Evacuation
If Wiz had been able to buy more time for himself, he would have been able to monitor the live message being broadcast from beyond The City’s walls. Its recipient was inside The City, seated at a wooden desk in the President’s office.
Delman had been perusing The Pact once again. It weighed heavily on his mind. He was sure Hunter was on to him, but so far Mitchell was indicating that nothing was wrong. He didn’t trust the little weasel at all, but he was his best source of information.
Teanna Schaelles was troubling him too. She’d been loyal for many years, but she kept pushing and pushing him about the past. If only she’d let it go. He needed to take Teanna with him – she was his security. Her father would do whatever he demanded so long as his daughter was safe. If she didn’t return with him, who knew how he’d react?
There was not long to go until Catharsis, only hours until a plan that was a half a century in the making would come together. He’d be out of that wretched place and would be able to put some things right at last. But he had to leave with Teanna. Would she cause trouble when it was time to go?
He read through the final lines of The Pact once again. It would begin at 08:00 hours. He’d make his exit as soon as possible, but not too early. He needed to time it right to keep Hunter off the scent.
Delman tapped an icon on his console and brought up the live feed from The Justice Trial. He’d need The Grid clear by then. If he was going to make a clean exit, it would be virtually impossible to do so undetected during a trial.
He counted up the survivors. There were still too many alive – at that rate the trial would still be going strong. He cursed Damien Hunter for the third time that day. The man was stringing it out, playing the drama on the screens. Well, Delman needed it to be finished, so he’d have to give it a little nudge along.
Josh Delman didn’t care what happened to Talya Slater’s daughter. His only concern was that Talya should do his bidding. She had been a strategic placement for him in the Law Lords, a way to frustrate Damien Hunter, but if her daughter died in The Grid that was no concern of his.
He would need to speak to his contact beyond the walls. Delman was as certain as he could be that Hunter wasn’t on to him. He was sure the line was still safe to use. He sent the encrypted code along the secure line and waited for the answer. He was there, he was reliable, he always responded straight away. What choice did he have, isolated like that?
Delman opened up his voice panel and began to speak.
‘I’m coming soon. Is everything ready?’
‘I'm ready and waiting for you, sir. It's all as we discussed.’
‘I need you to fix something for me. Have you been monitoring the trial?’
‘Yes, it’s an unusual one. I’m concerned about the new Gridder Janexx2. Her name is Hannah James.’
‘What of her?’
‘There’s something about her gameplay. Most of these Gridders grow up playing console games, but she’s different. It’s like she took an intensive class. She’s not been playing that long, but she behaves like she has. She’s studied all of the conventions, legacy and techniques thoroughly. I’m watching her closely, and I’ve begun to make small interventions.’
‘Well, don’t worry yourself too much. I want them all dead as soon as it can be achieved without creating any suspicion.’
‘What about Fortrillium, sir? If I interfere too much and too early, the Gridders will know something is wrong.’
‘Don’t worry about it. None of it will matter soon. I want The Grid clear for my exit and I don’t want any hitches.’
‘Understood, sir. I’ll intervene immediately. Do you have any preferences about who should survive until the end?’
‘No, kill the lot of them. Do it as and when you can. Just make sure it’s empty when I need to exit. There’s no room for mess ups – nothing will wait for Catharsis when it begins.’
Delman terminated the connection. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing more to discuss.
At a console in a location beyond The City’s walls, Reevil96 shut down his own connection. It was time to intervene in the trial once again. Only this time he wouldn’t just be killing the near victor in the final moments of Ascension. This time there would be no Justice Seekers left standing. He was going to have to kill them all if he was to secure his own freedom and save the lives of his family.
Schälen
Lucy had been shocked to find herself isolated once again. She’d only just been reunited with Joe, and now she was on her own once more, with no weapon and Schälen still on the loose.
Perhaps one of the creatures had got him? She doubted it – the man was like a cockroach. He’d probably be one of the last to die. She dared not call out. She was desperate to find her friends again, but she didn’t want to draw Schälen’s attention. The man was strong, she had no weapon, and her arm was so stiff she wasn’t sure what kind of a fight she’d be able to put up.
She cursed Fortrillium and The Grid – their lives were being toyed with for entertainment and dramatic tension. Justice had nothing to do with it. It was just a big game. Moments earlier, she’d been standing next to Joe, armed and able to defend herself. Now she was alone again and defenceless, and if she ran into Schälen, it was not going to be a happy reunion.
Should she stay put and hide until someone friendly passed by? With the creatures still at large, she doubted that was a sensible idea – they’d smell her out. She was vulnerable to attack, from both the monsters and Schälen, and she needed to be able to defend herself. Her friends were in danger too. She couldn’t just hide away until it was all over. She’d left Joe and a wounded Ross in the middle of a terrible battle, and for all she knew they could be badly hurt or even dead.
Lucy knew she had to press on in the semi-darkness. There was no hiding now, it was kill or be killed. She took one of the flaming torches from its holder on the wall, so at least she’d have some limited defence if attacked. She resolved to follow the sounds of shouts and roars along the tunnels, hoping to reach the others.
Soon Lucy realized she was being herded. She would follow a sound only to have a tunnel closed off to her by a newly created wall which came crashing down in front of her. She was being guided to a specific location. It felt as if she was circling around in a spiral.
There was nothing she could do to outpace it. Whoever was controlling her movements in the tunnels knew exactly where they wanted her. Lucy followed the path, alert and primed for an attack.
The roars and shouts seemed further away, and she felt as if her next fight was going to be elsewhere, with a very different type of monster. A cold wind rushed up the long tunnel, its icy chill stopping her in her tracks, and extinguishing the torches lining the walls. Her only light was her own small flame, which she’d moved in front of her body for protection.
Footsteps. Slow and deliberate. Something metallic was being scraped along the walls of the labyrinth. She knew what it was before she even saw him.
First his shadow, and then the monster himself stepped into the small area of light cast by the flame of her torch. Schälen was in a state. The bloodied stump where his hand had once been was covered by a section of his overalls which he’d torn off in an effort to stop the blood flow. Even in the darkness it was clear that the bloody, improvised dressing was inadequate for the damage that had been done. His face was drained of colour and gaunt – he had lost a lot of blood.
Schälen had been running his knife along the wall of the tunnel. He’d seen her before she saw him, and this was a first round of intimidation. However weakened he was, whatever pain he was experiencing – and it must have been a lot – he had only one thing in mind. Lucy was going to pay for what she’d done.
‘Nice to see you again, Lucy,’ he began, in a measured, sinister voice.
‘As you can see, you owe me a hand.’
‘It’s your own fault, Schälen. You could have worked with us, you know. It didn’t have to be this way.’
‘It always had to be this way. It’s who I am. It’s why I’m here.’
Lucy saw the truth in that. It was something in his nature which drove him. The same force was keeping him on his feet, in spite of the massive blood loss, and it would be what compelled him to do what he was going to do next.
Schälen raised the knife to chest level, and Lucy noticed something on his undamaged arm. She moved the torch to get a better look. It was a WristCom. Schälen had a WristCom in the centre of The Grid – how had he managed that?
She barely had time to think. Schälen wasn’t there to chat. He lunged at her with the knife and she dropped the torch onto the stone floor. It continued to burn, casting off a limited light, but it was difficult for her to see where Schälen was.
Lucy heard the sound of exits closing all around her. They were being forced into a fight to the death – this was a spectacle for The Grid.
She backed up slowly – she’d lost track of where Schälen was. Scrutinizing the radius of light further along the tunnel, she watched as a shadow moved along the side of the labyrinth wall. Desperately, she tried to figure out where he’d be in order to cast the dark silhouette, but she was too slow, he was upon her. It was as if he could separate off from his own shadow.
It was Schälen’s right hand that had been crushed, but he seemed to be just as powerful when using his left. He struck at Lucy. The blade slashed the flesh on her shoulder and she lurched back, smashing her back against the wall.
He had her trapped, and she was shaken – both of her arms had been wounded now. One was still congealing and raw from his earlier attack, and now her strongest arm was damaged. She could feel her overalls becoming bloody and wet.
She had nothing with which to fight back. He could thrust the knife at her in the darkness and she wouldn’t even know where it was coming from. He’d disappeared again, and she saw the shadow once more. He was everywhere, a nest of devils trying to torment her.
The blade cut through her thigh and she screamed out in pain and shock. Her leg buckled. She knew she had to fight. If she fell to the ground she would never be able to defend herself. But Lucy couldn’t support her weight, the pain was too much.
As she leaned against the wall, her hand moved to the new wound, hardly daring to feel what damage had been done. She felt a loose flap of skin with the tips of her fingers. It was wet with blood. Her head was spinning.
Then, from the blackness, Schälen appeared again, his booted foot striking the sides of her ankles. Her head thudded against the stone floor as she crashed to the ground, a dead weight. She struggled to steady her thoughts, but she was dazed, in pain and disoriented.
Lucy passed out of consciousness for a few seconds, and when she came round Schälen was kneeling at her side. He was holding up the knife, about to thrust it into her neck. She would have sworn his eyes were red, but she figured she must have been imagining it. Her fight was gone, and there was nothing else she could do. It wouldn’t be so bad – he was angry and would finish her fast.
The last thing she was aware of was the flash of the blade as he thrust it towards her windpipe, intent on stealing her final breath.
Sanctuary
There had been no shots fired down the elevator shaft and no flashlights. Every time Wiz eased himself past another closed doorway, he heard activity and commotion, but the Centuria appeared to have discounted the elevators.
None of them worked anymore. It had been years since the elevators in the tower blocks had seen any activity. Some elevator cars had become small apartments for residents of The Climbs desperate for a home. As far as the Centuria were concerned, they didn’t exist.
Occasionally, the cables would rot through, or some part of the iron framework containing the elevator mechanism would finally break. Wiz had taken a leap of faith when he’d asked Dillon to jump first. He’d said a silent prayer in the hope the cable could still take their weight. It was a fairly safe bet – the elevator itself was still being suspended between floors below them. When the cables went, the inhabitants of the car would crash to the ground. Wiz knew of an entire family that had been wiped out like this.
‘You okay?’ he whispered down the shaft to Dillon, unsure of the distance between them.
‘I think I’m nearly at the bottom, the cable feels firmer now.’
A few moments later, Dillon confirmed he’d reached the roof of the elevator car. He placed his feet carefully on the surface, relieved to be clear of the precariousness of the cables. There was a creak of old metalwork as his weight put it under a strain that had been absent for many years.
The cable shook as Wiz made his way down, and it wasn’t long before he was joined on the car roof. Again, the structure groaned. The car itself moved slightly as it took Wiz’s weight.
‘We’re between floors. They won’t find us here unless they figure out we’re in the shafts,’ said Wiz, catching his breath from the effort of the climb. ‘We need to get out of this tower block. When they don’t find us on any of the levels, they’ll start to ransack the place.’
Dillon looked towards Wiz’s voice in the darkness. He couldn’t see him at all.
‘What do you think happened to Mum?’ he asked, scared to hear the answer.
‘I don’t think they’ll kill her,’ Wiz replied. There was no point trying to fool Dillon. ‘I don’t know what they’ll do with her, but they won’t waste any of us with a quick death, I’m sure.’
Dillon didn’t know whether to be reassured or even more terrified. He’d never seen his mother like that before. He’d been so young when Matt died, he’d never known what she was capable of before she was cowed by Fortrillium.
It had shocked Wiz too. She’d been incredible, holding off the Centuria like that. It had bought them precious seconds in which to make their escape.
‘We need to make our way back to Zach’s apartment. It should be safe there.’
‘You’re kidding, aren’t you?’ said Dillon.
‘Where else can we go? We need to set up what I’ve got left of the tech. They’ll keep a watch on your apartment in case you return there, but with Zach gone now, there’s no reason for them to monitor it.’
Dillon thought about Zach. He’d been a friend to them all. One of Dillon’s earliest memories of The Climbs was how Zach had helped them, before he lost his leg. He’d been like a father to Dillon and Joe.
‘How will we get up there without being spotted?’
‘Don’t know yet,’ replied Wiz, ‘but I’m sure we’ll work it out. We need to get out of here first, though.’
There was a sudden light in the darkness. Wiz’s hand had moved to his WristCom. He swung the device methodically from left to right, using the meagre light supply to get a feel for where they were standing. The cables creaked, and a sharp movement caught Wiz off-guard. He hoped it was just the car adjusting to their weight, but he kept his concerns to himself, not wanting to worry Dillon.
‘We need to get out of here now. We can’t go any lower using the cables.’
Wiz located the emergency trapdoor and gave it a sharp pull.
‘Dillon, help me with this!’
They both grabbed the door’s handle, tugging and twisting to get it loose. It began to move.
‘I’ll take it from here,’ said Wiz, pushing with every bit of strength he could muster.
It suddenly opened and Wiz was able to lift the hatch. A terrible smell wafted out of the car, making them both recoil. Wiz positioned his WristCom so he could detect the source of the odour. There was a dead body down there, new enough to stink but old enough to have been there for some time. Some other wretched soul had taken refuge there and hadn’t lived to tell the tale.
‘We’ll have to deal with it,’ said Wiz. ‘We don’t have a choice. Breathe through your mouth, we have to go out this way.’
Wiz went first, helping Dillon down from the hatch. With Wiz’s height, it was an easy feat, but for Dillon the drop was a lot higher. As his feet struck the ground, Wiz felt the car sink a little lower. Surely it was just the car taking the cable tension from their added weight? A deep groan from the cable echoed up the elevator shaft. They’d have to move fast – he was not at all sure about the stability of the elevator.
The car had become stuck between levels. Wiz was able to see the exit to whatever level they were on because the inner doors had been prised open by the former occupant. He reached up to try to force open the outer doors, but it was too high even for him to get leverage.
‘I’ll need to lift you on my shoulders, Dillon. See if you can get your fingers in the gaps and force them open.’
As Wiz took the strain of lifting Dillon, the car sank again. The sound of a reluctant and ageing steel cable sounded up and down the shaft. Gently, Wiz lifted Dillon upwards so he could access what was exposed of the outer elevator doors. Dillon was some time, trying to find an angle where he could gain sufficient traction. After a few minutes, Wiz heard movement.
‘I can’t get them any wider, but I’ve managed to make a gap.’
Wiz placed Dillon back on the floor and reached up. Dillon had done well. It was enough of a gap for Wiz to part the doors with his greater strength. He pushed them gently at first – he’d need to check if there were Centuria at that level. All was quiet on the landing. He peered out and could see from the faded paintwork that they were stuck between Levels 18 and 19.
‘We’re going to have to crawl through that gap. I’ll lift you first, then you take my bags and help me up afterwards. If you hear anything, come straight back down and keep quiet. Okay?’
Wiz let Dillon climb back onto his shoulders, and more gingerly this time he took the strain of his weight. There was a slight movement in the elevator, but the cables seemed fine. Wiz stretched up as high as he could to make it easier for Dillon to scramble through the gap in the doors. It was tight. Wiz figured their dead companion must have got trapped that way. Had Wiz attempted to do this alone, he wouldn’t have made it. Exiting from the elevator car was a two-person job.
‘It’s really tight, Wiz, you should have opened it more!’ Dillon had managed to place his arms and head between the doors, still precariously balanced on Wiz’s shoulders. His weight was supported by the concrete floor of Level 19, but he was struggling to wriggle his shoulders through the narrow gap between the outer doors.
‘Lift me a bit more will you?’
Wiz dipped his knees slightly, then thrust upwards to give Dillon the momentum he needed to pull himself out of the car. Wiz knew he’d made a mistake as soon as he’d done it. The elevator sank slightly, there was a creak from the cable above them, then the sound of steel cracking high above.
Dillon cried out – the movement had taken him by surprise, but it was the sound above them that made Wiz’s heart leap with fear. From the small gap left by the emergency trap door, Wiz could hear the swishing sound of the heavy elevator cable plunging towards them.
When it struck the roof of the elevator, they would be sent crashing to the ground, eighteen levels below. It would be a few minutes before Wiz died, but in a matter of seconds Dillon was going to be ripped in two, his body severed at the waist by the sudden drop of the falling car.