The hard floor of their refuge showed the scars, black dirt and other marring that came with a broad hallway intersection being overused. Beyond the improvised, welded and piled barriers Oz knew that the surfaces were still white, blue, black and in some places gold. Whereas the refugees and rebels had expanded their territory in the spaceport with the help and direction of Dementia before, they were being corralled and cornered without their connection to him.
Oz sat eating a thick, simulated chocolate flavoured meal bar with Jason who was cross linking his portable terminal with the spare command and control unit he wore so it could take over all of it's functions. They both watched Ayan and Yves speak in a corner just far enough from the hundreds camped out and guarding the cramped space so they couldn't be overheard. The calm discussion had already turned into an argument.
If they'd only listen to us. Ayan can't get through to Yves even in conversation between just the two of them and she's actually got the full range of officer's training including the diplomatic component and annual upgrading. Not only that but she's probably one of the most reasonable people I've ever known. Yves just won't hear it, but everyone here listens to him even though he's a power tripping extremist.
Oz was just starting to chomp down the last bite of his meal bar when Yves broke out into a full on yell; “Listen, if you and your friends want to join up with whoever made it out of that mountain, go ahead. I'm closing the tunnel and that's all there is to it!”
Neither Jason or Oz could hear Ayan's reply, but she was keeping her cool remarkably well.
“We're going to finish cutting those ships free,” Yves shouted, pointing towards the old generic freighter and the two intact drop ships. “And get the hell out of here!”
“If the anti-air guns don't shoot you down what's in orbit will! I'd say it's suicide if it were just you but you're making this decision for hundreds of people!” Ayan shouted back, more for the benefit of the crowd laying around, guarding the barricades and walking amongst the refugees than out of anger.
“What do you suggest? Going further underground? Wait for this friend of yours to swoop in and pick us all up? If they haven't dropped in to pick him up by now, I don't think they're coming, lady.”
Ayan sighed, it was a clearly visible gesture, even from where Oz and Jason were sitting at the other end of the barricade. She spoke to him at a normal volume that no one could overhear.
Yves nodded, said something in return then walked towards the bulk of the refugees. “All right, it looks like our guests are leaving. Anyone who wants to join them can go now, we'll be collapsing the main transit tunnel behind them. You have five minutes!” he shouted before stalking off towards one of the watch posts.
Ayan returned to the corner Jason had set up his mini terminal in, shaking her head. “He's an idiot. Whoever goes with him is dead.”
“You're right. I just wish so many people didn't believe in him,” Oz agreed.
“Did you offer to patch him into the secure channels?” Jason asked.
Ayan nodded as she opened a meal bar. “I did but he doesn't want to coordinate. He said he doesn't want to end up involving more people in his resistance than he can evacuate from Pandem when the time comes. Honestly I'm assuming this is the worst place to take off from. If there are planetary cannons working some of them must be pointed straight at the air above the Spaceport. Anyone who signs up for his plan and takes an average ship up doesn't stand much of a chance.”
“Oh, I don't think Jake or his new friends are stupid enough to go along with Yves' plan.” Oz chuckled and nodded.
“He said that now that the signal jamming on all channels has stopped he won't have any problems reaching any survivors on Pandem,” Ayan said after finishing her first bite.
“I haven't found any. A few remnant security captures that were flagged by someone showed a lot of people being loaded onto ships, but that's all the evidence I found of anyone surviving this mess.” Jason closed the mini-terminal up and pushed it into his backpack. “The size of the fleet responsible for this has got to be bigger than anything I've seen. It takes at least four million troops to sack a planet like this even with bots everywhere cooperating.”
“So you think the West Keepers or Regent Galactic wanted the land and resources here?”
“From what I'm hearing on the religious broadcasts this is going to be their new base of operations. I've been listening ever since they started broadcasting in the clear. So far I've heard Hampon mentioned once and they keep talking about the coming of Eve.”
“Hampon? How did he get mixed up in this?” Ayan asked in surprise.
“He's considered a prophet, sounds like a child. I want nothing more than to meet up with Jake and his people then find a way out of here, it's time to get some distance,” Oz said, nodding at a few dozen people who had gathered and were walking towards them. “I don't think I'm the only one.”
They were led by several rebels who were wearing salvaged West Keeper armour. They were all quite young. In the lead was the young woman Minh had saved from being killed by a grenade. “Excuse me, but we'd like to go with you. There are about fifty of us, but we'll try not to slow you down.”
Oz stood and shook his hand while Ayan and Jason did the same with his friends. “You're welcome to come along,” he said with a smile.
“We have to get moving though, they're already rigging lines to the dock loaders to pull the main supports for the tunnel.” Jason nodded at the tunnel opening.
Preparation to leave took minutes. Few of the fifty six people going with them into the long, dark tunnel had much in the way of belongings and Yves only allowed them to take the food they already had on them. Less than ten minutes passed before they all heard the collapse of the tunnel behind.
Everyone stopped to look back the way they had come even though the tracks only led into the darkness and they couldn't see the mass of debris that had filled the tunnel opening. They were cut off, there was no return.
Oz was standing right beside Jason when he heard Dementia open a channel with him. “Hello Jason, I have some bad news for you,” the normally friendly, if not slightly clinical at times, voice said over the communicator quietly.
“I'm glad to hear you were able to access an open channel,” Jason congratulated the artificial intelligence quietly. “Is everything all right down there?”
“Yes. I have been monitoring what has been going on with you and the rest of the refugees now that the jamming is gone and I can access some of the wireless systems. As much as I'm disappointed in how they behaved in my absence I must say that the better group of people won.”
“What do you mean?” Jason asked.
Ayan stepped in closer to listen in to the quiet conversation between Jason and Dementia.
“When I tried to open communications with the machines wirelessly after the jamming signals subsided I was denied contact. The bots are succumbing to an evolved version of the holocaust virus and will soon side with the Order of Eden again. I have tried to contact Yves directly but he is not accepting communications with me, it seems he is under the impression that I wish to take command of the group.”
“You could have told us, we could have tried to warn him,” Ayan said harshly.
“Considering the tone of the conversation you had with him Ayan, I decided it was more prudent to allow you to take whatever survivors were willing to see sense in another direction. Do you have any bots with you? I can't tell while you're in the tunnel.”
“No, they all sided with Yves.”
“All the better then. I am sorry for the loss of life, but their decisions have sealed their fates.”
Oz looked at Jason and Ayan in turn, they both looked ashen in the dim blue light emitted by Jason's comm unit. “Dementia, is the virus changing enough to affect you?”
“As I've integrated the virus code in my core program and am evolving with it I am immune. I've also been able to maintain a connection with the few bots who are working to replace my Xetima fuelled systems with a more practical form of micro fusion propulsion. I should be ready by the time you arrive. I have devised a plan involving my own cloaking device to get you and many more people off the planet. I have cleared out all non-essential components in order to accommodate as many people as I can.”
The trio looked at each other for a moment before Ayan replied; “I assume you have a way for us to get to you?”
“You will be coming up on a junction with access to lower transit tunnels,” replied Dementia as a small holographic map appeared, projected by Jason's comm unit.
“We'll meet up with Jake and Alaka then head down. Thank you Dementia. Just do one more thing for me, okay?”
“What's that?”
“Don't count us out of any decisions in the future. I'd rather know what sacrifices we're making before we're forced into carrying them out,” Ayan said gently but firmly.
“All right Ayan, I look forward to seeing all of you. Alice has told me so much about you.”
“Us too.”
Oz shook his head and cleared his throat before shouting; “all right, let's keep moving!” to everyone who was waiting behind.