The World After (3 page)

Taylor gripped tighter to the rope he was holding and stretched his arm out. It took him a minute to cut the two nearest ropes. Despite his effort, the car under him started losing contact with the tarmac. Jinhun shouted to him to hurry up. Taylor let go of the rope which he used to stabilize himself on the roof of the violently shaking car and, with a short jump, found himself near the rear of the slippery roof where most of the other tentacle-like ropes were attached. Just as he got hold of one of the other ropes, he felt a scorching pain in his right shoulder which nearly caused him to drop the knife. Taylor thought that a bullet had hit him, but a dark shadow that nearly slapped him on the nose revealed what had caused the pain. The two steel ropes he already cut were lashing chaotically across the roof, and it was only a matter of seconds before another blow hit the only target on the roof that could feel pain. With two police cars almost level with the Audi, Taylor realized that he couldn't possibly hope to succeed in freeing the car. It was time for plan B.

Despite the serious pain in his right shoulder, Taylor managed to lean down and, with a very risky maneuver, slide on top of the wet roof. Twisting his body right on the edge, he slid back inside the car.

“Slow down and let the heli lift us in the air,” he shouted over the loud police sirens. Jinhun looked at him with disbelief.

“What!!!”

“Trust me, there's no time to explain.” Taylor rubbed his shoulder, moving it in circles.

There wasn't much time for arguing or debating because the Audi was already surrounded on three sides by police cars and its speed was still slowing. Jinhun considered their options. After reminding himself why they so passionately wanted to attract Taylor to their organization, he decided to trust the man he met for the first time just a few hours earlier and, with his foot on the brake, applied smooth pressure.

Taylor Swansea was the only living man on the planet that had managed for more than ten years to avoid the iron claws of the Agency for Tracking the Untraceables without outside help. Jinhun didn't know of any other person without a brain implant that was able to survive on their own for such a long period; he and most of his friends would have been doomed if they were not part of their organization.

As the car slowed to a turtle-like speed, the windows of the two police cars on each side opened and guns pointed at the two fugitives. The policeman on Jinhun's side gave him a signal to lower the side window. Once he did, he shouted, “Turn the engine off, now.”

Jinhun glanced at Taylor and, after a slight nod of approval, he obeyed the order. The moment he did, the heavy car left the ground, but it immediately tilted forward because the two ropes Taylor cut were the ones attached to the front. The helicopter started rising between the skyscrapers while the rain continued pouring down with ferocity.

“Now what?” Jinhun looked at Taylor.

“The car is unstable and when we reach the top of the buildings the wind will make it even more so. Once we are past the roofs, we'll have to start swinging it hard, and before being taken too high, we must jump. We'll have only one chance.”

Jinhun just nodded, impressed as the heli already had them a good thirty feet above ground, with the tops of the skyscrapers a good fifty feet still above them. Jinhun realized that it was exactly this razor-sharp intellect that had saved Taylor during all these years of running from the Agency. They had spent more resources on trying to capture him than all of the Yuyuan's members. His gift of being able to make quick decisions under pressure and to be taking even the smallest advantage of the surrounding environment were about to save them from a seemingly hopeless situation. At least, Jinhun hoped so.

They were about twenty feet below the nearest rooftop when Taylor added, “From below, I thought I saw a treetop on the roof to our right. There must be a garden of some sort up there.”

“It's possible. Most buildings nowadays have roof gardens. If that's the case, we should be landing on grass and soft soil. How's your shoulder?”

“It hurts, but at least it doesn't seem to be broken or dislocated.” Taylor's eyes were fixed on the rooftop that the helicopter was fast approaching.

The light police machine that was pulling them up levelled with the tops of the skyscrapers half a minute later. Taylor had his eyes fixed on the passing windows when he said, “It'll be easier to swing towards your side because both ropes I cut were on my side of the car.”

“Okay, we must try and increase the natural movement of the car.” The higher they got, the stronger the wind became. This made the Audi swing violently without them doing anything.

Taylor looked at him and, with a commanding voice, said, “On three. One …”

Their lift was already well above the roofs. Wind and rain were at their vortex up there. The helicopter swung to its left but the pilot stabilized it very quickly.

“… two…”

Both Taylor and Jinhun felt the increase of the swaying as they used all their weight to help the car become more and more unstable just as it levelled with the rooftops. Taylor was right, to their right there was a garden. High trees and bushes were concentrated near the middle of the roof, while the periphery was covered by grass, flower beds and two wooden benches, which was only working in their favor. They moved a bit higher. Taylor had to raise his voice to outshout the violent wind whistling through every crack in the car, “On the second swing to the right we're jumping. Three!”

They pushed one final time, destabilizing the car even more. Taylor opened the side door, feeling Jinhun's breathing near his ear. The last push from the two men saw the car swaying uncontrollably, which put extra pressure on the ropes. The heli lost its line and went left as the car swayed too high in that direction. In order to stabilize the machine, the experienced pilot did the natural thing and smoothly moved the heli to the right, placing it and its load right above the garden.

The car was over eight feet above the roof when its two passengers jumped out simultaneously. Jinhun realized his mistake the moment he jumped, but it was too late. He was hurling downwards with the rain lashing his terrified face.

October 2025

Athens, Greece

The sun was still shining; it was hot in the old city and there were not many people about. Carolina was hidden in the shade of a brolly in a café opposite the small square on the other side of which was the building of the Brazilian government.

Greece had gone through a very difficult period but, after 2021, things had started to improve gradually for the ancient country and its suffering people. This was the year in which the Brazilian government unofficially bought the country. To be precise, Brazil bought a hundred percent of Greece's enormous international debt, with one of the main requirements being that the respectful vice-ministers of Economy and Finance in South America would be the actual ministers of the same departments in the Greek government. This action saved Ancient Hellas' lands from being plundered and split by its main creditors, events that already happened in two other ex-European countries – Spain in 2017 and Hungary a year later.

The financial plans brought in by the EU in 2014-15 hardly helped to improve the situation in the long term; Greece plunged even deeper into recession in the years that followed. By the end of 2016, anarchists were wrecking and burning public buildings and banks in all major cities; emergency services refused to fulfil their duties. Just before Christmas 2016, the European Union voted to expel Greece. This only brought four years of chaos, decline and anarchy to the country.

Just as the creditors gathered to decide how to divide the land and who should take which piece, on the scene emerged the new world power Brazil. Ex-colony now a colonizer, the country's progressive government granted never-seen-before resources to cover the Greek national debt.

Four years after that, things were much calmer in Greece. Unemployment hit a new record low, and with every passing year, social life was returning to its normal lazy flow.

Carolina was waiting for her father, the functioning Minister of Economy of Greece and vice-minister of the same department in his own country. The thirty-nine-year-old, woman was alone in the café, sipping from the small cup of espresso in front of her. Carolina was a beautiful lady by all standards, and her pale-white skin, silk-blond hair and turquoise eyes could have easily fooled many as to her origins. The sky blue dress she was wearing was enchanting; its delicate straps and deep cut didn't leave much to the imagination. She put the cup carefully on the table, her eyes drifting towards the far corner of the white-tiled square where a group of noisy kids chased a ragged ball. Kids – until recently she never thought of having any, but in the last few months something had changed. Numerous times she woke up in the middle of the night dreaming that she was a mother.

The robot-waiter, a shiny piece of metal without a distinguishing feature and no higher than three feet, came to the table to bring her the cold bottle of mineral water she ordered. His three-fingered hand placed the bottle and glass on the table with clumsy movements. Without offering any facial expression or a comment, the metallic machine retreated back inside the café.

Carolina sighed; she was really missing human contact. She reminisced in her mind her care-free years after high school. For God's sake, her first job when she became a student in Columbia University was a waitress. With her figure and ability to please, the tips were usually more than her actual wages. Carolina definitely missed those days of wild parties, hard studying and even harder work. The world had changed too fast for her liking. It was over three years since she was in a place where a real person served her.

Carolina moved nervously in her chair; she spotted her father crossing the square. Ademar Gamejro was a seventy-two-year-old, tall, very proud man that had destroyed many political enemies over the years to reach the position he had occupied for the past two mandates. His body, bent with age and slightly overweight, made him look smaller than his actual six-foot-five; his bald forehead with grey hair on the sides, for sure, didn't make him look even a year younger than his actual age. The brick-colored cotton suit he was wearing fitted him well, with the bright orange shirt underneath perfectly stealing the attention away from his wrinkled face. His strides were confident and frightfully exact, which once again reminded Carolina about her father's notorious strictness with everyone but her. All her life, she was daddy's girl, and having a mind as sharp as his, she quickly learned how to use this to her advantage.

Carolina rose to greet him as he covered the small square in no time. Hugging him, she kissed both his cheeks; he returned the greeting. This was the first time they had met in over two years, and both of them felt pleasant excitement.

“I almost forgot how beautiful you are,” Minister Gamejro said while they made themselves comfortable again, sharing the shade under the brolly.

“And you've become bolder and fatter as the years have gone by.” She revealed her white teeth forming an innocent smile, knowing that teasing him wouldn't hurt his feelings.

The Minister left this comment unanswered. After focusing for a second, his brain implant connected with the café's main computer and he placed an order. In the middle of their small round table, there wasn't a vase but a glass-like square which was actually an ultramodern HDTV; it suddenly sprang to life as the news started.

A chubby-looking female reporter with eyes heavily covered in make-up was standing in front of a derelict brick building. She announced that this was the last clothing factory with human workers, and it had just closed its doors the same day. With robots introduced en masse in this industry nearly a decade ago, the work force was gradually replaced by machines, and consequently from that day on, clothes produced by human hands wouldn't be available on the market anymore.

Not bothered about listening to a long list of crime news, Ademar Gamejro switched off the TV, giving it a command with his implant. His daughter looked at him with mixed feelings. She loved her father very much, but she had big secrets that he should never find out about, and for that reason, every time they were together she was tense.

“How are y…ou?” Carolina's question was interrupted by her ringing phone. She looked at the screen and raised her eyebrows. It was Fabio. She knew that this couldn't be good, because she specifically told her fiancé that her father was oblivious about their engagement and that she would be with him. “I must take this,” she said while standing and moving out into the open under the scorching sun.

Caroline answered with a slightly irritated voice, “It better be good.”

“Sorry, hun. I know you're with your dad, but you must hear this now.” His soft voice calmed her down immediately, and she strolled casually further away from the café. “We just managed to decode Agent MacGeady's brain implant. We already sent all the data to Itanagar, but you must hear this.”

“What?” Carolina anticipated something bad.

“Just the information we retrieved about the agent's next mission.” Fabio's voice faltered a little.

“Well!”

“His next assignment was supposed to be in Greece. Target – Ademar Gamejro; orders – find and terminate. I don't know what to make of this, hun.”

Carolina was speechless. She went goosy, breathing heavily while her father stared at her from the shade. He knew his little girl; something was wrong.

* * *

Agent MacGeady lay helpless on the bed. The amount of blood he lost during the attack and the following surgery to remove his brain implant drained almost all of his powers. He had regained consciousness only a few minutes ago, and after making a serious effort just to open his eyes, he discovered that his vision was still blurred. Everything around him looked bleary.

A minute later, his vision improved slightly and he caught a movement. Despite still not seeing well, he was certain that Fabiana had just walked up to his head and adjusted the pillow on which his head rested. He followed her with his eyes back to the chair at the foot of the bed. When she sat, he noticed a little coffee table right next to her. MacGeady was still unable to make out most of the things spread on it. He was sure that both his hands were attached to something. He was right; drip systems with bags of blood hung from metal poles on both sides of his bed. He moved his arm and groaned. It felt very painful and hard even to try and lift one.

“Stay still, you lost a lot of blood. It's a small miracle that you're still alive.” He recognized Fabiana's voice, but it sounded strange, as if coming from afar. His mind drifted again, and he closed his eyes. A painful one-hour sleep filled with horrific nightmares followed.

Once he was awake again, his vision was much better and he started recognizing shapes. Fabiana was still sitting on the chair at the bottom of his bed.

“What happ–” The end of his question was lost, because Ian MacGeady was feeling as if he had just swallowed a thousand razorblades.

“You're again a normal person, Ian,” Fabiana said with a soft voice. “We gave you back the biggest gift of all – Free Will. Your brain implant was removed; that's why you're feeling so bad.”

Ian MacGeady tried to assimilate what he had just heard, but he felt the abyss calling for him again. With his head feeling as if it would explode any minute, he tried to talk. No sound came out of his dry throat, and a few seconds later, he fell unconscious again.

Fabiana got off her chair and gently placed a cloth soaked in cold water on MacGeady's forehead before her eyes moved to the man sitting above the bed in silence.

“Now what?” she asked.

“We'll wait.”

* * *

Taylor heard a loud crash just before he reached the rooftop and rolled over the soft grass. The impact was heavy enough to leave him jaded for a few seconds; but, with no serious damage, he was soon on his feet and looking around. He soon saw what caused the sound he heard. Taylor saw Jinhun slide with a painful moan from the top of a wooden alcove on which he had landed. Broken planks and dripping blood from Jinhun's forehead showed how hard the impact was. As Taylor headed towards him, he realized that his landing wasn't without damage; his right leg hurt and he had to hobble the ten feet to the alcove.

Just as the two reunited and Jinhun managed to lift himself up on one knee, his head still spinning from the impact, the surface behind them erupted as a long line of bullets ripped grass and soil out of the rooftop. The shots were coming from the heli to their right. The pair quickly realized they were far from safe where they were. Luckily for the two men, the still erratically swinging car attached to the flying machine and the difficult weather conditions made aiming very hard, and the deathly line of bullets passed them a good two feet away. However, they both knew that they must get off the open roof quickly.

“Can you walk?” Taylor asked.

“I think so.” Jinhun staggered back to his feet at the second attempt, but he felt his head spinning. Taylor had to support him.

“Come on.” Taylor put his shoulder under Jinhun's arm for support, and the two of them hobbled slowly towards the middle of the roof where the leafy crowns of half a dozen trees violently swayed in the strong wind. “The exit must be somewhere here,” Taylor added as they reached the cover of the first tree.

Suddenly, a loud bang from behind them made them drop to their knees and turn nervously. The pilot of the heli had switched off the magnetic net. The big car crashed on the rooftop behind them, producing an explosion that set the bench nearby on fire despite the continuing downpour.

The two of them wasted five precious seconds looking at the scene. This proved costly, because the thing that set them back in motion was a line of bullets from the helicopter's machine gun heading towards them at lightning speed. In a split second, Taylor pushed Jinhun hard on the shoulder so he fell and with a desperate dive. The red-haired man followed. Grass and soil flew from the spot where he just stood as the heli roared over their heads.

“Hurry, they'll be back over us in a minute!” Taylor shouted as he was getting back on his feet. The two hobbling men started moving again.

Under the cover of the few other trees planted in a circle around the middle, they found what they hoped for – a door leading inside the skyscraper. Jinhun tried the handle but the heavy door was locked.

“Now what?” He looked at his companion.

“Let me have a look.” Taylor knelt with a painful moan and started examining the lock. “Do we have any weapons with us?” he asked.

“No, there were guns, but they stayed in the car.”

The helicopter flew somewhere above their heads, but the thick leaf-cover hid them from view, at least for now. Taylor tried to focus on the door. He examined the lock again, but there seemed to be no hope. The heavy door was controlled by computer that responded to brain implant commands; but, as neither of them had one, it looked as if they were in big trouble.

Just as Taylor was about to explain that to Jinhun, their attention was drawn back towards the open grass on the roof. The noise from the helicopter's engine had increased significantly in the past minute or so. To their horror, they realized the pilot was about to land the machine on the roof. Taylor started looking around nervously; this was when he saw it.

A little to his right, hidden behind a bushy Chinese rose, glistened a manual control panel that most likely was for the door. Obviously, this garden and the door were made before 2017 – the year in which the implant-controlled doors replaced the older mixed ones. Taylor examined the panel for a few seconds, but as he obliviously had no idea what the password could be. He decided to use good old fashioned methods that always worked. Grabbing the plastic top with his fingers, he ripped it off, revealing half a dozen cables of different colors.

“They just landed!” Jinhun shouted from behind. This extra motivation helped Taylor decide. He simply ripped off all the cables and nodded at his partner. Jinhun tried the door; it opened with a hiss, which made him grin as he opened it just enough so the two of them could slide inside the building.