The Fence

Chapter 61: Minerva

The sirens wake me up around 6:00 in the morning.

The military has gone over what these sirens mean. The lights in my room flash red, on and off and on and off. The sound is deafening, the pitch starting low, then going high. I wipe my tired eyes, the whole thing not registering.

My door slams open, and I see my brother. I also see Grey. I see Ky's hand shape burning into my wooden door, but I couldn't care less. Grey pulls me out of my bed, and I stare at him.

"Kirbena," he whispers urgently. "I need you to wake up, and quickly. Don't worry about anything else, just call Sutikka."

"What's going on?" I groan, although I know quite well.

Before Grey can answer me, the speakers do. "Remain calm, everyone remain calm. Grab your weapons; your live ones and anything extra. Head straight to Floor 7 and out those doors. NO soldier may attack."

My eyes go to my brother. He looks even more tired than he did yesterday. His hair is standing in all directions and the bags under his eyes have never looked so clear. He's sweating more than someone should be, and I know that the fire is to blame. "Ky," I grunt. "Where is your katana?"

"He's somewhere else right now," Ky mutters back. "He doesn't care about me, but I care about him. He wouldn't want to fight this battle with me."

"S-so what are you gonna do?"

"There's another weapon I have," Ky replies.

"What about Furisu?" I turn to Grey, my voice quivering. "And Gabe?"

Grey looks sad. "You could bring them out, but we don't have much time. I do think they'd be safer in here anyways."

I feel like crying. After all the time I've been here, I thought I was prepared for something like this. But now that it's happening, now that we're actually being invaded, I don't know what to do. My visions blurs, and I'm close to tears.

Grey reaches for my hand, and my eyes dart up to his again. "It's okay," he whispers.

I shake my head. "N-no, I'm n-not ready. I can't-"

"Kir," Grey interrupts me. He places his other hand over my mouth to keep me from talking. "It's okay. Think of all the training you've done. All the time you spent preparing for this. If you're not ready, it's okay. Trust yourself. Trust that we have your back."

As I stare into those pools of gray, all I see is certainty. Certainty that I'll be okay. Certainty that we'll make it through this. Certainty that he'll protect me. And I know that he will. He always has. When I was scared of Luci, he stayed with me. When I didn't believe in myself, he was there to reassure me. When Nixon pointed that gun at me, he came running. When I was in the hospital, he got over what he was feeling to see me. When the bomb went off, he found me. When I was alone, he kept me safe. He was always there. I always needed him.

I put my other hand on his, pulling it away from my mouth. I give the tiniest nod. "I do."

"We don't have much time," Ky murmurs. I pull away from Grey, then grab Sutikka from his place on the wall. I hurry into the hallway, where the other squad mates are anxiously waiting. I'm quickly wrapped into a hug; it's Val.

"Bena, you were the last one to wake up! We all waited for you."

My eyes take in the looks of everyone in the hall. First, Val, who looks tired, but not beat. I can't imagine how she's feeling. She doesn't want to fight. She just wants to find her brother. She holds Leo tightly to her chest, who I'm sure is reassuring her.

Next, Pine. His green eyes are dull with sleep, but he's awake enough. I let out a sigh of relief when I see he's no longer weaponless. An axe hangs from the belt on his waist. I find that ironic.