The Grid Runner - PART ONE

Prologue

Ghostly howls echoed through the dark tunnel. Wavering light highlighted through the steam clouds ahead, reinforcing the otherworldly comparisons and giving Reshern Easki an uncomfortable feeling.
He hobbled down an old track, wooden floorboards creaking under his heavy boots. His helmet torch showed the way, although he knew these tunnels like the back of his wrinkled hand. After seventeen years as an engineer in the Mayor's office, and the nine years of his retirement spent in the Pipelands, no one knew these tunnels as well as Reshern.
A strange glitch. That's what a few of his neighbours called the problem. People were concerned enough that Reshern decided to look into the problem himself. He suspected it was just kids messing around, but still, if there really were decompression problems up here...
Shafts of yellow light cut across him as he walked, wide gaps in the tunnel revealing the open air beyond. Parts of the city far below could be seen; a collection of intricate towers and connecting pathways. It had been decades since he'd seen the stunning, gleaming buildings of the main City even further below, on the ground floor, but he knew they were down there, somewhere. Grinding gears and whirring generators thrummed all around. The lifeblood of the city, the sounds of the machines were ever-present, a source of comfort for Reshern.
A low knocking sound echoed through the tunnel. Reshern stopped. Standing in silence – as quiet as the tunnels got, if you zoned out the constant machinery – he realised it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Nothing way out here, Resh, except your old restless mind.
Farther down, he climbed onto a raised platform on the side and reached the control box on the wall. Huffing and wheezing, he paused a moment, the helmet light bobbing with his heavy breaths. Despite the cold air, sweat beaded his brow.
The control box opened with a loud creak. He scanned the data streaming down the screen – a flowing mess of digits and symbols that few people could read. All looked good. Kids, as he suspected.
A light caught his eye in the lower corner of the panel. A red light. Reshern frowned. He had never seen a red light there before; didn't even know that bulb existed. He flicked a switch and jabbed a few buttons, bringing up a diagnostics. Grimacing, he reset the control panel, and then waited a minute for it to reboot.
That couldn't have been right, he thought while he waited, the ghostly howls his only companions. He thought he'd read a critical percentage of mass shut down potential. Mass shut down... a shiver ran through him that had nothing to do with the cold.
The control panel came back to life with dull tones, and this time the readings were clear. Reshern gasped, his heart pounding immediately. In that moment he became aware of something beside him. He looked sideways at the darkness, seeing a pair of glowing red orbs watching over him. He turned in horror, the torch light revealing a towering dark figure that came down on him, ending Reshern's services to the city.

Interconnecting tubes and cables streamed by as Zan McCawl ran through the large pipe. He hopped onto the next track without breaking his stride, rushing down to the bright light at the end. He dove out the pipe, rolling in the air, and swiftly landed on a wide plank suspended by hanging cables. His scarf flapped behind him as he continued his run. Hundreds of feet of empty air lay between him and the tops of the city below, a thought that had strangely (strange for other people) never bothered Zan.
He launched himself onto an intercepting plank, spiralling through the air for fun, and made his way into another pipe. His pattering footfalls echoed around him, the only sounds apart from the constant humming of the surrounding machines. Running along an open platform, he spared a look at the sun to check how late he was. The bright metal ball was high above him to the side. Checking the time mark beside the huge ball –incremental indicators on the track that ran along the enormous domed roof – he knew his da would definitely be waiting for him.
Zan frowned, hoping his da would be in a fair mood.
Passing over his neighbourhood, Zan jumped down several feet and dropped into a curving pipe. He slid down and fell out, landing on a tall statue. There he hung on, catching his breath and adjusting the pouch slung over his shoulder. Large tubes and mechanical towers were interspersed with the tiled roofs of the tightly packed houses. Smoke rose from a few chimneys, filling the area with hot food smells that rumbled Zan's stomach.
He manoeuvred around the bronze statue, scrambling down the long plinth and jumped down to land on a nearby rooftop. As he crossed over to the next building, Zan felt a sense of calm and safety warm him. Running the Grid had never seemed as dangerous as it should have, but being near his house always made him feel like nothing could harm him.
Swinging off a pole, Zan landed on a grassy patch and jogged up the pathway to his house. The three-story house tilted at an angle near the top, supported by a thick reinforced beam on one side that came up from an extension on the ground level. He followed the delicious cooking smells up to his house.
"Da, I'm home," Zan called out as he slid the heavy door shut behind him. Rounding the corner into the kitchen, he found his da by the sink.
"You're late," Herrik grumbled, washing a pot.
"I know, I know," Zan said, shuffling over. "I lost track of time. But guess what I got."
"What I sent you out for, I hope."
Zan placed his pouch onto the counter and pulled the strings open. "Well, yeah. Veggies from the market. But, look, look." He brought out his surprise find.
Herrik showed only a slither of interest, but Zan knew he was holding back. "Strawberries?"
"Strawberries!" Zan declared triumphantly, raising them high like a winning trophy. "I found a patch of them, behind the old armoury. Just growing there."
"You see who they belong to?" Herrik asked, wiping his hands on a towel and coming over. He was a beefy man, powerful in his youth, having grown larger and softer around the edges in recent years. Heavy stubble outlined his thick jawline – a scruffy look he never would have stood for back when he was working.
Zan shrugged, wilting. "I think they were just there."
"Strawberries aren't just anywhere," Herrik said, his tone shifting to lesson-mode. "We'll keep these for now, save you the trouble of going all the way back there. But no more, you hear? Let whoever they belong to keep their secret garden."
Zan beamed. "I knew you'd like them."
"What did I just say?"
"No more, I heard you. Got it. I just wanted you to have them. I know you used to love them. Back in our old house."
Herrik let out a long sigh, his eyes softening. He ruffled Zan's wind-blown hair and smiled. His smiles always looked pained to Zan, like he had forgotten to do it. "Thanks. Come on, you, it's supper time. We'll have to use the veggies you got for tomorrow's sup, seeing as everything else is ready now."
Zan set the table and got the drinks ready while his father spooned the potatoes and creamy chicken onto plates.
"I need your help tomorrow," Herrik said, handing Zan a plate as he settled by the table. "Miss Abernathy brought over a broken converter-hub. Said I'd give it a look for her, but I need some parts from the market."
"Sure," Zan said, "I can head out in the morning." The nod his da gave him brought a warm, comforting feeling to him. If there was one thing Zan was good for, it was reading tech. Only a few people understood the language of the machines, seeing the data as rapid gibberish, but to Zan it had always been second nature, as easy as talking. And he loved repairing old tech with his da, more than anything in the world.
Outside the window the sun had lowered beyond their level, darkening the area to a deep blue and orange. On the far side of the domed roof, tiny LED lights began to flicker on, dotting the sky with little stars.
Sitting beside his da, Zan noticed him glance over at the empty chair opposite him. He knew what Herrik was thinking of. It was so long ago now but, back in their old home, Zan still remembered his place on the side of the table. His ma would always sit opposite his da.
After a few mouthfuls, Herrik pointed his fork at Zan. "How far did you get today?"
Zan sipped his drink, buying himself time to think. "Just went to the market and back."
"Right," Herrik said. "And where's the donkey that brought you here?"
Zan withered under his da's intense, well-perfected stare. A look that seemed equal parts caring and angry. Not angry with Zan – not really – but mostly a defeated rage that Herrik had developed about life. Since his wife…
"Okay,” Zan admitted. “I might have gone a little further. That's why I was late. I just –"
"Just couldn't help yourself. I've told you before, running the Grid is dangerous. All it takes is one slip, and–"
"And you'll lose the only thing you have left in this world," Zan finished, having heard the line many times before.
Herrik gave a look that told him to be more serious. "How far did you go?"
"I didn't go near the old shops, don't worry."
Herrik sighed. "It's not the old shops that's the problem. It's what's below them."
"I know, da, I know." Zan realised it came out whiney and added, more evenly, "I know. I promised you I won't go anywhere near the Mayor's place, and I won't."
Zan shook his head. He wasn't a kid anymore. He was nineteen, practically a man. He should act more like it. His da should treat him more like it.
They ate in silence for a while, before Zan couldn't help but ask, for the hundredth time: "Why don't you like your old company?"
Herrik dropped his knife and fork with a loud clatter that startled Zan. He gave Zan a severe look. The sorrow hiding in his eyes made Zan's heart ache. "You can keep asking, and I'll keep giving the same answer. There are no good people in the Mayor's office. They were not good to me. To me or..." he caught himself and sighed, then focused on his food.
Or. There was an or this time. Since his da quit his job – soon after his ma died over ten years ago – that or was the closest Zan had ever come to a proper explanation. His da had been one of the Mayor's top engineers. He helped build the latest iteration of the Grid, the vast network of machinery that ran across the entire city. The Grid was everything. The weather, the sun, day and night, crops – everything was fuelled by the Grid. And Zan's da was responsible for it all. Well, him and several others. When his da declared he would retire early, mumbling something about disagreeing with the Mayor and it not being the same company it used to be, Zan felt like it had something to do with his ma's passing.
Herrik's eyes tensed, shimmering the way they did whenever he thought of his wife. They finished their meal in silence, the strawberries forgotten about.
Zan went to bed with an uneasy mind. He resolved to make his da happy again, somehow. Starting from tomorrow, he would do what he could to bring the old Herrik back. Determined thoughts carried Zan into troubled dreams.

Leaving his house early the next morning, Zan made his way through the usual pipes and tunnels of his local neighbourhood. He was on a mission to find the parts his da needed, and he would start to make things right by helping him with the repairs. The pained look in his da's eyes last night still ate away at him, but he knew they would have a good time fixing tech together. They always did.
Jumping between the walls of a narrow alleyway, Zan dropped down and looked over the edge of the platform. Dozens of huts, stalls and cylindrical units ran along the street below him. A huge crowd of people bustled between the shops, undulating like waves in a moving river. Gas lanterns hung along the length of the giant pipe that housed the market, here where the sun deflectors around the city didn't reach. The different ranges of talk, hustling and laughter reached him like a low roar, mixed with the constant hums of machinery.
Zan hopped down and made his way through the crowds, nodding hello's to a few familiar faces. Most people were dressed in the usual haggard, knitted cardigans or heavy jumpers, some with obvious holes or dark patches. The older folk were bent and crooked, and Zan wondered if it was from all the years of wearing heavy layers. But then that was the life up here in the cold Pipelands, the forgotten part of the city. The dirt and grime smeared on people’s haggard faces were a fitting indicator of what the rest of the city thought of the Pipelanders.
Perhaps it was the crowd, but something didn't feel right for Zan, walking through them. He would much prefer to soar or swing over them all. Walking was just so slow.
He stopped by a fruit and vegetable stall and was reminded of the strawberries he brought back yesterday. They were another thing that would make his da feel better.
Zan had spent some time thinking of making his da happier, and while he couldn’t bring his ma back, he could try at least to give his da to things he used to love. Fixing tech made his da happy, but it was more than that. He liked to help people. While Herrik maintained a gruff, reclusive exterior, his softer side led to him becoming known as the local handyman, a help to all.
"Hey, Zan, over here," a voice called out, shaking Zan from his thoughts.
Zan turned and found a familiar face breaking through the crowd.
Priya beamed at him, flashing her large teeth. She gave a small wave as she shuffled over in her awkward, cute manner.
"Heya, Priya," Zan said. "How goes it?"
She curled her long hair behind an ear, smoothing the ragged edges down. "Good, good. What you up to?"
"Looking for some parts for my da. You?"
"Just hanging out with Marcin and the others," she said. "Wanna say hi?" Her round eyes glistened expectantly as she watched Zan.
Zan hesitated. He considered Marcin a friend – or atleast he used to when they were younger – but Herrik had never approved of Zan hanging out with street kids. Zan never knew what the problem was, they were good kids, they just happened to live on the streets. Up here in the Pipelands, everyone was the same, and everyone looked out for each other.
"Sure," Zan said, nodding for Priya to lead the way. A quick chat, then he'd get the parts he needed.
Priya bounced excitedly and he followed her through the crowds. When they became separated, Priya reached back and took Zan's hand, quickly looking ahead as she reddened.
They found the others on the far end of the market, sitting on a stack of crates and barrels, looking out through a glassless window cut into the pipe. Somewhere nearby a large generator thrummed.
"Well if it isn't the Grid Runner," Marcin said, nodding to him. He was the same age as Zan, but his heavyset frame and wide shoulders made him look older. Zan guessed he'd found some hair gel recently, as his brown hair was shaped up into short spikes.
"Heyas, chief," Zan said. He nodded to the other kids.
Wes smiled and gave him a big nod, shaking his blond curls.
Gosaline hopped down and bounced over to him. "Long time, other big bro." She was only fifteen, but her small frame made her look much younger. The purple in her large eyes reflected from a nearby lantern, a stark contrast to the dull colours of her patched dress. Despite her meagre appearance, her bright red hair matched the fire in her.
Zan pulled her into a one-armed hug, feeling like a giant against her petite build. "Good to see you again, Gos."
"My favourite big brother," Gosaline said, turning and making a face at Marcin.
Marcin held a hand to his chest, looking hurt. "Ooh that stings. You can have her if you like, Zan."
"Nah that's all right," Zan said. "I'll leave the big brother duties to the real deal."
"Hey," Gosaline gasped, pushing Zan away playfully.
Zan followed Gosaline’s eyes as she looked across the street. On the other side of the pipe, a large woman in an apron approached a man looking out the window. Wiping her hands on a dirty towel, the woman looked out to the city below and shook her head.
"Would you look at that," the woman said disapprovingly. "Gather, you sheep, your god calls you."
Wes hopped off the crate and jogged over to the window. Gosaline soon followed with a curious expression. Marcin remained at the highest point of the crates, looking indifferent. While Zan knew Marcin as more of a thrill-seeking joker, these days it seemed like Marcin preferred to act the part of stoic leader. His grave, distant expressions said as much.
"Sends a shiver right through me, it does," the woman by the window was saying.
Priya gestured and nudged Zan along. He followed her to the large window and heard a loud, smooth voice that echoed over the city below. All the giant projector screens were on, showing a man's face. His square head was lined with age, patches of grey dotting his lightly stubbled jaw. Piercing grey-blue eyes enthralled all who watched. The Mayor's messages were not for those up in the Pipelands, and neither was his rule, but that didn't stop them from watching and hearing.
The Mayor read out a list of city updates and ongoing developments, all sounding boring to Zan, as well as spouting reminders of the etiquette he expected of his citizens, and of the laws of the city. He fell short of reminding them what his penalties were, but implied that it was in everyone's best interests to follow his ways.
"I thank the sky every day we don't have to listen to that drivel," the large woman said, shaking her head.
"Right," the man beside her said. He was tall and thin in baggy clothing, with a perpetual sour look that pursed his mouth. "But then the alternative is to live how we do."
"And what's so wrong with that?"
"Look," Wes said excitedly, with equal parts surprise and fear. He pointed to a walkway between the short buildings below, where several armoured soldiers patrolled. Their blue and white armour contrasted against the dusty browns and cold greys of the mid-level.
Gosaline gasped. "Whoa. Eclipse Guards."
The older woman shook her head, ringing her hands in the towel. "Why the Mayor needs em is beyond me."
"If he didn't," the man said, "the whole city would be like us. Living day to day, trying to survive on what we have."
The woman frowned spectacularly. "You been listening to his so-called motivational announcements too much. You listen to me, you hear, we don't need to live under his rule. We're the luckier ones, up here. They might have all the money and all the food and power way down on the ground floor, but at what price? When they look up, it's us they see."
"Right," the man said. "Who needs food and money, and security. I tell you, if I could, I'd be down there with them, and give the Mayor a firm handshake."
"Good luck with that. Ain't nobody seen him in years, I hear. For all we know those are just old recorded tapes they play over and over. If you ask me, I don't even think they have a bleedin’ Mayor. Probably just a bunch of suites makin’ it up as they go along."
"I don't believe that. Not for a second." The man faced her, resolute.
"Well believe this." She pointed a large thumb over her shoulder. "You see the new family who moved in on the west side? City folk." She said it in a loud whisper, like she was cursing. "Must've royally pissed someone off down there, from the sounds of it. They had no place else to go but up here. You should see the looks on their miserable faces. But they'll get used to the grit and grime, they all do."
The man's eyes widened. "I didn't think anyone came up here. That's what they got prisons and that for down there. Thought we was pretty much forgotten about."
"Well we're definitely that," the woman said.
Zan became aware that Priya had inched closer to him, so that their shoulders were touching. He wondered why she was so close. She turned to him with her brows raised and furrowed, her bright eyes glistening. Her full lips were parted with unspoken fears.
"She's partly right," Zan said quietly. "We're better off up here."
Priya's smile reshaped her face. She nodded, staring at him for a moment. "It's good to see you, Zan. We don't get a chance to see you much anymore."
"I know. I been helping my da a lot lately."
"How's he doing?"
Zan shrugged, turning her away from the bickering adults. Wes and Gosaline continued to stare out the window in awe. Marcin continued to look like he was in charge of everyone.
"He's fine," Zan said. "He's just... he hasn't been the same, for a long while."
"Since your ma..."
"Since my ma. Yeah. Even though it's been ten years now. He has his good days sometimes. I help out when I can. But sometimes I feel more like a burden."
She gripped his arm. "He loves you, so much. You know that. You're his whole world. You're never a burden to him. You have a gift with the machines, and you should use it."
At first Zan didn't know how to react to her sincerity, aside from an inappropriate joke, but then he found himself lost in her eyes. For a moment he felt like his fears and worries could leave him. Like everything could be alright. The way he felt last night when he resolved to make his da happy again. The low humming of generators and shaky gears filled the silence between them. He gave her a weak smile, but suddenly felt guilty for complaining about his da. Priya had never known her parents. She grew up with a foster ma, until the old woman died and left her alone. Priya had been fending for herself on the streets ever since. If she was down in the city, she would have gone through the school system and found a nice foster family long ago.
"Thanks, Priya," he said. He wanted to tell her that she always knew how to make him feel better, but then she might give him one of those strange, drawn-out looks she sometimes gave him. The ones that made him feel both uncomfortable and energised.
"Zan," she said softly, moving closer.
Thundering mechanisms clicked and rang out across the street, echoing through the city. Darkness fell on them in an instant as generators and motors wound down, slowly drawling to a low, eventual stop.
Gears came to a juddering stop, engines died, machinery cut out all around them.
The lights over the market dropped to battery-powered low embers, casting the street in an eerie, murky glow. Hundreds of voices called out, yelling, screaming, a burst of chaotic babble as the market folk scattered.
Zan and Priya's eyes met though the gloom. Her eyes still managed to shine in the gloom. They remained frozen for a long moment – everyone who wasn't running and screaming just stood in bewildered shock – then Zan took Priya's arm and ushered her to the window. The small shapes of Wes and Gosaline rushed to them.
"Priya!" Gosaline cried out, hugging her.
"Wh-what happened? What's going on?" Wes asked urgently.
"I don't know," Zan said. "Let's take a look."
"It's everywhere," Wes said as they stepped to the window.
It wouldn't be everywhere, Zan thought. Probably just a glitch up here.
The view out the window had changed drastically. Darkness showed all around, metal glinting in the low light and revealing the rough shape of the city they knew so well. Masses of dull smears moved below, people rushing about in hordes. Street lamps were still on in many places, surviving on back-up batteries, but for the most part the world was a dim grey and black.
It was everywhere. The whole city was dead. Zan's chest tightened, his breath leaving him.
A whining pitch cut through the air, and they turned to see a barrel-shaped airship falling through the sky. The heavy drone crashed into the side of a building in a brilliant, blinding explosion, tearing apart the platform beneath it. Huge chunks of the building and drone broke apart, crashing down into a lower level with a shower of dust and billowing smoke. The crumbling debris echoed through the silent city before dying, leaving a severely quiet air.
"Let's get out of here," Marcin said, coming to them. "Come on, guys. We should meet up with the others."
"Zan," Priya said. The word sounded like a plea.
"Go," he said soothingly, rubbing her shoulder. "I'll be fine."
His da. He was out there, all alone in the dark.
Zan nodded to Marcin, handing Priya to him. Marcin gave him a reassuring look, and Zan sprinted away. All thoughts left him. Only his da mattered.

It took him longer to get home than it should have. Zan navigated through the dark tunnels and dimly lit pathways as fast as he could, stumbling at times and having to second guess a few jumps. He was so used to being sure of every step, something felt off about moving now. Like everything was different.
Entering his neighbourhood, he climbed down the bronze statue and looked out over the dull rooftops. An eerie gloom surrounded the area. Everything was so quiet. Only Zan’s movements and heavy breaths told him he could still hear.
A few indistinct people walked through the streets, but Zan ignored his neighbours. As he ran up to his house, he called out for his da.
Zan burst through the door and called out again. The quiet, empty house was his only response. Maybe his da had gone out looking for him. Zan had expected to find him helping the neighbours, handing out flashlights and generally trying to calm everyone. That's the kind of guy his da was.
"Da! You here?" he called out, reaching the kitchen. Nothing. "Da!" he cried, his voice cracking.
He took the stairs two at a time, pushing his da's bedroom door open. Nothing looked out of place, from what he could see in the cold darkness. Zan’s pulse thudded in his ears, pounding loud in the suffocating silence. He checked his own room, just to see. He paused when he looked in. A low wind whistled from the hole in his window, the curtains billowing and knocking lazily against the wall. Shattered glass glinted by the window, on his bed, over his drawers, everywhere. Zan swallowed, his throat seizing up.
He rushed back down on weakened legs, his scarf flapping behind him, and went to the living room at the back.
Reaching the doorway, he skidded through broken wood on the floor and froze. His heart pounded in his chest as he inched closer to the threshold. Through the dim light he first saw the overturned sofa, littered with papers, broken machine parts, and shattered glass. He stepped in and saw the debris was everywhere, like a wind tunnel had opened up in the room. A heavy chill ran through him, causing a shiver. He wanted to call out for his da again but had no voice left.
The long window on the opposite wall was shattered. The back garden, and the town beyond, was dark and threatening. He thought he heard some muffled, concerned voices outside, maybe some he recognised, but his focus was on the room.
Then he saw him. Behind an overturned table, a pair of legs stuck out.
Zan rushed to him, crunching on glass and knocking away broken furniture. His da lay there, blood splattered on his shirt. Zan dropped beside him, frozen, shivering, not knowing what to do. Herrik's shirt was partially opened, showing a fleshy hole in his stomach that was oozing blood. Two more bloodstains covered him, holes torn into his shirt. His face was turned away, eyes closed.
Da.... Da.... The words never left Zan. He was too afraid to touch him, to shake him, not believing what was happening. He raised a shivering hand, barely knowing what he was doing, and touched his da's shoulder. He was still warm. He still felt like his da.
Spurned on from the contact, Zan burst to life, grabbing his da with both hands and shaking him. "DA!" he finally cried out, adrenaline giving him strength. "DA!"
With a frustrated grunt he lifted his da up, bringing him under a knee and turning his face towards him. He looked peaceful, like he was sleeping. Zan's fingers ran over heavy stubble, tracing the lines of his weathered face. He looked asleep. But, he was gone.
He was gone.
Tears burst from Zan's clenched eyes, his face twisting with uncontrollable grief. He dropped his head, resting against his da's neck. He breathed in his warm, musky, sweaty scent. He wanted to breathe him all in. Sobbing quietly, Zan lay there.
Crunching glass brought him back to the world.
Zan paused, his head still lowered, and listened out. Movement came from beyond the room. Shifting debris, heavy footsteps slowly moving through the hallway.
He brought his head up, trying to quieten his panting and having to hold his breath. More footsteps; more than one person. Floorboards creaked like a warning as they approached. Zan gently, carefully, lowered his da. He looked around for a place to hide, but didn't want to leave his da's side. He crouched further behind the overturned table and watched the doorway.
A tall, large figure appeared from the hallway. Its powerful frame was hidden in darkness, but two red orbs blazed where its eyes should have been. It stepped into the room, bringing up a chunky rifle. A hazy line of red light emitted from the rifle, cutting through the air and roaming over the room. Zan inched lower, his heart pounding in his ears.
The large figure stepped further in, followed by a second figure with the same red eyes. This one lowered its rifle and brought out something Zan couldn't see.
Mechanisms whirred and clicked, and blinding light filled the room. Everything became white. Zan jerked away, holding a hand over his face. Zan blinked back the spots in his vision, narrowing his pained eyes against the powerful light, and saw the two rifles trained on him. The figures were men in black armour, helmets with narrow-slits covering their faces. Where the red orbs had been, thick goggles were now glowing a low blue.
Zan froze, a hand still up. The first man took a step closer, raising the rifle to shoulder level. Dull spikes studded his large shoulder pads, and a maroon band was around his left upper arm – both things the second man did not have.
"State you name," a gravelly, mechanical voice said through speakers.
Zan used his hand to obscure his eyes as he looked around the room, keeping his head still.
The mechanical voice repeated itself more firmly, causing Zan to flinch.
A few feet away, he saw the control pad for the house. One of its functions allowed the fire extinguishers on the ceilings to turn on. Luckily for him his da had disconnected their house from the Grid, and everything was battery-operated.
The two large men stepped closer, their armour clinking.
Zan gulped and dove to the side. Deafening gunfire ripped through the air, exploding furniture around him. He scooped up the control pad as he rolled, his fingers flicking through the functions and jabbing buttons without looking. He slid behind a cabinet in a shower of splintered wood and dust, plumes of fire just missing him.
The control pad beeped and heavy foam burst from the ceiling pipes, spreading out over the men. They staggered back and fought to keep their bearing, but it was enough for Zan. He spared one last look at his da's lifeless body, a moment of hesitation and grief passing over him, then he sprung up. Within a few steps he was at the window, and he dove out amidst a hail of thunderous bullets. He dropped down and rolled to his feet, running through the back garden and hopping over the fence.
Rushing boot steps followed him nearby. He turned to see a third armoured man chasing him, moving like a shadow against the bright light still coming from his house. The rifle remained by his side. Zan hurdled over fences and switched directions through the back gardens and alleyways, not allowing him a clear shot. He just hoped it would be enough.
He reached out and swung off a pole, throwing himself against a wall and then pushing off to reach up to a roof. As he landed, the light from his living room turned off. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the dim gloom. Heavy footsteps still followed him somewhere. Who were these guys? They managed to get around almost as well as Zan.
He pulled his scarf tighter and hugged himself as he looked over the rooftops of his neighbourhood. The adrenaline sent shivers through him. Da...
Gunfire zipped by his head. Zan stumbled back, almost falling off the building. He scrambled low and broke into a run. His usual exit by the bronze statue was too far away, but there were many ways in and out of his neighbourhood.
He sprinted on and jumped through the window cut into a narrow pipe. Bursts of gunfire bounced off the outside of the pipe, jarring Zan and echoing chaotically. Adrenaline and anger spurred him on. Death and destruction had come to his hometown, but all Zan could do was run.
But then, running was what he did best.
Growing up in the Pipelands, running and jumping for as long as he could remember, no one knew the area as well as him. One of his neighbours used to joke that Zan was born flying out of his mother.
When he came to a hole in the pipe roof he jumped up and flipped out, running along the top. A series of short bars hung from the platform above him and Zan launched himself up, swinging across the bars hand over hand. He ignored the thousands of feet of empty air below him as he moved and swung up to the higher platform. A collection of heavy tubes were packed together in a net over his head. He reached to the side and pulled a lever, uncoupling the net and sending the tubes crashing to the ground. They tumbled and clanked down a declining slope. Several of them fell off to the lower levels, some flipped out into larger pipes, while others bounced and rolled down the way he came.
That should by him some time atleast.
He turned and continued running, entering a long narrow pipe. Soon after he heard thudding boots echoing behind him. Zan cursed, seeing another black armoured man running into the pipe. These guys were relentless.
Zan sprinted on but he was caught directly in the line of fire. Once the rifle opened fire, he would be done for. Ahead, the pipe split left and right, with a window at the end. He headed straight for the window. Zan cried out and dove through the window as bullets burst around him. His heart stopped as he fell several feet, helpless in the wide open air. Ropes ran across the wide gap, directly in his path. Zan reached out and caught one, jerking to a sudden stop, and used the momentum to swing himself back to a lower level. His feet clipped the edge of the platform as he landed, sending him into a rolling heap.
He caught his breath as he righted himself and forced himself to keep going, fighting back the urge to vomit. His da's bloodied body flashed through his mind, chilling him. Some people watched him from a balcony, but he ignored them. He ignored it all and just ran, jumping and swinging from one section to the next. Tears streamed behind him.
He ran to take it all back, as if he could run far enough to bring his da back. To make everything better. The world faded away. He ran on.

Eventually Zan found himself around the mid-level slums, in a run-down area they called Moss Town. It was a small area made up of a few streets and decaying buildings, situated on the roof of a giant, colossal skyscraper that stretched all the way down to The City.
He wandered aimlessly in the low light, the world beyond little more than glinting metals and dull shapes. The sky was completely black. No stars showed. Even though Zan knew the sky was a domed roof, and stars were a series of connected bulbs, they were all he had never known. The world as he knew it was gone. He passed several couples and families, all with bewildered, frightened expressions. Somewhere nearby a screaming child called out for its mother. Smoke billowed from a building, where a construction crane had toppled into it. Zan kept going, his mind numb, as if he was walking through a dream.
All around him the city was falling apart, but his whole world had already ended. Despite the warm air, a chill ran through him and he hugged himself. His instincts were to ask his da what they needed to do. Now without him, Zan had nothing left.
He came to a large square where dozens of people were huddled together. An Eclipse Guard stood on a platform and spoke to them all, raising his arms and attempting to calm them.
“The Mayor is currently fixing the Grid,” the Guard called out, his voice enhanced through speakers in his helmet. “There is no need to be alarmed. It is best you remain indoors; it should not be long until the machines are back up. There is no need to panic.”
Zan shuddered and moved away from the Guard, not wanting anything to do with them or the Mayor.
Making his way up a muddy incline, he came to a stop at the edge and looked over the small town. In the distance he saw a small park, which consisted of little more than a leafless tree and rotting carousel. There he saw a group of kids, with Marcin near the centre of them. Zan perked up and made his way down to them.
“Zan,” Marcin said, sounding surprised. “Didn’t expect to find you down these ways.”
Priya poked her head out beside a large boy, her eyes widening. Zan found himself smiling when he saw her, that familiar sense of calm creeping through him.
“Oh, big bro,” Gosaline said, running up and wrapping her arms around Zan. “I was so scared. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Zan patted her long hair. “I’m fine. It’s alright.”
Gosaline wiped her eyes and looked up at him. “Oh, but it’s not fine, is it? Everything’s broken.”
Marcin pulled her closer to him, curling an arm over her. “We’re all a little freaked out.” He nodded to the others with him. “You know these guys? Wes and Priya you know. That’s Dallos, Edrund, Keithan and Sannia over there.”
The tallest of them, Dallos, was a beefy boy with a large jaw and an indifferent air about him. “I’ve seen him around,” he said coolly.
Beside him was Keithan, a quiet boy, tall and lanky. He must have been a new member of Marcin’s gang as Zan had never seen him before.
“You live up in the Pipelands,” the boy called Edrund said. He was shorter and younger than Zan, maybe around sixteen or seventeen, with round shoulders and messy brown hair. “You’re the mechanic’s son, right?”
“This here,” Marcin said, gesturing, “is Zan the Grid Runner.”
 The girl called Sannia scoffed, but she was smiling. “And what does that mean?”
“It means that no one knows the Grid as well as him,” Marcin said, his tone hardening defensively. “Zan can move through this city like smoke. We’re lucky he found us.”  
Zan felt his cheeks redden and he looked away.
“Great to have you,” Dallos said sarcastically. “Anyway, we were just deciding on what should be done.”
Sannia shook her head, her short hair swaying. “Right, because Dal thinks that the city’s problems are up to us. Not like there’s hundreds of Eclipse all over the place.”
“Yeah,” Edrund said. “After thousands of years, the city finally breaks down because we weren’t in charge.” 
“You might be okay with leaving it up to the Eclipse,” Dallos said. “But I’m not. Look around you. This is what happens when you leave things to other people. To the adults. It all goes to hell.”
Gosaline whimpered under Marcin’s arm. Zan noticed Priya watching him closely, as if she wanted to say something.  
“So the city broke because we weren’t in charge?” Edrund said. “Right, of course.”
Dallos looked down on him with a haughty sneer. “I didn’t say that. But we should do something to fix it.”
“As much as it pains me to say,” Marcin said. “I agree with Dal.”
Wes looked up at them. “What can we fix?” His large blue eyes shook with concern. At only sixteen years old, he was one of the smallest members of Marcin’s gang, besides Gosaline.
Marcin shrugged. “We have to try and do something, anyway. I don’t much like the idea of leaving it up to the Mayor.”
The mention of the Mayor sparked a fire within Zan. His da had spoken of the Mayor yesterday. Herrik hated the man more than anything in this world.
“The Mayor,” Sannia spat, like it was a curse word. “For all we know it’s him that’s shut the machines down. My da always used to say not to trust him.”
“What do you know about it?” Dallos said.
“What do you know about it?”
They bickered back and forth until the fire in Zan exploded. “My da didn’t trust the Mayor either.” He spoke quickly and fiercely, trying to keep his breaths under control. “He used to work for him, actually. My da maintained the machines a long time ago. He set up the current iteration of The Grid. But since he retired early, he never had one good thing to say about the Mayor. I don’t think we can trust him to save the city either.”
“Why should we listen to you?” Dallos said. He stood a head taller than them, and must have been in his early twenties, but to Zan he seemed soft, still child-like. “You might even be working with the Mayor yourself.”
“That’s stupid,” Priya said. “If Zan was working for the Mayor why would he say not to trust him?”
Keithan chuckled, but quieted when they looked at him.
Dallos huffed, searching for a comeback. “Anyway we don’t need his advice,” he said, turning to Zan. “Why don’t you just go back up to your old man. I’m sure there’s something that needs fixing.”
Zan’s chest tightened, a deep sorrow taking hold of him. He realised his hands were clenched. “I can’t,” he whispered. “They killed my da.”
Someone gasped. Gosaline whimpered quietly and sniffed. Dallos paused, but he seemed hardly troubled. Zan couldn’t meet Priya’s eyes.
“Zan,” Marcin said. “I’m so sorry. What happened?”
Zan kept his eyes low, searching for his words. His head burned with the memories. “I dunno. I came home, and… some men were there. Black armour and big guns. I never seen them before. They tried to get me too, but… I got away.”
Marcin blew out a low sigh. “Why would they…?”
Zan shook his head. He stood there, defeated, unable to say anything.
“I seen em before,” Edrund said. All eyes turned to him. “The black armour guys. I seen em. But we’re not meant to know who they are.”
“Who are they?” Marcin asked.
“They’re Mayor’s guards,” Edrund said. “Not like the Eclipse. These are different. Like, assassins. Or like super Eclipse. I dunno. But, they do his dirty work sometimes. I seen em once. We saw them, didn’t we, Keith?”
The tall boy nodded, remaining quiet and trying to make himself look smaller.
“Someone nearby told us who they were,” Edrund went on. “We’re not meant to know about them, and those that do just look away.”
“The Mayor…” Zan said quietly. The Mayor. Why would he want his da dead?
“And they were after you, too?” Dallos said. “Oh great, that’s just what we need. Super soldiers after us.”
Marcin glared at Dallos. Gosaline shouted, “You shut up, you!”
“I told you we can’t trust the Mayor,” Sannia said, scrunching her face at Dallos.
Zan caught Prya’s eyes, and as expected she was staring at him, her brows furrowed with a severely sad look. He wilted under her stare and had to look away. She had always asked about his da.
“The machines might not be as broken as we think,” Marcin said diplomatically. “It might be a glitch that gets fixed within the hour.”
“Nothing like this has happened before, though, right?” Edrund said. “I never heard of the machines shutting down.”
“Not in our lifetime. Or anyone else’s. But I’m saying we should at the very least find out what the status of the machines is.” Marcin held Gosaline closer, a fierce determination tensing his eyes. “Look,” he said to them all. “If we don’t do something – if someone doesn’t do something – then this city will die around us and leave us dead with it. Like our own coffin, just waiting for us all to die.”
“He’s right,” Priya said. “The air has already begun to thin. Can’t you feel it?”
“It feels hotter, yeah,” Wes said. “We only got days left. Maybe a week.”
“A week, yeah,” Sannia said. “My ma always said that if these machines ever went off, we’d only have enough air for a week or so.”
“The crops, too,” Marcin said gravely. “Food and water will run out, and forget about the sun coming back. The city sun, that is, not the real one outside. It’ll be night-time until we all die.”
“None of us have a lot of time,” Edrund said, sounding dull and hollow, as if the extent of their situation was dawning on him.
“So I say we go for it,” Marcin said. “We have nothing to lose, but everything to gain. There’s a diagnostics tower not too far from here. We can go there and find out the status of the machines. See what we find out.”
“That sounds dangerous,” Sannia said, sounding unsure.
“It sounds like a good plan,” Priya said. “When we get to the diagnostics machine, Zan can have a look at it. He’ll be able to read it and use it like none of us can.”
Zan felt their eyes on him, his cheeks flushing.
“Right,” Marcin said. “Zan can do it.”
“All hail the Grid Runner,” Dallos drawled. “But I have a better idea. We go outside.”
This brought a silence over them.
“Outside of the city?” Gosaline asked quietly.
“Right,” Dallos said. “Think about it. We’ve been told our whole lives that the air outside isn’t safe. That the sky is burned and we’ll die within seconds if we go out. But who actually can confirm this? When was the last time anyone went out?”
“I don’t know,” Marcin said. “Years and years ago, I guess.”
Zan knew the last person recorded to have left the city, but he kept that to himself. He had shed enough tears for the moment.
“I say the world outside is fine,” Dallos said. “And I say we prove it. We send a drone out there, and see what it says. I’ve got one stashed. I found it ages ago and been meaning to use it. You wanna go to that tower, we can go there together. It’s a high point where I can send the drone up from.”
“Living outside…” Wes muttered. “Sounds scary.”
“No,” Marcin said. “It’s how we’re meant to live. How we used to live. People, that is. Not in this closed-up city.”
Wes raised his brows, considering the information. Everyone knew that people didn’t always live in this domed city, but no one really gave it much thought anymore. It certainly wasn’t something Zan thought about. The city was founded thousands of years ago, and whatever life was like back then had all been forgotten about. It even had an old name, Terrun Edun, but people just called it the city, or the world.
“Drone,” Dallos said decisively. He raised his hand. “Let’s put it to a vote, then. All who want to send a drone out and prove the world outside is safe, raise their hands.”
At first no one moved, but then, surprisingly, Keithan raised his hand. He reddened from their looks. “I want to go outside,” he said meekly.
“Good man, Keith,” Dallos said, clapping him on the back.
Sannia huffed and raised her hand. “It beats waiting for the Mayor to help us,” she said. “And who knows, Dal might be right.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Dallos said, smiling at her.
After a moment Wes sheepishly raised his hand, and everyone looked down at him. “I… I want to go outside.”
Dallos looked over them all triumphantly.
“Okay,” Marcin eventually said. “That’s everyone for Dallos?”
“Everyone else with us,” Gosaline said quickly. “Team Fix. You guys are Team Drone.”
Dallos shrugged. “Team Drone. Fine. Well, we’re all heading the same way, so I say we get ready and go. It’s gonna be a long day.”
Zan looked over them, feeling like he wasn’t really with them. The world seemed like a nightmare around him, dark and ominous. It was as if he was watching himself with this group, hearing them and seeing them from a far. He was really somewhere else, lost and alone. Nothing really mattered, anyway. His da was gone, and he had nothing left in this world. He convinced himself that checking on the machines was the right thing to do. His da would have wanted him to fix the machines. Zan allowed himself to be led along with the others, trapped in his chaotic thoughts.
It really was going to be a long day.

As the others gathered their things, Priya attempted to console Zan, holding him and crying over his da. Zan couldn’t help but break into tears in the moment, but felt comforted in her arms. She was a good girl, Priya. He was glad she was with him.
He thought about how his da never liked him hanging out with her, or any of the street kids. A part of him felt guilty, going against his wishes, but Zan didn’t know what else to do.
Dallos returned after some time with a large silver case slung over his back. He told them they could set the drone up on the diagnostics tower.
The youngsters made their way through Moss Town. Passing through adjoining tunnels and pathways, they ventured farther down into the main mid-level of the city, which was collectively known as The Top. The Pipeworks seemed so far above them now, just a collection of conjoining platforms and pipes. It all looked so small to Zan, compared to the rest of the city. A huge chasm made up the gap between the Pipeworks and The Top, with many sections falling even farther down to the Main City. Zan had never been to the City on the ground level, but had heard stories and seen impressive pictures.
Back when his ma was alive, they used to live in a nice area in The Top; a time that felt like someone else’s life now. Zan had been able to see some of the taller peaks of the City from a rooftop once, and he remembered being in awe of their splendour. Now he longed for the dirt and grime of the Pipelands, and to be with his da again.
They passed the shattered remains of a screen the Mayor used to talk to everyone. Some of the larger displays were hung up or attached to something. The ones that hovered had crashed down when the power cut. So much destruction… so many deaths, Zan thought solemnly. 
Large fires burned at various places, lighting more of the surrounding city along with the battery-powered street lamps. The crackling flames were the only constant sounds, replacing the humming of machinery. Some people watched them from their windows, while others were camped out in the streets, gathering and talking in hushed voices, bundled in heavy clothing. Every face Zan saw was scared and shocked, wide eyed with disbelief. The dead machines, and what that meant for everyone, had begun to set in. Some arguments could be heard, many heated voices, their anger coming from the fear of helplessness and uncertainty. One bloodied fight ended with a struck man falling dead, and a group of angry bystanders charged at the fleeing killer. Priya shuddered beside Zan, looking away, and he found himself laying a protective arm over her shoulder.
They kept their distance when they saw gatherings where Eclipse Guards gave out speeches to calm the crowds. The Guards attempted to keep the peace and reassure everyone, but Zan just saw them all as liars and killers. His stomach twisted, thinking of the black armoured guards; the Mayor’s secret assassins. Why would the Mayor want to kill da?
Wes and Edrund began a spirited conversation about what they would do if they had free reign of the city, when it was running, and if there were no laws to stop them doing what they wanted. Dallos and Sannia walked several paces behind the group, having their own close conversation. Mostly they walked in silence, taking in the chaos of the dark, unfamiliar city around them.
Smoke rose from a shattered hole in a domed glass building, joining the billowing plumes rising from the various fires around the city.
“Ventilators,” Zan muttered.
“What’s that?” Marcin asked, walking beside him.
“All the smoke from the fires,” Zan said. “The ventilators in the city are off. There’s nowhere for the smoke to go, or to recycle the air. Why don’t people realise that? We’ll suffocate ourselves before our air runs out.”
“Scared people are stupid people,” Marcin said. “I guess the Mayor doesn’t want to come out himself to talk to everyone, and he can’t talk to them on his screens anymore. People need someone to lead them and tell them what to do.”
To the side, Keithan looked around them. The tall boy had a disturbed, distant look in his eyes. “That’s probably how we all ended up in this city.”
They walked in silence for a while, until Zan noticed Marcin looking at him. Marcin had a severe, troubled expression, but then his face brightened into a big smile.
“Remember when we broke into Ando Kenna’s house while his family were away,” Marcin said. “And we stuck anti-grav nodes on all their cups and books and everything we could find?”
Zan chuckled. “They had no idea why things were randomly moving. And, you laughed so hard that you dropped the controller…”
“…And everything stayed floating,” Marcin finished.  
They burst into laughter, keeling over. Marcin stifled his giggles, sobering, and said, “What happened with us?”
Zan shrugged, kicking a rock absently. “I dunno. I think we just went in different directions. Stopped seeing each other so much.”
“Right, and nothing to do with you da not liking us?”
Zan paused, then shrugged again. “He didn’t know you, not like I did. I dunno. But, I’m glad we can hang out now, even if it’s while the world is falling apart.”
Marcin nudged him lightly. “Yeah, we had a lot of fun together.”
Grinding gears rang through the air. Heavy thuds and falling debris could be heard in the distance. Ahead, a building tilted and shook, followed by the sound of crumbling bricks.
A few of the kids shared concerned looks. They came to a stop and looked around. The short buildings either side of the street looked old and abandoned, the inhabitants probably out looking for safety and help.
“Watch out!” Marcin called.
A large crane came into view and crashed down onto the building beside them. A landslide of bricks and dirt hit the ground. The kids scattered through the clouds of dust. Zan grabbed Priya and pulled her away from the falling bricks, throwing them both to the ground. 
Through the dissipating dust, a giant machine appeared over the buildings. A large crane swung recklessly from its spinning top section. The construction mech’s welding beam shot out from its barrel-shaped side, cutting into buildings and burning long lines through the streets. It lumbered along on an enormous rolling belt, like a tank, which grinded against the buildings and crushed benches and street lamps and anything it came across.
Zan urged Priya back down the road, to where the ground rose away from the malfunctioning robot. He called out for the others to fall back, and saw Wes, Keithan and Edrund helping Sannia up the road. She held a hand over a bloodied arm. Dust had fallen over them all, giving them a ghostly appearance. Marcin scattered into a side street with Gosaline, while Dallos ran another way, trudging along with the heavy case on his back.
The long crane geared up and began falling back down to them, right in line where Wes ran. Zan sprang into action, spurred on by adrenaline. He pushed off a crate and again off a wall, launching himself onto a long windowsill. The crane came down as Zan grabbed onto a pole extending from the building. He swung up to meet the crane and kicked his feet against the frame. He barely affected its decent but it was enough for it to just miss Wes, who jumped away as the crane crashed into the street. Zan jolted back, thrown against the wall and slid to the ground. He paused a moment, head throbbing and back aching, trying to catch his breath. A scrape on his shoulder burned and stung. Through the rising dust, his blurred eyes saw the crane rising up again, bricks and mortar falling away.
The rolling belt grinded against the street as it turned, its top spinning wildly and causing the crane to crash through the corner of a building. The hot beam sputtered off and on, burning wherever it landed. Zan rose onto his feet and looked for the others. Something had to be done before the machine destroyed more of the city. He climbed up to the nearest roof and looked out.
Priya called out and he turned, seeing some of them together farther up the raised street.
“Where’s Marcin and Gosaline?” Priya yelled, hands cupped around her mouth.
Zan shook his head and looked over the rooftops. He jogged to the edge of the building, closer to the careening machine. Farther down he saw them, Marcin and Gosaline, trapped behind a pillar that had crashed into the street. Zan called out to them and made his way to the next rooftop, this one slanted with tiles.
“Hold on,” Zan called out to them, working his way around the peaked roof. “I’m coming.” A tile came loose and he slipped, sliding and catching himself against the gutter. Hanging there, Zan saw a figure appear on the roof near Marcin and Gosaline. An Eclipse Guard. The sight of the blue and white armour ignited a fire in Zan. He cursed and pulled himself up, ignoring the pain in his scraped shoulder. The gutter broke apart with a snap and he faltered, hanging on with one arm. He managed to get a hold with both hands and pulled himself up to the roof.
Above Marcin and Gosaline, the Eclipse Guard pulled out his rifle. As Zan rushed to them, the spiralling beam shot across him. He ducked and jerked back, just missing the hot energy as it passed over.
“Hey!” Zan called out as he stumbled closer. “Leave them alone!”
But the Eclipse Guard wasn’t pointing his gun at Marcin or Gosaline, or at Zan. He turned and faced the approaching robot and unloaded his rifle, chipping into its body in loud, bright sparks.
Zan jumped to the next building. The Guard remained on the far side of the roof, his back to them. Marcin and Gosaline stood below Zan, in a lower section between the buildings. The downed pillar had blocked their only exit. Zan pressed himself against the roof and reached a hand down to them.
“Take her,” Marcin said, pushing Gosaline up. “I can make my own way.”
Zan took her small hands and lifted, pulling her onto the roof and rolling them both away from the edge.
Zan steadied her and scrambled back to the edge. Gunfire ripped through the air behind him, pinging off metal and thudding into softer sections. Something within Zan froze him at that moment. Shots echoed through his mind. The black guards firing at him. His da’s bloodied body filled with holes.
Marcin’s voice fought through the chaos in Zan’s mind, his shouts becoming clearer.
“Zan, go!” Marcin called out. “I can climb the wall on the other side. Go, take her away.”
 Zan snapped into focus and went to Gosaline. She cried out, reaching for Marcin, but Zan pulled her back.
“No!” she said, struggling. “We can’t leave my brother!”
Zan lifted her, hating having to fight against her. He turned and saw the robot crashing towards them.
The Eclipse Guard finally stopped firing and lowered his rifle. He sprinted across the roof to them, throwing off his helmet as he came to a stop. He had a wide face with long blond hair tied back in a tail. “Get her out of here,” he said, waving them away. “I can’t stop this thing.”
“I can stop it,” Zan said, Gosaline still struggling in his arms. “I can stop it. The bypass shut-down, it’s by the top, in that little glass box.”
The Guard’s light eyes shifted quickly in thought. He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous”
The building jolted and they stumbled back. The robot crashed through the far end, its heavy tracks rising up and coming down onto the crumbling roof. The crane continued spinning, lowering with each turn.
Zan set his jaw. “I can do it.”
The man considered that and nodded. “Give me the girl.”
Zan instinctively held her back. There was no way he would hand Gosaline over to an Eclipse Guard. The building shook and tilted.
“Give her to me,” the Guard urged. “I’ll get her to safety,”
“Zan,” Marcin shouted. He was on the roof on the other side of the street. “Come on.”
Cursing himself, Zan realised he had no other choice. He allowed the Guard to take Gosaline, who kicked and screamed and cried out. The man lifted her over a shoulder and ran to the side of the building. He hopped over to the next one and made his way to Marcin.
Cracks spread over the roof and Zan caught his footing as large sections began to fall away. The crane came around towards Zan. He jumped as it passed him, grabbing on and flying around with it. Below him, the roof crumbled and fell in on itself.
The world spun. Zan held on, throwing a leg up and lifting himself onto the crane. He searched for Marcin and the others but couldn’t see much in the revolving city. 
Crawling and keeping himself steady, Zan made his way up the crane arm. The wind whipped at his hair and clothes, pushing him back, but he fought on. The glass unit was below him now, and he waited for the crane to get him in the right position. He would have to time this right. When it passed over the unit, Zan flung himself off and crashed through the glass, falling into a chair.
Ignoring the blood down his arm, fighting through the pain in his shoulder, Zan stumbled towards the controls. His fingers flew over the panel in a blur, bringing up a screen that streamed with symbols and digits – a computer language that Zan understood as well as his own. A sense of calm and familiarity came over him now he worked on the console.
Luckily the interface was the standard-setting for city systems, like the ones Zan’s da had taught him to fix. He initiated the bypass and the robot came to a sudden stop, almost throwing him against the wall with a harsh jolt. The gears and engines wound down. The dying sounds reminded Zan of when the city machines shut down. He breathed a long sigh of relief, resting a moment against the wall, before making his way down the crane arm and back to where the others waited.
They were huddled in a close group, Gosaline in Marcin’s arms. Dallos stood defiantly, looking braver now the machine was off. The Eclipse Guard was with them.
“Zan,” Marcin said as Zan approached. “Super work. You’re a hero.”
Zan nodded mechanically. “I’m just glad everyone is alright.” He locked eyes with Priya, seeing how she was. She nodded reassuringly to him. Beside her, Keithan was wrapping a piece of his torn shirt around Sannia’s bloodied arm.
“You’re a brave kid,” the Eclipse Guard said to Zan. “You all are.”
Zan faced the Guard, not knowing what to say. Why would an Eclipse Guard help them?
The man gestured towards the group. “I was just telling your friends here that I can help you.”
“And we were just saying we don’t need your help,” Dallos said firmly.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” the Guard said, holding his hands up. “I should have proved that already.”
“Who are you?” Zan asked. “What do you want?”
“My name is Ryker. Despite how it looks, I am not with the Mayor. I was. But I’m not anymore. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“And we don’t have to listen to you, either,” Dallos said.
“He’s right,” Marcin said. “Look, thank you for helping us. You saved my sister. But we don’t need any more help from you.”
The Guard, Ryker, nodded. “I understand. Listen, this is a dangerous place now. You could use my help again.”
“What’s with you,” Edrund said, growing suspicious. “Get away from us.”
“Yeah,” Dallos said, stepping away. “Come on, let’s go.”
“And don’t follow us,” Edrund added.
They all set off, turning down the inclining street.
Zan looked back at the man. Ryker attempted to say more but held back, holding his hands up in defeat, and allowed them to walk off.
Priya laid a hand on Zan’s shoulder, saying how brave he was. Something about the Guard didn’t feel right to Zan.
They moved on. The man continued to watch them. 

At the edge of the town, long bridges connected to another roof of a huge skyscraper. They crossed in single file, holding on to the slack rope railings, rickety wooden boards under their feet. Gosaline and Wes moaned about the startling distance below them, which fell into darkness in the dim gloom. Keithan assured them they’d be fine, helping Gosaline who was closest to him.
“There’s the tower,” Marcin said, nodding ahead.
A large tower reached up over the other buildings. It thinned as it neared the top, its brown and grey metals giving it a pointed look like a giant sword. Ladders ran up the tower at various points, connecting to balconies and platforms.  
They crossed the bridge and walked through a grassy area that looked like a long-unattended park. Leading the front with Marcin, Zan turned to Keithan near him. The tall boy kept his eyes down, arms by his side as if trying to hide his size. 
“You seem comfortable with heights,” Zan said to him. “I think you were the only one that kept your cool on the bridge.”
“Keithan shrugged. “Never bothered me I guess.”
Zan regarded the boy, noting the sad set to his kind, almond-shaped eyes. He was scared, Zan could tell, like the rest of them. But Keithan managed to hide it better than most. Maybe he was trying to be strong for the rest of them.
“You know,” Keithan said. “This city can be a scary place. Especially when you ain’t got anyone to look out for you. And especially now.” He turned to them with a small smile. “I’m glad I’m with you guys, is all I’m sayin’.”
Marcin clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad we’re all together, Keith. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else in this crazy world.”
Keithan smiled, though his eyes were tense.
Priya stumbled into Zan and apologised meekly, looking embarrassed. Zan rubbed her arm reassuringly. She had been walking so close to him they were almost touching. At first Zan had wondered why she was so near, but now her presence had become a comfort to him.
They came to the base of the tower, which seemed to stretch up for miles. Dim lights dotted the edges of the balconies and near the ladders, giving some detailed shape to the dark structure. Marcin gave them all instructions and words of encouragement, leading the way up the ladders.
“You do your thing,” Dallos said. He adjusted the large case on his back and reached for the ladder. “I’ll do mine. We just need enough height to send this drone out.”
Shortly after Marcin, Zan came to the platform that housed the computer stations. Empty air and a whistling wind surrounded the wide balcony. Zan looked over the bank of consoles with Marcin and Edrund, searching for something that felt right. Priya and Gosaline kept a look out. On a wider section just below them, Dallos, Sannia, Wes and Keithan opened the case and began setting up their drone.
After a few minutes, Gosaline started making agitated, huffing sounds. “Ah, guys… Eclipse are coming.”
Zan turned to see the glint of armoured shapes rushing through the streets below. His heart pounded as he counted over ten of them.
“Double time, people,” Marcin said, going to one of the consoles and jabbing buttons.
“We need more time,” Dallos called out below.
Zan frantically looked over the consoles, reading through the fast streaming data. Just another computer, he told himself, trying to calm his nerves.
“Zan,” Marcin asked, “is this anything helpful?” He was good with computers, but couldn’t read the machine language like Zan could.
Zan glanced at his monitor and shook his head. “Just a bios set up.”
“They’re coming up the ladders,” Wes shouted below, his voice cracking.
Zan flicked switches and delved deeper into the console’s network, his hands moving in a blur. This was an older interface, but luckily he was used to that up in the Pipelands. Marcin and Edrund wouldn’t be able to help when it came to reading the machines. It was up to him.
“That all makes sense to you?” Edrund asked beside him.
“It’s weird, I know,” Zan said, eyes on the screen. “But it makes sense once you figure it out.” He hid his frown, however, when he came across a tricky section. He had managed to circumvent the security protocols so far but the diagnostics data looked heavily protected. Zan bit his lip, his brow building with sweat. What was he thinking, expecting to be able to hack into government property?
 The first Guard reached the top of the ladder on the level below. Dallos rushed over and kicked his helmeted head, knocking him back down several feet to a lower level. Another Guard came up on the other side. Wes turned to him, readying to kick, but he paused, hopping on the spot with apprehension. The Guard climbed onto the platform and Wes backed away. As the Guard unslung his rifle, Dallos came from the side and barged into him. They teetered on the edge as the rifle flew through the air. Wes helped Dallos push the Guard and they sent him over the platform, but the man flipped and managed to hang onto the edge.
Zan’s console beeped and the screen changed to a series of graphs and level readings. He perked up and breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the diagnostics section. Flicking through several folders and sub-sections, he came to data detailing the Grid statistics of the City. He moved between monitors and set up a recording system, saving the data to an external disk. They could have a good look at the diagnostics later. Behind him, Priya and Gosaline had found objects and were throwing them down onto the Guards.
Sannia cried out below as a Guard grabbed her from behind. Marcin looked over the edge and called out to them. He threw himself down and landed on the Guard and Sannia, separating them and hitting the ground. The Guard scrambled to reach his fallen rifle, but Keithan was closer and scooped it up. The boy trembled as he pointed the rifle at the approaching Guard.
“Shoot him!” Dallos shouted as he worked on the drone.
Keithan aimed the rifle but the Guard rushed into him. They struggled and fought for possession of the rifle, edging towards the end of the platform.
“Keith!” Sannia called and reached for him.
Their struggle caused them to lose their footing, and Keithan and the Guard dropped over the edge. They fell hundreds of feet below, becoming lost in the darkness. Sannia’s horrifying screams ignited the air.  
Wes ran to her but they were soon surrounded by more Guards. The drone came to life with a loud whirring sound and flashing lights.
Zan grew numb, looking into the darkness where Keithan had fallen. His chest tightened and his throat seized up. The console beeped and he turned to see the disk had reached the fifty percent mark. Come on, come on. The glass beside him shattered as gunfire exploded around him. He fell to the ground, shards raining over him, and pushed against the metal divider below the glass.
“Get down!” Zan called out to Priya and Gosaline. The girls ducked and threw themselves behind the far side of the consoles, away from the climbing Guards.
More gunfire pinged off the tower and console unit, popping into a tube and blowing out steam. Zan peeked over the divider and saw an Eclipse Guard on a nearby rooftop, now shooting at the level below. His friends cried out, but he didn’t know if they were getting hit or ducking for cover, or being captured by the Guards.
He ducked back down, squeezed his eyes and tried to calm his pounding heart. This was all going so wrong. The consoled beeped at the sixty percent mark.
The gunfire stopped, and he looked out again. Two Eclipse Guards were on the nearby rooftop now, but they were fighting each other, throwing acrobatic kicks and punches. Zan perked up. Even in the dim light he could see the long blond hair of the one without a helmet. Ryker, the Guard from earlier. A spinning kick knocked the other Guard out. Ryker ran to the edge of the building, where a cord connected to the diagnostics tower, and zip-lined down to them.
Zan looked down and saw Ryker extending a short staff that tripled in length. The man darted between other Guards, smacking into them and knocking a few off in a whirlwind of attacks. The kids helped out, hitting a downed Guard or tripping some up. Gosaline and Priya tore off an extra monitor and dropped it on a Guard rushing towards Wes.
On the far side of the platform, the drone lifted off with a buzzing thrum, making its way up towards the far-off roof. A Guard tried to shoot it down, but Ryker came to him and knocked the rifle away with a flurry of swings. Dallos cheered and waved his fists in the air, watching the drone fly off.
Motion turned Zan towards a nearby rooftop and froze when he saw more soldiers coming. Not Eclipse Guards, but the black armoured guards. The ones that killed his da. They moved over the rooftops like ghostly shadows, mostly hidden in the dim light. The others were right, when they described the black guards earlier. The way they moved, the fluidity and speed in their motions; they weren’t like normal men.
Sorrow gripped Zan, his chest twisting and taking his breath. Their red eyes brought back horrifying memories. As one Guard passed under a street light, Zan saw he wore spiked shoulder pads and a red armband. The same Guard that had been in his house. A paralysing fear held Zan in place.
Someone called out, but sounds faded away for Zan, except for the pounding in his ears. Marcin came up and barged into him, throwing them both to the ground as gunfire exploded all around them. Marcin rolled, too close to the edge, and flipped over. He reached out and managed to hold onto the edge as Zan came to his senses and scrambled towards him.
The console behind Zan beeped frantically and he saw a large disk pop out. The disk was ready, but Marcin needed him. Zan turned back, shuddering at seeing Marcin’s hanging form, hundreds of feet of air below him, but he willed himself to focus and stuck his arm out.
“I got you,” Zan said, pulling him up. “Come on.”
Marcin pushed himself up and Zan dropped them both back against the consoles. 
Zan huffed and caught his breath, grimacing. His weakness and hesitation had almost got Marcin killed.
“Come on,” Marcin said, getting up.
Zan saw that Wes and Edrund were up on their level, and Priya and Gosaline stood near them. Marcin helped Zan up and then grabbed the disk from the console.
“Let’s go, over here.” Marcin pulled a lever on the console and led them around the other side of the tower. A metal bridge began extending until it connected to the next building, stretching around sixty feet.
“Go, go,” Marcin called out, waving for them to cross.
As the kids crossed the bridge, Zan turned and saw more Eclipse Guards climbing up to their level. One of them jerked back, disappearing, and soon after Ryker popped his head up.
Marcin was the last to step on to the bridge. “Zan, come on,” he said, and began running down to the end. Ryker finished the final pursuer with a spin kick and came to Zan.
Zan tensed, holding his hands up defensively, but the man simply patted him on the shoulder and ran past. Zan tried to call out but it was too late, he was already on the bridge. 
Two more Guards came up the ladders – the black armoured guards – and Zan froze a moment, before bursting into action.
He stepped onto the bridge and typed a command into the small panel on the side, and then stomped on the controls. Sparks flew and the bridge shuddered. Zan considered warning Ryker of what was about to happen, but didn’t care if he survived this or not.
The black guards rounded the diagnostics unit and came to the bridge, raising their rifles.
Zan threw himself down and held on to the edges of the bridge as it broke away from the tower. Cables and wires fell apart in a shower of sparks. The end of the bridge lurched and fell away. Zan closed his eyes as the wind whipped over him. The far end held strong, and the bridge swung down and slammed into the other building.
The jolt shook Zan’s bones, almost throwing him off. He looked up, and saw Ryker holding on. Across the chasm, the black guards remained on the tower. Their still forms looked like ebony statues watching over them all.
Zan pressed his legs against the sides of the bridge and pushed himself up, switching from pulling with his arms and pushing with his legs. Blood smeared over the bridge from heavy scrapes on an arm. His muscles burned and sweat dripped from him by the time he reached the top, where Marcin helped him up.
The kids gathered around Zan as he dropped to his knees, huffing and panting.
“You’re crazy,” the Ryker said, breathing heavily. “You know that, kid?”
Zan steadied his breath and looked up. “I get that a lot.”
“Where’s Dallos? And Sannia?” Edrund asked.
Zan rose to his feet and saw they were missing from the group. He hadn’t realised they weren’t with them.
Marcin shook his head. “I don’t know. I lost sight of them.”
“I think they went down the ladders,” Wes said. “But I’m not sure.”
Gosaline began to whimper quietly and Priya held her.
Zan turned back to the tower. The black guards had disappeared.
“They’ll be on us again soon,” Ryker said. “I know a place. Somewhere you can read that disk. Must be important to risk your lives for it.”
“We don’t need your help,” Edrund said.
“You might do,” Ryker said, “If the Elites are after you.”
A chill ran through Zan. “The black guards. You know them?”
Ryker nodded gravely. “They’ll be back soon. We should get moving.”
“We,” Marcin noted, giving Ryker a hard look.
 Edrund stepped forward. “We don’t need you.”
Zan shook his head, fighting back the fatigue and exhaustion overwhelming him. “Look, you saved us. Thank you. But we don’t need any more help from you.”
“I think you do,” the man, Ryker, said. “Unless you know anywhere else you can read that disk.”
Edrund leaned closer and Zan opened his mouth to say something.
“He’s right,” Marcin quickly said, causing them to look at him. Marcin sighed, shaking his head, and added, “I say we trust him, for now. Either way we can’t stay here debating it.”
Zan looked away, frustrated. Trust an Eclipse Guard…
Eventually he realised they were all watching him, waiting. Zan sighed and shrugged his acceptance.
It might not have been ideal, but they had to put their trust in this Eclipse Guard, for now. 

Ryker led them farther down the city. The gravelly path lowered into a small town he called Bell Down, named after the large domed building in the distance roughly shaped like a bell. None of the kids had been this far away from the mid-level slums before, and to Zan it felt like a million miles away from the Pipelands. He constantly looked around as they walked, waiting for an ambush from Eclipse Guards at any moment, always looking for an escape route.
Across the vast chasm on their side, twin beams of light cut through the darkness between the buildings clustered on a large platform. A vehicle moving through the winding roads of a nearby town. Why, Zan thought. It’s not like we have anywhere to go.
Ryker adjusted the hair tie around his ponytail. Despite his gruff, stubbled appearance, he had a somewhat strangely effeminate face, with pouty lips and sharply pronounced brows. He carried himself well, his broad shoulders and big arms showing years of training. Zan tried to assess the man, wondering if they could really trust him. There are no good people in the Mayor’s office, his da used to say. 
Gosaline sobbed quietly, holding Marcin’s hand as they walked.
“Did anyone see what happened to Dallos and Sannia?” Marcin asked, for maybe the third time.
Wes shook his head, looking down with a glazed, stunned expression. “Sannia was behind me, on the ladders. I think. But… I didn’t realise she wasn’t with us on the bridge until it was too late.”
“I’m sure they got out another away,” Edrund said, trying to sound positive.
Gosaline broke into heavy tears, wailing. “Like… like-like… Keithan.”
Marcin hugged an arm around her and stroked her hair. He looked like he was going to say something, offer some words of comfort, but seemed just as defeated as the others. His fingers running through Gosaline’s red hair looked like he was brushing through flames. Playing with fire, Zan thought, like we’ve all been doing.
Marcin looked up at Ryker beside him. “So why are you helping us?”
Ryker met his eyes, but had no discernible expression. “Like you, I imagine, I felt I needed to do something to fix this broken world.”
“Isn’t the Mayor doing anything?” Marcin asked.
Ryker shook his head. “I wouldn’t know. I left his office before this all happened.”
“But he must be, right?” Priya asked. As usual, she walked closely beside Zan.
Ryker turned and gave her a solemn look. “I wouldn’t have much faith in him helping you fix this. Whatever happened, it’s something new, and something that might be beyond his control. Even if he wants people to think he’s all-powerful, he’s still just a man. One that can’t be trusted.”
“What have you got against the Mayor?” Edrund asked. Bits of dust and mortar fell away as he wiped his floppy hair from his face. Like the others, his clothes were dirtied and smudged from their ordeal with the malfunctioning construction mech.
“He and I saw a difference of opinions” Ryker said, “and so I left. When everything shut down, I decided to keep an eye on the city myself, in case anyone turned mad or needed help. I wondered what you were all up to when we first met, but when I saw you on the diagnostics tower I knew you were on to something.”
“Right,” Marcin said miserably. “Something like getting us all killed.”
A heavy silence came over them as they walked. The image of Keithan’s falling body flashed through Zan’s mind, churning his stomach.
Zan became lost in his thoughts, wondering why those black armoured guards had been there. Somehow he felt like they were after him specifically. Edrund had called them demons. He shuddered, hugging himself, and kept looking for any signs of betrayal from Ryker.
Passing Bell Down, they crossed a wide road lined with dull, reedy grass. An abandoned truck was left on the road to rot, its parts stripped away, metal glinting in the dim light. Across the grassy area, navigating through a few thin, leafless trees, they came to an open field dotted with more trees. A long-ago emptied river now contained only sludgy mud and dirt. They stepped over wooden planks to cross, and reached a wide cliff face where a house had been built into the rocks. Dull shrubs and weeds covered a patchy area of grass around the cliffs; a stark contrast to the metal structures Zan was more accustomed to. They must have entered Greengate, a neighbourhood that was known for its more natural surroundings. Zan wished he could have seen the place in the daylight, and in better circumstances.
Ryker told them the man who lived there was an old mechanic, someone they could trust. The house was fused into the surrounding rock wall, so that only the large metal door and a window could be seen. Ryker tapped the bell on a keypad beside the door. Zan grew agitated as they waited, half-expecting the Mayor himself to jump out at them.
The heavy door opened to reveal an old man with wispy white hair and a haggard, deeply lined face. A woollen vest was buttoned over a wrinkled shirt, stretched over a rounded paunch. Seeing Ryker, he welcomed them in, muttering a stream of thoughts about the fate of the city and the insanity of people. Zan wasn’t sure if they could trust him, but his grey eyes, milky with age, seemed kind and harmless.
The man showed them into a widely spaced living area, with a kitchen section on the far corner beside a back door. The air was damp and stuffy, like a mouldy cave, with bulbs along the walls that gave the carpeted room a warm yellow glow. 
Ryker introduced him as Aukren Camboss, one of the oldest mechanics in the city and someone who knows the inner workings of the machines as well as anyone. He explained their situation to Aukren while the kids dropped onto the sofas and chairs with heavy sighs.
“Please, make yourselves at home,” Aukren said, waving over the room as he shuffled to a console station by the wall. He was well spoken, with an aristocratic, scholarly manner. “Help yourselves to anything you find in the kitchen. Sounds like you kids have been through a few scrapes.”
Zan rested with his head against the back of the sofa, but he eyed the old man. If Aukren really knew the Grid as well as Ryker said, he’d surely have crossed paths with Zan’s da. He hated not knowing if people could be trusted. His da would have been able to tell them in a second if Aukren really was who they said.
Priya was the first to get up, saying, “I’ll see what I can find us in the kitchen.”
Zan found himself smiling. She was as exhausted and beaten down as the rest of them, but was still looking out for them all, however she could.
Wes and Edrund lounged on the sofa close together and playfully pushed each other while bickering. Their usual mirth was gone, however. The events of the day, and their losses, hung over them all.
Marcin turned to Zan beside him, holding out the chunky diagnostics disk. “I’m gonna check on Gos, see how she’s doing.” He pointed his head towards Ryker and the old man, who were turning on the consoles. “Go see what’s on this. And I’ll be there in a bit.”
His eyes on Ryker, Zan said, “I don’t trust him.”
Marcin gave a half shrug. “Neither do I, fully. But I trust him enough to let him think he’s helping us, for now.”
Zan nodded and regarded Marcin. He was only nineteen, like Zan, but seemed much older. Growing up on the streets hadn’t removed Marcin’s softer side and good humour, but there was a seriousness behind his eyes – the responsibility of them all that weighed him down. Zan longed for the days they used to play together in the streets, without a care in the world.
He had known Marcin back when they lived in their old house, when Zan’s ma was alive. Zan still had a scar on his side from when he mistimed a jump and skimmed a pointed railing. Marcin had looked after his injury and saw that Zan’s parents never had to find out. He always seemed to know what to do. But then Marcin had always been self dependant, even before his grandfolks passed and left him and Gosaline on their own.
Zan took the disk and then paused, his throat tightening. “I’m…. sorry, for earlier. For almost getting you killed.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Marcin said. “It was a crazy moment for all of us.”
Zan grimaced, holding back his emotions. “I shouldn’t have been so weak. I just stood there. I saw those black guards, and… I froze. I could’ve got us both killed.”
“I know this is even harder, for you,” Marcin said. “Your da and I may not have seen eye to eye, but he was a really good man. And he loved you more than anything.”
Zan nodded, swallowing down the knot in his throat. Marcin patted him on the shoulder, rising, then pointed at the disk as he left.
Pushing himself up, Zan crossed the room to meet Ryker and Aukren.
“Let’s have a look at this disk of yours, shall we?” Aukren said, putting on thickly rimmed glasses that looked more like goggles. Zan handed him the disk. His uncertainty must have shown, as Aukren gave him a big, reassuring smile. Zan didn’t like how harmless he seemed. Like an old family member.
Aukren inserted the disk into the side of the console. Zan frowned. He didn’t recognise the interface or the blocky, old-style consoles, or even the jittering sounds they made. Beside the console, the back-up battery unit thrummed, giving power to the home.
“Hmmm,” Aukren said, leaning closer to the dusty monitor. “This is a record of the Grid’s status, alright. It even includes some high-level stats, looks like. And it all goes back… centuries.”
Schematics and revolving images of machinery cycled on the screen, accompanied by fast scrolling data. The colossal machines were roughly cylindrical shaped, connected by revolving pistons and cogs, which matched the depictions Zan had always seen and read about. Supposedly the main machines were housed in deep caves under the Mayor’s Fortress.
“What does it say?” Ryker asked. “I never figured out what these computers say.”
Zan paused, becoming aware of himself. They shouldn’t have been sharing this information with him. The man still wore his Eclipse armour, and to Zan that meant he was still a Mayor’s man. There are no good people in the Mayor’s office.
Zan continued reading, and gasped. “Failsafe.”
He shared a surprised look with Aukren, whose eyes widened. “You can read the machines?” Aukren asked.
Zan turned back to the console, feeling exposed. “It says there’s a failsafe. A secondary purpose of the machines. But… that doesn’t make sense?”
Aukren frowned. “My boy, that makes perfect sense. It says here it was set up millennia ago, back when this city was first constructed.”
Adrenaline pumped through Zan as he considered the depth of what Aukren was saying.
Marcin came to them and placed a tray of drinks on a side table. “Priya said to bring you guys some water. What have we found out?”
Zan smiled at him, his heart racing. “Marcin, you won’t believe what this is saying.” An awkward chuckle left him.
Marcin checked the screen but he shook his head.
“It says,” Zan began,” that there is a failsafe set into the Grid. In the event of the outside world becoming unstable and contaminated, the machines can restore the atmosphere to a habitable condition.”
“Bring back the world?” Marcin said with awe.
Zan pointed to a series of icons. “They call this place a shelter, and a bunker. This word I don’t understand, nuclear event.”  
Aukren grimaced thoughtfully. “Old stories, myths. Long forgotten. You’ve heard that the world was a terrible place? The Mayor likes to remind people he is our saviour. Well, that came from a long time ago when this city was our only safe place. And it became our only home ever since.”
“The Mayor says he keeps us safe inside,” Zan said. “But there’s more to it, isn’t there?”
“The Mayor is not the omnificent god he’d like us all to believe,” Ryker said. “He is just a man. A man named Alpheus Dulator. Though he only wants people to simply know him as The Mayor, like all the Mayor’s before him.”
Aukren nodded. “It’s more important that a Mayor leads the city, not a specific person. Many of the older generation know of other Mayor’s, but it doesn’t matter who has the title. Only that a Mayor leads us. And we follow, like brainless sheep.” He shrugged solemnly. “What else could we do? Trapped inside here…”
Zan considered that. He had never thought of them all as trapped inside the city. It had been the only home he’d ever known. A chill ran through him as he studied the monitors. “My ma’s name is on here.”
A silence came over them as they studied the screen. Across the room, plates and glasses clinked as the others moved about.
“Your mother was Cliona McCawl?” Aukren said. He lifted his glasses to rest on his head. “You’re Herrik’s boy.”
“You knew my parents?” Zan asked. His voice sounded hollow and distant.
“We all worked in the Mayor’s office, a long time ago,” Aukren said. “She was a wonderful woman, your mother, with a remarkable mind. It was a terrible thing, what happened to her.”
“My ma worked with the Mayor? I was nine, when she died. I knew she had some important job, I remember her working late sometimes, but, I never knew it was for the Mayor. My da never said much about how she… he said it was an accident.”
“She was exposed to the outside world, aye,” Aukren said, slowly nodding. “The air is so toxic that we don’t last long, those that go outside.”
Zan thought about the drone that Dallos sent out. The drone Dallos may have risked his life to send.
“They called it an accident,” Aukren said, “during a routine check. But, there were rumours…”
Zan’s pulse pounded in his ears. “What?”
“There were rumours she had uncovered some classified files. Details regarding the machines. No one knew exactly what went on, however. Your father tried to learn the truth but was blocked at every step.”
“So that’s why my da hates the Mayor so much.” Zan said, looking away in thought. Hated, he should have said, but couldn’t bring himself to use the past tense. This was all so surreal to him. “But why are the Mayor’s black guards after me?”
“His personal assassins are after you, boy?” Aukren asked. “That is interesting, indeed. And very unfortunate.”
“They killed my da,” Zan said, feeling numb. Fatigue seemed to overwhelm him suddenly, the day’s events catching up to him. “And I think they’re after me, too.”
Zan quickly glanced at Ryker. The man was staring at him too closely, like he was waiting for something, expecting something from Zan.
So his ma was killed during her service in the Mayor’s office. There are no good people in the Mayor’s office. They were not good to me. To me, or… those were his da’s last words. To me, or… your ma. He had almost told Zan that the Mayor’s men killed his ma. In an accident... that may not have been an accident. A bad taste filled his throat. He felt like he was going to vomit.
“You know the computer language,” Aukren said. “And Herrik knew the Grid as well as anyone in the city. Only a few of us do. I take it you’re a gifted engineer, correct?”
Zan nodded without pride.
Aukren tapped the screen and said, “With the machines down, people will be trying to fix them. Those that know the machines best will seek to solve the problem. Like you folk have done. And in delving into the core of the Grid, they stand a chance of coming across the failsafe.”
“Wouldn’t they have had a chance to discover the failsafe before?” Ryker asked.
“No one has ever tried to fix the machines like this before. The only engineers that have had strict access to them have been in the Mayor’s employ. We can only assume none of them had come across it before. Or… had been ordered not to utter a word of it to anyone.”
Ryker’s expression hardened. “The Mayor is killing those who know the Grid best.”
“It appears that way,” Aukren said gravely.
“So what do we do?” Marcin said. “We need to tell people about this failsafe.”
“How?” Zan said. “Everything is down. And what’s running on battery power will die eventually.”
“We go in,” Ryker said, tapping on a schematic of the machines. “Right into the Mainframe, ourselves. We bring back the machines and initiate the failsafe.”
Marcin puffed out an uncomfortable chuckle. “Right, just go in to the Mayor’s Fortress, and walk right through to the Mainframe under it. You still have your front door keys?”
“No need for the keys,” Ryker said, a glint of something fierce in his eyes. “The roof is the best point of entry. I know my way around the inside. Zan knows the machines. If I can get him in to the Mainframe he can initiate the failsafe. Right, Zan?”
Zan hesitated, feeling his face redden. He tried to speak but nothing came out.
Ryker leaned closer to him. “Zan, look at the procedure. You think you can follow the steps to initiate the failsafe?”
Zan nodded sullenly. In theory, it all made sense to him.
“I’ll go in too, then,” Marcin said. “Three is better than two.”
Ryker nodded. “Alright. But we keep a small team. You alright, Zan?”
Zan kept his eyes down, feeling his chest tighten. “I… need some water,” he said dully. He got up and left them, ignoring Marcin’s call that they had drinks there.
He crossed the room towards the kitchen. Wes and Gosaline sat close together, speaking in low voices, and looked up at him as he passed. Zan ignored them and rounded the counter into the kitchen area, where he paused and tried to steady his breathing. Head into the Mayor’s Fortress... bring the machines back… it all sounded so surreal. And it was all up to him.
“Hey.”
Zan turned to see Priya. She was leaning against the counter with a quiet smile, looking relaxed and peaceful, somehow. Like she had lived there her whole life. His heart melted in that moment, as if all his worries could be washed away.
“How are you?” she asked.
Zan looked around. “Just looking for a glass.”
Priya went to a cupboard and reached in. “That’s not what I asked.”
Shaking his head, Zan said, “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore. I… I think I’m just going along with what I think my da would want me to do. But I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Did you read the disk?”
“We did. It says... we can set the machines to fix the world outside. Ryker wants me to go into the Mayor’s Fortress and work on the Mainframe.”
Priya’s eyebrows rose as she paused. Her lips quivered as she took in Zan’s words. “Wow,” she said, her voice heavy and distant. “Fix the world outside.” She placed a cup on the counter next to him, bringing her face close to his. The pounding in Zan’s ears increased.
“Zan,” she breathed. “You’re far stronger than you think you are. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. You just have to believe in yourself.”
Looking down, Zan noticed raw scrapes down Priya’s forearm. He lifted her arm, taking her hand in his, and inspected her injuries. She interlocked her fingers with his, causing him to look up.
Zan said something, or he thought he did. All he knew was that Priya’s face was so close to his, her large eyes absorbing him. His hand slid up her arm to her shoulder. They moved closer.
A blaring alarm ignited the air. The bulbs on the walls flashed red and white.
Aukren spun to them. “They found you.”