8
Remko and the others crouched along the outside of the northernmost city wall. The stone stretched high above their heads, at least twenty-five feet into the air. Cameras and weight detectors were installed along the top, every few feet. Usually the team used the underground tunnels to travel into the city, but they knew the CityWatch guards had started doing tunnel patrols, and they needed to find new ways to enter the city. That meant they were headed up and over today.
They couldn’t hear the movement in the streets inside the walls, but Remko could imagine it all. The bustling feet of City Workers, store owners, and shopping mothers. There would be CityWatch guards prowling the streets in ten-minute increments, twice as often as they’d done when he still called himself one.
Truth be told, Remko felt sick to his stomach every time he set foot across the threshold of the Authority’s domain. Not only because he worried for the team’s safety and success, but even more because this place reminded him of the poison he’d so willingly drunk. The lie he’d enthusiastically bought into. A single group of men, filled with indulgent power, sitting inside gold-encrusted buildings and calling the people to follow the way of God with self-serving intentions. And he had enforced their law, caused suffering because of their rules.
Each time he was here, Remko fought his own mind to keep such thoughts at bay so he could focus on the task at hand. Today he had more on his mind than usual.
When Sam, Kate, and Carrington had returned from this morning’s security patrol, they had filled him in on what they’d found. Only miles away from the camp they’d just established loomed a threat they knew nothing about, and he’d barely had time to process the information before leaving again. Compartmentalization was necessary for survival. He placed the new information into a bucket and tucked it away along with a bucket for his grief over Larkin, a bucket for worry over Carrington and Elise, a bucket for the pressure to appease Neil and the others in camp who felt unsure about their direction. Plop, plop, plop. He dropped them into buckets and tucked them away. Now he mentally shook off all the emotional distractions and refocused.
Usually Aaron communicated the number of people who would be led out of the city and specified the checkpoint where they would meet up with a Sleeper. Remko was aware of dozens of Sleeper Seers who lived seemingly normal lives within the city, and there were seven checkpoints. On each run, the team met with the Sleeper, collected photos and names of the individual or individuals being freed, and acquired any other helpful information they might need to complete their task.
This time was no different. Aaron had told Remko that a family of three needed to be rescued. Now it was up to Remko and his team to get inside, locate their Sleeper, acquire the family, and get out.
Remko glanced at Wire, who was tinkering with Roxy in his palm. Wire, Kate, and Sam had been making occasional scouting runs along other sections of the wall to map out its strengths and weaknesses, as well as to collect data so Roxy could infiltrate its technical systems.
“The plan is simple,” Wire said. “I have enough access to their defense systems to turn off this section of the wall for thirty seconds at a time. That means going up in pairs.”
Sam dropped the bag he had slung over his shoulder and unzipped the top. He pulled out two grappling hooks that were each fastened to the end of a long, thick rope. He tossed one hook to Remko.
“Old-school, I see,” Kate said.
“We work with what we have,” Sam said.
Sam reached back into the bag and pulled out a small black container the size of a box of playing cards and opened it. Inside lay two thin metal circles. Sam pulled one out and glanced it over. “These had better work.”
“They will,” Wire said. “Just press one to the ball of your boot; there are microscopic magnets on the surface that will keep it in place. These walls were constructed after the Time of Ruin; they’re laced with metal to help reinforce their stability in case of outside attacks.”
Kate grabbed the second disk from Sam and held it up against the light. “And these will magnetize through the stone? They seem a bit small to be as powerful as you described.”
“They’ll do the job,” Wire said.
“Where did you get these again?” Sam asked.
Wire smiled. “I made them.”
Kate dropped her hand and shot Wire an annoyed look. “And have you tested them, like with actual humans?”
Wire’s face lost some of its prideful zest, and he dropped his eyes back to Roxy. “Don’t worry; they’ll work. Just place it on your dominant foot and use it as an anchor while you climb.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “How come every time we use one of your contraptions, I feel like I’m gonna end up dead?” she said to no one in particular.
Wire ignored her while Sam and Remko moved to the wall. They would only have thirty seconds, and they couldn’t toss the grappling hooks until the system was down, because the pressure of the hooks would signal intrusion. Once the hooks had connected, they would have to move quickly.
Remko stood poised to throw his hook with Sam to his right in a similar stance. He glanced at Sam, and Sam nodded that he was ready. He’d already attached the silver disk to his right boot and Kate was ready with the second disk in place on hers. Now they waited for Wire’s count.
Blood pounded behind Remko’s ears and he focused past his nerves. Up and over—that’s all it was. Up and over.
“We move in five,” Wire said, and Remko felt everyone’s breathing still. He knew his team was trained and qualified. This was nothing they couldn’t handle. He forced all hints of panic from his mind. He took a deep breath and waited for the signal.
“Now,” Wire said.
Sam and Remko both wound up and tossed the hooks high into the air, aiming for the top ledge of the wall. Remko knew Wire had added magnetic tips to the ends of the hooks so they would be drawn to the metal lining the ledge, but they still had to get them high enough for the magnetics to respond.
Remko felt his hook connect and tugged to ensure it was secure. He stepped aside as Kate’s hands wrapped around the rope and heard the zing as her boot fastened to the wall, just as Wire had said. She had to use all her strength to rip her boot off the wall’s surface as she ascended. Each step was obviously a struggle, but she would never admit it. Sam was also ascending, his rope pulled tight with his weight.
“Fifteen seconds,” Wire said.
Remko could feel sweat gathering at his hairline. Kate and Sam were halfway up the wall, but time was running low. The seconds seemed to compress as each vertical step his team members took pounded inside Remko’s chest.
“Eight seconds,” Wire said.
Remko glanced to both sides. He wondered how long they would have before guards swarmed this area. Could they get far enough away to have a chance? Maybe they should have risked the tunnels; at least then they wouldn’t be out in the open like this.
“Four seconds.”
A hook sailed off the wall and hit the ground at Remko’s feet with a thud. Remko looked up to see Sam yanking Kate up and over the ledge; a half second later the second hook descended.
Roxy beeped in Wire’s hand and Remko let go of the breath he’d been holding. The boy glanced at Remko, and Remko could see the worry in his eyes. Their turn.
Wire wasn’t strong enough to sling the hook to the top of the wall, so Remko would have to do both. The two silver magnet disks flew down from above and landed softly at Remko’s feet. He grabbed them and handed one to Wire. He gave the boy a reassuring nod and hoped only confidence was visible behind his eyes.
Attaching his disk, Remko grabbed the first rope tightly and once again forced all distractions from his mind. There could be no mistakes here.
“Go,” Wire said.
Remko slung the first hook with all his might and felt it connect. With a quick tug he handed off the rope and moved with one fluid step to the second rope. He had barely lifted the hook from the ground when he wound up t
o throw. The second it took to sail through the air toward the top felt longer than it should, and a fresh hint of worry began to creep into Remko’s chest. Then the hook connected and Remko pulled himself up and onto the wall.
With a couple of labored steps he caught up with Wire. Remko could feel the disk under his boot working as an anchor, and he doubled his pace, passing Wire, his eyes fixed on the top. Remko pushed himself to his limits as he approached his target. Then he was up and over the top ledge. He saw Kate and Sam squatting on the roof of the building beneath him. Remko yanked his rope up from the other side of the wall and tossed his hook to Sam. He then moved to Wire’s rope and began pulling the kid up as Wire struggled to continue his ascent. There was no way to know what their time was with Roxy tucked safely in Wire’s pocket, but the cutoff had to be close.
Remko yanked hard a couple more times and reached to grab Wire’s arm. Wire crawled over the top of the wall awkwardly and dropped to the roof next to Kate. Remko quickly collected the second rope and pushed himself off the wall, hitting the roof just as the timer on Roxy began to beep.
Remko paused to breathe as sweat dripped from his nose. He wiped his hand across his face to clear the perspiration and felt Sam’s hand on his shoulder. “That could have been worse.” Remko couldn’t help but smile through the raging of his heart as he stood to join the others.
“I’m tracking the movements of the CityWatch patrols,” Wire said, his eyes on Roxy, which was tucked back in his palm. “The patterns of their shifts haven’t changed, which gives us an advantage.”
Only the sound of breathing filled the rooftop as each member prepared for what was next: down the steel ladder at the left side of the building and into an old alley tucked away from the rest of the city. The distance they needed to travel wasn’t long, but the next couple of moves had to be carried out with perfect accuracy.
Sam led as they all descended the ladder. Once in the alley, Remko looked to Wire.
“We have a window coming in ten,” Wire said.
Remko closed his eyes and imagined the street ahead of them and their destination on the other side. It was an outside street, less traveled than most, picked precisely because traffic was lighter.
“Five seconds,” Wire said.
Remko opened his eyes and moved to the front of the pack as they edged toward the alley’s opening.
“Three.”
He steadied his heart and slowed his breathing. There was always a chance that they’d run right into a guard or roving inspector. They could never be too careful.
“Now.”
And they were moving. Quickly but with precision.
The street was empty, but the sound of the busy city reached them from several blocks away. Their destination stood in the center of a circled gathering of shops selling wood-carving tools, fine fabrics, and baked goods. The space was shared by a small bar, closed till later in the afternoon. Remko noticed the collection of white flowers that occupied the interior windowsills of the fabric shop, tool shop, and bakery. Sleeper Seers. The white flowers signified that the owners of these shops were followers of Aaron and would welcome Remko and his team—or at the very least not report their presence to the Authority.
The bar’s windowsills were empty, but since it was still closed, Remko tried not to let any misgivings interfere with his speed. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw unwanted movement behind one of the bar windows, but he told himself to keep moving, that it was his mind creating unnecessary fear.
They crossed the open street toward the back of the first shop and sneaked along the back side of each building. Sam was the first one to the bakery. He moved to a small side entrance, followed closely by Kate and Wire, Remko slowing in order to enter last. Once inside he shut the door and they waited a beat to make sure no one had seen them. Sam peered through the side windowpane to check the street and nodded that it was all clear.
The side entrance brought them into the kitchen at the rear of the shop. The scent of fresh bread filled the air; sweet rolls and plain wheat loaves sat on trays and in lined baskets on the counters, but the kitchen was void of people. Remko knew this section of the city had little foot traffic, which was one of the many reasons they traveled this route. It was unfortunate for the shop owners, though.
A moment later a small, round man entered the kitchen and gave Remko a kind nod. “Upstairs,” the man said, and Remko thanked him before taking the narrow steps to his right. The wood creaked under their feet as the team moved forward and up. A door stood at the top of the stairs and Remko pulled it open.
“Remko,” Seth Hale said.
Remko moved across the room to greet his father-in-law with a grateful hug. Carrington worried about her parents and younger brother constantly, and seeing Seth alive and healthy meant returning with good news.
Pulling back from Seth’s embrace, Remko found himself taken by how much Carrington looked like her father. And how much Elise looked like them both.
Seth cupped his hand at the back of Remko’s neck and studied him for a long moment. “You look well. How are my daughter and that beautiful baby of yours?”
“Good; healthy,” Remko said.
Sorrow filled Seth’s eyes for a moment and he nodded. “Tell Carrington I have been thinking of her more often since Larkin’s . . . just tell her I never stop thinking about her.”
Remko nodded and Seth released him. Remko thought about urging Seth to leave with them, to come and live with them beyond the city walls, but he knew what Seth’s answer would be. Seth would never leave the city without his wife, Vena, and Vena believed Aaron was a heretic.
Even after witnessing the way Isaac Knight, an Authority seat holder, had treated her only daughter, Vena refused to see the Authority for what it really was. It had taken Carrington months to come to terms with the fact that for now she would remain separated from her family. She would have to live with the worry about their safety, knowing the Authority could try to use them as leverage against her.
Remko had watched her let go of the anger she’d held against her mother for so many years. Vena was on her own journey, Carrington explained to Remko; her mother needed to believe that everything she had placed her hope in wasn’t a lie. Vena wasn’t ready to discover the truth, and that was okay. Everything happened when it was supposed to, and Carrington believed that one day she would reconnect with her mother in a place of truth.
So Seth remained inside the city, keeping his wife and son close and helping to lead the charge against the Authority from inside the walls.
The number of Sleeper Seers had grown quickly after Remko and Carrington had fled the city when Aaron started calling people out into the wilderness. Without intending to, Seth had become the head of the Sleeper Seer community and in turn had become a crucial part of the mission.
The shop owner entered the room with a tray of different baked goods and a pitcher of water. He set it on a small table, and Remko noticed the tremor in his hand and the nervous way his eyes kept running over the group. Seth must have noticed the man’s unease also, and he moved to his side. They spoke softly as Sam, Wire, and Kate helped themselves to the food.
The round man gave Seth a shallow smile and left the room without a word. Carrington’s father turned back to the team and met Remko’s gaze.
Nodding, understanding the question in his son-in-law’s eyes, Seth sighed. “People are starting to get very nervous,” he said. “Things are happening in the city that have put them on edge, and they worry that helping and supporting Aaron and his followers will get them killed.”
“But the threat is no different now than it’s always been,” Sam said.
“For some, perhaps,” Seth countered. “Certainly for those of you living outside the city the danger is no greater now than ever. But with Damien Gold in the president’s seat, even loyal citizens face imprisonment and execution simply for being suspected of sympathizing with rebels.”
He paused, and Remko felt a fresh
wave of appreciation and affection for this man who was risking so much for them.
“And actually, we may be facing a new problem,” Seth continued. “It’s mostly rumors and hearsay, but people have been . . . disappearing. Men, women, children even. Vanishing for days, sometimes weeks at a time. Some of them come back; some don’t.”
Remko thought of Mac Tyler and the others who had disappeared from the Seer camp without a trace in recent months, and his unease returned.
“It’s been causing a nervous stir among the people,” Seth went on. “Some say you can tell which ones have been taken because they’re sort of different, changed somehow. Others say those who come back wear a mark.”
“A mark? Like a physical mark?” Sam asked.
Seth shrugged. “I can’t be sure. Most of the things I’ve heard could very well be rumors.”
“That can’t be good,” Kate said.
“Like I said, right now it’s a lot of nervous people talking. But with Damien Gold running the show, anything is possible.”
“Any leads on what is happening to these people or why?” Remko asked.
“Not yet, but I’m working on it. The second I know anything, so will you,” Seth said.
“We need to move, Remko,” Wire said. “I didn’t factor in spending much time here and we have to be conscious of the afternoon patrols outside if we want to get back before dark.”
Remko held Seth’s gaze a moment longer and hated the queasy feeling that was building in his gut. Rumors of people going missing even inside the city set his teeth on edge. He could hear Aaron’s words clear as day: Things are beginning to change inside the city. . . . It will get darker before we see light again.
“Remko,” Sam said softly.
Remko yanked his mind free from its turmoil and nodded.
“The family you are retrieving will be at the fourth meeting point; J. J. has them there now. We tried to get them closer, but they were extremely difficult to transport,” Seth said.
“Why?” Kate asked.
Seth paused and looked a bit worried. “I urge you to hear me out before jumping to conclusions.”
The Calling Page 8