Chapter 24

The streets were in disarray. Mallory sure knew how to create mayhem.

Panicked citizens were darting back and forth, searching for a shelter they couldn't find. This kind of event was not in their repertoire. They knew no reasonable response to what was happening.

Even Zane had to admit, the scene looked batshit crazy.

There was no way Wawrzynski' cameras could follow everything that was happening in that moment. Garbage cans were being thrown out of dark alleyways at high speeds, smashing storefront windows, scattering glass over the streets and the people. The many soldiers among the ordinary citizens drew their weapons, but looked uncertain about what to do with them. Just as well, because there was no discernible target.

"Your friend has got some style," Jonas said, ducking as a dark trash can whizzed by his head. He didn't appear surprised in the least.

Zane smiled.

In one small instant, he caught sight of Mallory's figure down one of the alleys, her arm outstretched longer than the average human could reach. She used its immense length as leverage, allowing the trash cans in her grasp to gain momentum before flinging them into the streets.

Her method was effective. The cans sailed over heads, narrowly avoiding braining people, but frightening them immensely.

Zane's mind couldn't remember what he was supposed to do. Mallory had planned this with careful precision, but he sensed none of it mattered anymore. They had to get to the air hangar. If they stayed any longer, Wawrzynski could find them. The risk of going back to his facility was enough to spur Zane to leave behind everything he'd ever known.

"Mallory!" he yelled toward the alley he'd last seen her. He doubted she could hear him, but it was worth a try. "We've got to get to the west wall!" Jonas winced as the strap of his bag dug into his shoulder, and Zane pointedly did not look at the pain crossing his face. "We have to go back and get the others!"

A cry of, "Already ahead of you!" came from a completely different alley, and a garbage can flew out and crashed the window of a quaint tailor's shop.

Zane, trusting her, bolted to the west, and Jonas followed without a word. The skinny boy could run fast, and even with the enormous weight, he surpassed Zane easily as he ran down the street.

Zane saw Mallory emerge from the alley and level out with them on the opposite side of the street. "Finally caught on, did you?" she said, shouldering a cowering soldier out of the way. She snatched his taser and helped him get away from his fear.

Zane didn't respond. Instead he gazed ahead at the large west wall, where an enormous section had lifted up to reveal a domed hangar. It contained several large covert strike planes and many small jets. The street ahead was crowded with concerned civilians seeking shelter and lines of soldiers keeping them pushed back. Zane grimaced as he realized they would have to get through both the crowd of citizens and the line of soldiers to get into the hangar.

"This is gonna be a fucking hoot!" Mallory hollered, speeding up. Her hair had been released from its ponytail, but the iconic New Vancouver suit still helped keep her anonymous.

A scream echoed from behind Zane, and he recognized the voice.

He whirled around, ready to defend the maker of the scream, when a horse, identical to the one he'd seen the first day in Wawrzynski's 'luxury suite', whizzed past him, brushing his chest. "Marcus?" he said in disbelief. Anastasia was on the horse's back, hollering in ecstasy.

The scream came again, but this time it was from above him. He craned his neck upward, and spotted Daisy looping through the air, Joseph clinging dangerously to her left ankle, his eyes wide as he gaped at the ground below. Zane laughed and shook his head, knowing Daisy was doing absolutely everything she could to make Joseph uncomfortable. He resumed his speedy pace, struggling to catch up with Jonas.

"Your friends are freaking awesome!" he yelled, his brown eyes flashing to the sky, watching Daisy loop and Joseph grasp her foot. Then he shook his head in disbelief and turned his gaze to the horse keeping pace with him.

A bloodcurdling scream reverberated from the buildings, a distinctly female scream. One of the citizens had turned around and spotted Marcus. "Its a-a-an animal!" she shrieked, pushing through the crowd, shoving other people out of the way.

Zane laughed again. These people hadn't seen so much as a mouse since the walls came up, and many had been born there. Sure, there were pictures in books everywhere, but nobody had ever expected to see one up close, so Marcus was definitely a shock.

With a jolt and shudder, the hangar door began to close, drifting slowly downward. Wawrzynski had given the order, his insane desire to pen them in again obvious. Zane fought the urge to scream. Wawrzynski had always been one step ahead of them.

He caught up to Jonas, who had slowed his pace. On purpose or unconsciously, Zane was grateful. "Got anything in that brain of yours about flying jets?"

Jonas only smiled, panting slightly. "I got everything," he said, his arms pumping at his sides. His clothes stood out starkly against the gray suits, his green shirt contrasting all the monotonous color everywhere. The cameras had certainly picked him out, as well as the horse and the girl zooming through the air like a paper airplane.

The doors continued closing. "Get through them!" he yelled to Jonas. "You're our only way out!"

Citizens continued to flock out of the way as Marcus neared, his hooves clipping the pavement sharply. He tossed his equine head back and forth, as if mocking them.

Daisy dropped Joseph, and he broke his fall with literal legs of steel. Mallory swept her rubbery arms upward and latched on to the spot he had vacated, her feet leaving the ground, gaining altitude.

"Nice to see you again, Z," Joseph said, never missing a beat. If he noticed Jonas, he didn't say a word, proof that he trusted any decision Zane were to make. Zane was glad he was there, and the weird, overwhelming, welcome urges flooded back in when he looked at Joseph, but this time they were familiar. He might have even been starting to appreciate them and consider acting on them. Joseph said, "I like you in a suit."

It was amazing how six simple words from Joseph could make Zane's mind go blank and his cheeks go rosy. He almost tripped over his own feet, but managed to stay running. He shot Joseph a withering look, but Joseph knew the effects those words had. He smirked and sped up.

"Asshole," Zane muttered.

Marcus had reached the line of soldiers, the citizens having cleared out in fear of his animalistic form. The soldiers, however, stood their ground, no matter how terrified they appeared. Zane noticed they didn't draw their lethal weapons. Whatever Wawrzynski's intentions had become, he wanted them alive.

As soon as Marcus was in range, a taser bolt flashed, but it only served to make him angrier. The handheld tasers were only programmed with enough electricity to incapacitate humans. It was a small flaw Wawrzynski had overlooked, but it made him seem less like an indestructible, untouchable overlord.

The air was soon filled with flashing electricity, the soldiers trying to create a shock lethal enough to stop Marcus's equine form. Every time the air filled with the static electricity, Jonas's body twitched, his hair standing up and his feet slipping on the smooth metal. He struggled to keep his pace as the lightning flashed, disrupting his every step. His large bag fell off his shoulder to the ground, and he didn't notice.

Zane wrinkled his eyebrows. The taser energy was not affecting him or anybody else, only Jonas. He supposed it was an effect of whatever serum Jonas injected himself with. He shook his head in disbelief, not comprehending why Jonas would curse himself the way he did.

Anastasia leaped from Marcus's back, landing on the far side of the soldiers. She looked back morosely before disappearing through the enormous doors, toward the hangar and the planes beyond.

One down, Zane thought. Six more to go. He lowered the number once again as Mallory and Daisy swooped through the still-closing door, high above the soldier's heads. He watched the bright blue hair disappear into the bright light beyond.

Jonas had almost made it to the line of soldiers when he fell. His body seemed to be pulled in multiple directions at once, his arms stretching in one direction and his legs scraping across the ground to another. His whole body was being stretched to its limit by an unseen force. It was tearing his limbs from his body. He screamed and it was the most awful sound Zane had ever heard. It was wrought with pure and raw emotions; fear, pain, sadness, defiance, longing. It made Zane's blood boil in fury.

Jonas's face was a mask of complete emotionlessness, never betraying the pain he felt. His hair fell over his forehead in sheets, closing off his eyes, where the pain resided. His body began to pop and crack, the joints stretching beyond their capabilities and beginning to come apart.

Zane held out his hands, and watched as they disintegrated, willing them to go faster. He had to help Jonas. He may have gone to school with him, but it felt like he had just met him. And Jonas was so much like him, troubled by the life he'd had before, questioning whether to leave it behind. He couldn't let him die. Not when he was sure Jonas was a factor that he was doing what he was doing in that instant.

With a sickening wrench, Jonas's arm flew backward as his shoulder broke free of its socket. He shrieked. His body tried to fall backward, but the invisible force wouldn't let it. Instead it seemed to pull him harder, his dislocated arm bent at an awkward angle.

Zane's vision narrowed until it encompassed only the soldiers. He felt a dangerous calm sweep over him, threatening to obliviate his senses. It stilled his body, his feet slowing to a stop just feet away from Jonas as the boy writhed in place.

His cells dispersed, spreading and multiplying, moving toward the soldiers. His eyes narrowed on the tasers, the awful weapons that were the cause of Jonas's suffering. He saw every detail in crystal clarity; the asymmetrical beams of vibrant blue light radiating from the prongs, the black rubber handles, the calloused hands they were gripped in. He saw this all in a matter of moments.

In total, there were about fifteen tasers raised and sparking. Zane, both his arms missing, multiplied his cells further, creating a cloud of dusty particles that shrouded the scene and distorted his view.

He pictured the metal he'd formed to block the soldiers in the tunnel. The light gray, solid, smooth steel, virtually impenetrable. Practically everything in New Vancouver was created from it. Every building, every dining table, every bed frame.

With one direct command, he released the curse Wawrzynski had inflicted upon him with more ferociousness than ever before. He had no respect for the lives in front of him. All his ethics and morals had flown out the metaphorical window. He saw nothing but red and the soldiers in front of him, threatening Jonas's life.

For the first time, Zane embraced the nature he'd been given.

He was a weapon.

The cells solidified in midair, forming two linked metal loops above every hand that held a taser.

Handcuffs.

With a single thought, they snapped around each soldier's wrist, enclosing them in an unbreakable bond of steel. Several shouts of surprise and panic left their mouths, and they looked at each other in confusion. Marcus stilled, his body beginning to morph back into his recognizable, red-haired cowboy form. Jonas continued to scream in pain, the invisible force stronger than ever. Zane winced at the pain radiating from him.

He watched as his creations caused panic and suffering. The opposite end of each pair of handcuffs caught a bolt of electricity from a taser. He saw the lightning travel up the cuffs and circle their wrists.

The soldiers never uttered a sound as the shock rendered them unconscious and they slipped to the hard street. Zane's subconscious registered a previous disinclination to harm, but it seemed a whole different world, a different era. Instead, he took pleasure in the carnage he'd created, the power he possessed. The only thought that brought a shred of sobriety to him was that he was exactly what Wawrzynski wanted. He was the perfect weapon.

The air was silent and uncharged, the blazing blue light gone. Jonas, freed from his temporary paralysis, clawed at his dislocated shoulder, breathing through his teeth. His face was pinched in pain and his arm hung limply at his side, his fingers slightly curled.

Zane broke from the dangerous stupor he'd submerged in and took in the scene around him. No soldiers left standing, the door almost closed. Joseph looked at him worriedly. Marcus fearfully. Jonas hopefully. A sense of dread swept over him. What had he just done? The dread was quickly replaced with guilt. He called back the cells, reforming his arms, but there was no motivation left in him.

Joseph broke the uncomfortable silence. "We've gotta get through the door," he said. "If we don't go now, we'll never make it out." The other three nodded and Jonas pushed himself to his feet, holding his injured arm. Marcus stayed well away from Zane as they ducked underneath the enormous door and emerged into the air hangar. Zane felt anger toward Marcus. The cowboy had had a killing fit and would have easily and enjoyably cut down nine soldiers if Joseph hadn't stopped him. Zane knew it wasn't Marcus's fault, but the boy had no reason to be wary of him for harming someone.

The three girls were on the far side of the hangar, Daisy with a remote in her hand, watching the enormous bay doors swing outward, allowing the planes and jets passage out of the bright room. Zane breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the top wall slot into the bottom behind him, locking them off from New Vancouver.

For the first time in his life, he could see the outside world.

It was beautiful.

Directly outside the hangar was a runway made of rough asphalt. But beyond that, Zane could see nothing but wilderness. The sight of real trees left him breathless. They were nothing like the ones in New Vancouver. They were varying shades of vibrant green, rising up in conical shapes, reaching for the sky like giant hands. Many others were without leaves, scraggly branches breaking off from their trunks like gnarled fingers.

The grass was covered in a fine layer of white powder. Is that what I think it is? He thought frantically. He ran outside, jumping into the white powder. He reached down and grabbed a handful, and the cold seared his palms. Snow! He threw it upward and let it rain down over his face. As soon as it touched his skin, it melted and ran down his cheeks and neck in rivulets of water.

He looked up and saw a vast expanse of blue, so beautiful it reminded him of Joseph's eyes. But he had been right. It didn't come close to comparing. The sun was a bright yellow orb that hurt his eyes to look at, nothing like the artificial fluorescent bulb the sun inside the city was.

He knew he should feel cold, but his elation and absolute happiness outweighed it. He spread his arms and turned a full rotation, taking in everything as far as his eyes could see. The only eyesore were the enormous walls surrounding New Vancouver. From here they looked like a cage.

Joseph joined him, kicking around in the snow, hollering in joy. "I'm never going back!" he yelled, his eyes flashing, relaying his excitement.

"We did it!" Zane said, stopping to look Joseph directly in the eye.

Joseph stepped closer and grabbed him under his arms, lifting him up and swinging him around. "We did it!" He laughed, the only truly pure sound Zane had ever heard. The sun reflected off of Joseph's face, filling it with a vibrant quality Zane particularly enjoyed. They were tucked around the side of the hangar, the others presumably hijacking a plane. They were alone in a snowy wilderness.

Joseph set him down and their faces were inches from each other, Joseph slightly taller. They were both laughing, revelling in their newfound freedom. Zane felt a feeling he'd never felt before, but he knew exactly what it was.

Hope.

He felt hope in the way the snow glistened on the bare branches. He felt hope in the way the sparse clouds drifted listlessly through the air. He felt hope in the way Joseph's hands gripped his shoulders, his familiar warmth radiating.

And he felt hope in the way Joseph leaned down and kissed him.

Joseph's lips were as warm as the rest of his body, warmer if possible. They were soft, rubbing against Zane's with carefully measured pressure. Their noses rubbed slightly together which Zane found hilariously funny for absolutely no reason. His world was filled with joy, and he embraced it.

But underlying was a sense of greed and embarrassment at what he'd done. Joseph seemed to melt it away with his touch, and Zane welcomed the change. He didn't want to feel guilty.

For a moment, he didn't respond. He simply stood there in shock. But then his brain recovered and his arms wrapped around Joseph, not pulling him closer or pushing him away, but holding him there. He wanted to keep Joseph there infinitely, to never let him break away.

All the feelings and urges of the past weeks congregated inside Zane, and he felt everything New Vancouver hadn't allowed him to feel. Every frowned-upon emotion seared into his brain as Joseph's lips moved against his. Zane knew now those feelings were not alien. They only appeared alien because of his upbringing. They were affection and friendship, love and want, and they were everything he now wanted to feel.

He remembered Jonas's words. You wouldn't believe you had a future. But now, just minutes after those words were spoken, he was free of New Vancouver and his future was creeping up on him. He wanted his future now; he wanted freedom and love and trust and friendship. And he wanted it with Joseph. He smiled against Joseph's soft lips.

"C'mon, give him some tongue!"

Zane was going to murder Daisy.