“Yes.”
He moved to stand, pushing himself up with a grunt and more effort than it should have warranted. “Forget about him. If the troopers already have him then you will never see him again. Move on and don’t spend another moment thinking about him.”
My heart was little more than a piece of paper scrunched into a tiny ball. I felt the ache deep within my chest as it radiated outwards to cover my whole body.
“I could never forget Rocky,” I said. This time, there was steel in my voice because I had never been surer of anything in my life before. Rocky was a part of me, ingrained into my genes just as Stone was.
Joseph stopped at the door. “Then you will be wasting your time. He’s gone, you need to accept that. No Defective Clone comes back from the troopers alive. I will have my people take you to the safe house.”
I was left alone in the room that now seemed too quiet. My thoughts seemed to bounce off the walls, echoing in my skull with a pounding headache.
Joseph had been so dismissive at the thought of rescuing Rocky. He was so adamant that all hope was lost. Surely it couldn’t be so final. If his heart beat somewhere in Aria, I would find him. Even if it would take my final breath away.
Minutes ticked by while I waited in the basement. Eventually one of the humans that had been a part of my audience earlier came and took me upstairs. I was led through to a garage and bundled into the trunk of a car.
My instructions were to remain quiet and still, we would arrive at the destination in about half an hour. I followed all orders and rattled around in the trunk with the spare tire and tools.
It felt like it took more than half an hour to arrive at the safe house. It was another suburban home, nestled in amongst a few dozen just like it.
“You’re going to have to stay in the basement,” my keeper, she introduced herself as Rosalind, said as she led the way through a corridor and then down a set of stairs.
The basement of the safe house was slightly more comfortable than the one in Joseph’s house. The walls were beige instead of white and there were some pieces of furniture scattered around – including a bed.
“I’ll bring some food down for you. There’s a bathroom through there.” Rosalind pointed to a closed door. “Knock on the door if you need anything else. Get some rest, you’re safe now.”
She offered me a kind smile before heading back up the stairs. The click of the lock echoed in the basement. One question kept playing on my mind – if I was so safe, why were they locking me in?
I crept up the stairs and tested the door, needing to see for myself. It was definitely locked from the outside. I was their prisoner now, no matter how many kind smiles and gentle voices they offered me.
Deep within my gut I couldn’t help but wonder if this was a trap after all. It certainly felt like one.
I curled up on the bed and let my head rest against the cold, thick wall. I was of no help at all to Rocky being locked down there. I couldn’t even rescue myself.
I’d spent my whole life evading troopers and avoiding being their prisoner. And now I’d willingly walked into a jail cell where my assassins were smiling.
Enemies were everywhere.
And my only friend was gone.
Chapter 14: Reece
The mission made every one of my muscles ache. Doing laps around Aria Square was enough to drive anyone insane. Doing it knowing my roommate had seen me sneaking away to meet with a Defective was a thousand times worse.
He hadn’t said a word to me all afternoon. But the scathing look in his eyes told me he had a lot to say. He wanted to scream at me with everything on his mind.
We stalked back to the barracks together, the storm crackling between us with the unspoken words. I was dreading the conversation we were going to need to have sometime and needed to think up a plausible reason for me being in that building.
But Dwyer wasn’t stupid. He was one of the sharpest guys I knew and never let anything go by unnoticed. I knew he already suspected me of doing something that wasn’t right and now, I guessed, he was a witness to it.
My only hope was that he would buy my excuse and quit thinking any more about it. Now all I needed was to come up with one.
When we were out on missions we weren’t supposed to do anything except what we were told. Could Sergeant Washington have ordered me to inspect the building? No, he’d never single me out for something that wasn’t shitty. Maybe I needed a piss and the building had a restroom? No, too easy to check.
I came up with a dozen reasons why I was in that building in the time it took me to reach our room but none of them would work. For Dwyer to believe me it had to be a solid excuse and I was just continually coming up short.
Time ran out when we were inside our dorm room and the door was closed. I didn’t get a chance to even sit down before he started speaking.
“You want to tell me what the hell you were doing out there today?” he demanded, steel and nails in his voice. He was a loaded weapon, aimed directly at me, and ready to fire.
He held my life in his hands.
Unless I could convince him otherwise.
“I was doing my job,” I replied levelly. Now was a time for remaining calm so the lies could flow easily. If I started to panic my brain would start to shut down.
Dwyer held my gaze. “Yeah? So your job was to go in the fucking building and talk to a fucking Defective?”
So he’d seen Wren.
That wasn’t good news.
“And your job was to spy on me?” I shot back.
He stopped to take a deep breath, continually staring at me like he didn’t know me at all. That was one thing we could agree on. He’d been acquainted with Corporal Thompson, the trooper who toed the line and followed orders without complaint.
But that wasn’t the real me.
Far, far from it.
Dwyer licked his lips to return the moisture before replying. “What’s going on, man? I’ve known you for two years and you’ve never pulled anything as blatant as what you did today.”
I didn’t have anything to say in response. I had no excuses, no explanations aside from the truth. And the last thing I could tell him were the real facts.
He continued. “What’s with the Defective? Are you banging her? Is that what it is?”
“No, of course not,” I said quickly. Being involved with a Defective Clone was the lowest act anyone could do in Aria. There were stories of men using them in that way but I’d never actually heard it firsthand from anyone. They were stories drunk troopers told after a long day out in the field.
“Then what is it?” Dwyer asked, a resigned tinge to his voice. I hated lying to him, putting him in a difficult position. Protocol said that all suspicious behavior must be reported to our superiors as a matter of urgency. There was nothing in the handbook that stated you could ask questions first and report later.
If an incident wasn’t reported, the trooper who failed to act was deemed just as guilty at the perpetrator. Dwyer was going out on a very thin and shaky limb for me. I just hoped the branch didn’t break.
“I can’t tell you,” I finally replied. “You don’t want to know.”
His eyebrows arched upwards. “So I should just go to Malone now and report everything I saw? That’s what I should do? I thought I was doing you a favor, man.”
My gaze averted to the floor, I couldn’t continue to look at him when I was only keeping things from him. It wasn’t his fault we were roomed together, he didn’t need to get dragged into the mess I’d created.
“You’re working with them, aren’t you?” he asked, resigned to the fact he already knew the answer.
Still, I had to pretend like I couldn’t fathom what he was talking about. We both knew it was an act. “Working with who? I’m a trooper, I work with the President’s Trooper Division.”
“No, you don’t.” He shook his head. “You’re with the Defs, with the movement that’s against everything we fucking do.”
; Saying anything would betray me.
I was too close to breaking down and telling him everything. I’d kept the knowledge hidden inside me for too long. It bounced around, desperate to be let out and shared with someone.
Anyone.
“I get it, man,” he continued. “I get that things are fucked up and they get the raw end of the deal. Every time we go into the Defs’ camp I see how horribly they live and I hate it. But it’s a race for survival and we’re not much further up the food chain. It’s either us or them and I choose us.”
Dwyer gave his head another shake and turned away, staring at the beige wall and wishing it would tell him what to do. I wanted to beg him to keep my secret, apologize for letting him down, and explain why I had to do what I was doing.
I did none of those things.
Instead, I stood there like a mute, hating myself for it.
My life rested on the tip of a pin. It was going to fall one way or another with the tiniest tipping of the balance. I could either crash to the ground in a burning display or I could be rescued and continue to balance for a little while longer.
Tip, tip, tip.
The vicariousness of my situation was echoed with the pounding of the blood in my temples. I could hear the rush of my fear in my ragged breathing, feel the concern in my racing pulse, and see my bleak future flashing before my eyes.
My roommate suddenly hit the wall before turning around to face me once again. Perhaps my face would be the next to receive the punch. I would gladly have accepted it.
He rushed up to me, stopping when we were only mere inches apart from each other. I could feel his hot breath against my face.
“I’m not going to tell anyone,” he said through gritted teeth. I wondered if I had heard correctly. His hand bunched in my shirt, dragging me closer again. “But you better be careful. I’m not going to lie for you and I’m not going to put my own ass on the line for you either. Clear?”
“Clear,” I choked out.
He released my shirt, pushing me away with enough force that I stumbled onto the bed. His boots thudded on the floor as he stormed out and slammed the door in his wake.
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
Dwyer wasn’t going to report me.
He didn’t realize it was President Stone’s clone I was speaking with.
I had some more time to continue on with the Resistance’s mission. It was clear I needed to improve my game, though. I could not keep making mistakes and hoping nobody noticed. Dwyer had noticed and it could easily have turned out so, so much worse.
He could still change his mind.
I couldn’t forget that.
Sitting up, I buried my head in my hands and tried to block out the world for a moment. I needed to start making plans, work out a strategy for getting my role done while continuing to fly under the radar.
The only thing I could think about was Wren.
Had she made it to Joseph safely?
Did they take her in?
Did she tell them who her Maker was?
I yearned to speak with her to get some confirmation that she was alive and well. Too much could have happened to her since I left her in that building. She could have died a thousand deaths and I would never have known.
Her friend.
I said I would look into what happened to her friend, Rocky. Doing so by the most direct channels would instantly place me in the center of a bullseye. It was as simple as making a few phone calls and enquiries. I needed to track down the group who was patrolling that day, find someone in the mission, and discreetly ask a few pertinent questions as if I wasn’t interested at all.
It was going to take more time than the Defective Clone had. If he was taken yesterday he was probably already shipped out to whatever lab had created him. They always went back to their birth labs when they were caught. We handed them over to the scientists so they could destroy them, tear them apart and place the organs in the deep freeze.
Even if I did find the troopers, I would then have to confirm which lab he was taken to. Then I would need to go there to track down the kid.
I wasn’t authorized for any of that.
Still, I had promised Wren and I would rather break bones than that promise. I got the feeling she wasn’t told a whole lot of truths in her life and it would be nice if I didn’t add to that.
I’d have to find her friend. If for nothing more than bringing her closure. Having missing loved ones was one of the most torturous experiences on the planet. If I could bring her comfort, I would.
I just had to work out how first.
Which put me at square one.
A place I knew all too well.
A heavy knock on the door interrupted my determined thoughts. As I stood up to answer it, an envelope was slipped underneath the door.
It was the size of a piece of paper, yellow in color, and sealed with the symbol of the president.
And it was addressed to me.
Curiosity firmly sparked as I picked it up and ripped it open. Inside was a single sheet of paper, thick and expensive. This single leaf, with its golden logo at the top, probably cost more than my weekly salary.
More than my monthly salary.
My eyes scanned over the words quickly, greedy to see what news it brought.
Dear Corporal Thompson,
We are pleased to offer you the position of Cadet of the President’s Personal Guard. This is a junior position within the Guard that requires the utmost dedication in protecting Her Esteemed President. You will undertake your service with the knowledge you are keeping our city safe.
It rambled on for nearly the entire page about how wonderful President Stone was and how sacrificing a life for her meant taking pride in your job.
My first instinct was to rip the page into pieces and then flush them down the toilet. That’s what I felt about her offer. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that luxury.
The Resistance could really benefit by having someone inside the President’s Personal Guard. If I took the position I would have constant access to her and whatever else was in the parliamentary building. The position could be priceless to the cause.
But my job within the troopers wasn’t done yet. I still had things I needed to find out, blueprints I needed to track down, and alliances I needed to make. Leaving now would mean they would have to recruit someone else in order to access the information.
Even though Joseph said the Resistance was growing rapidly, I hadn’t heard of anyone else within the ranks being recruited. They needed me here or there would be holes within their plans.
I needed to speak with Joseph and see what he thought. When I’d first heard of the position opening up in the Guard I wasn’t entirely convinced Stone wasn’t joking, that she wouldn’t forget about it the moment I was out of sight.
Now it was more real. I had tangible proof of the new job offer in my sweaty hands. All I had to do was respond with the affirmative and I would be in.
The job offer was too tempting. I didn’t have time to sneak out and arrange a meeting with the Resistance. If I missed this opportunity I might not get another one. This might be our only shot at getting close to the president on a permanent basis.
I had to accept.
At the bottom of the letter was a tear-off panel that needed to be completed if I were to take the position. I found a pencil in my bedside drawers and filled it out.
The details required were barely more than my full name, next of kin, and contact details. It was hardly earth-shattering information. Stone’s office could have got all the details directly from my personnel file.
My instruction was to return the acceptance slip to the Trooper Administration Department and they would file it with the necessary person in the President’s Personal Guard. Checking I was still presentable to be in public, I smoothed down my hair and headed off.
Troopers everywhere were walking with their own missions. Most were stalking toward the mess hall, their only plan of at
tack to get food and have a feed. I would do the same after dropping off the acceptance slip.
The slip burned in my hand. It both terrified and exhilarated me knowing I was actually going to accept the job. Sergeant Washington was going to be extremely angry when he discovered I’d ignored his warning. But the Resistance was bigger than one man’s ego.
It wouldn’t be too long before they would transfer me from the troopers’ barracks to the guards’ quarters. Dwyer would get a new roommate, one that didn’t cause him any trouble. I was grateful for that. He wouldn’t have to keep my secret any longer.
The administration building loomed up ahead. It was one of the few buildings constructed with sturdy bricks. Our housing was made out of wood, a fire hazard if ever I’d seen one.
I took the steps two at a time, heading for the receptionist as she flashed me a smile.
But she wasn’t the person who caught my attention.
Over her shoulder, I briefly caught a glimpse of two people talking before they walked into an office and the door closed. One personal was Sergeant Malone.
The other was Dwyer.
Dread pitted deep in my gut. Perhaps my roommate wasn’t going to keep my secrets at all. Maybe he was in the sergeant’s office telling him everything right now.
Instead of a promotion I might be getting a bullet.
They’d shoot me right between the eyes.
While I kneeled on the ground.
“Corporal Thompson?” the receptionist prompted, dragging my attention back to her. “Was there something I can help you with?”
“Yeah I, uh, I wanted to submit this.” I handed over the slip of paper, it seemed pointless now. I’d be out on my ass before midnight.
And that was the best case scenario.
“Oooh, the President’s Personal Guard,” she chirped happily. “How exciting. You must have done something good to be offered this.”
I plastered on a smile, one that said I wasn’t about to have my life ended involuntarily. “Just doing my job. I guess someone noticed.”
She giggled. “So modest, Corporal.” She stamped the slip and filed it in a pigeonhole in the wall. “All done. Congratulations, the place won’t be the same without your handsome face around.”
Two Beating Hearts Page 14