My pulse skyrocketed, my heart pumping blood so viciously the streaming liquid flooded my ears. They buzzed as possibilities and probabilities and odds and options and calculations swirled in my mind, incinerating my neurons as I failed and failed andfailedto discover the answers to the puzzle in front of me.
How to get Kali and Zion out of here.
How to save our friends and family.
How to salvage the dwindling numbers of our fighters.
How to bring everyone home.
Unaware of my internal battle, the projection in the window changed. After showcasing the final moments etched into the faces of the Ilasall’s Heads of Nutriment, Labor, Education, Health, Welfare, and Military in detail, the image changed to the Head of Ardaton and his fellows representing the six governmental divisions each city had.
“Silence,” Adder demanded. As though someone had predicted everyone’s reactions, his request had been increased in volume, overwhelming the bubble of murmurs drenching the intersection.
A shove, a threat, or a fist from Ardaton’s soldiers, and the protesters fell back in line. All the while, Ezra yawned, like all this was beneath him.
“Fucking traitor,” Sadira sneered, leaning against me as her injured leg failed to hold her up.
I caught her waist—she didn’t deserve to collapse and be forced to endure Ezra looking down his nose at her.
Yet he managed to do it anyway. “Shut up and listen.”
“You ball-less snake, I will?—”
I tightened my hold on her, silently nudging her to keep her mouth shut. Neither of us had the upper hand here. And one wrong move could mean she would never see the light of day again.
Ezra smirked as Adder continued. “We will make this simple. Stand down, and you will be given the opportunity to join our law-abiding city. You will be provided with essentials and will not, I repeat, will not be stripped of your rights.”
I almost laughed at the last part. Rights as a concept existed solely in the eyes of the green-banded. The non-fertile residents were treated as expendable resources with an expiration date. No wonder Ardaton was set on eliminating unwanted numbers of them.
They were loading their trucks exclusively with green-banded and our people—otherwise known as untested ones—so they would have no one to strip the rights from.
“Swear your loyalty to us, the city of Ardaton, and support our efforts in sustaining human civilization. Do your duty by producing offspring, or,” Adder paused, “if determined non-fertile, by working jobs our able-to-procreate citizens cannot be subjected to.”
Ezra popped his lips. “Time for the finale.”
Bearing the majority of Sadira’s weight, I gritted my teeth at his theatrics.
As if sensing the dwindling attention, the Head of Ardaton finished. “If you continue to rebel, you will forfeit your rights. So think about what you truly want: a miserable life in anarchy or a righteous one in peace.” He dipped his chin. “The choice is yours.”
The screen went black, and a burst of static preceded another recording. “All citizens of Ilasall and associates of the resistance, you have two minutes to make a decision. If you wish to join the city of Ardaton, discard your weapons, lift your hands above your head, and kneel. Our personnel will tend to you once they reach you,” the passionless voice said. “The timer starts now.”
The speakers screeched, and then a high-pitched ringing started the count.
“Let the games begin,” Ezra murmured.
Adjusting Sadira at my side, I studied the crossroad. Ping by ping, the majority of the green-banded standing in neat lines before the military trucks lowered to the ground, dirtying their colorful clothing, yielding to another government.
Pity occupied my chest. Their minds had been brainwashed by such a strict doctrine, they chose the safest route—submission.
The bigger part of our people squared their shoulders, raised their chins in defiance, and made their peace with the recording going off with “One minute and thirty seconds remaining.”
But some of our fighters, a tall and lanky woman right in front of a military truck and two twin brothers at the end of their line, lowered to the ground and raised their arms.
I couldn’t fault them. They had given up the sole thing that drove everyone else forward—hope. And nobody, not a single soul, could persevere without it.
“What do you expect from us?” I demanded of Ezra.
“At first, I wanted you to come out from your hiding spot.” He fixed me with a dirty look. “But your stubborn ass wouldn’t. So I took pleasure in watching you sneak around. Then I realized that you weren’t going to leave your cover, so I had to come get you myself. But what I want now is different.”
