That's when the Schutz Clones appear.
35
Time stands still in the split second I have to make my decision. My senses heighten. Even the saturated hue of the pine trees spearing their way upward deepens. I scan the identical Schutz Clones coming around the side of the Hovermedes, picturing Sven's face beneath each helmet. There are no second chances. If we shoot, they die. I have to trust my instincts. I close my mind to any lingering doubt and squeeze the trigger. A hail of bullets from the Undergrounders hit the clones before they can lock their weapons onto us. They shrivel up and sink to the ground, deflating before our eyes like black balloons.
My heart squeezes like a sponge until I can scarcely breathe. I can't take it back. If I called it wrong, I'll live with the knowledge that I killed the man I love. Cautiously, Lou and I approach the ossified bodies. The barbed lump in my throat grows bigger. It's a sobering sight and I can never get used to it. What the Sweepers reduce the clones to in both life and death is unforgivable.
Lou lays a hand on my arm. "Let me check first." Her anguished tone tells me she wants to believe it isn't the military clones lying here, but that she fears the worst.
Big Ed and Owen come up alongside me and stare at the carnage.
"It's not the military clones," I say, in as firm a voice as I can muster. "They didn't identify themselves."
Big Ed takes off his hat and rubs a hand over his head.
"Sven said they would be in the Hovermedes," I add, my voice shaking.
Big Ed and Lou exchange nervous looks. Lou walks up to the nearest corpse, leans down, and lifts off the helmet. The skull crumbles like a sand castle washed away by a wave. Lou backs away, her face paling. "How can we tell who they were?" she asks, in a hushed voice.
"Search the pockets," I say.
I gesture to the Undergrounders to help. They venture closer, with obvious reluctance. For the next few minutes, we pick through the ossified corpses' pockets, searching for any identifying belongings.
"They're all empty," Owen says, with a shrug when he straightens up.
My heart soars. "It's not them."
Owen frowns. "How do you figure?"
"Sven carries Won's remote operating device for the Hovermedes in the cargo pocket of his pants," I say.
The others stare at me in silence. I can tell they think it's not enough to go on, that it might have fallen out of Sven's pocket or something, and they could be right. But the truth is Sven keeps something else in his pocket that I don't care to mention. Our fortune. The greatest risk is not taking one. It's reassurance to me that Sven isn't lying here.
"So where is Sven?" Lou glances around at the parked Hovermedes. "Maybe they took off in the other ship before we got here."
I frown. "Sven wouldn't leave without us."
Owen tents his hand over his eyes and peers at the horizon. "I see a Hovermedes coming our way right now. Could be the sweep that picked up Jerome and Trout."
My legs turn to jelly beneath me. "Quick! Inside," I yell to the Undergrounders. I activate the side panel door of the nearest Hovermedes and wait by the steps, peering anxiously over my shoulder as the Undergrounders pile through the entryway. With one last glance at the encroaching shadow in the sky, I bound up the steps and hurl myself inside the ship. Owen hits the keypad and the door slides shut behind me.
I shiver in the cramped space. It doesn't make sense. Sven wouldn't abandon us. I don't know where he is, or if he's even alive, but I have to find it in myself to keep going, with or without him.
"Be prepared to fight if the door opens," I say, looking around. I wish we had a better option to defend ourselves, but there's no time to make a run for cover in the forest.
My frustration mounts as I study the cockpit. Without Sven or any of the other military clones to pilot us out of here, we're essentially trapped. I look around at the strained expressions on the Undergrounders' faces. Big Ed stands with one arm draped protectively over Lou. We huddle in silent resignation, weapons at the ready as the approaching Hovermedes descends into position along the lineup of parked ships.
I watch transfixed through the darkened cockpit glass, scarcely daring to breathe. Retractable steel legs descend from the underbelly of the ship and grip the earth. The Hovermedes shudders to a stop. A moment later, the cigar-shaped body of the ship splits in two and the all too familiar black fatigue-clad figures begin spilling out. I slump back against the wall, my chest pumping so hard it feels like it might burst. We're sitting ducks, and I'm helpless to change our odds. I grit my teeth and ready my weapon.
"Derry! Look!" Owen nudges me, a thread of excitement in his voice.
"Military clones!" Big Ed says.
My jaw drops. I elbow past him and peer through the cockpit glass at the clones. It's the military clones all right--a couple of them have removed their helmets--but where's Sven? Dread seeps through me again. Something must have happened to him. He would never take off in the Hovermedes without me.
"Let's go," I say, as I activate the door panel. The slider retracts and I step through the doorway. I squint in the blinding sun and all of a sudden I see Sven striding toward the ship. My heart jolts. Without bothering to wait on the steps to extend, I leap straight to the ground and run to meet him. He wraps his brawny arms around me and rests his chin on my head. My whole body shakes with relief. I squeeze my eyes shut to trap my tears. I pinned all my hopes on a fortune cookie. But I was right to believe Sven wouldn't let me down. "Where were you?" I ask, looking up at him.
He grimaces. "We were waiting with the engine running when the extraction footage came up on the monitoring screen in the cockpit." A flicker of pain crosses his face. "I was afraid they had taken you too." We went after them, but they had too much of a head start."
"Dimitri said they're taking all remaining extractees to the Megamedes," I say.
Sven furrows his brow. "If they spotted our Hovermedes pursuing them, our cover may be blown."
"There's no time to waste." I tuck my braid inside my collar. "We have to move now. The extractees are in danger."
Sven takes my hand in his and brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "Whatever happens, I've lived the life I wanted to in the past few weeks."
I bite my lip to keep from crying. "Running from Sweepers? Watching good men die?"
"I was free," Sven says, "and the men I lost were free."
I lean up on my tiptoes and kiss him on the cheek. "It's not over yet. Let's do this."
Sven nods. "We'll take all eight ships. It will look like we're arriving with plenty of reinforcements."
We relay the plan to the others and distribute the clones and Undergrounders among the ships. When we're all loaded up, Sven takes the controls and our Hovermedes whirs to life and begins a vertical ascent. My stomach lurches as we rapidly ascend to cruising height. I glance across the aisle at Owen, sunken into his frame, staring at the chair back in front of him. His thoughts, now more than ever, are with Nikki. It's anyone guess if she's still alive, but hope has brought Owen this far. I peek out around the side of my chair and spot Big Ed and Lou, gray heads bent together in a private conversation a few rows behind me. I smile and lock the memory away. If they don't make it out, I want to remember them happy together at the end.
The military clones sit rigidly in their seats, clutching their Schutz Clone helmets in their laps. The Undergrounders pull their lab coats from their packs and silently don them. I reach into my pack and take out mine. I can't help wondering whose funeral we're dressing for, but I shake the thought. I can't give in to my fear. I have to believe we can triumph.
Sven turns on the ship's intercom. "I'm going to establish a link with Dimitri in a few minutes," he says. "That way he can monitor our approach and send out the broadcast alert to return to the Craniopolis. Any questions?"
"Do you think the deviations in the docking station will cooperate without Jerome?" Big Ed calls up the aisle.
"We'll overpower them if we have to," I say. "It's no
t my first choice, but we can't risk them alerting the Sweepers."
"How are we going to find the Intake Sektor without their help?" Owen asks.
"Dimitri sent us the engineering plans," Sven says. "We'll be able to navigate around with or without the deviations."
"Rescuing the extractees is the first priority," Owen says.
I throw him a sympathetic look. "Of course, but I need you to stick with the plan. We can't do anything to alert the Sweepers that we're on board until we're ready to make our move."
Owen nods, his eyes glistening.
Sven pulls up the engineering plans on a plasma screen in front of us.
"Here's the docking station." He points out a large hangar at the rear of the Megamedes. "It leads directly into the mechanical wing. The deviations' quarters are also on this level. The Intake Sektor and the kitchen and infirmary are on the next level up. The upper deck houses the control station, Sweepers' living quarters and research laboratories."
I study the screen. "Our best bet is to hide out in the mechanical wing until we can work out a plan. We could take this side door out of the docking station to avoid any patrols in the main corridor."
Sven nods. "That will give me a chance to study the cameras and security system on board. I can do some rewiring in the mechanical wing so we can move around without being detected."
"Let's get Dimitri on the line now," I say.
Sven turns to another screen and logs in the coordinates for the Superconductor.
Moments later, Dimitri's voice fills the cabin. "Congratulations! You pulled it off."
"It wasn't without incident," I reply. "The Sweepers extracted Jerome and Trout."
"I heard the transmission to the Megamedes," Dimitri says, after a brief pause. "The good news is they didn't report being pursued."
A glimmer of hope goes through me. At least we still have the element of surprise.
"How far are we from the ship?" I ask.
"Fifteen minutes from docking," Dimitri replies. "As soon as you touch down, I'll broadcast the emergency alert."
"We need you to contact the Megamedes once the pilots make it back to the Craniopolis," I say. "Tell them the attack was just a few stragglers with explosives who took out the Schutz Clones, but that everything's under control again."
Dimitri gives a curt nod. "Good luck with the landing." The image turns fuzzy and he fades from the screen.
Sven throws a quick glance over his shoulder. "Make sure everyone's strapped in. If something goes wrong and the Megamedes starts firing at us, I might need to make some sharp evasive maneuvers to get us out of there in one piece."
I pass the word down the aisle to the military clones and Undergrounders before securing my own seat harness. My pulse races when I think about everything that could happen next. I'm afraid, but whatever this thing called life means, it's worth fighting for.
"I see the Megamedes," Sven says, quietly.
I stare through the cockpit glass for several more minutes before a looming gray frigate comes into view. I gasp at the staggering size of it.
Sven reduces the power. Several lights flicker across the control panel. "We're cleared to land," he says, maneuvering the Hovermedes into position. The back section of the Megamedes slowly hinges open to reveal an expansive, gleaming hangar housing Hovermedes of varying sizes. Sven guides our ship through the opening and into position, before extending the landing gear.
I cast a glance around the deserted hangar. "Where are the deviations and Schutz Clones? They're expecting evacuees, aren't they?"
"Something's not right," Sven says, through gritted teeth. "Stay alert."
The instant we set down, a loud beeping breaks the eerie silence. Dimitri's voice echoes through the hangar. "We are under attack. Repeat, the Craniopolis is under attack. All Schutz Clones massacred. Request immediate return of Hovermedes and all on board."
Sven hops up out of his seat with the ship still running and a military clone slides behind the controls in his place.
"Everybody out!" I yell, activating the door panel.
We jump out into the hangar and run for the side door leading out of the docking station. The military clones and Undergrounders from the other ships follow suit. Behind us, the Hovermedes lift off in quick succession.
Following the layout on the plans, we make our way into the mechanical wing of the Megamedes. The claustrophobic space is nothing more than a giant network of wiring and pipes with a narrow passageway to walk through. Sven immediately gets to work. "I'll rig the camera system onboard to play on a loop for the next several hours," he says. "That should give us all the time we need."
The military clones stand guard at the entry doors while Sven works. Owen offers some jerky around, but I can't eat. I go over our route to the control station in my mind until I feel like I've walked it a thousand times. When Sven finally finishes, I jump to my feet.
"We have just under three hours before the cameras kick back on," he says. "I set an override code of 0978 to allow us to lock or unlock the access doors to the various sections of the ship. Everyone needs to memorize it."
We gather up our packs and weapons. I lead the way out of the mechanical wing into a dimly lit gleaming corridor connecting to the deviations' quarters. Silently, we slink our way along until we come to an airtight door. I pull the handle and step inside the airlock. Sven follows me into the cramped space that houses a control panel. I reach for the handle on the second steel door, but Sven's hairy hand closes over mine. "Check the viewing monitor first," he says, a note of concern in his voice. "There's a reason the deviations weren't on duty in the docking station. They could be under quarantine." He traces his fingers across the panel in the door and a sequence of lights flickers as the monitor powers up. I squint at the image on the screen, struggling to grasp what it is I'm looking at as it. My throat swells with fear.
36
A sea of ossified corpses litters the room. The sight takes my breath away.
"What happened to them?" I gasp.
Sven grimaces. "I have a hunch, but let's find out for sure." He turns and punches something into the control panel.
I swallow back a sob. I'm thankful Jerome isn't here to see this.
"Just as I suspected," Sven says. "The air's been turned off in the deviations' living quarters. The Sweepers weren't lying when they said the onboard systems are shutting down. They're conserving oxygen for the sections of the ship they deem critical." He stares at the control panel. "No surprise the deviations didn't make the grade."
Big Ed sticks his head through the door. "Everything all right?" His eyes widen when he sees the image on the viewer. He steps inside and quietly removes his hat.
"They switched off the oxygen," Sven says.
"How can anyone be so heartless and twisted?" I say.
"There's them that cross a line into darkness and never return," Big Ed says. He thumps his chest. "Nothing in here anymore." A troubled look flits across his face. "What will you do when you find the sovereign leader?"
I bite down on my lip. I've tried not to think too hard about what I'll do when I come face to face with the man who's responsible for so much suffering. I loathe the sovereign leader with every fiber of my being, but if he surrenders to us we'll be forced to put him on trial. He'll almost certainly be sentenced to death by the Council, but at least his blood will be spilled in justice and not revenge. "We'll take him alive if at all possible," I say. "He should face judgement by those he's wronged."
Big Ed looks visibly relieved. He turns to Sven. "Is the air off in any other Sektors?"
Sven gestures at the control panel. "No. This is it."
"So far," I say. "But if the ship's systems are shutting down, there's no limit to how many more people the Sweepers will kill to save themselves."
Big Ed throws a quick glance over his shoulder at the Undergrounders. "If Owen gets wind of this he'll take off to find Nikki."
"Don't mention anything for now," I say. "We n
eed to keep everyone calm until we're ready to make our move."
I push open the airtight door, and we walk back out to the others.
"How many deviations are in there?" Owen asks.
"Too many to bring with us," Big Ed says.
"First, we free the extractees," I say.
Owen shoots me a grateful look.
"We don't know how many guards are stationed at the Intake Sektor," I say, "but we do know the Sweepers are short-handed so it should make getting in there easier."
Lou gestures to her bow. "I can handle the guards."
I nod in her direction. "We'll back you up. Once we've freed the extractees we'll head for the upper-level control station. If we can take command of the ship we'll give everyone on board the chance to surrender."
"And if they don't?" Lou asks.
The gruesome image of the ossified deviations flits to mind. I tighten my lips. "We eliminate them."
"What are our options for reaching the Intake Sektor?" Lou asks.
"Only one," I say. "We play the roles we came dressed for and walk proudly down the main corridor as a group of Schutz Clones and Sweepers."
Owen frowns. "Why don't we go through the deviations' quarters and avoid as much exposure as possible?"
I exchange a subtle glance with Sven. He steps forward. "Too risky. If we agitate the deviations they might give the game away."
"All right," Owen says, with some reluctance. "Let's not waste any more time."
We make our way to the nearest stairwell, our mood somber as we climb the first flight of stairs. When we reach the door leading out to the second level, I give a tight nod. "You all know what to do."
Sven keys in the code on the control pad by the door. We walk through to a long, smooth white corridor. I glance around curiously. The passageway is bare of cameras or ducts, or even any access doors or windows. The hull is softly lit, but there are no apparent light fixtures. The military clones fall into Schutz Clone formation, goose-stepping, guns hoisted.
Judgement: The Undergrounders Series Book Three (A Young Adult Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller) Page 22
