Rogue (Exceptional) (21 page)

       "Hopefully the raid didn't affect who is posted there, but it never has," Heath said. "If so, you'll need to improvise."

       "I can handle that," said Ally.

       Jed, Tilt, and Hank sat quietly and listened. Neither man looked overly impressed with the news of leaving early, or upset. Ally had gathered that they just wanted a little adventure, and for them, to be involved in a scuffle would be an extra bonus.

       Jed stood up. "Let's do this."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jed, Tilt, and Hank were all married, so their wives came to see them off before the group left. Hank had two young daughters, maybe just a year apart, and they were there to see their dad off, as well. It was then that Ally really felt the absence of Stosh and Sabine. Stosh would have been traveling with them tonight, and Sabine would have come to see them all leave. A small part of Ally had hoped that Willow would come see her off, but she hadn't asked her to. Heath gave Max a long hug and patted him on the back. Max’s Aunt Lillian even came to say goodbye.

       Their group wove out of town through a less populated area, not wanting to arouse suspicions about their trip. It wouldn't be long before people noticed their absence, and Heath had some lies lined up for the when the questions started. The Ordinarys moved slowly in the dark, and Ally grew impatient, but they couldn't use flashlights or fire out here. They would be too easy to spot. Her vision was perfect at night, so she moved easily over fallen branches or around brush. The others, however, would come out of this trip with plenty of scratches and a few bruises.

       "You could at least warn me," Max hissed after a low branch caught him in the head and Ally burst into giggles.

       "Sorry," she said between laughs. "I really didn't see that one. I was checking behind us."

      Ally did a rotation around the group, being on watch for any signs of other Exceptionals or Rogues.  So far the night had been quiet, and the random appearance of nocturnal creatures put Ally at ease. When Wyn had shown up, the night had been void of them.

       "We should be there in about two hours," Tilt whispered from the right.

       The trip to the outpost was ten miles, and they had already gone four. Ally knew that had she been running, she would have been there an hour ago, but she needed to stay with the rest of the group.

       "Feeling antsy?" Max said from beside her. He had slowed down and fallen back to walk by her side.

       Ally nodded and figured his eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see that. "I traveled slowly with my brother and friends when we traveled here, but I wasn't sure what was awaiting us. Now I'm anxious to get to the City. I need to see Luke and tell him about the vaccine. The sooner the better, you know? And I need to get Stosh and Sabine back."

       Max nodded, his forehead creased with uncertainty. He probably forgot that Ally could see his expression perfectly, and wouldn't have shown his uncertainty so freely.

       "Do you think Luke will welcome you back to the City?" he asked.

       Ally tried not to look at him. "We'll find out. I mean, I have something good to offer."

       "Yeah, you sure do," Max responded. Ally sensed the double meaning to his words and moved on quickly.

       "Look, I haven't told anyone exactly what happened the night I left the City..." she said with hesitation. "There might be some issues when we get to the entrance."

       Max stopped walking. "You are telling me this
now
?"

       "Either way we'll get inside," she stopped and turned to face him. "It is just a matter of whether or not we'll be detained."

       "What did you do exactly?" Max started walking again, knowing they needed to keep pace with the others.

       "I killed three Guards, possibly injured some others," the words came out quickly. It was the first time she had really talked about it since it had happened.

       "They probably deserved it," Max responded.

       "Maybe. One of them had just shot and killed a friend, but I hadn't planned on killing them. I just wanted to knock them back a bit, give us more time to get away."

       "So you think you are a wanted woman?" Max nudged her with his shoulder, a gesture she had grown to adore these past several weeks.

       "Something like that." She smiled. "I just hope they talk first and shoot later, not the other way around."

       A little under two hours later, they reached the outpost. It was a decent sized building, maybe double the size of the home she had been assigned to in Champaign, and there were six Guards on duty. All of them were allies to Champaign, and all of them knew Max by name.

       "We have a room set up for you inside. We should move quickly," one of the Guards said. Ally bristled at his deep, unnatural voice. It felt like so long since she had been around a Guard.

       The Guards watched her carefully as she passed them. They had to be curious about her, but she wasn't about to open up and share her story. They were just spending the night, and by tomorrow they would be in the City. There were only two cots to sleep on, and two Guards had already claimed them, so their group laid out the sleeping bags that Heath had provided. They were thick and fluffy, and almost as nice as a cot. Ally settled into her bag and closed her eyes, trying to block out the conversation that Max and the others were having with the Guards. The topics were light and they all shared laughs, and in that moment, Ally felt even more out of place. She wished her brother were here, by her side and ready to conquer their trip into the City tomorrow.

              As she drifted off to sleep she hoped that he would at least appear in her dreams.

"Ally," a voice penetrated one of the few good dreams she had had in awhile. "Ally, get up. It's time to go."

      She opened her eyes slowly and saw Max standing over her. He had changed outfits from the night before, and looked as though he had been up for awhile. She sat up slowly and noticed the others were up and moving around, rolling their sleeping bags up and munching on some sort of bread.

       Max handed her a small package.

       "Cinnamon bread, from the City," he said.

       Ally smiled. She had loved when Mazzi made cinnamon bread. They had it almost every morning with their breakfast. She closed her eyes and sniffed the napkin, loving the sweet scent that rose out of it.

       "Almost there," she whispered.

       When they stepped outside they found a Guard waiting in a nearby transport. It was large, and identical to the transports that used to take the Ordinarys from the settlements into the City. The memories zipped through Ally's mind as she took in the vehicle before her. All of the times she watched Ordinarys loaded into one, while she and her brother huddled around their mother’s legs. Watching Willow climb into one, and feeling the guilt of not volunteering. Watching one pass underneath from high in a tree... with Stosh. Walking in front of one with Luke the day she jumped the boundary. All of that felt so insignificant now, and childish.

       "Two of you can ride up front, but the other three will need to ride in the back until you near the City. Chunny needs to pick up two groups of Ordinarys before heading into the City, so I suggest at least your Exceptional gal here sits up front," the head Guard told them. He seemed more laid back than the Guard they had spoken to last night, which was an odd mannerism for a Guard.

       "We are going on a transport run?" Ally asked. She hadn't been expecting that.

       "It is the best timing for getting you into the City. Otherwise they will wonder why the transport is coming so soon. We are scheduling to be on post for four more days, and you are welcome to wait until we are relieved. The Guards who arrive might not be so friendly, though."

       The Guard crossed his arms over his chest, challenging her to oppose him.

       Ally shook her head and carried her pack to the transport, climbing into the main cab. She squeezed into the middle, and Max squeezed in beside her. It felt natural that he would be the one to be there with her. Tilt, Jed, and Hank loaded into the back and were shut in.

       "Here we go," Chunny said with a crooked smile. Ally couldn't remember the Guards smiling before her time in the City, but maybe it was just those assigned to the outposts. They didn't seem as stern as the Guards in the settlement, or as refined as those in the City.

       They sat in silence as the transport made the bumpy trip from the outpost to the City, and mainly traveled on a clear path through the trees, but sometimes they had to turn onto old roads and take their time avoiding rubble, old cars, and even holes.  Over an hour had passed when Chunny picked up a small mini-port from the dash.

       It felt odd that they had covered this distance in such a short time when it had taken Ally and the others weeks, but they had taken such a roundabout way to get to Champaign. They had backtracked, and moved east and west before heading south again. So much time wasted.

       "This is Chunny. Are the subjects in Oak ready for pick up?" he said over the machine.

       The machine made a static noise for a moment and then a voice came clearly through the small speaker at the top. "Ready and waiting."

       Tingles crept up Ally's body, starting at her toes and ending in her head.
Oak. Her
settlement.

       "Are you okay?" Max leaned toward her.

       Ally just nodded, swallowing quickly and trying to wet her tongue. It felt dry, and heavy in her mouth all of the sudden. She was afraid to speak up about the settlement. Afraid the Guard in the port might hear her and realize who she was.

       Chunny looked over at them. "A few of these Guards are allies, but not all of them. I'll do the talking at least until we get to the City. I'll do my best to get you to Mr. Lukin safely, but I can't make any promises. You might find yourself in jail, but I'm sure once the leaders catch wind of who they've caught, Mr. Lukin will want to see you anyway."

       The Guard winked.

       So at least this Guard was in on her secret.

       Ally focused on the ground in front of them. It wasn't long before a familiar warehouse loomed up in front of them. How many Ordinarys had even stayed behind for there to be any form of acquisition? Why did the Guards seem neutral about the fact that a good portion of Ordinarys disappeared overnight?

       They pulled past the warehouse and toward the center of the settlement. Four Guards stood in a straight stance, their guns held high but ready for use. Five Ordinarys were lined up in a row, all looking grim and dirty. Ally recognized at least three of them. A group of adults stood behind them, the women wiping at tears on their cheeks.

       A Guard marched up to Chunny's side of the transport.

       "The best we could do with so few," the Guard said in his deep voice. He showed no emotion, and his features were much harsher than Chunny's. These were the Guards she remembered. It made her wonder if they worked harder to make the Guards that interacted with Ordinarys look so fierce. If so, it was a tactic that worked.  The sight of them still made her feel sick to her stomach.

       Chunny nodded. "There have been less and less volunteers in the other settlements as well. Mr. Lukin isn't going to be happy."

       The Guard shifted his gun to the other shoulder but made no change in facial expression. "I expect he has bigger matters to deal with."

       Ally noticed that Aden’s name hadn’t been mentioned once.

      
Odd
.

       Chunny and the Guard shared a nod before the Ordinarys were motioned over. Chunny jumped out and helped load them into the back of the transport. A few of the escorting Guards eyed Ally and Max with interest, but made no move to approach their side of the transport. Maybe they were
all
allies. It was the best luck they'd had so far, and Ally was afraid it would run out at any second.

       The Guards formed a formation around the transport, one on each corner, which had been protocol since Ally was a little girl. The Guard that spoke to Chunny when they first arrived positioned himself outside of the driver side door, walking with his gun held firmly.

       The mini-port on the dash blinked to life. "Guard 81302, you are ordered to return immediately to the City."

       "Sir?" Chunny said out loud. His voice sounded unsure, which had Ally shooting Max a worried look. If this didn't happen often, something was up.

       "The pick-up in Elm has been intercepted by another transport. You are to return immediately. Is that clear?"

       "Yes, Sir," Chunny responded.

       "Does this happen often?" Max asked in a whisper.

       Chunny shrugged, and then shook his head no, eyeing the mini-port.

       Ally pointed at the wall behind her head. "Did they?" She was hoping Chunny would get the message. She wanted to know of the Guards walking along the back corners of the truck would have ratted.

       "What does it matter?" he responded. "Either way you are getting into the City."

       She couldn't argue with him on that point. They made their way down the trail slowly, coming up to the boundary line bridge. Ally knew that just a little ways down was where she had jumped the boundary line, a moment that had changed her life forever. The river passed behind them and the road grew smoother. There were groups of Ordinarys from the settlements assigned to keeping the area around the City wall neat and trim.

       "Whoa," Max breathed as they came up on the wall.

       Even though Ally had seen it before, she was still amazed at its height.

       "We're back," Ally said to herself.

       A Guard met them at the gate, motioning for Chunny to stop.

       "You'll drop your cargo off in Bay 3. All of it." His deep voice cut through Ally.

       She started to feel sick, as waves of nausea took over her midsection. Her abilities tingled through her, traveling up and down her arms at an alarming rate.