The mercs gave chase, hopping into their own electric buggies and tearing up the steep incline after the fleeing buggy. Colter began to drift the buggy as he sped upwards. As they reached the make-out point, a boom echoed out. Falcon Legion had executed their FUBAR plan. The flood gates that controlled the flow of Donker River blew apart, and the trillions of tonnes contained in the reservoirs behind the gates cascaded out in a mind-boggling torrent of water. Swivelling his head to the north, Eli was pleased to see the huge Pitt flood gate locking shut — and just in time. The Glittering Cavern was now another flooded aquifer. The torrent dashed stone worms, mole rats and hyenas against the rock walls and ceilings. It drowned mercs and The Nine’s soldiers in seconds.

  “Holy forking shit!” Colter said, nipping down a narrow tunnel. “I’m glad we’re high up!”

  Nox jumped into the back seat with Eli, licking his face in greeting.

  “Had fun with those worms, huh?”

  Nox barked and licked his face again, then sniffed at Eli’s pocket until he gave him food.

  Ley ruffled the big Alsatian’s ears and kissed his forehead. “I’m losing count of the number of times he’s saved us.”

  “Humanity’s best friend.”

  “Incoming,” Jade warned.

  Blowing out a breath, Eli pivoted and rested his rifle on the head rest. Jade joined him and Ley in the back and jammed a fresh magazine into her rifle. The mercs closed the gap and opened fire. The bullets whizzed harmlessly by. Colter took random turns and tore down passage after passage, and still the mercs kept pace firing. One or two shots pinged off the bodywork, but otherwise, it was just wasted ammo.

  They entered a wide, long cavern that accommodated several rail tracks, a siding yard, and tonnes of equipment stacked in ordered piles. The mercs sped up and separated. In seconds, they were level with the Watchers.

  “Hang on.” Colter slammed on the brakes and yanked the steering wheel hard to the right. They careened, slightly out of control, down another narrow tunnel. Something beeped and flashed green on the dash.

  “Back on track,” Colter said.

  His manoeuvre gained them precious seconds. The buggy bounced roughly over an old track and into a wide passage. Eli kept his eyes peeled, but it seemed they had momentarily lost the mercs. Leaning back, he shut his eyes and enjoyed the respite. Since the attack commenced twenty-four hours earlier, he had barely slept. If it wasn’t for Thule stims and the med capsule, he’d be laid up in a hospital, grimacing in pain. The rigours of the battle, both mental and physical, were taking their toll. He wasn’t a soldier. Never had been. He was a Watcher, good at investigating and tracking. All this shooting, fighting and running was exhausting.

  “Siding Yard Sigma coming up,” Colter said. “Any sign of the mercs?”

  “All clear,” Jade said.

  Colter slowed the buggy as they took a bend and went up three levels, then through another siding yard and into a wide tunnel. They travelled for another two hours with no sign of pursuit. The mercs, with their Thule tech, would have ways of tracking them. They would be confident. The Watchers had to do something. Something different.

  “I have an idea,” Eli said. “Jade. Can your way-to-the-surface gate be sealed so no one can come through after us?”

  “There is a contingency protocol.”

  Eli glanced at her quizzically.

  “Yes,” Jade said. “Succour have a plan for this, but with the right equipment, all it can really do is delay.”

  “Good. Next question. Will the mercs know where we will surface?”

  “They will. Where are you going with this?”

  “Hit. Run. Hide,” Ley said.

  Flashing a smile, Eli said, “Colter, take the next left and stop in a wide area.”

  When the buggy came to a stop, Eli climbed out. “We’re close to where Jade, Nox and I fought the mole rats. Grab everything you need. This is a good spot.”

  Once everyone had their stuff, Eli went over his plan. After Jade and Colter acknowledged their understanding, they went to work. First, they used the jack to lift the buggy, then tipped it on its side. Second, Colter activated the thumpers, tweaking the vibration rate so they would attract mole rats and not stone worms. Scouting the area, Jade and Ley signalled they had found the optimal spot. After scattering the contents of the buggy, Eli surveyed their handiwork. He decided it would have to do. Beggars can’t be choosers, or something like that. Or was it “don’t knock a gift horse in the mouth”? Old-world analogies were weird.

  The ground rumbled as Eli joined his friends. Nox growled, sniffing the air.

  “I know, boy. Hold.”

  A pack of mole rats came out of a side passage, squeaking. They sniffed at the vehicle and bit down on the tires. Over the years, the rodents had developed a taste for the plant-based material. It was like giving ice cream to a child — they loved it. The rats went to town, munching on the tires and rustling through the buggy. The larger of the males tore at the fabric of the seats, looking for more food and a way into the fuel cells. The rats loved the hybrid fuel more than anything and would die trying to get it out. As a result, the engineers and mechanics had fortified power units like they were building a tank around it. Finding no way in, the male chased a female away and devoured half a tire.

  “Any sign?” Eli whispered into the comms.

  “Nothing.”

  “The assholes better show up soon. Rats are losing interest.”

  “Should I turn the thumpers back on?” Ley said.

  “Good idea.”

  Five minutes went by, then twenty, then thirty. Eli pushed down the anxiety creeping up from the pit of his stomach. Had they lost the mercs, or had they given up the search? He didn’t believe it. From what Jade had told him about the sexless humans, they obeyed orders to the letter. Like machines, they didn’t have any other thoughts. If the order was to capture Eli, Colter, Ley and Jade, then that was what they were going to do. What about Nox? They’d probably kill him for kicks.

  Another family of mole rats entered the cavern and shrieked at the first family. For a moment, Eli thought a fight would break out, but the second family skirted the buggy in a wide circle, leaving the other family to their meal.

  “Well, this sucks.” Ley whistled for Nox and rested her head on Eli’s shoulder. “When you want a merc, they’re nowhere to be seen.”

  “Typical.” Eli grinned.

  All they could do was wait. Wait and hope.

  CHAPTER 19

  Northern Pacific Ocean.

  The journey across the vast expanse of water was boring as hell. Kora loved being up on the deck, having the wind blow over her body, breathing in the salt air. After they left the mainland behind, the colour of the water slowly changed from filthy brown to murky green. She spotted massive islands of floating garbage. Some even had straggly trees growing on them, and birds of some description. But she soon grew tired of the chill seeping into her body. She had never felt cold before. It was always warm in Lincoln, and so hot in California, she had needed the cool suit she still wore under the red coveralls. The other workers on the deck spent their time staring at the horizon, watching the sun. As Kora endured the cold, she thought about Helstrop’s orders: report in using her commpad. She still didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. For now, she was going to focus on stopping The Nine from making a huge mistake. Unless you were a Thule, the surface wasn’t the paradise Simon — the lying bastard — had promised. Screw that guy. Well, she knew now he was Zapata. Somehow, it had been worse knowing she had been betrayed by a Gnat. Echoes always lied and cheated them. It was expected. She found it puzzling that she didn’t think the same of Rose and Agnes. Maybe not all Echoes.

  “You still up here, kid?” Agnes said. “You’ll catch a chill.”

  “Okay, Mum.”

  Agnes slapped Kora on the butt as she descended the stairs back to the lounge. A meal was being served in the nearby cafeteria. Rose, standing in the line, pointed to a booth, and soon joined them with three trays of food. A man with tanned skin slid into the booth a few seconds later.

  “Kora, this is our pilot, Vasquez.”

  “You’re right. She’s just a kid.”

  “I’m eighteen,” Kora said.

  “I’ve got birds older. Anyway. Nice to meet you. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a Lincoln Gnat up close. Don’t smell like anything to me.”

  Kora was confused by Vasquez. He smiled while he spoke, and his words sounded sincere, yet they were insults. She put it down to cultural differences and picked up one of the gelatinous cubes on her tray. She had a hankering for some meat. Anything. Even one of the rat burgers favoured on Level One.

  “Why do we need a pilot anyway? Thought we were going to a rig or something?”

  “Initially.” Rose glanced around the room as if worried about being overheard. No one seemed to be paying the small group any attention, though. A lot of people were sleeping or hunched over card games. Some watched the giant screens, on which a sport Kora had never seen before was being shown. Men chasing a ball across a beautiful green pitch. Nothing resembling Scrag in any way.

  “After the rig, we have a little ways to go.”

  “By jet?”

  Vasquez flashed his perfect white teeth again. “Haven’t been jets in the skies for over two centuries, kid. We call them hoverplanes.”

  A commotion broke out on the other side of the room as a card game deteriorated into a fight. Agnes shook her head in disgust. “Every time. I wish they banned that ridiculous pastime. It’s so passe.”

  “Kora. You have to follow us and do exactly what we do. If we are stopped, let Vasquez do the talking. We’re his crew,” Rose said.

  “Okay.”

  “Get your stuff.”

  A loud klaxon beeped from unseen speakers. Almost as one, the workers stopped what they were doing and gathered their belongings. Agnes stood and led the small group towards the toilets. Next to the restrooms was a door marked Pilots and Crew Only. Holding up his commpad to the electronic lock, Vasquez gained access. He guided them towards the back of the ship and onto a flight deck. Dozens of strange-looking vehicles took up every square centimetre of space.

  The hoverplane Vasquez led them to looked like a pregnant whale minus a tail. Though bulbous in the middle, it managed to look sleek and aerodynamic. Kora didn’t know what to think. She’d spent hundreds of hours watching old-world films depicting fighter jets and ancient planes with propellers. She couldn’t see anything resembling a propulsion system on the vehicle. Vasquez used his commpad to gain access to the craft, and immediately ascended a narrow ladder that led up to the spacious cockpit. Immediately behind the pilot and co-pilot chairs were two cushioned seats. Kora took one behind Agnes, who sat in the co-pilot’s chair.

  “Strap in and comms on, ladies. Lift off in five,” Vasquez said.

  Rose demonstrated to Kora how the harness worked and placed a small radio in her ear.

  Kora couldn’t help but watch the pilot, fascinated, as his hands whizzed over the huge computer screen in front of him. It was full of dials and readouts. Two large red circles glowed, one on the left and one on the right. Vasquez ignored them and started calling out a checklist to Agnes, who repeated the words back to him after checking the screen.

  The rig came into view as the huge ship drew alongside it. It was gigantic, an island of metal, glowing lights, and hundreds of people everywhere, rushing about their various tasks. Twelve chimney-like structures soared above the rig, belching bright orange and yellow flames into the atmosphere every few seconds. Hugging the exterior of the structure were apartments. Some had roof gardens of dizzying greens, different shades that seemed to dance in front of Kora’s eyes. It was beautiful, and even though the sky was a murky blue, it was all she had dreamed of. Seeing it, despite the wasteland she had seen in California, made the thought of going back underground send a shiver up her spine. Did she really want to go back down there after seeing all this? No. Her friends were in danger. There wasn’t a life up here for Gnats. Not in California. Not the way Simon had sold it to them.

  Once the ship docked, cranes whizzed out and plugged into the ship’s colossal tanks which, to Kora, looked like the pork buns at Ren’s Ramen.

  “Here we go,” Vasquez said.

  The hoverplane lifted off with such ease, it felt like it was floating. Vasquez guided the craft to the back of the ship and hovered over a steel container. Something clanged underneath the plane, and it rocked.

  “Load secure,” Agnes said.

  “Kid. See that screen in front of you?” Vasquez said.

  “Yeah,” Kora said.

  It turned on and revealed a camera view of her side of the hoverplane. A green box overlaid the image of the container.

  “When I take her down, tell me if that green box turns red. Think you can handle that?”

  “I dunno. Which is green and which is red?”

  “Is she being serious?” Vasquez stared at Agnes.

  Kora chuckled. “The lab obviously left out a sense of humour when they made you.”

  “Cheeky Gnat. Can you handle it?”

  “Sure.”

  Vasquez turned back to his controls, shaking his head. Rose, grinning from ear to ear, gently punched Kora’s arm. Kora was glad to know some Echoes enjoyed a bit of ribbing.

  The hoverplane glided effortlessly with its load and dropped it off next to a stack of containers, Kora calling out when the box turned red. They repeated the process until only one container remained. Vasquez picked up the massive metal cube while he chatted over the comms to someone in a language Kora didn’t recognise, then swung the hoverplane away from the massive rig and towards the setting sun. The craft accelerated, and both Vasquez and Agnes sat back, hands off the control screens.

  “How come we didn’t fly from that city?” Kora asked.

  “Fuel, kid. Wey Corp save money wherever they can. Why waste it if a ship going most of the way already is?”

  “These don’t run on fusion energy?”

  “I wish. We’d be going twice as fast.”

  “Only military craft and some private,” Rose said. “This runs off hydrogen fuel cells. Expensive to maintain and produce, hence the reason we piggy-backed on the gas tanker most of the way.”

  “I’ve heard the mechanics talk about that stuff.”

  “It burns clean, and on a full tank, we could easily circumnavigate the world.”

  “That’s like far, or whatever?”

  Vasquez barked out a snorted laugh. “Don’t teach you much down there, do they, kid?”

  “Only what is necessary. Idiot.”

  “Vasquez. Leave it out,” Rose said. “Echoes are only educated in their assigned vocation. Before I joined the cause, I only knew things related to sports.”

  “All right. Sheesh. Just having a little fun.” The screen beeped. “Twenty minutes ETA.”

  Rose turned to Kora. “What can we expect down there? Tell me everything.”

  “I’m not sure. Depends where we enter.”

  “Near some place called Pitt.”

  “Well, um, okay. Tunnels, obviously. We’ll need a rebreather because the air can go bad real quick. Lights. Something to travel in. It would take two days to walk from Pitt to Lincoln.”

  “We can arrange all that. I meant with The Nine. Lincoln security forces.”

  “Ah right, what? Okay, sorry. I don’t think The Nine will be a problem. The base is deep within the labyrinth, kilometres away from Pitt. Falcon Legion are away on campaigns a lot. The Watchers keep the peace in the city, and only venture into the tunnels if they’re chasing fugitives.” Kora wanted to tell Rose about Eli, Ley, Nox and Colter, but decided to hold back. After being betrayed by Simon and getting the ultimatum from Helstrop to spy, she was having difficulty trusting people completely. “Oh, and we’ll have to watch for storms and mole rats.”

  “Stone worms, right?” Agnes said from the co-pilot’s seat.

  “Yup. Nasty little buggers if you get them aggravated.”

  “Think you can find your way back to Lincoln?” Rose said.

  “Should be able to. The main crushing plant is in Lincoln, so if we follow the raw material trains, that should lead us.”

  “Should? I need it to be certain. We’re risking everything to go down there.”

  “Sometimes, if the crushers are full, the trains go to Gladstone.”

  “It’s a risk we must take,” Agnes said.

  “You guys are mad,” Vasquez said. “You know that, right?”

  “You’re here with us,” Rose said.

  “Can’t argue with that.”

  The control screen beeped, and Vasquez leaned forwards, adjusting controls. The hoverplane corrected course and another rig appeared on the horizon.

  As they got closer, Kora could see that it was tiny compared to the one they’d left behind. Maybe a tenth of the size — it only had one chimney spouting flames and one stack of apartments. A large, flat platform jutted out from the structure. Vasquez and Agnes brought them in and dropped the container close to a tower with communications antennas. Then the hoverplane glided into an open hangar.

  Vasquez shut down the engines and unstrapped. “Ladies, we have arrived at Outpost Forty-two. Please put your seats and tray tables in the upright position, and make sure you have all your belongings. Thank you for flying with us.”

  Rose stayed close to Kora as they exited the craft. They were met by a rotund man with a bored expression. After he had scanned their wrist devices, he pointed at a red door fifty metres away. “Make yourselves at home. Rec rooms, canteen and sleep pods are on Level Five. Casino and entertainment on Four.”

  “Pleasure dens?” Vasquez asked.

  “Level Three. Enjoy. Operations is out of bounds to all non-rig employees. Please don’t make my life hard by going there. I have enough to do without chasing after some drunken fly-boys and -girls looking for a place to bang. Use the designated facilities. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Crystal,” Rose said.

  Kora nodded, too nervous to speak. She was standing above her home. It felt weird but fulfilling to make good on the promise she had made to herself at the Helstrop complex.