Redux

by S. A. Stephenson

  ‘While our world has adapted and evolved to deal with what Galen’s grandfather put in place after the war, the other countries seem to have advanced far more rapidly,’ Cerkis said. ‘They’ve had access to technology that we could only dream of, although its origin hasn’t yet been shared with us.’

  ‘Do they also have Genics?’ Evie asked.

  ‘A variation,’ Kit noted Cerkis avoided looking at Evie as she replied.

  Evans interjected. ‘Human modification was already pretty popular back in the day,’ he said. ‘People were finding ways to biohack themselves, and advance what their body could do. Since the evolution of technology, they’ve been able to grow this even further. While Galen was focused on advancing human DNA, they’ve managed to evolve into something that’s almost like a new species.’

  ‘I’m not sure I understand,’ Kit said. ‘Do they have powers like we do?’ She was growing frustrated with not being given a straight answer.

  Kit frowned when she saw Cerkis and Evans exchange glances. ‘Not exactly,’ Cerkis replied. ‘Genics were able to obtain their powers through human fusion with what was thought to be alien DNA,’ she said. ‘The rest of the world seems to have used nano-technology, where Genics can manipulate their surroundings, create energy from within and use it as a combative power from without, nano-technology has allowed humans to adapt themselves to be physically strong, mentally advanced, digitally connected, these humans, they can go on the net with a simple thought after getting a chip inserted into their cortex and can download any information they want within seconds. They have metal enhancements in their legs so they can run faster than a leopard, they can connect with each other with a simple thought.’

  Kit sat back in her seat, trying to comprehend what she was being told, she couldn’t believe there was so much they were unaware of. ‘And we thought we were the freaks,’ she said.

  ‘We’re the old school freaks,’ Evie commented.

  ‘They are aware of our differences,’ Evans said. ‘They’re aware of the society we’ve been living in and the hold that Galen has had on us over the years and are willing to offer assistance.’

  Kit shifted in her seat, there was something about the way Evans was talking that didn’t provide her with much hope. ‘In exchange for?’

  Evans paused and looked at Evie. ‘A meeting with you,’ he said. ‘They want to meet the person who killed the dictator they were unable to get out of power, they want to hear what happened and understand.’

  ‘They don’t want to put me on trial?’ Evie asked.

  ‘That will happen,’ Cerkis said. ‘There’s not a person in America who doesn’t know what has happened and many are calling for your head.’

  ‘I know I need to answer for what I did, but I like my head where it is,’ Evie said.

  Cerkis smiled. ‘As do we,’ she said. ‘We’re not going to let them hang you for this, Galen’s time was numbered, you were just the one who was brave enough to do what so many others couldn’t.’

  ‘Can I still fight and help in the war?’ Evie asked.

  ‘We’re going to have you leading the charge,’ Evans said.

  Kit saw Evie smile and was grateful she had received some kind of reassurance after spending so long wrapping herself up in worry about what was going to happen. There was still so much that was uncertain but Evie seemed comforted by the assurance that she wasn’t alone.

  ‘You said Lil and Rook were here?’ Kit asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Evans said. ‘They’re above ground, and on duty, we’re leaving for London tonight, so you’ll be able to see them before we go.’

  ‘London?’ Evie asked. ‘As in England?’

  ‘Yes, a new order is being created to help bring America back into the mainstream with the rest of the world,’ Cerkis said. ‘We were once part of a global community and there are attempts to revive that. The Order is also going to conduct your trial while we’re there.’

  ‘They can’t do that,’ Kit said. ‘It happened here, how can a body of foreign nationals decide what happens?’

  ‘Because if we leave it to the American public they’ll crucify her,’ Cerkis said. ‘At least this way we have some leverage.’

  ‘But they’ll hate it even more,’ Kit said. ‘They’ll see it like we’re going behind their back if we want to build a unified army we have to work with them, not against them.’

  ‘And you’ll risk Evie in order to do that?’ Evans asked.

  Kit couldn’t reply and sat back in her seat. She looked at Evie, she sensed the anger that was out in the world, could imagine the cries for justice and she knew from experience that she needed to get people to trust her as a leader if she was going to be able to fight back in this war. But she thought of the life after the war, the one where she hoped they would find some normal way of living again, where there would be no army, no threat of war. She didn’t want to go through that alone. ‘No,’ she replied quietly.

  ‘Then we leave for London in five hours,’ Evans said. ‘You’ll have a bunk to use in the Day Quarter until then.’

  As they got up to leave, Kit couldn’t ignore the feeling of frustration that was gnawing away at her stomach. Had she just been given orders? Told what to do? She had been so used to being the one in charge that she wasn’t sure she liked it when she was the one who had to listen to orders. She didn’t like being kept in the dark, having little to no information to work with and it was as though Evans and Cerkis were deliberately cutting her out. Why would they do that? They had spent so many years working together, what had changed to make them no longer trust her? Had Evie changed her in a way she hadn’t seen? Had she become blinded by her feelings?

  Kit wanted to train, punching something always seemed to help her frustrations. She needed Lil, the one person who had always helped her make sense of everything. They had gotten to the bunks and Evie had dropped their luggage on the beds. ‘What do you think London’s like?’ She asked.

  Kit shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Never really thought about it, but you should lay low, get some rest,’ she told her.

  ‘Why? Where are you going?’ Evie asked.

  ‘Nowhere you need to worry about,’ she said and quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek before bounding out the room before Evie could stop or follow her.

  Chapter Three

  It had been too long since Kit had been out on her own. Back in the Stacks, she had spent many nights wandering the familiar streets, getting to know them with every sinew she could. She knew every resident, every cargo hold and nearly everything that was going on in the suburb. Since Evie had arrived it was as though part of her had gone, she had given part of herself away without really realising it. She didn’t resent Evie for this, she just needed to be herself again. She walked up the ramp to the overground, keeping to the shadows where she could. As much as she wanted to be out, she didn’t fancy running into anyone who was prepared to give her a hard time.

  When she got outside the afternoon sun hung high in the sky and was fending off the winter chill. She walked around the side of the building, passing the place where Jack had bundled them into a van not so long ago and taken them back to Volt. Where was he in all this? Just another question Kit needed an answer to, there were so many she was losing track. She rounded the corner to the side entrance and stood with her back against the wall so she had a chance of going in undetected. A soldier passed through the door and she caught it before it closed and slipped inside. Fort Isa’s army base was a ginormous building, it spiralled upwards with several floors and was made out of shiny sandstone wood. Technology modifications had been made where possible and when Kit looked around the main foyer she always thought she had entered somewhere in the future. But as she remembered Cerkis telling them about how the other countries had advanced, maybe this was all old compared to what they could have. Walking along the side walls, Kit found an elevator which had a directory next to it. She scrolled through the list until she found Computer Labs. If Roo
k was going to be anywhere, it would definitely be where the computers were. Kit couldn’t remember a time when Rook hadn’t been behind a computer or device of some kind, she often spoke in a language that Kit couldn’t quite comprehend when it came to technology but it had gotten them out of trouble more than once, so Kit was quite happy to let her do whatever she needed as long as it was helping them.

  The elevator whooshed upwards and Kit’s stomach dropped at the speed. She held onto the rail and was grateful when the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. She walked into an empty hallway, doors lined each side but she couldn’t see into the rooms. She stopped by one that had a small plaque marked ‘Computer Labs’ next to the door and hesitated for a moment before she knocked on the door. She could hear rustling behind and the door was only pulled slightly ajar. When Kit peered round she saw Lil, who opened the door on seeing her. They both exclaimed each other's names in surprise of seeing each other and embraced as Lil pulled her into the room. ‘Everyone, Kit’s back!’ She exclaimed.

  There was a sudden rise in excitement and through the various people she saw Kit found Rook in the crowd and she embraced the teenager. Rook was smaller than most her age, the tests they had conducted on her had stunted her growth and she had never grown taller than 4ft5. Kit found she had to remind herself that she was a savvy teenager but there were moments when she couldn’t help but feel parental protection over her. Lil, on the other hand, was different. Tall, muscular and ready for anything, the blonde beauty had been like a sister to her since they met all those years ago. The one person who she could confide in and who always seemed to know what to say.

  ‘How’d you get here?’ She asked. ‘Where’ve you been?’

  Kit took them to one side and quickly filled them in. It seemed strange refining their story to such a small story when it had been so much more, felt like so much more. But they didn’t need to know everything, not yet. ‘So, we’re going to London tonight,’ she said.

  Rook looked at her amazed. ‘Woah,’ she said. ‘You’re so lucky, I’d love to see the tech they’re using and get my hands on it.’

  Kit smiled. ‘I’m sure you’ll get your chance.’

  ‘So Evie is with you?’ Lil asked.

  ‘She’s at the bunk underground,’ Kit said. ‘Where’s Adam, is he here?’

  ‘He’s back in New York,’ Lil told her. ‘He wanted to help on the ground and we couldn’t persuade him to come with us.’

  Kit nodded at the news and was silent for a moment, as she hoped her friend was okay and not off doing anything stupid. There was an awkward silence which thankfully Lil filled. ‘Right, now that reunions are out of the way, what’s going on? Are we suiting up and coming with you to London?’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ Kit said. ‘They want to put Evie on trial for Galen and we need to understand where we stand with them before we know what’s going to happen next.’

  ‘What will happen if they find Evie guilty?’ Rook asked.

  Kit didn’t know how to answer, thankfully, Lil saved her. ‘There’s no denying what’s she’s done, but she has support, she knows that, right?’ She asked Kit.

  ‘I think so,’ she said. ‘She’s been a little messed up since it all, and I wanted to see you all separately because if we don’t get support from this new order that’s been established then we’ll have to find a way to get Genics onside if we want America to include a life for Genics.’

  ‘What can we do on the ground while you’re gone?’ Lil asked.

  ‘Whatever you can to ease the tension,’ Kit said. ‘People are gunning for Evie, and we won’t have a future here if they see Genics as a threat, we need to show them that we’re working with them and want a peaceful future here.’

  Lil nodded. ‘We can do that,’ she said.

  ‘Good, because I’m putting you in charge while I’m gone,’ Kit told her. ‘You have a job as well of locating Canaan, he’s still with Jack, and he’s betrayed us. They were headed for Alto Sector out West, and we need to find a way to make sure he’s safe.’

  ‘Already on it,’ Rook told her. ‘We’ve been trying to re-enable Jack’s tracking device that he has implanted in the base of his neck, we’ve gotten close to a few successful hits so if we keep going we could make it work.’

  ‘Wouldn’t he have taken it out by now?’ Kit asked.

  Rook shook her head. ‘I got a successful ping from it so it’s still there,’ she said.

  ‘Good,’ Kit said. ‘Keep at it.’

  ‘And what do we do with Jack if we find him?’ Lil asked.

  Kit hesitated for a moment, he was ultimately Evie’s decision. ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ she said.

  ‘Can we see Evie?’ Rook asked. ‘We’ve missed you both so much and want to tell her she has our support.’

  Kit smiled, she could see the impact Evie had made on them in such a short time and couldn’t deny that she had a positive impact on them all, no matter how difficult things had been. ‘Sure,’ she said.

  ‘You two go on ahead,’ Lil said. ‘I need the real gossip from this one,’ she said and Rook and Adam took their cues and headed for the door. Lil pulled Kit to one of the seats. ‘Right, you’re now going to tell me everything that’s going on with you,’ she said.

  Kit sighed as she leant on the table. ‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘We’ve been cooped up in the mountains for so long, it’s like I’ve been apart from myself and I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing and it annoys the hell out of me.’

  ‘And Evie? Are you two okay? I’m sensing not all may be well in the romance camp,’ Lil said.

  Kit squirmed as she tried to answer. ‘It’s weird,’ she said. ‘I think we might have gotten together too quickly, gotten together at the wrong time, but then in the quiet moments I look at her and she feels like everything all at once. All the happiness, all the determination and strength for the future. She’s done so much for this country and I’m amazed and proud at the same time.’

  ‘But?’ Lil asked.

  Kit avoided her gaze as she replied. ‘For years I thought I would always be the one who would square off with Galen, that I would be the one who would have to kill her. I’ve expected it for so long that I had prepared myself for what it would mean, what I’d have to cope with, now instead, it’s Evie dealing with it and I’m not sure what my place is in this anymore. Does that make me a terrible person?’

  ‘No! You’re still a leader, you still have people who want to fight alongside you and create a better world for us,’ Lil told her.

  Kit thought for a moment. ‘We need to find them,’ she said. ‘Find as many people who will fight with us as we can and show that we’re not just going to sit back and let humans dictate our future and our place in this country, we’ve been doing that for far too long.’

  Lil nodded, and Kit could see she was beginning to formulate a plan. They had lived and worked alongside each other for over a decade now and Kit had learned so many of Lil’s little quirks that she could sense what she was thinking before Lil even said anything. They had grown to think in tandem and as Kit saw her do what she would in a situation, she had come to trust Lil’s judgement without question. ‘You do what you need to do with Evie,’ she said. ‘Leave the rest to me.’

  Kit smiled, grateful to have someone in her corner, whenever there was doubt or questions, Lil had never faltered in her support. ‘We should go,’ she said and they headed back towards the bunker.

  As Kit had left, Evie had felt a notable change between them, it was something that had been growing for a while and she had been desperately trying to ignore but there was no denying something was wrong and she wasn’t sure how to put it right. She didn’t think going after Kit would be the best plan and had kept to her bunk. Outside she could hear the sound of people talking floating past the door, their words barely audible.

  ‘There’s going to be another attack isn’t there?’ She managed to hear a female voice say. ‘It’s li
kely only a matter of time.’

  ‘Well we’ll be ready for ‘em,’ another person responded. ‘Ain’t no way an alien is coming down here and telling us what’s what.’

  Evie grimaced, she wished that she could believe they had the strength to fight back against an extra-terrestrial threat, but history told her that their chances weren’t great. The Blast had affected nearly everyone in the US and the decades of living under fear of another attack had been passed down through generations, breaking that would be the hardest challenge.

  She heard the door open and she sat up in her bed. At the end of the room she saw two female soldiers standing across from her. Both took a moment to look at her and then folded their arms. The one on the left had short blonde hair, the other was a short-cut red-head and both looked royally pissed off.

  ‘It is you,’ the redhead said. ‘We heard rumours they brought you here, didn’t quite want to believe it, thought they’d be mad too. Told ‘em as much didn’t we Kaeds?’

  ‘Sure did Kennick,’ the blonde replied.

  ‘I’m sorry, I don’t understand,’ Evie said, cringing at the quietness of her own voice. She wished she could be more confident, be more intimidating but it didn’t seem to happen when she needed it to.

  ‘A murderer, in our bunks,’ Kennick said as she strutted over to Evie. ‘Evans must be losing his sweet mind, but, he always did have a thing for Valletta. Can’t see why, she’s nothing more than a dirty little Genic, and you…?’ She looked Evie up and down. ‘Well, I can see why you two make a pair.’

  Evie rolled her eyes and got to her feet, suddenly finding the confidence she needed. ‘And why’s that?’ She asked. ‘If you’re working here, then you must have wanted Galen dead as well,’ she said. ‘So stop giving me crap for something you weren’t able to do yourselves.’

  Evie went to turn away from them when she was pulled backwards, she was thrown to the ground and felt a steel toe-capped boot ram into her stomach and she curled over in pain.