Escape from Harrizel (31 page)

“And the Kings?”

“Already approached a few.”

“Eager sons of bitches,” Able mumbles.

“Sounds like they’re scared,” Jace laughs.
“I’d be too.”

“Scared… but productive,” Reid tugs his
chin, “they’ll double their numbers overnight if we let them and I
don’t believe in head starts. We’ll need more help. There are two
more shipments tomorrow and I want all eyes watching.”

Tucker nods.

“Jace,” Reid turns to him, “have Moss and
Cramp increase Clientele on all new Arrivals—double it if you have
to. I want to know who they’re talking to, what they believe, what
they’ve heard, anything that might determine their future as Rogue
or King. We need to know this quick,” he snaps, “but I want
knowledgeable, not rash decisions. Able,” he spins to him, “get me
an estimation—
accurate,
” he stresses, “of extra tokens
needed. Have it to me by tomorrow.”

“You got it, Boss.”

Reid turns to me, his hand out. “Ready?”

I take it, allowing him to pull me behind
him and into the buzzing corridor, Able, Tucker and Jace on my
tail. We fly down the stairs and into the Auditorium, gliding
easily through the larger than normal herd. Once Leisure Time is
announced, Reid leads us into the West Wall’s entrance and through
the Maze. We reach the final passage and find it teeming with
Rogues. Most are quietly chatting while Rooney and Drenz laugh
somewhere in the middle. But once spotting Reid, the Rogues
instantly straighten, clearing a path for him—for us— watching
silently as we pass through.

At the very front, Sampson, Vix, Clark and
Pratt wait against the wall. With Reid’s nod, Sampson opens the
door, Vix leaving first, then Clark and Pratt, then the rest of us.
I climb through, Reid behind me but he pulls me back, kissing my
palm again. “Hey, I’ll catch up with you.”

He disappears into the streaming line of
Rogues behind us before I realize he’s left. Babeebs scatter
overhead, lighting every few Clansmen but not him. He’s gone, lost
to the shadows and there’s no point looking. But my hand is cold,
my body, uncomfortable without the presence of his. My stomach
lurches at the realization it’ll be a while before I can feel him
again.

Even if it is just his hand.

We make it to Camp, all filing in and
finding ourselves in the same positions as last time. Reid hangs
back with Tucker and Sampson, exchanging quick words while Pratt
and Able take either side of me.

Reid nods once more to Sampson before
resuming the center of the circle created for him, “Evening
Rogues…”

“Rox!” they holler in unison.

“Lots to go over,” he rubs his hands
together, pacing in the circle. “Lots to discuss but before we get
to all that, there’s someone you need to meet—a friend of mine.
Most of you have seen me around with him and an introduction is
long overdue. His name is Sampson,” Reid glances to him, returning
his focus on his attentive Clansmen, “and I need you all to listen
to him. We’re telling you this because things are about to get a
lot worse. And it’s time you knew,” he nods to himself, to his
Clansmen. “It’s time you
know
.”

Reid steps back, exchanging places with
Sampson. With three babeebs overhead, his silver hair glows golden,
a widened circle of light casting around him. He stands
effortlessly strong, commanding attention of the room as easily as
Reid.

“I’ve known Rox for awhile now, and consider
myself lucky to call him a friend. If he’s shaped you to his own, I
assume you to be men of honor. With that said, I trust I’ll be
allowed to say my piece
fully,
without questions and without
judgments, without vocalizing what I’m sure will be disagreeable
opinions, until I am finished speaking. Your respect means a great
deal and as no one has objected thus far, I assume my request is
granted…” Sampson takes a heavy breath as he glances from curious
face to face.

He closes his eyes, finding the necessary
words, which seem to fill him like toxic gas. But his anecdote, his
window
, is not here tonight. There’s no escape for him, no
Harrizel sky to wash away the black truth of his words. We’re
trapped. Just as trapped as we are in our closet-sized bunkers but
when he speaks, his apology for this rings through his tone.

“It started, you see,” his morose eyes open,
gazing upon us, “back a long time ago…”

“A Dofinike?”

The question hangs, the room stunned silent
from Sampson’s confession. I think it’s Harrison who asked, or
maybe Able.

“You know Jothkore then?” Chief asks, his
tone purely curious.

“Yes,” Sampson nods. “I told him the Rogues
were in need of assistance. He started bringing you the food on my
request.”

The Clansmen look around at each other. They
must have wondered where their source came from. The Kings were
supplied by Tetlak so they knew some Dofinikes had no problem
dealing with the humans, but they were never sure what sent
Jothkore in their direction or why he was so interested in
helping.

“Well…” Tucker exhales with confusion, “if
you’re a Dofinike, why don’t you just leave? Escape?”

A throbbing pain strikes Sampson and it
takes all he has not to let it gush out.

How he aches for her...

“Technically, I’m able to leave any time I
want to. But there are things…
terrible
things, beyond my
control, that might happen were I to flee. And I cannot allow
that…” he shakes his head, glancing around the room of Rogues
again. “Besides, how could I abandon you all here? I didn’t desert
you the first time. I won’t desert you now. I understand this is a
lot to take in. Normally, out of courtesy, I’d offer a few days to
acclimate yourselves with the idea before proceeding with further
discussion of the topic. However,” and now his voice turns somber,
unsure, “I’m afraid time is no longer a boundless commodity.”

“This surplus of survivors,” Reid joins
Sampson in the middle again, “is just more names for the lists and
Snatchings. That’s all. There’s no Rebuilding being done—we all
know that—so with this influx of Arrivals, they’ll be calling lists
daily. Especially if Clarence is to double his quota.”

“What are our options?” Kelly asks.

“Revolt,” I say.

All eyes fly to me, surprise and confusion
reflecting in their gaping stares. Tucker, Reid and Sampson
exchange looks, the word echoing through the hollowed trunk.

“Did you say
revolt
?” Clark laughs
with a mocking sneer.

“Yes,” Sampson answers, “an immediate
counterstrike—if there’s any hope of survival, one will need to
occur.”

“But how?” Tucker poses, “and with what
forces?”

“Our own,” I look between him and Reid. “How
many do we have?”

“What?” Tucker asks.

“Ball park. How many men—Rogues, Scouts,
Clients—can fight? How many do we have?”

Shrugging, Tucker tilts his head to one
side. “Seventy-five maybe. A buck.”

I turn to Sampson, “Not a bad number.”

“It’s possible if the others were to
follow,” he agrees.

“Then they’d need to know the truth too.
Everyone…”

“Are you saying,” Tucker starts, glancing to
Reid for confirmation, “that you’re planning on telling
everyone
what you’ve just told us?”

“At some point, yes. They need to know.”

“They’ll think we’re all crazy.”

“Then when we tell them, we better have
proof… or something we can at least offer instead,” I look at
Sampson. “If we can locate them, they’d be proof of the Dofinike’s
lies.”

“Locate what?” Able asks.

Is it up to Sampson to tell them or has he
already revealed too much tonight? Sneaking a peek in his
direction, he nods me on. He wants
me
to say it. To reveal
it. Those two words that both excite and enrage me, knowing they’re
somewhere so close.

“Our memories.”

It’s like before, when Sampson stopped
speaking and a heavy silence filled the room with disbelief. Except
this time, it’s the opposite. It’s hope. It’s possibility. Tucker
is the first to speak.

“They’re here?” he’s talking to me directly.
“On Harrizel?”

“On this very base,” Sampson adds, “probably
in a storage container on the highest floor of the Castle. Kept
without guard or lock.”

“So, ripe for the taking?” I ask.

“Exactly.”

“But still,” Tucker insists, “you’re talking
about going against all those Dofinikes.”

“How many Dofinikes do you think there are?”
Sampson poses.

“I don’t know, what’d Jeb say?” Tucker looks
around the others for their thoughts, “A good amount.”

“Jeb told me a few hundred,” I offer.

Sampson shakes his head, “No, these are also
lies. There are a few Dofinikes, yes, that keep to the top floor.
Scientists, and only a handful I might add. Then there are the
guards. In total,
not
including Jothkore, Vix or myself,
we’re looking at maybe thirty or so. On
all
of
Harrizel.”

“Against how many humans?”

Sampson shrugs, “About four hundred.”

“And counting,” Pratt adds.

We all sit through another long minute of
silence, regurgitating the last few statements. Gnawing away at his
thumbnail, Reid speaks first between grinded teeth. “It’s
doable.”

“Well… yeah…” Tucker agrees, somewhat unsure
at first, “
if
we can get to the proof.”

“Then that’s it,” I conclude. “We get the
memories. If we have those, then they’ll know. If they know,
they’ll want to fight back. And there you go,” I wave my hand
toward Tucker, as if offering him something invisible, “there’s
your army.”

Tucker’s eyes shift between Reid and
Sampson. Finally, he returns his attention to me. “Okay, but how do
we
get
the memories back?”

I glance to Sampson. “You said there’s no
guard or lock.”

“I’m not positive, but most likely not,” he
shakes his head. “It’ll still have to be at the right time.”

“When do you think that’ll be?”

“When Beshib’s not here, when he leaves for
another meeting. That’s when we need to strike. Not just with
regaining your memories. But with the first wave of the revolt. It
will have to be a window of a few days.”

“What about the Kings?” Chief asks.

“Still working that part out,” Reid exhales.
“But if we have any hope of taking over the base, they’ll have to
be removed.”

“Overdue…” someone mumbles from the
back.

“So that’s to be determined?” Tucker
asks.

Reid nods. “We need to get everyone on board
for the revolt first. This is something that needs to be done and
needs to be done soon.” He turns to Sampson, “Do we know when
Beshib will be away again for any significant amount of time?”

“Not now. I’m to be notified when he
does.”

“But what are we supposed to do?” Clark
laughs. “Fight them with our bare hands? Even if we
do
outnumber them, the Dofinikes are stronger than we are,” he turns
to Sampson, “you could kill us quite easily. You have more odds
than you give yourself credit for.”

“Depends on how many fight,” someone from
the back throws out.

“Who? Dofinikes or humans?” someone else
asks.

“Both!” a third voice answers.

“All right, all right,” Reid lowers his
hands, signaling for quiet. Gnawing his thumb, he paces, an idea
forming. Shrugging to himself in an internal debate, he finally
looks to Sampson as if already having discussed it. “We need to be
armed, don’t we?”

“Yes,” Sampson sighs, “I think they’re a
necessary evil in this case.”

“Weapons?” Able perks up, a smile creeping
across his face. “Am I hearing this right?”

“Really?” a few voices echo over each
other.

“What kind?” someone throws out.

“And they’re on Harrizel?” Tucker asks,
“Like our memories?”

Sampson nods, weary to give away too much
information too quickly. “Again, it’s just a matter of the
right
time.”

“So… is that it then?” I look at Reid,
asking him directly as though we were alone. “Is this a go?”

A fire lights behind his eyes, excitement
playing across his lips. With his sights set on me, he lifts his
arm straight up, commanding in a fierce roar. “Rogues!”

“
Rogues
!” they shout in unison,
banging their right hand on their left shoulder, lifting it high,
like Reid. He walks around, breaking focus with me to meet the
loyalty of his Clan, each member eager to hold his eye. They hold
their arms up, outstretched for him, for his command. Even Tucker
stands at attention, waiting as Reid circles.

“When the time is right, we’ll take back the
Castle,” Reid paces. “There’s a lot to still be figured out but
we’re doing this while we can, before it’s too late.”

“We still must deal with the Kings,” Chief
reminds him, taking a step forward as his feathered earrings sway,
“they are growing stronger, like us. They have their source,” he
gestures to Sampson, “like we have ours. If we don’t deal with
them, we might not be able to take the Castle back at all.”

“What do you think?” Reid turns to Sampson
who is already contemplating this, “It’d have to be before the
first wave. Before we tell the others the truth. We can’t fight two
wars at once.”

“I agree,” he scratches his chin, “let’s
think on it—shall we?”

Reid nods, glancing around the crowded room,
“Like I said, several things to be figured out still. Now,” and he
sighs, running his fingers through his hair, “let’s get down to
some Rogue business. Recruits, Scouts, any issues will be addressed
now.”

“Might I excuse myself?” Sampson interjects,
all focus in the room falling on him. “It’s such a lovely night… I
thought I might enjoy a quick walk in the fresh air?”

“That sounds nice,” I turn to Reid, “mind if
I head out too?”