reborn § cal kestis

17

  "You've turned evil, Jase. What happened?"

  His lip trembled—it seemed as if she had struck a cord within him. "I'm not evil. I'm doing what it takes to survive, just as you did. Do I need to remind you of all the people we killed together? What about all the people that you murdered by yourself?"

  It was Sadira's turn to be shaken now. She opened her mouth, then shut it. What am I supposed to say to that? she thought.

  As if he had won, Jase grinned. "Let me guess, you're going to sacrifice yourself to save your friends, and make you feel better about all the bad things you've done."

  Sadira said nothing. Jase narrowed his eyes and cocked his head. "I'm right, aren't I? Cheap move, that is. Not good enough for me though. I'm not leaving without all five of you."

  "Please, Jase," Sadira pleaded.

  "As great as it feels to hear you say that," he said. "The answer is no."

  Sadira opened her mouth to negotiate further, but Jase held his hand up, silencing her. "Where are your friends? Did you tell them to escape? I hope not, that would've been a very bad move."

  The mention of her friends made Sadira panic. Where are they? she wondered. A sudden, terrifying thought crossed her mind: What if they've left me?

  "I'm going to count down to zero," Jase cautioned. "When I get to zero, you're dead." He raised his voice. "If you're out there, Sadira's friends, now would be the best time to reveal yourselves."

  Sadira glanced behind her. The entire crowd was silent and still, afraid to make any sort of move. Even Aari was hidden at the back of the crowd. As for her friends, they had disappeared completely. She couldn't even see them in the base. This is it, she thought. This is the day I die.

  "Alright, suit yourselves." Jase held his hand up, fingers splayed. "Five," he said. With every descending number, he put one finger down. Sadira felt her heart rate increase, watching the Hunters aim their guns. Then, Jase's hand became a fist. He hesitated, almost as if he was reconsidering. But he wasn't. "Fire," he shouted.

  Sadira winced as she heard the low hum of the guns charging, ready to fire. There was nothing she could do.

  Lasers collided with the ground in between her and the Hunters. Sadira screamed as the first blast hit her arm, burning through her skin. Mud and dirt splashed everywhere, and smoke clouded her vision. When the fog cleared, some of the Hunters were on the ground, either dead or injured—Sadira couldn't tell.

  Sadira and Jase stared up into the sky. The Mantis soared passed. Jase looked to the Hunters. The ones that weren't dead had been stunned, and were hastily cleaning their masks. "Fine, I'll do it myself," Jase hissed, then turned back to Sadira. He gritted his teeth, then pulled out his blaster and pointed it towards Sadira. She reached for her own gun, but realised that she had left it in the headquarters.

  Someone pushed her to the side from behind. She turned to see Cere. The woman thrust her hand out, and a forcefield appeared in front of the crowd. Lasers from both Jase and the recovered Hunters reflected off the forcefield.

  "Here," someone else said. Sadira whipped around and saw Merrin just as she tossed her blaster to her.

  The forcefield was beginning to weaken. In response to this, the three women pointed their own blasters at the enemy and began to shoot. Behind them, the rebels joined in with the small battle. The Hunters began to drop like flies, but Sadira only had one thing in mind. "Leave Jase for me," she shouted to Merrin and Cere. They shared a look, then nodded.