“Did you make it?” Owen asked.
“I’m out, but they’ve got her.”
“How could you?” Matt screamed. “You let them take her!”
“I had no choice,” Damos growled.
“There would have been another way. You could have-”
The line cut as Damos lost connection.
* * * *
15:50, Blu Vertex Hotel, East District
“The connection’s dead,” Owen said.
“What about Victoria?” Matt asked.
“She’s still-” he began. “She’s gone.”
Lily was sure even the people in the hotel lobby could have heard Matt’s scream.
“Come on, we need to go,” Owen said, his keyboard vanishing.
“Where?” Lily asked.
“Anywhere that isn’t here. X will have been able to trace our location through the comm link.”
“Good. If he comes for us, he’ll take us to Victoria,” Matt said.
“He won’t capture you, he’ll kill you. No offence, but only Victoria and I are of any value to him.”
“Come on Matt, let’s go,” Lily said. She put her arm around him tried easing him to his feet. Matt shoved her off.
“I’m okay. Help Owen,” he said.
Lily looked to see Owen stood on one leg, his wounded one elevated. She wrapped her arm around Owen’s torso, her shoulder slotting in nicely below his. She felt him lower part of his weight onto her as they began to hobble out of the room.
“Are you going to be okay with your leg Matt?” Lily asked.
“I’ll let you know if it causes problems.”
“Funny how losing half your leg makes you more mobile than taking a bullet,” Owen commented. Neither Lily nor Matt responded.
“Head for the stairs,” Owen said when they made it outside.
“Not the lift?” Lily asked.
“A, too slow. B, they could trap us.”
The trio ran down the stairs as quickly as they could. Owen slid his arm down the handrail and hobbled with his good leg, Matt pulling a similar manoeuvre.
“How long before anyone comes for us?” Lily asked.
“Seconds, minutes? Depends how quickly X can get our location and how close his men are,” Owen replied.
“What about Damos?”
“He can look after himself.”
The trio continued down to the ground floor. Lily turned to head for the foyer, but Owen pulled her back.
“We’ll use the back entrance. How close are the bikes?”
“Two blocks,” Matt replied.
“You’ll have to direct us.”
The trio headed to the ground floor rooms. At the end of the corridor they came to a single door with a fire exit sign above it. Besides it was a small box which read ‘Break glass to exit.’ Owen held his bracelet up to it and a small keypad appeared, into which he typed a series of commands. A ringing suddenly echoed throughout the building. A second later panicked hotel staff appeared, ready to usher people out of the building.
“It should be unlocked,” Owen said. Lily pushed and sure enough, the door swung open. She felt a blast of cool air on her face as they emerged outside. She glanced either way down the road. People were already congregating outside the front of the hotel.
“Left,” Matt said, breaking into a limped run. Owen and Lily followed as fast as they could. After traversing only a couple of streets they found their bikes parked in an alleyway, chained to a lamppost.
“Keys?” Owen asked. Matt retrieved them from his belt.
“I’ll go with Matt, you follow behind,” Owen said, relieving Lily of his weight. Matt took hold and helped him onto the bike before following himself.
The two injured guys on the same bike. That’s a good idea, Lily thought, but she didn’t question it and climbed onto the free one. The engine roared as she started it up. Moments later they shot into the sky, leaving the hotel and the surrounding crowd of people far behind.
* * * *
16:08, Plexus City Nexus HQ, Below North District
Damos dispatched another Nexus gangster before continuing on. After encountering several, he had eventually managed to find one who, after some minor persuasion, told him the way to the escape tunnel. After a couple more twists, he found the door he’d been looking for. The two guards who had been posted there earlier still lay unconscious on either side.
That’s no fun, Damos thought, running past them and out into the spiral tunnel. Part way up, he heard his earpiece crackle to life again.
“Owen, you there?” he said.
“I’m here, but be careful. I’ve tried to secure the channel, but X may still be listening.”
“Gotcha.”
“Meet L in the place where we picked up I. Make sense?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’d destroy the earpiece, just to be safe.”
“On it,” Damos replied, pulling the small bud from his ear and crushing it underfoot as he ran. Not far ahead, he noticed the hole to the train line as a shadow cast against the light from his glove. Damos stopped and squeezed through. A few seconds later he found himself back in the subway market. The crowds had died down a lot since before and a few of the stall holders were beginning to pack up. Damos ignored them all, making straight for the surface. Once back above ground, he headed straight to the meeting place.
Twenty minutes later, Damos approached the largest market in the city. Unlike the subway market, this one was still alive with activity. The sound of people talking echoed off a huge domed roof, filling the open air space with chatter.
The crowd’s good cover, but it makes Lily hard to find. I wish Owen would think sometimes, Damos thought as he pushed his way in. He fought against the flow, sliding between the wandering people, bumping several as he went. He suddenly felt someone brush up against his thigh. He instinctively reached back and grabbed them. Looking around, he found himself grasping the jacket of a teenage girl.
“Give it back,” Damos said.
“Give what back? Let go of me!” the girl shouted.
Damos reached down and checked his pocket to find his wallet still there.
“Scram,” Damos said, letting go of the girl. She instantly disappeared back into the crowd.
Damos stood for a second, a memory he hadn’t recalled in a long time coming back to him.
* * * *
Three Years Ago, Plexus Market, East District
“Are you sure your contact’ll be here?” Matt asked.
“He’ll be here,” Owen replied.
Damos followed as the pair cut through the crowd. The market was in the middle of its mid-day peak and as such the place was full to the brim with shoppers. Looking over their heads, Damos noticed a slight parting in the crowd further up. It was moving towards them, as if someone was running and pushing people out the way. A girl suddenly appeared in front of them. She bumped into Matt. He staggered back, Owen catching him so he didn’t fall. Damos’s hand shot out, grabbing the girl’s arm.
“Give it back,” he said, glaring down at her.
“Give what back?”
“The wallet. I saw you take it.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” the girl replied, staring up at him through ginger curls.
Damos reached down and pulled her hand out of her pocket. It came out empty, but Damos could see a rectangular bulge through the denim of her oversized jacket. He reached inside and retrieved Matt’s wallet, handing it back to him.
“Thank you,” Matt said, slightly flustered.
“Scram,” Damos growled.
“Wait,” Matt replied. Damos tightened his grip again.
“What?” Damos asked.
“I didn’t even notice her hand. She’s a pretty masterful pickpocket. We could use someone like her on the team. It could save us scrounging around for contacts in busy places like this.”
“I don’t like it. We’d need to check with Victoria first at least,” Owen said.
/> “At least consider the possibility. What’s your name?” Matt said, bending down to the girl’s height.
“I’m not telling you,” she replied. “You’ll just turn me into the Knights.”
Matt laughed. “Trust me, that’s the last thing we’d do.”
“Forget it Matt,” Owen said.
Damos let go of the girl. She instantly darted into the crowd.
“For goodness’ sake!” Matt said, running after her.
“Matt, wait,” Owen shouted, but it was too late. He sighed at Damos as the pair began to follow. Despite his size, Damos still managed to cut through the crowd effectively, keeping Matt and the girl in sight by looking for the gaps in the sea of bustling people. He followed them as they left the market and headed down the street.
“What about the contact?” Damos asked.
“He’ll still be there when we get back,” Owen replied through gasps of breath.
Several twists and turns later, Damos found Matt peering around a corner into an alleyway. Damos crept up behind him and looked down the alley. Part way down crouched the girl. She was staring at a spot between two large bins, tears streaming down her face. Before Damos could say anything, Matt stepped out and began walking down the alley. When he was only a couple of meters away, the girl noticed him. She turned and threw her arms out, blocking his path.
“Stay away,” she shouted.
“I’m not going to hurt you. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing you’d care about!”
“Try me,” Matt said, stepping closer. He suddenly went quiet. Damos stepped out and walked up behind him. Looking down between the bins, he saw the body of a young boy. He was starved beyond belief, his ribs clearly protruding from his uncovered torso.
“I’m so sorry,” Matt said.
“No you’re not. No one cares about us!” the girl shouted back. “Just leave us alone!”
“Okay, okay,” Matt said, holding up his hands and stepping back. “But just so you know, it doesn’t have to be this way. It may be too late for him, but we can help you. We can give you food and shelter.”
Matt reached into his pocket and pulled out an earpiece.
“If everything ever gets too much for you, speak into this. We’ll help, I promise.”
Matt bent down and placed the earpiece on the ground before turning and walking away. Damos followed, the pair meeting Owen back at the corner. In silence, they headed back to the market.
* * * *
16:32, Plexus Market, East District
Damos remembered when they’d gotten the call, only a couple of days after the incident. As promised, Matt had travelled to retrieve the girl, and provided her with food and shelter. In under a week she’d become a full member of the team, recovering information and acting as a lookout. And she was damn good at it too. After all, who would suspect a thirteen-year-old girl?
Damos felt a pang of sadness as the memories resurfaced. His flashes of emotion were brief but intense. He felt a tear form in the corner of his eye.
I can’t believe she’s gone, Damos thought, remembering the explosion which had claimed Izzy’s life.
Then the emotion was gone, and Damos continued to push his way through the crowd on his quest to find Lily.
* * * *
Lily stood leaning against a wall at the back of the market, as far from the crowd as possible in such a cramped space. Emotions bombarded her. She wanted to shut her eyes and try to block it all out, but she had to keep a look out for Damos. The fuzzer helped at least. Eventually she spotted Damos pushing his way out of the crowd.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away. Damos tugged his arm free before following. Lily led him out of the market and to the neighbouring street where she’d parked the jet bike. She was getting pretty good with them now, if she did say so herself. She reached down to unlock it.
“I’ll drive,” Damos said, clambering on before Lily had a chance.
Okay, Lily thought, not wanting to argue. She climbed on behind and the pair took off.
* * * *
16:50, The Bristle Hotel, North District
Having left the bike in a nearby street, Lily led Damos to the hotel room where Owen and Matt were currently staying. She knocked upon reaching it. A moment later the door opened and Matt ushered them inside.
The room was similar to the last one, except with an extra bed. Lily wasn’t particularly happy about having to share a room with the three guys, but Owen had pointed out that it was for her protection, and that if they were to get two rooms, she’d have to share with Damos as he was the best fighter amongst them now.
“Welcome,” Owen said as he paused typing and looked around at them. “We need to talk. I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
Damos glared at him questioningly.
“We’re going to break into ManaCorp headquarters.”
Matt began to speak but Owen cut him off.
“I know what you’re thinking; it’s the most secure building on the planet. But now, after what X said down in the caverns, it seems like the quickest way to get some solid answers.”
“This is ridiculous,” Matt said. “We should be focusing on rescuing Victoria, not finding answers.”
“Okay, and where do you propose we start?” Owen snapped. “Where are they holding her? How do we break in? How do we get her out?”
Matt remained quiet.
“Getting answers is the best way to get to Victoria,” Owen continued. “If we can find out what X is planning, and where he’s doing it, it’ll lead us straight to her.”
“Fine, you’re right. What’s our angle of attack?”
“We move tomorrow morning. We could go tonight, but it’ll be rushed and I think we could all do with a break after today. Matt and Damos, you’ll perform the actual break in. Lily will hang back with the bikes as lookout, and as usual, I’ll be here tampering with security.”
“You can do that?” Matt asked.
“Why do you still bother asking?”
“But isn’t their security top-notch?”
“Yes, it is.”
Matt sighed. “Fine, whatever. What are we looking for once we’re inside?”
“I’ve been thinking; everything traces back to that drive we got off Ethan. Whatever he did there, he must be involved.”
“Ethan would never have been involved in something like this,” Lily exclaimed.
“I’m sorry but he was. He may not have known it though. It’s probably the same story as mine. He realised he didn’t agree with what was happening when he learned the bigger picture, so he stole the drive and turned on them.”
“And then you lot murdered him.”
“Uh… well, yes, we did. There’s no escaping that, but now at least we can try to make it right.”
“That still won’t bring him back.”
“Look, either you’re with us or you’re not. We’ve done wrong, and we’ve apologised. What more can we do?”
“Sorry, you’re right,” Lily replied. “Carry on.”
“Okay, so I did some illicit research and found Ethan’s employment records. He worked in a department called ‘Experimental R&D’. Sounds suspicious already. I traced his workstation to the forty-fifth floor, so that’s where you need to go.”
“How do we get in?” Matt asked.
“Security runs around the clock, as do deliveries and many of the work shifts. There’s no ideal time, but our best bet is likely to be tomorrow morning. The guard shift changes then and people will be arriving for work.
“I’ll go over the plan in detail this evening, but before that we need to get some supplies, disguises and whatnot. Here’s a list Damos, can you go get everything?”
Damos nodded, standing up and making for the door.
“Good, do you want anyone to come with you?”
“I’ll be fine,” he replied, shutting the door behind him.
There was a moment of silence.
&nbs
p; “Is it just me, or does he seem different to you?” Matt asked.
“Now that you mention it, yes,” Owen replied. “He’s less… bloodthirsty.”
That makes a change, Lily thought. Maybe the monster is finally going away.
* * * *
20:00, The Bristle Hotel, North District
Lily, Matt and Damos’s eyes were locked on the wall-mounted screen which displayed a three-dimensional rendering of the ManaCorp building.
“Ethan’s workstation was positioned here,” Owen said, the screen zooming in on a particular section of the building. “Surveillance cameras show his desk has yet to be cleared, so hopefully his files won’t have been wiped either. His workstation’s deactivated, meaning I’m unable to hack in, so you’ll need to get inside and turn it on. Once it’s online, I can get inside and check his files.
“To enter the building, you’ll need to pass a retinal scan and metal detector. The scan is easy to fool, I can just hack the device to give a green signal when I see you arrive, but the metal detector provides a problem. The detector sends a real-time image to a screen, meaning I won’t have time to erase any metal which shows up before security sees the image.”
“So no earpieces?” Matt asked.
“No, or Damos’s glove,” Owen replied. “I can still follow you using the surveillance cameras though, so you won’t be completely alone. Once you’re inside, finding Ethan’s desk and activating his workstation should be trivial. After you’ve done that, head straight back out again. I’ll have already accessed his files. Do any of you have any questions?”
Lily, Matt and Damos all remained silent.
Chapter 19 - Love
08:56, ManaCorp HQ, North District
Despite the fact he’d seen it rendered on Owen’s screen, Matt still stared up in awe at the glistening spire. Positioned in the centre of a man-made lake, the ManaCorp Headquarters towered above them. Its entirely glass exterior reflected the lake’s rippling surface, giving the illusion that the glass itself was flowing in the morning breeze.
ManaNet Page 17