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  Natia gave her a sceptical look and Megan had to add. “I have a plan on how we are going to get out of here.”

  Natia’s expression changed to a frown and she asked, “What about Toa? We can’t leave him behind.”

  Megan sighed. She didn’t like leaving him behind either. They didn’t have much choice. There was no way to figure out where they were keeping him in the camp without wandering around and peering inside tents. They would be lucky to be able to leave themselves. The soldiers would have vehicles to follow them into the Wildlands if they realised they had escaped. Megan had ways to hide their path and all she needed now was a distraction. She was hoping on the slow movement of armies to aid in their escape.

  Megan placed a hand on Natia’s arm and said, “That is what he told me to do. To get you out. How do you think he was wandering around in the first place? He can get out again.”

  Except they would be wary of him now and he might not get a second chance, but she didn’t mention that to Toa’s concerned family.

  Megan flashed them her brightest smile. “Trust me.”

  She shooed Natia and Masina to rig the valve on the hot water system which fed the laundry and shower rooms. She went to pick up a large metal tub and moved it closer to the water tower. She glanced at the tub and the water system and nodded her head. The tub was at the right angle.

  Megan rushed over to them. Natia and said, “When the commotion starts, we are going to try to get out.”

  Natia dug something out of her pocket. “Will this help?”

  She held a pair of wire cutters. Natia motioned back towards the soldiers. “I thought this was the plan. I took this while they were chasing after Toa.”

  Megan grinned. “I think you and I are going to get along.”

  Natia returned the grin.

  There was a loud whoosh and the hot water cylinder attached to the laundry tub exploded in a spray of hot water. A piece of it shot off sideways. It ricocheted off the metal tub and hit one of the support legs of the water tower with a loud screech. There was a commotion as people ran away from the explosion.

  Natia turned towards the fence and started cutting. She asked as she worked feverishly, “Is that all because I don’t think that will distract them for very long.”

  Megan shook her head. “Nope, wait for it.”

  There was a loud groan of tortured metal and the one leg of the water tower buckled. There was a crash and water rushed out taking out soldiers and tents.

  Natia had finished cutting a small hole and wriggled through. She wrenched up the small hole to make it as big as possible and urgently ushered to her mother to make her way through. They then both helped Masina through. Megan had just gotten through when she heard someone yell for them to stop.

  Megan motioned for the others to run. She made sure they were in front of her and she was between them and the shooter.

  The soldier shot at them. Knocking into her back and making her stagger.

  Natia hesitated and Megan yelled at them, “Keep running.”

  The soldier had followed them through the hole and was running towards them. He was now close enough he could shoot at the others without having to go through her first.

  Megan stopped and turned on the soldier. He shot at her as she ran towards him. The bullet impacted into her shoulder, making her stagger. The force only slowed her for a short while. She grabbed his gun and he stared at her in complete surprise.

  It didn’t last long as Megan used his own gun to knock him unconscious. She turned and ran with the others. Leaving the soldier on the ground along with his gun.

  It didn’t seem like anyone else had seen them. If they had, they had other things to worry about. Water was important in this world and she had just cut a deep wound into the camp.

  Hopefully no one would mention to Murphy which of the women had escaped.

  ___

  Megan slipped her arm around Masina’s waist. She patted at Megan’s hand and said, “I’m fine, I’m fine.”

  Megan almost smiled. “And I am a lot stronger than I appear. Don’t worry, I could carry you and run for a few Ks without breaking a sweat.”

  It was a slight exaggeration, but she didn’t want the woman to worry she was a burden.

  Natia asked, “Really? That is a good skill to have.”

  Megan motioned to one of her atramento. “I have a friend who has implanted Bioware in me. That is why I wasn’t afraid of those soldiers.”

  Natia seemed impressed. “Can I get some?”

  Megan shrugged. She didn’t have the sight atramento like Natasha had. They would need to wait until they were back in Edge before she could tell Natia whether she was suitable or not to receive a atramento. But if Toa was any indication this was a strong family with a balanced emotional life despite the tragedies they had faced.

  Natia asked, “Where are we going?”

  Megan said, “I’m not familiar with this part of the Wildlands. We need somewhere we can hole up for a short while. Out of sight so we can go back to the camp and pull out Toa when he makes a break for it. If that doesn’t happen soon, we might just need to go in there and break him out.”

  Natia glanced back over their shoulders. “How are we going to do that?”

  Megan said, “I’m not sure how we are going to do that. But let us hope it doesn’t come to it.”

  Megan wondered if they would need to rescue Toa. Without them in the camp Toa wouldn’t need to worry about their safety. They had certainly made enough of a mess he would know soon enough they were gone; he might just walk out himself. They just need to be close enough they could help him when he got out. But they couldn’t risk getting caught again.

  There was a shallow burn up ahead which had long ago dried up. Megan turned towards the burn. There was no need to say why they were heading there. Masina was exhausted. Both of the women were malnourished. They had made a valiant effort to get this far so quickly but they needed to rest.

  ___

  Toa lifted his head. He was tied to the chair again, though he wasn’t entirely surprised by this development. He had, after all, tried to escape. He could hear a commotion outside. People yelled and, in the distance, he could hear gunshots.

  Fear spiked through him. His guard came into the room. The soldier grumbled in a confused tone when he realised Toa was still there tied to the chair. Did the man expect him to have escaped so quickly a second time or was he hoping he did?

  Toa smiled at him as if he knew something the soldier didn’t and in fact he did. Toa could hear the cries and calls for assistance outside. A perfect distraction for someone wanting to get out of the camp. That must be Megan.

  Toa hadn’t realised she could be so destructive. Though it did make him proud that she was his wife. There were more running steps outside and a soldier pushed the flap aside of the tent and gasped out. “The General wants you.”

  The guard hesitated, then grabbed the young soldier’s shoulder and pulled him into the tent and instructed him in a firm voice. “Don’t let him out of your sight.”

  The guard then left. Toa smiled at the young soldier and said, “I’m really sorry about this.”

  The soldier said gruffly, “Keep quiet.”

  He didn’t get to say anything else though, as Toa pulled his arms away from the chair. The metal buckled releasing one of his hands. He stood up and used the chair to swing at the guard.

  The soldier tried to get his gun up, but he was hit with the chair first. One side of the chair broke and Toa was free from the chair completely.

  Toa didn’t wait for the soldier to recover and hit him in the jaw. The soldier groaned softly and then he crumpled to the ground.

  Toa grabbed his gun and headed outside where it was complete chaos. There were people with buckets running around. He could hear the slosh of water and the ragged breathing of the runners which had more to do with panic than the effort of running.

  Someone muttered about the danger of not having water which to
ld him Megan had taken out the water tower. Toa raised his eyebrows. Out here in the Wildlands water was sacrosanct. He could imagine the soldiers collecting what water they could from the broken vat and others scraping up ground before the water soaked away completely. To take out the water was a good way to distract the soldiers. He would only have one chance at this to escape.

  Toa headed towards the command tent where the General was probably trying to get control of his men and the situation.

  Toa ducked back behind a tent when he heard the clank of a clip going in and realised they had added a Gatling gun outside the command tent. That was ridiculous. They were most likely to take out their own people with a gun that big in crowded quarters as it was around the command tent.

  Well, it was time to see if the atramento could handle something heavier than a handgun. Toa turned the corner and raised his purloined gun. He shot at the men guarding the tent.

  They scrambled fast at the first sign of a threat. They cranked the Gatling around and shot at him. Pain and fire sliced through him. Digging through his chest in angry furrows. He dropped and rolled. Damn, so the atramento could only handle so much.

  The men ran towards him when they realised he was down. Toa staggered and made it to his feet and attacked the first man. He needed to make sure he got out of here. Clearly he wasn’t going to get close to the General. The bastard would be safe for now.

  Toa grabbed a grenade from one of the soldiers and pulled the pin. The man hesitated and he could imagine the man staring at him, waiting for him to throw it but instead Toa let the clip ping off. He grinned at the soldiers and they all turned and ran.

  Toa turned in the other direction and ran. He still held the grenade. He had a moment still. At the last instant he threw it and rolled as the blast pushed him over.

  Without the atramento it would have turned his insides into jelly. The blast did rattle him though. He got up and shook himself off. There were metal shards stuck in his shoulder. He must have thrown the grenade next to some equipment. He didn’t stop to even pull it out.

  Toa headed towards the ammo tent. Besides the water the ammo was the next thing the soldiers watched over carefully.

  He was limping by this stage. Blood trickled from the wounds in his chest and from the shrapnel embedded in his shoulder. He was surprised they weren’t healing like the cut on his back had at the start of the day.

  Damn, he had forgotten about the tracker in his back. He would have to get rid of that before he left the camp otherwise, they would follow him wherever he went. Toa grabbed a soldier running past and yanked a knife and another grenade from his belt. The soldier didn’t even try to stop him instead when he saw Toa wasn’t going to attack; he headed away. His panicked breathing clearly told Toa he scared these soldiers. He wasn’t surprised. He would have been scared by someone who could take a couple of shots from a Gatling to the chest and still keep walking.

  Toa flipped the knife over and reached behind him. He knew where the wound was and cut carefully. He could easily sever his spine if he wasn’t careful with a knife as big as the one he was using.

  Toa threw away the knife and dug in the wound with his fingers. Pain was now a throbbing companion. He grunted as he pulled the transmitter free and threw it on the ground. He pulled his shirt back down and gripped the grenade in his other hand.

  Toa wasn’t far from the ammo tent and it appeared like the soldiers were leaving him alone. Murphy was a true and utter fool to alienate his own men. Because if they were loyal to Murphy it wouldn’t have mattered that Toa scared them, they would have trusted their commander. The man’s lack of leadership was Toa’s boon as he wandered through the tents of the compound unmolested.

  When Toa came to the ammo tent, he yelled, “Fire in the hole.”

  Hopefully people would leave rather than try to fight. He heard the sound of feet pounding earth. He grinned. They obviously took him seriously and so they should.

  Without hesitation he threw the grenade. He staggered towards the fence. The blast pushed him off his feet. He lay in the dust for a second.

  Toa ached all over like he had been crushed by a giant hammer. With a groan he levered himself onto his feet.

  He thought about grabbing one of the vehicles but firstly they were easy to track and secondly, they were on the other side of the camp. He wasn’t entirely sure if he would be able to drive it without his sight.

  The soldiers were leaving him alone for the time being but when they realised how destructive he was they would attack him for their own reasons instead of just following orders.

  Toa went over to the fence. The chain links were lopsided and though awkward it wasn’t difficult to climb over it. He staggered into the Wildlands.

  He wasn’t sure where he was going when he caught the slight scent of frangipanis. He turned to the right and caught the scent again. He put one foot in front of the other. Just following that tantalising scent.

  Toa wasn’t sure how much time had passed. His mind could only focus on his wounds. He was bleeding and his knee was swelling up something fierce.

  Toa staggered and wondered if he would be able to take many more steps when he heard. “Damn it, Toa, what the hell have you done to yourself?”

  The scent of frangipanis enveloped him and he felt like he had come home.

  Hands grasped him and he went down to his knees, exhausted.

  Other hands touched him and Natia asked softly, “Toa?”

  He tried to answer but darkness enveloped him for an instant.

  Toa reached out for the people touching him. “We need to get out of here.”

  Megan answered wryly, “Yeah, I figured. But where?”

  Blackness took him for a moment. The emptiness was comfortable as it took him away from the pain which throbbed through him. But he had to see to his family. He slogged through the darkness. When he came back the women were arguing. He grunted and tried to stand again but gentle hands push him down.

  Toa said, “Dad told us about an oasis which was out here. He was posted out here for a long while.”

  Natia said, “I remember. I got a look at the map when they made me take them to the cave so I know where it is. But you aren’t in any condition to get there.”

  Megan shrugged off the problem. “I’ll carry him.”

  Natia and Megan started to argue again but he realised there was no heat. They argued like they were siblings.

  Before Toa could get into the argument Megan lifted him up over her shoulder's fireman style. “Come on. Before they get organised and come after us,” she said.

  Chapter Nine

  Edge June 2097

  Megan shifted Toa on her shoulders. He wasn’t too heavy for her but he was awkward to carry. He had dropped into unconsciousness when she picked him up. That had been a while ago and with a glance at the rest of the family she knew it was more than time for them as well to rest.

  Masina appeared dead on her feet but Megan could only carry one person at a time. Natia was taking most of her mother’s weight as they staggered along.

  Natia said in a soft voice, “Thank you for getting us out of there.” She sounded tired as well. Her skin seemed pale and wan. A feat when she was so dark of skin.

  Megan asked concerned, “Were they even feeding you?”

  Natia huffed out a breath so she could speak. “There were set rations and if you wanted more food, you had to take on extra chores. Chores which involved spending time with the soldiers and I wasn’t going to do that.”

  Considering they were whipped because Natia had fought off one of the soldier’s attentions she could imagine what those extra chores would have involved. Megan glanced at Natia and asked shyly, “They didn’t?”

  Natia shook her head. “They had strict rules. The girls had to agree to it. Though they did make it very difficult to say no. Like the whippings and the low rations.”

  Megan tightened her grip on Toa and said without having to ask, “Toa doesn’t know.”
/>   Natia shook her head. “He would have just gotten into fights over it all. He used to do that in the camps. I was only sixteen and only a few had started to notice me. If he hadn’t gotten us out of there we would have been in trouble. Either Toa would have gotten killed and they would have used me or Toa would have found out I had been taken one day as that was inevitable. And if he tried to get me back, he would only have gotten himself killed. It was only a matter of time.”

  Megan asked, “So he joined the army to get you out of the camps?”

  Megan looked around for a place to stop as Natia’s voice was showing her fatigue. “Mmm. It must have been a difficult choice as our dad died because of the army. Many of our family died in the military, though mostly the navy. When we lived on the islands, it was the only way they would let us stay. If the men worked as mercenaries for the bigger states they would give us food and a place to stay.”

  Toa had mentioned a little about the islands but she hadn’t realised it was so difficult.

  Natia turned her head a little towards her and said, “He is a born protector that one. It’s nice to see he is with someone who can look after him for a change.”

  Toa was amazing and he had never expected anything from his family. He had risked his life multiple times and clearly his family loved him. Megan staggered a little as she came to a realisation. Natia looked at her with concern but Megan brushed it off. Megan schooled her features and continued walking.

  Megan had realised she was in love with Toa. The quiet protector. Her protector.

  She had never known anyone who had accepted her intelligence without thinking he was less because of her ability.

  Lucky then they were married.

  ___

  Megan winced as she cleaned off the blood on Toa’s back.

  Toa blinked and lay quietly for a moment then asked, “Why aren’t I healing like before?”

  She chewed her on her lip as she cleaned off the rag in the water. They had reached the oasis. It was a spring in a large valley. There were even plants because the tall walls of the valley protected the plants from the harsh weather.