Each of the Exiles ran like professional runners. So adept were they at using their own legs to travel, they’d achieved a level of fitness most professional athletes could only dream to possess naturally. Even Hayley, who’d been in Exile for less than most of them kept up with their staggering pace with ease. Max on the other hand was falling back. In the past eleven months he’d done very little exercising. He’d grown paunchy and was in no condition for the kilometer-long sprint to the New Rome arcology, the second furthest arcology from where they’d come up from the sewers. They Exiles crossed the parkette Hayley had called home for several months, alerting a number of citizens and fellow Exiles along the way. The people knew something was happening. The Exiles were armed and they were moving closely together. Other Exiles were soon to join in, some of them given weapons from those who were carrying two or more. The original group of twenty blossomed into a group of 40 by the time they reached the other side of the parkette. And more were coming. Hayley had no idea how many until they’d reached the base of New Rome.
The brute got her attention and pointed out to the road leading from the arcology to the supply depot beyond the shanties. Hayley was in disbelief at the sight she saw. Hundreds of Exiles poured onto the narrow two-lane road, emerging into the light cast from the overhead street and flood lights. At the distance she saw them, they looked like a cascading black liquid, and were charging for the arcology. The DIS sentries posted near the shanties opened fire, but there were too few for so many Exiles. The Exiles enveloped them, the DIS agents disappearing in the swelling black mass.
Horrible screams filled the air as the agents were quite literally pulled apart, their uniforms ripped from their bodies, hair pulled out in handfuls, their naked, exposed skin relentlessly battered by the now free Exiles who exploded on them with years of pent up fury. Hayley didn’t want to know what would become of them, though she didn’t exactly care either.
The Exiles, like a gathering storm, quickly swelled in numbers around the base of New Rome. As many weapons were handed out as could be, a number being liberated from the DIS agents. The mob of black, latex-coated bodies fanned out. Republic citizens who were out and about that night soon found themselves overrun. Some were stripped, some were beaten, a few were even killed. But no Revolution ever occurred without a little bloodshed, Hayley thought as she followed the main group around the structure to one of the main entrances. So far, things were going better than expected. Guardian had done well in keeping the security network out of commission, and with any luck, the DIS substation was being overrun at that very moment. However, Hayley knew the lead-up was the easy part. From there on end, things were going to get difficult, and losses would begin to mount. Using their plasma rifles, the Exiles burned their way through the main entrance. It was like a firestorm. Alarms started to blare throughout the entire colony and the first Exiles through the doors fired at everything that moved through the doors, killing civilians, DIS agents and Republic personnel in equal measure. DIS agents returned fire, killing a dozen Exiles quickly. Had it been the original twenty Exiles, going in, their original force would have just been reduced to less than half. But fortunately, with hundreds, nay thousands of reinforcements to their back, it was just a matter of numbers. The DIS agents, though they had the tactical advantage, were soon overwhelmed as Exiles poured in by the dozens through the front doors. Those unarmed quickly recovered fallen weapons and returned fire with a little more care, picking their targets and making sure they dropped them when they pressed the trigger.
The screams of men and women filled the air as the carnage expanded throughout the concourse. A dozen individual engagements were ongoing as groups of Exiles gathered together and began attacking specific areas. The DIS agents were quickly pinned down, though reinforcements were likely on their way by now. As DIS agents were killed, their armaments were liberated and more Exiles joined the fight. Within minutes, the concourse area was under Exile control. It was then on to the commercial district; the heart of the arcology. With hundreds of angles to attack from, above, below and all around, getting control of that was likely an impossibility. But they didn’t need control, they just needed to hold DIS attention there long enough that the main infiltration force could get up to the administrative offices.
While a number of Exiles stayed back to maintain control of the central concourse, and some fanned out into other areas of the structure, the rest moved deeper in, fighting their way to the commercial center. Republic citizens scurried about, fleeing the carnage as the Exiles flooded the area, their black bodies a stark contrast to everything else there. DIS agents had, as expected, amassed in the vast, mall-like commercial district and were firing down at them from the many floors above. With little cover down on the ground floor, Exiles began going down rapidly.
Hayley and Max stayed close to the brute who displayed his prowess in marksmanship, offing DIS agent after DIS agent with well placed shots from his two pistols. Max also fired his rifle, demonstrating some skill with the weapon as he blasted a number of agents. Hayley hadn’t fired a single shot yet, and had no desire to. She kept the weapon in her arms however, in the event she had to use it at some point.
The three, by then separated from the main assault team, managed to find their way to an elevator. A number of civilians had taken refuge in it, but quickly departed when the hulking Exile threatened them with his pistols.
"Destination please," the elevator’s computerized female voice requested.
"Administrative level," Hayley spoke via the DPAD.
The brute grabbed one of Hayley’s shoulders and turned her to face him, shaking his head. He tapped the A etched onto his helmet.
"Alicia...where is she?"
The brute grabbed the DPAD device from Max, accessed the paint program, and with a finger roughly drew in the letters M-E-D. "Medical center?" Max inquired, looking at the screen.
The brute nodded.
"Medical Center level is restricted. Unauthorized access...access...access...unauthorized...error..." the computerized voice began stuttering as if encountering a glitch. After a moment, the voice returned as normal. "Access granted."
The doors slid shut, and the lift jerked as it began its ascent. Hayley could only guess that Guardian had something to do with their getting access. With the battle safely below them, Max let out a deep sigh as he pressed his back against the elevator car’s interior wall. Likely, there would be more resistance on the medical level, though hopefully by now, all of the DIS agents were involved in the firefight below.
Hayley turned to Max, seeing the look on his face and sensing the disparity he was feeling. She stepped over to him, reached out and took one of his hands, drawing his eyes up to the reflective surface of her helmet.
She didn’t need to ask the question he knew she was thinking. "I didn’t think it’d be like this. I mean...I’m not a soldier. I’m not trained for this shit. How the fuck is someone supposed to deal with being shot at and seeing people die all around him? How the hell are you able to stay so calm?"
"Because...I know what we’re fighting for," she told him honestly. "We’re fighting for a chance to really be free. To make this our home. If that’s not worth dying for, I don’t know what is."
"What about killing for?" He flashed an angry glare at her. She closed her eyes and dipped her head. "If it’s the only way. Unfortunately it is. They won’t just stand aside and let us take over. Like us, they’re willing to kill for what they believe in...or what they’ve been made to believe. We just have to believe ours is the right cause."
"Is it though? What about all the civilians who’ve died? If you asked them and they were honest, I doubt they’d believe in what this place stands for either. Yet they’re dead because of it now. And we killed them."
"And that’s why we have to succeed. So the loss of innocent lives isn’t for nothing. We have to make their deaths worth it."
He heaved a desperate sigh. "I just don’t understand why you’d put yourself through all this...for these fucking people," he turned his glance to the brute, who didn’t seem to notice or care about his implication.
Hayley released Max’s hand and shook her head, taking a step back from him. "These people are the reason I put myself through this, Max. It’s the same reason you’re putting yourself through this for me. Because I care about them. Just because you don’t, don’t think that they’re not worth the effort. And if you can’t figure that out, maybe you should just find somewhere to hide and let us do this."
Max pushed himself off the wall. "Fuck that. I’m here, and I’m not leaving. But you’re right, I don’t care about them, I just care about you. And I’ll die before I let anything happen to you. Again."
Hayley had nothing to say. She understood how Max felt, a part of her wished she could even draw back those feelings she once had for him. But as she’d said before to him on the ship, she was an Exile now, and they were from two different worlds. She was committed to them and the promise of a better life. A perfect life. She wasn’t sure how Max fit into that new life, if he even did at all. Certainly, a physical relationship in the traditional sense would no longer work between them.
She didn’t have time to think about it though as the elevator soon glided to a smooth stop and the doors slid open, revealing a sterile, white corridor within the medical levels. The corridor was empty, which meant that either their entry to the level had gone undetected, or was anticipated and they were about to blunder into an ambush. The brute, obviously thinking the same thing Hayley was, cautiously took the lead. He entered the hallway first, taking several jogging steps down the corridor to the intersection. Dropping his pistols he took one of the rifles slung over his back, and peeked down both ends. Satisfied they were clear, he motioned at Hayley and Max to move up.
Hayley recognized the section of the facility. They were not far from the processing area where Hayley had first been converted into an Exile. Though it’d been months since then, she still recognized the corridors as if she’d just been there yesterday. The brute led the group toward the holding area, where the recently sentenced were held prior to processing. Clearly, he was being guided in by Guardian who must have known exactly where Alicia was.
They eventually came to the door that led into the holding area. The brute signaled with his hand at Hayley and Max, having them hug the wall next to the door as he entered. The proximity detected his presence and slid open to the sight of six armed DIS agents at the other end of the chamber, their weapons trained on the door. Simultaneously they opened fire on the brute with their repulsor rifles, literally blasting chunks of his body away. Even as he fell victim to the salvo, the brute fired the plasma rifle rapidly, turning the inside of the room into scene of absolute carnage, killing or severely wounding several of the DIS agents within. One of the agents however managed to score a headshot on the brute, turning his helmet and skull inside into a twisted, mangled bloody stump.
Gasping in shock, Hayley watched as the brute’s lifeless, headless body fell backward into the hallway. Without even thinking, she popped into his place in the door and quickly filled the interior with burning plasma bolts. The surviving DIS agents were shredded by the intense, white-hot beams of light as they poured out of the rifle. By the time she was done, nothing was left moving inside the chamber. The back wall had been burned to a blackened crisp, and chunks of bubbling flesh smoldered across the floor. Max took one look inside and was suddenly overcome with an intense nausea. Gagging, he unloaded the contents of his stomach onto the floor, mere feet away from where Hayley had months ago when she was first brought to the place.
She shot a quick glance at Max, making sure he was okay before stepping inside the chamber. She was careful to check the corners and behind the few furnishings that existed within the room, making sure there wasn’t one more agent just waiting to pop out and get her. It seemed clear though.
A number of rooms connected to the main chamber, each of them a small holding room like the one Hayley had once found herself occupying. She checked each one, finding a few inhabited by non-Exiles. They were naked, frightened, and were likely destined for the processing facility. She motioned at them to leave, none of them needing to be told twice. Finally, she came to a room occupied by a lone Exile. She was atop an examining bed, strapped in, an instrument cart next to her, several vials of various drugs and a jet injector atop the cart.
By her body shape alone, Hayley knew it was Alicia. She didn’t appear to be conscious, but was breathing. Glancing at the vials, it appeared as though she’d been injected with enough Sodium Pentothal to induce a coma. Hayley stood over her, placing a hand on her helmeted head just under the jaw.
"Wake up Alicia...Max! Get in here!"
Braving the carnage inside the holding chamber’s entry area, Max found Hayley inside one of the rooms with the unconscious Exile.
"Max. I need you to connect your DPAD to her network," she looked over at him. "I need to see if her proxy A.I. is still functional."
"Alright..." Max took the device in hand, and access the software that’d been installed by Dr. Savan. "I won’t be able to hear you if I do though. I can only access one network at a time."
"Just see if she’s still connected to the Guardian network. Run a diagnostic, you should be able to tell if another network is connected to her, then reconnect with me. Her designation is AH41."
He nodded and did as she instructed, disconnecting from Hayley’s network and attempting to access the other Exile’s. Once the connection was established, he ran a scan to see if any other networks were present. Nothing was coming up however. He looked at Hayley and shook his head before reestablishing a connection with her.
"Shit! They’ve disabled her connection. And without my connection or the other Exile, we have no way of contacting Guardian."
"Well, we need to find out how to restore one of your connections then," Max shrugged.
"We’ll need to go to the processing lab. They’ll have devices there that should be able to do it. Come on, help me with her," Hayley began undoing the restraints pinning Alicia to the examination bed.
Once they had her out of restraints, Max stood her up, allowing Hayley to get her up onto her shoulders. The two then made tracks out of the holding area and back into the corridor. Fortunately for them, there was no resistance to be had, allowing them to get to the processing facility in moments. Inside, Hayley placed Alicia on one of the tables, and started surveying the room for any familiar looking equipment. In the adjoining office, she came upon a tablet DPAD, recalling in her time with Dr. Savan, how she’d used.
Accessing the device, she was greeted with a Warden system prompter. The graphical user interface seemed to be having a meltdown however, as the screen was shifting irregularly, icons moving about the screen, strange number-letter-symbol sequences scrolling from side to side and up and down. Hayley was certain it had something to do with the Guardian A.I. Either it’s own doing, or perhaps someone was attempting to purge it from the network, and doing so was causing system-wide failures. Pretty soon, there might not be a network left for them to access. She needed to work quick.
Taking the tablet back out into the main area, Hayley managed to navigate through the malfunctioning GUI to the Warden control interface. One of her selections was ‘LOCATE LOCAL NETWORKS’. Tapping the icon with her finger, she was given a list of nearby networks. Only one was present- AH41. She wondered why her own wasn’t showing up. She guessed it was something to do with malfunctions.
Tapping onto the AH41 listing, she brought up a new prompt that listed numerous commands. Scrolling down the list, she found a promising one that said ‘REINITIALIZE UPLINK’. She tapped it, and was greeted with a graphic displaying the outline of a human head and a satellite dish, a broken line bouncing back and forth between the two. After a few seconds, the line went solid, the message ‘UPLINK REESTABLISHED’ blinking at the bottom of the screen.
Hayley glanced at Alicia, hoping to see some reaction. She continued to lie still however, breathing very softly. Max walked up to Hayley’s side.
"Anything?"
"No. I think I reestablished her access to the network, but nothing seems to be happening...wait," a thought suddenly occurred to Hayley. "AH41, initiate resuscitation protocol."
Alicia’s body suddenly jerked spastically, as if she’d been jolted awake by a surge of electricity. Her upper body snapped upright, her hands clenched into fists and her toes curled. The reaction had occurred so abruptly, it startled both Hayley and Max to the degree that they both jumped. A second later, the other Exile’s body slumped back into a relaxed state. It took her a moment to come to her senses, shaking off the effects of being awoken in such a way, her body burning from the surging adrenaline coursing through her veins. She locked eyes on Hayley, knowing it was her even before the A.I. recognized her.
Alicia rolled off of the examination table and hit the ground with both feet, throwing her arms around her friend clenching her tightly in a sisterly embrace. The two held each other for several moments, both relieved to be with one another again. Max took the time to establish an audio uplink with Alicia with the tablet DPAD.
"Hayley...?" Her voice crackled over the device’s speaker. "How come I can’t link with you? I’m not receiving anything from you at all."
"I don’t seem to be able to establish a connection with the network for some reason," she said, her voice coming through the smaller DPAD. "It may have something to do with the fact that I was off world for awhile. Something must have happened to my ability to connect."
"Did you try to reestablish like you did with me?"
"I don’t show up in the local networks," she replied, shaking her head. "What happened to you, Alicia? How’d you wind up here?"
"DIS agents captured me shortly after you were taken. I was brought in for questioning...I...I told them. I told them about the A.I. I tried to hold out for as long as I could, hoping I could hold out until the attack started. But Guardian halted the attack. When it realized I was compromised and you were gone, it knew it wouldn’t be long before it was discovered and the whole operation would be put in jeopardy. It tried shutting itself down...and I think it partially succeeded. The proxy A.I.’s, Guardian’s ‘offspring’ are still functional, but the Guardian network itself is severely compromised. I can’t believe you managed to get in here."
"We had help. The Federation sent us down some weapons, and we initiated the attack early."
Alicia nodded. "You must have caught them by surprise then. They probably suspected an attack was going to happen, but probably weren’t counting on Exiles to be armed. Guardian tells me that over nine hundred Exiles are participating in the attack. But we’ve already lost a quarter of them."
"Which is why we have to move. We have to get control of the administrative level so we can contact the Federation ship. If we tell them we’re in control and we ask for assistance, they’ll send Marines. But we have to do it soon. We have less than seven hours to send the message otherwise we may not get the support."
"After we take the administrative level, we’ll need to figure out how to get the Guardian network back to full operation, otherwise we won’t be able to send any communication at all. As it stands, its access to the central network is limited. We won’t have much help once we get into the secure levels above."
Hayley nodded. "Lets not waste any more time then."
"Here, you’ll need this," Max pulled the pistol out from his pants and handed it to Alicia.
She took the offered weapon, released the magazine and checked how much ammo she had. She then slapped the mag back into the grip housing and expertly cocked the slide. Clearly, this wasn’t her first firearm. She snagged the DPAD tablet, extended its carry strap and pulled it over a shoulder before following Hayley and Max. The trio made their way out of the medical facilities and headed back for the elevators. They were almost home free now. One last thing to do. One final confrontation.
Aldrich Heissler...