Intermix Nation

“We’re already in the system, Chancellor!” Nazirah laughs. “We are the system! You’re too late.”

  Gabirel grabs Nazirah by the chin and throws her to the floor. He bends over her, yanking her hair so their faces are mere inches apart. Nazirah cringes and he smiles. “Maybe so, maybe not,” he whispers. “But as I said before, that is not my reason. When I kill you tomorrow, it will not be a message to the Medis or even to the rebels. It will be a message to my son.” He straightens quickly. “Take her to the prepared chambers,” he tells his guards. “I want her well rested. She has a big day tomorrow.”

  And with that, he’s gone.

  Nazirah struggles to stand, slipping on Grum’s blood. One of the guards pulls her up. Nazirah looks into her eyes, hoping for some kindness. She finds only a wall. The guards take her through several hallways which she recognizes from Adamek’s memory. Nazirah is sure they’re leading her to a torture chamber. When she sees the actual room, however, Nazirah thinks she might have preferred getting the rack. Because this is torture of an entirely worse kind.

  “The Chancellor thought you would enjoy spending the night here,” one guard says callously.

  The guards exit Adamek’s room, locking Nazirah inside. Nazirah tries to wrench the door open, without success. She turns. It’s exactly as she remembers. Shuffling in a daze, she wonders if this is how Victoria Morgen felt in her marriage … in her life. Trapped, with no hope of escape.

  Nazirah skims her fingers across Adamek’s bed, stares at his mural, and finally stands before his glass wall. She gingerly inspects her stinging cigar burn, now welt. It’s a fiery red circle on her forearm. Just like Cayus, Nazirah now has her very own badge of the intermix. She curls into a ball on the floor, close to the glass. She stays that way for hours, watching the tiny traffic, the lights blinking on and off. The sky turns twilight, then deep black. Nazirah fades in and out of consciousness. She fights sleep, even though her body and mind and soul are spent. Every minute that passes is a minute closer to death.

  Nazirah clutches her hands together, trembling. She rubs her wrist until it’s sore. And she prays. She prays to no one … to everyone … to anyone who will listen. Nazirah prays to her parents for strength, apologizing for not being smarter, for not thinking faster, for disappointing them. She prays for Lumi’s survival, for the safety of everyone at headquarters. Nazirah prays for Niko, reflecting on their relationship, wishing she tried harder as a sister. What will happen to him, once he has absolutely no family left? Nazirah prays for Cato, regretting that they will never fix things and that their friendship will end on such a sour note. She would give anything to hug him again, feel his tender kiss on her forehead. Nazirah hopes Cato and Cander will bridge their differences. Stubbornness and pride blind them, and neither sees how truly similar they are.

  Nazirah cradles herself, pretends it is Adamek holding her. She drags his pillow onto the floor, inhaling his scent. What she would give for an Iluxor now! She thinks of his face, of his piercing eyes, trying to remember their exact shade. She will never see them again, never see him again. And she wants to. She really, really wants to. She wants to touch his jaw and kiss his lips and banter and fight and hit and taste and just live.

  She wants to live.

  #

  Nazirah sits up slowly, rubbing cramped and sore muscles. Her arm still smarts, her forehead is caked and peeling. Nazirah watches heavy gray clouds roll across an overcast sky. Rain today … it’s fitting.

  Nazirah stares at her reflection in the glass. Her appearance is ragged and her eyes are haunting. They were once the same as Riva’s, window to her mother’s soul. They were once honey and amber and bright. But now they are dull and hollow.

  Riva was no murderer. There are many ways to break the soul.

  Nazirah feels the fallout.

  #

  Nazirah rises, knowing she must have only minutes left. She walks around Adamek’s room one final time. Nazirah sits at his desk, running her palms over the grain. Her hand drifts to the side drawer, opening it hesitantly. Nazirah shuffles under the books, pulling out the hidden silver case not even Gabirel knows exists.

  Laying the case on the desk, Nazirah blows away the dust, particles of the past. She shakily enters the code. It opens it with a flourish, revealing the ink, needle and pistol, untouched for months, long forgotten. Fingers move of their own accord, unscrewing the jar, dipping the needle. She gives herself a single black scratch, just above the knuckle.

  Ramses.

  She prays for him then, unexpectedly. Nazirah checks the gun; it’s loaded with a solitary bullet. She searches the drawers for more, finds nothing. It’s a rotten trick, because a gun with only one bullet can have only one purpose. Nazirah stares at it numbly. Maybe she could shoot Gabirel. Maybe she could shoot herself. She could end it all so easily. And her family wouldn’t have to watch her die.

  But she promised Lumi she wouldn’t break. And she won’t. This goes beyond her. Niko’s words finally make sense. The rebels, the citizens of Renatus, they need to see this. The Chancellor is wrong, in so many ways he is wrong. Her death will not be the end of the rebellion.

  It will be the catalyst.

  That has been her job all along. “Become the moon,” she whispers, choosing her fate.

  She places the gun back into the case, shuts it. There are noises outside her door. Nazirah shoves everything into the drawer, quickly standing. Gabirel walks into the room, smiling brightly. “Beautiful morning to die, isn’t it?”

  The guards lead her back through the grand room, up the crystal staircase to the roof. It’s pouring now. A mob of people already gathers, warm under their coats and umbrellas. Nazirah sees the television crews, reporters, prominent government officials, armed police, lucky onlookers … all waiting for her. The guard who helped Nazirah up last night walks her onto a makeshift platform, built atop a helipad. She gives Nazirah’s arm a discreet, comforting squeeze. Nazirah holds the tears, looking up to the sky. The wind howls, gusts and powerful gales. Rain falls against her skin, cleansing her, washing away the blood and torment and misery.

  She is not afraid anymore.

  Gabirel raises his arms, silencing the crowd. “Nazirah Nation!” he proclaims, “Intermix, traitor, anarchist, murderer.… Today, you answer for your crimes against the honorable citizens of Renatus! Your death will be swift and just. Repent now! Call an end to this foolish rebellion! Tell your fellow conspirators to stand down, and accept the lives God has chosen for them!”

  “I will not.”

  The crowd murmurs. Gabirel snaps his fingers at one of the guards, who hands him a pistol. “Very well,” he says. “Any last words?”

  She has a few.

  “My name is Nazirah Nation!” she says clearly. “I am the daughter of Kasimir Nation, a loving and compassionate Oseni, and Riva Martel, a strong and idealistic Eridian. Against all odds, my parents fell in love! Because of that love, they are now dead.”

  “You dare lie before God?” Gabirel shouts. “Before your country? Your parents were slanderous rebels! Be silent now and meet death with dignity!”

  “I will not be silent!” she screams. The rain falls in embracing sheets, calling her to the heavens. “I may be intermix, but I am no liar! I am a girl who has lost everything and still has everything! I am a friend, a sister, a daughter” – her voice cracks – “a murderer, just like you … and I will not be quiet! We have been quiet for far too long! Where is your wife now, Chancellor?” Gabirel’s eyes flash dangerously, but Nazirah has nothing to lose. “And her intermix lover?” The crowd erupts as Nazirah raises her arm, displaying her burn, mark of the intermix. “You may take our lives, but you will not take our voice!”

  Gabirel aims the pistol at her head.

  Shivering in the rain, Nazirah holds her arms out passively, palms open. She looks into the crowd, imagining she sees Cato or Niko in the sea of Medis, with her until the end. Death is not her enemy; it’s where Nazirah will reunite with her parents. Absolved of fe
ar and hatred, graced with acceptance, she is not her enemy either.

  Today, Nazirah is free.

  And that is something she holds onto.

  Everything slows. Nazirah’s heart rate drops. The rain slacks. The shot fires, lighting and thunder scorching the air. Nazirah waits for the pain to tear through her like a thousand knives. She waits and waits and waits for her life to end.

  It doesn’t.

  Gabirel clutches his throat. His gun, unfired, escapes his grasp and clatters to the ground. Blood trickles from his mouth. It spills, gushing as he falls to his knees. Gabirel makes a strangled, gurgling sound. Then he collapses into eternal silence.

  Brown eyes meet green.

  A war erupts with Nazirah standing frozen on the platform. Shots are fired, fists are thrown, and blood is spilt. Reporters and bystanders scream, ducking for cover as rebels surge onto the roof. Insurgents emerge from the crowd, including Niko and Luka, pulling down their hoods and brandishing weapons. Shock wearing off, the Medi troops retaliate. Many people slip in the rain, off the edge, plummeting thousands of feet to their deaths. Smoking gun still in hand, Adamek looks at Nazirah once before disappearing into the fray.

  A grenade explodes nearby. Nazirah is wrenched off the platform, pulled out of the line of fire and detonation. “You’re with us?” she cries, glancing into the face of Gabirel’s kinder bodyguard.

  “You don’t recognize me, do you?” she yells back.

  The face is different, but Nazirah recognizes the staunch voice. She asks, “Ms. Bairs?”

  “I still haven’t read that essay,” Ileana jokes grimly, pushing her further to the ground.

  “How –”

  “MEDIcine!” she yells, struggling to be heard over the chaos. “It was Adamek’s idea to tell everyone at headquarters I was visiting my mother! I’ve really been intercepting and relaying information to Nikolaus for months. I didn’t learn of your kidnapping until too late!” She covers Nazirah’s body as part of the platform collapses. “I wanted to tell you last night, but I couldn’t risk it!”

  “What’s happening?”

  “Isn’t it obvious, Nazirah?” she says. “The revolution has started!”

  Smoke fills Nazirah’s lungs. Silver and gold bullet shells litter the rooftop coast, treasures of war, relics of a dream. Nazirah peers over the edge, dizzy with height. The skytowers around them are thick with fire and ash. Sirens blare throughout the city, sounding horns in warning. Nazirah turns around, sees a flash of blonde. Lumi embraces her, handing Nazirah back the dagger. She wears a bulletproof vest and there’s an excited spark in her eyes. “I don’t have another gun,” she cries, “but I kept this safe for you!”

  “Get down!” Ileana shouts, crouching.

  The explosions around them continue as Medi helicopters barrage the roof with bullets and fire, army soldiers descending by ropes. The rebels retaliate, trying to bring the choppers down with cannons. More insurgents flood onto the roof from inside.

  “Stay here,” Ileana yells, “until you can find a suitable weapon! I have to get Solomon into the control room!”

  They watch her crawl away. Nazirah sobs, “I never thought I’d see you again!”

  Lumi smiles, glances over her shoulder. “A promise is a promise, right?”

  “How is this possible?” Nazirah asks, still in shock.

  “I took the train back to Krush like you said!” Lumi yells over the whir of the chopper blades. “I hid in the one that smelled like rancid fish and hoped it was right! When I returned to headquarters, it was absolute chaos! Ivan’s troops were destroyed, all fallen and dead on the ground. Aldrik and Adamek were already there. They knew something was wrong when you didn’t show up to the meeting! They tried to find us, but we were already gone!”

  “But –”

  Lumi scoffs. “What do you think Niko has been doing for months? For years, even? He and Solomon have planned this for a long time, Nazirah! Your kidnapping set everything in motion. The rebels were up in arms when they heard you had been kidnapped!” A helicopter crashes through a nearby skytower, sending a huge fireball into the sky. “Niko contacted our allies throughout the territories, told them what was happening. We rode the trains to Mediah this morning!”

  “How did you get in?”

  “It was kind of brilliant!” she says. “A few of us used MEDIcine to disguise ourselves … just enough to overtake the guards lining the city walls. Then we broke loose, marching through the underground tunnels and storming the trains! Some came here, to besiege the capitol building. Mobs of intermix are protesting! Cayus is leading riots in the streets with firebombs! Deathland mercenaries are battling the army, charging the Medi armories. They may have better weapons, but they’re the unprepared minority! We’re taking over!”

  “Lumi, watch out!”

  A soldier hurtles towards them. Lumi shoots him without hesitating. She looks at Nazirah, a little proudly. “That was for Taj!” she cries, shaking.

  “I’ll get his gun!” Nazirah shouts. She glances around, crawling from safety into the bullet storm. Nazirah has barely moved when she hears a bloodcurdling scream. She turns, watching a man barrel into Lumi, intent on pushing her off the roof. Thinking quickly, Nazirah stabs him in the ankle. He shouts, grabbing for her. She kicks her feet into his chest, knocking him over the edge. Nazirah clambers over to Lumi, who’s hanging on by her fingertips. Nazirah stands up, ignoring the gunshots, ignoring the vertigo, laser focused. “Grab my hand!” she yells.

  “I can’t!” sobs Lumi, terrified.

  “I won’t drop you!” Nazirah screams.

  Lumi shuts her eyes and reaches for Nazirah. Straining and sweaty, Nazirah pulls Lumi from the ledge. Lumi slumps onto the roof, hugging the ground, coughing and sputtering. Just then, another Medi spots them, grabs Nazirah’s fallen dagger.

  Nazirah hunches over Lumi protectively. He’s a foot away when he collapses on top of them. Nazirah pushes him off, revealing Cato with a gun, furious. They lock eyes and the battle falls away. Nazirah is only vaguely aware of the explosions lessening, of the rebels cheering as the last of the Medi troops and choppers are either captured or destroyed. Cato pulls her into a deep, rib-cracking hug. Nazirah is unable to believe he’s really there, afraid to let him go again.

  “I’m so sorry!” she sobs incoherently, into his chest.

  “No, Irri!” he cries, face full of dirt and tears. “I’m sorry! I was so awful, and you were just honest.”

  “Even, then?”

  “Yeah.”

  Nazirah half laughs, half cries. “I think we won,” she says, not fully believing it.

  “I think so too.”

  Lumi tries to stand, but her ankle is twisted. Cato helps her up, supporting her weight. Fists of every race and color pound triumphantly in the air as the rebels raise their victory flags in the skytowers across the city. Nazirah looks around the roof shakily, not truly comprehending. It’s a bloodbath, rebel and Medi alike.

  Nazirah sees Cander through the mist, hunched over a fallen intermix from the slums. Cander shuts his eyes gently, sleeping corpse, says a prayer. Healers scatter, sifting through the dead. Even Bilungi is there, tending the injured. Several recruits cry over a lifeless Anzares, warrior until the end. Nazirah feels sick. She was ready to die. And now so many have taken her place.

  Death is not racist.

  Death welcomes all.

  Nazirah stands over Gabirel’s body. Relief floods her. But there’s incredible sadness too. That it has to come to this. Adamek is now an orphan, just like she is. So many people are dead. And more will follow.

  Because although they have won, for now, Nazirah has no idea what happens next or what the future holds. “Beautiful morning to die, Chancellor,” she whispers.

  “Irri.”

  Nazirah whips around. Nikolaus sits a few yards away, slumped against the broken platform. Bilungi and Aldrik bend over him somberly. There’s a bullet wound in his chest.

  “No!” Nazirah screa
ms, crumpling before him. She tries frantically to staunch the flow of blood with her hands, desperate.

  “Nation …” Aldrik gently grabs her shoulder.

  Nazirah snarls, wrenching her arm away and returning it to Niko’s chest. “What are you doing?” she screams at them. “Why are you just standing there? He’s your Commander! Save him!”

  “MEDIcine won’t work,” Bilungi says sadly. “Bullet’s too deep, hit too much.”

  “Just try it!” Nazirah yells.

  “Irri,” Niko says calmly, voice hoarse. “I don’t want them to try.”

  Cato watches; Lumi sobs into his shoulder. Nazirah’s vision blurs from salty tears. The rain has stopped, streaking the roof in sunlight. Nazirah doesn’t feel it. “Don’t say that!”

  He touches her face. “It’s too late. Only God can save me now.”

  “Niko …”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been a better brother.…”

  “Stop, please!” she chokes, grabbing his hands. “You’re the best brother I never wanted.”

  “We both know that isn’t true,” he says sadly, breathing shallowly. “I’ve been distant … for a long time. I couldn’t handle everything … and shut down. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most.”

  “Then be there for me now!” she cries. “Don’t give in!”

  “Seeing how much you’ve grown,” he wheezes, “I’m honored to call you my sister … to call you a Nation. Riva and Kasimir would be proud … they are proud. You’re the light Irri … you give us hope.” He coughs. “And you need to be strong now. The war is over … but our fight has only begun. Do you understand?”

  “Okay.”

  “Tell me you understand.”

  “I understand!”

  He nods. “There’s more.”

  “Don’t say anything else!” she weeps. “It’s too hard.”

  Nikolaus untangles their hands, touching her heart, touching the pendant. He smiles in recognition, looks at her. “I took a vow,” he whispers, “but there’s something you must know.”

  “What is it?”

  “The conditions of Morgen’s pact.”