Fugitives (The Silent Wars Book 2), page 9
He snuggled against Ley. “You really think Hendrix is better than Mark Knopfler?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“A little, yeah.”
“Idiot. Anyway, why does every music lover prattle on about the guitarist? What about the bassist or drummer?”
“We love those too. For me, it’s the whole band. As a unit.”
“Sure, it is.”
“Okay. Take Colter’s favourite: Van Halen. Besides Eddie, who else can you name?”
“I don’t know. The singer guy who jumps around everywhere.”
“Right. You can’t remember.”
“Not when I’m being taken to my end by a death train like some undesirable.”
Eli realised he’d been wrong to start this conversation. Ley’s tone told him everything. She wanted to fight to the bitter end. Old Patty was still pacing and grimacing at the guards with every turn.
He leaned closer to Ley’s ear. “What’s your plan?”
“We’ve got one more mineral stop, haven’t we?”
“At least.”
“Check underneath the seat, where it attaches to the wall.”
Eli pretended he was stretching his back out and spotted what Ley had seen. The point where the bench was bolted to the wall had rusted through. He bounced to check its strength. It gave by about five centimetres. Trying to look casual, Eli joined Old Patty with her pacing. “We might have a way out. Can you keep doing this?”
“Aye, Old Patty can.”
“How long ‘til we get where we’re going?”
“Not sure. Maybe three hours. They gotta unload the mineral first.”
At the next ore stop, and with Ley and Old Patty blocking the guards’ view with their pacing, Eli lay flat on his back and kicked at the rusty bracket and bolts. It snapped off after three solid kicks, exposing a small hole to the outside. The prison transport had been stored at the lowest level and was hardly used. Sousa had made a mistake in not getting it checked thoroughly. Rushing always did that.
Eli waited until the ore thundered into the next cart to make his next move. Using the bracket, he peeled back the fragile metal cladding enough so he could poke his head through. Glancing down the tracks in both directions, he spotted the lights of machinery in the distance. The train stopped vibrating as the loading stopped, then lurched forwards. Eli only just managed to get back onto the bench before the guard swung open the door. He stayed silent as he counted off the trio with his clicker.
Eli blew out a breath and nodded at Ley. “Cooper’s Chasm?”
“What I was thinking. If we can make the hole bigger.”
“But hard to keep the noise down.”
“True. We’ll work on it after we clear Pitt.”
As the train drew closer to Pitt, bright white lights flooded the carriage. A horrific series of screeches sounded out, and the train shuddered as its wheels locked up, emitting sparks. The prisoner car rocked as something slammed into the side, followed by thick billowing smoke. In moments, the carriage was filled with the stinging gas. Eli recognised it and dropped to the floor, covering his mouth with his hands and trying to take small, shallow breaths. His lungs screamed in agony and his eyes watered. He felt around blindly for Ley, and locked his hand around her wrist when he located her.
More shouts, then two thumps in quick succession, and the door swung open again. Someone stood in the doorway, the gas swirling around them. Eli flinched, expecting the figure to shoot at him. Instead, they walked towards him and strapped a gas mask over his face.
It was Jess from motor pool. He gestured urgently, then cut their handcuffs and shackles off with a pair of heavy-duty bolt cutters.
Blinded by the light and the remaining gas in his eyes, Eli had to rely on Jess to guide him out of the prisoner car to a waiting buggy. Eli, Ley and Old Patty were hustled into the ride, then it sped away before screeching to a stop a couple of minutes later.
“Have to pick someone up,” Jess said over his shoulder.
Nox leapt into the buggy and set about licking Eli’s face excitedly. Eli hugged his dog and ruffled the fur on his neck. Ley knelt next to him and Nox nuzzled her face. Happiness wasn’t the right word. Even as seeing Nox filled his heart, the gravity of what they had just done hit him hard. They weren’t out of the woods yet. Shouts from the train guards confirmed his fears. Colter sprinted down the alley with Marie - the woman who had given Eli a map of the labyrinth in Pitt - close behind.
“Don’t stand there like stunned mullets! Get in!” Marie said.
Colter jumped behind the wheel, and grinned at Eli and Ley as the buggy lurched forwards. Eli gripped the grab handle above him and held on. Colter and Jess seemed to have borrowed one of the confiscated racers from the impound yard. It hummed as Colter weaved through the factories and manufacturing workshops on the outskirts of Pitt.
“I’m surprised to see you, Marie,” Eli said.
“Damn right. Lots you don’t know. Next two rights, Colter, then straight.”
The vehicle lurched as it slid around the corner sideways.
“It’s a dead end!” Colter shouted above the roar of the supercharged engine.
“Trust me.”
Marie pressed something on her commpad, and the wall blocking the end of the alley slid sideways, revealing a ramp. Colter slowed the buggy to a crawl as they descended underneath the warehouse district. Evidence of the first inhabitants was everywhere Eli looked. Rusting equipment. Strange vehicles sitting where they had been abandoned, walls adorned with colourful posters that depicted the surface. Blue skies, green, rolling fields and shining cities of a million lights.
Several figures wearing dark cloaks guided the buggy to an industrial lift and clamped the wheels, locking them in place.
“End of the road,” Marie said. “We have somewhere you can hide out. Follow me.”
No one spoke as Marie and the cloaked figures led the group to a small room filled with fabrics for making clothing and blankets. The shopkeeper turned to Eli, Ley and Old Patty. “Glad you’re okay. That was a close one.”
“Thank you, guys,” Eli said, looking from Marie to Jess and Colter.
Nox wedged between Eli’s legs, his tail wagging. Colter embraced first Ley, then Eli. Nothing was said between the old friends. They had come a long way together. Been through good times and hard. Colter didn’t want thanks. Them being together again was all any of them needed.
“How did you know?” Eli said.
“Jess figured it out when they asked him to get the prison carriage ready.”
“I was following the news feed closely. Everyone was. You don’t know what was happening, do you?” Jess said.
“What?”
“Protests. The entire Watcher service and Falcon Legion walked off the job.”
“Really? Holy shit.”
“Yup.” Jess nodded. “When the call went down to ready the train, I put two and two together and called Bill. He organised this.”
“Bill,” Eli said. “Using his old smuggling contacts, huh?”
“They may not be legal, Miller, but they have their uses.” Marie nodded towards a door at the rear of the fabric room. “You can clean up and change in there.”
Eli let Ley use the bathroom first while he played with Nox. Colter had had the foresight to bring Nox’s favourite toy — a rolled-up towel wrapped in duct tape. Around him, Marie, Jess, Colter and the other rescuers moved to and fro, shifting supplies and setting up a communications hub. Eli wanted to ask a hundred questions, but his mind and body were exhausted from the events of the last few weeks. Old Patty had found some unused fabric and was sound asleep in seconds as if nothing bothered her. He wished he could be like that. Chilled. Instead, his mind was a whirl of concern. At least he was not imploding in a pressurised chamber. But Sousa wouldn’t stand for it. He would send out security, and anyone else loyal to him, to hunt them down. Failing that, the mayor would go after his family and friends. He had to return to Lincoln.
Colter broke away from discussing something with Marie and tossed Eli a pack of stims. “Looks like you need these.”
Eli nodded, and injected one each into his side and thigh. “Been a rough few weeks, all right. I can’t thank you enough for taking care of Nox. And all this.”
“You would have done the same, professor. Luck was on our side. I went to your place to play a prank on you and Ley, and thought I’d feed Nox since I didn’t know how long you’d be. Then I got your message, so I went straight to The Crow’s Nest.”
“Bill get you out?”
“That day. I’ve been in Pitt with Marie ever since. I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I should have broken you guys out of that hell hole sooner.”
“Then you would have ended up like me. Sometimes doing nothing is the right thing.”
Colter shook his head, but grinned as he passed Eli a protein bar. “We’re going to rest here tonight, then head out into the labyrinth.”
“Nope.”
“Nope?”
“Lincoln,” Eli said, taking a bite of the bitter meal substitute. “It’s the most unexpected move. Plus, they’ll go after our families. If we want to beat Sousa, we need to be in the city to do it, not hiding out in the wilderness with storms and mole rats for company.”
“And put more people at risk?”
“I’ve been thinking about that.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” Eli waited until Colter reached the same conclusion.
“No. That’s a bad idea.”
“Maybe, but it’s the only option.”
“Bad idea.”
“Think about it. They’re armed, and they hate authority.”
“Pelle and his Cabal cronies would hold it over us forever.”
“I’m sure we could work something out, reach a compromise.”
“Shit. I don’t know. It’s dangerous. They beat the snot out of you, twice, and you want to make a deal.”
“I don’t like it either, and I really wish there was another way. But, right now, the Cabal are our best shot at getting rid of Sousa and his asshole henchmen.”
“Falcon Legion? Your dad?” Colter said, pleading with Eli. “Patty, talk some sense into him.”
Old Patty stirred on her nest of fabric but didn’t wake.
“Look, all I’m doing is suggesting. We use the Cabal as a distraction while we sneak in and find somewhere to hide before making our next move. We go out into the labyrinth, Sousa will just hang our friends and family. You know the law.”
Colter shrugged like he was done with the conversation. “I need a beer — and things to go back to normal.”
“That’s the thing, isn’t it?” Ley said as she emerged from the bathroom. She had dressed in a pair of black overalls. “Nothing about this is normal.” She kissed Eli and shoved him towards the shower. “Wash that stink off.”
Nox followed Eli, and he used the hose attachment to get the last few weeks of grime off his dog before turning it on himself. Ley was right, as usual. Nothing was ever going to be normal again.
Eli sought out Marie after his shower. “What is this place?”
Marie smiled at him with a knowing, lopsided expression. “A safe house.”
“Like a hideout?”
“Yeah, essentially, I guess. Old-timers like Patty call us the Mockers, but we call ourselves Succour. Our motive is to help people. Make lives easier. Keep families torn apart by Census in contact by exchanging letters. Stuff like that. Nothing too illegal.”
“And breaking falsely accused out of prison trains.”
“That too. Fooled?”
“You did. Though I knew there was more to you than that shop. I could see it behind your eyes. I wouldn’t have dobbed you in.”
“I know, but the less you knew, the better. Get some rest, Eli. If you want to go back to Lincoln tomorrow, we have a lot to organise before then.”
“Did your patrols find anything out in the labyrinth? What Old Patty said she saw?”
“They did. The Nine have ventured much farther than their headquarters. Moving equipment and machinery. Here.” Marie passed him her commpad with a video loaded up.
The screen flickered to life. It was difficult to make out too many details, as the filmer was too far away. Eli recognised the EV suits worn by The Nine as they used forklifts to load small freight trains. They were in the junction cavern with the twin waterfalls. Other soldiers were loading low trucks with weapons and crates.
Marie leaned over and pressed play on a second video. “This is an hour northwest of Pitt.”
The camera angle was from up high, looking down over another vast cavern littered with mining equipment. The Nine were shifting it to form a perimeter and setting up a communications array.
“Forward operating base,” Eli said. “Fuck.”
“You sure?”
“Hundred percent. Growing up in a military family teaches you things.” If The Nine were setting up an FOB, that could only mean one thing. They sought to finish what they had started. Lincoln. Pitt. Gladstone. Everyone was in mortal danger. “Old Patty tried to warn the security council but was ignored.”
“I was what?” Old Patty pushed off the pile of blankets and ambled over. Eli turned the screen around so that she could see the paused image.
“That’s them. Noise shouters stomping around, disturbing the peace.”
“We need to send more patrols. Marie, can you spare the people?”
“Too risky. It was a miracle these weren’t seen.”
“Old Patty will go. Used to the tunnels. No one see me if I don’t want them to. Keep my Watcher on ‘em.”
“You sure?” Marie said.
“Still life in me yet,” Old Patty grumbled, looking around the fabric storage room. “Just need a few things and some grub, then I’ll be on my way.”
“What’s ours is yours. I’ll show you to Level One.”
Old Patty slapped Eli lightly on the shoulder as she made ready to leave. “We survived, Miller. Now the real fun begins. Get back to Lincoln.”
Eli arched his eyebrows and wondered how she could be so insightful. It was like the old Watcher had some kind of telepathic ability. He shrugged at the mystery and glanced over at Ley nestled in a pile of blankets with Nox curled into her side. He slipped in next to them and spooned Ley, enjoying the feeling of her body next to his again. But he lay awake for a long time, fearful of the presence of The Nine. Zapata would be with them, and that scared the shit out of him.
CHAPTER 9
Marie shook Eli awake eight hours later and gestured with her head to the exit. Silently, she led him through the storage rooms to where they had left the buggy. His eyes widened when he saw the figure standing at the back of the vehicle. Her red hair hung loose over her shoulders, and her bright blue eyes seemed to glow with more intensity than before.
“Jade. What are you doing here?” He was stunned to see the Echo agent, but at the same time, happy. She could provide answers to the dozen questions he had buzzing around his mind.
In answer, she held up her hands. They were handcuffed with strong carbon fibre binds. “Shit has gotten real, and it doesn’t look good.”
Looking at Marie, Eli signalled for the shopkeeper to take the handcuffs off. “I vouch for her. Jade’s okay.”
“She’s an Echo.”
“Aye. But I give you my word. Jade is on our side.”
Marie nodded to a couple of men standing guard, and they unlocked the binds.
“The Nine?” Eli asked, after embracing Jade in a quick hug.
“Worse. Can we talk somewhere private?”
“Whatever you have to say, say it. Marie and Succour risked a lot to free us.”
Jade frowned. Confusion etched her face. “What?”
Eli quickly told the Echo agent everything that had happened since she’d gone topside. He ended by asking, “Any news on Kora?”
“Yes. That’s part of why I came back down here. First things first. Zapata and The Nine are bankrolled by the Wey Mining Corporation. And they’re back.”
“We saw.”
“Right. They’re not here for shits and giggles. And they brought friends. Mercenaries.”
“Mercenaries.” Eli rolled the unfamiliar word out like he was exploring the sounds.
“Paid soldiers. They fight for the monetary reward, not for their country. These scoundrels work for Wey, and are some of the highest paid, if not the highest. My group intercepted a communique ordering a battalion from the Philippines to Guam. It can only mean one thing: they’re down here somewhere.”
“Should we be worried?” Marie asked.
“Deeply.”
“Why would they send mercs…?” Marie’s eyes widened in shock, her pupils dilating as the colour drained from her face. “They’ve come to finish the job.”
“Unfortunately.”
“And you couldn’t bring anyone to help? Typical Echo.”
Jade shook her head. “You’re Succour?”
“Yeah, why?”
“That will make things easier. Jade Wilson 1315 BBS.”
Marie nodded, then whistled to the guards standing in the garage. “I have to warn everyone.” She flashed a succession of quick hand signals, too fast for Eli to keep up. Next, she went to a metal locker sitting against the service elevator wall and flipped it open. “Miller. Your gear. Get the others and meet back here in five.”
“Wilco.”
As Eli dressed in his Watcher uniform and strapped his weapons to his belt, he asked Jade, “What was all that?”
“Succour is part of the resistance group I’m involved in. We have codes, and I just told her mine. Marie knows now that she can trust me, and shit is serious.”
“You didn’t know each other before?” Eli was struggling to make sense of it, but that wasn’t unusual when it came to Jade. She moved in different circles.
