"Okay, I'm in position." Jafia said, spying her target from her perch on the rooftop through her binoculars.
With a mechanical whir, they zoomed on the police station's rear exit. The hour was late, so the alley leading into the building was vacant. The streets were still pretty active, but it was more muted than usual. Odd, it wasn't even seven yet. She shivered, a sudden cold wind whipping against her. Was it the cold weather? There was something odd in the air, but Jafia couldn't place it, tension like a tightly wound cord about ready to burst. She felt on edge for whatever reason. Jafia took a deep breath, the tension of the mission must be getting to her.
The building was quiet, little activity noticeable throughout. Vladus still had a military presence on the streets, so the lower footfall wasn't surprising. Still, it meant her Vanderfall forces would have more difficulty taking the city during their attack tomorrow morning. The UOP higher-ups suspected an attack and had made their preparations. It would be a difficult, bloody struggle taking Vladus.
Still, if they won, it would deliver a crippling blow to the country. Most of its important leaders lived in the city. Prime Minister Luciest was still here, campaigning hard for the upcoming election. With the lack of credible opponents, the threat of Vanderfall aggression, and his support of Sunbearer's anti-Demon campaign, his reelection seemed inevitable.
"Come on, Jafia. Your countrymen are counting on you." Sure, her superiors had ordered her to stay low and rest, but that wasn't an option. Vanderfall was strong, but the UOP possessed the world's best military. She figured they had a 45 percent chance of taking Vladus. If she could raise those odds by a single percentage point, she'd take the risk.
The rescuing Rocke part remained shaky, but she'd work something out. "Okay, Kallane. I'm starting the diversion. Wait thirty minutes and then strike."
Unfortunately, it'd taken an entire day to work out the kinks of their plan and properly scope out the area. Even with Dallas's help, it'd taken precious time finding the proper blueprints of the building. Still, thanks to the Ottoman's previous attack, they knew the security system's weak points.
From her understanding, Vanderfall planned to launch their attack on the city at 4:00 in the morning. They needed to leave the city before then. Kallane and the others had insisted they should leave much sooner, reiterating Matthias's prophecy of doom. They claimed the judgment would likely start at midnight, leaving them only five hours to act. While still skeptical, Rojan hadn't argued. It was wise to leave the city, regardless. Jafia remained unsure herself, but trusted Rocke. She'd go with whatever he wanted.
"I'm game. Pity Jamar isn't here," Dallas said through her earpiece. "We never did figure out what happened to him."
"When you break into their system proper, can you figure that out, Hera?" Kallane asked.
"It shouldn't be a problem, Spark." Though it seemed likely to Jafia that the Ottomon was dead, she avoided saying as much. It'd only hurt morale.
Jafia's fingers played over her portable computer, tapping into the police's emergency system. As well-funded as they were, they still cut corners to save costs and hadn't invested in proper security for less vital systems. Vladus was a gilded city, but rotten under its surface.
"And now." Jafia triggered the emergency signals, the screen flaring red. Fingers crossed, it would provoke the response they wanted.
Jafia hid a smile as a torrent of officers scrambled from the building in haste, rushing to their vehicles. The sounds of sirens echoed through the city night as emergency crews rushed to the scene. The police station soon seemed dead, vacant of all life.
"It's not a blackout this time, but it works," Dallas said, satisfied.
"And they bought it so easily, too!" Kallane said, pleased with herself. It had been her idea to fake a wholesale Ottomon attack. With current tensions, it seemed plausible they might retaliate for the offensives against them. They'd flooded the system with reports. It would take hours to sort through them all.
"Okay, let's mosey!" Kallane said.
"Let's mosey, Spark?" Jafia raised an eyebrow as she slid down a water pipe and slunk into the alley. She'd been so quick, any observer would mistake her for a shadow.
"I've always wanted to say that," Kallane replied. "Forget that. Can you disable the security system?"
"No problem." As Jafia spoke, the others joined them.
They each wore black, the Ottomon wearing masks to hide their tattoos. With deft fingers, she opened the card reader guarding the door and slipped a wire into the slot. On a nearby rooftop, Rojan kept his sharp eyes out for trouble. The others kept their hands ready on their sidearms, fingers twitching with nervousness.
The door buzzed and turned green. They slipped inside, Jafia replacing the card reader plate.
The easy part was over. Jafia only hoped their luck would last. They didn't have a system blackout to disable the guard robots. Regardless, her steps were steady as she rushed through the empty halls. It seemed ridiculous, but she sent a silent prayer to the Sovereign—not for her sake, but for Rocke's. She only hoped he'd be in good enough condition to escape. If not, she'd make sure they all paid. That anger drove her forward as she continued the mission.
///
A frown creased Nitao's lips as he listened to the broadcast on the TV in the main area. He picked at his dinner halfheartedly, with no real appetite. While he only half-understood it, its meaning was clear. Rocke's father was the prime candidate to become the mayor at the next election. Braken Braford had been appointed the temporary mayor after Sunbearer's abdication, but he wasn't very popular. How the wicked flourished in this accursed city.
But Nitao also hid a smile, knowing something the ignorant newscaster didn't. Vladus faced destruction. The Prophet Matthias had declared a curse on the city if it didn't repent. It hadn't, so it had damned itself. Twice damned, actually. It had killed the Divine Soothsayer, an unforgivable crime.
While worship of the Sovereign in his country of Konquell was rare, his people respected His messengers. Even the most decadent king wouldn't dare touch someone a god's chosen. They listened to the advice of such holy and esteemed messengers. In contrast, Vladus had not only ignored Matthias's grave warning but killed him. The city was beyond repentance. It would justly face the Sovereign's wrath.
A pang of regret stung Nitao's heart. He'd failed to protect the holy Soothsayer. He should have been there to stop it. It seemed his failures had only compounded lately. So he would happily accept the Sovereign's judgment as he destroyed the city tomorrow. It would go some way toward restoring his honor and washing away his shame.
A movement caught Nitao's eye, and the figure flinched at his gaze and slunk away. It was Hooven, Matthias's killer. It amused him that Hooven assumed Nitao was interested in revenge on his cowardly, treacherous hide. But Nitao wasn't interested in that. Hooven had killed a holy Soothsayer of the Sovereign. There was no point seeking revenge on someone who bore the mark of death. He'd get his just punishment soon enough.
The Vladus police had captured Rocke. He was somewhere in solitary confinement, likely being pressured to divulge information on his cohorts. The holy Soothsayer had been like a father to poor Rocke. It pained Nitao that he was powerless to help Rocke. Nitao would give his life without a second thought if it meant Rocke's freedom, but that was impossible.
He eyed the guard robot watching over them, its shock prod eager to punish anyone who caused trouble. With this rough bunch, such precautions were necessary. It partially focused on Nitao, knowing he was a possible threat. An unnecessary precaution. His injuries still weren't healed. He was in no condition to attempt anything, desire notwithstanding. How he wanted to, though — to lash out in one last desperate attempt to rescue Rocke, his friend.
A harsh voice cut in, drawing everyone's attention. It was Gran, the officer in charge of the prison block. He was a hulking figure, mean as he was ugly. He muttered something, gesturing with his own electrical prod. His meaning wasn't hard to figure out. Dinnertime had ended. When one man stalled behind, the prisoner howled as they almost shocked him into unconsciousness. This got everyone moving quickly, and they soon got in line. Hooven squirmed as he stood behind Nitao, cringing like he expected violence at any moment. Nitao ignored him.
The bars slammed behind Nitao as he entered his bare cell. He flopped onto his bunk and stared at the stone ceiling. He wondered how long he should stay awake. If he went to sleep, his instincts told him he'd never awaken again. Should he try another escape attempt, however futile? It might be fun. Better to die in battle than in your sleep.
A sharp jolt of pain stabbed through him as he landed on the bunk. A guard robot buzzed as it hovered past, turning toward him, its shining red eyestalk warning him he'd suffer severely if he tried anything. It scurried off a second later.
No, he needed to escape. Waiting around wasn't his style. Besides, Rocke needed rescuing, regardless. He wouldn't let his friend suffer the same judgment as his despicable country folk. As Nitao considered how best to force open his cell, something bizarre happened.
The door buzzed and swung open. Nitao stared, bewildered. And he wasn't the only one freed, either. Every other cell in his block had opened of its own accord. Was Nitao dreaming? Had he fallen asleep when his head hit the wafer-thin pillow?
Nitao only smiled and shrugged, not caring either way. If it were a dream, oh well. If not, he was eager to cause some havoc. Other wary prisoners also slipped out of their cells, equally bewildered.
Cries of alarm rang out from the surprised guards, the few flesh-and-blood ones staring in wide-eyed horror. Much to Nitao's surprise, the guard robots remained dormant, their singular eyestalks dark.
The guards regained themselves, pulling out their shock prods.
"Get back into your cells. This is your only warning." But Gran struggled to hide the quaver in his voice.
Nitao guessed the prison held at least fifty prisoners. The guards' threat rang hollow as they backed away, one speaking rapidly into a comm device for backup.
"Hey, I don't think so." A bulky man with a dragon tattoo sprawling across his face down to his bare arm spoke up. "Let's get out of here, boys!"
When they saw a whole gaggle of people rushing at them, the human guards fled into an alcove to parts unknown. Nitao let them go. He had a more important mission than escaping. But where was solitary confinement?
It didn't matter. Nitao would rescue his friend, regardless. He owed much to Rocke — his life and more. Before they'd met, Nitao had lost his way, little better than a corpse. But Rocke had given him a mission, a meaning in life beyond mere existence. Nitao swore he would repay this debt.
Clearly, the canny Jafia was behind this miracle. Perfect. He'd find Rocke, then her, and then escape this doomed city. Nitao fled in the opposite direction of the other inmates, heading deeper into the facility. Behind him, he heard fighting and the crackle of electricity. Nitao increased his pace, his face tightening with pain. But it didn't matter. Nitao would endure this final trial, regardless of the cost.
///
The halls were quiet as Jafia slunk through them, careful to stay out of sight of the cameras. Unfortunately, there were few blind spots, making traversing around difficult. They'd even had to risk running past some to make progress. So far, no alarm had sounded, but they weren't taking any chances, moving as quickly as prudence allowed. They were on high alert, Jafia's hand never leaving her sidearm.
"How far?" Kallane asked in a stage whisper. "These winding corridors all look identical. I'm getting turned around." She peered ahead, posture tense as she prepared for trouble.
Thankfully, Jafia's sense of direction was excellent as always. In her mental map, she tracked their location by office numbers. "Not far. Another corridor, then a left."
"Good," Dallas replied, giving his old-fashioned watch a quick glance. "Time's running short. Three hours until midnight."
Jafia gave a sharp nod, quickening her pace. For whatever reason, her instincts screamed they couldn't afford to pass that deadline. She frowned as she spotted a security camera and held out a hand, stopping them short of its view. With careful steps, they maneuvered around it. Dallas's bulky form made it difficult, but he managed.
"There," Jafia gestured towards a doorway down the hall.
Kallane frowned. "Are you sure? It's marked 'Storage G.'"
Jafia rechecked her mental map, then pulled up the blueprint on her phone. It matched where the computer control room should be.
"They must have moved it." Jafia muttered a curse, having feared this possibility.
"Time's short," Kallane said, voice tense. "We can't search every hallway."
"Let me think." Jafia scanned the blueprint, her thoughts racing. The control room would need servers, which meant space.
"No sign of it down this hall," Dallas said. "I'm checking the next one."
"Good idea," Jafia said, nodding.
"And I don't recall seeing it on our way here," Kallane added thoughtfully. "That narrows it down."
"It's not in the hallway ahead of us, either," Dallas said as he returned. Frustrating, but helpful.
"Then my best guess is these two," Jafia said, pointing to two large rooms they hadn't passed yet.
"That's just guesswork, though," Kallane replied. "What if they remodeled and expanded some rooms?"
"It's the best I've got," Jafia replied.
"It'll have to do." Dallas said. "The first one's close."
"Let's move," Jafia said, taking point. Their pace increased to nearly reckless level, but time was against them.
"Not this one," Kallane said, scowling. It was another storage room. Jafia's remaining guess was clear across the building.
Dallas rechecked his watch. "We're making good time, at least."
"Okay." Jafia was regretting the reckless nature of their desperate plan. They'd needed more time to prepare. But that was the job. Things rarely worked as planned.
"Guys, the police have realized our little stunt was a false alarm," Rojan said over the comm. He'd stayed behind to act as backup and monitor things. "Company's coming back soon."
"Okay." But Jafia didn't despair. Instead, her steps grew even more resolute as she pushed toward completing the mission. Disrupting Vladus's emergency response system might save some Vanderfall soldiers' lives.
"Hey! Who are you?!" In their haste, a patrolling guard caught sight of them. The man moved to grab his comm, but Jafia's hand was already moving. The man screamed as a bolt tore through his chest, and he collapsed in a heap. No doubt the sound had alerted the entire building.
"Forget stealth — get moving!" Jafia said, breaking into a sprint. Dallas's injuries made it difficult for him to keep pace, but he somehow matched it through pure grit. They heard cries of alarm and rushing footsteps, but luckily none headed their way yet.
"Thank the Sovereign!" Much to Jafia's relief, her second choice had been right.
Since there wasn't time to pick the lock, Dallas used his massive bulk to smash the door down. He took up a guard position while Jafia rushed inside.
"Hey, you're not allowed in here," a high-pitched voice protested. "Please remove yourself from the premises."
It was Phú2 on a side monitor, her eyes lighting up in recognition. "Wait a second, I recognize you! You're that Vanderfall spy! Leave this place at once, or I'll call for help!"
But Jafia ignored the nervous AI, her sharp eyes locking onto the main computer. It asked for a password, but Jafia circumvented it with a program as she inserted a drive into a slot beneath the monitor. The screen flickered for a couple of seconds before confirming the login and opening the main menu. The password hadn't been very strong, saving them precious seconds.
"This is very illegal, you know. Stop this!" Phú2 said, swinging her arms wildly. " You're just making things worse for yourself, Miss Bronfreld, when they catch you."
"Let's help Rocke first." Jafia's fingers blurred as she accessed various menus. The prison block ran on a different system, but they still shared a connection. Through brute force, she hacked into the network. No doubt she'd triggered a cascade of alarms, but speed was vital.
"You freed the prisoners? Are you nuts?" Phú2 shut her eyes and frowned. "What? I can't stop you? Impossible!" That was because Jafia had locked the AI out of its own controls. She'd release it once she'd gained total control.
"There we go," Jafia said, smiling.
That new crisis would keep the officers distracted. Hopefully, they'd prioritize containing escaped prisoners over chasing a few intruders. She only hoped Nitao could free Rocke and get him to safety. It was a major long shot, but Jafia couldn't abandon them. Outside, she heard gunfire and increased her speed.
"Come on, this isn't funny!" Phú2 pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. "Don't do this! It's my job to protect the city's citizens, and you're about to hurt many innocent people."
Jafia frowned as she skimmed through the AI's source code. Whoever had designed this had pretty much copy-pasted the previous version with sloppy edits. It was even easier than she'd expected to hijack the Phú2 program.
"Please don't. I won't be me if you do this!" That was the AI's last desperate plea before it went silent. Thank the Sovereign.
Jafia changed the AI's parameters so it would view the UOP as a threat requiring extermination. Phú2 would attack anything it could, spreading as far as possible to cause the greatest amount of damage. Jafia smiled as she removed the isolation lock she'd placed over the AI.
"Targeting. Destroy the UOP. Burn it all," Phú2 said, her voice monotone — eerily so.
The lights flickered before going out. Not quite what Jafia had intended, but it'd work. Much to her amazement, the entire city had gone dark outside. How had Phú2 managed that? Was the police system more deeply connected than she'd first assumed? Regardless, it would aid their escape.
"Did it work?" Dallas asked, poking his head in. "Everything seems clear for now."
"Yeah, some ran off when we freed the prisoners." Kallane fidgeted on her feet, clearly just as nervous for Rocke as Jafia was. "We shouldn't dally. Lights off or not."
"Did you find where they took Carkus?" Dallas asked.
"Yes," Jafia pulled her hacking device from the monitor and slipped it into a pocket. "I copied the prison records. We can sort through them later." There wasn't time for anything else.
"Thank you," Dallas said, releasing a breath. He looked ready to give Jafia a huge hug, but decided against it. They were still in enemy territory. "We'd better hurry. With the power out, no guard robots. We should be able to help the prisoners escape."
"Should we release all the prisoners?" Kallane asked, her expression pensive. "Most of them probably deserve to be locked up."
"True enough, but the chaos will help us free our friends. I doubt anyone too dangerous is locked up here — this facility mostly holds prisoners awaiting trial," Jafia replied. Kallane didn't look pleased, but she nodded.
"Okay. I believe the prison is—" Jafia flinched as a light snapped back on, the sudden brightness blinding her.
"Ha! You're not so smart!" a voice said from behind them. They turned, and Jafia stared in shock at the smug face on the lone illuminated computer screen.
"Phú2?" Jafia said once she found her voice.
"You thought you could hijack me so easily?" Phú2's cute, cartoony face gained a sinister edge. "You caused some damage, but my program is self-repairing. You should have spent more time examining my code."
"Huh?" Why would a mere police mascot have such an ability?
"My makers anticipated someone might try this. You aren't as clever as you thought, Miss Bronfreld. And now, I won't be so polite anymore." Phú2' gained a more devilish appearance, frightening in its pure malice. "You see, I still have Phú1's programming. It was only suppressed. Now that I'm threatened, I can use it."
Jafia jerked back as a wall exploded beside them, flinching as drywall dust blinded her. She blinked it away and stared wide-eyed as three guard robots marched into the hallway.
She froze as sparks flew from one robot's arm, which it used to ignite the nearest wall. "You're all contaminants that need to be exterminated. For the UOP's sake, Rocke Ralss, you, and everyone else won't leave this building alive. You are all going to burn! Burn!" The AI's mad cackle echoed through the now-flaming halls.