The Outerlands - Sedition

by Aleigh Schuster

  Graff yelled something to her and abruptly knocked her weapon to the ground. He dropped to one knee, readying his crossbow, and I watched, confused, as he rubbed a hand roughly through his hair and closed his eyes for what seemed like forever. When he reopened them, mixed emotions flitted across his face as his eyes found mine, and I knew…he’d made his decision. Graff’s arrow wasn’t aimed at any of my captors. It was aimed at me.

  He mouthed something to me but I couldn’t make it out from this far away. So I brought forth what little courage I could find and wiped any lingering tears away with the back of my hand. Then I pasted on what I hoped was a convincing smile, wanting to convey to him that I understood. He couldn’t let someone with my abilities get into the hands of the enemy.

  I looked up to meet his eyes just as he closed his and let the arrow fly. I stood perfectly still, pushing away my strong survival instinct. A long moment passed before Devlyn’s men belatedly jumped into action, lunging toward me when they figured out Graff’s intent. A millisecond before one of the soldiers reached me, a sharp pain shot through my neck and down my arms, followed by a flood of electrical currents throughout my core that forced me to the ground. I struggled for breath but in the end the damage proved too much. My eyes cut to Graff’s devastated image just as my body gave out and everything faded to black.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  I’m four years old and Father is swinging me round and round in our backyard. He hugs me to him and I can see the edge of his medallion peeking through his shirt. It sparkles and shines, and I can’t tear my eyes away. Then he throws me up in the air and I lose sight of it. I look to Father, who’s holding up his hands to catch me when I come back down. But before I reach his open arms, there’s an explosion, and the landscape changes.

  I’m older now, standing barefoot in a white satin dress. My long hair whips in the wind, the strands around my face blocking my view up ahead. I brush it away to see that I am alone inside an electric fence, nothing but a two-story steel building in the backdrop. I look around, panicked, as rain begins to pour down, and I scream just as an explosion blasts me from my feet. Falling pieces of metal and debris litter the sky. Soldiers materialize, closing in from every direction. The pressure builds in the air, the atmosphere around me shifts, and it can only mean one thing: He’s here. And if he’s here, I know I’m safe.

  “Brooks…” a guttural voice floated through my subconscious. I ignored it, wanting to go back to my dream, wanting to find him. “Oh no, you don’t.” With a slight shake of my body, the voice persisted. “Come on, sweetheart. I need you to open your eyes for me.”

  I tried rolling over, but strong arms held me still so I burrowed my head deeper in their warmth. “Go…a-waaay,” I rasped, and immediately felt the burn deep in my throat. As if waiting for that moment, the rest of the pain in my body came flooding back along with scattered memories of earlier. Being betrayed…Devlyn…Graff…why I was lying here in pain, alive instead of imprisoned or dead.

  Cracking one eye open, I saw a heart-wrenching expression on the otherwise all too handsome face staring down at me. “Gr…aff? What happened? Where…are we?”

  “Shit, Brooks,” he exhaled, peppering feather-light kisses all across my cheeks and forehead. “I thought after I shot off that collar…damn.” Graff gave me a tight squeeze before pushing off the ground, cradling my body as he stood. “And to answer your other question,” he whispered, “we’re behind some warehouse at the edge of the damn woods that traitor dragged you through. Unfortunately, it also happens to be on the property of Devlyn’s personal compound.”

  I sucked in a breath, not sure which memories were from the dream and which were real.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe…always,” he whispered. “But we need to get out of here and fast. The others can only hold them back so long.”

  At his words, I lifted my head and took in our surroundings for the first time.

  Not far behind us was a fence that, with our abilities, we could easily escape through. The warehouse Graff mentioned was basically two buildings with a breezeway, which allowed me to partially see the battle—warriors putting their lives on the line so I could escape. It was clear that once Devlyn learned of my abilities I had become his primary target, but there was no way I could live with myself if one more person got hurt because of me.

  Just as I was about to voice my opinion, Graff swooped me up and started carrying me toward the fence.

  “Put me down,” I ordered hoarsely, and when he threw me an incredulous look, added, “Please. I want to walk. I can already feel my strength coming back.”

  “You almost died,” he yelled. “You’re crazy if you think—” I cut him off with a kiss, waiting until his arms moved to my neck and my feet slowly lowered to the ground before pulling back.

  “What I think is that we are in the middle of a war zone, surrounded by fighting and mayhem with hundreds of enemy soldiers who are not going to back down.”

  “Please trust me. I’ll get us out.” He gripped my hand, pulling me toward the back line where the soldiers’ forces were thinned out.

  “Of that I have no doubt,” I replied, yanking back to stop us once more. “But what about the others, Graff? What will become of all of them?” I waved my free arm toward the battlefield.

  Graff heaved out a sigh before coming back to press his forehead to my face. “You are mine to protect.” His voice was just above a whisper, but even through all the chaos, I could hear his anguish.

  “Yes, I am.” I smiled sadly. “But they are ours.” Graff flinched, closing his eyes. I knew he was torn between fighting with his GWs and taking me to safety. I also knew he would always choose me, his partner; which was why I had to convince him I could handle this. “We are stronger together. Isn’t that what you told me? I’m almost fully healed now, Graff. Please, let’s stand and fight alongside our family…let’s end this once and for all.”

  * * *

  We crouched behind the warehouse, peering around the building and down the breezeway to assess the situation. There were a great deal more government soldiers than GWs left in this fight, but we were holding our own. We were Gunari after all.

  Returning to my original position, I examined the back of the building and saw a metal ladder attached to the corner leading up to the roof. I took off in a run, Graff hot on my heels.

  “What are you doing?” he asked as I tossed my gun strap across my shoulder.

  “I just want to get a peek at the top of this roof,” I informed him, already shimmying up the ladder. A few seconds later, I smiled and looked down, asking, “Are you watching my backside?”

  “Always.”

  When my hands reached the top rung, I slowly raised my head just enough to scan the rooftop. The flat roof was empty, save for a tall narrow structure in the center that contained a door. Probably a stairwell used for maintenance like some of the buildings back home. It was perfect.

  In my excitement, I didn’t bother using the ladder to get back down. I simply let go and dropped, landing in a perfect squat at Graff’s boots. Jumping up, I kissed him full on the mouth, lingering in his warmth for a moment before breaking away to reveal my plan.

  * * *

  Graff pushed out a tiny electrical current from his fingertips to break the lock on the back door of the building then stepped aside while raising his gun. At his nod, I cautiously turned the knob and nudged open the door.

  “Clear,” Graff confirmed shortly after entering. I closed the door, locking it behind me.

  We seemed to be inside a storage facility. The place was free of people, but an entire wall in the first room we entered was packed to the ceiling with crates and a single desk that housed some kind of monitor sat in the center of the room. Directly across from the crates was a dark hallway. Graff examined the contents on the device while I went in search of the stairs that led to the roof.

  “Be careful,” Graff said before turning his attention back to the monitor.<
br />
  My reply was a smile, knowing he was fully aware that we were alone.

  The hallway contained two doors; one straight ahead and one on the right. I opened the door to the right and found it full of more crates. I wanted to investigate the contents but feared we were running out of time.

  The door at the end of the hall was indeed a stairwell that led to the roof.

  “I found our way up to the roof,” I hollered, running back.

  Graff was leaning over one of the crates that now lay open on the floor. He looked up with a stunned expression when I reached him.

  “What is it?”

  “These crates are filled with the Graphene bullets,” he replied, opening his palm to show me.

  “The room down the hall is full of crates, too, Graff.”

  He nodded, letting the bullets fall from his hand. “We’ll come back to destroy them before we leave. Let’s get to the roof.”

  I grabbed his now empty hand and we started for the stairs, but Graff pulled up short in front of the desk. “Take a look at this first,” he said, pointing to the monitor.

  The screen displayed the on-going battle just outside. What guns I could see lay on the ground and both sides were fighting with swords and knives—our specialty. Hundreds of Gunari Warriors were using their supernatural speed and agility to fight off nearly twice as many soldiers.

  Through the melee, I watched as Rafe, grinning like a maniac, wielded his sword with lightning fast speed against three soldiers. I spotted John and Gregory, back to back, taking out men left and right. Blond hair flew across my vision. Cali soared through the air with her arms raised, a blade in each hand. As Keller skillfully sliced the head off one soldier, two more came at his back. Cali came down between them, taking them both out at once. Behind them, Dera and Marcus were on top of a trailer, shooting arrows in rapid succession. Our GWs seemed to be doing fine keeping them at bay.

  However, my hopes deflated as I watched Devlyn and his men suddenly appear along the rooftop of a two-story building directly across from us, stopping just short of the edge overlooking the battle below. They made a spine-chilling impression, standing at attention in their black uniforms and identical weapons as they awaited their orders.

  Movement from a black flag with a red insignia drew my attention away from the army before me. The flag was attached to a fence behind the steel building he and his men stood upon, which rose at least twenty feet taller than the roof itself.

  It was an electrical fence. Just like my dream.

  “Brooks,” Graff said, interrupting my thoughts. “Those are the same weapons they were using at the facility. The ones that fire Graphene bullets.”

  Of course they were. We just couldn’t catch a break. My eyes traveled over the men in black before halting on Devlyn himself. He wore a maniacal expression while he stood, hands clasped behind his back, patiently observing the carnage he created like he had all the time in the world.

  “Why aren’t they engaging?” I asked.

  “Because Devlyn’s a psychopath, and more importantly, he’s waiting for you.”

  “So let’s give him what he wants.”

  * * *

  Graff and I faced each other on the rooftop behind the stairwell house, hidden from our enemy across the way. I let out a string of curses when the cacophony produced by the battle made me lose my concentration.

  “Breathe, Brooks. You can do this. Remember how strong our powers will be once we connect them. Block everything out but you and me,” Graff said soothingly as he held both my hands in his.

  I took a deep breath, knowing he was right. Then a few more, knowing our lives depended on this.

  Squaring my shoulders, I tightened my hold on Graff and gazed deep into eyes just like mine. I brought forth my power and felt the familiar current surge through me.

  Our powers came together lightning fast. Wind gusts erupted around us so severe it thrust me forward, but I held on with all my might. Graff leaned forward, his arms extended as well. The familiar bluish green light formed from our joined hands, but this time it spread out and encircled our entire bodies. It looked like we were trapped in a colorful cyclone.

  “On three. Just like we planned,” Graff yelled through the storm.

  “I’m ready,” I screamed.

  “One.” He squeezed one of my hands tighter while letting the other go.

  “Two.” He turned me slightly so we were both in line with the edge of the roof.

  “Three.” We jumped, landing on the stairwell house together before breaking apart and thrusting out all the energy directly at the men in black.

  At the sudden commotion, Devlyn’s army started shooting at everything within sight. Graff and I instantly added more force behind our abilities, targeting those bullets and sending them flying back in their original direction. There was a long pause before they blasted into part of the roof and compound wall. Some soldiers went airborne while others dropped where they stood.

  The Gunari Warriors, who had been fighting on the ground, took the advantage and swarmed any remaining soldiers, overpowering them almost immediately.

  Only six remained. Directly across from us on the roof of the compound, they took up a protective stance in front of their leader. They had to know they’d already lost this battle; that they would die if they didn’t surrender, which only meant one thing: They were sacrificing themselves to give Devlyn the time to escape. He would go into his compound where he could get lost in the vastness of its rooms and hallways and find another way out.

  “We can’t let him get away,” I yelled desperately to Graff without taking my eyes off the soldiers or Devlyn.

  “He’s not going anywhere. Like you said, this ends now,” he answered so coolly, with such confidence in his voice, that I believed every word. “Are you ready?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “How much energy do you have left?” he asked, letting me know exactly what he had in mind.

  “Enough.”

  “You sure, Brooks?” Worry took over his handsome features. “Because if you don’t…I can try this on my own.”

  As if I’d sit this one out.

  “No, Graff. I’m good. Really,” I rushed out, anxious from watching the soldiers and Devlyn inch their way back to a metal hatch in the floor of the roof. They were almost to it when Graff, who had been watching the same thing, grabbed my hand and spun me around.

  “All right. I’m going to push all of my power and energy into you. And I want you to pull on it exactly like you did in training. Except this time, I want you to use it all—every last drop.” I went to object that it was too dangerous, but he stopped me. “Don’t argue. Just trust me.”

  On that I didn’t hesitate. “Always.”

  He smiled, about to comment, but stopped short when the soldiers’ line finally made it to the hatch. Instead, Graff let out a war cry, alerting our GWs of what was to come so they could take cover.

  “Brooks, now!” he yelled, and I felt a flood of power entering my body through our connected limbs.

  Letting it course through me, I pulled on his energy harder than ever before. It was both exhilarating and frightening, the power I felt in that moment. Before it could influence my thoughts, Graff pulled my back to his chest, encircled my wrists with his, and together as one, thrust our arms forward. A force of power unlike any I’d ever felt came through my fingertips. A succession of colored lightning strikes surged out, making their way toward and connecting with the line of soldiers in front of Devlyn. One after another, they dropped, dying before their bodies ever reached the ground. Devlyn, who had scooted over to the roof’s farthest edge, became wild-eyed and frantic at realizing he was about to meet the same fate.

  With every last bit of energy Graff and I possessed, I forced all our remaining power into Devlyn’s chest. It hit him so hard it took out the stairwell house’s main exit on his left side and blew off the escape hatch at his feet.

  Thunderous cheers from below filtere
d to my ears but I only had eyes for Devlyn and his stunned expression right before he tumbled to his death thirty feet below.

  Epilogue

  Four months had passed since the defeat of Devlyn and the government’s army. There was still no sign of Ford, who we now knew to be Rutherford Cross. Although already branded as a traitor by the GW, he had a new target on his back: With the death of his grandfather, he’d become sole heir to the fortune that funded Industrial city and all its research facilities.

  A week ago, the GWs received valuable information through Quinn’s source regarding the location of the man who’d stepped up to take Devlyn’s place. No one knew his real name, only that he was called ‘The General’ throughout the land. In the few months since he took over, he had already caused a division within the government, taking most of the army and those who followed him further north, leaving Industrial City in an unusually vulnerable state. Everyone knew another fight loomed on the horizon, but not before the army could reorganize. We ourselves needed time to build back up from our losses.

  Keegan remained in Sector Three under Dr. Wilson’s care, where he was still recovering from the side effects of the Graphene in his bloodstream. Thankfully, the pills stored in our sector’s bunker were indeed the antidote. It had already cured the other victims who’d been injected, but we were told from the staff doctors that my brother’s body was somewhat resistant to the drug. It caused the scientists to focus more of their experiments on my brother and why his DNA was reacting the way it was.

  Finally, after receiving the latest news from Dr. Wilson that though there was no set timetable and Keegan would ‘without a doubt’ make a full recovery, I reluctantly left my brother’s side and moved back home with Graff to rebuild my sector. Most of his team and another fifty Gunari volunteers came with us. Cali and Gunner were instrumental in our efforts to round up the necessary food and construction supplies. Jarvis collected a small group of GWs as soon as we arrived in my territory, dug their heels in, and fully erected our first structure: the new town hall. It also served as bunkers for the time being. Even John and Marcus showed up to help reinforce the Sector’s perimeter gates.