Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Someone once asked me if I had nightmares about the monsters, but when you risk facing monsters day in and day out, there’s no room for them in your nightmares. The celestials, however, are a different matter.
Mysterious. Powerful enough to kill the monsters. Our saviors, and completely alien to us, they frighten the fuck out of me.
I paced across the hardwood floor of my father’s office.
“What the heck, Dad? How are they coming here tonight? Can they just do that? Just bring the date forward? What about base twelve? Did you know we can’t get through to them? Dad…what’s going on?”
He stood with his back to me, looking out at the base walls.
“I have no idea why base twelve can’t be reached.
The celestials aren’t required to check with us before changing their rosters.
They can do whatever they want, Rue. We’re alive because of them.
We need them, and don’t forget the ascension is a gift to us. ”
“A gift?” I glared at his back. “It would be a gift if they only took civies to sanctuary, but last time we lost five guard officers. Officers we needed.”
“I know.” He turned to face me.
God, he looked pale and tired, so very tired that for a moment I regretted coming here and badgering him. But only for a moment, because this shit was important.
“Don’t you think this issue has been raised with them?” my father asked.
Damn. “They don’t care.”
He sighed. “Of course they care. They’re angels.
Benevolent beings from the heavens. They wouldn’t be here on earth if they didn’t care.
But they don’t believe an officer should have to give up the chance of salvation just because he or she chooses to protect others.
In fact, they feel that officers should be given more of a chance. ”
“Which sounds lovely on paper but the reality means leaving people defenseless.”
“Survival of the fittest.”
“What?”
He closed his eyes. “Nothing. Rue, it is what it is. This is our world now. The celestial emissaries will be arriving in less than four hours. I need to prepare the lottery. I’m sure there’s somewhere you need to be.”
I’d been dismissed.
Great.
I left him to the preparation and hurried out of the control tower where Bee was waiting for me.
“And?” she asked.
“And nothing. This is happening.”
“Fuck, I thought we’d have more time to train up the new cadets in case we got culled.”
We began to walk back toward the barracks. “I know. But we don’t.”
She puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. “Let’s hope they only take civies this time.”
“Yeah? And what if that civi turns out to be a mum or a dad?”
I recalled the last time a child had been left without parents.
There was no giving up your spot, no opting out.
This was the deal we’d made with the celestials.
In exchange for the serum and the weapons, the help building these bases, and their continued culling of the beasts—not that I saw much evidence of that—we would run a lottery each year at each base to select ten humans to ascend to the golden city.
The humans would be given celestial sanctuary and in return they’d help the angels build the golden city into an even larger haven so that one day we could all live there.
It was a fabulous deal for those who didn’t have loved ones, but for the rest…well, too many families had been torn asunder by the lottery.
We strode toward our barracks. “What’s the mood like?”
“Shit, as can be expected,” Bee said.
I threw a glance toward the gates leading to the civilian sector. “There must be something we can do. I mean, Dad said the issues about leaving us defenseless had been raised before, but when was that? Maybe it’s time to raise them again.”
Bee gave me a wary look. “Um…Rue, I don’t think that’s the smartest idea.”
“Why not? What are the celestials gonna do? Smite me?” I opened my arms and did a slow turn. “Look at us. Look at how we live. Smiting would be a fucking blessing right now.”
Bee’s jaw tightened. “Fine, then I’m coming with you.”
“What? No.”
She snorted. “So it’s fine for you to risk getting smited, but not for me?”
“I dunno if smited is an actual word.”
“Fuck you,” she said with a grin. “It is now.”
I threw my arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. “Fine, we can’t both get smited; this base needs at least one epic scout.”
I expected to get a smile out of her, but instead she looked up at me with big, sad eyes. “I don’t want to be here without you, Rue. You’re more than my bestie, you’re my family.”
My throat tightened and pinched because how could I be so fucking selfish? I was all Bee had. She’d come to the base an orphan, and even though I had a father, I’d been drawn to her, identifying with her loneliness. We’d formed a bond, unbreakable, unshakable.
I sighed. “I won’t say anything.”
She wrapped her arm around my waist and dropped her head onto my shoulder. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The next four hours were going to be a bitch.