2041 Sanctuary (Genesis) (42 page)

‘I am of the tenth caste. Only nine may hold the uppermost position.’

Joiner had heard of these exalted nine before; their number alluded to by another Committee member. Joiner had assumed, wrongly, that the nine people at his evaluation had been they. He didn’t know what was more galling, that he’d not warranted the attention of the upper echelons, or that he’d had no idea – no inkling at all – that he was already part of the Committee’s order.
Be thankful you’re still alive
, he thought,
the game has just swung in your favour
.

Joiner shifted in his seat. ‘Do you submit all your members to torture?’

‘You may hold ill will against me,’ Selene said, ‘understandably, but that well of emotion must be channelled elsewhere if you are to continue to rise within our ranks.’

‘And if I refuse your offer?’

‘And yet you will not,’ Selene said, ‘
will you
, Director?’

The tone of her voice, and a widening intensity to her eyes as she’d spoken, made Joiner pause.
Does she really think I’ll just do as she says because she’s spared my life?
A memory of his torture returned and with it the voice of Selene commanding him to give up his secrets. ‘
You will learn to obey
,’ she’d told him. ‘
Listen to my voice, you will obey me
.’

Joiner then recalled the white pill the nurse had given him previously and her words or warning. ‘
It will help
,’ she’d said, ‘
keeping your mind your own
.’

So
, he thought,
the pill really did work
. At least as far as he could tell, it had. He still felt the same in every way, his mind was no more another’s than his thoughts were now. Of course, only a series of rigorous tests could find out for sure, but if it turned out he was free of their control, it meant he had the upper hand in a big way.

‘Director,’ Selene said, ‘you don’t want to refuse, do you? This is a limited time offer.’

He gave a shake of his head as if confused. ‘No, of course not,’ he said, playing along, ‘but I’d still like to know what would happen if I declined the offer.’

‘You’d remain outside of our confidence.’

Which means what?
Joiner thought before his mind supplied the answer.
A sudden, unexpected death when I reach the end of my usefulness
. Although, he knew this might happen regardless.
At least inside I can learn more, increase my reach, understand how the Committee operates and with whom
.

‘If I accept,’ Joiner said, ‘when do I find out more? I know you seek direct control over the Subterranean Programme, but to what purpose? And what of Project Ares?’

‘The time for such answers is not yet at hand.’

Joiner suppressed a surge of frustration. ‘Then why admit me?’

‘I understand. As Intelligence Director, and an incumbent on the GMRC’s Directorate, you are used to complete control, your power is absolute. But as a member of the Committee your external position counts for nothing. You need to earn your right to ascension and the knowledge that brings, and that right will not come easily.’

Joiner tried to get his head round his newly acquired status as a self-aware member of the Committee, but after his recent ordeal he was having trouble processing his abrupt change in fortune, not least because those who’d been responsible for his mental and physical torment were now purporting to be his sworn kin.

‘You must also accept,’ Selene continued, ‘that our goals are now aligned. We must work in harmony, not discord, or the Committee, and subsequently its members, will suffer. Commit yourself to this ethic and you will find all your problems will fade away.’

She held out her hand and helped him to his feet. ‘Come, she said, ‘walk with me.’

Without another word she moved towards the exit and its double doors, which swung open at her approach. Joiner weighed up his options before deciding to follow.

A moment later he’d caught up with her and they walked back through the grand atrium and into an equally immense adjoining corridor. Behind them, two armoured soldiers emerged from the shadows to accompany them at a discreet distance.

At the end of the long passage Selene stopped before a massive panel of glass that had been installed into an opening in the side of the Anakim edifice.

Joiner gazed out at a puzzling sight. Blue skies and blazing light stretched into the distance, while below the curvature of the twenty mile wide dome of USSB Sanctuary could be seen suspended beneath the immense ceiling of the chamber above. Where darkness should have reigned only the purest of lights remained and the vision made him question if what he was experiencing was actually real.

‘It is curious, don’t you think,’ Selene said, ‘that such a wonder happens now, when the world above awaits its fate in darkness?’

‘I don’t understand,’ Joiner said, ‘how is this possible?’

Selene glanced at him. ‘Sanctuary has awoken, its power returned.’

‘But how?’

‘We don’t know. Twenty-six hours ago a wave of energy was recorded passing through the chamber and the tunnels beyond. The base has been experiencing power failures ever since. Recent reports from the SED indicate the ceiling has activated throughout Sanctuary.’

‘Throughout?’ Joiner said in disbelief.

Selene took a step forward and pressed her hand against the glass as if trying to bring herself closer to the vista’s magnificence. ‘From the past,’ she murmured.

Joiner frowned. The Committee member suddenly seemed human, a flash of weakness in an otherwise ironclad façade. She was exposed – vulnerable. He glanced behind at the two armed guards who watched his every move. When he turned back it was to see Selene studying him.

‘It is time to decide, Director,’ she said. ‘We are moving through pivotal times, a new age is dawning and you can help us shape its future –
if
– you join us.’

‘What changes if I agree?’

‘You will be called to attend scheduled meetings and to report on the tasks allocated.’

‘Tasks?’

‘Think of them as ad hoc projects.’

‘Like the Steadfast deception?’

‘Yes, exactly,’ Selene said. ‘But since you facilitated USSB Steadfast’s destruction, that issue has been solved and we now require a more …
cerebral
application of your skills.’

‘Such as?’ he said, remaining wary.

‘You mentioned the hacker was inside the GMRC’s servers, we will need a full report on your findings.’

Joiner nodded.
That I can do
, he thought. ‘What else?’

‘This
event
,’ – Selene gestured at the radiant Anakim ceiling – ‘we need to know how the technology was activated and its implications for this base and those residing within.’

‘I will need to maintain control of the SED.’

‘Yes,’ she said, ‘and you will also need to liaise with Dagmar Sørensen.’

Joiner looked down at his injured arm.
Sørensen
, he thought,
the man responsible for creating the torture device
.
And the man behind Project Ares
, he reminded himself.

‘Will that be a problem?’ Selene said.

‘No.’ Joiner looked her in the eye. ‘Not at all.’

‘Good – very good. Then all that remains is that you pledge yourself to the Committee and your ascension is complete.’

‘Pledge?’

Selene held out her hand palm up and reached out to take his hand and placed it atop hers, palm down.

‘Repeat after me,’ Selene said, ‘I, Malcolm Joiner, pledge my life, heart and mind to the Committee.’

Joiner searched her face to see if she spoke in jest, but her expression was deadly serious. ‘I, Malcolm Joiner,’ he said, ‘pledge my life, heart and mind to the Committee.’

‘And I will uphold and protect the Committee’s ideals, laws and tradition until the end of days.’

‘And I will uphold and protect the Committee’s ideals, laws and tradition until the end of days.’

‘And if my pledge is broken and my word is false I will endure endless torment.’

Joiner hesitated, his eyes locked to hers. ‘And if my pledge is broken and my word is false I will endure endless torment.’

‘So say I,’ she said.

‘So say I.’

‘There is no going back now, Director,’ Selene said, ‘your life is ours, and ours, yours. Welcome, Malcolm Joiner,’ – she enclosed his hand within hers – ‘to the Committee.’

Chapter Seventy Four

Malcolm Joiner walked back through the halls of Tower Central as a newly pledged member of the Committee. His thoughts, understandably, were many, and after parting ways with Selene Dubois, he was led back to the atrium where the familiar figures of two men waited – much as he had – for an audience inside the great hall.

Neither man had noticed his approach, immersed as they were in conversation and facing the other way.

Joiner signalled for his armed escort to stop and the soldier, clad in his lustrous purple armour, did so without question. Joiner gave an inward smile at his new-found power and approached his prey.

‘Gentleman,’ he said.

Dagmar Sørensen glanced round, while the other man visibly tensed at the sound of Joiner’s voice.

General Stevens turned to face him and Joiner revelled at the exquisite sight of the man’s suppressed horror, which spread across his cretinous mug.

‘Intelligence Director,’ Dagmar said in greeting, ‘how are you feeling?’

Joiner held Stevens’ gaze for a moment longer, eking out the man’s discomfort like fingernails down a chalkboard. He then switched his attention to the R&D director, who couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking down to Joiner’s sling and his injured arm within.

Joiner felt a sudden surge of fury at the unspoken recognition of his wound, but he kept his emotions ice cool. The age old adage was very true and he was a past master in refining its deliverance, and so he knew – when it came – the dish would be freezing and his revenge sublime. ‘Dagmar,’ he said, ‘what brings you to Sanctuary?’

Sørensen raised a handkerchief to his mouth and produced a racking cough. ‘I was called in to inspect the anomaly,’ – he wiped away a fleck of blood – ‘it was quite unexpected.’

‘You mean the chamber’s ceiling?’

‘You’ve seen it?’

‘Of course.’ Joiner glanced up through the tower’s transparent spire at the blue skies beyond. ‘It’s impressive.’

‘These are exciting times for us all,’ Dagmar said, ‘isn’t that so, General?’

Stevens grunted something unintelligible.

‘You’re probably wondering how my evaluation went.’ Joiner touched his broken arm. ‘The initial exchanges were quite heated, but the outcome was amicable, beneficial even.’

The hint of a smile creased Dagmar’s features. ‘It’s good to be part of something bigger, to have your burdens released. Why fight the mind when you can just give in and obey?’

‘It’s funny,’ Joiner said, realising the man thought he was under the thrall of his mind-altering machine, ‘I feel like a great weight has been lifted; it’s intoxicating.’

‘I’m sure that feeling will only continue,’ Dagmar said. ‘The mind is a beautiful thing, analysing it is one of my greatest pleasures.’

I bet it is
, Joiner thought,
you pasty-faced fuck
.

The towering red doors to the Anakim hall swung open and Joiner beckoned the soldier to rejoin him, a motion not lost on Stevens, who frowned.

‘The Committee awaits,’ Dagmar said. ‘Until we meet again, Director.’

Joiner gave him the faintest of nods before looking to Stevens. ‘I hope you enjoy speaking to my associates, General. Selene said she’ll be with you shortly.’

‘Associates?’ Stevens said.

‘Didn’t they tell you?’ Joiner smiled a malevolent smile.

‘Tell me what?’

‘That I’m now a fully-fledged member of the Committee.’

General Stevens’ face dropped a mile while Joiner’s euphoria soared.

‘I’ll also be operating out of the SED for the foreseeable future,’ Joiner said, his expression hardening into murderous intent, ‘so I expect we’ll cross paths again … very soon.’ He let that information sink in as far as it would go and then waited some more before he broke the spell by walking away with his armed guard in tow.

♦

Dumbstruck, General Stevens watched until Malcolm Joiner had disappeared from sight. And there the army officer remained, his exterior frozen in shock while his interior broiled in a sea of dread.

A distant sound brought Stevens out of his trance and he glanced round to see Dagmar disappearing into the adjoining hall.

With a final look back at the empty corridor into which Joiner had previously entered, General Stevens turned and followed the R&D director into the Committee’s conclave, his mind furiously seeking a way out of the prison that had become his life.

♦

Malcolm Joiner breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction as he slowed his pace to a measured stroll.
That couldn’t have been more enjoyable if I’d planned it
, he thought. He touched his jaw; it still smarted from the General’s sucker punch.
I’ll make the bloated oaf rue the day he ever crossed me
.

Walking on through the undulating halls of the Anakim tower’s crystalline interior, Joiner finally reached the human installation that would take him back down to the base’s Dome level far below. Two other people waited at the elevator, an armed guard and the nurse who’d warned him about the Committee’s plan to brainwash him.

A couple of minutes passed before the lift arrived and Joiner boarded, while his guide remained behind to guard the entrance alongside his armed colleague. The nurse, however – without showing any sign of recognition – joined him on the platform and a moment later they descended the tower together, safely ensconced within their glass clad transport.

A minute of silence ensued before the nurse spoke.

‘I hear they’ve managed to get the base’s power grids back up.’

Joiner glanced in her direction, but the woman remained staring out at the spectacle beyond. He followed her gaze and the interior of the great dome glided by as they continued their descent.