Helix: Episode 8 (Kill Switch)

Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Olesya took aim at the High Priest of Purity.

Dressed in white robes that flowed to his feet, trimmed with crimson and decorated with a pattern of small black doves, he was unarmed, and stared back at her with large eyes, impossibly calm.

She stepped out into a hall with a high ceiling and square pillars, and was immediately confronted by a much larger number of people. Six Purity Preservers were now in full view, their staffs and carbines leveled at her. And she’d walked right into them.

Next to the Priest, there was a suited man half his age with a skewed nose and a bemused smirk. In one hand, he held a pistol down at his side; in the other, an armored black carry case. Two operatives flanked him, their pistols aimed at Olesya. If she had to guess, she’d say they were the Fifth Column’s upgraded HAC operatives.

Olesya kept her weapon trained on the Priest.

‘Welcome, Olesya,’ the suited man said. ‘My name is Hal. That’s with an a, not an e l l.’

A mix of dread and relief washed through her as she spotted Jay over by the stairs. He was shirtless and painted in blood—she hoped it wasn’t his own.

‘Why are you naked?’ she asked.

Jay glanced down. ‘I’m wearing pants.’

One of Hal’s operatives shifted his aim to Jay. The other moved off to the side, keeping his pistol on Olesya. He was young, like her, with short, blond hair and pale-blue eyes. He seemed familiar but she couldn’t place him.

‘You don’t remember me, do you?’ the operative asked, as if reading her thoughts. His voice had a trace of a Russian accent. ‘Of course, I was only a boy back then. Now I’m all grown up.’

‘Who are you?’

He smiled. ‘Hello, sestra.’

He couldn’t be.

‘Zakhar?’ Her pistol quivered, her aim on the High Priest faltering. ‘You’re lying.’

‘You should be on this side, standing with me.’

‘I came back for you,’ she growled. ‘I didn’t—’

‘Your war is over, Olesya,’ Hal interrupted, his voice echoing through the hall. ‘NATO is mobilizing troops to support Purity in Prague, and the leaders of the free world call for your blood.’

‘I don’t know about the “free” part.’

Hal’s eye twitched. ‘That don’t amount to a hill of beans. What matters is they’re on our side. Not yours.’

‘Then I’ll have to show them the truth.’

‘And how will you do that? Are you going to kill all of us with your one pistol?’

‘You will die trying, sestra.’ Zakhar had a clear shot at her now. ‘I don’t want that.’

‘Don’t get us wrong, there will be a considerable amount of dying,’ Hal said, ‘just not today.’

‘May their souls rest in peace,’ the High Priest said, Olesya’s smartwatch translating from Lithuanian.

Hal smiled thinly. ‘Well, maybe some today.’ He pointed his pistol at Jay.

‘Take that shot and you won’t leave this place alive,’ Olesya said.

‘And if you take your shot,’ Hal replied, ‘you’ll start something you can’t stop.’

She kept her sights on the Priest, but focused on Hal. ‘That might be a good thing.’

Hal gestured to a camera on the ceiling above. ‘Bless your heart, would it be a good thing for the world to see a Russian operative executing the High Priest of Purity? The fallout from that … well, I’m sure you can use your imagination.’

‘The fallout has already begun,’ she said.

Her finger tightened on the trigger. She could finish the High Priest right now, even if it meant going down with him. She was prepared to do that. She just wanted all this to stop.

‘You’ve got gumption, kid, I’ll give you that. But trust me, this isn’t how you want it to shake down.’

Six Preservers, two HAC operatives and a smug Fifth Column agent against her and a half-naked, unarmed Jay. She’d had better odds. And Hal knew it.

‘Drop your weapon,’ he said.

Her earpiece crackled. ‘Sophia to Olesya. You might want to get behind cover.’

She heard something else, a rumbling behind Sophia’s voice … like a large vehicle.

Olesya tossed her weapon, letting it slide toward one of the square pillars, and took a step back. ‘So what now?’

‘Now you come with us,’ The High Priest said, his voice soft and careful. ‘I wish to learn all about you and your Night Witches.’

Hal nodded. ‘There will be plenty of time—’

Behind the Preservers, the wall exploded.

Olesya threw herself across the floor, sliding on marble and snatching up her pistol. Plaster and debris showered the hall, obscuring her vision as she rolled and came to her feet.

Zakhar launched through the cloud, straight at her. ‘Sestra!’ he yelled over the noise.

She hooked her boot under his leg, pulling him in, and kneed him in the side. He gasped and toppled, losing his weapon; she kicked it across the marble floor, away into the dust and rubble. But when she whipped around to face Zakhar, he was gone, rolled away into the corridor she’d emerged from.

The dust settled around her, revealing the hazy shape of an armored vehicle—a Marauder. Someone was in place operating the M2 machine gun on top; she guessed Sophia or Marina.

The High Priest and his Preservers were scattering, seeking cover. Olesya dashed for the nearest pillar, just as 50-caliber rounds tore through a pair of Preservers like they were made of paper.

Despite the suppressing fire, Olesya and Jay were surrounded. Jay was still out in the open, and in seconds he was flanked by Preservers.

One was close to Olesya, turning his staff on her. She slid out from behind cover, on her knees, and deflected the staff with one arm, her pistol lining up nicely with the bottom of the Preserver’s chin. She fired.

As the man sagged, she noticed Jay duck, the other Preserver aiming her staff at Olesya now.

The staff fired and Olesya pushed up against the dead Preserver as she fell back onto the marble. The corpse shielded her as the vortex-ring grenade struck it, slinging the dead man right over her. The broken body rolled across the marble to where Zakhar was reentering the battle, and he stumbled over it.

Jay elbowed his Preserver in the neck, pried her staff away and fired again, narrowly missing Olesya. Zakhar took the hit, and went flying back through the corridor behind them.

Scrambling clear of the machine gun’s fire, Jay used the side of the large staircase as cover. He was crouching beside the armored carry case Hal had been carrying.

Olesya sought out Hal in the confusion, saw him retreating up to the top of the stairs. Sure enough, one hand held his pistol, the other was empty.

The High Priest was out of sight, must have found cover somewhere, but another Preserver was maneuvering around a pillar to fire at her.

He was shattered by a volley of 50-cal.

Olesya dashed for Jay, but only made it halfway to the staircase when someone opened fire on her. Her liquid armor went rigid under the impact, knocking her off her feet, taking Jay with her.

Zakhar.

She rolled, her armor yielding, and fired back, but he was gone. As soon as she was back on her feet, she found herself face to face with a HAC operative … and he was aiming right at her.

Jay clamped the man’s arm and thrust his shoulder in to break it—but the operative countered. Jay punched him in the ribs: a triple crack.

The operative flew across the hall and into the far wall.

Olesya stared at Jay. ‘How did you—’

‘I’ll explain later!’ he said.

Marina’s voice filled her earpiece: ‘Let’s go!’

Jay picked up the carry case and she pushed him to the Marauder, which was now sitting in the middle of the hall. On top of the armored vehicle, Marina was hosing the pillars with her machine gun. Any operatives and Preservers hiding behind them weren’t going anywhere.

Olesya and Jay crossed to the Marauder, using it as cover. The rear hatch was open and Jay jumped in the back. The courtyard was exposed behind them and Olesya could hear Purity Guard calling out as they rushed to catch up. She turned to cover him, but Ark was already there, carbine out and firing as the first Guards appeared in the distance.

Olesya climbed in, Ark right behind her, shutting the hatch.

‘Go! Go!’ Ark yelled, Marina standing on the machine gun platform, raining hell on Purity.

In the driver’s cabin, Sophia was checking over her shoulder. She eyed Olesya, then lurched the Marauder into reverse. They tore out of the hall, under a low archway, and into a large cobblestoned courtyard.

Marina climbed down from the machine gun and glared at Jay, who had put down the case and grabbed a weapon.

‘Are you OK?’ she asked.

‘Why do people keep asking…? Oh, right. Not my blood.’

Through the small bullet-resistant windows, Olesya saw Purity Guard collecting on both sides, sheltering under the arches of the building facades. They sprayed the Marauder with gunfire, a sound like hailstones on the side of the armored vehicle, and doing about as much damage.

On a nearby mounted screen, the feed from one of the Marauder’s cameras showed exactly where Sophia was driving them. They roared across the courtyard, smashing through rows of decorative pot plants, then took a hard right at a large Purity church and circled the bell tower.

‘You knew that operative?’ Jay asked.

More than I care to admit. ‘A long time ago.’

Quickly whipping left, Sophia steered them for the exit, an archway with open iron gates. It was narrow. Too narrow.

‘Are we going to fit through that?’ Olesya asked.

‘Buckle up,’ Sophia yelled.

Swearing, Olesya holstered her pistol and reached for her four-point harness, securing it over her body. Marina was doing the same beside her, as were Ark and Jay in the seats opposite. Jay clamped the carry case between his feet.

Olesya closed her eyes and gripped her harness as the Marauder ripped through the archway, its armor scraping the iron gates and tearing through the rendered arch. The vehicle shuddered, throwing Olesya around inside her harness. When she opened her eyes again, they were through, and Jay’s carry case was sliding around on the floor between them.

The Marauder was still moving at high speed. Olesya twisted her buckle, releasing the harness, and made her way to the cabin.

‘Do you need a way out?’ Olesya asked.

Sophia focused ahead. ‘I have one.’

She drove down a small road, clipping an entire row of parked cars, then made a right at the T-intersection.

It was a straight run ahead until, in the distance, she could see a newly set-up Purity roadblock. Flanked by three-story buildings, half of the roadblock was made up of another Marauder, parked broadside to them. Its M2 machine gun swiveled.

Olesya pushed back into the rear cabin, climbing up through the portal and onto her own Marauder’s gun platform. She swung her machine-gun around and stared down the iron sights, directly at the Purity gunner.

They both fired, filling the street with the sound of thunder, each shot vibrating through her body.

Sophia jerked the Marauder to the side, and the shots from the roadblock went wide, cracking past Olesya’s ear. Cafe tables and chairs spiraled into the air as the rounds smashed into them. Olesya held her aim and trigger, her shots tearing a flying cafe table in half before ripping into the Purity gunner.

She held onto the machine gun for a moment longer, but as the Purity Guard scattered from behind the Marauder, she spotted pedestrians behind them. She held her fire.

The Purity Guard did not.

Gunfire struck the Marauder around her. She ducked, retreating down the ladder.

‘Get secure!’ Sophia said.

Olesya threw herself into the nearest seat, clipping on her harness.

‘Olesya to Aviary, do you read?’

The reply was quick. ‘Aviary to Olesya, we’re still alive.’

‘Good,’ Olesya said. ‘Can you wipe the university cameras?’

‘Can do. One hour good enough?’

‘Good enough. Thank you.’

While she was up on the gun platform, Jay had retrieved the loose carry case and was now strapped in again, holding it to him.

‘What’s in that thing?’ Olesya shouted.

‘I got my suspicions,’ he yelled back. ‘Did we stop the drones?’

Olesya didn’t have the heart to tell him they’d failed. At least not yet. ‘We’ll debrief when we get back.’

Sophia steered them off the road and onto the sidewalk. Through the window above Jay, Olesya saw they were inches from the buildings beside them. On the screen, the Marauder’s camera showed Sophia’s view: ploughing right for a narrow gap between the building and the parked Marauder. Another tight squeeze.

Olesya closed her eyes again, and braced.

The sound of metal on metal, but this time it was just an iron streetlamp bouncing off Sophia’s windshield.

They’d made it through.

Olesya remembered to breathe.

The Marauder screeched into more sharp turns, weaving through narrow streets to lose any pursuit.

‘What happened to DC?’ Olesya asked.

‘We were ambushed,’ Marina said. ‘They took him quick and then … gone.’

‘Seriously?’ Jay asked. ‘How’d they get the jump on you?’

‘They knew we were coming,’ Sophia cut in.

‘Who are they?’ Jay asked.

‘Not Fifth Column,’ Sophia said. ‘Some kind of Purity force.’

‘Yes,’ Marina said. ‘Well-trained and well-armed. Not your typical Guard.’

Sophia spoke again. ‘I’m guessing we want an escape vehicle that’s less … conspicuous.’

She was right. They’d never lose their pursuers if they stayed in this tank on wheels.

The Marauder lurched to a halt by a small dirt parking lot, nestled between two buildings and walled off by tin sheets covered in colorful graffiti. One panel showed a mermaid emerging from what looked like a chess board, but Olesya could only see her brother’s face. Or the face he had now: nothing about him was familiar, except his voice. It reminded her of everything she’d lost.

‘Hey,’ Ark said, slapping her shoulder. ‘You OK?’

Without a word, she released her harness and stepped out of the rear hatch.

Sophia was already out and picking the lock of an old Yugoslavian liftback. It wasn’t a great choice for a getaway car, but they weren’t exactly spoilt for choice.

Olesya checked the street behind them. It was eerily empty but, in the distance, engines rumbled. Purity would catch up soon, and the Marauder would be sitting here, easy to spot.

Climbing inside the liftback, Sophia threw her ruck in the footwell and took out a screwdriver. Marina slid in beside her while Ark jumped in the back.

When he shut the door, part of the bumper fell off.

‘Seriously?’ Jay stared at their choice of getaway vehicle. ‘Looks like it was assembled at gunpoint.’

Sophia started the engine with her screwdriver, then got out, lifting her seat forward so Jay could crawl through. ‘I’ll assemble you at gunpoint in a minute. Get in!’

Jay shook his head and climbed in. Olesya followed next to him, then Sophia pushed the seat back and got behind the wheel. When she hit the gas, the liftback went nowhere fast.

‘Is it even in gear?’ Jay asked.

Gradually, the car gathered speed and Sophia lurched them out of the lot. The vehicle handled badly—Olesya could feel it with each turn—but as long as it got them out of there before Purity descended on them, that was all that mattered.

Something else rattled and fell off.

‘Uh, I hope that wasn’t anything important,’ Ark said.

Sophia took a hard corner and Jay squished into Olesya with a grunt.

As the car straightened up, Olesya checked behind them. Clear.

Sophia slowed to a normal speed and nestled in behind a bus that was moving at a moderate pace in one lane.

‘You’re welcome, by the way,’ Sophia said.

Olesya ignored her sarcasm. ‘Thanks for getting Jay out.’

‘And getting you out,’ Sophia said, making eye contact in the mirror.

‘I had it under control.’

Sophia smiled. ‘Sure. You were outnumbered ten to one.’

Marina raised her hand. ‘Until I evened the odds. You are welcome.’

‘Hey, I was there too,’ Jay said. ‘Where’s my kudos?’

‘Do unarmed, half-naked people count?’ Ark asked, grinning.

‘They do when they punch people twenty meters,’ Marina said.

‘So,’ Jay said, ‘what about those drones?’