“Those are big claims,” Royce said, shaking his head as he relaxed his weapon. “And while we’ve all been very impressed with Eve and especially her newfound abilities, I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“Eve Two was taken from NovaTor just as TorBane was released to the public. She was tampered with. She was given the ability to transmit signals. When she was taken from NovaTor Biotics, they programmed her with a kill switch—if you will. When they returned her to the facility, she killed off over fifty people who had just gotten TorBane. She did this wirelessly. I disabled the kill switch, but she obviously maintained the ability to send signals. You saw what she did in the desert.”
Every eye turned to me and the air grew thick and heavy and desperate.
“Where did you send them?” West asked.
My eyes darted to his before sweeping everyone else. “I told them to search out and destroy other Bane.”
“Nice,” Tristan complimented.
But I could tell everyone else barely heard what I’d just said. They were still mulling over what Dr. Evans had revealed.
There had been a shift in each of their eyes. It was small, but it was there. I was no longer Eve, protector, in their eyes. Unwillingly, I had just taken one step up.
“How do we end this?” Avian finally said. I hated that he, too, was looking at me slightly different.
“What means of communication did we all use before the world came to a quick halt?” Dr. Evans asked, breaking the silence. “What is still floating up in the sky above us?”
“Satellites,” Bill said from his corner.
“Exactly.”
“Holy shit,” Dr. Beeson breathed, his eyes growing wide as the wheels started instantly turning in his head. “He may be right. This could work.”
“You turn her kill switch back on and somehow transmit it to the satellites in orbit,” Royce said. His voice didn’t betray excitement. He was a smart man, but he was also a man who knew to keep his hope in check after living in a post-apocalyptic world for the last six years. “The Bane can obviously receive signals since Eve can control them.”
“It will only take an instant. Once they receive the kill code, they’ll be gone,” Dr. Evans said with a nod and a smile.
“The notebook,” Avian said, his eyes suddenly jumping to it. “The plans. That’s what they were for, a transmission device for Eve.”
Dr. Evans nodded again. “She is the key to saving the planet.”
“Told you,” Tristan said quietly from the back.
That brought a twitch of a smile to my face.
“This is almost too much to process,” Dr. Beeson said, shaking his head, squeezing his eyes closed. “She is not supposed to be alive, and there is not supposed to be hope for this scale of reclamation of our world.”
“What I want to know is why we can’t just create a signal with the same kill code and beam it up to the satellites?” Royce said, placing his hands on his hips. His curiosity was stronger than his distrust of yet another Bane-human hybrid. “Why does this all hinge on Eve?”
Dr. Evans shook his head. “They would not be compatible. Eve has TorBane, so a signal from her would be receivable. Anything else wouldn’t be read. And she is the only TorBane receptacle capable of transmitting.”
“So it’s Eve or nothing,” West said.
“She’s our last hope,” Avian said, slipping his hand into mine.
“I do believe so,” Dr. Evans replied.
Everyone was quiet for a long while, processing everything that had been revealed. I looked around at each of them. There was a mix of emotions spread throughout: hope, disbelief, unbelief, uncertainty.
“I thought those satellites had to be maintained?” West broke the heavy air. “Without someone controlling their orbit, some of them will just be crashing out into space. How do we know all of them aren’t completely useless now?”
I didn’t really understand what West was talking about, but everyone else must have because their eyes darted instantly to Dr. Evans.
“There is a chance that this won’t work,” Dr. Evans said, his eyes dropping from everyone else’s. For the first time since I reunited with him, he didn’t seem confident in his plan. “It has been nearly six years since the world fell apart, this is quite some time. But, I do believe that since there were thousands of satellites orbiting us at one point, that there will be enough that will be functional to reflect the code back to Earth.”
“So this might not work?” Avian asked.
Dr. Evans paused. He refused to look up which told me that whatever was about to come out of his mouth would be a lie. “I have enough data to believe that it will work.”
“How long will it take you to build the device?” I asked, ignoring the lie.
“Difficult to say,” Dr. Evans said. “Obtaining all the parts will take some time. It needs to be done precisely.”
“We’ll have to scavenge,” Dr. Beeson said. He was still shaking his head and blinking rapidly. “But I can’t imagine it will be much more difficult than the Pulse. And we did that when the city was still infested with millions of Bane.”
“How long?” Avian asked again.
Dr. Beeson looked at Royce. “Seven weeks?”
Royce nodded.
“The challenge isn’t just in the amount of time it will take to build the device,” Dr. Evans said, his voice serious. “We have to turn her kill switch back on.”
“What’s the problem with that?” Avian asked.
“I blocked the kill switch with another code,” Dr. Evans said with a heavy sigh. “The code is long and complicated. Not something I could memorize. So I wrote it down, made backups.”
“We have to go back to NovaTor to get it, don’t we?” I asked, my insides growing cold.
“Yes.”
THREE
Royce, Dr. Beeson, and Dr. Evans had a lot of work to do and a lot of plans to lay out. West had stood to leave when Dr. Evans insisted he stay. West hadn’t fought the request, but did look hesitant.
But I had hit my information limit and needed sleep. I could catch up later. Avian, Tristan, Bill, and I stepped out of the coffee shop into the empty street.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“All of New Eden is still confined to the hospital,” Avian said as we stood in the street. He slid his hands into his back pockets. His shoulders were stiff, his brow drawn together. “Everyone went into lockdown when we realized what you were doing, just in case. So no one has been allowed outside the hospital for the past four days.”
“What about everyone from the Underground?” I asked, looking over at Tristan.
“They’re a bit more like refugees at the moment,” he said. There were mixed emotions behind his eyes.
“What happened after I left?”
Tristan slung his rifle over one shoulder and folded his arms over his chest. “The fighting died out pretty quickly after. Everyone was so shocked by Margaret’s death that they weren’t sure if they were supposed to keep fighting or not.”
“Do they still think Royce and I killed her?” I asked. I recalled Royce’s rough interrogation of her after the beacon went off. We’d been up on the sixth floor. And then shots were fired below. Royce and I tore out of there. Just before we exited to the building, Margaret jumped from the window, ending her own life.
Tristan nodded. “They’re angry, and more than a little scared about what is going to happen to them. About half of them are still convinced you and him pushed her.”
“How is there any peace here then?” I asked, again looking both ways down the silent street. “How has the fighting not picked back up?”
“Separation,” Avian said, his voice sounding like his mind was far away.
Tristan nodded. “We’re all staying in an old hotel three blocks from here. Tuck and his BRC crew cleared it out a few months ago. Until we figure things out, they stay there, you lot stay here.”
“And what about you, Tristan?” I as
ked, meeting his eyes. “Where do you stay?”
There was hesitation in his response. So Avian answered for him.
“Tristan has been the peacekeeper,” he said. “The go-between. He’s been doing an excellent job, I think, considering we haven’t gone back to war.”
I nodded, knowing how hard this must have been on Tristan. He wanted to be a member of New Eden. He’d never fit in at the Underground. But you can’t escape your past.
“And you?” I asked, turning back to Avian. “It looks like Royce hasn’t locked you back up. Nick is going to live.”
Avian looked away from me and his entire countenance grew dark. “He doesn’t need to put me behind bars. My borderline exile is punishment enough.”
“Excuse me?” I said, my brows drawing together.
“I’ve been stripped of all duties and rank,” Avian responded, still not looking at me. “Most people wanted all my firearms taken away. Royce only let me keep them because of my marksmanship and he wasn’t sure what was going to happen while you were with the Bane. Things are going to be different now, Eve. I’ve made a huge mistake.”
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to say. Avian had made a huge mistake, one that had almost ended two lives just a few days ago. He had accidentally shot Nick and threatened to kill West. He’d had the gun in West’s face and everything.
“Good thing in this world, there are plenty of chances to prove yourself and gain redemption,” I said.
I slipped my hand into his and we started across the road.
Avian had never held my hand so tightly.
“How you holding up?” he asked.
“I don’t even know what I am right now,” I said with a shake of my head. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Tristan set off east, to where I assumed the hotel was. “I feel a bit delirious right now.” It was true. As we crossed the lobby of the hospital, shapes and colors floated across my vision. It didn’t even really feel like my feet were touching the floor. I felt as if I were floating and drowning at the same time.
“Sleep deprivation can do that to you,” he said quietly as we started up the stairs.
“I don’t think it’s just the lack of sleep.” We stepped out into the hall and started out toward my door. We hadn’t gotten more than two yards though, when a man stepped out of his room. His eyes grew wide when he saw me and a ridiculous smile spread on his face.
“Eve’s back!” he bellowed. Suddenly he started clapping his hands above his head.
I was confused and taken aback by his loud gesture. My face grew warmer and I started to grow irritated with his very loud display. Doors suddenly opened and more than a dozen people stepped out of their rooms. As soon as they saw me, they started cheering and clapping as well.
“Thank you!” some people shouted. “We would all be infected if not for you,” others said. There was a lot of other ridiculous praise being spouted off.
A disbelieving chuckle worked its way up my throat, and a smile actually tugged in one corner of my mouth.
Avian let go of my hand, took half a step back, and joined in the clapping, despite the dirty looks some people threw in his direction.
I shook my head to try to fight off the embarrassed smile that kept pulling at my lips.
Lin suddenly broke through the crowd and rushed forward to engulf me in a hug.
“You’re alive!” she laughed. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “They didn’t rip you apart!”
“Nope,” I said, hardly able to hold back the laugh in my throat. “It was actually pretty boring out there in the desert.”
“You’re an absolute idiot,” she said, shaking her head. Tears pooled in her eyes even though she was smiling. “Heading out there with all those Bane by yourself.”
“But it worked!” a man from just behind her said. “We aren’t dead because she was an idiot.”
I finally did laugh.
And it felt so good.
Avian placed his hands on my shoulders and started steering me through the crowd to my bedroom.
“Eve hasn’t slept in four days,” he said.
“Let the poor woman rest,” Lin interrupted, pushing her way through everyone ahead of us. “Let her pass!”
We made our way through the joyous crowd to my door. I placed my hand on the knob and looked back at them. The noise had calmed down and they all looked at me.
There was hope in their eyes. And they didn’t even know about the plans that were to come. But maybe that was what made New Eden special. Against all odds, we had survived. We still had qualities like hope and humanity. We managed to love and to conquer against a world that crushed most of our kind like a tsunami.
I placed a fist over my heart and pressed my lips together.
The entire crowd placed their fists over their hearts as well.
“Thank you,” I said, barely loud enough for them all to hear me.
No one said a word. They each just gave a small nod of their head. Many of them tapped their fists to their hearts as if this simple gesture connected each of us in on a way that said: we are here, and we will remain.
I pushed the door to my room open and stepped inside.
FOUR
I slept a dreamless sleep. It was dark and heavy and peaceful. Arguably the best sleep of my life.
When I woke, the sky was fading to black. With how rested and hungry I felt, I knew I hadn’t been asleep for only a few hours. I’d slept for more than twenty-four.
My room was empty and for that I was grateful. I wouldn’t want Avian sitting and waiting around for me to get rested up. He had to have a lot of other things to do. Well, maybe not. He had said he’d been stripped of his duties.
The water felt rejuvenating as I took a shower. Dirt trails slid down my skin into the white shower floor. I recalled the first time I had showered here, after we discovered the hospital, after we fled the mountains when the Bane burned our gardens.
That felt like a lifetime ago.
I felt slightly overwhelmed as I got ready for the end of the day. There was so much to do, so much we needed to talk about. There were so many plans to lay. I didn’t even know where to begin.
Thankfully, I was never alone and the fate of the world didn’t quite rest solely on my shoulders.
I pulled my clothes and boots on and stepped out into the hall. This time there was no applause, no crowd to welcome me home. It was quiet and empty, as it should be. I descended the stairs and came out onto the main floor.
As I approached the medical wing, I spotted Gabriel, standing in the doorway, hands on hips. His expression was grim, the kind of dark look that only comes with death.
I stopped at his side, looking into the wing. There was a door open and inside, one of the doctors zipped up a black bag. Dr. Sun closed her eyes and hung her head.
“How many died in the fight?” I asked.
Gabriel didn’t glance down at me; he just kept looking at the black body bag. “Alac and Perry were both killed,” he said, his voice rough. They’d both been members of security and, later, the re-homing crew. “Elijah’s badly wounded. It will be months until he’s back to normal. Four of the refugees were killed as well.”
I shook my head, hatred and resentment boiling under my skin. It all felt so meaningless. We had a much bigger enemy to fight than ourselves.
Gabriel gave a big sigh, his thick shoulders rising and falling with the effort. He turned and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a bear hug.
“Thank you,” he said, “for what you did. You saved a lot of lives.”
I patted Gabriel’s back. “I kind of wish people would stop talking about it. It’s making me uncomfortable.”
He laughed, his large belly bouncing up and down as he released me.
“You’re the key to saving the planet but you’re still uncomfortable about it,” he said, a twinkle in his eye. “Your humility is just one of the many things that make you special, Eve.”
I rolled my ey
es at him and started walking back down the hall. “You’re not helping.”
He laughed as I walked away.
Evening light spilled in through the front doors, warm and golden. I saw others outside, going about their day, taking their rations for the next day home to their families. Once I returned with news the Bane threat had been neutralized, they must have been allowed to return to their homes.
Their activities and lives seemed so normal—yet our lives were about to change once more.
I turned to see Graye heading back for the armory and jogged to catch up with him.
“Hey,” I called as he stepped inside the room. “Have you seen West?”
“Probably at dinner,” he said as he set to cleaning his weapon.
“Thanks.” I started to turn when I noticed he was using Elijah’s prized assault rifle. “I assume you’re in charge now, since Elijah is out of commission?”
Graye grunted in confirmation, not once looking up.
Unsure of what else to say, I turned and started for the dining room.
A low hum sounded ahead of me, and I found the dining room full. Scanning the room, I spotted West in one corner, sitting on his own. I was about to start toward him, when Royce, Dr. Beeson, Addie, and a few of the other scientists stepped up to the counter to get their trays.
I changed course and made a beeline for Dr. Beeson.
“We need to talk,” I said from behind him as he grabbed a plate of steaming potatoes.
Dr. Beeson glanced back at me, and then looked over at Royce, as if hoping Royce would say he had more important things to attend to and that it would have to wait.
“This is your messy past, not mine,” Royce said, shaking his head as he forked some kind of meat onto his plate. “Go deal with it and then we’ll get back to work. You owe her that much.”
I hoped appreciation reflected on my face as I looked over at Royce. He placed a solid hand on my shoulder and gave it a squeeze. I covered his hand with mine for a brief moment.
He gave a wink before walking away. Maybe I was forgiven after all.