Subordinance

Chapter Twenty Three

Chapter Twenty Three

I'd almost forgotten the feel of the wind.

Now that I'm back, though, the blast of air over my face that tangles my hair and chills my cheeks seems entirely familiar. I embrace the feeling of the sun, the land, the open space of the outdoors that makes it so much easier to breath. The exhilarating feel of speed combined with the coursing spike of adrenaline that pumps through my veins—it's breathtaking. I open my face to the sky and wonder how I ever lived without the sun.

I can't imagine it now.

As my bike ducks into a shallow cavity in the ground, a neighboring cycle skips over the divot completely and goes flying, landing with a squealing thump of rubber on gravel. It races onward, leaving me trailing behind by ten feet or so.

"Hey!" I cry, ripping at the gear on the handle of my bike and urging it to go faster. The rubber wheels spit gravel and earth behind me as I rocket forward, flying faster and higher over the ground. Earthy, sandy soil bends with the speed, tires cutting grooves into the softened earth and leaving a twisting pathway behind me. The front wheel of the bike inches towards the one in front with a shower of gravel and dust flying into my face. With another flick of my wrist and a squeal of my bike, I'm neck and neck with the other biker, their face hidden by the tinted helmet. I grin, pressing forward and going faster than I ever have before.

"Woohoo!" I yell, whooping over the rushing sound of the wind. The small navigation screen on the front of my bike blinks, the destination of our route flashing red. Less than a mile away. Up ahead, I make out the elongated structure of a temporary base, the one we're supposed to be watching. According to the Mission Leader who gave us our assignment yesterday, it's an outpost base for the Enemy that might be hosting military units at the moment. If not, the Base is going to organize a group of Foot Soldiers to invade the vacant building and use it to our advantage. Our job is pretty much to camp out beside the Enemy building for a day or two, figure out if it's occupied or not, and report back to the Base our findings.

I couldn't be happier.

My bike sends me flying over a flat outcrop of rock, landing on softer soil below and skidding to a stop. My boots are planted firmly in the earth as I whip off my helmet, grinning. I watch as the other bike comes soaring over the ledge before landing a couple of feet away from mine.

"I win," I say, flipping my head upside down and shaking out my short hair. The dark strands, I notice while upside down, are wavier than usual. When I right myself again, the other biker has gotten off their motorbike and is sliding their helmet off.

"Maybe this time," he says, his green eyes flashing. He runs a hand through his shaggy dark hair and grins, his face tanned. I sling the strap of my helmet over the handlebars on my bike and stretch to relax my muscles.

"Well," I say, "that was fun." He flicks his eyebrows upwards, still grinning.

"Oh, yeah," he sets his helmet down, "you ready to set up the tents?" I nod, reaching for the bundles of fabric and poles strapped to the backs of the bikes. I can't believe that two weeks ago today I was working in that awful hospital and missing out on all of this.

 A twinge of guilt reminds me that Rho still is.

As we're pulling apart the fabric and unraveling the bundles, I turn to the Quadrant Officer. "Could I ask you for a favor?"

He looks up at me, his fingers still working at the knotted fabric ties. "Of course. What do you need?"

Fidgeting with the bundles, I look at him with a hesitant expression. "When I was at the hospital, you know that Rho came to work with me, right?" He nods, his eyes open and expectant. "When I came back here...she had to stay behind. I was wondering if there was anything you could do to get her back here." The Quadrant Officer raises his eyebrows and nods, turning his eyes towards the ground as he thinks.