by C Cato
Sonya stood with the crowd of prisoners, the two children clinging desperately to their mothers. The cries were lost to the deafening noise of the people around them. She lowered herself until she was eye level with the first child, a boy. He hiccupped and wiped his eyes, his crying slowed to little inhalations.
“Would you like to ride on my back, little man? You’ll be able to see the whole city from up there.”
His big brown eyes grew wider, and he gazed up at his mother, who gave a small nod. He held up his arms, and she picked him up to put him on her hip. Dirty little arms held tight to her neck as she swung him to her back. Keet moved with more caution and knelt on one knee in front of the girl. Sonya wasn’t great at guessing ages, but she couldn’t have been more than five. Scooting behind her mother, she peeked out at him from between her momma’s legs.
“He won’t hurt you,” reassured Sonya. “You can ride on his back, too.”
Sonya had agreed that it was best they keep the fact they could speak a secret. They hoped to use it to their advantage to escape, so Keet pointed to his back and gave her a close-lipped smile. It didn’t take much coaxing to get her to agree.
“Thank you,” said the girl’s mother, softly. Her face was a mess of dirt that had streaked like runny mascara. “Will you...” she choked and shook her head. One of the other women comforted her with a pat on the shoulder. “If you can get away,” she said softer than before.
Sonya moved closer, not because she couldn’t hear, but because she wanted to keep the Valkyrie from doing it.
“Take her with you. Please.”
“The same for my Malik,” said the second mother.
“What about you? We wouldn’t just leave you behind.”
“There is no hope for us. We have bred children. We will be taken to the Temple Breeding Center first thing.”
“Move out!” shouted Willow from her horse at the front of the procession. The order echoed down the line.
Sonya wanted to ask more questions. Why were they all so pale and scared for a birthing center?
Keet swung the little girl to his shoulders with ease, pulling a small giggle from her.
“What’s your name?” asked Sonya.
“Connie.”
“Pleased to meet you, Connie. My name is Sonya.” She moved closer and motioned for the girl to lean down, and she could feel Malik shift to listen. “His name is Keet, but it’s a secret, so for now just call him Mister, okay?”
She nodded enthusiastically, revealing missing front teeth. Burying her fingers in his hair, she used it to keep steady, although Sonya doubted an earthquake would dislodge the girl from his shoulders.
As the knot of Valkyrie, wagons, and prisoners began to unravel and move into the city, Sonya fell in step behind the A’amoth. Despite their tattered clothing and the dirt caking their skin, they all appeared regal. Chins held high and hands relaxed at their sides. Even Keet, while holding the ankles of the now quiet youngling on his shoulders, moved with the dignity of a king. What was in store was a mystery, but she’d be damned if she let them see her cowering before they did it. She projected confidence until she could swear it was oozing out of her pores with her sweat.
The sting of a hand on her behind got her moving.
Progressing at a snail’s pace, Sonya had time to scan the sea of bodies that lined the road on either side leading to the massive entrance to the city. The structure might have been vaguely familiar, but Sonya hadn’t cared enough about architecture in her time to know who it used to belong to.
Valkyrie stood on one side and men on the other.
Cheers echoed and rang against metal as they passed under the roof of the entrance and out again into the open, but when the A’amoth came into view those cheers quieted. There were some cries from the audience at the sight of them. Many just muttered to each other. It was clear no one knew what to make of them.
“Has no one seen your kind before?”
“Not for a long time. We have remained on the other side of the barrier and the denizens of Haven haven’t been brave enough to cross it,” said Lafa, glancing back at her.
Sonya scanned the area, trying to get a feel for where they were. Like the A’amoth, she had a height advantage. She stood a head taller than the sea of spectators. Not that it mattered. This wasn’t a sightseeing tour, and she would have preferred to be anywhere else. The press of bodies on either side produced an uncomfortable level of heat. That, combined with the warmth from Malik at her back, had her wilting in minutes.
The Valkyrie escorting them kept the masses away, but Sonya’s skin crawled at the crush of people.
A stage was set up at the base of a large statue. The five women disappeared with the line of Valkyrie, but Sonya was herded along with the A’amoth and the two children in the direction of the platform. Malik and Connie had started crying as soon as their mothers were gone from sight. Sonya did her best to soothe them, but she knew it was no use. They were inconsolable. She slipped Malik from her back to cradle him against her chest, and he tucked his head under her chin, his tears soaking into her bedraggled shirt.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered. “No matter, what I’ll come find you.”
She felt the little nudge of his head under her chin, and he sniffed.
Before she could ascend the stairs, someone was pulling him away from her. He screamed, his hands leaving bloody trails as he clawed her neck to stay with her.
“Stop!” she screamed, reaching for him.
Tears she thought had abandoned her ran down her face as she collapsed to the ground, writhing. The collar vibrated on her neck as it sent signals to her brain that her skin flayed from her body. Rationally, she knew it wasn’t true, that nothing was happening, but they might as well have been waterboarding her. The effect would have been the same. Unable to scream, or even whimper, she couldn’t do anything but wait. It stopped abruptly, and she gasped with the sudden relief. She was laying half on half off the stairs with Keet beside her. The children were gone.
Sonya had to will her hand to open from the fists they’d balled into. Blood covered her palms and dripped to the wood stairs below. Hard, blade-tipped hands wrapped carefully around her waist, pulling her to her feet. Talic. He escorted her to the top of the stage to stand beside Lafa. Keet came after; his steps slow.
General Willow stood on the other side of the platform. Their gazes met, and Sonya took a step back, bumping into Talic who had taken up position behind her. She’d never witnessed such naked hatred in her life. The crowd quieted. Restless tension built in anticipation of something. It reminded Sonya of a concert getting ready to start.
A group of women in long silk gowns like the Vietnamese áo dài, but worn with a skirt beneath instead of trousers, arrived. Each one was a different jewel tone. They fanned out to stand at the back of the platform and several Valkyrie dressed in white and red uniforms stood behind them. Then another woman climbed the short steps and moved to the center. The crowd roared. Her dress was like the others’, but in gold. It was a good contrast for her dark skin. Age was hard to guess. With skin as supple and youthful as any twenty-year old, she could have fallen anywhere on the age scale.
Hands raised, and the noise quieted to a low din.
“People of Haven! We have reason to rejoice today! For decades now, the Valkyrie have been searching. Looking for the legendary Sentinel One.” She paused for effect, but Sonya focused on Talic who had stiffened growled quietly.
Before she could comment, the woman had continued.
“We had reason to believe there was a cure. A way to end the curse that has brought humans to its knees. Today, our brave women have brought that legend.”
A grand hand gesture had everyone turning to stare at Sonya, and she wished Ian had invented a way to make them invisible. Cheering erupted again, and she rocked on her feet. Talic steadied her with a touch to the small of her back.
“We have also captured three of the Ghost People! For so long, we h
ave heard the rumors. Haven’t dared to venture past the Barrier for fear of monsters that lived on the other side, but as you can see these three were easily brought to heel! On the other side of that wall are women. Human women that can bear children that we so desperately need. Some, our very own abducted Sisters! Now, we know we can go and bring them here. Where they belong!”
More shouts and screams. Sonya was surprised anyone had a voice left.
“They can’t!” said Lafa. From the corner of her eye, Sonya saw her take a step, but she went down when the collar activated. Then the comforting touch behind her was gone. Talic, then Keet, were moaning and writhing beside her feet.
“See how easily they are cowed? We will have no concerns with conquering this untamed land, and we will grow!”
The woman turned away from the crowd, apparently a cue she’d finished, since everyone dispersed. Sonya dropped to one knee to check on Lafa and the others.
“Bring Sentinel One, General Willow. Take the others to the lab.”
“Of course, Mother Superior,” said Willow. She touched two fingers to her forehead, lips, heart and bowed.
The woman, Mother Superior, didn’t spare them a glance.
Willow gestured and Valkyrie, ones in all white uniforms, swarmed the platform and forced the A’amoth to their feet to herd them away. They went without a struggle. Restrained by her guards, she reached for them.
“Don’t worry about us,” said Keet. “Learn what you can. We’ll see each other again soon.”
There was no way he could know for sure, and Sonya wasn’t feeling very confident. Willow took her arm, squeezing with enough force to make Sonya moan.
“Come with me,” she growled.
Taken down the stairs, led through a large park filled with fruit trees and lush green grass. They passed a second gate, and there was a smaller city section inside. A white spire stood tall above the trees, and it was where Willow took her.
Power: 47%
Sonya blinked at the display that flashed in her eye. That wasn’t good.
Willow brought her to the door of the center building before letting her go. “Welcome to Haven, Sentinel One,” she said with a derisive sneer. “We’ll see how long you last.”
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Sonya
Pushed inside, Sonya caught herself from falling with a quick double step. Everywhere her gaze landed was white marble and gold plating. In her time, a classic display of wealth. Sonya found it tacky. Willow trees in bloom and clinging vines adorned the spacious area like dripping confections of pink, white, and green. It was more exotic grotto than the first floor of a building.
A sharp tug and she was glaring down at Willow’s furious face. “You are in the Temple! You will show respect and lower your eyes!”
Sonya regarded the General as she screamed up at her face to show respect until she couldn’t take it anymore. “I am looking down. You simply happen to be very short.”
Sonya didn’t expect the punch to the gut and expelled all the air in her lungs in a rush. Risa would have been proud that she kept her feet, though.
Willow raised her hand to strike again and Sonya tensed.
“Willow!”
All the women in the room instantly dropped to one knee, including the General. Everyone, but Sonya. She glared at the woman they called Mother Superior, who glided across the atrium with the slick grace of a landed octopus. Until seeing her, Sonya hadn’t seen another person, man, or woman, as dark-skinned as she was.
In the minutes since her speech, she’d changed clothes. The new dress she wore was scandalously diaphanous. So much so, Sonya could count the freckles on her areola. Like everyone else, she was short. Taller than Risa’s five foot two but shorter than her own six foot. The white gauzy cloth swished and swirled around her feet as she moved, and she wore the most fake smile Sonya had ever seen. Used car salesmen did a better job of it.
She raised her hands, palms up, as though in welcome. “Sonya! We are so very honored to have finally found you.”
Did she really think that Sonya was so simple that she wouldn’t see through her transparent attempts to gain her trust?
“Why am I here? What have you done with the others? The women and the people you brought with me?”
“Blasphemy,” hissed Willow, her eyes still cast down to the floor. “You will address her as Mother Superior, and get on your fucking knees!”
“I don’t think so, Willow.”
The use of her name without the honorific sent her into a silent rage. Her skin went from pink to red to purple. Reckless. A simple push of a button would send her to her knees, but it was worth it to see Willow off her game
“You’ll have to excuse my General. Her methods are often crude but effective.”
Sonya glanced down to see how the woman in question felt as she was thrown under the bus. If it pissed her off, she didn’t show it.
Mother Superior quirked a brow, the only hair on her head. She skirted the question with one of her own. “I’m sure you are wondering why you are here?” she asked, turning to a Valkyrie standing with a crossbow trained on Sonya.
A quick glance around the atrium area, told her there were at least five more women with crossbows pointed in her direction.
“Could you please cut our Sentinel One loose? This is no way to treat a guest.” Her insincere smile only grew less genuine and more skin-crawling by the second. “I’m sure you have many questions. I can help you, but first I’ll have a bath drawn for you, and you can rest in our guest room.”
There was no reason to believe this woman had any thoughts on letting her go.
The crossbow-wielding women surrounded her. Sonya didn’t kid herself. She wouldn’t fair well with so many well-prepared trained fighters around. Mother Superior swept from the room, her lap dog general trailing after. Her shoulder nudged, a pointed bolt knocked precariously on a drawn bow, she was taken outside to one of the adjoining buildings.
They moved without pause through the lobby and up to the top floor. The apartment was impressive. All velvet furniture and plush carpeting. A huge step up from the country charm of Celene’s home, but Sonya would trade this for Celene’s outhouse any day of the week.
Brushing past her captors, Sonya opened glass doors to find an even more glamorous bedroom on the other side. This was the kind of place that could have been in an interior decorating magazine. Everything from the fluffy comforter to the drapes over the windows were matching shades of pale blue and brown. The bed was large enough to fit four adults comfortably. She shied away from that line of thinking, the faces of Celene and her husbands springing to the front of her mind. Tears pricked her eyes.
Another set of French doors opened to a bathroom decorated a medieval castle room. Dark stone covered everything from the countertop to the shower alcove. The only thing out of place was the toilet, which apparently hadn’t changed in over two hundred years. It was black in color but still stood out.
Rushing to the sink she flipped the switches, an almost hysterical laughter bubbled up from deep inside. They had running water! Sonya thought she’d never see that again. It had only taken the deaths and torture of good people to get to it.
She didn’t see a visible shower head, but when she worked the handles on the wall outside the alcove warm water rained down from the ceiling.
Clever.
Peeling off what was left of her leather pants and shirt, she stepped under the welcoming drops. There was a long stone bench set into the wall and above it, a shelf filled with crystal decanters. She pulled one down and the smell of lavender and lemongrass met her nose. Pouring some of it in her hand, she found it was a thin soap. There wasn’t any washcloths in sight, so she used her hand to scrub away the filth from weeks of living rough.
Eyes closed, she raised her chin to allow the water to cascade down her face. For a second, she could forget everything. That she was no longer in the time she knew. That everyone she knew and loved was dead. That Cole and
the others were out there somewhere, chased down by these fanatical women.
Anxiety took a front seat when she pictured Cole. There had been so much she hadn’t said. Done. If something were to happen to him, she would have regrets. She may not have been trusting or keen on a new relationship, but he’d proved himself trustworthy several times over. Now, they were miles apart, and her future was… questionable at best. Alone had been her go-to before her the attempt on her life. How did she go from that to three men vying for her attention, but still feel so alone?
“Keet? Lafa? Talic? Are you okay?”
Chilled water pricked her skin, matching the growing chill freezing her blood while she waited for an answer.
“Sonya.”
She could hear the strain in Talic’s voice.
“Talic! Where is Keet? Are you okay?” She turned off the water and grabbed the nearest towel to dry off. If she had to power up and fight her way to them, she would.
“They are conducting tests. Blood draws mostly, but skin samples as well. Keet is… he didn’t take the rough treatment well, and they activated his collar. He’s unconscious.”
“Lafa?”
Talic hissed through their mental connection. “Not with us. Think she’s unconscious, too. Can’t reach her. I must go. I can’t—”
Sonya had been around enough patience in the ER to know when one was in excruciating pain. Whatever they were doing to him was more than he could take. When she was alone in her head again, she sank to the tile floor, pulled her legs to her chest, and wept.
Was that their fate? Poked and prodded like lab rats until they were no longer needed? What did they hope to gain from her? Even with proper equipment, she couldn’t reproduce the nanobots in her system, or the Halo that Ian had created to control them. What were they trying to find?
