by Paul Teague
We move through the pods, stunned at their contents. There are animals too: calves, cows, bulls; lambs, ewes, rams. This is an ark.
I’ll bet that the cylindrical units contain embryos, I’ve seen how it’s done on TV. This vast hangar houses thousands of humans and livestock, all frozen and awaiting their reawakening. Were they ever alive even? Maybe they have been grown entirely from embryos.
We get a message via the Comms-Tab. It’s Magnus and I find his presence timely and reassuring. ‘You both okay?’ he asks.
‘Fine,’ I say, ‘we seem to have transported to another Quadrant.’
‘Touch the dial on your Tab, bottom right,’ says Magnus.
My tab shows video, and I can see Magnus on the screen, rather than just hear him now.
‘Look at this!’ I say, and hold my hand up so that he can take in the view of the hangar.
Nat does the same – we’re giving him a live video show here. I can see that he’s taken aback. Nothing that we ever learn about these bunkers seems to be good news.
Doctor Pierce said we were guardians of the planet. All the evidence suggests that there is something a bit more sinister going on here.
‘Guys, you need to make your way to the upper levels,’ Magnus continues. ‘Your contacts are Xiang Liú and Viktor Gorbunov. They’re both expecting you and they’ll make you very welcome.
‘Don’t get distracted by the lower levels, our first priority must be to stop the drone attack. We must work out how to disarm or disable those airborne drones. We can work out the other stuff later!’
Magnus makes a good point – we have to try and stay on task. Mum, James and Simon could be in trouble right now, and Nat and I have to try and avoid distractions. It’s like we’ve both been set free in a sweet shop, there are so many things to draw our attention.
‘This way then!’ says Nat, and we head towards the door.
The basic layout of these bunkers seems standard. They appear to have been built to the same core design, though the interiors are different depending on what they’re using the space for. It’s making life easier for us though. Because we’re getting the hang of the layout, we know roughly which direction to head in and where the lifts should be in this place.
We step out into the long, curved corridor which mirrors the one in Quadrant 1 where only minutes earlier we were being chased by Kate’s guards. The lift is the same as those in Quadrants 1 and 3, and we’re relieved when it activates correctly and we press the button for Level 2, which is where the Control Room should be.
We give each other a smile when the doors slide open and we’re greeted by a lady who is surrounded by security guards. It’s not Kate though, this must be Xiang. She smiles and we can see that Magnus is right, they’re expecting us and we’re welcome here. That makes a change.
Which Quadrant though? I wish we could figure out these symbols on the Transporters. The lifts are straightforward, they’re placed in order, but the Transporters are not so easy. It’s like having to get to your destination using a crazy sat nav system. Actually, forget the ‘crazy’ bit. It’s like using a regular sat nav system – you haven’t got a clue where you’ll end up.
We’re about to step out of the lift when my Comms-Tab comes alive. It’s Mum, audio only. She’s whispering, ‘We’re in big trouble here guys, you should see what’s down here.’
23:59 Quadrant 1: Troywood, Fife
Kate descended to the third level in the lift. Only minutes earlier it had been blocked to her, but now they had digitally replicated Dan’s DNA signature they had full access to the lower levels.
She had been momentarily annoyed when the security team had informed her that the twins had escaped from the drones' area via one of the Transporters. No problem, the youngster had activated it and that’s all she needed. With the DNA signature field currently glowing over the surface of her hand like an electronic glove, she knew now that anywhere Dan went, she could follow.
Assisted by the guidance of Doctor Pierce, they’d created an electronic glove – a SymNode – which enabled Kate and her team to cheat the Transporters into thinking that they were being operated by Dan.
It mattered very little that the drone launches had been stopped – there were enough of them in the air to destroy all three Quadrants. It would take a little time, but eventually they’d break and crumble. Besides, she would soon have control of all four Quadrants anyway now she had access to this bunker’s lower levels. She would be able to access her bunker’s darkest secret.
Earlier, Dan had caught a glimpse of the military equipment and uniforms in this area, and taken a few moments to wonder why it was there, and who it was for. Kate knew the answer to this question. In fact it was the very reason that she was travelling to this level right now.
Before they pursued and caught the twins, she needed to gain the upper hand. To do that she would have to unleash Quadrant 1’s full military capacity. As she commanded her security team, Kate was unaware that she was being watched by Amy, James and Simon who had concealed themselves hastily when Dan had alerted them to the impending intrusion.
Amy whispered quietly via her Comms-Tab as Magnus, Dan and Nat hung on to her every word in Quadrants 3 and 4. ‘Press the dial, bottom right on your tab,’ said Nat. ‘It gives a video feed.’
Xiang joined Nat and Dan as they all watched Kate as she first touched a panel on the wall, revealing a hidden entrance. She looked like she was wearing an electronic glove, her hand seemed to be surrounded by some sort of electronic field.
The doors slid open, and the units concealed within the room activated. They could make out movement, Amy’s hand began shaking and it took a few moments until everybody could see exactly what was stepping out of this room. One by one they came. With heavy, purposeful, threatening movements. Part human and part machine. And definitely built for war. They watched in fear as Kate’s new cyborg army lined up, ready for inspection.
They were getting ready for the final assault.
Chapter Five
Concealed
One thing that a sociopath is adept at doing is hiding those terrible traits. And so, after the visit to the psychologist, things seemed to calm down and the parents wondered if it had been a ‘phase’, perhaps just a bad and very extended case of the ‘terrible twos’.
After a few months they dared to hope that both of their adopted children might – after all – be okay. Which parent ever wants to think that their child might be ill in some way, especially if that would lead to them being abhorred or detested by the rest of society?
The child was learning fast. Although consumed with evil and hateful thoughts, the best way to be able to continue with spiteful manipulations is to do it undetected. When nobody knows what you’re doing, you can just get on with it, unhindered by interference. So the child learned to adapt.
The future killer is best concealed, in open view, where they are accepted and integrated. The child learned skills of charm, engagement and likability, but the hate that festered deep inside never went away. It was just waiting, incubating, biding its time – until it would be unleashed, unfettered and destructive.
So when an accident happened at school, or something got lost, broken or stolen, the child was nowhere to be seen. There was never any evidence, no trail left behind, nobody who could point an accusing finger and present any proof of involvement. Yet everywhere the child went, a trail of destruction followed.
Nobody really noticed the pattern, and the parents – who might have had a slight inkling of what was going on – just denied it to themselves, relieved that they were no longer having to consult the psychologist. But this evil child was bound to a sibling in a very special way. A biological tie that was more than just flesh and blood.
They weren’t just members of the same family. They were twins.
00:12 Quadrant 3: White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Mike had actually got a spontaneous round of applause as he’d broken into The Global Consor
tium files. He hadn’t realized as he’d been typing away that such a crowd had gathered. But there was a ripple of excitement running through the Control Room, a sensation that something rather spectacular was going on here.
Like Amy and her military career, Mike’s aptitude with tech had gone largely unnoticed by his kids. The stuff they shared – the funny web videos, the endless picture memes and the occasional animated GIF – that was for family. But before Mike had left his work to stay at home with Dan, he’d worked in tech, and continued to channel his inner hacker on more ‘above board’ projects.
The language used to describe a day job can be so deceptive. When Mike was asked what he did as a profession, he’d just brush the question aside with a joke, saying that he was ‘an IT guy’ or a ‘salaried geek’. People would laugh and think nothing of it. To his kids and family, he just seemed to spend a lot of time tapping on his keyboard. Doing … who knows what?
When Mike was on a PC or laptop, it was like an elite athlete getting ready to race in the Olympics. Only in Mike’s case, there were no muscles and the athletic body was just an aspiration. But his sport was tech and at this he excelled.
So it would only be a matter of time before he started to unlock some of the secrets that had been so well hidden by The Global Consortium.
00:32 Quadrant 4: Dixia Cheng, Beijing
It’s very disconcerting sitting in this bunker with explosions rocking the entire structure every few minutes
‘How well protected are we down here?’ Nat had asked, voicing the fears that all of us were thinking.
Xiang had a structural expert explain it to us in words that we understood. These bunkers can survive a nuclear attack, but not direct hits. The drones are not armed with nukes, so at least that’s good news. However, they are highly explosive and have the capacity to do critical damage to the bunkers. Any direct hits in key locations could cause a number of problems for us. Air filtration systems can be damaged, power supplies cut or structural damage done.
More worrying for Xiang is the fact that her bunker lies beneath the structures of the city. Every time a drone strikes, it will be damaging the buildings above, killing and injuring defenceless people as they lie oblivious in the stasis brought about by the darkness outside. We really need to stop these drones.
We’ve had twenty minutes or so to be briefed by Xiang and her team, and Nat and I have shared the information about the embryos that we discovered on the floors below. Xiang is not surprised by this, her data has already indicated this to be the case – but she’s very pleased that Nat and I can give her and her team direct access to the lower levels.
She wants to take blood, DNA and tissue samples from us. I’m put to shame by Nat who steps forward willingly. We both know that there’s something special about us that we don’t understand just yet, but it’s not so interesting to me that I want to be poked and prodded.
‘You get used to it!’ says Nat, once again hinting at things that have happened that I have yet to learn about.
Fortunately, the same as everything else in these bunkers, the kit is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. No needles, no sight of blood and nothing cut. I’m relieved, I thought Nat was about to reveal me for the big coward that I really am. I don’t mind the odd ray gun, but an injection? That’s really pushing my limits.
Xiang quite obviously can’t wait to get her hands on those samples – and to be completely honest, I really hope that we get some answers from her team. I want to know what’s going on with Nat and me, yet I’m afraid of what I might learn. I always felt different, it’s why things went so haywire for me at school. But I’m scared of what the truth might reveal to me.
Xiang assures us that we couldn’t be in a better place to discover the secrets that our bodies are holding, so that’s good news to be getting on with.
It’s the more pressing issues that concern us though. The video feed captured by Mum’s Comms-Tab cycles around on the main screen in the conference room. The enhanced graphics pick out, highlight and analyse what’s going on with these cybernetic soldiers or whatever they are.
They have what appears to be a robotic spinal column, running from the base of their skull right down to their coccyx. We know that because they came out of that room in their underwear. It all looks very threatening – it’s all linked to a light, metallic exoskeleton.
Presumably the military clothing and paraphernalia that I’d spotted in Quadrant 1 much earlier must be for their use. I get the impression they’re going to be a lot more effective than the security teams that Kate has had to work with so far. At the top and to the side of the spinal columns is a faint black light, just like the ones Mum and Kate’s people have, just below the surface of the skin and concealed in the neck.
I’ve been careless. I glance closely at Xiang to see if she or her team have the neural implants fitted. They do. They are green in this Quadrant, but they do not appear to be active at the moment. I am relieved, we can trust Xiang. At least, for now. We can tell who the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys’ are for the time being – the red devices are the big problem, I’ve a feeling though that we’re looking at some really bad guys on that video feed.
Mum, Simon and James have gone undetected on Level 3 of Kate’s Quadrant; they’re keeping out of sight for now, trying to figure out what the plan is, looking for a way to land us an advantage in this battle. Levels 3 and 4 are unfamiliar to Kate at present, so we have a little time to regroup, and Mum and her team can remain undetected for a short time. We’re most concerned about how Kate has access to those lower levels.
Apparently this is Xiang’s area of expertise, but she thinks Nat and I have access to these transportation systems via our DNA. She reckons it must be connected to our genetic code in some way. Xiang says it has to be something unique and bound to each individual person. That’s mind blowing to me, so I go with the flow for now.
We’ve handed over the enabling unit to Xiang’s tech guys who scanned it and 3D printed it out for Magnus via a secure channel that the three Quadrants have now set up with Magnus’s help. I can’t even get a bit of paper to print out straight on our printer at home.
Finally, it seems Dad is doing some spectacular stuff at his terminal in Quadrant 3. He got a spontaneous round of applause according to Magnus. Must have shown them the video of that piano playing cat I reckon. So that’s where we’re up to right now.
We have assembled small pieces of information, but nobody can see the overall picture just yet. The one person that we haven’t heard from for some time is Doctor Pierce. Everybody seems hell bent on working out what Nat and I have to do with all of this, but I think more of the answers lie with Doctor Pierce. Nat will have some things to say about that I’m absolutely sure.
I suggest to Xiang that we try to raise Doctor Pierce via the Operations Centre that I’m assuming will be found on her lower levels. These bunkers all seem to have the same basic layout, as if they were designed from a single blueprint. Maybe they were saving money on architect’s fees. Xiang thinks that’s a good idea, and Nat is also very keen to get more information about Doctor Pierce.
I touch my Comms-Tab and speak to Magnus.
‘Do you think there’s any way that you can trace Doctor Pierce’s secure channel back from the broadcast he made to me in Quadrant 1?’ I ask.
‘We’ll need to get your mum’s team over there if we can to clone the encryption data on that terminal,’ replies Magnus. ‘I’ll get onto her now.
‘They’re pretty caught up avoiding Kate down there, it may take some time.
‘You should try to get to Quadrant 2 to meet Viktor if you can too,’ Magnus continues. ‘He’s very anxious to access the lower levels of his own bunker, he thinks that he may have something that can help us.’
Viktor will need Nat and me to access the lower levels. It makes sense to me that we should give all the Quadrants full access so that we can fight these drones – and Kate – with whatever we can throw at them.<
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‘What damage have the drones done so far?’ Nat interrupts, as our own bunker shakes once again from an explosion at ground level. More of the city above in ruins. More lives lost. Who is doing this, and why?
‘We expect to be on top of this thing very soon,’ Magnus continues confidently. ‘We need to keep an eye on what Kate is doing with her new army of Troopers, that’s our next problem.’
‘Xiang, can you come up with something creative at the Transporter where Nat and Dan entered your Quadrant?’
Magnus looks mischievous. ‘Perhaps have some explosives ready, and plenty of armed guards concealed to greet them if they arrive.’
Magnus is right. Kate seems to be able to follow us wherever Nat and I have activated Transporters. Xiang needs to guard that area in case Kate plans to invade us with her new army of cyborgs, or whatever they are.
We decide to head to the lower levels of Xiang’s Quadrant, to give her teams access to what’s down there, to defend the Transporter that we used to get here, and make our way to Quadrant 2 to meet Viktor.
Everything is still in limbo, but we appear to be making progress, I feel like any time now somebody is going to make a connection and we’re going to take a big leap forward.
I’m right. Magnus’s voice comes up on the Comms-Tab and he’s obviously in a state of high excitement.
‘I’ve found out where to locate the code sequences,’ he announces. ‘We can stop the drones!’
He pauses, and we’re uncertain if it’s time to start celebrating the news.
‘The only thing is …’ he hesitates before continuing – that usually means bad news is coming.
‘Dan and Nat, you’re going to have to return to Quadrant 1. I need you back in the drone hangar.’
Chapter Six