The Shadowzone Series Box Set

The Shadowzone Series

Shadowzone

Into the Web

Black Dawn

Copyright © 2018 by Simon Rose

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations for the purpose of a book review. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, please contact the publisher.

Published by Simon Rose

Print ISBN 978-1999466329

Ebook ISBN 978-1999466336

Shadowzone

Copyright © 2017 by Simon Rose

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations for the purpose of a book review. For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, please contact the publisher.

Published by Simon Rose

ISBN: 978-0995940338

Cover Design: SelfPubBookCovers.com/RLSather

Chapter One

In the Shadows

A burst of bright light briefly illuminated the gloom of the musty storage area. A dark-haired young woman wearing a plain black uniform stepped out of the shimmering light before it faded into nothingness. She stood between the crowded bookshelves and quickly scanned her surroundings. The room had no windows and the only door was firmly closed. She ran her gloved fingers along the nearest shelf, disturbing a layer of dust. As she suspected, the room was rarely used. It would be an ideal hiding place.

She shuddered when she recalled the day that she’d learned of the Ministry’s plans. Despite the risk to her friends and family, the woman felt that she had no choice but to safeguard as many copies of the cure as she could. She’d considered hiding them in her own house, but several weeks earlier she’d arrived home and immediately noticed that a handful of items were slightly out of place. Nothing had been taken and there was no damage, but she was experienced enough to know that her home had been expertly searched.

The air shimmered slightly at the far end of the room. The woman reached into her jacket pocket displaying the triple-w symbol and took out her phone. Her time was almost up. She stepped back from the shelves and smiled. The vials would be safe here. The air shimmered again and the woman disappeared in another burst of bright light.

She emerged into the control chamber and the intragate closed behind her. The pulsing blue light in the large circular structure’s outer ring was replaced by cold steel. The chamber was shrouded in semi-darkness, the terminals, consoles, and control stations silent. She often worked late but tonight had stayed well after everyone else had left for the evening. She couldn’t run the risk of discovery.

She coughed slightly as she quickly went over to the main panel to deactivate the intragate. Even inside the building the air was tainted these days. She glanced at her reflection in the glass on the terminal’s screen, quickly sweeping a loose strand of hair into place. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face and twisted into a tight bun when she was working at the Ministry. She quickly keyed in the code to switch off the intragate followed by another code to delete her recent activity. She’d learnt how to cover her tracks after her unauthorized trips through the intragate but thankfully this had been the last one.

She opened the door into the dimly lit hallway, where the lights were operating on low power to save energy. She hurried along the deserted hallways, swiping her ID card and placing her forearm’s small tattoo under the scanner’s pale blue light in order to pass through the three security checkpoints. She was then startled by a familiar voice as she reached the top of the ornate stone staircase that led down to building’s main entrance.

Working late, Charlotte?

She turned to see her colleague, Major Sebastian Grayson, emerge from a darkened doorway. He was tall and slim, with closely cropped blond hair. Like Charlotte, his rank was indicated on the collars and upper sleeves of his black uniform, which also bore the triple-w symbol.

Yes, she replied. Just a few small issues with the intragate’s alignment earlier today.

Nothing too problematic, I hope? he said, with a thin smile, his pale blue eyes studying her face.

No, said Charlotte, retaining her composure. It just took a while for me to resolve after everyone had gone home, that’s all. Everything’s fine.

Good, said Sebastian. Anyway, I should let you go.

Charlotte gave him a brief smile as he turned to leave then went down the staircase to the entrance. At the main doors, she put on her facemask before she left the building. Her eyes stinging, Charlotte hurried down the steps to the sidewalk then quickly walked through the empty, smog-filled parking lot to her car. Sebastian watched from the upper window until Charlotte’s car was out of sight, before turning away.

Chapter Two

Mystery Girl

As the thunderstorm began, Ben raced across the parking lot and ran up the steps of the old office building with the large green copper dome. There was just enough shelter under the pediment above the building’s front entrance, where a date in Roman numerals was carved into the stone. The rain was extremely heavy and hardly anyone remained on the sidewalks as they sought whatever shelter they could find. Fierce lightning flashes followed each other rapidly and lit up the whole street. Ben wondered if any of the trees or the statues in the park opposite might be hit by a lightning strike. Standing alone at the top of the stone steps, Ben watched as the cars raced through the narrow river that had formed in the middle of the street, spraying water against the shop windows on the opposite sidewalk. Noting the emerging brightness over the western horizon, Ben knew that the storm would be short-lived. He resolved to stay where he was, keep dry, and watch the spectacular electrical show around the nearby high-rise office towers and other buildings.

Each burst of lightning seemed to be brighter, longer lasting, and more intense as the storm passed directly overhead. A brilliant flash of light was followed a deafening crack of thunder and Ben saw a woman and a young girl coming up the stone steps. Yet when the lightning stopped the two people were gone. When another intense flash occurred, Ben was startled to see the woman and the girl directly across from him at the top of the steps as they approached the building’s main entrance. The girl seemed equally surprised when she looked directly at Ben. She appeared to be around his age with shoulder-length blond hair. The woman also briefly glanced at Ben but then the two people vanished the instant the lightning ceased. Ben quickly scanned his surroundings, but there was no sign of the woman or the girl. Ben wondered if they’d gone inside the building but he hadn’t seen the door open. Ben shuddered when he wondered if he’d seen a pair of ghosts. After all, the building was very old. He shuddered again as icy raindrops dripped down his neck. By now the storm was beginning to subside, so Ben hurried down the steps and quickly made his way home.

The rain had more or less stopped by the time he arrived at the house. His dad’s red car was parked in the driveway. Ben’s parents, Thomas and Maria Harper, were research scientists at the university. They were employed by different departments but occasionally worked on the same project teams. They’d both recently accepted a short-term contract to work Camp Terraine, a local military base. Ben was accompanying his parents that evening to a social function at the university. They’d moved around a lot throughout their careers and Ben had been pleased when they settled in Westview Heights so that he could finally stop changing schools and make some long-term friends. Summer vacation had just begun but Ben was relieved that he’d finally be returning to the same school once classes resumed in September.

Ben hurried into the garage through the open door. He took off his wet shoes before stepping inside the house. As he closed the garage door behind him, Ben heard his father talking on his phone in the kitchen.

Yes, I know that he could have sent those two guys, but Warren doesn’t know anything.

His father paused as he listened to the caller.

I really don’t know, Maria. Can we talk about this when you get home? Okay, see you soon.

He ended the call as Ben entered the kitchen. His dad was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee as he read the newspaper. Thomas Harper was in his mid-forties, with cloudy hazel eyes and receding black hair slightly graying at the temples. He always joked that his permanently lined forehead was the result of years of late nights studying in different laboratories.

Hey, Ben, he said, taking off his reading glasses. Did you get caught in the storm?

Yeah, but it was okay, said Ben. The lightning was fantastic.

Were you inside somewhere?

Sort of. I managed to shelter in the doorway of that big old building with the dome across from the park and watched the storm from there. I figured it was safer than standing under a tree.

Well, I’m glad you were out of the rain, said Thomas, with a smile.

Is that building really old, Dad?

Late nineteenth century, I think, same as this place and most of the other houses near here. It used to be a hospital but it’s all used for local government and company offices now.

Maybe it’s haunted? said Ben.

Haunted?

Yeah, I mean it’s an old building and lots of people might have died there when it was a hospital. Maybe people have seen ghosts there?

I’ve never heard any stories like that, Thomas replied. Then again, I don’t pay much attention to that kind of stuff.

He finished his coffee and stood up from the table.

Anyway, I’d better get moving. I’m picking your mom up from work.

He grabbed his car keys and wallet from the kitchen counter.

Do you want to come along? We’ll probably stop for a pizza on the way home, if you like? We won’t have much time when we get back before we have to leave for the university.

Sounds great, said Ben.

As he put on a dry pair of shoes, Ben briefly contemplated telling his father about the woman and girl he’d seen in the lightning flash, but decided to keep quiet. Ben still wasn’t certain whether he’d really seen anything anyway or if he’d just imagined it. And yet the two people had seemed so real. Ben quickly tied his shoelaces, stepped outside into the sunshine and locked the door to the house. As he turned to walk over to the car, he noticed that above the street the air appeared to be shimmering, resembling heat coming off a barbeque. A black car shrouded in a light mist then suddenly appeared from nowhere, drove in front of the house and promptly vanished. Ben stopped in his tracks on the driveway. He shielded his eyes from the sun’s glare, looking up and down the street, but there was no sign of the car.

Come on, Ben, Thomas called from his car. We’re going to be late.

Ben recovered his composure, got into the car and closed the door.

You okay, Ben? Thomas asked.

Yeah, I’m fine.

Yet as the car reversed out of the driveway, Ben didn’t feel fine at all.

Chapter Three

Permanent Twilight

When her mother walked into the dining room, Charlie was just starting to eat her lunch as she watched TV. Her mother was wearing her uniform even though it was Saturday.

I have to stop by the Ministry, said Charlotte, as she stood in front of the mirror.

She quickly fastened her hair into the tight bun that she always wore for work.

But aren’t we going shopping?

Yes, this won’t take long.

Charlie scowled at her mother.

Look, Charlotte assured her, Sebastian apparently has some important news that can’t wait until Monday, that’s all. We won’t be there long and we’ll still get to the store, I promise.

She left the dining room and Charlie quickly finished her lunch. She hoped that this unanticipated trip to the office wasn’t going to seriously derail their trip to what was left of the downtown shopping district. Charlie glanced over at the picture of her mother, father, and one of their friends that stood on the mantelpiece. Jim, Charlie’s father, had worked for the Ministry too, but he’d died when Charlie was just over three years old so she didn’t really remember him. She’d seen plenty of pictures and film but it wasn’t the same as real memories. In the photograph, her parents were standing with Michael, a colleague of Jim’s. Charlie remembered going to visit Michael when she was younger. She recalled his older house with its pair of distinctive dormer windows in the roof, but her mother seemed to have lost touch with Michael in recent years.

Charlie’s TV show was interrupted as the Ministry’s familiar triple-w logo appeared on the screen. She quickly hit the mute button as the breaking news update began. Security vehicles and personnel were shown outside a partially destroyed building. According to the text running along the bottom of the screen there had been another bombing, thankfully with no fatalities. As usual, the Greens were the prime suspects. Charlie was relieved that the incident had occurred well away from the downtown area where she and her mother were going.

Charlie couldn’t finish the rest of her juice so put the glass on a shelf in the fridge to drink later. She placed the juice beside three large jugs of tap water that had already been boiled to make them fit for consumption. The fridge contained a few fruits and vegetables as well as fresh milk, bread, meat, cheese, and butter. These were luxury items, privileges associated with working for the Ministry. Charlie wasn’t exactly sure what her mother did when she was at work except that it involved some kind of scientific research.

Ready? said Charlotte, as she reemerged into the dining room holding her car keys and briefcase.

Yeah, Charlie replied. Let’s go.

Charlotte glanced briefly at the story playing out on the screen before Charlie grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. Neither of them mentioned the bombing. Attacks by the Greens were often in the news but seemed to happen more frequently these days.

Charlie grabbed her facemask from the hook on the wall beside the kitchen door. She couldn’t remember when the air was fit to breathe without some form of protection. The sky was almost always gray, the sunlight rarely broke through the dark clouds, and in many parts of the world the air was toxic. She followed her mother into the garage, where Charlotte’s black car was parked. A rusty old motorcycle was leaned up against the wall. The motorcycle had belonged to Charlie’s father, but Charlotte had never had the heart to give it away.

I promise we won’t be long at the Ministry, said Charlotte, as she started the car and used the remote to open the garage door.

They drove outside and passed through the security gate at the perimeter of the condo complex. Charlotte and Charlie lived in a neighbourhood reserved for those that worked either at the Ministry building itself or in important government departments. All the condos and apartments in the area had surveillance cameras and security equipment and many of the houses belonging to senior officials also had bodyguards. As they drove through the dull gray suburb, Charlie immediately noticed that the smog was worse than usual. Admittedly it was patchy, but many of the cars on the road still had to use their headlights at times just to clearly see the way ahead. Along the bank of the heavily polluted river, they drove through what had once been one of the city’s oldest and more prestigious neighbourhoods. Most of the formerly elegant houses stood empty or had fallen into ruin. The tall trees that had once lined the streets and avenues had all either died or been cut down and burned as fuel.

Charlotte often talked about how things had been in the past. Charlie had also learned about what the world had been like before the asteroid impact and the catastrophic changes to the Earth’s environment. Yet she’d only seen photographs of herself as a toddler when facemasks weren’t compulsory. There had been family pets in some of those photographs too, but no one kept household animals anymore. Charlie recalled looking at old books when she was younger depicting all the animals that no longer existed, not even in captivity. She vaguely remembered seeing an elephant and a tiger once at the zoo, but the zoo was long gone. The former site had been cleared and the animals that once lived there in their last refuge were now extinct.

I forgot to tell you, said Charlotte, as she slowed the car before crossing an intersection. Michael’s coming over for a barbeque this weekend. Do you remember him?

Yes, of course, Charlie replied. We haven’t seen him for a long time though.

No, not since you were quite small. He was a good friend of your dad and I worked with him a few times over the years too.

Okay, said Charlie, as they approached the downtown core. It’ll be nice to see him again.

Some of the city’s malls still operated in the more intact districts but the stores were very poorly stocked. Many of the shops, cafes, and restaurants in the largely derelict downtown core had long been abandoned, along with the high-rise office towers that all stood empty. Charlotte used to visit coffee shops with her friends when she was younger, but that was before coffee and tea became extinct after the long-term effects of acid rain finally wiped out all the crops. Charlie had never even tasted coffee or tea.

Looks like a storm’s coming, said Charlotte, as they drove by the park opposite the Ministry building.

Charlie always found it hard to imagine how people had once walked in a park filled with healthy green trees. The skeletal remains of the city’s woodland now only contained blackened stumps and the park’s lake had long since vanished, along with the statues that once stood beside the pathways. The rain would at least temporarily clear the air so that they wouldn’t need their facemasks. However, the rain itself could sometimes be dangerous and few people actually risked going outside in a storm.

Charlotte parked in the Ministry lot beside several other black cars as the torrential rain began to fall. She’d once told Charlie that the lot used to have lush wide lawns, shrubs, and beautiful flowers in the summer. Like so many other parts of the city it had become barren as a result of the pollution and the area had long since been paved over. Charlotte and Charlie ran across the parking lot to the stone steps of the Ministry building. Intense lightning lit up the surrounding area, including the Ministry’s green dome, one of the few remaining copper roofs that hadn’t been removed to reuse the precious metal. As they hurried up the steps while the lightning flashed overhead, Charlie briefly saw a young boy sheltering at the building’s entrance, beneath the pediment where the Ministry emblem was carved into the stone. When she and her mother reached the top of the steps, there was another lengthy flash of lightning. Charlie was startled when she saw the boy again. He looked equally surprised and this time the boy looked directly at her. He looked to be around the same age as Charlie but disappeared with the lightning. Charlie trembled as she wondered if she might have seen a ghost, before her mother ushered her into the Ministry.

Chapter Four

Reflections

Inside the building, the lobby was deserted and the reception desk was unoccupied. Charlotte and Charlie hurried up the staircase to the second floor where Sebastian was waiting.

This shouldn’t take long, said Charlotte. You can wait right here.

Charlie sat down on the wooden bench opposite Sebastian’s office door. There had been one or two cars in the Ministry parking lot but the corridors inside the building were empty. Charlie figured that only a few people were working in their offices since it was Saturday and hoped that her mother would soon be finished. Charlie stared across at the bare wall directly ahead but then her attention was drawn to a strange shimmering in the air beyond the security gates at the far end of the corridor. It looked almost like a heat haze and to her astonishment she could see flickering images of people walking back and forth. Charlie shuddered as she once again wondered if she were seeing ghosts. The shimmering then abruptly stopped and Charlie heard raised voices coming from inside the office across the hallway. She couldn’t quite make out exactly what was being said so she cautiously crept over to the door to listen.

This is what I’ve been talking about, Charlotte, said Sebastian. It’s going to be impossible to keep a lid on this for much longer. It’ll be even worse the next time there’s a severe thunderstorm like this one. Obviously they’re more common near the Ministry building, but there are indications that these anomalies are spreading all over the city. The plan has to be brought forward.

But we’re not ready, Charlotte replied. We’re still months away and we don’t know if this is even going to work.

Chief Minister Burton has decided otherwise. You have to complete the mission as soon as possible. The barriers between the worlds are breaking down and you know what that means.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Charlotte?

Yes.

Good, said Sebastian. We need to begin the process. If we don’t act now, it’ll be too late. You need to inject the boy so that we can see how quickly the disease will spread. As you know, we don’t want the disease to kill him until it’s spread to at least ten other people.

And then?

Special teams will travel to the preselected locations to continue spreading the disease until everyone is wiped out.

But all those people, Charlotte began. What about…

They’re irrelevant, Charlotte, Sebastian snapped. We’ve discussed this many times. They must be sacrificed if we’re to survive. And what about all the people here? We have a duty and a responsibility to them. This project’s taken years of hard work and you always knew what the outcome would be if it was successful. And now events have forced our hand. Here’s the flash-drive for you to study. I’ll begin the preparations and let you know when everything’s ready.

Charlie quickly darted back to the bench when she heard footsteps approaching the office door. Charlotte looked pale and visibly shaken as she stepped into the hallway with Sebastian.

Charlie, said Sebastian, with a thin smile. So good to see you. How are you? How’s school?

Fine, thanks, Charlie replied, without emotion.

Good, that’s good, said Sebastian. Education is so important.

He then turned and went back into his office and closed the door.

The rain had more or less stopped as Charlotte and Charlie returned to the car.

Do you mind if we don’t go shopping? Charlotte asked, as she turned the key in the ignition. Is that okay? I just have so much to do for work right now. I’m really sorry.

Okay, said Charlie, as the car pulled away.

The journey home was undertaken in relative silence, but Charlie didn’t mind. She was still trying to wrap her head around what had happened. At first she thought she might have seen a ghost on the steps of the building when the lightning flashed, then again in the corridor inside. But then she’d overheard Sebastian saying something about barriers between worlds breaking down. And what was all that stuff about a mission and injecting diseases?

When they entered the older neighbourhood of Westview Heights by the river, Charlie glanced out the window and saw a shimmering effect in the smog. Then for a fleeting moment she saw a row of well-kept, colourful houses, with tall trees and manicured lawns, bathed in brilliant sunshine. A red car was parked in front of one house. A young boy standing on the driveway stared open-mouthed at Charlotte’s car as it sped by but then the vision was gone and the familiar gloom outside the car windows returned. Charlie gasped, struggling to catch her breath. Charlotte briefly glanced over at her but was focused on the road ahead and didn’t appear to have noticed anything unusual. Charlie couldn’t be certain but the boy looked like the one she’d seen on the steps of the Ministry building. What was going on?

I’m going to get changed, said Charlotte, as soon as they arrived home.

She put her briefcase on the kitchen counter and went upstairs.

Charlie grabbed her unfinished glass of juice from the fridge and drank it in three gulps. She thought again about what she’d overheard at the Ministry. Sebastian had mentioned that the thunderstorm was having an effect on something. He also mentioned barriers between worlds, but Charlie had no idea what that meant. Could it somehow be connected to the mysterious people she thought she’d seen inside and outside the Ministry building and the colourful houses that she’d seen on the way home? And what was the deadly mission her mother seemed to have been entrusted with?

Charlotte came back downstairs, clutching her phone to her ear. She’d changed into a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans and had untied her long hair.

Yes, I just sent it. Did you get it? Good. I’ll be there in ten minutes.

She ended the call and slipped the phone into her purse.

Sorry, I have to go out again. Will you be okay for an hour or so?

Sure, Charlie replied. Where are you going?

I just have to deliver something to a friend. It’s a work thing, that’s all.

Okay, said Charlie. I’ll see you later.

Ten minutes later, Charlotte arrived at a small cafe on the other side of the city. The area was still in reasonable shape although several government buildings had suffered from bombings by the Greens in recent months. She’d changed her route several times during her journey in case she was being followed then parked a couple of streets away from her destination. The cafe was empty except for the staff at the counter and a grey haired man in his early sixties seated in front of a laptop at a table in the far corner.

Thanks for meeting me here, Michael, said Charlotte as she sat down.

So it’s true? said Michael, looking up from the laptop. They’re really going ahead with it.

Yes, the problems with the intragate and the images that are starting to appear more frequently from the other Earth have entailed bringing everything forward.

I’ve made some progress toward making more copies of the cure with the materials and DNA samples that you’ve been stealing from the Ministry, said Michael. I just thought we’d have more time.

So did I, Charlotte replied. I’m still hoping that they’ll decide it’s not ready, but Sebastian said that my mission could be as early as tonight.

What are you going to do?

I have to make them think I’m following orders, Charlotte replied. I’ll have to delay things over on the other side somehow. I’ll need time to hide the vials of the cure and the only copy of the virus once I’ve arrived at the university.

Are you sure this storage room is safe? asked Michael.

I think so.

And you’re sure you’ll be going on a follow up mission?

Yes, Charlotte replied. I’ll claim to have injected the boy and of course the virus will be safely hidden in the storage room. When I’m sent back to check on the disease’s progress, I’ll retrieve the virus and the cures so that you can continue your work.

Michael reached down into his bag, which was leaning against his chair on the floor. He pulled out a small plain envelope and quickly glanced around the cafe before placing the envelope on the table. He gently pushed the envelope across to Charlotte, who slipped it into her purse.

Okay, said Michael. So you’ll contact me when everything’s done?

Once I’ve hidden all three vials and the virus syringe, I’ll be in touch.

Good, I’ll let the others know.

They both stood up from the table and embraced.

Be careful, Charlotte. I’m pretty sure that I’m under surveillance. You may be being watched.

You’re always so suspicious, said Charlotte, with a smile. I’ve been very careful to cover my tracks. I don’t think anyone suspects anything.

That’s what some of the others said too.

Charlotte didn’t reply and simply stood up from the table and hurried back to her car. Michael waited for a few minutes then closed his laptop and left the cafe.

Charlie went up to her room as soon as Charlotte went out. At the top of the stairs she noticed that her mother’s private laptop was open on the dresser beside the bed in Charlotte’s room. Charlie stepped inside and walked over to the dresser, where her mother had recently scribbled some numbers on her notepad. Charlie hesitated for a second then pressed the laptop’s touchpad. Charlotte’s email was still open. Her last message had been sent to an address that didn’t show the person’s name. The message was brief, just saying, Here it is, from the drive. I’ll call. There was also an attachment. Charlie clicked to open the file.

Chapter Five