by Sophie Davis
My clenched fist connected with the side of his head.
“How’d you know we were here?” Talia’s rage made her words eerily calm.
Another tooth tumbled from the man’s mouth when his bloody lips parted. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Compulsion on norms was tricky. It took a lot of finesse to get it right while safeguarding the person’s sanity. Just then, Tals wasn’t concerned with getting it right. She wanted answers.
“How did you know we were here?” she repeated. Her short, clipped tone made the man’s jaw go slack.
“We didn’t,” the man wheezed.
I shook my head. “That makes no sense. If you didn’t know we were here, why did you come?”
“One survivor,” Alpha sent. “We have her under our control. What would you like for me to do with her?” Like Kenly’s earlier, her voice was heard in both my head and my ears. The effect might’ve been a result of so many minds connecting at once, I wasn’t sure.
“Find out why they came here, why they attacked,” Talia replied.
Another series of explosions started in the distance, somewhere near the school’s main entrance.
“Is that the twins?” I asked, unsure if they were on this mental conference call.
“Negative,” Alpha replied. “RAVs are breaching main campus, they’re destroying the school buildings.”
Talia and I exchanged glances. RAVs—Road Attack Vehicles—were the dinosaurs of warcraft. Slow-moving and hard to transport long distances, RAVs had been rendered obsolete when the Talented revolutionized warfare. But just because they were antiquated, that didn’t mean they weren’t destructive.
“I can’t reach Kip! Why can’t I reach Kip?” Talia shrieked. “We need to get down there now!”
Thoughts of Alex clouded her judgment. Talia morphed and took flight without another word.
“Dammit,” I muttered. As I leapt skyward, my arm bones cracked and realigned to form large wings.
“Alpha, with me. The rest of you, tie up these assholes and take them to the house. See what they’ll tell you,” I sent. Then, from my new bird-vantage point, I spied yet another problem. “Keep an eye to the north, there’s a line of ground lights coming up the mountain.”
“Affirmative, sir,” Epsilon replied.
I caught up with Talia over the woods, halfway between the McDonough’s house and main campus. Alpha was only a heartbeat behind me.
“Where are the twins?” I sent her. “Are they okay?”
“They’re almost to the house,” she replied.
“Can they both morph?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Send one back to the house. Tell the other to join us,” I ordered.
A moment later, a fourth raven took to the sky. There was a soft snick inside my head when Delta’s mind linked with the group. I took the lead as our foursome sped through the treetops. Tals and Alpha flanked my sides, and Delta brought up the rear of our diamond formation. Even before we reached the clearing, my bird eyes could see the camo-painted RAVs converging on main campus from every direction. One of the instructors’ dorms was on fire. The building where primary classes were taught had a smoldering hole carved out of the top.
Talia’s anxiety spiked. I followed her thoughts to Medical, where five RAVs had surrounded our makeshift prison. They were about to blow up the building and bury our detainees beneath tons of rubble. We couldn’t let that happen. Gracia and Eighteen were valuable hostages, and even evil clones and mercenary bounty hunters didn’t deserve such a horrible death.
But Medical wasn’t the only building in crosshairs.
Divide and conquer, I thought.
Ravens weren’t pack animals like wolves, but our minds connected in such a way that my thoughts became the group’s thoughts. My intentions were the group’s intentions. I didn’t need to dole out orders. Instead, everyone simply reacted as though we’d carefully choreographed the assault ahead of time.
We broke formation simultaneously. I dove and took aim at the RAVs around Medical. Talia went left, towards the admin building. Alpha sped for a line of RAVs on the road between the school’s front gate and main campus. Delta went after the RAVs intent on destroying a storage hover hangar. Those vehicles were our only way out of the area aside from Kip.
Explosion after explosion rocketed through the campus. RAVs burst into flames, while the buildings we couldn’t protect crumpled under heavy artillery fire. Anti-Talent soldiers burst from RAVs that had yet to reach the center of the action. They ran on foot to join the devastation.
We can’t hold them off much longer.
Talia’s thought drew my attention from the second wave of RAVs intent on leveling Medical. Her small bird form circled above the admin building, cawing as though beckoning the next challenger to her kingdom. The wreckage of the RAVs we’d already destroyed blocked the courtyards. More and more of the attacks on the buildings were coming from foot soldiers.
“Converge with Talia,” I sent to the group.
Alpha and Delta also zoomed toward admin as I went to Tals’ aid. Losing Medical and our prisoners were all easy sacrifices when the alternative was losing Alex.
The attackers realized that we weren’t ordinary birds, that we were protecting the admin building for a reason. Their troops must have been redirected our way, because they streamed down the pathways below our hovering bird formation.
Individually, Alpha, Delta, Talia, and I were all capable of taking on dozens of norms at once. We would’ve needed to take on hundreds each to win this battle. We were all using so much energy already. Between sustained morphing while wielding telekinesis and linking our minds, I didn’t know how much longer any of us would last at the power-draining levels we’d reached. Pushing ourselves would only exhaust us faster.
“Trust in the collective,” Alpha sent.
The collective? I didn’t know what she was talking about.
There wasn’t time to dwell on it, not with the army marching toward us and the snipers trying to shoot us down. A bullet whizzed so close to my head, several feathers were singed. I dipped sharply to the right, flying perpendicular to the ground to avoid fire from a shooter on the roof of the practice arena.
Above me, Talia continued to circle, sending wave after unrelenting wave of telekinetic power at the advancing soldiers. Too late, I realized one of the bullets meant for me was on a collision course with my girlfriend’s underbelly.
Talia! I shrieked her name inside my head at the same time my beak opened. A strangled caw tore through the campus.
She wrapped her wings protectively around her body and twirled through the air like an avian ballerina, performing feats no real bird or simple Morpher would be capable of. The vice squeezing my chest loosened too soon. The bullet struck her shoulder and sent her spiraling.
Too far. Too far. I dove, as though there was a chance in hell I could catch her.
I watched, heart in my throat, as my girlfriend plummeted like a stone.
As soon as I heard the thud of her limp body hit the roof of the admin building, the mental connection broke. It must have been Talia linking our minds so completely.
“We’ll hold them off as long as we can,” Alpha sent. The distant, crackling thought reminded me of our early days in the Hunters, when Talia had fought tooth and nail to link our team’s minds.
I touched down on human feet and fell to my knees beside Talia. Blood slicked her neck and chest, flowing freely from the hole in her shoulder. Brushing her hair back from her face, I whispered her name like a question.
“Talia? Can you hear me? Please, Tals, I can’t…you can’t….”
She didn’t respond, but her life force was strong.
Alive. She’s alive, I thought with relief.
“Hey! Freakshow!” a voice screeched. “Just because you bleed, that don’t make you human!”
The heckler was on the roof, ten feet in front of where I huddled over my girlfriend’s still body. I met his
gaze squarely. He raised his gun, aimed the barrel between my eyes, and pulled the trigger.
Time slowed. My overactive crypto brain kicked into analysis mode, giving me more than enough time to analyze the entire scene.
Above us, Alpha and Delta continued to circle. Fatigue was setting in, and they were both running on desperation-fueled adrenaline. Below, anti-Talent soldiers busted through the front doors of the admin building, nearly trampling each other to be the first inside. In the distance, RAVs were plentiful for as far as the eye could see.
We can’t win, I realized.
Even with Talia at her best, the four of us alone wouldn’t last the night.
These are just norms, I thought with a bitter shake of my head. Had this been Gretchen’s army, we’d already be dead. Or, worse, she’d have us all in chains.
Just when I thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, a dozen shimmering orbs appeared amid the smoke wafting in the night sky. The invisibility shields dropped in tandem. A large, unmarked craft hovered directly overhead. Thirteen single-occupant fighter air pods ringed the campus.
My hand reached for Talia’s. I closed my eyes and resigned myself to the end. The doors on the main hover’s underbelly slid open. A thin, lithe figure with flaming red hair leapt through the opening and landed on the roof with feline agility.
A smile slowly spread across my face. The bullet, only a foot from my forehead, exploded midair.
“What are you doing here?” I called. My eyes burned with unshed tears, and my hand clutched Talia’s tighter. Penny strode across the rooftop with a sort of awkward confidence.
“I think the words you’re looking for are ‘Thank you for saving my ass, Penelope’.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cressa
Cressa took a seat in the curved back row of the auditorium, close to the stage. Kev plopped down beside her. This wasn’t the same space where they’d watched Gretchen’s movies of Privileged destruction. Instead, it was brand-new, state-of-the-art, and gleaming white. They’d been led through a series of hallways, also the color of snow, that were separate from the part of the Institute where cadets lived and attended classes. Cressa couldn’t fathom how big the Institute was, but she’d had no idea there was a separate space for the full-fledged Privileged agents under the same roof.
The other seats were filled with people who were dressed identically in structured tops and matching pants. The garments were so white, they practically glowed. Cressa felt like she was surrounded by scores of futuristic pod people. The thought sent a shiver through her, and she scooted as close to Kev as the armrest between them would allow. He was staring at the other people, too, and looked as uneasy as Cressa felt.
The lights dimmed, and the crowd quieted. The Dame walked onto the stage. A spotlight followed her, gleaming off her floor-length coat woven with silver strands. It was stiff and wide at the shoulders, like the Privileged uniforms, but the difference in fabric visibly conveyed that she was in charge.
“Hello, my chosen ones,” Gretchen began. “I am so pleased you are all here to witness this momentous event in Privileged history.” Turning to the side, she made a beckoning gesture.
Perfectly straight lines of people streamed onto the stage. They arranged like a choir behind Gretchen. The group’s uniforms matched the audience’s but had clear patches in varying locations. Cressa leaned forward, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her. It looked like the see-through areas were showing off tattoos in gleaming silver and gold. The markings were all in different shapes, sizes, and placements. Was Cressa going to receive a tattoo, too?
“These are the newest members of our ranks,” the Dame announced when everyone was in place. The entire stage was illuminated now, and the tattoos shone brightly. “Each of these brave souls was captured by UNITED and incarcerated, simply for being who they are.”
A murmur went through the crowd, growing louder until the Privileged audience was practically booing. They fell silent when the Dame held up one hand.
“I know, it has been a tragedy,” she soothed. “But we have rescued our brethren in a stunning victory.” Sweeping one arm to the side, Gretchen motioned to the new ranks on stage. “Some were already Privileged, captured while carrying out goodwill missions. Others are here for the first time, but they’re eager to set the world right. Each and every one of these brave soldiers is committed to keeping the Talented, Created, and Privileged safe from the same torture they endured from UNITED. Whether saved from the Vault prison island or the Created Containment facility, each one has received marks of honor upon joining the Privileged. Every scar they endured has been displayed instead of hidden. We cannot forget—we will not forget—the wounds inflicted by those who wish us harm.”
Seeing the shining golden and silver gleams, Cressa absorbed the Dame’s words. The scars were worn like badges of honor, highlighted for the world to see. Every mark, every gleam, made Cressa feel like she and Kev were on the right side. Surely a benevolent UNITED wouldn’t have tortured each of the prisoners. The organization also voted to kill them all. It wasn’t right.
Propping her elbows on her knees, Cressa surveyed the studied the faces of UNITED’s former prisoners. The youngest of the group looked closer to Daphne’s age. She thought of the little canary, her fellow 2P. Where would she be?
The last time Cressa had seen the younger girl, their class was lined up to receive the rest of the Privileged’s talent signatures. Kev had shocked Cressa, and then their unsuccessful escape event had happened. Cressa wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then; the attempts to bring out her latent talents were disorienting. She peered through the dim lighting of the auditorium at the other audience members, wondering if Daphne was among their numbers. She hoped so, since she didn’t know what would happen to those who couldn’t withstand the procedures.
“Among those rescued are two of our number who I am particularly pleased to welcome home,” the Dame said, drawing Cressa’s attention back to the stage. “Shall we hear about their time away?”
As the audience cheered, a tall man with an impressive blond mohawk left his place in line and joined the Dame. He welcomed the applause with a broad grin and open arms.
“Thank you for the warm welcome, brothers and sisters,” he called, grinning.
The guy looked familiar, though Cressa was sure she’d never met him before. Was he another vid star? She racked her brain, a leaden feeling in her gut when she realized where she’d seen him.
“I am Yari.” He gestured to a girl who crossed the stage to join him. “And this is Svetlana.”
When the silver-haired girl joined Yari, the audience of Privileged leapt to their feet with thunderous applause. Cressa’s fears were confirmed; this was the pair who’d destroyed the CN Tower in Toronto. Her heart pounded at the memory of destruction. Kev yanked Cressa to her feet, shooting a warning look.
“These two brave Privileged demonstrated our strength to the world,” Gretchen praised, clapping along.
Cressa remembered the event vividly, they’d watched it in the Institute. The tourists were simply visiting an old monument. Did they all die? She also remembered the wild spinning of Yari’s eyes as he’d recovered the camera from the wreckage. When Svetlana turned and bowed to the Dame, a long gold scar shone in the stage’s lights. It ran from her ribcage down to her ankles. Was that from the tower’s collapse?
“Dame de Glace rescued me from UNITED,” Svetlana said to the audience. “She could’ve left us there to die, but the Dame is merciful and kind.”
“The Privileged deserve to stand above the rest of humanity,” Yari said with conviction. It almost sounded like they were giving a rehearsed speech. “We have to show the norms that we are taking charge of the world. Without us, the planet lies in chaos. Our resolve for a better system will overcome their will to kill us all.”
“Each one of you is part of this new world order,” the Dame continued. She scanned the audience as if projecting her word
s to every white-clad audience member. “We are all Privileged, and we have overcome a great deal to be here together. The norms have declared war by voting to overturn the Coexistence Treaty. So, war they shall have.”
The Dame stepped back and gestured to the rescued prisoners on the stage. “Will you join those who’ve already sacrificed for our cause?”
She made it sound so noble, Cressa found herself nodding along. How would the Talented and Created survive if the Privileged didn’t intervene? The genocide of those with powers was wrong. Sneaking a glance at Kev, Cressa couldn’t read his expression in the dark. Was the speech affecting him as well? She couldn’t tell.
Yari wrapped an arm around Svetlana’s waist and pulled her close.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the mission of Dame de Glace,” they said in tandem. It was almost creepy the way their voices blended. “We are the Privileged, and it is time for the world to bow to our command.”
The dozens of scarred Privileged behind them took a step forward together and repeated the oath. Their words tugged something deep within Cressa. It was time for the Privileged to take charge.
The Dame walked to the very edge of the platform and nodded once.
“We affirm our commitment to the mission of Dame de Glace,” Cressa said without thinking. Her voice joined the chorus of the entire audience. “We are the Privileged, and it is time for the world to bow to our command.”
Cressa felt a wave of both calm and strength. This was right. This was the best thing for the world. When she turned to Kev, a contented smile on her face, a frown flitted across his. He reached up and stroked her cheek, looking sad for a moment. Back straightening, Kev’s expression transformed to match hers.
“We belong here,” Cressa assured him, wishing he could feel the same resolve that flooded through her.
“Sure,” Kev replied quietly.
The Dame held up one hand and the auditorium quieted. Yari and Svetlana had stepped back to rejoin the first line of Privileged on stage.
