by Isamu Fukui
As she entered the station, she was taken by surprise. Rebel kids and adults alike swarmed over the platform, speaking in whispers as they carried metal barrel after metal barrel down into the subway. Makeshift carts were being fitted onto the tracks so that they could be pushed along the rails, and each of them was loaded up high with explosives. As the albino stared at this unusual sight, the rebels recognized her and gave casual salutes.
The albino tilted her head. “What’s going on—”
There was sudden movement from the shadows to her right. The albino reacted immediately, deflecting the knife with the chain wrapped around her left arm. Noni sprang out from her hiding place, catching the albino with a roundhouse kick. The albino stumbled backwards, loosening her chain as she stared at Noni in surprise.
“Traitor,” Noni spat.
The albino blinked. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.” Noni’s eyes narrowed. “Where were you?”
“I went for a—”
“You went to see your friend, the Mayor!”
The albino sighed. “You’re not wrong but—”
Noni didn’t give her a chance to finish that sentence, slamming the other girl against the tunnel wall. The albino did not resist as she looked Noni in the eye. By now a small crowd had gathered to watch from the platform. The observers looked at one another nervously, no one sure of what to do.
“If you wish to kill me, I am ready to die content,” the albino said. “But you will be making a big mistake. I haven’t betrayed you.”
“Explain yourself, then.”
“I successfully convinced the Mayor to stay out of this conflict. He won’t be fighting you anymore.”
“That’s not good enough,” Noni said. “He’s still my enemy. I won’t be satisfied until I face him myself.”
“What would that possibly achieve?”
“I need to pay him back for some humiliation,” Noni snarled. “He also knows who killed Zyid, I’m sure of it. Now tell me—where is he?”
The two girls stared each other down.
“I do not know,” the albino replied. “And I would not tell you, even if I did.”
Noni let out a sound of inarticulate fury, and in a flash she had drawn a knife. The crowd gasped as she raised the blade. Suddenly Noni found the tip of a white sword at her throat.
“Let her go, Noni,” Takan said quietly.
“Leave me alone!” Noni raged. “She’s a traitor!”
“You’re wrong, she’s not that type.”
Noni took a deep breath. “Stay out of this, Takan.”
“I can’t.”
Noni wavered for a moment, and to all the witnesses present it seemed as though she were fighting a battle with herself. Her knife hand trembled, then she withdrew, rounding on Takan.
“You were never really loyal to Zyid!” Noni shrieked at him. “I don’t know what he saw in you, I don’t know why he trusted you! I should never have supported you as leader—I should’ve taken over the Truancy! You know I could have! I didn’t!”
Takan looked stunned. “Noni—”
“Why did you never try to help me? Why did you never try to find his killer?” Noni continued. “I thought I understood you! I thought we would be together on this! You let me go on my own! YOU ABANDONED ME!”
“Noni, I never—”
“You called me obsessed, and now you take her side over mine? Who do you think you are? I always supported you! I trusted you! How dare you point your sword at me?”
Noni glared at Takan, breathing heavily. For a moment their eyes met, icy blue and warm amber. Then Noni spun around and stalked off into the darkness of the tunnel.
Her last words seemed to be addressed to herself more than him. “If it were anyone but you, Takan…”
Takan stood rooted to the ground as though he had been struck by lightning. The onlookers, uncomfortably aware that they were staring, quickly looked away and pretended to not have noticed the conflict. The albino sighed, straightening up and dusting herself off.
“I’m sorry,” she said, looking at Takan.
“Don’t apologize. It’s my own damn fault.” Takan shook himself and then glanced at her. “I see you came back alone. Did … did you tell Umasi?”
The albino nodded.
Takan smiled. “That must’ve been a shock for him.”
“That’s an understatement—he looked like a lost puppy,” the albino replied. “But at least both of them are safely out of the way.”
Takan nodded. “Speaking of which, you should get out of here before Noni comes back. We’re planning something big. I’ll fill you in later.”
“Thank you.”
The albino patted him on the shoulder as she left, climbing up onto the platform and vanishing beyond the turnstiles. Takan did not watch her go, but stayed where he was, brooding in the shadows as the other rebels moved destructive barrels through the station, preparing for their final assault on the Government.
Takan slowly became aware of a new person approaching him from the other side of the tracks. Knowing who it was, he waited.
“Hey.” Cross’ voice was sympathetic.
Takan cleared his throat. “I take it you were watching.”
“Yeah.”
“How much did you see?”
“I think the second half of Noni’s, ah, speech.” Cross coughed. He paused briefly, then continued. “Takan, you should tell her about Zyid. It’s obviously eating her up inside.”
Takan sighed. “I know. I want to. It’s just … I don’t think this is the right time.”
Cross glared at him. “Takan, soon we’re all going to be going into a battle we probably won’t survive. If not now, when?”
With that, Cross turned and climbed up onto the platform, leaving Takan alone on the bottom of the tracks.
32
HOUR OF RECKONING
Two days.
Two days of painstaking effort and desperate maneuvers. That was what it had taken to prepare for this moment.
Those days had felt like years, but in hindsight it seemed a small miracle the Citizens’ Rebellion had achieved it in that time. The increasing hunger in the deep City had made their efforts more urgent. Further complicating their plans were occasional Government sweeps of the subways—most of those, fortunately, were conducted far from the central districts.
In order to move all the explosives into place the rebellion had been forced to take complicated detours through the tunnels, winding their way under the City until they finally reached District 1. By cart, pulley, and sometimes by hand, the heavy barrels were placed throughout the sewers and subways of the district. Every adult and child in the resistance had chipped in.
Fortunately the Government’s own precautions had made one part easy for them—worried about citizen sympathizers, the Government had expelled all civilians from the district and moved them into the surrounding areas. The citizens could wreck as much damage as they wanted without fear of harming their own.
Now the preparations were finally complete, and once again Cross found himself walking through the darkness of the tunnels. Sepp marched just ahead of him, with two hundred armed rebels following in their wake.
Cross watched the back of Sepp’s head, wondering what was going through his colleague’s mind. The boy had rarely slept, insisting on participating in every part of the preparations. No one except Noni had been more active than him. Cross guessed that Floe’s memory still drove him—as it did Cross.
As they walked along, Cross was aware of a pale presence next to him even when he couldn’t see it. He was grateful for it. The albino had insisted on accompanying them for this final battle. Cross had made her accept some stolen body armor, but she had refused to take any weapons besides her chain.
That still confused him, and as they marched through the empty tunnel, Cross decided to ask about it.
“Teacher?” he asked quietly, so as not to be overheard.
&
nbsp; The albino turned her head. “Yes?”
“I was wondering why you wanted to come along for this. I was under the impression that you didn’t like war.”
“I don’t,” she replied. “I just want to see for myself how the fate of this City will be decided. If I can lend you some small help in my own way, then that will be enough.”
Cross nodded. “What about Zen? Where is he?”
The albino looked down at her feet. “He’s now in a place safer than any I could provide for him.”
Cross heard the sadness in her voice, and despite his curiosity decided not to press her too hard on that matter.
“I’ve said it before, but I’m proud of you, Cross,” the albino said. “When I first met you, you seemed like you had no idea what to do with yourself. You’ve grown up since then. I know you have the strength to succeed.”
Cross looked away. “Thank you.”
Soon their company reached the first station within District 1 and stopped, climbing up onto the platform. They dared not go any farther than this. The tunnels ahead were likely watched by the Government, and some of the Educators’ barriers and traps still remained. The rest of their journey would have to be made on the surface, straight through the heart of the Government occupation.
Cross and Sepp found themselves sitting side by side on one of the platform benches. Cross checked his watch. They had arrived a few minutes early, so there was nothing for them to do but wait. The explosives were set on a timer—Cross could only hope that Takan and Noni’s group were already in place.
The momentousness of what was soon to happen hadn’t seemed to sink in yet. The rebels on the platform chatted in low voices, joked with one another. It might have been just another routine raid.
“I wish Floe could be here to see this,” Sepp said, his head propped up by his arm. “She would’ve loved to see the City free again.”
Cross nodded. “We’ll just have to do it in her honor.”
“I know what you mean. All I want is to go out in a way that would make her proud,” Sepp said. “And my family too, I suppose—assuming the Government hasn’t killed them also.”
Cross clenched his fists. “All I want is to get a hold of Iris.”
“I hope we can do it together,” Sepp said. “It’d be like old times in the Student Militia. Doesn’t that feel like so long ago.”
“Yeah.” Cross looked down. “At a time like this I almost miss even Joe.”
At that moment Cross’ digital watch began beeping, and he quickly silenced it. The numbers on the watch began counting down. The other rebels all turned to look at him, knowing that this was the five-minute warning. Any moment now the battle would begin.
Cross stood up and turned to address the two hundred citizens on the platform. He was not like Edward or the legendary Zyid—he knew from experience that he was uncomfortable with big speeches. And so Cross simply looked out at the troops he led and spoke his mind.
“Everyone, this was a volunteer mission, so if you’re here I assume you already know why.” Cross smiled. “Just don’t lose sight of that when things get tough. Let’s do our best.”
The rebels all nodded at that, and stood up as they waited. Every one of them was ready to fight, ready to die. Cross felt oddly calm—it felt therapeutic to finally be taking action, to strike at Iris herself. Minutes passed. The numbers on his watch continued to decrease.
Then they hit zero, and the whole City trembled.
* * *
An apocalyptic tremor shook the ground as countless explosions rippled throughout District 1. Concrete and asphalt crumbled like sand as the streets caved in, the ground sundered by the tremendous force. Small canyons began to form, taking on a life of their own, ripping their way through the district. Mighty buildings imploded as these fissures ran beneath them, sending enormous dust storms billowing through the streets.
The main street leading straight towards City Hall collapsed utterly, opening up a gaping maw. Moments later, the buildings lining the road began to groan—then one by one they toppled and crushed one another like dominoes. Entire City blocks vanished in an instant. The full destructive power of the Truancy’s old Plan B had been realized.
The Government forces stationed in District 1 were caught completely by surprise. Tanks and vehicles and infantry were swallowed up as the ground opened beneath them. Those who survived and were not crushed by falling buildings found themselves stumbling through endless clouds of choking smoke and dust.
It was this chaos that Takan and his troops emerged into as they spilled up through the old subway exits. Even the most battle-hardened among them paused in awe. Nothing in all the years of war the City had seen could have prepared them for this. The dust blotted out their vision, yet the bright sun sent rays streaking through it, creating an almost dreamlike effect.
A few rebels gasped, then coughed—the dust was particles of buildings and concrete and who knows what else. It was toxic.
“Come on!” Takan shouted. “We don’t have time to waste!”
Deeper into the awful clouds the rebels plunged. Takan saw Noni running ahead of everyone else, a swift and slender shadow. She had been the first to burst from the ground after the explosions, and she hadn’t stopped at all, heading straight in the direction of the Mayoral Mansion. The two of them hadn’t spoken since Noni’s outburst in the tunnel. Worried, Takan ran after her.
Rebel snipers scattered into the surroundings, looking for somewhere, anywhere they could find a clear shot. Pieces of fallen buildings lay everywhere, and chunks of the torn ground jutted up like massive spikes. As he scrambled down into a newly formed ditch, Takan thought that it was like picking his way through the end of the world.
Then through the dust, Takan saw a dark shape—the first enemy of the day. He fired immediately, and the silhouette crumpled and fell. Takan stepped over the soldier’s body and continued running. As he rounded a corner he spotted Noni struggling with a man who must have weighed twice as much as her. She threw the soldier to the ground, then brutally plunged her knife into his neck.
“Noni, wait up!”
Without even pausing to acknowledge Takan, Noni picked up the soldier’s rifle and continued running. The look on her face had been cold and feral, devoid of any humanity. Takan felt his heart sink. It was as though Noni had become a different person. Takan uncomfortably remembered the way Noni had attacked the albino.
His attention was drawn by more soldiers, firing down from the intact sidewalks a block down. Takan dove for cover behind a chunk of what had once been the street that was now jutting from the ground. Takan fired back in their direction, but through the thick dust and chaos they were hard to spot at such a long distance.
Then there was a great rumbling sound, and Takan watched in awe as the building over the soldiers finally gave way to the damage its foundations had suffered. The soldiers looked up just in time to see the avalanche of bricks and masonry fall on top of them. The collapse sent a fresh wave of dust rolling over the battlefield, and as Takan continued on through the trenches he found that he felt very small.
A cheer went up and the rebels pressed their advantage. The Government was still disorganized, the explosions having ravaged their forces in this part of the district. Takan encountered only token resistance as he drove farther towards the Mayoral Mansion. For a little while he dared to hope that their mission would be easy.
After several blocks the fissures abruptly ended, the air clearing out. They were deep in the district now, too far to have planted any explosives. Takan had only pulled himself back onto stable ground when gunfire erupted around him. He ran for cover in a nearby doorway. There he found other rebels who’d also taken shelter. Recognizing him, they saluted.
“What is it?” Takan demanded. “What’s blocking our path?”
“Tank!”
That one word made Takan’s heart sink. “Do we have any rockets?”
“No, sir!”
Takan peered out from
behind the doorway and spotted it—one of the Government’s dreaded war machines, parked just two blocks down. The machine guns mounted on top of it were being manned, sending an endless stream of bullets at the rebels in hiding.
Even as Takan watched, an adult rebel in another hiding position managed to shoot one of the gunners despite their protection. The tank swiveled its main cannon, and Takan winced as the rebel and his hiding position was simply blown away. Another rebel, relentless, hurled a grenade at the tank before being cut down by machine gun fire.
The explosion forced the gunners to duck, and for a moment the top of the tank was clear. Takan felt his heart leap into his throat as a familiar dark shape darted out from the shadows and towards the tank. Noni leaped up to grab the cannon, then smoothly slipped a grenade inside. The tank swiveled again, this time aiming at Takan’s position. Red sparks began showering from the cannon.
Takan held his breath. The tank fired, and then shuddered as the round exploded inside. The rebels whooped and ran out into the open again as the wrecked tank began smoking.
Takan breathed a sigh of relief—both at the destruction of the tank and Noni’s survival. But then he felt a guilt take hold in the pit of his stomach as Noni continued to surge forward, heedless of danger. This was the first time since she had left the Truancy that Takan had seen her in combat. Noni had always been a remarkably tenacious fighter, but never could Takan recall her being so recklessly brutal.
Takan hurried after her, the other rebels all following suit. A couple of blocks down they found more roads had caved in. Takan wasn’t sure if they had somehow managed to plant charges here, or if it had just collapsed from the tremors, but he plunged down into the trenches, glad for the cover.
He and all the other rebels were equipped with Government armor, and so when a large soldier dropped down in front of him in the trench, they were both equally surprised. Recovering from his shock first, Takan drew his sword and slashed the man’s exposed neck. Experience had taught him the vulnerable parts of the armor.