Corinne shrugs. "Only one way to find out. Let's do this."
We place our palms on the panels that are now glowing, and I grab hold of the hilt of Kai's sword, though I don't pull it out just yet. I'm hoping it will come with me when we beam. I don't want to have to hunt it down once this is all over.
"Ready to teleport in 3, 2, 1!" Evie says.
And then we are disintegrated and remade in a flash. So fast I blink and miss it. So instant my heart doesn't skip a beat. I look around and see I'm just where we aimed for. My hand still clutches Kai's sword, which is now glowing in a way it never did before.
"The sword has been upgraded," Evie says.
My eyes widen, and I lift the sword and swing it. As I shift my fingers around the hilt, I realize I can activate an electric surge that dances over the blade. I flick my sword towards a wall and a ball of electricity flies through the air, creating a crater in the wall.
"Cool," I say, staring in awe at the sword. I cover my mouth as another bubble burp explodes from it, frowning at the taste, then focus back on the sword. With another twist, a white light bursts from the blade, curving into a shield of light. "Incredible!" I say as Corinne joins me.
"What is?" she asks in between her own burps. The rash on her face is now breaking into sores that ooze puss. I know mine must be doing the same.
I hold up my sword and explain the upgrades. "That is incredible," she says. "Let's hurry though. I'm not feeling so great."
"Neither am I," I say following her around the corner. We hear our friends before we see them, and the relief that pulses through me is enormous.
I can feel the paralysis settling into my muscles. We pushed it way too close.
Wytt sees us first and runs over, handing us mushrooms which we both shove into our mouths without saying a word. He then passes us both water, which we drink deeply from, after which I sag against the wall in exhaustion. "Thank you," I say, handing back the water. "We almost didn't make it."
"How did you make it?" Lana asks. "We've been trying to break through the stone, but it's been a challenge."
"We found a secret passage," I say. It's not completely a lie. It's a passage of sorts, and it's definitely secret. "The map helped."
"Well, thanks be," Jaden says. "We've just enough time to make it to the finish line. Let's get going."
Lana puts a hand on his arm to stop him from charging off. "They're too sick. Give the mushrooms a minute to work."
Jaden shrugs and leans against the wall. "Sure. I wasn't thinking. This Trial isn't what I expected." He scratches as the scabby remnants of the rash on his arm. We are all still scratching our scabs, and we all share that sickly complexion one can only get from losing it at both ends.
I'm still shaky, but I can feel the mushroom working. The burping is subsiding and the rash is fading more quickly than I expected. But I know we are running out of time to complete the Trial. They've waited for us long enough. We all need to head back. "Let's go," I say, looking to see if Corinne's in agreement. She nods.
Jaden straightens, looking relieved, and takes the lead.
As we walk, Wytt hands me my antidote vial. "You'll need this." He puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me into a side hug. "Thanks." He kisses my head in a show of genuine affection rather than flirtation, and I hug him back.
"You would have done the same for me," I say, knowing it's true.
Amongst the Four Orders I have friends who would die for me, who would sacrifice for me, who consider me family. Amongst the Dark Templars I have friends who would die for me, who would sacrifice for me, who consider me family. How can I be both of these people? How can I lead both of these lives? How can I work to destroy one group over the other?
Like a loop in my head, my thoughts always return to this, and I always ask the questions and I always land here, time and again. Here being nowhere. There are no answers to these questions. I have to live the question, not seek for the answer. I have to navigate above both my identity as Scarlett and Nightfall, into a truer self. Then I will know the right course of action. Then I will be able to lead all of my people into a better age.
That's the idea at any rate.
As we make our way through the tunnels, my strength slowly returns to me, my spine straightening as my legs steady. Even the itching is reduced. Hopefully, this one doesn't leave too many scars all over my body. I'm not good at avoiding the scratching. But I realize, I won't scar. Neither will Corinne. Our Nephilim blood won't allow it. Honestly, though, no one will have to live with scars if they don't want to. GenMods will handle that. I could use a LifeForce, or even blood, to rid myself of the last remaining symptoms, but the poison in my body is no longer killing me, which is good. However, the mental and physical distraction means it takes me longer than it should have to realize something's off.
"Weren't there guards up ahead before?" I ask, slowing my gait as we near the entrance of the dig site.
"There were," Corinne says, her body stilling as we both listen more closely.
I hold a finger to my lips and urge the others to quiet down.
"It's too quiet," I whisper. "Where is everyone? There should be Knights waiting at the entrance for us, Grandmaster Marian should be there, our other classmates. Why's it empty?"
We creep forward more cautiously now. A fresh smear of blood stains the dirt ground ahead of us and I point to it. Corinne bends down and rubs a bit on her finger, sniffing it.
"It's human," she says.
The air shifts around us in a heartbeat, and I only have a fraction of a moment to respond. I twist my sword, shoving it over us as a shield forms around it and scream for everyone to get down.
Bullets rain down on us, and my shield blocks them, saving Wytt's life who was right in the line of fire.
This all happens so fast.
Time is almost standing still.
I move in ways I never have before.
And my sword glows with power it's never had.
The disk in my pocket is hot, and I worry it will burn through the cloth, but there's nothing I can do about that now.
We are being attacked.
"Fall back!" I shout, but it's too late. An explosion goes off and a wall of dirt and rock falls behind us, trapping us between that and the guns before us.
"Prepare to fight!" I say, changing tactics.
I hear Grandmaster Marian screaming orders from somewhere, but I don't know who she's talking to. We're too far away.
I use my sword to fling balls of electricity toward the opening as I crawl forward to inspect what's happening outside.
Our normal guards are missing. We've been ambushed. Marian has some students and they are retreating. Smart call. But it means we're on our own. For now, at least. Surely they'll send backup. But backup from where? We're not in the most convenient location.
"Evie," I whisper so only she can hear. "Get a message to Zorin. Tell him what's going on and that we'll keep him updated. Or you will."
"I have already done this, Scarlett. I knew you'd want him on the alert. He wanted to come out immediately, but I talked him down using language and vocal tones you use with him. He said something about 'that damn brilliant hacker' and then demanded I keep him posted about 'every single development'. Those were his words."
I chuckle under my breath. "I'm sure they were. Thanks, Evie. It's almost creepy how human you are."
"Would you like me to increase my creepy settings, Scarlett? That could be a fun experiment."
"Not just yet. But maybe we can do that for Halloween." As soon as I say it, I regret it. Because Evie won't forget, and she won't let me forget either.
Hm. How bad could it be? Letting my nearly sentient AI turn into a horror film? Nothing could go wrong there, I'm sure.
"Evie, can you hack into any satellites for an areal of this area. It would help to know how many we are dealing with and how much backup they have, if any."
"On it," she says.
"Is this part of the Tria
l?" Jaden asks.
"I don't think so," Lana replies.
Corinne leans in. "What's the plan? We going to have to go Nephilim on them? We're outnumbered and outgunned."
"I realize. Evie is scanning the area now. Evie?"
"There are thirty armed soldiers. They all have guns and they look well-trained."
"Evie, can you interrupt any scanning, recording or surveillance devices in the area, and distract anyone who might see us by doing something to their eGlasses? Also, send all data to Marian."
"On it, Scarlett."
I turn to my friends. "Be ready to fight. I've done what I can to distract or disable as many as possible. Grandmaster Marian and the Hospitaller Knights should be here soon with backup. Until then, we have to keep this dig site safe."
Jaden, Lana and Wytt pull out swords, and I creep closer, Corinne at my side, the rest behind us.
"Use Phasing if you have to," I tell Corinne, "if you can without being noticed."
She nods and I send another bolt from my sword to see if it flushes out any enemies. It does. A man dressed in black armor with his head covered moves out of cover when his cover explodes. I send another bolt and it takes him down, then Corinne and I dive into battle.
As a bullet whizzes towards me, I unlock the shield and reflect the bullet back to its sender. He collapses. With my sword, I send a lightning bolt to a masked enemy who has a gun aimed at Corinne just before she Phases.
He drops.
She takes two more targets out, and does it so smoothly if I hadn't known what I was looking at, I wouldn't have noticed anything at all.
She glances over at me and gives a solute before using her sword to take out a guy reloading his gun.
A scream is heard, and I turn and see Wytt fall, clutching his leg. Corinne is by his side in a flash. "He's been shot," she says, tearing her shirt up to make a bandage for his leg.
Shit. We can't lose Wytt.
I go into overdrive, fighting harder, faster. Corinne joins me as Lana and Jaden stay with Wytt.
"He's going to be okay," she says, though I can't tell if she's sure of if she's trying to be sure.
The enemies we're fighting are trained and skilled, but I quickly realize they have no GenMods. They're too slow, too weak for those of us who not only have trained with the best in the world, but also have been enhanced. They had the element of surprise, and somehow infiltrated our space, which means we've likely been betrayed.
This should have been an ambush, and if we hadn't been forced to carry around our weapons, it might have been. I'll have to remember to thank Grandmaster Marian for the thing I've been pissy about since we got here.
My muscles burn and legs strain to keep up the pace of my fighting. I'm not at 100%. Neither is Corinne. But we are recovering faster than our friends, even though they ate their mushrooms earlier. Our Nephilim blood is helping.
In the end, we have nearly everyone defeated when Grandmaster Marian returns with a group of armed Knights, and they quickly take into custody any remaining insurgents who are still alive.
Corinne goes back into the cave to help Wytt, and I'm about to touch base with Marian when I sense movement from the corner of my, and on instinct I turn. Someone is slipping past the dig site unseen by the Knights. A soldier in black. He's limping.
I turn to follow, my eyes adjusting quickly to shadowy twilight, my steps light as he heads away from the site.
I find him more quickly than I expected, laying on the ground, nearly unconscious. Now I don't cover the sound of my steps. I move quickly, too fast for even GenMods to justify, but he is the only witness and he won't know the difference.
I have his gun before he realizes I've approached him.
He looks up, his eyes widen, and I know him before I even take off his mask.
He knows it too, so he pulls it off, proving my hunch right.
And revealing who betrayed us.
Set. The man I considered a friend. Who's wife had offered me counsel. Whose children I played with during free time.
Set. A traitor. His mouth is foaming with blood. That's when I notice his hand clutching his stomach.
He's more seriously injured than I realized. I drop and tear a section from my tank top, then ball it and press it against his wound. "Stay still," I say. "I'll get you help."
His hand grips mine. His blood smears over us both. "Tell Nubia I tried. That I tried to stop the spread of cancer infecting our lands, our home, our sacred spaces. That I tried to stop the Order from taking our lands, our people, erasing our culture, killing and destroying our lives to build their armies. I tried to protect our children's future."
"There are better ways," I say through tears as I struggle to keep his blood on the inside of his body.
I could turn him. But… he doesn't believe in GenMods or even Eden Wearables. He would never want to be made into a Nephilim. But Nubia, their children… they need their father. She needs her husband.
"Bloodshed should always be the last resort," I say.
"This was our last resort," he says. "Your people have conquered us. But there will be an uprising. Our deaths today will not stop the tide. You cannot have the world for your own. We will not let you."
"You need to calm yourself," I say, holding the cloth now soaked in his blood more tightly against his abdomen. "We're surrounded by Hospitallers. I can get you the best medical care. Just hold on."
"Scarlett," he says, his dark eyes piercing mine, "I see your heart. You understand some. But not all. You must push harder."
"They're over here!" someone screams from behind me. I turn and see Garin and Ernst running towards us. Garin grabs a gun from a fallen soldier on his way and aims it at us. "Scarlett, move away. You're safe now."
I force down a laugh. He's clearly expecting a thank you or a swooning damsel in distress or something. What century is this guy from? "Thanks, Garin, but I got this. We need a Healer. Get someone, fast!"
Garin snorts. "Really? You want to waste our valuable resources on him? Someone who doesn't even want us here?"
"I don't want you here," I say. "That doesn't mean I'd leave you for dead."
"Just move away, Scarlett."
I can sense the tension in the air. Garin's fingers are twitchy. His forehead and palm sweaty. He's itching for a fight. Has been since… well, since I've known him.
He and I are two sides of the same coin, and proof that where you come from and how you're raised doesn't determine the kind of person you will be. Your choices do. I could easily slide down the slippery path of bitterness and anger, letting my hardships turn me into someone so sour and miserable that my pain infects others. But I choose not to. I choose to have hope. To stay strong. To keep going even when the path feels impossible. To take right action, insomuch as I am able to determine what that is. As Nightfall/Scarlett, it's not always easy to tell what's the right path, but I do my best. And I learn from my mistakes.
The biggest difference between Garin and me is that he gave up. He let his pain rule him and shape him, rather than taking up the hard work of shaping himself into the person he wanted to be. I pity him, but it doesn't excuse what he's trying to do right now.
"Garin, put down the gun. He's surrendered. We don't shoot."
Set twists in my arms. "I do not surrender. I will fight you and your infestation until my dying breath."
Garin shrugs, a cruel gleam in his eyes. "You heard him. Now move. I won't ask again."
If only I could use my power. But I can't. Not here. Now now. Not in front of Garin and Ernst.
Set moves, reaching for something at his chest.
And Garin fires.
My hearing goes out as the bullet flies within millimeters of my body, straight into Set's chest. Blood and bone spray into my face. My ears buzz with a high pitched sound I can't shake. I feel underwater. Someone calls my name.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Corinne screams to Garin as she crouches beside me and pulls me away from Set's body.
"Are you injured? Did the bullet hit you?"
Sound has returned, my Nephilim powers at work, but she still sounds far away, and my head is still spinning. "I don't think so," I say, and I try not to lick my lips. They are covered in Set's blood.
I glance over and see that Jaden has somehow relieved Garin and Ernst of their guns. Well done, my friend. Well done.
But my gloat doesn't last long when I look down at what's left of a man I thought my friend.
A man I don't even disagree with.
He and I weren't enemies.
Maybe he and Scarlett were. But he and Nightfall fought the same fight, just in different ways.
And he saw that in me, before he died. He saw something that gave him pause. That gave him words.
This slaughter is what happens when people resist the ruling force.
But it's also what happens when people don't resist.
Appeasing a ruling class that blindly or actively seeks to discriminate certain groups is not inaction. It is action. It is alignment. You either resist or you are part of the problem. You can't have it both ways.
That's what my parents taught me. In their own way, without saying it in so many treasonous words. But looking back over the years at the lessons, the wisdom, the rules, the guidelines, I see it now, the bigger picture. And I realize they were preparing me for this life, even as I know they didn't want me to have to live it.
Corinne helps me up, but before I move away, I lean down and pick up what Set was reaching for when Garin shot him.
It's a silver ankh pendant. That's what he died for.
"He was reaching for a gun," Garin is screaming to anyone who will listen.
I hold up the pendant. "He was reaching for this, you asshole. He was unarmed."
I slid the pendant into my pocket and follow Corinne to where Grandmaster Marian is collecting our class, inside a perimeter of highly armed Knights.
Jared grabs the arms of Garin and Ernst and shove them towards Grandmaster Marian.
She's talking to the rest of the class when we approach, but she pauses when she sees us. When she sees me specifically, as I am covered in blood and look like a walking nightmare.
Daughter of Strife- Part 2 Page 2
