Near me, a woman fell to the ground, a red pool of blood spreading over her chest as her husband and child tried to drag her out of harm's way.
I swallowed bile that rose in my throat and dropped to my knees, staring in horror as people died around me or were wounded by indiscriminate firing from those commissioned to protect the innocent. The Inquisition.
I knew then what I had to do.
If I could get to the Head Inquisitor, Ragathon, if I could find him, I could use whatever power was growing in me to stop him.
I crawled through the smoke, trying to orient myself, and knocked against two dead bodies lying side by side. A man in black—a rebel—and an Inquisition Officer. They must have killed each other.
I grabbed the e-Glass from the rebel and slipped it on to my own ear, crouching low to avoid getting shot as I listened.
The e-Glass came to life. "The Inquisitor is down," a male voice said. Was that true? Could it be that easy?
I could hear more gunshots, more screams. "Wait," the voice said, in my ear. "Oh God, he's alive. Pull back. Get the Shadow to the truck."
So they planned to use the white truck to rescue The Shadow of Rome.
I searched the dead Officer, removed his helmet, took his e-Glass and put it on my other ear. The commanding voice I heard belonged to Ragathon. Who was definitely not dead.
"Exit stage one. Block off the designated roads," he said.
Stage one? Designated roads? This had all been a trap. The Inquisitors expected this rescue and had planned for it. All the rebels would be captured or killed.
I knew I couldn't let that happen. I didn't know if the rebels were the bad guys or not, but I knew the Inquisitors weren't good guys. At least Ragathon wasn't, and his minions didn't seem any better. Looking at the carnage around me, knowing the Inquisitors planned this, allowed for this, didn't care that so many innocents would get caught up in their trap… no, they weren't good guys.
I needed to get to a computer.
With both the rebels and Inquisitors chattering in my ears, I scanned the area, walking low through dead bodies and destroyed property around the buildings. Nothing. Everyone was evacuating.
But wait… through the crowd, parked by the central e-Board, a giant white tank-like van with a stylized all-seeing eye painted in black. An Inquisition vehicle. A Bruiser. They'd have a computer in there.
I scrambled across Times Square just as an Inquisition Officer approached the van. He was about to get in. If I wanted to help save the Shadow of Rome, I had to act now.
I launched myself at the officer, knocking him into the van.
"What the—?" He flipped around, his gun drawn and ready to shoot.
I grabbed his arms and pushed my mind into his. I expected it to feel like before, like it had with the officer at my house where I became him and me at the same time.
But this was different. Softer. More subtle. His consciousness tickling the edges of my mind, pliable and open.
"Sleep!" I told him, my mind pushing out the command as much as my voice.
He collapsed against me, and I grabbed his e-Glass and replaced the one I got from the other Officer. I let the man fall to the ground, then used his e-Glass synch to unlock the Bruiser.
Inside, the vehicle was high-tech with controls and buttons I didn't understand yet. But there was also a computer built into the dash, with multiple screens.
I knew if I could hack into the city's surveillance system I could access all the cameras and see what was going on anywhere in New York.
But that was easier said than done. The U.F.I. had the strongest firewalls in the world, designed specifically to keep out people like me.
Well, maybe not people exactly like me, I thought with a grin.
It took longer than I would have liked, but I got in. I pumped my fist in the air and then furiously typed as I zoomed in on the cameras I needed.
I could see the rebels helping the Shadow into their white van. They drove off, and with a click I accessed their street. Which was already blocked off.
I clicked the e-Glass I got from the dead rebel. "They were ready for you," I told whoever was listening.
"Who is this?" A guy asked.
"Someone trying to help. The road ahead is blocked off. You have to take a right."
He swore under his breath. "Right into the Inquisition's hands, no doubt. I'm not falling for your lies."
"If you don't listen to me, then you're all dead." I checked the cameras. "A squad of Officers is about to cut you off from the left. They're using thrusters."
"How on earth do you know—" His voice cut off and on the camera I could see the squad position itself in front of the van. Black clad rebels stuck their heads out of the windows, guns first, and shot down the Officers before they ever had a chance to counter maneuver.
My e-Glass came to life. "Crap. She was right," said the guy.
A new voice, female, spoke. "Listen, whoever this is. Where's the next squad coming from?"
"Left again," I told her, checking the cameras.
I could hear gunfire through the e-Glass and see it on the screen as the rebels shot down the squad as soon as it came out of the alley.