Escape from Harrizel (49 page)

Instinctively I glance down, in furious awe
of how close I’ve been to my past this whole time. My
heart
starts drumming when I think of how far I’ve had
to journey to find the clues to lead me right back here.

“Clarence told Reuzkimpart of its
whereabouts of course, when he returned from wherever he’d gone.
Clarence
didn’t
tell him about any of the other passages or
tunnels, just enough to keep Reuzkimpart happy—a secret.”

Vix returns, ushering the other five into
the evibola behind her. As they follow, Able, Jace and Harrison
head upstairs and in a minute or so, return with ten more people
for the next round. They stand huddled together, talking anxiously,
excitedly. I find myself smiling at their excitement, thinking
about my own past and what it might have in store.

“You should really get your memories
first
,” Sampson says, as if adding to the conversation in my
head, “after all you’ve done. You’ve earned it.”

“What have I done?”

“You found the Lost. You rallied the others
and helped plan our liberation.”

“We
all
did that.”

“You have a greater hand in this than you
realize. You really should be getting your memories first,” he
gestures to the three boys surrounding the line, “you and the
Rogues.”

“As long as I get them, I don’t care.” A
moment goes by. “Sampson?”

“Hmm?”

I want to ask him. For some reason I don’t
fully understand, I have to know what happened all those years ago.
His face saddens as if somehow anticipating the question. This
stops me for a second but I press on, driven by the need to
know.

“When you…”

“Sampson?” Vix calls, stepping off the
evibola and motioning him toward her. “I need you a moment.”

“Excuse me, Fallon,” he excuses himself
before heading over and after a second, disappears into the evibola
with her.

Maybe it’s best I don’t know. Not right now.
Maybe it’s best to focus on my own memories, my own past—something
I’ll get before the night is over.

The next couple of hours pass the same way.
Able, Jace and Harrison alternate with Kelly and Chief with heading
upstairs every few minutes to secure ten more people. Five head
down with Vix to the hidden cellar below while the second half wait
in the auditorium until they’re called. The Rogues remain upstairs
in the Courtyard, keeping a hold on the massive crowd, which I’ve
been told, grows more and more anxious as the time dwindles by. I
haven’t been up since earlier but Able keeps me updated every half
hour.

Reid’s been all over the place—down in the
cellar with Clarence, up in the Courtyard for additional security
and for a short time, up to the labs with Sampson to check on the
Vermix. He’s finally back in the Auditorium and by the looks of it,
exhausted. His face drained, he heads to the West Wall where I’ve
been leaning for the last twenty minutes.

“How’s everything look?”

He rolls his eyes. “You’d
think
they’d be grateful. All they want to know is when it’ll be
their
turn,” he runs his hands down his face, leaving red
streaks as he leans against the wall. Rolling his head toward mine,
he offers a lethargic but sincere smile. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I grin, heat blooming at his close
proximity, “doing alright?”

He nods. “You?”

I shrug, “…Just ready.”

“Yeah,” he laughs, “me too. It should be
soon.”

“How many more?”

“Fifteen or so.”

“Not bad.”

“It can’t go by quick enough…” he exhales,
running his fingers down his face again. “It been quiet down
here?”

“About the same. You look like you’re about
to fall down dead.”

“Feel like it.”

“Have you seen anyone since…?”

He shakes his head. “They go back to their
rooms. Want to be alone, I guess.” He rolls his head closer so that
his forehead touches mine. “You’ll come to my room after?”

“Of course.”

He smiles, rolling his head back into place
and staring ahead.

Able, Jace and Harrison bring another ten
down just in time for Vix to step off the evibola. She motions them
forward but Able stops the sixth person.

“You’ll be next. Five at a time.”

A few grunts from the second half and Reid
clears his throat. “See what I mean?”

“How long have they been here?”

“Them?” he narrows his eyes,
“
specifically
? Uh…” he’s quickly calculating. “Around a year
for the first three. Last two a little longer.”

“So they’re probably a little impatient by
now.”

“Yeah,” he laughs, rubbing his nose, “well
so am I.”

A thought settles on me. Turning, I look
deep into Reid’s eyes. “How long have
you
been here?”

“Awhile.”

“How long?” I press.

A hard sigh and then, “Three and a half
years. Almost four.”

In the back of my mind, I figured as much.
He had to have time to be here, join the Kings,
leave
the
Kings, start the Rogues and then leave them. And somewhere, in the
middle of all that, become an Arizal solider. It’d be shocking if
he said anything less.

“So you must be dying to know.”

“I was at first… kept thinking about all I
was missing, all I couldn’t remember. After a while,” he shrugs
again, “drove myself crazy and stopped.”

“You let it go?”

“Not go,” he shakes his head at the
correction, “put it on pause. Wasn’t doing any good trying to keep
a life I no longer belonged to,” he rolls his head, touching his
forehead to mine again, “besides, I’m here now.”

My stomach flutters, heating me to near
melt-down. And the way he’s looking at me… how am I still standing?
My heart is a weight in my chest, my pulse thumping in pleasurable
panic. How am I still breathing under that look? Those eyes…

Please let this last forever.

“Alright, next five,” Tucker motions the lot
to Vix as she appears on the open evibola. They follow while Able
ascends the stairs to get the next ten.

The next fifteen come and go, Reid and I
leaning against the wall, watching, waiting. Finally, when the last
from the Courtyard have gone, including all Scouts and Pratt, the
Rogues start. It takes another twenty minutes before the Rogue
Commanders go and then Vix comes for us.

“You two ready?”

Reid looks to me, his gaze piercing.
Slipping his hand in mine, he turns to Vix. “Yep.”

Crossing the room, my heart pounds. Reid
tightens his grip on me, our fingers threaded together as we walk
through the archway and into the darkness behind Vix, just as we’ve
watched everyone else do. The floor hums but fades away again, Vix
already walking back out.

We’re here.

She steps out off the evibola and we follow
into a dimly lit space. Five babeebs light the whole room which is
the same size of the Auditorium above. Clarence waits ahead, under
the golden spheres, standing before a giant wall filled with tiny
silver vials.

“You first,” I turn to Reid.

He starts to protest but I nod, motioning
him toward Clarence. Sampson rests a hand on his shoulder, leading
him over. “Alright, Reid. You first.”

Resisting for a moment, Reid makes his way
toward Clarence who holds out his open palm. “Your finger?”

He presents his pointer as Clarence swipes a
small, triangular device over the pad. The device, a whitish square
object, floats over Reid’s finger as it begins to spin around,
faster and faster. After a few seconds, it begins to change colors,
turning to a deep forest green, finally stilling in mid air.
Suddenly, a silver vial on the wall illuminates to the same forest
green. Clarence walks over, retrieving the vial from the wall and
returns, handing it to Reid. Swiping the suspended green device in
his other hand, Clarence points to the vial Reid is holding.

“Go up to your bunker, take a deep breath
and drink that. It’ll come at you all at once so be prepared.”

Reid nods, pinching the vial between his
pointer and thumb, examining it. He glances back to me and offers a
grin, the vial disappearing in his hand which falls to his side in
a tightened fist. He moves for the evibola, pausing at my side and,
without looking at me, whispers in my ear. “After?”

I nod, watching him pass with Vix, waiting
until footsteps are no longer audible. Once they’re not, I look to
Clarence.

There he is.

Up close.

The first person from this new life, the one
who took me here, who started
all
of this. He’s grinning at
me, a secret curving up his lips. Maybe it’s pride. That I made it
this far, that I stayed alive in a world of decreasing odds. For a
reason I don’t understand, I feel we owe each other some important
greeting.

“I was wondering when I’d see you,” he
breaks the ice, the corner of his mouth pinching high into his
cheek.

“Me too.”

“And here we are…” he holds the strong eye
contact before glancing over my shoulder at Sampson behind me. “I
see you made some friends.”

“Had to.”

“Well, survival’s a game—no? You do what you
must.”

“Game?” I wince ready to tell him how unlike
a game this whole experience has been.

“Of course,” and now he starts to pace,
“everything we do, every choice we make propels us further into the
final outcome, of determining who shall come out on top and who…
should have never played at all. Aligning yourself with Sampson and
the Rogues was the smartest thing you could’ve done,” he smiles the
same mischievous smirk again, “and you did. I
am
sorry I
couldn’t tell you more… warn you—they would’ve known. But you made
it here, this far. And finally,” he grows serious again, “it’s your
turn.”

I glance at the wall of vials behind him.
Giant pockets of them are missing but many still remain. The
memories of those already gone. Hinson. Raj. I gulp, reminding
myself I’m lucky to have made it here. “Last but not least, I
hope.”

“Certainly not least,” Clarence shakes his
head, stepping toward me. “You figured it out.”

“Didn’t figure anything out. Just
found
out.”

“Yes but you and no one else. That says
something,” he waits a moment, trepidation in his voice. “Fallon…”
he takes another step closer. “I’m not sure exactly how to say
this…”

But I already know what he’s going to say.
It’s me. I’m the five percent, or one of them, at least. Clarence
is going to tell me I can’t return, that the most he can give me
are my memories but I’ll have to stay in this life. For me, there’s
no going back.

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Had a feeling.”

“Fallon,” Clarence clears his voice,
“you’re…
special
. I’m happy I came upon you when I did. If
not, we wouldn’t know what the Vermix are doing. In a way… it’s a
good thing you were brought here.”

I want to cringe. Everything in that last
statement is wrong but some truth rings from it. If I hadn’t been
brought here, I would have died. I wouldn’t have helped here and
met the people I did. If he didn’t save me, I would’ve been wasted
a while ago, serving no purpose.

But can I take all the credit? I had help.
Loads
of it. “I’m sure someone else would’ve discovered what
was happening.”

“But they hadn’t. Not until you. They should
owe it all to
you
,” he takes another step closer, offering
his open palm invitingly. I walk toward him, extending my pointer
finger as he takes it gently, placing the whitish square device
above it. “And now my dear, your turn.”

The object begins to spin above my finger,
faster and faster until it turns a deep, enchanting turquoise.
Suddenly, a vial lights up to the same hue, glowing on the wall
behind Clarence. He turns and selects it, bringing it back around
to offer me. In this tiny little vial of blue and green, my
memories are contained. My life. My identity. All I have to do is
drink it and I’ll remember.

“Try not to focus on the moment leading up
to your awakening,” Clarence advises, handing me the vial. “It’ll
be tough, since it’ll be freshest but do your best. You already
know you can’t return.”

I squeeze the vial in my fingers, watching
the bluish-green liquid drip like syrup as I flip it over. My life.
Everything leading up to Clarence in that house. My house?

“Take it upstairs and give yourself time,”
he nods me on. “You’ll be alright.”

I want to say something but I’m too
enraptured with the tiny bottle of liquid in my hands. Of what it
means and what will happen when I drink it in a few minutes. “Thank
you,” is all I manage to get out before turning and heading for the
evibola.

“Fallon,” Sampson calls before I reach it.
“Give yourself time. Give
others
time as well. You never
know what history they’ve discovered.”

His words hold a heavy truth but I don’t
care to listen for it now. The only thing that matters is getting
upstairs, drinking this and turning the lights back on. Nodding
without a return glance, Vix escorts me to the evibola and I head
up to my bunker. As I pass the doors to get to mine, loud sobs
break into the hallway, some heavy, some light, while others remain
eerily quiet.

I get to my bunker quickly and close the
door. Sitting on the bed, I grasp the tiny vial in my fingers,
watching as the liquid drops from one end to the other. I lift it
to my mouth.

This is it.

Shutting my eyes, I pour the entire vial’s
contents into my mouth, swallowing quickly. It doesn’t have much of
a taste. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it liquid but rather, a
smoke or gas that expands in me once passing my lips. It balloons
up inside and I can feel it coursing through my veins, reattaching
itself like a twin to its pair. And then, they hit me all at
once.

Snapshots.