Rebellion (Zero Series)

by Huth, Jacob

  "You go make your broadcast. I'll protect the door," Synapse said.

  I nodded and we ran up the stairs. Flint was sitting at a console twisting and turning knobs. He pointed over to the microphone. I walked over and took my place. He gave a thumbs up and I cleared my throat.

  "People of Marsh City. This is Zero. I am talking to you to tell you that there is hope. Kraken can be stopped. We can return this city to the people and make sure that tyranny never rules again. Take up arms. We can stop them and take this city back!" I said.

  I paused for a moment and Flint said, "You're clear. Great job."

  “Hopefully that will incite a riot,” Frost said.

  “We don’t want a riot. We want a revolution,” I said.

  “We need an organized rebellion on our hands,” Flint said.

  “Does it really matter how it goes down?” Frost asked.

  “Of course it matters. If we have anarchy, then when this is all over, it will leave the city susceptible to another organization like Kraken to take over. We need to unite these people,” I said.

  I heard gunfire breaking out on the street outside the station. We hurried to the door and found Synapse controlling the Kraken soldiers. She was forcing them to fire on each other. The sight of the soldiers decimating each other was truly horrifying. I was glad that Synapse had agreed to join our side. Once the last man had finished off his squad mates, Synapse forced him to shoot himself. A pile of Kraken enforcers lay at Synapse’s feet. She stumbled back after she broke her concentration.

  “Are you alright?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. I haven’t controlled that many people in quite a while. Prism and Golem have been doing the real work for quite a while now. I have been the brains of the operation,” she replied.

  “Well we don’t have time to just sit around. Are you okay to move?” Frost asked.

  “I am fine. Where are we going?” she asked.

  I thought for a moment. “We need to figure out where the other spikers are being held,” I said.

  “I can help you out with that,” Synapse said, “After you made your break in to the first warehouse, they started consolidating their data into one secure location. They have moved it into a small building near the outskirts of the city. I don’t know where the spikers are but I am willing to bet that they have the information in that system.”

  “That’s where we need to go then. Lead the way,” I said. We set off for the data storage facility and the sound of explosions and gunfire filled the city.

  “I guess your broadcast got something started,” Flint said.

  “We better hope they can hold their own against trained soldiers,” Synapse said. She was right. Nearly everyone in this city had never had to fight. Kraken had suppressed anybody who showed resistance.

  “Have you had a chance to look over the list of spikers? Who do we free?” Frost asked.

  “No. Maybe Jet did. We need to figure out a way to contact her,” I said.

  “We recalibrated our earpieces so that it is a closed channel. After we talked to

  Pan and figured out that he never called you, we fixed our radios,” Frost said. He pulled out an earpiece and handed it to me. I stuck it in my ear and pressed the button to turn it on. It powered up and chatter came across the waves.

  “Jet?” I said into the radio.

  “Zero? Is that you?” she answered.

  “Yeah it’s me. Are you alright?” I asked.

  “I’m fine. Where are you?” she asked.

  “We just left the radio station. Have you had a chance to look over the list of spikers?” I asked.

  “I have. I know which ones are dangerous,” she replied.

  “Good. Meet us at the small white building near the west wall of the city,” Synapse said.

  “Who was that?” asked Jet.

  “Synapse. Just meet us there and I will explain everything later,” I replied.

  “Fine. Pan and I will meet you there,” she said.

  “Let’s go,” Synapse said. We followed her through the city until we came to the building Synapse mentioned. We waited until Pan and Jet arrived.

  “We need to get into this building,” I said. Pan walked over to the door with his handgun drawn and shot the handle. He kicked the door open and motioned for us to enter. This building was disguised as a normal house so people would leave it alone. There were servers and tall hard drives all along the walls.

  “The location of the spikers should be in these computers,” Synapse said.

  “If I know Kraken computers, there will probably be a program that sets off a silent alarm if we try to get through it,” Jet said.

  “I have access to these computers. I am still in Kraken’s system. I doubt removing me has been at the top of their list,” Flint said. He pulled out an access card and inserted it into the main terminal. He sifted through access menus and came across the list we needed.

  “Did you find it?” Jet asked.

  “I did. This is bad,” Flint replied.

  “Why? Where are they keeping the spikers?” I asked.

  “They are keeping them at Tartarus,” he replied.

  “Oh shit,” Synapse said.

  “What is Tartarus?” I asked.

  “Tartarus is a facility fifty miles north of Marsh City. It is named Tartarus after the pit where they kept the titans in Greek mythology. Nobody has ever broken out,” Synapse said.

  “Wonderful. Well we can’t just storm in there. We need a plan. Let’s regroup with Flare and Vine and come up with one,” I said.

  “Vine, can you hear me?” Pan asked.

  “I’m here,” he replied.

  “Regroup and retreat. You and Flare need to meet us in the basement of the greenhouse as soon as possible. We know where the spikers are,” said Pan.

  “Affirmative. See you there,” said Vine.

  “Let’s get back. We have a lot of work to do,” Frost said.

  “We should split up, just in case we get caught. We can’t afford for all of us to get taken,” I said.

  “Good idea. Flint and I will go together, Synapse and Frost can go together and you and Jet can go,” Pan said to me. I nodded and opened the door. Once everyone was out of the building I turned back to the building and held my hands up. I focused on the building and within seconds it collapsed in on itself.

  “That will slow them down hopefully,” I said.

  “Everyone make sure to keep your radios in at all times in case someone needs help,” Pan said. We all left in different directions that would ultimately lead back to the greenhouse. Jet and I crossed into an alleyway and she threw her arms around my shoulders.

  “I was so worried!” she said crying.

  “I’m alright now,” I said.

  “I didn’t know if I would see you again,” she choked out.

  “Luckily your father came to save me. He is a great man,” I said.

  “He knows how much I care about you and he cares about you too,” she said.

  “Well I won’t leave you again,” I said. I wiped the tears from her face. I saw the worry in her eyes. I knew that I had more to lose than my life. I had been so reckless before but I saw that I needed to protect more than the city.

  “We should go,” said Jet.

  “Right,” I said. We moved along carefully through the city. The sound of gunfire had ceased. Vine must have commanded the entire resistance to retreat like we said. I wonder if Kraken had taken the time to regroup as well. We moved through the city with ease. We came upon the greenhouse and found the others waiting.

  “We should get inside,” Vine said. We all entered through the hatch in the main room that led to the bunker.

  “It’s good to see all of you. I didn’t think I would make it out,” I said.

  “We put all of our energy into getting you. Now where are they keeping the spikers?” asked Vine.

  “Somewhere called Tartarus,” I replied.

  “It is the most highly guarded fac
ility that Kraken controls. It is far outside the city. I am willing to bet that they are keeping Armageddon there too,” Flint said.

  “How do we get in?” Flare asked.

  “I can enter the facility. Nobody in Kraken knows that I’m helping you. Once I am inside, I can locate the spikers and tell you where they are. Then you can enter through the sewer system that leads under Tartarus,” Synapse said pulling out a datapad and pulling up a blueprint of the facility.

  “That sounds good. Any objections?” I asked. Nobody said anything. “We will start planning tomorrow morning. Pan, Flint and Vine should stay here to command the rebels. Let’s all get some rest. We have a lot of preparations to make starting in the morning.”

  We all dispersed to different areas of the bunker. Jet and I found a room in the barracks and pushed to beds together. We both took our gear off and lay down. The task ahead seemed impossible but we had to complete it. Without finding the spikers and destroying Armageddon, we didn’t stand a chance.

  Chapter 7: Tartarus

  Over the next few days we made preparations and tried to formulate a plan to infiltrate Tartarus. We continued to organize attacks on Kraken facilities throughout the city to keep them from reorganizing. I had the idea to begin training some of the more capable soldiers to lead battalions while we were gone. It would also help to have someone to lead in case we didn’t make it back. Synapse and Vine took turns organizing the assaults on enemy units and buildings. We had liberated a third of the city in just a few days. We knew the rest wouldn’t be so easy. Poseidon tower would be the hardest part and that was smack in the middle of the territory that Kraken still controlled. Flint suggested that I stay undercover as much as possible. He said that without me, the resistance would be crushed. I didn’t necessarily agree but the rest of the team seemed to.

  Jet continued to run tests on my tissue samples to keep an eye on the cell growth from the amplifiers. Soon after I returned from The Pit, she tested my tissue and noticed that the cell growth had receded. She asked what had happened to me in the lab and I explained that Flint had injected me with the serum to give me the accelerated healing ability. She decided to take a sample twice a day to make sure that it was indeed the serum that was halting the cell inflation. On the third day she finally said, “I need to talk to you.”

  “Alright let’s go into the other room,” I said. We exited the main room and sat in one of the side rooms.

  “After examining your cells, I have determined that it is the serum that is making them recede to their normal size,” she said.

  “That’s good isn’t it?” I asked.

  “For you it is. What about Flare and Frost? They both have used the amplifiers as much as you and they do not have accelerated healing,” she replied.

  “What will happen to them?” I asked.

  “If we don’t figure out how to make some of the serum or get our hands on some that’s already manufactured, then their cells will continue to grow. Eventually, I hypothesize that it will become too much and their respective gene spikes will consume their bodies,” she replied.

  My heart sank. I couldn’t imagine losing either of them let alone both of them. “How long do we have?” I asked.

  “It’s hard to tell. Some days it seems like the cells grow more than others. I think it is linked to how often their spikes are used. I would guess not much more than a week,” she replied.

  I sat speechless. I didn’t even know where to begin. We left the lab in ruins when we broke out. There was no way to know if there was any left inside the tower. “Maybe your dad would know something,” I said.

  “We can ask. I’ll go find him,” she said. She stood up from her chair and exited the room. I sat still. I was in complete shock. I felt tears welling up in my eyes as the thought of losing two of my best friends became the only thought that inhabited my mind. A few minutes later Jet returned with Flint. They sat down across from me at the table.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Flint.

  “Why don’t you explain it?” I said to Jet. She laid out our problem to Flint and asked him if he knew of any way that we could generate some of the serum.

  He thought for a moment and said, “I do not know. I didn’t even know about it until I helped Zero get out of the lab. I would think that our best chance is to check the lab in Tartarus. They have some of the most highly guarded scientific items locked down in there.”

  “That’s our only chance then. We have to finish the preparations for the mission to Tartarus. Frost and Flare have to stay here and not use their powers,” I said.

  “You know Frost won’t be happy about that,” Jet said.

  “He doesn’t have a choice. It’s either stay here or die. I can break the news to them if you want,” Flint said.

  “No,” I said, “I can do it.”

  He patted me on the back as I stood up and exited the room. I found Frost and Flare eating in the makeshift galley. I approached their table and asked, “Can I join you?”

  “Absolutely,” Flare said, “How are the plans going?”

  “Well that’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about,” I said sitting down.

  “I have a feeling that you have bad news,” Frost said not looking up from his food.

  “Unfortunately, Jet found an abnormality in our cells. You remember how there was an increase in size from the amplifiers?” I asked.

  “Is something wrong?” Flare asked in a concerned tone.

  “Yes. She found that the more we use our spikes, our cells will continue to grow until our spikes overtake our body,” I replied.

  “So what do we do?” Frost asked.

  “Well here’s the thing. When I was locked up in the Kraken lab, they tortured me continuously and my body had suffered some serious damage. Right before Flint freed me, he found a serum that he injected me with. It gave me another gene spike that speeds up the healing process in my body. It regulated my cell growth and now keeps it under control. We sort of destroyed the lab on the way out and we don’t have any more of the serum,” I replied.

  “But…what…” Frost stuttered.

  “How long do we have?” Flare asked.

  “Jet says that if you refrain from using your spikes, maybe a week,” I replied.

  Frost stared at the table and said, “What do we do then?”

  “Flint thinks that they will have similar technology and serums in the lab at Tartarus. You two need to stay here and not use your spikes. We are going to find the lab and figure out a way to reverse the effects,” I replied.

  “You expect us to just sit here and so nothing?” Frost asked.

  “If you don’t want your body to freeze completely, then yes,” I said.

  They both sat looking exasperated. We should have listened to Jet. They definitely needed more tests run before we used them extensively. They worked so well the first time that I just assumed there would be no problems. Then I was the only one lucky enough to get a cure.

  “Look, I know you are worried Zero. I can see it on your face,” Flare said, “But you have a much more important task at hand. If you can’t complete this mission, we won’t have any hope of defeating Kraken.”

  “She’s right. You need to focus on getting the spikers. If it comes down to it, you have to choose to free the spikers over getting a cure,” Frost said.

  “I will free them and I’ll find that cure. You guys need to just make sure that you follow Jet’s instructions. Flint will be monitoring you and trying to slow the effects down,” I said.

  “Can everyone meet in the war room?” Vine called out over the speakers that I didn’t know existed until that moment. We all three stood up and made our way to the war room. We apparently were the last three to arrive. Once we had taken our seats Flint stood up at the head of the table.

  “Okay everyone. Tonight we mobilize. We need to make a final decision on who is going to Tartarus. Obviously Zero will be going and Synapse will be leading the way in,” Flint said.
<
br />   “I think I will need to go as well,” Vine said.

  “I think so especially now that we know about Flare and Frost’s problem,” Flint said.

  “Everyone else should stay. It will be easier to operate with a smaller unit and if this mission goes south, we won’t lose most of our team,” I said.

  “If there are any other suggestions, you’d better speak up now,” Flint said looking around the room. When no one said anything, he said, “Wonderful. Synapse will go over the entry plan.”

  Synapse stood up as Flint took his seat. She had her hair pulled back into a tight bun and was wearing an all black military suit. It had marking that I recognized from some history texts. It was from the Gray Conflict. Before Kraken had taken over completely, Marsh city was part of a joint province called Andulee. It contained Marsh City, Prairie Stretch which was in the south of the country, and North Mountain which was stretched into the Rocky Mountains. There were trade routes between the settlements that operated smoothly for a long time. Some disgruntled citizens began forming their own rudimentary government in an area right in the middle of the Andulee province. They took to attacking the trade convoys and stealing the goods. They moved swiftly and descended upon travelers like fog. This led to people calling them The Gray. Eventually the three settlements in Andulee decided to take down The Gray. A militia was formed and they swiftly eliminated the disorganized Gray. The Andulee province disbanded after the Gray Conflict. It was agreed upon that each city should worry about protecting their own people to prevent something like the Gray Conflict from happening again. Vine must have come across some of the old uniforms in some abandoned building.

  “Alright then,” Synapse started, “I will be entering Tartarus tonight at dusk. I have a datapad with a map for Zero and Vine to follow through the sewer. You will enter the sewer a mile outside of the facility. It will allow you to pass underneath the entrance and into the heart of the laboratories. I will meet you in the weapons development room and unhook the grate that you will enter through. Once we are all in, I will access their computer network and try to locate the spikers.”

  “We will also have to look for the chemical lab to see if we can find the healing serum for Flare and Frost,” I said.