Rogue (Convergence Series Book 1)

by S. A. Stephenson

  'Holy sh-' she said.

  'Drive,' Evie told her.

  Something had changed in Evie, something in her eyes that wasn't the same lovable person that Kit had grown to know. She drove them out of the Stacks as the jets continued to bombard them, crates were knocked over, and the world that had been so carefully built by the mutants was burning to the ground.

  Kit turned down a corner and saw a pack of hybrids. The gray creatures lunged at them and Evie resumed fire, bullets flung into their gray scaling bodies as they tried to descend onto the car. In a hundred feet Kit could see the border, the exit was blocked by guards armed with rifles, and they were ready to fire. Evie glared down the barrel of the gun at them and before they could fire she flung them out of the way. They hit the ground hard and as Kit drove over them, she could see the whites of their eyes, looking up at the world that was no longer theirs. Kit drove the truck through the wire and into the deserted unknown that lay beyond the border of the Spire.

  The road was desolate, night was closing in on them, and when Kit was sure they had lost the guards who were following them, she pulled the truck to a stop.

  She tried to catch her breath, 'We're beyond the border,' She was in shock that she had managed to cross the boundary. Once you had been granted sanctuary in the Stacks, you weren't likely to leave.

  Evie was quiet, she sat with her eyes closed and was trying to steady her breathing. 'Are you okay?' Kit asked. Evie didn't answer, she opened her eyes and stared ahead of her. Kit got out of the truck and went round to her side and opened Evie's door. 'Come here,' she said. Evie climbed out of the truck and leant against the truck's door.

  'I don't know what happened,' Evie said.

  'You stopped them from killing us,' Kit told her.

  'I've been trained to kill,' Evie's hands shook, and she closed them tightly. 'I just never had any real life experience of it until recently. They never told you it would feel like this.'

  Kit was quiet for a moment. Memories of the guards she had killed the night she had escaped came back to her. 'Like part of your soul is turning dark?' She asked. 'Like something inside you will never be the same again?'

  'You...?' Evie asked, but couldn't finish the question.

  'We need to find a safe house for the night,' Kit said. 'I saw a few buildings not too far up the road, we'll head there and try and rest for the evening.'

  'Will you tell me everything when we get there?' Evie asked.

  Kit looked uncomfortable for a moment but saw the lack of color in Evie's face, the exhaustion in her eyes and the familiar look of fear that was hiding just below the surface. 'I promise,' she said.

  They drove till they found the desolated buildings of a long forgotten town. Kit and Evie walked around the few buildings that were still standing and found they were empty. Evie was in one that looked like it had been a warehouse. The tin was corroding, and the paint had all but peeled.

  'It's not five stars, but it'll do,' Kit said. 'Hopefully, we can get through the night without an attack.'

  Evie saw her breath blow out cold in the night and Kit rubbed her arms. 'We need to get warm,' she said.

  'We don't have anything to light a fire,' Evie said.

  Kit shook her head. 'So naive,' she said and found a place for them to sit that didn't look like it was infested with anything. 'Sit,' she said pointing to the empty spot opposite her. 'You were trained in combat, before being reassigned to a medical role?' She asked.

  'I have the training of a fifteen-year-old,' Evie said.

  'I think you're underestimating yourself,' Kit said.

  'Volt can program people to believe they're soldiers, just as much as they can unprogram someone to make them think they're just a scientist,' Evie said. 'After they found out about Lux I couldn't go back to the army, becoming a scientist was a compromise to avoid exile. I saw soldiers training, felt like I should be part of them but over time, I stopped paying attention to what they were doing, knowing that it wasn't going to help me and would just make things worse. I had a natural ability with the sciences, and that's where I could add the most value.'

  'But your abilities grew and you were unable to control them?' Kit asked.

  'They became... problematic,' Evie said. 'And I wanted to hide them, I had begun to see how people who couldn't control their powers were treated and sent to the camps. There was an increase on purging anyone who had abilities they shouldn't have and I didn't want to risk my position. So I kept them secret, only Jack and Cara knew. In turn risking their own lives in case anyone suspected them.'

  'I think it's time you start to learn how to use your gifts,' Kit said. 'People were killed as we left the Stacks, you need to know how to control that, so you don't kill the wrong person.'

  Evie saw her expression falter a little. 'This is where you now tell me about you,' she said. Kit noted her trying to change the subject and squirmed in her seat as Evie went to sit next to her. 'Look,' Evie said and brushed some of the dust away in front of her. She felt her arm begin to tingle and saw her veins start to glow. Kit watched with curiosity as a light purple flame danced its way from Evie's fingers and into the ground creating a small fire that emitted just the right amount of heat to take away the chill from the air. 'I remembered some things,' she said.

  'There are some stories that some people were given alien DNA,' Kit said. 'Ancient DNA material that was on the earth long before other humans. It became known as pure DNA, because it hadn't evolved or been manipulated.'

  'I heard the stories,' Evie said. 'We weren't supposed to hear them but yes, there was alien DNA that inhabited the earth and infected humans, creating the first mutants. I don't know much more than that but we were part of an experiment as children and were injected with extracts from the DNA. It's why I've never been sick with the virus, and why Rook thinks my DNA can be the cure. Because I have a strand of pure DNA in my genome, which can create a vaccine.'

  Kit didn't say anything, Evie had known all along that she might have been the cure. 'You'd have to die for the vaccine to be created,' she said quietly.

  Evie nodded solemnly. 'I've known that for a while,' she said. 'Which explains why Cara was trying to find another way.'

  'If there are others like you then they can also be a cure,' Kit said.

  'It still means that someone will have to die for the cure to be possible,' Evie said. 'And we shouldn't have to pick and choose who lives or dies.' Evie turned to her and brushed away tears that had formed in her eyes. 'Tell me,' she said. 'What happened to you, how did you end up in Volt?'

  Kit took a deep breath, she wanted to focus on Evie but knew she couldn't overwhelm her. She had only ever shared her story with a handful of people and it still pained her as she relived it. 'I was born in the lab,' she said. 'I was assigned parents but grew up believing that we were my family. We lived in the Ruby compound, I was given a military education, trained to kill, to be uniform like everyone else,' she said. Evie noted a sense of sadness in how she spoke and thought of what it must have been like to have her childhood. 'It was my father who wanted to try and escape,' she said. 'He was growing more disillusioned with Volt's ideologies and believed in the free land. My mother was unsure, scared for what it would mean but my powers were growing and couldn't be contained through training,' Kit's voice quivered at the memory.

  'Training?' Evie asked quietly.

  'Really it was beatings,' Kit said and drew her knees to her chest. 'They locked me in a cell, I tried to use my powers to break free and they'd...' she trailed off and Evie held her close. 'They kept me locked up and my abilities grew with my anger.'

  'How old were you?' Evie asked.

  'I can't remember,' Kit told her. 'I lost track of the days and time. They eventually allowed me to return to my squad when I began to comply with them, fighting them wasn't going to work, so I did what I had to do to survive. I let them do the experiments. They were the worse, being strapped to a gurney, having them prod and poke and make my body do things it s
houldn't. I became powerful, I was learning how to control the abilities they were giving me and eventually my father was able to orchestrate a plan so we could be free from them and run.'

  Evie was trying to fill in the gaps of the fragmented story, she could sense Kit's struggle in remembering it all, even if she could recall any of it. 'You were part of the X9 Project,' she said. 'Children were created and experimented on to see how they could contribute to the army. X9's were the most elite and had been given the most strength, which is why when you escaped, it created a meltdown at Volt. No one expected it and no one knew what to do with an X9 on the loose. There was panic in Volt afterwards, people were sure that you'd join the FSA and that'd be it for us, but through controlled media people soon forgot and X9's almost became an urban legend. The group of soldiers who no one was able to speak about in case it incited others to escape and rebel.'

  'I need to find the others,' Kit said. 'I wasn't the only one to escape that day, just like you're not the only one with alien DNA. If any of them are still alive though I'd be surprised.'

  'Then why are we going to Fort Isa?' Evie asked. 'Surely we should be out looking for them, if they share the same abilities we do then aren't they the ones who can help us the most?'

  'Fort Isa will be a place where we can start,' Kit said. 'Evans has more contacts than I do and knows the underground better. He might even know where to start looking.'

  'But working with him will come at a cost,' Evie said.

  'Everything in life comes with a price,' Kit said. 'Sometimes you have to work out what you're willing to pay for progress.'

  Evie smiled a little at that. 'You sound like one of the old professors,' she said.

  Kit playfully punched her. 'Never,' she said. 'I'm not some old windbag.'

  Evie looked at her, and Kit saw the sultry change in her eyes. 'No,' she said softly. 'You're anything but.' Evie drew her in close and their lips met. Kit pulled her closer and slipped her hand under Evie's shirt. Evie felt a flutter dance over her heart but didn't pull away and fell into Kit's embrace.

  Evie woke in the middle of the night to find she was sleeping by herself. She scooped herself up in her clothes that were scattered around them and looked around for Kit. She quickly dressed and headed out of the warehouse to see Kit leaning against the truck. She watched as she saw orange lights coming from her fingers and dancing on the ground in front of her in beautiful patterns.

  'What are you doing out here?' She asked when she went over to her. Kit extinguished the fire.

  'Thinking,' Kit said. 'I didn't want to wake you.'

  'Your thoughts are that loud?' Evie asked. 'I didn't know you could do that,' she said, indicating to the ground that had slow burning embers fizzling into the dust.

  Kit smiled. 'Neither did I,' she said. 'I've been hiding parts of myself for so long, that I've almost forgotten the whole of who I am, until a few hours ago.'

  Evie blushed. 'Well if that's all it took,' she said. 'Wait till we're in a fancier place and not on the run.'

  Kit laughed. 'You're okay for a former loyalist,' she said.

  'And you're not too bad for a mutant,' Evie said.

  'I love you,' Kit told her, her voice quiet, almost hesitant at the admission, surprised by it. 'Actually, I've known it for a while but we've not had the chance to stop in amongst the madness.' Kit turned to her and leant an arm on the truck's bonnet. 'When this is over,' she said. 'I want us to have a life together,' she told her. 'There's something about us that makes sense.'

  'I know,' Evie said. 'And we'll find a way to have that life together, we've just got to get there first.'

  Kit sighed as the reality of their situation crept back in between them. 'We will,' she said. 'And I look forward to the day when I no longer have to fight or be a soldier,' she said. Evie smiled and kissed her, knowing that there would never be a day when she didn't like doing so. Kit pulled away and coughed gently.

  'Sleeping in a dusty warehouse probably isn't the best idea,' Evie noted then watched as Kit pulled her hand away, their eyes both went white at the sight of blood on Kit's hand.

  'I probably have an injury somewhere,' Kit said and Evie saw her go faint and had to catch her.

  'Does Fort Isa have a hospital?' She asked.

  'It's hours away,' Kit said as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

  Evie looked at Kit and saw the worry in her eyes. 'The virus?' She asked.

  'Get us to Isa,' Kit told her as she felt herself become weak and collapse against the side of the truck.

  Chapter Seventeen

  EVIE HAD BUNDLED KIT into the passenger seat and started the truck. She got them out to highway and headed northwest.

  Kit rummaged through her bag with some struggle and pulled out her tablet. She pulled up her contacts and tried to reach Rook. They listened in the quiet of the truck as the dial tone rang out and Evie felt her heart rush a little more when the call didn't connect.

  'They're likely out of range,' Evie said. 'And communications still isn't great in some parts of the country.'

  Kit sighed. 'I forgot about that,' she said.

  'The Blast took out most of the towers,' Evie said. 'I'm impressed you were able to get any signals.' She looked at the blank video screen and her heart sank. 'I think we're out on our own.'

  'Let me keep trying, I've been through this before and Rook knew what to do,' Kit said.

  'Was the last time the virus?' Evie asked.

  'Possibly,' Kit said. 'But we have junk DNA in our system, I manage it with infusions, but they've been hard to come by lately.'

  'How long do we have before it gets worse?' Evie asked tentatively.

  'We have time,' Kit said cautiously. 'Let me keep trying, and you just keep driving,' she said.

  Evie didn't argue and Kit kept trying everything she could think of on her tablet. She groaned in frustration and almost threw the device back in her back when she remembered something Rook had taught her. 'Pull over,' she told Evie.

  Evie brought them to a stop and Kit got out of the car. She rested the tablet on the bonnet of the car. 'I'm trying to connect us to the dark web,' she said. 'Rook told me that it works around blockers and has a longer range than normal. Adam's bar has a signal that I can try and ping.'

  Evie watched as Kit inputted commands and sent the request. They waited apprehensively for a response and heard a crackle come over the system.

  'Adam?' Kit asked.

  'Kit?' They heard, the voice was faint and barely audible.

  'Is that him?' Evie asked.

  'Has to be,' Kit said. 'Adam, are you there?' She asked.

  'I'm here,' he replied, his voice clearer. 'Where are you?'

  'Outside the wire,' Kit said. 'We need a hospital and have no signal, is there one between the Spire and the Nevermore?' She asked.

  There was silence and they thought they had lost the signal. 'There's only Fort Isa, everywhere else is covered by Armistice guards and townships governed by Galen,' he said. 'Are you injured?' He asked.

  'I'm fine,' Kit said. 'We're fine,' she corrected. 'Is everyone there okay?' She asked.

  There was no response and a loud screeching noise suddenly emitted from it and the screen went black. 'What happened?' Evie asked.

  'I don't know,' Kit said and Evie saw guilt wash over her face. The screen flickered and the tablet fell to the ground. A hologram filtered up from the screen and they saw President Galen's face shimmer into view.

  'This is a message for all residents of the Empire, mutant, hybrid, human and anything in between,' she said. '

  'For the last few decades we have been operating under a cease fire with mutants as much as possible, we have granted them land to make their own and have tried desperately to find a cure for the virus that makes them inhuman,' she said.

  Kit looked how Evie felt, now that she was out of the walls of the government she could see how false the propaganda was.

  'Mutants were evolved overseas and sent to the Empire's soil to c
ontinue to grow. They'd evolve into a race that we are not equipped to respond to, so we've had to evolve as well. We closed our borders, trained one of the fiercest armies for our protection and we tried to control the growth of mutants through a systemized approach,' Galen continued. 'After the civil war ended, a number of free zones were set up with the aim of trying to create peace and we signed the treaty that called for a ceasefire. Today that ceasefire ended.'

  'She's declaring war,' Evie said quietly.

  'Anyone who is not part of Volt's society is an enemy and will be exterminated,' Galen said. 'My Commander in Chief, will be overseeing this operation,' she added and Kit felt her stomach sink at the thought of Hawk. 'This process will begin immediately. We are also decreeing that Katarina Valletta, Evelyn Fox and Jack Fox are official enemies of the state. If they are located, they must immediately be handed into authorities.' Photos of the three of them flashed through the holograph and Kit took Evie's hand, and for the first time, Evie saw a look of fear wash over her.

  'It'll be okay,' she assured her quietly as the hologram disappeared.

  'Everything's gone,' Kit said. 'The Stacks, Lil and Rook, even Canaan who was more of a pain in my ass than anything else, but I miss him. Kingsley, and Shep...' She trailed off as tears threatened to overpower her. 'How can everything in my life be constantly taken away from me by one person. I didn't ask for this, none of us asked for this, and now we're being painted as the enemy for a crime we didn't commit. We didn't ask to be who we are but we have to fight to be part of this world. How is that right?'

  'We need a plan,' Evie said. 'Getting emotional now isn't going to help us and is only going to make it easier for Galen to get to us,' she said and Kit tried to pull herself together.

  'You're right,' she said. 'I need medicine and we need to get to Isa,' she decided.