Wasteland (Flight) (2 page)

We creep into New Victory. The dusky violet haze of the Holo-sky casts dreamlike shadows over the beautiful, abandoned houses and shops. Before it was abandoned due to a radiation leak, New Victoriana was a bustling community of residents committed to reclaiming the past. It was here that the world we’ve lost was reenacted day after day.

Women and children in soft poufy dresses once walked along these cobblestone streets, shopping for lollipops and books and curios. The men wore suits and drove steam-powered vehicles. What started off as a societal movement became a popular tourist destination; a place to forget how we all are forced to live.

Now it’s a ghost town. All those pretty painted buildings, abandoned and rotting. The ghosts of the residents; however, still walk the streets. I can almost hear them. Then I hear the unmistakable
click
of a gun being drawn.

Immediately I lunge to the ground, rolling sideways so my body is shielded by the corner of what used to be a hat shop. I pull out my throwing knives. Whoever cocked that gun is close. I notice David on the other side of the street, his own gun held tightly in his hands. One minute passes, but it feels like an hour. My heart beats wildly. Why hasn’t anything happened?

I look to David, and when his gaze meets mine, he nods. On the count of three, we both roll out from our cover, weapons ready to release… until we notice that our “enemy,” who has done the same, is a familiar, burly shape with short-cropped hair and all-black gear. I lower my knives with a relieved sigh.

“Shit, I almost killed you both,” the other Hunter says with a wry chuckle. He comes to us, and we stand together while we catch our breath.

“Stop being so cocky Rassler, you know you wouldn’t stand a chance against the two of us,” David says. Rassler just nods with a laugh.

“You’re probably right, my friend. Now tell me, how have you been briefed?” he asks. Rassler is one of the Corp’s best Hunters, in my opinion. He’s big and tough as hell, but he also has a sharp mind and excellent aim. I’m actually relieved that he’s the one who has been teamed up with us.

“Rogue Harpies. That’s about it. Have you done any scouting?” David replies.

“Not yet. Not against four of those fuckers. I’m not as careless as you two are,” Rassler states. I keep my eyes ready, searching for any sign of movement or sound. New Victory is a large enough town, but because it’s so quiet, all sounds are magnified.

“Let’s split up,” I say, “We’ll form a trident. The area is small enough that we’ll be able to regroup quickly if we find anything.”

“I say we stick together,” Rassler replies, shaking his head. “None of us should be alone when we come across them.”

“No, Piper’s right. If we stick together then we’re sitting ducks. If we split up, we might be able to gain an advantage. Just set your call button to vibrate, and press it as soon as you see anything. Then we’ll regroup,” David said.

Rassler looked like he wanted to say something more, but he gave up, continuing to shake his head.

“You damn kids are going to get me killed,” he muttered.

“Rassler,” I state. He looks up at me. His face is weathered with age, even though he’s still considerably young. “I know you won’t let anyone get the advantage on you. Just move slowly, quietly. Chances are if they’re in a group they’ll be louder than us, and we can move in on them.”

“I’m not a big fan of chances,” he says.

“Just trust me,” I continue. Finally he nods and fidgets with the call button on his wrist-band, turning it to vibrate.

Rassler heads straight, while David goes left and I go right. I clutch my daggers as I skulk through the streets, making sure to stick to the sides of buildings so I’m not visible from up above. It’s dark enough that hiding is easy. I’d thought ahead to wear mufflers over my boots to avoid any clicking from the cobblestone.

Despite my concentration, my mind turns to Tor. I should be happy that he wants to take our relationship to the next level, right? But why do I feel so confused? I’ve always known that eventually I’d leave home and start my own life, but now that it’s come upon me, I feel so much younger, so much more vulnerable. It feels like just yesterday I was still in training, goofing around with David and Tor after class, playing pranks on our teachers, practicing shooting old glass bottles we’d found in the trash.

How am I suddenly… grown up?

The slightest of a sound rips me out of my mind, and just as I’m about to reach for my call button, a pair of strong arms wrap around my neck and drag my into the next alley corner. The arms squeeze until my daggers fall from my hands, and my scream is muffled by his hand over my mouth.

Shit. How could I let myself be so distracted? I try to stay calm. I’m not going to die. I can find my way out of this. I struggle against the hold, unable to even turn my head to catch a glimpse of who has me. Then, to my surprise, my attacker shushes me quietly.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just need you to relax,” he says. His voice is deep and soothing, and his whisper sends chills down my spine. I have no choice; my weapons are on the ground, and I have no way to get them. I’ve already run every possible strategy through my mind. I stop struggling.

“I’m going to let you go, but I need you to stay calm and not follow me. I’ll be leaving and taking the rest of them with me. There is no need for bloodshed today,” he states.

No need for bloodshed today
. Was this a ploy? A joke to try to get the best of me? But no, he’s already had a hundred chances to kill me, and he hasn’t. Why?

He removes his hand from my mouth first, and when I don’t make a sound he takes his arms off of me. I have to take a deep breath to replenish the air that was squeezed out of me. I whip around to face him; and I can’t help but be caught still.

Dark ebony wings sprout from his back and curl around him. His hair is messy and his skin is pale, even in the low light. His bright blue eyes are calm, peaceful. He is nothing like any Harpy I’ve seen before. Before, they’ve always been feral, evil creatures; monsters. But not this one. This one stares at me as if he’s trying to study me out of curiosity.

Suddenly, I’m aware of our close proximity and I stumble backward. At this he spreads out his wings and lifts himself off into the indigo Holo-sky. But I cannot forget his eyes. I cannot forget that pure, beautiful stare.

I’ve just let a Harpy get away without a fight. Me, Piper Madden. An Ace Harpy Hunter. And deep down I know I can’t tell anybody about this.

He’s going to have to be my own little secret.

Light shines on me, and I groan as shocks of pain spread behind my eyes. I realize I’m lying in the corner of the cell, curled up into a ball. My hair is knotted and dirty, and almost all of the red dye has now faded. I squint toward the light, seeing only a dark figure smudging its bright rays.

As my eyes adjust, so does the outline of Rupert Elder. His suit is ebony and spotless, and gold earrings capture his ears. He’s alone, and shuts the cell door behind him, leaving us in momentary darkness before the cell’s faint lighting flickers on.

He stares down at me, an arrogant grin across his lips. He has me exactly where he needs me; weak and pumped full of whatever he’s had his techs administering into my system. My arms are covered with tract marks and bruises from the large needles. I hate what he has reduced me to, but I am losing my will to keep moving.

Just remember him. Think of how he is fighting for you. Fight for him.

“Piper Madden,” Rupert drawls. He crouches down to my level and runs his fingers across my cheek. I shudder involuntarily. His hands are cold as ice, and his breath stinks of stale cigar smoke. His many rings glint in the fluorescent light.

“What do you want from me?” I gasp. My voice is sparse; my mouth is dry. I can’t even scream as he lifts me from my armpits and drags me up onto the bench where I usually sleep. He drops me on the far corner and then seats himself, swiping his pants as if he were infected just from touching me.

“I just wanted to show you some of the new initiatives the Hunter program has begun,” he says, his voice shallow and cheerful. He pulls a small tablet from his pocket, presses a button, and it lights up. It’s a portable vid-screen, I realize. Must be new technology. I can’t help but wonder how many citizens now own one, the Corp monitoring their every move, their every transaction.

Rupert slides his thumb along the screen, then presses down. A video pops up onto the screen, and he holds it in front of me for me to watch.

At first I just hear voices; the usual sounds of rush hour in Central, but then the video comes into focus, and the voices turn to chants and vicious shouting. The video was taken at one of the town squares. The area has been cordoned off, and in the middle of the intersection, there were two people chained to large metal posts.

But then the camera zooms, and I realize that the figures are not people; they’re Harpies. Their wings have been pinned around the posts, and their eyes are listless, broken. One of them looks to be a child. Tears spring to my eyes, pulling from the last dredges of hydration I have left. The young one is a little girl, looking up to the fake sky in search of some kind of rescue. A rescue I know never came.

The chanting grows louder; the people of Central throw bits of rubble at them. Then Rupert appears. In the video he is dressed as he is now, only with a microphone set clipped onto one of his jeweled ears.

“My dear people of Central. In front of you I have brought the enemy. The ones who wish to kill and eat your children. The ones who threaten your lives every day. But we will not let them frighten us. We will show them how strong we are, that we can bring them down. Who is the superior race?” he shouts.

“Humans!” the crowd launches back. My teeth are clenching, but I can’t take my eyes away.

“Let us prove to the Harpies that Elder Corporation has the control of this world. We will rise and take over the planet, just as we were meant to!” he growls. The crowd grows rowdier.

Two Hunters march into the square in full Hunter dress regalia; stiff jackets with the Elder crest. They wear helmets, so I cannot tell who they are, but they look young. New. Malleable. Both are carrying large guns. They stand before the Harpies, who do not protest, who are not vicious or feral, but who tremble with fear.

Then there is fire. Everywhere, flames as the Hunters discharge their weapons. The flames are tinged red, diluted with augmented Hunter blood. After a few moments the Hunters back away, and once the fire subsides, all that is left of the two Harpies is ash.

My stomach turns, and I fight the urge to gag.

“You’re sick,” I spit at Rupert. He raises his eyebrows.

“Oh, really? I was under the impression that
you
were the one who was sick; your mind, torn apart by anguish and a disgusting affair with a monster. I am a savior to these people, Piper. I protect them. All I’m doing is giving them proof that they are safe,” he says.

And there is nothing that I can even say, because I know that is what the people believe. Everyone believes Elder Corp. What other choice do they have? To them, life is perfect here. They may live underground, but they want for nothing. They have their holo-sky and their Pure Air generators and lab-grown food, and now, they have Harpy executions, to remind them that the only reason they live in this utopia is Elder Corporation.

“Why don’t you just kill me?” I say finally. Rupert furrows his brows for a moment, and then bursts out laughing, his chuckle ringing hollow from the cell walls.

“I would never
kill
you, Miss Madden. You are far too valuable, don’t you see?” he replies.

I don’t see. What use am I to him trapped and broken?

“What have you done to me?” Fear pervades my voice as I say this, as I look over the bruises from so many needles. He’s been experimenting on me, I know this. But what is his plan? What does he expect me to become?

“You will see, soon enough. Now get up. Your muscles have been wasting away. You look like you’re on your last legs from radiation poisoning. I thought you were stronger than that,” he commands.

I try to stand, but my body is slow to obey me, and my muscles are weak. Rupert stands up and reaches his arms over, forcing me off the bench and onto the ground. My face lands first; blood drips from my nose.

“Now stand, Hunter.”

I try my hardest not to groan as I push myself up. Blood flows from my nostrils over my lips and off my chin. I grit my teeth, the metallic taste of my own blood filling my mouth. Once I’m upright, Rupert pushes me into the cell wall, and I slide down to the floor, the blow causing me to lose my wind.

“Again.”

I refuse to let him beat me. I can hear Asher’s voice in my mind, telling me to be strong, telling me not to break, because I’m better than that.

I stand up, faster this time. I clench my muscles, expecting another blow, but instead Rupert just grins. If I could right now, I’d punch that stupid smile from his mouth.

“You never fail to disappoint, Piper. You shouldn’t even be able to breathe from the amount of drugs in your system. I couldn’t be more proud,” he says.

I glare at him.

“What are you doing to me?” I say again, fiercer this time.

He walks slowly toward me, menacing and somehow comforting at the same time. He lifts his hand to my face, and I turn away, but he strokes my cheek softly, lovingly.

“I’m making you stronger. It might seem like hell now, but when the procedure is over, you’ll be the best Hunter the world has ever seen,” he whispers. His breath on me is toxic.

“After all of this, why me? I’m not a Hunter anymore,” I say. He steps back, only the hint of a smile left on his face.

“I’ve never lost faith in you. You have always been… like a daughter to me,” he says.

He gathers his things, and I keep my body pressed against the wall. Before he leaves, he turns back to me.

“I want you to work on your strength, every day. The stronger you get, the closer you will be toward gaining your freedom.”

The word echoes from his lips and reverberates throughout my body.
Freedom
. Is there such a thing?

He leaves, closing the door behind me. Soon my next meal will come; I’ve lost count of what time it is, so every meal is the same. Then Evan will come and administer the drugs, and my world will reset.

But what Rupert said doesn’t leave me. I can almost taste fresh air on my tongue; real fresh air, damp and drizzling from the sky.

And even though my body aches and my face is bloody, I start to work it, to gain back the strength I have lost. If it means freedom, I would do anything. But in the back of my mind, I know that this freedom will come with a steep price, and I need to be ready to pay it, or flee.

“We have a big problem,” Rupert muttered. Smoke pooled and spilled from his mouth and nostrils, and I tried my best, as always, not to cough. I was in his office, standing in front of his desk, flanked by David and Rassler.

Rupert Elder’s office is overly huge, and sparsely decorated with the best elements of the Corp’s technology. There isn’t a sheet of paper in sight; Rupert does everything digitally. Still, right now he holds a letter in his hands, looking like he wants to crumple it up and toss it aside.

Our report from the last mission didn’t go over well. How the hell did the best Hunters in Central not only let Harpies get away, but without even making contact with them? My heart flutters inside as I think about the Harpy I saw, about his curious eyes and his shiny black wings. I’m worried my lie is going to creep out onto my face.

But Rupert doesn’t seem to be concerned with our failure anymore; now his focus is fully tuned to the paper in his hand.

“What’s going on?” David asks finally, breaking the silence. Rupert slams the paper onto his desk and butts his cigar out on it.

“H002 is missing,” he says. Nobody speaks. All I can hear is the thumping of my heart.

“How can the inherent be missing?” I ask. H002 is the codename for the heir to the Harpy throne; the governing family who handle all of the Harpies’ affairs. Even if ruthless, they take tradition seriously. If the heir is missing, it could be mean so many things, the least of which is chaos in their own structure.

We all frown. This is definitely a big problem.

“According to this
report
, one of our moles has left the city due to all of the chaos. He writes that H002 is missing, and that trouble among the Family is growing,” Rupert reads aloud.

“Was he kidnapped?” David says. Rupert shrugs, his mouth set into the permanent frown that warns us all to stay clear of him. Only this time, we can’t.

“No one on our side was authorized to do anything so extreme, and the Temple has already made a statement that they have nothing to do with it, so it’s anybody’s guess. Perhaps a rebel Harpy faction did it; perhaps he left of his own accord.”

“Why would he leave? H002 has the most power of any Harpy we know of,” Rassler interrupts.

“But he isn’t well-liked by a majority of other Harpies. We’ve already seen this during some of their holidays. They don’t think he’s strong enough,” David explains.

But I don’t think that makes any sense. After all, H002 is rumored to carry great strength, just as his father did before his own disappearance. This wasn’t a power struggle, at least not in that sense.

“He’s not for war. That’s what the Harpies dislike about him. But that doesn’t seem like a legitimate reason for him to disappear. Regardless of his politics, Harpies have always held a hierarchy of power,” I say.

The group nods, and Rupert seems lost in thought.

“What about the siblings?” Rassler suggests. Rupert nods; his eyes still far away.