Revenant's Kiss | ONC 2022 Shortlister ✓

T H I R T E E N

"What the actual fucking hell is this, Pierce?" Hayden turned his hardened, accusing eyes on me as if I'd just brought on the doom of the safehouse.

Every gun in the room trained on Soren as I pushed the girl with the scanner aside and stood in front of him. "This is not what it looks like—"

"Like hell it ain't," Hayden snapped, ending my protest. The more he stared at me, the more the gray in his eyes swam with anger and disgust. "If the scanner reads infected, he's fucking infected. You damn well know that."

My blood boiled and I clenched my teeth, my fists balling at my sides. I didn't care that we had trained together back in the day, no one talked to me like this and got by with it. Lifting my chin, I leveled my gaze on Hayden. "How about you quit being a small dick compensator and shut the fuck up for a moment?"

The tension thickened as Hayden's wrath sizzled in the air. He said nothing, only stared at me even though everyone's attention left Soren to focus on me.

"Why in the name of all that's holy, would I bring an infected person in here, huh?" I continued, gritting my teeth as heat rushed through my body. "You're one stupid motherfucker if you'd even think I would do that and risk not only my life, but everyone else's. Furthermore, my friend ain't infected, he's—"

"Immune," Soren spoke up, pulling the shades off his face and revealing the light yellow of his eyes.

Dead silence draped the room as the Eagles around us looked at Soren with shock. Even Hayden's jaw went slack, but the sense of victory I felt over it was quickly washed away as a smirk spread over his lips.

"In that case, let's see what Ward says about all this, shall we?" He asked, looking as smug as ever. Lifting a radio from his pocket, he brought it to his lips and pressed the talk button. "Control, this is Reaper of Beta Five."

My heart hammered in my ribcage as a burst of static came through the radio. I had half a mind to kick the device from Hayden's hand, but to do so was folly.

"Reaper, this is Control. What's your status?"

"Resting in the SafeZone," Hayden replied, smirking at me as if he'd won a championship. "I need to speak with Ward ASAP. Is it possible to get him on the line?"

After a short pause, static warbled again. "Sure thing, Reaper. One moment."

My hands itched to put a bullet in Hayden's triumphant face, but I resisted. We were outnumbered, and they wouldn't hesitate to kill me should Hayden command it. I couldn't risk leaving Soren in Eagle hands, even if taking Hayden out would bring me some satisfaction.

The radio came to life once more. "Reaper, this is Ward. You requested to speak with me?"

"Yessir. Right now I have Daytona Pierce standing in front of me looking like death warmed over," Hayden responded, and a soft growl drifted from Soren.

I reached back and grabbed Soren's hand, trying to reassure him just as much as I was trying to assure myself. If I was gonna talk myself out of this, I needed him to be as calm as possible. Any wrong move could seal our fates and I didn't want to die at the hands of a dickhead.

"Daytona!? You've got to be shitting me!" Ward's shocked voice boomed through the speaker on the handheld radio. "Let me speak to her."

Hayden slowly walked toward me, his stride one of confidence. "Of course, sir. But this is the thing, she has a male with her who was scanned as infected, but claims to be immune."

"Holy fuck! We could have a legitimate supersoldier on our hands." The excitement in Ward's voice sickened me and sent the radio buzzing with even more static. "Pierce?"

I accepted the radio from Hayden as I swallowed against the sudden dryness in my throat. Letting out a controlled breath, I pressed the button. "Pierce here."

"Is it true you have an immune person with you?" Ward asked in a demanding tone that grated on my nerves, completely skipping over asking anything about my condition or that of my squad.

I could formulate a lie and try to backpedal from Soren's proclamation, but it had a hundred percent chance of backfiring. I've heard it said the truth will make you free, and I hoped it was true. I closed my eyes for a brief moment. "Yes. He was bitten eighteen months ago, and has yet to lose his humanity."

"Holy fuck!" The radio hummed with a mix of interference and Ward's exclamation. "Do you realize what you've found?"

"A cure," I said without thought or hesitation, preparing to plead my cause. "If given to the right people, he could save the world."

"No, there is no saving the world and there is no cure," Ward argued, his voice gaining a slight edge. "What you have there is a supersoldier, and I want him at this QZ."

Soren squeezed my hand and it gave me a boost of courage. Lifting my chin, I held the button down once more. "You can't always get what you want, Ward."

"The fuck I can't!"

I gritted my teeth as my temper rose at his selfish insolence. "For one second think about the greater good instead of yourself! Besides, this man has his own choice in the matter. He wants to see the Stars for a cure, not become your personal plaything."

"Pierce, you better listen to me, and you better do it well," Ward snapped out, his tone rising the more enraged he got. "You are to escort this man to the QZ, and that's an order."

My eyes drifted close for a second while I took in what the commander said. I realized with clarity this was a defining moment in my life, a moment that would be life altering. One I could never go back and change.

A soldier always has two options when at a crossroads: to follow orders, or to do what they know is right.

And I was about to do what I knew in my heart was the right choice.

The speaker on the radio vibrated. "Pierce, acknowledge."

A calm washed over me as I opened my eyes and held my head high. "Ward, take your order and shove it up your ass. This man wants to go to the Stars, so that's exactly what he gets."

"Fucking bitch! Hayden, if you can hear me, detain Pierce and bring her with your squad and the immune to the QZ. If she wants to act like a damn Star, then treat her as such. Just make sure she makes it here alive."

Hayden snatched the radio from me, his eyes sparkling with triumph. "As you wish, sir. Reaper out."

"Ward out."

Hayden pushed the radio back into his pocket and grabbed the pistol holstered at his hip. He lifted it steadily, its barrel dead center on my forehead. "Black, Westbrook, disarm Pierce and secure her in the old office. Immune, stay put or I'll shoot."

I stood there like an animal debating on fight or flight even though I knew better than to resist. Soren needed me to play this smartly, and that was exactly what I would do. I let go of his hand, raising my hands in surrender even though I held my chin up defiantly.

I would get Soren out of here, but I couldn't promise I wouldn't leave behind a trail of dead bodies when I did.