The ARC 03: Fractured

by Alexandra Moody

  We follow a faded yellow line painted on the concrete over towards thick trees and bushes, which grow wildly along the edge of the open concrete area. Just beyond the treetops I catch sight of a shimmer in the air. I haven’t seen The Sphere that protects Hope so clearly before. The camp must be right by the edge of it.

  As we enter under the canopy of trees, April turns to me. ‘Welcome to our camp,’ she says, a bright smile on her face. I peer over her shoulder, unable to make out more than bushes and trees. As my eyes adjust I can slowly see a small city of tents appear, which have been expertly camouflaged into the surrounds.

  It’s uncanny how well the camp has been hidden in amongst the trees and bushes. I could easily walk past the camp without realising it was there.

  ‘Come on, I’ll show you where you’re sleeping,’ April says.

  The camp is quiet at this time of the morning, and everyone appears to be sleeping as we make our way past the rows of tents. I can hear soft murmurs coming from some tents and a few snores coming from others.

  ‘We put four to a tent, but for the moment we’ll just keep it to you and Kelsey until you’ve recovered,’ April says. ‘There are a couple of families based with us. Once you’re settled we can put Kelsey in with them if you’d prefer?’

  ‘No, I want to stay with her.’ I stumble and reach out to grasp Sebastian’s arm next to me.

  ‘You okay?’ he asks.

  I take a moment to steady myself. ‘Yes, sorry. I haven’t walked this far in a long time and I’m still not feeling one hundred percent.’

  ‘Here.’ He puts one arm around me to help support me as I walk, and I try to ignore the way my heart leaps at his touch.

  ‘Thanks.’

  Soren and Dalton move to part ways with us.

  ‘We’ll be briefing M in one hour, make sure you’re at the control tent by then,’ April calls after them.

  Dalton nods and Soren gives a dismissive wave of his hand as they disappear behind a tent and venture into the bushes.

  April leads us to a cluster of tents a little further away than the others. There are 8 tents grouped together in the section and they seem a little smaller than the ones we’d walked past earlier.

  Sebastian stops by the front of the first one we pass. ‘Will you be okay?’ he asks, slowly lowering his arm from around my waist, as though he’s reluctant to let go.

  I nod.

  ‘She’ll be fine Seb, she’s only next door,’ April says.

  Despite April’s words, he still looks hesitant to leave. ‘I’m just in here if you need anything. I’ll leave you to rest,’ he says, before entering his tent.

  April moves to the next tent and unzips the opening. Inside is a small space that houses two sets of bunk beds. Kelsey is firmly asleep in April’s arms, and April gently places her down on the bottom bed of one of the bunks.

  ‘There are some fresh clothes in the trunk over there, and there’s a small stream just beyond the trees behind the tent if you need to clean up. Don’t worry about the mud on the sheets,’ she says, still looking at Kelsey who lies there in the princess dress she dragged through the mud. ‘It’s better she gets some rest rather than wake her up now.’

  ‘Thanks,’ I reply, feeling a rush of gratitude. April risked so much for us tonight. I don’t know where to begin to properly thank her. ‘I have so many questions…’

  ‘There will be plenty of time for answers later. You should get your rest now.’

  I nod at Kelsey. ‘She was getting treatments in the hospital too, and recently had a bad reaction to it. I want to get her checked out.’

  April’s face looks grave. ‘We have some of the best doctors on the surface here. If anyone can help her and you, it will be them.’

  She goes to leave, but I touch her arm causing her to pause. ‘Do you know someone named Ryan? He managed to get my friend Will out of the hospital when we initially tried to escape. They teleported out, but didn’t return. I need to know what happened to them. Can the people here help me find him?’

  She looks surprised at what I’ve said. ‘You know Ryan?’

  ‘Yes. I’ve known him since I was in the ARC. Why? Do you know him?’

  ‘Yes,’ she responds slowly, I can hear the hesitation clearly in her voice. ‘But I don’t know anything about earlier tonight or about your friend Will. Ryan isn’t exactly a part of our group here, but I’ll see what I can find out for you.’

  My shoulders slouch with relief. ‘That would be great, thanks.’

  ‘Now, I’ll see you in a few hours,’ April says, zipping the door of the tent closed behind her. ‘Get some rest,’ she calls, as she moves away.

  I quickly change into the fresh pants and top April gave me, then slump onto the bed. I want to sleep more than anything, but I can’t stop replaying the night’s events in my mind. We may be finally out of the hospital and away from their experiments, but the inhibitor on my wrist is a reminder I’m still not free.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  April stands by the entrance to our tent, pulling back the opening to allow the bright midday sun to spill into the room. Her dark hair appears lighter in the sunlight and she seems more at ease than she was last night.

  ‘Are you both ready to go? I need to take you to see M now,’ she says.

  Kelsey and I shuffle slowly to the entrance. I feel shattered after last night and Kelsey must be even more exhausted. ‘Yeah, we’re ready,’ I reply.

  ‘Would you like to go play with some of the other children?’ April directs her question to Kelsey, who takes a step closer to me and grabs hold of my hand. She shakes her head.

  ‘Can she come with us?’ I ask.

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ April responds.

  The rest of the camp is awake now, and no one seems to take any notice of us as we move past the other tents. Everyone here is purposeful as they go about their daily tasks and there’s a sense of resolve and quiet tension to the place.

  ‘Were you able to find anything out about Will and Ryan?’ I ask, as we walk down a thin dirt pathway that cuts between two tents.

  She refuses to meet my gaze. ‘Yes, but I’ll tell you about it after we’ve talked with M.’

  ‘Did something bad happen? Are they both okay?’ Her inability to look at me has me jumping to bad conclusions.

  ‘They’re fine … let’s just wait until after the meeting to talk about them. Okay?’

  I frown and chew on my lower lip as I silently follow her. Something bad must have happened. Seeing as Ryan didn’t return for us, it’s the most obvious explanation. I try not to worry, but how can I not? If anything, her words have me more concerned than I was before.

  The large tent April takes us to is abuzz with activity, and seems to be the nucleus from which the rest of the camp operates. People rush in and out of the opening, and within the tent the faces of its inhabitants are all calculating and grave.

  There are a series of long tables, some of which are covered in piles of paper, while others hold computer screens and high-tech looking gadgets.

  April pushes past the men that crowd around one of the screens and leads us to the back of the tent. Not one of them gives us a second look and they all appear fully absorbed in what they’re doing. Once we make it to the canvas wall at the far end of the tent, April pulls it back, to reveal a smaller tent, connected to this one.

  A weedy looking man stands inside staring intently at the screen on his lone desk. He looks like he’s in his late thirties or early forties, though from the tired rings under his eyes he could easily be younger. His arms are crossed over his chest and there is such a look of intense contemplation on his face, he looks like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.

  After a moment of waiting for him to acknowledge us, April clears her throat to announce our arrival and he finally looks over.

  He smiles grimly at April and nods, before setting his startling purple eyes on me. The colour shocks me. I’ve seen purple tinted eyes up here bef
ore, but nothing with this kind of intensity. They remind me of the Lysart streaked clouds over the ARC after a storm.

  ‘You must be Elle,’ he says.

  ‘Yes,’ I reply.

  ‘It’s nice to finally meet you, I’m M,’ he says, holding his hand out to me.

  I take his hand in mine, but the contact causes a static shock to zap between our palms and I drop his hand quickly. He frowns and places his hands in his pockets as he returns to his desk and takes a seat behind it.

  ‘Please,’ he says, gesturing for us to sit in the chairs opposite him.

  I sit on one and allow Kelsey to clamber onto my leg to sit on my lap. April remains standing in the background.

  ‘I’m glad to see April was able to retrieve you both. She informed me of your disappearance weeks ago, though we had no luck in finding you. It’s strange they had you in the hospital because the test subjects there are always from West Hope.’ His eyes examine mine closely, as though searching for answers.

  ‘I was never tainted. I escaped from the ARC,’ I say. ‘They told me my cells are mutating too quickly and it’s killing me. That’s why I was there.’ My skin grows cold as I consider my fate and I glance down at my hands that restlessly pick at my nails.

  ‘You’re not dying,’ he responds.

  It takes a moment for his words to register and my eyes slowly lift to look into his. ‘What do you mean?’ I ask. My words are quiet, almost breathed rather than spoken.

  ‘Whatever they told you in there, you’re not dying. None of the kids in your ward were.’

  ‘But we’re all so sick…’

  ‘That’s because of their experiments. Initially your cells were mutating too quickly, but you adjusted to the extreme mutations and survived the change. It’s rare, but that’s exactly why they were interested in you and the other children in the ward in the first place. You all came to the surface too early, but survived. You were prime candidates for their experiments.’

  ‘So, Kelsey and I aren’t dying?’ I try to come to terms with his words. I knew the hospital had been covering up secrets, but I never thought to question what they’d told me about the mutations that were happening to me. Especially when my memories returned and I could recall Sebastian’s mum had died from the same thing.

  A part of me feels relieved, but another part of me worries. They’ve done something to each of us, something our bodies weren’t meant for, and I don’t believe for a second I’ll be coming out of this unaffected.

  M nods. ‘You will both be fine. Our contact Aiden went to a lot of trouble to get you out of the hospital. He told me they were taking a lot of interest in you there. That you were special,’ M continues.

  ‘Yes,’ I respond, suddenly fearing what it is that M wants with me.

  ‘Why are you special to them?’

  ‘I’m not certain,’ I respond. ‘I guess they did more tests on me than the others, and Aiden tried to briefly explain. Something about being vital to their research,’ I shake my head. ‘I still don’t fully understand.’

  M smiles. ‘Aiden told us about the tests they were running on you and about your talent. That’s one of the reasons I was willing to send a team.’

  A sudden flush of heat crawls up my neck and I try not to drop my gaze from his. ‘What do you intend to do with us?’ I ask, keeping my voice steady as I attempt to hide the fear I feel inside. Surely April wouldn’t bring me here if she knew M intended to continue testing on me, but that’s the exact feeling I get as M eyes me clinically.

  ‘Of course, I don’t mean to continue the tests they were doing in the hospital, our goals here are quite different. I hope you will help us though.’

  ‘With what?’

  ‘If Aiden is right, your body appears to adapt and replicate talents when injected with them. The doctors in the hospital were preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to use your talent as a means for giving others talents. I, however, believe this talent for adaptation could be vital to finding a way to help the people in the ARC return to the surface.’

  ‘You think that’s possible?’ I ask, thinking of the cure Dr. Wilson has supposedly developed. I want to tell M about it, but something stops me from saying anything to him.

  ‘Yes, but we will need your cooperation.’

  ‘What do you want me to do?’

  ‘I’d like for you to visit our doctors in the medical clinic. They’ll be able to give you a better idea of what will be required. Will you help us?’

  I hesitate. As much as I want everyone from the ARC to return to the surface, I don’t know if I’m brave enough to willingly accept more tests after the last few weeks of my life.

  ‘Do you think my talent can help?’ It still feels strange to talk about my talent out loud. I can still hardly believe I have it.

  Something flickers across M’s eyes and he glances up at April behind me, before focusing back on me. ‘You beat the odds and survived the mutations that would kill most people who surfaced from the ARC too early. That fact alone could help our team. So yes, I think your talent will help.’

  I sink down in the chair as I try to weigh the facts and make up my mind. ‘I-I want to help…’ my words hang empty in the air. I do want to help, but I also just want to be myself again. I don’t want the constant tests, but am I so selfish I’d deny people a chance to return to the surface because of a few tests?

  ‘Why don’t I give you some time to consider this?’ M says. ‘You can let me know tomorrow morning what you’ve decided.’

  I nod and go to follow April from the tent, but stop before I leave.

  ‘Will someone be going back for Aiden? He was planning to leave the hospital with us and I’m worried about his safety in there.’

  ‘I’ll be looking into it,’ M replies.

  I doubt I’ll get a better answer than that, so I nod and follow April.

  Worry gnaws at my insides as I exit the tent. It seems like the only reason I was rescued is because M thinks I can help the people in the ARC. What if I refuse to help him? What will they put me through if I agree?

  ‘I don’t like him,’ Kelsey whispers to me, once we’re back outside. ‘I got a bad feeling.’

  ‘He’s one of the good guys Kels. He will look after us. You’ll see.’ The words almost feel like a lie, and I worry that perhaps I’ve traded one prison for another. I shake my head, trying to distance myself from those thoughts. M has given me an option. He wants to help people in the ARC. He’s not the bad guy here.

  ‘Should we get some lunch?’ April asks, brightly.

  My stomach grumbles, but my eyes narrow on her. ‘You were going to tell me about Will and Ryan,’ I say, not fooled by her act.

  The smile on her face drops and her face darkens. ‘You’d better come with me.’

  We follow her silently back through the maze of tents. Something feels off and I’m too afraid to ask her what’s happened. I get the feeling I’m about to find out.

  She leads us past the tents and further into the forest to a large shed beyond the edge of the camp. While it is camouflaged, like the tents, due to its size it is a lot easier to spot.

  ‘What is this place?’ I ask April.

  ‘The medical clinic.’

  I pause by the entrance, glancing down at Kelsey. ‘Should she come in with us?’ I ask, terrified of what’s waiting for us inside.

  ‘Yes, it should be fine.’

  I relax, knowing Kelsey is allowed in. Things can’t be so bad if she’s able to come along.

  April opens the door at the front of the building and leads us into a room that holds two rows of beds. Each bed has stark white sheets pulled tightly over it and the room feels similar to the children’s ward in the hospital. It’s not until my eyes reach the bed at the far end of the room that I finally see Will.

  Kelsey’s eyes light up and she squirms her hand out of mine once she sees him. She races down between the beds and jumps onto his bed and into his arms.

  ‘Hey Kels,’ h
e says, with a warm smile.

  I jog down after her and sit on the bed next to Will, pulling him in for a large hug, once Kelsey has released him.

  ‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ I say to him. I pull back and look at him closely. His skin is almost grey in colour and his lips are an unhealthy shade of blue. He looks so much worse than he did yesterday. Could it only be a day since I last saw him? ‘What happened last night?’

  His face drops and a look of pain crosses his features.

  ‘Kelsey why don’t you come with me?’ April says. ‘We can find some other kids for you to play with.’

  ‘Can Will come too?’

  ‘Maybe later,’ Will says. ‘I need to rest for now.’

  Her face drops, but she follows April without complaint. As soon as they have disappeared through a door at the end of the room I turn to Will. ‘What’s wrong?’

  He sighs. The sound more quiet and weary than I would have expected. ‘As soon as Ryan teleported me here last night I collapsed. They say my body was convulsing uncontrollably and I was frothing at the mouth. I don’t remember what happened exactly, but when I woke up I was here. I’m sorry Elle, it’s my fault he couldn’t get back for you in time.’

  I take his hand in mine. ‘Don’t be silly. I’m just glad you’re okay. Do the doctors here know what caused your reaction last night?’

  ‘They’re still looking into it, but from what they can gather my body is rejecting whatever they gave me in the hospital during their experiments and it’s making me sick.’

  I swallow tightly. ‘Can they fix you?’

  ‘I hope so,’ he replies, a hint of fear in his eyes.

  I glance over my shoulder to check if anyone is around before leaning in close to Will so no one else can overhear. ‘Aiden thinks his grandfather has come up with a way for people to return to the surface without becoming sick.’

  Will’s eyes light up, but then he frowns. ‘Who’s Aiden?’

  ‘A doctor who helped me escape the hospital when Ryan didn’t return. I knew his grandfather in the ARC and he gave me a message for Aiden. Aiden thinks the message means his grandfather has a cure.’