by Mary Ting
“Ozzie. Cleo. Where are you? Rhett’s been hit.” She spoke into her mic. A pause later, she answered. “Ozzie’s chip must be jammed. Where are you?” A pause. “Either Oz got hit or something is wrong with our mic. Can you move, Rhett? ’Cause I can’t carry your sorry ass. And we can’t stay here. There’s only so many holograms they can check, and I see them coming our way. Get up, Rhett.”
The urgency in her voice gave me the fuel to push harder.
I’m trying, Reyna.
My stomach rolled with nausea. Everything was too bright and too loud. The flashing buildings and the gliders whooshing by sounded like explosions. I wanted to tell her to leave me here, but I knew she wouldn’t.
Slowly, I regained the ability to move my neck. I rolled to my side with much effort and dumped my colorful lunch next to her feet. The stench made me want to retch again.
“What the hell, Rhett?”
“Shhh ... don’t be ... loud. Everything ... hurts.”
“Okay. Okay. But dammit. ISAN guards. They’re right there.”
“You see ... Oz ... Cleo?” My voice didn’t sound like my own as I slurred. I managed to lift my head from practically kissing the ground.
“I’m looking. I’m looking. I’m—there. There. Next to the cosmetic store.”
“Go ... so they know where you are. I’ll be right here. Hurry. They can help you ... help me.”
Reyna twisted her lips, her eyes questioning. She knew I was right, but she didn’t want to leave me. Then she propped me up, bent my knees to my chest, and placed a gun in my hand.
“Okay, at least you look threatening. I’ll be right back. Don’t get yourself killed, or Ava will never forgive me.” Then she took off with feline grace.
Rhett
I won’t die here.
I had so much to live for. Three days until I got Ava back.
Get up, I begged my body. Get up.
I stiffened when a woman screamed nearby. People were still scrambling to get away. So useless. I felt so weak and ...
Feet shuffled.
Please. No.
I tested my index finger on the trigger. I could pull back if I had to. More shuffling. Closer. Closer. Slowly, I flexed my finger, the movement easier.
“Rhett. You okay? Reyna told us.”
Cleo’s voice relaxed my jumpy trigger finger. “Yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m a little dizzy and sluggish, but I can move.”
Ozzie slipped his arms under my armpits and hauled me up. “Come on, Grandpa. Let’s go home.”
“ISAN guards?” I asked.
“Cleo and I Tased most of them,” Ozzie said. “C guards also took down some ISAN guards thinking they were with us.”
“Stop talking and move,” Reyna barked.
With me injured, it seemed Reyna was in charge.
Cleo aimed her Taser to the left, looking high and low. “Looks good.” Then she placed my arm around her shoulder while Ozzie steadied me on the other side.
“Follow me. We’ll go between those two buildings. The crowd finally settled and they’re moving that way.” Reyna looked back at us, then charged.
With Cleo and Ozzie as my crutches, we were able to keep Reyna’s pace. We pushed through the crowds, heads down. I tried to let Reyna make the calls, but I couldn’t ignore my instincts, training, and years of being a leader.
“To your right, by the movie theater,” I said.
Cleo poked my rib. “Don’t worry. I see him. Just keep your head down. The crowd is hiding us.”
After we passed a few office buildings, some restaurants, and a virtual reality game center, we were close to our glider. And it was too good to be true. When I peered up, I met one ISAN guard’s eyes.
If I’d looked away, maybe he wouldn’t have thought anything. But he kept staring and his shoulder dropped. I knew he was going to shoot.
Oh, hell!
“Run.” I dropped my arms and hobbled. Taking my Taser out, I fired. Without my full muscle control, I missed and stunned a man next to the guard.
“What the hell are you doing, Rhett?” Ozzie shot the ISAN guard I’d meant to hit, but another one had showed up.
“This way.” Reyna dropped down to a crouch, shot one on a rooftop, and sprinted away.
I trailed behind, Ozzie and Cleo by my side.
“Go back. I made a wrong turn. This is a dead—” Reyna froze and backed away from a dark shadow.
She had run into a nest of ISAN guards. No, not ISAN guards. Not even C guards. Citizens? Thieves?
“Well, well, well. Look what we have here.” A man with dark curly hair pointed a gun at Reyna’s temple. “Such a pretty face. Drop your weapons. All of you. Or her brain is toast.”
Curly had such a thick English accent, it was difficult to understand him. A gray beard covered half his face, and his clothes were caked with grime.
Click. Three more clicks.
Ozzie cursed.
“I think it’s our lucky day,” someone said behind me.
A disdainful laugh rumbled. Sounded like maybe four or five men. How many? I tried to turn, but something pressed into my back.
Slowly, I lowered my Taser. Ozzie and Cleo followed suit.
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll let us go. Council guards are coming.” I assumed those words would scare them off. “We’re trained to fight. Drop your weapons and nobody has to get hurt.”
“Council guards aren’t coming. And I know who you are.” Curly looked straight at me, showing off all of his yellow-stained teeth. “There’s a price on your head, Rhett. And we aim to cash in today.”
Bounty hunters?
ISAN had paid idiots to capture us because they couldn’t. If I didn’t have a weapon behind me, I would let them know exactly how I felt about bounty hunters.
“They won’t pay. Besides, how do you know I’m Rhett?”
Curly hiked one eyebrow. “Andy, call them.” He gestured with a tilt of his head. “Tell them we have Rhett and three others.”
With my back to the others, I had no idea how many there were. My mind reeled with possibilities and the odds. I looked at Reyna and winked, letting her know I had a plan. Then I jerked my chin to Oz and Cleo. Though it would help if I had full control of my muscles, there was no way in hell I was going to stand here and let these idiots turn us in.
Reyna gave me a curt nod and then her eyes widened.
“Hey, Mister. Do you have any cash?” She sounded like a little kid.
What the hell was a child doing here of all places?
“Scram, you little shit. Can’t you see I have a gun?”
The kid’s unexpected appearance distracted my captor for a brief moment, giving me a chance to whirl and calculate. The redhead—Andy, the man holding the gun at me—gave me a warning look.
I stepped, slightly raising my hands. I didn’t want him to get trigger happy, especially when the kids, not one but two, most likely made him anxious. One Asian girl and a boy, both apparently around twelve.
The girl had asked the question, and the boy next to her had his head down with his arms wrapped around his stomach. His cap read Renegades.
Two men with Tasers flanked Andy. Four men total. I could have brought them down easily. I brushed away that thought out of concern for the kids.
The kids’ clothes were surprisingly clean, but their hair was greasy like they hadn’t washed in days. They were thin, but with lots of courage, that’s for sure.
The little Asian girl shoved her hands inside her jacket. “I’m not stupid. I know you’re holding a gun. I’m holding one, too.”
Her lips curled menacingly. Even I questioned her motive.
Andy pointed the gun at her and then back to me. “Shut up, girl. Are you stupid? This is a real gun. This is your last warning. Go before I shoot you.”
“Yeah. Well. I’m a kid, so I don’t have to give you a warning.”
Andy’s jaw tightened, his nostrils flaring. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
Andy reached for her, but he was thrown back. A Taser pellet shot from the roof. Then the timid boy released his hands, a Taser in each.
It happened within a blink of an eye I didn’t know what to make of it. Three men were down, trembling from the electric shock. As for Reyna, she had her perpetrator flat on his stomach. Straddling him, she gripped his curls to force him to lift his head.
“You were going to toast my brains, right?” Reyna snarled. “How about I toast yours instead? What shall we do with you?”
“Shut up, bitch. Your ass is still mine.” Curly struggled to get his words out, his lip, puckered by an old scar, lifted in a sneer.
Reyna let go, and his face collided with the cement.
“Bitch.” Blood oozed from his cut lip.
I parted my mouth to say something, and the kids’ Tasers swung to me. My theory was right on the nose. Ava had mentioned kids during her mission. I didn’t know whether to be amazed or shocked that they had not only outsmarted the bastards but dared to point weapons at me.
“Hey.” I raised my hands. “We’re not going to hurt you. We just want to go home. We’re not with them, okay?”
The girl scrutinized me from head to toe, her sassy attitude the same. “The idiot on the ground said you’re Rhett. Are you? You look like him, but I can’t be sure.”
I crossed my arms. Yes, she was holding a weapon, and another one was most likely pointed at me from the rooftop, but I wasn’t worried. These kids were not bandits or homeless. They were trained, had skills, and they worked as a group.
“Yes. I’m Rhett. This is Ozzie, Cleo, and the one over there is Reyna. Tell me what you want?”
The girl lowered her arm, but the boy didn’t.
“My name is ...” She paused, blinking as if contemplating her decision. “You can call me, Momo. And my friend’s name is Bobo. And the one on the roof is Coco.”
I furrowed my brow.
Not their real names, but go with the flow.
“Well, Momo. Nice to meet you, but why are you looking for me?”
“I ... We ... Oh man.” Momo’s face lit up. Her hands began to tremble, her eyes glassy ... with happiness, maybe?
I thought she was going to get down on her knees and bow the way she was looking at me.
“Jo is going to be so happy. We’ve been searching for your team for weeks. We’re from the South. A bunch of us escaped from ISAN not too long ago, but we had to split up, and, and we’ve been on the run with limited resources.”
Kids. They were just kids. Knowing ISAN was training little ones had me furious, but seeing them in action broke my spirit. This was not the life they should be living.
Bobo finally relaxed his arm and smiled, looking at us as if he’d just met his idols.
“Who is your leader?” Cleo softened her tone and handed me the Taser I hadn’t had a chance to pick up.
“Jo. She sent small groups to different territories to look for you. We didn’t know where you were based.”
“Jo sound familiar to you guys?” I exchanged glances with my team.
“Nope.” Ozzie moved closer.
I regarded Momo closely as if I could find answers in her huge smile. “How does Jo know me?”
Momo’s smile got even bigger and her tone rang with enthusiasm. “How does Jo know you? Everyone knows you. You’re wanted. We saw a picture of you every day when we were in ISAN. We’re told—no, ordered—to shoot you down.”
“Really?” I arched my eyebrows, frowning.
“But don’t worry.” She let out a snort. “I’m not going to shoot you.”
“Oh, really?” My eyebrows spiked higher and so did my pitch.
Ozzie choked a laugh.
Cleo giggled.
“Yeah, really.” Momo wrung a strand of hair around her finger and swayed back and forth. “All the girls love seeing your picture. In fact, I’m—I mean we, I mean, they—are in love with you. But not me, of course.”
I crossed my arms, trying to suppress a chuckle rising.
“Oh, really? Do you have a warrant on ...” Ozzie coughed, “... me or Cleo or anyone else?”
“Nope. Just Rhett. Rhett ... Rhett.”
I clapped to snap the little girl out of her daydream. “How old is Jo?”
“Sixteen, I think.” Bobo shrugged, his dark eyes gleaming as bright as Momo’s.
“How long were you in ISAN?” Cleo peered up to the rooftop and then back to Momo.
“About four months.” Bobo looked over his shoulder to the open space like a trained assassin.
I was doing the same, keeping my eyes open for guards. “How did you get out of ISAN?”
Bobo flicked his finger to Momo and back to him. “We were on a training mission and there was a bunch of us. Jo and one of the supervisors planned our escape. We Tased the two supervisors and ran.”
“Wait.” I placed out my hand. “Where’s your supervisor?”
“We had to split up.” Momo rubbed under her nose and squinted. “We don’t know where she is.”
I rocked on my heels, contemplating what to do. “Well, you can’t stay here, and I don’t feel comfortable sending you back. Come with us and then we’ll go with you to your team. Does that sound good?”
I decided not to tell her the southern rebels were going to be attacked, not knowing if they were from the same group, I also didn’t want to scare her or send her back to be slaughtered. Zen had sent his team, and hopefully, they would have found the rebels by now. But how many were there?
Momo exchanged glances with Bobo, then looked at me. “Sure. That sounds like a plan.”
“Guys, before we leave, what do we do about him?” Reyna elbowed the man just as he raised his head.
He groaned and cursed.
Reyna and Curly had been quiet, I had almost forgotten they were there. Reyna still straddled him, her fists tight on his hair. I almost laughed.
“Do we bring him with us?” Ozzie went over to Reyna to help.
“Nah. He would be another mouth to feed.” I wanted to kill him, but I’d left ISAN because I didn’t want to be a killer.
Curly jerked and grunted, trying to break free.
“May I?” Momo held the most disgusted glare.
“He’s all yours.” I waved like I was clearing the path for her.
Momo’s gait reminded me of Ava—confident and bold.
“Do you remember me, asshole?”
Curly spat, his saliva landing inches from her feet. “You remind me of another rat I used to beat up.”
“Can you let go of his hair, please?”
I was surprised to hear polite words coming out of her vulgar mouth.
Reyna let go and got off him.
“Let me remind you—” Momo poised for action, dragging her feet back. “Not only did you steal bread from us, but you tried to kidnap us the other day. You remember us now? Since we were so easy to forget, I’m going to make sure you remember for the rest of your pathetic life. Renegades forever, asshole.”
Momo twisted at her waist, giving a roundhouse kick just as he got up halfway with a deadly expression. When he collapsed to the ground cursing, she Tased him.
I have a feeling we’re going to get along just fine.
Rhett
I gave Zen a heads up on the way to Hope City. Bringing unexpected guests without warning might not go well with him. I would have taken them to my base, but they were so young, they needed adult supervision.
The kids, especially Momo, bombarded me with questions. Yeah, she was quite the character, but I loved her spunk and fire. She would be a good leader one day and would hopefully have a normal life after we demolished ISAN.
I watched their jaws drop when we landed in the ruins. If they had never seen the aftermath of such destruction, well, it was shell shock to their system.
“You live here?” Coco squinted against the setting sun. “Man, and I thought we had it bad.”
“Are there kids here?” Bobo rubbed his nose in the sudd
en gust of wind.
Momo twisted her lips and bobbed her head. Her tone was light and grateful. “Not what I expected, but it’s better than being out in the streets.”
“You’ll see. Come on.” I led them to our compound.
When we entered, everyone gathered around. Some stood on the makeshift second level on top of debris while others stood right in the center. The younger ones waited anxiously in front.
Zen introduced himself first and then the rest. I asked an elder woman to help the kids settle in while we met Zen in his office.
I gave Frank a curt nod by way of greeting. He nodded back and returned to discussing something with his group.
“Have you heard news from the scouting team?” I weaved around the table and stood behind a monitor.
“Yes, but no luck.” Zen slumped a little lower, his grip on the back of the chair tightening. He spun the chair around and eased into it like an old man. Then he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, which were puffy with lack of sleep.
“We’re running out of time.” Cleo placed her hands on her hips, tapping her foot in a steady rhythm.
“I know, but I don’t want to send another team.” Zen went to the hologram monitor Frank had pulled up. “Anything new?”
Frank shook his head and frowned. “I’ll keep searching.”
The monitor showed the south territory. Frank had zoomed the view to scan city after city. Although, you could see the people and their daily activities, he wouldn’t be able to detect any rebel kids. They wouldn’t be out in the daylight running around.
“Send me. Let me find them.” I got flustered the longer I thought about the situation. “I’ll take one of the kids. Momo said they had to split up. She can take me to their hideout, and then I’ll track the others from there.”
Zen rubbed the back of his head, focused on the ground.
Come on, old man. Say yes. I’m offering. There’s nothing to think about.
“I’m going with Rhett.” Ozzie stepped beside me.
“If he goes, then I get to go.” Reyna held up her chin.
“Since I’m on their team, I can’t be left out.” Cleo gave her father a challenging look. Then she winked at me. “Don’t worry. Rhett will look after me.”
Look after you? You don’t listen well, Cleo.