by Eliza Green
Then it began to cry. The noise pierced her eardrums. She covered her ears.
‘Jacob!’ she cried out. ‘Stop the noise immediately.’
The Inventor just laughed. ‘That’s what babies do, miss. It’s their way.’
‘I don’t like it. Stop it.’
The Inventor continued to chuckle, which only irritated her more.
‘I can hear it a mile away.’
It was something the Inventor used to say. She hoped she got the context right.
The Inventor froze. He looked at Dom and Vanessa, then at June.
What had she said wrong?
‘They’ll hear her before we reach safety,’ said the Inventor.
And then she understood. The baby was making too much noise.
Vanessa grabbed Carissa’s shoulder, startling her. ‘The growth machine. Do you know how to operate it?’
That, she’d seen in action. Newborns being grown into toddlers in a matter of hours. She nodded. If it stopped the crying, she was all for it.
June cradled her bundle.
Vanessa touched her shoulder. ‘Are you sure about this?’
June nodded, her lower lip quivering. ‘None of this is her fault. She needs all the protection we can give her.’
9
Anya
Being back inside the medical facility sent a deep shiver through Anya. For obvious reasons. The place lacked the usual bustle that she’d experienced while prisoner. But none of that mattered. Not when Alex and Jerome were still missing.
She was halfway up the first set of stairs when she heard someone behind her. Anya stopped and stared down at Thomas, who had paused on the step.
‘I can do this on my own.’
‘I know, but I need to feel useful,’ he said. ‘I’m trying not to think about what happened.’
Thomas was a tall, skinny twenty-year-old with brown hair similar to Jason’s. His pale skin told her he preferred being inside to out. Just like Jason did.
Had.
A lump lodged in her throat.
‘Were you and Jason friends?’
Thomas stared at the floor. ‘I didn’t know him for long.’ He looked up. ‘But I’d like to think so.’
The loss pinched at her fragile heart. She gripped the wall with the tips of her fingers, to steady herself.
‘Jason didn’t have many friends, but I can see why he picked you,’ she said. Thomas smiled at that. ‘Come on, I suppose I could use a second set of eyes.’
Thomas resumed his climb and she sensed, as she climbed higher, that he also needed a distraction. She stopped short of the door to the second floor. Thomas paused two steps below her.
She turned to him. ‘Were you and Max close?’
He sighed and nodded. ‘If it hadn’t been for him and Charlie, I wouldn’t be here.’
‘It seems we both have the same person to thank for that.’
While Max had not rescued her from this medical facility, he had attempted to rescue her from the ninth floor of Arcis after he, Jason and other soldiers had successfully stormed the facility.
Anya studied Thomas’ face. ‘I don’t remember you from Arcis.’
‘I was never in Arcis.’
‘We were on the ninth floor. The rebels... they came for us. Jason was with them...’ She could barely say his name without bursting into tears.
Thomas smiled sadly. He leaned a shoulder against the wall. ‘Preston went instead of me.’ His smile dropped away. ‘He was killed by the Copies.’
‘I’m sorry.’ She couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Thomas shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
‘The weapons—your designs—they got them past Arcis’ force field?’
Thomas nodded, looking away. ‘That was the only thing that worked well that day.’
‘They saved us out on that battlefield. They gave us the upper hand.’
Thomas smiled sadly. ‘They didn’t save everyone.’
‘Come on, let’s keep moving. We don’t know who’s around.’
She clutched the Electro Gun hard to her chest, as if the feel of the cold metal might stop the hurt there.
She slipped through the door to the second floor. Sweeping her gun around, she checked for signs of Copy life. There were none.
Thomas stopped next to her, keeping his own Electro Gun raised.
‘Where is everyone?’ she asked him. ‘This place was active when I was last here. It’s like everyone dropped tools and left.’
‘Maybe they were ordered to leave. With the city’s defences down, it would only be a matter of time before we showed up.’
Maybe. She hoped Jerome and Alex hadn’t been cleared out, too.
‘We should check this floor anyway. It’s where Alex was. It’s possible they returned him to this floor.’
Her trainers squeaked as she sneaked down the main corridor. Thomas stayed behind her, covering the rear. She arrived at a corridor with several doors down it that ended in a dead end. This was where she and Alex had been trapped for a week. Sucking in a breath that was designed to steady her nerves but had the opposite effect, she stopped outside her old room.
She tried the handle. It didn’t budge.
Anya knocked on the door. ‘Hello? Alex, are you in there?’
She heard a noise on the other side. ‘Anya?’
It was him. Her heart pounded faster. ‘Alex! We’re going to get you out of here.’
She turned to Thomas, not sure how. ‘The access cards open these doors. We’ll need that Copy guard to open it.’
‘Maybe not.’
Thomas handed his gun to her. She pointed both their weapons at the entrance to the corridor. He pulled out a small tin from inside his coat pocket and opened it.
Anya saw an array of tools, narrow in design. ‘What are you going to do with those?’
He smiled. ‘Why, pick the lock, of course.’
Anya nestled both guns in the crooks of her arms. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use them. The revolver in her waistband was her backup in case the electricity ran out. Not a great backup plan though.
Thomas got to work on the locking mechanism. ‘They may use electronics to lock the doors, but every piece of electronics I’ve ever seen always has a manual override.’
His explanation took Anya back to Brookfield. Jason used to sit at the kitchen table with Praesidium’s equipment spread out before him. He’d ream off an explanation of how the inventions worked. She wished now she’d paid more attention.
Thomas cursed, then said, ‘Aha, here it is.’
Something clicked and he got the door open. Waiting inside was a worried Alex. No Jerome. She stepped inside the room, eyeing the big bed she’d slept in. Suppressing a shiver, she gave Alex a hug.
His hug back was brief, rushed. ‘How’s June?’
‘She’s fine. They’re taking the baby out.’
His eyes widened. ‘What?’
‘June’s fine. Listen, where’s Jerome?’
‘I don’t know. We got separated when we arrived here.’
Anya exited the room, glad to leave the familiarity behind. ‘This floor’s empty. Where are all the Copies?’
‘I don’t know that either. They blindfolded me when I got here.’
‘Blindfolded?’
Alex shrugged. His eyes shifted to the way back. ‘I need to see June.’
‘Jerome first.’
His wild gaze softened. ‘Of course. We should check this floor.’
Anya handed one of the Electro Guns back to Thomas.
Alex eyed the exchange. ‘Any for me?’
She paused, then pulled the revolver out of her waistband. ‘You remember this?’
She’d taught Alex and others how to shoot in the rebel camp.
He hesitated, then took it. ‘Aim and shoot, right?’
She checked each of the rooms in the same corridor by knocking on the doors. Nobody answered their call.
They spread out and checke
d three more corridors in one go.
Searching the corridor farthest away from their starting point, Alex called her over. ‘In here!’
He pointed to a door.
Thomas worked his lock-picking magic faster than before. Alex eyed his methods. Anya was equally impressed.
The door swung open. A relieved Jerome stood there, hands on hips. ‘What took you so long?’
‘Thomas insisted on doing things the old fashioned way.’
Jerome’s lips curled up into a shaky smile. Anya hugged her old friend. Warren’s old friend. They’d all lost someone they cared about.
She pulled back. ‘Come on, we’ve got to go.’
‘Where?’ asked Jerome.
‘To see June,’ said Alex. ‘Where is she now?’
‘They were headed for the first floor to deliver the baby. There’s surgical equipment there.’
Alex marched on ahead to the stairwell. Without pausing, he crashed through the doors and up one flight of stairs. Anya followed him, frowning. She knew he must really want to see her, but they still needed to be cautious.
They arrived on the first floor and followed the smell of iron. They stopped outside a room.
No, not iron. Blood.
Her own blood ran cold at what awaited them inside.
Alex sucked in a breath and jerked the door open. He peered inside. Anya checked past him. It looked like a bloodbath in there. Alex stood clear of the mess, staring at it.
She pulled him back from the door, hoping June was okay. ‘She’s not here. Come on. I know where she will be.’
‘Where?’ asked Alex.
‘We should try the third.’
The machine Carissa had said accelerated growth was there.
Alex stormed back to the stairwell, taking the stairs down two at a time to the third. Anya followed, curious about this angrier Alex. She guessed being back here again must be one time too many.
She hurried to catch up with him. Thomas and Jerome were on her heels.
‘What’s the emergency?’ Jerome muttered.
Alex burst through the door for the third floor and followed the corridor back to the Nurturing Centre. Outside stood the soldiers and the Copy guard. The guard’s eyes widened when he saw Alex. Then Jerome.
Jerome strode up to the Copy and grabbed a fistful of his uniform. ‘Thought you could keep us here, did you?’
The guard said nothing, did nothing, except narrow his gaze at him.
Alex pushed past the soldiers blocking the way inside the hidden corridor. Anya went after him, Jerome on her heels.
‘What’s up with him?’ he said.
‘He’s worried about June.’
Alex burst into the first room, calling June’s name.
A breath rushed out of Anya when she entered the room and saw June was okay. Jacob, Carissa, Charlie, Vanessa, Dom and Sheila had surrounded her. She was sitting on the floor in front of something—or someone. She couldn’t see what.
‘June!’ said Alex.
She turned and her face lit up. ‘Oh my God, you’re okay.’
She scrambled to her feet and crashed into Alex, hugging him tight.
Alex stroked her hair, but his eyes searched for something. ‘Where is it?’
A smiling June pulled back from him. ‘She’s okay.’
‘She?’ said Anya.
June nodded at her. ‘We had to use the growth machine.’
Anya stepped closer to the machine, its vials of orange liquid now half empty. Inside the machine and behind a Perspex window was a child sitting on the floor, looking about twelve months old. She had black hair and her eyes were a vivid blue. She looked nothing like June.
‘Meet my daughter,’ June said.
Alex fell to his knees in front of the child, as though in awe. He touched the Perspex glass between him and the child. The quiet child, reminding Anya of the children she and Dom had seen on the eighth floor in Arcis, regarded him curiously.
He waved at her. She waved back. ‘She looks so real...’
June giggled. ‘She is. Flesh and blood.’
Alex turned and grinned. ‘Flesh and blood.’
10
Dom
‘Where did you find them?’ Dom asked Anya. He’d pulled her away from the others, who were fussing over the child.
She kept her eyes on Alex. ‘In our room.’
Dom’s heart twanged with jealousy. He still didn’t know what exactly had gone on between the pair. It hadn’t been that long since everyone had escaped the city. Alex and Anya clearly had unfinished business if she was referring to it as “their room.”
Anya blinked and looked up at him. ‘Our old room, I mean. It wasn’t really ours. I never felt good there.’
He appreciated her attempts to ease his mind. Was he worried? No. His Anya was back. Was he jealous? Always. While Dom had been fighting for his life, Anya and Alex had been getting to know each other. It bothered him that they might have seen each other naked.
Dom shook his head to rid himself of the pessimistic thoughts. He always looked for the worst in any situation.
Anya was staring at him, her deep-blue eyes round.
‘If it helps,’ she said softly, ‘I thought he was arrogant at the start.’
‘And now?’
She looked back at Alex; he was smiling and cooing at the child. ‘Now he’s just... Alex.’
When she turned back around, a deep frown marked her forehead.
‘What’s wrong?’
Anya blinked and smiled. ‘Nothing. I just didn’t know Alex liked babies so much.’
‘Maybe it’s June he likes. The baby is just a bonus.’
She shrugged. ‘Yeah, maybe that’s it.’
Dom wished he knew what she was thinking. But too much had happened since the return of Anya’s memories for him to push her. Jason had died. Max, too. Even Warren, the weird boy who’d caused trouble in Arcis, would be missed by some. A muted version now stood where his vivacious and plucky Anya used to. He hoped to find her again, and pull her out of her grief.
Dom settled for gripping her hand and squeezing it once. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with a new energy. Then that energy vanished and she looked away.
Someone cleared their throat. Charlie. He, Jacob and Vanessa were looking at Dom.
‘Son, what now?’ said Charlie. ‘June is out of danger and the child is fine. We need to move to the next step in our plan.’
His former guard was not in the room and could not hear him. But Dom lowered his voice anyway.
‘Now we search the city, see if we can find the coordinates to the Beyond.’
‘What about food?’
He hadn’t thought about it.
‘I don’t know where to look.’
‘Carissa?’ Jacob asked the girl.
She looked up at him, wide-eyed. ‘There is a storeroom close to the shops in the Business District. I don’t know what’s in it.’
Charlie nodded. ‘That should be our first place to check.’
Yes, their supplies were low, but Dom’s plan had always been to get out of here as soon as possible. Meeting opposition had diminished his hope of that happening. Maybe they should stock up the trucks. They believed the rebel Janet, whom Anya’s parents had helped, to have hidden the diary containing coordinates for the Beyond somewhere in the city before she was captured by the Collective. But everything they had to go on was hearsay. They could be here for a while.
Anya squeezed his hand sharply. It knocked him out of his thoughts and he blinked.
‘No, we brought food with us. We will stock up later. Our priority now is to find the coordinates.’
‘Okay,’ said Charlie with a nod. ‘We try and locate all the hidden tunnels. To do that, we’re going to need schematics.’
Jacob said, ‘Carissa can help. She has cached copies of all the files. We’ll be able to access them using the diagnostic machine in my workshop—assuming it’s still there, of course.’
&nbs
p; The reprogrammed orb had shown blast damage near Jacob’s workshop.
‘But Carissa’s files may not list the tunnels we need,’ said Anya. ‘If the tunnels are hidden, that means from the city, too.’
‘We have our own set of maps,’ said Vanessa, patting the bag she carried that contained their efforts so far. ‘If we compare both sets, we can concentrate on the areas the Collective doesn’t know about.’
It was their best chance. But the lack of Copies in a city that had been teeming with life just days ago still bothered Dom. ‘We need to check the city, see who’s still here.’
Vanessa nodded. ‘The Copy guard should be able to get us into locked places.’
Keeping him around only reminded Dom of the bad things that had happened here. But Dom was the leader now. And leaders didn’t have feelings—only the last word.
‘Agreed.’ His eyes went to the new child. She was looking up at the group through the glass with wide, blue eyes. ‘What about her?’
Vanessa glanced back at the toddler. ‘The infant is still too young. A year at most. We’ll need a couple more hours to mature her.’
‘How old will she get?’
Vanessa nodded at the half-spent vials of liquid. ‘Old enough not to slow us down.’
Dom gave a discreet shudder. How must June be feeling to see her child grow before her eyes? He would ask Sheila and Imogen to keep an eye on her.
To the room, he said, ‘Everyone who doesn’t need to be here, move out. We’re going to search this city for Copies. I want to make sure there are no threats waiting for us. We should start with this facility.’
Alex remained on his knees next to the growth accelerator machine. His hands were pressed against the glass. A smiling June gazed down at him.
Dom tapped her on the shoulder and she looked up at him. ‘Hey, how are you feeling?’
She nodded and touched her belly. ‘A little sore, but mending. The tech in this place is unbelievable. I can’t believe how fast I healed after she came out.’
Yeah, it was something else, all right. The same tech had torn him apart. He hid his discomfort behind a smile.
‘We have injured soldiers. Maybe you can use the machine to heal them,’ she said.