Ruins

“You’re human,” said Nandita. “And you don’t have a fraction of the gene mods I do.”

“They can’t be giving up,” said Ariel. “They were too close. You think they’re trying to surround us?” She looked ahead, trying to see the rest of their group, but they’d gone around a corner and out of sight. “We have to catch up. Kessler can’t defend the mothers by herself.”

“There still might be Partials behind us,” said Xochi. “Moving out of cover might get us killed.”

Nandita shook her head. “They’re here to capture us, not kill us.”

“That was before we shot at them,” said Ariel. “Now we’re enemy combatants.”

“Give me a moment,” said Nandita, and closed her eyes, drawing in a long, deep breath. She held very still, as if concentrating, and Ariel knew she was trying to sense nearby Partials on the link. She took a breath of her own but didn’t notice anything; she never could. Maybe with practice?

Nandita’s eyes snapped open. “Ahead of us,” she gasped. “Run to the children!”

All three women jumped up and ran, pelting forward to the rescue. Ariel spared a quick glance behind, but saw nothing. Why would they abandon us? Even if they sent men forward to cut us off, why pull away from their position behind?

Ariel outpaced the others, slowing at the corner of the next big building to bring up her rifle before stepping out carefully, the barrel already lined up at head level for any enemies that came into view. All she saw was a boot and ankle, disappearing through a doorway as a Partial walked inside. A moment later she heard the cry of an infant and bolted back into a run just as Xochi caught up with her.

“Where?” asked Xochi.

Ariel pointed to the open doorway, and Xochi nodded. They were each armed with an M16 assault rifle, taken from their personal collection as members of the old East Meadow militia; every teen on the island had been trained in firearms as part of their schooling, and the rifles had enough punch to take down an armored Partial if they hit it in the right places. We can do this, thought Ariel.

Except we don’t know how many there are, or where.

They were almost to the doorway. Ariel whispered as softly as she could while still running, “Do we sneak in quietly, or charge in guns blazing?”

“Too late for either one,” said a stern male voice, and Xochi and Ariel both froze in their tracks. “Drop the rifles and step against the wall,” said the man, and they did, all the while Ariel cursing herself for her recklessness. She glanced back the way they had come but couldn’t see Nandita anywhere. She heard the children crying inside, and then footsteps behind her and the clank of metal, as the Partial soldier kicked their rifles farther out of reach. “Tell us what you know about the resis—”

He stopped abruptly, as if alerted by something Ariel hadn’t heard, followed a split second later by another Partial shouting from inside the building.

“Ced, you need to see this.”

“Two combatants in custody,” their captor responded, “position unsecured.”

“Bring them in here,” said the other Partial, “and ask them what they know about a year-old human child.”

Ariel swore under her breath and heard Xochi doing the same. She looked to the side again, but Nandita was still in hiding.

“Who are you waiting for?” asked their captor.

Ariel swore again, though she kept it in her head this time, and hoped she hadn’t completely given Nandita away. “There was another group of you chasing us,” said Ariel. “I’m just surprised they haven’t caught up yet.”

“They’re holding position while we flanked you,” said the Partial, though Ariel knew he was lying. The others left, she thought, and at full speed in their transports. That can’t be standard procedure—even the cage truck drove away. How were they planning to bring us in? What’s going on?

“Through the door,” said the Partial, “and don’t try anything stupid.”