Luca (20 page)

As the doors close in front of him, Jedd realizes that he’s lying on the floor of an elevator. Qaara is still in his arms.

“Going up or down?” A disembodied female voice hangs in the air.

“Down!” Ricky shouts.

Lightness moves through Jedd’s body as the elevator drops. Numbers light up on the wall, moving backwards.

Qaara stirs. “Where are we?”

“Heading to the basement, I think.” Ricky staggers to a standing position. “I wouldn’t be surprised if soldiers are waiting on the other end.”

Jedd jumps to his feet. “Right. Get ready.”

“To die?” Qaara grabs Jedd’s arm and pulls herself up.

The elevator moves in silence. And then stops. After a couple of seconds, the doors part to reveal lines of cars. A subterranean parking garage.

And no soldiers.

The sound of heavy footsteps come from a stairwell next to the elevator.

“Can you run?” Jedd says.

“I think so,” Ricky says.

“Yes.” Qaara’s hand covers her right eye. “But I have a splitting headache.

“We’ll take care of that later.” Jedd rushes into the parking garage.

They sprint for twenty meters before the soldiers emerge from an opening near the elevator. Pulse projectiles zing past them.

“I’m glad they’re bad shots,” Rick says.

“They’re not bad shots.” Qaara runs ahead. “They're extremely good shots shooting within inches of our heads. Like the professionals they are. Don’t you get it?”

“Get what?” Jedd says.

“They’re herding us like sheep. To this spot. It’s some kind of trap.”

Turning a corner, they see three gyropods lined up along a wall, each with two massive tires joined by a skeleton-like titanium framework. Status lights flash green on the windshields. Fully fueled. Ready to be taken.

“I don’t believe it,” Jedd says. “It's our lucky day.”

“Exactly what I’m talking about.” Qaara says.

Jedd throws a glance over his shoulder at the soldiers, closing in quickly. “What do we do?”

“No choice for now. We play along.” Qaara mounts the gyropod in the center. Arms go down to grab the handlebars, feet resting on rails near the rear axle. There’s a low hum as the frame automatically adjusts to her body. She’s practically in a horizontal position, arms and legs splayed out. “Can you boys ride?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Jedd mounts a cycle and finds it surprisingly comfortable.

Ricky jumps on the other one.

“Make sure the motor-tones are on silent mode.” Jedd says.

“Isn’t that illegal?” Qaara winks.

“Just keep an eye out for each other. No jerky moves, and keep your distance.” Jedd touches the ignition switch and feels an instantaneous power surge bring the gyropod to life. “Running these big machines on silent mode is illegal
and
dangerous. But I want to attract as little attention as possible.”

The three of them take off, heading for the thin daylight where the mouth of the parking garage yawns open. Pulse shots pepper the floor and walls around them.

Definitely feels like a trap,
Jedd thinks.

26

HOMO AUDIRE

Not here. Not now.

Mercer brings the jax closer to his mouth. “You heard me. Let them go.”

“Are you sure, sir?” The female voice is breathing hard. “As per our plan, we pushed them to this point, under the building. Best place to complete the job. We could drop them right here, clean up and dispose of the bodies before the sun is up.”

“Give them a good scare, but let them go. No pursuit necessary. My plans have changed.”

“As you wish, sir. It’s a pity.” The voice, tinged with disappointment, fades into the sound of shots from a pulse rifle.

Mercer stares at the holo of the three gyropods speeding down 5th Avenue in the early dawn, heading for the main exit to the west, away from the City, away from the Fringe, straight into the Zone.

“I thought you wanted to kill them.” The woman in black leather sits in the dark, behind Mercer. “At least the two men."

“I did and still do. But I always reserve the right to change my mind. Qaara’s two companions will be dispatched when the time is right.”

“Why not now?” The woman takes a drink. “Don’t you think it's dangerous to let Qaara run free?”

Mercer stands up and stretches, not used to having to explain himself to anyone. “As I was watching, I came to a sudden realization. Now is not the time nor the place. The sun is almost up. I’d rather not have a mess to clean up in broad daylight. We are at a delicate stage and must avoid anything that could put Project LUCA in jeopardy. Besides, it may yet be possible to change Qaara’s mind. Let her spend a couple of days in the Zone and see what that does to her. I think she’ll come around.”

“Only four days until Earth says
hello
to the Cloud. What about your flight to the bunkers in Japan? Still leaving today?” The woman stands. "And what about the select group of people on your list. The ones you’ve promised to save?”

Mercer waves his hand. “Why so many questions? Are you scared? You’re on the list. For now.”

“So many moving parts to this puzzle.” The woman’s hands go behind her back. “Chaos frightens me.”

“The chaos will only grow, until the Cloud comes. And then everything will come together. All complexity will cease.” Mercer brings a lemon to his lips and sinks his teeth into its yellow flesh. “But there is one thing we cannot allow. That outburst of Qaara at the Wall. Make sure it never reaches the Mesh.”

“I’ve already intercepted the video feed and killed it.”

“I expect no less.” Mercer stares at a new image on the holo, a narrow road lined with trees on either side that fly by like a neat picket fence. “How long will it take for them to cross into the Zone? I know so little about it.”

“I’m surprised they didn’t try to melt away into the Fringe. It’s much closer and
safer
there.” The woman takes a step forward, moving into Mercer’s peripheral vision. “Assuming no mishaps along the way, they should get to the Divide in another twelve hours. If they manage to pass through it, they’ll be in the Zone.”

“The Divide.” Mercer nods. “Is it true what they say? My father always kept me ignorant of the details, and the Mesh is conspicuously devoid of information."

The woman joins Mercer, shoulder to shoulder. “Depends on what you’ve heard. It’s a long story, but the bottom line is clear enough. When the rains stopped and famines overran the world, the federal government made a decision to abandon the interior of the continent. With all the loose guns and ammo floating around, it turned into a bloodbath overnight. People wanted to leave, and the easiest way out was east, to the coast. The government needed a way to contain the refugee crisis and protect itself.”

“And the Divide was the solution?”

“Exactly.” The woman puts her glass on a table near the sofa. “After taking out the roads and bridges, the government laid down a carpet of small tactical nuclear warheads. Little black balls no bigger than your fist that burrowed into the ground. It only took a week to create the Divide and stop mass migrations to the east. That’s how we got the Zone. An utter wasteland. The Divide is still there. Most of the nukes are still live.”

“How far will they get on the g-pods?” Mercer chews on the lemon rind. “There aren’t any charging stations in the Zone.”

“They’re equipped with energy extraction tech. The pods will charge themselves, at a slower rate. Theoretically, they could make it all the way to Denver or even California. But not likely. Tech like that will attract a lot of attention. The Zone is crawling with roving gangs of thugs and killers. That’s just the way life is in the Zone. For them, the Apocalypse has already come. Only the most violent and corrupt survive.”

“Or the lucky.” Mercer pulls a jax from his pocket. “And this Jedd fellow appears to have luck on his side, from what I saw."

“It will take more than luck to make it through the Zone.”

Mercer brushes one end of his jax with a cold finger. “Keep an eye on them.”

“I’ll do my best. The gyropods are covered with multiple tracking devices.” She takes a sidestep, brushing Mercer’s shoulder. “Have you seen the latest on the Cloud?”

“What’s going on?” Taking a deep inhale, Mercer is overpowered by the stench of expensive inhalants. He makes a circular walk around the holo playing in the middle of the room.

“World opinion is divided.” The woman remains standing, hands behind her back, the holo lighting up the chiseled features of her face. “The consensus in the scientific community and most of the world is that it’s a harmless dust formation, nothing to be concerned about. Most of the talk is focused on the best locations around the planet to see the light show in four days when any residual debris gets vaporized in Earth’s atmosphere."

“And what about the rest of the world?”

“On the other side, you have a small minority. The usual suspects. Religious fanatics. Theists. Residual Christians and Muslims. Shinto devotees. End-of-the-world preppers.” The woman pushes a blue pill between her lips and swallows. "They are convinced the time of punishment has come.”

“What kind of punishment?”

“The only kind that matters. Punishment from God.” Her eyes drop down in a slow blink as the Ice hits her bloodstream and lights her nerves on fire. “It's the usual drivel. Humankind has raped the Earth, made it into a dung heap. The time for vengeance is here. The Cloud represents the wrath of whatever higher power you happen to believe in. Like you once said, the finger of God. Nature is done with us. It’s going to wipe the slate clean."

Mercer circles the holo machine. “Not far from the mark.”

“But the religious are only a small minority. They can march in the streets and rant on the Mesh to their heart’s content. Nobody listens. As long as the people get their daily hit of Thrill or any other bio-narc, nobody cares."

“Any other news?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, there is.” The woman’s eyelids flutter like the wings of an exotic butterfly. “The breach in the Wall seems to have caught a bit of attention this morning. It’s the first flooding in the streets of the City in years. Since the Wall went up. But not to worry. Repairs should only take a few hours. The only real damage is to the stock price of the Genesis subsidiary that produces Graff.”

“Has the incident been tied to Qaara?”

“Based on Mesh traffic, there were some alleged sightings of her walking the streets near the Wall just before the hole opened up, but no one really believes it. After all, what would Qaara Kapoor be doing alone in the City in the early hours of the morning?”

“My sentiments exactly.” Mercer walks to a chair and drops down. “Deploy your army of Mesh-jackers to tamp down the rumors. I want the world to think Qaara Kapoor is right where she belongs. In her lab at Genesis.”

“Will do.” The woman’s eyes narrow by millimeters. “Anything else?"

“Send the list to my holo.” Mercer reaches for a drink. Its cool wetness flows down his throat, extending its tendrils throughout his chest. “I need time to relax and make the final selections.”

The woman turns to leave. And then stops.

“Have you heard the latest from Fukushima?”

Mercer closes his eyes at the sound of her voice. “It’s of no concern to me.”

“I thought you might be interested since it’s happening so close to your facility there.”

“Go on.”

“The government decided today to close all the so-called Institutions for the rehabilitation of schizophrenic children, the ones born to the squatters that moved into the Death Grid after the Great Riots in Tokyo. It’s been decided that the children are beyond rehabilitation. They've been officially declared nonhuman. Of no more concern that wild cats.”

“And why is this of concern to me?”

The woman takes in a short breath. “It’s the end of an experiment. Nobody knows exactly how many there are, but herds of recently abandoned schizophrenic children may soon be wandering close to your bunkers in Fukushima, dying of starvation, begging to get in."

“I still fail to see the significance.” Mercer takes another sip, imagining the tiny molecules in the blue liquid floating to his brain, about to open up the floodgates of inspiration. “The whole of Fukushima Prefecture is mine to do with as I please. Security forces are in place at the facilities. No one gets in who’s not on my list. Anyone on the outside who’s a danger to the facility will be shot on my orders. Schizophrenic or not."

“Isn’t that murder?”

“The world is ending.” Mercer closes his eyes as the little blue molecules do their work. “I write the rules.”

“There are rumors about the children in Fukushima.”

“I’m getting tired of this conversation.”

“We have a team tracking developments in Fukushima. The Institutions were run like prisons. Our Mesh-jackers have been monitoring their files. They say the children are different. Unique.”

“I’ve see the reports.” Mercer relaxes into a lazy river of thought. “A constant state of hallucination. Hearing voices. Unable to function. Little more than animals.”

“It appears the decision to close the Institutions was not unanimous.” The woman shuffles along the floor, turning to leave. “Some of the researchers classified the children as a new species. The next step in human evolution. Sounds like it’s right up your alley. You might want to check into it.”

Mercer stiffens. “The next step in human evolution is
me
. Now leave.”

The woman walks through the door and then pauses. “They even have a name for them.
Homo audire.
Listening Human.”

27

WRONG COLOR

Luca stands in front of the open gate.

After an all-night rain, the ground is moist. Green leaves glisten in the thin mist that gives way to the morning sun. A two-track road overgrown with weeds runs straight for a kilometer and then bends to the right. Rolling hills rise in the distance.

The smell of seawater floats over the cracked concrete walls of the Institution. The door leading to the cells hangs ajar, darkness covering the place where many of the girls have spent years of their lives.