Modified: Book One in the Manipulated Series

by Harper North

  I open my mouth to answer when suddenly a boy appears, blocking the way. He grips what appears to be a plasma soldering torch—probably stolen from the miners. The homeless are even bigger thieves than I am. The torch seems to have been converted; it has a lengthy barrel like a rifle attached to it. I don’t intend to learn how it works.

  “Cia, get back,” the boy orders, switching the piece of machinery on. A slight glow emits from the tip of the barrel, ready to fire. The boy is tall, well built, and quite handsome. Maybe near my age. By his blonde hair, worn slightly long, and those bright blue irises, I have no doubt that he’s likely related to our young rescuer.

  And by his clenched jaw and dangerous scowl, I have no doubt he’ll pull the trigger of that plasma torch if we so much as twitch.

  “Sky!” Cia screeches, wedging herself between us and him, causing him to lower the weapon. “Don’t do that.”

  Sky snags Cia by the waist and practically tosses her out of the way, keeping the weapon pointed in our direction.

  “Make one move, and I’ll kill you,” he growls.

  Intensity fills every contour of his face. Scavengers—the homeless—have been known to be quite desperate.

  “We didn’t mean to intrude.” I throw my hands into the air, a plan worming its way into my mind.

  “Cia, why did you bring miners in here?” he snaps at the young girl now standing beside him.

  “The EHC was chasing them, Sky,” Cia says. “They were in trouble.”

  “EHC?” Sky whips back to us, fury brewing in his eyes. “Did they see you?”

  “I—I don’t think so,” she cries.

  “You three need to leave. Now,” he says to us.

  Lacy steps toward him. “If we go, the ops will kill us.” Her voice quavers slightly like when the bullies from the Oven used to corner us.

  Sky whips up the gun. “If you don’t leave, then I’m going to kill you.”

  “Listen,” I order. Sky curls his lip in protest, but it doesn’t stop me. “If we go, we will wind up leading the EHC operatives right here. They’ll see us, then they’ll find you and drag you both to the mines, and I suspect you wouldn’t like that very much. So we need to work together.”

  Sky glares at me, but he lowers the barrel of his weapon. “Why are they chasing you?”

  “We got busted snooping through new shipments,” Lacy says.

  “They wouldn’t send EHC operatives after common thieves,” Sky argues. “That’s a job for tunnel guards.”

  “They must think we stole something important or saw something we shouldn’t have,” Drape reasons. “But we weren’t there long enough to see crap. They freaked out. We just need a place to lay low for a while.”

  Guilt rips through my stomach as I touch the device in my pocket, but I push the feeling away. There’s nothing I can do about having it now.

  Sky hesitates, but lowers his weapon completely. “Fine,” he snarls, and marches us down the dark subway tunnel.

  Lacy breaks the silence. “So, do you two live in these tunnels back here?”

  “Yes, so that we can avoid people. People like you,” Sky answers with an angry huff.

  “So you don’t work in the mines then?” Lacy asks.

  “Nope,” Cia says.

  “Then why don’t you all live in the Slack with the rest of the homeless? I can’t imagine living in this dark tunnel is any fun.”

  “It’s not about fun,” Sky snaps. “It’s about staying alive with my sister.”

  I cut Lacy off from her questions. “If they stayed in the Slack, eventually the tunnel guards or EHC ops would raid the homeless and force these two into the mines.”

  “Well, at least then they wouldn’t have to be scavengers,” Lacy whispers to me, but I’m certain Sky heard.

  “Sky and Cia are in two very different age brackets. They’d be separated.”

  “I’d rather be separated from my brother or sister than us both having to live like this though,” Lacy admits.

  Being from the Oven, there’s not much understanding of kinship. You know whoever is in your graduating class, like Lacy and me. Drape was several classes behind us, and he’s pretty much the only one from his group that we know. He tends to work pretty far away from us, and rarely on the same projects. Dwellers don’t have the privilege of family unless they manage to beat the system as Sky and Cia seem to have done, and that normally comes at a cost. If you don’t toil in the mines, you starve in the tunnels unless you become an excellent thief or beggar.

  Sky shoots Lacy a filthy glare. “I’d rather live this way than be a slave of the Leeches like you.”

  Lacy presses her fists on her hips. “I’m not a slave.”

  “Keep telling yourself that,” he says. “How old were you when they put you to work?”

  Lacy frowns. “Eight.”

  “The Oven cooked you slowly then,” Sky says. “I’ve seen kids as young as six being drug to the mines.” He leads us to the right. “Here we are.”

  Oil lanterns and various lighting sources sit and hang all around. A likely stolen generator and a string of lanterns also keep this area well lit. A reinforced hole in the subway tunnel’s wall appears to be where they sleep. Truthfully, it’s more spacious than the community dorms. They have two makeshift beds, a tiny cooking area, and various luxuries they’ve probably pilfered throughout the years. Compared to our home, this is almost like a paradise, if only because of the immense privacy they obviously enjoy.

  “I know where each one of my meals comes from,” Lacy says, hanging onto the conversation.

  Sky grins. “That’s true. But I don’t have food held back for not completing my quota. Have you ever been hungry just because someone stole your rations? Not me. We grow our food. It’s been years since we’ve gone hungry. In fact, we rarely have to scavenge anymore. We trade the extra food we grow for supplies. I bet even you couldn’t say that you don’t have to steal to get by, Ms. Privilege.”

  Lacy crosses her arms, defeated for now.

  Sky certainly has a point. This sort of freedom seems rather tempting, even if it means living in a dark tunnel with no one but your sister. As he and Lacy were arguing, I didn’t notice that Cia had wandered off. She’s skipping back to us now, carrying a plate of what I guess are berries, not that I’ve seen real ones before.

  “Hungry?” she chirps in our direction, then gestures to seats made of small crates.

  I smile at her and we all sit. I stare at the unusual, large, red berry. I pinch the green leaves on the top, hold it to my nose, and sniff. It’s the most delicious scent I’ve ever experienced. Sweet and fruity. Both Lacy and Drape study the berries as well.

  Sky laughs. “You three have never had strawberries, have you?”

  I’ve heard of strawberries, but I certainly haven’t had one. I pop it in my mouth, squishing the incredibly sweet, tart fruit between my tongue and the roof of my mouth. Yes, it seems there are advantages to not working in the mines. Truthfully, this is a surprising new discovery for me. The majority of the scavengers I’ve seen are either starving to death, being beaten by guards, or having their bodies removed from public places. Sky has clearly worked very hard to provide for his sister.

  “Where did you get strawberries?” Drape asks as he greedily grabs a second one from the plate.

  “My uncle found seeds and started growing them down here when he was my age. It took a lot of effort on his part, and a bit of stolen equipment to get it working, but we have a garden. He taught me how to man it,” Sky explains, wearing a constant scowl.

  Cia hops up from her seat. “I’m gonna get them water from the well.”

  “No,” Sky practically growls. “You don’t even know these people, and you’re giving them our food and water!”

  She laughs in her older brother’s face. “You and I both know we have plenty of water. Don’t be so mean, Sky.” She skips off, happy as can be.

  “Where is your uncle now?” Lacy asks.

  “De
ad.”

  Screech! Metal clangs, and I twist to Drape fiddling with a pile of junk beside him.

  Sky jumps to his feet. “Don’t touch my stuff! Keep your hands where I can see them!” he roars, his cheeks bright red, clutching his weapon to let us know he’s tempted to draw it out again.

  Drape winces and folds his hands in his lap, avoiding eye contact with Sky. “Sorry. I was just looking.”

  “Sure you were.” Sky settles back down.

  I rise from my seat, and Sky eyes me.

  “Where are you headed?” he asks.

  “Just doing a perimeter search to confirm we weren’t tracked, if that’s okay with you.” I spin on my heels and walk out of their sight. I slip my hand into my pocket and pull out the GMK.

  “Stay until my sister gets back with the water,” Sky says to Drape and Lacy. “But then you need to go.”

  A loud whistle sounds and I stuff the device back in my pocket. I angle to find everyone on their feet, Sky with his gun readied.

  “Impressive set up here.”

  Stepping into the light of the room is a tall, slender man dressed in fine, black clothing. He places his hands on his hips and peers around, his narrow, dark eyes scanning the details of Sky and Cia’s home. His handsome figure and perfect jawline is no doubt evidence of his breeding as a member of the EHC, and by his uniform he’s an elite operative.

  “Now, let’s see here…” he nearly sings. “We have one, two… yes, two escaped prisoners. A miner who, no doubt, had to do with their escape, and… a scavenger. All hiding out together. How quaint.”

  “They came here. I had nothing to do with whatever trouble they’re in,” Sky says, keeping his distance. He lowers his weapon and sets it on the table.

  Nice. Real classy.

  Although, I can’t say I wouldn’t opt to save my skin over that of a stranger’s.

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” the operative says. “You four are coming with me.”

  We freeze. Not one good thing will come from us following the operative.

  The man tips his head. “Tsk, apparently you all need a little help.”

  He smiles and gestures his right thumb over his shoulder toward the darkness outside the room. A glow appears as one of his fellow operatives flips on a portable, electric lamp. Half a dozen armed men, dressed in similar uniforms as their ring leader, flank him. Between two towering guards is Cia—shaking, bound, her face wet with tears, and her mouth covered by one of the men’s meaty palms.

  My muscles tense and everything in me wants to race to her.

  “Cia!” Sky’s voice shakes with anger.

  “You damn leech!” I bark to the lead operative and lunge at him, my fists clenched.

  He laughs and swings at me. I shorten my stride, causing his fist to fling past me and allowing me to surprise him with a quick and fierce punch to his shoulder, my knuckles cracking at the blow. But he flings his foot into my stomach and sends me flying back. Pain sears through me, but I straighten and ready myself for another attack. His jaw clenches as he grips his injured shoulder. My strength and swiftness, while not to the level of his own, caught him off guard.

  “You’re a slag!” he says, eying my miner’s clothes. “How?”

  “Hey, Nero, don’t let that little girl one-up you!” one of his men teases from a few yards behind.

  I keep my distance, but remain in a fighting stance. This time, though, I plan to be extra cautious. This man is trained, and I am not.

  “Fin?” Lacy’s voice echoes. I can hear her shock.

  I have a feeling this standoff is about to get much more violent. Possibly deadly. Drape, Lacy, Sky, Cia—none of this is their fault. I should never have stolen the mod kit, and I need to fix my mistake.

  “Nero Kyoto, stand down and release the child.”

  The fact I say his full name causes him to raise his eyebrows. I point a single finger to the left of my chest, and the man, Nero, instinctively checks to see his own last name etched into his operative’s uniform.

  “Arrest her!” Nero orders, pointing at me.

  His men stumble to obey. A loud, zapping sound whips by my ear. I instinctively cover both ears and shriek. The blue burst zips past Nero and myself, barely missing him. The blast strikes down one of the operatives and sends him back into a column. His singed body slides down to the ground. The stream of hot plasma rips the cement pillar and the discharge fades out.

  “You idiot!” Sky yells at Drape, who’s clutching Sky’s homemade weapon. The entire room rumbles and shuddersviolently as the support beam disintegrates and the ceiling begins to cave in bit by bit.

  “Get back!” Nero orders his men.

  Enormous rocks and cement from the old subway tunnel rain down.

  “Cia!” Sky calls.

  Lacy and I grab him to keep him from darting under the rapidly falling debris.

  “No, other way!” I order.

  The lights flicker as I force Sky back into Lacy and Drape, and the four of us dart down the tunnel in the opposite direction of the EHC operatives. Just as the last of Sky’s home is buried in falling debris, I catch Nero throwing Cia over his shoulder and sprinting away, just barely saving her from the back end of an old subway train as it falls through from the tunnel above us, completely cutting us off from our enemy.

  Silt and dust fill our nostrils and we all begin to cough and choke. “This way,” Sky wheezes, and we follow after him.

  He slips into a crack in the foundation. We rush to funnel into the opening, knocking into one another. We can’t all fit at once. I usher Lacy and Drape to go ahead of me. They nod and Lacy leads with Drape close behind. Once they’re clear, I squeeze through and fall deep into a ditch just as more rock and cracked cement walls come crashing down, tumbling on top of the others in a heap.

  CHAPTER 4

  My elbow smashes into Lacy’s jaw. At least, I think it’s her jaw. And I’m pretty sure one of the boys’ heads is rammed into my lower back.

  “Get off me,” I mumble at whoever will listen.

  About three feet above us is the crack in the subway tunnel’s foundation. Thick dust pours out, raining down on us.

  “Anyone got a light?” Lacy asks.

  A few seconds go by, and one of us makes a fumbling noise, followed by a cracking sound, and then the space glows green.

  “What’s that?” Lacy points to the glowing plastic in Sky’s hand.

  “It’s a glow stick. I always carry a couple,” Sky growls, heaving for air. His eyes are wild and his entire upper body tense. “I’m gonna kill you.” He lunges and pushes out of our heap. Lacy grunts and mumbles curses under her breath. “Where are you, you little punk?” Sky waves the glow stick in front of us and reaches down, coming back up with the scruff of Drape’s shirt in his hand and jerks the shocked kid. Drape’s forehead is covered in blood.

  “Stop it!” Lacy snatches at Sky, but he shoves her down and manages to jerk Drape into a headlock, dropping his glow stick.

  “This is your fault!” Sky roars. “They took my sister because of you!”

  “Help!” Drape cries, trying desperately to squirm out of Sky’s clutches. Drape is feisty and breaks himself free, but Sky manages to get in two blows before Drape gets enough distance from him.

  I leap forward and wedge myself between them. “Enough!”

  I grab Sky by his throat and kick Drape back. Sky gags and poor Drape falls face-first once again. Drape whines as Lacy, now holding the glow stick, helps him up. I pin Sky’s back against a cemented wall, gripping his throat with one hand and his right arm with the other. Sky’s eyes flare open in surprise.

  “Be still,” I command.

  Sky exhales and his shoulders relax. I release his throat and he gasps, keeling forward when I let go.

  “We need to get far from here before they start searching for us again,” Lacy insists.

  We give Sky a moment to regain his breath.

  “I’m sorry,” Drape whispers to Sky, offering a
hand. I know the kid means it. He wouldn’t hurt a fly if he didn’t have to. Sky growls and slaps him away, pushing himself up. “I didn’t mean to cause that collapse. I was trying to protect Fin,” Drape adds, his voice shaking but Sky doesn’t respond.

  “Fin doesn’t need you to protect her, Drape,” Lacy says. She turns my way, and I can just barely make out her figure in the dim light. “You don’t need any protection, right, Fin? You took out a man twice your size at the holding cell and flung Drape and Sky as if they were children. I mean, you've always been strong when you protected Drape and me when we were little. But this is new.”

  “It’s a bad time for this,” I say, wanting her to be quiet.

  “You could have snapped my neck just then. That’s not normal for a Dweller,” Sky adds, rubbing his throat. He digs into his pocket and produces a second glow stick, cracks it, and gives it a shake. The stick provides us with a dash of extra illumination, and all three of them stare at me, waiting for answers.

  I rake my hands through my hair, uncomfortable. “While I was in that crate in the shipping zone, I came across this.” I reach into my cargo pants and pull out the device. “I must have hit a button or something because it… it changed me.”

  “Changed you how?” Lacy asks.

  “I feel different. Stronger. Maybe quicker, too.”

  “It sounds like you’ve been modified,” Sky says.

  “What!” Lacy exclaims with more excitement than she did the day she was gifted extra rations for locating a collection of gold in her tunnel. “Fin, that’s amazing! Do me next!”

  “What, no!” Drape yells. “Are you insane? You don’t know what sort of side effects that thing has. She’s a dweller!” He stares at me, terrified.

  I shove the device back in my pocket. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lacy. I’m not going to modify you—not until we know if that’s even what this thing did.”

  Sky steps back and he begins to pace. “You three are nothing but trouble. Cia should never have saved you.” He rubs at the back of his neck. “What are they going to do to her? They’ll force her into the mines…” He stops pacing and peers into the dark tunnel behind us. “Okay, where are we… the old sewage system… which way back?”