Stronger (25 page)

No visible crack. Again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Finally! Mist pours from the gaping whole torn into the side.

“Second wave, follow me,” Ian yells, opening the door and charging out to attack the Orions.

With shouts and cries the rest of the rebels guarding the entrance run after him. Ty gives me a nod before joining the charge. As the door slides shut, only the four of us moving the ram are left inside.

“Haul!” Zac yells. “One. Two. Three. Four.”

As soon as the ram is in place it’s already striking at the statue.

Something is banging on the entrance doors.

Spencer pales when he looks that way. “They’re breaking through our lines. We’ve got to get out there.”

“Lexie, you finish here, then set the bomb and get out.” Zac unsheathes his sword. “We’ll hold them off.”

Eddie and Spencer don’t hesitate. They pick up their weapons and follow him out, leaving me alone.

The sound of the tool striking is barely audible over the cacophony of battle through the open doorway, but the impact hits me like a charging grizzle. I shake out my vision and a small line is already visible where the ram hit. One more time should do it. Before I can push the button something bulls me over. I land on my back, breathless.

I blink trying to understand what happened. Eclipse’s beautifully angry face glares down at me, his wings dripping with blood. He’s standing above me, a Musk battle-axe in his hand.

Eclipse spins, smashing the ram in two with a single blow from the axe. Eclipse brings the axe down again and again, and I cover my face from the flying bits of machinery. Grabbing my knife, I jump to my feet, swinging at Eclipse. He dodges back and I only scrape a wing. My gaze catches on the broken battering ram. All that remains is the long spike lying in a pile of twisted metal, crushed beyond repair like our hope for the resistance.

Starburst and Silvercloud fly through the opening, and hover in the air behind Eclipse. I look down at the knife in my hand and grip it tight. My sweaty palm makes the metal slick. Eclipse starts toward me, raising the axe. Before the blade can drop, a gunshot echoes through the dome. Eclipse clutches his shoulder, golden blood seeping through his fingers. Bryant is standing in the doorway, a Musk rifle in one hand, a knife in the other.

Those drops of blood renew my hope. The two hovering Orions turn to face Bryant. I slash at Eclipse, who drops the axe as he retreats. His wound is healing, but slower than I would have expected. Bryant drops the single-shot rifle and runs to my side.

Starburst speaks, like seductive music. “How could you think to hurt me, love?” she asks. She glides forward and runs her fingers up the back of Bryant’s neck; goose bumps break out along his skin. “I’ll forgive you for before if you kill her now.”

I remember how strong the compulsion is when they’re touching someone, even with the ear filters. My lips thin into a straight line and I knock her hand away. “Get your hands off of him.”

She laughs and backhands me with such force that I’m thrown across the room. With an unforgiving thud I crash into the wall and land in a painful heap on the stone ground. My head is throbbing and several bones mend themselves as I stand on wobbly legs. The room spins and there are two of everyone.

Bryant spins and lashes out with his blade toward Starburst but she glides out of reach. Eclipse and Silvercloud take to the air as Bryant whips around and slashes his knife toward them. Eclipse goes low and the edge of his wing catches Bryant’s gut. Bryant sucks in a loud breath as he stumbles back. There’s a large slash across his stomach. He puts his hands to it and blood pulses through his fingers.

“Bryant!” I scream. I rush toward him, tripping over the spike of the battering ram. It doesn’t even budge. He backs to me, his eyes on our enemies. “Can you lift it by yourself?”

I glance between the spike and Bryant before nodding.

“Then finish the job. I’ve got this.” He grips his knife tighter and charges the Orions.

Gritting my teeth, I drag the spike toward the last statue. Using two hands, I heft it like spear, smashing the tip into the statue. The previous tiny crack lengthens a hair. I pull it back again, my arm muscles quivering. It’s ripped from my hands. I wheel around and find myself face to face with Eclipse and Starburst. Eclipse holds the spear, wielding it like a club, slamming it against my skull and my head slaps to the side. The room shimmers and shakes like a swinging bell, or is it only my head that’s moving? I collapse to the floor. Blood gushes down from the wound. I put my hand to it and can feel the bone rebuilding.

An elegant booted foot catches me in the jaw, knocking my teeth together. Eclipse swings the weapon again and directs it across my back, hitting my spine. My limbs go numb and I can’t move them at all. I scream as he hits me with it again. Bones are crunching, organs being pulverized. And the Orions don’t stop. Through wet eyes, I see Bryant wrestling with Silvercloud. He gets a wing to the throat as he stabs his blade into Silvercloud’s side. Bright yellow blood leaks from the wound, spilling to the ground.

Starburst grabs me by my throat and lifts me so we’re face to face. I hang like a limp rag doll, my limbs useless. She shakes me and yells at me in a language I don’t understand. I’m losing consciousness, my pain flickering into a tiny dot. But that dot shakes and stretches like a caged animal trying to break free, joining my anger from seeing the genocide of the Debs. It builds, expanding until it explodes like a volcanic eruption, sending a wave of pain so fierce that I momentarily lose my vision. A scream I recognize as my own bounces off the wall.

And then my body is on fire, pulsing with energy, with strength.

I scratch at her face, drawing golden blood that trails down her surprisingly soft cheek. The wound heals, leaving no trace of a scar, just like mine. One of her hands still clutches my throat, but her other hand smacks me across the face. It hurts but the bone doesn’t give way.

I grin.

“What are you?” she asks.

In answer, I bring my elbow down on her arm and punch my other hand into her face. She drops me as she stumbles back, crashing into Eclipse, who drops the spike. I dive-roll to the side, picking up the spear as I roll. I come up swinging and catch Starburst in the bundle of nerves in her back. She falls to the floor, and the other two plummet as well.

“Bryant!” I yell. “The oxygen bomb. Start the timer!” I clutch the spike and run to the last statue as he stumbles to the bomb, blood seeping from his stomach and neck. Two more hits with the heavy instrument leave a small opening and a thin trail of mist escapes. “That will have to do.”

I join Bryant at the bomb. He stares at it, shaking his head. “They’re missing. The timer, the switch, all the controls. They’re gone.” Sure enough, the box of electronics has been ripped loose. The Orions must have destroyed it when we were fighting. “How do we set it off?”

I look down at our oxygen bomb. All that’s left are the tanks and hoses I know so well from the greenhouse. Deep inside, where a small arm could barely reach, I see a hose connector and a release valve. How many times have I had to reach back and connect a hose like that? I almost laugh. The job our rebellion needs to survive is something only a Deb knows how to do, a task for someone with skinny arms and years of practice in menial labor. It has to be me. I always wanted to be a hero. Here’s my chance.

“I know what we need. C’mon.” I grab Bryant and help him to the door. I grab the collar of his shirt and give Bryant a short, hard kiss.

“It was real for me, too,” I say. Then I shove him out. His look of surprise turns to anger as I shut the door in his face and set the lock. He’s screaming and pounding on the glass door. It takes all I have to turn and walk away from his pleading cries.

Kneeling next to the bomb, I slip my arm down between the tanks and hoses. By feel, from years of practice, I twist the connector hose until it comes loose. My hand moves to the release valve and pauses.

“No!” Starburst says, staggering to her feet. “Stop, whatever you’re doing.” Her hand is resting against one of the statues and her body glows. She looks more beautiful then I’ve ever seen her, like her body is greedily soaking in all the power and glory of the idol. She smiles, her eyes locking with mine. Eclipse and Thundercloud rise behind her, each one placing a hand to an idol.

The weight of their combined gazes forces the air from my lungs. Starburst glides toward me. “Come to me.” The power of her voice overwhelms my filters and I hesitate. More than anything I want to please her. “We won’t hurt you.” I shake my head, my ears buzzing with the wrongness of her words.

My internal voice is shouting at me not to trust them. It’s like walking through waist-deep snow, but I disobey them, turning toward the bomb.

“Stop!” she shouts. Eclipse and Thundercloud join in her plea.

I don’t listen. I twist the release valve. Pure oxygen jets out, poisoning the air in a deadly burst. I’m gasping for breath, crawling for the door as Starburst screams, blue veins popping up along her skin. Her beauty fades, aging her into an old witch from a child’s fairytale. Green viscous liquid seeps from the cracks in the idols, bubbling and spitting. Eclipse and Thundercloud wither into dust as the green slime splatters them.

My lungs are on fire, each breath an inferno of pain. I fall to my stomach using my elbows to propel me further. Bryant’s face is pressed against the glass door, his fists hammering against it. I need to reach him. My body is heavy, so heavy. One more pull forward. I can do it.

Black spots pop in front of my eyes. I drag myself up, sitting on one hip, and collapse against the door, my fingers splayed on the cold glass.

“Bryant,” I say weakly.

He spreads his hand against the barrier between us, aligning his hand with mine. I wish I could touch him one last time. Behind Bryant, Ty struggles against Zac, his mouth twisted in pain. Eddie is restraining my dad. My vision starts to fade, and I can’t see anything past Bryant’s blue eyes.

“Did it work?” My words sound slurred.

“Yes, the Orions are dying. All of them.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Open the door, Lexie.”

“I can’t. The oxygen. It will spread. Tell my family I love them.” My head lolls to the side, my forehead resting against the cold glass. I cough, blood filling my mouth. It hurts to talk but, there’s still more I need to say. “I’ve loved you since I was four. I never stopped. I love you.”

His eyes grow moist, and his mouth moves. As much as I want to hear his words, the rumbling of the ground around me washes them away. The whole dome shakes. Even with the hazy darkness of my vision, I see the strange glow coming from the oozing cracks in the statues. The idols are glowing brighter and brighter until they’re an intense white. A pulse as bright as lightning spreads through the room.

My head flops to the side and my eyes go back to Bryant, memorizing his features. “We won.”

“We did,” he agrees.

I close my eyes at the brightness and smile. Then there’s nothing else.

When my eyes open, I’m surprised to be alive. I thought I’d died, but I recognize the pattern of dots on the ceiling I’m staring up at. I’m in the infirmary, back at headquarters. A machine quietly beeps at my bedside. Patches of sticky tape adhere wires to my wrist and chest. I blink a few times and let my gaze wander around the room.

A figure is sleeping in the chair beside my bed. The beeping of the machine picks up. “Bryant?”

He’s instantly awake. “Lexie! She’s up!” He’s out of his seat, sitting beside me, taking my hand in his. Footsteps thunder down the hall and suddenly I’m surrounded by Ty and my parents.

“Did it work?” I ask in a rusty voice.

My mom sits on my other side and grabs my hand. With our fingers entwined she wipes away her tears. “Yes, you saved us all.”

“How am I alive?” I take a deep breath; it doesn’t hurt. “I breathed in oxygen. A lot of it. And then there was the radiation from the statues.”

My dad scowls at me. “You weren’t supposed to sacrifice yourself like that.” He swallows hard. “You promised me.”

He scoots the chair to the head of my bed, his eyes searching my face. “Why did you do that?”

“Because it was a job for a Deb.” I explain about the damaged bomb and the hard-to-reach valves.

Ty shakes his head. “It all came down to your skills as a Deb?”

“Not exactly. There were a few times when my strength and healing came in handy.”

Bryant laughs, then cradles his stomach with a grimace.

“How are you?” My hand goes to the stitches on his neck.

Bryant shrugs. “I’m fine. It only nicked the artery.”

“He was out cold for two days!” Ty says shoving his friend in the shoulder. “The idiot got a hazmat suit and went in after you as soon as the Square was cleared of survivors.”

“He needed medical attention,” my mom says, squeezing my hand. “He was heavily bleeding when he carried you out.”

Ty snorts. “I tried to take you from him but he practically snarled at me like a rabid panthacat.”

“You did?” I ask, my eyes going wide.

Bryant nods solemnly, the tips of his ear turning bright red. “You’ve still saved my life more times than I’ve saved yours. I was trying to even it up.”

I smile. “I’m so glad I’m alive. I was afraid the last time I ever saw you would be when I was at the glass wall, you all fighting to get to me.”

My dad frowns. “I’ve spoken to Eddie about his insubordination.”

Ty smirks. “Yeah. And Zac’s nose and I had a conversation, too.”

I laugh. Just because I can, I take a deep breath, grateful that my lungs work. But how is that possible? I turn to my mom. “Did the oxygen kill anyone? Or the radiation? How did I survive it?”

“We don’t know how you survived the oxygen,” my dad says. He uses his toes to roll back and forth in the stool. “We have a theory. You were exposed to it at the greenhouse, and again when they had you fight with Bryant in that box. You must have built up a tolerance.”

“It’s the best we can figure,” Mom says.

I frown. “But nobody builds up a tolerance to oxygen.”

Dad smiles. “You’re not just anyone. You’re unique.”

Mom uses her free hand to smooth back my hair. “As for the radiation, the Musks had a final present for us. A treatment for the radiation. But you didn’t seem to need it. You were already on the mend.”

I manage a small smile. “So we won?”

“Yes, all the Orions’ ships exploded when they died, like they were linked. The surviving Musks are returning to their own planet, and a group of Vals is accompanying them, to finalize a treaty.”

Ty sits in a chair and leans back. “Don’t let them fool you. Everything is a mess. Some people are still clinging to the Orions’ lies. The whole population is going through compulsion withdrawal. It will take a while to clean up.”

“I hadn’t thought about what would come after,” I say.

“Your Uncle did,” my mom says. “He had a plan in place.”

“Where is Uncle Charlie?”

Tears are pooling in Mom’s eyes as she shakes her head. “He didn’t make it. He died a true Val hero. One of the greatest.”

Her words leave me speechless, unable to comprehend that my uncle, the one who protected me all those years ago, is gone. The blackness of that thought, the pain of it, is too much. I push it away, mopping up the tears dripping down my cheeks with the scratchy blanket covering me.

“He left instructions for me, his plans for rebuilding our world.” My dad looks like the burden of being in charge is already getting to him. “I’ll do my best to lead the people.” We won, but now the rebuilding begins.

I nod and wipe my eyes again. “You’ll be a great leader. So it’s over? The Orions? And the Musk war?”

“We think so.” My dad sighs and I can hear the tension, worry, and stress he’s carrying. “Only time can tell. There might be more Orions out there. Who knows?”

After that we talk for a while, about mundane things, setting aside the serious topics for a while.

My parents ignore several calls on their signacoms before they’re forced to respond. They each give me a hug before they go, promising they’ll bring their dinner and eat in the infirmary with me. Ty’s squad leader calls him away too. He ruffles my hair and gives Bryant a pointed glare that says, “I’m watching you,” before leaving the two of us alone.

“What’s it like out there?” I ask Bryant.

“The Vals are trying to figure out how to cook and clean for themselves since there are no Debs anymore.”

“None?”

Bryant gently takes my hand. “Not that we can see.”

Guilt heavier than any weight I’ve ever lifted settles in my chest, the kind I don’t think will ever fade. “They died because of me. The Orions were searching for me. I wanted to save them but I couldn’t.”

Bryant kisses my hand. “You can’t think like that. You saved Earth. The Orions were going crazy. They wiped out the Debs, not you.”

“I guess not all the Debs are gone. I’m a Deb. Proud to be one.” I take an uneven breath. “But don’t expect me to be doing everyone’s chores.”

“You aren’t a normal Deb. You never were.” Bryant laughs. He puts his arm around me, careful of the wires attached to me. “But don’t worry; nobody’s brave enough to try ordering you around. You’re a hero. You saved us all. Some Vals are even trying to have their scars removed so they can look more like you.”

I consider a world where I’m the standard of beauty and can’t begin to fathom it.

“What am I going to do now? I don’t belong anywhere.”

“You do belong here. With your family.” He gives me a small smile. “With me.”

He laces our fingers together. “What do you want?”

“Besides my family? You,” I say honestly.

“You already have me. Although I might be fighting off my fellow warriors for your affection now. Several of them are asking for Sarallin tattoos in your honor.”

“Why?”

“There were cameras in the Square, capturing everything you did. They all saw you in full-out warrior mode. ” He gives me an appraising look and a rueful grin. “It was hot.”

I laugh and blush.

“They keep making excuse to stop by and check up on you. But Ty has been outside keeping them away.”

“So you got Ty’s approval, huh?”

“It seems so.” He gives me a soft kiss. “So, like I said, you’ve got me. And your family. What else do you want?”

“I’m not sure. I never really thought I’d be here.” I sit up, the tape pulling at the hairs on my arm as I readjust. “Maybe you can help me figure it out.”

“I’d love to.”

Smiling, Bryant pulls up an image on his signacom. “The skies over the academy,” he says. “Notice what’s missing?”

I stare at the clear night skies. Not a single Orion vessel mars the perfection of the starry night. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is,” he says. But he’s staring at me, not his screen. I give him a kiss on his cheek, and rest my head on his shoulder, studying the beautiful evening on the screen, admiring the clusters of stars. One stands out to me, twinkling happily in a bright cluster of others, looking completely content, embraced in love and acceptance.

I try to imagine the life ahead of me, the future I never thought I’d have. My Uncle Charlie saved me when I was five, and I’ve survived more things than I can count, but holding Bryant’s hand like this, staring into his eyes, I know I never really started living until today.

The end.