The Unaffected

➠1.4

later (again, I don't know how much later for sure), Baby Soldier appears at our doorway. Again.

I sigh as he leads me out. "Why is this necessary?" I ask.

We keep walking for a moment, and then he leads me into a dark, empty corridor. It's made of the same smooth metal walls as the rest of this place, but with less lighting and none of the black-clothed soldiers milling around with serious, unapproachable expressions on their faces.

"Scar," he says. I realize that this is the only time he's ever addressed me like I'm a human like him. "You're not safe here. We're getting you and the others out, and we're going to find the cure. Time is running out for us."

I stare at him. "What?"

"You heard me."

"You're lying, or something. Is this a test?"

"No. You have to trust me. Get the others ready, but don't tell them. There's surveillance in your cell. We leave tomorrow. Pretend I never talked to you, okay?"

I stare at him in confusion. Can I trust him? He is like me...

I have to, I decide. I nod my head.

Baby Soldier nods and leads me out into the main corridors, and into the room where I had been before.

"Hello, Scar," says Queen Portia, elegantly walking into the room.

"Hi, queenie," I reply, and Baby Soldier tightens his grip on my wrist painfully. "Don't address the queen that way," he orders.

I laugh. "Very well. My sincerest apologies, your majesty."

She looks at me in amusement, which was not the reaction I was hoping for. "Sit down." She points to a chair. I do as she says.

"I found your life story very uninteresting," she tells me. "But I think there's more to you than it seems."

I shrug.

"But I wanted to put you through a final test." She walks across the room and brings out a gun.

I stare at it. "Is this like the witch trials?" I ask. "See if I die, and if I don't, I'm guilty, and if I do, I'm not?"

"More or less. Although this gun doesn't usually kill the Unaffected. It just shows me how powerful you are. It's something we only use on the Unaffecteds who we think have more potential; like this soldier here. He turned out to be a seven in power level. Normally, we'd kill anyone over six, if they don't swear allegiance to us. He's one of the ones who swore allegiance. And we're wondering if perhaps you're more powerful than the meter tells us. Perhaps there's a new kind of Unaffected that can trick the meter."

This doesn't make any sense to me, but I just nod my head.

The queen points the gun at my head. It's small, grey, and on the end of the muzzle is a strange round thing. As her finger presses the side of the gun, the round thing lights up yellow, and I feel warmth envelope my body. Then it's gone.

The queen glances at the computer screen, and frowns. "You're a six," she says. "A lot more than it seemed, but not as much as we thought. I wonder, how did you trick the meter?"

"Perhaps it was broken," I suggest helpfully.

"Perhaps," says Queen Portia. But she doesn't think so, I can tell. "Take her back to the cell," she orders Baby Soldier.

I stand as he comes to escort me back, and he takes my wrist. We exit the room, and walk down the hall. Throughout the entire short trip he's silent. Nothing about tomorrow.

I desperately hope he's telling the truth.