by Sophie Davis
UNITED set up our own base camp in a deserted fishing village about twenty miles north of Interlaken. Gretchen’s forces knew we were there, since they would’ve seen us from the hovers that kept flying over.
“We should just shoot them down already,” I grumbled when another hovercraft flew past. It was the third in the last hour.
“You know why we can’t,” Henri replied quietly. He took a large bite from the dehydrated chicken strip he was holding. His mouth full, he added, “It’ll make us look as bad as Gretchen is claiming.”
We were on lookout duty, hidden high in the Alps with long-range binoculars and heavy artillery. Henri and the team of UNITED agents who’d been stuck in the ravine together were all fine, though extremely hungry. Several of the civilians they’d been escorting to Interlaken were hurt, but nothing more serious than a broken leg. Medics were tending to the injured at base camp.
Both Frederick and I suggested that Henri rest and maybe even leave Switzerland. He refused numerous times, insisting that he wasn’t going to miss this fight.
“Don’t you think they’ll feel like we’re the bad guys when we rain fire on them?” I countered.
“Not if everything goes as planned,” Henri replied patiently.
He was the one who’d been stuck on a mountain for days with limited food, and I was still the grumpy one.
I knew why we were in Switzerland. Between Interlaken’s proximity to UNITED headquarters and the space it provided for exiled Talented, losing the town would be detrimental to us. On the other hand, with so much of Gretchen’s army there, a win for us would slow her progress on the road to world domination.
I just wanted my girlfriend back. As anyone unlucky enough to encounter me would attest, my shitty mood wouldn’t improve until that happened.
“You don’t really believe that Ian going over there with a megaphone and an ultimatum will work, do you?” I asked.
Henri shook his head. “Of course not. It’s a political move, you know that. Ian makes the offer to let them vacate, or we attack. They say no. Ian counters by asking them to at least let the exiled go free.”
“Think they’ll go for that?” I asked.
Henri shrugged. “I don’t know. I can see it playing out either way.”
Through my binoculars, I caught sight of a small hover headed our way.
“Looks like our relief is here,” I told Henri. “Maybe you can get some real food when we get back to camp.”
“This is real food.” He held up another chicken strip. “So much better than raw fish. I hate eating when I’m morphed. It’s good at the time, but I always feel sick later.”
The two people who arrived in the hover weren’t our relief; it was Frederick and Alpha. Henri’s boyfriend had been strangely protective of the Clearwood girl. It wasn’t terribly strange, since her brother did save Frederick’s life.
“Hey, what’s up?” I called.
Fredrick was piloting the hover, Alpha beside him. They didn’t get out. Instead, the window rolled down.
This can’t be good, I thought.
“Ian wants you both back at base camp right now,” Frederick informed us. “Get in.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for our replacements?” Henri asked.
Frederick shook his head. “No. This is too important.”
“What’s going on?” I asked, refusing to move until someone answered my question.
“I think I should let Ian tell you.” Frederick’s expression was distinctly uncomfortable. He kept tapping the controls with his fingers.
“I’d rather hear it from you,” I said pointedly.
It was Alpha who answered. “They’ve intercepted communications that suggest Gretchen McDonough is on her way to Interlaken.”
“Really?” Henri rubbed his chin. “Interesting.”
I met Alpha’s gaze, since she was the only one being candid with me. “What aren’t you saying?”
“They believe Talia might be with her,” Alpha admitted.
“Might be. Not definitely,” Frederick added quickly.
I wasn’t sure whether this was good news or bad news.
“Likely bad news,” Alpha said. She blushed. “Sorry. Your thoughts are unusually strong today.”
“I’ll work on that,” I replied dryly.
The back doors of the hover opened, and Henri and I climbed in. I was in no hurry to return to base camp, and I definitely wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming conversation with Ian. Alpha was right that it was likely not good news about Gretchen having Talia with her. My mind conjured a million ways the next few hours could play out, each one worse than the one before it.
I met with Ian alone in his operations tent. Though I’d asked my friends to wait outside, I was a little surprised none of the other members of the UNITED council or even Brand was waiting with Ian when I entered.
“They told you?” he guessed when he saw my face.
I nodded, and Ian gestured to one of the seats in front of portable wallscreen. He’d been watching the feeds from the surveillance drones in France but turned them off as I eased down in a chair.
“Do you really think Talia is with her?” I asked flatly.
He studied me for a long time before responding. “Honestly, no. I think, for whatever reason, Gretchen wants us to believe that. Maybe she’s hoping it will prevent us from shooting down her hover. If so,” he shrugged, “she’s right. Like I said, I don’t believe Talia is with her. But I also won’t authorize an attack on the hover just in case she is.”
“Not sure everyone on the council would agree with that decision,” I replied stiffly.
“Probably not,” Ian agreed as he sat across from me. “But they aren’t in charge, I am. This isn’t a topic that needs to be put to a vote, either. Really, it isn’t only Talia’s possible presence that is preventing me from issuing a takedown order.”
“You’re afraid too many people already agree with her agenda,” I guessed.
He nodded in agreement. “Gretchen may be a fanatic with a very skewed idea of reality, but she’s done a brilliant job orchestrating the perfect chaos. Our people are angry. They want recompense for what’s been taken from them, for the way we’ve been treated.”
“I don’t blame them,” I replied truthfully. Talented had been persecuted since the Great Contamination. Our kind had been caged, hunted, created, and experimented on. We’d also forced into exile. Of course we were upset.
“Me neither.” Ian rubbed his temples. “That said, I don’t believe that more violence is the answer. I want to end this with Gretchen McDonough now. Then, we can focus on cleaning up the mess she’s crafted.”
“Um, okay….” I narrowed my eyes. “Are you saying you do want to take down her hover?”
“No. No.” Ian shook his head. “She needs to land safely. We need for those who agree with her to see Gretchen for who she really is.”
“We could just tell them,” I suggested.
“We could. Except, few will believe it,” Ian hedged. “The average civilian doesn’t know about clandestine organizations like Nightshade. They’ve never heard of an island called Paradis that was destroyed decades ago. Saying that the treaty vote was rigged vote to fail? It’ll sound like a conspiracy theory.” He leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “For now, I’m betting that Gretchen won’t let the exiled Talented leave. Hopefully, that will help turn public opinion against her.”
I agreed with the assumption. But, like Henri had said earlier, it could really go either way. I could see the rationale for either decision. What I didn’t understand was why Ian was telling me any of this.
“What’s your point?” I finally asked.
He fixed me with a hard stare. “I don’t know if we can defeat her army. Our people are better trained, but she has numbers on her side right now. If we lose this battle, people won’t care that she held thousands of refugees hostage. Gretchen McDonough will spin the facts to fit her narrative. Those of us who are
left standing will be branded liars and traitor.”
Finally, I understood why he chose to see me alone. “You want me to kill Gretchen. Done.” I sat back and crossed my arms over my chest. “You could’ve just led with that.”
Despite the exhaustion weighing him down, Ian gave a bark of laughter before turning serious again. “I want you to understand what I’m asking and why it’s so important.”
“I get it,” I said. “Even if UNITED loses the battle, Gretchen will be dead. It’ll be like winning the war regardless. I’m in.”
“Once the attack begins, Gretchen will have to be your only target,” Ian pressed, as though his meaning wasn’t clear before.
Suddenly, his true meaning hit me all at once. “You don’t want me to fight.”
“I don’t,” Ian said without hesitation. “I want you to find Gretchen, and I want you to kill her.” He was so matter-of-fact, so emotionless. Not cold, though. It was more like he’d shelved his personal feelings for the time being. The ability to do just that was why he made such a good leader.
“No matter what you see, no matter who needs help, this is your singular mission. Nothing else matters. We might not get another opportunity to take her out,” he continued.
Blowing out a deep breath, I prepared to assure him I was up for the task. Instead, the words that left my mouth were a question. “Why me?”
The silence stretched for so long, I started to wonder if he was going to answer at all. Ian sighed and let his head drop into his hands. When he met my gaze again, his eyes were wet.
“Gretchen will be well protected. She’ll be surrounded by the strongest and most skilled of her people. They will have multiple abilities and no regard for their own lives. There are very few people who even have a prayer of getting close enough to Gretchen to kill her. Actually, only two people who are here might have the chance.”
Me and Penny, I realized.
“I’m sorry, Erik. Using that much power…,” he pursed his lips as a single tear rolled down his cheek. “It will speed up your mental deterioration. Frankly, it would kill Penelope, and I’m just not ready to let her go.”
There were several snarky, jerky responses I could’ve made. I didn’t, though, because I understood. Had our roles been reversed, I would’ve done the same thing.
Ian watched me closely as I stood. He was clearly nervous that I might refuse now that I had the full truth and scope of what he was asking. Giving him a tight-lipped smile, I swallowed the fear of losing my sanity.
“Don’t apologize,” I insisted. “I’m in.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Talia
Flying all the way to Interlaken with Alex and Cadence on my back was not going to happen. I wasn’t physically strong enough, and I refused to put their lives in danger by attempting the trek. Plus, the last time I’d attempted to fly somewhere with only a vague idea of where I was going, I was struck by lightning. I’d also almost drowned, and then I nearly froze to death on the icy shores of an island nowhere near my destination.
Stealing a hovercraft seemed like a much better option. The farm owners had a rec hover in their garage. Though it was older than I was, it did have navigation. There were no cloaking abilities, but my talents were all we needed to get through border control. Loaded up with pilfered apples, cheese, and milk, we set off before sunrise. Alex slept most of the way, and Cadence nodded off several times.
I used the quiet time to think. Mostly, I thought about my parents. I considered how different my life might’ve been if my father hadn’t invented a prenatal drug, if my mother had refused to take it, if either had been honest with me about my abilities, and what might’ve happened if my father had agreed to give Mac the completed formula for the creation drug or the radioactive lake water from Paradis.
Did the lies bother me? Not as much as I’d anticipated. Would knowing the truth as a child have truly made a difference? Unlikely. Were my talents only so strong because of what my parents had done? Probably, but I’d never really know. Did any of it really matter now? No.
The past was the past.
I tried reaching out to Erik several times; he was either too far away or blocking his mind. That was okay, though. I’d see him soon enough. Of course, if I’d know what was waiting for me in Switzerland, I might’ve tried harder. I would’ve also stolen some shoes.
“Hey, where are we?” Cadence mumbled, rubbing her bleary eyes.
I glanced at the navigation screen. “Fifty miles out from Interlaken. I’m thinking we should stop soon, though. Maybe you could stay with Alex while I do recon? I have no idea what we’re going to find down there.”
“Sounds like a plan.” She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. “There are a lot of old ski lodges in this area, most of them abandoned or unused.”
“Good call.” I peered out the window at a snowcapped mountain to my left. “Hope you don’t mind the cold.”
“As long as there is a shower with running water, I couldn’t care less,” Cadence replied.
It turned out that ski lodges in Switzerland were super nice. Owners also kept entire cold weather wardrobes in the closets, allowing us to change. Not only did the one we pick have running water, the water was hot. There wasn’t much food but enough for lunch. I also planned to be back for them long before it became an issue.
There was a playroom with a few toys and games to occupy Alex. I left him there while I raided the closest and Cadence showered. Packing a bag, I included a change of clothes, good quality snow boots for when I landed, and a few cans of soup from the pantry just in case.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” I promised Cadence. “A few hours at most.”
“We’ll be fine,” she assured me.
I hesitated. “If I’m not back—”
“Talia, don’t,” Cadence cut me off. She forced a smirk and nudged my arm. “You’ll be back. You’re not that easy to get rid. You’re like mold. Or a plague virus.”
I rolled my eyes. “Tomorrow. If I’m not back by tomorrow—”
She started to protest, but I talked over her. “Go to Bern,” I continued. “Take Alex to UNITED headquarters. They’ll help you both get somewhere safe. Cadence, I need you to promise me….” I trailed off, fighting back tears that I didn’t have time to cry.
She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to him.” She held up her index finger and jabbed it in my face. “But you have to promise me that you’ll take care of yourself. Come back to him.”
“Promise.” I managed a weak smile and leaned in for a hug. “I’ll see you soon.”
Saying goodbye to Alex was harder. It was temporary, and I kept reminding myself of that. It would be just a few hours. Then, Erik and I would come back together. We’d take Alex…somewhere. That’s what I told him, too.
“Will you look after Cadence while I’m gone?” I asked, squeezing him to me. “Can you do that for me?”
Alex nodded. “I’ll make sure she eats and sleeps and takes her baths.”
I laughed softly. “Good, I won’t worry about her.” Pulling back from the embrace, I studied every detail of his little face and committed them to memory. “Alex, while I’m gone, don’t try to see me. Okay?”
There was no telling what I would find in Interlaken. Between Gretchen’s Privileged soldiers and the UNITED agents, I wasn’t sure which side posed a greater threat to my safety. Either way, Alex didn’t need to witness it.
He wrapped one little fist around a chunk of my hair, stroking the strands like I was a family pet. “You’ll be back today?”
“Tomorrow at the latest,” I promised.
“Okay. Hurry.” Throwing his arms around my neck, he whispered in my ear, “I love you.”
My heart melted into molten lava. “I love you, too.”
Before I changed my mind and stayed on the snowy mountaintop with Alex forever, I left.
With my bird vision, I saw the hovercrafts from miles away. There were so
many, I couldn’t have missed them in human form either. It seemed the entire UNITED fleet was converging on Interlaken. I didn’t dare get too close and risk being spotted on radar, but I was close enough to observe the action.
The hovers traveled in a diamond formation with the largest at the center.
Worker bees protecting their queen, I thought.
In this case, it was their king. Crane, and most likely Erik, were on that middle hover. The crafts were moving at a slow, steady pace. It wasn’t a sneak attack, most likely not an attack at all. Not yet, anyway.
Battle had a certain smell. It was a bitter taste, a tangible quality that warned of its impending arrival. The air was always still in those moments, like mother nature was holding her breath. Even the animals felt the calm before the storm. They feared it. They fled from it. They hid from it. If I’d been smart, I might have run too.
Not much longer now, I thought.
As if on cue, the fleet came to a standstill. The lake between the two mountains surrounding Interlaken shimmered. Then, the largest hologram I’d ever seen appeared. Crane, one thousand times larger than life, stood over the encampment. He wore the formal UNITED military uniform with a half-dozen medals pinned to his lapel. Awe-inspiring was the only term that came to mind. Judging by the thousands of upturned faces, mouths agape and eyes wide, I wasn’t the only one who thought so.
“My name is Ian Crane,” he began, tone somber but kind. “I am the current head of the UNITED council, Interim President of the United States, and the American delegate to the Joint Nations.”
Way to title drop. The corner of my lips twerked with the thought.
“Many of you believe that UNITED has failed our kind,” Crane continued. His arms hung loose at his sides, his posture rigid. Keen, midnight blue eyes stared down at the crowd he addressed. “In many ways, you’d be correct. We failed to anticipate the ruthless and devasting attack on the Isle of Exile. It was perpetrated by those of our own kind, no less.”
