The Breadth of Creation

by C. S. Johnson

  Aerie glanced up, surprised to see a number of guards had suddenly assembled around her. “What’s going on?” she asked. Was it possible she was in trouble for hearing the distress call this morning?

  “Comrade St. Cloud.” A man with a shadow of a beard on his face stepped forward. “You must come with us.”

  Aerie glanced nervously at the badges on his uniform and recognized the rank; it was the same as the General had worn when she was younger. The man had to be from among the most elite circles of governmental control, but he couldn’t be much younger than thirty.

  That doesn’t bode well, Aerie thought nervously. Aggressive and relentless workers were the ones who rose to the top first.

  “Comrade.” The man took another step forward.

  “Who are you?” Aerie asked.

  “My name is Lieutenant Dubois,” he said. “I have been authorized to place you under arrest.”

  “Why?” Aerie asked.

  He frowned, his dark eyebrows coming together as he met her gaze intently. Aerie involuntarily flinched as he spoke. “You have failed at your assigned work. We are taking you to the Reeducation Center for processing.”

  “No,” Aerie argued, fighting against them. Her arms were trapped as she was dragged away. “No, stop! This isn’t fair,” she insisted. “I want to see my father.”

  Lieutenant Dubois let out a dry laugh. “Who do you think authorized your arrest?”

  “What?” Aerie gasped in disbelief. She felt her last chance slip away from her. She took a long step back and tried to bolt for the nearest exit.

  “Aerie?” Brock called from behind her. “What’s going on?”

  “Brock!” she called. “Brock, help—”

  There was only a thick pounding sound as someone knocked her over the head. Her vision slid away as her eyes closed, her consciousness following immediately after.

  ♦10♦

  I can’t believe she didn’t know who I was.

  Despite the urgency around him, Exton felt his movements stiffen as he relived that moment all over again—as he had for the last several hours—that moment Aerie yelled at him, then asked him who he was. He heard the confusion and the conviction in her voice, all at the same time, as she was unable to come up with the answer to her question on her own.

  Aerie was alive, but she was no longer his.

  He’d been prepared for that. Ever since he woke up in Merra’s care outside of Halifax, he knew that the Memory Serum would rob him of the best of her.

  He told himself that he was prepared for that. Maybe just not quite so soon.

  That probably accounted for most of the reasons he hadn’t been able to get much sleep since the attack. Soon after his ship crashed, Merra and the others were able to knock out the power generators, leaving most of the URS guards in lockdown inside.

  After that, it was easy enough to convince them to surrender.

  Most of them, anyway, Exton thought with a wry grin as he picked up another bandage.

  “How are you feeling, sir?” he asked, turning to the defiant man sitting on the ground in front of him.

  “I feel like beating you to a pulp,” the man replied. “And the name is Abbas. There is no need to pretend you respect me.”

  “I’m not inclined to let you beat me up,” Exton said calmly. “Which is fortunate for you, really. You’ve already lost enough blood with the cut down your arm, and your broken leg will give you a disadvantage.”

  Abbas grunted, but allowed Exton to continue binding up his wound.

  “Despite what your beloved dictator might say, we don’t actually torture people.”

  “Then why am I bleeding?” the man retorted.

  Exton sighed silently to himself. He hated that he’d volunteered to help aid the med crew. There were not a lot of complicated medical issues, but providing care was the first goal they had after they secured the base—and that included providing care to their enemy as well as the innocent.

  From his grumpiness as much as his uniform, Exton knew Abbas was one of the many guards who had been wounded in the attack on Chaya.

  “I never said we don’t fight,” Exton replied as he finished tightening the bandage around the man’s arm. “There, that should help. If you need anything else for it, you can let one of us know, sir.”

  “Abbas,” the man corrected him. “And I will never come to you for help. You work for the Redbird, don’t you?”

  Exton frowned. Abbas was looking off into the distance. Exton followed his gaze and watched as Merra came out of the camp, carrying a small boy in her arms. “You mean her?”

  “We know her as Redbird. That witch has been around here for years,” he said. “She’s known for her trickery. Once she was gone, we easily took down Chaya’s defenses. She’s ruthless.” Abbas glanced at his wound disdainfully as an aid worker came to take him back to the prison cell. “You’d better be careful to stay out of her way, or she’ll sacrifice you, too.”

  “If she’s as ruthless as you say, you should’ve known she would’ve come back,” Exton muttered, even though Abbas was already out of earshot.

  Exton packed up his supplies. He was done helping for now, he decided. He’d wanted to talk to Merra about her intentions and her plans, and it seemed like a good time to force her to explain herself.

  “Merra,” he called. She turned to face him as he approached. Her aviation goggles, covered in mud, were pushed back comfortably into her hair, and she still wore her uniform from yesterday’s battle.

  Exton couldn’t help but feel another rush of surprise. From what he remembered, and from what Aerie had told him about her mother, Exton thought Merra would be such a gentle creature, full of love and patience and otherworldly wonder.

  He could not have been more wrong. She was full of grit and shrewdness so sharp it was a wonder he was able to stand before her, even after the battle had long been decided.

  “What is it?” Merra asked. “Is Tyler going to be late with the new aid shipment?”

  “No. That’s not what I wanted to discuss with you,” Exton said.

  Her eyes gleamed. “I thought that might be the case, but I was hoping otherwise,” she said. She gave the boy in her arms a tight hug before setting him down on the ground.

  Exton looked down at the little boy, surprised to see such a mature look in such a young child. He had dark circles under his eyes, which quickly narrowed as he looked up at Exton.

  “Go see Joya and Alice, Marcus,” Merra said. “She’ll have something for you, I’m sure, while Mommy talks business.”

  As the child toddled off, Exton just stared. Shock raced through him at her words. “He’s your son?”

  “Of course,” Merra said with a measured grin. “Couldn’t you tell?”

  Exton watched as the small child, with his brown hair, headed back toward the camp. Alice came running up with one of the settlers, and they both tended to the boy.

  “Alice knew you from before,” Exton said, as it all came together. “That’s why she’s here. Her loyalty is to you.”

  “To our cause,” Merra insisted, even as her smile suggested otherwise. She laughed a moment later. “But maybe more so toward my son. She always loved caring for him while she was here before.”

  Exton watched as Marcus grabbed onto Alice and hugged her affectionately.

  Another realization struck him. “That’s why you wanted us to attack Chaya. They had your son and you wanted to free him.”

  “While you were recovering from Aerie’s loss,” Merra said, “I got the word about the attack. With Chaya’s recent trouble, and the bomb finally ready for use, I had a feeling leaving with some of our better troops was a risk. I was right.”

  He noticed she did not apologize for holding back, either in keeping the information to herself or for the ferocity of her attack. Again.

  “Why did you come to Halifax if you knew it would be a risk, then?”

  Merra shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand.”

>   “I wouldn’t understand what?” Exton clenched his fists as he tried to restrain himself. “Revenge? War? Hate? What wouldn’t I understand?”

  “Sacrifice is necessary,” Merra said. “I don’t think you would understand. I have been fighting the URS for a long time—much longer than you have.”

  “My father died at his hands!” Exton roared. “Don’t you dare tell me I don’t know about sacrifice.”

  “Sacrifice and loss are different things,” Merra pointed out calmly. “You lost your father. I had to sacrifice my family.”

  “Your family is still alive at least.”

  “Sometimes death is kinder.” Merra arched her brow. “Don’t you feel that way about Aerie?”

  Exton thought about hearing her voice, about how she sounded so unsure. Would her death be easier on him? Was endless vengeance preferable to hope repeatedly deferred?

  All he wanted to do now was go get her, and then kiss her until she was so senseless she couldn’t help but remember him.

  Merra continued, “It would’ve been easier for you if she had died. I know it’s hard for you to believe, but it’s better she is with Victor. He can protect her. If I hadn’t thought that, I wouldn’t have left her there myself.”

  Exton felt himself snap back into the present moment. “You don’t speak for me. I’m nothing like you,” he said. “I won’t leave Aerie behind the way you did.”

  “She was a necessary loss, Exton, even if it was a regrettable one.” Merra shook her head. “You don’t speak for me, either. If you really want to know, I had to leave all those years ago because of Marcus. If Marcus was going to survive, I had to give up my life in the URS. Faking my death was the only possible solution at the time.”

  She folded her arms defiantly. “Aerie will forgive me, once she realizes the truth about what has happened, and what is happening now.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re not losing sleep over it,” Exton grumbled. “What is the truth?”

  “The truth is that we need to overthrow the URS,” Merra said. “And I’ve known that since even before I found out about Marcus.”

  Exton turned back to see Alice and his nanny had taken him into the shade and given him something to snack on.

  Merra followed his gaze. “After four kids, you know the State takes measures to make sure a woman has no more children.”

  Exton slowly nodded. He knew the requirements for sterilization that came with population control, and despite her position as St. Cloud’s wife, Merra would have had to get the required surgery. “I’ve heard.”

  “Aerie was supposed to be my last child. When I came to Chaya, I found out tubal litigations can grow back, though it doesn’t happen very often, especially to women my age. It was a miracle, you know.”

  Exton once more turned toward the little boy as Alice, alongside another woman, chased him around in circles. Exton noticed for the first time how he shared some distinctive traits with Aerie—the light amber eyes, the copper undertones in his brown hair that spoke of the St. Cloud bloodline. As the little boy looked back at him, Exton wondered if an inherent suspicion of him was also a hereditary trait.

  “They would’ve killed Marcus if they found out.” Merra shook her head. “They’re the ones who really killed your father, too. Victor was just following their orders.”

  He bristled. “Orders can be disobeyed.”

  “Even if Victor had, do you think the URS wouldn’t have still managed to get the ship from Silas?” Merra scoffed. “I’ve been watching them since I left, Exton. It’s not hard to see you messed up their plans, big time, and I congratulate you on your efforts. But they will find a way to get what they want if we give them the chance.”

  “Well, thanks,” Exton muttered sarcastically. “I was aiming for your approval all along, too.”

  “No need to be nasty about it.”

  “No need to be so blasé about it.”

  “It’s been over five years since I died to the URS,” Merra snapped, momentarily losing her cool façade. “My son lives. You will not shame me for making a necessary choice.”

  He stepped back. “I didn’t mean that. I apologize if that is what you thought I meant. It wasn’t.”

  Merra’s eyes softened. “It’s alright. I know you were likely thinking of Aerie and how hurt she was.”

  Exton said nothing. He had a new appreciation for Merra’s strength, even if he still disagreed with her on several other points. She was, as she had declared before, willing to do what it took to gain what she wanted. He could only hope her efforts would help others as well, and that Aerie would be able to forgive her for her decisions.

  “I know you miss her,” Merra said as she watched him. “I do, too. Once the URS is defeated, we will be able to see her again. I will have my family back together, and the world will be in better hands.”

  “She won’t know me.” Exton heard the tired, ragged quality of his voice.

  “She won’t know me, either. But have a little faith,” Merra said with a shrug. “Can’t hurt, in times like these, when there it just seems like there is too much to do.”

  Before he could reply, his comm went off. Exton flicked the switch and was not surprised to hear Tyler on the other end. He was surprised, however, at the urgency in his voice.

  “Exton,” Tyler called. “Emery’s landing at Chaya with the other aid shipments. I need you to go and see her.”

  “Hang on.” Exton glanced at Merra. “Excuse me.”

  She nodded. “I can hold down the fort, now that I’m back. Take some time to see to your business. Whatever you need.”

  Exton narrowed his eyes at Merra’s back as she headed back toward the camp, already barking out orders. He watched, frustrated, as Merra took out her own comm device while it blinked.

  Who is calling her? Exton wondered.

  “Exton?” Tyler’s voice called.

  “Headed over now. Sorry,” Exton replied. “Is Emery okay?”

  “She’s fine,” Tyler said. “It’s Aerie who’s in trouble.”

  “What?” Exton felt his heart constrict. “What are you talking about?”

  “We didn’t want to tell you until we had a more definite plan in place,” Tyler explained. “But Emery and I managed to find a way to contact Aerie through the Ecclesia remnant in New Hope.”

  “That’s dangerous,” Exton muttered. “St. Cloud is not stupid. He’ll be watching her.”

  “We’ve been doing this sort of thing for years, remember? We know how to play the game.”

  “This isn’t a game.” Exton shook his head. Emery would bash him for the irony, especially since she knew how to use his own methods against him. “What’s wrong with Aerie?”

  “She managed to get herself assigned to the Reeducation program. She’s been taken into custody.”

  Exton felt the world sink away from him.

  “She’s an official enemy of the state,” Tyler said. There was almost a smile in his voice. “Seems like she didn’t have to remember us to get arrested, either. She was one of us all along.”

  Exton’s hands started shaking. He knew only some of what went on inside the Reeducation Center, but what he knew was enough to make him tremble.

  He picked up his pace, heading toward the small airstrip, where he could see his trademark shuttle, the one with the Chainsword painted in bright colors along its side, had landed. As he hurried, all he could think of was hearing Aerie’s voice earlier.

  St. Cloud must have found out about it.

  He squeezed his hand around his comm painfully. “This is my fault.”

  “How is this your fault?” Tyler asked. “You didn’t do anything to her. St. Cloud still approved her arrest.”

  “I didn’t—what? St. Cloud gave his approval to label her a traitor himself?” Exton recalled the conversation he had with General St. Cloud the day before he returned Aerie to him.

  He’d said he loved her, and he knew it was treason.

  That monster. He lied to m
e. No father would do this to his own daughter.

  “I have to get her,” he said. “St. Cloud’s already damaged her enough.”

  “Yes,” Tyler said. “Meredith’s promised to keep me updated. But you have to hurry. We all know what they do to dissenters in Reeducation.”

  “Exton,” Merra called out to him as she came running up beside him.

  “Not now,” he yelled back.

  “Are you going to get Aerie now?”

  Exton stopped, suddenly suspicious. He narrowed his eyes at her. “What have you heard?”

  Merra blinked too innocently at him. “Heard what?”

  She knows already. But who is telling her?

  Exton shook his head. He would have to worry about it later. “Aerie’s in trouble. But you know that already, don’t you?”

  “Oh, please. Why else would your shuttle be here with the aid shipments?” Merra asked, gesturing toward the airstrip. “I figured something was up. We’ve freed my forces, Exton. You might as well go and get Aerie. We can protect her with the resources we have here.”

  From her tone alone, Exton knew Merra had already been briefed on Aerie’s situation.

  Why won’t she just admit it? Why is she doing this? Who is she protecting this time?

  Was it possible the rest of the Ecclesia knew of Aerie’s fate as well as Tyler? He could see the Reverend Thorne or Brother Don telling Merra. He knew they were close and they had a shared history.

  Exton continued to study Merra’s face, but there was nothing but a guileless look in her expression as she pressured him onward. “Well? What are you waiting for? Get in the ship and go.”

  Deep unease settled inside of him. He didn’t trust Merra. He knew she withheld information more than once from him and others. It was a risk, leaving her here without supervision.

  But Aerie needed him, whether she remembered him or not. And he needed her, whether he admitted it or not.

  “What?” Merra huffed indignantly. “What is it? You’re not having doubts about her, are you?”

  Not about Aerie.

  “Exton, you have to hurry,” Tyler repeated. “Emery’s onboard, waiting to take you to New Hope. The Ecclesia have a small window for us to move in. We have to take it.”