Numbers Game

by Rebecca Rode

  I looked longingly at the dark and welcoming forest. It would be so easy to slip away and hide. But if I did, my family would be executed. I was as much a prisoner here as I was within NORA’s borders.

  The soldiers assigned to me watched me with dark expressions. They seemed to know what I was considering. Had the commander assigned them to me, or me to them?

  It didn’t matter right now. I’d promised Treena protection this time. Our superiors had insisted that Treena enter unarmed, as there was no way a real refugee could have obtained a weapon. They obviously weren’t concerned about what would happen to her once her betrayal was discovered.

  “On our way, Treena,” I said into the feed. “Just hold on.”

  When we arrived, the wall was much higher than I’d imagined. The gate was still closed, and it buzzed loudly with electricity, causing the soldiers to slow down in confusion. A section of the wall stood open, just large enough to allow one person through at a time. I groaned. This would take forever.

  A familiar click sounded above my head, and I froze. A dozen rifle barrels sat atop the wall, and one was aimed right at me.

  I barely had time to spring out of the way before the shooting started. The thunder of bullets and screams of dying men echoed sharply across the sleeping forest. So much for the element of surprise. Amid the chaos of rifles and stunners exchanging fire, I saw that the thin doorway was closing now, shoved by men from the other side who had finally realized that the locking mechanism was disabled.

  We didn’t have time for this.

  I leaped over and shoved my way through just as it slammed shut. Surprised grunts were replaced with cries of pain as I let myself loose—a sweep to the leg, an elbow to the face, the crunching sound of breaking bone. A thud as someone fell, then another. And another. There were only two men holding desperately to the door now, both watching me wide-eyed, knowing they were next. One of them looked upward and shouted for help from their armed comrades.

  I twisted around them, reaching instead for the solid metal lever above the shorter one’s head. It was similar to the one on NORA’s border wall, almost like they’d stolen the technology. I plunged it downward. The wall emitted a deep moan, and the buzzing of electricity sputtered and died. The two men stared at the lever, then at each other, and took off running and shouting just as the door burst open.

  “The wall is clear,” I shouted. Only one of the gunners at the top of the wall remained, and he was facing the other direction. I took off at a sprint.

  An alarm started to wail somewhere. If the gunshots hadn’t already awakened the sleeping settlers, the alarm would.

  “Open this door, now!” the woman screamed through Treena’s feed.

  “It won’t lock,” Treena said into the feed, her voice strained. “Must be the device jamming it like all the other locks. She’s going to kill me, Vance. Fates! I can’t hold this much longer!”

  “Is there a window?” I asked, lengthening my stride.

  “Well, yeah.”

  “Prop something against the door,” I said, panting, “and then climb out the window. See if you can find handholds along the exterior of the building. I’ll be there in half a minute.”

  “But Vance, I can’t—I’m not good at heights.”

  “Do it now!” By the banging sounds on the feed, the woman was seconds away from pushing through. I checked behind me, surprised to see that my troops had gotten past the wall and followed. “Head for the center structure!”

  “Okay,” she said in a tiny voice. She sounded sick again.

  Around us, soldiers banged on smaller cabin doors. These people were well trained, though, and many answered with a rifle shot through a window. The few who did come out, bleary-eyed and confused, were stunned unconscious and now lay in a heap.

  A figure jumped out from behind a building, fired a shot that struck one of my soldiers, and ducked out of sight again. A surge of pride filled my body before I remembered that resisting would only be more dangerous for them. It would be too easy for a soldier to “accidentally” slip the stunner into fatal mode and return fire. Even now I could see the crazed, murderous look in some of their eyes. I shouted, “Five men per cabin, but drag the stunned settlers to safety until the fighting stops. Remember that the cabins are probably connected underground. The rest of you, follow me!”

  My orders were repeated through the ranks, and a few actually broke off and obeyed. I saw Treena immediately. She clung to the window frame, struggling to place a foot in the mortar between the logs but slipping with each attempt. A woman yelled out the window, fist shaking, and then she reached down as if to peel Treena’s fingers off her perch. I took aim and fired—one shot, and the woman spun backward and disappeared. Treena whirled around to see, nearly throwing her off the four-story building completely.

  “Someone help her!” I yelled, frantically searching our equipment for another ladder—a wooden one, or a long object—but nothing was long enough. “We need some kind of net!”

  Instead of obeying, a line of soldiers surrounded me on either side, gazing upward at the flailing girl, and one of them slowly raised his weapon. My eyes went to the window, but there was no one else there.

  He took aim—right at Treena.

  “Wait! Don’t shoot!”

  He fired, but I swept his leg just in time, throwing him off balance. He landed flat on his back with a grunt. “What’s wrong with you?” I snapped. “She’s on my team!”

  “Fates, just following orders!” the man gasped.

  “I never told you to shoot her!”

  The blast from the stun gun must have hit close because Treena lost hold of the windowsill with one hand. She swung precariously from the other hand before regaining her hold. Daymond finally jumped into action, twisting two rope ladders together to form a makeshift net, and tossed it to Ross. They stretched it taut below Treena’s desperate form.

  I didn’t have time to watch, though. The fallen NORA soldier was getting up, and the others had noticed the scuffle. They circled me like carnivores before their prey.

  “You’re not talking about my orders,” I said. “You’re getting them from someone else.”

  “What kind of fool would follow a red?” a fat-nosed soldier asked, grinning down at me like a boy at mealtime. “At least you’re smart enough to understand that much.” He raised a fist, but my instincts took over. When he stepped forward for the punch, I gave him a swift kick to the knee, dropping him just before the guy behind me attacked. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Treena let go.

  “No!” I shouted, but Daymond and Ross were ready. They stretched the rope ladder as taut as it would go, and Treena fell perfectly into it, back first, spreading her weight out like a winged bat. She hit the ground, but the net seemed to have broken her fall just enough. She sat up right away, looking dazed but unhurt.

  It distracted me just long enough for a couple of soldiers to grab my arms. I tried to whip around, but a third soldier wrapped his arm around my throat and put me in a headlock. I kicked backward to break away, but the arm tightened around my throat. My vision blurred, and I mentally kicked myself. Any idiot knew not to get distracted. These men weren’t sloppy smugglers but trained soldiers, hardened from decades of careful training.

  The captain who’d pretended to relay my orders approached. “Stupid red. I hoped you’d give me a reason to do this.” With a smile that looked more like a grimace, he raised his gun and aimed it at my head.

  “Stop!” Treena shrieked as she struggled to untwist herself from the net, but it was too late. The impact exploded into my brain like a transport train.

  22

  I woke up in the commander’s tent, my wrists fastened to the side of the bed. My guys—well, and Treena—huddled near the opening, dirty, tired, and looking grim. I did a quick mental count and relaxed. Everyone from my team was there. They were so engrossed in conversation that no one noticed I was awake.

  “Anything can happen in a battle,” Semias wa
s saying. “He probably disobeyed an order. They would’ve had to shoot him.”

  “No,” Treena said quickly. “I was watching. I felt the rush of air from a stunner, then Vance started yelling at them, and the soldiers turned on him right as I fell. If you guys hadn’t made that net when you did . . .”

  “Bet it was supposed to look like an accident,” Daymond said. “That’s why the soldier tried to shoot you while you were still hanging.”

  Semias groaned. “Fates! This is ridiculous. Listen to yourselves. How do you know the guy wasn’t aiming at someone behind you, Treena? Maybe someone was in the window, ready to attack, and the soldier was trying to save you.”

  “Then Vance would have helped instead of attacking the soldier,” Daymond replied. “Face it, Semias. The soldiers were jealous of EPIC, so they tried to take us out when no one was looking.”

  “Not us,” Ross said. “Just Treena and Vance.”

  “Who’d be jealous of two reds?” Semias muttered. “You’re all insane.” He stalked out

  without a second look.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” Daymond said, finally noticing me. Treena’s eyes lit up, and she headed to my side. She lifted a hand as if to grab mine, then pulled it back at the last second, looking flustered.

  “Did we win?” I croaked.

  “No EPIC losses, but sixty military casualties,” Daymond said. “About two hundred settler deaths, mostly suicides. The rest are unconscious and headed for NORA already.”

  Two hundred. It was far worse than I’d expected. I tried to sit, but something pulled at my wrist. “Why am I tethered to the bed?”

  “They said you attacked your own soldiers,” Daymond said. “The commander was furious. The entire unit was backing it up, so it’s their word against ours. Luckily, Poly smooth-talked him into waiting for you to wake up and tell your side of the story.”

  I forced myself up into a sitting position. A fresh stab of pain in my side made me wince.

  “Poly also said it wasn’t safe to move you yet,” Treena said, “since you were hit in the head. He feels really bad, Vance. Says he should have listened when you tried to withdraw as a unit leader.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m glad he realizes that.” I swung my legs around and pulled on my bonds, but they were tight.

  “I’ll go tell Poly you’re awake,” Daymond said, motioning for the others to leave as well. Treena moved to follow.

  “Wait,” I told her. “Are you all right?”

  She looked at the floor. “Compared to you, yeah. My stomach still hurts a little.”

  “Ah.” Every Integrant knew the pain of hunger, the hollow sickness nutrition pills caused at first. For a stomach accustomed to real food, the pill wasn’t enough. It had taken me a year to get used to it. But I hadn’t thought about the reverse situation. Treena could very well be the only person to experience food after only ever living on pills. “Your stomach may take a while to recover. You’ve just changed the delicate chemistry of your digestive system.”

  “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Better off than some.” She took a deep breath, probably remembering those she had just betrayed. I knew the feeling. “Thanks for the rescue. I’m sorry you got hurt because of me.”

  “Not hurt. Just zapped,” I said with a forced grin. “It’s not the first time.”

  “I figured.” She returned the smile, but it disappeared quickly. “When I saw them aim at you, and you still watching me, making sure I was safe—” Her face crumpled. “I don’t know. It was like something in me snapped. When you fell, one of them kicked you. I stole Daymond’s stunner and charged at the guy like a crazy person.” She chuckled bitterly. “If it weren’t for Daymond pulling me back, they’d probably have shot me, too.”

  That explained the pain in my side. “Guess you’re one of the team now.”

  “Am I?” Her voice was distant. She reached up and grasped her necklace, something I’d noticed she did often.

  “What’s that jewelry?” I asked. “A gift from Bike Boy?”

  She shook her head. “My dad.”

  I allowed myself a twinge of satisfaction. “You must miss him.”

  Her voice grew hard. “I never knew him. He left before I was born, but he told my mom to give this to me on my Rating day. Some father, huh?” She removed the necklace and placed it into my hand, the delicate strand hanging down between my fingers. The stone was still warm from the heat of her body.

  “But you wear it every day. Why?”

  Her eyes finally met mine, level and determined. “The purple reminds me of NORA. I think he was trying to tell me that I should trust the system.”

  “And look where that got you. I see why you don’t like it.” I stared at the stone for a moment, then held it up to the light. “What about the gold, then?”

  She brought her head closer, staring at the stone in surprise, and I caught a whiff of pine needles. “What in the fates? I can’t believe I’ve never noticed that before. Must be the mountain light or something.”

  I lifted it over her head with my free hand, and she guided it into place with a grateful smile. My wrist brushed against her soft cheek, and she leaned in just a little. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand away. “If I were a father about to leave my family, I don’t know that a rock would be my first choice for a gift. But then again, at least he left you something.”

  “What was your dad like?”

  “Honestly? Stern and overprotective.” She laughed gently, and I continued. “But a great man. My entire clan adored him. They’d do anything for him, and he felt the same about his people.”

  We fell silent, and I sensed the unease in her demeanor. Her eyes flicked toward the door. Before she could leave, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I was wrong about you.”

  “What?”

  “After we ran into Bike Boy, I accused you of being just like every other shallow girl in NORA. But I’ve never met a girl who would march into a settlement, unarmed and alone.”

  “That makes me either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid.” She shrugged. “I was wrong about you too. I’ve always thought that outlanders were cruel and violent. You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I grew up with.”

  “I haven’t eaten a baby in years,” I said. “Well, unless you count that one last week.” She groaned at the joke, and I sobered. “We’re not cruel, necessarily. But violent when we have to be. While we’re on the subject, I’ve always thought citizens like you were stuck-up, selfish robots with numbers on their heads.”

  “You weren’t far off.”

  “We were both wrong,” I said softly. “And right.”

  Our eyes met, and her lips softened into a shy smile. A wayward lock of hair hung over her face, and I had a sudden strange urge to gently brush it back into place.

  “Vance?” a voice called from the doorway. I whirled to find Neb standing there, a strange look on his face. He glanced at Treena, then back at me. “Um, Poly’s on his way, and the commander isn’t far behind.”

  “Thanks.”

  A furious blush stained Treena’s cheeks, and she moved quickly toward the door.

  “Treena,” I called after her. “You realize what happened today, right?”

  She stopped. “What do you mean?”

  “Someone tried to kill you.”

  She stared at the floor. “We don’t know that for sure.”

  “Yes, we do. And I will find out who it was and why. They will not succeed. Not as long as I’m around. Understood?”

  Treena didn’t return my gaze. “Yes, sir.”

  23

  I felt sick.

  It could have been anything, really—the jostling, deafening chopper I sat inside, or Vance’s injuries, or even the real food. But when I thought of what we had just done, my stomach twisted. Two hundred innocent people had lost their lives tonight, and the survivors were prisoners. Dozens of children were probably waking up right now, scared, torn from the only homes they’d ever know
n, all facing a future of poverty and competition.

  All because I was willing to do anything to raise my Rating. NORA had used me, and I’d been completely willing to be used.

  I gripped my seat, shivering despite the coat I wore. Team Two sat slumped in their seats, fully asleep, their belts the only reason they weren’t sprawled out on the floor in heavy slumber. Semias’s head had fallen completely forward, a long string of drool swaying with the movement of the chopper.

  Vance wasn’t with us. He was probably still being interrogated. Two days ago I wouldn’t have worried for him. But now I knew how precarious his situation was. If he was found guilty, would they execute him? Or would they punish his family instead?

  Poly sat rigidly next to me, his dark eyes staring at nothing. As the official leader of EPIC and the person who had appointed Vance, Poly was partially accountable for Vance’s actions. I thought back to the conversation I’d overheard on my first full day. I hadn’t done anything to investigate the EPIC leader. Somehow, after today my Rating reconsideration felt further away than ever.

  “What will happen to Vance?” I asked Poly.

  For a moment I didn’t know if he was ignoring me or if he simply hadn’t heard my question. I opened my mouth to ask again, but his eyes finally focused on me. “I don’t know.”

  “He was only protecting me. They’ll give him another chance, right?”

  He leaned forward so quickly that I recoiled. “Did a soldier really point a gun at you?”

  “I didn’t see it, exactly,” I admitted. “But I felt the blast go past me. What I don’t understand is why the soldiers attacked him afterward.”

  He shook his head and sat back wearily. “They were just looking for an excuse. I was a fool. It wasn’t the first time he’s been attacked, although usually it’s his own people who try it.”

  “His clan members have fought him?”

  Poly gave me a long look. “Don’t worry, he can take care of himself. Well, except for this last time. Must’ve been too many of them.”