Read Online The Middle Kingdom by David Wingrove - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: David Wingrove
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Chen
cursed beneath his breath and slammed his hand hard against the
elevator's control panel.
Slowly—very
slowly—the doors began to slide shut. "Jyan!" he
screamed. "Jyan, where are you?" A second shot rang out,
ricocheting from the back of the elevator. Out in the corridor there
was chaos as people threw themselves down. Only the three Security
men and the masked c/ii ch'i were standing now. As Ghen
watched, one of the electric carts trundled toward the narrowing gap.
Angry with Jyan, Chen pulled out his gun and aimed it at the cart,
then lowered it again.
It was Jyan. He
was crouched over the cart, making as small a target of himself as
possible.
There were two
more shots, closely spaced. The second ricocheted, clipping a crate
on its exit from the elevator, and flew up into a nest of screens.
There was a sharp popping and spluttering and a strong burning smell.
Glass and wiring cascaded down among the unseeing chi ch'i.
With a painful
slowness the cart edged between the doors. Seeing what was about to
happen, Chen slammed his hand against the controls once, then again.
The huge doors shuddered, made to open again, then slammed shut. But
the delay had been enough. The cart was inside.
Jyan climbed
down quickly and went to the panel. "Hurry!" Chen's voice
was low and urgent in the sudden silence. "They'll bring up
burners for the locks!"
Jyan gave the
slightest nod, then got to work. Pulling the panel open, he put his
fingernails underneath the edges of the thin control plate and popped
it out. Behind it was an array of smaller plates, like tiny squares
of dark mirror. Only two of them were important. Gingerly, he eased
them out, careful not to damage the delicate circuitry behind. At
once a voice boomed out from an overhead speaker, warning him not to
tamper. Ignoring it, Jyan felt in his pocket for the two replacement
panels and carefully fitted them. Then he slipped the top plate back
and closed the panel. "Going down!"
Jyan hammered
the manual override and felt the huge elevator shudder. For a moment
there was a terrible groaning noise, as if the machine were going to
grind itself to bits. Then came the sound of something very big and
very solid breaking underneath them. With that the floor beneath the
elevator floor gave way and the elevator plunged a body's length
before jerking to a halt. For a moment there was silence. Then, with
a click and a more normal-sounding hum, it continued its descent.
Across from
Jyan, Chen picked himself up. "We're through!" he said
elatedly. "We've broken through the Net!"
Jyan turned.
"That should keep them busy, eh, Chen?"
Alarms were
sounding overhead, back where they'd come from. Jyan could almost see
what it was like up there. Right now they'd be panicking, afraid of
the sudden darkness, the blaring sirens; packing the lightless
corridors that led to the transit elevators; screaming and fighting
one another blindly; trying to get up and out, away from the breach,
before the quarantine gates—the Seals—came down.
Jyan counted. At
fifteen the elevator shuddered again. The sound was like a huge,
multiple explosion; muffled and distant, yet powerful enough to shake
the foundations of the City. "There!" he said, grinning at
Chen. "The Seals! They've brought down the Seals!"
Chen stared back
at Jyan blankly, the elation draining from him. He was sobered
suddenly by the thought of what they'd done. "That's it, then,"
he said softly. "We're safe." But he was remembering the
feel of a small, dirty hand tugging at the sleeve of his one-piece as
he walked down Pan Chao Street; the sight of a woman nursing her baby
in a doorway; the faces of ordinary men and women going about their
lives.
"We did
it!" said Jyan, laughing now. "We fucking well did it!"
But Chen just looked away, giving no answer.
EIGHT HOURS
LATER and two hundred and fifty ii to the northwest, two Security
officers waited outside the huge doors of a First Level mansion.
Here, at the very top of the City,
cursed beneath his breath and slammed his hand hard against the
elevator's control panel.
Slowly—very
slowly—the doors began to slide shut. "Jyan!" he
screamed. "Jyan, where are you?" A second shot rang out,
ricocheting from the back of the elevator. Out in the corridor there
was chaos as people threw themselves down. Only the three Security
men and the masked c/ii ch'i were standing now. As Ghen
watched, one of the electric carts trundled toward the narrowing gap.
Angry with Jyan, Chen pulled out his gun and aimed it at the cart,
then lowered it again.
It was Jyan. He
was crouched over the cart, making as small a target of himself as
possible.
There were two
more shots, closely spaced. The second ricocheted, clipping a crate
on its exit from the elevator, and flew up into a nest of screens.
There was a sharp popping and spluttering and a strong burning smell.
Glass and wiring cascaded down among the unseeing chi ch'i.
With a painful
slowness the cart edged between the doors. Seeing what was about to
happen, Chen slammed his hand against the controls once, then again.
The huge doors shuddered, made to open again, then slammed shut. But
the delay had been enough. The cart was inside.
Jyan climbed
down quickly and went to the panel. "Hurry!" Chen's voice
was low and urgent in the sudden silence. "They'll bring up
burners for the locks!"
Jyan gave the
slightest nod, then got to work. Pulling the panel open, he put his
fingernails underneath the edges of the thin control plate and popped
it out. Behind it was an array of smaller plates, like tiny squares
of dark mirror. Only two of them were important. Gingerly, he eased
them out, careful not to damage the delicate circuitry behind. At
once a voice boomed out from an overhead speaker, warning him not to
tamper. Ignoring it, Jyan felt in his pocket for the two replacement
panels and carefully fitted them. Then he slipped the top plate back
and closed the panel. "Going down!"
Jyan hammered
the manual override and felt the huge elevator shudder. For a moment
there was a terrible groaning noise, as if the machine were going to
grind itself to bits. Then came the sound of something very big and
very solid breaking underneath them. With that the floor beneath the
elevator floor gave way and the elevator plunged a body's length
before jerking to a halt. For a moment there was silence. Then, with
a click and a more normal-sounding hum, it continued its descent.
Across from
Jyan, Chen picked himself up. "We're through!" he said
elatedly. "We've broken through the Net!"
Jyan turned.
"That should keep them busy, eh, Chen?"
Alarms were
sounding overhead, back where they'd come from. Jyan could almost see
what it was like up there. Right now they'd be panicking, afraid of
the sudden darkness, the blaring sirens; packing the lightless
corridors that led to the transit elevators; screaming and fighting
one another blindly; trying to get up and out, away from the breach,
before the quarantine gates—the Seals—came down.
Jyan counted. At
fifteen the elevator shuddered again. The sound was like a huge,
multiple explosion; muffled and distant, yet powerful enough to shake
the foundations of the City. "There!" he said, grinning at
Chen. "The Seals! They've brought down the Seals!"
Chen stared back
at Jyan blankly, the elation draining from him. He was sobered
suddenly by the thought of what they'd done. "That's it, then,"
he said softly. "We're safe." But he was remembering the
feel of a small, dirty hand tugging at the sleeve of his one-piece as
he walked down Pan Chao Street; the sight of a woman nursing her baby
in a doorway; the faces of ordinary men and women going about their
lives.
"We did
it!" said Jyan, laughing now. "We fucking well did it!"
But Chen just looked away, giving no answer.
EIGHT HOURS
LATER and two hundred and fifty ii to the northwest, two Security
officers waited outside the huge doors of a First Level mansion.
Here, at the very top of the City,
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