by Jackie D
Chapter Sixteen
The tunnels were much darker now that the lights had gone out because of whatever was happening above them. Arrow flipped on her light on the front of her vest, and Valor did the same. They moved through at almost full speed, each with a gun in their hand. She slowed at each tunnel intersection, clearing the corners on the left while Valor took the right.
They reached the stairwell to Lily’s garage and stopped. Valor looked at his transmitter again and shook his head, indicating that the soldiers had yet to make it to the house.
“What’s the plan, Major? There’s only one vehicle showing up on the transmitter, so there shouldn’t be more than two guys.” Valor checked the additional gun in his holster.
“We only have two choices. We can either find out what they’re doing here or let them press on and hope they don’t find anything.”
“I’d like to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Agreed. We need to get to our transport and grab some more weapons.”
Valor crept up the stairs, checking his transmitter as he moved. He unlatched the door and pushed it open. Arrow took note of the silence when the door swung open. He walked out and Arrow followed closely behind. The garage was empty, just as they had left it. Valor put his palm on the trunk of the vehicle. The light blinked green, accepting his credentials, and the trunk opened.
Arrow quickly grabbed several grenades from the back and two helmets, both equipped with night vision lenses. She handed one to Valor, and they put on the helmets and turned off their lights. “I’ll take the south side of the street; you take the north. When we reach them, I’ll toss the grenade. They should evacuate their vehicle on your side. Use the Night-Blind and grab them.”
“Roger that, Major.” He put the small Night-Blind canister in his front left pocket.
The streets were dark and quiet. It was easy to see the dwelling they’d destroyed. Half a wall was exposed, and mangled pieces of rebar stuck up from the heap. The kitchen table that had sat inside the dwelling was now in smoldering pieces behind it. Arrow moved down the north side of the street, ducking behind buildings and making sure she stayed close to the wall. She could hear the soldiers’ vehicle, so they were heading in the right direction. Arrow listened to her footsteps on the ground. It was an eerie kind of quiet, the kind that only happens when you fall asleep, wake up, or when you’re about to be either hunter or prey.
The vehicle turned down the street. Its wheels were as tall as her, with ground-grabbing tread designed to climb over the destruction it was capable of causing. Its only weakness was its height off the ground. If she was able to get the grenade where she wanted it, the explosion would knock it on its side. It was moving slowly, she assumed to do surveillance. It stopped ten feet from her, and she watched as the large gun on top started rotating in her direction. Click, click, click. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like years. She watched as the indicator light started to flash more rapidly. Her time had run out. This was it.
She came out from behind the corner and tossed the grenade alongside the vehicle. All she could do was hope it landed close enough to knock the vehicle over. She heard the grenade hit the ground at the same time that a bright light illuminated the street and shook the ground beneath her.
She hit the ground and rolled onto her side. Her shoulder throbbed and her ears drummed with pain and a piercing ringing. She pulled herself up onto her elbows and looked across the street. The vehicle had tipped over on its side, and Valor was in the process of pulling one of the people from the window.
She needed to help him. She willed her body to move the way she intended. She purposefully told her legs to pick the rest of her body up from the ground. She forced her arms to lift her body from the ground. She envisioned all of it happening, but her body collapsed to the side. There was copper in her mouth, coating her teeth and tongue. She focused on Valor again. He had one in restraints against the vehicle but was struggling with the other.
On shaky legs, she finally stood. She was dizzy and her hand and shoulder were throbbing. She pulled off her helmet. The lenses were shattered and making it difficult to see. One of the soldiers had managed to knock the gun out of Valor’s hand, and they were now involved in a fist fight.
She pulled the gun from her back holster and aimed it at the man who had just hit Valor. “Put your hands up.” She thought her voice would have cracked, the way her throat felt, but it didn’t.
The man turned and looked at her, then spit in her direction. “Go fuck yourself, Guardian.”
The distraction gave Valor enough time to land a solid left hook, knocking him against the vehicle and then onto the ground. This would’ve been the perfect opportunity to say something clever back, but her mind was still too frazzled to put anything together.
Valor put the restraints on the second guy. “You okay?” he asked her.
Arrow pulled the other soldier to his feet and spit out a mouthful of blood onto the ground. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Let’s get these guys over to Lily’s.”
“You sure you don’t want to take them somewhere more secluded?” Valor was undoubtedly worried for the safety of his aunt.
She was concerned too, but her focus had to be on the greater good. And she knew that was something Lily would understand. “I have a plan.”
* * *
Kaelyn put the bandage up to the young woman’s head. “You need to keep pressure on this until it stops bleeding. When you get home tonight, make sure you clean it out.”
Macy had just finished using a piece from one of the broken chairs as a splint for a man’s arm. She put her hand on Kaelyn’s shoulder. “Looks like that’s everyone.”
“Do you think they know we’re here?” Kaelyn was scared of what the answer could be, but she needed to know.
Macy took a deep breath and leaned back against the wall. “It’s hard to say. These guys can be real pricks sometimes. They go around demolishing buildings in colonies because they can, and although it doesn’t happen too often, it does happen.” She used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe away the sweat and dirt from her eyes. “Then again, yes, they might have been looking for us. The excuse we left under wasn’t going to hold up forever, although I thought we’d have at least a couple of days. Everything would’ve gone much smoother without MacLeod’s ultimatum.”
Kaelyn leaned against the wall with her, mimicking her pose. “Do you think they’re okay?”
Macy took the transmitter from Kaelyn’s hand and turned it over a few times. She looked glum and contemplative. “There’s nothing those two can’t handle.”
“Arrow’s special.” Kaelyn breathed the words out, unsure if they were meant to reassure herself or Macy.
Macy smiled and looked up toward the dirt ceiling. “You know, there was a time when some of the generals didn’t think she’d make it through basic training.”
Kaelyn was shocked. She couldn’t imagine why anyone would think that, and looking at Macy, she knew she felt the same.
Macy laughed and shook her head. “They thought she was too compassionate, too attached to people and their emotions. They weren’t wrong about that, mind you. We exhausted our favors to allow her to stay in, to prove herself. And over time, they finally saw what I knew instinctively.”
Kaelyn snorted. “That she was a badass?”
“Well, that and that her compassion was her greatest asset. She’s not just a Guardian because the title was bestowed upon her. She’s a Guardian because she truly believes in protecting her people, in helping those that can’t help themselves. She doesn’t just want to take this country back because she’s been told that’s what’s best. She wants it back because she sees MacLeod’s evil and how it touches every living being’s life in some way or another.”
The transmitter lit up and Valor’s voice came through the speaker. “Team one to team two.”
Macy picked up the device and pushed the button. “We’re here, team one.”
“We have the s
oldiers in custody. The major would like you and the Phoenix to return.”
“We’re on our way.” Macy stood and put her hand out to Kaelyn. “Let’s go see what’s happening.”
Kaelyn held her breath while listening to the interaction. She was worried any shift in the air, any sudden movement would cause their transmission to be lost. Was it a crazy thought? Obviously. But Kaelyn rationalized that she couldn’t risk it. The good news was that Valor didn’t report back anything gut-wrenching. The bad news was there were now soldiers in custody that had to be dealt with. Kaelyn straightened her shoulders in the direction Macy was heading. Valor didn’t say anyone, or more specifically Arrow, was hurt. As frightening as this situation had been, no one underground had lost their lives, and it sounded like no one above ground had either. Kaelyn decided to chalk this up in the win category, mostly because she didn’t know how many of those they’d get and she wanted to gather all the hope she could in case she needed it later.
Chapter Seventeen
Kaelyn pushed the hatch to the garage open and stepped into the space. There were two men in uniforms she didn’t recognize sitting in chairs, restrained with metal bracelets that looked far more sophisticated than any handcuffs she’d ever seen.
Arrow was leaning against the vehicle with her arms crossed. She had dried blood on the side of her face and the inside of her ear. Kaelyn’s impulse was to go to her and find out what happened. She wanted to wipe the blood away and see if there were any more injuries. But she stayed rooted to her spot across the room. The look on Arrow’s face said that her sole focus was on the two men in front of them, and Kaelyn needed to have that kind of focus too.
“Why are you here?” Valor asked.
The man on the right spit on the ground and then looked straight ahead. “We don’t talk to women or monkeys.”
Kaelyn felt her ears and her neck run hot. Anger pulsed through her body at his comment. These men were disgusting. Her fists tightened into a ball and she dug her nails into her palms.
“Pretty brave words coming from two people who were just outsmarted and caught.” Arrow’s voice was steady. “We can call your commander; tell him you were captured after destroying colony property. If I remember correctly, being captured isn’t tolerated. They won’t send anyone for you. They’ll leave you here to starve and die.”
The men looked at each other. One looked like he was going to cry. It was bizarre to think they’d be abandoned so easily, but it was apparently true by the look on their faces.
“What are your names?” Valor asked.
The crying man sniffled. “I’m Corporal Clayton and he’s Corporal Johnson.”
“Shut the fuck up, Clayton.” Johnson shook the chair and almost fell over trying to hit him with his shoulder.
Arrow looked at Valor. “Get Johnson out of here.”
Valor grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of his seat. He opened the vehicle door and pushed him inside.
Arrow pulled over the chair Johnson had just been sitting in and slid it in front of Clayton. “How old are you, Corporal?”
“Seventeen,” he mumbled.
Arrow pushed his head to the side and pulled down the collar of his shirt. There was a numeric sequence tattooed on his neck. She pulled a small device from her pocket and ran it over the number.
Arrow read whatever message appeared on the screen. “I got this little device from your friend over there. Do you know what it does?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
She put it back in her pocket. “Good, so you understand that I now have all of your information. I have your military record, your address, your parents’ names. I have everything. So I want you to think very carefully before you try to lie to me.”
He nodded again.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, staring him down.
He shifted in his seat and looked around the room. He made eye contact with Kaelyn. He squinted , but there was no recognition. She wasn’t sure why Arrow had wanted her here for all of this, but there had to be a reason. She made sure not to shift under his scrutiny. She wanted to project power and confidence. She wanted him to believe she was a Guardian.
He looked back at Arrow. “We were sent to patrol the colonies.”
Arrow leaned back in her seat. “Obviously, but why?”
“We were told to double the patrols and to identify Guardians. We were to destroy buildings as we saw fit in order to draw out Guardians, to see if any of you were outside your colony perimeters. You’re supposed to set up a beacon once you’ve left your designated area. There was no beacon in this village, so we decided to come and see for ourselves. I don’t know any more than that. They don’t tell us a lot.” He looked again at Kaelyn, obviously trying to place her.
“Do you normally blow up the buildings in colonies without being provoked?” Arrow’s voice held a bit of an edge to it now.
He smiled. “Sometimes. It’s fun; people run around like scattering rats.”
Arrow’s back stiffened. “Do you know who that is?” She nodded in Kaelyn’s direction.
His eyes bore into Kaelyn. “No, but she isn’t one of you. She’s too soft.”
Kaelyn didn’t appreciate that description, but she was curious as to what Arrow was planning. Macy apparently understood something she didn’t because she stood next to Arrow now, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Macy rolled up her sleeve to reveal a symbol that resembled Arrow’s, only slightly different. Her eagle was surrounded by a wreath of some kind, but Kaelyn couldn’t make it out from her position.
Clayton’s face went red, and his jaw clenched tightly. “I’ve seen that emblem before. That’s the seal of the old president. That hasn’t been allowed to be seen or shown for over sixty years. You can’t have that! It’s treason. He’ll hang you.”
Macy rolled her sleeve back down. “Oh, but I can. I’m President Steele of the Resistance. That woman over there is Phoenix One. But you probably will recognize her as Kaelyn Trapp.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. There’s no way she can be alive. We read about her family and how they tried to destroy our country. If it wasn’t for the MacLeod’s, we’d all be in the grasp of the devil. Kaelyn Trapp would be an old lady now, if she was alive at all.” He continued to stare at her.
Kaelyn didn’t fully understand what was going on, but she trusted Arrow and Macy. “They’re telling the truth. I’m Kaelyn Trapp, daughter of Daniel and Dorothy Trapp. I was the First Daughter of what once was the United States.”
Clayton looked like he was going to pass out. “I don’t understand.”
Arrow stood and placed restraints on his ankles. “You don’t need to understand. Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to let you go in the morning. I assume it’ll probably take about twelve hours for one of Eden’s drones to find you. Then you’re going to report back everything that happened here tonight to your commander. Understand?”
“What about him?” He nodded toward the vehicle.
“He’s coming with us. We may need him.”
Clayton didn’t answer; he just squirmed in his seat.
“Corporal, I want you to remember that I have all of your information now. If I don’t see your report flash on this screen by nightfall tomorrow, I’m going to use this device to report you as a traitor. Can you remind me what happens to your family if President MacLeod suspects you’ve turned on him?”
“He’ll banish my family to the lost lands,” he mumbled.
“So, do we have an understanding?”
“Yes.”
Arrow turned to Valor. “Sedate Johnson and bring him inside. Secure him in one of the rooms. We’ll leave at sunrise.”
Chapter Eighteen
Arrow turned toward her mom once they were back inside the house. “I hope we did the right thing.”
Her mother paced back and forth in the small living room. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I think it was a good call. They must be suspicious in
Eden that we weren’t being entirely forthcoming about where we’re headed. Who knows how many other villages they’re bombing looking for us.”
Arrow leaned against the wall, a little dizzier than she’d been a few minutes before. “Yes, exactly. I couldn’t bear the thought of our people being killed while they tried to put the pieces together. And he might not understand the significance of Kaelyn or the Phoenix Project, but as soon as the word gets back to MacLeod, the information will be everywhere, and he won’t be able to help himself. He’ll be screaming it from the rooftops. We wouldn’t be able to get the information out faster if we tried. The people inside Eden will know, including the people who are friendly to our cause. Once everyone hears what’s happening, even the fighting forces in the outskirt villages will start to assemble. They’ll know it’s started, and they’ll be more willing to fight back if more soldiers come. We’ve trained people within the villages to defend themselves if the need arises. They usually don’t because any amount of resistance is met with more trouble than what’s necessary. Knowing things are in motion will signal their allowance toward defense. Hopefully, MacLeod will focus almost all his attention on finding us and give the villagers some reprieve, but they’ll be ready if he doesn’t.”
Kaelyn was chewing on her thumb. “You wanted everyone to find out we were coming, to give them time to ready their defenses and start preparing for the war that’s going to follow?”
“Yes. It’s not how I wanted it to happen nor is it what we’d planned, but we needed to improvise. We wanted to get closer before we sounded the alarms, but he’s just going to keep blowing up buildings until he finds something. At least this gives the people a fighting chance. Unfortunately, it’s going to make our journey to Eden that much more difficult. They’re going to be looking for us now, and we won’t be able to hide in the villages.”
Kaelyn ran a hand through her hair and let out a breath. “I’m okay with it being a little more difficult for us if it gives the villagers a fighting chance.”