The Legion

by Melissa Delport

San Francisco looks much the same as Los Angeles – a grey, dreary, depressing shell of what was once the second most densely populated city in the United States. I follow the sound of voices and find the others sitting around a fire eating breakfast. Reed looks up and meets my eye, and I smile unashamedly at him. Aidan is watching me, but I avoid his gaze. Sofia is sitting beside him, looking downcast, and I find myself wondering how she feels about his emotional outburst yesterday.

  Reed is perched on a low concrete wall and I sit at his feet, leaning back against his legs. The heat from his body warms my back and I smile up at him. His delight at my public display of affection is obvious, and he ruffles my hair, handing me a piece of toasted, slightly stale bread that Peter’s wife had sent with Loader and Archer. Brooke is teaching Oliver how to do cartwheels and the Deranged are sitting together, watching them.

  “We should get this show on the road,” Reed stands, offers me a hand and pulls me to my feet. He squeezes my butt as I walk away and I grin back at him, noticing the sudden frown on his handsome face. I turn around to see what is bothering him and I collide with Aidan.

  “Can we talk?” he asks, narrowing his eyes at Reed over my head. Perplexed, I look from one to the other.

  “Sure,” I nod and follow him a little way up the street, out of earshot. He turns into a small alleyway. “What’s up?” I ask, after a minute of silence.

  “Look, I don’t know how to say this, but . . .” he hesitates, staring at me intently.

  “What?” I ask, mystified.

  “I don’t like, I mean, it’s none of my business, but . . .” he stops suddenly and I can’t help but laugh.

  “You know, you used to be a lot more eloquent,” I tease.

  Without warning, he grabs my shoulders and kisses me. I am too stunned to react and I stand completely still, my eyes wide with surprise. I can feel the hardness of his chest against mine, and the racing of his heart beneath my hands as I lift them to try to stop him. My head swims with the smell of him and the familiarity that I can’t resist, and the next moment I am kissing him back, knowing how wrong it is, but unable to stop myself. I can feel he is also trying to restrain himself but his physical need wins out and he pulls me closer. He runs his hand down my back, over my jeans and down the back of my thigh, coming to rest behind my knee which he lifts suddenly, pulling my body even closer against him. I am lost in a sweet, painful place. And then suddenly I am angry as hell. I push at his chest and he stumbles backwards.

  “How dare you!” I hiss, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand and trying to bring my breathing back to normal.

  “I’m sorry!” He holds up his hands in surrender, his own chest heaving. “I had to try, I had to see if . . .”

  “If what, Aidan?” I holler, sending a few small birds flapping from a nearby rooftop. “If you still felt anything? If you would feel any guilt moving forward with Sofia?” Her name drips off my tongue with contempt and he flinches.

  “I’m sorry,” he repeats.

  “I’m not a plaything, Aidan. You can’t toy with my emotions. I don’t deserve it.”

  “I know that,” he admits, looking suitably repentant. “I don’t know what’s come over me. I just, when I saw you hurt like that . . . I can’t explain how I felt. I’ve been with Adam for six months – he’s like family to me – but the way I reacted when you were hurt, the way I yelled at him . . . I still can’t believe I did that. I didn’t give a damn about Adam or any of the others.” He looks at me, a frustrated expression on his face. “All I cared about was you.” He laughs without humour. “And the kicker is, I don’t even know you. Why am I feeling like this? I don’t love you, but I can’t stand the way he touches you.”

  I close my eyes feeling the tears pricking at my eyelids. These words are so wonderful to hear, it is as if he is expressing everything I have been feeling since I found him. But he said it himself, he doesn’t love me. I can imagine how frustrating it must be for him, but I have to protect my own heart, and the brave man I have fallen in love with.

  “Aidan,” I’m relieved to hear that I sound stronger than I feel, “you can’t do this. What we had, the life that we shared, it’s in the past. God knows how much I wish that wasn’t the case, but it’s reality. Life is so short and I don’t want to waste it wanting and wishing. I love Reed, he’s good for me and he would die to protect me. I won’t hurt him. I want to try and make a life with him.” I meet his gaze levelly. “And you have feelings for Sofia.” It’s not a question, but he nods anyway. “I know you don’t need my blessing but you have it all the same. Don’t hold back because of me. What’s the point? When we get back to Vegas you can reconnect with Alex, you can be his father. You’ll learn how,” I add as he looks overwhelmed. “Hopefully you and I . . . well, we can be friends. But right now? I’ve got a job to do, the same job I had when I left you and Alex. My mission is not over. We need to get on with our lives before we lose what we have, what’s right in front of us.”

  I turn and walk towards the main street and then I pause and look back at him. “What happened here, I know you felt it. I did too. That’s what you and I had. That’s what I live with. You’re lucky you don’t remember.” I bite my lip as a tear tracks its way down my cheek. “But it’s dangerous. It’s powerful. And it can hurt us.”

  He doesn’t say a word and I swallow down the lump in my throat. “We’d better get back, we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  Chapter 31

  Everything is packed and ready to go and I hop into the Discovery beside Reed.

  “You’re giving up your beloved Humvee so easily?” I tease and he turns to stare at me, his eyes hollow. “I love you,” I say pointedly, squeezing his hand. He smiles, looking like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

  “Ah, Sexy Bex,” he drawls, “life with you will never be boring, I’ll tell you that much.”

  I push aside my misgivings about letting the others drive in the truck unprotected; we are only travelling a few miles into the city.

  “What is that?” I muse idly, as a nearby building catches my eye. There is a crack running vertically up the wall, so wide in some places I could fit my entire fist through it. It is as if the very structure has been cleaved in two. I cock my head to the side, following the line of the fissure up the side of the tall building, wondering how far up it reaches. The instant that we draw alongside it, I realise what has happened, and I yell a warning to Reed, but I am too late. The ground below us gives an ominous creak, and the Discovery lurches violently.

  “What the hell!” Reed seems to come to the same conclusion quickly, and he rams his foot on the gas. The Discovery tyres find purchase, and with a lot of bouncing and sliding, we make it to firmer ground, while huge chunks of tarmac cave in just behind us. Frantically, I swivel in my seat to check on the other cars. The bus, which was right behind us, has dropped precariously, the tail end hanging over a newly formed crevice in the road. As I watch, another large crack appears just a few yards to the left of the bus and the earth below us shakes violently, rocking the Discovery. I leap out of the car and streak towards the bus.

  “Get out!” I yell, realising what is happening.

  The northern segment of the San Andreas Fault runs right up the San Francisco peninsula. In this region, around the San Francisco bay area, several significant sister faults run more or less parallel, and each of these can create earthquakes of immensely destructive proportions. Over the last three decades, an earthquake of great magnitude must have disrupted this area, compromising the structural integrity of the street we are travelling on and the adjacent buildings. The weight of our cars was too much for the weakened surface and had caused a landfall.

  I watch in horror as the crack spreads towards the bus, tilting the vehicle precariously onto its side. Hope appears at the door, clutching the side rail, it is too high and too far for them to jump to safety. Further back, Jethro and Arc
her are making their way away from the Humvee, and Aidan is helping Sofia and Henry out of the truck.

  I sprint to the front of the bus, Reed right behind me, and I leap up onto the hood. Reed jumps up on the opposite side.

  “Get back!” I shout through the glass as the occupants inside swarm towards us. Adam shepherds everyone away from the front windshield, and Hope bends instinctively over the children, protecting them as I kick it in, the shattering glass raining into the bus.

  “Okay, come on!” I yell, calling them back, and they hurriedly make their way to us. I grab Brooke first and pull her out, dropping down onto the ground and sprinting forward to deposit her in the middle of the street near the Discovery. Reed places Oliver right beside her. The others are already clambering out by themselves and we help them down, one by one. Only a few are left inside when the bus gives another lurch and Hope hits her head hard on the window frame. I grab her hand and pull, jerking her out and catching her as she falls.

  “Are you okay?” I push back her hair and see a trickle of blood pouring down her forehead. We escort everyone to the relative safety of the street further up, past where we have parked the Discovery. Hope is still bleeding – she needs medical attention.

  “Henry!” I yell, looking around. I whip my head left and right trying to locate him and my heart misses a beat when I finally spot him.

  Aidan, Henry and Sofia are caught between the truck and the enormous crack in the street. The truck’s right front wheel has dropped into the precipice and the whole vehicle is at a perilous angle, looming over them. It could topple over at any second and they have nowhere to go. I race back towards them, racking my brain, and then, without overthinking it, I race towards the expansive chasm. I push off as hard as I can when I reach the edge and I soar through the air, my arms wind-milling wildly. I hit the ground hard, my impetus throwing me forward and my shoulder connecting painfully with the side of the truck. Cursing loudly, I assess the situation, wondering what on earth I can do to help. A flying figure soars over us, hitting the truck even harder than I did.

  “Motherfucker!” Reed howls, clutching his right arm which is rotated at an unnatural angle.

  Another small section of the tarmac cleaves away dangerously close to where we are standing and Sofia slips, Aidan hauling her back to her feet. He is assessing the gaping hole too, and I stop him, knowing exactly what he is thinking.

  “You’ll never make it!” I yell above the thundering noise and he spins around and searches for another way to safety.

  “What if we go over the truck?” he asks, pointing up at it as it looms over us. Reed is still swearing.

  “Henry!” I practically shriek into Henry’s ear. “His shoulder’s dislocated, you need to pop it back in!” I pull him towards Reed and he nods determinedly. Reed stands still, bracing himself against the truck and squeezing his eyes shut. Henry grabs his arm, indicating that I should support him.

  I stand behind Henry, gripping him just under his armpits and standing with my feet apart, trying to keep myself as stable as possible and praying that the ground beneath us stays put long enough for us to get out of here.

  “One! Two!” I hear the pop even above Reed’s howl of agony.

  “What happened to three?” he roars, tears of pain streaming down his face. Henry shrugs and I let go of him. He slips immediately as the ground shudders beneath us. There is an ominous creak and I look up to see the truck finally overturning, as though in slow motion. I throw up my arms as it rushes down to meet me, and the impact as it lands on my outstretched hands jolts through my body, right down to my toes, almost knocking me to my knees. My jaw knocks together so hard that I bite through my tongue and I swallow down the blood, using every ounce of strength I have to stay on my feet. I meet Aidan’s horrified gaze.

  “Go! Get them over!” I yell, spitting out more blood. My arms are shaking with exertion and I don’t know if I am going to be able to hold the truck long enough for them to get to safety. Suddenly the pressure eases ever so slightly, and I look to the left to see Reed adding his strength. He is only able to use his left hand, his right arm lying limply at his side, but even with one hand, Reed’s strength is staggering.

  I smile painfully at him and we watch as Aidan gives Henry a boost up. Sofia is already scrabbling over the top of the truck and I grit my teeth, determined to hang on just a little bit longer. Without warning, the earth gives another violent tilt, this time however, from the opposite side. The truck lifts off our hands and tilts the other way, towards the side that the others have just disappeared over.

  “No!” I scream, scrabbling at the smooth sides, trying to find a handle, anything, so that I can pull it back, but there is nothing. I hear a bloodcurdling scream from the other side and then there is utter silence.

  I vault over the truck, leaping down the other side and spinning on the spot, my eyes frantically searching to find them. “Oh God, no,” it comes out as a whisper. Henry is pulling Sofia out from under Aidan’s torso; he obviously covered her body with his own to try to protect her. She emerges, shaken but unhurt, and they both turn to Aidan, tugging at his arms futilely. The contents of the truck have burst out of a hole torn in the side, and the motor vehicle spares have spilled out, crushing Aidan’s legs just below his thighs. For a second I think he is unconscious, but then he lifts his head gingerly and meets my eye. I rush forward and start throwing the heavy items off him. Reed joins me and within a few minutes, his legs are freed. We roll him over and I fight the urge to be sick. Sofia cannot help herself and she hurls herself to the side just in time, heaving her guts out.

  “Well, that doesn’t look good,” Aidan jokes, smiling up at us before his eyes roll back in his head and he passes out.

  I watch as Reed rips Aidan’s pants from ankle to knee, exposing his injury so that Henry can assess the damage. It’s fairly obvious what the problem is. Aidan’s shin bone is protruding about half an inch out of the skin on his lower leg. Reed carefully takes hold of Aidan under his arms and I lift his feet, and together we carry him down the sidewalk towards the bus, sticking close to the buildings. We deposit him on the ground and Jethro comes running over with Henry’s medical bag. I am relieved to hear that the others are all safe, and I instruct Jethro and Reed to try to recover the vehicles. Now that the ground has settled, there is a possibility that with a bit of careful manoeuvring, we could drive them to a safer location.

  My hands are shaking and covered in Aidan’s blood as I help Henry work. We raise his leg to slow the bleeding and I hold down clean towels on the wound site, applying pressure.

  “Okay, we need to irrigate the area,” Henry says, pouring water over the exposed bone and injured section. “It’s not ideal, but at least with his ability we may not have to worry about infection. Will he heal as quickly as you?” he adds, pointing at my neck.

  “No,” I shake my head, “not as fast, but it should still be fast enough that infection won’t set in.”

  “We’ll give him antibiotics anyway, just in case,” he says. Next, Henry sets about removing all the dirt and foreign matter from the wound, including some flesh that he pronounces to be “non-viable tissue”. I avert my eyes, focusing on Aidan’s face instead.

  “Okay, we need to set the bone,” he sounds hesitant.

  “But?”

  “Well, traditionally we would use plates and screws, or an intramedullary rod, but we have two problems.”

  “No plates or rods,” I sigh, casting my mind around for something else we could use.

  “Even if we did have, I’m not so sure we could use them,” he points out. “With his ability, his body might reject the foreign object.”

  “Shit!”

  “You can say that again.” He bends down and examines the open fracture. “Okay,” he seems to come to a decision. “We’re going to set it as best we can and wrap it tightly. It’s all we can do. Unless you think it m
ight heal itself properly on its own?”

  “No.” I shake my head. “We should set it.”

  I almost black out when Henry sets the bone. The cracking sound cuts through me like a knife and to make matters worse, Aidan wakes up as Henry is manipulating the bone and lets out an ear-splitting screech. In desperation, I hit him precisely on the back of his neck and his body slumps back to the ground.

  “Thank you,” Henry stammers gratefully. When he has finished bandaging the leg he sits back, wiping his brow. His face is grey with exhaustion and I am suddenly reminded that he is well beyond his prime.

  “Get some rest, Henry,” I say gently, “we’ll make sure he gets settled for the night.” I meet Sofia’s eyes over his shoulder and she nods.

  “Okay, I think I might just do that,” Henry concedes, getting wearily to his feet. “Give him the painkillers from the blue pill-box, they’re the strongest, and start him on these antibiotics,” he adds, thrusting a box in my hand. “We don’t have much choice but these should work well enough.”

  The others have managed to get all the vehicles to stable ground and I allow Reed and Jethro to carry Aidan over to the Humvee, laying him down in the space between the rear seats. Loader is working on the truck, trying to seal the hole in the side and secure it. He has obviously been working all afternoon, but from what I can tell, it will be some time before either bus or truck are properly mobile again. They managed the short trip to firmer ground, but we certainly won’t be travelling very far in the state they are in. I suppose it gives us time to search for survivors, but secretly I doubt that we will find anyone here in San Francisco. The city is too desolate, too ransacked by the war just like Los Angeles. I don’t even want to stay in the city, it is too poignant a reminder of what we lost in LA. We have barely been here five minutes and already disaster has struck.

  I help to make Aidan comfortable, rolling up a flat sheet and propping it under his head as an improvised pillow. I gaze down at him; his face is ashen and there are dark circles under his eyes. The piece of my heart that I have locked away is breaking, but I give none of this away through my facial expression. His blond hair is dark with sweat and his clothes are filthy. Looking down I realise we are all filthy. I hesitate for a moment and then I press the antibiotics into Sofia’s hand.