Numbers Game (29 page)

45

I
was floating in the air when the chopper was hit. It burst into flame and fell past me, a burning skeleton of metal, its blades still spinning wildly. Dresden sat in the driver’s seat, his body charred, his head turned toward me as the tangled mess descended around me. Vance stood in the door, the wind whipping his messy hair. He watched me, his expression sad, and I ached to pull him close and lose myself in his arms. But before I could move, he jumped. As he fell past me, arms outstretched, I felt that something was wrong. Then I saw it. He had no wing suit or chute.

I woke up screaming.

“Shh, Ametrine, it’s all right,” a familiar voice whispered. He put a comforting hand on my arm.

My breath came fast as I took everything in. “Dad?”

“I’m here. You’re safe, but you had some bleeding on your brain. Lie back down and take it easy.”

Safe? What a strange thing to say. I was in a large, brightly lit room with white walls and bright tile floors. I racked my brain but couldn’t remember much. My dad held my arm in a firm grip. He sat in a wheelchair and pain creased his eyes, but the only emotion I saw was concern.

It started to come back. The empress. Had I really killed her? It seemed surreal now, even though I hadn’t meant to take her life. An explosion. Images flew rapidly through my mind now, and I winced. Tali’s grim smile. I pushed it all away.

“You’re up, then?” I croaked. My throat hurt like the fates.

He chuckled. “If this counts as up, then, yes. I’m more worried about you. It was a little scary there for a while.”

I took a quick inventory of my body. My muscles ached, and I could feel the sting of a hundred cuts and bruises, but I could move everything with no problem. My head hurt, though, a deep and sore ache that tinged my vision. “What was the explosion?”

Dad swallowed hard, and his grip on my arm tightened. “I’m so sorry, Ametrine. I had no idea Mills would betray us. We were the best of friends once, and I assumed we could trust him, but it seems he had another agenda in mind. He ordered you to draw out the empress, then tried to blast you all to the fates. Maybe he thought destroying the entire government and its successor would bring NORA to its knees.” His face darkened. “Except that he murdered hundreds of people in the process. He played us all for fools.”

Hundreds. All those people, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, who had entrusted their lives and their futures to me. Gone in a second. If the empress hadn’t drawn me away from the group, I would have died with them. It would’ve been fitting. Instead, they were dead and I was still alive. I thought back to that awful confrontation with the empress. “Wait. What about Tali, my friend? Is she here too?”

He hesitated, then slowly shook his head.

Pain gripped my heart like a hand squeezing it. My best friend was gone once again, and this time she wasn’t coming back. I remembered the intensity of her gaze, the communication that had passed between us. The smile that said we’d done the right thing. At least she’d died on her own terms this time.

She’d definitely gone out fighting.

“Have you seen Vance?” I asked quietly. “He was supposed to back us up with his clan, but I never saw any of them.”

He sat back in surprise. “You don’t know? I guess you wouldn’t.”

“Know what?”

“The Integrants arrived late and saved dozens of lives. Vance is the one who brought you to the hospital two days ago. He wouldn’t leave your side until Dresden sent him away this morning. His entire clan has been officially extradited.”

Each piece of information felt like an anvil to the head. I put a hand to my eyes and took a deep breath. “Extradited? You mean kicked out of the country?”

“Exactly. Although I wouldn’t call say ‘kicked out,’ exactly. They got what they wanted.”

“But you said Dresden sent him away. Isn’t Dres at the academy?”

Dad’s face tightened in anger. He spoke carefully. “That’s something your stepdad and Dresden need to explain to you. They’re on their way now.”

Someone tapped on the door, firm and sharp. Dad’s anger was quickly masked, and he wheeled himself backward. “Perfect timing. Come in.”

The door opened to reveal a tired but smiling Dresden. His uniform looked freshly laundered, his hair immaculate. His grin revealed a row of too-white teeth.

“Hi, Dres.”

“Hey, Treen. You look great.”

“You look awful,” I said. He grinned wider and hurried across the room to take Dad’s place at my side. I caught a whiff of clean soap smell.

“That’s so much better,” he said, brushing his fingers against my forehead.

I recoiled from his touch. “What are you doing?”

“979,” Dresden said. “It switched over this morning, while you were still out. I can’t begin to tell you how much better you look now. It finally reflects who you are.”

I reached up to my forehead, feeling the slight impression of the implant beneath the skin.
Who I am
. But if I didn’t know that, how could the Raters? How could a computer network know who I was, even? What kind of girl would blindly obey the laws, then organize a rebellion against the palace? Which girl was it that kissed Dresden, then turned around and kissed Vance? I lived in two different worlds, with two different guys, and now I didn’t know where I was anymore. “I don’t want to be Rated, Dres.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I’m serious. I don’t want to be a green or a red or a walking number. I just want people to look at me and see
me
.” Like Vance did. Like the Integrants did. “And I want others to have the same right.”

“Unfortunately,” Konnor said from the doorway, “the Standards don’t allow for exceptions, even at the top. Especially there.” He wore the uniform of a councilman, deep silver with six stripes on the arm. His nose was bandaged in heavy white gauze and tape, his face littered with red cuts.

“You were at the square,” I said.

“Of course. I had just been appointed to the Council. We were celebrating my appointment when you pulled your little stunt.” His eyes darkened, and I felt a chill. “None of us suffered more than a broken bone. Once the bomb hit, however, the guards took us into hiding for our safety.”

I stared at him. A flicker of doubt crossed his expression, but he hid it quickly behind a composed smile. He was lying. He had known I was in danger, and he’d chosen to hide.

“So I’m empress, then?” I asked. “Because I have some serious changes to make, and there’s no time to lose.”

The room went silent. Dad, who still sat in his wheelchair, could have bored a hole in my stepfather with his accusing gaze. Konnor and Dresden exchanged looks, and I could tell they were debating who should speak next. Dresden cleared his throat and stepped closer to me, taking my hand. “Treen, your dad—I mean, your stepdad—signed away your right to the throne.”

“What?” I jerked my hand away.

“You were in a coma,” Konnor said. “We didn’t know if you’d ever wake up, and the nation needed a leader. And we all know that politics aren’t your thing anyway.”

I stared at Konnor, dumbfounded. It was as if he were dangling me over the edge of the tower all over again. No, more like he’d shoved me off. My stomach rushed upward, and I tasted bile.

“Mr. Dowell did what was best for you, your family, and the country,” Dresden continued, only half talking to me now. “He convinced the Council to appoint me in your place, Treen. I’m honored that he would choose me.”

“Your boyfriend is number four, technically,” Konnor said, “but the other two ahead of him are on the verge of retirement anyway. It didn’t take much for the Council to approve. He’s an announcer and a social icon, so everyone is familiar with him already. He’s young enough to learn. And he has the Council to guide him in the right direction, of course.”

There wasn’t enough air in the entire room. It was as if the weight of their words pushed down on my chest, heavy and foreboding.

“This way,” Dresden said, “you can move into the palace with me when it’s finished. The smoke and fire damage was too bad to salvage much, so I’m making it bigger and fancier than ever before. Our union will strengthen the throne, Treena. We’ll be the most powerful couple NORA’s ever seen.”

I searched Dresden’s face. He eyed my Rating again, his smile too controlled. Would he ever look into my eyes again without seeing my number? Could we ever be like before as long as my Rating was higher than his?

I knew the answer. I’d known it for a long time now. Being with Dresden, even in a palace, would be like living in a dark, damp prison after I’d experienced flying.

Lanah stepped into the room and gave me a soft smile. When Konnor frowned at her entrance, her gaze shifted to the floor. He’d probably told her to wait outside until he sent for her. They wouldn’t want her in the room while they broke the news to me, of course. Jasper glanced from her to Konnor, and then back again, his expression closed.

“Say something, Treena,” Dresden said. He was all confidence in front of my parents, but I knew he wouldn’t leave until the biggest threat to his sovereignty was quashed. If I challenged Dresden’s authority, it would be me against NORA. I couldn’t do that again. I didn’t want to do it again.

“You’re exactly what the citizens would expect,” I finally said.

Dresden’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “I’m glad you feel that way. I’ll let you rest now. They’re converting a section of the Council Building to an apartment, so I’m going to oversee the preparations. That’s where we’ll live until the palace is rebuilt.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Then there’s the war council, and a million other things to do today.”

“Wait. War council?”

“Of course.” Dresden shrugged. “After that attack on the palace? You didn’t think we’d let that slide, did you? As of today, Integrants are considered the enemy. Any of them caught inside our borders will be shot. The empress shouldn’t have allowed them to set foot here in the first place.”

“But—but it wasn’t the Integrants who attacked!”

“To the people it was, Treen. It’s easier to peg something like this on a group than an individual. That way, if you never find that one person, someone still pays the price. I’m just doing what my people demand. As of today, we’re at war with those who live outside our borders, since it’s clear now that we can’t coexist.” He lifted my hand to his lips and gave it a peck, as if we’d been discussing or haircuts or shoe brands. “Get better soon.”

“Take care, Treena,” Konnor said with a smirk as he turned to follow Dresden. He’d never called me by my nickname before. Maybe he felt he could be nice now that he’d taken everything possible from me.

“Be alert,” Dresden said quietly to someone just outside the door. “And ask your boss why her techband hasn’t arrived yet. There’s no excuse for this kind of delay.” His footsteps disappeared down the hall.

A guard. Of course. Dresden had probably insisted on that, since it wouldn’t do to lose his greatest claim to power. He’d keep me rigidly within reach yet far enough away that he got the glory and made the decisions. He’d never agree to change the system that had gotten him there. He probably hadn’t even stolen the camera, I realized bitterly. He’d probably hired someone to take the risk for him, knowing all the while that he could step in as the hero when the time was right.

“Love you, sweetheart,” Lanah said, and then her gaze fell on Jasper. Her eyes went wide in surprise. He sat rigidly in his wheelchair, looking very much like a guilty child. The blood drained from her face, and she staggered out the door. Jasper stared at the empty doorway.

“She wasn’t expecting to see you,” I said.

“Obviously.”

“I want to be alone now.”

He sighed and turned his attention back to me. “I’m sorry about the way this turned out. It’s not the way I wanted it either. After all we’ve done, all the sacrifices we’ve made—well, let me just say that I hope you can forgive me someday. I used you every bit as much as Mills did, and I had no right. For what it’s worth, you would have made a fantastic empress.”

“Thanks, but please go. I need some time.”

He hesitated, then wheeled himself out. “She’s sleeping now,” he said to the guard. “Make sure she’s not disturbed.” The door closed.

I forced myself to sit up, and the headache returned full force. Sleep was the last thing I wanted right now. A neatly folded uniform sat on the side table. I unfolded it, noting the silver bands on both arms. What rank that was, I had no idea.