Flawed (38 page)

Good enough
, Ellyssa thought. Adrenaline flooding, she bobbed up and down on her feet. “Okay. Who’s first?”

Both Woody and Rein stopped to stare at her.

“What do you mean?” asked Rein.

“Let’s spar.”

A nervous laugh escaped Woody as Rein shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not sparring with you,” Rein said.

Woody confirmed the sentiment with a shake of his head.

Ellyssa studied Rein for a moment, confused. “Why not?”

“I know you’re well-trained, but what if I get lucky and accidently hurt you?”

Ellyssa laughed at the idea. “You’re not going to hurt me. We need to practice. It will be good for the both of us.”

“That’s true. My money’s on Ellyssa,” Woody said, pushing Rein toward her. “Go ahead.”

“Why don’t you give it a whirl?” Rein protested.

“I’m not stupid.”

“That’s a matter of opinion.”

“Please, Rein,” Ellyssa begged. She tugged on his hand. “Your worries are unwarranted.”

Hesitantly, Rein stepped into the middle of the room with Ellyssa. The look on his face was a little comical, yet glum.

Ellyssa said, “I promise, no accidents.”

“It’s not you he’s worried about,” Woody called from the sidelines.

“Shut up.”

“Talk like that, and it won’t be Ellyssa you have to worry about.”

“Any time, little man.”

Laughing, Woody said, “Listen to that trash talk. I get my turn after you, Ellyssa.”

With a smile on her face and the vibration of anticipation humming in her muscles, Ellyssa faced Rein. “Take a swing at me.”

Getting into a fighter’s stance, Rein pulled his hands up to cover his face. Then he stood there.

“Come on,” she encouraged.

“I can’t.” Rein dropped his cover.

“I can.” Ellyssa stepped forward and punched him in the shoulder.

Woody hooted as Rein stumbled back a step.

Pulling his fists back into position, Rein blocked another jab from Ellyssa, then swiped his hand down in a circular motion to stop a sidekick. They circled each other for a minute, her punching, him blocking or ducking her attacks, but he never took a jab of his own. Finally, Ellyssa swung her arms down.

“It doesn’t do any good if you don’t attack me.”

“I don’t want to hit you.”

“If you don’t let me practice, someone else is going to hit me,” Ellyssa lied. Besides her brothers or sister, no one was a match for her.

Rein tossed her a skeptical look, calling her bluff. “I don’t even buy that.”

“Please, Rein. Practice is good for both of us.” Ellyssa brought her hands back up and started to bounce on her feet.

“I’ll take a crack at her.”

Ellyssa turned her head to Ann’s voice; Loreley, in all her dark exotic beauty, stood next to her, at the exact time Rein had finally come to terms with his machismo and let his fist snap forward. He hit Ellyssa right in the sternum. The punch wasn’t hard but caught Ellyssa off guard, violating the first lesson she’d ever learned from any of her dojo instructors—
never take your eyes off the enemy
. Stepping back, more from astonishment than impact, Ellyssa’s head whipped around, her gaze landing on Rein. He dropped his jaw and widened his eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Rein said, reaching for her.

Ellyssa backed away, her chin dipping down. Blood pounded anger through her veins; she felt it feeding her. She wasn’t angry at Rein; she was angry for being complacent even when the fight didn’t involve an actual enemy. Something she wouldn’t let happen again…ever. There were some lessons The Center had taught that should never be forgotten.

Rein let his hand fall to his side. “I really am sorry.”

“No, my fault,” Ellyssa said after taking a deep, calming breath. She didn’t want to hurt Rein. “Come for me.” She beckoned him.

Shaking his head, Rein held his hands up in surrender. “No. I can’t and I won’t.” He turned away and went to stand by Woody.

Ann strolled to the middle of the floor, her red hair twisted into a braid. She gave a subtle glance in Woody’s direction before placing her green eyes on Ellyssa. “I was watching you,” she said. “I hope you’re better than that, or you won’t be much of a challenge for me after all.”

Taking in a deep breath, Ellyssa became aware of everything. The intensity with which Rein and Woody watched her. Loreley making her way over to them. The way Ann sized her up, the sprinkle of freckles across her nose, the flare of her nostrils, the challenging smile crossing her lips. Slipping into the comfortable skin of her training, Ellyssa drank it all in. This was more like it.

Narrowing her eyes, Ellyssa said, “I do not think you need to worry about that.”

The two squared off, then bowed. They dropped into fighting stances. Less than a second later, Ann struck. Ellyssa easily dodged. Dipping down, the redhead tried to sweep Ellyssa’s feet. Ellyssa hopped over. Ann came at her again and again, and Ellyssa blocked every move, never striking back.

Fury started to flick in Ann’s eyes. “You’re looking,” she accused. She propped her hands on her hips.

For a brief moment, Ellyssa was confused by the statement. Then, she understood that Dr. Loki had talked about them. And why wouldn’t he? Secrecy in this small population could lead to mistrust.

Ellyssa shook her head. “I am sorry, but I am not,” she argued, her tone stilted as it always was when her soldiering side came out to play.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Besides Dr. Ito, and I give him a challenge, no one can beat me.”

A grin popped onto Ellyssa’s face. “I hate to inform you of this, but you have just met the one person who will beat you without the aid of my…gift. To rely on a specific talent weakens your ability to respond. You never know when a certain capability might be rendered useless,” she said, thinking about her brother Xaver, or even Dr. Loki, for that matter. Although Ellyssa’s gift was unique, it wasn’t infallible.

Peering at Ellyssa through narrowed lids, Ann seemed to consider what Ellyssa had said. Finally, she removed her hands from the perch on her hips. “That makes sense.” A slight twitch curled the corner of her mouth. “Let’s see what you can teach me, then.”

With a renewed vigor, Ann brought what she had, and Ellyssa countered, practicing her blocks. She had to give the redhead credit; Ann was good, her strikes unrelenting and executed well. When Ann started to show signs of weariness, Ellyssa ended the training. Ann ended up on the ground with Ellyssa’s foot pressed against her throat.

Trista, who’d entered earlier with Dyllon, clapped. “That was awesome,” she commended. “You still have to teach me, like you promised.”

Smiling down at her opponent, Ellyssa removed the threat and reached down to help Ann to her feet. “You’re good,” she complimented.

“You’re not too bad yourself,” Ann said with an eye roll. Returning Ellyssa’s grin, she straightened out her top. “There is a lot you can teach all of us.”

Ellyssa laughed as they went to the side of the room where Rein, Woody and the others stood. She liked the redhead.

Maybe she’d made a new friend. Although she still didn’t care for the way Ann looked at Woody.

Commandant Baer shivered in the corner of the room, the furnace standing like an ominous presence in the center, serving as a constant reminder of all the dead people he’d fed through the metal mouth. Freezing wind whipped around the outside of the building, crawling beneath the crack of the door and penetrating through the grey bricks. Vapory breath escaped in puffs from between Hans’ lips. Another tremor rocked his body and clacked his teeth together.

Like a common Renegade, Hans’ hands were cuffed together behind his back, where a chain led to another set of cuffs tightened around his ankles. His usually pristine
Waffenrock
was crumpled and dirt, his medals stripped from his breast.

The pain of the girl’s infernal fire and ice through his veins still raged unrelentingly within his memories. He’d thought, during his career, that he had known how to torture. He had no clue.

Aalexis was a master.

He had also had no clue what true pain felt like, and how there was no way to escape it. He’d tried. God, how he had tried. But he’d failed. At the time, he couldn’t think of anything but how much he hurt. It dominated his thoughts in a perpetual loop. Even now, he still couldn’t escape the phantom pain.

Hans hadn’t talked, though. Somehow through all the misery, he’d kept his mouth shut, refusing to answer any of the questions the little bitch and her bastard brother had bombarded him with. Not that he could have, anyway. Their words had meant nothing to him; he couldn’t grasp onto a single syllable, much less comprehend what they were saying. The intensity of the torment dominated his thoughts.

Maybe that was something Aalexis had never considered.

Hans had a new respect for the people he’d thought inferior. Their resolve was beyond commendable.

Taking in a deep breath that felt like ice picks nicking his lungs, Hans tried to concentrate on how to stop Aalexis and Xaver. How was it that the colonel and general, and all any of the other superiors, did not see that everyone would become extinct to make way for the new world order?

How could they be so stupid?

But Hans knew. The possibility of uncontested power beyond the scope of what was known blinded them with temptation. They were too thick to realize that they wouldn’t be able to control the young girl. No one could. Despite Aalexis’ own outward appearance, Hans doubted that even
she
had full control over herself.

Fruitlessly, he struggled against the cuffs, trying to yank his hands through the cinched metal. All he accomplished was pinching his skin. If he could somehow slip his hands through the connecting chain and under his feet, he could at least have them in front, where his movements wouldn’t be as restricted.

The chain limited his ability to bend forward, which would be much easier for a man his age to do. Instead, Hans fell to his side and tried bending his back in an awkward position. The chains clinked together, a tinny ring, as he struggled against his bindings.

Hans was getting nowhere fast. Frustrated, he thrashed about, bending back and forth until exhaustion grabbed hold and left him on the cold floor, panting.

What would happen if he got free, anyway? Burst through the door and end up with a significant hole through his chest?

Resigned, Hans settled on the cold floor, feeling the heat slowly seep from his body, like it was draining through a sieve.

Dr. Loki looked up from a map he had spread across the table when Ellyssa trailed behind the others into his office. Ann, Loreley and Dr. Ito were sitting in the chairs. Trying to be unnoticed, Ann stole a glance at Woody before turning away.

“As promised, an aerial view,” Dr. Loki said.

The map showed a detailed image of Amarufoss’ compound. Digital whites and dark browns showed the layout of the land, while greys and reds showed buildings.

“How’d you get that?” Woody asked.

“We pinged a satellite and downloaded it.”

Nestled within the crook of Dyllon’s arm, worry crinkled Trista’s brow. “Is that safe? What if they traced you?”

“They didn’t.”

“But how do you know?”

“We have our safeguards. If anyone noticed, all they read was cyber-dust. Don’t worry. We’ve been doing this for years. Our computer whiz kid is good at his job.” Dr. Loki turned the image around so that everyone could see. “I wouldn’t jeopardize our establishment. Not for you. Not for anyone.

“To continue. On this side,” the doctor said, pointing toward the right side of the map, “are the male prisoners. Over here are the females. A brick wall separates the two. The perimeter exterior consists of a chainlink fence, and the interior is a four-meter wall. The main gate”—his finger slid across the map to another break in the perimeter—“and the delivery gate.”

“As for the buildings”—Dr. Loki started to point at the various grey and red buildings—“the main office of the Commandant, the garage, and here is a new addition, but I don’t have the slightest clue what its use is.”

Ellyssa memorized the details as Dr. Loki continued showing the prisoner barracks, soldier barracks, another office and the building believed to be used for the extermination of what society considered dregs. A knot formed in Ellyssa’s throat as she thought about Mathew, about all the others, wondering who had survived and who hadn’t. The rest of her Missouri family must have shared her sentiment, because they all looked away. Trista covered her face with a hand.

Dr. Loki paused, apparently sensing the dark cloud that had settled over the room. After a few seconds had passed, he cleared his throat. “We haven’t gone anywhere near the base since they doubled the patrols. It was safer to keep away, for obvious reasons.” He opened a folder. “Based on collected data, perimeter patrols are conducted every ten to twenty minutes. Both gates are always manned.

“There is a port between the fences filled with razor wire, and both fences have it strung on top. The bad thing about razor wire is, if you get caught by it, it will slice you to ribbons. The good thing is, when cut, the two ends will lie over, leaving a small opening.”

Studying the map, Woody ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Rein and Ellyssa with grey eyes filled with hopelessness. “How are we going to breach that?”

Dr. Loki said, “My advice is to go in at night. As I’ve already stated, we can’t help you, but we can give you the tools needed to cut the wires, clothing that will conceal you in the dark, and quieter weapons.”

Ann frowned. “What do you mean, we aren’t going to help them?”

“Ann, you know we can’t. We can’t jeopardize this institution.”

“And you speak for all of us?”

Leaning over the table, Dr. Ito said, “Our time will come.”

Ann flashed the
sensei
an irritated glare. “When? When exactly is that? You’ve been telling us that for years. Loreley and myself, and everyone else for that matter, have trained for something like this since we were little children. Right now is the perfect time to test our skills.”