Intermix Nation

“Trying to escape, Nazirah?” he wheezes,standing before her. If only he would come a little closer, withinrange of her dagger. “I hope my appearance didn’t startle you toobadly. I’m afraid we are both looking worse for wear.” He sneers.“The Medis ensured my survival. But they found it amusing to leavemy face like this … a little reminder of who I am and whom Iserve.”

“How could you do this?” she asks. “HelpGabirel? Betray your people? For what?”

“For honor!” he spits. “For my father! Toonce and for all wipe the patronizing smirk off Adamek Morgen’sface! He has disgraced my bloodline for long enough.”

“You are the disgrace!” Nazirah screams.“Your father would be ashamed of you! There is nothing honorableabout you!” She laughs. “You’re not half the man he is!”

“My father allowed himself to be killed by aMedi, as did his father before him,” Ramses growls, taking a stepcloser. “He may have disfigured me, but I will kill that Medi andeverything he holds dear. And you dare say I am not half the man ofmy father?”

“I wasn’t talking about the Khan.”

Ramses aims the rifle at Nazirah’s head.“Take it back,” he snarls.

“Pull the trigger,” she says boldly, callinghis bluff. “I dare you!” The train begins to slow, groaning on itsbrakes. Ramses gets an unsettling, malicious look. Nazirah realizesa second too late what he plans to do. “No!” she screams. Ramsespivots, taking a precise shot. The bullet slices the air, collidingwith hair, scalp, bone, and finally organ. Taj slumps forward, hisskull shrapnel, brain pulp.

“Taj!” Lumi gags as brains and blood spurtacross her face … remnants of the voice of reason, of the kind boywho loved to kick a ball around.

“I warned you.” Ramses faces Lumi. “Sorry,love,” he says, “but there’s really no use for you, either.”

Lumi’s eyes bulge as Ramses aims the rifleonce more. Nazirah’s instincts kick in. She grabs the metal polewith both hands, vaulting herself upwards and wrapping her legsaround his neck, effectively pulling and strangling him. He takesseveral shots but misses, shattering the wooden pillar Lumi isbound to, bullets ricocheting off the compartment walls. Lumishrieks, frantically pulling off the twine. Ramses wrests himselffree of Nazirah’s grip, points the rifle at Lumi. She cowers beforehim, frozen.

He is close enough now.

Nazirah doesn’t think twice as she reachesfor the dagger. She has failed her parents, Aneira, now Taj.Nazirah will not fail again. She lunges forward, screaming,slitting his throat in one satisfying, electrifying motion. Hiseyes roll backwards, whites showing. Blood spurts in pulses fromhis neck. Ramses collapses onto the floor, rifle clattering out theopen door and onto the tracks below. He convulses for a moment,gurgling. And then he is quiet.

Nazirah stares dumbly at him, at her ownbloody hand, back at him again. Lumi is hugging her, thanking her.But Nazirah doesn’t feel her. The train pulls into an undergroundstation, almost completely stopped. “Come on, Nazirah!” Lumi criesurgently. “Let’s get out of here!”

“I can’t,” she says sadly, holding up herone hand. “I’m still handcuffed.”

Lumi grabs the metal pole, trying to derailit. Her long blonde hair is matted, caked red. There is desperationin her eyes. She drops to the ground, frantically searching Ramses’body. “I can’t find the key!” she yells hysterically. “There’s nokey! Nazirah, there’s no key!”

Lumi snaps her head up. There is distinctechoing nearby, footsteps drawing closer.

“Lumi,” Nazirah says, strangely calm. “Youhave to get out, now.”

“I won’t leave you!”

They’re ru

“Fuck your promises!” Lumi sobs, embracingher tightly. Their faces mirror blood smears. The footsteps areright outside now.

“Leave!”

“Thank you,” Lumi whispers. “Don’t let thembreak you.”

“I won’t,” she says softly. They exchangeone final glance before Lumi hops off the ledge, down and out ofsight. Nazirah is quite certain they will never see each otheragain. Lumi is gone for mere seconds before the compartment doorslides open, revealing Grum wielding a pistol.

The look of total shock on Grum’s face isalmost comical. He stalks around the compartment, taking in themassacre, kicking over a pile of logs. “Fucking Deathlanders,” hescoffs, toeing Ramses’ body. “Never trust one to get the job doneright.” Grum bends down, ru

“I seem to surprise you a lot,” she says,staring forward, unable to look at what she’s done.

Grum pats her down roughly. He takes longerthan necessary, making sure to cop a feel here and there. Pullingout a key from his pocket, Grum unlocks the cuff from the pole,quickly handcuffing both of Nazirah’s hands behind her back. “Thatwas my fault,” he says, “for letting you catch me off guard.” Hepushes her forward towards the door. “Not because you have anyfighting ability, get that straight.”

“Ramses might disagree,” Nazirah says,sounding braver than she feels.

He grips her hard. “In any case,” he growls,“I won’t be making that mistake again.” Grum recounts the bodies.Nazirah stares sadly at Taj, slumped on the floor, before she getsshoved out of the compartment. “Where’s Grigori, Nation? Did sheleave you here to rot so she could make it home to her boyfriend? Idoubt she’ll get far.”

Nazirah ignores him. “You were the one wholeaked our trip to the slums?”

“Of course I did.” Grum chuckles behind heras they walk towards the front of the train. “Right before I leftfor Osen, I overheard a call between the Commander and Slome. Itwould have been rude to keep information like that all to myself.”He presses the pistol into Nazirah’s back. “I was very lucky,” Grumcontinues. “The Chancellor was getting a tad impatient before that.Your brother would never willingly tell me anything confidential.He doesn’t quite like me much … can’t imagine why.”

“Your plan backfired,” Nazirah hisses. “Ifanything, that fire made us stronger!”

“Even the best laid plans can go to shit,”he snaps. They’re in the first compartment now, near the train’sentrance. Nazirah hears muffled voices outside the door. “Likeyesterday, for example. We waited weeks until we could safely getyou, pla

“Go to hell.”

Grum whirls Nazirah around so they face eachother. His thick keloid bulges, knotted veins bursting in anger.“I’ve been there,” he growls, pointing at his scarred face. “I’mnot anxious to return.”

He grabs Nazirah by the collar, kicking thedoor open and hauling her outside. She’s momentarily blinded by thebright lights, the cameras shuttering and flashing. The large crowdhisses and jeers, throwing stones. Nazirah holds a bloody hand up,shielding her face. Grum leads her off the train platform, sea ofonlookers parting before them. A mother protects her youngdaughter. Someone screams. They stare at Nazirah like she is acaged animal, untamable, wild and dangerous. Everyone here knowsher face, just like everywhere else in Renatus. But here, Nazirahis not the ally. She is not even the intermix.

She is the enemy.

Petite and filthy, completely terrified,Nazirah scares these Medis to the bone. She wants to scream atthem! Can’t they see? They have all the power! And she has none!But as Grum drags her outside, into the smog and gasps and sobs,Nazirah isn’t so sure that’s true.