by E S Richards
“Show me your rankings!”
Cain heard Mace shouting and swung around to find the mutant. He was pointing his gun at a group of three mutants: a man, woman and child. The child was a small girl, although she looked to be older than ten. She was already crying as Mace shouted in their faces, the man – and presumably the father – tried to shield the women with his body.
“Show me your rankings!” Mace shouted again and Cain jogged over to his side. Pointing his gun at the little girl he looked the man straight in the eyes, unable to look at the child in his firing line.
“Do it.” Cain said as clearly yet forcefully as he could and the man slowly started to remove the jacket that he wore. His fingers were trembling causing him to remove it slower than Mace liked, prodding him in the leg with the butt of his rifle.
“You too,” Cain said to the woman and child as the man was removing his jacket. “Show us your rankings.”
The woman nodded, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she turned around and removed her own sweater. She kept her arm hidden from view however as she helped her daughter take off her top, the ranking on each of their arms now visible.
“Please,” the man started pleading, “we don’t cause any trouble. We just –”
A shot rang out deafening Cain and the man slumped over to the side, blood running from the hole in his chest. The woman and child immediately started screaming, begging for their lives to be spared.
Mace clicked the safety back onto his own gun and turned to Cain.
“Finish them off,” he said swiftly then took a step back, his gun pointing out into the rest of the camp.
Cain stared at the woman and child in front of him and swallowed. Mace hadn’t moved far enough away that he could no longer see Cain and he knew he had to act fast. Muttering an apology under his breath Cain shot the woman square in the forehead, her lifeless body falling backwards onto the dirty ground. The child had now stopped crying and was looking up at Cain in desperation. Taking a deep breath Cain closed his eyes; trying to picture anything that wasn’t the death he was causing and pulled the trigger.
He heard the girl’s body drop to the ground before he saw it, peeling his eyes open and turning away so he didn’t have to look at the three bodies in front of him. His eyes met Mace’s who nodded and beckoned him forward, already moving towards the next tent in that area. Cain’s heart was pounding in his chest as he jogged towards Mace, leaving the family lying dead on the ground, the imprints of a number one burnt into each of their right arms.
Cain didn’t have time to dwell on what had just happened as Mace moved to stand outside the next tent in their line. All around the refugee camp gunshots were firing, a fire was ablaze in one corner and bodies littered the ground. It looked like almost everyone had been rounded up and killed by now, but Cain sadly knew they wouldn’t stop until everyone was dead.
Mace nodded to Cain, indicating that he should be the one to enter the tent and Cain leapt into action. He pulled back one of the tent flaps and stepped inside, crouching low to get under the entrance. His eyes scanned the area inside. Dirty blankets littered the ground and a child’s teddy bear was propped up against one of them. In the corner a man about Cain’s age was crouching, his eyes alive with anger.
When Cain spotted him the man jumped up, going immediately for the gun in Cain’s right hand. Thankfully Cain reacted fast, pulling the gun up out of the man’s reach and firing a shot through the roof of the tent. The man was stunned into silence for a second and Cain took the opportunity to grab him. Quickly holstering his weapon and twisting the man’s arms behind his back. He marched him out of the tent to Mace who was waiting outside and forced him onto his knees.
“Show us your ranking,” Cain barked as the man stared at him angrily from the ground. Cain’s gun was still in his waistband but Mace had his trained on the man’s head, an unrelenting thirst for blood visible in his eyes.
The man spat on the floor in front of him and moved his gaze towards Mace. He stared down the barrel of the gun confidently, without a whisper of fear in his eyes.
“Go fuck yourself,” he replied, spitting again. Then the butt of Mace’s gun connected with his head and the man crumpled to the ground.
Cain knelt down immediately, searching for a pulse.
“He’s still alive,” he said, looking up at Mace.
“Just check his arm already so we can finish him off,” Mace replied, looking around the rest of the camp.
Almost everyone had finished their parts of the raid, most of the mutants walking into the centre of the camp. Cain roughly pulled at the jumper the man was wearing, ripping it at the collar and tearing away the material from his right arm. A shiver ran through him as Cain saw the number burnt into his right arm. A round zero, standing out on his pale skin plain and simple.
“He’s the Zero,” Cain breathed as he pulled the unconscious man’s arm up to show Mace. Reluctantly, the mutant lowered his gun.
“Tie his hands,” Mace said after a moment, pulling a length of rope out of the bag on his back. “Then wait here.”
Cain followed his instructions, tying the Zero’s hands behind his back as he watched Mace walk over to the rest of the mutant party. The commander had now joined them in the centre of the ruined camp. Once Cain had finished securing the knot he looked up to see the commander and Mace standing above him, both looking down at the Zero half in Cain’s arms.
“Excellent work,” the commander said, reaching down and helping Cain to his feet.
The Zero slumped over, still unconscious from the blow of Mace’s gun. Mace then produced a black bag and pulled it viciously over the Zero’s head, obscuring his vision for when he woke up. Cain recognised the bag as what he had been forced to wear when he was still being initiated into the camp and nodded; it was probably best the Zero couldn’t see where they were going.
“Can you carry him to the SUV?” The commander asked Cain, who looked at the man and nodded. Although he was fully grown he was malnourished and barely had any muscle on his body. It was actually impressive he had tried to fight when Cain found him, his weak body would have barely lasted a minute.
Cain stooped down and picked up the Zero, slinging his body over one of his shoulders. He grunted from the initial added weight but then adjusted the body, finding a comfortable enough groove in his shoulder for it to rest in. When he reached the SUV he tossed the body into the back, wincing slightly as the Zero’s head collided with one of the seats.
Mace, the commander and another mutant climbed into the vehicle as well, Cain jumping up and taking the last seat just as the second mutant who had travelled in the back on the way there arrived. He growled under his breath as he saw his seat had been taken but said nothing, chucking his gun into the vehicle and taking off at a jog back towards the camp instead.
Cain watched the Zero as they drove and wondered what was going to happen next. Mace had confirmed to him that he had made contact with the safe haven and that they would be willing to trade if they had a Zero. The next obstacle Cain had to deal with was how to get into the safe haven. Handing over a Zero was one thing, accompanying that Zero inside was another. As the unconscious man’s chest heaved up and down beside him Cain struggled to piece together the next part of his plan. He concentrated on occupying his mind with the technical questions, refusing to let it wander to the innocent people he had just killed.
Chapter 20
The mood at the base was very different when the SUV returned with the Zero. Hunter and Atom were waiting for the vehicle, ready to transport their precious cargo. Cain didn’t know whether they had been informed of the situation somehow or whether it was just protocol. Either way they were very efficient about how they went about it.
The man had regained consciousness a few minutes before their arrival, but Hunter lifted him easily from his seat and walked him towards the commander’s office. His hands were still bound and his face obscured by the black bag, stopping him from learning anyt
hing about the mutant base.
Cain was unsure how the rest of the trade real with the Zero would unfold and so he unpacked the SUV slowly, hanging around in case the commander or Mace returned with any details. Both had accompanied the Zero into the commander’s office and closed the door. So far about half an hour had passed and no one had come out. No sounds had been heard either, so Cain at least hoped that no further damage was being done to the man.
He felt remorseful for what he was about to attempt. If possible he would help the other Zero escape from the safe haven when he freed Zahyra and Asher, but he knew he couldn’t be a top priority to him. As Cain busied himself with menial tasks around the camp his thoughts were preoccupied with the images of the mother and child he’d had to murder.
He knew outwardly he couldn’t show any signs of remorse or regret, but inside he was deeply affected by what he had done. Although technically he had killed innocent people before, all their deaths had occurred whilst he was in a mutant breakdown. For those deaths he was still apologetic, but his mutation allowed him to shift some of the blame away from himself directly. The mother and child however, were entirely his fault.
The rest of the mutants who had been in the hunting party returned eventually; their bodies looking weak from the takeover of the refugee base and the run back to base. Cain wondered whether any of them shared his feelings of guilt towards the murders they had committed, but knew even if some of them did they could never talk about it. To show weakness in the mutant base was to effectively resign from the group.
About an hour later Mace approached Cain. He was sat around the fire eating with several other mutants, the food they had packed for the mission untouched during it. Cain dutifully followed Mace into the commander’s office and took the seat he was offered. The Zero was nowhere to be seen and Cain wondered about his location. He hadn’t seen anyone exit the office, but maybe he had missed something while he was distracted.
“You did well today son,” the commander started speaking. “Mace has told me about how you faired in the camp, your handling of the Gen 1’s and the Zero both impressed him.”
Cain shot a look over to Mace who was leaning against the wall to the side of him. A small smile appeared on the mutant’s face but he said nothing, only locking eyes with Cain for a second before the commander continued.
“From our earlier conversation in here, I have a suspicion that you have a special interest in the safe haven for some reason? Can you tell me why that is?”
Cain was caught off guard for a second. Had he revealed something he shouldn’t have to the commander? He tried to think back to what he had said and bit his lip; this couldn’t be the end of his quest already.
“In some ways, yes,” he said carefully. “I am very curious about what they do in there. I have heard a few stories, from mutants I’ve interacted with in the past – one even tried to get in and was thrown out due to his generation number – I suppose I would just be interested to see the inner workings of the place,” Cain paused for a moment, “and to find out what they’re really up to.”
The commander regarded Cain’s answer for a moment, his eyes looking over to Mace for his opinion. The second in command said nothing, just offered a shrug of his shoulders, which Cain caught in his peripheral vision.
“You see,” the commander finally spoke. “I have a man on the inside in there, gathering information for me. During our last contact he said his work would be made easier if he had someone else in there, someone he could work with.”
Cain held his breath, he had a suspicion about what the commander was about to ask next and he couldn’t believe it. His way into the safe haven was basically being handed to him on a plate.
“From what I have seen and heard about how you manage yourself during conflict, and through your level-headedness regarding your mutation I think you would be the ideal candidate to join our man on the inside.”
Cain let out his breath: this was actually happening.
“I won’t lie to you,” the commander continued. “There is also an element of reasoning behind you being a new member on our base. Many of the other mutants don’t trust you and I think your work could be greater appreciated on the other side of these walls. Your thirst for knowledge combined with your hatred of those inside the safe haven work greatly to our advantage.
“But you should know there is a large amount of risk involved in infiltrating the safe haven. If anyone discovers you, or even suspects you I have no idea what they would do. Now before I continue, does this sound like something you’d be interested in?”
Cain let himself pause for a moment, showing the commander that he was considering the proposal. In reality there was nothing to consider: Cain was going to do this and he frankly couldn’t believe it was even being offered to him.
“I would be honoured to help fight our cause from the inside,” Cain spoke certainly. “It sounds like a role I would be perfectly suited for.”
The commander looked at Mace and smiled. “We had thought as much,” he continued. “Mace, would you make contact for the trade at nightfall tonight?”
Mace nodded his head to the commander and turned to leave the room, leaving Cain and the commander inside. For the next hour Cain listened as the commander relayed instructions to Cain about what would happen inside the safe haven and what he was being sent in to discover. He listened carefully, absorbing all the information as best he could. He knew that so long as he could enter the safe haven with the commander still approving of him then once he was inside the next stage of his plan could commence.
Eventually Cain was sent to get some rest. Mace had returned and said the trade would occur after supper, just as darkness was setting in. Few details had been given to Cain about how he would actually be getting into the safe haven, but he trusted the commander to have a firm plan. In truth his mind was more preoccupied with what he would do once inside, how he would find Zahyra and Asher and how he would get them all out.
Miraculously sleep found Cain immediately as he laid his head down on his pillow. He slept deeply, but his dreams were tormented by the woman and child he had killed earlier that day. Their screams resonating through his head and their eyes begging him for mercy. When Mace woke him he lashed out with a fist, catching the mutant in the stomach. Mace grunted and doubled over as Cain realised what had happened and sprung to his feet, apologising.
Mace quickly straightened, his face flushing a pale pink at being caught off guard. Regaining his composure he informed Cain it was nearly time to go and that he should eat before they left, then excused himself from the sleeping quarters.
Cain looked around the room as he left. He was thankful he had not had to spend more than a few nights in the mutant base, knowing every day he was away from Zahyra terrible things could be happening to her, and to her brother. He also resented the way the mutants worked. The close quarters made tension radiate through the base at all times, with constant fights and arguments erupting over the smallest things.
He ate a quick meal of soup from the fire; the remaining wild dog having already been consumed by mutants who got there first. Then returning to the SUV they had taken out earlier Cain found the Zero tied up and black-bagged in the back seat. He couldn’t tell whether the man was conscious or just keeping still; he didn’t really need to know, he just hoped he hadn’t been beaten again by any of the mutants. He was a truly innocent victim in all of this and Cain couldn’t help picturing Asher or Zahyra in his place if things had turned out differently.
The commander and Mace soon joined him at the vehicle, hopping into the front seats as they had done earlier and leaving Cain to join the Zero in the back. He was grateful no other mutants were accompanying them, although he could feel their suspicious eyes boring into the back of his head.
Their journey to the rendezvous point was silent. Cain wondered again what would happen once they reached the safe haven’s vehicle. The commander had seemed overly confident about getting Cain insid
e and he just had to hope he was rightfully so.
When the second SUV appeared in their sight Mace slowed their vehicle, driving at a snails pace towards it. Cain strained his eyes through the front of the SUV, glancing out at the one from the safe haven when it’s headlights flashed three times. Immediately Mace sped up again, drawing to a halt along side it.
“Give me a hand with these guys!” Someone shouted from the safe haven’s SUV and a man wearing a grey uniform and red armband over where his generation number should be jumped out.
Mace and the commander climbed out of the vehicle and Cain followed suit, walking over to the other one. Looking inside his eyes grew wide. The three other people had all been shot, two at point blank range in the head, the last one messily in the stomach.
“Carter put up a bit of a fight,” the surviving safe haven member said, “but the other uniforms are unharmed.”
The commander stepped towards him and opened his arms for a hug, holding the safe haven’s man tightly.
“This is Repo,” the commander said turning to Cain, “he’s our man on the inside. Repo, this is Cain, he’s going to be joining you.”
Repo dutifully stuck out his hand and shook Cain’s, all the while looking him up and down, evaluating the commander’s choice.
“Nice,” he replied eventually, “now help me with these bodies will you?”
The four of them robotically dragged the three lifeless bodies from the SUV and onto the desert floor. Then Cain watched as Repo started undressing one of them, leaving his body naked and exposed to the wastelands. Repo then turned to Cain and handed him the uniform.
“Get changed,” he said simply then paused for a moment, returning to the vehicle. “And shave.”
He handed Cain a blade and pointed to the naked man on the floor. His hair was cut close to his head and he was completely clean-shaven. After weeks roaming around Cain’s hair had grown out and his beard was straggly and untamed. He accepted both the uniform and blade from Repo and turned his back to the group, stripping out of his clothes quickly and into the stolen uniform.
