by Greg Dragon
And the bigger question: What could I do about it? If Tali wouldn’t listen to reason and leave her group, at least I could keep her secret. The empress would never know. My friend had nothing to do with the EPIC traitor. I hoped.
The traitor. With all the craziness, I had nearly forgotten about my mission.
There were four guys out here now, all positioning themselves on benches or chairs for a solid weight-lifting session. They seemed so relaxed. I decided to take a risk. “I’ve been wondering something.”
“What’s that?” Ross said with a smirk. “She does talk. I was beginning to wonder.”
I ignored him. “Why are you guys here? You all seem fairly normal. Or are you even allowed to talk about your past?”
The room quieted, and they suddenly seemed intensely focused on their exercises. Daymond, who was on all fours doing push-ups, rocked back and gave me a long look. “Of course we’re allowed to talk about it. It’s just that most of us aren’t here because we’re particularly noble. We just saw an opportunity and took it.”
“How do you know?” Ross asked, settling in for some bicep curls. “I’m very noble.”
Daymond snickered. “Everyone has their quirks. The problem is that ours aren’t exactly NORA approved. You already know about Semias’s pill addiction.”
“Shut it, Day,” Semias snapped.
“Ross constantly pretends to be someone he’s not,” Daymond continued pointedly.
“Not true,” Ross said without pausing.
“And Neb is here to work on his confidence.”
Neb, who had been stretching, froze. His head snapped up. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“That’s pretty much my story too,” I said quickly, hoping they wouldn’t pry. “But everyone has issues, and that doesn’t explain why you’re here. You seem like decent guys.”
“Except for Semias,” Ross said.
“Day was a chopper pilot,” Neb broke in. “Caused an accident or something, and that’s where he got his scar.”
Daymond’s face darkened. “You know nothing about it, Neb. I didn’t cause anything.”
“What? She deserves to know the truth. She’s one of us now.”
Was I? Today I’d done nothing but hinder my team. Tonight I’d sleep in the washroom, and tomorrow I’d probably stumble my way through training yet again. I didn’t belong here, and they knew it.
I quickly changed the subject. “I know this sounds weird, but do any of you feel sorry for the smugglers?”
Someone snickered, and Neb smirked as if I’d said something funny. It was Daymond who spoke up. “They’re criminals. That would be like asking a cat if he feels sorry for mice.”
I switched tactics. “Yeah, but have you ever thought that maybe you and the mice were on the same team?”
They looked at each other, perplexed. Neb cleared his throat. “What’s your point, Treena?”
“Just curious, I guess. Never mind.”
The guys started talking amongst themselves, and I sensed that my interrogating was over. It hadn’t gone as well as I’d hoped. If I wanted information, I’d have to be much more subtle—without sneaking around, spying, or asking direct questions, apparently.
I reached my corner and sighed. Two days down, and what seemed like a lifetime left to go.
18
I’d known Treena would cause an uproar, but this went way beyond my expectations.
I lay in bed, too angry to sleep, listening to the heavy breathing of an exhausted team. I checked my techband. Four a.m. My two years were up today, and the Demander would be expecting my answer. The problem was, I had no idea what that was myself.
When he’d offered me the deal, I’d planned to escape by now. There hadn’t been a doubt in my mind that I could. I hadn’t taken into account that even if I did, my clan would never allow me back after the things I’d done to my own people. Some choices were final. Working for NORA had eroded my future just as surely as it had destroyed my past.
Poly had taken me in without question, even after being told who I was. The last two years hadn’t been all bad. But it wasn’t possible to continue as we were, not with my clan pursuing me as they had today. Sooner or later I’d have to choose a side.
I’d grown up watching my father guide his people, make sacrifices for them. They loved him, and he’d ultimately given his life for them. He was the type of man I’d always wanted to become. Tonight, I felt further away than ever.
Anger simmered in my chest. I hadn’t asked to be an EPIC leader. I hadn’t asked to be here at all. I was sick of people toying with me, dangling my mother and sisters in front of me like a prize.
Suddenly I knew what I had to do. I dressed quickly and silently. It would be light soon, and the commander would be in his office. He didn’t think anyone knew how early he went to work, but I knew. I made it my business to know.
Just before I reached the hall, the bathroom door creaked open. I froze. It was quiet for almost a whole minute. Finally, I headed for the training room. Seconds later there was a light footstep in the hallway. “Don’t you ever sleep?” Treena asked.
I groaned inwardly. “Not when I can help it. Do you sneak up on people often?”
“I got pretty good at stealing in khel, since I was too short to score much. You know, since I’m so innocent and helpless and all that.”
I caught the coldness in her tone. It was well deserved. “Fair enough.”
“Going for a walk?”
“Running an errand. How’s the bruise?”
“I’ll live.”
“We’ll have to skip training today.”
“Where are we going?”
I gave a frustrated sigh. “We are not going anywhere.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t know where I’m going.”
“I don’t really care. I’ve got to get off that hard floor for a while—it’s killing my back. If that means coming with you, so be it.” She took a step forward. “Besides, the exercise would be nice.”
I thought about our mission yesterday and how Treena had nearly outrun men twice her size. She most certainly did not need the exercise. “Don’t suppose you’d follow an order to stay here.”
“Nope.”
“You’re the most exasperating girl I’ve ever met.”
“Thanks.” I could hear the smile in her voice.
For a minute I considered ditching her, but I knew she’d just follow and get me in trouble. “You coming like that?”
She looked down as if realizing she was still in her nightclothes. I couldn’t see the blush, but I knew it was there. “Give me two minutes.”
She dressed surprisingly fast and started toward the door with a single glance in my direction. I shook my head and headed for the corner of the weapon wall. She followed. I ran my fingers along the drywall, relying on touch to find the vent. A wire poked out slightly around the frame. A slight pull and the entire section of drywall came out easily. It was just large enough for a person to crawl through.
“A secret passage?”
“Not as interesting as you imagine. It only goes about twenty feet back and then meets up with the ventilation shaft. It goes up at an angle, and there are grips here and there, but it’ll still be hard. You sure you’re up for this?”
“Why can’t we just walk out the door?”
“They monitor it.” I watched her, wondering if she would lecture me on the greatness of NORA or turn and run to tell Poly I was sneaking out. She met my gaze, steady and determined. There were questions in her eyes, possibly the same questions that I had for her, but she didn’t ask them.
She exhaled slowly. “Okay. Lead the way.”
Twenty minutes later we emerged and climbed into the warm night air. The moonlight was incredibly bright, almost blue in hue compared to the blackness of the compound. I doubted Treena had ever been out this early in the morning before. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sky.
We turned right an
d headed downtown. Treena stared upward so often that, at one point, she tripped over an uneven piece of sidewalk. I grabbed her elbow to steady her. “Thanks,” she said, looking at my hand. She swung her elbow up and away to break contact.
“You look like you’ve never seen stars before.”
“I haven’t.” She gestured at the sky. “Not like this. We could see a few in Olympus during the winter when it got dark early, but curfew kept us indoors at night. This is amazing.”
“One of the perks of EPIC, I guess. We get to see more than most people.”
We traveled for several blocks before she spoke again. “This is a long walk, isn’t it? Why don’t you ride bikes? Or call a transport?”
“Bikes are too restrictive, and reds can’t call transports.”
“But I came in one.”
“Because it was ordered by a green. We use them for missions all the time, but Poly or Major Murphy have to call it in. Reds live very differently from everyone else, even in EPIC. You’ll get used to it.”
That seemed to bother her, and she fell silent. We walked for half an hour before reaching the modern part of the city. The stores got taller as the electric signs became brighter and more insistent. Everywhere we looked, there were ads for useless Rating-raising products and procedures. I refused to read them. This was Treena’s world, not mine. She watched the signs with childlike fascination.
Suddenly she stopped short, gaping at something overhead. I followed her gaze to an ad board above a bike shop, a picture of a young green. His teeth were unnaturally white, his Rating bright against the drab gray background. He smiled as he spoke the words that appeared on the screen: Kolor Bikes—Because Impressions Matter. The figure smiled, then winked, and the sequence began again.
Treena gasped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Do you know who that is?”
“Everyone knows who that is,” I said dryly. “Dresden Wynn, record-breaking graduate. I think he’s more popular than the empress right now. You all right?”
“Yeah,” Treena said. “Just need a minute.”
She didn’t explain, and I didn’t make her. She stared at the sign for a long time, a funny look on her face, breathing hard. Girls. I’d never understand them.
Finally she nodded and we continued, neither of us in the mood to talk. Traffic was thickening already, bicyclists with their purple-clad riders, and transports with their important passengers. We reached the most crowded part of the city where the brilliant skyscrapers towered high into the sky. The solid steel academy building, with its sharply cut corners, rose high above the rest, absorbing the pinks and oranges of the rising sun. Even I had to admit it was a stunning sight. A sign, high and bright with the NORA symbol above it, flashed overhead:
NORA Academy of Leadership
Taking Excellence to a New Level since 2065
Treena gave a little gasp, nearly bouncing in her excitement. If she thought this was a sightseeing trip, she was dead wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her along after all. I shoved the front doors open, pursing my lips, wondering how to get her to stay in the lobby. But she returned my gaze, her eyes hard and determined.
I pushed down the irritation and held the door open for her. A slight smile graced her lips as she sauntered past me and through the heavy golden doors. “Opening the door for a girl, huh? What is this, the 1900s?”
I grunted.
Despite the early hour, the building was already bustling with activity. I’d been here twice before, but the inside—with its shiny metal walls and gold-trimmed ceilings—was still as captivating as the outside. Some said it was real, but I knew it wasn’t. It was too clean, too uniform in color. Treena walked in awe alongside me, eyeing the overpolished floor as we approached the security desk. The young guard sat, alert, her eyes sweeping everyone who passed through. When she saw our Ratings, her eyes widened. I swiped my techband and nodded to her. The security gate swung open. With a shrug, the woman waved us past.
We passed the main lifts and headed down a separate wing of the building. The sign above the hallway entrance read, Leadership Academy: Military Division. We made our way to a smaller lift and rose to level 89. But the doors didn’t open immediately. “Authorization,” an automated voice demanded.
“Vance Hawking, for Councilman Denoux,” I replied.
“Unidentified companion detected,” the voice said. “Identify.”
“Ametrine Dowell,” she said. “His . . . assistant.”
There was no sound for a minute or so, and I wondered about Treena’s presence here. Maybe it would have been better if she’d stayed in the lobby. But then the digital voice replied, “Entrance authorized.” The doors opened.
Flanked by two soldiers, a short, red-faced man with a wide build greeted us, his lips pulled downward into a frown. “You have nerve, kid, coming here. Your privileges are for emergencies and summons only.”
Treena stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the Demander himself. I knew what she was thinking. It was the same reaction I’d had upon meeting the man two years ago. The man who commanded NORA’s military forces should be strong and tall, not short, balding, and whiny. He was probably a relative of the empress or something.
“Did you miss me, Denoux?” I asked. “It’s been two years since our deal. I’ve come to announce my decision.”
“Deal?” He huffed a little. “You make my orders sound like some kind of bargain, Hawking, and I don’t make deals with Integrants.”
I realized my body was in a defensive stance and forced myself to relax. “Except me, apparently. I’ve kept my end for two years, and I’m done. You will send me to join my family in the work camps immediately.”
Treena’s head whipped around, her expression guarded.
“You are a soldier!” Denoux snapped. “Soldiers are discharged when there is no use for them anymore. And frankly, you haven’t finished your assignment. I recruited you to capture smugglers, to finally end the food trade once and for all.”
“To end the . . . You want me to catch every single smuggler singlehandedly?”
“Of course not. That’s why we assembled a team to help you out. Poly is the official leader, of course, but everyone knows you’re the experienced one. Not that there isn’t room for improvement.” His expression turned smug. “We all heard about your failed mission yesterday. They captured your entire team, as I recall. And yet somehow you’re fine.”
“They knew we were coming.”
He leaned forward. “Interesting, isn’t it?”
I took a step forward. “They knew, and still our group of thirteen arrested twenty-one documented smugglers with no military backup. I’d say we fulfilled our mission.”
“Twenty-one smugglers out of hundreds left out there. You’re barely worth your weight in nutrition pills, boy.” He stabbed my chest with a pointed finger. “You’re getting better, but you have a long way to go yet.”
“Since I joined, we’ve caught four hundred and eleven,” I said, forcing myself to speak evenly, “not including the ones we arrested yesterday. I’m not here to argue. I won’t wait around another year or even another week.”
Denoux snorted, spraying moisture several feet. Treena wiped her cheek. “Let me explain something. Ignore the fact that you’re an Integrant. You’re a red, and reds don’t bargain. They obey. They snivel and cower and respect their superiors because they have no other choice. You’re lucky we spared your life at all.”
“I never asked you to.”
He paused, giving a dramatic sigh like a parent enduring a difficult child. “You forget that I was there, boy. I still remember that night—the stillness of the trees, the heavy smoke. The screaming prisoners. And young Hawking, fighting for his life. Scared. Oh yes, you were terrified. You saw death looming over your head, and it frightened you to the point of madness. As much as you’d like to think of yourself as a hero, or even a victim, I know better. You took the easy way out.” He stood taller and w
hispered, “You’re no different than the rest of us.”
My fists clenched so tightly they shook. My instincts screamed to take over, to leap onto Denoux and pummel him. With a flick of the wrist and a word, this man toppled civilizations and destroyed lives. There was nothing—nothing—I wanted more than to take his life, as he’d taken my father’s. The guards on either side of him raised their stunners. One clicked his into fatal mode.
“Vance,” Treena said softly.
I let out a slow breath, fighting for control. This was not the time. “They’ll do fine without me.”
A satisfied smile crossed his face. “I must decline, young Hawking. Your day of freedom is not today. The dynamics of our military are changing, and apparently your sad little band is an integral part of the empress’s latest plan.”
“Sir,” a full-figured woman said, coming up behind him. “The empress has given preliminary orders for the next mission. She demands an immediate response.”
Treena began pulling me toward the lift.
“You’ll obey orders, Hawking,” Denoux said as the doors opened. “Or I’ll take you out, empress or not.” Then, more quietly, “Revoke his security privileges immediately.”
I stepped inside. The doors clanged shut.
Silence.
“I can’t believe you talked to him that way,” Treena finally said, her voice shaking, “and got away with it.”
I leaned my head back against the wall and drew in a long, slow breath. She was right. That conversation hadn’t gone as expected, but at least I’d escaped without arrest. I was still free to figure out a new solution. I would have to find my mother and sisters on my own. Once I found them, we would bust out of NORA forever.
When we stepped out, the main floor was packed with students headed for their classes. I started to push forward, but with a shake of her head, Treena eased me gently against the hallway wall. We stepped back to wait.
“So you’re an Integrant,” she said with a nonchalant air.
Before I could reply, an unfamiliar voice spoke up. “Treena?”
“Dresden!” she gasped.
