Treason, page 7
“That’s a moniker she got from the people when she worked aboard Pathfinder. She had a way to reach people on a deep level, and the rumor of her great ability for empathy spread. She was unaware that she was a changer, even if she knew that her sister, Caya, was. As it turned out, she is an empath, but by then, she had gained almost saint status. That was what saved Caya from being thrown out the closest air lock. That and the president and Caya falling in love, of course.”
“They are an amazing couple.” Zoem smiled now, carefully, but still looking so radiant.
“They are. Briar is engaged to Commander Adina Vantressa, the chief engineer on Pathfinder.”
“How do you know them so well?” Zoem asked.
“I was assigned to the president’s detail and am very lucky to be able to work within Tylio’s inner circle. She has a few people she trusts implicitly, and I’m one of them. Sometimes I don’t quite know what I did to earn that honor. I’m just grateful that I did.”
“I can see why. You’re honorable and competent.” Zoem briefly touched Neenja’s arm. “And you’re kind once you lower your guard.”
“I wouldn’t think of ‘kind’ as my middle name, exactly.” Neenja cringed at the epithet.
“Then what would you say it is?”
“Dutiful, perhaps.” Neenja felt cornered and wasn’t sure what to say without sounding like a complete fool.
“Hm. I think that’s correct, obviously, but I could list quite a few more qualities.” Now Zoem looked mischievous, which had to be a first since she came to in the hospital.
“Do share.” Neenja made sure her voice took on a dark, stern tone.
“Loyal, caring, and reliable come to mind.”
Forgetting the stern part, Neenja merely stared at Zoem. “Really.”
“Yes.”
“And you can tell this after such a brief time?” Neenja asked, not sure what to think.
Zoem looked down at her hands that she kept perfectly still on her lap. “Not that short. You have come to my hospital room almost since day one.” She slowly raised her gaze and seemed to hold her breath.
“What? The staff told you this?” Confused, Neenja thought back. She had begun her daily visits from the day Zoem opened her eyes.
“No. They talked a lot, and mostly over my head, but never about that. I sensed you even if I couldn’t communicate.” Now lacing her fingers tightly, Zoem averted her eyes. “I tried to respond to the endless questions, but it took me a while to do so. I’m sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize—” A sharp sound made Neenja snap her head around. A plume of smoke, thick and dark, rose to the sky. She quickly determined it was less than five hundred meters away. “Damn. Get up, Zoem.” We have to get you to the bunker in the palace basement.” She tugged at Zoem’s arm, and when the woman didn’t react quickly enough, she pulled her up from the bench by force. “Come on. We have to run!”
It soon became clear that Zoem was unable to move as fast as she had to. Neenja didn’t hesitate but swept Zoem up in her arms and sped as fast as she could toward the palace. She saw the landscapers heading toward the explosion, and just as she yelled at them to take cover instead, another explosion detonated, this time much closer.
Her arms aching, Neenja reached the side entrance to the palace. She almost slammed into the door when it didn’t open automatically. Cursing, she put Zoem down and shoved her communicator against the dais next to the door. Nothing happened. “What the hell?” Neenja looked around them and saw a safety ladder a few meters away. It was clearly meant to be used in case of a fire in the palace.
“We have to climb up there, Zoem,” Neenja said while dragging Zoem with her to the ladder. When we get to the second floor, I’m going to break a window and get you inside. Think you can climb up ahead of me?”
“You should go first. I’ll slow you down.” Zoem looked wide-eyed at the ladder.
“You’re the potential target here, not me. Here. I’ll lift you up to the first step.” Grabbing Zoem around her waist, Neenja shoved her up toward the metal rods. “Grab one of them!”
Zoem dragged herself up, slowly and with trembling arms. When she managed to climb a few steps, Neenja took a few steps back and then hurried toward the wall. When she had gained some momentum, she jumped and managed to reach the lowest step. Her arms hadn’t recovered quite yet from carrying Zoem, but she managed to get a foot up on the ladder and push on. “Keep going, Zoem. Don’t look down. Just climb.”
“I’m dizzy…” Zoem was clearly shaking all over, and Neenja realized the woman she was responsible for could easily fall off the ladder any moment. Quickly, she scrambled up until she was one step below Zoem. This made them the same height, and she could make sure Zoem didn’t fall.
“I have you. Keep climbing until I tell you to stop.”
A new explosion, this time at the far end of the park on the back where they had just taken a stroll, made Zoem whimper and close her eyes.
“Don’t worry. We’ll be inside and down in the bunker very shortly.” Neenja nudged Zoem to keep going. “There you go. Just a few more steps. You’re doing fine. Five more.” Reaching behind her, Neenja pulled her baton free. When they reached the window on their right, she would shatter the glass with the special spike the baton was outfitted with for this exact purpose. The safety glass in the windows needed the spike to break through it. “That’s it,” Neenja said encouragingly. “Now, turn your face to the left and keep your eyes closed.”
Following her orders, Zoem hid her face in the crook of her arm. Neenja raised her hand and slammed the spike into the lower side of the window. It shattered but stayed lodged in the window frame. She hit it twice more and saw it loosen. “Climb up two more steps. I have to kick it in.”
Zoem did so on trembling legs, and Neenja positioned herself and then slammed the sole of her boot into the cracked window. It fell into the room behind, but whatever noise it made was drowned out by a new explosion that pressed them to the ladder.
Zoem screamed and clung to the metal rods. Neenja, who felt the heat from the explosion against her back, groaned and pushed at Zoem. “They’re closing in! We need to climb inside. Now!”
Chapter Ten
Zoem clung to the metal bars of the ladder, but her fingers were so cold now, she could feel herself slipping. Holding on, she was certain the only reason she hadn’t fallen to the ground was the firm hold of Neenja’s hands on either side of her.
“Reach for the window frame, Zoem. I pushed the entire thing back into the room, so there’s no glass with sharp edges.”
Behind them, Zoem could hear the hissing sound of weapons’ fire. Despite the mounting danger, she still couldn’t bear to let go of the ladder. “I—I can’t,” she said, keeping her eyes shut.
“Yes, you can. If you don’t reach for the window now, we’re both going to die.” Neenja spoke firmly into Zoem’s right ear. “Trust me. I’ve never lied to you. Reach for the window frame, and I’ll get you inside. It won’t be dignified, but I won’t let you fall. Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” Zoem said, hating how her voice was little more than a whimper. “I’m sorry.”
“Never mind that. Come on now. Right hand first. Then the left.”
Zoem pried her fingers from the metal rod and reached for the window. It was farther away than she realized. She would have to let go with both hands in order to reach it. “Don’t…don’t let me fall.”
“I won’t. I promise.” Neenja held her around the waist with one hand and the ladder with the other. How strong this woman was. After all, she’d carried her while running just a few moments ago.
Grabbing what little courage Zoem felt she had, she extended her left arm and leaned farther away from the ladder. Fumbling for the ledge, she gripped it, barely feeling it with her freezing-cold hands.
“Got a good grip?” Neenja asked, shouting over the increasingly louder weapons’ fire.
“I think so.” To be honest, Zoem wasn’t sure how well she was holding the window frame. She used the horrible idea that Neenja might get shot because of her to propel herself forward. Neenja pushed from behind, and Zoem felt as if she practically flew through the open window and landed among what was left of the glass. A moment later, Neenja vaulted through the empty frame and landed in a crouch next to her.
“Are you all right? Any cuts from the glass?” Neenja took Zoem’s hands in hers and turned them over.
“No. The glass isn’t sharp.” It had turned into soft balls when broken.
“Good. Now we’ve got to get down to the bunker. I have a pass in my communicator, which means we’ll get instant access.” Unceremoniously, Neenja pulled Zoem to her feet and began to run with her down the corridor. “We can’t use the elevator. Can you make it down the stairs?”
All these questions about her strength that Zoem simply couldn’t answer. She wanted to say yes, but the risk was great that she might run out of energy halfway down. “I’ll try,” she said, not wanting to confess she didn’t know. She did her best to keep up with Neenja but realized after rushing down one part of the staircase that she would fall if she remained on her feet. “Wait, Neenja, please.” Zoem gasped for air so fast, her head was beginning to spin. “I can’t. Go on down there, to safety. I’ll make my way down at my own pace, and you can perhaps let me in then—”
“No. You’re not staying behind. This will be undignified, but I don’t care. You’re coming with me.” Neenja bent and placed her shoulders along Zoem’s abdomen, then linked Zoem’s right arm and leg together with one hand. With this steady, if uncomfortable, grip, Neenja hurried down the stairs. Somewhere behind them, Zoem heard a louder noise that made her tremble.
Going down the stairs at breakneck speed, Neenja took only half a minute to reach the bunker level. She slapped her communicator onto the dais, and a thick metal door opened enough for her to slip through without hitting Zoem’s head in the process. Inside, upset voices quieted for a moment, and then Zoem heard the president’s distinct voice say, “Thank the Creator.”
Neenja lowered Zoem carefully onto a couch. She bent over her, still breathing rapidly, though not gasping, from the run. “Zoem? Are you all right?”
“Let me look at her,” Briar said and came into view.
“Neenja?” Zoem reached out and grabbed the hem of Neenja’s sleeve.
“I’ll be right here. Just let me get out of Briar’s way.” Neenja shifted and walked over to the armrest. Looking down at Zoem from an upside-down angle, she pushed some tousled hair from Zoem’s face.
Briar examined Zoem quickly and then smiled with obvious relief. “Everything I can examine checks out fine, Zoem. You may have banged your right cheekbone some, but other than that, you just need to rest.”
“Thank you,” Zoem murmured.
“Damn. She got that bruise when I tossed her in through a window.” Neenja rubbed the back of her head.
“Tossed her through a window?” Briar gasped. “Why?”
“Either someone has tampered with the north side entrance or it hasn’t been fully calibrated. We couldn’t get in, and all I could do was shove the poor woman up a fire escape and kick in a window.”
“Aren’t we so very grateful for your hands-on approach?” The president joined them. “Commander, I’m going to write this up in your next evaluation.”
Zoem watched the skin on Neenja’s cheekbones turn slightly pink. “Thank you, Madam President. I only did my duty.”
At Neenja’s words, a sharp sensation nicked something within Zoem. Trying to understand it, she guessed that Neenja meant she didn’t need any special accolades for doing her job, but Zoem still had to emotionally withdraw some to not show her, well, her disappointment. She closed her eyes and felt someone spread a blanket over her.
“Just rest, Zoem. We’ll wake you when the authorities tell us that we’re safe to leave the bunker,” Briar said softly. “This is a bit too much for you after having only recently begun to move around.”
“Yes. This was meant to be a nice stroll in the park. Clearly a big mistake.” Neenja spoke curtly, causing Zoem to withdraw further. Eventually, she had pulled away from every sound so much, she couldn’t distinguish between the voices around her. Relieved that they were now a homogenous murmur, she allowed sleep to claim her.
***
She hid. If she told herself enough times that hiding in the corner, behind the bed would work, it wouldn’t find her. What she had thought was a man wasn’t one. It came by her room sometimes, and she hated it. The glowing amber eyes, so cold despite their golden hue, didn’t belong to a humanoid being. Instead, Zoem knew it was there to devour her, one way or another.
When she was half behind and half underneath the bed, she could pretend she was in her old room, with her parents and younger siblings in the room next to her. The day her family could afford to rent a bigger dwelling in an old farmhouse had been so thrilling. Zoem had her own room, where she could keep her belongings far away from Zina, her younger sister. She put up pictures on the walls and made curtains from old ones her mother gave her. Yes, her bedspread was an old hospital blanket that had come home with her mother by mistake when she had given birth to Zina. That was when their father had still been healthy. The day he was injured at the factory had changed their circumstances forever. Mother had to hold down two jobs to provide for all of them, and then they had to move from their old sector when malevolent changers congregated there in increasingly greater numbers.
Now, while shivering on the stone floor, under her bed that boasted a threadbare mattress and an even worse blanket, Zoem prayed that her family was all right. She also hoped nobody had taken Zina or Etran from her parents like they had with her. Hopefully Mama and Papa could find the strength to go on after Zoem was ripped away from them, but if they lost the little ones, the changers’ promise of no harm coming to Zoem’s family would be for nothing. How long had it been since they ripped her from her mother’s arms? How old was she now? Twelve, maybe? She had no way of knowing as one day melded with the next.
Now she heard the far-too-familiar steps in the corridor outside the damp, cold room. It was coming, and its questions would begin anew—questions she didn’t understand and had no answers for. Zoem knew only too well how it would drill its awful gaze into hers, make her dizzy and nauseous, and afterward some woman would come and draw her blood. The procedure would hurt. She had pleaded with them so many times, telling them how she hated needles, but they never listened. It was nothing like when her mother had taken her to their local clinic when she was ill. There they used infusers, not needles. Here, they still stuck her, they still took her blood in big test tubes, and the horrific creature kept saying she would soon be ready.
Zoem shuddered under the bed, already fearing the bony hands that would yank it aside and mercilessly pull her out. She wished she knew what its enigmatic words meant.
Ready for what?
Chapter Eleven
After Thea returned to her seat at the far end of the room where she was able to keep in touch with her cabinet, the military, and the different agencies, Caya walked over to Neenja, who kept watch over the still form on the couch. Stopping next to them, she nodded at the presidential guardsman who was bringing her a chair. “Thank you.” Taking a seat, she scanned the pale woman before her. “Commander? Are you all right?”
“I am fine, thank you, Caya.” If possible, Neenja straightened even further. “I just…worry.”
“Am I wrong in assuming that you’ve become attached to Zoem?” Tilting her head, Caya studied the all-too-strict commander.
“She’s my sole mission right now, sir. It’s my duty to keep her safe and—”
“I promise I haven’t read you. You know I wouldn’t do that without your permission, right?” Caya smiled gently. “But it’s pretty obvious that you do care. Duty or not.” Caya grimaced. “I don’t mean to corner you, not at all, but I feel I must be here for you—and for her. As usual, it’s a hunch on my part, but you know me well enough by now to realize my hunches are pretty accurate.”
“Yes. I suppose so.” Neenja shifted her gaze to Zoem. “She’s still in so much trouble, isn’t she? I mean, not only have the authorities been kept at bay because she has the president’s and highly ranked officers’ protection, but it’s rather obvious the Nestrocalder wants her back. I’m not sure why, though. Does it want to resume the cloning effort, or what?”
“I’ve tried so many fruitless sessions together with Briar by now. The one recently was the clearest one, but earlier, at the hospital, everything was very foggy,” Caya said. “I can sometimes get a hunch of what Zoem went through, but it’s impossible to give any conclusive answers. What we both know, beyond a doubt, is that we must keep Zoem away from him, though I can’t tell you exactly why. I mean, I would if I knew, but so much is hazy, and it drives my sister and me mad.”
“Just remember that if you can’t figure things out, no one else can either.”
“And that notion adds to the pressure. It’s all I can handle right now, to keep track of Zoem. I haven’t been able to explore more avenues with the orb lately. Perhaps that’s what’s missing? I need to recharge my batteries.”
“You really should. If you don’t take care of yourself…You and Briar are our best secret weapon, in a manner of speaking.” Neenja looked behind Caya. “Here are Admiral Heigel and Meija.”
Looking over her shoulder, Caya saw the older couple approach. What was up with Korrian? Ever since they’d found Zoem, the admiral had been harsher and more sarcastic than Caya had ever experienced. On several occasions she had spotted Meija give her wife concerned glances.
“Any news from outside?” Caya asked, knowing they would rather communicate with her than Neenja, no matter Neenja’s security clearance.
“Reports of scattered disturbances, but no fatalities. The hospital is reporting minor injuries, which is a relief.” Meija sat down on the armrest of the couch, carefully stroking Zoem’s hair. “This poor child. I thought I would visit with her today, but I had no idea it would be during these circumstances.”
