Chapter 5 - Mars
I can't stop watching Luna and Torrin. She's wrapped around him with her cheek against his chest, and his arms hold her close enough that I don't need anyone to explain that something has changed between them.
Jealousy hits hard, but I swallow it because I gave up any right to her the day I walked away.
Two years is a long fucking time. I don't know what I expected, but some stupid part of me thought I could come back and find everything exactly how I left it.
Luna would still love me, the guys would still accept me, and all I'd have to do was explain why I disappeared.
Standing here now makes it painfully obvious how ridiculous that was.
I force myself to look away and take in the house instead.
I haven't been here since before Atlas and his parents died.
The guilt is overwhelming as memories flood through me.
Sunday dinners, Atlas razzing me, their dad pretending not to notice when I ate enough for three people, their mom quietly packing leftovers into my hands before I left.
They gave me a place where I could stop worrying about food or which foster home I would be sleeping in next.
I repaid them by fighting with Atlas the night they died, then running from Luna when she needed me most.
Her whole life changed because of my actions. Three of the best people I have ever met are dead because of it. If I let myself think too long about that night, I won't be useful to anyone, so I focus on Gage questioning the soldiers while Luna stays tucked against Torrin.
My hands tighten at my sides when Torrin lowers his mouth to her forehead. I want to pull her away from him and hold her myself, which is exactly the kind of selfish bullshit I don't get to indulge in right now. Luna barely wants me in the same room, and I earned that too.
Gage turns from the soldiers and glances at me before dismissing me just as quickly. The message is clear enough. I'm here because the situation requires it, not because I've been welcomed back into anything.
"Tor, you and I should go out with them to the truck," Gage tells him. "They can make it look like they're bringing us out as prisoners, then you deal with the driver."
He reaches for Luna's hand and pulls her closer before continuing. "Sweetheart, I know you want to come, and I understand why, but will you stay here while we handle this part?"
Luna's nose scrunches immediately. Her eyes flick toward me, then back to Gage. "Fine, but only if you stay with me and Torrin takes...him."
That pause before him does more damage to me than Gage's fist did but I don't let it show.
Luna has every reason not to trust me, and expecting anything else this soon would make me an even bigger asshole than I already am. If rebuilding that trust takes months, then it takes months. If it takes years, I'll still be here.
"Yeah," I say. "I'll go with Torrin. We'll deal with the driver and the rest of the patrol. Once they're free of Ashford's control, we can come get you and move on the warehouse."
Gage finally looks directly at me. The anger is still there, along with something else I don't want to examine too closely because I'm pretty sure it has Luna's name written all over it. He gives me one hard nod before turning back to Torrin and getting his agreement too.
Torrin addresses the soldiers. "I'm changing the restrictions I gave you.
You can leave this house with us and carry your weapons so this looks normal.
You cannot fire those weapons, aim them at any of us, use your radios to call for help, warn anyone about us, or hurt anyone unless I tell you otherwise. Understood?"
Both soldiers nod.
"Understood," Charlie says.
Luna catches Torrin before he can head for the door and wraps her arms around him again. "Be careful. Come back to me."
"I will, love."
She doesn't look at me once.
I turn toward the door before anyone can see how much that bothers me.
The soldiers walk Torrin and me down the sidewalk with their rifles carried in a way that should look convincing from a distance. Torrin waits until we're far enough from the house before speaking.
"You're going to have to wait until this is over before you explain yourself to everyone."
I glance at him. "I know."
"I'm serious, Mars. You're not going to get a warm welcome from any of them until they know what happened."
My hands curl into fists. "I fucking know that. Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt."
Torrin looks over at me. "I'd probably feel worse for you if the rest of us hadn't spent the last two years dealing with what you left behind. Luna most of all. You have no idea what she went through, and you added to it, so you're going to have to suck it up for a while."
The words hit exactly where they're supposed to because he's completely right. I give him a short nod and keep walking.
The military truck comes into view at the end of the block. People sit shoulder to shoulder on benches in the open back, some crying, others staring ahead without saying anything. A woman near the tailgate has a small boy clutched against her chest.
One soldier stands at the rear of the truck.
"Where the fuck is Davey?" he calls as we approach.
Charlie doesn't hesitate. "Got held up in the last house, Foster. You know how he gets when he finds video games. We found these two hiding downstairs, so count it as a win and stop whining."
Foster looks Torrin and me over. His eyes drop to our wrists.
Fuck. We're not restrained.
His expression changes, and his hand starts moving toward the radio clipped to his vest. "Why aren't they zipped? Something's wrong here, Charlie. Protocol says we call in..."
Torrin steps forward, that now familiar look of concentration on his face. "Don't touch your radio or your weapon. Stay where you are, and you can speak."
Foster's hand stops an inch from the radio. He can still breathe, blink and talk, but his boots stay planted exactly where they are and his hand refuses to move any closer.
"What the fuck?" Foster stares at his own arm before looking at Torrin.
"Colonel Ashford’s orders no longer control you. The people of this town are not your enemy."
Nothing obvious happens while Foster is still physically held in place, but his face changes. His eyes widen, and his mouth opens on a hard breath.
"Bloody hell."
Torrin studies him for another second before changing the command. "You can move normally now. You still cannot touch your weapon or radio, hurt anyone, leave, or warn anyone unless I tell you otherwise."
Foster's body releases all at once. His knees bend, and he catches himself against the tailgate before rubbing both hands over his face.
"Jesus Christ." He looks at Charlie. "Mate, tell me you can feel it too. Tell me that bastard isn't in your head anymore."
Charlie grips his shoulder. "It's gone for both of us. Long story, and we'll explain it on the road. Right now, we've got people to let out."
Foster turns toward the house we came from. "Where's Davey really?"
Charlie hesitates before answering, "I'll tell you later."
Understanding passes between them. Foster looks like he wants to press it, but he nods once and turns toward the civilians.
Torrin moves to the tailgate. "Nobody here is going to hurt you.
The soldiers who took you were being controlled.
They were forced to obey orders from their commanding officer, Colonel Ashford.
You've just watched me break that control on Foster, and I've already done the same for the others here. They won’t hurt you, you're free to get down and go home. "
Nobody moves and I can't blame them. If I had been dragged out of my house by armed soldiers and then watched some stranger control one with his voice, I wouldn't be climbing down just because he told me everything was fine.
The woman holding the little boy speaks first. "They took my husband this morning. If I go home, what happens to him?"
"He'll likely be at the warehouse with the others," Torrin tells her. "We're going there next. The plan is to free the soldiers from Ashford's control and release everyone being held. You can go home and lock your doors until your husband gets back, or you can stay with us if you want."
I lower the tailgate and offer the woman my hand. She studies me for several seconds before taking it. Her little boy clings to her neck while I help them down, glaring at me the entire time.
I give him a small nod for his good instincts.
Charlie and Foster mumble apologies and cut the restraints off the people who were bound. Most of the civilians choose to go, moving quickly down driveways and between houses, watching the soldiers warily until they put enough distance between themselves and the truck.
An older man with his cardigan buttoned up unevenly folds his arms. "My wife disappeared yesterday. I'm staying with you to go find her."
Three others have decided to come with us as well, all of them looking for someone that has gone missing.
Torrin looks at the people who have decided to stay with us and go to the warehouse.
"Look, I need to be clear about something. We are going to the warehouse because we know our friends are there and we think we can get them out. But this could be dangerous, we are talking about confronting a bunch of trained, armed soldiers that are under orders to capture us. This could go horribly wrong and I don’t know that we can protect you.
So, if you come, you take your chances."
All four of them look hesitantly at each other before cardigan man speaks. "We’re going. We have people too."
Just as we’re about to jump into the back, the ground heaves under our boots knocking us down to the pavement.
The earthquake or whatever it is rocks and rolls for at least two minutes before everything settles back down again.
The three soldiers slowly climb back to their feet while Torrin hauls me up to mine.
"What the hell is causing that?" I ask as a car alarm blares from down the street.