The Empowered, page 102
“Very well, then we’ll be working together, shortly.” She sounded so supremely confident. My hand itched to wipe that confidence off her face, but that was the old Mat. Instead, I turned to Winterfield.
He leaned back in his chair to look up at me. “We’ve been able to access the RAMPART back-up system, here,” Winterfield said.”
I sat back down and rubbed my temples. “What do you know about it?”
“Not enough,” he replied.
“Not nearly enough,” agreed Zhukova. “We have encrypted data to crack.”
They’d sent the message, the one that pointed me, Alex and Keisha here. Alex had thought he’d cracked the blacknet, but the message had been there, waiting.
“You need Alex’s help to crack it, don’t you?”
Winterfield nodded. “We also wanted to bring you in for this conversation.”
“Which is far from over,” Zhukova said.
She really hated not running the show one hundred percent. I was already sick of playing these cloak and dagger games. But they were part of the play.
I raised an eyebrow. “Okay, what’s the other shoe?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Other shoe?”
“To drop,” I said. “You know the expression.”
“Ah.” She looked at Willow. “Ms. Chang has that issue.”
I turned to Willow. “Can you spell it out for me, without using too many big words?”
She grinned. “But that’s the fun part.” She grew serious. “You know about the Reclamation Zones.”
It wasn’t a question. “Yeah.” The Reclamation Zones, the radioactive wastelands, much of Russia and China. The RZs were the legacy of the Three Days War, when the Missiles of September flew. The United States and the old Soviet Union had squared off in September 1962, after the Soviets sneaked nuclear-tipped missiles into Cuba and President Nixon found out about it. Doctor Prometheus and a few teams of Empowered heroes saved the U.S.
New York and a few other cities were hit. Russia and Britain ended up lobbing nukes at each other before America could stop it. The nukes destroyed Southern England, Germany and most of Russia. Even worse, a Soviet missile commander panicked during the dust-up and fired a dozen nukes at China. Russian bombers dropped another dozen, so the other communist giant went down, too.
It sent Gaia into spasms, unleashing her power in the ruined lands. The world didn’t know about it. The Hero Council came into being shortly after that. The first thing they did, after creating Support and working with the United Nations, was to put up a monitoring network around the zones. The monitoring network grew into an electrified barrier, and a superpower nullification perimeter. They didn’t call it that.
I knew all of this because Alex had told me, back when we’d been on the run. At night, in whispered words.
We’d had to go to the border of the Ukrainian RZ because he could jack into the blacknet there.
There were lots of stories and legends about what lurked inside the RZs. Alex had gone inside, back when he’d worked for the United Nations, and later, when he’d first been in Support.
“Yeah, I know the Reclamation Zones,” I said. “Has something happened to the barriers?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Winterfield said. “But there’s been big spikes in the Gaia force inside them. Bigger than those we’ve observed before.”
This all made my head hurt. “What’s going on inside?”
“Lots,” Willow said.
I frowned. “And you’re supposed to be the expert on the RZs?”
“I’m keeping to small words,” she said. Her eyes twinkled.
“Hilarious. Details would help.”
The twinkle faded from her eyes, replaced by a faraway look. “I’m sorry, it’s just so much to try to boil down.”
I sat up straight and listened.
“The zones have always been a bit of a never-never land,” she said. “The radiation is a factor, but mostly it’s the unpredictability and chaos of Gaia’s raw power. The zones are open wounds on the Earth from the Three Days War and the nukes.”
“But what does that mean?” I couldn’t imagine it.
“Strange creatures are born there. Children with wild powers appear. Plants themselves are twisted, and the very land is alive. Sometimes, it’s like a mudslide with a mind of its own.”
I can be thick-headed. It seems to take me forever to figure things out, especially heavy-duty stuff, like powers, and the levels within levels of all the freaking secret places the world seemed to hold when you stepped into the shadows.
I blurted out my next thought. “The Dark-Net connects to the Reclamation Zones, doesn’t it?”
I expected them all to laugh at me, but no one was. Ava looked puzzled, but Willow, Zhukova, and Winterfield’s eyes held understanding.
Willow nodded. “We didn’t realize that until recently.”
“Because the whole mess was hidden,” I said.
“You have a very colorful way of putting things,” Zhukova said. "Here, you are reasonably accurate. Goldin apparently created an interwoven set of systems, to help manage Gaia’s unleashed power; to keep not only humanity from destroying itself, but the world itself from becoming deadly.”
My eyes narrowed. “RAMPART kept the lid on. The Dark-Net was a shunt that doubled as a transportation network.”
Winterfield leaned forward. “The Reclamation Zones, which are supposedly being reclaimed, have worsened.”
“Like Gaia,” I said. It made sense, in a nasty sort of way. “All because I took RAMPART down.”
“Yes,” Zhukova said.
“But there wasn’t much choice,” Winterfield added.
“We’ve already gone over this,” Zhukova said. “Guilt is irrelevant at this point. What matters from now on is action.”
12
I squared my shoulders. “Let’s start with bringing Alex and Keisha in here.”
Zhukova stared at me, making me feel like a bug under a microscope. I didn’t blink.
I glanced at Winterfield. He shrugged. My jaw tightened. “Having my two friends safe and with me does not threaten your security.”
Winterfield’s eyebrows went up. “Really, Brandt? You should know better than to accept things at face value.”
My chest tightened. “You just vetted me!”
“You, yes,” Zhukova said. “Your companions, no. This Keisha was in the Scourge. She’s unpredictable. Dangerous.”
“She’s changed.”
“According to you she has,” Winterfield pointed out.
Willow and Ava both watched the back-and-forth in silence, Willow calmly, Ava with a sour expression.
“Keisha’s had my back more times than I can count,” I insisted. “She helped bring down Titan.”
“That may be. She’s still a rogue element.” Zhukova’s face showed no emotion. “Then there’s Alexander Sanchez. He’s a traitor to Support and our cause.”
“He did what he thought was right,” I said. “Same as me.”
“That doesn’t inspire confidence,” Zhukova said. “He should have reported. Instead, he went absent without leave.”
“He was helping me find my sister, Ella, and he helped me free the Imbued from Loris, and take down Titan.”
“He should have reported,” Zhukova repeated, her voice dripping with venom. “He’s a deserter, and deserters are not to be trusted.”
“Do you trust me?” I asked her. “Do you?”
“No. But we’ll use… work with you.”
Use you, was what she was going to say. No surprise there. “Then do the same with Keisha and Alex. You need us.”
Winterfield leaned back in his chair, sighed. “She’s right, Zhukova, whether we like it or not.” The lines in his face seemed deep, he looked worn out. I’d never seen Winterfield look so exhausted. He shook himself, took a swig of water, wiped his mouth. He turned his hard gaze on me. “We can’t afford to be choosy, Brandt, but we’re not walking in blind, either. That’s why we’ve kept Sanchez and McMillan separated from you. We needed to debrief you and do the same with them.”
“We caught your ride here.”
She smiled coldly at me. “Our operative made a judgement in the field. We still must test.”
Classic Zhukova.
I frowned. “We’re wasting time.”
“Better to go slow now and not have a deadly surprise later,” she said.
Zhukova glanced at her wrist comm “Their debrief just finished.”
“And?” I asked.
“We’ll use them,” she said.
Two grim-faced, burly types in Support black field jumpsuits brought Keisha and Alex in.
Keisha’s face lit up when she saw me. “Just like you to be sitting back, enjoying things while we answer the tough questions.”
I nodded at Zhukova and Winterfield. “Director Zhukova and Senior Agent Winterfield.”
Alex’s gaze flicked between them, over to me. I smiled. He nodded, took a breath, stood straighter.
“To save time, Mister Sanchez, say that we have placed you in the same category as Ms. Brandt and Ms. McMillan.” Zhukova said, her voice crisp and cool.
Winterfield gave Alex a hard look, but said nothing.
“Well, I’m glad you’re here,” Willow told him. “Things are looking up.”
A faint smile played on his lips. “Good to see you, too, Willow.”
Keisha stared at Ava. “Ella?” She asked.
Ava crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. “No, the other one.”
Keisha’s eyes widened. “Hey, I’m glad you’re okay.”
Ava stared at the ceiling. “Glad somebody is.”
“Hey, I’m sure Mat’s thrilled.” Keisha blurted the words out.
“It’s getting her to believe that is the hard part.”
“We need to continue with the matter at hand,” Zhukova pointed out.
“You mean saving the world?” Ava asked, voice thick with sarcasm. “Didn’t Mat already do that?”
My eyes widened. “I did what I could! We’re here and have to deal.”
She slowly nodded. “Oh, I see. Sounds like an easy out for screwing things up.”
Zhukova’s lips pressed into a hard line. “Revisiting what has already happened is pointless, Ava. We need to focus on what we will do next, is that understood?”
Ava squeezed her arms against her chest, lowered her head and stared at the conference table. “Fine.”
Zhukova sighed.
“Let’s cut to the chase, people,” Winterfield said. “We’re between fires. Liberation aims to evacuate a million Empowered into the Dark-Net. It seems unlikely they’ll remain there. The Coalition seems bent on imprisoning all Empowered.”
Zhukova nodded. “As we discussed earlier with Mathilda and Agents Thorne and Riggs, likewise with Keisha and Alexander, the Coalition likely plans to keep them imprisoned, or worse.”
“But it’s worse,” Winterfield said. “Gaia’s energy continues to grow. Our projections show the natural disasters will worsen, and the number of Empowered will increase.” He frowned. “Even worse, computer projections show that the Gaia force will continue to increase to the point where it threatens all life on the Earth.”
I gasped. Keisha swore.
“We must stop that from happening,” Zhukova said. She turned to Ava. “One option is you. Your nullification power, if properly harnessed, could stabilize things, but only temporarily.”
Ava pressed her chin against her chest, looking under her furrowed eyebrows at Zhukova. “Then why bring it up?”
“Because, it might be possible, using an amplifier in combination with Alex, to boost your power to where it could effectively lobotomize Gaia,” Winterfield said. He nodded at Alex.
Ava’s eyes widened. She raised her head and uncrossed her arms. “Where would I do this?”
“Inside the so-called Heart of Gaia.”
“Do you know for sure that this will work?” I demanded.
“No, we don’t, Brandt,” Winterfield said. “Which is why there’s another option. Your power.”
I blinked. “Mine?”
He nodded.
“Your power is unique,” Winterfield said.
“Yeah, uniquely unreliable.”
“Cut the self-pity,” Winterfield snapped. “It doesn’t help. True, your power is unreliable, but it also connects you to Gaia in a way no other Empowered’s special ability seems to.”
“This Heart of Gaia, is it for real?” Keisha asked.
“Yes,” Zhukova replied. “It’s a hyper-spatial location, a place that exists in another dimension.”
“It’s a kind of overlay, if that helps,” Willow said. “It’s where Gaia’s consciousness lives.”
Keisha shrugged. “I’ll take your word for it.”
“You think I can somehow heal Gaia?” I asked.
“Stabilize it,” Winterfield.
“Why not just go with having Ava lobotomize Gaia?” Keisha asked.
“We see that as a last resort. It might kill all Empowered.”
My blood ran cold. The other Empowered in the room looked equally shocked.
“Definitely a last resort,” I said.
“You expect me to kill myself?” Ava demanded. “You’re nuts.”
“It might not happen,” Winterfield said, “but it’s a possibility.”
“So, your plan has two options, one that might kill all Empowered, the other which is iffy,” I said.
“Inelegantly stated, but that sums it up,” Zhukova agreed.
I closed my mouth. It was like being back in Support, working for Winterfield again. I’d been through far too much to revert to the way things used to be. I took a deep breath: filtered and sterile though the air was. Still, it helped me center my thoughts.
“The problem is, Gaia is rejecting me.”
The others all stared at me.
“What are you talking about?” Keisha asked.
I had told no one about this. “Gaia speaks with me in the form of a slender green-haired and green-skinned youthful woman called Sprig.”
“An avatar,” Willow said. “Wow.”
Keisha’s eyes narrowed. “You never told us about any of this,” she said.
“I didn’t.”
“Figures.”
“Look, there just wasn’t—”
She interrupted me. “Time. Yeah, I know. Never enough time. Doesn’t matter.”
“I’ve run into her several times while in the Dark-Net. But now, she’s not anywhere.” The back of my brain started itching. A thought wanted to be born, but damned if I knew what it was. It was like when you almost remembered someone’s name, but couldn’t. You knew that you knew, you just didn’t know right then. That was how this felt.
Zhukova leaned forward. “When did you stop being able to talk to this Sprig?”
“It isn’t just not talking to her, I don’t see her at all. Back before taking down RAMPART, I saw her one time in the Dark-Net, but she didn’t answer me. Since taking down RAMPART, I haven’t seen her. Not once.” I thought for a moment. “But I think I may have heard her voice.” A few times since RAMPART went down, that might have been Sprig.
“Then you haven’t lost your connection, it’s just erratic, or changed,” Willow pointed out.
I bit back a retort. She had a point. But hell if I knew how to make that connection happen again.
“Long odds,” I said.
“They’re the only ones we have,” Winterfield replied.
“What about the Coalition? How do you stop the world’s governments when they have massive armies and super soldiers and nukes and want to wipe out all Empowered?” I asked.
Winterfield smiled grimly. “That’s where we come in,” he said. “Support will handle this.”
“How many people do you have? You expect the four of us to reach the Dark-Net on our own?”
“It gets better,” Winterfield said. “We believe Liberation is also trying to reach the Heart of Gaia. Your mother and Zarathustra want to use it to achieve their own aim.”
“How can you be sure?” I asked. “You didn't mention that part when you were debriefing me.”
He tapped the side of his head. “Fresh information came in, subvocalized. Willow’s not the only Empowered working with Support.”
“Who?”
Zhukova shook her head. “You must just trust our information.”
That was the very last thing I wanted to hear.
“Great. And now you’re telling me they’re aiming for the same thing we are? But you don’t know their exact plans.”
“That about sizes it up,” he said. “However, I have pleasant news.”
I laughed. “Really?”
“That’s right—you four won’t be alone on your mission.” He paused, looked at the others, then back to me. “The quick version of a lengthy story is that your former cell mate in Special Corrections, Lenore McCall, isn’t dead. Four other inmates of Special Corrections are also not dead. Three of those inmates were in the San Diego prison, the other two were in Johannesburg’s Special Corrections prison.”
My eyes went wide. “Lenore’s alive?” I leaned back in my chair, stared at him in amazement.
“She is,” he said. “We realized it was only a matter of time before the Coalition would deal with the prisoners in those two facilities, but we could only save a handful.”
“We chose the ones who had the most value,” Zhukova added.
I frowned at her. “Nice to know you’re a real Good Samaritan.”
“Like so many things we do, it’s about making hard choices,” Winterfield said, voice soft. “We didn’t have the resources to move all of them.”
“Besides, it would merely have tipped off the Coalition if we had moved all the prisoners,” Zhukova added, her voice acidic again.
“Your friend Lenore was one of them,” Winterfield said. “A woman named Tricksie was another.”
Tricksie, another name from my time in Special Corrections. She’d tried to play me at one point. It hadn’t worked out for her. Another example of someone not getting what was coming to them.
“The others are Samuel, Jonathan, and Colorado,” Zhukova said. “The first two are from the South African prison; Colorado arrived after they paroled you from San Diego Special Corrections.”
