by AJ Eversley
Kenzie stopped short as he saw the Commander from a distance. Knowing who he was before he even said his name. The Commander called himself Smith although Kenzie knew that wasn’t his real name. Smith knew Kenzie too, even though he didn’t say it.
“What’s your name, son?” Smith asked, holding up his clipboard full of names from all those who were in the warehouse.
“Kenzie James,” he replied. Smith jotted it down and pointed him onward for processing.
They were both men with many secrets, neither revealed what the other was hiding, and Kenzie was thankful to no longer be alone.
Chapter 14
Kyle was rushed straight into surgery. Doc had to sedate him to keep him under as we were limited on medication, and the pain was too intense for him to stay still. We did the best we could with our few supplies.
I sat outside the operating doors for five hours before Theresa brought me a plate of food and some water. I wasn’t even hungry, but I had to eat. Another six hours passed before Doc came out to give the all clear.
“He’s lucky,” Doc said. “The bullet missed his major organs, but he will need time to recover. I’ve kept him under for now to aid in the healing process. He’s lost a lot of blood.”
I let out a sigh of relief.
“I’ll inform Smith.” I stood and headed toward Command, my pace was more a shuffle than a walk. I was so tired.
I was down the hallway when I noticed him. His dark messy hair and his piercing, blue eyes were unforgettable. He wore a gray T-shirt and dark jeans I assumed someone gave to him. They clung to his body in a way that brought heat to my cheeks. But anger still roared inside of me. Before I even knew what I was doing, I had him pressed up against the wall. “This is your fault!” I screamed. “He could have died because of you!”
He didn’t fight back. He let me to hold him against the wall and scream.
“You did this!” I yelled. Tears of anger threatened to stream down.
“Stand down, Sawyer,” Smith said calmly from Command’s door.
My hands released their grip, and reluctantly I walked away, but the stranger remained where I left him, staring at the ground. Smith didn’t reprimand me when I entered his office.
“He’s sat outside that door all night waiting for word on Kyle,” Smith told me.
Why? I wondered. “I don’t care. That won’t fix him,” I responded.
“No, but I think he feels just as bad as you do. And you know he is not the only one to blame so I think it’s best you let it go.” Smith narrowed his eyes at me. “Now, report.”
“Kyle’s going to be okay. Doc says the surgery was a success, and he’s keeping him sedated to allow him to heal.” I flopped down into the chair across from Smith’s desk. The events of the day had caught up to me, and I found myself unable to stand under the weight of it all.
“Good, I’m glad,” Smith said. “Tomorrow at 1200 we will be interviewing the humans we rescued. We’ll let them sleep tonight as Doc is busy, but we’ll have him check them over in the morning. For now I suggest you get some sleep too.” He turned back to the computer on his desk and began to type in his daily reports.
I didn’t even know what time it was. The dim sunlight was just rising on the screens at the front of command. As I stepped out the door, he was still there, seated on the floor with his back against the wall.
“He’ll live,” I said as I walked by. I think he nodded.
~
After only a few hours of sleep, I was sitting in the mess hall with Smith and Doc after interviewing the rescued humans. The large room was filled with long tables and benches. It was the hub where everyone ate daily, but today it was empty except for us. The cold benches reminded me of my dad’s office at the University, always cold and uncomfortable. I couldn’t stop myself from fidgeting.
The stranger’s name was Kenzie I found out, and his story was the same as everyone else’s. Nobody could remember earlier than six weeks ago. They all recalled stories of survival, hiding out in small groups around the city, but the last six weeks were gone. They had no recollection of where they were or how they arrived at the warehouse. They woke up yesterday after an explosion went off. One by one they each told the same story.
“This doesn’t feel right,” I said. “How do we even know they are telling the truth? How do we know they aren’t Carbons?” The same story out of thirty mouths was just too convenient. It made the hair on my neck stand on end.
“Doc has checked everyone of them. They all bleed; they’re all human,” Smith replied for the third time.
I turned to Doc. “What do you make of this?”
“Well,” he said, taking a long swig of coffee, “I have read of cases where severely traumatic situations can cause the patient to black out that experience. Maybe they all went through something traumatic?”
“Every one of them? All at the same time?” I questioned.
“Well, that does seem a little peculiar.” Doc shrugged his shoulders. We were all out of ideas.
“Smith, I think Sub 9 had something to do with this, like they brainwashed them all or something,” I whispered.
“Right. And then set up trap explosives on themselves and allowed their ‘prisoners’ to escape?” Smith countered. He looked exhausted with all of this and as though he hadn’t slept in days. “None of it makes any sense, I agree, but they are human, and they are staying with us. We are back on lockdown anyway so Sub 9 can’t get in no matter what their plan is.”
I still didn’t feel right about it, but until I had proof, I’d have to keep my mouth shut.
“Are we done here?” Doc asked, finishing the last of his coffee. “I’d like to go check on Kyle.”
“Yes, go.” Smith waved him off, still deep in thought.
“I’ll join you.” I jumped up, stretching out my legs. My butt was numb from sitting for so long.
“How is he?” Tenason’s quiet voice asked as we passed him in the hallway. The ring of red around his eyes was still visible. He looked tired; we were all tired.
“Better I think. We’re just going to check on him. I’ll keep you updated.” I patted his shoulder as I passed, and he mumbled his thanks.
Kyle was still under when we arrived. I wasn’t sure why, but I sat beside him and told him what we had learned. I doubted he heard me, but I talked anyway. Maybe I was sick of the silence. I asked for forgiveness and apologized for my stupidity. All the things I was too proud to say when he was awake.
Night came quickly again, and after little sleep the night before, I was exhausted. I grabbed a blanket, pulled two chairs together, and fell asleep.
What felt like only a minute later, I woke with a start. I had a weird feeling that somebody was watching me, but when I looked around, I found no one. Kyle was still sleeping, and I was the only one in the room. I decided I wasn’t going to get much more sleep, so I headed to the mess hall to see if Theresa had any coffee on.
The mess hall was packed. I must have slept longer than I thought since everyone was already devouring their breakfast. I grabbed a plate and sat down.
Kenzie walked in not a minute later, and he looked terrible. I’m guessing he hadn’t slept much either, judging by the dark rings under his eyes. Our eyes met, and then he looked away; despite myself I wished he hadn’t. Butterflies rose in my stomach as I quickly went back to my food, ignoring it. I still hadn’t forgiven him. I wasn’t mad so much at him as I was at myself for allowing my compassion to take over. That was what my mom would’ve done. She was always trying to help others, and it cost her life. My selfless act to help Kenzie and that old lady, Edith, had put others in danger like Kyle, not just myself. I couldn’t allow myself to be like her. I wouldn’t. I needed to be stronger and in control of my emotions. I couldn’t let others in, otherwise I had no hope of survival.
~
By noon, Kyle was awake. He was, of course, eager to move, but Doc ordered him to stay in bed until the stitches had healed. I started to tell Kyle a
bout what we’d learned, but he stopped me.
“Yeah, I already know,” he said.
I was surprised. Had he heard me last night? My face burned. “You do?” I asked.
“Of course I do. Doc told me right away.” He looked at me, confused.
“And what do you make of it?” I asked Kyle.
He agreed that it all seemed weird, but he also trusted Smith and Doc’s opinion that they were human, and that was good enough for him. I wasn’t so quick to believe this was some weird coincidence. Kyle had always been the level-headed one out of the two of us, but I couldn’t help wonder if his blind trust was unwarranted.
I left about an hour later to let him rest, and I headed to the training room.
Treadmills lined the front of the room, and weights and punching bags lined the back. There was a large mat area for sparring right in the middle.
I taped up my hands and took out my pent-up energy on a punching bag. My arms throbbed by the time I finished, and my body dripped with sweat.
“Taking out some aggression on a defenseless punching bag, are we?” I turned around to see Kenzie leaning tentatively against the doorway with his arms crossed. I could tell he was trying to calculate my next move to see if I was going to attack him again or forgive him.
“I was picturing it was you actually,” I replied.
He smiled this ridiculously gorgeous, annoying smile. “Fair enough.” He shrugged, relaxing more.
I began removing the tape from my hands. As he walked closer, I didn’t look up.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you said that already.” I still didn’t look at him. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to look away.
“I couldn’t have left her behind. She would’ve never survived,” he argued.
“I get that. It’s fine.” I managed an air of indifference, but I was thoroughly examining my bruised knuckles, anything to avoid looking up.
“Sawyer—” he knew my name, “—can you just look at me for two seconds?” he asked.
Unwillingly, I complied and was lost in his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.
I held his gaze, unable to form words as my mind wandered to his lips. When my mouth regained function, I said, “It’s okay.”
He seemed satisfied with that and moved aside to let me pass.
As I walked down the hallway back to my quarters, I had a hard time getting his face out of my mind. His soft lips and those deep blue eyes I found myself drowning in every time I looked at him. His clothes clung to his body, and I saw the definition in his arms and his chest. Heat rose to my face, and I shook the thought out of my mind. What was I doing? I hardly knew the guy. I’d never even thought of a guy as anything other than an opponent or comrade. What was wrong with me?
I focused my gaze on where I was, and I had missed my door and had walked a good five minutes past it. Hoping nobody noticed, I turned back and headed for a long, cold shower.
“Lost?” Byron smiles as I passed him for the second time.
“Shut up.”
Chapter 15
Kenzie
No matter how much he tried, Kenzie couldn’t get her out of his mind. There was this unusual need to find out more about her. How did he know her? Why was she so familiar to him? And without thinking it through, he found himself following her in the shadows. She didn’t ever see him, but she could sense someone was watching her. Having someone close to her almost taken away had clouded her thoughts. Kenzie was almost discovered the night she fell asleep in Kyle’s room, but he was accustomed to hiding in the shadows and going unseen, just as she was. They were more alike than either of them realized.
The past six weeks were slowly coming back, as he was told they would. His mind was clearing, but he knew this was when he had to be at his sharpest.
Making his way to the small closet he’d turned into his home base, Kenzie watched the shadows for anyone lurking. It was located beside Command so he could piggyback on their system connections. Nobody saw him enter the room, to which only he had the key. The computer started up, and he entered the passcode to access the system. He had only five minutes to send his message before there was a chance of being discovered so he had to hurry. Kenzie typed in the coded message as he was instructed to do weekly, hit send, and was out before anyone knew he was there.
As he rounded the dark corner, heading back to his quarters, there was the sound of someone behind him. Kenzie turned around to find Smith walking at a steady pace toward him. “Can you come with me, please?” Smith asked.
Kenzie did his best to keep his expression neutral. “How can I help you, Commander?”
“I received your request, and I’m willing to accept under a few conditions,” Smith said. “My office is this way, please.”
Chapter 16
My lungs scorched with fire as I released the pent-up energy threatening to drive me wild into the heavy bag I stood in front of. The past few days had gone by painfully slow, and my body grew restless. Kyle was healing slowly, even able to move around a bit. And I was thankful he was getting better as my heart couldn't take seeing him so pale and still.
Most of my time was spent training. Working on my combat with Byron, and shooting at the range with Tenason, who still didn’t look like himself. He was half a man now, half broken and half whole.
Just as I decided my knuckles couldn't take anymore, Sam walked in.
“Smith needs to see you in his office,” he said.
“Since when are you his callboy?” I wiped the sweat glowing from my face as I sauntered toward him.
“I’m not his callboy. I was merely doing him a favor as I’ve been sitting all day and needed a walk,” Sam replied.
I didn’t look convinced.
“Okay, okay,” Sam said. “The other techs in Command are going a bit stir-crazy, and it’s kind of driving me nuts. They can’t stand the lack of activity. I, on the other hand, quite enjoy it! I think an uneventful day is a good one, don’t you agree?” he asked as we walked down the hallway toward Command.
“No, not really,” I replied.
“No, of course not. Stupid question.” He chuckled awkwardly. “How is training coming along? Working on your punch, were you? Not that you need to. You already have a great punch, I just meant—”
I stared at him, eyebrows raised.
“Right. I’m babbling aren’t I? I do that sometimes. Would you believe I used to be a shy kid?” he asked.
“I find that hard to believe.” I chuckled.
He smiled and opened the door for me. Smith was in his office to the right of Command, gazing out a big glass window looking out to all the technicians working away on computers. Big screens filled the wall straight ahead, showing the empty city of Cytos. I knocked softly on the door even though I knew he saw me.
“Come in.” He waved me in and pointed to an empty chair for me to sit. It was only then I realized Smith wasn’t alone. Kenzie was sitting in the chair opposite from him.
“Sit!” Smith said when I remained standing.
I looked suspiciously between the two men before I sat.
“I believe you two have already met. You will be training Kenzie to be a Watcher.”
“What? Why?” I demanded a little more aggressively than I intended.
“Because we are three men down, and he has experience with firearms. And to be frank, he volunteered.” Smith shrugged.
“I don’t think this is a good idea. Why not ask Byron or one of the other guys?” I suggested.
“Because I asked you. You are our most senior Watcher after Kyle, and I know you were trained well. I expect you to do the same.” He glanced up at me with a tone of warning.
“But—” I started.
“That is all. You will start tomorrow. You are both dismissed.”
Kenzie stood and left, but I lingered for a second longer. There was no changing Smith’s mind so I let out a sigh and left.
Kenzie was w
aiting for me in the hall when I walked out.
“Where should I meet you tomorrow?” he asked.
“Listen,” I replied, “this isn’t something I want to do. This is something I have to do. So you will do as I tell you, no questions asked. Let’s just get this over with and leave it at that. Do you understand?”
“Yup,” he replied with a half-smile. His new confident demeanor annoyed me.
“Good. 0500 in the training room,” I said as I walked away. This was going to be interesting.
~
Kenzie was already there when I walked in, all ready to go and looking eager even. It annoyed me.
“On the treadmill. Ten miles,” I instructed.
He jumped on and set himself up for a light jog. I let out a small chuckle. “No, not a leisurely jaunt. This is a run.” I bumped the speed until his stride lengthened and he was pushing to keep up.
He said nothing, but I saw the struggle in his eyes. I sat and watched, taking out the pudding I took from Theresa late last night.
Sixty minutes later, Kenzie was heaving over the trashcan. He completed his ten miles but just barely.
“This is why we do this before breakfast.” I smiled, enjoying it more than I should.
“What’s next?” he replied as he wiped his mouth.
~
After breakfast, I took him into the arena. I tossed him a long wooden baton used for sparring. “Hit me,” I instructed.
“I’m not going to hit a girl,” he argued.
I smiled. Maybe training Kenzie would have its perks.
Taking my baton, I struck him in the leg as hard as I could. “Hit me!”
He winced. “Why?”
Finally, I’d had enough. I dropped my baton, walked over to him, and grabbed the front of his shirt. My leg swept behind his, and he was on his back in an instant with the wind knocked out of him and a surprised look on his face. “What was my only rule?” I demanded, pinning him down with my knee on his chest.