by J. F. Johns
A Watcher stood by the door to the truck, signalling at the women and children to sit down. Terra hesitated before being shoved inside, her hands balling into fists. Her butt fell onto a seat as more people were crammed inside.
The doors were suddenly shut and after a few minutes the truck began to move. There were no windows or lights inside, all Terra could hear were cries and whispers. Something brushed up against her arm and then a little hand found her own. Even though it was very dark, she could make out the silhouette of a child beside her sitting in his mother's lap.
The only source of light were the X marks on everyone's wrist. Terra couldn't help but stare at her own, glowing green in the darkness. Part of her wanted to try rubbing it off, but she didn't dare let go of the child's hand. It gave her comfort.
The truck continued to drive for what felt like hours. By the time it came to an abrupt stop, Terra had relaxed in her seat, her head leaning against the wall, her eyes closed. The movement of the vehicle calmed her nerves.
The doors were slammed open. Screams was all that could be heard as Watchers appeared, dragging everyone off. The little kid's hand was ripped from Terra's, its absence tearing at her heart. Squinting from the sudden bright light, she climbed down from the truck and glanced around, her eyes widening.
They were no longer in Capital One but in No Man's Land. The tall wall keeping everyone safe from such a land could be seen not far off. A wind picked up, ruffling Terra's hair, whipping it across her face. A building stood to her right, one that clearly had been constructed not long ago as some parts of it were still being built.
The place itself was oddly particular. Square metallic boxes piled one on top of the other, creating a three storey monstrosity that had no end and no beginning. Towers had been erected on each side from which Watchers patrolled, ready to shoot.
'Move,' a Watcher grunted, slamming his weapon into Terra's back. Falling forward, she followed the rest of the women and children towards the grey building. By the time she reached the entrance, her shoes had turned orange from the ground.
A wired fence surrounded the entire installation and Terra wondered whether it had been electrified. Her body shook at the thought.
The inside of the building was bare except for a government worker, awaiting. The woman was in her early forties with thick curves and a nasty grin. The gleam in her eyes made Terra want to hide.
'You will all undress now and take these new clothes,' the woman said, gesturing to her left where a group of young ladies appeared holding grey garments.
The women began to shake, whispering between each other, fear glistening in their eyes. 'Why?' one woman asked, two children on either side of her.
'You will all be staying here until the date for your trial is approved,' the government worker explained. 'Citizens marked with an X have unfortunately violated a rule, and therefore must be judged accordingly.'
'What about the children?' an older woman questioned.
The government worker shifted uncomfortably. 'I'm afraid children whose parents are marked with an X shall stay with them until their trial. Afterwards, they shall be reassigned to a new family if their parents are found guilty.' More women began to speak up, asking for their husbands, but the government worker dismissed them.
Terra considered fighting the Watchers but the thought of a child being hurt due to the crossfire froze her to the spot. Reluctantly, she followed the rest of the women, quickly pulling her clothes off. What was handed over looked like a uniform, completely grey except for the eagle's eye imprinted across the chest.
As soon as everyone had changed they were ushered down different hallways until reaching an enormous room full of bunkbeds. 'This is where you shall be sleeping until you are called for your trial,' the government worker explained. Turning, she opened a set of double doors, stepping outside into a piece of empty orange land.
Terra followed everyone outside and covered her eyes from the wind that blew dust into her face. 'You shall be granted a few hours a day to exercise,' the government worker continued, gesturing at the empty plot of land surrounded by the wired fence.
Terra noticed men on the other side also walking around, looking lost and frightened in their grey uniforms. It wasn't long before women ran over, waving and crying out the names of their husbands. The fence was clearly not electrified as women and men held on to it, trying to reach each other.
Turning on her heels, Terra strode towards the government worker who looked a little shocked and flustered at her approach. It was not missed by Terra the way the Watchers' guns lifted, ready to shoot in case she attacked.
'There are no cyborgs,' she told the government worker.
'Of course not. Humans and cyborgs are not to be mixed, it is strictly against the rules.' Terra couldn't help but snort at the hypocrisy of such a statement. They'd all been thrown into a room together not long ago, humans as well as cyborgs. And yet now it was an issue?
The government worker adjusted her dark navy jacket. 'The cyborgs are kept in a different area.'
'What area?' Terra asked, glancing around.
'That is not important to you.'
Terra couldn't help but notice the government worker's snarl.
'Why are we being kept here?'
A Watcher approached them and shoved Terra back, making her fall. Eyes bulging, she lunged for the weapon but was grabbed from behind, an arm around her throat, suffocating her.
'You are a citizen of the Nation,' the government worker said, unmoved by the scene. 'And therefore must abide the rules.' The woman nodded and the arm around Terra's neck vanished, allowing her to breathe once again. She fell to her knees, rubbing at her skin as she gulped in huge breaths of air, her lungs filling up once again.
'Return inside!' the government worker barked. 'It is time for supper!'
Terra remained on the ground, heaving. The women and children did as they were told, disappearing inside the building, turning to glance back at their loved ones.
Terra needed to get out of there, but first she needed to make sure Kalem wasn't trapped in there too. She'd wait for everyone to settle down to sleep before snooping around.
Reluctantly, she got up and followed the others back inside.
...
'Are you sure?'
Scarlet lay down on the infirmary bed and nodded as her fingers curled around the microchip. She'd given this a lot of thought, and yes, she had considered this to be some type of trap. But not following through would leave her wondering what it was Petra wanted her to see. This little object had the answers to many of her questions, and passing up such an opportunity was something she couldn't do. No matter how dangerous it was.
'Do you know what is the worst kind of torture we must all bear?' she asked. When no one replied, she added, 'Memories. Even the good ones. You never get to relive them or see the people you've lost. But do you know what's even worse?'
'What?' Curtis asked.
'Not having them.'
Curtis smiled as he began unwinding cables and attaching them to Scarlet's body as Charlotte -who was thankfully fully recovered from the attack during the wedding- helped set up for the surgery.
It was intimidating to see so much equipment, but then again, Curtis would be opening her head up to plant the chip inside. She'd be put to sleep during the procedure because even though she could not die, pain was still very much a part of her existence.
'We can always take it back out,' she said half-jokingly as Charlotte stood by the bed, her pale hand extended towards her. Scarlet dropped the microchip into the cyborg's palm and watched as the girl turned towards Curtis.
'We are ready when you are,' Curtis said.
Scarlet tried settling into a comfortable position, her muscles tense in anticipation. She hadn't told Eric about what they were doing. Now she wondered if she'd made a mistake.
'Do it,' she said sternly, noticing Curtis' worried look. He placed a mask over her
face and told her to count backwards. The tension in Scarlet's shoulders slowly eased as the room began to vanish.
Chapter thirty-nine
Terra hadn't had to wait long to settle into one of the many bunkbeds. The supper given to them was scarce, enough to keep a body going, but not enough to fill the soul. Terra had handed her own gruel to a skinny looking kid crying because she was hungry. She'd been separated from her father, and her mother had died many years ago, so she was completely alone and afraid. Most of the women had huddled together for protection, and Terra had taken the child to them, who they adopted immediately as their own to protect.
As soon as an alarm began to drone across the speakers in the room, the lights were switched off, alerting everyone that they needed to be in their beds, sleeping. Terra rolled over on her side, listening to the breathing of the bodies closest to her. She waited patiently, the hours dragging on and on and on.
Terra willed the darkness to take over her body the moment she felt it was safe enough to leave. In fascination, she watched as her skin peeled away and her bones disintegrated into dust. Gasping, her body twisted and curled in itself, turning into a black mist that flew across the room over the sleeping women and children, oblivious to the creature moving just above their heads.
The darkness vanished through the wall, making its way quickly down different hallways. It came across government workers who jumped back in shock and fear at the sight. Terra continued along, searching for where the cyborgs were being kept. She couldn't risk leaving without Kalem. And if he wasn't there at all? Well, she needed to be faster and better than all the guards combined. It wouldn't take them long to figure out something was amiss.
At the end of one of the many corridors lay a room full of beds with sleeping cyborgs inside. Terra searched through the many bodies for dark black hair and eyes made of steel.
'Terra?' came a whisper from across the room, a bed placed right by a small window. Hovering nearby, Terra glanced down at the cyborg that lay there as her heart swelled with relief. 'Is that you?' Kalem asked, sitting up.
As soon as the black mist formed a solid body of bones and muscles, Terra reached forward to hug him. A glowing X marked Kalem's neck from beneath the collar of his grey uniform. Unable to help herself, Terra traced the tips of her fingers over it. 'What do you think it means?' she asked him.
'Nothing good. We need to leave.'
'But what about everyone trapped in here? We can't just leave them.'
'There's only two of us, Terra. We need to get back to safety and inform the others.'
'But-' Before she could finish, an alarm blared through the speakers and a red light shone across the grey walls. The door to the room burst open and a dozen guards in black uniforms appeared, guns at the ready. The cyborgs awoke, shocked and afraid of the commotion.
It took a matter of seconds before the screams began. As the guards approached, Terra managed to grab on to Kalem's hand and whisk them away. They reappeared on the roof of the building. An approaching Watcher aimed his weapon at them. Terra knocked him out.
'We need to go back!' she said.
'No, we can't.'
'Kalem, there are children!'
She could see the conflicting emotions swirling within his eyes. She wanted to shake sense into him but bullets began to rain down on them, and they turned and ran across the rooftop. Just before reaching the edge, Terra felt Kalem's grip on her loosen. One moment he was running beside her and the next he had fallen, his body slamming against the ground. Blood spluttered across the air.
Anger boiled through Terra's veins at the sight of Kalem grunting due to the pain. More blood gushed out from his side and she fell beside him, trying to cover the wound as best as possible. His beautiful silver eyes lost focus.
More bullets rained down on them as Watchers ran towards them. Terra shielded them, black mist seeping from her skin like a blanket that covered them from harm. She took Kalem's hands in hers, whisking him away to safety.
They reappeared by a burnt tree a few miles away from the grey building. Carefully, she lay him down against the trunk of the tree.
'Don't,' he muttered, blood pouring out of his mouth.
Terra smiled at him. 'Give me a few minutes, Kalem. Stay with me, okay?' She leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead, brushing away some strands of dark hair. It pained her to leave his side, but the anger inside of her was calling for revenge.
Before he could stop her, she disappeared in a swirl of black mist, returning to the building, ready to provoke havoc on those that had hurt him.
...
Scarlet knew something was wrong with the memory she had fallen into. She landed on a patch of grass with a shriek and rolled over, scanning her surroundings. There were trees in every direction, a forest not far off and a white building with few windows. The location was hauntingly familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
A girl appeared not far off in the distance, running towards her. She wore white clothes that were covered in dirt and leaves. Scarlet searched for somewhere to hide, then realised that the girl approaching didn't seem to notice her at all.
'Erin! Stop!'
A wind picked up as Scarlet turned, searching for the source of that voice she knew so well.
Petra appeared, rushing towards the first girl. Even though she hadn't changed at all, she looked younger and more innocent. Was that even possible? There was no malice in those blue eyes of hers.
The first girl stopped and turned, her hands balling into fists. 'Leave me alone!' There was a similarity to both girls. Their features were sharp and harsh, their noses long, their eyes gleaming with an intelligence hidden carefully behind sweet smiles that could turn quickly nasty.
Petra grabbed her sister's arm, yanking hard.
'Stop it!' Erin growled, trying to shove her away.
Scarlet rushed forward, wanting desperately to separate them but realised that neither of the girls could see her.
'I am your sister, Erin,' Petra snarled. 'You must listen to me!'
'To you? Why in God's name would I do that? You're jealous of me, Petra. I have a friend and you can't stand it!'
'Scarlet isn't your friend!' Petra said, finally letting go of her sister's arm.
'She is!'
'No, she is not! We aren't safe here. We need to stick together, Erin.' Petra glanced around as if she were afraid someone might appear and harm them. Scarlet also glanced around, wondering where they were. There were others dressed in white far off in the distance, children with blonde heads.
'Safe?' Erin pulled a face. 'Why would I be safe with you? Mum wasn't safe!'
'Don't.'
'Face it, Petra. Not even our own mother could stand you! She preferred to hang herself than to spend another minute with you!'
Petra's face twisted in rage. She lunged, falling over her sister on the ground. Grabbing dirt, she shoved it forcefully into Erin's mouth, choking her.
Before Scarlet could cry out at them to stop -knowing full well they'd never hear- the memory began to dissolve and the two young girls on the grass vanished. A new image appeared.
Scarlet landed on a chair in a small simple kitchen. The place was unkept and clearly old. Most of the wooden cabinets didn't even shut properly. They swung from their hinges, creaking from the breeze coming in from the only window in the tight space.
Three children sat at the kitchen table, still as statues. It wasn't hard to recognise them with their blonde hair and blue eyes. There was a slice of bread and cheese in front of them, but no one moved to touch it. They looked badly nourished.
A woman crashed into the kitchen, a glass in her hand. Her eyes were red, her forehead wrinkled. She ignored the children as she rummaged through the cupboards, muttering to herself. Swearing, she turned her attention to the three little figures behind. 'Where is it?' she spat at them.
No one replied.
The woman slammed the glass against th
e wooden surface of the table, pieces of glass shattering within her grasp. 'Don't lie to me!' she cried, her eyes bulging with rage.
One of the little girls, who Scarlet recognised as Erin, began to shake uncontrollably. The woman turned her eyes on the child, snarling. 'Did you take it?' she pointed her sharp long nail in Erin's face. As the child didn't reply, the woman grew more angry, grabbing Erin's dirty dress and rattling her with so much force Scarlet was afraid she might break one of her small bones.
'Stop it!' the other child, Petra, stood from where she sat and tried pushing the woman away. 'She didn't do anything, Ma!'
'Liar!'
Scarlet wanted to intervene, but this was a memory, something that had already happened a very long time ago, and such things could not be changed. There was a reason why she was being shown such events, she just needed to understand it.
The woman, their mother, grabbed what was left of the glass and slammed it against Petra's face. A shriek, and then Petra was on the floor, covering her face. 'Get out!' their mother bellowed. Erin and Viktor rushed out, leaving Petra behind.
'I hate you. The three of you are...' She turned away, searching for something. 'Your father left me because of you kids. He couldn't stand you whining all day long. Damn you! I can't...' She found a pack of cigarettes and lit one up, closing her eyes. 'And you're the worst, Petra. I know what you think of me while you make food and wash their clothes... You think, oh what a crappy mother I am. Well, it's not easy, you know? It's damn difficult having three kids that require stuff! I work, okay? You damn useless bitch!'
Petra whimpered as her mother walked around the table, one hand on her hip as she puffed out smoke.
Scarlet looked away when the first blow hit Petra. She shut her eyes, shaking with each cry that escaped the child's mouth. And just like that, the kitchen dissolved and Scarlet was thrown into a new memory.