Dawnrunner

Chapter 23

In the end, only a half-dozen people take up my crusade to join the resistance’s attack. Most surprising among them is Christy May-Lee, who seems somehow bolder and more aggressive than the shy girl we picked up in Kaniva. The eight of us begin our march to the rear of the train, only to be stopped by a furious looking Lieutenant Romanova. As she opens her mouth to protest, I hold the letter from Lazarus up to her face. From her expression I think she just swallowed her own tongue.
“I need to see him.” I knew the last few weeks had changed me, but it’s still a rush. The new me is bossy, and completely in charge. “We all do… now.”
Tanya looks completely lost for words, and finally turns around to open the door. She leads us into a carriage with no seats, but several tables, around which are gathered a few older men in officer’s uniforms. At the head of the table stands Lazarus with one hand stretched out over a map. The cast on his arm is gone, but a bandage is visible from under his shirt leading up his neck.
“Carliah!” I fight back the stab of guilt I feel at the sound of the shock in his voice. Every pair of eyes in the room is on Lazarus and me as I hold up the letter.
“We’re here to fight with you.” Some of the men around the table exchange bemused glances, others just look concerned. “We’ve seen what the GE is doing. If you’re going to stop them, then we want to help.”
No one says a word as Lazarus stands up straight. His eyes don’t leave mine for a moment and I feel myself burning under his stare. Defiantly, I refuse to look away. In my heart I know I’m still terrified of this man – the brutal alter-ego of the man I love. Reluctantly his eyes move away and sweep over the group behind me. I feel Rachel’s hand grip mine as he examines her in turn. Finally he clears his throat.
“No one deserves to help put an end to this war more than you, but know this: if you fight, many of you will die.” His eyes fall on me on the last word, and I struggle to keep my pose of strength. “Are you all prepared?”
No one hesitates. The chorus of cheers from behind me is enough to end the debate once and for all. We are sent with Tanya to get some gear and weapons, and to prepare for battle.

The lights go dim as the train thunders through the tunnel towards the Sanctuary. Tanya is personally overseeing my group, which has assembled in one of the forward cars. Each of us is now wearing a Kevlar vest beneath our clothes.
“Remember,” she says, “do nothing to suggest you are not still refugees, interested only in returning to your homes. Wait for Lazarus to begin the attack, then listen for my orders!” She pulls a radio out from her vest, and a few moments later Lazarus’ voice explodes from it.
“This is the Dawnrunner, broadcasting on all channels. We are returning the PoWs as scheduled. Requesting permission to enter the Sanctuary.”
There is nothing but static for a long time, then Lazarus’ voice again. “GE Sanctuary Gate-Control, this is the Dawnrunner. Do we have clearance to enter?”
Static again, and then finally an unfamiliar voice replies.
“Dawnrunner you are clear to enter.”
I release the breath I’ve been holding. Up ahead, the gates to the island are opening.

A familiar purple-blue light fills the space of the tunnel up ahead. With a sick twist in my gut I realise it’s the UV barrier, or as I now know it to be, the ultimate defence against unwanted intrusion into the island. The smooth walls echo the steady thump of the batteries charging as the light grows brighter, bidding us to our deaths.
The train is still moving as Lazarus leans out over the tracks from one of the carriage windows, a rocket launcher mounted to his shoulder. Moments later the entrance to the tunnel is ripped apart as the UV colonnade erupts into flames. A cheer goes up from inside the train, but ends just as quickly. Up ahead, the steel doors leading out into Darwin are starting to close.
Another rocket, this time from a shooter I can’t see, finds its mark in the tracks of the gate, arresting their progress with the deafening screech of twisting metal. Up ahead, I can hear the sound of sirens and the cries of the GE soldiers.
The train rips through the remains of the burning gates with a crash that leaves us sprawled across the carriage floor. The fires that lick at the broken windows give way to the bright lights of the dome as the train rushes out and into Darwin.

The train clears the city of Darwin in a matter of minutes, and for a precious few moments an unnatural peace descends on the train. It’s not until we’re clear of the city proper and out towards the barren landscape that the force of the Global Effort, in the form of heavily-armed assault vehicles, launch their counter-attack.
“Get down!” We hit the floor as a hail of bullets tears the sides of the train apart, filling the rooms with shattered glass and splintered wood. The majority of the shots are aimed low towards the wheels as the soldiers try to immobilise the train. Tanya is the first to recover. I watch partially dazed as she empties her rifle in the direction of the jeeps that have begun their pursuit.
“Reload!” she yells, reaching out her hand towards me. I pass her a large clip and watch as she slides it cleanly into her rifle. Her whole body shakes as she continues firing towards the nearest jeep. A single bullet hits her shoulder, and she screams as she falls back into the carriage.
“I’m alright!” she yells. With one hand on her shoulder, the other on the ruined window frame, I see her try to pull herself up, only to land hard on her knees.
“Give me the gun!” I yell. Both the lieutenant and Rachel look at me like I’m mad, and for all I know they’re right.
“You can’t…” she starts, but a hail of fire overhead cuts her off.
“We don’t have a choice!” I reach out again, and Tanya reluctantly puts the rifle into my arms. It’s so heavy I can barely lift it.
“Put it to your shoulder!” she yells over the noise. “Do not let it knock you back when you fire it!”
I lift the rifle to the window and immediately see the jeep with a mounted machine gun trained on our carriage. The rider in the back hasn’t noticed me yet, so I line up the shot as best I can and pull the trigger.
The force from the rifle slams into my shoulder so hard I feel like it’s going to shatter bone. Only the padding from the Kevlar keeps the full brunt of the kickback at bay. I hear the men behind the gun scream as several bullets find their mark and two of them fall from the jeep.
A third man turns the mounted gun so it’s aimed directly at me. For a split second I’m frozen in place, waiting for the gun to fire. I don’t even hear the rocket being fired from somewhere behind us. It slams into the jeep, sending it flying onto its side as it simultaneously bursts into flames.
The strength fades from my arms and I let the rifle slide to my feet. Looking out the window I can see down the length of the train to where Michael is standing, the rocket launcher still at his side. From the distance I can barely make out his face. Then the world goes dark and I lose him completely.

The giant lights that line the roof of the Sanctuary and give the illusion of daylight flicker and die in a single inglorious moment, plunging the desert into an starless night broken only by the lights from the train. Even the jeeps have broken off pursuit, robbing us of their headlights. Rachel is the first one to break the silence.
“What’s going on? It’s way too early for this, and the jeeps are gone?”
“It’s an ambush,” Tanya replies. “They are going to try to stop us before we reach the power plant.”
I drop to my knees next to the lieutenant. “That’s where we’re going, isn’t it? To Alice Springs.”
“We must destroy that place, no matter the cost. It is the heart of this island. As long as it survives, the clouds will cover the skies forever.”
“But the dome…”
“The dome relies on the pillar. Destroy one, you take out both. That is why we must not fail.”
The look in her eyes tells me more than it’s meant to. It’s all I can do to keep my voice from breaking as I ask the question I’m not sure I want answered.
“You’re going to crash the Dawnrunner into Alice Springs, aren’t you? That’s the plan… that’s why he sent me the letter. He’s going to drive the train, he’s going to sacrifice himself!”
Tanya stares at me for a moment, then slowly nods. “It is the only way. You were never supposed to know what really happened.”
I want to scream, to yell, to hate absolutely everything and everyone. After everything that’s happened, it’s come to this. As the three of us sit in silence in the dim light from the lamps on the wall, the Dawnrunner comes to a stop in the middle of the darkened desert.
The only sound is the forward engine separating from the rest of the train.