ManaNet

by Hancock, Thomas H.

  Just this once, Victoria thought.

  “Several men are heading straight for you,” Owen said. “They’ll be on you in- shit, they’ve locked me out.”

  “Owen, how long?” Victoria shouted.

  “I can’t see. Pretty much now!”

  The door burst open and armed gangsters poured into the room. Several guns pointed at all of them. Victoria instantly threw her hands up. She glanced across at Damos as he did likewise.

  “If they attack directly, you’ll activate and X will know you’re here,” Owen said.

  I know, Victoria thought in frustration.

  “Take them to the atrium,” one of the Nexus thugs said. The closest four dropped their weapons and moved to restrain Victoria and the others. With their hands forced behind their backs, the group were marched out of the room and into the main hall. It extended the entire length of the station, the glass roof arching high above them. Along the centre ran a wide channel where the skyrail trains would have passed through. Barriers protected some parts of the edge, but in many sections they’d broken, leaving nothing to separate the lip of the platform from the abyss beyond.

  “What’s going on, Basilisk?” someone yelled from across the hall.

  “Found these three trying to bust Jackal out,” the man who had ordered them into the hall replied.

  “Who are they?”

  “Two outsiders. And this one,” Basilisk replied, gesturing to Weasel.

  “Weasel? Of course he’s involved, sticking up for his traitorous partner.”

  “He’s not the traitor, Yakshi is,” Weasel shouted. The room fell silent. A small crowd of people had accumulated around the four of them now. Each stood and stared.

  “What did you say?” Basalisk asked, staring down at Weasel. At almost twice Weasel’s height, Basilisk made for an imposing figure.

  “Yakshi. She’s the real traitor. She ordered a hit on a Gifted, one of the people we’re sworn to protect.”

  “You’re lying. Why would none of us have heard of this? Someone would have been made to carry out the order.”

  “She used an outside group.”

  “It’s true,” Victoria said, seeing the opportunity for escape. “My group were hired to carry out the killing.”

  “And who are you?”

  “A no-one. You won’t find me on any record, no matter how hard you look.”

  “Then how can I trust you?”

  “Because he’s the one who committed the murder,” she said, nodding at Damos. “And he’s Damos, the legendary assassin.”

  Several members of the room gasped involuntarily.

  “I know the name, but it doesn’t carry weight with me. And I still have no proof you committed a murder of behalf of Yakshi.”

  “Check her comms, you’ll see it’s all there. She even ordered a follow up killing, on a second Gifted.”

  “You know I won’t be able to do that. Besides, this is irrelevant. It still remains that Jackal leaked information to outsiders.”

  “But with good reason!” Weasel exclaimed. “He wanted to get to the bottom of why Yakshi would order a hit on a Gifted.”

  “If she did indeed order this hit, it will have been for a good reason,” Basilisk replied.

  “Woah, hold on a minute,” someone in the crowed interrupted. “We swore to protect Gifteds. No matter what the reason, killing a Gifted is unacceptable.”

  Murmurs passed through the crowd.

  “But what about the greater good?” someone else said. “What if his death could pave the way for a better future for all of us?”

  “And has it?” a woman asked. “If he was so important as to change the future for all Gifteds, why have we not heard anything? Why did Yakshi not tell us something was up?”

  “This is irrelevant!” Basilisk boomed. “Irrespective of why, this man still turned traitor.” Basilisk grabbed Jackal by the collar and lifted him above the crowd. Weasel rushed to help. Basilisk caught him with his spare hand and batted him to the floor. “This man told outsiders information about our leader, outsiders no-doubt affiliated with these same people trying to break him out. He’s a low-life traitor, and we must deal with him first.”

  Basilisk casually threw Jackal aside. The crowd parted as he hurtled towards them. The lip of the platform appeared. There was no barrier.

  “No,” Weasel screamed. Victoria threw herself forwards. Jackal cried out, realising where he was heading. Victoria dived, skidding across the platform as Jackal passed over the lip. Her torso slipped over after him. She reached back and grabbed a stump from the railing with her hand, stopping her fall. She reached out with her other arm.

  And realised it wasn’t there.

  Jackal threw his arm out, reaching for Victoria’s tentacles. His fist curled around the bottom few. Relief flashed across his face. Then his grip slipped, and he fell, tumbling through the air before falling into the hard embrace of the tarmac below.

  “Murderer!” someone cried, and Victoria heard a gun fire. She looked around to see Basilisk stagger back. He raised his own gun and fired. Someone collapsed.

  For a second there was silence, then all hell broke loose as the Gifteds turned on each other.

  “Kill the traitors,” a man yelled, running back and opening fire on several people. They dived aside and returned shots. In moments two factions had formed, bullets and balls of mana flying this way and that throughout the hall.

  “What’s going on in there?” Owen called through Victoria’s earpiece.

  “Not now!” Victoria replied, hitting the floor. We need to get out of here. On her hand and knees, she scrabbled across to Damos and Weasel. Both had hit the floor as soon as the shots began.

  “We need to get down,” she said. “Make for the exit.”

  The trio crawled towards the door, keeping their heads down and looking out for people approaching. Fortunately, the Nexus members were too focused on each other to pay any attention to them. Victoria looked up to see the door only a couple of meters in front of them.

  A flash of light caught her eye as a stray energy ball shot past. It struck the wall above the door. Chunks of brick flew everywhere. Victoria ducked and covered her head. A creaking sound echoed above her. She glanced up to see one of the roof supports falling towards her. She rolled, the arch crashing beside her a moment later. She lay prone for a second, coughing as dust filled her mouth and lungs. When she looked up again, she saw the entrance had been covered in rubble.

  “Quickly, to the other door,” she shouted. Damos and Weasel move to a crouch and began skirting their way along the wall towards the door to the corridor at the far end of the station. Victoria followed. She glanced around at the rest of the hall as she ran. A few bodies lay strewn across the station, but for the most part, the Nexus thugs were still standing, and still fighting.

  Damos reached the door first and slipped inside.

  “Problem,” he said as Victoria followed. She looked around to see the corridor filled with debris where the arch had fallen.

  “We’ll have to get to the elevator,” she said, ducking back through the door and into the maelstrom beyond.

  However, that means using the bridge over the divide. She looked cross to see several gang members had taken up positions on the bridge, firing shots into the melee below.

  “How high is this station?” Damos asked, distracting Victoria.

  “I don’t know, thirty meters?” Victoria replied, keeping her gaze fixed on the hall.

  “Thirty-one to be exact,” Owen corrected.

  Victoria suddenly felt something rubbery appear in her hand.

  “Hold this,” Damos said. Victoria grasped the object. She looked down to see a red rubber tube in her fist. Before she could ask what is was, she felt Damos wrap his arm around her waist. She shuddered slightly, the feeling an unusual one.

  “Don’t let go,” Victoria heard Damos say as he lifted her off the ground. She felt Damos begin to run. She looked up to see them heading for
the edge of the station. Damos’s plan suddenly clicked in her mind. She looked across to see Weasel held under his other arm. Beyond him trailed the red pipe, connected to a wheel which said ‘Fire Hose – 30m’. Victoria tightened her grip as Damos reached the edge and leapt into the air.

  The trio sailed forwards for a moment before gravity took hold and they began to fall, tracing a graceful arc. Air rushed past them as they fell, what remained of Victoria’s hair blowing wildly in the wind. She looked down to see the ground rapidly approaching. Behind them were several Knight vehicles surrounding the red mess below the platform gap. The road was cordoned off and free of other cars.

  The hose suddenly snapped taut. Victoria held on as tightly as she could as it tore them upwards, pulling them out of their arc and swinging them to the ground. Damos hit the road running. Several of the Knights saw and one shouted something, but by the time they’d realised what had happened, it was too late and the trio had already disappeared.

  Chapter 17 - Worry

  11:56, Blu Vertex Hotel, East District

  Lily watched on Owen’s screen as Victoria, Damos and Weasel entered the hotel.

  “They’re on their way up,” Owen said.

  “Is Weasel with them?” Matt asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Poor guy, losing someone that close.”

  “What’s made you so sentimental? Have you forgotten what we do for a living?”

  “I guess I’d never considered being on the other side. It was always just a job.”

  “I know what you mean, but for goodness’ sake; pull it together before they get up here.”

  “You’re right, brave face and all that.”

  The pair sat in silence, waiting for the door to open.

  Poor Jackal. He may have been a criminal, but he was a good man, Lily thought. He didn’t deserve to die. No one deserves to die.

  “This is interesting,” Owen said, distracting Lily from her thoughts.

  “What is it?” Matt asked.

  “I’ve managed to hack into some of the Nexus chatter. It appears the Gifteds from the station have retreated as two groups. Those that trust Yakshi have contacted her and are moving to some kind of headquarters, while the others are amassing in a storage facility.”

  “Do you reckon it’ll stick?”

  “I doubt it. Once the heat of the moment wears off, the naysayers will start to doubt themselves and crawl back.”

  Lily heard the door lock click. She looked up to see the door swing open and Victoria enter. Damos followed, and behind him Weasel. He looked defeated, his shoulders slumped, his walk sluggish and his eyes red and watery.

  “Welcome back,” Owen said. His words hung awkwardly in the air. “So where do we go from here?”

  “We need to track down Yakshi,” Victoria replied.

  “I’ve been following the chatter. She’s held up in some kind of headquarters,” Owen said.

  “Some kind?”

  “I don’t know what it is, they keep referring to it as ‘HQ’.”

  “It’s-” Weasel croaked, the word barely audible. He paused for a second and cleared his throat. “It’s the Plexus City Nexus Headquarters.”

  “Owen, hack into their systems and see what you can find.”

  “That’s not possible,” Weasel said.

  “We’ll see,” Owen replied.

  “No, it’s impossible. The HQ is underground.”

  “Underground? But then there’d be no connection to ManaNet,” Matt said. “Your abilities wouldn’t work.”

  “There’s no ManaNet connection, yes, but mana itself comes from the earth. If anything our abilities are stronger underground.”

  “But devices wouldn’t function?” Owen said.

  “No, they don’t.”

  “Then we’ll have to get inside the old-fashioned way,” Victoria said. “Where is it?”

  “On the North District-East District border. The entrance is concealed in the basement of a residential house. You won’t get inside without being seen,” Weasel said.

  “So let me get this straight,” Matt said. “There’s only one entrance, which is presumably heavily guarded and surveyed. Inside, below ground, there’s no ManaNet connection, so our devices are powerless, meanwhile all the Nexus members have greater power than normal.”

  “Yes. It’s designed specifically so Gifteds have the advantage.”

  The room was silent for quite some time, each person trying to think of a reasonable plan.

  “What if we use Gifteds to break in?” Matt asked eventually.

  “Explain,” Victoria said.

  “Owen said the Nexus members from the station had split into two groups. Those loyal to Yakshi are at the HQ, but the others have fled to a storage facility. What if we solicit their help in breaking in while they’re all riled up?”

  “You can’t take advantage of people like that,” Lily snapped. “Many of them have just lost a friend, Weasel included. It’s not right.”

  “Do you have a better idea?” Victoria asked. Lily remained quiet, so Victoria continued. “These people want answers, the same as you and I. Gaining the help of the Nexus Gifteds is our best chance at finally finding out what is going on.”

  “Okay, but we have to be honest with them. It would be wrong to trick them into helping us while they’re not thinking straight.”

  “Of course. I’m sure that’s not what Matt meant.”

  “It’s not. Sorry if that’s how it came across,” Matt said.

  “Weasel, can you arrange a meeting?” Victoria asked. “There’s no point discussing plans further until we’ve confirmed whether they’ll help.”

  “I’ll do it now,” Weasel said.

  * * * *

  13:02 Nexus Store, East District

  The group were stood outside an old warehouse, hidden deep inside a dilapidated industrial estate. Its exterior, like all the other Nexus locations, gave no indication that it was anything but abandoned. Weasel knocked on the door and waited. A moment later it opened slightly. Lily saw a sliver of a man’s head appear.

  “It’s us, open up,” Weasel said. The man nodded and held the door open, ushering them inside. The door led straight through to the main room: a huge hall filled with crate-lined shelves. Light filtered in through long strip windows, creating a dashed pattern across the floor. High above them a single artificial light shone down, the rest clearly broken or missing.

  A gaggle of people stood in front of the shelves. As Lily approached, she felt a mix of emotions overcome her. She began to doubt why she was here. She missed Ethan, and wanted to leave and mourn. But she couldn’t. She had to understand why he’d died. Several paces later, Lily realised the Nexus Gifteds were in exactly the same situation.

  “Listen up!” the man who had let them in called. “Weasel’s here and he’s got something to say to you all.”

  The crowd slowly turned to face the group. Silence reigned as they covered the remaining space. Lily remembered Weasel rehearsing a speech to himself on the way there.

  Hopefully he can pull it off, she thought as Weasel began to speak.

  “We lost a good man today, one who was honest and determined to make the world a better place for all of us. Although Basilisk may have been his murderer, it was in defence of Yakshi that the act was committed. I’m sure many of you want answers, want to know why Jackal died. We want answers too, and by working together, I think we might be able to get some. Yakshi and those still loyal to her have retreated to the Plexus HQ. The only way to get to her is to break in ourselves. To do that, we need your help. ManaNet doesn’t reach underground, but us Gifteds only grow stronger. If we can get inside, get these people to Yakshi, together we can all get the answers we want.”

  The crowd looked at each other, exchanging murmurs. A woman in the front row stepped forwards.

  “What answers do they want?” she asked. “They’re not Nexus. How do we know they’re not here to assassinate Yakshi before we can even speak
to her?”

  Victoria stepped forwards.

  “Because we want answers too. Remember at the station, when I told you about Yakshi ordering a hit on two Gifteds? One of them worked for ManaCorp, and was in possession of a data disc. This disc contained code written for the discontinued supersoldier project.”

  Victoria threw back her hood, revealing the silver veins and artificial eye.

  “I was part of that project. Taken against my will, my body was sliced up and grafted into the horrific visage you see before you. If what we believe is true, that Yakshi is somehow involved in the rebirth of the supersoldier project, then whether it’s for the good of Gifteds or not, innocent people are going to suffer. It’s too late for me, but we can still save them.”

  The crowd stood in silence, eventually broken by the woman at the front.

  “If a few people have to suffer to bring equality to the Gifteds, then so be it. Yakshi’s doing the right thing by me.”

  How can she say that? Lily thought.

  “Do you truly believe that?” Victoria asked.

  “Yes. Our kind has suffered long enough.”

  “Then we’re done. We’ll find another way.”

  Victoria began walking back towards the entrance. Damos immediately followed. Matt hung back for a second, not sure what to do, before eventually also turning away.

  “You said you wanted honesty. You were right, of course, I’m just sorry it wasn’t enough,” Weasel said. “Come on, let’s go.”

  Lily and he began heading for the door. Part way there, Lily heard footsteps behind them.

  “Weasel, wait,” came a voice. The pair stopped and pivoted. A man stood behind them, a similar Nexus tattoo to Weasel’s adorning his bicep.

  “Hyena’s wrong. If what your friend said is true, Yakshi is out of line, and there are a few who agree with me. Meet us in the old underground station on Falchion road in two hours. We should be able to get into the escape tunnel from there.”