Judgement: The Undergrounders Series Book Three (A Young Adult Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller) (22 page)

I
stumble backward
in a fog of disbelief. Before my eyes, the Schutz Clones unfold their bent limbs and pick themselves up from the floor. Their movements are eerily synchronized as they unhinge and fall into formation, blocking the sovereign leader from view. With one accord, they begin marching toward us, their lips moving up and down in a mechanical chant. "Hostiles detected, hostiles detected, hostiles detected ..."

I shoot, even though I know it's useless. The bullets zing off the metal torsos of the robots. They keep coming toward us at an unrelenting pace. We abandon any attempt to fight them and beat a hasty retreat out into the passageway.

"Remote!" Sven gasps, slapping the cargo pocket on his pants.

I realize immediately what he's trying to tell me. I peer through the line of advancing Schutz Clones and take aim at the Sweeper holding a black remote control. Sweat beads on my forehead. I pull the trigger, knowing that if I miss we're all going to die. The Sweeper grunts and tumbles forward. Before he even hits the ground, an arrow takes out the second Sweeper. I pan the room, heart pounding, but no one else appears. I duck between the line of robots, some of whom continue walking aimlessly into the wall. The military clones rush to pick Sven up off the floor. I aim my weapon square at the sovereign leader's chest as I approach him.

"It's over," I say. "Surrender peacefully or you'll die at my hands without a trial."

He sinks back down in his pod chair and fixes a reptilian stare on me. "You're a misguided idealist in an expansive universe. What do you know of who lives or dies beyond this moment?"

"I know your reign of terror's over," I say, my courage soaring as several of the military clones come alongside me.

The sovereign leader laces a sardonic grin across his face. "And what, pray tell, will you reign over in my absence, a colony of savages?"

"A free world."

He raises his right eyebrow. "Then let me be the first to exercise my freedom in this new world order."

In a flash, the pod chair spins away from me. A single gunshot echoes through the space. I stand rooted to the spot. For a brief second, I wonder if I've been shot. But I feel no pain. I walk forward in a trance and turn the pod chair back around to face me. The body of the sovereign leader is slumped to one side, the brains of the Sweeper operation splattered across the plush white cushioning. I stagger backward, bile rising up my throat. Big Ed comes up behind me and grabs my elbow to support me. Silently, he removes his hat.

"What did you do that for?" I say, angrily. "He doesn't deserve your respect."

"I ain't fit to judge no man," Big Ed says. "Some things are best left to God."

"I hope you're right about that," I say, turning away from the grisly sight. I'm weary of death and retribution, but, in the end, I can't help feeling there was too little blood spilled to atone for what the sovereign leader did.

I make my way over to Sven, slumped in a nearby chair, and smooth my hand over his forehead. "Are you all right?"

He grimaces. "Those robot clones can pack a punch. I'm fine, though. Nothing broken." He signals to one of his men. "Set the course on the ship. We're heading back to earth."

A spontaneous cheer goes up around the control station. I pan the room taking in the pale, but jubilant faces of the Undergrounders. So many have sacrificed so much throughout this struggle, but we've finally toppled the sovereign leader. Now, at last, we have a real chance to rebuild the world the meltdown took from us.

Sven gets to his feet, unsteadily. "I'll steer us back. This ship will be a bear to bring in smoothly."

"Owen and I will go down to the Intake Sektor and release the extractees," I say.

Sven nods. "I'll make an announcement over the intercom that we've taken command of the ship. But take some of the military clones with you in case there are stragglers who choose to fight."

"Lou and I will come with you too," Big Ed says.

I give him a grateful smile. If anything has happened to the extractees I'll need him there to help me deal with Owen.

We exit the room and begin retracing our steps along the main passageway.

"We'd better check in here too," I say, gesturing at a door marked
No unauthorized access.
"If I remember the ship's layout correctly from Dimitri's plans, this is where the Research Sektor is located."

Owen throws me a worried look. "Let's make it quick."

I punch in the code to activate the door and step into the cool, gleaming space. Big Ed, Lou, and Owen tread in after me. There's no one behind the monitoring station. At the far end of the room, I see a familiar orbital viewing monitor on a steel door. My stomach tightens. Is there a Sektor Sieben on board the Megamedes too? "I hope that's not what I think it is," I say. "I don't want to see any more rewired participants."

"It's probably empty," Owen says. "The Sweepers weren't transferring the brain dead to the Megamedes, only the extractees."

Lou shudders. "Let's hope you're right."

I walk across the gleaming floor and steady my nerves before peering into the orbital monitor. The breath leaves my lungs. I pull back from the monitor and lean against the wall. "One of the beds is occupied," I say. "What are we going to do?"

Big Ed scratches the back of his neck. "Nothing we can do for that poor soul now. We'll deal with their remains once we return to earth."

I wipe a weary hand over my brow. "We need to make sure whoever's in there isn't alive."

Owen activates the keypad to open the door. We slip through and make our way over to the metal frame sandwiching the participant inside. An assortment of wires runs from the motionless body to a bank of screens and equipment. I flip the switch to rotate the participant. I step back in horror when a gargoyled face comes into view.

Lyong!

Owen swears softly under his breath. "So this is where they brought him."

I stare, dumbstruck at the shrunken face on the bed in front of us. I can't believe it. Of all possible endings, why has it come down to this? I never wanted to see him again. I could crush what's left of his disfigured face with my fist, but it wouldn't change anything. He's gone, and yet in some macabre way he clings to the edge of the precipice of life, refusing to let go--it's like he's forcing me to pry his fingers off the ledge and send him over the brink.

"I wanted to kill him so badly back in the Craniopolis, but this is too easy," I say.

"That sucker's already gone where he's going," Big Ed says, a somber look on his face. "I'll unplug him if you want."

I furrow my brow. "No, this isn't something I can put on you or anyone else. I was responsible for his death, I told Nikki to take that shot. I need to finish this."

I walk back to the bank of machines and force myself to flick the switches off one by one. A soft whirring fills the deathly silence and then the machines power down. Lyong's body doesn't flinch, and no final breath escapes his lips. I lift a sheet from a nearby bed and pull it over his remains. It's more dignity than he afforded the living, but it feels like the right thing to do.

Big Ed gives an approving nod and replaces his hat. Lou brushes her fingers across my face in a motherly gesture that almost brings me to tears. I've had to do so many hard things in the past months, but it never gets any easier.

I turn abruptly to Owen. "Let's get Nikki out."

We head back into the main corridor and continue retracing our steps to the stairwell. We make our way down to the second level of the ship and out into the passageway leading to the Intake Sektor. The discovery of Lyong's body has dampened the jubilant mood we were in when we left the control station earlier. I can tell by the anguish in Owen's face that he's reliving memories he'd rather not have to face. Memories we've never discussed. I only hope we can all recover from what we've been through.

When we reach the final bend, I peer cautiously around the corner. My eyes widen. Two Schutz Clones are standing guard at the entry door. "The robot clones are back," I whisper.

"Who's controlling them?" Owen asks, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Could be Sweepers inside the Intake Sektor," Big Ed says.

"Or they could be preprogrammed to guard the entrance and detect hostiles," Lou adds.

Owen paces back and forth. "The question is how do we destroy them?"

"Maybe we don't," I say. "Maybe we lure them away instead. If one of us can lead them back to the control station, Sven could shut them down from the mains."

Big Ed steps forward. "I'll do it."

"No." I shake my head. "You're not fast enough to outrun them. I can make it back to the control station. I'll follow the route we took last time. You and Lou stay here and help Owen get the extractees out safely. Bring everyone to the upper deck."

Big Ed tugs at his beard. "I don't like the idea of you acting as bait. Too dangerous."

"Leaving the extractees in there any longer is dangerous too." I stuff my gun inside my lab coat. "The oxygen supplies are depleting rapidly. We need to move everyone to the upper level so we can seal off these decks.

Owen pulls me to him and hugs me. "If anyone can do this, you can. I'll see you back in the control station."

My eyes sting with tears. Knowing that Owen believes in me makes me want to pull off the next-to-impossible all the more.

I walk briskly down the passageway, around the corner and past the doors to the Intake Sektor. The robot Schutz Clones don't flinch at the sight of a scientist walking by. I head straight toward the door leading into the stairwell and enter the code. From behind the doorframe, I pull out my gun from under my lab coat, take aim at the clones and open fire through the opening. The Schutz Clones lock onto me with a laser-like stare and begin marching toward me chanting, "hostile detected, hostile detected ... "

I punch in the override code to close the door behind me and take off up the stairs at full speed. I don't dare look back over my shoulder when I hear the door slide open behind me. Somehow they've cracked the code, which wasn't part of my plan. I don't know how quickly the robots can move, or whether their guns are equipped with any kind of heat-seeking laser beam, but I've no intention of hanging around long enough to find out. I push open the door at the top of the stairwell and bolt back the way I came knowing my life depends on reaching the control station before the robots make it into the corridor. All of a sudden a tremendous shudder goes through the ship. I lurch forward and skid across the floor. Panicked, I scramble to my feet and take off running again without as much as a passing glance over my shoulder.

When I reach the door to the control station I punch in the override code and burst into the room. "Robots!" I yell.

Sven turns to the controls and scans through the commands. The door to the control station slides open and the two robots march into the station. They raise their weapons and aim directly at me.

"Got it!" Sven yells.

The robots freeze in position. I hold my breath, half-expecting a burst of gunfire to escape from their weapons regardless. After a protracted moment of terror, I sink back against the gleaming white wall, my heart pounding. Sven's timing was impeccable.

"Are you okay?" Sven calls over his shoulder, flicking switches on the control panel in front of him.

I walk unsteadily over to him and sink down in the chair next to him. "Just take me back to earth," I say.

A second violent shudder goes through the ship. I cling to the armrests to keep from being flung out of my seat. "What's happening?" I yell.

"The ship's systems are failing. I need to shut off power to the lower levels immediately." He hesitates. "And the oxygen pump."

I stagger to my feet. "Owen and the others aren't back yet."

Sven looks me square in the eye. "If I don't do it now, no one will make it back to earth."

M
y pulse jabs
in my temple like a pickaxe. I shiver at a vision of the Undergrounders gasping for air halfway up the stairwell to the upper deck. "Give them five more minutes," I say, pacing behind Sven's seat as he adjusts the controls. The words have barely left my lips before a tremendous force rips through the room. I cling to the back of Sven's chair as the ship makes a dramatic dip, catapulting packs and gear across the room. One of the Undergrounders goes flying backward and crashes into the door. Several more are thrown to the ground. Even the military clones jockey to keep a footing. The ship rocks violently, shaking its contents like an undigested meal

"Stay down!" I yell over my shoulder.

I struggle to strap myself back into the seat nearest Sven. He throws me an anguished look. "I have to kill the power. There may be enough oxygen on the second level to last until I land, but if I don't stabilize the ship, there won't be a landing."

I give a reluctant nod. "Shut it off."

Sven bends over the controls again, his forehead lined in concentration. I close my eyes and picture the extractees' faces. I only hope they're close enough to the control station to make it before the air supply runs out. The disturbing image of the ossified deviations, trapped in their living quarters, comes back to haunt me. At least we still have the freedom to fight for our lives. It's more than the deviations were given.

I open my eyes and watch through the cockpit glass as Sven slowly swings the crippled ship around. "I've set a course for earth," he says. "We should touch down outside Shoshane City in about thirty minutes."

Before I can respond a siren blares behind me. Flashing red lights ripple across the ceiling and fade away. A sinking feeling comes over me. "What was that?" I turn to Sven.

"Oxygen alert," he says, tersely. "We're running on reserves in the control station now."

I flinch when a series of sparks arc out from a monitor to Sven's left. "Are we going to make it?" I ask, my heart drumming wildly. A strange pressure is building inside my chest and I'm not sure if it's panic or oxygen deprivation.

"Power's reducing by the second," Sven says. "Anybody's guess if we'll survive the impact."

A shout comes from the doorway. I crane my neck around just as Owen and Nikki burst into the room. A moment later I spot Big Ed's matted beard bobbing among the other Undergrounders. Lou waves at me from his side. I undo my seatbelt and lurch my way back to them. "Where's Trout?" I ask, frantically searching the faces piling through the doorway. "And Jerome?"

"They're safe, they're behind us," Big Ed says.

I squeeze between the Undergrounders and stagger out into the passageway, fumbling for the walls each time the ship pitches.

"Trout!" I yell as he comes into view ahead of the military clones and the scientist hostages. Jerome trudges along beside him, his black skin gleaming in the luminescent light. He doesn't even crack a smile when he sees me. I've been dreading telling him about the massacre of the deviations, but by the look on his face, I'm guessing Big Ed might have already broken the news to him.

I help usher the Undergrounders inside the control station and direct them into pod chairs for the landing before I weave an unsteady path back to Sven. "The ship's listing badly to the left," I say, as I drop back into my seat.

"I know." He frowns. "I'm trying to route all remaining power to the control station."

The sound of an explosion reverberates up through the decks. Goosebumps prickle along my flesh.

"Might be too late," Sven says, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

I chew on my lip, gripping the sides of my seat with both hands. "I want you to know," I say, my voice cracking. "If we don't make it, the time we had together--"

"We're still together," Sven interrupts. He turns to me, his amber eyes fierce. "Keep believing."

I reach over and squeeze his huge hand. "I do believe."

"Then that's all I need." He sets his jaw. "We're beginning our final descent to Shoshane City. I'm going to try and make contact with the Superconductor." He fiddles with the controls to open up a channel. "Dimitri, do you read me?"

For a few seconds, there's silence before Dimitri's voice comes through.

"This is Dimitri Petrov. Identify."

"This is Sven 043. Our ship is crippled, I repeat, the Megamedes is crippled. Coming in hard. Only the upper deck is pressurized. Seals are holding so far, but it's becoming more difficult to breathe. Crash landing imminent."

The line crackles and Dimitri responds. "Understood. Will conduct initial search for survivors on the upper deck."

"We are on approach," Sven says."Three minutes to land. Prepare to aid us if we don't implode at impact."

"Copy that," Dimitri says.

"Over and out." Sven kills the connection and turns to me. "Our reserves are depleted. I'm shutting down the computerized landing system and going in manual. It's our best chance of making it. Brace yourself." He grips the joystick and twists it until he brings the Megamedes level.

My heart flutters in my chest. Strange clanging sounds are coming from the underside of the ship. I tell myself it won't hurt; death will be instantaneous, but deep down I'm not ready to give up.

"The landing mechanism is jammed," Sven yells over his shoulder. "Prepare for a crash landing. Heads between your knees."

I bite my lip. I'm not about to duck and miss what could be the last sight I'll ever see. I especially don't want to close my eyes on Sven when he needs me most. "You can do this," I say to him.

He grimaces. "The speed we're coming in at gives me only a window of milliseconds to time the landing."

Sweat trickles down his face as he begins the maneuvers to land the Megamedes. The muscles in his powerful arms flex and I realize with a start I've forgotten all about the possibility of him expiring. It seems like a mute point now. And, yet, if by some miracle we pull this off, his expiration date will come back to haunt me.

"Even if the ship withstands the impact, the danger won't be over," Sven says, keeping his eyes fixed on the controls.

I turn to him, frowning. "You mean it could explode?"

"I mean it
will
. The Megamedes was designed to self-destruct if more than seventy-five percent of its systems malfunctioned--to prevent the weaponry from being hijacked. We may have only minutes to disembark."

I lurch forward in my seat as the ship sways from side to side. There's a loud popping like gunfire, then grinding sounds, like parts of the ship are breaking off. Trees rush toward the cockpit glass. Despite my earlier resolve, I scrunch my eyes shut.

We slam into the ground with a force that shakes every ligament inside me. Only the cushioning of the pod chair saves me from crushing every bone in my body. I brace myself through a violent aftershock and then the ship starts sliding. We skid for what feels like several agonizing minutes before coming to a shuddering halt. I stare through the cockpit glass in horror. Smoke billows out from the ship in every direction. Heat is already building inside the control station. I undo my belt and grab my gun.

"Let's go!" I yell to the others, leaping from my seat.

I lead the survivors out into the passageway where a gaping hole on the far side of the hull provides the welcome sight of blue sky above and the forest floor below.

With the help of the military clones, we slip and slide our way down the searing hot mangled exterior of the Megamedes and take off running for our lives in the direction of the city. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, but instinct tells me we won't be fast enough to evade being torched alive. We're already choking on the fumes coming from the wreckage. Sven and the military clones might be able to make it to safety if they break away, but they're keeping pace with the rest of us. Sven won't leave me behind, and I won't let him carry me despite his repeated pleas to do so. I won't abandon the Undergrounders.

"Riders!" someone yells.

I blink through the smoke at a rising cloud of dust up ahead. My hope soars. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd welcome another death-defying ride on the back of the riders' stallions, but right now I could cry with relief.

Within seconds, the riders have drawn up alongside us. They reach out leather-gloved hands and swing the Undergrounders up on horseback.

"Go!" Sven shouts to his men. The military clones take off at the speed of greyhounds toward the barricade.

I lock my arms around a rider's waist and grit my teeth as we gallop for our lives, leaving behind the suffocating smoke billowing out from the carcass of the Megamedes. When we reach the container gates I turn my head in time to catch the brilliant explosion that incinerates the hub of the Sweepers' bloody operation.