by Dawn Norwell
“Aim, breathe, follow through,” he had told me. I repeated the mantra over and over again in my head. “Aim, breathe, follow through,” I whispered, catching a TIM in my sight.
I centered the eye of the aim on the TIM closest to Zander. Just as it is about to send a laser flying at him, I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger, hoping for the best. Please… I begged as the bullet left my gun, unable to bear the idea of what might happen if I missed.
I cringed as the shot reverberated through the courtyard, echoing like a thunderclap on a warm summer day. I was certain that my endeavor was in vain, that the TIM had managed to take its shot before I was able to take mine, so I was astonished when I opened my eyes and saw the TIM wavering. Its shield malfunctioned, the gears faltering inside the android, as acrid smoke poured from its body. The machine ignited into a flaming ball, the flames shining brightly against the early dawn backdrop.
The sound of crushing metal echoed through the town as the TIM crashed to the ground in a fiery heap. Suit and unsuit alike turned to gape at me, astounded at how easily I’d brought the machine down when they’d been fighting tirelessly for an hour with no avail. The unsuits’ faces sparked with delight when they comprehended that the TIMs could be taken down permanently; that Nova might have a chance in the war, after all.
They studied my method as I aimed at another TIM that was hovering near the church steeple, erupting into victorious battle cries when the android came crashing to the ground. The unsuits’ previous desolation turned to optimism. They shot the TIMs in their emission valves, emanating what I had done, cheering louder as more of the androids fell to the ground, one by one, in smoldering piles of metal.
I glanced toward the church steeple and found Zander’s gaze, his eyes a mixture of worry, anger, and mesmerized awe.
As he gazed down at me, his chest heaved from effort. Sweat poured from his body, drenching his tank top and causing his muscles to glisten. Watching him standing on the bell tower, looking like a handsome G.I. Joe, with his muscles glistening with sweat, made the familiar tingling in my groin appear.
Not the time, Kai, I reminded myself.
Instead, I winked at him flirtatiously. He gave a reluctant grin, his eyes tight. I could tell that he was anxious about my being on the battlefield, that he hated seeing his pregnant wife and unborn daughter surrounded by the danger of warfare. I knew we would discuss my impromptu bravado later- if we survived. I just smiled; if we made it out of this alive, I would let him yell at me all he wanted.
My heart accelerated in fear and anticipation as I continued shooting TIMs. I had never been in a legitimate battle before, only simulations and drills. Being in the midst of things was a different world altogether. It was terrifying to hear gunshots echoing all around, and not knowing if they were from friend and foe, just simply hoping that they weren’t being aimed at you. No simulations could prepare someone for watching people you know and love fall to the ground, injured or dead at the hands of your enemy.
Still, I continued forward, destroying the machines, one after another. All the while, I felt my daughter moving in my womb. I smiled, realizing that she was a fighter, same as her parents. She reveled in the heat of battle like her father, sought justice for the oppressed like her mother. She would be a force to be reckoned with- if we made it out of this alive.
The idea caused me to move faster and harder, destroying the TIMs at an alarming rate. Dozens of androids lay on the ground around my feet, continuing to fall until. As their colleagues fell, several of the androids forgot their current endeavors and turned their attention in my direction, deeming me a threat.
The TIMs continued to surround me at an alarming rate, quickly becoming more than I could handle alone. Each time I shot a TIM down, two more popped up to take its place.
Jax sensed my distress and ran into the courtyard, shooting three of them down before they had a chance to attack me from behind. I gave him an appreciative nod, thanking him for once again saving my life.
We stood with our backs touching, relying on one another for protection. I snorted humorlessly- if you’d told me the day before that I would have to depend on Jax to have my back and keep me safe, I would have called you a liar. But there we stood, side-by-side on the battlefield, trusting the other for our mutual survival.
I never realized how good of a shot I was until I was able to put my training into action. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I caught TIMs in the sight of my weapon, smiling as I watched my enemies go down in flames. It was a sweet, almost therapeutic form of revenge to kill the TIMs after all of the fear they had caused throughout my childhood. After twenty years of repression, I was taking back the power.
Within a matter of minutes, the unsuits had come together to clear the field of the TIMs. The only menace left was the Concord soldiers, who weren’t much of a threat without their android army to protect them. They immediately dropped their weapons and surrendered, too afraid to take us on alone. They quailed in fear as the unsuits finished off the robots; understandably so- TIMs were indestructible in our world. Seeing these outsiders, these savages taking them down with ease must have been frightening for them.
Once the fight was over, an abnormal silence stretched through the town, deafening in the aftermath of the battle. No one spoke, or celebrated Nova’s victory. Too many innocent lives were gone to rejoice in our triumph. It was a bittersweet moment; although we won the war, we had also lost so much in the process.
After the violence stopped and the cleanup began, Zander climbed down from the church steeple. I wanted to run to him, to hold him in my arms, and confirm that he was okay. But there was still too much that needed to be done to be able to relax.
Zander, along with some of his officers, began locking the suit prisoners in handcuffs and tying them to lampposts to clear the courtyard. I started triaging the wounded, treating any minor injuries in the field, and signaling unsuits to carry the more severe cases to the school for Ximea’s care.
Despite the long-awaited battle having come and gone, I couldn’t seem to unwind. I should be happy, thrilled that the war I had been dreading for months was finally at an end. I should be ecstatic about the TIMS burning before me, their terror no longer reigning over me. I should be basking in my freedom, at finally being able to get out from beneath the Syndicate’s thumb.
But I couldn’t savor the moment because I was troubled. The victory, as amazing as it was, seemed to be achieved easier than expected. Almost too easy. Something didn’t feel right about the situation. The Syndicate had thousands of suit soldiers at their command, so why had they only sent a third of them to attack us? Did they see us as such a small threat that it wasn’t worth their time? Or did they not the resources available to stop us? Nova had damaged the Concord military base in the rescue mission a few months before, but surely not to this degree.
As though in response to my thoughts, an earsplitting hum filled the silence. The earth beneath my feet vibrated, shaking me to my core. Trees swayed violently back and forth, as though caught in a tempest. The winds picked up intensity, sending shrapnel from damaged buildings swirling around us, causing the surviving unsuits to dive out of the way at the last minute, and threatening those who didn’t.
I glanced up to the heavens, my heart filling with dread as a massive aircraft- the largest I had ever seen- zoomed through the broken electric barrier. It began pelting unsuspecting soldiers with bullets, showing no mercy, taking out the suit soldiers as readily as the unsuits.
I darted to the outskirts of the courtyard and out of the path of the commencing assault as fast as my legs could carry me. Doubling over beneath the awning of one of the shops, I shielded my stomach with my arms, as though this would be enough to protect my precious baby girl should a bullet stray in my direction.
I caught Zander’s eye across the courtyard as he hid in the doorway of the church. His panic and worry were evident as he comprehended what I’d realized only moments before- the first attac
k had been a test, a trial run. We watched in terror as our people died, and there was nothing we could do about it. One after another, the unsuits continued to drop, the hailstorm of bullets seeming to never end. In all of our simulations, we had never imagined a scenario like this.
It had been a brilliant plan on Concord’s part, creating the rouse of an attack to draw us out, to lure us to the courtyard like prey to a snare. They waited until we'd thought that Nova had won the war, and let our guard down, to send in a second, far more intense attack. The first round was just a trial run, a test by the Syndicate to see just how capable Nova was of holding its own. They were toying with us, playing with their food before devouring it whole. But playtime was over, and the big guns were on their way.
This was the beginning of the real battle.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: DANGEROUS DESPERATION
W hen the assault stopped, the massive aircraft landed in the expanse of the courtyard. The door opened to release a fresh wave of Syndicate solders. At the head of the throng, leading them into battle, was the person I had most dreaded seeing- my brother; Thane had come to bring me home.
Right away, I knew that this meant trouble. Thane was a highly skilled warrior, well-known throughout Concord for his countless kills and merciless techniques, methods which I had experienced for myself. His presence would make a huge difference in whether we won this fight or not.
I was filled with hatred as he stepped out of the plane. I glared at Thane, remembering what he put me through. I tensed, ready for anything he might throw our way, but he simply looked… bored.
“Alright, alright. That’s enough of the theatrics,” Thane said, waving his hands in dismissal. “The Syndicate has decided that, given your level of military skill and resilience, we will not kill you if you surrender immediately,” he sighed. “If you cede, the Syndicate promises to share Concord’s resources with you, and allow access to our city at your discretion. It would be a step up from this dump,” he murmured, wrinkling his nose in disgust as he looked around the courtyard.
Thane’s words caused intrigued whispers to resonate through the courtyard. The unsuits looked at one another, questioning his seriousness. Although they had built a life for themselves in Nova, it hadn’t come to them easily. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a life of ease, and not have to scavenge for everything? To have resources at your fingertips, without having to work for them.
I furrowed my brows, bewildered that the unsuits were even considering the offer. Surely they knew that the Syndicate couldn’t be trusted? But they continued to mutter amongst themselves, enthralled by the idea of living inside the dome.
I glanced at Zander, reading his reaction. His jaw was set firmly against any notion of any confluence between Nova and Concord; that ship had sailed when the Syndicate murdered Athena. I knew that he would never surrender, that he would rather die than to become subject to the Syndicate’s mercy. If it came down to it, I would be right there with him.
Though Zander and I had made our choices, I couldn’t allow the residents of Nova to become brainwashed with pretend promises of paradise. After everything I had been through the last several months, I knew better than to believe anything Thane said. If we stopped fighting, the majority of the unsuits would never live to see the inside of the dome, and those who did survive, would spend the rest of their lives in misery. I had to prevent them from subjecting us all to death.
“Don’t listen to him. This man is a liar!” I called to the crowd, stepping to the middle of the courtyard. “If you think you will have a just and healthy life in Concord, you’re wrong. This is what happens to people who have gone against the Syndicate,” I said, pulling up the sleeve of my shirt to reveal my scars. People gasped in response. “Unsuits and suit traitors will never have a home in Concord- not with the Syndicate in charge. If you give up now, you will be subjecting your loved ones to death. We have to keep fighting, to win this war, and ensure we get out from beneath the Syndicate’s rule for good!”
Thane let out a maniacal laugh. He took a step forward, closing the distance between us. His militia stepped with him, their eyes darting nervously back and forth, taking in the army of unsuits with wary eyes.
“Wow, Kai. Well done,” Thane said, clapping his hands sarcastically. “Figures you would fit in with a bunch of dirty unsuits,” he said, snarling his lips in revulsion at the word. “But the idea that you lead them is comical. I can’t believe these idiots would listen to anything you say.”
“You know nothing about me, Thane,” I muttered. “You never have, and you never will. I’m ashamed to call you my sibling.”
I sensed Zander’s tension out of the corner of my eye as he realized that this was the infamous Thane, the brother who had hated me since my birth, who had tortured me so brutally during my weeks of imprisonment. He clenched his hands in anger, wanting nothing more than to tear Thane’s from limb to limb.
I gave Zander a subtle nod, internally begging him to calm down. If he let his anger rule his judgments now, Thane’s army wouldn’t hesitate to take him out, and then we would be screwed.
Thane rolled his eyes. “If you’ve finished with your speech, little sister, the Syndicate would like to rush this along. They’re tired of wasting time and resources on your nonsense. I’m asking one final time,” he said, his voice resonating through the courtyard, “who’s going back to Concord, and who is staying here to die?”
I glanced around at the people of Nova. Some of them looked unsure, but to their merit, no one stepped forward. We held our own, determined to protect what was ours from people who wanted to ruin in, even if it meant our deaths.
When no one stepped forward, Thane dropped any pretense of being a nice guy act. “Fine. The less of you, the better, as far as I’m concerned,” he said, spitting on the ground. “But the Syndicate wants information, and to get that they need prisoners. So you can come willingly, or I can force your hand. You’re your choice.”
Still, no unsuits came forward. Anger flashed across Thane’s face, but his vehemence was soon replaced by a mischievous grin that terrified me more than his fury ever could.
“Let’s see if this changes your minds, shall we?” he said, a sinister smile on his face.
He gave a signal, and every suit in the courtyard pulled a gas mask from their packs and putting them on. As soon as they were equipped, a strange green gas started leaking from the large aircraft, filling the courtyard with large clouds of vapors. I watched helplessly as unsuits screamed and began running from the fumes, but they were emitting too quickly to outrun. Before long, we were lost in a sea of green.
I reached out before me, unable to see my hands through the fumes. My heart hammered in my chest, my mind going into overdrive as I tried to decipher the gas surrounding me. Was it dangerous? Would it hurt me and the baby? Whatever the fumes were, I did not doubt that the Syndicate meant for it to harmful.
When the fumes cleared, I scanned the courtyard, searching for Zander. He stood on the other side of the clearing, seemingly unfazed. None of the unsuits seemed to be affected by the vapors, despite our lack of gas masks. I let out a sigh of relief, realizing that if the vapors were going to affect us, they would have done so by now. Perhaps the vaccines I created a few months before had helped us, after all.
As the gas dissipated, Thane took off his mask, a look of incredibility on this face. This had not been the plan. Whatever the gas was, it was meant to incapacitate, maybe even kill us.
I couldn’t help the smug smile that formed on my lips. Zander’s face contorted with anger. With an ‘I’ll show you’ grimace, he reached into his pants pocket and produced a small book of matches. I narrowed my eyes, unsure of what he was doing. With an army at his back, he strode toward the school, where the children huddled together in the windows. Picking up a large piece of shrapnel from the ground, he barricaded the doors, trapping Ximea and the kids inside.
My eyes widened in alarm when I realized what he was planning. Even for Thane
, this was an all-time low. Surely he wouldn’t go through with it, would he? I knew the answer was yes; Thane would do anything to gain the Syndicate’s favor, even if it meant burning innocent children alive.
“Thane… don’t,” I begged.
He ignored me. “How many of you are willing to surrender, if it means saving the lives of your children and wounded?”
Murmurs echoed through the courtyard. Many of the Nova soldiers lean forward, ready to pounce to save their loved ones. But the Concord soldiers held swords at their chests, keeping the unsuits back. They looked uncomfortable at Thane’s suggestion, uneasy about the idea of killing children, no matter their classification. Still, they kept their mouths shut. They had orders to adhere to, commands that, if they didn’t follow, would result in their own deaths.
As Thane approached the school with the lit match, a sense of urgency consumed me. I searched the courtyard, hoping to find something, anything to prevent Thane before it was too late. At last, I came up with a plan. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the only option we had with the Concord soldiers standing between Thane and us.
I glanced at Zander, trying to get his attention. He was the best shot in Nova, and I would need his help if the plan were to work. He peeked at me from his peripherals, his forehead creased in worry and hatred as Thane took another step. As discretely as I could manage, I tilted my head upward, indicating the church tower.
Zander’s brows furrowed, not understanding. I glanced from the tower to the gun in his hand, back and forth, trying to communicate to him what I was thinking. Finally, I could tell by the hard set of his jaw that he understood. He wasn’t happy about what I was recommending, but he knew that I was right- this was the only way. Zander gave a reluctant nod, telling me he was on board.
Without either of us saying a word, Zander shot his weapon at the church tower, severing the ropes that held the bell. The bullet carried so much power it caused the fixture to break loose and come toppling to the earth with a thunderous bang, landing in the middle of the suit army.