B018YDIXDK EBOK Read online

  He was close now, but he saw something else that caught his attention.

  Red-hair.

  The man was nearly consumed by the mass of taller people, but Myers caught a glimpse of the man’s frame standing near the stairs, his back to the crowd.

  If I can just get…

  Myers crouched down slightly, forcing his mind to focus on nothing but the tiny sheath that the man wore around his belt.

  A knife.

  He snuck along, careful to not alarm anyone near him as he passed through their ranks. Red-hair still faced the stage, watching the other guards as they finished tying up Rand and Diane. He realized Lansing wasn’t with them, but didn’t have time to consider what that meant.

  He focused on the knife.

  He was within reaching distance now, and he didn’t dare get any closer. He stuck his hand out, slowly leaning forward until the tips of his fingers found the sheath the knife was held in. It was leather, smooth to the touch, and it was stiff from lack of use.

  Myers grabbed the sides of it, then carefully lifted. He hoped that it was only clipped on, not attached by a loop around the belt.

  The knife and sheath slid upward cleanly. He started to shake, his muscles trying to counteract the stealthy motion and force themselves still. The knife was almost clear of the man’s waist, and Myers closed his eyes as he tried to pull it the rest of the way.

  He felt the sweet feeling of freedom as the knife and sheath rose the rest of the way off the man’s belt, and Myers opened his eyes.

  And saw Red-hair staring directly at him.

  His eyes widened as he recognized who he was, and Red-hair frantically reached for the knife at his waist.

  Myers didn’t wait. He fell to the ground, hitting harder than he’d intended, but quickly recovered. He looked around for something to use…

  And found a rock.

  Just like in the desert just inside the gates of Instabul, Myers was marching toward the unknown armed with nothing but a dull rock.

  But this time he knew he’d be using it.

  Red-hair had to navigate around a few bodies, but he forcefully pushed them aside and continued toward Myers.

  Myers waited, watching the man’s feet. He assumed he was safe — the man had no other weapons, and he hadn’t called for help — so he waited.

  And waited.

  Then, when the man was standing directly over Myers, almost on top of him, Myers pushed himself up off the ground. Red-hair anticipated the attack, jumping back slightly and pressing his back foot into the ground for support.

  But he didn’t anticipate what Myers had planned.

  Myers swung the rock upward, an uppercut punch directly to the man’s chin, pushing through with every ounce of strength he had.

  The man’s chin cracked, and he went down.

  Myers waited a moment, standing over the small red-headed man still holding the rock, as people quickly swarmed the area. Red-hair didn’t move. They stepped over him, but none seemed at all phased by the attack that had just played out.

  He dropped the rock, turning back to the platform.

  RAVI

  RAVI WAS HAVING A HARD time reading Solomon Merrick. They stood side-by-side at the top of the cliff, in the open expanse of terrain that surrounded the deep river valley.

  Ary was there, and so were a few others. A younger man, standing near Ary, his eyes dark and brooding as he seethed, and a handful of older men behind them. Ravi recognized them immediately — Unders — by their gear. Mostly EHM, taken from some unfortunate Advance Remote Unit that was previously stationed somewhere nearby. It was, therefore, top of the line equipment, the best the UN could produce.

  They each had EHM high-powered rifles, and most had matching sidearms, and Ravi even saw a few short-range pulse grenades, the kind that would disable anything electronic in a twenty-yard radius for an hour.

  But none of that surprised him. Ravi knew the Unders were well-armed, and capable of holding their own against any trained ARU. Instead, Ravi was surprised by the emotion he saw on Sol’s face. He watched the man as they rose the final five feet to the ground above, and as he saw the group of people standing there.

  Since they’d stepped off of the platform, Sol hadn’t taken his eyes off of the young man. They’d walked a few steps to the left, out of the way of the lift, and were now standing at the extreme edge of the cliff, their backs to the chasm below.

  His mouth moved, opening and closing, but Sol didn’t speak.

  Ary, too, seemed surprised. She’d immediately walked over and kissed the young man, but then turned and waited for one of them to speak. When no one did, she flicked her eyes back and forth between Sol and her boyfriend, then Ravi.

  Finally, Sol broke the silence. “K — Kellan?”

  The young man didn’t break his stare. “Solomon.”

  “I… why —“ Sol took a slow step forward, the words still not able to flow smoothly out of his mouth.

  The young man — Kellan — also took a step forward, but Ravi noticed something different about his step. It wasn’t a step to bring himself closer to Merrick, but a step to bring his leg around in front of his body…

  Kellan pulled a handgun from a holster on his side and lifted it toward Sol.

  “No!” Ravi shouted, but it was far too late. The gun had fired, and Sol stopped his advance toward the younger man. Ravi’s mind screamed in anger — he had anticipated it; he had seen it coming, but his body wasn’t quick enough to respond. He was helpless, and he hated himself for it.

  Kellan fired again, then a third time. Sol fell to his knees, still staring silently at Kellan.

  Ravi rushed to Sol’s side, kneeling and catching the man as he started to fall face-first to the ground. His breathing quickened, and everything inside his head screamed to leave, to start running the other direction.

  They’re going to kill both of you, he thought. They’re going to kill him first, then they’ll kill you. It’s as simple as that.

  And then, it’s not as simple as that. They could have killed you hours ago.

  The conflicted thoughts did nothing to dissuade Ravi from helping Sol. He leaned in closer, now holding the entire weight of the man’s upper body.

  “I should have done this a long time ago, Solomon.”

  Sol sputtered, and blood spilled from his mouth. He swallowed, shaking slightly as he looked up at Kellan. Ravi looked toward Ary, and saw that she was turned away, her arms crossed. Her jaw was rigid.

  “Ary,” Ravi said. “Ary, look at me. Look at him.”

  She didn’t.

  Ravi pulled Solomon back a bit, not wanting the man to fall. Sol’s head lolled around a bit, but he blinked.

  “Why?” he whispered. Ravi wasn’t sure what he meant at first, but then turned and looked at Kellan.

  The young man’s teeth were clenched, the hard eyes drilling holes into Ravi and Sol, and even the men standing behind him seemed terrified.

  “Why?” Solomon asked again.

  Kellan walked closer to Sol and knelt down on one knee, now at eye level with him. “Why?” he asked in response.

  Ravi fought the urge to lash out at the younger man. He had no weapons, nothing but his bare hands. And he had a feeling Kellan was every bit as spry and quick as Ravi, but far stronger and more experienced. He had at least three inches on Ravi, and Ravi wasn’t short.

  Kellan continued, never breaking Sol’s stare. “Because of what you did.” his nostrils flared, and Ravi saw the young man’s eyes dart away quickly, then back. “You…”

  “Sellan,” Sol started, “Kellan, there… was no… I had no choice.”

  Kellan stood up, looked at Ravi, then back at the top of Sol’s head. He took a step back, then kicked Solomon Merrick as hard as he could.

  Ravi’s left arm snapped back with the force of the kick, and Sol’s body flew backwards — over the edge of the cliff. Instinctively, Ravi fell back to catch his own balance, but when he turned to grab for the other man, he h
and tightened around nothing but air.

  Kellan walked back to the group of men, who parted as he passed through them. He waved his hand in the air, a ‘follow me’ motion, and they all followed.

  Ary stayed behind. Ravi could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his body, and he felt the welling of tears forming in his eyes, but he stood and marched toward her.

  “You — you!” He wasn’t sure what to say. It was her fault, but she hadn’t pulled the trigger.

  But it was still her fault.

  He reached Ary just as she whirled around and he saw the fear in her eyes.

  “I had to,” she said, softly. “Ravi, I had to.”

  Ravi stared at her, not wanting to speak. Afraid of what he might say.

  “I know you don’t believe me, but it’s true.”

  He took a few more deep breaths, then closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw the same sweet — innocent — girl in front of him. The same girl who’d lured them here, and…

  “It’s your fault he’s dead, Ary,” Ravi said. “I’m going to make you pay for that.”

  She turned and walked away. Ravi stood there for a moment, but only then fully realized where he was.

  The camp around him was smaller than the one he’d been held at before, where he’d healed from the gunshot wound. The arrangement of the tents, the organization of it all, and the sheer number of weapons and men wielding them in the distance told him everything he needed to know.

  He was standing in another Unders camp. Ary was an Under, just like the rest of them, and she had lured them here. He couldn’t run, couldn’t hide, and he certainly couldn’t fight back.

  So he ran after her. No one seemed to care — the men and women walking around the tents paid no attention to the murder that had just taken place, and no one even glanced toward him. Ary was about to disappear into one of the larger tents, so Ravi hustled to keep up.

  He entered the tent. For its size, he was surprised to find it empty, save for Ary standing just inside. Behind her, he saw rows of tables — large boards fastened to wooden legs — and chairs beneath each one. Stacks of dishes were piled on one of the far tables, and a few large pots stood next to them.

  “Ary, why did you bring me here? Was I just in the wrong place? You needed to bring Solomon in, and I happened to be with him?”

  She shook her head. “No, Ravi, that’s where you’re wrong. Kellan was looking for Solomon. I —“

  She glanced around, ensuring they were alone, and her voice dropped. “I was looking for you.”

  Here we go again. “You’re lying to me.”

  “I’m not.”

  “Why were you looking for me?”

  “Because I blame you for the death of my family.”

  Ravi was visibly startled. There it is. Blunt. “I — I’m sorry? I’m not sure what you think…”

  “You are the reason my family was taken from me. Every. Single. One. All of them. My parents, my brothers, all of them, Ravi.”

  Ravi shook his head. “This has to be some mistake, Ary. I don’t have any idea —“

  Ary reached out and pulled his shirt, bringing his face closer to hers. “Listen, Ravi. I told Kellan I would get both of you back. After Grouse called it in, Kellan’s eyes lit up like you saw out there. He’s wanted to kill Solomon Merrick for years, and trust me — there was nothing that you or I could have done to prevent that.”

  She paused, releasing his shirt, and stepped back. She looked at the ground, then back up at Ravi. Her small frame stood solidly on the ground, unwavering. “He was going to come find you himself, but I told him I’d bring Solomon directly to him, if I got you.”

  “If you got me?”

  “If he didn’t kill you.”

  Ravi sucked in a breath. “Still — why —“

  “Stop. I told you already, and no — I’m not going to kill you. It doesn’t matter right now. But do not think you’re the only person who’s experienced loss. We have a lot in common, you and me. I know you know what it’s like to lose people.”

  He glared at her. “I know what it’s like to lose everything.”

  Slowly, she rotated her head slightly to one side, watching Ravi closely. Then she nodded.

  Ravi frowned, then realized that Ary wasn’t nodding at him.

  He screamed as he felt his arms being pressed to his sides, steely grips preventing him from moving. The two men who’d snuck up on him had waited for the signal.

  Ary’s signal.

  Ravi glared at her, and she stared right back. She had a blank expression on her face, but her eyes told a different story.

  I’m sorry, they seemed to say.

  They muscled him to the ground and started tying his hands and feet. He felt himself pulled — roughly — back and to the side, closer to the table in the corner of the tent. They finished his bindings and pulled him up, tossing him into a chair like he was no more than a doll. He grunted from the painful treatment, but never stopped staring at Ary, who watched with calculated disinterest.

  He wanted to scream, to fight, to take control of the situation, but he knew he couldn’t. He wouldn’t succeed, and even if he did, where would he go? What would be his next move?

  Ary had tricked him — and Sol — into coming here, and she’d set them up, playing them from the beginning. She couldn’t be trusted, and yet…

  Something nagged at him. What was it?

  Ravi racked his brain to recall their conversation. What did she really want?

  He knew she didn’t want him to be killed — at least not yet — or she would have done it already. She wanted — needed — him alive, and he needed to find out why.

  Ary waited until the two Unders had finished their work of tying Ravi to the metal chair before she spoke.

  “Is he coming?” she asked.

  One of the Unders turned to face her, startled, as if it was the first time he’d seen her. “He is, should be here within the hour.”

  “Good. Tell him we’re ready in here.”

  The man nodded, and the two men left the tent.

  Ary stepped up to Ravi and slid her hand over the ropes that bound his arms and legs to the chair, testing their integrity. Satisfied, she stepped back and looked down at him with that same fascinated, almost reluctant expression.

  “Now what?” Ravi asked.

  “Now we wait.”

  “Who’s coming, Ary?”

  “Peter Grouse. He’s in charge of this region. We’re getting ready for an attack on the Relics group just east of here.”

  He’d heard that name before, back at the other camp on the other side of the hill to the south.

  “He heard you and Solomon Merrick were here, and left immediately.”

  How did he know that? Did they have a communications system in place?

  “Why does he care about us?”

  Ary shook her head. “I don’t think he does. He just knows you’re a way to get to Myers, and that’s who he cares about.”

  “I don’t know where Myers is.”

  “He doesn’t seem to believe that.”

  Ravi nodded, then looked up. “Ary, I don’t think you want to kill me.”

  She frowned. “No?”

  “No. I don’t think you really want me to be killed, either.”

  Ary smirked. “I hardly think you’re in a position to negotiate, Ravi.”

  “Ary, I’m not negotiating. I’m being honest. You told me I had something to do with your family, something I did — I don’t have any idea what that was, but I think you know I didn’t mean any harm. I think —“

  “You didn’t mean any harm?” She reached out to hit him, but didn’t follow through. Her hand was shaking. “Ravi, my entire family. They’re gone.”

  Ravi shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You’re a hacker, right?”

  “I — I was, not anymore.”

  “You hacked the FreedomFinder subroutine, didn’t
you?”

  Ravi’s face matched his shock. How did she know about that? “Th — that was a long time ago, Ary. I never —“

  “Did you do it?”

  He nodded.

  “That subroutine allowed us to use the System to find people, Ravi. You knew that, and what it could do? You were scared of… what? Of some person using it to find someone else? Anyone, anywhere, any time? But you didn’t know the System was going to get smarter, did you? You didn’t think that hacking it so it wouldn’t need a human ‘driver’ was going to hurt anything, did you?”

  “But —“

  “No. Shut up. You gave an intelligent program the ability to find anyone on earth.”

  “Ary, it wasn’t intelligent when I —“

  “But you did it, and that’s the point. You gave it the most powerful tool it could ever want.”

  “It was a way to free it from needing human intervention. If that technology got in the wrong hands —“

  “It did get in the wrong hands, Ravi!” she yelled. “It got into the System’s hands. It didn’t need a human user interface to access the database on the Grid anymore.”

  He looked up at her, his eyes pleading. “Ary, I don’t understand.”

  Her voice was low, seething. “Ravi, you hacked a subroutine that gave the System enough power to reassign individuals to strategic locations, maneuver militaries and personnel, and place anyone in the world wherever it wanted them.”

  Ravi was growing more and more frustrated. He still didn’t understand what she wanted from him; he didn’t understand how this was his fault. Sure, hacking the subroutine was probably a bad idea, but at the time…

  At the time, things were different. They were simpler. People had jobs, governments had militaries, and the world just worked the right way. The System was just a computer program. Sure, it was ubiquitous, but EHM was leading the charge for building smarter and safer artificial intelligence applications, and no one ever thought…

  “That’s what this is about,” Ravi said, whispering to himself.

  Ary raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

  “That’s what this is all about, Ary,” Ravi said again. “You’re not upset with me.”