The Sentient Corruption (The Sentient Trilogy Book 3)

by Ian Williams

  “So what will happen if they succeed? If Isaac always knew they would try, he must have something planned for them.”

  “The shield was only ever supposed to be up temporarily. We just needed enough time to build a large enough army to proceed with the plan. I believe the Master had predicted our enemy would eventually bring down the shield. Although his timeframe was somewhat different. If I remember correctly, then he expected the shield to fall around eight months after it went up.” He stopped suddenly and began counting the messages on the wall. “One for each day I've been locked in here. It hasn't been eight months.”

  “No, the shield’s been up for around three.”

  “That cannot be right. If the relays are destroyed now and the shield is brought down, then that would mean the next phase of Isaac’s plan has already begun.” He leant heavily against the wall behind him and dropped the stone to the ground. “He can’t have started without me, he can’t. I should be one of The Twelve. Who could have replaced me?”

  “Hey, what’s wrong? What’s the purpose of The Twelve?”

  “That waxy-skinned bastard!” Mayor Crawley shouted, his eyes burning with rage and an angry mist of spit projecting from his mouth. The droplets settled in a matted clump in his beard. “I knew I could not trust him. Stanley Cartwright, you slimy little shit. You took my place, didn’t you?”

  “Sir, I need you to focus for me. What is The Twelve supposed to do when the shield is dropped?”

  He snapped out of his enraged babbling when Phoenix touched his arm, unexpectedly causing him to withdraw again. “Never touch me. A drone may not touch a member of The Twelve. Do you understand? Never.”

  “OK, easy, easy, I’m sorry. I just want to know, that’s all. I need to understand if I am to help you escape.”

  “Fine, if I must. But once you understand I expect you to get me out of here. The sooner I can return to Isaac the sooner I can stop that rat taking my place. He always was the jealous type. That was one of the reasons I liked him; he was easy to manipulate. But enough about that...”

  Phoenix listened intently as the next part of Isaac’s plan was explained to her. She was shocked in more ways than she cared to admit when the last of it reached her ears and shook the brain cells between them, like marbles in a bag.

  It disturbed her greatly to hear how she and her tiny band of resistance had gotten it so badly wrong. They were placing every hope they had on the relay attack, and all in the hopes of allowing others from outside the shield to join their fight. The military had no chance of defeating Isaac when they were focused on what amounted to no more than a distraction.

  “Holy shit, this is bad, this is really bad.” She turned to the door behind her and began a frantic barrage of fists and legs to make as much noise as possible. She intended to draw as many people to her cell as she could. There was so much she needed to discuss with them. But most of all she now had a message of her own to carve into the walls; the relay attack was only going to end in disaster.

  She now understood precisely what was waiting just beyond that single moment the shield would drop. And worst of all, was the knowledge that Isaac would be sitting back and waiting for it all to happen. He did not need to lift a single finger; his enemy were bringing it on themselves. There was no fight coming, only a massacre.

  Finally, someone approached the door and slammed a hand against it. “Shut the hell up in there,” the man said.

  “Hey, hey, listen to me. Get Conrad, get Derek, hell, get every fucking one. You need to get a message to my people, right fucking now.”

  Mayor Crawley gasped suddenly from behind her. “Wait, what is this? But the black box on your head, the glowing wire; you’re one of mine.”

  “I’m far from one of yours, buddy,” she replied with a hard boot to the door.

  “How is this possible? No-one can have a black box installed and remain human. Who are you? How are you any different?”

  She turned to look directly into his eyes. “You might be One in Twelve, but I’m One in Thousands, who all want to see you and your Master burn. How am I different? I’ll tell you…” Before finishing she stepped toward the Mayor and landed a fist in his gut that forced a wheezing cough out of him. When he doubled over in pain she followed with a solid knee to his chin, knocking him out cold. She stood over him and smiled as a trickle of blood seeped out from between his lips. “Suck it up, prick!”

  “What’s going on in there?”

  She recognised Conrad's voice instantly and ran for the door. “OK, I get it. This little scheme of yours worked really well. Now let me out. I need to use your radio.”

  “Do you think I'm simple or something? Why on Earth would I do that?”

  “Because if you don’t a lot of people are going to die.”

  The door lock opened and swung in to reveal a bemused Conrad standing there and staring at the body on the floor. “Didn’t get along, huh?”

  * * *

  “Can I have everyone’s attention please.” Captain Rigs brought his hands together with the force of a thunder clap from above. It instantly gave him the focus of every person within the basement, including those still hard at work piecing together the EMP bombs.

  One of those sat upon the floor and surrounded by scraps of wires and household ingredients for their pipe-bombs, was Graham. After a few failed attempts to sleep he had eventually accepted it was not to come and offered his help for most of the morning.

  “I guess it’s speech time again?” he said quietly. Of course it was never going to stay between only him. His internal collection of new voices was ever present, and still growing steadily.

  The voice that replied this time was one he could not entirely confirm he had heard before. It still returned a comment back to him with the same ease of that of an old friend. “These military people do enjoy a good soap-box moment, don’t they?”

  Rather than engage with the extra voices in his head he had taken to ignoring them as much as he could. Lucky for him the first voice, the one he had come to appreciate was the more logical and reasonable of them all, always stepped in before it got too much. This time was no different. “OK, it’s getting a little crowded in here, so anyone that has something to say can just keep it to themselves for now. And under no circumstances show yourself to Graham while he is busy,” it said as though the bouncer of a slightly unruly club.

  Overnight, Graham had accumulated at least six new voices that would speak up at unexpected times, often to the detriment of his concentration. What he needed right then was something to distract them all, if only for a short while. He saw the Captain’s speech as exactly the right thing to do that.

  Captain Rigs continued. “In a little over three hours from now we will have sent a very clear message to our enemy. We will have removed the only thing keeping Isaac in control: his shield. Very soon he will know of his mistake in starting this war. He will see us for the real threat that we are. You will all have helped make this happen. You, the good people of New Chelmsford, will have dealt the first blow against him. You should all feel proud of that.

  “Now, I know that some of you are nervous about the mission and worry it could go wrong in some way. I understand your concern. But there should be no room in your hearts or minds for doubt to take hold. Remember what your job is and do it to the best of your abilities, and you will see the other side of this fight. Yes, there will be losses, just keep in mind that the same is true of both sides.”

  He lowered his voice from almost a shout to a much softer level for the next part of his speech. “Look around yourself. What do you see? I see warriors, I see braveness and courage, beyond what you may realise. I have worked with some of the finest soldiers in the world in my time and it never ceases to amaze me what we are all capable of enduring.

  “The very fact that any of you are still alive at all, under so overwhelming an enemy, is a testament of the true resilience of the human race. We will survive this as we have so many other dreadful
events in the past. You, the ordinary people of this great nation, will always prove to anyone that threatens our way of life that they will always lose.

  “Think of the future after this day. What will you do? I’ll tell you. You’ll carry on. Life beyond this day will be ordinary, just like before. Isaac’s legacy will be a swath of people that live a long and happy life in the face of all he has done. Because the best way, the only way, of truly defeating our enemies is to show them that they could not, and will never, change how we live our lives.

  “But to reach that point we must travel an unknown road first, toward a destination that carries great risk to us all. It won’t be easy, but it will be achievable. Even though our plans have changed and we are fewer in numbers than before, we can still do this. So, are you all with me?”

  Most of the gathered crowd cheered and whistled in response. The Captain’s speech had excited many of them, yet it had still failed to kick up as much of a frenzy as Graham suspected he wanted. The basement was not wholly made up of those of the same opinion. It had remained a house split in two. No speech could sway them all into volunteering, yet it appeared the Captain had at least tried his best. The rest of the crowd looked on with stern, unmoving faces.

  “Watts, you’re up.” Captain Rigs stepped back and joined Gregson, while Watts took over.

  “Yes, sir,” Watts replied. He then began to read names from his handwritten list. When he had called them all he went ahead and organised them into groups. “These are the teams you will be in during the mission. Each team will be assigned a target relay. All of them must be hit at the same time, exactly at midday. Anyone who goes early or late will jeopardise the entire mission, so precision is crucial. Team one will be under Captain Rigs’ command, team two will be led by Rhys and team three by me. Team four will be headed up by–”

  “Me.” Clement appeared from out of the control room wearing a multi-pocketed vest. The bulging pockets hinted of his intent to join in. In one hand he carried a handful of bullets, while in his other was an old style revolver. He confidently pushed each bullet into the cylinder until all six slots were filled, then flicked it into place. “You’re not having all the fun without me.”

  “You? I thought you were against this plan,” Captain Rigs replied in surprise.

  “I told you, I’m not afraid of fighting. My reason for being against it was because of my duty to these people. I vowed to protect them at all cost. But I can’t stop anyone else from fighting back, I realise that now. So if it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to come along too.”

  Captain Rigs laughed out loud. “All right then. Team four is yours. Watts?”

  “Thank you, sir. We have the EMPs ready to deploy and each team is made up of at least four people. I’ve marked the locations for each bomb on your maps. Time of attack has been agreed as midday. We will have two hours roughly to get each of these four EMP bombs set up at each location. Brian’s group are preparing to do the same for another two of the relays.

  “I’ve been informed that the range for the electromagnetic burst is no more than one hundred metres in any direction. So don’t deviate from your instructions, otherwise you risk placing your device too far away from your target. Remember also to stay hidden at all times, even when the shield is down. Any enemy fighters caught in the blast will only be knocked out temporarily. They will reset within ten minutes, so keep your distance. Let the Ring gunners take them out before you break cover. Any questions?”

  No-one asked a thing, the plan had been set out for them on a few occasions already. Graham for one appreciated the reminder, though. He had gone over it many times in his own head, and had it discussed between each personality rattling about inside it too. They all agreed, it was the way to go.

  “OK, then let's get ready. We leave in ten minutes.” Captain Rigs again clapped his hands together hard to spur his people into action. He then walked through the middle of the crowd, with Gregson and Watts in tow.

  When they neared him, Graham was beckoned to follow with a flick of a finger. He joined the line behind Watts and walked with them out into a clear area at the back of the basement. Here all of the equipment they were going to need was set up waiting to be taken.

  Four large, metal tubes sat in a neat row. The EMP devices did not look to be too well put together, with a roughly straight seam where the two pieces of metal chute had been welded. Those making them had done their best to tuck wires into place and secure the pipe bombs inside, with varying degrees of success. Luckily for them, neatness was not required.

  Graham stood before them. Every firearm they could muster was there too, including a few handguns, a collection of Taser pistols, and even a shotgun. They were choosing not to take everything with them; they had to leave a good amount behind for the safety of the basement.

  “This is it, Graham,” Captain Rigs began. “This is the end of the line for Isaac.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so. Are you ready?”

  “I am, yes.”

  “Good, because getting you back to that Orb device is going to have to happen quickly. If you fall behind, you’ll risk being left behind. I’m assigning Gregson to your mission. The two of you will send a signal to these friendly Sentients, when I give the order. That won’t happen until the relays are dealt with, understood?”

  “Yes.”

  “And about Phoenix; I promised to help you find her once the shield is down and I meant it. The minute I have comms with the Ring I will ask them to carry out a scan of the city. It shouldn’t be hard to find her; I can’t imagine there are many groups hiding out in police stations. Their heat signature will give them away quickly. As soon as we know where she is I will help you and Rhys get her back. You should let Rhys know before we leave, I want him totally committed to this plan, you too.”

  “You got it, and thank you, Captain.” Graham made an attempt at a salute. Regardless of how inaccurate, he was thankful to see it had been appreciated.

  He left the three of them talking among themselves and made an unbroken line toward Jack’s work room – where Jack had been left to recover. The last time he had spoken to Rhys it had been a tense conversation. It had taken all of Graham’s negotiating abilities to convince him not to go out on his own to find Phoenix. Graham had eventually brought him down from his enraged state. Since then Rhys had remained silent and found a nice quiet corner of the work room to rest in.

  Only when Graham arrived, he found Rhys standing in the open doorway and smiling at him. “You OK?”

  “More than OK. I'm ready for a fight. I’ll rip this city apart before I lose Phoenix.”

  “Good. Just remember, we have to follow the Captain’s plan first. There won’t be a chance to get her out of there if that fails. Can you promise me you’ll stick to the plan until then?”

  “I’m not promising anything, Graham. You just worry about those voices in your head, and I’ll worry about my side of things, OK? Besides, this won’t be the first relay I’ve fucked over.”

  There was no point in Graham disagreeing, it was the most positive he had seen Rhys since Phoenix vanished. This version of Rhys was better than the deeply depressed or angry one. Still, he saw a very real need to keep an eye on his friend, in case he did go off on a mad rampage all of a sudden. No-one wanted to see him killed for his lack of control.

  There was already too much risk involved in the plan without that happening.

  Chapter 26

  Go time

  At 10am the four teams left the safety of the basement and ventured out into the streets for the last time. Leaving their temporary home behind, they stepped into the light of day, a mass of nerves and jitteriness.

  This was the first time most of them had seen anything above ground for weeks, and it shocked them to see the real state of their city. Those who had seen it were already accustomed to the depressing sight of piles of rubble and half standing buildings. The few supply runs they had been on had shown them the wors
t.

  Once far enough away from the basement, the four teams split up and went their separate ways. Captain Rigs gave the leaders of each team his strictest orders yet; he made them promise to bring everyone back safely. These were orders he made sure none of them would dare defy, regardless of just how futile it may prove to be.

  After that it was all down to each individual group to get their tasks done. There was no more help or advice from the Captain, they would have to rely on themselves to succeed. Radio silence had been agreed upon in advance, to avoid any of Isaac’s forces eavesdropping on them from afar. It was now out of the Captain’s control. His group would be just another otherwise innocuous cog, but together they would make an entire machine of destruction.

  For Graham and Gregson, it was no longer about the relays, but about getting their message through to Luke and the others in the Sentient world. The fight was going to begin as one attack from both sides, and in each world too. So while the other groups went their separate ways, Gregson took point and led Graham away and toward the Orb device.

  They stayed low, even dropped to the floor whenever the tell-tale whizz of overhead drones passed them by. Not one of the groups could afford to be spotted by these flying spy-bots or the plan would fail miserably. Graham was diving for cover at the slightest noise, to Gregson’s frustration.

  They were making good time, being just the two of them. Yet even so the pace was getting tough to maintain. If not a drone, then it was a random patrol strolling along the shattered streets instead. They were stopping and starting like they played a game of leapfrog. Doing this had delayed their progress enough that it had caused Gregson to repeatedly check the time on her Army issued watch.

  “Pick up the pace, Graham,” she ordered as she checked the coast was clear. “The others will be setting up their EMPs by now.”

  “Sorry. I’m not as fit as I used to be.”

  “Ha, you’ve never been fit!” one of the voices in Graham’s head said. By now he had lost the ability to differentiate between the different personalities. There were just too many to keep track of.