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He hadn’t spoken very loudly, but everyone took on a very serious and determined expression. They would all be only too happy to vent the loss of their allies on the bots that had been partially responsible for the tragedy. Although they were only machines, at least it would provide a taste of revenge.
“...The one we need to go to is the... sixtieth floor?” said Eden, looking up. “Where are the elevators?”
“Are elevators safe?” frowned George, who emerged from the crowd as the group was splitting in two. “I mean, they are controlled by the System, right? What if they decide to crash them while we are inside?”
“That would be a pretty horrible way to die,” nodded Circé, walking to a little electric box on one of the walls and opening it. “Nebty, can you get our guys working on that?”
She put in a tiny key like the ones Loir usually gave Eden, and the little device lit up a purple color right away.
“Already on it. Give us a minute.”
That minute was enough for Thao to organize her defense line. Quickly, her men ransacked the nearby shops to prepare a barricade in front of the doors they had just wrecked.
Meanwhile, Dante’s men regrouped around them. Eden suddenly realized how many people they had already lost. There were only about a hundred people left for each Zodiac, when there had been hundreds more starting this fight outside the wall. She spotted Rolf giving orders a bit further away too and re-distributing the weapons and ammunition among the men. Those who had made it here all looked relieved to be catching a break. Some had even brought over food from one of the shops and were trying to drink and feed themselves as quickly as possible, in case something else happened right away.
“Here.”
With a surprised look, she took the little sandwich George handed her with a smug expression.
“You should, uh... eat something too.”
With that, he simply turned around, his ears a bit red, leaving Eden there with her sandwich, a bit confused. ...Was that his way of making peace with her? They had never really seen eye to eye before, but that was the first time he was actually doing something somewhat nice for her. She smiled and began eating, only realizing then how hungry she’d been. The bit of breakfast earlier at Mr. Charles’ apparently wasn’t enough. It was true they had been running around, climbing, and fighting for a while, but she felt a bit guilty eating a whole sandwich while everyone else didn’t have the food she had earlier. Luckily, it didn’t look like they were holding back on ransacking the shops. She could see Thao’s men going in and out non-stop, their arms filled with packages of food, water, and other things they’d probably make use of while waiting for the fight.
Suddenly, several of the elevators on the side opened with a ding sound.
“Your rides are safe and ready,” announced Nebty. “Make sure you only take elevators one to six for now. We aren’t done taking control of the others yet.”
“...You absolutely sure?” muttered George.
Circé rolled her eyes and pushed him to go ahead and get in first. Eden got in the elevator with them but took a glance back at Thao and her men. They looked ready to hold a siege here, but who could predict when the fight would really get here, and how long they’d be able to hold it? She sighed, and the elevator doors closed on them.
The elevators were pretty large, enough to carry ten people. Eden felt Dante’s hand smoothly wrap around her waist, and she couldn’t resist taking a little step back to lean against him. Everyone around didn’t seem to notice. They all had their eyes on the screens that composed the ceiling and walls of the elevator, and with good reason.
Those screens were obviously made for entertainment purposes, but for people of the Suburbs, what was displayed was probably mind-blowing. While showing a view of Chicago as if they were floating about the city, all kinds of ads were displayed of strangers with white smiles and amiable expressions. They were advertising pretty much everything: food, clothing, strange drinks, games, even plants. Eden, who had already seen similar things during her hacking missions, glanced around to see the expressions of her allies. Some were in absolute awe, their mouths open while they stared at the screens, captivated. Others looked more pissed off or annoyed by those screens. They were probably realizing that the people of the Core had access to everything, while their lives in the Suburbs were full of struggles, and just trying to make it to the next day with enough oxygen. They could probably never afford any of those things in this life, yet the people of the Core were benefiting from them daily with no idea of how valuable they were.
All of a sudden, the view changed. The ads all disappeared at once, while the view of Chicago was covered by a red, menacing filter. A loud, male voice came out of the elevators’ speakers, and probably resonated throughout the whole building.
“Intruders. You have decided to rebel against the Core, which took care of you. You have harmed citizens of the Core, destroyed their possessions, and committed a number of crimes against our peaceful citizens.”
“You mean, your blind and privileged puppies,” groaned Circé.
“An order has been issued for your immediate arrest. Those who resist will be considered uncooperative by law enforcement representatives, and be executed on the spot. I repeat. Any attempt to resist or flee will be considered as an act of rebellion, and the death penalty will be immediately enforced.”
“That’s what happens when you’re judge, jury, and executioner...”
“Circé, shut up,” groaned Eden.
“The attack on the Arcadia Tower is a Level One crime. Every non-citizen found there will be immediately executed. Those who have not caused any harm on the Core’s territory and are willing to cooperate will be arrested, and sentenced upon their trial.”
Eden grimaced. There was no way there would be a trial. They only hoped to arrest those who decided to lay down their weapons more easily, but there was no doubt the Core would kill them all, as an example.
“The cyber attack on the System is a Level One crime. All foreign hackers found on the Core’s System are facing the immediate death penalty. The hackers that are identified committing illegal intrusion on the Core’s System will be immediately executed.”
“As if you could catch us,” hissed Nebty.
“This is a warning. Immediately leave the Arcadia Tower, and surrender. We will use our law enforcement robots to arrest you and give you fair trials. Failure to comply will result in the immediate issue of a death penalty order...”
“I don’t understand,” said Eden. “They already know we won’t back down, and their robots have already fired at us. So why...”
