by Kim Curran
He rested his hand on my shoulder. “Oh, believe me, Tyler, I am gay in every reality. It’s the way I was made. You know, you were much cooler about this the first time I told you.”
“I’m cool about it now,” I said, embarrassed at myself. “I am. It’s only… I always thought that you and Aubrey had been a thing.”
“Oh, maybe when I was younger and I was still working this whole sexuality thing out, I might have considered it. You know, she’s amazing. But nope. I’m all gay. All the way.”
He slapped me gently around the face. “So stop being such a prick and come inside. And if you’re really good, I’ll tell Aubrey what a great guy you are, OK?”
“I’m such an idiot,” I said, shaking my head.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zac said, looking over my shoulder. “Besides, I think we’ve got much bigger things to worry about.”
I turned to see what he was looking at. Cain strode towards us, a very unimpressed look on his face.
“Busted,” Zac said.
“Who wants to explain what is going on here, then?” Cain shouted at us, after we’d all lined up in front of the bunks. “Hmm? No one? Have you all suddenly become mute? Well, that’s quite a relief, as it means I won’t have to put up with all your tiresome chit-chat when you ask for things like rec time or food.”
He strode up and down, his hands clasped behind him.
“What’s that?” he said, stopping in front of Turner. “Did you say something?”
Turner flushed and croaked something that I couldn’t hear from my end of the line.
“You were celebrating?” Cain roared. “And what exactly were you celebrating? Has the war ended without anyone informing me? Well? Speak up, girl!”
“No,” Turner stuttered.
“No, what?”
“No, sir!” Turner shouted.
“I did not think so. Which means that I need every one of my men to be in tiptop condition. The enemy could strike at any point. Do we have a problem, Unwin?”
I risked peering around Zac, who was standing next to me. Unwin looked decidedly green and bit both his lips together as if desperately trying to stop something from escaping out of his mouth. He failed, doubling over and emptying the contents of his stomach onto the floor in front of Cain.
Cain took the longest time to look down, staring straight ahead for, I counted, thirty seconds. He then stepped away, shaking his boot clean.
Unwin was on the floor, spluttering his apologies and trying to wipe the sergeant’s boot clean with the sleeve of his shirt. Something within Cain seemed to change. He looked down at Unwin on all fours, and a smile inched across his face. And then he burst out laughing. He laughed so much, he had to bend over and rest both hands on his knees.
A look passed among the squad, not sure what to do. Was this some kind of test?
Cain finally straightened up and wiped a tear from his milky eye. “Someone get this man a glass of water. And while you’re at it, get me a glass of whatever hooch you are drinking.”
And that was it. The tension vanished, and a few minutes later, the music was blasting again. Cain caught my eye and winked, the action making his whole face fold up like a crumpled ball of paper.
“You want?” Aubrey had joined me in my corner, holding the canteen in her hand.
“God, no,” I said. I didn’t want to end up like Unwin, who was now lying on the grass outside. “What’s that made of, anyway?”
“I find it’s best not to ask. There’s probably some petrol in it somewhere.” She twisted the lid tight on the bottle and laid it on the bunk bed next to us. “How are you holding up?”
“Me? Oh, fine, you know.”
“Feeling any less…” She made the corkscrew gesture next to her temple.
“I still don’t remember, if that’s what you mean.”
She nudged me with her hip and smiled. “Good.” And with a look that confused the hell out of me while also making my stomach dance, she wandered off to join the party again.
“Not joining in, Tyler?” Cain said.
“I’m not a very good dancer, sir.”
“Neither are any of them. But they’re having fun. You should try it sometime.”
“I’ll be sure to do that,” I said. “When…”
“When the war’s over, hey?” Cain said.
“I guess.”
“Well, that may come sooner than you think.”
“What they’ve been saying about the treaty, then, it’s true?”
“All I know, officially, is that Emperor Tzen is arriving at oh nine hundred tomorrow,” he said with a happy smile. “Unofficially, I would say that there will be a lot more celebrating in the days to come. But in the meantime, life doesn’t stick around, Tyler. Take it from me. You can wait years hoping for something, all while you miss the fact that what you were looking for was right in front of you all along.”
Aubrey was leading the team in some kind of line dance, getting them all to jump left and right. They were all making a complete shambles of it and having a great time doing so.
Cain slapped me on the shoulder so hard, I thought my knees might break. “Don’t waste the good times, Tyler.”
He nodded towards Aubrey, who was gesturing for me to join in the dance.
“Yes, sir.” I stood up to join her, then Unwin came staggering in. He bounced off me.
“Sorry, Com!”
“That’s OK.”
He bent over, his hands on his knees. “Give me a sec. I’m gonna see if I can Shift myself sober.” His Ss all slurred into each other, so I wasn’t sure if I’d heard him right.
“What do you mean?” I said.
“Shift,” he said, tapping at his beret. “You know? Shhhiiiifffttt.”
I grabbed him by the arm and pulled his beret off his head. Under the hat, running across his temple, was a livid red scar.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
I stalked over to Williamson and yanked his beret off, too.
“Oi!” he said, brushing his hair back into place.
I let the hat fall to the floor.
“Com, what’s going on?” Zac said.
They were all staring at me like I’d gone crazy. “Nothing,” I said. “I… I’ve had too much to drink.”
I pushed Zac aside and ran for the door. I needed some air.
Unwin and Williamson were Shifters. Ladoux and Hedges, maybe? How many others in S3 had been through the process? Shifters and soldiers working side by side, that’s what Cain had said. Closer than I could have ever imagined.
I’d been working alongside adult Shifters for days now. The very people I’d been tasked to arrest – the people I’d come to loathe. How hadn’t I noticed?
I sensed him there, smiling again.
Took you long enough, he said, mocking me.
I was really, really starting to hate myself.
How could he be this happy about it? What kind of animal had I become? Because, if there were adult Shifters in the army, that could only mean that Project Ganymede was still in operation.
I heard the door open behind me. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Aubrey. I could smell her perfume, recognise the sound of her boots on the steps.
“Scott,” Aubrey said, resting her hand on my shoulder. “You’re scaring me.”
“The squad,” I said, refusing to face her.
“What about them?”
“They’re Shifters.”
“And?” she said, as if waiting for the real news. “All of S3 are Shifters.”
“The whole division? That’s nearly four hundred men!”
“It’s why we’re called the Special Shifting Service.”
I’d been so stupid. I assumed it was soldiers supporting Shifters. Like the Regulators back at ARES. Not that every man and woman in the S3 had the power.
“What’s the matter, Scott? I’m scheduled to have the op too, when the time comes. You too, Scott. All senior Shifting officers are.”
“No!
” I said. “Never.”
“Why not, Scott? We need you. You can’t let a power like yours go to waste.”
“The price is too high.”
“The operation? I know it’s dangerous, but it’s worth it.”
Where were they getting the volunteers for their programme now? And then, a horrible realisation dawned.
“The reintegration programme.”
“You mean where the kids who flunk out of basic training go? What about it?”
“What is it?” I closed my eyes, hoping that she didn’t know. Because if she did know, and if she accepted it, then everything I’d been fighting for over the past few days was worthless. Aubrey wouldn’t be the person I wanted her to be.
“I’m not sure. I guess they learn skills to reintegrate into society. It’s a place in South London somewhere. But what’s this got to do with you not wanting the operation?”
Relief washed over me. She didn’t know. She was my Aubrey still. With a heart and a soul that this war hadn’t robbed her of, like it was threatening to do to me.
“I need to take you there. You need to see.”
“What, now?”
“Yes. Now.”
“Scott, I think you should see the doc.”
I grabbed hold of her by both arms. “Do you trust me?” I said, looking into her eye.
“You’re my senior officer.”
“Not like that. I don’t mean, will you follow my orders. I mean, do you trust me?”
She scanned my face, as if looking for an answer. “I’ve only just met you.”
“What does your gut say?”
“It says you’re probably crazy, but yes, I trust you.”
“Then we don’t have much time. But first…” I pulled out my phone: army issue, a chunky satellite phone.
“Hello, can I help you?” a clipped voice said.
“Can I speak to Morgan?” I said.
“Mr Morgan is–”
“It’s Commandant Tyler,” I said, cutting her off. “And I need to speak to him now!”
A few clicks later, Morgan’s groggy voice came across the crackling line. “Yes, what is it?”
“Katie Tyler. I want her taken out of the programme and sent to the Hub now. It’s mission critical.”
“But…”
“But what?”
A cold dread crept its way up my spine. I already knew what he was going to say. “She went through the final test yesterday, and I’m sorry to say that she failed. I tried to coach her through it, but there’s only so much that can be done when a child is not willing to–”
I didn’t have time for Morgan and his self-importance. “Where is she?”
“She’s been sent to the reintegration programme with the other cadets who failed. I’m sure once she’s been adequately adjusted, you’ll be able to see her.”
“Adequately adjusted?”
“Yes. You know, adjusted to become a useful member of society. How to work in shops, that sort of thing.”
“You have no idea, do you?” I hung up before he could start to protest.
“What the hell is going on, Tyler?” Zac said, walking down the steps.
“I need the keys to your car,” I said.
“No way. No one drives my baby but me.”
“Zac,” Aubrey said, fixing him with a fierce stare. “Give me the keys.”
It felt like forever to get to the address I’d pulled off the files about the reintegration programme. We had to stop at five roadblocks and go through the same boring rigmarole with snarky army officers. I was about to tell Aubrey to drive through the next one when we finally pulled up outside a modern, glass-fronted hospital. In my old reality, the programme had been run out of another hospital called Greyfield’s. But this place looked to be three times the size.
“What do you know about what goes on here?” I asked Aubrey as she killed the engine.
“Not much,” she said, resting her arm on the steering wheel and peering through the windscreen. “I’ve heard it called the Bin, you know, where the rejects end up.”
“And has anyone ever seen any of the rejects again?” I said.
Aubrey looked up, trying to access her memory. Then she looked at me. “I’ve never thought about it before, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a kid that failed after they left.”
She leaned forward in her seat again and looked up at the house. “What do they do to them in there?”
I couldn’t tell her. She had to see for herself.
“Come on,” I said opening the car door. I had to find out if my sister was OK. If she wasn’t… I couldn’t even think about that.
We walked up to the front door and rang the bell. No sneaking around in the dark like when Cain and I had broken into Greyfield’s. Besides, this wasn’t the first time I’d been here. Or at least not the first time he’d been here. I knew the place as if from a recurring dream.
The door opened, revealing a stern-faced nurse. Her expression switched from annoyance to surprise as soon as she saw me.
“Commandant Tyler,” she said. “We weren’t expecting you.”
“Evening…” It took me the faintest of efforts to pluck her name out of his memory, “Marie, I’m sorry I didn’t call ahead.”
“Oh, not a problem, sir,” she said, stepping aside to let me in. “Anything for the S3. We’re so proud of your efforts, and to know we’d played our small part.”
I forced a smile, when I really wanted to scream abuse in her face. “And you will be justly rewarded for your work,” I said.
“Oh, we don’t do it for the glory, sir.” She rubbed her hands on her bleached white skirt, filled with faux humility.
I glared at her. “Oh, I’m quite sure of that.” I coughed. “Anyway, Marie, I’m here because of an issue with one of the latest cadets.”
“An issue?” Marie said.
“An administration error over at the academy. You know how it is, what with everything that’s been going on. One of the cadets can’t be scheduled for surgery.”
“Surgery?” Aubrey whispered behind me.
“But some of the cadets have already been processed,” Marie said. “We double-checked their results as procedure.”
“Has a cadet called Katie been processed?” I said, my voice a dry whisper.
Marie pulled out a small tablet and consulted her list. “We have a Katie…” She paused and looked up at me. “A Katie Tyler. Is she a relation?”
I smiled his most enigmatic smile. “I’d like to see her.”
“She is about to be prepped for surgery.”
I stiffened. “It has to be stopped or there will be consequences.” I made that word heavy and threatening.
“Scott, what’s going on?” Aubrey said, laying her hand on my arm.
“Take me to her,” I said, ignoring Aubrey. “Take me to her now.”
Marie huffed and puffed but did as I instructed. She led us up a wide, spiralling staircase and through a bleach-clean corridor, muttering about procedure the whole way.
“The volunteers are in there,” she said, stopping in front of a door.
Volunteers. It made me sick. No one ever volunteered for this.
I looked through the hatched glass window to see four kids wearing hospital gowns, perching on the edges of hospital beds. A fifth girl stood, pacing like a caged animal in the zoo.
“Katie!” The relief was overwhelming. I tried to open the door but it was locked. “Open it,” I snapped at Marie.
“I’m afraid I need authorisation,” she said.
“I am Commandant Tyler, head officer at S3, and this is an S3 facility. What further authorisation do you need?”
“Let me check with–”
I grabbed her by the shoulders before she could reach for her radio and looked deep into her eyes.
“You will open the door. Now,” I said, slowly. Clearly.
Her eyes went blank. Whether I’d Forced my will on her or simply scared her into obeying, I didn’t kn
ow. Either way, she placed her palm against the reader on the door.
“Scott!” Katie said as I threw the door open and charged in.
I scooped her up in my arms. “It’s OK,” I said. “I’m getting you out of here.”
“What’s going on?” she said as I put her down. “They said something about surgery.”
The other kids had gathered around, looking up at me with terrified eyes. Looking for answers that I didn’t know if I could bear to give them.
“It doesn’t matter now,” I said. “I’m getting you all out of here.”
“You can’t do that,” Marie said, placing herself in the doorway.
“I’m shutting the whole programme down.”
“I’m calling Mr Morgan.”
“You can call anyone you like,” I said, taking Katie’s hand and leading her towards the door. “We’re leaving. All of us.”
Marie made a show of blocking my way: her square jaw set, her arms folded across her chest. But I could tell by the twitch around her eyes that she was close to breaking. All it took was a look from me and she stepped aside.
“Scott,” Aubrey said. “You really need to tell us what the hell is going on.”
I’d brought her here for this. She needed to see.
“Show them,” I snapped at Marie. “Show them the children.”
“This is all quite…”
“Now!” I snapped.
Marie flinched before spinning on her heels and leading us further up the stairs.
I let Aubrey go first and followed, playing through my mind the amount of times he’d been here, from the first time Abbott brought him here and explained the importance of sacrifice, till the last time he’d come here after Abbott had died to ensure the programme was still running. He was the one who gave clearance on what went on in this place. He was the one responsible.
Marie pressed her palm against a second reader, and a set of double doors swung open.
There were row upon row of beds, hundreds of bodies, each hooked up to a bleeping machine. The bleeps marking their heartbeats were all fractionally out of sequence, creating a sound not unlike birdsong. Dead eyes stared ahead, livid scars ran across small foreheads.
“What is this place?” Aubrey said, her voice small and her eyes wide.