Rebellion (Zero Series) (13 page)

“I
can help you out with that,” Synapse said, “After you made your break in to the
first warehouse, they started consolidating their data into one secure
location. They have moved it into a small building near the outskirts of the
city. I don’t know where the spikers are but I am willing to bet that they have
the information in that system.”

“That’s
where we need to go then. Lead the way,” I said. We set off for the data
storage facility and the sound of explosions and gunfire filled the city.

“I
guess your broadcast got something started,” Flint said.

“We
better hope they can hold their own against trained soldiers,” Synapse said.
She was right. Nearly everyone in this city had never had to fight. Kraken had
suppressed anybody who showed resistance.

“Have
you had a chance to look over the list of spikers? Who do we free?” Frost
asked.

“No.
Maybe Jet did. We need to figure out a way to contact her,” I said.

“We
recalibrated our earpieces so that it is a closed channel. After we talked to

Pan
and figured out that he never called you, we fixed our radios,” Frost said. He
pulled out an earpiece and handed it to me. I stuck it in my ear and pressed
the button to turn it on. It powered up and chatter came across the waves.

“Jet?”
I said into the radio.

“Zero?
Is that you?” she answered.

“Yeah
it’s me. Are you alright?” I asked.

“I’m
fine. Where are you?” she asked.

“We
just left the radio station. Have you had a chance to look over the list of
spikers?” I asked.

“I
have. I know which ones are dangerous,” she replied.

“Good.
Meet us at the small white building near the west wall of the city,” Synapse
said.

“Who
was that?” asked Jet.

“Synapse.
Just meet us there and I will explain everything later,” I replied.

“Fine.
Pan and I will meet you there,” she said.

“Let’s
go,” Synapse said. We followed her through the city until we came to the
building Synapse mentioned. We waited until Pan and Jet arrived.

“We
need to get into this building,” I said. Pan walked over to the door with his
handgun drawn and shot the handle. He kicked the door open and motioned for us
to enter. This building was disguised as a normal house so people would leave
it alone. There were servers and tall hard drives all along the walls.

“The
location of the spikers should be in these computers,” Synapse said.

“If I
know Kraken computers, there will probably be a program that sets off a silent
alarm if we try to get through it,” Jet said.

“I
have access to these computers. I am still in Kraken’s system. I doubt removing
me has been at the top of their list,” Flint said. He pulled out an access card
and inserted it into the main terminal. He sifted through access menus and came
across the list we needed.

“Did
you find it?” Jet asked.

“I
did. This is bad,” Flint replied.

“Why?
Where are they keeping the spikers?” I asked.

“They
are keeping them at Tartarus,” he replied.

“Oh
shit,” Synapse said.

“What
is Tartarus?” I asked.

“Tartarus
is a facility fifty miles north of Marsh City. It is named Tartarus after the
pit where they kept the titans in Greek mythology. Nobody has ever broken out,”
Synapse said.

“Wonderful.
Well we can’t just storm in there. We need a plan. Let’s regroup with Flare and
Vine and come up with one,” I said.

“Vine,
can you hear me?” Pan asked.

“I’m
here,” he replied.

“Regroup
and retreat. You and Flare need to meet us in the basement of the greenhouse as
soon as possible. We know where the spikers are,” said Pan.

“Affirmative.
See you there,” said Vine.

“Let’s
get back. We have a lot of work to do,” Frost said.

“We
should split up, just in case we get caught. We can’t afford for all of us to
get taken,” I said.

“Good
idea. Flint and I will go together, Synapse and Frost can go together and you
and Jet can go,” Pan said to me. I nodded and opened the door. Once everyone
was out of the building I turned back to the building and held my hands up. I
focused on the building and within seconds it collapsed in on itself.

“That
will slow them down hopefully,” I said.

“Everyone
make sure to keep your radios in at all times in case someone needs help,” Pan
said. We all left in different directions that would ultimately lead back to
the greenhouse. Jet and I crossed into an alleyway and she threw her arms
around my shoulders.

“I
was so worried!” she said crying.

“I’m
alright now,” I said.

“I
didn’t know if I would see you again,” she choked out.

“Luckily
your father came to save me. He is a great man,” I said.

“He
knows how much I care about you and he cares about you too,” she said.

“Well
I won’t leave you again,” I said. I wiped the tears from her face. I saw the
worry in her eyes. I knew that I had more to lose than my life. I had been so
reckless before but I saw that I needed to protect more than the city.

“We
should go,” said Jet.

“Right,”
I said. We moved along carefully through the city. The sound of gunfire had
ceased. Vine must have commanded the entire resistance to retreat like we said.
I wonder if Kraken had taken the time to regroup as well. We moved through the
city with ease. We came upon the greenhouse and found the others waiting.

“We
should get inside,” Vine said. We all entered through the hatch in the main
room that led to the bunker.

“It’s
good to see all of you. I didn’t think I would make it out,” I said.

“We
put all of our energy into getting you. Now where are they keeping the
spikers?” asked Vine.

“Somewhere
called Tartarus,” I replied.

“It
is the most highly guarded facility that Kraken controls. It is far outside the
city. I am willing to bet that they are keeping Armageddon there too,” Flint said.

“How
do we get in?” Flare asked.

“I
can enter the facility. Nobody in Kraken knows that I’m helping you. Once I am
inside, I can locate the spikers and tell you where they are. Then you can
enter through the sewer system that leads under Tartarus,” Synapse said pulling
out a datapad and pulling up a blueprint of the facility.

“That
sounds good. Any objections?” I asked. Nobody said anything. “We will start
planning tomorrow morning. Pan, Flint and Vine should stay here to command the
rebels. Let’s all get some rest. We have a lot of preparations to make starting
in the morning.”

We
all dispersed to different areas of the bunker. Jet and I found a room in the
barracks and pushed to beds together. We both took our gear off and lay down.
The task ahead seemed impossible but we had to complete it. Without finding the
spikers and destroying Armageddon, we didn’t stand a chance.

Over
the next few days we made preparations and tried to formulate a plan to
infiltrate Tartarus. We continued to organize attacks on Kraken facilities
throughout the city to keep them from reorganizing. I had the idea to begin
training some of the more capable soldiers to lead battalions while we were
gone. It would also help to have someone to lead in case we didn’t make it
back. Synapse and Vine took turns organizing the assaults on enemy units and
buildings. We had liberated a third of the city in just a few days. We knew the
rest wouldn’t be so easy. Poseidon tower would be the hardest part and that was
smack in the middle of the territory that Kraken still controlled. Flint suggested that I stay undercover as much as possible. He said that without me, the
resistance would be crushed. I didn’t necessarily agree but the rest of the
team seemed to.

Jet
continued to run tests on my tissue samples to keep an eye on the cell growth
from the amplifiers. Soon after I returned from The Pit, she tested my tissue
and noticed that the cell growth had receded. She asked what had happened to me
in the lab and I explained that Flint had injected me with the serum to give me
the accelerated healing ability. She decided to take a sample twice a day to
make sure that it was indeed the serum that was halting the cell inflation. On
the third day she finally said, “I need to talk to you.”

“Alright
let’s go into the other room,” I said. We exited the main room and sat in one
of the side rooms.

“After
examining your cells, I have determined that it is the serum that is making
them recede to their normal size,” she said.

“That’s
good isn’t it?” I asked.

“For
you it is. What about Flare and Frost? They both have used the amplifiers as
much as you and they do not have accelerated healing,” she replied.

“What
will happen to them?” I asked.

“If
we don’t figure out how to make some of the serum or get our hands on some
that’s already manufactured, then their cells will continue to grow.
Eventually, I hypothesize that it will become too much and their respective
gene spikes will consume their bodies,” she replied.

My
heart sank. I couldn’t imagine losing either of them let alone both of them.
“How long do we have?” I asked.

“It’s
hard to tell. Some days it seems like the cells grow more than others. I think
it is linked to how often their spikes are used. I would guess not much more
than a week,” she replied.

I sat
speechless. I didn’t even know where to begin. We left the lab in ruins when we
broke out. There was no way to know if there was any left inside the tower.
“Maybe your dad would know something,” I said.

“We
can ask. I’ll go find him,” she said. She stood up from her chair and exited
the room. I sat still. I was in complete shock. I felt tears welling up in my
eyes as the thought of losing two of my best friends became the only thought
that inhabited my mind. A few minutes later Jet returned with Flint. They sat
down across from me at the table.

“What’s
the matter?” asked Flint.

“Why
don’t you explain it?” I said to Jet. She laid out our problem to Flint and asked him if he knew of any way that we could generate some of the serum.

He
thought for a moment and said, “I do not know. I didn’t even know about it
until I helped Zero get out of the lab. I would think that our best chance is
to check the lab in Tartarus. They have some of the most highly guarded
scientific items locked down in there.”

“That’s
our only chance then. We have to finish the preparations for the mission to
Tartarus. Frost and Flare have to stay here and not use their powers,” I said.

“You
know Frost won’t be happy about that,” Jet said.

“He
doesn’t have a choice. It’s either stay here or die. I can break the news to
them if you want,” Flint said.

“No,”
I said, “I can do it.”

He
patted me on the back as I stood up and exited the room. I found Frost and
Flare eating in the makeshift galley. I approached their table and asked, “Can
I join you?”

“Absolutely,”
Flare said, “How are the plans going?”

“Well
that’s what I wanted to talk to you guys about,” I said sitting down.

“I
have a feeling that you have bad news,” Frost said not looking up from his
food.

“Unfortunately,
Jet found an abnormality in our cells. You remember how there was an increase
in size from the amplifiers?” I asked.

“Is
something wrong?” Flare asked in a concerned tone.

“Yes.
She found that the more we use our spikes, our cells will continue to grow
until our spikes overtake our body,” I replied.

“So
what do we do?” Frost asked.

“Well
here’s the thing. When I was locked up in the Kraken lab, they tortured me
continuously and my body had suffered some serious damage. Right before Flint freed me, he found a serum that he injected me with. It gave me another gene spike
that speeds up the healing process in my body. It regulated my cell growth and
now keeps it under control. We sort of destroyed the lab on the way out and we
don’t have any more of the serum,” I replied.

“But…what…”
Frost stuttered.

“How
long do we have?” Flare asked.

“Jet
says that if you refrain from using your spikes, maybe a week,” I replied.

Frost
stared at the table and said, “What do we do then?”

“Flint thinks that they will have similar technology and serums in the lab at Tartarus. You
two need to stay here and not use your spikes. We are going to find the lab and
figure out a way to reverse the effects,” I replied.

“You
expect us to just sit here and so nothing?” Frost asked.

“If
you don’t want your body to freeze completely, then yes,” I said.

They
both sat looking exasperated. We should have listened to Jet. They definitely
needed more tests run before we used them extensively. They worked so well the
first time that I just assumed there would be no problems. Then I was the only
one lucky enough to get a cure.

“Look,
I know you are worried Zero. I can see it on your face,” Flare said, “But you
have a much more important task at hand. If you can’t complete this mission, we
won’t have any hope of defeating Kraken.”

“She’s
right. You need to focus on getting the spikers. If it comes down to it, you
have to choose to free the spikers over getting a cure,” Frost said.

“I
will free them
and
I’ll find that cure. You guys need to just make sure
that you follow Jet’s instructions. Flint will be monitoring you and trying to
slow the effects down,” I said.

“Can
everyone meet in the war room?” Vine called out over the speakers that I didn’t
know existed until that moment. We all three stood up and made our way to the
war room. We apparently were the last three to arrive. Once we had taken our
seats Flint stood up at the head of the table.

“Okay
everyone. Tonight we mobilize. We need to make a final decision on who is going
to Tartarus. Obviously Zero will be going and Synapse will be leading the way
in,” Flint said.

“I
think I will need to go as well,” Vine said.

“I
think so especially now that we know about Flare and Frost’s problem,” Flint said.

“Everyone
else should stay. It will be easier to operate with a smaller unit and if this
mission goes south, we won’t lose most of our team,” I said.

“If
there are any other suggestions, you’d better speak up now,” Flint said looking
around the room. When no one said anything, he said, “Wonderful. Synapse will
go over the entry plan.”

Synapse
stood up as Flint took his seat. She had her hair pulled back into a tight bun
and was wearing an all black military suit. It had marking that I recognized
from some history texts. It was from the Gray Conflict. Before Kraken had taken
over completely, Marsh city was part of a joint province called Andulee. It
contained Marsh City, Prairie Stretch which was in the south of the country,
and North Mountain which was stretched into the Rocky Mountains. There were
trade routes between the settlements that operated smoothly for a long time.
Some disgruntled citizens began forming their own rudimentary government in an
area right in the middle of the Andulee province. They took to attacking the
trade convoys and stealing the goods. They moved swiftly and descended upon
travelers like fog. This led to people calling them The Gray. Eventually the
three settlements in Andulee decided to take down The Gray. A militia was
formed and they swiftly eliminated the disorganized Gray. The Andulee province
disbanded after the Gray Conflict. It was agreed upon that each city should
worry about protecting their own people to prevent something like the Gray
Conflict from happening again. Vine must have come across some of the old
uniforms in some abandoned building.

“Alright
then,” Synapse started, “I will be entering Tartarus tonight at dusk. I have a
datapad with a map for Zero and Vine to follow through the sewer. You will
enter the sewer a mile outside of the facility. It will allow you to pass
underneath the entrance and into the heart of the laboratories. I will meet you
in the weapons development room and unhook the grate that you will enter
through. Once we are all in, I will access their computer network and try to
locate the spikers.”

“We
will also have to look for the chemical lab to see if we can find the healing
serum for Flare and Frost,” I said.

“Of
course. My hope is that we will be able to acquire that before we spring the
spikers. Once we free them, it will be pandemonium inside Tartarus. It will
basically be an all out rush to the front gate with our army,” Synapse said.

“I
had a thought,” Frost said.

“What’s
that?” Synapse asked.

“Since
we are going to be inside one of the most heavily guarded Kraken facilities,
shouldn’t we try to cripple it in some way?” Frost asked.

“What
did you have in mind?” Vine asked.

“I
was thinking that you and Zero were going to be entering through the sewer,
what if you were to plant explosives underneath the building? We could operate
them remotely and once they explode, they could serve as a distraction so the
spikers can escape,” Frost replied.

Synapse
thought on it for a moment. “I suppose we could try that. The only problem I
see us running into is accidentally blowing up our exit,” she said.

“That
would be a problem. We could use some of the spikers’ powers to blow our way
out if that happens,” I suggested.

“We
have some explosives here in the armory. We can attach a remote signal
detonator to each of the explosive packs,” said Vine.

“We
could operate them from here while we monitor your progress through your
earpieces. We installed GPS trackers in the units for this mission,” Flint said.

“Alright
then. We have a plan I guess. We leave in one hour. I will see you to the sewer
and then you follow the map I’m going to give you which will lead you into the
heart of the facility. I will meet you at the end of the tunnel. Everyone get
ready. We need to be at our best. One small slip up could mean the end of us,”
Synapse said.

Everyone
sat quietly for a minute before dispersing. It didn’t seem smart to start
preparations after such a depressing thought. Jet and I adjourned to our room.
When we approached the door, there was a case sitting outside the room. There
was a “V” symbol on a tag which indicated to me that Vine had left it for me. I
pushed it into the room and placed it by the bed. Jet opened up a small laptop
and started typing away at the keyboard. “What are you doing on that?” I asked.

“I am
going over your route through the tunnel again. I just want you two to be
safe,” Jet replied.

“It’s
a straight shot through the tunnel into the facility. We’ll be fine,” I said.

“What
if there is something we hadn’t planned for? We need to be prepared for
everything,” she said in a panicked tone.

I
could see the emotional toll the war, the missions, the threat of losing
everyone she loves, and all other stressors setting in. I sat down next to her
and closed the laptop.

“What
was that for? I need to work!” she said with tears in her eyes.

“Look
at me,” I said caressing her face with my hand, “I’m going to come back. I’m
going to bring our army. I’m going to save Flare and Frost, and I’m going to
come back to you.”

“You
better,” she said wiping the tears from her eyes, “What’s in the case?”

“I
don’t know. I was about to take a look,” I said. I opened the latch on the
front of the case and lifted the top half to reveal a new set of armor. It was a
deep black. Deeper than a normal black. I felt like I was staring into the
deepest corner of space. On the center of the chest, there was a Z carved in
it. There was a note inside the box that read, “This armor is camouflage
equipped. Put it on and get ready.”

“What
does camouflage equipped mean?” I asked Jet.