Chapter 16

                                    

                                              
Eliana hit the padded floor with a groan. On her back once again, she was unable to best her opponent. Kira looked into her eyes, a wry smile across the victors face. There it was again, that strange feeling inside. As Kira stared deeper into Eliana eyes her head lowered. She had seen how close this woman and Luca were, but it felt right to kiss her. A few centimetres from her foe the cloud around her vision cleared. Coming to her senses, Kira said, "you'll get me next time." In one fluid motion she stood, pulling Eliana up as if she was the master.
                          
Clapping echoed around the room, coming from the only other inhabitant. "Well done, keep that up and you'll be one of the elite guards soon."
                          
Kira looked to the skinny man in the corner. Underneath his thick towelling Judogi, that looked more like a child's dressing gown than martial arts equipment, muscles struggled to escape from taut skin. With his short cropped hair and well-manicured face he would not have looked out of place in a designer suit. However, he could be best described as a silent assassin.

                          
"You think so?" Kira replied, not able to hide her pride.
                          
Stephen laughed, answering in his thick British accent, "there are no elite guards." Kira looked disappointed. "But you are certainly an asset."
                          
"What about me?" Elianna asked in jovial tones.
                          
The laugh came again, "I think your skill set lies elsewhere."
                          
~
                          
"I hear training is going well," Du Puteron lazily sipped his drink, staring out over the bay.
                          
Kira had felt uncomfortable as soon as she had got here, the baking sun and beautiful views from the balcony only added to this. It was not the place where she had first been introduced to the leader of the resistance. Although another former hotel, this was more like Du Puteron's place of relaxation rather than where he ran the resistance from.
                          
Kira managed to mutter an affirmative reply.
                          
Awkward silence filled the air; the lapping of the ocean below should have been calming. Du Puteron tried to form words, Kira wished she was in the dojo. She felt comfortable there, able to forget about her past, lift the thoughts of her mother and focus on defeating an opponent. Talking had never been her strong point, she spoke with actions.
                          
Du Puteron decided he could not sugarcoat it, he had to tell it like it was. "I suppose I should tell you why I called you here?" he started, delaying a few seconds longer to get his thoughts in order. That did nothing for Kira's nerves. "I know why you want to be part of the revolution, why you have changed from an angry young lady to someone who wants to train hard, do their best, show off their skills."
                          
Kira thought, 'he knows I can't read, that by focusing on combat I won't be asked to look at a book.'
                          
"It is because of your mother. You want to save her." The comment was no surprise to Kira, she knew that was the real reason. Fighting meant she did not need to read, but deep down all she wanted was to go back and rescue her mother. She would love it here, beautiful views, living in a well furnished house, all the food you could eat. But that thought turned sour. "We are not going to get her."
                          
The feeling of wanting to run returned. Kira's legs tensed, they started to jitter, bouncing erratically. Du Puteron could only look on with sadness as she stood violently, her chair clattering to the floor and skidding away. But this time she did not run, she stood. Her eyes full of fire, burning holes into his face. Like a dog barking at a brutal attacker she spat, "I'll get her then."
                          
"Don't be foolish, how will you even get there?"
                          
"I'll find a way."
                          
"Look, I know someone in Johnsonville, he might be able to do something."
                          
"He can get her, keep her safe?" Hope flared once more.
                          
"It's not that simple, everyone in the cities has a chip, it helps with crime, they know where everyone is all the time. If he goes to the slums, they will ask questions."
                          
"So we can't save her, unless we rip the chip out?" The hope faded.
                          
"No, it is too much cost and too much effort to chip everyone in the slums, as long as they stay out of the cities Princips don't care what they do. Only those who are taken in as slaves are chipped."
                          
"So I've got a chip? They can track me?" The hope disappeared completely, replaced by panic.
                          
"You're what they call an independent sale, they don't want to upset the people who are taking you, you are no longer their problem. That means you don't need a chip."
                          
"If I don't have a chip then I'm invisible. I'll get her." Like a match that refused to go out the hope sparked once more.
                          
Du Puteron stood as Kira fled. He shouted after her, "Don't go, you...." but she had already gone. He would have chased her, or rather got his men to find her, but she was not a threat. She would not get far on this island and, he hoped, would soon come to her senses.
                          
~
                          
Kira clutched her fist, it was a stupid thing to do; she was lucky she had not broken it.
                          
"I thought you were going to get her," Eliana uttered, "was the wall in the way?"
                          
Kira scowled through her companion's laughter.
                          
"Sorry," Eliana added, "it is a bit funny."
                          
"It's not funny," Kira snapped, "my mother is out there starving and I'm sitting on a sofa."
                          
"My family are out there too, we..."
                          
Eliana was not allowed to finish her sentence, "in a city, with all the luxuries they want, not scrabbling in the dirt like my mother."
                          
Eliana, sat next to her, sinking into the soft cushions, calming Kira by putting an arm around her. The Russian's touch enough to change Kira's mood. The fire disappeared, replaced instead by tears. "How will I get to her?" she said through sobs.
                          
Eliana knew not to try to solve the problem then and there, her role was to provide support and a ray of hope. Kira snuggled into her new friend, not concerned with the damp patch she created, Eliana trying her best not to squirm as her t-shirt stuck to her skin in an ever increasing circle. She watched the clock on the mantelpiece tick a whole minute before responding, "you won't be able to get off the island by yourself, but you will with help. We just need to find people to help you."
                          
Kira pulled away, Eliana's t-shirt sticking to her cheek before being wrenched away by the movement. She looked like a lost puppy as she stared into Eliana's eyes, "will you help me?"
                          
A smirk ran across the Russian's face, "it depends, you haven't read to me yet today."