by Greg Dragon
I swiped a bike and sped through the city, but I was still far away when the missile shot overhead and disappeared into the distance. The explosion rocked the ground underfoot. I could almost hear the buildings around me rattling on their foundations. The streetlights flickered and died. I swore and pedaled faster.
Before long the air was heavy with dust. If it had been daylight, the sky would probably be solid gray. A fit of coughing forced me to stop and tear part of my sleeve to use as a mask. Citizens lined the streets in their nightclothes, their faces lined with worry. They looked toward the square, as if wanting to investigate but afraid of what they would find. I tried without success to shove my way through the crowds. Finally I gave up and ditched the bike, sprinting as fast as the crowd of spectators would allow me to.
I finally rounded the corner to the square, my lungs desperate for air. Smoke and dust rained on the still mounds of what looked like thousands of bodies of both civilians and soldiers. It was all too familiar. A gray-and-black sky, an eerie silence. My stomach lurched when I saw a woman, half her body blown away, try to push herself up with a groan. The sounds of soft moaning and sobbing filled the darkness. The only color was the red-orange flames scattered amidst the black-gray sky. Fire. It was always fire.
I was too late. If I hadn’t tried to run, I could have done something.
No. If I hadn’t run, I’d be one of these dead bodies. At least now I had a chance to look for Treena. I tried to force myself forward, but my feet seemed cemented in place. There probably wasn’t much left of her. Maybe it was better not to know, not to add her to the charred bodies that haunted my dreams.
“Help me,” a teenage boy mumbled and reached out his hand. He was pinned under a chunk of concrete, a different shade of black than the rest of the carnage around us. I clasped his hand and tried to pull. It was no use. The concrete was too heavy.
I glanced around for help and noticed a group of people standing between two buildings. They seemed frozen in place.
“Hey!” I shouted to them, then tore the cloth off my face. “Come help me!”
A man stepped out, and then two women. They took notice of the injured boy and trotted over. I waved to the rest of the group, but they hesitated before following. As they emerged, the group surveyed the damage, their faces registering a range of shock and horror. Some turned and hurried away. Others sank to their knees, their fists grasping shards of glass and dusty broken pieces of metal and rock.
The man reached me, shadows from the firelight flickering across his face, and I realized who it was. Anton. The women didn’t look familiar, but a few of the others did. The remnants of my clan were here, alive. A wave of relief swept over me.
“You take that side,” I told them and motioned to the concrete slab. “On three.”
We counted and gave a mighty heave. The cement didn’t lift at first, but with enough pressure to the corner, it finally gave and fell to the side. Anton jumped out of the way as it crashed to the ground and cracked apart. The teenage boy moaned, and one of the women knelt to examine him.
“We need to help,” I told Anton. “The city won’t recover from this for a while. They probably drew in their entire monitor force, and now there’s nobody left to help the survivors. They’ll have to send in forces from other cities. So right now, we’re it.”
“Or we can run while they’re distracted,” Rutner’s son Gavis said.
“You can,” I agreed. “But you won’t, will you?”
Most of them didn’t look at me, but a couple of them shook their heads and picked their way through the debris, covering their noses and mouths with their hands. Soon the square began to wake up with shouts of “Over here!” and “Help me lift this!”
Anton stood with hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. “I thought you’d run, Hawking.”
“I almost did. But I couldn’t abandon the clan again.”
“It’ll take more than lifting some cement to convince them of that.”
“I know. But it’s a start. I need your help, Anton. Will you split the volunteers into groups? Send each group to cover a different corner of the square and work toward the middle. Move the survivors over there, by the road, so they’re ready to transport when the emergency workers arrive. I’ll be back in a minute.” I turned and began making my way through the wreckage, half-expecting Anton to try to arrest me. Instead, he stared after me in disbelief.
It was impossible to tell who was who in the darkness. Each body was covered in gray dust and dirt broken up only by the dark blood splattered everywhere. “Treena!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the heavy air. “Can you hear me?” There was nothing but the groans of the injured, and more hands reached to me as I passed.
An elderly woman sat on an overturned piece of stone, head in her hands. “They took her through the palace gates.” A fit of coughing racked her body, and she turned away.
“Thanks.” I waded through the mess and past what had once been an impenetrable stone wall. The missile had struck the southwest wing of the palace, exposing several floors, which looked like my sisters’ dollhouse. Thick black smoke billowed from the inside. The fire cast a menacing glow on the wreckage. Most of the damage was centered where the palace’s flower garden had been, and now it was a charred, smoking crater. The rebels in the square would have been safe if not for the tall buildings that had come down around them.
I stared at the palace in dismay. They took her inside, most likely. But where? Had she made it to the other end of the building before the missile hit?
Before I made it to the main doors, a pile of bodies caught my eye. Several pairs of legs, mangled and lumped together, lay heaped up against the front wall. Through the dust, I saw the navy-blue corner of a palace guard’s uniform. I rushed over and started turning over bodies. Guard. Another guard. And then there was skin and a slender leg partly covered by sequined cloth. I shoved the rest of the bodies aside, and there she was, curled up in a ball like a cat. She lay still as death, her face pale beneath the streaks of black and matted blood in her hair.
“Treena,” I said quickly. “Can you hear me?” I took her hand and discovered it was still warm and soft. I felt the side of her slim neck for a pulse. Weak, but it was there. I put my ear to her mouth and felt her breath against my cheek.
“You are the luckiest girl alive,” I muttered. I lifted her and cradled her head against my chest. She didn’t even stir. Treena was alive, but she needed immediate medical attention. She’d get it if I had to carry her across the city to the hospital myself.
“I said I’d protect you,” I told her. “I’ve never failed to deliver on a promise so many times in my life.”
My foot caught on something and I nearly tripped. Steadying Treena in my arms, I glanced downward. It was a body covered in gray debris and twisted unnaturally. The head was bald and bloody. The face was bruised, although some of the bruises were in various stages of healing, and thick dark eyelashes framed the feminine features. She looked familiar, although I couldn’t place her. The strangest thing, though, was her expression. Her lips curved upward in a peaceful smile, her eyes softly closed in death.
I made my way back through the entrance, wondering how my father had felt as he died. I had to believe he’d felt a measure of peace amidst his violent end, knowing he was protecting those he loved.
The square was filled with volunteers now. Anton had taken charge, directing groups this way and that. The area near the street was nearly full of survivors already, some sitting and others spread out across the concrete. An emergency transport pulled up, its bright lights stabbing through the gray haze. I smiled to see Integrants and NORA citizens working together, calling out to one another and checking each body for signs of life. Reds, yellows, and greens, together as equals. Today it wasn’t about the numbers or even the place we’d come from. Today, it was about people.
Maybe there was hope for us after all.
45
I was floating in the air when the chopper wa
s hit. It burst into flame and fell past me, a burning skeleton of metal, its blades still spinning wildly. Dresden sat in the driver’s seat, his body charred, his head turned toward me as the tangled mess descended around me. Vance stood in the door, the wind whipping his messy hair. He watched me, his expression sad, and I ached to pull him close and lose myself in his arms. But before I could move, he jumped. As he fell past me, arms outstretched, I felt that something was wrong. Then I saw it. He had no wing suit or chute.
I woke up screaming.
“Shh, Ametrine, it’s all right,” a familiar voice whispered. He put a comforting hand on my arm.
My breath came fast as I took everything in. “Dad?”
“I’m here. You’re safe, but you had some bleeding on your brain. Lie back down and take it easy.”
Safe? What a strange thing to say. I was in a large, brightly lit room with white walls and bright tile floors. I racked my brain but couldn’t remember much. My dad held my arm in a firm grip. He sat in a wheelchair and pain creased his eyes, but the only emotion I saw was concern.
It started to come back. The empress. Had I really killed her? It seemed surreal now, even though I hadn’t meant to take her life. An explosion. Images flew rapidly through my mind now, and I winced. Tali’s grim smile. I pushed it all away.
“You’re up, then?” I croaked. My throat hurt like the fates.
He chuckled. “If this counts as up, then, yes. I’m more worried about you. It was a little scary there for a while.”
I took a quick inventory of my body. My muscles ached, and I could feel the sting of a hundred cuts and bruises, but I could move everything with no problem. My head hurt, though, a deep and sore ache that tinged my vision. “What was the explosion?”
Dad swallowed hard, and his grip on my arm tightened. “I’m so sorry, Ametrine. I had no idea Mills would betray us. We were the best of friends once, and I assumed we could trust him, but it seems he had another agenda in mind. He ordered you to draw out the empress, then tried to blast you all to the fates. Maybe he thought destroying the entire government and its successor would bring NORA to its knees.” His face darkened. “Except that he murdered hundreds of people in the process. He played us all for fools.”
Hundreds. All those people, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, who had entrusted their lives and their futures to me. Gone in a second. If the empress hadn’t drawn me away from the group, I would have died with them. It would’ve been fitting. Instead, they were dead and I was still alive. I thought back to that awful confrontation with the empress. “Wait. What about Tali, my friend? Is she here too?”
He hesitated, then slowly shook his head.
Pain gripped my heart like a hand squeezing it. My best friend was gone once again, and this time she wasn’t coming back. I remembered the intensity of her gaze, the communication that had passed between us. The smile that said we’d done the right thing. At least she’d died on her own terms this time.
She’d definitely gone out fighting.
“Have you seen Vance?” I asked quietly. “He was supposed to back us up with his clan, but I never saw any of them.”
He sat back in surprise. “You don’t know? I guess you wouldn’t.”
“Know what?”
“The Integrants arrived late and saved dozens of lives. Vance is the one who brought you to the hospital two days ago. He wouldn’t leave your side until Dresden sent him away this morning. His entire clan has been officially extradited.”
Each piece of information felt like an anvil to the head. I put a hand to my eyes and took a deep breath. “Extradited? You mean kicked out of the country?”
“Exactly. Although I wouldn’t call say ‘kicked out,’ exactly. They got what they wanted.”
“But you said Dresden sent him away. Isn’t Dres at the academy?”
Dad’s face tightened in anger. He spoke carefully. “That’s something your stepdad and Dresden need to explain to you. They’re on their way now.”
Someone tapped on the door, firm and sharp. Dad’s anger was quickly masked, and he wheeled himself backward. “Perfect timing. Come in.”
The door opened to reveal a tired but smiling Dresden. His uniform looked freshly laundered, his hair immaculate. His grin revealed a row of too-white teeth.
“Hi, Dres.”
“Hey, Treen. You look great.”
“You look awful,” I said. He grinned wider and hurried across the room to take Dad’s place at my side. I caught a whiff of clean soap smell.
“That’s so much better,” he said, brushing his fingers against my forehead.
I recoiled from his touch. “What are you doing?”
“979,” Dresden said. “It switched over this morning, while you were still out. I can’t begin to tell you how much better you look now. It finally reflects who you are.”
I reached up to my forehead, feeling the slight impression of the implant beneath the skin. Who I am. But if I didn’t know that, how could the Raters? How could a computer network know who I was, even? What kind of girl would blindly obey the laws, then organize a rebellion against the palace? Which girl was it that kissed Dresden, then turned around and kissed Vance? I lived in two different worlds, with two different guys, and now I didn’t know where I was anymore. “I don’t want to be Rated, Dres.”
He blinked. “What?”
“I’m serious. I don’t want to be a green or a red or a walking number. I just want people to look at me and see me.” Like Vance did. Like the Integrants did. “And I want others to have the same right.”
“Unfortunately,” Konnor said from the doorway, “the Standards don’t allow for exceptions, even at the top. Especially there.” He wore the uniform of a councilman, deep silver with six stripes on the arm. His nose was bandaged in heavy white gauze and tape, his face littered with red cuts.
“You were at the square,” I said.
“Of course. I had just been appointed to the Council. We were celebrating my appointment when you pulled your little stunt.” His eyes darkened, and I felt a chill. “None of us suffered more than a broken bone. Once the bomb hit, however, the guards took us into hiding for our safety.”
I stared at him. A flicker of doubt crossed his expression, but he hid it quickly behind a composed smile. He was lying. He had known I was in danger, and he’d chosen to hide.
“So I’m empress, then?” I asked. “Because I have some serious changes to make, and there’s no time to lose.”
The room went silent. Dad, who still sat in his wheelchair, could have bored a hole in my stepfather with his accusing gaze. Konnor and Dresden exchanged looks, and I could tell they were debating who should speak next. Dresden cleared his throat and stepped closer to me, taking my hand. “Treen, your dad—I mean, your stepdad—signed away your right to the throne.”
“What?” I jerked my hand away.
“You were in a coma,” Konnor said. “We didn’t know if you’d ever wake up, and the nation needed a leader. And we all know that politics aren’t your thing anyway.”
I stared at Konnor, dumbfounded. It was as if he were dangling me over the edge of the tower all over again. No, more like he’d shoved me off. My stomach rushed upward, and I tasted bile.
“Mr. Dowell did what was best for you, your family, and the country,” Dresden continued, only half talking to me now. “He convinced the Council to appoint me in your place, Treen. I’m honored that he would choose me.”
“Your boyfriend is number four, technically,” Konnor said, “but the other two ahead of him are on the verge of retirement anyway. It didn’t take much for the Council to approve. He’s an announcer and a social icon, so everyone is familiar with him already. He’s young enough to learn. And he has the Council to guide him in the right direction, of course.”
There wasn’t enough air in the entire room. It was as if the weight of their words pushed down on my chest, heavy and foreboding.
“This way,” Dresden said, “you can move int
o the palace with me when it’s finished. The smoke and fire damage was too bad to salvage much, so I’m making it bigger and fancier than ever before. Our union will strengthen the throne, Treena. We’ll be the most powerful couple NORA’s ever seen.”
I searched Dresden’s face. He eyed my Rating again, his smile too controlled. Would he ever look into my eyes again without seeing my number? Could we ever be like before as long as my Rating was higher than his?
I knew the answer. I’d known it for a long time now. Being with Dresden, even in a palace, would be like living in a dark, damp prison after I’d experienced flying.
Lanah stepped into the room and gave me a soft smile. When Konnor frowned at her entrance, her gaze shifted to the floor. He’d probably told her to wait outside until he sent for her. They wouldn’t want her in the room while they broke the news to me, of course. Jasper glanced from her to Konnor, and then back again, his expression closed.
“Say something, Treena,” Dresden said. He was all confidence in front of my parents, but I knew he wouldn’t leave until the biggest threat to his sovereignty was quashed. If I challenged Dresden’s authority, it would be me against NORA. I couldn’t do that again. I didn’t want to do it again.
“You’re exactly what the citizens would expect,” I finally said.
Dresden’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’m glad you feel that way. I’ll let you rest now. They’re converting a section of the Council Building to an apartment, so I’m going to oversee the preparations. That’s where we’ll live until the palace is rebuilt.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Then there’s the war council, and a million other things to do today.”
“Wait. War council?”
“Of course.” Dresden shrugged. “After that attack on the palace? You didn’t think we’d let that slide, did you? As of today, Integrants are considered the enemy. Any of them caught inside our borders will be shot. The empress shouldn’t have allowed them to set foot here in the first place.”
“But—but it wasn’t the Integrants who attacked!”
