We were sitting in the car on our way to that unpleasant excuse for a military base. I stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by.
I guess the timing is perfect.
If I was going to tell Jackson anything, it had to be now.
"Jackson."
He glanced at me.
"Can you promise me something?"
"What?"
I hesitated.
"Look, I know you don't lie to my brother, but... please help me this once."
His eyebrow rose. "Who says I don't lie to him?"
He paused, then smiled.
"I just don't like lying to him."
That works for me.
"I want you to take my brother with you to your district."
Jackson's expression changed.
"By yourself," I added. "I don't want anyone else handling him. I don't want anyone seeing him in that condition."
I looked directly at him.
"Take him personally. Can you do that?"
"I was scared of what you were going to ask again."
He sighed.
"But don't worry. Rosen is my friend. I won't let you down."
Then his expression became more serious.
"What I don't understand is why you're saying all this as though you're certain something is going to happen."
"Um..." I looked away. "Gut feeling."
Jackson stared at me for a moment.
"Are you sure you'll be able to handle Brother?"
"I know you're possessive about your brother." He gave me a reassuring smile.
"And I promise you, I won't let him suffer. I'll protect him with my life."
Then his grin returned.
"Are you satisfied, or should I say I'll make him my princess?"
I finally laughed.
"He won't let you go that far."
The laughter faded almost immediately. I couldn't feel anything inside me. There was still one thing I needed to tell him.
My plan B.
"Um... Jackson."
He looked at me.
"If they ask me to surrender myself for the sake of District 10's safety..." I took a breath. "I will."
His expression hardened.
"The general already told me that he wouldn't let anything happen to me or my district if I went with him."
I swallowed. "Wouldn't it be better if I surrendered alone when things get out of hand rather than letting the entire district fall?"
Jackson stared at me as if I'd just announced the most ridiculous idea he'd ever heard.
"What was your age again?"
I frowned.
"Ah, yes. Eighteen." He shook his head. "You stupid little girl. How can you even think of a self-sacrificing plan like that?"
I opened my mouth, but he continued.
"First of all, we're talking about District 1. There's no guarantee they'll keep their word. And how can you possibly expect them to honor a promise once they have you?"
He sighed heavily.
"You probably want me to keep this from your brother."
He looked straight at me.
"Definitely not."
I lowered my eyes.
"I know how much a brother loves his sister. And you're like a little sister to me too, Rose."
His voice softened.
"So please don't ask me to lie about this."
That was a very long lecture.
I gave him my most helpless expression.
"Jackson..." He looked at me. "Please?"
I leaned slightly toward him. "Won't you do this for your little sister?"
"No means no."
Okay.
This wasn't going well.
Time for a change of tone.
"Look, Jackson. I told you this because I thought you'd understand."
My voice became quieter.
"If I surrender, Bro will be safe. He can take control again... assuming I'm still alive."
I looked down at my hands.
"I don't like asking people for things. But I'm asking you now."
"Rose, I just can't." He shook his head. "Rosen would never forgive me if I stood by and let you do this."
"You're a ruler too."
I looked at him.
"Put yourself in my position. Look at the options I have."
Jackson glanced at me.
"I'm sorry. I can't put myself in your shoes."
I frowned. "Why?"
He looked down at my feet.
"They're too small."
I stared at him. Then, despite myself, I smiled.
Idiot.
His expression softened.
"Are you sure?"
He paused.
"Isn't there another way?"
"I'm sure."
I looked back out the window.
"And there aren't any other ways."
I hesitated.
"Well... unless we win physically."
Neither of us said anything after that.
The car fell silent. Because we both knew how unlikely that sounded.
After what felt like an endless drive, we finally arrived at the base.
This stupid place.
I hadn't wanted to come here in the first place.
And now I was back.
And... something was different, though.
There was no crowd this time.
That immediately struck me as strange. Then I noticed the soldiers stationed around the entrance.
Not ordinary soldiers.
District 1's personal soldiers.
My stomach tightened.
Their presence alone made me more alert.
This was the first time I'd seen the full weight of District 1's authority gathered in one place.
Everything about the entrance screamed superiority.
Their uniforms.
Their weapons.
Their discipline.
Even the way they stood there, completely still, made the entire place feel like it belonged to them.
This is what power looks like.
And, unfortunately, it was aimed directly at us.
A chill ran down my spine.
Jackson and I entered the base.
Inside, representatives from the other districts were already there, each standing among people wearing their respective district uniforms.
We found a place among them.
I tried to make myself comfortable.
I really did.
But there was nothing comfortable about standing in the middle of a room surrounded by people who might soon become enemies.
I folded my arms and took a slow breath.
Stay calm, Rose.
Whatever happens today, be ready.
I waited for him to show himself. I had come here for one reason: to see him and talk to him.
He had probably been angry after what happened last time, so I would explain everything. Clear the misunderstanding. Maybe then I could figure out what was going on in his head.
This was probably my Plan C.
Yes. My plans were completely out of order.
First Plan C.
Then Plan A.
And finally Plan B.
What can I say?
I have always worked better in a state of organized chaos.
I was still looking around when I noticed someone I hadn't seen before.
Who's that?
A new face. He stepped forward and looked at all of us.
"I'm your new general."
What?
I stared at him.
No.
This couldn't be happening.
"Excuse me," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, "but may I ask where our general is?"
The new general looked at me with an expression that immediately made me regret asking.
"You don't need to ask me anything."
He paused.
"But I'll tell you anyways."
How generous.
"Your previous general has left his post. He will most likely become the next ruler of District 1."
Silence.
Jackson: ...
Everyone else: ...
I couldn't process it.
Why?
He had told me he'd joined the army to get away from his father. To escape the position waiting for him. So why leave now?
Was everything he had told me a lie?
The new general didn't seem interested in our reactions.
"Go get changed. Then report to the training grounds."
That was it. No explanation. No room for questions.
I had nothing else to do but stand there, rack my brain over everything I had just heard, and eventually go change.
As usual, I waited until everyone else had finished before getting dressed myself.
At least this time, I wasn't punished for being late.
Small victory.
When we assembled outside, the new general stood before us.
"The real training starts now."
He led us toward the training grounds.
This time, there were no targets.
Instead, several large circles had been marked onto the ground, each with a fixed diameter.
Combat circles.
We all stopped in front of one. The new general looked over us.
"Any volunteers?"
He waited for approximately half a second.
"Forget it."
His eyes landed on me.
"Rosen. Step forward."
Of course.
"You'll spar with me."
He gestured toward the circle. "It'll be useful for the others to see an example of what a sparring match actually looks like."
I frowned.
"Yes, General."
Jackson caught my hand before I stepped forward.
I gave him a quick nod. Then I pulled my hand free and entered the circle.
If it's only a sparring match, I'll play along.
The new general stepped opposite me.
"Everyone, pay attention."
He moved first.
A fist came straight toward my face.
I dodged.
Then another.
And another.
His movements were fast.
Too fast.
Every punch was aimed with precision, and there was far too much force behind them for something that was supposedly just a demonstration.
This doesn't feel like sparring.
I barely moved out of the way of the next punch.
Too late.
His fist clipped my face.
I stumbled back.
It didn't hurt much, but I felt a sting across my cheek.
I touched it.
A small cut.
His ring. I looked at the blood on my fingers.
Fine. My turn.
I spun around and drove my foot into his stomach with everything I had.
The impact forced him backward.
He coughed, blood escaping from his mouth.
I stared at him.
That's what you get for forgetting the meaning of the word "sparring."
Apparently, I'd hit a nerve. His expression darkened.
He charged at me. Punches. Kicks. One after another.
I dodged each one, moving around him until I found the opening I needed.
Then I struck.
My kick caught him squarely in the face.
He stumbled backward.
One step.
Two.
Then he fell.
Half his body landed outside the circle.
I looked at the boundary.
Does that count?
If it had, I win.
It took him nearly a minute to get back on his feet.
He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked at me with an expression I didn't particularly like.
Then he turned toward the soldiers.
"Take everyone out of here."
He pointed toward the jogging tracks.
"Move."
The soldiers began herding everyone away.
Then he added:
"Except Jackson Woods and Rosen Nightingale."
Well.
This was somehow even stranger than the entrance.
Jackson and I remained where we were.
Within seconds, soldiers surrounded us.
A lot of them.
Now I'm glad I brought the bots.
Their intentions were becoming painfully obvious.
I discreetly reached toward my belongings and pulled out one of the devices.
It looked like an ordinary oversized bracelet.
I silently passed one to Jackson.
I should have told him about these in the car.
But how was I supposed to know they'd make their intentions this obvious?
The new general noticed the movement.
"Rosen Nightingale."
His voice was calm. Too calm.
"How pitiful."
He took a step toward me.
"To see you standing here like this."
My stomach tightened.
"You won't be leaving."
He smiled faintly.
"I'll take good care of you here."
Then came the words I had been dreading.
"Meanwhile, our army is already on its way to take care of your district."
My ears started ringing.
No.
An alarm seemed to go off inside my head.
I need to get out of here. Now.
The new general's gaze shifted toward Jackson.
"I saw you hand something to him."
He raised his hand.
"Make a single wrong move and look around you carefully."
I did. Every soldier had raised a weapon.
Not ordinary guns.
My blood ran cold.
Those were evaporation guns.
Weapons capable of destroying anything caught in their path.
They were considered among the deadliest weapons ever created, which was exactly why their use had been prohibited.
Their manufacture had been banned years ago.
Apparently, District 1 hasn't grown tired of ignoring rules.
I didn't look at Jackson. I couldn't. Instead, I kept my eyes on the soldiers surrounding us.
My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Put on the bracelet."
I paused.
"Then, when I tell you..."
My fingers tightened around my own device.
"Press the red button in the middle."
"What are you murmuring about?" He was coming toward us, and the soldiers were closing in from every direction.
There was no more time.
"Now!"
We pressed the buttons at the same time. In an instant, the bots expanded around us, covering our entire bodies in a strange metallic shell.
Yes, a shell. A giant metal ball.
The soldiers immediately raised their weapons. The new general pulled out his gun and fired.
The bullets struck the armor and bounced off.
Bulletproof.
Good.
Then he switched to the evaporation gun. The effect was immediate. The metal around me began to crackle, its surface slowly deteriorating under the weapon's attack.
Not good.
These bots had been designed as escape pods, not as shields for prolonged combat. They weren't meant to sit there and absorb fire. Which meant...
I quickly messaged Jackson.
"Jackson, follow me."
I could hear him panicking. "I don't know how to use this thing!"
"It listens to commands. Just give it an order."
Simple enough.
At least, I hoped so.
We ran.
Behind us, the soldiers kept firing. Every shot made the armor tremble, and the defense level on my screen continued dropping.
Too quickly.
"Fly."
Armor: "Flying system damaged."
I stared at the screen.
"Great."
Of course. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, the flying system had to be the first one.
"Jackson, tell yours to fly!"
"Fly!" His bot lifted off.
I grabbed hold of it as it rose, using it to guide both of us toward the woods. Jackson looked absolutely terrified while I was busy trying not to fall off.
And, as it turned out, the flying speed wasn't nearly as impressive as they had promised. Apparently, "high speed" and "high speed when people are shooting at you" were two very different things.
We finally reached the area where we could make our escape. Ahead of us, the small river cut through the woods, leading directly toward the water.
Perfect.
We followed it.
We were almost at the point where we could dive underwater when a violent impact shook us.
Jackson's bot took a direct hit. The flying system immediately shut down.
We dropped.
"Jackson!"
I looked toward him as we hit the ground. He seemed fine.
His bot, however... There wasn't much left to compliment.
Looks like we'll have to adjust.
"Jackson, get out of it."
"You go." He gestured for me to leave.
"Ugh. You're only twenty. Keep your self-sacrificing schemes to yourself."
I grabbed him and pulled him out before he could argue. Then I opened the hatch of my own bot.
There was one problem.
It was designed for one person.
Jackson looked at the opening. I looked at Jackson. Jackson looked at again.
"Get in."
Somehow, we squeezed inside.
And I mean squeezed.
The soldiers were getting closer, but they weren't shooting anymore. Of course they weren't.
They had the advantage now. Both our bodies were exposed, and one shot would be enough to end this.
But they wanted us alive. I had a thought. For once, their orders were working in our favor.
I was too busy trying to fit two people into a machine built for one.
Shoot.
I felt something warm run down my left arm.
I looked down.
Blood.
Apparently, one of the previous shots had managed to get through.
Wonderful.
At least I'm not a leftie. I ignored the pain, slammed the hatch shut, and quickly guided the bot toward the river.
The moment we reached the deeper section, I activated the diving system.
The bot plunged beneath the water.
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.
We were packed so tightly inside that our shoulders and arms were pressed against each other. There was barely enough room to breathe, let alone move.
But I wasn't complaining. We were alive. And we were heading home.
The bot moved at full speed beneath the water.
Just a few more minutes.
Then we'd be back in District 10.
"What are these red dots?"
He pointed toward the screen.
I looked. There were several red dots moving across the map.
All of them were heading in the same direction.
My district.
"It's them."
I zoomed in.
My stomach dropped.
They were moving toward District 10.
Slowly, but steadily. They were coming.
I hope everything goes according to plan.
Except... Plan C had already failed.
I immediately opened a communication channel with the base.
"Is someone there?"
"Yes, Rose. I'm here." I heard Uncle on the other end.
"I'm on my way back. What about the evacuation?"
"Already underway. Most of them are on their way to District 9."
I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.
Good.
At least that part was working.
"Okay. I'll be there in a few minutes." I ended the call.
Now there was only one thing left to do. Get back to District 10.
Get Brother out. And make sure Jackson took him to District 9.
Because whatever happened next, I wasn't going to let Brother stay and become another casualty of this war. Again.