The Grid 2 Page 11

  Julia had never felt part of the team, even though she was in collusion with Leo and Jody and had covered their backs more than once in the past. There was an unspoken understanding: she was just too vulnerable. If she knew too much, Fortrillium could get to her through her family.

  When a Fortrillium operative had noticed Wiz’s bag in the video update Jody had filed from the top of Pegasus tower block, he’d called in his senior supervisor to take a look. Closer scrutiny had revealed there to be Fortrillium equipment in the bag, some of which was apparently live and activated.

  Not long after Leo, Jody and Julia came off shift that night, Julia was detained by an armed group of Centuria, people who were supposed to be her colleagues. They beat her continuously right there on the street, demanding to know where Leo and Jody were.

  She didn’t know, they’d gone off somewhere into The Climbs, she never asked where they went after their shifts.

  It didn’t very much matter. That would be the last shift Leo and Jody would ever complete as Centuria. However, it was not the final time they would raise their weapons. Word soon reached them about Julia’s arrest. They had to go to ground, the game was up. Their hands had been forced by a stupid error. The fightback would have to begin, there was no more putting it off.

  Attacked

  Lucy was frantic. She’d been trapped for so long, with Schälen getting closer and closer. She could hear his curses; he was screaming what he intended to do to her when he reached her, but each time he was blocked and frustrated in his efforts.

  There was only so long they could keep him away from her. He was almost there now – it might have been better for her if he hadn’t been goaded and angered so much.

  His threats had increased in their violence, from peeling the rest of the skin from her arms to flaying her alive. She wasn’t going to sit still and wait for it to come. She was working hard at the knots in her ties, and they were loosening by the minute.

  The final barrier had been placed in front of her prison area at the end of the tunnel. He had to be so close. Lucy struggled and twisted, but she couldn’t make any progress with the ties. Her arm was sore and stiff, the struggling hadn’t helped, and the loose skin was beginning to make her feel ill.

  Then there was a sound behind her. She’d expected Schälen to come from in front of her when he finally broke through, but with no warning a doorway opened behind her and he was there.

  Lucy shuffled across the floor to get away. There was a flaming torch behind him, and the blade he was carrying caught the light as he got closer.

  He was calmer now, and that made him even more frightening. He moved closer to her, one step at a time. When it came to intimidating his victims, he was in comfortable territory – he knew exactly what to do.

  However angry he was, his shouting had stopped now. He was deliberate, silent and slow, a predator waiting in the shadows to take its prey.

  Lucy backed away, scraping the skin on her legs and arms as she did so. She screamed at Schälen, hoping that somehow her friends would hear her, but the only sounds in the tunnels came from her.

  When Lucy had retreated as far as she could go, she was caught in the corner, there was nowhere else to retreat to. Schälen took one slow step at a time until she was fully in his shadow. All she could hear was his breathing. He was excited now, this was fun to him.

  He crouched down in front of her. Lucy tried to kick out at him, but with sudden and crushing power he slammed his fist on her calf muscle and she immediately flinched with the pain.

  ‘Shh!’ he hushed quietly, ‘The more you struggle, the more it hurts.’

  Lucy didn’t know what to do. If she fought him off, he became more violent. If she didn’t fight him off, what might he do? She’d already had a taste of his work and didn’t want to sample any more. There was only one thing for it – to fight.

  Schälen moved his face close to hers, and she could feel his stinking breath. He moved the blade up to her cheek, pressing it gently into the flesh. She felt it glide through the skin, as he held it there, just below the surface. She sensed the blood begin to ooze from the wound. He smiled at her.

  All the time Lucy was watching him, her eyes fixed on his. He was looking for fear, but all he saw was defiance. It urged him on. He needed to see fear, Schälen fed off terror. He moved the knife along her cheek slowly, and she felt it cutting deeper. It was hard not to recoil, but she held his gaze, looking for her moment to act.

  He pulled the knife away from her cheek, then held it in front of her, as if deciding where to place it next. Still Lucy held his gaze. She didn’t blink.

  Schälen moved the knife to just below her ear, running it gently down her neck so it drew blood but did not cut too deep. Still Lucy stared him out, refusing to show terror or fear. He removed the knife and held it in front of her once again.

  Slowly, he moved it down to the arm he’d already savaged. Inside her head, she screamed ‘No!’, but to his face, she remained steady.

  He inserted the knife at the bottom of the flayed area, and slid it gently into the skin. Then she saw it. It was a glint in his eye, he’d been the first to flinch in their staring contest.

  With all the force she could muster, Lucy kicked out wildly, pushing through the pain where he’d struck her moments before. It had taken him completely unawares, Schälen was more accustomed to having his victims in the grip of his power. He stumbled, falling backwards and instinctively putting out his hand to break the fall.

  Lucy moved her bound hands and pulled the knife out of the flesh of her arm. She cut the ties around her feet and stood up. She’d been tied up too long, her legs were cramped and she struggled to start running. Schälen had recovered from his short fall, and was standing up, heading directly for her.

  Lucy’s feet were now free, and she might have made it if she’d been able to run straight away. Schälen lunged at her, winding her as she crashed to the floor. She dropped the knife and it slid across the floor behind them both.

  She needed to free her hands. She couldn’t run if they were still bound, he’d catch up with her. Lucy moved towards the knife, struggling to catch her breath, but he went to block her. She was tiring quickly. She’d had nothing to eat or drink for some time, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it up for long.

  Schälen turned his back to her so he could take the initiative and recapture the weapon. Lucy knew she’d have to strike hard or become his captive once again. She’d seen what his intentions were and she wasn’t going to stick around.

  ‘Joe!’ she called, summoning everything she could to make it sound as if her friends had come to save her. It wasn’t difficult, she’d have given anything to see a friendly face at that moment.

  Schälen turned to see if it was true, and he immediately saw he’d been fooled. But it was enough time to let Lucy throw herself towards the knife. She picked it up with her right hand, twisted it around so she could cut the binding and it sliced straight through, absorbing her own blood from the blade as it did so.

  Lucy was free. As Schälen raised his fist to crash it into her skull, she darted down and plunged the knife into his leg. He let out a scream and his arm moved to his wound, moments before hitting Lucy’s chin. She rolled away just as the doorway to her small chamber began to close.

  She hadn’t rolled far enough to clear it, and the barrier was about to come down on her leg. She went to draw it in, but Schälen had his hand on her foot, she couldn’t move it. The barrier was inches from her ankle, she kicked one more time and managed to pull her foot in just far enough to avoid the crash. Schälen was not so lucky. Lucy heard the crunching of bones as his hand was caught by the barrier.

  The small gap closed to nothing, and the last thing she heard was the agonized cries of Schälen as his hand was crushed to a pulp by the heavy wooden doorway.

  She was safe from Schälen in a long, dimly lit passageway. She called for help, but there was no reply. She tried again, just an echo.

&nbs
p; Lucy decided she needed to get away from where the doorway had closed up. She’d seen enough of the labyrinth to know that Schälen might reappear at any time. He wouldn’t make a meal of her death. After what she’d just done to him, he’d kill her straight away next time they met – if he survived the blood loss from his injury.

  Lucy moved up the passageway, ducking in the doorways, but trying to keep heading away from where her fight with Schälen had taken place. Eventually, when she was sure she’d moved far enough, she took refuge in the dark corner of a side chamber and sat down.

  She wiped the blood from her cheek and neck, though she could feel it was already beginning to congeal. Schälen had torn her first sleeve when he’d first cut into her arm in the wooded area, and she decided to remove the other sleeve to give her some way to clean up her wounds. The blood stains showed up clearly on the green linen of her Fortrillium overalls. She hoped her wounds weren’t as bad as they looked.

  For the first time that day, Lucy began to relax a little, relieved she was finally out of Schälen’s grip. But she’d been distracted, she’d lost track of time. This was the second Mode, the trial proper would begin soon.

  Lucy was beginning to understand why some Justice Seekers appeared to give up when she’d watched on the screens. She was only an occasional viewer, but it was difficult not to see the trials, they were screened everywhere, at all times of day.

  She was tired, weak and hungry, and she wasn’t sure how much fight she had left in her. If only she could reach Joe and the others – they had to be in the tunnels somewhere. They wouldn’t be separated off until the final challenge, Ascension, when there were only a few survivors left. Joe had to be around somewhere.

  Lucy struggled to her feet and made her way back into the main passageway. She’d lost her bearings completely, and she didn’t know if she was heading closer to Schälen or further away.

  Every few steps she would stop and listen. The echoes were deceptive, she was becoming scared of her own shadow. Lucy was convinced she was alone and that Schälen was nowhere near her.

  As she made her way quietly up the passageway, she saw something hanging from one of the sconces up ahead. She moved faster towards the flaming torch, sure that it was a clue.

  As she drew near, she could see what it was. It was a rag from orange overalls. Grace or Ross must have left it as a marker or a signal. Maybe they were looking for her? Lucy felt a massive sense of release. Her friends had to be close, they must have left the rag as a sign for her.

  She called out along the tunnel several times, careless now as to whether Schälen heard her or not. She felt stronger and more positive. All she wanted was to be reunited with the group and see Joe again.

  There was no reply and no sign of Schälen either. It was frustrating, she’d caught a glimpse of them, but they were nowhere to be found.

  Lucy sat down once again beneath the hanging rag. It made sense to stay there – if they’d left the orange strip as a signal, she hoped they’d soon return there. She was stiff and sore, and her facial wounds were beginning to throb.

  She dropped her head and closed her eyes, fighting the urge to sleep. She lost the battle. Lucy was so exhausted, she drifted off into a slumber.

  She didn’t know how long it was, but she woke with a start. She listened: no footsteps, no voices. What was it that she could hear? A low growl, deep and penetrating, rumbling along the dim tunnels of the labyrinth.

  Cautiously she stood up, scanning for the direction of the sound. It was breathing, she was certain, but what could make a noise that deep and loud?

  Quietly she made her way along the corridor. It sounded as if that was where it was coming from. She looked through a doorway to her left, and there it was:

  two long tusks, jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth and eyes that shone blue in the darkness of the tunnels.

  As Lucy turned to run, the beast stirred. It had smelled human blood.

  Chapter Eight

  Collaboration

  Hannah had got Talya’s message loud and clear, even though they’d barely had any time to communicate. She was still reeling from the discovery that two of the most important people in her life were trapped in The Grid. She might have killed them. On her screens, they were just identified as 001Green and 002Green. But that was Joe and Lucy, she knew it now. So who had she killed when The Justice Trial began? She’d selected that person on the crutches because they had a high affinity score to 001Green – or Joe – in particular.

  Hannah wanted to curl up on the floor and cry. They’d started this scheme to infiltrate Fortrillium, with no real idea of where it would lead. What did they think? That they could just walk in and everything would be fine?

  She felt as if she’d taken on more than she could cope with, but she was trapped now, there was only one way to move. Forwards.

  Hannah had sat at her console for some time thinking about the consequences of what they’d done. They were dealing with life and death, and she wished to God she’d thought it through more carefully. But this was about Joe and Lucy. She’d been around when they both lost their fathers, and she remembered the devastating consequences it had had on their lives. In spite of the danger that they were in, she knew they had to keep moving ahead, but there was no hiding from the sheer terror of her predicament.

  How much could she trust Linwood? Was he for real? She’d have to test him and find out. He was about to unleash four beasts into the labyrinth, and those beasts could kill her friends. She had to try and keep them alive, she had to work with Talya to help them survive.

  There was no choice but to team up with Linwood. This was his challenge. He’d asked her to help, but she’d need to do what she could to protect Joe and Lucy. They’d have to make it look convincing – the action on the screens would need to keep the engagement levels high or else Damien Hunter would be back in the office, and it wouldn’t be a social call.

  Hannah messaged Linwood directly to his console. It was easier if he came to her workstation, since as the new Gridder she was located away from the main cluster. He made it look as if he was passing her desk casually. At least he knew how to avoid looking suspicious.

  ‘You’ve been crying. Don’t let anybody see that. What’s up?’

  Hannah was annoyed with herself. She thought she’d managed to conceal what had been going on.

  ‘Don’t worry, I can only tell because I’m up close, nobody else will notice from over there.’

  ‘I need to know if I can trust you, Linwood?’

  There was no point dragging things out, she needed to move fast. He looked at her, wondering what this was leading to.

  ‘You can,’ he replied. ‘Definitely. What happened during Law Lord Slater’s tour?’

  ‘This is serious, Linwood. I have to know if you’re a friend.’

  ‘Look, I only became a Gridder because my brother went missing and I thought it would help me to find out where he was. I’m not tough, I’m not clever, but I could play games. I got in the only way I know how, and now I’m here I’m no further forward and I’m stuck killing innocent people. Does that help to build some trust?’

  ‘It’ll do for starters, but we could lose our lives over what I’m about to tell you. Are you ready for that?’

  ‘Hannah, I could lose my life if I don’t do a good job of this next Mode. I’ve been living with that fear ever since I came in here.

  Seriously, whatever you’ve got to say probably won’t surprise me.’

  The Head Gridder walked by and checked in on the progress of the next Mode. Linwood was sharp, he made out that’s what they were discussing at that very moment. The Head Gridder listened to what was planned, then moved on. They continued their conversation.

  ‘I’ve got two friends in there. Talya Slater is the mother of my best friend.’

  Linwood hadn’t been ready for that, and he was stunned by this information. But he immediately caught its gravity.

  ‘Hell, have we hurt them?’

/>   ‘Not yet, but one of them is 002Green. We’ve let her be stalked by the weirdo.’

  ‘Let me check up on that.’

  Linwood leaned over and monitored the progress in The Grid via Hannah’s console. He logged into his admin area and ran several lines of code at great speed.

  ‘Okay, I’ve built in a loop for now. Every time he gets near her, his route will be blocked and he’ll be diverted. Based on his Psych-Eval that’s going to make him even madder, but he can’t reach her for now. It’ll look great on the screens and it’ll keep your friend safe.’

  ‘But what about the beasts? Nobody is going to stand a chance in there when we unleash them.’

  ‘There’s not a lot we can do when we let them loose, other than to control the exits in the labyrinth to give some protection. We have to kill off more of the Justice Seekers in this Mode. If we don’t it’ll be obvious. If we end up in The Grid with them, we’re no help at all. You know the game here, Hannah. We have to make kills.’

  Hannah was certainly beginning to understand the game a lot better. There was no choice but to kill in The Grid. The best she could hope for was to keep her friends alive a little longer, in the hope that Talya could do something from the outside. It all seemed unlikely to Hannah.

  She watched the pixelated images of Lucy and Schälen on the main screen. One of those images was her friend and she’d been making plans to kill her. Now she had to keep her alive at any cost. Without being discovered.

  ‘What can we do?’

  ‘Here’s the plan,’ he began. ‘We don’t have a lot of options. We need to give them weapons before the challenge. I’d intended to give them only four weapons, but let’s give them all a fighting chance – they can have one weapon each, maybe we can throw in a few extras too. We’ll need to make your friend look good when she fights the weirdo, but we can help her get away. How strong is she?’