Defiance Rising (5 page)

“What is that around that tower?”

“The Shard?”
 
Bastien turns away and sinks down onto his backside, leaning against the roof railing.
 
I follow suit.
 
“It’s called scaffolding, used for constructing tall buildings.”

“Build?
 
But that place is a ruin.
 
Why would they-” I cut off as realization hits me like a slap in the face.
 
Electricity, street cleaning crews, building teams…“Why are they rebuilding the City?”

He shrugs and shakes his head.
 
“Beats me.
 
I thought they would’ve built their own cities by now, but apparently they want to take ours.”

I rub my forehead, trying to process the possibilities.
 
“It doesn’t make sense.
 
Why go to all the trouble when they tore it down in the first place?”

He grabs a handful of black pebbles and sifts them through his fingers.
 
I watch him, curious at how little this discovery seems to affect him.
 
Surely, he has to be worried about capture.
 
How could he not?
 
He’s practically living underneath hundreds, if not thousands, of aliens.
 
“Did you figure out what that thumping is?”

“No.”

“Take another look.
 
This time look behind us.”
 

I rise up onto my knees and peer across the rooftop and over the ledge.
 
Bright lights glow in the distance, but instead of building up, it looks like the machines are going underground.
 
I watch a large crane with a claw on the end gouge into the earth and pull out a scoop full of dirt.
 

I sink back down next to Bastien.
 
“They’re digging?”

He nods, his gaze hardening as he stares back at me.
 
His eyes look almost sapphire in the dim glow of the lights nearby.
 
The light stubble on his face is a carpet of shadow in the faint light.
 
“I told you they’re looking for something.”

“So that’s it?
 
The thing causing the tremors?”

His eyes narrow.
 
“So that’s why you’re here?
 
To find the Grounders?”

I clam up, wishing he’d stayed behind so I could deal with this revelation on my own.
 
“They can’t just be using cranes.
 
I’ve felt the tremors in the forest.”

“They’re using Diggers, long tube like machines with a giant drill on the front.
 
It’s about the length of my subway car and I’d say it could hold at least twenty Squaddies, maybe more.”

“But why?
 
There’s nothing out that way…”
 
My breath catches as I realize the alien’s intent.
 
“They’re searching for us.”

Bastien nods, dropping the stones through his fingers.
 
They plink against the other rocks, settling back into place.
 
He brushes his fingers over them and then dusts off his hands on his jeans.
 
“That’s what I’m thinking.
 
Any idea why?”

I chew on my lip, wondering how much I can tell him.
 
He didn’t have to save me from the Sky Ship, but he did.
 
He didn’t have to give me this revelation tonight, but he did.
 
I sigh and lean my head back against the ledge, staring up into the sky.
 
I can just glimpse a wide expanse of glittering stars beyond the shifting clouds.

“My parents were part of the rebellion.
 
A few years ago, they managed to do a lot of damage to the Caldonians in this area.
 
They attacked supply lines and drove the aliens into the City.
 
Once they realized we must be located nearby, they started hunting us down.
 
At first, it was only one death here or there, then a couple per month.
 
The war waged throughout my childhood and our numbers dwindled.
 
Some people fled in search of help but they never returned.”
 

My throat constricts.
 
“Six months ago, my mother was among a scouting group that was wiped out.
 
They were the last adults among us strong enough to lead, to fight back.
 
All that is left to keep the children safe are my friends, a few elderly people and me.
 
The rebellion has crumbled.”

Bastien’s head dips so low his chin meets his chest.
 
His arms rest across his raised knees, fingers twiddling with a bit of plastic he has ripped off one of the pipes.
 
“So you’re on your own now?”

I nod.
 
“We’re it.”

He scowls and tosses the plastic away.
 
“We’re never going to win this war.”

“War?” I scoff.
 
“There is no more war.
 
We don’t have the supplies to fight back any more.
 
They have more manpower, more guns, more everything.
 
How can we fight that?”

“I don’t know!”
 
He slams his fist down into the roof, his knuckles burying into the gravel. “We can’t just give up.”

I hesitate before laying my hand on his arm.
 
The contact feels…awkward.
 
“We’re not.
 
We just have to regroup.
 
I’m sure there are other survivors out there.”

“Like me?” He snorts.
 
Bitterness drips from his words.
 
“I’m all alone here on the front lines.
 
A lot of good I’m doing, hiding out with the rats.”

I scrunch up my nose and squint my eyes, torn by his pain and my loyalty to the commune.
 
I let out a deep breath and decide to take a chance.
 
“Come with me.”

The words escape my lips before I can steal them back.
 
It’s insane.
 
There’s no way my friends would let him step foot into our cave.
 
Our loss has been great this year and too many wounds still fester to allow for trusting a complete stranger.

I can feel Bastien watching me.
 
He doesn’t speak or move.
 
From the corner of my eye, it looks like he’s holding his breath.
 
“You don’t mean that.”

I groan, burying my head into my arms.
 
“I don’t know what I mean.
 
I can’t stand the thought of you being all alone down in that subway.
 
I don’t know if I can trust you or if I should toss you over the side of this building.”

Bastien chuckles softly, swiping a lock of hair from his forehead.
 
It flaps around his face before he tucks it behind his ear.
 
“I’d prefer you trust me.”

A smile tugs at my lips as I raise my head to look at him.
 
“I want to, but it’s hard.
 
You’ve been a pain in my butt all night.”

“Look who’s talking.”

I shove my hair back from my face as the wind picks up and curls over the ledge, sending it into a tangled frenzy.
 
“Do you hear that?”

I strain to hear a faint sound over the thumping of the Grounders.
 
Bastien’s brow furrows as he glances up at the clouds overhead.
 
They move swiftly in fine feather-like bands.
 
His hair blows back off his face as he turns to look at me, his grip tightening on his shotgun.
 
“Hear what?”

The sound grows louder and I stiffen as I realize what’s causing the hum.
 
“It’s a Sky Ship!
 
Run!”

Four

I only make it three steps before the roof explodes in front of me.
 
Gravel turns into flying missiles, pelting me and leaving what are sure to be wicked bruises.
 
Sweltering heat blazes around me, an inferno sparking high into the air.
 
The smoke is so thick I can hardly catch my breath let alone see where the black ship is located against the night sky.

Bastien cries out as his shotgun flies out of his grasp and falls through the hole in the roof as he slams to the ground.
 
He groans and rolls to his side.
 
“We gotta move!”
 

His strong hands grip my waist and pull me to my feet as hurricane force winds whip the smoke into a gray cyclone.

As he pushes me around the gaping hole, I feel heat radiating through the soles of my shoes.
 
Charred roof tiles fall through the gap and clatter to the concrete floor three stories below.
 
My hair thrashes against my face, stinging my eyes as I stumble blindly ahead, hands outstretched to find the door.

We dive through the opening and into darkness, our panting echoing in the stairwell beyond as Bastien kicks the door closed.
 

“How did they find us?” I choke out, my lungs burning in my chest.

“Doesn’t matter.”
 
He yanks me to my feet, pausing only a brief moment to wipe a stream of blood from my hairline.
 
I wince at his touch, noticing the stinging pain for the first time.

Crimson light explodes through the lower level, illuminating the stairs.
 
The machines below groan as the laser melts right through them.
 
Bastien’s feet barely touch the steps as he leaps to the landing below.
 
To see the laser’s destructive powers in action is both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
 

“Keep up!” Bastien shouts, as he turns to find me staring at the boiling devastation below.

My heavy breathing sounds hollow in my ears as I land on the second floor.
 
I peek through the metal slats of the stairs and see streaks of flames crisscrossing the concrete floor below, like a trail of oil set alight.
 

I can hear the Sky Ship’s engines rotate as it hovers mere feet above the street.
 
It’s swirling crimson glow illuminates the wide expanse of glassless windows running the length of the building.
 
My thoughts slow, horror choking me, as the ship’s cannon rotates, recharging for a second shot.

“Run!”
 
Bastien’s fingers dig into my arm as a deafening hum echoes throughout the vast room.
 
The mechanic whirring of the charging laser frees my limbs and I let him drag me away from the stairs.
 
There is no partition, no extra floor between us to save us from the blast.
 
My feet slap the concrete floor as we race across the open walkway toward the closest office.
 

“Get down!”
 
Shoving us through a doorway, Bastien slams me to the floor as a cloud of heat bursts through the glassless window overhead.
 
I cover my head with my arms and scream as the world turns red. My skin blackens and the scent of burnt hair fills my nose as Bastien throws himself over me as a human shield.

His weight is suffocating as I struggle to get air into my lungs.
 
What little I manage to snatch burns as it passes my lips, drying out my mouth.

The roar of the laser below is deafening, drowning out my screams.
 
Bastien’s hand fumbles down my arm until it reaches my hand. I squeeze back, praying for relief from the scorching heat.
 

And then it all stops.
 
I lift my head and listen as the Sky Ship’s engines whir to life and the crimson glow vanishes.
 
“Is it gone?”

Bastien groans as he rolls off me.
 
Tendrils of smoke rise from his sweater and the ends of his raven hair appear to be singed.
 
He struggles to suck in gulps of air into his lungs as wracking coughs double him over.
 

“Are you ok?”
 
I push to my knees.

“I’ll be fine.” His soot blackened arm quivers as he reaches for the door handle.
 
He cries out, tucking his hand in close to his chest.
 
He swears under his breath as I catch a scent of burnt flesh.
 
“Don’t touch anything metal.”

I crawl forward, one hand outstretched, as I work my way toward the door.
 
I can feel the heat on the other side, as flames lick the wooden doorframe.
 
“We’re trapped!”

“No.”
 
He shakes his head, coughing.
 
I reach out for him and pull him next to me, holding him against my side until his fit subsides.
 
He looks to the jagged glass protruding from the window at the back of the office, partially tucked behind a row of melting file cabinets.
 
“We can go through there.”

I rise unsteadily to my feet and peer out the window.
 
There is only a small ledge, about five inches wide, to shimmy along.
 
Beyond that is a sheer drop to the lower floor.
 
“There has to be another way.”

Bastien clutches his side as he rises.
 
“It’s our only shot.”

Staring down at the narrow shelf, I try to envision the rock ledge over the waterfall back home, my favorite place to escape.
 
“You can do this, Illyria,” I chant as Bastien smashes a desk chair against the jagged glass, clearing our path.
 

He tosses the chair aside.
 
“Get going.”

I don’t normally like having commands barked at me, but as I turn I notice movement near the front of the building.
 
Three shadows inch close to the front entrance, their hands raised to shield their faces from the blistering heat.
 
With any luck, they’ll be held back by the same force that traps us, but how long will the heat last?
 
I can already feel the air beginning to cool slightly.
  

I tear my gaze away from the front office window as Bastien lifts me through the back opening.
 
“Be careful but haul tail.”

Balancing on my toes, I shuffle along the lip.
 
My calves begin to burn as I press my cheek against the wall, straining to keep my weight shifted forward.
 
Bastien quickly follows, right on my heels.
 
I can hear his grunts of pain as his injured hand cups the wall but I don’t stop to look back.

I dig the tips of my fingers into the cracks of the concrete block wall, pulling myself along.
 
My heart thunders in my ears, covering the sounds of Squaddies approaching from the street.
 
It’s only a matter of time before we’ll have to fight our way through an entire army.

Bastien’s hip presses against mine, urging me on.
 
I shuffle faster, inching past three more open window frames toward a waist high concrete banister that wraps around the side of the offices.
 
I breathe a sigh of relief as my fingers grip the ledge and I hoist myself over.
 

He quickly follows, pulling me low as three black soldiers slip through the front door, their guns trained before them as they search for us.
  
“Head for the stairs,” he whispers into my ear.
 

The heat is less intense now, escaping through a gaping hole that’s been blown out the back of the building.
 
I can almost see the rippling waves in the moonlight as heat filters through the windows above me.

I shake my head, frantically motioning to the men below us.
 
The glowing red cores of their guns illuminate their path with a dim light, allowing them to see into the deep shadows of the factory.
 
If we’re quiet we might be able to sneak out of here, but our chances of that happening are dismal.
 
The stairs to my left are only fifteen feet away, but their descent will lead us straight into alien territory.
 

“We can make it,” Bastien insists.

I pull his face toward mine.
 
“They’ll see us!”

Trust me,
he mouths and rushes toward the stairs.
 
I curse silently as I crouch low and follow.
 
Bastien waits for me at the top step, his eyes narrowed with fear.
 
“What’s wrong?” I whisper, surprised that he’s suddenly developed a healthy dose of concern.

He points to the metal stairs.
 
They descend half a flight and then end in a landing before jutting in a sharp right, back toward the front of the building.
 
Now all that remains is first half of the flight.
 
I peer over the edge and find the lower portion crumpled on the ground below.

Now what?
 
I mouth to him.
 
He jerks his finger over the ledge and mimes climbing down the stairs.
 
No!
 
I shake my head with a silent scream.
 
There’s no way I’m going down that.

He grips my arm and pulls me close, so near I can feel the heat of his breath wash over my face.
 
“Trust me,” he whispers.

I stare at the drop-off, judging it to be about eight-foot high.
 
Not deadly by any means but certainly high enough to twist an ankle or knee.

“Don’t drop me,” I warn as I grab his hand and ease down into a crisscross position on the top step.

He holds up his hand and I pause.
 
Poking his finger through one of the slits in his shirt, he slowly tears the fabric into a long strip.
 
I can hear muttering from below but no rush of footsteps toward our location.
 
He rips another cloth and we hold our breath.

The Squaddies form a small group just inside the lobby.
 
Why aren’t they searching for us anymore?
 
What are they waiting for?
 

Bastien carefully wraps the strips of cloth around my hands to protect them from the heat.
 
I wish I had something to cover my mouth so I don’t feel like I’m breathing acid.

You can do this,
he mouths, placing a hand on my shoulder.
 
I nod and shrug off his touch as I uncurl my legs and lower myself down to the first step.
 
I pause, listening before I climb down three more steps.
 

The metal is hot but not unbearable against my palms.
 
I keep my fingers aloft, trying to keep them from blistering.
 
The stairs shudder beneath me with each movement.
 
A loud groan echoes through the factory as the stairs suddenly shift and I duck low to look at the aliens.
 

“Go!” Bastien waves at me to hurry as the aliens break out into a sprint.
 

I clamber down the final steps with no regard to noise.
 
My stomach lurches as the top of the stairs begins to peel away from the second floor, the metal groaning as it tosses me off balance.
 
Bastien’s eyes are wide with fright as the first hint of red light comes into view.

He leans over the edge.
 
“Jump!”

“No!”
 
I readjust my grip on the bottom rung.
 
“I’m not leaving you.”

“Just go.
 
I’ll be fine!”
 
He disappears from the top step, leaving me to dangle eight feet over the floor.
 
Over the shouting below, I hear a crash as Bastien kicks in one of the office doors.
  

“Up there!” a Squaddie shouts as he slides to a halt just below the walkway.
 
The walls glow scarlet as the aliens aim high, their lasers charged and ready.
 

I hiss as my thumb rests a bit too long on the metal step.
 
I can feel the burn sinking into my flesh, but I hold back my tears.
 
For now, I’m concealed by one of the machines, but one cry will send them racing in my direction.