Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (25 page)

“What is that?” Keira leaned forward to get
a better look. “Is that a trigger of some sort?”

“Don't come any closer,” he said. “Not if
you hope to save lives.”

A gunshot sounded. The Prime Minister
dropped to the floor, reached for his left leg and let loose a
bloodcurdling yell. The silver device bounced harmlessly on the
ground and rolled away.

“What have you done?”

Eberhardt spun toward Minister Brackaby.
Glaring at the soldiers and ignoring the guns pointed in his
direction, Brackaby hurried over to Armstrong's side. They looked
at each other. Suddenly, Brackaby lunged forward, seized the
trigger and pressed down.

In Tony's back room, you could have heard a
mosquito sneeze. But nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. We
looked at each other in confusion.

A soldier grabbed Brackaby, forcefully
pushed him into a chair and handcuffed him to it. The other
ministers were also restrained.

“What did you do?” Eberhardt said.

Brackaby's startled visage filled the
screen. He said nothing.

“I'm doing a final sweep,” Eberhardt
announced.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned.
“Harlow! It's good to see you.”

“We've got a few vehicles out front, all at
your service.”

“Great.” I reached over and handed Harlow
the fifth transmitter. Then I looked at Keira. “It's time.”

People recognized us, made way for us and
cheered us onward. Eberhardt waited at the front door of the
Justice Center.

“All's secure,” he announced as we hurried
down the stairs to the lower level. “But I can't figure out what
they did.”

“Maybe they blew up my apartment.” Eberhardt
and Guy both turned to look at me. “Well, it wouldn't be the first
time,” I mumbled.

We headed directly for the sealed chamber.
Guy reached into his pocket and pulled out the codes we would need
to release the prisoners, but then he stumbled and fell into me. It
wasn't until we were sprawled on the ground that my brain processed
what I'd heard.

No, no, no. Not now. Not like this! I rolled
Guy away from me and felt a slick stickiness. My fingers stumbled
over each other as I tried to undo the buttons of his shirt. It was
taking too long! I grabbed the fabric and pulled, ripping it open.
Hardly any blood, such a small hole. A hissing sound. Someone
crouched down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw white gauze
pulled from a medkit. Someone pressed it against the wound. Guy's
eyes were closed, but he was still breathing.

I looked up. Eberhardt's mouth was moving,
but all I could hear was the blood pounding through my veins. I
returned my attention to Guy.

“Not like this,” I whimpered.

“Keira!” Eberhardt had a firm grip on my
upper left arm. “Are you with me?”

I tore my eyes away from Guy and looked at
Eberhardt again. “Ow! Let go of me!” Voices around me were
beginning to make sense. Eberhardt kept hold. “That hurts. Let
go!”

“Are you with me?”

I looked down and with my other hand, I
retrieved the fallen codes. I shoved them at Eberhardt. “Get them
out. Finish this.”

He took the codes and nodded.

I knelt next to Guy and ran my hand down the
side of his face. My fingers lingered near his nose, and I felt
shallow breaths against my skin. Reaching out, I gently placed my
hand on top of that of the young soldier who was holding the gauze
in place. He slid his hand out from under mine and left to help the
others.

Once we were alone, I whispered, “Stay with
me.”

My stomach complained. I looked at the
paperwork piled on my desk. Another 15 minutes, and the rest would
just have to wait. My stomach grumbled again, louder. Just then, my
presence was requested in the Golden room.

“Oui, M. President?”

He turned away from the window. “I'd like
your opinion on recent events, M. Maddock.”

“Of course. To which events are you
referring?”

“Have you heard anything about a coup
d'etat?”

“The one in Terene?”

He nodded.

“Yes. They've been planning it for
months.”

He turned on a large vidscreen. Scrolling
across the bottom was a caption that read, “Inside the Justice
Center.”

The President turned to me. “Can you tell me
who is now in charge?”

Keira and Guy strode into view. “The
Resistance,” I whispered. “They really did it.” In the upper left
corner was a smaller image. A crowd chanted and held signs. I spoke
louder. “The Resistance is in charge, and from what I can see, they
have the support of the people.”

“That is good, n'est pas?”

“Oui, it's the change we've been working
toward. Perhaps we'll be able to start up more amicable relations
with Terene now?”

“Perhaps, M. Maddock. The dust needs to
settle, and then we shall see.”

I pulled out my transceiver and tried both
Keira's and Guy's numbers. Neither responded. I didn't really
expect them to, not when they were in the middle of a coup. I
called Dani next.

“Allo?”

“It's me.” I froze, my eyes still on the
vidscreen. I recognized that man. “Saunders,” I whispered.

“What?” Dani's voice registered concern.

But he's not... Before I had the chance to
finish my thought, his weapon was up. In an instant, Guy crumpled
to the floor. Keira caught him as he fell against her, and they
both went down. Two soldiers rushed forward and tackled Saunders.
He was disarmed and knocked unconscious in a matter of seconds.
Eberhardt was there too, barking out orders. And then, the screen
went dark. “I'm coming home.”

Inky blackness obliterated everything except
the image of Guy falling to the ground. Warm fingers clasped mine
and pulled me toward the main room. Here sunlight filtered in
through dirty windows. I turned to see a pair of warm brown eyes
looking at me in the dim light. Someone bumped into me, and I fell
against him. I quickly straightened.

“Sorry, David. What just happened? Guy. He
wasn't...”

Someone at the bar called out, “Tony, where
are the candles?”

David Harlow pressed his fingers to his
right ear. “Yeah, we saw. I'm dispatching a crew now.”

He returned his attention to me. “Guy's been
shot. I'm sending a med team to help. Do you want to go with?”

“Yes.” Tears threatened to overflow. I
blinked until they were gone and took a deep breath. I needed to be
strong for Keira.

Where am I? I tried to shake off the murky
haze clouding my thoughts, and panic returned. Aimee, Keira, run!
They know who you are.

I opened my eyes and tried to sit up, but
someone restrained me. No, not someone. Something. I tugged first
with one arm and then with the other. Nylon straps held me down.
Voices...I turned my head toward them. A man and woman in white lab
coats stood nearby. Doctors? Arguing. I looked around the room. I
was in a roomful of hospital beds. Then I wasn't the only patient.
No, I remembered now, there were many others.

A door across the way slid open, and I
pulled forward, straining to see. A large man entered, gun ready.
What's he doing here? I thought he was with us. I fell back against
the mattress, unable to make sense of it all. Then Eberhardt
towered over me.

“Not you too.” My voice sounded thin and
weak.

“Not me too,” he assured. He released first
my wrists and then my ankles. “Can you stand?”

“I don't know.” I sat up but quickly dropped
my head into my hands as the room began to spin.

“Stay here. You're safe now, but we have
something urgent to attend to.”

Another patient was carried in and placed on
an empty bed. Soldiers surrounded the doctors. Was this a rescue
mission? I shook my head and tried to clear the clouds of
confusion. What about the others? Why wasn't anyone helping the
others? I looked closer. Then I saw. Their chests were gaping holes
of crimson. A sense of vertigo assaulted my senses. I turned and
braced myself, leaning my head over the side of the bed.

After a few deep breaths, I looked again,
trying to see past them, but dozens of corpses lying with their
chests blown open is difficult to ignore. Shelves of clear cases
lined the walls. Within, hearts without bodies beat life into
attached organs.

From the far recesses of my mind, I recalled
piercing screams. Me or them? I rubbed my wrists, and for the first
time, I noticed a clear plastic tube attached to a drip bag that
ran into my left arm. I removed the medical tape and IV as gently
as possible. There was one other tube. I removed that one as well
and adjusted my pajama bottoms. Again, I scanned the room and felt
my chest, thankful to be in one piece. The hairs on my arms stood
on end as I remembered a past conversation with Keira:

“They'd kill you, wouldn't they?”

“No, it would be much worse.”

“What's worse than death?”

I looked at the newest patient and began to
listen to the conversations that flowed around me:

“I don't know. He's lost a lot of
blood.”

“It didn't look like that much.”

“The exit wound is always larger.”

I shook my head.

“The detonator?”

“Must have been.”

“Yep, the bodies are still warm.”

“And I thought the war was bad.”

“You were in the war?”

“Yeah, weren't you?”

“I got in just after. Why do you think he
survived?”

Two soldiers stared at me. I looked
away.

“Can you save him?”

I recognized Keira's voice.

“We're doing the best we can. Step back
please.”

“I'm not leaving him.”

“Someone, get her out of here.”

I glanced in the direction of another pair
of voices.

“What did you do?” A young soldier gripped
the lab coat of one of the doctors I'd noticed earlier. She was now
in handcuffs. “I thought you doctors took an oath to save
lives.”

“I didn't kill them. Neither of us did!” She
shook her head vehemently.

“How did it happen then?”

“We fixed it so they could be stopped if
necessary, only if necessary,” the other doctor said. “This wasn't
necessary. If you hadn't barged in!”

“If we hadn't barged in? You made this
possible!” The soldier waved his arm, indicating the bodies
scattered throughout the room.

The first doctor spoke again. “The Gov
didn't want any more on the run. You see?”

And then another voice. “Here, test this
will you?”

“Shit! This won't do either. We need O
negative.”

Eberhardt barked an order. “Soldiers, line
up! We need blood samples.”

“Brody?” Keira gently placed her hands on my
shoulders and studied my face. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “I think so.”

She leaned in and hugged me.

When Keira pulled away, I asked, “What's
going on?”

“It's happening, the rebellion. We came to
save you, to save everyone here, but you're the only one left.”

“What happened to him?” I nodded toward the
man.

“Guy was shot just outside the door. He
needs blood.” Her face was wet with tears. “Did they do anything to
you, give you any injections?”

“I don't know. I think I was sedated.” I
nodded to some needle marks on my right arm. “How long have I been
here?”

“About 24 hours, give or take.”

“Aimee? Is she alright?”

Keira sat on the bed next to me. She took my
hand and rested her head on my shoulder. “She's fine. She's safe.
Brody?”

“Yes?”

“I'm sorry I doubted you. It won't ever
happen again.”

In frustration, one of the military doctors
called, “Well, bring in some civilians then! He doesn't have much
time.”

Keira pushed away from the cot and walked
over. “Test me.” She held out her arm.

He drew her blood and checked it. “It's the
right type, but...” The doctor gave her a strange look and mumbled,
“on the run?” Keira stared at the military doc but didn't respond.
He returned his attention to the microscope. “Your blood cells
aren't behaving as they should. I've never seen anything like this.
They may attack his.”

“But I have the right blood type?” she
pressed.

“Yes.”

“And without it, he'll die.” It wasn't a
question.

Eberhardt walked through the door. I hadn't
noticed he was gone, but now Aimee was with him. Her eyes grew
wide, and her hand flew to cover her mouth. She saw Keira and Guy
first. Then she saw me, and she ran to me. She ran...to me.

Aimee buried her head against my chest. I
wrapped my arms around her and held her tight, then I leaned my
cheek against the top of her head. She smelled fresh and clean, yet
with a hint of cigarette smoke. Her hair tickled my nose.

“I'm so sorry,” I whispered. “I led them
right to you.”

“No.” She backed away just enough to look
into my eyes. “They're the ones who did this, not you.”

She continued to hold my gaze, refusing to
look around. A tear trailed down her left cheek. I reached out with
my thumb and wiped it away.

“Did they give you the injection?” she
asked.

“I don't know. There are needle marks.” I
held out my arm to show her the pinpricks. “But I was sedated, so I
just don't know.”

She ran her finger over the marks, and I
shivered. “Brody, seeing them there, that's a good sign, but we can
check later for sure.”

“Check?”

She looked away.

“Do you smoke?”

She looked back in surprise. “No, why?”

“You just smell a bit like...” I lifted her
hair and smelled again.

“Oh, we stayed at Tony's last night.”