by Gideon Mills
After parking the car, Marcus jumped out. The only person who beat Marcus out of the vehicle was Amita. She loathed cars more than anyone else Marcus had ever met. It was adorable.
“Thank goodness,” she said. “Land.”
“You’re so funny,” Marcus said. “You act like we were on a boat or a plane.”
Amita stepped back. “Nope. Nope. Nope. Never. I’m staying on dry land.”
Marcus laughed. It was too much for him.
Her face squinted at him, and she placed her hands on her hips. “I don’t see what is so funny.”
Sam walked around. “You are, Amita.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“It’s your name, but fine. You’re funny with how much you hate cars. It would be hilarious to see you on a boat.”
“You would like it.”
“Never said I would, but I would endure just to see you on one.”
“Me too,” Marcus said.
“Yes. Let’s all watch Amita do something she hates.” Amita ran her hand through her hair. She fidgeted in place. Marcus tensed up.
“When you say it like that…” Marcus walked over to Amita and hugged her.
The place where they had arrived was close enough to Detroit to strike but far enough to not fear an attack. Keres would wait it out. She had the advantage in Detroit. Keres wouldn’t risk attacking here and losing that.
A good night’s sleep and the attack for tomorrow. Marcus couldn’t believe they were about to start a civil war or a rebellion. He wasn’t sure what to call it, but all that mattered was that they were making a move. They were going to show the Mara Corp they would not sit by idly anymore.
Sam and Ihor went to their place to get set up. They had time to put all the equipment up. This area used to be a city, but from looking around, not much was left. It was grown over with weeds and other plants. Not many of the buildings still stood except for a large one. Somehow, it had power.
Marcus wasn’t sure how he did it, but Ihor was truly magical with the codes. He had access to nearly everything. If they lost him, they would be in dire straights. Marcus just wasn’t as good. A few others in the group were about equal to Marcus. Ihor was head and shoulders above everyone else.
Marcus stood watching Amita. She was taking in the area.
“You studied history?” Amita asked.
Marcus nodded. “I did, but I wasn’t the best student.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” Amita teased. Her tongue slightly stuck out, followed by a smile that melted his heart, and her little giggle.
“What do you want to know?” Marcus would try his best to answer.
“What was here?”
Marcus thought about it for a while. “I think this was Ann Arbor.” He squinted. “Yes. If you look over there, you will see the ruins of the football stadium.”
“Football?”
“A sport they used to play. The college here was known for it.”
“Oh, sounds great.”
Marcus loved how she didn’t even want to know more about it. She was already moving on to the next thing. Amita had learned what she had wanted, what city this used to be, and that was all she wanted.
The next morning, the Resistance rose early. Marcus wasn’t sure when they would attack, but it would be right away. They would need to spread the attack out. At least he thought so.
Marcus lined up next to the car he had driven in.
Jonathan spoke again, this time through the radios of the vehicles. Amita was next to Marcus. So were Nickolas, Sam, and Ihor.
“We will start the attack on the street level, and then, we will work our way up. This will be a long and drawn-out assault. It won’t be over fast.”
Marcus knew that and had expected it. Would be tough to fight all the levels at once, especially since there was only one access to the first two levels from here. They would have to work up slowly.
The city was in many ways designed to stop people from attacking. It was a shame that they couldn’t sneak people in and attack on multiple levels. From the sounds of it, the Security Force was guarding the streets more than ever before.
Ihor had talked of reports of people being rounded up and imprisoned based on rumor alone. Many of them weren’t part of the Resistance at all. They had just angered their neighbors or coworkers.
The city was on edge. No one was willing to talk out of line or do much of anything. It was as if all the levels were turning into the Street one. Everyone was living in fear of being kidnapped and never seen again.
Keres had a firm grip on Detroit, so much so that she might have squeezed it right into their favor if they could just use that to their advantage.
“We free the most oppressed,” Jonathan said, “and then move up. You all have orders. Follow them. Stay strong.”
Marcus, along with his group, was part of the first wave. They would enter and head to the elevator that allowed direct access to the next level. It would need constant guards as they attacked to keep reinforcements from arriving.
“Why don’t we just blow the elevator up?” Amita asked. It wasn’t like they needed the elevator for the upper levels.
Ihor frowned. “I wanted to, but the elevator is part of the support structure. Blowing it up would cause the levels above to start to collapse.”
Amita’s eyes widened in shock and horror. “You’re kidding. Wow.”
“I’m not.” Ihor shrugged. “I think it was intentional. So no one would do that.”
“Why?”
Nickolas answered, “A security feature that allows constant reinforcements and to keep us busy. Have to give the Mara Corp some props for that one.”
Marcus didn’t want to give them props but Nickolas was right. It was an excellent security feature. Anyone attacking the city wouldn’t want to kill all those people so they couldn’t blow up the elevator. It was needed to keep the people alive.
Though blowing the elevator up might still happen. Not many groups had an Ihor on their team. The only reason the Resistance knew about it was because of him and his hacking. Otherwise, Marcus was sure they would have done just that and killed millions upon millions of people.
Detroit was the largest city in the New Republic. An accident like that would be catastrophic. Just the thought of killing that many people scared the daylights out of Marcus. His body shivered and started to sweat. He took a deep breath in.
“We leave in ten,” Marcus said.
They would be among the first to depart for the city. The people around him were tense, the air thick. It was a crisp morning. As he looked around, people stood next to their cars or trucks, ready to go and eager to fight. It was crazy to see so many with weapons and other means to fight. Some would be drivers, getting people in and out, moving people to where they were needed and assisting the injured.
Ihor had set up a networked system to the cars and the people with mods. Once they were out and fighting, if needed, Jonathan could contact the mods on their built-in comm devices. Ihor had just figured out a way to take it off the Mara Corp grid.
Yet another amazing feat. Once Ihor figured how to remove them from the Mara Corp, he had shown Marcus and the other programmers. Going forward, Marcus could do it for anyone.
After getting into the car, Marcus started it up.
Amita joined him, leaned over, and kissed him on the cheek. “We can do this,” she said.
Marcus nodded. “I hope so. I really do.”
In the backseat, Nickolas, Ihor, and Sam piled in. The elevator also had a direct connection to the Mara Corp system. Ihor was going to try to tap into it and create chaos on the upper levels before they attacked them.
“We got this,” Sam said.
Marcus could see the smile on her face. Sam more than anyone here was going to want to free the street level. She and Amita had both lived there, and having the Mara Corp attack the people there had driven the people to riot.
As much as he tried, Marcus couldn’t wrap hi
s mind around how they had lived and what the Mara Corp did to the people on the street level. Because of all that, Marcus was happy they were starting.
He drove into the city to start the attack.
Marcus and his team were some of the first to arrive. To his surprise, none of the Security Force was here to greet them on the edge of the city. That couldn’t last long, and he was right. Driving to the center of the city, he saw a horde around the elevator.
“I’m letting them know,” Ihor said.
Marcus parked the car farther back than he would have liked. They couldn’t possibly attack that many with just the five of them. Encircling the street level entry point were at least a hundred Security Force members.
Now, they needed a large chunk of the Resistance here. Jonathan had left many with unspecified locations in case certain parts of the city needed more help than others. That was a good thing. They needed a ton of support here.
“Wow,” Amita said. “So many people.”
Sam groaned in the back. “Just let me at them.”
Marcus loved her enthusiasm. Amita’s best friend really was a fiery one. Her attitude matched her appearance well.
“Patience,” Nickolas said. “No point in attacking and getting killed needlessly. A plan was put in place. We must follow it.”
“Plan. I don’t need no stinking plan.” Sam smiled and laughed at herself.
“Oy vey,” Amita said and rolled her eyes.
It didn’t take long before several pickup trucks full of people arrived. In a matter of ten minutes, they outnumbered the Security Force members. It shocked Marcus that they just stood there and let them get backups.
“Why don’t they attack?” Amita asked as if reading Marcus’s mind.
“Orders,” Nickolas said. “The one thing about the Security Force is that they are given an order, and they follow it. They will not break it. The order must be to protect the elevator and attack only if necessary.”
That seemed bizarre to Marcus. Why would Keres give such an order? That didn’t seem like her. That was almost humane and kind.
“Strange,” Amita said.
“Not really,” Ihor said. “While Keres threatened Amita, I think she still wants her alive and unhurt. She won’t risk Amita getting killed unless Amita forces it.”
“You think that she is being overly cautious because of me?” Amita asked.
“For the time being. I don’t think it will last. Keres’s lust for power and control will take over, but she has just a sliver of motherhood in her.”
Marcus wasn’t sure Keres had even a sliver of motherly emotions in her but refrained from saying that.
“Okay,” Amita said. She jumped out of the car.
47
A fight
After hearing what Ihor said, Amita wanted to test it and see what she could or couldn’t get away with. It was careless and stupid, and she knew it, but if Amita could get these men to stand down without a fight, that would be a huge victory for the Resistance.
“Stop,” a Security Force member said. “You cannot pass.”
She shrugged. “Don’t want to. Do you know who I am?”
As she stood there, she scanned the man.
Richard O’Hara: Security Force
Stats:
Intelligence: 2
Strength: 10
Cunning: 3
Speed: 10
Modification: legs, arms, eyes, lungs
“I do. Do not make me harm you,” Richard said.
“Can you?” Amita asked. She was sure that he scanned her too, and knew she was the daughter of Keres. She hoped that really did give her a layer of protection.
“Only if I must. If you do not back down.”
“So if I attack, you will kill me?”
“I will.” Richard had a look of fear and determination on his face. Amita hoped she would be able to stop this.
Though he had answered one question for Amita. Keres didn’t really care all that much.
Marcus and the others appeared next to her. And more and more. So many people lined up. Many were carrying weapons of some kind, whether it was a gun or a blade. It didn’t matter. They had one.
This was going to be messy and nasty. Amita wished the conflict didn’t have to happen, but a fight must take place. The last time she battled with a group of Security Force members this size, Marcus had been kidnapped, and Amita barely made it out alive.
She leaned into Marcus and kissed him just in case. “I love you.”
“And I you.”
It was time to fight. Sam rushed first without waiting for the rest of them. The line on both sides exploded in screams. The noise was so intense that Amita couldn’t make out what anyone was saying.
Following Sam and the others, Amita sprinted at the Security Force members. She was sure that from the camera above Keres was watching this, seeing the fight start. Amita hoped Keres was shaking in her boots, that Keres was scared out of her mind, but Amita knew better. Keres was too cold for that.
Amita slammed into the first member with her shoulder. The impact barely fazed the member. Amita’s small frame was almost engulfed by him. Amita threw a punch at the ribs and then dropped and kicked the legs.
The member saw it coming and avoided it. As the person jumped, another Resistance member attacked, slamming a modified arm into his chest. The blow sent him flying back into the other members.
Amita looked up to see Sam with a smile on her face. She already had some blood on her.
“Thank you,” Amita said and jumped to her feet.
Sam grunted and was off to engage another person. Amita spun to find one of her own. Taking in the battle around her, she saw Marcus was going toe-to-toe with two members, punching and kicking them. Both men were attempting to land blows on him, but Marcus easily avoided them.
Nickolas was taking three on, and he had his blades out on his hands and fired bullets with one arm. The close-range shots echoed in the area. Nickolas was on a rampage.
If Amita hadn’t known him, she would have thought he was out of control. He fought like a berserker. It looked uncontrolled and dangerous, scary even, yet he was in full control of his body and his attacks. His punches and kicks only hit Security Force members, as did his shots.
The sight of him was truly amazing and it would be easy to get lost in watching, but that would be too dangerous. Amita ran to the left and attacked a Security Force member from behind. She leaped onto his back and put him into a chokehold. He flailed, trying to break free from her grip.
Her modified arm was strong, and he tried and tried to remove it. The member dropped to his knees and then faceplanted. Blood ran on the ground from the impact. Amita wouldn’t be surprised if the member's nose had broken.
Amita let go to search for her next target. Scanning the mob, she spied Ihor fighting his way to the elevator as he desperately protected his laptop and the tablet attached to his back. The attempts he made to not get hit from behind left him exposed at times. Amita rushed to aid him.
A member was closing in on him from behind. The member and Amita both arrived at Ihor’s back at the same time. She used all the strength she had to keep him from damaging the laptop.
Ihor turned around. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
The SF member glared at her. This one was female, at least Amita was fairly certain she was. The member extended two long blades from her arms. They had to be as least two feet long and were razor-sharp. If she landed with one of those, Amita was a goner.
“Hello, my pretty,” the woman said. Almost purred. Her tone was nasty and frightening. It sent a chill down Amita’s spine. She wanted to hurt Amita, and the lady would enjoy it.
The SF member leaped at Amita, and Amita dodged to the right as the blades passed by her face, only inches away. So close that Amita could taste the metal in the air. Amita gulped.
Without thinking, Amita kneed the member as she passed her. Amita’s attack connected in her midse
ction. The blades retracted in, and she doubled over. Before Amita could make another move, Amita was picked up from behind and put into a bear hug, by a large member, or Amita assumed a large one since she was several feet in the air.
Amita squirmed and tried to escape as the man squeezed her. The pressure from his arms mounted on her, pushing the air out. Amita was losing strength. She needed to break free and fast.
Suddenly, the man let go, and Amita dropped to the ground, gasping for air. She was covered in blood. A blade was poking through the man's skull. It pulled out as the body slumped to the ground. Behind the man Marcus stood, himself covered in blood, other bodily fluids, and matter.
Seeing him was both amazing and horrific. The horrors of war disgusted her, but Marcus was her love and now her savior yet again.
Amita jumped up and wiped his face clean. “Be safe, my love.”
He grunted. “I will.”
There was time for little more. Two more members attacked them. As many as they took down, more arrived.
The fight felt like an endless battle, one that couldn’t be won. It was overwhelming to see the horde continue to grow, even though they took out member after member. The ground around them was littered with people from both sides.
That pained Amita and hurt so much. This was what she had wanted to avoid. She knew it was impossible, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. The sight sank in, and she had to hold off the tears, the sadness. That was for later.
Weaving her way through the fight, she reached Ihor. If he could get to the elevator, he might be able to stop the influx of new arrivals. Stopping them would shift the tide. Plus, they might not have to stay here.
That was wishful thinking, since as much as Ihor attacked them, the Mara Corp would be attacking back.
Amita stood next to him and began her protection of his left. A moment later, Sam appeared. She was covered in blood and guts. Her mouth was in a constant snarl as she fought alongside them. Never in her life had Amita seen her friend this way. The battle had sent her over the edge and into a full-on rage. To Amita, it was clear that Sam wanted to get payback, and she was.