System Seven (60 page)

The door swung outward
and revealed a hallway filled with three gunmen in tactical gear. He stabbed the grid. Guttural cries filled
the hallway. The gunmen fell to the floor.

“So much for stealth,”
he whispered to Javier.

“We knew it wouldn’t
last.”

Beyond the rush of
adrenaline, the big feeling raged again. Something else was in play–

–he rotated away from
the door in time to miss the blast. Shrapnel ricocheted into the chamber. The
explosion reverberated outward into the cavern. Smoke rolled from the open
door.

He leaned against the
wall. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Javier
answered. “Turn around full circle.”

Austin did.

“No tear in the suit.
Let’s move.”

The big feeling loomed
smaller but in waves, reflecting possible futures. As if surfing them, he
waited for a lull then went into action.

Small fires lined the
bloodied and blackened hallway. He pressed through the stench, passing two
doors to reach the far end of the hall. It opened to an area with a bank of
elevator doors and a staircase. He peered up an endless stairwell and found it
clear as far as he could see. The elevators had LED lights over each door with
numbers reading as high as 212.

He clicked his tongue
to signal Javier to advance. He tapped an elevator door twice. Javier raised a
hand and the elevator doors parted, seemingly at his command.

Austin stood in the
elevator shafts. Red safety lights marked each floor and blurred into a single
red line far above. Cables ran up two sides of each shaft. Conventional design,
not very alien at all. To think men had built this structure underground in the
1900s still seemed incredible, almost implausible.

The opening tones of
an overhead announcement echoed.

“Austin, I apologize
for the impression you just received. Your arrival was anticipated and we do
not want you harmed. I repeat, we do
not
want you harmed. The guards were there to make contact and guide you up.
Unfortunately you struck them down and triggered their auto-destruct gear. The
most important thing you need to know up front is that you do not understand
the larger reality at hand. The fact is that the Korda wants the same thing we
do, just on a different timeline and with different terms. Everybody knows you
and Johan can be the bridge between the two factions. We understand that, even
if the Korda does not want you to. We are willing to compromise and we think
the other Korda families do, too. We need you to bring them to the table.
Please, I ask that you join us for discussion so that you can make informed and
educated decisions. No further bloodshed is required, I promise you. I cannot
communicate with you from where you are. An elevator will descend momentarily,
so please pick a floor and it will arrive there. We can talk then.”

Smooth. Years of
practice. Centuries. The brevity and frankness was powerful. He could almost
forget the 747 aimed at the hospital.

He tugged Javier to
bring him into the elevator shaft. He whispered, “They couldn’t have
booby-trapped all the floors.”

“But they could have
troops stationed at each.”

“Only one way to find
out. I can take care of them.”

“Then let’s go.”

They rose up the
shaft, flying past red floor indicators in a blur. Austin slowed after passing
a couple dozen levels. Still no sign of the elevator car above. The massiveness
of the base carried its own vibe.
Fuck
it.
He chose a floor and forced the doors open.

A wide hallway crossed
in front of them with non-descript white walls and gray seamless flooring and
ceilings. He peered out and saw doors and intersecting hallways but no people.
He tugged Javier to bring him out.

The overhead sounded
again. “That’s fine, Austin. I want to address one issue in particular first. I
personally regret the actions that led to Kaiya’s death. It was not our design
but rather the result of field operations gone bad. We employ a vast array of
professionals though sometimes it is just the human factor that becomes
unpredictable. We can discuss the details later. The elevator will arrive in
just a moment. In it will be Hannah, my very own great niece. Such is the trust
that I place in who you are. She will be your personal escort. Do you have
questions or any physical needs?”

“No,” Javier answered
simply.

The cables zipped into
motion, lowering the car. Austin sought the grid, gathering potential. More and
more came, energizing the very cells of his being. There was more to tap,
limitless – under the hood, between the seams, an ocean of it just out of view.
Why it was suddenly so available was concerning. Shying away from it, he took
up position to the side of the door.

The cables slowed and
the elevator car came into view. It stopped and its doors slid open.

A woman no older than Austin
stood with arms at her side. Mid-length brown hair fell across her shoulders in
stark contrast to her white uniform. Striking hazel eyes enhanced her beauty.
She politely nodded to Javier, noticing his rifle. If she was afraid, she hid
it well.

“I am Hannah. It is an
honor to meet you, Mr. Bakken. Please be at ease. I am to take you to meet with
the Council.”

“Step to the far right
please. No offense, I just need my breathing space.”

“Of course.”

Austin followed Javier
into the elevator.

“Director’s level,”
Hannah said. The doors closed and the car rose.

“Do you know where my father is?” Javier
asked.

She shook her head no.
“I offer my sympathies. I am not involved in operations.”

Operations
, Austin thought, Her tone and expression made her seem artificial,
programmed, incapable of empathizing with the murdered and missing subjects of
‘operations’. Surely a clue to life in the Core. Anger joined the dance in his
head. All he needed was a shot at the council.

The elevator slowed.
The doors opened onto a curving hallway. Hannah smiled briefly and walked ahead
of them with the grace of a runway model. Perfect people.

They walked in silence
without seeing another human being, down unremarkable hallways and past
unmarked doorways. Small glowing dots revealed the material of the walls and
floors had integrated display capability. If the goal was to get them lost,
they would have turned all navigational indicators off.
They might succeed
. He had only a vague idea how to get back to the
elevators.

“Have you ever been
outside?” Javier asked to fill the silence.

“Topside? Yes. It is
beautiful. I cherish going.”

“Ever been to Hong
Kong? Or east L.A.?”

She looked back. “No.”

“Why aren’t you
afraid?”

“Afraid of what, Mr. Bakken?”

Javier pressed the
rifle between her shoulder blades.

She stopped. “Afraid
of you pulling the trigger? It would be unpleasant but other bodies are
available.” She turned to face him, dismissing the barrel pointed at her chest.
“You know I’ve thought about you. About how you must be angry at the management
of the species. Angry at the perceived deception and injustices inflicted upon
humanity. You feel guilty for Uruguay and Miami and all the other death and
suffering of the last several weeks. But deep down, most of all, you are angry
that you don’t know your father enough to know if he would work for the
Comannda or not.”

Austin heard the words
and fought a sudden urge to cease the madness. He could start right here,
symbolically, by blowing a hole in her chest. One down, thousands to go. The
hidden ocean of potential suddenly raged, demanding that he rip free of
moderation, of tolerance, of sequential and linear thought and decimate
everything. The Comannda. Here, all around him. The source of all the greatest
evils mankind had ever faced. The draw to destroy was so powerful, so right–

“Is something wrong,
Mr. Bakken?”

Austin
, Edward had said, sitting in the study at Shamrock.
Are you with us? Is something wrong?

The memory of the
manipulation shocked him, restoring focus. Hannah wanted him to snap, wanted
him to expend energy.

“No, nothing’s wrong,”
Javier said. “Just go. Keep moving.”

“Are you sure that’s
what you want?”

In answer Austin spun
her around and forced her down the hall. Aggression lingered like an unpleasant
aftertaste. He needed to stay in control.

They walked in silence
until the passage opened on a vaulted area with a black glass wall on the far
side. A single door marred its surface. Four floors of railings looked down
over the lobby-like area. Couches and end tables served those who might wait
outside the door.

“The Council has asked
that you first be updated on current affairs on the surface. The issues are
important to the overall discussion.” The door opened onto another
elevator. “This will take you to the
Directors’ chambers for your briefing. The Council will see you immediately
afterwards.”

“You’re not coming?”

“I am not allowed in
the chambers.”

Javier appraised her.
“Do I look stupid?”

Hannah half-smiled.
“It’s not like that. There is no threat to you. If you open your mind and take
in what they have to say, you’ll understand the situation fully. Isn’t that an
important part of decision making?”

“You’ve heard the term
‘brainwashing’, yeah?”

She smiled fully.
“Yes. Perhaps we all are brainwashed in our own way. I hope you choose wisely,
Mr. Bakken. Be well.” She turned and walked away.

Austin watched her go.
For long moments he listened until her footsteps faded down the hall. Javier
approached the open elevator. He tugged him back.

“I don’t like it,” he
whispered to the druid. “Give me a minute.”

His eyes were drawn to
the black wall where it met the gray ceiling four floors up. He rose into the air and pressed both hands
to the ceiling first, then to the black wall. His hands almost tingled.
There
. He could only think ‘trackways’.
The feeling of knowing where to go was unmistakable.

“Hey!” Javier called out.

Austin turned to see
soldiers fanning out on all four floors, leaning over railings with rifles
aimed at the druid. In just seconds, they had the lobby floor surrounded.

“No need to get
excited, folks,” Javier said, holding his hands up. “I don’t want to hurt any
of you.”

“Enter the elevator so
you can be briefed,” the voice said. “You will not be harmed. If you don’t, you
will be considered a threat and eliminated. Please enter the elevator, now.”

Austin stirred the
grid, potential at the ready. A quick count showed over two dozen troops on
three sides over four floors. He imagined the attack, a complex strike but with
enough energy… he prepared to let it loose.

Javier said, “I’m
interested in what the directors have to say. How about they come down here?
Theses couches look comfy. Plenty of room to sit and talk.”

Austin hesitated,
wondering if Javier could talk his way out of it.

There was a pause
then, a moment that drew too long. The next instant, gunfire roared – Javier’s
body jerked as rounds struck him all at once. Blood erupted, the rifle rounds
passing through the Kevlar.

Austin screamed and
slammed into the grid, slapping the soldiers against the walls, some still
firing wildly. He sent a second wave, this time with piercing bolts that struck
the soldiers’ chests, force modeling through armor to shred their hearts and
lungs. Some missed, severing arms or heads instead. Others missed altogether.
One shouted, “Up there!” and swung his rifle around. Austin sheered his head
off before he could fire. Quick grid punches silenced the few remaining
threats. Gasps of the dying filled the otherwise silent halls. Torn sections of
the fabric he wore rippled light to reveal his armor.

He steadied himself
against a dizzy feeling. He’d struck them all down in just seconds
and
it
felt good
. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t okay to feel that way... but he
couldn’t shake it. He descended to the fallen form of Javier.

So many armor-piercing
rounds had made short work of the Kevlar cap and body armor. Blood flowed onto
the gray floors. Part of his left eye hung from its broken socket bone. His
face was covered in blood and breathing was raspy and shallow.

“They can see you,”
the druid managed.

“I know.” He shook his
head. “I fucked up. I hesitated–”

“Don’t whine. Go get
‘em. Don’t wait...”

He went still then,
his breathing gone. The force that had been Javier dissipated.

“Austin, there is so
much you don’t know,” the voice said. “You are on a suicide mission with no
chance of success. This can still stop now. I don’t have to send in troops if
you just enter the elevator and come up to the conference room. Set aside your
rage and open your mind. There is no need to waste your gifts. I would hate to
kill you but will if you make it necessary.”