Renegades

by Joanne Sexton

  “Are you listening, Captain?” Simmo said, breaking through his musings.

  “Yeah, and I told you to stop doing that.”

  “It got your attention.”

  “I was listening.”

  Raised eyebrows indicated Simmo didn’t believe him, but Ryan ignored his questioning expression and instead concentrated on the task at hand.

  “You think that all the testing of the fence stuff was just for show and they have a bigger plan for getting past it?” Ryan asked his right-hand man.

  “Yeah, I do. I mean seriously, they have all sorts of military vehicles at their disposal and could break through our defences with any of those.” Simmo didn’t hide his derision.

  “They could lose some men in the process. The electricity could do some damage.”

  “Collateral damage to them, Ryan. They have tanks, for fuck’s sake. It’s all just show. Another way of showing us they are in control. You know they couldn’t give a fuck about how many men they lose, more where they came from.”

  “No, I guess they don’t.”

  Simmo scrutinized him again, as he’d been doing a lot lately, and Ryan tried not to squirm under his gaze. What was he wondering about now?

  “Do you trust her?” Simmo voiced the concern already plaguing his mind.

  “Sure.” Ryan shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.

  “So all thoughts of revenge against any Edwards have gone?”

  “Not entirely. I would still love to see Cody … maybe not.” He shrugged again. “I don’t know anymore, Simmo.”

  “Sleeping with the enemy can be dangerous.” The hatred for citizens shone in his eyes, reminding Ryan that he felt the same way not that long ago.

  “She’s not the enemy.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I don’t, not for sure.”

  “You don’t know! She could be gathering info from all the pillow talk and then reporting it back to her brother.”

  “No.” With a shake of his head, he hoped he’d convinced Simmo.

  Mackenzie woke up alone again, as she had since the news broke of the forthcoming rally. Her stomach growled, so she showered quickly and wound her way through to the dining hall. She smiled to herself as she went.

  Ryan stopped locking her in his rooms a week or so ago and she realised how much trust this entailed. Maintaining this trust was of the upmost importance and she vowed to do everything she could to ensure it.

  The hall was mostly empty and she thought she must have overslept and wondered what time it was. There was no perception of time underground. No sun to guide one on the hour of the day, no clocks, just endless artificial light and unknown time passing. Mackenzie contemplated why they didn’t have clocks anywhere. Perhaps the sun rising and setting was all they needed to know underground.

  After filling her tray with cereal, juice and coffee, she glanced around the room before deciding to join a table of mothers, whom she guessed to be a little older than her, and their children. If she was going to stay here indefinitely, it wouldn’t hurt to get to know some of the inhabitants and maybe make new friends.

  “Do you mind if I join you?” she asked.

  All but one face turned to her with cautious smiles.

  “Sure,” the girl who appeared to be the eldest answered. She grabbed a chair from a table nearby and placed it beside her.

  On the opposite side, a dark-haired girl glared at her. She was younger than the rest and didn’t appear to be a mother to any of the children. The hostility pouring from her sent shivers over Mackenzie skin.

  “Thanks,” she said, placing her tray on the table before sitting on the offered chair. A small, shy smile lifted her lips in gratitude.

  Introductions were made by the oldest of the group, Melanie, and the dark-haired girl, Rachel, glared at her before turning her eyes to the tray in front of her, which she studied unnecessarily. She could understand the girl’s reservations, but Mackenzie couldn’t help thinking there was more to it. Maybe Ryan would know what that was about.

  “So you and Taylor, eh?” one asked. Alice, Mackenzie thought.

  “Um, yeah.” She blushed, unsure of how to proceed or what to say. “He’s um … nice.”

  “Too nice, if you ask me,” mumbled the brooding Rachel.

  The others seemed to ignore her, so Mackenzie did the same. It was difficult for them all to let her into their world, especially because of her relationship to Cody. Did they know who she was? Had Ryan told anyone?

  “I know it must be really strange for you all to have me here.” There were a few murmured replies, so Mackenzie kept going. “I’m not the enemy.”

  “You’re not fooling anyone,” Rachel said as she stood up.

  She shoved her chair under the table before stalking off.

  “Don’t worry about her,” Alice said. “She doesn’t like anyone.”

  A glare at Alice over her shoulder as she retreated was Rachel’s only response.

  “Have you all lost family too?” Mackenzie asked while not actually wanting to hear how many lives had been ruined, and how many of those were by an Edwards.

  “All of us have lost at least one family member. Some our husbands, some a parent or parents, a brother or sister,” Alice said.

  It was time to find out if they knew who she and her family were.

  “Did my … were my family …” Did she want to hear the truth? Mackenzie wanted to make amends for her family’s mistakes.

  “I think two out of the ten of us here lost someone from the order of an Edwards.”

  “Oh no,” she breathed out. She felt like she’d been shot in the chest. The guilt and sadness gripped tight inside her.

  “It’s not your fault,” Melanie said.

  “I’m so sorry; I didn’t know until now how it really was or if you knew who I am.”

  “Mackenzie, I can’t say I was happy when I heard you were here, but you seem to be genuine and Ryan wouldn’t trust you if he shouldn’t,” Melanie said.

  “I’m still not sure why he does. I can’t believe the things my family have done.”

  “It’s not their fault, or yours, it’s the government. We were fortunate enough to have the choice to stand against it. From what I know, your father was already in the army when the war began?” Mackenzie nodded. “Then he was doing his duty, and unfortunately this duty became murder.”

  “I can’t believe the father I knew and brother I know are capable of destroying lives. I know they did, but I don’t understand how my brother can do this.”

  “As much as we despise the government and the GAP, I believe that there’s sometimes reasons why decent people do things you never believe they could. Boys I went to school with, friends I grew up with, they have all conformed and done things I don’t like to think about. They were decent people who did things they may not necessarily believe in, but feel they have no choice. Never give up on your brother if you believe there is a good person inside him.”

  “How can you be so forgiving?”

  She shrugged. “We have to be, otherwise we will become just like them.”

  The conversation with Melanie stayed with her and she considered, for the infinite time since meeting Ryan, whether she could talk to Cody and reason with him.

  He wasn’t a bad person. She needed to believe that. Maybe there was a way to reason with him.

  Mackenzie also thought about Rachel’s reaction to her and wondered whether Ryan felt the same way. Did he still wonder whether her feelings were true? Did he trust her?

  As she mused about exactly how she could prove her true feelings and sincerity, he returned from meeting with his troops. His anxious expression caused her to feel uneasy.

  “Do you still think they’re coming before the rally?” she asked after he’d kissed her with such intensity she almost forgot her concern over his worry. “There’s only three more days.”

  “It’s possible. We’ll be ready.”

  His jaw tightened and her appr
ehension doubled. This was concerning him far more than he wanted her to know, more than he let on. The consequences of them breaking through could be dire. Would they take prisoners or would they shoot without thought?

  “I guess I’d better keep practicing my shooting.”

  Flashing eyes indicated a temper simmering below. With an annoyed frown, he grabbed her shoulders and continued to give her a smouldering stare.

  “What?” she asked. Why was he so frazzled?

  “There’s no way you’ll be leaving this room if they bring the fight here.”

  Ah, now they were getting to the crux.

  “You can’t order me to stay down here!”

  She could be playing with fire, but the thought of staying in the room and not knowing what was happening with him scared her more than she could fathom. It was love, she knew at that moment. This was the depth of her feelings. The idea that something could happen to him … she didn’t want to let the thought enter her mind.

  “Mackenzie, I won’t be able to concentrate if I’m worried about you.”

  “I can look after myself.”

  “You have no idea what you’re saying. I won’t lose you too. I love you.”

  Her astonished gasp matched his expression. His hands dropped from her shoulders and he turned away from her. She allowed herself a small smile before she placed a hand on his arm.

  “I love you too,” she said softly.

  He turned back to stare at her with those intense, darkened eyes. Neither of them spoke as he reached up to brush her hair behind her ears. The tender gesture was familiar now, as he’d performed it so often; however, this time it meant much more. His lips found hers with a newfound gentleness. Instead of the usual passion, he teased her lips with a slightly parted mouth.

  A bustle in the tunnel outside the door broke through their intimacy. Ryan stiffened and Mackenzie’s heart dropped. Something was causing a stir of activity. It could only be one thing.

  “Stay here,” he commanded before striding from the room.

  19

  Battleground

  Simmo appeared in the tunnel as Ryan closed the door. The bolt he’d instructed her to secure when he left, he heard lock into place, and he breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. Whether or not she would stay there was another thing. He couldn’t worry about that now, for Simmo’s expression said all he needed to know. They were here.

  “How many?”

  “Not as many as we thought. Cocky bastards. There’s maybe a few dozen with a tank. Edwards is leading the troops across the plains. They’re about five minutes out.”

  “If they have a tank they’ll get through.”

  Simmo nodded, his expression grim. Excitement shone in his eyes at the prospect of taking down some of the GAP.

  “Put our best shooters in the bunkers, and see if we can hold them off somehow. I’ll ensure the entrance is safe and you can try and take out as many as you can above ground.”

  “The fence and the entry won’t hold. You know that. We’ll have to go up and fight them.”

  Ryan shook his head.

  “Why? We have no other choice. It will only be a matter of time before they break through and get below. At least if we’re aboveground we can try and stop them.”

  “I know you’re right, and this is what we decided, but we may lose a lot of men.”

  “We might be able to take some of them out. They have vulnerable spots and we’ve been practicing. Our men are as ready as they’ll ever be. We have to go.”

  Their troops were already aboveground, waiting for Ryan and Simmo.

  His lieutenants had gathered all the men except the four who manned the bunkers. Their faces showed no fear and Ryan felt pride for the group. They could be facing their death, but refused to allow the enemy the satisfaction of knowing it. Ryan ran through the plan one last time before turning to face what was heading their way.

  In the near distance Edwards had stopped with his GAP and the large imposing tank had also halted a little ahead of them, ready to ram through their defences.

  Fear clutched at his chest, but he knew it wasn’t because he could have his blood spilt on the red-brown earth beneath him; it was because he might not have the chance to hold the love of his life in his arms again. The thought of losing her, of them storming below ground and killing her along with the other woman and children, chilled his blood.

  With a determination stronger than ever before, he readied his rifle and waited.

  Pacing seemed to be the only way to calm her frazzled nerves. Mackenzie had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity. What was happening? After a dozen laps of his small rooms, she rushed into their bedroom to attempt to see something through the skylight, to find it blocked off and the room darker than usual. Some kind of door had slid across to cover it.

  They’d obviously gone into some type of lockdown; the clear PVC window would not have kept anyone out. Unable to find out exactly what was happening, she resumed her pacing.

  Seconds, minutes, and what seemed like hours passed.

  The tunnels outside the door were eerily quiet, but the noise above her head was deafening. The sound of a large motor had been followed by a huge cracking sound and then blasts. This had to be something breaking through the fence. A tank?

  What were they shooting at? Had they just blasted the men away as they stood defending the innocent? Mackenzie couldn’t take it anymore. She had to find out.

  After unbolting the door, she peered out to find the long tunnel empty. Working her way towards the recreation area of the compound, she tried to remember which tunnel led to the ground above. Even after a few weeks she still found the maze difficult to navigate.

  Several wrong turns later, she found the tunnel that led to the entrance of one of the bunkers. Dirt and debris littered the ground and she gasped in horror. The bunker no longer existed. She took another involuntary sharp breath and her hand flew to her mouth when she realised the dark mud on the ground was the blood of the men inside.

  With eyes averted, she worked her way passed the bunker towards where she guessed the exit to be. Without further thought she climbed the ladder, pulled back the bolts, and pulled her gun from its holster.

  Taking a deep breath, she opened the trapdoor.

  His only focus was Cody. Somehow, he ignored the tank breaking down the fence. The blasts destroyed their four bunkers systematically. All he could see was Edwards. Rage so black, so consuming, was all he could see and he felt nothing else.

  Without thought for his safety he ran towards where Cody stood, just inside where the fence used to be, as he directed his GAPs.

  With the butt of the rifle facing out, he held it ready to issue the blow that he hoped would remove Cody’s helmet. The only way to take him down would be a head shot or the more difficult to reach vulnerable spot beneath the arm. Frustration and anger caused a low growl to reverberate in his throat and burst out of his mouth like an Indian war cry.

  Cody turned and beneath his clear visor he sneered. As Edwards lifted his gun to fire what would be a deadly shot, Ryan, in one swift motion, knocked his helmet from his head. The blow surprised Cody, and before he could recover, Ryan slammed the rifle into his wrist and Cody’s gun clamoured to the dirt. The next blow caught him in the stomach, which doubled him over, and the final hit on the back brought him to ground.

  Cody rolled over and looked up into the rifle pointed at his forehead.

  Ryan could barely draw breath as adrenalin pumped through his blood, making his heart race. He felt like he’d run a marathon, not a short sprint across the compound. His finger itched to pull the trigger and wipe the smirk off his face.

  “Where’s my sister?” Cody asked, surprising Ryan.

  The reminder of her caused him to hesitate. Revenge and hatred screamed in his mind, pull the trigger, and kill him for his family. His breathing changed to rapid pants as he swung between hate for Cody and love for Mackenzie.

  “Where�
��s my sister?”

  “You murdered my family,” Ryan bit out the words in a sneer.

  Cody didn’t say anything, simply returned a menacing stare.

  He wanted to kill him. The old Ryan, the one before Mackenzie showed him light within the darkness that was his life, wouldn’t be hesitating. For her, he needed answers.

  “Why are you doing this?” Ryan said.

  “We aren’t doing anything. You’re the rats who won’t conform.”

  “Are they the words straight out of a GAP handbook?”

  “What would you know about anything? You hide underground. You don’t know how important the cause is.”

  “I can’t believe you’re related to Mackenzie.” The moment the words slipped through his lips he regretted them.

  “Where is she?”

  A look of what Ryan could only interpret as concern creased Cody’s brow. Is it possible there was some humanity living inside a sadistic shell? His trigger finger itched to pull, but he couldn’t seem to send the signal from his brain to his hand. All he could think about was what it would do to her.

  “Ryan! What are you doing?”

  Her voice cut through the curses in his head and he let one escape as she stormed towards them, gun held out in front of her with two hands holding tight, as he’d taught her. She appeared assured.

  A small smirk touched his lips until he realised she pointed the gun at him.

  Cody’s maniacal laugh caused the black fury to rip through his control and regardless of the consequences he wanted Edwards to be a dead man. It seemed he’d been duped by the girl he loved and she was the enemy after all.

  “What are you waiting for, Mackenzie?” Cody said. “Shoot the rat.”

  “Step away from my brother, Ryan,” she said.

  His head swivelled from her to Cody and back again. Indecision clouded his vision. “He deserves to die,” he bit out between clenched teeth.

  “Please, don’t kill him.”

  Her voice trembled and Ryan wasn’t sure who she was scared for. All he knew was that she was protecting Cody from him.