A dozen guns were instantly trained on me. I raised my hands.
CHAPTER 40
Escape from the First Circle
“Lose it,” one of the group yelled, nodding at the gun in my belt. “Slowly — make a sudden move and you’re dead.”
None of them were wearing uniforms. At least they weren’t SecureCorp. But they didn’t look familiar.
“I’m on your side,” I said, as I slowly reached down, pulled the gun out of my belt, and dropped it on the ground. “I’m a friend of Bailey’s.”
“Step away from the weapon,” the leader said.
I raised both hands again and stepped back slowly.
“I’m with you guys,” I said. “Do I look like SecureCorp?”
“He’s okay,” a woman’s voice came from farther back.
The front line of Rebels split apart.
My heart raced, as out walked Laura.
“Thank God,” I said. It was great to see her, but I wondered how she’d react after what I’d done.
She walked up to me, scowling. “I should let them shoot you, for running out on me like that.” Finally she broke into a smile, came forward, and hugged me.
“I had to take out Wickham,” I said, my eyes welling up. “I couldn’t let you be part of it.”
Laura and I let go of each other, and I stood facing the others.
“Wickham’s really dead?” the leader asked.
I nodded. Whispers swept through the crowd at the news. The fighters stood staring at me like I had two heads or something.
“Where’s Bailey?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“He’s wrapping up the Rebel attack on SecureCorp headquarters,” Laura answered. “He’ll be joining us soon. Connor’s leading a smaller group on the other side,” she nodded toward the wall. “They’re fighting their way into the SecureCorp weapons storehouse. If they make it inside, we’ll have lots of firepower, and even explosives.”
A few minutes later we got word from Connor’s group. They’d lost a few people, but had gotten what they’d come for. While we waited for Bailey, Laura and the others filled me in on what had happened while I was going after Wickham.
Just after my conversation with Bailey, a hack had mysteriously appeared on his HUD. Normally, the ‘common’ citizen could only reach a half-dozen people at a time. The hack removed that restriction. That meant that the Rebels could broadcast their message to everybody equipped with a HUD, which was pretty well everybody.
Gene, I thought.
The Rebels leveled their charges against Wickham and the CCE. Of course, a lot of people didn’t buy into what they were saying, but there were enough who finally understood the truth, and saw that this might be their only chance to fix things.
Then the word went out that the gate to the First Circle was open. When people from the Quarters got over their initial shock, they headed there, first just to see if it was true, then to venture inside, to finally see with their own eyes a place that was so far removed from their lives that it was like sneaking into heaven itself.
Some of the ones who’d entered just ran off to experience the wonders of the place, but after seeing it, many joined the Rebels. They now had a force of thousands. Since there’d never been any large-scale resistance movement, SecureCorp wasn’t set up to deal with it. They were spread so thin that the arms storehouse that Connor’s people were after was left almost unguarded. As word began to circulate that Wickham was dead, things really started to unravel.
Bailey and the rest of his group soon appeared in an alley, headed towards us. Both Bailey’s torso and his right leg were now wrapped with bandages. I was still worried about how he’d react when we met again — after what happened to Travis.
I was relieved when he smiled and wrapped me in a bear hug. We exchanged information about Wickham’s death and the Rebel attack on SecureCorp headquarters. Bailey said the Rebels couldn’t hope to hold the building. Their diversionary mission had been accomplished, so now they could concentrate on other targets.
I told him and Laura about Benny, and how he’d died. I also told him that the gate was locked and guarded again.
“Thank God for that card,” he said. “I don’t think all this could have happened if it hadn’t opened the gate.”
I looked at my feet and felt the warmth rushing to my cheeks. I hated to admit that I’d lost the card. I explained the details about what happened, and how Gene had actually killed Wickham.
Once again Bailey and the others stared at me, not quite believing what I was saying.
“We could sure use that card now,” Bailey finally said. “You figure it was on Wickham’s body?”
I nodded, still embarrassed.
“Well, there’s no way we’re going to get it back, then,” he said. He put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve single-handedly struck a crippling blow to the CCE and SecureCorp. Anyway, we’ve got alternatives — we’ve got the explosives.”
I explained to them what Gene had told me about the ‘final solution’, and the memo I’d seen on Wickham’s desk.
“The first thing we’ve got to do is get out of here,” Bailey said. “Now that the gate’s locked again we’re trapped — us, and a lot of people who just wandered in to see what was on the other side. Once the confusion dies down, SecureCorp can sweep through sector by sector and kill anybody who doesn’t belong.”
We marched to the gate. On the way, we met some resistance, but most of the SecureCorp guys were preoccupied with the tens of thousands of people from the Quarters, and even the Dregs, who’d wandered in through the gate while it was open.
When we were about a block away we stopped, and some scouts Bailey sent out came back to report that, as I’d said, the gate was closed. The guards were back in place in their turrets, and a small army of SecureCorp soldiers were now posted in front of it.
Bailey got in contact with Connor on the other side. Together, they came up with a plan to blow the gate. Connor’s group had plenty of explosives, enough for the gate and the factory as well. Two contingents of fighters would march to the gate — one on each side. The one on our side, led by Bailey, would keep SecureCorp occupied. A smaller one on the other side, led by Connor, would plant an explosive to blow a hole in the gate.
The groups headed out and we waited. A few minutes later, an intense firefight echoed in the distance, followed soon after by a massive explosion. As soon as we heard the blast, the rest of us rushed for the gate. When we got there the firefight was still in progress, and we joined in.
I glanced at the gate and smiled. A giant hole had been blown in the center, easily big enough for our people to get through. Once our force had eliminated the opposition, thousands of us filed through the opening and crossed back into the Corp Ring.
We stopped at the first opportunity, and Bailey, Connor, Laura, and I huddled for a meeting. We’d lost a lot of people, but we still had a substantial force, and more were finding their way to us and joining all the time.
It was decided that Connor would lead the main group to capture InfoCorp’s communications center, deep in the Corp Ring. That would give them control of the ‘news’ coming from the CCE and its puppet government. From what little we’d had time to monitor, the official line was still that nothing was happening. If Connor and his group were successful, the news feed would change very soon.
A second force would remain at the gate, holding it open for as long as possible to help any non-Elite still inside to escape.
Laura and I both joined a third, smaller group, led by Bailey, that would head for the factory, about an hour away by foot. Directions to the factory, how to break in, a map of the inside, and instructions on where to plant the explosive, were all made available on our HUDs.
On the way we met only token SecureCorp resistance. We guessed that the bulk of their soldiers were off battling the main Rebel force, and trying to secure and reseal the gate.
About half-way there we reached a
n isolated square with a strategic view in every direction. Bailey posted lookouts at all the accessible alleys and called for a ten-minute rest stop. I wandered off into a distant corner with Laura.
She turned to me. “Connor told me about your Appraisal.”
I froze. “I’m sorry I lied to you. You were already upset about your father, and I didn’t—”
“Five?” she said. “Really?”
My eyes stung as I fought back tears. I nodded.
“But we could still make it work,” she said, her voice breaking. “It’s a big difference, but—”
I shook my head. I’d already done the calculations.
“Think about it,” I said, looking into her eyes and watching her world collapse behind them. “After one hundred years, your effective age would be eighty-seven. Mine would be thirty-six. And by one hundred twenty—”
“But we’d still have at least fifty or sixty good years together,” she said, a tear coursing down her right cheek.
“You’d end up hating me,” I said. “You’d be getting older and I’d still be young—”
“Never!” she pleaded. “I could never hate you.”
I smiled and took her in my arms. “Maybe you’re right,” I whispered, not really believing it. “We’ll see when this is all over.”
We started off again, meeting almost no resistance. A half-hour later we were within a block of the factory, according to the Rebel’s map. We sent a couple of scouts to check the place out. The plan was to break in through a side door that led to a loading bay. The scouts said several SecureCorp soldiers were currently guarding that door. We were going to have to fight our way in.
We might not have time once we got inside, so Bailey called another meeting to plan the strategy for demolishing the factory. We stopped in a nearby alley.
There was a problem. The only way to reach the crucial point the Rebels had identified was by crawling into the building through a ventilation duct, like I’d done at the Vita Aeterna meeting. The duct could be accessed from the loading bay, but only two people in our group were small enough to get through it: Laura — and me.
“You have to let me do it,” I said.
Bailey stared at me like I was nuts. “Too dangerous. We need you. You’re the guy who killed Charles Wickham. You made all this possible. You’re a hero to all those people out there.”
“I can be a hero whether I’m alive or dead,” I argued. “Better I die a hero than get captured again by SecureCorp. That would be disastrous for the movement. I want to make up for losing the card. Anyway,” I smiled at them, “I’m not planning to die.”
“That’s crazy,” Laura said. “Let me do it. I’m the obvious choice. And I can strike a blow for my father.”
Bailey studied both of us for a few seconds.
He finally turned to her. “You sure?”
“No way!” I said. I grabbed her by the arm. “Don’t!”
She nodded to Bailey.
I tried to talk them out of it but Bailey’s mind was made up.
A couple of the technical guys had analyzed the building plans. I listened in while they explained to Laura how to get to the critical spot they’d identified. Bailey introduced us to their resident bomb expert, a beaten-up guy with three days growth of beard and a small pack on his back. He gingerly hauled a box about thirty centimeters square out of the pack, held it up, and explained how to set it.
There were two switches: a black safety switch on the left-hand side, and a red detonator in the center. Both were mounted in a T-shaped trough with a small button at its apex. You had to move the button out of the way, then slide the switch itself into the T-trough, to prevent you from flipping the switches accidentally.
You armed the bomb by flipping the black safety, then started the timed explosion by flipping the red detonator switch. A dial on the right-hand side allowed you to lock in a delay before the explosion, which the demolition guy said would be huge.
After triggering the detonator, Laura would crawl to an exit grate they’d identified above an isolated storeroom, drop down to the floor, and run for her life. The bomb guy preset the timer for a fifteen-minute delay, and slid the box back in the pack.
We headed for the factory. Unlike the glittering steel and glass structures around it, the building was squat and ugly, formed from rough-hewn concrete. For a few seconds I worried that the Rebels had made a mistake. When we had a good look at the maps and diagrams, it was pretty clear that this was the place.
We reached the side door, and took out the guards easily, but one had time to communicate something over his HUD.
“We’ve got to move fast,” Bailey said. “There’ll be more where these ones came from.”
We used another small explosive to blow the door open, and a bunch of us crowded inside. Bailey led a group of fighters, including me and Laura, to locate the ventilation duct, while the bomb guy set the bomb on the ground, waiting for the go-ahead.
The duct was in the northeast corner, almost at ceiling height. We piled up some packing crates to reach it. Bailey climbed up, ripped off the metal grate, and stuck his head inside, then climbed down to where the rest of us were standing. He called the bomb guy over.
“It’s a go,” Bailey said, turning to Laura.
“Let me do it,” I made one last ditch attempt. She just shook her head.
“Give it to me,” she reached out her hand for the bomb pack.
The bomb guy held it out for her. Just as her fingers touched it, the place exploded with gunfire. The crowd at the doorway split apart and a group of SecureCorp soldiers burst through. A bullet caught the bomb guy in the chest and he went down.
CHAPTER 41
Assault on the Factory
Everybody dove for cover. The pack with the bomb had fallen behind a stack of packing crates. The bomb guy’s body was lying beside it, blood pooling around him. Nobody was paying any attention. The Rebels were locked in a firefight with about a dozen SecureCorp soldiers. Laura was pinned down behind a small crate, with no room to move.
I slid over, grabbed the bomb pack, and crawled along the floor, with the stack as cover, headed for the duct. Bullets were still flying as I climbed the packing-case stairway. A few blasted divots out of the wall behind me, but I was partially shielded by the stack, and none of them hit me. I reached the duct and squeezed into it.
“Alex!” I heard Bailey’s voice yell behind me as I crawled as fast as I could. A couple of bullets punched holes in the duct behind me. I kept going, the noise of the firefight gradually fading.
After a few minutes everything was quiet, as I guess they’d taken all the SecureCorp guys out. I started getting messages on my HUD.
“That was a stupid thing to do, Alex,” Bailey said. “You’ve put this whole operation at risk.”
“Sorry,” I answered him. “Laura’s got a proper life to lead. I know what has to be done.”
“We’ve got no choice now,” Bailey said, “so just keep going. Keep us informed.”
I crawled along the duct, following the instructions, pushing the pack with the bomb ahead of me, as the bomb guy had suggested. The hackers had identified a central point directly above the heart of the factory floor. According their calculations, a large enough explosion at that point would demolish the entire building. As soon as it was set, I’d drop down through the closest grate and get the hell out of there.
After a few twists and turns I located the target point. The escape drop was about ten meters ahead. It took a few minutes to manipulate the pack so that it was behind me. That way I’d be able to move quickly once it was set. I opened the pack and carefully removed the bomb.
I described my location to Bailey. His voice came over my HUD. “According to our map you’re in position. It’s a go, whenever you’re ready. We’ve hacked into the building’s security. Once the bomb is set, we can watch you with the security cameras, and help you find the way out.”
I stared down at the bomb, with its levers and li
ghts. So much destructive power in such a little package.
“Alex?” Bailey’s voice came through again.
“Yeah, I’m doing it right now,” I answered.
I released the safety, and activated the trigger.
“It’s set,” I said.
“Okay,” Bailey said. “You’ve only got fourteen minutes. Get going.”
I didn’t answer him. My muscles had been primed to take off as soon as the timer was set, but now it occurred to me that all I’d have to do is stay where I was, and this nightmare would finally be over for good. It would be quick; I probably wouldn’t feel anything. I sat staring at the bomb for more than a minute.
Bailey came back on. “Alex, there’s no sign of you on the cameras. Are you okay? You’ve got to hurry.”
After all, I thought, no matter what happened I was screwed. The CCE and Vita Aeterna were crippled, but there was no way they were defeated. I’d be on the run for the rest of my life — and that would be many, many years. I’d be cursed to continue living long after everybody I ever cared about was dead. I’d never be able to form any long-term relationships — I’d live the rest of my incredibly long life alone.
“Alex,” there was an edge of panic to Bailey’s voice. “What’s going on? Get out of there. The place is going to blow. We’ll be out of touch for a minute or so while we get clear ourselves.”
Suddenly I remembered what Gene had said about a hack to make it look like I was dead. Had he actually had time to finish it? He’d said there’d be an icon when it was ready. I checked through the hack list in my HUD. There it was — a white skull, just as he’d described.
Bailey’s frantic voice returned a minute or so later. “Don’t do this, Alex,” he pleaded, finally guessing what was on my mind. “We’ll find a way. Your life is worth living. Get out of there while you still can.”
With Gene’s hack, I had another alternative. In spite of all I’d be in for, I still wanted to live. But there might be a way to at least make my life bearable, to take the heat off so I wouldn’t end up like Zack…
Vita Aeterna Page 23