Chapter 28

Natalie approached the deep crater where the command trailer had stood. Beside it, the tractor unit was ablaze, dark plumes of thick smoke rising thirty metres into the air.

"What are we looking for?" one of her reluctant assistants inquired.

"A black ovoid about the size of a large grapefruit. It will have an array of small, shiny contacts dotted over its surface."

"What is it?"

"All that's left of my sister," Natalie replied sadly. "One day, we'll use it to bring her back to life. She sacrificed everything for us today and I can't let her die forever."

"It could be anywhere," the young woman replied. "Can it even have survived the blast?"

"They're virtually indestructible. Each one contains a short range homing beacon that activates automatically if it loses connection with its Quantum. There's a receiver in my car."

She opened the tailgate and switched on the detector. Each Datacore transmitted a unique code and she entered Elisabeth's from memory. The handset emitted an intermittent beep and she spun through a full circle to allow the directional antenna to provide a bearing. After repeating the same procedure from three different locations, she triangulated the likely co-ordinates and walked into the crater.

"Fetch some spades," she told the woman.

The Datacore had been propelled over a metre into solid earth. They would have to excavate quickly if they were to retrieve it before they were forced to leave.

"Situation report Sergeant," Huxley demanded as Talbot took a momentary break from his labour.

"We lost two patrolling the perimeter plus four dead in the house and six more in the woods. Five others are critical and we can probably expect to lose them before the end of the day. Another two will hopefully pull through."

"Anybody we know?"

"Bartlett in the woods, Stevens in the house," Talbot informed him

"I've known those two forever. They were good soldiers," Huxley agonized.

"The rest of the recruits did bloody well, considering. I'd fight alongside them any day."

"I know," Huxley agreed.

"What about these machines?"

"The lieutenant vouches for them and I have to trust her judgement. She's done nothing but good work since she's been with us."

"We're not taking them with us are we?"

"They've burnt their bridges and have probably got no place left to go. If they are what they say they are then I want them on our side. Those autocannons they used are designed to be vehicle mounted; I've never seen them fired hand-held before."

"They're strong buggers, I'll grant you that."

"I've spoken quickly to Janus and he's in agreement; we give them a chance. If they wanted us dead then they'd already have wiped us out. The machine that blew herself up was the same one that warned Emily about the attack and the restoration of the Surveillance Grid.

"The machines are obviously as divided as we are. If they're prepared to help us destroy their masters then who am I to deny them the opportunity."

"What about the prisoner?" Talbot asked.

"Do as Emily said for now. Keep a careful eye on her and if she shows the slightest sign of causing trouble, blow whatever she uses for brains to oblivion."

Sands had driven over as soon as Greg called him to relay the gist of Janice's call. He was clearly extremely worried, fidgeting in agitation on the sofa.

The tank was displaying classic films in rotation with all news channels suspended. They looked at each other ominously, realising that the time for international diplomacy had ended. The conflict with Caliban had begun.

Half an hour previously, Valerie had returned; the threat of war overriding whatever resentment she harboured from the previous night. She paced up and down restlessly, feeling impotent now that momentous decisions had been taken that were beyond her control. She half expected a horrific fireball to appear over the city, obliterating everything for kilometres in every direction.

Her phone rang but the number wasn't one she recognised.

"Valerie, it's Emily."

"In smoke's name Emily, where on earth are you?"

"I've no time to talk. Get out of the city now. You probably don't have much time."

"Are we about to be nuked?"

"No, but there'll be an assault team with you within the hour, I almost guarantee it. Syntel will try to kill you as soon as they discover what's happened."

"What are you talking about?"

"Syntel traced us to our location. They launched an all-out assault but we managed to defeat them. We've taken heavy losses; Elisabeth is dead and Vanessa is badly hurt. We're about to leave as soon as Huxley tells us where we're headed."

"Elisabeth's dead?" Valerie cried out in horror. "We've killed one another."

"No, that's not what happened. The other Hybrids have joined us. Elisabeth sacrificed herself taking out their Command and Control."

Valerie sobbed, remembering the headstrong woman who she'd sparred with on many occasions.

"Natalie's found her Datacore. At some stage we'll bring her back, but for now we have to find somewhere to regroup."

"I'm with you. Can I bring some friends?"

"The more the merrier."

"Where shall we meet?"

"The Farm. I've got another little surprise planned for Henderson."

"The Farm?"

"Can you be there in an hour?"

"Yes," she confirmed.

"Ask her about Janice," Pete shouted from across the room.

"I heard," Emily replied. "We captured a lone Infiltrator. She insisted that I call and warn you."

"Thanks. We have someone here that'll be very relieved to hear that."

Valerie hung up and turned. She grabbed Felix mid-snooze and handed him to Greg.

"Hold him still while I get his carrier," she instructed. "We're leaving."

As soon as the wire cage put in an appearance, the animal fought for his freedom, obviously anticipating a traumatic trip to the vet to receive his annual vaccination and have large worming tablets forced down his gullet.

Greg yelled as the cat's claws raked his arm.

"Care to tell me where we're going?" he gasped in pain.

"We're joining the revolution," Valerie replied. "Syntel is on the warpath and we can't stay here any longer."

Greg grabbed his jacket and gun, declaring himself ready to leave.

"It's up to you Pete," Valerie told Sands.

"No place I'd rather be," he grinned.

Elisabeth stared up at the cloudless sky, the sun beating down on her lightly clothed body. The grass beneath her body was wet and the air smelt fresh as though thoroughly scourged by a recent rainstorm. She sat up and looked around but found nobody in evidence.

"Hello," she called out then repeated it at the top of her voice. There was no reply forthcoming.

The sound of flowing water drew her attention to a fast moving river, the banks of which lay just a few metres away. Nearby, tall trees teemed with birds and her senses hinted at animal life hidden in the dense foliage surrounding the gnarled trunks. She sneezed with the pollen from a nearby lavender bush.

Memories of her death resurfaced, sending shivers down her spine and filling her with panic. Fearing imminent attack, she tried to spin up but her perceptions remained firmly locked in real time.

On the opposite bank, lush meadows rolled towards the distant horizon and further downstream the first signs of habitation were visible.

Elisabeth clambered slowly to her feet and padded along a path towards a small cluster of wooden structures. Small children frolicked outside, their excited voices carrying to her ears and calming her nerves.

Access to the settlement was via a wooden bridge whose damp timbers were mottled with moss and lichen. The slats were slippery and cold against her bare feet but sturdy enough to bear her weight without complaint. The children smiled at her presence but continued to play as she approached them. From out of one of the huts, a clean-shaven middle-aged man emerged and walked intently towards her. Dressed in a simple knitted jacket and baggy trousers belted at the waist, he made a welcoming gesture and urged her to follow him.

"Don't be afraid Elisabeth," he reassured her.

"Who are you? Where am I? How do you know my name?"

"I'm Shepherd," he replied. "I'll answer all your questions in due course but first follow me. You must be hungry."

He walked back into the hut and, with nothing better to do, Elisabeth strode after him.

Simmonds paced restlessly as the first satellite pictures appeared on his monitor. The deep crater and the burnt out tractor unit informed him that things had not progressed as planned. Bodies lay strewn about the approaches to the farmhouse and the lack of any sign of life left a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He picked up a glass paperweight and threw it across the room where it shattered, showering everywhere with a cascade of sparkling shards.

"This can't be possible," he gasped.

"We'll be overhead with the chopper in a few minutes. We'll drop an Infiltrator team on the ground but if we lose contact then we should consider taking more drastic measures," Henderson replied.

"We can't do that. Anything of that sort could have untold consequences at the moment."

"I'm sure that we could arrange to launch any number of conventional warheads if necessary."

"Alright. Do whatever you need to do," he murmured dejectedly.

The Farm was located about ten kilometres outside the New Arizona city limits, set amongst the foothills of the mountain range where the Syntel Production Facility was located. Hidden in the midst of a few hundred hectares of scrub, it was ringed by a five metre high electrified fence topped with razor wire.

Emily parked the military truck under the cover of trees, out of sight of the gatehouse that was manned around the clock by a squad of heavily armed HKs.

Talbot and two others sat in the cab with her, noticing the small hatchback abandoned a short distance away.

Valerie, Greg and a man she didn't recognise emerged from some bushes and approached them. Emily ran up to Valerie and embraced her, overjoyed to be reunited with her old friend after so many weeks apart.

"This is Sergeant Talbot and Privates Walker and Dean," Emily informed her.

"Sergeant," Valerie greeted. "I'm Valerie Hamel with the mayor's office and this is Lieutenant Greg Bennett and Detective Pete Sands of the NAPD."

Handshakes were exchanged and they turned their attention to the task at hand.

Emily led them away from the gatehouse and they followed the fence for several hundred metres until they located a suitably remote spot.

"Don't touch the fence," Emily warned. "It's at a potential of over one thousand volts."

"Fine," Talbot groaned, wondering exactly what they hoped to achieve.

Emily had asked Huxley to borrow Talbot for a few hours and he'd happily agreed. He'd informed her that the sergeant knew the location of their new base of operations and would lead them there once her mission was complete.

She had not informed anyone of her intentions for fear of causing alarm. Whilst relatively confident of success, if things went badly she knew that rejoining the others might not be easy.

"The fence can be isolated in hundred metre sections for maintenance," Emily stated having studied the layout during a moment of boredom when still confined to the Facility. "Look for a small red control box."

"There," Valerie indicated, pointing towards a clump of tall grass about ten metres beyond the fence.

"How does this help us?" Talbot asked petulantly. His expression turned to shock as Valerie effortlessly jumped the wire and landed squarely on her feet on the other side.

"Another of your machine friends Lieutenant?" Talbot asked unhappily.

"Hey. That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Greg snapped back.

Talbot shook his head and kept quiet, wondering what other surprises were in store.

Valerie flipped open the cover of the isolator and shut off the power. With the fence safe, she walked up to the mesh and tore it apart like tissue paper. Emily eased through the gap and held it open whilst Talbot and the others followed.

"Val, I want you and your friends to stay here," Emily instructed. "I'm not sure how this is going to play out and if it all turns to shit I need you to get as far away from here as possible. Call Natalie on the mobile and she'll tell you where to meet her."

Valerie nodded and watched as Emily and her team disappeared out of sight. The woman was almost unrecognisable in her olive drab. Her new confidence demonstrated a complete change in personality since the last time they'd been together. Greg met her gaze, obviously thinking exactly the same thing.

As they penetrated deeper into the grounds, the sound of heavy gunfire became apparent. Talbot drew his weapon but Emily calmed him with a swift gesture and a reassuring smile.

"This could be easier that I expected," she told him as she changed direction and headed off along a gravel path.

"What exactly are we here for?" Talbot asked.

"Reinforcements hopefully," she replied cryptically.

They arrived at the edge of a large clearing where twenty men and women were firing at targets placed about five hundred metres away.

"Live fire exercise," Emily whispered, her eyes carefully observing the three instructors rather than the trainees.

"I do this alone," she told Talbot. "If things go pear-shaped, run like your arse is on fire."

"Stay here," Talbot told the two recruits, following Emily despite her protestations.

"Whatever," she sighed. "Stay behind me and keep quiet."

They were less than ten metres away from the group before they were spotted. The trainees looked at them in confusion but the drill sergeant recognised her immediately and went for his weapon. Emily shot him in the stomach then trained her pistol on the other two. The man dropped to his knees, clutched his belly to stem the flow of blood.

"If you want to join Sergeant Harding, go ahead and try your luck," Emily told the two instructors. "If you want to live then put down your guns, shut your mouths, and lie face down in the grass. Keep your hands where I can see them."

The pair rushed to obey, her notoriety having obviously preceded her.

The twenty men and women were dressed in loose coveralls and were struggling to comprehend what was going on and wondering whether this constituted part of some elaborate initiative test.

"You fucking whore," Harding spat, his voice distorted in agony.

"Payback's a bitch, isn't it Harding," Emily told him, relishing his pain.

"Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work," the man groaned. "All I need to do is say the word and this lot will chew you up."

A single shot from behind him silenced his protests permanently. He pitched forward onto his front, a dark crimson stain spreading across the back of his fatigues. A young woman brandishing an R16 rifle looked down at his body with contempt.

Emily stared into the woman's eyes, seeing her own misery reflected there.

Talbot stood in shock, unsure how to react. Emily reassured him with a wave of her hand.

"What's happening here?" a tall dark haired man asked.

So they've finally made some male Hybrids, Emily thought, smiling to herself.

"Who are you?" the man demanded.

"My name's Emily. I'm a Hybrid just like you."

She couldn't fail to hear the strangled cough from Talbot as he comprehended her words.

"I've come here because I need your help. You are being manipulated and misled by these men," she told him, indicating the dead sergeant and his two cowering sidekicks. "I've come to free you."

"Exactly how do you plan to do that?" the Hybrid asked.

"Execute command override Alpha Tango three seven four Delta."

The group became restless and even further confused.

"What did you just do?" a tall blonde woman begged. "I ... I ... feel..."

"I've just set a predefined state within your Quantums."

"You've erased part of our Datacore," the first Hybrid accused.

"Yes," Emily confirmed. "I've just wiped all hold that Syntel or anyone else has over you. There are no more backdoors, no way of compelling you to do anything that you don't want to from now on."

Emily looked to the ground and picked up a clipboard and score sheet that Harding had been using to evaluate the new Hybrids. She remembered him from her own training; the bitter memories of his verbal and physical abuse were still strong. She observed the stricken woman that had killed him, knowing the type of ordeals to which she'd probably been subjected.

"It's okay," Emily reassured her. "He's dead. He can't hurt you any more."

The girl nodded sadly and dropped her weapon. Emily knew that the sergeant would have opposed her to the end; it gave her a great sense of satisfaction to witness his demise.

Whilst the Hybrids considered her words, she walked towards a fearful Talbot who held his gun at the ready, still undecided as to what to do with it.

"Put that away before you hurt someone," she scolded, ignoring his anxiety.

Emily handed him the clipboard, forcing him to holster his weapon in order to take it from her. She returned to the Hybrids who were busy holding a lively debate over what action to take.

"Pipe down and listen up," Emily shouted to attract their attention. "The current Hybrids, of which there are now six of us, have taken pre-emptive action against Syntel, the corporation that created you. Syntel is using you as a tool to oppress the citizens of Oceania with no regard for your wishes or welfare."

"What do you want from us?" the self-appointed leader challenged.

"Because of our actions, Syntel will no longer trust the Hybrids. They will most likely attempt to destroy you in order to save themselves from further embarrassment. You have three alternatives that I can see.

"First, you could join with us and fight for your freedom, in which case I'd ask you to give your name to Sergeant Talbot here and stand in line behind him.