The Defiant Spark

by Annie Percik

  ‘See?’ Gerald announced to the room at large, beaming. ‘What did I say? Intelligent!’

  ‘But how do we get to the brain-es?’ Mateo asked.

  ‘That’s where we come in.’ Gerald turned to Lynn, rubbing his hands together. ‘What do you think about putting our people to the test with a covert infiltration of the Gadg-E-Tech building to liberate some brain-e-facts?’

  She grinned at him. ‘I would say that’s exactly what they’ve been training for.’

  Abelard was getting worried again. ‘That sounds like a recipe for disaster, if you ask me …’

  ‘No, young Abelard, and I shall tell you why. Body armour, stun grenades and rubber bullets.’

  Abelard stared at Gerald in confusion.

  ‘What kind of a place did you think I was running here?’ Gerald asked with a laugh. ‘I’m not some insane tyrant with a stockpile of assault weapons and a death wish. We’ve kept ourselves prepared for just such an eventuality as this but we’ve never intended to bring real violence down upon the artisans. That wouldn’t achieve anything for the greater good, except to undermine our own position. I think we can get into their headquarters, liberate the brain-e-facts and get out again without anyone getting hurt. Especially if your friend Terry is prepared to help us with his float-e-fact.’

  Jen looked as apprehensive as Abelard felt, but Mateo was grinning widely.

  ‘And once Alessandra and Terry make me into an artisan I can help too! This is going to be awesome!’

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Alessandra felt a surge of relief when the others left on their hair-brained mission to find Mateo’s crazy cousin. She was still reeling from her mother’s betrayal, even though she thought she had managed to hide it quite well after her initial outburst on the float-e-fact. She’d never had the best relationship with Laleh but always thought there was at least a modicum of maternal love under her mother’s cold exterior.

  Blaming Abelard was unfair, even if he had poked and meddled like a true engineer until all the artisans’ secrets had been exposed. But they had been there to discover in the first place and wasn’t the hard truth better than an illusion of security? Alessandra would never admit it to his face of course, but she was impressed with Abelard’s tenacity and it was clear that his actions stemmed from a strong desire for justice and equality, however naive a notion that might be. And then there was that look he got when he was excited about something …

  Terry was an excellent companion in times of emotional distress. He was completely unruffled by the circumstances in which they found themselves, he didn’t fill the warehouse with inane chatter and he provided a welcome intellectual challenge in the form of building the artisan-creating artefact. He was also unexpectedly solicitous of Alessandra’s comfort, asking her to make a list of anything she might want or need for her stay and then swiftly obtaining and installing all the items from who-knew-where.

  So with peace reigning in the warehouse and a comfortable chair to support her weary body, Alessandra did the only thing she knew how to do really well. She threw herself into the work.

  * * *

  Gerald agreed to let Abelard, Mateo and Jen stay the night and they were shown up to a long wood-panelled corridor on the upper level of the main building. It housed several bedrooms and they each claimed one. The receptionist they had seen downstairs came up with an assortment of pyjamas and toiletries and then they were left to settle in.

  Abelard said goodnight to his friends and closed the door of his room. He sat down on the edge of the bed and heaved a large sigh. It had been a very long day and this was the first moment he’d had to himself. A soft bed in a safe location was just what he needed. So he got ready for bed, lay down and focused on making his body relax. Eventually he did manage to drift off to sleep and dreamed about a giant version of Terry crushing the Gadg-E-Tech headquarters building and picking brain-e-facts out of the rubble.

  Abelard awoke to a knock at the door and daylight streaming in from behind the curtains. He stumbled out of bed and opened the door to find an old man standing in the hallway.

  ‘Morning,’ the man said. ‘Breakfast’ll be available in the main hall whenever you’re ready.’

  Abelard had a quick wash in the room’s sink and got dressed in his clothes from the day before. Being on the run from the artisans wasn’t exactly living the high life, though he supposed he should be grateful they hadn’t been forced to bed down at Terry’s warehouse. He wondered how Alessandra was getting on. She didn’t seem the type to embrace the necessities of living rough.

  Abelard was surprised when Mateo opened the door to the room he’d thought was Jen’s.

  ‘Hey, Abelard. Come on in. We’re just about ready.’

  Mateo stepped aside to let Abelard in, revealing Jen brushing her teeth at the sink. Had Mateo and Jen spent the night together or had Mateo just come to Jen’s room this morning to collect her like Abelard himself had? Should he ask? He and Jen were just friends now and had barely managed to be anything else. Why should he be bothered if she and Mateo were now sleeping together? He wasn’t sure if he was.

  Abelard realised he had just been standing in the doorway gaping like a fish. He cleared his throat.

  ‘Did you get the message about breakfast?’

  Mateo nodded.

  By this time Jen had finished up at the sink and crossed to join them. She grabbed Abelard’s arm and pulled him further into the room, shutting the door firmly behind him.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Abelard asked.

  Jen regarded him seriously. ‘Before we head out and join the crowd, don’t you think we need to talk about what we’re getting into?’

  Mateo rolled his eyes. ‘I told you, you’re worrying for no reason. Gerald knows what he’s doing. It’s all going to be fine.’

  ‘You don’t know that,’ Jen said. ‘Before yesterday, you hadn’t seen this guy in fifteen years or more. How do you know you can trust him? How do you know he can deliver what he’s promised? How do you know this whole plan isn’t going to land us in even more trouble?’

  Mateo appealed to Abelard. ‘Help me out here, mate. Tell her she’s being ridiculous.’

  But Jen didn’t sound panicked. In fact Abelard thought she was voicing a much more rational attitude than Mateo.

  ‘I think I have to agree with Jen here.’ Before Mateo could protest Abelard held up a hand. ‘I’m just not sure what we can do about it. We’re here now and we’ve given Gerald the information. I don’t think we can stop him from acting on it. And I don’t think we can get in any more trouble than we’re in already. So I think the best thing we can do is go along with Gerald’s plan, since it aims to achieve what we want anyway and he’s much better prepared to carry it out than we would be without him.’

  ‘And you think he can break into Gadg-E-Tech headquarters and get the brain-e-facts out with no problem?’ Jen sounded sceptical.

  Abelard chewed his lip. ‘I don’t know. But I don’t have any other ideas and I think we’d be better off helping than just sitting on the sidelines and waiting to see what happens. I’d understand if you want to stay behind, though. This isn’t your fight, after all.’

  She bristled at that. ‘I’m just as much a part of this now as any of you. And from what I understand this is everyone’s fight.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Abelard said. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just that I dragged you both into this and I don’t want either of you to get hurt.’

  Mateo clapped him on the shoulder. ‘You couldn’t get me to stay here if you paid me! Besides, you heard Gerald. They have body armour. We’ll be fine.’

  Abelard changed the subject. ‘We still have to let Terry and Alessandra know what’s going on. Should we try and get our call-es back and contact them from here?’

  ‘Terry said only to use them in an emergency, and I’m not sure this qualifies,’ Jen said. ‘How about we have breakfast first and then head back to the warehouse to talk about what to do next in person?�
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  Abelard smiled at her gratefully. ‘Good plan.’

  * * *

  Terry was putting the last pieces of equipment in place for the artisan-making artefact when Abelard and the others arrived back at the warehouse.

  Terry told them he and Alessandra had worked late into the night to obtain all the items they needed and Alessandra was now sleeping. Abelard looked over the almost-finished artefact and nodded in approval.

  ‘Looks like you and Alessandra have been busy. Do you know when she might be up and about again?’

  ‘Right now,’ came Alessandra’s voice from the other end of the space. She stretched and came towards them. ‘Terry here is a marvel.’ She smiled at Terry. ‘That mattress is wonderful. Best night’s sleep I’ve had in ages.’ She turned back to the other three. ‘What have you been up to?’

  ‘We’ll get to that,’ Mateo said. ‘First things first, can you make me an artisan?’

  Before Terry could launch into a lengthy explanation of the process, its risks and practicalities, Abelard spoke up, his brow furrowed.

  ‘Do you think that’s such a good idea, Mateo? I mean, you saw how erratic I was when I first became an artisan. Isn’t it a bit risky to leap into that just before the assault on Gadg-E-Tech?’

  ‘No.’ Mateo crossed his arms. ‘I think we need all the firepower we can get. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen after tonight? I’m not passing up the chance at something I’ve dreamed of all my life, just because you’re worried about health and safety.’

  Terry opened his mouth to explain the process again but this time Alessandra cut him off.

  ‘Wait just a minute! What exactly do you mean by “assault on Gadg-E-Tech”? What kind of hair-brained scheme have you cooked up now?’ She looked askance at Jen. ‘I was counting on you to keep these two under some semblance of control.’

  ‘Don’t look at me,’ Jen shot back. ‘Things spiralled right out of my control once Cousin Gerald got involved. You think your viz-e-fact plan was bold? We’ve got a full-scale armed revolution on our hands now.’

  Jen explained what had happened at the compound, with Abelard and Mateo chipping in every now and then. Terry and Alessandra listened in silence, allowing them to complete the tale without interruption.

  ‘He is right that the Gadg-E-Tech brain-e-facts will be useful to you,’ Terry said, once they had finished. ‘I understand that you may be apprehensive about going back to Gadg-E-Tech but you did promise to help the brain-e-facts and you will need additional support in order to do that.’

  Alessandra huffed out an exasperated breath. ‘Have you all lost your minds? How can you possibly think that a group of back-water mundanes and a couple of souped-up engineers have a hope of gaining access to Gadg-E-Tech headquarters covertly?’

  ‘Don’t forget about Terry,’ Abelard said. ‘He’s turned into a bit of a genius and I bet he can help out. But we’ve also got you.’ He moved towards her. ‘You know that building inside and out. And the end game is exactly what you were planning to do yesterday; release the information to the public. So surely you’re with us?’

  Terry stepped further into the circle. ‘I could contact Julia and let her know we are coming. If we take the float-e-fact we could get the brain-e-facts to meet us on the roof and just pick them up and go.’

  There was silence as the humans all just stared at him. Then a broad grin spread over Abelard’s face and he clapped Terry on the shoulder, beaming round at the others.

  ‘See? What did I just say? Genius! That’s a fantastic plan, Terry. We can be in and out without anyone even knowing we were there!’

  ‘What about Gerald and his assault plan?’ Mateo asked. ‘We’re due to meet him when it gets dark.’

  Terry again had the answer. ‘Why not go and complete the mission ourselves and then take the brain-e-facts to the compound instead of waiting and involving people who are unnecessary to the process?’

  Abelard turned back to Alessandra. ‘How about now? Are you with us?’

  After a moment Alessandra actually smiled. ‘What have we got to lose – except our liberty, our sanity and possibly our lives?’

  ‘Yes!’ Mateo punched the air, then looked eagerly at Terry, his eyes wide. ‘Do I get to be an artisan now?’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Abelard was impressed by how little time it took for Terry and Alessandra to put things in motion. Alessandra was in her element, ordering them all around and telling Mateo in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t be held responsible for what might happen.

  ‘Now that we know what we know, it all seems quite straightforward. But you must bear in mind that this is the first time that Terry or I have ever done this. We’re fairly certain we’ve put everything together correctly but there are no guarantees.’

  Mateo was firm.

  ‘I understand the risks.’ A grin started playing across his lips as if he couldn’t contain his excitement. ‘But someone has to be the first and it might as well be me. I trust you guys and I really want to do this.’

  And so they did it. Mateo lay down on a table and Alessandra secured his wrists and ankles with straps.

  ‘Purely precautionary,’ she assured them.

  With a gentleness and dexterity that shouldn’t have been surprising, Terry attached a weird crown around Mateo’s head and started fiddling with the dials and buttons on the main part of the artefact he had built. Jen stepped forwards and took hold of Mateo’s hand but Alessandra waved her off.

  ‘I’d stand back if I were you, unless you want to be caught in the mana flow and potentially turned into an artisan yourself.’

  Jen immediately stepped back several paces to stand at Abelard’s side. Mateo looked disappointed. He was probably keen for Jen to undergo the process as well but it seemed Jen was firm in her decision to remain mundane.

  Terry indicated he was ready and Abelard took in a deep breath. They were about to make history in a dusty abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. He felt fingers clasping his own and looked round into Jen’s anxious eyes. Abelard squeezed her hand with a reassurance he didn’t feel.

  Alessandra stood at Terry’s shoulder, closely monitoring what he was doing, but the brain-e-fact was unfazed. He pressed a sequence of buttons and a blue flow of mana erupted out of the artefact, travelling down the wires and into the crown around Mateo’s head. It coursed over him, suffusing his skin with a blue glow, enveloping his entire head and then flowing down his body. There was an odd sound and it took Abelard a moment to realise that Mateo was laughing. The blue glow reached his feet so that he was entirely encased in it. His whole body tensed for several long seconds and then he went limp. Terry hit another button and the flow of mana ceased, gradually dissipating from around Mateo until he was completely free of it again.

  Jen looked a question at Alessandra, then rushed forwards to Mateo’s side when Alessandra nodded that it was safe.

  ‘Is he okay?’ Jen asked.

  Alessandra stepped forwards to join her, placing her fingers at Mateo’s throat. ‘Well, he’s still got a pulse. Beyond that we have no way to tell.’

  Abelard moved to Jen’s side and laid a hand on her shoulder.

  ‘I’m sure he’ll be fine. Remember it knocked me out for a bit too. As far as we understand the process, this is completely normal.’

  Mateo’s fingers twitched and all eyes turned to him. Jen grabbed his hand and stroked it. Mateo closed his hand over hers, then his eyes fluttered and opened. He smiled.

  ‘Now that’s a nice thing to wake up to,’ he said, looking up into Jen’s eyes.

  ‘How do you feel?’ Jen asked.

  In answer Mateo closed his eyes again, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a moment Jen yelped and snatched her hand away as blue mana light started flickering between Mateo’s fingers. Mateo opened his eyes again, startled.

  ‘Oops, sorry!’ He struggled to sit up.

  Alessandra and Terry unstrapped his hands and feet and extrica
ted him from the crown. Jen had backed right away and was regarding him warily.

  ‘Jen, please,’ Mateo said, his face distraught. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m fine and I promise I can keep this under control. There’s nothing to worry about.’

  Abelard thought Mateo was being a bit optimistic. But it seemed to convince Jen, at least enough for her to come close again, though Abelard noticed she didn’t retake Mateo’s hand.

  ‘Now that we’ve proved this thing works, it needs a name,’ Abelard said, attempting to lighten the atmosphere.

  ‘Artisan-e-fact?’ Mateo suggested.

  ‘Too long.’ Alessandra shook her head. ‘What about raise-e-fact?’

  ‘Sounds a bit sinister to me,’ Abelard said. ‘We’re not bringing people back from the dead.’ He laughed. ‘That would be just what we need; a zombie army on top of everything else.’

  Terry spoke up. ‘It is called a spark-e-fact.’

  Mateo grinned. ‘That’s perfect!’ He gave a thumbs-up then jumped as a spark of mana shot out from his hand and nearly hit him in the face.