The Eve Illusion

by Giovanna Fletcher

  Eve follows, helping Ernie on his injured side, but Michael stops.

  ‘Michael?’ Eve calls.

  He bends down and picks something up from the floor. A brown leather case. The sort of old-fashioned style for which my father had an affinity.

  ‘Turner, they don’t belong to you.’ My dad coughs, his tone suddenly changing as he watches Michael scoop up some transparent discs that have scattered across the floor and return them to the case.

  ‘They don’t belong to you either,’ Michael replies, slipping the leather case into his pocket and running to join us.

  ‘You won’t get out alive!’ my father screams at us.

  ‘We’re not going out …’ Michael speaks quietly to us as we reach the lift. ‘Come with me.’

  43

  Michael

  I repeatedly wave my hand across the sensor to call the damn lift.

  ‘Where the hell is it?’ I can’t stand still.

  ‘Eve. You came back, silly child. Leave me – I’ll only slow you down. I came here so you could escape and have the life you deserve,’ Ernie says, the sight of Eve’s face obviously easing the pain he’s in.

  ‘How could I live out there if I let you die in here?’ She smiles.

  ‘I tried telling her but she’s as stubborn as you,’ Bram jokes.

  ‘What’s the point in saving the world if I can’t save my own father?’ Eve says as the lift arrives.

  ‘Give me the gun,’ I say, and Eve hands it over. The door swishes open, and I aim inside, half expecting it to be full of my fellow soldiers, the Final Guard, but instead we’re face to face with the two security soldiers who have shadowed Wells for the last few weeks.

  We catch them both off guard and I shoot instantly. It hits one in the shoulder and he’s kicked back into the wall from the impact.

  The other soldier launches at me, the familiar fizz of energy from the Pacify Glove on his approaching open hand sending a surge of adrenalin through my veins. I swerve to miss his lunge.

  Bram appears from nowhere, ignoring the gunshot wound to his arm, and tackles him back into the lift, slamming the other man’s powerful body into his injured partner.

  A flash of static charge lights up the lift as the live Glove connects with the other soldier, rendering them both unconscious on the floor.

  ‘Idiots.’ I step inside and disengage the Glove. ‘That’s why these things are for Final Guards only. They’ll be out cold for hours. Get in,’ I tell Eve and Ernie.

  ‘The Dome,’ I instruct the lift.

  ‘What?’ Eve says in disbelief.

  ‘Are you insane? We’ll never get out from up there. Not again,’ Bram adds.

  ‘I’m not jumping again!’ Eve says, her grip on her father tightening.

  ‘No, we can’t go to the Dome. We wouldn’t even make it through the Gate,’ I agree, and Bram nods, remembering the security measures in place to stop anyone getting in. ‘I know one place we can go. It’s a long shot but it’s the only option we’ve got now. Plus, your dear old father won’t see this coming. At least, not until we’re inside,’ I say, as the lift rushes up a few hundred floors.

  ‘Inside?’ Bram looks at Eve, obviously not liking my plan.

  ‘Look, I know you don’t trust me. I get it. I wouldn’t trust me either. In fact, it’s probably a good idea you don’t trust anyone, Eve,’ I say, staring into her eyes, ‘but, right now, it’s either follow me or we all die.’

  ‘I trust you, Michael,’ Eve says, reaching out a hand to me.

  I take it, in shock at the gesture.

  ‘We all have to trust each other now. We’re all we have,’ Eve says, and I get the sense it’s aimed more at Bram than me.

  ‘Tell that to Hartman,’ Bram snaps.

  I pull out the leather pouch, open it and find the disc with Hartman’s name.

  ‘You can tell him yourself when we get there,’ I say, holding it out for Bram to take.

  He examines it and reads his ex-partner’s name engraved into the toughened glass.

  ‘What is that?’ Eve asks.

  ‘I’ve seen these before. Projectants?’ Bram asks.

  I nod.

  ‘So, he’s really gone.’

  ‘Physically, yes. It was all I could do to save him from torture,’ I explain, ‘but I’ve seen him in that thing. He can come back. They all can.’

  I hand Bram the leather case and let him see inside. He thumbs through the contents. ‘No …’ he gasps, reading the names of his fellow pilots on the transparent discs that store their minds.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ I place my hand on Bram’s shoulder as he processes the news that so many of his friends are dead.

  ‘You’re right.’ He closes the case. ‘We’re all we’ve got now. We’re in this together and we have to trust each other.’

  ‘Deal,’ I say. ‘Then you’d better trust me that shit could be about to hit the fan.’

  The lift comes to a stop.

  ‘Are we there?’ Eve asks.

  ‘No,’ I reply.

  ‘This is an emergency announcement.’ It’s Vivian’s voice over the Tower’s emergency broadcast system. ‘Traitors have infiltrated the Tower and are attempting to escape with your saviour. Please remain where you are and do not approach them. They are armed and extremely dangerous. The Tower is on complete lockdown until they are detained.’

  My chest suddenly vibrates.

  ‘Shit!’ I reach for the knife on my belt.

  ‘What is it?’ Eve asks.

  ‘This tag, it can track me and –’

  The burst of energy is like nothing I’ve ever felt. My limbs go rigid. My teeth grind against each other so hard I can feel them start to crack in my jaw.

  ‘Michael!’ Eve screams from somewhere, but all I see is white.

  Palpitations increase to a rate like I’ve never felt. My heart can’t handle the shocks being emitted by the tag in my chest, designed to incapacitate any member of the Final Guard who disobeys orders.

  The white turns to grey.

  Grey turns to black.

  The high-pitched ring flatlines and dies.

  I sit bolt upright, gasping for air.

  ‘Easy, easy. You’re back,’ says a voice, with forced calm.

  ‘Who the … Eve?’ I breathe, trying to piece it all back together.

  I stare down at my bleeding chest and follow the trail to the flashing piece of metal that continues to zap out little sparks of electricity on the floor.

  ‘I had to cut it out. Did the best I could. It’s not too deep but keep pressure on it.’ Bram places my own hand on my chest and pushes down. ‘Now get up; we’re moving!’ He offers my knife back and a hand up from the floor of the lift.

  ‘Won’t the guards be in the Dome when the doors open?’ Eve asks, hoisting her father’s injured arm back over her shoulder, ready to carry him into battle.

  ‘Wait!’ Bram bends down and starts stripping the uniforms off the unconscious soldiers.

  ‘Put the other one on,’ he says. ‘If we bump into any unwanted guests, they’ll think we’re these two escorting the saviour and her father.’

  ‘Escorting us where?’ Ernie asks.

  ‘Anywhere, wherever they want to believe, I don’t care, but it might buy us a few minutes before they figure it out,’ Bram says, already zipping up the new uniform over his tired jumpsuit.

  I wince as I put the other on and Bram hands me the visor, his own already pulled down, hiding his face.

  ‘The bodies!’ Ernie says. He might be old but he doesn’t miss a trick.

  ‘Slide them up against that side,’ I say.

  YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT THE DOME, the lift instructs, as we prop the unconscious pair just out of sight of anyone who might be outside the door as it swishes open, revealing a dozen stunned eyes.

  Shit!

  The entire Final Guard are there.

  They take one look at us and raise their weapons.

  Bram instinctively steps in front of Eve, shie
lding her from any fire.

  ‘Stand down!’ he commands.

  The guards don’t. Reynolds, Franklin, Hernandez, the twins, they’re all there, confused and alert. A bad combo.

  I clear my throat and pray this works.

  ‘You’re too late.’ I’m trying to sound as unlike me as possible.

  ‘Too late? Who the hell do you think you –’

  I cut Reynolds off by raising my open palm, just as the man who wore this suit before me did just a few moments ago.

  ‘We have the saviour and her father in our custody and are escorting them now on Dr Wells’s orders,’ Bram says. ‘Anyone who intervenes will face the same fate as the pilots.’

  Oh, he’s good.

  They hesitate, looking at our uniforms. Then at Eve and Ernie, who look appropriately nervous. Not that they’d need to act that.

  ‘Stand down, gentlemen, and you might want to think about running some emergency drills to speed up your response time in future.’ I wave my hand over the panel, calling for the door to close on my friends.

  ‘That was too close …’ Eve whispers once the door clicks into place.

  ‘We’re not clear yet,’ I reply.

  Here goes nothing …

  ‘Eraeon,’ I command, without wasting another moment.

  The lift obeys my instruction and starts to turn on itself.

  I sigh in relief and lift my mask to breathe.

  ‘What the hell is Eraeon?’ Bram asks.

  ‘Not what, where,’ I correct.

  ‘Okay, where the hell is Eraeon?’

  ‘You won’t believe me,’ I reply, and the doors open on to the long corridor.

  ‘Quickly, go!’ I drag myself to one side and let them exit the lift first.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Bram asks, looking back at me standing just outside the door.

  ‘Flood level,’ I instruct clearly with my face still inside, hoping my voice and the weight of the two unconscious soldiers stuffed against the wall are enough to fool it into thinking that it’s still occupied.

  The door starts to close and I step back and listen to it descend from the outside.

  ‘They’ll track my tag and think we’re going down. Might buy us a little time,’ I explain.

  ‘Good thinking,’ Bram replies. ‘Now where are we going?’

  I lead the way to the end of the long, straight corridor to the second lift.

  We don’t speak once we’re inside. The silence of not being chased is almost worse than footsteps and gunshots.

  Almost.

  Our nervous glances at each other confirm that we’re all in this until the end now. There’s no way back for any of us. My days of questioning which side of the fence I should be on seem like a lifetime ago.

  We descend rapidly, silently, through the core of this mammoth building and it strikes me suddenly that I might never see the outside again.

  My head feels light. Maybe it’s the blood loss from the fresh wound on my chest or the air pressure changing as we descend. Or maybe it’s not that at all. There are butterflies in my stomach that aren’t like the intense ones you get when someone is shooting at you. These feel different, almost exciting, new, and come with a sense of doing something worthwhile. Of doing the right thing. For once.

  The lift stops, the cue for Bram and me to pull down our stolen visors once again.

  The door slides open silently, revealing a single broad figure, waiting with his gun aimed into the lift.

  ‘Whoa, don’t shoot! It’s me!’ I jump, showing my face.

  Ketch drops his weapon as he spots Eve behind me, his eyes widening in disbelief. ‘Brother, what the hell have you done?’

  44

  Eve

  It’s a relief to see his face staring back at us, even if he does look mortified and confused.

  His words ring in my ears and I see the likeness between the two of them instantly. Brothers. I had no idea. I sincerely hope their family bond is a little less breakable than that of Bram and his father.

  ‘It’s okay, Ketch,’ I say, passing the weight of my father to Bram in the hope of reassuring him. We need his help and quickly. Who knows how long we’ve got before they manage to find us again?

  With my hands in the air, I step towards the man I’ve always trusted with my life, and show him I’m unharmed. ‘He’s not done anything. He’s helping me.’

  ‘That right?’ he asks Michael, his brows creasing as his eyes dart across us all, trying to read the situation.

  I look back at the rest of my party to see what he’s seeing and find a group of roughed-up, bedraggled men – one elderly and in urgent need of care, one shot in the arm and the other bleeding from his chest. It’s not surprising Ketch looks troubled by our arrival – we’re hardly bringing peace and harmony with us. ‘It’s not as bad as it might’ve been,’ I offer.

  ‘And that’s an understatement,’ adds Michael, as he drops his visor to the floor with a thump. We all flinch, still jittery and unnerved.

  ‘You shouldn’t have come back,’ Ketch says, visibly uncomfortable as he glances around us. ‘You shouldn’t even know about this place, Mikey.’

  ‘I didn’t have much choi–’ tries Michael.

  ‘And you shouldn’t have brought her down here!’ Ketch aims at Michael, while pointing at me.

  ‘Ketch!’ I gasp, stung by his coldness.

  ‘I’m sorry, Eve, but you shouldn’t be here,’ he says, his eyes fixed to the floor.

  ‘And where should I be, Ketch?’ I challenge. ‘The Dome was a prison, the Deep a hideout. Is there anywhere I can just be free?’

  I’m grateful to see his cheeks turn a slight shade of pink.

  ‘This is our only option,’ says Michael, helping Bram with my father as the pair become wobbly on their feet. ‘You would not believe the things we’ve seen. I’m losing my mind wondering what’s real around here. Wells has been playing everyone. Nearly killed us too. All of us!’

  ‘Even Eve? What happened?’ Ketch asks, curiosity getting the better of him as his chest puffs out. I’m relieved to see that, despite what he might’ve conveyed, he still cares.

  ‘My dad is a psychopath, that’s what,’ says Bram, drawing my attention to his pale face and lost expression. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head right now. To be disowned by your father is one thing: to have him direct a bullet towards your skull is quite another.

  ‘You are the only thing I’m certain of right now,’ declares Michael, looking at his brother. ‘We’re family. You’re the only one I trust with this – with her. There’s no way we’d make it out, and even if we did, the crowds would overwhelm us. This is the only place I thought we could go. It’s so unplanned that it might just catch Wells off guard. You’ve gotta let us in.’

  ‘What do you think this place is?’

  ‘An opportunity,’ Michael replies, without missing a beat.

  ‘Mikey …’ Ketch says, looking fraught.

  ‘Listen to your gut and tell me I’m wrong,’ Michael says, placing a palm on Ketch’s shoulder and the other below his ribs.

  ‘Ketch,’ I whisper, forcing him to look up at me, suddenly realizing he’s acting out of fear for my safety rather than annoyance at my being here. ‘Thank you for keeping me safe all these years. If I listen to my gut,’ I say, echoing Michael’s words, ‘it tells me I’ve been lucky to have you. You have been devoted, and I believe your actions have been for me, not blindly for the good of Vivian and the EPO …’

  ‘And, brother, you were right on that,’ Michael says, making me think of the horrors we’ve been forced to see. ‘You were right!’ he repeats, punching the words to give them more weight.

  ‘We should get a move on,’ urges Bram.

  ‘You know that once you’re in there I can’t come and help you, that you’re on your own,’ Ketch warns, leaving us all to stare at him blankly.

  I’ve come here not knowing what’s inside, but blindly followed the word of others.


  ‘There’s no other way,’ Michael says, his jaw tensing. ‘I need this one last act of loyalty, Ketch … For Eve.’

  Ketch meets his brother’s gaze and sighs, nodding slowly. He understands.

  ‘You’ve got to be quick.’ He exhales, turning and guiding us further into the vast room.

  We follow him, my father’s shoes squeaking as he’s dragged across the shiny black floor by Bram and Michael – despite their own injuries.

  Only now do I take in where we are, and I’m stunned at the vastness of the space around us, of the detail and grandeur of this place, which exists inside the Tower. I think of the Dome, and then of the little ‘outside’ hideaway they created for me, and realize this shouldn’t come as such a shock.

  ‘Is this my dad’s work?’ Bram asks, matching my disbelief.

  ‘Well, it’s not Vivian’s,’ Michael replies flatly.

  ‘What is this place for?’ I ask, trying to make sense of what I’m seeing.

  ‘If I’m honest, I’m not entirely sure.’

  ‘What?’ asks Bram, stopping in his tracks. He repositions my father, who lifts his head questioningly at Michael.

  ‘Look, all I know is it’s our only hope of making it through the night, let alone anything else, and every minute more that we’re alive is a small victory,’ Michael says.

  ‘You’ve brought Eve here on a hunch?’ Bram frowns, getting angrier. ‘Who knows what might be through there?’

  ‘Exactly. Who knows?’ Michael is clearly doing his best to keep his voice calm. This isn’t the time for an internal dispute. ‘The only thing we know for certain is that anywhere else is instant death. For all of us. Remember, your father doesn’t need her any more.’

  Bram’s head whips round to me, his eyes filling with sadness. Before, it was his life on the line, but now I’m in just as much danger.

  ‘You should’ve gone without me, Eve,’ whimpers my father, his body curling in pain. ‘You would’ve had more of a chance without me slowing you down. This is my fault.’

  ‘Stop it!’ I tell him, running towards him and placing my hand on his cheek.

  ‘I’ve let you down,’ he argues, his words breaking my heart. I wonder how long he’ll berate himself over something that wasn’t his decision to make.