Page 16 of Jump or Fall
An awkward silence settled between them. Gordon was about to say something before he abruptly shut his mouth.
“Yes,” she said, guessing at what he was about to ask. “I met Dawson at Hyperion.”
They reached a tunnel marked with a symbol like the others she’d seen along the way. Gordon pulled the same device as earlier out of his pocket and shined a light on the symbol. A hidden star appeared at its center and an arrow.
“If you ever need to find a safe house,” he said, “use a blacklight on the symbols.”
One final turn led them to a heavy door. Gordon unlocked it and pushed it open, revealing a dimly lit room with a table and four chairs at its center. The walls were rough, uneven stone. The only sound was the faint rush of water. Two additional doors stood closed along the far wall, their surfaces worn but sturdy.
Seated at the table was a man with salt-and-pepper hair, and wire-rimmed glasses.
With a strained smile, Silva said, “Hello, Mara.”
Chapter 6
Mara
Time seemed to slow, as if sitting down would mark the beginning of the end. Mara perched on the edge of a rickety metal chair, ready to run. She laced her fingers together in her lap and tried not to fidget. Gordon settled into the chair beside her, noticeably more relaxed, as if to assure her there was no danger.
Gordon spoke first. “Silva has been helping with weapons and materials acquisition. I told you about the explosives—he’s making those possible too.”
Mara studied them both. “So what’s the actual plan? I understand the ‘blowing things up and disrupting their ability to retaliate’ part, but what’s the end goal? Who would take over?”
“We chip away at them, bit by bit,” Gordon answered. “Small attacks here and there. Take out the known Silvers in the enforcers and expose some others. Naxos wants to provide support so Beck can actually be an Archon. I assume they’d install their own person as Secretary of State Security once Knight is out of the way. They’ve expressly forbidden us from killing him, unfortunately. They want him to be tried for all the shit he's done.”
“Don’t you think they'll get more ruthless once they realize something’s going on?” she asked.
“We do expect them to figure it out eventually,” Silva said, “which is also why we have spies. Like you and I, for example. We have high-level access to equipment as well as people. We can engage in soft sabotage.”
She raised a brow. “He doesn’t exactly tell me what he’s up to."
“Maybe not directly, but you know they’ve been pushing you hard to get the synth-minds functional in the suits. They also bought a ten-foot mech from Naxos and want us to enhance it. Naxos uses them for patrols too, but with far less firepower. I wouldn’t be surprised if they ask you next to enhance the augmented strength in their suits and eventually install the synth-mind in the mech.”
The idea of a ten-foot armed machine patrolling the streets was alarming, let alone one with decision-making abilities.
If she was truly committing to this rebellion, they needed to know the truth.
“The synth-minds work,” she admitted. “They have for weeks. Even my God’s Eye helmet is functional. I just haven’t had it in me to tell anyone. I'll have to say something soon, though.”
The silence that followed was only interrupted by the waves coming from outside.
“They actually work?” Silva asked, stunned.
“I’ve tested them thoroughly. There are so many capabilities that go way beyond just suit enhancement and fancy helmets.”
Gordon pressed his lips into a thin line. “If they can use all of its predictive functions, we might not stand a chance anymore. Can you transfer the raw data to me? Maybe there are ways to limit it.”
“Sure. I brought my testing suit home. We can swap carriers so you can fit my gauntlets with the panels and I can modify yours with the joiner. But I need help forging the inventory. I took pictures of the screens if that helps.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Up close, she noticed how his top lip didn’t quite move on the scarred side. “I can help with that. My suit’s near where we entered the tunnels.”
Silva laced his fingers behind his head. “Well, I think we’ve got the beginnings of something. Let’s meet at Crux next week. This place is too damn far.”
He stood and stretched before saying his goodbyes.
Mara transferred the data to Gordon, and showed him the photos of the inventory screens. He nodded and started tapping away, eyes narrowing with concentration. After a few minutes, he plugged in a small black rectangle and kept working. There was something about the way he focused that she found intriguing.
Finally, he turned the screen toward her. “Hold your thumb down for five seconds.”
