Untold: The Complete Watcher Series Mini Novellas (Watcher #4)

by A. J. Everley

  There was no time to gloat however as the Carbon was unusually fast and on top of me before I could move. Her weight knocked me hard onto my back. I kicked my legs up and threw her off, but she was agile and quick. She landed on her feet with cat-like reflexes before I could pull the trigger to end her. She picked up a metal rod and swung, aiming for my head. I rolled out of the way in the nick of time, but I wasn’t so quick on her second strike. Pain shot across my ribs and knocked the wind from my lungs, causing me to double over.

  Willing my body to move, I was barely to my feet when another strike landed with deadly precision. My leg buckled under the pain as my head whipped to the side, sending out a spray of crimson blood. Stars flashed before my eyes. I couldn’t see and was forced to rely on my other senses. Twisting my body back, I aimed an elbow to her face. It connected with substantial force. As my eyes focused again, the Carbon staggered back. Her nose was no longer straight, but no blood flowed out. Carbons didn’t bleed. I took the moment of distraction and sprinted to create some distance.

  Her energy pulsed right behind me. She was gaining on me fast. Too fast. Carbons were normally decent runners, but I was superior and had never been caught.

  Her hand brushed my back and I knew I couldn’t outrun her, so I dove to my knees, skidding a few feet on the wet pavement. She flipped over my back, surprised by the sudden stop just as I had hoped. My gun was out and ready before she hit the ground. One shot to the head was all it took to incapacitate her, but I knew it wasn’t over. I reached for the knife tucked into my tall boot, turned her over, and made a swift incision at the base of her skull. My eyepiece lit up green, and it was only then that I realized she hadn’t lit up before. That’s why I hadn’t seen her from the rooftop. Instinct had taken over when I saw something was different before, but she didn’t light up. Only now, as her chip was exposed, did the Eye detect her. I quickly removed it and destroyed it.

  More would come soon, and there was no time to waste wondering what had happened with my hardware. I had to see Adam right away; the Eye must have been malfunctioning. I took off at top speed, racing down the streets unseen, not slowing down until I was in front of that familiar building. A pile of rubble to the untrained eye, but buried twenty stories underground was the hidden haven we called home.

  Chapter Two

  Kenzie

  Kenzie sat in front of the glass window, overlooking the city of Cytos as he often did. The city looked peaceful from the sanctuary he lived in, even though the image didn’t fit the reality of what had happened down there. It sickened him to think of it.

  For ten years Kenzie had watched from this window as his friends and family were destroyed.

  Sitting there alone was the only peace he could hope to find these days. It was the only place he was sure that his thoughts were his own. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the little key chain he carried with him, a star-shaped pendant at the end.

  This was the only thing that made him feel human. The only thing that reminded him of what he’d lost and the monster he was.

  Kenzie was ten when he received it, only weeks before the war broke out. He sat in front of this same window crying. That was the day his family left him; the day they abandoned him to this hellhole, this prison, and sealed his inevitable fate. He recalled a gentle hand rested on his back, and a sweet voice that spoke beside him.

  “Why are you crying, dear?” she asked. Her hair looked so smooth and dark, practically black as it sparkled in the artificial lights of the room.

  “I’m alone,” Kenzie replied.

  She seemed to know the meaning of what he said, not that he was physically alone, though he was, but that he was alone in spirit. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the little star-shaped key chain and put it into his hand. “You are never alone. The millions of stars in the sky will always be here for you. Even when you can’t see them, they are there.” She smiled.

  He longed to feel her embrace – the embrace of a mother.

  She gently patted the top of his head and whispered, “The stars are the key; they will keep you safe.” And then she was gone.

  Kenzie never knew who that lady was and could only assume she was dead like so many others. He clutched the pendant in his fist and squeezed it tight as the door behind him opened.

  “It’s time,” the voice said.

  Kenzie knew he must become someone else. The only one that mattered in the world they live in. That little boy who Kenzie once was, died the day he arrived there, and the man he was now was his destiny.

  Chapter Three

  “Whoa, Sawyer. That looks bad.” A guard pointed to my face as I walked through the heavy steel door entrance to our base. In my distraction, I hadn’t noticed the blood still pouring from the gash on my forehead.

  “Where is Adam?” I asked.

  “You should probably go see Doc first and get that checked,” he said, ignoring my question.

  “Not now, I need to see Adam. Are you going to be helpful or not?”

  “Yeah, yeah. He’s in the lab.” He pointed down the hall, as if I didn’t know where I was going. “You’re welcome?” he called after me, but I was already gone.

  I jogged down the hallway which was identical to every other hallway in the building. Cement walls, dimly lit, and steel doors all around. The building was a giant cement maze, and I was constantly finding new hallways and areas to explore.

  Adam was sitting at his desk in the lab looking over charts when I arrived.

  “This thing is broken!” I threw the Eye down onto his papers. “Your crap nearly got me killed tonight!”

  “What seems to be the problem, my dear?” Adam asked calmly, the ever-patient old man.

  I’d never understood how a person could be as composed as Adam was, especially with what he’d gone through. Though he never told me directly, I found out his whole family—wife of twenty-eight years, two sons, a daughter, and four grandkids—were all killed one day when he left on a supply run. He’d blamed himself. They were found hidden in an abandoned farmhouse inside the city walls. Many were picked off this way. We had to stay within the city’s boundaries to obtain food and supplies easier and avoid the nuclear wastelands that lay beyond the wall. But with so few places to hide, it was inevitable some of us would be found.

  He soon met up with us and dedicated himself to our cause for survival.

  “Damn thing didn’t light up for a Carbon. It didn’t turn green until I cut her open to pull out the chip.”

  Adam took the Eye and pulled off the back. He held the charger up to it. “Battery looks fully charged,” he said. “Are you sure you weren’t just too focused to notice the green?”

  “Do you think this is my first time out? That I don’t know what’s what? Just have it fixed by tomorrow night.” I stalked out.

  I knew Adam didn’t deserve that. I regretted what I’d said as the pit of my stomach clenched with guilt, but that Carbon encounter had me rattled. Come to think of it, I also hadn’t eaten in a few hours. Food was sparse and locally grown in the tiny indoor greenhouse. We strictly rationed our portions, but with the amount of training we put our bodies through we needed more food than there was available and that could often lead to tired, angry Watchers.

  I ended up at Doc’s office. As I wandered down the winding hallways, I suddenly found myself at his door.

  “Training accident?” Doc asked. That was usually what happened when someone was injured, seeing as we didn’t engage in much hand-to-hand combat, opting to shoot the Bots from a distance whenever possible instead.

  “Carbon,” I said, sitting down.

  “Seriously?” He looked surprised. “That’s the first one I’ve heard of in weeks.”

  He was right, which was why I was so unsettled by the Eye not working. Bad timing if you asked me. I nodded, too tired for small talk. I sat and let Doc patch me up. He was young for a doctor. Not actually a fully licensed doctor but the closest we’ve had. We rarely needed docto
rs ten years ago since Bots did most of the work, and guys like Doc were around for research or as assistants. He was still in school ten years ago being trained to aid the Bots and add a human touch to make the people feel more at ease, just like my mother. I pushed back at the memory.

  I didn’t mention the ribs because I could tell they weren’t broken, and now it had hit me how starved I was.

  Once I was patched up, I made my way down two levels to the mess hall and walked straight to the back kitchen. Theresa was there as usual. She was our only cook, and that’s the way she preferred it, refusing any offer of help. We made do with the garden and a little meat from animals found before the war broke out, but Theresa knew how to work her magic. She barely looked up as she handed me a plate. I was there often enough that she’d become familiar to my routine. Once my plate was full, I took a seat at the small table at the back of the room.

  Theresa brought me a bottle of water.

  “Slow down now. I don’t want to deal with you choking,” she nagged. I slowed down slightly and she smiled.

  “Rough night I take it?” She sat across from me, kneading dough. Does she ever rest?

  “Ran into a Carbon,” I said between bites. “But this one was different, quicker than usual. Adam’s eyepiece nearly got me killed. Stupid old man—”

  “Now you stop that right now! That ‘old man’ has saved your butt more than once with his technology, missy! Show a little respect!”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know,” I said with indifference, but I knew she was right.

  “Don’t you ‘yeah, yeah’ me! Now wash your plate and get out of here. You’re wasting my precious time.” She waved me off as I planted a light kiss on her forehead.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I winked.

  She replied with a hearty “Bah.”

  On my way out, I snuck a piece of pie. Not for myself but for Adam—as a peace offering.

  I slipped into his office. His back was to me as I put down the pie and turned to leave.

  “That better be blueberry,” he said, not turning around.

  “How did you—” I questioned, but he pointed to the reflection on the cabinet door.

  “I’m not sure what kind it is, but I know Theresa will kill me when she finds out I took it so you’d better just be happy I brought it,” I said.

  He chuckled. My unspoken apology had been accepted. “There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with this, my dear,” he said, pointing down to my Eye. “You said it turned green only once the skin was cut?”

  “Yeah, nothing until the microchip was exposed,” I responded, sitting down across from him.

  “How far away did you leave her? Think she’s still there?”

  “About five miles from here, but she was able to call it in before I got to her so she’s likely gone. I can go check though.” I made a move to leave.

  “No, no, just let the other Watchers know to be on high alert in case it happens again.”

  Watchers—the few who were trained to kill the enemy. The few who watched over the base and those inside of it.

  Standing slowly, I nodded my agreement. Exhausted, I walked toward the door. “Thank you,” is all I said before I headed down the hall to my quarters.

  It wasn't far to my room as the Watchers were stationed on the first level, right beside Doc and the command center, in case we needed to spring into action. I knew I should have stopped by Command to report what happened tonight, that was our protocol, but my legs could hardly carry me much farther. I’d report what happened first thing tomorrow in our daily morning meeting. I kind of wanted to see everyone’s reaction when I told them I fought off a Carbon on my own. I reached my room, opened the door, and flopped onto the bed. My shoes didn’t even hit the ground before weariness overcame me and I was fast asleep.

  Chapter Four

  “Okay, Watchers. Gather up, settle down,” Commander Smith called us all to order. He was our leader at base although he wouldn’t say so himself. He refused to give us his real name, using Smith as an alias. The most we knew about him was that he was a part of the military before the war broke out. His tall, thick frame and salt-and-pepper hair belied his age, but he had more experience than most of us sitting here, and we all respected him for that.

  It was 0600, and we were all gathered in the main conference room as we did every morning. The night Watchers were getting in from their shifts, and the rest were getting ready to go out.

  The base was built a long time ago in a decade well before any of our memories. Back when our biggest fears were of a terrorist attack from another country. That was over 150 years ago, distant history to all of us. There weren’t even any other countries for us to fear anymore; only Cytos and Kuros to the east remained. The rest disappeared.

  This base was an underground bunker built for the elite in the city of Cytos, situated on the western coast. Located beneath a seemingly ordinary residential building, now a pile of rubble, it was our hidden haven. The lower levels were built to withstand a nuclear attack, which it did during World War III. Commander Smith was one of few who knew of its existence and brought us all here. I had yet to explore the whole place, but this conference room was showing its age with old technology and worn-down chairs, much like the rest of the place.

  The top five levels of the base were for the Watchers, Doc, Adam and his many assistants, and the Command team—the techy guys who kept an eye on us. These levels also included a training center we had created along with a converted storage warehouse we used as a shooting range. Below that were the main units filled with humans who had survived. They were responsible for cleaning, sewing, and farming, but we were the ones out there fighting so they could live.

  “Report!” Smith yelled.

  “Figueroa Tower saw six Bots, all eliminated,” Kyle spoke first. He was the oldest of all of us at twenty-eight; not that old at all when you think about it, but in this life he’s pretty much a senior. Kyle looked like the typical tough guy. He was thick with muscle, and his gold hair matched his bronzed skin. He wasn’t much taller than me, yet I always seemed to be looking up at him. He was maybe the only one here I’d call a friend. He was my mentor and like a big brother to me for as long as I could remember. He and Smith were the original two to find most of us. He was second in command, but again he would never admit that.

  “Aon Center saw two Bots. Eliminated,” Byron reported from the far corner. He was a quiet kid. He kept to himself and liked to get his report over with right away. You would never suspect this guy was a stone-cold Bot killer by the looks of him; gangly and too tall, glasses constantly slipped down his nose, and one stubborn piece of hair always curled across his brow.

  “Hasting and Arco Tower saw 9 Bots, all eliminated.” Ethan spoke on behalf of himself and his brother, Tenason. Twins who refused to work apart, so they were given a four-mile radius to work together. Both identified best by their bright white hair. None of us have mentioned it before, but we went to First Year together, I was sure they remembered me. I could never forget the white-haired twins. Even then I remembered Ethan as the sarcastic loud one, always watching his brother’s back. Tenason didn’t speak much, at least not to anyone but Ethan. He never really did before either, but after what he’d been through, I didn’t blame him. We’d never heard nor asked his story, but it’s all the same. Family and friends killed in front of you. Everyone and everything gone in an instant. Those who were left felt responsible for their deaths or unworthy to be alive. Why did we make it out, and they didn’t?

  The reports continued; there were fifteen of us in all. All the same. Bots spotted, Bots killed, all clear. Until it was my turn.

  “Sawyer, Report!” Smith bellowed. I was the only female Watcher, but they didn’t treat me like one, and I appreciated that.

  “Twelve Bots eliminated at Bank Tower. And one Carbon eliminated.” All eyes were on me.

  Smith leaned in.

  I instinctively leaned back into my chair.

  “There was a C
arbon, and I wasn’t informed?” Smith asked.

  “It was eliminated. What more did you need to know?” I asked smugly.

  “Is that where this wound came from?” He poked the patched-up gash on my forehead. It burned, but I kept my face neutral.

  “Yeah. Small scrape, nothing big,” I shrugged.

  “Your arrogance will get you killed someday soon,” Smith said. “You’re off-duty today.”

  “What?” I jumped to my feet. “I’m fine!” I argued.

  “Sit down. You are off-duty for your lack of diligence in reporting a Carbon sighting.”

  I sighed but sat down.

  “You are all dismissed.” Smith finished and everyone jumped up and raced to their posts. Kyle took his time leaving, giving me a look that screamed keep your mouth shut, but I of course didn’t listen. Smith was the closest thing I had to a father these days, and despite my logical brain telling me to accept my penance, I was ready to fight back like a stubborn teenager.

  “Sir, I didn’t think it was that important. It won’t happen again.” I chased after him down the hallway, squeezing past Kyle who tried to stop me, “Sir, please reconsider. You need me out there.”

  “Sawyer, I don’t need some arrogant girl who thinks gloating in front of her peers is a better idea than following protocol and informing her superior right away.”

  I was eighteen, yet I felt like a child as he scolded me.

  “You have been here for eight years now. Don’t you think it’s about time you stop treating this like a competition?”

  He walked away as my stomach churned with guilt. I’d lost track of my intentions. I knew it was important, and my ego took precedence over the safety of the rest of the base. My mistake could’ve gotten others killed if another Carbon had been out there last night, and my report could’ve given them warning.