Washington continued without the need for my input. “Our mission today is to patrol Aria Square and the surrounding areas. We will be bringing the fear back to those who even think about stepping out of line. Conformity will be restored and we will take back the streets.”
Lieutenant Strobe stepped forward at his side. “Assemble in Vehicle Bay Three in fifteen minutes.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice.
I hot-footed it out of there, running toward my dormitory to change. I didn’t have time for a shower but a change of clothes helped with the stink situation. I threw on a clean white uniform and piled on the deodorant.
A machine gun completed the outfit.
Hopefully I wouldn’t have to use it today.
I only just made the fifteen minutes deadline. Falling into line with the rest of the group, I climbed into the truck and took my seat. Our individual identities disappeared once we were inside. We became a unit, ready to do whatever it took to successfully complete our mission.
The ride into the city center was bumpy, the truck rolling around like it would be kinder to let it go so it could die a quick death. We had to hang on around all the corners in case the doors decided to fling open and throw us out.
It was a miracle we reached the square, really.
We moved in sync to get out of the vehicle, falling into our groups of four and disbursing. People were milling around the large square, giving us a wide berth as we moved.
Troopers were never welcome anywhere in the city. Our entirely white uniforms, helmets, and guns placed a distinctive barrier between us. Unpredictable violence on our part didn’t help things either.
My eyes scanned the faces of everyone we passed. I didn’t realize I was looking for Wren until we’d already completed one circuit of the area.
I didn’t want to see her. If any one of my comrades spotted her recognizable face they wouldn’t hesitate in taking her in. It was good that she wasn’t there. It would have been stupid of her to turn up.
“Thompson,” Washington called my name, pulling me from my group. “Over here.”
Without skipping a beat I changed my course to follow the sergeant behind a building. I tried to keep the dread away. He had to know. He had to know everything I was up to, determined to deal with me himself away from base where the rules didn’t necessarily apply.
As long as you didn’t get caught.
And there were no living witnesses.
While the fear swirled in my gut and spread out to leave all my limbs numb, my face didn’t reveal a thing. I flicked up the visor on my helmet but kept my features set in a mask.
“Sir,” I said when I reached him, my heart thundering at the speed of a jet. A guilty conscience was a heavy burden to bear, weighing a thousand tons on my shoulders.
But I wasn’t ashamed of what I was doing with the Resistance. If anything, I was proud. Someone had to stop Stone and I was glad to be a part of the movement.
My success in my role depended on my ability to not get caught. If I were discovered, I was useless. This was my only fear now.
I didn’t fear death itself.
Bring it on.
Washington had already pulled his visor back, staring at me with his blue, dead, cold eyes. He could kill a lesser mortal with that gaze. “You think you’re real special, don’t you, Thompson?”
“No, sir,” I replied, trying to keep the respect in my voice. Washington had lost that months ago when I saw him berating a new recruit for daring to ask a question during a briefing. The recruit hadn’t spoken a word to anyone for two months afterwards.
Hatred curled his sweat-lined lip. “Don’t try that with me, corporal. I know what’s going on. You somehow convinced President Stone to feel sorry for your pimpled ass and consider you for her private protection team. Don’t pretend you have no idea what I’m talking about.”
I gulped down my relief. My secrets were safe for a little while longer. “She offered me the opportunity while I was protecting her after the incident, sir. I did nothing to elicit or coerce her actions.”
“Yeah, right.” Washington spat out each of the words, along with some spittle to join them. I wanted to take a step away from him but that would be giving him more power. I stood exactly where I was, unflinching.
“It’s the truth, sir,” I replied, keeping my voice level. “I told her I would consider the opportunity and thanked her for the consideration.”
“Well, you can tell her now that you are turning down her offer. Your position with the troopers takes priority.”
So Washington didn’t want me working for Stone directly.
Interesting.
I tucked that information away for later. It would take more time than I had right now to analyze his motives and intentions behind the order.
Now I needed to stay on my toes. Lest I give anything away. “She made me a tempting offer, sir. I told her I would think about it.”
“And I’m telling you you’re done thinking. Decline the offer or I will do it for you,” he said through gritted teeth.
I should have dropped it. Washington was not somebody I wanted to put offside. But I also didn’t want to let the Resistance down if they needed me to take the position. Letting go of the opportunity wasn’t so easy.
“With all due respect, sir, I think—”
“That’s where you’re making a mistake, Thompson,” he interrupted. “You’re thinking. You’re not paid for your brains, understand? Turn down the offer or I will make sure you are not fit to serve in any capacity. Got it?”
“Is my position with the troopers really more important than protecting the president?” I asked, trying to keep the petulance out of my voice. I aimed for innocent and curious, doubted I actually achieved it.
Washington took a step closer to me, so close his hot breath puffed onto me like he had a fire in his belly. “You’re not important at all, corporal. But I am. If anyone is going to be protecting the president, it’s me.”
So that was his game.
He didn’t want the competition.
If Washington saw me as enough of a threat to warn me off going up against him, then I was screwed. I didn’t want anyone to notice me, I was supposed to be slipping under the radar.
I needed to improve my game.
Or it would be my life next.
My renewed efforts would start with Washington. My gaze fell to the floor in submission. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
“So you’ll tell Stone you’re not interested.” There wasn’t even a hint of a question in his statement. He knew I would comply, that’s what a good trooper did.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now get out of my sight. You have a job to do.”
He walked away and I was dismissed. I returned to my group and fell into line with their steps. We became a single unit once more.
Corporal Willow spoke beside me without turning his head. “What did Washington want?”
A lie was in order.
There were spies everywhere.
“Chewed me out about being late for briefing this morning,” I replied. It was plausible, that was the main thing. “Like it was my fault Malone made us do double drills this morning.”
Willow snorted in his helmet. “Sounds about right.”
And just like that, we continued on with nothing further being said.
As far as I could tell there were no Resistance members in Aria Square this morning. If they dared linger they were well hidden. Without Stone there to speak they had no reason to dwell.
My guess was they were regrouping, holding discussions in secret to plan and decide on a way forward. With one less soldier in their army they would need to ensure they didn’t lose any more.
Each one was precious.
Including myself.
The people we passed were ordinary citizens, going about their routines and trying not to notice the dried pool of deep red blood in the center. Everyone gave it a wide berth. If they didn’t
notice it, they could forget about the man who had lost his life only yesterday.
Forget the family that grieved for him.
Forget they could be next.
We continued to march in straight lines like it was the most important task in the world. We had to remind everyone we were still there and in charge. Make them scared to have thoughts of their own against Stone or the establishment.
Long live President Stone.
May she always reign.
It was complete bullshit.
I focused on the rhythm of my boots on the concrete and holding my gun in the way I was supposed to rather than remembering what had been lost.
I was just as bad as everyone else.
We rounded another corner, walking perfectly straight and solid when I saw her.
At first I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me. That I was putting her face on another just so I could see her. But it wasn’t a trick or a lie.
Wren was there.
Her face peeked out from a window overlooking Aria Square. It was there one moment and gone the next. I would know her features anywhere, though. It only took a hint of a second for me to recognize her.
My heart skipped a beat in that moment and I was immensely grateful it couldn’t be heard through the thick fabric of my uniform. My helmet was a blessing as it hid the momentary surprise that crossed over my face.
I continued walking, one eye constantly returning to the window for another glimpse of Wren. She shouldn’t be anywhere near the square. I needed to warn her, tell her to run and hide somewhere else. Anywhere else in the city was safer than the square.
It was impossible to break from the group. Washington would take great delight in punishing me for breaking protocol. To keep Wren safe, I needed to keep myself safe too.
Focusing on my mission was difficult to say the least. I somehow made it to break time without giving myself away. While everyone else was grabbing a cigarette or bite to eat, I headed for the building on the corner.
It was largely unused. The lower floor held a café but the three levels above it were sitting empty. I checked them all before I found her on the top floor.
She was cowering behind a stack of boxes. She had run, trying to get away from me before I cornered her. There was nothing but fear in her eyes, similar to that of a wild animal knowing it had no way out from its hunter.
“Wren, it’s okay,” I said, my arms outstretched as I tried to soothe her. She shrunk further into the wall, as if trying to merge with it as one.
My helmet.
Of course.
She wouldn’t know it was me.
I pulled my helmet off, shaking my hair free from the skin it was clinging to. “Wren, it’s Reece. You don’t have to be scared of me.”
Relief flushed through her as her shoulders sagged. She pushed herself up to her feet, using the wall behind her for strength. Now I could see her better, I could tell something wasn’t right.
Her eyes were ringed in pink, bloodshot and heavy like she’d been crying for a thousand years. Her nose was red raw, her body weak. Something was very, very wrong.
“What’s going on?” I asked, as gently as I could. I refused to be like Washington and berate someone for their information. That would never be me.
I would rather die first.
“He’s gone,” she whispered, her voice as small as a titmouse.
“Who’s gone? What’s happened?”
The familiar pit of dread was starting to swirl again.
“Rocky. They took him.”
My head shook with confusion. “Who’s Rocky? Tell me everything, Wren. I need to know.”
She looked up at me with her big, sad eyes and I nearly fell apart. How could a single look from a girl I barely knew cause my heart to shatter into a million pieces? It made as much sense as her muttered words.
Her whole being looked as fragile as a snowflake. Wren allowed me to guide her to an upturned crate as she rested her weight there. All the fight was gone from her stance.
Something bad had happened to her since I last saw her.
That was the only thing I was certain of.
“Wren?” I prompted. “Please tell me what’s going on. I might be able to help.”
“Rocky’s my best friend. They took him.” Her gaze flicked from the floor to me suddenly. A fire ignited behind those light blue eyes. “It was your people. They took him and they’re going to kill him.”
She took a step closer, shoving me in the chest. She was so weak it made no impact on me physically.
Mentally… it was a whole other story.
She only saw me as a trooper. Just another one of the white-uniformed drones who didn’t care what damage their actions caused.
She’d never see me any other way.
Wren rushed at me again, her thin arms and tiny hands going for me. I let her hit me, throw all her weight behind each blow to my chest. I did nothing to stop her, letting her get all her anger and pain out of her body.
Hot tears streamed down her face, coating her alabaster skin with streaks of shining liquid. She was immensely beautiful, like a portrait from olden times. She could not be Stone’s clone, it was impossible.
Her body was wracked as she fought to regain her breath. She was hysterical, on the verge of completely losing whatever grip she still had on reality. I couldn’t let her go on for any longer. She needed to calm down so I could work out how to help her.
And one thing was sure: she needed my help.
I grabbed her wrists on the next blow, worried she was doing more damage to her fragile state than to me. She looked up and our eyes locked together. Hers wore the marks of surprise and pain. I hoped mine conveyed sympathy.
“Tell me the whole story,” I said gently. “Troopers took your friend, where and when?”
Her chest heaved with the deep breaths she was sucking in. I could see all the neurons in her brain transmitting little sparks, turning her thoughts into words so she could explain it all to me. At the same time, I saw the mistrust. She worried I would turn on her, be like all the other troopers.
I didn’t know how to convince her of my sincerity.
I’d never had to before.
“Wren, it’s okay. Please tell me so I can help you.”
As a measure of goodwill I let her wrists go. She pulled them against her chest, rubbing at the skin absentmindedly. A step backwards took her back to the crate she had been sitting on. Her wary eyes never left me.
“There were so many people in Aria Square yesterday. They followed us. I thought they were only going to take me but I got away. Rocky… didn’t,” she explained, her voice a numb monotone.
“Troopers took him? People in uniforms like this one?” I pulled at my Kevlar vest. She nodded. “Did they take him away in a truck? A big one?”
“One just like yours.”
So it was a member of the President’s Trooper Division who took her friend. This boy, Rocky, he couldn’t have been a member of the Resistance or they would have shot him dead on the spot.
To take a captive into custody could only mean one thing. “Was he a Defective Clone, too?” She nodded again. “Who is his Maker? Is it someone important like you?”
She shrugged her tiny shoulders. “We’ve never seen his Maker, we don’t know who he is.”
Finding him would be more difficult without knowing his Maker. There were procedures for processing a Defective Clone. We had to defer to their Maker before deciding on an outcome, they were the legal owners of their clone.
Normally a Maker told us to reduce the clone to organs.
I’d never heard of one say to release them.
I wasn’t going to tell Wren that.
“Please tell me how to get him back,” she choked out.
“You said his name is Rocky. Does he have a surname?”
“None of us do.”
Of course, I should have known better. Even their first names weren’t official, something only the other Def
ective Clones acknowledged. In all legal documents they were referred to as a number, allocated to them in the laboratory where they were created. In common terms they didn’t even have that, they were simply referred to by their Maker’s name.
“What does he look like?” I asked, trying to remember every detail she told me. Any piece of information could have been important, I just wasn’t sure which bit yet.
“He has brown hair and chocolate colored eyes. He’s this tall.” She raised her hand to almost my height. “He wouldn’t hurt anyone. I’ve known him my entire life and I love him. Please help me find him.”
I nodded. “I’ll do my best. I promise.” I wasn’t convinced she believed me. “What are you going to do now? You can’t stay here, we’re patrolling the area indefinitely. It’s not safe for you to stick around.”
Her chest sunk inwards as she sighed. “I need to find Rocky.”
“Leave that with me. You need to hide and stay out of sight. If they find you—”
“I know that. But I have to find him.”
I’d never seen such determination in a girl who was so damaged. She had no reason or resources to fight back, Stone had taken everything from her. But here she was, more frightened for her friend than her own safety.
It was admirable.
She could have put humans to shame.
The thought of leaving her to wander around the city alone and in pain was too much to think about. I knew there was no chance I could take one step away from her and leave her with nothing but a few kind words.
Turning my back was not an option.
I needed to help her and I had to find a way to make her see it was her best option. Everything I knew about her said she wouldn’t be one to follow orders lightly. She needed to make up her own mind.
“There are some people I know,” I began, “They will take you in and look after you until we know more. Would you go to them? Wait for me to find Rocky there?”
It took her some time to mull over my words. I tried not to rush her, even though time was ticking away far too quickly and I was expected back on patrols in a few minutes.
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