Redeemer (9 page)

She hesitates and glances at Fischer.

He turns around long enough to give her a nod. “Hana's right. You can sit there.”

Isabel frowns, but she doesn't say whatever's bothering her. She sinks into the chair and turns her frown on me.

Fischer moves my arm to lay flat on the counter next to my chair, and he rubs it down with an orange liquid.

“You don't have any wood to bite down on, do you?” I ask.

His gaze flies to mine, and I think I see a ghost of a smile, but then it's gone. “Sorry, fresh out. Try to think of something else—anything else.”

I nod and turn away as he sews. The stinging barely burns, but tears spring to my eyes. I blink them away, but they only start running down my cheeks. Annoying, betraying tears. It has to be Fischer's presence.

“You ran away from Lesser 4?” he asks softly.

I nod.

“Where were you going?”

I hesitate and glance at Isabel. She watches us with interest, and it's clear she suspects something is up.

“Here, actually. We saw a flying transporter.”

He frowns and continues sewing. The pain is less when I'm thinking about the mission. “Where were you going before you saw the flier?”

“I don't know. Anywhere but where we were.”

He doesn't respond as he finishes up. A dull ache throbs the length of my arm, and he quickly wraps it in clean bandages. “You're probably not going to have a way to keep that sanitary. Get as much water as you can manage.” He turns to Isabel. “Can I trust you to help her get those out in a few weeks?”

Isabel's eyes widen. “Me?”

“She won't get any medical treatment back in 4.”

Isabel stares for a few minutes but finally returns to her normal, assured self. “OK. I can do it.”

He points to another area on my neck, one I haven't seen. “What happened here? It looks like a burn.”

I shrug, but Isabel speaks up. “She was caught in electro-grass. Got electrocuted.”

His mouth falls open an inch, then he shakes his head and turns away. He moves to clean up his mess, but I grab his arm.

“Fischer, what happened to you?”

He pauses, not looking me in the eye. Finally, he turns away. “I got caught.”

His words feel like Tasers stinging every part of my body, electrifying and painful. Whatever they did to him, it's like he's broken now. Not the Fischer I know.

Icy fear slides up my back. I need Fischer. I need the
him
I've known. The one who got me involved in this fight in the first place. Who else can I trust in this bizarre world?

Dr. Hines will return any minute, then Tucker will haul us back to the holding station. It's now or never.

“Tell me what you need. How to get you out of here.”

“There's nothing we can do, Hana. We're stuck here, at least for now.”

“No, Fischer!” I move toward him quickly. “There has to be something we can do. A way out of here. What are the flying transporters for?”

He frowns and shakes his head. “I don't know. It's the second one they filled up and took away just in the few days I've been here. But Hana, you have to stop. Frost Moon isn't going to keep letting you go.”

I grind my teeth and turn away. “Fine, then I'll do it without your help.”

He grabs me and spins me back toward him. “Look at me, Hana. Do you think these bruises are a joke? They're not, and they'll do the same to you eventually. I'm begging you. Stop now.” He chokes up and looks away, and my anger melts into a puddle at my feet.

My hands move to his face, and I gently finger his bruised skin. “I can get away, if you'll help me. I can find Guard Nev in the west. I can find the other cities again, and get the Free to help.”

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Maybe we've been too idealistic.”

“No, Fischer.” He can't believe that. The only way to win is to stand up and fight. “You don't know the things Frost Moon told me. You didn't hear the things he said to me before sending me away. A war is coming, and being locked up in a Lesser City is no place to be.”

I've piqued his interest, but he glances at the door. Time is too short, and there's no way to lengthen our stay.

“They've likely already reported you as having been caught. Frost Moon has got to be keeping close tabs on you. That means he knows you've escaped. He's probably going to be waiting for you back in Lesser 4, and it isn't going to be pretty.”

I glance at Isabel. She watches us, still with interest, but quiet.

Disregarding her, I step closer to Fischer and stare into his eyes. “Don't give up, Fischer. We can find help. There are others.”

He looks down at me, so close, and inhales. I want him to kiss me. I want him to hold me, to show me he hasn't totally surrendered.

But he moves away. “I'll see what I can do.”

The door opens and Dr. Hines steps in. “Looks like Medic Brown got you all cleaned up.”

I attempt a smile. We must look strange, me standing in the middle of the room and Fischer standing a few feet away.

“Your guard is waiting for you outside. You'd do well not to try this again. It's best to let the Greaters take care of you. They have your best interests at heart.”

Isabel snorts, and I can't even manage a smile now, but I don't hold his words against him. In my experience in Greater City, I realized most of the Greaters don't have a clue what goes on in our country.

“I'll take them out,” Fischer says, but Dr. Hines stops him.

“That's OK, you clean up here.”

Fischer nods and turns, probably trying to keep from drawing undue attention, and Dr. Hines leads us down the short hallways and to the front door.

Tucker scowls at us from the truck, like it's our fault he fainted at the sight of blood.

We climb into the truck bed without being told, but he doesn't go any easier on us as he ties us up. A few moments later, he climbs into the truck and drives away. We arrive at the holding station and shuffle inside before Tucker slams the door behind us. Confused, I turn to Isabel, but she looks just as surprised as I am.

The room is completely full. What are they doing with all these people?

12

 

Benches line the otherwise open room, and every seat is filled with people. We're hustled to a long bench and crowded in with the others on the row.

Once we get over the shock of this place and the mystery of its purpose, Isabel turns to me. “Want to tell me about that?”

I glance at her and shrug. “He was the medic who took care of my mom. He's the one who told me about God.” That's all I want to say about Fischer right now. Seeing him like that makes my heart hurt. This isn't the end for us—not our mission or our relationship.

Nodding toward the others in the room, I ask the question that's plagued me since we first walked in. “What are they doing here?”

Isabel inhales slowly and releases it in a long hiss before she answers. “It's hard to say for sure. If they're taking Lessers away, they must be needing them for something.”

That's what I was afraid of. The prison housed future soldiers for the mother country, but with the prison system destroyed, they might be rounding up random Lessers and shipping them away.

But something seems off-balance. This is way too many people, way too fast. The prison soldiers only left every few months.

“We have to find a way out of here.”

Isabel frowns. “You're kidding, right? I don't see a way out. We're tied up and locked in a guarded room.”

“No. Look at all these people! These guards don't care about us. They won't notice us if we move slowly and make our way toward an exit.”

“What exit are you talking about? You mean the one we came through that's guarded by four men? Or the one to our right that's guarded by a woman and a huge chain?”

I roll my eyes at her lack of faith. “I thought you were a Christian. Where's your trust?”

She pauses and grins. “So the babe in Christ got me. You want to have a prayer service?”

I study the door guarded by the woman. “No, but I want to head toward the back of the room. You see the woman guard? She has keys hanging off her belt. What are the chances one of the keys opens that lock?”

Isabel's eyes widen. “You are crazy.”

“We need a plan.”

Most of the guards stand casually around the room. Getting to the back door without being spotted won't be a problem. The hard part will be getting the keys off the guard's belt, and then distracting everyone enough so they don't notice when we unlock the door.

“Let's make a few friends,” Isabel whispers. “These folks will help us.”

I pause. The more people who are in on the plan, the higher the chance we get caught. But can we do it otherwise? Finally, I nod. “OK. Tell me what to do.”

“Watch and learn.”

Isabel turns to the woman next to her and strikes up a conversation. The woman opens up easily, tears in her eyes. She tells about her father being taken three days ago, and how the guards came for her today. She claims she has no idea why they were taken, and she promises she didn't break any laws.

Poor girl. She has no idea what this country is really all about.

“None of us deserve to be here,” Isabel says.

Which is kind of funny, because maybe out of everyone, Isabel and I do deserve to be here.

“We're going to try to get away, but we need help. Do you think you can help us?”

The girl's eyes widen. She's older than me, but only by a year or two. After she takes in Isabel's words, she nods. “OK. I'll do whatever you need.”

“Do you know any of the others in this room?” Isabel asks.

The girl looks around then nods. “That's Mikel near the door, and his brother Kint. They were in school with me.”

My brain itches to ask if she tested, or if Mikel and Kint tested. Were they even given the chance? But I rein in my thoughts as a plan forms in my mind.

“Do you think they would help us?”

The girl—Cadence—frowns but nods. “I think so. They were nice guys.”

Isabel smiles and pats the girl's shoulder. “Thank you for your help. We're going to try and make our way over there. If we get caught, make like you never spoke to us.”

Cadence's eyes widen further and her face drains to a sickly white, but she manages a nod.

Isabel turns to me and I nod. She smiles. “Take the lead.”

I swallow my nerves and study the room one last time. I could make my way easily just by squatting and crawling a few spaces at a time, but the other captives might get too suspicious, and some of them might not be as willing to help as Cadence.

A couple guards across the room burst out laughing, and all heads turn their way. Now's as good a time as ever.

Squatting like I'm fixing my shoe, I take a few scoots to the right and come up at the next empty seat. The man sitting on the bench beside me frowns. I shake my head and put a finger to my lips. “Please?”

He continues frowning but keeps his mouth shut. After a few minutes, I make another break for it. This time I manage to make it much further.

Isabel has made it to the seat beside the man, and he watches us with interest. He's not the only one. This is getting more and more dangerous.

After a few more scoots, I reach Mikel and Kint. They stare at me expectantly now. Apparently they've been watching me approach.

“I need your help,” I whisper.

Mikel, the older boy, shakes his head. “No way. Hopefully they're going to let us go. We're not doing anything to jeopardize that.”

“They're not going to let you go,” I say. “They're shipping people out every few days.”

“Shipping them out for what?”

“I can't say for sure, but I think it has to do with war.”

The boys don't look surprised at my words, but they don't offer to change their minds, either.

“Please,” I say. “Your friend Cadence told me I could trust you. All I need you to do is create a diversion. Let me get to the back door unnoticed.”

Mikel glances at the guard near the door, and his frown deepens.

Kint isn't like his brother. “I want to help.”

“No, Kint!” Mikel says. He speaks too loudly and quickly glances around, but no one watches us.

“We all know this is not good,” Kint says. “If someone can get out of here, they should do it.”

“Then let's get out ourselves.” Mikel turns to me. “You help us instead.”

Now he's being irrational. “Where would you go? I know why I escape, and where I'm heading. You will escape and help no one. You'll be caught before nightfall.”

He can't argue with that. He finally nods. “Fine. If we are caught, though, I won't hesitate to turn you in.”

I suddenly regret bringing Cadence into this. Will they turn her in, as well? “Fair warning.”

Glancing at Isabel, I see she's only two seats from me. This is good.

I turn back to Mikel and Kint, and nod. “Thank you. Whenever you're ready.”

 

 

 

 

13

 

Mikel and Kint turn away from me and whisper to each other as they come up with a plan. Isabel's eyes question what's going on from a few seats away, but I can only shrug.

Long minutes pass.

Maybe asking Cadence's friends for help was a bad idea.

Just then, Kint falls to the concrete floor and knocks me over with him. I start and jump away, and that's when the groans begin.

“Someone help him!” Mikel kneels beside his brother, cradling him as best he can with all the writhing. “He's sick!”

Several guards glance at each other, frowns on their faces and their stances at the ready. No one is sure what to do, how to help this boy who's apparently being shipped off soon anyway.