Z 2135 (6 page)

Baker pressed the molten
Z
to Ana’s flesh and the silent room filled with a sickening sizzle. Liam wished he couldn’t hear it, wished he couldn’t smell the sweet sickly smell of burning human flesh, and wished he couldn’t feel the joy in the room from her misery; he wished he could do something to dull or numb her pain, take it for himself. And yet the hiss of the brand was nothing.

Ana screamed, and it was the worst sound Liam had ever heard. He knew it would haunt him forever. He wanted to flee, protect her from the horrors of Paradise. In one sickening day Liam had gone from almost happy to grateful for expulsion; the monsters outside of Paradise were better than the ones in it.

Baker unwrapped the makeshift bandage of Liam’s torn shirt, looked at the bite wound, and then walked toward a long shelf on the wall. He retrieved a salve and smeared some on his fingers, rubbing it on Ana’s arm as she flinched. “Looks like he missed the important parts. Here, this will take some of the pain away,” he said, before wrapping her injury in a bandage. He then looked at the brand, wiped some salve on it, too, then wrapped her left inner forearm.

For a camp full of fearful people, the blacksmith showed no compunction about treating a zombie wound, acting more like a concerned father extending mercy to the infected child and easing her pain.

Liam watched, seeing gratitude in Ana’s eyes at Baker’s concern.

Liam wanted to damn all the others who had turned their backs on her the moment she was bitten. He noticed that Oli was looking at the crowd, too, and wondered if the man was feeling shame for his bitter frost. Oli caught Liam watching and turned his attention to Shaw, instructing him on something Liam couldn’t hear.

Ana stood up and went to Liam, met his eyes. He was about to hug her when Oli interrupted. He barked, “Fifteen minutes, then get the fuck out. Johnson,” he turned to a tiny woman, who just that morning had flirted with Liam. Now she looked at him with a mixture of fear and disgust.

“Yes?” she said.

“Tell Decker to get down here. They’ll need a location for Hydrangea. He can tell it, but can’t draw them a map, in case they run into bandits. We don’t need bandits finding our camps. Wait with him, then both of you make sure they don’t leave with paper.” Johnson nodded, then Oli turned and left, on his way back to the dining hall.

All eyes were on them — suspicious eyes, whispering mouths, and itchy hands wanting any excuse to shed more blood.

“It’s going to be OK,” Liam promised, finally hugging Ana and bringing her close to his body.

She fell into his embrace as if desperate for any comfort in her darkest moment.

“You’re going to be OK,” he promised again.

A part of Liam was foolish enough to believe it, to believe he was enough to protect her.

“I thought you were dead.” Jonah said, standing up but ignoring the man’s offered handshake. He stared at the man he thought he’d watched die in The Games many years before.

Sutherland approached and motioned for Jonah to sit back on the bench. Sutherland’s long red hair was pinned at the top of his head like a woman’s. He wore a sword on his back and a pair of guns across his chest. His pale skin seemed angered by the sun, pouting in splotches that smothered his red-pepper freckles. He reminded Jonah of a drawing he once saw of an Old World Wild West gunslinger.

Jonah shook his head and kept staring, waiting for the man who summoned him to finally say something.

He shook his head, “You really believe everything you see on the TV, Jonah? I thought you knew better than to trust The State. I suppose you also believe the lies they told about me being a terrorist and a cult leader?”

Jonah knew Sutherland as Weaver, and Weaver was a monster. But so was Jonah to all who had watched him on The Games or his trial’s Reels footage. Some of the things Weaver was responsible for were unconscionable, not behavior befitting The Underground at all. There was a difference between attacking The State and going after innocent civilians as Weaver’s cult did after he was arrested, and before they were flushed by City Watch.

“So you’re saying you’re innocent? That you didn’t have plans to attack citizens? That your people weren’t responsible for bombing the arcade in City 3 after you were arrested?”

“Of course not.” Sutherland dug into his reddish scruff like he was lying, while holding Jonah’s eyes like he wasn’t. “I didn’t kill a soul. I wanted to, yes, but not innocents. Only the corrupt government that has destroyed so many lives, that tramples on the people’s rights, and eradicates anybody who dares to raise his voice against it. We were a threat to The State, so they set us up, made us into boogeymen people would fear. The government destroys what it can’t control. You can’t trust the government, Jonah. But you know that better than anyone. I mean, you didn’t do what you were accused of, did you?”

Jonah didn’t respond. Instead he asked, “How are you alive? I watched you die in The Games.”

“It was all faked, like your daughter’s death.”

“What do you mean?” Jonah asked, tensing.

“Oh, you didn’t see? The Games showed Anastasia and her
boyfriend
getting killed a month or so after escaping The Games. It’s all a lie scripted for the sheep. I escaped, as did she. Just as you ‘made it’ to City 7. The people can never know when The State has been bested.”

Jonah looked at Katrina then back at Sutherland. “Where is she? Where’s Ana?”

“She’s on her way. She was staying in another village. I’ve sent for her. It’s going to take about 10 days for her to get here.”

Jonah turned on Katrina. “You fucking lied to me?”

She said nothing.

Sutherland said, “Would you have come if she hadn’t told you Ana was waiting? Would you have come if she used my old name rather than my new one? No, of course not. We say what we must to finish our jobs, something I’ve learned from our State overlords.”

Jonah didn’t like being lied to. And he sure as hell didn’t trust these people. Unfortunately, at the same time, there was no one else to believe in. If Ana was really on her way, he had to play ball until she got there.

“Relax, Jonah. You and I are on the same side. We both want the same thing.”

“What’s that?”

“To bring down The State.”

Sutherland widened his eyes and set a hand on Jonah’s shoulder, managing to look soft … and still like the most dangerous man he had ever met. “You are safe, Jonah. I brought you here because you’re one of us.”

Sutherland turned from Jonah and again pointed to the bench behind him, insisting that he sit. He reluctantly obeyed. Sutherland grabbed a chair from the long desk, dragged it over, and sat across from Jonah.

“Do you know why The State thought I was so dangerous?”

Jonah responded. “Because of your religious leanings? All that end-of-the-world shit?”

Sutherland laughed—an odd and unsettling laugh, a lunatic’s chuckle. Jonah tried to reserve judgment, not hold the man to his State-created persona, but Sutherland wasn’t helping his own cause.

“No, they don’t give a shit about that,” Sutherland said. “And yet, they went a bit overboard, painting me as a deranged prophet. Which I hardly was. No, they needed me gone because I was
organized
.”

Sutherland pointed at his head. “I’ve always had this ability to find things nobody else could, to see the patterns no one else saw. I spotted a weakness in The State. I wished to exploit it, but I needed men. They were right: I
was
going to stage a coup. But they lied about the
hows
as much as the
whys
. There would’ve been no innocent bloodshed. It wasn’t necessary—I found a way to sever the hydra’s head and replace it with a government by the people, for the people. You know, like the stuff they teach us about the Old Nation.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Jonah asked. “I can’t do anything to change what happened to you. And besides, it seems like you’ve landed on your feet, hiding out in, what is this, a train station?”

Sutherland said nothing about the train station. Instead he replied, “I’m telling you because I’m closer than ever to reaching my goals. They thought they were exiling me, but out here they’ve only empowered me further. Out here, I’ve found my people—thousands of like-minded men and women, willing to claim their destiny and fight for the liberation of our brothers trapped in lies behind The Walls. We’re doing the job The Underground started, but could never finish. We have nine camps, and this base is as strong as anything the City has dreamed of creating.”

“And you need me for what, exactly?”

“I need you to locate someone for me.”

Jonah met the man’s eyes, “Who?”

“A Dr. Liza Goelle. A scientist in City 6.”

Jonah knew her. She’d been an Underground sympathizer, a friend of Duncan’s … and Jonah’s one near indiscretion in his many years of marriage.

“What is she to you?” he asked.

“Dr. Goelle is the missing piece of our master plan.”

Jonah could feel Katrina behind him, her curiosity subconsciously drawing her closer. Clearly she wanted to know about this plan, too. He asked, “Missing piece of your plan? How so?”

“First, I need to know if you’ll help.”

“Why should I help unless you tell me what in the hell I’d be doing?” he countered.

“Sorry, Jonah. I don’t have that kind of faith in you. I need you to find her and talk her into coming here. That’s all you need to know for now, all you
can
know. But you have my word, no harm will come to her.”

“Then go find her yourself,” Jonah said. “Obviously, you have contacts inside City 6, people who are supportive to your cause. What makes you think I can retrieve her any better than the resources you already have?”

“Must I say it?” Sutherland asked. His eyes twinkled, flitting from Jonah to Katrina and back.

They know?

“Yeah,” Jonah said, calling the possible bluff. “Say it.”

“We are aware of your personal history with Dr. Goelle.”

Jonah said nothing, simmering anger rolling to a boil.

Play nice until they bring Ana.

Jonah said, “You don’t know anything.”

Sutherland seemed amused. “Oh, you underestimate us. We’ve done our homework. We know everything about you, Jonah Lovecraft, and I mean
everything.
That’s why we’ve gone to great lengths to get you here.”

“What do you mean?” Jonah asked, confused.

“Do you think you won The Games by your skills alone?”

“What?”

“Our people helped you.”

Jonah stood up, unable to hide his infuriation. He didn’t remember anyone killing those zombies but
him
. Anyone fighting and escaping Bear but
him
. “You
helped
me? How?”

“We did what we could. Took out some of your competitors, helped thin the zombie hordes, and interfered with orbs when we had to. It’s quite difficult to pull off so much without being caught by the orbs, but we managed. You still had to defeat Bear, and bravo on that job. But we helped increase your odds—or at least even them—where we could, as we do whenever we find someone worthy of our cause.”

Jonah stared at Sutherland, trying to digest his words.
Could it all be true?

“You have other winners here?”

“A few,” Sutherland said. “Though we lost some of the better contestants when we were unable to intervene before they got killed off.”

“Why didn’t you come get me until now? Why the hell did you let me get kidnapped by Egan?”

Sutherland looked over at Katrina, then back to Jonah. “She was
supposed
to pick you up from City 7, but she got held up. I apologize for any hardships you may have incurred, but there was nothing to be done. After that, you fell off our radar.”

“You must not have been looking too hard,” Jonah said. “I’ve scoured The Barrens looking for Ana for six months. How could you miss me?”

“Perhaps
you
weren’t looking too hard,” Katrina said. “
We
found Ana months ago.”

Jonah glared at Katrina. “I want to see my daughter.”

Sutherland said, “As I said, Anastasia is on her way.”

“No. I don’t want to wait. Have your girl bring me to meet her.”

“I’m sorry,” Sutherland said. “That’s simply not possible. I’ve spent too much time and too many resources getting you here. I won’t keep you against your will, but I can’t let you just walk out of here. For one thing, you’ll need an escort; no one leaves Hydrangea without one. We’ve already lost too many camps to carelessness. And at the moment, I don’t have anyone to spare.”

Sutherland reached behind his head and drew a long wooden pin from his topknot. A fountain of hair spilled red from head to waist. “Patience, Jonah. Not long ago you had no hope of finding your daughter. Now, Anastasia’s on her way. And you are in a sanctuary where the food is good and the company warm.” Sutherland smiled. “And Jonah, there are as many women looking for a warm man as the other way around—no reason you should be lonely tonight, or any to follow.”

Sutherland stood, slapped Jonah on the shoulder, then led him from the room. “Anastasia will be here soon. Stay with us in the meantime, we’ve much to discuss.”

Jonah followed, knowing that Sutherland wasn’t done trying to convince him to get Liza.

Adam didn’t know if he was overexcited about meeting Michael at the arcade, and that’s why his stomach hurt so much, or if it was something else. Despite the acid, Adam grabbed some fried greens from the basket and shoved them in his mouth, listening to Michael while thinking about the Chief and everything he said.

Keller told Adam that something awful was happening inside City Watch, and that he could use his help. He said that Adam was small and trustworthy, both of which gave him the special skills needed to help The State “rip out the growing infestation by its roots.” It couldn’t wait, because as Keller said, there was nothing more important than the city’s safety, and that obligation to duty and human happiness were inseparably connected.

The fried greens weren’t good enough to justify the extra credits on Adam’s ration card, but fortunately he wasn’t paying. The breading was too hot and the greens were frozen beneath it, so a single bite both burned and frosted his tongue. Adam couldn’t understand why Michael smiled while chewing—they were totally gross—and wondered if he would have noticed as much if he was still living at The Rock. Food at the City Watch Academy was much better than it had been at the orphanage. Nips was Michael’s favorite place to eat in the arcade because he liked the small baskets of fried foods. Adam used to think they tasted good, but like his time with Michael, Nips wasn’t as good as he remembered.

Michael was rambling, “I have no idea who the other two guys were, but the one in the middle was
definitely
Predi Dawson. You think he knew?”

Adam had no idea, not if Predi Dawson knew, or even
what
he might have known. Adam drifted off, thinking about his walk to the arcade, which he had spent wondering what he would say to Michael. He’ was so happy at the Academy and didn’t want to feel bad for his choosing to follow his father’s path to become a Watcher.

It wasn’t that Michael ever really said anything
bad
about City Watch, but it annoyed Adam that he also never said anything
good
about Adam’s career path. Michael was the closest thing to family that Adam had left, and his only remaining connection to his old life. Adam wished Michael had shown a little more enthusiasm, or at least not act like Adam was a stupid kid who didn’t know what he was doing. “Adam?” Michael said. Then, “Never mind.”

He had said “never mind” a few times tonight.

There was further silence before Michael said, “Did you do anything … you know, for her birthday?”

“Yes,” Adam brightened. Keller had taken him to get ice cream. He said that ice cream couldn’t make things better, or bring Ana back, just like it could never bring back his son. But that it was important to acknowledge things as they are, and unwise to ignore Ana’s birthday. That was why he never ignored his son’s. Sometimes you had to celebrate like your loved ones were there even when they couldn’t be. “I had ice cream, to celebrate the good times I had with Ana, when she was still alive and could be with me.”

“Ice cream?” Michael raised his eyebrows. Ice cream was expensive.

“Yeah, Chief Keller took me. Ana liked to have ice cream on her birthday, though I usually asked for cake for mine.”

Chief Keller’s name always seemed to bother Michael. At the moment, his face looked like he was tasting something bad —like it did whenever Adam talked about things with City Watch, but worse.

He also sounded sour. “What did he want to know about Ana?”

“Nothing exactly. He just asked me to tell stories that I remembered, so I told him the one when she shaved her arms …” Adam laughed, then stopped to think. “Oh! And the one about the time when she climbed the tree in the Lookout Gardens and fell out, right into Dad’s arms, but it was a perfect fall, like he had been waiting even though he wasn’t. We joked that Dad was like Captain Republic
.
” Adam laughed again.

Michael didn’t. “Which is the ‘shaving her arms’ story?” he asked, curious.

“Oh,” Adam could feel his cheeks flush. “You didn’t know that? My sister shaved her arms. She was really hairy. Like a dog.”

Adam felt bad; Ana probably wouldn’t want Michael to know that. He changed the subject. “So what’s new?”

Thankfully, Michael just laughed and went along with the shift of topics. “Nothing, really. I still hate the shirt factory, but that’ll change soon. I’ve saved enough credits for an aptitude test. I’m taking it next month. Been studying a lot, and I’m sure I can score myself into something different and leave the factory behind. I hate it there,” he added, like he didn’t say it all the time—like he hadn’t just said it.

“What do you want to do?” Adam asked.

Michael never talked about much of anything, other than Ana. Adam was pretty sure he had been in love with her, but didn’t dare ask. He didn’t want to embarrass Michael or make him feel even worse that Ana was gone. He figured losing someone you were in love with was probably as bad as losing your sister. Even though he and Michael didn’t have much in common these days, they would always have Ana.

“That’s easy,” Michael smiled. “I want to go where I can fix stuff. One day I want to open a repair shop. It can be small, and I know I can save the credits. I’m good at mending what’s broken, but first I’ll have to prove my worth with The State. Putting in time at a shop now would be best, like saving for later. I can’t work in that factory for the rest of my life, like my dad.”

Michael really could tinker. That’s one of the reasons Adam’s dad had always loved having him around.

Michael narrowed his eyebrows and looked closer at Adam. “You’re following in your father’s footsteps, aren’t you? Was your dad a Cadet in school, or did he only join City Watch after he graduated?”

“Yeah, Dad was a Cadet,” he said, reaching for some fried greens. “But not as young as me. Chief Keller says I’m one of the youngest ever, but after my background—good and bad—The State was willing to make exceptions.”

“What made you want to join?” Michael asked.

“I joined to stay safe, and because Chief Keller saved me. I told you what happened with Morgan and Tommy and Daniel. If Chief Keller hadn’t been there, I would have been sent to the Dark Quarters.”

Michael said the same stuff he usually did, about how things wouldn’t have gone bad if Keller hadn’t given Adam the weapon in the first place. Then Adam said that Morgan and Tommy and Daniel would have left him for dead. This time, though, Michael added, “Why do they find
you
so interesting? I mean, you’re fourteen. It seems a bit young.”

Michael said it like there was nothing about Adam worth being interested in.

“Because of my dad,” Adam said, hurt and fighting to hide it.

“An exception from The State,” he mused. “You don’t think that’s a little weird?”

“No,” Adam said, a bit defensively, “I think it’s nice.”

Before Michael could tell him why it wasn’t, Adam told him more about City Watch and the work they did, both behind The Walls and on outreach missions into The Barrens. To make sure that his first point wasn’t lost, Adam ended with, “And they’re nice to me.”

Michael looked so bothered that Adam finally had to ask: “What’s wrong? Why do you always look like that whenever I’m talking about City Watch?”

“Like what?”

“Like Liam Harrow is at the next table.”

Michael didn’t answer. He said, “Doesn’t City Watch make you mad? I mean, don’t you care that they screwed your dad over?”

Adam felt his jaw set. “No, because he wasn’t screwed over. Dad had to pay with a consequence for his actions. What happened was
fair
.” He took a second, regulated his breath—in and out just like they taught him—then said: “Don’t forget: he murdered my mom, Michael. I don’t know what happened to Dad. He was good before that, but after, well, I can’t blame City Watch. They were there for us when Dad was with them, and they were still there even when he wasn’t.

“I dunno,” Michael said, “seems to me that guys like your dad might be the real heroes, while a terrorist like Jack Geralt somehow rises to be The State’s
one true leader
.”

Adam couldn’t believe what Michael was saying. More pressing, though, was he couldn’t believe he was saying it aloud. “Shhhh!” He slammed his lips with a finger, leaning forward at the same time. “Talk like that will get you picked up.”

Michael laughed, soft at first, but then louder. He stopped and leaned forward. “What are you going to do, Junior Citizen, arrest me?”

Michael had never spoken to Adam that way before. Adam didn’t like it. He looked around, suddenly nervous.

“No, I won’t arrest you, Michael. I can’t arrest you—you know that.” Adam lowered his voice. “But why would you say that, Michael? Why would you call …
him
… a terrorist?”

Michael laughed again, although this time it didn’t sound honest. Instead of flying from his mouth untethered, it dripped like liquid from his lips.

He shook his head, not wanting to meet Adam’s eyes. When he did, someone Adam had never seen sat across the table. Everything changed. The Michael he knew was gone. Maybe dead.

“Sorry, kid, there’s no other way to say it.” He paused, and in that pause Adam wondered what Michael was about to let go. “No other way to say it,” Michael repeated. “You’re not seeing the truth. I’m glad you’re happy at City Watch bunking with the Chief, except that I’m really not. They’re feeding you with lies, Adam. And you don’t see it. Geralt
was
a criminal. We’re asked, I’d argue,
required
, to hail a man who robbed, cheated, and murdered his way to a ruling seat, where he now sits in City 1—high in a glass tower, airship, or ivory dome, depending on the rumor—living like a god on that lie, cracking down on people your dad as history buries the truth.”

Adam asked, “And where do I learn
the truth
, Michael? From you? Do you know all the secrets, all the stuff I never would’ve learned in Chimney Rock if I’d stayed, all the things they won’t teach at City Watch? Do you know
the truth
, Michael? Tell me what
the truth
is in your world.”

Adam was shocked Michael had turned his back on the City. He got an awful feeling and wondered if Michael was part of The Underground. Maybe
he
was insidious; maybe he was part of the cancer; maybe Michael was going to get himself into big trouble because Chief Keller was looking for people just like him, saying the same things that he was saying.

Adam didn’t want anything bad to happen to Michael. Before Chief Keller, Michael was all Adam had. But now he did have Keller... and City Watch.

Michael stared at Adam for a truly horrible moment, like he knew he’d gone too far, had said too much. It seemed clear he wanted to take it all back, but couldn’t and knew it. His face burned, the muscles hungry to stretch. Michael finally tilted his mouth into something like a smile and made a sound that was closest to a laugh. He said, “I’m just messing with you!”

Adam nodded, pretending to not be bothered.

But in his mind, he was already breaking free from Michael.