Mutiny (M.E.R. Series)

by Jacqueline Gardner

  “Night,” I said softly. The room went silent. Brian stood up and turned off the lights. My eyelids felt heavier and heavier until I finally closed my eyes. I thought about home. Would William even miss me? I’m sure Cynthia was relieved to get rid of me. What about Carmen? I’d most likely be missing out on our concert next weekend.

  * * *

  I woke up to Eric’s voice and his hand shaking my shoulder. I’d just barely closed my eyes.

  “Here,” he said handing me a covered paper towel. I accepted it while still trying to make sense of everything. I was hoping to wake from a weird dream in my bedroom. Imagine my disappointment.

  “What’s this?” My muscles felt cramped from being stuck in a tight space for so long.

  “You want to eat don’t you? We won’t be reaching our destination for a while.”

  “Uh, how long is a while?” I didn’t know how long I could stay cramped in a windowless room wondering if I’d make it to tomorrow.

  “Twelve hours?” Eric replied. I sighed and uncovered the paper towel. There was a round shaped thing that looked like a biscuit. I took a bite and let the biscuit soften in my mouth. It wasn’t great tasting, but it was better than nothing.

  “Thanks.” I chewed the rest of the biscuit without any complaints.

  “Yeah . . . well, see ya.”

  “Wait, what am I supposed to do here by myself?”

  “We are all being briefed on our new assignment.” Eric shrugged. I yawned and watched as he slammed the door behind him. I was alone now with nothing to do but think. I crawled out from underneath the bed and looked around. The boys left their beds neat. Their things were perfectly packed.

  I eyed the space beneath Anchovy’s bed. Maybe he had other games I could use to keep myself occupied. I tiptoed over and started looking through his things. Besides the chess board, Anchovy had some sketching pencils and a stash of M&M’s. I ran my hand over my hanging jeans and black t-shirt. They were finally dry and I couldn’t wait to change out of Eric’s baggy clothes.

  There was a scratch at the door that made my heart stop. I grabbed my clothes, ran across the room and dove under Eric’s bed. I almost knocked myself out on the way down. I had just enough time to cover myself with a blanket and hide my head behind Eric’s duffel bag. My heart was beating so loud, I was afraid it could be heard in the hallway.

  The door opened slowly and Brian stepped in looking a little uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and I saw his boots walk slowly towards his bunk. Another set of boots followed. They were bigger and shiner than Brian’s.

  “Listen,” Brian said quietly. “I’ll brief the Commander later.” The voice that answered was one I didn’t recognize.

  “Stop being so difficult, soldier. I told you I’d relay the message.”

  “Uh . . . message?” Brian’s voice was quiet. So quiet I could barely hear him.

  “Don’t waste my time.”

  “I’ll just speak to him later,” Brian replied. Was Brian about to rat me out? He’d made it clear that he thought I was scum.

  “Commander Z has a full schedule today. It’s my job to make sure he isn’t bothered.”

  “Fine,” Brian agreed.

  “Alright.” The other voice said. “Is this about Davis?” Brian was quiet for a minute. “Well?”

  “Maybe,” Brian muttered.

  “I thought I made it clear. Don’t waste my time.”

  “Yes,” Brian answered. “Just tell the Commander, the fire is burning.” There was a pause.

  “Is that it?” the other voice said.

  “Yes,” Brian replied quickly. There was an odd silence. I slowly moved my head so I could see Brian. He was quietly waving his hands. Clearly, I wasn’t supposed to know what was going on.

  “I understand. I’ll give the Commander your message.” Both soldiers left the room. I crawled out from under the bunk and tiptoed toward the empty bunk Brian had been pointing to. What was so fascinating about an empty bed?

  I ran my fingers along the sheets and briefly searched each crevice. The mattress slid as I looked for something unusual. After a quick glance, I found it. A strange symbol carved into the wall.

  ERIC

  7

  Traitor

  I sat next to Frankie with an expressionless face. There was nothing more I could do now to break the rules, except maybe regenerate on the six o’clock news.

  “At ease soldiers,” Commander Z announced as he marched into the room. His boots pounded the floor as he made his way to the front of the room. “It’s time to practice your Portuguese. Our next mission, operation Atlantis, is in Curitiba, Brazil. This mission is one of caution. Your first assignment will consist of . . .” Brian entered the room late. He held his head high and found an open spot in the corner.

  Commander Z held up a finger, stepping out into the hallway. The fact that Brian entered late didn’t seem to bother him. The door swung shut and we were all left in silence. I glanced around. Almost every M.E.R. soldier was present. Nothing like that had ever happened before – at least not since I’d come aboard.

  “There’s something weird going on,” I whispered to Frankie.

  “Ya think?” He shook his head, glancing around the room.

  “I’m not talking about . . . her,” I replied.

  “You mean you can top the . . . thing under your bunk?”

  “It’s this mission. I did something I shouldn’t have and . . .”

  “You’ve done a lot of things you shouldn’t have,” he interrupted. I sighed, trying to start over so Frankie would understand. He was obviously still pissed at me for the whole ‘girl in our room’ thing. But she did do me a huge favor by returning that flash drive. And now I had to return the favor by getting her safely off the Pugio!

  “Just forget about all that for a few seconds and listen to me. The file I had to steal last night was labeled Atlantis.”

  “So,” Frankie answered.

  “So, before I could I find it, I overheard something.”

  “Where exactly are you going with this?” Frankie asked sounding impatient.

  “There are other people out there like us. I’m almost sure of it.”

  “What?” Frankie gave me a strange look but it was only fair he know what we were up against.

  “I heard two guys arguing. They had found some kind of lead – a newspaper article. There was a factory accident and some guy lost him arm.”

  “Cut to the chase, lover boy.”

  “The same guy was spotted hours later. His arm had grown back.”

  “And what does this have to do with us?” Frankie took a deep breath.

  “The guy was spotted in Curitiba. And now there are people looking for him. Frankie, this new assignment feels fishy. Something strange is going on and we’re about to be dragged into the middle of it.” Frankie and I jumped as the door flew open. The Commander marched back to his spot at the front of the room.

  “As I was saying,” Commander Z started. “The objective of our mission is to find a man. This man should be treated as a threat. Do I make myself clear?” He rolled a chalk board to the front of the room. It had a huge map pinned to the back.

  “Step one,” the Commander continued. “We secure the site where he was last spotted. Look for anything unusual or out of the ordinary.” He drew a circle in the center of the map.

  A soldier at the front of the room raised his hand. Asking questions wasn’t something the Commander supported.

  “Commander, how will we recognize this man?” Everyone waited to see the Commander’s reaction. All he did was smile and walk over to a stack of papers at his desk. The Commander found a photo and showed it to the entire room.

  I gasped, as did half the room. The man in the picture was wearing a gray uniform. He had short, buzzed hair, and brightly colored eyes. There was almost no question he was one of us – a regenerator.

  “Oh yes,” Commander Z laughed. “This man was once a M.E.R. soldier like you. But he chose
to betray his brothers and now he leads the life of a fugitive. And that’s all I’m going to say about it, understood?” The entire room nodded and the Commander walked back to the map.

  “See,” I whispered. “There’s something weird going on here.”

  “Why would the Commander bother trying to capture a former soldier? If he’s left alone long enough, he’ll die anyway without serum.” Frankie whispered back.

  “Unless he has figured out how to make it himself.”

  “Is that even possible?” The Commander raised his voice and the two of us immediately shut our mouths.

  “This man is a traitor. He knows all our procedures. Don’t be a hero if you spot him. If you suspect anything, notify a superior.” Commander Z waved a hand and sat down.

  We were quickly dismissed. Every soldier looked anxious. The team who spotted the traitor would get bragging rights. Brian walked past us, bumping my shoulder.

  “What’s up with him?” Frankie asked.

  “Let’s find out,” I replied. We followed Brian and Anchovy back our room. Brian opened the door slowly and looked inside before advancing any farther. Our room was empty. I spotted movement from under my bunk and Mariella crawled out wearing her jeans and black t-shirt. She glared at Brian who went straight to his bunk, pulling out a deck of cards.

  “What was that all about?” Mariella asked firmly. She stared directly at Brian.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” Brian said quietly.

  “Sure.” She sighed. She stretched her arms and found a seat on my bed.

  “Okay,” I muttered. “Anyway, Mariella we have to go over an exit plan. We’ll be surfacing in Brazil tonight.”

  “And what am I supposed to do after that? I don’t speak Spanish.”

  “Portuguese,” I added. I hadn’t thought of that.

  “That ain’t our problem,” Brian answered. Mariella frowned.

  “What if I can’t find someone who speaks English?”

  “She can’t stay here,” Frankie said. “You know that.”

  “We will figure something out.” I paced back and forth thinking of solutions. Mariella would be helpless once we surfaced in Brazil but at least she’d be safe.

  “You could come with me?” Mariella suggested. She folded her arms and waited for my reply.

  “You know I can’t. I can’t abandon my team, and there’s . . .”

  “The serum, I know,” she interrupted. “But haven’t you ever wondered what things would be like if got to decide things for yourself?”

  “Uh, hello!” Brian exclaimed. “Of course we’ve wondered that. But the bottom line is we can’t. You can. So, just leave us alone and forget you were ever here.”

  “What about your teammate?” She looked over at Davis’s empty bunk.

  “What about him?” I asked. We hadn’t mentioned anything about Davis.

  “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

  “He went missing. Davis is probably wandering around somewhere waiting to breathe his last breath. You call that freedom?”

  “He went missing?” she gasped. “How did that happen?” We all shook our heads. That had been the number one question around here for a while. There was no sign of a struggle. It was almost as if Davis had gotten up and walked away. But that didn’t make any sense. He knew what would happen if he walked away. He had to have known something the rest of us didn’t.

  “Unfortunately we don’t have all the answers. We just do what we’re told.” Frankie responded. Brian was still silent. He’d been closer to Davis than any of us.

  “Forget about it,” I added. “That’s not your problem, it’s ours. Now, how are we going to get you back to New York?”

  * * *

  Our plan was not foolproof, but we had a plan to get Mariella out. Every second she spent aboard, she was at risk of being tortured. We had spent all day going over our team assignments. Frankie and I were assigned to search the marketplaces where the target had been spotted while Brian and Anchovy kept watch. In the meantime, I’d scout out a place to buy a cell phone and an international phone card.

  “We’re ready,” I said as I tossed Mariella a small sack of food. She dug through it and stuffed a huge biscuit into her mouth. I could only sneak her dry foods from the kitchen – another reason why she couldn’t stay here for long. “Don’t move until we tell you to, and stay still under the blanket.”

  We had a small window of time in which to sneak Mariella onto our boat. Luckily, only our team would be present. All the other teams had already left or were leaving shortly after us. We all had different areas to cover and Commander Z would be overseeing everyone’s progress.

  I went over the plan one more time while trying to ignore the burning pain in my veins. We’d all gotten another dose of serum before leaving. It was a daily hassle. My entire arm stung and my muscles throbbed. I caught Mariella staring. The seriousness of the plan was finally starting to sink in.

  There was rapid knocking at the door and we all stood up. That was the cue. Our boat was waiting by the upper level hatch. I tried to control my breathing but it was heavy. I was too worried about Mariella. Brian marched straight for the door. He seemed determined to get out as soon as possible.

  “Hold it,” I said. I walked over and shoved my hand against the door. I didn’t want to lose another teammate. The guys deserved to know what we might find out there. Frankie gave me a strange look. “After what happened with Davis, I think we should all be extra cautious this time.”

  “Why?” Anchovy asked with wide eyes. It was his first mission and he had no idea what to expect.

  “Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t respond to people who ask questions, and if you feel like you’re being followed . . . run.”

  I reached for the door handle and looked around the hallway. Every direction was clear and I waved at Brian and Anchovy to go first. They marched out in single file. Frankie and I had backpacks filled with supplies and each of us had hidden hand guns strapped to our waists. There was no telling how long we’d be in Brazil or how long the first step of our mission would take. It usually depended on how efficiently we worked.

  Mariella wrapped herself in a black blanket that blended in with the surrounding walls. It would be dark outside when reached land. That was the best time to work. Our arrival wouldn’t raise much suspicion.

  Mariella stood in between Frankie and me. She stayed crouched down and close to the wall. Footsteps sounded down every hallway. The entire submarine was alert and active, but that couldn’t stop us. I couldn’t leave Mariella alone while we wandered around Brazil.

  “Stay close,” I reminded her as I scanned the stairway. Anchovy poked his head out from the top of the stairs and gave me a thumbs up. The three of us ran as quickly as possible and found Anchovy and Brian waiting in front of the open hatch.

  “Our boat is already out there,” Brian whispered. He disappeared through the hatch. I grabbed Mariella’s arm and raced towards the opening. We were almost out and I was ecstatic that we’d been able to keep Mariella a secret for this long.

  I heard heavy boots race up the staircase. Frankie jumped and I pushed Mariella towards the hatch. She dove through. A smirking face emerged from the bottom level. Frankie and I stood side by side blocking the open hatch. An older M.E.R. soldier quickly caught his breath before speaking.

  “Wait,” he ordered. His chest rose up and down as spoke. “I need to talk to you two.”

  “What for?” I asked quickly. “Is something wrong?” Frankie nudged me and I closed my mouth.

  “The Commander has a special task for the two of you.” I didn’t like where this conversation was headed.

  “What kind of task?” Frankie asked. This type of thing was out of the ordinary.

  “After you reach land and board a bus for Curitiba, Commander Z wants you to be on the lookout for this.” The soldier held up a small piece of paper with a drawing on it. Frankie and I looked at each other.

  “What? Are you serious?” I
tried to act confused as I stared at the symbol of a burning flame. “What is it anyway?”

  “You see, the Commander thinks Davis was a leak, relaying information to outsiders.”

  “So what are we supposed to do?” Frankie spoke sternly. How did the Commander know about that symbol? The only people who knew about it were Anchovy, Brian, Frankie and me. Frankie and I hadn’t breathed a word, and Anchovy was too scared of Commander Z to tell on us all.

  “These orders come straight from the top,” the soldier said quietly.

  Commander Z was the top dog around here, but even he took his orders from someone else. Poseidon never came for visits. He preferred to stay on land. I was told about him only once after being selected to ride the Pugio. Poseidon was a codename. The average M.E.R. soldier would complete tasks everyday for the rest of his life without ever seeing Poseidon. It was rare that Poseidon ever asked for a specific favor from one of his soldiers. This mission was even more serious than I’d thought.

  “You will report what you see immediately,” the soldier said. “Don’t make contact with anyone without authorization.” Frankie and I nodded. “Here. Don’t lose this.” He handed me a tiny tracking device that fit snuggly in my clothes. “You should be honored by this opportunity, soldiers. You’ve been called on by Poseidon himself. That is a great honor, you know.” He smirked again and swung around. When the staircase was clear Frankie looked at me with panic in his eyes. Nothing like this had ever happened to us before and we’d both been on the Pugio since we were thirteen.

  “This is getting too weird, man. How do they know about the symbol?” Frankie glanced towards the open hatch.

  “Maybe Davis was on to something?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t blame him. I think about the outside world all the time. Maybe he found a way to be free?”

  In Neptune House we were trained to detach ourselves from people – especially girls. I’d always felt like Frankie and me were the exception to that rule. The both of us had always acted like brothers. I had his back and he had mine. Our team was practically our family. I had no idea what it felt like to have a family, but I’d always figured that family looked out for each other.