by Ann Bakshis
He gets up, and the two exit the establishment. Artemis picks his drink back up and resumes his wallowing. The rest of us grab an empty booth by the entrance and wait for Braxton’s return. Everyone else goes back about their business.
Grayson and Braxton return a half hour later. They sit on the ends of the seats, but don’t say anything.
“So, what did you see?” I ask either of them.
Grayson begins to perspire. He was already a wet man, now he’s almost drenched. He takes his arm and wipes his forehead with the sleeve of his robe.
“Looks like they’re about to start executing people,” Braxton finally answers.
“What?” I practically scream.
“There’s a small square in front of the security high rise. They have four people lined up. Citizens I’ve never seen before,” Grayson says gesturing for a drink. “The Keons have Ammits wrapped around each of them, ready to fire.”
“What’s an Ammit?” I ask.
“The weapon they used on me in the Reformatory,” Braxton responds.
“The user pushes a black button on the right side of the grip to release a coil, which wraps itself around the victim. They can also press the same button to recall the coil. There are two buttons on the left side of the grip. The green one will slowly electrocute your captive. The red one will kill them with a Quantum Stream,” Grayson explains.
The displays lining the ceilings flicker to life. The face of a young man fills the screen. His hair dark, eyes focused, and his demeanor severe.
“Those in the Underground,” he begins, voice firm, “we know you have visitors. You have thirty minutes to escort them to the lifts to be brought to the surface, or,” he steps aside, revealing three women and one man, kneeling on the ground, hands bound behind their backs, “we will kill these four.”
The camera lens focuses on the faces of the hostages.
“No!” I scream.
I try to push past Braxton, but he won’t budge. I start to jump over him, but Lehen grabs my arm, pulling me back in my seat.
“No,” I whimper, tears pouring down my face.
I know them.
Cass and Naomi. They helped me and Quin get to Acheron months ago, to locate Kedua. Hannah was the old caretaker woman from Siedler Village where I lived as a child before Devlan took me away. And finally, Magda, the woman who took care of me after the Dormitories fell. She’s the only mother I’ve ever known. Eunice may be my biological mother, but Magda raised me until Devlan came. She’s the only family I have left.
The screen goes black.
“I’m going up there,” I bellow, shaking Lehen off.
I climb over the table, knocking everyone’s drinks, and sprint out the door. Heavy footsteps follow me. I shove people out of my way right and left as I round the core heading for the lifts.
“Trea, stop!” Braxton shouts.
I ignore him and slam into the closed lift doors as my momentum has propelled me too fast to stop in time. I push the button for the lift, it takes too long to reach me, so I start looking around for stairs or another way up. At that moment, arms wrap around my torso, swing me around, and slam me hard into the ground. Three High Ruler guards keep me pinned down. I thrash myself wildly, trying to shake them off, screaming and crying as their grips tighten.
“No more!” I shout. “Just let them take me. No more people I care about need to get hurt. Just let them have me.”
Braxton kneels next to me. He sits down, motions the guards to release me, and places his hands on my arms.
“Which one is it?”
“All of them. The one at the end on the right the most. She’s the only family I have left. She’s my mother.”
“But Eunice is your mother, Trea,” Lehen says, standing behind Braxton.
“Eunice was my biological mother. Magda is the woman who raised me. I can’t lose her too.” I close my eyes, letting my emotions take over. “Just let me go.”
“We should let her go,” Grayson says. “We can watch everything from the security room down here.”
“I’m not letting her go,” Braxton says, his voice cracking with emotion.
“I’ll go with her,” Piran says, maneuvering his way through the crowd that has gathered.
“No,” Braxton says, “neither of you are going up there.”
“You can’t stop me,” I say. “I’m going. You’ll have to kill me to stop me.”
Braxton is taken aback.
He stands up, looks at me with tears of frustration in his eyes. “You’re always going to do what you want, aren’t you?”
I don’t respond. There’s nothing I can say, and he knows me too well anyway.
“Do you think you’re the only one who may lose someone you care about? You go up there, and I might lose you. Don’t you think of what that would do to me? You mean more to me than anything. I’d die for you, Trea. Please, don’t do this. We can think of something else to get her out of harm’s way.”
I remain quiet, too confused with my own emotions about the possible loss of Magda, and that I could lose Braxton too. I need him to support me now, but I understand his frustration. I’ve not made things easy. I’m always following my own instincts, regardless of what it does to others, especially him.
He walks away, Vier and Lehen following. I take off my satchel and hand it to Grayson.
“You’re going unarmed?” Piran asks, astonished.
“Yes, and you’re not coming with me.”
“Why not?”
“Because, you can’t heal like I can and you could get killed. Stay down here with Braxton and the others.”
Piran is about to protest when Grayson places a hand on his shoulder, signaling that he should stay. The lift door behind me opens. I step inside, but stand facing the opposite set of doors that will open when I reach the top. I’m sealed in and quickly hoisted to the surface. I’m momentarily blinded by the sun’s reflection off the metal structures as the door opens. My eyes adjust quickly and I see a carriage sitting on the rail tracks, with three people, all heavily armed, standing beside it.
“This way,” a young man says to me, gesturing with his weapon towards the open door of the vehicle.
I walk slowly across the sidewalk, looking up at the buildings around me. The security building is much higher than the other structures, prominently jutting out at the center of the city. I slide into the seat. The men follow, one taking the driver’s seat, the other two beside me. We move forward a few feet, then veer left, whizzing by other arteries that navigate around the metropolis. We attach to the rail in the center of the city, turn right, and swing around the security building, finally coming to a stop on the opposite side, at the plaza.
My door opens and I step out. Magda gasps when she sees me. The man from the broadcast approaches the vehicle cautiously.
“Is she the only one?” he asks the three men.
“She’s the only one that came up,” the driver responds.
The man steps up to me. He’s over six feet tall, dark brown hair dangling partially in his face, and piercing blue eyes.
“Trea,” he says to me, taking his hand momentarily off his weapon, placing it under my chin to raise my head to meet his gaze. “I wasn’t expecting you to be the prize.”
“You know my name, but what do I call you?”
“I’m Fiche, head of security,” he replies, placing his hand back on his Levin gun. “I know you didn’t come alone, but why are you the only one who has decided to join us?”
“I’m the only one you need.”
“I don’t think so.” He turns to the men holding the hostages. “Kill two.”
“No!” I shriek, breaking towards the group.
I’m hit in the back of the head with something metal. As I fall to the pavement, I watch as the Quantum Stream ignites Hannah and Cass, murdering them. Naomi and Magda scream as the bodies fall to the ground.
“Why?” I whimper.
The gash in my head is healing, but th
e pain behind it increases.
“How many came with you?” Fiche shouts at me, kicking me hard in the ribs with his heavy boots.
I cough out a small droplet of blood, but I can feel myself healing.
“Just me,” I say. “I don’t need any help.”
I swing wide with my legs, knocking Fiche to the ground, grab his weapon from his hands, and shoot the men holding Naomi and Magda. The three men with me open fire, but I don’t feel any of their blasts. I turn and shoot at them. All three go down at once. I pivot back around and fire at the two remaining men who had killed Hannah and Cass. Both go down.
Fiche is back on his feet, running away from the square. I sprint over to one of the Ammits, rewind the wire holding Magda, turn around, and fire it at Fiche. The cord wraps around his torso, slamming his arms to his side, bringing him down hard. I walk over to him and roll him onto his back with my foot.
“Where are the others?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“Watching,” he responds. “You think we don’t have this airing throughout Sirain? Whose idea do you think it was to raid Siedler Village in the first place?”
“How did you get them here if the water is not navigable?”
“The same way we’ve repaired the shuttle rail. By air.” He points skyward, but I don’t hear any noise indicating that an aerial unit is above us.
“How did Vladim know about Siedler Village?”
“I didn’t say he did,” he says, smiling.
CHAPTER 21
“One has to keep some secrets,” a voice says behind me. “Can’t let Vladim have all the cards, no matter how much he tortures people.”
I turn around, to find Tobin and Draken standing next to Naomi and Magda. Naomi still has the Ammit around her, but Tobin has Magda, a knife pressed up against her neck.
“I knew the village was there because of the power plant that was used to electrify Acheron. When I told the Keons about it, they radioed an airship to go and scout the area. Cass and Naomi gave you up almost immediately. They told Fiche who this woman is,” he says, shaking Magda. “So when I communicated to Mardig that we were on our way to the city, I told her to take the four from the village and display them for you to see. If only the rest had come up with you.”
“How’d you get up here?”
“There are all kinds of travel corridors in the platforms. The surface is not the only way to travel, especially if you’re trying to get down into the Underground.”
“Why, Tobin?” Braxton asks behind me.
I glance to my right. Braxton, Vier, Lehen, and Piran are standing next to the carriage, weapons drawn and aimed at Tobin and Draken.
“Why? Because you chose her over us!” he screams, pointing at me.
“I thought the army killed you. We never received any signal from your position,” Braxton says.
“You still would’ve come looking for us. The Braxton I know wouldn’t have left his men behind. You were like a brother to me.”
“You’re like one to me too.”
“They tortured us non-stop for days. I prayed for death, but it never came.” Tobin’s breathing quickens. Veins begin to bulge from his face and neck. “Look what they did to me,” he roars.
“I’m sorry,” Braxton says, stepping forward slowly. “I should’ve been there for you.”
“But you weren’t and now Gage is dead because of you. You left us behind…for her.”
I feel trapped. If I let go of Fiche, he’ll be lost somewhere in the city. If I move towards Tobin or Draken, both women are dead. I decide to wait and look for an opportunity. Vier, Lehen, and Piran are taking small steps around Braxton and myself, heading towards Tobin and Draken.
“What do you want me to do, Tobin? I can’t change the past, but I’m here now for you. Just tell me what to do.”
Everyone else is distracted by the situation, but I hear whirring overhead.
The sound of an airship. Would they really bomb the city? Kill their own followers? They have to know Fiche is right below them because of his chaser. Are they willing to sacrifice him just to destroy us?
The noise finally registers with Braxton, who looks up. The airship has engaged the invisibility panels, so all we can see are intermittent clouds. I feel a tug on the Ammit. Fiche is trying to worm away from us. I let him.
“You also warned the army we were coming, didn’t you?” Braxton shouts, to be heard over the growing noise. “That’s why they were waiting in the tree line.”
“If only you hadn’t left us behind.”
At that moment I hear the Quantum mortar falling from the sky.
Everyone appears to be moving in slow motion.
Vier and Lehen fire at Draken, while Piran charges for Magda. He gets to her, and knocks her out of Tobin’s grasp. Braxton lunges for me. He tackles me to the ground, but I squirm from his grasp and switch our positions so I can shield him from the blast. Fiche is back on his feet, running. Since the airship was targeting his sensor, he’ll be Ground Zero, wherever he goes. That’s fine with me; I only hope he’s far enough away from us when it detonates.
A moment later, it hits. The explosion is deafening.
My ears ring as the Quantum Stream ignites around me.
Through the discharge, I watch Fiche burn. His screams are silent to me. Glass from the neighboring buildings shatter and rain down upon us. I don’t feel anything, only the energy from my stream.
The dust begins to settle, and I get up as the stream disappears. Braxton is banged up and bruised, but is otherwise physically fine. He gives me a quizzical look, not quite understanding what just happened. I look around for the others, but don’t see them. I shout their names, running to the last place I saw them. Through the haze, I begin to see the extent of the damage.
Draken, Tobin, and Naomi lie scorched. They didn’t have a chance. Vier and Lehen have been blown into the security building. I can see them writhing on the floor in pain, but healing from their burns and lacerations. I find Piran curled in a ball over a partially burnt mound. He’s not moving. Braxton is next to me after just a moment, bending down, checking for life.
Piran screams at Braxton’s touch. His muscles spasm as they try to heal. He rolls himself off the mound, and the truth is revealed to me. Magda is lying curled up. Piran tried his best, but what wasn’t protected by him is burned beyond repair.
She will not survive.
I bend down next to her as Braxton tends to Piran as best he can.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I didn’t mean for any of you to get hurt.”
Magda lifts a singed hand and brushes debris from my face. “Eunice was right,” she says. “You will free us.” Her hand falls to the ground as she takes one last breath. “Your mother was right.”
I bury my head in her still chest, weeping uncontrollably. Lehen and Vier join Braxton, but it’s too late. Piran can’t heal from his wounds and bleeds out. The airship can still be heard overhead, but it’s followed by another noise. Cannon blasts erupt above us. We pick up Piran and Magda, moving them inside the security building, even though they can no longer be hurt.
I feel cold inside. I want to lay next to Magda, hold her, and tell her everything will be all right. But I can’t. Vladim has taken another person I love from me. This needs to end. He needs to end. He needs to die. The cold turns to heat, rage filled energy calling me to act like the Antaean I’m supposed to be.
“Where’s Rhodes’ office?” I shout at Braxton, trying to be heard over the battle outside.
“Ten floors up.”
We decide against taking the lift and instead go up by the emergency stairwell. The building is heavily damaged from the Quantum mortar, swaying slightly. We find no one running down the stairs, so either the occupants are too scared to move, or the building is empty. We reach the floor, exit into a small hallway, and run down to the end. Braxton shoots the lock and we’re immediately meet with gunfire.
The two occupants in t
he room are easily subdued. Braxton goes over to the Superior’s desk, and presses on the smooth surface, causing a small keypad to rise. He flips on the monitor next to it, and addresses Grayson on the other end.
“What’s the code?”
“Eleven twenty-five.”
Braxton punches in the numbers. A panel on the wall next to him moves, revealing a large plasma screen outlining all active security restraints. A legend appears on the right, indicating what each flashing light means. He locates the ones for the detonators and selects the recall button. The floating red dots surrounding the city turn green and disappear.
“What’s that?” I ask, pointing to a white line heading out of the city.
“A shuttle,” Braxton says.
He pulls up the video feed and puts it on half screen. A shuttle hurtles down the completed rail, past the checkpoint, and out into Sirain.
“Damn it,” Braxton mutters. “Who knows who was on that shuttle, but I’ll bet you anything it’s heading for Tyre.”
Lehen steps up to the monitor and hits the communications icon.
“Commander, we’re under attack,” a female voice says over the line. “What are your orders?”
“Where’s this broadcasting from?” Vier asks, joining us.
“Superior Dwyer’s office, sixth floor,” Braxton replies.
“I’m on it,” Vier says, running out the door.
“Initiate raze sequence four,” Caderyn’s voice replies.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
The building shakes. That’s my answer.
We watch the screen as the platforms jutting out from the city begin to separate. The newly completed rail line collapses.
“Shit,” Braxton mutters.
He hits an alarm on the top left side of the plasma screen. A siren begins to screech, echoing through the structures outside.
“What’s happening?” Lehen screams to be heard.
“They’re disengaging the platforms from the city’s main structure. The platforms work as life rafts for the citizens. If they completely detach, no one is getting off this structure alive. The alarm is so everyone gets moving.”
I go to the window to see thousands of citizens pouring out of the buildings. Each is following a color-coded path lit along the rail lines, veering towards the different sections.