11
Mia stood immobilized looking over the chaos around her. Asher’s blood was everywhere. Rowan was yelling at her, but the sound hadn’t pierced the sudden veil of panic clutching her chest. Bree stood beside Rowan, pulling at the bandages one of the soldiers provided. Bale had run back to the entrance to the hive looking for help.
Asher’s face was pale. He stared up at the sky with a blank expression. His blood dotted the pure white snow surrounding him. Time sped up as Mia realized neither Jonah nor Tate were climbing up the side of the gorge.
“Where are they?” she demanded.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Mia knew she should focus on what was directly in front of her, but her concern for her brother outweighed her common sense.
“Lift his head,” Rowan said, ignoring her question. “Keep him awake.” She didn’t move. “Talk to him,” he yelled.
Mia refocused. She pushed her nerves aside and did as she was told. Her knees were stained with blood the moment she dropped down by Asher’s side. She lifted his head and looked into his eyes.
“Stay with me,” she said.
Asher blinked twice, before the sound of her voice produced a response. He looked over at her and centered on her face. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. Mia forgot about Jonah for a moment and remembered how much Asher meant to her.
“You had to go with him, didn’t you?”
The offhanded question generated a smile on his face. Asher ground his teeth as Bree tied off the new bandages around his stump.
“I’m sorry,” Asher managed between clenched teeth. “We couldn’t bring them all back.”
The admission stole Mia’s breath. She squeezed his hand again and took a glimpse at Rowan. He sat back in the snow and rubbed his hands across his face. His sadness told Mia enough.
“Don’t worry about that,” she said, looking back at Asher. “We’re going to take care of you.”
A roar of sound broke from the opening in the ground that led down into the hive. Bale leapt up into the snow guiding a group of responders. Mia got to her feet and encouraged Rowan and Bree to do the same.
“We need to carry him,” she said.
Asher laughed.
“I’m not dying, I think,” he said.
She wasn’t certain he was in any position to know how badly he was hurt.
“Help me up.”
Mia thought to argue the request, but Rowan was quick to put Asher’s injured arm around his neck.
“Grab him under the arm,” Rowan said.
Bree took over and Mia stepped out of the way. They helped Asher to his feet and Rowan kept a firm hold of him. They started back toward the entrance to the hive. Bale nearly reached them when Mia paused and looked back at the gorge. She was certain now that Jonah wasn’t going to come climbing over the edge. Bree grabbed her hand and squeezed. The young girl’s eyes were filled with an equal share of the pain in Mia’s heart. She started after Rowan and Asher, forcing Mia to take a step away from the gorge.
“Come on,” Bree said. “Let’s get inside.”
♦
“What do you mean, they took them?”
The dust barely had time to settle before Mia was in search of the rest of the story. Asher was laid out on a tabletop in the infirmary. A number of the members of hive one were former soldiers and the staff of the former commission. One of the most important remaining staff was Doctor Yaffa. She didn’t care much for titles.
“Who took them?” Mia asked, varying her question. She lowered her voice and pulled Rowan close. “Who is they?”
Rowan’s eyes were on Yaffa and the stitch work she was currently performing. Mia studied his face. The scratches and dried blood were a stark reminder of what he’d been through. She allowed her emotions to swirl. Rowan put his arm around her and pulled her close. She buried her face into his chest and let go for a moment.
“It has to be someone from the commission,” he said.
She’d guessed that, but didn’t understand how. Mia looked up at him, still allowing herself the comfort of his body against her own.
“I thought that tunnel was buried and closed off,” she said.
Rowan nodded, staring blankly at the far wall.
“Himu lied,” he said, referring to Dr. Olric’s infamous assistant. “He must have. I’ll bet the passageway never blew in on itself, which means they’ve had access to hive six this entire time.”
The realization was enough to get Mia to stand back on her own.
“But why?” she asked more to herself. “What do they want here?”
The conversation was sidelined as Yaffa approached. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and left a smear of Asher’s blood across her dark skin. She forced a smile as her eyes met Mia’s. Mia felt her heart speed up. Rowan’s grip tightened on her shoulder.
“I was able to stop the bleeding,” Yaffa said.
“The infection?” Mia asked, eyeing one of the two soldiers standing in the corner of the room. Each of them had their guns drawn. “Can you tell?”
Yaffa shook her head. “There’s no sign of it, but we’ll know for sure in a short time.” She glanced at Bree, standing in the doorway. “That girl saved him.”
Mia took a deep breath. She had a sudden urge to step away from Rowan’s grasp and she couldn’t quite explain it to herself.
“Can I talk to him?” She glanced at Rowan. “Can we talk to him,” she corrected herself.
Yaffa nodded.
“He’s a little out of it,” she said. “There’s not much I can do for his pain.”
Mia stepped away from Rowan but felt him close behind her as she approached the table. Lamps positioned in each corner of the room provided more light for the small space than any other place in the hive. The effect made the bloodstains stand out on the numerous swatches of cloth used in the hasty procedure. Asher turned his head on her approach and Mia forced a smile.
“Try not to move,” Mia said and he managed to smile back at her. “Yaffa says there’s no infection.”
Asher nodded slowly.
“Where’s Bree?” he asked.
Mia looked back to find the girl half-hidden in the doorway. She motioned for her to come join them. Bree hesitated then crept closer. She came to a stop between Mia and Rowan and burst into tears.
“I’m so sorry.” She hid her face in her hands. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Asher reached out for her and pulled her hands away. He made sure she was looking at him before he spoke.
“You saved my life,” he said. “And I wouldn’t have made it out of there if you hadn’t done what you did.”
The impact of his words was enough to get her to stop crying. She nodded as she leaned into Rowan and he awkwardly put his arm around her. Asher hardened his stare as he came back to Mia.
“If I am really going to survive and you’re not just here to comfort me in my final moments,” he paused long enough to get through a series of deep coughs, “then stop wasting your time. Go figure out what we’re going to do about all of this.”
Mia couldn’t help but beam a wide-toothed grin.
“Yes, sir,” she said then hesitated before leaning over him and kissing him on the forehead. “Get better.”
♦
The tribal council was already in full debate by the time Mia and Rowan joined the fray. Bree separated from them during their trek from the infirmary at the first sighting of Bale roaming the halls. The discussion in the conference room had little to do with Jonah and Tate’s whereabouts and Mia had to remind herself of their overall purpose. Hinnick’s official view hadn’t changed; in fact, he shouted it with renewed vigor.
“We’re going to get invaded from the inside and the outside,” he said. “We have to start our evacuation now.”
“We don’t even know what they were doing down there,” Sara argued and a number of other representatives agreed with her. “Let’s not forget that we already have a team clearing the way down to
the main generators. If we can get the power on, we’ll still be safer here.”
“I think I know what they’re looking for.”
Mia heard Rowan, but it took her a moment to find him. He’d left her side and maneuvered through the crowd to the other side of the table. She wondered if her affection toward Asher played some part in his need to separate. She tried to ignore the question as Rowan’s follow-up silenced everyone in the room.
“They’re looking for someone,” he said. “A boy.”
“Jonah?” Sara asked.
Rowan shook his head.
“No, they call him the nexus,” he explained. “They believe this boy is the source of the infection.”
A light ripple of chuckling washed over the crowd. Rowan waited until they were silent again before continuing.
“It doesn’t matter what you believe,” he said. “All that matters is that they believe.”
“How do we know such a boy even exists?” Walker asked.
“Because I’ve seen him.”
There was a noticeable silence in the room as everyone took in his response. Mia looked from face to face, trying to predict at the eventual argument that she was sure would come. She made her pass and came back to Rowan before Walker followed up his question with another.
“And we’re supposed to base everything on our trust in you?”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. Mia was surprised that he was able to swallow the insult.
“What would you believe then?” Rowan asked.
Walker was prepared for the retort.
“The commission is trying to reclaim equipment and technology that is rightfully theirs,” he said. “If they did take the boys, I would guess it was because they didn’t know what else to do with them.”
His arrogance and blatant support for the former slave lords was too much for Mia to take.
“Then obviously I am the enemy here,” she said. “If you truly believe that the commission is claiming what is rightfully theirs, then you must also believe they never should have been driven out of Canaan in the first place.”
Walker’s lack of faith in the tribal council was a long-standing issue. He was the tribe’s single point of contact with the safe sector and his unwillingness to share any insight into what his people truly believed about the commission or the world above ground created a wide divide. As far as Mia knew, everyone in the safe sector had been born there and under the direct influence of the commission with no outside interference. Walker often reacted to the council as a distraction; sure the safe sector could survive quite well on its own.
“That’s not what I said,” Walker replied with a hollow smile. “You must remember our view of the world is very different from your own.”
Mia had to actively stop herself from scowling at him. She’d heard his well-rehearsed response a number of times and it aggravated her more than anything else did.
“Everyone here knows that,” she said.
“I believe there are two separate issues before the council,” Sara said in an obvious attempt to keep the conversation moving in a productive direction. “How are we going to go forward with preparations to relocate, if necessary, and what is the importance, if any, of the apparent return of the commission to Canaan?”
Sara’s reset sent a number of the tribal council members into separate heated deliberations. Mia leaned in close to the elder councilwoman.
“If any?”
Sara put her hand up.
“I understand the importance to you directly,” she said. “But I’m not sure how it impacts the entire tribe.”
Mia guarded her frustration and settled on a different approach.
“Even if we can get the generators back on and close off access to the hives,” she said. “We’d still be open to an attack.”
Sara nodded.
“True. But none of it would matter if we decided to relocate to Cheyenne.”
Rowan slipped in beside Mia’s chair.
“They’re never going to listen,” he said.
The closeness allowed Mia to let down her guard for a brief moment.
“We can’t wait on the council to decide,” she said.
Sara’s eyes spoke to her surprise in Mia’s response. Mia knew precisely what Sara would say if she gave her the chance. She’d expressed the importance of Mia’s position more times than she could count. She was right and Mia knew it. That was much easier for Mia to deal with when the situation didn’t involve her brother’s safety.
“My gut tells me they were looking for the nexus,” Rowan reconfirmed. “Himu stressed the boy’s importance to Dr. Olric and his work on the infection.” He settled his gaze on Walker. “I agree with him on one point,” Rowan said nudging his chin at the safe sector’s representative. “I don’t believe those soldiers had any intention of taking Jonah or Tate with them. It’s more likely they took a chance on the possibility that the boys might be useful.” He bent down until he was eye level with Mia and Sara. “If that wasn’t true, I think they would have killed them where they found them.”
The sound of his deduction made Mia pull back as if the words alone might knock the wind out of her. She often struggled with her place among the tribal council, but this was something far beyond her need to go out and fight. She felt Rowan’s eyes on her, waiting for her to come to the decision he’d already made. Mia gave in and met his gaze. She knew precisely what he was going to say before he said it.
“I have to go back down there.”
♦
Mia fought the urge to get up and leave the meeting. Her focus was hopelessly lost and she couldn’t imagine pushing aside her concerns enough to be of any real use. Even so, she forced herself to stay and she was better for it. The intense debate distracted her for the moment much more than she thought possible.
The result of the heated meeting put a plan into action to gather the remaining capable engineers and prep them to move out the moment the security team returned from the generator room. Hinnick’s argument won over the council and a secondary plan was agreed on. An order went out for every member of the tribe to be prepared to abandon Canaan in one week’s time. Mia doubted the safe sector would comply, but the advancing horde of dead left the council without another option.
“This is crazy,” Mia said when she and Rowan were out of earshot. “How can we move all of these people at once?”
Rowan led her along the second level toward the infirmary. He stopped them at a small supply area and pulled her in. Mia barely noticed his direction until they were alone. He urged her to sit on one of the spare cots against the back wall. Stacks of empty containers blocked the view from the hall.
“There aren’t many other choices,” Rowan said as he sat down next to her. “We can’t just wait around here to die.”
Mia allowed herself a moment to recognize that they were truly alone for the first time in a long time.
“How did we get here?” she asked, not sure who the question was for. She let go of the face she put on for the rest of the tribal council. “I didn’t want any of this.”
Rowan slid his arm around her and she pressed in against him.
“I don’t know if I can find the nexus,” Rowan admitted.
The hopelessness in his voice nearly broke her.
“Do you think they’ll come back for it?” she asked.
He shrugged.
“I don’t know, but I can’t imagine what else they’d be looking for.”
Mia had believed him. Hearing him now made her realize that his assertion was a hunch at best. A sudden ache washed over her, and for a moment, she felt like Jonah was already dead. The pain was too much. Her voice cracked as she tried to ask Rowan what he planned to do and she couldn’t stop the outpouring of heartache that followed.
Rowan kept quiet. Mia buried her face in his chest and wept harder than she ever had before. He stroked her hair and they sat quietly until she released as much anguish as she had the energy to give. Mia rubbed her hand
across his chest and he let her pull away.
“You can’t go down there by yourself,” she said, trying to clean the evidence of her grief from her face. “I can’t possibly lose you.” She wrapped her arms around him, and for a moment, refused to let go. She knew he was going back down into the bowels of hive five whether she approved or not. His response, however, took her breath away.
“I love you.”
Mia stiffened, her arms still wrapped around him. Her lack of response was enough to spur the stubborn boy she grew up with to try again.
“I love you.”
She pulled away and sat up straight. The pure sincerity of his gaze was enough to melt her heart. She wanted to ask him why he said it. She wanted to know why he didn’t say it every day. Mia wanted to know why he hadn’t fought every waking moment to keep the love between them. All of her feelings for him drew up into a knot in her stomach and she tried to equal his sentiment.
“I love you, too.”
There was something beautifully tragic about the moment that made her think she would never see his face again. She slid her hands around his neck and they locked eyes. Mia never felt more connected to anyone in her entire life. She couldn’t account for the bundle of feelings coursing through her body, but she was certain that she loved him.
Mia moved by instinct alone, pulling him down on top of her as she lay back. They were kissing intently without a care for the world around them. She pulled his shirt off before he started on hers. The heat of their intertwined bodies was unlike anything she’d ever imagined. Mia lost herself as they became one, and for that moment, nothing else mattered.
12
The fear alone was enough to keep Jonah quiet. He’d been slapped and kicked a number of times. His ribs were sore and he was pretty sure his lip was split. He hadn’t seen his attacker or attackers. They’d thrown a sack over his head the moment they dragged him out into the light and bound his hands behind his back. He’d felt Tate trembling next to him for a while, but they were separated soon after they were discovered.
Season Of Decay (The Decaying World Saga Book 2) Page 10
