by Claire Buss
'We did indeed, Mr MacIntyre. It may, however, be a case of too little, too late,' replied Ms Jones calmly.
'It doesn't matter if they don't come back. If they go out into the wild, they'll just die of radiation poisoning. We can harass them with drones and keep them moving, they'll soon run out of supplies.' Sean tried to sound confident.
'You seem to think the resources of New Corp are expressly available to clear up your mess. New Corp Militia is not your private clean-up crew.'
'No, but, but, there are resources and, and...' Sean dropped his head and fell silent. This was not how he had expected this meeting to go. The silence dragged. 'Anyway, there's nowhere for them to go. City 9 is New Corp and if they try to go to City 36 they'll die faster. I don't see why you're so worried.' Sean sounded sulky. 'We can always threaten the family they left behind, make them come back.'
Ms Jones tilted her head to one side. 'Left behind?'
Sean warmed to his idea. 'Yes. We can apprehend whoever it is, threaten them or something and then they'll be forced to come back.'
'I see. And what family members does Martha Hamble have left?'
'Her mother.'
Ms Jones nodded. 'Yes, Mrs Hamble is a staunch supporter of New Corp and has funded many of our projects. I understand relationships between her and her daughter are strained at best.'
'Alright, alright, bad example.' Sean started thinking aloud. 'Dina Grey's family was lost in the City 15 riots and Ruth Maddocks lost her only link in the recent sanitation.' He started pacing. 'What about the Jenkins?'
Ms Jones regarded Sean coolly. 'Gretchen Jenkins is to be sworn in as a new board member today. I doubt we will be able to threaten her or something.'
'Okay, okay. We can't threaten Kira Jenkins parents - they left with her... but, there's a cousin!' He faced Ms Jones in triumph. 'We could use him as leverage.'
Ms Jones gestured imperiously for a handheld from one of her attendants. She swiped the screen a few times then read aloud.
'Ben Jenkins, last remaining Anti-Corp activist, cousin to Jed Jenkins. Linked with disrupting sweeps, infiltration at Force and known to be highly skilled in data stream interfacing.' She raised her head to look at Sean. 'Attempts were made to apprehend Mr Jenkins this morning. He has been terminated.'
'He's what? But...' Sean was momentarily dumbfounded but quickly rallied. 'It doesn't matter. They won't come back here and I doubt very much they will survive out there. I don't see why we need to be so worried.'
'I am concerned, Mr MacIntyre, because these people have left with an idea burning in their little minds. And ideas are dangerous. They lead to free thinking. Corporation was not built on free thinking.'
Sean scoffed a little. 'You don't seriously think anyone will listen to them? Why don't you wipe them out? They're only a bunch of...' Ms Jones cut him off.
'They are a group of well respected citizens from City 42 who uncovered the sterilisation plot, managed several natural pregnancies and have made alleged contact with the spirit of this planet. Despite our best efforts to keep this information under wraps, it has spread. And even if they don't have all the facts, people will listen.'
'No.' Sean shook his head emphatically. 'They won't. Not once they mention that blue woman nonsense. People will think they're crazy. There's no such thing as spirits of the Earth.'
Ms Jones narrowed her eyes. 'I can see you are perfectly suited for your role as advisor, Mr MacIntyre. Could you organise some synth-caf for the rest of the board members who will be arriving soon. No need to attend. I'm sure you have some important filing to fulfil.' With that she dismissed him from her thoughts, her focus now on the handheld in front of her. One of her personal security caught Sean's eye and jerked his head towards the doorway.
Sean walked woodenly out of the room. This was not what was supposed to have happened. He should be celebrating after being made governor, not dismissed from the meeting room. A small niggle of doubt began to writhe at the back of his mind. Had he done the right thing? His thoughts churned as he began brewing fresh synth-caf for the meeting. It must be some sort of mistake. Ms Jones would soon see he was an invaluable member of the City 42 team. He needed to prove his worth, that was all.
NEWCORP: For crimes against New Corporation the following individuals are wanted for questioning.
Martha Hamble
Lucas Hamble
Jed Jenkins
Kira Jenkins
Grace Jenkins
Peter Jenkins
Jean Bishop
Malcolm Bishop
Ruth Maddocks
Sarah Maddocks
Dina Grey
If you see any of these fugitives, your duty to City 42 & New Corporation requires you to report their whereabouts immediately. In addition, there are several people of interest that New Corporation would like to talk to. Download the list, come forward if mentioned. Help to keep your city safe.
Chapter 20
It's not safe. It's not safe. It's not safe. Martha woke up in a cold sweat, the warning ringing in her ears. She tried to remember the dream but it was fading fast. All she was left with was a vague memory of a blue lady. Gaia had spoken to her, warned her. It's not safe. But what wasn't safe?
Dina began tossing and turning, mumbling in her sleep before sitting up abruptly, wide awake. 'It's not safe!' she shouted.
'Did you see her too?' Martha asked.
Dina nodded and took a shaky breath. 'What did Gaia mean? What isn't safe?'
'I don't know but there was something about that dream. It frightened me, Dina.'
'Me too.' The two women hugged, trying to calm themselves down.
'Are we doing the right thing?' asked Martha.
'We are. We'll be at City 9 tomorrow. We've got to get information so we can decide what to do next. You made the best decision, Ma.'
'Did I? What if they decide to kill all the citizens of another city so they can get to us?'
'They won't,' said Jed. He'd woken up and turned his seat round in the skimmer so he could face them. 'From what we know City 9 is a pro-Corp city. They'll probably know we're there the minute we set foot in the city but I don't think they'll target us.'
'Won't they arrest us?' asked Dina.
'They could've done that at Camp Eden. They let us go, they must have known we'd head here. I think they're waiting to see what we'll do next,' replied Jed. 'If we keep a low profile and try to blend in as much as possible, I think they'll leave us alone.'
'That doesn't make any sense,' Martha said.
'Yes it does. Listen. You and Ruth are the first natural parents our city had in decades. Who knows if any of the other cities have had natural pregnancy? You bring hope to so many families wanting children. Plus, Gaia spoke to you. It could be that Corporation are hoping Gaia will show herself again so they can capture her or something.'
Dina scoffed at the idea but Martha thought Jed might have a point. They spent the rest of the journey in silence. The landscape outside the skimmer window had been flat and featureless except for frequent dead zones of burnt earth. Vegetation had tried to gain purchase here and there but it was scattered at best. The odd flock of birds swooped through the sky now and then but they didn't see any larger animals. They hadn't stopped the entire trip, everyone taking turns to navigate and the whole group eating on the move. They'd all felt the urgency to get to City 9 as soon as possible, find out what they could and make a plan for their future.
Leaving the skimmers and all the operatives well outside the city limits; Jed, Dina, Max and Martha entered City 9 on foot. The city forcefields were turned on but a single gateway allowed visitors through. The security guards didn't seem that interested in their small group. A skimmer had arrived at the same time as them, drawing attention away from the foot traffic so everyone walked through the gateway unobserved, before anyone had chance to change their mind. The city was different to 42 in so many ways, there were no trees or social areas for people to congregate but there were lots of peo
ple walking purposefully.
'What do they have on their heads?' asked Max.
'Those are the new neural implants. Ben told me about them,' replied Dina.
Everyone they saw was wearing the new tech which made Martha, Jed and the rest of them stand out for not having them.
'We'll have to get some and mod them. You can do that, can't you, Dina?' asked Jed.
She nodded as they walked further into the city, looking for a nearby shared space. They found an automated building with a free room so they took it and dumped all their bags, keen to get out and start their mission. Their first step was to upgrade their tech. After leaving the room, they found themselves standing on the edge of a busy plaza.
'New in town?' asked an oily voice. A small man in a scruffy looking grey jumpsuit was standing to one side, his eyes darting left and right as he spoke to them. He looked liked the kind of person they needed to avoid but also the type of person who would be able to help them out.
Martha shrank back and let Jed do the talking.
'We need to upgrade - think you can point us in the right direction?'
'Name's Marv and tech upgrades are my speciality. This way.' The shifty man gestured for the group to follow him. He led them off the main street through a side passage which skirted but did not go down any of the tight looking alleys. Martha began to think they might actually get what they needed.
After a few minutes they stopped outside a small shop. A faded auto-ad was flickering in the window, made even harder to see by the layer of grime over both window and door. The man held the door open and everyone filed in. Jed was pleased he'd left the rest of the team outside the city limits with the skimmers. They needed to maintain a low profile here.
The shop looked like nothing special from the outside but inside it was a tech lovers dream. It had everything - the latest wristplant, integrated arm swipes, retina sweeps as well as the one thing they didn't have any of. They latest tech from New Corp. Neural implants.
'So whaddaya need?' The man sensed he was going to make a small fortune and he wasn't wrong. By the time Jed had bought some neural implants and new wristplants for himself, Martha, Dina and Max, the seller's grin was as wide as his face.
'Do you need help fitting them?' The man peered at the side of Jed's head. 'Looks like you've not had one before.'
'Er, no, thank you. We can manage.' Jed handed over the requested tokens and the small group tried to remember how to get back to the lodgings they'd checked into near the entrance to the town. No-one was about as they accessed their shared room. They hadn't felt comfortable splitting up even though it was a tight squeeze, all of them together. Now that they'd made it to City 9, they didn't want to take any risks. Gaia's warning still resonated with Dina and Martha and the men had seen how shaken up they'd been. Everyone knew they needed to be careful in this city.
'Do you think you can deactivate these, Dina?' Jed asked, pointing to the neural implants on the table.
'I think so. If the information Ben sent is correct and these are the same model, it should be straightforward enough. I need a little space.' She shooed everyone away from the small table and set to work. In Ben's last communique he'd explained how New Corp was rolling out the neural implants to every citizen and had outlined the basics of deactivating them. No-one had heard from Ben in a couple of days and Jed had been reluctant to send any unnecessary messages. There was a good chance New Corp knew where they were, so there was no need to be blatant and advertise the fact. And with New Corp cracking down on non-conformers there was no way they could walk around City 9 without the neural implants in evidence. They'd be noticed. It was bad enough their clothing wasn't the same as what everyone else was wearing, but at least they could stick to their story of being travellers. City 9 must have travellers being so close to the coast. Martha still held on to the hope they would find transport away from this island. It would mean waiting for Kira and the rest to finish up in 36 and travel back down the length of the country but it was a small price to pay for escaping Corporation rule. She was excited about going out tomorrow to explore and see what they could find out.
The loudspeaker announcement made them all jump. 'Curfew in ten minutes. Curfew in ten minutes. All outer doors will be locked. All outer doors will be locked.'
'Well, that was unexpected,' Jed commented. 'I'm going to have a shower.' And he locked himself into the bathroom. Dina had her head bent over the components of the neural implants, leaving Martha and Max with nothing to do.
'Shall we see what's on the news sweeps or did you want to order some food?' Max asked.
'Let's find something to eat. There's bound to be something that everyone will like,' replied Martha.
The two of them checked the small screen nestled on the wall next to the synth-caf machine. The options were all the same sorts of instant, dried food variety they used to eat in 42. Martha felt a stab of disappointment. She had thought that with City 9 being by the coast, there might have been some hint of fresh fish available to eat. But then she considered their team hadn't had chance to check out the local area thoroughly. The one thing they had been able to clear was the water supply. It was contaminant free, thank goodness.
Every time a drone passed the window of their room, Martha flinched. She couldn't help it. She knew New Corp would probably have tabs on all of them but if their luck held New Corp might leave them alone while they were here. They couldn't return to 42, where they would stand trial for their crimes. But she didn't know what New Corp would do now they'd travelled to City 9.
Martha let Max order the food. It all tasted the same to her anyway. She made sure the synth-caf machine was fully stocked. She didn't think they'd get much sleep tonight and she wanted to make sure she was as caffeinated as possible.
Two hours later and Dina uttered an exalted 'Yes!' bringing everyone over to her small table.
'I've done it! They won't try to change the neural pathways anymore but they'll still look like everyone else's. Max, come here.' She beckoned him to come closer and as he bent down towards her, she moved his hair out of the way and fixed the implant in place. 'It has self adhesive nanos which are separate to the ones that change the neural pathways. These ones don't think for themselves, they just stick,' she explained. 'Give it a shake!'
Max shook his head a little then, feeling braver moved his head around rapidly. The implant stayed in place. 'Well done, D.' He smiled at her.
Dina grinned back at him. 'Come on you two, let's get these fitted then someone can put mine on.' Martha stepped forward first while Jed grabbed some more food from the replicator so they could eat and discuss their next step.
'At least we look a bit more like everyone else now,' he commented once his implant was in place. 'Are we all clear on the plan for tomorrow?'
'Yes, Max is going to try and reach the ocean, we need to see whether it's cordoned off or whether citizens have free access. We also need to find out what condition the water is in,' Martha said.
'Fine with me,' replied Max. 'If I run into any problems, I'll flash my scientist card at them. It usually confuses low level enforcers enough to leave me alone.'
'But you've got your panic button just in case?' asked Jed.
Max nodded. They had all had them installed on the way to City 9, deep in the left armpit so they couldn't be set off by accident.
'Me and Ma are going to see if we can find any fresh food,' said Dina.
'Plus two women shopping for food will be less conspicuous then if we send Jed,' teased Martha.
There was a brief chuckle from Jed. 'I'm going to try and do a loop of the city. See how big it is, what other exits and entrances there are, whether there are any obvious weak spots. It will be good to see whether there is Force here or if it's New Corp Security. Plus we need to resupply in case of a quick getaway. Our food sachets are running low.' Everyone nodded in agreement, happy with their assignments.
'I still can't wrap my head around New Corp,' Dina said. 'I mean, I
understand they felt they had to retaliate against the uprising in 42. That makes sense to me. But why rebrand?'
'If they rebranded at all.' Martha chipped in. 'They could be another arm of a massive world wide conglomerate. Or they could be a takeover company, trying to keep things feeling similar so there is less panic. New Corp feel very different to me.' She paused, checking she had everyone's attention. 'We can't forget 15.'
Dina shook her head and reached out for Max's hand to squeeze in comfort. They would never forget City 15.
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FROM CITY 9 TO CITY 42
>>Martha Hamble, Dina Grey & Jed Jenkins have entered City 9<<
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FROM CITY 42 TO CITY 9
>>FOLLOW THEM AND REPORT BACK<<
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FROM CITY 9 TO CITY 42
>>Do you want us to apprehend them for questioning?<<
ENCRYPTED MESSAGE FROM CITY 42 TO CITY 9
>>NOT YET. LET'S SEE WHAT THEY DO. THEY MIGHT LEAD US TO THE RESISTANCE<<
Chapter 21
Kira smiled. She was suspended in a warm, dark place, gently floating but it didn't feel scary. She felt safe and content. The darkness became lighter as a soft golden glow expanded from everywhere at once. Colours flooded her awareness and Kira realised she was now floating above the Earth, holding hands with her blue lady. She was with Gaia. And she was dreaming.
'We've missed you so much. Why haven't you shown yourself? Guided us? We need you!' exclaimed Kira.
The blue lady smiled sadly and a tear rolled down her face. She turned to look the other way and Kira saw a deep cut down the side of Gaia's neck, over her shoulder and disappearing down her back. It was black and dull with grey shadows pulsing either side of the gash. Kira put a hand out to help but then faltered.
'You're too weak. You haven't healed enough yet. Can we help in some way?' she asked.
