The Enhanced Series Boxset

by T. C. Edge

  “Good. Because tonight, you’re going back into Inner Haven...”

  “What!” I grimace. “How do you know?”

  “Adryan will have sent a postal drone overnight, inviting you to the first stage of your courtship. I don’t know the precise details, but they’ll be in the letter. It’ll be a good chance for you to meet him properly this time, and learn more about his world.”

  “But…tonight? Why not tomorrow?”

  “It’s not up to me. This is the official process, and you must keep to it. Don’t worry, Lady Orlando isn’t expecting anything of you yet. Not until you’re ready. Get some rest, Brie. As I told you, time is of the essence…”

  He winks at me, perhaps finding some partial enjoyment in my pain, and pulls the door shut. Almost immediately after he’s done so, the door at the top of the stairs grinds open, sending a blast of bright sunlight down into the gloomy shelter.

  A silhouette appears at the top, peering down.

  “Who’s that down there?” comes the voice.

  I shield my eyes from the burning light. After spending so long in the dark, and with my eyes quickly growing more sensitive, it’s almost sufficient to knock me off my feet. The fact that I’m about ready to collapse through sheer exhaustion doesn’t help much either.

  “I’m just a girl,” I croak, my arm in front of my eyes.

  The man at the top of the stairs appears to notice my discomfort. He pulls the door shut a little, blocking out some of the sunlight. Still, he remains nothing more than a silhouette.

  “What are you doing down there. It hasn’t rained for days…”

  “I just…I left a book down here a few weeks back. I got caught during a storm, you see. I was just checking if it was still here.”

  “Hmmmm. Well, you’re unlikely to find it in the dark…”

  Damn. Busted.

  “I, um…the light must have flicked itself off.”

  The figure doesn’t move. He merely stares from above as my eyes continue to clear. There’s something familiar about his shape and outline. And the tone of his voice.

  Slowly, he steps forward and begins descending into the shelter. My eyes clear as he comes, and his body and face come into view. There’s a smile upon it, warm and kind, and piercing eyes above that I have a far better understanding of now.

  “Rycard,” I whisper, relief flooding me. “What are you doing here?! I thought you were a Con-Cop or something…”

  “And lucky for you it wasn’t,” he says, reaching the bottom step. “You don’t want another run-in with them. Not while they’re on such high alert.”

  Every time I come into close contact with a Con-Cop the same result follows: me getting in trouble, and having to be bailed out. First, it was down at Culture Corner, when Deputy Burns saved me from getting zapped. Then, it was Rycard himself who prevented me from suffering the same fate.

  That was the last time I saw him. A lot’s happened since then.

  “How are you, Brie?” he asks.

  “I’m great.” My words aren’t convincing, even to me. They’re exhausted, that’s what they are.

  “And, this book?” he offers with a smirk.

  I shrug. “It was all I could think of.”

  “Well, you’re going to have to get better at lying, Brie. One day, it’ll get you in trouble.”

  There’s a hint, a minor suggestion to his words that he knows I’m up to something. Perhaps it’s just finding me here in such a weary state. Or maybe it’s more. Maybe he knows a little more than he’s willing to let on.

  I don’t quite know what to make of him. A question rises in my mind: is he friend, or foe?

  Being a member of the City Guard would suggest the latter. Yet there’s a warmth to him, and an honesty, that makes me think he tows the line somehow. That were he to find out what I’m up to, and what I am, he’d be sure to keep it to himself.

  Standing in front of me, he turns his body sideways, leaving a path open towards the stairs.

  “I think it’s time you got yourself home. Come on, I’ll walk you.”

  I drag my body past him and up the stairs. The sunlight attacks me relentlessly, bursting from above. I keep my eyes narrow to let only shards in. And though the slits, my vision brings the world to life in a whole new way.

  I stand motionless for a second, just taking it all in. The wide streets, filled with pedestrians and cars and lined with tall apartment blocks and shops. The sky, buzzing with postal drones, moving along in rigid formations as they follow predetermined paths towards their destinations.

  The advertising displays, just beginning to come to life as the city wakes, glow less brightly in the sunlight. And yet, still, they appear so crisp and clean and vibrant to my new vision. I look down the street, far into the distance, my eyes now capable of some truly wondrous things, and a glowing smile arches at the corners of my mouth.

  When I finally regain my faculties, I turn to Rycard, who looks upon me with a sprinkle of curiosity.

  “Are you...OK?”

  “Just tired,” I say, perhaps a bit too quickly.

  “Well, that’s not surprising after the week you’ve had. So, what exactly were you doing down in the shelter?”

  He asks the question as we begin moving down the street. All the while I struggle to maintain a regular focus, my eyes seeking more now, wanting to find a clear spot in the city, and take it all in at once.

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” I say.

  “Try me.”

  I fall silent.

  “OK, you keep your secrets. I won’t pry. It’s just an interesting place to find you in such a big city. Now don’t go spreading this about, but apparently the Nameless have been using the shelters to get around the city in secret. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you Brie?”

  “Er, what? No, of course not…”

  Too much, Brie. Act calm. Act casual. Remember what Zander told you, stay in control.

  “Anyway, how can they use shelters? It makes no sense…”

  “Well, there are tunnel networks beneath the city. Many of the shelters have secret doors into them. If I were the Nameless, I’d be careful which ones they use…”

  He glances at me as we walk. I see it through my newly powered peripheral vision. I refuse to glance back.

  “Well, you know much more than I do about it.”

  “Of course I do. I wouldn’t be very good at my job if you knew more than me. Anyway, let’s change the subject. It’s a bright day and so let’s talk of brighter things. I suppose I should start by saying congratulations.”

  Now I do glance at him.

  “Huh?”

  “I was as surprised as Sophie when she told me you were attending a bachelor ball. It didn’t really seem you. It went well, though, I understand?”

  “Pretty well. Until I collapsed.”

  “Ah yes, the classic affliction. Before I met Sophie, I attended a couple of balls myself. I had a couple of girls collapse on me too.”

  He offers a chuckle at the memory.

  “I didn’t collapse because of an Enhanced. What sort of girl do you think I am?”

  “I’m well aware of that, Brie. I was only teasing. So, you’re to court a Savant. I’d call that an odd pairing.”

  So would I.

  “Um, why? He’s handsome, and I’ll get to live in Inner Haven…” I begin, spluttering through my rehearsed spiel with no conviction at all.

  “Yes, yes, and you’ll have lovely, beautiful Savant children, and all of the people of Outer Haven will look up to you with such respect and envy.”

  I turn to him, and my eyes flatten.

  “You don’t have to be so sarcastic, Rycard.”

  “And you don’t have to lie. Not to me. Save that stuff for Sophie, and those who really matter. I’m not buying it.”

  “And I’m not selling it. I don’t have to explain myself to you. You have no idea how I feel.”

  “No, you’re right. I’m not t
rying to offend you, Brie. I’m just intrigued, that’s all.”

  “Well, I’m too tired to spar with you right now. So maybe I’ll just make my own way home. It’s not far from here.”

  A wry smile emerges on his face.

  “OK. Not a problem. Just be careful next time you’re caught somewhere you shouldn’t be. It won’t always be me who finds you…”

  With those words, he twists his walk off in another direction, and fades into the early morning crowd.

  I let out a breath of tired air, and fill my lungs with a fresh intake of smog. I haven’t even got to Inner Haven yet, and already I’m being grilled.

  I yearn for my bed, and make an immediate beeline for it. I’m simply too tired to deal with any more rubbish right now.

  So when I get back to the academy, I do so with that single thought in mind. Even the sight of Drum, appearing through the door and trundling off down the street, doesn’t pick me up. I make no attempt to rush after or call out to him. I merely watch him go and then slip inside the academy before anyone else can rise.

  In the hall, however, I have one more person to deal with. Thankfully, it’s only Nate, still charged with collecting the early morning post from the incoming drones.

  I drag my limbs through the door like a caveman, my knuckles all but scraping along the floor. Through my hazy, blurred vision, I see the little boy sitting behind the reception desk.

  “Hi Nate,” I mumble, my eyes fixed to the stairs.

  “Morning,” he yawns. “Where have you been so early?”

  Oh God, not him as well.

  “Walking…”

  “Must have been a long walk,” he giggles, stretching out his scrawny arms across the desk.

  I near the stairs. Please don’t speak to me again.

  “Um, Brie…”

  My chin sinks lower.

  “Yeah, Nate.”

  “You’ve got some mail. Two things, actually.”

  Two?

  I curve my course towards him. On his desk, he plants a simple electronic letter, and a larger box.

  I move over and scoop up the letter. I slide off the seal and the words begin to glow.

  Dear Miss Melrose,

  I am writing on behalf of one Adryan Shaw.

  If agreeable, he would like to officially initiate the

  courting process with you.

  I have been told by your chaperone, Sophie Winchester, that you

  would prefer to receive correspondence directly. While highly

  irregular, it is within your rights to do so.

  Mr Shaw would like to meet you this evening for your first

  official function. Please make your way to the western gate

  to Inner Haven at 7PM. Mr Shaw will be waiting for you.

  We wish you all the best of luck in developing a fruitful bond.

  Sincerely,

  Katherine Kirkland,

  The Council of Matrimony

  I quickly read the letter through, before tearing off another seal at the bottom of the note. This time, the glowing words fade and fizz out, disappearing forever.

  “What’s that about?” asks Nate.

  “You wouldn’t be interested.”

  I grab the other package, and open up the box. Inside, I find another note, this one handwritten in a beautiful, flowing script.

  Dearest Brie,

  I’ve been told you’re seeing Adryan tonight.

  You must be very nervous! Just remember to relax and

  be yourself and you won’t go too far wrong.

  I know you still have the dress from the ceremony (unless

  you’ve already sold it!) but I thought that this

  occasion called for something new.

  I have enclosed a dress for you to wear. It should fit you

  perfectly. Wear it with pride, my dear!

  All my love,

  Sophie

  Xxx

  p.s. Don’t tell Brenda

  My usual inclination upon reading such words would be to roll my eyes and consider this entire thing ridiculous. But, even in my current state of exhaustion, I can’t help but be touched by Sophie’s kindness.

  Sure, perhaps she’s doing all this for selfish reasons. Perhaps me and all of the other girls are just projects for her, dolls to dress up and marry off to the most esteemed gentlemen she can find. But I don’t care. Whatever her motives, it’s a sweet gesture.

  As a drowsy smile struggles to pull up my lips, I reach in and my fingers bring out a simple, and yet beautiful, blue gown.

  “Is that a dress?” asks Nate. He reaches out and slides his fingers along the fabric. His eyes widen. “Wow…it’s so soft. Are you going to wear it?”

  “That’s what dresses are for, Nathan.”

  “No one wears things like that around here. It looks like that one you wore at the ceremony.”

  “Yes, well, all Unenhanced have to wear this colour in Inner Haven. It shows status.”

  “You’re going to Inner Haven again?!”

  I nod, and fold up the dress once more, hiding it away in the box in case Mrs Carmichael should come wandering into the hall.

  “I am. Tonight.”

  “So lucky!”

  I don’t answer. I scoop the box under my arm, and set my sights on the winding stairs once more.

  “Nathan, do me a favour. Don’t tell anyone about the dress. Especially Mrs Carmichael…and Tess.”

  He shrugs through an apparent lack of interest.

  “Erm, sure. I won’t.”

  Good. One less secret to worry about.

  Truly, my world is a web of them now.

  40

  Blue used to be my favourite colour.

  It was those hours spent in the eastern quarter, on the top of the warehouse, looking out over the distant mountains on clear days. That’s when I developed a particular fondness for it. When the sky was bright and clear, the mountains would be visible. I suppose I just associated the colour blue with freedom.

  Now, however, that fondness is beginning to evaporate, and a new association is beginning to form. Blue now represents something more sinister: the slow, but steady weeding out of the Unenhanced, and their gradual slide towards total extinction.

  I’m wearing the colour now, of course, and I’m looking at it too. I’m looking at what made me love it in the first place, and wearing the very reason I now loathe it.

  I’m in perhaps the only place in the city that gives me peace. The very rooftop where I’ve spent so much time alone. The afternoon is growing late, and the sky is starting to fade and darken. Yet still, it’s light enough, and blue enough, to draw my eyes to the northwest, and the towering mountains that lie there.

  I’ve been sitting here for some time now. Sitting in awe and quiet reflection. I’d slept through morning and straight past lunch, but woke with an urge inside me, an itch that needed to be scratched.

  I needed to come here. I needed to see the city, and the lands beyond, with the new eyes I’ve been given. I needed to feel the sweep of wind on my face and gaze on the mountains that I’ve long wanted to visit.

  All of it is clearer now, crisper. Like an old faded picture that’s been fully restored, its tiniest details brought back to life. I gaze upon the distant mountains and see them ten times more clearly that I have before.

  Instead of blocks of blurred green littering the lower reaches of the hills, I now see individual trees. Instead of bands of dark blue, I see rivers and rushing water. Instead of dark grey and black smudges, I’m able to make out specific rock formations and craggy peaks. I even see a cave, what was once a tiny black dot to my eyes now visible as an entrance into the mountainside.

  It will take me some time to get used to these eyes of mine. And some time to learn how to control them. Here, quiet and still, I’ve been able to peer as far as I can into the distance, and hold my gaze there. If I lose concentration, however, they quickly rush back and return to normal.

  I never knew it would
be like this. Several times in the past, Tess and I have wondered how Hawks actually used their eyes. We knew they could see great distances, but could never quite figure out how it worked.

  In the end, we’d usually conclude that they merely saw ‘better’ than the rest of us, seeing several times further just like the birds of prey they’re named after. But now that I’ve experienced it first hand, I’ve realised that it’s so much more than that.

  Not only is everything clearer and more detailed, and my natural ability to see further enhanced, but I can actually ‘zoom’ in with my eyes, as long as I focus long enough. I suppose it’s less zooming in, and more just focusing on a particular point, and letting the details of that point begin to form. If I turn suddenly to another point, far away in the distance, it’s not immediately clear. I need to wait for my eyes to adjust, take in the light, and then watch in glorious wonder as the world comes to life, so many miles away.

  It’s a truly breathtaking experience.

  However, I can’t linger too long on the roof. Checking my watch, I find that the clock is ticking by fast.

  And I have a date to get to…

  I can’t help but find the situation marginally amusing. My first date. Ever. And it’s with a Savant.

  Hardly an ideal match for me.

  With my dress hidden beneath my jacket and my head covered in my trusty cloak, I climb down from the warehouse roof and work my way towards the Conveyor Line. As I go, I pass by the site of the second attack by the Fanatics, still cordoned off and under investigation.

  I shake my head as I pass. It’s all for show. I wonder what the people would feel if they knew the Consortium was behind it all? Would they riot? Would they rise up and join the Nameless? Or would they just roll over and let the Court do what they want.

  Honestly, my faith has been somewhat shaken. I wouldn’t be surprised if they chose the latter.

  I journey on, travelling the roads I’m so used to, and working my way around to the western quarter once again. This time, there’s no car to chauffeur me to the gate, no one to dress me up and do my makeup. That I’ve had to do on my own, with a little help from the secret stocks I found hidden under Tess’s bed.

  I go to the farthest point I can on the Conveyor Line before stepping off and walking the rest. When I reach the long road leading towards the gate, where the people grow thin and the world grows quiet, I practice a little more with my eyes, focusing hard on the hulking Brute standing in the distance.