“But why attack tonight, Jones? You can’t have had much time to prepare.”
Ethan quickly explained how the Koreans were preparing to quit town and his conclusion, that they must be about to release the virus.
“Great, that’s just what we need.”
“Hey, Anna’s cell’s empty,” Shorty called out when Ethan finished.
“Probably still in one of the interrogation rooms,” I said.
“Should I look for her?”
“No time – she’ll turn up sooner or later.”
“What’s this?” Hong growled. He was standing at the next cell down, face red with rage.
“What’s up, mate?” Badger asked, a Custodian assault rifle in his hands.
“This door says Ryan Hill,” he said, reaching for the bolt.
Ryan? He was in one of the cells? But if he was locked up too, that meant…
Hong slammed the cell door open and stood there, quivering with fury. “They imprisoned you even after you helped them interrogate us? Stupid traitor, how could you sell us out like that?”
I watched in horror as Hong turned to Badger and tore the gun from his hands. Spinning back around, he pointed the gun at Ryan.
“Die!” he shouted, finger tightening on the trigger.
I was already moving, though, and closed the space between us at a speed only possible for genetically modified humans. I wasn’t going to make it, so I did the only other thing I could think of, and shrieked as loud as I could near the top range of human hearing.
Hong flinched and tried to shield his ears with his shoulders, his face contorted in pain. Everyone else behind me, with the exception of Ethan and Bhagya, cried out as well.
I reached the bullnecked Underground member and kicked his gun skyward. I was just in time, too, because even while recoiling from the pain lancing through his ears, he pressed the trigger all the way down. The loud retort of the gun almost deafened me as it stitched a line of bullet holes in the ceiling above Ryan’s head, sending puffs of plaster raining down.
Hong looked at me as though I was some kind of freak. “What was that awful noise?”
“That sound came from her?” Badger said.
“Put the gun away, you idiot!” I said as I slung my assault rifle over my shoulder and stepped closer. Grabbing his gun with one hand, I flicked the safety on with the other.
Glancing in the cell, I finally caught sight of Ryan. Pressed against the back wall with his head buried in his arms, he still wore his Custodian uniform. Risking a look in my direction, he locked his eyes with mine, uncertainty and doubt clouding his expression.
Hong tried to push me away. “Back off, Chelsea. Your boyfriend infiltrated your resistance movement as a Custodian undercover operative and dobbed us all in! He dies!”
“Oh, don’t be stupid,” I said. “He wouldn’t be locked in a cell along with the rest of us if that were the case.”
“They didn’t interrogate you, Chelsea? Well, news flash, I got interrogated by Cho and Ryan together. He’s one of them!” He tried again to dislodge my hands from his gun.
“Hong’s right, I was questioned by Ryan and Cho too,” Badger said, coming towards me.
“As was I,” Dylan said. “Still, shooting him isn’t the answer. Just let him stew in his cell until we can work out what to do with him.”
“I think that would be prudent, Hong,” Mal Li said. “Put the gun away and lock the door. We’ll get to the bottom of Ryan’s behaviour when this is all over.”
Ryan looked hurt, his eyes darting frantically from face to face as he sought anyone else to stick up for him. Wondering what he was thinking, I tightened my grip on Hong’s gun and looked over my shoulder at the others. “Come on, guys, he was coerced! If they beat up my father in front of me to try to make me talk, what do you think they did to his family to make him co-operate?”
“If that’s the case, he’s still a traitor,” Hong growled. “Regardless of what pressure, blackmail, or torture Cho threw at him, if he was one of us he wouldn’t have co-operated with them.”
“Wake up, Chelsea – he’s the one who told them about the meeting. He’s the one who spilled the beans on our plans,” Badger said.
Several others chorused their agreement.
“It wasn’t him! And I can prove it,” I shouted. “Cho didn’t know about the Custodians sympathetic to our cause. If Ryan was working for him, that would have been the first thing he told him.”
“I don’t know–”
“Did Cho and Ryan interrogate you, Mal?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Did they mention the Armband Custodians or press you for their names?”
“No.”
Ethan, who had been standing guard at the back, came forward. “Chelsea makes a good point. Whoever informed Cho about the meeting and your resistance movements didn’t know you infiltrated the Custodians. Ryan isn’t the traitor you’re looking for.”
“Lieutenant Hill isn’t a team player,” said one of the Armbands – Private Jindal, by his nametag. “He’s a pariah – we don’t trust him nor will we work with him.”
“You lot don’t like Ryan because he dobbed in one of his buddies when he accidentally shot my father and framed him for it!” I was angry now.
“That was your father?” The astonished look on the man’s face was one for the picture books.
“Yes.”
I turned back to Hong. “Back off and shoulder the weapon or I’ll take it from you.”
Bristling at my words, he tensed, about to take it further, so I sprang into action. I snapped an elbow into the bridge of his nose and kicked his legs out from beneath him. As he fell, I snatched his gun and tossed it to Ryan.
Admiration and love shining from his face, he caught the gun and strode out of his cell to join me.
“Whoa, whoa!” Badger shouted, staggering back in alarm. Dylan and one of the Armbands aimed their guns at Ryan.
I stood in front of Ryan and stared them down. Not that it would achieve much – he was taller and broader than I was.
“Put your weapons down!” Ethan bellowed with such authority that everyone obeyed instinctively. He turned to Ryan. “Cho arrested your family?”
“Yes, my father and mother.”
“Figured as much. They grabbed Chelsea’s and mine too. Anyone else’s family here?”
“My wife and parents,” Mal said.
Everyone else shook his or her head.
“All done, Nana-chan?” Ethan asked his wife, who was helping the now-bandaged Custodian sit back against the wall.
Retrieving her med kit, she nodded and stood.
“Can we trust you to stay here or make your way to sickbay until the shooting’s all said and done?” Ethan asked the injured man.
“You won’t get away with this,” he said.
“Try answering the question.”
The man looked away, but remained seated.
Ethan stared at him.
“Fine – I’ll stay here.”
“Wise decision.” Ethan turned to the Armband I humiliated a moment ago. “Lead the way to the other cellblock, Private Jindal.”
“Will do, but you lot better take one of these before we go,” the Custodian said, holding up a handful of white armbands. That done, he trotted up the corridor while we followed him in single file.
“You aren’t going to ask me?” Ryan asked softly. He was jogging in front of me with his head turned slightly to one side.
“Ask you what?”
“Why I was helping Cho?”
“No need.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you.”
“You must have had some doubts when I came through the door with the general.”
“Okay, you got me. I felt like I’d been hit for six when you came in with him. Even more so when you started questioning me, but I figured Cho found a way to make you do it. Then, the moment I saw your name written outside that cell door, I knew I was righ
t – Cho used your family against you too.”
Our party rounded a corner, stepped over the bodies of several Custodians, and continued down a corridor opening into offices and conference rooms.
“You’ve changed,” Ryan said, looking at me from the corner of his eye. He seemed pleased, though, not angry or disappointed.
“Oh?”
“Once you would have accused me of working with Cho and irrespective of how I answered, it would have left a cloud of mistrust lingering between us. Thanks for believing in me.”
“We’ve been through too much together to start doubting you now.” I beamed at him, moved by his words. I was also relieved that my faith in him was justified – he was still the same old Ryan I knew so well. Still, he would be feeling an overwhelming sense of shame that he gave in and played the part Cho wanted him to play during the interrogation sessions.
I could also tell that he was pretending to take the whole episode in his stride, that he had it all together, and wasn’t affected by the ordeal. This night was taking a toll on us all.
We reached the multiple-occupants cellblock processing station. With typical bull-headed stupidity, the three Custodians defending it rejected calls to surrender. So, while Nanako, Bhagya, and I gave covering fire, Ethan and Shorty dove into the room and it was all over almost before it began.
Stepping over the slain Custodians to enter the corridor beyond, we saw that four of the cells were occupied. The names on the blackboards were Hill, Thomas, Li, and Jones.
While Ryan rushed to set his parents free, I stared at the door I had to open and remained where I was. I didn’t want to see the bruises adorning my father’s face and remember that I was the reason he got them. Nor did I want to see my mother’s accusing stare or listen to her attacks on my character. She already blamed me for the deaths of my brother and sister, and this whole episode had no doubt given her more fuel for her hatred of me.
A cold, slim hand slid into mine and gave a gentle squeeze.
“Door’s not going to open with you standing here,” Bhagya said. She was so small and thin, yet a powerhouse of determination and strength. I didn’t know how I would have survived my time as a Specialist without her constant companionship.
She led me to the door and slid back the bolt. Taking a deep breath to steel my nerves, I opened the door cautiously. The cell was considerably larger than the one in which I’d been incarcerated. It even had a linoleum floor instead of concrete, five cots, a toilet and a washbasin.
Frightened by the gun battle that had occurred outside their door only moments ago, my parents were huddled in the far corner beside the basin.
“Chelsea?” Father said. Hope shining through his eyes, he rose slowly to his feet. The brilliant fluorescent light illuminated his bruises clearly, sending pangs of guilt shooting through me.
“Father, Mother!” I said as I hurried to my parents. I turned my father’s face gently to one side so I could better examine the bruises. They were already turning black and blue.
“Don’t worry about me, are you hurt?” Father asked as he took my hand in his.
“I’m fine. Oh Father, I’m so sorry – I never meant for you to get caught up in this.”
“Caught up in what, exactly?” Standing now, my mother speared me with a withering gaze. “Why are you carrying a gun, Eldest Daughter? What have you gotten yourself mixed up in this time? Getting us arrested and your father beaten up? You’re an absolute disgrace!”
“I’d love to answer your questions, but it’ll have to wait until later. We have to get you out of Custodian HQ before the rest of the Custodians come back.” I took them gently by the arm and tried to shepherd them towards the door.
My mother tore her arm free and slapped me full across the face. “Stay away from us, you stupid, stupid girl! Wasn’t it enough to get your brother and sister killed? You want to kill us too?”
My cheek stung unmercifully and tears came to my eyes – tears that had nothing to do with pain. I grabbed her arm more firmly, feeling a sense of satisfaction when she realised she couldn’t dislodge my vice-like grip. “You can tell me how much you hate me later, Mother. We have to go.”
Helping my father with one hand and dragging my unwilling mother along with the other, I left the cell and entered the cellblock’s processing station. I was envious to see Mal Li’s elderly parents holding his hands, pleased to be reunited with him even though his father had fared far worse than mine had. One of his eyes was swollen shut, one hand was bandaged, and his lips were split in two places.
Looking around, I saw I wasn’t the only one with a disapproving parent. Ethan Jones was locked in a furious argument with his father, who seemed just as displeased with him as my mother was with me. Meanwhile Nanako, his mother, and a teenage girl – his sister, I presumed – stood slightly back from them, looking on with concern. Nanako held the girl’s hands, which were shaking uncontrollably.
Then I noticed Ryan standing with his parents, and my heart broke. His father’s right hand was swathed in bloody bandages, and it only took a moment to realise that something was wrong with it – two fingers were missing. For a surgeon, that signalled the end of his career.
Cho was going to pay for this, but not with a bullet in his head. I’d see to it personally that he stood trial and be charged for all his many crimes. Perhaps I’d even see to it that he spent the rest of his life in solitaire confinement.
My father touched my arm gently. “What’s going on, Eldest Daughter? What’s all this about the Japanese and a nuclear weapon? Why are the Custodians fighting each other? Why are you working with them?”
“The chancellor and the Koreans are going to abandon the town and take the sub with them, robbing us of our electricity source. They are also about to release a virus that will render all non-Korean men sterile.”
“This is for real – not unsubstantiated rumours?”
“I’m afraid not. We knew this was coming – just didn’t expect it to come so soon.”
“I’ve never been a fan of the chancellor, but why would he do something like this?”
“The Korean Founders and their successors have worked tirelessly over the past hundred years to create a society free of conflict so that there would never be another war. They believed this could only be achieved if there was only one race. So they created a virus to end all of the races but one – their own.”
“That’s utter nonsense, Daughter!” my mother said. “The chancellor would never do such a thing! He’s our defender, our protector, our father! We are his children, whether Korean or not!”
“Chelsea is telling the truth, Mrs. Thomas,” Ryan said as he joined us.
“You! Wait, you’re a Custodian?” she said, eyes wide in astonishment.
“Custodian Undercover Operative Lieutenant Ryan Hill, Ma’am,” he said.
Suddenly noticing the Armband Custodians and the three bodies on the floor, Mother looked bewildered. “What’s going on – are the Custodians fighting the chancellor too?”
“Those of us who know what’s going are.”
Mother stepped back, shaking her head. “This can’t be happening.”
I looked at her intently, willing her to open her eyes and see the truth. I wished she would see me for who I was instead of despising me so much. If only she would give me approval instead of disdain.
Catching sight of Ryan’s parents waiting several steps away, I greeted them warmly, trying hard not to stare at his father’s mutilated hand and bruised face.
“Chelsea, dear, you’re caught up in this terrible mess too?” his mother said, her face creased with lines of worry. I wondered what my life would have been like if I’d had a mother like her – if I had grown up with love and affirmation instead of endless criticism, disapproval, and rejection.
“I’m afraid so, Mrs. Hill. I could turn a blind eye to what was going on for only so long.” I glanced at Ryan’s father, stomach churning at the sight of his injuries. “I’ll see that the one
s who did this to you are brought to justice, sir.”
He appraised me thoughtfully before he spoke. “May I have a word with you, Chelsea?”
“Of course.”
Grimacing in pain, he pulled me away from the others. “I’ll get straight to the point. General Cho knew of your relationship with my son, and made several outlandish claims about you. And, well, I’d like you to put my mind at ease.”
“What did he say?” I had a dreadful feeling about this.
“He said that you’re a mutant and so deformed that you cannot procreate.”
I met his gaze without more confidence than I felt. “I was genetically engineered before I was born, sir – without my parents’ knowledge or permission. I’m not a mutant. But as such, I have certain unique abilities that give me an edge when it comes to surviving outside the town. The downside is that I cannot have children.”
“Are there others like you?”
“A few.”
“Can you procreate with your own kind?”
“That hasn’t been tested, I’m afraid, so I don’t know.”
He sighed, crestfallen. “In that case, Chelsea, I’m sorry, but providing we even survive this night, I must insist that you end your relationship with my son.”
“Sir?”
“As my only son, it is Ryan’s responsibility to carry on the family name. I can’t have you marrying him if you cannot have children.”
I opened my mouth, about to tell him that there was no guarantee a married couple could have children, and that Ryan and I were open to adoption. But then I realised there was no point wasting my breath on such an argument when I suspected I wouldn’t survive the night. If I did manage to stay alive, I would have to deal with this later.
Ethan Jones chose that moment to get our collective attention, his voice cutting through the chatter. “Listen up, people, it’s time to move out! Fall in line and follow me – let’s get these civvies out of here.”
With Ethan, Shorty, and the Armband Custodians leading the way, we left the processing station. We had taken only a few steps when Ethan received a phone call. “What’s up, Madison?” he said.
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