by James Phelan
‘Get us to safety!’ Arianna shouted to Boris in Russian.
For his part, Boris drove like a stunt-car driver.
‘What is this car?’ Sam said. ‘A rocket?’
‘It has some modifications that Boris added on,’ Arianna replied, like it was all in a day’s work for her. ‘This might look like an old car, but it is as fast as anything else in the city.’
‘Great,’ Sam said, fighting the g-forces of a curve on the road. ‘We’re going to break the sound barrier in a taxi cab.’
‘No,’ Arianna said, pointing to a vast brick-walled compound. ‘We are going to break into that.’
15
ALEX
‘Tesla really invented this stuff a hundred years ago?’
Alex said.
‘Yep,’ Shiva replied.
‘Genius.’
‘That and more.’
‘Genius and Dreamer.’
‘And that’s probably just the half of it.’
Alex took the wrench from Shiva and passed him a screwdriver. ‘And we’re trying to get all this online now because …’
‘Because the rules have changed,’ Shiva replied, screwing back on an inspection plate on the last Coil. ‘Since the government shut down its original Dreamer program in the 1950s and the Enterprise took its place, they have been constrained by a ton of rules.’
‘Such as not tapping into everyone’s dreams and hoovering them up and storing them away some place?’
‘Exactly. Which is all well and good, in theory.’
‘Go on,’ Alex urged.
‘Tesla never got this system to work beyond a small section of Manhattan,’ Shiva said, using a rag to wipe grease from his hands. ‘He never had the power he needed.’
‘Which is why you brought in those extra power cables from the building upstairs?’
‘Yep. The power will be boosted a thousand times compared to what was available to Tesla. It’ll give us a good idea of what these first Coils can do. Pass me that other screwdriver.’
‘And if it all works as Tesla thought,’ Alex said, passing the tool over, ‘how far will the range be?’
‘These Coils, with this power? City wide, easy.’
‘Wow!’
‘Yeah, well,’ Shiva put in the last screw and tossed the driver into the toolbox and got to his feet, ‘if we had a lot of power, like, a whole power station, and bigger Coils than these, the range, theoretically, would be total.’
‘Total?’
‘Worldwide.’
‘That’s incredible!’ Alex looked at the tall Tesla Dream Coils with new-found respect. ‘We could see into everyone’s dreams …’
‘A power that comes with a lot of responsibility. That’s part of why the government shut the program down. I mean, imagine if we could see every thought, every secret in people’s dreams?’
‘That could be cool. No more wars, maybe? Crime rates would fall—police could stop criminals before they commit a crime.’
‘Or it might start wars. Or they might arrest people just for dreaming of criminal activity,’ Shiva said.
‘Oh.’ Alex’s brow furrowed.
‘It’s a slippery slope, my friend,’ Shiva said, wiping the machinery grease off his hands. ‘You see into everyone’s mind, you open doors that are hard to close.’
Alex nodded. ‘If this works? And if we manage to switch it on—I mean, with more power,’ he said, ‘we’ll see everything, every dream. We might not even need Sam.’
‘In a sense you’re right—but we still need him to dream, and the rest of the last 13. It might just make things a whole lot easier.’
‘But we won’t need to rely on any of the Dreamers,’ Alex said, the possibilities dawning on him. ‘Maybe we could find those working against us! And maybe we won’t need to find the 13 in order to get to the Gate.’
‘We won’t need to find them, true, but we’d still be reliant on them.’
‘Because we need them to dream … in order for us to see it,’ Alex said.
‘Exactly,’ Shiva said. ‘Anyway, let’s focus on finding Stella and Matrix. Oh, man, I hope this works!’
‘Then we have to get this system up and running!’ Alex said, standing from his seat next to a Tesla Coil. He felt a buzz running up and down his spine, as though he was another Tesla totem in the room. ‘We can be the ones to open the Dream Gate, don’t you see? We can see what lies beyond …’
‘And be masters of the universe!’ Shiva said, goading his friend on.
‘You’re … mocking me?’
‘No, I think it’s admirable, your sense of belief. Just don’t get too carried away, will you?’
Alex was a little dumbfounded. ‘What do you mean?’
‘There are reasons that these have been idle so long,’ Shiva said, tossing Alex a can of soda and popping one for himself, ‘beyond the, shall we say, ethical restraints.’
Alex looked from his friend to the Coils. ‘So what, some people at the Enterprise don’t believe you?’ Alex said. ‘They think that the Coils won’t work?’
‘That’s what lots of people think,’ Shiva admitted, ‘including our own Director. Well, pretty much everyone but me, to tell you the truth. Although I think Stella used to believe it. And maybe Matrix, but he liked the idea of it, not this old tech.’
‘Well, who cares what others think?’
Shiva laughed. ‘That’s been a mantra of mine over the years,’ he said. ‘Besides, no-one was as good with the hands-on work as I am. My dad used to be a watchmaker, see?’
He showed Alex an intricate timepiece linked by a small gold chain to his belt, then pocketed it again.
‘I’ve been working for years studying Tesla’s work,’ Shiva said, ‘and I believe, with every bone in my body, that this will work.’
‘Me too.’
‘Spoken like a true believer,’ Shiva said.
‘I mean it. We could be heroes!’
‘First things first, hero,’ Shiva said, pointing to the massive electrical cables. ‘We’ve got to attach those before we can think about having any power!’
16
SAM
SHARE THE POWER! the chant went in Russian, Sam’s little earpiece picking it out from the hum of the crowd assembled in front of the towering brick wall.
From what Sam could piece together, the protest was about an upcoming election. Thousands of people were waving placards and chanting. Hundreds of police dressed in riot gear were lined up behind barricades.
‘We will get out up here,’ Arianna said to Sam. ‘We get out and move fast. Follow me, no matter what.’
‘Where are we headed?’
‘To meet a friend who will smuggle us out of the city through the tunnel system.’
‘Tunnels that lead all the way out of the city?’ Sam asked, amazed. To him, it seemed they’d moved closer to the centre of Moscow, one of the largest cities in the world.
‘Da,’ Arianna replied as Boris slowed and changed lanes, headed for a drop-off zone. ‘Some have been here under the city for centuries, others since the Cold War. They lead to secure sites underneath the mountains. They are safe, most are unused.’
Sam nodded and tried to look unfazed but a shiver ran down his spine.
Tunnels that lead to secure sites underneath mountains …
He’d been through that, only a few days ago, and his life was still upside down because of it. He looked ahead at the crowd, then out the back window. Although out of sight, Sam knew the cops would be only a minute or two behind them.
‘I have to contact my friends back at the Academy,’ Sam said.
‘Not until we get somewhere they can’t track phone calls too easily.’
‘How about an email?’
‘The same,’ Arianna said. ‘Besides, with everyone in the world looking for you, perhaps it is helpful that some believe you to be dead.’
Sam hadn’t looked at it that way.
If you’re the number one person being hunted on t
he planet, being ‘dead’ does have its advantages.
‘So this is the Kremlin?’ Sam asked as they slowed. Boris produced ID and they were waved through the security cordon and the gates of the massive brick-walled facility—a city within a city.
‘It is,’ Arianna said. ‘It is the seat of power in this country, and also the Hypnos stronghold.’
‘And you thought coming here was a good idea?’ Sam checked back over his shoulder—out in the expansive square behind them, two of the cop cars came to a screeching halt. There were uniformed police and soldiers everywhere.
‘Yes,’ Arianna said. ‘They will not chase us in here. They will not even expect us to be here, for it is a stupid move, no?’
‘Ah, yeah, sounds like it,’ Sam said.
‘We have a high-ranking friend here,’ she replied. ‘Just follow me—and whatever you do, do not say anything to anyone, you will draw too much attention.’
Sam did as instructed. He watched as soldiers in immaculate uniforms marched and paraded. Small groups of tourists were being chaperoned about by minders. Big black limos were dropping off large old men who Sam guessed were politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.
‘See you outside the city,’ Arianna said to Boris and he drove off, leaving them alone, his bright yellow, battered taxi soon out of sight.
‘We couldn’t just drive away with him?’ Sam asked. ‘Rocket our way right out of town?’
‘Boris will spread the chase,’ Arianna said as she walked. ‘The Hypnos on our tail will continue to track him around the city streets. He is a cop, so he will get away if they catch him. It is us they’re looking for.’
Makes sense, Sam thought, then watched as his new friend spoke to a guard by a security gate who then waved them through to an empty security line. Arianna spoke to a receptionist at a security booth and the two of them waited patiently as she checked the two IDs that Arianna pulled out from her pack, then they were pointed to a building.
‘What if he’s not in?’ Sam asked as he kept in close step next to Arianna.
‘He will be,’ Arianna said. ‘He is always working.’
Sam nodded. ‘I really do need to tell my friends that I made it out of Denver,’ he whispered to her. ‘To make a call, I mean, to the Academy.’
A group of soldiers stopped at a tour group, looking at faces as if searching for someone, and then left without a word or any apparent recognition of Sam and Arianna as they passed.
‘Yes, of course,’ Arianna replied. ‘We will use my friend’s phone here. We can even have him call and say that you’re OK.’
‘Good idea.’ Sam smiled. He instantly felt better at the prospect of his friends knowing what was going on. He imagined speaking to Eva, Lora and the Professor—to hear news of what had happened in his absence.
Inside the building, Arianna flashed her ID and within a minute a man in a black suit appeared behind Arianna. Sam gave a little head movement towards him, and Arianna turned—
‘You are here to see Undersecretary Popov?’ he said in Russian.
‘Yes,’ Arianna replied. ‘It is urgent. He is expecting us.’
Sam could tell that she was wary.
And defiant. Strong, in the face of authority. A good friend to have.
The man checked their IDs slowly. ‘Follow me,’ he said finally.
Arianna hesitated. ‘I know how to get to his office,’ she countered. ‘I have been there many times. You do not need to escort us.’
‘The Undersecretary is not in his office,’ the man replied. ‘But if you will follow me, I will take you to him.’
Arianna looked to Sam, and he got the glimpse of something in her eyes that said this seemed wrong, but she turned to the guy and simply said, ‘OK.’
17
They followed the suited man through a rabbit warren of hallways. Sam imagined everyone they passed was a member of the Hypnos, ready to spring into action and kidnap them.
‘Be ready to follow my lead,’ Arianna whispered to Sam out of the corner of her mouth.
He nodded.
Ready when you are.
The guy stopped at the top of a flight of stairs, and gestured to them. ‘Please,’ he said in a friendly tone, indicating they should proceed down the stairs.
Arianna walked by, and Sam could tell that she was tense and poised for trouble.
As Sam followed, he noticed that the man had a holstered pistol under his suit jacket.
Some kind of security guy. What do I do if he reaches for the gun? Take him down? Then what? It’ll be the two of us and one gun against all those soldiers and guards. Or do I let him take us captive and see what happens?
The stairs went a long way down, with old metal doors at each landing. The way was lit by grimy old light bulbs, throwing dark shadows in the deep corners of the stairs. Sam continued to run through his options and planning jujitsu moves.
‘Take the next door,’ the guy instructed from behind them.
Sam caught a look from Arianna. She was getting ready for something.
OK, so action it is.
He started getting ready to make a move too, settling his nerves, breathing slowly.
They stopped at the next landing. The man opened the door and motioned for them to go through. As they went in, Sam looked behind to see the guy’s hand move for the pistol under his jacket—
Arianna spun around and sliced her hand hard into his neck, forcing the guy to double over. Her knee flew up with lightning speed and WHACK! the guy was out, unconscious, a heap on the floor.
‘Nice work!’ Sam said.
‘Quick,’ she said, taking the guy’s radio set and listening in to the security team’s conversations. ‘Damn it!’
‘What?’
‘I hear Popov’s voice.’
‘That’s good!’
‘No, Sam, it’s not,’ she said, her face crestfallen. ‘He’s ordering security to find us and arrest us. Popov has been compromised … he is our friend no more.’
‘Then we’re on our own,’ Sam said.
‘Yes,’ Arianna said, putting the radio earpiece into her ear. ‘We must make for the escape tunnels ourselves.’
‘I thought we were heading for tunnels!’ Sam said. He could barely keep up as Arianna took them back up two flights of stairs.
‘We are!’ Arianna replied, climbing three steps at a time.
‘Shouldn’t tunnels be down, not up?’ Sam said, looking down the gap in between the handrails to the dark void below. ‘Like, deep underground or something?’
‘Yes,’ she said, stopping at the first landing they’d initially passed during their descent. ‘But the entrance to them is not in this wing.’
‘Great. So where was that guy taking us?’
‘Some prison cells, by the sounds of it,’ Arianna replied, pointing to the little radio earpiece she wore. ‘Security are going berserk, calling for the guy to reply. We must be very careful.’
‘Careful is my middle name.’
‘Americans—such odd sayings …’ Arianna said, reaching a door to the first basement level.
‘I’m Canadian, actually …’ Sam mutttered as he followed Arianna into a massive, bustling kitchen. It was abuzz with activity and steam and noise, with no less than fifty catering staff going about their jobs, oblivious to the security breach.
‘You sure you know where you’re going?’ Sam asked as they wove their way through the kitchen.
‘Yes,’ Arianna said. ‘Through this food hall, then we go down on the opposite side.’
Sam followed her along a corridor and through thick wooden doors that led into a pantry the size of a decent supermarket.
‘You know, now that I think about it, I think you’re right about—’
‘Shh!’
Arianna pulled him into a narrow space between tall stacks of boxed food as two cooks passed by carrying crates of expensive French champagne. They waited as they watched them disappear around a corner.
‘Quick!’ Aria
nna whispered, dragging Sam behind her and they ran to the far wall, around a corner and down to a different sub-basement. The vaulted brick ceiling seemed to stretch into gloomy infinity. Sam could see rows of dusty old wine bottles, lined up wall-to-wall alongside dimly glowing fridges full of shiny new bottles.
‘Your country’s leaders clearly like a drink,’ Sam said, inspecting a dusty bottle of Italian wine from 1968.
Arianna took out her phone and opened a map, studying it to get her bearings. ‘I think we took a wrong turn,’ she said, the screen lighting up her face in the gloom.
‘Yes …’ a deep voice said from out of the dark shadows, startling them both. ‘You took a very wrong turn.’
18
A heavy-set man emerged from the shadows with several uniformed security officers behind him.
‘There’s nowhere to run, Arianna,’ he said, his English pronunciation heavily altered by his thick accent.
It’s not a Russian accent. But I know it …
‘You cannot save your friend, he belongs to us. Don’t you, Sam?’
That’s when Sam recognised the voice, one that he’d heard before.
Hans.
It was the German billionaire treasure hunter, hell-bent on getting his hands on the ultimate prize beyond the Dream Gate.
The light bulb’s glare glinted off his bald head, his sinister smile as menacing as ever.
‘Arianna, I have not had the pleasure of meeting,’ Hans said. ‘You seem delightful—no matter which name you use. Did you really think it would take us long to work out who you were from the fake ID in Sam’s dream?’
Arianna wisely remained quiet, glowering silently, glancing around at the guards.
‘And then, our little Russian feyyerverk, I knew you would seek the help of your friend at the Kremlin,’ Hans went on. ‘You Dreamers, so predictable to the last.’