The Uprising (The Julianna Rae Chronicles) (17 page)

6th May, 2018, 0400 hours.

The Tunnels, underneath Sector #3

The conversation that had won Julianna her place in the Sector One ambush, returned to him. That meeting was none to pleasant, he thought. He glanced back at the company of men following him along the tunnels. Daniel was ahead of the group
– his least concern. It was Julianna he scanned the crowd for. It’s not the outcome he’d requested.

‘Keep up, everyone,’ h
e called. ‘Thirty minute walk to the site.’

It wasn’t far to walk with the heavy equipment, most stayed in the crowd, but some ambled complacently along.

Julianna walked alone, behind everyone. He’d rather her to the front with him. Caden stopped moving with his squad, watching the group pass while he waited for her to catch up.

I’d rather keep The Seer out of the attack,
he had stated during his moment in the meeting. The general was against the suggestion, and though Caden had Isis’s backing, he was certainly quiet on the topic.
You don’t have the luxury, Commander, to request such a thing in these times.
What came next from the general had bit him hard. Daniel had smiled at the crashing blow to his ego.

He looked over his shoulder
. Julianna stared into the dark. He stopped, letting the last of his men pass, to follow Daniel; while Julianna held her position.

I suggest you keep it in your pants from now on, when it comes to relationships with other rebels.
Hell, Madison! She saved your ass not too long ago. If you weren’t so busy in her knickers, you’d be the first to admit we need her in this.
He couldn’t believe himself when he blurted out it was consensual. Isis was pissed. Really, really pissed.

‘What’s wrong?’ Julianna asked.

‘You tell me,’ Caden said curtly.

‘I’m a better shot from a distance.’

‘Yeah, and who covers you from behind?’ he argued.

Julianna glanced back. He saw the patrol behind her. She gave him a smug grin in return. ‘Got it covered, Commander. I’m okay.’

Caden considered objecting again. He thought better of it. They didn’t need an argument in the crowds. He didn’t need his authority undermined again – not like in the meeting.

She gave him a big doe-eyed expression. It w
as enough for him to concede.

Frustrating too.

‘Just not too far,’ he said. ‘These tunnels aren’t secured. We’ve no idea what’s been leaked in the last twenty-four hours.’

She nodded. ‘I know.’

If the safe house falls, the Rebellion will be at a disadvantage. I don’t need to tell you that.

Why did he tell her that? His mind was openly rambling. He pulled his thoughts in and felt her bemusement as
he closed off to the world.

‘You think the safe house is at risk?’ Julianna whispered.

‘Maybe.’ He watched the patrol behind her, scouting as he scanned past them. ‘We have to assume it is. Anything less is a bonus.’

The dim light reflecting in her eyes made her more beautiful to him. He checked Daniel’s placement. The crowd moved
deeper into the dark tunnels with their torches.

‘Stay close to me and watch your back.’

She frowned. He watched her pretty eyes darken to black, before returning to their normal color.

She’s not even aware she’s doing it
.

‘I know what I’m doing,’ she snapped.

He startled. It took a moment and her raising the rifle, before he realized she referred to her point position.

Let it go, C Mads
.

He nodded his
head to her voice in his mind.

‘Commander…Commander!’

The officer calling out to him took his distraction. They both took a deep breath as the voice echoed along the tunnel to betray them. The officer ran, splashing water across her ankles when he stopped. The panic was warranted.

Caden
studied the cufflink markings he pinched between his thumb and fingers. The gold button had an
M
inscribed into its center, the mark of a senior ranking Militia.

‘We’ve been compromised,’ he sighed and studied the cufflink more. ‘We need to move and take cover above ground.’

‘We don’t know if they’re still here,’ Julianna said.

‘Corporal, tell Daniel to move everyone quickly. We need to reach Sector One in fifteen minutes. Quick sprint, go now,’ he said calmly.

He watched the officer splash through the puddles, towards the squad. The rage simmered. Julianna returned his stare when he met with her eyes.

‘Don’t
you
ever
undermine my command like that, in front of
anyone!’

She lowered the rifle. ‘I wasn’t undermining you. We don’t know if they’re still here. Waiting above ground in S One is suicide. We need to stay i
n the tunnels as long as we can, for cover.’

The splash of eighty feet in water reached their ears as he stared down at her. She stared back.

Not flinching, not moving. Challenging me on my next move.

‘You shouldn’t be here.’

‘You’re right.’ She said and started following the crowds. ‘You’d prefer me locked away at the family college, going through initiation.’

Damn, and I’d do it myself given half the chance, you insolent bitch!

‘Heard that,’ she flipped a finger up. Not any finger, but the middle one, with the emphasis of her eyes glancing over her shoulder to really hit it home.

Her abilities were beginning to shine. Julianna was slowly accepting them.
It was something he secretly wished she’d do with his command.

6th May, 2018, 0700 hours.

Sector #1

‘Speak with your sister, Danny boy. She’s pissing me off.’ Caden squatted over the Sector One map with his senior officer. The middle aged norm studied the map and the locations Caden pointed to, for the group of ten soldiers he was to take in first. 

‘I need to know she’ll follow my orders,’ Caden said.

‘She’d follow you into hell a
nd back, Commander. You’re just too blind and busy to see it.’

Caden glanced in Julianna’s direction. She ignored him as she twirled her knife nervously between her fingers. She stood in the corner, away from the crowd, peering through the cracks of a boarded window. They were a block from Central Command. The view from the window offered a clear show of the drones setting their perimeter early; tracking their laser eyes onto all moving objects. Their programmed high-alert status initiated their red beams to cut through the early morning sky.

Julianna cringed. His objectivity isn’t objective enough, she thought. Caden’s intention of breaking their lines to breach the basement undetected didn’t convince her. Not with Bas on the center stage.

Nothing more dangerous than an unhinged watcher, girlie.
She thought.
You said it, Hal. I think you’re right, old man.

Caden moved from the map, unnerving her with his stare. Julianna squinted past the wooden boards to ignore him, counting the drones again, searching for a safe path in the open street.

His body cast a shadow in the already dim light as he leaned against the boards she peered through. He cocked his head studying the drones, dancing and bobbing along the road

‘Hey,’ she said quietly. She stayed focused on the outside world, feigning her distractions, hoping he’d leave her alone.
             

‘You clear on what needs to be done?’

She nodded. ‘Fall in with you.’ She glanced up and finally met his eyes. ‘I should be with them.’

‘I’m not sending you in the first wave. I’ve put too much effort into saving your sorry ass this week to risk it again.’

‘You’re not being objective.’ She justified her answer, nodding to the drones. ‘Those lines are impossible.’             

He glanced through the largest crack between the boards. ‘A year ago, if I’d mentioned at a certain camp that we shouldn’t break out, you would
’ve left me there to rot.’

‘Your point being?’ he had her attention. She studied his lips, smiling ever so slightly.

‘So the odds of escaping that camp are about the same as getting in there undetected. Difficult yes, not impossible.’ He adjusted his lean to fold his arms. ‘So am I being subjective? It’s hard not to be, when they have my big brother in there. I don’t know his status for sure as Militia, he may even be dead; but if I thought for a second this couldn’t be done, I wouldn’t be doing it.’ His tone was low and certain. No one heard their conversation, but they were watching. She looked up at his tall stature before they both gazed back to the situation outside. The red beams continued to scan for movement.

‘What if we fail?’

Caden considered her question. His sigh sent a shiver of doubt through her. They had Bas, they had Hal. There were a handful of other commanders out there, but no full-bloods. Just Isis, the general, and him.

‘
We lose the war and a lot of people get killed.’

‘You really think that?’ she was careful to keep her voice down.
‘Are we really at such a turning point?’

He nodded. ‘They catch the head of the new Council
and the Seer – just quietly, what do you think will happen?’ he raised an eyebrow. ‘They have some key players. Who knows what intel has been passed on.’ He shrugged, shook his head and feigned his own distraction with the drones.

A blind spot on their side of the building appeared and she took a second glance.
A confused drone malfunctioned in its position, leaving a vulnerable gap close to the side entrance.

‘I saw it the moment we arrived,’ he gave her a wink. ‘I still stand firm with my recommendation for you
as a Commander,
if
we get out of this.’

‘Wouldn’t pay as well as the dancing,’ she mumbled. ‘We need to move out before the lines get stronger.’

‘Agreed, Commander,’ he said. ‘We do.’             

*     *     *

The basement was large and well lit. Julianna tailed Caden's large steps between the rows of storage compartments under the fluorescents hanging high in neat rows. The dysfunctional lines formed from the malfunctioning drones, wavered outside, unaware of their break-in. 

They left the others behind; Caden opted against her wishes to stay with them,
preferring they move in alone. She’d listened to his argument that he didn’t want a crowd in Central Command; that it was too hard to remain invisible on the higher levels, and reluctantly agreed.

Everyone else had their positions. Four groups of ten, each taking a corner of the basement. They were to work through the mapped positions, la
ying charges and detonators where needed, to blow the place sky high. If it worked, they’d take the war in-country, fight the east camp establishment, and then take out the west. The optimistic outcome was the least of her concern.

Need to muddle through this one
first.

Julianna ran along a wall with her rifle ready, following close behind. The Summit started in an hour, and they needed to hold their position in the building next
door for when it did. Caden told her they needed to reach the rear of the grand hall, where the Summit would take place. She trusted his judgment, though Caden’s familiarity with Central Command struck her as odd.

She watched him peer
around a corner, checking their safety. Caden had left vital information out. She sensed it when Daniel asked about Central Head Quarters presence and Caden had abruptly ended their conversation, dragging her from the group. It left her restless.

Meet at the west tunnels once the objectives are met
, Caden ordered the squads of ten. He pulled her arm, pinching at her skin with his cold fingers, while barking his final order. The expression he exchanged with Daniel was antagonistic. Now she struggled with his sprint as they ran to a stairwell doorway.

The door’s lock released and opened gently under his hovering hand. Julianna went first into
the shoebox like space. The door closed behind Caden, dampening the barely there glow that shinned from the level above.

She turned into him, stopping him from moving past her. ‘What exactly is it we’re doing?’

Caden pushed past her gently, climbing the concrete stairs.

‘We’re meant to be helping with the explosives,’ she stated.

Caden spied the door on the first landing. A huge number one painted in white, marked its level. His feet took the steps, two at a time. The door handle unlocked under his caress, as she reached the landing behind him.

‘Hunting and gathering,’ he whispered over his shoulder. ‘Hunting for Bas, gathering for intel in case we don’t get him, and anything else we get is a bonus.’

I shouldn’t be doing this.
‘Okay then, so why the big secret?’
I shouldn’t be going out in the open at Central Command.

His stare was longing and unforgiving. Chills ran down her spine as he opened the door
, afraid he’d heard her thoughts. A bright stream of light hit her from the clean corridors outside. The narrow opening provided them with a clear sight to two officers in full dress uniform passing them; absorbed in mid-conversation. He latched the door quietly.

She pressed against the wall with Caden beside her
, and waited.

Impossible.
She mouthed to him.

‘Why are you so reluctant?’ He asked.

‘We’re not meant to be breaching Central like this. This wasn’t the plan. These aren’t our objectives.’

‘You protest too much for my liking.’

He quizzed her for an answer and when she didn’t grant him the satisfaction, he opened the door into level one of Central Command.

The hallway was brightly lit, immaculately furnished with wall hangings of past soldiers considered glorious, and she a
dmired the ornate sofa for the tired, off-duty officers to rest upon. They ran, pressed against its clean white walls to the double doors at the end, unlocked and empty on the other side.

Caden counted doors, stopping at t
he fifth and dragged her in behind it.

It was a small office. Singular and dark, with one desk
center of the room. Filing cabinets lined the walls to one side and book shelves to the other.

‘Look at this…
’ he said to himself, breathless. He holstered his gun against his thigh to scan the file. 

‘How do you know to look for this
in here?’

‘I used to work here. This is my old HSD office.’ He
tucked the file inside his shirt.

‘You never told me you were Militia!’ she snapped. ‘You never tell me anything!’

‘We haven’t had much time to talk, now have we?’ he said in a low whisper. He checked his watch. ‘Forty-five minutes. We need to move.’

Caden
looked quickly at the ceiling and pointed to the ventilation unit above them.

‘
You first, sweetheart.’

She frowned.
‘For the record, Commander,’ she climbed onto the desk, underneath the grill and pushed it open. ‘This is the stupidest plan you’ve had yet.’

‘You got a better idea?’

‘Doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid.’

He followed, stepping onto the desk and raising her through the hole. She climbed into the narro
w space and watched Caden lift himself effortlessly beside her. A glance at the grate’s direction swung the door closed on its hinges. 

‘You too could do that if y
ou were trained,’ he whispered.

‘Don’t start
with the initiation bullshit again,’ she grumbled in a low whisper. ‘I’ll follow.’

Their maze wove endlessly ahead of them as they commando crawled in the metal tunnel. Caden’s boots threatened to kick her face
with his shuffle forward.

Daniel might detonate the charges while we’re stuck in this place!

The image of fire blazed along the ventilation unit, licking at their feet. She wiped it away, exchanging it for her more pleasant park to take its place – then that closed in with grey clouds and Hal’s nagging voice. It was useless, right now there was no safe haven, but for the man in front of her.

Caden glanced over his shoulder. She caught his look
– nodding for her to join him. She skirmished along, crawling into the narrow space between his shoulders and vent wall to look through a grate to a desk in a well lit room.

Taris
sat behind it, quietly discussing the security arrangements for the Summit over the comms. He stopped to look up in their direction.

‘Fuck,’ she whispered and pressed against Caden’s side.

There’s no way he’s seen us. No way has he heard us. We’ve been careful.

‘Why is he sensing you?’ Caden whispered. ‘Something you’re not telling me?’

Caden peered again. Taris was out of his seat and pacing his office with his radio in hand, calling for his security. When the office door opened, her name was the first thing mentioned.

‘You’re bound to him!’

It wasn’t a question, wasn’t rhetoric at all. It was an accusation. Caden glared at her. 

‘Like you said, no time to talk.’

Caden slid silently away until they were staring at each other. He was about to open his mouth again – or his mind to let her have a blast, when Bastiaan’s voice cut into the vents, discussing Militia tactics. They both stopped, frozen in their positions to stare through the grate. 

‘If you find her on your way out, keep her alive. Make sure your men understand that I need her alive.’

‘Yes, Sir. I understand. The drones are in place in Sector Two. I’ll be moving in for the attack, in the next hour. Do you want me to search the building until then?’

Taris nodded. ‘She’s on this level. Secure all the exits,’ Taris smiled. ‘Do what you do best. You
know your job. If you find her, great. If not, we have the safe house as our priority. Unless you can capture the General himself, Lieutenant, I don’t want survivors. Burn the place and its Rebellion rats to the ground. Make certain there aren’t any survivors.’

Caden
slid back for the closest grate away from the office. Julianna followed, not expecting Caden to quickly lower her into the richly, carpeted hallway. She glanced up at him leaning over the hole, readying to close it.

‘Aren’t you coming?’ she frowned.

‘Find Daniel’s crew and get back to the safe house. You need to warn them,’ he peered from the ventilation unit. ‘I’ll finish here. Once I’m done, I’ll move in for support.’