Shadowmarked, p.15
ShadowMarked, page 15
“We’ll get on that train, don’t worry,” Jayla said, though the confidence in her voice wavered just a little. With the hood up and covering her face, I couldn’t see her eyes.
My ears popped as we descended lower and lower underground until the elevator finally stopped and the doors slid open. We were in a huge, cavern-like room, expanding farther than I could see. The roof was hollowed out and tall, metal beams crisscrossed high overhead, and steel walkways lined the base of the room.
A few walkways disappeared into tunnels that looked dug out by hand. Dirt and clay covered the walls and roof, and strung up lights hung from little hooks sticking out of the clay. We stepped forward where a railing blocked a steep drop spanning farther underground. Four grooves in the ground looked like tracks leading to a small platform where a few guards circled. A long linear train with four compartments waited on one side of the platform. From the subtle hum in the air, I could tell the tracks were magnetic. The train hovered a few feet above the ground.
“This way,” Cortez ordered, leading us down a set of metal stairs clanking loudly with each step.
There were at least a hundred people here, all watching as we led our group of genetic kids between us down the two flights of stairs to the platform. In the middle was a small table and a woman sitting behind it.
“Three for processing,” Cortez said.
The woman narrowed her eyes at us, assessing whom we’d brought to her. She nodded to the guards on her right who stepped up beside her. “Strip them,” she ordered, her voice froggy and old.
Before any of us could protest, they ripped off the jackets Sienna, Theo, and Em wore. Removing all their clothes and any hidden weapons until they were in their underwear. I had to swallow back the rage filling me at the sight of how they were treating them.
The guards then tossed them fresh clothes, a white cotton shirt and linen pants. A pair of shoes that looked like they’d fall apart the first time they ran. Em kept a glare firm on her face the entire time, and the guard closest to her wisely kept her distance.
“Secure them,” the woman said, holding out three metal items that looked like thick necklaces.
The three guards took the metal necklaces and clasped them on each of their necks. Em snarled and nearly bit the man’s hand. She would have if he hadn’t pulled it away fast enough.
They watched us the entire time. The woman kept her gaze on Jayla and me, flickering to Cortez a few times. I felt my pulse racing, and I was sure they knew who we were, but no one said a word.
“Names,” she said.
When no one responded, I shoved Sienna towards the desk. She turned a glare on me, and I wasn’t entirely sure it was a show. Guilt churned at the look, knowing if we weren’t quick, we were putting them in danger, but I had to keep the act up.
“Sienna,” she said through a clenched jaw. Theo went next, then a reluctant Em. The woman’s eyebrows flicked up at Em with recognition, but she said nothing.
“Get them inside,” the woman ordered, and the three guards stepped forward.
I blocked them. “We’ll be taking them the rest of the way,” I said.
“You don’t get to choose who goes, I do.” The woman stood and turned her back on us.
Shit. My pulse began to race; we had to be on that train.
“They’re our bounty, and we’re taking them to Grayson,” Jayla shouted.
The woman froze for a moment before she glanced over her shoulder. “What makes you think Grayson would give a shit about these three?”
Jayla shrugged. “That’s for me to know, not you.”
The woman narrowed her eyes. “No, you’re not going.”
My gaze darted to Cortez who appeared calm, but he knew as well as I did if we didn’t get on that train, this entire mission would fail. My lungs felt like they were constricting, and I swallowed the dryness in my throat, trying not to let the panic seep in.
“I can vouch for them,” Cortez said. “They have information for Governor Grayson that I’ve asked them to pass along personally. And as the Commander of the Watchers, I outrank you on this decision.”
The woman’s lip curled into a snarl as she took in Cortez, her gaze raking over him with what could only have been disgust. “Why she’s kept you traitors alive is a mystery to me,” the woman mumbled. “Fine, go.”
I glanced back at Cortez with a subtle nod before leading Em, Sienna, and Theo towards the train. Jayla hesitated for a moment, and I saw she whispered something to Cortez before following along.
Inside the train, there were no seats. A few more guards were already in the compartment we stepped in, while others lined the three farther ahead, which could be viewed through the open narrow hallway connecting each one. All four compartments held only a few genetic kids. The windows were blacked out, and as soon as the door closed behind us, we couldn’t see a thing outside.
The train hummed to life, vibrating under our feet before it began moving, and I had to hold onto the wall to avoid falling over. Jayla was looking at her feet with her brows scrunched together.
“What did you say to him?” I asked, keeping my voice quiet.
“I thanked him,” she said, her head hung low, and a sadness filled her voice. “When word gets back of what we’ve done… he’ll be the first one they execute.”
GUNNER
Two more days passed and I didn’t dare try and follow Vic again. I had hardly slept, getting what little sleep I could when they took her way. Each time, she returned, clean and with new clothes. They were testing her, testing what she could do, and how much she could be controlled. The times between when she left and returned were shortening, which meant she had likely stopped resisting whatever was inside of her more and more.
“I won’t hurt you,” Vic said one day while we both lay quietly on our beds. I was staring at the roof, but I could feel her gaze on me. “I know you’ve been wondering. And I know you haven’t slept, but it doesn’t work like that. I can’t control it around them, but here I’m… myself.”
“Well that’s comforting,” I said, instantly regretting the sarcastic tone I always seemed to have. I sighed. “I know what they’re doing to you isn’t you, Vic. And I’m going to find a way to stop this.”
“You can’t.”
She was right; there was nothing I could do. They hadn’t even bothered with me since Grayson gave them orders to keep me out of whatever trials and tests they were conducting. That fact only made me feel guiltier.
“I’m her nephew,” I said quietly. I felt Vic shift until she was on her side facing me. I did the same. “Governor Grayson is my aunt. My father was her brother.”
“How do you know?”
“She told me,” I said. “It’s why they haven’t been doing anything to me, why I’ve been exempt from the torture they’re putting you through.”
“You should consider yourself lucky, not feel guilty about it.” Vic’s voice was so soft, such a change from what I knew she held on the inside. To the outside world, she looked fragile like a flower, but I knew she was fragile like a bomb. Dangerous if not dealt with carefully.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m exempt, I’m still caged. I can’t do anything. I can’t help anyone.” I aimed a frustrated punch to my pillow.
“You’ve helped me,” Vic said. “And in some ways, you helped Sienna.”
“I betrayed her first,” I yelled. Vic flinched back, and I lowered my voice. “I’m just like my father. I’m selfish and chose myself over everyone else.”
Vic let out a long breath. She was quiet for some time before she said, “Maybe you’re looking at this situation the wrong way. Sometimes, the best way to trick someone is to make them think you’re on their side first.”
“You think I should use Grayson?”
“Couldn’t hurt.” Vic shrugged.
“How though?” I mumbled.
She shrugged again. “I’m sure you’ll think up a way.”
She was right. I could play the game, probably better than anyone. It was what I was good at, lying, deceiving, tricking. If that was the only way to help, it was exactly what I’d do.
The next morning when the guard arrived with food, I was waiting for him.
“I’d like to speak to Governor Grayson,” I said.
“Keep dreaming,” the guard grunted before slamming the door.
The next guard came an hour later to take us to the bathrooms. “I want to speak to Governor Grayson,” I repeated.
This guard didn’t even offer a sharp no; he just shoved me towards one of the stalls and waited outside the hallway. When I’d returned and he began walking back, I thought of something that may get her attention.
“Tell Grayson her nephew is bored.”
The guard did a decent job of schooling his face and keeping his expression neutral, but twenty minutes later a new guard returned to our room and informed me Governor Grayson was busy and would see me soon enough.
A few hours later when our dinner arrived, I again asked to see Grayson and this time added, “Her brother Simon’s kid wants to see her.” This new guard didn’t hide his shock.
Finally, two guards came to our room and directed me to follow them. I kept a smug smile on my face as I walked into a small room set up like an office. Governor Grayson was looking at a tablet on her desk when I arrived, her gaze drifting up only for a moment as the door behind me closed. A girl stood to the right of Grayson. She had long, white-blond hair and wore sleek black clothes clinging tightly to her body from her toes to her chin. My gaze traveled up her body until I found her black eyes watching me—black just like Vic’s turned. I flinched back, knowing what that meant and what she was, but I didn’t see the artifact nearby, and the girl didn’t make a move towards me.
“Ignore her,” Grayson said dismissively when she caught my stare. “Did you tell these guards anything?”
“No, I didn’t have to,” I said, my gaze still flicking to the girl who stood so still I almost wondered if she was alive—until she blinked.
“Good,” she said, nodding to the chair across from her for me to sit down. I slipped into the chair, but sat closer to the edge should I need to run—not that I’d get far with what they’d done to this girl, I was sure of it. “I had to kill the other guards because of your blabbing.”
I had suspected as much when new guards had returned each time, but I just shrugged. I felt no remorse for these people willingly torturing kids for their own gain. “Oops, was that supposed to be a secret?”
Grayson’s hands flexed across the desk before she said, “What do you want?”
“I want my immunity to include my bunkmate, Victoria.” I kicked my feet up onto the desk between us, leaning back into the chair with a smirk on my face. Despite the real fear running through me, I played the part of being confident easily.
Grayson looked at my feet with a moment of disgust before turning back to me. “That’s not possible. She’s already been acclimated and her training is nearly complete.”
“She can be un-acclimated, I’m sure.” I shrugged.
Grayson pursed her lips and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “She’s needed. They are all needed.”
“For what?”
“The war,’” Grayson said. “You saw what the Reeks are like, what they are—monsters. This is our only chance at survival, not just the Carbons, but everyone.”
I gave an indifferent wave of my hand. “That sounds like a you problem, not a me problem.”
“Do you know what these kids can do, what I am equipping them with?” Grayson asked, leaning forward. “I’m giving them power, beyond what anyone could ever dream of, and in exchange I only ask they help us get rid of the Reeks.”
“Call it whatever you want, it’s sadistic.” I shrugged. “You’re torturing children. You’ve created your own little army, so that you can be kept safe, and you don’t give a shit about anyone else. Don’t pretend you’re the hero here.”
Grayson’s hands clenched, and I noted the black-eyed girl took a subtle step forward. “You just don’t get it. No one does. All they see is what we’ve done, not what we’ve prevented.” Grayson’s breathing was heavy. “Do you know how many people died in Venzier? I was there. I saw what this virus did, and I’ve been the only one for decades now trying to fix it.”
“You tried to fix it by making it someone else’s problem. You threw us kids in there hoping we’d clean up your mess. That’s like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound; it won’t fix the problem. It just stops the bleeding for a bit.”
“You don’t think I know that?” Grayson stood, her hands resting on the desk between us and she leaned forward. The girl moved forward with her, as if following some silent orders. “It doesn’t matter what your intentions are. People will always see Carbons as the bad guys. We’ve spent the last one hundred and fifty years not in peace but reclusion, relegated to being and acting as human as possible, but we aren’t humans. We had powers once. We could have made this place better, but your people were too scared. That’s why we’re in this situation.”
“Well, if the odds are so stacked against you, what’s one less genetic kid in the grand scheme of things?” I returned the conversation back to getting Vic safe.
Grayson sat back down and the black-eyed girl relaxed a step back, too. “I can’t give her up.”
“What if I could get you something better, something I’m sure you’ve wanted for a while now?” I picked at my nails while I spoke, my feet still propped on the desk. Those black eyes continued to follow my movements, and I did my best to ignore her.
“And what would that be?” Grayson asked between clenched teeth.
“My father.”
She stilled, and I knew I had guessed right, and he was still somehow important to her. She had kept me alive when she very well could have killed me. She’d killed Dr. Merinda at the mere suggestion I could be used somehow, which meant she had more secrets. I didn’t trust a word she told me. I only trusted her selfishness and need to get what she wanted.
“How?”
“Use me,” I said. “From the sounds of it, my father went to great lengths to keep me a secret. That either means he despises me and wants to make sure the knowledge of me never gets out, or he doesn’t even realize I’m still alive. Either way, if he knew where to find me, I’m guessing he’d turn himself in for a chance at whatever it is he wants with me.”
I kept my face neutral and impassive, hoping she couldn’t hear my heart thunder in my chest. My palms were sweating, and I resisted the urge to wipe them on my pant leg. I had no way of knowing if my father would even care I was still alive. Maybe he hoped I was dead and when he found out I was alive, he’d come here just to kill me himself. It was clear he hated me, seeing as he was the reason I was here in the first place.
“And if your ploy works, what is it you want? I can’t reverse what was done to your friend.”
I winced at the thought. “Just keep her out of it, all of it. Send whoever you have to so you can save your own ass, but leave her behind.”
“And if that list includes you? Would you take her place instead?” Grayson tilted her head to the side, assessing me.
I dropped my feet, the sound of the chair hitting the ground loud against the small, quiet room. I leaned forward across the table just as Grayson had, and I looked her straight in the eyes. “Yes, I would.” For the first time in my life, I meant it. I had been selfish just like her, just like my father for too long, and I wouldn’t do that again.
Grayson considered for a moment. “I’ll keep her out of training for one week. If your plan doesn’t work within that time, our deal is over.”
“Fine by me.” I shrugged, standing and moving to leave the room, which brought a frown to Grayson’s face at my outright dismissal.
The guard was waiting for me outside the door, and I gave a little wave for him to lead the way, keeping the smug smile on my face. I didn’t know what I would do next, nor did I know what would happen if I did come face to face with my father, but at least I’d succeeded in keeping Vic safe while I worked out the details.
SIENNA
The train made a steady trek somewhere to the north. We knew coming in they were taking the kids to a location in the Canvas Mountain Range, but I still wasn’t prepared for the cold. I shivered uncontrollably and leaned into Theo. The metal we sat on had turned nearly to ice, and the clothing they gave us might as well have been threads.
The guards, which included Cas and Jayla, rotated between the four compartments. When the train’s temperature had dropped, the guards were given large, fur-lined coats covering them to their knees. There had to have been no more than twenty kids all together and twelve guards.
Cas stood behind a shivering Em, closer than any guard should be, but she leaned back into him subtly and took in the warmth of the jacket at her back. It didn’t last long before another guard walked in, and he was forced to circle around again.
“Maybe their master plan is just to freeze us to death?” Em said through chattering teeth.
“It’s working,” Theo mumbled.
“How long has it been?” I asked.
Em had a way of knowing the time without a watch, and even had a slight idea which direction they were taking us, having flown over these mountains before. “Eight hours so far. I’m guessing another four at least before we reach the middle of the mountain range, but they could be taking us deeper.”
Despite having scouted the location a few times, outside of white snow and tree-lined mountains, they hadn’t seen anything unusual. Inside this train, every window was covered. The train was similar to the one we took from Cytos to the Void, only this one seemed to be meant for transporting things, not people. There were no benches or chairs to sit on, just the cold floor.
“Recognize anyone here?” Em asked, nodding to the kids in our compartment and the few we could see in the next.
