.
"Why?" Sibylla finally asked. "Why put yourself through all this pain? Why rehash all these old memories?"
"Because they're not real."
Sibylla frowned. "Of course, they're real. Why wouldn't they be?"
"Because there was no bomb. That's what they wanted you to believe. Look." She zoomed in on one of the photos, and Sibylla saw a tiny smudge in the corner.
"What is that?" Sibylla asked.
"It's an electronic snafu."
"You mean, they doctored the photos?"
"Yep. And it was a good job, too. If it weren't for months of pixel erosion and frame deconstruction, I would've never noticed it."
Sibylla stepped back in horror, reeling in confusion. Why? she thought. Why cover this all up? What could've happened in Dallas that was so important that they needed to hide this? Had the city even been destroyed?
"This is why I'm here," Anais said. "So, that I could access the network and find out what really happened to my family."
"And can you?" Sibylla asked.
"Let's find out." Anais closed the file and returned to the home screen, where she began typing in script. The stylish interface then suddenly disappeared, and a black page with simple green writing took its place.
Sibylla watched closely as a list of files appeared on the left-hand side. They were labeled with alphanumeric codes—complex numbering systems that spoke more to the mind of an AI rather than to an actual person. But amongst this mountain of data, Sibylla was struck to find one that she'd seen before, the one she and Dillon had discovered on the server at the Hive, the one titled, Messenger.
"That one!" Sibylla said, pointing toward the screen.
Anais clicked on the file, and a security clearance log-in screen appeared. Sighing in frustration, she tried it again, only to be stifled with the same result. "Damnit, this must be what I've been looking for."
Sibylla stared at the screen in silence, pained by the fact that they were being blocked from entering. "I guess the security's too tough, huh?"
"It's always too tough," Anais conceded, only to turn around and add with a grin, "At first."
Sibylla snorted. "So…where were you when the attack supposedly happened?"
"I was at Convergence," Anais answered absently as she continued to work.
"Convergence?"
"Yeah, it's a convention for hackers."
"I know what Convergence is," Sibylla said. "My boyfriend used to talk about it sometimes. He never went, though. He liked to keep his distance."
"The same boyfriend you killed?" Anais asked, shooting Sibylla a wink.
Sibylla blushed. It was so ridiculo
us what she'd done; announcing to everyone on the transport that she'd killed her boyfriend.
"What was his name?" Anais asked.
"Dillon."
Anais stopped, spun around and shot Sibylla a blank stare. "Your boyfriend wouldn’t by any chance be Dillon Sapien, would he?"
Sibylla blushed.
"Oh my God…that guy's a legend!"
"He's alright, I guess," Sibylla dismissed with a shrug, trying to downplay the notoriety. But secretly she loved it.
"No, seriously," Anais continued. "We used to talk about him like he wasn't real, like he was some computer god who could break into any system he wanted. Amazing…. So, where's he now?"
"I don't know," Sibylla said, her gaze falling to the floor. It was painful to speak about him, especially in the past tense. It meant that things had ended between them, even if she believed that there was a chance that they could meet again. The truth was, at that moment, they were apart.
"It's okay," Anais assured. "Relationships sucks. Take it from me."
Sibylla glanced at her, watching as the Redhead switched images. She could only imagine the problems she'd faced in the past, the rejection, the danger. "Is that why you won't tell Tayshaun?"
Anais's fingers suddenly stopped, and her gaze lowered, the bleakness of the images before her strangely mirroring the look on her face. "No," she said.
"Why then?"
"Because he'd hate me."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do," Anais said. "They always do. Besides, there's only a couple of weeks left of training. After that, based on how much Russia's been stockpiling their weapons, we'll ship out soon after. Might as well enjoy the time we have left before we die."
"But isn't that like lying to him?" Sibylla asked.
"Maybe it is," Anais conceded. "But I'd rather have him remember me as the person I am, rather than the person I was forced to be."
Sibylla sighed. If this was the way she wanted to play it, that was her prerogative. All Sibylla could do was offer her friendship. "Well, if you need me…."
"Thanks," Anais said, looking up at Sibylla. "I mean that."
Sibylla spun around, hearing the dreadful sound of boots marching in the hallway, and her heart began to race in fear. "They're coming," she whispered.
Anais hurried to log off the computer, while Sibylla reached for the opened panel in the ceiling. Lifting herself up, she reached for Anais and, with one strong tug, pulled her up. As quickly as they could, they lowered the panel back into place, cutting it so close that they could see the tops of the soldiers' heads as they entered into the room.
"Are you sure you heard someone?" one of the guards asked, his voice rough and deep.
"Pretty sure," the other guard answered.
Sibylla slowed her breath as she waited. They needed to be absolutely quiet. Glancing across from her, she found Anais holding her breath as well.
"Keep looking," the guard said. "And start with the vents."
29
The Codes
Sibylla peered into the floating smoke, listening to the low growls in the distance. They were getting stronger now, more feral, like the painful moan of a tortured beast. Tunnels of smoke swirled around her, while dark shapes ghosted in and out of view. Up ahead, she heard a noise and lifted her head, watching as something very large and very fast slipped past her.
The holographic modules had been growing harder by the day. No longer a basic exercise that pitted Sibylla against regular soldiers, but a struggle for her life against imposing enemies.
At first, Atra had pit her against ancient samurai, then savage Vikings. When she'd finally reached a level of adequacy, he moved her up to robotic ninjas. It was as if he was trying to rush her through the process, a strategy that she didn't understand, particularly since they were leaving so soon.
Sibylla flinched as she heard something to her left. It was getting closer now, thumping around her like a stumbling giant. Taking a breath, she tried to relax. But there it was again. Ugh, she thought, wishing it would finally appear. Spinning around, she saw a pair of sharp horns cutting through the smoke, followed by a pair of black eyes. It was a bull, she realized, her breath suddenly catching in her throat.
Out of all the animals, bulls scared her the most. They were big beasts, with a propensity to fight. Sibylla had seen one years ago on the Internet, where it ran through the streets of Spain, chasing after a crowd of frightened onlookers, eventually impaling a man through the gut. She'd never forgotten it.
The bull charged at her with lowered horns, crossing the distance in a matter of seconds. When it finally reached her, she rolled into the attack, swinging her blade to the side and slicing through the bull with ease.
It moaned out in pain as the top half of its body was peeled away, lifting into the air, where, along with the rest of its body, it quickly evaporated into a shower of pixels.
Another quickly appeared. It came at her from the opposite side, barreling through the smoke like a nightmare. Sibylla reset her feet and raised her blade, waiting for her chance to strike.
When it reached her, she jumped into the air, somersaulting over its body and slicing through the back of its neck. The bull fell with a thud, and she heard the digital crinkle of pixels falling apart behind her. It was over.
Gotcha, Sibylla thought with a proud smirk. Her skills as a bladesman had greatly improved. She didn't tremble as much as before, and her footwork was more balanced. Feeling accomplished, she sheathed her blade and smiled.
But her victory was cut short as she caught sight of something in the distance. Unsheathing her blade, she waited.
Searching through the smoke, her stomach turned as she saw that there was another bull. Usually, Atra liked to throw in a surprise at the end, a bonus lesson that was like a kick in the butt. But as Sibylla examined the beast more closely, noting its frightening size, she quickly realized that it was more than just an extra enemy.
As large as a car, the menacing beast traipsed forward on clanking hooves, stopping only a few yards away from where Sibylla stood. There was something different about this one, she sensed, noticing the way it calmly idled. It was as if it was thinking, stalling as it formulated a strategy. It wasn't the first time that she’d dealt with an enemy who could think. But when it lifted its head, and she saw a pair of red eyes flickering through the smoke like flames, she knew she was in trouble.
Sibylla readied her blade as it charged out at her, racing with incredible force. Like the wind, it moved. And like the wind it was sudden. Sibylla winced as one of its horns tore through her shoulder, sending a jolt of electricity through her body that nearly knocked her out. Turning around, she glared at the bull in anger.
Animals this big and fast were prisoners to their own momentum, she knew. They couldn't rebound as fast as lighter animals, and their coordination was impeded by clumsiness. Yet, the bull came back like a boomerang, charging at her with noticeable determination.
Sibylla stumbled back and lifted her blade. But the bull came at her like a fighter, swinging its horns like they were a pair of swords, slashing and stabbing, swinging and parrying, doing its best to knock her off balance and stab her in the chest.
But Sibylla deflected each attack, causing pixels to flicker off the bull's horns. Eventually, though, the attack was too much, and she fell onto her back, quickly shutting her eyes in horror as one of the bull's horns drove for her heart.
When nothing happened, Sibylla opened her eyes, relieved to find that bull was gone. Slowly, the lights of the dome returned, and a loud clap rang through the air.
"Congratulations!" Atra called out, striding toward her with a smirk on his lips. He was in a bodysuit and his hair was tied up into a knot, revealing the gorgeous face and stunning blue eyes that she’d been thinking about more and more lately. "You're about as bad as you were yesterday."
Even after all this time, the countless hours of sparring in the Dome, the numerous moments he'd touched her hand an
d stared into her eyes, she still hadn't gotten used to the sight of him. Her only defense was being a bitch. "Shut up," she said. "And stop being a jerk."
He laughed. "Oh, come now. You can't be upset. What determination! What bravado!"
"I should stop teaching you English," Sibylla said. "You're getting too good at it."
He shrugged. "What can I say? You're a good teacher."
"Still need to work on your accent, though," she shot back.
"And you still need to work on your emotions."
Sibylla rolled her eyes.
"Now, tell me," he said. "What happened out there?"
"There were too many of them!" Sibylla blurted out in frustration. "It wasn't fair."
"But you've been outnumbered before."
"Yeah, but these were faster, better. I didn't have a chance. And why'd you pick bulls?"
"Why not, bulls?"
"Okay, let me rephrase the question; Why'd you pick such big bulls?"
He frowned. "Big? Not where I'm from."
"Oh yeah?" Sibylla was intrigued. It was the first time he'd ever mention where he was from, and she wanted to know where that was. "And where's that, exactly?"
He replied with a coy grin. "You lost because you were scared."
"Of course, I was scared. That thing was a freaking monster!"
"You cannot let appearance frighten you."
"And how do I do that?" she asked.
"By either having faith in yourself. Or by being willing to die. Based on what I just saw, I'd say you're better off with the second one."
She shot him a narrowed stare, then sighed. "It's just…I'd never seen anything like that before. It was like, from my worst nightmare."
"Nightmare?"
"A dream? You know, when you sleep?"
He repeated the word quietly to himself as if forcing it to memory. "You must always be prepared for the worst," he said. "You must always be—”
“Ready, I know." Sibylla lifted her practice blade from the ground and sheathed it away. She hated failing, worse, she hated getting lectured.
Sibylla of Earth Page 22
