Crystal Keepers (33 page)

“That's an option, I guess,” Hunter mused. “But how do I explain you getting away without looking like a traitor? If I let you go, I'll need to get out too. And no matter what you tell the Unseen, they aren't going to work with me if I come to them empty-handed. What's the story with Constance? She's not just hiding, right? She's in trouble.”

“She was captured,” Cole said, unsure if it was too much information to share.

“She's being held by Abram Trench?” Hunter asked.

“What makes you say that?”

“The facility on the map is over a hundred feet below the ground. Trench owns the waste-disposal center above it. After examining your map, I did some research.”

“Good for you,” Cole said.

“You're missing the point. I already figured out where Constance is. If she's all I want, why don't I go get her without
you? I could put together a team right now and do it.”

Cole thought about it. “That's a really good point.” He could feel himself wavering. This probably really was his brother. Shouldn't they just go get Constance together?

“Nobody knows about the secret base where Abram has her,” Hunter said. “The High King keeps Abram Trench under close watch. We track all his little secrets. I have access to all our info on him, and this is new.”

“Wouldn't we want help from the Unseen?” Cole asked.

“I don't know if the Unseen could manage this one. Not after they've been so torn up by City Patrol. This is the kind of operation for a couple of guys—in and out. Stealthy. We won't get her with brute force. Abram has too many resources. Also, if I help deliver Constance to them, the Unseen will have a good reason to start trusting me. I already checked out Trench's base.”

“You did? How?”

“Using a drone and some specialized tools. There aren't any plans for it in any records I could find. I had to investigate firsthand. There's almost no way in. But we could swing it if we each controlled a drone.”

“You sound like a pro. How'd you get so good at this stuff?”

Hunter blushed a little. “I didn't know squat at first. Do you get how it works here? What people really value? It's all about shaping. A reliable shaper will end up with good treatment, free or not. A great shaper gets treated almost like royalty. I'm pretty good at all five types. So they put me on the fast track. As I proved I could shape well in combat
situations, my responsibilities grew. And I ended up learning all sorts of things.”

Cole supposed he had also learned a lot since coming to the Outskirts, and it had only been a couple of months. “We can just walk out of here?”

“If you'll trust me, yeah, we take off, my people think I'm undercover, and we can do whatever we want until they figure out I went over to the rebellion.”

“You're sure about this?”

“Wait a minute. Never mind. You just talked me out of it.”

“Come on,” Cole said. “I'm serious.”

Hunter laid a hand on his shoulder. “Cole, you're my brother. I've known you since you were born. I can't keep working for the High King after learning about his daughters. I have to start making amends for the harm I've caused. I think a lot of people will feel the same way. With the princesses, the rebellion has a real chance. Plus, our biggest problem might actually be Owandell and this Nazeem guy. I don't think the High King can stop him. I'm with you a hundred percent. Let's do this.”

“All right,” Cole said. “I'm in.”

Hunter smiled. “Thanks for trusting me.”

“Is it hard to control a drone?”

“You'll know before long.”

C
HAPTER

32

DRONES

N
ight had fallen by the time Hunter led Cole out to the street and summoned a levcar with a blank ID card. They both wore regular clothes.

“Nice card,” Cole said after getting into the car.

Hunter held up the ID, a blue rectangle with nothing printed on it. “No photo, so I can't use it at checkpoints. The great thing is it randomly mimics over ten million existing ID cards. According to all records, we're not riding in this levcar. It's some other Zeropolitan citizen.”

“Cool,” Cole said.

“It's only the beginning,” Hunter promised. “Just wait. In Zeropolis, I work with a technomancer named Clayton Barnes. Only Googol and Abram Trench can rival his talent. He makes certain types of tech better than anybody. He developed the drones I use, and he created this card.”

“Where exactly are we going?” Cole asked.

“I have a few hideouts in Zeropolis that only I know
about. We're going to my favorite. We'll control the drones from there.”

“We're going after Constance tonight?”

“I work with smart, suspicious people,” Hunter said. “No matter what precautions we take, we'll only have a few days at best before they realize that I've gone over to the other side. We need to do everything we can before then. I left two drones in position, along with some other gizmos Clay provided to get us inside. We just have to fire them up and find your princess.”

“What about after we find Constance?” Cole asked.

“All figured out, little brother,” Hunter said with a cocky smile.

“I'm not that much littler than you.”

Hunter scowled. “I know, it's weird. You've aged a couple of years since I've seen you, and I've stayed about the same. You're catching up.”

“You were saying?”

Hunter smiled again. “We use the drones to take her to a safe house. Then I contact the Unseen.”

“How?”

“Remember that communicator they toasted when I almost captured you?”

Cole nodded.

“I was able to crack the harmonics on that crystal. I kept the frequency to myself, so my own people shouldn't be listening in. Even if the Unseen aren't actively using that frequency anymore, I bet they're still monitoring it. Once
we get in touch, we'll set up a time and place to deliver Constance.”

“They're probably in Old Zeropolis,” Cole said. “Will we use the tunnels?”

“That's one option,” Hunter replied. “Or we could fly.”

“Excuse me?”

“Abram Trench doesn't allow air travel in Zeropolis. But the technology has existed here for a long time. I answer to the High Shaper, not the Grand Shaper, so I have a magnetic glider.”

“No way.”

“Yep. It's another of Clay's creations. No wheels. The glider hovers like the warboard you used the day I almost caught you. Good work that day, by the way. You kept your cool and did a great job using your tech to escape. It's part of why I want you to help me extract Constance.”

“Thanks,” Cole said. “So the glider flies really low?”

“No,” Hunter said with a chuckle. “That would be the worst. The hovering just works like the landing gear. Once you're up, the glider flies like normal and propels itself, which maybe makes it not a true glider. But it's small and light. Seats four. Thanks to the energy crystals, it basically has infinite fuel. I only fly it at night. It would stand out too much in the daylight.”

“You're a pilot?”

“I can pilot the glider. A lot of the systems are automatic. I basically just steer and control the speed. It won't let me crash. I can't land it where there isn't enough metal for the hover system to work, and it automatically corrects if I'm in
danger of a collision or going into a spin. It's awesome. I'll miss working with Clayton.”

Cole considered what that meant. “You're giving up a lot to join the resistance.”

Hunter shook his head. “Who wouldn't give up working for the bad guys? Sure, I had lots of cool stuff. But I had no idea I was being used to hurt good people. Accepting that is hard. Giving up the stuff is easy. Think about how much you miss our family. What's a bunch of stuff compared to that? Wouldn't you trade anything to be back with them? I found my brother! That's worth more than any of those gadgets.”

“I'm impressed.”

“What did you expect? I thought I was helping the good guys catch bad guys. Or at least the pretty good guys catch worse guys. I really thought you had been tricked by the Unseen. I was trying to help you. Instead, you helped me learn what's really going on.”

“They're going to be mad,” Cole said.

“That's a major understatement,” Hunter replied. “Being an Enforcer isn't a part-time job. You join for life, and you don't betray them. They'll come after me hard. Both Owandell and the High King will want my hide.”

“I'm sorry,” Cole said.

“It isn't all bad,” Hunter said. “Things are changing. Everybody knows that much. The High King is weakening, Owandell is gaining followers, and crazy stuff is going on across the kingdoms. I'm pretty well known, so when I disappear, it'll send another signal that something's wrong. It will be good for the resistance when people hear I'm on their
side. When the Unseen decide to tell everyone about the princesses, I can help the story seem more believable. And I might help convince some of the people I worked with to switch sides as well.”

For a time Cole stared out the window at the city lights. He contemplated all Hunter was leaving behind. Starting out as a slave, he had built a new life for himself here. And now he was throwing it away to do what he thought was right.

“I wish I could remember you,” Cole said.

“Me too,” Hunter replied. “It's too bad.”

“I wish I could give you the welcome you deserve,” Cole said. “You must be a great guy. I'm glad you're my brother.”

Hunter bowed his head, crouched forward, and started to shake. It took Cole a moment to recognize that his brother was sobbing. He reached across and patted his shoulders.

Wiping tears away, Hunter looked up. “I wish you could remember me too. But it's enough that you believe me. I've been so lonely here. Finding you feels like a miracle. We weren't just brothers, Cole. We were good friends, too. We messed around together all the time. We'll be friends again. You'll see.”

As they continued from street to street, their levcar swerving among the others, Cole fought to recall his brother. He could remember the events surrounding some of the pictures he had seen online with Hunter in them—a trip to California, a soccer game, Chelsea's birthday. In contradiction to the photos, Hunter made no appearance in the memories.

After a long effort, Cole stopped trying. It was frustrating. If he could just remember something, it would mean he
could hope that the rest of his family might one day remember him. It would also just be comforting. Knowing he had a brother was amazing, but actually remembering would make it mean more.

Eventually the levcar let them out at the base of a soaring skyscraper. Hunter led Cole into the lobby and used a small crystal sphere to open a nondescript door off to one side. Beyond the doorway, Hunter used the sphere to open the doors of a sender.

“It's a private elevator,” Hunter explained.

“Don't you mean sender?”

“You're such a local,” Hunter said, rolling his eyes. “There are a few other private senders in this hall, but I'm the only person with access to this one.” They entered and the doors closed. “Want to push the button?”

Only two floors were represented—100 and G. Cole pressed 100. “Is it the penthouse?”

“The building advertises one hundred twenty floors,” Hunter said. “The penthouse was too visible. The building actually goes up to one hundred twenty-three—the real ninety-nine, one hundred, and one hundred one aren't labeled and get skipped by all the other senders. The emergency stairway is kept closed, and has blank metal doors on my floors. My rooms here are nice and private.”

The sender doors opened to reveal a lab. The worktables were a little messy, with mechanical gear and a variety of crystals on most of them. Hunter walked through the lab without a second glance and guided Cole into an adjoining room where three harnesses hung from the ceiling.

“Is this where we control the drones?” Cole asked.

“You guessed it,” Hunter said. “Come here.”

Hunter first adjusted the height of one of the harnesses, and then helped Cole step into it. Standing in the harness left Cole's feet just a little above the floor. If he stretched, his toes could brush it. As Hunter strapped braces around Cole's chest and onto his limbs, he was reminded of the battle suit.

“You'll see everything the drone sees,” Hunter said. “Hear what the drone hears. The harness does a surprisingly good job of helping you feel what the drone feels. Just pretend you're the drone. It'll mimic your movements.”

“Is there a screen?” Cole asked.

“The screen and the headphones are built into the helmet,” Hunter said, putting one on Cole's head. “If you want to talk to me, just talk. I'll be right next to you in my own harness. If you want to speak as the drone, hold down this button on your wrist.”

Cole looked at the button Hunter was indicating. “Got it.”

Hunter went on to list some of the weapons systems and safety features. Cole listened as best he could.

“If things go bad,” Hunter said, “I can switch your drone to bot mode, so it will control itself. If we end up needing to fight, I'll probably go that route. But hopefully this will be a quiet mission—in and out.”

Hunter strapped himself into his own harness. “You ready?”

“What are we doing first?” Cole asked, feeling like the orientation had been too rushed.

“Our drones are right above the secret lair,” Hunter said.
“Abram Trench uses a sender for access. Clayton prepared a swarm of workbots that will help us break in.”

“Does he know what we're doing?” Cole asked.

“Just the basics. None of the details. We work together like that a lot. Our first plan will be to use the elevator shaft. If that doesn't work, we'll try the ventilation system. The security is really good on this place, but not perfect. Clayton's workbots can break codes, fool cameras, rewire circuits, switch out crystals, cut through bonded crystal, and basically do a million other things. Some are small, and some are smaller. While the workbots do their magic, you get used to being the drone.”

“Okay,” Cole said, feeling uncertain.

“Don't worry,” Hunter said. “The best way to get used to piloting a drone is to do it. I could talk about it all night, but you won't get it until you try it out. If you can handle one of Googol's battle suits, this should be a snap. Ready to switch on?”

“Sure,” Cole said, hoping it would feel as natural as Hunter described.

“Open the little hatch on your wrist. That's right. Hit the button, then close the hatch. You don't want to power down accidentally.”

Cole pressed the button, and his screen, which had been clear, became a dimly lit room. By turning his head, Cole could look around the room as if he were really there. Looking down at himself, he could see his robotic body. On one side, he saw another drone robot. He waved. Hunter waved back.

“How does it feel?” Hunter asked.

“Pretty real,” Cole said. “Kind of like a perfect video game.”

“Good description,” Hunter said. “And like in a video game, you can be fearless when necessary. You can't actually hurt yourself. The drone will take the punishment.”

Cole took a step, and the harness shifted, allowing him to feel how the movement changed his balance. As Cole walked around a little and used his hands, he found that Hunter was right—operating the drone felt very natural. His body had become a big video-game controller, with the drone moving however he did.