by Harper North
Jase laughs again and moves his gun from his side to across his chest. “And if he doesn’t?”
My chest tightens at the thought of losing Lacy and Sky. I glance out into the desert. Are we too late?
Elias moves closer to me, his eyes full of concern. “Whatever happens, we have to use the uplink station to broadcast our message. With or without Talen’s help.”
Drape shakes his head. “Are you crazy? No way I’m going back to Telhix. You saw how many ops were there. They’re not going to let you slip in a second time.”
“That’s why we should,” Knuckles argues. “They want you to think it’s too hard to get through, but I bet it’s not. They’re weakened, and we can use that.”
“Telhix’s relay tower was a much easier target,” Emma says, “but I agree with Drape. That option is no longer viable.”
Jase scowls. “Where else then? We need another comm tower.”
Emma shakes her head. “Only the main satellite uplink station for this region can broadcast wide enough.”
“So we’re done,” Jase says. “It’s impossible to access that fortified EHC station. Piggybacking off Telhix’s tower is one thing, infiltrating a main EHC compound is another.”
“Maybe not.” Elias glances around the group. “We could try.”
“No way,” Jase argues. “They’re going to be waiting for us. It’s locked down by now and underground. It’s a suicide mission.”
All the arguing makes my insides crawl. I turn away and walk to the back of the transporter to get a hold of my thoughts. Inside the vehicle, only feet away, sits a possible killer. The option of heading back to Telhix means another battle, more killing, and climbing the tower again. I shudder at the thought of getting hit by a Leech’s blaster again.
Every possible option feels impossible, and I crouch down and try to catch my breath.
Elias comes around the side and crouches next to me. “Are you alright?”
I shake my head. “I’m overwhelmed. This Noble modification puts my mind in overdrive at all times. I can’t stop thinking. How do you do it?”
“I was born with it,” Elias says. “It’s going to take you time to center yourself. You’ll learn to keep your thoughts focused.”
“I hope you’re right. Maybe Emma can plug me into that contraption and zap my brain off.”
Elias laughs. “Let’s not do that just yet.” He pops back up and stands in front of me, reaching his hands out. “We need a break. Why don’t we stop thinking about tomorrow and figure out where we’re going to stay tonight? It’ll be dark soon.”
I take his hand and he pulls me up. “Do you think it’s safe here?”
Elias turns and scans the landscape. “Maybe over there,” he suggests, pointing to a grouping of rocks.
“Right,” I laugh. “Because the EHC will never suspect we’re hiding our transporter right behind a few rocks.”
“Worried?” he asks, giving me a smile.
Something about the smile gives me some measure of comfort. Elias is a good friend. “Of the EHC? No, of course not.” I roll my eyes. “I don’t need to worry about them.”
“Come on,” he says, reaching his hand out to me. I let him guide me back to the group. Most stand, arms folded, staring at one another, the air thick with tension.
“Whoa,” I say. “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Emma says. “It’s obvious none of us are ever going to agree.”
“Not tonight,” Elias says. “We need a break. What about moving the transporter over to that rock cluster? There’s enough vegetation that it’ll shield us from the road.”
“Fine,” Jase huffs.
Emma glares and pushes past Jase. “I’ll fix the wiring.”
“Great,” Jase says. “I’ll help.”
She turns on the second step, blocking Jase from entering the transport. “You’re best at guard duty.”
Relief washes over me as Jase backs down. He grumbles to himself, but finally decides to turn and walk with Knuckles, Drape, and Elias to the rock cluster.
“It’s going to be a long night,” I say to Emma. “If Jase gets a chance to kill Talen, he will.”
Emma lowers her gaze to me. “We’re not going to let him. Come on.”
I begin to board the stairs when Elias calls out to me.
“I’m going with Emma,” I call back.
Elias shakes his head and rushes back to the transporter. “You should stay with us. I don’t want you in there with Talen.”
“I’ll be alright,” I say. “There’s nothing he can do.”
Elias steps closer. “Are you sure?”
“He’s less of a threat then him right now,” I say, eyeballing Jase.
Elias shakes his head. “He’s just upset. He’s got every right to be.”
“I know.” I back up the last step of the stairs. “But he can’t see the bigger picture.”
“I’ll talk to him. Just be careful.”
I nod and board the transport. Emma already sits at the operation controls. “It will take me a few minutes.”
“Take your time.”
I head to the back and slide open the door to the communications room. Talen sits in the same chair as before, his gaze still distant. I walk around him and slide open one of the panels on the wall, revealing a glow in the distance. Soft pinks blend with oranges and reds in the fading sunlight.
“Want to look outside?” I ask.
Talen slowly tilts his head my way. His gaze is a million miles away.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I study the scene. “Even with all the chaos out there, there’s still some beauty in the world.”
I turn back to find Talen’s had no reaction. I leave the window and move closer to his side.
“You ready to talk, yet?”
Talen gulps and tilts his head up toward me. “I’m thirsty… and hungry.”
“Of course. Give me a second.” I head back up the aisle to my seat and find my bag. After rummaging through it for a few seconds, I find the last two nutrition bars from Emma’s settlement camp. My mouth waters as I think about eating them myself, but right now they might be the key to getting through to Talen.
Once back in the comm room, I slowly unwrap one of the bars and raise it to his mouth. Talen finishes it in two bites, his eyes going to the second bar in my hand.
“You want some water?”
He nods. I grab the water pouch from the side table, uncapping it and bringing it back to him. Talen drinks for a few seconds as I unwrap the second bar and let him eat it. Someone his size and strength must get pretty hungry. He’s also calm, and there’s life in his eyes again. Looks like the reprogrammed nanos are working.
“You’ve been through a lot today,” I say. “It’s taken a lot out of you.”
“Yes,” he mumbles between bites. “I hardly ever need rest. At least I didn’t when the nanotech controlled everything. I forgot how it feels to be this hungry and tired.”
I ease myself back into the chair in front of him. “It’s hard being human, isn’t it?” I feed him the last of the bar and let him drink again from the pouch. “Jase wouldn’t be very happy with me right now if he knew I was giving you this.”
“He doesn’t trust me. I understand.”
“We’ve all been through a lot over the last few days,” I say. “Jase is frustrated. We’re all frustrated. The EHC isn’t making things easy for us.”
Talen swallows his last bite and glances out the window again. The light from the setting sun falls on his face. He takes a moment, then says, “Your plan to take the uplink tower isn’t going to work.”
My eyes flash to him. “What?”
“I heard your conversation.”
“Outside?” I twist in my chair. “But we weren’t talking that loud. How?”
“Aura operatives are enhanced with the ability to hear things other classes can’t.”
I tilt my head and examine him more closely. “Why are you telling me this?�
��
His gaze returns to the fading light outside. “My memories are coming back.”
"What do you remember?”
“When I was seventeen, they took me from my family.”
A weak smile spreads across my lips. “I never met my family. It must have been hard for you to be taken from the ones you had.”
“I wasn’t the easiest teenager. I acted out a lot. Got into fights with my parents.” Shame fills his eyes. “One day I went for a medical visit. It wasn’t long after that I was recruited by the Aura division.”
“They saw something in you. Something that could be made into a weapon to hurt others.”
Talen clears his throat. “I was told I would never see, or even want to see my family again.” Tears begin to well as he presses his lips together. “I agreed to it,” he confesses. “It was stupid. I’ve caused so much pain to others, and now all I want is to see my family again.”
What must it be like to have been loved and yet choose to turn your back on it?
“I’ll tell you whatever you need to know,” he whispers.
My heart races at his words, and I focus to keep my composure. “Good. We need you.”
Talen’s chest rises and falls. “Will you let me go afterward?”
My stomach tightens. I want to tell him we will let him go, but I can’t make that call. “Let me see what I can do.”
“I just want to go home.”
I stand and walk toward the front of the already moving vehicle.
“Please,” Talen calls after me.
I turn to see his fists are clenched against the armrests. He chokes back an angry sob. I straighten my shoulders and face him. “Is it possible to take the uplink tower?”
He raises his chin. “Only if I help you.”
CHAPTER 21
“No way, Fin!” Jase shouts. “I’m not trusting Talen, no matter what sob story he wants to tell you. He’s lying.”
I frown back at him. “I don’t think so. He’s remembering the person he was and just wants to go home.”
Elias crosses his arms, staring into the small, crackling fire beside our gear and few camp supplies. “It’s too dangerous,” he says. “We’ve only seen a small change in Talen in the last few hours. He could easily bounce back to what he was before, and we have no idea if the EHC could just flip the switch again, even if he doesn’t want it.”
“Not if the nanotech remains under control,” I insist, glancing to Emma. “We can use him to move toward the communications tower and keep the device secured to him.”
“That device isn’t going to hold him for long,” Jase argues. “Knowing him, he’s been faking all these shocks. Taking him to the tower is a guaranteed funeral for all of us.”
I swallow back my doubt. There’s no way I can be sure that won’t happen. There are risks. All I have is what I feel about Talen’s reaction to his family and my instincts, even though I know it’s weak reasoning.
“Jase is right,” Elias says. “I vote no.”
“What choice do we have?” I glance around the group. Knuckles, Drape, Davis, and the rest of Emma’s guards stare back, blank faced.
Drape shoves his hands in his pockets. “There isn’t another choice. We have to go back.”
I try to keep calm, but my pulse is starting to pound in my head. “Without his help, there’s no way to gain access to the uplink station. He’s the only one who has access and intel.”
Jase slaps his legs and laughs. “You don’t get it, do you?”
I take a step back, wondering if Jase’s stress is getting the better of him as his eyes burn into mine.
“He can hear everything we’re saying, right?” Jase asks.
I slowly nod. “That’s what he told me.”
“He’s a fake,” Jase says, raising his voice. “And I hope he’s listening. He’s a liar. It’s a trap, and you’re going to get us all killed by believing him because he shed a few tears and cried about his family.”
My eyes go to Emma. I need her now. If only she’d back me up, but she’s silent and looks away.
“What about you?” I ask Knuckles. “What do you think?”
Knuckles slowly rises from her crouch. “Jase is right. The Aura ops are capable of more than we know. It’s too dangerous.”
I blow out a sigh and step back. Part of me wonders if they’re right. Maybe Talen was performing and I’m too gullible, too quick to trust.
“Why does Talen want us to take him to the communications tower?” Elias asks. “Why can’t he just give us the Intel?”
“He knows he’s expendable if he gives away all the information,” I say. “Plus, it will be easier if he helps.”
Jase rattles his gun. “The only thing that will be easier for him is killing all of us.”
Anger surges through my veins. “We have no advantage over the EHC,” I say, clenching my fists. “If you haven’t noticed, most of us are dead. We need one weapon to help us, and Talen is that weapon.”
Elias moves to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shake him away.
“I feel like I’m the only one who wants to win this,” I continue. “We knew it wouldn’t be easy, and now, when we’re at the hardest part of this fight, you all want to play it safe.”
“She’s right,” Drape agrees. “We won’t win if we don’t take a chance. We’re probably all dead anyway.”
Elias sighs. “I just don’t understand how Talen is willing to change sides so easily.”
“It wasn’t his choice,” I say. “He didn’t want to turn into a killing machine. Talen may have wanted to be enhanced, but he didn’t know it would turn out like this. He’s been cut off from compassion and deep emotion for nine years.”
“That’s the point,” Jase says. “Nine years without humanity, and now we’re just supposed to believe he’s fixed?”
“I don’t think he’s fixed,” Emma interjects. “He’s still far from his normal self.”
“He’s changed,” I press. “He told me about the testing the EHC did on him, how they kept him from his family.” Tears begin to well in my eyes as I remember Talen pleading for his humanity again, pleading to be with his family. “He just wants a chance.”
We stand for a few seconds in silence. The sky is dark now. Only the lights from the transporter glow softly on our circle.
“I want a chance, too,” Elias whispers. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life fighting.”
“None of us do,” Emma says, turning to me. Her face is a shadow in the light. “I’m willing to take the risk. I will go with you and Talen to the satellite tower.”
“What?” Jase asks.
A broad smile lifts my lips. Knowing she’s got my back right now means everything.
“I’ll go, too,” Drape says.
I turn my head and wipe away a tear. “Thanks, Drape.”
“We’ll all go,” Elias orders.
Jase backs up from the group. “No way!”
“Fin’s right,” Elias says. “We knew this wasn’t going to be easy. We have to take the risk in bringing Talen along.”
Knuckles sighs and nods in agreement. “How are we going to make sure he doesn’t kill us then?”
“The shock device,” Emma says. “If Talen acts up in any way, or we don’t make it safely, I’ll use the device to end him.” She glances toward her guards and the tallest one nods. I guess they’re on board, too.
I swallow and slowly nod in agreement to Emma’s plan.
“We should get some rest,” Elias suggests. “We’ll need our strength tomorrow to move forward.”
Most of us spread out beneath the transporter’s panels. Their quiet voices begin to fade away, soon replaced by quiet snores. Emma goes back inside the vehicle to see if there are any more problems with the cooling system. Emma’s guards have kept to themselves, for the most part. I would too if this wasn’t all on my shoulders.
I move closer to the fire with Elias. “I have some food,” he says, reaching into h
is bag and pulling out a partially squished nutrient bar. “It’s not much, but—”
“I’ll take it,” I say, snatching it from his fingers and unwrapping it before quickly devouring it. He’s right. It’s not much, but soon my stomach relaxes, and my head begins to clear.
“It’s been a hard day,” Elias whispers.
“I just want to get them back.”
“I know. I know you’re willing to do whatever you have to, Fin.” His hand reaches over and gently strokes my arm. “You’re a good friend.”
I feel myself stiffen. My eyes go to his as I slowly shift away. “I’m tired,” I say. “I’m going to try and get some rest.”
He nods and looks away. The stress must be getting to him, too. I know it’s wearing on me, that’s for sure.
I stand and head over to the panels, half-yawning, half-stumbling, ready to close my eyes when Emma’s face appears at the transporter’s door. Her eyes are wide. “You need to come with me,” she says.
What now?
“Why?” I ask, heading up the stairs.
She doesn’t answer, but turns and leads me down the aisle to the communications room. I pass Talen who’s fast asleep in his chair and snoring loudly.
“What is it?” I ask more insistently.
Emma points to the computer screen and the notice that flashes across it.
Underground dweller network has been completely halted. Nonessential people will be eliminated unless the resistance turns itself over to the EHC.
My chest tightens. Suddenly, I’m wide awake, wishing I hadn’t just read that.
“It was sent directly to us,” Emma says. “There’s no time for—”
I turn and rush from the room, yelling loudly, “We have to go now!”
CHAPTER 22
My foot taps nervously against the back of the driver’s seat where Elias sits beside Jase. They quietly discuss the route and best plan of action. There’s only our dim headlights on the road ahead of us, and my eyes search through the window for hidden operatives along the road. I can just see them stopping us and ending this last-minute mission before it’s even started.
“I was having a good dream,” Jase says in a snide voice to me. “Thought we could at least plan this out a little more instead of racing off into the dark.”