by Harper North
In a flash, Emma and two of her guards are at my side, firing too.
“We have to hold them back!” I yell out, voice lost in all the chaos. More gunshots ring out. Elias helps Jase stand and pulls him behind our line of fighters. Once I know he’s safe, I raise my weapon.
A searing pain tears through my chest and my body locks up, sending me to the ground like a lead weight. Pulsing electricity rips from my head down into my chest and limbs. I try to open my mouth to cry out for help, but nothing comes. The pain penetrates every part of my body. My mind spins. From the ground, I can make out others falling, too. First Knuckles, then Drape, then the last of Emma’s guards.
The three shadowy figures step out from behind their cover and advance toward us. My teeth clatter together as I try to will away the pain, but it’s impossible. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch the lead figure walk calmly toward me. He’s tall, over six feet. I try to squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t want my last vision to be of this man looming over me.
“Please,” I manage to say, but before I can say anything else, a sudden jolt from the ground rattles us.
The ground cracks open. One of the three figures yells out and disappears into the crevice. In an instant, some of my pain subsides, and I try to wrench myself up from the ground, gritting my teeth, but I can’t.
“Get the injured,” Elias orders those of us still standing.
Emma makes her way to Lacy. One of her guards picks up Drape.
Gunfire continues to crack through the air, and the two remaining figures fall back. A moment later, a small craft pulls out from the rubble on the horizon and disappears off in the distance.
Hot tears sting my eyes. I want to never return to this horrible place ever again, but all I can do is lie here.
“I’ve got you,” Elias says. I feel myself lifted. His hands beneath me are strong, legs swift as he rushes me back to the transport.
“Don’t leave me here,” I manage to say, gripping onto his vest. “Please.”
“Not a chance.”
CHAPTER 12
The rumbling of the tires fills my ears. I try to focus on moving my limbs. After a few minutes, I can wiggle my fingers in front of my face. Half-moon indentations mark my palms from where I must have dug my fingernails in. I manage to turn my head and swallow. If I didn’t have enhanced strength, I would be dead like the others.
One of Emma’s guards is beside me, still looking pretty bad. He leans his head against the wall, and he’s muttering something, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.
I manage a glimpse through the cockpit windows. The land is still red and barren. Small rocks bounce off the windshield. One has even caused a threadlike crack right in front of where Elias sits, and it’s no wonder. The transporter must be moving at maximum speed. I stay in my seat for another few minutes. With each passing second the pain eases, until, finally, I can sit up in my chair.
“Feeling better?” Drape’s voice asks from the row next to mine. I try to adjust in my seat. Across the aisle, Drape rubs the back of his neck. His eyes are bloodshot.
“I’ve been better,” I say. “How long have we been driving?”
“About thirty minutes.” He rolls his neck, cracking it with each rotation. He turns his head left, then right. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt that much pain in my life.”
I nod. “I’m glad we’re far away from that place.”
“Not a fan of seismic outposts?” he jokes.
I smile. It’s the first time since all this started that I can feel myself loosening up, but the feeling quickly dissipates. “I thought you were dead.”
“Me?” Drape asks. “You were the one everyone was worried about.”
“Everyone?”
“Well, me. I saw you fall. Your eyes rolled back into your head, just like the people who died. I didn’t think you could take whatever that was.”
“What was it?” I ask.
Drape shrugs. “I’ve got no idea.”
I lean my head back, the image of the man looming over me swirling through my mind. Whatever happened had something to do with him. “I’m going to find out,” I say. I try to stand, but my legs are still weak. Instead, I fumble back into my chair.
“Easy.” Drape passes me a bottle of water. “Maybe you should rehydrate.”
I take a long drink and try again. I work my way up the aisle, using the seats as supports, and past the other members of our group. Knuckles sits right behind Jase. Both of their faces are tight with pain. I move past them until I’m standing behind Elias. Red alerts flash from the console.
“What does that mean?” I ask, pointing to the lights.
Elias turns his head to me. “That we need to recharge. How are you feeling?”
I rub the back of my neck. “Like someone took control of my body.”
“They did,” Emma says. “They shifted your energy. Could’ve killed us all.”
“Who?” I demand.
“The EHC,” she mutters.
Elias grips the transporter’s levers, eyes flashing at Emma.
“You okay?” I whisper.
He ignores my question, and I step back and bite my lower lip. “We need to stop somewhere?”
“Up ahead,” Emma says. “There’s an abandoned hydrogen depot. It will give us some cover.”
I scan the road. There’s nothing out here. I slide into the seat where Jase had been earlier and continue to scan the landscape. “How do you know?” I ask Emma. “I mean, you’ve been hiding out for twenty-five years. How do you know what’s out here?”
“I only know what my guards have told me. It was built before my time.”
“There!” Elias says, sitting up straighter in his seat.
The transporter slows as we pull to the side of the road.
A groan sounds from behind us and I turn to see Jase dragging himself to his feet. His eyes are red, his face tight with pain as he struggles up.
“You’re alright,” I say, walking back to him. “Just give it a few more minutes.” I help him back into his seat, find a water bottle, and hold it up for him to take a drink. His lips are dry and cracked, and the side of his face is scratched. He gulps down the liquid and leans his head back.
The vehicle’s electric whirring suddenly cuts off. Emma gets up and opens the retractable stairs. Without saying anything, she goes out.
Elias stands and turns to face us. “If you can walk, you should get out. Try and move around to get your legs working again.” It looks like he wants to say more, but he just turns and goes.
Lacy is the first one up. “There’s no way she’s going to pretend she doesn’t know what’s going on.”
I reach out a hand to stop her. “What’s going on?”
She pulls away and storms outside.
“What’s up with her?” I ask Drape.
He shrugs. “Didn’t say anything to me.”
I try to help Jase up, pulling his weight almost completely onto my shoulders until his legs finally respond and he gets his footing. I ease him down the steps. Right behind me, Drape helps Knuckles.
The ground here is stable. I almost want to kiss it. The blazing sun is setting, but still hot as ever. One of Emma’s guards looks more than a bit shaky. He stumbles backward and nearly falls, then rebalances himself. Emma stands at the front of the transporter. She activates a display panel near the door and a popping sound makes me look up. From the top of the transporter, three large sheets of black material extend outward. The vehicle has its own solar power station on the roof. Amazing. Hopefully we have enough daylight.
Lacy is beside Emma, yelling about something and waving her hands around. I wipe my brow and leave Jase propped up along the wall. “I need to see what’s up with Lacy,” I tell him.
Jase grunts as I let him go and walk toward Emma and Lacy.
“I don’t know,” Emma says to Lacy firmly.
Lacy laughs. “You said it was the EHC. I heard you say so to Elias.”
“
I said it was probably an EHC advancement. I can’t be sure.”
Lacy huffs. “You know more than you’re letting on. Don’t think I don’t know about you and your father’s work. I asked around, I know all about it, now spill. What do you know?”
Elias moves closer. “What’s going on?”
Lacy gestures at Emma. “She knows exactly how they were able to paralyze most of us.”
There’s a tinge of sadness in Elias’ eyes as he turns to Emma. “What do you know?”
Emma stares at Lacy, jaw clenched, then shakes her head. “Rumors.”
“What are the rumors?” I ask, stepping closer.
Emma’s eyes flash to me. “Some say there’s a fourth class of EHC.”
Elias’ fists clench, but he says nothing.
“There’s been a nano research EHC division for over thirty years,” Emma continues. “My father helped in that division. I just didn’t think they’d come up with the technology—”
“You should have told us!” Elias yells, his body ridged. “My uncle’s entire resistance has been wiped out because of this technology. If we would have known, we could have done something different.”
Emma squares her shoulders, looking defiantly back at him. “What would you have done differently? Your outpost would’ve been destroyed no matter what I told you. There wasn’t time to warn them.”
Elias runs his hands through his hair. He turns and faces the side of the station, kicking the panels hard and letting out a frustrated yell. When he turns back, his eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen them. “I’m not going to let them get away with this,” he says. “It’s defeat after defeat. Everyone I know has died or gotten hurt.”
“This is a cruel world,” Emma says. “In more ways than one.”
Jase, finally stable, walks toward us. “There’s got to be another way.”
Elias slides down the white station wall to the ground and drops his head into his hands. “Maybe there is no hope.”
Lacy turns back to face Emma, completely ignoring Elias. “So how does it work? The fourth class?”
Emma sighs. “It’s a weapon. Made for the EHC.”
My mind starts to run through how easily the Leeches could take control of everyone using such an enhancement.
“How did they make it?” Jase asks.
Emma checks the display, assessing the transports’ charging. “Back when everything started, the nanotech was being designed to counter the radiated elements, but they discovered it could tap into bio-electrical fields, too. Once the EHC made this discovery, they began the program to develop it—the Aura program.”
Lacy turns to the group. “Listen, we can’t sit here all night. What are we going to do?”
Emma glares at her. “My people want to return to the safe house. They’ve had enough.”
“No.” I rush to her side, imploring her to listen. “We need your guards. We need you. Please don’t give up yet.”
Emma raises a brow. It’s more than clear that she’s had enough, too. She waves to her guards to get back on the transporter.
“Please,” I beg. “We have to make a change.”
Emma presses her lips together. “The only way to make any change is to spread the word about the natural modification.”
“But, how?” I ask. “I mean, the Leeches will be where the people are. How do we get around them?”
“That’s for you to figure out, not me. But if all the people on the surface hear the truth, you might have a real chance at forcing change.”
Emma turns and boards the transporter. I turn back to face Elias as Jase eases himself away from the station wall. “There’s an uplink station in the Telhix power settlement,” he mutters. “Maybe we could get the message to the people using it.”
Elias lifts his head. “How far?”
Jase gestures down the road. “Maybe thirty or forty miles from here. Could be there by sundown. It will be populated with EHC personnel, but it’s doable.”
My pulse quickens. It’s a chance. The public is left in the dark about the cruel treatment of the dwellers, and if they don’t care about that, we might be able to show them the EHC uses modification tech as a form of oppression, that their class system is rigged.
“Good,” I say, going to Elias’ side and helping him stand. “It’s time to make this secret public.”
CHAPTER 13
“It’ll be dark soon,” Jase says. “Worse thing that could happen is getting lost out here in the dark.”
My head aches at the thought of getting back into the transporter again. “We can’t go now. We’re all beyond exhausted.”
Emma presses her lips together. “Fine. Then we should set up camp for the night. Let’s rest up and head out tomorrow.”
“Agreed,” Knuckles says, joining our little group.
I take a long look at where we are. The sun is just about to set over the distant hills. There’s hardly anything here. “Can we sleep outside?”
Lacy balks. “No way. I’m not sleeping on a bunch of rocks, and who knows what’s out here at night.”
“We don’t have to,” Jase says, tipping his head. “We can shelter over there.”
I turn to follow his gaze. In the distance, there’s a change to the landscape, barely noticeable. “What is it?”
“Shelter.”
I look again. “How can you tell? It looks more like a shadow. Maybe the sun’s bouncing off the rocks.”
“No,” Elias says, walking up. “Jase is right. I saw the same thing when we were driving to the outpost. There’s a scattering of trees there. It’s enough to provide some protection for the night.”
“Sounds good to me.” Lacy heads back to the transporter.
Sure enough, as soon as we head in the direction of the shadow, its abstract shape begins to take form, until I can make out every leaf on the trees and the small clumps of bushes bunched together beside a boulder that’ll provide some cover.
“How did this survive?” Drape asks. “I mean, nothing survives out here in this place.”
Emma leans back in her chair. “A deep root system,” she says. “But these areas are rare. Most of the vegetation has been burned off or died from the radiation.”
Jase pulls the vehicle off the isolated road and on to the rocky red terrain. Soon, we’re beside the trees. The transporter stops, a buzzing noise coming from the side of the vehicle. I try to get a better look at what’s happening outside, but it’s hard to see, especially since it’s nearly dark.
“Let’s go,” Knuckles says. She’s first out of her seat and down the stairs.
Beside the vehicle, two panels have extended several feet to either side, providing a place for us to sleep. “It’s perfect,” I say. “Not that it’s going to rain out here any time soon.”
“It’s not to protect you from rain,” Elias says. “It’s to keep you—”
“Warm,” Emma finishes. “Being modified can’t protect you from the chill at night.”
Lacy taps a foot and swats at a bug circling around her head. “What about food?” she demands. “What can we possibly eat out here besides the emergency food packets from the settlement?”
I swallow. Lacy’s demands are on the edge of total rudeness, but my stomach rumbles at the mention of food. “I think what Lacy’s saying is what can we do to help find some food tonight?”
Jase cocks his gun. “We could hunt.”
“Hunt?” I ask, startled. “Hunt what?”
“Lots of things. Snakes, lizards, maybe a small rodent or two.”
Lacy turns away, letting out an, “Ugh.”
“What? Some of those are good.” Jase waves over a few of Emma’s guards and Knuckles. “We need to stay together.”
As they venture away from the transporter, I wonder how long it’ll take for them to return. Heading out into the dark in the middle of the desert seems less than safe.
My eyes are heavy as I make my way over to the side of the vehicle and tuck myself into the spac
e beneath one of its flaps. Drape’s already there. He’s made a nest for himself with a few cushions he pulled from the transporter. He offers me one to tuck behind my head. It’s surprisingly cozy, and a perfect place to let myself relax after everything that’s happened today.
He hands me a pouch of water. “Aren’t you going to wait to see what they bring back before going to sleep?”
“I’m too tired.” I take the pouch and drink from it. “I’m hungry, but I’m not sure I want to sink my teeth into a lizard tonight.”
“Come on.” Drape playfully punches my shoulder. “When’s the last time you had a nice radiated reptile for dinner?”
I relax, enjoying Drape’s teasing, but the feeling is squelched with a flare of guilt in my chest. What’s Sky eating for dinner tonight? Is he even alive anymore?
“Do you think we’ll get him back?” I ask, pulling my legs to my chest.
“Who?”
“Sky.”
“Oh… yeah.” Drape looks away. “You know he’s a survivor. Probably giving the Leeches a hard time right now. Or maybe he’s already escaped.”
I hand back the water. “I’ve thought about that a few times. Sky’s great at finding hidden places. He knows how to lay low until reinforcements arrive.”
Drape takes a deep breath. “He’ll fight for his life. He’ll fight to get back to Cia and his mom. Try not to worry.”
I want to believe Drape, but I know he just doesn’t like to see me sad.
“What are you doing in here?” Lacy interrupts, popping her head beneath the panel.
“I was going to try and sleep,” I say, easing back against the transporter’s wheel.
Lacy’s eyes shift to Drape. “Why don’t you come out for some target practice?”
“Sure. I’m not tired yet, and I guess I need all the practice I can get.” Drape looks my way. “You okay, Fin?”
I nod, and he slides out from beneath the flap, leaving me in silence. Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Jase’s body falling to the ground, the corpses, burning buildings, the strange outline of the man, enhanced to level four, holding up his hand.