Ash (35 page)

I hoped they would get to Madden in time. Just a week ago I hated the future minister, thought she was the biggest hypocrite in all of Spectrum. I’d been wrong. “You’ll make it,” I told her. “You have to.”

“Dax,” Madden said, her voice so slight I had to put my head down to her lips just to hear her. “You need to know… if I don’t make it. You’re the minister. Not me.”

She had to be delirious. “What?”

Madden strained to speak. “Our destinies were swapped.”

“Dax come on,” Link said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet.

I stood motionless.

“Dax,” Link yelled.

“Go,” Sol said, giving me a pointed look. “You heard what she said, Dax. You have to make it out.”

“What are you talking about? What was
she
talking about?” I had a million questions, but there was no time for answers. Guards were heading toward us, their footsteps growing louder. If I didn’t move, Link was going to carry me out of there.

“Let’s go,” my brother ordered. “And keep your head down in case there are any hovercams.”

I pulled down the brim of my cap and followed him out the door. Once we rounded the corner, it was a straight shot to the side entrance. Link and I sprinted side-by-side, our tread light over the carpeting. We reached the door and didn’t stop, dashing out into the trees behind the building. My mind kept playing over what Madden had said, but I forced myself to push the thoughts aside. I needed to focus on making it to the Tombs alive.

Up ahead, Oena, Thom, and Zane slipped down the same entrance we’d arrived through. As they disappeared I ran even faster. “Come on,” I yelled to Link. When we reached the entrance it was still propped up. I yanked it open, and Link and I climbed down into the Tombs.

Zane nodded as we joined them. “Good,” he said. “Gang’s all here. I was afraid you weren’t coming. Let’s go.”

I yanked my glasses and cap off and stuffed them in my bag before following. We ran in silence for over an hour, winding one way, then another, but always heading more or less down. It was dark and I strained to hear anything beyond the sound of our feet pounding over the ground, but the tombs were silent. Zane called back several times with warnings of rubble or holes to avoid, his voice hushed but still carried. Eventually the tunnel stopped. A mound of rocks and beams barred our way—it looked as though the cave had collapsed going forward. I wondered if we had somehow taken a wrong turn along the way.

Zane didn’t seem concerned, though, nor particularly winded. He leaned against a boulder, blending into the darkness. A moment later the others caught up, and Zane flicked on the dim light of his tracker.

“Secret entrance,” he said softly, beckoning us to follow as he disappeared behind a boulder twice my height. “Come on and stay close. This part is tricky.”

He flashed the light over the rock, revealing a thin black opening. Even in full light I’d have missed it. I squeezed in after him, trying to ignore the images of rockslides and cave-ins my imagination was conjuring. Link followed right behind, and a few minutes later we emerged into a large cavern. Several dark shapes filled the space. Subway cars, I realized, as Zane walked toward one.

He wrenched open a door and bounded inside. A blaze of light greeted me as I followed, and I was momentarily stunned. It looked like someone’s house. A couch and round table sat at one end. Bunk beds were built into the other side of the room. Several metal poles ran from ceiling to floor throughout the space, one of which Zane grasped. “It’s good to be home,” he yelled, laughing freely as he spun himself around.

He stopped mid-rotation, his face maybe six inches from my own. Brown curls framed his face and his mouth stretched into a satisfied smile. “Now that’s what I call a successful mission,” he said. “Nice work on your part.”

I stepped away from him, not sure what to make of the theatrics. “I don’t think I’d call it a success,” I said. “Madden was really hurt.”

He shrugged. “A little blood loss is good for the soul. Builds character.”

Link joined my side, crossing one arm in front of the other. He was bigger than Zane, but only just. “Madden helped us escape, and we left her in a pool of blood. You think that’s something to joke about?” His voice was low, the warning obvious.

Zane held up his hands. “Peace, Link. No harm meant.” He broke away from the pole, sliding open a drawer I hadn’t noticed. “No one will let a future minister go untended. Still, if it makes you both feel better, I’ll check.” He pulled out a plexi, tapping his fingers over the surface. A moment later he nodded. “Airlifted, stable condition. She’ll be fine. As will we, now that we’re free.”

He reached out a hand to Link. My brother hesitated, but finally nodded. I let out a breath of relief as the two shook. Zane grinned, then turned to his sister, sweeping Oena from the ground and twirling her around the room.

Oena shrieked with laughter, and like that, enthusiasm infected us all. Thom whooped from beside me and Oena squeezed my shoulders. “We did it,” she said. Even Raze was smiling.

“Yes we did,” I said, turning to Link to give him a fierce hug.

He hugged me back before pulling away. “I still can’t believe this. How in crilas did any of this even happen?”

“I
told
you I knew people who could help,” I said. “Are you angry?”

“Shocked more than anything. You saved my life. I’m grateful for that, I am. But Dax, what you did was crazy. You could have been caught. If you were, you’d have been warded at best. More likely removed.” He looked down at his hands. They were still streaked with blood. “Madden was
shot
.”

“I know,” I replied. “But it sounds like she’s okay. You know she’ll have the best treatment they can provide.”

He nodded slowly, hopefully. “How did you get involved in this. And how did
she
? It’s,” he paused, trying to find the right word. “It’s not like her.”

So I gave him the short story of everything that had happened, ending with Madden. “I was desperate,” I explained, “so I asked her for help. I knew she cared about you. I took a gamble on how much. When she said yes… I guess, there’s a lot more to Madden than I realized.” Which was a colossal understatement if she’d been telling the truth in that last minute. “Our destinies switched,” she had said. They were the ravings of someone seriously injured. They had to be. Right?

Before I could ask Link about it, a door on the far side of the subway car slid open. The two brothers I’d met at the rendezvous in the Ash zone walked in. This time they wore pure black, as did the four others—two men, two women—who followed them in. “Zane,” the larger of the two brother’s shouted. “Hail, captain,” the other hollered. This was followed by a lot of complicated handshaking and backslapping between the whole group.

Oena walked over to us then. “Dax, I’ve got a team checking the route back to Yellow before we send you home. It shouldn’t be much longer. Your tracker is showing you on a run right now through Green. It will be a hard path to trace if there are patrols out looking for you. Just stick to what your map says if anyone asks and you should be fine.

“Okay,” I said. “Will I still be able to talk to Link when I get back?”

Oena paused, considering, then grabbed my wrist. She frowned as she tapped over it, then released my arm back to me. “I’ve added another channel in here to speak with Link. Don’t worry, it’s untraceable—all of our programs should be. We’ll set Link up with a modified tracker too.”

She saw my look of happiness and held up one hand in caution. “For emergencies only. We can’t be too careful. Understood?”

“Sure,” I agreed. “Thank you.”

“Good. Now let me introduce you to the others.”

For the next little while I actually found myself having fun. There was the residual exhilaration of having gotten away with breaking three people out of prison. And then there was the simple happiness of standing next to my brother. What I hadn’t counted on was what it would feel like to be surrounded by people who all wanted to talk to me. No wonder the Purples got to school early. More and more groups of people stopped in. Five here, ten there, until soon the space was packed. I noticed that all went to Zane first. Some were genuinely happy to see him. Others seemed more reserved, almost nervous. Their clothing varied. Most wore black, but there was still color in the mix from most of the rings. Whether their designations were true was another story. Despite Link’s initial unease, he was soon talking to various groups. The conversations ranged from radical changes to the system to smaller ideas that I knew could make a difference. No one here cared about the destinies they’d been born with. They spoke like people in control of their futures, with choices to make. I found myself thinking they were right.

Soon enough I got the signal that it was time to go. I realized I had no idea when I would see Link again. “You’ll be okay?” I asked.

He looked around at the people surrounding us, nodding. “Yeah, actually, I think I will,” he said. We walked off to the side of the crowd gathered. “I still can’t believe this is real. That Revenants actually exist. Or that Aldan was dating one.” His face still had the shell-shocked look whenever he said Aldan’s name. I recognized it from my own. “Maybe this is where I was meant to be. I might even be able to do some good here. I’ll miss you though. All of you.”

“I’ll come down here when I can.”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t get mixed up with this group. After this, the PAE will be looking for a reason to get back at our family.”

I didn’t want to argue, but I needed him to understand. “It’s my fight too,” I said. “You’re not the only one who gets to take a stand for what you believe in.”

He was silent for a moment, considering. “I just worry about you.”

“I know. I worry about you too. I wish I could tell Mom, Dad, and everyone that you’re okay.”

“They’re better off not knowing,” he said. “I might not be able keep you out of this world, but we can keep them out of it. Okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed.

“And try to stay low for awhile,” he warned again. “As a Blank, you’re going to be a prime suspect.”

“I know,” I said. “About that… Madden said something to me at the UV building.” Even thinking about saying the words aloud felt surreal, but I needed to tell someone. “She said my destiny and hers were switched at birth. She said I was supposed to be the minister.” I held up a hand, anticipating Link’s response. “I know it sounds impossible. Of course destinies can’t be switched, but, well, what do you think?”

Link looked at me, doubtful. “I don’t know, Dax. She was hurt pretty badly. Chances are she was delirious.”

“I know,” I said. “I thought that too, but Sol heard us talking. He wasn’t surprised. I could see it on his face. He believed what she told me. He thinks I’m the future minister, not Madden.”

“Dax?” a voice interrupted. Zane stood there, an eyebrow raised. “The tunnel is clear. It’s time to go.”

“I’ll be right there,” I said.

“Meet me at the door when you’re ready. I’ll escort you myself.” He nodded to Link before walking back into the gathering.

Link watched him walk away, his expression unreadable.

“So what do you think?” I said.

“I think you should be careful around that guy. Maybe we can have Oena or someone else take you.”

“Stop, I’m not worried about Zane. Everyone here trusts him. I mean, he’s their leader, right? I’m probably safer with him than anyone else. But I was talking about what Madden said. What do you think?” I pressed.

“Honestly, it sounds pretty looped out. I don’t know.” He looked lost in thought. “For now you just need to get home. Wait until Madden is better, then ask her. If it’s true, she’ll tell you.”

Link reached out and crushed me into another hug, then held me out, both hands on my shoulders. “Be careful, Dax.” He glanced over to where Zane was waiting for me. “And let’s not trust these people completely. Not yet, okay?”

Typical big brother, I thought. He’d still be trying to protect me when we were old. If we made it that long. “Sure,” I said. I gave him one last hug before I followed after Zane.

I said quick goodbyes to the others before leaving the car, then Zane and I walked back out into the tombs, heading the opposite way we’d come from.

We made our way in companionable silence. It didn’t take long before we stood under a short ladder. I zipped out of my worker’s uniform. Underneath I wore my typical t-shirt and pants. I handed the uniform back to him. Moonlight seeped in from a grate overhead casting long shadows over us both.

“Thanks for the escort,” I said.

“It’s
you
I should be thanking,” Zane replied. I’d seen him exuberant, obnoxious, crazy even. This was the first time he’d been serious. “You saved my life,” he continued. “I won’t forget that.”

I shrugged, suddenly awkward. “You’re welcome. You should thank Oena, though. And Thom. They were the ones who organized everything.”

“But you were the one who put the group together. Like calls to like. I recognize another leader when I meet one.” He tilted his head to one side, his expression curious. “Oena tells me you’re a Blank, like me.”

I nodded.