Chapter 9
chapter
nine
Ender
The war room is silent as I wait for my unit’s arrival.
The wall hosts a giant digital map of New Foundry, lined with city grids and glowing markers that highlight troop movements.
There is an identical screen to the left with a live feed of the different boroughs.
I can make out the smog-choked skies and the unending mining companies that fill the Flatlands like roaches.
Arrow Hill and its brick-stone universities and green lawns.
Fort Canyon and its reservoirs and deserts.
People flitter across the streets, unaware that we are always watching.
The old continents are blacked out, but their names are written below. There were Stellar, Port Miles, Bay Islands, and Alpha Point.
The Bay Islands are completely submerged, and the rest succumbed to radiation.
Millions of people were wiped out during the aftermath of the Nuclear War.
The nuke came from here, Division Two to be specific; it’s the only reason we’re alive right now.
It’s also why the sky looks sick most of the time.
Bleak and gray, like fog that never lifts.
We’ve been surveying the old continents to see if any are habitable. Alpha Point seems to be the most promising.
I pace steadily, studying the increase of red dots that highlight potential rebel hideouts. Their numbers are growing, and with it, my father’s agitation. We suspect that the Resistance has about five thousand dedicated members and a semi-functioning military.
The Supreme Director has a leash around my throat, by the name of Ansel Ashford––a Colonel who is under Reed Sullivan’s command and, by extension, Orson Warrick––who secretly reports to my father and is always following me around the Forge like a shadow.
Ansel wanted to be the Commandant after Breckin stood down, but he was passed over for me. He’s been bitter ever since.
“First one here,” Knox says, obnoxiously loud.
He’s always the last one to arrive, but he has a bet with Spider Halstead. They always have some wager or another going on. I don’t know why Knox indulges him.
The door bangs open, and Spider rushes inside, skidding to a stop when he sees Knox. His boots screech annoyingly against the hardwood floor.
I sigh deeply and turn back to face the map.
“Fuck,” Spider curses.
I’m trying to study the pattern of these attacks, but these two idiots rarely keep quiet.
“How did you get here first?” Spider asks suspiciously.
“Skipped lunch,” he replies.
Knox whistles loudly.
“Damn, Ender, did you start training harder?” Knox asks. “Your lats look insane.”
“You’re such a suck-up,” Spider mumbles.
“There’s a reason I get to ride front seat on missions,” Knox says. “Ender, did I mention your hai—”
I spin around.
“Shut up, both of you,” I snap. “Where the hell is Clover and Orion?”
“I’m here,” Clover says.
Orion follows close behind her. He’s looking at his tablet. Fair hair fluttering into his eyes.
I don’t get the chance to speak before the squabble begins.
I put this unit together six months ago with some of the strongest and most talented Gifted, who impressed me with their skill and grit and who passed my conditioning program.
But the friction has been unbearable. Spider and Orion hate each other, Spider and Knox compete with each other, and Spider and Clover trade insults every couple of minutes.
The common denominator is, of course, Spider.
I feel like the father of a horde of misbehaving children, and I don’t know how to fix it.
Spider reclines in his chair, eyes darting between Clover and Orion, struggling to decide who to fight with first.
“Don’t even,” Clover warns. “We don’t want to hear it.”
Spider smiles, revealing his pearly-white teeth.
“I wasn’t going to say anything,” he says. “Your hairstyle speaks volumes.”
“Here we go again,” Orion says with a deep sigh. “You can’t keep your damn trap shut.”
“As opposed to you and your brooding persona?” Spider raises a brow. “On Ender, it works, but with you, it’s just overplayed. Do girls claim to like it?”
“What would a virgin like you know about girls?” Clover sniffs.
“Does Ender know you’re disgustingly in love with him?” Spider asks. “I, for one, was delighted to learn of his engagement. He deserves far better than a witch like you.”
Clover slips out her gun, turning off the safety.
“Enough,” I bark. “One word out of anyone’s mouth and I shoot.”
I drag my gun out, placing it flat on the table with a loud clang, and the room grows silent at last.
“I would like to point out I spoke no ill words to anyone,” Knox says.
“Ass-licker,” Spider hisses.
“Did you hear that, Ender? He called me an ass—”
“I heard,” I say. “One more word, Spider, and I shove this gun so far down your throat you won’t be able to eat without tasting gunpowder.”
“Is that a threat or a promise?” Spider grins.
“Degenerate,” Orion murmurs.
“Don’t flirt with me,” I say. “Ever.”
“Got it, sir,” Spider grumbles.
Knox snickers, and Orion smirks.
“Now that all the nonsense is behind us.” I glare at them for wasting my time. “Let us get down to business.”
I take my seat at the head of the massive table that dominates the room.
“The rebel issue is escalating,” I say. “The Supreme Director wants it resolved, and he’s stuck Ansel on me to report back to him.”
“What do you need us to do?” Knox asks.
“We need a victory,” I muse. “A big one, maybe then the Director will get off my ass.”
“Are we getting back in the field?” Spider rubs his palms. “I’ve been angsty sitting in this hole the past two weeks.”
“Your wrist must hurt from jacking off—” Clover begins.
I lift a warning finger, and she clamps her mouth shut.
“No,” I say. “Clover, Knox, and I are. You and Orion need to find me twelve decent recruits to test and see if they are worthy of joining our unit. I’ll review your picks when we return.”
“Can I work alone?” Orion asks.
“No, it is a team effort,” I say.
Maybe this will finally make them cooperate.
Spider groans, and Orion mimes shooting himself in the face.
“You’re both dismissed.”
Chairs screech as they head out, all but Knox.
“Was that a good idea?” Knox asks. “They might kill each other.”
“Then they’ll be doing me a favor,” I say, standing up. “They either learn to fix their issues, or I’ll kill them myself.”
It’s early morning by the time Orion and Spider arrive at my office. They both carry their own separate files. There’s a bruise on Orion’s cheek, and Spider has a cut on his mouth.
“We found you, your recruits,” Spider says. “We found six each.”
I point to the two chairs across from me. It seems they would rather work individually than together, which defeats the purpose of the lesson, but I can’t find it in me to care anymore.
“You both look like shit,” I say.
“He started it,” Orion grumbles. “He always does.”
Spider runs his tongue along his lip, poking at the cut.
“At least I didn’t slice your damn mouth. How am I supposed to kiss now?”
“Not like there was a lineup, waiting for the—”
I raise a hand, and their mouths clamp shut.
Orion Bridges is four years older than Spider, who is the youngest in the group at eighteen. So, I expect him not to fall for the boy’s goading. Orion has a darker past than most. He hasn’t had the easiest upbringing, and he can’t stand Spider’s cavalier attitude.
Spider thrives off chaos. He is trigger-happy and insane, but he’s a Multiplier who can split himself into three people, which is helpful when we’re outnumbered in battles. Orion is a Tracker who has inhumanely strong senses, sight, smell, and touch.
On the field, we are seamless, but outside of it, the cracks are visible.
I’ll need to rely on Knox to fix them. I’m not one for managing relationships.
I doubt any of them would like me if I weren’t their leader.
Spider would probably be mouthing off to me, too.
Except he’s grinning at me now, probably trying to get on my good side, in the hopes that I start siding with him when he pisses people off.
Spider’s head is shaved in a buzzcut. One-half is dyed white and the other black. He and Knox had another dumb bet, and they couldn’t decide on the loser, so they both suffered the consequence.
One has blue hair, and the other looks like a skunk.
“When are you going to fix that?” I ask, pointing to his head. “It’s been three weeks.”
Spider runs a hand over his scalp. “I don’t know, it’s kind of grown on me. Do you think it’s hot?”
“No comment.”
Spider chuckles. “You know you’re kind of funny when yo—”
“Let’s get back to business.” I cut him off. “Show me your choices.”
They spread the files across the table.
“Here’s mine,” Orion says.
I flip through them.
Orion’s picks are methodical. His handwriting is clean, the information clear and detailed. Everything is organized with neat tabs.
“These are solid,” I say slowly. “Predictable.”
I was expecting one recruit who would at the very least surprise me. But Orion is rather formulaic.
Orion stiffens. “You asked for the best.”
“I asked for soldiers,” I reply. “Not academy darlings.”
I snap the file shut.
Spider snorts. “Told you. He hates boring.”
I slide Orion’s stack aside and reach for Spider’s. They’re a mess. Half the pages are bent, one has a burn mark in the corner, and his notes are scrawled like he was writing while running. Or fighting. Or both.
Lied to a Gifted examiner and passed the test.
Hacked the dorm locks at midnight to sneak out.
“Are these criminals expected to show loyalty?” I ask dryly. “And fight for a noble cause?”
Orion snorts, and Spider’s smile drops.
I flip faster.
One file stops me short.
Mercy Warrick.
I tap it with two fingers. “This one. Where did you find her?”
Spider leans forward, pleased that he snagged my interest rather than my ire.
“Block C. Not a Gifted, but man, does she have brass balls. She has a few bullies, all Gifted and stronger than her, but she holds her own. Her father is the High General, and I reckon she learned a thing or two from him. She’s clever, fast, and hungry.
Actually, I think she is related to your new bride, but there is nothing tame or wifely about this one. ”
“She’s a Common,” Orion says tightly. “We only pick Gifted for Black Star. This is a waste of time.”
I read through Spider’s report.
Name: Mercy.
Age: Nineteen.
Status: Common.
The note at the bottom is in Spider’s handwriting, messier than usual.
She didn’t flinch when I multiplied. She cursed me and then pulled out two knives.
Spider touches the cut near his hairline. “This one was from her.”
Of course, it was. She couldn’t resist a parting gift.
I sort the files into two piles.
“These four,” I say, tapping the recruits Spider selected. “And these six,” I gesture to Orion’s pick. “The rest I never want to see ever again.”
Spider frowns. “Are you sure? These two aren’t as bad as you may think.”
“My choice is final,” I say. “Tomorrow, we will train them. Harder than the standard program. I want the best of the best. Only one survives, and the others die. Make them sign a contract. If they die, I don’t want their parents coming after me.”
Black Star is a covert unit. A secret weapon that nobody knows exists. It is completely off-the-books. Only the Supreme Director and a few key personnel are aware of it.
Spider’s smile returns. “I love this part.”
“We’re taking the girl?” Orion asks, surprised. “The Common? She won’t survive a week.”
“Hey, he already selected her,” Spider says. “You don’t see me bashing your choices.”
“I’m going to think about her,” I say. “And decide if she is the right fit.”
I pass them the rest of the files, leaving behind Haven’s.
“You both train your chosen recruits,” I say. “Whoever’s pick is the last one standing gets a credit increase deposited straight to their Smart Card and ownership of one of the new property developments on Vale Row.”
“No way!” Spider exclaims. “The capital? My mom is going to flip out.”
Orion straightens.
“Dismissed,” I say.
The door clicks shut behind them. Alone again, I stare down at the file of Mercy—no, Haven Warrick––because I know without a doubt the girl who parades around the Forge with that arrogant glint in her eyes is Haven.
My wife.
The Director wants obedience. Ashford wants leverage. I want control. And if the rebels are increasing drastically against our will, then I’ll do what I’ve always done. I’ll choose my fighters carefully.
Even if one of them would rather point her weapon at me than at the enemy.