Fugitives (The Silent Wars Book 2), page 28
Social services had looked out for Kora on the down-low. For a time, it had worked. Then another Census came around and her mother was reassigned. Now Kora was alone. Because she was under the age of eighteen, Lincoln law didn’t allow her to live by herself. Child services arrived to take her to the orphanage. Located on Level Five, on the outskirts of the city, it was far enough away that the residents could pretend it didn’t house over a hundred lost and scared souls.
Kora had always thought it contradictory. Like everyone else, she had been taught the rules. Never harm a child or through inaction let a child be harmed.
Surely, putting her in such a place was harmful. The wardens and sisters who ran the facility never harmed her physically. There were no canings or beatings. But, by the gods, they used every form of mental torture they could. Any perceived indiscretions were punished. Her handwriting improved vastly due to the amount of lines she was forced to write. Sister Martha was the worst. When no other warden was around, she would lean down and tell Kora that God was punishing her because she was wicked and her parents were sinners. The only way for her to be saved was to be baptised and accept the Lord.
Pushing the memories from her mind, Kora opened her eyes. Around the cabin, the others were talking in pairs. Jade and Colter. Eli and Ley. Vasquez was in his pilot’s chair, monitoring the control screens. It was mostly quiet, with only the ship’s engines humming in the background.
At seeing Eli and Ley, the memories flooded back into her mind.
She had resisted Sister Martha, and that had made her worse. She would often single Kora out and give her extra duties. Tell her that she was worthless and stupid. Kora blocked out the taunts. Being bullied at school had given her a thick skin, and her parents had instilled in her that no one should be forced to believe something. They’d taught her that if someone was trying to ram something down your throat, then it was because they were afraid you’d realise it’s all bullshit.
Being in the orphanage was mostly a dreary existence to be endured, but there had been one shining light. The choir. Kora loved sing. And hearing other voices joining hers brought her a lot of happiness. She had latched onto that and protected it. Cherished it. Savoured every moment when she brought smiles while the choir performed for the citizens of Lincoln.
Sister Martha had used it against her. Kora recalled the occasion as clearly as if it had been yesterday.
“The bishop wants the choir to sing for Easter Mass,” Martha said. “Think yourselves lucky. It is a great honour.”
“Yes, Sister,” Kora said.
“There is one issue, though. The fact that you are not baptised, Kora Aubrac. I can’t allow you to partake in such a holy celebration if you ain’t.”
“Some of the other kids aren’t.”
“I’m not talking about them. I’m talking about you.”
“Why?”
“Because, despite what you think, I care about your soul.”
“And not the others’?” Kora cringed as soon as she said the words. Backchatting would earn her punishments.
“Two weeks toilet duty for your disrespect. Or maybe it should be no choir.”
“Please. I’m sorry. I’ll do a month of toilet duty.”
“A month it is, Aubrac. But unless you are baptised, you can’t sing for the bishop.”
As she bit her tongue, she was screaming inside her heart. All year she had practised, taken lessons to learn how to hold notes and stay in tune. Being in the choir was her one truly happy place. “I’ll do it.”
“Say again.”
“I’ll be baptised.”
“I knew you’d see sense eventually. Baptism will take place early in the Mass. You’ll be done in time for you to take part in the choir.”
As Easter drew nearer, her gut twisted in ever tighter nervous knots. She stumbled through her schoolwork and sang with less enthusiasm than before. A sense of wrongness enveloped her. She wasn’t sure about the baptism and wanted to learn more about the faith before accepting anything. But the day arrived before she had a chance to. Kora was taken with a bunch of other children her age and shown into a small changing room, where they were each given a white gown to wear. The knot in her stomach had made her double over in pain. Kora had excused herself and gone to the toilet.
She’d had no idea what she was going to do until she saw the window. In seconds, she had climbed out and sprinted away from the Church of the Holy Cross, and down into the maze of streets that made up Lincoln. She had no idea where she was going, only that she was running away and wasn’t going back to the orphanage or Sister Martha. Down she ran to the dive bars, the drug cafes and pleasure dens. She hid among the forgotten and discarded. Down there, no one disturbed you unless you looked like you had money. Kora had rubbed grease and dust over her face and clothes, and she wandered the alleys and streets until the third shift klaxon had wailed. With nowhere else to go, she’d headed to Nelly’s. Dex was the barkeep that night. His head was covered in dreadlocks and his eyes were always glazed over.
“This is no place for a kid. Get.”
“Please. I just want somewhere to sleep,” Kora said. “One night.”
“What do I look like? A fucking charity?”
“One night. Never harm a child, remember.”
“I know the shitting rules. Go home, Kora.”
“It’s horrible there.”
“I don’t care. Get.”
“One night. I will be quiet. Cook and clean for you.”
“Get the fuck out.”
One of the bar’s patrons had looked up from his half-empty pint glass. “Dex, she’s a kid.”
“Anything else out of your mouth, Clarence, and I’ll cut you off.”
Clarence hung his head and stared back at the filthy bar.
“Last chance. Get. I won’t call child services or the Sisters because I liked your mum.”
“Liked her mouth around your c…” Clarence said.
“I fucking warned you. Both of you, get the fuck out! Now!” Dex had grabbed a baseball bat and slammed it on the wooden bar. Kora was out on the street hot on Clarence’s heels. The drunk turned to her and smiled. It was a genuine smile. She could tell, because his eyes creased and had a warmth to them. Clarence liked his booze, like many people, but he had no ill intentions towards anyone. “Was at the orphanage myself when I was tiny fella. Father Peter still there?”
“He’s the bishop now.”
“Ah. That figures. Always had his eye on the top, that weaselly little prick.” Clarence swayed and used a nearby lamp post to stop from falling over. “Don’t want to go back, huh? What they do?”
“Tried to baptise me.”
“Ha. Not a believer, then? Don’t answer that. No business of mine. Have a friend that will let you stay for the night.”
Kora hesitated and prepared to run.
“Not like that. Good people. Know The Crow’s Nest up on Seven?”
“I’ll find it.”
“You do that. Good luck. And don’t end up like me or ya ma. Stay away from it. Take it from an old, lonely man with too many regrets. Find something to hold on to.” Clarence had staggered away and started to sing some old-world tune.
Kora blew out a breath, taking solace in her thoughts. Clarence didn’t know it, but he had saved her life that day. Bill and Maureen had taken her in and treated her like one of their own. She regretted causing them distress when she’d run. At the time, she’d thought it was for a good cause. That if she completed the mission for Simon, he would let her stay on the surface, and they could all live together where they were supposed to.
Now she was faced with a different dilemma. Helstrop had given her a chance to see her family again. Free them. All she had to do was provide him with information.
Kora grabbed her commpad and activated one of the games. It was a wordsearch. She highlighted the letters OKINAWA in bright yellow. A voice in the back of her head prevented her from saying the other place she had heard them talking about, London. She then sent it to the number the scientist had provided.
Maybe it was her conscience. Maybe something else. She didn’t know. It was for her family.
Her friends would understand.
CHAPTER 26
Western Pacific Ocean.
Okinawa appeared like an emerald ringed with gold out of the azure ocean. Its beauty dazzled Eli. Since childhood, he had dreamed of seeing a tropical island with coconut palms, white sands and coral reefs. Those had been nothing but pipe dreams, something to cling to as he spent his days staring at man-made structures. The Council had tried to incorporate virtual reality games, but the computers were troublesome and broke down often. For whatever reason, people preferred the old-world console games. Maybe they didn’t want to be reminded of the world above. Maybe seeing it, even if it was a simulation, was too much. Better to live in ignorance than to know what you could never have.
The hoverplane banked and circled the southern section of the island, then skimmed low over the water towards a bustling port. Vasquez slowed the aircraft down and waited for several transports in similar design to lift off. Then he joined the convoy. When they reached the island jungle, they broke away and dropped into an uninhabited valley. The trees and vines, filled with dazzling colours, were buffeted by the downdraft from the hoverplane’s engines. Vasquez landed next to an odd building with raking rooflines. The dark timbers were accentuated by the stark white plaster walls and the polished green tiles on the roof.
“I saw murals of structures like this at the Institute. At first, I thought it was just some artist’s imagination. Then, Daniel told me about the temples in this country,” Ley said.
“Nothing like seeing it for real.”
Nox barked and wagged his tail. He bounced around as the hatch opened and was the first out. Nose to the ground, he raced to the nearest tree, lifted his leg, and urinated.
“Guess this place is his now,” Kora said.
Chuckling, Colter playfully got the young woman in a headlock and rubbed the top of her head with his knuckles. “Smart-ass like your brother.”
“I forgot you knew Otis.”
“Only for a little while. Great kid. Cheeky, but had a knack for driving those big drillers.”
“He was a smart-ass. I miss him.”
“Aye. Me too, kid.”
Jade joined them, looking out over the overgrown gardens that hugged the ancient building. “Even though no one comes up here anymore, it’s best we stay inside.” She led them around the impressive structure to a side door. Scaffolding lined that side of the building, and several banners had been tied to the tubing. Something was written in a squiggly font Eli could make no sense of. He turned to ask Jade, but Colter beat him to it.
“Okay. What?” Colter nudged Jade with his shoulder.
“Hiragana. Says that this place is under renovation.”
“Clever.”
“The TSS has a few tricks. It’s been under renovation for so long, people have stopped asking questions.”
After going through several security protocols — retina scan, palm print, voice, and code — Jade gained access and led them inside. Within the building was a series of small rooms with large empty tubs, showers and changing areas. In roughly the centre of the building, an apartment of sorts had been constructed. It was clean and simple, with what Eli presumed were modern furnishings. Low-sitting table and chairs. In a side room was an office with several computers.
“What was this place?” Kora asked.
“This was an onsen — a bathing house for the wealthy. When it got into financial trouble, the United Countries’ military took it over for their officers. But it never really took off. I guess sitting naked in communal pools was a bit too culturally different. It sat unused for a long time, until the agency acquired it. The term we use is safe house. Somewhere an agent can lay low until the heat is off enough for them to travel on. Perfect for us.”
“Handy,” Eli said.
“It has its uses. Right. I’ll be back in a few hours. We need to get rid of the hoverplane and find a new ride. Stay inside. Kitchen is stocked, and I’m sure you’ll figure out the rest. Oh. Commpads, please.” Jade took the devices off everyone and placed them onto a small black pad next to a mounted screen. Jade moved so fast through the screens, Eli had trouble keeping up. All he could see were rows of text and numbers. “Updated the encryption software so you can keep researching.”
When she was finished, she left all the commpads on the table and headed towards the door.
“I’ll walk you out,” Colter said.
Eli flashed a grin at Ley and winked. It was increasingly obvious that Colter had it bad for the Echo and neither of them blamed him. Jade had a warmth and sparkle to her that wasn’t found much in Lincoln. They were happy for their friend. Always fussy in romance, Colter had drifted from one bed to the next, leaving a trail of broken hearts. More than a few times, he had taken sick leave to lament the loss of the one.
“Can I explore with Nox?” Kora asked.
“He’d love it. Thank you. You want something to eat first?”
At the mention of food, Nox’s ears perked up and he licked his lips. A rummage through the cupboards turned up some cat food, but nothing for dogs. He emptied the contents into a bowl. Nox sniffed it, then looked at Eli as if to say, “What is this?” before gobbling the food down in three bites.
“Have fun,” Ley said. “Don’t go outside.”
“Okay,” Kora said.
After eating a quick meal of precooked burger patties and rice, Eli switched on the giant screen mounted to the wall with a commpad he found sitting on a side table. It took him a little while to figure out how to navigate through all the entertainment options, then he settled on a news feed. Text scrolled across the screen as video footage depicted big waves crashing against a seaside community. A lot of the words made no sense to him, but he figured it was something about the storm and how the Thule continued to advocate for more environmental sanctions. The European Alliance and the Asian Federation were resisting the changes, saying they were doing everything they could.
“That the storm we flew through?” Ley said.
“I think so.”
“Madness. All of this. You feeling okay now?”
“Better, now I’ve eaten. And I thought drinking too much was bad. That was rough.”
“You looked whiter than an albino. You still smell, though.” Ley sniffed under her armpits and made a vomiting face. “Me too. C’mon, let’s check out the showers.”
The light seemed to bounce off the tiled surface of the bathroom. Eli left the dark sunglasses on and fiddled with the controls of the shower. Ley grew impatient, stripped off, and yelped in surprise as the cold water hit her skin. She reached out and yanked Eli under the water. Even though it was cold, it felt good on his flesh. Ley helped him undress and found some soap. Together, they washed, rinsing all the dirt and grime off. It took four cycles of shampoo to eradicate the smell of smoke from his hair. Ley insisted on a fifth lathering and passionately kissed him afterwards. The kiss grew in intensity, and they tumbled out of the shower and found a bed. For a fleeting moment, Eli hesitated, concerned that this wasn’t the time or place, but his lust overtook the thinking part of his brain. He let all the frustrations and anger leave his body and focused on Ley as her breathing became raspy. She shuddered, crying out in ecstasy, and Eli drew her in closer for that fraction of a second when nothing else mattered. All the fear. Gone. All the insecurities, gone. Only love remained. For that moment, he was free. It was just him and Leylani Haru.
When they returned to the communal area, Kora and Nox were snoozing next to Colter, who was watching the screen, on the long couch. The news feed was still on.
DISASTER AT LINCOLN MINING CITY. THOUSANDS FEARED DEAD.
“Shit,” Ley said, sitting down on another couch. “That can’t be true, can it? Most people were evacuated and the engineers thought it would take The Nine days to get the fusion core operating. That’s if Falcon Legion didn’t stop them.”
“At least a week, and it’s only been two days at most.”
“True.”
“Maybe they’re lying.”
“Or this is some bullshit propaganda?” Colter said.
“Wouldn’t put it past Wey Corp,” Ley said.
Seeing the news footage angered Eli. To most Echoes, Gnats were nothing more than slaves, a commodity to be exploited. It was clear to him now that Wey Corp were going to use The Nine’s and Zapata’s attack to their advantage. Cover it up for what? Insurance money? He sat down next to Ley and put his head in hands, rubbing his face. “I hope everyone got out. I’ve barely thought about it since we left.”
“Me too, buddy,” Colter said. “I guess we just have to trust that they did.”
“Christ on a stick, why do I feel so shit about it?” Ley said.
“Guilty for leaving?” Eli shrugged. “Guilty for blowing up the city?”
“It had to be done, guys. We all knew that,” Colter said.
Rubbing his face again, Eli agreed, but couldn’t keep the guilt from gnawing at him. If they hadn’t known about the journal, maybe Zapata would have cut his losses and gone after Fisher, forgetting about the city. Instead, he had returned to cover his tracks.
Ley rubbed his back. “We had to do it.”
To Eli, the news feed seemed like a never-ending parade of doom and gloom. There was nothing but numbers. Numbers of disasters. Numbers of dead. Numbers of enemies. Wanting to see something positive, he switched the channels until he found one with sports. Two men raced up high man-made walls, holding on to tiny wedges.
He calmed his pounding heart and turned his focus back to the clue left by Dr Stacey Fisher. “The clue,” Eli said. “We need to get moving. Did Jade give a specific time for when she is coming back, Colter?”
