Read Wings (A Black City Novel) for Free Online Page B

have an impressive arsenal, but it’s still no match for Purian Rose’s forces.
    “Look, you don’t need to convince me,” Destiny says. “My aunt always told me, ‘Have a plan B, Destiny. You never know when you might need it.’ But try to see it from the Commander’s point of view. If anything happened and the virus got released into the compound, a bunch of people could die. Not me, thankfully. I don’t have the V-gene,” she adds, laughing a little. “But a good fifteen percent of our soldiers do. So I get why he’s being cautious. I think he’s
wrong
—we should have every advantage possible—but I get it.”
    I sigh, knowing it’s pointless to discuss it any further. Destiny can’t change the Commander’s mind any more than I can. The boat goes around a bend in the river, and Destiny peers out the window.
    “Man, this city sucks,” she says. “I never thought I’d see this stinking place again.”
    “Why did you come back?” I ask.
    “My aunt begged me,” she replies. “Things were getting pretty crazy in Centrum. I got mixed up with a bad crowd a few months back, so my aunt persuaded me to come home and join Alpha Squad.”
    “What sort of bad crowd?” I ask, curious to know more about her life in the capital, where she was working as a model. Polly wanted to do that as a career too. She and Destiny would have gotten on like a house on fire.
    “I’d rather not think about it, hon. It’s all in the past.” Destiny gazes out the window again. “I miss Centrum.”
    “Speaking of which, what’s Omega Squad doing there?” I ask, recalling everyone huddled around the com-desk in command central.
    “You know I can’t tell you that,” she says.
    “But—”
    She silences me with a firm look. I let it slide, knowing when to push her and when not to.
    • • •
    The
Fogger
slows down as we approach Flux Plaza, the main city square where their Darkling ghetto is located. Or
was
located. The notorious brass gates leading into the ghetto dangle off their hinges, and the place is now empty, all the Darklings having been taken to the Tenth in accordance to Rose’s Law. Purian Rose’s forces have been sweeping across the country, systematically clearing out the ghettos, city by city. Gallium was targeted a few weeks ago while Ash, Elijah and I were on the run.
    Garrick docks the boat beside the jetty next to Flux Plaza and we all climb out, making sure our hoods are up. The city square is jammed with Workboots setting up a wooden stage in the center of the plaza. I vaguely recall February Fields’s news report earlier, about a nationwide Cleansing ceremony taking place next week. It’s going to be a huge televised event, with millions of people attending ceremonies across the country. I’m guessing the stage is for that.
    I watch a group of Pilgrims filtering into the church on the west side of Flux Plaza. They all have shaved heads and a rose tattoo above their left ears—the mark of a follower of the Purity faith, the religion that Purian Rose created years ago. Membership has exploded in the past few weeks, as people clamor to prove their devotion to Purian Rose for fear of being sent to the Tenth. Nothing encourages faith like fear, it seems.
    “Babbage and Son’s is over there.” Destiny points to a shabby store next to the church.
    The five of us head through the bustling town square toward the store. I tug my hood lower over my face as a group of Pilgrims walk past, handing out flyers to passersby about next week’s ceremony. One of the women thrusts a flyer in my hand and I quickly take it, stuffing it into my pocket as we approach the shop. A tarnished copper sign hangs over the doorway, reading BABBAGE AND SON’S APOTH ECARY . A silvery bell rings as we step inside.
    The shop is cramped and gloomy with an unpleasant sulfur smell in the air. Glass-fronted cabinets filled with colorful jars of potions and medicines line the side walls, and a large mirror hangs on the back