Rogue (Convergence Series Book 1)

by S. A. Stephenson

  Kit moved closer to the screen and saw their friend surrounded by people she didn't know. 'I spoke to him this morning, asked him if this was a smart idea,' Kit said sadly, careful not to tell Adam what she was planning.

  'Last I heard he was trying to rally troops in Alto,' Adam said. 'Looks like he managed it.'

  'This attack was led by the Death Marks, one of whom is now a prisoner of Volt,' Jenks told them. 'Half of the people who attacked with him fled, the others we managed to capture are suffering the consequences of being part of the attack. We will not tolerate such open attacks without retaliating.'

  'They attack because you attack first,' Kit muttered.

  ‘Twenty years ago we experienced such a mutiny and one of our most notorious prisoners is still at large,' Jenks said. Kit felt her stomach tighten, out of instinct Adam moved closer to her, always ready to protect her within a moment's notice. 'We believe that this attack was orchestrated and inspired by Katarina Valletta, who killed so many of us when she escaped twenty years ago.'

  'I didn't kill anyone,' Kit said quietly.

  'I know,' Adam said.

  'Katarina Valletta remains to this day, the number one threat to our way of life,' Jenks said. 'She has an army and is prepared to lead it against us at a moment's notice.' The patron's in the bar began to shout at the screen.

  'Rubbish!'

  'Liar!'

  'They protect us!'

  A couple turned to Kit and raised their glasses to her. Mags Rouburn came over to her, she was carrying her normal wicker basket and handed Kit a loaf of bread she had cooked. 'Don't listen to them dear,' she said. 'We know the truth and that's all that matters. Without you we'd be in much greater danger.'

  Kit smiled at her as she accepted the loaf. 'Thank you,' she said turning to Adam. 'Can we go?' She asked.

  They walked outside of the Mermaid Inn and around to the back of the crate. Kit leant against the wall and closed her eyes.

  'They've been pushing the same rubbish for the last twenty years and they haven’t managed to do anything,' said Adam.

  'But one day they will and as long as Galen is in power, then we'll have to fight for our lives,' Kit said. 'Or hide.'

  'If this is hiding then we're not doing too badly,' Adam told her.

  'Forever the optimist,' Kit said, with a smile. 'But they know where we are. And we're only given the freedom we have because the FSA agreed to protect us if Volt attacked. But they can't keep pushing back the Empire forever and sooner or later our agreement will end.'

  'Then maybe it's time we make a plan and go up against Galen and Hawk. They created us, it's time they face the consequences for playing God,' Adam said.

  'I wish I was as ready for a fight as you are,' Kit said. She had felt a war brewing for far too long and had been actively trying to ignore it. The Council who worked in the Stacks were doing what they could to keep peace, but she also knew that she couldn't be a Commander of an army if she wasn't prepared to fight.

  'You've got support in the Stacks,' Adam reminded her. 'People will follow you if you lead them.'

  Kit squirmed. 'I just wanted the quiet life when I escaped,' she told him. 'I didn't leave to start a revolution. I left to have my freedom.'

  'And do you feel free?' Adam asked her.

  Kit looked at him and he saw despair in her eyes. 'I can't end up back in that place.'

  'I know,' Adam said pulling her close, his embrace tight and comforting. The moment ended when Kit remembered she needed to be cautious with Adam and she pulled away.

  'I should go find Rook and Lil. They'll know what we need to do,' Kit said.

  'Do you think you'll be able to get him out?' Adam asked.

  'We have to try,' Kit said.

  'Even if it means facing Galen and Hawk?'

  'Even if it means facing them,' Kit said gravely.

  ***

  Evie was quiet as she traveled in the back seat of the truck. Cara sat next to her staring out the window as the Spire filtered past them. The rain made the landscape gray and miserable. Evie wanted to say something to Cara, reassure her in some way. But neither wanted to arrive at their destination.

  'You didn't have to come with me,' Jack said quietly as he drove.

  'If someone attacked us then I want to know why,' Evie said. 'And he could be an interesting subject,' she added. Cara glanced over to her and Evie saw pain in her eyes but didn't say anything. Evie knew Cara could have stayed behind, refused to join her, but her loyalty was unwavering and Evie often wondered what she’d done to deserve such a friend.

  The journey to Volt’s Capitol was one that Evie hadn't wanted make take again. Volt's epicenter was a long distance away from the Spire and she had always hated the hours it took to get there. As she traveled she thought of the States that used to be on the east coast. She had been able to piece together of what the past used to be like but didn't dare confirm with anyone. Volt covered at least a third of the east coast, from the tip of the Garnet prefecture which had been one of the oldest settlements in the Empire, to the edge of the Emerald sector. Evie hadn't heard much about the old Emerald sector, except that they had a tragic history of slavery, they were also one of the first states that fell when the river flooded and was now part of the center of the country that formed the Nevermore. Evie thought of the world that once was. The people who lived there. How the once united country had become so divided. She looked through the window as they traveled away from the towering skyscrapers of the Spire through barren landscape. Towns that had once been there were now either rubble or deserted. They gave Evie the creeps when she thought about them. The lives the people would have had before the Blast, before the Galen presidency. There were still remnants of what a free America looked like, before it had completely changed to the Empire. She could see the bones of old buildings, restaurants, churches, cars that had been burned out. Evie quickly stopped thinking about the old days. The days where freedom was a different concept to what it was today. She didn't like to believe the rumors that Galen's Government could hear people's thoughts, but she wasn't ready to test the theory.

  They pulled up to the large wall that surrounded the Spinel prefecture of Volt. The headquarters. Evie looked out at the new Capitol city that had been erected shortly after the first of the natural disasters had wiped out much of the old Capitol district. The wall built to protect those inside, as well as keep them locked up. Evie looked up at the motto engraved over the large metal doors.

  'Sacrarium Spiritus adiuvat,' Cara read.

  'Sanctuary of the Brave,' Jack translated proudly. ‘Feels good to be home.'

  'A military man would say that,' Evie said.

  Jack didn't comment, he showed his badge to the guards as he pulled the truck to a stop. 'Got a 9-13 prisoner in the back,' he told them.

  'Go straight through to HQ,' the guard said. 'She'll be waiting for you.'

  The doors slid open and Evie looked out at the window as she saw the city again for the first time in months. People in the Spire talked about this district of Volt with extreme reverence. They knew that only the most prestigious people in the Empire got to live or visit here. The only way you entered from the outside was if you had been imprisoned. Evie's access to the city as an Elite never went unnoticed by her. She knew the position her family had held. How her grandfather had worked to help people infected by the unknown virus back in the early days. How he had helped the family gain status with Galen's government. Evie looked out at the streets, they had been built in neatly lined rows, each serving their own purpose. They were predominately military quarters, and a few for citizens who worked in the government. Evie thought of her old family home, that lay on the outskirts. The fields which surrounded the small building gave her the only sense of freedom she had ever experienced while she was growing up. Jack didn't take them there, instead he drove to the center of the city, to the Presidential building. It was a grand silver building that spiraled upwards towering over the city. Evie gazed up at it, inst
antly feeling like she was a child again.

  When Jack brought the truck to a stop she took a deep breath. 'Try not to think about the last time you were here,' he told her.

  'I'm trying not to,' Evie said. They got out of the truck, Cara stood next to Evie as they watched Jack, pull Kingsley out. He looked up at the skyscraper with wide eyes.

  'Whoa,' he said. 'Never in my lifetime did I think I'd get to see this.'

  Jack shoved him forward. 'This isn't a holiday,' he said. 'We're taking you to the cells. Then you'll tell us what you know,' he told him.

  Jack shoved Kingsley forward they walked into the grand foyer. Evie’s shoes squeaked on the white marble floor, she panicked as she remembered the dress code.

  'We'll need to get changed,' she said quietly to Jack.

  He looked at her and Evie and their trousers and t-shirt attire. 'Yes,' he agreed. 'They'll have uniforms in the basement,' he told them. 'Change before anyone sees you.'

  Evie was grateful for an excuse to duck away from the main entrance of the building with Cara. 'Last time you were here was when you were reassigned wasn't it?' Cara asked her as they made their way to the basement. 'You never told me much more about that day.’

  'I know,' Evie told her quietly. 'They found out about Lux. I was going to be put up against the firing squad but because of Jack's connections and my family's status in this city, Hawk gave me a pardon.'

  Cara stopped. 'I never knew that,' she said. 'I thought you managed to hide your relationship,' she said.

  Evie hung her head. 'I wish we had tried harder. Because being pardoned is one of the things I feel most guilty about,' Evie told her. 'I was saved because of who my family was. It wasn't enough to save Lux.'

  'You were always top of the class growing up,' Cara said. 'Changing careers isn't heard of in Volt. How did they explain a sudden change to the sciences?'

  'They managed to,' Evie said. 'And it meant I could come join you in the Spire so people were none the wiser.'

  'Even then you didn’t tell me why you had suddenly changed your assigned post,' she said. 'Did you want to leave the army, or did they make you?’.

  'It's on a need to know basis,' Evie said. 'Still is.'

  They reached the entrance to the basement changing rooms. Evie’s stomach churned as she showed her ID badge to the guard on duty.

  'Visiting an inmate?' The man asked.

  'Just changing,' Evie told him.

  'Spare clothes for civilians are in the locker room,' he said.

  They walked to the locker rooms, Evie grimaced at the unflattering uniforms. 'At least in the Spire we have better fashion sense,' she said.

  As they changed, Cara caught a glimpse of the EKG tattoo. 'How were you able to get that?' Cara asked her. 'You have to pass some pretty full on tests to get one.'

  Evie glanced at her forearm and avoided Cara's gaze. 'I got it when I was a kid,' she said. ‘You’ve seen it before.'

  'Yes, but even you know that talking about the early days are difficult and often we keep it to ourselves,’ Cara said. ‘I can’t believe they put you through those tests when you were a child,' she said surprised.

  Evie turned to face her. 'My father asked for a favor,' she said. 'He knew that I wouldn't be able to pass the tests, that I’d be exiled to the chambers and paid one of the guards to mark me.'

  'Oh,' Cara said as she finished getting dressed.

  'It wasn't my choice,' Evie told her. 'I know what they do to people to make sure you're human,' she said. She remembered Cara limping home one day after training, her haunted eyes exposed the horror that she’d been through and she had winced as she changed for bed, the pain from her own tattoo seared through her shoulder.

  'We shouldn't keep Jack waiting,' Cara said, with a notable coldness to her voice.

  Kingsley had been taken to an investigation room, Cara and Evie sat on the other side of the glass mirror as they watched Jack question him.

  'Have you ever seen one before?' Cara asked. 'A Death Mark?'

  'A few times,' she said. 'They have different powers to most mutants, darker abilities, that’s why they’re more dangerous.'

  Evie looked at Kingsley, even through the glass she could feel energy radiating from him and although he couldn't see her he was staring at her intently.

  'Let’s start with why you attacked the Institute,' Jack said, eyes piercing as he stared at the Death Mark.

  Kingsley turned his attention back to Jack. 'I was bored and wanted something to do,’ he said, shrugging his shoulders.

  Jack looked at him, fury rolling from his expression. 'You attacked a prominent building belonging to Volt. Why?' He asked.

  Kingsley lent forward, the chains round his wrists rattling, fighting to keep him in place. 'Do you think that I'm going to tell you?' He asked.

  'Are you working under orders from Katarina Valletta?' Jack asked.

  Kingsley scoffed. 'Hardly, but I know you want her,' he said, raising his brows.

  'Do you know how to get to her?' Jack asked.

  'Sure. I have her on speed dial,' Kingsley said pausing. 'Oh, you want me to hand her over?' He asked in mock surprise. 'Sorry, not going to happen.'

  'Not even if it can save your neck?' Jack asked.

  Kingsley sat back in his seat and looked at Jack curiously. 'No Armistice Guard has ever made a deal with a Death Mark.’

  'I'm not an Armistice Guard,' he told him. 'I work with Commander Hawk's army and right now your ass is about to be hauled in front of a firing squad. So unless you want to die I suggest you start talking.'

  Jack watched as Kingsley squirmed, remaining calm as he knew he had him on the back foot. He took out his notepad, treating it like any other interrogation.

  'You think a firing squad can kill me?' He asked him. 'That tells me you don't know what you're dealing with,' he said.

  'I know you're a Death Mark,' Jack said. 'We have the technology that can kill you… me.'

  Kingsley looked back up to the mirror at Evie, he could feel something radiating through the glass, as though he could feel her. He knew there was an energy in the building that was strong. An energy that could be of use to Kit and her war. He just had to work out how to get her to the Stacks.

  'I work for the FSA,' Kingsley told him reluctantly. 'We came from the Alto sector.'

  'You traveled from the West Coast undetected?' Jack asked. 'How did you get through the barriers and across the Nevermore?'

  'We have passes and quick reflexes,' Kingsley told him refusing to elaborate.

  'The FSA doesn't accept mutant soldiers,' Jack said. 'How did you and your men join them?'

  'Since the agreement was made for the FSA to assist protecting the Stacks against Volt, there's been some leniency in their acceptance policy,' Kingsley said.

  'So why the Institute?' Jack asked as he continued to note down Kingsley's answers.

  Kingsley looked at him darkly. 'Because that's where they're creating us. That's where they're torturing us,' he said. 'Galen and her crony’s human experimentation for their own ends.'

  'What end is that?' Jack asked.

  'To create a race of genetically altered human hybrids who are strong enough to lead an army in an invasion unlike any the world has ever seen,' Kingsley said.

  Jack scoffed at him, behind the glass Evie tensed.

  'You think I'm joking?' He asked. 'Ask yourself. Where do we get our abilities from? Where does your sister get her powers from?' Jack sat up, suddenly on alert and Kingsley smirked. 'Yeah, I know who she is. She has a certain...energy that is hard to ignore,' Kingsley said. 'And if you want to keep her safe then you'll save me from that firing squad.'

  'Do you know Valletta?' Jack asked firmly, wanting a straight answer from him. Kingsley didn't answer. 'If she can help my sister then I won't go after her and will hold Hawk's army back where I can,' Jack told him quietly. 'I want her to meet and help my sister.'

  Kingsley looked up at the mirror and Evie shifted in her feet. 'She's differen
t, isn't she?' He asked. 'The one they've only whispered about.'

  Jack didn't answer and Evie’s stomach plummeted. His silence spoke volumes. The whispers she had grown up with. Memories of the arguments her parents had that would stop when she entered the room, all came flooding back to her. She had known there was something about her that was different but it was something she couldn’t explain. The man in the room had tried to kill her, but as they acknowledged one another’s energy through the mirrored partition, Evie knew he was going to be the one who could help her.

  Chapter Four

  JACK WALKED OUT OF the interview room and came back to Evie and Cara. 'What happened in there?' Evie asked him.

  'What I've feared for years,' Jack said. 'Death Marks can sense things about mutants that no one else can. When we were younger I heard our parents arguing one night in whispers. I sat on the top of our stairs and listened as they spoke with concerns about your abilities and how the virus had changed your DNA in a way that it hadn't with other mutants. They didn't want anyone in Volt to learn of what you could do because they feared people would try and take you from us.'

  Evie's mind raced as she tried to understand. 'How am I different to other mutants?' She asked. 'All their powers manifest in different ways.'

  'But they've always had the ability to control their powers,' Jack said. 'As a child, your abilities were difficult to contain and our father knew it would cause a problem when you entered the system in Volt. They began to suppress your abilities through drugs Mom smuggled out of the hospital and they told me I had to keep you safe.'

  'That's why I spent weekends at the hospital,' Evie realized.

  'So that your abilities could be studied and controlled for your safety. Our parents agreed to help from some of the doctors to keep your secret, in return that's why the experiments began.'

  Evie remembered the times she had spent lying on an operating table as masked scientists conducted tests on her, they would sit her in a chair and attach numerous wires to her. They would monitor her as she made objects move, as she summoned the electric energy that flowed through her veins. She wanted so desperately to hurt them, to be set free from the prisons that they kept her in. The power she felt during those experiments terrified her and she soon lost sight of who she was. When they had beaten her down, she learnt not to show them anything, when she didn't give them anything to study, they gradually began to stop the tests.