by Dawn Norwell
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: CRUEL CAPTIVITY
“A bsolutely not!” Zander exclaimed, his face reddening with anger. “I’m not sending my girlfriend to war!”
“Just hear me out, Zander,” I pleaded, placing my hands on his shoulders to try to get him to calm down, but he just shrugged them off. “When my father was head guard, he occasionally took me with him on his shifts. There are very few people who have seen the inside of Concord the way that I have. I know every room of every building, who is in charge of what, what the schedule is for each day. I can tell you where the power sources are, where they keep the weapons, what time the guard shift changes are- anything you want to know. I can get us there if it comes to it, but you have to let me help.”
It was quiet for a moment as Zander and Athena processed this. Then Zander got to his feet with a huff.
“Typical suit, always trying to force their way in where they aren’t wanted,” Zander scoffed. “We don’t need your help, Kai. We were doing just fine before you got here, and we will continue to be fine without your interference. So just back off!” Zander said harshly.
I looked at him for a moment, thrown by his outburst. Rarely did the old version of Zander make an appearance, but when he did, it terrified me. I thought we were past the unnecessary hostility; past seeing each other as our government labels. I thought I meant something to Zander, but in his eyes, I would always be a suit. The idea irritated me.
“Don’t patronize me, Zander,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at him. It was infuriating that he thought of me as someone so incapable of helping. “I’m not a child. Just because we are in a relationship does not mean that you are the boss of me. I’m a grown woman, and I can do as I please.”
Zander’s cheeks blazed as his jaw set in anger. He crossed his arms across his chest in defiance, his muscles rippling intimidatingly. My heart hammered in my chest, alarmed by the angry fire that danced in his crystal blue eyes, but I refused to break my gaze.
Sensing the friction in the room, Athena stepped between us. “Let’s all just take a breath,” she said, her hands outstretched in a calming manner, trying to defuse the tension. She turned toward Zander. “I understand why you don’t want Kai near the warzone; it hurts to think of a loved one being so close to danger. I know this from experience,” she said, giving him a small smile, no doubt thinking about her own son who was so ready to run into battle. “But Kai is useful to us. Her involvement could save a lot of lives, could be the difference in winning or losing,” Athena tried to argue, but he wasn’t hearing it.
“I SAID NO, AND THAT’S FINAL!” Zander bellowed, his eyes crazed.
In a fit of juvenile rage, he punched the living room wall, leaving a fist-sized hole. Then he stormed out of the house, slamming the front door so hard that my mosaic picture shattered to the ground, sending shards of glass sprawling across the floor.
I stared after him, my mouth open in bewilderment. I hated that he was so angry. The last thing that I wanted was to fight with him, but I wasn’t one of his subordinates that he could control. I was his girlfriend, his partner. He couldn’t just make decisions for me or become enraged when I expressed my opinions. He had to accept that I was my own person and that, like it or not, I didn’t have to do what he said. Yelling and belittling people would accomplish nothing. You don’t treat the people you care about this way. Still, it hurt my heart to see him walk away so upset.
An eerie hush fell over the cottage in the wake of Zander’s outburst. With a deep sigh, I bent down and quietly began picking up the pieces of glass with trembling hands.
“Let me,” Athena said softly, squatting down to pick up some of the shards. We cleaned the floor in silence for several minutes. It wasn’t until she brushed her thumb against my cheek that I realized that tears were cascading down my face.
“I was only trying to help,” I murmured, dropping the glass and covering my face with my hands.
“I know you were, sweet girl,” Athena said, wrapping her arms around me. I leaned into her embrace, sobbing against her chest. “I know this may not be what you want to hear, but I understand where Zander is coming from. He didn’t express it in a very mature manner,” she said in response to my appalled expression, “but I suspect he only lost his temper because he loves you so much.”
Her words softened my anger and hurt. Deep down, I knew that she was right, that Zander was only behaving this way because he was trying to protect me, but that still didn’t excuse his actions.
“After his father died, Zander was distant for a very long time,” Athena continued. “He didn’t let anyone into his life, not even me. It was almost as though he were afraid if he cared for someone, it would only make it that much harder when he lost them.
“It wasn’t until you came long, Kai, that he began to open up; that he began transitioning back into the kind little boy who adored his mother. I can never thank you enough for that. You changed him, and made him a better man. You’re good for one another. So I understand why he doesn’t want to ship you off to war against a city that has ten times our clout and resources. He doesn’t want to risk losing you like he lost his father. And neither do I, for that matter.”
I sniffled, my frustration ebbing. “But Zander isn’t going to lose me.”
“How do you know that?” she asked. “If the Syndicate does manage to get information out of Geome, they’ll be able to confirm that you were the reason we survived their attack. You will become enemy number one in their eyes. Why would we risk everything by sending you into the heart of Concord when they’ll be actively searching for you? War would be nothing compared to what you’d endure if the Syndicate got their hands on you.”
A cold chill ran down my spine at the idea, but it didn’t change my stance. “How could I live with myself if I didn’t step in to help, Athena? I’m one of the only people in Nova who knows the inside of that place. Without my knowledge, we won’t stand a chance.”
Athena wrapped her arm around me and let out a defeated sigh. “I’m afraid that Nova may not stand a chance either way.”
**********
“I’m sorry, Kai, but I have a meeting in ten minutes. When my son comes home, will you tell him to go see his mother?” Athena asked irritably. She hugged me tightly, before walking out the door.
I couldn’t blame her for being upset; I was feeling just as frustrated. Athena had stayed late into the morning so she could talk to Zander, but he never came home. Hour after hour, we had waited. But Zander made no appearance, no phone call, no word telling us that he was okay. I wasn’t sure if I should be furious with him for disappearing, or worried that we hadn’t heard from him. I alternated between peeking out the window, and pacing in the living room, my frustration and worry deepening with each passing hour.
It baffled me that Zander was reacting this way over my involvement in the resistance. Was this some sort of punishment for defying him? To make me worry about him as a form of retaliation, so that I would know how it felt? If so, it was unnecessary and cruel.
I wasn’t an idiot; I knew that my lack of training would be more of a hindrance in battle than an asset. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t contribute from afar by providing information. Even if Zander was insistent that I not go into actual battle, that didn’t mean I couldn’t share my knowledge with those who actually would be fighting the Syndicate when the time came. I couldn’t just sit by doing nothing, just twiddling my thumbs in the clinic, too afraid to step up, while others risked their lives for freedom and justice.
I stared at the rosewood box on the mantle, remembering the mantra engraved in its side- only the brave are truly free. No matter what Zander said, or how much it might hurt him, I was going to do whatever I could to give Nova an upper hand. The unsuits deserved every possible opportunity after all of the suffering they’d endured.
With a sense of resolution, I began mapping out different sectors of Concord on paper, making scribbles along the side of which areas to avoid during ce
rtain times, and which sectors were congested with TIMs and soldiers during shift changes. I knew it would only irritate Zander further when he saw my notes, but I was determined to help in any way that I could.
I penciled in as much information as I could before my eyes started to droop. I stretched my tense muscles and looked out the window, noticing the luminescent hues of dawn streaking across the horizon. It was nearly morning, and I still hadn’t heard from Zander.
With a sigh, I went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee, determined to stay awake. The machine had barely begun percolating when the front door burst open with a loud clatter. I screamed, then let out a groan of irritation as Zander trudged over the threshold, tripping on the living room rug, and falling flat on his face.
“Ouchy,” he said, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. I could smell the liquor emanating from his clothes from three yards away.
“Are you shitting me right now?” I muttered, watching him writhe on the floor like an infant.
“Kai! My beautiful Kai!” he slurred, getting unsteadily to his feet, a goofy smile plastered on his face. He tried to embrace me, but I held my arms out to stop him.
My blood was boiling. So this was why he hadn’t come home last night? Athena and I stayed awake with worry, and come to find out he had been drinking all night? I was so livid that I could scream, but I held my tongue. I knew he was too wasted to remember anything I said right now, and I wanted to make sure he remembered this conversation.
Instead of giving Zander the reprimanding that he deserved, I guided him to the bedroom, made him sit down so I could take off his clothes and shoes, and tucked him into bed. He passed out the moment his head touched the pillow, too inebriated to keep his eyes open.
I stood in the doorway and watched him sleep for a few minutes. He looked so innocent in unconsciousness that it was almost hard for me to stay angry with him... Almost. A small part of me was just glad that he was home, but there was a bigger part that was infuriated at his carelessness. If Zander wanted to get a reaction from me, he’d gotten it. As my sleep deprivation kicked, my annoyance renewed with vigor. I wanted to wake him up and tell him he was a selfish prick, but I was already running late for work.
I left the house and walked to work in a huff. There wasn’t enough coffee in the world to keep me from being ill-tempered today, something Ximea noticed right away. She made me sit down and give her the spiel before we prepped the clinic.
“Would it have killed him to pick up the phone and tell me if he was going to be out all night?” I muttered. “He could have been hurt for all I knew. I was worried sick, and the entire time he was drinking.”
“I’m sure the alcohol wasn’t helping him think clearly, nor was Jax for that matter,” she said. My eyes widened in surprise.
Jax? The same Jax that nearly beat me to death in the bathroom? The one who has continued trying to make my life hell in Nova?
“Those two used to be big drinking buddies,” Ximea said, noticing my reaction. “If I had to bet money, I’d place my wager on them being at the bar together.”
Of all the possibilities that had crept into my mind waiting for Zander to return home, I hadn’t even considered that he might have been with Jax. The idea made me grumpier than I already was.
Though the notion was front and center in my mind, I tried not to let it interfere with my work. Instead, I grabbed the chart of a patient who came in complaining about pain in his right arm and started examining him. His eyes were trained on my barcode while I radiographed him, searching for broken bones.
“Are you a suit?”
“Yeah, I am,” I said shorter than I intended. “And if you’re here to harass me, you’ll have to get in line, buddy.”
I didn’t mean to snap at him, but it wouldn’t be the first time Nova residents had come to my workplace to pester me. But, today, I wasn’t in the mood to be hassled. The man must have sensed my hostility because he didn’t respond, but waited patiently, as I finished the scan.
“Well, there’s nothing broken or fractured, so you probably just have a bruised bone. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do to help you besides prescribing pain medication. The bone will heal on its own in time. Just make sure to elevate your arm to decrease the swelling, and ice it regularly,” I recommended, signing his discharge papers.
He nodded, staring at me while I wrote information on my prescription pad. When I was finished, he grabbed the slip of paper and walked out the door of the hospital without another word.
“Was that a new exile?” Ximea asked, watching the man carefully. “I’ve never seen him around before.”
“Beats me,” I shrugged.
**********
Normally I would be ecstatic when my shift ended, but today, it came as a disappointment. I wasn’t thrilled about going home because I knew that all hell was going to break loose when I did. My temper had been building all day, and I wasn’t sure how much I could take without exploding. Zander would have seen my maps of Concord by now, and would likely be even more cross about my perpetual need to be involved with the battle plans.
Delaying the inevitable, I volunteered to stay past closing time and clean up the hospital so Ximea could leave early.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay with you?” Ximea asked again.
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. Have a good night,” I said halfheartedly. She hesitated in the doorway, worry crossing her face at my nonchalant reply. With a small smile, she stepped into the streets of Nova, leaving me alone in the clinic.
For a while, I busied myself with washing and changing bedsheets, a monotonous task that allowed me to clear my mind. I was putting the last load of clothes in the dryer when I heard the bell on the front door of the clinic jingle. I stepped into the lobby, realizing that I’d forgotten to lock up behind Ximea.
“I’m sorry, but we’re closed,” I said, setting a fresh stack of bandages on an instrument tray. I looked up and saw the man I’d helped earlier that afternoon standing in the doorway. “Is everything okay? Did your arm start bothering you again?” I asked, walking over to him and twisting his arm gently from side to side to examine it.
“No, my arm is fine,” he said. “You don’t recognize me, do you, Kai?”
My brows furrowed, taken aback that he knew my name. His face did look familiar, but I couldn’t place where he might be from. “No, I don’t think I do,” I responded.
“My name is Drayman. I work with Thane,” he said, his lips curling into a half-smile.
The breath left my body at the sound of my brother’s name. It had been several years since I’d seen Drayman, but now I remembered his face. He and Thane had been friends and colleagues, who both enjoyed their cruel jobs in the Division of Retributions.
My first thought was that maybe Drayman had been banished from Concord or had fled from the dome the way that I had, but that couldn’t be true. Drayman was as devoted to his job and Concord as Thane was. The odds of him running away were as low as my chances of becoming a member of the Syndicate.
He smiled ruefully as the realization registered in my eyes. “What are you doing here?”
He locked the clinic door behind him and took a step forward. “The Syndicate sent me to live undercover in this godforsaken city for days now, just waiting for the chance to get you alone.”
My heart was hammering in my chest, sweat forming at the nape of my neck.
“What do you want, Drayman?” I asked, my words barely audible as I slowly backed away.
He moved toward me, matching me step for step. “You, of course,” he laughed. “I was sent to retrieve you. The Syndicate isn’t very happy with you, Kai. They know that you leaked confidential information to the unsuits. The Syndicate wants retributions for your actions.”
I sense of panic consumed me. “No, you don’t understand,” I said, my voice trembling. “I didn’t do anything wrong; the Syndicate did. They were going to kill thousands of unsuits for no re
ason. I saved innocent people from being murdered.”
Drayman rolled his eyes. “Save it for your trial. You’re a traitor and a fugitive, Kai. Now it’s time to come back to Concord and pay the price for your actions.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said, putting my hands up in a defensive gesture. “And if you try to force me, I’ll scream. You’ll have all of Nova on you in a matter of seconds, and who do you think will win that battle?” I asked, feeling as though I have him at a stalemate.
The Syndicate couldn’t have sent TIMs to Nova without being detected, which meant that Drayman was alone. Even though he was one of the Syndicate’s best soldiers, even he couldn’t take on an entire Nova army by himself.
Instead of backing off, Drayman gave me a smug smile.
“I’ll have to see what I can do about that,” he said, rushing forward.
My feet slid from beneath me before I could gain traction to run away. Drayman pushed me against the wall, his forearm pinning my head so hard against the concrete that I couldn’t move. Before I could muster a shriek, he plunged a syringe deep into the muscles of my neck. My mind processed a million thoughts at that moment- what drugs had he given me? Were they lethal? Was there anything that I could do to reverse it now that the damage had been done?
“You should be honored,” he says with a triumphant smile, releasing his hold. “The Syndicate created this inoculation just for you. It will immobilize you. But don’t worry, it isn’t fatal. The Syndicate wants you impaired, not dead. They want that honor for themselves,” he said with a maniacal laugh.
As his words sank in, I began foraging through the clinic’s supply closet, desperately searching for something, anything, that could counter the effects of the injection. But I knew deep down that my efforts were futile. The Syndicate wouldn’t have made a vaccination so readily amenable to basic medical supplies. Especially when they knew I had so much training in the health field. They would ensure I couldn’t find an antidote to this injection.
