The Rainbow Maker's Tale

by Melanie Cusick-Jones

  Chapter 20

  “Cassie?” I whisper-shouted beside the wall, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. It didn’t feel like they were.

  The grass behind the Green Zone apartments sloped upwards slightly and so the wall was not as high on this side. Stretching upwards, I pushed the workbag over the top, keeping hold of one strap to lower it on the other side before reaching my limit and dropping it the last half-metre or so. A soft thud reassured me that it was unlikely anything had broken. The same noise told me that Cassie had not caught it.

  “Cassie?!” I called again, beginning to panic.

  Surely she would be more concerned with getting out of here, than punishing me for leaving her?

  “CASSIE!” There was no response.

  Pacing three steps back, I took a running jump at the wall, locking my fingers onto the bricks and levering myself upwards so that my head and shoulders cleared the top. I peered over, finding nothing but the bag I’d just thrown over.

  I swivelled my head in every direction, wondering where she might have gone…where she could be hiding… “Cassie?!”

  Adjusting position, I moved my right arm forwards to get a better grip and froze when a flash of red caught my attention. In horror, I re-focused on the red spot and I looked down to see the mark emblazoned on my skin. Spinning in place to look behind me, my eyes raked across the grass I’d been standing on a moment earlier, but I saw nothing. My wristband was missing.

  For a moment I couldn’t think clearly of anything, blind panic took control. Disjointed thoughts and half-ideas spun through my mind as my breath became gasps. Gradually, clarity came back: Cassie had gone, my wristband was missing…were the two things connected?

  “No.” The word cracked in my throat as comprehension crashed over me. I’d left Cassie behind – broken my promise – but didn’t believe that she would actually follow me: she was smart enough to follow my plan, even if she was angry with me. The only thing I could imagine that would make her come after me was if she thought I was in danger…which meant that she knew I’d lost my wristband, and that it must have happened before I went into the apartment…

  “Oh no,” I whispered, letting go of the wall and dropping to the floor.

  My mark would have triggered the scanner system as soon as I entered the apartment – how could I not have noticed the double-beep of the scanner? I kicked out in frustration, jabbing my foot into the ground, not understanding how I could have been so blind. They would know where I had been, and now Cassie was heading straight towards them.

  As if on cue, to emphasise this revelation, the sky began to darken. One moment everything was normal and in the next instant everything was vanishing into shadows. In the distance an announcement began to transmit from viewing screens inside the apartments, as well as the outdoor plazas, it echoed menacingly through the air to my ears: “Please be advised that emergency maintenance of the solar ceiling is required. For your own safety you are advised to return home as soon as possible. Normal operation will commence at sunrise tomorrow.” The voice of the female announcer was gentle as ever, as she spread her lies. This wasn’t for maintenance; this was for us…Cassie and me…

  “Cassie.” With her name on my lips I was already running. Nothing else mattered but finding her and keeping her away from The Council or Collective, or whoever it was that was coming for us under the cover of darkness.

  As I neared the apartment a flash of white passed through the dim light ahead of me. “Cassie!” I called out, recognising her pale skin against the dark medic suit a moment too late. She was already gone. Forcing myself to move faster, I burst through the main entrance to the apartment building a few seconds behind her. “CASSIE!” I shouted up towards where the noisy slapping of her shoes on the stairs told me she was. She didn’t stop and I was already taking the stairs two at a time, chasing after her as I ran through possible ways to escape the apartment block if they caught us inside. There was no easy way out – one entrance, one exit – fighting was the only option I could imagine if we refused to go with them.

  When I reached the apartment I found the door fully open and, not worrying about silence now, rushed inside.

  “Balik?”

  I heard Cassie call my name in the darkness ahead and moved in that direction to find her standing in the living space with her back to me, eyes focused on the kitchen.

  Not wanting to startle her, I reached forward intending to say her name so that she knew it was me, but at the last second Cassie must have seen my reflection in the window because I heard her suck in a deep breath to shout. Panicking, I clamped my hand across her mouth as gently as I could and whispered “don’t scream.” She struggled immediately, a reflex reaction, before processing my words. A second later Cassie stopped thrashing and sagged against me.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, unable to stop myself. I obviously knew why Cassie was here: I’d figured that out a few minutes ago hadn’t I… What I actually meant was: why did you follow me instead of keeping yourself safe?

  Cassie twisted inside my arms to face me.

  “No – time – ” she gasped, her breath coming in gulps as she started pushing me towards the door. “They’re coming here – now – you dropped your band – ”

  “I know. I thought it was here, that’s why I came back.” It wasn’t quite the truth, but was probably the best way to get her out fast.

  “You dropped it at the wall,” Cassie choked out, opening her fingers to reveal the warm metal band in her palm.

  Cassie had done exactly what I thought she had. “They know that I’m here and you came back for me.” I said this mainly to myself, although Cassie nodded in response. Another few seconds passed before I dragged myself back to the situation at hand. “We need to – ”

  Crack.

  My mouth snapped shut and my ears strained, trying to work out what the noise had been. It sounded as though it had come from outside the apartment. With one finger pressed to my lips, to tell Cassie to keep quiet, I guided her towards the empty office next to the kitchen and pushed her inside. Safely hidden, I turned my back on her, easing into a half-crouch, my legs slightly spread in a defensive stance.

  Cassie touched my hand and I turned partway around, so that I could see her as well as the main entrance.

  “There are three of them,” she mouthed silently at me, holding up three fingers. “At least one has some form of sedative syringe,” she held up one finger and then emphasised her words by miming a syringe being depressed.

  For a moment I struggled to understand how Cassie could know this information, before I realised that she must be inside their heads. Her abilities were getting stronger much faster than I could have expected.

  Three of them, armed with syringes: it sounded like the same kind of team that Cassie had dreamed about when Ami was taken. Cassie was gesturing at me again.

  “They’re waiting at the entrance for you. They think it will be easier to ambush you in the hallway.”

  I nodded to show her I understood and pointed to my chest, then my feet to let her know I would be staying exactly where I was. Then I signalled for her to move back inside the office: this time my gestures were more pronounced, I had a feeling Cassie would resist and I was right. She shook her head – no – and I could see she wanted to join me, her eyes aglow with fear and determination. I shook my own head and pushed her away as she reached out again.

  Please?

  Eventually, she took one step back, disappearing into the shadows. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do. Right now, things didn’t look good, but I might still be able to keep them away from Cassie: they only knew about me.

  During the next few minutes there was near silence. I focused on my breathing to stay calm – just as I’d practised. The familiar pattern was soothing and as everything slowed down I let my senses take over. My ears strained to detect any further movements outside the apartment, my eyes scann
ed the room searching for possible weapons. Where my suit fitted closely I felt as though I was aware of every single fibre resting on my skin. Every sense was heighted. The air in the apartment was cooled for comfort, but as I drew it into my lungs now it was not comforting – just necessary.

  I’d never actually fought anyone before and as the time stretched my mind began to race, making me more anxious. I could feel a rush about to kick in. Forcing my mind back to my breathing I tried not to let the fear take over.

  One breath in, two breathe out, three breath in…

  Counting through the breaths helped calm me faster. I couldn’t risk having my adrenaline spike now before anything happened, it would leave me drained at the point I might actually need it.

  A soft hiss from Cassie drew my attention, and I just knew they were coming in. My body snapped straighter, muscles tightening as I waited for them to appear. There was no way back from here – I was ready. All I could hope was that they weren’t prepared for me.

  Three figures in black suits entered the living room. They looked like any other adult males from the Family Quarter, with the exception of the black gloves on their hands and the hard looking shoes on their feet, heavier than anything we wore normally. Maybe the taller man at the back looked different; there was an unfamiliar hardness to his features, his eyes were riveted to mine and when I looked into them I felt my stomach squeeze painfully. There was something dark behind his gaze that scared the hell out of me.

  We stood in silence. They looked at me and I watched them back. I felt nothing, but assumed they must be trying to get a reading on my thoughts. Cassie would know what they were thinking – what they might be planning – all I could do was wait.

  “Balik,” the man at the back addressed me.

  His gruff voice was as cold and hollow as his gaze, and it made me want to turn and run. I fought to keep my mind blank as panic pushed my heart rate higher.

  “You need to come with us. The Council have instructed us to collect you.”

  “The Council…really?” I worked to keep my voice light, conversational. My only advantage would be my desire to fight back and I didn’t want to give them any indication of my plan. “I don’t think that can be right, I haven’t disobeyed any rule. You must want someone else.”

  “You have been identified as having a fault in your marking,” the man replied, appearing mildly frustrated. “The faults are connected to odd behaviour – it’s affecting several people on your Clinic placement – we’re just here to help you get some treatment.”

  “I’m sure that’s right, but I’m quite happy with how I’m behaving, so I’ll not go for treatment if that’s OK.”

  “Unfortunately that’s not an option,” he argued back, his voice becoming a growl. “You are coming with us one way or another. You’re a danger to yourself and others.”

  I shook my head: no. There was nothing wrong with me – or Cassie – this was all down to them and they knew it.

  A split-second later the two men closest to me sprang forward, aiming for my middle judging by their approach. The one to my left was faster, his target lower. At the last possible moment I dodged to the right, out of his way letting him fall past me. The other man was smaller, but aiming higher and so I dropped low to ram into his midriff and spin him over the top of my shoulder – his weight hit me hard, he was more solid than I expected – but momentum helped carry him forward and I heard him land awkwardly on the floor behind me.

  I didn’t look back. The adrenaline was flying fully through me now and my attention was drawn, not to the man I’d just tossed over my shoulder, but straight ahead to the open door of the apartment, five paces from where I stood. The tall man was positioned in the corner of the room, too far away to stop me if I ran. My feet twitched – a natural flight response, but I resisted – I couldn’t flee because the only real chance Cassie and I had together was to stand and fight.

  In the two seconds it took me to make these observations and discard them, the first figure righted himself and changed direction to lunge at me again. I couldn’t sidestep him this time and so I punched into the softness of his stomach. The blow landed with a loud smacking noise and he exhaled in surprise stumbling back a step.

  It would have been satisfying, except an intense burning in my knuckles sidetracked me. It was as though I’d punched a piece of wood, not just muscle or flesh – that couldn’t be right. The distraction was momentary, because my body was already moving automatically forward: the routines I’d created and practiced encouraged me not to stop, but keep fighting. Advancing on the falling figure I landed a low kick on his knee as he staggered. At the point of contact I forced my foot down hard against the resisting bone and felt something snap beneath my shoe. It was accompanied by a sickening crack and I expected him to scream or shout or something, but he didn’t: he made no sound at all, simply dropped to the ground.

  Preoccupied with my confusion at his unnatural response to the pain of having his leg snapped, I forgot about the other man, and wasn’t fast enough to avoid the first punch he threw at me as he found his feet once more. I cried out – involuntarily – in amazement. The force of it sent me spinning into the wall. My face hit it with a dull thud – flesh and bone jarring beneath the thin membrane of skin – and I tasted blood on my lips.

  Shock cloyed at me, trying to drag me back, slow me down or make me run…but then more adrenaline punched into my system, overriding my initial inertia. I’d never been hit before, and the force of the punch stunned me – it was so much harder than I would have thought possible.

  MOVE! My mind was screaming at me, but it was hard to shake off the confusion – this wasn’t right. Pulling myself back upright, I turned to face him. The man stood before me still, several inches shorter than I and definitely lighter.

  It wasn’t right! He was too strong – impossibly powerful for his size – and his fist had felt like…what…?

  Wrong. They felt wrong.

  It was just the same as when I hit them: the impact didn’t feel right, it was as though they were more solid than a normal human body should be.

  Could it be some form of armour beneath their clothing?

  No, that wouldn’t explain their unnatural strength…

  Perhaps they heard these questions in my thoughts – although I was sure that my confusion must have been plain on my face – the one who’d hit me let out a roar, or maybe it was a laugh, as he swung towards me again.

  Spinning away, I dropped low and swept my leg along the ground kicking the man’s feet from under him. He dropped heavily to the floor for a second time, but now there was no pause before the man stood back up and moved towards me for a third attempt. On my right I heard the other man – whose knee I’m sure I’d smashed – getting to his feet as well.

  This was not going to go well for me. I was outnumbered, they were abnormally strong and – looking at the man standing with a broken knee as though he felt no pain at all – it appeared I was unable to harm them. I had absolutely no clue what was going on, or how this was possible, but it was just something else to add to the list of things I don’t know, because there was no time to process anything right now. Preparing myself for the inevitable, my gaze swivelled from one man to the other, wondering who would attack first. That was when they both froze in place.

  Why had they stopped?

  I watched the man to my left wobbling on his damaged leg. A large lump protruded from the front of his knee, straining at the material of his suit. I couldn’t begin to guess how it was possible for him to be standing up, apparently unconcerned by what looked like a compound fracture in his leg.

  Looking from one face to another, I found only staring eyes, focused on me. There was no warmth about their features, and no flickers of emotion – anger, excitement, pain – revealing what was running through their minds. There was just…nothing. I was sure that every thought, every fear, must be painted plainly across my face; they would probab
ly know exactly what I was thinking without needing to use their ability to read my mind.

  “Not quite what you expected?”

  It was the taller man at the back who addressed me, the one who had not tried to attack me – yet. He must be some sort of leader, directing the other two men.

  Not what I expected… His words repeated in my mind as I heaved in a breath. How could I not be shocked?

  I’d spent years feeling like some deviant Neanderthal, intrigued with working out why men were violent with one another and how we had evolved that way. Now I found that there was some secret division that existed on the space station, oriented around exactly that. Why would they be needed – why would violence be something they prepared for – if our society was so perfect and peaceful?

  “What you can do – it’s unusual – we haven’t seen real fighting for quite a while now.” He shrugged dismissively. “I thought it must have died out.”

  There was scorn beneath his words and it irked me, although it was his second comment that caught my attention. It sounded as if he had experienced violence on the station itself. That was something I’d never heard before, or even considered: we’d always been told that the peace and segregation agreements were decided before our ancestors left Earth…is it possible that the violence followed them to the SS Hope?

  “It’s very impressive, of course, but it won’t get you anywhere.” The same man spoke again, his eyes raking across my face, searching for some kind of a response.

  Was it possible that I was still managing to conceal my thoughts from them? I wouldn’t have thought it possible, especially in my panic during the fight, but perhaps I was wrong.

  “Huh.” Was all I said; I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of distracting me. Whether they expected me to fight back or not, whether I had any chance of winning or not, it didn’t matter. I was going to fight them, with everything I had. And I wasn’t going to wait for them either.

  Focusing on the more vulnerable looking figure I feinted towards them, encouraging him to try and catch me. He took the bait and lunged, but his injury slowed his approach and seizing the moment of weakness as his weight pulled him forwards, I grabbed hold of his wrist. With a single, sharp jerk I yanked him in then forced him roughly to the ground. The snap of a shoulder dislocating cracked through the otherwise silent room.

  I loosened my hands and stepped back, leaving the man on the floor, expecting him to stay down. Within moments he was getting back to his feet. It was obviously a struggle, but mainly because of his injured leg and arm, not because he was writhing in agony – as he should be. What the hell were these people? How could someone stand such pain?

  The injured man leaped for me as soon as he found his feet, despite his right arm being near useless and hanging limply at his side. From the corner of my eye, I saw the other man circling to attack as well. A hand gripped my arm: it was the wounded man trying to pin my arm down, but he wasn’t strong enough. I pushed him away easily and he fell to the side. Unfortunately, the second figure was faster: his arms wrapped around my chest in an instant, locking my arms tight to my body.

  Struggling to free myself I spun around, trying to dislodge the heavy man. As we whirled past I saw Cassie move in the shadows.

  No!

  There was fear in her eyes, concern for me and I knew that she was going to reveal her position to try and help.

  “DON’T!” I screamed through gritted teeth. The word choked off when my assailant clamped his arm around my throat. “Please,” I begged inside my head, hoping that Cassie would hear me without spoken words.

  I couldn’t breathe. The man’s arm had become a vice around my neck, reducing my movements to nothing. Terror flamed inside me, pushing me to struggle harder, but I couldn’t shift him.

  They must have sensed me weakening because his companion approached now, a syringe in his good hand, primed and ready.

  NO! I would not give up.

  With my right leg I kicked backwards at the shin of the man holding me, aiming for the soft spot on his foot when I couldn’t get a clear shot higher up. It should have hurt him: the impact jarred my heel and ankle. Nothing changed though – his grip remained tight.

  I tried again, shoving hard against him and pressing my feet into the floor to lever myself backwards. It was enough to move me away from the syringe and three paces back we slammed into the wall. The impact loosened his grip for a precious moment and I pulled my arms loose.

  Mobile once more, I lunged forwards, smashing my forearm into the man’s throat as he approached with the needle. He fell to the ground and this time he did not move.

  I had no time to process being surprised at my sudden success, as the other two men – the one who’d not approached me so far - flew ferociously at me now. There was nothing I could do to get away. The first man grabbed me around the chest again: pinning my arms against my sides, his forearm pulling hard on my throat. I was instantly immobilised. The leader was already on the floor, diving for the syringe that was still in the limp hand of my fallen attacker.

  There was no way to resist them as they wrestled me to the floor, kicking my legs from under me, choking me into submission. My hands and feet lashed out ineffectually and I knew it was over: they were going to take me.

  “NO!” I shouted out to Cassie, hoping against hope that she was not thinking of doing anything stupid, like trying to help me. I was beyond that now. Dragging up the images from my memory I pushed them out to her, reminding her of the promise she’d made me only a short time ago. “No matter what happens to me – you will get out of here.”

  I bucked my hips, still trying to wriggle free. With an angry grunt, one of the men shifted his weight onto my chest, straddling me and preventing my legs from lifting up to kick at them. My arms burned as they were pressed into the floor, held tight at the elbows. As the needle slid into my arm I felt a small prick, and then…nothing. For a few seconds the drug had no effect, then it swam deeper into my system and began to take hold.

  At the edge of my sight, things began to get fuzzy. I blinked, trying to clear my vision, but it only got worse. One of the men leaned in close over my face, but all I saw was a pinky-coloured oval.

  “Where’s the girl?” he asked.

  I’m not speaking to you, bad man. A little sing-song voice floated through my mind and swinging my head away from him, I slurred: “not – saying – ”

  With the last conscious thought I could summon, I did my best to protect Cassie. I pictured her alone and scared, cowering in a dark corner of an engineering plant room. From my memory, I picked one with lots of pipes and cabling so that it would not give them a clear target.

  “I’m sorry, Cassie,” I whispered to the darkness inside my head…then I let it swallow me.