Relics: Three (Relics Singularity Series Book 3), page 11
Kellan rolled his head sideways and spat in the dirt. “You’re going to have to force me —”
Roan ripped the man upward in a fluid, single motion, pulling Kellan’s hair and head so hard the rest of his body had no choice but to follow. Kellan shook his head violently but found himself on his feet. Roan had moved his grip to Kellan’s arm, locking him in place.
The other two glared, but neither rushed toward Roan.
The four stared at one another for a minute, until finally the woman made a move. She burst into motion, moving impressively fast toward the stretch of building lining the field.
Roan watched on for a moment, feeling the judgement from the other two Unders. They were waiting for him to react, to reveal his plan.
Instead, Roan turned away, directing his gaze to Kellan. “You have brought death upon your people.”
Kellan grimaced. “There never should have been my people and your people. Your System created all of this, and we’re going to destroy it.”
“To what end?” Roan asked. “There will always be factions; there will always be segregation. You need the System, and you refuse to believe it.”
Two small machines buzzed down into view and came to a hovering stop near Roan. He waved a few fingers from his left hand and they took off, making a beeline for the woman who had run away.
“Drones?” Kellan asked. “Inside the security perimeter? I thought the electrical —”
“They were activated by the System, after they were brought inside.”
The three men watched for another moment until the first of the drones reached the woman’s position. She had almost made it to one of the buildings when the drone landed on her shoulder. She jolted upright from her run and came to an immediate stop. She then began to shudder, softly at first then more violently.
“What are you afraid of that you need to have her scraped?” Kellan asked.
The second drone landed on her back, and the woman jumped straight into the air and convulsed, then fell forward and smashed into the dirt.
“She is not being scraped,” Roan said. The girl lay still after a few moments.
“What — I thought the System couldn’t kill anyone…”
“She is not dead,” Roan responded. “Though she will wish she was when she wakes up. He waved his fingers again, this time whipping them around in a small circle and then pointing back toward himself. The drones followed the command, again coming to a stop hovering near their master.
“The System has been working on some new toys, I see,” Kellan said. “I haven’t seen drones capable of anything more than a remote scraping. I’m sure our groups would jump at the opportunity to get to play with them as well.”
“Your groups are lawless rebels,” Roan said. “And anything of the System’s you have acquired that is still in your possession subjects you to a full scraping and deactivation.”
Kellan snorted and shook his head. “You don’t understand, do you? You think you’re working for the System, for the greater good. You’re not. You’re just making it stronger.”
Roan ignored the man.
“You think you’re going to win something if the entire world is controlled by a computer. You think it’s going to make things better. But look around — you can’t possibly think this is better than the alternative.”
Instead of engaging, Roan turned to the larger Under standing nearby. “Go fetch her,” Roan said, ordering the giant Under to retrieve the woman. The man’s face flushed, but he turned and obeyed. Roan and Kellan waited for their return.
“Neat trick,” Kellan said. “You going to do that to me, too?”
The huge Under returned with the woman, whom he had thrown over his shoulder. He placed her on the ground and smacked her face, eliciting a groan and an eye roll, then a groggy stumble for a few steps. The man helped her gain her balance, then both waited for Roan’s next command.
Roan was staring at the second, larger Under. The man nodded once, clearly getting the message. He started walking toward Kellan and Roan, the woman on his arm. Once he was sure the woman was walking normally on her own, he continued on, carefully ensuring that his hands were in front of him in Roan’s sight at all times.
Roan turned to the two men. “Straight forward, ignore the fighting around you. Your men are no longer of your concern. Head to the building and walk inside. I’ll be right behind you.”
Kellan started walking immediately, followed by the other Under. Roan was last, watching the surrounding area for any sign of a threat. He could hear the ARU commanders behind him shouting orders, placing their soldiers where they would be needed for whatever may come next.
Roan hoped they wouldn’t be needed — he wanted to handle this himself. Anything less than perfection would be a drain on his time and resources.
PETER
“DID YOU SEE THAT?” AILIS asked. She swerved, guiding the Tracer around in the air, and nearly throwing Peter Grouse and Raven off balance.
“What was it?” Grouse asked. “You’re going to kill us before we even land.”
“That other Tracer crashed — look.”
Grouse peeked out the small side window and followed the haze down to the ground, where it tightened into a woven strand of black, billowing smoke. The Tracer Ailis was referring to had crash landed, mostly on its belly, and was still smoking. It had either crashed moments ago or there was no immediate danger of an explosion in the engine, just a leak in a fuel line that had ignited and sent up the smoke signal.
Either way, Grouse didn’t see anyone near the Tracer, or in front of the small buildings nearby. The ARU army they had spotted down below was in motion, half of them moving toward the ICPL, with a detachment or two heading toward the downed Tracer to scope out the area.
“Head around it,” Grouse said. “It’s an electromagnetic field. Some kind of EMP bubble the System has erected around the ICPL. Any electronic components will be fried, including this machine.”
“And what is our destination, then?” Ailis asked.
“We will still land at the ICPL and work our way in,” Grouse answered. “But move to the north side of the campus, staying clear of the field.”
“I can’t see the field, Grouse.”
“Just don’t fly anywhere near the river,” he answered. He hoped the river formed one of the borders of the field, but even still Ailis drew a line far from the edge of the river with the Tracer, just to be safe.
“Our weapons will not be active once we pass through the field,” Raven said, his voice nearly a whisper.
Grouse looked at the man across the cabin. Raven was concerned, a look that was very uncommon for the large black man. For a moment Grouse felt the urge to console him, to reassure him that their course of action was the proper one. But he knew there was no other option; landing at the northern side of the ICPL and attempting entrance to the laboratory by ground was the best plan. Their weapons would not work once they passed through the field, but if they were lucky they could overtake some of the ARU guards surrounding the complex and commandeer their weapons. He assumed the System would allow ARU weapons inside the field perimeter to remain active.
“Again,” Grouse said, “this is our only chance. I believe we will be most safe coming in from this direction.”
Raven nodded and looked out the starboard window. Grouse knew he was upset — Peter had withheld this information from both him and Ailis since they had left their home territory. But he knew it was better this way; it was in their best interest to follow Grouse’s plan without question. Questions led to second-guessing, and second-guessing led to insecurity. He had no time for insecurity.
Ailis piloted the craft down closer to the ground, expertly controlling the Tracer’s balance so there was no heavy banking as they dodged the outermost edge of the electromagnetic field. When they were close enough to the ground, she slowly swerved around and landed the Tracer on the northern side of the ICPL, far enough away from the electromagnetic field.
Grouse was already on the move, heading for the door with Raven at his heels. He knew there was no point in trying to bring along an electronic weapon like the pistols or the rifles, so he looked for something else around that might help.
“Get what you need and head straight for that line of buildings to our right. There will be ARUs patrolling the laboratory, and their weapons will likely still work.”
As he gave the order, he saw that there was nothing inside any of the compartments that would be of any use.
“And the army back by the river?” Ailis asked.
“Stay out of their way,” Grouse answered. “They won’t be able to bring their weapons through the field, but it’s likely the ICPL has a weapons cache somewhere.”
“We’ll stay in front of them, then,” Raven said. They had started toward the buildings already when Raven, leading the group, stopped.
“What is it?” Grouse asked, his voice a whisper.
Raven pointed. “Over there. Right in front of the main entrance.”
Grouse looked in the direction of the large, circular ICPL building. He saw a few ARUs standing by, watching the doors, and another set of two walking between the buildings. But his eyes landed on the group of four people walking toward the building. A woman, two men, and the largest ARU Grouse had ever seen. He walked in a high, purposeful way, as if he was oblivious to the world around him, or on a mission known only to him.
“Who is that?” He asked.
Ailis shook her head. “Must be one of their leaders,” Raven said. “But he does not look like any ARU I’ve ever seen.”
“The System must be making upgrades,” Ailis added.
The line of people reached the doors to the ICPL and the man in the front turned around, apparently answering to some command from the large ARU at the back.
“Grouse, it’s —”
Ailis’ words were cut off as she realized the other two were staring along with her.
“It’s Kellan.”
RAND
“LAND THERE,” RAND SAID.
DIANE looked at him strangely.
“Trust me,” he said. “I came here once, long time ago.”
“And?”
“And I think there’s a way in.”
She seemed like she was about to argue again but she dove the nose of the Tracer down and toward the section of the dried-out riverbed Rand was pointing at. The river wound around the ICPL’s land for a bit, forming the north and east borders of the property.
She aimed the laser-guided landing module on the dash toward the section of ground they’d chosen and the Tracer immediately slowed and began to drop in altitude. The landing was calculated and executed all within a minute, and in another minute they were preparing to exit.
“We’ll need to get anything that might help us, but remember it can’t be electronic,” Rand said. “Nothing electronic will work once it crosses that field.”
Ary was standing near the exit and looked over at Diane and Rand. “ARU patrols usually travel with some old-school explosives. It will be in the rear storage hatch of the Tracer. But are you sure we won’t be hurt when we cross through the field?”
“We shouldn’t be. It’s like an electromagnetic pulse wave, but the System has figured out how to project it over the ICPL like a bubble,” Rand said. “I had heard it was working on something like that, but none of us ever thought it was possible.”
“And we’re going to take the chance that the System hasn’t invented other defense mechanisms?” Ravi asked.
“There isn’t a choice,” Shannon said. “This is the only thing we can do. And we have to try.”
“She’s right,” Diane said. “We came all this way. Myers is already going in there, and we have to get him back before Crane does whatever he’s got in mind.”
There were nods, all in agreement, but then their eyes fell again to Rand.
“Before we get outside, why don’t you tell us a bit about what we’re doing here. Is there another entrance you know about?”
“Not exactly an entrance to the laboratory,” Rand said. “But it will get us on the grounds at least, hopefully without being seen. Before the System was housed here there was a drainage tunnel for the coolant system for the mainframes. I don’t think it’s still in use, but the tunnel probably still be there.”
“And you know where this tunnel is?”
“I saw the grate for it nearby — that’s why I told you to land there. It’s going to be locked, and the other side of it might even be guarded, but it’s our best shot at getting into the ICPL undetected.”
Diane opened the door and stepped out.
“Let’s get moving, then. Don’t want to miss the party.”
PETER
THIS ISN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN this way, he told himself. The plan was hard enough before this.
Peter Grouse was stunned to see Kellan here in Paris, of all places. And they all knew what it meant — Kellan was a prisoner, and the war between the Unders and Relics must have been stopped short by the ARUs who came to intervene.
His people were likely dead, killed off fighting a war that was meant to be nothing more than a ruse, a distraction. The guilt he felt for the entire situation was only sated by the knowledge that the ultimate goal — a truly free, truly sovereign world — was still possible. The accomplishment that would accompany such an achievement meant nothing to Peter. He cared for the benefit to mankind far more than any personal recognition.
But Kellan was here.
The young man he had trained, had taken under his wing, was in Paris. He was a prisoner of the army controlled by his enemy, and no victory in one arena was possible without a victory in the other.
Kellan had to be freed.
There was no political use for the man, of course. But Grouse operated with a set of principles, morals that governed his thoughts and actions. He would never forgive himself if he didn’t attempt to free his soldier.
“We’re going to get him back,” he said.
“Of course we will,” Raven said. “After we accomplish the larger task at hand, we’ll be able to —”
“Before we do anything else,” Grouse snapped. “There is a new mission, one we cannot ignore. Kellan is one of our own, and we will not move forward without him.”
They sat silently, hiding behind the small equipment shed they’d come across, watching the scene at the ICPL. The ARU army was marching forward from behind them as well, slowly gaining ground on the waiting trio. They had not yet been spotted, but Grouse knew they weren’t searching for anything.
They were setting a trap.
Anyone hiding between the ICPL and the river would be pressed toward the building, or left out in the open. Either way, the waiting ARU army would make quick work of anyone not permitted to be there.
The System was always prepared with the most efficient, effective methods, and it was no different in this case. An army of ARUs simply walking toward the facility, nothing but their own mass to use as a weapon, was the least energy-draining and most cost-effective method of rooting out a hidden enemy. No lives would be wasted, and no ammunition expended. Knowing that no electronic devices could even make it through the field, there was no danger of an extended battle taking place.
Grouse was often impressed at the decisions the System made. In the early days many of the policies the System enacted were debated hotly, in a typical political fashion, with two or more sides vehemently describing why they thought the System was making a mistake or not. Inevitably time was the ultimate test for each policy: the System had somehow always chosen correctly, helping the majority of the people at all times.
Nations prospered, cities were either bolstered or deactivated, and people were reassigned. The System never asked questions, never surveyed its populace, and never needed outside input. It passed down its mandates with absolute confidence, and people had no choice but to accept.
In time, the people argued less and disagreed rarely. They realized the truth: that the System was right, all the time. Their lives were better off for it, and there was no point in trying to change it anyway. It was too advanced, and too engrained into modern life.
The problem was that Grouse did not buy into the utilitarian myth. Just because something was better for most did not mean it was better for all, and he refused to accept that the ends justified the means for many of the System’s decisions.
It had taken his family, and it hadn’t even bothered to tell him why. Whatever life he might have had by following the System’s orders was nothing compared to the life he would have had if his family was still with him.
There was never a choice for Grouse — the System was the epitome of everything wrong with the world, and he would die to bring it down.
The problem he had, of course, was that unlike the System, he was human. He could feel, and he knew the experience of loss. Kellan was nothing to the System, but he was far from worthless to Grouse.
His plan had changed, but he was adamant — they were going to retrieve Kellan.
MYERS
“HOW ARE YOU FEELING, ASHER?” Crane asked. They had run to the nearest building, one a few hundred feet away from the crashed Tracer.
“What are you talking about?”
“The headaches, the memories, the general mushiness that my Relics used to describe.”
“I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Myers said. “I appreciate your concern.”
Crane laughed. “It is impressive, Myers, that there are no more side effects of your scraping. Usually a Relic is mostly brain dead by the time they stumble to Relica.”
“But not brain dead enough to control them yourself,” Myers added.
“Now Myers, what good is an army you can’t control?”
Myers ignored the rhetorical question. Crane wanted his power, and even more, he wanted recognition for that power. There wasn’t much Myers could do to combat Crane here, but at the very least he could deny Crane that small satisfaction.
