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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781496402271 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tyndale House Publishers |
| Publication date: | 03/08/2016 |
| Series: | Seer Series , #2 |
| Pages: | 464 |
| Sales rank: | 269,372 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d) |
Read an Excerpt
The Calling
By Rachelle Dekker
Tyndale House Publishers
Copyright © 2016 Rachelle DekkerAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4964-0227-1
CHAPTER 1
Remko sensed panic from the group behind him. It filled the air around his head and pressed against his skull. They were running out of time. He pushed away the pocket of dread threatening to knock his legs from under him. They couldn't afford to run out of time.
Carrington was on his heels, moving quickly as they maneuvered through the underground tunnel. Sam and his younger sister, Kate, followed alongside Wire, all of their faces focused yet terrified. They all knew time was against them, and they all knew what that meant.
Remko could hear Carrington's fear screaming at him, begging him to move faster, to be better, to save them. He was supposed to keep them alive, to lead them against the Authority, to be their hero, their protector. He was failing.
It had been the same song and dance for the last several months. A ticking clock they were fighting against. Each of them hoping for a pause in its constant rhythm so they could stand still and breathe. Each of them desperately needing a moment in which it didn't feel like the world was crushing them from above, where they came out on top, victorious for once. Remko would settle for just a moment.
A large, round steel grate overhead occupied the majority of the tunnel's top surface. It operated on a mechanical lock system, like most of the exits within the tunnels. Wire easily disabled the lock using the handheld device that never left his side. He called the device Roxy, something Kate mocked him for constantly, which usually inspired a witty response, and the two of them would fill the space with banter. No one said anything today. Their fear kept them quiet and made the silence deafening.
Sam stepped past Remko, the top of his six-foot-four-inch frame brushing the tunnel's ceiling, and yanked the grate open with a labored pull. They ascended one at a time, Sam leading to help pull the others up and Remko coming through last. Once aboveground, the group awaited Remko's lead. They were now at the end of a long alley deep within the Authority City. The walls of the surrounding buildings towered into the sky above. Dark clouds covered the sun and cast a shadow across the city. The smell of rain hung in the air, the street before them already soaked from the morning's storm.
The streets should be empty by now. People would have already gone inside for the viewing. It was mandatory that all executions of criminals be watched — a visual reminder of what happened to those who rebelled against the Authority. It didn't matter your age or status; even the youngest in the society were required to participate. Back when Remko had felt pride in being a part of the Authority's CityWatch Guard, he'd never felt comfortable with the idea of mandatory viewing of executions. But then, he'd only ever experienced one in person: Arianna Carson, eldest daughter of President Ian Carson and loyal follower of Aaron. Her death felt like a lifetime ago, even though only a year and a half had passed.
Now the executions happened monthly. Trials occurred less and less, people sometimes sentenced to death without a single word of defense. All because they followed Aaron, a man Remko increasingly found himself questioning. Many believed he was their saving grace, but Remko couldn't help but wonder if his grand ideas for change were simply the naive ramblings of a madman. All the same, Aaron had called the woman Remko loved out of the city, and the woman had asked Remko to follow, and he had. He would have followed Carrington anywhere. He still would.
She placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking him from his thoughts. There was no time for thinking; they had to move. He caught her eye for a brief moment and her expression made him sick. Yes, there was plenty of worry and fear, but he could see the hope that lay beyond, hope that they could complete their mission, hope that they wouldn't fail, hope in him. Misplaced hope.
Executions were held in the Capitol Building, which stood a couple of blocks to their left and was always surrounded by a heavy CityWatch presence. They had never broken into the Capitol Building before. Usually they were helping people flee the city from their homes or workstations. People Aaron had called to join the Seers in the wreckage of earth that lay miles beyond the city walls. Called to a life that would consist of always looking over their shoulders and wondering how long they could actually survive before they were discovered. Before the Authority rained down terror and vengeance on their group for leading the charge against them. For igniting curiosity and inspiring hope.
Usually Remko and the other Seer scouts spirited people out under the cover of darkness, outwitting and outmaneuvering those chasing them. Like magicians using a curtain to disguise the illusion, pulling the white rabbit out of the hat at precisely the right moment, they employed quick sleights of hand and crafty distractions.
In the beginning it had thrilled Remko. It had thrilled them all — the way Wire broke down the Authority's internal programming at lightning speeds before anyone knew a breach in security had been made; the way Kate slithered into secure locations without detection, moving with speed and strength that seemed impossible for her small frame; the way Sam inflicted fear at just the sight of his stature, the quiver you could see in the guards' expressions when they encountered him. And Remko, calling the shots, directing their perfectly assembled plans. Using the talents of his team to fool and confuse the enemy. It had been a rush. A rush that covered their fear and kept them stable.
Moving through the streets now, that rush was gone, replaced with a sense of shame that this had ever felt thrilling. Shame in believing that at some point they could actually win the game they were playing, that they could actually pull off the big end trick. But the real illusion was that they could ever be successful. Behind the curtain the Authority was pulling all the strings. The rest of them were still just puppets, convinced for a brief moment that they could be real boys and girls.
Remko clenched his molars and reset his focus. He could see the grand Capitol Building through the clouds ahead. As suspected, the streets were nearly empty, but the team still clung to the dark alleyways and moved like shadows toward their destination.
A loud mechanical grind echoed around them and sent a shiver through the ground beneath them. Remko knew the sound. They all did.
High above, large steel plates were sliding back to reveal plasma screens that stretched fifteen feet across and stood over nine feet in height. There were six main government buildings surrounding the Capitol Building. They stood twice as high as the Capitol, their walls reaching into the clouds, and every one of them had a large screen attached to its front. Screens easily seen throughout the Authority City and even into the outskirts of the Cattle and Farm Lands.
Remko could remember seeing those screens from the CityWatch barracks. They weren't used often back then — Remko could only remember a couple of times from his childhood — but they were being used more frequently of late. The Authority broadcast every execution; even with a plasma screen occupying a wall in each home throughout the city, these screens were still used. It was an extra twist of cruelty, another reminder that the Seers were losing. The revealing of the screens meant Remko's time was up.
He increased his speed and the others followed. The plan was to drop into an old water main that was out of commission and traverse its length under the Capitol Building and up through an unused service entrance that would pop them out on the eastern side of the structure. The execution room was on the second floor. Wire knew the guards' rotation schedules, so maneuvering through the side hallways and up an ancient staircase would be all about timing. From there it would be a combination of software and electrical distractions so that they could slide into the room, obtain the objective, and leave.
Even running through the plan now in his mind, Remko knew the chances of success were less than favorable, but they couldn't just sit and watch one of their own die without trying a rescue.
They reached the street grate that led them back underground. Remko yanked it open and one by one they dropped below. They didn't pause to collect themselves; they didn't have time for that. Sam was up front now, crouching but still moving quickly. Kate and Wire were right behind him, and Carrington was inches ahead of Remko. He tried not to think about what must be going through her head right now. Would she blame him if they failed? Was she already? How many times would he have to let her down before she stopped believing in him altogether? Could he survive if she did? Like blows from a hammer — pound, pound, pound — the questions rocked his stability and threatened his resolve. He swallowed the fear and pressure as they reached the end of the tunnel.
In one swift movement Sam opened the overhead hatch and hauled himself up into the service room from which they would access the building. After a pause to make sure the room was clear, he signaled for the others to follow. Once all were back aboveground, Remko again took the lead. Slowly he approached the main door, twisted the knob, and peered down the narrow corridor that bled out into the main lobby several feet ahead. It was clear. He motioned for the group to move on his count.
Wire glanced down at his Roxy device's screen and softly read off the rotation quadrants where the guards were currently patrolling. This was going to be tight and needed to be precise. They could only be in the main lobby for a couple of counts before they chanced being spotted.
Remko took a deep breath and nodded. They moved in sync, one step after the other. The main lobby was darkened from the gray sky, which they could use to their advantage. Two guards stood several yards away, their backs to Remko as they surveyed the main entrance to the Capitol. According to the rotating schedule, two more guards swept the room every six minutes and were headed back to do so any moment. There was no time to wait for the sweep to be completed; they needed to move now.
Another deep breath and Remko started across the lobby, making sure to stay low and quiet. He could feel the others behind him and was grateful he couldn't hear their steps. Their destination was at the end of the room. The back wall was covered with thick streams of red material that billowed to the ground and stretched the entire length of the wall, hiding a second service door that led to a small stairway. Remko glanced over his shoulder and saw the two guards still facing away, unaware of him and the others.
They reached the edge of the hanging material and slowly slipped behind it. The door was only a couple feet beyond and Remko prayed that their movement behind the loose hanging wall coverings wouldn't pull the attention of the guards near the front. He reached the door and softly pulled it open. He let the others move inside first, then followed, closing the door behind him.
Like the room they had come up into from the water main, this hallway was dim and narrow and smelled of mold. It was all wood — the walls, the floor, the low ceiling.
Remko followed as the group moved forward. According to the building plans Wire had accessed, this passageway should lead to a staircase that would escort them to the second floor. From there they could access the HVAC system above the ceiling. They would have to drop down into the execution room; there was no other way to enter without walking right in through the heavily guarded door.
The execution room was set up simply: a square space with two sections. The main and larger part of the room was a viewing area filled with chairs for those invited to watch the execution, which took place on the other side of a large glass wall. The second part of the room, half the size of the first section, sat behind the glass and held the execution chair and materials. Usually the only people in the second section were the prisoner, the administrator, and two CityWatch guards. This was the part of the room that Remko planned to drop down into.
Once they were above the room, Wire would override the locking system on the single door between the execution chamber and the viewing section of the room, preventing anyone from entering or exiting. Then he'd close the metal plate that slid down over the glass, eliminating the possibility of anyone breaking through the glass or even seeing what was happening beyond it. That would leave the prisoner alone with a single doctor and two guards. Wire planned to cut the power to just the second section of the room if possible, without killing power to the entire floor.
If everything went according to plan, maybe they could actually save the prisoner. The problem was hardly anything ever went according to plan anymore.
They found the stairs and slowly ascended, mindful of limiting the creaking of their steps. At the top another hallway stretched for several more feet and ended at a small ladder that ran up the wall.
Sam reached the ladder first but stepped aside for Kate and Wire. Sam would stay here, as his massive frame wouldn't easily move through the ventilation system above. Carrington was up next and Remko gave Sam a nod before following. Now enclosed in large steel boxes, the four pulled themselves along toward their target. After a couple of turns, they saw the grate that sat above the execution room.
Remko, Carrington, and Wire stayed back a couple of feet as Kate, the smallest of the group, easily scurried toward the grate. She lowered her head to look through the metal strips and survey the room. Remko waited for her to confirm the number of bodies in the room, but when her face lifted, it was marked with confusion.
She dropped her head again and came back up with the same look in her eyes. Her lips parted as if she couldn't find the words and after a moment she spoke. "It's empty."
"Empty?" Carrington said and turned her gaze to Remko. A weight dropped against his chest and he knew what was coming next.
Roxy beeped at Wire's side. He grabbed for the contraption and his eyes filled with fear. "We have massive movement on the heat scanner. At least ten bodies, maybe more, headed this way."
It's a trap. Remko didn't need to say it; they all knew. He twisted as quickly as possible and moved, the others following. The sound of a familiar Authority member's voice crackled to life, and they all paused.
"Let the record now mark the start of execution 267.1a," Enderson Lane said. The sound was too loud to be coming from a human in close proximity, which meant it was coming from the broadcast system. The execution was starting.
"But she isn't here," Carrington said.
Remko couldn't find words to settle the raging panic that filled her voice. "We have to keep moving," was all he could say.
They slid back across the ventilation ducts until they reached the ladder. Remko was the first down, trying to sort through what was happening. Sam's face was puzzled as the group descended emptyhanded. They needed a moment to stop and figure out what had happened, but they didn't have it.
"The prisoner has been found guilty of treason against the Authority by crimes committed in the name of Aaron," Enderson said.
His voice rattled the fragile wooden walls in the narrow hallway and made Remko's mind spin. Somehow the Authority had known they'd come and had moved the execution somewhere else, and now who could say what they would find when they tried to leave.
"What is happening?" Sam asked.
"This isn't good," Kate said.
"If she isn't here then where is she?" Carrington asked.
Remko ignored them all. The sound of muffled shouting grabbed his attention. It was coming from the other side of the wall, signaling that soldiers were gathering in the Capitol lobby. Remko imagined the army of CityWatch members waiting for them to emerge, an army they couldn't fight against. They couldn't go back that way, but they couldn't stay here.
He turned to Wire, who was punching away at Roxy vigorously. "Give me something," Remko said.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Calling by Rachelle Dekker. Copyright © 2016 Rachelle Dekker. Excerpted by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
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