by AJ Eversley
“Well?” my dad asked as I slumped down in the chair, barely able to open my eyes.
“There was an old map, pre-World War III, I think.”
“What did it show? Was there any writing on it?”
“Something called Canvas Mountain was circled. But it was within the Wastelands so it probably doesn’t even exist anymore.”
“That’s it!” my dad yelled. “Go tell Coleman. Now!” he ordered a guard, who jumped at the command. “You have done so well, sweetheart. You have been amazing. Now we can start your transformation, and we can be a family once again.”
I looked at him with disgust. “We will never be a family again.”
“I know we will, sweetheart. Things will all be as they should.” He looked to the other guard. “Take her to the lab.”
The guard reached down and picked me up, my body too weak to fight him. Kenzie whispered something to my dad to which he responded, “You’re wrong, that is all the information she has. It’s time.” There was a moment of panic in Kenzie’s eyes before I was taken out of the room.
We entered a room full of long metal tables and weird instruments. There was a computer connected to each station, along with a tray of needles and scalpels. In the middle of the room was one long cylinder tube made of glass. The lady in the lab coat who was in my room a few days ago was there. “Put her in here, please.” She pointed to the cylinder pod. The guard placed me inside the tube and stepped back. “That will be all,” the lady said, dismissing him.
She came around to the side of the tube and reached for my arm. A large syringe, filled with the same blue liquid as before, was in her hand. I flinched, and she smiled. “There is nothing to be afraid of, my dear. This is a little something to help you sleep better.”
“What is this? What are you doing to me?” I demanded.
“This is just a rejuvenation chamber. It will help heal your body and make you whole again. You will feel so much better once you wake.” Her tone was so sweet and inviting. My body relaxed at the sound of her voice. Her features were soft, her light blonde hair was tucked modestly behind her ears, and the small glasses she wore were sliding slightly down her tiny nose. Everything about her was welcoming and warm. I somehow felt I could trust her despite what my logical brain was screaming.
My hand turned over so she could reach the inside of my elbow better, and she smiled again. Gently, she reached down. I felt only a slight pinch before my body warmed again and I drifted off into a deep sleep.
Once again, I was in that large white room, but this time there was a door. I opened it to find a beautiful, green meadow beyond and the sun shining down on the flowers as they gently swayed in the wind. I walked out, reaching for the flowers and feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. Up ahead, a large tree stood filled with fruit, and I longed for it. I walked toward the tree, but it kept moving farther away. I tried running toward it, but the tree disappeared. In its place I saw my mother, only she didn’t look the same. There were scars on her face, and her body looked deformed. She couldn’t stand up straight.
“You can save me,” she said once again. I didn’t understand. She was already dead, and I was getting frustrated as I couldn’t understand what was happening.
“How?” I asked, and she smiled.
“The stars are the key,” she said. I didn’t understand. I wanted to ask her more, but she disappeared.
I awoke to the sound of a door clicking open.
~
Back in my room, I was lying on the cot when the door creaked open. I sat up quickly. A figure entered the room with his back to me as he closed the door softly and turned around.
Kenzie.
“What are you doing here?” I said.
“No time,” he said, rushing over to grab my arm. I flinched back, remembering the pain his touch brought, but this time I didn’t feel the burning. “I’m not going to hurt you, but we’ve got to move fast. Please, just trust me.”
“Trust you? Right, that’s what I’m going to do.” I crossed my arms, but he pulled me up to my feet.
“You’ll have plenty of time to be mad at me later, but right now we have to move.” I was pulled into the hallway and decided I had no choice but to trust him.
I followed behind and tried to shake off his grip, but he held tight. We rounded the corner and stepped over a guard lying on the floor.
“Your handiwork, I presume?” He shushed me and moved faster.
We reached an elevator at the end of the hall, but he didn’t push the button. Instead, he took out a knife and wedged it between the doors, prying them both open. Inside was an open shaft that went down so far I couldn’t see the bottom.
“We have ninety seconds, go!” he instructed, pointing to elevator cables as he handed me a pair of leather gloves from his back pocket. I pulled the gloves on and grabbed a hold, letting my body slide down. At first, I wasn’t sure if my arms would hold up, but I found they weren’t sore anymore. I felt awake and strong. Whatever that lady gave me must’ve worked.
We slid down a long way until I heard Kenzie say, “Next floor.” I clinched a little harder to the cable to slow myself down.
I reached with one foot over to the ledge behind the closed elevator door, but it was out of reach. I brushed the edge just as I felt Kenzie’s hand around my waist as he pushed me toward the ledge. I grabbed a hold, just barely. He reached over and joined me.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Stay as close to the door as you can. This is going to be tight.” I was about to ask him why when I heard it. The elevator was moving.
There isn’t enough room, I thought. I peered over the edge to see how far away it was, but Kenzie pushed me back against the door. I stood on my tippy toes, trying in vain to make myself as small as possible.
I held my breath.
Wind rushed past me ferociously, and I almost lost my balance. The metal just barely brushed against my skin, and then it was gone.
Kenzie let go of me and turned to the door. He used the knife again to pry open the door, but this time he only opened it a crack. He put a finger to his lips, telling me to stay quiet, and I listened.
He opened the doors a little more, listening for any sign of movement. Then he flung the doors open and dove, throwing two knifes simultaneously down the hall. I couldn’t see them, but I heard the guards hit the ground.
He motioned for me to follow, and I stepped out into yet another white hallway as I removed the gloves. Every hallway here looked the same as the next. Kenzie pulled me around a corner and into a room. This room was small, like the one I had been in, only there was a window in this one. He walked over to the window and placed his left palm against it. The glass shattered into a million pieces.
“Jump,” he instructed.
I looked over the edge, and all I saw was darkness. We had to be at least ten stories up. There was no way I could make a jump from that high. I raised my eyebrows to him, silently saying, “Yeah, right!”
“Trust me,” he whispered, and I saw the pleading in his eyes. There was a bang from down the hallway, and I heard voices coming closer. “Now!” he yelled.
I had no other choice, so I jumped.
My stomach was in my throat as my arms flailed in vain, trying to stop my free fall. The drop never seemed to end. The ground was getting closer. It was glistening black below me, and I wondered why I ever trusted Kenzie. I let out a small cry as I braced for the impact, and suddenly I was engulfed in darkness and—water?
I kicked my legs, trying to reach the surface, when I felt a hand reach out and pull me upward. Just as I thought I couldn’t hold my breath any longer, we reached the surface. Kenzie held me up as he dragged us both to the edge. He pulled himself over the side and lifted me out with ease.
I was barely to my knees when he yelled, “Run!” Gunfire rained down on us. I scrambled to my feet and followed Kenzie into the street. I took a deep breath of real fresh air and chanced a look back. My dad was standing at the sma
shed open window ten stories above, and he smiled.
Chapter 30
We ran for nearly two hours, weaving in and out of streets to avoid being seen or tracked. Kenzie slowed down as we approached a tall building, which used to be an apartment building, but it was mostly still intact. We snuck through a broken glass door and headed to the back hallway and up a long staircase. We climbed nearly twenty flights of stairs before Kenzie directed me into another hallway.
He reached a door with 2053 on the outside and slid in a key. The door opened to a modest living room straight ahead and a tiny kitchen on the left, enough room for maybe four people. A small staircase to the right led up to what I assumed were two bedrooms. The wall straight ahead was all glass and overlooked the remainder of the city.
I took a deep breath in as my body relaxed at the sight of the outdoors. I was so used to being up high overlooking everything that I almost forgot how freeing it felt.
As I stepped in and took a closer look at the place, it looked almost untouched by the war. Everything was in pristine condition without a spot of dust on anything. Almost as if someone had been living here.
I cautiously turned to Kenzie, who was closing the door. He didn’t have to turn around to feel my stare.
“This was my parents’ place,” he explained. I noted he didn’t say it was his former place.
“Coleman will know we’re here. This isn’t safe.”
“It’s secure. I have made sure of it.”
Clearly, he’d been here before, probably more than once.
“There’s something else,” Kenzie said, stepping around me and lifting the corner of a blanket to reveal a small wood kennel with holes all around. I heard a soft whimper as he opened the door, and I was tackled from the side with—dog slobber? Chevy!
“How? I thought he was killed in the battle!” I asked as I bent down, hugging him. He wiggled with excitement, licking at my face.
“I went back and brought him here to keep him safe and patched him up. He isn’t 100% yet, but he’s getting stronger,” Kenzie explained, taking a seat on the couch behind him. He let out a long sigh.
I sat on the floor, rubbing Chevy’s belly as he squirmed.
I had so many questions for Kenzie, but I wasn’t even sure where to begin. The silence between us was awkward, and I longed for the comfort I used to feel being around him.
It was Kenzie who broke the silence. “I hope you realize I had no choice. I know you may never forgive me, but I am sorry.” He wouldn’t look me in the eyes.
“How? Why?” I narrowed my eyes at him. “All those people who took you in, you betrayed us all, and now they’re gone!”
“No,” he said. “No, I couldn’t tell you then, not with your father around, but most have survived.” He looked at me, pleading for me to believe him. “While I was in the base, yes, I was reporting to Coleman as I was supposed to, but I left a trail of clues for Sam to find. I knew he was smart enough to figure them out. Before the base was attacked, I warned them. They were able to get out so many more people than Coleman believes. They’re in hiding.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. But neither does Coleman.”
“What about the Watchers and everyone who helped us before we were betrayed?” I asked.
He took a deep breath, and I saw this was the conversation he was hoping to skip. “A few didn’t make it out alive, but those who did were taken to Sub 9 for programming.”
“What exactly does that mean?” I asked, frustrated. Everyone kept referring to programming and the transformation, but no one had explained anything to me yet.
“Your dad and Coleman have discovered a way to use the human body to create Carbons that can think and feel for themselves but still do what you tell them to. This gives them subjects who can be controlled. These Carbons are not limited by processing or constant updating since all the human emotions and experiences are programmed directly into the Carbon from the subject and are constantly being fed to them in real time.”
“How are they constantly being fed new information?”
Kenzie scratched nervously at the back of his neck. “They keep the humans in pods that are connected to a computer which directly controls the Carbon, and they are able to stream any information or commands to the Carbon whenever they want. Plus the Carbon can feel any emotions or memories that the human has ever felt.” He took another breath. “Coleman wanted the Watchers specifically so he could build an army with your abilities and skills.”
I shook my head. How could this be? He was trapping humans and using them to create his Carbons? Keeping them locked up in some pod like lab rats while he built an army out of them? It was sickening.
“I know it’s a lot to take in. I will explain everything, but I think you should get some rest first,” he said.
My body felt exhausted, but my mind was still reeling.
“There is a bedroom upstairs you can use, first door on the left. I’ve left some fresh clothes for you as well.” I looked down at my wet, dirty, formerly white clothes.
I stood and headed to the stairs. Chevy followed close behind me. My foot hovered over the next step as I turned back to Kenzie. “Thank you,” I said, “for getting me out, and for what you did for Chevy.” I tried out a weak smile.
“You’re welcome.” Kenzie smiled back.
~
My mind wouldn’t allow me to sleep, and I found myself seated on the edge of the open window looking out over the city. Chevy’s soft snoring in the distance was the only sound I heard as I breathed in the cool, fresh air, reveling in the freedom I felt. Below I saw Bots scouring the city, looking for humans, and my old habits kicked in. I scanned the city streets for any signs of danger.
It was so peaceful up here. I longed to stay in this spot and live out my life, whatever was left of it, alone and free. But I knew that wasn’t the path I’d chosen when I became a Watcher. With or without a leader, I am what I am, and my job was to protect the humans that remained. That was what I was going to do.
~
I was awake before Kenzie, and I crept down the stairs. He slept on the couch. His steady breathing conformed he was still asleep. I sat at the small kitchen table and watched him. I was putting together the pieces, but I knew there was so much more. There was something Kenzie wasn’t telling me.
I couldn’t trust him. Something he said earlier kept repeating in my mind: “I hope you realize I had no choice.” I read between the lines and saw that he meant that in a literal sense. Coleman had a hold on him—how strong I wasn’t sure. I wasn’t even certain how he helped me escape in the first place. I resisted the urge to wake him up and demand answers.
Regardless of where we were, I wasn’t safe with him. The first chance I received, I needed to get as far away from him as possible.
I heard Kenzie stirring as he woke. He rubbed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. I tried not to stare as he removed the blanket, revealing his bare chest. I was glad when he quickly put his gray T-shirt back on, and I prayed my cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.
I cleared my throat in an attempt to act natural. “Were you able to sneak any supplies out here? Coffee maybe?”
Kenzie smiled lazily as he pulled out two cups and started up a coffee maker. He sat across from me at the table, playing lazily with the empty cup in front of him.
“Kenzie, what happened to you?” I asked.
He ran his hands through his hair again and let out a deep breath. He knew I was going to ask but hoped for a little more time.
He filled both our cups with coffee before he spoke, and I didn’t rush him.
“My brother and I used to play Spaceship Warriors when we were younger. We’d rig up a few chairs and carts together and make a spaceship then ‘fly’ all over the house. It drove my parents nuts because we were always crashing into walls and messing up the house.” He smiled at the memory. “One day, I was in our makeshift spaceship, and my brother pushed a little too hard. I we
nt down three flights of stairs outside. I broke my left arm in more places than I could even count. The doctor recommended amputation as it was too extensive to repair, but my dad couldn’t bear it.” He looked down at his left hand.
“They set it as best they could and hoped it would repair on its own, but as you already know, it didn’t. For two years, my parents struggled to make ends meet as they had to put me through private school to help me learn how to function with only one arm. The public sectors didn’t have time for me.” He looked up at me. “My dad was just a transportation officer, and my mom didn’t even have a job so there was no way to pay for the additional expense needed to assist me.” Kenzie took a slow sip of coffee.
“After two years, they realized they couldn’t do it, so they took me to Sub 9 to see if there was anything they could do. I remember the day like it was yesterday. They wouldn’t let my brother come with us, and I couldn’t understand why. I was brought into this bright orange room where my parents said this man was going to help me, and I had to be good for him. I begged them not to go. I told them I’d be better, that I wouldn’t be a burden to them anymore, and I could help them somehow if they’d just give me a chance.” His cheeks flushed with anger. “My mom almost broke down, but my dad stayed strong. They left me there.”
Kenzie stood up, pacing until he stopped in front of the window looking out over the city as the sun began to rise.
“My dad came back once and said he’d made a mistake. He begged Coleman to give me back, but it was too late.” He looked down at his hands. “Coleman did fix my arm, and it wasn’t until five years later that I learned what he really did to fix it.” His fists wound into tight balls as his shoulders shook with rage. “For eight years, I watched on a monitor as my family struggled to survive. They did hide out in the underground rail system like I told you, but I wasn’t there with them. I had to watch from afar as my mother died of starvation and see my dad and brother buried alive when the tunnel collapsed. I wasn’t there to help. There was nothing I could do.” His shoulders slumped in defeat. “I should’ve saved them. I should’ve been there to help them!”