Renegades

by Joanne Sexton

  “It might be the best thing for you. It isn’t safe here with me.”

  “It isn’t safe there either.” Sitting upright, she frowned her disapproval of his idea. “I’m not leaving you.”

  “You’re so stubborn,” he mumbled.

  “So are you.”

  “I still think that I should talk to Cody. I have a way in now because of you. He might listen to me. I have to try.”

  “I don’t like it, Ryan. Look what happened last time you sent someone to talk to him.”

  “It’s different now.”

  “I could go with you.”

  “I’m not risking it. You might be Cody’s sister, but you’re still siding with the enemy. Cody’s superiors will see you as a renegade. I won’t risk you.”

  “I don’t want to risk you either.” Mackenzie said. “What if they put you in prison or worse?”

  “Would Cody do that to you?”

  “It isn’t just his decision,” she said.

  “I’ve made up my mind. Something must be done. I’m tired of fighting and living underground. Perhaps conformity is the best option.” His words were bitter.

  “You don’t really believe that.”

  “No, I don’t, but what else is there to do?”

  Mackenzie shook her head. She didn’t know either. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she whispered.

  “Neither do I.”

  Rough hands cupped her face and urged her to lie back down beside him. With tenderness, he captured her lips and soon thoughts of war and peace disappeared. Ryan traced each contour of her curves with his hand as his mouth devoured hers. Over the past weeks their inexperience grew to confidence together and they’d found a rhythm. Both knowing each other’s bodies so well now ensured they could bring each other a slow or quick release.

  His lips left hers and she missed them immediately. In one swift motion, he rolled her away from him, before curving his body, to spoon her from behind. Hot kisses on her neck and gentle teasing fingers stole her breath. She gasped when he entered her while his hand kept tempo with his hips until she thought she would explode with the build-up of ecstasy.

  Her moans filled the room and his hot breath on her neck increased the intensity. The tingle started at her toes and as the waves of pleasure wracked her body she groaned out his name. His pleasure-filled breath tickled her ear as he plunged deeper inside her and sought his own release.

  “I love you,” he whispered to her and she murmured her reply.

  Her body curled against his comforted him. The years of solitude and fighting for survival had scarred his soul, but Mackenzie had somehow re-lit his fire.

  Protecting her and the other inhabitants of the compound was all that mattered. How long could they go on like this? He was tired, tired of fighting, tired of living underground, just plain tired. Would speaking with Cody do them any good? Would conformity be better than this?

  For the first time in too many years he questioned why they continued to fight. For freedom, they fought for freedom. Would they ever be free? How long would this go on? The only way would be to talk to Cody. He might be the General of the GAP, but things were different now. Cody would want to protect his sister.

  Another thought surfaced in his mind. Deep down Cody had to possess some of the same qualities as his sister; perhaps compassion lay beneath. War and being a GAP solider was all Cody knew too. Was he tired of it as well? Did he still believe in the cause? This was what he had to find out.

  Her breathing became even. She’d drifted off into a contented slumber. Ryan rolled onto his back and stared at the night sky through the only window to the outside world. Sleep would not come too easily. His confusion over which direction to take ensured his mind became troubled.

  His decision came to him as he listened to her breathe in the quiet darkness.

  The sun streaming from above jolted Mackenzie from sleep and she blinked against the brightness. Silence and an empty room greeted her. When she rolled over to touch his side of the bed it was cold.

  It was unusual of late for him to rise without her, but she didn’t allow concern to creep in. He could be on watch duty or meeting with the others over a course of action. Sometimes he went to retrieve breakfast so they could enjoy it together in bed.

  Slipping out of bed, she ignored a niggle of concern and went to shower.

  A thorough search of the dining hall, the bunkers and communication room proved fruitless, and she began to wonder where he was. Shaking off her unease she made her way to the hospital to relieve Georgina from night duty.

  There were three patients who needed to be monitored and she couldn’t shrug off her responsibilities because she felt uneasy. He would turn up in time. Most days when she worked in the hospital, he would call in or bring her some lunch. There was every possibility she’d missed him in her search.

  After checking on each of the patients and attending to their urgent needs, she restocked supplies before picking up the book she’d brought to read. Several hours passed quickly and after attending to her patients again she went back to her book.

  Her stomach growling reminded her she hadn’t eaten breakfast and an empty stomach told her it was more than likely lunchtime. Where was Ryan? Ensuring her patients were comfortable, she quickly wound her way towards the dining hall.

  After grabbing a sandwich and a juice, she did a brief scan of the room and couldn’t see him. Simmo appeared to be absent too and this eased her concern a little. They were probably together somewhere. They might even be above ground training. Ryan hadn’t mentioned what was on his agenda for the day, so she told herself he could be anywhere in the compound.

  Not wanting to leave her patients unattended too long, she went back to the hospital. She only had a few hours to go before someone relieved her. She would look for him then.

  Her shift ended and another nurse, Rebecca, arrived to take over. After a quick update on the status of their patients, Mackenzie returned to their quarters and found them empty.

  His absence began to trouble her. She couldn’t remember him ever going a day without at least a brief visit when she was working. He usually didn’t leave in the morning before she woke, now that she thought about it some more. His prolonged absence didn’t fit in with what had become their happy routine.

  Simmo. She needed to find him.

  Fear clawed its way into her throat and she shook her head. Stop being silly, she told herself, he doesn’t have to check in with you. There were decisions to be made and his absence could account for that.

  Without further thought she went to find Ryan and failing that she would search for Simmo instead. Something didn’t feel right and Mackenzie wanted to find out why.

  24

  Negotiations

  A cloak of darkness hid his journey across the desert and into the heart of Artinean. Gangs roamed the streets raiding warehouses and robbing anyone stupid enough to be out in the dead of night. Troops also patrolled, therefore Ryan ensured he stayed out of sight from both as he made his way to towards the GAP compound.

  Turning up at night could be suicide; he found an abandoned building close to the stronghold and waited for the dawn.

  How long would it take Mackenzie to notice he was missing? She was rostered to work in the hospital, so he had most of the day before she grew concerned. His absence at breakfast and lunch would worry her, but between training, watch duty and plans for their long-term future, some days there was little time for anything else and on occasion they could go part of the day not seeing each other.

  He intended to be back before she grew concerned.

  Night crawled along slowly and when the sun’s first rays lit the horizon, he set off towards the compound. The laser fencing glowed a menacing red across the ground in the dim light. It’s humming filled the air, creating a foreboding sound. The sound of incarceration, confinement and conformity.

  A sentry at the gate stepped from a booth, his gun aimed squarely at Ryan’s ches
t. Without thought, he lifted his arms in surrender and walked with slow steps towards him.

  “Stop right here,” the trooper said when Ryan was several strides away. He did as asked and waited. “Drop your weapons.”

  Once again, he did as asked, placing his guns and the knife from his boot on the ground. He was loath to relinquish his weapons, but he also didn’t want to give them cause to mistrust him or worse shoot him.

  “What do you want?” the trooper asked.

  “I want to speak with Cody Edwards.”

  “What about?”

  “Could you just tell him that Ryan Taylor is here?”

  A flash of recognition passed over his face before he disappeared inside the booth and picked up a radio. An exchange ensued before the trooper resurfaced.

  With the gun pointed at him, the trooper collected Ryan’s weapons, placed them in the booth and opened the gate.

  Another solider came to meet him as he was ushered in. This time there was no gun pointed at him. Either he didn’t consider Ryan a threat or thought he would be insane to attempt anything. The latter was probably the reason. It would be stupidity to draw a weapon.

  Part of Ryan wished he’d kept the knife in his boot, but he wanted to prove how serious he was about negotiation and peace.

  The trooper seized him by the arm and guided him towards what appeared to be the largest building. Dozens of smaller buildings surrounded the main one and their uniform appearance synonymous with army barracks indicated that troops lived on the compound. Several larger, more luxurious looking buildings he guessed to be the officer’s barracks stood to one side. The main building would be where the officers kept offices. It probably also contained the prison.

  They walked down a long corridor and, as he suspected, offices lined both sides. When they reached the end, the trooper stopped in front of a set of double doors and knocked. As if by magic the doors opened inwards and Ryan realised that the barracks were probably automated. The luxury of technology was foreign to him and the only reference he had was from Mackenzie.

  “Enter,” he heard Cody’s voice from within.

  With a shove from the trooper Ryan stumbled into the office.

  Cody stood with his back to them looking out the window. His black full-dress uniform surprised Ryan. Did he sleep in the thing? It was barely morning and Cody looked ready for ceremony.

  “That will be all, Smith.”

  With a salute, the trooper disappeared from the room and the doors closed behind him after a barked command from Cody.

  “What are you doing here, Taylor?” Cody said, turning towards him.

  His expression was unreadable, impassive and Ryan had no idea where to start.

  “I don’t particularly like being woken at the crack of dawn and by a sewer rat at that.”

  “I want to talk to you,” Ryan said.

  “Speak then.”

  “It’s about Mackenzie.”

  “Are you going to let her go?” His voice carried a dictating tone. His face remained a blank canvas.

  It was impossible to know what Cody would do if Ryan pissed him off right now.

  “She’s at our compound because she wants to be.”

  “Mackenzie is gullible and will believe any lie you tell her,” he said while gesturing towards Ryan.

  “I know she believed you to be an honourable man.”

  In four long strides Cody crossed his large office and stepped up to Ryan, their faces almost touching.

  “You know nothing about my family. Send her home or there will be consequences.”

  His malevolent stare had Ryan considering for a moment that he wouldn’t leave the compound alive.

  “I want to negotiate.”

  “We don’t negotiate with rebels,” he said, turning from Ryan. He went back to his perusal of the world outside the window.

  Troops marched in formation across the grounds and activity prevalent with a new day ensured the space filled with a sea of black clad men.

  “If you don’t let my sister go and give up on your ridiculous ideas of freedom and fighting against the government, then we will send more troops into your rat hole and this time we won’t leave until every last one of you is dead.”

  “Including Mackenzie?” Ryan said, his tone not hiding his sarcasm and distaste.

  “Of course not.”

  Cody faced Ryan again. His mask had slipped and he could see that Cody cared deeply for his sister. This eased his concern over her safety, albeit slightly. This didn’t mean she was completely free from harm. Then he thought of the others. If they stormed the compound, Cody’s words would become reality.

  “I’ll tell Mackenzie to return home if you can guarantee that you won’t imprison or kill the women and children if they come to the surface. They need a better life and one above ground.”

  “I can’t guarantee or promise you anything. I am but one man serving the government. If the order came from above, then I would have no choice. As I have already said, we won’t negotiate with rats. If anyone surrenders, they will be incarcerated. It is the law. Treason is a serious offence and anyone not conforming to the government is considered a traitor.”

  “How many times has that doctrine been told to you? It’s ingrained. Do you feel this way or are you simply following orders? Don’t you want this to be over too?”

  “Enough!” Cody bridged the gap again and the threat had returned to his eyes. “Release her or deal with the consequences.”

  “I can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do.”

  “Door,” Cody said, and when they slid opened he continued, “Smith, come in here.”

  In an instant Smith entered and stood to attention awaiting his command.

  “Take Taylor to C-block. Perhaps some time behind bars will change his mind.”

  Before Ryan could speak, Smith grabbed his arm roughly and dragged him from the office. The doors snapped shut behind them.

  “You’re going to love C-block,” Smith said with a sardonic grin.

  C-block didn’t look as foreboding as Smith indicated and this was what worried Ryan. The block contained only four cells all barred with lasers used as fencing. The cells were empty and Ryan wasn’t sure what this meant. Why were they taking him here? He hoped it was because the other blocks were full, but he understood this wasn’t the case. C-block served a separate purpose, and what that purpose was caused a tingle of apprehension to shimmer along his spine.

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” Smith told him as he disarmed the bars on the first cell and shoved him in.

  A laugh full of malicious intent followed and Ryan knew exactly what being in C-block entailed. His only thought as Smith armed the cell and disappeared from view was whether he would ever see Mackenzie again.

  If he had known before setting out that he wouldn’t see her pretty face once more, he would have stayed until morning to see her smile one last time.

  Dinnertime arrived with no sign of him. Her search for Ryan and Simmo had been fruitless. This calmed her a little, as she assumed they were together, wherever they were. Pushing worry aside, she made her way to the dining hall and grabbed some dinner.

  A few minutes later Simmo came in alone and searched the tables. When he spotted her, he strode over, his expression bleak. Her heart plunged to the floor and what was left of her appetite disappeared. Something was wrong.

  “Hey, Mac, have you seen Taylor?”

  “Not since last night.”

  His reply was a curse.

  “You haven’t seen him?” Mackenzie didn’t want to hear his response.

  “No, not since dinner yesterday. He didn’t turn up for watch duty either. I’ve just finished and went looking for him, to kick his arse. I figured he was playing hooky with you.”

  “Where …” She didn’t want to say the words aloud. This would mean he was really gone.

  “I don’t know. He wouldn’t leave without telling me … unless he didn’t want me to know. I wo
uldn’t let him go anywhere alone and he knows that.”

  “Oh no …” Realisation smacked her in the face. “He’s gone to see Cody.”

  “What?”

  “Last night … we were talking … oh no … I have to go …”

  She stood. What exactly would she do? She had to do something. Talking to Cody was her only option.

  “It won’t help, and Ryan will kill me if I let you go,” Simmo stated.

  “Cody isn’t going to hurt me.”

  “Probably not, but you wouldn’t be able to come back and you know it.”

  “Then what am I supposed to do!”

  Several heads swivelled towards them and Simmo placed a placating hand on her shoulder.

  “Wait,” he said.

  “Wait! Wait for what? They’ll kill him.”

  “We don’t know that for sure. We have to wait. I don’t like it either, but it’s our only option.”

  Anger caused her to shrug off his hand and stalk from the room. Simmo was right. Cody wouldn’t allow her to leave again and would hold her against her will if he had too. At least Ryan would be freed. She could go in exchange for the love of her life.

  “Mackenzie,” Simmo called as he followed her through the tunnels. “Slow down.”

  She turned on him and guilt prickled her conscience. It wasn’t his fault that Ryan had been so foolish.

  “If you go to see Cody and take Ryan’s place … he won’t like it.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “There’s nothing you can do but wait.”

  Tears stung her eyes before they fell in rivers across her cheeks.

  “What … will … what if … oh god, Simmo, what has he done?”

  “Something idiotic, no doubt.” His strong arms pulled her into a hug and she cried out her fear and frustration. “Do you think Cody would hurt you?”

  “No.”

  “Then you have to believe he won’t kill Ryan.”

  25

  C Block