Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2)

by Chris Yee

  The man shook his head. “Sorry, no can do. Mr. Greene’s orders are to lock you up, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  Alan’s head twisted back. “Ella! Rupert! Say something.”

  They looked at each other and shrugged. There was nothing they could do to help, and they both knew it. They did not have the time or the resources to attempt such a rescue. Charging into Simon’s base would certainly get them killed, but going along with these men would get them one step closer to Fred. Rupert shook his head at Alan and continued down the hall with no resistance.

  Alan glanced back with amazement and lowered his head. “This is crap,” he said.

  “Crap indeed,” the man said. “You better get used to the smell. Where you’re going, it’s a pretty crappy place.”

  After twists and turns through the maze of hallways, they came to the same metal door. The man held his face up to the scanner, and the door slid open.

  They walked through the threshold and entered the cell room. It was just as wide and expansive as they remembered. The sunlight shined bright through the glass ceiling, lighting the catwalks. As they passed each cell, they saw men and women huddled away in the corners. The man pushed Alan with his gun. “Come on, move it. This floor is for test subjects only. You’re going down to the lower levels.”

  They reached the stairs and made their way down. Their shoes clanged upon metal with each step, and with each floor they passed, they saw the health of the people deteriorate. The light grew dimmer as the glass ceiling grew farther away. Rupert looked around as they neared the lower levels. The cells no longer held people, but animals. Is this where Fred was locked up? They passed another two levels and reached a sign. Lower Levels. Proceed with Caution: Prisoners are Dangerous.

  The hisses and shrieks of wild animals quickly transformed into cackles and threats from prisoners. The sunlight was so faint now they could barely see at all. The guards pulled out their portable lights and clicked them on. They glowed a soft hum of artificial light. Alan took another step down the stairs, but the man stopped him. “Hold on, buddy. You’re not going that far down. Only Simon’s men go down there. You’re on this floor.”

  Alan looked at the number displayed on the wall, 130. Had they really walked nineteen levels? The men escorted them along the catwalk until they reached three empty cells.

  The man opened the door and wave at Alan to move. “Get in.”

  Alan looked at the others and shrugged. They had no choice. He entered the cell and the man locked the metal bars behind him. Once they were all locked up, the man nodded his head. “Enjoy it down here. You’re not going to see much else for a while.” He tapped the metal with the tip of his gun and then walked away. The other five men followed.

  When they were gone, Alan called out to Rupert’s cell. “Now what? We’re locked in. We can’t help Fred from a cell.”

  “There must be a way out,” Ella called.

  “Why would there be? This is the Spire, remember? They have top of the line technology. Why would their prison be anything less than stat- of-the-art?”

  “Even the best have their flaws,” Rupert said. “I don’t know how yet, but we’ll get out.”

  Alan moved to the back of his cell and sat against the wall. “If you say so.”

  THIRTY-THREE

  VINCE SAT AT one end of the room, with his back against the wall. Saul sat across from him. After having examined the chamber, they realized there was no breaking out. The walls and floor were made of thick concrete, and the only door was hefty, with three guards patrolling the other side.

  The metal door creaked open, grabbing their attention. Simon entered the room and looked at them sitting against the walls. “Huh, you got loose of your bounds. No matter. You’re still here. That’s all that matters.”

  They both stared back at him.

  “No final words? Most people curse me out before they’re executed. They call me a monster, but I guess that’s up to you. It makes things easier for me.”

  Four other men walked in behind him and grabbed them, lifting them up from the ground. They dragged them out of the room and through a series of tight corridors. Simon followed behind. They entered an open courtyard, the one where the rally was held. The men dragged them up on stage. Two nooses dangled at the center, raised up on two platforms. The huge crowd of people booed and hissed as they crossed the stage, shouting obscenities and throwing trash.

  When Simon stepped up behind them, the crowd switched to a loud uproar of cheers. He waved and smiled. “Okay calm down. We’ll get to these two in a moment. I know you’re all eager, but I ask for you to be patient. I promise, they’ll get what they deserve, but first I would like to say a few words.”

  Before he could continue, the giant screen above the stage cut to static. Simon gritted his teeth. “Christ, not again.”

  When the picture came back, it showed Greene’s office, but it was not Greene in front of the camera. It was a woman. She glanced nervously behind her back and then turned to face the camera. She spoke quickly and with purpose. “Attention people of the City. My name is Charlotte Marble. I am an employee in the Spire. I have been instructed by Victor Greene to address you on his behalf.” She checked behind her back again. “As you know, not too long ago we were visited by Vince Vigo and Saul Shepherd. They were welcomed by Greene, and embraced by all of you wonderful people. We called them the Heroes of the Spire. I am their monitor agent, and I have watched them since the beginning of their journey. I know things about them that no one else knows. I am ready to share what I know because it’s very important.

  “Vince and Saul are not here for the reasons they say. They do not admire Mr. Greene, and they are not here to thank him. They are here to kill him. These so called heroes are traitors. They killed Mr. Greene’s most trusted man, and now they’re coming for Mr. Greene himself.”

  The screen cut to footage of Vince shooting Barnabus in the cave, and then back to Charlotte.

  “These are the men you idolize. They are a danger to the Spire and a danger to Mr. Greene. We have exposed them for who they truly are, but they have escaped and are currently on the run.” Voices came from behind her. She looked around in a panic and whipped her head back to the camera. “If you see them, they must be stopped. They must be killed. Do it for the Spire.”

  The picture cut out, and then back to the stage. Simon stared at the screen, jaw open, with nothing to say. He looked at the crowd, who stared back at him, waiting for him to speak. He grabbed Vince and Saul and pulled them off stage. “Come with me.” He dragged them away from the camera and turned off his microphone. His four guards watched from a distance. “What the hell was that?”

  Vince shrugged. “It’s true. Every word she said. Just like we told you before, we’re here to kill Greene. But you already knew that.”

  “Then why haven’t you done it yet? Why have you been hanging out in the Spire and sneaking around my base? I saw you shake hands with the man. If you hate him so much, why is he still alive?”

  “We had no choice,” Saul said. “They captured us after the rally and forced us to work with them. He would have killed us if we tried anything.”

  “Because you don’t have the guts,” Simon said. “So now what am I supposed to do? I can’t kill you. That’s exactly what Greene wants.”

  “We can help you,” Vince said. “Just like we agreed on before. We need your help as well. Our friends are still in the Spire. We need to break them out.”

  “And we still want to kill Greene,” Saul added.

  “Yeah?” Simon said. “How are you going to help us? We’ve already breached the second wall. We’re doing just fine without you.”

  “We’ve been inside,” Vince said. “We’ve seen how they operate and we know their weaknesses. You broke through the second wall, but the same plan’s not going to work twice. We can help you form a new strategy.”

  Simon stared at them, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “Fine, but if we do th
is, we must convince them it was all planned. I sent you to the Spire to spy on them. If those people believe for one second that I’m working with the enemy, they’ll be outraged. They’re a wild crowd. You saw how they reacted last time.”

  “We don’t want that again,” Saul said. “That’s for sure.”

  “For now, we are allies,” Simon continued, “but once all of this is done, you go your own way. Do you understand?”

  Vince nodded. “That’s reasonable.”

  Saul nodded as well.

  “Good. My men will escort you back to your room. I’ll break up this crowd, and then we have some planning to do.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  CHARLOTTE LOOKED AROUND in a panic and whipped her head back to the camera. “If you see them, they must be stopped. They must be killed. Do it for the Spire.”

  She hit the button to end the broadcast and jumped up to leave as quickly as possible. As she reached the door, it slid open, and Greene walked in. He shot an accusing glare. “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing,” she said, startled and by his imposing figure. “Just watching the news. Vince and Saul’s execution is on.”

  “Cut the crap. I know you sent out a broadcast.” He looked at the television to see Simon step on stage. Greene signaled to his guards. “Make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.” He sat in his chair and watched the screen.

  Simon stepped over to the middle of the stage. “I apologize for that little hiccup. I’m afraid our plans have changed. I am ready to reveal something very important.” He cleared his throat. “You see, Vince and Saul have been working for the Crowns. I sent them to the Spire as part of a mission. Their cover was only known to me. I wanted to keep it secret. So we put together this mock execution and planned for them to escape, upon which they would return to the Spire. However, it appears that their cover is blown. It is clear from that lady’s broadcast that Greene has figured it out. It is unfortunate. They have been of great help sneaking around in the Spire for me. But now, no more secrecy. I will work closely with them to tear down Greene once and for all!”

  Greene turned to Charlotte. “Nothing, huh? That sure seems like something to me.”

  “I—”

  “Don’t speak to me. Not a single word. You’ve committed treason. I hope it was worth it. You could have sat back and watched Vince and Saul die. Your assignment would be over and you’d be set for the rest of your life. I would have taken care of you like I take care of all my loyal employees, but now you’ve condemned yourself to a life in the cell room, rotting behind bars.”

  “I—”

  “What did I say about speaking? Not a single word.” He signaled to his guards. “Get her out of here. I’ve looked at this filth for long enough.”

  They dragged her out as Greene turned back to the screen. He flipped through the news, listening to reports of Charlotte’s broadcast.

  Breaking news! Just moments ago a broadcast was sent from the Spire. A lady, claiming to be Vincent Vigo and Saul Shepherd’s monitor agent, proclaimed them as traitors, not heroes. Following the broadcast, Simon Hedcrown, leader of the notorious group known as the Crowns, confirmed that he is working closely with these two individuals to take down Victor Greene. People are questioning what this means for the City. If these so called traitors can infiltrate the Spire and shake Victor Greene’s hand, really how secure is the Spire? What else don’t they know? Does Simon Hedcrown have more men in Victor Greene’s administration? The Crowns are gaining momentum, and with the recent attacks on the Spire, citizens are questioning if they are safe. So far, Victor Greene has remained silent. We are all eagerly waiting to hear what he has to say.

  He switched off the screen and sighed. “There’s always something to fix.”

  He switched it back on and hovered his finger over the broadcast button, thinking of what to say? His attempt to kill Simon had clearly failed and now his plans for Vince and Saul were awry. They must have figured out he set them up. There was no doubt they would cooperate with Simon going forward. He pressed the button and looked at the camera.

  “Greetings citizens,” he said, “Victor Greene here to bring you some important news. There are rumors going around that Vince and Saul are traitors to the Spire, and working with the Crowns. Unfortunately, these rumors are true. Charlotte Marble, the lady who sent the last broadcast, recently found some disturbing footage. She immediately brought it to my attention, but by that point, they had already escaped. I commend Charlotte for her excellent work in preventing a potential catastrophe. I want to assure all of you that we have things under control. These terrorists may frighten you, but they are no more than scum and filth. We will find Vince. We will find Saul. We will find Simon. And we will crush them all.”

  He pressed the button again to end the broadcast and switched back to the news.

  So there you have it. Victor Greene has confirmed the rumors. Vince and Saul are not the heroes we thought they were. This is unfortunate news, but Victor Greene has spoken words of strength and reassurance. Let us hope his words are true, that he can keep us safe from these dangerous terrorists. These are scary times indeed, but his confidence gives me hope. It gives all of us hope.

  Victor switched it off. “Good enough.”

  THIRTY-FIVE

  ALAN LAID ON his back, looking up at the ceiling. “How long are we going to wait here? Shouldn’t we at least try something? Cutting these bars, or breaking these walls? Anything?”

  “No,” Rupert said. “None of that will work, not in time at least. We need to get out quick, and the quickest way is to find someone with security clearance.”

  “How about that labbie?” Ella said.

  “Yes,” Rupert said. “Humphrey Jacks. He is perfect.”

  “And he’s easy to manipulate,” Alan said. “He gave up that information pretty easily.”

  “But we haven’t delivered on our promise yet,” Ella said. “He hasn’t gotten his meeting with Vince and Saul.”

  Alan laughed. “Well, that’s even more reason for him to help us. He can’t expect us to set up a meeting if we’re locked up.”

  “What are you guys talking about,” Ella said. “Vince and Saul will be dead in a few hours. We can’t set up a meeting even if we were free.”

  Boots clanged on the metal stairs above. “Someone’s coming,” Rupert said.

  They listened as the footstep got closer. The creak of each step hovered just above them. They glared at the stairs, waiting for the person to reveal themselves. Legs came into sight. Then a body. And finally a face. It was Charlotte.

  “Charlotte!” Alan yelled. “You came to help—”

  Before he could finish, he noticed that her hands were bound. Two guards came down the stairs behind her, guns drawn. They escorted her to an empty cell and locked her inside, before turning around and climbing back up the stairs.

  At first, the three said nothing. They stared straight ahead in confusion.

  Finally, Alan broke the silence. “If no one else is going to ask, then I will. What the hell happened up there? Why are they locking you up?”

  “For saving Vince and Saul’s lives,” she answered.

  “What?” Ella said, letting out a sigh of relief. “Vince and Saul are alive? They weren’t executed?”

  “No. It was interrupted.”

  “By what?”

  “I sent out a broadcast and said they were traitors, working for Simon to kill Greene. Now he can’t kill them.”

  “Holy crap,” Alan said. “So that means they’re working with Simon now. Damn, this is getting confusing.”

  “If they’re alive,” Rupert said, “that means we can still get Humphrey to help us.”

  “Vince and Saul are traitors now,” Ella said. “Will he still want to meet them?”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Alan said. “We can convince him they’re still secretly working for Greene or something. That doof will believe anything.”

  “Humphrey Jacks?” Charlotte said. “He’
s not the brightest. It still baffles me how he got his position as a labbie.”

  “He can get us out, right?”

  “He has the authorization, if that’s what you’re asking. I do too, until tomorrow when they wipe me from the system. But that doesn’t do us any good if I’m locked up in this cell, without access to the control room. Humphrey though. He can definitely get us out.”

  Rupert nodded. “We just need a way to contact him.”

  “Guards!” Alan yelled. “Guards get over here! It’s an emergency!” He waited for a response, but there was nothing. He slapped his knee. “Shucks! Well, it was worth a try. Anyone else got any ideas?”

  Charlotte pointed to the small kiosk across from them. A small light was blinking from the bottom panel. “That’s a computer. It has a directory of people who work in the Spire. If we can somehow reach it, we can use it to call Humphrey.”

  “Like the one we saw in the medical sector,” Ella said.

  “Exactly. Right now I’d say that’s our best option.”

  “And then what?” Alan asked.

  “We find Fred,” Rupert said, “and then we get the hell out of here.”

  Charlotte pointed to the kiosk again. “If we can convince Humphrey to let us free, we can use the evacuation pods. I doubt they’ll follow us if we shoot out to the water.”

  “No,” Ella said. “We go for Greene first, before we leave.”

  “Don’t push our luck,” Alan said.

  “If we leave the Spire, we may never get a chance to take him out. We may never see him again. Our alliance with him is already broken, so there’s no reason we shouldn’t go after him, right? We can deal with Greene, and Vince and Saul can deal with Simon.”

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “Actually,” Charlotte said, “it won’t be too difficult once we’re free of the cell room. Only a small number a people know we’re locked up. To everyone else, we’re still his allies. Of course, we’ll be on camera, but if we make it to the server room, I can shut them all off. Then he’ll be blind.”