Judgement: The Undergrounders Series Book Three (A Young Adult Post-apocalyptic Science Fiction Thriller) (4 page)

J
ody leaps
down from Condor's back and races over to help the other rider lift Ida from the lame horse. I slide clumsily to the ground and rush to their aid.

"Ida, can you hear me?" Jody pleads, smoothing a hand over her clammy cheek.

Ida groans in response.

"We couldn't ride out of there fast enough," the other rider explains. "She caught a bullet in her thigh."

"We need to get her to the clinic," I say. "We'll have to go back."

Jody knots her brow. "If you want I can send a couple of riders on to the bunkers to warn the Undergrounders."

"No, it's too dangerous to split up. Let's get that wound tied up and get out of here." I pull a shirt from my pack and tear it into strips.

Jody works to secure the makeshift bandage around Ida's leg.

I wipe the sweat from my face with what's left of the shirt and look across at the rider examining the lame horse.

"What's wrong with her?" I ask.

"Could be a torn ligament," he says. "Her leg is badly swollen. I'll take her back to the city at a pace she can handle. The rest of you go on ahead with Ida."

"I don't want to leave you behind," Jody says.

"Ida's lost a lot of blood," he says. "You need to get her to the clinic before it's too late."

Jody gives a reluctant nod. "Thanks, Curly. Watch your back out there."

T
he moon lurks
behind a webbed fog on our return trip and visibility worsens with every step. We position Ida as best we can in front of Jody on Condor's broad back and set off. Our lead-footed pace is unnerving, especially now that we've stirred up the hornet's nest of Rogues Lou predicted. Between Ida's injury, and the shadowy hazards on the forest floor, we'll be lucky to reach the safety of Shoshane City before dawn. I hope for Curly's sake that the Rogues don't pursue us. He won't stand a chance on his own if they find him.

I toss my braid over my shoulder and fix my eyes on the murky trail. I might as well scratch The Ghost off my shrinking list of allies. He showed his true colors when he stole the horses out from under us. And after pulling off this stunt to retrieve them, I'm right up there with Rummy in the most-likely-to-be-eliminated category. Part of me knew this day would come. The idea of someone like The Ghost settling down in the city and taking orders from the Council is so far removed from reality that I don't know why I ever thought it would work. His agenda will always trump the common good. He did save Izzy and Brock, so he's not a total scumbag, but maybe only a child can move his heart.

The horizon is flush with an ambient ruby light by the time we arrive at the outskirts of the city. To my relief the container gate swings wide on our approach, reassuring me that we have a guard rotation back in place. We make a beeline for the clinic and Jody and I carry Ida straight back to one of the examining rooms.

A moment later Jakob appears, dressed in scrubs. "What happened?" he asks.

"Gunshot. Where's the doctor?" I ask.

"I sent him home," Jakob says. "He's been on his feet for seventy-two hours."

Jody clenches her fists, her eyes fixed on Ida's pale, trembling lips. "Get him back here right away. We need him."

Jakob lays a hand on Jody's arm. "I can take out the bullet. Hannah will help me." He gestures to the door as a young woman walks through with an armful of freshly laundered sheets.

Jody's eyes dart to me. I give her a reassuring nod. "He knows what he's doing."

I watch as Jakob unwraps the makeshift bandage on Ida's leg and rattles off a list of supplies for Hannah to gather up. Jody smooths a hand over Ida's forehead. "I'm right here with you. You're going to be fine."

I tap Jody discreetly on the shoulder. "I need to find Jerome."

"He's gone," Jakob says, without looking up. "He left with the deviations."

I stare at his back in disbelief. I've been gone less than twenty-four hours and already the city's inhabitants are defecting. Even though we agreed it would be in the deviations' best interest to return to the Craniopolis, I didn't expect it to happen while I was gone. It still stings that my vision of a blended community is fragmenting around me faster than I can process it. "Where's Sven?"

Jakob steals a glance in my direction. "He's with Trout at the courthouse."

"I'll be there if anyone needs me," I say. I give Jody a quick shoulder squeeze in passing. "Ida's in good hands. I'll look for you back at the barn."

As I make my way to the courthouse, my stomach flutters in anticipation of seeing Sven again. I wonder what goes through his head when he thinks about us. Does he dare to dream of a future together? We haven't talked yet about what he said in the Craniopolis.

Without an expiration date, you ... I ...

So much was happening around us at the time that I convinced myself it didn't mean anything, but the truth is I knew exactly what he was saying.

I push the thought of a future with Sven to the back of my mind like I do every time it surfaces. I keep telling myself it's a moot point, but it draws me back in like a siren's call.
What if he didn't have an expiration date?

The Septites think it's unnatural that a human would be attracted to a clone. And I suspect by the wary looks the military clones give me when I'm with Sven that they don't approve either. A human can't–shouldn't love a clone. Big Ed might disagree, he's hip to whole the idea of clones being God's creatures just like the rest of us. I know what I see when I look into Sven's eyes. He's capable of love like any man.

On a whim, I decide to stop by the riders' barn first and check up on Big Ed, although mostly I need some perspective before I see Sven again.

I spot Big Ed dozing in a chair in the corner, his gray beard draped over his chest like an old, knotty fishing net. I take a few hesitant steps toward him, reluctant to wake him, but Tucker jumps to his feet when he sees me, barking a raucous reunion that startles Big Ed awake. He peers up at me, eyes rheumy with sleep, then smacks his gums together and pushes himself up in the chair with a grunt. "You're back. All good?"

"We found the horses. Ida took a bullet in the leg, but she's going to be all right. Jakob's taking it out right now."

Big Ed stares at me for a moment, before hefting a shaggy brow upward. "Something else on your mind?"

I sigh and pull up a chair beside him. "It's about Sven. You saw what he did for me in the Craniopolis--he offered to sacrifice himself to save Owen. I know he loves me and I want to be with him, but with an expiration date hanging over his head, what kind of future would we have?"

Big Ed puts a finger behind his spectacles and rubs his eyelid like he's waking up his thoughts.

I fidget on the edge of my chair.

He clasps his gnarled hands in his lap and looks over at me. "You get him 'til death do you part, same deal any of us get. There are no guarantees."

"But, Sven's a clone." I rake my fingers through my hair in frustration. "I'm not even sure if he's human. A lot of people are going to be weirded out by that."

Big Ed cocks his head to one side. "There weren't no natural union of man and woman in his making, but it ain't my place to say he's any less human than you or I. A man willing to sacrifice his life for you is a man capable of love."

I groan. "So you don't know if he's human either?"

Big Ed smiles. "If it helps any, he sure looks like he's made out of skin and bones same as you and me."

I grin back at him. "Which might explain why I'm falling for him."

He pats me on the knee, eyes drifting to half-mast. "In that case, don't you have someplace better to be?"

H
eart fluttering with anticipation
, I jog up the courthouse steps and run right into Rocco. He throws a quick glance behind him, and then grabs my arm and pulls me aside, a tad too roughly for my liking.

"Take your hands off me," I say, glaring at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

He releases me, his eyes steely. "Sven wasn't expecting you back so soon."

I frown at him. "Is something wrong?"

Rocco runs a hand across his jaw. "We're relocating to the Craniopolis tomorrow. Sven's in Jerome's office finalizing a security plan with Trout."

My stomach knots. "What? Why?"

"Sven thought it would be for the best. He planned to be gone before you got back."

I clench my fists. "Sven would never leave without telling me unless he was pressured into it. Did someone warn him to stay away from me?"

Rocco shrugs, a blank look on his face.

I narrow my eyes at him. "
You'd
better not have had anything to do with this!" I elbow past him and march down the corridor to Jerome's office.

Sven and Trout look up, startled when I storm in.

"Hey!" Trout grins at me. "I take it you found the horses?"

I give a curt nod. "Ida's been shot. Jakob's taking out the bullet."

"We didn't expect you back so soon," Sven says, an uneasy look on his face.

I throw myself down in a chair. "I'm beginning to think I should never have left. Half the city is upping and moving out." I stare accusingly at Sven until he drops his gaze.

"Rocco and some of the other clones are unhappy here. They want to go back to the Craniopolis. I agreed to accompany them."

No wonder Rocco wasn't happy to see me. He's been agitating the military clones. "Well,
I
haven't agreed to anything," I retort.

Trout's brows shoot up, his eyes darting between Sven and me.

"I need to talk to Sven alone for a few minutes," I say, frowning at Trout until he gives a one-shouldered shrug and exits the office.

I wait for Sven to say something, but he won't even look at me

"Is it true?" I ask, trying to curb the emotion in my voice. "Are you leaving because of me?"

He lets out a heavy sigh. "I'm leaving because I have an expiration date and no hope of the kind of future you deserve."

"There's always hope," I say. "Overthrowing the Craniopolis was only the beginning. Lyong had a whole team of scientists working on resolving ossification. He was motivated, for his son's sake. He said he had found the DNA sequencing that caused it. What if the cure is in the research files?"

Sven shakes his head. "I can't offer you what you deserve. I can't even promise you tomorrow."

"You aren't listening to me! What if the scientists can fix you? You might end up living longer than any of us with your enhanced immune system."

Sven smiles at me sadly. "Listen to yourself, Derry.
What if this? What if that?
I'm a clone. I can't change my destiny." He stands and swings his pack over his shoulder. "You need to be with your own kind."

"I know what I need, and it's you," I say, tears prickling my nose. "You're scared, I get it. I'm scared of my feelings too, but you make me come alive someplace deep inside. When I left the bunkers, more than anything I wanted to feel alive again."

"You and I are a fantasy," Sven takes my hand and raises it to his lips. "One day very soon I'll ossify. I can't bring any more pain to your life than you've already suffered." He kisses my hand, then turns and strides out of the room.

"Wait! Sven!" I get to my feet and grip the edge of the table, my knees too weak to support me. I sink back down in Jerome's chair and bury my head in my hands, my brain fogged with pain. I've never told Sven before how I really feel about him, never even admitted it to myself, but I meant every word I just said. If there is any possible way Sven and I can be together, it's worth fighting for with every atom of my being. My stomach tingles with a strange mixture of apprehension and exhilaration. I don't know how to make it happen, but at least I'm sure now of what I want; to be with Sven no matter how soon the end comes.

I
t's almost noon
the following day when I wake from the deep sleep I tumbled into back at the riders' barn. My mind casts about for a moment or two before I find my bearings and everything comes rushing back. I roll over and sit up, a knot of pain coiling inside me. Maybe there's still time to talk Sven out of leaving. I need something that will convince him we have a shot at a real future together. I tug my fingers through my hair and pull it into a ponytail. One of the scientists must know something about Lyong's ossification research. If there was a breakthrough of some kind, Lyong wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret from everyone in the Craniopolis. Maybe Viktor can help me get to the bottom of it.

An enticing aroma of spices toys with my senses as I pull on my boots. I stand and make my way out to the main living area. To my surprise, Owen and Nikki are seated at the far end of the dining table, deep in conversation. Tucker sits on his haunches beside them, no doubt enjoying the odd tidbit for his patience. When he sees me he trots over and wags his tail. I ruffle his neck and he promptly drops and rolls over. I laugh and give him a quick belly rub. Owen and Nikki eye me with guarded looks when I pull up a chair. "Glad to see you're here," I say. "We haven't talked in days."

"Nikki and I had a lot of catching up to do." Owen glances in my direction, but he doesn't quite meet my eyes.

I hike my brow. "You've barely exchanged two words with me or Trout since you got here."

Owen stares down at Nikki's hand curled inside his own. "It's time Trout and I went our separate ways. I'm not a member of the Council and I don't want any part of leading the Undergrounders anymore." He raises Nikki's fingers to his lips and kisses them. "I have another chance at a life I thought was over, and I don't want to lose it again."

"You can still be together and be a part of the community here." I look to Nikki for support, but she averts her gaze.

Owen turns to me, a resolute look in his eyes. "Nikki and I are leaving with the homesteading group."

My jaw drops. "What?"

"Some of the Undergrounders are planning to head out to the Deadwood River basin to begin homesteading. They're worried about residual radiation from the Superconductor."

"And it hasn't helped to have all these clones and deviations milling around either," Nikki adds. "Not to mention the Rogues."

I frown. "The Undergrounders did a good job of chasing the deviations out of town already."

Nikki throws me a dark look. "They're happier in an environment that makes sense to them."

I want to point out that we didn't do a very good job of helping them make sense of anything, but I bite my lip. "What if another outpost resumes the sweeps?"

"Lyong could have been jerking our chain about the outposts," Owen says. "Even if they do exist, they could be halfway around the world. We might never see another Hovermedes. We can't live here in limbo forever."

I stare at him, at a loss for words. Everything we sacrificed for is fracturing around us, but maybe this is how it's meant to be; survivors forging a new path. We fought for freedom, and now I get to see what it looks like up close–messy, discordant, experimental. I can't dictate what people should do or where they ought to live.

"Jakob and Hannah are coming with us," Nikki adds.

I raise my brows. I did wonder if there was something more than a working relationship between them, but I'm happy for them. They suit each other.

"You should think about joining us," Owen says.

A vision of a Septite homesteading future flashes before me. Whatever life units Sven has left, I can't imagine him spending it herding goats and growing vegetables. I feel a certain obligation to Owen. He was everything to me when Ma died and Da took to the bottle, but I don't owe him the rest of my life. I want to spend it with Sven. "I've made a commitment to the Council," I say. "I'm going to stay here and help rebuild the city with the military clones."

Owen raises his brows, but before he has a chance to respond an Undergrounder walks over and plants a pot of stew and a stack of bowls in the middle of the table.

"Thanks," I say, grabbing the ladle. Several more Undergrounders drift over to the table. I dish out a serving for each of us, grateful for the distraction. I gulp down my stew, eager to escape the dining hall before the topic of Sven comes up. Owen may suspect that Sven is the real reason I don't want to leave the city, but I'm not ready yet to admit to my brother that I'm in love with a clone.

"Catch you guys later," I say, shoving my chair out from the table. "I need to speak to Viktor before he leaves for the Craniopolis." Tucker jumps up, tongue dangling in anticipation of a hunt or a run. I toss him a lump of fatty rind and leave him in Owen's care.

I make my way across town, pushing down thoughts of losing Owen again. I can't go with him and the other homesteaders. My heart is with Sven now. I need to find a way to help him before it's too late.

Viktor and the rest of the scientists are housed in a former office building in an old section of town close to Nikki's apartment. The boarded-up block is an unappealing square of soot-colored brick, retrofitted with plywood boards to keep the warmth in, but the light out–a fact that doesn't seem to bother the scientists. Most of the time they're more content to sit in darkness than mingle with the Undergrounders and enjoy the sights and sounds outside. Big Ed says they're traumatized now that they're out of Lyong's clutches and able to process what they were a part of all those years.

I yank open the makeshift plywood entry door, and step into the foyer. Inside, the air is stuffy and smells of old boxes of newspapers and years of mold. It takes several minutes for my eyes to grow accustomed to the dusky space. Three shadowy figures, seated in office chairs with broken wheels, stare in my direction. I shiver. The place has the feel of an abandoned asylum.

"Is Viktor here?" I call over to them.

One of them points to the stairway at the back of the foyer.

I smile a quick thank you at their expressionless faces and hurry up the splintered flight of stairs.

Viktor is seated in a corner of what was once a communal office kitchen. He's clutching a closed book in his hand and staring at a spot on the floor in front of him. His face twitches when he sees me, almost as if I've caught him doing something wrong.

"I wanted to talk to you before you leave for the Craniopolis." I slip my rifle off my shoulder and rest it against the wall.

His beady eyes are watchful as I sit down opposite him. "What about?" He brushes a finger down his beaked nose.

"What do you know about Lyong's research on ossification?"

Viktor tenses. He purses his pillowy lips. "It was classified."

I lean toward him, our knees almost touching. "Perhaps you stumbled across something?"

His eyes flash with fear. "It's dangerous to ask such questions."

I give a bewildered laugh. "Why? Lyong's gone."

"His eyes are everywhere."

"Trust me, they're not in here."

He casts a discomfited glance over my shoulder, then edges forward in his seat. "There were rumors of a breakthrough at another outpost. I hacked into Lyong's files. He was working out some sort of arrangement to take Sook there."

I churn the information over in my brain for a moment. "So the only way to reverse ossification in the clones is to take them to this other outpost?"

Viktor blinks. "If the rumors are true, then yes."

"Where is this outpost?"

"I don't know."

"But you could get the coordinates?"

Viktor furrows his brow, a sheen of sweat glistening on his upper lip. "I could try and contact them, but it's risky. If they find out what happened at the Craniopolis--"

"They won't. You only have to secure the coordinates."

Viktor gives an unconvincing nod.

I have a feeling he's holding something back from me. But he could just be afraid of what might happen. It's a risk to contact the outpost, but it's worth it if it means there's a chance of revoking Sven's expiration date.

"When will the communication line between the Craniopolis and the city be operational?" I ask.

"Everything's set up on this side," Viktor says. "I'll activate the signal once I'm at the Craniopolis."

I reach for my rifle. "I'll wait to hear from you."

A
light afternoon
breeze has picked up by the time I get back to the main street. A hawk hang glides overhead, charting a course north to the mountains. I walk briskly past the Aquaponics Center in the direction of the riders' barn. I want to try and catch Sven before he leaves and tell him what I've found out so far. If nothing else, I need to make him understand that he doesn't have to resign himself to an imminent expiration date.

I round a corner and frown at the crowd gathered a short distance from the container gate, an uneasy mix of clones and Undergrounders engaged in a heated exchange of words. I can't tell from here what's going on, but it looks like they're standing around someone or something.

I increase my pace, eager to put a swift end to any disagreement that could lead to a fight between the factions. When I reach the group I shoulder my way to the center and pull up short. Lying in their midst is an ossifying clone, his skeletal fingers curved upward like beckoning talons, his taut skin a charcoal-still-life gray. I watch with horror as the remnants of his skin crumble to powder and drift to the ground like dirty snow.

A paunchy, flat-faced Undergrounder beside me shoots me a repulsed look. "We don't want this in our city. It's unnatural, keeling over and dying like that. It's freaking the children out."

"We didn't ask to die this way," one of the military clones retorts. "Just like you didn't ask to have your DNA canned for cloning. The Sweepers are the monsters behind this. Why don't you haul the scientists out in the streets right now and take your revenge on them?"

The rest of the clones pin me with steely gazes that demand my backing.

"You know as well as I do the scientists who are here were against what was going on in the Craniopolis," I say. "They wanted out."

"Or they wanted to end up on the winning side when they realized the writing was on the wall," another clone says.

"He's right," the flat-faced Undergrounder chimes in. "We don't know what their motives were for coming out with us." He glares at the military clone. "Or
your
s either."

The clone grabs him by the neck and lifts him several inches off the ground. The Undergrounder makes a choking sound, scrabbling with his hands to work himself free.

I pull out my gun and point it at the clone. "Let him go!"

He drops his hostage and backs away scowling. Before I have a chance to say anything more, a horn sounds and the gate to the city groans open in front of us. My heart sinks when a riderless horse limps through.