by T. C. Edge
His head shakes.
“Not me.”
“Knight...” I whisper.
He stops a couple of metres from me. So close now, I see his hands shaking a little, balling into fists. I fear an attack looming, and have no idea whether I'll be able to stop it. I consider calling to Jackson beyond the door and down the corridor, but know there would be nothing he could do.
But something else stops me. Something seems different in him.
“Are you going to take me to him?” I ask.
“Him...” he repeats, his countenance darkening further. “No...I'm not going to take you.”
He turns back, slowly, his gaze twisting towards the door.
“I didn't believe it until I came here...until I saw it for myself,” he says softly. “This place...it's inhumane.”
He looks back around at me, then gestures into the darkness of the large room.
“They kill people in here,” he says. “This building. This is where their lives end.”
I think again of Carson and Cassie, of Jackson's family. Are they out there in one of the rooms, waiting to be executed? Have they already seen their fates sealed? Are we too late?
A sudden rush floods me again, and I step towards the exit. Ajax's hand rises up to stop me.
“Your family are safe,” he says. “They were taken here to lure you in. I can't be part of this any more. I won't.”
“Safe...” I whisper. “Where?”
“In this building, down the corridor. They're OK, Cyra.”
“I...I don't understand,” I say. “Why are you doing this?”
He takes a moment before replying.
“I have lived my life for someone else. Somewhere along the way, I got lost, became blind to what was happening around me. I have woken up, Cyra. This world isn't what I thought it was.”
I reach out to him.
“Then come with us,” I say. “Help us.”
His head starts to shake.
“I can't come with you...”
“You can! Knight has manipulated you along with everyone else. You don't have to serve him any more.”
“No...I can't come with you, because I'll do more good back on Eden.”
My eyebrows drop. The flicker of a smile arches in the corners of his mouth.
“You mean...
“Yes,” he says, nodding. “I'm going to help you finish what you started. I'm going to help you kill Augustus Knight.”
Suddenly, from beyond the door, the sound of activity reaches our ears. The movement of bodies, the breaking of doors, the hurried voice of Jackson speaking loudly and issuing instructions.
Ajax's strong hand reaches to my shoulder.
“My men are alive,” he says. “I didn't kill them, I only knocked them out. Bind then, take them with you. Eden cannot know what I did.”
The noise outside grows further, and Ajax's voice hurries faster.
“Take this,” he says. His hand reaches into his pocket and retrieves a small device. “It will allow us to communicate directly. Knight is growing unstable, Cyra. He is becoming more vulnerable, but also more dangerous. An opportunity will come...”
“Take me with you,” I say suddenly, without thinking. “You came here to capture me, so capture me. We can take Knight out together from the inside...”
“It's too risky, it wouldn't work.”
“Why not!”
“Because I know what Knight is capable of. I know what he can do. You and me, we wouldn't be enough. We'd both be killed.”
“Then what? How will we ever kill him?”
“Keep doing what you're doing. The more erratic he becomes, the more his powers will wane. He's losing focus, I see it daily. You've started something he didn't see coming, and he hates that.”
Suddenly, Ajax's head turns back to the door. Moments later, it opens fast, Jackson appearing with his rifle hard against his shoulder, breathing heavily.
“Cyra! Get down!”
He fires fast at Ajax. I see the bullets tear through the darkness, Ajax stepping easily away from them. They crack into the back wall as I raise my hand and shout for him to stop.
“He's on our damn side!” I shout.
Jackson's gun comes to a sudden halt. He tentatively steps into the room, still aiming at Ajax's head.
“Jack, lower the weapon. It's OK, really...”
“What's going on here?”
“I'll explain later,” I say. “Did you find them?”
He nods.
“All of them?”
“They're outside with the others. Our families are safe, Cy,” he says. The relief in his voice is so clear, but he remains vigilant with Ajax in the room.
I run forward and hug him tight.
“I told you,” I whisper. “Didn't I tell you.”
I can feel him still staring at Ajax over my shoulder. He whispers into my ear: “why is he here.”
I pull back as Ajax takes a step backwards.
“Cyra, I must go. We need to bide our time. An opportunity will arise.”
He turns to leave, moving towards the back where a small door leads, presumably, out towards the rear of the camp.
“Ajax,” I say, before he reaches the exit. He turns around. “I knew you were a good man all along. I always believed it.”
He smiles, but says nothing. Then he disappears out of the door and into the dark night.
“OK, Cy, what the hell is going on here?” asks Jackson for a third time.
I take his cheek in my palm and kiss his lips.
“Later, I say. I have to see my family...”
Together we rush out of the door, down the corridor, and into the night. Torch lights cut through the darkness as the rest of the team gather the camp's occupants together. By now, all barracks appear to have been opened up and emptied out. Ahead of me, several hundred people swarm.
I scan for any sight of my brother and sister. It's Jackson who sees them first.
“There,” he says, his finger pointing them out.
I look to see my father already with them. Cassie stands curled up in his arms. Carson hovers beside them, watching. I run towards them as quickly as my legs can carry me. Carson sees me coming, opens up his arms, and I fill the space between them.
He's thinner than I ever knew him to be. Once a strong young man, his body has withered away in this place. His cheeks look sunken and gaunt as I pull back, his eyes hollow and empty. There's a deep well of pain inside them. I fear I know the cause.
“Lilly?” I ask hesitantly.
At the mention of the name I see his heart break all over again. I know right then and there that the beautiful girl he was Paired with several years ago is dead.
I pull him into a renewed hug and don't let go until I feel the touch of bony fingers on my back. I turn and see Cassie's stricken visage greet me, her eyes filled with tears. My beloved sister hugs me tight and kisses my cheek.
“I knew you'd come,” she whispers. “Somehow I knew it...”
All around us, other families and friends embrace. Those who were sent to the far building to die return to their loved ones, breaking down in the dirt. I see many people approaching the other members of the team, hugging them, kissing them, taking their hands and refusing to let go.
We are now liberators. We are now saviours.
I see Drake, over Cassie's shoulder, with a tear in his eye. Never one to show emotion, the sight of his children, so unrecognisable, has tipped him over the edge. The last time he saw them they were happy, healthy children. Now, they're half dead, their lives wrecked. Carson's own wife has been killed. I have little doubt that the same evil has befallen Cassie.
And all to get to me...
We stay as a family for a time, hardly speaking but locked into each other's arms. Only when Troy steps in to speak to Drake do I remember that I have a job to do.
I leave my brother and sister with the other prisoners and join our team over to one side. Wiping a tear from his cheek, Drake
composes himself and speaks.
“Some of these people are in bad shape,” he says. “They need food and water. Others are healthy enough to be armed. I've spoken to Stein back on the ship and told him to bring it here. We have stocks on there for this very purpose. Troy, Link, Athena, and Markus, I want you organising these people into groups; those who can fight, and those who can't. We don't have much time here.”
The four nod and begin setting about their tasks. Drake turns to Ellie.
“Ellie, I saw some huts outside the camp near the entrance. They must have some stores here. Go and check them out.”
Ellie nods and begins rushing off towards the entrance to the camp.
“Dad, there's something you need to know.”
Drake looks to me.
“What?”
“In there,” I say, nodding towards the far building, “there are a bunch of Eden soldiers, knocked out. We need to bind them.”
“Why didn't you kill them?” he asks, glaring. Clearly any compassion he has for those from Eden has been stamped right out by what he's seen here, by the sight of his children in such a state.
“It wasn't me,” I say. “It was Ajax.”
Drake's eyes widen, looking around.
“Ajax...he's here?!”
“He left,” adds Jackson.
“Where? And what the hell is he doing knocking out his own men?!”
“Because he's done what I always hoped he might,” I say. “He's defected, dad. He's going to help us.”
Drake seems slightly stunned to silence. His eyes narrow, his face seeming to sharpen. When he next speaks, his voice has gone lower, as if it's slightly muted against the hope of gaining such a powerful ally.
“Can we...can we trust him?” he questions.
Jackson looks at me, seemingly unconvinced. But he doesn't know Ajax like I do. No one except Link does.
“We can trust him,” I say. “We can trust him.”
Drake begins nodding, and looks out over the people. At his children, weakened but saved. At Jackson's family, all of them alive. At the hundreds of others, some too frail to fight, others with grit in their eyes, ready to join our cause.
“The tide is turning,” he says. “We might just have a chance.”
And with those words, he leads the three of us inside the building to bind the Eden soldiers and strip them of anything we can use. By the time we return, the plane has landed in the centre of the camp, Stein already out and helping to shuttle food and water out to those who need it most.
Anyone who appears seriously malnourished is treated most carefully. They are few and far between. Many appear as Stein was when we broke him out of Tartarus; hungry and slightly frail, but not life threateningly so. Their strength, I know, will return quickly. All here will have lived through the difficulty of rationing their whole lives. They will be used to the feeling of having an empty stomach.
It's easy to see how long some have been here compared to others. My brother and sister, clearly, have been here for a little while longer than most. Others appear healthier and stronger, perhaps only recently added to the denizens of this awful place.
But even those who appear weak still step forward when asked if they want to fight. As the stores of weapons and ammo we brought from Petram are unloaded, their hands eagerly reach out to grasp them.
I watch on and nod as each weapon is handed out. See the determination in these people's eyes as they take hold of their own destinies for the first time in their lives. Resigned to death, they have each been given a second chance.
And as the hours pass, and the night moves on, our small force begins to grow. And in my mind, my father's own words echo.
The tide is turning...we might just have a chance.
21 - Counterstrike
“We can't delay. We have to leave, sir. I know they're coming...I can feel it.”
Link's portentous words are the ones that galvanise us into quick action as first light dawns. Across the open plains outside of the camp, the people from Agricola sleep, no one willing to return to their barracks to rest. They're quickly awoken by the members of our task force, bodies stretching out under the sunrise, preparing for a hasty exit.
In the camp, however, more work needs to be done. With the help of a few newly freed prisoners, the dead guards are moved into barracks and out of sight. The Eden soldiers knocked unconscious by Ajax are then moved out to join the ranks beyond the boundary of the camp. Their hands tied and mouths gagged, they all look around in total bewilderment at their plight. None of them will have seen Ajax's attack coming.
In the plane, the most in need of medical attention rest. A short discussion between Drake, Troy, Markus, and Stein leads to the conclusion that they need to be transported back to Petram for their own safety, and ours.
“They will only slow us down and be a burden,” I overhear Markus say.
It's a tough stance, but a fair one given the situation. The rest agree and, with the sun still yet to fully rise, Stein lifts off and sets his path back to the great mountain city. I feel sad to see him go, his advice and sense of humour always a great comfort to me, but know he'll be back as soon as he can.
In typical fashion, he offers me a wink before climbing aboard the plane, flashing that well worn yellow smile as he does so. I smile back before joining the rest of our strike force just outside the camp.
Drake is once more briefing us on the immediate plan of action.
“According to Link,” he starts, “a new shift of guards will be arriving soon to take over command of the camp. This is good news for us.”
I frown and question why.
“Troy...” says Drake, handing him the floor.
“We have performed an inventory of the vehicles stationed outside of the base,” says Troy. “There are several large transports, but not enough to carry all of these people. If what Link says is true, and a new group of guards is coming, we might just find ourselves with enough vehicles to journey to the wall on wheels, not on foot.”
“Which,” adds Markus, “is essential. Generals Richter and Sharpe should be arriving this evening with the main strike force from Petram. We need to coordinate an attack from this side of the wall to limit our casualties and get them through as seamlessly as possible.”
“OK,” I say. “So what's the plan?”
Drake's eyes scan over the camp, and his nose curls up in disgust.
“Places like this shouldn't exist,” he growls. “We're going to destroy it before we leave, set a trap for the incoming guards.”
“Kill them?” I ask.
“Yes,” he says firmly. “And before you say anything, no, they're not innocent. Not these guards. Not these men. No one who guards this base is innocent. No one.”
I don't retaliate with my own concerns. They've been well publicised by me on multiple occasions by now and I'm sure everyone has had enough of my apparent weakness. I can tell there's a collective detachment now to killing. In war, such a thing is necessary. Yet still, it all leaves a sour taste in my mouth.
The meeting comes to a swift conclusion soon after, and we set about our tasks. From the stores of arms taken from the plane, we gather together the explosives brought, presumably, for this very task. It seems to be that Drake had this in mind all along.
Going from barrack to barrack, charges are set inside. The external gate and the large warehouse at the end used for the purposes of death are similarly rigged. As we work, Ellie, Athena, and Markus are tasked with moving the previous occupants of the camp further out of sight. When the new guards arrive, it's critical that they assume nothing is wrong.
The entire operation is performed with pace and without hiccups. By the time Troy, Jackson, Link, Drake, and myself retreat from the camp we find that the rest are hard to spot. Dressed once more in our Eden soldiers uniforms, we discover through the communicators in our helmets that they have moved westwards over a section of rocky hills.
“Excellent,” announces Drake over
the comms. “Stay there for now, Markus, and return when I give you the go ahead.”
“Copy that,” says Markus.
The rest of us take up our positions a little way out from the camp, hidden amidst the shrubbery of the open plain. Unlike the previous night when we approached under the cover of dark, we're a little more conspicuous, so are sure to retreat far enough away and lie completely still as we wait.
With the sun now climbing a little higher in the air, drenching the open lands in a warm yellow glow, the sight of dust kicked up in the distance reaches our eyes. We all spy it simultaneously, turning to watch as a small convoy of vehicles rumbles along the dirt track towards the camp.
I see a regular jeep leading the way, followed by a couple of transports. A concern darts up through me.
“What if they're bringing more prisoners in?” I ask Drake.
“Then we go to plan B,” he says, without elaborating on exactly what that means.
We all watch closely as the convoy pulls up, stopping outside of the front gate. To my great relief, only guards climb out of the leading jeep and the transport immediately behind. The third, seemingly, is empty of soldiers.
A ripple of confusion appears to pass through the new supply of guards. A quick count tells me that there's a couple dozen of them, here to replace the previous twenty four, now deceased. These men have no idea that they're about to join them.
The camp lying empty ahead is clearly causing some confusion among the new guards. A few orders are barked as weapons rise up and take aim ahead. In battle formation, they enter, creeping towards the first barracks on the left and right. They find nothing inside. Thankfully, our charges are well hidden.
In they go, one by one, stretching out to check the other shelters. I see Drake's keen eyes watching closely through the visor of his helmet, his finger lying in wait on the trigger for the explosives.
“Nearly...” he whispers to himself. “Just a little more...”
Soon, every one of them is inside the camp, many rushing now from barrack to barrack in confusion as they find each one empty. Timing things perfectly, Drake slams his finger down on the button, setting off the explosives with most guards now near, or inside, one of the shelters.
The sight ahead is astonishing, the sound equally so. Exploding as one, the entire camp lights up into a huge ball of flame, rising from all corners high into the air. The boom is louder than anything I've ever heard, so forceful it shakes the insides of my body, sending heavy tremors through the earth. We all watch in wonder as the flames swirl up and gather into a thick black cloud, stretching skyward towards the heavens.
