Judgement: The Undergrounders Series Book Three (A Young Adult Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller) (21 page)

A
sea
of ossified corpses litters the room. The sight takes my breath away.

"What happened to them?" I gasp.

Sven grimaces. "I have a hunch, but let's find out for sure." He turns and punches something into the control panel.

I swallow back a sob. I'm thankful Jerome isn't here to see this.

"Just as I suspected," Sven says. "The air's been turned off in the deviations' living quarters. The Sweepers weren't lying when they said the onboard systems are shutting down. They're conserving oxygen for the sections of the ship they deem critical." He stares at the control panel. "No surprise the deviations didn't make the grade."

Big Ed sticks his head through the door. "Everything all right?" His eyes widen when he sees the image on the viewer. He steps inside and quietly removes his hat.

"They switched off the oxygen," Sven says.

"How can anyone be so heartless and twisted?" I say.

"There's them that cross a line into darkness and never return," Big Ed says. He thumps his chest. "Nothing in here anymore." A troubled look flits across his face. "What will you do when you find the sovereign leader?"

I bite down on my lip. I've tried not to think too hard about what I'll do when I come face to face with the man who's responsible for so much suffering. I loathe the sovereign leader with every fiber of my being, but if he surrenders to us we'll be forced to put him on trial. He'll almost certainly be sentenced to death by the Council, but at least his blood will be spilled in justice and not revenge. "We'll take him alive if at all possible," I say. "He should face judgement by those he's wronged."

Big Ed looks visibly relieved. He turns to Sven. "Is the air off in any other Sektors?"

Sven gestures at the control panel. "No. This is it."

"So far," I say. "But if the ship's systems are shutting down, there's no limit to how many more people the Sweepers will kill to save themselves."

Big Ed throws a quick glance over his shoulder at the Undergrounders. "If Owen gets wind of this he'll take off to find Nikki."

"Don't mention anything for now," I say. "We need to keep everyone calm until we're ready to make our move."

I push open the airtight door, and we walk back out to the others.

"How many deviations are in there?" Owen asks.

"Too many to bring with us," Big Ed says.

"First, we free the extractees," I say.

Owen shoots me a grateful look.

"We don't know how many guards are stationed at the Intake Sektor," I say, "but we do know the Sweepers are short-handed so it should make getting in there easier."

Lou gestures to her bow. "I can handle the guards."

I nod in her direction. "We'll back you up. Once we've freed the extractees we'll head for the upper-level control station. If we can take command of the ship we'll give everyone on board the chance to surrender."

"And if they don't?" Lou asks.

The gruesome image of the ossified deviations flits to mind. I tighten my lips. "We eliminate them."

"What are our options for reaching the Intake Sektor?" Lou asks.

"Only one," I say. "We play the roles we came dressed for and walk proudly down the main corridor as a group of Schutz Clones and Sweepers."

Owen frowns. "Why don't we go through the deviations' quarters and avoid as much exposure as possible?"

I exchange a subtle glance with Sven. He steps forward. "Too risky. If we agitate the deviations they might give the game away."

"All right," Owen says, with some reluctance. "Let's not waste any more time."

We make our way to the nearest stairwell, our mood somber as we climb the first flight of stairs. When we reach the door leading out to the second level, I give a tight nod. "You all know what to do."

Sven keys in the code on the control pad by the door. We walk through to a long, smooth white corridor. I glance around curiously. The passageway is bare of cameras or ducts, or even any access doors or windows. The hull is softly lit, but there are no apparent light fixtures. The military clones fall into Schutz Clone formation, goose-stepping, guns hoisted.

I smooth down the front of my lab coat and fall in behind them. We can't hide our weapons well, but our disguise isn't meant to fool anyone for longer than the few seconds it will take to eliminate them. As I walk, I make out the faint outline of the occasional door in the luminescent wall and a touchpad beside it. It's next to impossible to see the access doors unless you stare closely. My heart races. At any minute, someone could step out into the corridor and surprise us.

All of a sudden, I hear the sound of boots approaching from the opposite direction. Owen and I exchange worried glances. Sven and the military clones don't falter their rhythmic pace. My stomach churns. I'd almost rather fight than endure the strain of trying to pull off this hoax. We round a corner and a squad of four Schutz Clones march toward us. Our weapons are shielded from sight beneath our lab coats, but the minute they draw alongside us, they'll see we're hiding something. We'll have to be ready to do what needs to be done.

I test the trigger on my gun, my fingers slick with sweat. The Schutz Clones salute Sven and his men, then take an abrupt left and disappear through an access door before they reach us. My shoulders sag with relief. Owen and I exchange dazed looks.

"Keep moving," Sven calls over his shoulder. I increase my stride to keep up with the unrelenting pace set by the military clones. The sooner we reach the Intake Sektor, the better. I only hope we're not too late.

The military clones finally come to a halt by an access door. Sven keys in the code and we slip through into a narrow feeder passageway.

"Before we go any farther, let's go over this one last time," Sven says. "The Intake Sektor is around the next bend in the main tunnel. There are likely to be two Schutz Clones posted outside the doors."

I turn to Lou. "Can you silence both of them before they get a shot off?"

"Should be straightforward enough," Lou says. "Sven can strike up a conversation and shield me from immediate view while I take down the first guard. By the time the second one realizes what's happening the arrow will be in his chest."

"Let's do this," Owen says, a feverish look in his eyes.

Big Ed sandwiches Lou in his arms and bows his head on top of her long, gray hair. "Be careful." When he releases her she kisses him on the cheek and slips her bow from her shoulder.

"I'll take Lou and Derry, and half the military clones," Sven says. "The rest of you wait here. A smaller group will make it appear like a routine visit to Intake."

Sven taps on the control panel, and the access door to the main passageway slides open. He steps through and gestures to us to fall into formation behind him. We resume our somber march down the gleaming corridor. I suck in my breath when we turn the corner. On either side of the entry doors to the Intake Sektor stands an expressionless Schutz Clone. The squad of military clones comes to a halt in front of me. Sven walks up to the guards and exchanges a salute with them just as Lou's first arrow whizzes past his shoulder. It finds its mark with deadly accuracy, hitting the Schutz Clone square in the chest. I wait with bated breath for him to crumple, but instead he raises his weapon in Lou's direction and begins marching toward her.

"Hostile detected, hostile detected ..." he repeats in an eerie voice that my instincts tell me is neither clone nor human.

T
he second Schutz Clone
falls in step behind the first one. They tromp right past Sven as if they assume he's one of them, their attention firmly fixed on Lou.

"Run!" I yell, a burst of adrenaline surging through me. We turn and leg it back down the corridor to the access door where the others are waiting. The Undergrounders greet us with terrified looks as we hurl ourselves through the doorway. Trembling, I punch in the override code. When the door slides shut I close my eyes and breathe out a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" Owen shakes me. "Did you get in?"

Lou stares at me, wide-eyed. "I don't understand. My arrow hit its mark."

"We couldn't kill the guards." I look around at the others. "Whatever they were, they weren't regular Schutz Clones."

Big Ed frowns. "Where's Sven?"

"They think he's one of them so he's safe, at least for now," I say. "But we're not. Even if Sven manages to delay the Schutz Clones, it won't be for long. We need to go."

The Undergrounders and military clones waste no time gathering up their gear. I lead the way down the feeder passageway, searching desperately for another exit.

"See that?" Owen points at a pulsing orange light running along the base of the wall.

"I think those Schutz Clones triggered some kind of alarm," I say.

"So we've blown our cover," Owen says.

"Not necessarily. A hostile could mean an escaped extractee for all the Sweepers know. They don't know we infiltrated the ship."

Owen looks unconvinced. It's weighing on him that we couldn't get Nikki out. But for now at least freeing the extractees will have to wait.

"There's a door up ahead," Lou calls to us.

"I've no idea where this leads to," I say when we join her. "This isn't the route I memorized from the map."

"Let's check it out," Owen says. "We can't stay in here."

"We may have to fight when that door opens," I say, once everyone is assembled. "But we're sitting ducks in this passageway anyway."

Big Ed nods. "Let's stick with the plan and look for the control station. That's where Sven will head."

I ready my weapon and punch in the four-digit override code. To my relief, it still works. I was half afraid the Sweepers might have discovered what we'd done and deactivated the code. The door slides open revealing a lustrous white tubular stairwell. "Looks like w going up again," I say.

Owen draws his dark brows together. "The question is whether it leads to the control station or into the Sweepers' quarters?"

"It doesn't matter." I lock eyes with him. "We have to fight them now, regardless of where it plays out."

I nod to the Undergrounders and military clones and step through the doorway. We make our way quietly up the stairwell and into another clinical white passageway. The pulsing orange lights are still visible along the base of the wall. I wonder if the Sweepers are watching us. Maybe the entire luminescent wall is a giant viewing screen and we're nothing more than lab rats skulking down corridors all leading to the same trap.

Owen gestures to get my attention. He points up ahead at an unmarked door. We're in the general area of the control station, but I'm not sure what's behind this door. I signal back to the others to be ready and tiptoe forward to the keypad. I take a quick breath and punch in the code. Before the door slides fully open a volley of fire erupts from within. I dive to the floor and roll away from the doorway. We return fire, shooting blindly into the room while crouched on either side of the door. I can't tell if we're shooting at Sweepers or Schutz Clones, or how many of them we're up against. I let loose a few more random shots and wait for another round of return fire, but it doesn't come. I signal to the others to hold their fire. Minutes tick by, but I don't hear anyone moving around inside. Owen throws me a questioning look. Tentatively, I peer around the doorframe and pan a small section of the room. No one in sight. I crane forward and angle myself to secure a better view of the space. It's a laboratory of sorts, outfitted with steel tables and miscellaneous scientific equipment, but it's deserted.

"What do you see?" Owen whispers.

I shake my head. "Nothing. They're either hiding somewhere or they took off through another exit."

"We need to go after them," Owen says. "They'll alert the rest of the ship."

"We can't just go marching in there," Big Ed says. "They'll blow our heads off."

I throw a glance at the military clones. They have more chance of making it to cover inside the room than any of us, but I can't ask them to risk their lives and go in there first. That's Sven's call, and he isn't here. My stomach churns when I think of him. Those Schutz Clones guards at the Intake Sektor didn't realize he was a threat, but how long will it be before they uncover the truth? We need to get to the control station and make sure he and the other military clones got out okay.

"I'll check the place out," I say. "The rest of you cover me as best you can."

I take a shallow breath and peer around the doorframe again. I study the room for several minutes for any sign of movement and then nod to the others. I tense my muscles, ready to spring, and count to three. Clutching my gun tightly I dive into the laboratory and roll behind the nearest steel work bench. My heart thuds wildly, but no one fires. When I've gathered my wits again, I chance a glance around the side of the bench. From my new vantage spot, I can see another door at the back of the room. I'm guessing the shooters went out that way.

I get to my feet and signal to Owen and the others to join me. They file into the room, panning their weapons in all directions. To my horror, I hear the thud of boots in the corridor heading this way. We freeze and exchange panicked looks. We do the only thing we can and take up positions behind the work benches. We're in a vulnerable spot, stuck between two doorways with the potential of being attacked on both fronts, but for now, we have to focus on the more immediate threat. I furrow my brow in concentration, as the footsteps draw closer. A moment later two Schutz Clones march by the laboratory and continue on down the main corridor. I exhale slowly. After the unkillable Schutz Clones we encountered outside the Intake Sektor, I'm all for avoiding another confrontation.

I gesture with the barrel of my gun to the doorway at the back of the room. "Time to flush out whoever's hiding in there," I say. "If it's an exit, we've already lost them, but be prepared for anything." We pad the rest of the way across the room and position ourselves outside the room. I type in the override code on the keypad and take aim as the door slides open.

"Don't shoot!" several voices scream in unison.

I stare, dumbstruck, at a small group of scientists huddled together in a supply room, hands raised high. They peer out at us with confused expressions on their faces. "Who are you?" a short man with a thick mustache pipes up.

"I'll ask the questions," I say. "All you need to know is that this ship is under our control now."

The man blinks around nervously at the rest of our group.

"How many Schutz Clones are on board?" Owen asks.

The man shakes his head. "Most of them expired. The others were shipped out to attack Shoshane City. We operate a squad of robot clones for routine security."

"Robots!" Lou exclaims. "No wonder I couldn't kill them with an arrow."

"Where's the sovereign leader?" I ask the man.

"We haven't been able to contact him since the alert about a hostile was triggered."

I study the man's face, but I see nothing to indicate that he's lying.

"Which way's the control station?" Big Ed asks.

The man balks, throws a nervous glance over his shoulder at his colleagues. I gesture to the military clones. They step forward, grab him by the arms, and haul him away from the rest of the group.

"The main passage!" the man screams, his eyes filling with fear as he takes in the helmet-clad clones. "Take the next right."

I turn to the military clones and select two from the group. "Stay here and guard the prisoners. The rest of you come with us."

"One last thing," I say, turning back to the man. "What's the pulsing orange light along the bottom of the corridor?"

"Oxygen is running low," the man replies.

Fear flickers across Owen's face. "We need to go,
now
."

I nod to the two military clones. They herd the scientists to the back of the room and aim their weapons at them. The scientists exchange uneasy looks. I see no reason to tell them their guards aren't really Schutz Clones. Maybe if they think we're leaving a pair of killer robots to supervise them they won't try anything.

We turn and make our way out through the deserted laboratory and back into the main passageway.

"The sovereign leader's got to be in the control station," I say.

"We should search for Sven and the rest of the military clones before we storm the place," Owen says. "There may not be enough of us to overpower them."

"You heard the scientist," I say. "The Schutz Clones have all expired, or been shipped out. We can take on the Sweepers."

Lou throws me a dubious look. "We still need Sven. None of us can fly the Megamedes."

I frown. "Dimitri can direct us if need be." It's not my first choice to proceed with the plan without Sven, but we're running out of oxygen, and that means we're running out of time to save the extractees.

We take a right and creep forward in the corridor until we're close enough to read the sign on the steel door up ahead.
Control Station
.

I take a choppy breath. "Ready?" I mouth to the others. When everyone's in position, I key in the override code. The door slides open to a collective gasp.

I slowly lower my weapon and stare in disbelief at the Schutz Clones piled on the floor in front of us.

"That scientist wasn't kidding," Owen says.

I furrow my brow. Something about this doesn't sit right with me. Why didn't they ossify like the deviations? Does it have to do with the air in this part of the ship?

At the far end of the room, a sea of screens surrounds a gigantic cockpit. I scrutinize the space, searching for the Sweepers. The station's deserted, but someone must be captaining the ship. I hone in on an oversized pod chair with its back to us. I pull my brows together and study it more closely. I can't tell if anyone's sitting in it, but some sixth sense tells me we're not alone. A moment later, my suspicions are confirmed when the chair swings around to face me. A current of fear shoots up my spine. The sovereign leader rises to his feet and stares dispassionately across the room, his eyes coming to rest on me.

"Derry Connolly, I presume."

I swallow hard. "How ... how do you know my name?"

He curls his lip disparagingly. "Let's just say a mutual acquaintance was persuaded to be of assistance." He clicks his fingers and two Sweepers appear dragging a limp Schutz Clone between them. He lifts his head and glances in our direction. My heart jolts.
Sven!

A searing pain goes through me. What have they done to him? I take a quick, steadying breath. My mind scrambles to put together a plan. We can easily take out the two Sweepers and the sovereign leader. They're vulnerable, even with a hostage to barter with. I throw a subtle glance at Owen. I can tell he's thinking the odds are in our favor too. The tricky part will be keeping Sven alive while we do it. And there may be other Sweepers waiting in the wings.

"Let him go," I call up to the sovereign leader. "Your ship is failing and your Schutz Clones have expired. There's no way out of this. If you surrender now, you'll be given a fair trial."

The sovereign leader throws his head back and laughs heartily. "
You
would dare to judge
me
! My foresight has spared your generation from extinction. The programs I authorized ensure that we will continue long beyond whatever apocalyptic event strikes earth next. Vats of embryos have been sent to our stations on other planets. Cloning technologies will allow for rapid repopulation in times of natural disaster, and scientific pruning of the gene pool has made certain that only the fit and intelligent strains of life will be allowed to seed the next generation."

"You tortured people!" I try to restrain myself from charging at him and grabbing him by the throat. Rage bubbles up inside me. Despite everything I said about giving the sovereign leader a fair trial, I'd like nothing more right now than for him to give me an excuse to shoot him. I aim my gun square at his chest, my finger toying with the trigger. A soft clicking sound distracts me from my target. My blood chills. It's coming from the Schutz Clones at my feet.