by Ann Bakshis
CHAPTER 26
Trea
“No,” I scream, “you win, all right, you win, just leave Grainne out of this.”
A crooked smile creases his face.
“That’s my girl.” He doesn’t turn the monitor back on, so I don’t know if Grainne is even alive.
Tears fall down my cheeks as my emotions spill over. “What do you want me to do?”
“In the morning, Caderyn will come for you and escort you back to the detention facility where you will allow Dr. Hersher and his staff to conduct test and experiments on you. Since your mother destroyed the work I had hired her to do, we’ll need to locate the Sanar formula in your system to replicate it. My new Antaeans will be in need of their Final Stage.”
He brushes my cheek then leaves.
I’m thrown into darkness, both physically and mentally. I collapse on the floor, incapable of moving. I openly weep, letting myself turn hysterical to the point of passing out from exhaustion.
Caderyn is standing at my door just as the sun is rising. The nurse lets him in. I don’t fight him, I know Vladim has won. I don’t care anymore what happens to me as long as Grainne is safe.
We take the lift down and immediately run into hundreds of kids ranging in ages from fifteen to nineteen, my age. All wear the same uniform I do. Many are heading to a dining hall located to the left of the entrance. Others are taking a set of stairs down a level. Caderyn and I exit the building and head back over to the detention facility. This time, however, the courtyard is full of soldiers. No one pays attention to us. If I had the desire, I could probably very easily slip myself among them and disappear.
I have no will to do that. I’m broken, beaten into submission. Trea is just a shell now. I don’t even think about Braxton. I can’t feel anything, my emotions have run out.
Perhaps it’s best this way.
Caderyn escorts me all the way to the research and development floor, then leaves. Dr. Hersher and his staff swoop at me, pushing me down the hall, back to the full-body scanner. Someone says it’s been recalibrated to not only read my genetic structure but to take pieces of it. It’s similar to the genetic scanner from Hatchery Nine.
I’m told to strip to my underclothes and given a special top that will record by heart rate, pulse, and blood pressure. I step into the machine, the door closes, and bright blue lights hit me from all sides. They envelop me. Tiny pinpricks pierce my skin, though I heal immediately. This ordeal lasts several hours. Dr. Hersher and his team all watch the monitors that circle my tube, adjusting dials, smiling ecstatically when a positive result comes in. The procedure is painful, but I’m so numb inside it doesn’t completely register.
I’m allowed to rest for an hour in the early afternoon. I sit with one of the researchers as I eat a small meal of chicken noodle soup with crackers. She plays with the genetic markers the scanner removed from me, trying to remove my DNA so they can isolate the Sanar. When I’m done eating, I’m placed back into the chamber. Dr. Hersher tells me it will take at least a day and a half to obtain all the data they need. I ask if I can see Grainne, but my question is ignored.
I’m taken back to the critical ward just before midnight. A tray of cold food sits waiting on my bed. I eat what I can, place the tray on the floor, crawl under the blankets, and try to sleep. Images of Grainne drowning flood my mind. I fear I’ve killed her. Not knowing if she’s alive or dead weighs heavily on me. The nurses change rotation just as the sun begins to rise. I’m the only patient in the room now — the others were moved next door to the non-serious area — so I just have one nurse at all times now.
Caderyn comes for me a few hours after sunrise. There isn’t anyone in the hallways or courtyard today. The minute I’m back with Dr. Hersher, I’m placed into the chamber and the series of blue light spikes pummel my flesh again. I ask about seeing Grainne, but still no response.
Around early evening, I’m removed from the scanner, given a fresh uniform, and Caderyn leads me up one floor to Vladim’s personal quarters.
Caderyn’s name is set in gold plate on the door across the hall.
“You seem to be doing well off the misery of others. Tell me, how did you become Vladim’s lackey? What made you more special than anyone else?”
He slaps me across the face. “I’d make your kind disappear forever if I had my way,” he says to me just before we enter Vladim’s quarters.
The room I’m in reminds me of Vladim’s private audience chamber at the stadium in Tyre. Plush red carpeting that causes my feet to sink when I walk on it. Lavish furnishings and decorations. Gold-laced lamps sit in each corner. A large set of French doors separate the room from a private bedroom that Vladim is currently walking through. Windows line three of the four walls. Five screens cover the remaining wall, each displaying a different image of the Barracks. I see Mair and Thane have acclimated themselves quite nicely with the younger soldiers. Both are currently hiking through rubble with what looks to be live Levin blasts firing around them.
Another display shows Kedua giving instructions to soldiers older than her. The room she’s in is one I haven’t seen yet, but I’m sure I will. The third has a picture of the helipads just on the other side of the land bridge. The two other monitors show patrols rotating between the Barracks and another building several stories high, half over a ridge, almost dangling, with a large lake below it.
I don’t see Grainne anywhere.
“Thank you, Commander, you can leave us now,” Vladim says.
Caderyn nods, closing the door behind him.
“Have a seat, my dear, you must be exhausted.”
I obey and sit on the couch farthest from him. “I want to see my sister.”
“Of course, you can see her shortly,” he says, sitting across the room from me.
“What are you going to do with us?”
“Train you, of course. You haven’t been properly trained in years, so we’ll need to get your skills up to par. I need all my Antaeans at their peak physical condition.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” I say, my tiredness turning into impatience.
“You will be used for what you were built for, Trea. To defend this country from our enemies.”
“What enemies would those be? The Hostem? They’re no threat to you. They don’t want anything to do with Sirain.”
“You think the Hostem are the only threat to this country? We have enemies everywhere. Didn’t you see the broadcast the other day? Acheron was destroyed by our foes from the north.”
“You know full well that it was your Keons who did that. I was there.”
“Were you now?” He stands and crosses the room slowly before stopping midway. “How did you hear about the Keons?” he asks, his voice a little shaky.
“Iscariot is dead, so you won’t be taking over Tartarus anytime soon.”
“What a shame. He was my most promising one. Oh well, it was a brief experiment of mine that only paid off partially. No real loss.”
“Then what was the purpose of creating them?”
“It was a failsafe in case the Antaeans never came to fruition. The other High Rulers believed that the Barracks were abandoned once the Dormitories were built, but I wasn’t about to allow that to happen. I began building my army. I created the Keons as a way to infiltrate areas of Sirain my Regulators and guards couldn’t get to. They allowed me to take control, even without the Antaeans. So, yes, I guess you’re right, Trea, they did have a purpose.”
“Are there any left out there?”
“Yes. In fact there are ten still out there, all in the Wasteland. Since you’ve met Iscariot, and from the information Caderyn has told me, you know about their chasers.” He unfolds his hands and tosses me the red gem I used to call the aerial unit. “I know exactly where they all are.”
“Did any find their way to Nuceira?” I ask, rubbing the stone between my fingers.
“Yes three of them, but Parson Mathan killed them a few years ago, after discovering their s
ecret.”
He continues his pace across the room, but changes direction and moves over to the displays. I slide the gem into the pocket of my pants. You never know when it may come in handy.
“Is Dr. Hersher finished with me?”
“Yes, but you’ll be staying in the critical ward. It’ll be easier to keep an eye on you in there. Tomorrow morning you will begin training with the rest of the soldiers.”
“Can Grainne train with me?”
He seems to think this over before answering. “Normally, Tribunes aren’t permitted to train with the Praetorians, but seeing as she is rather skittish on the battlefield, it may be best for her to be with you during the live drills.”
Silence settles in, but only momentarily.
“When do you plan on attacking the north?”
“Aren’t we full of questions,” he says, turning to face me. “Caderyn?”
Caderyn opens the door immediately, apparently having just waited in the hallway.
“Take Trea down to see Grainne. Escort them both back to the hall.”
Caderyn snaps his fingers and I get up, following him back to the lift and all the way down to the cellar. He unlocks the first door on our left. The room is dark.
“Grainne,” I call out.
She’s wrapped around my waist in seconds, dirty hair clinging to her sweaty face. Her clothes are musty and caked in mud. She’s a lot thinner than when I last saw her. We go back up the lift and over to the hall. No one is outside or in any of the hallways.
Caderyn leaves us once we’re in the critical ward. The nurse takes Grainne to the back so she can shower. I go into my room where the door has been left open. Twenty minutes later, Grainne comes out freshly scrubbed and wearing a hospital gown. She runs over to me again, hugging me.
“Come on, Grainne,” the nurse begins, “you need to go into your own room.”
She points to the cell next to mine, but Grainne is afraid to be left alone. She holds onto me tightly, not wanting to let go. I ask the nurse if it’s possible to move her bed into my room. The nurse enters, as she had been standing outside the door, and expands my bed laterally, enlarging the platform to fit two people. She supplies us with an extra pillow and blanket. The door seals shut and the lights are turned off.
Grainne snuggles against me. The top of her head is just under my chin. She falls asleep quickly, snoring lightly. It’s probably the first time she’s felt genuinely safe since Tartarus. My sleep is restless. The pain, and effects of the procedures done on my body over the last two days is taking its toll on my psyche. I have nightmares of my body being ripped apart, then slowly pieced back together, only to be torn again.
Another nurse comes into our room just as the sun is rising. She pushes a cart containing two meal trays along with a uniform. Grainne is handed the outfit while I take the trays.
“Caderyn will be here for both of you in thirty minutes,” she says before departing.
Breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, a small bowl of oatmeal, bacon, and orange juice. We eat in silence. Grainne fingers the material of her uniform as she munches. I clean up our mess while she changes. The color of her tank top and jacket are a dark blue. The emblem sewn onto the sleeve at the shoulder is different than mine. This one is a five-pointed star with four arrows jutting out from each side. This must be what distinguishes our ranks from one another.
Caderyn picks us up on time, escorting us down the lift, and towards the front entrance, but instead of heading outside, he motions for us to descend the flight of stairs next to the door. As we walk down, Caderyn stands at the top, probably to make sure we actually go. About fifty teenagers fill the tunnel at the bottom. We travel as a herd down the corridor illuminated by small incandescent lights secured in the ceiling. It takes us ten minutes to reach the exit. Heavy iron doors sit open, beyond are matted grass and sunshine. We aren’t free, though. The tunnel empties into a holding area lined with high wire fencing and razor wire spiraling overhead to create a ceiling. An open area sits beyond the corrals, blocked off by electrified fencing.
To our right are girls around Grainne’s age, and younger secured by an identical barrier at the end of their tunnel. Young boys are on our left. Our section is a mixture of male and female.
I thought Tribunes didn’t train with Praetorians. Why the change?
“Soldiers,” a voice booms from speakers high atop the buildings opposite us, “Your first half of training today will be in the outbuildings. After lunch, you will spend the afternoon on the live fire range. Female Tribunes, you will begin in the Physical Endurance sector. Male Tribunes, you will be in the Medical Training sector. Praetorians, weapons training. After two hours, you will rotate your stations.”
An alarm sounds and the gates in front of us open. Those who are excited to be here make a mad dash for their buildings. A few of us take our time, Grainne and I included. The building we’re walking towards is in the center of the three structures. Physical Endurance is in the building on our right, and Medical Training on our left. The inside of the building we enter looks like a warehouse. High ceilings, large fans to circulate the air, and industrial strength lights hang down from the rafters. Racks of weapons line the back wall, with the occasional one lying in the center of the wide-open expanse.
We’re divided into four sections, each assigned a different weapon. The next two hours is spent learning how to hold, discharge, and clean the firearm. I’ve already been trained on most of the equipment, but I play along. The one new weapon I haven’t learned to use is the Ammit, so I pay extra close attention.
When our time is up, we exit out to the open area and move to Physical Endurance. Here we run on a track, lift weights, and climb a rock wall. It feels good to be working out. My muscles ache at first, but loosen up the longer I run. Grainne tries to keep pace with me, but she falls behind with the others. The more I exercise, the better I begin to feel. Time passes too fast for me, and I’m disappointed when we’re rotated over to Medical Training. We learn how to treat Levin gun injuries, impalements, deep gashes, fractured bones, and use tourniquets.
The alarm sounds at noon, indicating the start of lunch break. As we exit the building, the tunnels are crowded again with soldiers. Mair and Thane are bouncing up and down at the front of the line from the center tunnel. Grainne hides behind me, trying to avoid them. We’re ordered to line against the walls of the buildings while the next cycle head to their stations. When the tunnels are empty, we head back to the hall.
At the top of the stairs we turn left and get in line for lunch. Trays are stacked at the entrance and we walk past the counters as food is being slapped down into the indentations in the metal plates. Seating is assigned, so Grainne and I are separated. My table consists of five boys my age. All are eager to ask me questions about being an Antaean, especially how I obtained my markings, though all I want to do is eat. I answer a couple of their questions, but leave out many of the gruesome details. I glance around the room to find Grainne sitting with five girls. She looks uncomfortable and small.
We’re collected just after one by soldiers in dark red jackets with the long sword emblem stitched on the shoulder. They escort us back through the tunnels, where the three groups are divided into two lines. Grainne clings to the back of my jacket so as not to be separated from me. We walk down an alley with razor wire on top, to a closed gate.
“Division One, take your weapons and positions on the field,” a male voice booms from speakers I can’t see.
The gate opens. We have to swap out our jackets for black vests, and there is a stampede towards the weapons shed on the far left. I look over what remains and hand Grainne a Levin gun, while I take a Beta rifle. It’s a less desirable weapon, but with the Quantum Stream, I’m lethal with anything I handle.
The battlefield behind us is covered in debris, mortar holes, concrete fragments, and broken down metal pilings. I take Grainne by the hand and we trot as far back from the center as possible, however I can’t figur
e out where the field ends.
“Division Two, take your weapons and positions on the field.”
The divisions have now mixed, black vests fighting those in red. I hide the two of us under an alcove made of dirt and rubble.
“Live fire will commence in three…two…one.”
All hell breaks loose. Levin gun blasts fly over our heads from the second division. I tuck Grainne behind me as I scope out the rest of the area.
Two guard towers stand in what I presume is the center of the field. Both have soldiers in red jackets firing Quantum cannons towards both sides. Those injured by debris have to drag themselves off to the sides by the gates for a medic to come and get them. Others hit by fire are singed, but not too badly injured. The weapons must be modified to inflict non-life threatening damage. Still, I can’t be modified and no matter how safe a Levin gun is made I can kill anyone with it.
A mortar blast hits inches from us. I grab Grainne, pull her in close to me, and generate the shield. Pieces of debris skip off the energy, smaller segments disintegrate when they come in contact. Another detonation destroys our hiding spot. I shove Grainne out of the new hole. She rolls away from me. Part of the concrete we were under slides down, pinning my legs.
“Grainne!” I shout, “Run!”
She struggles to her feet as I grab onto some wiring dangling from the pillar next to me and try to pull myself out. I’m almost free when a young man in a red vest goes for Grainne. I scream at her, but she doesn’t hear me over the cannon fire. He’s carrying a Levin gun and fires it at her. She turns just as the blast hits her chest. The energy slams into her, but is immediately reflected back. The solider who fired the shot is killed as the ricochet hits him in the lower torso, making a hole all the way through to his spine.
Training is immediately halted.
No one is permitted to leave their positions. Caderyn enters the field with several medics. He walks over to Grainne as the others collect the body. I pull with all my might and free myself.
