Glenn shoves me forward into the storm. At the firearms counter, a pile of guns is dwindling. Then the attendant pushes through the door with another armful and drops them on the counter. Glenn and I each take one and head over to ammunitions to stock up.
Outside, soldiers are dissipating into the woods surrounding Ceborec. The invaders haven’t made it through yet. I wonder how many there are. I look to the sky wondering if they may attack from the air. In the distance, gunfire crackles over the commotion. I take off running toward Arena Six, where I was assigned when I joined the army.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Glenn shouts as he trails behind me. I stop, confused. Please don’t tell me he expects me to sit out on this.
“Arena Six.”
“No. You’re coming with me to Three.”
“But I was assigned—”
“I know what you were assigned. The others can cover Six. You need to stay with me, Pollen. I won’t let you out of my sight.”
With no time to argue, I change direction and run alongside Glenn. I feel safer with him anyway. We enter the woods at Arena Three at a full sprint, but slow down to a light jog as we carve deeper into the forest. I try to stay even with Glenn, but he makes sure to be a step or two ahead of me, despite my frustrated grunts.
Up ahead the gunfire has waned and a murky cloud of smoke filters between the trees and undergrowth. Glenn and I slow to a near crawl as we close in on the perimeter.
A splash of blue diverts my attention to a tree to my left. A woman in her late thirties shifts her head from side to side and leans against the nearest tree trunk. Her coral hair sets a stark contrast to the hideous blue jumpsuit. She’s a Crimson Enforcer.
Glenn aims his gun, but I push it down before he can even nudge the trigger.
“Wait,” I said answering his angry gape. “I think she’s confused.” Just as the words leave my mouth, the woman brushes her shaggy bangs from her forehead, revealing the infinity fly upon her temple. I unconsciously begin to caress mine, recalling the day I woke up in the woods with no memory. I wonder how much this woman remembers.
“Hey!” I call out.
Glenn slaps his hand against my lips so forcefully I’m almost knocked back. He raises his gun and aims at the woman again.
“Who’s there?” The woman answers. Her voice trembles nearly as violently as her fingers. “Where am I? What happened?”
“Cover me,” I whisper to Glenn as I stand up. He tries to yank me back down, but I resist, and he follows me closely, his eye never leaving the woman’s weapon.
When she sees Glenn, she drops her gun immediately and raises her hands in the air, whimpering. “Please, don’t hurt me.”
Chapter 19
It was an easy victory. Too easy, really. But the defeat was substantial. We captured at least two hundred soldiers, all former residents of Crimson, just like Marcus and me. Other than a few wounded, everyone is safe.
Granby called a committee meeting to decide the fate of our new prisoners, who were all taken to the assembly hall for a few days to recover. I was invited to sit in on the meeting, given my experience at Crimson. After deliberating for four hours and a seven to five vote, we chose to invite the prisoners to stay as residents. After all, they do not have any memories since the day they were marked with the infinity fly tattoo. And according to Myra’s theory, whatever they were injected with to make them pawns for the Trinity should have been deactivated by the electromagnetic perimeter.
The prisoners, or probationary residents, would be given an extended trial period in which they may not take up arms and are only permitted access to public areas inside Ceborec. They also do not have access to the grounds outdoors. We won’t be taking chances on them the way we did with Lynx. Her betrayal caused major setbacks in the progress of the Earth shuttle, not to mention my personal life.
Of course I voted for them to stay. Given my experience at Crimson I know they have no justifiable reason to turn against Ceborec and right now we could use all the numbers we can get in our rivalry with Crimson. Marley and Granby sided with me, but Myra was hesitant because she is still researching the drug that the Trinity used on them and lacks the confidence that they are all as innocent as they seem.
During the meeting Granby also suggested that we move below ground to the new bunker that was built a few miles from the facility. Having been defeated, Crimson is bound to strike back, and after losing so many footmen, the outlook is clear it will most likely be an air raid.
***
To break the ice between the original residents, new residents from Doborec, and probationary residents, The Snake Hole is hosting a meet and greet, organized by Cain, the new head bartender. Tensions are soaring and some of the newcomers are still mourning the loved ones they lost over a year ago. An agile woman in a lustrous red camisole twists and grinds among a few other regulars on the dance floor, but most guests are just standing around sipping their drinks and eying each other warily. It feels like a junior high dance, only without the crappy decorations and papier-mâché landmarks.
“Hey, Pollen!”
I stretch on to my toes and crane my neck over the bystanders leaning against the bar. Jansen waves me over to a tall pub table, where he and Nicron have settled for the evening.
“So I suppose we have you to blame for this social travesty.” Jansen smiles.
“Jan’s about ready to make everyone endure a game of charade’s if they don’t lighten up soon.” Nicron laughs.
“Or maybe a conga line,” Jansen says eagerly, while bobbing his shoulders to the music.
“Sorry, guys. They’ll come around. I remember how confused I was when I woke up.” I place my full bottle of McMullin’s Pride beer on the table and slide my palm down my jeans to wipe away the condensation as I climb into the tall chair.
“Yeah, Marcus too,” Nicron says, but cringes in acknowledgement when he realizes who he’s talking to. I jump on the opportunity.
“How is Marcus? Has he remembered anything yet?”
“Not that I know of.” Nicron glances to Jansen, who shakes his head in disappointment. “Sorry, sweetie,” Jansen adds.
My arching hopes trickle down as my shoulders slump. “It’s been weeks. He should have his memories back by now. At least some of them.”
“Maybe he has and he’s just not talking,” Jansen chirps in assuredly.
“Nicron.” I turn to face him directly. “You’re his best friend. He hasn’t confided in you at all? If he has you don’t have to tell me what he’s said. Just give me some peace of mind.”
Nicron presses his lips in a hard line and shakes his head. “I wish I could. I was his best friend. Every attempt I’ve made to help him out he’s evaded me. Marcus just isn’t the same guy anymore.”
“But he’ll come around,” Jansen quickly adds. Nicron glares at him as if to say he’s raising my hopes in vain.
“Do you think I should confront him? That should trigger some memories, right? Maybe if Glenn and I—”
“Whoa, hold up,” Nicron interrupts. “Glenn is the last person Marcus wants to see. And I’m sure Glenn’s nose doesn’t want to see Marcus again either.”
“I thought Drake did that.”
“Yeah,” Nicron pauses. “But if he hadn’t Marcus would’ve.”
“Speak of the devil . . .” Jansen murmurs.
I turn around and watch as Glenn shuffles toward the table. At first I think it is the colored lights giving his face that reddish hue. I’m dismayed to find that is not the case. His eyelid droops lazily and his eye patch is on upside down.
“Hey Polly,” he mumbles.
“Glenn, how much have you had to drink?”
“Um . . . let’s just say they’d better start harvesting some more barley soon.”
I rip the bottle away from him as he draws it up to his lips, but it feels light. I turn it over and three miniscule drops drip on to the table. I risk a glance at Jansen and Nicron, who look just as annoyed as I fee
l.
“Glenn, go home.”
“Okay,” he says after a moment’s contemplation. “Can you tuck me in?” Glenn wraps his lead arms around my shoulders and leans his forehead to mine. Mine is a mixture of sympathy and hatred. Leaning more toward hatred considering our history of overindulging in booze.
I thrust him away forcefully and his descent to the floor nudges a few unknowing bystanders out of the way. I wish I could feel bad for him. But in this state of inebriation he’d be lucky to feel the thrust of a sledgehammer to his head. “Go home, Glenn.”
Turning back to Nicron I try to continue our conversation that was interrupted. “So. Marcus. What do you think I should do?”
“Well, you could try seeing him. But don’t let your expectations run too high. He’s been spending a lot of time with his ex.”
“His ex?”
“Siera. She’s been all over him. But I don’t think he’s too into her. She’s more like a lost puppy dog than a companion.”
I try to contain the fury that is rushing through my veins, tingling my skin. My muscles ache trying to steady my twitching fingers. Figures that harlot would take advantage of Marcus in his condition. She’d better pray I don’t catch those two together. Hell, she’d better pray I don’t see her alone.
Glass crackles and chairs and tables crash across the lounge, drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. I twist around, expecting to see Glenn partaking in a bar fight, but I’m surprised to find that he’s nowhere to be found.
A tall, lanky man with shaggy blond hair shoves a heavyset bald man with a skull and bones tattoo on his scalp. They must be newcomers—I’ve never seen them before. As they writhe under the amber and cyan lights I spot the infinity fly tattoos on both of them. Nicron leaps up to jump in and stop the fight, even though several men, and even one bold woman, have already gotten involved. A fellow with spiky black hair attempts to grab the big guy, but slides across the broken glass and liquid that has spilled, leaving shiny crimson drops percolating in the moisture. Nicron yanks him up, sets him on a stool, and drives the bald man back against the wall, pinning him in place with the help of two other men.
In the confusion I glance around, hoping to see Marcus. Drake and Timber are at the bar. If I know Drake well enough, he doesn’t want to get involved and jeopardize his stance in the army. I keep my eyes moving until I spot Harrison, just beyond the fight. I consider trying to dodge the fight to reach him, but I pause when somebody else grapples my attention. A woman with thick, dark hair, smooth olive skin, and chocolate brown eyes. The infinity fly tattoo peeks out under her shaggy bangs. She catches my gaze, holding it for a few seconds—too long to be a coincidence. She recognizes me. I know she does. It’s my old friend from Crimson—and the woman who released me from my last imprisonment there—Respa.
She ducks under the crowd and disappears. I shove forward, jerking my head from side to side, peering through the mass. Where did she go? Despite my reckless attempts to push through the herd, I lose her.
If she lost her memory coming through the perimeter, how can she remember me so quickly?
Chapter 20
Getting myself back in top shape, physically and mentally, means not taking careless breaks. Today is Leisure Day, but I’m too anxious to just sit around and relax. I am determined to get out in the training arena and push my body beyond its limits. I could say that I’m doing this to make my body stronger. It’s true, but there’s more to it than the need to improve my stamina. The whole truth is that I desperately need a distraction to keep my mind off of Evie, and Marcus’s blossoming relationship with Siera. I know Nicron said he’s not interested in her that way, but my intestines seem to turn into a slithering snake when I imagine those two together.
Since Glenn is hung over—again—I can’t depend on him to accompany me outside for protection. Drake is busy helping the weaker members of our community move into the new underground facility. Plus, he doesn’t support my desire to train on our only day off and knows that if I cannot find a companion to train with, I won’t be permitted in the arenas. Even if I could go alone, I wouldn’t. I learned that lesson months ago when I was kidnapped by a stray bounty hunter and taken to Crimson to face the Trinity. Although that incident secured the rescue of my brother, I don’t want to end up in that predicament again.
Luckily, Timber is free today, and despite her blooming relationship with my brother, she has agreed to keep her mouth shut. He doesn’t need to know.
At the armory I’m shocked to see a familiar face behind the ammunitions counter.
“Harrison! What are you doing here?”
“Hey sweetheart. Ray got knocked out in that bar fight last night. Did you see that? That was crazy!”
“I did. How did he get hurt?”
“Tried to break it up. Bald dude smashed his head against the back of a chair. Anyway, doc’s told him to take a day off so I volunteered to take over today. Speaking of which, why are you here? You train all day, every day. Even during your lunch breaks. Shouldn’t you be moving or at least chilling out?”
I roll my eyes. “I need to catch up. Remember, I haven’t had as much practice as the rest of you. And anyway I spend every night relaxing. Don’t you dare start preaching at me Harrison.” I jab my pointed finger into his chest. “I get enough of that from Drake and Glenn.”
“Not Marcus?” Harrison says with a sparkle of hope in his golden eyes.
The tension in the air has just grown spiky and thick, like trying to walk through a thicket of prickly thorns.
“No. He still doesn’t remember.”
“I’m sorry sweetie,” Harrison consoles. The jocose tone of his comments has vanished, leaving me relieved that I don’t have to come up with some cutting retort to his flagrant flirtations.
Before we leave, Harrison gives me his trademark kiss on the hand while sliding me a little something extra. Only this time, he gives me four real bullets.
“Just in case,” he whispers when I gawk at him, mouth wide open. I nod sharply as we share a serious look that says so much more than words could. In this moment I realize that despite the loss of my parents, no matter what happens to Evie or Drake, regardless of the way Marcus feels about me, I will always have a family here at Ceborec.
Timber and I trot hastily to Arena Six to warm up. There’s a light drizzle to cut through, but I expect it should clear up soon. The mist carries a coral hue to it, and even Timber’s white tank seems to be collecting the hazy color of the sky.
“Talk about pollution,” she says stretching her shirt between her fingers. “You think this is from the bombs?”
My eyebrows crinkle as I scratch my head curiously. “At Doborec? That’s thousands of miles away. Couldn’t possibly.”
“What makes you think that’s the only test site?” Up until now I didn’t think that was the only test site—I hoped it was. But each day, my hope seems to chip away. Hope that the Trinity will be destroyed. Hope that Marcus and I will be together again. Hope that we’ll rescue Evie. Hope that we’ll leave this dying planet and begin a new life on A1D3.
“You’re probably right. I guess that’s the only logical explanation. What else could cause this?”
“Hey, maybe the Trinity have released a deadly gas into the atmosphere to wipe the rest of us out,” Timber says, her voice wavering from the run. I risk a glance to see her lip curving up at the side.
“And risk killing me, their number one most wanted? I don’t think so.”
“Kind of makes you wonder, though. What’s going to happen to the rest of us if they do capture you.” Timber slows to a walk and I follow.
“They won’t. Not again.”
“I hope not.”
As we approach the fringe of the forest an uneasy feeling creeps its prickly paws up my spine. For the first time, I feel like I shouldn’t be here. Maybe I should trust my instincts this time. I stop.
“What’s wrong?” Timber asks, taking notice of my hesitation.
“Something feels . . . off.” A strange energy seems to filter from the woods. Like that eerie feeling you get when you walk into a room and someone is in there, but you haven’t seen them yet. I glance to the right and left, and behind me, but there’s only Timber and me. “I think we should scope out the woods first. Let’s stay together.”
“Okay,” Timber nods. I hand her two of the bullets Harrison gave me.
“Where did you . . .” Timber’s voice trails off. “Oh, right.” She asks no more questions. We both ready our weapons and creep into the woods.
The drizzling rain produces a constant, but quiet hum, as it falls gently upon the bare tree branches, pine needles and the decaying waste on the ground. A rustling noise from above startles me. I angle my head upward, squinting to keep the moisture from flooding my vision, and find a branch still hanging on to a cluster of dried, brown leaves, not quite ready to say goodbye and let them go. Just as I am hanging on to my last shreds of hope.
Timber also turns her gaze upward, and continues walking, adding a few feet of space between us. “I think we can spread out a little. Just make sure we don’t lose sight of each other. Okay?”
“Yeah, good idea.”
We continue meandering between the trees, keeping our eyes and ears peeled for anything unusual. Every now and then I have to wipe the pink beads of moisture from my brow to keep it out of my eyes.
“Hey Pollen!” Timber cries out in a whisper. My eyes shoot up in alarm. Timber stands crouched at the base of a gnarly elm with sturdy branches and silently points upward. I nod. She’ll get a much better view of the arena from the top of the tree.
As her petite limbs glide gracefully up the rocky bark of the tree I continue to scan my surroundings, keeping close by. The woods aren’t terribly dense here, and with the season’s loss of leaves the forest looks nearly vacant. And gloomy. After I walk one thirty-foot wide revolution around the tree, I come to rest on my knees at the base of the elm to wait for Timber to return.
The Trinity Page 12
