The Ark

by Laura Liddell Nolen

  The room was enormous, with rounded corners paved by pale, intricately patterned wallpaper that was reflected in the white marble of the floor. The room had no fluorescent lights. Instead, a series of colored fixtures hung low from the ceiling in a wide semicircle, creating an arc of light. The farthest light shone on a heavy desk. The arc of light swept through the room and ended with a small square lamp over a thick red couch.

  The effect was staggering, but the most unbelievable feature of the room was located perfectly in the center of the floor: a soft, low fountain. The fountain was lit from underneath the water. It bubbled and changed shapes slowly.

  The Commander reached behind us to secure the lock on the door. “I see she appreciates my little memorial,” he said. He crossed the short distance to the couch and sank into it, throwing an arm across the back of the cushions. “Welcome. I’ve been hoping to have you here for some time.” He crossed an ankle over his knee and regarded me frankly, then spoke to Eren. “She’s younger than I expected.”

  “Father, about that. I’m not convinced—”

  “Doesn’t matter, son. You can spare me the time.” The Commander frowned at Eren, then pursed his lips and continued. “Although I must admit that I was impressed with your display in front of the cameras. You might have learned a few things in spite of your folly of the past few days. I had hoped as much, which is why I allowed the soldiers to enter before the cameras. I scarcely thought you’d have the wits to shape up before they arrived, but you’ve done at least one thing right. Combined with my influence, it should be enough to keep you from prosecution.” He cocked an eyebrow and looked from me to Eren. “Do we have a name?”

  My mouth clamped shut. I hadn’t even realized it was open.

  Eren released my arm. He tried to meet my eye, but I looked away, and he turned to his father. “No. Only Magda, so far. But she’s just a stowaway. She was looking for a way out. Millions of people did that.”

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Most of those millions of other people lacked the resources to pull it off as she did. We can’t rule out the idea that she’s connected to the tragedy on Five, either. There may be one on every ship. A shadow team of misguided souls grieved enough to carry out a grudge mission. They’re likely working from a master plan to overthrow us and invalidate the Treaty. We don’t know how she got her hands on that poor doctor’s OPT pass, but I can assure you that Cecelia Turner didn’t give it to her willingly. The truth is that she’s a killer at best, and at worst, a threat to the safety of the Ark. We will be wise to handle her accordingly.”

  “You can’t possibly believe in the Remnant. Those are just stories.”

  “Stories like that have a way of complicating things for people like me.” The Commander glared at Eren. “So do people like her. She’s dangerous, Eren.”

  “She’s not involved in that stuff on Five, and you know it.”

  “If it were up to me, I’d execute her right here, in all possible haste. Fortunately, the evidence against her is sufficiently compelling, and the Tribune isn’t known for dragging things out.”

  “Father—” Eren began, but his father jumped up from the couch.

  “That’s enough, son. I knew you were impulsive, but this is an embarrassment, even by your standards. She’s a traitor to our species, not to mention my command, and you harbored her. In your bedroom. Then you lied to the search team.” Eren looked at him in horror, and his father smiled. “Yes, I knew about that. I’ve set my screen to monitor your door panel’s activity ever since the alarm. I couldn’t afford the humiliation of arresting her in my own son’s living quarters, but I knew that it was only a matter of time before you did something stupid.” He came within a few feet of Eren, and I was obliged to watch.

  Eren stood a good six inches taller than his father, and his blond hair was ruffled forward, in sharp contrast to the perfectly coiffed black-and-gray of the Commander, who raised a single finger. If they started fighting, there was a chance I could find another door out of the office.

  The Commander looked from me to Eren, and shook his head. “You always were weak. Now, I’m going to tell you how this is going to go. You’re going to march your little friend straight to the holding cell, in front of God and the cameras, and you’re going to leave her there until her trial, at which time you will publicly retrieve her from the cell, and take her to the Courtroom, where the Tribune will officially relieve you of your charge.”

  Eren glanced at the floor, but the Commander was undeterred by his hesitation. He crossed the room and whacked the door sharply. It popped open a second later, and a bulky figure in a black uniform swayed into the room.

  “Jorin will assist you, to ensure that there are no… complications,” the Commander finished. “You may go. Now.”

  Jorin reached for my arm, but he was too slow. I jerked away and threw myself toward the door. Jorin swiped air once, but his reflexes turned out to be far more advanced than I’d estimated. His foot blocked the frame from opening before I could reach the handle. Meanwhile, his grip landed squarely on my right arm, twisting it backwards.

  A sharp pain wrenched through my shoulder blade. The pressure from Jorin’s hold on my wrist combined with my forward momentum, and my face hit the door. Behind me, Jorin sneered into my ear. His breath was hot against my neck.

  “Have a care, Jorin. We can’t afford to have her look damaged,” said the Commander from behind us.

  After what seemed like an eternity, Jorin untwisted my arm and shifted his hold to my elbow. Eren reached out to touch my other elbow, then slid his fingers around it, so that his grip mirrored Jorin’s. All the while, Eren just stood there, watching me, his expression stupidly blank.

  I hated him.

  Eighteen

  Five steps forward, six steps right. This cell was even smaller than the one I’d had in juvy. And it smelled funny, like acetone and eggs. I stretched out on the bare bench, then changed my mind and curled my legs up against my chest. There was no light switch, so I shut my eyes against the harsh fluorescence of the ceiling. But I did not sleep.

  I can make it till breakfast.

  I could lie there, and not freak out, until food came. Then I could eat. Then I could sleep. I had done this before. The only thing new was the Tribune at the end of the tunnel, instead of a juvy court judge, so I figured the trick was not to think about them. I could handle this.

  But food never came. And consequently, neither did sleep.

  The hours trudged on. I might have slept eventually, but I couldn’t tell. I was tired, and above all, hungry, when the cell door swished open.

  I frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  Eren nodded, as though he understood me already. “I wanted to tell you.”

  “Gee, if only you’d had a chance. Like, I don’t know, three days alone in a room with me, or something.”

  “It just didn’t sound right.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Ambassador Everest.”

  “Why do you even care who my parents are? It doesn’t change anything.”

  “It changes everything! It definitely explains all the questions.”

  He tilted his head, like a puppy. “What questions?”

  “You know. When you asked all about me. Research.”

  “You can’t seriously believe…” Eren trailed off. When he spoke again, his voice was less mellow, more staccato. “Fine. I’m being watched. I brought you something.”

  He pulled a bag from under his shirt and plopped it down on the bench next to me. Then he left.

  I stared at the sealed door panel for a few minutes before turning to the bag. It was still warm from his body heat.

  No, wait. It was warm because of its contents. I pulled a pair of melted grilled cheeses from inside the bag. They were carefully wrapped in plastic, which stuck to the cheese. There was also part of an apple, cut into flat slices, in a separate piece of plastic.

  I had to smile.

  I had barely finished the apple slice
s and the first grilled cheese when the door swished open again. I opened my mouth to apologize to Eren. I knew what it was like to tell the truth when no one seemed to believe you. Our friendship, or whatever it was, was over. Soon, we would never see each other again. But I didn’t want to end things like this. Once again, I never got the chance.

  Commander Everest, not his son, stood before me. For a second, it was hard to believe that he even fit in the cell. He was too… large, or wide, to be contained by a place like this. He looked down his nose at the bench. I had to tilt my chin all the way up to see his face. His skin was tight, too tight, as though he’d gone in for a facelift just before boarding and told his doctor to really make it count, but he hadn’t dyed his hair.

  That was smart. He’d managed to retain some of the authority that comes with age without appearing too much older than everyone else on board. I bet every move he made was calculated in advance.

  He stared for a split second longer than he seemed to have intended, once he saw the sandwich. I glared right back, steady as a rock. He grunted. “Take her food.”

  The Commander stepped aside, revealing the impossibly tall frame of Jorin. I actually stopped chewing, so that I could wonder how they both fit in the cell at the same time. My heart sped up, and I looked from one man to the other.

  It was almost funny.

  I shoved the second grilled cheese into my mouth and continued chewing as fast as I could. Jorin leaned forward and grabbed a handful of my hair. He hadn’t even needed to take a step forward in order to reach me. His hand was on the exact same spot on the back of my head where Eren had touched me the night before, right before we kissed. The thought was comical, somehow, and I heard myself make a wild giggling sound. It probably sounded different to Jorin and the Commander, though, since my mouth was completely stuffed with sandwich.

  Jorin tightened his grip on my head, and some of my hair tore out in his grasp. Then he jerked me backward, and the top of my head hit the white brick of the cell. When I gasped, his hand was in my mouth, sweeping out the rest of the cheese. It hit the floor with a wet splat.

  The Commander watched without emotion. “No bruises where the camera will see. Top of the head is an excellent place to start.” He frowned, thinking. “But maybe not the best.”

  I looked down at the blob of cheese on the ground and made another noise. The Commander nodded, as though I had said something intelligible. “Let’s start with your name. Would you care to share that with us?”

  I clenched my jaw shut. It was the one thing I would never tell. This one, final time, my father wouldn’t have to hear about my troubles. He wouldn’t get the phone call.

  He wouldn’t have to worry about how it would reflect on him.

  The Commander shrugged. “We can come back to that. There are more pressing matters. For example, how many of you are there?”

  I frowned at him, then frantically began shaking my head. “No. No, there’s no one else. I swear.”

  “Jorin.” The Commander spoke without breaking his gaze on me.

  Jorin pulled a long stunner out of his belt. In the cramped space of the cell, its barrel was inches from my face.

  “Have you seen one of these before?” the Commander asked. “Ah, of course you have. During our first encounter. Although I’m not sure you’ve had the honor of fully witnessing it in action.”

  Jorin twisted the dial near the grip and pulled the trigger. A sharp buzz filled the room, and my mind, as a white bolt leapt from the end.

  The Commander waited a beat before continuing, then cleared his throat. “Last time. How many are you?”

  I wrapped my arms around my chest, in an effort to stop shaking. “Really. I got the pass, and I got on board. That’s it. That’s all I know.”

  “And Ark Five just blew up, all by itself?”

  Something about this question rang a bell in my mind, but I couldn’t think about that right now. “I don’t know anything about that!”

  He nodded, and the room exploded with light. I was on the floor, and my mouth was open, but I couldn’t even scream. The pain was too much.

  Jorin smiled and pulled the stunner away from my side. He kept it where I could see it.

  “Back on the bench,” said the Commander.

  Jorin picked me up under my arms and slung me back to my seat without releasing his grip on the stunner. I let out a moan when the weight of my ribcage slumped down into my belly.

  The Commander continued. “That’s the lowest setting, which means that this is as good as it gets, young lady. Your name, please.”

  Not that question. I wouldn’t answer that one. That’s the one I owed to my family, so that they would never again be associated with me. The room exploded again, but I must have already taken a breath before he got me, because this time, I screamed. Loud.

  “Unpleasant every time, isn’t it?” the Commander asked Jorin, who shrugged. I got the feeling he rarely found someone else’s pain unpleasant. “Doesn’t matter what brand of scum you’re dealing with. There’s something so… human about suffering.” He turned to me. “Which Ark is your leader on? How did he coordinate the attack on Five?”

  I struggled for breath, for the words that would keep him from nodding to Jorin again. But I couldn’t think of any. “No leader!” I gasped.

  “Then how did you get on board the Ark? You are obviously not Cecelia Turner. Any guardian would have caught that.”

  “She did catch it! That’s… why… I ran.” I wanted to close my eyes, but I was afraid not to see them. So I forced them open, as hard as I could.

  “Not until you got to the Ark. Someone had to help you before that.”

  “No one questioned my pass. It was valid.”

  “Yes, we know that. It still doesn’t explain your interest in my weapons.”

  “I didn’t even know there were weapons! I thought they weren’t allowed anymore.”

  “My dear, it’s my ship. It’s allowed if I say it is. Take our current situation, for example. This kind of questioning might not fly under the terms of the Treaty per se, but there is literally nothing up here, in reality, that can stop me.”

  “Eren can stop you.” The words escaped my mouth before I even realized I was thinking them. I almost regretted it, until I saw the look on his face. His face was suddenly red, and his mouth shook before he started speaking. It was almost worth one of the stuns. Almost.

  “Continue. Raise the level every time she says my son’s name. Monitor the heart. Report to me immediately after. I hardly need mention that this must not reach the news feed.”

  He swept out the door, leaving me alone with Jorin, who broke into a wide grin.

  Nineteen

  “Who is West?” That was weird. The pounding in my ears was making actual words. “Who is this West? Your leader? Which Ark is he on?”

  “Nooo.” The word drifted around my head, long and drawn out. Not West.

  “Say his name again. Errrrrren. I dare you.” The words were tinged with a slight accent and more than a trace of enthusiasm.

  I coughed, moaning, and opened my eyes. Jorin’s face swam before me. I shut them again. The silver lining was an easy one, this time. Before, I had dreaded meeting the Tribune. Now, I longed for it.

  Not that I could totally recall what they were. I only knew that they would sentence me to die, and that would end the pain.

  And that calling for Eren somehow made it worse.

  Either I was hallucinating, or I had opened my eyes, because the barrel of the stunner waved in front of my face. Oh, no. Not again. I tried to tighten up, in preparation, but my muscles no longer responded to my commands.

  Jorin lifted it, then made a big sweep with his wrist, so that it faced downward. He shoved it under my collar, where the mark wouldn’t show on camera, and I let out a helpless whimper. Maybe this one would kill me, and I wouldn’t have to meet the Tribune after all. Another silver lining.

  But the pain didn’t start.

  Inste
ad, the door panel swished open, and I heard the sound of flesh against bone. The stunner clattered to the ground.

  Eren’s voice cut through the fog in my brain. “Magda! Are you okay? Can you walk?”

  “She does not say much. Not like the others. She cries for West and Eren only,” said Jorin. He looked down at me, then flashed a smile at Eren. “Two boyfriends?”

  Eren ignored him. I stood, then fell, and Eren grabbed me.

  Then I saw that he had a syringe. He stuck it in my thigh, and the ugliest scream of my life bellowed out from deep in my belly.

  Eren had a wild look in his eyes, and I recoiled, suddenly able to stand. My heart pumped faster, and my injuries dissipated. I was suddenly powerful and unwieldy. He reached for me, and I jerked away so hard that my back hit the wall of the cell behind me. When I finally focused on Eren’s face, I saw that he was terrified. He spoke in a rushed voice. “It’s adrenaline. I needed you to be able to run. It won’t last long. They’re coming for you. You’re to be executed. Let’s go!”

  I brushed his hand away. “Stop it! Don’t touch me.”

  He spoke to me with the kind of tone you might use if you encountered a wolf in your living room. “Magda, please. We don’t have much time. We have to leave.”

  “You think?” I huffed, stumbling toward the door.

  But Jorin stumbled to a standing position, effectively blocking my exit. “Your father,” he growled, pausing for breath, “will not be pleased.”

  Even now that I was standing, he seemed fifty feet tall. He made a move for the stunner, but Eren kicked it out into the hallway just before he reached it.

  Jorin lunged, but Eren was ready. He dodged a blow, then threw a punch that sent Jorin sprawling. I was barely conscious of the sound of footsteps. I grabbed the stunner and, without a moment’s hesitation, hit Jorin over the head with it as hard as I could. He fell, finally.

  I looked up at Eren and shrugged. We were already in enough trouble, the way I saw it. One more unconscious guardian wouldn’t make much of a difference.