Albert had just finished up his conversation with Sofia when Isobel and Ben returned at midday. There had been no patrons in, and Pete had disappeared soon after Isobel and Ben left. He sat them down at one round table and listened as Ben explained what they’d found. Isobel, stiff and with a wary look in her eyes, added what she could.
Half an hour later, Albert had filled his grey satchel with oxygen canisters. He slung it over his shoulder and felt around in his pocket for his mask that would protect him from the poisonous air outside. Sofia waited for him by the door mask in hand; she wore a heavy coat over her grey trousers and ripped blue sweater. Isobel at her side towered over her, eyes focused on something above her head.
‘Do they know what to do?’ Albert said to Sofia.
‘Si. They will barricade the door once you leave.’
‘Absolutely no more refugees, otherwise we’ll all have to find somewhere else to live. We’re to meet Jenny at Hope Street.’
Ben walked towards the door. ‘Right, let’s get going then.’
‘And where do you think you’re going?’
‘To Harvard. You can’t stop me.’
Albert did, with a hand to his chest. ‘I can and I will.’
Ben’s eyes flitted between Albert and Isobel. ‘Isobel needs me to protect her.’
Albert laughed. ‘I think it’s us that need protecting. Nice try.’
But Ben was adamant. ‘It was my idea to go to the library, Albert. I have a right to go.’
Albert pulled Ben away from the others. ‘I’ve never really told you what to do, not that you would have listened to me, anyway. But I’m asking you now. Please stay here.’
‘But I can help—’
‘It’s too dangerous. You and Kevin are the only family I have. Plus, I need you to keep my stock safe from Pete.’
Ben folded his arms. ‘How’s he going to get in if the place is barricaded?’
Albert leaned in closer to his ear. ‘That worm has a way of getting inside. I’ve had enough of him and his excuses. I don’t care if Marcus promised him a free pass here. No more.’
‘Stop treating me like a kid, Albert. I can be useful to you out there.’
‘I know.’ Albert sighed. He hated keeping Ben on a short lead. ‘You’ve shouldered more responsibility than most sixteen-year-olds. That’s why I want you to stay here. Let someone else take responsibility for the world, for a change.’
‘And what if something happens to you? Who will protect you?’
‘I have Jenny and Isobel to help. We will all look out for each other. Take a step back from adult responsibilities and be a teenager for a while.’ Albert checked his watch. ‘If we’re to make it there and back before curfew, we need to go now.’
Isobel nodded and said to Ben, ‘We won’t be longer than half a day.’
☼
Getting past the gate guards was harder than Albert expected. They searched his bags, quizzed him about the dozens of canisters in his satchel. When he told them he wanted to get them repaired at the next neighbourhood over, it seemed like the guard wouldn’t let him pass. But when one resident standing in line collapsed and drew the guards’ attention away, Albert slipped past, unnoticed. He looked back at the collapsed man to see him wink at him when the guard had turned away.
A short time later, Albert, Isobel and Sofia arrived at the spot on Hope Street where the vehicle belonging to the underground movement had first picked them up. Jenny stepped out from a darkened doorway hidden by a large car.
She cast a quick glance over the group. ‘Are we waiting on more?’
‘No, this is it,’ said Albert. ‘Sofia knows the way and Isobel might be able to help.’
Jenny watched Isobel, her mouth set in a tight line.
‘Were you expecting someone else?’
‘Yes, your boy Ben.’
Albert shook his head. ‘This is no place for a sixteen-year-old. We can manage, just us.’
‘And how cooperative will Isobel be without him?’ Jenny marched over to the car and spoke to the driver. ‘Tell Greyson the trip’s off.’
‘Wait! What?’ Albert stepped forward.
‘I thought I made my feelings clear about Ben coming today. I can’t risk Isobel backing out of this when we may have just one shot to speak with the skilled workers.’
‘I never promised to bring—’
‘Marcus thinks Greyson and I are a couple of harmless vendors. I can’t risk one of his associates seeing me today if this is nothing more than a leisurely stroll. Ben was our best chance of convincing Isobel to help.’
‘I said I would consider your offer,’ said Isobel.
‘Consideration is no good to me. I need cast-iron guarantees. This goes beyond Waverley. We’re riding a shit-storm here. We might not get another shot at this if we fail.’
Jenny leaned in the window and spoke to the driver a second time. Albert couldn’t believe what was happening.
He walked up to Jenny. ‘Wait. We need this. We can’t survive without life support. We’ll all die. We have to try. Isn’t it enough that Isobel’s here?’
‘I’m afraid it’s not.’ Jenny circled her finger and the vehicle’s engine hummed into life.
‘Wait.’ Isobel stepped forward. ‘I’ll help if you promise me not to involve Ben in this.’
Jenny held her hand up to the driver. ‘Then tell me what your skill is.’
Isobel took a deep breath. ‘I was a structural engineer in my past. I heard about the partial tunnel collapse. Ben and I examined the schematics for the medical facilities in Harvard, so perhaps I will be of use to the skilled workers.’
Jenny appeared to mull it over. Albert couldn’t bear the wait. Then she opened the door to the vehicle.
‘Get in, before anyone sees us together.’
Albert released a breath he’d been holding. He caught the brief glance that Jenny gave the driver; a look of relief. And for Albert too; the conversation could have gone either way.
He settled into his seat, impressed that Jenny had tricked Isobel into helping by using Ben as bait. If she hadn’t, he had no idea what could have convinced the Indigene to help.
The vehicle sat eight in total: two seats at the front and six in the back, three facing three. The driver sat up front with a man Albert hadn’t seen before, while Jenny sat in the back facing Albert, Isobel and Sofia. The driver gave the car a simple command and it moved.
‘How is your friend?’ said Jenny. ‘The German man?’
‘He’s dead,’ said Albert.
‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
‘Are you?’
‘Of course I am.’
Albert snorted. ‘I only ask because sometimes you come across as cold as Marcus.’
‘Well, sometimes to fight the scum, you have to get inside their head.’ She half-smiled. ‘I assure you, we have feelings like everyone else. It’s just that we have seen far more than you ever will. We know how ruthless certain people can be. Give them an inch and they’ll take everything you own.’
‘And I’ve seen my fair share of misery over my time.’
Jenny smiled. ‘I assure you this life you live today doesn’t even scratch the surface. People have been treated far worse than the residents in the controlled neighbourhoods.’
‘Do you really believe there’s a technology expert living among them at Harvard?’ said Isobel.
Jenny nodded. ‘Someone’s sending the encrypted message, and it’s not us.’
‘And you want to trade my skill for one of theirs?’
‘That’s the plan.’ Jenny looked out the window.
‘Will I have to stay with them?’
Jenny looked at her. ‘Is that why you’re so hesitant to help?’ She shifted round and leaned forward. ‘Do you know why Stephen and Bill Taggart sent you back here?’
‘They said you needed my help.’
‘Nothing more?’
Isobel shook her head.
‘They sent you here to set us free. All of us.’
Albert frowned. Was that true? Was Isobel that important?
‘Albert says you’ve seen inside their facilities,’ Jenny said to Sofia. ‘What can you tell us about the inner perimeter?’
Sofia nodded, as if remembering. ‘Few people get past the outer perimeter, but I did. Once. There is new security now. Cameras, lasers... boom! Before, there was little.’
Albert frowned.
‘She’s talking about the roving cameras,’ said Jenny. ‘They roam the property. The lasers might mean there’s some modification to a security system they had before. But the outer perimeter fence is protected by an electrical force field. We know they’ve strengthened it since the last time we tried to find their entrance. They use a hologram on campus to disguise the exact location of the facilities.’
Albert leaned forward. ‘How?’
‘Think of a maze. You turn one corner, and you think you’re at the centre, but it turns out you’re somewhere else entirely. The hologram runs around the entire perimeter and probably the immediate vicinity, too. We will need to find a particular building, but don’t be surprised if the same place pops up again when you turn the corner.’
Albert adjusted the satchel on his lap, rattling the canisters. ‘Isobel and Ben researched the tunnel designs before we came here.’
Isobel nodded. ‘A series of vaulted ceilings in the tunnels support the weight of the campus buildings. We use the same design in the district tunnels on Exilon 5, but we reinforced weak spots using baronium, a metal alloy that doesn’t seem to exist here. If the tunnels for the medical facilities still use steel in their designs, it could explain the partial collapse in the Fortress’ structure. I should be able to determine where the problem is by assessing the buildings up top.’
‘The hologram could be an issue,’ said Jenny. ‘You won’t necessarily see anything out of place.’
The car crossed over the Robert F. Kennedy bridge and headed north-east. Albert noted the better quality of the roads past the city—the car didn’t bump as much—and the lack of obstacles that didn’t hinder their route. The criminals used the same routes to get in and out of areas fast, so they would have to be wary. The car jerked forward as it picked up pace, forcing Albert to yank his seatbelt tighter across his body.
‘Do you have rocket engines in this car or something?’
Jenny laughed. ‘No. There are two types of cars left on Earth. Fast ones and really fast ones. We hid all the really fast vehicles. It’s over 200 miles to Harvard from here. We should make it in less than an hour.’
Albert tried to settle in for the remainder of the journey, but any sudden change in direction, no matter how small, jerked his stomach and made it hard for him to relax. When the road straightened, the driver risked a faster speed. Tensions remained high as they discussed the likelihood of their success. They all prepared for the fact that they might not get close to the outer perimeter, let alone the entrance to the facility.
True to Jenny’s prediction, the vehicle pulled up close to Flagstaff Park and Massachusetts Avenue forty-five minutes later. They climbed out and the driver sped off.
The area around the university was quieter than Waverley. The area bore no evidence that a residential neighbourhood existed close by. All the surrounding buildings appeared to be abandoned. Albert knew the nearest docking station was Waverley. Logan International Airport wasn’t deemed big enough. Neighbourhoods set closest to docking stations were probably more profitable.
Sofia pointed east along Cambridge Street. ‘I entered there, through that part of campus.’ Albert examined the group of red-brick buildings with no clear entry point.
But when they approached the intersection at Garden Street and Massachusetts Avenue, he saw it: the original fencing around the campus, badly rusted and missing bars.
One bar looked pliable enough for Isobel to create a gap.
‘I’ve been here three times to look for the facilities,’ said Jenny, wriggling through, ‘but the old World Government schematics sent me somewhere else. And this broken entrance wasn’t here before. I wonder if the hologram once stretched far enough to cover the entire campus?’
In the grounds, they passed Harvard and Hollis Hall, and cut across open land, heading for Widener Library. According to Jenny’s map, the trio of Grays, Weld and Boylston should have been just across from the open space. But Albert saw only more standard red-brick buildings that weren’t on their map.
They walked on. A tall perimeter fence loomed over them, surrounding the library and halls. Albert was about to rattle the fence when Jenny grabbed his arm.
‘Don’t touch it! It’s electrified.’
Albert withdrew his hand, then held it close to the fence, feeling the bite of electricity.
Jenny picked up a stone and threw it at the fence. The metal sparked. She picked up the same stone, walked ten feet along and threw it again. It hummed first and then sparked. ‘It’s inconsistent,’ she said to the man who had sat up front with the driver. ‘The electricity, it’s not the same in all places. There may be a weak point.’
‘You’re suggesting we go over the top?’ Albert stared at the solid wire fence. He could see no breaks in the uniformity or stability of the structure. ‘We’ll be killed.’ Hans and his Buzz Gun injury came to mind.
‘Not yet,’ said Jenny. ‘Let’s see if there’s a switch or control somewhere.’
They walked around the perimeter surrounding the three halls and the larger library building. When Albert turned a corner, he saw the same side of the building they had just passed. If he turned in a new direction, the buildings to their rear also changed position. It appeared as if the hologram also tracked their movements.
‘I’ve no idea which way we’re pointing,’ said Albert. The buildings were too high and the sky too dark. Everything in the skyline looked the same.
‘How many times have we seen this side of the building?’ said Isobel.
Jenny looked around. ‘We need to find a pattern.’
Through the fence, Albert saw a green space with Widener Library on the far side. The buildings all looked in perfect condition. ‘I can’t see where any partial collapse may have happened.’
Isobel moved closer to the fence. ‘Are you sure this entire image of the buildings isn’t a holographic projection?’
Albert’s heart sank. ‘Maybe the tunnels aren’t really here and the workers are all dead and we’re wasting our time.’
Sofia pointed at a shiny object speeding towards them from the other side of the campus. ‘No. They are not dead. I knew they would come.’
Albert stiffened as a roving camera came to an almost-stop in front of their group. It had been eight years since he’d seen one working. Before he had moved to Waverley neighbourhood, before the walls had been built around it, the apartment block he’d shared with his son and grandson had been crawling with them.
The camera’s low whirring was barely audible over the hum of the fence.
Albert faced the camera, put his hands up. ‘Please. We mean no harm. We just want to talk.’
The camera hovered for a moment, then ran the length of the fence. It returned to hover in front again.
‘Please,’ said Jenny. ‘We need your help. There’s a code, a computer code running on the DPads still operational. Someone is sending a message. Is it you? If not, is there someone with you who could decipher it?’ Jenny gestured to Albert. ‘This man’s neighbourhood is in trouble. The life support is failing. We believe it may have something to do with the encrypted message.’
Albert held his breath as they waited. Someone was listening, he could sense it. He had no idea who, or if they would respond.
The camera remained silent, hovering.
‘I don’t know if you’re aware of life out here,’ said Albert. ‘But things are not good.’ His voice shook. What if they refused to listen? ‘On a good day, we struggle to fix our generators, efforts that the criminals try to sabotage daily. On a bad day, we suffer a cash-loss and the criminals turn off our machines. Nobody knows how to fix anything, so everything falls into a state of disrepair.’
He huffed and stared at what he now believed to be nothing more than a holographic projection through the fence.
‘What do you expect us to do?’ said a male voice, tinny and strange.
They all looked up at the camera.
‘Help us to decode the message,’ said Jenny. ‘The criminals don’t use the DPads. They don’t trust technology.’
‘We know that. What can you offer us in return? Is there a medic among you?’
‘No.’
‘A mechanic, then?’ The camera continued to hover, its shimmering eye focused on Isobel.
Jenny stepped closer. ‘She is here to help if you need it. We heard you had suffered a partial collapse in one of your tunnels.’
They waited again. Albert couldn’t bear the silence.
‘You have been misinformed,’ said the voice. ‘We have not suffered any collapse. We do not need your assistance. If you don’t leave, we will remove you by force.’
The camera turned and hovered back to where it had come from.
Albert sat on the ground, feeling drained. It was hopeless. ‘Well, that’s it. It’s over.’
Jenny stood over him, her hands on her hips. ‘I’m sorry. There was never any guarantee this would even work.’
Isobel walked along the electrified perimeter. ‘We didn’t come this far to get turned around.’ She held her hand out inches from the fence then pulled it back.
Albert scrambled to his feet and reached out for her. ‘Isobel, get away. It’s too dangerous.’
Jenny grabbed hold of him. Her strength surprised Albert. They were close to the same age.
Isobel looked upwards. ‘How high do you think this fence is? Ten, twelve feet?’
Jenny nodded. ‘About that.’
‘Please don’t try, Isobel,’ said Albert. ‘It’s too dangerous.’
Isobel smiled at him. ‘A little electricity never hurt me. A lot, well, that’s a different matter.’ She reached out her hand. ‘Time to see how much runs through this fence.’
Albert gasped, his hand outstretched for her. ‘Stop, Isobel.’
Her fingers touched the fence. The wire sparked and shuddered and the sting of electricity in the air forced everyone backwards.
Jenny restrained Albert who watched, horrified, as Isobel grabbed the fence. She turned her head with great difficulty, smiled at them, then removed each hand. The exertion on her body was clear; she stood less tall than before.
‘Are you okay?’ Jenny let go of Albert and caught Isobel as she stumbled backwards. She held her upright.
Isobel pulled a small device out of her pocket. ‘A static eliminator from my home on Exilon 5. It absorbs electricity. I wanted to see how much it would handle.’
‘How did it feel?’ said Jenny.
‘Like it was energising me, but everything worked in slow motion. I could still function, think and move. I could probably climb the fence.’
‘Can you jump over it?’
Isobel peered at the fence. ‘No. I’m fine landing, but not getting height.’
Albert couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘I didn’t bring you here so you could risk your life for us.’
Isobel turned her yellow-flecked eyes on him. A startled Albert stood his ground.
‘And what kind of life do I have, Albert? Now that I’m here, I might as well be of use. I see now that you need me.’
A low whirring sound. The roving camera, possibly the same one as before, approached and hovered overhead.
‘We detected a change in the fence’s energy levels. What are you doing to it?’
Albert thought he heard a slight panic in the operator’s voice. He coaxed Isobel forward. He felt her body shudder, probably due to the extra electricity. ‘We want to trade. Your experience for hers.’
The camera hovered close to Isobel’s face. ‘We have no need for a devolved human. Why was she attempting to destabilise our perimeter?’
‘To see if I could climb the fence,’ said Isobel.
The camera hovered to a nearby wall with darker-looking brickwork. It fired a laser shot against the facade. The blast left a large hole.
It turned back. ‘That’s what will happen when anyone makes it over the fence. There are more of these cameras inside.’
‘Fine. We’ll go,’ said Jenny. ‘Come on.’
Albert resisted, but Jenny shot him a look. They turned and walked away from the fence as the camera drifted away.
Jenny stopped and turned to Isobel. ‘Think you can scale that fence before the camera makes it back?’
Isobel nodded and ran to the fence, her movement a blurry haze. She closed her eyes as the electricity danced from the wire to her hands. Her body absorbed some while sparking flashes of static from the eliminator in her pocket stole the rest. She grabbed the wire mesh and climbed. The electricity sapped away her earlier speed.
Albert checked behind him for signs of others. But there was nobody. He wondered if the laser guns kept people away from the campus. He wished he had one of the hovering cameras to patrol the tavern.
Before he could finish his thought, Isobel was over the fence and invisible behind the holographic projection.
Jenny ran forward. ‘Find a way to disable the fence!’
Albert heard Isobel moving about. ‘There’s no control panel that I can see. Any suggestions?’
‘You’re going to have to short it,’ said Jenny.
‘Hold on...’
He heard the noise of something being ripped from the ground. ‘I’ve found a bunch of buried electrical cables. I will strip back the wires and touch them to the fence. It should short-circuit.’
‘Hurry.’
A spray of sparks cascaded over the top of the fence.
The hologram shimmered and blipped. One second, the preserved buildings were there; the next, another image was overlaid on the first. The hologram danced between the two. The roofless buildings and giant sinkholes won out, showing them the partial collapse was worse than previously thought. Half of Widener Library had vanished, swallowed up by the large hole directly beneath it.
Another roving camera emerged on the other side of the fence and raced towards Isobel. ‘Tell me what you did to the fence. Or I’ll use the laser on you.’
‘Do you know what I am?’ said Isobel. ‘I can help you to repair your tunnels.’
‘We have no need for a structural engineer.’
‘What about this?’ She gestured to the severely damaged area around her.
‘Tell me! How did you disable it? The last thing we need is for the criminals to find it in this state.’
‘We shorted it,’ said Jenny. ‘Just flip the breaker and it will come back on.’
The operator mumbled something.
‘But before you do, we want to make a proposition,’ said Jenny. ‘Let us help you.’
The camera hovered by Isobel’s face, its movements erratic. Albert pictured an equally nervous man operating the camera.
Isobel moved in close to the lens. ‘Listen to me very carefully,’ she said. The camera switched to a smoother hover. ‘If you’ve had one collapse, you’re at risk of more.’ She pointed to the sinkhole. ‘The collapse here has most likely weakened the walls. The structure is unstable. These people need a technology expert, so let’s trade.’
The camera circled her once, twice and stopped. ‘Fine, we will speak to you. But not alone. The old man will come with you.’
Albert hesitated, then Jenny stepped forward. ‘I’ll go.’
‘Not you. The old man, or nothing.’
The voice sounded on edge. Did they recognise Jenny?
‘We’ll wait for you both here,’ Jenny said to Albert.
He nodded and climbed the fence. Isobel met him half way and guided him gently down the other side. He tossed his satchel over to Jenny.
‘Extra canisters. I don’t know how long I’ll be.’
Jenny reached into the bag and threw one back. ‘A spare, just in case.’
The fence buzzed with energy. From the other side, Albert could still see the driver, Jenny and Sofia, but when their gazes became unfocused, he assumed the hologram had been reinstated.
A loud hum signalled the fence’s reactivation. Albert and Isobel followed the camera, stepping over piles of bricks and avoiding the edges of sinkholes.
The roving camera led them to the back of Weld Hall. ‘The entrance is inside this building,’ the operator said. ‘You won’t need your mask when you’re inside.’
The camera disappeared through a small hole in a wooden door. Isobel pushed the door open and they stepped inside.
Albert removed his mask and tested the air. He felt no strain on his lungs. He put his mask away and closed the valve on his canister to preserve oxygen. The camera waited for them inside.
‘How about you?’ said Albert to Isobel. ‘Is the air okay?’
Isobel nodded. ‘I’ve been human, then Indigene, then human again. The blood vessels in my lungs absorb more or less oxygen, as required.’
‘Follow quickly,’ said the operator. The camera disappeared through a small hatch in a door set into the floor at a forty-five-degree angle. Isobel pulled the handle up and Albert followed her down a set of steep stone steps into an unremarkable corridor. He closed the door behind him.
A large metal door with a long vertical handle loomed at the bottom of the stairs. The camera flew back up top through the hatch, as someone unlocked the metal door from the inside.
It opened and a well-dressed man stood in the doorway. He had soft blond hair and a dimpled chin. He pointed a Buzz Gun at them.
‘Hello. My name is Olsen. Welcome to the Fortress.’