Project Integrate Series Boxed Set

by Campbell, Jamie

  We finally extracted ourselves from one another. I left with a million promises of returning soon. Leaving him was one of the hardest things I had to do. Every beat of my heart screamed at me to turn around and go back.

  I climbed into the car and closed the door. “We have to heal others before we go back.” My thoughts were filled with the last images I had seen of my adoptive parents and Lola, not to mention Ella and her family. We had done it for Lochie, we could heal them too.

  Our driver shook her head. “No way. I’ve been monitoring the police scanners and they are everywhere today after your escape. I’m taking you straight back to the camp.”

  “No, we can’t go yet,” I said, my voice pitchy with panic.

  The woman put the car into gear and started driving. “Would you rather get shot and bleed to death? There is a shoot to kill order on all your heads right now.”

  “It doesn’t matter, we have to do this.”

  She pointedly locked the doors and switched on the child lock, trapping us. I spent the next hour trying to convince her otherwise but she steadfastly refused to listen. The nausea lodged in my throat with worry, I’d have to find a way to get to them.

  After the complete silence of the remainder of the car journey back to Camp Holloway, the crickets in the trees were too loud. As we pulled up, I instantly spotted all the cars parked outside. Which meant the rescue team were back. And I prayed they weren’t empty handed.

  I hurried inside, trying to shake off the exhaustion of the day. It seemed crazy to think only twenty-four hours ago I had awoken in a prison cell. So much had happened since then that it hardly seemed real.

  The moment I stepped inside the large double doors, I saw my mother. She was pacing by the entrance, like she had been waiting for me. I ran into her arms, so thankful she was alive. She cradled me against her and it felt so comforting that I didn’t want to let go.

  “Little bug, I was so worried about you,” she said. “Your father filled me in on everything. I’m so happy you made it out.” She let me go before we could fall into a blubbering mess.

  “Did… did everyone make it?” I asked, stammering out each of the words. I held my breath waiting for an answer. The look in her eyes told me everything I feared. Not everyone made it. “How many did we lose?”

  “Fourteen.”

  Gosh, that was so many. Every single one of those souls would have people that loved them. It would be all too easy to hate the humans for what they did. But that wouldn’t fix anything. The guards who had made the kills would have done so with the belief they were doing the right thing.

  And wasn’t that exactly what we were doing too? How many guards had we hurt while escaping? So many I lost count. We were all fighting a fight we thought was the right one. I couldn’t hate the humans for that, not the ones merely carrying out orders.

  The next question I almost didn’t ask because it was the scariest of all. “And Garrick?”

  “He’s fine. He’s injured, but he will be okay. He’s getting patched up now. Amery, you should have seen him, he was so brave. He didn’t stop for anything.”

  I could imagine it, the thought quirking my lips into a smile. “He’s stronger than he gives himself credit for.”

  She nodded, like she understood everything behind those words. Garrick thought he was following me when we planned the escape. I knew we were actually doing it side by side. One day Garrick would realize it too.

  It was incredibly late, almost six a.m. according to Lochie’s watch which he leant me before I left. He said I needed to know the time more than he did and insisted I take it. Right now, it was just reminding me how tired I was. I wasn’t sure how I was still functioning.

  Despite the hour, everyone was already busy in the mess hall. I wasn’t sure what time they had all arrived or if anyone had been to bed yet. Those not tending to wounds or eating, were sitting on the floor and staring into nothing like they couldn’t process everything that had happened. Or they were too scared of capture to really sleep.

  Before any of us could rest, I needed to get moving onto the next part of the plan. We didn’t have the luxury of relaxing or delaying. There were human lives at stake, which meant our lives were next to follow.

  “I need to speak with all the healers,” I said loudly, making sure everyone could hear me, even in the farthest corners. “Please come sit with me. I promise I’ll be brief.”

  I sat on a wooden bench pushed up against the wall and waited. I crossed my fingers, hoping they would follow. They had no obligation to me, I could understand if they chose not to. But it didn’t stop me wishing they would.

  To my utter surprise, Senph was the first to join me. She sat at my side, her eyes scanning the crowd and lingering on certain people. Of course, she would know who all the healers were. I wondered how many of them were still allegiant to her.

  I got my answer shortly afterwards as they started to move. One by one, I was joined by no less than eight healers. They all sat on the bench while I got to my feet to face them.

  “Thank you for coming forward. The humans need us to heal them. I know you are all capable of it.” The image of seeing Lochie thrashing on his bed entered my mind unwelcomingly. I pushed it away. “I have a plan but I’m going to need all of you to commit to it in order to have the best shot at it working.”

  “I’m in,” Senph said before anyone else could. Considering our history, I hadn’t expected it. She didn’t like humans at all which compounded my confusion.

  I wasn’t going to argue though. “Thank you, Senph. Anyone else?”

  I listened to my heart pounding in my ears as the moments ticked by. I wanted to beg them to help, just agree already so we could all get some sleep. But I stood there silently, praying someone would say something soon.

  “I’ll do it,” the woman next to Senph said in barely more than a whisper. The others all looked at her, in disgust? Shock? Admiration? I couldn’t tell.

  “I’ll help too.” Another volunteer.

  From there, it was like watching dominoes fall. One by one the nods of assent ran down the bench until each of them had agreed to help me heal the humans.

  “Thank you, all of you,” I started. “We’re going to start early tomorrow.”

  Just like I promised, I didn’t keep them for very long. I gave them a quick outline of the plan and set the meeting time for six a.m. the next morning. That left almost twenty-four hours for us to get some sleep and the police presence to settle down.

  A few of the more industrious Truconians had broken into the cabins so I urged everyone to find a bed for some rest. Harmony had set up a roster for her friends to keep a vigilant watch over the camp during the night and day. If the authorities came, we would soon know about it.

  I checked in with Caden and the others before finally finding a bed at the corner of a cabin and set the alarm on Lochie’s watch. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow, even though it was completely dark in the room.

  No dreams interrupted my sleep. I don’t think they dared. The alarm started beeping too soon, pulling me from a deep sleep. I awoke disorientated before remembering where I was. My first thought was that I should be in my cell. It’s funny how quickly something so foreign becomes so normal.

  I did my rounds and found each of the healers, waking them for the journey ahead. None of them appreciated the interruption to their sleep.

  While I took a cold shower, Caden found some clothes for me. He had undertaken a charity store run at some point, stocking up on an array of nondescript clothing. The red singlet and beige shorts were much more comfortable than that horrible striped jumpsuit.

  By the time I was ready, so were all the healers. Instead of involving any of the humans, I insisted on driving one of the cars myself. There was a good chance that we were going to get caught and I didn’t want anyone else going down for our crimes if it could be avoided.

  Because of the numbers, I took Hayden’s van. Everyone sat on the floor in the b
ack, hanging on as best they could. I used the car’s satellite navigation to get halfway back to Portview. It was almost lunchtime by that stage but we didn’t stop for food.

  I pulled up at the barrier to the region’s water supply. The reservoir serviced most of the state, a gigantic pool of water surrounded by fences and thick trees. The newly added security cameras posted along the fence was evidence they had stepped up the protection after it was contaminated.

  Pulling my shirt up to cover my face, I sprayed black paint over the cameras. It would alert the authorities but not as much as seeing aliens there would have.

  “Come on, we need to hurry,” I whispered to the others. They climbed out of the van and helped me to cut a hole in the fence. It took longer than I would have liked.

  We each passed through the gap and started the trek to the water’s edge. I pretended not to hear the grumbles from the group. We were undertaking a necessary mission, it didn’t matter that it was hot and the terrain wasn’t conducive to walking. We had a job to do and it was best we just get it over with before someone caught us.

  It felt like it took forever to make our way through the area but finally we were standing on the muddy shores of the reservoir. I let Senph take over from there, guiding everyone in the healing.

  They each crouched down to put their hands in the water together. Much like with Lochie, they remained completely still as the water rippled out from their touch.

  I wanted to urge them to hurry but didn’t dare make a sound. It was a large body of water and I couldn’t imagine it was easy to infuse it with the healing power needed to rid the humans of the incurable disease. Plus, I doubted we would get a second shot at it.

  Looking at Lochie’s watch helped pass the time. I had absentmindedly played with it so many times while it was attached to his wrist. If we were watching a movie or curled up on the couch talking, I would trace the face of it as a way of keeping my hands busy.

  I desperately wanted to get back to him. I hated not having a phone so I could at least check in and know he got through the night alright. While Senph had unwavering confidence in her ability, I still couldn’t quite believe what had happened. I wasn’t going to believe it wasn’t just an illusion until more time had passed.

  The eight healers stood and turned to me. Senph spoke for them. “We’re done. We can go now.”

  “You’re sure?” I asked with skepticism.

  “Of course we’re sure,” she grumbled back as she started walking. I hadn’t meant to insult her but apparently I did. Then I remembered any question about her ability was taken as a personal slight.

  We all trailed after her. The act of healing didn’t seem to tire any of them. It was as natural to them as walking. I wondered where their abilities maxed out – broken bones? Terminal cancer? Surely there had to be some limitations.

  After we passed the halfway mark, Senph hung back to fall in line with me. I braced myself for some complaint or threat and went on the offensive. “Thanks for doing the healing. Not only for the water just now, but for Lochie yesterday.”

  “You love him,” she stated, almost like it was a revelation.

  “I do.”

  “He’s not one of us.”

  I didn’t know what to say that wasn’t stating the obvious. Instead, I tried to explain. “I’ve grown up knowing no-one except humans. The project members weren’t encouraged to contact one another. Most of the time I forgot that I was different.”

  “You feel like a human?” She asked it nicely, not accusing me of anything… for once.

  “I don’t know whether I feel human or alien. I just feel like me. I almost wish I did know which one I felt like, it would make things less… grey.”

  She nodded thoughtfully as we walked, her hands resting behind her back. “He loves you a great deal too. It was displayed all over his face, in his movements. He doesn’t see you as an alien.”

  “He makes me feel loved.”

  We continued walking in silence for a time, our feet scuffling along the dead grass. Senph startled me when she spoke out of nowhere. “I was wrong about you.”

  “Excuse me?” I asked, unsure whether I had heard correctly.

  “I thought you were against your own people. I thought you were nothing more than a puppet for the humans, that they were telling you what to do and think. After what I’ve learned in the last few weeks at the prison, I now know better.”

  “Is that a good thing?” I laughed nervously, uncomfortable with the whole conversation but curious anyway.

  “You are a very capable Truconian woman, a natural leader. I can see why people follow you even though sometimes it doesn’t make sense where you are going.” She finished with a smile. It somehow seemed like a compliment and insult at the same time. But I understood the sentiment was supposed to be nice.

  “If your previous opinion of me was so bad, why did you want me to help you rise up against the humans?” I asked, unable to stop myself. Considering we were being so friendly and all…

  “Like I said, I thought you were a puppet. If you were so easy to manipulate that a human could do it, I thought I wouldn’t have any trouble at all.” Like any assessment of her own ability, Senph was completely confident. Then she gave away a small smile. “I was definitely wrong about that. You gave me more headaches than help.”

  “Sorry about that,” I joked.

  She nudged me with her shoulder. “No, you’re not. But I appreciate the words anyway.” She sped up to be in the leader’s position again, fearlessly taking us back to Hayden’s van.

  We climbed back through the fence and got in quickly. My foot was on the accelerator just as the last door was closing. I didn’t turn back to Camp Holloway, I had an unauthorized and surprise stop to make first.

  I drove to Portview, my house to be exact. My eyes remained peeled for any sign of cops the entire time. Lochie said my parents were still alive but I wasn’t going to leave them ill when I could do something about it. Even with a shoot to kill order in place.

  Yes, it was selfish using the healers purely for my loved ones. But we were only going to be holed up at the camp anyway. A sidetrack wouldn’t take away the help from anyone else.

  “Mom? Dad?” I called out when I was through the doors. Silence greeted me.

  Senph’s presence behind me was actually a comfort as we hurried up the stairs. I prepared myself for the condition my parents would be in. Seeing Lochie like that had been a shock, but I was expecting it this time.

  And they didn’t disappoint. Seeing my parents’ emaciated bodies reminded me of things I had learned in my history class about the holocaust. They were even thinner than Lochie was.

  “Amery?” My adoptive mother sobbed out. I ran to her side and grabbed her hand, gripping my father’s with the other one.

  Before we could reunite fully, I had to let Senph do her thing. “This is Senph, she’s going to heal you. It might hurt but don’t be afraid. You’ll feel better afterwards, I promise.”

  They both looked at me and then at Senph. Either they didn’t have the energy to argue, or they trusted me. I stood back and let Senph heal them.

  It was just as horrible as when she did it to Lochie. My mother went first, followed by my stunned father. Afterwards, the light was back in their eyes again.

  I couldn’t stay long in case the authorities came looking for me and hit the jackpot finding nine of us at the house. Plus, if I started having a real conversation with my parents, I would break down and never leave. I didn’t want to open that floodgate.

  Instead, I promised it would all be over soon and we would have a proper conversation. Senph and I returned to the van. “There’s just two more stops to make and then we’ll go back.”

  They didn’t argue but did grumble amongst themselves. Next on the list was Ella. Her entire family was ill so it took four healers to restore them back to good health. We weren’t fast enough to save her father, he had died five days earlier.

  The final stop
was at the Newell household. Lola and her parents were all in the living room when I went through the unlocked door. They couldn’t get up from the couch.

  I explained about the healers, my speech automatic now, and they got straight to work. Senph sat that visit out, letting the others do the job without her. I doubted it was because she was tired, more that she was tired of helping the humans.

  The moment Lola was restored, she wrapped her arms around me. “Ame, thank you so much. I thought we were going to die.”

  “You know I wouldn’t let that happen. I need my best friend,” I replied, trying to keep the mood light. I owed so many explanations to everyone but today was not going to be the time to do it.

  “I need my best friend too,” she cried. Her parents were still shell shocked, starting to move around the room with a look of incredulity on their faces. “Did you hear about Asher?”

  Dread started in the pit of my stomach and spread outwards until I was cold. “No, what happened to Asher?”

  Tears filled her eyes and started rolling down her cheeks. “He was sick and he… he… died.” She wailed the last word.

  I knew Asher, it hadn’t been that long since I had spoken to him, hung out with him. Everything I thought about Lochie losing his battle was transferred now to Asher. He had such a bright future ahead of him. And now it was over. I was too late for him.

  But whatever I was feeling, it was a thousand times worse for poor Lola. She had been in love with him, despite the fact he had deserted her. He was her first true love. “Lola, I’m so sorry.”

  “They didn’t even have a funeral. He’s just gone.”

  I held her tighter as the healers returned to the car, not wanting to be involved in the scene playing out. Lola sobbed into my shoulder while I patted her back. There wasn’t really anything else I could do for her.

  “Member Amery, we have to go,” Senph said from the doorway, the one elected to hurry me along. “It’s risky being outside of the meeting base.”

  Lola rubbed at her eyes. “Meeting base?”

  “I’ll explain everything later. But I do need to go. I’m so, so sorry about Asher. Will you be alright?” It was a stupid question, because nobody was really alright anymore. She nodded anyway and I gave her a final hug.