Truancy City
Page 6
“Of course I do!” Floe looked scandalized. “I’m just trying to get you to look at this rationally, Cross!”
“I’m not doing it,” Joe said flatly. “No diploma is worth dying for, and this right here is suicide.”
“Even assuming that we can get close enough to Takan to eliminate him, we’re not leaving Truancy City alive,” Floe said. “I know you know that. It really is suicide. You’re asking us to die for the faint chance that we can kill one person.”
Cross seemed to struggle with himself for a moment. Then his expression smoothed over as though it had been carved of ice. He said not a word more. This was his way of leaving the decision up to them.
“Screw it,” Joe muttered. “I’d rather defect. Get with the winning team while they’re still accepting applications. Should’ve done it a long time ago.”
It was Sepp who spoke next. “Joe, if you try it, I’ll kill you myself.”
Everyone was taken aback by that. This was something new. Sepp, who was normally all smiles and jokes, was suddenly staring Joe down with deadly resolve.
“Takan needs to be stopped. The Truancy needs to be stopped,” Sepp continued. “All that stuff that went up in flames last night? That wasn’t just scenery. It took decades to build the City to that level—who knows how long it’d take to build again? My family lost their house that way. My father risks his life every day trying to protect what’s left. I’m not going to let them down.”
Floe hesitated, and then turned to Cross. Her expression was uncertain now. Cross gave her nothing at first, but as the seconds wore by, he cracked and nodded slightly.
“Fine,” Floe said bitterly. “I just hope you prove me wrong.”
All eyes now turned to Joe. His back to the wall, Joe gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His eyes darted around as though looking for an escape. Seeing that he had no allies, he seemed to visibly deflate.
“All right!” Joe said. “Just so long as you know I’m not dying for any of you! Just one hint that this is going south and I’m out of there.”
“Right.” Cross kept his eyes on Floe. “I know you don’t want to do this, but we have no hope without you. I need you to tell me everything you know about Takan, starting with where we can find him.”
Floe sighed. “He’ll probably be in District 15,” she said. “After showing himself last night he’s going to want to stay far away from the front lines until the final hour of the war. The best bet is that he’ll be at headquarters.”
“District 15,” Cross mused. “We can get there through the subway system in a matter of hours. We can make the entire trip underground. No need to worry about Truancy patrols finding us and asking questions en route.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Sepp nodded. “Why didn’t the Truancy ever think of that?”
“They did,” Floe replied. “It’s how they got some of their raiding parties so far in before. That’s why the Educators sealed off all the lines connected to their territory.”
“I’ve heard that the Mayor has his own private subway that reaches all the way out of the City,” Sepp interjected. “I’m betting he kept that one open just for a day like this.”
“If we do this right he won’t need to use it just yet,” Cross said. “Floe, once we’re in, how do we take him out?”
“Carefully,” Sepp quipped.
“You would want to avoid engaging him at all costs,” Floe replied. “Our best shot is to have Sepp take him out from afar. That way we might even stand a chance of surviving afterwards.”
Cross thought about that, then nodded with approval. “That covers all the key bases,” he said. “What else do you know about Takan as a person? Anything you can tell us might be useful.”
Floe chewed her lip. “I wish I could help you out more there. I don’t know him well myself. As a Truant I served mostly under Zyid.”
“That was the Truancy’s old leader, wasn’t it? The one whose message played on the City’s loudspeakers about a year ago?”
“Yeah.” Floe nodded. “I’ll admit that I admired him. I know most students think he’s a monster, and I’m not saying everything he did was justified, but for his followers—for us—he was the embodiment of both our highest aspirations and our darkest wishes.”
Sepp tried to make light of what she was saying. “Don’t tell me you’re turning into a poet now, Floe.”
“If you’d known him you would understand,” Floe shot back. “After feeling helpless for so long, he empowered us, made us feel like anything was possible.”
“You’re making him out to be some kind of saint,” Joe spat. “If he was all that great, why did you switch sides?”
“Joe.” Cross’ voice was low and dangerous.
“No, that’s fair.” Floe looked at Joe. “No one thought that Zyid was a saint. He was brutal to his enemies. I think all of us knew on the inside that he was driven by anger. We followed him because, on the inside, we were all angry too.”
“That’s not how I remember his last message,” Sepp pointed out. “It was like he was trying to make nice with that speech.”
“Towards the end Zyid was acting a bit strange. He started to talk about the future and peace, things he never mentioned much before.” Floe shrugged. “I don’t think anyone will ever understand what he was thinking. He died that night, or so they say.”
Cross frowned. “Do you know how it happened?”
To everyone’s surprise, Floe laughed at that.
“The story was that he got shot down by the Militia,” she explained. “Me, I have my own suspicions.”
“Suspicions?” Cross repeated.
“The night he died, Zyid went out on a mission with Takan, who was second in command back then,” Floe said darkly. “No one ever saw Zyid again. Takan was the only witness to his death.”
Sepp shivered. “You think he offed his own leader so he could take his place? That’s cold, even for a Truant.”
“Yeah,” Floe said, “and I wasn’t the only one. There were whispers. A lot of Truants thought that Noni should be the new leader.”
“Noni?”
“She was Zyid’s second in command for a while,” Floe explained. “They said she’d been around since the beginning of the Truancy.”
“What happened to that?” Sepp asked.
Floe shrugged. “Not long after Zyid’s death, she left the Truancy. No one’s sure why, but it did put an end to the whispers. Takan’s been the leader ever since.”
The students spent a few moments in silence, each of them brooding over the image of their enemy that the story had painted. They were up against a boy who was utterly ruthless, opportunistic, ambitious—and all the more dangerous because of it.
“This still leaves the original question,” Cross said at last. “What do you know about Takan himself?”
“Like I said, I never fought under him directly.” Floe sighed. “He built his reputation as a fighter, and he wasn’t very social. He came off as kind of cold and secretive. There were a lot of unanswered questions about his past. Not the kind of person you can understand. Not the kind of person I’d like to follow.”
She shot Cross a look loaded with meaning.
Cross ignored the look and reached for his equipment.
“That much information will have to do,” he said. “I want to take him out before he becomes ruler of the whole City. The sooner the better.”
* * *
Hot summer air blasted Takan’s face as he leaned out the back window of an abandoned flower shop. A subordinate standing behind him relayed his report.
“The Educators are offering no resistance so far. Instead they seem to be withdrawing all of their remaining forces back to District 1,” the Truant said. “If they still plan to fight, they’ll make their last stand there. It might be pretty hard to take the district if it comes to that.”
“Only if we waste lives by attacking head-on,” Takan said. “Order our forces to stay put. Meanwhile, Aaron can begin p
reparing the explosives for Plan B. We’ll start moving them into position tonight.”
“Um, they have been avoiding battles since last night. Shouldn’t we wait for the Mayor’s response before—”
“I want to be ready just in case the answer is no. This has dragged on long enough.” Takan gestured towards the distant cloud of dust and smoke. “As you said, they could still put up a fight in District 1. We have to be prepared to act quickly if that turns out to be their plan.”
“Gotcha, boss. I’m out.”
With that, the Truant hurried out of the unlit flower shop to deliver his message. Takan continued to gaze out of the window, listening to the receding footsteps. For a few moments there was silence. Then there was a sudden movement behind him.
In an instant Takan had drawn his sword and spun around, only to find his white blade blocked by a white knife. A pair of icy blue eyes glinted in the shadows.
“Noni,” he breathed.
Takan lowered his sword, and the girl before him did the same with her knife. Even in the gloom, she cut a dashing figure, with long black hair tied into a loose ponytail. A prominent scar ran along the length of her left jaw, giving her a fearsome look. Her black scarf, once used to cover that scar, was now tied around her waist like a sash. She wore a black jacket and blue jeans, and gripped her weapon with a gloved hand.
“How goes the war, leader?” she asked.
“Should’ve known it was you.” Takan sheathed his sword. He wanted to hug her, but her glare told him that now wasn’t the time. “There aren’t a lot of people who could sneak up on me like that. It’s good to see you again.”
Noni turned away and began inspecting documents on a table. “Finding you here was coincidence. I expected you to still be out on the front.”
“It’s not time for me to make another appearance just yet,” Takan said. “Have you had any luck with your search?”
Noni’s icy eyes flashed. In one violent motion, she kicked a nearby wooden chair, breaking it in two. Takan gave no reaction, standing calmly as splinters scattered across the floor.
“Obviously not,” she replied. “If I had, I wouldn’t be chasing down dead-end leads, would I?”
“Don’t you ever think that your energy might be better put to use by helping us end the war?” Takan asked. “It’s what he would’ve wanted.”
“It’s not about what he would’ve wanted,” she snarled. “He’s dead. Now it’s about what I want. The Truancy doesn’t need my help, and I don’t need the Truancy!”
There was a moment of ringing silence. Takan changed the subject.
“Funny how some people expected a power struggle. I don’t think any of them even knew that you and I were … you know … involved.”
Noni’s head snapped around. “You think I’d have gone easy on you because of that?”
“Well, I suppose you never went easy on me anyway.”
“If I thought you’d murdered him like the rumors said, you would be dead,” Noni said. “But I don’t believe it of you. You respected him … even though you refuse to help me now.”
Takan sighed. He knew that the conversation would come to this. “I don’t know what you expect, Noni. Should I send Truants to help you investigate?”
“If that’s what I wanted I would’ve recruited some myself,” Noni said. “You know what I want. You were the only one there when he died. Tell me who killed him!”
For a moment Takan hesitated, and Noni’s eyes narrowed.
“I did not see the face of his attacker,” Takan said. “I’m sorry.”
“You’ve said as much before.”
“It’s the truth.”
The two of them stared at each other, unblinking.
“Is it, Takan?” Noni said. “Will you swear?”
Takan met her gaze. “I swear. I’m not lying.”
She considered him for a moment, and then shrugged. The tension in the atmosphere seemed to dissipate. “It looks like the Enforcer didn’t leave anything useful here. I’ll be going now.”
Noni walked past Takan as though he weren’t even there, making straight for the window.
“You know, you could always come back,” Takan offered.
“Revenge first,” she replied. “Truancy second.”
With that, Noni reached out and gripped the windowsill, preparing to make her exit. Takan hesitated, then spoke again.
“You know, he told me something, the night he died.”
Noni paused, her head already out the window.
“He said you might become ‘unpredictable’ without him,” Takan continued. “I’m starting to wonder if he didn’t mean ‘obsessed’ instead.”
Noni stiffened, and then she was gone. Takan exhaled. He hadn’t lied, exactly, but he knew that was just a flimsy excuse. Deceiving Noni was never pleasant, but Takan couldn’t imagine how he would ever explain to her that the face he hadn’t seen that night was his own.
Takan shook his head distractedly. He needed a drink.
* * *
Cross wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting when they had first climbed down onto the tracks, but it wasn’t a pitch-black and disgusting series of tunnels.
Their path was lit only by the flashlights that each member of the unit carried, and their footsteps echoed through the vast darkness. They passed station after dead station, all of them deserted with no electricity. It was an eerie sight. Joe seemed especially uncomfortable in the dark, jumping at the slightest disturbances.
“How much longer?” he demanded.
“We’re taking the most direct line to District 15.” Floe sounded like an irritated mother. “Only four more stations, Joe. If the Truants didn’t have vehicles we’d probably beat them there.”
“Ah that’s right, Truants get to drive,” Sepp said. “Do they have designated drivers, or is everyone able to do it?”
“Not everyone, but it wasn’t like we had adults to do it for us,” Floe said. “Back in the day I drove a van during a hideout evacuation. Ran into some Enforcers on the way and led them all the way to one of Zyid’s ambushes.”
“Well aren’t you proud,” Joe said.
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Floe retorted. “Don’t I have a right to be proud of my accomplishments?”
“Not if you throw them away and become a traitor.”
Sepp threw his arms up in the air and turned to look at Cross. Fed up, Cross gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore the argument.
“So you would have preferred me stay with the Truancy?” Floe demanded. “Why can’t you let this go, Joe? What exactly do you want?”
“How about apologizing for being a Truant?”
“In the beginning the Truancy had the right idea, Joe,” Floe said. “The system was broken, they just had the wrong approach. Their motives—”
Joe snorted.
“You’re such a stupid jerk!” Floe shouted. “What do you know about the Truancy?”
“More than you, obviously!”
By now the argument was turning dangerous. Joe had clearly been holding this in for a long time and looked eager to get into a fight. Floe, for her part, was fingering the knife at her side. Cross was no ambassador, and so he decided to end the argument the only way he knew how.
Before either party could speak again, Cross drew his sidearm and fired once into the tunnel. The deafening sound echoed throughout the tunnel, and all heads turned to gape at him.
“What is with you and shooting that thing to get attention?” Joe demanded. “You’re gonna bring the Truants right to us!”
“Any Truant in these tunnels would’ve known we were here the moment you started shouting,” Cross countered. “Your bickering is getting on my nerves and giving us away. At least the gunshot doesn’t give me a migraine.”
He was right, and they knew it. Collectively they now hoped that there weren’t any Truants in the tunnels.
Floe looked away. “Sorry.”
Joe grumbled something inaudible.
Meanwhile, Cross noticed Floe walking all alone over to the side. He hesitated for a moment, then moved to join her. She tensed at his approach, but he took it as a good sign that she didn’t flinch away completely.
“They hate me,” Floe said quietly as soon as he was within earshot. “You know they do. You’ve heard students whispering when they think I can’t hear them. Joe doesn’t even hide it. Sepp probably hates me too; he’s just too polite to say so.”
“Joe hates everyone,” Cross pointed out. “The other students don’t even know you. They’re just being students. And I’m not sure that Sepp is even capable of hatred.”
“I really don’t get it,” Floe said. “They don’t like me talking about the Truancy, but that’s the only thing I’m good for around here!”
“You’re as good a shot as any of us,” Cross said. “It’s just different for you because you’ve seen both sides. For them, it’s irritating to hear you speak about the enemy in such friendly terms when they’re doing their best to destroy us.”
“So what do you want?” Floe snapped. “Should I lie and pretend to be ashamed of everything in my past? The Educators aren’t all good, Cross, and the Truancy isn’t all bad. You guys live in your own little black-and-white worlds when reality has color, or at least shades of gray!”
Cross looked away. “You’re upset now. If you want to stay behind—”
“Save it,” Floe said. “If I don’t get self-pity, you don’t either. I’m uncomfortable with them. But I can deal with it.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” Floe looked away.
Understanding that the conversation was over, Cross nodded and turned back towards the front of their procession. Before long another station platform came into sight. Floe spoke up.
“This is our stop.”
“Finally,” Joe muttered.
With some difficulty, the students managed to climb their way onto the platform. Sunlight filtered down through the ventilation grates. Almost involuntarily all heads turned upwards with trepidation.