A thousand miles away from the new AJOX quarters, I was sitting on the ground, staring at the dented holographic viewer, while in a musty tent.
Homesick. That's the first thing I would always feel ever since Ice had abducted Kye.
I felt sick. Missing, my home. Home? I had no home. My home, in town had been bombed to pieces by Ice a long while ago. I was now seventeen, but where was it?
Home is where the heart is.
My heart was with Kye. With Troy. With Jana, Watchee and Pollax, and all the countless others who had died trying to save him. Ashlee. Winter. Castro. My heart ached with guilt. I hoped, that if I was just with them, the feeling would just go away.
But it didn't.
We were all bruised, sweaty and tired from the long hike through the sand scrapyard. Unwanted junks or barrels, rubbish and crates, as well as broken, dusty cars, with broken windows and missing tyres. Troy had attempt to start it up without success, but the cars was broken beyond repair. We had hiked a fair few hours and miles, bulky backpacks hitched on our back as we walked, our feet slipping in the hot grainy sand as the scorching sun battered the back of our necks, making us sweat profusely.
Withers obviously wasn't use to these sort of climates and environment, obviously due to her luxury life as a member of AJOX, but lucky for the rest of us, we were, as we were all Rurals. Troy was just carrying a small bag full of important stuff in here, including our only holographic viewer which we had found, breaking open the crates. Pollax and Jana was both carrying a fair amount of loot, food and supplies we had scavenged and the Scavengers, including James and me was carrying a heavy bulk or weapons, mostly consisting of knives and fresh bullet pouches.
The place Ice had dropped us off seemed to be some sort of long-lasting desert, since there was no signs of wildlife or nature except a few parched-out shrubs. But there wasn't many in the first place, since Mutants, living and dead had been picking them off one by one if no humans were in their sight. We had reached a flat patch of dry, cracked land, and we knew we were exiting the zone, and heading near to the civilisation Ice had assigned us.
Wither's plan was that we were to head to the safe camp which Ice had assigned us, so he wouldn't suspect our true motivations to attack AJOX. From there, we would re-nourish a few days and than take off again to capture Watchee and interrogate him about Kye's location. We had eventually found out that it was Watchee who was forced to give away our location at Troy and Jana's cafe to Ice, under death interrogation, at that was the reason why Kye was even missing in the first place. He had gruesomely betrayed us, but I understood why. I realised he was afraid of death. I didn't even feel anger towards him.
Obviously, that was different for Pollax. Watchee was Pollax's favourite protege at the AJOX military. He would always avoid discussing him, with the rest of us.
After that, we would leave the camp for good and head out to AJOX's quarters to save Kye and get him out of there. Meanwhile, Withers would stay at the safe camp and report daily to Ice and lie to him that we were doing well. I would still wear Kye's pocket watch around my neck at all times, and no one else knew. The flashbacks of Kye's appearance, demeanour and appearance the last time back at the scrapyard scared me, made me wake up drenched in sweat in the middle of the night, panting until Jana or Troy had comforted me, like I was a rocking baby.
The flash of his sharp teeth, his blue and black eyes, his veiny, webbed skin and the blue venom leaking from the corners of his stained mouth. The mouthguard that had been snapped over his head to prevent him from biting, like he was some sort of deranged animal in human form. It was too much for anyone to ask.
Withers' clothes were already getting dirty and scraggly, so we had stayed the night in the four fold-able tents we had found, as well as squishy sleeping bags. We were already getting quite near to Ice's safe camp, according to the holographic viewer with a weak signal, but it was already getting dark and it was going to take another half an hour or so to reach it. Next morning had arrived, sending streaks of light beaming in all directions, and I was already up, all dressed and sitting down on the tent floor, staring down at the flashing holographic viewer. Jana was the only other person in my tent, but she was sleeping. Troy and Pollax shared a tent. James and his remaining five Scavengers shared another tent and Withers had a tent completely to herself.
I left Jana sleeping as I stared at the viewer, almost suspiciously. Ice had already broadcasted one announcement: the release and spread of the M112 Virus, or so we have nicknamed it "The Blaze" pandemic.
It had been broadcasted on every screen, every viewer, every temple as a mandatory viewing. Governor Ice had answered every question about the first living Mutant, which was Kye - and what it could mean for the face of the human race. Everyone was horrified, all around the globe, every family or person watching, including us. This could tear everyone apart, and that was Ice's goal. His goal was to select certain people from our society and generation today, that will provide a use or quality to futuristic societies, and wipe out the remainders of the people who do not possess a special quality, by releasing a plague to the world. Ice believed that those people were useless, wasting resources and should be demolished on a global scale. We all know the symptoms too.
It had been a few weeks since he had mentioned the topic, but the thing that most surprised me was that it was harvested from Kye's DNA. A virus was found into his DNA, mixed into some kind of serum and launched into the world for the rest of us to suffer. For the rebels and Dark Angels to suffer. I felt anger swell in my chest at the mention of Ice. After the news, there was just pitches of silence as we flooded Withers with questions about The Blaze.
"How long d'you think The Blaze will wipe out the entire human race?" I asked Pollax, who was next to me, wrapped in a jacket and staring at the huge campfire we had created in the sand, which was roaring away last night.
"Not long. It's already been declared a pandemic anyway," replied Pollax, embarking the warmth and sliding a hunk of meat of his skewer and chewing it. He swallowed. "But the population is big. Let's just hope for the best that it can be contained, before we can get our hands on the cure in time."
"Ice really is bloody messed up in the head," added Troy, almost with a growl. He hovered his food over the campfire, as he shifted across the log he was sitting on. "First he bombs a pen full of kids, than he takes Kye and now he decides to release a virus into the world. Just to kill off the useless people and save the bloody good ones."
"Tell me about it," said Jana, not even bothering to roll her eyes. She turned to Withers. "Did you hear about anything of that sorts, while working at AJOX?"
Withers pondered for a moment, and then spoke. "No, nothing. He mentioned nothing about releasing a virus." Then we all kipped in for the long, dreary night, the campfire dying down.
The thoughts stormed around my mind, chasing each other like chickens and snake. I looked at Jana on the top bunk, who was still not awake. My gaze returned to the viewer, which was still flashing. After a few more minutes of depressing thinking, Jana slowly aroused from slumber, her hair sticking up and tangling behind her ears. She looked down at me.
"You alright?" Jana called down. I stared up at her and shrugged.
"Yeah... I'm just thinking," I replied very dully. "I'm thinking about the plague. The Blaze. What it could mean for us. Why is Ice even doing this?"
"Well, his goals are pretty obvious. We might be immune or not. At this point, you might as well call it a war between two parties," responded Jana, climbing down her bunk. I looked her in her brown eyes. "And only one can win."
I sighed heavily and dropped my gaze, knowing she was right. This was literally what it was. I didn't, nor anyone else, even know where the new AJOX quarters was. It was supposed to be a secret, and we had no other form of contact with other humans, or Mutants for crying out loud. So our only hope was to rescue and interrogate Watchee from AJOX's next departure line to their tower, and hope he might have some idea where AJOX's quarter is located.
I mutter thanks to Jana, and she smiled and changes out of her grimy clothes, while I zip the tent open and try to breathe some fresh air. The air was humid and salty; it had obviously rained last night as the air was tinged with the salty, prickly smell of rain and grey clouds. I saw the three other tents being propped up, some were opened.
Withers rushed up to me, with a transmitter in her hand, which was a slight shock. She looked excited.
"Kara, we've found out where Mr Watchee is heading next," said Withers eagerly, pocketing the transmitter. I poked out.
"Where?" I asked, taking a long gulp of water out of my water skin.
"Sources confirm that he's heading eastbound along the great rail along to AJOX's quarters to be transferred. He's going to be shipped off at about late noon, most likely in a car or aerial vehicle," reported Withers. She smiled.
"That's great! You sure there isn't any Mutants along the way though? There should be a lot, especially after the Blaze," I said, trying hard to look pleased. Withers gave a tinkling laugh.
"Silly child, of course not! The sand scrapyard is highly rural. Nearly no signs of human life. The low chance of there being one is highly unlikely, however, this could signify that we are running out of time," said Withers in a honey tone that made me squirm. I was feeling hot, sweaty and uncomfortable, just as she spoke again. "Are you sure you're alright, dear?"
"I'm fine," I swatted it off, mumbling. "I need to go now, to... um... find Troy." I finished boringly, before leaving her in a crestfallen wake. She looked a little disappointed. I knew it was a gamble trusting Withers, especially after she had worked for AJOX for so many years. She might have never been on our side. But at this point, my hope was drained. I was going to have to take any chance that flitted in front of my face.
I found Troy, Pollax and James sitting on a flat slab of rock behind the tents, deep in conversation.
"Hi, Kara," said Troy, spotting me first. I plopped over next to him and hugged my knees. James and Pollax greeted me, and then turned.
"Hi," I said back.
"We're just talking about how to rescue Watchee. Withers already told us about it," said Pollax, his mouth twisting as though he had just sucked a raw lemon.
"She's already confirmed that they're going to be heading eastbound along the great rail - not far from our safe camp. Ice probably wants to keep an eye on us," continued James, picking up a dusty rock and flinging it away aimlessly. "Withers is going to cover everything up. He's going to be either in truck or in the air, but there is most likely going to be a couple of stupid Lances roaming around the place, keeping guard, or keeping track."
"We're going to need a vehicle to keep up with AJOX," I said. We didn't even have any buggies, cars or Lances for any sake. "If we don't find any, we might as well give up hope."
"You sure there's not going to be any Mutants around?" questioned Troy, looking around wearily.
"We won't see any for now. The safe camp is probably going to be empty, but it won't be long before the Mutants start spreading across the nation. I bet the main city's going to be full of them, though," answered Pollax.
But I had a way more important and demanding question that needed to be answered. A flaw in the plan that was going so well.
"Yeah, but even if we do rescue Watchee, they'll notice us. AJOX will notice us, and they'll realise Withers isn't actually on their side. She can't cover this up," I said, staring down at the sand, where dusty fumes were already starting to rise in the air.
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Troy quietly. We sat there in deep silence. Troy then stood up and clapped the dust off his hands. "But all the decoys are destroyed. Ice said. No matter. Let's get a move on and head to the safe camp first, and then we can figure the rest out when we get there."
The decoys, I had forgot about those. Those booby-traps. But they had all been cleared and destroyed now and instead replaced with something more dangerous - the Blaze.
We were just standing up to gather our supplies from our tent and have a quick meal when Jana came rushing over to us, holding the holographic viewer, which was already flickering a weak blue screen.
"If it's Ice again, I swear to the gods above us, I'm going to turn into a Mutant," said Troy, burying his hands in his face and groaning loudly.
"Well, you better start praying. Anyway, Ice's got some sort of other stupid announcement. I can't wait," said Jana, her voice oozing with sarcasm. I exaggerated a smile, and looking behind me, the five Scavengers and Withers had come to join to see what the racket was. I scooted over to give them some space.
It had turned out that Ice was reporting that the Blaze had spread worldwide. It was a pandemic. He was revealing Europe was the first continent to succumb entirely to the disease, wiping any traces of smiles of our faces. The climate there was unbearable, and the scorching sun only made the virus more infectious and spreadable. Everyone was shocked to silence, as Governor Ice, the snake of a man, was already reporting that one entire continent had mostly succumbed to the virus, a smirk on his face. A smirk? Really, how sadistic was he?
He had just taken everything from us. Everything. He had killed and turned who knows how much people in Europe, family and children into cannibalistic, aggressive Mutants infected with the Blaze. And he had the decency to smirk. Fury surged through every veins right now, and I had to stop myself from lunging out and completely destroying the viewer. It was obvious everyone else had the same thought, including Troy, who had his fists balled, and was cursing under his breath. A virus. A virus could stop the nation from riots and civil unrest.
But next came some more news, which no one could justify as good or bad. Ice announced why Kye still had some of his senses - his personality and memory, and some of that, which he flashed at occasional moments, which I saw a warm night and the raging scrapyard. Kye could still retain some of his saneness before snapping, utterly snapping again and going mental, trying to kill me. Memories flashed back, and I momentarily lost track of what Ice was ranting on about.
AJOX - MUTANT 748.
Black on maroon. The first living Mutant.
Ice and his AJOX scientists and made a breakthrough discovery, apparently. He had found out that some people could be immune, partially immune, or non-immune to the Blaze. They called the immune people, "Resistors". They had something in their bodies which can survive it. Kye's status was partially immune, kept in hidden files. However, according to a national census, he estimated only zero-point-zero-zero-one percent of the population could only be immune or partially immune to the Blaze.
A highly unlikely chance for any of us, in other words.
Ice reported that he did not know what made people immune, what made them different from others, but reported that he was working on it right now, with AJOX, and with all of the people's dedication, he could understand. Everyone was mesmerised, as he announced that any people could check if they were immune or non-immune, at quarantine checkpoints dotted around the nation. He raised a shiny syringe with running liquid in the air.
"But there isn't any, where we are," said Withers.
"But if you are immune. Then you are... extremely valuable to me. But on the streets, near the rebels, those people will really, really hate you," he ended, and then the coverage disappeared at the viewer switched off. We all stared at each other, meaning spreading across our faces.
Of course, if any of us were immune, if any of us could survive the Blaze by, just a little bit, then we would be hated. Attacked by, by rebels or anyone. Both sides bleed. The Rebels, The Dark Angels and AJOX all bleed, we all have our weaknesses. I hoped that the rebels and civilians would not turn their best towards each other, start being jealous of what they didn't have. We needed to merge together, join to create an army to overthrow AJOX, the government that will stop at nothing to bring us down.
They'll never stop.
We couldn't start being greedy. We needed to work together, not as individuals to our own side, to defeat AJOX. Because all of us, no matter how different we were, we all had one enemy.
And that was Governor Ice.
But just as we were all lapsed to silence, I broke it, realisation dawning onto me. "But that means, you know what Ice is like. You know what he wants. He wants the special people. And the Resistors are special."
We all exchanged tense looks at each other. "He never said that, Kara," said James, trying to calm me down.
"We can't keep avoiding the truth, James. You know this is what Ice wants. His goal now is to hunt all the Resistors down, one by one, do some crazy stuff at his quarters. Torture them, turn them useful, turn them into something they're not," I said, quoting Kye and head spinning. "We can't just leave them behind either. We can't live the kids behind."
"I don't want to either. But what about Kye and Watchee?" Troy demanded, an icicle of anger piercing through his voice. But I was sure it was gone.
"I know, and that's the problem. I don't want to really prioritise anyone first," I said, standing up and swinging my backpack over my shoulder and clipping it together.
"Well, Kara, think of it this way. You can save your friends," quoted Troy smartly, and I knew he meant Kye and Watchee. "Or you can save us all." He finished. Everyone knew he meant all the Resistors getting hunted down and stored away in AJOX quarters. He stood up, dusting himself off.
"We can maybe try both," said Withers, shrugging. She seemed the least affected. Jana glared at her.
"Oh yeah, and I'm sure we'll all make it back, clean-shaven, without a speck of dust on us, all alive, fresh and healthy," said Troy sardonically, shooting Withers a look, and she seemed to regret her words.
We were all in quite a dilemma. I know I wanted to save Watchee and Kye, reunite them, reunite Kye with Troy especially, but I couldn't just leave those immune children behind either. You can save your friends or save us all. Which option should I take?
We all packed our supplies from our tents in silence, storing the viewer away, and folding up the tents in less than ten minutes, and we took off again. This was the last long hike before we reached the safe camp, and I was grateful for that, so we could start planning how to rescue Watchee was AJOX's clutches. We set off, Pollax at the front, carrying bags full of supplies and food.
We were all delved in our own thoughts, including mine, marching on in the hot sand, the air stuffy and warm. We could all see the outlines and glimpses of the camp now, the structure of the creaky buildings, the shore nearby with the rushing sea. We were near another ocean, and for some reason, I expected to see Kye there, with a trident or spear. But he wasn't.
But we all snapped out of it, when facing a large, mossy rock stood a shaking man. His clothes were ripped and torn in random places, patches of his hair torn out, his skin covered in disgusting scabs. His hands were shaking back and forth, like he had a bad tic, and saliva was dripping to the sand. I couldn't make out who he was, but we all stopped at the sight of him. My heart pounding, we all stepped back a little, but the man had already heard our shuffling.
Withers remained remarkably calm from next to me.
He arched his head back terrifyingly, his mouth ajar and hanging in the air, and now I realised what he was. He than spoke in a horrible, raspy voice, his words echoing in the air and spit spraying with every shriek.
"I'm a Mutant! I'm a goddamn Mutant! Kill me! Kill me! Kill me!"