Feargus

  You’d think Subject #1 would have been relieved to see me, but given the Verenian people’s feelings toward Partisans, I wasn’t shocked when he looked more frightened than hopeful.

  “Peace, but I need you to think fast, mate. I’m here to help—if you want help. Do you want help?”

  Subject #1 hesitated. “Well, I don’t want to die in here.”

  “That’s reasonable, and I have a plan,” I explained. “I can get you somewhere safe.”

  “Okay—yeah.”

  “Wait here,” I said, as if he could go anywhere. I carried the chair over to the next door, climbed aboard, and opened the visor.

  A lass was slouched over in the corner.

  “Pssst,” I hissed politely.

  “That one died yesterday,” Subject #1 said.

  I closed the visor and moved on to Subject #3.

  This one was already waiting for me behind the visor, and her brown eyes looked hopeful from the jump. “You’ll help me, too?”

  “Aye, mate. Wait here.”

  I carried the chair over to Subject #4.

  His brown eyes were angry through the visor.

  “You’ll never get away with this.”

  “I don’t have time to explain why you’re wrong. Do you want to die in here?”

  “If that’s what it takes.”

  I had questions, but the clock was ticking and I didn’t have time to argue. I closed the visor and moved on to Subject #5.

  “Dead.” Subject #1 remarked.

  “Number Six okay?”

  “I’m okay!” Subject #6 shouted from behind the door. “Please help us.”

  So, that meant three were coming with me. Sorry, #4, but I didn’t have time to change his worldview and he’d be a liability. I unlocked #1, #3, and #6.

  “We need to move fast,” I said. “Once we leave, we’re making a break for the forest. And remember, this could go very badly. Are you prepared to die for your life?”

  The three subjects nodded with varying degrees of hesitation, each of them looking rather thin and pale. I wondered if they’d muster the strength to do what needed to be done, but in a matter of life or death, I was hopeful. I explained the rest of my plan, and we made our way out of the testing facility. At the front door, I pressed my ear to it and listened.

  Nothing, so I unlocked the door, and I opened it quickly at the same time I gestured the subjects forward. We made it through to the forest unseen.

  “Wait here,” I said quietly. “And remember: on three.”

  First thing, I darted through the shadows at top speed toward my first destination. Lighting one of the cherry bombs with Adeline’s lighter, I set it down beside a barrel and ran. And from the darkness at the side of a building, I waited until I spotted movement from a pair of guards. I dashed to another point not too far away, waited thirty seconds, lit another bomb, tossed it in a wheelbarrow, and ran again. I didn’t have time to wait and see what kind of attention the second bomb attracted, but all that mattered was there was still one guard hovering near our escape. He was on high alert, as if waiting for something to happen nearer to his post. For him, I lit and set a bomb down by the research facility door. Not only would it attract him there, but he’d probably spot the blood and it’d spark an investigation around the facility.

  The bomb went off, and I zipped back to the forest to meet up with the subjects. They were all still waiting and ready to move. Without having to say a word, the four of us made a break for the western gate, using the route behind the schoolhouse and along the wall within the shadows. The three subjects were huffing and wheezing by the time we made it through the gates. Whatever the scientists had done to them certainly hadn’t worked.

  But we had to keep running.

  “Just for a few minutes, to get some distance,” I said. “Come on—it’s almost over.”

  The subjects looked to each other warily.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  “Where are you taking us?” #3 asked.

  “Oskari for now. I have a friend there who can take care of you, give you food and board.”

  The subjects looked to each other with uncertainty.

  “Look, you can always go back. I’m out, so it doesn’t really matter to me now, does it?”

  The subjects looked to each other with resolve.

  “Sure,” #1 said. “Oskari.”

  “It’s a long trip, so we’re going to make camp over—”

  I’d have heard the snow crunching if anyone were approaching, unless that anyone just appeared out of nowhere. Behind the subjects, Everleigh Gloom lofted a hand. I waved in return, and the subjects turned around.

  “Do you need help,” she asked.

  “Mate, it’s so good to see you. I don’t suppose you could tote three people?”

  Everleigh shook her head. “I can’t even tote two.”

  The subjects looked to each other with confusion.

  “All right,” I said, “can you take these fine folks to the theatre, please? I’ll go fetch Peter and ask him to wagon over and pick them up.”

  “I guess.”

  “Thanks, Everleigh.”

  “Okay. Good job not dying.”

  I grinned and tossed her a two-finger salute before taking off in the direction of the estate.

  While I ran, I amused myself with my imagination. I wished I could have stayed to see the aftermath of the chaos I’d caused, but alas—I rarely got the privilege. I also had a lot to process, but for now, I won’t lie: I reveled in the victory a minute.

  Once I arrived at the estate, I let myself in. I found Peter in the kitchen where I was absolutely planning on raiding the pantry.

  “Jack,” he said, running a hand over his bald head. “Good to see you.”

  “Likewise, mate. I didn’t expect to find you up so early, actually.”

  “Comes with age,” Peter confessed. “And Alexander isn’t here to put me back to sleep.”

  “I could hit you over the head with a frying pan if you like.”

  Peter chuckled. “I’ll just have a snack and a warm cup of milk.”

  “Aye, that does sound better,” I said. “Unfortunately, I have a favour to ask.”

  “I’m glad to help.”

  I fished a cookie out of my overstuffed bag and ate it while I explained. “There are three Barrens at the old theatre with Everleigh at the moment. They were captive, now they’re not. Could you swing by with the wagon and pick them up?”

  “Where should I bring them?”

  “Well, if you want to host them here, that’d be splendid. Or you could bring them to Oskari.”

  “I’ll give them the option.”

  “And I’ll go alert Marta in case they choose the village.”

  Peter left straightaway and asked me to make sure to lock up before I left. I was still feeling pretty good from my success, so I danced the GusGus on the way up to the pink and gold room where I collected V’s blanket, draped it over my shoulder, and left.

  Marta was happy to accommodate three new villagers if that’s what they decided.

  There’s not much more to that story, mates.

  It was early afternoon by the time I made it back to the base. Alexander answered the hatch, looking at me questioningly. I gave him a thumbs up, which went unnoticed by Strauss and Jakob who were having a chat on the couch. Over at the new dining table, Evelyn was putting together sandwiches for the crew. She smiled warmly when she saw me, and I returned the favour.

  Nice as it was to see everybody, there was only one person I needed to see at the moment.

  I tossed my jacket on the rack, making tracks down the corridor where Adeline and I collided outside the bunk room. Brought together half by circumstance and half by desire, we dragged each other into the bedroom. With our privacy secured, I buried my fingers in her hair and she buried her fingers in mine, and between kisses, she asked how it went. I told her it couldn’t have gone any better, and that I’d brought her back plenty of exciting gifts.

  “Ugh—you must be so tired,” she said, kissing me one more time, and then taking me by the hand. “Come on, let’s unpack and get ourselves settled.”

  It felt so good to not have to decide, even something as simple as what to do next in the moment or which side of the room to go to. Adeline offered to take the blanket from my shoulder, and when I hesitated, she asked about it. I told her V made it for me, and without hesitation, she smiled and draped it carefully over the blanket on my bed.

  Over at the desk, I began unpacking everything I hadn’t had to use—starting with the lucky gun. I lined up the remaining cherry bombs, the pouch of fire-powder, the bullets, the timepass, the matches, the lighter, and so on and so forth. When I finally got to the frilly knickers, I turned around to face Adeline, twirling them around my finger a few times.

  “I reckon these did all the hard work today,” I said. “But mate, I almost turned straight back around when I found them.”

  She flashed me a full-dimple grin. “And what would you have done if you had?”

  Smirking, I leaned in and whispered in her ear.

  I felt the heat radiating from her cheek I knew was getting redder by the second. I finished my explanation with a wink, leaving the rest to her imagination. From there, I unpacked the two boxes of vials—the S6 and the P-series—as well as all the paperwork I’d stolen.

  Wide-eyed, Adeline immediately went for the reports. “You got it all?”

  “And a few people, too.”

  “I have so many questions,” she commented, thumbing one of the vials in the S6 box. “Will you lay down with me and tell me all about it?”

  “Addie, I’d love nothing more.”

  Bringing the lantern with us over to the nightstand beside my bed, I got undressed down to my skivvies and hopped in under both blankets. Adeline, with the stack of research in hand, brought her pillow over from her bed and laid down next to me, crossing one leg over the other.

  I’m not sure for how long I talked, and frankly, it didn’t matter. I just felt so happy in that moment, and after I’d finished telling my story and answering every single one of Adeline’s questions, I drifted off watching her read.