by Tony Corden
Leah nodded and said, “Thanks for everything, Gèng. I know I’ll be able to talk with you but not seeing you will be a lonely experience.”
After giving Gèng a hug, Leah logged out.
86
Chapter 86
December 19, 2073 - Afternoon
HOME - REAL WORLD
Lin was waiting in the room, and she helped Leah out of the Pod. As she helped Leah take a shower, Lin said, “I’ve just found you again, and now you’re leaving. Is there any way you can defend the charges from here?”
Leah shook her head and said, “Olivia doesn’t think so. She’s been working on my case solidly for days and trying to get injunctions or stays, but she’s been blocked every time. She’s convinced the charges will be dropped before it gets to court. With the virtual courts and most people living virtually, that means the longest I’ll be away is about five days.”
Lin helped dry Leah’s back and legs and said, “Ling, Dad explained some of what is happening in your brain and body. What if the police discover these things?”
Leah began to turn to face her mother, and Lin caught a glimpse of the fear etched on Leah’s face before it disappeared as Leah finished the turn. Leah said, “That’s possible, I suppose. I’ve looked into my rights and if anything happens John will send the details to Olivia. I may be detained a little longer, but hopefully, if I’ve read the law and regulations correctly, they’ll have to let me go regardless of what they find. They may put additional restrictions on me, but at least I should get back here.”
Lin understood that Leah was putting the best case scenario forward but was glad she hadn’t lied outright. Lin stepped outside and called Kevin and Mia, who checked Leah’s wounds and strapped her shoulders and arms to stifle her movements. When they’d finished Lin helped her dress in jeans and a loose blouse with buttons down the front. Leah chose some loose flat enclosed shoes she could comfortably wear without socks and gave her mother a final private hug before stepping out of her room.
Conner, Michael and John were standing in the hall and one after the other they gave her gentle hugs and promises of support. John said, “The police are at the front gate. The people hanging around are making them nervous, so let’s not be too long.”
Leah asked, “What people?”
John smiled and said, “Somehow the news of your arrest was leaked to the people in the Switch. We think the authorities did that to send a warning. Unfortunately for them, it backfired. Several thousand of your previous neighbours made their way here mid-morning, and they’ve lined the road to the property. Jimmy warned them to be peaceful, and so far they haven’t done anything provocative. They haven’t even made a sound. They’re standing like statues along the road. Not a noise. The cops are seriously spooked.”
As Leah made her way gingerly down the steps, she could see that almost all the inhabitants of the Pods and all the support people were waiting. They started at the foot of the stairs and flowed out into the front parking area. Leah hadn’t been outside in days, John handed her a set of sunglasses and said, “Be careful, Leah.”
She gave him a hug and said, “Always.”
She then gave Conner a final hug, but Michael waved her away. He said, “I’m coming with you. I don’t care what they say. My daughter isn’t going to be locked up without me there to watch over her.”
Leah smiled at her dad but was conflicted as to whether she wanted him to be successful or not. The crowd hardly moved, and the compound was almost completely silent. All Leah could hear were some birds in a nearby tree. As she passed through the crowd showed their support by smiling at Leah, then they turned toward the car which was waiting at the gate, and their faces went blank again.
Leah walked slowly across the compound toward the car, and as she approached a man got out of the car and opened one of the rear doors. She thought he was most likely a detective because he didn’t have a uniform. When she reached the property line, she stopped and held out her hand for the warrant. The man had to lean back into the car and get a folder. He opened it so she could see it, but she simply held out her hand.
He said, “Enough foolishness, get in car.”
Leah didn’t move, and they faced each other for a minute before the man handed over a piece of paper. Leah read it and then handed it to John. After he’d read it, he handed it to Michael who gave Leah a brief nod when he’d finished reading. As Leah stepped toward the car, the man held out a pair of handcuffs. He said, “You want things done by the book, then you get things done by the book. Face the car, turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
Leah did as she was asked, although she had to bite her lip to stop herself from making a sound as he roughly pulled her hands together. He realised his mistake almost immediately as he felt the atmosphere in the crowd change. Every person nearby looked ready to spring at him if he did anything else to offend them. He carefully turned Leah around to help her into the car when Michael said, “Officer, I am Atherleah’s father. My name is Michael Carroll. I believe everyone involved would feel better if I was able to accompany my daughter to the station.”
The man had been briefed to refuse, and he started to speak but took a look around him and said, “It’s not up to me. Let me check with headquarters.”
It took several minutes of whispering, but finally, the man said, “OK, you can sit on the other side in the back. If you interfere with us in the course of our duty, we will arrest you. Do you understand?”
Michael nodded, and he helped Leah into her side of the back before he made his way around and got in on the other side. The detective checked everything then pressed a button to isolate the back from the rest of the car and from the outside. Gèng said, “I cannot sense anything beyond the enclosed space. We’re cut off.”
Leah nodded as she watched the man open the left side front door and get inside. Both front seats faced the back of the car and Leah could see the second front passenger was dressed in a police uniform. The policeman said, “Cruiser 41, please return to the Brisbane Watchhouse.”
As he spoke, the car started to move down the road. Leah watched the thousands of faces through the window as she went past. She knew that they couldn’t see inside. As they turned onto the main road into Brisbane, Leah turned to say something to her dad and realised she couldn’t move. Moments later she slumped into unconsciousness.
—END OF BOOK 6—
Puzzle Answers - 1
Code sent to Alan Hopper
Sent
POD3$apm010
IKE5^ere665
SBA1@GRC120
EW-6!3tnt539
ORN2#reo262
HOR4%dom614
Reordered
SBA1@GRC120
ORN2#reo262
POD3$apm010
HOR4%dom614
IKE5^ere665
EW-6!3tnt539
Message
Sophie, Brook, Andrew - Grade 3 Report Comment 1-206-65-26116302-04-59
(Names of Grandchildren)
(Location of Message)
(International Registered Digital Coding Identification Number) - Used to decode message left in in Sophie’s Grade report card
Puzzle Answers - 2
The Maze into the Station
Top Level (entrance)
Middle Level
Lower Level (Exit into Station)
Puzzle Answers - 3
Maze along the Spire
Exit
Base Entry
Puzzle Answers - 4
Solutions to Reset Puzzles
1
576 = 9x9x7, 130 = 9x9 + 7x7
800 = 10x10x8, 130 = 10x10 + 8x8
363 = 11x11x3, 130 = 11x11 + 3x3
864 = 12x12x4 , 130 = 12x12 + 4x4
338 = 13x13x2, 130 = 13x13 + 2x2
980 = 14x14x5, 14x14 + 5x5 = 221
2
12-1 = 11, 12x1x1=12
11-2 = 9, 12x2x2 = 48
9-3 = 6, 12x3x3 = 108
6-4 = 2, 12x4x4
= 192
3
5+3 = 8, |5–3|= 2
8+1 = 9, |8–1|= 7
2+7 = 9, |2–7|= 5
1+4 = 5, |1–4|= 3
4
3+9+4+7 = 23
4+6+8+3 = 21
7+2+5+5 = 19
3+4+2+8 = 17
5
6x6x6 = 216
7x7x7 = 343
8x8x8 = 512
9x9x9 = 729
6
4 = 2x2 (2)
5+1+3 = 9 = 3x3 (3 = 2+1)
2+6+8+4+5 = 25 = 5x5 (5 = 3+2)
11+7+10+6+7+8+15 = 64 = 8x8 (8 = 5+3)
7
|(22+12) – (5+7+13)| = 9
|(10+42) – (19+31+3)| = 1
|(24+18) – (7+17+21)|= 3
|(12+22) – (7+7+13)|= 7
8
2+5 = 7, 1+3 = 4, 12+5 = 17, 4 + 6 = 10, 7 + 12 = 19
5–2 + 3, 3–1 = 2, 12–5 = 7, 6–4 = 2, 12–7 = 5
7–3 = 4, 4–2 = 2, 17–7 = 10, 10–2 = 8, 19–5 = 14
9
1256+3942 = 5198
4129+1069 = 5198
Sudoku 1
Excerpt from Book 7 - Resurrect
NOTE - If you’ve read the samples before you know it is most likely this will end with some unresolved issues. If this is going to be a stressor for you feel free not to read the sample.
Pain slowly pulled Leah from oblivion. The transition from unconsciousness to awareness was stretched out over a period of fifteen minutes as her agony warred with the drugs in her system. Slowly the artificial chemicals lost the battle as Leah’s body removed them from her bloodstream, and she felt the constant thrum of torment throughout her upper body take hold as each heartbeat sent a fresh wave of agony across her shoulders. Slowly Leah’s mind isolated the sounds that seemed to ebb and flow with the beat. The first was a low moan whose irregular beat she finally realised matched her out-of-rhythm breathing. Needing oxygen, she would inhale, but the sudden stab of pain would cause her to hold her breath for a moment before letting it out in a long, painful exhalation.
Once she recognised this, she slowly brought her breathing under control and then she began to notice secondary sounds. They all seemed to flow together, and she had to concentrate to sort them out. Behind her, she could hear a pair of voices taking softly in what she imagined was another room. In front of her someone was breathing deeply and all around her was a faint hum,
Slowly within her head, she heard the gentle chime of bells followed by the familiar voice of Gèng.
Slowly and carefully Gèng said, “Leah, try not to move. There are two men who check on you every five or six minutes to see if you’re awake. I used the soft chimes so as not to startle you. Your father is also drugged and is apparently several metres in front of you.”
With some difficulty, Leah subvocalised and said, “What happened?”
“Without the Pod, I can’t do a full analysis, but I understand from what was said while you were unconscious that you were first drugged using a gas in the police car and then infected with something to knock you out for longer. Your father has been given a second dose of the chemicals as they want to talk with you only. It’s now been eight hours since you lost consciousness. Without access to any electronic signals and using the limited data from your senses I suspect you and Michael are within the Brisbane CBD and most likely in one of the riverside properties belonging to Nathan or his friends.”
Leah tentatively tried to move and discovered that her wrists and ankles were secured and she could feel a strap around her thighs, her abdomen and around her forehead. She carefully began to open her eyes only to be blinded by the glare in the room, forcing her to immediately close her eyes. It was a few minutes before her eyes stopped watering. The next time she barely opened one eye and waited before opening it a little more. Bit by bit, it took her several minutes to open her eyes enough to look around the room. She could see her father sitting upright in a chair three metres in front of her.
From what she could see, she understood how she was secured. Michael was held upright with thick plastic ties which held his arms and legs to the chair legs and handles. Each of his limbs had at least two ties and around his upper thighs and chest were what looked like thick flexible packing straps. The chair had a pole behind it, and Michael’s head was held upright by a strap around his forehead.
Behind her father, she could see an old two-dimensional screen on the wall. There were no windows and two bright lights shone down from the ceiling. Leah said, “Can you calculate if I have the strength to break the ties?”
“I don’t have the specifications in any database I can access, but I believe your skin and tissue would tear before you were able to break them.”
Leah looked down toward her legs, and for the first time it registered that her legs were bare. Her shirt, jeans and footwear had been removed, and she was only wearing her underwear and bra. She could still feel the strapping Kevin had used on her shoulders to restrict her movement. Her dad was still fully clothed. She heard a noise behind her and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.
The footsteps moved in front of her, and a man’s deep voice said, “I know you are awake. There’s a small camera in the screen opposite you. Mr Kodoman wants to say a few words before we get the party started.”
Leah opened her eyes and looked up at a muscular man she’d never seen before. He looked to be about her father’s age, and he looked down at her with a smile which wasn’t only on his mouth but showed in his eyes as well. He was enjoying himself.
“That’s better. My, you are a pretty thing. Mr Kodoman said we weren’t to play with you before you were awake and he’s had his fun. Afterwards, though, we can do what we like. It’s a shame really because after he’s done with you, I don’t think you’ll be in a fit state to enjoy yourself. Ah well, never mind. At least me and Billy will have some fun. Now, Mr Kodoman wanted me to tell you that he hates being interrupted and if you make so much as a whimper during his visit, then we’ll be taking his anger out on your dad. I’ll let you in on a secret. No matter what you do, your dad is going to die tonight, but it’s your choice whether he does it with pain, or without. Now, I want to get this out of the way, so let me show you what I mean.”
With that, the man reached out his hand, and someone who Leah imagined must be Billy handed him a large hammer. The man turned rapidly and brought the hammer around to slam into her father’s lower right leg. Leah could hear the bone snap, and her father’s eyes opened briefly in a silent scream before he lapsed back into unconsciousness. The man turned and smiled at Leah then said, “He won’t wake up, you know. I could break every bone in his body, and while he’ll feel it, he can’t break out of the induced coma. When we finally let the drug wear off the pain will flood in. I once had a man die from the sudden influx of pain. Now, do you understand what will happen?”
Leah let the emotion fall from her face and simply nodded.
The man began to chuckle. He said, “I love the defiant ones. I really wish I could show you who’s boss, but Mr Kodoman has reserved that privilege. When he’s done, there won’t be much of anything left aside that pretty head of yours. Rest assured, though, me and Billy will take care of whatever remains. Now, I’m going to let him know you’re awake. Don’t go anywhere.”
With that, the man started chuckling, as he walked past Leah he rapped her hard on the left shoulder with the handle of the hammer causing her to let out a strangled scream which just made him laugh even louder. When Leah finally brought her breathing under control, Gèng said, “Leah, while you were unconscious, I heard Billy and Earl talking.”
“Was that Earl?”
“Yes. They were discussing the last few people they have brought here. They discussed the man Troy Henson and Charlotte Brown. Earl killed Troy. If you look at your father, you can see his leg is broken in a similar fashion to what happened to Tony. I believe they are going to frame you for his death as well.”
“He’s not going to die,
Gèng. We will get through this. We just have to work out a way.”
Gèng said nothing and Leah was left with her thoughts. Leah was still working on what to do when the screen behind her father blinked twice before showing Nathan and Meredith. Leah tried to let none of her anxiety show and just stared straight ahead into the screen.
Meredith started to laugh while Nathan’s lips curled into a sneer. He said, “I understand that Earl has explained the rules. You and your father are going to die soon. If you don’t annoy me, or my wife, we will kill your father painlessly. You, on the other hand, will be forced to suffer more than a little. Personally, I would rather dispose of you without the theatrics, but I promised an ally that you would learn despair before you took your last breath.”
As he spoke the last word ‘despair’ the screen in front of Leah split to show Suzluk. Nathan said, “I believe you know Suzluk. As payment for services, he wanted to see your face when you finally comprehend the magnitude of your failure and the full extent of your ignoble end.”
Suzluk’s face creased in a sadistic grin, and he said, “You are pathetic, little Atherleah. This death will be final, I will hunt down each of your friends and destroy them also.”
Nathan seemed to roll his eyes, but he said, “Your pain, I suspect, will be more emotional than physical. I am going to explain what is going to happen in simple terms just so you understand. I’ll then leave you to think on the matter for several minutes and wait until despair takes hold. You are immobilised in the same way as your father. Your restraint is slightly different in that there are two poles behind your head. The head restraint has a gap at the back which allows access to your PAI chip.
