by Marina Epley
I suddenly remember Guardian’s recruits wasting the prisoners in the Death Camp. I realize that these sadists would methodically murder all non-breaker residents in the city, should we fail to stop the attack. They’d also kill any breakers who refused to join their forces. We can’t let that happen. We have to stop them, at any cost.
Somebody approaches me from behind and covers my eyes.
“Guess who!” I hear a girlish voice.
I instantly recognize her.
“Chelsey!” I exclaim, turning around. “Hey little one! How are you?”
We hug each other tightly, like old friends.
“I was missing you!” Chelsey says, giggling.
“You’re wearing a uniform,” I suddenly notice. “Are you a recruit now? Are you planning to fight?”
Chelsey nods, spinning around to model her new black uniform. She sure seems happy and excited.
“I’ll be helping defend the city,” she says proudly.
“Chelsey, you’re too young for this one,” I argue, becoming worried.
“All resistant people and breakers must do their part to help,” Chelsey answers. “I volunteered because I truly want to do my duty and take part. I’ve told you how I hate Guardian. I wasn’t joking. I really want to fight against him. And I’ve received some combat training recently. Jessie taught me to shoot as you suggested.” She unholsters her handgun. “Look what I have! It’s my trophy. I’m about to use it in real battle.”
I now seriously regret having given this gun to Chelsey. I have to fight an urge to try talking her out of joining our defense. I realize that many teens will have to participate in this battle. We simply don’t have enough resistant people in the city to exclude the kids.
Chelsey smiles broadly. Her smile is completely different from the one she flashed back in the Death Camp. She looks so joyful and full of life.
“I’ll be worrying for you,” I say. “Please, be careful.”
“I’ll be all right,” Chelsey promises. “I’m not frightened. I’ve been through much worse in the Death Camp.”
“How old were you when Elimination captured you?” I ask.
“I was seven,” Chelsey answers. “They kept me in another facility before moving me to the Death Camp.”
Goodness. She hasn’t known anything else in her young life, except prison walls and various forms of torture.
“I’m so sorry,” I sigh.
“It’s fine. At least now I’m free.”
Chelsey becomes quiet for a few moments, watching me with a hesitant expression.
“Rex, are we truly friends?” she asks.
“Of course we’re friends,” I assure her. “What’s up, Chelsey? Do you need anything?”
“I just thought maybe you could help me locate my parents?” she asks. “I just really don’t know how else I might find them. I’ve no idea where they are, and I don’t have any telepathic abilities.”
“Sure,” I say. “Of course I’ll try to help you. We should ask Kitty to help as well, because she’s a much stronger telepath than me. I’ll tell you what. Come find us after all this mess is over and we’ll figure out something. Deal?”
“Deal,” Chelsey says, smiling again.
She walks away, heading back to her squad. I follow her with my eyes. I don’t want anything bad to happen to this brave little girl. I sure hope our visions were false.
In the evening, Vogel arrives to check progress. She expresses gratitude for our contribution, shaking my hand.
“You and Kitty along with a squad of recruits will be blockading this access road,” Vogel informs me.
“Wait a minute,” I say. “I thought my team was supposed to be on the front line of defense. We’re strong breakers.”
“That’s correct,” the major answers. “Jessie, Dave and Victor are welcome to join the main lines of defense. But you and Kitty will be staying behind.”
I begin to argue, but Vogel doesn’t bend.
“It’s a direct order,” she cuts me off. “Your primary duty here is to assassinate Guardian in the future. We can’t afford to risk either of your lives unnecessarily.”
I become silent. I have a strong desire to yell at her that she’s not my commander and I won’t follow her orders. But Vogel isn’t the type of person you want to yell at. She’d simply order me locked up, should I continue to argue.
“Are we really gonna stay behind?” Kitty asks, after Vogel leaves.
I hesitate. I don’t want to stay back like a coward while the others fight Guardian’s soldiers. At the same time, this may be the only way to keep Kitty from joining the front line of defense.
“Vogel is right,” Jessie says, looking at me and Kitty. “You two should stay back. Your lives are too important. Nobody else has a legitimate chance to kill Guardian.”
Victor and Dave agree with her.
I still can’t decide what Kitty and I should do. Not being an Elimination officer, I don’t have to follow Vogel’s commands. But I do realize that her decision to try to keep us safe is more than sensible. Should Kitty and I be killed, Holtzmann won’t have any suitable subjects for his experiment.
“All right then,” I say. “We’ll help secure this road.”
“We’re gonna miss out on all the fun,” Kitty groans, looking disappointed.
We continue building barricades.
“Vogel really appreciates all your help,” Marcus suddenly says to me.
I don’t answer.
“Did you know that she once worked closely with Wheeler several years ago?” Marcus asks.
“So I’ve heard,” I say.
“They were rivals,” Marcus continues. “They were competing for the same promotion, and Vogel won. Wheeler hated her for that. Vogel always caused him constant troubles. She once reported his excessive violence towards captured breakers. But in the public eye, they behaved like good friends.”
I listen to Marcus attentively. I didn’t expect Vogel to mind violence toward breakers. Empathy is an unusual trait in a high ranking Elimination officer.
“She was also investigating your case,” Marcus says. “Not officially, of course. I guess she suspected that most of those acts of terror were organized by Elimination. She began collecting facts and asking questions. Right up until executives stopped her short.”
Of course they did. Guardian controlled them. He couldn’t allow an outsider to learn of his sinister plans.
“Vogel secretly continued gathering information,” Marcus adds. “I think she figured out everything at the end, but it was too late. Guardian’s breakers attacked us. I think Vogel even intended to contact Oliver’s breakers, realizing they’re not the real enemy. But you contacted us first.”
Now I’m confused. Maybe I’m wrong about disliking Vogel? Maybe she isn’t really plotting to kill us after the fact? I don’t know what to think, because I’m too conditioned to seeing enemies in everybody. Too many people recently wishing me dead.
I decide not to jump to any more quick conclusions. After all, Vogel is an excellent manipulator. She has to be, otherwise she wouldn’t be able to become a major with this outfit.
“How did Vogel come to join Elimination in the first place?” I ask Marcus.
“Her father was an Elimination general,” he answers. “She followed in his footsteps, I suppose. Everybody knew Vogel would be a perfect fit for the job. She has the highest level of resistance to hypnosis. It simply runs in her family. Her mother worked for Elimination as well. Vogel didn’t have to serve so much as a single day as a regular officer. Elimination promoted her to commander right after her training.” He pauses, smiling. “You know, she could easily get a civilian job if she wanted. Most officers around here have only a high school diploma at best, so we don’t have many options except serving Elimination. But Vogel has a law degree. She’s from a wealthy family and could afford studying in college. So I don’t really know why she chose Elimination. It’s just probably something in her genes. She could have
been a general by now.”
“What stopped her?” I ask.
“She likes action,” Marcus answers. “Generals don’t participate in the missions to capture breakers. They mostly do planning and paper work. Too boring for Vogel.”
I nod, thinking on his words. I can’t figure out the major. I don’t know whether she’s evil or not. Does she really like capturing and killing breakers so much that she turned down a promotion? Or did she suspect that the Elimination generals were under Guardian’s control, so she preferred to stay away from the Death Camp?
I can’t tell. Maybe I’m just being overly paranoid. I decide I should at least stop fantasizing about killing Vogel. She hasn’t done anything I can see to deserve that kind of thinking.
After dark, a mixed crowd of breakers and Elimination officers head off toward the city border. Everybody seems to have an upbeat mood, as if going to a parade. People laugh, whistle and yell slogans as they go. It reminds me of some kind of celebration. Kitty holds my hand, quietly murmuring a song.
“Kill a breaker, help save the world!” a few of the officers shout.
Oliver’s recruits begin whistling and clapping their hands in agreement, instead of being offended for once. We may all have to kill a lot of breakers this night.
Jessie, Victor, Marcus and Dave leave to take positions along the front lines. Kitty and I along with a squad of recruits remain behind to guard the road.
Next comes the long hours of waiting. It’s a crisp night, with shimmering stars and a full moon. I shiver from the cold, scanning the sky for any approaching aircraft. I can see none and it’s unnaturally quiet. No sound of engines or falling bombs yet.
“Beautiful,” Kitty says, gazing at stars. “Like Christmas night, isn’t it?”
“Looks like,” I agree.
Nobody else speaks, just somberly waiting for the night to end. I take a good look at our squad, assessing our chances. Most of our recruits are today’s volunteers, untrained youngsters armed with clubs and knives. I don’t think they’ve ever been in combat. I sincerely hope they won’t have to fight.
Time drags by slowly. I finally become tired. I envision myself crawling into bed and getting a few hours of good sleep.
Just before sunrise, a missile strikes a nearby building, sending a shower of debris and dirt down on our heads.
Chapter 12
I cover Kitty, shielding her from flying debris. A thick cloud of dust enfolds us, limiting visibility. I can’t see much, but hear startled cries nearby. A moment later I catch another familiar sound, the low menacing noise of approaching aircraft engines.
I quickly shake off my daze, scrambling to my feet. I help Kitty up, taking a careful look around at our surroundings. As the cloud of dust slowly settles, I can now see only a large smoldering crater where the building once stood. A former Elimination aircraft floats past us above, heading further into the city.
“Is everybody all right?” I ask, looking over our squad.
The recruits get to their feet, coughing and dusting off their uniforms. They appear startled, but uninjured. I’m sure most of the recruits have had to survive airstrikes before, although they were likely sheltering in basements. Facing the explosions right out in the open is a different experience altogether.
“What do we do, sir?” a young recruit asks.
I don’t have an opportunity to answer. A cacophony of explosions and gunfire makes us all turn in the direction of the front lines.
“Gosh, what’s happening out there?” another recruit whispers.
“A gunfight,” I answer. “Come on, return to your positions.”
The recruits obediently take cover behind the barricade. Kitty and I return as well, waiting. I think of my team out there engaging into a fierce fight. I suddenly feel like a coward, staying here behind fortifications. At the same time, part of me is relieved that Kitty isn’t down there with them. At least for the moment, she’s safer here with me.
“Shall we go join the battle?” a young girl asks, holding a knife in her shaking hand. “Shouldn’t we help them?”
“Not yet,” I answer. “We’re staying here. Our primary objective is to hold this ground surrounding the road.”
Nobody protests, waiting nervously for whatever may be coming next. The gunfire doesn’t cease. I can’t help but wonder whether my friends are still alive or not.
“We’re going to miss everything,” Kitty groans.
I don’t answer. I only wish she was somewhere far away from all this mess.
“Are any of you breakers?” I ask the recruits.
A girl about Chelsey’s age and young boy raise their hands.
“What level?” I ask.
“Professor Holtzmann said I’m level 3,” the girl answers.
“Level 2,” the guy says.
“Good, it means you can hypnotize other breakers,” I say. “You two will help us hypnotize any attackers should they break through the lines. The rest are to toss the cocktails. I don’t want you to break cover, unless it becomes unavoidable. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the recruits answer.
“And try not to get killed,” I add.
The recruits exchange glances, then a young girl says, “We’re not afraid of dying, sir. We’re not letting those breakers enter our city. If they come, we’re going to stop them no matter the cost.”
The others nod in agreement. They seem frightened, but determined to fight to the death.
“We’re going to win this battle,” Kitty says confidently. “Guardian’s soldiers have nothing to fight for, while you’ll be defending your homes and families. You’ll be protecting your loved ones.”
The recruits smile broadly.
“We’re the good guys,” one proudly exclaims. “And the good guys always win, right?”
He appears to believe in what he’s saying.
I truly hope Guardian troops don’t manage to break through.
More aircraft fly overhead. We watch them warily, listening to the distant rumbling explosions. An anti-aircraft gunner manages to score a direct hit on one of the gunships. There’s a burst of orange flames and the aircraft begins rotating in the sky. It increases spin, until finally losing control and falling in a long fiery arc like a burning meteorite. It’s mesmerizing. The recruits start whistling and clapping.
The aircraft flies low above our position and crashes on the opposite side of the street, damaging three homes along the way. I’m really glad that the residents have been evacuated from this section of the city. Kitty and I take a couple of recruits to check for any survivors. The hatch opens and somebody crawls outside, dropping to the ground. I keep my rifle on him. He’s definitely injured. Lying on his side, the soldier in camo wipes blood from his face and raises an arm for help. He seems to be in shock. I pull the trigger. His head jerks to the side as the bullet takes him in the temple.
“Sweet,” Kitty whispers.
The recruits stare at me in astonishment.
“He came to kill us,” I say. “He got what he deserved. We’re not taking any prisoners tonight. These are terrorists.”
The recruits look shaken, but don’t protest.
We light the cloth wick on a cocktail and toss the explosive liquid into the open hatch before returning to our positions.
Our squad continues waiting. The sounds of shooting sometimes grow closer, then distant again. More aircraft are hit from the ground, crashing into various sections of the city. I hope somebody will think to finish off any survivors.
At dusk, the gunfire suddenly becomes louder and more intense. I get really nervous, realizing that Guardian’s soldiers may now be breaking through our front lines. I command the recruits to get ready. I see a few figures moving toward us through the mist. I raise the barrel of my rifle, waiting for their approach. It’s Jessie and Marcus along with a few Elimination officers. I can also make out Victor and Dave amongst them. They jog toward our position, stopping only to take a quick shot at their p
ursuers. And further back, a group of men in camo stalking them. Guardian’s breakers. All the recruits were ordered to wear black tonight, not to be mistaken for an enemy in the chaos of battle.
I realize we’re losing this fight. My pulse rises for a moment, then an odd calmness settles over me.
My team joins us behind the barricade.
“Those bastards sent in hypnotized civilians to attack us,” Dave says to me, still gasping after his run. “We had to gun them down.”
I don’t answer.
Using the darkness as cover, Guardian’s troops slow their approach as they near the barricade. I command the recruits to begin tossing the Molotov cocktails. Kitty and I along with the others simultaneously project our thoughts, attempting to capture their minds. My head hurts. I don’t know whether or not we’re strong enough to break their wills. I know Guardian uses Holtzmann’s drug on his soldiers, to increase their abilities. I hear explosions and a few anguished cries. A bright glow from the flames illuminates the street. I see several burning figures running in panic. Several others now stand unmoving, momentarily confused by our hypnosis. We open fire, instantly bringing them down. Now two large military trucks drive our direction. I’ve no idea how we can stop all of them.
“I’m empty,” Marcus says, dropping his rifle. “Cover me!”
He jogs toward the nearest downed breaker. Kitty and Jessie cover him. Marcus quickly collects a few rifles and begins backing off. Rising from the shadows, a group of men in camo starts moving his direction. Jessie brings two of them down, scoring headshots. Marcus manages to drop to the ground, avoiding the line of crossfire as he puts to use one of commandeered rifles.
I close my eyes, focusing on trying to hypnotize the soldiers. Victor, Kitty and two recruits join me in the attempt. It’s not having much effect. Most of Guardian’s breakers are too strong for us.
Marcus has made it back behind the barricade and is now handing out rifles to the recruits. Dave runs out of ammo, but refuses to accept the last weapon from his brother. Instead, he tosses a flaming bottle at the nearest approaching truck. An explosion, and the vehicle catches on fire, flames bursting upward like a fountain. I hear screams and see soldiers scrambling from the back of the truck. A second blast, the impact knocking them down. Instantly assessing their disorientation, Dave rushes in. Pulling a knife, he quickly slits their throats before taking their guns. Kitty and I cover him.
