by Franklin, TG
"Safe with John, and David knows what he needs to do. You make those calls, and Hadrian will use the GPS chips in their phones to find them." Dex stepped around Jonah, stopped behind his left shoulder, and whispered in his ear. "This is why they go through the limbic system. Controllers can't do their job if they're worrying about their family, friends, homes, or even their damned goldfish. If you want to help them, get your emotions under control. And if you want to worry about something, worry about getting your ass out of here."
Jonah turned. "What?"
"While you were out, the president declared martial law. Issued a curfew for six tonight. Everyone who doesn't have a bunker is being corralled into what he's calling community safety havens, and he's got the military setting up roadblocks on the interstates. People are storming the wall. It's chaos out there." Dex pointed at the door. "How many people saw you come in? Or Michael? Noticed the tat?"
"A lady in the lobby saw me. Maybe one or two more. Everyone at the reception desk." He closed his eyes, brought the memories to the surface. "Passed eleven people in the hallways. Probably about the same for Michael."
Dex nodded to Dr. Ernst, and the man left the room. "And after Hadrian's announcement, how many of them do you think called the security force, or went to find a weapon to capture you two for the reward?"
"Shit! Never crossed my mind."
Dex poked a finger into Jonah's forehead. "What. A. Freaking. Waste. How about using that blasted-out brain of yours to calculate some odds instead of letting your emotions control your reactions."
Jonah swatted Dex's hand. "Like you? No thanks."
"No, I expect you to be better than me." Dex let out a little laugh. "It took over a year, and a hell of a lot conditioning, a sort of self-inflicted shock therapy, for me to play the part. Convince everyone."
Dex never stimmed. When he'd made the promise to remember that, he hadn't expected to keep it. Didn't think it mattered. Dex never stimmed, because he didn't need the kick of artificial emotions. He'd never lost the real ones.
"But you?" Dex continued. "You let people think you're out of control. The Dragons wouldn't trust you otherwise. Got to be crazy to take on Hadrian's security forces. Steal what you need to survive right under their noses. But I know it's all for show, especially after you blasted and your ability kicked in. But I knew it the day I blasted. I was half out of my mind with pain, and I grabbed your wrist, trying to hold on, literally and figuratively, and not pass out. I felt your pulse. Your slow, steady pulse, even while you were threatening to kill the doctor, and I locked onto it like a metronome." Tears filled his eyes. "It wasn't the doctor, or the blood thinners, or anything else they did to me. You saved my life."
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ursula pulled over on the shoulder of Jacksboro's main drag and stopped the bike. But not by choice. Vehicles and pedestrians clogged the four lane highway. "We're not going to make the rendezvous."
"Nope." Niko agreed. "And I'd bet the Dragons won't make it, either."
Probably not. From the bits of conversation going on around them, she gathered that the military had already seized Interstate 75 in both directions. To protect Oak Ridge from an influx of people seeking refuge, vehicles were forced onto the closest exit ramps. The extra traffic clogged the roads, but the screeching sound of the civil defense signal cut through the cacophony of horns and angry shouts.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Ursula shifted in the seat and pulled her knife out of its sheath.
Hadrian's voice quieted the crowd, but it was an uneasy quiet. Idling engines went silent as drivers started good, long looks at the people around them.
"The son-of-a-bitch is covering his ass, and he's scared and spreading panic and suspicion to make him look like a victim." She surveyed the area. Watched drivers get out of their vehicles carrying makeshift weapons, or if they didn't have one, they dug in their trunks for lug wrenches. One guy came out swinging a Louisville Slugger like the clean-up batter in the bottom of the ninth. Business owners locked their doors. An eighteen-wheeler rode up the emergency lane, traveling too fast to care about anything, or anyone, in its way. These people were angry and scared. Stranded and desperate to get to their families, their homes. Somewhere safe.
And Hadrian had just told the world that nowhere was safe.
"Those people are going to turn into a mob soon, and I'd rather not be here when it gets ugly."
"Too late." Niko pointed to a group of men rocking a car back and forth.
They managed to get it on its side, but the accomplishment didn't satisfy the frenzied group. One of them punched a good sized hole in the gas tank with the business end of a lug wrench, and fuel gushed out onto the road. Other groups formed, started smashing anything within reach. Including each other. The big rig never slowed and took out several vehicles on its way north.
"We've got to get out of here." She replaced the knife and started the bike. "We'll head south, back toward Norris Dam. It's a good bet that the Dragons went to plan B and are heading that way now. If not, maybe we'll get lucky and find one of the cabins intact." She put the bike in gear and slowly made her way through the gaps in traffic toward one of the few turnoffs. "Hold on. I can't promise it'll be a smooth ride over some of the back roads."
"Wait!"
She jerked the bike to a stop at the intersection. "Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Niko pointed to a shopping center about fifty yards into the fray. "There's a computer store down there."
"Yeah? So?"
He patted the backpack secured to the bike. "You've got your weapons, and I've got mine."
Drivers, trying to escape the mobs on the four-lane, pushed and crashed their vehicles into the strip mall's small parking lot. Others poured out of the grocery store a few spots up from the comp store with bags, and arms, full of food.
Looters. She silently wished them luck in making it home, or even out of the parking lot, with their booty. "No."
"Look, we got screwed on the explosives, and if I'm going to be any use at all now, I need a comp."
"No."
He started to protest, but she cut him off. "Have you ever faced a mob like that? I have. Six days a week for the past five years, and those people aren't human anymore. They're animals fighting for survival. They'll rip us apart before we get anywhere near the store."
"I'm not asking you to ride through the fray and drop me at the front door. There's got to be a way to get in through the back, like for deliveries and shit. Just get me close. I'll hoof it to the back entrance, grab what I need, and get out. Five minutes, tops."
"No."
Before she got the bike in gear, Niko jumped off the seat. "Then take off, 'cause I'm not leaving without a comp."
"Damn it, Niko! Why'd you have to grow a pair now?"
"Look, I get the comp, I can hack Hadrian's system."
"And do what? This isn't a situation where playing tic-tac-toe is going to save the day."
"The virus Mary uploaded? It overrides Hadrian's commands to his security forces. I can use it to clear the way for the Dragons."
She let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know squat about computer viruses, but if Hadrian's best comp jocks can't do anything with it, what makes you think you can?"
"Because I wrote it."
Questions. She had several, but no time to ask them. Maybe he was blowing smoke, maybe not. But if there was even a remote possibility he could do as he claimed, she had to let him try. "Okay. Climb on." She did a quick survey of the area as he mounted the bike, let off the brake and eased down a two-lane off the main drag. "Looks like this road takes us close to the back of the shopping center. I'll give you five minutes. At five minutes and one second, my leather-clad ass is out of here."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
"Why?" Shock crossed Jonah's features. "If I saved your life, why'd you go controller and join up with Hadrian? Betrayal's a hell of way to say thanks."
"I didn't betray you. I blasted."
"No." Jonah
shook his head. "I was there, remember. The doc stopped the blast."
"I blasted," Dex repeated. "And while I laid there, half dead with my brain on fire, I saw everything." He swiped his hand over his face. The memory of it still rattled him. Made him a little queasy. "Your brain operates like a comp, and you can control technology. Stran can read emotions. Once Mary makes it through her blast, she'll be clairsentient. Me? I see the freaking future, and I got it in one big flash when I blasted."
Jonah crossed his arms over his chest. "Doesn't answer the question. If you knew all this shit was going down, why did you join with Hadrian?"
"You still don't get it, do you? After the blast, my mech was shot from the blood thinners and the defib. I couldn't even lift my arms. But I'd seen my future self, and the future mech. And apparently while under the influence of the pain meds, I talked about everything I'd seen. Doctor Ernst listened, even recorded some of it. He used all his skills to get me stabilized, and then convinced me to volunteer for the experimental mech he was helping Hadrian develop. Once he implanted the controller mech, bypassing my limbic system, I was able to filter, separate all the possibilities." He walked to the counter, rummaged through the cabinet until he found a plastic cup. Probably meant to hold urine specimens or something, but he didn't care. It was still sealed and clean. He pulled it out of the bag, turned on the faucet, and filled the cup to the top. "I kept reaching out, kept trying to see more, and I didn't like what I saw. Not at first. Seemed like every possibility led to the wave destroying everything. Killing everyone. Then you saved me again." He lifted the little cup in salute and downed its contents.
"Don't you dare try to put the blame on me for you getting cozy with Hadrian. I wasn't even there after you blasted."
Dex smiled, genuine affection for his friend. And damn, it felt good after denying his emotions for so long. "You were with me. In spirit. I thought about how you refused to give up on me. Wouldn't let me die, and I knew I couldn't give up. I forced my mind down the paths I didn't want to travel." He refilled the cup. "Nothing changed. I still saw a future where the wave destroyed everything. I knew Hadrian was withholding information about the wave, or about the energy web. Or both. It made me sick. I knew, knew, I had to discover his secrets, and to do it, I realized I had to work with Hadrian. It was the only way." He drank the water in two gulps. "And to be honest, I was kind of stoked about infiltrating Palisade."
"I bet."
"With the help of the new mech, I learned to fine tune my ability and used it to make sure I rose through the ranks quickly. Giving the right order. Being in the right place at the right time. Finding contraband. Like I said before, controlling my emotions was the hardest part. Especially when he ordered his security forces to go after the gangs, but I did what I could to keep them off your asses." He wadded the cup in his fist and threw it in the trash. "You've got to believe me. Being part of Hadrian's organization...it's the only way I could help." Dex rubbed the back of his neck and waited for Jonah to respond.
"You should have clued me in." Jonah took a step back. Turned away. "You want me to believe you? Trust you? When you didn't trust me enough to let me in?"
"I'm sorry." He didn't move. Didn't breathe. Through the closed door, he heard raised voices and hurried footsteps. Fear and panic permeated through the med center. Clenching his fists, he wished he hadn't thrown the cup away. Wished Jonah would answer. Now, more than ever, he needed something to hold on to. He needed his friend.
"No. Not acceptable. Don't think a quick apology lets you off the hook." Jonah turned, arms crossed over his chest, but his voice sounded more calm. Less angry. "When all this is over, and if we survive, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you. And then, when you're on the floor bloody and bruised? Then you can say you're sorry."
He grinned. The response meant his actions hadn't completely destroyed their friendship. And despite the fact that he had more powerful mech than Jonah, he had no doubt his friend could make good on the threat.
"Okay, you can see the future. It's how you knew I blasted? How you know what Mary's ability is going to be? What the hell is clairsentience anyway?"
"It's increased intuition. Off the charts intuition. She'll be able to touch something and know everything about who owned it. She'll perceive danger long before it's apparent, and she'll know if someone is lying. And yes, my ability is how I knew you blasted, and more importantly, that Mary was meeting with Niko. Every vision of success I had centered on that one event."
"So why don't you know Hadrian's ability?"
"He blasted not long after I did, and my precognizence was sketchy at best. I've tried to focus on his future, hoping to discover his ability, but all I get are random images of people. Most of the time, it's the president. It's why I think he's planning on taking over the office when the wave hits."
"Can you see the near future? Anything to give us an idea of how we get out of here?"
"No. The future's not set in stone. Every action has an effect on how things play out, and events are happening too fast. Too much is changing." Dex leaned against the counter. "In addition, there's one small complication with my ability. I can't see my own future. In this situation, your ability is more of a help than mine."
Jonah took up pacing again. "We can't go through any of the checkpoints to get out of the city. Mine and Michael's tats make it impossible."
"Plus, the virus wouldn't have propagated through the entire security network," Dex added. "Hadrian keeps several elite reserve units independent of the main system and not accessible through the wireless network. They have more enhanced mech than the regulars, better fighting skills, and more sophisticated and deadly weapons. He'll have one unit spread out among the checkpoints. He'll have the other units securing the roads leading to Palisade."
Jonah paced the length of the room. "Hadrian knows I've got to get to a controller comp to input the codes. He'll be forced to rely on those elite units to make a grab at me, and his best chance is inside the main control room."
"Agreed."
"If I can get to a terminal, any terminal within Palisade, I'll find the subsystem and crash his elite units before we get to the main control room."
"Too risky. I won't be able to keep them off you long enough for you to—"
Screams echoed in the hallway, followed by the sound of something heavy crashing against a wall.
"Tell me where they are." Michael's voice silenced the crowd. "Or we'll tear this place apart."
Dex grinned. Michael's approach might not be subtle, but it was effective.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
By some miracle, they survived the ride to Norris, but Niko didn't know how. He'd kept his eyes clenched shut for most of the way. Especially when she blew across the dam and straight for the cluster of guards.
Yeah, her flirting with them on the trip earlier hadn't stopped them from shooting at her on the trip back.
But her kamikaze driving skills had proven what self defense instructors taught: it's hard to hit a moving target.
Norris Dam State Park hadn't been run by the state in years. Hadrian, with military support, controlled all energy production in the Tennessee Valley and had commandeered the cabins in the park for his security forces. Ursula pulled in front of the first one she came to and parked the bike. "Let's hope nobody's home."
Niko pulled the shock sticks out of the backpack and followed Ursula to the little porch. "Doesn't look like it."
She pulled her knife out of its sheath. "Electronic lock." Ursula pointed to the keypad. "Your area of expertise. Can you open it?"
"Easy." He pressed the one button four times.
"You've got to be kidding."
The lock released, and he followed Ursula into the cabin. "Nope. See, back during the cold war when everybody and their brother had nuclear weapons, leaders didn't want people getting trigger happy and blowing the Earth to shit. So, they had these launch codes, like six or seven digits. Problem was they were hard to remember, and that's not t
he kind of thing you write on a sticky note next to the keyboard. The solution they came up with? All ones." He placed the comp on the kitchen table and opened the refrigerator. "Same principle applies here. These guys are military, grunts mostly. No mechs. The military reserves mech enhancements for Hadrian's security force and brass, like your commander. Plus, there's lots of turnover in these guard positions. Well, they're not going to change the codes on the locks every time somebody new comes in. Hence, all ones." He grabbed some leftover chicken and a bottle of water. "Simplicity over security."
"Speaking of security, what do you plan to do with the comp."
"First thing I gotta do is let Jonah know we crapped out with the explosives. If he's already at the prison comp, he'll detect my presence in the grid. He won't know the presence is me, without the message, and I don't want him thinking I'm a threat and turning me into a statue."
"He'll be able to do that?"
"Sweetheart, with his upgrades and my virus, he'll be the most powerful person in the world. Turning me to virtual stone? He could do it with half a thought."
Hope shone in Ursula's eyes. "Then he can kill Hadrian."
"Not that way." He wiped his hands on his pants and pulled the comp out of its box. "Hadrian's not mech."
"Of course he is."
"Of course he isn't." Niko pulled the power cord out of the box and plugged it into the nearest outlet.
"But, I've seen—"
"Exactly what he wanted you, and everyone else, to see," Niko interrupted. "Look, Hadrian used nanites to get through his blast, and nanites destroy mech connections, no exceptions, and a good deal of brain matter with them. The port on his neck? All for show."
"I really should have gone to more meetings."
He booted up the comp and checked out the OS while Ursula continued to mumble under her breath about meetings and rummaged through cabinets. He hadn't paid much attention to the machine he'd grabbed. Comp stores usually keep their best models on display to dazzle the customers, but the displays had all been smashed or gone by the time he'd made it into the store. From the look of it, though, he hadn't picked up a dud. A little better than the basic system, but he didn't know how long it'd last once he hacked into Hadrian's system. "Cross your fingers. I'm going in to cop another cyberfeel. Some pathways might've changed, or closed. Might be new subsystems since the last time I peeked under the skirt."
