by T W Iain
<That’s him!>
Cathal agreed. He’d recognise that trace anywhere.
The beast nodded its head, then walked off, with Nyle at its heels. They disappeared along a path through the trees.
<He’s sold himself out to them,> Car sussed. <Or maybe he’s been working with them all along. Maybe Haven…>
Car didn’t finish. He dropped from the branch and followed the path. Cathal kept pace behind.
It was only a matter of minutes before they came to the fence. Cathal and Car crouched down, hidden by the trees, and observed.
Nyle and the beast didn’t stop. One confident, the other hesitant, they crossed the open land.
<They forcing Nyle to fry himself?> Car leaned forward, excited. But Cathal studied Nyle, read the steadiness in his step.
<It’s not bothering him,> he told Car. <No sign of pain, and they’re almost close enough to touch it.>
Nyle reached the fence. The creature by his side nodded, and after a moment of hesitation Nyle started to climb.
<They’ve turned it off.> There was disappointment in Car’s voice. <Maybe they’ll turn it on when he’s at the top! No—if they wanted him dead they’d have killed him by now.>
Cathal kept quiet, focusing on Nyle as he climbed. He also pushed, beyond the fence, and realised the traces on the far side were sharper now. He could even make out Brice’s trace, vibrant and still fresh. It felt like an age since they’d parted ways, even though it was only…what? A day? Two?
Nyle reached the top of the fence. He flopped over and climbed down, faster now. When he reached the ground, after jumping the last few metres, he turned to the grey creature. Communication passed between them—Cathal couldn’t hear it, but he caught the tiny signs in Nyle’s trace—and Nyle ran off.
Following Brice’s trace.
Cathal started to rise, but Car reached across, blocking him with an arm.
<Wait.>
They did. The beast watched Nyle as the infected ran, turning into the trees.
Then the beast followed. Cathal wanted to say that it climbed the fence, but that was totally the wrong word to use. It practically flew up, barely touching the metal. It slid over the top, and then it fell.
No. Not fell, but jumped. It landed on its feet, knees bent and one hand out. Then it stood and ran off after Nyle.
<We need to follow,> Car sussed, and climbed down from the tree. <Before they turn the power back on.>
He ran to the fence, Cathal on his heels. Car jumped at the metal and scrambled up.
Cathal curled his fingers round the fence, waiting for the headache to hit him. But it never came. He climbed, expecting pain at any moment.
But the only pain was when he dropped to the ground on the other side. He must have misjudged, because he staggered, and Car had to support him to stop him falling.
<You okay?>
<I’m fine.> And Cathal was surprised to realise that he was. At least, he felt better than he had in a long time.
Car touched the fence, then shook it. <Must’ve been someone in the Hermes.>
<What?>
<Whoever turned off the power. It has to be connected to the Hermes.> He pulled his hand back. <But they’ll probably turn it back on soon. We’d better get going.>
With a nod from Cathal, Car set off, following Nyle. And the grey creature.
Cathal read their traces—they were only a few minutes old, after all—but he concentrated on the other trace. Brice. It didn’t surprise him at all that Nyle followed the lad.
But that was a good sign, right? That had to mean Brice was still alive.
Cathal ran beside Car, and they headed into the forest.
Axe pushed the Preben into the small of Brice’s back and leaned in close. His breath stank.
“Try anything, and you’re dead.”
He reached forward and rapped on the door. Brice noted how grubby his hand was, and he wondered when the man last washed.
“You got him?” The voice was muffled by the metal of the door, but Brice recognised Siren’s voice. She didn’t sound happy.
“Yeah!” Axe yelled.
There was a click. “Then get in here.”
Brice was surprised at how small the room was. After the shadow-drenched chamber where he’d first met Siren, her office was unimpressive. True, the desk was large, but it was an old thing, all cylindrical legs and metal plates bolted together. The chair she sat in was high-backed, and might have looked imposing if not for the stain down one side and the ripped arms that leaked stuffing. There were a couple more chairs pushed to the walls, simple plastic affairs, but that was it for furniture.
“Shut the door, Axe.”
Brice didn’t turn. Nor did he look at the two people beside Siren, one on either side. Instead, he met Siren’s glare with his own. This woman wasn’t going to intimidate him.
“Right,” she said. “First, I’m not ungrateful. I give praise where it is due. You did okay at the drop. Grabbed some new weapons, a few decent food packs. Could’ve done with more, but maybe next time. If there is a next time.”
Brice nodded, even though words that dismissive didn’t deserve any response.
“Introductions. Soldier.” Siren brought her right hand up, indicating the strong-looking female standing over her shoulder. Brice noticed a Preben on one hip and a Tychon slung across her back. They both looked in good condition. “And this is Monk.” Sire raised her other hand. The man to her left was short, with a mean expression. He sneered at Brice.
“The drop didn’t go as planned,” Siren said. “I’m sure you realised that. It’s forced a great deal of thought, but possibly we can use the situation to our advantage.”
Which told Brice nothing. The woman was trying to make herself sound good. But she was an amateur when compared to Kaiahive.
“So, the ghouls—you remember them, I’m sure. Big grey killing machines. They’ve started taking out tribes. Sure you’ll be pleased to hear they’ve killed Spike and his gang. But sooner or later, they’ll come here.”
She let that hang in the air, and Brice imagined those four beasts raging through the tunnels of the Warren, leaving bloody corpses in their wake. It wasn’t an image that bothered him.
“A question. Have you seen these things before?”
She sat back in her chair, one hand resting on the desk. Her nails were broken.
“Never seen them before.”
Siren nodded. “I knew you’d say that. And I wasn’t sure if I should believe you or not. But I had a word with Bug and Dart, and they assured me that these grey things were not the ‘infected’ ones they go on about.” Something must have shown in his expression, because Siren smiled. “Oh, yes—your two friends were very helpful.”
She stressed those last two words, and a shiver ran down Brice’s spine. There was an implication here that he didn’t quite get, but it wasn’t good.
Then her face softened. “I’m hoping you can prove helpful too. You see, I have a plan to get us out of here—all of us. But it’s complicated. I need someone resourceful, someone who isn’t afraid of the demons. Some of my tribe talk themselves up, but their actions tell the truth.”
Her eyes darted behind Brice, and he heard Axe shuffle. He remembered the look of terror on the man’s face when the shades had attacked.
“What do you want me to do?” He kept his voice level, giving no promises. He’d hear her out, then decide his next move.
“To the point. I appreciate that. But you need to hear the whole plan first. You strike me as someone with the intelligence to understand the importance of minor tasks.”
He nodded, wondering where she’d heard that phrase. It didn’t sound like her own words.
“I considered fortifying the Warren and waiting for the ghouls to attack, but they are still too much of an unknown. Even with the extra weapons
we grabbed at the drop, there were too many variables. After what happened to Strike’s tribe, I couldn’t trust this place to hold out.”
As she talked, Siren’s hands waved, and she shifted in her creaking seat. Her face became more animated, too.
“I realised I was thinking too negatively. Fortune favours the brave, so I came up with another idea. It’s pretty simple, at heart. But it’s audacious, and that is why it will succeed.”
Brice nodded, urging her on. He kept his face straight, kept his eyes on Siren. But in his peripheral vision, he saw the one she’d called Monk look across to her often, with a grin on his face. Soldier watched Brice, though, her hand resting by her Preben’s holster.
“I intend to escape,” Siren said, and sat back. She breathed in, and smiled.
She wanted a response, and Brice gave one. “How?”
“Again, your friends sparked the idea. They talk far too often of their escape from Haven, and even though I’m sure they made most of it up, there’s much to be said for flying away. Monk here was quick to point out our lack of craft, but he forgot one thing.” She glanced at the man. “Tell him.”
Monk rubbed his hands as he spoke. “The ghouls flew a Proteus in, and it’s still in the drop zone.”
Brice laughed. He couldn’t help it. “So you’re simply going to walk up and take it?” There were so many issues with this idea that he didn’t know where to start. “You think those…those ghouls will let you on board? And who’s going to fly the thing?”
Siren nodded. “Both good questions, but I have answers. First, we have a pilot. Your friend Dart.”
“But his lattice is turned off. How’s he going to…”
“And Bug assures me he knows a way round the lattice issue. He has a screen, and knows how to link that to the craft’s system.”
“Hopefully.”
That was said quietly, from Monk. Siren turned to him. “And if it doesn’t work, he dies with the rest of us. So he has nothing to gain from lying.”
Monk didn’t look totally convinced, and Brice thought he had a point. Piran was good, but he was often over-confident. And what if the Proteus in the drop zone had new security on its system?
“So we can fly the craft. But the other issue—the ghouls—took a little more lateral thinking. Obviously, a straight attack is out of the question. They slaughtered Strike’s tribe, and although we’d be ready, I have about the same numbers as he did. No—I needed something else.
“The answer was obvious when it came to me—if we are to take the Proteus, we need to ensure none of those things are anywhere near it. And so, we need a diversion.”
Siren’s voice rose and fell, and Brice expected her to rise from the chair and start pacing. It was almost funny, how she was becoming so wrapped up in her plan, how she was turning it into an epic tale. Brice found himself wanting it to fail, if only to spite her.
But Piran and Eljin were involved, weren’t they? If she failed, they died.
“Monk,” Siren said, “you’re leading the diversion. Tell him how it’s going to work.”
The man rubbed his hands again. “Oh, it’s brilliant. Those ghouls want to kill everyone, right? At the moment, they’re taking down a tribe at a time. But what if all the tribes were in the same place? What if everyone—or at least almost everyone,” and here he gave Siren a sly look, “was in the same spot, and appeared to be building an army?” He opened his arms wide. “There would only be one thing those grey monsters could do. They’d have to attack!”
“Leaving the Proteus free for us to take,” Siren said. “Audacious, like I say. But I see no reason why it shouldn’t work.”
Brice could, but he kept his thoughts to himself. His best option was to play along, at least until he saw another option.
But one thing he couldn’t ignore. “The Proteus isn’t big. It can only take ten, fifteen at a squeeze.”
“A valid point. But once we have the craft, we can ferry the tribe out. We’ve already arranged a suitable rendezvous point, closer to the fence. While the rest of the tribes are being slaughtered by the ghouls, we hop everyone over the fence.”
Brice didn’t trust her. She believed she’d get the Proteus, but he knew she had no intention of returning once she was over the fence—and she wouldn’t give the craft up to anyone else unless she had to.
And once she was over the fence, what need would she have of Piran and Eljin? Brice didn’t want to imagine what would happen to his two friends then.
He still needed to know more, though. “So what’s my role in all this?” he asked.
“I thought that would be obvious. We need to get a message to the other tribes, telling them where and when to congregate. Who better to send than someone who appears to have no problem moving about at night?”
That actually made sense, and Brice found he was looking forward to walking through the forest. But he didn’t want to seem too keen. There was more she wasn’t saying.
“So I simply tell them to meet up because you’re going to make an army to defeat the ghouls? They’ll never buy it. From what I’ve seen, your tribes fight amongst themselves even more than they fight the demons. Why would they trust me? Or you?”
“He’s got a point,” Axe said. “They’ll suspect a trap, the mistrusting buggers.”
“Of course they will. But they’ll still come together, for two reasons. First, this freak. I’m sending him out because of the stories about him. He’s the demon-killer, the one who climbs the fence. He walks invisible through seas of demons. And he’s beaten them before, in that dump of a place Bug and Dart keep on about. He tells the tribes how a handful of them escaped from an army of demons, and some of them might believe they have a chance.”
Brice couldn’t see that working. Siren didn’t believe the stories, so why should anyone else?
“And second, when they hear that other tribes will be there, they’ll see an opportunity. They’ll be curious. They’ll go to the place where others are supposed to be meeting up to see what happens. And maybe they’ll look to a chance to weaken other tribes.”
Monk smirked at that, and Brice wondered if he was relishing the opportunity to see so many from other tribes die.
“And Axe? I want you to go with him. Don’t look like that! The other tribes need to see you. That way, they know the message is from me. If they won’t pull together to fight the ghouls, they might take this as an opportunity to attack me.”
Axe laughed. “You’re a bloody devious woman, Siren.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She turned to Monk. “Take our messenger to the entrance.”
Monk nodded, and reached out for Brice. Brice let the man grab an arm with his sweaty hands. Axe opened the door.
“This way,” Monk said, his breath stale.
Brice nodded.
“Oh, and one last thing.”
He turned. Siren smiled sweetly, and her eyes were cold. “You need to remember one very important thing. You fail in this, and your two friends will be trying to enter a Proteus that is still guarded by those ghouls.” She shrugged. “We have to try, even if it becomes a suicide mission. I’m sure you understand.”
Brice nodded. He understood, far too clearly.
If he was going to get out of this mess, and if he was going to help his friends, he needed to find a way to fight this woman. Maybe even kill her.
He smiled, and let Monk lead him from her room.
Deva, in her rocky worm-hole, heard the door close and assumed Brice and Monk had left the room.
“Soldier, Axe,” Siren said. “Any thoughts?”
Deva heard shuffling, and imagined them moving closer together. She hoped they didn’t start whispering.
“You know Monk’s after your job, don’t you?” Axe said. “Isn’t giving him power dangerous?”
“One of these days, you’ll think before opening your mouth. Work through it. Why would I send Monk to be my representative?”
“You send him,” Axe said, slowly, like he was struggling, “and he’s with all the other tribes. They hate you, hate us, and so they’ll hate him. And…and they’ll try to kill him.”
“Exactly!”
“But he’ll have others with him—the other tribes will get suspicious if we don’t make a decent show,” Soldier said, a note of concern in her voice. “You want to make this convincing, he’ll need to have…what, half? Two-thirds of the tribe?”
“I was thinking closer to ninety percent. Like you say, our presence needs to be convincing.”
“But…but you’re setting them up!” Axe struggled to talk again.
“Don’t worry!” Siren’s voice was silky-smooth now, and Deva struggled to match this tone with the woman’s normal harsh features. “You’re on the Proteus list. Both of you.”
The room was quiet for a moment, although Deva swore she could hear air, like someone breathing out in relief.
“Who else?” Soldier asked.
“I haven’t finalised things yet, but unfortunately Bug and Dart will need to be there. And I’m conscious that this kind of operation requires stealth, so I don’t want too many. Maybe Fairy.”
Deva let out a sharp gasp, but cut it off as quickly as she could.
“Fairy?”
“It’ll be fun to have a pet around the place. And at least she does what she’s told. And she’s got experience fixing craft. Think of her as a living toolkit.”
“And the freak?”
Siren barked a laugh, the sound sudden, high-pitched. If Deva hadn’t been in such a tight spot, she would have jumped.
“We’re getting away from the demons, so why would I need our demon-killer?”
“But he’ll want to come. You tell him to go somewhere else, he won’t listen.”
“Oh, I know. And that, my dear Axe, is where you come in. You make sure he does his job, you show your face so everyone knows this comes from me, and when you’ve visited everyone you meet us back here. Alone.”
“Heard you’re good at spotting demons,” Axe said, his voice low. “Any round here?”
