Code, p.25
Code, page 25
Ava. Run. Live. My mother’s voice boomed inside my head. Faster. Faster. Faster.
The walls punched out from the sides, knocking me off balance. Dust billowed in clouds, blinding my view. I went in circles to avoid being hit or sucked under. I wasn’t sure where my exit was anymore, but I ran toward the tiny beacon of light and prayed I was going the right way.
If I died, I would die happy knowing everyone I loved was safe, and I’d gotten the chance to see my mother again.
No, you will not die today. As if my mother was still with me, her words pounded through me. Run. Live.
The encroaching ceiling forced me lower, my movement clumsier as I pushed my way through mud and walls caving inward. Then I felt no land beneath me.
Oh, God. Death had found me.
In the years I had been an assassin and known I might not make it back from a mission, I’d never thought being buried alive would be the way I would die. Rhett and the faces of my friends flashed in my mind, then my father and mother, and even Gene. The life I wished I had, the life I wished Rhett and I could’ve had together after bringing down ISAN was gone.
I had accepted my fate until...
A light burst through the darkness. Wind rushed in and wrapped around me like a net. I gravitated in air, held by someone’s power. I pushed through the mud and dirt. Then strong hands gripped my arms.
“I’ve got you.”
I knew that voice like my own heartbeat.
I blinked and dusted the dirt away from my face as he pulled me up. Rhett embraced me with all of him, then let go.
Brooke, Ozzie, Reyna, Tamara, Naomi, Mia, Payton with the baby, Justine, and the new girl with the nose ring, put their hands on my shoulders, my arms, and my back. They hadn’t left me. They’d never given up on me. They’d stayed with me until the end. My eyes pooled with tears and I wanted to hug them, but we had no time.
Wordlessly, Rhett gripped my hand and we ran for our lives, our friends beside us. We just ran as the earth shook and land fissured behind us. We had no escape. ISAN gliders had been sucked under. We sprinted past the circle of destruction, but the land began to crumble farther out. And then I realized we had left people behind and my heart caved in again.
I didn’t think I could handle more hurt and more bad news.
“What about Mitch, Russ—”
Before I could finish, Rhett hollered over the loud roar, his feet pounding on earth beside me. “Tamara ran into Vince. They’re all with Councilor Chang.”
I teared up again, but this time with joy.
A sleek glider hovered over us in the clearing, revealed as the heavy smoke blew away. Violent wind pushed me back. When the aircraft landed, a person came into view.
“Zeke?” Tamara sounded as excited as I felt as she ran toward him.
“Hurry,” Zeke’s voice hollered from the ramp.
Never had I been so happy to see him. I waited behind with Rhett until everyone was on board.
“You.” Zeke pointed at my chest. A curl escaped over his forehead from his sleeked-back hair. “I never wanted to see you again, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
“You might change your mind later.” I winked. “Now, get us out of here.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” He placed his index and middle finger to the side of his forehead and dashed to his seat.
While everyone belted in, Rhett and I remained standing in the back. He held me in his arms as we peered down at our horrific view. The earth continued to rattle while the last bit of the ISAN facility caved inward.
Metal falling on metal screeched in a deafening cacophony. Like in quicksand, the sand sucked everything in its giant maw, taking my parents’ bodies with it. A column of fire exploded and puffed out a titanic cloud above. Finally, it was all gone.
Tears dampened my cheeks. My chest felt hollow with loss. Damn you, Novak, for making me remember my father. It would be easier to see him dead without those memories, but the feeling, our happy times together ate through my soul. And then my mother.
It hurt. Damn, it hurt.
Then there was Gene ... What had happened to him?
“I’m so sorry, babe.” Rhett squeezed me tighter, kissing my forehead, caressing my back.
No words were needed between Rhett and me. I sobbed in his arms, pouring out all my pain and regret for my mother, for my father—or who he had once been. Things I should have said. Things I could have done.
“What about your dad?” I pulled away and dabbed my eyes.
Rhett dipped his head. “He was there, but he’d been moved.”
“I’m so sorry, Rhett.”
Rhett kissed my cheek. “I’m going to find him.”
“I’m going to help you,” I said, hearing footsteps behind me.
Brooke and Tamara placed a hand on my shoulder with “I’m here for you” smiles. They knew my pain. I smiled too, but it took some effort. The three of us hugged and sobbed.
I wept from missing them. Cried knowing how much Brooke had been though, how she’d almost died and I hadn’t been there for her. It felt so damn good to cry.
The infant crying got my attention, and Brooke and Tamara went back to their seats. I wiped my tears and wondered what I was going to do with the baby. Who would take care of her?
Payton unbuckled his seat and brought her to me, the tightly wrapped pink blanket had loosened, revealing a pink onesie to match her cap.
“Here. The baby won’t stop crying,” Payton said. “She fell asleep for a while, but now she’s awake and I don’t know what to do with her.”
“She needs to be fed, I think, or a diaper change,” Justine said, then shrank back in her seat when everyone stared at her.
Justine would need time to get used to all the new faces, and we would need time to get used to her. She had tried to kill us countless times. But she had proved her loyalty and she was my half sister.
I had to accept that and try to fix us. She was the only family I had, since Gene was no brother of mine. And unless he’d escaped before the building had fallen, there was no way he could have survived.
The baby stopped crying as soon as she was in my arms. I took her farther back to the corner where it was quieter. When she’d been inside the hub, she’d had her eyes closed and I hadn’t bothered to look at her face. But now that I held her in my arms ... So precious. Cute nose, small lips, and her beautiful amber eyes, like Rhett’s, stared back at me.
“She must like you,” Rhett said.
“Maybe. She smells like heaven.” I pressed my nose to her pink cap with dark strands sticking out, I inhaled a deep breath. “She smells like my mother, like all the flowers in her garden.”
“What is that?” Rhett pulled out the silver chain necklace sticking out by her shoulder.
My lips spread and I felt happy with disbelief. “My necklace. Novak took it from me and my mom ... she knew it was mine.”
It was the dandelion necklace Rhett had gifted me at Hope City.
Rhett locked the chain around my neck. “There. Where it belongs.” He reached for something white poking out from the blanket. “It’s addressed to you. Your mom?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think my mother was well enough to write a letter.”
“Why don’t you read it? I’ll hold this girl.” Rhett snatched the baby out of my arms before I could protest.
When I knew they were both fine, I sat in the back seat, secluded from others, and ripped the seal.
Dearest Ava,
If you’re reading this letter then it means I have passed on and I wasn’t able to go with you. I had to write this letter before I lost my mind. There are many things I want to tell you, but I don’t have enough time and paper. You must have tons of questions and hopefully I’ll be able to answer them in this letter.
When you turned thirteen, your father told me I had a son, your twin. I didn’t believe him at first, but when he told me he had separated us and showed me a picture of the son I’d never known, I had to meet him.
I agreed to visit Gene, but didn’t anticipate your father would kidnap me by faking my death. Know that I would have never left you. I tried to get back to you, but your father wouldn’t allow it. Many times I tried, but failed. I even tried to kill him with a dinner knife, which is why only spoons were allowed.
I continued to rebel. I had to get back to you, for I knew how much you would suffer. How does a mother pretend her child doesn’t exist? So he tried to erase my memory of you. In the process, I had a stroke and lost my ability to speak. Some of my motor skills were deteriorating, but he didn’t know that I could write my thoughts down. I made him believe I couldn’t remember you.
I used this situation to my advantage and wandered in the facility alone whenever I had the chance. I studied the layout and memorized every room, every escape route.
In the lab is where I found out your father is Mr. Novak, the head of ISAN, and about the serum. And all the horrible things Novak is doing. I needed to learn more and prepare for you. He told me he would bring you to me, and we would be a family again.
Knowing his plan, I stopped trying to escape. I kept myself busy in the garden. Gene and I got to know each other, but I didn’t love him the same as I loved you. How do you love a monster Novak created? He is not the boy I would have raised. He is not my son.
Years have passed, but I knew all about you. Novak’s workers would talk among themselves when he was gone and I engulfed every word. Almost nine months ago, I learned a CODE pod was brought here. Inside was a fetus. What I learned brought me to my knees.
The infant’s name is Ava, like you. Her initials stand for Advance Variant Ability. She was taken from the mother’s womb before the mother knew she was pregnant. Novak knew this baby was special, believes she will become more powerful than you.
Girls in ISAN can’t get pregnant because of the serum and the protein drink called CHB20, but you are not like them, are you? You were told you couldn’t get pregnant, right? Had it been someone else, this would have been true. But they were wrong. There’s no easy way to tell you. Ava, you’re the mother. The baby is yours and Rhett’s.
Novak found out you were pregnant through routine blood work about ten months ago; it must have been just after she was conceived. He wanted that baby more than anything, so he took her from you. For this reason, I was protective of the baby. She is my granddaughter.
I know that this is much to take in, but your baby needs you. Take good care of her as I tried to do for you. Teach her to own her powers. To be resilient. But also teach her to be humble. Nurture her. Love her. Embrace her. Tell her you love her every day. Most of all, teach her to be kind and gentle, and that she can make a difference in the world, just like her mother.
I had thirteen glorious years with you. Those were the best years of my life. I only wish I had more, and with my granddaughter. I wish I’d gotten to know Rhett. I knew whoever my daughter loved would be special.
I’m so proud of you, Ava. You have to know that I’ve missed you so much. I cried every night, wishing I was with you. I never stopped thinking of you even after all these years. It killed me that you had to become an assassin because you felt you had no choice when they locked you up in juvie.
I am so sorry, Ava. I should have been there for you. Not a day goes by I wished I could have done things differently. Please forgive me for not being there for you when you needed me the most. I only hope I’ve done right by you by giving your baby back to you.
Promise me you’ll not shed sad tears over me. Instead, keep me close to your heart and always remember the happy times. I’m thankful I got to see you again and give you this closure.
There is one more thing. There are more CODE babies. One site is stationed in Sokcho, South Korea, but I don’t know where the rest are. These kids deserve a better future. Please save them.
Remember me not for how I died, but how I lived.
Forever in your heart,
Mom
It was a good thing I was sitting or I would have fallen on my knees. I put a hand to my chest as breath escaped me in quick spurts. I couldn’t believe it. How? I knew how I’d gotten pregnant but ... I dropped my head between my legs and puffed out air, panicking.
Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. I’m a mother. Holy mother of all mothers, something Ozzie would say.
I could barely take care of myself. How was I going to take care of an infant? How was I going to tell Rhett? Rhett and I were parents! How would we raise a child in the middle of ISAN’s war?
Oh, Mom. I wish you were here with me. As tears slid down my cheeks, it dawned on me. The two words—baby and letter—Mother had written on her wrist had been so she wouldn’t forget.
The letter gave me some closure, but I was furious with Novak. If it hadn’t been for my mother, I would have never known about my baby. Rhett’s and my child.
When you have children of your own, you will understand. And I have a feeling you will one day. Novak had said to me. He showed me my child and never said a word.
If not for my mother, our baby might have died in the blast, or Novak would have raised her as his own. The thought repulsed me. He could have escaped, but he’d risked his life to take my baby.
How dare Novak take away the fetus growing inside me? He’d robbed me of the pregnancy experience. He’d taken away my bonding with my baby, all the months I should have carried her inside me. Not just my experience, but Rhett’s as well. Listening for the baby’s heartbeat. The first kick. Finding out the sex. All the experiences we should have shared together.
I had to stop thinking of what should have been and be thankful that our baby was safe and with us. We had faced death in the eye and had escaped with few deaths. Everything else seemed inconsequential.
Chapter Forty-Four— Avary
Ava
Rhett had flashed a worried glance at me a couple of times while I was reading, but he went back to cooing at the baby.
Our baby.
He didn’t know she was ours, yet he already seemed to have fallen in love with her. Spellbound, he held her tiny fingers, and his eyes were full of hope and wonder.
Rhett’s lips spread with joy, his face relaxing into a happy place. He had forgotten the world around him. I wondered if he wished she was his.
“Rhett,” I said, as tears streamed down my face. Two emotions twisting and conflicting, overwhelming me. Sorrow for the loss of my parents, and the joy of knowing he and I had a child.
“Babe. What is it? Are you okay?” His gaze lowered to the letter in my hand.
“You should read this.” I exchanged the letter for our baby and gave him space, while I waited for him by the back window.
When he was done, wordlessly he wrapped his arms around us and tears spilled from his eyes. I had never seen Rhett cry before, but I understood. He kissed my forehead with reverence, and he did the same to our daughter.
Our daughter. I still couldn’t believe the miracle in my arms.
“Everything is going to be fine,” Rhett said. “We’re going to love her the best we can. She will be loved by all her uncles and aunties. We’ll give her the best of everything.”
“I know.” I smiled and stared at my little girl’s closed eyes. “I can’t believe she’s ours.”
And to think we would have never known if it hadn’t been for my mother.
“I can’t either.” Rhett caressed her cheek and kissed her curled fingers. “What shall we name her?”
“How about after my mom? Avary.”
“Avary it is. I think it’s a wonderful idea. So, when should we tell our friends, Mom?”
Mom ... such a foreign word.
“How about now?” I said. “We have much to discuss any way.”
Zeke put the aircraft to autopilot and joined our circle of friends when Rhett and I asked for their attention. While everyone remained in their seats, Rhett and I stood side by side at the rear so they could see us.
I told them what I had seen and experienced when I first arrived at ISAN’s secret facility. I also told them that Novak was my father, Dr. Hunt. Gene was my twin, and Justine, my half sister.
Everyone wore shocked expressions but said nothing. Justine kept her head down while I explained. At last, Rhett and I told them the baby in my arms was ours. They were stunned to silence, then finally congratulated us. Though their excitement rang true, I detected some concern.
Rhett and I didn’t know the first thing about raising a child, but we would figure it out together. After all, didn’t all parents feel the same? There was no manual. Babies didn’t come with instructions. We would learn as we went along and take guidance from the elders.
Ozzie cleared his throat. “Believe or not, we have infant formulas and baby bottles.”
Reyna twisted in her seat. “We have a box of diapers, too, in the storage room.”
“Perfect,” I said. “We’re set for now.”
A message came through Rhett’s chip and broke up our meeting. Councilor Chang confirmed they were safe, heading to her headquarters. Mitch, Lydia, and Zen had been shot by Novak, which we already knew. Mitch and Zen were in recovery, but Lydia was in critical condition and it didn’t look good for her.
We all took a moment of silence.
I had admired Lydia for her strength and for her bravery. She was one of the silent heroes. She had to recover.
“Where to?” Zeke asked, taking the driver’s seat again.
“To our mountain base.” Rhett carefully slid into the passenger seat while holding Avary in his arms.
I loved watching him stare at our child. He would probably never let her out of his sight.
“Then what’s next?” Ozzie asked, leaning over Rhett’s shoulder to get a better look at Avary. “I’m your uncle Ozzie, but you can call me Oz. You have so many uncles and aunties. They’re going to spoil you like crazy. Aren’t we, Payton?”
