Gene. Sys.
Page 21
“Yeah, something doesn’t feel right.” Chills run over my body. The air seems colder all of a sudden.
“You think she went inside?” Ev looks around again.
“I think she went to wherever the Mutineers have their meetings.” I let out a frustrated groan.
“Should we try to find it?” Ev looks at me.
“Yeah.” I walk toward the building, and Ev walks next to me.
“Atom,” a faint and gargled voice calls out behind me. I look at Ev, and she shakes her head. We look back toward the plants and listen.
“Atom,” the gargled voice calls out again.
“It’s coming from over there.” Ev points at the corn stalks.
“Yeah,” I say as we begin to inch forward. I’m a bit on edge because I don’t recognize the voice, and whoever it belongs to can see us, but I can’t see them.
We get to the edge of the corn and listen again. In the silence, Ev grabs my hand. It startles me at first, but I actually don’t mind it. It gives me comfort knowing that I’m not out here alone.
“Atom,” the voice says once more. Whoever it belongs to is using every ounce of energy they have left in them to say it.
“Right there!” Ev jumps back.
Less than ten feet in front of us is a body lying on the ground. As my eyes adjust, I see that it is Dr. Kivuli. Ev and I run to her side. I glance over her body and see that her hands and face are covered with blood.
Ev kneels down next to her. “What happened?”
Dr. Kivuli reaches for me. “Atom.”
“Who did this?” I kneel next to her. Did someone else figure out that she was a Mutineer?
“Tomorrow. Tell Rene.” She struggles to get it out.
“What’s tomorrow?” Ev asks, looking over Dr. Kivuli’s body to see how she can help.
“They attack.” Dr. Kivuli slowly turns to Ev.
Ev spots something and looks up at me. “Atom, she was shot.”
“Who attacks? Who did this?” I demand. I have no need to be gentle with this traitor.
Dr. Kivuli grabs my arm with her bloody hand. “Everyone.”
“Who?” I yank my arm away.
“Outsiders. Drones. Scientists,” she says.
“Why should I trust you? You were working with the Mutineers!” I lash back.
“Rene had me infiltrate.” Dr. Kivuli finds some strength. “I was a mole, gathering information.”
“I believe her,” Ev says.
“Tell Rene he has to start the Ragnarok.” Dr. Kivuli pushes herself up on her elbows. “Tomorrow!”
Ev looks at me. “This is why it was so quiet. There weren’t very many drones out.”
It does make sense as to why there were fewer tonight. I never thought that any of the drones would be involved with the Mutineers. Now it looks like they are working together with the outsiders. With all of them in concert, we don’t stand a chance. We do have to tell Rene to start the Ragnarok.
“Atom,” Ev says, holding Dr. Kivuli. She is nearing her last breaths.
“Who shot you?” I ask her.
“80,” Dr. Kivuli gargles out.
My head spins. This can’t be true. Would he really do that?
CHAPTER XVIII
“Atom!” The voice feels far away.
“Atom!” Ev grabs me and snaps me back.
“Yeah!” I look at Ev and then look down at Dr. Kivuli’s body.
“She’s dead,” Ev says. “What do we do?”
I look around. I don’t see any activity, and it doesn’t look like we have drawn any unwanted attention. “Go get all the Genesys and take them down to the simulation room.”
“What about you?” she asks.
“I’m going to get Rene.” I start to run but turn back to Ev before I get too far. “Mag and Ox are in the medical ward.”
I run toward the door that leads into the scientists’ quarters, with Ev not far behind me. In the panic, I forgot that the Genesys are staying in the scientists’ rooms. We enter, and I head down the left hallway as Ev continues forward.
After a couple of turns, I reach the corner just before Rene’s hallway, and a noise forces me to stop. I peek around the corner and see two drones with rifles walking toward me.
“I think this is his room,” one of the drones says as they stop in front of Rene’s door.
They slowly raise their guns and aim them at the door. Before I know it, I’m running down the hallway at them, my feet light and quiet so they won’t hear me. It’s not until I’m a few steps away from them that they notice me.
“Stop!” one of them shouts.
I ignore him as I lower my shoulder and slam into the closest drone. I keep driving my feet until I feel that we have collided with the second. We all fall to the ground, but just as quickly, I am back on my feet. With a swift kick to the drone’s head, I knock the first one unconscious.
The second drone has rolled over to his back and has his gun pointed right at me. “You are the reason we have to die.”
Just before he pulls the trigger, I jump to the side of the hallway. A couple of shots hit the ceiling. I kick myself off the wall and land on top of him before he can aim the gun at me again. I punch him as hard as I can with both fists; his face becomes less skin and more blood. In a last-ditch effort, he swings his rifle and connects with my temple. Pain shoots through my body, and I use that rush of adrenaline to throw one last knockout punch.
I grab his gun and stand, the blood streaming from my temple stinging the corner of my eye. I pick up the second rifle and then slam my shoulder into Rene’s door. The door flies open, and I step through.
The noise has scared Rene out of his slumber, and he is sitting up in his bed in fear. He removes his breathing mask.
“What’s going on?” he asks as he shifts to the edge of his bed.
“We have to go!” I grab him by his arm. “They’re all about to attack.”
“Who?” He stands and moves as quickly as he can to the door.
“The outsiders, the drones, and the Mutineers.” I hustle him through the door, and he stops when he sees the two drones on the ground. I push him forward. “They were about to kill you.”
Shock rises in his face. He looks at me as we walk as fast as possible. “Who told you this?”
“Dr. Kivuli.” I try to get him to move faster.
“Where is she?” he asks.
“Dead,” I say flatly. Rene looks at me with horror in his eyes. This is a lot of information for him to wake up to. I try to calm him a little. “I told Ev to gather all of the Genesys and take them to the simulation room.”
Rene stops. “No. No. No. That’s the wrong way. We have to get you to the Flyz on the other side of the compound.”
“What do you mean? Won’t we be safer underground?” I look at him.
“Not if they are all attacking.” He grabs one of the rifles from me.
“What are you doing?” I hold on to the rifle. When I look into his eyes, I see that all the fear, shock, and horror are gone. What I see is determination. I let him take the gun.
“You get them and bring them back to the other side of the compound. It’s past the surveillance room you followed Grant into,” he orders.
Did Grant tell him about that? “How did you—”
“Listen to me carefully.” He grabs my shoulders. “We have six Flyz ready for you. Al and Hydro in one. Ox and Mag in two. Titan and Sodi in three. Cal and K in four. Sil and Fe in five. You and Ev in six. There will be a scientist that I trust flying each one.”
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
“I need to start the sequence for the Ragnarok,” he states.
“Okay.” I feel my heart pound even faster than it already has been. This is actually happening, and now I have to lead. I start to jog away.
“Atom!” Rene calls after me.
I turn and look at him.
“Once I start the sequence, it can’t be stopped. We’ll only have an hour to get into
the air if we want to be ahead of the blasts.” He turns and walks briskly away.
I turn and run at a full sprint down the hallways. As I run, I can’t help but think of Rene’s choices for the Flyz. Why would he put Fe with Sil? Why wouldn’t he put her with Cal? I guess it does make sense that he would put Ev and me together.
An alarm going off snaps me out of my mind. Rene must have set it off to warn the others of the impending attack or perhaps that the Ragnarok is about to happen. I weave down a couple more hallways, pass my old bedroom, and reach the simulation room elevator.
When the elevator opens in the simulation room, I see chaos. The Genesys are panicking. Some are shouting, and others are crying. They all look at me. I look around and count eleven heads, but one of them is unfamiliar. It’s Dr. Metzger. Someone is missing, and when I realize who it is, my heart drops.
“Everyone quiet!” I yell, and they all go silent and look at me. I look at Ev. “Where is Fe?”
She steps up to me. “I couldn’t find her. No one knows where she is.”
I do my best to hold my composure. We will find her, but right now, I need to get everyone here ready. “Everyone listen up. This is it. We are about to be attacked, and Rene is going to start the sequence to set off the Ragnarok.”
I look around at their faces. They all are scared. “We have to get to the other side of the compound, where Rene has six Flyz waiting for us. Al and Hydro, you are in one. Ox and Mag in two. Titan and Sodi, you’re in three. Cal and K in four.
“Sil and Fe in five.” A knot in my stomach tightens. We will find her. I look at Ev. “You and I in six.”
A small smile graces Ev’s face, and it makes me wonder if she had anything to do with the pairings.
Suddenly a loud boom resonates above our heads, and the room around us shakes. A few screams escape from some of the Genesys. Another boom causes more shaking. The attacks have started.
“What do we do?” Ev shouts over the shaking.
“Everyone grab a close-range and a long-range weapon,” I yell.
“Those are non-lethal,” Sodi says. “They won’t do much damage.”
“It’s better than no weapons,” Cal answers for me.
We all scamper to the weapons cache and grab our choice weapons. I pick up my chain and fling it around my shoulder. When I look over, I see that Mag is still on the ground in the middle of the simulation room. Dr. Metzger is by her side.
Ox steps up next to me and grabs his ax. “We had to pull her out prematurely, and she hasn’t healed completely. Dr. Metzger also said that forcing her out of that induced dream state might affect her brain.”
“We’ll get her there safely,” I comfort him.
After a few more moments, all of the Genesys are geared up. I even give Dr. Metzger a rifle. The booms over our heads are happening more frequently, and the room’s shaking has become so consistent that it no longer startles us.
“Let’s go!” I shout.
We head to the elevator as one big group. Ox picks mag up and carries her in his arms. We all cram tightly into the elevator and ride it up.
Just before we get to the top, I hand my rifle to Titan. “This one is real. Switch with me. You’re a better shot than I am.”
Titan smiles, and we exchange rifles. His eyes show a focus I have never seen in them before. “Thanks.”
The elevator door opens, and we pour out into the hallway. The distinct smell of burning fills the air. The booms that were muffled before are deafening. There isn’t much activity in our area, which makes sense since most of this section was already destroyed. All that remains in this area is the library and the simulation room, hardly a threat to the attackers.
I motion for the Genesys to follow me down the hallway. We move together and quietly as a group, making our way past the boys’ rooms and then the girls’ rooms. As we walk, I am careful to check my surroundings for any threats and for any signs of Fe.
Just as we reach the hallway that leads to the scientists’ quarters, shots fire to our right. I raise my hand to get the Genesys to stop, and I look around the edge of the fallen wall. Drones are firing on other drones. This means that some are fighting to protect us, but when I look, I can’t tell which ones are which. A bit behind them, closer to the compound’s exterior wall, I see outsiders attacking drones.
I turn back to the Genesys and signal for them to move forward. Suddenly, a bullet flies by my head. I look up and notice Titan aiming the rifle I gave him at my head. A noise behind me gets me to turn, and I see a drone fall to the ground. Blood seeps out from his forehead.
I look back at Titan, and he winks at me. I smile back and motion for him to check around the corner for any more. He steps past me and peeks around. I grab Sodi by the shoulder and point for her to get the fallen drone’s rifle. She slides down and switches the drone’s gun for her simulation gun.
When Titan and Sodi return to the group, I huddle everyone together.
“There are four more at the end of the hallway. They are checking each room,” Titan says under his breath.
“Okay. It looks like some drones are still trying to protect us.” I look at the Genesys and then make a tough decision in my head. “If you have even the slightest doubt as to what side someone is fighting on, shoot them.”
Ev looks at me, surprised.
I look her in the eye. “We don’t have the time for a conscience.”
I pat Titan and Sodi on their shoulders, and they walk over to the corner of the hallways. Sodi crouches down, and Titan remains standing. They both peek around the corner and take two shots each. After a few seconds, Titan looks back at me and waves us over.
We quickly walk to him and then make our way down the hallway to the door to the scientists’ quarters. Ev, Cal, Sil, and K grab the rifles from the ground. We push through slowly and enter an empty hallway. Just as Ox passes through the door, carrying Mag, I see a scientist run around the corner and head straight for us. Titan raises his gun.
“No!” Dr. Metzger shouts.
I put my hand on Titan’s rifle and force him to lower it.
“Marco. What’s up there?” Dr. Metzger asks as the scientist reaches us.
“They’re coming!” Marco says, hiding behind the group.
Titan and Sodi raise their guns. The rest of us do the same. They don’t know that most of these guns will only leave a welt.
Two outsiders turn the corner at the end of the hallway and are immediately met with a barrage of bullets. Titan and Sodi each connect with a lethal shot. A third person turns the corner but dives back for cover. He pokes his head around, and I immediately recognize him as Joey, the guy Dr. Kivuli talked to a couple of nights ago.
“The Genesys are here!” Joey yells back down his hallway.
He pokes his head around the corner again but is instantly met with a bullet. He falls to the ground.
“Got him,” Sodi says coldly.
“Nice shot.” Cal smacks her on the shoulder.
“Titan, Sodi. Get in front. You will lead us down the hall. Shoot at anything that turns the corner. Keep your ears open,” I order.
We make our way down the hallway, and it isn’t until we are halfway there that we hear footsteps coming. There are so many that it sounds like an army. I look around and see that our only options are to turn back or to fight our attackers.
“Cover me,” I shout as I run toward the two fallen outsiders. When I reach them, I grab their rifles and pull them off. As I run back, Titan and Sodi begin shooting. The bullets fly past my head.
The other Genesys have scattered against the walls and are shooting their non-lethal guns as well. Something bites my left arm, and the warm sting reminds me of when I was shot on the roof of the outsiders’ building. I ignore the pain and run back to the group.
“Hydro! Al!” I yell out as I toss each of them the rifles I collected.
They catch the guns and step up to the front where Sodi and Titan are. Together, we shoot and take out the first
few outsiders that come around the corner. There are a couple moments of calm, and then two small canisters bounce off one of the hallway walls and roll toward us.
Instantly the canisters release a gas that fills the hallway.
“Cover your faces!” Dr. Metzger shouts.
I pull my shirt over my mouth and nose. When I look around, the few Genesys that I can see have done the same.
“Everyone down!” I shout as I get flat on my stomach. This will reduce the amount of surface area that can be hit.
We all shoot toward the end of the hallway, hoping that it will buy us time. With the smoke filling the hallway, we are easy targets. Bullets fly over my head, and after a few pass by, I hear a grunt behind me. Someone was hit.
The grunt was definitely male, and I find myself hoping that it didn’t hit anyone anywhere vital. I shift to get into a better shooting position when a sharp pain in my arm reminds me that I was shot too.
If the smoke doesn’t lift soon, we are all dead. I think about telling the Genesys to retreat back into our old hallways, but a surprising noise stops my thought. A barrage of shots is being fired from the opposite side of the hallway ahead of us. After a few deafening moments of gunfire and screams, it all stops.
“It’s all clear,” a voice calls out ahead of us.
I look around, but I can’t see anyone, not even the Genesys next to me. None of us are moving, though; we are cautious.
“We are here to help, Atom,” the voice calls out again.
“We’re coming,” I say.
“Atom, no,” Ev calls out.
“It’s okay. If these guys wanted us dead, they would have shot at us while we’re still in the smoke. They don’t have time to play around.” I stand up and can hear everyone else doing the same.
As I walk toward the end of the hallway, the smoke gets lighter, and I can tell that the people calling us forward are a group of about a dozen drones. My thoughts return to the grunt I heard, and I wonder who it was that got shot.
One by one, the Genesys make their way to the end of the hallway and join me with the drones. Titan and Sodi raise their rifles when they see them, but I push their rifles back down. After Ox walks out, carrying Mag, there is a long moment of inactivity.