The Condemned (9 page)

   Roughly ten minutes after they fled the Clone Enclosure a siren began to blare around them. Alecia clamped her hands over her ears; it was loud enough to drown out her own thoughts and could only mean one thing.

   She looked up at Amato.

   His lips were moving but she couldn’t tell what he was saying. She dropped her hands from her ears but the siren was too loud and she couldn’t make out what he was trying to say, she held her hands up in a gesture of helplessness. He shook his head in frustration and then turned and broke into a run. The others followed with a sense of heightened urgency. The whole of the prison staff would now be on the lookout for renegades on the run and if their fortune didn’t hold and they were spotted, there would be trouble.

   Whether the alarm had been raised because their own escape had been discovered or due to that of the Clones, Alecia wasn’t sure. The fact that they had earlier seen suited men hurrying in the direction of her cell but that they had heard nothing until now implied that the people who had the power were trying to keep her newfound freedom as quiet as possible in an effort not to raise panic. Even the Officials could not sweep out of sight a few hundred Clones running loose throughout the building.

   It occurred to her that perhaps the siren was neither an alert regarding themselves or the Clones, but was a warning for them; ‘we know you’re on the run, we’re coming for you. There is no escape.’

   She pushed the unsettling thought to the back of her mind. If she were forced to start assessing their chances of getting out she might lose all motivation to carry on trying. She
poured her faith blindly into Amato and hoped that it wasn’t misplaced.

   It felt as though they had been running through this maze forever. The endless corridors melded into one, they all looked the same, stark white walls and harsh glaring lights that hurt her eyes, reflections bouncing from the shiny marbled floor. The combination of that and the blaring alarm caused her head to ache, a throbbing just behind her eyes that made her feel a little dizzy and sick. Not wanting to hinder their progress, Leci didn’t complain. She very much hoped that the apparent randomness of their flight was not so and that they weren’t just running in the hopes of stumbling across a door that led to the outside. When Amato paused before yet another door she almost ran into him.

   She managed to stop herself and leant against the wall, grateful for the opportunity to rest a moment. She closed her eyes to stop the floor from swimming in front of her and allow a sudden wave of nausea to pass. When she opened them again it was to find the other three all watching her. The Clone woman looked concerned and offered a tentative smile, Beriael looked impatient and annoyed but she was getting used to seeing that expression on his angry face, Amato was watching her closely.

   ‘You OK there Firebug?’ He had to shout to be heard above the siren, the four of them stood in a tight circle in order to be able to hear one another speaking.

   ‘Leci.’ She offered.

   ‘Leci. You OK?’

   She nodded. ‘I’m fine. I just... I dunno, it’s kinda scary an’ at the same time I don’t really believe it’s happenin’, y’know?’

   He grinned and nodded, confident she was alright and could pay attention, he addressed the group, he was yelling at the top of his voice but there was no fear of him being overheard by anyone stood more than two foot away. Leci had trouble making out his words and she was stood with her body pressed against his as the four of them crowded together in a huddle.

   ‘This door leads to the outer compound. It might be clear if they’re nice and busy running about trying to round up their runaway Clones. But it might not be. If they’ve got anyone posted out there we’re fucked, cos they’ll start shooting the second this door opens. When I trip the lock I want you’ he pointed to Beriael’s wife ‘and Leci behind it as it swings in. Use the door as a shield. I’ll be just behind you and down low.’

   Alecia understood, the door wouldn’t protect him because she and the other woman’s safety were being assured by it, but if he stayed low he might avoid any bullets that came their way. She looked at Beriael, who was watching Amato.

   The two men’s eyes met and Amato’s jaw tightened, something like shame crossed his features for a second and when he spoke
his tone was apologetic.

   ‘I’m sorry man, but... You’re sort of... disposable, with the whole... not being able to die thing.’

   ‘I can die. I just come back and get to fucking die all over again.’ Beriael’s tone was soft, almost haunting, despite being raised out of necessity but his words were scathing. He glanced at Alecia as he spoke and she cast her eyes down, unable to meet his. When she raised her head again the two men were once again occupied with one another, Beriael steadily meeting Amato’s gaze. He knew what was coming and he knew they really had no other choice. The only conceivable alternative would be to allow his Clone wife to die in his place. For Beriael that wasn’t an option at all and so he quietly accepted his role while the other man spoke.

   Leci felt eyes on her and looked to the other woman, disconcerted by the intensity of the green eyes that studied her thoughtfully. She offered a weak smile, which wasn’t returned, and she self-consciously turned her attention back to the men. She needed to hear this and to understand what would happen; it was just distracting to feel the other woman’s curiosity crawling over her skin like some slimy, mutated bug.

   The Clone knew that there was something between her husband and the blonde Firebug. She wasn’t stupid enough to ask questions right now but Alecia was certain that they would
come later and she didn’t want to find herself surviving four years at the hands of torturous captors and a harrowing escape effort only to be killed by a woman wanting revenge for the injustices done to her husband. She had burned Beriael too many times. The past could not be undone, her deeds, though always conducted against her own wishes and under forced conditions, were still her deeds, and the guilt of them lay with her. Whatever this man had done in his life she was sure it could not warrant endless torture to the degree he had suffered at her hands and although she would not hesitate to protect herself against him if he decided to try and retaliate for the months of hurt, she knew, strangely, that she would be unable to bring herself to harm the woman.

   She did not understand this logic or reasoning but she knew it to be true. She was grateful when Amato spoke again and she felt the gaze of the woman lift from her as all attention turned to the man issuing the commands.

   ‘Keep your back to the wall man, as flat as you can, when it swings in don’t be stood there to give em a clear shot. We want to find out if they’re out there, we don’t want to lose you if we don’t have to.’

   The thought of using human bait to find out whether or not it was safe for the rest of them seemed abhorrent to Alecia, but since she was unable to come up with a better plan she remained quiet. Beriael accepted his role without question and
she found herself respecting him for that. Sure, if he died all he had to do was wait until the technology in his body kicked in and created a duplicate, a process that took roughly thirty seconds, she’d watched it happen many times after torching the man. An image of him would flicker into existence stood beside the old, used body. While this new shell gained consistency the old would turn to ash and by the time the regeneration was complete there was no evidence remaining to suggest there had ever been a body other than a small pile of dirt. The first time she had seen it happen she had watched, mesmerised by the process. The enormity of what she was seeing never really failed to impress her, though over time the awe it inspired had dwindled somewhat.

   Amato was looking at her again.

   ‘Leci, you’re the only weapon we have right now. When I say move I want you girls to get close to Beriael, keep behind him. I’ll be in the back an-‘

   ‘No.’

   ‘Huh?’ Alecia looked around in surprise as the other woman spoke up.

   Why was she interrupting?

   Amato and Beriael both watched her and she shook her head slowly, a strand of hair fell across her eyes and she brushed it aside impatiently before tugging slightly at the neck of her overall to reveal the top of her scar, showing them what
they already knew, that she was a Clone.

   Leci flinched back slightly when the woman reached for her, pulling down the baggy shirt enough to see that she was no clone and then repeating the move on Amato. She shook her head again.

   ‘No. You’re not going in the back. I am.’ Her tone was firm and her gaze was steady, almost challenging as she looked between the three of them. Beriael opened his mouth as though he planned to argue but closed it again wordlessly, clearly knowing that it would do no good. Leci offered no resistance, just a small shrug that conveyed her lack of an opinion on the matter, and the woman turned her attention to Amato, waiting for his reaction.

   Plainly uncomfortable, either with having his decision questioned or with having his conscience wrestle with the idea of allowing a woman to place herself in danger, Leci wasn’t sure which, but he didn’t look happy.

   It was evident to all of them why the Clone was insisting on this, the same reason Amato had placed Beriael at the front of the group. It made inarguable sense to Alecia, the two vulnerable ones sandwiched between the Clones who would act as a shield for them...

   Ok so it didn’t really seem all that chivalrous but right now wasn’t the situation to be arguing for or against equal rights.

   After a slight hesitation Amato reluctantly agreed with a small nod.

   ‘Alright. You in the back. Leci, stay as close to him as you can. Attach yourself to his ass if you have to, don’t make a fucking target of yourself. If anyone shoots at us, you burn them, got it?’

   She answered with a quick nod. Flexing her fingers and running her tongue across her dry lips, she was nervous. If they were going to die it would probably be within the next few minutes and though death may not be final for half of their small group, for herself and Amato it was a pretty permanent deal. There was no going back, but what lay ahead scared her. She reached out briefly and slipped her hand inside Amato’s. Her small fingers entwined with his and she squeezed gently, seeking reassurance from human contact. He looked down in surprise and then up at her with a smile. He squeezed back and then pulled free from her grip, gently pushing her against the wall that the door would swing towards.

   The Clone woman fell in beside her and Beriael stood opposite them against the wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, steadying his nerves, and then nodded to Amato to signify he was ready. Reaching out, Amato slipped the card into the thin slot that ran down the length of the lock. He hesitated only a moment before dragging it downwards and then
instantly stepping back and lowering himself into a crouch as the door whirr-clicked and moved towards Leci. It stopped a couple of inches from her and she suddenly felt very claustrophobic, held against the wall with the door trapping her there, pressed against her face, closed in around all sides. Was this how it felt to be buried alive? She turned her head to the side and saw the other woman stood next to her, her eyes were closed and her lips were moving, Leci couldn’t hear her saying anything but whether she was speaking to one of them or whispering to herself, it couldn’t be heard anyway.

   Beyond the Clone she could see the side of Amato’s face but otherwise the angle blocked him from her view. She held her breath, waiting for the sound of gunfire and then realised she wouldn’t hear it over the alarm anyway.

   Then, suddenly, the woman was gone, Amato had pulled her aside and was reaching for Alecia, dragging her out of the concealed area, he pushed lightly on her shoulders and she took the hint and crouched as she left the relative security offered by the door and entered the sight of anyone who may have been watching the exit.

   Looking out into the yard of the compound she could barely believe she was stood here. She looked up and saw the sky, her first glimpse of it in she didn’t know how many years. They had entered the outside world during a sunrise and the sky was painted with colours, a beautiful tapestry of light that
astounded her.

Chapter 8

After spending so long knowing only darkness or harsh artificial lighting the sun’s glow was a strange but welcome sight to her. She took a deep breath, allowing the outside air to fill her lungs. Granted, it was far less clean than the air she had become used to, and there was a foul stench carried on the breeze, but the inhalation was still sweeter to her than a lifetime of air-conditioned cells would ever have been, purely for what it represented.

   Freedom.