The Harvest (27 page)

“It doesn’t seem like we just met these
people four weeks ago,” Kelly mused, slipping next to him.

“I know—feels like we’ve been here forever,”
Maurice replied distantly.

“I propose a toast,” Jules announced, lifting
her cup. The other kids quieted and looked at her. “To the best
group of people I’ve ever known,” she paused and smiled, “for
twenty-eight whole days.”

Laughter erupted across the room, and then
they fell quiet when her expression turned serious.

Determined to learn as much about his
teammates as possible, Shane had gotten to know her better during
the training. He’d discovered she was much more sensitive than she
acted. He’d seen her looking at Tracy the same way he sometimes
looked at Kelly, with deep melancholy over the idea that she could
be killed. He noticed it the first time during a simulation. A
plasma blast had hit Tracy, and the computer pulled her out of the
game. It left the burnt corpse that made the simulations all too
realistic, causing nightmares for Shane. Jules had frozen, staring
at Tracy’s body, her face contorted with horror. She forgot they
were in a firefight and, before Shane could yell at her, she got
shot too.

“I feel like I’ve grown more in the short
time we’ve spent together than I did in my entire life up to this
point,” she continued, a sincerity in her voice and moistness in
her eyes. “I know this sounds weird, but I love you guys. I feel
like you’re family.” She scanned their faces, and her eyes stopped
on Tracy. Jules raised her cup higher.

“Here, here,” Maurice said, lifting his
drink.

The rest of the kids raised their drinks and
said versions of cheers and good health in their languages. The
earbud no longer translated them to English, not that he needed it
to. He understood them all. Dr. Blain must’ve had that feature
deactivated. Jules sat down, and everyone was silent, the emotion
growing thick in the room. Feeling a little detached from them,
Shane wondered if the mood-enhancing effects of the neural upload
were wearing off, the reality of the hell they found themselves in
creeping in like a poisonous fog.

“I propose a challenge.” Steve’s deep voice
crushed the solemnity. “As I am sure you are all painfully aware,”
his eyes twinkled with mischief, “we Americans,” he struck his
chest with his fist, “have won most of the flag-capturing
games.”

“You’re only ahead by one win,” Liam
retorted. The Aussies and Russians were tied for second place as of
yesterday.

“Yes, well,” Steve mumbled. “I’ve never been
one for trivial details.”

Chuckles came from a few of them.

“I don’t want to say that we are the best.”
He cleared his throat. “Not yet anyway. You folks should have one
more chance to prove my arrogant ass wrong.

“And so my challenge, ladies and
gentle-blokes.” Steve mocked an Australian accent as he looked at
Liam. “The first team to destroy their ship’s reactor won’t have to
clean the bathroom ever again.”

“Nothing personal,” Jake said, crinkling his
nose. “But after we destroy the reactor, I don’t ever want to share
a bathroom with any of you again.”

“Yeah,” Laura replied, laughing. “Some of
y’all are nasty.”

The teens broke into laughter, teasing each
other about their personal habits and all agreeing that Petrov took
way to long to do his hair. Even the ever-stoic Chinese and Finns
were in on it. The big Russian took it in stride, using his palms
to check his do and telling them not to be jealous.

This round of joking went on for a few more
minutes and then quiet swept through the cafeteria, the artificial
bliss dissipating and anxiety over what was to come taking a firmer
hold on them.

“I’m going to get some rest,” Shane said, hoping Kelly would slip
away with him.

“Sounds like a good idea.” She turned and
walked out of the cafeteria with him in tow.

The sun had just set, and he could barely see
across the base due to the encroaching night. He wanted to forget
what they’d be off to do in just a few hours and enjoy being close
to her, but the darker things he’d been exposed to replayed in his
head.

Kelly clasped his hand and crossed her other
arm over his, hugging his arm as they walked. She took a deep
breath and then sighed.

“I love summer nights,” she said.

“Me too,” he replied, a tremor in his
voice.

They’d be playing their first games of the
season if things were normal. He’d been training so hard over the
summer. This was the year he was going to make varsity. He loved
playing football in September. The nights were still warm, but not
too hot, and everyone was charged with excitement over the season
to come.

“Funny how many things I took for granted.”
She trailed off.

“I doubt we’ll ever do that again,” he said,
his mind struggling to find a way to guarantee her safety. “You
know, they’ve trained backups to take our positions if someone
fails or if…” He stopped himself. The words had come out before he
had a chance to think. Now, he wished he could take them back.

“Or what?” She stopped walking and looked up
at him.

“Or, if someone decided they didn’t want to
go along.”

“That’s great,” she said, letting go of his
hand. “What are you trying to say, Shane?”

“Nothing,” he stammered. He knew he shouldn’t
be saying this to her, but he couldn’t keep it inside. “I was just
thinking, maybe you should stay behind… so you can look after
Nat.”

She crossed her arms. Even in the dim light,
he could see the expression of disappointment on her face.

“Look,” she said with quiet anger. “These
aliens chose each of us for a specific reason. Whether it makes
sense to me or anyone else, they believe I should be here. I don’t
have a choice but to go—to assure Nat’s safety.”

“Yeah, but look how all the teams are groups
of kids who were already together.” His mouth kept running, beyond
his control. “What’s the likelihood that the best of the best
happened to already be acquainted? Maybe they just snatched up
groups of survivors, figuring they could train anyone with half a
brain. Maybe they just told us we’re special to build our
confidence.”

“Really?”

“I’m just saying—”

“You’re saying a load,” she snapped, cutting
him off. “But you’re being selfish. You don’t want me to go because
you’re scared I might get hurt.”

“Well, yeah,” he blurted, certain this wasn’t
going to end well.

“Ridiculous,” she shouted, raising her hands.
“I should have never… ” She stepped closer to him. “I’m going.”

“Come on, Kelly,” he pleaded.

“I need to spend time with Nat.” She spun
away, starting across the tarmac.

“I’m sorry,” he called after her desperately,
sounding like a total dumbass.

How freaking stupid was he? He knew she’d
blow up at him if he tried to get her to stay, but he had to open
his mouth. Now she hated him. They only had a few hours before
they’d have to go, and he’d just ruined what could be their last
quiet moments together.

He stood in the dark and watched her walk
away, his mind searching for something to do or say to make her
come back. After she entered the building where the younger kids
stayed, he stared at the door for a long while, willing her to come
out so he could beg for her forgiveness.

The crickets and other night creatures’ music
seemed to grow louder with each passing minute, making him feel
even more alone. It became painfully evident an apology would have
to happen later, once she’d cooled off. His head drooping, he made
his way to the barracks. He was being foolish, letting himself get
distracted at such a critical time. It endangered both of them. He
resolved to try to make it up to her when the opportunity presented
itself. He had to stop being selfish—the mission required his full
focus now.

Forcing his attention to all the new stuff
banging around in his skull, Shane slowly made his way to the
barracks. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, and crawled into his
rack. Lying on his back, he stared at the bunk above, picturing
different codes he’d learned. So much of the mission depended on
these codes, some would open doors, and others would destroy the
reactor. It was a crap-load of information, and he didn’t
understand half of it. What if something important slipped from his
mind before he could use it?

The lights went out. He knew he needed sleep,
but he was unable to slow his racing mind. He reckoned it was
around midnight when Kelly joined him on his narrow bed. She didn’t
say anything about their earlier fight, and he didn’t have the
balls or energy to bring it up, though he wanted to tell her again
that he was sorry. The fight was stupid, and it was all his fault.
Pressing his back against the partition to give her space, he held
her tight against him, breathing her in. This might be the last
chance he’d ever have to hold her. He didn’t feel the surge of
passion he experienced on other nights when he held her. He was too
wrapped up in concern for her safety to be excited, though he vowed
to never mention those fears to her again.

Kelly pressed into him in a way that said she
accepted his unspoken apology, her body fitting like they were
designed to be a single unit. Soon after she nestled, her breathing
grew heavy from sleep. Contrasting with frightful thoughts of the
near future, her stimulating closeness guaranteed he wouldn’t join
her in getting some shut-eye, but it didn’t bother him. He didn’t
want to miss a second of this precious time with her and did
everything he could to keep from thinking of all the bad things
that might happen in the near future.

“Time to go,” Jones announced with a gentler
voice than usual. He only turned on half the lights.

Kelly stirred and rolled out of his bunk. He
yawned, breaking free of the turmoil entangling his mind for the
last two hours. Across the aisle, Jules rolled out of Tracy’s bunk.
Steve’s rack was empty. Shane groggily slipped on the plain white
T-shirt and blue jeans provided, intended to make them blend with
the other kids who would be harvested by the Anunnaki. Steve came
up the aisle with a sheepish grin on his face.

“Look who’s the big stud,” Tracy said,
smiling mischievously. “Spend the night with Anfisa, did we?”

“Shut up,” Steve replied, playfully pushing
her.

These friends were the closest thing he had
left to a family, and he was glad they’d found some comfort during
the night.

“Let’s go,” Jones shouted louder than
before.

Shane rushed to the bathroom, taking a leak
and brushing his teeth as fast as he could. When he came out, Jones
ushered him through the front door of the barracks and onto the
tarmac. A sliver of moon hung low in the clear night sky, casting
its faint glow on a line of black helicopters. Perhaps it was just
because he was exhausted, but he was surprised by how relaxed he
felt, like a man who’d accepted his death sentence and was at peace
with himself.

The rest of the kids trickled out and met up
with their teams. When everyone in his squad was together, Shane
led them to the first chopper, and they boarded. The engine whined
and the rotors smacked the air loudly, drowning any attempt at
conversation.

Shane leaned back in his seat, holding
Kelly’s hand. He closed his eyes, reliving simulations of the
attack on the Anunnaki once again. His brain ached from being awake
all night, but he was determined to stay focused. He’d sleep after
these murderous invaders were blown to shit—forever if he
failed.

The helicopter ride took a little over an
hour, and they landed near some hangars at a large airport, which
Shane figured was in Tennessee. Military aircraft, large jets
painted gray and bearing American flags on their tails, waited on
the dimly lit tarmac.

It was still dark out when Shane and his
friends climbed onto the big aircraft. Directed by Lily, the
Russians and the Australians followed them.

“I’ll be flying this plane to your landing
site in Egypt. Dr. Blain will be our co-pilot,” Jones said,
standing near the door to the cockpit. “If any of you have
questions, feel free to come forward and talk to us. There’s food
and drinks in these coolers—eat as much as you can. Once we land,
you may not have time for a meal.”

Jones entered the cockpit and, moments later,
the jet’s engines screamed to life. Hoping his headache would fade,
Shane reclined his seat and closed his eyes. If it didn’t, he was
going to need Dr. Blain to work her magic on him before they
landed. They were fortunate to have the doctor going with them—he
had a bad feeling they’d need her services.

A nightmare of seeing Kelly shot through her
belly by a plasma rifle jarred him awake. His mouth was parched,
and his neck hurt. An image of her face as she died, her eyes
puddled with tears of pain and fear, was seared in his mind. He
lifted his head off Kelly’s shoulder, and she sighed. He smiled at
her to try and hide the grief he felt from the horrible dream. How
long had she been propping him, too kind to move and disrupt his
sleep?