The Breaking Light (Split City Book 1)

by Heather Hansen

  “Get me loose,” Mariah screamed from behind her.

  Arden nodded.

  Uri had the magnet clips. He’d taken a left two buildings back. Arden corrected her route to intercept his speeder, running hers right beside his.

  Mariah waved her cuffed hands, trying to get his attention.

  Uri withdrew the clips, tossing them into the air, before he hit the brakes so that he could pull their tail off, allowing them time to get situated.

  Arden caught the magnet clips, handing them back to Mariah. She pulled up to a higher Level, separating from Uri. Two govies followed her. They flew higher. Arden’s ears hurt with the change in pressure. She could feel the hum of the plasma net in the air, a silent warning to steer clear.

  She dodged another speeder, correcting in time. The other speeder continued past her, hitting the side of a building and exploding. Using her phaser on another, she shot it out from beneath the driver. The debris exploded and rained down on the Levels below.

  Uri flew back into her sight, tailed by three govies. She lowered her trajectory, heading down fast to intercept them. Colin and Niall were nowhere to be seen, probably taking the rest of the govies with them. Which meant that between her and Uri, they had only the three govies left.

  She saw the shimmer of the catch-net directly in front of Uri, a film draped across the sky to stop runners. Catch-nets were near invisible, only giving off a slight reflection, like water on glass, and they would knock drivers out, stunning them.

  Uri headed straight for the net. Oblivious to the danger.

  How the govies managed to put one out so quickly was anyone’s guess.

  There was no way she could scream loud enough or otherwise get his attention to veer out of the way. She pushed her speeder to the max, lowering herself over it. The machine whined beneath her.

  She wasn’t going to make it.

  Uri hit the catch-net with a spark of colors. The speeder passed through the film, as it was designed, the netting disintegrating and falling away. Then Uri’s speeder began to circle in wide arcs, like a top finishing its spins, while he slumped over the handlebars.

  Two govies had followed him through, their speeders also chaotically spinning out.

  Mariah threw off her electro-cuffs with a scream. “Get me close.”

  Arden handed back her phaser, so that Mariah could shoot the final govie behind them while Arden focused on getting them close enough to Uri without his erratic speeder taking them out for their trouble.

  Mariah stood up in her stirrups, using her thigh muscles to keep her on board, while both hands held the phaser steady. She roared as she shot, taking out both the govie and his speeder in a volley of phase-fire.

  “This is as close as I can get,” Arden screamed over the loud whooshing of air.

  “Get me another foot closer.”

  Arden did as she was told, swerving at the last second to avoid the back end of Uri’s speeder as it came around, almost hitting them.

  But Mariah was already jumping across the space, thousands of feet in the air, landing across Uri’s slumped body. She crouched over him, her hands on the controls and her feet on the pedals.

  “Go,” she screamed, and sped off. Looking crazy with her hair tangled, face splotched with bruises, and wild eyes.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Dade couldn’t look away from the footage.

  News of the prisoner escape was all over the visicast, the coverage simultaneously projected in every room of the apartment, so that he couldn’t go anywhere in the house without hearing the repeated drama of what had taken place that afternoon. Speeders had crashed into buildings, several city blocks were without power, and multiple families were now without homes because of the destruction. Yet he watched it all with his heart in his throat, hoping for Arden’s escape.

  Dade studied the footage again. He was sure the rider who’d grabbed the rescued girl and hoisted her onto the speeder was Arden. Watching it on replay to make him positive of it. He’d seen that speeder disappear from view, so she wasn’t dead. At least he hoped.

  “The group is still at large,” the visicaster said, staring intently into the camera. The feed then cut away, flashing a picture of the girl’s face, the one who’d been detained. “If anyone has seen this girl, they’re asked to contact authorities immediately.

  “While it has not been confirmed, we have received information that this crime may have been linked to the infamous Lasair gang.”

  Of course the govies wouldn’t confirm it. It had been a demoralizing loss for them. They couldn’t be happy with their defeat plastered on halo-screens for everyone to see. They also didn’t want the public to know the Levels were vulnerable and that some of the Undercity gangs could move freely. The Lasair members were supposed to stay locked below. It made everyone feel safer.

  On-screen, the visicaster continued to speculate how this could signal the start of a war between Lasair and the govies. That didn’t concern Dade, though. The war was coming regardless.

  The more pressing issue was that this attack against the govies had escalated the tension in the Sky Towers. It had been rising steadily ever since Arden had broken in, and then Dade hadn’t helped his cause by almost getting caught at the refinery. He’d still managed to sneak in and out occasionally. Now, though, everything was on lockdown. The number of guards had been tripled, and everyone coming or going was scrutinized, their implanted data sensors double-checked.

  He could probably figure out a way to make it out of his Tower without detection, but he wondered if it would be worth it. He’d already had to stop his Ghost activities. He felt guilty for leaving the children without VitD and hoped they’d have enough of a supply to last until he was back on his regular rounds. He couldn’t risk being caught. It would end his efforts completely. There was nothing to do but sit and stew while watching the continuous news loop.

  His datapad pinged.

  Dade sighed, knowing exactly who it would be before he clicked the message center open. The ziptext didn’t fail to disappoint. His father had been locked up with Chief Nakomzer all morning, and now it seemed he was about to turn his attention on Dade.

  He slipped his datapad into his pocket, trying not to feel concerned about their upcoming talk. They hadn’t spoken in a few days. Every time his dad went that long focused on something else, when he finally did remember that Dade existed, it was because of something big. And since there had been several “big” things to choose from in the last week, Dade expected the worst.

  His father’s office was located inside Sky Tower Two, in a different wing than the family’s apartment. So while Dade didn’t have to leave the building, there was still a fair distance to travel.

  Chief Nakomzer had just stepped out of his father’s office when Dade arrived. Nakomzer’s face was red and wore a thunderous frown. Dade stepped to the side, allowing the chief and the two guards who flanked him to pass.

  That meeting had obviously not gone well. Which didn’t help to alleviate Dade’s growing tension. He nodded to the guard outside of the office before he walked into the room.

  Hernim Croix sat behind his desk. Constructed from indigenous stone and polished to a glass-like shine, it was a massive structure that didn’t diminish the man in the least. He looked up as soon as Dade entered, pressing the button to close the door. He then indicated that Dade should take one of the chairs across from him. The wide-view screen on the wall projected a muted visicast. Visual images of the escape looped across the hologram.

  Dade forced his gaze to stay on his father.

  Hernim folded his hands together, his fingers loosely intertwined, and set his elbows on the desk. He appeared relaxed, inviting even. He leaned forward with his shoulders, creating an illusion of intimacy. “You’ve been busy.”

  The words short-circuited Dade’s brain as warnings blared in his head. Even though he’d known an interrogation was coming, it had always been difficult to maintain an aloof appearance with his fat
her. Yet he hadn’t actually been caught, so he didn’t think this was a fishing expedition about the refinery break-in.

  “How so?” It made Dade happy that his words came out calm and confident with a hint of surprise, exactly as he’d wanted.

  “I haven’t seen you in the last few weeks. What have you been doing?”

  Dade shrugged. He refused to offer any sort of excuse that could be picked apart for lies. Instead, he waited it out. If his father had any evidence, he’d have been crucified already.

  The seconds ticked by, Dade’s muscles tightening as each one passed. He struggled to keep his spine straight and not drop his gaze. The waiting seemed like an eternity. This was a longer pause than most, yet no accusation came. His father didn’t blink, didn’t present so much as a lie or a rumor.

  His father had to know something. Maybe he couldn’t prove it, but he had a strong suspicion. It was in his every movement. The way he spoke. The way he squinted his eyes as he studied Dade, as if waiting for Dade to trip up.

  “It’s time to stop hanging out with your friends and focus on something productive,” Hernim said, surprising Dade.

  “I have been productive, sir. I’ve worked at the factory and go to social functions whenever I’m required.”

  “At the factory,” Hernim repeated with a grunt, his eyes narrowing. “Rylick confirmed you’ve been there. Still, it’s time to get serious about your place here.”

  “I’m always serious.”

  Hernim began to tap a pen slowly against the desk. Tick-tick-tick. Then he allowed the silence to descend again—his father’s favorite tactic. “We need to move into the next stage of our operation. Unfortunately, the govies haven’t been able to keep up their end of the deal. That means we need to make alternative plans. We must all do our part, and that includes you.”

  Dade felt the noose tighten.

  “I’ve given a lot of thought to your marriage.”

  Dade nodded slowly, struggling against the choking sensation closing his throat.

  “I had thought that we’d give you a few months to settle into your engagement. But the events of the past day have moved up my timeline.” There was cool determination in his father’s look.

  “What do you mean?”

  “The Hemstock family requires a binding commitment before they are willing to stand with us on other issues.” His father paused his pen tapping to make his next words count. “The govies are leaning on us now too, and Nakomzer is trying to distance himself. We’re on our own, as it were.”

  Dade’s throat was dry when he asked, “When is the wedding?”

  “One week.”

  “Father, no.” He managed to get the protest past his dry lips. His throat worked steadily as he tried to swallow.

  “It’s for the best. You were going to marry her eventually anyway.” His father’s voice had taken on a harsh quality. Then his eyes narrowed, and his nostrils flared. “I want the trouble you’re causing to end now.”

  “I haven’t done anything.”

  His father looked at Dade as if he could twist him from inside out. “You’ve been ditching your guard plenty. And don’t think I’m unaware of your trips into the Levels. Care to tell me what those are about?”

  Dade wasn’t able to meet his father’s gaze. “No.”

  Hernim snorted. “From now until your wedding, you’re on lockdown. The only time you’re to be out of the Tower is when your fiancée requests you accompany her or when you’re on family business, as we must keep up appearances. I won’t let this thing spin more out of control than it already has.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  His father raised an eyebrow. “I just did.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Arden waited with her back against the wall. Her phaser drawn, the muzzle tipped toward the empty hall with both hands clasping the grip. She watched the exits while Colin worked his ninja magic on the door lock with his datapad and decryption program. They’d made it into the pharmaceutical plant without incident, bypassing the guards outside while wearing docking uniforms to avoid tipping off the monitors. They were now on the Level below the labs, where the merchandise was exported.

  The job was humming along as normal. Get in, get the drugs, and get out. No big deal. Sneaking through security had been tough. Worse than any other job she could remember. On the weekend, there should have been fewer bodies on-site, not four times the normal number. Maybe Dade had been right that something even more sinister was in the works.

  It didn’t feel right.

  She tapped her foot and played with the safety on her phaser.

  Off.

  On.

  Off.

  “Stop it,” Colin hissed. He looked away from his datapad where it connected to the electric lock, running its number sequence.

  Arden’s attention snapped back to the present. “What?”

  “I’m going to lose my mind if you click that safety one more time.”

  She glanced down at her hand where her thumb rested over the safety. It took her a moment to realize what she’d been doing. She gave Colin a guilty grin. “Sorry.”

  “I’ve never seen you so nervous.”

  “Maybe because we’re stupid to be here. Did you fail to notice the tightened security? They know something.” She didn’t add any of the other zillion reasons that crowded her head. “Plus, I can’t shake this feeling.”

  “Of what?”

  Her hands flexed and grabbed at her phaser. She pushed in and out a few breaths. “The weirdness. I don’t know how to explain it. Like this foreboding sense of doom.”

  “You and your premonitions.”

  Arden released a shaky laugh, bordering on hysterical. “They’re not wrong.”

  “Fine.” Colin went back to the datapad. “But I can’t help but think you’re making it come true. Focus and we’ll be okay.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  Colin gave her his full attention. “If you think we should call it off, say so now.”

  It was nice that Colin was so calm. It helped her focus. She shifted her thumb away from the safety and thought about the implications if she did follow through with her reaction to this crazy feeling and it ended up being all in her head. Colin was right: they’d be okay. She just needed to get a grip. “Nah. We’re low on VitD. If we don’t get new supplies to make more Shine, Niall will have even more reason to go forward with Project Blackout.” If she could buy a bit of time on that end, she could maybe figure out a way to keep her promise to Dade that she wouldn’t harm his family.

  Colin’s datapad beeped. The light on the wall entry pad switched from red to green, and the door slid open.

  “Easy,” Colin said as he unclipped his pad.

  Arden waited for Colin to put away the datapad. He took out his phaser, nodding that he was ready. Together they entered, moving through the room on opposite sides, checking for people. One side of the room held packaging stations, along with several assembly tables and conveyor lines. All turned off and dark, their metal racks shiny and new. The other half of the room near the bay doors consisted of shelving areas stacked with boxes of merchandise.

  Once they made sure no one was there, Arden signaled to Colin. He nodded and opened the large bay doors that exited onto the loading dock.

  Colin had placed the cameras on a twenty-second delay prior to entering the room. Arden rolled a silencer to jam any additional systems. Not as effective as breaking into the monitors and taking them over. But they didn’t have the manpower to do that for this job.

  Arden sighed. Yet another item to add to her growing list of failures on this mission.

  Colin disengaged the bay doors. They slid upward, allowing Niall and Uri to back a stolen hovervan into the loading dock. It was used for deliveries, painted on the side with brown block letters that read “Croix Industries.” Once out of the compound, they would park it in one of the abandoned metal yards and transfer the packages into less-trackable vehicles.


  Uri came around to open the back of the van while Niall exited the driver’s side. Then Colin, Niall, and Uri headed for the plain synth-board boxes with the Croix Industries pharmaceutical label, awaiting shipment out the next morning. Niall opened one box to make sure it contained VitD. Once that was confirmed, the guys began to load, working in silence. Every second counted, and they worked seamlessly together.

  Arden took up her position as lookout near the entry doors. She stood, her body loose, but her mind wandered. How could she make a life with Dade when they would always be on opposite sides of the divide? Always stealing from each other. Trying to kill one another. How could there ever be anything between them? He’d said they’d work it out, and now she felt guilty on every run she made, both for betraying him and also for betraying her family.

  “I expected you earlier,” a voice said.

  She felt the metal of the phaser tip against her temple as strong arms moved to surround her chest and pull her back, making her heart jump-start and the adrenaline run through her. She’d had one job, and she’d messed it up. This just proved it: her obsession with Dade was going to get them all killed.

  Arden moved her head slightly to the side in an effort to look at her captor.

  The boy wasn’t that much taller than she was. He wore the same grin she’d seen in all the news-vids, his shaggy dark hair pointing every which way. She may not have ever met him in person, but she knew him. She was positive this was Rylick, Dade’s first cousin.

  Wasn’t that just perfect?

  She looked to her own cousin. Colin kept his body loose, his hand near the phaser at his side. Not quite reaching, not wanting to cause Rylick to react, while watching for an opening to move. He sent Arden a desperate look.

  She blinked, and frowned. Trying to reassure him, but accepting that it was her fault. Not wanting him to make a move that would get him shot.