Chapter 7
I was pretty sure I’d been walking for more than two hours before I stopped to take a break. I was pretty wiped out since I’d been climbing up and down what seemed like mountains. I’d never been farther than a mile on foot from Division Sixteen, so I really didn’t know the terrain.
But once I stopped, I sat down beside a tree, leaned back against it and closed my eyes. I wasn’t really tired like I wanted to go to sleep. My muscles were sore from all the walking. I hadn’t had to walk that far in a long time, so my body wasn’t used to it.
When I opened my eyes a few minutes later, I saw something in the distance that I didn’t expect to see. It looked like a little house. It looked like it had survived all the bombings. Well, it would have since it was basically in the middle of nowhere. It was made out of logs and wasn’t bigger than our house that we had near Chicago.
I got up and started toward it, adjusting the backpack on my shoulder. Once beside it, I noticed that it looked like someone had been there recently because the door leading inside was cracked open. I pushed it all the way open, my hand on the knife at my waist, just in case it was a trap.
But when I walked inside, there was no one there. And what I wasn’t expecting to see was that the house wasn’t a house at all, but what looked like a larger version of Division Sixteen’s control room.
It had the same wall screen and computer monitors on tables, only there were a lot more. Some screens had images of the forest surrounding the house. I guess the Directrix – since this was obviously one of their separate control centers – had eyes where we didn’t even think they did.
I walked up to the screen and looked at everything that was on it. But when I looked toward the right side, I noticed something that I’d seen before. It looked like the message that Luke had opened up on the screen back when Nash and I were listening in to what they were talking about, including my grandma.
I reached for it hesitantly. I didn’t know if I really wanted to open it and read what it said. Whatever it did say, it seemed to cause concern from everyone that had seen it. Not wanted to wait any longer, I reached and pressed on the screen.
We are sending the two out with a group of fifteen Guards to capture Rayney Cooper. But if anyone finds her before they do, capture her. The order form Slayter is to kill her.
“Kill,” I said out loud, even though there was no one around to hear me. “So that’s why Grandma didn’t want me to go on the raid, because I’m next on the Directrix’s hit list.”
I heard my messenger beep then. I reached for it and looked at the screen. Rowan.
Are you okay? it read.
Yes. I’m in some Directrix control room. It’s weird that it’s out in the middle of nowhere, but they’ve apparently got cameras all around the forest.
What does it have in there?
Everything that Division Sixteen’s does, just a lot bigger.
Everyone’s freaking out here because you left. And they’re all mad that I let you go.
You practically pushed me out the door.
Yeah, I know. They were going to send Nash, Xander and Slade out to find you, but I told them that you would have been too far gone to ever find you.
When was this?
Just a few minutes ago, when they realized that you weren’t here anymore. Nash is pretty pissed at you.
I’m pretty sure everyone’s pissed at me.
Nash is telling me to tell you to get your ass back here now.
Is he there with you?
Along with everyone else that surrounding me in the common area.
Tell them I say hi!
Yeah, they’re not laughing…I am, though.
Ha!
Have you seen anything yet?
No, just trees, this place…and more trees.
Sounds fun.
Oh, yeah. It is.
What about the control room? Did you find any information in there?
Yeah, I read the message that Luke, Grandma and the others were reading a few days ago.
What was it?
Apparently I’m on the Directrix’s hit list now. Orders are to capture and kill me.
I shouldn’t have pushed you to go out then! I think everyone’s right. You need to get back now! How could I have been so stupid?!
I can’t now. I’m too far away and I’m going to find out if my dream’s going to be true or not.
But still! They could be at that place any second!
I know. I’m not coming back, though.
Please?
Nope. Not yet.
I heard something from outside the house and I looked up at the screen where the monitors for the cameras were. In one, I could see five Guards headed back toward where I was.
I’ve got to go.
Why? What’s wrong?
I typed one word that I knew would freak her out. Guards.
I quickly turned off the messenger and put in back in the backpack. I headed toward the door and outside, leaving it cracked just like it was before. I rounded the corner of the house, hiding from the Guards’ view. I could hear them getting closer.
“I knew that you had gotten her on the wrong camera. She was coming in the complete opposite direction!” one Guard said, sounding irritated.
“She was only on there for one second,” another said. “I didn’t catch where she was.”
“You know Slayter’s not going to be happy with us,” one said. “He built this so close to where they always seem to see them.”
“Well, we did see her.”
“But we didn’t catch her.”
“Does anyone know why they want her killed?”
“Are you really asking that question?”
“She’s probably one of the best fighters that aren’t in the Directrix. Slayter’s son was another.”
“Now he’s…”
“So are they going to do the same thing to her?”
“I think the rumor was that they were going to do to her what they did to Cramer’s son.”
“Then she’ll really be unstoppable.”
They went in the house then, leaving the door open. I slipped around toward the door and looked inside. Four of them had sat down in the chairs behind the monitors while one still stood, walking toward the screen.
“Did one of you leave the message open?” he asked, looking at it with a confused expression on his face.
“We hadn’t had it open since we got it,” one Guard said.
“Someone’s been here,” another said.
They all stood up then, and started for the door. I started to run around the house. But once I started running away from it, I heard one of the Guards yell.
“There she is!”
I looked behind me as they started running toward me. I weaved through the trees, running faster, but they somehow caught up with me. Before I knew it, one was right behind me, so I did the only thing that I knew I should do.
I grabbed my knife at my waist and spun around, jabbing it into the Guard’s neck. He fell to the ground just as the others came up on me, their guns pointed at me. They didn’t shoot, though, as I reached for one other knife in my boots.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” one said.
“Your orders are to kill me, right?” I asked.
“Yes,” another said.
“Well, get to it,” I said.
Just as I saw one get ready to fire, I threw one knife at him and it stuck in his chest. Before the other Guards could even act, I had my other knife in another’s chest and I reached down to the dead Guard at my feet and grabbed his gun.
One shot was fired toward be, but that was right after I leaned down to get the gun. I leaned back up, the gun poised in my hand, and shot the other two down before another was shot toward me.
After they fell to the ground, I dropped the gun and wiped my hands on my pants. I looked at the five Guards that I’d killed and realized that they were right. I was a good fighter, even though most of the Guards that I was going to fight were dead before we could ever get to hand to hand combat.
I walked over and pulled my knives out of the Guards, wiping their blood off of them on their jackets, and put them back where they belonged. I reached for my messenger again and sent one to Rowan, who was probably freaking out right now, along with everyone else back at Division Sixteen.
Okay, I’m back.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Five Guards. They apparently saw me on one of the cameras and they went to check it out. They were in the control room for a few moments before they realized that someone had been there. They were talking about someone before they got there, though.
Who?
Roth. They were talking about why Slayter wanted me dead. Apparently they want to do whatever they did to him to me. I don’t know what that is, though.
So he is alive?
I think so.
What about Kade?
They said something about him. I don’t know, though.
I think he’s still alive.
I don’t know.
What are you going to do now?
Move on. I have to now that these Guards are dead. Someone’s going to be out here in a little while to see what happened. I need to get away quick.
Be careful.
I will.
I put the messenger back in my backpack and headed out, not looking back at what I left behind. I didn’t know if I’d find anything that I’d wanted to find, but I was willing to go on.
I didn’t know why I was still looking for Kade. For all I knew, the Guards could have just been talking about some rumors that they’d heard. And now I was searching for someone that probably wasn’t even alive.
It was getting dark now. It had been a few hours since I’d messaged Rowan that last time, so I pulled out the messenger again.
Anything new happening there? I sent.
Nothing. What about you?
I don’t know why I keep going. I think I’m just going to turn back. It’s over with. There’s nothing for me to find.
How far away are you?
I don’t know.
Do you want me to send Xander, Slade, and Nash to come get you? They could locate you through the tracker.
But before I could write anything back, I heard a strange thudding coming toward me. And then the spotlight off of the Directrix’s helicopter shinned down a few feet away from me and I could see fifteen Guards walking toward me.
I put the messenger in my backpack and dove behind one of the trees, trying to make no sound. As I did, I felt my necklace fall off of my neck and to the ground a few feet away from me. I tried to reach for it, but I didn’t have any time. The spotlight fell over it, making it sparkly. I quickly and quietly moved back, ducking behind another tree about twenty feet away. One of its limbs seemed to have fallen not long ago, so it made a hiding spot for me so I would be able to see them but they wouldn’t see me.
Someone called out from the helicopter, which was hovering about thirty feet from the ground, a few feet above the treetops. About fifteen Guards were walking toward were the spotlight held still and another helicopter, which hovered a hundred feet away, flew in the direction of the other. One, who looked like the leader of the group on the ground, walked over and picked up my necklace. He held it up and looked at it dangling in his grip.
He held up his wrist and spoke. “Sir, we’ve found something.”
A door into the second helicopter slid open. It was still hovering about forty feet in the air, so when someone dropped to the ground, I gasped. He landed soundlessly, though, and stood straight.
He was dressed in all black, and sporting a leather jacket with the Directrix symbol on the right sleeve. His blond hair was tousled from the helicopter, shorter than what I remembered. As he walked toward were the Guard was standing holding my necklace, I could hardly breathe when I saw his face. It was fierce, like he was constantly angry. He’s eyes were narrowed, looking at the fifteen Guards in front of him.
They parted as Kade walked toward the Guard holding my necklace.
“What is it, Donovyn?” he asked.
“This,” Donovyn said, holding my necklace toward him. Kade snatched it from his hand and held it up.
“This is nothing,” Kade said, tossing it on the ground.
“But, sir, don’t you think we should bring it back? Just in case?” Donovyn asked, starting to walk to where Kade had thrown my necklace.
But before he could reach it, Kade was in front of him, quick as lightning. I gasped again. How was he able to get in front of him so fast? Come to think of it, how was he even here, alive?
“What did I say, Donovyn?” Kade said.
Donovyn looked up at him, fear in his eyes. “But, sir…?”
“What did I say?” Kade yelled. He grabbed Donovyn by the throat and lifted him up in the air.
“We’ll leave it!” Donovyn said, gasping for air.
“That’s what I thought,” Kade said. He still held Donovyn up in the air still. “Because that old thing means nothing. A lot of things mean nothing. Like you. You mean nothing to me. There is no reason I should even keep you alive, is there, since you won’t follow my orders? You need to learn that. I’m the one in charge of this assignment, right?”
“Right,” Donovyn gasped.
“Because,” Kade said, turning around so that Donovyn was facing the fourteen other Guards, who starred on in amazement and fear. Kade was facing me now. “I could turn every single weapon on you, couldn’t I?”
The red line on Kade’s right eye seemed to glow for just a moment and the Guards’ guns seemed to move in the direction of Donovyn, including the machine guns on the two helicopters. Their eyes widened as they did. Mine widened also as I realize what was happening. Kade was the one doing it.
“Controlling all technology comes in handy, don’t you think, Donovyn?” Kade asked, sneering up at him.
“Sir,” Donovyn gasped.
“Now,” Kade said, dropping Donovyn to the ground. He clutched at his throat, gasping for air. “I think you need to be reminded of who is in charge of this assignment, am I correct?”
Donovyn was still on the ground.
“I asked a question!” Kade yelled at him.
“You’re in charge of this,” Donovyn choked out.
“I ask again,” Kade said, turning toward the other Guards. “Who is in charge of this assignment?”
“You are, sir,” they said in unison.
“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Now, move out toward something useful.”
They all started walking away from the direction I was hiding. Kade was the last to. He stood facing away from me. The door to the other helicopter opened and another person jumped out from thirty feet in the air. Roth.
They both looked the same as they did in my dream, the tattoo and everything. Roth walked toward him just as Kade picked up my necklace again.
“That’s Rayney’s, isn’t it?” Roth asked.
“Yes,” Kade said.
“Is she close?” he asked.
Kade closed his eyes for a moment, and then a second later, my tracker beeped. Kade opened his eyes and looked toward where I was.
“She’s right over there,” he said.
I stood up and walked out from behind the tree. Tears flooded my eyes and spilled over. He walked toward me, picked up my necklace and put it around my neck. He reached up and wiped my tears away, his touch feeling the exact same as it used to, only a little different. I reached up and covered his hand with mine against my face.
“Kade…” I started.
The corner of his mouth pulled up and he put one finger on my lips.
“Don’t say anything,” he said quietly.
“But…”
“Go,” he said, and pushed me away. “You need to get out of here.”
“No…”
“Go,” he said, and then turned away, walking back in the direction he’d come from.
“No,” I said. “How…?”
“Rayney, you really need to leave,” Roth said. “If they know that we let you go…”
“Please just tell me what happened,” I said, my voice raising. “If you don’t, I’ll scream and the other Guards will hear me.”
Suddenly, Kade was right in front of me, his hand around my throat.
“You will not do that,” he said, his face close to mine.
And then I saw his eyes, the ones that always calmed me down when I was angry or scared. The ones that I’d stared into for what seemed like hours before, ones that had haunted my dreams ever since I thought Kade had died. Like in my dream, his right eye had the red line going through the iris, the one that had glowed when he turned the weapons on the Guard, Donovyn. And here he was, standing right in front of me. Even though his eyes were almost the same, he wasn’t.
“What happened to you?” I whispered, tears running down my face as his hand clutched my throat, running onto it.
“They made me better,” he said.
“Kade, don’t do that to her,” Roth said.
“Why not?” he asked. “Our assignment is to kill her.”
“I know,” Roth said.
“So why don’t you be quiet so I can finish it.”
“Why?” I whispered, still looking at him.
“Kade, let’s go,” Roth said, taking another step closer.
Kade swung his arm back, slapping Roth across the face. Roth wasn’t fazed, though.
“You know, just because I can’t get hurt anymore doesn’t mean you can do that,” he said.
I didn’t get what he was saying. Where Kade had hit him, a line of blood was trailing down his cheek from a cut. But right before my eyes, his skin seemed to fuse back together, like nothing had ever happened. The only evidence left was the blood that was still on his cheek. He wiped it away.
“What…?”
“Orders were…” Kade started.
“I know what the orders were,” Roth said. “But you know that you won’t be able to do it.”
“Watch me,” he said, and his hand tightened on my neck, cutting off my air.
“Let her go,” he said. “Someone else will do it. You don’t have to.”
“What? Kill me?” I asked hoarsely since I could barely breathe. “No. I’d rather you do it, since I did want to die when you did a year and a half ago. But what I don’t get is how you’re still here.”
“And you’re not going to,” Kade said, still staring into my eyes.
“Yet,” Roth said.
“Just do it then,” I said, tears stinging my eyes. “Just send a message to Rowan telling her that I love her. I love them all.”
Kade closed his eyes then, and sighed. His hands released me, making me fall to the ground, coughing. I looked up at them as the two of them looked down at me.
Then they both turned, heading back toward where the Guards had gone. Kade looked back toward me one last time and then jumped. He somehow jumped high enough to reach the skids of the helicopter hovering forty feet in the air and swung himself up into it, Roth doing the same.
My messenger beeped then, so I pulled it out and looked at the screen.
I’d head back if I were you, it read.
I looked back up at the Directrix helicopters, but they were already flying away.
I looked back at the messenger and with shaky hands, I finally wrote Rowan back, only I didn’t tell her what happened.
I need to get out of here.