by Sarah Noffke
“What’s the plan?” Zack asks, letting me take the lead. I sprint down the main road, unconcerned about being spotted.
“I’m going to the Middling apartments to inform as many of the Defects faking conversion as I can that we need help. You go to Parker’s office and tell him to spread the news to his patients. He needs to tell them to hide in various places around the main plaza, Government Center, and the northeast perimeter of the city.”
Zack grabs my wrist and jerks me around to face him. “No, Em, I’m not leaving you. You were already captured once today.”
“And you already know we don’t have time to argue about this. Every second wasted is another one where Vider could have Nona killed. I need those kids stationed inside the city. I need them ready to defend. And I’m going to need their help from within. Please, Zack, as leaders we have to make sacrifices.”
I feel the worry in his being and I can’t argue it away. All I can do is make the most logical argument. And Zack knows all too well that everything we do from this moment forward is a death mission and he also knows we have no choice. I see the understanding in his eyes at once. He’s calculated the possibilities. The options. The alternatives. And he’s done it all within seconds. Finally, he sighs. “Fine, where do I meet you?”
“In the Agriculture Center,” I say.
“But that’s on the opposite side of town!”
“And it’s where our army is being assembled,” I say.
“But they’ll never make it into the town center. Vider will see them coming,” he says.
“Which is why I need those Defects in place. They have their gifts and they can help us get back into the city and storm Government Center.”
The workings of my full plan dawn on Zack and with it a smile I wish I could preserve for all of time. “You’re a genius,” he says proudly.
“I learned by watching you.”
His hand is on my shoulder yanking me into him. “Be careful, Em.”
“I promise,” I say and kiss him once, but then I’m gone too fast. I don’t even reward myself with one last look back at him as I sprint in the opposite direction.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Not ten minutes later I break my promise to Zack about being careful. I make a fatal error. I run straight into the apartment building where all converted Defects live and collide straight into two armed guards. I was naive to think Vider didn’t have this place locked down, knowing that almost every resident here is a Defect with a full-fledged gift.
A lanky red-headed guard flexes his hand on the automatic rifle strapped on his shoulder. He points it directly at me.
“What business do you have here?” he says, his words terse.
He doesn’t recognize me.
My eyes trail up the stairs and I notice the back of another uniformed soldier as he paces the second floor. This place is crawling with armed guards. A quick sweep of the Dream Traveler energies in the building and I’m confident that hundreds of Defects are being held prisoner here. That’s probably the plan until each is converted.
“I’m just lost,” I stammer out. “Is this 222 Scenic Drive?”
“No, it’s 126 Scenic,” the other guard says, irritated.
My eyes drop to his gun. In this building there’s hundreds, maybe thousands of gifts I can leech, but I have no idea what I’m working with. So I do the one thing no one would do when facing two armed men. I guess. My eyes narrow on the guns and I hold the intention of destroying them. I leech gifts from the closest Dream Travelers, probably residents on the first floor, and pray one of them gives me a good result here. Otherwise I don’t doubt one of the guards will shoot, especially when they realize who I am.
My eyes barely register the movement and thankfully the guard’s eyes are pinned on me. Individually both of the ends of the rifles bend. The metal barrels actually curve in on themselves until they’re facing back at the guards holding the guns. Someone in the near vicinity has the gift of super-strength telekinesis. It’s what I’d been gambling on. I’d heard rumors about this girl. She can’t move a book with her mind but she can tear it in two.
Both guards simultaneously turn their attention on their now crooked gun barrels. And then by the crazed look in their eyes I know exactly what I have to do. It’s the only option that without a doubt I know will preserve me at this point against two desperate guards who have just realized who they’re up against. I whip my hand into the air. The first guard shields his face but that doesn’t block the electricity I shoot at him. I have only a second to aim my other hand at the second guard and attack him before he charges me. Both men slam to the ground and vibrate with tremors. They aren’t dead but they are passed out. Who knows how long it will last.
The click overhead seizes my attention at once. I look up to see a guard with his weapon raised. He’s just released the safety. And that’s when I pray there’s a Defect nearby with Rogue’s gift of super speed. I dart to the right just as bullets fire in rapid succession marking my path. I’m indeed moving at superhuman speed and just in time to find a shield behind a column in the lobby. I pause there for only a second. Sensing the guard moving down the steps, I slide out from behind the column and stand and face him. Another Middling, wearing a tan uniform. He halts on the step, aims, and before he can release the trigger I throw my hand up and unleash a jolt of electricity. But this time only a small spark sprints out of my hand. My reserves are empty. The dark haired guard unveils a satisfied grin.
“You’re every bit the animal President Vider warned us about. And you should know he ordered us to take you out if necessary,” the guard says, looking too pleased. “I deem this necessary.”
My blood freezes. Head swims. I have a dozen options and yet I can’t think of one quickly enough. I make to bend the soldier’s gun but the energy is gone. The girl has moved and is too far away now for me to leech. I search for a different telekinetic gift but there isn’t one close enough. I’m only gifted with unclear abilities and most of them are intuitive if I’m judging right. Someone nearby is telepathic but that only tells me this guy wants to kill me, something I already know. My only option is to stall so that I can leech energy and fill back up my electricity reserves.
“Wait,” I say, holding up my hands. “I have something to say.”
“Shut up!” the guy bellows. “I’ve been warned not to let you speak. Only deceit comes out of your mouth. Now say goodbye to this wo—” And the guy freezes. Literally freezes. His mouth is frozen in mid-sentence. His eyes stare at me unblinking. My mind stumbles over this turn of events, trying to make sense of it, and then the man tumbles forward, but all wrong. Instead of rolling down the flight of stairs in front of him he somersaults oddly. His body too stiff. His gun knocks into his face, but thankfully doesn’t go off. And then he lands in a heap at the bottom. And there at the top of the stairs stands a small boy, younger than Nona. He’s wearing a proud smile. Riley. I remember him from when I gave him the conversion speech. He agreed before I was even done. Said he always sensed something was wrong in our government. Now the little boy with skin the color of coffee grounds stares back at me with that same tenacious spirit.
“You did that?” I ask, pointing at the crumbled guard.
“Yes, thanks to you,” he says, his brown eyes lighting up. “My gift is paralysis. I can freeze any living thing for a few seconds, sometimes longer. And thanks to you, I have my gift.”
I gulp in a long breath. “Thank you, Riley. Now, are there more guards?”
He nods. “On every level.”
“But level one and two are clear now?” I ask, scanning the long hallway off to the left.
“I think so,” he says.
“Then go and tell the Rebels on those floors that you all have a mission. I want you to organize yourselves and storm each level, overtaking the guards using your powers. I want you all working together,” I say.
“We can do that,” he says, confidence in his small voice. “We’ve been waiting
for you to save us. To give us a chance to be Rebels. I knew you would.”
I can’t help the proud smile that forms on my face. “I hope I didn’t make you wait long.”
“No, you didn’t,” he says, his grin so wide it tightens my chest.
So Vider has organized his own army. I should have expected this. If they are here then they are everywhere and will make this war more dangerous than I thought. I turn and run for the exit, knowing I need to make it to the Agriculture Center as quickly as possible. At the door I turn to face Riley. “Once you’ve defeated the soldiers here, I want you to go to the center of town. I’ll need reinforcements.”
“We are really doing this, aren’t we?” the excited boy says. “We are fighting back!”
“That’s right. But first the Rebels here have to be freed.” I motion up to the ten stories above us. “And I want you leading that mission.”
He salutes me and says, “It would be an honor.”
I smile proudly and dart back out onto the streets into the afternoon sun.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Three miles. That’s how many I run to reach the Agriculture Center on the outskirts of town. The surrounding fields of crops and the warehouses hold fond memories for me. Since I was eight years old I’ve dedicated my leisure hours to helping out at the farm. My passion for farming was first stirred when I visited there on a school field trip. I remember reaching my hand into a pile of fertile soil and remarking that it was the best feeling ever. Zack of course looked at me like I’d lost my mind. The next day I returned to the farm and asked Dean if I could help out. Short-staffed and overworked, he agreed immediately. And it didn’t take long before the seeds I planted were plump vegetables I pruned and later harvested. For some reason, things grow for me. My knack for yielding robust and plentiful crops was noted the following year at the markets.
Sprinting past a field lined by poplar trees, I ready the words that will need to come out of my mouth in a few moments. I’m hoping that Dean has convinced a hundred or more Middlings to join this crusade. I need their support and strength. And partnering them with the Rebels is what will hopefully put a swift halt to this battle. I’m all too aware that Dream Traveler Reverians will be a huge opposition to our success. They are stubborn and have the least reason to support this change. But thanks to Vider’s recent recruitment efforts, Middlings outnumber Dream Travelers. If I can convince them to overthrow the government then this has a chance of working.
My pace slows from sheer disbelief when I round the corner at the end of the line of poplar trees. Now with a clear view of the agricultural warehouse I’m startled by the sight that lies before me. There are too many Middlings to fit in the gigantic warehouse, which is the size of an airplane hangar. The open field in front of the warehouse is swarming with Middlings. Men and women bundled up in jackets to protect them from the brisk winter winds fill the large field in front of the opened doors. Their backs are to me as I take off again at a sprint. People stand up on tiptoes or bobble back and forth, trying to see over their neighbor’s shoulder. Everyone’s attention is focused on something inside the warehouse. As I near I hear someone making a speech. It’s not until I arrive at the back of the crowd that I recognize the voice. It’s unmistakably Zack’s.
“Pardon me,” I say, slipping through the crowd, encouraging my way to the front. Now I can see that a makeshift platform has been erected at the far end of the warehouse and there standing on it addressing the crowd is Zack.
“I recognize that I’m asking you to endanger your lives by marching into the city. We don’t know how Vider will react. But no one is forcing you to do anything.” Zack’s voice slides over the crowd as I continue to move forward, closer to him. “You are free people who can march out of this Valley if you so desire. Now that you know the truth and are no longer brainwashed, you don’t have to face the government or the President who has oppressed you. In twenty minutes you all could be on the other side of the border and free to live the life you deserve. No drama. No bloodshed. No confrontation. But don’t you want to? Don’t you want to confront the government that’s drugged you, stolen from you, ruled over you, murdered your children, and given you no choice about how to live your life? And don’t you want to stop this President who thinks he can use you?”
The crowd around me cheers, voices shouting their approval. Middlings continue to part, allowing me to pass through the mass of people.
“If you do want to protest this government, and make its injustices known, then now is the time,” Zack shouts.
I’ve always been captivated by him when he speaks from a place of passion, but now I’m in awe of him. As I spy the inspiration and encouragement stretching across the faces I pass, I’m enlivened by Zack.
“We hold strength in numbers. We have strength in being united. Now what we need is a clear message,” Zack says. “One that states our case.”
There’s a murmur throughout the crowd. I’m only five or six people back from the front. A women’s voice booms over the others in the sea of people. “No more oppressive rule. No more President Vider,” she chants.
Through a crack in the crowd I spy the victorious smile on Zack’s face. “No more oppressive rule. No more President Vider,” he repeats, and the swarm of Middlings join in at once.
“No more oppressive rule. No more President Vider,” the people carol.
I slip past the last person and stand staring up at Zack. His eyes are sweeping over the crowd as the people cheer. He’s careful to keep a look of hope on his face, but I know him well enough to spy the worry edging around his eyes. He’s searching for me and he doesn’t see me right in front of him.
I step forward, creating a divide between me and the cheering Middlings, and Zack’s eyes dart to me instantly. The relief that swallows the worry on his face lightens my chest. He extends a hand to me and I take it, allowing him to pull me onto the stage. I turn and face the crowd, which goes quiet at once. Immediately I’m humbled by the sight before me. Over a thousand faces stare back at me. Some faces I recognize, but most I don’t. These are the people who have cared for our Valley, who have made the real sacrifices. And each one of their faces is lit up with an inspiring determination.
“Here beside me stands the person responsible for fighting for your freedom. It’s because of Em Fuller that this revolution has come so far,” Zack says, his hand still in mine. “Do you want to say something?” Zack whispers in my ear.
I nod. Step forward. “We are about to march into the city,” I say, my voice clear, loud. “There will be obstacles. Vider is expecting an attack on his government. And I can’t promise you that people won’t be hurt. I can’t promise you that Vider won’t use deadly force to stop us from overthrowing his rule. But I can promise you that I will lead this protest. And I can promise you that if we win this then everything will change. You will not work for Dream Travelers, you will work beside us. So, I have one final disclaimer for you,” I say and pause, sweeping my eyes over the crowd. “Do not enter this fight unless you want to be our equal.”
Chapter Thirty
The agriculture section of Austin Valley sits on an eastern facing hill so the crops capture as much morning sunlight as possible. It’s from the edge of the farm that the best views of the Valley can be seen. From the farm’s location, elevated five hundred feet over Austin Valley, one can clearly see most of the town and specifically the tallest building in the heart. Government Center stands like a tower around the squattier buildings in the main plaza. Its white stone contrasts against the bright colors of the marketplace buildings and the green hills behind it. And from my spot on the ridge beside the farm I know without seeing them that troops are spreading out in the town, swarming to the northeast borders where we will enter. And while the distance makes it too difficult to spy the individual soldiers moving into place, I’m certain that Vider sees us from his perch on the top floor of the Government Center building.
The line of Middlings stretch
ing out on either side of me is probably grabbing the attention of every Reverian in the city. Never before have a thousand people stood on this ridge shoulder to shoulder and looked down on Austin Valley. People have never had a reason to organize this way or the means to communicate to do so.
I peek my head out of formation and the sight that winks back at me makes something invisible hit the back of my throat. Middlings flank the ridge, farm tools in their hands as weapons. Behind me rows and rows of people stand at the ready. All prepared to protest the abuse they’ve endured. On my right with his broad shoulders held back is Dean, a look of raw determination written on his face. On my left is Zack, a brutal intensity marking his eyes. He spies me looking up at him and leans over.
“Don’t leave my side,” he whispers.
“Never again,” I agree.
“Let’s do this,” he says and then it’s Zack who takes the first step forward. And he starts the chant that everyone joins in on.
“No more oppressive rule. No more President Vider!”
The hill is steep and we are down it before my eyes register the line of tan-uniformed soldiers covering the perimeter of the city. Just as I suspected. A man steps out of line. He wears several stripes around his forearm.
I halt and like a connected machine the Middlings stop with me. I step out of formation, the crisp winter air whipping across my face. The sun is bright overhead, but I feel none of its warmth.
“We don’t want trouble,” I say to the commander who stands at least a foot over me. “We want Vider out of office and democracy returned to Austin Valley. Let us pass because there are people in this city who need to be rescued and people who need to be stopped.” All I can think about is Nona, but to save her and Ren I have to capture Vider. He’s the key.
“I’m under strict orders not to allow you and the Middlings into the nation of Austin Valley,” the commander says, his voice deep, cold.