CHAPTER 9

"I knew you would show up at some point," Carmichael scoffed, "and when Caleb and my daughter ran away with that artifact, I assumed it would bring you back."

"It seems you have figured everything all out, Solomon. Very good," taunted Icarus.

"Laugh what you want, Icarus, because you will go straight to prison for your betrayal."

"Isn't it funny that you're sending me to prison when I am innocent, while you and the Council are all wandering around freely?"

"Let us go, Carmichael." Caleb strode forward defiantly.

"Silence, Caleb. I've had enough of your arrogance and superiority. That's why Councillor Radcliffe, Joanne Lynch, and a whole community of outsiders are now in prison for conspiracy. And how dare you to take away my daughter?"

"He didn't take me with him, Dad, I went along voluntarily," Ariadne blurted out.

"What?"

"You're wicked, dad, and you've caused enough pain already. It's time to fix everything, and for you to step aside."

Carmichael could not believe that his daughter was turning against him. For a brief moment, Caleb thought he saw something in that quiet and empty street that he had never observed before in the face of the mayor: fear that hastily turned into a deep rage.

"Very good if you want to play like that. A few years in jail will make you beg for forgiveness. Guards! Arrest them."

"But first catch this!" Shouted Icarus, throwing an object that looked like a grenade and put the group behind him.

The item exploded and a wave of energy sent the men flying, clearing the area.

"What are you waiting for? Run!"

They all did that, trying to be as close as possible, and knowing that the bomb would not stun the officers for long.

"Hey! Wait for a second," Icarus shouted to them. "I was referring to that when I said 'something going wrong.' We have to split up to ensure our success."

"I'll take the purifier to the city hall," announced Caleb promptly announced.

"I'll overload the dome," Ariadne followed.

"Good. You'll need some help. How old are you again?" Icarus asked.

"Sixteen," they both replied in unison.

"Great, then you'll take these." He opened the briefcase and showed a variety of weapons in all sizes and colors. "Pick one."

Caleb and Ariadne yelped and stepped back in surprise for the reveal, staring at the content and hesitating to touch the guns.

"Please they are not lethal," insisted Icarus. "They work like a taser, electrifying anything the bullets hit. The targets will feel a small shock that will incapacitate them."

That was enough to convince the duo, and they led their hands to grab a small one each. All settled, Icarus gave the purifier to Caleb.

"Ava and I will cover you, but you have to be quick. I don't know how much time we'll be able to buy you, even with all my gadgets"

"We don't need much," Caleb assured.

"Good luck."

With a burst of adrenaline, they dispersed: Caleb and Ariadne went to the city hall, while Icarus and Ava went in search of a place high enough to visualize the entire panorama.

The race to the building reminded Caleb of the race to the exit of the city. It was almost surreal that something like this had happened the day before. So much had happened since then that it seemed like months.

The only sounds in the sleepy city were again Caleb and Ariadne's pace and wheezing. The former was still carrying his backpack, but he didn't want to grab a lantern, there was simply no time to lose, so the children's eyes had no choice but to adapt to the darkness around them.

Occasionally, they heard gunshots and saw glimpses of electricity, and they knew it was Icarus buying them time.

Their route was not free of obstacles. Some officers came out of the shadows holding with their rifles in almost every corner, ready to attack them. Fortunately, they were faster and able to shoot first, so that each offender received an electric shock before they could even blink.

Felling as if their hearts were about to shoot out of their chests, and wary of stumbling into anything, they finally reached the black building that constituted the city hall. It was the highest in Genesis, so it was not very difficult to find it.

Even though they had not yet entered, the youths felt an increased muscle tension and goosebumps in their skin. Suddenly, the environment became calmer, or at least they felt that way.

"Are you ready?" Ariadne asked him.

"As ready as I can be," he exhaled.

The two of them opened the door and entered the city hall. Surprisingly, the lights were off and there were no guards in the corridors. Were all of them fighting in the streets?

"There is always calm before the storm," murmured Caleb. "Here we go our separate ways, you go to the control room and I go to the roof."

"Ok. Once you get there," Ariadne gave him a pair of earphones she'd kept, "you let me know. Remember: we only have 90 seconds."

"I know. Don't worry, it will be alright."

"Hey, good luck, and don't die."

"Same."

They exchanged one last look before separating, both taking a different elevator as they were going to different floors, and they had to be quick. Caleb pressed the digital button of the last level in his elevator because someone couldn't get to the roof with the elevator; he had to go up the stairs at the end.

He ascended quickly, and the absolute silence within gave him peace, a false one, because he knew that it would not last long. If all they found until then were obstacles, why should the last part of their journey be easier?

The cubicle stopped and its doors opened, revealing the empty and black corridor of the last floor. Caleb stepped out, gun in hand, and walked slowly, pointing at every door that got in his way. The fact that there was not even a fly to be heard only added to the tension and anxiety.

He was halfway, he could already see the door to the stairs that would take him to the roof, he was so close to his destiny… and the next thing he felt was someone strangling him from behind, which forced him to drop his weapon.

Caleb felt a body behind him: a guard that had his arm in Caleb's throat. Three other guards came from the adjacent rooms. He made a mistake, he got distracted and the men seized the opportunity to catch him.

"Look at what we have here, the boy," mocked one of the guards in front of him mocked.

"Shall we take him to the mayor?" asked another.

"Yes, Carmichael ordered that," replied the first.

"You're not going anywhere, little boy," laughed the third man in front of him. "You lost."

Caleb struggled to breathe, but the guard strangling him was too strong and he was just a boy. He could barely move, so he could not kick or punch him. He knew he had to do something quickly. Otherwise, every sacrifice and every setback they endured would have been in vain.

It's hard to think clearly when you're fighting for air, but Caleb felt the gun next to his foot, the guards haven't noticed it yet. He had to try to grab it; it was his only chance to escape.

"What? Are you trying to say something?" the first man mockingly asked. "Hey, let him speak, he's done after all."

The man behind him released him a little, and that was enough.

Caleb quickly punched him in the stomach and, bending down, he grabbed his weapon and shot him two electric bullets. Taking advantage of the shock of the other soldiers, he turned around without hesitation and electrified the three left.

There he was, Caleb Smart and four guards down. He coughed for a long time to recover his breath until he could feel the air going through his lungs again. As he looked at the men he had just taken off, he held the purifier tighter to his chest, hoping that this would be his last setback.

He checked the gun and found that he had run out of bullets, so he dropped it again; it was no longer usable.

Without further ado, he resumed his mission and went up the stairs that were to bring him closer to his destiny. Ten seconds later, he saw the entire city before his eyes and found himself closer than ever to the invisible shield of Genesis. Even the walls were now under his eyes.

"Ariadne, are you there?" He shouted to his friend over the earphones.

"Yes, are you on the roof already?"

"Yes."

"What took you so long?"

"I encountered some issues. Just deactivate the dome now and I'll program the purifier."

"Understood."

Caleb left the purifier on the floor, pulled at her small screen, and tried to activate it. Actually, it was quite simple, everything was specified, and Caleb thanked Icarus silently for it. Finally, he saw the button with the inscription "LAUNCH," and he smiled because then he only had to wait for Ariadne.

"Ariadne, I'm ready when you are," he informed her.

"Just a minute."

Suddenly, the sound of a trigger broke through the silence of the place. Caleb turned slowly, only to face Mayor Carmichael pointing a gun at him, and it certainly had real bullets.

"You gave me a real headache, boy," he said without breaking eye contact.

"Caleb, it's done, you've got 90 seconds," Ariadne updated into his ear.

Above their heads, the dome disappeared, and the countdown began, what a good time for the mayor to seek one last confrontation.

"How did you get here?" Caleb interrogated him.

"I work here. So I know some shortcuts. Now, give me that object."

Caleb jumped in between the purifier and Carmichael.

"Caleb, I'm not going to repeat it, and don't even think I'm going to be able to shoot you because I swear to you I am."

"Why? Why do you try to prevent us from saving the world? Shouldn't you strive for the greater good?"

Carmichael scoffed.

"And what do you know about running a city? It's power, Caleb. I don't care about the outsiders or the environment. All that matters is the ability to control others, to make them follow you blindly."

"That's why you hide the truth behind what really happened to the world?"

"Caleb, you have 60 seconds. What's going on?" warned Ariadne. He was running out of time.

"You sound like Icarus," Carmichael continued. "He never learned to profit from power. All he cared about was the damage we were doing to the environment, something I considered necessary."

"People will find out, you know?"

"I highly doubt it, as you and your crew will be locked up far away from here. For the last time, give me that artifact."

"45 seconds, Caleb. I'm going to meet you." Ariadne was desperate.

Would the mayor really shoot him? But anyway, was it worth sacrificing the rest of the world for his safety? His gaze went unexpectedly to the hole in the gun, and sweat began to form on his forehead, his legs trembling.

How much time did he have left? Maybe 30 seconds. He just had to turn around and press the button, but would he be fast enough?

"Caleb, get out of my way!" The mayor yelled.

"I can't," he replied.

In a second, he turned and ran to the purifier, while hearing the sound of a gun fired, but he managed to reach the object and press the button. The rocket ignited and hastily ascended into the sky, nothing was on its way.

"What have you done?" Cried, Carmichael.

Caleb admired the object's ascent; a broad smile flitted across his face. Then, he felt weak and his vision blurred.

He looked down and he saw it: a large bloodstain appeared on the left side of his stomach, exactly where the bullet hit him.

Feeling his energy and strength vanishing, he fell to his knees and stared at the sky.

"Caleb!" He heard the voice of a girl, Ariadne, from the other side.

She got to him, put his head in her lap, and pressed on the wound.

"You're going to be fine; you understand?" She said. "Just stay with me."

Behind her, he watched Icarus and Ava arrive and stop in disquiet after seeing him.

"We made it…" it was all he could articulate.

"Yes, we did it."

Caleb looked up again, just in time to see the dome re-emerge over the city, but the purifier was already high up, and it was not going to stop until it reached the atmosphere.

The sun came forth, and its light spread slowly in all directions; a new day began for everyone, for the world.

"We made it," he repeated before closing his eyes.