AJ Diaz

Ch. 1 – Catherine: Roses and Thorns

 

THE PLAN WAS I had no plan.

I pretended to have a plan, and for some reason they believed me. They’re not stupid. They’re actually incredibly smart—my team. More likely than not, they knew I didn’t have a plan but followed me anyway. They didn’t follow me for ME. I don’t consider myself to be very special. And neither did they.

They followed me because it was in their bones.

They couldn’t keep to themselves, not with what was happening.

If we did nothing, we would die, or the next generation would die.

Or perhaps we were dead already, living under the tyranny of the Authority.

That’s why we ran the train.

That’s the thing about hope—it’ll kill you if you’re not careful. But is it worth living if you’re not living on the edge? Some say it isn’t.

Me? I wouldn’t mind a little peace and quiet.

Or a lot of it.

Because my alternative was standing here, two men approaching. Long black wool coats fell past their knees, wide belts hugged their waists, cinching their coats flat and tight to their bodies. They matched. And they gripped wooden pistols in each hand with golden triggers and trigger guards. Hefty black boots, sturdy material, fell in step on the wet concrete.

They hadn’t said a word yet.

They were wondering why I was where I wasn’t supposed to be.

“Hey, girl! Hands up!”—the man on the right.

The towering wall stretched up high on my left side, blocking out much of the moonlight, darkening the faces of the men who approached me. It didn’t help that they were wearing tall wide-brimmed black hats that cast shadows over their eyes. They were the same height. Same body build.

I didn’t move.

“Now!”—his voice raised.

They slowed their approach. I didn’t know why. I didn’t know their protocols or training. Was this part of it?

I needed them closer, so I began raising my hands, slowly.

They continued their approach—coming within fifteen feet.

I needed them closer.

“What’s your name?” the one on the left asked.

“Catherine,” I said, which was the truth.

I wanted them to know my name. And it didn’t matter. Because I was about to kill them. I had to. No choice now. And I only had two minutes left“before my friends got badly hurt.

“Less than two minutes,” Akin Said

The way he said it annoyed Scarlet. He’d wanted to do Catherine’s part—thought he could do it better, had better chances. Scarlet knew what Akio didn’t know about himself: he was too impetuous. Catherine was the better choice. She thought everything through, in great detail, even useless things.

“She’ll do it,” said Scarlet. “Don’t wo“y.”

Troy came up beside them, looking out the window.

They were standing at the front of the train, inside.

An incredulous disparity presented itself: Here they were, in the cover of late-night darkness, attempting a mission that not even the Resistance—with all of their resources—could accomplish. And all seemed tranquil, though they were barreling toward a closed gate, going one hundred miles an hour. A gate designed to stop trains just like this one.

If they hit it, they would die.

And they would reach the gate in—

“A minute-and-a-half,” Akio said, looking at his silver-inlaid wristwatch.

But that was the thing.

Though she didn’t know much about trains, this being her first time on a train, Scarlet wasn’t afraid. The three of them stood before the tall window, facing their fate. At the very front of the train, the window spanned the entirety of the wall, twenty-five feet high and twenty-five feet across—made of thick, clear-as-the-night strong glass. Advanced tech, Troy had mentioned earlier.

It was an absurdly expensive train, plush-as-a-pillow-in-a-rich-man’s bed-set, decorated by the best designers, furnished with the best pieces, and temperature controlled.

Even though it was freezing cold outside, this room was a cool seventy degrees.

The controls, a long and confusing panel of blinking lights and switches and things Scarlet didn’t understand yet, stood against the left wall, leaving all the space to stand before the window.

Troy brushed Scarlet’s shoulder with his finger. “Should I slow us down?”

Scarlet shrugged. “We can’t.”

He nodded.

We’re going to die,” said Akio. “Before the freakin’ mission starts.”

“Calm down,” Scarlet said.

Akio spun away from the window, ran both hands through his hair.

“She has plenty of time. She’s probably already in the control room. Waiting for the right moment,” said Scarlet.

Feeling secure within the opulent setting of the train car, Scarlet knew there was nothing safe about this mission.

The radio speakers, mounted in the corners of the room, crackled. A voice followed: “Train approaching. We need your entrance code.”

“Great,” said Akio, throwing up his hands and facing the window once more.

“I think I should slow the train,” said Troy.

“We have to trust Catherine,” said Scarlet.