by E S Richards
“Of course. And I just want to apologise again for how I’ve acted in the past, now that I understand this place a bit more… well, let’s just say my opinions have changed.”
Heather made no attempt to respond to Zahyra’s apology and finished the conversation by turning on her heel with a nod of her head. Zahyra followed her quickly out of the little storeroom, leaving her old clothes discarded on the floor.
Even though her reason for wanting the uniform had been a ploy, Zahyra couldn’t deny it felt good to be wearing it as she walked back through the main atrium and towards the stairs for the lab. She noticed immediately that not as many people looked at her, proving her theory that the uniform would help her to blend in.
When they reached the lab Professor Welbeck raised an eyebrow at the black armband Zahyra was now wearing, looking questioningly to Heather.
“It’s only until T128 is completed,” Heather repeated and then gave Zahyra a curt nod as she turned to exit the lab.
“What’s the plan for this afternoon then?” Zahyra asked after watching Heather leave the room, still surprised by how much the addition of a uniform had changed the woman’s opinion of her.
The rest of the afternoon passed similarly to the morning and before she knew it Zahyra was back in the mess hall for supper, scanning the room for another sighting of Cain. She was anxious to find out what he had discovered about Asher’s whereabouts and whether he had managed to formulate any kind of plan for their escape. Her day in T128 had unfortunately kept her mind too preoccupied to think about much else.
She was almost finished with her meal when she looked up to see Cain seated on the table directly in front of hers. Her eyes grew wide and she stared down at her plate quickly, being careful not to give anything away to Heather who was sat across from her, although the woman’s back was fortunately to Cain.
Slowly Zahyra looked up from her plate and watched Cain. He was in conversation with two other soldiers on his table but it looked like they too had almost finished their meal. Zahyra kept one eye on Cain while she ate, doing her best to seem normal and non-distracted.
When movement caught her eye however she focused on Cain, holding her mug of water slightly over her face so it looked like she was taking a long drink. The other two soldiers walked away from the table and Cain loitered behind for a moment then Zahyra saw him hold out his hands, one with all five fingers splayed open, the other only four. He then tapped his wrist in the same position where Zahyra wore her timekeep and she understood what he meant. 9 o’clock.
She gave him a smile and watched as Cain followed his companions out of the mess hall. There was only an hour and a half until she would see him again. Zahyra grinned, racing through the rest of her meal so she could get back to her room and wait for Cain.
Chapter 23
Zahyra stared at her timekeep. It was four minutes past nine. Five minutes past. Six minutes past. Where was Cain? Her door finally opened at nine twenty and Cain burst into the room.
“Are you okay?” Zahyra asked immediately, assessing Cain in his smart grey uniform, the red armband standing out in the glow of her room.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Cain smiled, “how’re you? Nice uniform.”
Zahyra grinned. “I figured it’d help me blend into the crowd better,” she replied wrapping her arms around Cain’s body and breathing in his scent.
“Have you found Asher?”
“Yes,” Cain smiled at her again and Zahyra felt a great weight drop from her shoulders. “Sit down, I’ll tell you what I know.”
The two of them flopped down onto Zahyra’s bed, their hands still intertwined. Zahyra listened closely as Cain told her what he’d discovered about Asher. She was surprised to find out he was closer by than she’d thought, just the floor below her to be precise. The rest of Cain’s intel was sketchy at best. Between them they realised they didn’t have a clear plan of escape, just rough ideas about where the exits were. Both knew there were likely to be guards standing at them and whichever route they took it wouldn’t be easy.
“Here,” Cain said part way through his explaining, reaching into the secret pocket of his uniform and pulling out a gun. “I hope you won’t have to use it but, just in case.”
Zahyra took the gun slowly from Cain and nodded. She hoped she wouldn’t have to use it either but knew the likelihood was fairly high. Placing it in the secret pocket of her own uniform she looked back up at Cain.
“We can do this,” she said resolutely. “We have to do this.”
Cain squeezed Zahyra’s hand as he spoke. “We will. I’ve got you now, don’t worry.”
The two of them discussed their options for the next hour. Trying to formulate the best plan they could come up with. When Zahyra’s timekeep read half past ten she climbed to her feet.
“Light’s should be out now.”
Cain spoke as he stood up after her and offered Zahyra a reassuring smile, trying to let her know everything was going to be okay. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. Then slowly he opened the door, stepping out into the now dimly lit corridor.
The two of them moved silently through the empty hallway. Both had guns hidden in their uniforms and Zahyra’s hand itched to hold onto hers, if only to make her feel a little safer in their situation. When they reached the end of the corridor Cain led her away from the main atrium, down the other side of her sleeping quarters, which Zahyra had been told only held more bedrooms. Holding her breath she watched as Cain opened the door at the end, revealing instead a set of stairs down towards the next level. She cursed Heather internally for not telling her about the staircase, if she’d known about it she could have got to Asher sooner.
Their footsteps echoed around the stairwell and with every noise Zahyra flinched, expecting someone to appear at the top of the stairs. Cain was technically supposed to be doing one of his rounds so an excuse could easily be made for him, but Zahyra knew someone catching the two of them together would raise suspicions.
“This is the black band’s sleeping quarters,” Cain whispered to her as he exited the stairway one level down. “Asher’s room is the last one on the left,” he paused, “I think.”
“You think?” Zahyra whispered back, tension audible in her voice.
“It said new test subject on the document I found,” Cain replied. “So it’s either Asher or the Zero I brought in when I arrived. As this is where the black band sleep though I’m fairly certain it’ll be your brother’s room.”
Zahyra gritted her teeth and started to move towards the door Cain had identified.
“Zahyra!” Cain suddenly hissed from behind her and she froze, turning round to see Cain pointing to one of the other doors in the corridor.
She listened for a moment and then heard what Cain had heard: a noise coming from the other side of the door. She quickly retreated back down the corridor and Cain held open the door to the stairwell, letting her move in before he closed the door behind her.
Zahyra panicked for a moment. Why hadn’t Cain come back into the stairwell with her? She caught her breath as she rationalised that Cain was just a normal guard, doing his normal rounds and no one had any reason to be suspicious of him if he was alone.
“Evening sir,” she heard Cain’s voice carry through the wall and looked around frantically, trying to find anywhere she could hide.
“Just doing my rounds,” Cain continued as Zahyra’s eyes locked onto a ventilation duct a meter above her head. That was her only option. She climbed up a few more steps and reached over towards the duct, frantically trying to release the screws that held it in place. Her hands were clammy from the adrenaline and she failed to get a good grip on the tiny metal screws.
Knowing that it was useless she gave up, desperately trying to find somewhere else she could hide. As the door to the stairwell groaned from someone’s weight being rested on it she jumped up several more stairs and ducked down, hoping that whoever was about to use them would be using them to walk down.
> “Zahyra?” Cain’s voice called out in a whisper through the stairwell and she peeked her head up from her crouched position.
“Cain,” she sighed, feeling her heart rate instantly steady. “Who was that?”
“That was your father,” Cain replied reaching out to steady Zahyra as she walked back down the stairs to him. “Apparently genius never sleeps.”
Cain used air quotes to punctuate his last three words and Zahyra rolled her eyes, stifling a laugh from escaping her lips.
“He didn’t suspect you?”
“No not at all,” Cain grinned. “Come on – let’s go get your brother before he comes back, I don’t really fancy a family reunion just yet.”
Zahyra stepped back out into the corridor after Cain, her eyes darting around in case her father returned to his room. She hated that Asher had been housed just a few doors down from him, knowing that had to be a part of her father’s ploy to connect with her brother. She just hoped it hadn’t worked.
As they reached the door Cain believed belonged to Asher he slid out a small plastic card from another pocket in his uniform and held it against the panel by the door. When the green light showed Zahyra heard the distinctive click of the door unlocking and held her breath. Her hands trembled as she turned the door handle, stepping vulnerably into the dark room on the other side. Cain was right behind her, closing the door quietly as he stepped through.
Zahyra peered into the room, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. A small figure rolled over in the bed and she took a step towards it, her heart pounding. That was definitely the figure of a boy, not a man. Letting out her breath she sank down onto the bed, leaning over to see her brother’s face.
“Asher,” she whispered to herself, her whole body now shaking at the relief of finally seeing her brother.
Asher’s eyes opened slowly, his face tired and uncertain. Zahyra quickly moved her body to fill the centre of his vision and watched as realisation broke over Asher’s face. Then his arms were around her, his face buried into her chest as he held her tight, small sobs already radiating from his throat.
“Hey bud,” Zahyra whispered to her brother as she pulled away from him slightly. “Missed you.”
Cain watched as Zahyra held her brother, his heart filling up with joy at the sight of the siblings being reunited. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at them. Despite all the hardships the three of them had been through they had been reunited again. He was so happy to see Asher, but he was even happier for Zahyra. He knew just how much her brother meant to her and to see them embracing, even when all the odds were against them, it gave him hope.
“Cain!” Asher mumbled when he saw the man standing in his room as well. “How are you both here?”
“Well budge over little man and I’ll tell you all about it,” Zahyra replied, shifting Asher over and beckoning for Cain to sit down beside her.
Cain listened as Zahyra told her brother the story of how he had broken into the facility – although leaving out the part about Cain having to bring another Zero into the safe haven. She told him about how they had both planned to come and rescue Asher and that the three of them were about to escape.
Zahyra kept the story fairly short, knowing that time wasn’t on their side. It was unlikely anyone would discover herself or Asher missing through the night, but if Cain wasn’t confirmed on his rounds someone would become curious of his whereabouts. In a way it was kind of lucky her father had seen him, their run in at least offered Cain some credibility.
“How are we going to get out?” Asher asked after Zahyra had finished her brief explanation. There was a pause in the conversation.
“Well that’s the tricky bit,” Zahyra replied looking over at Cain. “But we’ll find a way don’t you worry. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
Asher squirmed as Zahyra grabbed his cheeks as she spoke, wriggling his legs underneath the blankets on his bed.
“Yeah, I’m afraid you’re stuck with us,” Cain added with a laugh, reaching over to tousle Asher’s hair.
The three of them smiled at each other for a moment; enjoying the casual banter that each of them had missed during their days alone.
“Wanna get dressed then?” Zahyra eventually said to Asher, breaking away from the moment of solitude. They still had to break out of the safe haven: the mission certainly wasn’t over yet.
Zahyra watched from the bed as her little brother started pulling clothes out of his locker and took them into his bathroom. The room he was in was exactly the same as hers, if only a little smaller. She was impressed by how much her brother seemed to have matured while she had been away from him, but it also made her sad.
He was still only ten years old and things like this shouldn’t be happening to him. He shouldn’t have to be mature or understand everything the safe haven was doing. It was bad enough he was there let alone dealing with the matters the facility brought on. She worried about the mutation their father had given him, and how Asher felt about their father too. Although she knew they didn’t have time to discuss it she hoped Asher would bring it up, if he did she couldn’t excuse herself from talking about it.
Once the young boy was dressed – unfortunately not in a matching grey uniform – Cain stood beside the door.
“Back to the stairwell and down another two levels, you both ready?” He asked, glancing at Zahyra and her brother who both nodded firmly. Zahyra’s hand was holding Asher’s and from the look in her eye she wasn’t ever going to let go. Cain smiled again and turned to the door, pulling it open and leading them back out into the corridor. His eyes and ears on full alert for anyone who might come their way.
“What’s wrong?” Zahyra asked, watching Cain struggle to open the door they’d come through.
“It won’t open,” Cain replied, trying to force the door open without making any noise. “I think it’s stuck. Or locked…”
“Surely it can’t be locked? We opened it just a few moments ago?” Zahyra asked nervously, letting go of Asher’s hand and moving to the door. She put her weight against it and pushed, turning the handle back as she went. The metal frame of the door groaned slightly but it didn’t budge.
“What are we going to do? We need to get down to the labs!”
“You can get down another way,” Asher mumbled behind Zahyra. “This isn’t the way that our father normally takes me.”
Zahyra looked to her little brother, her face immediately scrunching up as Asher mentioned their father.
“Where did he take you bud?”
Asher pointed down the other end of the corridor, past where his room was.
“Well let’s go then,” Cain replied, “Asher can you help me lead the way?”
Zahyra moved to the side to let Cain past her and walked behind the two of them as they returned to the other end of the corridor. The route Asher took them led to an area similar to the main atrium upstairs, but smaller and less glamorous. Zahyra assumed that as this level didn’t have links to the mess hall or the medical area it didn’t need to be as impressive. It was probably only used by the people who lived on the level to get around.
“It’s down there,” Asher said quietly pointing to one of the doors within the secondary atrium. “We only ever went down one floor though. That’s where I had to do my tests.”
Zahyra moved towards her younger brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“What were your tests like Ash? Did they hurt you?”
Asher shook his head. “They just made me answer questions on a screen. One day they took my blood – that felt weird – but it was just screens after that. Did you see any of them? They’re so cool everything they can do!”
“Yeah I did,” Zahyra smiled, pleased that her brother’s tests hadn’t been as intrusive as hers. “I’m glad you got to play around with some of them.”
Cain had opened the door Asher had identified during their little conversation and Zahyra noticed him waiting for them. She pushed her brother forw
ard, sandwiching him between Cain and herself and closed the door quietly behind their trio.
The stairwell looked exactly the same as the one they’d used before and the three of them moved down it as quickly and quietly as possible, Zahyra still conscious of the noise their footsteps made. When they reached one door Asher stopped suddenly, staring up at the metal structure.
“What is it?” Zahyra asked, stopping behind her little brother.
“That’s where I did my tests,” Asher began. “I… He said they were the only way I could get better. Not be a mutant anymore. Is that true Zar?”
Zahyra looked from her little brother to Cain, then back to Asher again. Sorrow filled her heart when she saw the look on her brother’s face, like he was a freak of some kind. Like he wasn’t normal.
“You’re not a mutant Asher,” she said to him firmly. “You never have been and you never will be, okay?”
She knelt down to hug her brother, interlocking her fingers around his back. The sorrow in her heart changed to hatred as she thought of her father. The things he had done to his own son without even a passing thought for how it would affect him. Then he had run away like a coward. She wanted to make the man pay, any way she knew how.
“Cain?” She questioned rising to her feet, “Do you think we have time to go in here?”
Cain looked at Zahyra inquisitively. “What did you have in mind?”
“I want to see if we can destroy Asher’s results,” Zahyra replied firmly. “I want my father to know what it feels like to have something taken away from him.”
Venom burned in her tone as Zahyra spoke and Cain knew there was no stopping her. He nodded and reached for the door handle in front of them, opening it to reveal another corridor, a large metal door at the end of it.
“The room is through there,” Asher said, extending his arm and pointing to the metal door.
Zahyra didn’t need any direction. She strode through the doorway with purpose and came to a halt in front of the metal door. Reaching around she held out her Cain to hand, palm pointing upwards. Cain knew what she wanted straight away and handed over the plastic card he’d used to gain entry to Asher’s room earlier. Taking it Zahyra held it against the pad beside the door, waiting for the light to flash green. It didn’t. Instead a red light appeared and the doorway gave a beep rather than the reassuring click of it opening. She tried again and the red light flashed up once more.