Neon Helix

by Nik Whittaker

  “N…Nurse,” Donovan blurted out, moments before a knife flew past Xander’s head and stuck into the centre of the television screen behind him.

  Xander looked up to see the nurse posed in a fighting position, the blade was loading itself along her forearm until its point was just at her wrist. He dived behind the sofa as he had before and crawled along as several more blades impaled the wall behind him.

  Xander tried to piece together the information she had given him, Ava said Yuri was behind the whole thing, Yuri had been Owens colleague at CyBio, but did that mean he’d killed Owens? That made little sense, he could have just mind locked him. Regardless, if what Ava said was true, then he needed to get out and warn someone about the nanotechnology.

  Xander had to find a radio, and he thought of the best place to find one, cycling round once more, he was back at the police headquarters, talking to Mike at the desk.

  “Hey Mike, I need a radio.”

  The constructed Mike continued to replay the scene as it always had, not noticing Xander’s change in script.

  He stepped round the desk and grabbed a walkie talkie which was lying on the table.

  I hope you’re right about this. He thought as he turned the radio on, hoping he wasn’t just getting more crazy.

  Putting the radio to his mouth, he began to talk.

  “My name is Xander Draven, if you can hear this I need your help, I am at 91 Somerset Close. I’m trapped inside a construct and need help. Please, if you are listening to this. It’s vital you get here, there may be others that need our help. Trust no one from CyBio.”

  He put the radio down, setting the signal to repeat at one-minute intervals. He hoped that the signal would get out, and that someone on their side would receive the message.

  It felt like hours before Xander heard a noise; it seemed to come from all around him, quiet at first, then building to a crescendo which deafened him. It was a low rumble like thunder which never ended, as it got louder he covered his ears as the pain was debilitating.

  He closed his eyes to the pain, then it stopped. Completely. As the sound echoed in his ears, he felt the feeling of a bed underneath him; he opened his eyes and found he was back in Donovan's apartment.

  “Welcome Back Xander,” Ava’s voice chimed. “There’s no time to waste though, we need to get moving.”

  He looked up and saw several people he didn’t recognise in the room, then he looked at Ava.

  “How long was I in there?”

  “Three months I’m afraid, and we are nearly out of time,” a voice spoke.

  Xander felt his face, and the beard that had grown in the time he’d been in the construct.

  “Can I at least shave first? And does anyone have a cigarette?”

  CHAPTER 31

  Yuri

  Yuri had been bidding his time. The nanos he had created were ready for field testing.

  He had ventured to the Underpass to find somewhere he could test the newest models without risk of much exposure. The shielding caused by the brickwork of the Boulevard was enough to ensure that no signals access the nanos.

  As he walked into the Nexus, he could see several Hunters whom had been searching for one of Jacob’s clones. He’d kept tabs on Jacob in case he became an issue. Recent events had caused Yuri to set plans in motion, in preparation for Jacobs upcoming plans.

  He continued into the Nexus until he could hear what he needed, the sounds of a large crowd. Approaching the source of the sounds, he discovered a gathering of people circling a lone performer in one of the Nexus’ many courtyards.

  The performer was standing on a large box, a flaming torch in his hand.

  “Ladies and Gentlemen, please stand back if you value your skins!” He grinned as he gestured the torch in wide arcs around him, forcing several of the spectators to step back until there was an even space around him. Wearing nothing but torn jeans and a synthetic sheepskin vest, he grinned at the audience once more.

  Yuri moved closer, observing the event as it unfolded. This crowd would be wonderful test subjects he thought, as he pulled a small cube out of his suit pocket. The performer continued to energise the crowd, before raising the flaming torch above his head.

  “Fire! The original sin of man, stolen from the Gods and used to advance us into the new age. Violent and uncontrollable! It engulfs and destroys all it touches.”

  Yuri smiled at the parallels, he felt he was the new fire, ready to engulf humanity. He stood in the midst of the crowd and crushed the cube in his hand, a small electric charge bursting from his palm, activating the nanos. The pile in his hand looked like small grains of sand as he opened his palm and threw them into the air. He’d timed it as the performer sprayed the air with chemicals from his mouth. As the chemicals flew into the air, they caught the flames, a cone of fire exploding in the sky several feet ahead. The onlookers watched in awe, looking up into the sky as the fire danced around them. Hidden in the smoke and flame, the nanos fell amongst them, into their eyes and mouths. The individual specs so small, the spectators didn’t even notice as they flooded into their systems, infusing into their bloodstream. They attached to cells, rewriting and duplicating as they went until they had full control of the body. Black veins rose in the skin of those infected, before returning to normal as the nanos took control. There were no screams, instead the whole crowd who had been cheering and laughing, suddenly went silent as the assimilation completed. All but the performer in the center who had avoided infection.

  Yuri took a moment to adjust to the increase in connections which now flowed through him. Once done, he turned his attention to the performer who was now standing in fear.

  “Congratulations, you are witness to the beginnings of a new age,” the crowd all spoke as one.

  They moved forward, the circle around the performer shrinking with every step. Then, in complete silence the crowd lurched forward and engulfed the man. The first to reach him hold him down, while the next held up a hand which dispensed several specs of sand. As the man gasped for breath he inhaled the specs into his lungs.

  Within moments, the performer was now one of the crowd, one of Yuri’s nanocopies. Identical in appearance to the original, but comprised completely of nano bots at Yuri’s command.

  CHAPTER 32

  Mollie

  Mollie had dragged Prime into an abandoned electric shop near where he had collapsed. He had stopped talking for the moment, unconscious. She made him as comfortable as she could, wrapping JJ’s long coat around him for warmth.

  She had no idea why she was still helping him, after she had sold him to Koenig, she should have just left him, but she found herself caring more than she expected for the lost clone. She pulled out the revolver which she had got from Razz, before leaving and settling down in a position facing the door, ready for anything that might come through. For the first time since the market, she remembered JJ, and the fact he was gone.

  They’d worked together as scavengers for several years, ever since JJ had found Mollie looking for food in a dumpster behind the old cafe Razz owned, before the Gunners had destroyed it. She’d been going there for food for weeks, she’d even made friends with the girl who lived there who had started to deliberately leave food for her out the back of the cafe. Mollie couldn’t remember much from before then, all she knew was that she had been on the streets, living with different people growing up. Perhaps that’s why she felt sympathy for Prime, as it seemed he had no knowledge of his own past, other than what Razz had told him.

  JJ had taken her in and taught her what was worth scavenging and what wasn’t and where the best buyers were for which items. Before long, they had become a formidable team, always being the first hired for tracking specific items from several vendors. He’d also introduced her to Vladamir, who had changed her life forever.

  Mollie had never asked JJ where he was from or how he ended up where he was. It was an unspoken rule amongst most of those in the Nexus area, that what had come before didn’t ma
tter, only where you were now and what you did now. She wished she had learnt more about him now though, perhaps there was family she should tell of his death. He had been like a father to her, and she was forever grateful to him. She said a silent goodbye to him and returned her focus to the present.

  Reilly was still unconscious but had started to talk once again, the voices still sporadic and disjointed. He picked up certain phrases such as the local news waves and traffic updates. One however, kept recurring, and made her take notice. She found a pen and paper from one of the shelves in the shop and wrote down the various snippets she heard which seemed to be from the same signal.

  My name is Xander Draven.

  if you can hear this I need your help.

  I am at 91 Somerset Close.

  I’m trapped inside a construct.

  and need help. Please if.

  you are listening to this.

  It’s vital you get here.

  there may be others that need our help.

  Trust no one from Cybio.

  She read it back. She wasn’t sure who Xander Draven was, or what a construct was, or even where Somerset Close was, but she felt curious.

  Nothing was going to happen until Reilly woke up however, she tried to wake him but there was nothing she could do. Settling back down, she drifted half to sleep, realizing how tired she was.

  A scream from Prime shocked Mollie into waking, as he sat up suddenly.

  “Woah there!” Mollie shouted, as she jumped at the movement, her gun trained on him.

  “Sorry,” he said, shaking his head.

  “OK, just calm down,” Mollie walked over to him and helped him to his feet. “You remember anything? You’ve been jabbering all night.”

  “Not much, snippets of news reports. And some guy in a police station asking for help.”

  “Xander?”

  “You know him?”

  “Just from what you’ve been saying,” she showed him the paper with the message on.

  “CyBio?” Reilly asked as he read the message. He pulled out the coin Razz had given him earlier, passing it to Mollie to look at.

  “Do you think he knows who you are?” Mollie asked as she looked it over.

  “I don’t know, but it could be a start, and where else are we going to go? We need to stay on the move.”

  “I guess, any idea where Somerset Close is?”

  “Nope, but I’m sure we can find out,” Pulling out an old external PDA unit she had kept on her arm, she tried to boot it up.

  “We should be able to get a map up on this as long as I can connect, I don't use this much.”

  After a few moments the PDA booted up, she brought up its holographic interface and searched for the location.

  “It’s on the Boulevard, we’ll have to get up there,” she said hesitantly, she’d never been on the Boulevard before.

  “Let’s get moving then,” Reilly said getting to his feet. “How do we get up there?” He asked.

  Mollie thought for a moment before coming up with an idea.

  “There’s someone who might be able to help us, he owes me,” Mollie said as she tapped new coordinates into the PDA. “Vladamir Groteski, he runs the black market shipping for the Nexus.”

  “Sounds delightful.” Reilly replied.

  “He’s not as bad as he sounds. I know he imports from the Boulevard, he has several access points that are unmonitored.”

  “Let’s get going,” he said, “Oh, and one more thing, I think my name is Prime,” the conversation he’d had with Razz and his dreams had stuck in his mind.

  “Prime? I like it,” Mollie said, as they got up and made their way out of the building and headed out.

  They had successfully avoided any more Hunters on the short walk and were now approaching an unmarked building several blocks from the Nexus market. From the outside, it had black walls which looked as though they had been burnt and seemed to merge with the black windows that adorned its facade.

  “Let me do the talking, we don’t want him to think you have any value he could use,” Mollie said, as they crossed the threshold into the building. There was no-one manning the black wooden door which creaked as she pushed it open.

  “I hope you aren’t about to sell me out again,” Prime said, only slightly sarcastically.

  “I said I’m sorry ok!” Mollie said as they walked into a long hallway, the burn marks continued along its walls.

  A large man in a black suit stepped out of nowhere to block their path.

  “Please leave,” the man had a thick Russian accent.

  “We’re here to see Vladamir, I’m here to collect on my favour,” Mollie said, holding her ground.

  “One moment,” the man spoke silently, a vocal sensor in his throat picking up the smallest vibrations of his vocal chords and passing the information on.

  “Ok, continue,” the man stepped aside, disappearing through a door to the left of them.

  “Are you sure about this?” Prime said, as they continued.

  “Sure, Vlad…owes me.”

  The path ended at a door which was solid metal with no distinguishing marks. Mollie knocked on it and they waited.

  A moment later, the door swung open, revealing a large open space full of shelving, each one full of vinyl records. In the center, a large armchair had its back to them, plumes of cigar smoke filled the air above. The sound of music hit them as hard as the smell of the smoke.

  “Albert King, Born Under a Bad Sign,” a Russian voice shouted out over the chime of guitars, “a classic.”

  A man rose from the chair and like the sun coming over the horizon, he seemed to dominate the room. He turned to look at the pair, a cigar still in his mouth. He wore a rich, red dressing gown which held flecks of cigar ash.

  “Mollie! How nice to see you, my dear,” he nodded his head in a slight bow. “And who is this?”

  “His name is Prime. We need your help, I want to cash in the favour,” Mollie said, skipping over Prime’s identity.

  “Ah yes, a debt shall always be repaid, but are you sure you want to?” Vladamir replied, walking over to them. His eyes burning into Prime, trying to read information from him.

  “I’m sure, we need to get to the Boulevard,” Mollie interrupted his gaze by stepping forward.

  “Ah, I see,” Vladamir said, smiling as he shifted focus to Mollie, “This is no problem, I have an access lift not far from here. I will get Jono to get you a one time access keycard,” he turned and pressed a button on his arm.

  “Jono, please prepare an OTA keycard immediately. Mollie will pick it up on departure,” he spoke as if Jono was in the room, unlike many, who would hold the PDA to their mouth when speaking.

  “Thank you, Vlad,” Mollie said.

  “No thanks needed, the books are now balanced,” the response hiding subtle menace as he picked up a goblet from the small table next to the chair, raising it to his lips and drank heavily.

  “Understood, let’s go Prime,” Mollie grabbed his arm to hurry them out.

  As they left the room, Vladamir took a deep pull on the cigar and blew the smoke as he spoke.

  “See you soon Mollie.”

  Once they were out of the room, Prime turned to Mollie.

  “What was that about?”

  “Vladamir sort of runs his business on a barter system, if he owes you a favor then you’re fine, but once the books are balanced then you are no longer protected.”

  “Why would you need his protection?” Prime asked, suddenly realising he didn’t know all that much about Mollie.

  “A story for another time,” Mollie said, as they reached the guard they had met on their way in.

  “Here,” the man, who they assumed was Jono, passed Mollie a keycard and some coordinates.

  “Thanks,” she said, taking them.

  They left the building and located the lift.

  “This way, let’s get out of here,” Mollie said, leading the way.

  CHAPTER 33

&nb
sp; Prime

  In silence, they made their way through the streets, keeping watch for any Hunters.

  “Just up ahead,” Mollie said, pointing with her gun.

  A large cage lift was in front of them, large enough for several people and hardy enough to transport heavy goods. A protective mental fence surrounded it, the occasional spark flew from the metal, showing its electrical defences. Inside however, the platform wasn’t there.

  “Must be on the Boulevard,” Mollie said.

  They approached the lift and, using the keycard, Prime disabled the electric defence and called the lift down. The sound of hydraulics kicked into gear and they waited for the large cargo lift to descend. The sound of metal being struck caused them both to duck in shock. A second shot out just next to Mollie’s head.

  “Get to cover!” Prime shouted as they saw five Hunters appeared, from around a corner.

  Prime looked around for a better location to hide, but as he did, he felt a surge of shock fill his brain.

  “My turn,” he said, his voice slightly lower in pitch and slower than his usual tempo.

  “What?” Mollie asked, looking at him.

  Prime jumped to his feet and grabbed the revolver from Mollie’s hand, she didn't have time to react.

  He ducked out from their cover and took a shot at the closest Hunter; who fell instantly as the shot landed perfectly between his helmet and body armour, piercing his uncovered throat and crumpled to the ground. The remaining four Hunters scattered to the sides, taking cover.

  “Come on guys, it’s only one against four now,” Prime spun behind a low wall and checked the revolver, four bullets remained.

  He strafed along the wall as he listened for the sounds of the Hunters movements; he was coming in line with one on the other side of the wall. In one smooth motion, he tapped on the wall to his left with the gun, before spinning to his right and making a quick step up on the wall. The Hunter’s attention was towards the sound of the tap as Prime landed behind him. Before he could turn, Prime had placed his hands, one either side of his neck, and twisted. The crack echoed for a moment as Prime scanned the area for the three remaining Hunters, letting the body fall. Seeing one directly in front of him, he took aim and shot a bullet into his side, bypassing the bulletproof vest. The sound of sucking air indicated the bullet had hit a lung, and the Hunter fell to his knees as the blood filled his airways.