SAGE (under edit)

Chapter Thirty Nine - The Rules of the Game

Sage hadn't realised how far she had run until the sympathiser dropped to the ground at her feet, unconscious, and she paused to gain her bearings. She was in a wide cul-de-sac, sandstone terrace houses packed tightly together around it, and although they were clearly empty Sage was surprised to find no signs of damage.

Then again, she was further to the edges of the city now while most of the explosions had happened in the busier districts, those that were more central and guaranteed to create more havoc, casualties and damage.

Sage looked back down to civilian sympathiser, who was a young man probably the same age as her. She wondered how Bryce had manipulated civilians to do his bidding, because from what Sage had witnessed so far none of them had the blank expressions or mindless behaviour of those controlled by RedEarth's technology. She knew Bryce had no mercy for civilians, knew that he even intended to conscript them if RedEarth ever gained full control of Zone, so why would any civilian volunteer themselves for Bryce's cause?

The explosive device the man had been carrying was discarded on the other side of the street after she had knocked it from the man's hold, but Sage scooped it up off the ground now and inspected the palm-sized silver disk with a frown. It wasn't like the explosives she had seen among Dante's supplies - or those that he made himself when he had the time and resources - but considering the technology RedEarth already had at its disposal she suspected this explosive was one of their own creations.

Sage couldn't leave it for someone else to find, so she slipped the explosive into her empty holster - having lost the handgun belonging to it earlier - and returned to the civilian. She couldn't leave him there either, and considering there were no Crest Soldiers nearby to arrest him Sage had to bring him to them.

At the back of her mind Sage reminded herself that she was a Shadow Soldier, a criminal, and the crimes against her name far outweighed those of the young man's she hefted up off the ground. The Crest Soldiers had every right to arrest her, too. If they dared to.

Sage used some Kyra to help lift the civilian, who was a dead weight against her side, and slung one of his arms over her shoulders then took hold of his belt. His feet dragged, but it was better than dragging him fully.

As she reached the point where the cul-de-sac bottled-necked into a narrow street, Sage felt an unsettling prickle along her spine. She paused, caution rippling through her, and glanced back over her shoulder. There was no one else in the street, but Sage knew she was being watched. Her gaze darted to each window of the surrounding houses, some covered by curtains and others open - but empty.

Sage lowered the civilian back to the ground, his back propped up against a stout iron fence that bordered every front lawn. Then she turned to face the cul-de-sac, and she realised she couldn't hear any of the sounds from the invasion; it was as if this pocket of the city was separate from everything happening around it, the houses rising up around her like barriers.

It began to dawn on her just how strange it was that there was no damage, no carnage, to the street and the houses. Yes, it was far from the more central districts of the city but as Sage studied the cul-de-sac more carefully she saw no signs of panic, no signs of people running in fear while they evacuated.

The area had been emptied as if... as if in anticipation.

Sage's heart gave a violent thump against her ribs and she reached for the dagger strapped to her thigh – but she was stopped, her fingertips just crazing the dagger's pommel, and she felt a hand wrap firmly around her wrist.

'There's no need for that, Sage.'

Sage wrenched herself forward, but an arm swung around her and she was slammed back into her attacker's chest. The arm locked in place and her wrist was twisted back at a sharp angle, sending pain lancing up into her shoulder. She turned her head, her heart leaping into her throat, and met the dark, earth-brown gaze of Bryce Suragi.