~
Dave made sure nobody was following before he stalked out. He didn’t know which building Sue was in, but there was really only one place she could be. He walked quickly around his building and kept walking, passing the shop on his way toward the buildings surrounding the square. There, he had to make a guess. There were three buildings, occupied by younger Wardens, mostly those specializing for security. Then there was one section in the building to his left, in which initiates were staying. That would be where all those who hadn’t made specialization yet would be. He didn’t have anything to go by, so he just guessed she would be among the other initiates. He strode toward the entrance. Except for one guard busily reading a book, there was no form of security in place. There was no need for it inside the fences, since the Warden camp was heavily protected outside the camp proper.
He entered and quickly scanned the boarding list just inside the door.
Susan Atlas, init.W, 2nd floor, room 206.
He took off his boots and climbed the stairs in his socks, taking two steps at a time, moving quietly while keenly aware that anyone meeting him would wonder when they saw him carrying his boots. He didn’t have time to take every precaution, though, and the way he figured, the best he could do to remain unnoticed was to be quick. He half-sprinted through the hallway, finding the door to room 206. He carefully opened it. No squeak. Seems they took better care of this building than the one he’d been assigned to when he was an initiate.
He stepped inside. It was dark, so he couldn’t see who was in the beds.
“Sue,” he whispered, too loud. He winced at his own stupidity. There was no answer, though. Someone coughed, and he froze, holding his breath. He could be detected any moment, but he had to take a chance. He tiptoed along the beds, as quietly as he could manage. He almost stumbled on a pair of shoes as he leaned over each bed, one by one, to see in which one she lay.
He found her on the far side of the room and lightly touched her shoulder. She stirred for half a second before her eyes shot open. A frown displaying her puzzlement made him hold a finger in front of his mouth, quietly urging her not to speak. She nodded once.
“Come with me,” he whispered in her ear. No need to add quickly or quietly. She would understand something was up.
Sue got out of bed and grabbed her pants and a T-shirt before they quietly made their way out. Sue closed the door carefully and put on her clothes. Then they moved back through the hallway and down the stairs, past the guard. Dave led the way, and soon, they were outside, sneaking through shadows toward the southern part of camp, where there was a small grove where they might finally be able to talk.
“All right,” Sue whispered once they were far enough away from anyone who could overhear.
“What’s going on? Why did you drag me out of bed like this?”
Dave bit his lip, wondering where to start. He’d only had a vague notion of how to go about this, and now he felt stuck. He looked at her, wondering what she had done to make Legacy want her dead.
“Why did they send you here?” he asked instead. She squinted and smiled, a mirthless smile.
“Of course. I should have guessed you wouldn’t buy into it all.” Then she sat down, motioning for him to sit beside her.
“Can I trust you, Dave?” she asked. He nodded. Of course she could trust him. She seemed to know it, too, even though she’d asked. Sue took a deep breath.
“I discovered it’s all a lie,” she said. He remained quiet to let her speak, and she continued.
“The Covenant. All of it. The Moon people. They enslaved us, and we think they saved us.” She shook her head.
“Yeah, that’s one way of putting it…” Dave said. He didn’t know how to tell her all the horrible details about his own experience, so he asked more about hers instead.
“So, any idea when the rangers will come pick you up?” he asked. Sue cocked her head.
“In fact, I do. One of them, Harald something, told me to get a good night’s sleep, because we’re moving out tomorrow morning.” She yawned. “Which is just… in a couple hours. Dave, I really need to get going. We can’t change the Covenant, you know. We just have to come to terms with how it is. But I really need some sleep before I go.”
Dave cut her off.
“If you go with them, you won’t be coming back,” he said. She hesitated for a moment.
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
“I think you discovered something, and someone up in Legacy thinks you might be dangerous to the Covenant or something.” He paused for a moment. “They want you dead, Sue. They just brought you here because they need to make it look like you die in combat. They want to make a martyr out of you.” She cocked her head, and Dave couldn’t tell whether she believed him or not. He pressed on.
“But it’s not combat,” he said. He swallowed, trying to hold back the flood.
“It’s a slaughter. Innocent people…” he said, voice quivering.
“They made us shoot… made us believe that they were…” He couldn’t find the words and felt the memories jumble about, making him unsure of what was what.
“They drug us, make us believe we are fighting monsters. But there are no monsters, just innocent people. People from the West, from beyond the Rift. And afterward, they gave us some kind of pill that made us forget.”
“Ignorance is bliss,” Sue whispered, watching him as if she seemed to remember something herself. Dave nodded.
“Yeah, that’s what they say. But it’s the other way around,” he whispered back.
“Bliss must be the drug, the one that changes our memories and our perception, making us their tools.”
They sat quietly for a moment before Sue spoke.
“But what can we do? I mean, it’s been like this for decades, centuries probably. In a few hours, it’s my turn. I may be killed or I may not, and there’s not a thing we can do about it.”
“We could run away,” he said. Sue just smiled, a sad smile.
“And go where?”
Dave shook his head.
“I don’t know. Anywhere but here.” He hesitated. He had told her so much already, but she didn’t seem ready to do anything about it. Then again, she hadn’t seen the video.
“I have spoken to someone who’s trying to save you,” he said, waiting for her reaction. There was none.
“You will die tomorrow, Sue. I’ve seen it happen. I know how they do it, and if you go back, you will not live to see the end of tomorrow.” Sue exhaled deeply.
“This is just… How do you know?” she asked.
“A man from Legacy told me. A very old man,” he answered. They looked at each other in silence for a moment. She knew who he was talking about, Dave realized.
“So I have to run then,” she said slowly, as if trying out the idea in her mind. “But you should stay, Dave. You shouldn’t risk your life for me.”
He shook his head.
“Too late,” he said.
“I’ve seen the truth. So I have to die, as well.”