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While waiting for Inese to give the all clear, we settled into an open section of an abandoned subway train. A small generator ran a single light in each car—bare, blue efficiency lights that flickered from the ceiling. I paced the tiny car for a long time before finally wandering into the front car. The room was stripped of seating. Mom and Dad slept on the floor, with Dad’s arm wrapped around Mom as she snuggled close. They were as safe as they could be, given the circumstances.
A few other rebel families still slept in their individual subway cars. They were the families who hadn’t been able to go out and fight. Pops wrote them a note to take to Anna, details on how to get in contact with a resistance group in Helsinki who could help these people find a new place to live.
I wasn’t sure what good that would do. In my boredom I’d been fiddling with the flower charm, and I’d accidently sensed their despair. Their spirits were broken. After the battle, they’d lost hope of ever finding their missing family.
But I couldn’t let their despair get me down. They were the reason I fought alongside the Coalition. Somehow, I’d find a way to protect them. Or, if not them, people like them.
Pops snored on the side bench in the next car, one leg stuck out uncomfortably while his arm rested on the other. He jerked restlessly. Though he’d told me that he once worked for the Camaraderie as a doctor who performed the Health Scan, perfecting the formula for beast transformation, he’d never told me that he could have become one of their primary council members.
No wonder Jack didn’t fully trust him.
But here, Pops slept unaware that I’d seen Lady Winters’ memories. Were his misgivings about the transformations his own? Or had she given him the unease that forced him to change, pushing him out of the way so she could take his place?
I moved on.
Quin sat against the wall in the next car, staring at the pebbled metal and glass across from him. He barely acknowledged me as I crossed to an empty room with torn bench seats. Lance and Private Eye talked softly in the adjacent car.
I paused. Lance liked adventure. What if he decided to strike out on his own and be a mercenary?
No. Lance wasn’t like Tim; he wouldn’t desert us.
Still, I pressed my ear against the outer wall, listening as the two of them spoke.
“I couldn’t feel that stupid pendant anywhere,” Private Eye grumbled. “Sure, I got close, but not close enough. Not when dealing with elite mercs. After that Val kid got the pendant—pure chance, by the way—and they let her boyfriend take Brainmaster’s place, I still didn’t have enough money for rent. Spent it all on the mission. So I thought maybe I’d try the bounty list. We joined a crew and started working for them.”
I frowned, uneasiness working its way through my shoulders. She’d been hunting the Elizabeth pendants, too?
“Why not stay with them?” Lance asked. I leaned in closer, straining to hear.
“I want a job where I don’t have to worry about being stabbed in the back,” Private Eye said softly. “The territories aren’t like your Community. You don’t get everything on a plastic platter. There’s beasties to contend with, and if you have powers, you’re often pressed to use them. Some of us get recruited to help the Camaraderie’s Special Forces. You can’t oppose them. Well, you can, but with the pay they offer, who’s going to say no? They want you, they’ve got you. At least, if you want a life worth living. You’ve got to have power and money to survive.”
“You’re not going to find that with us,” Lance pointed out.
I inched closer. My fingers brushed the ragged edge of the metal doorframe. There was a single glass window on the door, which I avoided. I didn’t want them seeing me.
“Maybe not,” Private Eye continued, “but Nikolai—Pops—offered us work. He said if we’re willing to submit to a telepathic scan and we’re not hiding anything, he’ll give us food and shelter. As long as we don’t try to double-cross the Coalition, it’ll be better than our current job. I doubt you guys would have the heart to kill us in our sleep.”
“The other mercenaries tried that?”
“Once, after we completed a job. Less competition for the payout. But once was enough.”
I took a deep breath, and then carefully pushed myself away from the wall, glad the carpet was still intact, soft and soundless. Private Eye didn’t seem to have Val’s perky, flirtatious tendency, so I doubted I’d have to worry about her stealing Lance.
Not that we were dating.
I stepped over Quin’s legs into the other room. He still stared at the wall, his expression blank. I bit my lip, and then slid down next to him. “Hey.”
“Done eavesdropping?”
I stared at him. He hadn’t moved an inch, save to speak. His hands were clasped over his knees, his chin tilted toward the glass window in the ceiling. His black hair was cropped less than half an inch from his ears in a Community-oriented hairstyle, though he wasn’t Community. He had a rounded face, a smooth, beardless chin, and a lean form. His tunic hugged his chest, but gave his arms space for movement.
“You heard me?” I wrapped my vines close. This guy could easily beat me in a fight. Hopefully Pops was right to trust him.
“Didn’t hear you,” he corrected me, still staring at the window. Aside from the reflection of that creepy blue light, there was nothing of interest outside. “You walked by, but once you went to the other room, they didn’t acknowledge your presence. I figured you were trying not to be seen.”
“Um...” I closed my mouth, not really sure what to say. “Does it... I mean—”
A small smile formed at the edge of his lips. “I’m not mad at you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“She’s your partner, so I didn’t know—”
He snorted, still staring at that confounded window. “She’s my sister, and I’m a mercenary. Mercenaries eavesdrop.”
“I’m not a mercenary,” I protested, vines quivering with annoyance. Months ago, they responded to my thoughts at a snail’s pace. Now they responded to all my thoughts.
“I didn’t say you were.”
I scowled. “You implied it.”
“No. I meant only that if I eavesdrop, I should not be angry when others eavesdrop.”
I blinked. Someone who worked for the Camaraderie who talked sense? “Who are you?”
His smile widened. “My name’s Quin. I’m a mercenary.”
“Why?” I asked. “If it hurts people—”
“We need influence to survive.” He stretched out his legs. “For influence, which equates to power, we need money.”
At least he and Private Eye had their stories straight, though I didn’t think Private Eye had been staring so insistently at a window. I pulled my knees to my chest. “What’s so great about power?”
“There’s safety with power. A sense of security, of being someone.”
“The Community is safe, and it doesn’t have power,” I retorted automatically. But with the dead rioters above us and the students being sent to beastie plants, I couldn’t honestly say that. Not really.
“You don’t seem so certain.” Quin held my eyes with his. I swallowed hard. If he wanted power, he had it then. With his enhanced persuasion ability, I couldn’t look away if I wanted to.
“How? How do they have power?” I squeezed my knees tight. This was unnerving. He’d had a staring contest with a window, and though windows didn’t normally blink, I didn’t think the window won.
“The Camaraderie of Evil is power. They hand their power directly to E-Leadership, where it is passed to the Community. Almost everyone in the Community does what they are told, because that’s what is best. It’s a long chain, like a marionette holding a puppet, but nonetheless, it is power.”
That was it—why his expression held such authority. He was telling the truth he knew; a truth I didn’t want to admit existed. “I see.” The generator’s hum overrode the occasional drip of water on the car’s metal roof, and Quin turned his eyes back to the window. I automatically relaxed, free from his persuasive grip—thank the Community. “Where’d you come from?”
“Mexico. Our grandparents moved there from the US before the Community took control of North America.” He touched his index fingers together. There were bruises on his wrists and faint scars lining the back of his hands.
I leaned forward, curious. “You said the Community has power because it’s passed through E-Leadership from the Camaraderie. How do they keep the territories safe?”
With Val, I’d only heard what she told Tim and Lance. Even then, I wasn’t sure how much of what she said was true. Quin seemed a bit more trustworthy than Val, even if he was Camaraderie.
He shrugged. “The Camaraderie doesn’t mind using fear tactics in the territories. If the guards catch you doing something illegal, they send beasties after you.”
I twisted my lips, skeptical. “They actually send beasts after their citizens?”
“Yes. Once they catch you, if you live, and your crime is severe enough, you might get turned into a beastie yourself—no powers necessary. It’s unfortunate, but most people don’t want to be beasts, so they don’t commit crimes. The benefit of their direct presence is the freedom from the mindlessness present in the Community.”
I jerked away from him. “We aren’t mindless!”
He shrugged, and I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning back against the side of the subway car to show my disdain. After a moment, though, his resulting silence became far more frustrating than the fact that he had called us mindless.
“So... do they send a beastie after you if you don’t take your pills?”
“We don’t have the pills.”
I frowned. “What about the Health Scan?”
“You’re supposed to take the Health Scan eventually, but it isn’t standard. Disease and general health issues are a bigger problem in Mexico than here, like any territory. At some point you get sick. You go to a doctor, and they scan you then.” He smiled, and the blue light glinted in his eyes. I cringed, looking away before the light could trigger another memory attack. “My sister and I never went to the ‘official’ doctors; we had better things to do. Making money, for one.”
“Hence working for the Camaraderie.”
“Yes.”
So much for thinking he might have been a good guy. I closed my eyes. Why was I so willing to trust him, even after he admitted to working for the bad guys? Was it his persuasion?
Then again, Pops once worked for the Camaraderie, and he wasn’t evil. Of course, he also had the persuasion power.
When Quin didn’t say anything else, I let the conversation drop. Within minutes he was snoring softly. I rested my head on my chin. The day’s events played out over and over again, mixed with the memories of beastie plants, Tim’s betrayal, and how we were going to get my parents out of this old subway station.
Footsteps jarred me into consciousness. Pops and Lance stood in the doorway, and Private Eye peered in behind them. “So, how about this one?” Pops nudged Quin with his foot, but the man didn’t wake.
“I got this.” Private Eye disappeared from the room and returned with a glass of water. She moved her hand over the glass, and the water floated in wavering droplets above the cup. I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since we were at the diner, and the liquid hovered out of reach, taunting me.
Private Eye flicked a finger and I yipped, springing out of the way as water splashed me and Quin.
“Whaa-g!” Quin jumped and jerked his head, looking for the source of his indignity, and then glared at Private Eye.
“That” —she crossed her hands over her chest, beaming— “is how you wake him up.” Apparently she was a water elemental.
“Thanks, Sis,” Quin muttered, pushing himself from the ground. “What’s going on?”
“Inese gave the all clear,” Pops said. “It’s time to go.”
I yawned and rubbed my eyes. Lance hugged me, smiling. “Come on, Jen. Let’s head back.” He ruffled my hair and I flinched, too surprised to do anything except look confused.
Outside the old subway cars, my parents shared their dreams and stretched their legs. Lance and I headed on down the entrance tunnel. I hoisted myself up the ladder, crawled out the hole, and planted my feet firmly on the ground.
Goodbye, musty cavern.
“Where are we going?” Mom came up the ladder behind me. She stared at the huge, drifting flakes of snow. It was nearly dark, and the gray sky had the eerie glow of winter as specks of snow fell. She reached her hand up and let snowflakes fall across her fingers.
A fresh coating of snow layered the concrete.
“The airship.” I squeezed Lance’s hand for reassurance—not because we were dating—and then walked to the brick archway. After the battle, I couldn’t imagine how the street would look.
I breathed in sharply.
The street was clear. The bodies were gone—all of them. Not a drop of blood. The flowers had been cleaned away, if the snow hadn’t covered them, and the mercenary’s scorch marks had been scrubbed spotless. The trash bin was righted. The walls were repainted, despite the snow. The wreath had vanished.
It was as if the riot had never happened.
“The Community is efficient,” I whispered, breathless. This was the aftermath we never saw. How often might a riot occur, with us never knowing? There was nothing to see. It wasn’t even a slum anymore. This was what happened when we failed, but success would have been worse. I couldn’t imagine why the Camaraderie would wipe out an entire city. It wasn’t efficient, not when they could do all this in the span of a few hours.
Pops led us through a back alley and into a courtyard behind an apartment complex. The snow scattered in an oval pattern, revealing pale, dead grass. If the engine’s rumble and the scattered snow were any clue, our car sat there. Unfortunately, neither Mom nor Quin thought of this possibility, and they simultaneously walked into an invisible car door.
Lance cringed. Private Eye smirked. Pops shook his head as Inese stepped into sight, still shimmering from invisibility. Like most missions, she wore body armor and had her black hair tied in a ponytail. Sunglasses sat atop her head. She pursed her lips and craned her head to the towering, windowless walls. “Been a while since I’ve been in this part of the Community.” She glanced at my parents. “Welcome aboard.”
Mom wrung her hands, cautiously eyeing the woman who had appeared from thin air. “Excuse me, but what is your name?”
“Inese.” Our driver smiled, but her smile faded when she saw Private Eye.
“I’m Jack.” A haggard man slid out from the other side of the car. Mom staggered into Lance, her hand over her mouth in surprise as she looked up at him. While the rest of us looked like misfits, Jack was the epitome of all things not Community. He had twisted, dark red hair that draped past his shoulders and was gnarled into unforgivable knots. There were scars on every visible inch of his body, especially his rugged hands. Though most of the scars were merely pale, silvery sections of skin, a few of the more prominent ones couldn’t be healed by Gwen. He hadn’t even bothered with changing his clothes to match the rest of us; he wore a shredded green jacket that had been mended more times than I’d been on missions.
“Don’t worry, miss. I don’t bite hard.” When he smirked, showing sharp, jagged teeth, he also clicked his dog-like claws together. Mom clutched Dad’s hand as if she was staring at a beastie. I hoped she’d never actually be face to face with one.
“He’s the team commander,” Lance filled in.
Jack tilted his head and scowled. “Don’t forget it, either.”
My parents exchanged nervous glances. He would take them some getting used to.
Inese turned to the mercenaries while Lance helped my parents find the car doors. “Your names?”
“I’m Quin,” the man offered.
“Private Eye,” the woman said proudly, and then yipped as Quin elbowed her in the ribs.
“Your real name,” he said, “not your code name.”
“That’s a little private, don’t you think?”
Quin retained his firm glower.
“Fine.” She crossed her arms, miffed. “My name is Lily.”
“Nice to meet you,” Inese said, her teeth gritted. “Now if you don’t mind, I suggest we leave before anyone sees us. I hope you have an extra ride. Otherwise we’re going to be making two trips.” She disappeared inside the car.
Private Eye—Lily—raised an eyebrow. “What’s her problem?”
I glanced at her. “Remember that mission we were on a couple days ago?”
“You got your car back and killed Brainmaster. What’s the problem?”
I jerked my hand toward the driver’s seat. “She lost someone she cared about.”
Lily’s smile vanished. “I see.” She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“We don’t have much room in the car,” Pops said. “Lily, Quin, do either of you have some form of transportation?”
Lily shook her head, still somber. “No. We were supposed to call a pilot to pick us up. At this point, they would know something’s up.”
“Someone could take the trunk,” Jack called from inside the car.
“We don’t have a trunk,” Pops said flatly. “Inese... go on with Ron, Liana, and Jenna. Jack, come back out here. I’m sending Quin with them. The rest of us will wait.”
“You’re separating us?” Lily protested, while Jack muttered about having to climb back out of the car seat.
Pops nodded firmly, his salt-and-pepper mustache twitching. “I suspect you’re telling the truth. But if you aren’t, it seems better that the two former mercenaries aren’t able to communicate. This way, the one with persuasion has to deal with a life-spirit elemental, should he try anything.”
“Fair enough,” Quin said.
Lily snorted.
Lance gave me a quick hug, and then I scooted inside the car, immediately invisible. The advantage of the car was that it was cloaked, fast, and considerably more fuel efficient than anything else the Coalition had. As such, we used it as a shuttle between the slower airship—which we kept on the move to avoid being caught—and our destinations.
Once everyone had climbed in, Inese took off, the car soaring through the air. Mom uttered her surprise and immediately peppered Inese with questions. Inese chose not to answer, and soon enough, Mom got the hint—Inese wasn’t in the mood to explain anything.
A couple hours into our flight, bruised forest floors and burnt tree trunks marred the wintery landscape. We passed over a large gathering of near-human beasts lumbering across a scorched, muddy field. Even though we were invisible, my chest constricted as a flight beastie swooped by. My vines tightened around my arms. I willed myself not to have another memory attack. The creature’s feline eyes watched the land below, a thin layer of amber-colored hair flapping around its pointed ears. Smooth, copper skin stretched from its arms to its waist like bat wings. There were others flight beasts—all lean—but of different skin tones and heights, male and female.
“What are they?” Mom gasped. “They’re revolting!”
“Those are beasts,” I explained, rigid. “They’re the reason I want to replace the Community’s leaders. The beasts used to be people with powers, but they went through a transformation process and were reduced to their base instincts. They still have powers, though not as strong as before, and they can be controlled by a beastmaster.”
“Nikolai’s line of work,” Dad said shortly.
“No—he wouldn’t have,” Mom whispered. “This?”
“Could and did,” Dad said.
I wondered if he was even looking at the beasties as they dived below us. The flower charm weighed like a hot coin against my bare skin. What kind of person did it take to create those monsters, to willingly submit someone to that kind of torture?
I clenched my teeth. Lady Winters—thankfully dead. Anyone else who thought like her also needed to be replaced with someone who was open to finding other, more practical means of “protecting” the Community. Means that were safe for everybody, not just those without powers.
“Nikolai—Pops—was trying to protect his family,” Quin said softly. I wasn’t sure if he was answering my thoughts or responding to Dad. “It isn’t easy protecting someone you love.”
Dad didn’t answer, and the cluster of beasts flew away, rejoining the pack on the ground. But Quin was right, to an extent. At least Pops had tried to fix his mistakes, even though he had failed.
I closed my eyes, picturing the garden at the back of my parents’ house. What used to be a garden, anyway. If the house had been left untended for long, someone else might live there now.
Pain filled my chest, a longing for what I couldn’t have because I was the granddaughter of a rebel leader and because I had powers.
But once beast transformation was ended, once everyone knew what was really out there, how powers worked, and what had really happened during the early days of the Community, only then could the Community truly be safe, secure, and efficient. Now that we had found my parents, we could move on to figuring out how to make that reality real. We might need to stay hidden while we figured out our next move, but we had information on the time stones and the Legion Spore, and, one way or another, I was going to figure out how to reverse beast transformation.
I twisted the ball-chain necklace between my fingers, feeling the satisfying click of metal against metal, and the jagged edges of the charm’s flower petals butting against the palm of my hand. I’d find some way to stop the Camaraderie. They couldn’t keep destroying the Community’s ideals forever.
