Zenith Rising

by Gavin Zanker

  ‘Go out.’ Lenny waved his hand in a circle as he climbed to his feet. ‘Start shit.’

  ‘Good enough,’ Aiden said. He cracked the door open. ‘Go on then.’

  Lenny ducked out into the corridor, his hurried footsteps retreating out of earshot.

  Aiden tossed the keys to Orlen and grabbed the set from another peg labelled exterior. ‘You handle the cells and the cafeteria; I’ll get the yard before heading to the main gate.’

  Orlen nodded, pulling the wires out of the paralysed Captain and rearming his stun gun. ‘Meet you there in five then.’

  ‘Don’t stop for anything,’ Aiden warned. ‘After you’ve unlocked a few, toss the keys to someone. Once this starts, there’ll be no stopping it.’

  They left the security room, Orlen locking the door behind them to keep Ellington inside. Aiden headed outside and made straight for the yard, forcing himself to walk casually so as not to draw attention, despite the prickling anxiety creeping through his body. The yard was its usual buzz of activity which let Aiden move unnoticed; he removed the yard key from the bundle and unlocked the gate before kicking it with his boot. The key jammed in the lock, bent and useless.

  He scanned the yard to see if anyone had noticed — the inmates all seemed preoccupied with their usual routines of exercise and ritual beatings.

  All except for one.

  Someone stared at him through the shifting mass of inmates. A rare glint of sunlight reflected from the man’s silvery teeth as a grin spread over his face. Aiden realised who it was: Dion, the low life who had tried to press Aiden into his Syndicate-affiliated gang years ago. The one who had almost gutted him with a screwdriver before getting caught and dropped into solitary.

  There was a moment as their eyes locked, both of them statues as a blur of orange jumpsuits flashed between them. Aiden knew then that their business was unfinished. Dion wasn’t one to let a grudge go, and if they met again, one of them would end up a forgotten pile of bones in the wasteland.

  Aiden turned away slowly, feeling like a floodlight was shining on him as he sauntered over to the main gate. He hoped Orlen would come soon or they’d end up being torn apart by the surge of prisoners rushing for the exit. Sure enough, just as Aiden was about to go looking for him, the heavy-set Orlen came jogging around the corner of the main wing. Aiden turned and unlocked the thick chain that kept the main gates closed, the jangling sound rousing one of the guards inside the guardhouse.

  ‘Oi, what’re you doing in there? No messing with the gate.’

  Aiden smiled at him as he stepped forward through the open gate. The guard didn’t see the fist coming and fell back inside the guardhouse stunned. Following him through the door, Aiden pounced towards the other officer, his knuckles connecting with the side of the man’s jaw with a sickening crack.

  Orlen appeared in the doorway as the officer slumped to the ground unconscious. ‘You having fun?’

  ‘Damn, I forgot how much punching someone with a closed fist can hurt,’ Aiden complained, clutching his throbbing hand. He grabbed the keys from the guard’s belt and tossed them to Orlen. ‘You unlock the walkway so everyone can get up to the city. It has to be one of those. I’ll catch you up, I’ve got an idea.’

  ‘Well don’t hang around,’ Orlen said, already making towards the walkway. ‘They’ll realise what’s going on any minute.’

  Finding what he was looking for, Aiden pulled the microphone down from the shelf with a faint smile. He cleared his throat before pressing the button, activating all the speakers inside the prison with a crackling whine. ‘Good morning everyone. Instead of the usual prison rules, today I bring you something entirely different. Are you tired of being locked up and treated like cattle? Well, today is your lucky day. If you proceed to the main gates, you will now find them, as well as the stairs up to the city, unlocked. But be warned, a large contingent of officers will soon be here to squash this little field trip, so I wouldn’t go back for your toothbrush or they’ll toss you back in your cells so fast you’ll get whiplash.’ Aiden started to leave, then turned back to the microphone. ‘This prison break is brought to you by the Syndicate, with special thanks to Captain Ellington.’

  Aiden left the guardhouse and sprinted for the stairway where Orlen stood, throwing worried glances at the main gate. ‘What was that all about?’ he asked.

  ‘You have to take pleasure in the little things,’ Aiden said with a shrug.

  ‘But there aren’t any officers coming down here.’

  ‘They don’t know that. I didn’t want anyone getting ideas about taking some revenge on the guards. They might be hated, but I bet most of them are just doing their job.’

  ‘What about the three you just laid out? Seems a little hypocritical.’

  Before Aiden could answer, a mob of prisoners burst out of the front gate, clamouring like children at the end of a school term. ‘Time to go,’ Aiden said, scrambling into the lift, pushing Orlen ahead.

  They jumped in and slammed the gate shut before pulling the lever. After a terrifying second of absolutely nothing, the lift finally lurched upwards. The prisoners rushed for the newly-unlocked walkway leading up into the city. Aiden almost felt sorry for them, running headfirst into the occupied city. He just hoped the smart ones would head for the Syndicate instead of getting their heads caved in by Samuel’s fanatics.

  CHAPTER 21

  THE DAY FOLLOWING the prison break, the city had grown quiet again. Aiden sat at one of the few tables in the casino that hadn’t been used in the barricade, playing a card game with Leigh. He had expected chaos after the prison break, but other than a few scuffles with the Faithful across the city, it seemed most of the freed inmates had been rounded up and returned to the prison.

  ‘It’s so boring here,’ Leigh said, playing a four of hearts from her hand. ‘Can’t we go out somewhere?’

  ‘Too dangerous,’ Aiden said. ‘You know that.’

  There was a knock at the front doors. Grace shouted through and the Syndicate guards shifted the blockade to let her slip inside. She was breathless as she rushed over to the table.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Aiden asked. ‘Why were you outside?’

  ‘Something is happening,’ she said. ‘The Faithful aren’t enforcing the curfew anymore. They’re heading to Oldtown en masse.’

  ‘Why would they do that?’ Leigh asked. ‘What’s so special about Oldtown?’

  Aiden shared a look with Grace. ‘Samuel,’ they said in unison.

  ‘He must be about to address the city,’ she said. ‘Leigh, honey, run and tell Julian will you? I’ve just jogged halfway across the city. We need to get everyone together.’

  ‘I’m going to take a look,’ Aiden said, standing and scattering his cards. ‘I’m not waiting for the others to get their act together. Leigh, keep an eye on our stuff, I’ll be back soon.’

  Leigh flashed Aiden an annoyed glance as she hopped down from her stool. ‘I’ll go tell Julian then,’ she said before scurrying away.

  Aiden moved in the opposite direction. ‘You coming?’ he called back to Grace.

  The streets were filling quickly as they left: residents everywhere were filtering towards the market as scores of pigeons soared overhead, disturbed from their rooftop perches. Grace tried asking a few people what was happening, but no one seemed to have an answer. By the time they made it to the market in Oldtown, where a newly constructed stage with a podium was setup outside the town hall, the place was overflowing. A few black and white Dawnist banners flew from the rooftops, the rising sun symbol fluttering proudly over the square.

  Aiden motioned to Grace and they hung around on the edge of the crowd, beside an unobstructed alleyway. The atmosphere was electric, the air heavy with excited whispering as groups of Faithful wandered through the crowds handing out blue leaflets, creating pockets of space as people avoided getting too close. Soon almost everyone was clutching one of the leaflets.

  ‘What is it?’ Grace asked as Aiden took one.
<
br />   He skimmed the text before handing it to her. ‘Looks like promises of a better life if you join the church. Propaganda.’

  ‘These weren’t hand written,’ she said, sounding both surprised and impressed.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘They must have a working printing press somewhere. Just imagine if we could start printing the news again.’ She glanced over the leaflet. ‘Uh oh. Did you see the back?’ she said, holding it up. ‘New city laws.’

  Aiden took it back from her, but before he could continue reading, the doors to the town hall swung open casting a hush over the crowd. Samuel emerged, flanked by two huge bodyguards. Following him were the Mayor, Captain Ellington looking a little worse for wear, and the matriarch of the Venkarth family with a few of her boys in flat caps. As they made their way to the stage, someone in the crowd cupped their hands and booed. A trio of nearby Faithful strode over and dragged the man away into a side street. No one booed again after that.

  Samuel stepped up onto the podium while the others with him sat on the line of chairs arranged on stage. For a moment, he just stared out over the crowd.

  He tapped the microphone, causing speakers set up on the buildings around the square to crackle to life. ‘Residents of the Rim,’ he said, his reserved voice booming through the speakers, ‘I am Divine Bishop Samuel Benson, and I would like to welcome you all to your new city: Lightgate.’ The crowd muttered in confusion, most having never seen this man before today. ‘I stand here to address your concerns during this time of transition,’ Samuel continued. ‘No doubt many of you will be perplexed during this new Event that is upon us; this new Dawn that I bring to you. But have faith that I am here to help each and every one of you.’

  The Faithful in the crowd listened to their leader with a reverential look. Aiden understood then that Travis had been right: they all worshipped this man. He glanced at Grace to see if she had noticed, but her gaze was locked on the stage, a look of horror on her face.

  ‘And believe me, citizens, this is a new Dawn. Like the original Dawn that chased away the Long Dark, your sin will be seared away, leaving only the enlightened behind. We will rebuild this society without the rot eating away at its heart: no more thievery, no more extortion, no more prostitution.’ He spat the last word with hatred before pausing and studying his audience.

  ‘With the help of my Army of the Faithful,’ Samuel gestured towards the white-clothed men with the forehead markings, ‘I am here to guide all of you forward into the light. For those that embrace the new way of things, I promise you shall never go hungry again. I have already begun this process by securing trade deals with many organisations in and around the city, including my esteemed guest Mrs Venkarth.’ The woman stood and bowed slightly as a few whistles and scattered cheers sounded at the mention of more food. ‘No resident of Lightgate will be left to starve,’ Samuel vowed. ‘On that, you have my word.’

  He paused, raising his hands for quiet. ‘Of course, there are other issues at present, such as the criminal element of the city. I am sure you are all aware of the prison riot that took place yesterday. Be assured that the Faithful, like white blood cells fighting off foreign bacteria, will keep the streets safe from these criminals. In fact most have already been caught and returned to their rightful place behind bars. As for the individuals that caused this problem, they will be suitably punished for endangering all of your lives. In the meantime, the Faithful will be increasing their presence in the streets.’

  Aiden and Grace shared an uncomfortable glance. With more Faithful on the streets, it seemed the prison break had backfired — all they had managed to do was tip Samuel off to their presence.

  ‘You will find a list of the laws on the leaflets currently being handed out,’ Samuel continued. ‘New laws for the new city of Lightgate; laws created to protect you. There will, of course, be those among you who are resistant to change — resistant to the teachings of Dawnism. This is understandable as they are currently unfamiliar to you. However, be warned, anyone found breaking the laws will be punished. Some will be sent to the prison below to pay penance, others will be removed from the city to toil on farms. This way, their stubborn, sinful lives can still serve some purpose by supporting those who deserve to be protected by these sacred walls. Already, there are scores of criminals being sent out to work the farmland under the supervision of the Faithful. Before long, this market will be spilling over with fresh food for everyone.’

  There were some more cheers, but they did little to drown out the ripple of murmuring and puzzled conversations. Samuel didn’t have the city on his side yet with his promises, that was clear. Reinhold glanced at his Captain, a suppressed look of anger passing between them. It seemed not everyone in the town hall was happy about the new situation either.

  Samuel started reading from a sheet before him. ‘A good follower will root out heretics and will never let his community suffer the fall that comes of ignorance. Those are words from the Dawnist scripture, intended to keep communities healthy and productive. To that end, I am introducing a program to help keep order within these canyon walls, something to encourage the deserving: anyone who brings forth information on heretics and unbelievers will be rewarded.’

  ‘We’re not snitches!’ someone yelled.

  Samuel ignored the outburst. ‘Anyone who proves their loyalty will be considered for a role within the church itself. With that role will come responsibility, but also great benefits. As a member of the church, your future will be secured and you will receive training and guidance on the path to happiness. Those with promise may even be given positions within the Faithful to help keep order and set a shining moral example for all.’

  Aiden tried to gauge the crowd’s reaction to this. Turning neighbours against each other was a difficult thing to accomplish, but he knew many would become informants for personal gain — there were too many desperate people here. The Dawnists were trying to create a new order within the city, not just a selfish dictatorship like the Mayor previously, but a full-on authoritarian state. He noticed Zachary lingering at the rear of the crowd, smiling faintly as he stared up at the stage.

  ‘I hope you are all grateful for this new era of progress made possible by the Dawnist church,’ Samuel concluded. ‘If you have any questions, direct them towards the Faithful. They are here to help you. There is a bright future ahead for Lightgate. As Divine Bishop, I am going to lead you all into a glorious second Dawn. Thank you for your time.’

  As silence pervaded Oldtown, the Faithful began raising their hands above their heads and slowly clapping, throwing hostile stares at those around them. After a moment, forced applause swelled through a majority of the crowd. Samuel nodded in satisfaction and stepped down from the podium.

  Aiden screwed up the leaflet in his fist and dropped it. The city was in more trouble than anyone here could even being to suspect.

  CHAPTER 22

  AFTER SAMUEL’S UNEXPECTED speech, the rebels regrouped in the Syndicate board room. Aiden tapped his fingers on the polished, antique table, still irritated at the waste of time the prison break had been.

  ‘Me and Orlen risked our lives for nothing,’ he complained to the assembled rebels.

  Grace looked unusually sullen as she reread another of the blue leaflets, Julian seemed unphased by the news, Travis nursed a hangover, and Woody leaned against the wall in the background without saying a word. Leigh was there too, sat playing tug of war with Hitch in the corner, throwing the occasional look towards Aiden and Grace when she thought he wasn’t looking.

  ‘Not for nothing,’ Julian said from his seat at the head of the over-sized table. ‘Many of those who escaped were Syndicate men who Reinhold imprisoned. A lot of them found their way here and now we have most of the extra manpower we were looking for.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Grace said absently. ‘The Faithful are cracking down on the streets now. It seems we’ve just shot ourselves in the foot.’

  ‘Any small victory is still
a win,’ Julian said. ‘I’ll take what I can get at this point.’

  ‘Isn’t this where the fabled Syndicate board sit around and congratulate themselves for having so much money?’ Travis asked as he rubbed his temples. ‘Why are we meeting in here, and where are those delightful old fellows?’

  Julian paused. ‘They’ve… decided to retreat to safer lodgings for now.’

  ‘Some help they are,’ Travis said with a scornful laugh. ‘All that influence and power and they scatter at the first sign of trouble. At least they kept the place well-stocked.’ He stood up and veered towards the large cabinet in the rear of the room that housed bottles of expensive and rare liquor.

  Julian blocked his path. ‘You’ve had enough for now,’ he said. ‘Why don’t you try making yourself useful instead of drinking the day away.’

  Travis scowled, but didn’t argue. As he slumped back into his seat, the door opened a crack and a red-headed young man peered inside. ‘Am I too late?’ he asked.

  ‘Who are you?’ Julian demanded.

  ‘This is Patrick,’ Woody said. ‘He’s the lad I was telling you about. The one Orlen found.’

  ‘And what’s he doing here?’

  ‘He’s decided he wants to help out,’ Woody said, waving the young man inside.

  ‘He can be trusted?’ Julian asked with a frown as Patrick entered, fidgeting under everyone’s stares.

  Woody shrugged. ‘He seems solid to me, and I’m usually a pretty good judge. Besides, Orlen had a chat with him about what would happen if he tried anything. Something about a plank of wood, a hammer, and a lot of nails, wasn’t it?’

  Grace winced at the comment. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t run away screaming,’ she said.

  Patrick laughed nervously. ‘It’s okay, I know Orlen was just joking.’

  ‘He wasn’t,’ Woody said in a deadpan tone as he patted the lad’s shoulder and pointed him to a chair.

  Patrick smiled hopefully as he took a seat. Aiden nodded at him, unsure what help he would be but figured another pair of hands couldn’t hurt. ‘So what now then?’ Aiden asked. ‘Anyone have any ideas?’