FLOOR 21: Judgement (The Tower Legacy Book 3)

by Jason Luthor

  Daddy says that the Carthaginians are being funded by foreign countries. I don’t know why. I mean, of course I do. The seas are rising. The sun shines less and less. The trees are dying away. That’s the entire purpose of building the Tower, isn’t it? To save some of us from the disasters spreading around the world? Only those nations that can manipulate Pocket Space have any future, and there aren’t many with access to that kind of science. I suppose the nations without access have found a sympathetic ear here in our own country. After all, the ones attacking us are people from the countryside and poorer parts of the city. They’re the same people who could never afford a place in the Tower. Although the news won’t say anything, daddy hears from members of Security that there are countless weapons being moved through the ports. Not that the port authority is willing to do anything about it. Apeiron only has so much money, and it’s being stretched thin trying to bring the last Tower online. They can’t help pay those men, so the port authority has started taking bribes. That’s how we’ve gotten here, with this endless stream of weapons arriving.

  The entire city is corrupt, and I know all too well about the conditions closer to the inner city. Although things got better as I grew older, it was hard getting by when I was a child. Daddy simply wasn’t paid enough. That kept us looking forward to the next check and getting by on whatever food we had. When daddy brought us here, after his promotion, I knew he was just looking out for the family. It’s those left behind who are now finding any weapon they can get their hands on and rioting in the streets. If they’re getting paid by Carthage, they’re doing even worse than that.

  Johnny’s spending more time at the lab. Maybe he’s trying to keep his mind off of things, but ever since he told me about that horrible experiment he saw, I’ve been nothing but worried every time he’s gone to work. He never told daddy, and I don’t know if I should. I doubt he knows anything about those types of experiments. He’s an engineer. That’s all. He keeps the machines running. Still, after the attacks, he mentioned that the Tower engine started behaving strangely. He’s not even sure what happened. All the Towers are connected through Pocket Space, because of the engines they use. After the attacks took down our engine and caused the link to break, daddy mentioned that dimensional windows started opening all over the city, at least for a second. Micro-tears, he called it. They’ve been trying to get researchers to look into it, because they’re worried about what might have happened. Even the news reported people missing, and daddy is afraid that the fluctuations might have done something terrible. I’m scared to ask what, and he doesn’t want to guess. I suppose we’re just ignoring the issue this this point.

  Leave it to Carthage to take advantage of this mess. They’ve been spreading fear and trying to provoke even more riots. It’s become so bad, I’ve heard rumors that Apeiron is thinking about activating the great machines, the Panzers. I’ve never seen them. I’m sure no one my age has. It’s been almost a century since they were used, if my history classes were right. Maybe the attack from Carthage has convinced Apeiron that they need to take additional steps. Still, I can’t imagine it. A machine that size, as tall as a building? I highly doubt Carthage could manage any sort of successful attack against something like that. At any rate, I’ll be sure to write again as soon as something new happens. Although, to be honest, I pray nothing else does.

  Jackie’s New Recording: Four

  They keep calling me a killer.

  I don’t know when the hell Creepers started talking. All I know is, I just keep having to shut them up. But honestly? I’m tired. I ran like hell to get away from that thing . . . from Judge. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’s still out there. I mean, he didn’t just stop following me all of a sudden. I put five rounds into his chest, and he still kept coming, so all I could think was that I had to get away. I’m not sure when he stopped chasing me, but I found myself in some hallway surrounded by Creepers and having to go full batter to survive. I may not know how to take out Judge, but I’m pretty decent when it comes to dealing with just about anything else.

  The problem isn’t fighting one Creeper. As long as I’m ready, it’s not even that big of a problem fighting two or three of them, but when you’re fighting number nine or ten, and they just keep coming, it starts to break you down. At some point, I’ve cracked my way through a dozen of these things, and if they aren’t jumping around corners, they’re chasing me down the halls. Some of them even learned this new trick. I’d just taken a swing at one when it jumped to the ceiling and buried its claws into the roof. Before I could really understand what was going on, it was sprinting away over my head to hook up with some of its other friends.

  Anyway, all this keeps happening until I’ve practically fought my way through . . . fifteen? Twenty of them? It just doesn’t stop, and after slugging my way past one last wave, I seriously feel like my arm just wants to fall off. I’m left panting for a second while I try to hold down my lunch. My legs and arms are burning up, and I can barely get myself moving again. It’s so bad, I just barely have enough in me to find a room and throw myself inside. That’s when the exhaustion really hits, and I just sit there in the dark, listening to the Creepers screaming in the halls while they run around looking for me. Honestly, I feel a little bit terrorized. Even Creepers stagger when you shoot them in the chest. That thing, Judge, didn’t flinch. Even worse, it looked like he could control the Creep. It felt like the whole hall was exploding while he was chasing me. And what he said, about being able to evolve . . . I’m just taking a guess, but he made it sound like he could adapt to attacks. Or, at least, he has in the past. I’m not sure what that means for me if I have to fight him again.

  Plus, I can’t forget what he said about having access to the minds in the Creep. If everyone’s thoughts get caught up in here, at least a little, and he has access to them? That’s scary. It makes my stomach roll just thinking that he might be able to plug into someone’s memories, like my old captain, Sunny Allen. That guy had no problem trying to kill me. And David Marshall? Judge really made it sound like he could feel his . . . his hatred. It’s not exactly what you would call comforting. I don’t know. It’s hard to digest all of it with the way my whole body is complaining. That’s what happens when you have bruises forming under bruises. Anyway, maybe it’s the weeks of taking a beating, but I finally give in to my exhaustion. It might not be smart, but I can feel myself drifting off. I’m just lucky that nothing busts through the door looking for me.

  At some point, I definitely start dozing, at least for a few minutes. I guess I must have been way more tired than I thought, because I suddenly snap awake and realize that I’m still lying in the room. Judge isn’t there and neither are any Creepers, but I am shockingly alive. Still, I’m on my feet literally the second I wake up, and it takes all of a few seconds for me to get to the exit. I’m definitely not expecting what I find. There’s an overwhelmingly intense light coming from outside that starts spilling into the room. It’s so powerful that I’m literally blinded while I’m getting the door open and stepping back into the hall. I’m not really sure what to expect, but when I finally take a step out, I just stand there confused for a second.

  The entire hall’s lit up in a blindingly white light.

  It obviously wasn’t like this when I first came this way, and it’s equally strange that there’s no Creep anywhere. The walls are all smooth and clean, like I’m back on the top floor of the Tower or something. I snap a quick look behind me, but the door to the room I was in is just . . . I don’t know. It’s gone, like the room never actually existed. So, given that I don’t exactly have many options, I start walking the hall. I mean, if nothing else, at least there’s light. Sometimes it feels like I’m starting to lose my eyesight from always being in the dark. Still, besides how bright everything is, the weird thing about the hall is there aren’t any other doors. It’s just this one, long stretch that keeps taking turns. At first, it’s not a big deal, you know? I take a left, then a right, but every t
ime, I just end up facing another hall and another turn. It’s like I’m going in circles with no destination. I might as well be a rat in a maze, and even when I take, like, my twentieth turn, all I find is another hall. So, I flip around to backtrack . . . and there’s a wall behind me, like the hall’s been closing up as I’ve walked deeper into the Tower. It appears so quick that I nearly ram my nose straight into it, and just the realization that the hall’s been shutting down behind my back almost makes me jump out of my skin.

  I’m standing there for a second, staring at this solid wall that came from nowhere, when I hear this, I don’t know, this crackling or something. It definitely sounds like static, and it’s just loud enough that my ears twitch. Even if it doesn’t sound close by, I’m still able to track it, and soon I’m literally jogging as I try to chase down the noise. One second it sounds like it’s coming from my right, but then the hall splits in three different directions, and I can only hope that I guess the right way to go. Because, every time I make a decision and start walking, I feel the hall behind me closing up again. I’m stuck with my choices, but still, even if every corner just turns onto another hallway, I can still tell that the static’s getting clearer. Its crackling gets stronger, and soon it’s so loud that it feels like the noise is coming from every direction. It keeps building and building, and slowly I start to make out a voice through the noise.

  I know that voice, and that’s what makes me want to back off. I know that I can’t though, so I literally run to one last corner, and I’m just praying that I find something when I make the turn. I’m standing there, my hands digging into the wall for what feels like forever, before I finally yank myself around. My breath just explodes out of my chest when I turn onto another hall. This time though? This time, there’s an open door, and that static noise is just pouring out. I almost feel like it’s calling to me, so even if it’s not the smart move, I literally run inside the room. At least it’s an escape from the maze.

  Wherever I am, it’s basically just rows of desks that are stocked with computers, plus an exit on the opposite end from me. Everything’s burning in that same white light, and there’s a couch near where I’m standing with a coffee table in front of it. It’s weird. I know none of this can really be here, but it feels like it should be, like it really always belonged her. Still, my brain keeps telling me that nothing should look this . . . nice. Not down here. Everything looks brand new, like somebody was working here just yesterday. Kind of like the apartment I’d been using for my command post. What really gets my attention though?

  The radio on the coffee table.

  It’s spitting static and jingling, broken music, like someone started ringing warped bells. That’s what I was hearing in the halls. My skin starts getting clammy, and the hair on my arms starts standing. I’ve heard this music before. Actually, my whole body’s starting to freeze up as I take a knee in front of the radio. The bells would be kind of cheerful if they didn’t make me feel like they were singing my funeral song. That’s when I start hearing a distorted woman’s voice speaking in these inhuman, halting stutters:

  Begin Transmission

  4, 0, pause, 4, 7, 4, 2

  7, 3, pause, 5, 8, 3, 0

  7, 3, pause, 5, 7, 5, 4

  End Transmission

  It’s way too familiar. It’s been a while since I first heard it, but this transmission goes back to when I was still on a team with Commander Abbott. It’d been a pretty rough day, so we were all just psyched about getting some sleep. That night, I had this super rough nightmare about Dodger and Tommy dying. It felt too real and literally wrecked me for a week. The only thing that woke me up? These numbers. They started playing out of nowhere from a radio that was in our room. Abbott said it was a transmission from inside the Tower. Dodger wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t say anything. Personally, I don’t think Abbott wanted to believe it was from outside. Anyway, the radio I’m staring at in the lab doesn’t have a plug, so I start reaching around to find a battery cover or something. I’ve literally got the thing a few inches from my face when the words and music just stop. Everything goes dead quiet, and my fingers dig into the plastic case as I’m kneeling there in the silence. I’m just about to drop it when it pops to life again, and a man’s voice, growling out of the wall of static, says:

  “Don’t touch that dial now. We’re just getting started.”

  “What the hell?”

  That’s when fingers squeeze my shoulder, and I literally spin to my feet with a fist ready to launch. My arm’s already cocked back when I realize I’m looking into some guy’s face. He looks like a scientist, with a lab coat on and everything. I don’t know how he can be there, but he is, and it throws me off so much to see him that I nearly stumble back over the coffee table. He doesn’t even bother to help. Instead, the guy frowns and nods to the far door. “Director Kelly would like to see you now. Hope you haven’t gotten yourself into too much trouble.”

  “What? The director?” It throws me off because I can only think of one director. “Are you . . . are you talking about Pygmalion?”

  The guy sneers at me. “Who’s Pygmalion? Stop playing stupid and get in there, alright?”

  I don’t even have time to answer before he’s grabbing a seat at a computer. I’m suddenly super aware that there have to be at least three other guys in the room, all typing away like they’ve been there the entire time. I don’t remember them being around when I first stepped inside, but then again, I don’t even really know what this place is. There are labs all over the Tower, but this one . . . This place can’t exist. Still, it’s not like I have any other leads, so I cross over to the opposite side of the room. The whole time, I’m staring at these scientists. I mean, as far as I can tell, they all look normal. One’s blonde, another’s got dark skin, but they’re all just working away at their desks. The sound of keyboards is getting almost annoyingly loud, like it’s filling up my eardrums, and it pushes me to get the hell out of there. The rattling is borderline overwhelming by the time I reach the end of the room, but I still hesitate at the door for a second. There’s no nameplate or any sign of who this guy is, but they did call him Kelly, so that’s what I go with. Still, even as I’m putting a hand on the door handle, I can’t help but feel just slightly insane. Something’s off, but it’s not like anything’s been normal since I ended up plunging down here. Plus, it’s also not the first time I’ve hallucinated talking to people.

  It still hurts to think about Johnny.

  Anyway, I open the door and step inside. The office is nice, but there’s not much to it. A desk, a few shelves, plus a big window along the back. On the other side, I can see some sort of engine or something. It’s hard to tell exactly what it is, but it’s glowing really bright. It’s actually kind of impressive looking, but I’d be lying if I said the guy sitting at the desk wasn’t what was really catching my eye. I mean, he is super huge. Shoulder to shoulder, he’s practically as wide as three of me, and the collared button up shirt he’s wearing looks like it’s barely keeping itself from tearing apart. His hands are like baseball mitts, maybe bigger, and his jaw’s cut like a piece of stone. This is literally the largest man I’ve ever seen, and the muscles bulging through his shirt are begging to rip the thing apart. Still, it’s his voice that gets me. It feels like rolling thunder vibrating up my leg and into my chest.

  “Sit down.”

  Just to be real clear about something? I have no idea how to take this. I don’t know if what I’m staring at is just a hallucination, or if some part of it’s real. All I know is, I’ve never taken well to orders, which is what made becoming a Scavenger hard, but this guy . . . I don’t know. Maybe it’s just how actually gargantuan he is, but I’m scared of what’ll happen if I tell him no. So, I sit down in a chair across from him. Then, for a long time, he just stares at me, like he’s burning up inside and trying to find a way to cool down. Sitting in front of him is what I imagine it would feel like to stand in front of the Tower, and he’s so physically ov
erwhelming that I really don’t want to be the first one to start talking. The good thing is, I only have to worry about it for a minute before he starts speaking.

  “You’ve been causing trouble in the facility.”

  I’m convinced the deep bass in his voice is actually making my bones rattle. “What . . . what’s that now?”

  “We know what you’ve been up to. Wrecking things. What’s the word? Sabotage.”

  “You . . . think I’m sabotaging something?” It feels stupid to be scared. I shouldn’t even be having this conversation, considering this guy can’t be real. I keep reminding myself this is a hallucination, just like with Johnny, so at some point it has to stop. That doesn’t make him less intimidating “What would I sabotage? How?”

  “You don’t think we have cameras monitoring the Tower, do you? What? You think we’re dumb? That we don’t see you running around in the halls and labs, going places you shouldn’t go? Who do you think we are, lady?”

  “Funny you should ask that, because it’s actually a surprisingly appropriate question.”

  “So far, we’ve been taking a light touch with you. Going easy, as it were. You went places you shouldn’t, but we overlooked it. You saw things you shouldn’t. Why would I care? These are tense times, so we thought we’d let things slide. You know, play it cool. That was the plan, as long as you didn’t start messing things up. Becoming a real threat.”

  I sit back in my chair and just look at the guy for a second. Once in a while, I flip my head back to the door. You know, in case I have to jolt or something. It’s always good to have an exit strategy. That’s basic combat preparation 101. Still, the big man’s eyeballing me and waiting for an answer, but the truth is that I’ve really got nothing. I don’t even know what he’s rambling about. “Okay, so, let’s pretend I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can we at least start there? I mean, it can’t be that hard just to tell me what it is you think I’ve been doing.”