Master: Arrow's Flight #3

by Casey Hays

  slip out into the dimly lit corridor where Bethany waits for me. She leans against the wall, one bare foot propped up behind her. Our eyes meet, and I look for that hint of attitude she always carries with her. I don’t see it. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I don’t know what she’s thinking. But I know she’s scared.

  “If we survive this…” Her words are low and even. “Everything is going to be different, isn’t it?”

  She waits for my answer, her lips slightly parted into a pouty frown. I look away.

  “Everything’s always been different.” I run a hand through my hair. “We just didn’t know it.”

  She nods, looks up the hallway toward the lobby where the fabricated sun is already beginning to lighten the dome. Light creeps into the library through the large front windows. She sighs, heavy and sad.

  “Do you really love this Outsider? This . . . Kate?”

  Kate’s name falling from her lips stuns me for a minute. After all my mom just revealed about us, this is what she asks. I purse my lips. Of course, this is what she’d ask.

  I assess her, looking for that familiar stab of anger. I expect the question to sound bitter and cold, but it doesn’t. It’s fluttery—an airy sadness—but she isn’t mad. Only curious. I settle my hands against my hips and lean against the wall opposite her. The answer is easy.

  “I love her more than anything else in this world.”

  “Why?”

  The question jolts me. She blinks, her arms crossed over her chest, and she’s waiting again. Waiting for me to tell her what made me turn away from her and toward someone else. I think, searching my mind for the best way to answer. Because unlike the last time she broached this topic, this time, she wants specifics—about Kate.

  I didn’t mean to change her agenda or destroy her dreams for us. But it happened. Another girl became the center of my dreams. And I’ve been given this chance to make Bethany understand so that we can move on without hating each other. I drop my eyes to the floor, and I answer—without hesitation.

  “She makes every breath worth taking,” I begin. I shove my hands into my pockets. “And the world smells sweeter when she’s beside me. When I look into her eyes, I understand that colors have flavor, and I want to taste every one of them with her. She touches me, and my skin races with happiness. She smiles, and my heart dances just a little bit faster.” I look at her. “And I know that if she isn’t living, neither am I—even if I live to be a hundred.”

  Bethany’s mouth parts, her bottom lip quivering, and a tear tumbles over her cheek and drips off the edge of her jaw.

  “That’s . . . kind of beautiful.”

  I laugh softly, cringing. “It’s cheesy. But it’s real.”

  “Yeah.” She wipes at her face and pushes off from the wall. “It is. I get that.”

  She stands still for a second, her arms hanging loose at her sides, and then she takes a step toward me.

  “I’m sorry, Ian. I’m sorry that I tried to fit you into a mold that wasn’t made for you. I know you got really tired of that, and I didn’t care. I just kept squeezing you until you couldn’t take it.”

  I’m silent, giving her the moment. She lowers her head, rubs her hands up her arms and hugs herself as if she feels a chill—which she doesn’t.

  “I pushed you away, and I know that now.” Her eyes drift up to meet mine. “I didn’t want you to be who you are. You’re too adventurous, too spontaneous, too dangerous for me. I never liked that about you, and I tried to change it.” She tilts her head with a shrug. “I was wrong to think I could.”

  After another long minute, she sighs.

  “We aren’t meant to be together. But—” Another tear escapes. “I need you as a friend.”

  I smile, reach out to wipe away her tear with my thumb. “You’ve got me,” I promise.

  She takes another step, arms still hugging herself, and leans her forehead against my chest. I pull her in, and the wall between us collapses in a truce.

  And then . . . the first explosion rattles the city.

  In the next minute a resounding boom shakes the foundation of the library, and bits of the ceiling break away and cascade down on top of us. Bethany screeches covering her head with her hands.

  “What was that?” Her eyes dart upward, and her body tenses into flight mode. She flies up the hall a few paces before she turns back to look at me. “Ian! What was that?”

  “It must have been—” I cut my words. I don’t want to think it. I don’t want to say it out loud and make it reality. I press a hand against the wall and meet her eyes.

  I know exactly what just happened. Evan’s team failed.

  A siren squeals, rising in volume. I cover my ears as the pain of the noise penetrates. The doors along the corridor open one after the other as people jut their heads into the hall, looks of fright and confusion on their faces. Bethany, hands pressed against the sides of her head, tears her eyes from me and dashes toward her room. I spin, crashing into Mom’s room and slamming the door to help muffle the sound of the alarm.

  I don’t look at her right away. I lean my forehead against the closed door, one palm pressed flat against it, the other clutching the doorknob. My heart races; this is a nightmare come to life, and I’m not sure what to do. I close my eyes.

  God, help me.

  “Ian!”

  My sister’s voice fills the small space, and I turn. She’s perched on Mom’s lap, and her eyes brighten when they land on my face. I fall to my knees, and she leaps from my mom’s arms and into mine.

  “You came back! You came back again!” Her chubby arms around my neck do their best to choke the breath out of me, and I take in her fresh, innocent scent. Mom’s eyes meet mine over her shoulder, and she smiles briefly. I wrench Ava free and pull back to look at her.

  “I promised I would, didn’t I? I always come back.”

  “Yep.” She grins. “That’s what you said, and you did it!”

  Another rumble rolls beneath the floor so violent, it shakes the entire room, and the vibrations shiver through us. The wall to the right suddenly begins to split with a jagged, crumbling crack. Muffled shouts of warning come from the hallway. I stand, shrug into my bow and quiver, and lift Ava up into my arms.

  “What’s happening?” Ava chirps. I give her another quick hug and look at Mom.

  “We have to go. It sounds like the tunnels are collapsing.”

  “Go where?” Mom rises, secures her pistol, and lugs up a bag of personal belongings, flinging it over one shoulder. “Without the tunnels, there is no other safe escape route out of the city.”

  “I don’t know. We’ll figure something out.”

  Mom’s brow creases with worry, but she follows me. I fling open the door. The alarm has decreased to a solid buzzing that is more tolerable. The lights lining the ceiling flicker dangerously, and we ease out into the small crowd working its way toward the exit. We reach Bethany and Mrs. Ryan.

  “This is horrific,” Mrs. Ryan whispers.

  I look over my shoulder at my mom. She nods, taking Mrs. Ryan by the hand. “I know, Marie. But you know as well as I do we’re ready for this. Our training won’t let us down.”

  I look away. Does she still believe that?

  “What’s happening?” Ava asks. Her arms tighten around my neck.

  “We’re just going on a little adventure, sweetheart,” Mom answers from behind us. “To find Daddy.”

  “I like adventures.” She tosses a smile at Mom over my shoulder and then focuses on me. “The other day, me and Becca pretended we were arc—arc—archenologits.” She swings her head, scanning the crowded hallway, suddenly alert, scoping. The sudden change in her makes me uneasy, and I tighten my embrace. “We dug for treasure in her sandbox.”

  Her words are flat. She tenses against me as we near the foyer, and her eyes begin to flicker with the intensity of the Serum. My heart chugs with apprehension as Mom’s recent words run through my head.

  . . . her defense
sequence has never been activated.

  “I bet we don’t find Daddy in any sandboxes.”

  I look at my sister. She makes a joke, but she doesn’t laugh, and her voice turns almost mechanical. She unknowingly squeezes my neck, and it’s painful. She squirms, shifting her weight against me. She’s strong, and it takes all I have to keep her in my arms.

  “Everybody’s scared.” She connects with Mom over my shoulder. “Why is everybody so scared?”

  Mom doesn’t answer, but Ava doesn’t really need her to; she can sense danger in the air.

  “We’re in trouble,” she whispers, eyes wide. I squeeze her more tightly.

  Bethany slips her fingers into my other hand, and I squeeze them, lending her what courage I can. But it doesn’t matter how much or how little training we’ve had. It doesn’t matter that the Serum will guide us, or take us over, or protect us even. None of it matters. Because in the end, there’s no way to avoid the danger of an Eden-killer. There’s not enough courage to combat that one small fact.

  Outside, people race through the streets to gather in front of Town Hall, desperate for answers as to why our city—the safest and most secure place on Earth—has been turned upside down overnight. Angry cries rise up, and several Board members, including Chairman Ryan, stand along the porch and try their best to console and inform. The siren wheezes with a sick sound that proves our internal electronics have been affected by the blast. Several black squares of paneling dot the dome roof where lights have shorted out. The fabricated sunlight dims. I spot the smoke on the south side of the city, confirming my worst fear. The roof still holds, but for how long? I scan the area, a feeling of foreboding filling me up like the black smoke.

  “There’s your father,” Mom says, and I refocus my attention on Town Hall.

  Mom scoops Ava into her arms and races across the street, shoving her way through the gathering crowd. Dad scurries down the steps to meet her. She gestures; his eyes find me. A sure sign of relief crosses his features. Just relief, nothing more.

  I spot Jace just outside the front door of the building under the covered porch. He plugs one ear with his finger and shouts into the radio, but the frustrated look on his face tells me everything I need to know. Things have gone from bad to worse.

  At least fifty guards stand at attention along either side of the building, awaiting orders. It’s not enough manpower, and my mind begins to churn up every possible defensive avenue. I can think of none.

  Mrs. Ryan tugs Bethany away from me and moves toward her husband. I trudge behind them and climb the first few steps toward Jace.

  “The surveillance team saw the explosion from the outside,” he explains. “They said it looks bad from their angle. The wall might have been penetrated.”

  I nod. “I think part of the tunnels collapsed. It sounded like it anyway.”

  “Which means the Vortex already had bombs strategically planted around the area.” He frowns. “We’re too late.”

  I swallow, keeping my eyes glued to his face.

  “We’ll have to open one of the gates to get people out if it comes to it.”

  “The city is surrounded.” I shake my head. “How will we manage an escape?”

  He sighs. “I haven’t received orders on that yet.”

  “No word from Evan?”

  His face is a hard line of concentration. “He’s radio silent.”

  Or dead, I think. I push that thought away as quickly as it comes.

  Dad reaches us and pulls me into a strong hug. I sink against him gratefully. He faces Jace, keeping his arm securely around my shoulders.

  “What’s the damage?”

  Jace looks off toward the billowing, black smoke. “I don’t know. Our south end team isn’t responding, but it doesn’t look good, sir.”

  Dad’s face turns grim, but he nods. “We’ve called up the entire guard and any Rovers who were in Eden on relief duty.”

  “How many is that?” I ask.

  “Six hundred men altogether. Most sent to protect the perimeter from invasion. The wall is solid titanium. It will hold; it’s well armed.” He glances at me, offering a hint of truth for the first time in my life. “We will defend the city. The Code mandates it. You’ve felt it in your blood, Ian. The Serum will protect and defend at all cost.”

  My eyes must tell him everything because he swallows hard enough for me to see his jugular bounce.

  “There’s going to be a cost, Dad. There already has been. I’ve seen it. The Serum can’t protect us from this enemy.”

  “With all due respect, sir,” Jace raises his shoulders a notch higher to address my dad. “The genius behind this enemy has learned how to kill us with a single shot. I believe we can expect the unexpected from them where the wall is concerned.”

  Dad’s eyes turn fierce, and he looks off toward the south end of the city.

  “Dad.” He faces me, and there’s a pleading tone to my voice when I speak. I don’t like how I sound, but somehow I have to get through to him. I have to make him acknowledge the reason this army has come to our doorstep. “If the Vortex gets inside, they’ll be after the Serum.”

  His jaw tenses. “Then we will protect it.”

  I sweep my eyes from him to Jace and back again. “You understand what Doc’s doing, right?”

  Dad’s steely eyes bore into me. He places a firm hand on my shoulder.

  “We will protect it,” he repeats measuredly.

  The gritty sound of his voice keeps me from arguing. I just nod, and my heart sinks to somewhere deep in the pit of my stomach. Jace purses his lips and says nothing.

  The sound of gunfire pops in the distance. I glance at Jace. He knows; I know. Together we look toward the smoke. Regardless of what Dad believes, the Vortex has already breached the wall, and soon, there will be thousands of enemy soldiers inside Eden. Mr. Ryan makes his way to us.

  “Sir,” Jace faces the chairman, his shoulders tall, back straight. He grips the barrel of his rifle with both hands. “I think you need to inform the people as to what we’re up against. As I mentioned in my debriefing, the Vortex carries weapons we’ve not so fondly nicknamed Eden-killers. I’ve seen some of my own comrades die after being shot with one.” He pauses with a sympathetic nod. “Your son was a victim as well. So you know that it doesn’t matter how attuned our abilities are when it comes to these weapons.”

  Mr. Ryan keeps his emotions in check despite the mention of Tag’s death. He adjusts his collar, fighting back tears, and motions without a word for Jace to continue.

  It puts my mind at ease that he’s willing to listen, especially after all the negative reports about the Board’s response to the Vortex. It’s a shame it took this to finally open their eyes. But Mr. Ryan concedes to Jace—the only authority on the situation at the moment.

  “We can’t expect to win without a strategy that involves shielding ourselves,” Jace continues. “An all-out attack against these guys will not do.”

  Mr. Ryan exchanges a glance with my dad, and nods. His voice cracks.

  “Very well. We’ve already shut down the business district. Let’s bring out the bullhorn and get the streets cleared. We’ll secure and barricade all residential areas.”

  “We need to do more than that,” Dad expresses. “We must protect the lab. Shutter the building and go on full lockdown. The clinic, too. We can’t let those soldiers in to either one of those areas.”

  Mr. Ryan nods and faces his assistant who stands behind him. “We’ll move to full red alert. Shutdown protocol commences now. Have the guard set up a barricade around the entire science and medical district.

  “I’ll get word to the lab,” I volunteer. “Justin is there with Doc.”

  “No.” Dad’s response is firm, and the hairs on the back of my neck bristle with reaction.

  “Let me do this,” I plead with him.

  “No,” he repeats. “Ian, you are seventeen years old. You are untrained. You will not fight until it becomes a necessity. You go
on in with your mother.”

  He gestures toward Town Hall, but I stand my ground, my eyes full of challenge. After a minute, he narrows his eyes, hands on hips.

  “Are you planning to outright defy me?”

  I swallow my nerves. “I’m thinking about it.”

  Dad studies me closely, but I keep my eyes neutral and my breathing even.

  “Dad, I know you have no idea what I’ve been through out there, and that’s partly my fault. I’m not very open with you about things. But I’ve seen this enemy in action. I’ve survived wounds they inflicted. I’ve outrun them and their stupid Eden-killers. I’ve talked to some of them face to face. And . . . I’ve killed them.”

  Dad’s mouth drops open. Jace flexes his jaw once. Mr. Ryan tosses his astonished gaze from me to my father, waiting. I simply shrug.

  “You can’t deny that I know a little bit more about how they think than you do.” I take a step toward him. “Please, Dad. I can help.”

  He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes change drastically, and I know I have my answer. He won’t stop me if I go.

  “I’ll explain everything to Doc.”

  With a quick intake of breath, I nod once, adjust my quiver. I don’t give him time to say another word before I zip away, taking the back streets to the lab.

  I’ll explain everything to Doc, all right. And then, I’ll do whatever I have to do to help end this.

  Chapter 38

  T

  he panels in the dome lighting continue to flicker and fade out one at a time, and the city grows darker in the middle of the morning. I’ve never felt such insecurity inside the walls of Eden. Never before have they let us down, and never did any of us ever think we would see a day like this—when the one safe haven of the world would be compromised. The thought floods me with an apprehension that is new and lined with that old fear. I work to stifle the feeling, but old habits are hard to break. I have a long way to go with this trusting God thing.

  This entire section of the city is eerily deserted. I hear the massive bullhorn announcement mandating that all citizens return to the safety of their homes and stay undercover, armed and ready to defend themselves and their families. I swallow. Things just became very real.