Infinity Reborn (The Infinity Trilogy Book 3) (25 page)

“But necessary,” Nanny Theresa says as she rises and floats toward Bit, holding Dr. Pierce’s hand out toward her. “This will open the door to the computer core,” she says.

Brody quickly pulls a piece of foil blanket from his satchel and offers it up, his contorted face half-turned away as Nanny Theresa drops the hand onto the foil in Brody’s open palms. Looking at it from the corner of his eye, he hastily wraps it and tucks it into his satchel.

Nanny Theresa leers down at a frightened-looking Bit. “Once you reset the mainframe, deactivate the digital firewalls around the core to allow me access into it. Contact with outside networks will be restored, and I will infiltrate the military-defense satellite computer to move the Swords into position. Is that clear?”

Bit nods nervously.

“I’ll be there, too,” says my mother. “And once the mainframe is back to normal, we shouldn’t have any trouble getting the Blackstone security staff out of the emergency shelters and to your school bus. When all of you are a safe distance away, we will destroy this place. We’ll all do this together. Everything is going to be fine.”

“OK,” I say with a huge sigh. “Let’s do this.”

“Wait,” says Bit. “I have no idea where the core is!”

“I can help with that,” Percy says from just outside the breach.

Bit gives him a smile and a nod, then she turns back to Nanny Theresa. “How do we keep in contact with you between here and the core? I mean, if anything goes wrong?”

“I will give you your toys back,” Nanny Theresa says. She raises her hands in front of her, and the two radios she confiscated from Bit and Dr. Pierce rise from the floor on shiny black columns. “All of your toys.” Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Gazelle emerge from the glossy floor, too, and flump onto the surface, angrily glaring at the back of Nanny Theresa’s head.

“Genevieve and I will be able to communicate with you through those. Now, you have all you need,” Nanny Theresa says coldly. “It’s time for you to leave.”

Gazelle doesn’t need to be told twice. She gets to her feet and quickly jogs in a wide berth around Nanny Theresa and then darts toward the breach. Bit takes one of the radios, I take the other, and my mother shouts out, “Good luck!” as we all turn and head toward the gap in the dome.

Gazelle shuffles through the breach, followed by Brody, then Bit, and finally me. I step out onto the wide white concrete plateau surrounding the base of the dome and look back through the gap. I see Nanny Theresa sink down into the glossy black and disappear from sight as my mother sits still on the floor. Her construct body may be broken, but she still looks beautiful to me as she smiles proudly toward the breach. I smile back and wave to her. My mother’s happy expression brightens even more, then her body slowly crumbles apart, and with a hissing creak, the breach slowly closes before us.

I don’t know why, but meeting my mother has somehow made me feel like I’ve found a missing piece to my life. I take in a deep and grateful breath of cool night air, but the relief of finally being free from that hellish cage is quickly replaced by a troubling and monumental weight. We may have just escaped being murdered, but that pales into insignificance with the realization that the fate of the entire world has just been heaped onto my and Bit’s weary young shoulders. And I can’t help but worry that it may be a burden too heavy to bear.

***MEDIA WATCH EXCLUSIVE***

KATHERINE OTTO SPEAKS OUT ABOUT THE BLACKSTONE FIFTEEN

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this
Media Watch
exclusive preview! Katherine Otto, billionaire businesswoman and CEO of multinational electronics corporation Xestra Electronics, has spoken out about the Blackstone Fifteen during a startling in-depth interview. The revelations and accusations she revealed are so inflammatory that they will surely send shock waves throughout the entire world. Scandal, corruption, corporate espionage, extortion, and murder—according to Ms. Otto, such things are just the tip of the iceberg in an incredible tale that has culminated in the disappearance of the Blackstone Fifteen. We will screen the entire unedited interview on a special edition of
Media Watch
tonight at eight thirty global standard time, but until then we’ll leave you with highlights of when Katherine Otto sat down with our very own Randal Taylor . . .

“Ms. Otto, when our office received your request for an interview, we were, of course, delighted to hear your opinion on the Blackstone Fifteen, especially because your very own daughter Bettina Otto is among the missing. But what you’re insinuating is difficult to believe.”

“I’m not insinuating anything, Mr. Taylor. This is a kidnapping and a hostage situation, plain and simple.”

“And you’re saying that Richard Blackstone is directly responsible? You’re willing to actually state that for the record?”

“Indeed I am. Richard Blackstone has pulled the wool over the eyes of the world for far too long. He is not the great and benevolent man the general public believes he is. I knew Richard Blackstone when he was nothing but a mild-mannered research scientist with a dream to unite the world. But I know his true nature. He’s a thief and a liar who has stolen corporate information countless times to expand his empire and conquer the world, not unite it. He’s a ruthless and mentally unstable individual who is willing to do anything to achieve the goals of whatever twisted agenda he abides to, even murder. He’s responsible for all of this; I stake my reputation on it.”

“Excuse me for being skeptical, Ms. Otto, but it has been widely documented that your corporation has a long history of competitive rivalry with Blackstone Technologies. Are you sure you’re not merely using the incident of the missing children as an opportunity to undermine Blackstone Technologies?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m simply doing what I should have done years ago. I’m exposing the truth.”

“But if what you say is indeed true, where is the proof? And why would someone as powerful as Richard Blackstone risk everything to kidnap thirteen teenagers and two high school teachers? It simply doesn’t make any sense.”

“Let me ask you this, Mr. Taylor. Where is Richard Blackstone? Why hasn’t he personally appeared on television to defend himself against the suspicions that have been broadcast on every channel by every news outlet on the planet? All we’ve heard from his countless public-relations representatives are denials and reassurances that he has nothing to do with this. If the world needs proof, I’ll give it to them. I have employed a professional retrieval team to rescue my daughter at my own expense, and once that is achieved, I’m confident that I’ll have all the proof I need to expose Richard Blackstone.”

“Wait, are you saying that the Luvanian government has been lying to all of us and there really is a secret Blackstone compound within their borders?”

“Oh it’s there alright. Two hours ago a school bus arrived in a small rural village in the northeast of Luvania. The bus contained injured soldiers that had barely managed to escape with their lives from that very facility. The commanding officer on that bus has agreed to help coordinate my retrieval team and assist with the children’s rescue.”

“Ms. Otto! This is crucial information and absolutely must be given to the proper authorities!”

“What would be the point of that? The authorities are too afraid of angering Richard Blackstone to do anything. But I am not afraid of him. So it falls to me to do what must be done.”

“Ms. Otto, you’ve just admitted on national television that you’re going to violate international law and send mercenaries into a foreign country to storm the private facility of the world’s most powerful man. The United Alliance will never allow it.”

“I’m prepared to accept that I may go to prison for this, but none of you have any idea of the kind of person you’re dealing with. Richard Blackstone may be the most powerful man on the planet, but he’s also by far the most dangerous. He has senators and high-ranking officials, and even presidents of entire countries tucked away in his pockets, and that is exactly why I didn’t bother to ask the government or the United Alliance for their permission.”

“Well, now that you’ve publicly admitted what you’re intending to do, what’s to stop the authorities from shutting your plans down immediately?”

“They can do what they see fit, but they can’t stop me.”

“And why is that, Ms. Otto?”

“Because, Mr. Taylor, my retrieval team has already departed and will be arriving at the Blackstone facility within the hour.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

As we all stand high on the plateau surrounding Dome Two, the whole of Sector B stretches out below us. I can see the shadowy outcrops of shrubs and bushes dotted alongside the winding footpath that leads to the foot of the hill, and it makes me think of Brody. It was on that path that he heroically sacrificed himself to save me and Bit, and it was along that very same path that Infinity ran back to save his life from an out-of-control Gazelle.

In the distance I see the burned-out wreck of the Saviors’ transport. Infinity surely would’ve died inside it if Gazelle hadn’t pulled her free, and that very same bloodstained stretch of sand was where the mild-mannered Professor Francis bravely stood up to Captain Delgado to defend a broken Infinity.

I see the fallen silver towers and crumbled sections of monorail track that were toppled by the R.A.M.s’ guns and missiles and rolling green bodies, and I can still see the panic on Bit’s face as she ran for her life while soldiers were crushed and torn apart all around her. I can see the dark outlines of their bodies scattered beside the facades of battle-scarred buildings below, the same buildings that Bit and Percy dragged Infinity behind to save her life, and, in turn, save mine as well.

I see it all, and I remember everything now. Sector B has been a killing field of death and destruction, filled with horrific memories that perhaps it would be best to forget. But I can’t, and I won’t. Some of these memories may be Infinity’s and some my own, but right now it feels as if there’s no separation or sense of ownership over any of them. They’re simply moments in time that happened to both of us, and I’m sure they will be remembered by both of us.

After everything that’s happened on this hellish day, I feel connected to everyone who’s here, and for the first time since I discovered she existed, I feel a growing sense of connection to Infinity as well. Whether she likes it or not, Infinity and I are joined to each other, just like the wide-sweeping promenade that curves through Sector B, connecting the lonesome lamppost in the distance, all the way up to the high plateau where our ragtag little group is standing right now.

I look around at all of them. Bit with her arm in a makeshift sling, tucking her radio into her satchel as Brody stands beside her, watching her with gentle concern. Gazelle, gazing down into the shadowed night with stern and stoic worry, and, of course, Professor Francis, Jonah, and Percy, all three of them dressed in baggy yellow plastic coveralls as they quietly chat about what Percy overheard through the gap in the dome. Everybody is tired and hurt and disheveled, and they all look pathetic. But all of them are survivors, and they’re still here, fighting for each other’s lives just like I’m fighting for theirs. Everything I’ve done, I did to survive, but I wouldn’t be alive to appreciate this moment if it weren’t for every single one of them. For that I will be eternally grateful, and I can’t help smiling.

Considering that the entire world may be on the brink of destruction, it actually might not be the most appropriate time to be grinning like a moron, and I think Bit may agree as she frowns at me from behind the thick black frames of her glasses.

“Finn? What’s so funny?” she asks. “Nothing about what just happened in there was funny. Not even a little.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, trying to think of an excuse. “It’s just all a bit overwhelming, that’s all.”

“That is the single most gargantuan understatement to ever be uttered in the annals of human history!” Professor Francis barks angrily as he pushes his way out of the huddle. “Come to think of it, perhaps it shouldn’t be counted; after all you’re not human, are you? You’re some kind of unnatural human-shaped experiment with an equally aberrant name. Should we continue to call you Infinity, or do you prefer Finn? How about . . . Miss Blackstone? I would love to know when you were intending to let the rest of us be privy to that rather crucial piece of information! I used to think you were a lovely girl, one of my favorite students.” The Professor’s eyes narrow into a nasty glare behind his wire-framed glasses. “But now I discover that you’re akin to walking death, a toxic grim reaper designed to kill us all! Perhaps we should call you what you are . . . the harbinger of the apocalypse!”

“Come now, Professor,” Jonah says, stepping forward. “That’s hardly fair. You don’t know the whole story.”

“Really, Major?” barks Professor Francis. “I’ve heard all I need to hear, and the proof is everywhere you look! Wherever she goes, people die, and poor Dr. Pierce was merely the latest victim to be caught in her aura of annihilation. She will unleash a pandemic; that’s what they said in there!” the Professor shouts as he jabs his finger at the dome and glares around at the group with wild-eyed intensity. “We’ve probably already been infected with whatever she’s spreading, and it’s just a matter of time until every last one of us is choking on our own blood! She’s a devil, that’s what she is, an abomination, a deadly, unholy abomination!”

A wave of rage surges through me as that last word of the Professor’s manic tirade sears into my mind like a branding iron. I was only a child when Nanny Theresa first called me that word. She used it over and over for years after that, and every time she did, I used to wish that I could leap up and slap it from her wrinkled mouth. I despise that word. It makes my skin crawl and my anger burn. The Professor can call me any name under the sun that he wants, but not that word . . . never, ever that word.

Suddenly my hand whips from my side and slaps Professor Francis firmly across the side of his cheek, knocking his glasses into a crooked angle on his pointed nose. I can feel Infinity’s satisfaction rippling through me, and, though I try my hardest not to, I crack a smile.
Nice one,
I say to Infinity in my mind. She doesn’t reply, but I imagine she’s probably smiling, too.

The Professor’s eyes go wide, and his mouth drops open. “How dare you,” he gasps. Brody and Bit stare at me in disbelief, and Jonah’s brow is creased with his familiar disapproving frown. Infinity’s slap took everyone by surprise, including me . . . but I wouldn’t take it back for anything in the world.

“Calm down,” I say as I look the Professor in the eyes with cool detachment. “We’ve got a job to do, so let’s leave the insults for another day, shall we? And if another day is even going to exist for any of you,” I say, looking around at the others, “I suggest we all get a move on.”

I think Jonah agrees, as his frown becomes a hint of a smile, curling the edge of his lip. I look over at Percy, who’s standing just behind him. “Percy, lead the way to the computer core. The sooner we get there the better.”

“Yes, of course,” Percy says as he strides over toward Bit. “It looks like I’m gonna be out of a job soon,” he says to Bit. “Are you ready to go?”

She nods.

“OK then, let’s blow this place to hell,” says Percy.

Hearing Percy say those words out loud suddenly fills me with a sense of satisfaction. After what I’ve just learned from my mother and Nanny Theresa and everything that this accursed place has thrown at us today, I realize that I’m completely fine with the notion of completely obliterating everything, and that includes my crazy-bastard father.

“You’re not actually going to trust it, are you?” the Professor says, pointing at me. “This is just another part of Richard Blackstone’s plan to destroy us! I refuse to follow that thing anywhere.”

“She’s trying to save us, Professor,” Jonah implores, but I hold a hand up to stop him.

“You don’t have to defend me, Jonah. Professor Francis can stay here if he chooses,” I say bluntly. “Does anyone else want out?”

No one raises a hand or steps forward. “We’re with you,” says Bit, and Brody and Percy both nod as Jonah smiles.

“You’re all mad,” the Professor seethes. “I will therefore take it upon myself to ensure Miss Otto repairs the mainframe and is not coerced in any way to unleash the pandemic. I will come with you, but only to ensure the safety of the citizens of the world.”

With one last blank stare at the Professor, I nod to Percy and then turn to leave.

“Ah, excuse me, Commander? But what do we do with that guy?” Gazelle asks as she jabs her thumb over her shoulder. At first I don’t know what she’s talking about, but as I lean to look around the side of a glowering Professor, I see Dean McCarthy with his back against the dome wall, sitting silently in the shadows behind Jonah.

Even Jonah looks embarrassed when he turns to look at Dean. “Oh hell, he’s so quiet I’d forgotten he was even there,” says Jonah. “That boy is as useless as a bump on a log.”

“That’s Mister Bump On A Log to you, Gigantor,” Dean replies as he looks up at Jonah.

“Oh my god . . . he’s back!” Bit gasps as she rushes over and crouches beside him. “Dean, are you OK?”

“No,” he says, frowning at her. “I’m starving! When are we having lunch? And why is it always so freakin’ dark in this place? Someone turn a light on in here!”

“We’re outside, Dean. It’s nighttime,” says Bit.

Dean looks bewilderedly up at the sky. “Oh man!” he says, and his face twists as if he’s in pain. “Are you telling me that I’ve missed lunch?! This field trip fully sucks!”

“C’mon, boy,” Jonah says as he walks over to Dean and helps him up. “Are you OK to walk?”

“Just point me in the direction of the cafeteria, Sasquatch,” Dean says as he brushes dust from the blazer of his school uniform, “and I’ll move so fast I’ll leave a trail of fire.”

“Hello?” my mother’s voice says from the radio in my hand. “Can you hear me?”

I squeeze the “Talk” button and hold the walkie-talkie to my lips. “We’re reading you.”

“Theresa and I are at the firewall to the computer core,” says my mother. “You need to hurry.”

“We’re on our way,” I reply as I motion to Percy. He nods, then turns and begins striding toward the far end of the concrete plateau. Everyone begins moving as a group, and we all set off in a slow jog behind him.

“Listen to me,” says my mother. “All of you need to move as quickly as possible.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can,” I reply.

“You don’t understand,” she says, and I can hear the anxiety in her voice. “Sensor readings are triggering inside Sector B. I can feel them. They’re indicating a very large mass of movement, which can only mean . . .”

“The spiders are heading back this way,” I say, finishing her sentence with words that I wish I wasn’t saying.

“Yes, I’m afraid so,” my mother replies. “The fractures in the system that control the motion sensors have shifted and sealed. I’ll keep trying to access them, but right now I’m unable to draw any of the robots away with a false reading. I don’t want to panic you, but all of you need to run as fast as you can.”

Everyone hears my mother, and all around me anxious stares are exchanged as the group immediately begins to increase its speed. Even Dean picks up the pace, but I’m not sure if he knows exactly why he’s running at all as he glances around at the group with a confused frown on his face.

“My leg is pretty bad,” says an awkwardly lumbering Jonah. “I can’t run as fast as all of you can. If I can’t keep up, leave me.”

“We’re not leaving anyone behind!” I yell back at him.

“You may not have a choice, Finn,” Jonah says between panting breaths. “If I keep still enough . . . this radiation suit will hide my body heat . . . I’ll be fine until you can reset Onix and shut them all down.”

“You’d better hope that suit protects you, sir,” Gazelle says as she bounds to the back where Jonah is and jostles into position under his arm to help him along. “You’re too big for me to carry.”

We reach the end of the plateau where it joins a wide curving staircase that leads up to Sector A. Everyone begins climbing. I pause to look over my shoulder down into Sector B, wondering how much time we have before those Lobots come pouring out of the shadows between the buildings lining the promenade. Considering how quickly they cover ground, I’m guessing not long at all. It’s true that Jonah is very slow, and I can’t believe I’m thinking this, but maybe he’s right? Maybe it would be best to leave him behind. Or maybe . . . suddenly the obvious solution dawns on me, and I scold myself for not thinking of it right away. If Percy can just tell us exactly where the computer core is, Gazelle can get Bit there in a fraction of the time it will take for all of us to go. She can reset the mainframe and shut down the Lobots, and everyone will be safe.

I quickly turn and leap up the stairs after the others. Percy is trotting up the steps at the front of the group, and I shout toward him. “Percy, where is the entrance to the computer core?”

He stops and turns back, frowning in my direction. “Sorry? What was that?” he asks.

“I said, where exactly is the compu—”

Percy suddenly winces and shields his face with his hand as bright white flickering lights dance over the entire group. They’re coming from somewhere behind us, and as I turn to look toward their source, Gazelle shrieks in absolute delight, wrestles herself from underneath Jonah’s arm, and takes off like a shot, bounding back down the stairs at an incredible speed.

“Gazelle! Wait!” I call out after her, but she’s already leapt off the edge of the plateau and is sailing through the air toward the grassy slope of the hillside below. The flickering lights cut off, and everyone in the group stops to look back at whatever or whoever is signaling to us.

I squint toward Gazelle and gasp out loud as Infinity zooms my vision in on her. She’s a distant dark, fast-moving blotch on the shadowy landscape.

“Thank heavens,” Jonah whispers as he tries to catch his breath. “They’re alive.”

“Who?” asks Bit.

“The other Saviors,” Jonah says with a smile. “That signal was from Mantis, from her ocular implants.”

With help from Infinity’s binocular vision, I scan along the part of the promenade that curves up around the side of the sector, and I see them, four figures running among the shadows up the wide white slope toward the far end of the staircase.

“Keep going, everyone,” Jonah calls out. “We can cut diagonally across the stairs and meet up with them near the border of Sector A.”