“Huh?”

  “You know. Dude gets some beans and goes to a different place with a giant, steals a goose that shits gold or something.”

  “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

  “Thanks, professor. I used to lie in bed wishing that I had a beanstalk to take me to the surface. And now here we are. Weird shit happens.”

  “Yeah. Strange how many lies we were told as kids. The surface is poison and all that. All Echoes are bad and want to kill us.”

  “Not strange at all, though. Need to control the masses somehow.”

  “True.”

  “I know you, Eli. What’s worrying you? Going topside?”

  “Among other things. Mainly Zapata, to be honest. Down there is our territory. We live there, understand it, know all the tricks. Up there…” Eli gestured with both his hands, and Nox jumped up, thinking it was playtime. Eli snapped his fingers and the Alsatian sat, a bemused look on his face. “Up there is a super unknown entity. I hate not knowing things. Hate it.”

  “I get it. We have Jade and the others. Her group. They’re going to help us.”

  “It’s never going to be the same now. Lincoln is gone. We have nothing to return to.”

  “We’ll find somewhere. I made a promise, didn’t I?”

  “Yeah, you did. Sorry. Just venting.”

  Ley kissed his cheek, then rested her head on his shoulder. Eli had always admired that about Ley. She took most things as they came. He, on the other hand, couldn’t rest until he had solved whatever he was thinking about. It was, at times, infuriating. Often, he lay awake at night, unable to sleep because some tiny thing needed to be answered.

  He ran the second clue through his mind over and over as he finished reading the first seven suggestions the data app provided. The first option had nearly made him give up on chasing his instinct. All it contained was the meaning of the name. The origin of Euston was from some place called Ireland. Nothing to do with Etruscans, Romans, or Italy. Maybe Ley was right in saying he was desperate to grasp on to something that wasn’t there.

  Eli decided to search something different and typed in Londinium. That gave him hundreds of different options. He switched off his commpad and rested his eyes. Again, the itch at the back of his mind grew. Hadn’t Dr Stacy Fisher mentioned a place called Londinium?

  He found the passage in less than a minute.

  2048. I fled to London to figure out how I can protect this secret. I don’t have the courage to kill myself. Besides, I still hold out hope that we can use it to better humanity, not for the wealthy to destroy it even more.

  Londinium/London, according to the ATK data app, were the same place, or was. Abandoned for over a hundred years when the sea levels rose, and after decades of war, parts of the megacity were still aboveground. But most of it was a swampy mess. Eli searched for another twenty minutes, his adrenaline pumping through his veins. When he was certain he had the second clue figured out, he woke Ley, Kora and Colter to show them what he had found.

  “What do you think?” he asked once they had seen all the research.

  “I knew I called you professor for a reason,” Colter said. “Riddles and clues like that make no sense to me. Circuits, wires and that stuff, I can deal with. Words that could mean multiple things? Nope.”

  “Simon is after this lady too?” Kora said.

  “Zapata. Yes,” Ley said. “I think you’re onto something, but we know nothing about these places or even where they are located.”

  The sphere rocked violently, then stopped altogether. Red lights flashed and a klaxon blared out. Jade and Rose were on their feet, scrambling to the control panel. The klaxon thankfully stopped, and a few moments later, the red warning lights ceased strobing. Eli saw something flash by the viewport. It was huge and black, with white markings. Whatever the animal was, it circled back and torpedoed towards the sphere with a frightening burst of speed. Jaws filled with massive teeth encompassed everything in Eli’s vision. In fright, he stepped backwards and spread his arms out in a futile attempt to protect Ley and Nox. The creature slammed into the pod, shaking it again. Anyone who wasn’t holding on to something was knocked to the floor. Jade muttered a curse, then whooped. When the sea beast came at them again, something blue shot out of the sphere and struck the creature. It convulsed for a few seconds, then thought better of its situation and swam away.

  “Great Killer Whale,” Jade said after the pod resumed its journey to the surface. “Never seen them out here before.”

  “Neither,” Rose said. “Food along the coast must be getting scarce again.”

  “Killer what now?” Ley got to her feet and helped Kora up.

  “Whale. Used to be half the size. Science went a bit mad with modifying, trying different things. Thirty minutes and we can surface.”

  Rose cleared her throat. “We need a plan. Zapata and his mercs could be waiting. Hell, Wey Security could have shut down the entire rig and be waiting to arrest us as soon as we surface.”

  “Radio someone?” Colter yawned, stretched and scratched behind his ears, shaking dandruff free.

  “We can’t risk it. I switched it off after I messaged that the communications were damaged.”

  “Agnes needs medical attention regardless of what we do,” Rose said.

  “I’m okay.” Agnes groaned and sat up straighter. “I have someone. If we wait until they are on shift again, they’ll hide us until our pilot can get us off.” She grimaced and rubbed the area around the wound. At least the bleeding had stopped. It should have, the amount of stims Rose and Jade had injected.

  “We can’t. Pod is on auto. Self-guided, it will dock in thirty minutes,” Jade said.

  “Then what?” Agnes said. “Say we somehow get all these Gnats through the rig and onto the hoverplane. We need somewhere to go. Preferably without the Thule breathing down our necks.”

  “Ha. Good luck with that.”

  “I may have something. A place we can go,” Eli said. “I’ve been researching the clue.”

  The Echo resistance fighters all stared at him as if he was Baron Munchausen telling people his latest tall tale. Eli didn’t care. A small part of him enjoyed this. He liked to think he didn’t have any prejudice against Echoes, but if he was realistic, there was still a tiny piece. It was there, under the surface. Figuring out something they hadn’t gave him a thrill he’d never had before. All their lives, Gnats were told they were second-class humans and only worthy of servitude. They had no rights. Most lived underground, working the mines or in ghettos, working the fields, growing houses and factories.

  “The floor is yours,” Jade said.

  “I was listening to this old-world song, and a place called Euston was mentioned. Sounded a lot like Etruscan to me. After I researched it, I nearly gave up, until I searched the name of the song — Londinium.”

  “Okay. With you so far,” Jade said.

  Eli raised his eyebrows, waiting for the former agent to make the connection.

  Her brow furrowed. “Wait. Fisher went to London.”

  “Exactly. I did some more research. Where the ripper walks on the bones of Etruscans. Fisher was talking about Jack the Ripper, who terrorised the east end of London in the late nineteenth century.”

  “Of course,” Jade said. “There was a Roman city there. She was meaning that with walking on the bones, referring to the Roman’s predecessors.”

  “That’s what I think,” Eli said.

  Jade grabbed her commpad and stared at the screen. “The dome of the bird can be seen. That’s confusing. We need more time to figure the rest out.”

  “It will have to wait,” Rose said as green light bathed the interior of the escape pod. The soft green light wasn’t from an artificial source; it was from the sun. Already, Eli’s eyes watered from its brilliance. He put on the dark sunglasses Jade had given him, and double-checked Nox. His goggles were firmly in place.

  Something metallic clanged, the sound ringing through the sphere.

  “Commpads,” Jade said, turning to the former residents of Lincoln. Once she had them, she fiddled with something on her own, muttering curses and tapping her right foot as she did so. “New IDs. Same names and occupation. Special assignment assisting me. Nox is included.”

  “Case?” Eli said.

  “Hunting two dangerous terrorists who are believed to have fled to the surface. You’re going to love it. Mayor Sousa and his lovely wife, Jeanette.”

  Colter snorted. “Nice. Technically true.”

  “I’d love to have a wee chat with that psycho,” Ley said.

  “The passes I put in your commpads are legit thanks to the Thule Strategic Services. If someone goes to the director, then we’ll have a problem. Otherwise, none.”

  “Zapata?” Ley asked, voicing Eli’s concern.

  “Depends if they have people on this rig. It is owned by Wey Corp, though I do have the feeling that he’s acting separately. Black ops. Be on your toes.”

  The escape pod shuddered, then rose clear of the water. The green light was replaced by a dazzling brightness that shocked Eli. He squinted despite the sunglasses. As the sphere swung out of the water, he caught a glimpse of grey splotches over the ocean. Clouds. They had to be. He marvelled at the different shades of white, grey and black.

  “Decontamination is first,” Jade continued. “We will have to shower, washing thoroughly. A machine will scan us for any undesirable foreign matter. Insects, soil. Stuff like that. I think that’s it. Have I left anything out, Rose?”

  “All clothing and backpacks will be steamed and scanned. Belongings will be checked. Weapons. Oh, and the waivers.”

  “Waivers?” Eli asked.

  “Forms that you have to sign, that exempt Wey Corp from any blame if you perish under my supervision, and that TSS will reimburse for such a loss,” Jade said.

  “We’re not property,” Ley said.

  “I know, but to them you are.”

  “Slaves. Is that what we really are?” Colter shook his head in disappointment.

  “In the legal sense, yes.”

  Another clang sounded, followed by a deep hissing, as the escape pod docked and the hatch opened. Two men wearing protective suits urged them out. They stood to one side and scanned everyone’s commpad, nodding when they were satisfied.

  “She needs medical,” Rose said, pointing at the limping Agnes. One of the men pressed something on his commpad and a stretcher folded out of the wall. It hovered and glided towards Rose. With Eli’s help, they lay a grumbling Agnes onto the gurney. How it hovered had Eli perplexed. The stretcher took the weight without any movement, and Rose could move it with ease.

  After they were cleared, orange lights illuminated on the floor. With Jade leading the way, they took the only exit into a brightly lit room beyond. Both walls were lined with showers and changing rooms. Eli’s commpad buzzed with instructions.

  Remove all clothing and place in the provided receptacles, along with all your belongings. These will be returned after decontamination. Place commpad in provided container. Follow commands.

  The light stung his eyes, and Eli had to squint after the washing cycle began. Nox played with the jets of water, trying to catch them in his mouth while barking. Eli whistled him to heel. The heated water felt glorious and, somehow, softer. A small turntable spun him in a three-sixty as different soaps and chemicals were sprayed over his body. The final stage was bizarre. A blast of hot air seemed to penetrate every crevice, sending shivers up his spine from its invasive nature. At the end of the cycle, the instructions told him to enter the scanner. It was all over in less than ten minutes, and Eli was happy to see his clothing and gear waiting for him in his changing room. The fresh smell the clothing held was alien. Down in Lincoln, one could never quite get the mustiness out of everything. The slight tang of sulphur, calcites and a hundred other minerals was a normal part of life, and hardly noticed by residents.

  “In here,” Jade said as Eli came out. Ley, Colter and Kora were already finished.

  “Rose and Agnes?” Eli said.

  “Medical.”

  The two men from earlier waited for them in the next room, now minus their protective suits. They held out their commpads and showed the Watchers where to add their thumbprints.

  “Must be someone important if you lot are up here,” one of the men said. Like most Echoes, his skin was flawless.

  “Dangerous,” Jade said. “Extreme category.”

  “Not heard of anything over the feeds. Strange.”

  Jade stood in front of the man and showed him something on her screen. Eli wanted to get a look at it, but the TSS agent switched it off before he could. Whatever it was, it had concerned the worker. “Sorry, ma’am. Didn’t mean to intrude in your business.”

  “But you did. Now I have an issue. A problem that I need to solve.”

  “No problem here.”

  Eyeballing the second worker, Jade jerked her head towards the exit. The worker bowed and hurried from the room, leaving the other man on his own.

  “No problem,” he repeated.

  “Name, class and occupation.” Jade held out her hand, and the worker placed his commpad in it.

  “Is this necessary in front of these Gnats.”

  “Explicitly. They know their place. You have demonstrated you don’t. Hinted that I, a TSS agent, am beneath you.” Jade read the worker ID tag. “Alan Boucher. Class Four. Containment specialist.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Class four?”

  “Ma’am.”

  “You read my details. What did it say?”

  “Eleven. Ma’am.”

  “Let’s take this opportunity to educate the Gnats. How many levels are there?”

  “Twelve, with the Thule being the highest.”

  “And?”

  “No one can move out of their class. You are born into one and you die with it.”

  “Unless?”

  “A Thule rewards one with a great honour.”

  “But?”

  Alan frowned, and Eli guessed he was realising what Jade was hinting at. He was fascinated by this exchange. He knew nothing of the culture on the surface and had never really trusted any of the stories he’d been told by people as they drank away their sorrows in the bars and clubs.

  “Please, ma’am. Sorry for my loose tongue. It’s isolated out on this rig and I forgot my place for a moment.” Alan’s voice had risen an octave as he pleaded with the TSS agent.

  “But?” Jade repeated.

  “Anyone in the above classes can demote one below for not showing respect or for passing insult.”

  “Very good, Boucher. At least you haven’t forgotten your lessons. Consider this a warning.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  “I will be filing a complaint and noting this.”

  “I understand, ma’am.” Boucher bowed and stayed in the position while the Watchers and Jade filed out.

  Once they were out of processing, Jade led them through a series of twisting passageways. Workers wearing myriad colours walked past, hurrying to their posts. No one paid them much attention. Eli noticed a few sideways glances at him and, more specifically, Nox, but nothing was said and, more importantly, no alarms wailed.

  Jade didn’t pause, leading them up several levels and into an empty room through a door marked with an emblem. It was the same emblem as the one Jade had shown him weeks ago to prove she was with the TSS — an eagle, its talons clutching the world. Five stars above it, and three words in a language he didn’t recognise were inscribed underneath. Magnitudo ab intus.

  The room appeared to be some sort of area for relaxation. Soft furnishings sat in one corner around a low table. The space had a small kitchen, tables and chairs.

  Kora rubbed Nox’s head, and he chased her as she jumped onto the couch.

  “You’ll be safe in here. I need to go check on a few things alone. Don’t leave this apartment. Too many have seen you as it is,” Jade said.

  “Understood,” Colter said. He hovered near the agent. “Be careful.”

  “Be careful? You worried about me?”

  Grinning, Colter said, “Well, yeah. You’re our ticket out of here.”

  “See you guys in a bit. Be ready to leave, and don’t let anyone in.”

  “Wilco,” Eli said.

  He joined Colter and Ley at the small table, glad that the initial nerves he’d had about being on the surface were diminishing. Now that all the adrenaline was leaving his body, the enormity of what they had done was dawning on him.

  CHAPTER 23

  Four kilometres below Outpost Rig 42.

  Pacific Ocean.

  Zapata stared up at the dark water beyond the viewport. He couldn’t believe the Watchers had escaped again, this time with help from some of his own kind. He had seen them, smelt the difference. After twenty years of living among the stench of Gnats, he could always tell. He turned his back on his failure and took the elevator back down to the labyrinth. He wanted nothing more than to give in to his anger and attack the rig, but without authorisation, he couldn’t. Besides, it would be unwise. CEO Young was already risking a lot by destroying Lincoln. One disaster could be ignored as a tragedy, but two? No. Questions would be asked by the wrong people, and they would be exposed. Years of planning would be ruined by anger. Clenching his fists at his sides, Zapata tapped his foot impatiently. His security detail wisely stared at the doors as if they were the most fascinating objects in existence.

  More security, including Quinn, waited in the prep room at the bottom. “TSS gear, sir, but nothing to ID the perpetrator.”

  “I know who she is. What I need to know is why was she down here?”

  “Nothing indicates her mission. Think TSS is onto us?”

  Zapata pushed down his anger again. “That is what you need to find out.”

  “The files are classified. There’s no way I can get access.”

  “Make enquiries. Ask around, but discreetly.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Not try, Quinn. Do.”

  “Sir.”

  “Any good news?”

  “We captured Chief Furillo and some stragglers. Pitt and Gladstone have locked down, thanks to the flooded tunnels. Our remaining forces are awaiting your orders to advance.”