The Warrior

by Rebecca Royce

  He pulled me against his bare chest. “I missed you.”

  “I’ve been away from you for less than half a minute.”

  Smiling, he kissed me gently on the mouth. I sighed. Whatever teasing I was going to do about him suddenly being codependent fled. How many girls got to wake up like this? How many had to go home wondering if the man would even speak to her again? Chad wanted me and I felt nothing but gratitude, all the way to the depths of my soul.

  My body alive, tingling like it had the night before, I grabbed his shirt. “I love you, Chad.”

  “Every morning like this, for the rest of our lives.” He kissed my forehead. “And you’re going to be my wife. You’ll come around to the idea.”

  A banging on his door silenced whatever response I would have given. Chad raised his head. “Go away, Micah.”

  “How do you know it’s him?” The person on the other side hadn’t even said a word.

  “The bang and the time of day.”

  “I’m starving and Mom and Dad took all the food with them,” Micah whined. “Just pull your ass out of bed and let me in. I’ll eat and you can go back to sleep.”

  Chad let go of me and walked to the door. I tugged at his shirt. It would be really pathetic to rush back into the room in search of my pants. I was covered. Chad would never let him in otherwise. So what if Micah had never seen my bare legs?

  I didn’t have to feel like a little girl. I’d just spent the night with his brother. I would—soon—be moving in. Micah could get used to seeing me a little more casual.

  Chad swung the door open and his brother stumbled into the room. I gasped. Had Micah gotten drunk? I’d never seen any of the Lyons inebriated. Drunkenness had usually been reserved for my family. He stank of old booze.

  After staring at him for a second, Chad coughed. “Rough night?”

  “Well.” Micah shrugged. “I guess if we’re all going to die, then I just wanted to let loose.”

  He swayed and I grabbed his arm before he could fall. I had some experience holding up the intoxicated. As long as he didn’t puke on me, it would be a manageable experience.

  Chad shook his head. “Give him to me, beautiful. You don’t have to take care of my brother.”

  “Oh.” Micah finally became aware of my presence in the room. He grinned, pointing between us. “Rachel is here at five in the morning? Did you sleep here? You’re half-naked.”

  Chad cursed, dragging him forward into the second bedroom. “She’s not half-naked, jackass. If she’d been any kind of nude, you wouldn’t be in here.”

  “Rachel,” Micah called over his shoulder. “Did you finally give this loser your cherry? Good for you, hon. Don’t die holding onto it. I hope he got the job done. I can give him pointers.”

  There was the sound of a bang, which I took to mean Chad had shoved his brother down on the mattress. I smiled and walked to the fridge. Did he have any food? Micah’s presence in the rooms meant we would not be having a repeat of last night. I thought of the way my body tingled. I would have loved another go.

  ***

  Micah wore dark sunglasses too big for his face but they were the only ones we could find. Every once in a while he made a groaning sound.

  “You deserve your pain. Why drink so much? Drink less, have more fun, and be okay the next day.”

  Micah didn’t look at me. “Don’t lecture. Not yet, anyway.”

  We moved together through the woods, looking for monsters. There weren’t any around. I would have felt their presence in my bones and, was Micah not totally out of it, so would he. But we patrolled anyway because that was what we did.

  “Then what should we talk about?”

  “Nothing.” Micah stopped moving. “Maybe we should be noting how quiet it is around here.”

  “It’s a quiet morning. Nice for a change.”

  Micah nodded. “Makes me feel…off.”

  “I think the fact that you puked for an hour is causing your off.”

  “Hush about it, or I’ll start asking you some questions you won’t want to answer.”

  Fair enough. I did not want to talk to him about Chad. Not even a little bit.

  “I do have a question, though.” He pulled his sunglasses off and stuck them in his pocket. His usually clear, dark eyes—so much like his brother’s—were red and tired. I’d spent enough time with Micah to know today marked an exception, not a problem. Even so, as the daughter of an alcoholic, who had more days than I could count staring at an alcohol-worn-out gaze, I had to force myself not to flinch while I stared at him.

  “Micah, if it’s anything to do with—”

  “It is not.”

  “Then continue.”

  “I was just wondering, when you ran away, when you left and erased yourself so you could handle things on your own. What was it like?”

  I hadn’t expected his question. Not at all. It had been six months since my time away had ended. Micah had never expressed the slightest interest in it.

  “What was it like in what way?” There had been a lot of facets to my experience.

  “To be alone. Like that.” Micah stared out in the distance.

  “In the beginning, I felt focused, strong, and able. After, those emotions changed to foolish, young, and lonely.” I took his hand. “I won’t do it again. Not the same way. We’re stronger together.”

  “I know.” He squeezed our joined fingers. “But sometimes I’d like to go where no one knew me.”

  “Temporarily might be okay, as long as I could come home again.” That had been part of the problem: the permanence of the time, the idea I would never see these people again, not even after I had done what I had to do.

  I dropped Micah’s hand. None of it mattered. I’d not killed Icahn. Jason had died, not at my hand, but by actually saving my life. My adventures in independent Rachel had crashed and burned.

  “Besides, why would you want to leave, Micah? The female population of Genesis would erupt into endless sobbing. Who would be around to service all their desires?”

  Micah groaned. “There have been fewer girls than you think. Some of my reputation is rumor.”

  I laughed. “Only some of it?”

  We walked on together. I could hear voices ahead. With so little monster movement, the group must be taking it somewhat easy. Otherwise, there would be silence.

  “When did you stop being in love with me?”

  I jolted. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Micah.” I grabbed his arm. “What is the matter with you? What is going on with these questions? When did I stop being in love with you? What the hell?”

  “I need to know. I made certain decisions in my life and, now we’re all about to engage in the battle to end all battles, I’m starting to question them.” Micah stormed a few steps away. “So would you answer me, please?”

  I think it was the “please” that got me. “I was never really in love with you. In the Before Time, I had a post-breakup crush on you. Who wouldn’t? You’re so cute, women of all ages melt in your presence. Then here, when we first woke up, you were safe to fantasize about. But, I think I would have fallen for Chad then, as I did this time around.”

  “So, it’s not like I did something so horrible or wrong you decided I wasn’t worth loving?”

  “No, Micah.” I shook my head, my heart breaking for him. “Has someone hurt you?”

  “No.” He looked away. “I wish there was someone out there I cared that much about. I’m just not built like Chad. I guess it’s my biggest problem. I can’t see one person and know the girl is for me forever.”

  “Well, you haven’t had it yet. You might still succumb.” I patted him on the arm. “And Chad didn’t just decide to fall in love. He met me. How could he resist?”

  “Rachel, there you are.” My mother’s voice caught my attention. After nodding to Micah, I moved to her.

  “You’re back.” I hugged her. “Did the deposit go okay?”

  I d
idn’t want to be more specific. Icahn might know what we had done, he might not. But he wouldn’t be finding out from me.

  “Not a glitch.” She smoothed the hair off my forehead. “Can we talk? Is now a good time?”

  “Well seeing as there are no monsters today to speak of, I guess it’s as good a time as any.”

  What did she want to talk about? I couldn’t think of anything I had done that would have gotten me into trouble with her or my father.

  “So, I know we had the talk about the birds and the bees with you a long time ago.”

  Oh no. I shook my head. “I don’t need this conversation.” I really didn’t require it anymore. “And I’d really rather not—”

  “The thing is…as I was walking last night watching Tia and Glen, I felt the need to tell you what they did, the decision they made, to deliberately have a baby, was a rough course to take.”

  “Mom.” I took her hands in my own. “Please. I’m not trying to have a baby. Okay? No baby. Not on purpose.”

  “And Chad…?”

  I covered my eyes. “Chad is doing what needs to be done. Please, no more. For the love of all things, no more.”

  She took my hands off my eyes. “I’m your mother. I’m going to worry about you every day of your life until I’m dead. You have to put up with these conversations.”

  “Right. Well. This one is over.”

  Way over.

  “I have something else for you.” My mother pulled a letter out of her pocket and handed me the closed envelope. “Keith asked me to give this to you. He said he didn’t get to say good-bye.”

  I’d managed not to focus on that. But, yes. I hadn’t gotten to say a temporary farewell to my former teacher and close friend.

  “He’s important to you, isn’t he?”

  I stared at the envelope. “For a long time, I made it through every day because of Keith and others like him. You weren’t here.” She’d been dead. I couldn’t blame her. My father had gone off a deep end. Maybe Icahn was responsible. Maybe not. I blamed my dad. A little bit.

  “Thanks for this.”

  She smiled at me. “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

  I walked away, still holding the letter in my grasp. Finally, I leaned up against a tree, mentally prepared, sort of, to read it.

  Good-byes were awful. From Keith it would have to be even worse.

  Pulling out the paper, I read what words he’d put down on the page for me.

  Hey, Rachel,

  Sorry I didn’t get to do any of this in person. It’s insane tonight, as you know. But I wanted to just take a second to tell you something I would have liked to have said before I left. (When you see me again, you can give me a hard time about my sentimentality.)

  Anyway, Happy Birthday, again. Are you sick of everyone saying that? I know you don’t like fuss.

  This is what I wanted to say—and should have said when I saw you in the woods and you watched me melt down. Life is messy. If I hadn’t been cryogenically frozen, I never would have met Tiffani. We wouldn’t have our son. I’d have lived as I was, and it was a good life, as a reporter. Maybe, someday, I would have gotten married. Had children. But it wouldn’t be this family.

  So, even though sometimes I can’t stand the horror of it all, I can’t imagine any other future I would have wanted. Because, of course, I had to be here, to have this life, to know you.

  Take on the mess. Roll around in it. You might like who are when you come out.

  And your fighting skills are getting lousy. Toughen up. I didn’t train you to be such a wimp. Stop freaking out, or I’m going to have to stick you in the medical center for a while.

  See you soon.

  Keith.

  My fighting skills were getting lousy? What the hell was the matter with him? They were not. And I wasn’t a robot. In all the years we’d been together fighting, I’d had the least number of freak-outs of anyone.

  Screw that. When I saw him again, I was going to give him all kinds of trouble about it.

  Chapter Four

  We sat waiting for our daily call. For the last five days, at three p.m., exactly, Keith had radioed in. I had to give Glen credit. He’d rigged up a communication system between the habitats that actually seemed to be working. In our first life, Glen would have been some kind of engineer. Now, he killed monsters and loved Tia despite her small bouts of crazy.

  They had a beautiful son who looked just like him.

  The deal Keith had made with Patrick was he would contact us every day. If we didn’t hear from them for two straight days, we should assume something had gone wrong and come looking. One day could indicate some kind of technical trouble and we had to give Glen at least twenty-four hours to fix it.

  We’d also started to do things to bother Icahn. Patrick had spent the morning pretending to try to contact other habitats. Of course, we didn’t know if they really existed or if they’d all been wiped out. But Patrick took to the horn and tried to see what he could do to draw Icahn out.

  It would certainly get his attention.

  The speaker dinged and Keith’s voice came over. “Hello. Can you hear me?”

  “Loud and clear.” Patrick grinned at us and, at the sound of his voice, a collective sigh could be heard through the room.

  “You guys are good? Haven’t burned down the place in my absence, have you? I don’t need to come back there and do damage control?”

  Patrick sighed dramatically. “You know I can hardly keep it up without you, buddy.”

  “Right. I’m so fooled.” I could hear the laughter in Keith’s voice and it warmed me inside. Everything must be okay there. I bit my tongue to keep from complaining about his freak-out comment. I didn’t want to be annoyed at him but, really, what was his problem? I tried to focus on the conversation.

  “How is it there?” We didn’t think Icahn would be able to monitor this channel but I noted how, just in case, Patrick did not name where Keith currently hid.

  “All well. We did have an incident yesterday with two of the toddlers temporarily escaping their parents. But we found them in half an hour and the problem has been fixed. So many secret passageways.”

  Patrick drummed his fingers on the table. “Were they spotted?”

  “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “I don’t want to lecture you but you understand—”

  “I know the severity. It won’t happen again. I give you credit, Patrick. I never understood how monitoring people, non-Warriors, could really take a toll.”

  “Tell my wife and daughter to help you more. All will be well, my friend. I believe in you.”

  And just like that, the conversation ended. Patrick disconnected and we all stood in silence.

  “Well, he sounds good,” Chad said and the other Warriors murmured their agreement.

  I smiled. So nice to hear his voice. Now if we could simply manage to get Icahn to attack us, all would be well.

  ***

  “Four days and nothing.” Chad paced between our bed and the window. I yawned, watching him. “It’s driving me crazy.”

  “He’s probably putting together an army. Don’t worry. You’ll get your fight. Blood will be shed.”

  He shook his head, staring at me. “You think I’m acting like some kind of caged animal.”

  “Yes.” I patted the bed next to me. “Come lie down. It’s late.”

  “I’m a little worked up.”

  I’d noticed. “Then just come here.”

  He stopped moving and grinned at me. “Well, if you insist.”

  A loud buzzing filled the room and I jolted upward. “What the hell?”

  Chad covered his ears and shouted over the sound. “I have no idea.”

  From the ceiling, a video screen lowered. I hadn’t seen one of them for years. When we’d been younger, Icahn had shown us black-and-white movies on Friday nights. But I hadn’t seen one since we’d taken back Genesis. I’d assumed the television screens had somehow gone away in the rework of th
e habitat.

  Apparently, they were still here. At first, all I could see was streaming lines that didn’t turn into anything but, seconds later, a face appeared. It was one I’d know anywhere: Isaac Icahn. In full color. Not as good a picture as the televisions we’d had in our house Before, but good enough to make out what I saw clearly.

  He smiled at the camera. “Hello, Genesis.”

  Chad breathed heavily. “What is this shit?”

  “I’m afraid this is a one-way conversation.” Icahn sneered. “I’m sure I’ve woken a lot of you up and yet a great number of you are probably still Upward, fighting or standing around, wondering why you are not fighting. I’ll expect you to fill those individuals in on what I’m about to say.”

  “He’s such a smug jerk.” I took Chad’s hand. This couldn’t be good. I wanted his contact. He kissed my hand.

  The camera panned wider and I could see who stood with him. He had his daughter, Ruby—or at least she called herself Ruby now; every time she cloned she changed it—his sons, Liam and Noah, the Turtle, whom I hadn’t even known still lived but who must have somehow ended up with Icahn. He’d been the leader of the non-Warriors in Genesis. My encounters with him had always given me the heebie-jeebies. He looked at me like he knew what I looked like without my clothes on.

  Also with him were two people who made my heart turn over. Deacon, surrounded by his family. I had helped rescue them the year before from the Vampire feeding tunnels. And Darren, my companion when I’d lived in Redemption. He’d taken care of me while I was in cryogenic sleep.

  Other faces stared out at us, but I didn’t know them. Icahn must have wanted to show off what a crowd he had with him. A display of strength. Kind of sad, actually.

  “Please, pan the camera down now.”

  The person holding it did as he or she had been asked. At first, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I rubbed at my eyes. It had to be wrong.

  On his knees, with his hands tied behind him, was Keith, his face swollen. One of his eyes could barely open as he stared forward.

  “No. No. No.” I stood up, dropping Chad’s hand. They couldn’t have Keith. That meant they’d gotten our people. They’d found them.