The Torrent (The New Agenda Series Book 4) (16 page)

31

M
orning arrived without
any additional strikes. Cari stared at the dreary sky. The rain had stopped and a band of silvery light illuminated in the distant horizon. A chill blew off Puget Sound, cutting into her bones. She poked at the fire, hoping her movement would wake up Grayson. He shifted off her feet and shot up.

“I’m ready for action,” he said with a salute.

“Make yourself useful,” Cari said.

Grayson nodded, gave one more salute, and darted toward the camp.

Cari called over Sabina, one of strongest warriors in the tribe, to discuss a plan. Sabina’s long legs took massive strides as she headed over.

“Status?” Cari asked.

“Got Atticus, Anna, and Ben up in the trees keepin’ watch.” Sabina handed Cari her bow and quiver.

“What about the perimeter?”

“We got warriors spread along the edges. Some of the other tribes brought thunder shooters.”

Normally this information would have upset Cari. Like all other Insider technology, guns were banned. But they’d need the extra help to defend against what was coming next. “How much metal?” she asked.

“I counted twenty rifles and forty-eight pistols.”

Cari adjusted the leather strap over her shoulder, making sure she had quick access to her arrows. “They’ll be comin’ from the south and the east. Put the heavy hitters along those parts. Bring anyone who isn’t fightin’ closer to the wall. You got a headcount?”

“Not yet,” Sabina said.

“We need a headcount.”

Grayson peered around a tree.

“What is it Gray?” Cari asked.

He inched his way over to Cari and Sabina. “I got a headcount.”

Cari tried not to smile, but the kid’s enthusiasm softened her. “Well?”

“Two thousand and nine hundred and forty-three.”

Hearing that low number felt like a rock to the gut.

“The bastards,” Sabina whispered.

Thousands of people were unaccounted for, either because they were dead, or hiding elsewhere. Cari assumed most were dead. A devastating loss. Rage filled Cari’s insides and she steadied herself to re-channel her anger. She didn’t have room to think about the wreckage; she needed to protect the lives that remained.

“From that total, we have one thousand and seven hundred and nine kids,” Grayson continued.

The Insiders would pay for what they had done to her people. Each arrow she shot would represent a life she had lost. Cari looked at Sabina. “We need to get the younger ones to the wall and keep them safe. Gray, you help her. You’re quick on the heels.”

Sabina and Grayson led a succession of children from the woods closer to the city center wall. Some of the older ones carried the little ones. Cari didn’t like the idea of them being out in the open, but she figured the Insiders wouldn’t fire on their own city. She instructed a team of warriors to stand guard between the children and the forest.

A tribal call came from the trees and echoed throughout the camp. Cari jumped up, loaded her bow, and ran into the woods with her arrow drawn. Grayson trailed behind, carrying an armful of spears.

“Get over by the wall!” Cari shouted.

He continued following Cari. “Ain’t leavin’ your side.”

“If you die, I’m not responsible.”

“I won’t die. And neither will you.”

Gunfire shot through the forest. Cari stopped and pressed against a tree, yanking Grayson by her side.

“Don’t move. Don’t even breathe,” she ordered.

Closing her eyes, she listened carefully … Heavy boots thumped on damp leaves. Rapid breathing. The scent of chemicals. Multiple patterns of footsteps, maybe a set of three. Crouching low to the ground, she sorted through the leaves and found a rock, placing it by her foot. She listened and waited for the soldiers to get closer.

Looking down at Grayson, she mouthed
stay
. She held up her bow and drew back the arrow, then kicked the rock into the bushes a few feet away. A bullet whizzed to where the rock hit. She dove around the opposite side of the tree and shot her arrow into the neck of the soldier who had just fired his pistol. Then she rolled out of the way, loaded the second arrow, and shot it into the second soldier’s chest. He didn’t go down right away.

Grayson stepped out from behind the tree and lodged a spear into the soldier’s gut. The third solider took aim at Grayson, but Cari lunged forward and knocked the man to the ground. They grappled, punching each other. He took the butt of his pistol and whacked her forehead. With a loud grunt, she grabbed his hand and pried away the gun, tossing it out of reach. He pulled her back to the ground and seized her neck, cutting off the air. She tried kicking him off, but he was too heavy. Darkness crept into her vision and she stopped struggling. All she wanted was one more breath of air. The man squeezed tighter, his blue eyes bulging and sweat dripping from his pale skin. She glanced up to the trees, not wanting her last vision to be of the soldier. Gunfire rang out and blood splattered across Cari’s face. The soldier released his hands and slumped forward. She gasped for air and pushed him off, falling to her side. Once her vision was clear, she saw Grayson standing close, with a gun in his small hand.

“Give me that thing.”

Grayson handed her the gun.

“These are evil,” she said.

“But so was he.”

They hid behind brush and stayed low, listening for any more approaching soldiers.

“You okay?” Grayson asked.

Cari motioned for him to stay quiet. He pressed his lips together and nodded. She tried to stop herself from patting his dark curls. Attachments were sneaky like that. More gunshots fired in the distance, along with the sound of women screaming. Every shriek tore through her heart.

Footsteps. She closed her eyes and listened to the patterns. It sounded like two men approaching. They dropped something heavy on the ground and rustled around with whatever it was. As Cari moved from the bushes to get a better look, one of the soldiers launched a missile through the trees. The large hunk of metal propelled directly toward the city center wall, where the children were camped out. The wall she said would be the safest place. The missile collided into the thick panels and ignited the surrounding area, shaking the ground and knocking Cari down. Chunks of solar paneling shattered in all directions. People scattered as flames rose. Before she had a chance to stand up, another missile blazed in the same direction.

Grayson tugged her arm and pointed through the branches. A man loaded another missile into the launcher that was balanced on the other soldier’s shoulder. Grayson pointed to the gun in her hand. She shook her head, dropped the gun, then inched away from their hiding place. Ducking behind the trees, she made her way to the soldiers.

The first arrow hit the man holding the launcher in the eye socket. They both dropped to the ground. The other soldier held up a machine gun and fired into the trees. Bullets whizzed by Cari as she pressed against the trunk. More gunfire rang out. Grayson came out of the hiding spot and shot at the soldier until he ran out of bullets. The man laughed at his feeble attempt. He aimed his pistol. The distraction gave Cari enough time to whip around the tree and shoot off two arrows––one pierced the man’s right shoulder and the second went into his throat. He dropped to the ground.

Cari walked over to gather the launcher and the other guns. She hated herself for going against her beliefs, but those weapons would be their only hope against the Insiders. She handed Grayson two pistols and extra rounds. “I want you to go into the trees and tell our people to come this way. We’ll meet in the clearing.” She hoisted up the launcher and bag of missiles, then headed to the spot to wait for the others. She tried not to think about the wall, or the hundreds of children the weapon had just killed. Instead, she concentrated on the sounds and smells.

One by one, her people moved in and gathered together in the clearing. They created a circle of defense, keeping the middle shielded. They could see attackers from all directions. Cari stood at the core, with the launcher ready to fire. She hoped the tactic would draw in the soldiers scattered throughout the woods. Many of her people were still out there, fighting. Every few minutes more gunfire reverberated. Cari held tight and waited for a signal.

“East,” someone on the periphery shouted.

Murmurs rippled throughout the circle.

“Wait until they’re close, then pull back and clear a path. Let me fire first,” she told Sabina, who began dispersing the information to the people.

The natives slowly pealed back as the soldiers moved in. Cari stepped forward with the launcher aimed.

“If you surrender now, we’ll let you live!” one of the Insiders yelled to the group.

“We’ll live anyway!” She fired off the missile. It careened across the air, blasting into a row of soldiers. The natives shouted their battle call and began firing. The Insiders fired back. Bodies dropped to the ground, both Insider and Outsider. The natives kept charging forward, and when their guns were empty they used their spears, knives, and arrows and fought on. It became clear the natives weren’t giving up, and the soldiers retreated into the forest. Cari released her final arrow into one of the remaining soldiers. After it was over, she dropped to the ground and sobbed.

“Such great loss,” she cried.

A small hand touched her shoulder. Grayson stood over Cari. “We still have people alive. Some are still hiding in the trees. Many of the kids survived, but they’re scared and need you.”

Cari lifted herself up and wrapped her arms around Grayson, promising herself she’d never let him go.

32

G
race waited in
the darkness while Dickson synced Ava into the mainframe. Her mother was quiet now, slipping into unconsciousness. It was time to get to work.

“System panel,” she instructed.

Nothing changed.

“System panel,” she repeated.

Again, nothing changed. She concentrated, repeating the instructions until the outer edges of the blackness twirled inward and slowly morphed into a tunnel, with a spec of light at the end.

“Enter,” Grace said.

Once again, rivers of gleaming light surrounded her. Each shimmering ribbon contained coding. Grace flowed through the tunnel, immersing with the glowing radiance. She rode the wave of spinning colors until she dropped down into a solid white space—the system panel.

Relieved to be back in her body––or the virtual image of her body––she patted herself down and did a quick dance. She loved her mother, but being inside her head was a bit much.

Now she needed the network to track down and retrieve her mother. “06-14-2310. Retrieve Ava Rhodes Strader,” she instructed the system.

Grace repeated the string of numbers,
06-14-2310,
and waited for her mother to materialize. She wondered if she should mention Joseph’s death. Delivering such horrible news might hinder the mission, and Ava needed to stay sharp so she could get back to her body in the Seattle City Center. Once she was back, she could go straight to the council and fight to have Grace released from the containment cell. Or at least get an extension until they had evidence to prove Faraday was behind the attack. The council would listen to Ava––if she got back in time. Grace didn’t know how much time had passed, but she hoped it wasn’t too late.

“Christian, I know you can hear me. I’m not sure how, but I know you’re somewhere in here. I need you to listen to me, sweetie. Listen carefully. We need a portal to take Ava Strader back to her original location in the Seattle City Center. The Administrative Building. Do you think you can figure out how to do that? She’ll be here soon, so please prepare an exit from this program.”

Grace paced, waiting and growing more impatient. There wasn’t much time left on the clock. Faraday would go forward with the termination, regardless of Grace’s condition. She didn’t want to die out there while her consciousness was still inside the network. That would mean she’d be stuck inside the mainframe. And the only way out would be to harness her identity matrix and upload it into a new body. Spare bodies didn’t come around that often.

The floor under Grace’s feet began to tremble and she swayed, trying to keep her balance. A low frequency murmured through the white space of the system panel. The velocity picked up and a gust of wind swooped all around Grace. From above, a gap opened and her mother dropped down.

“Mom!” Grace gave her mother a rib-crunching hug. “You made it!”

Ava clung to Grace. “I’m so happy, Gracie. I wasn’t sure I’d get here. ”

“Ye have little faith in my abilities,” Grace teased.

“It wasn’t you, but … I don’t know, I guess being in here day after day started to drain my hope of anything. But you did it. You found me and we’re together again! I almost have my family back.” Ava kissed the top of Grace’s head.

“Mom, you should know that things are different back home.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot to catch up on,” Ava said.

“There is, but we need to get back before Dickson tracks us and Faraday terminates me.”

“Do you know what to do?” Ava asked.

“We need Christian to open up a portal––just like the one that brought me to you. He can take you back.”

“You mean us, he can take
us
back.”

“He’ll need to deliver one file at a time to make sure the “data” goes to the right location. And you’re going first.”

“I can’t go first, Grace. I can’t leave you in here alone. Not even for a second.”

“You don’t have a choice. Right now, you getting out is more important than me getting out. I can’t do anything from the containment cell. I don’t have access to anyone. But if you go first, you can talk to the council and get more time for me. Then we can prove Faraday is guilty.”

Ava held Grace’s hands. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“I know. It’s risky, but this is the right thing to do. There’s a better chance we’ll both live if you go first.” Grace paused, knowing the next words would be tough to digest for both of them. “And even if you can’t convince the council to let me live, we still need someone to fight against Faraday and Sullivan. You need to prove they’re behind the attack and get them locked up before they do any more damage to Seattle. You have to think beyond us, Mom. This is for our people. For the natives.”

“I’m tired of sacrificing myself for others. I want my life back—to spend time with my daughter and husband without constantly worrying if the world is coming to an end. I don’t want to do this anymore. Screw Morray. Screw the whole damn thing.”

Grace pried herself away and stepped back, staring at her mother. “That’s not true. You don’t mean that. I know you, Mom. You’ve spent the last eighteen years protecting freedom. It’s in your blood to fight for justice. I know that because it’s in mine too.”

“I’m just a product of Dickson and Morray. I’m not even a real human.”

“Wow. Your brain got fragged in this place. It doesn’t matter that you were “created” by other humans. Something much larger created them. Have you ever considered that your existence is for a reason? Look at your track record––you can’t help but save the world.” Grace kissed her mother’s cheek.

Ava wiped away a tear and straightened up. “My smart daughter. I raised you well.”

“I need to concentrate on connecting with Christian.” Grace closed her eyes, focusing on images of the boy. She pictured his bright twinkling eyes and how he gazed back at her with so much love. “Christian. We need your help. I’m overriding the current programming code. This is a command. You must retrieve Ava Rhodes Strader, 06-14-2310, and return her to her physical location inside the Seattle City Center.”

Grace and Ava held hands and waited in the stillness. After a few moments, the edges of a door began to formulate. A green door. Grace had never seen one like it. She hoped it would be a portal out of the mainframe and not a ploy to take them to another location.

Ava reached for her daughter’s face. “If anything happens and we separate again, I want you to know how much I love you and admire your courage.”

Grace bit her lip to keep it from trembling. This was no time to get weepy. “I love you too, Mom.”

They hugged one last time.

“Well, isn’t this a tender moment?” A voice came from behind, abruptly interrupting their goodbye. A voice Grace remembered well. She turned around to see Morray, his powerful presence beaming. Trepidation spread across Ava’s face and Grace needed to extinguish it immediately. She stepped in front of her mother, blocking Morray from her line of vision.

“Go, Mom. Go now!”

“I can’t …”

“That’s what I was counting on.” Morray smirked and walked over. He grabbed Grace by the neck, threatening to snap it. Ava lunged forward, but Grace lifted her foot, warding her off.

“Don’t come closer, Mom. Think beyond me. It’s for our people. It’s for the innocent natives in Seattle. You have to go. Go now! Before it’s too late.” Grace wriggled around, but Morray’s grip grew tighter.

“I won’t leave you alone with him.”

“I don’t plan on staying in here,” Morray scoffed.

“You don’t have a body to go to!” Ava yelled.

“Not entirely true,” he said.

Grace quickly glanced at Ava, then Morray. Was he planning on taking the portal back to her mother’s body, leaving them trapped inside the mainframe forever? She couldn’t let that happen. Nothing, not even Morray, would get in the way.

Grace pleaded with her mother. “If you don’t return, I’ll die out there and so will thousands of others. Don’t let Morray manipulate you, Mom. If you don’t leave now, he’ll go and upload into your body. Then we’ll both be stuck inside the mainframe, unable to do anything, while he destroys everything you’ve fought so hard for!”

Morray yanked Grace around and leered into her eyes. “Please stop talking, child. It’s a lost cause.”

She spat at Morray. “I’m not a child, asshole.” Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her mother coming to her rescue. “Stop, Mom. I’ve got this. Just trust me for once in your stubborn life!” Her warrior instincts took over. Grace slammed her foot down on Morray’s shiny black shoe, causing him to lose his balance. She elbowed him in the gut, then flipped around and kicked him in the chin. As he fell, he grabbed her ankle and pulled her down with him. Grace’s head slammed on the floor, causing her vision to blur and flicker. Morray punched her in the face and she dropped back, losing her sight completely. A cacophony of sounds filled the space: pattering of feet, Morray’s grunt as he hit the ground, knuckles against skin, boots scuffling, and heavy breathing. She blinked her eyes repeatedly, trying to get her sight back so she could help her mother.

“Help me, Christian. I need you!” she yelled.

Heat radiated from Grace’s stomach. A bright beam of light shot up from her insides and lifted her to her feet. She could now see Morray and her mother. Ava was underneath Morray, struggling as he choked the air out of her. Running forward, Grace dove and pummeled into Morray. Ava moved away, coughing. Grace slammed her elbow into Morray’s eye socket and he dropped back, screaming in pain. In the distance, the green door started to fade. Her mother needed to go immediately. Grace jumped up and ran over to Ava, pulling her from the ground and dragging her over to the door. Morray came from behind and yanked Grace’s hair, then grabbed her neck. He had her in a choke hold and she couldn’t move. Ava crawled toward Grace. The portal continued shrinking out of existence. Grace stared at her mother, memorizing the way she looked at her. It was the same way she looked at Christian––with a mother’s eternal and protective love.

She centered herself and took in a deep breath. In one continuous motion, Grace flipped Morray over, rushed to her mother and thrust her foot into Ava’s stomach, knocking her backward into the green door. Her body morphed into shimmering waves of light as she disappeared.

“I’m always with you!” Ava called out.

“No!” Morray crawled after Ava, but he was too late. Her entire essence meshed into the streaming illumination of code. Grace smiled as her mother ascended to her long-awaited freedom. The green door rippled shut, then blipped out of existence.

“You little brat.” Morray jumped up and dug his fingers into Grace’s arms, shaking her.

She laughed. “Sucks, huh?”

He let go and pushed her away. “You have no idea how badly this will suck if you don’t help me get out.”

“Hmm, let’s see … Do I choose between saving my life, or saving the world? Pretty easy answer. You’re not going anywhere. You can remain the all-powerful leader of the white space,
Chief Morray
.”

He grabbed her neck, his eyes bulging and his face turning red. “I’ll kill you.”

“Do it,” she grunted.

He wouldn’t go through with it. Grace was his only hope of getting out of the mainframe. He didn’t have the capability of controlling the coding. She had a gift and Morray would cling to the possibility of her sharing it with him. He released his hands and stepped away, smoothing back his hair. “We can work together. You help me, I’ll help you.”

Grace laughed again. “Help me how?”

“From what I heard, you’re having trouble with Faraday. I’ll take care of him. His sole purpose is to serve me.”

“You really think that’s gonna work on me? I might be young, but I’m not a fool. Besides, you don’t have a body to go back to.”

“Not entirely true,” he mumbled to himself.

“Look, dude. I know you’re used to getting your way, but it’s not gonna happen with me. If you think my mom is stubborn, I’m
way
worse.”

“Your mother isn’t as stubborn as she seems. Months upon months of being in here with me does whittle a woman down …” His eyes glinted.

“You’ll never break me down, Morray. Not in a million years of infinite nothingness. You will
never
break me down.”

He walked over to Grace and gently stroked her cheek. She clasped his wrist and tried to pull it away, but he grabbed a handful of her hair, bringing her face close to his. “Never say never.”

Grace kicked Morray in the groin and he doubled over.

“Your shit games don’t work with me, Morray. I’ve got the torrent on my side. Christian––a little help over here!”

A few feet away another portal opened up. Instead of a door, it was a circle of shimmering blue that reminded Grace of the lake near her cottage. She didn’t waste another second on Morray and dove into the blue, not knowing where Christian was taking her, but trusting she’d be okay wherever she ended up.