Paige struggled through the door, her arms full of files and folders. She left it open as she staggered into the room that doubled as lounge and bedroom, dropped the paperwork on the battered coffee table and collapsed onto the sagging, moth-eaten sofa. For a moment, she simply sat there staring at the pile. There was no way she’d get through all of that by Monday, no way at all. What on earth was her boss expecting? She hardly understood what was on the front of some of those folders, never mind what was inside them. Then again, she wasn’t entirely clear on what the company actually did. All she knew was that she was overworked and underpaid. Still, a lousy job was better than no job.

She heaved herself off the sofa and went to shut her door. There was nothing worth stealing in the poky flat, but leaving the front door open was like inviting every passing crazy in for tea. She kicked her shoes into a corner, threw her coat haphazardly onto a hook, and flopped back onto the sofa. “On,” she instructed the entertainment centre. The glitchy old unit in the corner came to life, tuned to some news channel.

“President Bittner of the Central European Government announced the implementation of several new initiatives today, including the controversial Cultural Freedoms Act …”

“Ugh, change to music,” Paige told it. The unit obediently switched to a non-stop music channel. Politics bored Paige senseless, and she couldn’t see how other people were so fascinated by it. “Volume down.” The sound level dipped slightly, and she settled back in the cushions. She had just shut her eyes when the sound of a collapsing paper mountain made her bolt upright. The folders she was supposed to be reviewing for transfer to the new computer system had cascaded onto the floor, and she swore at them.

She slid off the seat and started to gather them up, mumbling horrid things that she was glad the paper could not understand. She stacked them more carefully this time, in neat little towers next to the sofa. Distracted as she was, it didn’t entirely register when the music stopped mid song to be replaced by a harassed-sounding reporter.

“We interrupt this broadcast with urgent breaking news: a cyber-terrorist attack on the Global Federation database today resulted in major disruptions to services, damage to government property and the loss of classified information. The attack was traced to an abandoned underground station in London, which CEG enforcers raided earlier this afternoon …”

Paige knew better than to try and switch channels again to avoid it; this kind of thing went out on every channel. She straightened the paperwork and stood, intending to visit the kitchen and throw a meal in the oven. The screen babbled on behind her.

“Though most of the criminals were detained, two escaped after a violent shootout with CEG troops. One culprit has been identified as Thomas Weaver, a known member of the insurgent group calling themselves the ‘Ministry of Freedom’.” Paige dropped her frozen sausages and ran back to the screen. What had her idiot brother got himself into now? A grainy picture flashed up, obviously enlarged from a security tape. He’d changed a lot over the last fifteen years, but was still just about recognisable to her. The biggest difference was the wild, hunted expression he wore. Another picture appeared next to it, of a scared-looking teenager. “Weaver is thought to be armed and highly dangerous, and we urge the public not to approach him. The other suspect is a young male, name unknown, also armed. Anyone with information on either of these men should call the hotline immediately.” A number appeared at the bottom of the screen, underlining the two images.

“We now return you to your scheduled programming,” said an automated voiceover. The music videos restarted, but Paige had had enough. “Off,” she told the unit. She perched on the arm of the sofa, staring at the blank screen. “Tom, you absolute moron,” she mumbled to herself. “What the hell are you playing at?”

Paige hadn’t seen her older brother since she was twelve years old, when his father had whisked him off to God-knew-where. She didn’t even know where he’d been half that time, but knowing Tom Weaver Senior they’d probably ended up in the East Russian Republic. Tom Sr. had always said it was ‘the last free land on Earth’, and then laughed like it was some private joke that only he understood.

Paige and Tom Jr. shared a mother, but had different fathers. She guessed that was why they were such different people; there were very few overlaps in their interests and personalities, and they even looked like the opposite versions of each other. Tom was tall and strong, had black hair, brown eyes and dark skin, where Paige was small and thin with lots of freckles and hair that she called ‘strawberry blonde’ but everyone could see was just plain ginger. Despite their differences, they’d got along reasonably well as kids, but she’d hardly heard from him since he vanished with his dad.

She stood and went to put the food back in the freezer. She’d lost her appetite, and just wanted to sleep now. The files could wait until tomorrow morning. She fell backwards onto her bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep straight away.

An erratic banging on the door woke her a few hours later, and she considered just ignoring it. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and it was generally a bad idea for a woman living alone to answer the door at night. But whoever it was kept banging, and she figured she ought to get rid of them before they woke up the whole building. She picked up the first heavy object she could find and opened the door.

Someone practically collapsed on her, knocking the lamp out of her hand. She instinctively tried to push the guy off, but he held onto her until he’d regained his balance. It was only when his hood slipped that she realised who it was. “What the hell are you doing here?” she hissed as she went to close the door behind him. “You should be halfway back to your hideout by now.”

“Leave it open,” he slurred. “Paige, I don’t have much time. They’re on my tail … listen, I need you to hold something for me. Don’t tell anyone you’ve got it. Don’t try to access it. Don’t give it to anyone else. Just keep it safe,” he said hurriedly, pressing something into her hand.

The sound of doors being kicked in came up from one of the lower floors. “Tom, what’s going on?” Paige asked. People were shouting on the floor directly below them, and a couple of people on Paige’s level were opening their own doors.

He shook his head. “Can’t tell you. I’ve got to go. Just make sure that stays safe,” he mumbled, pushing away from her and half running, half staggering down the corridor towards the window at the end. He was fumbling with the catch when the first soldier reached the top of the stairs.

“Fugitive in sight,” he called down to the rest of them. Tom glanced back, and decided it would be quicker to smash the window than open it. Paige watched apprehensively as her brother threw himself out of the broken window and onto the fire escape ladder outside. The soldier fired and missed, Tom vanished from sight, and the soldier swore. More troops arrived, and he looked around at the people peering out of their doors. “He went out of the window. You and you, question this lot; everyone else continue pursuit outside.”

The two soldiers indicated started going door to door, asking if anyone had spoken with the intruder, if they knew why he had chosen this place. Paige hoped she pulled off ‘clueless bystander’ properly as she answered. “I’ve no idea, sir. I heard banging and shouting, and opened the door to see what was happening. He just ran past, straight to the window,” she told them.

After things had quietened down, she had a look at the thing Tom had given her. It was a small lump of plastic, with some kind of connector that she thought might plug in to a computer. She thought back to the news bulletin earlier; if Tom and his cronies had hacked into some database and stolen some information, or files, or something, this was probably what they’d used to store it on. No wonder he wanted it kept safe, but why not just take it back to wherever the Ministry were hiding out and let them handle it?

Paige yawned. This kind of crap really wasn’t her thing, and her obsolete computer system didn’t have any port that would match this thing’s connector anyway. She tucked it into her pocket, went back to bed and put the whole mess out of her mind. Tom had been looking after himself for years, and if they did catch up with him it was his own stupid fault for getting involved in the first place.

2: Chapter 2

Monday rolled around far too quickly, as it always did. Paige had spent the entire weekend checking through the files her boss had dumped on her, and it turned out that most of them were company records going back decades. She’d taken them back in, told the guys in IT to stick them all on the new system and let the computer work out what to keep, if the damned thing was that smart. She spent the morning at her desk, performing the same tedious and pointless tasks she did every day, and when lunch break arrived she leapt up to be the first one to reach the vending machine. There was never enough coffee in the thing for more than four cups, and she rarely got there quick enough to get one. Today, she was lucky, and got there second in line after Dan from Accounting.

She dug in her pocket for change to feed the machine, and came across a little lump of plastic among the shrapnel. She pulled it out, wondering how it had got there, and realised it was the thing Tom had given her on Friday night. No wonder everyone had been giving her funny looks; she’d gone and put on the same trousers she’d worn last week. She shoved the plastic thing back, stuck some coins in the vender and sat back down at her desk, feeling highly embarrassed. She’d have to change them for tomorrow.

Break over, she dropped the empty cup in the bin and resumed her work. Everyone had been quietly typing away for almost an hour when something caused a disturbance. Paige looked up, rather glad of the distraction, and was surprised to see the company manager standing in the doorway, looking very nervous and sheepish. He nodded to someone in the corridor, and stood back. A pair of serious looking men in grey suits entered, looked around, and spotted Paige. She looked back, suddenly panicking. They were CEG Intelligence agents, she recognised the uniform. What did they want with her? She watched nervously as they crossed the office.

“Miss Paige Morgan?” one of them asked when they reached her. She nodded, unable to speak. “Would you come with us, please,” he said. She knew it wasn’t a request, although he’d phrased it like one. She stood, trying to avoid eye contact with any of her co-workers. They’d all start talking about her as soon as she left, but she didn’t really care. She just hoped the stories she’d heard about the Intelligence agency were just exaggerated rumours.

The younger of the two caught her eye as they escorted her out of the building, and winked. “Don’t worry. I don’t think you’re in trouble; this is just a precaution,” he told her. The other agent frowned at him. “Oh come on, she looks like she’s going to pass out. You know what people say about us.”

Paige tried to relax a little as they bundled her into a sleek, black car. She hadn’t done anything wrong; she was a normal, law-abiding citizen. It was probably something to do with Tom. Maybe they’d found out she was his sister, and wanted to interview her about him. Where he might be hiding, who he hung out with, that kind of thing. Well, she didn’t know any of that, hadn’t seen him in years unless you counted one frantic minute in a corridor. She’d just tell them she’d lost contact with him, had no idea where he was and they’d let her go, right? If they had any suspicions about her they would have handcuffed her or something, and they hadn’t.

The car slid through the traffic easily, and arrived at a government building quickly. It was obvious the place belonged to some official agency, since it was clean and shining white, unlike the dirty greyish-brown brick everything else was built from. The characteristic look of government buildings had earned them the nickname ‘ivory towers’. She didn’t get much chance to admire the exterior, as the two agents took her inside and down in a lift for what seemed like a hundred floors. They marched her along a blank corridor lined with grey doors, until they reached one marked ‘Interview 3’. They opened the door and escorted her in, made sure she sat in the chair, and left.

She waited a few minutes before the door opened again, admitting a third agent. This one wore his suit more casually, with the jacket open and a loose tie. Despite the relaxed appearance, he had an air of authority about him. He gave her a cool, appraising sort of look as he sat down on the other side of the table. For a moment, the two of them simply watched each other, Paige feeling increasingly unnerved as the agent stared at her.

“Is this about my trousers?” she blurted out. “I swear I was going to put clean ones on, but I must have picked these up by mistake …”

The agent finally blinked. “No, this is not about your trousers. We’re not the fashion police, Miss Morgan,” he said, deadpan. “We wanted to ask you some questions about your brother. I assume you know Thomas Weaver is the main suspect in a serious cyber attack?”

Paige nodded. “Yeah, I heard on the news. He’s only my half brother, though. Different fathers,” she said.

“I see. When was the last time you saw him?” the agent asked.

She shrugged. “It must have been about fifteen years ago. His dad showed up and took him off somewhere when I was twelve, I’ve hardly heard from him since,” she told him.

The agent scribbled something on a notepad. “Hardly? When was the last time you had any contact with him?”

Paige thought quickly. “He sent me a birthday card earlier this year.”

“Any message inside?”

She frowned, trying to remember. “Nothing special, just a sort of ‘hey, you’re another year older, have a great day’ card. Like I said, we haven’t been that close for years,” she said.

He leant forwards. “Do you still have it?”

“It was seven months ago, I recycled it. Sorry,” she replied.

The agent wrote something else. “Are you aware that CEG enforcers tracked Weaver down to your residential complex two days ago?”

She opened her mouth to deny it, but realised that would be useless. “Is that who that bloke was, then?” she said instead. “I heard something going on, and saw a man climb out of the window. It was in the early hours of Saturday morning, I half thought I was dreaming it, really.”

“You didn’t speak to him, then?” She shook her head. “And he didn’t say anything to you? Leave anything behind?” She kept shaking, hoping the agent was just fishing and didn’t actually know anything. He made another note and resumed staring at her. “Then how do you explain this?” He gestured towards the one way mirror, and the reflective surface transformed into a screen, showing very grainy footage of a dilapidated corridor.

Paige recognised it as the hallway outside her flat, and began panicking. “Okay, okay, he did knock on my door, but I didn’t recognise him,” she said quickly. “He just kind of fell on me for a moment before running off, neither of us said anything, I didn’t even know it was him, really I didn’t!”

The agent smiled very faintly. “Calm yourself, Miss Morgan, and start from the beginning.”

She gulped air, trying to quell her panic. “I got home from work late, and I was tired so I went straight to bed. Later I woke up to someone banging on my door, I don’t know how much later because my clock doesn’t work properly. I wasn’t sure if I should answer it, but I thought I should before whoever it was woke up everyone else,” she told him. “When I opened the door, the guy just collapsed, I didn’t have a chance to see his face or anything. I tried to push him off me; he stood up and ran away. I looked to see where he’d gone, and saw a soldier come up the stairs and the guy trying to get out of the window. He broke the glass and jumped out onto the fire escape,” she finished.

He looked at her sceptically. “Is that all?”

“Unless you want to hear about the erotic dream I had after I went back to sleep, yes,” she replied, hoping that would put him off asking for too many details.

It seemed to work, as he lowered his gaze briefly to write in his notepad. “Do you have any idea why Weaver came to your door specifically?” he asked after a pause.

Paige shook her head again. “No idea, sir.” That was true; she had no idea why Tom had visited her. All she had really left out of the story was the plastic thing he had given her.

The agent still looked unconvinced. “It seems a little coincidental that your brother, who you claim has been absent from your life for fourteen years, suddenly arrives on your doorstep in the middle of the night with no explanation and no words exchanged,” he mused quietly.

“Fifteen years,” Paige corrected him without thinking.

He raised an eyebrow. “Fifteen. Of course.” He made another note, and Paige realised he had made the mistake deliberately to test her story.

“Look, I don’t know why Tom showed up, honestly I don’t,” she told him. “He acted weird when he was little, as well, he’d just do stuff without any real reason. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t even look at me; I think the CEG soldiers were too quick for him. They were really close behind him.”

As she finished her sentence, the light in the room switched itself off, plunging them into darkness. She heard the agent stand up, his chair scraping the floor. “Stay exactly where you are, Miss Morgan,” he told her. The soft click of a weapon made her obey.

She heard him walk across to the door and open it, but it seemed the corridor lights were out as well. Now the door was open, she could hear some kind of muffled commotion from a floor above. There was a loud, distinct bang, and a few moments of silence before running footsteps. She heard the lift she had come down in ping distantly, a quiet hissing noise, and a closer ping from the lift. She was just wondering where the agent had gone, and whether she ought to crouch under the table or something, when a gunshot rang out in the corridor. Someone fell to the ground, and she made a squeaky, whimpering sort of sound.

People rushed into the room, and she tried to slide under the table, thinking they would be as blind as she was with the lights out. Apparently they had anticipated this, or else they could see in the dark, because a rough pair of hands dragged her out. She began to struggle, but someone clamped a cloth over her face. She had time to register a cloying, sickly scent before she lost consciousness.

3: Chapter 3

Furious whispers dragged Paige back to reality. She couldn’t quite make out the words, but it sounded as though one person was reprimanding another.
“… had to bloody knock her out, André,” one voice said. It sounded like a woman.
“Like she’d have come along willingly,” the other replied. “You know what Tom always said about her. ‘Sweet girl, but blind to reality.’ Remember?”
The first voice huffed in annoyance. “Yeah, I know. But you think this’ll make her think any differently about us?”
It felt as though she had been dumped on someone’s old sofa. It was lumpy and smelt musty, like it had spent the last decade in storage and hadn’t aired out properly yet. She opened her eyes, and immediately wished she’d kept them shut. The place looked like a rubbish dump, and for all she knew it could actually be one. Her mouth and throat felt parched, and she shifted slightly to see if there was any water nearby.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” said the first voice. Someone came around the sofa and into Paige’s field of vision. “Here.” She thrust a chipped mug under Paige’s nose.
Paige went cross-eyed trying to look at it. “Erm, thanks.” She pushed herself up and took the mug. “What’s going on here? Who are you people?” Since they’d mentioned Tom, she had already guessed they were part of the Ministry group he’d joined, but she wanted to know what they’d tell her.
“We’re friends of your brother’s,” the woman said. She pulled a chair over and sat on it backwards, her arms resting on top of the back. “Sorry about the whole kidnap thing, some of the guys get a bit carried away sometimes.”
Paige stayed quiet, watching her. She was slim and wiry, with short black hair and one brown eye. The other was covered by a patch, and a long scar ran from the base of it down to her jaw. She was dressed in black jeans and a grey shirt, with a worn denim jacket over the top.
“I’m Crissi, by the way. He’s André. That’s just water, and you should probably drink it. You’ve been out for hours, and the CEG lot had you for a day. God only knows what they gave you.”
“What d’you mean, a day?” Paige exclaimed. “They only picked me up from the office just after lunch.”
Crissi rolled her eye. “Yeah, on Monday. It’s now Tuesday. Or technically Wednesday, since it’s half past midnight,” she said shortly.
Paige frowned at her. “I think I’d remember if they’d kept me there for that long. It was maybe an hour between leaving the office and you lot grabbing me,” she retorted.
“You don’t have to take my word for it." Crissi tossed a newspaper across to her. “Check the date.”
Paige unfolded the creased paper and, sure enough, the date at the top was ‘Tuesday 12th November’. “Well, how do I know I haven’t been stuck here all that time? I was conscious the whole time they had me. You lot are the ones who knocked me out,” she said.
The dark haired woman glared over at André. “I told you she’d react like this. We’re terrorists, remember? She’s got no reason to trust anything we say anyway, and even less now you’ve gone and drugged her.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Go get Emerald. The kid’s way less intimidating than either of us.”
“I’m not intimidated,” Paige lied as André left. She was a bit weirded out by the woman’s eyepatch, and the bloke was like a man mountain. “What do you want, anyway? If you’re looking for Tom...”
“Actually, we’ve got an idea where he might be. We were more concerned with getting you away from the Intel agency,” Crissi interrupted. She drummed her fingers on the back of her chair. “Did you tell them anything?”
“About what?” Paige exclaimed. “I’ve got no idea what’s going on here, all I know is that Tom showed up at my place in the middle of the night, rambled on about God-knows-what, and then jumped out of a freaking window! I told them the exact same thing as I’m telling you; I don’t know anything, and I don’t want to get dragged into whatever the hell this is,” she ranted.
A giggle sounded from behind her. “You sound like I did,” said a sweet, childish voice. “Except I didn’t shout so loud.”
Paige turned to see a young girl, couldn’t have been older than nine, standing amongst the mess. Her clothes were tattered, but clean, and she was pale and stringy, like a plant kept in the dark. She stared at Paige with wide, bright green eyes.
“Hi, I’m Emerald, but everyone calls me Em,” the girl said. “You’re Tommy’s sister. He talks about you a lot.”
“Um… does he?” Paige had no idea how to respond. She was surprised to see such a young girl here, and since when did anyone call her brother ‘Tommy’?
The child flopped down onto the sofa next to Paige. “Yep. He’s been looking after me since Mum and Dad died.”
Paige felt a rush of sympathy for her. “Oh, I’m… I’m sorry to hear that,” she said quietly. She wondered if that was why the girl was hanging around with this lot.
“It’s okay. I was only four when they were killed, so I don’t remember them much,” Em shrugged. “They were fighting the government too, but they got caught. Their friends took me in, and now I help them out with computer stuff.” She looked at Paige and smiled.
Crissi stood up and walked over to the door. “I’ll leave you two to talk. Em, come and get me when she understands,” she instructed the girl. The door swung lazily shut behind her.
Paige was struggling to find something to say. Was the girl saying that her parents had been killed because they were part of the Ministry? She’d never heard anything about sentence of execution awaiting any of them, they were supposed to be tried and imprisoned. Maybe they’d been shot accidentally or something, or maybe the Ministry had told her they were dead to get her on their side. But even though she could believe that of the rest of the group, she doubted Tom would go along with it. “What kind of computer stuff?” she asked. That seemed a fairly safe topic to pursue.
“Oh, you know. Pretty much whatever we need, really. I’m good with computers,” Em said proudly. “If we need money for something, I get it from the bank computers. If Crissi or Tommy need information, I can get it out of the CEG computers. If someone needs a place to hide, I can register it in the housing computers. I can even make people invisible.”
“Really? How do you do that?”
Em looked very pleased with herself as she answered. “I managed to work out how to get into the Global Citizen Register. If I delete someone’s record from there, they don’t officially exist, so they can’t be traced by anyone. Of course, they can’t get a job or buy anything from shops either, because the system doesn’t recognise them. But that doesn’t really matter for us, since we can’t really go shopping or anything anyway.”
“So you’re making yourselves into non-people, just so you can avoid the enforcers?” Paige thought it seemed a little drastic, and wouldn’t the global government notice when a bunch of people disappeared from their register?
“Not all of us,” Em replied. “Just the ones who are in the most danger. We have other ways to hide than just erasing our records.”
Paige looked around. “Such as living in a landfill?”
Em giggled. “It’s not a landfill, silly. It’s an old block of flats. It was meant to be pulled down ages ago, but me and Tommy got it wiped off the dem’lition thingy. We’ve got a few places like this, and then there’s the old Underground system. Since the new one got built, nobody uses the old one, so now it’s a kind of shelter for everyone who needs it.”
“So you’re all hiding out in condemned buildings and underground tunnels, then,” Paige said.
Em shrugged again. “When we need to. Sometimes we go to other places, to get other people to join us.” She fell silent for a minute. “How come you don’t trust Crissi? I know she looks scary, but she’s really not.”
Paige had to think about that one. “I don’t really know her. Besides, she had me dragged here unconscious; something like that doesn’t exactly inspire trust.”
“Oh, it wasn’t Crissi’s idea for André to do that,” Em insisted. “She only knew about it when they carried you in earlier. She was really mad at him, you know.”
 “Yeah, I heard them arguing about something. So, I really have only been here for a few hours?” she asked the girl. She figured Em wouldn’t have any reason to lie about it.
The girl nodded. “André and Sam brought you in just after dark. You really thought you’d only been with the Intel lot for an hour?”
Paige thought hard. She only recalled being there for a short while, maybe it had been just over an hour but certainly not for a day and a half. “I don’t remember being there for long. Why? You don’t think they gave me something?” She started to worry now.
“I dunno, maybe. Did they give you anything to drink?” Em asked. “Or did you feel like one of them pinched you or something? They’ve got this new kind of needle that just kind of pinches the skin to inject stuff, we found out about it a while ago,” she said.
Paige ran through her ‘arrest’ again. She had felt a small pinch at the back of her neck as the two agents had pulled her out of the car, but had thought nothing of it at the time. “Maybe … oh hell, what did they do?” she whispered to herself. If she’d been drugged, who knew what she’d been saying to them? She didn’t know anything of any use to them, but if what she’d said under the influence didn’t match what she remembered saying, they’d know she hadn’t been entirely truthful with them. “Em, is there any way you can find out what happened to me in there?”
Em looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure. I should be able to get into their security feed, but whether I can do it without being caught, I don’t know. I can try,” she said. “Give me a couple of days, I’ll let you know when I work it out.”

4: Chapter 4

The chamber was silent as the assembled advisors waited for President Bittner to speak. A meeting had been called to discuss the recent threats made by the group known as the Ministry of Freedom against the global order, and the group’s latest attack on the Global Federation’s mainframe. The lead hacker was still at large, despite the efforts of worldwide police enforcers, and the highly classified and sensitive information stolen had yet to be recovered.

Tension in the room was running high, and all eyes were fixed on the small man at the head of the table. None dared to speak until the President of the Central European Government had had his say.
“Why is it, whenever there is dissent in our continent, it always seems to originate in State 9?” Bittner spoke quietly, but his words rang through the room as though he had shouted.

Nathan Johnson, the advisor from State 9, leant forwards. The question was obviously meant for him, a subtle request to explain his failure to control his people. “Historically, sir, the people of EuroState 9 have been rather reluctant members of the continental union. I’m sure you recall the rebellion of 2025,” he said nervously. “It has been suggested before that a looser hold on State 9 might be beneficial; give the people an illusion of independence while controlling the state ‘behind the scenes’ as it were.”

“This again, Johnson?” the State 1 advisor exclaimed. “How many times are you going to push this ‘looser hold’ business? We have explained, time and time again, that there is no ‘relaxed’ option here. There is no choice against the common laws.”

State 23’s advisor butted in. “You have to follow same laws we do, yet you always have rebels!”

Bittner raised a hand, immediately silencing the advisors. “I do recall 2025. I also recall the fuss kicked up in State 9 in 2028, over the abolition of individual state names. The attempted overthrow of the Westminster Advisory Council in 2032. The founding of this so-called ‘Ministry of Freedom’, once more based in State 9, who have been causing a nuisance across the entire globe ever since. And you, who are supposed to be my representative in the state, have turned a blind eye to their activities. I cannot blame you for their decision to cause trouble. But you ought to be responding properly. You know they make their home in your derelict Underground systems; why do you not strike?”

Nathan fumbled for an answer. His conscience would not allow him to authorise police action against his own people, however rebellious, because at heart he agreed with them. The agencies of the CEG, and the higher authority of the GF, had taken over every aspect of public life and run the state into the ground. Whenever he attempted to do something to improve his people’s lot, some regulation or other prevented action. “Sir, there are others living in the Underground, innocent citizens. Their only crime is the misfortune to lose their homes or jobs; I cannot have the entire Underground raided because there may be a few pockets of insurgents hiding amongst the down-and-outs,” he said, finding a less treacherous reason to object.

“You allow these dangerous anarchists to run free for the sake of some vagrants?” State 1’s advisor was on his feet now, yelling across the table. “This band of mutineers is a threat to everything we have built here! Would you endanger our government’s stability because you feel sorry for a few homeless nobodies?”

“I refuse to put innocent people in harm’s way, is that such a terrible crime?” Nathan answered, his own anger increasing now. “What would you do, storm through the tunnels with a fully armed strike force?”

The advisor for State 1 lifted his chin and put on a superior air. “I would do whatever it took to ensure the security of the central government. Dissent must not be permitted. It is certainly not tolerated in State 1.”

Nathan glared over at him. “Then why are there also members of this Ministry active in your state, Advisor? I understand that the youngster seen with Weaver was born and raised in Berlin,” he said smugly.

“Enough, gentlemen,” Bittner said. “This is getting us nowhere. The point remains that the majority of anti-establishment feeling originates in EuroState 9. I believe that until State 9’s population is brought in line, there will be no end to this so-called Ministry. My question is, are you up to the task, Johnson? Your reluctance to act so far would suggest that you are, at best, incompetent; at worst, perhaps even in sympathy with their outdated notions. Where exactly do your loyalties lie, Advisor?”

Nathan knew perfectly well that the answer he was about to give was the wrong one, and would result in his dismissal, possibly a charge of anti-union plotting, but he suddenly realised he no longer cared. “My loyalty is with the people of the continent, President Bittner.” Before anyone could interrupt, he stood and continued. “And with the people only. Any government that refuses to allow the people to disagree with it is not a government that deserves any respect.” He turned and left the room, ignoring the outcry behind him.

He made it out of the building in record time, and got straight into the car waiting for him. “Where to, Mr. Johnson?” his driver asked.

Nathan stared out of the window, glad for the first time that he had never found the time to start a family. “The border of the East Russian Republic. Drop me off, then head home. Take whatever you want from my accounts, and consider it severance pay. If anyone asks, you had no contact with me outside of your professional duties.”

The driver, Bill, glanced into the rear-view mirror as he pulled away from the CEG building. “Trouble, Mr. Johnson?”

“Bill, you’re a good man, and you’ve been a good friend to me the last ten years. I couldn’t carry on licking their boots as they walked all over me. I spoke out, and I’ll suffer the consequences. I won’t drag anyone else into it,” Nathan said firmly. He was adamant that he would face whatever came his way alone.

Bill drove quietly for a while, obviously lost in thought. “You were a good boss, Nathan, and a damn fine friend. I’ll not take more than the wife and I need. You’ll need money if you’re to start a life in the Republic.” He smiled into the mirror. “Hope you don’t mind me saying, but if we’d held on to our old system, you’d have made a pretty good Prime Minister.”

Nathan smiled back faintly. “Thanks, Bill. I’d like to think you’re right, but somehow I doubt I could have handled that much responsibility.”

“The best ones always doubt themselves,” Bill replied wisely. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the plan? You’re not the type to just run off and hide.”

“Oh, I’m not going into hiding.” Nathan gazed out of the car window, watching the landscape fly past. He didn’t have a concrete plan yet, but a few ideas were forming at the back of his mind. He recalled hearing a rumour some time ago that the founders of the Ministry of Freedom had taken refuge in the Republic, and were under the President’s protection. The thought that within the space of a few minutes he had thrown away his home and his career, turning himself into an outcast, suddenly hit him. Now that Bittner and the others probably thought of him as one of the rebels, he might as well go and join them. “I’ll find a way of causing them all kinds of trouble, believe me.”

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Several days later, Paige was getting thoroughly bored. She more or less had the run of the building, but mooching around a damp, decaying flat block wasn’t all that interesting. The doors and windows had been blocked, and heaven only knew how Crissi and the rest got in and out, because Paige couldn’t find an exit anywhere. Emerald was the only one who spoke to her, although André and a large, bald man who introduced himself as Sam had apologised to her the day after she arrived, for knocking her out. She got the feeling either Em or Crissi had made them do so, since neither of the men looked as though they meant it.

She had only seen Crissi once since her arrival, and that was only for a few minutes while the woman instructed her not to make contact with anyone outside. Paige was pretty certain, now, that none of these people intended her any harm; but what they actually did want with her was still a mystery. Em was none the wiser. “I dunno. Maybe they think Tommy’ll come back if he knows you’re around,” was the only supposition the girl had. From the few comments Paige had overheard, it sounded like her brother had not made contact with the Ministry since the cyber attack and consequent raid.

Slowly, she made her way up to the top floor, where she had found a room that was slightly cleaner than the rest and had one window she could see out of. Not that there was much of a view to see, there was a flat, filthy wall right outside. The only detail on it was the peeling corner of an old poster, turned a dull grey by time and weather. Still, it was a bit of the outside world, and she liked to see that it was still there. When she reached her little room, she found Em waiting for her.

“I knew you’d come up here,” the girl said happily. “I got a message for you from Tommy.”

Paige was surprised. “How did he know I was here?”

Em grinned at her. “Tommy’s clever.”

“So, what’s the message?” Paige asked. She couldn’t help wondering why Tom hadn’t been in touch with Crissi or someone, since they were supposed to be in this group together.

“He said to tell you to make sure you keep hold of it, and don’t say anything to anyone else.” The girl looked puzzled. “I don’t know what he was talking about, though. And he wants you to go and meet him next week, at the old Mornington Crescent station.”

“The old what station?”

Em giggled. “Mornington Crescent. It’s an Underground station in London, not one that many people use but it’s usually quiet around there. I guess that’s why he wants to meet there.”

Paige shook her head. “I don’t even know where I am right now, or how to get out of this building. How can I get to London by next week?”

The young girl tipped her head to the side. “We’re in London now, and I can show you the way out. You’ll have to be careful though,” she said. “They’re putting out notices on you, saying you’re a person of interest.”

“Oh, brilliant,” Paige said sarcastically. All she’d ever asked for in life was to be left to live in peace. Now, thanks to her wayward brother and his ridiculous ideas of rebellion, she was a wanted woman. “I guess I’d better go and talk to him. Maybe he’ll have an idea how I can get out of the mess he’s so thoughtfully dropped me into.” A sudden thought occurred to her, and she looked over at the young girl. “Hey, did you manage to get anywhere with the Intel agency’s system?”

Em shook her head. “Not yet. It’s not a difficult system to get into, but it is going to be hard to get into without them noticing. I’ll keep trying,” she promised.

Paige gave her a small, grateful smile. “Thanks. It’d be useful to know what went on if I’m going to have to defend myself against whatever accusations they throw at me.”

The girl shrugged. “Maybe. Depends if they want you locked up, and how badly. I’d better go, Crissi’ll be looking for me by now.” She scampered out of the room, leaving Paige to stare at her grey poster corner.

Left to her own devices, Paige could not muster the energy to worry about anything Emerald had just told her. She flopped onto the floor in the least dusty corner and stared blankly into space. Things were happening, that were going to happen whatever she did, so what was the point? She’d see Tom next week, get him to take back his little blob of plastic, and tell him she wanted no more part in whatever was happening. The CEG would figure out she’d done nothing wrong soon enough, and she could go back to her own quiet life.

5: Chapter 5

Paige shivered from the cold. She and Emerald had been standing in the dirty, freezing alley opposite the Underground station for what felt like forever, and Paige was sure she was getting frostbite. The girl had settled herself on top of a nearby bin, playing with a small toy and apparently ignoring the crowds of people that whizzed past, sparing only a glance at the small child sitting alone.

“He’s there,” Em mumbled suddenly. “I’ll go make a scene so you can run over without getting noticed.” She jumped down off the bin, ran down the street a way and then swerved into the road. A car screeched to a halt just before hitting her, but she threw herself to the ground and began crying.

Everyone’s attention was on the seemingly injured girl, and Paige took her chance to leg it across to the station. The bars that were meant to block access to the old tunnels were bent, broken and a couple were missing, giving the skinny young woman just enough space to slip through.

“Hey little sister. Been keeping out of trouble, I see,” someone said from the shadows further away from the entrance.

Paige turned towards the voice. “Tom, I ought to smack you round the head for this. What did you have to drag me into it for?” She tried to sound annoyed, but secretly she was glad he had managed to avoid getting caught.

Tom pulled her gently down some steps, round a corner and into a small room before turning on a light. He looked well, if a little thinner and very sheepish. “Sorry Paige. I know you would rather keep your head down and have a quiet life, but I had no choice. I don’t know who I can trust anymore,” he said. “I know you don’t want to be involved with the Ministry, but you’re not exactly a staunch supporter of the GF either, so I figured a neutral party would be safe to leave it with. You do still have the data blot I gave you, right?”

“You mean this thing?” Paige rummaged in her pocket for a moment and pulled out the lump of plastic. “You can take it back. I’ve had no end of grief since you shoved this on me; the CEG Intel lot came and arrested me at work, wanting to know if you’d told me or given me anything, then your Ministry mates basically kidnapped me...”

“Wait, you were arrested?” Tom interrupted. He started pacing around the small room, and Paige noticed he’d developed a slight limp. “I knew the Ministry had picked you up, but... what did they do? Are you okay? They didn’t...”

She shrugged. “I don’t think they did anything too horrific, but I don’t remember much. I thought I’d only been in custody for an hour, but Crissi said they’d had me for a day before she could get that bruiser André to come and snatch me.”

Tom gave an aggravated sigh and shook his head. “She shouldn’t have done that. I heard the Ministry had broken into the Intel agency’s State 9 base, but I had no idea they’d gone in there for you. Crissi’s been getting far too reckless lately,” he told her. “Paige, listen. That blot I gave you doesn’t just have some files about the GF’s dodgy accounts or whatever. They’re all in a panic about what we took from the database because it’s information that could bring their entire system down. The problem is, I’m not sure the Ministry actually want to distribute this information to the public. The way everyone’s been acting... it’s like they enjoy being a small band of militants against an overpowering force. If the Global Federation goes down, they’ve got nothing to fight against.”

“So distribute the information yourself. Dump it all onto the Internet in a few dozen places, share a bunch of links and get this crap over with,” Paige said in frustration. “Isn’t that basically what the Ministry would do anyway?” She was trying to pass the bit of plastic to him, wanting nothing more than to get this whole mess out of her hair.

He looked at her, for once dropping his indifferent mask and letting her see how worried and scared he was. “It’s not that simple, Paige. Say I dump this online and send it all over the globe, how many people would pay attention? Most would think it was some kind of joke, or a mad conspiracy theory, or they’d just skip over it in search of the next stupid video. The only ones who’d see it for what it is are the ones already working against the GF, and the ones working for the GF.” He ran a hand through his hair, obviously trying to find a way to explain what he was on about without actually telling her what was going on. Paige hated it when he did that. “Besides, I’m not a hundred percent sure of exactly what I’ve got hold of. I know it’s important, that much is obvious from the way they’re all het up about it. I know it’s got something to do with the way the GF, and the five continental super governments, took control of most of the world. I’m pretty sure it contains evidence that they took over illegally, using brutal force and literally trampling over anyone that disagreed with them. I need to go through it all properly, somewhere that I won’t be pursued and I can work out how to go about this.”

Paige pressed the blob of plastic into his hand. “Then take the bloody thing, get yourself over to the Republic, hide out and get it sorted,” she said firmly. “If you can’t trust the Ministry to help you out, maybe you can ask your dad. I’m guessing that’s who you’ve been working with.”

Tom half-smiled at her. “You’re a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for sometimes, Paige. Yes, I’ve been staying in the Republic with Dad and Rose - that’s Rose Black, she founded the Ministry with Dad - and they’ve both come to the same conclusions I have.” He pocketed the blob, and took Paige’s hand. “Come with me. I’ve seen the notices; the CEG aren’t going to let you off easily. They can’t let anyone with even the slightest connection to us dissenters run loose. Imagine the damage it would do if you said you wished they’d just stop chasing after your brother; they’d interpret that as questioning their laws and judgements.”

“Tom, I really...” she began. She didn’t want to get any further into this than she already was, and running off to the East Russian Republic was definitely not on her bucket list.

“You don’t have to get involved with what we’re doing; I’ve already pushed you into doing too much for this. Just come over, let me and Dad keep you out of their hands,” Tom cajoled. “There are plenty of people taking refuge in the Republic who have nothing to do with the Ministry or any other agitators, most were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or had the wrong person fall on them in a hallway,” he said with a wink.

Paige couldn’t help but smile at that. Tom had always known how to get her to join in with whatever mad scheme he was plotting, even when they were kids. She supposed she ought to be glad he hadn’t tried to talk her into storming the GF headquarters over in Switzerland. “Oh, all right. It would be more interesting than hanging around in damp, smelly tunnels until the CEG get bored of looking for me,” she admitted.

“What would?” said a sweet, clear voice from behind them. Paige turned to see Emerald had followed her into the depths of the old station. “Hi Tommy.”

Tom grinned at the girl. “Hi Em. I was just talking Paige into running away with me.” He considered her for a moment. “How about you? Fancy a trip to the Republic?”

Emerald grinned back at him. “Okay,” she said excitedly.

“No time to waste then. Come on, I’ll find Jocinda and let her know there’ll be three passengers on the next boat,” Tom told them. As Paige followed her brother further into the Underground, she wondered what exactly she was digging herself into. Wouldn’t running away just make her look more guilty than she was?

They descended a long flight of stairs, and Paige couldn’t help staring when they reached the bottom. She had expected to see a few dozen people, probably huddled against the walls or sprawled out under blankets. Instead, there were at least a hundred people crowded along the old platform. Nobody was sitting still, or looked like this was their permanent shelter; they were all milling around talking, meeting up with others or parting ways, some seemed to be trading old clothes. There was even someone cooking fist-sized lumps of meat on an old barbecue at one end, the smoke hanging in the air and making everything slightly hazy. The smell made her mouth water; she hadn’t had a proper meal in weeks, only whatever leftovers had been scavenged by the Ministry.

“Rats, Paige,” Tom said, glancing back and seeing her gazing longingly at the barbecue. “It’s something of an Underground delicacy. Most of the people down here don’t want to risk getting spotted up on the surface, so they’re limited to whatever they can catch foodwise. If you want one, by all means go over. I’m sure Alec would sell you one.”

Knowing what the lumps of meat were took the edge off her appetite somewhat. “I think I’ll pass,” she replied.

Emerald shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She broke away and squeezed through the crowd, returning a few minutes later with two bits of rat on sticks. Tom took one and nibbled at it as he worked his way through the throng, clearly looking for someone.

He jumped down from the platform and onto the old, unused tracks. Em perched on the edge and slid gracefully off, and Paige managed a sort of undignified stumble. There were less people on the tracks than on the platform, and those who were down here were walking out through the tunnel. One old woman stood against the wall, watching the crowd with sharp, quick eyes. Tom headed straight towards her.

“You’ll be wanting passage to the Republic,” she croaked as they got closer. “Standard rate for the kid, but you and the red head pay double. If I’m helping out people on the authorities’ radar, it’s got to be worth the trouble.”

Tom gave the woman a charming smile. “Aren’t I always worth the trouble, Jocinda?” He pulled a battered looking money card out of his pocket. “This is good for ten thousand credits. That ought to cover all three of us,” he said.

Jocinda took the card so quickly that Paige almost missed it. “There’s a cargo ship docked at the Bridge, due to leave tonight. Their destination port is close to the border; if you’re careful you should make it without too much hassle. I’ll have someone get you on board, but you’re on your own once you make landfall.” She eyed the three of them closely. “You better have a plan, Weaver. Word is your old friends are having doubts about you.”

Tom shrugged, as if to say ‘so what?’ “Take care of yourself, Jocinda. Rose sends her love,” he said before turning to walk away. He led the way down the tunnel, walking swiftly and silently until they reached an empty stretch. “If either of you wants to turn back, say so now. Once we’re on that ship we’re in it for the long haul.”

Em simply smiled and took Tom’s hand. Paige, despite her uncertainty, kept following her brother. After all, it wasn’t as if she was leaving that much behind. She could always come back after everything had calmed down, plead ignorance and move on. She hadn’t actually done anything, and she was fairly sure the CEG had more important people to chase down than her.

6: Chapter 6

There seemed to be too much noise. Paige was used to the rumble of vehicles and the angry yells of people running late, but everything here was somehow louder, more intense. As if she wasn’t confused enough, almost everyone here seemed to be speaking English.

They had made it off the cargo ship and up to the border with little difficulty, beyond having to sneak past security checks and Tom handing out money cards like he was a walking cash dispenser. She’d idly wondered where he got them from at first, then remembered Em’s hacking skills and decided she probably didn’t want to know the details. Once they were across the border and into the East Russian Republic (thanks to another ten thousand credit ‘payment’ from Tom) things had got a bit simpler. They’d hitched a lift into a nearby town, stayed overnight and caught a train first thing the following morning.

They’d arrived in Moscow, the capital of the Republic, and Tom had disappeared for a moment to make a phone call before returning and taking the two girls across the city on the Metro system. That had been strange and colourful enough – used to the drab, cold grey of State 9’s metro system, the bright murals and shining lights had seemed like a dream world to Paige. When they left the Russian underground they emerged near an amazing, positively huge building that had beautiful, intricate designs on each of its swirled, domed tower roofs.

“St. Basil’s Cathedral,” Tom had informed her as she gaped at it. “It’s almost six hundred years old. There’s a fascinating history behind it; I’d definitely recommend taking a tour sometime.”

He’d taken them past the cathedral, down a narrow alleyway, and out into a busy, crowded street, and Paige was starting to feel a little lost. Whenever she had been among a large crowd before, they had been muted, only speaking to their own friends and ignoring everyone else. This crowd, however, seemed to be full of people who shouted from one side of the road to the other, speaking to anyone who was in the vicinity. It was loud and exciting, and there was a vague, indefinable something in the atmosphere; if Paige had to put a name to it she would probably have said ‘happy’, but that didn’t quite cover it. She hurried to catch up with Tom, who had got ahead while she was dawdling near the alley.

Everywhere she looked, there was a flag she didn’t recognise, adorning clothes, hanging outside buildings, a massive one flying outside a restaurant. It was a rather striking design; red and white crosses overlapping on a dark blue background. “Hey Tom, what’s the deal with these flags?” she called ahead.

Tom turned to look at her, walking backwards and spreading his arms wide. “It's our flag, Paige. Welcome to the British District,” he said.

“British?” Paige queried. She’d never heard the term before.

Emerald giggled. “You know, as in Britain? Where we come from? Now called EuroState 9?” Someone squealed her name, and she turned around. “Sapph!” she shouted, running over to hug a girl who looked almost exactly like her, but better fed and with deep blue eyes rather than Em's glittering green.

“That’s Em’s second cousin, Sapphire. She’s been living over here with her family since she was a baby,” Tom explained. “Come on, let’s leave them to their reunion. I need to get your refuge claim started.” He led her on through the streets, stopping briefly into a second hand shop to buy a new set of clothes for Paige. She was still wearing the outfit she’d had on when the CEG agents arrested her, and it was looking very ragged and dirty, although she had tried her best to clean it. “You can’t show up in front of the President looking like that,” Tom told her.

Paige agreed; she’d felt awkward wandering around the Underground looking so awful, never mind meeting anyone important. “Wait a second, why am I going to be in front of the President?” she asked. Surely the Russian President was way too busy to meet everyone who came to his country individually, so why would he be interested in some random nobody from nowhere?

“Well, Dad said if I ever managed to get you over here he'd want to say hello, and since Dad's pretty much always sitting in on some meeting or other with the President, you'll probably meet him too. I don’t know what you’ve heard, but Dad and Rose are under President Ivanov’s personal protection. Dad’s actually a pretty good friend of his now, so if anyone in the family ends up over here they’re given the same protection,” Tom told her. “Don’t worry. I know the media paint him as this crazy bloke who won’t join the global utopia, but he’s actually really nice.”

Paige was glad to hear it, although she had never quite bought into the idea that everything was amazing because the world was mostly operating under a single government, and if anyone decided to abandon the system and do their own thing then terrible things would happen to everyone. Mainly, she didn’t believe it because everything wasn’t amazing. They stopped at a two-floor building, and Tom unlocked the door. “Which room’s yours?” she asked. Back home, a little place like this would be divided into several one-room bedsits. She considered herself lucky to have a place with two rooms.

Tom smiled slowly. “All of them. Things are different over here, Paige. This entire house is mine; well, technically I don’t own it, I’m just renting it, but I’m the only one living here.”

Her jaw dropped. “But there must be at least seven rooms in there, doesn’t the council have a problem with one person having so much space?”

“Eight rooms if you include the bathroom, and no, this is normal over here. Used to be normal everywhere, but…” he trailed off. “Come on, get yourself showered and changed. I’ll sort out the guest room while you’re doing that, then we can head to the Kremlin to fill out a ton of paperwork.” Lost for words, Paige just shook her head and went inside.

One long shower and a short walk later, the two of them stood at the entrance of a very impressive building. To Paige, the entire set up looked as though several separate buildings had been scooped up from different places and times, moved to this one area and joined up to make a sort of patchwork city within the walls. Tom had led her through the mishmash of churches, towers and houses to the biggest and grandest building of all.

“Wow.” Paige wished she could be more eloquent, but for some reason she just couldn't find the words she wanted. “It's... wow,” was all she could manage.

Tom grinned at her. “I know, right? Come on, let's get going.” He led her inside, past some security people who merely glanced up at him, nodded and waved them through.

Paige stuck close to her brother; there were about a million doors in this place, and she knew if she lagged behind she would end up totally and completely lost. Tom, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly where to go, and took her to a small office on the second floor. He gabbled something Russian at a man sitting behind a cluttered desk, the man gabbled something back and handed him a stack of papers.

“Most of this is just standard stuff, it shouldn't take long to get through,” Tom told her cheerfully. He divided the stack of paper in two, giving her the slightly smaller bundle. “This is what you need to fill in, mostly it's about who you are, your reasons for claiming refuge in the Republic and how you plan to support yourself if your stay lasts longer than six months. I need to fill in this lot, since I'll be acting as your sponsor. We can run through it all in detail later, I've got you on the 'Pending Claims' register for now.”

Paige just nodded, feeling slightly bewildered by the whole thing. She really hadn't thought this through, and now she would have to rely on Tom to get her through it all properly. “Um... okay?” she said uncertainly. She was way out of her depth here.

“Don't worry. I'll walk you through all this lot tonight, and you can stay in my spare room as long as you like. It's supposed to be Dad's room, but since he stays here pretty much all the time there's nobody else using it,” Tom said. “Come on. I'd better introduce you.”

He led her through yet more corridors and into a lush, well furnished area. As they walked through, she couldn't help but stare at the opulent decorations. She couldn't decide if the place was amazingly beautiful or just showing off. Absently, she noticed Tom had pushed open a large, intricately carved door. A security guard stood to the side looked as if he was about to say something, but shook his head dismissively when he saw who it was opening the door. Obviously, Tom was known and accepted here.

As she was focused on her surroundings and not watching where she was going, she walked straight into the back of her brother. She glared at him, about to ask why he had randomly stopped in the doorway, but he rapidly silenced her. “We'll have to wait a moment. I didn't realise they were meeting with him,” he whispered.

Paige looked around him at the room. It was as ostentatious as the hallways they had walked through to get here, and looked like a sort of dining-hall-come-meeting-room. There was a long table running through the middle of the room, accompanied by at least fifty chairs. Most were empty, only the largest chair in the centre of the table and the one to its right were occupied. She recognised Tom's father, Tom Sr., in the smaller chair, and assumed the man in the big chair was President Ivanov. A third man stood opposite them, his hands clasped behind his back. He seemed vaguely familiar to Paige, but she couldn't recall where she had seen him before.

Tom Sr. was looking at the standing man with obvious distrust, and leant over to mutter something to the President. Ivanov said something back, and Tom Sr. reluctantly nodded. It was plain to see that he wasn't happy with whatever had been decided, but it was not his decision to make.

“My friend does not trust you, Mr. Johnson,” said Ivanov. “However, I believe all men deserve a chance to redeem themselves. You may remain in the Republic, but do not give me reason to regret this,” he told the thin, nervous looking man who stood before him.

Mr. Johnson seemed relieved. “Thank you, Mr. President. Of course, if I am able to assist in any way I would be more than happy to...”

“I am certain we can find you should a need arise. That will be all,” the President said, waving the man out of the room. Once Johnson had left through the other door, both men turned to look at the two who had entered the side door.

“You do pick your moments, Tom,” said his father. He pulled out a chair and beckoned them over.

Tom approached the table, a slight frown creasing his face. “What did Johnson want?”

“Your State 9 advisor has developed a spine,” said the President. “He is asking asylum from persecution, after dramatic defiance of the Central European Government.”

Tom Sr. gave his son a look. “He’s also offered to help the Ministry in whatever plans they have,” he said sceptically. “I’d say this is a setup, myself. But we can talk politics later. I see you managed to talk Paige into coming over here, and I bet she’s bored senseless already.”

Paige smiled nervously. She didn’t really know what to say, and was very conscious of her second-hand outfit and still damp hair. Luckily, nobody seemed to mind that she was stood there grinning like a mute loon. She was vaguely aware that someone was talking, and only realised that she was expected to respond when her brother nudged her.

“I did warn you, she’s a bit of a daydreamer sometimes,” he said to Ivanov. Paige belatedly realised that the President had just greeted her and was waiting for a handshake. She blushed and quickly obliged.

He winked amicably. “Don’t worry. My daughter is the same, always dreaming.” Something beeped, and he glanced over at the door. “Another meeting; I cannot wait for this day to end,” he mumbled wearily. “Enjoy your stay in the Republic, you are welcome to remain.” He gave her a reassuring smile as both men turned their attention back to the other door.

Tom indicated that they should leave, and catch up with his dad properly later. Paige nodded and reluctantly followed her brother out. She was really not looking forward to the mountain of paperwork that awaited her back at Tom’s place.

7: Chapter 7

The small bar was packed, leaving Paige stranded at a table full of strangers while she attempted to tune out the guy who was currently butchering ‘Gimme One More’, a song she had never particularly liked anyway. She was supposed to have met up with Tom here half an hour ago, but he hadn’t yet turned up, and she was on the verge of giving up and heading back to the house. He was probably busy talking politics with his dad and had completely forgotten about her, anyway.

The man finally stopped yowling on the open mic, and for a few moments the only sound in the place was the quiet murmur of conversation. Paige breathed a sigh of relief, and absently rotated her glass on its mat. She’d give Tom five more minutes, then she was leaving. She had other things to do than sit in this crowded, smelly, noisy...

“Thank God that’s over,” someone said, interrupting her train of thought. “You know, there’s more space at my table, if you want to join me, Paige.”

Paige turned to see who was speaking, and her eyes immediately met those of an older woman. She thought she recognised this woman, but couldn’t place her or remember her name. “Sorry, who...?”

The woman smiled. “Of course, I haven’t properly introduced myself. I’m Rose, we met once before, but you were very young. You probably don’t remember,” she said. “Anyway, come on over. It’s much nicer here when you’re not squashed in with a load of other people.”

Glad of the company, and hoping for an actual conversation, Paige extricated herself from the table and followed the woman round a corner and into a small alcove. Considering how packed the rest of the place was, it was quite empty. “This is better, I can breathe,” she said.

Rose nodded. “It can get a little packed on karaoke nights. Good thing I keep this table reserved,” she said, taking her seat. “Anyway, Tom’s been delayed working on the data, so I thought I’d come and rescue you from the damn awful caterwauling over there.” She waved her glass towards the small stage, where a pair of girls had started wailing.

Thankfully, the noise was muffled back here, and Paige could hear herself think. She studied the other woman for a moment; hair the colour of dark chocolate fell in tight curls around her pale, round face, and a pair of steel grey eyes seemed to pierce whatever they looked at. Suddenly, she realised why the woman was familiar. Rose Black, the founder of the Ministry, had been a regular feature on news bulletins for several years while Paige was growing up. The rumours about the woman were ridiculous; there was one urban legend that said she had single handedly broken into the GF holding cells and dispatched an entire squad of soldiers before freeing a load of prisoners. She was the reason the Ministry used a black rose as their symbol, which Paige figured was meant to be a weak play on her name.

She had several questions, mostly involving her brother or the borderline ridiculous stories that surrounded the woman's exploits, but there was one thing that had been bugging her for some time. Paige had always been one to keep her head down, her mouth shut, and follow the rules just to make her own life easier. It was beyond her comprehension that someone would risk their security, their home and job, sometimes even their life just to go up against a system that was so powerful it just crushed anything in its way. “Why did you start the Ministry? I mean, I get that things aren't great, but why did you start all this up? It's not like there's a better way of doing things, really, so why make life difficult for yourself?”

Rose smiled sadly. “There used to be a better way, Paige. Tell me, have you ever heard of China?”

“Like, plates and cups and things?”

“The country.” She shook her head. “Obviously not; the thought of any area running itself, and doing it well, isn't an idea they want to teach kids at school. China used to be a very influential and rich country, part of the Asian continent. It's now been merged into the Asian Alliance, along with Japan, Mongolia, Thailand and several others. It had its bad points too, of course; the government of China once passed a law to stop couples having more than one child, for instance. They'd trade with other countries around the world, but they didn't put up with anyone else interfering with their own internal politics. What about America?”

Paige had heard the word, and frantically tried to recall it. “The United Americas?” She had a feeling Rose meant something else, but that was the only place she'd ever heard of an America.

“Close. It used to mean the United States of America, which was only a small part of the landmass you know as the United Americas. Years ago, the United States took up just over half of the northern part of the continent. The rest belonged to two countries, Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south. The skinny bit in the middle was made up of seven countries, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The southern part was divided between several countries; Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia... just to name a few. I hope you're up for a political history lesson, because this is where it starts getting complicated.” She paused, took a sip of her drink.

“There used to be an organisation called the United Nations, which had representatives from each country of the world and, among other things, was supposed to help international relations and keep everyone pretty much on cordial terms, if not friendly. It wasn't perfect, but most of the time it worked reasonably well. About seventy years ago, for some reason it got dissolved and the Global Federation sprung up in its place. Instead of representatives of each country, the GF was a supposedly independent body, made up of international businessmen and 'peace activists', whatever they are. These people decided that it would be better if all the separate countries in each continent pooled everything in a single location; resources, money, government, law enforcement and so on. Despite multiple protestations from various member states over the years, most of Europe was well on its way to becoming this centralised continent, so the GF used the European model as a template.”

Despite her total lack of interest in politics, Paige found herself leaning forward, enthralled by Rose's story. “So not everyone was okay with this going ahead?”

“Not at all. A lot of people were fiercely against it, not so much in Europe as they had already started on the road and couldn't see a way to turn back, but definitely in America. The United States had fought hard for their independence and their right to govern themselves hundreds of years beforehand, they weren't about to let Mexico and Brazil share in their government and lawmaking. The European Empire was the first to officially form, since they were pretty much there already it didn't take long to finalise everything. A few years later the Council of Africa was formed, and the GF drafted a treaty that gave them unilateral control over all deals and interactions between the Council and the Empire.

“I think it was about ten years before the Asian Alliance and the Australasian Territories came under the umbrella, and the GF's Cooperation Treaty was expanded to include them. By then, most of South and Central America had joined together as one conglomerate nation. The United States was still resisting the merger, and their government tried to negotiate a military alliance with Russia, which was on its way to becoming this Russian Republic. President Glazkova, the Russian leader at the time, had already held a referendum asking the citizens if they wanted any part of the globalisation project. The public had answered with a landslide 'No', so she had to turn down the US and leave them to get on with it; she didn't want to risk her country by throwing it into a war with everyone else in the world. The GF had the combined military of the rest of the world at that point though, and no matter how great the American forces were they couldn't stand alone against the entire planet. Once the US was forced to capitulate, the GF had all five inhabited continents under their sway.”

“Except for the Russian Republic,” Paige pointed out. “How did they manage to keep their individuality?”

“With great difficulty,” Rose quipped. “President Glazkova had to keep her nation going through heavy financial sanctions and military threats; there were a few times the entire country's farms failed to produce food and the citizens had to get by on very meagre rations, and there was a little too much evidence that the GF had something to do with it. I'm sure there's plenty of information available if you want to know any more, I know there are definitely some old records in the library at the Kremlin. But they managed to get through it, build themselves up so the GF's forces couldn't realistically cause them any harm without using such devastating weapons that everything would go down. Most of the farms were moved underground, and the water supplies protected so that there was little risk of anything harmful getting at the food. The Russians learnt to produce what they needed internally, and what they couldn't make themselves they learnt to live without. I'll get us some more drinks,” Rose said, standing and taking Paige's glass.

Paige stared at the table, not really seeing it. She hadn't paid all that much attention in history class at school, but from what little she remembered it had mostly been about what a terrible place the world had been before the Global Federation had come along, and how Europe had been torn apart by wars and hatred until it united as one Empire under the Central Government. It had sounded like a load of boring negotiations done by boring people decades before she'd been born, and she hadn't seen any relevance to her life, especially when there was a cute boy sitting in the row in front whose attention she wanted to attract. She had never really considered, or cared, what the world might have been like back then. It was certainly the first time she'd heard about any United Nations.

The man on the karaoke now was actually not too bad. Paige didn't know the song, but it sounded quite sad, and maybe a little bitter. '...fire burns from better days, and she screams why, oh, why...' The music was upbeat, and seemed to clash with the lyrics a little. She looked up, wondering if there was a song title anywhere so she could check it out, and was surprised to recognise the man singing.

Nathan Johnson, former advisor of EuroState 9 and current asylum claimant of the Republic, was singing with his eyes shut. Quite a few people seemed to actually be watching him, which was unusual, because karaoke singers were usually treated as irritating drunken noise and ignored as much as possible. “The catastrophic hymns from yesterday, of misery,” the song ended, and he looked surprised when people applauded briefly. He gave an awkward sort of wave and stepped down, letting the next singer up.

Rose returned a few moments later, carrying three glasses and a bottle. “Hope you don't mind, I asked Nathan to be the third,” she said, putting a glass in front of Paige.

“Third?” Paige queried.

“It's an old Russian custom,” Rose explained. “A bottle should be shared between three, but if there are only two of you, you can ask someone to be the third.” As she spoke, she poured three large measures of spirit into the glasses.

Nathan arrived a second later, squeezing through the crowd. “This place is even more packed than usual tonight.” He collapsed onto the seat next to Paige, and Rose pushed a glass across the table to him. “Thanks. I don't think we've met before, have we? I'm Nathan,” he said, holding out a hand to Paige.

“Paige,” she replied, shaking his hand. “You were pretty good up there, what song was that?” she asked.

“An old one, by a band called Green Day. The song's called Misery, it's always been one of my favourites. It's about ninety years old, but somehow it seemed appropriate.” He raised his glass. “Pyey da dna,” he said before downing it. Rose echoed him.

Paige looked between them, confused. “Um, what?”

Rose giggled. “She's new here,” she told Nathan. “It's a Russian toast, pyey da dna, it means 'drink to the bottom'. You say it, down the shot, and repeat until the bottle is empty,” she said with a grin.

Paige looked at her glass, up at her two drinking partners, and shrugged. “Pyey da dna,” she said, and emptied her glass. Of all the odd things she had imagined doing in her wild moments, she had never envisioned herself sitting in a Russian karaoke bar downing vodka shots with a wanted terrorist and an ex-politician, but she was happy to go with the flow. It was certainly one of the most interesting evenings she'd ever had.

8: Chapter 8

“I take it you had fun last night?” someone yelled in Paige's ear.

She groaned and pulled the pillow over her head. “G'way,” she mumbled.

The someone sat down next to her on the bed. “Come on, it's only a hangover. I'll make you a strong coffee,” he shouted.

Paige lifted the pillow a fraction so she could glare at whoever was giving her a headache. Tom was smiling at her, not an ounce of sympathy in his expression. “Bugger off, I’m sleeping.”

He patted the pillow gently. “Paige, it’s three in the afternoon,” he told her. “I know you’re not used to drinking, but seriously, how much did you have?”

She reluctantly crawled out from under the pillow. “Er... we finished the first bottle, and Rose got another one which I think we finished... then I remember some weird tasting shots, I don’t know what they were...”

“Oh, god.” Tom was obviously trying to stifle a chuckle. “You were drinking with Rose? No wonder you’re so wasted. What poor sod did she get as the third?”

“Nathan,” Paige replied without thinking.

Tom stared at her for a minute. “Nathan Johnson?” He spluttered for a moment before laughing so hard that he fell off the bed. “Johnson doing shots, I would have paid to see that! Please tell me he drank as much as you did.”

“Probably more, I seem to remember falling asleep partway through the second bottle,” she replied. Tom rolled around on the floor in hysterics, much to her confusion. “What’s so funny?”

He sat up, finally coughing himself back into sensibility. “Just the thought of that stuffed suit getting pissed at a karaoke bar,” he giggled.

Paige sat up, willing the room to hold still. “He’s not all that bad, you know. Give him a chance, you might be surprised.” She held her head tightly. “Any chance of that coffee?”

“Sure. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes. Em’s here, by the way, says she’s got something to tell you.”

She groaned softly and flopped back onto the bed. What could Emerald possibly need to tell her? After a moment, she forced herself out of bed and down the stairs. When she reached the sitting room, the smell of fresh coffee hit her and she smiled. At least Tom got the good stuff. Em was perched on the sofa, next to another slightly older girl who she vaguely recalled was Em’s cousin or something. To her surprise, Tom’s dad was also there, sat in the corner, poring over some electronic device and muttering to himself.

“Hi Paige,” Em said, waving enthusiastically. “You look awful, are you ill?”

Paige couldn’t be too offended at the girl’s bluntness, as she did sound genuinely concerned. “I’m fine, just had a rough night.” She sat in the last available chair, absently running her fingers through her hair. “Tom said you wanted to tell me something?”

She beamed. “I got into the Intel system. It doesn’t look like they did much of anything, you just seem to be sat in a cell mumbling to yourself until the agents come get you for questioning. I copied the video onto here, if you want to check it out yourself.” She held out a small blob of plastic, not unlike the one that had started this whole mess to begin with.

“Thanks Em. I’ll take a look later.” Paige stuck the blob in her dressing gown pocket and smiled at the girl.

“Take a look at what?” Tom asked as he entered with a tray of cups. “Coffee, coffee, tea and two Cokes,” he listed the drinks as he handed them out.

Paige took hers gratefully. “Em got the video of my little visit to the Intel agency. It sounds like nothing happened, but can we go over it later?”

“Sure. Dad’s still getting nowhere with our data, right?” he called over. Tom Sr. made a distracted noise, barely glancing up from his device. “I’ll load it onto the computer tonight and we can check it out.”

“Have you worked out what you’re doing with that yet?” Paige asked, nodding at Tom Sr.’s device. She was curious, and since whatever it was had got her into so much bother, she figured she deserved to know.

Tom exchanged looks with Emerald and the other girl. “We’re still working on a plan. I think I know how to get it out there, but we need an outlet that a lot of people will know and trust. An independent media network would be ideal, but I don’t know of any that are well known enough to be a credible source,” he explained. “Something like TruthNet, but bigger, and that people actually listen to.”

“That bunch of conspiracy nuts?” Paige had heard of TruthNet before; they were generally thought of as a collection of tinfoil-hatted weirdos with too much time on their hands. Nobody took their ravings seriously. “Why not try and get it on one of the major networks? You know, EuroNews or something,” she suggested.

“Because they wouldn’t want anything to do with it,” Tom Sr. said. He finally looked up from his tablet and continued. “EuroNews is controlled by the CEG, who answer to the GF. Same with PanAm Media, the Eastern Times, and the rest. They won’t put out anything that disagrees with the Federation, and in all likelihood they’d report whoever sent in the information.”

Everyone sat silently for a few moments. “I still think you’re thinking too big,” Emerald said quietly. “What about starting smaller? Free one state, along with its local media, and go from there.”

Tom looked thoughtful for a few minutes. “That could work. We’d be taking a massive risk though; the GF might just decide to annihilate whichever state we freed, cut out the problem instead of fixing it. A lot of innocent people could get caught up if things went down that road.”

“Unless that state had some heavy duty backing,” Tom Sr. mused. “Leave this one with me.”

Paige zoned out a little as the four of them started discussing in depth. The subject just couldn’t hold her interest at the best of times, and being hungover was not helping matters. She gazed absently at the unit in the corner, currently on mute so the images were unaccompanied by noise. She wasn’t paying much attention to anything until a picture of Nathan flashed across the screen. “Someone turn that up,” she said.

Em reached for the remote. “It’ll be in Russian, I can get it to translate if you give me a second,” she said.

A babble of Russian came from the unit’s speakers before Em managed to set it to English. “...by the Central European Government today that dissenter Nathan Johnson is wanted for crimes against the Global Federation, including collaboration with the terrorist organisation known as the Ministry of Freedom and passing information to the Russian government. Mr Johnson’s whereabouts are currently unknown,” said the news reader. “However, in response to threats from the CEG, President Ivanov issued this statement earlier today.”

It cut to a recorded video of the Russian President behind a podium. “How the Global Federation deals with those it considers criminals within its own territory is not our concern. We would, though, remind the leaders of the Federation that the Republic will not take kindly to an invasion of our territories. If any action is taken against the Russian people, or Russian lands, there will be consequences.”

“Say what you want about the guy, he defends his own,” Tom remarked. He clicked the sound back off as the news reader reappeared and moved to the next story.

Paige was confused. “But he’s here, isn’t he? Nathan was granted asylum in the Republic, how come they’re saying they don’t know where he is?”

Tom Sr. stood and stretched. “Couple of reasons. One, the GF are probably watching the Russian news, so if they say Johnson is claiming asylum here they’d be asking for a military invasion. If the GF have any spies around the Russian government can plead ignorance and say he must have been hiding underground. Two, like Tom said, Ivanov wants to protect his people. If he admits Johnson is here, the GF will know for sure that others have claimed asylum here too, and there are some people hiding out here that they’d risk starting a war to get to. They’ve already worked it out, of course, but to start something like that they’d need something concrete to go on.”

“Right,” Paige said slowly. She was still confused. There were far too many ins and outs in politics, she couldn’t keep track of everything. As the rest resumed their conversation, she sat back and watched, wondering if any of this would ever make sense to her.

9: Chapter 9

A few days later, Paige was wandering around Red Square at a loose end. She’d visited St Basil’s as Tom had recommended, and spent a good three hours looking at everything inside. It wasn’t a dreary old church, as she’d thought it would be; the architecture alone was impressive, and the history behind each exhibit had kept her fascinated for ages. She had eventually finished, and reluctantly left the warm building to search for food.

A stall in the Square sold a weird pinkish soup, so she bought a bowl in the hopes it would warm her up. She perched on a wall near a small, peach coloured church on the edge of the Square and huddled over her soup. As she sat there trying to keep herself warm, she heard bells start to ring. Just one rang at first, then others joined in until a pretty melody rang out across the whole Square. Someone sat beside her, looking at the small church.

“I always come here at midday to hear the Kazan bells,” the person said. “It’s become a kind of routine for me the last ten years. I’ll be sad to leave it behind.”

Paige turned to see Rose had found her again. “Leave? Are you going somewhere?”

Rose gave her an odd look. “Hasn’t Tom said anything? We’re planning a coup in State 9.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “You’re not serious.”

“We are serious. Emerald’s idea could work, if we plan it right. State 9 is fairly small and isolated, geographically, and since Johnson has already joined the cause we have a new leader to put in place already,” she explained. “It’ll take a while to pull it off properly, and they’re still hammering out the details with Ivanov, but we’re hoping to have control of the state by next summer. I thought someone would have mentioned it to you by now,” she said.

Paige opened and closed her mouth several times, completely at a loss for a response. “Why is Ivanov getting involved? I’d have thought he’d want to keep out of it,” she asked eventually.

“He won’t be directly involved, at least not to begin with. Our plan is to take over by stealth, so that by the time the CEG realises something’s going on, we’ll already be in charge of the state and declaring our freedom. They’ll try to regain the state, of course, that’s when the Russians will move in as our allies.”

“So... you’re joining forces with Russia.” Paige thought this one over. “Okay, I get why that works from your side of things, but I still don’t see what’s in it for them. They want to avoid annoying the GF, right? So why would Ivanov get involved?” she asked again.

Rose made an overly patient face, like a teacher trying to explain something to a slow student. “Because he’s not Glazkova. She worked to stabilise the country and establish Russia as a power outside of the Federation. She did a good job of it, but Ivanov thinks it’s time they did something with that power. What’s the use of being the only remaining resistance if you’re just going to seal yourselves off and ignore the rest of the world?”

Paige thought it over. It kind of made sense, but she didn't see how they expected to just walk in and quietly take control of EuroState 9. She finished her soup and stood up. “Is Tom about, or is he in the meetings?”

“He's at home with Emerald, they're going through the files from the GF database.”

“Have you figured out what you’re doing with those yet?” Paige asked.

Rose shook her head. “Not yet. There’s a lot to go through, and most of it is encrypted. Tom just downloaded a massive data dump when he found the hidden logs, without really going through what he’d found. There wasn’t enough time to check any of it before the enforcers showed up, but he guessed it was something major from the effort they’d gone to in hiding it,” she said. “It looks like they were meant to be deleted, but nothing is ever truly erased from computers; some traces are always left behind.” She trailed off, staring at the little church.

Paige said her goodbyes and left Rose to her thoughts. On her way back to Tom’s place in the British district, she cursed her brother for dragging her into all this, and puzzled over her own stirring curiosity about the situation. She had never cared about this stuff before, so why was she finding it so interesting now?

She reached the house and entered, immediately spotting Tom and Emerald glued to a pair of computer screens at the kitchen table. “So Rose tells me you’re going to take over State 9,” she said as she flopped down into the remaining chair.

“Yep. We’ve got the information we need for that, at least,” Tom replied.

Paige waited, but apparently no more explanations would be forthcoming. “Do I get to know anything else about this?”

Tom pushed a button on his screen, and it winked off. “Never thought you’d be asking for details of my activism,” he said with a grin. “We’ve been working on this load of data, and we think we’ve got somewhere, at least to be able to wrest Britain from the GF’s clutches.” He pushed a stack of paper at her. “This details the beginning of everything. It’s not a complete record, there are still parts we need to recover, but it’s enough to work with for now.”

Paige flicked through the stack; there must have been nearly a hundred pages there. “Any chance you can just summarise the important bits for me?”

“Okay, but if you want the whole story you’ll need to read through that,” Tom replied. “It seems that this began way back in 2016. The British people were given the chance to vote on their membership of the European Union, which was kind of the forerunner of the CEG. It was a close run, but they voted to leave. The people in charge at the time didn’t like that, and they tried all they could to mess things up. They did a good job of it too; although the country ‘left’ the EU in name, they had managed to put such a downer on Britain’s prospects on the world stage that the public allowed them to effectively stay a part of all the things they had originally wanted out of. It screwed Britain from all sides; the EU states wouldn’t interact with them because they weren’t technically members anymore, and the non-EU countries couldn’t do much because they were still bound by EU regulations.”

Emerald shut off her own screen and looked over at them. “Everything was really rubbish for a while, then a few years down the line, the EU offered Britain the chance to ‘rejoin’, and the Prime Minister at the time jumped at it. Of course, they had to sign up to a whole load of stuff they hadn’t had to before, like using the same money as everyone else and giving up all rights to local gov’ment,” she said. “What used to be Parliament turned into the Advisory Council, totally under control of the EU.”

“This was around the time the Global Federation was starting up, back in 2028. The EU were consolidating their power over the continent, slowly getting a fully centralised government and abolishing all of the separate national ones. From what we’ve accessed so far, it sounds like the GF used the EU’s model as a template,” Tom continued. “Once they had replaced the United Nations, through a lot of bribery and blackmail from what we’ve read so far, they decided they could further centralise power. That was when they ‘suggested’ that all the other continents could follow the European model, and the five super governments began to form.

“The British public were still pretty ticked off with the way they’d been treated, and from time to time little uprisings started within the state. The biggest was in 2035, but I’m sure you remember all that from school...”

“You know how much attention I paid in history class, Tom,” Paige huffed. “Pretend I’m completely ignorant, and walk me through it.”

Tom grinned again. “Fair enough. The rebellion of 2035 was a desperate, violent outpouring of the public’s anger. People were tired of being walked over, tired of being told they were somehow evil just for disagreeing with someone else. The remnants of those who had wanted to leave knew they had been screwed over, by both the European government and the British government, and nobody would listen when they tried to do things the nice way. They tried to seize power by forcibly taking over areas, starting in the north of Britain. The CEG’s shiny new enforcer squads came down hard on them, and a lot of the ringleaders were arrested and unofficially executed for ‘destabilising the peace’. The official story is that they were all either imprisoned or committed suicide, of course.

“The next big public outcry was in 2048, when the CEG decided that having individual names for each of its states was causing too many problems, giving people nationalist ideas. Britain had been known as Britain for thousands of years, one way or another, so people were outraged that the long history of their homeland was going to be reduced to the number nine. There were a lot of protests, a lot of petitions, and a lot of noise, but the CEG just steamrollered over it all, and we became EuroState 9.

“Four years later, the few who were still left of the ‘leavers’ - that’s the people who had wanted out of the EU - and their supporters decided to try and overthrow the Advisory Council in Westminster. They tried to do it peacefully, but the CEG were expecting them and captured every last one. The records we have here say they were killed, but again, the official story was imprisonment. Since then, nobody has been able or willing to move against the CEG or the GF, until Dad and Rose came along.”

Paige sat quietly for a moment, trying to digest the onslaught of information. “Weren’t things better that way though? I mean, the whole of Europe was at war with each other before the CEG formed, wasn’t it?”

Tom shook his head. “Europe hadn’t been at war with itself since 1945. That was twenty years before even the EEC came about, and that was the precursor to the EU. All that stuff about how awful everything was before the GF saved us all is just propaganda, spread to stop people wanting to break free from their control.”

“It works, too. Nobody’s going to do anything if they think they’ll make things worse for themselves,” Emerald said. “So everyone just keeps their heads down, and ignores what’s happening as long as it’s not happening to them.”

“Like I did, you mean,” Paige mumbled, half ashamed and half fuming with herself. How could she have been so stupid not to realise it, how could she have just swallowed whatever she was told without even bothering to wonder why it was all so insistently shoved down people’s throats? Barely a week went by without some public reminder of how wonderful the GF were and how everyone should be glad they were taking care of things.

Tom leant forwards. “Not just you, Paige. Most of the world’s population. They were bloody clever about this, and they’ve had a good run, but it’s time we took back what’s rightfully ours. All empires have to fall sooner or later. This one’s about to crumble.” She looked up at him, saw the blazing light in his eyes. “So, you fancy joining us?”

She ran her thumb up the edge of the paper stack still sitting in front of her. “Well, if I’m going to get involved, I’ll need to know as much as I can,” she said with a small smile. “I think I’ll read through this lot after all. I’ve got a lot of catching up to do before we retake Britain.”