The Weapon (The Hourglass Series Book 2) (3 page)

The
next city was exactly five days walk from Harmony’s little town. The city was
too well guarded for anyone to find a way in themselves without going through
the official channels, but Harmony had a contact in the city that regularly
checked a hidey hole, secreted just outside the city limits. According to
Harmony, this contact could sneak in or out just about anything, or in their
case, anyone. She had given them a note of introduction, promising the contact
that they weren’t a danger. Sarah just hoped they wouldn’t be waiting too long
before the contact checked the hole, found the note and decided to trust them.
She didn’t fancy camping outside a city that had regular patrols for too long.

Harmony
had drawn them a map, pointing out where they needed to go. Most of it was
simply following this one main road, so they didn’t have to struggle too much
with directions. The road was not in good repair. There were cracks everywhere,
with grass and small trees pushing their way up in-between the bitumen. Still,
it would have been possible for a car or a motorbike to travel along it, as
long as it had good suspension, so Sarah and Finn tried to keep an ear out. If
they thought they heard or saw something even closely resembling a motor, they
ran off the road and into the trees as fast as their legs could carry them.

They
didn’t really talk much the first day, each lost in their own thoughts. The
weather was warm at the moment, and so they were able to set up camp comfortably
without a fire, each eating a protein bar and some carrots that had been grown
in the fields just outside the town before going to sleep.

Sarah
woke up on the second day and groaned despite herself. Her shoulders were
aching from the backpack she carried yesterday, and her feet protested at having
to carry her weight.

Finn
gave her a small smile. “At least the backpacks will get lighter the further we
go.”

“True.”

They
ate some packed vegetables, cleaned up after themselves and set off again.

“Finn,”
asked Sarah hesitantly, “do you think we’re doing the right thing?”

“What
do you mean?”

“Leaving
Mar behind.”

“Sarah,
Mar
chose
to stay behind. We both know it’s what she wants to do. I’ve
never seen her more confident, happy and optimistic. It’s kind of scary,
actually.”

Sarah
sighed. “Yeah, I know. It’s just…”

“You’re
worried about her,” said Finn, not waiting for her to finish. “Of course you
are. She’s worried about you too, you know.”

“But
she’s actively walking into danger.”
“And we’re not?”

“Maybe
we should have just stayed in town?”

“And
done what? I want to have a normal life again. Do you think we could do that
while we watch Marland try and infiltrate the Hourglass Group? It would have
eaten us apart.”

Sarah
didn’t say anything. He was right, or course. It was exactly why they were
leaving.

“This
is what you want, right?” asked Finn, a trace of nervousness creeping into his
voice.

Sarah
looked at him, surprised. “Yeah, or course it is. As far as I’m concerned, if
nothing exciting ever happens to us again, I’ll be happy.” 

Finn
grunted and ran a hand through his white hair. He reached down and awkwardly
fumbled for her hand. She grinned at him and held on. Sarah felt happy.

On
reflection, she realised that it was probably why they hadn’t heard the truck
sooner.

They
heard the sounds of a diesel engine and quickly scampered off the road and into
the surrounding bush. The road was curved, with trees impairing their view,
shielding them from the trucks. Just before they disappeared into the first
copse of trees Sarah risked a glance back over her shoulder.

She
wished she hadn’t.

If
she hadn’t she might have lived in blissful ignorance for a few seconds more.

Instead
what she saw made her stumble mid-stride.

She
had locked eyes with a scout.

The
scout had come on foot, ahead of the truck. To be fair, the scout who preceded
the truck on foot was far quieter than the truck, but she still felt they
should have been better prepared. There was a crucial moment where, even fifty metres
away, she felt like she could see the scout’s eyes change as he went from
surprise to making a decision. It was not the decision she was hoping for. He
yelled something unintelligible behind him, waving his arm forward.

“We’re
spotted,” puffed Sarah. Finn whipped his head back, searching through the
trees, but kept on moving. Sarah and Finn were out of sight now, racing through
the trees, trying to stay quiet but failing miserably as their feet crunched on
loose leaves and pebbles. They were going fast. The adrenaline surging through
their body was ensuring that. Somewhere behind them she heard a truck screech
to a halt, its tires skidding a little on the uneven surface of the road. It
was followed shortly by the sounds of boots crashing through the woods after
them. Someone whooped with excitement. Sarah felt sick to her stomach. They
were enjoying this.

“Shit.”
Finn braked suddenly in front of her, causing her to collide into his back.

“Wha-”
she cut herself off. They had run into a river. It was too deep and fast to
walk across. And too wide for Finn to doggie paddle. She really needed to teach
him how to swim. She pushed Finn sideways, parallel to the river edge. “Keep
going.”

They
made it another twenty metres before a panting soldier stumbled out in front of
them, cutting them off. He was puffing heavily, his body bent over and his
hands resting on his knees, but his face was turned up at them, grinning
triumphantly. They turned around only to see three more behind them. They too
were smiling. One of them waved his gun at them mockingly. Their only choice
was back into the woods, which lead to the road where the truck was.

They
were caught.

“Hands
up, kiddies,” said one of the soldiers behind them. He was a stocky bloke with a
sheen of sweat staining the front of his shirt, but unlike the others his
breath was only slightly laboured. He had close-cropped blond hair and small
eyes. He was the only one who didn’t bother pulling out his gun. He was
obviously their leader.

“We
didn’t do anything,” said Finn.

The
leader snorted. “Right. Show me your permit then.” Anyone who left their city
or town required a permit by the governing military body.

Finn
didn’t say anything.

“Yeah,”
snorted the man again. “I thought so. Hands up.”

Slowly,
Sarah and Finn raised their hands to shoulder height. The leader gestured
towards them and the woman next to him walked past, pulling out a handful of zip
lock ties as she approached Sarah and Finn. She tied Finn’s hands first,
tightening the ties with hard, competent tugs. Sarah saw Finn wince as she
tightened the one over his injured wrist. When the woman went to do the same to
Sarah the leader strolled up to them casually. He eyeballed Finn’s wrist, the
white bandage still in place.

“Now
what did you do to yourself? Hey?”

Finn
shrugged. “I was burnt. I was trying to put out a fire.”

The
leader’s eyebrows went up but he didn’t say anything. He turned to Sarah.

“Pretty
bracelet.”

They
arrived back on the road only to find out that the truck they had heard was
actually the first of four. The last in the convoy trundled into view as they
stepped onto the bitumen. The scout who had alerted the soldiers to their
whereabouts was there, watching them come in. It was hard to tell what he was
thinking.

A
man stepped out of the second truck. Unlike the others, he was wearing a suit.
He jerked his head at the blond leader.

“What’s
this?” he asked.

“Found
ourselves some volunteers,” said the leader.

The
suited man just flapped his hand at them and climbed back into his truck.
“Hurry up.”

The
leader mumbled a lazy, “Yes, sir,” at his back and then directed Sarah and Finn
to climb into the back of the first truck. It was empty, obviously having
contained their pursuers. There were a number of straps hanging off the walls
on either side of the benches that lined the inside of the truck. Sarah grabbed
the side of the truck with her bound hands, using it as leverage to get herself
up the step. Finn followed shortly, only with a bit more athletic grace. Their
pursuers followed them in, crowding them to the front of the truck. Once seated
on the bench the guy who had been shoving his gun in their faces earlier
reached up for the straps on the wall. He pulled one down, and to Sarah’s
horror tightened it around her neck, like a hangman’s noose. The noose was
still attached to the wall of the truck. She could move about thirty
centimetres forward, and about the same to either side.  

Sarah
wanted to scream at him to take it off but she changed her mind and stayed
quiet. She had the feeling he would have enjoyed it.

“Isn’t
that dangerous?” asked Finn, “what happens if we crash? It’ll choke us to
death.”

The
guy with the gun slapped him, hard.

“Hey!”
yelled Sarah. “What the hell?” The man turned back to her, one hand held out as
if he was going to slap her too and she shrank back involuntarily. He smirked
and turned back to Finn, who spat out some blood. The guy took down the strap
above Finn and fastened it around his neck. Finn stayed silent.

“Now,
now, Frank,” said the blond man, as he moved up the back of the now moving
truck so that he was closer to Finn and Sarah. “No need to get so rough with
our guests. We don’t even know who they are yet.” He sat down next to Finn,
slightly closer than necessary, even in the crowded truck.

“So,
boy and girl, who are you?”

Finn
didn’t say anything. The blond man turned to Sarah, his face expectant. She
didn’t say a word. A small smile played on the man’s lips.

“Alright,”
he said, “we’ll find out shortly anyway.”

Sarah
made a fist and released it, trying to get some circulation back into her
fingers. The soldier had done a good job tying her up. There was a single tie
around each wrist, with a third tie connecting the two. She wouldn’t be able to
get loose unless she got her hands on some scissors or a knife. Her right hand
was starting to look a little pink as all the blood in her hand started to back
up, unable to leave. The left was ok, protected slightly by the leather band
she still wore over the barcode. She glanced at Finn, sitting across from her.
He was leaning forward as much as his noose would allow, his forearms resting
on his thighs, head down like he was in deep contemplation. He was probably
thinking how royally screwed they were. Sarah had to agree. She had been so
worried about Marland, and all the danger she had been in. And she still was
worried, but now she realised that Marland had at least a whole town around
her, supporting her, protecting her. She was stupid to think they could have
just started over in a new city. Hell, they didn’t even have any money. Who was
going to employ someone without an ID? And she would have to get a job. No one
was going to let them live with them for free. Not that it mattered anymore.
Not that any of it mattered. They had been caught. They were going to scan her
barcode, which she had been too afraid to burn off, and it was going to condemn
them both.

She
closed her eyes and leaned her head back. This couldn’t have gone any worse.

They
drove for a few more hours before the truck trundled to a stop. Sarah heard a
few car doors slam open and shut and people at the front of the truck talking.
A woman in a military uniform came around the back of the truck, rifle in hand.
She peered inside. Sarah could see her lips move as she counted the number of
people and then disappeared again. She hadn’t even blinked when she saw Sarah
and Finn there, tied up. There was a yell, and after a moment the truck jolted
into a slow trundle, passing through a set of gates and into the military compound.
They travelled another three hundred metres before it stopped again. Everyone
but Sara, Finn and the blond man jumped out.

“Stay,”
ordered the blond man, before following the others out of the truck.

“Yeah
right, because we have that much choice in the matter,” mumbled Finn at his
retreating back as he strained against the neck strap. The blond man either
didn’t hear or decided to ignore him, because he exited the truck and made his
report to someone who was annoyingly just out of sight. The rest of the
compound was too noisy for Finn and Sarah to make out what they were saying. After
a moment he jumped back into the truck. He released Sarah’s noose first. She
scratched her neck where it had rubbed. There was no point in her trying to run
away as he turned his back to her to untie Finn. First, she had no doubt that
she wouldn’t be able to overpower the blond man. Second, even if they managed
to escape the truck without him shooting them, they were in the middle of a
military compound, wearing decidingly non-military clothes, in the middle of
the day. Sarah heard Finn take a big breath as his noose was removed. There was
a red line around his neck. The blond man pointed out of the truck.

“After
you.”

Sarah
and Finn exited cautiously. The guy who had slapped Finn was waiting there, his
gun resting casually in his hands. He was chewing on something. Sarah wanted to
punch him in the nose. The blond man jumped out behind them and then passed in
front, heading off in the direction of a low set building fifty metres away.
The soldier raised his eyebrows and indicated for them to follow. They did.
Sarah wished they would untie their hands. Her right hand was throbbing. They
followed the blond man into the building. There was a small reception area,
attended by a bored looking man who was typing something on a screen. He
saluted the blond man and then went back to work, ignoring Sarah and Finn. They
entered a drab hallway. There were framed photos of military exploits lining
the walls, but it all had an impermanent look about it, as if they could take
down the building and in the same day have it set up again fifty kilometres
down the road. They arrived at an office situated at the end of the hallway.
There was a desk there, accommodating a large chair behind it. In front of the
desk sat two chairs. Crewcut sat behind his desk with a sigh. The idiot with
the gun shoved Sarah and Finn forward so that they were standing in front of
the desk. Apparently they didn’t qualify for the chairs. Sarah glanced back
behind her. The guy with the gun had stationed himself firmly in front of the
door, his legs planted wide. He was still chewing. She turned back around.
Crewcut studied them for a moment and then reached down to pull out a bottom
draw on the desk. He dug around in it for a moment and then pulled out a
scanner. Sarah felt her heart sink to her stomach. She knew they would scan the
barcodes, but it hadn’t stopped her from hoping that they wouldn’t.

“Let
‘em loose,” ordered Crewcut.

Their
guard came forward. He holstered his gun for the first time and bought out a
switchblade, watching their faces with enjoyment as he flicked it open. Sarah
was the closest to him so he grabbed her hands first, being non-too-careful as
he slid the knife under the tie enclosing her wrist and sawed it open. Sarah
winced. The blade had cut her a little bit. It wasn’t deep, but it still hurt.
It hurt even more when the tie was loosened and all the blood rushed in and out
of her right hand. The leather band had protected her left wrist. She was
starting to get quite fond of it. Switchblade moved along to release Finn while
Sarah rubbed her wrists and tried to move her fingers.

“Take
off your bracelet,” said Crewcut. “And you,” he said to Finn as Switchblade
moved away. “Take off that bandage.”

Sarah
reluctantly took off the leather cuff with numb fingers. She fumbled the strap
for a second but got it off eventually. She clenched the leather in her right
fist as the barcode became visible. A few seconds later Finn had unwrapped his
bandage. This was the first time Sarah had seen it since it was burnt. It was
better than she had thought it was going to be. It was still blistered and red,
the barcode obliterated, but it was clean and less deep than she had feared. It
seemed like twenty minutes of running water really did help.

Crewcut
grunted. “So, at least one of you is smart.” Sarah felt her face flush.
“Although not as smart as you think.” He stood up, using the desk as leverage
with another grunt and rounded the table, holding the scanner.

“Want
to tell me who you are first?” he asked.

They
didn’t say anything.

He
reached out and grabbed Sarah’s wrist. She pulled away from him automatically.
Suddenly Switchblade was behind her, the point of his knife digging into the
small of her spine. She could feel his breath on her neck and could hear the
saliva in his mouth as he chewed near her ear. The small hairs on her skin
stood on end and she suppressed a shiver of disgust. This time though, she let
Crewcut take her arm.

He
scanned her barcode and read the screen. A frown creased his forehead. To her
surprise he scanned her again. The frown deepened.

“What’d
you do?” he asked, a peculiar look on his face. “Add in a few lines or
something to the barcode?”

Sarah
stared at him blankly. She had no idea what he was talking about.

“Says
here you’re not registered,” he said, waving the scanner in front of her face.
“And there ain’t nobody with a barcode who ain’t registered.”

Sarah
just blinked at him. How could she not be registered?

Crewcut
shrugged, as if it was a mystery he was happy to leave alone. He flipped open a
different compartment of the scanner. With the other hand he localised his grip
to just one of her fingers. He brought the device down on her finger. She
hardly felt the small prick of the needle. The device sucked up a droplet of
her blood and he released her hand. She hugged it to her chest automatically as
the device read her DNA. This time Crewcut’s eyebrows nearly flew off his face.

“No
DNA records,” he said, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. “Now just
who are you, missy?”

Sarah
felt her own mouth drop open a little bit in surprise. She knew she had a DNA
record. Not only did everyone get their DNA stored on the day of their birth,
but they had used it to confirm her ID on the day she had been caught running
away with a stolen pie.

A
sudden image of Mr Wall plummeting into the ocean flashed past her eyes. Maybe
he had deleted her from the system. Could he do that though? Surely he didn’t
have that authority? But who else?

She
was shaken from her thoughts by Crewcut giving up on her and moving over to
Finn. Finn had been staring at her as well but now he watched as Crewcut drew
out a droplet of his own blood. This time he gave a large, self-satisfied smile
as the screen lit-up.

“This
is more like it. Finn Simmons. Age fifteen. Charged and convicted with forgery.
Sentenced to the prison ship
Anoscosa
.” Crewcut raised his eyebrows at
that. “Harsh.” He read silently for a little bit. “Says here you volunteered
for an Hourglass Group experiment to shorten your stay but your attendance was
never confirmed. Interesting.”

Sarah’s
heart sank again, this time to her boots. Crewcut moved back around his desk,
easing himself back into his seat.

“Now,
I may be a simple man, but I am not a stupid one. I know who you are,” he said,
pointing a thick finger at Finn, “and although I don’t exactly know your name,”
he said, now pointing at Sarah, “I’m betting that if this little device was
working as it should, it would tell me a very similar story to young Finn’s
over there.”

Sarah
didn’t say anything. She just waited.

“So
I am going to give you your options. As we all know, this great society of ours
has outlawed drafting,” he said it as if was an unfortunate decision. He was
referring to forcing people into military service. “As such, I am offering you
two a choice. Either I will return you to your prison ship, where they can palm
you back off to the Hourglass Group or stick you in solitary, I don’t really
give a shit, or you can volunteer for the army.” He raised a hand, as if
cutting them off, although they hadn’t said anything. “Short stint, really. Two
years. And don’t pull that face, young man. I know your prison stint was meant
to be shorter, but after you pulled this escape, well,” he chortled to himself,
“two years will seem like a walk in the park after what they will give you.”

“You
can’t do this to her,” said Finn, talking for the first time. “You don’t have
any records on her.”

Crewcut
put a hand on his chest and gave Sarah a warm look that was completely at odds
with his words. “Personally, I don’t give a shit who you are. I just need more
people holding guns. However, due to your rather incriminating lack of
identity, as well as that tidy little barcode on your left wrist, I am sure
that there are many, many people, who would be more than interested to learn a
little more about you. I bet there is a whole bundle of surprises about you
waiting to be discovered. Now, again, I don’t care a fucking iota about who you
are as long as you grab a gun and play your part, but if you don’t, I have no
qualms about handing you over to people who do care.”

Sarah
exchanged a glance with Finn. Crewcut was probably right. They would find out
about her. There were other records, other ways they could trace her. People
would want to know how they escaped. They would probably find out about Mr
Wall, and tie her into whatever mess he was involved in and thought she was
part of. And even if they didn’t, if they just found out who she was and handed
her back to the Hourglass Group, she would be used in whatever experiment they
wanted. Besides, she knew what Finn would chose even before he did. She
remembered how he had hesitated, when they had first been bought to the
Anoscosa
,
and had almost gone with the military then. Sarah gave Finn an almost
apologetic look. She turned back to face Crewcut.

“I’m
in.”

Crewcut
gave her a triumphant smile and faced Finn. Finn nodded stiffly. Sarah relaxed
a little, knowing that she had been right. He had already decided, she
realised, but he was going to try and get Sarah safely away if he could. Crewcut
clapped his hands together.

“Welcome,
volunteers,” he said with a beam. “Your timing couldn’t have been more
perfect.” He looked at Switchblade. “Take them to Buchey’s.” He looked back at
Sarah and Finn. “She’ll sort you out.” Sarah and Finn turned to follow
Switchblade. Crewcut seemed to have lost all interest in them already.

*****

The
two kids followed Switchblade out of the room. Despite pretending to look
through reports, Crewcut watched them go. He’d never had anyone turn up with no
ID before. He sucked at his teeth indecisively. He was reaching out for the
phone, about to make some inquiries of his own, when it rang before he could
touch it. He jumped, and then snatched up the phone.

“What?”
he snapped, all thoughts of the girl leaving his head.