All Light Will Fall (31 page)

The man nodded. “Alright. We’ll trust you.”

“Trust no one,” I said. “Give that to a higher power. To
anyone else, it will be your death.” I felt the shuttle slow and I looked
through the huddle of passengers. There was a boy in the back, tall and dressed
heavily in black.

“But there’s something I want in return.”

Suddenly, the shuttle came to a stop.

“All passengers departing at Queens Benick, please remain in
an orderly fashion as you exit the shuttle. Thank you for traveling Alta Zeda.”

I tucked my hair beneath the black leather hood as the exit
lights flickered to life. The line of the hood hid my eyes, casting a dark
shadow over my face. I was a shadow now myself—stealthy, obscure, and virtually
invisible.

When the doors opened, the passengers jetted into the night,
pushing and shoving against each other. The shattered glass was immediately
spotted. A squad of civil order officers rushed to the scene. They pushed
through the crowd, their weapons aimed to block the new arrivals. The
passengers kept on, losing each other in the madness, the Ardent and the
Defiant becoming one jumble of people.

I ducked into the chaotic scramble, moving with the push and
pull of the crowd. There was shouting, whistles blasting, and the scurrying of
feet. I saw several of the passengers, wrangling with the officers, resisting
arrest.

I saw the station square up ahead, bright with halo-screens
and the blazing lights of hovercrafts. The largest screen stood tall above the
people. The Nazar was there. He was flawless, broad-shouldered, and
stern-faced. All of his skin possessed an unnatural glow. Then there were
images, commercials full of laughter depicting a world of easy living. And it
was all so perfectly false. “Welcome,” it said, “to Helix City. Home of the
Ardent. You live in a perfect world. There is no reason for fear. There is no
need for rebellion. All troubles are absent. All evils are vanquished.”

The neon images flashed, rotating again and again. I noticed
some of the Ardent watching them. They were rooted in strange and ungainly
positions as if the hypnotic flashes had frozen them mid-stride. I moved around
a woman and her daughter and looked them in the face.

I was startled by the blank nature of their expressions. A
liquid glaze shined over their eyes. Their lids were unblinking. They mumbled
something, the words quick and illiterate between their lips. Then the images
changed and they were blinking again, suddenly released from the trance. The
woman glanced at me with a look of befuddlement. She gripped her daughter’s
hand.

“Momma, isn’t that her?” the girl asked. She pointed to the
halo-screen, and to my dismay, she was right. My face lit the screen, the
blaring red of a Code A alert drifting across the projection:

“Attention citizens of Helix City, a high class warning is
being issued to all residents who may see or encounter rogue 2102. If you spot
this individual, alert the authorities immediately. Do not approach this
criminal; 2102 is trained and exceedingly dangerous.”

The woman and I held gazes. She said nothing and I wondered
why. She only stared at me, with eyes so fragile, so wounded. I turned away
from her, easing back into the crowd.

“A generous award will be rewarded to any and all persons
who provide information leading to 2102’s capture. For the time being, please
return to your designated residences and remain indoors until further notice.”

The Ardent moved as a single body, slowly ebbing away from
the station.

“A Civilian Safety agent will monitor the status of your
home once all members have arrived. Citizens who chose to defy this order will
be punished accordingly. Please be mindful of your safety and the safety of
those around you as you return home. Thank you for your cooperation. Attention
citizens of Helix City, a high class warning is being issued to all residents
who may see or encounter rogue 2102...”

I ducked into the alleyways, dodging the hovercrafts and the
search squads. I knew where to go now. Darway Centra had never been so close.
Straight from the square I’d go left to the bridge at Vanglis Crossing. A mile
down, I’d take the path to New Premise. Then I’d see the light posts, shining
green in the fog. I would follow them, all the way down to Marx Avenue. That
was home. That’s where I would find her. That’s where I would find them.

Darway Centra was infested with elite paratroopers and civil
order drones. ARTIKA knew everything. That I was going back. That my memories
had returned. I expected it. But still, I had hoped for a bit more time.

I moved through the darkened streets. The fog was heavy,
masking me from the searching floodlights. An impassable line of ar cannons and
well-disguised sharpshooters blockaded the gate. There was no bypassing that
line. No way over it and no way around it. Trying was suicide.

I turned back. Darway Centra would have to wait. I’d find
refuge elsewhere for now. But I couldn’t stay. Once I saw them again, the
farewell would be quick.

Tess 4 was a few blocks down. All was quiet. The streets
were empty, long and eerie. I climbed the building, using the air pockets as a
boost to the top. There were hundreds of these air pockets running along the
outside walls. Without these ventilators, civilians would grow sick in the
captivity of their homes. The city air was too polluted and too pumped with
chemical to breathe freely. Every aspect of this life was a danger. Breathing.
Thinking. Dreaming. Nothing was safe. No one was free. This was Earth. The
valley of death I called home.

I reached the top of Tess 4 and wiped the fog from the
window. Blurry silhouettes danced before a soft nimbus of light. I gripped the
window pane and jammed the glass upward, snapping the locks at each corner.
With a final boost, I curled forward into the darkness, landing in a perfect
arc on my feet. I unfolded into a stand and found myself alone in the dark of
the hall.

There was a familiar feeling there, so strong that I could
hardly move, hardly remember. His laughter echoed. And it was beautiful, the
sound of summer. I could sense him everywhere. I felt his spirit moving,
vanishing into the walls, under doors. I came upon his room, that bright,
homemade smell of his still lingering. I didn’t open it, though. He wouldn’t be
there. Nor would he ever be.

I came to the living room and stood in the shroud of the
dark. A light was on, illuminating the three figures siting still as the dinner
table. They held hands. Their voices were but a whisper as they spoke.

“Come out,” a voice demanded.

All three faces turned in my direction, each of their eyes
boring into the dark.

“You heard me?” I whispered.

The dark brows pinched with suspicion. “I didn’t,” the man
hissed, “but I’ve protected my family long enough to know when a stranger steps
foot in my house.”

I took a breath, drawing the hood from my eyes as I eased into
the light.

They stared, horrified by the ghost of me, standing there
real and in the flesh. Kailes made no farther movements, his mouth split like a
broken shell, looking more lost than afraid. Elsa, with her eyes wide and her
legs trembling, was close to death. And Ada, a true warrior of time, had
shocked herself into a state of unconsciousness. Her body fell limp at the
table.

Kailes rose all of a sudden. The kitchen chair crashed to
the floor as he stood. He came to me with tears in his eyes.

“Corrine,” he called.

I didn’t know how, but suddenly I was in his arms, gripping
his cotton shirt as if I would very well perish without his warmth, his breath,
his fatherly scent.

“God, it’s a miracle,” he gasped. He held me tight to the
beat of his chest.

I felt Elsa beside us. I let go of Kailes to draw her into
me. She was heavenly in my arms. Her scent was affectionate and warm. I felt
her tears against my skin. And she dried those drops of sorrow with the caress
of her hand.

“How, how did you get here?” Kailes wondered. He came and
clutched me by the shoulders. “What happened to you, Corrine? What did they do
to you? Ellis... what happened to my boy!”

“Kai,” Elsa sighed, “let the child speak.”

Kailes released me. He took a step back. “I’m sorry,
Corrine. I just... ”

“It’s alright,” I assured. “I can’t stay long. They’re
looking for me.”

Kailes grimaced. “It’s a Class A alert. They won’t stop
until they find you.”

He broke into an infuriated strut.

“Those bastards! Kidnapping our children! Who gave them the
right? They can’t get away with this.” He slammed his fist into the table.
“God, I swear I’ll kill them all!” his fist dug deep into the metal, again and
again. “Where is my son, damn it! I want my son... where is my son?!”

Ada came from behind him and gently touched his shoulders.
Kailes flinched. His body shook with his silent sobs. Elsa stood where she was,
a hand over her lips as she wept.

“Ellis is alive,” I said.

Kailes looked up. He rushed over to me and seized my arms
again.

“Are you sure, Corrine? Don’t spare my feelings. I couldn’t
take it, but if you’re telling me the truth...”

“He’s alive,” I said sternly, “and I’ll bring him back... I
promise.”

“Corrine,” Elsa whispered.

“How can you, Junebug? It’s impossible,” Ada said.

“Mom!” Kailes hushed.

Ada held up her hand to silence him. “That’s no burden to
put on a young girl, Kai. Look at the poor child. She’s running scared for her
life, a stranger to herself when she looks in the mirror. Did you even mention
to the child what they did to Patra?”

“Where’s my mother?” I interrupted. “What happened... tell
me!”

“She’s gone, Junebug,” Ada uttered. “The officials took her
away... we haven’t seen or heard anything of her in two years.”

I stumbled back in a gasp, threatening to fall over on my
knees. Kailes caught me and pulled me into his chest. I swallowed my rage and
drew away from him.

“And Fern?” I asked.

Kailes stared at me. His eyes shifted back and forth. They
were hard as iron. “They took her because of Fern. When they came for your
sister, Patra resisted. She was arrested for civil disobedience. That’s a Class
D crime which, if its sentencing hasn’t changed, means temporary imprisonment.”

I didn’t understand. Fern was gone? Why? How did this
happen? I was half-mad thinking about it, my mind completely lost in itself.

“My mother, where can I find her?”

“It’s impossible, Corrine. You can’t reach her. And the
authorities have issued a...”

“Where can I find her?” I snipped.

“Kai, the officers are headed this way,” Elsa called. She
had moved to the front door and now stood guard at the window, peeping every so
often though the glass.

“You need to leave, Corrine. Damn it, I’m sorry. I wish we
could talk more.” He stroked a tuff of my hair. “My goodness look at you...
simply beautiful. Just as you always were... like your mother.”

He paused and took a last look at my face. “Elsa, get
Patra’s belongings from the room. Mom, watch the door,” Kailes ordered. Then he
rushed me back down the hallway. A searchlight scaled across the open window.
“There’s a signal tower not too far from Felix SL, the city’s tallest building.
The building beside the signal tower, that’s where she’s most likely being
held. It’s a heavily guarded facility. Even if by a miracle you managed to get
in, there won’t be a coming out, I guarantee it...”

“Patra’s things,” Elsa panted. I took it from her and she
threw her arms around me as if she might never let go. I suppose she knew
already. Mothers always knew. This would be our final parting.

“May God protect you, Corrine,” she uttered, “and if you
can... please bring home our boy... please bring Ellis back to us.”

I released her.

“Corrine,” Kailes whispered. “If you do happen to save your
mother... there’s nowhere in the city where the two of you can hide. I’d
contact a friend to get you to the other side of Norris Tower, but we’ve
recently lost contact... I have to assume he’s been compromised...”

“Kai!” Ada warned. There was a booming knock on the door.

“But if you do somehow make it over, the code phrase is
sparrow seven, seven, seven. Say it fast or the Defiant will take you out. Ask
for Elijah, he’ll see that the two of you are protected.”

Kailes spun me around so that I faced the end of the hall.
“Be careful, Corrine. Be strong. And fight. Fight hard. We’ll be fighting too.
And remember that I’m with you. That God is with you.”

I rushed to the window. Down below, the search squads had
the building surrounded. There was no way out.

“You won’t make it,” Kailes said.

“Yes, all the members of this household are present as we
speak...”

“Go!” Kailes said.