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  “I..I don’t know what that means,” Reilly said, it dawned on him that he had never left the hotel. He had no idea what lay outside of the building and the world outside, only what he had experienced from the guests that had stayed.

  The man lifted his goggles, revealing a beady pair of black eyes underneath.

  “Haha, many people don’ know what it means. Most people don’t care about us down ‘ere,” the man jumped to his feet from the crouched position he had been sitting in. “Follow me, I’ll show ya, and get you checked over after your tumble.”

  “Hey JJ, you sure tha’s a good idea?” The woman in the background shouted, she stepped into view. She was wearing a similar outfit of mismatched items, a bomber jacket covered in various logos sewn on and a pair of ripped jeans. Her hair was a long, electric blue mess, like a thunder storm raining down.

  “Look at him Mol, he ain’t gonna do anythin’,” he grinned down at Reilly. “Are ya?”

  Reilly was pulling himself up, glancing down, he saw the mess of torn clothes and blood that coated him. His trousers were torn in several places, as were his arms and the buttons along the front of his chef's jacket. He winced in pain as he checked for any broken bones.

  “Y’all in one piece?” JJ asked.

  “I think so, just a lot of cuts and bruises,” Reilly replied.

  JJ stuck his hand out.

  “Name’s JJ, stands for… actually I’m not sure I know anymore. It doesn’t matter, JJ is who I am now, and that’s all any of us need to know ey? Name’s are temporary.”

  Reilly shook his hand and nodded.

  “I’m,” he realised he had never said his name out loud. “133, wait, Lee, no, Reilly?” His brain felt confused as he tried to process it all.

  “No matter, Reilly is a good a name as any, ”JJ chuckled to himself. “That’s Mollie lurkin’ in the background,” he nodded behind him as she walked up.

  “Reilly? Suits ya,” she smiled. “Let’s get movin’, the Gunners might come looking for ‘im but they might send out the Phantoms,” Mollie said.

  “Aye, makes sense. C’mon Reilly, let's get you to the Nexus.”

  JJ put an arm round Reilly to help him steady his feet. Reilly limped as best he could, while Mollie lead the way. She pulled some goggles of her own down, the blue lenses matching her hair.

  They moved down the back streets, through the trash and darkness. The only illumination was through the murky yellow streetlights, half of which weren’t working. Reilly guessed the goggles were to help them see in the murky light.

  “So, where exactly are we? I don’t exactly know this place,” Reilly asked, pausing for breath between sentences, the pain still pulsing.

  “The Underpass, basically it's the opposite of the Boulevard,” JJ replied.

  “This is the area underneath the Boulevard,” Mollie stepped in, “Most people don’t realise that the Boulevard is actually a bridge, mostly. From the BitVillage, it slowly rises onto the bridge and continues like that for several kilometres, before curving back down after Zeta. The whole city is pretty much on a plate, with the Boulevard running down its centre, and this here is where we are, under the plate and the props that hold it up.”

  Reilly knew of the boulevard but didn’t really understand it. He still wasn’t completely sure.

  “So, we’re under the city?” He asked.

  “Exactly, in the Underpass like I said!” JJ shouted as they continued, “We heading to the Nexus now, in centre of the Underpass.”

  “It’s the point directly under the centre of the ‘plate’,” Mollie explained. “Everything down here runs through it. We can find a Doctor to give you a once over.”

  Reilly nodded, it was taking time for it all to sink in. All he wanted to do was lay down and rest. For a moment he thought of the chamber where he normally woke and how well rested he always felt coming out of it, that was a past life now, another one to be erased and replaced like all his days before today.

  “And, what do you do down here?” Reilly asked.

  “We’re scavengers,” JJ replied. We find things that have been dropped down here.”

  “You’d be surprised what ends up down here. People up there think things disappear down the cracks in the road or in the trash, but they end up down here. Like you did.”

  “Wait, how far did I fall?” Reilly was sure it was only a small drop that he jumped.

  “Well, it looked as if you took the scenic route down here,” JJ laughed, “Hit a few speed bumps on the way down.”

  “He means you must have fell into one of the waste tunnels and come that way. It would still have been bumpy but not a straight drop.”

  After what seemed like a lifetime, they arrived. Reilly had to stop and take it all in.

  At the end of the street, a vast open space was revealed. You could describe it as a square, but it wouldn’t do the size justice. He counted ten streets coming off the centre in varying angles and distances, each route was punctuated with a massive pillar, the size of a building. Large monoliths which, as he looked upwards, he couldn’t see the tops of. He realised for the first time that there was no sky above him, but a dark end to the view at a great distance, too far to comprehend. The square itself was full to breaking point, with what appeared to be market stalls. Reilly had some vague memories of what a market place looked like, but he couldn’t explain where from.

  “C’mon Reilly,” JJ beckoned him from ahead, where himself and Mollie had continued walking before noticing he had stopped.

  “Coming,” Reilly snapped out of the thoughts he was still processing.

  They entered the mess of fabric and metal poles which composed the stalls, some were massive marquis, others tiny tents with just a small table showing some kind of knick-knacks. Reilly looked around at all the people. He was used to crowds at the hotel but not like this; they were dressed in random concoctions of clothing, rubbing shoulders with each other as they squeezed past one another. Smells of cooked meats and spices filled the air, he recognised some smells but again, he couldn’t recall from where.

  “Is this… normal?” he asked Mollie, who was staying with him while JJ lead the way through the crowd.

  “Yeah, it’s always pretty crazy busy here. This is where everything and anything happens. You need it or want it, you find it in the Nexus.”

  JJ, who was a few metres in front, turned back to look at them and pointed to the tent which he was standing in front of.

  “ ‘Ere we are,” JJ said as they got closer. “Mr Dr Koenig. Medical person of all sorts,” JJ did a small bow as he indicated for them to enter the tent.

  Mollie went first, followed by Reilly.

  “Good Evening Mollie, and I see you bring a specimen with you, how delightful.” A heavily accented voice rang out.

  The room was surprisingly sterile, considering its location, a large silver metal table was in the centre of the room, with drainage underneath. Dr Koenig sat behind a small table to the side of the area.

  “A fine-looking specimen at that! If a little damaged. How about I give 75% the usual price?”

  “Dr, this one came from the Up Above, this isn’t some lowlife from the Underpass, “Mollie argued.

  “Oh come now, he isn’t even able to stand.”

  Reilly froze, he was suddenly aware he needed to get away. Looking back, he saw JJ standing at the entrance to the tent, obviously aware of his intentions. He held a large hunting knife in his hand.

  “Nowhere to go Reilly,” JJ laughed.

  “Fine, let’s say 80%,” Koenig said. “Final offer.”

  “Deal,” Mollie smiled before turning to Reilly and before he could even resist ,stabbed a needle into his neck.

  A moment later, he blacked out.

  CHAPTER 18

  Jacob

  Father Jacob hadn’t been further into the Boulevard for a long time, but he needed to collect the part before the evening, and he needed Tombs concentrating on finding the escapee.

 
; The autocab pulled up to the entrance of the Grand Falls Hotel.

  Stepping out, he walked towards the hotel, he still wore his priest outfit, and a couple on a synth-high outside the hotel hurled abuse at him.

  “What’s with the dog collar?”

  Jacob approached them and looked them in the eye.

  “Are you lost child?” He asked.

  “No, but I think you are!” Came the laughing response.

  Jacob didn’t have time for this, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking action. He discreetly pulled a small needle out of his pocket and leaned closer to the man, putting his hand on the back of his neck, as if pulling him in for a quiet word. The needle punctured the man's neck with no feeling.

  “You are lost, and afraid,” he whispered, before walking away.

  After a second, the man began to panic.

  “Wh… where am I? What’s going on?” He looked petrified, before running down the street away from the hotel, his companion following.

  Jacob entered the Hotel and walked straight up to the desk.

  “Hello Father, how are you today?” Janice asked, a smile wide on her face.

  “Good Evening Janice, I’m here to collect from the warehouse,” he said as he approached.

  “No problem Father, the package is waiting for you already.”

  “Thank you dear,” Jacob smiled, “also have you seen Mr Tombs?”

  “I believe he is in the security office.”

  “Excellent, thank you Janice,” he replied as he walked past the desk and entered a door marked PRIVATE, using a fingerprint scanner to allow him access, his PDA scanner removed long ago.

  Inside was a large room with all the walls covered by displays, all of them showing various areas of the hotel.

  “Good evening Mr Tombs,” Jacob announced, as he walked in.

  Tombs jumped to his feet, startled by the arrival.

  “He… hello Father. I didn’t know you had arrived.”

  “I was just wondering if you had located the escapee?” The anger suppressed in his voice seeping through.

  Tombs shifted nervously.

  “It looks like he fell into Underpass sir,” Tombs admitted, “We haven’t got many resources down there.”

  “A pity, that could cause some issues. I suggest you activate the Hunters.”

  “Yes Father,” Tombs looked relived, that there was no further punishment.

  “While I’m here, I will inspect the chambers before leaving, it’s been some time since my last visit.”

  “Of course, shall I escort you Father?”

  “That won’t be necessary Mr Tombs, I will go alone. I suggest your time would be better spent heading the hunt.”

  At this, Father Jacob left the room and headed towards the warehouse. He once more used a fingerprint scanner to open the door and stepped into a massive warehouse, inside which were lines upon lines of BioChambers. Each hooked up to several pipes and wires, they gave off a green hue, which bathed the warehouse in a dull emerald haze.

  He approached one and peered inside, the body of a man was inside, he looked asleep, but Jacob knew he was just a hollow husk waiting for programming. He had begun development of the clones several years prior when he was still a founder of CyBio. Though his colleagues had deemed the work too unethical. As such he set up the warehouse off the books, to allow him to continue his research unhindered by such detrimental thoughts.

  He tapped a code into one of the chamber computers; it lit up with options. A long list of personalities and traits were available to choose from, covering all the aspects of hotel staff. Then, at the bottom, was a locked section. Jacob entered a second code in to access this, it revealed a further list. This time the options were more advanced, such as Spec Ops, Surgeons, Assassins, and Fighters. Finally, at the bottom there was an option simply titled:

  MAXO

  This was the one Jacob selected now, and the whole chamber whirred into gear and the body inside convulsed and writhed.

  A moment later and the eyes opened in the chamber and the man inside met Jacobs' eyes. A look of contempt and fear filled them.

  “Good evening Maxwell,” he said, unable to repress a grin that sneaked into his face.

  “Jacob? What the hell is this?” Owens asked, as he moved his limbs.

  “I’m afraid there’s something you need to know Owens,” Jacob replied. “You died last week, I’m very sorry for your loss.”

  “What are you talking about? Let me out!” Owens slammed a fist into the glass of the chamber. After a moment, he looked at the fist. He examined it, curling and uncurling the fingers, turning it around. Something wasn’t right. It wasn’t his.

  “Ah, you see, the body you are in is, well how best to call it? A clone, a pre-manufactured body created from a base genome of a host. We create the clone as a tabula rasa if you will, a blank slate in the mind upon which we can insert another. A human computer with upgradeable operating software.” Jacob spoke proudly of the work. “If you recall, I was in the beginning stages of this very thing back at CyBio before you kicked me out.”

  “This is madness Jacob!’ Owens struggled to comprehend the situation and felt nauseous as the idea sunk in that he was no longer in his own body. “Put me back in my own body!” Even saying the words seemed both absurd and terrifying.

  “I’m afraid that won’t really be possible Owens, you see you were murdered last week and your body will have decayed far past its living state by now, but,” Jacob smiled. “I saved your mind, that amazing mind of yours ,Owens. There is something I need out of it,” Jacob moved closer to the chamber.

  “I’m dead? My god,” Owens whispered, shock was getting too much for him, this wasn’t something anyone would be able to process in a short time. Jacob saw this happening and tapped on the console. He could manipulate the biochemistry of the Husk body, he increased the dopamine levels to help calm Owens down.

  “It’s ok Owens, relax. You’re safe here, and I can guarantee your brainwaves will remain intact. I can even offer you a body for it to inhabit. As long as you can help me with my little conundrum of course.”

  Owens, now more relaxed as the chemicals flooded his system, looked at Jacob. He still felt sick and unsure, but the thought of his own mind disappearing, to lose the very thing that makes up your being, was enough to make him consider the offer.

  “What do you need Jacob?” Owens resigned.

  CHAPTER 19

  Julian

  Julian struggled against the metallic cuffs on his wrists, two circles around each of them, which seemed to pull together by some kind of magnet. He couldn’t get them apart, no matter how hard he tried.

  “Quartz you there?” He whispered, as he took in his surroundings.

  He got no response. In fact, there was nothing at all. All of his connections were shut down. He panicked, he’d been using the augs for as long as he could remember, to have them disconnected felt like losing a limb.

  “Calm down Julian,” a voice spoke.

  Julian looked around the car and saw he was in a large limousine, there were seats opposite him at some distance where, as his eye adjusted to the dim light, he now noticed a man was sitting facing him.

  “It’s ok, the car is just equipped with an internal EMP pulse, which renders all electronics, including augs, powered down. They’ll kick back into gear once you leave the car,” the voice was soft-spoken, calming and soothing.

  “Who are you?” Julian asked, the news that the disconnection was temporary was a relief.

  “My name is Yuri Renko.”

  “One of the CyBio founders?” Julian asked. Usually he had to chase down his stories, this was the first time the story had chased him.

  “Correct, I heard you were looking into my company. I thought perhaps we could assist each other. You see there’s a lot more going on here than you may have first realised.”

  “Nanotechnology? That’s the big reveal right? Why kidnap me though?”

  “One
question at a time please Julian. First of all, yes nanotech is the next big thing we will unveil tomorrow at the conference. It will be revolutionary, the ability to have implants with no invasive surgery or even pain.”

  Julian nodded, he couldn’t argue that it was a breakthrough which would change the world.

  “As for taking you the way we did, you need to realise that I didn’t intend to be so violent. Unfortunately, I needed to get to you before those Scanners did.”

  Julian paused.

  “Wait, so the people that attacked us weren’t working for you?” Julian paused as he thought of Ally, he hoped she was ok.

  “What? No, of course not! They were trying to get you for the Church, we had to act fast, as it seemed like you were unlikely to make it away from them. It’s lucky we found you when we did. In fact, apologies for those,” Yuri deactivated the cuffs on Julian's hands. “We needed you to be compliant to get you away as fast as possible.”

  Julian’s head spun.

  “Ok, so you didn’t attack me, but why am I here?” Julian asked.

  “I need your help,” Yuri replied, sounding sincere.

  “You see, although we aim to help people and improve the quality of life, we still have many, many enemies. Something is happening that we aren’t fully aware of. There have been several attacks on the employees and facilities around the Metro.”

  “Why not go to the MPD?” Julian asked.

  “The last major incident was my colleague and friend, Maxwell Owens. He was found dead in his apartment last week. The investigation seemed to be going well and the Detective in charge of the case, Donovan, told me he was close to making an arrest. Then, the next day, he was signed off work and was now under constant care at home for brain trauma. They put the whole case on ice, and there was no record of it even happening. Owens’ body has even disappeared from the morgue, according to all records.”

  Julian knew that Yuri must have hacked into the MPD records to find some of this information out. If a company with as much power as CyBio couldn’t get any information or control of the situation, it must be bad.