"We go out there, and we're taking shots in the back," said Ava.
"And we stay in here, we're dead anyway." Juan ducked down out of view of the open ground. It was lit up as if by flares, but for a brief moment.
"This is crazy!" Ava yelled.
"Got a better idea? Axel asked.
They ran on, Juan leading the way across the open terrain. They were sprinting for their lives. Ava was shaking her head in disbelief even as they ran.
"You're going to get us all killed!"
There was no care for being quiet anymore. Everybody knew they were there. A siren rang out from the bunker, and floodlights lit up the scene a few moments later. Automatic gunfire rang out like a buzz saw. The rounds and tracers were landing all around them.
"Who's clever idea was this?" Victor shouted.
Nobody said a word, knowing they all had a hand in it. One shot skimmed off Victor's helmet, and another hit his back. The impact hurt, but it didn't cause injury as he ran on. A bullet clipped Juan's arm, and he cried out in pain, but didn't even consider slowing down. They all picked up the pace as they sprinted for cover. A whistling sound rang out, and Axel saw a rocket trail soaring towards them.
"Oh, shit!" he cried.
They kept running, and the charge suddenly ignited at their backs. They felt the heat of the blast, and a shard of shrapnel clipped Axel's neck. But a moment later they were turning a bend and passing through to the cover of a ruined building. They all slowed to a halt to take a breather.
"Everyone okay?" Axel asked, feeling his neck. He was bleeding, but it was nothing too serious.
"We shouldn't hang around here. We're still a way out from being safe," replied Victor.
"Come on. Let's move!" Axel ordered.
* * *
Dallas, Texas, United American Nations
“Ahh!”
Luca heaved hundreds of kilos of weight from the ground. He was training in a gym filled with chemically enhanced strongmen. Some were there for show, some to compete with their strength, but not Luca. He was there to become the most powerful fighter that anyone had ever seen. He heaved the weight up and down with monumental strength that caused even some of the strongest men and women there to pause and admire his work.
“Great fight Luca!” yelled a passer-by enthusiastically.
He nodded in gratitude as he lowered the tremendous weight. It crashed noisily onto the ground. He stepped over to a mat with plenty of space and picked up what looked like a sword. It was made as a weight-training tool, and clearly a lot heavier than any actual sword would be. He began to go through a sequence of cuts and thrusts. Many in the gym watched him in between their workouts. He trained like a machine. He did not stop. He was dripping in sweat and breathing heavily, but in a controlled manner, and didn’t seem to tire.
“Hey, Luca, check it out. They’ve selected the fighters for the first Terminal duel!” yelled someone from across the other side of the room.
He stopped immediately and turned back to watch a news bulletin. Mic Zenner was being introduced, and the banner beneath him said they were announcing the first Terminal duel. It was exactly what Luca had been waiting for.
"This you, bro?" asked one of the other patrons.
He smiled, but he wasn't really listening.
"It better be," he muttered quietly to himself.
"Hi, guys," began Zenner.
"Come on, come on, say it," whispered Luca.
"...Terminal has been the biggest thing in my life for more than two years now. I am a huge fan of applications like Duel Reality and many other interactive experience apps that people enjoy today. But that is the word that has mattered to me most, interaction. People play these games and they take part, and they watch, because of the realism element. It isn't real life, and it never will be, but the mind can be tricked into thinking that it is; just as people have gone to the movies for decades, almost centuries, to be lost in the escapism of the greatest heroes and villains of the silver screen. Today we have long surpassed that level of fake reality. We have moved to an age where we can live in those movies..."
"You fighting in this Terminal app?" someone asked.
He shrugged it off. He expected it to be announced, but he was eager to hear it with his own ears as Zenner went on.
"These are exciting new times in virtual world interaction. Terminal is going to take us to places we could never have ever dreamed of. Because you know what was missing in games? Danger. Danger is what gets our blood pumping. It's the reason people free climb cliff faces, and do crazy stunts hanging off one hundred storey buildings. That danger is what makes us feel truly alive, and that is what Terminal is going to give us all. Not just to those taking part, but for everyone watching. It will be the most immersive, most exciting virtual experience that has ever existed. And so with further ado, I am pleased to announce the first two fighters that will go head to head, with their lives on the line..."
"Luca, Luca Hayes," Luca muttered quietly, as he imagined the words coming from Zenner's mouth.
“We’ve had an awful lot of interest in being the first to use Terminal in a public duel. I am proud to announce the final selection of our first two fighters. Let me first introduce you to a rising star in the Duel Reality scene. She already has an extensive fan following, and after watching some of her fights, I am confident in saying that she is one of the greatest new fighters of our day. I give you, Luna Lee,” he declared.
The video feed turned to clips of her fights as Zenner continued.
“Luna has practiced everything from dancing to fighting since the age of four. She is agile, precise, and formidable with every weapon you can imagine. Undefeated since her rise in Duel Reality, Luna is a schoolteacher by day, but champion of the duel amongst her fans.
Luca was shaking his head. He didn’t want to be fighting her. He couldn’t imagine a world where she could pose a threat to him.
“You’ll break her in half!” joked one of the men beside him.
He smiled, but it was with gritted teeth. He didn’t like the sound of where this was going.
“But who will be her opponent?” Zenner asked, “I have presented you with a rising star who I believe to be truly something special. But to cement her name, and her reputation in the history books, to truly be a great champion, she must defeat great champions. And so I give you her opponent, a man who needs no introduction. He may well be the greatest fighter alive today. I give you Luna Lee’s opponent, the incredible Elvin Locke!”
The crowd that were watching Zenner live erupted with excitement, but not Luca. For a moment he didn’t even react, the anger brewing up inside him.
“Locke? Locke!” Luca screamed.
He picked up a thirty-kilo dumbbell from a rack nearby, crying out in frustration and anger as he launched it across the room as though it were nothing more than a football. It crashed into one of the mirrored walls, and several metres of glass crashed down to the floor. The weight itself smashed through the wall and vanished. All eyes were on him. He was breathing heavily and wanted to find some way to vent his anger. Everyone there had expected his name to be called.
“It’s just one fight. Your chance will come.” A man patted him on the shoulder, but Luca angrily pushed him off.
“I deserved that fight. I earned that fight,” he growled.
Nobody said a word. They admired him, but they were also now scared of him. He stormed out of the gym like a whirlwind.
Chapter 6
The South-East Frontier, Charlie Sector
Ava slumped down wearily. They were still outdoors, but within friendly territory. The sun was up now. They were in the remains of an old stone building, the roof long gone, as were half the walls.
“That went well,” she joked.
They began to patch themselves up. The wounds were light and largely superficial. Juan didn’t look impressed with the hole in his arm. A bullet had passed through, but at the edge off his forearm. It stung, but nothing too seriou
s.
“You gonna be okay?”
Axel felt terrible for having putting them in harm’s way, but he didn’t regret it.
“So, what did we learn?”
“Not a lot, Victor,” snarled Ava angrily.
“That’s not entirely true, is it?” Axel asked.
“We went looking for a nuke, and we found even less than last time.”
“Exactly. They had something big to hide, and they got it the hell out of there."
“They must have thought they got away with it,” said Victor.
“Why’d you say that?” Ava asked.
“Because if we’d seen and identified a nuke, they’d have to know we would come down on them with everything we had. They’d have reinforced or fled entirely.”
“Yeah? Newton knew what we knew, and he did fuck all,” said Juan.
Axel grimaced as he sat down and tried to get his head around it all.
“Almost like he didn’t want us to know more, wasn’t it?”
The three of them look surprised, and yet they were all thinking the same thing.
“It made no sense for him to ignore this,” said Axel.
“So why then?” Juan asked.
“I don’t know, and I am not sure knowing would be particularly safe for us right now.”
“What are you saying?”
“That whatever Newton is into, he ain’t really on our side, Ava,” replied Victor.
“What? That’s crazy,” she snapped.
“Is it? He and the others he works with are waging their own war out here. They could be doing anything the hell they wanted.”
“But working with the enemy, Juan? Surely not.”
Axel nodded in agreement with her. That certainly sounded farfetched.
“I don’t know what his agenda is, but I find it hard to believe he would be working with ILAN. He has us killing them in the hundreds and thousands. But just because he isn’t working for them, doesn’t mean he is really working for the UAN either. This whole thing stinks.”
“What are we gonna do about it?”
“I don’t know, Victor. We have almost no clue as to what is going on here, so let’s not put our feet in anything until we know what we are dealing with.”
“So what do we tell Newton, then?”
“Nothing, Juan. We went in and we found nothing. No sign of a nuke or even the crate we thought we saw. That’s the truth anyway, isn’t it?”
“And the Incognito stuff?”
“We didn’t see it. God knows what games are being played here, but I don’t trust him any more than the enemy. We didn’t see any of that shit, you hear?”
They were all in agreement, though nobody looked at all happy about it.
“All right, so we say nothing, but what now? Where do we go from here?”
Axel shrugged.
“You said we came out here because you were determined to make sure that a nuke didn’t end up blowing up in a city full of civilians. So what are you going to do about it?”
He shrugged once more. “I don’t know what we can do, Ava.”
A vehicle was approaching, but they were in friendly territory, and so they weren’t concerned, not until the brakes were slammed on, and boots hit the ground with purpose. Axel was back on his feet in no time as a line of MPs rushed into the ruins. Their weapons were not raised, but neither did they look particularly friendly.
“Axel Ward?” asked one.
“Yeah?”
“You’re coming with us.”
* * *
Alexandria, Virginia, United American Nations
Hud pressed his thumb on the scanner, and the door slid open. Zippo stepped inside, but Nui stayed at the door. She looked uneasy. They barely knew each other, and she was only further showing how awkward she could be.
"For God’s sake come in."
She took a deep breath, as if stepping past some great barrier. The door slid closed behind her, and she jumped.
"You weren't jumpy during a gunfight, but a little social interaction throws you off?" he asked with a smirk.
"I don't exactly, you know, do this kind of thing much."
"What? Talk with people that isn't work?"
"Yeah," she replied bluntly.
“This place, it’s tiny,” said Zippo.
“It’s also not full of holes and gangsters trying to kill you.”
“How much do you think we’ll get paid for this?” Nui asked.
“Not enough, clearly,” muttered Zippo as she got to a sofa and slumped down to make herself comfortable.
Nui gestured for Hud to come over to her.
“How do you know you can trust this girl? She is a criminal.”
“Sometimes, so are we. She’s trying to get by in this life, same as you and I.”
“But we play by the rules.”
“Do we? You’re in this mess getting this shit job because you couldn’t.”
She looked away as if embarrassed.
“Don’t feel bad about it. You took chances, and you did what you had to do. That one time when it didn’t pay off and bit you on the ass. That’s the roll of the dice. Screw it.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“Yeah, it is. You know how many screw-ups I’ve made? It’s a goddamn miracle I still have this job.”
“Then why keep breaking the rules?”
“Because there are some things more important in life than them, and deep down you know it.”
“Wow!”
Zippo had clearly been listening in. It was hard not to in such a small apartment.
"Stay out of this," they both replied in perfect timing.
But Zippo smiled as if she found them cute.
"What kind of name is Zippo anyway?"
"A different kind. Why'd you want to be called the same as a load of other people? I've never met anyone else called Zippo."
It wasn't the answer Nui was looking for, but she didn't have the energy to pursue it any further.
"Look," began Hud, "Our job is to work out who the hell Incognito is. An individual, a group, whatever they are, and where they are."
"And then what?"
"Put an end to their illegal actions," replied Nui.
"Why, big brother doesn't like anyone spreading the truth?"
"This isn't about truth. We can't have anarchists running loose."
"But we can have governments and police running loose, doing whatever they please?"
"How can we work like this? We are wasting our time," protested Nui to her new partner.
"You might not like her opinions, but she has skills way beyond what we do, and connections we could never make. We need her, believe me."
"What good is she if she is on his side?"
"Side? I'm not on anyone's side!" Zippo yelled angrily.
"Look, we need each other. You wouldn't even be alive today if we hadn't shown up."
She shrugged, begrudgingly accepted that.
"That's right. You owe me, and don't get on your high horse about morality. You do whatever you want, whenever you want, without any care for whom it affects. Now this is a job, a paying job if you like. Paid for with your life, and even more if you help us make this happen. If you can help us crack this, I can ensure that you get a clean slate."
"Not that it would do her any good," muttered Nui.
Hud shot her an angry look. He was furious, but he didn't need to say a word as he turned back to Zippo.
"Look, you have no allegiances to this Incognito. You don't have any allegiances to anyone but yourself, so don't bullshit me."
She didn't argue back.
"So you are going to help us, right?"
She nodded.
"But I can't work with this," she said, looking at an old tablet lying on a coffee table. It was a decade old.
"Whatever you need, we can make that happen."
"Really?" Nui asked, "You know how expensive some of that kit was that she had back at her place?"
"How would you know?"
"Because I've worked enough cyber crime gigs."
"Cyber Crime Unit. You must have seized plenty of top level gear, right?" Hud smiled at her.
"Oh, no, no, no, no," she said, shaking her head. She could see where this was going.
"I bet you still have access to a lot of the gear that you seized."
"In secure holding facilities, sure, but that is government property now."
"Yes, and we are working for the government. You heard Sparks. Anything we have to do for results. And he wants us working outside the system. That means we're going to have to break a few rules, you get that, right?"
"Bringing in a criminal to work for us is breaking the rules. Stealing from Agency stores, that is something entirely different."
"Yeah, well get used to it. This job is different, and you know it."
"Look, I can get what I need," said Zippo.
"Like you can handle a gang of machine gun toting assholes? No, it isn't safe for you out there. You draw up a list of what you need, and we'll do what we can," replied Hud.
* * *
Portland, Oregon, United American Nations
"Yeah!"
The crowd roared and cheered in the bar where Luna was having a few drinks among her neighbours. Many of them knew her personally. Some were parents of students in her school. Others were simply glad to support a local.
"Hey, this is it!"
A woman nearby pointed to the huge screen above the bar. It was a special about Terminal, and the announcement of whom she was to fight was due. It was why she was there, to celebrate amongst her friends. As her name was mentioned, the crowd shouted with excitement. All focus was on her now as they watched a montage of her fights. The hype was building, and she started to feel the pressure. This was nothing like the level of publicity she had ever experienced before. It felt like the whole world was watching. She had never felt quite this anxious. The crowd around her were chanting her name.
"Quiet, quiet!" yelled one of her friends as her opponent was about to be announced. Near silence overcame the bar as they watched with anticipation, listening to Mic Zenner in his monotone voice. There was no hype in his tone, but what he had to say was exciting.
Revolution Page 7
