Kyra dashed between two factory buildings. Footsteps silent, heart pounding, legs weak. For the third time that day she felt breathless, like her lungs were full of fire that burned her throat whenever she tried to exhale. She liked it; for her, running wasn't about getting somewhere, it was about how it made her feel. She liked the pulsing of her heart, the numbness of her legs, the emptiness of her brain... Even if it was only momentary. It was a break from her constant thinking and anxiety. Moving at such a fast pace was exhilarating, made better by the knowledge that she was fast – maybe even faster than James.
"We're close enough to walk now," Hayes called from ahead. It may have been a suggestion but the authority in his tone was unmistakable. Despite the faint wrinkles around his eyes that suggested his age, his body was in top form, and his chest was rising and falling more evenly than the young people trailing behind him.
Their pace slowed to a walk. Kyra strolled into the centre of the path and looked up at the thin gap between the rooftops; all that could be seen were murky grey clouds and snippets of the city. The fence would have blended into the sky if not for the Enforcers pacing around its top. Guard towers that reached higher than the skyscrapers in the city centre pierced the sky like knives. As they watched a drone flew over the sector, speeding by so quickly it was a blur.
Kyra glanced sideways; the goofy smile she'd grown accustomed to was missing from Ethan's face. His gaze was steely, his jaw set.
"Are you okay?" she whispered.
"Just nervous, and when I'm nervous I tend to talk until I run out of air or topics to talk about, which, you know, generally never happens. So I'm trying to avoid talking," he added, forcing his lips into a smile. "Have you... decided?"
He didn't have to elaborate; she hadn't been able to stop thinking about his request to take her to outside since he'd asked. Her desk at home was littered with pro and con lists and books ranging from native birds in their area to moral philosophy. No matter how much she researched, she still had no answer for him.
"No, not yet." Pursing her lips, she looked forward, trying to ignore the churning pit in her stomach. At the end of the alley was a door. It was rusted and hanging off its hinges.
James turned to them and said, "This is the entrance."
"Why don't they fix the door?" Ethan asked, frowning.
Hayes carefully pulled it open, grimacing as a cloud of dust came with it. "It's a desired look. No one wants to enter a building that appears seconds away from falling apart."
It was smart, really, far too clever to sit comfortably with Kyra. She shot Ethan a look but he was already gone.
Inside there was nothing but darkness. Kyra blinked against the endless void of shadows. As her eyes adjusted, she took in the space around her. The concrete floor was full of old furniture and devices the city had grown out of; for an organised place, it sure knew how to make a mess. Broken chairs and battered circuit boards lay scattered around the room, like booby traps waiting to trip her up. Kyra's heart raced as a familiar hand touched her shoulder, pushing her this way and that. It was strange, knowing that James cared enough to do little things that like but still lied to her for so long - and that they were still lying to each other, even now. She pushed the thought away as quickly as it had come.
As Hayes opened the door light cut through the shadows, allowing Kyra to traipse a clear path through the maze of unused objects and enter the new room behind Ethan. The golden rays filtering in through the boarded-up windows shed light on the large space. It was five times the size of the last and looked just as unexploited; it did, however, hint at what the factory might have been used for before it fell into disarray. Stairs led down from the observation deck to the factory floor, where row after row of desks stood, covered in machines and clipboards as though they'd been left in a hurry.
"We'll have to wait here until you're officially summoned."
James stared down at the watch on his wrist and pressed down on its face, murmuring, "Why am I being punished for being late when I'm just the messenger?" The watch's screen was tinged with red. James pulled the bracelet up ever so slightly, wincing as the burning metal touched his skin; in its place was a circle of red flesh and blisters.
Kyra sucked in a shaky breath. "What is that?"
"An Adapter. It's how the Exempt communicate."
"That's a nasty burn," Kyra said, glancing at it from her spot against the wall. Her eyes widened. "You had a burn just like that when you had a concussion."
Hayes ambled over, arms crossed, and unclasped the watch. "Put some of that cream I gave you on it, it'll clear up in no time."
James nodded and tugged his sleeve down, clenching his jaw. "You'd think they'd just set an alarm to warn us, but I guess second-degree burns are more fun."
"It's incentive to do your job, not a punishment."
Kyra's eyes flickered between Hayes and James. Their words weren't friendly, but their faces were, their eyes light, lips upturned. They were friends, it seemed. The thought of James knowing so many people she'd never met sent strange shivers down her spine. It was more than just knowledge he'd kept from her - it was a side of his life, a side perhaps bigger than her own.
"The council are beginning to gather," Hayes reported. "We can head inside now."
"What exactly are you calling this meeting for?" James asked.
Kyra and Ethan exchanged a look. The former pursed her lips. "You'll find out soon enough."
James held Kyra back as the others descended and made their way across the factory floor. "I think I should at least get a hint, considering I'm the messenger."
"Some secrets are best left hidden. We've all got secrets James." His face was so close his breath tickled her check. She cleared her throat and smiled. "Such as what happened to you on July 18th three years ago."
James brushed dust off the staircase as he descended. He stopped halfway down to flash Kyra a smile. "I didn't know we were fighting dirty."
Kyra snorted as she crossed to the other staircase and hurried down, taking the steps two at a time. "I didn't know a lot of things James."
"You're really not going to tell me anything?" James asked.
Kyra shrugged. "In ten years. That's the duration of secret keeping in our friendship."
The pair continued walking until they reached a set of boarded up doors. There were machines either side that looked as though they hadn't been used in years. The only sign that they had been was the lack of dust, which coated the rest of the run-down factory. From the outside it looked exactly like the ones that removed bracelets.
Hayes clapped three times, paused, and then four times. A panel above the doorway slid open to expose a camera; a red spot watched them like an eye.
"Two Exempt accompanied by Controllers Kyra Jackson and Ethan Thomas."
The camera slid between the four faces below. After what felt like a lifetime, the red light flashed green, and in a blink the camera was gone.
"Blood tests - commencing." An eerie robotic voice reverberated around the space.
The Exempt crossed to the machines either side of the door and inserted an arm. Glass plates slid up to meet their elbows. A blade dropped down and etched a thin line into James' wrist. Crimson seeped out of the cut, splashing onto the glass plate at the bottom of the machine. It retreated downwards into the darkness. The metallic arm dropped down again, but instead of a blade it carried a band aid; it swiftly applied the plaster and disappeared. The whole time James' eyes didn't leave his arm - nor did Kyra's, who grimaced but couldn't pull herself away.
Two loud beeps sounded through the air as the machines flashed green. With a sound like a whip, the wooden boards across the door rotated, and the doors swung open. A solid wall of metal met them. Hayes tugged on the handle, a small noise escaping his throat as he heaved the door out of the way. They hurried inside, wincing as James closed the metal door once again with a loud thud. As soon as it did the elevator lurched downwards, emitting a faint hum as it descended.
Kyra didn't remember an elevator ride in her first trip to the Exempt Headquarters; but then again, she didn't remember anything about her journey there. Perhaps that was for the best. She shook her head as the elevator slowed to a stop.
Groaning, James yanked the door behind him open and stepped out. "Welcome to Headquarters."
Kyra stepped into the atrium. For a moment the air seemed to rush out of her lungs as she took in the familiar space. It was exactly the same. Everywhere she looked was a blur of concrete, so much so that the citizens blended into the grey background. The few people milling around took no notice of the new group as they continued about their day; they were almost too calm for Kyra - it made her chest tighten further. A group of teenagers were launching off of each other's shoulders, attempting to latch onto the huge pipes that ran along the ceiling. James smirked at them as he passed.
Ahead of them was a solid concrete wall inlaid with a door at the side. Hayes opened the office door and walked inside; Kyra, taking a deep breath that felt shallow and shaky coming from her tight chest, followed.
The long glass table was full this time. Seated around it were seven men and women, each with their eyes set on her and Ethan. She looked at the different faces; there were young and old ones, some lined and some smooth, some warm and some so cold it made Kyra shiver. Ethan, so close to her side, was shaking.
The tension was suffocating. The members of the council were silent - more threatening than if they were on their feet, somehow. Ethan adjusted his glasses with shaking fingers - the only motion that gave way his fear.
Kyra's eyes found the Commander's and she held his gaze, her parted lips turning upwards. "Hello, Commander."
"Miss Jackson." His eyes were icy as he gestured towards Ethan. "I see you brought someone with you."
Kyra stepped back, placing a hand on Ethan's tall shoulder to steady her shaking arm. "This is Ethan Thomas. And I believe you know Hayes and James. They helped arrange this meeting for me."
The Commander surveyed the room over his fingertips. "This doesn't concern you Mr Henderson."
"All due respect, you pulled me into this."
Hayes shot him a warning look. "Henderson, now isn't the time."
"It-"
"He's a part of this," Kyra snapped to silence them. "He has a right to know what I'm going to say." James looked at Kyra with a raised brow. When she shook her head, he sat down without another word.
"Very well. Why are you here?"
"We're here to discuss a new plan, a better plan."
The Commander's eyes widened. "Our plan is the only plan. Involving outside parties into this meeting, let alone our enemy, endangers us all."
"That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it? Calling me the enemy even though Controllers past and present are the sole reason you're still alive. I mean, have we ever done anything to hurt you? No. Not like it would be our choice anyway but..." Ethan's dark eyes narrowed till all that could be seen was black as his words trailed into silence. "Hell, my mother's advisor is in this room."
Kyra watched Ethan glaring at Hayes; it was then the pieces clicked together. James had said every member of the council was an important worker in each job field. Hayes was the council member from the Control sector; if what Ethan said was correct, Hayes was the advisor for the Head Controller. He was someone Ethan's mother trusted, someone who knew him well, someone who betrayed his trust. Kyra wasn't the only one stabbed in the back.
"What have you told him?" The speaker was a greasy-haired man with a long face. His hands were blackened and covered in burns. He must have been electrical.
"I just filled in the blanks." She shrugged. "What's in the Control Centre with Ashley Henderson, what that drone above the city means, what the Outsiders are planning to do."
The council stirred at her words, turning to whisper and snarl amongst themselves. Throughout all of this, the Commander remained impassive. The only sign of emotion was the narrowing of his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. "What gave you the right to go against us?"
"We aren't. Our goal is to help you," Ethan added. As she stepped forward, Kyra was once again startled by his height. "We know what the city is capable of, we know parts of it are unsalvageable, we know the council needs to be stopped and their wrongs need to be righted."
Kyra crossed her wrists behind her back to conceal the shaking of her hands; each set of eyes that flitted to hers set off the writhing pit in her chest. "But there are people in this city that haven't done anything wrong, and they are the ones that deserve to be saved - even if you don't think so."
"We're starting a war darling, casualties are a part of the package." The speaker was a lady to the left of the Commander. She rolled her makeup-ringed eyes.
"Are you sure starting a war is the best way to stop them?" Kyra asked. "Think about it, just for a moment; the odds of the Outsiders escaping the first time were slim, and this time will be even harder – if not impossible. Even if they do, there's a chance they'll change their mind and kill Ashley after she's helped them escape. Isn't it smarter to try build our forces up just in case, rather than deplete them in a war and never be able to go outside again?"
"How do you suggest we do that?" Hayes asked.
Ethan slid a piece of paper down the length of the table. "A few weeks ago, Kyra and I discovered the drone above the city. I broke into the Room of Arbitrio and stole this."
As the Commander held it up to the light, the page became transparent. It was the part of the map that contained names of destinations outside the fence. His lip twitched. "This is useless without the rest of the map."
"Which we have multiple copies of. In locations far safer than this," Kyra added as she spread extra copies over the table; the others scrambled to grab a sheet, their eyes scanning feverishly. "There are twenty places on that map, and those are just the ones we're aware of. Someone discovered them and named them for a reason – they didn't just stumble by a nice spot and decide it was important, there must have been something there, something we can use. And we're going to need anything we can get if we want to win this war."
Hayes furrowed his greying brows. "I don't understand what you want us to do. It's not like we can send out a recruiting party."
"Don't send a party." Ethan took a deep breath. "Send me."
His dark eyes flickered to her. In a moment that lasted a lifetime, Kyra looked over at James just as he looked at her. Somehow he'd already figured out her next move. Blue eyes to hazel, both lips parted. James shook his head, his face saying what his mouth couldn't. But it was no use. She'd already decided what she was going to do.
"No." Kyra shook her head. "Send us."
The corner of Ethan's lip turned up. "We want to see our fathers before the war begins."
Kyra nodded. "According to our calculations, the Shadelands is four days away, give or take. There are plenty of places on the map between here and there we can stop at on our way. If we can convince them to stand with us, the city might be willing to listen rather than fight."
The Commander barked out a laugh. "There's no way we can agree to that, there's too much risk-"
"And what will you do without us? We know too much."
"There's no law against murder in our ranks, Miss Jackson," Hayes said. Not as a threat, but as a warning.
"Everything we know, including the maps, including your plans, including the event that happened eight years ago, has been recorded. And if we aren't at the Control Centre within an hour, it will be released. So, either you work with us or you kill us, and lose everything."
"We both know you need all the help you can get against Arabel, otherwise you would have done something a long time ago. The choice is yours." Kyra crossed to the door, her hand frozen on the handle. "I hope you make the right one."
In seconds she was in the elevator, her chest heaving shaky breathes. It took all of her self-control not to turn back, to see how James' face had fell as she walked out, to see what exactly the Commander was planning to do to them now.
Ethan slammed the door shut behind them, his lips turned upwards. The sight of it allowed her to breathe freely again.
"You realise we just put targets on our backs, right?" she murmured as she slid to the floor, the metal like ice against her skin. She clutched at her chest as though that would make the pit of nausea disappear.
Ethan nodded. "Big red ones, I bet."
"And you realise there is nothing we can do if they choose to kill us?"
"I do." He slid down beside her.
"Then how are you not as scared as I am?"
He shrugged. "Because I think we actually succeeded. As much as we could given the circumstances."
Kyra leaned back, allowing her body to give in to the heavy feeling weighing on her chest. "I hope so. Then all of this will be worth it."
"What do we do now?" Ethan asked.
Kyra sighed and shook her head. She looked up at him, his childlike joy pulling at her chest. "We wait."
— author's note —
Hey! How is everybody? I hope you're all doing great. :)
Sorry for the hiatus, I'm currently in the middle of my final exams but I knew I had to update eventually haha.
Let me know what you thought of this chapter! All feedback/edit suggestions are much appreciated.
As always, thank you thank you thank you. You guys make the hard parts of writing the best parts. x