The Calling

by Rachelle Dekker

  “How is that possible?” Remko asked, turning to Connor. “She was shot yesterday.”

  “Well, like I said, the bullet missed any main arteries and she’s on some very heavy painkillers. She probably feels invincible, actually. Wherever she went, she took several days’ worth of medical supplies with her—bandages and the rest of the painkillers and antibiotics I had. It looks like she plans to be gone for a while.”

  Remko cursed under his breath. “She went after Sam.”

  “She didn’t go alone. Wire’s gone too,” Ramses said.

  “The medical supplies will only mask so much; if they get into any serious trouble, or if she puts too much pressure on her injury, she will be in big trouble,” Connor said.

  “What’s going on here?” Neil asked, walking up from behind Ramses and Connor.

  “Kate and Wire went after Sam,” Ramses said.

  Neil cursed and placed his hands on his hips. “Now why do you suppose they would do that?”

  “Apparently Kate’s faith in me to get her brother back was hazy through all those painkillers,” Remko said. He waited for Neil to make some smart remark, but he didn’t.

  “We have to go after them,” Ramses said.

  “What? No way; we can’t risk that,” Neil said.

  “Kate had a bullet in her leg less than ten hours ago and most of the CityWatch guards could break Wire in half. We can’t just let them walk into the city,” Ramses said.

  “They made this choice; let them live with the consequences,” Neil said.

  Before Ramses could further his argument, Neil continued. “I know they’re our own, but we have other threats here we need to deal with. I’m sorry—I think both of those kids are great, but we can’t ignore our responsibilities here and chase after them because they made a terrible judgment call!”

  “They could die, Neil,” Ramses said.

  “We could all die! Isn’t that what you said?” Neil pointed at Remko.

  Remko hated to admit how much sense Neil was making. He could feel his anger rearing its head. If he did go after them, he would once again be putting himself at risk to save those who couldn’t save themselves. Maybe it would be better for them to have to fend for themselves, see how well they could get along without his rescue.

  “Remko,” Ramses said.

  His brother’s voice snapped Remko back to reality and he nodded.

  “You can’t seriously be considering going after them?” Neil asked.

  “We’ve lost too many, Neil; we have to at least try,” Remko said.

  “Yeah, because you’ve got a great track record with—”

  “Enough!” Ramses snapped. He got right in Neil’s face and Neil stepped back. “No one is asking you to volunteer.”

  Neil paused and looked from Connor, who was standing very quietly, to Remko and back to Ramses. He shook his head. “Say what you want, but I’m not risking my neck for them.”

  It was Ramses’s turn to shake his head. “No one thought you would.”

  Neil huffed and with a final sneer walked away.

  “I’ll go with you,” Ramses said to Remko.

  “No, Ramses. I want you to stay here, watch over camp, and help Connor with testing those samples.”

  “You can’t go alone,” Ramses said.

  “I’m not going to. I know someone who might be willing to help.”

  Damien sat in the large office he was still getting used to. Most of the time he found himself more at home in the Scientist’s cluttered space across the city, but it was essential that he be present at the Capitol Building to assure people that he was, in fact, in control of this city.

  The incident in the prison had sparked controversy among the members of the Authority. It was hard to keep them focused and on track when the rebels continued to serve as a distraction. They were like birds, the Authority members; something shimmering somewhere and their attention was yanked from the actual task at hand. Damien wished they would recognize that the rebels were merely a diversion placed in their path to test their will, not an actual threat worth fretting about. The real threat lay within the minds of the people walking the city streets. It was much bigger than silly lost sheep led by an outlaw.

  Though Damien had to admit the outlaw himself was of interest to him. It wouldn’t be long before the rebels discovered what Damien was trying to accomplish. There had been a break-in at the facility, which Damien had known was bound to happen, but he wasn’t worried. In fact, he felt a sort of thrill at the prospect of the mysterious Aaron coming to terms with reality. How would he react when he learned that Damien would soon steal the people’s belief in a greater power? Damien wished he could be a fly on the wall to revel in his victory. For the time being, however, it seemed that babysitting the Authority members while the Scientist and his team perfected the serum was the mundane task he’d been cursed with.

  A knock sounded at his office door, and a small smile played its way across his lips. Thankfully, playing babysitter came with occasional perks. “Come in,” he called.

  The door opened smoothly, and two CityWatch guards led a prisoner in. He was a beast of a man, youthful but hardened by circumstances. The prisoner kept his eyes forward, an odd sense of fearlessness dancing behind them. That alone intrigued Damien, and he motioned for the guards to escort the man to a seat by the large bay window that overlooked the High-Rise Sector. They did as they were told, handcuffing the man’s hands behind his back and securing his ankles to the legs of the chair. Clearly this man had left a dangerous impression on the guards.

  Damien hid a smile and rounded his desk to sit across from the prisoner. He nodded for the guards to leave them, and after a moment of hesitation they did, pulling the office door closed behind them.

  “It’s Sam, correct?” Damien asked the man across from him.

  Sam said nothing but kept his eyes on Damien.

  “That was just a formality; of course I know exactly who you are,” Damien said.

  Again no response.

  “Samuel Miller, older brother to Katherine Miller, son of Stanley and Demi Miller, both deceased—tragic. You were barely sixteen at the time. Your sister was several years younger. You had other family to go live with—an aunt, I believe. But instead you fled the city. Why?”

  “Clearly you haven’t met my aunt,” Sam said.

  “Truth is, I never really liked any of my aunts either. Would you like something to drink?” Damien asked.

  Sam shook his head and Damien shrugged. “Suit yourself.” Damien reached for a pitcher on the small table beside his chair and poured himself a glass. The water was cool against his lips and he let the silence linger as he sipped at the liquid.

  “So, you abandon everything you know, risk death beyond the walls of the city, simply because you don’t like your aunt?” Damien asked.

  Sam kept his mouth shut, his eyes moving from Damien to the wall on his left.

  “I only seek to understand what would drive a young man such as yourself into the life you have chosen. You don’t really gain anything from refusing to answer,” Damien said.

  “And what do I gain from answering?” Sam asked.

  Damien smiled. “You’re smart and resourceful; I’m starting to understand how you have survived on your own this long.”

  “I have never been alone.”

  “Of course; you’ve had your sister.”

  “I have more than that.”

  Damien set his glass down and laced his fingers together in his lap. “Yes, tell me about the rebel group. I’m fascinated by the ideas you’ve all latched on to so tightly.”

  “Ask all you want. I’m not telling you anything about my people.”

  Damien chuckled. “Your people. Well, I wasn’t aware you were a different species than the rest of us. Is that some kind of transformation that takes place once you leave these walls?”

  It was Sam’s turn to smile. “No, that transformation happens right here, under your nose.”

&nbs
p; Damien felt his left eye twitch and the humor fell from his face. “Why is it that you rebels still harbor such attitude even in dire circumstances? That pretty girl—oh, what was her name?—Larkin, I believe. She was relentless in her belief that she would be saved. In the end, it turned out that all of her faith was for nothing.”

  Damien watched for his words to edge themselves under Sam’s skin, but as with the other rebels he’d encountered, his words didn’t have the effect he’d hoped for. Sam’s face remained fearless, his eyes hopeful. Breaking the spirit of these people was impossible. Or at least it had been until now.

  Damien’s smile returned. “As a man of moral integrity, I am actually impressed by your ability to believe so effortlessly. I think it a humbling quality. Unfortunately it is also a disease that has plagued humanity for far too long. See, unlike the Authority members who have come before me, I do not intend to eliminate your people; in fact, I don’t think eradication would do us any good. Change is what we need—scientific, evolutionary change.”

  “Whatever you’re hoping to get out of me, you might as well give up now. I’ll never talk,” Sam said.

  “Don’t be so certain,” Damien said.

  “Do your worst,” Sam said, his eyes fueled with fire.

  Damien paused and then let out a loud cackle. Sam looked a bit shaken by Damien’s reaction and his resolve appeared to waver for a moment.

  “Why does everyone assume that violence is the only way to solve a problem? It just proves how far our society has fallen from the ideals of true intelligence. Torture is completely barbaric, my boy. As I mentioned, I don’t want to eliminate; I want to change.” Damien leaned forward and placed his hand on Sam’s knee. Sam flinched at the man’s touch, and power coursed through Damien’s veins. “You should be honored for the role you’re about to play in history. You’ll never understand how the change you’re about to undergo will impact the world, but rest assured that after today, nothing will ever be the same.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam said. Hard as he was trying, he looked mentally shaken. The door opened behind him and three men in long white coats, followed by the CityWatch guards who had escorted Sam in, filled the room.

  Damien cocked his head slightly to the left and surveyed Sam’s face. For the first time he saw something new lighting the boy’s eyes. Fear.

  Damien patted Sam’s knee. “Don’t worry, Sam. You and I are going to change the world.”

  21

  Jesse had agreed to help without hesitation. Remko had found him in the same spot he’d been in the night before. The kid had lit a small fire, rolled out a sleeping mat, and was roasting something he’d hunted that filled the tunnel with a delicious smell. Jesse was right; he really was good on his own.

  Remko had discovered before going to search for Jesse that Wire and Kate were not on foot. The keys for the main camp vehicle were missing, which made sense. In Kate’s condition it was pretty unlikely that the two rogue agents would attempt Sam’s rescue without transport help. When he’d mentioned this to Jesse, the archer’s face had lit up and he confessed that he had his own mode of transportation. Remko had radioed back to camp, where Ramses was waiting for an update, that he and Jesse would check back in when they could, and the two of them were off.

  Jesse led him aboveground through an overgrown subway exit and a couple of miles west through thickening stands of trees. He explained that once he’d discovered the Seer camp, he’d moved his transportation so that it would be close when he needed it. “There it is,” he said as they approached a tall bush. Remko couldn’t imagine what Jesse had stored inside the tiny hiding place, and when Jesse rolled a motorcycle out of the single, tall bush, Remko was shocked.

  The bike was ancient, made of rusted parts, a large black leather seat, steel handlebars, and an old-fashioned electric push motor that didn’t give Remko confidence. “Where did you find this thing?” he asked.

  “It was my grandfather’s,” Jesse said. “He kept it hidden from the Authority, and after he died, I found it.”

  “And it works?” Remko asked.

  “Don’t be rude; she has feelings and won’t start if you insult her.”

  “Right—that’s comforting.”

  “I keep her plugged into a portable battery-operated charger, so she’s got plenty of juice.”

  “Let me guess: the battery charger was your grandfather’s too?”

  “He was into the classics.”

  Jesse pushed the small silver button near the handlebars and the motor roared to life. The kid beamed with satisfaction and Remko wished he’d apologized to Carrington before he’d left. Looking at the small rusted contraption, he worried he’d die before he’d get the chance. He and Carrington had hardly spoken at all since their confrontation the night before. Then he’d woken to hear that Wire and Kate were missing, and with their several-hour head start, Remko hadn’t had much time for lounging around.

  He’d found her before heading off to seek out Jesse, told her what was happening, and promised they’d talk when he got back. She had given him her bravest smile, the one that still made his heart melt, and he wanted to stop rushing, yank her into his arms, and beg for her forgiveness. But he didn’t have time, and his anger was proving to be pretty stubborn. Instead, he’d given her hand a tight squeeze, brushed his fingers along the top of Elise’s head, and left.

  “You ready?” Jesse said.

  “Do I have a choice?” Remko said.

  “Oh, come on. I’m a good driver.”

  Remko swallowed away his misgivings and climbed on the back of the bike. He would probably feel more secure if he were the one driving. Putting his life in the hands of someone else wasn’t a strength of his.

  “Hold on, and careful of your calves there by those pipes; they get hot,” Jesse said. He was either terrible at putting people at ease or was making Remko nervous for the fun of it.

  The bike launched forward and Remko wrapped his arms around Jesse’s waist. The sun was already high in the sky, which meant half the day was gone. If they were going to find Wire and Kate before dark, they were going to need to hurry. Remko had mentioned to Jesse while they’d made the trek to his hidden motorcycle that Wire and Kate’s only objective must be to locate and free Sam. That meant they were probably headed back to the place where they had lost him. The prison was on the north side of the city, but there was more than one way to get there.

  Remko knew Kate was impatient, so he figured they would take the shortest route, but with Wire working alongside her, they would also want a route where they faced the smallest possibility of detection. Remko had narrowed their options down to two. They had a 50 percent chance of finding the runaways, but also a 50 percent chance of being unsuccessful. Remko hoped the odds would fall in his favor for once, but that was the thing with odds. They were fickle and did not necessarily align with the desired outcome.

  Remko directed Jesse to drive the bike south. There was a tunnel entrance in that direction that their team had used many times, and Remko knew Wire was familiar with it. It would lead them under the city wall and toward the prison. If Remko had planned this rescue mission, that’s the path he would have suggested using. He was hoping that he and Wire were thinking alike.

  The travel time was slower on the bike than it would have been in one of the Seers’ regular vehicles, partly because it was older than most of the things still running in the city and partly because it was carrying more weight than it was designed to. Remko held on to Jesse as he maneuvered through the forest, keeping them hidden. The one advantage this piece of scrap metal had was that it was small. Remko couldn’t help but wonder whether, if Wire was given all the necessary parts, he could build the camp a couple of these motorized devices for short scouting trips.

  Jesse slowed the bike to a crawl and then to a stop. He set his feet down on either side to keep the bike standing and Remko climbed off. They both saw it—up ahead a black CityWatch vehicle was parked just
beyond the edge of the trees. It was different than most, a much older version that still operated mostly on wheels. Large and square. More clunky, but better for transporting.

  They both moved behind thick trunks to keep themselves concealed. They were pretty far away, but if they could see the vehicle, then it was logical to think that the CityWatch guards would also be able to spot them.

  Jesse pulled a pair of small binoculars from deep inside his quiver and peered through them. After a long moment, he handed them to Remko, who did the same.

  “Two soldiers. Looks like they may have people in the back of their vehicle, but I can’t make them out,” Jesse said.

  Remko looked through the magnifying lenses and searched for signs of life. Jesse was right: two black-clad guards stood beside the car, and there was movement inside, but it could be anyone. Another guard even. It was too hard to tell from this distance.

  “We need to get closer,” Remko said. Jesse agreed and carefully guided his motorcycle along until he found a place where he could store it while they investigated further.

  The two sneaked forward, crouching from tree to tree, moving among the foliage silently, until they were only a couple of dozen yards away. Jesse tossed Remko his binoculars again and Remko peeked out from behind his cover to get a closer look.

  There were at least two people sitting in the back of the vehicle. Neither of them wore black, so they must be prisoners. From here Remko could hear the muffled voices of the two CityWatch guards. One of them was puffing smoke into the air; the other leaned against the rear of the van using his free hand to elaborate as he told his partner some story. In his other hand he cradled a long-range rifle.

  They were definitely transporting someone important; the CityWatch only used that kind of weaponry for Authority security transportation and extremely dangerous prisoners.

  “Are those your people?” Jesse whispered.

  Remko couldn’t be sure; this angle made it hard to make out who was being held in the back.

  He handed the binoculars back to Jesse and thought through their options. They could rush in; they had the upper hand because the guards wouldn’t see them coming, and they were evenly matched—two on two, Jesse with his bow and Remko with a sidearm tucked into the tight strap around his calf. Then again, something could go wrong. They could risk their necks only to find the people secured in the van weren’t prisoners at all.