Only Human (Themis Files, #3)(72)

[Akt eyet mockingjay?]

It’s a…How do I explain bird? Never mind. I guess I’ll be The Dagger. Revolution’s gotta have a face after all. Only problem is there isn’t any. There’s no Hand of Yetskots. There’s no insurgence. None we’ve heard of, anyway. We have meetings. We hand out leaflets. We have no weapons unless you count kitchen knives, and we sure as hell don’t blow up buildings. They vaporized a school in Eskyaks last week. A school! There were no kids inside, but people died. We went there to see if we could help. It’s a fairly poor region. Waste of time. There was nothing to help with. Nothing left. Now, they’re blaming us for it. Well, not us, me, and this organization that doesn’t exist.

The soup kitchen is closed, crawling with security. My guess is they’re searching the place for proof. I’m sure they’ll find some. If they’re willing to destroy a school just so they can frame us for it, I don’t see why they wouldn’t go the extra mile and plant some evidence.

Now the Imperial Guard is pounding at the door. My father is with them. He has been chasing me, hunting me down, for about a week. We used to be so close. It wasn’t that long ago, he’d have faced an entire army just to protect me. That’s what fathers do, right? Now…Well, now he’s brought the army with him.

I wonder why the Imperial Guard is here instead of local security. The empress has no power in the regions. At least, she’s not supposed to. It doesn’t really matter, I guess. We’re still screwed. Ityets has disabled the door. It’s basically a solid metal wall now, but they’ll break through it soon enough.

Why would anyone want to pin this on me? I’m probably the least important person here. I don’t know anyone. I have like five friends. I can’t even vote. Why would my father help them? This doesn’t make any sense. None of it does.

What do you think they’ll do to us? Do you think they’ll kill us?

[Ops! Vincent, eyet ops ekuktyek atast!]

I don’t know anymore, Ityets. I didn’t think he’d be the one hunting us either. What are you doing?

[Ast eyoptet.]

You can hear them? What are they saying?

[Eps eyonats itont ikt.]

Step away from the door? Yokits, Ityets! Get back! Get back!





FILE NO. 2195 (CONTINUED)


MISSION LOG—VINCENT COUTURE AND SERGEANT ALEXANDER VASILIEV

Location: Aboard Themis. Sinuiju, North Korea —What the hell just happened?

—They shot us in the back, or kicked us. I don’t know.

—Can you see them?

—No. Push up, Alex, we need to get up!

—I am! What the hell are they doing?

—They’re rolling us over! Grab his leg and throw him to the ground! Alex! Grab his leg before he can pin us down!

Oh shit!

—I can’t move my arms!

—Eva, don’t do this!

[Did you stop when I told you not to drag Ekim into this? Now take this you yokits ass! UGH! How’s that feel?]

—AAAAGH! What do I do?

—I have no fu—AAAAAGH! Stop it, Eva! AAAAAARGH!

—MY ARM!

—Alex?

—I think I dislocated my shoulder.

—You broke his arm, Eva, now stop this!

[Tough luck. He shouldn’t have come with you if he didn’t want to get hurt.]

AAARGH! Screw this! I’m beaming us out of here!

—We’re on our back, Vincent! Where can we—AAARGH!

—UP, ALEX! WE’RE GOING UP!

…

—Where are we?

—About five hundred feet in the air.

—You’re insane!

—Maybe. We’re falling. Brace yourself, this is gonna leave a mark!

—FUUUUUUCK MEEEEEE!!!!





FILE NO. 2196 (CONTINUED)


MISSION LOG—WARRANT OFFICER EVA REYES AND LT. BARBARA BALL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, MECHA DIVISION

Location: Aboard Lapetus. Seoul, South Korea —MOVE, BARBARA! THEY’RE ABOVE US!

—Abo—AAAAAAARRGH!

—…

—Eva, I need help.

—Aagh…

—Eva?

—My…My left arm’s broken.

—Eva, I need help. I—

—I’m here, Barbara.

—I don’t know what happened. My legs…

—They fell on top of us, Barbara. They beamed into the yokits sky. Are you OK?

—I can’t move my legs.

—Get out of your station, Barbara. I’ll come down and beam us away.

—I can’t get out. That machine I’m in. I think it broke, crushed my legs inside it. I can’t feel them. I can’t feel anything from the waist down.

—I’ll come help you!

—No, don’t. You’ll do more harm than good. They’ll need to take this thing apart to get me out of it.

—Your face is bleeding.

—Oh…I might have broken my nose on the console. Where’s Themis?

—She’s on her back right next to us.

—What are you doing, Eva?

—I’m dragging us on top of her.

—I won’t be able to get up, Eva. It’s over.

—Give me the weapon.