The Grid 2 Page 5

  Alliance

  Talya woke early. She’d barely slept due to the tension of the trial. She’d gone to bed with Lucy and Joe still alive. She’d been horrified as she watched the replays on her screen. So many lives lost already and to see Zach Fuller die in the flames like that … Poor Joe, Zach had been like a father to all of them.

  She wasn’t sure how much more she’d be able to take. Perhaps if she couldn’t save Lucy in time, she might give up then. But what about Joe, if he survived after Lucy’s death? She’d had enough already, that was for sure. She was sickened by what she’d done to Max, yet it seemed insignificant compared with the horror of what Lucy and Joe were enduring.

  Talya had an early meeting. She was due to meet Damien Hunter at Fortrillium – she’d requested an introduction to the Gridders. After what she’d learned from Max the night before, she felt sure she could help Lucy. She just needed a little more information.

  Max had continued to make her life difficult after he’d regained consciousness. His hand had been torn apart by the knife ripping the flesh between his index and middle fingers. She’d found medical supplies in his house, nothing much, but she wished she’d had the same materials when she’d been trying to care for Harry earlier.

  She was able to clean up and disinfect Max’s wound; she stitched it and bandaged it as best she could. All the time she worked to heal him, she hated herself for what she’d done to him in the first place. Their relationship was like the bully to the victim; he was too scared to risk her anger, he just wanted to placate her so she’d leave him alone.

  He was so scared of her that he’d flinch when she moved towards his hand. She tried to reassure him that she wasn’t like that. She had to extract the information from him to save her daughter’s life. What choice did she have?

  As she finished tying the bandage securely on his hand, he’d actually thanked her. Talya was taken aback by that. He had every reason to curse her.

  Max had realized early on that there was more to come, but he had to get his hand sorted first. His wound would draw attention at work. Although he was scared of Talya, he was terrified of being found out for sending the WristCom into The Grid. He’d awoken with that stark realization when he’d come round earlier.

  He’d been caught by Talya – that was his own fault. It would be easier to work with Talya than to be discovered by the Centuria. He’d end up in The Grid if they found out what he’d done with the WristCom. He’d have been better off reporting it in the first place. Maybe it would have been safer to destroy it.

  Anyway, he’d been careless, it was his own fault. Now he’d have to work with this woman. Maybe he should have made up his mind about that before he’d forced her to plunge the knife into his hand.

  ‘What do you want me to do?’ he asked as she put the medical supplies away in their box.

  Talya was caught off-guard. Max seemed to want to be more helpful. Thank God. At last!

  ‘Look, I’m sorry I did this to you. I have to do what I can to save my daughter, surely you understand that, don’t you?’

  Max had nodded, then hung his head, as if ashamed for not being more forthcoming in the first place.

  ‘I was just scared of the Centuria. You know what it’s like.’

  They stared across the table at each other. Everybody in The City knew what it was like.

  ‘I need to find a way to get that WristCom to Lucy and Joe,’ Talya had continued. ‘If I can communicate with them directly, I think we can save them.

  You don’t need to do anything, Mr Penner – Max – just help me when the time comes, okay? I promise that nobody will find out what you did. I’ll take full blame if it comes to that.’

  Max had nodded once again and they’d parted.

  Talya knew she’d need to check in with Wiz and Mitchell, but wanted to catch up with the trial progress first.

  Relieved that Lucy and Joe were still alive, she’d received more good news when the notification on her WristCom came in that her presence was required for Law Lord duties. That would be the next Mode in The Grid – they always began with an address from Damien Hunter in the presence of the Law Lords.

  She’d been absent from the first appearance so she could pay her visit to Max, and Talya thought it best not to miss this one. Lucy would want to see her, she’d wonder why she wasn’t there. Did Lucy even know she was a Law Lord? They hadn’t spoken about it yet. She’d looked too drugged up and vague when she’d come in for sentencing with Joe – she didn’t look as if she’d seen Talya sitting there among the Law Lords.

  Talya went into Lucy’s room to search in the drawer by her bed. She didn’t like to invade her daughter’s privacy, but she was looking for something. There was not much in there: handwritten notes from Hannah – that was to be expected, as the two were friends; pressed flowers, memorabilia of her father – Talya remembered the day they’d done that when Lucy was eight –, and the photograph of her dad she’d cut out from his Fortrillium identity card after his death.

  Then she found it: the pendant. It had belonged to Talya’s great-grandmother, who knew of life before the plague. She’d worried they were losing their history, and wanted the item to be passed down through future generations.

  ‘We must remember,’ she said before her death. ‘If nobody can remember, we have no past.’

  After Tom died, Talya gave the pendant to Lucy. She used it to help to console her.

  ‘We must remember,’ she’d repeated as Lucy wept on her bed, ‘if nobody can remember, we have no past.’

  Lucy had learned the lesson well. It was why she was in The Grid. She’d never forgotten her father or the sense of injustice at his death. She and Joe were bound together by a quest for vengeance.

  Talya would wear the pendant at the beginning of the next Mode. If Lucy saw it, she’d know they were working to protect her and Joe. It was a sign of security for her.

  She thought about Wiz and Mitchell – they’d need to meet up as soon as possible. They had to pull their plan together before the start of the next Mode.

  She cursed her need for sleep. She’d been so exhausted by the events of the day before – with Harry’s injuries, Lucy’s arrest, the beginning of her Law Lord duties, it had all happened so quickly. She’d found herself in the middle of a nightmare.

  Talya cleaned herself up and changed her blood-soaked clothes. She thought back to Max and hoped he’d remain steady. He was more scared of the Centuria. She thought he’d be fine.

  She messaged Mitchell via her WristCom. He’d been quiet all night, and she was surprised he hadn’t checked in. She understood that Wiz couldn’t make contact, but they’d have that sorted out soon if Mitchell had got the right tech. Damn Mitchell for not checking in, she’d have words next time she saw him.

  Talya understood what she needed to achieve that day. It would have to be accomplished by 19:30. That was the time she’d been given to meet with the other Law Lords. It would be the beginning of the next Mode, which would follow at 20:00 hours.

  Escape for the Justice Seekers would not be so easy this time around. The trial had only been allocated three Modes, so Hunter and his team would want more deaths in the next round. Hunter would need the Justice Seekers thinned out before the final Mode and prior to Ascension. Talya felt sure he’d keep them alive until then. He’d want to goad her as long as possible, but it was likely that even Hunter couldn’t guarantee a life in that wretched place.

  Talya would get her heavily doctored tour of the Gridder facility, chase up Mitchell and Wiz, then liaise with Max once again. If they were really lucky, they’d be able to get a signal undetected to the WristCom. If they could do that, there was a chance they could get messages to Joe and Lucy.

  Talya placed the pendant into her pocket, threw her bag over her shoulder and headed out of the house. It was going to be another long day. She walked along the road towards Fortrillium’s imposing headquarters, her mind distracted by thoughts of Lucy and the risks they were going to
have to take. Had she been a little less preoccupied, she might have noticed Teanna Schaelles following close behind, out of sight, but on her tail.

  Chapter Four

  Resistance

  Wiz felt a sudden urge to leap off the side of the tower block. With three Centuria pointing their weapons at him, things were unlikely to play out well.

  He was about to make a run for it when one of the Centuria dropped his weapon and pulled off his helmet. He held out his hand.

  ‘Leo Bachus. That was a close call.’

  Wiz stared at him. He’d never been offered a handshake in The Climbs before. People there tended to have more interest in where their next meal was coming from.

  Leo realized his mistake and apologized.

  ‘I’m sorry, I should have thought.’

  The other Centuria lowered their weapons but remained helmeted.

  Wiz studied Leo. He was young, not much older than he was. The Centuria were always anonymous, their helmets protecting their identities – it tended to keep things simpler in civilian life. It was difficult to stay friends with the neighbours if you’d arrested somebody on their street and they ended up in The Grid.

  ‘There’s no need to be afraid, we’re not going to hurt you, Shen.’

  They knew his name. Not the one he liked to use. Wiz guessed they were all searching for him.

  ‘Call me Wiz. I never use Shen Li. It died with the rest of my family.’

  ‘No problem. Do you want to put your bag down, Wiz? You’ve had a bit of a fright.’

  Wiz put his bag down.

  ‘Why do they have their helmets on?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t have family, Wiz. I’m like you, they’re all dead. One of my friends here has family; she has more than just her own life to lose, she needs to hide her identity for now. I took mine off as a sign of trust, Wiz. You can trust us, we won’t harm you.’

  Wiz wasn’t so sure. He’d rather have seen their faces.

  One of the other Centuria spoke. It was a woman’s voice. That startled Wiz; he’d never thought there might be women concealed beneath the masks. Brutality wasn’t just a device used by men, he knew that, but it still surprised him to hear a young female speaking.

  ‘Leo, we need to move fast. They’ll want an update soon.’

  ‘Okay, okay Jody. You’re right. Let’s get things moving.’

  Jody removed her helmet – she felt it might help ease the tension a bit. Unlike her friend, she had no family to worry about.

  ‘Wiz, we’re a small group of Centuria looking for our chance to strike back at Fortrillium. There aren’t many of us. The Centuria are controlled by fear and threats just like everybody else. We’ve been trying to track you down since the arrest alert went out – we want to work with you.’

  Wiz wasn’t so sure about that. Yet they’d saved his life already, he was still breathing.

  There was a sound on the WristComs of all three Centuria, and the third spoke. It was another woman, she also sounded young.

  ‘Leo, we need to give a report.’

  ‘Jody, I’m going to step behind the aerials with Wiz. You file a full video report to HQ and tell them I’m checking the top five floors with Julia.’

  ‘Will do,’ she replied. ‘Julia, send a follow-up report from two floors down in five minutes – confirm that the top five floors are clear.’

  Julia hesitated, then moved off.

  Wiz and Leo moved out of the way of Jody’s camera, and Jody replaced her helmet before filing the report.

  ‘What’s with all the youngsters?’ asked Wiz. He’d been surprised at how young everybody sounded.

  ‘We have less to lose. The Centuria with partners and children, they’re much less likely to risk joining us, even if they want to. Julia has lots of family on Silk Road; her hand was forced when she joined us – sometimes you have to take sides. Jody is like me, no family.

  ‘We met in the Centuria, got talking on long overnight shifts. We all think the same way: there needs to be change in The City. We have to move carefully, though. If they discover us, it’ll be the shortest resistance movement in history.’

  ‘Wiz, I’m going to give you a WristCom. It’s not secure yet, you’ll need to get it reconfigured, but it won’t be traced. It’s from a dead man.’

  Leo handed the device to Wiz, who hoped it wasn’t an omen.

  ‘A clever guy like you can get this fixed. I’ve read your profile.

  I want you to carry on what you’re doing here; we know this rig must be connected to whatever you were doing in the sewers.’

  ‘Don’t tell me what it’s for now. If they catch us, it’s better that we don’t know. But if you need help, get that WristCom sorted and give us a call. We’re stationed in The Climbs for the next two weeks of shifts – that should easily cover your friends’ trial and whatever you’re up to. We’re all in this together, Wiz, and if we can help you, we will.’

  He held out his hand again but withdrew it immediately. Wiz didn’t need any more reminders of the differences between them.

  Wiz concealed the WristCom in his pocket. Whatever Leo and his friends were up to, they had just saved his life and given him the most useful piece of equipment he could have asked for. It wasn’t a bad start to a new alliance. He didn’t even have to share any information with Leo; it seemed a safe bet. He’d discuss it later with Talya, see what she thought.

  Leo could hear Jody finishing off her status update to Fortrillium. He placed his helmet back on his head. Immediately he looked more sinister and threatening.

  Wiz and Leo walked around the corner when Jody had signed off.

  ‘We’re leaving now, Wiz. We’ll report this area clear. Finish off whatever you’re doing and get out of here – there won’t be any new patrols in Pegasus block tonight.’

  Wiz nodded and watched as Leo and Jody left the rooftop.

  He looked around for his bag so he could start work on the aerials once again. He’d move around to the other side of the scaffold; it had looked more secure there when he’d been speaking to Leo. He scolded himself for not having taken more care the first time.

  As he picked up his bag, a thought struck him. His new Centuria friends were away, it was too late to call back to them. Only minutes previously he’d heard Jody signing off her video update and reporting that all was clear at the top of the tower block. She’d had her camera pointing towards the edge of the rooftop, exactly where Leo had taken his hand earlier and pulled him to safety. But she’d overlooked something. His bag must have been visible on the video feed. It was right there, aerials and all, just waiting to be spotted by Fortrillium.

  Missing

  Joe woke in a sweat. He’d had a broken sleep, teased all night with thoughts of the past forty-eight hours.

  In his dreams Lucy had fallen from the cage. Clay had almost caught her, but he’d lost his grip and she’d plunged to her death on the hard floor below. He’d been too indecisive; when Lucy had needed him, he hadn’t been there.

  He’d jumped out of his sleep as her body hit the ground. It was still dark, everybody else was still. Eventually he drifted back to sleep, but the nightmares continued.

  This time, it was Zach. Joe was holding his hand as his blistered body burned in front of him. In the dream, Joe couldn’t release the hand. Zach’s body writhed and contorted as he was tortured by the fire, and all he could do was to hold on. As Zach’s body finally went limp, he kept saying the same words over and over again to Joe.

  ‘You could have saved me if you’d tried harder … You could have saved me if you’d tried harder … ’

  Joe woke again. It was light, or at least getting there. The others were beginning to move now. He dozed a short time, thinking about what lay ahead of them.

  Things would change soon; their present environment would be moved on to suit whatever trial challenge was coming next. It could be anything. Joe knew enough about The Grid to understand there was no point trying to guess. The horrors inflicted upo
n the Justice Seekers were as diverse as the minds which devised them. There was no point worrying. The Mode would change at a time of Fortrillium’s choosing. They needed to eat, stay strong and work together. The trials always lasted longest with a strong leader and a team which stuck together.

  Joe looked over towards Schälen, but he wasn’t there. He was nervous about that man. Joe had seen it before. The commentators of the screens called them ‘wild cards’. ‘Sociopaths’ would have been a more accurate description.

  Every now and then you’d get someone like Schälen thrown into a trial. There weren’t a lot of people like him in The City – most crimes were related to survival and self-preservation. Schälen’s crimes were vindictive and violent. They had nothing to do with staying alive, they were motivated by a hatred for humanity. That made him dangerous and unpredictable.

  The other Justice Seekers just wanted to survive. They all knew how the trials ended, yet there was still that glimmer of hope every time. You could see it on the faces of whoever was in The Grid. They should have all given up in the first Mode, but they kept fighting and fighting. Even when all seemed lost, they would continue to fight. Joe understood it now he was there. He knew that none of them were getting out of The Grid, it was an evil game run by Fortrillium. But like all the others, he would fight until the end. He refused to lie down and die.

  Their leader was Clay – he was strong and knew what to do. More of them would be dead already if it hadn’t been for Clay; he’d saved lives and shown he could make quick decisions. They all accepted it too. There was no doubt that Clay would lead them as far as they were going to go in this trial. They had two Modes left, two more challenges before the final trial.

  They’d done well. At least the end would not be far off. If they’d drawn ten Modes, it might have gone on for weeks. Joe wasn’t sure he could have taken that. You tired quickly in The Grid; he’d seen ten-Mode trials when all of the Justice Seekers had been dead by the halfway point. The second Mode was likely to follow that evening, and they’d need to be ready when it came.