Corporal Breen cranked the alarm until a steady, loud sound rang out from the square. Everyone knew what the alarm meant, nobody else was allowed to sound it other than the troopers. We were calling them to us, forcing them to obey and stand before us.
There were no smiles or enthusiasm. Families clung on to their sons aged sixteen or more, hoping their names weren’t on the roll today. They each prayed for a reprieve, at least until the next recruitment day.
Breen nudged me. “You going to do it, or what? Get moving, Thompson.”
I stepped forward and tapped on my electronic tablet so the names appeared before my eyes. There were thirteen of them today, enough to replace the wounded from last month. To our superiors, they were just names like all the others. We were all there just to fill a space.
“Adam Azare,” I said to the crowd. There was no small talk, we all knew why we were there.
A mother yelped out a cry of anguish as she clung to her son. Adam barely looked twelve, let alone sixteen. He tried to remain stoic, even as his mother wept. Finally, he stepped forward and whispered reassurances to her. She let him go but still reached for him.
Another woman comforted her.
She needed it.
Images of my own mother when she had seen my brother recruited flashed into my mind. She had wept openly just as the woman had. I wished I could apologize to her for everything.
For her son’s life.
For the horrors of living in the Sink.
For the way our president made our lives so much worse.
Adam stepped in front of me. “Reporting for duty, sir.”
“Wait with Breen. We’ve got more to come yet,” I replied, trying hard not to see him as a child. I gestured to Breen so he knew where to stand. Maybe he would remember my kindness one day.
I continued through the list and the scene was played out over and over again until thirteen of the families were openly crying. Nothing I could say to them would make their pain any better.
We walked back to base in a long line.
Child soldiers walking into the unknown.
Chapter 4: Wren
The Defectives’ village was all excited as a new delivery was made. The scientists had dropped off a new Defective Clone. They always came in as newborns. The moment they were created by the scientists, they had a death sentence on their heads.
This little girl’s defect was similar to mine – she had a foot that didn’t want to point forward. The little limb was twisted so the foot was almost back to front.
She was beautiful.
The humans may have seen her as an abomination because of her defect but we cherished every one of the new deliveries. Rocky and I had been left on the same day. Everybody said it was the first time two babies had been left together.
We had been best friends ever since.
Sunny cradled the baby in her arm – she had only one good one. Our unofficial mother would look after her until she could be passed around the village. We would all do our part and ensure she grew up safely.
The Makers relied on us to ensure they made it to adulthood. They couldn’t make any more clones so they needed their Defective in the end. The food we were given only once a month barely sustained us.
We were always hungry.
After we had the naming ceremony to name the baby Blossom, everyone started to go back to their duties. I remained with Sunny, keen to help in any way I could with the new child.
“She doesn’t seem very well,” Sunny commented after a while. She placed her hand on the baby’s forehead and frowned. “She’s burning up with a fever.”
Suggesting she see a doctor was out of the question. No medical professional in Aria would even touch a Defective. People thought we carried diseases, and our deformities were catching. They were all wrong but nobody wanted to test the theory.
“Maybe she’ll be better in the morning,” I said. After all, there was nothing we could do to help her.
Fear of illness was instilled in every Defective.
If the troopers didn’t kill us, then the conditions we lived in might. Nobody in Aria wanted to do anything about it. They were just happy that they didn’t have to see it.
Or deal with it.
Or help us.
They complained when we broke into their houses and stole food but none of them ever refused our organs when they were ill. Nobody ever allowed a clone to live when they were destined to die. They needed us, despite the way we were treated.
Blossom cried all night long. I took it in turns with Sunny to cradle her but she wouldn’t be soothed. The infant was sick and needed medical attention that we couldn’t give her.
“I’m going to take her to a doctor,” I said in the morning.
“You can’t, child. They’ll only turn you away,” Sunny replied.
I took the baby from her tired embrace and settled her on my shoulder. “I’m going to try. Maybe someone will be feeling generous today.”
Sunny nodded sadly. “Be careful.”
“I will be.”
Rocky was still asleep so I set off on my own. There was no point being quiet as I moved along the streets. Everybody could hear Blossom’s cries. They were loud enough to reach the other side of the city.
I made a beeline for the hospital, praying the attention would be on the baby and not me. There had to be dozens of doctors there, surely one of them would feel enough compassion for the sick child to help us.
There were security guards by the entrance but they didn’t pay attention beyond giving me a quick glance. I was trying desperately not to limp as I passed by them.
The emergency department was crowded with people. I weaved my way through, clutching Blossom to my chest and whispering to her that everything would be okay soon. Whatever was wrong with her, the doctor had to heal it.
I made my way to the nurses’ station and stood tall enough so the lady sitting behind the desk could see the baby’s reddened face. “This baby needs to see a doctor.”
She peered over the counter and settled back down again, not fazed. “It is your child?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Are you its guardian?”
That sounded good enough. “Yes, she was entrusted to my care.” I silently prayed she would act faster. The sooner the child’s misery ended, the better.
“I’ll need to see your Citizen Card.” The woman’s fingers were already typing on her computer again. At least she wasn’t paying us too much attention, she couldn’t have recognized my face.
“I don’t have it. I lost it,” I said, crossing my fingers that she would believe my lie.
Instead, she pointed to a sign to the right of her window. It clearly stated, ‘No Citizen Card, No Service’. “You’ll have to leave now, I’m afraid.”
“But she’s just a baby, she needs help. Please, let her see a doctor.”
“My hands are tied, we all have our orders from the president.”
There was nothing more to lose now. “We’re Defective Clones. This poor baby was dropped off in our village and she’s not well. She needs help.”
“And you’re not going to get it here. Now go, or I will call security and have you removed.” She pointed to the door, just to make sure her order was clear.
Everybody stared at us as we left the emergency room. Not even those that pledged to heal the sick would provide care for Blossom. It wasn’t fair.
Nothing was in Aria.
I had no choice except to return to the village and admit my failure. Sunny gave me a small smile. “You did your best, child. That’s all we can ever ask of someone.”
Blossom deserved help. Somewhere in Aria there was a Maker who had ordered her creation. The baby’s death would be on their hands if she didn’t make it through the night. By the heat of her fever, she maybe only had a few hours at most.
I found Rocky in our shack. He gave me a hopeful look as I shook my head sadly. “They wouldn’t see her.”
He sat str
aight up on the ground. “That’s bull, she’s just a baby. Why does it always seem that humans have no humanity?”
“Because we see the worst of them.” I sat next to him, resting my foot. It had been a long way to the hospital and my defect was smarting.
“Maybe I could take her to the troopers?” Rocky suggested, his face full of optimism for a moment. “They would have to do something with her. They couldn’t just let her die.”
“That might work.”
He hurried to stand. “I’m going to talk to Sunny. Anything is worth a shot, right?”
“Right.”
Rocky hurried away and I hoped his plan worked. We’d run out of options if the troopers were the only ones that might help. They enjoyed torturing and hunting us at every opportunity they received.
Sunny agreed and Rocky took the baby in his one good arm. The other appendage hung limply at his side. We waited together as Rocky disappeared from view.
“It’s a risk he’s taking,” Sunny said over the tips of the crackling fire. “Rocky is a good kid, everyone here is.”
“I just hope they don’t decide to kill them both,” I replied. We both knew it was a possibility. If Rocky’s Maker called him in to Serve His Purpose, the troopers would arrest him and deliver him to the laboratory.
The wait for his return was painful. Every sound I heard made my head snap around to see if it was him. I must have done it a thousand times before it actually was Rocky returning.
He didn’t have Blossom with him.
I stood and held my breath. “Did they take her to get help?”
“They said they would.”
I gave him a hug and whispered in his ear, “You’re so brave, thank you. A million thanks. Tell me everything that happened.”
Sunny joined us so she could hear the story too. “They didn’t want to take her but one of the troopers said they should. He said the baby’s Maker might complain if they didn’t.”
One trooper.
That was all it came down to.
“Let’s go for a walk,” I said, taking Rocky’s hand and leading him from the village. The trip to the troopers’ base weighed him down, even though he should have been happy about Blossom getting some help.
We both needed some time away from the village and all our problems.
Whenever we needed a break, Rocky and I would always go to the wall. We found a spot in the abandoned building that faced the cement barricade and sat down. Two members of the President’s Personal Guard were standing watch at the only gate in and out of the city.
“I would eat unlimited ice cream,” Rocky started our usual game. We always dreamed of what we would do if we ever got out of the city and through the wall. Our ideas got sillier every time we played it.
“I would go to the beach and let the water wash over my legs to heal them,” I said. I’d seen pictures of a beach in a magazine I stole once. The image was burned into my mind, it looked so beautiful there.
“We might get eaten by the monsters.”
“They are supposed to be everywhere. I wonder what they look like?” Everyone knew the story of the monsters that lived beyond the wall. They were said to be more dangerous than President Stone. And that was saying something.
“I bet they’re blue and have tiny arms,” Rocky said as he mimicked a monster with short arms trying to reach for something. I loved the way he goofed around when we most needed it.
“Maybe they’re pink and fat. So fat they can’t run away.”
“And they got that fat from eating humans.”
“Eating rich humans,” I finished. We laughed quietly as all the humor left us. We might have been joking about the monsters that dwelled outside our city but nobody wanted to encounter one. All the books said they would eat us the moment we crossed the wall.
“Troopers!” Rocky whispered as loud as he dared and pointed at the road below. It was a group of four troopers, all holding their guns and ready to shoot anyone they pleased.
“Let’s go.”
Rocky nodded and we moved as quietly as we could. President Stone and all her armies were looking for me, it made me nervous being so close to a group of soldiers.
I never knew which one would be my downfall.
Chapter 5: Reece
The baby wouldn’t stop crying as I held it. Nobody else wanted to touch her so the duty came down to me. I tried rocking her in my arms and whispering soothing reassurances in her ear but nothing would stop her.
I placed my hand on her forehead and it almost burned with her fever. The poor kid. She was created into a world where she was destined to die and her illness was going to take her out earlier than planned.
Knocking on the door of the medic, I hoped he was home and not out in the field. It seemed to take a very long time for him to answer the door. “What do you want?” he said by way of greeting.
“This Defective Clone needs assistance.”
He briefly glanced at her face before returning to mine. “That’s not my problem.”
“You’re a doctor.”
“Not to Defs. Take her away.”
That was never going to happen. “She needs help, she’s sick. Tell me what’s wrong with her so I know how to make her better.”
We had a staring contest for a long time.
I won.
“Give her to me.” The medic sighed and reluctantly took the child from my arms. I wasn’t going to leave her with him without supervision in case he decided to kill her, so I followed him inside to his exam room.
He unwrapped the baby from her dirty blanket and gave her the once over, checking her temperature and other vital signs. The entire time, the baby wailed her misery.
“What’s wrong with her?” I asked, keen to get back to duty before my absence was noted. I had a legitimate reason but I didn’t need any extra attention or association with a Defective Clone. Taking her into our care was enough to raise a few extra eyebrows than I needed.
“She’s got an infection somewhere,” he replied, fiddling with his equipment. “She needs antibiotics.”
“Will that make her better again?”
He shrugged, not the response you wanted to see from a doctor. “It might. She’s not worth the medication, if you ask me.”
“I wasn’t asking you.”
He tried to out-stare me again but he gave up once more. He reluctantly grabbed a bottle of pills from the top shelf. “These need to be crushed up and administered every four hours.”
“Thank you.”
I wrapped up the baby again and took the pills. Her wailing had turned into whimpers and sobs. She was quieter, but that only made me worry about her more.
There was no way I could look after the baby myself and nobody else would help a Defective. The only thing I could do was take her back to the village and hand her over. It wasn’t ideal, but at least she had medication now.
She had a shot.
I slipped out of the barracks and took the subway to the Defectives’ village. I wasn’t exactly sneaking out, but I also wasn’t waving a flag at my superiors either.
I reached the edge of the village and crossed the line, trying to find the woman that normally looked after the new deliveries. She seemed to be the village’s den mother, of sorts.
She was next to a campfire, another small child perched on her lap. She instantly stood up when she saw me. “What do you want?” she asked with both trepidation and distaste.
“I’ve taken your baby to see a doctor,” I started to explain. I went through the antibiotic’s directions and left with no thanks. Nobody in Aria City appreciated the troopers’ presence and Defectives felt even stronger.
I didn’t need thanks anyway.
As long as the baby lived, it would be thanks enough.
I returned to the base and joined my comrades in the mess hall for dinner. Nobody asked me what happened to the child and I didn’t offer any information. I was a trooper, I was supposed to despise everything Defective related.
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The baby was still on my mind at breakfast the next morning. I turned up for my mission on time and tried to push the thoughts to the side. I had a job to do and staying under the radar was part of that.
Sergeant Malone briefed us on our mission for the day and we were deployed across town to the Hills district of Aria. We were to guard an information session for Makers. It was put on by the Labs dotted around the city. Officially, they only had one purpose: to make clones.
Unofficially, it was anyone’s guess what they did in the restricted facilities.
Only President Stone knew for sure.
Cloning was her gift to the city once she was elected all those years ago. I wasn’t even born at the time but my parents always said she ruled with an iron fist and did whatever she pleased. She was still the same today.
I was stationed at the podium inside the plush auditorium. It was normally used for fashion parades but today it was for a seminar to discuss the benefits of cloning. The scientists were always protected when outside the labs, they were too valuable to allow someone to hurt.
The scientist taking the talk was tall and had jet-black hair. There wasn’t one wrinkle on his face, which betrayed his fondness for the anti-aging technologies they had perfected in the labs. It was a prime example of their not-so-official duties. They were forgiven when the rich became obsessed with looking young again.
The chairs all filled up as the commencement time approached. They all looked the same – perfect skin with even more perfect clothes. They’d never experienced anything other than the good life in Aria. It made me sick that these people lived so sumptuously when the majority of people in Aria were starving.
And that included the troopers.
We were given just enough food to survive and we were the lucky ones. Many people simply went without, fading away to mere bones and then into dust.
I hated them all.
They were all so eager to hear the scientist talk that they hushed the moment he took to the stage. “Welcome, friends. My name is Dr. Nielson and I am so glad you could make it today.”
Three Fates Entwined (The Defectives Book 0) Page 2