by Ann Bakshis
“Who should be the first?” Rafer asks.
“We’ll start with the three from your faction, Rafer. They’ll be brought down to the Assessment Chamber in an hour. Depending upon how that goes will determine the fate of the others.”
“Holunder would never have approved of this,” Bevan complains, voice raised.
“Well, he’s not here anymore, now is he?” I half expect Ares to smile at her retort, but she looks genuinely grieved. “Order must be maintained, and we’ll need to know if there are any others that didn’t act out.”
“How many were there that you know of?” I ask.
“Fourteen total. Six are dead, six were captured, and the other two have the children,” Caitrin replies.
“What are you going to do to get them back?”
“We’re working on that, Trea, but without Iscariot talking it’s making the process cumbersome,” Ares snaps.
“Let me talk to him.”
“Out of the question. You’re the reason this whole uprising occurred.”
Bevan places his hand on my arm as I rise from my chair, nearly knocking it over.
I can’t believe this bullshit is happening. Why do they continue to blame the Antaeans for the actions of their own people? We didn’t ask to be brought here, that was Holunder. I’m fed up with the lot of them.
“Then why the hell did you call me in here?”
“You need to train Piran. When we find the location where the children are being held, he will need to be ready to help you three retrieve them.”
“How do you expect me to train him? You’ve sealed off the exit under the domes.”
“The crofter’s camp has room available, so you’ll be staying there, away from the city.”
“We won’t be that far away.”
“I’m not talking about the camp behind us. There’s an abandoned camp twenty miles south from here, still protected by the fencing, but remote enough for you and the others to stay.”
“When are we to go there?” Vier speaks up.
“Now. You three have five minutes to grab your things and meet Rafer in front of the carriers in the housing unit. Piran will join you as soon as he’s healed enough to be transported.”
Ares presses a button on the console in front of her, summoning a security force that must’ve been waiting behind the door. Vier and Lehen are practically lifted out of their seats, and I’m dragged over the floor, escorted from the room before we can protest. I catch Bevan rising, mouth crinkled in anger, but Rafer is immediately next to him, hand on his shoulder, pressing Bevan back down into his seat before leaving with us. Braxton just sits there, avoiding eye contact with me.
I sense Bevan wasn’t aware of Ares’ plan, but he isn’t doing much to prevent it. None of them have seen an Antaean perform at their full potential. Not even Braxton. Do I demonstrate that now? Show them who they’re messing with? No, there will be a time for that, and now is not it.
We’re shepherded all the way to the lifts that will take us up to our floors. An officer steps into a lift with each of us. Mine doesn’t leave my side even as I walk into the women’s bedroom.
A black bag sits waiting for me on my bed. I empty out my drawer, and grab my nightclothes from the end of my bunk as well as the journal and tablet still hidden under my pillow. The officer takes my arm, until I tell him he’s about to lose his, at which point he lets me walk on my own to the lift. We go down in silence and join the rest, already grouped around the spanner. Rafer, Vier, Lehen, and I climb into the first carriage while our entourage settles into the one behind us.
Halfway down the tunnel we come to a halt. In the dim light a partition in the wall next to us opens. The carriers swing to the right and we proceed forward, the door closing behind us. We remain in a tunnel veering slightly to the left, rock covering much of the walls. The pace we’re traveling is much faster than before, but we slow down as we approach the end of the tracks. A set of heavy metal doors open in front of us, bright sunshine spilling in. The rails come to a dead stop on the other side, just in front of a transport waiting for us at the top of the small platform.
Rafer orders us up the stairs and into the vehicle. Only a couple of our security details come with us. The rest, along with Rafer, stay in the carriers.
I let Vier and Lehen enter the back first while I watch the carrier reverse into the tunnel, the doors closing behind them.
“Move it,” the guard behind me shouts, shoving his weapon into my back.
I climb aboard and before I have a chance to sit down we start moving. The monitors along the ceiling are off so we have no idea which direction we’re headed. I sit on the floor of the vehicle not far from where Vier and Lehen are resting. The journey is slow and bumpy. Vier and Lehen are talking quietly amongst themselves, which makes me feel like an outsider. I catch them glancing at the guard in the back with us, along with stares at me.
Why didn’t I just stay in the Wasteland? Why didn’t I just stay in Tyre, or with Artemis?
The vehicle stops ten minutes later. The hatch opens and we’re ordered out onto a dirt lane surrounded by prairie grasses and small bushes.
“This way.”
We walk around the transport to a small cottage on its right. Several other similar structures line the path down to a small pond. The door creaks softly when Lehen swings it open.
Dust and cobwebs cover every surface. My footprints leave impressions on the wood floor as I cross the threshold. Bunk beds line the walls of the rectangular room, a stone fireplace perched in the center, a plasma screen secured above the mantel, and a small kitchen behind the half-wall to the left.
“Provisions will be supplied on a weekly basis. They’ll be pre-made meals, so no cooking will be involved.” One of the guards places a box on top of the counter over the partition to the kitchen. “Security will be stationed at the entrance to the village with a twelve hour rotation, so don’t even think of trying to get back into Tartarus.”
I feel that last comment is aimed more at me than the others.
Vier and Lehen each claim a bunk on opposite sides of the room as the guards close the door and leave. They both seem so relaxed about this new arrangement that I begin to question their loyalty. I take the bed closest to the door, dropping my bag on the moth-eaten mattress, resulting in a cloud of dust flying into my face. My eyes, still smarting from the burns I received earlier, sting from the dust, so I try not to rub them as I walk to the lone bathroom across the hall from the kitchen. The water is brown and smells of rotten eggs. I let it run for a few minutes before cupping my hands under the stream and dousing my face.
When I return to the main room, Vier is opening up windows while Lehen stores our meals away. I can’t figure out why Lehen and Vier are taking our banishment and imprisonment so calmly. They continue to throw the occasional glance at each other then towards me, but no words are exchanged.
It’s getting on my nerves.
I slam the door behind me, exiting out into the warm afternoon sun, walking down the dirt lane, away from the cottages, and past the pond. After ten minutes I come across a lake surrounded by flourishing trees and wild flowers of various colors. It takes me an hour to walk the lake’s circumference. I’m mainly looking for the electric fence, which I finally notice five feet in from the lane behind the lake.
I spend the next several hours exploring the grounds. The trees are more populated around the lake, but much of the other terrain consists of prairie grasses and stick bushes. The fencing is an hour to our east and west. There are only a few good spots to do any kind of training, but I don’t plan on doing any of it with Piran. Lehen and Vier can babysit him. I have other priorities. The lights are on when I return. The display above the fireplace shows a security feed inside Tartarus.
“Is that live?” I ask Lehen and Vier, both shoveling food in their mouths.
“Yes,” Vier responds between chews.
“How’d you manage that?”
They stare at
each other, both looking very hesitant in answering.
Lehen rolls his eyes, swallows his food, and answers. “We used the tablet you had in your bag to locate the frequency they use.”
“You went through my things?” I shout at them. “What the hell?”
“It was wrong of us,” Lehen starts, placing his tray onto the floor by his feet. “We were hoping you had packed a weapon. That’s what we were looking for.” He stands up, hands covered in grime.
I want to feel angry, vengeful, but a smile creeps into the corners of my mouth. If we can’t physically be in the city, we can definitely have a look inside, using their own security system.
Why didn’t I think of that?
“Can you hack into the security for the holding cell and the Assessment Chamber?”
“Thought you’d never ask.” Vier pops up from his seat and gestures for me to follow him around the fireplace.
The display on his side shows the holding cell. My tablet is propped up on the mantle, focused on an empty room.
“You’re not in this alone, Trea, we’re with you.” Vier says, placing a hand on my shoulder.
CHAPTER 10
“While you were out sightseeing, you missed the first round of interrogations,” Lehen says, handing me a meal tray. “The three they brought in were two women, and one man from Rafer’s faction. Caitrin did the catechizing. Who knew she was so ruthless?”
Vier snickers at the comment.
“She had them crying like babies. Each stated they weren’t aware of the plan to kidnap the children. They claim they were tricked by Iscariot. He told them the plan was to overthrow Holunder and remove the Antaeans from Tartarus. They were eventually sent back to the holding cell.”
“That was only after they spent several hours in a hidden room behind the chamber.” Vier tosses his finished tray in a trash receptacle in the kitchen. “They refused to speak at first, so Caitrin placed them in a room at the back of the chamber. From what we could see from the cameras in the chamber, there isn’t any surveillance, and the only three windows expose the occupants to the heat from the fissure. They came out crawling, drenched from sweat.”
“Did they question Iscariot yet?”
“No, not yet.”
We each sit with our backs against a set of bunks, watching the security footage from Tartarus. Braxton is pacing in front of the screens, his security force monitoring Sirain. We can’t get enough of a visual on what they’re seeing, so Lehen says he’ll make a point to revise that tomorrow.
As the night grows long, Lehen and I retreat to bed, but Vier stays up. He’s still watching when the sun’s rays filter in through the raggedy curtains. As we eat breakfast, he tells us the progress of the interrogations, which went on all night. No one is admitting anything about the kidnappings, but all stated that Iscariot would know since he planned the assault.
“They were trying to cause a rebellion. Their understanding was that if they assisted in overthrowing Holunder and destroying you, the others would follow them. That they’d be heroes. Iscariot had them convinced that it would work. Many of them said they were shocked to learn the children were gone. Some had grown fond of them, but that’s all.”
There’s a knock on the door. Lehen scrambles to shut off the displays and my tablet while I stall by taking my time answering. Bevan stands on the other side with a pale, weakened Piran.
“Ares insisted Piran be transferred here today. Ford protested because he doesn’t think the kid is well enough to be moved, but Ares used the security forces to change his mind,” Bevan says, supporting Piran against his hip.
Lehen and Vier take Piran to one of the beds where they lay him gently down, wrapping him securely in a blanket.
“Thanks.” I slam the door in Bevan’s face.
Piran is shaking badly, so we gather more blankets from the empty beds and swaddle him. Vier starts a fire even though the room is not cold, just to help Piran warm up. Lehen turns the displays back on while I get something hot for Piran to drink, only finding old tea bags and a cracked cup. I heat up some water on the stove, dunk the bag in, and help Piran drink. He takes slow sips, but only gets about half of it down before lying back on the pillow. After taking the cup back into the kitchen, I open one of the breakfast trays, which consist of a fruit mash and oatmeal, grab a spoon, and force feed him. He fights me all the way, shoving the utensil away as hard as he can, but I’m stronger. I smile every time he tries to push me away. It means he’s getting his strength back.
I let him rest after all the food is consumed, but Vier doesn’t let him lie around long. Several hours after arriving, Vier forces Piran to get up and go for a run with him. It takes all three of us to drag him out of the bed and out the door. Lehen works on getting a better feed from the security transmissions entering Tartarus, while I disengage my tablet and take it outside. I walk down to the lake, lean against a nice shady willow, and press on the file folder in the lower right corner of the screen.
Bevan has personalized the files so I can easily identify what I want to look at. There are five total: “Antaean Class”, “Medical”, “Personnel”, “Research”, and “Final Stage”. The first one I select is labeled “Antaean Class”. At least twenty sub-records fly across the display, settling into an accordion formation. I slowly scroll by each one, reading the headings, choosing only the ones that catch my interest. Of the twenty, I select four: “Design”, “Construction”, “Genealogy”, and “Progress”. I begin with “Genealogy”.
Numbers in a series roll down the page, taking a number of minutes to finish. Each series is attached to another set of numbers, all of which are affixed to two-letter codes. There’s a search bar at the bottom, so I tap on the screen, bringing up a keyboard, type in my name, and hit search. The numbers scroll by, finally stopping on one labeled “7.20.003-EM”. I select the highlighted line and the display changes:
Series 7 Batch 20 Antaean 3 Eunice & Mathew
Trea – Born 21 December year 173 (only embryo from collection of 30 composed of above donors)
Only embryo out of thirty? The thought of me being the only one to develop out of thirty gives me chills, and turns my stomach.
How could they make that many infants at once? And why? Holunder had mentioned Vladim was trying to build an army.
My finger pauses over the woman’s name. I press the glass and her picture materializes. She’s much younger than the image I saw earlier. The woman being carried out of the rubble was my birth mother.
My heart starts to race as sweat builds at the base of my spine. I want to toss the tablet into the lake, and rid myself of the dangers it may possess, but instead I find myself looking for the others.
Series 2 Batch 9 Antaean 5 Gwyn & Thatcher
Quintus – Born 18 March year 173
Series 12 Batch 4 Antaean 1 Magda & Lawrence
Lehen – Born 25 November year 173
Series 8 Batch 16 Antaean 2 Angela & Joseph
Kedua – Born 21 December year 173
Series 3 Batch 10 Antaean 4 Donna & Joseph
Vier – Born 12 September year 173
Looks like Kedua and Vier are brother and sister.
I’m curious to know if I can locate Grainne and the others, but since they were never born at the Dormitories, I doubt it.
Vier comes around the lake, Piran huffing behind. I turn off the tablet as Piran drops onto the grass beside me. Vier is jogging in place, ready to keep going.
“You okay, Piran?” I ask, setting the tablet next to me.
“He’s…going…to…kill…me,” Piran sputters.
“He’s fine,” Vier says. “He just needs to stop being such a wimp.”
“Hey, I’m not used to this. Your training is completely different from what I’ve been doing. Besides, I still don’t think I’m completely healed.”
Vier bends down, stares at Piran intensely before sitting down on the ground. “You’re fine. Everything is healed. There is some scarring on two of your rib
s, but that’ll eventually go away.”
“How can you see that?” Piran asks.
“It’s your eye, isn’t it?” I ask. “You can see through things.”
“Yes. I can just about look through any object. People are the easiest. I have a harder time with metal structures. It takes more concentration and I usually wind up with a headache.”
“How did you wind up with your injury?” Piran asks, before I can.
Vier’s face darkens. “I’d been hiking through the forest north of the Dormitories, working my way south to the ruins. I came upon a group of what I thought were Regulators, excavating where the research lab once stood. I now know they were actually soldiers from the Tyrean Army.” He takes a deep breath, calming himself down.
“What were they removing?” I ask.
“Vials. Hundreds of them. I went in for a closer look, but one of their patrols caught me and shot me in the face with a propellant round.”
“The round did that much damage? You should’ve been able to heal.”
“They’d modified it to disperse a Quantum blast. It hit me right in the face. It took days for me to heal. That’s another reason I hung around the Dormitories when Quintus and Lehen came. I wanted to see what the army had removed, but I was never able to get into the lab or see through the walls.”
“How long ago was this?”
“Two years ago.
“What do you think was in the vials?” Piran asks.
“Embryos.”
“How could you tell?”
“I saw them, the embryos. They couldn’t have been more than five months old.”
“How could they have survived that long without any human intervention?” I ask. “The Dormitories would’ve been destroyed ten years before their removal. According to Holunder’s records, all life support had ceased when the power went out after the generators stopped working.”
