by J. F. Johns
It wasn't long before the blonde devil returned, his face grim. Terra couldn't help but perk up at the sight of the cyborg behind him. She had last seen him at Scarlet's wedding, and before that he had given her a place to sleep in No Man's Land.
Zacchary hadn't changed much. He wore loose jeans that were definitely too big on him, a red sweatshirt with a yellow stain on the front that was probably mustard, and sandals. It was odd to see someone wearing such footwear when the weather was so cold outside.
His hair was ruffled as if he'd been running. It was an interesting colour. Depending on the light, it would sometimes be a light brown or a dark blonde. He didn't seem at all worried about his hair getting in his eyes.
Zacchary had one of the most interesting faces Terra had ever seen. Half of it robotic, a machine. The other side, human.
'There's a problem,' he said without bothering to salute.
'When isn't there one?' Camille replied.
'You haven't been outside, have you?' the cyborg seemed to want to snarl, but half of his face wouldn't allow him to.
Before anyone could reply, Scarlet rushed out of the kitchen, quickly followed by everyone else. They made their way up to the attic, through the window and onto the roof. It didn't take long to realise what Zacchary had meant. Drones flew across the sky, their robotic voices speaking at full volume.
'For the safety of our Nation,' the drones blared through their loudspeakers, 'new rules have been established. All citizens are required to register at their nearest registration office for an update.'
Terra glanced up at Kalem, his black hair wild from the wind. 'What does this mean?' she asked. He hadn't let go of her hand and she was more than grateful.
'I don't know,' he replied, those silver eyes focused on the dozens of drones flying past across the rooftops. 'I really don't know.'
...
The air across the capital had changed within a few hours. Terra couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but a sudden division -which had always been there but now was extremely apparent- between those that adored the Nation and those that opposed it had created a sort of chaos. More and more Watcher patrols made their way through the streets. The ads that shone across the glass skyscrapers had been replaced by messages from the government about the new rules taking place in a few hours.
Terra made her way towards Square Park, keeping herself hidden from view. Kalem was nearby, but he was so good at disappearing that she was unable to spot him. She could feel him nearby, and that was enough to calm her nerves.
The new registration was compulsory. Both cyborgs and humans needed to go to a registration office as soon as possible. Terra hadn't wanted to wait until Watchers came knocking at their door. She needed to figure out what Petra was up to, so she had volunteered to check it out and inform everyone else back home. Kalem had come along with her.
Registration offices were never hard to find. They were mainly used for citizens moving from one capital to another, to register their new home address and other such business. Terra had no clue what it was that the registration office required from every single citizen. This was the first time the government had petitioned such a thing.
The building that had once held the registration office had been completely modified. Endless queues of people were outside waiting, Watchers keeping them in line. A wired fence had been erected to cage everyone in. Terra's body shook at the sight. A bad feeling began to settle in her stomach, and she tried turning around. A gun appeared in her face. The Watcher holding it shoved her forward causing Terra to stumble into the crowd, her heart racing. She tried to find Kalem among the hundreds of heads, but she was too small for such a task.
The queue was taking forever to move. Terra took her time to twist around, searching for an exit. Watchers were everywhere, making sure no one walked away. After a few minutes, she noticed silver eyes in one of the lines a few rows down. Warmth spread through her belly at the sight of Kalem. She lifted her hand up discreetly.
'I'm okay,' she mouthed as soon as he stepped forward, his silver eyes narrowed with determination to reach her and escape. She motioned at him to stay put. They needed to figure out what was happening. Whatever it was it couldn't be that bad if every single citizen had to go through it.
Terra had no idea how many minutes had passed until she reached the front of the line where white sleek tables had been placed. Government workers sat behind their screens, tapping away numbers and names.
'Wrist,' the government worker barked.
Terra hesitated.
The government worker looked up, boredom and frustration written across her young features. 'Your wrist,' she repeated.
Terra did as she was told. The government worker grabbed Terra's right wrist brusquely and placed it over one of the screens. Information appeared immediately. The government worker read through it, then grabbed a thick black syringe.
'What's that for?' Terra asked, trying to pull back. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed one of the Watchers approach.
'New registration,' the government worker replied. 'All citizens are required to have one. It doesn't hurt.'
Before Terra could object, the girl inserted the needle into Terra's skin. It lasted a matter of seconds. She rubbed at the area where she'd been injected, trying to figure out whether it was a new microchip or something else entirely.
Suddenly an X appeared where the injection had been. Terra wiped it, as if maybe it was part of her imagination. It wasn't. Glancing up, the X was flashing across the screen where seconds ago her information had been. 'Uhmm...' Before she could say anything else, the government worker gestured at a door behind her.
'Enter the building and further instructions will be provided.'
'What does the X mean?'
'Enter the building and further instructions will be provided.'
Terra held her wrist against her chest, hiding it from view. 'Why won't you answer my questions?'
The government worker didn't even look up. She gestured at the next person to approach and Terra was pushed forward. A part of her considered fighting her way out of the queue, but the amount of Watchers surrounding her were way too many for her to deal with alone. Turning, she tried searching for Kalem. He was receiving an injection in that precise moment and she waved at him, trying to convey how okay she was. It didn't seem to work. His eyes flashed with fury.
She wasn't given enough time to do anything before a Watcher was shoving her forward, through the door and down a dark hallway. 'What is this?' she asked.
No response.
An elevator shaft appeared and Terra halted, momentarily afraid that the Watcher was going to throw her down it. Nothing happened and Terra relaxed. Glancing over her shoulder, she realised there was no one else down the long corridor.
'Where are you taking me?' she prodded.
No response.
'What does the X mean?' she gestured at her hand.
Silence.
'Fine. Have it your way.'
Before the Watcher could react, Terra shouldered the Watcher in the side. It wasn't enough, and the Watcher fired one, two, three times. Terra dodged the bullets but realised that by doing so she had run towards the door she had entered. That wasn't the way she wanted to go.
Halting, she turned on her heels.
The Watcher lifted his left arm up to ask for help, but before being able to do so, Terra lunged. The impact brought them stumbling backwards, directly into the elevator shaft.
The scream of the Watcher resonated down the hallway as he or she fell, plummeting to their death. Terra turned into black mist, travelling back to safety. There was no way she was heading back the way she'd come, so the only other way was up. Besides, she was curious to know what the hell was going on.
Even if that meant coming face to face with Petra.
Chapter thirty-seven
Morgana found Tristan in the training room, unleashing his strength with harsh lun
ges and leaps. She sat crossed-legged against the wall, enjoying the scene playing out in front of her. Tristan was beautiful to watch.
He abruptly stopped, turning towards her.
'What do you want?'
'Nice to see you, too,' she said, sneering. 'I just came to check on you.'
'You want something.'
'Me? Of course not.'
A vein on top of Tristan's right eye twitched. 'You sound like Thorn more and more each day.'
'Take that back!' Morgana leaned forward, ready to tackle him to the ground. The giant Prototype chuckled, ignoring her threats as he sat down next to her on the floor.
For a few minutes, neither spoke. Being close to each other was enough. Speaking wasn't entirely required. A connection existed between all Prototypes in which absence would make them feel hollow and alone. Being together brought a sense of calm to settle over each and every one of them.
'How's Charlotte?' Morgana inquired.
'I knew you'd come for something.'
Chuckling, she elbowed him. 'Oh, come on. How is it that I didn't know about this infatuation you have with her?'
'Perhaps because we haven't seen each other in years.'
Morgana laughed. 'Oh, right. Well, mind telling me how exactly this romance started?'
Tristan's serious face relaxed. 'I don't know. It just did, Morgana.'
The door to the training room opened and Scarlet's blonde head appeared through the crack. An enormous smile materialised on her face at the sight of them. She rushed inside, flopping down in front of them. 'What are you both doing here? Sharing secrets without me?'
'Tristan here was just about to tell me how he fell in love with Charlotte,' Morgana said.
Tristan's eyes bulged in surprise.
'I never said-'
Morgana waved her hand in his face, teasing him. 'Oh, come on now, Tristan. I know you love pretending you're this soulless soldier who doesn't feel anything. But the truth is...' She squeezed herself up against him, making Scarlet laugh. 'You loooooooooove us all.'
Morgana was delighted at the torture she was inflicting upon her brother. It was lovely to have them all together again. A weight had been lifted off of Morgana's shoulders the moment they'd all been reunited. She'd made up her mind to spend the rest of eternity alone.
Now she couldn't fathom such a thing.
At first she'd been jealous of Scarlet's relationship with the other cyborgs. Vladimir and Persephone had always had each other and Tristan had never seemed to care about loneliness. Upon discovering his feelings for Charlotte, Morgana had felt suddenly alone all over again. All her brothers and sisters were finding others to share their lives with, and she'd end up alone once again.
Morgana didn't really know why such thoughts had entered her mind. Now glancing over at Scarlet and Tristan, she realised that she'd never truly be alone. Everything came at a specific moment. One day she would find someone special too. But there was no rush. Why? Because she was already surrounded by very special individuals that made everything worth living.
'We should be preparing ourselves to defeat Petra,' Tristan said, bringing Morgana back to reality.
'We have time for that,' Scarlet said. 'Let's just close our eyes and picture the world differently today. Let's pretend everything is different.'
'But the world isn't different.'
Scarlet had shut her eyes, but popped one open to glare at her brother. 'Tristan. Don't be a party-pooper. One must enjoy the little things in life. If not, nothing is worth living for.' He was about to reply when Scarlet cut him off. 'I was chained to a monster. Caged like a wild animal. Being back with everyone is...A miracle. I don't want to miss a single second of it.'
'I understand.'
'But?'
'But we need to prepare.'
Scarlet and Morgana exchanged exhaustive looks.
'We'll have time to relax after Petra has been defeated,' Tristan said, standing.
Morgana watched as their brother began practicing again, twirling and twisting his body in perfect fighting techniques. The only thing that managed to distract Morgana was Scarlet who said, 'I don't know if we'll be able to relax.'
'What do you mean?' Morgana frowned.
Scarlet remained quiet for a while, mulling something over. 'How far are we willing to go to stop her?'
'All the way.'
'Really? Even if it means destroying everything and everyone?'
Morgana wanted to argue that it was a necessary evil. If Petra continued down the path she was going, everyone would end up dead anyway. She didn't say any of this though. Scarlet already knew it.
'Are you scared?' Scarlet asked.
Scared? Morgana had never been scared in the past. She'd never had reason to be. Death wasn't something that would come to her. Life was endless. Why be scared?
And yet, now she was petrified. Fear gripped every inch of her body, strangling her. It felt like drowning, like burning from the inside out. It wasn't herself she feared for, but for everyone else. All the others she had come to love. Living for the rest of eternity without this family they'd all created together was a thought she couldn't even process.
'Have you ever thought of...' Morgana paused, unsure if she should continue. Scarlet encouraged her on by squeezing her hand. 'Maybe one day we could die, too.'
Scarlet's face twisted with confusion, then slowly understanding flashed across her eyes.
Ever since Curtis had managed to put Viktor to sleep and pull that damn microchip out of his brain, Morgana had been wondering whether she would ever have the balls to ask someone to do that for her. It wouldn't be a death, not exactly. But it was the closest thing they had.
Scarlet cleared her throat. 'I have considered it. But only after everyone I love has died and there is no one left.'
'What about us?' She couldn't help but feel a bit hurt by Scarlet's words. Wasn't she enough to make her sister want to stay?
Scarlet began picking at the skin on her thumb. 'I... I don't think I would know how to live without them, Morgana. It would break me.'
The anger Morgana had felt moments ago vanished at the way Scarlet's voice broke. Her arm immediately reached over to pull her into a tight embrace.
Deep down Morgana knew that Scarlet loved her brothers and sisters. But Eric and the others had been with her for so long they were more family to her than the Prototypes.
Tristan had stopped training and was watching them with his usual blank expression. In normal circumstances she probably would've stuck her tongue out at him, but the look on his face gave her pause.
There was fear in those blue eyes.
Morgana's hair bristled like an angry cat.
'She's here,' he whispered, as if his words could travel with the breeze. Scarlet and Morgana were up on their feet within seconds, glancing around as if Petra was stuck inside the walls.
Suddenly, Scarlet ran. Morgana followed her sister into the hallway, up the stairs of the old battered home towards the attic. Morgana managed to catch Scarlet's ankle before she went flying through the window.
'Don't!' she cried out.
'I won't let her get away this time!' Scarlet spat, pulling to free herself. One more tug and she was gone, climbing out and disappearing. Morgana cursed as she made her way outside.
There was no one there except for Scarlet standing at the very edge of the roof, glancing down at something she was holding. Morgana immediately noticed the crows perched across the roof and she swatted them away, swearing. 'What is it?' she asked her sister, making her way towards her.
Scarlet held a small chip in her hand which she was caressing tenderly. 'One of the crows had it in its beak... It came right up to me...'
'What is it?' Morgana pressed, worried. She didn't dare try to snatch the microchip from out of Scarlet's grasp. She looked too entailed by it.
Tristan made his way to their side, frowning.
Morgana was about
to ask again when Scarlet turned her attention towards them, tears in her eyes. 'It's my memory chip,' she whispered. 'This chip has all my lost memories... The ones the government took from me. The memories Petra stole. She's given them back.'
'Why? Why would she do that?' Morgana asked.
Scarlet gulped. 'Because she wants me to remember.'
'Remember what?'
Scarlet turned her attention towards the sky. 'She wants me to remember Erin.'
Chapter thirty-eight
Terra made her way to the next floor and returned to her human form. She could hear screaming behind a door. There was no window to peer through, so she opened it slightly to get a look. A man was yelling at a Watcher, his arms in the air. 'Why won't you tell me where they're taking us?'
A bad feeling settled in Terra's gut. Whatever was happening was not good. She needed to leave, now. Before it was too late! Stepping back and turning, her body bumped against another. Someone grabbed her arm, shoving her forward into the room she'd been spying. The body turned out to be a Watcher. Terra considered fighting, but there was just too many of them. She was a good fighter, but not that good.
'Men must proceed through the door on the left,' a loudspeaker droned. 'Women and children through the door on the right.'
Watchers began herding the people into lines. The small kids clung to their mothers, some crying from being yanked out of their fathers' arms. Terra couldn't help but notice that cyborgs and humans were standing closely together, no one chastising them for going against the rules.
Everyone was forced out of the bright white walled room and down a long hallway. They took quite some time as everyone dragged along, afraid of what awaited them further up. It didn't take Terra long to figure it out. Trucks. They were loading everyone inside enormous black trucks.
Even though every single face was masked in horror, no one objected. There were too many Watchers holding guns. Terra considered turning her body into mist, leaving everything behind. But how could she abandon these people to this uncertain fate? She needed to know what was happening.