Song of the Chapter: Devotion - Tristam (Electronic)

(Evee's POV)

"I can't go any farther," Nitro Fun says, breathing hard.

"Okay. We'll rest for a little bit," Joel says.

We find a fallen log and Nitro gently sits down, wincing as he tests his cracked ribs. I sit next to him, Joel on my other side.

"This is pointless," Nitro mumbles. "We're going to die. Where are we even going?"

"The city," I say. "Right, Joel?"

"The city," he agrees.

"The city? Are you kidding me?" Nitro nearly shouts. "The city is a death trap! What do you think we're gonna do there, tough guy? They're going to kill us if we go back there! And I don't really feel like dying right now, FYI." He takes a deep breath to keep shouting, but starts coughing violently.

"It's our only chance of survival," Joel says, his voice rising in anger. "We need food and we need water, and while it's possible to find them in the forest, I'd rather not, wise guy."

"Then I guess our chances of survival are close to zero, then, aren't they? We're all gonna die!"

"Aren't you just a little bucket of sunshine?"

"Oh, shut up, a - "

"Hey!" I cut him off before he swears at Joel. "Both of you, knock it off. We'll make it, okay? Remember what Tristam said earlier. We're only going to fail - or die - if we say we are. Are we going to die?"

"Yes," Nitro mutters. "Wait, no. Gamers don't die. They respawn. I'm gonna survive. Sorry guys. Tough luck."

"See? It's getting better already."

He cracks a smile. "Yeah. I guess it is. You have that effect on people."

"No one can stay angry with you around," Joel adds.

I smile shyly and they both laugh.

We get moving again after a few minutes, and find ourselves close to the bridge around nighttime. "We'll stop here," Joel determines. "In the morning, we can figure out how to cross the bridge back into the city." He sits down against a tree, setting down his sword, and stretches his arms, yawning. "You guys get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

"But you're exhausted," I protest.

"So are you," he points out.

"Oh, shut up with the cute lovey dovey stuff and let him take it," Nitro grumbles, struggling to sit down without hurting himself. "You can take next watch. I'll sleep. Good night." He takes off his jacket and bunches it up to make a pillow, and then curls up on his unwounded side and lays down gently. His back is pressed up against a tree, across from Joel, and he sighs and closes his eyes after watching us for a second. "Thanks, guys," he mumbles, already drifting off.

Once he's sure Nitro is asleep, Joel takes off his own jacket and lays it on top of the younger artist. When he sits back down, Nitro takes the corner and gently pulls it tighter around his shoulders, smiling a little in his sleep.

I sit down next to Joel and rest my head on his shoulder.

"Get some sleep," he mutters.

"I'm staying awake with you," I say.

"Then we'll both be too tired to travel."

"I'll be fine." I close my eyes and breathe in the fresh forest air.

Joel starts humming softly, swaying back and forth, and then starts to sing. His beautiful voice fills the night air and I smile.

"Silent in the dark,
Waiting for the spark.
The wood soaked in their blood,
Their hands joined in the mud.
The ember gently glowed,
The spark took to their clothes.
The flames kept on rising higher."

"Dance with me," he whispers.

I stand with him, his arm wrapped gently around my waist. He takes my hand in his and sways, taking steps in either direction.

"They stood in the fire,
They burn with desire.
With love and emotion
They dance with devotion ... "

He leads me in a slow circle, pulling me closer until we're not dancing anymore. We're hugging and swaying together. I rest my head on his chest and listen to his strong heartbeat, feeling him vibrate slightly as he sings.

"They stood in the fire,
They burn with desire.
With love and emotion
They dance with devotion ... "

He suddenly picks me up around my waist and lifts me up. I yelp a little and giggle against my will.

"I could kiss you," he says with a bright smile. The smile melts a little and he says, "I mean - unless you don't want me to - do you?"

"Hey," Nitro whispers loudly. "You two should kiss." We both look at him in surprise. He closes his eyes again with a smirk and shifts to cover his face with the jacket.

Joel smiles again and pulls me close. His kiss is warm and comforting, and I feel like I finally have a place to call home. Sometimes, I think, home has a heartbeat.

...

"Wake up, Evee," he says, gently poking my arm.

I groan and roll over, pulling myself to my feet. "Are we leaving?"

"Yeah. I need water, and soon. Hopefully, we'll reach the city in an hour or so." He stands up next to me and then kneels next to Nitro. "Rise and shine, princess."

I look at the younger artist and laugh. He's adorable when he sleeps. He's curled up tightly, hiding under the jacket, his knees against his chest. His blue jacket-pillow covers half of his face and his hair falls across his forehead in a way that reminds me of a little kid.

"Good morning," Joel says, poking him.

Nitro groans and pulls the jacket over his eyes. "Five more minutes," he mutters.

"You're adorable," I tell him.

"Thanks," he murmurs, probably not even hearing what I said.

"Poke him harder," I say.

"Wake up, little child." Joel pokes him again.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty. There's no one here to kiss you," I tease.

"Fight me," Nitro grumbles.

"I'll tickle you," Joel threatens. He leans closer and pulls the jacket off. Nitro doesn't respond, so he squeezes his side to get him up.

Nitro screams out a frightening "OW!!" and scrambles away from him, tripping and gripping his side as he crashes back down. He curls up again, not to sleep, but in pain. "You idiot," he hisses, squeezing his eyes shut. "In case you forgot, I was shot."

Joel's eyes widen. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously not." Nitro pulls himself up with a grimace and a curse. "Now that I'm up ... I guess we can just keep going."

I wrap my hand under his arms to help him, but he pushes me away. "I don't need help," he insists, but then almost falls over again by himself.

"I've got you," I whisper.

He sighs and lets me help him again. "Thanks, Evee."

We reach the bridge in an hour, like Joel said. We cross the river just like we did coming back from the house, ending up soaked in freezing water. We get into the city and into the Wal-Mart, and go straight to the bathrooms and drinking fountains after stashing Joel's helmet and sword in a corner. I drink and drink and drink until Nitro shoves me out of the way and takes over.

"Acting like they haven't had water for two days," a rude costumer mutters.

I almost laugh. She has no idea.

"Outta my way." Nitro pushes me again. "I have to pee so freaking bad."

"You could've just gone in the forest," Joel says.

"Shut up, Rogue."

I go into the bathroom, and after taking care of business, I wash my face with my hands. I wash my arms and try to scrub some of the dirt off of my clothes, too, hoping to make some progress. I brush my hair with my fingers and then feel presentable enough to rejoin my friends.

They're waiting for me when I get out, and then we start back outside to go find Joel's stuff. While walking through the checkout lines, I notice the helmet sitting on one of the counters. I nudge him and point. He frowns and wanders a little closer. Nitro grabs my arm, and I can hear his breathing quicken. He's nervous, and so am I.

"That's definitely mine," Joel murmurs, gently taking my hand. "We have to get out of here."

"Not so fast," someone calls behind us.

Nitro sucks in a huge breath in fear and whirls around, backing up into me. Joel and I spin, too, and we don't have to recognize him to know who it is.

"I see you've managed to get back into the city," Jensen says casually, stepping forward. He's holding a gun.

The three of us step back and Nitro's face goes as white as a ghost. I notice all the costumers are being quietly evacuated. He planned the whole thing. He somehow knew we would come here - or he just followed us. I remember hearing something about a tracking device.

"Three of the 'main guys' in one place," Jensen laughs. "How convenient. Nitro Fun; good to see you."

Nitro backs up into Joel, who puts his arms around him protectively. Nitro told us about the shock torture. He has every right to be terrified.

"Eveelyn?" Jensen says. "I didn't expect to see you here. Your parents were so worried when they found you missing."

"How does he know your parents?" Joel whispers.

"He's ... He's ... " I falter.

"We're family!" Jensen exclaims, throwing his arms out. "Evee is my wonderful - and annoying - niece. Now you three are going to come with me, very nicely, and none of you will get hurt. I'll count to three."

Joel squeezes my hand and I swallow nervously.

"One ... two ... three. Oh, dear. You're no fun at all." Jensen pauses. "Except Nitro. He's very Fun." He chuckles and presses a button on his watch.

At first, I think it's some sort of calling button, but then Nitro screams and crumples to the floor. Joel and I scramble back, confused and very afraid. Nitro grabs at the wire and the box around his neck, yanking and pulling and screaming, but neither of us can do anything except stand there helplessly and watch.

Jensen releases the button and Nitro coughs out a massive sigh of relief, trying to catch his breath. He's crying, tears streaming down his face. Joel and I quickly kneel down next to him and wrap him up in a three person embrace. He's shaking like a leaf.

"How could you do this to him?" Joel demands. "He's just a kid!"

"He's leverage," Jensen says. He's right and we all know it. "He's motivation. Come with me and he doesn't get hurt."

Nitro takes a breath, and I think he's going to tell us that we can't turn ourselves in, that he can take it for us, because that's what everyone else would say, but that's not what happens. Instead, he tightens his grip around our shoulders and whispers, "I can't do this. Not again. Please don't let him hurt me."

"Run," Joel breathes, barely audible. "I'll stall him for you. If you get far enough, you'll be out of range and he can't hurt you."

Nitro nods and squeezes us tighter.

"Go!" Joel releases him and lunges at Jensen. Nitro scrambles to his feet and breaks into a staggering run, and I charge Jensen with Joel.

The man reaches for the button on his wrist, but I grab his arm and Joel slams into his other side, so he can't reach it. Jensen throws Joel off of him and gets me on my knees, his arm around my neck and the gun pressed against my temple. I catch my breath in fear and go completely still.

Joel stumbles back, his eyes filling with terror. "Don't touch her," he hisses.

"Come on, Rogue." Jensen sighs almost sadly. "How many times do I have to repeat this? No one will get hurt if you just come with me."

I know Jensen well enough to know that he won't kill me, not yet. I grab his arm and bite down on his hand, drawing blood. He releases me with a screech and I scramble to my feet. Joel grabs his sword and my hand and we take off running.

"Stop them!" Jensen howls, pointing with his bloody hand.

I spit his blood out of my mouth and push myself to go faster, but I haven't eaten a good meal in almost two days, and my anxiety is skyrocketing. My thoughts jumble and my heart feels like it's trying to break free. I stumble over and over and Joel keeps pulling me faster.

We dart down aisles, running, wandering aimlessly, until I knock over a bin of bouncy balls, spilling them on the floor. Joel slips on one and we crash down.

"Sorry," I gasp out.

"Don't be." He smiles and some of my fear vanishes. "I have an idea."

(Phantom's POV)

"13-0465," someone calls into my communicator.

My head snaps up and I drop the file I was holding. "Yes?" I answer weakly. They've caught me.

"Where are you? It's time for our round. If you're not here when Daniel is, you'll be in serious trouble." He pauses. "Again."

I sigh in relief. It's just Ben, the closest one I have to a friend. He's the nicest guy here and the only one who accepted me. Everyone else ... they know who I was, and they don't forgive easily.

"I'm in the bathroom," I say, faking a pained voice. "Sick. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"That's not how it works, Nick. You know that."

"Then stay with me."

"Okay, but you owe me one."

I stuff the file down my uniform shirt to study later and book it down to the bathrooms, locking myself in a stall. A few minutes later, I hear someone gently knocking on the stall doors. I sigh internally and start coughing, gagging myself until I throw up in the toilet. I don't know if that's considered a talent, but I've always been good at sneezing and throwing up on demand. It makes a good cover story, I guess.

"Nick?" Ben calls softly. "You in there?"

"Yeah," I groan.

He sighs. "I feel bad for you, but ... this is awkward ... "

"Sorry ... " I make myself throw up again, feeling sick for real. I wait for another minute or two and then flush the toilet, standing up and making sure the file is hidden in my oversized shirt. Once it is, I open the stall door and wash my hands, sucking a gulp of water out of the sink.

"You okay?" Ben asks.

"Yeah." I crack a smile and shiver, praying he can't see the file. "Can we run back to the barracks for a second? I don't have half of my gear. And I want a mint."

"Sure." He sighs through his nose. "If Daniel doesn't kill us, Jensen will," he mutters under his breath.

One thing I like about Ben is that even though we have identification numbers, he calls us all by our names when we're not on duty, or when the authority isn't around. The thing I don't like about Ben is that he's making me realize that these people are just as human as we are. It's hard to fight and hurt people who are people, too. I always dehumanized them to make my job easier.

I stash the file under my scratchy pillow and grab my stuff. We manage to get back on schedule quickly without anything worse than a scolding. We go through our round like normal, though it feels a hundred times longer. I'm itching to get back and read that file.

When we do get back, we're greeted with an uncomfortable murmur. "Sick again, 0465?" the rudest guy sneers. The only problem with being stuck with guys my age is that they're all the same jerks they were in high school. He's only a year older than me.

"Isn't that always the case?" someone else says.

"Why did Jensen even let you in here?"

"Oh, come on. He was probably making out with his boyfriend."

"Was not," I snap. "My boyfriend isn't even here. He's far away." My voice cracks on the song reference. I don't care that I'm lying. I don't have a boyfriend, and my best friend is here, very close, yet just out of reach. It hurts me.

"Then he's probably not coming back, huh?" The first one, Camden, laughs. "You need someone else." He comes toward me, slowly cornering me. He's teasing me. He does this all the time. I've tried to ignore it, but it doesn't seem like there's a way to escape this time. I thought we would have grown out of this drama. I guess I was wrong.

"Leave me alone, Camden." I try to turn away, but he grabs my shoulders and pins me against the wall.

"Lucky for you, I need someone, too." He smirks at me, and I know he's lying. He's doing it to get a reaction, like Nitro Fun, only I hate this guy all the time, not just some of the time.

He suddenly grabs my face and pulls me close. I yell in surprise, but it's cut off as our mouths meet and we're kissing. I try to shove him away, but he won't budge, and any sound I make is muffled. His forced kiss is much different than Noisestorm's. His is taunting, hating, and I'm afraid. He breaks the connection for a moment and chuckles softly. "Mmm. Minty."

"Let go, you little - " My words are smothered by another forced kiss, a deeper one this time. My heart beats faster and harder and I don't know what to do. He sticks his tongue in my mouth and I bite him, desperate to escape. He releases me with a disgusted yelp, backing up and slamming me back against the wall.

"That's sick," he hisses.

"And everything else wasn't?" I demand, rubbing my head where I banged it and feeling that fury boiling back up. "That was assault and I'm gonna - "

Ben smacks his hand over my mouth. "It's not worth it," he murmurs in my ear.

"It's not worth it?!" I scream through his hand, my voice muffled. "Are you freaking kidding me?!"

"He probably liked it," someone mutters.

"He bit my tongue," Camden complains, earning a collective chuckle.

"He just wants attention."

"Yeah, that's it," Ben says. "Come on, Nick, let's - "

"Yeah, that's it." I elbow him in the gut and tackle Camden. I'm tired of playing nice. I'm tired of pretending I don't care.

We go down hard. The fist fight is a blur of rage and I don't remember it, but we freeze when I hear my number called over the speaker.

"13-0465, Jensen has requested you meet him in his office immediately."

I look up, the red rage draining away and replaced by fear. Camden kicks me off of him and stands up, wiping blood from his face. I pull myself to my feet, staggering. Ben doesn't move to help. He stares at me in fear. We may be soldiers, but we aren't military. Jensen hasn't placed many strict rules on us - except for one: there is absolutely no physical fighting. Because of the limited rules, the punishments are strict and harsh. I've broken that rule, the one rule Jensen cares about.

I glance around at the other men, some glaring, some refusing to meet my eyes. I straighten my uniform shirt and leave to follow Jensen's order. I reach his office and take a deep breath before entering.

"Hello, Nicholas," Jensen says.

"You called?" I fight to keep my voice steady.

"I did, but it's you who wants to talk."

I'm startled - because he's right.

"Come, sit down, and let's chat." He smiles and gestures to the chair in front of his desk.

I obey skeptically, shifting uncomfortably in my chair.

"You're very easy to read, Nick," he begins. "You're very predictable. I know you're going to rejoin those rebels. You're not really on my side. I know all your nervous habits - flickering eyes, rubbing your bracelet. I know your fear of heights, the fear for your friends. I can see your rage in your eyes. You hate me. I know you're wondering; how can I do this? What's the point? But there's something else you want to ask me. Ask away."

I don't, not at first. I hesitate to collect my thoughts. Finally, I take a breath and ask what I've been wondering ever since I got here. "Why haven't you asked me yet?"

"Pardon?"

"I know what you want. How come you haven't asked me for it yet?"

"Are you ready to give it up?" he says, smiling.

"Why haven't you asked for it?"

"You don't even know what's in that box, do you?" He stares right through my calm gaze. He knows I'm afraid.

None of my friends or allies even know this box exists. It was my parents' box, holding something they discovered years ago - seventeen years ago. They were scientists, and their discovery was dangerous and terrifying. They locked it away to hide it from the government and even their own friends and family.

Even me. The only one it effected.

"You don't even know what's in that box, do you?" he repeats, chuckling. "You don't even know what's in that explosive box, the one ready to self destruct because we don't have the password."

"Something about cloning," I mutter.

"Cloning?" He cuts me off with a loud bark of laughter. "Not quite. It's the process of copying and implanting a conscious into a human - or animal - brain in order to have someone who thinks exactly the same as another. Of course, as the years go on, they grow a little different, but they are still the same. Why clone when you can take your enemies and make them you?"

"What does this have to do with me?" I ask quietly.

"Everything." He grins morbidly. "Your mother was exposed to a certain type of unintentional radiation when she was pregnant with you. It's a radiation we've never seen before. It's strong, but won't kill. Instead, it changes. Do you ever wonder why you're so fast or have the stamina you do? Do you wonder why you can memorize and remember things with an inhuman clarity? It was that radiation that changed you."

"I don't see what this has to do with - "

"I'm not finished. There was something else in that radiation. A copied conscience, a cloned soul, if you will. Energy of life. Something we didn't think existed. Your soul - the soul of Nicholas Allen - it was killed before you were even born. You have someone else's consciousness, someone else's soul."

My heart almost stops beating. This - this is crazy. This is fantasy. "That's not possible."

"It is possible, and it's very real."

"But ... but that still doesn't explain why you're experimenting - " I cut myself off. He's creating an army - and not just an army. An army of superhumans to plug his consciousness into. An army that thinks and acts exactly like him and exactly in harmony would be unstoppable. "This isn't about music," I whisper.

"It was never about music, Nick. It was all about you."

"Then ... why are you so against it? Why did you try to kill me?"

He shrugs. "The rebelling artists and the MI gave me an excuse to fight and capture you all. As for the attempted murder ... I hadn't planned it out. I hadn't thought it through."

I hesitate as another question comes to mind. "If my soul isn't my own ... who's is it?" I don't know if I want to know the answer.

"Oh, Nick ... " Jensen smiles and leans forward on his elbows. He doesn't answer.

My breath catches in my throat the longer I wait. "Who's is it?" I whisper.

He laughs again, cold and heartless. "It's mine."