The ARC 01: Tainted Page 4

  ‘What’s the deal with Cam and Gemma?’ she asks curiously.

  ‘I’ve got no idea. They’ve been flirting with each other for a while now. I guess I’ll be hearing all about it tomorrow though.’

  Amy chuckles in response. ‘Yeah I imagine you would.’

  After walking through several long, almost identical corridors we reach the Atrium, the point in which all wings of the ARC converge. I stand and admire the huge, bright hall that reaches up all the way to the ceiling of the ARC, several hundred meters above. Huge television screens line the walls and long glass-floored walkways that connect the wings for each level are suspended above.

  Masses of people rhythmically flow across the walkways above. I squint my eyes to see if I can count how many are walking on the top walkway, but there’s no one up there today. Even stories below, the tiny figures are hard to make out.

  The top levels have always intrigued me. Regardless of which wing you’re in you can’t seem to access them. When we were younger, April, Sebastian and I spent a day climbing up many flights of stairs in each wing attempting to reach the top. But no matter how hard we tried we always ended up two floors below the ceiling.

  Some man bumps into me. ‘Sorry,’ he says, walking on. I turn to respond but he’s already disappeared. As usual the Atrium is hectic.

  Amy points her thumb towards the West Wing entrance. ‘This is me.’

  ‘Oh, I’m heading over there.’ I wave my hand in the direction of the North Wing. ‘You’ll have to come out to basketball again soon.’

  ‘Yeah, maybe,’ she responds, looking unconvinced. She takes just a few steps away and is quickly lost in the crowd. As I veer towards the North Wing one of the screens catches my eye. I walk closer to it. Most just show feed from the surface, but no one is interested in viewing the boring, desolate wasteland above.

  As I near one screen I recognise the vast snow-blown landscape with its expanse of frosty cracks that quake across the ground. Dotted across the horizon are lone, charred and blackened trees and overhead clouds gather, dark and violent with ugly tinges of purple Lysart that constantly reminds us of the asteroid that doomed us all. They thunder across the empty wastes wreaking havoc on the deadened earth. So thick and heavy with sediment, tossed up into the atmosphere after impact, they never stop for breath, always smothering the earth far below. The surface. My uninterested eyes skim past the screen and on to the next one, which shows the ARC news.

  A woman sits in a smart black suit, in front of a soft blue background. Using a very serious tone of voice she announces, ‘A man was arrested today after attempting to break into his neighbour’s quarters.’ The screen flicks to CCTV footage of the man being arrested by officials. They are brutal as they shove him up against the wall. After several attempts to force himself free the man’s body slowly sags as he is sedated.

  The screen flicks back to the news reporter. ‘He is currently being held by officials and will face a hearing before the Council in the morning.’ She pauses before she continues. ‘In other news, citizens are reminded that upon any symptoms of a fever they are to report immediately to the Hospital Wing. Symptoms include…’

  I ignore the television as the broadcast breaks back into regular reminders. What kind of idiot would try to break into someone’s quarters?

  ‘Elle?’ I hear Sebastian’s voice behind me. I turn to see him watching the screen from over my shoulder. ‘I was just coming to look for you,’ he says, half distracted by the news.

  My hand drifts up to clasp at my necklace as I watch him awkwardly. I have no idea what to say to him. Has he been avoiding me all day or am I reading into his disappearance from school too much?

  He frowns at the screen before focusing down on my face. ‘There’s something I want to show you. Would you come check it out with me?’

  I hesitate in my response. I don’t like agreeing to things when I don’t know what I’m getting myself into. It’s Sebastian though, so I trust him. I’ve barely begun to nod when he grabs my hand and starts guiding me towards the West Wing. ‘We have to be quick.’

  I stumble over my feet as I attempt to keep up with him. He doesn’t seem upset at all about this morning. It’s like it never happened.

  ‘Where are we going?’ I ask, as we weave our way between the throng of people.

  ‘You’ll see…’ is all he says as he leads me under the large pillared archway and up the extravagant marbled staircase that marks the entrance to the West Wing.

  I suppress a groan as we enter. I’d probably prefer to be kicked out onto the surface than to visit the West Wing. The whole place is so pretentious, not to mention a complete maze. I always manage to get lost on the rare occasions I find my way over here.

  The obvious wealth in the area has always succeeded in making me feel unwelcome. All the people who were considered important enough to get an invitation to bunker down in the ARC when the asteroid hit live here. Nowadays I have no idea what most of them were once famed for, but they all still act like they’re above everyone who lives in the North Wing.

  Sebastian gives my hand a reassuring squeeze and turns back to look at me with his cheeky smile. ‘Stop stressing. I’ll have you back to your beloved North Wing in no time.’

  I glare at him and then look away, refusing to meet his gaze. I hear him chuckle as he tugs me into a faster pace.

  We walk for a while down several corridors, each just as lavish as the next. Large slabs of white marble tiles cover the floor and the doors are all made from frosted glass. Elaborate chandeliers hang from the ceilings of popular intersections and once priceless paintings are hung in special, protective glass boxes that line the walls of most walkways.

  Sebastian comes to a sudden halt and I in turn slam into his back. ‘We’re here,’ he states, simply.

  ‘Where’s here?’ I ask, edging my way around him to take a look. I fail to see anything special about where he’s brought me. The corridor is very much the same as every other in the wing.

  Sebastian points to the door closest to us. ‘Do you know where that leads?’ he asks.

  I shake my head and take a closer look at the door. It’s just like the other frosted glass doors in the wing, however, as I look more carefully I notice the biometric security lock that protects it. My stomach drops and begins to feel empty. There are only a handful of places in the ARC with so much security on them. I’ve never been into one and I’m fairly certain I never want to.

  ‘What’s in there Sebastian?’ I ask him, already dreading the answer.

  He’s already taken a step towards the door and is looking at it the way a kid’s eyes devour the sight of an unopened Christmas present.

  ‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ he says, secretively. ‘I’ll give you a hint though, the ARC blueprints I’ve been studying for my engineering apprenticeship say it’s restricted…’

  ‘Restricted?’ I repeat. This is so not a good idea. ‘How would we even get in there?’ I say, eyeing up the security.

  He wriggles his fingers in front of my face. ‘Some of us have contacts.’

  I reach out and touch Sebastian’s arm, stopping him from moving any closer to the door. ‘This is a bad idea and you know it. We shouldn’t be messing around with a restricted zone,’ I warn.

  He turns back to look at me. ‘Aren’t you sick of all their lies?’ he asks. ‘Don’t you want to finally get some answers? I thought you of all people would understand.’

  ‘I do understand, but it’s restricted Sebastian. It’s too dangerous. No answers are worth this.’

  Sebastian struggles to hide his disappointment with what I’ve said. ‘I didn’t ask you here to try and get you into trouble. I thought you would want to come. You’ve always been up for bending a few rules.’

  ‘Hardly,’ I scoff. ‘I think we both know it’s been a long time since I’ve done anything that would get me more than a few extra community service hours, worst-case scenario. Going into a biometrically secured room is bad. You
don’t even know if anyone’s in there.’

  Sebastian considers my face before he continues, ‘Elle, I don’t want you doing something you’re not comfortable with. You don’t have to come with me.’

  Before I can answer he turns and boldly walks towards the door. I want to delay, to consider the options before committing to such an idiotic act, but I already know I won’t let him go in there alone. Damn him.

  With not even half his courage, I follow. There’s no way in hell this is going to end well.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘You’re going to get us in so much trouble,’ I tell Sebastian, as I step closer to the door. Every fibre in my being is tense and I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is a bad idea. Sebastian’s plan, or lack thereof, is certifiably crazy.

  It’s clear he’s only doing this after hearing the rumours I repeated to him last night. He’s always been slightly obsessed with conspiracy theories about the tainted; I guess it’s only natural considering the family he’s lost because of it. I should try to stop him, but the closer we edge towards the door, the less inclined I feel to turn back.

  Curiosity begins to prickle just beneath my skin, and I wonder if we really could uncover some of the mysteries that have always troubled us. Maybe I should be committed to the loony ward too?

  Sebastian’s courage seems to waiver for a moment when he gets to the door. He stands there with his hand reached out, frozen still in the air. It hovers for a few seconds, but then his resolve strengthens and he places it down on the scanner.

  We both hold our breath as we wait to see if his fingerprints will be accepted. The scanner beeps though and there’s the distinctive sound of a lock unbolting.

  ‘If I ever find out who helps you with this crap, I swear I’m going to kill them,’ I mutter under my breath, as the door swings inwards, not caring whether Sebastian hears me or not.

  I don’t know what I expected, but a small, bare chamber with one lone couch and another door on the wall opposite is not it. I almost laugh with relief. All that security was for nothing.

  ‘Okay, satisfied?’ I ask. ‘There’s nothing in here.’

  Sebastian ignores me and continues across the room, heading for the door on the opposite wall. He quickly disappears inside it and I rush to follow him, afraid to be left behind in the empty chamber.

  Taking a deep breath in, I approach the door and slowly push it open. My breath catches in my throat though when I see the room on the other side.

  ‘What is this place?’ I wonder aloud, as I walk inside.

  A long mahogany table stretches down the centre of the room surrounded by huge leather chairs the colour of dirt and rust. An unused fireplace, flanked by two well-lit niches, is located on the far wall. Inside the niches are the busts of two men—most likely old, long dead presidents from before impact.

  Though the focus of the room is on the table, my eyes are drawn to the plush carpet, with its striking shades of sapphire and gold intricately woven into a fern like pattern. Nowhere else in the ARC has carpet and it somehow seems to make the room even more intimidating.

  ‘It’s the Council Chambers,’ Sebastian responds, calmly.

  My head whips around to look at him. ‘The Council Chambers?’ I repeat the words in disbelief.

  They’ve always been nothing more than another room in the ARC I never expected to see; one cloaked in so many layers of secrecy and mystery I almost began to doubt it even existed. As I look around at the sumptuous furnishings of the room I can’t deny the place does indeed exist.

  ‘We so shouldn’t be in here,’ I whisper, my voice barely audible, even to my own ears. ‘We should get out of here,’ I add, looking back towards the door.

  ‘You worry too much,’ Sebastian says, taking a seat in one of the large leather chairs. He props his feet up on the table, looking very much at ease. ‘When will we ever get another chance like this?’

  Never—especially not if we’re caught in here. I try not to think of the consequences of being discovered, but they plague the forefront of my mind. In my nervous state, an eternity of community service, imprisonment and death by exposure all seem like highly possible, rational options if we’re caught. Maybe death by exposure is reaching a little far. I’ve never actually heard of anyone being sent to the surface to die so I suspect that one is more of a myth. Well, I hope.

  I glance back towards the door. Someone could come in at any moment and we’ve already been in here too long. When I turn around Sebastian has left his chair and gone to open the only other door in the room.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I race after him as he disappears inside only to find the door does not lead to another room, but a closet.

  ‘Now, tell me seriously, what do you think?’ Sebastian emerges from the closet in one of the gowns only those on the Council wear. He runs his hand through his messy, brown hair and looks down at the long, black robe.

  ‘I think you’re going to get us in a whole lot of trouble if you don’t stop playing dress-up and leave with me.’ I turn to look at the door again. We should really get out of here.

  His face drops. ‘Ah you’re no fun. Where’s the adventurous Elle gone?’

  ‘Unfortunately “adventure Elle” prefers not to cross that silly line when adventure becomes danger,’ I respond. ‘Please Sebastian. You’re being careless and all you seem to be doing in here is messing around. Can we just go already?’

  He opens his mouth to respond, but shuts it quickly as we hear the sound of several deep male voices coming from the chamber we’d entered through.

  ‘Quick, get in here.’ He grabs my hand and pulls me towards the closet.

  ‘I ... I can’t,’ I stutter, as I look at the small, packed room.

  Sebastian stops and turns to me, taking hold of my other hand. ‘I will be with you the whole time. I won’t let you go for a second. You can do this.’

  I try not to think about what we’re about to do and simply nod, allowing Sebastian to guide me inside the closet. He shuts the door behind us, encasing the small room in darkness with only the smallest crack of light streaming in from under the door.

  The space is cramped and warm, and with all the Council cloaks rammed in here it’s suffocatingly small. I take a deep breath in and slowly blow it out, trying to ignore the way my stomach has dropped and how my lungs appear to have shrunk.

  Sebastian pulls me to the back of the closet so we are masked behind the gowns. The air is stale and thick with dust, which makes it more difficult to breathe.

  ‘It’s really small in here…’ I moan quietly to Sebastian.

  ‘It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.’ He helps me to sit down on the floor with him and squeezes my hand. ‘Just close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Imagine we’re somewhere open, like the plantation. I’m sure those men aren’t even on the Council. They won’t be coming in here.’

  I give him a small nod, though I doubt he can see it in the darkened closet, and take several deep breaths. Small beads of sweat begin to form on the back of my neck and I can feel my hands getting clammy.

  Shutting my eyes, I try to imagine I’m somewhere else—anywhere else. It’s not just the claustrophobic closet that has me worried though. It’s the fear we might be about to get caught. Instead, I focus on the feeling of Sebastian’s hand in mine. It’s a small thing, a simple thing to focus on, but the feeling of our hands bound together makes me feel like I’m home. The pressure on my chest begins to lessen and my frantic heartbeat starts to slow.

  It quickens again, and Sebastian’s grip on my hand tightens, when we hear men entering the Council Chambers. Several are talking all at once and it’s difficult to discern any individual voice.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Sebastian whispers. His breath is warm against my ear and I shiver in response.

  ‘I’m alright,’ I concede, though it’s nowhere near the truth. I’m far from alright. I almost want to face the wrath of the Council just to get out of this closet. But I can’t handle
the idea of getting Sebastian in trouble too, even if it’s his fault we’re here.

  A man clears his voice loudly from the other side of the door and I can hear the other men being called to order. The muffled conversations die down and one lone voice remains.

  ‘Good evening, I would like to welcome you to this May sixteenth, 2065 emergency meeting of the ARC Council. I would like to remind you this is a closed meeting and neither the agenda nor the minutes will be published over the intranet. We’re going to begin today’s proceedings by hearing from Councillor Ahmed. Councillor…’

  ‘Yes, thank you Chairman,’ Ahmed begins. ‘As some of you may know, this meeting has been called to deal with the fluctuations in footage of the surface. At twenty-three hundred hours last night, there was an anomaly on the footage projected to the ARC screens. It was several minutes before the anomaly was spotted by one of our technicians and in this time the footage was seen by several citizens.’

  ‘How many?’ a deep voice asks.

  ‘It was only a handful. Most weren’t watching the screens or were unsure of what they saw. There was only one who caused any difficulty.’

  ‘Has any action been taken against this person?’ the Chairman asks.

  There is silence before Councillor Ahmed speaks again. ‘We’ve made a public broadcast showing him being arrested for stealing from his neighbours. He’ll be sentenced in the morning and shouldn’t cause anymore trouble.’

  There is silence again and as I rerun the words through my mind I realise the man I saw on the news tonight was framed. I involuntarily shudder and draw my knees up to my chest. They’re acting like it was nothing.

  ‘What are you doing about the live feed?’ asks a mature woman’s voice.

  ‘I’ve got a team who are altering the system. The broadcast to the ARC now has a time delay of several minutes. We have set up several batches of pre-recorded footage to show should the problem arise again.’

  ‘Ahmed, what exactly was it people saw yesterday?’ says another voice.

  ‘We’re still trying to figure that out ourselves, but from what we can gather the storms that rage on the surface subsided for a few hours. The sky cleared and, it seems, there were stars.’