by Mya Robarts
As we get closer to town, we split apart to take separate roads for the sake of discretion. I haven’t walked two steps before his hand grabs mine to stop me. I turn to look at him. His blue eyes are piercing into mine, dazzling me for a moment.
“I’m a proud man, Lila. It’s not easy for me to admit feelings I’ve never felt before, knowing that you’re going to dismiss them. My pride would take a blow. With a girl like you, I prefer to show and not to tell.”
Except that he has just told me. Indirectly. Through the implications of his last words. And it seems that he hasn’t even realized his own admission.
He walks away, his red cape billowing to the rhythm of the wind. I remain frozen to the spot, trying to collect my thoughts.
To show and not to tell. I rack my brain, trying to remember the number of feelings that Aleksey has demonstrated so far. Undeniable passion and mind-consuming lust. Lascivious possessiveness and insane protectiveness. Gentleness and sweet obsession. But above all that respect and commitment.
How could I not have noticed before? And now that I can’t keep denying his feelings, I don’t know how to love him. Whatever this is—thunderbolt, lust, insta-love—there’s only one undeniable revelation from the last words he’s said.
Aleksey Fürst has fallen in love with me.
44
The 36th Battalion
Rey scans the rudimentary map. “Turn to the right, Lily.”
The visibility is minimal, but Aleksey taught me well. Before I learned how to drive, none of us could operate a military vehicle. Unfortunately, I’m the only Comanche capable of driving a Patriot ATV. These vehicles could have been a valuable weapon.
The valleys surrounding the Lion Sierra are facing a tempest, as my dad predicted. Ideal weather to blow up a train; Patriots assume that the damage is caused by the storm, and they never investigate. We can trust the downpour to erase our tracks.
“Are you sure this is the right way, Priest?” asks Luke, wiping the fogged up window with his sleeve.
“No. I’m trying to get us lost on purpose,” answers Rey sardonically.
The soldier-like owner of this ATV is sleeping, her head resting on Mathew’s knees. She’s a drunken veteran who was my supervisor at my former job. If soldiers track the vehicle, she’ll be our best cover. Nobody will press charges against a veteran for getting lost on the road after too many drinks. After they stop receiving the drugs, ex-soldiers not only tolerate alcohol, they crave it.
Under normal circumstances, we attack railroads without knowing when the next train will pass; this delays the drug supplies, but hurts no soldiers. Today, for the first time in five years, we have a real chance of stopping the recruitment ceremony. Duque’s integrity was a high cost to pay, but thanks to that hacking mission, we now know exactly what intersection to attack.
After hours of driving, we reach an intersection lost in an ocean of trees. The only path is the railroad itself.
I find a spot to conceal the vehicle among the trees. We get our rudimentary weapons ready. Luke will remain in the ATV, turning on the ignition and letting Poncho run free when he sees the first explosion. Poncho seems tranquil, which means we have the clear to go. I don’t join the collective prayer that Rey directs. It’s too late to start believing. With great effort, we get out of the ATV and hike along the railroad until we leave the woods and enter a valley.
We’re soaked, and we have a hard time advancing against the wind. It doesn’t help that we have to tread through streams of mud. Thanks to the storm, there’s a good chance that any security system will record only blurry silhouettes, but just in case, we’ve covered our faces with masks.
With the roar of the storm, we can’t hear one another. Our bodies tremble. The other Comanches are worried that the violent movements will activate our homemade bombs, but I trust my father’s designs. I know the bombs won’t explode on us.
After hiking a mile, we reach the foot of a mountain. I look up. At the top, there’s a section of trail road. We climb. With steep, eroded slopes on each side, the overpass hovers dangerously over a deep chasm. We’ll set our bombs here and trigger them when boxcar number thirteen reaches the overpass. If my dad’s calculations are right, that’ll make the soldier-filled train derail.
It’s almost impossible to keep our balance while the wind is threatening to throw us off the cliff. Perhaps some of us won’t live to tell the story. Some soldiers will survive because of the strength of their modified genes. Knowing that this is sabotage, they’ll chase us. We can’t outrun the soldiers, and we can’t escape by climbing a tree. They’ll climb after us. Throwing ourselves into the nearby lagoon won’t do, as they swim at incredible speeds. They’ll have the advantage in a fight.
Rey and I set the bombs while the rest of the Comanches form a human cocoon to protect us from the wind.
A vibration startles us. The train is approaching.
Holly and Mathew glance down nervously at the abyss. The bottom is far below, and the trees are death traps. There’ll be rocks and falling rubble, but I’ve trained them hard in Parkour techniques. We’re as fast and agile as non-soldiers can be. The rest will be in the hands of destiny.
I manage to work out the detonator just as the mechanical giant is getting close.
“Let’s get out of here!” shouts Rey.
We sprint on the railroad. The train is right behind us about to run us over.
I feel the power of the machine about to consume me before I jump out of the way.
Aleksey’s training pays off, and we make our way through the slopes as if flying, picking up speed on some ridges and slowing our descent on others. My stomach drops as I approach the bottom of the cliff at top speed. We roll on our shoulders at the bottom and make a dash for the place where we left the ATV.
Rey, still making his way through the slopes, activates the detonator.
BOOM!
The boxcar explodes, and the 36th Battalion’s train rolls down the cliff, making a loud noise that drowns out the sound of the storm. Hurtling rubble and shrapnel fall from the sides of the cliff with the force of a meteor shower, but we’ve managed to put some distance between the wreckage and ourselves.
I run across the flooded trail, splashing. The way the water slows me down only increases my desperation to reach the ATV. I don’t look behind me, but I can feel them. They’re chasing us already.
When we get closer to the ATV, Poncho runs past us, barking frantically.
The wind stops, as if turned off by an invisible switch, and the pouring becomes a soft drizzle. I see the place where we left our getaway vehicle.
But it’s too late.
I turn my head. They’re difficult to make out because of their camouflage capes, but I see them. Two gigantic soldiers are following us, accompanied by a genetically modified dog.
When the first shots sound, we hit the ground and roll, trying to avoid the bullets.
45
Combat
Surprise, their arrogance, and our luck work in our favor when Cara’s arrow disarms a soldier. My knife hits the hand of the other before he can draw his firearm. The guns go flying as both soldiers charge us. At the same time, Poncho leaps, colliding with the soldiers’ dog in mid-air.
Cara, Holly, Divine, and Joey all fight a single soldier, while Poncho does his best to keep their dog from attacking us.
The bigger of the two soldiers darts toward us. I don’t have time to aim and can only roll to the ground to avoid him. The momentum and his big bulk give me a fraction of a second’s reprieve before he skids around and charges again.
Mathew, Rey, and I avoid the soldier’s attacks. We try to hurt his legs, but the soldier is too fast for us.
Luke has abandoned the ATV and joined the fight. He’s brought with him a spear and a set of wooden swords. He throws the spear but can’t penetrate the soldier’s armor; at least it creates a second of respite for the rest of us. As the soldier raises his hands to intercept the weapon, each of us grab
s a sword and attacks his flanks.
Poncho snarls and snaps. His opponent yelps in pain and stops moving. Poncho doesn’t hesitate a second, turning and hurling himself against our soldier. I’m afraid of throwing another knife and hitting my dog.
We’re barely coping and our defenses won’t last long. There’s only one thing I can do.
While Rey and Mathew try to attack the soldier’s legs, I climb the nearest tree. I jump and wrap my legs around our enemy’s back, clinging desperately to his neck as he fights to shake me off.
I try to bury my knife in the only place that is not protected by his helmet: his nostrils. The soldier shakes his body violently, and I fly backward. I tuck into a ball in the air and try to break the momentum by rolling in the mud. Even so, I feel a searing pain in my shoulders as I smash into a tree trunk.
My attack gives enough time to Poncho, Luke, Mathew, and Rey to finally throw the soldier to the ground and soak him with alcohol.
I see Holly, Divine, and Joey cover Cara so that she can aim another arrow. My movements feel slow and my lungs burn when, from the ground, I throw a knife at their soldier, aiming at his nose. The knife doesn’t penetrate his skin, but it makes him stagger.
Cara manages to insert her arrow into our enemy’s armored heel. It throws the soldier off balance, and he crashes to the ground. While falling, the soldier takes Joey down, too. Joey screams in pain as his right leg breaks. Divine and Holly throw alcohol-filled balloons into the soldier’s face as Cara shoots another arrow.
“The pills!” shouts Rey. We force a pill into the mouth of each soldier—cyanide and alcohol. We’ve never had the chance to use these pills on a soldier before, and we won’t have time to see if they’re dead. We throw our weapons into the murky streams and dart toward the ATV. More soldiers might arrive any second now.
In seconds, we’re driving as fast as the uneven roads permit. It’s not fast enough to lose a new pair of soldiers who are chasing the vehicle.
I accelerate, trying to ignore the sound of their guns. Suddenly, the ATV starts acting on its own, slowing even though I’ve mashed the gas pedal to the floor. With a pang of panic I realize that the strange button in the ATV is a remote control.
The soldiers have taken control of the ATV and bring it to a stop in a clearing surrounded by deep forest. Their armor looks cracked, and their helmets are missing, so their gray-skinned faces are on full display. “Get down, pigs!”
We’re forced to lie down with our faces and stomachs on the ground. They search the ATV for weapons.
My muscles freeze in panic when the soldiers use knives to cut our shirts in search of the tattoos that indicate our professions, places of birth, and citizen statuses. Rey has one from his religious order. Luke has the tattoo that indicates he’s about to gain Patriot citizenship. They might skip recruitment as punishment and be executed immediately. The rest of us won’t have that luck.
I force my brain to overcome the panic and think hard. If I’m going to die, is there a way to take them down with me?
The tallest soldier points his gun at my cheek. His shouting voice sounds artificial, almost robotic. “Not even a marriage tattoo, little sow? Are you a V—?”
A vehicle screeches to a stop near us, splashing us with mud and water. Three people get out of the vehicle. From the corner of my eye, I see their boots.
46
The person she shares her tears with
“I’m General Fürst, representative of the United Neutral Nations Organization.”
Aleksey! My heart beats at an impossible speed. He’ll get himself killed while trying to save me! As strong as Aleksey is, he’s a regular man who doesn’t consume tonics. He’s no match for two genetically engineered soldiers who survived an attack that would kill normal people.
“These people are civilians, protected by the 25th Accord Unit under my charge,” says Aleksey. “You! Stop pointing that gun at them. They’re unarmed.”
The soldier must have obeyed because Aleksey orders us to stand.
I look at him. He’s scowling at the soldiers, and his red cape is billowing in the wind. Aleksey is flanked by Tristan and a beautiful, Asian-looking female cop. The Accord General emanates confidence, command, and power. The soldiers are not used to facing enemies who tower over them, and they’re looking at Aleksey with a mix of curiosity and hostility.
The tallest soldier steps forward and yells, “I’m Sergeant McCarthy from the 36th Battalion. A Patriot States of America train suffered a terrorist attack. Every Nationalist-born citizen in the area will be interrogated.”
“Not happening, Sergeant. The international convention of Basel prohibits the use of torture to interrogate civilians.”
McCarthy warily eyes the earring-shaped device Tristan is using to record the scene. “No torture. But they’ll at least tell us why they’re traveling in an ATV. Vehicle usage is illegal for Nationalists in Patriot territory, Mr. Fürst.”
“Not when the life of a Patriot citizen is in danger. As you can see, the owner of the vehicle is a Patriot woman in no condition to drive.” He turns to Tristan and the woman beside him. “Colonel Froh! Sergeant Wong!”
They step forward and salute Aleksey. “Sir, yes, sir!”
“Take the civilians back to Shiloh and the ATV’s owner to an Accord clinic.”
Wong takes us to the Accord Humvee. The inside is warm, and she gives us some blankets. I stick my ear to the window, straining to listen.
“You’re interfering with national security procedures,” says McCarthy, his tattooed face contorting in rage.
Aleksey ignores him and strides confidently toward the ATV we stole.
“Sir, those Nats—” insists McCarthy.
Aleksey looks at him impatiently. “You searched the vehicle yourself and found no weapons. As you can see, these people are not genetically engineered. They pose no threat to your country.”
“You’re a foreigner. You have no jurisdiction over Patriot troops.”
“Wrong.” Aleksey’s ring-device projects the hologram of a map. “As you can see, Patriot territory starts twenty feet from where we’re standing. These lands are entrusted to the UNNO until the Nationalists and Patriots reach an agreement.” He turns his back to the soldier and walks around the ATV.
I see McCarthy’s features change. Everyone gasps when he pulls out his gun and aims at Aleksey. But Aleksey grabs McCarthy’s wrist and disarms him.
McCarthy escapes Aleksey’s grip and hurls himself against the cop.
“No!” I yell. I open the Humvee’s door, but Tristan stops me.
“He’s not in danger,” Tristan says “He has never lost a brawl.”
I look up again. Just like the time when he fought Rey, Aleksey seems to put little effort into blocking McCarthy’s attacks. His speed is as inhuman as his foe’s.
McCarthy’s face contorts when Aleksey wraps a muscular arm around his throat. In a swift movement, the cop tips back the soldier’s head and twists it forcefully to the left. The crackling sound of McCarthy’s neck sends shivers down my spine.
My face is frozen in shock. Until now, I’ve never given much thought to why Aleksey’s so strong. I assumed that it was simply because he’s naturally tall and that long hours of training did the rest. Why, even without drugs, is he stronger than the soldiers?
The other soldier has his gun pointed at Aleksey, but it looks more like a defensive maneuver than an attack.
“Look at me, Sergeant Stevens,” says Aleksey, glowering at the soldier. “Don’t you recognize me?”
Stevens’ tattooed eyes open wide and shine with recognition. “Sir! You are … Prince Aleksey.”
Aleksey murmurs something that my damaged hearing can’t make out before he raises his voice again. “Remember, the camera recorded everything. Now go!”
Stevens disappears, and Aleksey strides toward the Humvee. He ignores everyone as he addresses me in a scolding tone. “The existence of a resistance group will remain hidden for now. But yo
u’re playing with fire, Miss Velez, and you’ll get burned.” He grabs my arm. “Come with me.”
He pulls me toward the stolen ATV, yelling orders. “Froh! Dispose of the body! Wong! Take the Starvillers back to town and straight to the clinic. Make sure only Dr. Velez treats their wounds.”
Aleksey takes a sip from his flask before he starts the engine. He doesn’t talk during our journey to Shiloh. I’m used to his silence, but the fury brewing underneath it baffles me.
I look at him with arched brows. “How did you find us? Why are you stronger than the soldiers? Where did you meet Sergeant Stevens?”
He ignores my questions.
The only reason I don’t get irritated is because I know he loves me in his own strange way. When someone has gifted you with one act of love after another, it’s only fair to ignore their bad moods and concentrate exclusively on the many things they’ve done for you. Acts and feelings should always prevail over moods and words.
We return the woman and her ATV to their rightful place in Shiloh before boarding an Accord ambulance.
We’re passing Midian’s ruins when Aleksey finally speaks in an even tone. “I’ve just broken my neutrality pledge. I can’t call myself a cop.”
“Are you in trouble?”
He shrugs. “They may banish me from the North American territories if they find out. I shouldn’t have taken sides, but—” He turns to look at me. “The side you support will be my side.”
I realize what’s eating him. Guilt. Neutrality is part of who he is, and now he has broken a vital principle that has ruled his life. All for me.
I shake my head. “You haven’t taken sides. Nats have done nothing to deserve my loyalty. They started this mess of a war. And for what? Useless lands where nobody can live. You’re not feeling guilty because you killed that man, are you?”