When the last of the Sweepers falls asleep, Dimitri whispers across to me, "We can't reasonably expect to dupe the outpost for more than a week or two. What's your plan after that?"
I sit up on one elbow. "Find the Megamedes."
Dimitri and Viktor exchange subtle nods.
"I know someone who can help," Dimitri says.
19
I raise a skeptical brow. "Who do you know who can help us?"
"The woman who designed the computer system for the Megamedes," Dimitri says.
My jaw drops. "Is she on board the ship?"
"She's at the Superconductor," Viktor says, quietly. "She's my daughter."
I stare at him, bewildered at first. Then my mind flashes to the scientist who connected us to Viktor. I knew she was hiding something, but I never suspected anything like this. I chew on my lip, trying to wrap my head around the implications."Can she hack into the Megamedes?"
Viktor cocks his head to one side. "Lyong kept a tight control on everything at the Craniopolis, but now it might be possible."
"Has she been in contact with the Megamedes?" Trout asks.
Viktor shakes his head. "No, but she's intercepted transmissions from the Megamedes to other outposts enquiring about geological readings. It's a good indication the sovereign leader is eager to return to earth as soon as it's safe."
A surge of anger goes through me. "We can't let that happen. I won't let him disappear under the radar to some outpost. He has to be held accountable for what he's done."
"It's true the experimental programs are completely out of control," Viktor says, a somber look on his face, "but maybe that wasn't his intent. The world government said all along they wanted to help humanity and prolong lives--restart life in the case of the brain dead. Power-hungry scientists could have forced his hand. After all, he was far removed from day-to-day operations."
"Yeah, in the safety of his ship," Trout retorts.
"Nothing you've said absolves the sovereign leader," I say. "He knew what was going on, but he didn't try to stop it."
"Derry's right," Trout says. "We need to get on board the Megamedes and find him. It's the only way to end this once and for all."
Dimitri nods, eyes gleaming. "The Megamedes is outfitted with state-of-the-art weaponry. If we can take command of the ship we could destroy any remaining outposts in a single strike."
I stare at him, horrified. "We can't just kill everyone at the outposts."
"We can't let them continue to operate either," Trout says. "There could be Sweepers out there even crazier than Lyong, developing entire armies of Schutz Clones for all we know."
"We can evacuate the outposts first and then destroy the facilities," Dimitri says.
Viktor sits back and wipes his fingertips across his brow. "Iskra, my daughter, could make contact with the Megamedes at any time. We need to be clear where we stand on going to war against the sovereign leader. Make no mistake, it will be a bloody fight to seize control of the Megamedes." He studies me intently as if sizing up my commitment to hold the sovereign leader accountable.
A shudder goes through me at the sheer weight of responsibility I feel for everything I've set in motion, and the chaos yet to be unleashed. There will be more bloodshed before freedom can be secured. But without it, we're doomed to exist in a laboratory or on the run for the rest of our lives. "We go to war," I say, looking around at the scientists and Undergrounders, "as soon as Iskra secures the Megamedes' coordinates."
True to his word, Trout is the first to rise the next morning and he shakes the rest of us awake before the Sweepers begin to stir. Viktor gets to his feet and stretches. "Dimitri needs to go to the docking station and brief the Schutz Clones on the new orders. We have to follow protocol so we don't raise any suspicions."
I nod distractedly. "I'll go with him. Sven can arrange for the Schutz Clones to sleep in the Sweepers' quarters tonight. They'll be more comfortable there."
"Count me in," Trout says.
"Don't engage the Sweepers while we're gone," I warn the Undergrounders. "Keep a low profile and let Viktor and the scientists do all the talking."
"I'll let the delegation know where we're going," Dimitri says to me. "I'll catch up with you in a minute."
"Stay alert in the tunnels," I mutter to Trout as we exit the Biotik Sektor. "We haven't accounted for Rummy or The Ghost yet--Rummy may well have got his hands on a weapon by now."
Trout throws a furtive glance over his shoulder at Dimitri who's engaged in a heated conversation with a member of the delegation. "Did you tell Dimitri there are Rogues at large?" he asks.
I shake my head. "He might send the Schutz Clones to search for them. We can't have them swarming all over the Craniopolis in case they uncover something."
"Everything all right?" I ask Dimitri when he joins us in the tunnel.
He gives a tight nod. "One of the Sweepers is raising questions about all the private conversations you and I are having. If anyone asks, tell them we were discussing the ossification breakthrough."
My chest tightens. "I wanted to ask you about that."
Dimitri looks at me curiously. "You're actually interested in my research?"
Trout gives a knowing grin, and I feel a flush creep over my cheeks.
Dimitri squints at me with a pained expression on his face. "Tell me this isn't about a particular clone."
My face grows hotter. "He's a friend. A friend who risked his life for me more than once."
Dimitri's expression softens. "It wouldn't be the first time a human has fallen for a clone. But, it can never work in the long run."
"Why not?" I ask. "You've resolved ossification. Anything's possible now."
Dimitri passes a hand over his face, hiding his eyes. "We have yet to attempt the reversal on a clone. And once we do, it could be years before we know for sure if we were successful or not--that's if the procedure doesn't kill them. There are no guarantees."
"But the clinical trials have been successful," I say.
Dimitri throws me a troubled look as we walk along the tunnel in the direction of the docking station. "He would be my first subject outside of clinical trials. It would be unlikely to work flawlessly the first time."
"Lyong believed in you," I say. "He was willing to let you do the procedure on his son."
Dimitri furrows his brow. "How does your friend feel about it?"
I suck in my breath, remembering Sven's haunting words, and the glow in his amber eyes when he looked at me.
Without an expiration date, you ... I ...
"He wants it too," I say.
"You'd better believe it." Trout shoots me a wicked grin.
Dimitri gives a somber nod. "I wish we had his inception date. The younger the genetic material, the greater the chance of a successful outcome."
A flicker of hope goes through me. "He found his inception records. He's nineteen units."
"Nineteen?" Dimitri frowns.
"That's good isn't it?" My heart beats faster. "He still has several years before his expiration date."
"I was hoping he was closer to your age. I've never worked with DNA older than fifteen units before."
Trout lets out a snort. "If nineteen's the new old, I'm screwed."
"It's old in clone years," Dimitri says.
I turn to him. "Please--"
A gunshot cuts me off, ricocheting through the tunnel. I flatten myself against the wall and pan the empty corridor.
"Which direction did that come from?" Trout asks, chambering a round.
"I don't know," I say.
"Were they shooting at us?" Dimitri asks, fear flickering in his face.
I grimace. "I don't know. There are a couple of Rogues on the loose, and each one wants the other dead, but they'd kill me too if they got the chance."
Dimitri's eyes widen. "How did they escape?"
"One of them came here to find his brother. The other one is--was locked up in Intake."
Trout throws me a knowing loo
k from beneath his brows. Viktor never got a chance to dose The Ghost a second time. He could be back on his feet by now, armed and dangerous.
"We need to eliminate them before someone from the delegation gets wind of this," Dimitri says. "If they find out the Craniopolis isn't secure, they'll order the Schutz Clones to tear this place apart to find the escaped extractees."
"And when they do," Trout adds glumly, "The Ghost will sell us out."
"Not if we find him first," I say.
Another shot rings out and I jump back against the wall.
Trout puts a finger to his lips. "That came from the direction of the docking station," he whispers. "Rummy might have dragged The Ghost in there before he realized the place was crawling with Schutz Clones."
"We need to end this," Dimitri says. "We can't have the delegation waking up to a gunfight."
I signal to Trout to stay close by, and then pad silently around the corner in a crouched position, hoping I don't run into Rummy or The Ghost.
My heart thumps as I edge closer to the docking station. I listen for a few minutes, but no shots ring out inside. Tentatively, I reach out and punch in the entry code on the keypad. The double entry doors yawn open. I blink in disbelief. The Schutz Clones are gone. And so is Sven.
20
I scan the deserted docking station in a daze. "The gunfire must have come from farther down the tunnel," I say, as Dimitri and Trout walk up behind me. "There's no one here."
"The Schutz Clones wouldn't have left their posts without my express order unless they were under attack," Dimitri says.
I furrow my brow. "Sven might have enlisted the Schutz Clones' help to go after the Rogues."
We turn our heads at the sound of boots tromping in rhythm toward the docking station.
It's them," Trout says, a hopeful note in his voice. "With any luck, they've captured Rummy and The Ghost."
Sven and the military clones file through the door first. I briefly wonder where their helmets are, but then my heart trips when I realize they're weaponless. I fix my eyes on Sven, but he keeps his head forward and doesn't acknowledge me. The Schutz Clones march behind the military clones, barking out orders as they herd their captives all the way to the back of the docking station.
I feel hot and cold all at once. Beads of sweat prickle the back of my neck. I slip the strap of my rifle from my shoulder, unsure how I'm going to confront a squad of heavily armed Schutz Clones.
Trout grabs my elbow from behind. "Are you crazy? Let Dimitri talk to them first," he hisses.
Dimitri strides past us, face like thunder as he approaches the clones. "What is the meaning of this grievous breach in protocol?"
One of the Schutz Clones steps forward and salutes him. "Doctor Petrov, we have uncovered a plot. The Schutz Clones at this base have been murdered. These clones are imposters."
Dimitri takes a step back. He turns slowly to me. "Is this true?"
I force my face to register an equal measure of astonishment. "I'm as shocked as you are."
"They must have been supporters of Doctor Won's hostile takeover," the Schutz Clone asserts.
Dimitri walks over to Sven and peers at him intently for a moment. "Do you recognize this clone?" he asks, turning to Trout and me.
I nod, feigning a dawning comprehension. "I believe he's a military clone."
Dimitri sets his jaw. "How did you discover this deception?" he asks the Schutz Clone.
"Two escaped extractees showed up at the docking station. One of them addressed this clone by name." He gestures at Sven. "We ran his chip. He's military--052."
"Where are the escaped extractees?" I ask.
"We returned them to the Intake Sektor."
"Are they ... together?" Trout asks.
The Schutz Clone looks at him blankly. "Yes, we secured them in a holding pen to await Doctor Petrov's orders." He turns to Dimitri. "What is your directive regarding the clones who participated in the coup?"
Dimitri rubs his chin between his forefinger and thumb, appearing to give the matter some thought. "Incarcerate them for now. We'll have to interrogate them."
A flicker of disappointment crosses the Schutz Clone's face. Maybe he was hoping for a swift execution. My stomach knots. I realize Dimitri has no choice but to play along with this farce for now, but I dread the thought of Sven and the other military clones being locked up anywhere near the Rogues. How are we ever going to get out of this mess? The rest of the delegation will side with the Schutz Clones when this comes to light. Head scientist or not, Dimitri has little control over the outcome. He'll be forced to report back to the outpost. I need to come up with a plan, and quickly.
Dimitri glares at me. "This is an outrageous failure on your outpost's behalf. You will escort me back to the Biotik Sektor as soon as we're finished here. I intend to get to the bottom of this and I will hold someone accountable."
"Of course," I say, adopting a suitably meek tone.
"Lock the military clones up in Intake and report back to the docking station for debriefing," Dimitri says to the Schutz Clone.
The Schutz Clone salutes and barks out an order to the rest of his squad who waste no time marching Sven and his men out of the docking station.
My heart aches to signal to Sven that everything will be okay, that I'll find a way to rescue him, but he doesn't even look in my direction. I watch him disappear through the double doors, knowing he's trying to protect me by not connecting us in any way.
We wait until the Schutz Clones are well out of earshot and then let out a collective breath.
"We're screwed," Trout says, sounding more desperate than I've ever heard him before.
Dimitri rubs his brow. "I'll be expected to transmit a full report as soon as I've debriefed the Schutz Clones. Reinforcements will arrive in a day or two. The scientists will be questioned. My father will be arrested and executed. We have twenty-four hours at most."
"We're not going to let it happen," I say. "We'll figure out a way to shut the Schutz Clones down."
"There isn't one." Trout rubs a hand across his jaw. "They're fighting machines."
I stare at him as the words sink in. Fighting machines. A crazy idea bubbles up inside me. But then crazy is exactly what we need. "I think I know how we can stop the Schutz Clones."
Dimitri raises his brows half-heartedly. "How?"
"We'll turn the Rogues loose. They're armed and they're itching for a fight--they already killed one of their own."
Dimitri frowns. "What's to stop them killing us?"
"They can't kill us if they can't find us," I say. "We'll set the timer to open the Intake Sektor doors after we flee to the city through the tunnel."
Dimitri mulls it over for a moment. "What about the deviations?"
"They're safer in Terminus than anywhere else for now," Trout chips in. "We can warn Jerome to stay under lockdown until the fighting is done."
"We just need to find a way to free Sven and the military clones first." I walk over to the CommCenter and activate the system to link to Terminus. Jerome's hologram floats into view.
"Checking up on our infected inmate?" he asks, with a grin.
"Not exactly."
His smile disappears. "What's wrong?"
"Sven and the military clones have been arrested."
Jerome rubs a hand across his jaw. "Does the outpost know?"
I shake my head. "Not yet. The Schutz Clones are on to us, but they don't suspect Dimitri is helping us. They're relying on him to manage the situation and transmit the appropriate reports."
"The Schutz Clones have to be eliminated," Jerome says. "It's only a matter of time before they discover the whole truth."
"We're going to release the Rogues and let them take their revenge on the Schutz Clones while we flee back to the city," Trout says.
"Do you want to come with us?" I ask Jerome.
"We can't move that quickly. We'll hunker down inside Terminus," he says, a grave expression on his face.
"And
Fu?"
"I can handle him."
"I don't doubt it," I say. "Good luck, Jerome."
He bobs his head and disappears from view.
Trout gives my arm a quick squeeze. "He'll be fine."
I nod, grateful for the reassurance even though there is no guarantee we'll ever see Jerome again.
"We need to brief Viktor," Dimitri says, joining me at the CommCenter.
He taps a few buttons and waits. My breathing quickens as the minutes go by and nothing happens. Just when I'm about to give voice to my fear that the Schutz Clones have got to him, Viktor's face comes into focus.
"Sorry about the delay," he says. "I've been fielding questions from the delegation in your absence."
Dimitri's face tightens. "What kind of questions?"
Viktor frowns. "How the coup went down, how I managed to survive when Lyong and Won both ended up dead."
"What did you tell them?" I ask.
"That I was holed up in the Research Sektor. I can't put them off much longer though. When are you coming back?"
"The Schutz Clones are on to us," Dimitri says. "They know Sven and the military clones are imposters. They've taken their weapons and they're escorting them to a holding pen in the Intake Sektor."
Viktor's face pales. He passes a trembling hand over his face. Dimitri told us his father would be executed if we were exposed, and judging by the look on Viktor's face, Dimitri wasn't exaggerating.
"You'll have to go through the motions of arresting me." Viktor pulls a tissue from his pocket and brushes it distractedly across his beaked nose.
"I know," Dimitri says. "But we can hold them off until tomorrow morning. And by then we'll be gone."
Viktor knits his brows together. "How are we going to pull that off? The Schutz Clones will pursue us once they realize we've fled. We can't outrun them."
"We won't have to," Dimitri says. "We're going to turn the Rogues loose on the Schutz Clones while we escape through the tunnel."
"What about Sven and the military clones?" Viktor asks.
"We'll have to figure out a way to free them before we release the Rogues," I say.
Judgement: The Undergrounders Series Book Three (A Young Adult Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller) Page 13