Shadows (28 page)

Susan picked up the
revolver, surprised by how heavy it was. The barrel dragged across
the map as she handled the gun awkwardly, slowly raising it
up.

“
I think I'm
more likely to shoot myself than anyone else,
”
she said,
finally taking all the weight of the gun. Her wrist felt distinctly
unsuited to such a weight at the end of her fingers.

The sheriff
continued, saying,
“
The primary value of
a gun isn't found in killing someone, it's in wresting control from
them, exercising authority over them. Even when fired, a gun's
value is found in intimidation. Down on the levels, a gunshot will
sound like a thunderclap.
”

Charlotte
reinforced his point, saying,
“
Leave the accurate
fire to us. Even if you miss, just having a gun and firing it into
the air will multiply our force in the eyes of the defenders, and
that's what we want. We need to overwhelm them as quickly as
possible.
”

She looked at Susan as she
drew her black gun, holding it out in front of her with both hands
outstretched before her.

“
Use two
hands,
”
she said, and Susan felt obliged to copy her.
She held the gun with both arms out straight.

“
Don't lock
your elbows," Charlotte barked. Susan hadn't even realized she had.
Meekly, she relaxed her arms as Charlotte continued, saying, "Keep
a firm grip on the gun with both hands, but not too
tight.
”

Susan copied her, as best
she could, pointing her gun to one side and squinting as she tried
to look down the barrel.

"Keep your finger off the
trigger," Charlotte said, and again Susan had no idea her finger
was on the trigger until Charlotte had spoken. "Don't put your
finger on the trigger until you're ready to fire. Until then, rest
your finger along the side of the gun, just like I am."

Susan nodded, trying to
catalog the advice she was being given, wondering how much of it
would stick in the heat of the moment.

“
Don't worry
about aiming,
”
Charlotte said.
“
If you
think about aiming too much, you'll miss the opportunity to fire,
just point your gun at the chest and squeeze the trigger gently.
Try not to jerk at the trigger. The gun will kick up after each
shot, but don't worry about that, just bring it down again and hold
it on target.
”

Susan couldn't think of a
person as a target. Somehow, Charlotte could think in such detached
terms but Susan couldn't. The idea that life could be snuffed out
like a candle was alarming for her. She had protested against the
idea of a revolution within the silo because she knew hundreds
would die, and she couldn't bring herself to glamorize death. To
ignore the heartache and loss that would have resulted seemed
calloused to her, and yet here she was holding a gun, knowing that
if it came to it, she'd have to use it.

"Remember what the sheriff
said," Charlotte added. "You've only got six shots so count them
down. Six. Bang, five. Bang, four. Bang, three. It's easier to
count down than it is to try to remember how many times you've
fired your weapon."

Susan nodded, although she
wasn't convinced she'd remember any of this, let alone whether
she'd have the fortitude to go through with shooting
someone.

"I know this is scary,"
Charlotte said, and for the first time, her voice sounded
compassionate. "Try to stay relaxed. Remember, if it comes to a
firefight, it's us or them. If anyone's going to die for their
beliefs, let's make sure it's them, OK?"

Susan nodded, putting the
gun down on the table, relieved to get the ugly weight out of her
hands. That was enough training, as far as she was concerned. Could
she do it? Could she shoot someone? She knew the stakes were high,
demanding decisive action. If Hammond felt threatened, if he
thought he was losing control of the silo, he'd kill them all. She
had to be strong. If it came to it, she had to pull that
trigger.

“
Once we're
on that level,
”
Charlotte said, gesturing to Charlie
and Susan,
“
you guys look to
break left and hang back, we don't want Hammond seeing Charlie.
Jules and I will break right, leaving the mayor and the sheriff in
the middle to negotiate.
”

Jules
added,
“
My boys, Jimmy and Daniel, will act as
reinforcements, remaining fluid and going wherever
needed.
”

“
It's
important to spread out,
”
Charlotte
reiterated,
“
As once we're
sprung, we don't want to be concentrated in one spot. It'll be too
easy for them to pin us down and out-flank us.
”

The sheriff
gestured to Charlotte, saying,
“
You're gonna have to
lose those fancy coveralls. Anything out of the ordinary is going
to spook the folks down there.
”

“
No
problem,
”
Charlotte replied.
“
I've got a pair from
mechanical that I wore while climbing the
stairs.
”

Charlotte
rolled up the map, slipping it back into the long, thin storage
tube as Jules said,
“
Time to
go.
”

Susan felt nervous. Her
stomach churned.

“
You should
stay here,
”
she said, turning to
Charlie.

“
Hell,
no,
”
he replied, slipping on a hat. He pulled the cap down
so the brim sat just above his eyebrows. With his collar turned up,
obscuring the bandage on his neck, he got to his feet. The bloody
bandages on his arms were still visible, but so many people within
the silo were carrying some kind of injury that he didn't look out
of place.

Susan slipped the revolver
into the pouch/pocket in the front of her coveralls and felt the
weight of the revolver pull her coveralls taut. She followed the
others, with her hands resting inside the pouch, feeling the cold,
hard steel beneath her fingers.

Chapter 14: Hammond

Descending the spiral
staircase, Susan felt sick. She should have had something to eat.
Porting on an empty stomach was never a good idea. Even with
Charlie beside her, the ominous reality of confronting Hammond on
his turf was daunting.

Charlie was surprisingly
agile on the stairs. She wasn't sure what had happened to his leg,
but going down stairs didn't seem to bother him.

Spiral after spiral
revealed each of the landings leading to the various levels. There
were more people on the stairs today. If it hadn't been for the
damaged sections and the cracks in the concrete, Susan could have
almost convinced herself life was back to normal. That normal would
never return was something she didn't want to face at this point.
One stair after another, as the porters would say. Don't think
about the landings, just the next step.

Thirty four levels had
never taken so long, she was sure of it. She felt as though she
were on a run into the Deep. She recognized a few friendly faces on
the stairs, a couple of porters she knew and a cook. Susan said
hello, but any words that drifted from her lips felt shallow and
meaningless. Little did they know how their fates were entwined
with hers over the next hour or so. That they would either live
free under blue skies or die violently as the silo collapsed
wouldn't have occurred to any of them. For them, this was just
another day, carrying no more significance than yesterday. Susan
knew better.

Jules had introduced the
other two men to Susan, but she didn't catch their names. Her head
was still spinning from the conversation in the cafeteria. Both men
were dressed in white coveralls like Charlie. Jules and Charlotte
were in mechanical blue, carrying an open tool box. Beneath the
screwdrivers and hammers, Susan could see the barrels of several
guns.

As they approached level
thirty three, immediately above Information and Technology on
thirty four, Jules signaled for them to slow, letting Mayor Johns
and the sheriff walk on ahead. Several IT workers passed them on
the stairs, not paying them any attention. The mayor and the
sheriff were almost a complete turn ahead of them by the time they
reached the landing on thirty four.

“
It's all
about the timing,
”
Jules said. She seemed to anticipate
what was about to happen, slowing their descent
slightly.

The mayor walked
confidently up to the security turnstile. Both turnstiles were
open. Someone had removed part of the barricade, which was a good
sign, thought Susan.

The mayor swiped her card
and the turnstile beeped and went green, opening before
her.

“
I'm
sorry,
”
said one of the security guards, stepping out on
the other side of the open turnstile and barring her way.
“
I can't let you in.
”

“
Young
man,
”
the mayor said sternly.
“
Do you know who I
am?
”

“
Yes Ma'am,
but Mr. Hammond has given strict instructions. No one is allowed on
the floor other than carded IT staff. No
exceptions.
”

Jules quickened her pace
slightly. Susan kept in step beside her, shielding Charlie from
view. The audacity, she thought. They were hiding in plain sight,
taking advantage of the distracted security guards, timing their
rush so they'd come through immediately behind the mayor. They'd be
on top of the security guards before they knew what was
happening.

Jules had her toolbox in
front of her, with her hand buried within the box, no doubt
clenching a gun.

“
I am not an
exception,
”
the mayor said some twenty feet
away, indignantly slapping her key card down on the turnstile,
keeping it open for the sheriff behind her and for those following
hard behind. The mayor stepped forward and pushed the guard out of
the way.
“
I am your mayor!
”

“
But,
”
the guard spluttered as another
guard came up beside him.
“
But the sheriff,
he's no longer sheriff.
”

“
He's my
personal aide. Do you have a problem with that?
”

“
No
Ma'am.
”

The mayor continued
marching the guards backwards. They were confused by her
boldness.

Susan got her first good
look beyond the barricade as she and Jules came up to the
turnstile.

Desks had been overturned
beyond the landing. Steel plates had been welded in place. The
desks were staggered, allowing people to move unseen behind them.
IT workers leaned over the top of several desks with rifles trained
on the turnstile. The mayor, though, didn't show the slightest
concern. She seemed oblivious. She wasn't, of that Susan was sure,
but her confidence must have intimidated the IT workers. They
weren't sure what to make of her intrusion and were distracted by
her. They must have felt a sense of conflict between what they'd
been told and the mayor's authority over the silo.

The smell of diesel hung in
the air. The whine and splutter of a power generator came from the
far corner of the floor. IT was still largely offline, running on
emergency power.

“
Where is Mr.
Hammond?
”
the mayor cried out. Damn, she was good, thought
Susan, slowing as she crouched behind Jules, coming through the
turnstile behind the sheriff. For his part, the sheriff had stepped
up beside the mayor, coming almost shoulder to shoulder with her as
she faced down the IT security guards, blocking their view of the
open turnstile.

“
This is
outrageous,
”
the mayor bellowed, her voice
booming through the level.
“
What the hell have
you done down here? What the hell is going on?
”

The mayor and the sheriff
had continued advancing forward, backing the guards away from the
entrance. The very tables turned over and welded together to act as
shields now hid the others from view. Susan and Charlie scurried to
the left, staying low, out of sight behind the desks. Jules and
Charlotte remained by the turnstile, having slipped into the
security office and out of sight.

“
Get me Mr.
Hammond,
”
the mayor demanded.
“
Now!
”

Susan liked her style. She
was drawing him out, bringing him to them.

Someone ran to the back of
the floor, twisting and turning as he jogged between the upturned
desks. Numerous heads peeked over the desks curiously, betraying
their positions.