Rogue (Convergence Series Book 1)

by S. A. Stephenson

  'You need to write a statement and sign it,' he said. 'Then you're free to go, any questions and we'll be in touch.'

  Evie glanced over to Cara as the man returned to his post. 'We can omit the part about inciting a rebellion, can't we?' She asked quietly.

  'I'm definitely not bringing it up as a topic for discussion,' Cara replied. 'At least, not with people who will kill us for talking about one.'

  Evie had filled out the statement as quickly as she could and was grateful to be out of the facility building.

  'We should go back to the Spire,' Cara said as she joined her. 'I don't like spending too long in this place.'

  They went back to Evie's house and packed up their few belongings, Evie spent a moment and looked round the building, feeling like she was saying goodbye to it and the past that dwelled in the walls. She wasn't the person who had grown up here and she was determined to learn of who she could be away from this place. 'Things are going to change, aren't they?' She asked Cara.

  'I think it's time for things to change,' Cara told her as she shouldered her bag. 'Are you ready?'

  Evie nodded and they quietly left the building. They boarded the train back to the Spire and Evie slept lightly, her phone in her hand as she waited expectantly to hear from Jack.

  When she woke they had arrived back at Central Station and when they walked out and round the block to where they worked Evie looked up at the Institute, the large metal structure that curved upwards like a spine was the last place she wanted to be right now. 'I need to see if Jack's been in touch,' she said. 'Then I'll come and join you.'

  'Okay,' Cara said. 'I'll go and pack our things and field any questions from people, because you know how quickly news travels in this place.'

  Evie gave her a weak smile. 'I'll be there soon to back you up,' she said.

  Evie locked the door behind her when she made it to the Institute's library and began to scour the bookshelves. Numerous titles were on genetics and the mechanics behind human engineering but she needed something out of the realm of science. After climbing up a step ladder she found what she was looking for and pulled down a history book and carried it over to a desk in a small office. She drew the curtains before opening the book. On the page there was a screen and when she pushed one of the buttons a holographic image flickered out in front of her.

  Jenks appeared on the screen, she was younger, in her early twenties at least, eager eyed and awed by what was happening around her. She was sat in a studio where she straightened her papers before she began. 'Ladies and gentlemen,' she started. 'We are at the first day of our new history. Ten years ago the Others arrived in their Ships and launched an attack so brutal on our world that it wiped out a number of nations in natural disasters. As the former United States, tried to rebuild itself and help others, we were seen as a threat and attacked. People blamed our government for allowing the Others to attack and we were hit with what became known as the Blast; an attack by the Asian nations which took out our communication network. Our esteemed leader President Galen the First, retaliated against our enemies and closed our borders so that we were protected and could regrow our nation for the prosperity of our own people. Now his great-granddaughter is preparing to lead the Order of the New World.'

  Evie found her stomach churn at the propaganda Jenks was spewing, but it was something the journalist had come to perfect over the years, she was just surprised to see her talk about the old days when now it was hardly mentioned at all. The screen flickered to show a young Madelina Galen walking up the stairs of the Parliament Building in Volt's government district. She was dressed in black, still officially in mourning for her father after his untimely death. She wore a somber expression, and almost looked like she wasn't prepared to lead the country into its future, her future.

  'Many will remember the attack on the nuclear testing facility in Peryin, a number of people were infected by an unknown agent and soon began experiencing the next movement in human evolution, this catastrophe changed a number of people and they became our new enemy as we tried to contain them, some were infected and became our next generation of soldiers, they were given abilities not seen in humans before. President Galen's legacy will be the army he created, now his daughter is set to continue his work and build our army so that it's ready for any attack from enemy forces.'

  Evie stopped the recording as she tried to work out truth from lie and flipped through the thick pages until she saw what she was looking for. She pressed the play button and the hologram changed. She saw news footage of riots in the streets of Alto, the old Hollywood sign was on fire and all but destroyed, the buildings were dilapidated and people, who looked like the slaves she had seen earlier, were gathered in huge crowds. They were waving flags and when Evie pressed the pause button she saw the white circle flying on all of them. She pressed play again and Jenks came back on the screen, she was a little older now and Evie saw that her face had changed from the previous image, it had gotten rougher, and her eyes had a little less life in them. 'Riots have taken over the Eastern belt,' she said. 'The facilities that we had set up to try and help cure some of the infected have been overrun and we're facing a civil war. The people, the creatures, you see on the screen will be rounded up and taken to the chambers we have in the safe zone. These...mutants... are not fit for habitation in this world and we will see that they will pay the price for the damage they are causing to our society. By the Empire of America, we will stand strong.'

  That last part had become a motto for the country as they tried to remain untied against the mutant evolution.

  'Anyone seen carrying this symbol is seen as an immediate threat,' Jenks said and showed the flag that the mutants had been carrying. 'It's a symbol of aggression towards our new way of life and a rebellion against the Empire.'

  Evie pulled out the piece of cloth that the woman had given her and looked at the symbol. She thought of what the woman said as she looked at the piece of fabric.

  'It's a symbol of peace,' she whispered to herself. 'They're fighting for peace.'

  The realization came out of nowhere, like a flood of suddenness that she couldn't ignore. She picked up her tablet and scrolled through her contacts till she found Jack's name. She hesitated for a moment, knowing that he might not be able to answer, but he was one of the few people who she knew she could trust and she had to talk to him. As the tablet dialed her brother she found herself holding her breath until he answered.

  'Evie?' He asked.

  'Jack? It's me,' she said, his picture flickered onto screen, the reception was bad and it looked like he was somewhere dark. 'Are you okay?' She asked him.

  'Fine,' he replied. 'Little hard to talk at the moment sis,' he said.

  'Why? What's going on?'

  'We've arrived on the outskirts of the Stacks,' he told her. 'There's mutants everywhere but I think we've found where Valletta is hiding out.'

  'So Kingsley is keeping to his word and taking you to her?' Evie asked.

  'So far, he is,' Jack said. 'We're trying to find a place to bunker down for the night then Kingsley is leading us to where she is tomorrow.'

  Evie frowned. 'You're following him to a den of mutants?' She asked. 'That doesn't sound like a smart plan.'

  'It's the only one we've got,' he said. 'And I have enough ammo to make sure I get out if the plan fails, don't worry.'

  'Enough ammo? You've only got two arms, how are you going to use all your arsenal if you're being attacked?' Evie asked him.

  'You don't need to worry about that,' he said. He was moving as he was talking and looked like he had stepped off the main street. 'The reception isn't great and I only have a limited window, what's up?' He asked.

  Evie held up the piece of fabric that the woman had given her to her webcam. 'I was given this today,' she said. 'By a slave who then tried to attack the market at the pier. Guards had to shoot her before she killed anyone.'

  'Crap,' Jack said and looked at the screen. 'Evie, you need to put that thing awa
y, right now before anyone else sees it.'

  'You know what this is?' She asked.

  'I know that it's dangerous and foolish to be carrying it round with you,' he said.

  'What if the mutants don't want to fight us?' Evie asked. 'What if they want to have peace and integrate with us so we don't have to be separate anymore?'

  Jack looked at her confused. 'Have you been smoking?' He asked her.

  'No!' She told him. 'People think this is a symbol for war, but what if we've just never considered the alternative?'

  'Evie, you're on dangerous ground,' Jack said. 'The mutants killed thousands of us during the civil war, after so many had already died, they're our enemy, as much as foreign forces are.'

  'I create mutants every day in the lab,' Evie told him, her voice becoming harsh. 'And you know what I can do, surely I'm like them more than anyone else.'

  Jack didn't know what to say to her and looked like he was being interrupted. 'Evie, keep yourself safe, don't talk about this to anyone, not even Cara, you don't know how dangerous it is,' he said.

  'I know how dangerous it could be,' Evie said. The screen flickered and a black screen replaced Jack's video feed, he was out of range and Evie was on her own.

  The video cut out before Jack could say anything else. His heart thumped at the thought of not being with Evie when she needed him, but he had to remind himself that they were both adults now, and sooner or later she'd have to learn to take care of herself. More importantly he had to learn to let her, he couldn't always be the older brother who fixed everything. Lux had taught him that.

  Kingsley caught his attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. 'We should be able to bunk up here for the night,' he said. 'Then I'll take you to meet Kit in the morning.'

  'Is she expecting us?' Jack asked him.

  'Negative,' Kingsley replied, he had maintained the composure of a trained soldier once they were out of the vicinity of the prison and never once let down his self-imposed military persona around Jack, which Jack gave him credit for. He was a true soldier and patriot to his cause. 'I've been out of reach with her since being in Volt, last communication was when I was in the Spire.'

  'And what was that communication?' Jack asked.

  'That we were preparing an attack,' Kingsley replied and then let a pause pass between them.

  'How did she respond?' Jack asked him.

  Kingsley studied him for a moment, as though he were choosing his answer carefully. 'She asked if I wanted to go through with it, and told me I didn't have to if I didn't want to.'

  Jack looked at him for a moment, then shook his head and laughed. 'I almost believed you for a second,' he said. 'Valletta is a direct threat to Volt,' he told him. 'People have put her on a pedestal because she was the first to escape, but she's not the poster girl for a rebellion, she's a reminder of what happens when mutants think they can live freely alongside us.'

  'You might think differently when you meet her,' Kingsley said. 'And she won't take kindly to an Armistice Guard and his troops rocking up on her doorstep asking for help.'

  'She's the target,' Jack reminded him. 'She escaped and incited many others to try as well, she's working against everything that President Galen is trying to achieve, I can offer her protection for that in exchange for her help.'

  Kingsley looked at him for a moment, he had spent years fighting the guards but had never before taken the time to really look at one and try and understand them. Jack looked like any other guard in a uniform. The black fatigues that moved like shadows in the night, fighting and killing anything that went against their direct orders and moral beliefs.

  'You weren't always a guard, were you?' Kingsley asked him.

  'That isn't relevant to this mission,' Jack said. He straightened his back and held onto his gun a little tighter.

  'How old were you when you took up this post?' Kingsley asked. 'Twenty-one maybe?'

  'Why do you care?' Jack asked him.

  'I like to know who I'm working with and you're definitely someone who's lived outside the wire,' he said. 'And that tells me something.'

  'What does it tell you?'

  'That you believe in the old ways, you were probably brought up with stories from your family of how the world use to be before the Others broke it, and you believe there's a way back to that way of life,' Kingsley said. This made Jack waiver ever so slightly. 'It also tells me that you were trained and programmed into thinking and behaving how you are now,' he said. 'They say the virus can take not only mutate a human but kill the person inside, so can government propaganda. You might want to help your sister but you're still one of the Presidents men and that is enough to make me suspicious of your motives,'

  'That's enough,' Jack said as he got to his feet and called over to one of his men. 'Cuff him up for the night, make sure he doesn't move. We'll sleep in shifts until we move out at first light.'

  The younger recruit saluted and Kingsley obligingly allowed himself to be cuffed to a drainpipe.

  'I'm right Commander,' he said as Jack was about to leave. 'This war changed people, even those who weren't affected by the virus and it's only now that people are beginning to see that the freedom that's been created is really a prison.'

  Jack knelt down to him so that they were eye level, Kingsley saw determination in his features, loyalty that was fierce, but as he looked harder, he saw something that Jack couldn't hide. He saw fear. 'I'm a soldier of President's Galen's army and I'm going to find a cure for my sister because I won't have her be like one of you, like our enemy.'

  'You think you can cure her?' Kingsley asked. 'Or do you want to cure yourself?' He asked quietly and saw Jack's eyes change. 'You forget that I sense things about people, and mutants,' he said.

  Jack punched him hard round the jaw and left the warehouse. The air outside was cool and rain blew at his face. He took a moment to try and compose himself before letting out a strained scream and turned around to punch the brick wall. He took a moment as the anger coursed through him, he saw blue whips of energy rise up to his fingers and felt the power that his changed DNA was giving him. He took a moment to embrace how it felt, the change it made to his testosterone and the thoughts of what he could do if only he were allowed to wield it. As his anger subsided he shook the magic away and refocused his energy.

  'I'm not a mutant,' he said under his breath. 'I'm not one of them, I'm a soldier.'

  He looked up to the night sky and past the clouds could see a smattering of stars and the oval crescents of the two moons. He thought of Evie and prayed for her safety. 'I will find us some answers kid,' he said to himself. 'I'll rid us of this curse, I promise.'

  High up on a rooftop Kit was looking down at him, she had seen everything and smiled as she disappeared into the night.

  ***

  Kit made her way back to the Stacks and to Lil's apartment. She entered the old Capitol building and made her way up the numerous flight of stairs till she came to the cargo container. Lil had managed to transform the old crate into her own home. Kit skipped up the last couple flights of stairs and knocked on Lil's door with a hurry.

  'Kit?' Lil asked. 'I thought you were home for the night.'

  'You know sleep isn't my strong suit,' she said. 'And just as well because we have some visitors in the city.'

  Lil opened the door for her and when Kit walked into the kitchen she saw a well-muscled man pulling on a shirt. Kit looked at Lil, who quickly busied herself by making tea.

  'I can come back if I've interrupted something,' Kit said.

  'It’s fine,' Lil said as the man walked over and kissed Lil on the cheek.

  'See you tomorrow?' He asked.

  'I'll call you,' she said.

  He smiled at Kit and winked at Lil before leaving the two of them. Kit looked at Lil for a moment before laughing.

  'Well I pick my moments,' she said.

  'Timing has never been your thing,' Lil agreed.

  'I didn't know you were dating again,' Kit said as Li
l poured her a cup of hot Blueberry tea.

  'It's not dating,' Lil said. 'After Cayle I'm not interested.'

  'Not every man is going to cheat on you,' Kit said.

  'But he cheated on me with an Aeron, one of the most unattractive species,' Lil said. Kit hid a smile; the Aeron had been one of the earlier mutants who had evolved after the gene war broke out. Black and scaly, tentacles for mouths. Kit always wondered how Cayle had managed to cheat on Lil but hadn't wanted to go down the rabbit hold of considering how interspecies relations worked.

  'You're beautiful, and you don't need a man to validate that,' Kit told her.

  Lil gave a small smile as she handed her the cup. 'You came here with news, not to deal with my love life. Did you find King?'

  'I did, he's with a guard,' Kit told her. 'But he's managed to get a message to me, I don't know how but look,' she said and showed Lil her phone. The message had arrived as she had entered the border of the Spire and made her heart race again as she read it.

  She read the message and took a breath. 'Captured, with a guard. Attack coming. Fly Sparrow, fly,' she said. 'That's him, only a few of us call you Sparrow,' Lil said.

  'The most interesting thing is the guard who he's with has manipulated DNA,' Kit told her.

  Lil looked at her surprised. 'How is he a guard if he has mutant powers?' She asked.

  'I don't know, but he's in a uniform and has Kingsley chained so he's the real deal,' Kit said. 'He's got other men with him and I didn't see it, but my guess is he's got a whole lot of ammo and is coming our way.'

  'So we need to leave,' Lil said. 'We can't have a guard find you and take you back to Volt.'

  'And we can't leave a friend in the hands of a guard,' Kit said. 'Or have a guard knowing that we'll be easily attacked.'

  'You plan on killing him?' Lil asked.

  'I don't want to unless I have to,' Kit said. 'There was something about him, that seemed different to the other guards I've seen.'

  Lil narrowed her eyes. 'He's still a guard, he's still trained to kill us,' she said.