Efferent

Chapter 48

"I thought that we were just acting," Blaise shouted above the screams of fury as we ran through the halls, avoiding any trailing officials or citizens looking for a fight.

"We were. Until I felt it come back." I offered in a simple answer.

"It?" Blaise panted, "What do you mean by It?"

"My powers! My Efference." I glanced over at him. "I was so angry, so upset with our situation. I think that the emotion was a catalyst for the release."

"Efference?" Blasie asked, "You mean that James's formula worked?"

I turned the corner and pushed out the door to see the watchers from outside the stadium in chaos. Brawls had broken out across the streets, shouts of pain, anger and aggression ripped from their throats as the protestors attacked anything in their line of sight.

"Yes." I whispered. "I did this." We came to a stop as we drank in the fury, the flurry of motion.

"Yes," Blaise repeated, "And you need to put an end to it before someone dies."

I nodded. "When we reach the clinic, I will. We need the sedatives first."

Blaise nodded, dodging a flung bottle that smashed into the brick wall behind him in a shower of shattered glass. "Soon," he offered, "We need to finish this."

I grinned, and took his hand, running down the back alleys, weaving our way through the back roads until we reached the stout and sterile building with the forest behind it. "The officials," I panted, "Where would they be?"

"The control room." He glanced over at me. "you can subdue them, while I will grab as many of the injections as possible. He looked over to the east and the rising sun. "We will record a broadcast and release it throughout the city to halt the violence."

"And then we run." I glanced towards the forest. "As fast as we can, back to James and Clark."

"How much time do we have left?" Blaise asked as we ran through the doors.

"Not nearly enough." I answered impatiently.

Blaise threw the closest door open to reveal the soldiers clad in fatigues watching the chaos in the streets over their surveillance cameras. They looked over, but before they could reach for anything, I shouted. "Stop!" I raised my arms in a defensive manner, "Stop what you are doing."

They froze, and Blaise went about, dipping his hand into their pockets and withdrawing each syringe with the precision of a surgeon.

I turned to face the cameras. Hitting record and live stream, I projected my voice, watching the chaos still in the streets as they recognized and honed in to my voice. "Stop your fighting. Stop your protesting. The Efferent will come at a later date, aided by our allies, to address your grievances. But for now, return to peace and non-violent demonstrations."

The dropped their raised arms, laid down whatever crude weapons they had, and look about confused. I hesitated a moment longer, before turning to face Blaise and nodded. "Let us leave." I directed towards the officials, "Do not follow us."

I glanced over to Blaise, who cradled the syringes like they were a small child, and furrowed my eyebrows. "Will those be enough?"

"They will have to be." Blaise said solemnly, "They will have to buy us enough time for us to find and utilize a viable option to help Clark."

I gave a firm nod. "Then we need to move."

We ran to the small vehicles at the back of the building, and Blaise started the car in a flurry of motion, the engine humming to life in seconds as we took off. "What time is it?" He shouted in question above the revving machinery.

The sun had rose above our heads and I looked about the forest as the early morning light dappled the ground. "It has to be about seven in the morning."

"Two days after we were captured?" Blasie asked rhetorically, then stated. "We left two days ago, correct?"

"Yes," I told him, "We seem to be toeing the edge of our due date, Blaise."

"We will make it in time." He offered simply, pressing on the gas a bit more heavily so that the pedal hit the bottom of the car and the trees flew by in a blur. "Even after forty eight hours, James would give us a bit of an extended time, wouldn't he?"

I hesitated, not knowing the answer to that question. I fell silent, pondering it. "I do not know. We are going as fast as we can. If only there was a way to contact him ahead of time."

Blaise nodded absently, before he perked up in excitement. "Ardyn! You are brilliant! Your mind is brilliant!"

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brows, "What did I say?"

"The radio!" He exclaimed, grasping at the machine in the middle of the console and tossing it in my lap. "Contact them using the radio!"

I shrieked slightly as we swerved a bit off road. "Focus, Blaise! We will never get there in time if we crash."

"The radio, Ardyn!" He shouted in response.

"Okay, okay!" I clutched at the receiver, tuning the dial to our channel and spoke into the attached speaker. "James? James? Are you there?" Nothing but static resounded as a response. "James? It is Ardyn and Blaise. Pick up, James!"

I fell silent, holding my breath as I waited for a response. The static rang in my ears over the hum of the engine and I sighed. "Should I try it again?" I asked Blaise.

"Ye-."

"Blaise? Ardyn?" A familiar voice crackled over the radio. "Is that you?"

"Travis!" I exclaimed, "Travis, it is us! We have the sedatives and we are about less than ten miles out!"

Static broke through his voice as he responded. "We...James... Over time..."

"Travis? Travis, can you hear me?" I nearly but screamed in my panic. "Tell James to hold off on the execution! We have the sedatives."

"Clar... Attack..." The radio buzzed. "Hurr..." It broke off into static once more.

"No!" I shouted. "No! Blaise, drive faster!"

"I am!" He responded. "I am going as fast as this machine will let us!" He grit his teeth as he made another sharp turn, nearly catapulting us towards the forest.

I clutched at the edge of my seat, panic settling into my bones. He turned the corner of the trail and we broke out into the clearing the house in sight. "Go around the back!" I shouted. "Fast! Fast!"

He swung the vehicle around, tossing chunks of soil in to the car as we created divots in the unmowed lawn. As we turned the corner of the house, we heard a resonating shot, and Blaise hit the brakes. I flung forward against the seat, but before my back even hit the cushion, I had unbuckled and jumped out of the car.

There standing in front of us, was James and a line of Afferent trainees, a smoking rifle carried on his shoulder.