by S. J Woods
Dane took her hand and squeezed it.
“They were all really brave.” He tried to reassure her. “And yes, she has. I think what Tee said, about the medication? I think that must have been why she was…” He paused, searching for the words. “Like the way she is.”
“Maybe it was having me around that made her like she is.” She shook her head when Dane opened his mouth to interrupt her. “Because if Arielle was still here, I wouldn’t have been. Do you think she wishes I was Arielle? I know that’s dumb, but does she? She’s never been like other mothers.”
“It’s the medication. She loves you, I know she does.” He told her. “You, me, Tommy and Norah. We’ll start a new life.”
“With Teonie and Rico.” Rose gave him a hopeful smile.
“Right,” He took a deep breath. “Are we ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
Dane clasped his hands together behind his back and they approached the spot where the group came into view. He squinted into the distance, just about making out the trio of captives stood in the centre of the clearing, with the five soldiers in loose formation around them.
Rose gripped Dane’s shoulder tightly, turning away so her face and her hair colour were obscured from view. It was now or never. She tucked the gun into the back of her pants, adjusting the jacket over the top of it. They couldn’t risk using the gun while their friends were in danger. The shot had rung out through the forest and Dane knew the soldiers would be on high alert.
They both held stun guns tightly in their concealed hands, but the risk of storming the clearing while their friends were helpless to defend themselves was too great. The plan was to pick them off one-by-one, starting with the biggest threat.
“Neha!” Rose called out to the group, cupping her hands around her mouth to distort her voice, and then not waiting for a response, the pair hurried off into the wood, praying that she would blindly follow direction.
They moved the few yards that carried them out of sight and waited, nervously for her approach. The crunching of leaves under heavy, Military-issue boots announced her arrival and Dane moved in front of Rose, shielding her true identity from the oncoming soldier.
“Officer, we really need to move.” Neha’s voice reached them before she did, and her face froze in shock as Dane whipped his arm from behind his back, shot and aimed with startling precision.
She dropped to the ground and Dane held the gun steadily over her body.
“Do we have to kill them?” Rose asked quietly. “They’re only following orders.”
Dane flinched at the tenderness in her voice, but he felt he had no choice. He couldn’t risk leaving them out here. Bound and gagged, they would perish of starvation, but free, they posed a risk to them. He couldn’t take the chance, but he turned away, unable to watch the life drain from the woman he had saved at the river and who had once saved him too. He checked her pulse. She was gone. He took the belt that carried her weapons, and handed it to Rose, who slipped it on, concealing it under her jacket.
“Four to go.” Rose said, the determination in her voice returning.
The foliage around them was light, and they had no choice but to drag the body through the forest, leaving it exposed a little distance away. Rose averted her eyes as Dane did his best to arrange her heavy limbs in some semblance of respectability, wondering as he did how he would ever forget this image.
“I need to hide somewhere.” Rose looked around. “They’re bound to be getting suspicious.”
“I’ll walk back there. I can act like something has happened and hopefully just one of them will come looking…” Dane glanced back towards the clearing. “But if more than one come, I can manage two and try to get here in time. You should just stay hidden.”
“No.” Rose shook her head. “I can manage this.”
“It’s too dangerous.” Dane insisted. “There’s nowhere to hide and you can’t aim at two. They’re both armed. Just stay hidden and I’ll deal with them.”
“You can’t deal with all four of them.” She hit back. “I can handle this. I just need somewhere to hide.”
“Just stay out of sight.” He told her through clenched teeth.
She opened her mouth, but one look at Dane’s jaw rigid with stress made her think better of it.
“Up there.” She said instead, indicating a tree with an abundance of green leaves. She wanted to be close enough to be able to help. “Here, let me know if you can see me.”
She nimbly scrambled up to the first branch and climbed carefully from branch to branch until she was partially obscured from the ground below. Dane circled the thick trunk and then stepped further back, checking the coverage from all angles. He could just about make out a figure, but he knew that she was there and there were no better options.
“Ok.” He called up quietly. “Just stay put and keep your eyes out.”
“Good luck.” She replied, and he headed back towards the clearing.
His heart hammered against his ribcage as he forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. He kept his hands behind him; the knife concealed by the sleeve of his jacket, but the stun gun clearly visible in his closed hand. He would have to be careful to angle himself, so the soldiers couldn’t see behind him. If they did see him, he thought resignedly, he would have to deal with it.
“Hey. The boy is coming back alone.”
Dane heard the hushed exclamations of the band of soldiers as he approached them.
The woman held up her hands, signalling for the others to stay back, and she walked quickly over to him, forcing him to stop dead a little away from the group.
He met her cold eyes reluctantly.
“Where are they?” She demanded.
Dane shrugged, trying to keep his face a neutral mask.
“They ran after someone.”
“They ran after someone?” She raised an eyebrow, her tone dripping with disbelief. “And just left you voluntarily?”
“I’m not going anywhere without my mother.” He kept his voice deliberately cold and dropped his gaze.
“I don’t believe you.” She hissed.
He could feel the first prickles of sweat start to form at the base of his neck. The plan depended on some of the soldiers leaving the group. He knew he couldn’t take on four of them. He said nothing, and in exasperation, she grabbed his shoulder and shoved him roughly towards the group.
His heart flipped into his mouth, but her eyes were on her colleagues and she didn’t notice the black device clenched tightly in his hands.
“Where are they?” One of the men addressed her as they made their way back.
Dane moved closer to Teonie, sliding the gun up his sleeve a little as he did.
“You ok?” Teonie asked him quietly from the corner of her mouth.
He nodded, but his eyes were fixed on the soldiers who were talking amongst themselves. He needed be ready for any chance that he got.
The soldier behind the group moved around them, keen to be involved in the fierce debate and Dane felt his body tense in anticipation. Now. It would have to be now. The woman waved her hands at the soldier and he turned back, resuming his position grudgingly. Dane’s heart fell as his hopes were dashed. He felt Teonie’s eyes on him, but his disappointment was too great, and he stared fixedly ahead at the soldiers, waiting for a fresh opportunity.
“The safest bet is to get them back to the craft.” The woman was saying. “The longer they’re out here in temporary cuffs, the more chance of something happening.”
They were forced into a single file, and Dane slipped in front of Teonie as casually as he could. Like animals, they were herded forward, and Dane’s eyes darted nervously from side-to-side as he ran hastily-put-together options together. It all came down to the same risk. With their hands cuffed, one of the others would get hurt and he couldn’t take the chance.
“Dane, we need to do something.” Teonie hissed at the back of his head.
He kept his eyes forward, n
ot wanting to draw any attention. The soldiers had fallen alongside them, and Dane knew it was only a matter of time before they realised his hands were unbound.
At least Rose was with the kids. She would be able to look after them and get them to safety. He tried to comfort himself with this thought as he followed Rico and his mother downhill towards the waiting aircraft. He felt Teonie stumble behind him, and it took all his resolve to fight his instincts to reach out to steady her.
“Ow!” Teonie went down hard, only just managing to keep her balance and taking the brunt of the fall on her knees rather than her face.
A soldier rushed to her side, grabbing her and pulling her upwards. Teonie leaned away from him, resisting being pulled back to her feet.
“Give me a minute!” She exclaimed crossly. “I’m hurt.”
Rico and Alyssa drew to a stop in front of him and they all turned to look at Teonie with concern. The soldier was bent in front of Dane, his back to him, and Dane stared dumbly at Teonie over his shoulder. She met his eyes with furious impatience and, in that moment, he knew she had seen his weapons and free hands. This was a diversion.
Primitive instinct kicked in and, without thinking about what he was doing, Dane swooped around, freeing the blade and plunging it upwards with force. The soldier crumpled against him and Dane pushed him away roughly, turning and crossing the distance to the nearest soldier while he still had the element of surprise.
The woman was the closest and Dane watched as her mouth fell open in surprise, but she had no time to react and he pushed the blade into her chest. The surge of adrenaline numbed him from feeling the revulsion of the act and, once he was certain he’d delivered a crippling blow, he circled wildly, eyes dancing looking for his next target. He homed in on the remaining two soldiers and his eyes registered the device in the hands of the furthest just a split-second before he felt a sharp shock in the centre of his chest, knocking him clean from his feet. And then everything went black.
TWENTY-NINE
As Dane folded to the floor, there was an ear-piercing scream and a crash from the forest. Teonie saw the soldiers turn towards the noise and she leapt forward, throwing herself at the man with the weapon. She drew her head backwards and launched her forehead, the only weapon she had, at the man’s nose with as much force as she could muster. She heard the sickening crunch as she felt his nose crack under the pressure and he fell backwards. She lost her footing as an explosion of blood coated her face and, unable to stop herself, she fell to the ground. Her head thudded against rock, but she felt nothing. She rolled to her side and scrambled to her knees, waiting for the volts to hit her. A blur of dark AMS uniform whizzed past her eyes and she watched as the other soldier fell to the ground.
“Rose!” Teonie gasped as the figure whipped around to tackle the bleeding soldier next to Teonie.
He let out a guttural cry and sank to his knees. Rose kicked the gun from his hands with startling accuracy. It fell to the ground and Teonie crabbed towards it, scooping it up with her tied hands. She turned back to Rose, but Rose was stock-still, her jaw set with grim determination as she delivered a deadly dose of electricity from the tiny device into Teonie’s captor. Teonie couldn’t tear her eyes away as the man shuddered violently, his eyes rolling back in his head.
“Rose!” She called again. “I think he’s dead.”
Rose met Teonie’s eyes, her face pale with fear and together they both turned towards Dane’s still body.
“Cut me free.” Teonie instructed her, and Rose obliged, slicing through the cuffs.
Teonie darted towards Dane, feeling her chest pounding with terror as she checked him for signs of life.
“Tee?” Rose bent over her, her voice thick with emotion. “Was I too late?”
“Sssh.” Teonie hissed, her fingers searching desperately for a pulse, pressing her face against his nose and mouth, desperate to feel the warm air of his breath.
“They only hit him for a moment!” She cried, letting the weapons fall uselessly from her hands. “It should take at least a minute to…”
“Ssssh! Ssssh!” Teonie commanded her, fumbling at his wrist.
Her tears fell onto his skin and she cursed herself. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t tell if she was feeling his pulse or whether it was her own pounding heart. She moved backwards, swiping a hand across her eyes. She saw the blood on her hand and she flinched, before remembering that it wasn’t hers. She put her head back to Dane’s and opened her mouth, taking a deep breath ready to try something else when his eyes flickered open and joy flooded her whole being.
“Dane!” His name burst from her lips and suddenly she was crying, great choking sobs racking through her body.
She felt Rose sink to her knees next to him and Dane looked up at them, rubbing his head gingerly.
“What happened?”
“You took two of them, but the third stunned you.” Teonie glanced at Rose. “Rose saved you.”
“You were watching?” He tried to sit up, winced and sank back to the ground.
His whole body was aching.
“Nobody came,” She said. “I couldn’t just stay there hiding.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Teonie hugged the younger girl. “You saved us all.”
“I need to go back for Tommy and Norah.”
Rose wiped the knife clean, trying to ignore the sticky residue and the bodies scattered around them. She cut Alyssa and Rico free from their cuffs. Rico hugged her tightly to him, but Alyssa looked dazed and hollow.
“Are you feeling ok?” Teonie slid her arm around his shoulders, helping him to sit up as Rose and Rico headed into the wood to fetch the children.
“I’m fine.” He nodded. “Just hurting a little.”
They waited anxiously for Rose and Rico to return, not speaking again until the two blonde heads appeared from the shadow of the forest. Dane watched their reaction, cursing himself for not hiding the bloodied bodies, but it was too late, and they saw, from a distance, the casualties of their bid for freedom.
“Seraphine tried to convince me that you were the bad guy.” Dane said in a low voice to Teonie, unwilling to let his mind settle on the slaughter. Not now. He needed to think like a soldier. “I took this. Maybe we can still get the full extent of what they’re hiding.”
Teonie took the proffered wrist-device from him and regarded it grimly.
“If they’re tracking this squad, they’ll realise pretty quickly that something’s up. We need to get out of here fast before they send more forces.”
“Oh!” Dane remembered. “I hid the Tech-shield. I’ll get it.”
“Hurry!” Teonie urged him. “We need to move. And fast.”
Dane found the spot quickly and retrieved the device, Teonie pocketed it and she gestured towards the aircraft at the bottom of the hill.
“We can’t outrun them.” She said. “We’ve got at least another two days to reach the Port. Those crafts are self-piloting, nothing like the little air-capsules. It’ll be connected to Younes’ device. We can take that out to the Port and be there in less than an hour.”
“What if we can’t get in?” Dane eyed the steep mountain that they’d already climbed. “We’ll be trapped here.”
“We’ll get in.” She said between gritted teeth. “We have to. It’s the only way.”
They hurried down the mountain, pushing themselves faster than they had before, and Teonie used the stolen device to gain access to the grey steel disc. She rushed them aboard, and they looked around the sleek cabin with hollow, uncertain eyes. What had happened on the mountain had impacted them all and they carried the shock and the stress on their faces and in their stooped bodies.
Teonie seemed to be holding it together more than anyone else, and she tapped at the console; her face a mask of concentration until the vehicle whirred into life and lifted smoothly from the ground.
She sat back, looking at the tense passengers around her before settling her gaze on Dane.
“The course is set.” She announced. “Now, let’s try to work out the full extent of what these murderers have been doing.”
She fastened the device around her own slender wrist and touched the screen lightly. The gadget sprung to life. She swiped upwards, sending a projection of the screen into the air between them and moved methodically through the Officer’s communication archives.
There was a sharp intake of breath as she drew to a halt. Dane squinted to make out the reason for her surprise. A whole conversation between Seraphine and the General of the Apatian Military Service. The same question was on both their lips. Why would he be personally communicating with an Officer?
The chain span back over several messages, starting a month or so before Dane had joined the Special force and he tabbed to the start, trying to make sense as he read the exchange between his Officer and the General.
“She’s his niece!” Teonie cried, visibly surprised. “Look! Look at this. There’s more.”
Teonie pulled the device from her wrist, holstering it in the main craft console where she tapped rhythmically until three more screens lit up. She typed furiously; data rolling across all screens, just a blur of numbers and symbols. Dane could make nothing out from the displays and he looked instead at Teonie, her brow furrowed in concentration. She sucked in breath furiously and then, as if by magic, a feed of what looked like news articles started to roll across the screens.
“Oh, this is bad.” She shook her head in disbelief, and Dane, Rose and Rico slid closer to look.
According to the foreign news stories, the rest of the world had put sanctions on Apatia because of repeated attempts at hacking both Latheia and Mela’s Central Networks. The situation was allegedly escalated when Apatia refused to stop using chemical climate control, despite the Earth council deeming it illegal. In a last bid attempt to stop Apatia, the country was banned from trading or visiting other countries. It was then that various countries reported that the huge continent began to struggle with resources. The devastating impact of The Last War had caused the seas to rise, swallowing hundreds of miles of land across the planet and while the mass had shrunk, populations were thriving and Apatia was rumoured to be on the brink of collapse with nobody to trade vital resources with.