Ex-Isle by Peter Clines (electronic reader TXT) 📕

She shook her head. “Gibbs and Cesar both told me they helped out.”

“Yeah, they helped,” said Hector. “In the end. Cesar took out most of them with your suit.”

Danielle glanced at the shadow of the battlesuit in the courtyard. “Cerberus is a hell of a lot stronger than any of them, and even unarmored like this it’s more damage-resistant. It makes sense he could—”

“They were all maybe forty feet away from me,” Hector said. “Cesar got to me first. Hell, he got most of the exes back outside and the gate closed before those guys did much of anything.”

She’d seen the super-soldiers in action. Most of them were three or four times stronger than a regular person and could run a three-minute mile. Hell, a lot of them could jump almost thirty feet. Even with just sidearms, two of them should’ve cleaned up half a dozen exes before the battlesuit crossed the parking lot.

“You’re sure about this?”

Hector crossed his arms. “I’m here talking to you, right?”

The distant sounds of weights and exercise slipped through her workshop.

She turned her head to the side door. “Gibbs!”

They heard the scrape of metal on stone, and he walked into view. Cesar followed close behind. “Did you just yell?”

“Yeah.”

“I have a walkie.”

She waved the words away. “Who sent you out here?”

“What?”

“Simple question. Who sent you out here?”

He looked at her, then at Hector. “No one. I volunteered.” He glanced over his shoulder. “You and Cesar were both there, remember? With Stealth and St. George.”

“Who’s your boss?”

“What’s this about.”

“Just answer the question, man,” said Hector.

“You don’t give me orders.”

“So who does?” asked Danielle.

The lieutenant crossed his arms over his chest. “Captain Freedom’s the only officer in the Mount who outranks me,” he said, “but I thought I’d been pretty clear you’re the boss as far as I’m concerned.”

She relaxed. “Good.”

“So I pass?”

Hector grunted. “You just going to take his word for it?”

“Yeah, I am,” Danielle said.

“Thanks,” said Gibbs. “My word for what?”

Danielle looked around the room. Another clank and rattle echoed in from the weight bench outside. “A couple things have been nagging me about the Unbreakables since we got out here,” she said, dropping her voice a bit. “Hector just came to me with something he noticed, too.”

Cesar’s eyes got big. Gibbs furrowed his brow. “What kind of things?” asked the lieutenant.

She glanced out toward the courtyard. “Have you noticed how much drilling they’ve been doing? The runs? The exercise? It all feels…more intense. Like they’re preparing for something.”

“That’s half the reason they’re out here,” said Gibbs. “Kennedy was running them all through the basics again, whipping them back in shape.”

“And they’re hoarding supplies,” said Hector. “Keeping stuff from the scavenging runs for themselves.”

“Are you sure?” Gibbs asked.

“Yes, I’m fucking sure,” said Hector. “We already had this talk.”

“Have either of you noticed anything?” Danielle asked.

The lieutenant stuck his hands in his pockets. “Yeah,” he said. “Yeah, I’ve seen a couple things.”

“Like what?”

“The soldiers have taken charge of all the weapons,” he said. “It’s supposed to be an armory for all the guards and scavengers up here at Eden, but Kennedy’s in full control of the weapons and the ammunition.”

“They’re letting the guards have rifles,” Danielle said.

“Yeah, but the Unbreakables are checking them all in and out. I didn’t think of it until you said it, but…well, nobody gets a weapon without their permission.”

“What’s the other thing?” asked Hector.

“They’re not watching the exes,” Gibbs said. “Not as much as they should be.”

She raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Something I noticed the other day, when Cesar and I were walking the fence.” The lieutenant pointed a finger up at the roof. “I saw Johnson in the sniper nest up there, and he wasn’t paying attention to the fence. He was watching the people in the garden.”

“Hey, yeah,” said Cesar. “I remember that.”

“I seen it, too,” said Hector. “Remember on the first day here, seein’ that guy up there watching me and the others while we were working.”

Cesar looked at Danielle. “Is Javi right? Are we, like, prisoners up here?”

“You’re not,” said Hector. “Not that sure about me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Danielle said. “Even if this was supposed to be some kind of prison work camp for the Mount—which it isn’t—they’d still need to maintain the fence lines. If the exes get in, they’re not going to be selective about who they kill.”

“Unless that’s the point,” said Hector. “They get in, kill most of us, and that’s a bunch less people to feed.”

“Not enough,” said Gibbs. When Hector snarled he raised a hand. “I just mean killing off fifty people isn’t going to change the food situation. It’s about one fourth of one percent of the population.”

“And if that was it,” asked Danielle, “why are we here? They don’t want to lose us or the suit. Or Eden.”

Cesar glanced out at the battlesuit. “First Sergeant Kennedy,” he said, “she’s been, like, real friendly with you lately, right? Like she’s trying to get you on their side.”

Danielle opened her mouth to dismiss the idea, but it took root. The Unbreakables had been part of the Mount for years. How many conversations had she ever had with Kennedy before coming to Eden? They’d exchanged a few words and polite greetings, but other than that…?

“Oh, hell,” Gibbs said. “I don’t think you’re prisoners. I think we might have it backward. Focused on the wrong things.”

“How so?”

“I don’t think the Mount has anything to do with this. Not directly.” He looked out toward the courtyard, toward the soldiers and their supplies and their gym equipment. “I think the Unbreakables might be getting ready to stage a coup.”

“WHAT DO YOU think he’s up to?” Barry asked.

St. George stretched his fingers out and brushed at the chain. The sun was touching the western horizon, and shadows covered their cage again. “I have an ugly idea.”

“What?”

“I don’t think that boat will ever come back. I think they’re all going to go to shore and then