The Enhanced Series Boxset

by T. C. Edge

“Ricky,” I whisper.

  I look inside and see him already scoffing on a tin of beans, hungrily scooping the contents into his mouth using a dirty paw. His eyes dart to me again, and lock in place.

  I take the opportunity to rush back inside, opening the door to his mind, my words preparing to echo once more within him.

  Gather your things and follow me, I order firmly. Follow me to safety.

  I keep the order simple, and repeat it firmly. Once more, it echoes through the chambers of his mind, sinking into his consciousness. I withdraw to find him staring at me as he did before, his hand hovering over the tin of beans, dripping with juice, his frame rigid as if it’s entered a temporary state of paralysis.

  Then, like before, he comes back to life. I watch him as he automatically begins to gather what scant possessions he has into a bag: some spare clothes, a few bits of food, a little shiv he no doubt uses to protect himself.

  Standing up and stepping back, I watch as he emerges from his shelter and moves towards me. He stands beside me, looking right into my face, an odd expression of confusion and submission written across his visage.

  As I move back towards Zander, keeping watch on the threshold of the building, he unconsciously starts to follow me, like a new-born lamb sticking close to its mother.

  Zander laughs lightly as I arrive.

  “Bravo, sis. You’ve got him on a string.”

  I can’t deny the feeling of power, of control, that begins seeping through my veins. It’s a strangely gratifying, and yet frightening, feeling, being able to influence someone else’s actions with such ease.

  “Erm, so I guess we can go now?” I ask, semi-triumphantly.

  I get the impression that Zander didn’t expect me to be able to complete this particular task.

  “Yep, you win! Bonus points if you can get him to put this on,” he adds with a whisper, leaning in and pulling a mask from his pocket.

  A few seconds later, I’ve got Ricky donning the mask and covering up his sight. Zander looks at me like I’ve just discovered fire.

  “Jeez, good going, sis. You’re picking this up much quicker than I did.”

  “Well, I guess it’s because I’ve got such a good teacher,” I concede.

  “I do try,” he says, his hazel eyes dancing.

  I laugh as we enter back into the cold, deserted streets, the sky now fully dark and the celestial light from above hidden behind thick clouds and fumes.

  “So, I guess I’ll need one of those masks too then?” I say, thinking that me knowing the secret ways into the underlands around here is something Zander would rather avoid.

  He shakes his head and leads me on, Ricky following like a well-trained dog just behind me.

  “You know what, I think you can be trusted by now,” he says.

  And that, more than anything, is a firm endorsement of my growing powers. A satisfied grin pulls up the corners of my mouth, and my eyes curve in similar fashion.

  I’m really on the inside now…

  66

  The entrance to the underlands that we take is incredibly well concealed, and it makes perfect sense as to why the agents of the Consortium have been unable to find it. Yet, according to my brother, it’s one of many, and probably the easiest to find.

  It’s into a non-descript building that we first go, passing through the dank hall and down a corridor to the back. At the end, the corridor gives way to a door, which leads into a further room, the walls made from brick and covered in peeling paint.

  Zander moves to the left of the fairly generous space, filled to the brim with clutter and old furniture. Pulling aside a stack of chairs, he digs a single finger into the tiniest of holes, at the end of which lies a switch. Flicking it, I hear a click behind us, and turn to look at the opposite wall.

  Zander pushes the stack of chairs back into place, moves to the other wall, and pulls out an old sofa. Behind it, a low tunnel opens up, unlocked by the switch on the other side of the room. It’s narrow and small, and capable of only being entered on your hands and knees.

  “OK, in your go,” he says.

  I glance at Ricky, who continues to stick silent as a shadow behind me, his vision hidden behind his mask.

  “Alright then,” I say. “Ricky, follow my voice and get onto your hands and knees. We’re crawling.”

  I move to the tunnel and get down on all fours. Ricky does the same, seemingly now conditioned to follow my orders when delivered verbally. As I crawl into the space, he follows right behind, bumping his shoulder and grunting on entry before worming his way inside.

  A few metres in, the tunnel opens up, and I’m able to stand. I pull Ricky to his feet as Zander appears, pulling the secret door shut along with the sofa to conceal it.

  I remember back to when I first entered the underlands from around this part of the city, after going to the black market. My vision was blocked, but I certainly didn’t have to crawl back then. That alone is proof that there are several entrances around these parts.

  As Zander rises to his feet, I explore the place and note that we’re not quite done yet. We appear to be in another room, this one with no doors or windows. My brother fiddles around, searching for a second twitch, before finally revealing the door that leads us down to he underlands.

  “Who exactly created all these passages?” I ask.

  “Old rebel groups started it long ago, early forms of the Nameless before they became the more organised force they are today. We’ve been expanding on it all since, using the main rail networks underground as a starting point. I think, a long time ago, people used to live down here too, when the world was more toxic than it is now. They will have contributed as well.”

  We begin moving through the new tunnel, one that feels more familiar to me. It descends down into the pitch black, making Ricky’s mask largely redundant. I tell him to take a grip of my arm and to follow right behind me. He does so, finally finding his voice.

  “Where are we?” he asks quietly, his voice a soft croak.

  It’s as if he’s beginning to wake from a dream, his mind starting to function a little better.

  “We’re in the underlands, Ricky,” I say, turning my eyes to my brother for confirmation. He nods, letting me know I’m allowed to explain our position. “I’m taking you to safety. You won’t have to worry about other Disposables, or the Con-Cops anymore.”

  He seems to take in what I’m saying, but doesn’t ask any more questions. I turn back and we continue into the depths, working through a new maze as we head northwards towards the larger caverns where the Nameless, and those they protect, dwell in the darkness.

  The first signs of life come from the flickering lights, yellow and orange and glowing at the end of a long, narrow passage. When we reach the end, the sight of many fires comes into view, the space before me stretching far and wide, much more expansive than the waterfall cave I used to frequent.

  I’ve travelled through here before, but only with my eyes covered. Now, the full extent of it comes into view, a sprawling space where an underground community has sprung up, living down here in the quiet and calm.

  I spread my gaze around, searching for one figure among the little groups that stretch to the distance.

  “Is Drum down here?” I ask.

  Zander doesn’t need to answer. Sending my Hawk-eyes forward, I see the shape of a large figure in the distance, right up against the far rock wall, sitting on the outskirts of a gathering of shadows around a fire.

  I turn quickly to Zander.

  “Go on, I’ll catch up with you in a bit,” he says. “Don’t worry, I’ll see that Ricky gets taken in by one of the carers. He’ll be well catered to here.”

  I zip in and give my brother a kiss on the cheek, telling him thanks as I move off towards the far end of the cavern. As I do, I check round to see Ricky attempting to follow, the order I gave him so ingrained that he can’t help himself. Zander holds him back, lifts up his mask, and removes the order with nothing but a glance.
>
  I marvel at his power, and feel a tingle at the prospect of being able to do the same.

  Soon, Brie, soon…

  The cavern is strangely beautiful as I work across it, lit in places with the fires to give warmth and light. Built in pits, most appear to be gathering points for people to sit around. Others, however, are used for cooking, while the walls are also fixed with little torches, their flames giving shape to the entire space.

  My eyes don’t need the light to function, of course, and yet the contrast of the orange and yellows with the various shades of black is quite striking. Moving through little groups, I near Drum’s gathering, and see him sitting slightly beyond the fire on his own, his large frame sat on the rock floor and staring at his hands.

  He looks like he did when I found him in his room, just after the deaths of Fred and Ziggy. Clearly, their passing is still weighing heavy on his mind, along with other recent events.

  His eyes don’t lift to me as I come. Not until I’m right beside him does he appear to notice the presence of another person nearby. Arching his eyes up, he takes me in as he did when we saved him from the convoy only days ago, and I see those big brown irises of his widen.

  “Brie!”

  A bountiful smile surges up his face, and mine.

  “Hey Drum,” I say as he pounces to his feet and sucks me into an embrace that might just crush me.

  I tap him on the shoulder and he eases up.

  “Oh…sorry…” he mumbles.

  Now, it’s me who hugs him, my arms, as always, barely capable of reaching around his sides, let along his back.

  “It’s so good to see you,” I say, looking up into his ample face. “How are you? Are you OK down here?”

  He nods and says nothing, glancing beyond me to the people sat around the fire nearby. Then he sinks back a little into the shadows, taking me with him.

  “Is something wrong?” I ask, following his gaze. “Are those people being mean to you?”

  He shakes his head, lowering his voice.

  “No, nothing like that. The people are nice…mostly. I got assigned here when your brother brought me down. We’re all meant to stay in certain zones, you see. This is mine.”

  “Ah, I see. So, where do you sleep?”

  He nods to the wall, where a little patch of old rags have been fashioned into a bed.

  “That’s my one. It takes some getting used to, but it’s good. I’m lucky to even be here. You and your brother…you saved me.”

  “And I’d do it again a hundred times over,” I say.

  “I’m grateful. But…maybe I didn’t deserve it.”

  “Drum, what do you mean? Of course you did.”

  He shakes his head and drops to the rock floor, sitting up against the wall.

  “I…I killed a man, Brie. I took a life.”

  He hangs his head in shame, a grimace swamping his face now. I guess it’s a hard thing to do, taking someone’s life away from them, ridding a family of a loved one.

  “It wasn’t your fault, Drum. You just don’t know your own strength, that’s all.”

  “It’s not an excuse,” he drones. “I broke his neck because he teased me. That’s not fair. I think…maybe I deserved to be taken to the REEF after that.”

  “Don’t speak like that, it won’t get you anywhere. It was an accident, OK, an accident. Look at me…”

  I take his chin and lift his wide face to mine.

  “You have a second chance now,” I tell him, creeping inside his mind. “You can try to do some good.”

  I sink briefly into his head, only enough to feel his shame and guilt and sadness. Before I drift too far, I pull back, and find him looking at me in a funny way.

  “You’re amazing, Brie,” he says, a small smile re-appearing. “Zander told me about it all. All these powers you have. And just…you, as a person. You’re so good to me. I don’t deserve it.”

  “Now you’re just being ridiculous,” I say flippantly. “You’re the kindest, sweeting boy I’ve ever met. You made one mistake after a lifetime of being teased. And the fact that you’re beating yourself up so hard says it all. You’re a good person, Drum. You have a lot to give. You just have to find your calling.”

  He nods, and that guilt and shame in his eyes fades, taken over by a determination, a resolve that those big browns never portray.

  “I think I have,” he says. “You showed me the way, and your brother brought me here. And, I’ve spoken to some people, and think I want to join up. I can do good, like you say. I can help.”

  “Join up? What do you mean?”

  “The Nameless. I can become a member, a soldier. I have Brute blood, everyone’s saying it. Maybe I can help.”

  I fall silent for a second, but try to shade the doubt from my eyes. I don’t want to quash any rising resolution in him, to send him spiralling back down again. But, I don’t want him being a soldier, not now, with everything that’s going on.

  “Are you sure they’d let you?” I ask, raising my eyes.

  “Um, I think so. I can fight, if I need to.”

  “But you’re just a boy. You’ve never used a weapon in your life.”

  “Your brother was much younger than me when he joined,” he counters sensitively. “I could do it, I know I could.”

  “I’m sure you could…”

  “No you’re not,” he cuts in. “I know you don’t think I can do anything.”

  “Drum...”

  “No, I’m not blaming you,” he says quickly. “Why should anyone think I can do anything. I muck up everything I try.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is. I’m stupid, and clumsy, and soft. I know I am. But…I can grow tougher. I am growing tougher here. I need to do something, Brie. I have to repay what I owe.”

  “You don’t owe anything.”

  “YES I DO,” he says, his voice booming a little louder. A few eyes turn to us from the fire, before fading away again. Drum lowers his voice. “I do owe…I owe you, and Zander, and lots of people here. But mostly, I owe that man I killed. I have to do something with my life to make up for that.”

  His voice withers away, and the chatter from the cave grows in my ears. I look into his eyes, filled with a need that I’ve never seen in them before, his face appearing older, leaner, his clothing more dirty and tattered and his hair dishevelled.

  He looks like a boy at the bottom of the barrel, trying to claw his way to the top. And if I stop him, he’ll be stuck down in that dark hole forever.

  A passing thought flows through me. I could try to stop him now, enter his mind and rewire his desire to sign up, to become a soldier, to enter the fight.

  And if I wasn’t able to, I could get Zander to instead. I could keep him safe down here, where I won’t have to worry about him as I work on my mission up above.

  But the thought merely passes and doesn’t take hold. Much as I’d like to, I can’t do that to him. Not to my friend.

  His voice ends the silence, calmer now, the etched lines of stress on his face withdrawing.

  “There’s a war coming, Brie,” he says, looking out. “That’s what everyone is saying here. And if that’s true, I can’t just sit here and do nothing…”

  I nod and stare at him.

  Oh, there’s a war coming alright…

  But not if I can help it.

  67

  I don’t return to the surface that night. There are more reasons than one for that.

  Not only do I want to stay with Drum, and Zander, and even Ricky – I feel I have a duty of care for the young man, given how I pretty much ordered him down here against his will – but I also realise that returning home right now would be far too dangerous.

  Obviously, I’ve skipped through the night before on more than one occasion, creeping away after secret meetings with Zander and getting back to the academy without issue. However, that was always in the western quarter, and usually only from the shelter in district 6 to the academy in district 5. Ove
rall, not too far to go.

  However, right now the underlands beyond the northern quarter are considered too dangerous to travel. Part of that, of course, is my own doing. After finding me in the waterfall cavern, that area of the underlands is off-limits. Since Drum and Zander were chased off in another direction, various other passages are also deemed unsafe, even for the most powerful among us like Zander.

  All in all, the Consortium are tightening the noose, and many of the passages across the western, eastern, and southern quarters are now being searched. The only thing in our favour is that the underlands of the northern quarter are so much harder to find. So hard, in fact, that even those who have been down here for years can often forget the locations of the many secret entrances.

  Yet, soon enough, the agents of the Consortium will find a way through. And when they do, they’ll spread through these caves and caverns like a plague, wiping out everyone they find. Should that happen, many of the people here will die. Even the secrets ways out of here that I’ve been told about won’t be sufficient to save them all.

  And in my head, that ticking clock continues to echo. Time is pressing against us. We have so little of it to waste.

  But tonight, I relax in safety, talking quietly with Drum until Zander materialises from the darkness to fill me in on Ricky’s current state.

  “He’s a little confused,” he informs me. “He couldn’t remember much of what happened, which is perfectly normal. He’ll soon realise that he’s far safer here than up there. That was a good thing you did, Brie.”

  “Well, as long as he’s safe. Do you reckon he would have come of his own accord?”

  “Honestly? Hard to tell. Some people are too wary. They consider it a trap when we try to get them to safety. Who knows if he’s like that. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t. Either way, it doesn’t matter now.”

  He moves in to sit beside Drum and pats him on the shoulder.

  “How’s it going, big guy? Good to see Brie again?”

  Drum looks at me with a glowing smile and nods shyly. Clearly, he hasn’t quite grown comfortable around my brother yet.