Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Axton strode down the stark hallway, the sound of his boots echoing the sudden, hard shell of detachment he had pulled around himself. The moment Tide mentioned the General, Conan, the intimate warmth of the infirmary—the sheer, liberating shock of his spontaneous attack of affection—had to be buried.
He entered the secured vehicle bay, where a single monitor had been lowered from the ceiling. The screen flickered, resolving into the stern, silver-haired image of his father.
"Captain," General Conan's voice was sharp, a drill sergeant's bark even through the comms.
"General," Axton replied, standing rigidly at attention, his face an impenetrable mask of stoicism.
"I got a little report. You were... distracted. Loose," Conan observed, his silver eyes cold and penetrating. "That soldier, Renault. I told you to leave him here to go through proper discipline, not drag him back to your quarters like a pampered pet. Is this how you handle your rule?"
Axton held his gaze, unwilling to budge on the lie that had saved Ren earlier. He had lied to Genere Conan that he had sent Ren out to the snow as a punishment. But his father had asked him to leave Ren behind so he could go through a proper military training that would shape him in a way he'd never disrespect the captain.
Axton had refused, claiming he had it under control.
But, now, his father had mentioned being lost. It could only mean one thing: there was a snitch amongst them.
"I handled the situation, General. He was where I needed him to be."
"I don't care about your needs," Conan snapped. "I care about the mission. Renault seems to be a complication. You've had him long enough. It's time to transfer him to the Containment and Research Annexe. I figured, he might not be unaffected, but, my scientists might find a truth of whatever failed serum his father injected him before the virus smirked."
Axton's control wavered, a flicker of pure ice in his eyes. "With respect, General, he is my prisoner and my most reliable source of information regarding Faction 7, make no mistake, I still plan on expanding my rule to them. Moving him now is a strategic mistake."
"Your strategy is getting soft, Axton. He is a beast-bound anomaly. He belongs in the Annexe where my scientist can analyse him, search for any regenerative capabilities or unstable 'beast'. They need to study the anomaly to understand the solution, Axton. It is an order."
The word hung heavy in the air. Order. It was the one command Axton could not disobey without committing outright treason.
"Understood, General. When is the transfer scheduled?" Axton asked, his voice flat, emotionless.
Conan smiled, a thin, cruel expression that never reached his eyes. "Immediately. I have already dispatched a transport team, including a specialised medic from the Annexe. They should be arriving within the hour. Get your house in order, Captain. And keep your emotions out of the field."
The screen flickered, and the General was gone, leaving Axton alone with the terrible weight of the command.
He stood there for a long moment, the warmth from Ren's fierce embrace now feeling like a distant, agonising memory. He had promised Ren no more walls, no more titles, but now he was faced with an order to send Ren into a cold, clinical prison where he would be dissected, not protected.
–––
Meanwhile, at the well, Ren found himself reluctantly helping Mira with the buckets.
"I still think we should have followed him," Mira huffed, hauling a half-filled bucket with surprising strength. "Your bear-man has a secret, Ren, and secrets are usually hiding something good, or something terrible."
"It's the General, Mira. It's always terrible," Ren muttered, dipping his own bucket into the water. "But Axton will tell me when he can. We agreed on trust."
"Trust is nice, but actions are better," Mira countered, pulling her bucket onto the stone ledge. "Look, if he's the one that can help you be happy, then he's worth fighting for, even if it means sticking your nose where the General doesn't want it."
Ren looked at the determination in his sister's eyes and sighed. "Fine. We finish this, and we go find out what Conan wanted."
"One question. Does he know your status?" Mira asked.
Ren scoffed, "On the very second I set foot I his Faction." He replied.
Mira paused, "Then... you shouldn't trust him." She sighed, shaking her head.
Ren went quiet, frowning slightly.
He hated that a part of him believed what Mira said. But, in their world, trust was dead. Also, given the differences in their status, he kind of believed that Axton would be tempted one day to choose his title over him.
And... it hurt him to think of which one Axton would pick.
Just as they finished filling the last two buckets, a soldier hurried up to them, looking nervous.
"Renault! Mira! Thank goodness. Corvin sent me. He needs an extra pair of hands back at the infirmary. A supply shipment just arrived, and he needs help cataloguing the new serums immediately."
Ren frowned. "A supply shipment? Now?"
The soldier nodded frantically. "Yes, sir. Captain's orders, apparently. Critical inventory."
Mira instantly bristled. "A distraction. That man, Tide, came to get the Captain, and now a soldier is here to get us? It's too neat, Ren."
Ren hesitated. Axton wouldn't use a false order, not now. But the General had just called...
"Go ahead, Ren. I'll take these to the barracks," Mira insisted, already pushing the filled buckets toward him. "I'm going back to the infirmary with the soldier. I want to see this 'critical inventory' myself."
Ren looked at the soldier, then at the look of fierce concern on Mira's face. He knew he couldn't stop her. "Be careful, Mira."
"Always am," she said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before following the soldier back toward the main compound.
Ren sighed, picking up the two heavy buckets. He knew he was supposed to take these to the barracks, but a cold knot of dread was tightening in his stomach. The General.
He turned, ignoring the barracks, and began walking in the opposite direction, towards Mira to follow her.
He had to know the truth before he could afford to trust the lie. He needed to see if this was really a means Axton was using to do whatever bidding his father had asked.
Slowly, he kept his distance and followed the soldier and Mira.
He saw them walk into the infirmary and quickly ran behind the building to peek through the window.
He saw Corvin sitting on Mira's bed with a briefcase beside him.
"Hello, you must be Mira?" Corvin stood and offered Mira a gentle handshake.
Mira looked around but couldn't find any suspicious soldiers or any googly-eyed doctors.
"Yes, I'm," Mira replied.
"Nice to meet you, Mira. Where is your brother?" Corvin glanced around, his eyes narrowing.
Mira scoffed, "Well, he's not here. I know the general has asked you to do something for him. But, I'm never letting anyone hurt my brother –"
"Oh no. This is why you should never take advice from a beast-bound," Corvin gritted out, snatching his briefcase from her bed.
"What do you mean? I'm not Beast-bound, yet," Mira huffed, "Anyway, Ren's not here, I don't know where he went." She flipped her hair over her shoulder.
Corvin slowly shook his head, "That's actually more dangerous than what I wanted to do to him. I just wanted to help him, but, now, they're actually going to get him, and hurried him."
Mira gasped, "What do you mean? Who are they?" She grew anxious.
Ren slowly left the window, feeling his heart shattered into a million pieces.
In the end, Axton chose power over love.
'Who was I kidding? Once a monster, always a monster.' He gritted his teeth as he walked away from the infirmary and into the shadows of the faded buildings.
He was going to hide, from Axton and from his Faction.
He was going to escape everyone... even Mira.
This was where he turned selfish, at least, he could see that Mira was doing just fine. It won't take long until the signal is found and everyone will be freed. But even then, he wouldn't return, he was never returning.
He never wanted anything to do with Axton or anyone, except his sister, but unfortunately, he wasn't coming back again. He'd be far gone before anyone noticed he was gone.
He reached the back to the barracks and paused a he heard heavy footsteps marching toward him.
"Shit," Ren murmured and plastered his back against the wall, his heartbeat racing uncontrollably as the footsteps approached.
He looked around the dark corners and realised he had to move. He had to take advantage of learning the Faction's map and find that escape tunnel behind the training grounds.
He couldn't let them find him.
Slowly, he took a step, "Fuck," He whispered as he stepped on a twig, his ears listening in for any sound apart from the marching footsteps.
Nothing new.
"I've got to leave. For once, I'm closing myself," He muttered and carefully tiptoed away from behind the barracks.
He had just hopped behind another building when his name echoed around the walls.
"Renault!"
It was Axton's voice.
Ren paused, a quiet sob escapists lips, "Leave me alone." He murmured and hurried away.
He knew Axton was calling to lure him out, but, there was no way he was falling for that trap.
"Ugh!" Ren suddenly grunted and slumped on the ground, the back of his head throbbing painfully from the hard hit.
His vision blurred as he fought to open his eyes, but he saw nothing, only whirling darkness.
"They got me..." He murmured before he finally lost consciousness.