by Petosa, Jess
"Again soon..." she said. "Do you think they'll split us up?"
"I have a feeling we are about to be processed," Max pointed to where the transport was pulling into a bay. A group mixed of Guards and medical personnel were waiting for them. The meds held mini-ports, while the Guards held their guns at the ready.
Ally touched her arm in the spot where the chip had been. It was the same spot that used to hold a marking.
"What do we do?" Max asked
"We do what they ask us to," Ally responded.
Luke would hear that she was here. He would come for her.
As if her words had summoning powers, Luke stepped out into the courtyard. Two Guards flanked either side of him, all four in a protective stance. Ally's heart fluttered as she took him in. He had changed. His hair had grown to hang over his forehead and near his ears, he seemed taller and more built, and there was a stern appearance to his face. His frown was etched deeply, as if he had worn it permanently over the past several weeks. Ally fought back the tears that were blurring her vision. There was Luke, just yards away. Did he know it was her in the transports? Why else would he have come? Suddenly she forgot all about Sabine’s warnings.
Chunny opened his door and hopped out of the transport. "We've got a small group for you today, Sir." He disappeared from sight and Ally heard the back doors open.
"Get out," she hissed at Max. "Before they drag us out."
"Is that him?" Max asked quickly, motioning to Luke.
She just nodded and slipped out Chunny's door, while Max left on his side. He was immediately taken by one of the Guards and dragged to a bench on the other side of the courtyard. Ally stepped toward Luke, and his Guards blocked the way.
"Luke..." she couldn’t hide the affection in her voice.
"What did you call me?" Luke pushed one of the Guards aside and scowled at her.
Ally paused.
"Mr. Lukin, I mean," she blurted out. "Sorry."
Apparently Luke wanted her to keep up some sort of appearance.
Luke cocked his head and observed her carefully. Ally couldn't quite put a finger on what was different about him. He was regarding her differently, and seemed perplexed by her presence; his stern expression faltering for a moment. Maybe he really didn’t hate her after what happened at the wall two months ago. If this was an act he was putting on for the other Guards, she would need to commend him in private. The uncomfortable silence continued for several minutes before Luke finally smiled. No, he smirked. The expression was eerily similar to Aden's.
"You've caused quite the uproar since your escape from the City." He lectured her with a tone fit for a misbehaving child. "Take her, and her friends, to my personal lock-up. I'll question them later. Process the Ordinarys from the settlement as usual."
He stepped past Ally and his entourage of Guards followed him. He slipped out a small door that led to the outside of the wall, and Ally's eyes didn't wander until the steel door clanged shut. He hadn't come specifically to see her; he had been on his way through when the transport pulled in. It was then that she realized what the difference was in his expression, and why he stared at her with such absence.
Luke had no idea who she was.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Luke tried to maintain his resolve as they walked further from the City. That girl had known him, it was obvious in the way she stared at him and addressed him so personally. At first he thought maybe it was infatuation. There were dozens of girls who would love to marry the City leader. But no, it had been something else. There was tenderness in her expression, tenderness he felt as though he had seen before. Yet he did not recognize her. He had heard stories about a girl who escaped from the City, and a com had come in over the mini-port that the same girl was headed back into the City, of her own free will.
She was an anomaly, an Ordinary turned Exceptional way late in the game. Luke would be curious to talk with her later. He had also been told that the group she traveled with was from one of the larger Wilderness groupings. They had proved to be a non-threat over the years, and sometimes traded the City goods from their warehouses. It was one of the few times Aden had ever practiced an equal partnership with Ordinarys, and Luke had been surprised to learn of the relationship when he took over.
As they approached the bridge, a half-dozen Ordinarys greeted them. All men, and all wearing plain, gray clothes matted with dirt.
"Mr. Lukin," the man in front said. Luke had come to know him as Tuggy, but had never greeted him by name. It put off a sense of friendship that he didn't care to acknowledge. He had been feeling a softness in his emotions recently, and he needed to reel them back in.
Luke nodded. "I wanted to come personally to hear the updates about the safe house to the north."
Tuggy smiled with pride. "It will be done within the week. We jus' need orders to start the move. Each settlement already has instruction on how to close up their homes and what route to take. We are hopin' to keep the move calm and easy."
Tuggy talked with an odd accent, an uncivilized one in Luke's opinion.
"We will plan one week from now for the move. No more transports will go out at this time, since the ORC will need to be evacuated anyway."
That was the end of the conversation. Luke turned on his heel and started the walk back to the City. His Guards walked with him, the only sound they made was the uniform thump thump of their marching feet. He was surrounded by some of the more loyal and stronger fighters in the City, but their presence was wearing his patience thin. He felt whatever was left of his positive mood quickly diminishing. At any moment, one wrong look or word from a Guard would cause him to snap.
"Would you like us to arrange a transport back to your office, Sir?" his right hand Guard, Merl, asked.
"No, I'll walk. And I'll do it alone," he said with finality.
As soon as they were within the walls of the City, his Guards dispersed from his side. He knew they wouldn't wander far, taking to the alleys and side streets that lined the path to his office, but just having some space was enough for the time being.
As he made his way through town, he found it was easy to go unnoticed without his entourage. Only one or two people even recognized him for who he was. Groups of children played tag in the street, Ordinarys hurried toward the shops with their heads down and lists in their hands, and groups of Exceptionals mingled with a sense of ease. Even though he had put on a presentation to share the seriousness of the Rogue situation, the City had already fallen back into a lazy spirit. At first the citizens were afraid and upset, and then a good majority of them volunteered to help. Men wanted to train with the Guards, and women wanted to know what they could do to assist others. Then they all slipped into a sort of denial. Luke hoped that acceptance was next.
By the time he arrived at the tall, angular building that held his office, the sun burned high in the sky. Despite its brightness, there was still a chill in the air with the coming winter. Over the past few weeks he had secretly wondered if the Rogues would wait to strike until winter, when moods were low and resources scarce. He couldn't be sure of what their plan was, if there even was one. Hez and Luke decided that if they waited to come much longer, they would all slip into the intelligent state.
Luke’s Guards were waiting at the door, along with his assistant. He hadn't really needed an assistant, but if he looked busy no one would bother him, or doubt his leadership. They all made the trip up in silence, and when they finally entered his office, Luke found that Pax was seating on one of the black sofas.
"Everyone out," Luke said over his shoulder.
His assistant skittered from the room, and his Guards left without complaint. They knew that he was safe up here.
"That girl you had brought in," Pax said as he stood up. "Did she seem familiar to you?"
Luke stiffened, surprised that this was the topic Pax jumped right into.
"The Exceptional girl, the one with the long brown hair?" He responded carefully. "I'm bringing them in for
questioning in a few minutes, would you like to stay?" Luke asked.
Pax nodded. "Might as well. Training the new volunteers over at the training center is feeling robotic."
Luke stepped over to his desk and picked up his phone. His assistant answered immediately, she always did.
"We're ready for the group in lock-up," he said quickly.
Maybe he would get more answers on this mysterious girl, and what could have possibly brought her back to the City.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"Your boyfriend seemed nice," Max said from the corner of the cell.
"Oh shut up," Ally responded.
Max smirked. "What's wrong? Upset that your knight in shining armor isn't all you remembered him to be? At least, I am hoping he wasn't like that when you two were together. If I had known you like your men dominant and cross, I could have altered my personality a bit."
Ally was really starting to hate that the Guards had put her in a separate cell from the others. She knew it had less to do with separating her from the males, and more with the fact that this specific unit held her abilities at bay. She had tried to conjure them up but all she felt was an annoying tingle in her chest. It was frustrating knowing that they were right there, and not being able to use them.
Right now she wanted to throw Max against the wall hard enough that he was knocked out.
"He wasn't like that when we were together." Her mood softened slightly. She understood why Max wasn’t impressed with Luke; he had been a completely different person. "I didn't recognize the Luke you saw in the courtyard. He was never like that, not even when we first met."
"You must have really broken him, sweetheart," Hank said from his corner of the cell. She didn't appreciate the terms of endearment from someone nearly her age.
Tilt sighed. "They took the bag with the guns away."
Ally leaned her head against one of the bars. "We sort of expected them to do that anyway. I mean, the chances of them letting us waltz in here for a friendly talk, while armed, were pretty low. Those guns will be at the meeting, I have no doubt. It will be easier for them to get answers from us than to have others test the weapons."
A door slammed open at the end of the hall and two Guards appeared outside their cells.
"All of you, up," the Guard barked.
They each unlocked a door and Ally shot the others a warning look. She didn't want them to try anything stupid, especially with these Guards. They had a small chance of reconciliation at this point, and they needed to play nice until Luke could hear her out.
All of the other cells in this block were empty, so either they had another block for prisoners, or Stosh and Sabine were being held elsewhere. They were led down three corridors before they finally climbed into the elevator. They went up one floor before stopping. As soon as the doors opened, Ally's senses filled with an air of recognition. They were on the same level as Aden's office. She hesitated slightly before exiting the elevator, unsure of how she felt about seeing Aden again. Even with her emotions more in control, she wasn't sure she could resist the urge to go after him for killing her mother.
The Guard in the lead opened the door to Aden's office and motioned for them to enter. Four more Guards stood at the ready inside, one of them holding the bag that carried the guns they had brought from Champaign. The formation parted for a minute and Luke stepped into sight, standing with his hands clasped in front of him.
Too formal.
His head twitched slightly and the Guard holding the bag opened it and dumped it onto a nearby table.
"I've had my military experts look over these weapons and they have concluded that they are tranquilizer guns of some sort. What they can’t figure out, however, is what type of ammunition they are loaded with. I'm sure a few days of research could tell, but I would rather hear it from you."
Luke seemed to be directing his questions at Ally. She had planned on being the leader just as long as it took for them to get into the City, after that Max was supposed to be their speaker.
"If I can..." Max said, trying to sound just as formal as Luke. He was met with a hand in the air.
Luke kept his eyes on Ally. "No, I want to hear from the girl."
Ally's jaw tightened at his insulting acknowledgment of her.
The girl?
"We are here with word from Heath, leader of Champaign, that a cure for the Rogues has been found," she responded.
Whatever Luke had been expecting her to say, her words must have been far from it. His mouth dropped open slightly, although he corrected it quickly, and his eyes widened. After a few seconds, he finally smirked and let out a laugh.
"Your Ordinary leader found a cure for the disease affecting Exceptionals? I highly doubt that." His tone was crass.
“You’re right, he didn’t,” Max spoke up. “She did.” He pointed at Ally.
Luke regarded her carefully and Ally sighed.
"Bring a Rogue here. I know you have them, on the research floor below. We will prove it to you," she retorted.
Luke cocked an eyebrow at her. "How do you know there are Rogues here?"
Ally avoided the question. "We are willing to bargain with these weapons, or cures. We have hundreds more hidden in a warehouse. We know that you have my brother, Stosh, and his girlfriend, Sabine. We are willing to offer a portion of these guns for the safe return of our friends."
Luke let out a humorless laugh. "And what is to keep me from sending a large patrol of Guards to your town right now? We could kill everyone in the limits, and find this warehouse without having to give in to any of your demands."
Ally could feel Max tense beside her and she took hold of his wrist. She squeezed lightly and then continued. "The warehouse is rigged with explosives. If the deal goes sour, then the guns are blown sky high. You can still kill us, but your cure will disappear into the ashes."
Luke looked impressed. "Very well." He motioned to one of the Guards. "Bring me Rogue Subject Number 9."
The next ten minutes were the most awkward of Ally's life. They all stood in silence; Luke and his Guards looking almost like statues. The rest of them fidgeted and fiddled with their clothes. When the door to Luke's office finally opened again, two Guards returned dragging a sullen looking Rogue. Jed, Tilt, and Hank all jumped back, as well as Max. Ally stood in place, not catching on to the initial worry.
"He isn't contagious at this stage in the disease," Luke said in a bored tone. "At least, not unless he bites you."
The Rogue was in a similar state as Wyn had been, when he had first attacked her in the woods outside of Champaign. She, nor anyone else in the town, had contracted any form of illness. They weren't even positive of the effects it would have on Ordinarys.
Luke turned his palm toward the table and one of the guns floated out of the pile and into his hands. He did it with such ease, something Ally was still trying to master. After playing with the gun for a moment, he looked up at Ally.
"Can you show me how to use this?"
Ally had been practicing with these guns several times a day since she learned of their existence, but during planning it was agreed upon that Max would be the demonstrator. Heath had said something about demonstrating authority, but Ally had blocked out the boring lingo that followed.
She shook her head. "No, but Max here is an expert."
Max stepped forward and held his hand out for the gun. Luke didn't hesitate to place the gun in his hand, but he leaned forward and looked Max in the eyes before letting go.
"Try anything funny and I will kill you before the dart even finds a target."
Pax stepped forward. "Do you think we should take cover before he unleashes this vaccine?"
Luke shook his head and motioned to Max. "Shoot him."
The Guards pushed the Rogue up against the wall and held him there by his arms.
"And don't miss," Luke added.
Max checked the ammo, unlocked the safety, and held the gun up to his shoulder. He aimed at the Rogue, with one eye shut
, and pulled the trigger.
With her Exceptional vision, Ally watched the dart spin through the air and pierce the Rogue's skin at the base of his neck. The Rogue screeched and then crumpled to the floor, twitching in place. When it finally fell silent, on of the Guards leaned down to check its pulse.
"It is still breathing, Sir," the Guard said as he looked up at Luke.
"How long before we see changes?" Luke looked at Ally. Apparently Max's display of authority meant nothing.
"A day or two for initial changes, a week for a full change over. The transition will be from Rogue to Exceptional, if you want to transform it into an Ordinary, you'll need to give it another dose."
Luke's gaze fell back on the Rogue. "So this cure works on Exceptionals as well?"
Ally just nodded.
"I presume this is the same cure you were taking in the settlement, the one that kept your Exceptional abilities at bay? I am guessing this means you found it."
So Luke at least knew about her.
"Yes, and this particular formula is permanent." Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth as she answered his questions. What had happened to him that he had forgotten all about her? The memories of their time together were fresh in her mind. Days in the garden, nights in his room, their trip to the lake, the Warehouse, the ORC, and the escape... they continued on.
"Byron, please retrieve the prisoners," he finally said.
Ally sighed inwardly, and she noticed the Max and the others had visibly relaxed as well. Things were going almost to plan, and she could only hope their exit from the City would go smoother than the entrance.
"Of course, you'll be expected to remain in the City until the full effects of the vaccine are known," Luke looked back at Ally. She wished he would stop doing that. It was uncomfortable to watch someone she had thought she might love, not recognize her at all.
"Understandable," she responded. "We will also need to discuss getting you the rest of these guns. I'm assuming the situation with the Rogues hasn't improved."
