“Come with me,” Dr Woods instructed.
“Mary, where will you be?” I said, ignoring Dr Woods.
“I’ll be with Ali,” she replied. “Helping the inexperienced fighters.”
I lurched forward and hugged her. She was taken aback for a minute and then she chuckled and ruffled my hair. When I broke away a tearful Kitty launched herself at her. I noticed the way Mary’s eyes crinkled and knew she was holding back tears.
“Now dunnae be soft, you lot. Ye’ll be making an old woman cry.”
Kitty moved back and Mike, Hiro, Cam and Daniel all said their goodbyes. I’d grown so fond of Mary over the last few months that it was hard to see her go away from us now.
“Ah need te go fight,” Cam said when Mary was out of the door.
“No. Hamish will be looking for you. It isn’t safe,” I said.
Cam and General Lloyd shared a look. There was something going on.
“Ah’ll be fine, Mina. Ah want te check on Angela. Make sure she’s safe.”
“Go on, lad,” General Lloyd said. “I’ll be down to help with the soldiers in a short while.”
“You’re going to use him as bait,” Hiro said. “You’re going to try and draw out Hamish McAllister by using his son.”
“What? You can’t do that?” I said.
General Lloyd sighed. “We can do what we like if it keeps people safe.”
“How is that keeping people safe? You’re just on a revenge mission to kill Hamish and you don’t care who gets hurt,” I snapped.
“It’s all right, Mina,” Cam said. “Ah want te do this. Ah want te make sure that me da’ cannae hurt anyone else. Ah’m sick of it! Ah hate being related to him.” His eyes clouded over. “Ah’m gunnae kill him meself.”
“Cam––”
“No, dunnae try te talk me out of it. Just make sure that ye look after Angela if anything happens te me. She’s a good lass. An’… she’s sorry. She got caught up with the wrong people an’ she’s dead sorry for what she did te ye.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “I know.” I hugged him. “Be careful.”
The door shut behind him, leaving us alone.
“Where’s my dad?” I said.
Daniel looked at me. “He should be here by now.”
“He is going to be with us while we’re in the castle, isn’t he?” I said.
“Change of plan,” Dr Woods said with a beaming smile. “He’s staying with the women and children. Now, if you would like to come with me I’ll show you where you’ll be watching the proceedings.”
The way he spoke made me nauseated. It was as though we were about to watch something entertaining. I didn’t like what was going on. I wanted my dad with me. I looked at Hiro, Kitty, Mike and Daniel. It seemed we were all thinking the same thing. But, because we didn’t know what else to do, we followed Dr Woods through the door. He started to prattle as we followed him down the corridor, telling us little bits of history about the castle. I zoned it all out. My hands were shaking. The battle between the Clans was about to begin.
Dr Woods walked with General Lloyd. I hung behind, putting as much distance between me and the doctor as possible.
“Are you all right?” Daniel said to me.
“No, not really. I can’t believe this is about to happen. I don’t know if my gift is going to be strong enough to help.”
He took my hand. “It will. I promise.”
“This looks cosy.”
I froze. The voice came from behind us both. I knew that voice. Daniel and I turned to face him.
“Sebastian!” I gasped. He looked terrible. His eyes were so bloodshot I could hardly see the brown irises. His face was haggard and hollow. His clothes hung from him. He trembled as though full of electricity. “What are you doing here?”
Daniel pulled me back behind him. “Did you attack Angela?”
Sebastian stepped forward. His head twitched to the side.
“Don’t you move any closer!” Daniel yelled.
Sebastian leapt forward, leaving the ground with both feet. He collided into Daniel, sending me flying, and the two boys landed hard against the stone floor. There was a crack as Daniel’s head hit the stone.
“No!” I shouted. I used my power to pull Sebastian from Daniel and dropped to my knees next to him. He was unconscious and limp. I shook him, screaming, “No. No. No.”
Kitty tried to run to me but Dr Woods slapped her across the cheek and then General Lloyd hit Mike with the butt of his gun. Dr Woods went to grab Hiro but I threw the doctor away from him and started to run towards Hiro. Something grabbed hold of my leg and pulled me over. I knocked my nose against the stone as I fell and blood spurted.
“Mina!” Hiro yelled.
Dr Woods scooped him up into his arms. As the hand pulled me backwards over the stone flags I focussed on my gift, trying to separate Dr Woods and Hiro. The doctor slammed against the wall, but he kept hold of Hiro. I scraped at the floor with my fingernails as I was dragged backwards, away from Hiro. They dragged me past Daniel and I tried to grab hold of Daniel’s hand.
“Mina,” Hiro shouted as Dr Woods dragged him away. “Mina. They are all in on it. They want to––”
Someone silenced Hiro and I yelled, “No!” down the corridor. There was a crack and it felt as though my skull had split open. The hallway faded into darkness.
*
Pain. Sharp pain. A stab in my arm.
“There we go. Nothing to worry about.” Something cold and wet was wiped over my skin. I tried to open my eyes. “Just a little injection and I am
excellent
with a needle. Sebastian knows, don’t you? Yes. The best in class. Best bedside manner too. Everyone trusts me. Every… well, almost everyone. You don’t trust me. Do you Mina? Shame really. You and those freak children. What a terrible thing she did to you. Your own mother…”
The voice faded out. I tried to stop it. My mother? What about my mother? The darkness took over. There was nothing I could do. No, I had to hold on. I tried to prise my eyes open. The fight with the Clans. I had to help… oh, but sleep… sleep.
*
Crackling noise. Like a radio.
“Get the cars ready. We need to get them out of here as quickly as possible, over.”
More crackling.
“I don’t care if they’ve started to invade. There must be some way out.”
Crackle.
“Well I can’t keep them here forever. The father is bound to start getting… yes. Yes, I understand. But just do the best you can, over.”
The crackles stopped.
My head felt heavy. My chin rested on my chest. I tried to move a hand, but there was something heavy around my wrist. I pulled it and a chain rattled. I was chained to a wall. I tried to open my eyes, prising one eye-lid just a few millimetres. The room was fuzzy and bright and it made my head hurt. I took a deep breath.
“You’ll feel dizzy for a while,” said Dr Woods. “But don’t worry it’s only temporary.”
“Where’s Hiro?” I said. I was surprised to hear that my words slurred. “And Daniel. I need to see Daniel.”
“They are both fine. You won’t be seeing them again, I’m afraid.”
I tried to open my eyes again. “Why? Why won’t I see them?”
“Because you are coming with me.”
“Wh-what?”
“You’re coming with me. We’re going on a little road trip and there isn’t enough room for your friends. I decided to keep one of you, and you just happen to be worth the most because your power is so much better than the other powers. I don’t care for all that invasion of privacy and what-not. Whereas
you.
You are very interesting indeed.”
My eyes adjusted to the light. I was in the castle but everything was too fuzzy to see properly. I couldn’t tell if we were high up or in the basement. “Where am I?” I mumbled. I took a deep breath and tried to focus, tried to blink away the blur from my eyes and the fog from my brain.
“A safe place,” Dr Woods mumbled. “You’ll be safe here.”
He’s lost it
, I thought to myself.
He’s gone insane
.
“You’re not quite as strong without that bunch of freaks around – are you?” Dr Woods pulled up a chair and sat facing me. I was able to lift my head to see him. There was a cold cruelty about him now, one he’d kept hidden so well from the rest of the Compound. But I’d always known. He smiled at me with none of the easy charm he’d exuded in the Compound. Instead it was full of such menace that it made me cringe. He stared at me as though I was a science experiment. “You look terrified.”
“What do you want with me?” I asked, trying to keep the tremble from my voice.
Dr Woods cross his right leg over his left and adjusted the fold in his well ironed trousers. He was no longer in his doctor’s over-coat, and I noticed that he dressed in a similar fashion to my dad: smartly, with a comfy looking knitted jumper and lace up leather shoes. I realised then that his outfit was constructed perfectly to show accessibility, to make him seem much more down to Earth than he really was. The stern, calculating expression in his eyes did not match the fluffiness of his jumper or the laces in his shoes. “I think I might answer that question with a question of my own. What is it that is so special about you?” He lounged back on the chair and shrugged. “You know, I’m a little older than you, Mina. I’m not old by any means, but I have seen more of life than you. I’ve met more people, made more friends and certainly made some enemies. One of the things that I couldn’t help but notice along the way is that one of the most distinguishing features between people isn’t related to their physical features. It isn’t even really related to their personalities. It’s about their power. And you have that power.”
I inwardly sighed. As afraid of Dr Woods as I was, there was a moment when I felt that he was about to kill me through tedium rather than torture.
“Ha!” he laughed at my expression. “I can see the impatience of youth in you. How admirable is it that even in a moment of distress you roll your eyes at a man rambling on? I will get to the point.
“You, Mina, are one of the few people in this world with true power. It radiates from you like the rings of Saturn. People orbit you.” He twirled his finger in the air mimicking the path of the moon around the earth. “Even at the age of fifteen men fall in love with you and women want to be you. How many are there now? Daniel the bullet boy, Ali the Scavenger, and who else? Oh yes. The Clone boy.”
“What are you talking about? Ali isn’t interested in me. Neither is Sebastian.” I remembered the way Sebastian had launched himself at Daniel. The way his eyes were bloodshot and wild. “What did you do to him?”
“Oh, it doesn’t have to be romantic love. They do love you though. It’s strange, the only other person I know who has that effect on people… is me,” he continued ignoring me. “This puts me in a little predicament, my dear. What do they say? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?”
Whilst I pondered the meaning of that, Dr Woods stood up and walked over to a walnut coffee table by one of the faded floral sofas. There he picked up a glass of water and strode back to me. I was slumped on the floor against the wall, meaning he had to sit across from me. This he did with ease, crossing his legs like a yoga master and pressing the glass to my lips. I shut them firmly.
“Now, now. Petulance doesn’t suit you,” he said with a mock frown. In a motion that made a shiver escape down my spine he caressed my cheek. “You’re far better than that.”
Condensation from the glass touched my lips like a taunt. It made my throat ache. Dr Woods pushed the glass closer, pressing against my teeth. With a little cry I gave way and allowed the liquid to flow into my throat.
“Good girl. You have a passionate spirit; I think that comes along with your power. I’ve been watching you, Mina, and at first I’ll admit you made me feel threatened. You didn’t warm to me the same way others do, and I didn’t like that.” He removed the glass from my mouth and leaned back onto his hands on the floor. “But then I came to realise that you are the person I’ve been waiting for.”
“What the hell are you on about?” I couldn’t help but interrupt.
“I love the fact you blurt out whatever is on your mind.” He stroked my cheek again and I pushed myself further back into the wall. “You don’t have a dishonest bone in your body. Do you?”
“Just shut the f––”
“Shhhhh,” he said. “Everything was going so well in the compound. Old man Macdonald snuffed it and I got ahead on the Council. The glorious experience of birth was being celebrated by the boys and girls, and we were blessed with so many happy healthy children––”
“With fathers who don’t bother looking after them and parents who aren’t together,” I snapped.
“Now, Mina. There you go judging people again. There are plenty of tribes who have survived in this world without the silly notion of a nuclear family – the two parents and a few kids equation.” He leaned forward and I flinched. “Surely you, who has been brought up by one parent, understands that? You’ve seen the abomination that is Cloning in action.”
“I believe in giving people a choice,” I said. “You trick all those teenagers into a responsibility they don’t want!”
“Rubbish! They know what sex is, they know the risk.”
“I’ve seen the look on those girl’s faces, they didn’t know what they were getting into!” Behind my back my fists balled.
“Like I was saying, all was well and happy in the Compound until little old you began to stir things up. So what choice did I have but to tear it all down and start again?” He shrugged. “Such a shame. But at least I’ve found someone with such… interesting genes… to start everything all over again with.”
“What are you talking about?” I said. “What do you mean tearing it all down? You’re going to destroy the Compound?”
“With things heading the way they were – you sneaking around planting seeds in people’s minds about the Celebration and your band of freaks growing stronger and stronger. It was a matter of time before the Council found an excuse to get me out. MacDonald has been looking for a reason for years. It would be chaos!”
“What are you saying?”
Dr Woods sprang lithely to his feet and skipped around the room until he was out of sight. I heard the pulling of wheels on wood and his footsteps getting closer again until a box on wheeled legs came into view. As he came closer I saw that the box was, in fact, a television, a very old television.
“I’m saying that in order to make the world a better place, sometimes you need to go back to the start to find your mistakes. And then you have to erase them.”
He turned on the television to a warzone. It was soundless and black and white, almost like a pencil drawing in motion. In the centre of the screen stood a man that I recognised, not from a meeting, but from a picture – a picture than Daniel had crafted a few weeks ago. I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer; the images were too terrible to bear.
“No,” I mumbled. “No, you haven’t.”
“Did I ever mention,” he said with a voice so calm it would haunt me for years to come, “that me and Hamish McAllister are old friends?”
He disappeared, but I hardly noticed. My eyes were glued to the screen. The floodlights highlighted things in the dark that I didn’t want to see. I saw Ali, shouting instructions to scared teenage boys with guns. I saw people fall and others throw useless punches. I saw the acrobats spinning through the air, landing on the backs of attackers. I saw men shooting arrows at other men as they climbed down our border wall. Some fell. Women threw their petrol bombs and then ran for cover. I wanted to be sick.
Another television appeared. Dr Woods lined them up side by side. He turned it on and when I saw the screen I lurched forward, forgetting all about my chains, which pulled on my wrist. It was Daniel. And Hiro. And Kitty. And Mike. My heart ached to see them. Daniel was slumped and Kitty was dabbing her sleeve against a wound on his head. Mike paced a tiny room. Hiro sat very still. He was scared.
“Where are they? What have you done to them?”
“Good movie. Don’t you think?” Dr Woods said with a smarmy smile spreading from cheek to cheek. “I put a camera up outside the Army Barracks and inside a room you’ll never be able to get to.”
On one screen Ali shot at an attacker whilst someone else ran at him with a knife. My heart almost stopped, but Ali dodged the knife just in time. Mary barked orders to the women with the petrol bombs and a trailer exploded. I saw Ben jump on the back of a large man attacking a young teenager armed with a small knife. A spear flew through the air and hit a man in the throat. On the other screen my friends, my best friends in the entire world, my family, were scared and alone.
“What are you going to do to them?” I whispered.
“Don’t worry, the fun will begin soon. I just have to make a call first.” He reached for his walkie-talkie.
I pulled against the chains, desperately struggling. Whatever he was going to do with the walkie-talkie I knew it was bad for my friends. “No! Stop it!”
He raised an eyebrow at me and picked up the device.
“People are dying on that screen.” I struggled against the chains binding my wrists. It was futile, and my attempts provoked another smug smile from the doctor. “You have to let me go, we have to
help
them. Are you really going to let all those people die?” I was yelling now, almost screaming, with tears running down my face. I felt sick. It would be a massacre not a war. I kicked and struggled and wriggled whilst that man, that
monster,
watched with a smirk.
“And what could you do? Throw people around?”
“I can fight,” I spat.
“You think you can. The truth is, deep down you’re weak, just like all girls.” He fiddled with the cuff of his jumper. “You wouldn’t make any difference in there and you know it. Besides, you are too important to me for you to just get killed. So no, I won’t be letting you go.”
“You said I was powerful. I can make a difference because with the others we’re strong, stronger than hundreds of men.”
He laughed at me. “You are powerful. More powerful than most of your gender. But my dear, don’t be so stupid! You and those freaks? No, Mina, when will you stop fighting it?” He moved towards me again and stroked my cheek. “You’re more useful to the world right here. This is where your power really is. That’s the problem with you women, you won’t accept that all you’re good for is making babies and playing house while the men go out and take care of everything else. It isn’t a criticism. Bringing life into this world, giving birth the
natural
way and not in the abomination that is Cloning, is the most important job in the world.” He grasped my shoulders and I could feel his hot breath on my skin. I tried to shrink against the wall never in my life feeling so small and helpless. I wanted to cry for my Dad, or even my mum. “You have the potential to create the most powerful human beings in this world. Mina, you are going to have the most important job of all – continuing the human race in this God forsaken country. You and me.”