Captive's Desire (3 page)

“Am I going to die?” she asked with quiet calm.

“What?” he asked, obviously surprised by her question.

“The poison. My body isn’t used to it like yours.”

“There’s no poison, Olivia. Take a deep breath and stop covering your mouth and nose. Look at me, I’ve been inhaling this stuff for the last…for a long time. I’m healthy, I can think for myself, I have emotions, thoughts.”

“I think for myself and have all those things too,” she said.

“M-hm.” They came upon the Jeep. It was an open-top old military vehicle. “Get in,” he said, opening the passenger door. “It will get chillier when we’re driving. I’ll get you a blanket.”

She climbed into the passenger seat and didn’t protest when he handed her a thick fleece blanket, wondering at his kind gesture. He waited until she’d wrapped it around her shoulders before securing the seatbelt over her lap.

“Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome.”

He started the car, the headlights the only light on the road as it was a moonless night.

“So what is it they tell you will happen to you if you leave the cities?” he asked.

“Are you making small talk?” she asked.

“No, just curious.”

She looked him square in the face. “You’re the enemy. I’m here with you as a prisoner. I won’t share information with you, no matter what you do to me.”

“Even after you witnessed your own people bombing the wreckage of your ship?”

“They’ll come for me,” she said, looking straight ahead.

“They’ve filled your head with lies. You can’t go back to the city, you can never go back. The very fact that you’re still alive, that you haven’t been killed by the poison they claim is out here would cause people to question the leaders. If they ever do find you, Olivia, they’ll kill you on sight. I know how they work. Their purpose is not to keep you safe and happy. It’s to control you. One way to do that is to terrorize you about what is outside of the ‘protection’ of the cities. Have you given any thought at all to what they’re pumping into the air you’re breathing at Magnus One?”

“It’s clean air, filtered and disinfected to keep us safe.”

“And docile.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I say. Look at me. Do I look like a freak to you? Do I look sick, mutated, like some animal?”

“You act like an animal,” she said after a moment. This man was trying to confuse her. Likely this was his plan to brainwash her, make her tell him the secrets she knew about the military at Magnus One. Well, he was going to be disappointed. For one thing, she’d never tell. But for another, her commanders didn’t divulge a whole lot. But she’d always been curious about things. She had her eyes open, saw the codes that were punched into keypads to open locked doors, learned how the entrances and exits worked. Her brother had taught her at an early age to keep that to herself. She hadn’t really understood why he’d said that, but she’d done it. In a way, after he’d died, it had been a tribute to his memory. “My brother was a hero. He hunted people like you,” she said, not really sure why she was telling him. “He kept us safe.”

He was quiet for a moment. “What happened to him?” he asked, looking at her as if he was sorry for her.

“What do you mean?” she asked, confused by his expression.

“You said
was
.”

She turned away. “He was killed during a mission five years ago. That knife you took was his. I’d like to have it back.”

“You can have it back when I can trust you.”

Then she’d have to steal it back.

“What sort of mission?” he asked.

That area was a little fuzzy. “His missions were top secret,” she said. Before the last few though, Simon had changed a little. He’d been spending more time out of the city, his missions taking longer and longer to complete. She’d worried about him, but he’d always tell her he was fine, that it was important to keep his work a secret to ensure their safety. Livvie was proud of him. Although his death had shocked everyone and the way Magnus had handled his body she couldn’t understand. She’d not even been allowed to see it, to say goodbye. She’d only been fifteen at the time and those days still called forth difficult memories, things she couldn’t deal with or understand even now, five years later.

“Top secret missions?” he probed.

She only nodded.

He made a noise and turned his attention to the road. She hugged her blanket closer to herself and closed her eyes, suddenly sad at the memory of Simon. She wondered if they’d told her sister what had happened to her. If they thought she was dead. If Katie thought she was dead. It would break her heart, Livvie knew it. As twins, she and Katie were close, even though they were as different as could be. Katie was always the more obedient, more cautious of the two and when Simon had died, Livvie had taken the role of protector with her.

A tear slid down her cheek.

* * *

They drove in silence for most of the ride. Hayden imagined it was a lot to take in. He looked over at her sitting quietly beneath the blanket. She was trying to hide her tears. He shook his head; what Magnus did to her was wrong, so wrong, and she had no idea. She was filthy and likely hungry. The chemicals Magnus pumped into the air would start to wear off soon; he wondered how long the process would take for her. The next few days would be the hardest and she’d struggle to come to terms with everything that was happening, with things she’d feel without the poison that was in Magnus One’s oxygen to keep her under control. He wondered how she was going to react at seeing the camp and its inhabitants. She was feeling afraid, he could see that, and also likely very alone.

“How old are you?” he asked.

“Twenty,” she answered without looking at him.

They were teaching them to kill younger and younger. “Family besides your brother?”

“Why do you care?” she snapped.

He counted to ten before speaking. “I understand you’ve been through a lot, but there’s no reason to be rude.”

“You’re responsible for the mess I’m in; I think I’m allowed a little rudeness.”

“Wrong.”

Just then the radio buzzed to life. “Commander?” the voice asked.

“Yes, it’s me. I’m about ten minutes from camp and I’m not alone.”

“Glad to hear you’re all right, Sir.”

He could feel her eyes on him as he answered. “Thank you. It was an…” he glanced at her, “interesting afternoon.”

“You said you were not alone, Sir?”

“The pilot of the aircraft survived the crash.”

A longer pause followed. “Sir, should we prepare a cell for your prisoner?”

He glanced at her as she raised her eyebrows at the question.

“That won’t be necessary. She’ll stay in my quarters. Have food prepared for two, something warm. And some clothes, about Jenna’s size, or her size seven months ago.” Jenna was his best friend’s wife and seven months pregnant. He wondered for a moment what Olivia’s reaction would be to Jenna. Magnus didn’t allow natural childbirth. They chose egg and sperm based on genetic testing and extracted what they needed, discarding the rest. He knew people only went along with it because they didn’t know any differently, but he wondered how much the loss of such a simple yet profoundly important thing as family, as children, would affect them if and when the resistance fighters’ plans came to fruition. He shook his head again. At least they kept siblings together, even bred twins to study. He imagined Magnus would have found people would be easier to manage if there was some form of biological family, a responsibility beyond the one, the self.

“Roger, Commander.”

The camp was hidden in a valley between two of the Fourteeners in what used to be known as the Colorado Rockies. They’d been here for the last year and Hayden hoped to keep it intact. It was an excellent location, hidden well with enough resources—water and food—for the people to survive. It was a sizeable town and he had made some friends here. They were living what he’d consider a reasonably normal life, given the circumstances. But as long as Magnus existed, they would never be truly free.

He looked over at Olivia who was shivering beneath the blanket. Of course she would be; she wasn’t used to regular, outdoor temperatures and the mountains got cold at night, even in the dead of summer and it wasn’t summer yet.

“Ouray, our town, is just ahead. There, the flashing light,” he said to her, pointing. At night, the homes were dark to keep them from being discovered by any aircrafts flying overhead on hunting missions.

“Ouray?” she asked, following his line of vision, her eyes wide.

He could almost feel the anxiety rolling off her. He wanted to comfort her, but thought giving her space would better serve her now. He needed her to wake up to reality fast.

“It was the original name,” he said. “I think it was quite beautiful once.”

The gates opened as the Jeep traveled the final, narrow stretch to get inside the camp. Two men stood at the entrance with weapons in hand. Olivia watched them and they her. Hayden nodded at the men and drove through. It was late, he was tired, and he knew she was. He drove straight to his home, the only house left on this street in the old mountain town. Shane was standing out on the porch when Hayden parked the car and killed the engine.

Olivia was now trembling and he had a feeling it was a mixture of cold and fear.

He put his hand on her arm to get her attention. She turned to him. “No one’s going to hurt you,” he said. “You’ll be safe here.”

She could only stare back and he could see the confusion in her eyes, the need to believe his words.

“Commander,” Shane said as Hayden approached him.

“Shane.” The men shook hands.

Shane nodded at the vehicle. “Company?” he asked.

Olivia stepped out of the vehicle just then, her expression fixed.

“Magnus Hunter’s uniform,” Shane added, his face hardening a little.

“She’s my prisoner. She won’t do any harm.” Hayden understood Shane’s immediate dislike of Olivia. Well, not of her, but of what her uniform stood for. Shane had been with Hayden from the very beginning.

Shane turned so Olivia wouldn’t hear his words. “I trust you, Hayden, you know I do. But there are a lot of lives at stake. If you’re wrong…”

“I’m not wrong,” Hayden snapped loud enough for her to hear. Olivia stopped dead in her tracks.

“Sir,” Shane stepped back. He was out of line. He shifted his gaze momentarily to the ground.

Hayden rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Shane. I’m tired and hungry and have had a long day.”

Shane nodded his acceptance. “You sure you want to keep her here?”

“I’m sure.”

“All right. We’ve got some food inside and I made a fire. See you in the morning.” He walked away, nodding once when he passed Livvie.

“Are they all going to be so welcoming?” she asked.

“Come inside, Olivia. It’s late.”

He gestured for her to go in ahead of him and followed close behind.

* * *

The first thing she noticed was the warmth inside the cabin. She walked straight to the roaring fire and turned her back to it, surveying the room which was lit by the firelight and two dim lamps. The dark shades on the windows were drawn. It wasn’t large, but it was cozy. Very different from her home at Magnus One. A wide, cushy couch faced the fire and a coffee table stood in front of it. A dining table was set with bowls of soup; tomato, she gathered from the smell. Bread steamed in a basket next to the soup. A small kitchen stood at the back and a thick wooden ladder led up to what she imagined was the bedroom.

The bedroom. A new panic filled her. Why hadn’t he sent her to the cell like the man Shane had suggested? A strange new sensation stirred in her belly at the thought and she quickly pushed it away.

“Would you like to eat by the fire?” he asked, moving to the table where the food was laid out.

She turned to him to find him studying her, but was unable to decipher what he could be thinking. She nodded, nervous and unsure. She was still cold and the warmth of the fire gave her some comfort.

He carried the bowls over, placing them on the coffee table. He then gathered the bread and two bottles of water.

“Drink first,” he said as she settled on her knees on the floor. He took a seat on the couch, still watching her.

She opened her bottle of water and drank half of it. Then, without looking at him, she picked up her spoon and tasted the steaming soup. She wondered for a moment at contamination, but was too hungry not to eat.

“Mmmm.” She closed her eyes. The warmth of the soup felt good.

He was smiling at her when she opened them again. He hadn’t touched his food yet. Instead, he sat watching her eat.

“Take some bread,” he said. “I’ll get the butter.”

“How do you have food?” she asked. “I thought all resources outside the cities were wiped out.”

“We have our own animals and farm our lands,” he replied, bringing a plate of butter from the refrigerator. “Are we more civilized than you expected?” he asked.

Well, they did have utensils and homes and delicious food. She’d never actually imagined daily life in a camp outside of Magnus One—the day-to-day existence of those she would hunt. She’d expected them to live like animals, to
be
animals. “It’s good,” she said, not wanting to answer his question.

“You’ll have Jenna to thank for the food,” he said. “She’s an amazing cook.”

“How many people live here?” she asked.

“About fourteen hundred men, women and children.”

“And how have you managed to remain undetected? You’d be wiped out in a second if Magnus found you.”

“I realize that. We have some fairly high-tech devices ourselves, had to develop them over time to keep up with the latest and greatest killing machines.”

The thought that she’d be hunting settlements like this one came to her, but she pushed it aside and ate. It was another thing she’d never consciously thought about during her training.

They remained silent throughout the rest of the meal. Once they were finished, he stacked the dishes in the sink and returned to her. “Let’s get you bathed and into bed,” he said.