The Free City

Chapter Twenty-Three : Evacuation

The next morning, I was barely out of my underground cell before someone was knocking on my door. I covered the hatch with my rug and opened my door curiously.

"Mr. Sato?"

He stood a respectful distance from the door, dressed differently than I usually saw him. Gone was the typical black dress shirt and pants. Instead he was wearing a more militarized uniform of navy blue, the kind that made him look like a Super Corps member instead of a teacher. A thick black vest made for stopping projectiles covered a long-sleeve navy blue shirt with a high collar and a gold stripe down the left sleeve. His black pants were tucked into boots, and it was weird seeing him in anything but dress shoes.

"Dianna, the Lonesome refugees are being moved today." He checked his watch. "I'm getting everyone up. We're traveling with their caravan to make sure they get where they're going safely. I got you up first so you could exit your-" he hesitated and glanced at the floor of the room behind me. "...room. Without the other students around."

"Thank you, sir. Should I wear my regular school uniform?"

Mr. Sato paused and regarded me for a moment. My immediate response seemed to startle him.

"The other students' families have already asked me not to involve the class in anything outside the wall. They want them to be released from their obligations as the graduating class. Mr. Abara has been dealing with them since the first incident."

Why is he telling me this?

"So... I'll be alone, sir?"

"What? No," he said with a quick frown. "I was just- I meant to say that I appreciate your readiness to help. Your lack of hesitation, despite this not being your city."

Is this a test? I already knew the answer to it, if it was.

"My home city is horrible," I said confidently. "But even if this was Carson City, I'd still try to help. It's my duty as a Super. I'm obligated to repay the resources provided to me with my service, even if I die doing that duty, sir."

The script felt natural, and I believed it with my whole heart. It was one thing Carson taught me that I still thought was right.

"Is that all it is? Obligation?"

"I don't understand your question, sir."

"I suppose you wouldn't," he said. I detected a hint of his pity, and I scowled. But he didn't seem to be insulting me, necessarily. "I'll wake the rest of the students. To answer your question, your uniform is fine. We are getting Super Corps uniforms ready for you all, but they aren't finished yet. We have the vests, though, for this trip."

He tapped his own vest and it sounded very solid.

Looks heavy.

"Are we going to run into trouble, sir?"

"I hope not," he said somberly. "We'll be going in the opposite direction of Khan's army, toward Noman City. There are over a hundred miles between them and us, and even more between them and Noman. It's considered a low-risk operation. But Khan already sent a scout this far north once, so the governor has ordered Supers to accompany the civilians to escort them, but the Corps won't abandon the wall right now, so that leaves us."

"I understand, sir."

"That makes one of us," Mr. Sato said. I blinked in surprise.

He's reluctant to use us. He'd prefer the Corps instead of us.

He turned and walked to the other student's dorm before I could respond. I watched him walk for a second and then hastened into my room to get ready. It was nice that he cared so much for his students, but I didn't understand his hesitancy.