Outcast: A Corporation Novel (The Corporation) (33 page)

“That's insane. For all you knew, you were going to die out in the Further for something you only thought existed in old stories.”

“Well, it panned out, so I don't like to dwell on what might have been but didn't happen.”

“You're lucky you came across us. The Further is vast and our cities small in comparison. You could have easily missed us.”

“Very lucky.”

We're quiet for a little more, but it's a comfortable silence. “Tell me more about your Mark and why you wanted it changed.”

“Every Candidate gets one during their Jatis. It tells us what trade we're going to take up when we get older, who we're going to be Paired with. It holds all our information, our credits. When Ajna got sick and our Petition for medicine was denied, I had no choice but to get mine altered to try and get into the Inner City to get the medicine that could save my brother's life.”

“And did you? Get the medicine?”

“I got to Dahn, ran into Ethan, and we eventually got the medicine. Not before discovering Akin had a file on me and my family and that my mom was alive and living with the enemy in cushy comfort.” I didn't mean for that last part to slip out, it just did, but it feels good. “Please don't mention that last part, though. Only Ethan and I knew about her, and if Papa were to find out, it would just break him inside.”

“There’s so much about you I want to know more about,” he says. “I grew up without a father. It was only Mom and me.” That's all he says, and for whatever reason, his words are a balm to the hurt that crept up at the mention of my mom. My hate for her is a poorly secured band aid that is doing nothing to heal the wound. Eventually it's going to have to be ripped off so that true healing can start to take place.

“Mama left us when Ajna was still a baby. No real reason or explanation of where she was going. She just packed a few belongings one night and never looked back. I'll ask her, though. One day. I just need to make sure I'm ready for whatever her answer will be.”

“So you got the medicine and came back to Neech?”

“Rebeka, that's my mom, brought us a couple of different medicines. One for my brother, and one she gave Ethan. She knew my Mark was faulty—bad—before I’d even told anyone. That's what saved my life.” I look down at the ink on my skin and Adami brushes his fingers over it so lightly, it makes me shiver.

“It's beautiful,” he says.

“It is,” I agree.

“But it's broken, now?”

“It's hard to explain, but it doesn't look the same. It doesn't feel the same. There's something a little off about it, and I can't quite put my finger on it. I decided I wanted to test it, to see if something really had changed. So I went to one of the Gates I'm not cleared to enter.”

“Come again?”

I keep forgetting he knows next to nothing about our world. “Neech is divided into a number of Castes, no two on equal footing. You're either better than someone else, or they're better than you. As such, the city is sectioned off into different quadrants, and is heavily restricted to only certain Castes. The main market area and our park and city buildings are accessible by all, but other sections with different specialty shops and industrial buildings, are guarded by Gates. If you don't have the right Mark identifying you as the worthy Caste, you can't enter.”

“What happens if someone tries?”

I lift my shoulders up in a carefree way, even though I feel far from carefree. “They die.”

He grabs my wrist and stops me. “They
die
? How?”

“The Gate does it. That's why no one even thinks about crossing over into a different Caste's quadrant.”

“And you've seen this?”

“No, but we all know it happens.”

“Has anyone actually seen this happen? Does anyone actually know that's what goes on when you try?”

I pause to think. I've never heard about a specific someone dying trying to cross through an unauthorized Gate. I make a mental note to ask Ami about it tomorrow. If there has ever been, she would know about it. My silence gives him my answer.

“That's what I thought. So who's to say it happen at all and the Gates are just another way of the Corporation keeping control of Neech?”

“You bring up a very good point, but I doubt there's anyone in the Outer City willing to find out for sure. I don’t think anyone has ever been brave enough to call the Corporation’s bluff.”

“What happened when you tested your different Mark?” We start walking again. My house is only a few minutes more ahead, which is good. I'm exhausted, and can still get a few hours of sleep before I have to go to the Factory.

“Nothing happened.”

“Nothing? Expand on that, please.”

“Just that—nothing happened. The Gate didn't read my Mark and I could pass through just fine. But I haven't been brave enough to try it on other things to confidently say it's completely out of commission.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the Main Gate into Dahn, for one. Our ration stamps, for another.”

“So how do you get your rations, then?”

“We get physical ration cards to trade and the only stipulation is that a member of the household has to pick them up. Papa picked them up this month.”

“That's all well and good, but you can't keep having Jeret pick them up every time. He'll get suspicious and with life, that just won't always work out. You're going to have to come up with a long term solution and not just a short term plan.”

I slip my hand into the pocket of my duster. “I have one.” I pull out the paper-wrapped Mark that was given to me as a gift.

“What's this?” Adami takes it from me. He unwraps it and immediately recoils. “Is that human skin with a Mark on it? Karis!” His reaction is strong and unexpected. “That’s from someone’s arm.” I didn't think he'd be unaffected by what I’m showing him, but I didn't expect him to be so upset and disappointed in me, either. He hastily wraps it back up and shoves it into my hands. “Please don't tell me you did that yourself.”

“Of course I didn't do it myself.” I snatch the wrapping back.

“Where did you get it?”

“It was a gift.” I wrap it up and put the package back in my pocket.

“That's one sick gift. If Ethan gave it to you, I feel I must insist you break things off with him. He's a bit twisted.”

“Ethan doesn't even know I have it. I don't know who gave it to me. It was on our back porch, next to our bundle of firewood one day.”

“But you have a suspicion of who it might be, am I right? And you trust this person; otherwise you wouldn't be carrying it around with you.”

“I wouldn't say I
trust
this person, exactly. More like, they gave this to me for a reason and that reason helps both of us.” I’m just worried about how I might be helping them.

“How in the world could you possibly know that?” He's crossed his arms over his chest and is looking straight ahead.

“It's more of a feeling.”

“Oh, good. You're using a dead person's—
person, Karis
—Mark that a psychopath gave you because your gut tells you the gift-giver is trustworthy.”

“Dead person?” I echo.

“You didn't think their flesh was carved away and they're still living, walking around, do you?”

“Well, no...” I actually hadn't thought about it at all. But there's no other option, is there? The paper in my pocket suddenly becomes heavy enough to weigh down my duster. “It doesn't change the fact it's a tool that can be used against the Corporation, and I need every advantage I can get.”

He shakes his head and lets out a low whistle. “Don't let anyone ever tell you you aren't willing to do what it takes to meet your end goal.”

We're at my house and Adami slips through the back door before me. I wait a breath before following him through. I don't know why, but his reaction leaves my heart heavy. I don't like that he might be disappointed or think less of me. I sigh and follow him in.

Ethan

“I haven't been given specific instructions on how to deal with you, other than to
deal with you
. Quickly.” Nan stands up in a lithe, fluid movement to tower over us. The day is almost ending and the very last of the daylight is all but gone.

Flood lights buzz on with the sound of thousands of swarming insects, casting his face into a melee of sharp angled shadows.

“I'm not one to draw things out, “ he says, “so find what comfort you can in knowing your end will be clean and fast.”

At that, Raj whimpers. I look over at Dhevan, but his face is stone. “Even his own son?” Raj asks.

“No one is to be granted favor. President Hughes made that quite clear.”

I didn't expect any leniency or any show of compassion from my father, but to give the okay on my death? That takes the air from my lungs and knocks me back a few paces, mentally.

“I don't know why you sound surprised at that, Raj,” I say, in an attempt to not think about Nan's words. “You've met the man. He cares about nothing but himself.”

“Chow time is almost over, there's no sense in drawing a crowd or doing this in front of an audience. We will wait until the Guards are in their barracks and then you'll be executed. It will be fast and humane. Which is more than any of you probably deserve.”

Raj whimpers again, and in a fit of unexpected irritation, I find myself snapping at him. “How about you buck up and be a man for once in your life, Raj?” His head snaps back like I've hit him. “My father's ordered our deaths and we aren't going to see another morning. Accept it.”

Dhevan finally speaks. “I can't believe it, you're giving up.”

“In what world do you live in that you see us actually getting out of a situation like this, Dhevan? I didn't think you were one to actually have the mind of a simple farmer. I thought you were smarter than that.”

“And I thought you had more heart and balls than this,” he bites back.

“Boys, what is the point in arguing between yourselves? Young Mr. Hughes is correct in saying you should
be a man
about this whole situation. You're only getting what you deserve. Whether it's something you've done in this life, a past one, or one yet to come. It doesn't matter.”

“Karis deserves better than you,” Dhevan says.

I grind my molars and try not to let my hackles rise. My words grind out from behind my teeth. “Don't you think I already know that?”

“Once the Guards are settled, we’ll be back for you—”

Sirens explode through the darkening sky, and the stillness of our impending deaths is shattered. Nan remains composed, but the air about him is more fragile, rigid. His head snaps to the Corporal's. “What is going on?”

The Corporal is already talking into a radio that's strapped down to his shoulder, his ear down to a small black box. His opposite hand comes up as he presses a button on the receiver, tilting his mouth so his lips brush against it while he speaks. His words are too low for me to hear, but the urgency of this sudden situation comes through clear enough.

“What is it, Corporal?” Nan says in a tight voice.

“Untouchables,” he says. “Approaching from the east.”

Untouchables?
I sit up straighter and I see Dhevan from the corner of my eye do the same. We exchange a quick glance. Maybe there is a way out of this, after all.

“How many?” Nan asks. I'm impressed at how composed and unconcerned he acts. He truly is one of my father's best Guards.

“Only a couple dozen.”

“That we can see.”

“What are your orders, sir?”

“Dispatch Team Alpha to the eastern perimeter. Shoot to kill, but only engage if they do first.”

There's a tight nod from the lesser Guard as he relays the orders into his radio. We all wait. Other than the siren that initially sounded, there's no indication an attack is pending.

Come on, come on! Where are they?
Right now, being with the Untouchables is a better option than being with the Guards. Actually, it’ll end our mission.

There's a crackle and some muffled speech coming from the Corporal's shoulder. “Sir, they've—”

But he doesn't get to finish, another siren erupts into the night. This one is followed by flashing blue lights coming from somewhere in the distance. I have a feeling the situation has escalated.

“—they've breached the Dome!”

Nan still remains calm, though I can make out the pulse in his throat has sped up and there's a new light in his eyes. “Where?”

“Everywhere!” The Corporal is losing his composure. “They're coming in from all sides.”

“We've drilled this scenario hundreds of times, Corporal. It is no different from what we’ve practiced.”

His words are what's needed to strike sense into the young man. His back straightens and his shoulders go rigid. “Yes, sir.” He steps back to turn around and stops short. “What about the prisoners?”

“They were ordered to be disposed of, anyway. We will leave them here and let the Untouchables do the work for us. They never leave us alive, if they can help it.”

Raj starts to cry and lets out blubbering pleas of leniency. “Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you. I need to secure some documents before I join the fight.”

The Corporal trots off, his hand on the gun at his hip.

“Please,” Raj says, “please let us go. Let us have a fighting chance.”

Nan ignores him and surveys the immediate area. With sharp movement he squats down in front of Dhevan and me. My body goes stiff and I try to pull away from him. He brings out a knife and slices through the bindings at our feet and knees.

He's letting us go?
I don't have the words to express my astonishment. He hurries to our back and frees our hands.

“Quick, you don't have much time. I was only able to arrange this last minute, so you have four minutes, at best, before my men neutralize the situation.” Dhevan and I both sit there, not sure what to do.

“You fools, go!” This is the first time I've seen emotion on Nan's face.

“Why are you doing this?” I manage to ask.

“You don't have time to be asking these questions! You need to move if you want to escape.”

“You don't need to tell us again,” Dhevan says. He jumps to his feet and grabs my arm, yanking me to my feet.

I jerk my arm from his grasp. “Why?” I ask Nan again.

“You'll find that your father does not have as many allies as he would like to think.”

“Hurry, cut my ties!” Raj says, kicking his bound legs.

Nan sheaths his knife and addresses Dhevan and me. “His freedom is yours to grant. I only agreed to the two of you. Head south towards the chow hall. Between the back exit and the filters of that building is your way out.” With that, he turns and disappears towards the shouts and sounds of battle.

“Let's go,” Dhevan says, and starts off in the direction Nan showed us.

“What about Raj?”

“What about him?” he says. “He brought us here to have us killed. He can't be trusted.”

I look over at Raj, we don't have time to debate this decision. Dhevan's right. He can't be trusted. But leaving him here to be killed by the Untouchables? Is that really what I've come to?

“Take me with you!” Raj says. His eyes are desperate and have a crazed gleam to them. “Please! You can't leave me behind!”

“The way you brought us here when you knew we probably wouldn't survive?” Dhevan says.

“That was different! I did it for my family, to see them again.” We all look around when gun fire pops in spurts too close for comfort. “Please. You would have done the same.”

“We can't take the risk, Raj. The next opportunity you have, you will turn on us again,” I say. “Let's go.”

Dhevan and I hurry through the training field towards the chow hall, trying to squeeze out Raj's cries for forgiveness. 

७

“He would have turned on us, Ethan,” Dhevan whispers as we hurry across the open ground. We try to avoid the islands of light the floodlights create, which isn't hard. There are quite a few pockets of dense darkness to choose from.

True to his word, Nan's men are well trained and quickly get the chaos under order. The shouts are not as frequent and the gunshots have stopped entirely.

We have a couple more minutes before whatever is supposed to happen, happens. Probably all of the Guards flooding back to their stations and doing a final sweep of the entire camp. If that goes down before we can get to safety, we have no chance of escape.

“I know he would have, Dhevan.” I'm more than a little irritated with him. We drop to the ground as one as a couple of straggling Guards race past us to wherever it is they need to be.

“You hesitated. For a minute I thought you were thinking about bringing him with us.”

“This really isn't the time or the place to be having this kind of conversation.”

“I'm just saying.” We both get up and start up again.

“If you have to know
right this second
It's never easy for me to decide someone's death. Which is exactly what we did back there.”

“I think that's the chow hall,” Dhevan says, nodding towards a building about ten feet in front of us.

He's right. The chow hall is a squat, long building with windows every five feet or so. Looking through the glass, I can make out rows of tables with abandoned dinner trays, food left half-eaten. One of the swinging front doors is still open, light spilling out like a halo onto the ground.

“C'mon.” I shuffle past Dhevan towards the far end of the building, the back entrance where Nan said our escape would be. What he has for us, though, I can't even begin to imagine. I hear Dhevan fall into line behind me as we make our way to the back door. I run my hand along the outside of the building. The only sound is our feet against the dying grass. We're there. At the back door.

“There's nothing here.” Dhevan takes the words out of my mouth.

“There has to be something,” I say, hanging onto my remaining hope. “Nan didn't tell us what would be here. Check the ground for anything.” We start to look around, patting the ground.

“What are we looking for?”

“I don't know, uniforms, maybe? A disguise or weapons of some sort. Maybe a map to get out of here. Just look for
something
.” The intensity of the situation is rising. Nan sent us here. Our time is almost up. Is this a trap? But if it is, why free us only to send us to fail?

“We should never have trusted him,” Dhevan says.

“Hurry, it’s got to be here. I can hear the Guards coming back.” My desperation is rising but I’m not ready to quit. I’m not ready to face the possibility of never seeing Karis again. Of letting my father win.

“We were idiots for thinking he was actually trying to help us. It's a sick game; why else would he have let us go, Ethan?”

“He didn't let you go, he delivered you to us.”

Dhevan and I turn around, ready for anything but what’s in front of us. A tall, muscular girl stands square, hands on a thick club, hair tied back, clothes dark and thick.

“Let's go,” she says and Dhevan collapses to the ground beside me. I spin on my heel and face a group of others dressed like her. I don't have time to take in anything else before the one closest to me raises his arm and strikes me on the side of the head. I feel myself falling to the ground, but don't register ever hitting it.

७

My head bounces in a steady rhythm when I finally come to. I don't know how long it's been. The air around me is heavy and thick and hot, and no light is making its way through my eyelids. It's too hard to stay awake, so I stop fighting.

I've stopped moving and am lying on a hard surface. My hands are tied and so are my feet. I think I’m lying on the ground. The temperature around me has heated up slightly. I can feel the sun on my arms and legs. My throat is too dry for me to speak, and my head is throbbing from being hit earlier. I still don't have enough sense of what's going on to say anything or to try and open my eyes. This is more than just from being hit on my head. The people who attacked us must have given us something. Drugged us. The more I try to think about it, the harder my head hurts. It feels better not to think at all. I let my mind slip back into nothingness.

The next time I wake, I'm clearer. I know I'll stay awake this time. My head is back to bouncing to the steady rhythm of before. There's less sun now, I can feel its absence from my body. It must be evening or night. The air around my head is still stale and warm. It takes me three attempts, but I manage to open my eyes.

It's pitch black. So black, it hurts my eyes. It's then I notice a rough texture against my skin. A sack of some sort has been tied around my head. It's also at about that time the blood vessels in my cheeks and forehead start to feel like they're being squeezed to the point of popping. Sensations are coming into sharp focus and I wish I was unconscious again.