by T. C. Edge
All three of us are quick to report to Drake. We find him already up and busy in the early morning, helping to arrange the rations for breakfast. When he sees us coming he knows that something's wrong.
“What's happening?” he asks as we rush towards him.
“People are being killed at checkpoints,” I say, taking the lead. The other girls nod. We've all seen it. “They're being murdered by soldiers and Custodians as they try to get to us. They're fleeing their towns, dad, and coming to join our cause!”
Drake doesn't show much surprise by my words. He merely nods.
“I know. I've seen it too, Cyra. We all have.”
“We need to stop it!” I say.
“We can't. Not yet. People are taking the risks, but they're their own risks to take. Not everyone is being caught.”
I frown along with Ellie and Athena. Drake's hand points towards a gathering of people over to the side of the camp. I see dozens of them, more. Many vehicles too, broken down old trucks and jeeps parked up against the side of the great wall.
“They're coming from far and wide,” says Drake. “Word has already spread about our victory here, and in the valley below Petram. The trickle has started. It will become a flood.”
And as the day goes on, Drake's clairvoyance turns out to be correct. The people come, finding their way to us from all directions, creeping past checkpoints, arriving by car and on foot and by any means possible. Some arrive weak, hungry, and injured. Others arrive strong, ready to commit to battle.
But one thing they all share in common.
They all arrive free.
24 - Desertion
New arrivals to the camp brings fresh news from the other regions. It seems that what Amy told me is only the tip of the iceberg. That this legend of me being the Golden Girl isn't contained within Agricola alone, but has reached all corners of the country.
But with more people, come more problems. In an echo of the troubles we faced in Petram, as refugees rushed from far and wide across the Deadlands, we now find the same issues beginning to mount. Food sources, for now, are sufficient to satisfy us for a long time, but as more people come, and with our reserve forces inbound, sustaining such an army will once again become a problem.
This time, however, the solutions are easier to come by. Only a little to the East, the region of Agricola lies, the breadbasket of the nation. In towns spread across it, warehouses lie filled with food, many of them unprotected but for the Custodians stationed there to keep the peace.
Another council is quickly convened to discuss the problem. In a day's time, the convoy will return with over a thousand more of our reserve troops. A week or so after that, the rest will have been shipped to us. And in that time, there's no knowing how many other refugees from across the regions will have arrived at our base.
A new strike force is assembled to gather supplies. Led by Troy and Jackson, several dozen of our most capable soldiers set out to the nearest potential stockpiles to the South, using intel given by the people from Agricola who know the lands well. Some, strong enough to join, go with them as guides. Athena, keen for more action, puts her hand up to go too. No one has any objection.
Jackson kisses me before he leaves, and once more I have to watch him go. I'd have hoped that it would be something I'd get used to, but I'm not sure I ever will. I know that, things going well, they should be back by nightfall. The hours until then, however, will be torture.
I make sure to tell Athena to stick close to Jackson at all times as soon as he's out of earshot. I know he doesn't like it when I worry about him, but the simple truth is, as good a soldier as he is, he isn't a Watcher and cannot see into the Void. That gives him a vulnerability that puts me on edge when I think there's no one there to protect him.
“Just don't go throwing any more incendiary grenades, OK,” I quip to Athena.
She snarls at me before marching off.
I try to distract myself as best as possible that day, offering myself up to help wherever I can. Much needs doing, with all new refugees being registered and processed, rations being calculated and distributed, fresh areas cleared for tents and new shelters, and the constant threat of attack being monitored.
Inside the wall, the many control rooms provide the tools to maintain a constant vigil on any incoming threats. Unlike in Petram, where there was only a very basic and archaic provision of technology, here everything is modern, with high tech weapons and communication systems capable of both seeing and repelling any potential enemy force. The Generals set up base within the wall, coordinating from there as the base continues to expand with each passing hour.
Drake, meanwhile, remains on the ground in a more direct role with the soldiers and refugees, supported by Markus and the other officers. Mostly, I go to him to offer myself up for work. His first suggestion is for me to begin training the new recruits on Eden weaponry, taking up the role I once excelled at in Petram. A new training area is configured in a well protected area beyond the wall on the Deadlands, and all new refugees are canvassed for their interest in joining the extended army.
I seek out my old Lieutenants to help me in my venture. With Jackson and Athena currently off on their mission, I go in search of Ellie and Link. I'm told they're both currently questioning new refugees for further intel.
It takes me a while to hunt them down. When I do, I find that they're not currently engaged in any interviews, but are sitting alone to the East of the camp, Ellie hunched up on a rock with her eyes at her feet, and Link's arm draped over her shoulder for comfort. I know, immediately, that something is wrong.
Link's eyes lift to me as I come forward. Ellie's stay down, staring at the dirt.
“Now's not a good time, Cyra,” says Link, a pain in his voice.
I continue forward and kneel down in front of Ellie. When her head raises up I see that her eyes are wet, her cheeks streaked with the residue of salty tears.
“My father's dead,” she says.
The words hit me out of the blue. Her head drops again, and I look at Link for an explanation. Although, I don't really need one.
I know, immediately, that that's why both of them have been questioning the refugees; they've both been trying to find out about their families. Link confirms it, speaking softly.
“People have been coming from everywhere,” he says. “We talked to someone from Ellie's home town in Lignum.” He stops, bites his tongue, and grimaces in anger. Ellie's tears begin flowing again. His arms grip tighter as she curls up against his chest.
“What happened?” I whisper.
“What do you think? The same thing that's happening everywhere. They hanged him in the town square, for speaking up for his daughter. What sort of world is this...” He trails off again, begins whispering softly into Ellie ear.
All I want to do is hug her, tell her it will be OK. But I don't, because those words would be empty. I leave them alone, clasped tightly together in mourning, and know that so many others are going through the same.
I feel sunken as I return to the base, guilty almost that I found my brother and sister alive and Ellie has had to suffer the loss of her only remaining parent. Some will get lucky, like me perhaps, or Jackson, returning here to find his entire family alive and well. Others will suffer loss. Ellie's father, Carson and Cassie's partners, the countless others who have lost their lives. Some, like Athena, have seen their entire families murdered. I wonder how many others have suffered such a terrible fate.
The day drags into night as I wait for word of Jackson's return. I watch the horizon keenly, sitting alone on the ridge, until faint yellow lights appear against the blackness. The small convoy that was sent out rumbles back in. I rush down to see the strike force spill out, seemingly short a few.
Clothes are bloodies, faces dirty. But Jackson, Athena, and Troy are alive.
Jackson comes to me, weary.
“We lost two men,” he says, “and a few others were injured.”
He doesn't mention whe
ther they managed to secure any stocks of food or not. Right now, it hardly seems relevant.
That night, Athena tosses and turns in her sleep. As her powers grow, so will the clarity and strength of her visions. This is all so new to her.
Ellie, however, doesn't return to the dorm. I suspect that she'll still be with Link, either sleeping next to him in his bunk or out on the plains, separated from the rest. I lie awake, worrying about so many things, feeling pain for so many people, and once more drop into a sleep filled with death.
The following day brings with it a fresh influx of refugees. I go in search of Ellie and Link and find only her sitting alone, once more seeking solitude outside the camp. She sits and looks over the lands to the East, seemingly past no man's land, through Agricola, and all the way to Lignum. I sit beside her in silence, no words needed between us.
Eventually, I ask her where Link is.
“He's gone to talk to the new refugees,” she tells me. “He hasn't heard what's happened to his sister. He's afraid she's been killed. Like my...” she trails off, unable to bring herself to speak of her father's death.
“She might be headed here,” I say, trying to raise some hope.
Ellie shakes her head.
“That would be even worse. So many people are dying trying to get here. They'd be best staying where they are and keeping their mouths shut.” Tears begin to trickle down her cheeks once more. “I wish dad had...” she whispers.
I put my arm around her and we stay like that for some time. Behind us, a great noise fills the air as the convoy returns from the Deadlands, packed full with more of our forces. Nearly fifteen hundred more men and women pile out, ready to fight, ready to die.
I turn back and watch as they appear, hundreds of them gathering just inside the wall. As soon as all the vehicles have been emptied, I watch as new drivers step behind the wheels, and they start moving off again into the desert, leaving a dusty smog in their wake. And all the while, Ellie doesn't even turn. She just sits, and stares outwards, completely in her own little world.
“I've been ordered to train more soldiers,” I say softly, trying to get her attention. “Come and help me when you can. It would be good to take your mind off things.”
She nods, gazing forward, and I leave her where she is, heading off to help manage the new arrivals. By the time the day concludes, and I pass by the ridge once more, I see her still out on the rock, staring into the distance, Link now by her side. They appear in quiet discussion, two forlorn figures sharing their grief. It breaks my heart to see my friends in pain.
I visit my father that evening up in the main control room in the wall. I find him with the Generals, pouring over maps and plans. All their eyes rise to me as I enter.
“Cyra, what a surprise,” says General Richter.
Drake inspects me.
“I know that look,” he says. “You want something...”
“We need to do more,” I say. “We can't just sit here. What about the other concentration camps? People are dying out there.”
It's General Sharpe who answers first, perhaps the most uncompromising and obdurate of the lot of them.
“We are well aware of what's going on, Cyra, but understand there's nothing more we can do right now. We're doing everything we can to consolidate our position here and cater to all these people, and there are many more to come. We have everything in hand, I can assure you.”
“But it's not enough. We can't just leave people in those camps. Dad...you saw the one in Agricola. You saw it...”
“I'm afraid General Sharpe is right, Cyra. We cannot afford to split our forces right now. Eden soldiers swarm the lands North and East of here. Many are gathering down at the coast at the naval bases. Splitting our army would only weaken us and make us vulnerable.”
“Then let me leave, let me take a small strike force out there. We can liberate the camps like we did the other one.”
All heads shake simultaneously.
“The camp in Agricola was the largest of all the regions,” says General Sharpe. “The others don't contain enough prisoners to make them worth the risk. In any case, there's no knowing what state they are in now. It's quite possible, given what we're seeing on the roads, that all known agitators are now being executed. Without any usable intel we cannot sanction any such mission.”
I find myself in familiar territory, fighting a losing cause. I leave with a huff, rushing down the metal staircase to an orchestra of clanging footsteps. Above me, I hear others. When I reach the base of the wall, the culprit appears, stopping me before I step out into the night.
“Cyra, don't turn down this path again,” says my father. “Your compassion is weakening your judgement. I'm afraid you'll do something stupid.”
“I won't,” I say firmly. “It's just...Ellie's just found out her father was hanged in the town square. And now, I know that Link is worried about his sister. We got lucky with Carson and Cassie. What about them?”
“I'm sorry to hear that, I truly am. But General Sharpe is right, we cannot send anyone away. We have to stay united here, and pray for the best.” His hands drop to my shoulders, holding me still as I threaten to turn away. “Now promise me...promise me you won't do something rash.”
“I told you, I won't,” I say.
“Say it,” he repeats, glaring at me. “Say I promise.”
“Fine...I promise. Good enough?”
He nods and slips his hands from my shoulders. I turn off into the night and return to my dorm, taking a look out over the ridge as I go. Half expecting to see the double silhouette of Ellie and Link against the pale moon, I see nothing but rocks and shrubbery blowing lightly in the wind. And when I reach the dorm, Ellie's bunk is once more empty.
“Have you seen her?” asks Athena, sitting in bed as I glance at Ellie's, neatly made up and unused. “I heard her father died?”
“Yeah...” I say.
“I understand what it's like,” she says quietly. “I hope she's OK. Ellie's strong.”
“She is...she'll get through this.”
“The trainee Watchers arrived today, you know. With the convoy.”
Somehow that slipped my attention. I shake my head and say: “I didn't know.”
“They want me to help look after them, put them in some quiet quarters somewhere on the wall where they can just look for visions all day.”
I shrug.
“I guess that's sensible. It's the best thing they can contribute.”
“Yeah, not me though. I want to be out there on the front line.”
“I know you do, honey. Trust me, whenever there's a dangerous mission, you're one of the first on the team list.”
She smiles.
“Good. It's the only way I want it.”
And with that, I flick the light off on the wall to bring an end to the conversation. I climb into bed, struggling to sleep, an uncomfortable feeling settling inside me. My father told me not to do anything stupid, but I get the feeling it isn't me he should be worried about.
And when I wake, and leave the dorm to begin my day, I find that my intuition was spot on.
Neither Ellie nor Link are anywhere to be found.
25 - The Golden Girl
“Have you checked everywhere?” asks Drake, as if I've lost my keys.
“The camp is a big place, and there are thousands of people here,” I say, agitated. “So no, I haven't personally checked everywhere, but I looked anywhere Ellie or Link might be and they're not there. I've asked around and no one has seen them. And, to put the nail in the coffin, one of the vehicles is missing from the collection gathered in the West of the camp. Dad, they're gone. And I know where.”
“Enlighten me.”
“It doesn't take a damn genius! Fossor of course. They've gone to look for Link's sister, and any other family or friends he's got there.”
“But...why just the two of them?”
I glare at my father, unable to work out if he's being deliberately obtuse.
> “Because they knew you wouldn't sanction a mission out there. You told me that yourself last night.”
“Did you pass that on?” he asks, his eyes narrowing, as if it's my fault they've jumped ship.
“No, I didn't. I would have done if I'd seen them, but they must have left in the night.”
“I would have thought they'd come to you,” says Drake. “I mean, we all know what Link can do, but Ellie is vulnerable. I just don't understand it...”
I get the sense that he's more concerned by the fact that he's lost such a powerful asset as Link, not that two of my closest friends have run off into enemy held territory alone. I'd have thought by now he would have semblance of caring for them, or at least Ellie. Perhaps not...
“We have to send a party after them,” I say firmly. “To go and help.”
“No,” says Drake quickly. “It would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and they have several hours' head start. We'd never find them.” His voice is tense, but softens enough to give me at least some comfort. “Sweetheart, we're talking about Link here. I'm sure they'll be fine.”
Well, that makes one of us...
Seeing I'm not convinced, he pulls me into a hug, and whispers into my ear: “don't do anything stupid,” he says. “You promised, remember...”
I pull away from him, deflated.
“I told you, I won't,” I say, lightly crossing my fingers behind my back, just in case.
The hours that follow paint some light on the situation. A guard says that he saw a vehicle leaving, going North, at around three in the morning. Presumably, they'll be travelling off road and on quiet tracks as much as possible to stay out of sight. Even Link, with all his power, won't want to place Ellie into any unnecessary fire fights.
I know there's nothing I can do but to trust them, and get on with my duty here. But really, neither are in a sound state of mind right now – Link, full of worry; Ellie, in mourning – to make such a decision. I can only pray that, with everything that's going on across the mainland, they're able to slip through unseen.
