Hex (22 page)

•  •  •

As Raven allowed her mind to fuse with the laboratory's computer system she tried to concentrate on what her objectives were. Huge amounts of data surrounded her and the lure of those test results was hard to resist. But it was the security system she needed to find.

She flashed through the data streams, calling up information on the security alert. She was vaguely aware that the signals from Wraith's and Ali's transceivers were getting closer and the information scrolling past informed her that they were about to be joined by two different security teams headed toward them.

> cut power to elevators <
she commanded.
> lock out all access attempts not originating from this room. <
She was moving faster through the security database now, taking steps to terminate its effectiveness.

> disrupt transmissions on frequencies used by cps operatives <
she continued.
> cut transmissions from vidcams/motion sensors. cut power to electrified fencing. <
Caught up in what she was doing, Raven issued her commands peremptorily, delighting in the way the computers obeyed her every whim. Valuable minutes had passed before she realized that something was wrong. The system was slowing down, taking longer to carry out her orders, becoming sluggish. She tried to identify the cause of the problem and found it hard to focus. Her mind, wrapped around the circuitry, was subjected to the same blight as the computers. Raven tried to pull back some of the tendrils of her consciousness, realizing too late that the system was exercising a stranglehold on her, dragging her down into the depths of its own dementia.

Kez stiffened in alarm as Raven groaned, one hand slipping from the keypad as her eyes rolled back in her head. She was white, her brows drawn together in pain. As if on cue there was a shout from the doorway and the sound of gunfire. He heard the roar of Jeeva's gun and realized that there were more guards arriving.

“Raven!” he exclaimed, catching her arm and shaking it. “Raven! What's wrong?”

•  •  •

Wraith halted, the conviction in Dr. Kalden's voice turning him to lead. He was aware of what was happening but felt strangely divorced from it, overpowered by the realization of his own failure. He had convinced Raven to accompany him here; if he didn't surrender now he would lose her as he had lost Rachel; and Ali and Kez, dragged into something that had nothing to do with them, would die too.

“It's over,” Dr. Kalden said again and Wraith lowered his weapon. It was time to end this. Suddenly there was an inarticulate cry of rage and frustration and Wraith blinked as one of the two boys who were standing with Ali launched himself at the scientist. One of the CPS operatives leaped to block him and they went down in a tangle of limbs, Dr. Kalden moving quickly behind his guards. A gun sprang into life as Finn took advantage of the distraction to attempt an escape, Ali screamed and then everyone was firing.

Wraith only had one object in view. He hurled himself across the room, blasting away the restraints that held Revenge down before overturning the bed and using it as a barricade to shelter her from the blazing guns even as he moved to face them, opening fire on a CPS guard. The firefight lasted a few more seconds, cut off as suddenly as it had begun. As Wraith stood he became aware of the sound of running footsteps and glanced at the door.

“It was the doctor,” Ali told him, getting up from the floor; a cut on her forehead attesting that she had not been swift enough in seeking shelter. “He got away.”

“Forget him!” Finn snarled, one arm hanging limply as he bent over his comrade.

“How is he?” Wraith asked, concerned.

“He's flatlined,” Finn said harshly, using his good arm to reach to close Melek's eyes. “They got him.”

“I'm sorry,” Wraith began, when a movement recalled him to another casualty. He could see for himself that the boy was dead; blood streamed from the bullet wounds that had shattered his skull, staining the metal that encased his body. The second boy knelt at his side and Ali moved to help him up.

“Luciel, are you OK?” she asked.

“I'm OK,” he told her, limping slightly as he stood. “I guess Tom would have wanted to go that way.”

“What we gonna do now?” Finn asked, turning to Wraith, but it was not the ganger who answered.

From behind the bed a small ragged figure got to her feet, walking like an animated scarecrow. As they turned to look at her, Revenge croaked a response to Finn's question.

“Raven . . . ,” she said. “You must warn Raven.”

“Raven!” Wraith's face darkened as he reached to flip on his com unit. “I hope it's not too late.” He keyed to Raven's frequency and said her name urgently. “Raven, are you there?” There was a crackle and then a voice replied:

“Wraith, it's Kez! Something's wrong!”

“Where's Raven?” Wraith demanded.

“She's right here. But she's totally out of it, I can't make her hear me.”
Kez sounded frantic.
“And there are guards outside the room. I don't know how long Jeeva can hold them back!”

“Stay with Raven,” Wraith told him. “We'll try to get to you.” But his heart sank at the thought. He doubted if they would get out of this facility alive.

•  •  •

A virus. Raven's thought processes finally connected enough for her to identify the source of the problem. Slowly a virus was shredding the computer system, endeavoring to take her with it. Well not this time. With the realization came rage. The fury crested within her as she realized that this had been something she hadn't anticipated and she took the first step to combat the threat. The million strands of her awareness snaked through the system, this time binding themselves to it, battling insanity with reason. Raven knitted the ravaged data streams back together, forcing them to mesh and become whole again.

The progress of the virus slowed under the onslaught of Raven's icy expertise. She controlled the system. Her conviction made it true. As the last trace of the virus disappeared she gradually became aware of other calls on her. Wraith was apparently attempting to use a deactivated elevator, Kez was shaking her insistently, and someone was conducting a battle only meters away. Raven sent the command to unlock the elevator and turned to regard Kez.

“What happened?” she asked.

“You're back!” Kez's eyes were wide as he clutched her hand urgently. “I thought you were out for good.”

“It would take more than an amateur computer virus,” Raven said contemptuously, glancing back at the terminal.

“Is that what it was?”

“Yes. Do you have any more of those explosives?”

“No,” Kez admitted. “I've used all mine.”

“Take this then,” Raven told him, producing a disk-shaped object from her pocket.

“What is it?” Kez asked, dubiously.

“A more powerful explosive,” Raven said calmly. “Flip that switch, count to three, then throw it at the guards. Go now! I'm getting a headache from the noise.”

Kez headed for the door and Raven grinned. Still keeping contact with the computer system, she used one hand to activate her com unit, setting it for wide receive so the rest of the team would hear her.

“Hey, Wraith! What's up with you?”

“Raven!” Wraith's voice came from her com unit, the relief in it evident. “Are you OK?” There was the sound of an explosion from the corridor outside, ringing in Raven's ears. She shook her head to clear it.

“I'm chill. You?”

“We've got Ali and . . . Revenge. But we've lost Melek.”

“Damn.” Raven frowned. “Get up here. We've got to move out soon.”

“We'll be with you in a minute,” Wraith replied.

•  •  •

As Raven cut the channel, Kez and Jeeva entered the room behind her. The ganger was wounded, his shoulder bleeding copiously, and he seated himself on one of the chairs to bind it up.

“I spoke to Wraith,” Raven told him. “He said Melek didn't make it.”

“Melek?” The ganger cursed under his breath, his expression dark with anger, but then shook his head. “There'll be time for that later—for now we've got to get out of this rattrap!”

“Agreed,” Raven replied. “But have you any idea how?” She indicated the computer terminal. “The CPS are crawling all over the place. I don't think we'll make it back to the flitter.”

Finn raised his gun warily
as the elevator doors slid open, but this time there were no CPS guards waiting for them. Instead Kez stood on his own, holding a massive combat rifle that Wraith recognized as Jeeva's, his eyes wide and apprehensive.

“The control room's just down the hall,” Kez said instantly. “We should get back there quickly before more guards turn up.”

“Lead the way,” Wraith agreed, lifting Revenge's emaciated figure into his arms. She was shaking, her eyes flickering wildly from one direction to another, but Wraith didn't have time to worry about her. Behind him Ali was supporting Luciel, whose limp had grown more pronounced, and Finn brought up the rear, keeping his gun trained on the empty corridor behind them.

Raven glanced up as they entered the control center and for a moment her gaze locked with Revenge's. The younger girl stiffened and Wraith released her, setting her down gently in one of the empty chairs. As he did so Raven's attention moved from Revenge to him.

“Wraith, we've got trouble,” she said curtly.

“So I see,” Wraith agreed, before looking back at Finn. “Finn, Kez, you guard the door.” He paused while he looked at the boy Ali was supporting, then added: “You, kid, can you handle a gun?” The boy began to shake his head but Jeeva interrupted before he could say anything.

“I'll go with them,” the ganger said, retrieving his combat rifle from Kez. Wraith nodded at him and turned back to Raven.

“What's the stat?” he asked.

“This,” Raven replied and all over the control room screens sprang to life. They showed images of the lab from monitors scattered throughout the facility, many of them focused on armed guards. Raven hadn't moved, but her hands lay on a computer keypad, obviating the necessity. Clearly the computer system was under her control. “I've restored some of the lab's security programming,” Raven explained, “so we can keep track of the opposition.”

“Do you know where the doctor went?” Ali asked, joining them in front of the monitors.

“What doctor?” Raven frowned.

“Kalden,” Ali's companion answered her. “He's the senior research scientist here.”

“He caught us in Revenge's room,” Ali added, “but then he got away before Wraith could stop him.”

“I'll try to locate him,” Raven said, “but right now we have more important concerns.” She paused and then added, “And who is this?”

“Luciel,” Ali explained, looking guilty. “He's a friend.”

“We were going to free the other test subjects,” Luciel said, his eyes meeting Raven's in a strange challenge.

“You're out of your mind,” she returned. “We're going to have enough problems getting out of here ourselves, let alone bringing a bunch of kids with us.”

•  •  •

The one thing that had sustained Ali while she was held in the laboratory was her knowledge of Raven's abilities. Although she trusted Wraith's promise of rescue, that promise could not have been made without Raven. When Dr. Kalden had claimed that Raven would fail to penetrate the lab's system, Ali had been shaken, but now she knew that Raven had succeeded, Ali's confidence in the younger Hex had increased. Now as Raven sat at the center of the control room, surrounded by flickering screens and the hum of machinery, Ali lacked the necessary conviction to promote her cause. But Luciel, who knew nothing of what Raven was capable of, felt no such restrictions.

“Have you any idea how many of us have died in this place?” he demanded of Raven, addressing her as the leader of the group in a recognition of the power she wielded within it. “How many more will die if you don't do something to help them? What kind of a rescue is this, if you only come for two out of the hundreds of us who are held here?” He paused before adding, in a quieter tone of voice: “A friend of mine was killed trying to help you people—doesn't that mean anything to you?”

“One of our team didn't make it either,” Raven pointed out, still not turning away from her computer screens. “And I don't acknowledge the responsibility you're trying to make me feel.” Her voice was cold and her eyes unreadable as she concluded: “Am I my brother's keeper?”

For a moment there was silence as Luciel struggled for words, and Wraith watched him as if waiting for a sign. Then from the side of the room a faint voice replied:

“You are his keeper as he is yours.”

Wraith and Raven stiffened, before turning as one to look at Revenge, who returned their gaze with the impenetrability of an oracle. It was Wraith who broke that contact first.

“We must at least attempt to do something,” he said.

Raven wrenched her gaze away from Revenge's and turned to glare at her brother, her black stare boring into him.

“We?” she queried. “You mean me, don't you? I've paid my dues, Wraith. You came here for Rachel and found Revenge. Now let's leave.”

•  •  •

Kez shrank back behind the corner of the corridor as another burst of gunfire slammed into the wall. Jeeva swore under his breath before reloading his gun and angling it blindly round the corner to fire at the advancing guards. Kez glanced behind him. Twenty meters back was the open door of the control center and twenty meters behind that was another turn in the corridor, guarded by Finn. He too was firing round it, which meant more guards were coming in the other direction. Jeeva ducked his head round the angle of the walls and pulled back even faster.