A Traitor Among Us

Ducking under Rubble’s arm, Halo supports him as they stagger forward. 
          “Where do we go?” he asks, his voice glitching with urgency. 
          The rope holding the dog back snaps with a sharp crack. The dog tears free, launching into a mad dash straight for them. 
          “The barracks, just around the corner!” She yells while gripping him tight. 
          They stumble into the narrow street, racing the sound of pounding paws behind them. Halo shoves the barracks door open, and they jump inside. She slams it shut just as the dog hurls itself against the wood. 
          The beast scratches and barks furiously on the other side, but inside, both Halo and Rubble sag against the door, breathless with relief. 
         Halo tiptoes down the hall and peeks into the shared living space. “No one’s back yet, we can slip out the back door. The herb shop is close.” 
          But then come the muffled voices of the team, right outside, trying to calm the barking dog.
          “Oh no, they’re back!” she whispers. 
          They rush down the hall, but it’s too late, the barrack door creaks open, voices echoing in to the hall. Halo yanks open the utility closet and shoves Rubble into its. She pulls the door shut just as Benji calls out. 
          “Halo! Did you get enough to eat?” 
          “You never came back. Is my grilling really that bad?” Norio adds with a grin. 
          Halo laughs nervously. “Heeey, guys. No, I just got trapped in here. That crazy dog was outside.” 
          “We saw that,” Benji says. “He’s usually friendly.” 
          “Yeah, unless he spots an android,” Norio remarks, scratching his head. “Then he goes berserk.” 
          “That’s… so weird,” Halo says, firmly planting herself in front of the closet door. 
          The others drift off, some toward the bedroom, others to the bathhouse. But Norio drops heavily onto the frayed couch directly across from the closet, pulling out his knife and whetstone. The blade scrapes in slow, steady strokes. 
          Halo pauses for a moment, frustrated. She then cracks the closet door open a sliver, then forces herself to move and sit casually near Norio. “Hey, so I wanted to ask you something.” 
          Inside the closet, Rubble carefully pokes his head out, scanning the room. 
          “What is it?” Norio asks, eyes on the blade. 
          The closet creaks as Rubble eases himself out. Norio begins to glance toward the sound when Halo shouts, “Is Thorn single?!”, her voice louder than she intended. 
          Norio’s head snaps back to her instantly. “Are you crazy? The commander?” 
          “Uh… yeah,” she says, feigning sheepishness. 
          Rubble crawls low across the floor, inching toward the back hallway. 
          “Don’t even bother,” Norio says, shaking his head. “He lost his wife and kids to the virus back on Earth. He’s not past it yet.” 
          “That’s… awful,” Halo says quietly, her eyes lowered. 
          Rubble reaches the back door and waits. 
          “I’m gonna get some air,” Halo says, rising quickly. 
          “A’ight,” Norio replies, turning back to his blade with a shrug. 
          Halo and Rubble slip out the back door and dart through the alley toward the herbal shack. By the time they reach it, the storm wind is howling through the streets, sending lanterns swinging on their hooks. 
          She shoves the door open and pulls him inside. Rubble stumbles forward, his weight crashing into her. Halo braces against the solid plating of his chest, whispering frantically, “Stop wobbling!” 
          The shutters bang as the wind rattles them. Rubble slumps heavily down against the wall, exhaling hard, joints creaking as he settles. Halo quietly sits beside him. 
          “You’re impossible to smuggle,” Halo says, teasingly, “You rattle like a toolbox.” 
          Rubble chuckles in his glitchy, metallic way. “This was your idea, not mine.” 
          “You’re welcome,” she says, trying to sound nonchalant. 
          The two of them sit shoulder to shoulder among baskets of drying herbs. For a moment, the storm rumbling closer fills the silence between them. A flash of lightning splits the sky, thunder rolling close behind it. 
          “I wish I were human,” Rubble admits, his voice hushed. 
          Halo turns, eyes wide with concern. “What?” 
          “If I were a person, I wouldn’t have to hide. I wouldn’t be feared. I’d be enough… I’d be real.” His gaze drifts away, caught somewhere in the distance, lost in thought. 
          Halo leans closer, her hand touching his shoulder gently. “You’re more real to me than anyone,” she whispers. 
          Their eyes meet, lingering. The world around them fades as they study each other’s faces, as if trying to guess the words not being said. 
          Rubble reaches up, his movements careful, almost hesitant. He brushes a strand of hair from Halo’s face. Her breath catches. Heat rushes to her cheeks, making the metal on his fingertips feel even colder against her skin. 
          “I… Umm,” Halo chokes on her words. “I-I’ll lock the door behind me so no one can get in. You should be safe here.” She jumps to her feet. “Good night!” 
          “Goodnight, Halo,” Rubble says quietly. 
          She fumbles for the doorknob and slips out, locking it behind her. 
          Exhaling slowly, she rests her forehead against the door for a moment. 
          She lifts her head and turns around to head back for the barracks, but Thorn is there waiting, blocking her path with arms crossed and face hardened. 
          “Where have you been?” he asks, his voice low and harsh. 
          “Um, I left something in the shack, I was just getting it.” 
          “You’re coming with me.” 
          He grabs her arm and drags her into the cobblestone street in front of the barracks, where the rest of the team waits in a tense half-circle, faces taut with unease. 
          Thorn paces, fury simmering in every step. “There’s a traitor among us. I know it’s one of you.” His voice is sharp enough to draw blood. “One of you leaked our plan this morning.” 
          Dark clouds churn overhead. Thunder grumbles like an animal in its sleep. 
          “They were bound to find us at some point, Commander,” Dosei offers sheepishly. 
          “That’s not what I’m talking about!” Thorn snaps. “How else would Helrix know one of us is sick? That’s leaked information.” 
          Eyes shift. Glances sharpen. Suspicion spreads like fire through dry grass. 
          Cinder steps forward, her voice low but seething. “Convenient, isn’t it? We were fine until she showed up.” Her gaze slices to Halo. 
          Halo’s throat locks. Words tumble out broken. “I—I didn’t—” But panic grips her, leaving nothing she can say to defend herself. 
          Thorn, steady as stone no longer, turns on her with raw betrayal in his voice. “We took you in. Trusted you. And you bring them to us in our time of need?” 
          The air grows heavy, suffocating with anger and fear. 
          The first spatters of rain strike the stones, hissing as they touch the lingering warmth of the day. Lightning splits the sky, thunder cracking closer now, a mirror of the storm breaking inside the camp. 
          “I wouldn’t do that!” Halo finally blurts, voice cracking. “I’m grateful you’ve accepted me here. I swear it, I’d never betray you.” 
          Cinder scoffs. The others exchange weary glances but remain silent. 
          Thorn shakes his head, regret hardened into steel. “I cannot allow you to stay, Halo.” 
          Her eyes sting as tears well up. “Please, I haven’t done anything wrong!” 
          Thorn extends his spear, leveling its point at her chest. 
          “Go. Now.” 
          “It wasn’t her. It was me.” 
          A voice cuts through. Everyone turns as Rubble steps forward, rain pinging off his metallic frame beneath damp clothes. Every hand goes for a weapon in the same heartbeat; all pointing at him. 
          Rubble’s words hit like a blade straight through Halo’s heart. The world narrows to the shape of him. But even now, she can’t raise her weapon at him. 
          “Is that my shirt?” Benji blurts, voice small against the storm. 
          Thorn lashes out with his spear. Rubble ducks the strike and bolts toward the only exit. “Don’t let him get away! Raise the drawbridge!” Thorn snarls. 
          They spill into the main street in pursuit. Bullets zip through the air, ricocheting off stones. Shots echo down the side canals. Townspeople returning from the community dinner scatter out of the way as Rubble slams through, trying to blend into the crowd. The team keeps their weapons low, chasing, not wanting to hit civilians. 
          The drawbridge groans and begins to lift. Rubble charges up the slick slope and jumps. Thorn fires his revolver. The shot punches into Rubble’s back; he falters and plunges into the water below. 
          Everyone fires blindly into the rippling surface. Guards scatter along the docks, peering over edges, but Rubble never resurfaces. 
          “My shirt!” Benji whines. 
          Thorn pivots toward the guards, voice hard. “I want all available men posted around the perimeter. We can’t risk him getting into Ossamaris again. And if I catch whoever slacked off and let him sneak in, you’re dead.” 
          He turns and sees Halo: tears streaking down her cheeks. Thorn exhales, a hard, guilty sound, and lays a hand on her shoulder. His voice is rough with regret. 
          “I’m sorry I doubted you.” 
          Halo doesn’t answer. She only stares into the water where Rubble fell, torn between a sudden white-hot fury and grief so sharp it makes her heavy chest ache. 
          Above them, the sky finally breaks. Rain lashes down in a white curtain, turning the world into a gray blur, and drowning out the last soft sound of hope.