“Technically no, but they often do it,” Rachel said. “They’ll lie and say you were up to mischief and need keeping off the streets. Most of my mates have been shipped off to the workhouses. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you can provide cheap labour for Goulden and his business pals, you’re put to work.”
“Is that what will happen to Aaron?” Lucy asked. The 17 year old was understandably upset about her 16-year-old brother.
“Probably. My guess is that they’ll be sent to the Arndale or Irwell Workhouse.”
“Then we stand a chance of breaking them out,” Scarlett said hopefully.
“Yes and no.” Rachel looked sceptical. “Even if you did know which one they’re in, they have mega-tight security at these places.”
“We can handle that,” Scarlett said.
“You’re fearless!” Rachel laughed.
“We’re desperate and determined.”
Scarlett meant every word of what she said. If they could put their lives on the line to save thousands of strangers from a workhouse, she was willing to do the same to help her three good friends. She buried her earlier insecurities about dying. Even if she didn’t have long left, she might as well do something useful with her time. Rachel had escaped from one of these places, surely she could offer some insider knowledge.
“Do you think you could help us? You know more about the local workhouses than we do.”
“Listen, I can’t promise anything, but I can do a bit of digging… see if anyone’s heard about some new teens being brought in. Will that help?”
“Yes! Can you do that?”
“I have a few mates dotted around, so one of them has to know something. If we can find out which workhouse your lot were taken to, that should make your job easier.”
“Definitely,” Dylan said. “Thanks, Rachel.”
“No worries,” she smiled, a little too flirtatiously for Scarlett’s liking. “You can come with me if you like.”
“Yeah that’d be great,” Scarlett said, butting in. She wasn’t sure if the invite was extended to her, but she was accepting it anyway. “Why don’t we all tag along?”
“OK, safety in numbers and all that,” Rachel said. “I’ll get my coat.”
Twenty minutes later, Neelam, Scarlett, Dylan, Alex and Lucy were sitting on a low, red-brick wall on the outskirts of town while Rachel talked to two young men she knew. They looked about 19 or 20, were dressed head-to-toe in scruffy, black clothes and for some reason, they made Scarlett feel on edge.
She glanced around their surroundings as Rachel pumped the contacts for information, but that did the opposite of putting her mind at rest. Six grim-looking tower blocks stood about 100 feet away from them and each one was around 30 storeys high with a menacing feel to it. Scarlett knew she was being a snob because she’d never been anywhere like this before, but she felt uneasy hanging around here. The boarded-up windows and balconies with maximum-security bars weren’t a good sign for a start.
Even more worryingly, a gang of 20 or so men and women in their late teens and early 20s were milling around near the door and staring over at Scarlett and her friends. A few of them were riding 1980s-style pushbikes and one in particular kept cycling over to her group, circling them, then riding back to the mob, who broke out in fits of sneering laughter every time. Even though this larger group wasn’t technically doing any harm, she couldn’t help but feel intimidated by them.
“Can we get out of here soon?” she whispered to Dylan. “I don’t feel comfortable.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone hurt you. As soon as Rachel gets some info out of those guys, we’ll leave.”
“OK.” Scarlett folded her arms across her chest protectively and glanced at Lucy and Neelam, who looked every bit as unimpressed as she was.
She stared back towards the tower blocks, where she could see the boy on the bike was cycling towards them again and this time two friends were following him. They hung back as the first boy circled Scarlett’s group, getting closer and closer with each rotation. His menacing eyes were confidently locked on Scarlett’s every inch of the way and once he was right in front of her, he stooped, adjusted his baseball cap, then played with the zip on the neck of his tracksuit top.
“Boss wanster know what you lorrup ta,” he said while swaying his head and shoulders from side to side.
“Excuse me?” she replied.
She hadn’t understood a word of what he’d said. He glared at her with a mix of anger and indignation.
“You deaf or summat? I said boss wants to know what you lot are up to. Why are you here? What are you doing? Do you understand Eeeengleeeeesh?”
“I understand English perfectly well,” Scarlett snapped. “Tell your ‘boss’ that we’re not up to anything, we’re simply chatting to some friends and then we’ll be on our way. Is that OK?”
“Not really.”
“Why not.”
“This is our patch, we don’t like strangers.”
Dylan stepped in front of Scarlett in an attempt to both calm things down and protect her. Scarlett should have been pleased, but she couldn’t help feeling annoyed.
“Look, we’re passing through,” he said. “We don’t want any trouble.”
“Yeah, well mate, you should have thought of that before you strayed onto the M-Boyz’s patch, shouldn’t ya?”
Lucy leant towards Scarlett and Dylan and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think we should leave. Now.”
“You’re right,” Scarlett said.
As much as she resented being chased away by a bunch of imbeciles on pushbikes, she knew they needed to make a sharp exit from this place. If she had felt confident using her powers out in the open, she’d teach this lot a lesson for sure, but she didn’t dare. Much as she wanted to show these kids she wasn’t afraid of them, it wasn’t worth risking revealing their identities.
“Rachel,” Dylan said loudly. “We’re leaving.”
The girl looked around from her two friends and Scarlett mouthed the word “trouble” at her. Rachel took the hint and said her goodbyes before racing over to Scarlett, Dylan, Lucy, Neelam and Alex, who were now rushing away from the scene.
“Yeah, you run,” the boy in the baseball cap shouted. “Chickens! And don’t ever cross the M-Boyz again or I’ll smash yer face in.”
Then his friends started hollering abuse.
“We’ll kill yer!”
“Ugly pigs!
“Keep out of our way, got that? Or you’ll regret it.”
“More like you’ll regret it,” Scarlett muttered to herself. She was full of anger about having to walk away, but she knew it was the right thing to do.
“Sorry,” Rachel said. “I didn’t count on the M-Boyz causing trouble.”
“Who are they?” Scarlett asked.
“That gang you ran away from. They love terrorising the area and are famous for their crime and dodgy dealings.”
“Those stupid kids?”
“They might seem dumb, but they run that estate and all the roads for a mile around.”
“What do you mean by run it?” Dylan said. “What do they get up to?”
“Depends on their mood or what they feel like doing to get their kicks that day. Mostly, they’ll steal from anyone and make people and businesses give them money. Everyone’s scared of them, so they’ll do whatever they say.”
“They sound like bullies.”
“I guess they are, only a lot more dangerous. I’d keep well away from them if I were you.” Rachel stopped and gave them all a serious look to show she meant what she said.
“We could take them,” Scarlett said defiantly.
Rachel shook her head and continued walking. “Trust me, you couldn’t. The M-Boyz work for a bigger city-wide gang that’s run by The Echidna. He’s Manchester’s top crime boss and if you mess with any of the kids in his circle, he’ll hunt you down and take his revenge. He’s not the kind of person you want to cross.”
“So he’s t
he chief bully?” Dylan said.
“Don’t mess with him,” Rachel said. She gave them another warning look. “He and his men don’t think twice about killing someone over a petty squabble. I know, I’ve lost people that way.” She blinked back tears as she tried her best to keep a hardened, brave face on.
“I’m sorry,” Dylan said. “Can I ask who?”
“My dad and brother. The Echidna’s men kicked them to death last year…” Her voice trailed off and it was clear she couldn’t bring herself to say anymore.
“That’s awful,” Scarlett whispered. She knew it was a lame thing to say, but she didn’t think there were any right words under the circumstances. She placed an arm around Rachel’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
Rachel shrugged away from Scarlett, before looking at her with a thankful expression. “Cheers.”
“I lost my parents and sister,” Dylan said. “I know how hard it must be.”
Rachel was shocked. “Really… how?”
“Goulden faked a terrorist attack. It’s a long story...” Dylan’s voice trailed off as he clammed up and Scarlett knew it was because he never felt comfortable talking about his family. “I wanted to let you know I understand.”
“Thanks,” Rachel smiled. “We should keep going; I’ll feel safer when we’re back in the city centre because it’s well dodgy round here.”
“Do you want me to teleport us?” Alex offered.
“No,” Dylan said. “Let’s save that for emergencies so we lessen the chance of you being exposed.” He turned towards Rachel. “So did you find out anything from those two guys anyway? Please tell me that unpleasant little jaunt was worth it.”
Rachel nodded and as they walked, she revealed that her contacts had heard about three new teenagers being dragged into the Irwell Tower a couple of hours ago. Apparently, they had caused a scene as they tried to escape and word had rapidly spread around the city about the strange kids who had dared to defy the Guardians. It sounded like their efforts had been in vain though.
Just as she finished relaying the news, the group found themselves turning the corner onto Miller Street as they grew closer to Rachel’s hideaway.
“So what now?” she said.
“We go find our friends,” Dylan said. “You don’t have to join us.”
“I want to; it’ll be easier with me to show you the way.”
“Alex and I know our way around Manchester just fine,” Scarlett said.
“Yeah, but it’s changed a lot and I’ve worked in the Irwell Tower, so I can help.”
“Thanks,” Dylan said. He shot Scarlett a look.
“OK, then. Follow me.”
As they walked down Miller Street, Scarlett was again shocked that she could no longer see the iconic Ethinance Tower dominating the view. It had loomed over the city’s skyline for as long as she could remember and it seemed weird and disconcerting to not see it there.
“Do you know what happened to the Ethinance offices?” she asked Rachel. “It’s like it’s been obliterated from the landscape.”
“The government took the company over a couple of years back and flattened the whole lot. They came out with some rubbish about how they were going to replace the old buildings with better ones, but it never happened. Instead, they went on to shut down all their businesses. I can’t say I was surprised because Ethinance’s caring, ethical approach was pretty much the opposite of Goulden’s ideas and lack of morals. It makes sense that he’d want to destroy them for the fun of it.”
“True,” Scarlett said.
“You ask me, I reckon he did it to make a point and crush the idea of equality, ethics and fairness. The less groups there are bigging up things like that, the easier his job is. This whole area spiralled out of control after Ethinance was gone. More and more businesses shut down until it became the empty, desolate dump you see today. It’s so sad.”
Rachel paused to look up at where the tower used to be, then took a left into Dantzic Street and led the group towards Spinningfields. Scarlett was still amazed by the way the scenery changed as they crossed Manchester and the neglected, brick buildings were soon replaced by shiny shops made from contemporary glass and steel. It was hard to grasp the fact they were still in the same city.
Spinningfields itself looked futuristic with its multitude of tall towers in assorted angular shapes and sizes, luxurious water fountains and lawned areas where office workers milled around eating lunch. Rachel took a sharp right down a small alleyway, then past a few more skyscrapers before they reached the tallest one of all.
A large sign outside revealed it to be the Irwell Tower. The glass and metal building was positioned, rather aptly, on the River Irwell and had been crafted into a sloping rectangle shape that tapered into a sharp triangle at the top. The sun was bouncing off its gleaming windows, highlighting the mirrored effect of the glass and the silver rectangles of steel that jutted out around every pane. It was chic and cold at the same time and Scarlett couldn’t help but feel a little nervous of its appearance. There was something so jagged and evil about it, despite its shininess.
“Well, this is it,” Rachel said.
“Are we going in?” Lucy asked.
“Do you want your mates back?”
Lucy nodded.
“Then we’re going in. Act like you belong here and you’re arriving for your shift and you’ll be OK.” Rachel reached into her jacket and pulled out a small card. “This is my old work pass; hopefully, it’ll work so we can stroll straight in.”
They walked up the concrete steps, which were so clean they looked like they’d been scrubbed within an inch of their lives, and towards the striking entrance, which featured two revolving glass doors. Rachel waved her pass over a control panel, then gave one of the doors a push.
“Yes!” she said. ”It worked. Bundle in with me because it might only rotate once.”
The five teenagers all squeezed into the small space with her as she pushed her way into the large, white, minimalistic reception. The whole room was empty except for a large palm tree next to four steel lifts, which Rachel rushed towards.
“Your mates are probably on the 30th floor, so we’ll go up there, grab them and get out.”
“You’re optimistic,” Scarlett laughed. She had every faith that they could pull this off with their powers, but Rachel didn’t actually know they had these abilities, so she had an impressive amount of confidence in the group considering.
“I’m not so sure about this,” Dylan said as they waited for a lift. “I feel like we’re rushing into things a bit too quickly. The last time we were this rash, we got ourselves into a lot of trouble.”
“Look, you have to take risks,” Rachel said as a lift arrived. “I’m taking a huge one for you here.” She jumped into the elevator and pressed the button that held the doors open. “You getting in or what?”
“OK,” Dylan said as he stepped in followed by Scarlett, Lucy, Neelam and Alex.
As the lift started to surge upwards, Rachel started fidgeting slightly. She pulled out her mobile phone, glanced at it and placed it back in her pocket. It suddenly occurred to Scarlett that she’d seen their new friend stare at her phone like that a few times during the last ten minutes. She’d assumed she was checking the time or something, but now she was worried that there may be more to it.
“Don’t be so paranoid,” Scarlett told herself. “You have to start trusting people.”
“Ready?” Rachel said as the lift came to a halt. “Let’s sneak in there quietly and find your mates first.”
But as the doors slid open, a group of Guardians in grey uniforms were stood there waiting for them. They grabbed the teens by their coats before they could even attempt to close the doors and escape.
“You!” Scarlett said to Rachel. “You told them we were coming, didn’t you?”
“I’m sorry,” she said with an ashamed look on her face. “I had no choice.”
Chapter 8
Scarlett tried her best to wrig
gle free from the Guardian’s grip, but he was far too strong for her. She thought about attacking him with her telekinesis, but she was mere steps from hundreds of workhouse slaves, not to mention the group of Guardians who had captured them. She hated this rule about not using their powers, it left her feeling so helpless.
She tried to contact Neelam via their mind link, but she had no luck. She could only assume that Neelam’s powers were blocked in this building; no wonder she hadn’t picked up on Rachel’s deceitful intentions. She glanced at Dylan instead and was surprised to see that he was looking calm and collected considering the circumstances.
“Just do as they say,” he whispered. “Don’t struggle, don’t kick up a fuss and hopefully they’ll go easier on us.”
Scarlett scowled. She hated giving in without a fight, but she took Dylan’s advice and acted compliant while the men frogmarched them across the floor. To her left, at the other side of grey partitions, slaves wearing telephone headsets sat at tightly packed rows of desks. The call-centre ‘staff’ were so focussed on their work that not one looked up as she walked past. They wore identical bland uniforms of a black short-sleeved shirt, black trousers and a nametag around their necks. They all had the same facial expression too: vacant, despondent and like their souls had been crushed. This did not look like a happy place to work.
A Guardian yelled at one desk of eight workers. “Team T170! What is wrong with you today? Your stats are shocking, you’re missing all your targets and not one of you has made a sale yet. Sort it out or you’ll be working until midnight. You will stay until you’ve done 20 sales each, I don’t care how long it takes.”
“Sorry, sir,” they said in unison with their heads down. “It’s a bad day out there, nobody wants to buy anything.”
“Don’t give me excuses,” the Guardian said. As he raised his voice to berate them, he was almost spitting venom. He slammed his hand down furiously on the table and went red in the face. “Just do as you’re told.”
A dark-haired slave placed his head in his hands in despair. Scarlett noticed he had a green star tattoo on his neck that was exactly the same as Rachel’s. In fact, as she looked around the floor, she could see many of the workers had identical markings. That was weird.
Out Of Time (Book 2): Heroes and Villains Page 6
