The Eighth Guardian (Annum Guard)

by Meredith McCardle

  “I don’t know what they told you, but they’re lying to you, Abey Baby,” I whisper.

  Abe lets out a little choke and raises the gun. His face is twisted. Pained. “Please don’t call me that. I have to take you back. Iris.”

  They’ve gotten to him. I know they have now. Alpha must have something in his back pocket, but what?

  “Please talk to me,” I say. Behind us, a gong sounds. Someone has just finished the maze. “What did they do to make you hold a gun in my face? The Abe I knew would never do that. The Abe I knew would throw himself in front of a gun barrel if he knew I was in danger.”

  “I’ve changed.” His voice wavers, just a bit, but enough.

  “Bullshit! What did they tell you, Abe? What did they do to you?”

  “They took her, okay?” he yells. The gun falls to his side. “They took her, and she’s sick, and she needs to be at home, and they won’t give her back until you’re caught.”

  I shake my head. “Took who?” I have no idea what Abe’s talking about. The only female in his family is his mother, and she’s fine. Perfect health. Unless something changed while I was gone. “Are you talking about your mom?”

  “Not my mother, my grandmother!”

  I shake my head again. “What? Your mom’s mom? But you barely know her. She lives in Israel. How would Alpha have gotten—”

  “No!” Abe shouts. “Mona! They took Mona!”

  I feel as if I’ve been punched in the gut again. Mona’s dead. She died from lung cancer several years ago, before Abe and I met. But—I suck in my breath—

  And then I blink.

  I blink again.

  I grabbed a cigarette out of Mona’s hand in 1962. Me. I did it. I threw it on the ground. I told her Ariel would never go for her if she smoked. Did she stop after that day? Because of me?

  “Abe, does Mona smoke?” I ask.

  “What?” His body shakes. “Why are you asking me this? Of course she doesn’t. You know she doesn’t.”

  “Did she ever?”

  “No! I don’t know! As long as I’ve been alive, I’ve never once seen her with a cigarette.”

  I changed the past. I went back and saved Mona’s life. The weight of this realization sinks in, and I feel dizzy.

  “She’s sick now?” I ask.

  Abe gets a disgusted look on his face. “Really? What, you conveniently forgot that she was diagnosed with Stage IV lymphoma a week before Testing Day? A week before this?” He waves his hand at the maze.

  I crane my neck toward the buildings on the other side of campus. Somewhere over there, there’s another version of me. A version of me who knows Mona. Who was heartbroken by the diagnosis. Who’s loving and comforting Abe as best she can.

  And somewhere, Alpha is walking around this campus, pretending to evaluate all the students while really just foaming at the mouth because he’s so close to taking me. To using me.

  “Abe, we have to talk,” I say. “They’re lying to you.” I look around for Alpha. I don’t see him.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because they lied to me, too!”

  “Why would they lie about my grandmother? That doesn’t make any sense!”

  “Because they’re using you! Will you shut up and listen to me? Tell me, who told you about your grandmother?”

  “Alpha.”

  “Only Alpha? Did anyone else actually confirm that she was taken? Ariel? Your dad? Your mom? Anyone?”

  Abe’s face betrays the answer. No. No one. He violated one of the cardinal rules of information, which is to always confirm when the source is shady. He knows better. Dammit, he knows better!

  “Abe, Alpha’s corrupt, and he’s using the entire organization to make a quick fortune; and you know who his biggest investor is? Headmaster Vaughn. They’re both the reason my father is dead. I ran because I found out the truth, and the truth is that—”

  But then a tree branch cracks behind us. I whip around. Oh God! Please don’t let it be Alpha!

  It’s not. It’s Katia Britanova. The sophomore who lives in my dorm. The girl who escorted me to the dining hall after all my testing was completed and who overheard Alpha talking about me.

  Katia’s eyes shoot up, then she looks me up and down. “Amanda! What the hell are you wearing? And what are you doing here? I just dropped you off at the dining hall like ten minutes ago.” And then her eyes zero in on the gun Abe’s holding. Abe sees her staring and tucks the gun behind his back. “Why do you have a gun?”

  “We were just practicing,” he says. “In case there’s another secret test. They didn’t really emphasize gun work in this one—”

  “So you’re cheating.” Katia jerks her neck back and juts her chin in the air.

  I raise my hands and take a step forward. “I know this probably looks bad, but I promise you we’re not cheating. At anything. And right now, I need you to turn around and walk back to campus. I need you to pretend you never saw Abe and me here. You don’t understand.”

  “You’re cheating,” Katia says. “And you know the honor code. Both of you do. I have to turn you in for this. I have to take you to the headmaster.”

  Shit!

  Abe whips the gun up and points it at Katia.

  Double shit! What is he doing?

  And then Katia swoops down and grabs a knife from the holster she always has strapped to her ankle.

  Triple shit! Oh, this is not good. This is not good at all.

  Katia stares Abe right in the eye. “Go ahead and try.” She tips the knife at him. “I guarantee you I’m faster.”

  I step in between Abe and Katia and hold out my hands, one at each of them. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” I turn my head to Katia. “You’re going to drop that knife”—then I look at Abe and give him my best pleading stare—“and you’re going to drop that gun. Now, on the count of three. One. Two. Three.”

  No one moves. No one drops anything.

  “I told you,” Katia said. “I’m bound by the honor code to take you to the headmaster. And I’m going to do that.”

  “Abe, drop the gun,” I say. “Katia, the knife. Come on, guys; it doesn’t have to come to this.”

  Katia jumps. She kicks the gun out of Abe’s hand. He screams and clenches his fingers, but she’s already grabbed it.

  “Headmaster,” she growls. “Walk.”

  I have a choice. I could fiddle with my watch and get out of here. I’m no one’s captive. But where am I going to go? How long am I going to run? I don’t have a plan, and Abe has no idea what’s going on, and dammit all, I start walking.

  “I never knew you were such a bitch, Katia,” I mumble. It’s a cheap shot, but I’m pissed. Mostly at myself. Katia’s doing the right thing. The thing she has to do. Peel’s honor code is strict. If you catch someone cheating, you turn them in. If you don’t and it’s discovered later, you’re out on your ass, too. No second chances.

  Katia ignores me. She marches Abe and me toward the administration building.

  “You know we’re screwed, right?” I whisper to Abe. “Completely and totally screwed. Even more so if Alpha sees us right now.”

  “Stop talking,” Katia says.

  “Oh, shut up, Katia,” Abe tosses over his shoulder. “It’s not like you’re going to bury that knife in my back if I don’t.”

  “Abey, you have to listen to me,” I whisper. “You really, really didn’t know Ariel had anything to do with Annum Guard?”

  Abe looks at me and shakes his head.

  I crane my neck around toward Katia. She’s staring me down, so I turn back around. “I didn’t know about Ariel either. Or my own family. Was your dad a part of it?”

  “My dad’s a corporate attorney. You know that.”

  “But is he really?”

  “Yes,” Abe practically growl
s. “Unless the boxes of contracts and licensing agreements he pours over each night are a part of the world’s most document-intensive cover.”

  Suddenly it all makes sense to me. Ariel broke the chain. He didn’t want his son—his only son—to join Annum Guard. He must have known the havoc Chronometric Augmentation would wreak on his body, which is why he almost never projected himself. That’s why he’s the only survivor, and that’s why Abe’s dad never joined. And why Abe never knew about it. I gasp. And why Alpha was brought on during the second generation. The numbers were down to six.

  I whisper my theory to Abe, leaning in close to make sure Katia doesn’t hear.

  “No whispering!” Katia says.

  Abe ignores her. “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

  I feel as if I’ve been slapped. “When have I ever lied to you?”

  Abe sighs. It’s long and sad, the kind of sigh I’ve heard from him before. “I’m sorry. I’m just . . . I’m so confused. I don’t know who to trust. Who to believe.”

  “Yes, you do.” I reach over and squeeze his hand.

  “No touching!” Katia snaps.

  Abe drops my hand. “Hey, remember that Practical Studies class with Missy Garvin?” he whispers.

  I nod my head. Of course I do. Freshman year. Missy Garvin was assigned to tail me. And when I say she tailed me, I mean she tailed me. She never got more than three feet from me. It was annoying as hell. So I took care of it. It’s one of those moments I’ll never forget. One of those moments I’m going to relive now.

  I whip around and fly at Katia. My elbow connects with her ear, and my other hand grabs her wrist. I twist the knife out of her hand, and it falls to the ground.

  “I’m sorry!” I yell as she groans.

  Katia jumps up and raises her fist to punch me, but Abe grabs it, then grabs her other one and holds her hands over her head.

  I fiddle with my watch. “Where do we go?”

  “The present,” Abe says. “We end this right now.”

  I nod my head. I don’t like projecting without a plan, but this is the best chance we’ve got. We’re two now. We’re two again. We can do this.

  Abe spins Katia around and pushes her away, then grabs my arm. I close the watch face, and Abe and I tear through time.

  We land back in the present day. I gasp and open my eyes. And then I gasp again. Alpha is standing right there in front of me, dressed in a tailored suit that must have cost thousands. Wonder where he got the money. Red is behind him, wearing a button-down with the sleeves rolled up. I take a second to note the large tattoo on his forearm. The good old stars and stripes intertwined with another flag, this one made up of three blue stripes, two white stripes, and a white star centered in a red triangle at the hoist.

  I look beyond Red, but no one else is here.

  And then Abe grabs both of my wrists. I let him.

  “I got her!” he yells. “I did what you asked. Now let my grandmother go.”

  Alpha laughs. “Not quite yet.” He nods his head at Abe. “Let go of her and step away.”

  I feel Abe squeeze my wrists. And then he lets them free.

  “The traitor returns,” Alpha says. His hard face is relaxed and even. Real. It’s as if he’s convinced himself that I really am a traitor. Maybe he’s a psychopath.

  “I figured out your little notebook,” I tell him.

  “Did you now?” His voice is calm, but I see a flash of panic in his eyes.

  “Yep. I know the truth. I know who CE is.” I jerk my head to the administration building, then I turn my attention to Red. “My father was Delta, you know. I’m one of you. I was born into this. There is no experiment. Or did you know that already, too?”

  “Lies!” Alpha seethes. But his hands tremble. I catch sight of them before he shoves them behind his back.

  “Did you also know that Alpha is taking kickbacks on every mission he can sell?” I ask Red.

  And then for a second—one short but important split second—Red’s training fails him, and his eyebrows creep up a few hairs. That tells me everything. Red doesn’t know.

  And then I look at Alpha. I trusted him. I thought he was on my side. But he never was. Ever. He lied to me; he lied to Abe; he lies every time he opens his mouth.

  “You’re going to prison,” I tell him. “And I can’t wait until I get to testify against you.”

  Alpha laughs, and I can hear his nervousness, can see him struggle to compose himself. “Oh, Iris. My dear, sweet, powerless little Iris. You know why I gave you that name, don’t you? Iris, the mythical goddess of the rainbow. I saw in you the potential to be a leader, to take charge of all of Annum Guard.” Red stiffens. “But now I see that you take after another Iris. A dainty, delicate flower that can be crushed in the palm of my hand.”

  “You don’t give me enough credit.”

  “No, I give you too much credit. I thought you were strong. I thought you were like your father.” Red stiffens again. “I was mistaken. You’re not your father’s daughter. You’re your mother’s daughter. Weak. Unstable. Completely detached from reality.”

  His words are worse than a slap to the face. My head reels back, and I want to pounce. I don’t. But Abe does. He lunges at Alpha. But Alpha grabs something from his waist and points it at Abe. I scream as Alpha’s wrist flicks, and Abe crumples to the ground. NO!

  I drop beside him and grab his hand. My head spins, and I look for his wound. I need to stop it. I pat my hands all up and down his chest. Abe groans. I need to find it. I need to apply pressure. I need . . . wires. There are wires. There wasn’t a shot. Alpha didn’t shoot him. He stunned him.

  “Red,” Alpha says, “take her.”

  Red doesn’t move.

  “I said take her!”

  “Was her father a part of the Guard?” Red demands. “I need to know if there’s any truth in what she’s saying.”

  “No, what you need to do is to follow orders when I give them. Now take her.”

  “He was!” I shriek as Abe writhes on the ground next to me. “My father was Delta. He met Alpha here at Peel, and together the two of them hatched a plan to start making money off all the missions. It’s been going on since before I was born. Probably since before you were born, Red.”

  “Where’s your proof?” Red shouts, his chin jerking up in the air.

  “She doesn’t have any,” Alpha says. He takes a step over to me, then yanks me up and pushes me toward Red. His hands tremble. “Because there isn’t any.”

  “I’ve seen it. Yellow has, too.” Oh God, Yellow. Please let Yellow be okay.

  Red draws in a breath through his nose. He’s trying to take it all in; I can see it. He looks from me to Alpha, then back to me. And then he reaches a hand to his earpiece and mutters, “Whiskey Oscar Lima Foxtrot.”

  I don’t know what that means, but judging from Alpha’s reaction, Red believes me.

  “No!” Alpha shouts. He lunges forward, and Red pushes me behind his shoulder. Alpha raises the taser again, and Red brings up his hand to block it. But the sputtering sound rings out again, and Red screams as he drops to the ground.

  I jump back. My heart thumps in my chest. And then Alpha turns to me.

  He’s straining to keep it together. His eyes dart from Red to Abe to me. He drops the taser to the ground, and for one brief second my heart leaps as I think Alpha’s going to surrender to me.

  The second is short-lived.

  Alpha unhooks a gun from his holster and raises it. I don’t flinch.

  But Alpha does. Because just then there’s a distant sound in the air. Whup whup whup whup. I know that sound. I don’t have to look up. It’s a helicopter.

  Alpha’s head snaps up toward the sky, then down and over at Abe. “Red!” he yells.

  The Black Hawk is getting closer. I can see men dressed in black hanging out
of the doors. And they can see me. And Alpha. And the gun he’s pointing at me.

  Alpha lowers the gun and takes off running across campus. I scream and stare up at the helicopter. It’s still too far away. They won’t be on the ground for at least a minute. That’s giving Alpha too much of a head start, so I take off running. It’s stupid. He’s armed; I’m not. But I can’t let him get away.

  Alpha darts through the quad just as class is letting out. Kids spill out onto the sidewalks. I don’t look at them as I run past.

  “What the—?” someone shouts. “Is that Amanda Obermann?”

  I ignore it. Alpha zips into the science building. I’m only a few steps behind. I rip open the metal door with such force that it bangs against the brick exterior. I don’t see Alpha. I stop. Listen. Footsteps above me. Hard, heavy footsteps clomping up the stairs.

  “Stop running!” I race up the stairs. In the landing, I see him. He’s thundering down the hall, heading toward one of the chem labs. He ducks in and slams the door, and I go barreling in after him.

  “When are you going to give up?” I shout as I fling open the door. “You’re—” I stop. He’s standing right in front of me, and there’s a gun pressed into my forehead. I blow out the rest of my breath.

  “Hands up, please,” he says. “And don’t try to grab the gun. I’m anticipating it.”

  I raise both hands slowly. The gun in Alpha’s hand doesn’t waver as he stares at me, and my mouth goes bone-dry. People have pressed guns into my head before, but always in training. Never for real. I swallow.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” I whisper.

  “I’d give you the same warning,” he says, “but it seems we’re a bit late for that. Take off the watch.”

  Not good. That watch is my only means of escape.

  “Now.” He punctuates the word. I keep one hand raised as I lower the other one and slip the chain over my head to hand the watch to him. “Thank you,” Alpha says, then he waves the gun back, ordering me into the room.

  Alpha shuts the door and points the gun toward the nearest stool. I keep my hands up as I lower myself onto it. I scan the room even though I know it. I had a class in here. There are three rows of long tables, each with six stools behind them. There’s a whiteboard at the front of the room and cabinets at the back.