by Jacob Whaler
Hesitation radiates from Zero’s mind.
He’s standing in the cell. His labored breathing fills the darkness. A pile of steel chain drops to the floor. Zero holds one end of it in his fist.
The girl in the cell whimpers and draws away into a corner. Her voice explodes inside Luca.
Please stop him.
Pulse spiking, the next instant, Luca finds herself pulled deeper into Zero’s mind, swimming in a maelstrom of rage and fear.
Images of a small child flow in and out, like the swells of waves hitting the beach, pulling back, hitting again. It’s dark. The child plays outside a decrepit apartment building below a buzzing streetlamp, a cloud of flies floating around it. The child hears screaming inside the apartment and runs through the open door. A man stands with a clenched fist above a woman, staring down. The stench of cheap sake fills the room. The voice of a child, Zero: Don’t do it, Father. Please don’t hurt Mother again.
Luca tries to leave Zero’s mind, but it won’t let go.
The man holds a long object in his hand. A baseball bat. Its silver surface flashes in the light of the streetlamp that enters through a window. The woman is on her knees a few feet away, looking up, begging the man to stop. The bat comes down on her shoulders. She collapses to the floor, barely breathing, trying to scream.
Anger and confusion flood Zero’s mind. His voice echoes in Luca’s mind.
Stop, Father.
The woman raises her hand. The bat comes down again. This time, her body goes still.
The image fades, replaced by waves of emotion from Zero.
Yes. Just like Father.
At last, Luca pulls away Zero’s mind. She’s back in her cell, staring outside at the moonlight. If only she stares long enough, it will all be over. Zero will go away.
The voice of the girl comes again into Luca’s mind.
It’s not like before. Something is broken inside him. Help me. Please.
Luca hears the chain lift from the floor.
And then she understands what she has to do. It’s a trick she learned from Rika. Pulling in a deep breath, she throws herself into Zero’s mind. It isn’t right, what she's about to do. You shouldn’t try to change people’s thoughts. You shouldn’t try to control them. All life should be free. But Zero doesn’t want to hurt this time; he wants to kill. Luca can’t let that happen.
For the first time, she doesn’t just listen. Pushing against the tide of his mind, she repeats a mantra loud enough until her words become Zero’s thoughts.
Not this girl. Go after Luca. She’s the one.
Zero’s hand drops to his side. He turns, opens the door and leaves the cell.
His feet take him to Luca.
The effort leaves her exhausted. She hears him breathing heavily outside in the hall. His fingers find the key, open the lock and swing the door open.
This time Luca doesn’t lie down on the filthy futon. She doesn’t cower in a corner. She doesn’t look away. Rising to her feet, she faces Zero as the door slams shut behind him.
She pulls out of his mind.
It’s as if he wakes up from a trance, eyes blinking, not sure where he is or what to do.
His hand grips the chain. His jaw clenches.
Luca closes her eyes and reaches out for the Voice.
17
HERO COMPLEX
Saved by water, twice.
For fifteen minutes, Jedd lies on the bottom of the pool with the water-breather Ricky slapped on his face, staring up until the fires burn down and darkness returns. Then he slowly rises through the debris floating on the surface to survey the damage. Nothing is left of the Tribe. In fact, nothing remains above the edge of the pool except night sky and swirling smoke.
Peeling the breather from his face, Jedd searches for Ricky. After a few seconds, he finds Ricky crouched in a far corner of the pool. Jedd slips under, swims over and pulls Ricky from the bottom.
There’s no response.
Heart beating out of control, Jedd strips the breather from Ricky’s face and contemplates doing mouth-to-mouth.
“Please, don’t.” Ricky’s eyes slowly slide open. "I’ve had enough excitement for one day.” He pushes away from Jedd and stands up in the water. “I've almost died twice in the last three hours. My house, clothes and possessions are gone. Destroyed. Someone from the City with a lot of firepower is out here in the Fringe, trying to kill us. Can you please tell me what the hell’s going on?”
“Thanks for saving my life,” Jedd says.
“I wish I could say we’re even, but we’re not.” Ricky wipes the greasy water from his face. “You owe me a new jax.”
“New jax?”
“When the Tribe captured us, I made sure my homing-beacon was blasting out a signal, loud and clear, just in case anyone was looking for us.”
“Which they are.” Jedd scans the carnage that lies around them, looking like the remains of a nuclear blast. “Or were."
Wading through the floating remains of the building to the side of the pool, Ricky pulls himself to a sitting position, legs dangling in the water. He takes in a deep breath and slowly lets it out.
“OK. Let’s take a break. Tell me who just destroyed my life,” Ricky says. “Everything I hold dear.”
“Except your best friend.”
“I’ll have to get back to you on that one.” Ricky tightens the towel around his waist. “So who’s trying to kill us, anyway? Genesis Corporation?”
Jedd nods. “Afraid so.”
“Does this have anything to do with your crush on Qaara Kapoor and that snooper you planted on her wall?”
“Afraid so.” Jedd pulls himself up beside Ricky. “I was watching her in her office just before the blast. Mercer was there, talking to her about how the world is coming to an end. Something about a Cloud floating in space that’s going to swallow Earth and destroy us all. Can’t quite remember the details, but it’s heavy stuff."
“Let me guess. Mercer found the snooper. It’s supposed to be untraceable, but he traced it back to you anyway. He knows your name and everything about you. Am I right?”
“Probably.” Jedd shakes his head. “No, definitely. We better get out of here.”
“Where, exactly, are we going?”
“Into the City straight to Genesis Corporation, to get Qaara. She needs our help. Mercer won’t let her go. We have to break her out.”
Ricky’s eyes go wide. “Are you crazy? We’re both naked, with no weapons, no tech, nothing. Powerful people are looking for us. Trying to kill us. Our names and faces may be all over the Mesh by now. The City, especially Genesis, is exactly what we should be running from.”
“And that’s why we’re going there.” Jedd pulls Ricky to his feet. "It’s the last place they’ll look. Let’s go.”
Ricky stares into Jedd’s eyes, silent.
Jedd can feel Ricky sizing up the situation, doing calculations, weighing their chances. Weighing their friendship.
“We’re going to die,” Ricky says.
“Maybe.”
“We don’t owe Qaara Kapoor anything.” Ricky turns away. “Look, I think it’s safe to say you no longer have a job at Genesis Corporation. If they can find you, they also know about me. That means my job’s gone. There’s nothing left for us here. Not with a company like Genesis looking for us. Let’s just lie low for a few days. Call in some favors and stay out of sight until this all just blows over. Deal?”
Jedd shakes his head. “You don’t get it. The world isn’t going to be here in a few days. I heard it from Mercer himself. He knows what's coming. He’s got a secret bunker somewhere to wait it out, and he’s taking Qaara with him.”
“No, you’re the one who doesn’t get it.” Ricky's voice slowly rises in volume. “Mercer is crazy. He’s got some kind of last-man-in-the-world complex, and he’s in love with Qaara Kapoor, just like you. The only difference between him and you is that he’s got the power and resources to kill us.”
“No, Ricky—”<
br />
“Listen to me! It’s time for you to wake up. Stop dreaming about this girl and face reality.” Ricky’s hands go up, and he gazes at the destruction all around them. “This is reality. Look what Mercer did to the Tribe. The old days are gone. Liberty, freedom, equality. Those words have no meaning anymore. It’s all a lie. The world is ruled by the rich and powerful. People like you and me don’t matter. We’re nothing! Just cogs in the machine. It’s a matter of simple evolution. Survival of the fittest. The strong prey upon the weak."
“Ricky, don’t do this. You’re my best friend. You have to believe me.” Jedd grabs Ricky’s shoulders, swings him around and stares squarely into his eyes. “Something terrible is about to happen. In just a few days. I know that’s vague, but it's true. And Qaara needs our help. She understands what’s going on. Maybe she can help us. Or maybe we can help her. Either way, we have to find her.”
Backing away, Ricky shakes his head. “You’ve always had this hero complex. Like you’re someone special. But believe me, Jedd, you're not. You’re just a deranged man living in the Fringe feeding off your own small dreams.”
“I’ve gotten us out of scrapes before—”
“But nothing like this!” Ricky turns his back to Jedd. “I’m done, Jedd. For once I have to think about saving myself.”
“But we’re friends. You and I. We survived the Family together. We’re like brothers. You can’t just—”
“Yes, I can, Jedd. Watch me. I’m just going to walk away. From you. From our friendship. From the train wreck you’ve made of my life. Good luck."
Without a backward glance, Ricky stumbles off through the smoke and disappears, the towel still wrapped around his waist.
Shock boils in Jedd’s veins. How can Ricky leave? Jedd’s fingers curl into fists. For an instant, he contemplates going after his friend. And then, as he surveys the scene of destruction around him, the truth hits home.
In the space of three hours, I’ve destroyed all that Ricky and I have achieved in the last ten years.
With slumped shoulders, he eyes the floating debris choking the pool. A wave of self-pity engulfs him.
And then he thinks of Qaara.
Mercer has her under house arrest inside her own office. He’s going to take her far away. Who knows what Mercer will do to her after that?
And meanwhile, the world is going to end.
Maybe it’s his hero complex kicking in, but Jedd has to go after her. For the first time in a long time, he’s found a real reason to fight and someone to fight for. Chances of success are low, maybe close to zero, but he has to try. For Qaara's sake.
Without thinking, a plan takes shape in his head, pushing back the hopelessness.
First, clothes. No problem. He’ll swing by Ms. Murphy’s place. She’ll be happy to help. Ricky’s probably already there. After that, he’ll empty out his account, close all his Mesh-sites, buy a black market jax and go off-grid. Then he’ll catch a shuttle into the City. Back to Genesis Corporation.
All in the next two hours.
On the way, he’ll come up with the details. Breaking into Genesis isn’t going to be easy.
18
THE NEW QAARA
I have to fight.
This time, it’s for real.
After thinking about it for the last two hours, bouncing back and forth between logic and fear, justice and rage, the conclusion is inescapable. With trembling fingers, Qaara reaches for her jax. Her second one. Black market special. The one that it’s against company policy to have, with zero-footprint access to the Mesh. Mercer won’t have any idea what Qaara is doing until after it’s done, and then he’ll probably order the soldiers outside the door to kill her.
It doesn’t matter. Her mission is clear.
I have to tell the world. It’s the only way.
Bringing the jax closer, she brushes the side with her finger and prepares to post a message on her personal Mesh-site. It will have to include all the materials Mercer loaded on the memory cube. Once the message goes out to the world, there will be mass chaos, revolutions, maybe even war. But people have a right to know. They have a right to a chance for survival.
But something is wrong. As if the Mesh is dead.
Instead, a hologram of Mercer’s head pops above her jax.
“Remember what I said, Qaara. Nothing comes in or goes out. That includes the Mesh. I’ve cut all communications with the outside and thrown an electronic seal around the building. A necessary precaution.”
“I’m not going with you.” Qaara stares through Mercer’s face with his dark shades to gaze at the molecule, the two images flowing together in a strange harmony.
“What do you mean?” Mercer bites into a lemon and chews. “You’ve seen the materials by now. You have the whole picture. You know I’m right. In five days, anyone not taking refuge with me in my compound in Japan will be dead. Is that what you want?”
“All my life, I’ve been told what to do. By men like you. Groomed and trained for the life I live. Like a toy poodle.” Qaara takes in a deep breath. "I’m finished with that. Turning the page. Moving on. For the first time, I’m going to live. I'm going to do what is right regardless of the consequences.”
“And you don’t care that by getting to live, as you say, you’re going to die?”
Qaara focuses on each part of the multicolored molecule floating in the holo machine. “You should have told me sooner. There’s still time to understand this monster. Five days. I’ve worked under shorter deadlines. At least we have to try to figure out how to save everyone, not just the chosen few you’re taking with you.”
“I don’t want to save everyone.”
“I do.”
“You can’t.”
“I can try.”
Mercer takes another bite of the lemon and grimaces. “Don’t make this difficult. I’ve already decided.”
“So have I.” With trembling fingers, Qaara reaches out to the jax.
“You’re making a mistake, Qaara. You know too much for me to let you go. Don’t become my enemy. You know what happens to my enemies."
“And your friends.” Qaara’s beating heart makes it difficult to breathe. “It doesn’t seem to matter.”
“Don’t try to run. You’ll be dead in seconds. Please take time to think carefully—”
“I already have.” Qaara’s finger brushes the jax, and Mercer’s image winks out.
Startled by what she’s done, Qaara falls back into a chair and relishes the moment. For the first time in her life, she said a clear no to a man in a position of power over her.
It feels indescribably delicious. As if a tough outer shell has cracked and fallen away. Like a fragile butterfly, she has emerged, a new person.
But that was the easy part.
She considers her options. Six armed men in combat gear stand outside her door. More are likely on the way. Knowing Mercer, he’ll take her into custody and force her aboard the transport that leaves for Japan in less than five hours. Or kill her.
The conclusion is simple.
She has to leave immediately but not through the door.
What about the climbing wall?
Is it possible? How hard could it be?
With a shrug of her shoulders, the lab coat drops to the floor. She opens a cabinet door and finds her travel bag. Emptying the gym clothes inside that she’s never worn, she moves swiftly and quietly through the office, gathering up slates, spare jaxes, the memory cube from Mercer, some stray energy gels and a container of water.
She tosses it all into the bag.
The strap goes across her chest.
If she’s lucky, Mercer won’t find out until after she’s gone. If she’s not lucky, the men in combat gear on the other side of the wall will break through any second and land a pulse projectile between her eyebrows.
She walks to the climbing wall and presses her palm into the white square. Handholds rise out of the wall’s surface as the harness drops down on a blue cord from the
ceiling. Stepping into the harness, she secures the clasp around her waist and turns to the window.
Like the other windows in the Genesis office tower, this one is made of Graff, the transparent wonder material she developed while an undergraduate at MIT. The source of all her fame. The reason Mercer chose her.
The world thinks Graff is the perfect building material, and it is. The seawall protecting Manhattan is made of it, stronger than steel. But it has one weakness that she discovered a few months ago in the lab, almost by accident, after the world had already started using Graff in major construction projects. Since then, she’s done the only thing reasonable under the circumstances.
She’s kept the weakness secret.
No one else knows that when the material is exposed to a specific low-frequency signal, the molecular bonds that make it invulnerable are severed.
It turns to carbon dust.
It’s never been much of a worry. The low-frequency signal isn’t found in nature and isn’t produced by any man-made equipment. It requires precise tuning and is difficult to reproduce.
If you’re using a jax, you need the right black-market plug-in.
Which, of course, Qaara has.
Looking down, she plays the side of her jax with the fingertips of one hand. A long string of numbers appear in the narrow bluescreen on its side. The secret frequency.
With the other hand, she tightens the strap of the bag across her chest and checks the blue cord clipped to her climbing harness.
Less than the thickness of fishing line, the blue cord is made from woven tungsten nano-fibers. Even though she only needed thirty feet of cord for her climbing wall, on a whim she had the installers put in a standard spool of the stuff, two kilometers long, more than enough to get her to street level in an emergency, should the need ever arise.
But will it work?
She can’t be sure until she tries.
As she lifts herself, heavy footsteps clang outside the door. Fists bang on the wall. There’s no time to think. Only time to act.
Be a fugitive on the run or a prisoner.
Qaara realizes the same choice has been waiting for her since she was a child.