by Jackie D
He grabbed her last carrot from the tray and popped it into his mouth. “People here, in the Resistance, are free to be whoever they want to be. There’s too much going on and life can be too hard for that to matter. I never really understood why it did in your world. But that’s here. In Eden, it’s different. People with different sexual orientations have two options there—be banished beyond the wall or death.”
She almost choked. “That’s insane. Why do they put up with that?”
“Because they don’t have any other choice.”
She could feel her blood burning. Anger surged through her veins for people she’d never met and for those who were perishing as she spoke. “What about race relations?” She waited for the next wash of anger, already anticipating the answer.
He rubbed his hand across his face, as if he could wipe the injustice away. “The first plan was to rid Eden of anyone who wasn’t white. They tried and there aren’t many people of color remaining there. They discovered it would never completely work because so many ethnicities had been mixed together over the years, and they needed numbers. So, instead, wealth was redistributed. Families with the purest Caucasian ancestry were given the largest portions, and it was divided up from there. Now, anyone who isn’t white works in the servant class.”
She stood, needing to move, and she knew the anger coursing through her was palpable. These people were tyrants. They’d taken the country back hundreds of years to a time where their comfort and well-being was paramount to anyone and anything else. She didn’t just want this regime removed from power; she wanted them tossed out on their asses.
Chapter Ten
Arrow listened to her parents talk back and forth about the options that were now available. She’d already asked CAM to notify Valor that the threat was over and to report to the control center. The plans were changing, and Arrow wasn’t comfortable with any of it. They needed time to make sure Kaelyn was adjusted, that she understood the gravity of the world she’d just woken up in and could understand everything that was at stake.
The door slid open and CAM announced Kaelyn and Valor. Kaelyn took a seat next to Arrow, a look of concern and a bit of anger etched around her mouth, causing a frown. Her eyes read of questions, but before she had a chance to see what they were, her mother spoke.
“The situation has changed. We no longer have three weeks to initiate the Phoenix Project. President MacLeod wants the Resistance to rejoin the people of Eden. It wasn’t so much a request as it was an ultimatum. Either we come to Eden or he will destroy all of the colonies.” Her mother paused, waiting for Kaelyn to respond.
Kaelyn took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. “What’s the plan?”
Her father took a step forward and spoke. “We told him we would have to convene the council. Obviously, we don’t intend to comply, but it bought us a few weeks. That should be enough time to get the four Phoenixes to Eden. The rest of the plan stays as it is; the timeline is just being moved up. You’ll have to make some changes along the way, depending on how long we can keep the government in the dark. The president will accompany the three of you on your trip.”
This was the first Arrow had heard this part of the plan. “What? No! You need to be here! The people need you to lead them.”
Her mother took a seat next to her and put a hand on her back. “No, I need to go with you. The fourth entry point was supposed to be covered by the Phoenix Four headquarters, but that general is a man, and if he’s missing, they’ll know. I’m the only other person with all the information. It has to be me.”
“There has to be someone else.” Arrow rubbed the back of her neck.
Arrow didn’t like the idea of her mother being out of the protective barriers of the compound. It would be hard enough to protect Kaelyn, but security for her mother too would be stretching them thin. Someone would be left vulnerable.
Her mom put her hand on her cheek. “Honey, you forget that before I was president, I was a general. I’ll be fine. Plus, it’s better to let the two soldiers they sent believe that your father is in charge. We have a lot to accomplish, but none of it matters if we don’t get to Eden with the final plan intact. We need to contact the other Phoenix locations and make sure everyone is on the same page. We’ll have to be clear about our approach, spread out. We have to make it impossible for the Hand of God to fight us on several fronts. They’re looking at us now, so time is of the essence.”
Arrow thought of several arguments against her mother’s proposal, but none of them would’ve mattered. The decision had been made. The information was squeezing her lungs. Breathing became more difficult, and her ears burned hot. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Where are the soldiers, now?” Kaelyn asked.
“They never stay inside the compound. They’re in their transport pod right outside the main barrier. They’ll be watching,” her father said.
Arrow stood and turned to Valor. This trip would be the hardest on him. Having to leave his wife for an undisclosed amount of time wouldn’t be easy. “Go home. Spend some time with Eleanor. We’ll leave at zero-six hundred. Leave your bag in my compartment and I’ll take it to the transport.”
He only looked like he was going to disagree for a moment. Then he stood, saluted, and headed out to do exactly as she’d asked. She made a silent promise to Eleanor, a woman she’d known her whole life, to bring Valor back home safely.
She looked at her parents next. “I’ll get everything ready. I’ll have CAM check one of the transports out, and the destination will be listed for a meeting with the other colonies. Even if they check, they’ll think nothing of Valor and me escorting Mom to the meeting.”
“Yes, that’s a good plan.” Her father looked at her mother and gave her a small smile.
“I’ll help you get ready,” Kaelyn said.
She could have protested because there wasn’t anything she needed to do that would require Kaelyn’s assistance. But the thought of having her nearby brought an unexpected jolt of pleasure.
“Okay, thanks.” Arrow tried not to sound too excited about the prospect.
Arrow looked at her parents. She thought briefly of hugging her father, but he made no motion forward. So she saluted him instead. “Mom, I’ll see you in the morning.”
Her father spoke when she and Kaelyn were almost out the door. “Don’t forget your training, Major.”
She knew what he meant. He wanted her to remember him and what he would do in any given situation. And she would; she was counting on it. Their training would be the only thing to protect them and help them complete the mission. They’d be the only thing standing in the way of her people being forced into servitude inside Eden. It didn’t matter the cost; she would see this mission through.
The door opened directly into the lift. Arrow pushed the number on the screen that would take them down to the gear lockers. She glanced over and noticed that Kaelyn’s posture had slumped. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“It has to be.” She chewed on the cuticle of her pointer finger, a trait that Arrow had never read about.
“You’re going to have to trust us.” She was still watching her mouth, amazed that there was more to discover about Kaelyn. Even something as simple as a nervous habit, and she’d believed she knew everything.
Kaelyn put her hand down. “I don’t know why, but I do.”
Arrow smiled. “I just have one of those faces.”
Kaelyn’s eyes were moving back and forth, searching Arrow’s expression. Her face was damp with perspiration, and a few strands of hair clung to her cheek.
Arrow almost reached to push them away and then remembered her place when Kaelyn spoke. “You do.”
“I do what?” Arrow’s last few moments blurred together, and she couldn’t recall the last words that had left their lips.
“Have a trustworthy face.” Her smile was tired but genuine.
Luckily, the lift slowed and the door slid open before Arrow had to come up with a response. “
CAM, please check out Transport Vehicle One, length of time to be determined.”
“Would you like me to plot your course for your trip, Major Steele?”
“No, CAM. In fact, I want you to disable the tracking protocol on the vehicle.”
“Major, that isn’t advised. If there’s an issue, we’ll need to locate you.”
There was no question it was a risk. But being tracked by the bad guys would be worse. “I understand the risks. Please disable it.”
“Yes, Major.”
“CAM, open the weapons vault.”
The wall in front of them dissolved, and all the weapons the Resistance had managed to hoard, build, and smuggle over the years appeared.
“Do you know how to use any of these?” she asked over her shoulder.
Kaelyn stepped up beside her. “I can use a handgun and a rifle, but I don’t know what the rest of these are.” She ran her hand over the tops of stun weaponry.
“They’re designed to stun instead of kill. We won’t be needing those.”
Kaelyn looked as if she were going to argue with her and then changed her mind.
“Take what you know how to use. There are a few holsters over on the back rack.”
Arrow loaded several different weapons into the vehicle. She also brought a few special grade weapons, just in case. The small bombs she brought would do maximum damage, and she had no intention of using them unless there were no other options.
She was taking a few of the high-power binoculars off the rack when she heard a voice from behind her. “Is there anything I can help you with, Major?”
Arrow turned around to find Max Westcott, the armory attendant, standing in the doorway. “No, Corporal. Thank you.”
“That’s a lot of firepower,” Max said.
Kaelyn came around the corner, presumably to see who had joined them. When he saw her, he looked shocked.
“Phoenix One. I wasn’t sure I’d have the opportunity to meet you.” Max’s faced flushed with excitement.
Kaelyn stuck her hand out. “Hi, I’m Kaelyn Trapp.”
He didn’t take her hand, but instead saluted her. “Corporal Max Westcott, Guardian Class, Level One.”
She crossed her arms and smiled at him. It wasn’t condescending; it was genuine. “That’s not necessary. It’s nice to meet you.”
The color in his face started to come back, and he looked back and forth between Arrow and Kaelyn. “What can I do to help?”
Arrow didn’t want any more people to know about this than necessary. She’d come down here now because she didn’t think anyone would be here. The normal shift should have ended thirty minutes ago.
“Corporal, this is going to sound strange, but I need you to forget seeing us here, entirely. You know the soldiers are here, and General Steele will be briefing all of you tomorrow about why.”
“Yes, ma’am. I know the protocol. We don’t speak about the Phoenix Project with anyone outside the Resistance.” He recited familiar orders that were spoon-fed to them from birth.
“I wasn’t going to check any of these weapons out. I trust that’s okay with you.”
“Of course, Major. It’ll be as if you were never here. But at least I won’t have to run around figuring out who stole weapons, either.”
It’s what she wanted to hear, but the words rang strangely in her ears. As if you were never here.
She spoke again before she had the chance to dwell on why that made her uncomfortable. “Thank you, Corporal.”
He looked like he wanted to ask something else, and Arrow nodded to him.
“May I ask you something, ma’am?” He was looking at Kaelyn.
“Yes, of course,” Kaelyn said and took a step closer.
“When you’re put into your rightful place as president, may I serve on your guard?”
Kaelyn looked at him thoughtfully. “How old are you?”
“Sixteen, ma’am.” He stood up a little straighter.
“Sixteen? Don’t you want something else? Wouldn’t you like to go to school?”
He looked almost offended by the question. “This is who I am, ma’am. It’s what I was born to do. There’s nothing else.”
Kaelyn’s eyes looked sad. “Let’s talk when all this is over.”
His smile was contagious. “Thank you, ma’am.” He saluted Arrow and left.
Arrow was still smiling at his retreating figure when Kaelyn put a hand on her arm. The touch stopped any other thought she was having. Her fingers on her sleeve seemed to burn through her shirt. She wanted to look down, to see if Kaelyn was holding something in her hand to make this possible, but she didn’t. She knew there was nothing to see. Kaelyn was the heat.
“He’s so young,” Kaelyn said.
Arrow didn’t say anything. The grip had now turned to a light touch, but it was still there, tempting her. She knew Kaelyn was waiting for an answer; she wanted Arrow to explain to her why a man that young would want to devote his life to a person he hadn’t met until just now. She was looking for a glimpse into their world, a world that she was being thrust into. One they were all looking at her to lead. Arrow had all the right answers; she knew them by heart because she felt them too. Loyalty, devotion, honor—these traits weren’t just taglines for the Guardian class; they tried to emulate these ideals by how they lived their lives, every day.
“We should get you out of here. Enough people have already seen you. I know no one will say anything to the soldiers, but it will be safer, all the same.” Arrow put the last of the weapons inside the vehicle. “CAM, program Transport Vehicle One to leave tomorrow morning at zero-seven hundred hours to go to the Northern Colony. Set speed to take four days. Once it arrives, send a message back to the control center stating its arrival. It should return three days later, same travel time.” It would serve as a decoy, one that would only take a week to uncover, but it would buy them a bit of time.
“Will there be any passengers, Major?”
“No, this will be an unattended vehicle, but I want the passenger list to read Major Steele, General Steele, and Captain Markinson.”
“It’s in the system, Major.”
Kaelyn had a slight smile on her face. Her hands were in her pockets and her auburn hair fell into her eyes. “You’re pretty sneaky.”
“Just covering all our bases.” They walked back over to the lift, and Arrow pushed the level of her compartment. “You can stay in my room tonight, if you want. We had one ready for you, but you shouldn’t be walking around unattended.”
Arrow couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw a light blush cover Kaelyn’s cheek. “Okay, if you think that’s best.”
Chapter Eleven
Kaelyn followed Arrow down the hallway, past dozens of doors with the names of different military personnel on each side. She was doing her best not to allow this silly crush she seemed to have formed on Arrow get the best of her. She’d told herself a hundred times that it was because Arrow was there when she’d woken up, because she’d spent the most time with her, and because she was really the only woman in her relative age group she’d encountered.
Of course, she was intentionally keeping off the list the fact that Arrow was strong, kind, determined, and androgynously beautiful. When Kaelyn spoke to her, she had her full attention. Her eyes held compassion and warmth, along with passion and fury. None of this changed the fact that Arrow was with her because she had to be; Kaelyn was her assignment.
She was caught up in thought and hadn’t realized the door to her home for the night slid open. She stepped inside. The room had no decoration, no way to indicate that anyone lived here, much less Arrow. There were no pictures on the walls; it was the same drab gray the hallway had been. There were several books on a desk in the corner and a closet with a full-length mirror. A set of bunk beds sat against the opposite wall.
Arrow took off her jacket and hung it up in the closet. Then she turned, putting her hands in her back pockets and shrugged. “Not what you were expecting?”
Kaelyn got the impression that her face might have given away her feelings about the room. “Do you live here full-time? I can’t believe I never asked you that before.”
“Sure do, since I was sixteen and moved from my parents’ compartment.”
“Don’t you have any personal items?”
She pulled open the closet door and pointed. “My clothes are in here. What else would I need?”
Kaelyn sat on the bottom bunk. “I don’t know, pictures, novels, maybe some art.”
Arrow’s face lit up and she pulled one of the books from her desk. “Here, this belongs to you. I have a whole box of your things. I’ve looked at them over the years, trying to understand your world.”
Kaelyn took it from her and turned it over. It was a book that detailed some special pieces of art that hung in the Louvre from its inception. A flood of memories from her old life came to the front of her mind. Beautiful glimpses of a world that no longer existed, only kept alive now in her memories and in books like this one. “Did you look through it?”
“Several times. I think I could memorize every word in there.”
“What did you think?” She wasn’t sure why, but this answer would be an important one.
Arrow was untying her boots when Kaelyn asked the question. She paused, seeming to give her answer a great amount of consideration. Kaelyn smiled at Arrow’s meticulous behavior.
“I hope at least a fraction of all that art has been preserved. I’m not sure what the current state of the world is beyond the North American wall, but it would be an absolute travesty if these pieces were only ever seen in books.”
Kaelyn skimmed the pages, briefly remembering the summer she’d spent overseas during college. “Yes, it would be. What else do you have?” The idea there might be more links to her past made her heart speed up, the possibility creating a warm bubble in her chest.
Arrow pulled a container out of her closet and slid it in front of Kaelyn. “These are all things your father asked us to keep for you. I’m sorry if it’s weird that we’ve all looked through them. I didn’t even consider until right now that it would be a violation of your privacy.”
