Information Cloud: Science fiction and fantasy series (Tales of Cinnamon City Book 1)

by Peter James West

  'Is Harris looking into this?'

  'No. He isn't. He asked me to deal with it. I'm going to track down the satellite-grid controller from here. It's supposed to be somewhere in Havers Compound. I'm just keeping you in the loop. There could be satellite strikes anywhere in Cinnamon City until I shut down the controller.'

  'Do you think he'll really do that? Is he so sick?'

  'I don't know. I hope not. We should get Lisa out of the city until we know it's safe.'

  'She's already gone. I sent her to my father's house with Annie.'

  'You sent her out of the city already? Did you know about this?'

  'No. I didn't know about the satellite-grid controller, but something isn't right here. That much is obvious. I thought it would be safer to move her out of the populated areas until we know what is going on.'

  'It's good to know she's safe.'

  'Thompson said Trent had taken my father hostage.'

  'Your father? Why would he do that?'

  'Why would he steal a satellite-grid controller?'

  'Maybe he's just playing every angle he can to extort credits from Central Command. Is your father okay?'

  'Do you care if he isn't?'

  'Don't say that, Rachel.' Nick watched his breath steaming in the cool night air as he walked deeper into the forest. Rachel always knew how to pick at his wounds. She talked a lot about her own feelings but she didn't seem to care about how he felt at all.

  'Trent has him down in the Mekinet News building.'

  'He sounds out of control,' Nick said. 'Harris said he was dangerous, maybe even disturbed. Is Thompson really going to listen to his demands?'

  'I don't think so. She doesn't really seem to care. It's like she's just going through the motions. Maybe it's time for someone to face up to Trent. Maybe he's had it his own way for too long.'

  'Is Thompson sending in a team?'

  'No. She pulled everyone out. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with the threat of satellite strikes, or maybe there's some other reason I don't know about. If my father is down there, I have to find him.'

  'You're going after Trent on your own? You can't do that. It's too dangerous.'

  'I'll be okay, Nick'

  'If Trent uses the satellite platform, anything could happen. Nobody will be safe. Don't underestimate him.'

  'If he has my father down there, then I'm the only one who can help.'

  'Just don't do anything stupid. Lisa needs her mother.'

  'That's an awful thing to say.'

  'I just want you to think this through. Take someone with you.'

  'It's not that simple. Thompson doesn't want me doing this. She won't let anyone help me.'

  'I'll tell Harris to send backup.'

  'Don't. If Thompson finds out what I'm doing, she'll have me thrown in the detention cells, and then there won't be anyone to help my father. She will punish anyone who tries to help me. I can't risk that. Don't do anything. This isn't your problem. It's mine. I couldn't save my mother. I was too young to protect her, but I can still help my father.'

  'Thompson doesn't know what you're doing?'

  The comms link clicked off.

  Nick shook his head, staring at the dark shapes of the trees around him. Only Rachel could twist his mind in so many fucking knots.

  Find a Way

  Rachel reached the Business District sooner than she had expected. Her thoughts had kept her company along the way. The rain had eased off for most of her walk but it was raining harder again now. She could see her apartment building on her right as she stood in the shelter of a shop doorway across the street from the Mekinet News building, watching the Security Forces milling around the front entrance.

  Bright spotlights illuminated the street. More lights shone through broken windows into the building's lobby. Soaked by the long downpour, the soldiers looked tired and frustrated as they bundled a lot of angry people into the back of half a dozen Cage Carriers that were parked outside. The street was covered with unusual debris, including lost jackets and shoes. It looked like there had been plenty of disturbances here already.

  Rachel realised that if she tried to enter the building now, the Security Forces would question her, asking for authorisation. When they realised that she didn't have any valid orders to enter the building, they would refuse to let her in. They might even arrest her if Thompson had put the word out. She couldn't allow that.

  She wanted to tell somebody about Thompson's connection with the man called Roy, but she couldn't think of anyone who would listen to her. Nick was probably the only one who would listen to her thoughts without asking her how she knew such things, but he was far away at Havers Compound, fighting the Kamari without her. If it hadn't have been for Thompson's foolish orders, Rachel could have been with him now. But her father needed her. Trent had taken him hostage, according to Thompson. Sometimes Rachel just wished she could live a normal life like everyone else.

  Not all dreams come true.

  That was what her mother had once said when she was just a little girl. They were harsh words for any child to hear. They had filled her life with self doubt and fear. Maybe there wasn't going to be a happy ending this time. Shaking the thought from her head, she focussed on the task in hand.

  It didn't look like she could use her rank to gain access to the building. Thompson would already have put a stop to that. She was going to have to find a different way. Rachel examined the surrounding buildings. There were no overhanging walkways that she could use to cross from one building to another. There were no fire escapes that she use to could climb to a higher level. She couldn't see any trap doors around the perimeter of the building either. The only entrance she could see was the one that led from the street into the building's lobby. It wasn't exactly ideal.

  Thompson had told her that Riser Trent was holding her father hostage in the underground levels of the building. Rachel wished she had taken the time to check for schematics of the Mekinet News building before she had left Tower Four, but there hadn't been time for anything like that. She would have to manage with what little she already knew.

  The rain was falling heavier than ever. Rachel had never seen it so bad beneath the Dome Shield. The weather was normally regulated. Something had gone very wrong somewhere. Thunder rumbled in the distance, filling the night with a sense of foreboding. Nobody was going to help her. She would have to do this on her own.

  The perimeter of the Mekinet News building was extensive. It took Rachel several minutes to walk all the way around the building. It took even longer than usual because she had to be careful to remain out of sight. After checking every possible entrance, the best possible entry point that she could find was a fire exit at the back of the building. Even that was guarded by three soldiers who were huddled close together, sharing a cigarette. The dark night made it easy for them to blend into the shadows.

  Rachel rubbed her cold hands together for warmth as she leant against a wall on the opposite side of the street, making sure to stay out of sight. The soldiers were talking quietly amongst themselves, staying close to the door to take advantage of the shelter provided by a thin stone ledge that jutted out from the wall above. Rachel slipped her hand inside her combat jacket. She didn't want to hurt them. They hadn't done anything wrong, but she had to get inside the building somehow. Talking her way in didn't seem like a viable option. There was too much at stake to risk being caught now.

  Ducking behind the wall, she tossed a stun grenade at the soldiers' feet. Brief shouts preceded a loud bang, and windows shattered above, sending a hail of glass crashing down across the street. Rachel held her hands tight over her ears but the sound of the stun grenade was still painful. A ringing noise echoed through her mind as she leapt out from behind the wall and ran across the street. The soldiers were lying unconscious on the ground. She hoped she hadn't hurt them more than necessary.

  Slamming into the fire door with her shoulder, she shattered its frame inwards and tumbled inside.
She knew the noise would soon attract other soldiers so she wasted no time. Turning on a flash light, she pointed it into the building's dark interior. Pieces of wood and glass lay scattered across the floor. She pulled out her impact pistol and ran inside.

  + + +

  Raisson stepped out from the shadow of a doorway across the street. His eyes blinked slowly as he combed his scented black hair into a tight, neat cap. His fine black tailored suit was worth more than most shuttle cars. It repelled the rain as he walked with a confident stride that was both stylish and inappropriate for a such a dark, wet night. When he saw the Security Forces lying on the ground, he nodded his head in approval, and after checking that nobody was watching him, he stepped into the Mekinet News building, disappearing into the shadows inside.

  Sunshine in the Night

  Lisa sat in the back of the shuttle, curled up under Annie's arm. She was sleeping again. Annie wished she could do the same. Rachel hadn't wanted to talk about what was going on, but something was obviously not right at the Mekinet News building. Annie wondered whether Rachel was in some kind of trouble again. She didn't know for sure, but she couldn't help worrying.

  Annie feared what would happen if Rachel got herself killed. Her job was dangerous at the best of times, but there was something different about this time. Something was very wrong. She had seen it in Rachel's eyes. Why had she avoided the other Security Forces outside the Mekinet News building? Why hadn't she just asked them for help? Annie could understand why Rachel didn't want to talk about it in front of Lisa, but she sensed that there was another layer to the situation that she hadn't quite grasped. It wasn't just Lisa that Rachel was afraid of frightening, it was Annie too. It all served to make her worry even more.

  Annie gazed out of the shuttle windows. Rows of small green lights hugged the sides of Solomans Road as the shuttle sped onwards, searching for the turn off to Mr Neech's house. The dashboard beeped occasionally, overlaying blue status messages across the windscreen, but Annie took little notice. She didn't know how to drive and she didn't think the messages were very important. Her thoughts were elsewhere today.

  The traffic was light at this time of night, but several Rotohawk trucks sped past them and raced ahead. Annie wondered what they might be racing towards.

  Lisa stirred in her arms, awoken by the sound of heavy wheels and roaring engines. She looked up at Annie with enquiring eyes.

  'It's nothing to worry about, honey. Go back to sleep. It's just the Security Forces overtaking us. They've gone now.'

  Lisa sat upright, peering through the front windscreen as she watched the Rotohawks disappearing over the hill. As the shuttle reached the crest of the hill, an orange glow filled the sky.

  'Look, Annie! Sunshine in the night.'

  Annie wondered what Lisa was talking about. She stared at the orange glow, detecting a hint of smoke coming through the air conditioning unit. Suddenly it dawned on her what she was looking at.

  'Oh, dear God,' she said. 'It can't be.' The tears came unbidden, streaming down her cheeks despite her best attempts to hide them.

  'Nanna?'

  'I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't worry you so,' Annie rubbed at her eyes but she couldn't help herself.

  Yellow flames licked the night sky, climbing higher by the second, and thick black smoke drifted across the nearby fields. Mr Neech's house was a mass of flames on the horizon.

  Annie cried. She didn't know what else to do. Lisa didn't understand, but she started crying too.

  'Nanna? Why are you crying?'

  'I'm sorry. Oh God I'm sorry.'

  Lisa hid her face in Annie's lap.

  Recovered Property

  Tall trees surrounded the Kamari leaders on all sides. Occasionally leaves tumbled from the thick canopy overhead, caught by a stiff breeze, and carried on the wind before joining the soft mulch beneath their feet. It was still dark in the forest. They could only see a few metres with the thin hand torches that they angled towards the ground in front of them.

  A breathless soldier ran towards them, coming to a sudden halt before them. Sweat covered his face and forehead. 'We have it, Roy!'

  'The controller?' Isor said, folding his arms.

  'Yes, We used its tracer beacon to pinpoint its location, then we shot the net-feed droids that were carrying it. There were only two of them.'

  'Finally,' Roy said, rubbing his hands together to ward off the cool night air. 'Where is it now?'

  The soldier stared at him from a thin face that hadn't been blessed by time. A deep scar ran down one side of his forehead, ending just above his right eye. 'We have it under guard,' he said, 'a little way to the North.'

  'Take it through the portal,' Isor said. 'Do it now.'

  The soldier stood catching his breath, and then nodded. Turning, he ran back the way he had come.

  'Give the signal,' Roy said. 'We're pulling out.'

  Jacob was standing behind him, unusually silent. He pulled a hand-held device from his pocket, and tapped a series of commands into its tiny keypad.

  A short distance ahead of them, the air wobbled and split down the middle, revealing a blue pulsating bubble inside. The bubble flickered as it grew larger, and a tall woman appeared inside it. Her outline was fuzzy at first but it soon stabilised as she walked towards them.

  Roy recognised her as one of the Gatekeepers. Her name was Astram. Her straight, red hair hung half way down her back in a tight braid and her eyes sparkled in the blue light of the portal. She wore a stern expression that seemed at odds with the way her tight uniform fit snugly around her curvaceous hips. She stared at Jacob with intense, piercing blue eyes before nodding to Roy in greeting.

  Isor opened his mouth to speak but the woman gestured for them all to step back. When they had moved far enough away from the portal, she squeezed a small device that hung around her neck and the blue vortex turned red, throbbing once, twice, and then expanding suddenly, showering the forest in a rich crimson light. A group of Kamari soldiers appeared from the trees nearby, taking one look at the monstrous portal before running back in the direction they had come. Roy frowned in their direction. He would have words with them later.

  The portal shimmered, a massive metal leg appearing from its centre. The leg was quickly followed by another, and then came the bloated abdomen and a monstrous head of the Walker droid. It had bent double to walk through the portal, but when it straightened its back, it stood half again the height of the surrounding trees. Its huge armoured head swung 180 degrees as it scanned the forest for any signs of hostiles.

  'Now we go through,' Astram said, her freckles standing proud from her toned cheeks. The portal shrank as she spoke, fading from its crimson hue to the shimmering blue once more.

  Roy, Jacob and Isor followed her towards the portal. Roy let his sons go ahead while he watched a steady stream of Kamari soldiers march out of the forest, entering the portal behind them. Their steps were more hesitant but they did as they were told.

  More portals opened up beside the first as Astram closed her eyes in concentration. It wasn't long before a row of seven blue portals shimmered in the darkness. With the huge Walker standing guard above them, the Kamari soldiers now approached from all sides. Some stared up at the Walker, while others gazed down at the floor, but they all made their way through the portals in silence.

  Roy nodded, satisfied that the Gatekeeper had everything in hand. As he stepped into the shimmering light, he knew he was walking into another place entirely.

  Meet the Walker

  Nick had been in the forest for a little over half an hour. During that time, he had heard many soldiers passing by in different directions. Some had been members of the Security Forces, and some had been Kamari soldiers. He had been trying his best to stay out of the firing line of both sides. He doubted anyone would recognise him in the darkness, and he had no intention of turning on his signature broadcast signal. He had no doubt that the Kamari would detect such a signal just as easily as his allies. They wouldn
't be able to decrypt his identity, but they could use the signal to track his location, which would be enough to target him.

  Nick chewed a piece of gum as he followed a small group of Kamari soldiers at a distance. He wondered where they would lead him. It was difficult to stay out of sight with so many soldiers in the forest. At times, the night was almost silent, but every few minutes he was disorientated by odd crackling sounds all around him. He hadn't been able to make out what was causing the noises but he had seen an odd red light in the distance a while back.

  Nick struggled through a thicket and then stumbled into a clearing, staring up at the monstrosity that now stood before him. 'Fuck, no.'

  He had heard of such things but he had never expected to see one so close up. The Walker towered above him like a half-built skyscraper with a bad attitude. Its bulbous silver head was home to so many weapons that Nick couldn't even count them.

  'This can't be happening,' he said.

  A moment ago there had been nothing there. Sure, his mind had wandered a little, but how could such a massive droid just appear from nowhere like that? Nick reached for his impact pistol but he knew it would be useless against such a formidable opponent.

  Behind the Walker, small blue lights flickered in the darkness. The lights reminded Nick of the floating air balls that he had seen at Havers Compound. He was left with no doubt that they were portals when a dozen Kamari soldiers stepped into them and blinked out of existence.

  The Walker was standing over the portals as though protecting them. Nick considered his options. He didn't have many. He turned suddenly, when he heard something behind him, and saw a group of Security Forces running out between nearby trees. They stumbled to a halt when they saw him. Nick recognised Major Fredericks with another two crewmen from Rachel's Croc. Mason and Bennet looked as though they had been running through mud all day. Fredericks didn't look much better. They were clearly all exhausted. They acknowledged Nick with a short glance before staring up at the Walker with wide eyes.