by Eliza Green
Her answer had only made Anya more determined to fight her on it. Her father had understood her need to be independent. Why not Grace?
Anya had listened in on many conversations between Evan and Grace in an effort to understand the process. She recalled the last conversation she’d overheard, three days before their murder.
‘Matching is important, Evan, not education,’ Grace had said. ‘Do you think her being skilled will stop them from taking her? They seem to place a value on tradition and don’t like to mess in the towns’ affairs. Others have managed this way. It’s how we will manage.’
‘I know what you’re saying, Grace, but Anya needs an outlet,’ her father had said. ‘Something that will teach her more than what boy she is most suited for.’
‘But it’s the only way to keep her under their radar.’
Her father sighed. ‘She’s not far off eighteen, love. And they still haven’t come looking for her. Maybe they won’t. Let her be a kid.’
Even now, as Anya shivered in bed, thinking about how close Warren had come to getting what he wanted, she still remembered one of Grace’s last lectures to her.
‘You’re such a quiet child, Anya. You need to be more receptive to new things. You can’t hide behind sports forever. What if nobody ever chooses you?’
‘It’s not what I want,’ Anya replied.
‘It’s safer for you to be matched than unmatched in this world.’ Grace tucked loose strands of hair behind Anya’s ear. ‘You’re such a pretty girl. Such lovely features. If you’d only apply yourself a little more, give up this ridiculous study of sports. Maybe you could find someone.’
‘But Dad doesn’t mind—’
‘Your father doesn’t understand, child,’ Grace snapped. ‘It’s imperative you settle down and have a family.’
‘But I’m only seventeen.’
‘Which means you’re old enough to understand what those types of relationships mean.’
‘What about Jason?’
‘Jason doesn’t need to be matched. You do.’
Please. We’re begging you. She’s matched.
The night her parents were shot, the intruders had asked for proof. What proof did they want?
Anya’s arm throbbed as she rolled onto her side and tucked the covers tight under her chin. June had wanted to wrap her wound in gauze, but Anya had refused. The bleeding had stopped, but she wanted the angry red strip to serve as a reminder to Warren of what he had done.
She pulled the covers over her head. She never wanted to see Warren again.
The lights came on and she heard movement in the frosted section. Her skin crawled at the thought of the boys laughing about Warren’s failed attempt with her.
‘Can’t we just stay here?’ Yasmin groaned from her bed.
Anya pushed the covers off her and glanced at her arm.
Screw Warren.
‘I’d rather get the hell off this floor.’ Her new drive forced her out of bed. She planted her feet flat on the ground. An uneven tremor sprang up through her feet. It felt like a mini–shock wave.
‘Did you feel that?’ she said to Yasmin.
Yasmin was getting out of bed. ‘Feel what?’
It was the same vibration that had occurred just over a day ago. Anya touched the wall behind her. She noticed June do the same thing, but the vibration was gone.
‘What did it feel like?’ said June.
‘A tiny earthquake.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m probably imagining it. I don’t feel it now.’
The lights dipped suddenly before returning to full brightness.
Rotation.
Anya glanced at June who seemed to understand. The giant screen in the void flickered and set her heart racing. She slipped her sandals on and stumbled outside, catching herself before she fell.
‘What is it?’ Yasmin asked. ‘What’s going on?’
Anya didn’t answer her as she stared at the screen. She checked the time on her watch. It was 3am in the morning.
The scores were all there. Last night she had been on twenty. At the stroke of midnight, she should still be on twenty. She searched for her name and found it. She covered her mouth in shock.
She was only on ten points. Warren had also lost points. Yasmin and June were on ten as well. Most of the others were on twenty. Just four people had hit thirty: Ash, Lilly, Dom and Sheila.
She swallowed back a sob. She hadn’t made rotation.
A short siren sounded. She was still staring up at the screen when the other girls who had stayed in the boys’ section gathered next to her. The screen changed and Supervisor Two’s thin, stern face filled the screen.
‘Please gather for an announcement.’
This is too early. I need another day. Please. I’ll try harder.
She glanced at the others. Ash seemed nervous. Lilly was quieter than usual. Warren kept his distance from Anya. To her enormous pleasure, she noticed a purple bruise beginning to form where she’d hit him.
Sheila and Dom stood not far from her. She saw Dom’s jaw tighten as he looked up at the board.
Anya smiled weakly at Jerome, who stood next to her. He was still on twenty points. So that meant her rejection of Warren had cost her ten points.
She shook her head, trying to make sense of this floor. Only four of them had earned enough points to rotate. At least she had June and Yasmin for company.
But that meant she’d be left with Warren.
The supervisor stared down at them.
‘There has been a change of rules.’
Anya swallowed. That was never good.
‘We have a swelling of numbers on the lower floors and we need to make room for the next team. Everyone on ten points or more will rotate.’
She released a breath. Her gaze went to June, who shrugged.
A swelling of numbers on the lower floors? She hoped there hadn’t been another ‘Frank’ situation.
‘Please collect your belongings and wait by the elevator,’ said the supervisor.
Anya counted several of them who had now skipped a floor. But at least she could leave the fourth behind her.
She turned back to the dorm just as Lilly brushed past her. Anya reached out and grabbed her arm.
Lilly spun round and stared at her. She had the look of a trapped animal.
‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m fine,’ Lilly snapped. She released her arm and kept walking.
Anya didn’t need details to know why Lilly and Ash had ended up on maximum points. Anya would find a way to make Ash pay.
Supervisor Two was waiting by the elevator when they arrived. Anya did a head count and noted not all of them had made it.
With her backpack slung over one shoulder, she climbed into the elevator, standing as far away from Warren as possible. June and Yasmin entered next, glaring at Warren. Dom and Sheila were last in, followed by a despondent Jerome. Dom’s head hung low, as if he was deep in thought. Anya expected Lilly to stand next to her, but she pushed herself into a corner and hugged her thin frame.
The biggest surprise to Anya was a quiet and miserable-looking Ash. He stood in the opposite corner, arms folded, staring down at his feet.
The fifth floor awaited.
43
Their efforts to merge the energy-displacer tech and the signal-booster amounted to nothing. Max called for Jason, Thomas and Preston to stop.
‘We’ve tried all we can to improve on the window of transmission time,’ he said. ‘There’s only one plan left: to go back to Essention.’
It’s what Jason had wanted all along, but now he wasn’t on Compliance how well would he blend in?
He shook his head, knowing his fear was miniscule compared to the danger Anya was in. She had just rotated to the fifth floor. Soon she would reach the ninth. Not knowing anything about Arcis’ real plans, he had to rescue her before that happened.
Jason waited outside the main tent alongside hardened soldiers and young men and women with skill sets that were us
eful to Max.
‘I want people who’ll be valuable in there,’ said Max to the group. A young man and woman, his first- and second-in-command, flanked him. The trio stood in front of a table laid out with soldiers’ vests, helmets and long boots that looked like fishing waders.
‘The soldiers will wait here for a few days to make sure more orbs don’t come. Then, they’ll enter Essention in a second and third approach. The first wave will be a select group. We need to test their defences and I know that sounds like a job for the more experienced soldiers among you. But once we cross through the gates and are safely back inside Essention, we’ll need to begin sending veiled messages to Pavesi and Kouris straight away. That requires people with specific skills.’
Some of the soldiers shouted their disapproval.
‘Quiet. This is the plan.’ Max picked up a pile of vests and thrust them at Jason, Thomas, Preston and a few younger soldiers. ‘Put these on. They’ll disguise your heat and motion so the sensors don’t pick up on your location. The fabric repels heat and vibrates in time with the sensors’ frequency, rendering you temporarily invisible. You will be able to move forward without triggering the sensors.’
‘How?’ said Jason.
‘You will appear motionless to the sensors. One moment, you will be far away, the next you will be closer. The vibration knocks you slightly off course, pushes you in the direction you need to go. You will move in a zigzag pattern while the sensors are active.’ Max pressed a button on the vest in Jason’s hand and the entire suit began to vibrate up his arm. He flicked it off and the vibration lingered for a moment longer.
‘The zigzag pattern is only manageable for short distances. It’s going to feel like your head’s being knocked about the place. You’ll need to concentrate harder while you run like hell.’
Ω
The rain had just stopped when the small team of Max, Jason, Preston and support soldiers stood on the edge of the forest between Glenvale and Essention. Under the cover of night, Jason readjusted the top half of his suit. The too-small vest pinched him, but the waders were thin and comfortable. His helmet lay beside a tree. They had made the journey on foot; truck wheels squelching in wet grass would have been too loud.
Preston carried a mobile version of the satellite dish in his pocket. Thomas had modified the silver orb so the gelatin, which once provided the orb with its energy, now carried a signal-booster and energy-displacer tech from the Disruptor.
According to Thomas, rotation was imminent, which mean the guns would be rendered inactive. Jason’s gear weighed him down as they waited for it to begin. Preston climbed the nearest tree as he tried to get a vantage point that would set him parallel to the top of Essention’s wall. Jason stayed on the ground with Max and the soldiers. None of them bore real weapons. Max had said it would be suicidal to bring weapons into the urbano run by machines with a bigger arsenal than them. But Thomas had packed the non-metallic Disruptor and Atomiser in Max’s bag.
‘Good job I like heights,’ said Preston to no one. His breathing sounded fast and flurried from his perch. His hand gripped the thickest part of the tree trunk.
Jason examined the urbano a short distance away. He could see the disintegration guns on the wall, tracking slowly. Jason shuddered when the gun fired at something invisible in the grass. The sensors, invisible from this distance, helped the guns find targets to shoot.
Max said, ‘Don’t worry, Jason. We’re far enough out. The sensors can’t see us.’
‘How much longer?’ He wasn’t ready to test the suits just yet.
‘Essention runs off a single power grid. Everything feeds from that grid: light, heat, security. Whatever needs power, essentially. But Arcis needs the most power of all, so when there’s a dip at Arcis, it affects anything else that runs on power. Including the guns.’
‘So, Arcis runs the show and Essention basically gets the scraps.’
‘Exactly.’ Max looked through his binoculars. ‘Won’t be long now.’
Jason glanced around at the five jittery soldiers who accompanied them; some younger than him, all waiting to enter Essention again.
‘Are you sure there’s enough of us?’
Max nodded. ‘Any more will raise suspicions. The next wave will enter when rotation comes around again. We should be able to use our modified equipment once we’re inside.’ He packed the binoculars away. ‘When Preston gets confirmation from Pavesi or Kouris and you see me move, you’d better be on my heels.’
‘Preston can already track the power dips from his screen. Why do we need a signal from the soldiers inside?’
‘Because rotation is the only guarantee the guns have been knocked offline.’
Jason put thoughts of the dangerous guns out of his mind. He was going back for Anya.
He looked up to see a frowning Preston. Jason climbed up to this branch and let his legs dangle on either side. Preston stared at the screen that transmitted data from the signal-boosting, energy-displacing orb in his pocket.
‘I don’t know which dip is the big one. There’s one happening right now.’
Jason looked at Essention where the guns still rotated. ‘Well, we know there’s a brief dip in power about an hour before the main drop occurs.’
‘Actually, there are several dips,’ said Preston. ‘Usually the day before rotation. But the dip that occurs an hour before is biggest. It’s as if something is being reset, or calibrated, or changed.’
Preston pulled the orb from his pocket and waved it about. ‘Can you hear me? Tap once to acknowledge.’
The swift tap came through clearly. ‘Once for yes, two for no. Are you close to rotation?’
A double-tap.
‘Shit,’ said Jason.
Preston shushed him. ‘Has rotation already happened?’
A single tap came through clearly.
‘Tap once if we should go.’
A single tap.
Jason looked at the wall to see the guns powering down. He jumped down to the ground and Preston followed.
‘Max, the window is closing. We have about a minute.’
Jason hadn’t been able to determine what caused the dip in power, but it stayed down for as long as a minute at a time.
He followed Max to the edge of the scanners’ range.
‘We need to stop here for a second,’ said Max. ‘We’re almost inside their range. The scanners will be back up soon, and those guns will disintegrate you in a matter of seconds.’
Jason avoided looking at Preston’s screen. He focused on only one thing: the entrance to Essention.
No secret tunnels. Their way back inside was through the main gates.
Max addressed the group. ‘When I run, you follow. Got it?’
Jason nodded. His heartbeat pounded in his ears as he readied himself. He glanced down at the suit he hoped would make him invisible to the sensors.
Preston checked his monitor. ‘The guns are down. Go now. We have thirty seconds left.’
Max pressed the button on his own vest and melded with the night. Jason did the same and ran as hard as he could. Max was a fit man and Jason struggled to keep up. A few of the soldiers were ahead, others nipped at his heels.
They were well inside the guns’ range.
Jason’s lungs burned so bad he wanted to stop. He looked up at the guns that could shred him into tiny pieces. At that moment, they pointed downwards.
He ran harder, despite the vibrating suit that caused violent shifts in his movement. He fought against the suit and tried to run straight. It snapped him left, then right, then left again. His muscles ached every time he corrected his course.
He guessed he was only three hundred metres away from the entrance, but the suit had altered his position so much it felt as though it were pushing him back.
Jason caught movement on the wall as one of the guns began to stir. One of the boy soldiers ahead of him stumbled and fell to the grass.
Jason hesitated, then looked up at the guns. They had rebo
oted and were starting their lazy search of the area beyond the prison-like walls. He pulled the younger boy to his feet.
‘Sorry,’ said the soldier.
‘Move,’ said Max.
Jason dug deep and pushed on. The guns had begun to rotate; faster than he’d expected. His suit yanked him even further out of line as the guns focused on his general position and that of the others.
Jason ran hard through the suit’s constant corrections, his body fighting every new injection of pace from his stop-start movement. The boy soldier kept up with him, but the fall had clearly sapped his energy.
Preston and Max made it to the gate and slipped inside.
The other soldiers were close, but Jason and the boy were still two hundred metres away.
The guns swivelled, faster now, detecting the tiny changes in movement. One of them fired close by, as if trying to guess their location. Jason glanced back at the boy soldier, who was still trailing, and ran harder.
He dragged new air through his teeth. His lungs blazed with the effort of running. He had to trust his suit would keep him hidden.
The guns swivelled again. The four he could see now all pointed at him and the boy. Jason glanced up at the barrels but kept running. The nearest gun hadn’t fixed on anything yet, but it was searching for them. He turned to see the boy had dropped back. The other soldiers had now made it to the gate.
He couldn’t wait for the soldier. He had to keep going.
His breaths deepened when he caught the slight alteration of the nearest gun’s position. His suit pulled him into a more violent pattern. The gun was searching for him. He and the boy both had to be registering now as heat and motion.
The gun on the opposite wall turned sharply, its barrel pointed at Jason first, then at the boy. Jason concentrated on staying upright and ran harder.
He heard the sound of a laser zap, and an impact somewhere behind him. Jason dropped flat to the ground, just short of the gate. The gun stopped firing. He looked back.
The gun had begun searching again.