Sovereign (Sovereign Series) (12 page)

I
tilt my chin up so water won’t get in while I speak.  “Probably the colony’s
water supply.  Twig, do you see how to get out?”

He
takes a deep breath, and I feel him turning around, looking in every
direction.  “If we follow this pipe to the left, it should get us close to the
wall.  I think there’s some sort of ladder.  But we’ll have to swim, probably a
couple yards, to get to it.”

“Twig,
take the lead,” I say, hoping Sean won’t protest.  For now, at least, he’s too
weak.

I
give the group a few more pointers on swimming for when we get to the wall.  Though
we cling to the pipe as far as it’ll take us, the boys take turns letting go to
practice treading water.  I’m tired, and from the way the others are huffing
and puffing, I can tell they are, too. 

“How
far?” I ask Twig, quietly. 

“Almost
there.  I’m almost to the end of the pipe,” he says loud enough for everyone to
hear, but he comes to a stop.

“Go
ahead,” I encourage him.  “Let’s do it.”

He
takes a deep breath and lets go of the metal holding us above water.  I follow
his lead, and the guys keep up.  We slowly make our way through the churning
water.  Billy tugs against the cuffs connecting us a few times, but that’s it.

“Got
it,” Twig chimes, then drags me to the ladder with brute strength.  It takes
quite a bit of maneuvering to figure out how to climb a ladder with six guys
attached at the wrist, but we make it up a few rungs when the churning water
begins to grow violent. 

The
water whooshes all around us and the waves crash higher and higher.  “It’s
spinning, like a drain,” Twig yells.  As soon as I process it I feel Billy get
yanked from the ladder, pulling me down with him. 

Twig
holds tight on the ladder, but the metal cuffs are cutting into my wrists.  He
slips his fingers around my hand and pulls me once again toward the ladder.  I’m
not sure if the rest of the guys or even my own right hand will make it with
me.  I try to find Billy’s wrist the way Twig holds mine, but I can’t get ahold
of it, and the metal is slicing into my flesh from the pressure of five
teenagers.  I scream in agony when the cuff touches bone in my wrist. 

Twig
manages to wrap my fingers around the ladder rung, and reaches over me to grab
Billy and reel him in behind me.  He climbs faster this time, and somehow we
make it up the ladder and out of the water’s reach.

At
the top of the ladder, we spill onto a concrete landing, though I can’t see
anything to know what else there is.  We lie flat on our backs, catching our
breaths when Sean moans, “Is he trying to kill us?” 

The
other boys force a hollow laugh, though I doubt they find it funny.  Nathan
actually
might
be trying to kill us.  I wouldn’t put it past him.  But
what would be the point of all this trouble, then?  

Matt
breaks the silence.  “That wasn’t clean.  No way that’s our water supply.”

Twig
replies, “I think they’re treating it.  I think that’s what those machines
are.  Maybe they can filter out the toxins.” 

“I
doubt it’s that simple,” Sean replies.  Sounds like he’s regaining his
strength. 

“What’s
next?” I ask, not sure if I really want to know.

“I
can’t tell where--” Twig starts, but Sean cuts him off.

“That
way,” he says.  I assume he’s pointing somewhere I can’t see.  “Let’s move.” 
We scramble to our feet, and I realize my reign was short-lived.  Sean is back
from his lapse in consciousness. 

I
feel something warm on my hand where the handcuff grinds on the bone, and it
takes everything I have not to fall to my knees and cry.  Dylan’s words dance
somewhere on the edge of my thoughts, but I can’t make them out. 

I’m
yanked forward by both arms, and we run side-by-side.  When the footsteps slow,
I keep my hands in front of me.  My hands slam into metal and I lace my fingers
around chain-link fencing. 

“Climb,”
Twig calls out, and I hear the fence rattle.

“Wait,”
I yell.  “If we climb up side-by-side, when we get to the top, we’ll fall
over.”

“Guys,”
Sean calls out.  “One after the other, just like everything else.  Follow me.” 
He’s just addressed my concern without actually acknowledging me.  Maybe nobody
heard me anyway.  Maybe I didn’t even speak.  My head is spinning, and my arms
hurt, especially my wrists. 

Sean
leads us up and over the fence, which slices into my thighs on my way over the
top.  Once on the ground, we break into a sprint on what feels like wild
terrain.  Someone trips, and we wait till he gets to his feet before
continuing.  Sean barks orders along the way. 

“On
the ground,” he shouts, after a long sprint.  We drop to our hands and knees. 
“Crawl,” he tells us.  We keep ourselves low and shimmy forward.  The ground
below us slowly transitions into mud, and I’m not sure if we’re headed for
water, but I don’t think I can take any more. 

A
piece of my hair tangles in something above us, but I can’t reach to untangle
it, so I’m forced to move forward ripping a chunk of hair out. 

I’m
taking count of my injuries when I hear it--the caw of a bird.  Proof of animal
life.  Everyone pauses, so I’m not the only one who heard it.  In my years on
the run with Dad, we never saw a bird.  We barely saw any animals at all, and
the ones we did see were
s
trange.  He said most animals died, but
the ones that survived weren’t the same after the fallout.

“Move. 
Faster!” Sean yells as more caws spring up behind us. 

“They’re
coming out of the mud,” Twig shouts.

“Are
they chasing us?”  I struggle to match the pace of the guys. 

“Yes,”
Twig says, and I know it’s true because the cawing gets louder. 

“Are
they in the air?” I ask, not sure if any of them even know what birds are.

“No,
just on the ground,” Twig says, his voice growing in exhaustion and
desperation.  Then the pain comes.  Beaks tear the flesh on the backs of my
legs as the boys cry out in pain.

“Get
up, get up,” Sean calls out, and then we’re running again. 

It
doesn’t take long to leave the birds in our wake.  Since they can’t fly, it
seems they can’t keep up.  More blood trickles down my legs, and I wonder how
much I might have left.  I’m sure I read how much blood there is in the human
body somewhere, but I can’t remember. 

We
run.  Run.  Run more.  How do they know where to go?  What do they see?  Nobody
has spoken in forever.  We’re barely jogging anymore.  Wherever we’re going,
I’m not sure I’ve got the strength for much more. 

“Stop,”
a voice calls, and it’s not anyone of my teammates.  I hear the cuffs rattle,
and my arms are thrust into the air along with Billy’s and Twig’s at my sides. 
“Don’t move,” he shouts again. 

“We
are Guard division pledges,” Sean calls out.  “Nathan brought us out here for
training.  He’s supposed to pick us up at the finish.”

“And
where is that?”

“We
don’t know, sir,” Sean explains.  Weapons click, and I realize whatever soldier
has stopped us is not alone.  “It was a drill.”  I take it none of these
soldiers experienced such a drill as pledges.  As I suspected.

“Wait
here.”

Nathan
wasn’t pleased that the soldiers caught us, but I can’t tell if he’s pleased
they didn’t shoot us on sight.  I can’t imagine what we must have looked like,
the seven of us handcuffed and blindfolded.

They
brought us all the way back to the training room before taking off our cuffs
and blindfolds.  Captain wrapped up my wrist on the truck, and I’m not the only
one bloodied and battered.  We all look horrible. 

“Teamwork,”
Nathan says as he takes inventory of us.  “How did it go?”

“Fine
until we were apprehended, sir,” Sean speaks up, which is only fair since he
was obviously our chosen leader.  He was, after all, put in the front without a
blindfold. 

“And
were there any incidents along the way?  Say, someone losing consciousness?”
Nathan asks, cryptically. 

Sean
hangs his head, and a light blush steals his cheeks.  Billy speaks up instead. 
“Sean nearly drowned.  He must’ve got caught under someone when we fell in the
water.”

“And
what happened next?” Nathan pries.

“We
revived him.”  Twig stands up straighter, pushes his shoulders back.  I’ve
never been so thankful for being lumped into a group in all my life.  In this
moment, the last thing I need is my individuality.

“How
so?”

“Pushing
his chest, and breathing into his mouth,” Twig says.  I’m surprised Billy
hasn’t sold me out for being the hero but I
did
save his best friend’s
life. 

“CPR? 
Interesting!” Nathan squeals.  “And who among you might possibly know how to
deliver CPR to a dying young man?  Miss 1206?” 

I
hang my head, wishing I didn’t have to answer his question.  What’ll he do?  I
saved a soldier.  He should
thank
me.  He grabs me by the chin and tilts
my face to look at him.  “How did you go about reaching him from the other end
of the line?” 

“The
others helped me get to him.  They did most of the work really,” I explain, but
don’t feel like I’m making it any better. 

“And
they just read your mind?  Knew what to do?”

“I
told them how to help.”  I pause, not sure if I’m making a case for or against
myself.  “You told us to work as a team.  One of us had fallen.” 

“Indeed,
he had.  But in his absence, there was another leader at the end of the line
with his vision unobstructed and a free hand.  You didn’t deem him a capable
leader, 1206?” 

“I
did, sir, but--”

“But
what?”  He raises his voice.

“He
didn’t know CPR.” 

“I
didn’t ask you to lead this group.  Did
he
ask you to perform CPR?”

“No,
sir.”

Nathan
says, “Fine,” but I know it’s not over just like that.

“Moving
on,” he says, as though we haven’t just expended all the energy we have. 
“Combat.”  I disintegrate into hopeless exhaustion that I’ll never wake up
from.  I can’t fight, I can barely stand straight.  “Cori, to the center of the
ring.  Since you insist on being the center of attention.”  The center of
attention? 
He
made
me the center of attention!

I
don’t protest even though every piece of me wants to.  I feel like I’m not
supposed to for some reason I can’t place my fuzzy thoughts on.  Nathan brings
the other pledges toward me and they all surround me.  I’m closed in on every
side. 
Again
. 

“Sean,”
Nathan growls, with something evil lurking beneath his voice.  “Hit her.”
 
Not again
. 
Nathan has his hands behind
his back, as always, the picture of control and authority.

Sean
hesitates for approximately one second before I feel a concrete fist in my
ribcage. 
I saved your life
, I think. 

“I
thought violence was illegal,” I growl through gritted teeth. 

“It
is for civilians,” he answers, and it’s all I need to hear.  I ball my good
fist and slam it into Sean’s face, but it doesn’t have the same impact as if I
could use my right hand.  I consider risking the injured hand for Sean’s sake. 
He grins as he backs away from me.  At least his cheek is red. 

“Jensen,
hit her.”  There’s a blow from behind to my kidney.  Nathan continues to order
blows against me.  Matt hits my shoulder.  Jayce hits the back of my head and
rattles me--it actually makes me dizzy and I fall momentarily to a knee. 

I
throw pointless punches at each of them.  Billy hits me right in the face from
the side. 
That just healed
, I think, angry that I may never look like a
normal person again.

“Authority
was given to Sean and Twig.  Yet you saw fit to give orders instead of
following them.  When people break the chain of command, they are punished.” 

He’s
punishing
me for saving Sean’s life.  I had to or we all could have
died.  I did nothing wrong.  I
saved
the team. 

“I
hope you’ll understand that authority must be revered at all costs.  Twig, hit
her.”  Twig stands directly in front of me.  It’s going to be a blow to the
gut, or a punch to my face.  It might even break my nose.  He could crush me
with his pinky finger. 

But
he doesn’t move.  No fist flies at my face, no knee to my midsection.  No kick
to my ribs.  Nothing. 

“Hit
her,” Nathan yells with his face inches from Twig’s.  They both turn red for
different reasons, but Twig doesn’t budge.  Not an inch. 
Just do it
, I
think, knowing he’s going to be punished for this.  With my eyes, I try to plead
with him. 
It doesn’t have to be hard, just hit me!
 
I’m dizzy from Jayce’s strike to the back of my head.  My
eyes glaze over and I’m unsteady on my feet.