Battlefield (10 page)

Dawn was breaking, but the members of Unit 121 were already up.  Even though nobody had been officially made as a captain or a team leader or anything of the sort, Gerard wanted to say something before they split up and started this game.

“Good morning,” he said in his thick Scottish voice.  He was standing in what looked like a locker room reserved solely for Unit 121’s use and no one else’s.  He was standing on a bench in order to capture the attention of his Unit.  “Um… I’m really not good at making speeches.  I’m sure you all know this in some way or another.  I’m not very good with words.”

The Unit laughed, and Devyn even snorted, having been on the end on one of his I’m-not-good-with-words moments.

“Right,” Gerard said, allowing himself a smile of his own.  As Devyn watched him, she couldn’t help but grin.  He appeared nervous being up there, even to the extent of reaching up and cupping the back of his neck with his palm.  Gerard was never nervous.  “Right,” he murmured again, but cast his pale green eyes at his fellow genomes.  “But I wanted to at least try to put into words and convey how lucky I am to know you all.  I mean, I came from Scotland myself, and had no idea what Los Angeles would be like, what the people would be like.  But I have found myself growing fond of you all.”

“Did he just use the word fond?” Devyn whispered to Rachel.

Rachel pressed her lips together in order to hide an amused grin.  “That he did, my dear,” she replied.

“Right, that didn’t come out as eloquent as I had hoped,” Gerard said, shaking his head.  “Basically, I just wanted to tell you that it’s not a matter of if we win, it’s a matter of won.”  His eyes immediately shot into Devyn’s.  “And no, I can assure you I’m not being arrogant in any way.  I’ve seen each of you practicing and I know that you’re all incredibly talented people, in more than just combat.  I’m confident that we can’t lose as long as we all stay focused.  We are a team, and we need to look out for each other.  Remember, this isn’t a game no matter how the television, the interviewers, the cameras portray it as one.  This is life or death. 

“When I first came here, I met a very stubborn person who believed more than anything else that she was a human, that she belonged to humanity and that she deserved the same rights humans were afforded.  Now, I thought she was a lunatic for thinking such ridiculous things if I’m being completely honest with you, but as I got to know her, I began to believe it as well.  The only difference is, the humans that are currently inhabiting this city – hell, this country – haven’t fought for their freedom except a very small fraction of them.  That was a right given to them at birth.  But you and me?  We must take it since they will not give it to us.  And if anyone deserves freedom, it’s you and it’s me.  So when we start this ridiculous competition, know that you deserve the reward whatever the cost.”

Gerard didn’t make any strong conclusion.  Instead, to signify that he was done talking, he stepped down from the bench just as an alarm went off.  The bell indicated that breakfast was over, and for the Units to meet up at the designated starting point.

Devyn stopped herself from immediately leaving, and she grabbed onto Gerard’s wrist, indicating that he should wait with her.  He looked at her, cocking his head to the side.

“Uh,” she murmured, trying to find the correct words to say what she wanted to.  “Be careful.”

Gerard gave her an inquisitive look, wondering why she had to tell him something like that alone.  He wouldn’t admit it, but he was somewhat disappointed.  He had been hoping for…  Well, he wasn’t sure exactly what it was that he had been hoping for.

“You too,” he replied, nodding a couple of times.

Then, without warning, Devyn pushed up on her toes, reached out to wrap her arms around his neck, and pulled him down towards her so that his lips locked onto hers.  Her tongue quickly slipped past his lips in order to explore the contours of his mouth.  To say Gerard was surprised was definitely an understatement, but he didn’t hesitate when such an ample opportunity presented itself.  His arms immediately locked around her waist, pulling her firm against his body.  Tilting her head to the side, he deepened the kiss only to duel with her for dominance.

If only they had more time…

And just as quickly, Devyn broke apart from him, taking a step back.  She was breathless, something Gerard was quite proud of, and blushing.  Without another word, she began to head to the starting point with Gerard right behind her.

--

Devyn still wasn’t sure if she should have done that right before a battle that could literally be the end of her life.  The Director was making some bullshit commentary that she refused to listen to.  Instead, she tried to calm herself, and get her focus back on track.  Gerard was standing next to her, and though they weren’t touching, she could feel the electricity between the two of them.  Maybe if they both survived, if they both attained their freedom, she would tell him that she lo-

A fog horn pierced the morning sky, causing all of the birds in the nearby surroundings to burst up, their wings flapping hurriedly.  That meant go, didn’t it?  She saw her Unit start to run, and began to follow them.  They were to carry out Plan C of the schemes Gerard had come up with.  Luckily, Devyn had memorized each one backward and forward, so she didn’t forget anything.

It was time to start this battle.

The quickest route to the checkpoint was through this bustle of trees and then a sharp right.  If they made it there safely, a truce was called in order for everyone to eat and rest up, and then the game would resume back up again tomorrow.  Devyn hated to think of it as a game, because more than anything, she knew that it wasn’t.  It was more than just a game, as Gerard had said this morning.  Actually, his speech had been quite inspiring if she was being honest.

Devyn lost herself in the trees and it was only then when some man from another Unit attacked her when it finally hit her that this was it; this was real.  Because she had never been outside the Gates of Freedom, she never had to deal with the inequality of the sexes.  The women here were treated exactly the same as the men in all aspects of training and expectation, so because this man had attacked her, Devyn wasn’t surprised when he packed as much effort into his combat.  Men considered the women to be equal as well.  They didn’t see the women as weak, though it seemed to be a universal truth that their beauty could be distracting, even under particular circumstances.

However, Devyn was quite skilled in physical combat, and it wasn’t long until she had her opponent knocked out, lying in the grass.  Her next instinct was to snap his neck, to finish him off lest he come after her.  It would be irony in the strongest sense of the word if she allowed him to remain and he was her murderer in the end.

And yet, though the logic was there, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  The genome was fighting for his freedom as well.  So she let him stay there and continued on her way.

It was another hour before she saw anybody else that might have particular interest in her.  Of course, it wasn’t another opponent on her end, but she could thoroughly make out Gerard, fighting someone quite skillfully.  She couldn’t help but stop and watch; so maybe men could be distracting in their own right as well.  And who was Devyn to judge?  There were times – okay, all the time – when she simply liked to watch Gerard move.

It was then that she noticed a woman slowly making her way over to him, and no, she was definitely not on their team.  Devyn furrowed her brow and made sure her entire body was hidden from their sight but kept her eyes on the woman.  Gerard had yet to notice her, and to be honest, Devyn didn’t think he would.

She had to do something.  Yes, Gerard was strong and powerful, and if it was humans trying to take him on two against one, he could easily put them in their place.  But these weren’t average humans.

She decided to make her presence known and save his life.  It was quite simple really.  Devyn had snuck up on the woman before she could even get to Gerard, and she was so surprised, she didn’t put up that much of a fight.

What Devyn hated about the entire situation was she had had no opportunity to knock the woman out.  She had to be killed, and Gerard killed his opponent too.

They were both breathing heavily, but at least they were both safe.

“Are you okay?” Gerard asked, coming over to her.

Devyn couldn’t verbally answer just yet, but she nodded.  “You?” she managed to ask in return.

“Yeah, he said, nodding as well.  “For now.”

It was six o’clock when Devyn and Gerard reached the check point.  Immediately, her eyes sought after Rachel and Hugh, and after a heart attacking minute, Gerard pointed them out to her.  Devyn felt her stomach release a bout of tension she hadn’t realized she had been holding in, and turned, wrapped her arm around Gerard’s waist, pulling him tightly against her as she released a sob against his chest.  In all honesty, Devyn wasn’t expecting to react so emotionally upon seeing her best friend and her best friend’s boyfriend alive, but noticing that some Units had little reprieve, she was suddenly grateful.

Gerard, of course, was taken aback by this blatant show of affection, but he didn’t push her away.  In fact, he knew exactly what it was she was feeling.  It had never occurred to him, that maybe he wouldn’t come back.  In fact, if Devyn hadn’t appeared when she had, he surely would have died or been quite thoroughly injured.  Devyn had truly saved his life, which meant, of course, that he owed his life to her.  So he wrapped his arms around her, hoping they were comforting if anything, and allowed her to stay standing against him as long as she needed.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Hugh notice him and Devyn, before turning to Rachel and pointing them out to her.  It would seem she had the same reaction to seeing her best friend as Devyn had because Rachel practically threw herself on top of Hugh, clinging to him as though her life depended on it, her shoulders jutting up and down as Rachel cried into Hugh’s shoulder.

After a moment, Devyn stepped out of Gerard’s grasp and looked up at him.  “I’m sorry,” she murmured, feeling herself blush at her lack of propriety.

Without warning, Gerard wrapped his arms around her once more, reveling silently in the way she felt against him.  “You have nothing to be sorry about,” he assured her, keeping his voice as quiet as he could.  Though Gerard knew that the way his Unit was reacting was nothing the other Units weren’t doing, he couldn’t help but worry some cold, calculating bastards might be noting any potential weakness.  “I’m always here for you, you know.”

Devyn picked up her head, tilting it up and resting her chin on his chest so she could look up at him.  “And apparently, I’m always there for you,” she teased, and though her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, it was definitely progress.

Gerard smiled down at her just as Devyn’s stomach growled.  Immediately she obeyed it, untangling herself from Gerard’s grasp and turned towards the buffet line.  “I am ridiculously hungry,” she said to herself, though Gerard was right behind her, no doubt hungry as well.  “I cannot believe we don’t get lunch or some kind of snacks.  Seriously, they must do this on purpose in hopes that certain genomes will be weak and thus easily capable of fighting worse.”

“Just don’t overeat,” Gerard told her, watching warily as she plopped a good spoonful of macaroni and cheese on her plate.  “I don’t want to be the one carrying your fat ass to the Gates of Freedom.”

Though it was a direct and obvious insult, Devyn glanced behind him, the first genuine smile he had seen on her face in a while.  “You would, wouldn’t you?” she asked, turning around to add some fruit salad to her plate.

Gerard pushed his lips together, not really wanting to answer the question, but knowing he probably would anyways.  “Maybe,” he murmured, hoping Devyn hadn’t heard him.  But though she didn’t seem to have, Gerard knew she had.

Once they sat at their table, Rachel leapt up and practically tackled Devyn to the ground with her vice-like grip.  Luckily for everyone in the nearby area, Devyn had already set down her plate of food.

“Oh my God, sweetie,” Rachel murmured into Devyn’s shoulder.  “I was…  We were…”  She picked her head up and locked her wide eyes with Devyn.  “Sweetie, we thought something had happened to you.  It took you guys a while to get here…  I think we’re the only four left.”

It was like somebody had punched Devyn in the stomach.  She took a step back before taking a seat on the bench behind her, needing the support it offered her.  Gerard was sitting beside her, and it appeared as though Hugh was relaying the same information to him that Rachel had with her.  He seemed to be taking it much better than Devyn was, though his face had paled substantially and his hunger had disappeared.  However he forced himself to eat, knowing he had to.  Knowing that if he wanted to survive, he would need strength and energy.

“We knew this might happen,” Gerard said softly, addressing the table.  “It’s just further motivation to win.”  He wanted to say more, but stopped himself as he looked upon their faces.

Enough was enough.

Gerard couldn’t do anything to make them come back, which meant his words couldn’t fix anything.  They were like a band aid; they might make someone feel better about an injury, but most certainly cannot heal a scrape on the knee.  That would be time’s job.

Devyn picked at her food, and only ate because Gerard had practically shoved the food down her throat himself.  Her eyes flickered across the room, seeing how empty it was compared to the usual cafeteria.  Save for the camera crew that was currently showing who had survived and what the survivors’ eating habits were like, the room looked practically vacant.

This whole entire mess made her a little more than sick, and when they were allowed to change and shower and then rest, she took full advantage of it.  The barracks were arranged by Unit rather than sex, so Gerard, Hugh, Rachel, and Devyn all shared one room.  By the time Devyn got out of the shower, Rachel and Hugh were already asleep, forcing two adult bodies on a twin sized bed.  Gerard was on his own bed, and it was too dark to tell if he was still awake, or if he, too, had fallen asleep.  It was at that moment, Devyn wished she had someone like that, someone to hold her when she was scared. 

Devyn was scared.  She could admit it.  It was probably naïve and downright ignorant, but she honestly thought nothing could happen to her Unit.  Even when she saw that woman sneak up on Gerard, she knew she’d be able to save him.  It had never been a question of that.  And yet…  Her eyes flickered across the bedroom.  There were four beds that should have been occupied by the four people that hadn’t made it.

Devyn had an overwhelming feeling to cry, and yet her body was so numb she couldn’t.  After a moment of standing there mutely, she chose a bed on the far corner of the room, giving her enough space away from everyone if she broke down and cried.  She crawled underneath the warm covers, but instead of immediately falling asleep, she rolled onto her back and stared fixedly at the ceiling.  The Superiors hadn’t taught the genomes anything about reality, something about the fact that either they didn’t believe in religion or didn’t think religion could save the souls of people who weren’t created like most of the world’s population.  But even so, as Devyn pondered the cracks of the ceiling, she couldn’t help but wonder why.

Why the other four members of her Unit and not her?  Why was she alive?  There had to be a reason, and Devyn needed to find out.  Which just made her that much more determined to survive.

But she was still scared, because what if she didn’t survive?  Everything she had been working for in her entire life would be for naught.  And who would look after Rachel and Hugh?  What about Gerard?  At least Hugh and Rachel had each other.

Stop thinking such thoughts
, a voice inside of her head reprimanded, and before Devyn could argue with it, Gerard’s voice pierced the silence.

“You think too loud,” he said, not wanting to wake up Hugh and Rachel.  Suddenly, he was looming over her, a look of worry embedded deeply in his pale eyes.  Not for tomorrow, but for right now.  He was worried about Devyn’s well-being, especially since he had never believed he would see her so… vulnerable.  “You’re scared,” he stated in a low voice, suddenly realizing that such a thing was, indeed, possible.  “Don’t deny it; I can see it in your eyes.”

“I wasn’t going to deny it,” Devyn said in a voice just above a whisper.  She had yet to actually look at Gerard, but then she turned her head, and for a moment, simply stared at him, her thoughts racing.

“I’m not going to pretend with you and tell you everything’s going to be all right,” Gerard said, crouching down and reaching out, curling a stray strand of hair behind her ear.  “But I can promise you that I’ll be there for you.  I won’t let you go.”

The next words out of her mouth, Gerard truly never intended to hear. 

“Will you stay with me tonight?” she asked, a soft lilt of hope touching her voice.

Gerard didn’t even think twice.  “Of course,” he told her, and after Devyn made room, fit himself as best as he could next to Devyn.

It wasn’t long before the two fell asleep.