CODES

T H I R T Y - T W O

I slammed my hand against the elevator's call button as Xerses stopped behind me. I didn't look back as I hissed through clenched teeth, "I hate being in the dark, X."

He sighed as he stood beside me. Nervously passing his hand over the back of his neck, he watched the numbers above our heads change. "I was going to tell you."

"When?" I snapped my head around, glaring at him. "When Polk and his 'army' burst through these doors to get Clara? Huh?"

Xerses' brows pinched together. When the elevator doors opened for the both of us, he moved around me, stepped inside, then looked me straight in the eye. "We kept her safe," he said, pressing his hands flat against his chest, "and we did so for this long. Polk hasn't found her. He can't come in here!"

I followed Xerses inside and turned, facing the doors right as they closed. With a sigh, I shook my head. "You all kept her a prisoner, X." I glanced at him. "Your 'safe' keeping was a jail cell."

It was. And there wasn't denying it. It may not have been as enforced as the "prison" Peace place him in during the Code takeover, but it was the same. She was confined to a room with all of her basic essentials. What was sunlight? There weren't windows in her room. Clara was forced to sit within four walls and wait—wait for Zara, wait for Polk, wait for the hope that someone would save her.

Me. I was that someone who would save her. It wouldn't be the first time, and it wasn't going to be the last. I loved that woman and would die—again and again—to make sure she was okay.

As the elevator went down toward the medical floor, I stopped at the level before it. Scanning the area of the building, I knew there were people there. Computers were pinging, cell phone signals ricocheting off the wall like a ping-pong game. I knew there were more than just Xerses and Matthews in the building. And if I had my team to listen to me during my time of need, then I could figure this all out.

"What are you doing?" Xerses asked as the elevator doors opened. "We can't be here."

"Why?" I looked at him, confused. "They're our team, right?"

Xerses paused for a moment but we stepped out into the hall together. He passed his hand over his neck, looking around the hall. It wasn't as quiet as the main floor. There was the gentle tapping of keyboards, something hit the floor—like a set of keys—and the clink echoed to my ears. I kept my eyes on Xerses until he looked up and cleared his throat. "They are your team, we've always been your team."

"I know." I bit my bottom lip. "So, I need you to call everyone on this floor and bring them together."

"I can't, Rog." He shook his head as he looked at me. "Calling everyone together would be chaos—"

"And how's that?" I leaned back. "Are you scared?"

"What?" Xerses took a step away from me.

"You're avoiding what's happening. You brushed over what happening to Clara, you were barely at my side with Prime. And now that I need to see the team, you're calling is chaos? Why?" I narrowed my gaze. "What are you afraid of?"

Emotions passed over Xerses face. It almost looked like sweat would break out on his brow. He passed both of his hands over his neck until letting them drop in front of him. As he approached, he held my gaze and lowered his voice. "That place, Rog," he said. "The Void, the shit in there—I don't want to see it ever again. And if Polk wins with his army, it bleeds out onto the streets."

Would the Void bleed out onto the streets? How could that happen? It was a digital realm designed to keep the data files intact. None of it was real. At least, it wouldn't be for this world.

"It won't," I said, glancing at the wall beside the elevator. The red fire alarm called to me. "I promise you it won't."

"How can you be so sure?" he asked. "What if it does? What if Polk manages to do what he wants?"

"He won't." I moved beside the fire alarm. "Have I ever been wrong?"

I had been many times. But before he could answer my question, I quickly pulled down on the lever.

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It wasn't long before the alarm filled the Provincial building and the red flashing lights cover the walls. Knowing no one would ignore the alarm, I straightened and waited, watching as shadows approached, as footsteps caused vibrations on the floor. It wasn't long before I saw groups of people coming from both ends of the hall, but the group on the left had a person leading the squad. A leader I wanted to see.

Erica, with her hair up in a high bun and a baggy sweater that matched her Province name tag, covered her mouth as she looked at me. Her eyes widened. She took a small step forward, before taking it back. "Roger," she gasped.

When I smiled and extended my hand, she didn't wait. She broke free from her group and hurried toward me. She fell against my chest to hug me. With just one arm, I hugged her back.

Erica's head shifted as she glanced at Xerses with a quiet, "X," before she looked up at me. "You're here. You're awake. What's happening?"

I looked down into her dark eyes as I let her go. "Besides what you already know?"

Her brows shot up as she stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest. Her gaze passed over to Xerses. "What's going on?" she asked him.

He sighed and pulled on his shirt. "Roger..." he glanced at me, "is being Roger."

"I've got a plan," I said to her, to everyone with their eyes on me. "And for it to work, I need volunteers."

A soft "Excuse me," broke through the crowd as Matthews pushed his way to the front. He grinned at me as he walked toward us. "What's the plan?"

Of course, Matthews would poke his head out of the crowd. He lived for this. The joy of the fight. The thrill of it. I slightly grinned at him as he stood beside Erica.

"We need to get to New York," I said.

"How?" Erica tilted her head as she looked at me. "Planes aren't flying right now and we're not close."

"We drive," I said without hesitation.

Matthews mouth hung open for a minute as he scanned the room. "Driving," he whispered as he took in a deep breath. "Do ya know how many hours that'll take with auto-gear taking over the wheel? The roads to New York aren't clear—haven't been in years. And now?" He scoffed, scratching the side of his face. "Dangerous times."

Dangerous times. I grew up in war. I knew dangerous. What was happening now was... manageable, as long as everyone pitched in.

"Then we won't use auto-drive. We'll drive manually." That was a big job. Nothing against the future and the world I lived in, but I'd never forget the simpler times. When people would do things for themselves, without computers, without technology.

I looked at Xerses. He hadn't said a word, standing outside the group with his hands in his pockets, his head down. This wasn't the man I knew; this wasn't my best friend. I knew he was afraid, I remember what happened to him. But I knew, deep down, he could do this. I just needed him to see it.

"X," I said to him, "do you know how many cars with manual control are left in the city?"

He perked up as he glanced at me. He waited a moment before nodding. "In the Province garage... five."

Perfect. It meant easy access.

I smiled at him with a nod before looking at the rest of the group. "I'll need people who know how to drive manually. If you can, please, I need your help with this."

Quiet murmurs filled the hall. Eyes bounced around with curious gazes, peering from one person to the next. Nervousness crowded the air, almost suffocating if you breathed in. But that faded the moment two members of the team stepped forward with their hands raised.

"Okay, wait," Erica looked at them and sighed, glancing back at me, "what's in New York? What do we do when we get there?"

Tugging on the collar of my sweater, I pursed my lips. "We'll use the weapon Province designed to kill all Codes if the situation arises."

Jaws dropped. Eyes widened. Judging by the room, no one knew a weapon liked that existed.