Battle
One half of Rick’s torn body was tossed back towards the terrified group, landing in the centre of the circle they’d formed. These beasts didn’t seem to want to eat, they just wanted to kill.
‘Keep the circle tight!’ came Clay’s voice. ‘If we break it, they’ll pick us off one by one.’
Chris was becoming very agitated. His overalls were spattered with Rick’s blood.
‘I need to fight,’ Lucy shouted to Joe. ‘We’ll have to leave Chris in the middle – we’re all dead if we don’t kill these things.’
Two of the beasts made a second charge, and this time they were ready. Grace pushed out her spear and Miron swung his hammer at the beast’s head. It roared with pain and retreated. At least they could be hurt.
On the other side, the second beast had been more successful. Ross, Marjani and Clay managed to spear it twice between them, and again it retreated. The other two beasts rushed straight in, barely giving any time to breathe. They seemed incensed by the green of Joe and Lucy's overalls, as if driven by an obsession to reach them. Joe and Lucy had joined the circle now, and they worked together to force their spears into the creature’s head. It screeched with pain, its tusks flailing madly, one narrowly missing Joe, who stepped back just in time. Ross followed up swiftly by running at the creature and pounding its head with a hammer.
‘Don’t break the circle!’ shouted Clay, but it was too late. The beast that had killed Rick charged once again, this time directly towards the side of the circle Ross had broken. Clay saw that their defensive strategy had been disrupted and rushed to help Ross finish off the beast. He thrust his spear directly through the creature’s eye. It screamed out then died.
Chris had run off in terror along one of the tunnels of the labyrinth. Lucy saw him go but was too preoccupied with the creature that had killed Rick. It had tasted blood. It seemed more ferocious than the others. The presence of Joe and Lucy seemed to make the creatures frantic – it was as if their presence agitated them even more. Joe and Marjani stabbed and pounded the beast, but it seemed to be exhilarated by the fight and grew stronger and wilder. With a sudden swipe of its deadly tusks, it lifted Marjani high into the air and pounded her body into the roof of the labyrinth, dashing her head against the damp stonework.
She had begun to let out a scream but was dead before it was finished.
‘Clay, any ideas?’ shouted Joe, not even knowing where he was in the confusion.
‘This isn’t working,’ Clay replied, thrusting a scythe at one of the creatures. ‘We should try fighting in the tunnels – we’ll need to splinter into groups and pick them off.’
Joe counted quickly to see who was still left. Chris had run off, probably the best thing for everybody, he was safer like that. Clay, Lucy, Miron, Ross and Grace were still fighting, and one creature was dead. The beast that had killed Marjani had stormed up a long tunnel as if it were some sort of victory ceremony, but at least it meant there were only two of them left to tackle and six Justice Seekers to do the work.
Ross ran at one of the wounded animals, striking again and putting it on the defensive. It tossed its tusks at him, tearing a bloody gash in his leg. He cried out with the pain, but still he fought, pounding the animal as if he’d gone insane. Joe ran up towards him, and when the beast’s head was on the floor, Joe plunged his spear into its brain, killing it instantly.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked Ross. The wound looked bad.
‘It hurts like hell, but those teeth would hurt worse!’
Joe smiled. It seemed inappropriate, bearing in mind the death and carnage all around them, but he knew what Ross meant. What option did they have other than to fight for their lives?
‘Let’s draw them apart!’ shouted Clay. ‘Joe, you take that tunnel.’
Clay indicated to Miron and Grace to follow him while Joe, Lucy and Ross made their way up another passageway. There were two creatures left, and the Gridders looked like they wanted to mix things up a bit. The tunnels began to change around them: exits were shut off, and new doorways were opened – they were trying to disorient the Justice Seekers.
‘Damn Fortrillium!’ cursed Lucy. Her arm was red raw and stiffening – she wondered how long it would continue to be of use to her in a fight.
Along the dark passageways, the roars of the remaining two beasts could be heard. They were further away now, out of sight, but they would be hunting them, they would not stop.
‘What’s the best strategy?’ asked Joe, glancing at Ross and Lucy. Ross looked to be in too much pain to care much, and Lucy was in a bad state too. With no Clay to advise them, he took the lead. ‘
These things are going to stalk us now. That’s what Fortrillium wants. We’ve lost Rick and Marjani, but they won’t let us all die. That’s why they’ve changed the tunnels to stop the bloodbath. We need to ambush, not hunt, they’re too strong.’
‘Agreed,’ replied Ross. ‘I can’t move too far with this leg – it hurts like hell, but my arms are good.’
‘Okay, Ross, I’m going to act as bait and we’ll drive the creature towards you. They seem to be incensed by Lucy and me. You stay over there in the dark, with a spear pointing outwards. Lucy and I will drive it towards you.’
Ross moved towards the edge of the tunnel wall, positioning the spear outwards as Joe had suggested.
‘Now we just wait.’
‘I’m concerned about Chris,’ said Lucy. ‘They’ll kill him straight away if they find him.’
‘I know, I know. We’ll have to leave it to chance for now. We can’t split off anymore – they’ll pick us off one by one.’
‘And Schälen is still out there too, remember. I’m not sure who to be more afraid of.’
‘With any luck, they’ll get to him first,’ came Ross’s voice from the darkness.
A loud scream echoed along the tunnels. It sounded like Grace.
They waited in the darkness, the silence punctuated by screams and roars. It was difficult to tell what was going on, but they stuck to the plan.
It felt as if they’d been waiting for hours, though it was only a matter of minutes. Lucy noticed it first, and she indicated with her eyes to Joe. She had smelled its breath before she saw it. Its tusks still carried the fleshy remains from Rick and Marjani. Then they saw its cold, blue eyes.
‘Ross!’ Joe whispered. ‘Get ready.’
This was the strongest creature and it knew how to hunt. It had quietly moved along the labyrinth’s tunnels, stalking its prey, waiting for the moment to strike. But Lucy and Joe had seen it first.
Lucy raised her spear and plunged it into the beast’s head as it stepped around the corner into the tunnel. It let out a deafening roar, moving its tusks and knocking her over with the force. She’d avoided the tusks, but the sideways blow winded her. She struggled to recover as the beast moved closer, sensing an easy kill.
Joe ran towards the creature, plunging his spear into its back before it reached Lucy, who was breathless and dazed.
A wall came crashing down between Lucy and the beast. Fortrillium was separating them off, it was denying them the option to fight together. At least Lucy was safe from that creature, but it left Joe and Ross to fight it alone.
Joe tore his spear out of the monster’s back, running up along the course of its spine to retrieve the weapon Lucy had left in its head. She must have missed the brain, but the monstrosity was bleeding badly now.
Its wounds seemed to fuel its anger, and Joe dodged from side to side as it raised its tusks, desperately trying to impale its prey as it had done so effectively before.
‘This way. Come over here!’ Joe goaded, luring the creature in Ross’s direction.
‘You ready, Ross? Here we come.’
The beast looked directly at Joe, snarling and snapping its teeth. Then it began its charge, the tusks moving wildly from side to side. Joe could see the spot where Ross was positioned. He ran directly towards it. As he neared Ross, he tossed Lucy’s spear at him. Ross caught it and extended it outwards with the other, nestling them in the corner between wall and floor to hold them securely.
The creature ran directly at them, and at the last possible moment, when the tusks were about to plunge deep into Joe’s body, he moved out of the way, leaving the beast no time to stop.
It crashed into Ross’s spears, both of which cut straight into its neck. Joe leapt on top of the monster and thrust his spear deep into its brain. For a few seconds it was motionless, impaled on Ross’s weapons and stunned by Joe’s attack.
Then it sank, heavy and lifeless, one tusk either side of Ross who was still sitting against the wall of the labyrinth. It took a moment or two before they both began to breathe again.
‘Nice one, Joe!’
‘Good job, Ross. I thought it was going to be too strong for us. We’ve lost Lucy again, though. Did you see what happened? They’re splitting us up, and I’m worried about Schälen – she doesn’t have a weapon anymore.’
‘She can look after herself, but we’d better try and find her. Do you think Clay managed to kill the other creature?’
‘Difficult to tell. We’ll need to keep listening – they could be anywhere in here. They haven’t changed the Mode yet. The trial must still be ongoing. Let’s head out and find Lucy. Are you alright to walk ?’
‘Yes, I’m good. I’ll use Lucy’s spear as a stick. It’ll help to keep some weight off it.’
It was a struggle to retrieve the spears from the creature’s flesh. It was tough and sinewy – it had been much easier when the blades had slid in.
Ross managed to stand up again, stepping over the creature’s tusks, and started making his way with Joe along the tunnels. It made no difference which tunnel they chose. There was no telling which way they were heading in the labyrinth.
Joe tried to work his way back around to where he thought Lucy had been before the wall had crashed down and separated them, but it was no use. There was no sign of her anywhere.
Warily, they made their way along the passageways, with spears at the ready. Occasionally the eerie silence would be interrupted by a scream or a roar, but they were too far away. It was like chasing echoes trying to reunite with the other group.
This continued for some time. Joe felt they were being steered by Fortrillium – doors would open and tunnels close; they were walking in circles.
Suddenly, a loud roar came from behind them. They turned fast, spears at the ready. Something moved in the shadows by their feet.
At first Joe thought it might be rats. He’d seen enough of them in his time living in The Climbs. But whatever had come to rest by their feet was not living. Joe turned to the side to allow the light from the nearest torch to illuminate the object.
He gasped as he saw Grace Makins’ severed head which had just rolled along the tunnel. The monster that had killed her had begun its charge at them. It had taken them by surprise, it was almost upon them.
They’d got caught in an ambush and they weren’t ready. The creature had tasted blood and now it wanted more.
Combat
There was a spontaneous round of applause the moment Grace’s head was torn from her body and was sent rolling towards Joe’s feet.
Hannah had engineered that move – she intended to put her friends in as much peril as possible without killing them. It was a difficult thing to do. The beasts were programmed to hunt and kill, and it was impossible to control their every movement, so Joe and Lucy also had to fight for their own survival.
With each execution, Hannah felt a part of herself dying too. There was only so long she would be able to make these kills. She and Linwood worked together, and the other Gridders supported with code inserts and workarounds.
There had been a gasp in the room when Rick died – nobody had expected such an early death. It was a good one too, and there was an expectation among the other Gridders that the engagement levels would be soaring. This was accomplished gameplay.
When Marjani had been pounded to death, that had been done by Linwood, who’d seen his chance to take out another Justice Seeker, avoiding those in the green overalls, the traitors, Joe and Lucy.
But Hannah knew that each death was a human life lost. This was far from entertainment, it was a public execution. She’d cursed as one of the support Gridders isolated Lucy; it would look good in terms of gameplay, but she wanted her close to Joe at all times.
The severed head was a distraction – the more horrific the deaths of the other Gridders, the more she could make it appear as if her friends were in the thick of the action. If only she could keep Joe and Lucy alive until the next Mode, it would give Talya and Linwood more time to figure things out. The beasts couldn’t keep away from Joe and Lucy – they seemed incensed by their presence. That was not Hannah and Linwood’s doing.
Hannah thanked her lucky stars that she’d found Linwood, he was proving as good as his word. He was working well with her. They had to make kills, they couldn’t avoid it, but between them they’d managed to steer Joe and Lucy clear of danger. Only now another of the Gridders had opened a doorway right next to Joe. She knew it must be Joe, as the pixelated figure on her screen was male with green overalls.
The Gridders were getting carried away with the game, and there was no way she could control them. This was Linwood’s Mode to steer. He’d taken on Hannah as his second, but the other Gridders had to be deployed too, and they were the wild card in this.
On the main screen in the office, Hannah scrutinized the set-up of the scene. Joe’s companion had a low health rating; he’d lost a lot of blood, and he was badly wounded. Joe’s health was fair but his heart rate had gone up dramatically. His energy levels were severely depleted. She could see he was tiring. The creature’s adrenalin flow was high, and it would be difficult to beat, given that its opponents were severely weakened.
Could she distort the labyrinth once again, removing Joe from the imminent threat? That would look too obvious – in terms of audience engagement, this was a strong scenario.
She checked on the location of the other Justice Seekers. They were close by distance, but the tunnel networks meant they couldn’t reach each other. She considered opening up an exit, allowing the other team to join Joe and help him fight.
There were three other Justice Seekers on her screen. Lucy had to be the female, in green overalls. The serial killer was there too and the man from the Institute who’d run off at the beginning of the first fight. She had limited scope to help out, and the best bet seemed to be to steer the remaining pair towards Joe and his companion – the four of them should be able to kill the remaining creature.
Hannah moved her attention back to her console and began to enter the code to create a new environment. She’d make it look good, not too obvious, but she’d make sure they could find Joe.
She programmed in the data, then entered the activation command. Nothing happened. She ran a quick check to make sure nobody had locked the operation. No locks in place. The gameplay should have been hers.
Without wanting to draw attention to the problem, she sent Linwood a console-to-console text alert. He ran some checks and confirmed all was clear for Hannah’s update.
She tried the activation command again. It was blocked. She’d lost control of the environment. Somebody was interfering with The Justice Trial, and whoever they were they were not doing it via a Fortrillium console.
Resistance
Talya’s body convulsed violently, and immediately the memories of those final moments came back to her. She’d been attacked from behind, and something injected into her neck. She’d seen Centuria – had they abducted her?
She struggled to focus her mind through the haze left by the drugs but was unable to break through her disorientation. She was freezing – she was wrapped in a blanket, but couldn’t shake off the cold.
‘Welcome back, Talya,’ came a voice. It seemed friendly at least.
She blinked, trying to take in what was going on around her. There were Centuria, two of them, but without helmets. She’d never seen that before. In all her life in The City, she’d never seen the face of a Centuria.
‘I’m Leo and this is Jody. Don’t be alarmed, you’re safe here.’
Talya sat up straight, alert and ready to fight. She needed more information – the situation did not seem hostile.
‘It’s okay, Talya, you’re among friends. Let me explain what happened. You’ll need some time to recover from what we did to you. I’m sorry, there was no other way.’
Talya decided to listen. She didn’t think her legs would hold her to make an escape.
‘You’re in The Climbs,’ Leo continued. ‘We had to get you away from Fortrillium.’
Talya didn’t like the sound of that. She remembered the last things that had happened before she lost consciousness: she was due at a special session the next day. It had all been going wrong.
‘How is Lucy? Is she still alive?’
‘She’s okay, Talya. She’s still caught in The Grid, but she’s alive. Joe Parsons too, they’re both okay.’
Talya was relieved at that. Her last thoughts had been about how she’d let her daughter down by her outburst. She’d given Damien Hunter all he needed to block her. She’d just handed him the rope with which to hang her.
Jody began to speak, on Leo’s nod – he’d sensed Talya was going to need lots of reassurance.
‘We’re sorry we did what we did, Talya, but we had to bring you over from Silk Road undetected. We had to knock you out and take your heartbeat down to zero to pass the scanners.’
‘You’ve been dead for four minutes,’ Leo interjected. ‘It was the only way we could do it.’
Talya’s mind was a confusion of questions and disorientation, and she was unable to comprehend what they were telling her.
‘It’s all coming to an end, Talya. Damien Hunter would have finished you off tomorrow,’ Jody picked up in the silence. ‘It was only a matter of time – there’s no way you’d have passed through the review process.’
‘She’s right, you know. Hunter had it in for you.’
Talya recognized the voice, but it was out of place. If they were in The Climbs, why did she hear that voice? She looked towards its source. It was Law Lord Brad Sivil.
‘I know I’m the last person you’d expect to see here, Talya, but you have to listen to these people. Whatever you think, we’re not the enemy here.’
Talya wasn’t so sure about that. She tried to tense her legs again, but they still wouldn’t have been able to take her weight. She decided to listen and find out more. She was in their hands for the time being, her body was incapable of resistance.
Jody carried on speaking.
‘I know it’s a lot to take in, Talya, but this is where The City’s resistance movement is based. You’re safe here. Your Gen-ID chip is jammed. Fortrillium can’t find you now.’
‘I’m so sorry about your daughter,’ said Law Lord Sivil, ‘but really, Talya, you didn’t help yourself with Hunter. The man has to be handled.’
‘And is that what you were doing, Law Lord Sivil?’ Talya snapped, but Sivil seemed different now, he was altogether more conciliatory.
‘We all have our roles to play in this, Talya. I played mine well – you had no idea I was part of this.’
‘So what is this?’ she asked, moving her gaze between the three faces in front of her. Her focus was beginning to return. There was activity all around her: medical supplies, food and weaponry.
‘This is how Fortrillium will be brought down, Talya,’ Jody answered. ‘There are many of us in the Centuria who have been planning this for some years now. It was colleagues of ours who brought you through security. President Delman is up to something. We think an important change is about to take place, but we don’t know what it is yet.’
‘You’ve brought things to a head,’ Sivil picked up. ‘Now is the time for us to strike. The attention your daughter’s trial has garnered makes this the perfect time to bring down Hunter and Delman.’
‘One of our own people was arrested earlier today,’ Leo continued. ‘They’ll torture her and threaten her family. We have to assume they know about us already. We must strike fast.’
‘So what am I doing here?’
‘Hunter was going to destroy you along with your daughter. The Law Lords have all been briefed – you would not have made it through tomorrow’s review.’
Talya looked at Sivil. She’d thought he was an enemy, but she was unsure now.
‘I tipped off Leo and Jody after you left Fortrillium, and they brought you here undercover. Nobody knows you’re here. As far as Damien Hunter is concerned, you will not be traceable.’
‘But what about Lucy, you fools? He’ll use her to get to me. He’ll flush me out and I’ll have to come forward.’
‘Talya, your daughter is dead anyway unless we begin to fight. She was dead the minute she walked into The Grid. That’s what Hunter wants.’
Talya knew Leo was right. But Lucy had people working to keep her alive – maybe they didn’t know about Wiz, Mitchell and Hannah yet.
‘Where do I fit into all this?’ she asked. It had dawned on her that they’d just gone through a lot of effort to get her out of Silk Road safely.
‘You’re a very influential person these days, Talya,’ said Sivil. ‘People trust you, on Silk Road and in The Climbs.’
Jody and Leo nodded. Talya knew she had influence, they were right about that. It hadn’t kept Lucy out of The Grid, however.
‘We need a figure to galvanize the rebels, Talya. They need somebody to follow and inspire them when the fightback begins. That person is you.’