Sovereign (Sovereign Series) (35 page)

The next day, Refuge army groups start
arriving.  The place is bustling.  The dining room is always full of chatter
and laughter, as if they weren’t summoned here for matters of war.  I’ve never
heard so many grown men laughing, and it’s refreshing.  There’s joy here.

Most
of the commanders appear around my father’s age, and the soldiers accompanying
them range from my age and up.  Their personalities are each different, their
hair, clothes, demeanor.  I’m happy to know the citizens of the other colonies
are just as free as Mercy’s.

Late
that evening, the final group arrives from a colony called Lakeview.  The next
morning, the commanders convene.  For my sake and Dylan’s, they introduce
themselves; everyone else already knows each other.

Mercy’s
commander is Max.  Max wasn’t present when the leaders convened yesterday.  In
addition to his dark skin, a long scar from his hairline to his eyebrow sets
him apart from the others, who are mostly indistinguishable, even though each
is unique.  A sea of skin, eye, and hair colors.  Different clothes.

John
leads the army of Lakeview.  He appears to be the oldest man in the room, with
gray hair and deep wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.

Delilah’s
military is led by a man called Robert.  He’s tall and kind of reminds me of my
father.  Joel represents Shiloh, and Greg is from Smyrna.  Emilio hails from
Dannah.  The only female amongst the military commanders is Michelle from the
colony Wisdom.  She’s younger than the others, and she looks strong.  She looks
wise.

Seven
colonies are represented.  Seven whole colonies.

My
father opens the dialogue by explaining the situation and explaining the wishes
of the leaders of Refuge.  Dylan has drawn up a map of Antius, and it hangs on
the wall in front of the commanders. 

I
point to a spot on the map.  “This is the Underage building, our target.  It
houses roughly one hundred fifty minors of varying ages.”  I point to another
building.  “This one houses women, many of which are pregnant.  The infants and
toddlers are also kept there.”

“Population?”
Michelle asks.

I
glance at Dylan, unsure of the number.  He shrugs.  “About sixty women.”

Max
sits forward in his chair.  “The Underage building should be the closest point
of breach.  If we can press farther in, we’ll attempt the women’s building, as
well.  Which direction does the Underage building face?”

“I’m
not sure.  How do I tell?”  A few people laugh, but stop when my father shoots
them a look.

“The
sun rises from the east and sets in the west.  So if we’re looking at this map,
east would be to our right, west to our left.  Up is north.  Down is south.” 
He points as he explains to help me visualize. 

I
close my eyes and imagine the light in the morning.  I picture myself standing
right outside the front door of the building on a brisk morning.  The sun is to
my right when I’m facing the center tower.  I open my eyes and point to the map
to help myself make sense of it.  “It’s on the north side of the compound.”

My
dad flips the map upside down from how we hung it, and circles the minor
building in red. 

“You’re
sure?” Max asks me.

I
think it over again.  “I’m sure.”

“Then
we attack from the north.  Tell us about security.”

Dylan
explains the force perimeter, the access codes, and the electric fence.  I
explain the guard towers, and the weapons, scopes, and cameras.

After
an hour of discussion, the questions fly and Dylan answers.  I sit in the
corner with my knees pulled to my chest, exhausted.

“The
perimeter, can we bomb it?”

“No,
it will deflect the impact and tip off the entire Guard.”

“Can
you hack into the security poles?”

“Only
from the inside.”

“Can
we create a diversion?”

“We
won’t be able to distract all ten towers.”

“Can
we dig under the forcefield?”

I
clear my throat.  “I can jump it.”  Voices continue around me, so I get up and
walk to the front of the room.  “I said I can jump it.”  I say it louder this
time.

“She’s
right.”  Dylan rubs his temples.  “I have an idea.”

“I
don’t like it.”  Dylan sits on the counter.  This tiny bathroom is the only
place we can find privacy around here. 

It’s
been three days since we agreed on a course of action, and Mission Antius
Rescue was approved.  Dylan has been designing and constructing nonstop since
then, and the crude materials in Mercy have left cuts and scrapes on his
hands. 

He
reaches across his chest, rubbing his bicep as though it was sore, or he simply
needs something to do with his hands.  He holds the other hand in the air,
gesturing as he speaks, pointing at nothing in particular.  “Sending you in
there alone.  I don’t like it.”

“I
won’t be alone for long.  Just the first part.” 

“That’s
the hardest part.”  He scratches his head.

“Don’t
you
believe
in me, Dylan?” I tease, laying my hands on his knees.

“That’s not fair.  Of course I do.  It’s just--”

“Then
trust me.”  I rub both of his arms up and down the way he does to me sometimes,
to assure him.

“Just
don’t get caught, okay?”

“You
mean, ‘don’t get killed’?”

“No.” 
He clears his throat.  “Don’t get
caught
.”  Right.  Dylan thinks they
won’t kill me.  If he’s right, maybe it’s a good thing I’m the one going in
first.

“I’ll
be careful.” 

“Let’s
get some rest.”

I
opt against sleeping in Karen’s room tonight.  The energy in this place is
electric, and I can’t help but dwell on the danger ahead.  So I don’t want to
be separated from Dylan tonight. 

Soldiers
are sprawled out all over the common room, but we find a vacant sofa, which I
spread out on.  Dylan lies on the floor beside me.  I roll onto my stomach and
hang my arm over the edge.  When Dylan gets comfortable, he takes my hand and
lays it flat on his chest.  For at least an hour, I visualize the jump while
Dylan caresses my hand.  I run through the instructions he gave me.  We went
over it a dozen times today, and I won’t forget.  He’s right, I just can’t get
caught.

I
focus on the steady rise and fall of Dylan’s chest, and eventually sleep takes
me.

“Are
you worried?”  My father’s voice from across the room.  “No, sir.  It’s
just...”  Dylan’s voice.  I force my eyes open and look down where my hand is
now propped up by a pillow instead of Dylan’s chest.  I stay put.  “Even if
this mission fails, we can’t let her get captured.” 

“Son,
I agree, and I appreciate that you care about her.”

Dylan
clears his throat.  “I’m sorry, I just...”

I
hear a sipping sound, and I assume it’s my father.  “Dylan, I have
this...gift.  It’s called intuition.  It helps me read people.  Do you know
what I mean by that?”

“Not
really.”  Dylan laughs uncomfortably.

“It
means I can sense when someone has information they’re afraid to say.  I can
also tell when they’re lying.”  There’s a silence and I almost look up to see,
but Dad goes on.  “I don’t take you for a liar, Dylan, but if you need to get
something off your chest, now’s the time.  If there’s something I should know
before we launch this mission, I need you to tell me.”

Another
pause.  Dylan’s voice comes out more confidently than I expect.  “Your daughter
is special.  She’s unique, and not just figuratively.  Literally, her DNA is
unique
.” 
This part I know.  “Her brain produces a chemical that Antius has been
harvesting.  To their knowledge, she’s the only person who produces it--it
doesn’t even have a name.  They use it in their population med, and it helps
suppress anxiety and other negative emotions.  It has been the most effective
compound they’ve created.

“I
don’t know if she told you anything about her time in Antius, but she had a
tendency to risk her life and get herself in a lot of trouble.  That hormone is
produced more abundantly when she engages in violence or other activities, like
climbing tall structures and jumping off them.  So you can imagine, when they
put her in training for the military, her levels spiked as she was exposed to
physical activity daily and violence almost as much.”

“What
are you saying?”

“I’m
saying they needed her to behave exactly as she did, even though it defied
their laws.  It means they couldn’t make her a lab rat, like they had wanted
when they brought her in.  Actually, they tried, but her levels were depleted
when she was confined.  Especially when she was unconscious.  So they had no
choice but to aid in her recklessness.  Even though Nathan tried so hard to
harness her rage, he had no choice but let her be who she was.  Who she is.” 

All
these years I thought I was getting away with something.  Was I just a rat in a
maze?  A wave of nausea slams into my stomach, and I swallow acid back down.  I
want to hear the rest.  He didn’t tell me this much.  And I need to know the
truth. 

“But
a scientist named Gerard created another drug that he believed could trick her
mind into continuing production without allowing her any physical activity at
all.”

My
father takes a gruff breath.  “So, if they catch her...”

“They
can make her a vegetable and continue using her DNA to manipulate the
population of Antius.”  My heart races, and I think I might actually vomit. 
“We can’t let that happen.  She can’t be Cori if she can’t be free.”

“How
do you know so much about this?”  That’s what I’d like to know, too.

“I
can’t...”

“I’m
not the kind of man you want to lie to.”

“She’ll
never forgive me if she knows.”  His voice is weak, like he might be crying. 
My heart is beating so fast and so loud, I can barely hear him.

“Just
tell me the truth.  It’s going to eat you up until you do.  It’s already eating
you up, all this time.  Whatever it is.”

“Mr.
Cole, before we left Antius I had been drawing the chemical off her brain for
two years.  I interned in chemistry since I was fifteen, and I volunteered to
perform the harvest.  The other guy was too rough with her, so I asked to do
it.  They were impressed by my initiative, that’s the only reason they let me
do it.  But I swear, I did it to protect her.  I would never hurt her.  As soon
as I found out what Gerard was working on, I transferred to technology to find
a way to help her escape.”

Before
I even realize I’ve gotten up, I’m running toward Dylan, rage fueling every
step.  My father drops a cup of dark brown, steaming liquid on the table, and
it topples to the floor, shattering on impact.  I slam into Dylan, knocking him
to the floor.  When I get my legs across his chest, I wrap my fingers around
his neck and squeeze.  “How could you?  I trusted you with everything.”

He
doesn’t fight me, he just holds his hands in the air, granting me access to
anything I choose to injure, but I’m not really squeezing his throat hard
enough.  As tears spill over my cheeks, I slam the bottom of my fist against
his chest.  “How could you do that without me knowing?  How come I never knew,
Dylan?”

Still
straddling his chest, I reach to my head trying to find a hole, an incision,
anything.  My finger lands on a rough patch, like a giant callous, just inside
my hairline behind my ear.  It’s maybe two inches from where my chip was.  “Is
this where you put the needles, Dylan?”

“I’m
sorry, Cori.  I’m so sorry.”

“No,
you tell me.  Tell me how.”  He doesn’t speak and I slap his cheek, hard. 

Arms
wrap around me and yank me from him, and I flail against the person behind me. 
And it’s not my father, because I see my father helping Dylan to his feet.

“Tell
me!”

“Cori,
we smoked your room in the middle of the night, and did the extractions while
you were unconscious.  I didn’t want you to wake up during a procedure like
that.  It would be excruciating.” 

Smoked
my room to knock me out?  Was anything I ever did my own choice or was I just
their puppet all along? 

“So
you violated me in my sleep?  For what?  Science?  Medicine?  You’re a monster
just like your father.”  I spit at his feet, but miss.  Soldiers all around the
room stare at me through sleepy eyes, no doubt awakened by my screaming.

“That’s
enough, Corinne,” my father shouts as he grabs my arms and drags me down the
hall.  I look over my shoulder about to yell again when I see Dylan in the
hall, kneeling with his head in his hands.

Around
a few corners and down a few halls, my father shuts a door behind us.  His
bedroom.  “You can sleep here.”

The
bed is unmade, I assume because he’d been trying to sleep before coming to the
common area.  I cross my arms and stare at the floor, still fuming.  Is there a
single person who won’t betray me?  Did Vance and Titus?