Redux

by S. A. Stephenson

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Evie’s eyes were blurry as she woke. The world came into focus slowly and as she made sense of where she was she found she was lying on the floor. Her head throbbed in pain, her wrists and ankles were bound and there was something sticky running down her face.

  She heard the muffled cries of others beside her and when she looked over she saw the fuzzy outlines of people who looked vaguely familiar. She closed her eyes and tried to focus through the pain that was like a knife cutting through her temple. When she opened them again she could see a little clearer and saw Rook and Lil sat opposite her, both bound and gagged. Evie tried to push herself upwards but was immediately thrust back to the ground by someone unknown. ‘Think you’re going somewhere maggot?’ A snarling voice asked her. ‘We’ve been waiting to get our hands on you filthy Genics and now we got you, we ain’t letting you go so easily.’

  ‘Wh-what do you want?’ Evie managed to say as nausea gripped her throat.

  ‘We want rid of you lot, and now that we have our chance we’re not going to wait,’ he said and the sound of metal scraping tore through Evie’s senses and she felt a blade pressed against her neck and heard Lil and Rook protest with screams until the man spun around and pointed the blade at them.

  ‘You want to keep your mouths shut!’ He barked at them. ‘Cause you lot will be next.’

  Evie’s heart thudded against the cold ground, she could sense warmth growing through her veins as her powers began to react to her fear. Strength slowly came back to her and her mind began to clear of pain. ‘You don’t want to do this,’ she said to the man.

  ‘Don’t I?’ He asked, pulling her head back by her hair. ‘You filthy rats have lived too long in this country without retribution, and we’ve finally been given the chance to take you out.’

  The man must have seen Hawk’s message and decided to form a rebel army in the midst of a war. The muscles in Evie’s arms tightened and she looked up at the man, he was dishevelled, his black hair was shoulder length and unkempt, his clothes were ragged and he smelt of beer. He wasn’t a soldier, he was a drunk who was looking for a fight and the Armistice Guards were looking the other way as he did their job for them. ‘You don’t want to do this,’ Evie said.

  He snarled at her, a gold tooth glinted in the shaft of light. ‘Why’s that?’ He asked.

  ‘Have you ever killed anyone?’ She asked him. ‘Have you ever seen a life fade in your hands because of something you did? I have. Not because I wanted to take their life, that’s something I never hoped to do but because I wanted to survive. Taking a life changes you, it breaks something inside you that can never be repaired and you plunge into a place that can consume your soul if you let it. Do you really want to experience that?’

  The man’s eyes shifted as they contemplated what she had said and for a split second, Evie hoped that she had gotten through to him.

  ‘Boss! This one’s woken up!’ She heard another voice behind her say and the man tossed her head to the ground. Evie strained to sit up and look round and she saw they had Jack. He was bound and being held up to the main like a slave ready for sale. Evie remembered the woman on the pier all those months ago and a surge of adrenaline took over her, her muscles swelled and she was able to break through the ropes and flung herself at the man. ‘Let him go,’ she said as she hit his back with all the force she had and she knocked him to the ground and grabbed his knife as it fell to the floor. Jack turned on the man holding him and hit him as hard as he could until he fell to the floor. Evie hurried over to Rook and Lil and removed their gags and slit through their ropes with the knife. ‘Go,’ she said.

  ‘What about you?’ Lil asked as she got to her feet and helped Rook stand.

  ‘I’ll be right behind you,’ Evie said and was about to call for Jack as the girls hurried to the door when the man grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her feet out from under her and she hit the ground hard. Rook and Lil went back to her as Jack lunged at the man.

  The world seemed to slow as Evie saw the man thrust his arm forward as Jack crashed into him. Jack went still, all momentum went out from him and the man looked horrified at what he had done. He let go of the knife handle and Evie saw him grab his mates and run. Rook went after them as Evie got herself to her feet and hurried over to her brother. She grabbed him as he fell to his knees and placed a hand on his stomach. Blood spilt over her skin, and he shook as he looked at her.

  ‘End of the road kiddo,’ he said. Freddie’s blood had only barely been cleaned from her hands, now it was being replaced with her brothers.

  ‘No,’ Evie’s voice was barely above a whisper, the pain was tearing through her, it mixed with power and she wanted to tear the world apart. ‘It’s not, we can fix this, you’ll be fine,’ she said.

  ‘Evie,’ Lil said behind her. Evie turned to her, blinking away tears.

  ‘Go get help!’ She said.

  ‘I don’t-’ Lil started.

  ‘Go!’ Evie shouted again.

  Lil hesitated for a moment before she stepped around them. The building shook and they ducked at the noise of a blast from outside. ‘The Others,’ Lil said. ‘Evie, they’re attacking, we need to get out of here.’

  Jack groaned and Evie looked at her brother. ‘Can you walk?’ She asked. Jack stepped up onto one foot, and then another.

  Another blast hit the building. ‘We gotta blaze,’ Lil said.

  ‘He’s not going to make it out of the city walls,’ Evie said. Jack’s breathing was becoming laboured and she couldn’t stem the flow of blood that was pouring over her hand. ‘There’s a basement, I can take him there till this is over and try and treat him.’

  She could see that Lil didn’t like the idea but as another blast hit and the room shook there was no time to argue. Lil quickly hugged her. ‘I’ll try and get help,’ she said.

  Evie looked her, knowing that it was likely the last time she would see her. ‘Thank you,’ she said as sincerely as she could. Lil had been there for Kit through everything and had accepted Evie without question. She wished there had been a chance for them to grow closer but she had been there when she was needed and that’s all Evie could have asked for in an allay. ‘And go get Rook, she can’t be in here,’ she said as she and Jack made their way to the door.

  Lil gave her a quick salute and turned and ran as Evie made it to the flight of steps. ‘You’re going to be okay,’ she told Jack. ‘We’re going to get through this, I just need you to make it down here.’

  Jack grabbed onto the handrail and as time stretched on in what seemed like forever, they made it to the base of the steps, Evie opened a door and they continued down into the basement.

  By the time they had reached the bottom, Jack was exhausted and Evie had to sit him down. She brushed sweat away from his brow and looked in his eyes. The colour was fading from them and he was struggling to remain conscious.

  White wisps of energy began to flow around Evie’s fingers, the normal heat that came with them was different from the fire she was used to feeling. This was more calming, more natural, and she held her hand over Jack’s wound hoping it would help him in some way. The energy travelled onto Jack’s skin and as he stopped shaking Evie lay him on the ground and nestled his head on her lap and cradled him. ‘You’re going to be okay,’ she told him as she the ground beneath her tremble.

  Jack took her hand. ‘You’re going to go on,’ he struggled. ‘You’re going to be just fine kiddo.’

  Evie cried, she couldn’t stop the tears from stinging her eyes as she let the pain overtake her. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m not, I can’t do this without you.’

  ‘You can,’ Jack told her. ‘You’re stronger than you realise, you can get through this war, you can have a life with Kit and you can do everything you’ve always wanted to do. One of us has to survive this, and we always knew it was going to be you, we always wanted it to be.’

  ‘Why?’ Evie asked.

  ‘Because you’re strong enough to live t
his life, you’re strong enough to live with what you’ve been through and you’re strong enough to lead others to live a life that is different, and with a challenge,’ Jack said. ‘It’s time to embrace who you are, become who you were born to be, who mom and dad always believed you were,’

  ‘I can’t do this on my own,’ Evie said as her tears dropped onto Jack’s chest.

  ‘You’re not on your own, you have Kit, you have Rook and Lil, there are so many people who care for you if you just let them in,’ Jack told her, his grip tightened on hers.

  ‘You have to stay,’ she said as she gripped hold of Jack, refusing to let him go. ‘I can’t lose you as well.’

  Jack’s grip loosened a little. ‘Fly safe kiddo,’ he said and when Evie looked down at him his body was still, his eyes gazing up at her unmoving. He was gone and Evie felt her world break all over again.

  When Kit saw the first ships fly overhead she knew that this was the Armageddon that they had all feared for decades. Part of her had thought it would never come to be but it was something that they hadn’t been able to prevent and now they were going to have to do everything they could if they wanted to survive. The radio crackled and when Hawk answered it an Armistice Guard was on the other side.

  ‘Ma’am, it’s what we’ve feared, it’s all going to hell,’ the man’s said.

  ‘Fight back,’ Hawk ordered. ‘Whatever happens, we’re not going to lay down our lives for them.’

  ‘Do they stand a chance against them?’ Kit asked as Hawk put the radio back in the receiver.

  ‘We’ll soon find out,’ Hawk said. ‘But you’d best be ready for a fight.’

  ‘The fight of my life,’ Kit saw men hurry over to them as they approached a clearing.

  ‘They’re attacking the Capitol Building,’ the man said. ‘We need to get you out ma’am if they find you they will kill you.’

  ‘I’m not running,’ Hawk said. ‘I’m a General and a General stays with her troops.’

  ‘Ma’am, you’re the President,’ the guard told her. ‘It’s our duty to get you somewhere safe.’

  ‘You take your orders from me,’ Hawk said. ‘I’m not going into hiding, we need to meet them head-on.’

  ‘Ma’am?’ The soldier asked.

  ‘Are you questioning me?’ Hawk asked.

  The man hesitated. ‘No ma’am,’ he said finally. ‘But the Capitol Building has been stormed by rebel soldiers and the ships have started to blast the building, anyone in there is thought to be dead.’

  Kit turned to Hawk. ‘That’s where you were keeping them wasn’t it?’ She asked and Hawk fumbled over her words as she answered. Kit didn’t need to hear anymore, she pushed open her car door and began to run.

  Kit ran across the field and saw fires in the distance. Her heart was caught in her throat at the thought of her friends dying inside in the building that they had come to hate so much.

  She reached the compound and saw guards surrounding the wire and power increased in her legs as she forced herself to speed up. The guards grew closer as the world zipped by, Kit could see them aiming their guns, trying to catch sight of her and as their bullets flew towards her Kit launched herself into the air, the world slowed down around her and as she flew over the guards she landed on the other side of the wire and was in the compound.

  She fought the guards and snatched the guns from them, bullets flew into their bodies and they were on the ground. Without stopping and with the threat eliminated Kit hurried over to one of the buildings and hid among the shadows. She could see a troop of Armistice Guards fighting Genics who had escaped their buildings but none of her crew was among them.

  Kit made her way around the building and saw Volt’s main Capitol building, the top floors were ablaze. Fires were burning out of the window, people were jumping to the ground below and gunfire and screams pierced through the air. Kit was on her own. With no backup or plan of attack she was vulnerable and open to being killed by any of the rebels at any moment but at that moment it was as though she no longer cared about her own mortality. She wanted her friends to still be alive, she wanted Evie to be safe, to be able to tell her how much she loved her, how she wanted to spend her life with her, she didn’t care about being in this army anymore if it meant those closest to her were losing their lives. But Kit knew her emotions would have to wait. They couldn’t get caught up in what she had to do.

  She was about to get closer to the building when an Armistice Guard pulled her down to the ground below and kicked her in the stomach. He knelt down to her and pulled her up by her neck and looked at her curiously through his helmet. Kit’s head swarmed as the pain radiated through her but instinct took over and she kicked out at his leg and he hit the ground with a heavy thump. Kit jumped back to her feet and winced from the pain in her stomach. She punched the guard again as he tried to get up and was able to take his gun from him. In a flash, without a moments thought she pulled the trigger. The body in front of her went limp and as Kit tried to catch her breath she pulled the guard over to the shadows of the building and removed his uniform.

  As much as she hated looking like one of her enemies it at least provided her with some cover. She armed herself with a gun and as she hurried over to the main entrance of Volt she caught sight of Evans fighting one of the Armistice Guards. He threw a couple punches and as Kit went to him he had his knife and slit the Guards' throat.

  ‘Evans!’ Kit called and he turned to her and was about to attack in a flurry of adrenaline when she held her hands up and took off the helmet. ‘It’s me,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I wasn’t going to let you fight this alone,’ he said. ‘Regardless of what you think of me, I’m not here to let those bastards win.’

  ‘What’s happening?’ Kit asked as he took her to one side away from the chaos.

  ‘It’s all going to hell,’ Evans rasped. ‘Everything, Volt, the system, Genics, humans, there’s going to be nothing left.’

  ‘Where are the others?’ Kit asked, her mind was racing as a thousand thoughts ran through it at once.

  ‘Some humans got them and have taken them in there,’ Evans said and stopped her before she was about to rush into the building. ‘You can’t get in there,’ he said.

  ‘Then what do we do?’ Kit asked him.

  ‘Jack’s in there,’ he told her. ‘Get him and he’ll be able to help.’

  ‘Help the enemy?’ Kit asked.

  ‘There’s no enemy,’ Evans told her. ‘He’s with us, you need to get him to help, Evie’s in there and they’re not going to let her out alive, never mind any of the others,’ Evans coughed from the smoke and ash that was billowing around them and his face wrinkled. ‘That’s an order from your commander.’

  ‘Yes sir,’ she said quietly. ‘Now you’re going to be here when I get out aren’t you?’ She asked but Evans looked wearily at the carnage around them. ‘Aren’t you?’ She demanded.

  ‘Yes,’ Evans said. ‘Go, find Jack,’ he said.

  Kit didn’t want to leave him, she knew seeing him alive again would be unlikely and she wanted to tell him everything that she hadn’t while she had the chance but there was no time. There was never enough time. Kit rushed into the building, there was falling debris and heat stuck to her bare arms. She was in the main lobby, the basement was to her left and she could hear shouts and gunfire below. There was a flurry of soldiers surrounding her and she saw Sinclair push her way through.

  ‘What are you-?’ Kit asked.

  ‘There’s no time,’ Sinclair said. ‘We have to get out, this place is going to hell. We’ve tried to find Evie but she’s not here.’

  ‘The basement?’ Kit said.

  ‘Is locked, there’s no way she’ll be there,’ Sinclair told her. The building shook and Kit saw the ships overhead, huge round discs that were aiming at the building and were relentless in their attack. ‘We gotta go now if we’re going to have any chance of striking back.’

  ‘But we can’t leave men b
ehind,’ Kit said.

  ‘My men will keep looking and get them out if they’re here, but you need to come with me,’ she said.

  Kit wanted to argue, wanted to fight and keep trying but she couldn’t, it was like she had become useless and it was tearing her apart. She let Sinclair lead her away from the door and limped as pain radiated from her injuries. ‘When did you get here?’ She asked as Sinclair looped an arm around her to help her walk.

  ‘Not long ago,’ she said. ‘We’ve brought an army with us and they’re securing the compound and thankfully we’re winning.’

  ‘So why aren’t we down there trying to get the others out?’ Kit asked. ‘We can’t leave them to get slaughtered.’

  ‘And we’re not going to,’ Sinclair said as they reached the entrance. ‘I’ve got some of my top black op guys going in and they’ll get them out.’

  ‘We need to get in the air, we need to do something,’ Kit said as she saw their planes flying overhead, firing at the ships. Rockets hit the surface of the aircrafts but it was as though it were a pinprick attack.

  ‘We’ve got enough troops in the air,’ Sinclair said and as they made their way outside, Kit saw the courtyard was littered with bodies, the fight here at least, was over.

  ‘Where’s Evans?’ She asked. ‘He was hurt.’

  ‘We got him,’ Sinclair said. ‘He’s been airlifted to a hospital and is going to be treated.’

  ‘Will he make it?’ Kit asked quietly.

  Sinclair lowered herself so she was eye level to Kit and gave her a comforting smile. ‘We’re going to do everything we can,’ she said. Kit’s stomach churned even more.

  ‘I need to be doing something,’ she said. ‘Let me join the ops team, let me go in.’

  Sinclair stood up again. ‘I can’t,’ she said. ‘If the Others work out who you are or have the opportunity take you then they’ll take it.’

  ‘They know who I am, they know I’m here and I’m ready to die,’ Kit told her. ‘It’s the only way it’ll end, I have to fight them head on and use their powers against them. Hawk said it’s the only way.’