The Dawn: Omnibus edition (box set books 1-5)

by Michelle Muckley

  “You mean The Southern Resistance.”

  Emily smiled and brushed the stray hairs away from her face. She gripped Zack by the upper arm. “Don't mention the idea of something called The Southern Resistance again. Okay?” He nodded to show that he understood. “But tell me. Why did you come looking for me today?”

  “I need your help. A friend is in trouble. She has to leave. I know you can help her. I know you can get past the Guardians at the border of Omega Tower.”

  “What do you expect me to do, smuggle her out in the middle of the night?” Emily rolled her eyes, looked up to the roof of the lift before remembering her fear. She gripped harder onto Zack’s arm to steady herself and Zack brought his hands up to grip her. His grip wasn’t tight, it was soft but secure, the way a father might hold a baby. She waited for the moment of dizziness to pass and then shook her head to free herself from the feeling. Zack loosened his grip, and her eyes followed his hands as they fell away. “Is that what you expected? That I would smuggle her out just because you ask me to?”

  “Yes. Exactly that.”

  “What kind of trouble is she in?”

  “She is pregnant.”

  “She should have checked. She knows the rules.” Emily was dismissive, and in case Zack had any doubt as to her opinion on the matter she folded her arms to build a wall of defence between them. But he was undeterred. When he touched her, he felt her respond. When he had taken hold of her arms, she had loosed her grip on his. It was safety she had felt in that moment. He knew that he was the reason. Coupled with the fact that she had followed him here in the first place meant that he was worth taking a risk. Just like she was.

  “It's a Guardian.” Zack saw that the attention of the two Guardians in their presence had been caught. Emily's stance immediately softened.

  “Which Guardian?”

  “I don't know. I think from Delta.”

  “You mean she had connections to another tower?”

  “Yes, she must have. She offered to get a message to Leonard for me. You remember him, don't you?”

  “The person that you were trading for.” She nodded her head and placed her hands on her hips. “I remember, Zack. I don't know who you are yet, and I don't know if I can trust you. But I heard what you did. The shooting I mean.”

  “What shooting?” Zack wanted to play dumb. He wanted the shooting to be a tale from the past, forgotten already.

  “You know very well what shooting. If Margareta knew what you had done you'd already be out. Duke covered for you.”

  “You know Duke?”

  She nodded. “When I saw you in Delta I judged you. That you were out for yourself. I was wrong then. Usually I'm not wrong, but you got me.”

  “If you don't help my friend she will end up in a Denunciation Ceremony.”

  “You have never seen a Denunciation Ceremony, Zack. You don't know what that means. But you are right. That's exactly where she will end up. But if what you tell me is true, and that she was trying to get a message to somebody in Delta Tower, then it means I cannot stand by and watch that happen. I can get her out. Be ready. Tomorrow night.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I don't need your thanks. I need you to be a good citizen.” She said it with such certainty that he could almost believe that she meant it. Go to the Community Level. Complete your Renunciation Pledge. Get your manicure and get your hair cut. It’s your day, remember?”

  “All right. I'll do what you ask me to. Anything.” She began walking away and the Guardian removed his boot from the doorway. The other Guardian, thick-set with herculean strength that Zack could only imagine stepped out from the lift. The doors began to close but Emily stepped into them, forcing them open again. She stared at Zack in a way that he had not been gazed upon for many years. It was as if she saw behind the fresh skin, the neat hair, and uniform of Omega. It was as if she actually saw him, a better version of the person that he used to be. It was the same look that Samantha used to give him when he had done something that she cared for.

  She opened her mouth to speak before closing it again. Zack stepped forward, desperate to know what it was that she wanted to say but wouldn’t allow to pass her lips.

  “What? What is it?”

  “Everybody is somebody, Zack. Do you really believe that?” She was repeating the words that he had written in the copy of the Omega Manifesto in the health centre. Sarah had said it too, but when she had said it he had assumed it nothing more than a coincidence. But now it didn't seem like such a coincidence. Did she know about what he had written? “Tell me, Zack. Do you really believe that?”

  “Yes, I do,” he said stepping forward. He wanted to get close to her, as if the truth was somewhere in the space between them, just waiting to be discovered. He reached out his hand and brushed his fingertips along the edge of her hand. He knew she felt it in the way her eyes flickered, and from the small gasp of air that she sucked in. She pulled her hand back, wrapped them around each other in front of her chest.

  “Am I somebody, Zack?”

  “You are somebody to me,” he whispered.

  “Then be ready. Stay in Sarah's room tomorrow night. All of you. I’ll get your Unity Panel shut down. What’s your friend’s name?”

  “Serena.”

  With that she slipped out from the doorway, and as the lift doors closed he began his descent to the Community Level.

  He completed his Renunciation Pledge. He waited in the booth and left a message for the president that he thought there were Drifters involved in the uprising in Gamma Tower just so his visit seemed realistic. He got his nails manicured and his hair trimmed which afterwards emitted the aroma of a springtime orchard. He did everything as he was supposed to, and took the lecture from Simon, who was, it transpired, absolutely livid to have been questioned by ‘that woman’. He didn’t say it by name, but Zack assumed he was referring to Margareta. The one with the breath that smelled like something he couldn’t quite place.

  That night Zack slept alone. The atmosphere with Sarah was frosty, and he didn’t feel much like trying to improve it. He had done everything exactly as he had been told to when he slipped into bed that night, even conversing with the Unity Panel which Emily was yet to shut down. Fitting in with the Omega routine was so easy. It was so easy to slip into the cushion of their protection and comfort. And that’s when he realised that in order to climb the first step he was going to have to fall further than he had ever imagined possible.

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Sarah’s eyes bored into Serena, watching her chew the nail on the thumb of her left hand. Serena paid her no attention. She was sitting in the chair, her legs curled up underneath her with her right arm supporting the left elbow. She had been sitting there since they arrived in the room after an early dinner, which itself had passed in total silence. Serena had stuck by Zack, as had Sarah.

  Irrespective of the frosty way in which they had left things the day before, Sarah had barely left Zack’s side long enough for him to use the bathroom today. Zack knew that Sarah was not only uncomfortable with what was planned, but also livid at being dragged into it. But more than that she felt as trapped as Serena was, because if Sarah lost Zack and then found out she was pregnant, she was up the same shit-filled creek without a paddle. He couldn’t admit that he didn’t feel a degree of sympathy for her, even though she seemed to do her very best to limit such responses. But he couldn't do anything about it now, and so did his best not to think about Sarah’s personal predicament. Serena needed him and he wasn't going to let her down. He knew he needed her too.

  “When are they going to arrive?” Serena asked as she looked at Zack. Zack was standing with his arms folded, his back against the kitchen cupboards. Sarah was next to him after following from the edge of the bed. From where he was standing he had an excellent view of the roads below him, and he watched as cars and vans came and went. He paid particular attention to the Guardians as they patrolled the perimeter with guns in their hand
s. If it wasn’t for the view, he would be in the chair opposite Serena. That way Sarah couldn’t be right next to him. Ever since he had decided not to consider Sarah when it came to tonight’s plan, he could more easily accept that she was driving him crazy.

  “How is he supposed to know?” snapped Sarah. “He doesn't know any more than you do. He doesn't even realise what level of danger he has put himself in. And me. I’m not even sure you understand.” The women couldn’t bring themselves to make eye contact. Sarah was caught between supporting Zack so that she didn’t alienate herself from him, and expressing her displeasure at the plan. Serena took the brunt of it on more than one occasion, which seemed to do enough to keep Sarah satisfied.

  “Sarah, give it a break,” Zack said as he took his eyes off the action at street level. “We didn't have any other choice.” Sarah looked at Serena for the first time, who in turn looked back at her nail and continued working on it with her teeth. From the look on Sarah's face she didn't look convinced that there had been no other choice. Sarah was more concerned about the possibility of her own Denunciation Ceremony where she would be tried as a traitor, should tonight's plan not play out as intended.

  A knock at the door broke the tension like a thunderbolt breaks humidity. Serena sat forwards in her chair and began gripping onto the armrest. Fear froze Sarah to the spot. Zack stepped towards the door, his feet moving across the tiled floor without making a sound. He opened the shutter. It was a Guardian.

  Zack looked around at the two women, united in their terror of what lay ahead. He swallowed, said a prayer, and reached for the door handle. As soon as the door opened a crack the Guardian pushed his way in. He took two steps into the room and then swung back around to slam the door closed. He managed to do it without the door making a sound, releasing the pressure at the last minute so the door glided silently into place.

  “When did you last go into your room?” he said to Zack. His voice was gravelly but flowed as smoothly as the finest sand. He spoke in the hushed undertones of somebody who was colluding with them, and it made him sound like he was on their side. All of them relaxed a little bit after he spoke.

  “Earlier this afternoon. I took a shower and changed my clothes.”

  “Go in there now. Take Sarah with you. Your room is still being monitored. Go in together hand in hand. Look happy. You remember what that feels like, right?” The Guardian looked at Zack and then to Sarah. They both nodded.

  “What are we supposed to do in there?” asked Sarah.

  “Use your imagination.” Zack and Sarah exchanged an uncomfortable glance. He tried to remember how he used to break the ice after an argument with Samantha. He remembered one time when he shaved his head and she told him he looked like a peanut with a face. It was a good memory, but painful, and he tried to forget it. Nothing with Sarah was the same as with Samantha, and he didn’t want to pretend the same rules applied. They too had a role to play in this charade, and he had to focus. “Afterwards, go together to the health centre and ask for a pregnancy test. Then go to the Refreshments Cafe and sit together, and order something. No matter the outcome of the test.”

  “What should we order?” Sarah asked. Zack had stopped listening for a second. No matter the outcome. He had forgotten that there was a very real risk that Sarah was pregnant.

  “Anything you like,” replied the Guardian. “Don’t come back here before nine tonight, and then when you do, just go to bed as normal. And I mean normal for a couple. Together.” With that the Guardian turned and opened the door. He held it open like a doorman in a bar waiting for them to leave. “Well, come on then.”

  Zack stepped towards Serena. He crouched down and held her in his arms. He wanted her to know that he cared. That she mattered. He wanted somebody to know that when he was needed he was there. He kissed her on the forehead and in the corner of his eye he saw Sarah avert her gaze.

  “I'm just supposed to stay here on my own?” Serena asked when Zack let her go. She was staring at Zack but it was really a question for the Guardian. She looked so small and vulnerable in that moment and even Sarah looked as if she had a degree of sympathy.

  “They will come for you,” said the Guardian. He scooped his arm around Sarah and Zack almost pulling them from the room. Before Zack had an opportunity to take a final glance at Serena, the Guardian closed the door on her for good.

  * * *

  Zack and Sarah put on their best display as a happy couple, visiting the health clinic as ordered by the Guardian. Even though it was late in the day, almost seven in the evening, the receptionist became as overexcited as a kitten at the prospect of a requested pregnancy test. She ushered Zack and Sarah into a clinic room as if they were Royal visitors. Chairs were hurried into place, drinks offered, queries made about the temperature of the room. They ordered nothing, but still the receptionist returned with a long green drink that resembled slime.

  “It’s a mixture of kale, spinach, and a shot of citrus fruit for flavour. Try it,” she urged as Sarah took the drink, bringing the straw up to her lips. The whole episode had relaxed Sarah a great deal, and she was high on the idea of a pregnancy. It helped that she felt the whole episode with Serena was over, and that within two hours they would be lying in bed together and Serena would be nothing but a distant bad memory. And they had forgotten worse. To her credit, Zack saw how easy it was to get lost in the excitement. Sarah obviously loved it, and had been fighting a grin off her face from the word go.

  “It’s very nice,” Sarah said as she sipped on the drink, although the grimace on her face suggested otherwise. Even the tendons on her neck appeared to be trying to run away from it. Kale, spinach, citrus. That was not a winning combination.

  Dr. Watson breezed into the room free of that flippant, half-hearted approach to which Zack had become accustomed. He seemed genuinely excited at the idea of a child. Perhaps he too would be rewarded as the doctor in charge.

  “Thank you, Roberta. That will be all.” The receptionist did what looked like a curtsy and scurried away. “Just as I thought the day was drawing to a close, our good President, you both arrive here in my office with such wonderful news.” There it was. That special brand of sarcastic cheer. He must have been laying it on thick for the receptionist.

  There are eyes and ears everywhere, Zack.

  “After I found those tablets you left on the bed last week, I assumed I had been a little presumptuous. Perhaps too forward thinking. But it turns out that I was right all along,” he smiled, shaking his head in disbelief. He picked up a scanner and rested it against Sarah's forehead. “Simon must have done a wonderful job with you. He is quite something, really he is.” The scanner beeped and Dr. Watson read the temperature. “Any morning sickness?” he asked without looking at Sarah. He motioned for her to stand. She did so and shook her head at the same time. Zack felt an inappropriate and premature wave of relief. “Any tenderness?” Dr. Watson asked, reaching up and placing his hands on her breasts, cupping them and squeezing like one might test the ripeness of a piece of fruit. She snuck a quick glance at Zack which he interpreted as discomfort, but shook her head to confirm that she felt fine.

  “No. No tenderness.”

  Dr. Watson let his hands drop from Sarah's chest and took a step back, examining her like an artist might examine a painting. Sarah straightened her tunic dress and sat back down when he motioned his hands for her to sit. Zack, feeling the need to do something, reached over and stroked her arm in what he thought was a reassuring manner. She ignored him and focussed on Dr. Watson. “The basal temperate is raised. That is good. It's a good sign.” This fact clearly perked up Sarah after the disappointment of not having any sickness or tenderness to report. Zack felt the colour drain from his face. Dr. Watson handed her a pot. “I would like you to urinate in this. If you don’t want to do it here, then you can use the room through there.”

  Dr. Watson pointed to the room from where he had just arrived. She stood up and hurried through. After Sarah closed the door
Dr. Watson turned to Zack.

  “So, you have had a busy start to your stay with us.” Zack nodded in an effort to be genial and polite, aware that Dr. Watson could be another set of eyes that were monitoring him. If the doctor wasn't monitoring him, who was?

  “Yes, I suppose you could say that,” he said through a giggle which he hoped sounded genuine.

  “Having a child is a highly sought after prize here in Omega Tower. I'm sure you know why.”

  “For the future of the population,” Zack said, trying to remember what it was that Simon had taught him.

  “Yes, yes.” Dr. Watson seemed uninterested in his response, dismissive as if he had heard it all before. “Population planning. That's what it is all about.” Dr. Watson busied himself with a selection of metal pots on the glass desk, propping himself on the edge of it. “Of course, if she isn't pregnant it will be a significant disappointment in her life. Perhaps not yours, but for her it will be like the end of the world all over again. Didn't you see how she got her hopes up at just the mention of a raised temperature?” Dr. Watson stressed his last words and raised his left hand above his head as if to emphasise just how high Sarah's hopes really were.

  Before Zack could answer Sarah walked back through the door with a small pot nearly full of urine. It was sloshing up the sides towards the lid in spite of her effort to protect it. She was carrying it like it was some sort of precious nectar. She handed it to Dr. Watson and sat back down. She turned to Zack and tried to smile, but the anxiety was getting the better of her. She crossed her fingers and held them up to kiss them. Zack did the same, but his wish was very different to hers.

  Dr. Watson fiddled with the metal pots on the glass desk, rotated the lid off one and pulled out a small plastic stick. He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and unscrewed the lid of the specimen pot, inserting the stick into the fluid. He stirred it around theatrically as if it was a magic wand, and it clearly delighted him when Sarah found this amusing. He then pulled it out and set it down on the desk. They waited in silence. Every now and again Dr. Watson would look at them, make like he was about to say something. Once or twice he even opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, as if his tongue had been cut. Then, as straight and simply as if he was telling them the date he announced the results.