Judgement: The Undergrounders Series Book Three (A Young Adult Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller)

by Norma Hinkens

  Sven locates the loose board and yanks on it. The trapdoor eases open and we stare down into the pitch-black space.

  "I'll check it out," Dimitri says, climbing down into the tunnel before anyone has a chance to stop him. His boots clatter an eerie echo on the metal rungs as he makes a rapid descent.

  I turn to Sven. "Wait here, I'll take a quick look and see if anyone's gone that way recently." I switch on my flashlight and clamber down the ladder after Dimitri, the tunnel walls closing in around me. I hunch over and assume an all too familiar shuffle along the dirt-packed floor until I bump up against Dimitri, stock-still on his knees in the middle of the tunnel.

  "What are you doing?" I say, leaning over his shoulder. I let out a gasp when the thin amber beam of my flashlight illuminates the gaping eyes of his dead sister.

  24

  "Iskra!" Dimitri chokes the word out, his body shuddering from the impact of his loss.

  I lay a hand on his shoulder and squeeze it gently. There are no words to comfort him. He falls on top of his sister, sobbing unashamedly, giant waves of grief that echo eerily through the crypt-like space.

  I peer down the dark tunnel, a foreboding feeling growing inside me. Death follows us no matter which direction we flee. Even our secret tunnel isn't safe anymore. There's a murderer at large in the city.

  Viktor's features contort in a landslide of pain when Dimitri emerges from the tunnel carrying Iskra. His eyes reflect an even more shocking exposé of the grief he's wrestling with. He staggers over to Dimitri and gathers his daughter in his arms. "Lapushka," he whispers, then presses his lips to her forehead.

  My eyes burn with tears at the softness in his voice. I avert my gaze and wipe the back of my hand across my lashes.

  Sven comes up alongside me and motions me aside.

  "What is it?" I ask.

  He wets his lips. "Only a handful of people know about this tunnel."

  My pulse picks up pace, my mind running through names. "You, me and Trout." I rub my brow. "Jerome's in the Craniopolis." I suck in a breath. "You don't think Blackbeard or his men–"

  "No!" he whispers. "I told someone else about it."

  My eyes widen. "Who?"

  "I showed it to Rocco before we left for the Craniopolis--in case there was a crisis."

  My jaw drops. "You don't think Rocco killed her, do you?"

  Sven shakes his head. "I don't know."

  "But you trust him," I say.

  "I ... did."

  I frown, remembering what the scientist upstairs overheard. An icy tingle goes down my spine. "Sven," I whisper. "She said she didn't trust him. Do you think she was talking about Rocco?"

  A flicker of anger crosses Sven's face. "If Rocco did this–"

  I grab his arm, too late to stop him blurting it out.

  Dimitri looks up, shock and disbelief ricocheting across his face. "You think ... Rocco did this?"

  "We don't know who it was," I say. "It could have been one of Blackbeard's men. But Rocco knew about the tunnel too so we can't rule him out."

  Dimitri balls his hands into fists. "If that clone murdered Iskra, I'll make sure he never has the privilege of reaching his expiration date."

  I shiver at the words, and not just because of Dimitri's threat. I keep trying to forget that Sven's life is petering out in front of me and that I'm helpless to prevent it from happening.

  "Tell the scientist upstairs we found Iskra," I say to Sven.

  He nods and disappears up the spiral staircase in a couple of strides. I turn to Viktor who's sitting in a nearby chair cradling his daughter's body in his lap.

  I clear my throat. "We need to ... make arrangements ... for Iskra."

  He stares at me like a frightened child clutching a doll about to be taken away from him. Dimitri leans over his father and says something to him in their native tongue, then lifts his sister into his arms and heads for the winding metal staircase. Viktor glances around, tracking us blankly, before getting to his feet and following his son up the stairs.

  We take Iskra's body outside and Sven digs a grave in a matter of minutes inside the perimeter fence around the Superconductor. I don't want to risk taking her remains to the graveyard. Someone might see us burying her. If word gets out that there's a murderer on the loose, it will send the city into a panic, and right now we need to stay focused on the battle ahead. At Viktor's request, Trout erects a small cross to mark the spot. Dimitri says a few words over the grave, before putting an arm around his father and walking him back inside.

  I don't know for sure what Iskra was working on when she disappeared, or who she was afraid of, but Sven will get to the bottom of it. Iskra may have been the brains behind the computer system on board the Megamedes, but Sven was engineered to hack into anything.

  Trout and I retreat outside to the upper-level balcony to give Viktor and Dimitri some space while Sven gets to work on Iskra's computer. When he rejoins us a short while later I raise a quizzical brow at him.

  "She made contact with the Megamedes," he says, a grave look on his face.

  "That's great!" I say.

  "No," Sven says. "It's not."

  Trout narrows his eyes at him. "What are you getting at?"

  Sven hesitates. "She betrayed us. From what I can tell from the transmissions, she told them everything. The Sweepers are probably already on their way."

  "Iskra sold us out?" Trout throws me a horrified look.

  "I don't understand," I say. "Why would she do that to her own father and brother?"

  Sven shakes his head. "She may not have implicated them."

  "Do you think someone discovered what she did?" Trout says.

  "I don't know," Sven says. "But it's time we tracked down Rocco. If it wasn't him, we have to assume one of Blackbeard's men was behind it." He throws a quick glance over his shoulder. "I deleted the transmissions. I ... didn't want her father to know what she did."

  "Good call," I say, eying Viktor hunched over, sobbing into his hands. It's so like Sven to be moved by someone else's pain. From what I've seen so far, I'd say clones' hearts are just as tender as humans.

  Jerome's office is empty by the time we get back to the courthouse. Presumably, Blackbeard is out checking on the fortifications around the barricade.

  Sven walks out into the corridor and calls to a guard to fetch Rocco. "We'll get to the bottom of this one way or another," he says, sinking into a chair when he comes back.

  My eyes skirt over Sven's bulging physique. Rocco is a large clone, but I've no doubt who'll come out on top if he forces Sven into a showdown.

  "The guard says all's quiet on the perimeter," Sven remarks.

  Trout grunts. "It could change in a heartbeat. The barricade's too long for us to defend properly. If we're attacked on multiple fronts, we won't be able to hold them off indefinitely."

  "There are more of us," I remind him.

  Trout throws me a disgruntled look. "Yeah, but all the best shots are off on their merry homesteading way."

  My heart skips a beat when I remember Owen out there forging a path to the Deadwood Basin. I only hope they don't run into whoever prevailed at the Craniopolis.

  I glance up as Rocco and several other military clones troop through the door. I study Rocco's face for any indication of guilt, but it's expressionless as usual.

  He looks around the room. "We've shored up a large section of the barricade already. Something else you want us to jump on?"

  "Sit down, Rocco." Sven pulls out a chair for him. "Derry and I want to ask you some questions."

  Rocco raises his brows.

  Sven gestures for me to begin.

  "We found Iskra's body at the Superconductor an hour or so ago." I tilt my head to one side, inviting Rocco to respond.

  He turns to Sven, frowning.

  "She was murdered," Sven says. "During her shift yesterday."

  Rocco leans back in his chair. "You want me to find out who's responsible?"

  "We want to know if you're respo
nsible," I say.

  Rocco throws Sven a defensive look. "What is she talking about?"

  "We found her in the tunnel beneath the Superconductor," Sven says, quietly. "You're one of the few people who knew about it."

  "What about Blackbeard and his men?"

  "Never mind them," Sven says. "I'm talking to you."

  A dangerous glint appears in Rocco's eyes. "Are you accusing me?"

  Sven half rises out of his chair. "I'm asking you."

  "I'm your kind, remember?" Rocco says. "Maybe you should be asking Blackbeard."

  Sven grabs him by the collar. "Just tell me the truth. Did you kill her?"

  "She lied to me!" Rocco yells at him, spittle bouncing on his lower lip.

  My jaw drops. The room goes silent. I glance across at Sven. He rubs a hand gingerly across his jaw, as though he took a blow to the chin.

  "I thought I meant something to her," Rocco says, "but she was just like every other Sweeper!"

  Sven frowns. "You two ... were together?"

  Rocco hangs his head. "I thought so until I overheard her transmitting to the Megamedes. She gave them counts of everyone in the city. She'd selected me for a program."

  "What are you talking about?" Sven asks.

  "Ossification trials," Rocco says. "They need guinea pigs, military clones who can withstand DNA resplicing."

  My pulse thuds wildly. A look of horror passes over Trout's face.

  Rocco narrows his eyes. "I was an experiment to her. We all were."

  Sven lays a hand on Rocco's shoulder. "I believe you, but why did you have to kill her? We could have arrested her. I swore to Dimitri and Viktor I'd find who was responsible for her death. I can't protect you. You're going to have to leave the city."

  "I didn't want to do it, but she was dangerous." Rocco struggles to take a breath. He seems genuinely overcome with grief as if it's only just registering what he's done. Which is all well and fine, but it doesn't change the fact that he's about to become an outcast in a world which has little sympathy for those without a faction, and there's nothing we can do to help him.

  Sven gestures to the military clones standing behind him. "Take him outside the city limits. Give him his weapon and a supply of food and water."

  Rocco gets to his feet, his face crevassed with grief. Trout bows his head. Sven folds his arms across his chest, his lips pressed together.

  This can't be easy for Sven, but Rocco can't stay here after what he did. If word gets out that one of the clones killed a scientist, we'd have a riot on our hands. Viktor and Dimitri will demand his execution.

  We follow the military clones and Rocco in what feels like a funeral march of sorts as far as the container gates. Sven and Rocco exchange one last embrace before Sven signals up to the guards to unlatch the gates. I wait for the familiar creaking to begin as the gates swing open, but instead a shout of alarm cuts through the air.

  25

  "Hostiles spotted!" one of the guards shouts down.

  My gut twists. They're here already!

  The guards sound the warning horn in the watchtower. Within minutes, the barricade is crawling with activity. Undergrounders rush to take up their positions, their faces pinched with fear.

  "Can you see who it is?" I yell up to the guard.

  "Not yet." He peers through his binoculars for a few minutes. "It's Rogues!"

  Trout and I exchange surprised looks.

  "I can't believe they took out the Schutz Clones," Trout says.

  I grimace. "They must have hiked all night. Get everyone into position."

  "I'll lock Rocco up in the courthouse," Sven says. "We'll deal with him later."

  I slide my gun from my shoulder and watch as two of the military clones march Rocco away. We could use his help now, but I can't trust him after what happened. Not to mention the fact that if Viktor or Dimitri run into Rocco there'll be war on both sides of the barricade.

  Blackbeard strides over, his features rigid. "The riders and Undergrounders are ready. Most of the city has turned out to help."

  "No one fires until I give the command," I say. "We can't afford to waste bullets until they're within range."

  Blackbeard moves off down the barricade issuing clipped orders to his men. I join Trout and Sven beneath the guard tower and peer through the twisted steel and concrete at the ant-like figures in the distance. I rest the barrel of my gun on a tangled piece of metal and breathe in and out as I line up my sight. They're advancing slowly for an attacking force–too slowly. As they edge closer I can tell some of them are injured. I push down a repulsive thought. Surely they're not coming to us for refuge.

  "White flag aloft!" a guard shouts down from the tower. "Hold your fire!"

  I scrunch up my eyes and peer through the barricade. Minutes go by before I make out a long, white strip tied to a stick, fluttering in the cool breeze. Or maybe someone's waving it back and forth. It's impossible to tell without binoculars from this distance. My brain races to make sense of it. Is it a ruse to get inside the city? Or do the Rogues really want to surrender to us?

  "Do you think The Ghost's dead?" I ask.

  Trout throws me an uneasy look. "I don't know, but I don't like it. Knowing them, they're up to something."

  I study the figures as they move closer and clamber over the debris. A small group, thirty Rogues at most. The losses at the Craniopolis must have been substantial. Unless this is some kind of trick and the rest of them are hiding somewhere.

  "They're almost within range," Sven says, keeping his eyes forward. "What do you want to do?"

  I smooth a few strands of hair out of my face. What I want to do is rid us of the Rogues once and for all. If we let them through the gate, they become our problem all over again. But I can't stoop to killing anyone carrying a white flag.

  "We'll hear them out," I say.

  Sven nods and walks off to spread the word.

  I grip Trout by the sleeve when I spot The Ghost limping along to the right of the pack. "I can't believe he got out of there alive."

  "I'm more shocked that he might be here to beg for mercy," Trout says. "Maybe they didn't defeat the Schutz Clones. Maybe they fled."

  My heart thunders in my chest. "What if the Schutz Clones are pursuing them?"

  "Bad idea all around to open that gate," Trout says.

  The riders and Undergrounders along the barricade fall silent as the Rogues approach.

  "Stay alert," Sven says, walking up to us. "They might try and mow us down once they're within firing range."

  "They don't look like they're in any state to attack," Trout says.

  Thirty feet from the barricade the Rogues come to a halt. Several agonizing minutes of silence go by before The Ghost calls out. "We had a deal, Connolly. I helped you stage the Craniopolis and fool the Sweepers."

  "The land you wanted is yours. Go for it," I yell back.

  "You left me and my men to die at the hands of monsters," he calls back in a tone that tells me the land won't be enough anymore.

  "You blew our cover," I say. "We had no choice but to flee. I set you free to fight, something you keep reminding me you're good at."

  "We killed every last Schutz Clone in the docking station," The Ghost says. "You owe the wounded refuge."

  "I don't owe you anything. You've got your freedom now."

  "There is no freedom," The Ghost says. "The sweeps have resumed."

  A ripple of fear shoots through me. A heavy silence descends over the barricade like a shroud. I've been dreading hearing those words. The Sweepers must have deployed the ships as soon as Iskra alerted the Megamedes.

  "How do you know?" I yell through the barricade.

  "Half my men were extracted on the way here." The Ghost pauses to catch his breath. "We're too weak to run. If you don't give us refuge we'll die out here."

  Blackbeard appears at my side fingering his thick beard. "Do you think he's lying about the sweeps?"

  "I don't know, but we can't take a chance," I say.
"Send a message to Viktor and Dimitri to switch the Superconductor back on."

  Blackbeard nods and flags down a couple of Undergrounders scuttling back and forth with ammunition.

  I turn my attention back to The Ghost. "Tell your men to lay down their weapons. Then we'll talk."

  The Ghost exchanges a few words with the Rogues. They disarm without hesitation and toss their weapons in a heap behind them, before shuffling the rest of the way to the barricade.

  For a long moment, I stare out at their sunken eyes looking at me like I'm Caesar holding their fate in my hands.

  I grit my teeth and give a thumbs up to the guards in the watchtower to open the gate. A familiar creaking breaks the silence. I keep one eye on the horizon to make sure there are no Schutz Clones bearing down on the city.

  The Rogues traipse through the container gate exchanging wary looks with the Undergrounders who keep their weapons trained on them. The riders gallop past in the opposite direction to retrieve the discarded weapons.

  I turn to Trout. "Go to the courthouse and warn the guards to keep Rummy out of sight. We can't risk The Ghost finding out he's here. Sven and I will take the injured Rogues to the clinic. It will give me an excuse to check up on Big Ed."

  "I'll have my men take the rest of the Rogues to an unused building and set up a guard outside," Blackbeard says.

  I give him a grateful nod. "Tell the guards in the watchtower to sound the alarm if they spot anyone else coming."

  Sven and I separate out the Rogues who need medical attention and escort them to the clinic with the help of several military clones. I push open the door and peer inside. Hannah is at the far end of the room, mopping the floor, her hair neatly tucked beneath her cap.

  "Hannah! We have wounded men," I call through the door to her.

  She drops her mop and comes running, calling for assistance. Several other Undergrounders appear and help the Rogues into the examining rooms.

  "Where's the doctor?" I ask.

  "He went with Jakob to check up on Big Ed." Hannah throws me a look of apology. "Big Ed refused to let us move him to the clinic. He was pretty energetic about it too." She grins. "I think he's on the mend."