"I know the way better," Alan carefully advised. "I've used it before, remember?"
I looked at him, aware a leader would choose the right person for the right job, and not take risks where they weren't necessarily needed.
"It's Lena," I said, and he simply scowled.
"Then don't think with anything else other than this," he replied, tapping the side of his head. "Once I get up there," he added. "I'll lay down fire from above. It might be enough for you to follow, if Emir and Paul confuse them from below."
He was right. And I was fucked.
I yelled my frustration as I fired off several pulsating laser rounds towards the drones. Die motherfuckers. And then shouted above the roar, "Go!"
Alan slammed a hand down on my shoulder, I think it might have been a silent, "Sorry," and then he was gone and we were firing and laser lights were zapping across the gardens and hitting trees, igniting bushes and singeing flowers. The entire back garden we occupied smelled like a vegetarian barbecue.
I needed to be in there. I needed to see her face. I didn't care about the rest. Tan, his usurping army, Chew-wen Wang Chao, even Shiloh, right then didn't count. All that mattered was Lena.
Lena.
And then a window blew out, glass shattering across the paved courtyard three storeys below, and a drone fell down from on high and shook the ground beneath our feet when it landed. I heard a scream. It could have been in rage or defiance. Or pain. It was hard to tell over the thunderous explosions and shouts and commands and drone laser beams.
And then something came flying out of the same window the drone had just been through, sailing through the air in a somersault of royal blue and cream
And white and black hair.
"No!" I cried, knowing she'd hit the pavement below and not make the grass.
I was up and running, firing my laser determinedly as my focus narrowed and the chaotic scene became a shooting gallery of target drones. One. Two. Three. They toppled as I rapidly fired my gun, one step after another in lightning speed toward my goal.
Lena, that's all I could think as shot my fourth and fifth drone in a feat that I knew I'd never be able to repeat even if I tried. I dodged and jumped, my heart pounding inside my chest as my eyes remained on Lena's flying form; the moment suspended in time. Tendrils of smoke wafted up off felled drones, my laser whined, my breaths rasped, my head screamed to catch her. Catch her.
Beams of light flashed past my face within millimetres, the smell of burned flesh and singed plastic and scorched cotton filled my nose. Booms and bangs and the thud of my heart racing filled my ears. A roar of denial left my lips as I charged on through a war zone, dodging laser strikes and getting clipped more than once, but determined to reach her. To catch her. To never let her go.
I could hear Alan yelling out commands from his higher vantage point. Emir and Paul firing with a constant shout of defiance and rage from behind. I could hear the buzz of multiple drones up ahead, hidden in amongst the whir and hum and escalating whine of their lasers.
I got knocked down, my knee hitting concrete as Lena's body suddenly stretched out as though diving into a pool. Makeshift wings sprung from her back; through the pain of yet another laser hit I worked out it was a sheet.
I laughed, I think I might have tasted blood on my tongue. A cough quickly followed. And then she swooped down, barely missed the concrete, skimming across pavers and landing in a roll and tumble on the softer grass.
"Not the girl!" I heard someone yell, and it could have been Cardinal Chew-wen, who I had to remind myself, as my body slumped further toward the ground, was no longer a Cardinal but the Chief Overseer.
Where was Tan? And his men? Where was Lena?
"Lena," I called, but it sounded wet, gurgling. I leaned over to the side and spat the liquid out.
The world swam around me in a technicoloured haze, the whine of drone lasers getting louder, more insistent, the sun finally dipping behind a building, making the light show seem dazzling in the darkness that followed.
The whining seemed to just grow more persistent, as lasers fired and beams shot overhead, and I tried to find the strength to keep going. Lena!
I rolled to my front and looked at her still form on the grass, willing her to move. She was on her side, hands over her head, knees to her chest. A ball in the middle of a battle.
I started crawling. Hand over hand, my breaths a sharp stab of fire inside my chest, blood I realised, pooling in my mouth each time I exhaled.
An explosion suddenly rocked the world and sent me tumbling to the grass, blood being replaced with dirt as I bit the ground. Another followed and I thought it might be Tan, but the whine of lasers hitting their highest peak let me know it was laser guns exploding instead.
Ours or theirs? I couldn't tell.
I kept crawling, as indistinct shouts sounded out overhead, and lasers kept on fucking firing, and the night, which had only just arrived, turned to day.
"I'm here," I said, when I was still too far away. "I'm here," I repeated, moving closer as the world destroyed itself around my ears.
She moved, came out of her ball cradling something bulky to her chest, and pale blue eyes stared across the space between us to me. They might have been horrified. I don't know. Seeing that far was a little difficult right then.
She closed the gap between us, faster than I would have thought possible, as a war raged on and we huddled in its centre under a darkening sky brightened with frenetic red dancing light beams.
"It's all right," she said, and then kept repeating it, over and over again as she stroked my hair back from my face. "It's all right."
It wasn't. I knew it. But I had her in my arms one last time.
"You stupid man," she chastised. "What were you thinking?" she demanded, tears trickling down her pale cheeks.
I grinned. "We had a date," I managed somehow to say. She shook her head, looking confused, trying to get me to stop talking. "Now you've agreed," I forcefully added, having to suck in much needed air before going on, "to spend a night with me," - She made a sobbing sound. I kept going. - "do you think... I'd let you... forget?"
She shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks now, and whispered, lips brushing against mine. "I never agreed."
"Zebra," I thought I said, but may have only dreamt it, everything was going black, "I'm not letting you go again."
Chapter 41
Time Would Tell
Lena
He fell unconscious in my arms. I watched him fade. His breaths laboured and loud, bubbles of blood pooling on the lips I'd just caressed with mine. I couldn't look up. I couldn't move away to safety. He'd run into impossible danger, forgetting his precious revolution, to reach me.
The stupid, idiotic, reckless man. I'd had it under control.
I tore the sheet off from where I'd secured it, draping it over Trent's abused form, and pulled my Shiloh unit in its pillowcase closer. Everything important within reach.
"It's all right," I repeated, stroking his hair from his face.
I could hear yelling and some sporadic laser fire. I thought I heard Wang Chao, but I wasn't sure.
"Breathe," I whispered, curling my body around his and willing him to survive. "Breathe."
"Lena!" someone shouted. "Lena!" they repeated when I didn't look up.
I knew that voice. I knew it. And it wasn't Wang Chao's.
"Duck!" the voice yelled again and I covered Trent's body with my own as the world exploded in a sonic boom of ear splitting sound.
A body skidded in beside me, hands assessing Trent, their lips moving as they shouted at me. I couldn't hear them, my ears buzzing like a Shiloh drone, my head thumping, my heart torn in two.
Hands landed on my shoulders and I tried to shake them off. They were too strong, lifting me away from Trent's body. I screamed, kicked my legs and fell out of their grasp. But Trent was being lifted too, and all I could do was grab my Shiloh pillowcase and run after the person carrying him away.
> We made it across the back of the Palace's gardens, lights shining up into the increasing darkness, but down by the Palace itself it could have been midday. Parts of the building were alight, smoke billowing out of broken windows, drapes on fire and licking flames up into the sky. Drones lay all over the grass when I looked back, spotting Alan running in a beeline towards us.
I hesitated, watched the rebel bound over a drone and sprint closer.
Then the doors on Wang Chao's office blew open and in the glow of flames I watched him walk out. He was alone, limping but determined. He raised a hand; in the light of the flames I knew what was in it.
These men had come for me. Sacrificed their leader. Thrown the last of their reserves towards saving my life and not freeing Wánměi. I couldn't let them pay anymore.
I spun around, looking toward a yelling Emir and a motionless Paul as he stood immobile carrying Trent, and reached forward, grabbing the laser gun attached to the latter's side.
I turned back, my ears popping and crackling, sound returning and with it Wang Chao's last words.
"Selena!" the Chief Overseer, my old childhood friend, yelled. "I'm not letting you go!"
No. Not those words. No. Enough! He would not take anything more.
I dropped my Shiloh unit and started running toward Alan, who waved his hand frantically in front of his body and shouted for me to go back. Then I lifted my laser gun and sighted down the barrel, firing off a continuous beam as I screamed out my rage. The light blast passed Alan as he fell face first to the grass, narrowly avoiding being hit by my erratic spray.
But I missed Wang Chao. I screamed again in frustration this time. But he wasn't firing, because to fire on Alan would be to risk hitting me.
And then several black clad people suddenly fell from the sky above the burning Palace, rappelling down the side at great speed that spoke to something deep inside me. They landed in synch, releasing their carabiners, and turning as one just as Wang Chao realised he was no longer alone on the courtyard in front of his office.
He spun on his heel, but didn't get to raise his gun, a beam was fired from a man on the right of the group, swiftly followed by laser shots from the rest of them, sending Wang Chao's body flying across the pavement and landing in a heap some distance away. Hit so many times that his body had caught fire, smoke rising from his limp form into the night sky.
My eyes stung with tears, but none fell.
One man walked forward and kicked him, nodding when he didn't get a reply. Then they set off across the gardens towards us without a backwards glance, wary but hardly soldier like; one man tripped, another dropped his gun, and a third whooped in delight.
I took it all in, feeling separate from reality. Standing in the shadow of the Palace's wall and watching my former home, my former prison, burn. I didn't need the light of the licking flames to know Wang Chao was dead. To know Wánměi had lost another Chief Overseer; in less than a month.
If this didn't start a revolution I didn't know what would.
The men finally reached us, and one by one took off their black masks. I didn't recognise them... until the very last one.
"Tan," I said in a shocked whisper, collapsing into his welcoming arms. "You're here."
"Elite," he chastised, in his oh so familiar deep voice. "You think I'd let you start a revolution and not join in the fun?"
I laughed, as Trent suddenly coughed wetly behind us. Paul and Emir obviously taking the time to administer some vital first aid.
I spun back and knelt down, my hands fluttering over his pale face. Not separate from reality now, but drowning in it. I glanced across his body at Paul, who slowly shook his head. I stopped the sob before it could get out and cupped Trent's cheek instead.
His eyes flickered open, blue the colour of a storm tossed sea stared back.
No, this could not be happening.
Tan crouched down and let out a sigh. "Not good," he said and I glared at him. Trent didn't need to hear that.
"It'll be all right," I countered.
"Sure," Tan said, "As soon as we get him back to base."
"You can help him? Wait. You have a base?"
Tan smiled, patted me on the shoulder and then started issuing orders in a similar fashion to Trent.
It took ten minutes to get out of the Palace's grounds, the drones who'd survived the brutal attack rallying. It took another ten minutes to get back to the vans the men had all brought. Twenty minutes in which I was sure Trent would die.
I sat on a seat with Trent's head in my lap, all the while his blue eyes held mine and he didn't let go of my hand. How he'd survive the trip, I didn't know. But Trent was stronger than any one had ever thought. Determined to have that date he'd somehow had me wishing for as well.
"You flew out of a window," he whispered hoarsely.
I scolded with, "Don't talk!"
"It's better," he managed without coughing. "Emir made it better."
I glanced at Emir, but I saw the answer in his sad eyes. Trent was losing all feeling, his body shutting down.
"Our date," he whispered. I shook my head. "Tell me about it," he pushed. Always pushing.
I smiled; the van fell ridiculously quiet.
Stalling for time I smoothed down the material of my ky tyah and on the sweep back up found the anomaly in the waistline.
"Well," I said, holding his mesmerising gaze while my fingers worked nervously at the object hidden in my clothing. "As I never agreed to a date, I'm not expecting too much."
"I am," he murmured, his eyelids drooping. My hands came up immediately to cup his face.
"Stay awake!" I ordered. Desperately searching his features for a reply.
His eyes flicked open and he coughed weakly.
"You'll... have... to try... harder," he breathed.
I shook my head. Stubborn man.
"In that case," I whispered, my fingers absently unfolding the piece of card that I'd managed to uncover in my ky. "I expect candlelight and champagne." He smiled. "Soft music and dancing."
Someone snorted, another person cleared their throat.
We ignored them.
"Maybe a starlight setting," I added. "The heat of Wánměi surrounding us."
"You'll... have it," he announced.
My hand cupped his cheek again.
"And you," I replied. "I expect all of you."
"You've got me." And then his body arched off the seat and shook violently.
"He's seizing," Alan yelled, as Tan said, "We're here."
The side of the door was pulled open, Trent's body abruptly taken from my lap, and people started issuing orders and yelling at each other and I was pulled along, my Shiloh gripped in one hand, the still unread card in the other, into what had to have once been a underground bomb shelter from a previous time.
I couldn't picture where it was - maybe up a hill? In a park? - I'd been too busy looking at Trent, distracting him from...
A sound left me as I sunk to the cold concrete floor where the guys had begged me to wait. The big open space with low ceiling lit by glaringly naked bulbs suspended along the walls and across the centre, lighting up a portion of the room, but not the whole.
Enough, though, to see the painted zebra on the floor.
I stood up, numbed, and walked slowly out into the centre, staring down at the stylised image of Wánměi's new icon of hope. My namesake.
"Zebra," Tan suddenly said from over my shoulder. "If I'd thought of that, I would have used it a hell of a lot sooner."
I spun back and looked at him. "Is he all right?"
He watched me for a moment and said, voice pitched low," He means a lot to you."
I didn't bother confirming or denying that. "Is he all right?" I asked again slowly.
"He will be. The doc's working on him right now. Says the prognosis is good."
My hand came up to my face and I shuddered, then simply crumbled back to the floor, lacking all strength to stay standing.
"Lena! Shit!" Ta
n exclaimed, rushing to my side. "Whoa, Elite, are you injured?"
I shook my head, my hand fisted over my heart where I rubbed.
"Ah," he said, watching my movement. "He means a lot."
I nodded.
"Well, I guess I'll have to go easier on him then," he grumbled, not making any sense. "Still, the guy could use a kick up the arse."
"What?"
He smiled at me; my Tan, my brother in every way but blood, so familiar, so loved. I reached up and touched his stubbled chin. His blue eyes holding my gaze steadily.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"For what?"
"Aiko." Her name hitched in my throat, a pain so deep I'd always bear it.
He shook his head quickly.
"No, Lena. You don't get to be sorry for that." I opened my mouth to argue, but he spoke over me. "We knew what we were doing. We knew who you were and where you came from."
He hesitated, the weight of something monumental in his look.
"We knew your father," he admitted carefully and my entire body went rigid.
Several heavy seconds ticked by and I still couldn't say a thing.
"Look," he started, just as Alan stalked in.
"He's going to be OK," the rebel said in a rush, and then stilled, seeing Tan holding me, and the seemingly intimate looks on our faces we'd been sharing. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked in a slight growl.
"Easy, hotshot," Tan replied. "Just catching Lena as she fell." He turned back to me. "You OK? I gotta go check on the rest of the guys."
I nodded slowly. I was anything but OK.
"We'll talk later?" I asked.
"Sure," he said, sounding uncomfortable. "Later." And then he was gone.
Alan stood several feet away, arms crossed over his chest, eyes hard.
"Now's the time to back out, Elite. You take this any further, you'll be bringing down a decent guy."
"I know," I said, pulling on all my hidden reserves of Elite.
"Good," he snapped, and strode out of the room.
I sat there, stunned. Tan and Aiko had known my father. Alan was getting all territorial over Trent. A zebra lay beneath my body, and a war had started out above on the streets. Wang Chao was gone. My childhood friend who'd become a monster. And all in the nick of time; we'd averted a Shiloh controlled Wánměi.
Cardinal, (Citizen Saga, Book 2) Page 25
