Touched Ch. 07

"Grant!" I threw myself into his arms, just to make sure he was real. "Oh, what have they done to you?" I asked, reaching out to touch his battered face.

"I'm fine. What about you? Are you okay?" he whispered, his voice cracking as he squeezed me against his chest.

"Yes, I'm fine," I told him, clinging to his shoulders, "but I've missed you so much. I was afraid I'd never see you again."

The stranger fidgeted, grimacing. "Get control of yourselves. Jebus ryste; what is it with you people?" she hissed through clenched teeth. "We're not out of this yet. Come on; this way."

"Why are you helping us?" Grant asked as the three of us scurried down the abandoned corridor.

"I don't have to explain myself to you."

"Well, whatever the reason, thank you for freeing us," he murmured.

Reaching the end of the hall, the woman stopped and looked in both directions, making sure the coast was clear. "Don't thank me yet," she said, spiriting us into a darkened room as the sound of footsteps approached from a neighboring corridor.

After the footsteps receded, the woman turned and looked at us both, brow furrowed, her face tight with worry. "Look, deviants, I have no great love for your kind. Frankly, your primitive nature disgusts me. If you insist upon indulging your need for...tactile stimulation, do so someplace where I don't have to see it." She paused. "Someone I trust believes it's imperative you escape, that your freedom benefits a greater good. That's why, despite my personal misgivings, I'm helping you. Understand?"

We nodded, though her response raised more questions than answers.

"On the count of three, we need to exit the room. Run down the corridor and take the fourth door to your left. Got it?"

"Yes."

"Good. One, two,..."

We stood in the dark, hidden among piles of linens. Grant peered down the opening in the wall.

"You're certain this will lead us to the maintenance bay?" he asked our companion.

"Yes," the young woman confirmed.

"But doesn't it go straight into a sanitizing unit first?" I asked, chewing my lip.

"Thanks to the power outage, we should be able to exit the sanitizer without fear of being cooked by it first," she assured me.

I gulped. "Great."

"Look, I'm not exactly thrilled with the thought of landing hip deep in a mass of filthy linens, either. I can promise you it repulses me far more than it does you. But it's the quickest way out of here, and every second counts."

"Of course." I took a deep breath to calm myself, but when I exhaled it came out sounding like a sigh.

"I'm sorry if the way out isn't to your liking," the woman snapped, "but we don't have time to take a more pleasant, leisurely route. You remember those footsteps we heard a minute ago? Those were made by security guards, the ones coming on shift. Any time now they will be discovering that the two of you are missing. Trust me; you want to be long gone before they do."

"No doubt. I'll go first," Grant volunteered, hoisting his lower body into the narrow opening. "Should I tap when I reach the bottom, signaling it's safe to follow?"

"No, I have a better idea. Why don't you shout up the chute, 'This way, guards; I'm in the basement, down in the laundry chamber!'"

"Well then, what do you suggest?"

"You go first, we wait fifteen seconds then I'll send her," she instructed. "I'll follow fifteen seconds after that. And when I do, you both better be well out of the way. Don't add insult to injury by making me..." She shuddered. "slam into you. The last thing we need is for me to vomit when the power's down."

I jerked my head to look at the woman. She stared at us with narrowed eyes, jaw thrust forward. My glance shifted over to Grant. His face was also tense, but his eyes twinkled; I knew he was trying just as hard as I not to laugh.

We were about to throw ourselves blind into a metal tube that, if we were lucky, would sweep us past five levels in as many seconds, landing us inside a massive sanitizing unit, which, with any luck, would be nonfunctioning due to the power outage and filled with sufficient linens to keep us from breaking our necks. All that, and her primary concern was preventing physical contact with one or both of us.

Grant cleared his throat. "Got it. We'll do our best to stay out of your way. See you on the other side," he added, giving me an encouraging smile before he pushed off, disappearing into the wall.

"All right; you next." The woman gestured to me.

"What's your name?" I asked as I sat on the ledge, waiting for the seconds to count down.

"I already told you; there's no—" She stopped and cocked her head, studying me. "Caley."

"Thank you, Caley. Thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome, dev—. You're welcome. Now, go; you're late."

Closing my eyes, I held my breath and pushed off.

My eyes flashed open as the bottom dropped out of the world. On instinct I tried to cling to the tunnel's slick shiny surface with the tips of my gloved fingers. Realizing my effort to slow the rate of my descent was futile, I fought the urge to scream, though whether from excitement or terror at that particular moment I didn't know.

The far end of the chute appeared all at once, coming much too fast, and the next thing I knew I was propelled into the air, freefalling for a scant few seconds before landing with a grunt in a thick pile of smelly fabric.

"Are you all right?" Grant whispered, rushing to help me up.

Heart pounding, I staggered to my feet. "Yes," I gasped, holding onto his arm. I looked up and almost squealed, "That, that was—exhilarating!"

His eyes shining, he embraced me, chest quivering from his own suppressed delight.

Our reunion was interrupted a few seconds later by the arrival of our mysterious ally. "Ugh! Jebus ryste! That...is so...foul."

"Don't touch me," the young woman snapped when Grant reached out to help her onto her feet. "I can get up on my own." Her legs wavered as she tried to regain her equilibrium. "Are you both unharmed?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Good, because just before I left the storage room I overheard the guards shouting; they know you've escaped."

Rain pounded the street in time with our feet, soaking us from head to toe as we raced down the dark alley.

The sky flashed, exposing our shivering forms in a frozen moment of silver light.

BOOOOM!

"This way," Caley called, her voice straining between a whisper and a shout as she disappeared around a corner.

Holding hands, Grant and I hurried behind her, struggling to keep up while our young companion led us from one unknown street to the next, with nothing but the occasional lightning flash to guide us.

"Get down," she hissed after we rounded the latest corner. "Someone's here."

We huddled in the shadows, my heart pounding in my ears. Stay here, Caley mouthed before taking a tentative step forward to investigate.

Holding my breath, I clung to Grant, his body as tense and ready for flight as mine. A long moment later the young woman returned. She was not alone.

"It's okay," she told us, rain streaming down her face. "He's here to help."

A stocky man with brown hair shot with grey nodded and gestured for us to follow. A short distance later we stood next to a two-seated personal transportation vehicle parked in the narrow space between two buildings.

He must have read my confusion, for he said, "I'm sorry, but the two of you will have to ride in the storage compartment. It's safer to keep you hidden, and there isn't enough room for you to ride up front."

Caley sniggered. "Don't worry. These two can't keep their hands off each other. I'm sure they won't mind a few minutes in close quarters."

The man glanced at the young woman and snorted. He cleared his throat. "Yes, well, that's good. Come; we must hurry."

I lay on top of Grant, our bodies crammed together in the tight black space as the PTV whirred, carrying us to an unknown destination.

"What do you think they want from us?" I whispered in his ear, our hearts thudding in tandem.

"I'm not sure, but we must be important to them, to go to such lengths to free us."

"Do you think they're friends of—" I stopped. I couldn't risk saying Oliver's name aloud, though he was the only person I knew of who might have the resources to implement such a plan.

"I don't know. I don't think they're...like us; at least, not the woman."

The memory of Caley flailing about as she tried to disentangle herself from the mass of soiled linens made me chuckle. "Definitely not her," I agreed, snuggling my face into his neck. The smell and warmth of Grant's body comforted me, calming my frayed nerves. I relaxed a bit; at least we were together.

After a while a cramp formed in my neck and shoulders. I started to worry; it seemed like we had been driving around for a very long time. Who were these people? Why were they helping us? And where exactly were we going? As I lay in the dark, listening to the storm rage while rain pummeled the vehicle, I could no longer ignore the seriousness of our situation. "Oh Grant, what are we going to do?" I blurted.

"I don't know." His arms tightened, trying to embrace me in the confined space. Although he kept his voice low, the increasing rapidity of his heartbeat told me Grant shared my fears. "But I promise you, Astrid. I promise I'll never let anyone keep us apart again, no matter the cos—"

"Don't say that!" I cried out, unable to restrain my emotions. "I can't live without you; I can't even bear the thought of—"

"Shut up!" a familiar voice barked. It was Caley. "No one wants to hear your pathetic declarations of undying devotion. It's repulsive."

"You really should remain silent," the man cautioned, his tone gentler. "Few people are out tonight because of the storm, so we are already conspicuous. We cannot risk arousing further suspicions." He paused. "I will tell you this. You're right; you are important to us. And we have no intention of separating you or allowing you to come to harm."

The PTV came to a stop and with it the sounds of the thunderstorm. The latch of the storage compartment released with a click, and we squinted as a bright light shone in our faces.

"Are you well?" the man murmured, lowering the flashlight.

"Yes." I sighed with relief, grateful to finally be free. I crawled out of the trunk and, holding his arms, helped ease Grant out of the tight space as well.

"Good," he replied, drying off the vehicle with an absorbent cloth while I kneaded my sore neck. "We had to drive around longer than we intended; we thought we might've spotted a patrol a ways back and couldn't risk leading them here."

I stretched and looked around in the dark. We were inside a building, a storage room of some sort, large enough to house a PTV with plenty of space to spare and walls thick enough to muffle the weather. "Do you think we...are we safe?"

"For the moment," Caley replied. She stood across the cold dank room, looking like she was feeling around for something.

Grant and I gasped in unison when a few seconds later one of the walls slid open.

"Come on," she called softly, waving us over. "We don't have a lot of time."

I reached for Grant's hand and together we approached the young woman's location.

"Don't say a word," the man whispered behind us, handing Caley the flashlight. "Others sleep nearby."

We followed her into the narrow corridor with the older man bringing up the rear. He closed the secret door, and we crept down the passage in silence, the hand lamp's focused beam bouncing against the dark walls, following the rhythm of Caley's swift steps.

A short time later we stopped. Our female companion scraped the left wall with her knuckles, followed by a series of light taps, barely audible.

Ta-ta-tap. Ta-ta-ta-ta-tap-tap.

I held my breath and waited, not knowing what to expect. Then all at once the wall opened in front of us and we found ourselves standing inside a warm room bathed in candlelight.

"Welcome. I'm glad to see you're safe." A petite woman with tan skin and black hair wrapped tightly back approached. She looked at our companions. "Thank you, Caley and Jonas. I know it couldn't have been easy getting here, especially in the storm."

"It wasn't," the young woman agreed. "Please tell me the decontaminator is working."

The tiny woman smiled. "I'm sorry, but the power is still out. There's plenty of hot water, however, and I have clean clothing laid out in the guest room."

"Great," Caley sighed, skulking out of the room.

"Were you followed?" she asked the man.

"I don't know. Caley thought she spotted a patrol on our way here. I didn't see anything myself, but we drove around for a time, just to be safe."

Forehead tight, she pursed her lips. "Then we must assume they aren't far behind. Thank you, Jonas. There's something for you to eat and drink in the kitchen; will you please excuse us so I may speak with our new friends?"

"Of course," he answered.

"My name is Raja Das," the woman said after the man left. "I work for the Ministry of Science, Center of Reproduction. You must be Astrid Sampson and Grant Devlin."

"Yes," Grant confirmed. "Thank you for helping us escape the hospital. We really do appreciate the risk your people took on our behalf. But if you'll forgive me, Astrid and I are fully aware you wouldn't take such a risk unless it was of some benefit to yourselves. Why exactly are we here?"

She smiled. "I wish very much we had more time to discuss it. Nothing would please me more than to have a lengthy conversation with the two of you over dinner and wine. Unfortunately, we don't have that luxury, but I will tell you as much as I can."

Gesturing for us to sit, she continued. "The two of you are classified as genetic defectives. You were likely told this was due to random mutations during your embryonic development, errors which failed to be detected during normal screening processes.

"Sixteen years ago I began to study individuals with your...behavioral tendencies, with the goal of finding a cure. I am aware of Dr. Blake's methods and find them barbaric, something the two of you, unfortunately, have discovered firsthand. I thought if I found a painless way of curing your kind, it would make men like Dr. Blake obsolete."

"We don't need to be cured," I blurted. "There's nothing wrong with people like Grant and me."

"Yes, I know."

My mouth dropped open. It was the first time I'd ever heard a normal make such an admission.

"I, I have to say I'm surprised to hear you say that," Grant conceded.

"My pod-brother Amir works at the hospital as an orderly; he informed me of your arrival several days ago, as he does whenever someone like you is brought into custody. It gives me the opportunity to study the files of confirmed cases, which helps me in my research.

"Your attachment to each other affected him a great deal, though he did not understand why. After reviewing your records, I told him it was imperative you be released before Dr. Blake's treatment caused permanent damage.

"The severe thunderstorms provided us with a unique opportunity to orchestrate your escape. With the power down in so much of the city, it made it much easier for Amir to provide Caley a way in and out without setting off the alarms. We had additional help ensuring the grid remained offline in that sector, but it would've been far more difficult without my brother's assistance."

Grant and I looked at each other in stunned silence.

"Someone helped you use the thunderstorms as a cover to help us escape? How is that even possible?" I asked, shaking my head.

"Astrid and I know we're different from most people, but to go to all that effort to free us? What makes us so notable to warrant such an effort? What do you want from us?"

Raja got up and walked over to a nearby table. Picking up a knapsack, she reached into it and pulled out a small object.

"Wh-where did you get that?" Grant asked when the woman handed him the beautiful puzzle box from the archeology department storage room.

"You gave it to a friend for safekeeping, intending to present it to Astrid during the solstice celebration? Oliver's safe," she added quickly. "He gave it to me as a show of trust, knowing what's at stake."

"Grant?" I asked, my voice twinged with alarm.

"She's right," he replied. "I smuggled it out, gave it to him to keep. I wanted to share it over the holiday. I know how much you've missed..." He stopped and turned to the older woman. "I still don't understand why he would risk giving it to you. Do you have any idea what this is?"

"Yes. With your friend's assistance, I have unlocked the puzzle, and studied much, though not all, of its contents. I've made a copy of the files; they're far too important for only a single copy of this information to exist. When you leave this place, you must take the original with you, along with the other data chip I placed inside the box as well."

"Take it where?" he asked.

"Outside the city, where your people reside."

"No one resides outside the city," I said. "Everybody knows that."

"That's what the regime wants you to believe, Astrid, what they want everyone to believe, but they've known about the Outliers for more than a century. Some of our people—those from the city—have even lived among them."

Grant and I exchanged an incredulous look. "That's impossible. If there were any signs of an active civilization outside of the city, I would've heard about it," he protested.

"Because your colleagues in the archeology department surely would have informed you of such a pivotal discovery?"

He opened his mouth, then hesitated.

"Like the way you informed them after discovering the secret box? You have worked for the museum for how many years?"

"It will be six years in the spring."

"As both of you well know, six years is not so long a time to keep secrets, yes? Especially ones of great importance?" The woman gave him a kind smile. "Do not feel betrayed, my friend. I happen to know most members of the actual dig team remain ignorant of the truth."

"But if we're...from the outside, how did we end up in the city in the first place?" I wanted to know.

"Raja."

We looked up to see Caley standing in the doorway, wearing a clean dark suit. Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and her scrubbed face glowed in the candlelight.

"We need to go," the young woman went on. "The storm seems to be letting up, and we need to get them to the crossing before dawn."

"Agreed." Raja looked at Grant and me. "I'm sorry there isn't more time. But the answers you seek are on the chip I gave you. You must, at all costs, ensure it is delivered to a man named Zarek and to him alone. It's imperative you do so quickly. We have only a week before the solstice."

"Yes? Is something happening on the solstice?" I asked, confused.

Jonas hurried into the room. "Raja, the patrol has passed by twice now, this time more slowly."

The tiny woman thrust the knapsack into Grant's arms. Picking up a control panel, she tapped in a code and the secret door slid open. "It's when everything changes, for better or worse. I've entered the coordinates you'll need on the pad in this bag. There is food, water and a blanket inside as well. Good luck, my friends."

"Can't we rest for a minute?" I asked, gasping as I doubled over, the cramp sweeping my side.

"We don't have time," Caley flashed, glancing back at me. Seeing my state, she sighed and veered off the path.

We hid behind a clump of trees. "Stretch out the muscle," she advised. I gritted my teeth, trying to relax the tightness in my abdomen. "Better?"

I groaned as Grant rubbed my side. "Not really."