Wasteland (Flight) (10 page)

“That’s the new tech?”

We all met in the main VR hub early in the morning. The tech—Sandy Atwood—is at least ten years younger than the head team. Thin glasses perch over his nose, and his hair is close-shaven. He doesn’t look like he belongs in Central—no tattoos, no piercings, just a perfectly normal guy.

“Maybe he’s a genius. I’ve heard his mods are intense,” Essa whispers.

“He invented that scent serum on his own, so he’s got to be something special,” David remarks, admiration in his voice.

“Let’s get this over with,” Rassler mutters. We enter the room together, and even though we’re probably the most intimidating group ever, the tech doesn’t bat an eyelash.

“Good morning,” he chimes. His gaze doesn’t waver from his numerous Vid screens as he types furiously. The nice thing about being at the top is that there’s no need for introductions. We all know who each other are. Sandy scribbles his last bits of code and slides his chair over to us.

“You’ll have to forgive me, but I just got in from Ichton and had to catch up on some work. We may as well get started. Any questions before we get you in?”

“What’s the end goal?” David asks. Sandy shoots us a tiny smile that looks like he’s hiding something clever beneath it.

“Stay alive for ten minutes.”

Rassler laughs under his breath. “Shouldn’t be too difficult.” I’m not so sure.

We suit up, attaching electrodes to our skin and temples, and then pull big VR helmets over our heads. Time to see what we’re made of.

The darkness from the helmet slowly brightens. The sun is out, a rusty orange, and we stand in a vibrant city square. Before us is a massive palace built by fusing skyscrapers, and the people around us are brightly colored, with braided hair, beads, and loose garments. And wings.

We’re smack dab in the middle of the Harpy City, at least, what I think is. I’ve obviously never been. It doesn’t take long for a Harpy with elaborately braided hair to notice us. She hisses, her eyes burning bright red as her talons protrude from her hands. The other Harpies react immediately, forcing us into a circle, our backs against each other’s.

“This isn’t good,” Rassler growls. In front of me is a sea of crimson eyes, with waves of wings—gray and tawny and sorrel. Everything about it feels so real. My heart rate spikes with the bristling of feathers.

All at once the Harpies attack ferociously and unrelenting. I fend off a petite female with snowy wings. She’s small, but strong, and her sharp teeth glimmer in the sunlight. She leaps forward and latches herself on to me, her talon digging into my skin.

I grab one of her wings and rip her off me, throwing her into the chest of another Harpy. I swing my head around just as David tackles a burly male about to snap my neck. But I still have Snowy to deal with. Before she can recuperate, I snatch one of my daggers and plunge it into her chest, whirling around to fend off another while she crackles to death.

The chaos in front of me is unbelievable. Essa has already disappeared, and my heart aches. Even though it’s virtual reality, one of my teammates died. I stab the neck of a massive female creeping up on David. He’s still grappling the tank while others try to latch on. Rassler has created a sniping den, but they keep coming.

Six Minutes Remaining
sounds a voice coming from the sky. We’ve only been in here for four minutes, and already one of us has died, and the rest aren’t far off.

I start throwing daggers at the Harpies in the grapple while trying to ward off the rest with sharp kicks. Soon, David and the tank are all that’s left, both of them covered in the ashen remains of the dead.

“Piper!” Rassler shouts, just as a male drops in on me from the sky. I struggle to break free of him, but he’s strong, and his talons are lodged deep in my skin. He grins in my face, saliva running from his crazed mouth.

Thump
. My heart pounds. He looks just like the father Harpy from outside the village.
Focus!
I worm my head beneath his armpit, flipping him in the process. He bounces back, trying to latch on to my seeping wounds.

Three Minutes Remaining
.

I manage to slam him in the throat just hard enough to knock him backward, giving me the split second I need to lodge a throwing dagger into his throat. David finally kills the tank, and then everything stops. The feral Harpies retreat, and the heavy silence is deafening.

“What’s happening?” No one hears me. David rushes to my side while Rassler keeps watch. My brother is sliced head to toe with claw marks.

Suddenly, the retreating Harpies fall to their knees, heads down. I turn to face the palace, and shudder at the sight of the Harpy walking toward us.

He’s tall and broad, with perfect white wings. His hair is long and silver, and his skin is nearly translucent in its paleness. His bright blue eyes bore into me as he walks. Each step feels like he’s shaking the ground beneath us. David inhales sharply.

This is a Harpy we all know well, even though we’ve never seen him.

H000.

He doesn’t speak as he nears, and his eyes flush purple, then crimson. His lips pull back in a sadistic grin. I motion to Rassler behind my back to take a shot. The bullet fires, but H000 deftly dodges, and in a flash he passes us, holds a struggling Rassler by the neck, and looks over to us as he snaps it. Rassler fades away into pixels.

It’s just me and David left.

Two Minutes Remaining
.

“We’re dead,” I whisper. David grabs my hand, squeezing it before he bolts toward the King of all Harpies, the Emperor as they call him.

David slides low as he reaches him, trying to knock him out, but the King side-steps him. It’s almost as if time moves more slowly for him. As he turns, I notice an undulating tattoo covering his back, or maybe it’s a scar. The outline is too red to be ink.

I run forward as he advances on David. I check my surroundings for anything that could give me an advantage, but there’s nothing, only snarling Harpy underlings lining the streets. H000 is fast, so my throwing knives won’t work. How the hell am I going to kill him?

David and the Harpy king parry, and I’m a bit shocked by how my brother can keep up to H000’s speed. Using a tipped ring, David slices his face. My breath catches in my chest. Did he do it?

But then H000 just chuckles, his voice deep and menacing. It didn’t work. It’s not enough blood. I take my chance and toss my last daggers at him, but just before they can slice his skin, he darts out of the way and rushes up to me.

“Nice try,” he whispers.

Then his cold hands wrap around my neck and twist.

Everything goes black.

Game over.

The screams of war invade my mind well before we reach the outside. Thumping footsteps, battle cries, anguished pleas from the wounded, the screeching of Harpies.

But when I see it, it takes my breath away.

The valley below us is a moving sea of warriors. The dead provide the battleground; bodies upon bodies being trampled. Trenches have been dug, and those not battling each other hand-to-hand shoot rifles and crossbows.

The air stinks of smoke and the rot of dead bodies. Hot, angry tears sting my eyes. We are safe here, but those below us are risking their lives… for what?

“How long has this been going on?”

“Soon after you were captured, Rupert launched an assault. We had no choice but to fight back. It hasn’t stopped. Droves and droves of soldiers keep appearing from Central.” Grier eyes the battlefield as she says this. There is something strange about the soldiers on the other side. Maybe it’s that they seem to show no fear, no remorse. They just want to kill.

“They’re not real.” The rest turn to look at me. “Look, they aren’t Hunters. They’re certainly not Human. Elder Corp created these soldiers.”

“That would explain why they never seem to end,” Dodge says, nodding his head. Grier scoffs.

“Wait, you actually believe that?”

“Rupert Elder is capable of anything. You know that as well as I,” he replies. I step back so I can look at all of them.

“The files. You didn’t read them?”

“Of course we did,” Grier snaps. But Sandy steps in front of her.

“What did you find in there?”

Even thinking about it sends shivers crawling over my skin. What will they all think once they learn the truth? I swallow.

“I found some old logs buried in the folders. They were Roger Elder’s notes. They chronicled his experiments on Humans with radiation. He tried for years before he was finally successful. He didn’t even know what he ended up creating.”

“Wait. What are you saying?” Grier says.

“The name of the first successful subject was H000,” I respond.
Please, please don’t make me say it.

I watch realization dawn in each of their eyes. This quickly turns to sheer horror. Grier chuckles, gaze pointed toward the ground.

“It was Elder Corp. Fucking Elder Corp created Harpies. God, it all makes sense, doesn’t it? Why we don’t just bomb the hell out of them or whatever other weapons we have going. Rupert wanted this war. He wanted to prove that Humans are only safe in the Underground. Every moment I’ve lived is a lie,” she says. Dodge looks equally upset. His nostrils flare, and his wings have protruded from his back.

“So you’re telling me that my entire race is nothing but an experiment gone wrong.”

“I wouldn’t say it that way—”

“I know you wouldn’t, Piper! I know you wouldn’t. But it’s the goddamned truth, then. And we’ve got the proof right here in these little sticks.”

His shout makes me bristle. He gets the worst from all of this. Everything has been a lie.

“So where do we go from here?” Shelley interrupts the thick silence.

Grier starts walking. “We stay on course. We go to Val Halla, and then we can figure all of this out.”

“In the mountains?” I ask. Even though I can see their misty, snowy peaks, I know it’ll take us days on foot.

“No. We have a new base. It’s not far,” Sandy explains. He runs to catch up with Grier. I hold Shelley back to walk with me. Dodge trudges beside us, lost in his own head.

“What happened to Grier?” I whisper. Even though she hates me before, we were friends, weren’t we? Why does it seem like she can’t stand the sight of me? Shelley hums to herself, which means she knows something. I wait.

“A lot has happened. A lot has changed. So many people died in the first wave of the attack. Grier took over some of the battle plans. She’s been in the pit. She has seen so much death.” Shelley’s whisper is tinged with grief. I don’t know how many old friends are now dead.

“And then Sandy got hurt working some recon to rescue you. He’s fine now, but he could have been killed. I think she’s always been looking to blame you. I don’t know why. She was normal before, but I have a feeling she was holding it all in. She doesn’t want to feel responsible.”

I rub my fingers along my temples. I’m grateful for Shelley’s honesty; it proves what I’ve always thought. Grier blames me for boiling the pot, and maybe she’s right to. Maybe Asher and I should never have followed our feelings… but then, what would my life be without him? Senseless killing? Being chained to the Corp like a dog?

“Piper, I know what you’re thinking, and you need to stop. This war has always been moments from happening. You and Ash were just one catalyst among many. Don’t regret your heart. Don’t regret him. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to you.”

I widen my eyes. It’s not something I would expect her to say. “You think so?” I ask. She offers a half smile.

“Babe, I’ve never seen anyone love you like he does, and I’ve never seen that light in your eyes before I saw you with him. That’s special. Not everyone gets that.”

I want to ask her so many questions. I want to know about her and Dodge. I want to know how she has been able to handle all of this, but the time isn’t right.

Death echoes from the battle pit. My mind turns back to the Elder soldiers. I think I know for sure they were created to be strong, fearless, ruthless. Is there anything else for them anymore? Have their lives been stripped away so Elder Corp doesn’t have to sacrifice
real
people?

As my mind tumbles through so many questions, we reach a dark cave. Grier leads us inside. There’s no light to guide our way. There are also defenses. How do they stay safe in here?

Finally, we reach an open cavern with a pool of dark, murky water, I nearly screech as a man appears out of nowhere before I realise he has been painted and mudded to blend in with the cavern walls.

“Welcome back, Commander Lan,” he says, saluting Grier. She nods and pulls out some old brass goggles and masks from her pack, then point to the pool of water.

“Welcome back,” she says to me. She slips on the equipment and dives headfirst into the dark, murky water.

“You don’t have to slaughter me,” David says through gritted teeth. I keep attacking, punching and weaving, slamming my fist into his rock-hard chest.

“We need to be prepared.” I throw one last shoulder heave, sending him to the ground. The stars shine over us, the scent of pure green like an army of freshness. We’d decided to spar at this place, where we could really focus.

“Your turn, I say, beckoning my brother to get up and attack me. He shakes his head, wiping beads of sweat from his brow.

“Pie, we’ve been practicing for hours. I think it’s time we talk, anyway.”

I plop down next to him, ignoring how good it feels for my body to rest. I can’t grow complacent. This is life or death. But David’s eyes are lined with concern. That’s never a good thing.

“What do you mean? Did something happen?”

He pauses himself, like he’s still debating whether he wants to say anything at all. “I saw you the other day. I saw what you did.”

Thump.
He knows. Shit. What am I going to do? “What?” I answer. Just play dumb, maybe it’s something completely different.

“Don’t lie to me!” David’s shout sends me off balance. Tears are already welling up in my eyes. Reality hits me like a two-ton slab of rock. “I know you let that Harpy go free. I didn’t want to believe it. My sister, the best goddamn Hunter in the world, letting a Harpy go without a fight.”

“David, you don’t understand—”

“Just save it. There’s nothing
to
understand. You swore an oath. You swore to protect people…” He trails off, breathing heavily and refusing to look at me. My lower lip quivers.

“They’re not all bad,” I whisper finally. It all sounds so stupid.

“What, have you been having merry little chats with them?”

When I don’t answer, he slams his fist into the ground, leaving a huge indent in the soil.

“Are you going to report me?” Thoughts of my punishment flash over me: torture, pain, maybe even death. There’s no room for traitors in the Corp.

“Of course not. Pie, you are everything to me, but I need you to tell me the truth. We’ve never lied to each other, ever.” He closes his eyes, mental pain rising over his brows. It’s time to come clean. I roll over, closer to him. He doesn’t move away, just wraps a burly arm around me.

“That night in the village, a Harpy saved me. He told me not all Harpies want to be at war, and that the Corp is killing everyone who isn’t living in the Underground. If it weren’t for him, I might have died,” I say.

“War is a funny thing, you know. Just because a Harpy showed you mercy doesn’t mean you should reciprocate. Regardless of what he said, how can you believe him? We’ve seen the damage Harpies can do. They’re bloodthirsty murderers. They don’t deserve second chances.”

“But how can you know for sure? David, Rupert killed an entire village without blinking an eye. Most of those people were innocent. Is this the answer? Do we kill many because of the actions of the few?”

David turns toward me. “What is going on in your head? You know the game. You know the rules. You’re choosing
now
to get sentimental?”

“Fuck, David, I don’t know! I don’t know what to feel. Part of me wants to stay loyal, but another part of me can see that what has been going on isn’t right. It’s not right!” I sit up, my leg shaking as I try to regain my composure. David rises to match me.

“What you’re doing isn’t right. Wake up. This isn’t a fantasy. Lives are at stake. More lives than you can imagine. You’re being selfish,” he spits.

I can’t handle this anymore. I stand. “You know, I thought that you of all people might understand, but you’re stuck under the Corp’s thumb, right where they want you,” I mutter.

I leave him there, ignoring his calls for me to come back.

There’s no going back now.

An empty bottle of vodka slings from my hand as I walk the empty streets of the Underground. My brain feels soft, and a lazy smile lights up my face. I’m not wasted, but I’m feeling a hell of a lot better than I did an hour ago.

My journeying takes me to New Victory. It’s like I’ve found some kind of solace in this town. Its abandoned glee fills me up, adds some color to my industrial, gray life.