17

Countdown: 5:59:57 Remaining.

Before poking their heads out of the hole they’d created, Rui ran a heat scan and Makoto maxed out his hearing to check for any nearby people. At the same time, both boys unclasped their respirators and hid them in the hole. The Pure didn’t need any heat protective equipment, so wearing theirs would make the pair stand out like sore thumbs.

“I’m not seeing anyone nearby,” Rui whispered.

“Me neither,” Makoto replied. “Maybe they tend to avoid the barrier, once they’re on the other side.”

“God forbid we infect them from behind their precious wall,” Rui said. The usual venom dripped from his lips, paired with an eye roll. Makoto resisted reminding him that some of the Pure were being kept against their will. He knew his chastisement would fall on deaf ears when surrounded by those Rui considered his enemy. As long as he doesn’t see Miyuki that way, I guess it doesn’t matter.

With a nod towards the top of the hole, into which a sliver of dull light trickled in, Makoto indicated they should move forward. The timer counting down in his head urged him not to waste a moment.

Rui emerged from the hole first, followed closely by Makoto. The first thing Makoto noticed as he entered the sanctuary was the difference in the air quality within the barrier.

Although it was still as cold as the rest of the prefecture, the air was much cleaner than what he was accustomed to. Beside him, Rui took deeper breaths, and a slight smile tugged at his lips, so Makoto could tell his partner had also noticed the lack of ashes and dust in the air around them. Makoto wondered if his new lung contributed to the ease of every inhale.

The scenery, as well, was a lot less cluttered. Whereas their hometowns had been reduced to little more than rubble and the crumbling remains of buildings they’d frequented in the Before, the sanctuary was fairly bare. Empty space spanned for hundreds of feet around them, cleared of even a single pebble.

In the distance, a few hundred yards away, a group of Pure was constructing a fresh new building. The metal exoskeleton indicated it would be about four stories tall, though only the first story had materialized thus far.

The only similarity between the world outside and the world inside the barrier was the lack of light. Neither side could do anything to clear the constant haze in the sky, or fix the low emissions from the sun.

Deep in the middle of the area, and visible from any vantage point, was the tallest building within the Sanctuary and the one the Faraday cage had been built around. From the rumors Makoto had heard, he assumed this was the building the Rebels had raided and hoped to take down, and he inferred that this was likely where his sister was being kept. In the Before, when the Sanctuary was supposedly a research facility, the building was intended to be the main lab, so it was likely the most complete out of everything around them.

“We’re basically out in the open for a lot of this,” Rui said, surveying the area. He and Makoto had crouched back into the hole, only poking out their heads to stake out their journey to the center. He grimaced at the idea, and Makoto felt his own face mimicking the expression.

There were a few other structures they could make out, but none close to the barrier, and all of them were fairly spread out from one another.

“At least we have an advantage over the Pure,” Makoto said, trying to reassure himself as much as Rui. “We can see and hear better than they ever will.”

Taking the lead, Makoto climbed out onto the hard-packed dirt. He stayed in a crouched position, hoping to draw less attention to himself, and started to make his way along the barrier towards the center of the sanctuary. At least there isn’t much light to begin with, and they have no technology whatsoever, so we’ll be hard to see even out in the open.

Having lived mostly underground for the past several months had given Makoto an advantage few Pure would have -- he was more accustomed to dim or nonexistent lighting, and therefore he was nimble and agile, even without the use of his monocle’s enhanced night vision.

Rui followed close behind, saying, “Right, and most of them are not going to be able to fight us anyways. When the Rebels snuck in, a lot of the Pure feared them and avoided direct confrontation until they reached the center, where they had higher security. We’re not likely to run into much trouble out here.”

Makoto was grateful that Rui had decided to avoid confrontation, and he was also refraining from threatening to kill as many of the Pure as he could, although Makoto knew it was on his mind. Even in his peripheral vision, he could see how tense and alert Rui was, and how the boy itched for a fight.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips over how considerate his partner was, and it propelled him forward a little faster.

Countdown: 5:31:05 Remaining.

Makoto and Rui slowed down as they approached the nearest construction site, both of them running scans to check how close the Pure were to the edges. Nothing appeared on Makoto’s, but the way Rui's gaze continuously flicked around indicated he was watching several of them.

Staring ahead of them, Makoto tried to scope out the easiest path. Several sites lined their path on either side, but they looked mostly unoccupied. The projects had been halted at various stages, certainly to continue collecting materials for the buildings. He saw no movement to indicate any Pure within those spaces, but he knew that meant little from his distance.

Rui’s lips were moving as he looked around them, but no words came out. When he noticed Makoto watching him, he said, “There are 57 Pure to our left, and only 15 to our right. I can’t see all the way to the center, but as far as I can tell, the right seems to be our best bet.”

Makoto nodded, and let Rui lead the way. The path would take them closer to the first construction site, where Makoto guessed most of the 15 Pure were, but he trusted Rui’s instincts. He’d know more about the layout within the Sanctuary than Makoto could ever hope to, having seen the Rebel’s raid firsthand.

This must be hard for him, Makoto thought, staring at Rui’s back as they walked. He’s following the same path his sister took before she died. He noted the tension in Rui’s shoulders and arms, and the stiff way he walked, as though something pulled him back despite his desire to move forward.

The first site loomed only a hundred feet away when Makoto’s scan picked up the first Pure. He stopped in his tracks, and so did Rui, standing beside him with wide eyes that betrayed the shock both he and Makoto felt.

“Is that…” Rui asked, trailing off as though afraid of saying the name.

“Shu…” Makoto finished in awe. “So he actually made it through here, and they accepted him after all…”

“I didn’t think they would,” Rui said, speaking the words they were both thinking. His entire body relaxed with the relief of seeing the boy again and knowing he had survived this long.

For the first time since leaving their camp, Makoto felt a little reassured. “I’m so glad to see him again,” was all he could say. At least someone survived. He couldn’t bring himself to voice the thought.

“Guess it was a good thing he never returned to our camp after all,” Rui said. “He left at just the right time.” Rui had never had much of a filter, so he didn’t hold back from saying the words Makoto had been thinking.

Makoto could only nod in response and try to hold onto the sense of relief.

It didn’t last long, as Shu’s silhouette walked away from them. His gait was different from what Makoto was used to seeing. The missing arm came as no surprise, but Makoto couldn’t think of a reason why Shu limped.

Rui turned back to give Makoto a confused look, indicating he had also noticed the change. They continued slowly, and both of them watched Shu’s silhouette, all but neglecting the others around him.

Fortunately, enough distance lay between Shu and the rest of the Pure, allowing Makoto and Rui to move close enough to see him without risking being seen themselves.

Makoto’s heart dropped when he saw Shu from behind.

The boy was dressed in little more than rags. Gone was the thermal fabric he’d been wearing the last time Makoto had seen him, and he was instead clothed in a thin shirt that accentuated his protruding spine and ill-fitting pants. The shirt was torn in multiple places, and the sleeves were short enough to expose most of his arms, which were covered in bruises.

He wore the most miserable expression on his face as he turned and shuffled awkwardly around, struggling to lift large slabs of concrete by himself and bring them over to the main area, where the rest of the Pure were setting the foundation for what looked to be a housing complex, judging from the size of the floor plan. The bags under his eyes indicated he hadn’t slept recently, and the dirt caked across his face didn’t suffice to cover up more bruising along his jawline. Although he’d already been thin before, he looked skeletal now, with his elbows and collarbone jutting out where fabric failed to cover them.

Rui and Makoto turned to each other to exchange looks of simultaneous horror and confusion. Gone was the relief they’d felt moments ago.

“What happened to him?” Rui whispered, chancing another glance at Shu.

Before Makoto could answer, he saw Rui’s expression flash from pity to panic, and looked over to see Shu staring back at them.

Makoto cursed himself for having let his guard down. He and Rui hadn’t even tried to hide as they’d approached. They had been too engrossed in finding out what happened to Shu to remember that they stood in enemy territory, and anyone could prove dangerous.

Shu glanced at the construction site before shuffling over, quick and silent on his feet. As he came closer, Shu’s face held no animosity, no threat of exposure. Fear knitted his eyebrows together, and panic tugged down the corners of his mouth. He no longer possessed that youthful confidence and ever-present sense of defiance. Even the anger he’d always displayed seemed to have disappeared completely.

“Help me,” were the first words out of his mouth. “You have to get me out of here.” He reached Makoto first, and held out a trembling hand, barely managing to grasp the sleeve of Makoto’s shirt with calloused, bloodied fingers. Up close, Makoto saw the young boy he’d known from his neighborhood, scared witless. His wide eyes pleaded desperately.

Makoto must have made a confused face, because Shu pulled away and asked, hesitantly, “You’re here to save Miyuki, right? To rescue her and bring her outside, right? Like you’d always said you would?” He barely allowed a breath after the onslaught of questions, then stood, seeming to hold the next one in anticipation.

Makoto could only nod, speechless at the transformation of the boy before him. As much as he’d disliked Shu’s constant outbursts, seeing the boy seem so broken was painful.

“Take me with you,” he begged, grasping Makoto’s wrist with his only hand. The stump of his other arm reached for Makoto, but he didn’t quite make it. “Please.” Shu’s lower lip trembled as he spoke.

Before Makoto could reply, Rui jumped in, asking, “What happened to the Pure being better than us Defectives? I thought you didn’t need any of us.” Although Rui crossed his arms, the concern on his face took away any chance of him being intimidating. Makoto knew he had no intention of refusing Shu’s request, no matter what the boy answered.

“I was wrong,” Shu said, shaking his head desperately. “I’d rather be out there, with everyone else, than in here. You were right when you said they wouldn’t accept me.” Every few words, he glanced towards the other Pure nearby, wary of when they would catch him not working. His entire body was tense with fear.

It was Makoto’s turn to ask questions. “What happened to you? What have they done?” He examined Shu up and down as if he could figure out why the boy was limping without running a scan, which he didn’t dare waste energy on when he knew he wouldn’t be able to help without the proper materials.

Shu’s face turned bright red, and he couldn’t meet neither Makoto nor Rui’s gaze as he answered, “They don’t want me to continue an “impure” bloodline, so they…” He trailed off for a second, then continued at barely above a whisper, “Made it so I can never reproduce.” The hand that held Makoto’s burned, and he let go quickly, shifting back and forth on his feet. “That was the condition so I could stay here, with the others.”

“But they’re still not treating you like the rest, huh?” Rui said softly. His face and tone had softened with compassion, and he reached out to lay a gentle yet comforting hand on Shu’s shoulder.

Shu nodded. “The conditions here aren’t great by any means, but they’re even worse for someone like me.” He looked off towards the main building and said, “I won’t ask you to take me with you inside, because I’ll just slow you down, but if you could come back for me someday, before it’s too late… I know I don’t deserve it, after all the trouble I’ve caused, but…” His voice grew heavier, and tears shimmered in the corners of his eyes. “Please.”

“Of course,” Makoto said softly. He took Shu’s hand again and gave it what he hoped was a comforting squeeze. “I promise you, we’ll come back for you.”

“On our way out, if we can,” Rui said, jumping in. “We might need your help to sneak Miyuki away.” He gave Makoto a look that said he would explain his train of thought later, and Makoto nodded.

“Anything I can do,” Shu said, nodding resolutely. His expression sobered, and he straightened as best as he could. “I’ll keep a look out for your return, but for now I have to go before they see us.” He looked back towards the other Pure on the worksite, and said, “I’ll try to distract as many of them as I can so you can get past more easily.” A flash of fear crossed his face as he said, “But please, hurry.”

As he turned away, Makoto noticed how pale his skin had become, dropping several shades at the thought of drawing attention to himself. He couldn’t help grimacing as he wondered what horrors Shu had faced recently and what punishments may ensue from his attempts to help.

The boy had only taken a few steps forward when he turned back, looked Makoto straight in the eye, and said, “If I don’t make it, can you apologize to Sumire for me?” His confidence waned, and he glanced down. “I don’t know if she’ll forgive me for the things I said, but I want her to know how sorry I am. I treated her horribly, and now I know what that feels like. I don’t know that I can ever make amends, but I’ll do anything she asks.”

Makoto swallowed the lump in his throat long enough to say, “I’m sure she’d forgive you.” He felt Rui’s eyes on him, but avoided looking at the boy.

Shu’s eyebrow twitched in confusion, certainly catching the strain in Makoto’s voice, but he nodded anyway and turned back around. He started to leave, then turned around and, looking at Rui, said, “One more thing?” He pointed to his eye, opposite of Rui’s mechanical one. “The heterochromia is a dead giveaway, all the more because it’s red. You should keep it closed when you don’t need it.” He waited for Rui to nod and comply, then, squaring his shoulders, he made his way back to the main construction site.

Rui’s silence in Shu’s absence held questions Makoto didn’t know how to answer. He hadn’t meant to lie, but he didn’t have the heart to tell Shu the truth, not when the boy was suffering so much already. Besides, he thought, trying to reassure himself, if he helps us save Miyuki, Sumire would forgive him, if she hadn’t already. Although I doubt she would hold a grudge in the first place.

“You’ll have to tell him eventually,” Rui said softly, choosing not to ask any of the dozen questions that crossed his one-eyed expression.

“I know,” Makoto said.

And together, they waited in silence for the distraction that would allow them to sneak past the construction site, and continue to the center of the Sanctuary.