Robert pointed a finger up to the sky, and Raj’s gaze followed it upward. He looked up in awe, almost falling backwards in an attempt to see the top of the seemingly limitless building.

  “Phoenix Tower,” Raj murmured.

  He’d dreamed of this day ever since he could remember, but his dreams were not enough to prepare him for it. The crystal-clear faces showed a perfect reflection of the surrounding cityscape, and the colored accents rose high up the building’s flanks. It was absolutely perfect.

  “Sebastian Phoenix is your father,” Raj said with astonishment.

  Robert continued to look towards the top and simply nodded. The pieces continued to fit together in Raj’s head.

  “But that would make you...”

  “Old enough to be your great grandfather, yea,” finished Robert. “I lost count at fifty-five.”

  Robert took one last pull of his cigarette and flicked it down the street.

  “But enough about me, kid,” exhaled Robert. “Any answers you seek, we will find them in there.”

  Robert and Raj continued the short stroll to the main entrance of the tower. They reached it, and Raj wrenched heavily on the door. It did not move an inch, remaining firmly within its frame.

  “How are we going to get in there?” asked Raj.

  Robert reached into his bag and opened up his copy of The Gatekeeper’s Key. He pulled out a plastic bag containing the chip Joe had given him and swiped the chip at the sensor.

  “Access granted,” chimed the door as it slid open. “Welcome, Leonard Smeebly.”

  Robert stowed the chip and casually walked through the passageway with Raj in tow. The lobby was dark except for the single light shining down upon the stone phoenix in the middle of the room.

  “Wow,” whispered Raj.

  He found himself awestruck by the beauty, and would have stared at it all night if Robert had not pulled him towards the elevators. Raj’s face lit up again as he looked forward to see the doors of the elevator glide open. Robert rolled his eyes and dragged Raj in with him. He had to slap Raj’s hand a couple times to stop him from pressing all the buttons, but finally swiped his faux clearance for the top level. The doors then closed before the elevator sped up the shaft.

  “So how did you get, you know, out there?” Raj asked.

  Robert looked at the elevator doors as if looking into the past.

  “The short story is that I was a wanted criminal. Before that, I served the old government during the resource war, and acted as a main player in the coup which brought the new regime into power. In the final days of the war, my sister sent my squad on what turned out to be a suicide mission. I went against my orders and made a call that saved my squad that day, and led to my squad saving countless other lives. Despite the outcome, my superiors set out to put me on trial and send me to Eisenstadt. When I was in jail waiting for my court date, I realized that I had been fighting for the majority of my life. I was tired of it. I still am. All I wanted was peace and quiet. So, with a little bit of innovation, and a few strokes of luck, I made my way out of the HIVE and went on the run.”

  “But why would they do that?” Raj asked. “Why would they condemn you for saving people?”

  “I wasn’t quite sure back then,” replied Robert. “But coming back after decades of being gone, I think my sister wanted to get rid of me. Before that mission, I found out my sister had plans to selectively breed the population of New Amsterdam to make a populace predisposed to obedience and brainwashing. Because I had an equal share in the company, I also had a say in the decision. Naturally, I said no."

  “You think your own sister would get rid of you just for that?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t put it past her. The HIVE used to be different before I left. Don’t get me wrong, there was still inequality between the zones, but not like this. From what I’ve seen, that’s exactly what she’s done.”

  Raj thought it over for a moment.

  “But why would she bother to selectively breed in the first place?” he asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  Robert sighed and shook his head

  “You really don’t get it, kid? The people in Zone 2 won’t ask much past what they’re told. When something happens, all the government has to do is put together a plausible story and let the media take care of the rest. Those who don’t fit the criteria get thrown in zones where the only rule is do what you need to survive. As far as the HIVE is concerned, anything is legal in the lower zones. People that need to put all of their energy towards survival rarely have any energy left to fight the system oppressing them.”

  Raj let the information steep in his head for a moment before replying.

  “So why not kill us? I mean, I’m glad to be alive, but why keep us around?”

  “As a workforce, and as a pool to recruit leaders,” Robert replied. “The trade-off for breeding for more compliance is the loss of intelligence and free thought, and both are qualities needed to run businesses, lead armies, or govern cities.”

  The elevator doors slid open, and Robert led Raj down the quick hallway to the main part of the suite. Raj was ready to stroll right in, but Robert put an arm out and stopped him.

  “There might be someone in there,” he whispered.

  Robert pulled out his gun and walked through the double doors. Although everything looked quiet, Robert still crept around the room to thoroughly check all the corners. Once he was satisfied he waved for Raj to enter.

  “No one’s here. We’re all clear.”

  Robert walked over to Marcella’s desk and turned on her computer while Raj wandered around the suite. The sheer elegance and neatness of the room left him dumbfounded. Robert rolled his eyes again, but knew he couldn’t blame him. Someone who spent his whole life in the lower zones couldn’t possibly imagine anything being this nice in real life.

  The computer finally loaded up to the home screen before prompting a clearance code from Robert. He looked down at his wrist top and began typing away.

  “Ok girl, it’s time for you to work your magic,” he said to his wrist top.

  By this time Raj was at the bar examining the endless array of bottles behind the counter.

  “What is this stuff?” he asked, picking up a bottle.

  “Alcohol,” said Robert shortly. “Trust me, it’s an acquired taste.”

  Raj popped the cork out and took a whiff. The strong smell of whiskey filled his nostrils, causing him to jolt his head back and recork the bottle.

  “You’re probably right,” he said, holding back his urge to puke as he replaced the bottle back on the shelf.

  Robert continued to watch the screen as he plugged away on his wrist top. After a few more seconds of scrolling code, the computer signed in as Marcella and granted him full access.

  “Haha, BINGO!”

  He engaged the uplink between his wrist top and the computer and immediately began downloading all files. Robert read the expected completion time of twenty minutes and grimaced.

  “Twenty minutes more than I would like, but it’s worth the risk. There’s definitely something I can use as leverage.”

  With the download in progress, Robert turned his attention to manually finding the files.

  “Let’s see now....” he said to himself.

  He scanned through the folders on the computer looking for any classified files. It wasn’t long before one in particular caught his eye.

  “Operation Phoenix Rising,” he murmured.

  Robert’s mind traveled back to the night Aesculus visited him on mission. His target had mentioned Operation Phoenix Rising before he died, but he hadn’t given any solid information. Without even thinking about it, Robert opened the folder. Inside, he found the unedited files of all his targets and began reading them aloud.

  “Samantha Irving, Chief Criminal Investigator.......George Penn, VP of NytCorp; Phoenix Technologies' top competitor......Anthony Greene, Financial Director, Phoenix Technologies.”

  Robert’s suspicions were confirmed with each consecutive file he read. This was a list of anyone who threatened her reign, and Robert was the hand with which she struck them down. But even in this lengthy list, Raj’s file was nowhere to be found. Robert clicked on a subfolder to see if it was misplaced, but instead found an operations log filled with entries. Chills ran down his spine as he saw the last entry was written a little over an hour ago.

  September 4, 2085 10:34 PM

  Robert has done well with his list; almost better than expected. Yet, he still hasn’t led us to the location of the core. At this point most would assume that the intel is false, but I’m not convinced. My father loved to speak in riddles, but one thing he never did was lie. Robert might not be willing to give up his secrets, but we’ll get them out of him.

  I sent him on one more mission to take care of another liability like him. Dr. Raj will not be happy, but he should feel lucky I don't dispose of him too for letting the subject go. We are on the cusp of creating the genetic modification to disrupt the link between intelligence and free thought, and I still need him to complete that.

  Once Robert completes his final task, he will be captured and sent to Eisenstadt. He is a liability. The only place he won’t interfere with our plans is a dark cell deep within the depths of hell. I give him three weeks until he goes mad and tells us everything. Once he does, we will unlock the secrets of free energy and be able to begin Operation Firestorm.

  Marcella

  “That fucking bitch!” yelled Robert.

  “What happened?” asked Raj. “What did you find?”

  Robert stood up and slammed his fists on the desk, sending cracks throughout its glass face.

  “You fucked up, Marcella!” he shouted. “You’re gonna pay!”

  Raj walked over to the desk and saw a rage in Robert’s eyes he had never seen before. But before Raj could calm him down, the ding of the elevator drew their attention towards the hall. Without hesitation, Robert drew his pistol and emptied his entire clip into the doors.

  “Floor One Hundred and Twenty-Three: Phoenix Suite.”

  Robert reloaded as the doors slid open, but he soon realized there was no need. The armed guards lying in the elevator were no longer a threat.

  “Uhh, Robert,” said Raj as he tapped Robert on the shoulder. “Look down there.”

  Robert turned around and looked down at the group of security robots gathering on the lawn.

  Robert sighed and shook his head.

  “Looks like we’ve got company.”

  Chapter 21: The Flames Ignite

  A silence lingered in the air as Raj watched Robert counting the forces below, but the ding of the elevator sliding closed brought Robert’s attention back to the room. He ran over to the hallway to see the numbers above the elevator working their way towards zero.

  Raj looked out the window by the bar and anxiously peered back towards Robert. “What do we do?” he asked. “They keep coming from everywhere!”

  Robert turned to Raj and tossed him his pistol.

  “Here, take this,” he ordered.

  Raj fumbled it, but managed to grab it before it fell to the ground.

  “You have dual-wielded pistols before, right?” asked Robert. “I mean, they had to have gone over weapons training with you.”

  Raj shook his head.

  “Gun training was next week.”

  Robert laughed to himself at the irony of the situation and began to walk over to Raj.

  “Now it makes sense why you left the safety on before. Here, you just—”

  The sound of gunfire emanating from the hallway stopped Robert mid-sentence. The bullets ripped through Robert’s arm and torso as he stumbled and fell away from the entrance.

  “GET DOWN!” he yelled as he rolled onto the floor and pulled out the sub-machine gun slung tightly under his coat.

  Within an instant guards poured into the room with guns drawn. Robert stemmed the flow with his sub-machine gun, but Raj jumped over the bar and took cover.

  “What do I do?” he cried.

  “Mine is loaded!” bellowed Robert between bursts. “Point and shoot!”

  Raj’s whole body trembled as he attempted to poke his head above the bar. Stray shots shattered the bottles behind him and ripped through the bar, freezing him in place. But the gunfire momentarily stopped, and Raj mustered up enough courage to poke his head up. At least half a dozen men lay silent on the floor as Robert used one arm to drag himself towards the bar.

  “Cover me, kid!” he yelled as he reloaded.

  But just as he said that, two more men breached the entrance and turned towards their position. Raj froze with fear. He knew he had to shoot, but his body wouldn’t let him. Robert must have sensed this because he let out a deafening roar.

  “RAAAJ!!!”

  Raj closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. The gun jumped to life, nearly throwing itself from his hand. Raj almost let go, but he held a firm grip and continued to pull the trigger until the whole room once again fell silent. Raj opened his eyes to the sight of fallen men piled at the doorway. He vaulted back over the bar, only to be greeted by a gruesome scene. Bullet wounds riddled Robert’s body, visible through the holes in his clothes. But to Raj's surprise, Robert wasn’t dead. His body had already stemmed the bleeding and started the process of its recovery.

  “Knew I could count on you, kid,” said Robert as he motioned for Raj to help him up. “Not as young as I used to be. That would have been a piece of cake in my sixties.”

  Raj helped Robert to his feet and brushed the dust off his coat.

  “So if you can age, can you die too?” he asked.

  “I hope so, kid,” replied Robert as he winced and clutched his side. “We all gotta die someday, and I’d rather it be my body than my soul.”

  Those simple words left Raj speechless. Anyone would certainly kill for immortality. Yet here was Robert with the possibility of living forever, and he was hoping for an end. But before Raj could explore the thought more, the sight of Robert limping towards the hallway brought him back to the reality of the situation.

  “It’s clear for now,” Robert said over his shoulder. “What’s the progress on the download?”

  Raj darted to the desk and checked the screen.

  “Sixty-two percent,” he confirmed.

  “It’s not going fast enough,” Robert said to himself.

  He poked his head down the hallway and assessed the situation. The numbers above the elevator climbed as the sound of clicking boots echoed from the stairwell.

  “Get ready, kid!” Robert yelled. “We’re going to have some company soon.”

  The steps grew louder and louder until they stopped altogether. Robert peeked into the hallway just in time for the ding of the elevator doors sliding open to break the silence. Robert kept his gun aimed, but soon realized there was no one inside. Instead he found himself staring down the barrel of an anti-personnel robot.

  “GET DOWN!” Robert yelled as he dove for cover.

  A hollow thud emanated from the hallway, and Robert shielded his eyes just in time to protect them from the blinding light of the flash-bang grenade. White noise filled his ears, and he opened his eyes to see a red light pulsing through the suite. By a stroke of luck, the force of the blast had blown out an already damaged window and set off the emergency lockdown. Robert let out a sigh of relief as a solid metal door came down from the ceiling to block the entrance.

  The pounding of fists on the door grew louder as Robert regained his hearing, but so did a groaning from across the room. Robert looked over to find Raj underneath the desk writhing in pain.

  “You’re ok, kid,” called Robert as he pushed himself off the ground and closed in on Raj. “I remember my first flash-bang. You'll be good in a minute.”

  He pulled Raj from under the desk and held him for a moment to make sure he could stand on his own.

  “Flash-bang set off the security door,” Robert pointed out.

  “So we’re trapped in here?” Raj asked anxiously.

  “Relax, kid,” Robert assured him, “we’ve got this.”

  In reality, Robert wasn’t sure of his next move. Jumping out the broken window would be extremely risky. His glide wings were only meant to hold one. He could give them to Raj, but that would leave Robert with only two options: fight, or jump. He checked his pockets to find he only had three magazines worth of ammo left. Tackling them head-on would be suicide, but a fall from such a height would have the same effect.

  The pounding on the door continued as Robert tried to think. The anxiety and doubt leaked from the cracks of his mind, but he knew he had to calm it. He turned around to lean on the desk, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths. The surrounding sounds died out one by one until all he heard was his own heartbeat. Robert then opened his eyes and saw his reflection in the window.

  Months had passed since he last looked at himself in the mirror at the Phoenix Estate, but gazing into his own eyes brought him back to that very moment. If he’d known then what would happen, he never would have walked through the bookcase. But just as he thought that, the words from his father's letter ran through his head.

  “Whenever you feel weak, the mirror can show you strength you never knew existed.”

  Robert looked into the reflection of the window and saw the same bookcase sitting on the wall past the bar. Suddenly everything made sense. He turned around as the noise of his surroundings flooded back into his head. The banging and screaming on the other side of the door mixed with Raj's panic as he paced the room.

  “We’re trapped in here, Robert!” he cried. “We can’t possibly fight them all! Snap out of it, Robert!”

  “No, you snap out of it!” Robert warned. “Prey animals panic right before they become a meal. Do not panic. We are going to get out of here.”

  Raj calmed down a bit as Robert riffled through his bag.

  “We have about ten minutes before they get through that door,” continued Robert. “That should be more than we need.”

 

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