Corruption

by Jessica Shirvington

  ‘Nicely put!’ Gus said, surprising me from behind. ‘We should have that put on T-shirts.’

  I turned around, looking him up and down. Then burst out laughing. ‘What the hell are you wearing?’

  Gus’s smile morphed into a scowl. ‘You don’t like it?’ he asked, adjusting his black fedora before patting down the bulletproof vest that sat snugly over his trooper uniform.

  ‘Gus, you’re in combat gear. What the hell?’ My laughter was quickly subsiding.

  Gus did not do combat gear. He never needed or wanted or was willing to wear it because, quite simply, Gus did not do combat.

  He rolled his eyes at me. ‘What? I totally make this work. It’s suave but tough – it says a lot about me.’ When he saw that my features had set into hard lines, he sighed. ‘Looks like you’ve got one more in your merry little suicide group.’

  ‘What?’ I barely got the word out.

  ‘Calm down. I don’t plan on actually involving myself in any real physical work. Think of me as more of a sightseeing passenger. One who will watch on with mild interest and not participate in any of the moral-boosting, life-risking activities.’

  ‘Gus,’ I snapped. ‘What the hell is going on?’

  Gus licked his lips and took a deep breath. ‘They need a genius on the inside and, well, you didn’t cut it.’

  I crossed my arms, on the verge of dragging him out of the room and beating some sense into him. Gus must’ve sensed he’d pushed my final button because he shrugged. ‘Once you’ve found the antidote, who did you think was going to hack the files?’

  ‘You. But I figured you’d do it by remote computer, like always.’

  He shook his head and sat on the edge of a table. ‘Not this time, Mags. That M-Corp central computer is a monster. It would take weeks to attempt anything by external hacking. Think about all the times you’ve had to go down there for us to find information and how rarely we found anything of use.’

  This was true.

  ‘I have to access the real thing, and if the plan plays out as it should, it won’t be a problem. Liam will have your father in hand, I’ll get down and dirty with the mainframe, and you and Quin can sit back and put your feet up.’

  My face went slack.

  He smiled. ‘What? Afraid I’ll steal your limelight?’ He gestured to himself. ‘I can totally see how you would be worried. Just seeing how badass I make this outfit look is enough to worry anyone. I can already see the superhero movie adaptation.’

  I rolled my eyes and whacked him on the shoulder. Gus grabbed a black marker off the table and before I knew it, he reached forwards and drew a line down my face.

  I leaped back in shock.

  Suddenly he was laughing hard.

  Master Rua grunted and walked away.

  Then I was laughing too.

  Nothing was particularly funny. The last thing I wanted was Gus – who couldn’t save himself from a stray cat – going down into those tunnels of death. But there we were, goofing around.

  Armed with a pen in each hand, we’d tagged each other several times and Gus had me pinned to a chair, basically straddling me as he continued his attack, when Quentin suddenly appeared by my side.

  We both froze. I knew Gus, like me, was wondering how uncomfortable things were about to get. But the instant my eyes met Quentin’s, my concerns evaporated and I knew all of that stuff was behind us. Of course, that didn’t stop him from grabbing a fluorescent orange highlighter and streaking a thick line down Gus’s cheek in my defence.

  A few minutes later we all stood, pens drawn, as we stared one another down waiting to see who would make the next move. By then all three of us were covered in a marker–biro–highlighter combination.

  Alex stormed straight through the centre of our circle with a dozen special ops guys on his tail. When he saw my face, he didn’t try to hide his frustration. ‘Hadn’t realised we were taking a break for playtime, kids.’

  Gus and Quentin burst out laughing and instantly retaliated, throwing several uncapped pens towards Alex. Most missed – a number of special ops scary dudes copping their misfires. When we saw that the biggest, scariest-looking soldier of them all had a smear of pink across his nose, none of us could hold it in. Even Alex couldn’t suppress a smile as they walked away.

  Like I said, nothing was particularly funny at that moment, but we all knew this might be the last time we’d all laugh together. Hell, it might be the last laugh, full stop.

  Twenty-eight

  ‘Bring back memories?’ Quentin murmured in my ear, causing goosebumps to run down my arms.

  ‘Hmm,’ I said, staring straight ahead at the field we’d been dropped off in, and then turning to look at the two silver Ducati motorcycles beside us.

  ‘Are they the Diamond off-roaders?’

  ‘Yep.’

  My mouth was dry with anticipation. These bikes were the hottest thing on two wheels I’d ever seen. They weren’t supposed to be available to the public for another six months and to someone like me, never. But that hadn’t stopped me salivating over them since I’d read the first road-testing article a year ago.

  While I stared at the gorgeous bikes, already envisaging the ride I was about to go on, Quentin passed me a helmet and then jumped on the first one. Before I knew it, Liam positioned himself on the other one and told Gus to jump on behind him.

  My brow furrowed and I looked around. ‘Where’s mine?’ I asked.

  Quentin pursed his lips. I could see he was working hard to hold himself together as he patted the back of his bike. ‘I knew I’d get you on the back of a bike sooner or later,’ he said with a smirk.

  My excitement fled fast. I appealed to Liam. ‘Come on, surely we could have gotten enough bikes. We’d be faster that way.’

  Liam just turned on his engine. ‘Only thing slowing us down right now is your ego!’ he called out.

  Gus gave an exaggerated nod as he got into position behind Liam.

  Sulking, I threw on my helmet and got on Quentin’s bike. ‘Just so you know, I’m a terrible passenger,’ I said.

  Quentin chuckled. ‘Never would’ve guessed.’ He grabbed my arms and wrapped them around his waist. And, hello there … Whatcha know? Riding on the back of his bike suddenly had my interest as I snuggled in close.

  As it turned out, Quentin was an excellent motorbike rider and he took the lead, driving along the same off-road path we’d taken a couple of months ago without nearly as many close shaves as I’d caused us.

  When the airport came into view in the distance, I signalled for us to stop. I took off my helmet as I waited for Liam’s bike to pull up alongside us.

  ‘Remember to avoid being seen by any cameras or security personnel,’ I instructed. I was stating the obvious, but I felt responsible for making sure this entryway into the tunnels worked. After all, I’d been the one who’d insisted on using the same route as I had before. Eliza and her team had taken a different route to keep us separated. Eliza had worked out their entry point: through a vaulted underground bank that was majority-owned by M-Corp. After some investigations and Gus hitting up a few of his black-market contacts, they were able to confirm there was a hidden door to the tunnels in the vault at their Market Street branch in Leesburg, only twenty miles northwest of the core. Eliza’s team had left an hour before us to allow for the distance and should have already been well within the tunnels.

  Liam, Gus and Quentin all nodded. We put our hoods up for extra cover beneath our helmets, and then set off again. Everyone knew their part and how to play it, so there was no need to linger.

  Arriving at Dulles International Airport felt like opening the floodgates to all the memories I worked so hard to ignore. Images flashed through my mind: the airport guard, the transit pods, seeing my father, losing him and Quentin in the space of minutes and then … the darkness.

  I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and tried to pull myself together. I couldn’t afford to go there.

  When I finally foc
used on my surroundings, I noticed that the airport scene was quite different to the last time I’d been there.

  I glanced around the baggage area, which was considerably quieter than I’d ever seen it before. As we walked further in, I saw that someone had cordoned off the last conveyor belt with white plywood, creating a false wall around it. Nailed to the boards were signs apologising for the inconvenience caused by the airport’s recent renovations and redirecting travellers towards temporary baggage conveyor belts on the floor above.

  ‘Wow,’ I murmured, glancing at Liam as he navigated his way past passengers.

  ‘Yep. We’re good for some things,’ he said, looking around to ensure no one was following us. He continued forwards, walking us straight past a number of security guards who all just happened to turn in the opposite direction when we walked by, not one of them looking at us for even the briefest moment. Whoever Pre-Evo had connection with at the airport was major.

  ‘All clear,’ he said, holding open the makeshift door in the white plywood wall. We moved quickly through the door and Liam kept a lookout before shutting it behind him and securing a padlock on our side. The instant we heard the click our shoulders collectively dropped a couple of inches, some of the tension relieved for now. Getting caught at this stage of the game really wasn’t an option.

  ‘I can’t believe this hasn’t drawn the attention of M-Corp security,’ I said, gesturing to the fake renovation area.

  ‘You’re assuming they have someone constantly monitoring the airport,’ Liam said.

  ‘You don’t think they do?’ I asked.

  His response was a shrug.

  ‘They aren’t all-seeing, Mags,’ Gus threw in. ‘They’d have access to the airport security cameras, but I doubt they have anyone whose sole job it is to sit and monitor this particular feed.’

  I suppose they couldn’t monitor all the sites they kept under surveillance twenty-four seven, but still …

  Sensing my need to move, Liam held out his hand towards the carousel and I took that as my cue.

  ‘This way,’ I instructed.

  Crouched low, we made our way along the black conveyor belt into the back area and found the hidden doorway. Liam used a more advanced decoder than the one I owned and within twelve seconds the door slid open and we jumped into the concrete room beyond.

  ‘This is different to last time,’ Quentin remarked, looking around at the large room that had been empty on our last visit, but was now overflowing with boxes.

  ‘A delivery must’ve just come in,’ I said, looking at the faux-pharmaceutical boxes.

  ‘You mean …’ Gus gulped. ‘All of these boxes are filled with lust-enhancers?’

  ‘That’d be my guess,’ I said.

  Gus’s mouth dropped open. ‘Okay. Am I the only one considering our options here? I mean, think about it. Load up a few boxes, take what money we have and … you know, we’re at the airport anyway. Just a few boxloads would get us millions on the black market.’

  ‘You really want to do that?’ Quentin asked knowingly.

  Gus looked away, and I knew he didn’t want to be caught showing emotion. He had his own reasons for making this trip and it wasn’t all about the greater good. Despite his own ignorance of the fact, Gus had loved Kelsey. ‘Not exactly, but if everyone else was keen …’ He shrugged. ‘I’d completely understand the temptation.’

  ‘Are we ready to move on?’ I asked with raised eyebrows.

  Gus nodded and Quentin moved to my side.

  ‘The first tunnel is narrow so we stay in single file – at times you’ll have to walk side-on. There are a few tight corners, but if I slow down just be patient, it’s because I’m checking ahead. No talking unless absolutely necessary.’

  ‘I should take the lead, Maggie,’ Liam said, stepping forwards.

  I blocked him with a hand on his chest. ‘Not gonna happen. I know the way, you only know the map and, trust me when I say, the real thing is different. Plus, I want you coming up the rear to cover Gus.’

  ‘I’ll ignore the crudeness of that statement because I’m fully in favour of what you really mean,’ Gus said quickly. ‘In fact, when in doubt, Liam, think of me as your protectee – the one you throw your body in front of the moment any bullets start flying.’

  Liam grunted but moved to the back. And that left me with the lead, and Quentin close on my tail.

  Stepping into the tunnel, I ignored the pressure in my chest and forced myself to breathe the familiar stale air and continue forwards. But when Liam stepped in and closed the door behind him … everything was suddenly pitch black and my body simply stopped functioning.

  We’d decided in the planning process that flashlights might expose us and therefore had agreed to go in dark. Clearly not one of my better ideas.

  Struggling to find air, I leaned against the wall and blinked rapidly, desperate for my eyes to fix on something, anything. But … I couldn’t … Who was I kidding? I couldn’t do this! I couldn’t face these people! I couldn’t even walk!

  My heart was pounding; I could hear it like huge drumbeats echoing in my ears. I was suddenly there, starving again as all around me people died while I could do nothing but stumble through darkness. My breaths became short and ragged. I couldn’t do this.

  I had just turned around and decided go back when a pair of hands slid around my waist, startling me at first, but then confidently pulling me in. Quentin.

  His warmth surrounded me. His smell. He turned me in his arms so I was facing back down the dark tunnel and pulled me to his chest, whispering in my ear, ‘Breathe.’

  But I didn’t want to. Couldn’t. I wanted to launch into full-on panic mode.

  ‘We need you, Mags. Breathe,’ he said again, whispering so only I could hear.

  Oh God, he was right. Gus and Quin needed me to be strong. They needed me to do this and help right all the wrongs. And I needed to be able to do that.

  Slowly I forced out a breath, then took one in, ignoring my shuddering chest and trying again. In, out, in … until I started to feel my arms and legs again. Until I was able to kept my focus on Quentin’s warmth surrounding me and on the job at hand. Until I was able to push aside my fear of the dark and what lurked within.

  ‘I’m okay,’ I whispered, as much to myself as to Quentin.

  ‘I know,’ he said. ‘You’ve got this.’ And it was the conviction in his voice, his touch and faith that broke through the dread that had seized me. With each new breath I felt his strength become mine and I straightened, taking that first step forwards – the step towards my fate.

  This is what it was all about – a battle that had somehow become my destiny since that very first experiment my father had included me in at Mitchell’s Diner. He had secured my future that night. He had started all of this. And tonight, I was going to end it. Or die trying.

  ‘This way,’ I said, a little louder so everyone could hear.

  We remained silent from that point until we reached the larger tunnel. We were all hot and bothered from the tiny passageway. Gus basically catapulted himself into the wider area, dramatically gasping for air.

  ‘Jesus, Gus. Lucky there’s no one waiting for us with loaded weapons since you didn’t even bother to look before stumbling out,’ I chastised.

  ‘I hate you too,’ he said, glaring at me. ‘Let’s try not to forget this hellhole is full of fun family moments for … not me, but the two of you,’ he said, jabbing a finger at Quentin and me. ‘Honestly, you two take dysfunctional to an entirely apocalyptic level. If I wasn’t so damn sure it was going to end badly for me, I’d be impressed.’

  Everyone stared at Gus.

  ‘Should I gag him?’ Liam asked.

  I looked at him and saw that his expression was deadly serious.

  I rolled my eyes. ‘We go west,’ I said. ‘Liam, you take point and I’ll keep Gus quiet.’

  Liam looked more than relieved to be off babysitting duty and flew into full-on soldier mode. I walked with Gus to mak
e sure he didn’t get himself into trouble, but even so, I could feel Quentin’s eyes on me, watching over me protectively.

  When we hit a junction, I led them to the nearby call station. ‘Cameras there and there,’ I pointed. ‘Once we put a call in for the transit pods, the cameras will automatically activate.’

  Gus scoffed. ‘Not with me down here, they won’t.’

  He pulled out his small laptop and started typing away – frankly I had no idea what he was doing, but he seemed busy so I turned my attention back to the tunnels and kept watch.

  ‘How is this going to work?’ Quentin asked.

  ‘I’m hacking into the system – but before I trigger it, I’m kind of tiptoeing first to a different section – or in this case a different junction,’ Gus explained absently, pulling out a notebook where he’d written the access codes Pre-Evo had given him. ‘Once we activate the system, we’ll be able to bring a pod here, but the pod’s zip drive will show that it’s gone to a different junction and the cameras will activate in that junction too.’

  Yes. Gus had mad skills.

  He finished up, seemingly happy, and then we waited as Liam plugged in his earpiece and radioed in for a report. When he finished getting the details, he filled us in.

  ‘The first strike is underway. They’ve taken the Barclay Street building. No sighting of any Mercer family members or your father, Maggie.’

  I took this in, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet.

  The first strike had been in New York City. As we waited for the pod, the M-Corp offices in New York were currently being raided and secured by what would look like – to anyone on the outside – a privately organised crime group who were shutting down the tech and taking personnel hostage for some kind of financial gain. The idea had actually being inspired by our little tech bomb display in the theatre.

  It was a risk, hitting that site first, and many of the most accomplished soldiers had gone to be part of the strike force. The plan was to take the site hard and fast to stop word getting out that M-Corp was under attack. Eliza had made the ultimate choice to take out their New York office and I couldn’t argue with her decision. It would go a long way towards making the underground vulnerable.