“Parry!” Connor called out. “Check your suit.” He stepped forward to help, but Ben beat him to it, grabbing Parry by the shoulders and pulling him to his feet. Connor stood over Alec, his rifle pointing squarely at Alec’s head. “Stay down! Don’t be an asshole.”
And Alec smiled. He lay on the ground and he broke into a laugh, his shoulders shaking.
“Connor,” Parry said, and something in his voice made Connor look up. Parry stood perfectly still, gripping his rifle tight, his face set in a stony mask of loathing, then slowly he raised his arm and pointed over Connor’s shoulder.
A cold spike of dread pierced Connor’s gut, and for a moment he saw himself as if from above, a tiny figure frozen in a desolate landscape. But then somehow, he turned. And he understood.
Behind the truck he’d arrived in, two hover trucks had pulled into position at the ravine’s mouth, holding steady at ten feet above the ground and carefully arranged to block any chance of escape. In desperation, Connor looked back into the ravine, peering past the supposedly crashed truck, but he already knew what he would see. Two more trucks came into view, creeping closer, and while Connor stared in horror, dark figures in full suits jumped down to the surface, at least a dozen men or women, all of them armed with plasma rifles. They ran forward, fanning out, their rifles ready, while more troops disembarked behind them.
“Nobody do anything stupid,” Parry said. “We’re outnumbered.”
“We should head back into the truck,” Ben urged. “We could hold them off.”
“No point,” Cate replied. “We can’t get into the cockpit. We’re not going anywhere.”
“But—” Ben started.
“Forget it,” Parry interrupted. “Best we can hope for is to survive in one piece.”
Alec got to his feet and squared up to Parry. “Hand over your rifle,” he called out. “You’re done.”
Connor heard Parry’s muttered curse over the intercom, but it must’ve been too quiet for Alec to detect because he simply extended his hand toward Parry and raised his voice even further. “Give me the rifle, and we can end this peaceably. If you wait for my people to start shooting, all bets are off.”
“He’s right, Parry,” Connor said. “We have no choice. If we try and make a stand, we’ll be wiped out.”
Parry bent down, laying his rifle carefully on the ground. He lowered his head and whispered, “There’s always a choice. Follow my lead.”
“No,” Connor said. “Don’t be a hero, Parry. You’ll get us all killed.” He took a step toward Parry, but before he could get to his friend’s side, Parry let out a roar of frustration and came out of his crouch fast, launching himself at Alec. He grabbed hold of his opponent and spun him around, wrapping an arm around his chest. He pulled Alec close, using him as a human shield, and then Connor saw the glint of a weapon in Parry’s hand. He must’ve drawn his sonic pistol from the pocket on his leg while making a show of laying down his rifle, and now he held his gun at Alec’s head, jamming the barrel against Alec’s visor to make sure his prisoner could see it.
“Grab the other two,” Parry yelled. “Their people won’t shoot if we have hostages.”
“No!” Connor shouted. “Stand down, Parry! Let him go.” From the corner of his eye, he registered movement and turned to see Sue and Thaddeus backing away. They laid down their first aid kits and kept walking, their footsteps faltering, their faces pale. Connor held up his hand to show he meant them no harm, but Parry’s voice came through the intercom, barking orders, “Ben, Cate, grab them. It’s our only chance to get some leverage. If we give in now, we’ll be slaughtered like Finn.”
His words spurred Ben and Cate into action, and they dashed toward Sue and Thaddeus. Sue held up her hands in surrender, but Thaddeus turned and tried to run. He sprinted away, his arms pumping wildly, but he only managed a few steps before he stumbled. His arms flailed the air, but before he could regain his balance, Ben was on him, grabbing hold of his suit and dragging him back to the others.
Cate held onto Sue’s arm and pulled her toward Parry.
“Use your pistols,” Parry said. “The rifles are no good for this.”
“For God’s sake!” Connor yelled. “Are you out of your minds?”
But Ben and Cate were already laying down their rifles and drawing their pistols. “Sorry, Connor,” Cate said. “I don’t like this either, but Parry’s right.”
“You goddamned idiots!” Alec shouted, and despite his helmet, they all heard him. “They might’ve let you live, but not now. They’ll leave you for dead.”
“Shut up!” Parry snapped.
“What if he’s right?” Connor asked. “Did you think of that, Parry? We’re a threat to them now. Do you think they’ll let us go after this?”
“Listen, Connor, if we keep our heads, we’ll make it out of here alive,” Parry replied. “All we need is safe passage back to the rover, then we can let these people go.”
Connor shook his head, but before he could speak, a PA system let out a burst of white noise, and the words he heard next were like hammer blows to his heart:
“Dad, it’s me, Siobhan. They’re in here with me, and they say…they say if you put down your weapons, they’ll let us all go.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t—”
The speaker was suddenly silent, then another voice replaced Siobhan’s, a man, his sneering tone alive with malice. “My name is Kyrksen Gall, and I have regained control of the truck you stole from us. Siobhan is safe, for now, but if you don’t cooperate, she’ll suffer the consequences. And then we’ll pull out the fleet and leave you to rot. Is that clear?”
“Don’t listen to them,” Parry called out. “They wouldn’t do that. They wouldn’t leave their people behind.”
“I don’t know,” Ben said. “Look.”
He nodded toward the crashed truck, and as Connor turned, the truck’s engines growled into life. Some of the armed men and women were already climbing aboard through the rear door while the others stood guard. The truck’s hover panels buzzed angrily, and with the harsh grating of metal against stone, the truck rose, leveling out and backing away from the rocky outcrop that had supposedly caused its accident.
Kyrksen’s voice rang out once more over the PA, “Are you convinced yet?” He laughed, and his derisive chuckle echoed through the ravine. “You’re not holding any of the cards, my friend. Those people you fancy as hostages are of only marginal value to us. We’ll give you the chance to return them, and if you cooperate, we’ll let Siobhan go. We might even leave you a few supplies to keep you alive while you hobble home. But if not…well, let’s just say that Alec and the others represent an acceptable loss. Our mission will be able to carry on without them. The only question is, do you want to see your daughter again? Because if you do, Connor, then there’s only one way that can happen. There are no other options, I’m afraid. None at all.”
CHAPTER 12
The Hill
Calum raced up the hill, his breath rasping in his throat. Ahead, Alan hared over the rough ground, leaping from rock to rock without breaking stride. There was no way Calum could catch up with his friend now, but at least they were almost at the lookout. Why couldn’t Phoebe have been at home? he asked himself for the tenth time. He’d known that Phoebe was in charge of the patrol team while his dad was away, so after leaving Mac’s house and skirting the settlement, he and Alan had gone straight to her house to report what they’d seen, only to find no one home and a note on the door: Phoebe was up on the lookout post with her husband, John. Phoebe couldn’t have been much farther away, and she certainly couldn’t have been any higher. The lookout post was on the hill’s summit, and although the patrol team had cleared a rough path, it wasn’t an easy climb at the best of times. This is ridiculous, Calum thought. We’re wasting time. But what choice did they have? If they’d gone to the council, what good would it have done? Whatever Mac was planning, no amount of talking would stop him, and as far as Calum knew, only the patrol
team had weapons and the training to use them. The patrol team would know what to do, and they’d force Mac to get back in line. They’d have to.
Alan called out, and when Calum looked past his friend, he saw someone scrambling down from the lookout to meet them. It looked like John, and Calum allowed himself a grim smile. At least now, he wouldn’t have to run all the way to the top before he delivered his message. He picked up the pace, urging his leg muscles to move faster, pouring all his energy into a desperate uphill sprint, and in a few frantic seconds he caught up with Alan before John arrived. “Hold up, Al,” he said between gasps for air. “We’ll talk to him together.”
“All right.” Alan jogged to a halt and Calum stood beside him, taking great gulps of fresh air.
“You okay?” Alan asked.
Calum held up his hand as if to ward off his friend’s concern. “Yeah. No problem. Just catching my breath.”
Alan nodded. “Right. Well, get yourself together. John looks kind of pissed.”
John was heading toward them fast, his face like thunder, and Calum had to agree with Alan’s assessment. “Yeah. But just wait until he hears what we have to say.”
“Hey!” John called out. “What the hell are you doing up here? Get back down to the settlement and bother somebody else.”
“Come over here,” Calum replied. “We need to talk. It’s important.”
John’s frown said he wasn’t convinced, but he jogged across to meet them. “What’s all this about? It had better not be some dumb prank because we’re in no mood for it.”
“It’s no joke,” Calum said. “Show him, Al.”
“We found this in Mac’s house,” Alan began, taking the pistol from his waistband. “And a whole lot more besides.”
John snatched the weapon from Alan’s hand. “What the hell? Does Mac know you’ve got this?”
Calum shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I saw some guys bringing a crate of suits into the settlement. They said they were headed for Mac’s house, so we went to take a look.”
“Are you serious?” John demanded. “Are you telling me you broke into Mac’s house?”
“Yeah.” Calum’s face fell. “It wasn’t locked or anything. We just went inside. And that’s when we found the cellar. Under the floor.”
John looked from Calum to Alan and back again. “I warned you, I don’t have time for your stupid games. With Connor and Parry away, we’re working around the clock, and you have the nerve to come up here, wasting everybody’s—”
“We’re not making this up,” Alan interrupted, raising his voice. “This is for real. Mac has a cellar under his floor, and it’s loaded with suits and guns. I’m telling you, this is serious. He’s got a box of rifles down there, and maybe more.”
John pursed his lips. “Rifles? You’re sure?”
“Yes, goddammit!” Alan blurted. “I know a rifle when I see it. And Mac’s got at least a dozen. Plus the pistols.”
“And I saw the EVA suits,” Calum put in. “He has the crate in his front room. It’s orange, and I saw the labels.”
“My God!” John breathed. “That crazy son of a bitch! What the hell is he doing?”
“I don’t know,” Alan said. “But it’s nothing good.”
John nodded. “Okay. Alan, I want you to head up to the lookout and tell Phoebe what you just told me. Tell her to come down and meet me at our house.”
“Got it,” Alan replied, and he set off, loping up the hill.
“What are we going to do?” Calum asked.
“We’ll head down as fast as we can. We’ll get things underway.”
“Are you going to talk to the council?”
John shook his head. “It’s too late for that. We’ll fill them in later. Right now, we need to get some people together and see if we can keep a lid on this thing before it’s too late. Are you ready?”
“Yeah,” Calum replied, and when John set off down the slope, he did his best to keep up.
***
Mac entered the square slowly, a group of thirty men and women behind him, all carrying sonic rifles and wearing pistols at their sides. A couple of passersby stopped and stared, but Mac paid them no heed. He stopped in the center of the square and turned around to face his troops. “We’ll set up right here. I want three ranks. Rob, check them over and make sure we look like we mean business.”
“Yes, sir,” Rob replied, then he busied himself checking the troops as they fell into line.
Not bad, Mac decided. Not bad at all. He stood in silence, letting his eye fall on each of his supporters in turn. Seven of them acted as his trusted lieutenants, good men and women he could rely on, and they’d all been issued with the modified comms units he’d kept hidden for the last five years. He’d salvaged the comms system himself from the wrecked lander, and he’d always known that one day it would be useful. At first, the units had been unreliable in the unforgiving conditions on this miserable planet, but with his expertise in electronic systems, he’d solved that problem a long time ago, and now he had control of the Matrix: the only functioning communication system in the settlement. Back on Earth, his comms units would be objects of derision, but here, they were gold dust. And they gave him something no one else could have: they gave him an edge. Command and control, he thought, and he favored his troops with a broad grin.
“All ready, sir,” Rob said, then he fell into line.
“Very good.” Mac took a deep breath. “Okay, people, this is a big day for us. This is the day we take back control. I won’t waste your time with fine words because we have a job to do, and we owe it to the people of this settlement to get on with it. I’ll just say this: We were never meant to be on this planet. We were cheated, robbed of the future we were promised. But here we are, and that’s that. Now, we might not be able to make this place as great as we’d like, but we can make it better than it is. We can do that. But only if we work together. It’s going to be rough, but we will succeed. And that, you’ll be glad to know, ends the speechifying.” He made a show of mopping his brow with the back of his hand and was rewarded with laughter from the troops. Then he stiffened his spine and started snapping out orders. “Let’s get started. Rob and Sarah, you’ll stand with me. All other Matrix operators, start pounding on doors. I want every single council member brought here, right now.” He waggled his finger in the air. “Ask them first, real nice, but if they don’t comply, drag them along anyhow. Go to it!”
A chorus of agreement rang out from his seven lieutenants, and while the other five ran off to carry out their orders, Rob and Sarah took up position at Mac’s side, their rifles held ready. The rank-and-file troops stood still, their backs straight. This is more like it, Mac thought, and he checked the settings on his own rifle. We’ll have company soon, and when those do-gooders in the patrol team turn up, we’ll be ready for them.
Derek Kline was the first member of the council to arrive, and from his smile, it seemed that he’d needed no encouragement to attend. He hurried across the square, rubbing his hands together. “I guess the time has come, Mac. I take it that this meeting is in relation to the matter we discussed.”
“You could say that,” Mac replied. “But I’d be obliged if you’d wait quietly for a minute. I’ve got a message for the whole council, and I never did like to repeat myself.”
Derek bowed his head. “As you wish.”
Mac looked around to watch the arrival of the council’s leader, Evelyn Naidu. She was accompanied by Mac’s youngest lieutenant, a young man by the name of Danny, although Evelyn was striding with such determined vigor that Danny’s attempts to keep up with her were faintly comical.
Mac shook his head in dismay. He’d have a word with Danny later. In the meantime, he held out his hand to Evelyn. “Thank you for coming along,” he said smoothly. “It wouldn’t have been right to start without you.”
Evelyn did not stop until she was almost nose to nose with Mac. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? What is this nonsense?”<
br />
Mac’s smile didn’t falter, but he withdrew his hand. “Evelyn, things have been allowed to fall apart around here, but it’s time for that to stop. I want to make sure that order is restored, and I’d like to have your support.”
“No,” Evelyn snapped. “I won’t collude with you, even if others might be tempted.” She threw a sharp look at Derek. “And what’s more, as duly elected leader of the council, I order you to return all these weapons to their proper place. Then, and only then, can we discuss any grievances you may have. Is that clear?”
Mac smirked. “Look around you, Evelyn. Do you really believe that you’re in charge here?”
Evelyn turned around just as the other members of the council were being dragged into the square. Katherine Rhodes trudged reluctantly alongside her captor, a middle-aged woman called Lou, while Jordan Beech allowed himself to be led by a burly man who liked everyone to call him Rick. But Matt Pierdew was putting up a fight, struggling hard against the two men holding onto his arms, Aaron and Lee.
“Come on now, Matt,” Mac called over to him. “There’s no need for that.”
But in that moment, Matt got his arm free, and he lashed out at Aaron, landing a punch that connected with an audible crunch of gristle. Aaron grunted and staggered back, clutching his nose, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Lee froze, clearly shocked, and Matt shoved him aside easily then charged at Mac, his eyes wild with fury.
At Mac’s side, Rob and Sarah leveled their rifles, but Mac muttered, “Leave him.” They stood aside, but as Matt powered toward him, Mac calmly raised his sonic rifle and fired.
The single shot hit Matt square in the chest, and he fell back as though his legs had been kicked from under him. He landed heavily on his back, then he lay still.
“No!” Evelyn ran to where Matt lay and kneeled down at his side, resting her hand on his neck to feel for a pulse. For a moment she was silent, then she stood and glared at Mac, her face tight with restrained fury. “He’s dead! You’ve killed him, you bastard!”
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