In The Clear: Interlude I
Mina stalls at the beginning of the next hallway. Though most in the Towers look essentially the same, she knows the way back by now. It's been several months since coming here, and she's been escorted this way enough times to warrant trust. She'll go back to the Winners' bunk, but that doesn't mean she's in any rush.
Their small room has become more claustrophobic with each passing day. Mina has never been around anyone for this long, let alone with tensions running so high. It didn't take long for Zoe and Calvin to make up after their initial argument, but Mina can still sense the unease. She doesn't blame either one of them.
Calvin had his reasons for not telling the younger Winners about their involvement with the Protestors. There was no need to put them in more danger, and the more people involved the more chances there would've been for missteps even earlier on. Mina agreed with this choice from the beginning. It's only the last year that made her wonder.
The truth is, she would've been pissed off if she didn't know too. It was always going to come to a head, no matter how much they wished to believe it might not. If this year's proved anything, it's that no amount of blissful ignorance will keep them safe. Not from the network, not from the oppositions, and not from the choices they've had to make.
Mina sighs as she rests a hand against the concrete wall. Will anything?
She slides down the wall until her eyes come to rest in her hands. This is the only time she gets alone, no matter that it's not nearly enough. Her fingers start to shake despite herself, despite the fact that - right now at least - she's okay. Mina's been given more freedom than the others but she can't help but hate even that right now.
All she wants to do is go home.
Instead, Mina seems to be the only person capable of holding them together right now.
Calvin barely speaks anymore. Zoe broods in her bunk, pretending to sleep most of the day or simply turning away to ignore them. The only sound in the room is Rajan's quiet questions, but even those have gotten few and far between. None of them know what to do, still lost in the grief they haven't been allowed to shed. None of them know what they're waiting for, only that eventually it will come.
Mina knows it already has. The Commander's meeting today was just her, with Calvin being left behind again. She's supposed to cushion the other Winner's reactions. She's supposed to make them all believe this is alright all the while trying to hold a stranger together.
Vito Zirensky arrived at the Towers this morning.
All Mina could think of was Matt. It feels like yet another year, yet another broken Winner that she's supposed to help when Mina still barely knows how to keep herself whole. She argued against the Commander for as long as she could. She told him it would set the others' back to have Vito join them.
She said a lot of things she wishes she hadn't. Mina understands The Cut, she knows what it's like to be painted like a villain when all you wanted to do was live. She felt it herself to some degree, saw what it did to Elise after her season. On set, the cameras don't matter; the only villains are the people behind them.
Yet, Mina saw what he did and it made her question everything.
She hugs her arms around her knees and lets out a slow breath to calm herself. When she walks back into their room, she has to follow the Commander's directions. She doesn't have a choice, they don't have a choice.
The end is near and the Winners are right in the middle of it. Mina doesn't have to agree with everything the Protestors do, and she doesn't. She just has to make sure they survive.
Her family has to make it, no matter how broken it might be.
Mina flinches back to reality as a commotion starts in an adjacent hallway. Her eyes dart to her room's door, but it's too far away. She briefly considers making a run for it as the shouting grows louder, but she freezes as someone turns into her hallway a second later.
All the blood drains from her face as they lock eyes. Her body feels frigid, like a ghost's passed straight through her but that's impossible. The ghost is standing right in front of her.
Mina doesn't remember their name, but she never forgets a face.
Shouts continue in the other hallway followed by a slamming door. Mina doesn't take her eyes off the person, the shaggy, grown out green not enough to disguise their frantic expression. They're pushed from behind and Mina's eyes widen as they find another member standing behind them. More hands grab for the contestant, the one who was announced dead almost a year ago.
The distant shouts start to sound far too familiar. The hallway is silent save for the stiff directions from the members escorting them. The contestant presses themself up, their arms shaking as their knees fight to get under them. They're thin, possibly even more so than the last glimpse she saw of them on The Cut. Mina doesn't hear their voice as the ringing in her ears gets louder, but she can easily read their lips.
Help me.
Mina rises to her feet, but another figure grabs her by the wrist and pulls her back. She doesn't know what she was going to do, how she was supposed to help someone that shouldn't even be alive. Still, as the members rush them away, her limbs won't stop shaking.
"Mina," the familiar voice says as she tries to pull away. "We should get you back."
Mina spins slowly to find Levi standing behind her. His cheeks are as pale as her own, his eyes rimmed with red through his otherwise ridgid expression. She's seen a lot of him lately. Levi's in every meeting she attends, sitting right beside the Commander.
"Levi," Mina whispers as her eyes suddenly fill with tears. "What's going on?"
He swallows. Mina grabs him by his shoulders, her grip growing tighter as she remembers the contestant. Why are they here? How are they alive? Where were the Protestors taking them? She wants to say more, to demand answers as he stares blankly back at her. She worries that'll only open the crumbling dams behind her eyes.
"I have to get you back."
"Levi," Mina chokes. Her hands are shaking so hard now it's impossible to keep her grip on him. As she finally lets go, Levi turns ever so slightly away. She doesn't understand. Mina watches him with frantic eyes, trying to make head or tails of his expression but she can't.
Why are they here? The memories of her own competitors fill her mind. Noah. Tatum. The girl that crumpled under broken concrete while Mina couldn't even think long enough to help her.
Levi squeezes her wrist so tightly it hurts. It manages to bring her back to the hallway, away from the set and the names that float like phantoms in her mind. Mina wipes the tears from her eyes and looks around. I'm not there.
"I have to do my job or I can't help them," Levi whispers. "Please."
Levi is silent as he returns to the meeting room. His keys hang heavy in his pocket, Mina's horrified expression still alight behind his eyes. He knows he should've talked to her, but what is he supposed to tell her? It's what needs to happen - that's what the Commander would say. Levi doesn't know if he believes that.
The Commander nods at him as he stands at the front of the room. He doesn't appear any different, while every time Levi looks in the mirror he finds new rotting behind his skin. The last few months have been calm since Rory, Valentine, and the Winners were brought in. Now, everything is happening at once.
The Commander doesn't seem one bit surprised.
"Why did you separate them?" Levi hates the stiffness in his voice. He's spent so much time in the Commander's presence that he's starting to see his features in himself. The Commander's given him a slurry of new roles in the Towers. He's been invited to strategy meetings and taken on command of the other operators. Levi thought he knew all of the plans.
He should know better. The Commander only tells people what he believes they need to know. Even after Levi's conversation with him about Rory and Valentine not trusting the Protestors. Even after telling him about the Winners' and how a couple have become more withdrawn from him. Levi had almost believed he was getting somewhere.
"It's what needed to happen."
Levi clenches his jaw. "Why?"
The Commander observes him for a moment before motioning for him to sit. Levi pretends not to notice the invitation. "The Cut will be starting soon, this is when we'll have the nation's attention, Levi. Things needs to move quickly and if they're not willing-"
"Did you even ask?" Levi asks, not caring about the crack that splits his words. His visits to Rory and Valentine have been less frequent, but he's trying to do what he can for them. For nearly a year they haven't been allowed out of that room except when Rory had her surgery. The Commander could've been using this time to get them on their side. He could've been trying to convince them.
"I did," the Commander says calmly. "They refused."
Levi's heart sinks, but a flare of anger is what comes between his teeth. He hasn't been privy to every piece of information, but he's put enough together to understand. The Protestors have gotten nowhere with physical attacks. They need the rest of the nation on their side if they're going to overthrow The Cut. Their best people are preparing for an overtake of the show's stream.
"Maybe if you didn't shun them for months and only met with them when you needed something." Levi knows he shouldn't be speaking like this, but he can't help it.
The Commander's chin dips towards the table. "The children should be grateful for what we've done for them. They're the key to unraveling the network, along with our testimonies from the Winners. Your interviews with them have proved such."
"Then what more do you need?" Levi asks loudly.
The Commander watches him for a moment as Levi tries to release the curled fists at his sides. "Canada won't believe it coming from me."
Levi's throat goes dry. "You don't mean-"
The Commander simply nods.
"It's too dangerous," Levi reminds him. "You said it yourself, the world isn't safe for them anymore. If your plan fails, the network will start a manhunt. The only thing that's protecting Rory and Valentine right now is the fact that the public doesn't know they exist. If it doesn't work-"
"It will work."
"You're willing to bet their lives on it?" Levi asks. "If we get into their system, the network will be able to track the breach back to us. What if we can't get out on time? The Winners, your members, all of them could die."
"The stream will work," the Commander says stiffly. "We'll expose their lies, the world won't be able to deny the truth straight from the source. It's all right here, all we have to do is make them listen. This year is our chance."
"You think they won't retaliate?"
"I think it doesn't matter if they do. It'll be too late."
Levi swallows. "Have you told anyone? Have you let them know that staying here means they might die a martyr in your war?"
"When the time comes I'll reduce the Towers to bare bones level. The only ones present will be the ones that need to be."
"Rory, Valentine, Mina, Calvin, Zoe, Rajan," Levi lists off the names easily. "The very people who you won't let leave even if they asked. They're your sacrifices?"
The Commander closes his eyes and rests a hand firmly against his computer. Levi wants to keep shouting, wants to run up and shake some sense into him. There have been enough deaths on their side. There've been too many people sacrificed already and The Cut has only gotten stronger.
Is it worth it? Levi's been struggling with this question for years, but now the answer feels all too clear. It's not worth it to sacrifice people who don't understand. It's not worth it to allow the people who've fought for years to die now. The Commander might be right, this might be their best chance, but there's got to be other ways.
There's got to be a choice.
Guiliana hasn't moved from the dining table since arriving back at their apartment hours ago. She's still wearing the same clothes she slept in last night, still has sticky tear stains on her cheeks. She wishes she could say she feels better than she did when she left yesterday evening. The truth is that Guiliana doesn't know what she feels.
Matt and Vito ran during their evening walk. Vito is still missing.
She collapses back into her hands against the table. Guiliana hasn't cried this much in months, but now it's all she can do. The tedium of their routine has numbed her into a state of apathy. She sleeps here, goes for lessons, orders takeout, and tries to pretend that everything's normal. Guiliana has barely even thought about the other Winners. It's been impossible to think about anything.
She's just hugging everything around her tight, hoping that will make it stick together again. She tries to spend time with the others, tries to light up moments of newness between every melted day. She tries to watch to make sure they're not falling, but the truth is they've all been in freefall since arriving here.
Guiliana wants nothing more than to crawl into bed and wait for morning. Her night in the hospital brought back far too many memories. She can't count how many of the staff told her she wasn't there for treatment, but for protection. Thinking back to what happened, Guiliana doesn't believe them.
She gently massages her hands, but of course they're uninjured. When she touches the center of her palms, she can almost feel the memory of electricity on her skin. Yet, there's not even a hint of redness to prove it was ever there.
"We need you to be honest with us."
Guiliana nodded through held-back tears. Her hands laid stiff on the table in front of her, a hundred memories coming forward to make them tremble. Dr. Liu stood across from her, but it wasn't him who just spoke. Guiliana was never given this new woman's name.
"What do you know about the Protestors?" She asked flatly.
Guiliana swallowed. "They've been in the news for opposing The Cut. I think they've held rallies outside my shows before."
Dr. Liu glanced at the woman who eventually nodded. Guiliana barely saw a map of colours beside them. They explained this task to her as an advanced sort of lie detection. They were watching her brain light up to see if she was telling the truth.
"Next question."
Guiliana shivers at the recollection. She doesn't know how long she was in that room, only that when she was dropped back off at the apartment it was morning.
And that she's been alone ever since.
The door starts to slowly open and Guiliana quickly wipes her stray tears on her sweater sleeve. She stands, unsure who to expect but remains beside the table. She wants to see Matt or Alexis, maybe Vito because she doesn't know where he went or if he's okay. Dr. Liu didn't tell her if they managed to find him again.
Guiliana isn't sure whether to hope that they will. He removed his tracker when he ran, something that she didn't know was even possible. Judging by the questions she was asked, it sounds like Dr. Liu believes he was taken by the Protestors.
Taken by or ran to?
"Alexis," she whispers as the older girl shuffles past the doorway. Alexis hugs her arms around herself. She's only wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. Guiliana moves immediately to get her a blanket.
Alexis shakes her head. "It's okay."
Guiliana grabs the girl's hands and squeezes them gently. The way Alexis looks away confirms it; she went through the same questioning last night. Guiliana drapes the blanket over her shoulders anyway before pulling her into a tight hug.
Alexis returns it just as quickly. "They're gonna find them."
Her tone is reassuring, but when Guiliana looks up her expression doesn't match. Alexis is clenching her teeth together, her jaw so tight it must hurt. They lock eyes for a while, neither sure what to say. They both know they're being watched, especially after last night. There's nothing else they can say that won't land them immediately back in the hospital.
The network isn't going to take any chances. Guiliana glances at Matt's door, which is still cracked ever slightly from when the guards searched it. She wonders if they're even going to let him return here.
"It's gonna be okay." Alexis' voice cracks and she pulls away. Guiliana wants to keep holding on, wants to keep from being alone for as long as she can. She misses the other Winners, she misses Vito and Matt and Mina and Elise. Alexis is the only one she has right now, but she looks about an inch from tears and Guiliana can see the urge to run all over her face.
"It will," Guiliana nods. It doesn't matter that neither of them believe it.
Guiliana understands between her words, it's the way the Winners often spoke outside of Z-chat. The empty reassurances that spill out speak as loud as a confession. It's okay that Alexis can't tell her what really happened, because Guiliana doesn't have to think hard to understand.
The text she got the night Elise was killed. The questions last night about the Protestors. The fear on Alexis' face when she says it'll all be okay.
The Winners went willingly. The Protestors were the ones to take them. They're working on something, something that Dr. Liu and The Cut are clearly worried about.
And, by the sounds of it, the network is close to finding them.
A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this little glance back at our subplot. Things are heating up and I'm excited to show all of you what I've been working towards these last couple of years. For those of you that weren't with me for the previous two stories, please look on the blog's homepage for a copy of my verse summary. I also welcome questions should you have any.
Starting with this chapter, I will be moving to a (hopefully) weekly schedule until the end of pre-games. There will be 12 pre-games chapters with each contestant being featured twice before the games begin.
I'll warn you now that things will be getting weird early this year. Buckle up.
~ Olive