"There's the entrance to Redwood Towers," Talyon says with an authoritative tone. "Runner Five, you have a ten kilometer run ahead of you. The governors' guards will be hunting you, but as the only person in New Oban without an implanted tracking device, you have a chance of evading them."
My eyebrows furrow. "I don't understand. I thought you were head of security and all that. Can't you tell them to stand down?"
"I may have influence over the marshals, but the governors have security that are loyal only to them. They won't listen to a word I say. I'm sorry, but you still will be in danger even though I've called off the marshals that were hunting you in the city." She glances upwards. "At the five kilometer mark, halfway up Redwood Towers, you will unlock the doors to the boardroom. Then you will make your escape back to the base of the tower. My marshals and I will be ready to arrest the Board of Governors as soon as you disable the security system."
I hum in discomfort. Something about this doesn't seem right. Maybe I just don't like the idea of going up so high when there's a chance these guardsmen might throw me out the window halfway up.
"And you'll find out where my daughter is, right?" Halima asks desperately. "She must be in that building."
"Once the Board of Governors has been dealt with, I will personally ensure the safety of your daughter, Miss Hassan. You have my word."
"Here's an idea," Nicole says. "After Five's dealt with that security system and you and your people are going after the governors, why not let Five look for Amala and the other children? She may be able to find them faster and get Amala back to her mother."
Talyon smiles, although it looks forced. "That's very kind for you to volunteer your runner to do such a task, but those guards will stop at nothing to keep her from getting in. Once she's gotten rid of the security system, they will shoot to kill. The longer she's in there after disabling the security system, the more danger she will be in. And I'd hate for something to happen to her when it could have been so easily avoidable."
"I think she's right," Sam says. "I can try to get access to some of the cams inside the building, but as of right now, I don't know any of what's going on in there. We have to keep Callista safe."
"As safe as she can be," Talyon agrees, grinning at me. "Time to make an entrance, Runner Five. When I detonate the charge, the Board security will be alerted, but it's the only way to get inside. Prepare yourself."
She holds her device and presses the button at the top of it. I duck down and look away from the door.
Beep. Beep.
Boom!
An alarm goes off as debris goes flying. The bent, broken metal of the doors is sent skidding across the street, nearly taking out a store window.
"Five, get into the tower! Go!" Sam yells, and I sprint inside the building, the alarm so loud it drowns out almost every thought I have.
I sprint up the stairs in the back, since taking the ones in the front would end up with me running right into the guards rushing to see what just happened. I'm sure they're already searching for any tracker that might show where the intruder is. As of right now, without that tracker, I'm invisible to them.
But that doesn't mean it will last.
I bound up the stairs, skipping steps when I can, trying not to trip like I did earlier today. My hands are still sore from the fall on the rooftop. I reach one of the higher floors, freezing when I hear footsteps from above.
They're taking this stairway.
Without thinking, I open the door leading to the floor I'm on and run through. I'll find another stairway, or I'll run and then come back this way. It's not safe or smart for me to stay here when these soldiers are so close. I'm just thankful I heard them over the alarm. Hopeful it was loud enough that they didn't hear the door shut behind me.
I run through the hallway, looking for any open door with an empty room, just in case I need somewhere to hide if more guards come this way. A lot of the doors are shut and locked, probably due to the security breach.
I grit my teeth. That could be a problem if someone comes along this way, but there are corners and other places I can run to if I really need to hide. I'll find somewhere. I've done so before. Plus, I have my ax and my pistol. I don't necessarily want to kill anyone, but I will.
As of right now though, it's a straight shot through, just so I can get to the other staircase and start moving up again. Hopefully it will be empty and I won't have to double back. I don't want to make this ten K run a twenty K just because of all the moving back and forth.
"Sam, how am I doing?" I ask.
"You've run a kilometer already, and well... you're running amazingly, but you're definitely out of the frying pan and into the fire." He forces out a nervous chuckle. "Every guard in the building is looking for you. If you had one of those implantable trackers, you'd have no chance. Keep up the pace. You need as much of a head start as you can, and I'll try to get access to more of these security cams."
"So you can see me?"
"Yep. Nicole and I managed to hack a few. Smile for the camera," He jokes. "I got into them, and Nicole managed to get New Oban kicked out, so the guards won't be able to see where you are. The more we get, the less they'll be able to see and the less of a chance they'll have of finding you and taking you down."
"We won't let them take you down," Nicole says.
"Definitely not."
I give a half smile. "Good to know."
"I've got the floor plans of the building, Five," Halima chimes in. "There's a room marked 'Records' in the basement. There might be information about where exactly Amala's being held."
I make a face. "The basement? But I'm on the fifth floor already."
"Maybe you can go on your way out," Sam suggests, but Halima quickly interjects.
"I can't wait that long. Everyone's distracted by the explosion at the front of the tower. If I go now, I can sneak out the back without anyone seeing."
The unsure whine Sam makes tells me just how discomforting her suggestion makes him, but after a moment he sighs. "Okay, but be careful, Hal. And that goes for you too, Callista... Ah, crap. There's a guard patrol heading towards you. Turn left, then head around the corner and take two more lefts to get back to the hallway you're in now. By the time you make it back, they'll be gone, and you can get to the stairway and start climbing again."
I nod. "Yes, sir."
I make a quick turn, and I see from the corner of my eye a group of guards come into the hallway. I break into a full sprint to get to the next corner before they pass. I make it just in time, slowing behind the wall as the alarm continues to blare. My heart pounds as I strain to hear any voices or retreating footsteps, but I hear nothing.
Sam will tell me to stop if I need to, so I keep going, turning the corner again and running until I reach the hallway I started out in. The guards are gone, thankfully, having turned down another hallways, or maybe they're checking some of the rooms. Either way, they're gone and I'm safe.
I hurry to the stairs at the other end of the building. It's going to be harder and harder to evade these guards the more time passes on. My breathing is labored and my legs ache, but I start climbing again. After about two minutes of climbing the alarm stops, and I slow a bit to catch my breath as the ringing still echoes in my head.
"What's happened? Why'd they shut off the alarm?" I pant, blinking away the sweat that drips into my eyes.
"The alarm is supposed to alert the guards of an intruder," Nicole replies. "Every guard in this building is searching for you. There's no need for the alarm when everyone knows what's going on."
"Oh. Does it look like anyone's seen me?"
"No, but it's not for lack of trying. Since you took the back stairway, most of them made it to ground level by the time you switched to the one you're in now. They're making grand sweeps of the bottom floors to make sure you're not hiding anywhere."
My lips press together and I abandon my brisk climb for something a little faster. "Are there any guards above me then?"
"Yeah, just not as many below you. Still, you need to be careful-" She cuts herself off with a sharp inhale. "Don't go up another floor! Open the door and run across that one. There are guards a floor above you coming down and I can see guards from the second floor going up. Hurry!"
I swing the door open and sprint inside, cringing when the door clangs shut behind me. They definitely heard that. On one side of me there's a bunch of windows, and on another there are offices that appear to be locked. But halfway down this hallway is another one that diverts. I can run down there if I don't make it to the other staircase in time.
I break out into a sprint.
"You've got two kilometers done, Five," Sam states, and I can hear the nervousness in his voice. "Halima's heading to the records room in the basement."
I hear the door open behind me, along with mumbled voices.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
"And you need to keep running! The guards have spotted you and they're right behind you."
"There's the intruder," One says calmly. "I've got line of sight."
"Take the shot."
I gasp, ready to throw myself to the ground at the sound of gunfire, but it never comes. Instead, something flies over my head and hits the ground in front of me. I skid, unsure of whether to jump away or run past it, but I don't have the time to think.
It erupts, and suddenly my lungs and eyes burn as an unfamiliar smell floods my nose and mouth.
"Ah!" Sam shouts, although his voice sounds odd. Wrong. "They've released some sort of gas grenade."
I cough, running towards the door to the stairway as fast as I can. I sputter and hack as a sour taste coats my tongue, burns my throat, but each cough makes me breathe in another lungful of the gas.
"Stop immediately, by order of the Board of Governors!" A guard shouts, and I blink. Something's wrong. I feel wrong. I feel... numb.
What am I doing? What am I...
"Stop immediately, by order of the Board of Governors!"
Stop? Stop.
Stop.
Stop immediately.
"You need to get out of there, quick," Sam says, but his voice sounds very... faint, distant.
He is afraid, but I'm not. I don't feel afraid.
I don't feel anything.
"Wait, what are you-no, don't slow down!"
"Obey my commands, intruder," The guard says, his voice demanding.
Obey.
Obey.
Stop immediately.
"Listen to me, Five. You-you can't stop!"
"There's something in the gas," Nicole says. "Look. All those guards are wearing gas masks. It's done something to her. Making her susceptible to suggestion, probably."
"Five, you have to break out of it! Don't listen to that guard! Keep moving!" His voice cracks from his panic. "Callista, please, snap out of it!"
I don't move. I don't feel his desperation.
I don't feel anything.
"Callista!"
"She can't snap out of it!" Nicole snaps. "If you want her to move, you're going to have to tell her to move, just like that guard told her to stop. You have to sound commanding, like you're in control."
"But-"
"Do it!"
"Okay! Uh, um, Runner Five, by order of Commander Sam Yao, run as fast as you can. Sprint, now!"
As soon as he says it like that, with his voice holding authority, it seems right. His voice seems right. I feel like I should listen. I should move.
Sprint.
Sprint.
Sprint!
I take off.
"Yes, it's working!" He cheers. "Take out your side arm and shoot the window. That's an order, Five."
Without evening thinking, I grab my pistol and pull it from its holster. I aim. I pull the trigger. The sound of the gunshot rings in my ears, following the cracking sound of glass shattering.
I gasp when clean air hits my face, and within the first breath it's like I can actually think again.
I can feel again.
"Yes, the gas is clearing! Five, keep going before they do that again. Uh, um, get to the stairs, head up two floors, then go inside that floor. Looks like they left a security door unlocked there that may give us another stairway-one they won't suspect you to be on. Run!"
•
I cough raggedly, gasping in a lungful of air as I stagger up the stairs. I focus on one simple step at a time as my mind clears. I can feel again, but everything feels foggy. Whatever that gas was, it was strong. I was only exposed for a minute and it's taken several for me to come back to sanity.
"You've run three kilometers, Five. I think you've managed to shake the guards for now, but you have to keep going," Sam says. "Please tell me you're okay now. I don't want to have to order you to do it."
"I'm fine," I reply, clearing my throat as I keep climbing. "I'm fine. Just... keep me away from those guys. It felt like mind control all over again, except instead of feeling happiness, I just felt... nothing."
He shudders. "Honestly I can't tell if that's worse or not. I mean, I never was under the mind control before so I can't say, but... Never mind. Never mind. Just keep climbing those stairs."
"Sam, Five, Nicole," Halima's voice sounds off through my headset, "I've managed to get into the computer system in the basement without being seen. I think all the guards must be looking for you, especially after that stunt with the window. The records here go back to when New Oban was first built. There must be something here about where the governors are keeping Amala."
I bite my lip to keep from wincing as I continue climbing. I'm probably going to be sore for days. "What about the security systems, Halima? Can you do anything with them?"
"I've unlocked all the doors I can between you and the boardroom besides the last one. It's being overridden by something inside the room. There's a beeping noise coming from up there too. I can try to trace it. Um-"
I hear something from a few floors below me-something growling, with a weird undertone to it. It sounds... electronic? The closest thing I can relate it to was when I was a kid and I talked into a fan and it made my voice sound different.
"What was that?" Nicole asks, and I peer down the flights of stairs. I gulp at just how high up I am.
My thoughts on that quickly dissipate when I see a shift of something moving. It's fast, too fast for me to really see it.
"That's not soldiers," I say, and I hear them growl again, louder this time. The electronic sounds are more prevalent this time. "Doesn't sound like zombies, either."
"I can see them," Sam says breathlessly, before he starts shouting in fear. "Five, run! Run now! They're-they're big, huge, robotic dog things with extremely sharp metal teeth! And they're coming up those stairs straight for you! Run! Run!"
I hear them as they come barreling up the stairs, clanking loudly and growling. My eyes widen and I sprint as fast as I can up the stairs. My legs burn, and even though I'm able to fight through the pain and exhaustion from the climbing, I know I won't be able to outrun them like this.
When I reach the next floor, I throw the door open and run, turning at every corner in hopes of getting away from them. They keep pace. Metal limbs move smoothly and efficiently, and glowing eyes lock onto their target-me.
"How-how many of them are chasing me?" I pant.
"Uh, it looks like three, maybe four," Nicole says. "They speed by the cameras so quickly; it's hard to see them."
I let out a shout in panic when I hear a loud clang behind me. I look over my shoulder as a robo-dog slams into the side of the wall as it turns the corner. Glowing red eyes focus on me, my fearful face a reflection in the glass as it and the others with it charge after me.
One lets out a weird dial up noise, causing the others to perk up their ears. The one that let out the noise turns down another hallway, and I quickly look back ahead. My heart pounds in my chest, my blood roaring in my ears with each painful breath.
There's a screech of my shoes against the floor as one of the dogs slides out in front of me from another hallway.
"How did it... It knew to go around you!" Sam shouts, and the dog lunges. I duck and roll under it, using all the strength in my arms to push me to my feet and give me a boost forward as I start running again.
I grab my pistol and try to fire, but they're too fast. I fire once, twice, but they dodge the bullets with ease. They're eyes seem to focus on my hand. They're predicting where I'm going to shoot before I even pull the trigger.
"I can't-I can't outrun them, and I can't shoot them," I pant. "Help me!"
"Uh, uh, okay," Sam stammers. "Uh, you've ran four kilometers. D-Don't slow down."
I scowl. "No shit!"
"S-sorry. Those cyberdogs are right on your tail-"
"Already know that!"
"There's a door up ahead. It leads to an empty meeting room. Slam it shut, and then uh, head to the next door on the far side of the room. I think it leads to another part of that floor. Hopefully you'll be able to find another stairway, and the door should slow the dogs down."
I nod. "Yeah. Yeah. Good plan."
I slam the door shut as soon as I get into the empty room, locking it for good measure. I turn and run for the other door.
Screech!
My body tenses at the sound of metal tearing, and I look back again, my eyes landing on metal teeth and claws ripping through the door with ease.
I sprint out of the room.
"Oh, wow. They tore through that door like it was toilet paper."
"Just imagine what that could do to you," Nicole says, and I grit my teeth.
"Not helping!" I hiss as the dogs start making those noises again. Sam hums in thought.
"You know, I think they're using those noises to communicate..." I can almost the see the sly grin on his face when as he finishes that sentence, "which gives me an idea. Take off your headset and turn the volume to maximum. Now!"
I do as told, and a second later I hear a piercing sound before audio screeches in my headset. The cyberdogs howl and freeze, staggering a few steps before flopping onto the floor. I turn my headset back down and slip it on, not stopping for a second.
"Yes!" He cheers. "They're stunned. The feedback overloaded their neural system."
"Smart plan," Nicole compliments.
"Thanks."
"Sam, Five, Nicole," Halima says stressfully. "I can't find any mention of the children in the files, but something really strange in going on. I checked the log-in records and none of the Board of Governors have signed in for six months."
"So what, they-they stopped just after the west sector overrun? Weird time for a digital detox." He pauses when the cyberdogs start growling again. "Only a kilo until you reach the boardroom, Five, but those metal pooches are starting to recover. Keep running."
I want to slow down, to catch my breath, to not have to go back to climbing those damn stairs! Exhaustion is kicking in and adrenaline is one of the few things keeping me going.
I'm almost there. Just a bit farther, and then I just have to get out of this building. Just a bit farther until I reach the boardroom.
The cyberdogs have gotten up again. I can hear them growling and communicating with those weird dial up noises as I reach the stairs and start climbing again. I keep my hands on the rails, using them to fling myself up when my legs start to feel weak.
Sam mumbles a few encouraging words through my headset, but I barely register them. All I can do is focus on putting one foot in front of the other, going higher and higher.
"You've reached the floor to the boardroom that the Governors should be in, Five," Sam says a few minutes later, and I sigh in relief as I fling the door open to that floor and rush inside.
The dogs behind me tear into with ease, growling and barking. They sound more vicious now, as if they know I'm getting close to a restricted area.
"You're nearly there! But those dogs are right at your heels. Hopefully, uh, I think it's just a few more doors until you reach the board room. Uh, take a right. Yes, then go through that door on your left, take another right, then go through that door. The board room door should be the one at the very end of the hallway."
"Got it," I pant, rushing through the rooms. I don't bother to lock the doors, since they don't even buy me a second's worth of time. I gasp when I see the door up ahead, along with the sentry gun covering it. "Uh, Sam, problem!"
"Halima," He calls out instantly, "you were able to unlock the doors. Please tell me you can do something to keep that gun from shooting Five."
"Maybe, but I've got a better idea," She replies. "Five, I need you to trust me."
I look back. The dogs are seconds behind me. I can't stop. I can't turn around. There are no other rooms or turns I can take.
"Looks like I don't have much choice."
"Good enough. Keep running towards those sentry guns."
I swallow, closing my eyes tight as I push myself to run just a bit faster. I squeak at the sound of gunshots, but not one comes close to hitting me. Bullets hit metal, and the cyberdogs howl behind me.
I come to a stop, breathing heavily as I look back at the cyberdogs filled with holes. Looks like they weren't able to move out of the way of these bullets like they were mine.
"Five? Callista, are you okay?" Sam asks worriedly.
"I'm okay. Don't even have a scratch," I say, forcing out a chuckle while he sighs in relief.
"Oh, thank God."
"Those guns are programmed to stop anything or anyone with a tracker from reaching the boardroom." Halima says. "I was pretty sure they'd ignore Callista."
He chokes on his words. "Pretty sure?! That was a bit of a gamble. She could have died!"
"But she didn't." She giggles teasingly. "Honestly, with the way you seem to fuss over her, I'd think you have a crush."
I grin as Sam struggles for words, and I can imagine the blush he has on his face.
"I'd hope he has a crush on me. Would really cause a bump in our relationship if he didn't," I say.
"Oh. Are you two together?"
"Something like that."
Nicole groans. "As nice as it is hearing you talk about your love life, we do have a mission, you know. Five, you need to unlock the upper floors and disable the lower security system without the Board of Governors noticing you. If they realize you're right there, heaven knows what security measures they'll activate. See that security panel on the wall? That should be it. Just put in the code Talyon gave to you."
I put in the code, the security pad beeping with each button I push, until a green light shows up on the screen and the guns power down.
I smile in relief. "We did it."
"Yes!" Sam says excitedly. "Now you just have to get out of that building."
I start to walk away, but I pause when I hear something coming from the boardroom.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Do... do you guys hear that?"
"Hmm. Yeah. It's the same sound Halima picked up earlier. It sounds like a distress signal, doesn't it?" There's a beat of silence. "Um, now I know it's super risky, but what if someone's trapped in there with the governors? Maybe one of the people they kidnapped..."
"No," Nicole says. "You can't be suggesting that she-"
"Sneak forward and open the door, Five."
I'm already on it, opening the door ever so quietly. I can see the governors, all sitting around one big table. They aren't moving, they aren't speaking, and their heads are down.
What is going on?
"Maybe you can just ask them why they're-" Sam's words come to a screeching halt when I take a step forward. That's when I see all the flies buzzing around them, landing on their decaying bodies.
"They're dead. They're all dead." My nose scrunches up at the sight and smell. "For months."
All of them are slumped over in their chairs, except for one. There's one chair that's empty and fallen over, with a dark stain on the carpet near it. My eyes follow it to a cupboard, which is exactly where the beeping is coming from.
"Five..." He trails off, and I know what he's saying. I have to open the cabinet.
I take a step forward, then another. I reach down and open the cabinet-
A body spills out onto the floor, and I jump back with a shout.
"Bloody hell!" Sam yelps. "She must have hidden in there before she died."
"What's this?" I ask after taking a second to calm down. I bend down and take the object she's holding from her cold, lifeless hands.
"Is that a dictaphone?" Nicole asks. "All the governors are dead, and the only thing left that may tell us what happened is this. What is going on?"
"It doesn't matter," Sam says. "Callista, you can't stay there. You have the dictaphone, now head to the stairway and keep climbing."
I blink in confusion. "Keep climbing? But-"
"Something's not right here. I don't-I don't think it would be safe to go back down with the guards still searching for you, and with what we've just found in this board room, I don't know if it's safe to be around Talyon and her marshals either."
"What? Do you think she knows something about this?" Nicole asks.
"I-I don't know. Even if she doesn't know what happened in that boardroom, she and her marshals will take down anything and everything in their path, and I don't want to put Callista into a situation where she could get hurt. Well, more than usual.
"I'll find another exit, but right now going down will end up with her getting shot. Not to mention Talyon said she has only just rebelled against orders. If she does believe the governors are still alive, then that means someone else has been impersonating them and giving out orders.
"I just... I have a bad feeling about this. Five, you know what it's like to have these types of-of feelings, don't you?"
I hesitate in answering, but then I nod. "Yeah. Yeah, I do, and I trust you. I'll keep going up."
I leave the board room and stop just outside the doorway. I take one final glance back at the corpses at the table, and on the floor...
And I start running.
A/N: Here you go, guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Got this written with some free time, but please don't be mad if I don't post this weekend. I have an awards ceremony to attend because I'm almost done with my Associates Degree. I'll try to have a chapter out but I can't make any promises. Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!