“I have to get back.”
Harris shut down the files and passed him the stick.
“You make copies?”
It was Harris’s turn to grin. “Always.”
Garret chuckled.
They said their goodbyes and Harris led him into the bedroom, opening the hatch under the bed that led to the Under.
He needed to check in with his team, but the intel needed to be delivered first. Rubble Town was in danger. He hoped that the plan they’d set into motion a week ago had reached fruition already, otherwise there was no hope, only death.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The old library was now a library in name only. The books had been burned for fuel in the initial crisis after the settlers attacked. Now it was just an impressive building that had been claimed by a bunch of like-minded people intent on filling it with literature once more. It was a slow operation, but Ryder knew it was a worthy one. He’d donated a couple of tomes himself to Mrs Finch, a matronly woman with a twinkle in her eye and a tongue like a whip. He’d never seen Terry before though; maybe he was new to the library, to the settlement. Ryder had lived in the garage for two years. Before that he’d roamed from settlement to settlement, worried that to stay in one place for too long would be inviting trouble.
Then he’d met Gary. Gary getting pounded by a bunch of wasters for the goods he had in his kart. They’d jumped him on a drop, and Ryder had been so close to walking away. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen injustice before. Man, he’d meted it out, but for some reason this time his feet refused to cooperate with the commands his brain was firing, and instead of walking away he walked toward the scuffle.
It was one of the times that the fury had taken over.
He didn’t want to dwell. Needless to say, the wasters perished and Gary discovered his secret.
End of.
“What you thinking?” Star asked.
“Nothing.”
“You don’t have to tell me, but please don’t lie.”
“Fine, what I’m thinking is none of your business.”
She flinched and he felt like a total tosser, but then he reminded himself it was probably for the best. Better she think him a loser, a bad-mannered, uncouth dickhead. Easier to walk away once this was done, once Midge was saved…yeah, he hadn’t allowed himself to admit it yet, but he’d already decided to move on.
Too many noses in his business.
Fresh start was in order, far away from Rubble Town, far away from Star.
Shit, it kinda hurt in his chest—a twinge of pain. He needed to keep it together.
They passed fallen buildings propped up and decorated to look like homes; the odd plant, the single deck chair or the lone swing. People holding on to normality, but there was no disguising the devastation that they called home.
“We’re here.” Star strode ahead and he couldn’t help but take a peek at her apple bum. Just the right size to cup, to take a bite, to—
Shut the hell up!
Star was knocking on the door.
He came up behind her as the door swung open and Terry blinked up at them, his eyes adjusting to the light.
Too much light damages books and the library was a dim, cosy place.
“‘Bout time.” He huffed. “Come on then, ain’t got all day.” He urged them over the threshold and then led them through the cavernous space filled with empty shelves into a smaller back room filled with books, a desk, an empty grate and a half-drunk mug of tea.
“Sit.” He indicated a battered sofa by the wall above which hung a faded painting. Star sat and Ryder squeezed in beside her, thighs brushing, hyper aware of her.
Terry pulled his chair from behind the desk so it was stationed opposite them and then parked his behind. Ryder looked at Terry’s hands, big square hands made for pummelling not nursing books.
The guy was short but stocky, could have been a fighter.
“First time I saw you in that arena I thoughts to meself, that’s one o’ them that is. But you was ever so careful, werentcha?. Always the beaten, always the knocked down. I was beginning ta think I was wrong and then I saw you save the girl, I saw the fury shining out ya eyes and I thought, gotchya, ya son o’ a bitch.”
Star tensed beside him, but Ryder remained calm. The guy was no threat. His tone was amicable despite his words.
Terry smiled. “I been lookin’ for one of yous and if you agrees to help me then I’ll help you.”
“How do you know I need your help?”
Terry looked at Star. “Not you, ‘er. She needs it for her little sis, right? And yous got a soft spot for the mite and a horn on for the big sis.”
He chuckled, a wet sound that spoke of sickness and clogged lungs. The guy was dying.
“How do you know that?” Star asked.
“‘Cos I keeps me eyes and ears open and me mouth shut,” Terry said.
“You think you can help us?” Ryder said, “How?”
“I can teach you the moves you needs. You more than halfway there, lad, you just needs the focus. With girly in the arena with you, you’ll do just fine.” He winked. “I seen what happened in the tunnel, the blue light that shot outta her hand. She’s wearing the switch to ya rage right there under her skin. Now that’s a story I’d pay to hear.”
“What do you want in return?” Ryder asked.
Terry leaned forward, his smile dropping, eyes hardening. “I wants you to help me wipe out the settlers.”
Ryder sighed and stood up. “Let’s go, Star.”
Star glanced up at him. “Wait, Terry, what are you talking about?”
Ryder shook his head and moved toward the door. The guy was nuts and if Star wanted to waste her time listening to him then she was welcome to do so. He was out of here.
“I know where the others are,” Terry said.
Ryder froze. No. It was impossible. The others were gone, destroyed. They’d tried to fight back, but after the settlers got Grayson it had been game over, was game over. Yet Terry’s words had ignited something inside him, a tiny flutter in his chest that would not be silenced.
“Ryder?” Star’s hand pressed against the small of his back, the place where the metal that controlled him had resided and a shudder ripped through him.
The rage rose and he turned on Terry, his voice low and menacing. “If you’re lying, old man, then I’ll rip out your throat with my bare hands!”
“Ryder! Calm down!”
Star’s hand was still in contact with his skin and a wave of cool calm radiated outward from that point of contact. The anger shattered then melted.
He shrugged her off. “Don’t do that.”
“I’m sorry, I thought…”
Shit, he was being a dick. “No, I’m sorry. You were just trying to help. Thank you.” He fixed his eyes on Terry. “Tell me everything.”
“Let’s sit down first. It’s a long story.”
Ryder reclaimed his spot on the sofa and Star climbed over his legs and slipped in beside him.
Terry sat back. “After my Anna died, I was lost. If the insiders hadn’t recruited me, I think I would have probably killed meself.”
Ryder sat forward. He was a part of the rebel group?
Terry winked at Star before continuing. “They needed someone inconspicuous, someone people wouldn’t look at twice, an old man with a bland face like meself. You see, unlike the rest of humanity, they hadn’t given up. They still believed that humanity could be saved, that the settlers’ weapon could be turned against them. Only problem was they thought the settlers had rounded up and disposed of all Horsemen. That is, until a rumour spread ‘bout a messiah, a man that could heal any sickness, bring you back from the brink o’ death. This piqued our interest and they sent me in search of this man. I found him in a settlement far to the north. I knew straight aways what he was. He wasn’t as big as the others though, but he had the eyes, icy pale. He’d shaved his head, like you do, but he couldn’t disguise his brows. They were white, like yours are r
ed. I knew which one he was—the bringer of sickness, and now…now he was cleaning up his mess.”
Bane…could it be? Or was it one of the others? They’d all looked the same once the settlers had done with them, their genetic information altered to reflect what they were; white for the sickness, black for the craving, red for the fury, and silver for the bringer of death. A thousand teams sent to destroy, identified only by the hair on their heads.
He knew the chance that it was Bane was minute. It could easily be another bringer of sickness, but then their team was the only one he knew of that had been disconnected from the settler’s mainframe. If this Horseman wasn’t Bane, then why hadn’t the settlers located him? The flutter in Ryder’s chest intensified. For the first time since he had been altered, he felt hope.
“Did you talk to him?” Ryder asked. “What did he say?”
Terry frowned. “I spoke to him alright. Explained what we was trying to do. He laughed in me face, told me I was chasing phantoms. I told ‘im he looked pretty real to me. Anyways, he said if I found the others, if I made up a team, then he’d consider me proposition.”
Star leaned forward, forearms on her thighs. “I don’t understand. What can four Horsemen do against a whole race of settlers? It took a thousand teams to take this planet.”
Terry grinned, showcasing blunt yellowing teeth. A smoker….probably what had clogged his lungs, what was killing him.
“The settlers ain’t the only ones with technology, scientists and the likes. We haven’t all sat back on our arses twiddling our thumbs, you know. Trust me, there’s a way, but we’ll need all four. Tell me you’re in, give me your word and I’ll ‘elp you save the girl.”
A way to get rid of the settlers, a way to make them pay for what they did? Ma’s face came to mind, her words of warning. His cold heart pulsed. If only… He’d left her behind to die, he’d been an automaton, a puppet, screaming and screaming with no one to hear. Now he had the hope of making them scream.
“Yes. I give you my word.”
Terry stood, extending his hand and Ryder stood to shake it. “We best get goin’ then. If you’re gonna tag team we need to work on your synchronisation and roles.”
“What?”
Ryder and Star exchanged glances.
Terry frowned. “Um…ya do know the final fight is a tag team fight, right?”
Ryder’s heart sank, no way, there was no way. Dead Eyes’ face came to mind, the bloodthirsty look in his eye, the glee on his face as he had pounded on Star. No, he wouldn’t allow it, couldn’t allow it. He opened his mouth to say so, but Star beat him to it.
“No we didn’t know, but it makes no odds. We’ll do it.”
She was crazy. It was tag team, it meant he couldn’t help her, not unless she tagged him. If he jumped in to save her they’d forfeit. She was light on her feet, but she was so slight a strong wind could blow her off track.
“Could you give us a minute, Terry?”
Terry’s gaze slid from Ryder to Star, his lips twisting in a humourless smile. “Sure.”
Once they were alone, Ryder turned on Star.
“You’re not doing this.”
The look on her face made him want to kick himself. Dumb arse, total idiot approach. Hadn’t he learned anything? Telling a female she couldn’t do something was like waving a red flag in front of a bull, and now she was glaring at him as if she was ready to knee him in the nuts.
“I’m sorry. I meant…this is a bad idea.”
She exhaled, her face softening. “Look, I know. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is get back in that arena, but its Midge. I’d do anything for her, and this is our only hope of raising enough cash.”
An idea, like a bolt of lightning, struck him. “Wait, what about the Horseman? The one who can cure illness?”
Star’s eyes widened, her rosy lips parting in comprehension.
The door opened and Terry entered. “You done?”
“Where is he?” Ryder asked.
Terry shook his head, backing away. “Whoa, no. I can’t tell you that. I gave him my word.”
Ryder took a menacing step forward.
Terry stood his ground. “Look, you can beat me, you can kill me, but I ain’t tellya shit! What kind of a man would I be if I broke me word? Who’d do business with a liar?”
“And what kind of a man would you be if you let a child die?” Star said.
Ryder watched Terry. His face was expressionless, but his eyes spoke volumes. He was wavering.
“Terry, please,” Star implored.
Terry dropped his gaze, gnawing on his lip. “Look, I can’t tell you, not like this, but if you lose the fight then I’ll tell ya because it’ll be the only way left to save the girl, and I’ll just have to hope he understands.”
“Thank you,” Star said.
It was a second chance, but it still didn’t change the fact that he’d have to watch Star get beaten. It didn’t change the fact that trying to control the fury inside him just became ten times harder.
“Well, what we waiting for? Let’s get to work.” Terry clapped his hands with a little too much glee.
There was more, he could feel it, but right now was not the time to push. Ryder needed this guy, needed the information he had so he would play along…for now.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ryder took a detour on the way back home. He had to check on Midge, make sure she was alright.
“I can’t come with,” Star had said. “Mum…um, we had a fight, so best I give her some cool off time.”
He didn’t believe a word of it. She was hiding something, but he didn’t have the time to coax it out of her. He didn’t know if he could get her to talk even if he wanted to. Best to leave it be for now. Whatever the reason, it must be important. Before he’d known her he’d cursed her, the sister who had left Midge behind, but now he knew how much Star loved her sister—too much to stay away for something as petty as an argument.
Leaving her to head back to his home, he turned down the track that led to Midge’s house.
Star’s mum let him in with a shaky smile, her eyes enquiring.
“It’s going good,” he said and this seemed to soothe her.
He didn’t need to ask. She led him to Midge’s room, but stopped outside.
“I want you to know…” She cleared her throat, but her words were still thick when she continued. “Midge, she adores you, talked about you all the time. Her dad was worried at first, but Midge has always been a good judge of character and when she spent time watching you work, when you gave her that brace, you made her light up. You made my little girl feel normal and for that we will always be grateful. I guess I just want you to know…you don’t have to do anything more, anything that might cause you harm. Midge wouldn’t want that.”
What to say to that? Speech was difficult, his throat felt too tight and so he settled for nodding.
She pushed open the door and ushered him in.
The smell hit him first…death. He didn’t know how he knew that smell, he just did, a chord he may have heard a long time ago. It resonated within him and fear clamped its clammy fingers around his heart because he couldn’t lose her too.
“Midge? It’s Ryder.”
He slipped into the wooden chair by the bed, too small, too creaky. He sat gingerly, hoping it didn’t cave under his bulk. “I’m gonna make you better, I promise. Then I’m gonna get you a new cake with chocolate frosting just like you dreamt about.”
Midge lay silent—her chest rising and falling the only sign she was still alive.
“You remember the day I called you out from behind that box? You were so defiant. You just wouldn’t go away, you never gave up on anything, Midge, not on being normal, not on your sister, not on happiness, so don’t give up on life. You need to fight, just…hang in there for a little longer…please.”
He’d never felt it before, that extra beat in his heart, that strange stutter, but when she’d asked him for a leg as a joke
, he’d known he would make her one. And he’d started to build her the brace, but it hadn’t been enough. He’d watched her watching the other kids play tag and hopscotch, riding their battered bikes and he wanted her to have that…motion and so he’d built the kart, the kart he might not get to give to her.
“You have to hang on, Midge. I need you to hang on.”
It was stupid and crazy, but she was his saviour, the first person to make him believe that he had retained some of what the humans called humanity. He couldn’t lose her.
He wanted to hear her voice again; her goofy laugh that ended in a snort. She was everything about humanity that he admired. Resilient, optimistic, empathic, a survivor…she was a survivor.
“You hold on and I promise you’ll feel the wind in your hair.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
She was so dead. Every inch of her body hurt and all she’d done today was learn how to evade. Tomorrow was quick sharp attacks. She knew the basics from her training with Garret, but Terry was insistent. To wrap up they’d played with the switch; the control to Ryder’s rage, and discovered that she didn’t need to be touching him, although she needed to be within a two metre radius for it to work. They also discovered that the activation was emotive, something to do with electrical waves or pulses. To be honest, that part had gone right over her head.
Talk about pressure!
She allowed her thoughts to roam as the blessed hot water of Ryder’s shower beat at her skin.
This was spoiling her. Baths and showers were luxuries, the most she had to look forward to was a thorough wash. This was bliss and she wanted to remain under the spray of water forever. Sighing, she turned off the jet and grabbed the towel to dry off.
She stepped out the tub and slipped. Flying backwards she cried out and then tasted blood as the back of her head slammed against the tub and she bit her tongue.
The door burst open. She struggled to clear her blurry vision as Ryder barrelled in. He didn’t speak, just gathered her up into his arms, damp, naked and clutching the towel to her front to preserve her modesty.
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