The Terrorist (Lens Book 3)

by J B Cantwell

  “Oh, no,” he said. “How do you think I would’ve clawed my way back into the system? No, this device only works as long as you’re close to it. Then it fades away as you get farther to the end of its radius. It’s umbrella, if you will.”

  “So, what did you do with it after you experimented?”

  “Threw it in the river, of course. I couldn’t let myself be found with it.”

  “You didn’t keep it?”

  “It was too dangerous. You have to understand, the lab isn’t a very safe place for inventors unless it’s the government you’re inventing for. It was fine when I was working on the designation programming because that’s what was wanted of me. But after a while, I started to realize the danger of what I’d built. I had turned the lens, which was intended only to spread information quickly to the masses, into a caste system. And I was handsomely rewarded for my work, as you know. But eyes were on me by the time I built that first little device. I did it in secret, and I succeeded in keeping it to myself, but it wouldn’t have stayed that way for long. So, I tossed it.”

  “And then what? You just gave up?”

  He looked up at me, and I could tell that my words had stung. He blinked several times.

  “Yes, I did. I didn’t want to end up in a coffin. It doesn’t matter how rich you are here. If you go rogue, you’re out.”

  I dropped my gaze. Lydia had gone rogue, introduced me to the idea of the Volunteers, even gave me a time and a place to meet them.

  Before I was forced to kill her.

  Who would it be holding the gun to my head this time around?

  “Eventually the battery will fade,” he said. “But this is a strong one. It should last for at least a couple years. We’ll plant it as high in the building as we can. The Star building is a great venue to test it. You’ll be in the ballroom on the top floor. I’ll hide the pieces tomorrow, before the security detail shows up, and then let you know where they are.”

  “Why pieces?”

  “It will set off alarms if I bring in the whole device at once. You saw how awkward it was for me to carry it just to the car. I’ll have access tomorrow. They let us Platinums do pretty much whatever we please. I’ll be able to go in and out. I’ll come up with some excuse. Flowers or something, like I’m trying to woo you.”

  His voice was distracted, and he waved my questions away, his mind on something else.

  He picked up the jammer and carefully broke it into three pieces. Each had been painted to coordinate with the others, so the chances of me messing it up were low. He demonstrated how to attach and detach them. Then showed me the switch.

  “And it’s as easy as that?” I asked.

  He sighed in frustration.

  “Easy?”

  He frowned, and I worried I’d made him angry.

  “That’s not what I meant,” I said, backtracking. “I mean, someone just like me, with no experience, can detonate it? With just a switch?”

  This seemed to appease him. He flipped one of the smaller pieces in the air and caught it.

  “Yup.”

  He was clearly very proud of himself. And who was I to doubt him? He was a mad genius, a scientist dedicated to eradicating the system he, himself, had created.

  “So, tell me something,” he said. “Why was I your target? If Chambers already knew what he wanted, why send you along?”

  “I’m not sure. I mean, would you have given him the time of day? Could he have sauntered over to you at that party like I did? Gotten your attention? I don’t think Chambers runs in the same circles that guests to those parties do. I mean, have you ever seen him at one?”

  “Fair point. No, I haven’t. But sending you after me surely sent up some signals to whoever’s watching you.”

  “Well, hopefully they’re not watching me at all. Damien, yes. But I’m new here. Maybe I’m seen as an innocent by everyone else. Everyone who matters. And Damien can’t expose me without exposing himself.”

  “Well, it won’t matter soon enough,” he said, smirking. “They’ll never see this coming, none of them. I’ve been on my own for years with no one caring, or even interested, in my business affairs. I’m sure they think I’ve gone mad by now. I don’t think I’ve had eyes on me for quite some time. We might just be able to pull this off.”

  “I hope you’re right. So, what do I need to do?”

  He smiled.

  “Easy, peasy.”

  “Hiding is not an option,” Janeen said to me two days later.

  By now, she was well aware of the plan. She had never worked for the Volunteers directly, but she had still been kept appraised of their actions. Her connection with Chambers had resulted in some key insider information. She’d never needed to use it until now. Chambers was gone, my guide apprehended. It was on her now.

  “Hiding is the most noticeable thing you could possibly do. I want you at all parties. Well, all parties worth Audrey’s time. Pretend you’re searching for a suitor. Surely, that won’t be difficult.”

  “Okay. Can I stay away from Damien at least?”

  “That will be difficult,” she admitted.

  “He threatened me last time,” I argued.

  “Let me think on it. We’ll need a plan.”

  My stomach felt hollow, fluttering, but not in an excited way.

  A scared way.

  The threat Damien posed was enormous. He was probably torturing my mother right this minute just for my benefit. And somehow I felt certain that he would not appreciate losing everyone’s designations, for the simple reason that it hadn’t been him to take them away.

  It was revenge he wanted. He wanted the system down, just like me, but somehow I imagined that he wouldn’t be happy until blood had spilled on every street.

  I wanted freedom. He wanted anarchy. And even though the line between our desires was very fine, I knew we would find ourselves enemies to the last.

  “Erica will come at eight,” Janeen said. “Then Albert will deliver you.”

  “Yeah, okay. What am I wearing?”

  Her lips turned up, the closest thing she had to a smile.

  “Go stand on the pedestal,” she said.

  I did as I was told.

  She disappeared into one of the bigger closets, one I hadn’t even bothered to check yet. The place had so many closets and so many mirrors, it was hard to keep track of what was real and what was just a reflection.

  She came out with an enormous garment bag and hung it on a hook, unzipping it from top to bottom. Beneath the fabric, a bright swath of red popped out.

  Then, she pulled it out, cradling it like a baby as she carried it over to me.

  My mouth fell open. The dress was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. A full skirt faded into a tight, strapless bodice, and I felt sure that I would drown in all that fabric. The color was the real killer, though.

  Blood red.

  I took a step down from the pedestal and opened my arms to feel the fabric. It was downy soft, and though I wanted to put the soft skirt up to my cheek, I knew better. Instead, I put one hand on the closet door and lifted my foot to climb into it.

  Janeen expertly drew up the gown all around me, zipping me tightly into it. But I didn’t mind. I had never seen, much less worn, something so beautiful.

  She turned me back to the pedestal.

  “Up you go,” she said, giving me a light push.

  I gathered up the skirt and took a tentative few steps up until I was standing at the very center of the pedestal. Janeen climbed up and straightened out the skirt, making it look fuller than it had moments before.

  The gown was heavy, but manageable. I turned to one of the mirrors opposite the pedestal.

  I looked unbelievable, like a princess, but a princess I’d never known. I imagined what it would be like to show myself to Alex, to dance with him instead of the other men who would court me.

  But Alex was unreachable. Though, I wasn’t ready to say he was gone. I knew he was out there somewhere. I jus
t hoped he was fighting tooth and nail to survive, to find his way to freedom.

  I let go of the skirt, and my face fell.

  “What is it?” Janeen asked.

  But I thought she knew. She must’ve.

  “Come on, then,” she said, approaching me and holding out one hand.

  As she guided me down the stairs, the first of my tears started to fall.

  “No!” she scolded. “Not on the dress!”

  This made me, unexpectedly, laugh through my tears. She was so focused, and on things that meant so little to me. I remembered that back before I signed up for the Service, I had been addicted to the videos they would produce to try to entice young people like me to join. There was one in particular of a woman reclining on a sofa, a delicate stem of champagne in her hand. That was what I had wanted for myself. Riches. Or at least enough money to escape Brooklyn and my mother.

  Things had changed so much since that first day, it was hard to believe. And now, of course, I could have all of those things. The sofa, the shopping, the champagne. And I wanted none of it.

  I carefully stepped out of the gown and wrapped myself into a fluffy robe.

  “I think it’s beautiful,” I said. And I knew she was right; I would be unforgettable. A beacon.

  The building was called The Star. It was the tallest building in the city, and at the very top of the roof, a huge spire acted as a cell tower as well as decoration.

  The day before, Valle had told me the locations of the three pieces of the jammer. He had scouted out the place, too, and had determined where the activation should take place. One piece was in the women’s bathroom, hidden in a toilet stall that had been marked “out of order.” The second beneath the stage in the back. And finally, a third. I would need to climb the last flight of stairs and make it to the door that had roof access. At the base of the spire would be the last and final piece. Then, I would hide the device at the base.

  And that would be it. Flip the switch. Lights out.

  It was on me.

  Erica came and went, making me up, spraying my hair until it was coiffed into a modern sort or swoop, a work of art. She drew cat eyes onto my skin, sprinkling a fine glitter over the paint. Lips to match my dress. And leaving, of course, samples of her makeup for me to bring along in my skirt pockets.

  I leaned over and slipped my feet into the heels for the night. I was surprised that they weren’t red, but black, sturdy.

  “The skirt will hide them,” Janeen said. “Just in case.”

  Just in case I need to run?

  Yes. That was certainly it.

  She knew, we all knew, that this attack on the system was madness. Just a test. A dangerous one.

  Valle had told me that the radius of the device’s range was about ten blocks in any direction. It wouldn’t take long for the authorities to figure out where the falloff took place around the edges. Though it would certainly take a while for them to find the jammer at the center.

  I stood on the pedestal as Janeen draped the dress over my near-naked body. This time when she zipped me up, I was ready. Or at least I thought I was.

  Until I saw my reflection in the mirrors.

  How was it possible that it was me? I looked entirely different from the girl I’d been just months ago.

  Beauty and money over poverty on the run.

  I was a benefactor. I had the best shot and bringing the system down. I needed to remind myself of that. Remind Audrey.

  “It will be hard to dance,” I said, which was actually a bonus for me.

  “There’s a catch in the back where you can hold up the skirt with one hand, though I suspect you won’t be doing much dancing tonight.”

  “Yeah, probably not.”

  I smiled at the girl in the mirror, and I suddenly realized something I’d never thought of before.

  I was no longer just a girl.

  Chambers, Janeen, Valle; they were people who had made me a woman.

  I raised my chin just a touch as I studied my reflection.

  “There you are,” Janeen said. “That’s my girl.”

  I picked up my skirt again and headed down the small staircase. I presented myself to Janeen, taking a deep breath as I did so.

  “Okay,” I said. “Ready.”

  “Never better,” she said as she inspected me. “Let’s try to keep the champagne in the glass this time, shall we?”

  I laughed.

  “No promises.”

  Chapter Three

  I took Albert’s hand as I stepped from the limo. I’d hoped that Valle would join me, though I knew he was right to stay away during the detonation. Besides, he only occasionally attended these events. And I understood why.

  Why bother to go to the trouble of dressing up if you were just going to spend your time at the party all alone?

  “This one isn’t important,” he’d said. “Or, well, not important to the people that count. It’s important to you, though. And to me. To all of us. Their reaction will help us figure out how to move forward. Bigger. Better.”

  He had been right. And as I stepped onto the swath of carpet that had been rolled out onto the sidewalk, I knew this was the beginning of something big. Where Alex and I had failed, Valle and I would now succeed.

  I stepped onto the carpet and didn’t look back.

  Time to go.

  Each guest was presented by name to the rest of the room. It was as if they thought they were monarchs.

  Lauren Allen

  Jason Pope

  Audrey Page

  Damien Ross

  I looked around, suddenly alarmed and not a little nervous. And there he was. Tuxedo. White teeth. Plastered smile. Slicked hair.

  Entirely disgusting.

  I knew the atrocities those eyes had seen, the pain that came as a result of his commands, his own hands.

  He walked up to me and put one hand on my waist as he air-kissed my cheek. I didn’t respond, didn’t do anything except freeze.

  “Quick,” he said, indicating the empty elevator.

  He took me by the arm and guided me to the opening as if I were a small child. I didn’t fight him, though. I didn’t want to cause a scene. I had my directive for the night, and it didn’t include Damien Ross. I only made a small attempt to shake him off when we were at the threshold of the elevator. I stepped inside, his grip loosening somewhat. I left my skirt alone, allowing it to fill up the entire elevator. Then I shrugged.

  He smirked.

  “Don’t think I won’t find you,” he warned.

  “Oh, I don’t.”

  The elevator doors closed between us, and I leaned up against the side trying to catch my breath.

  This wasn’t going to be easy, and suddenly I wondered just why I was supposed to be so visible at this party. Why not black? Or navy, even? A simple sheath, just to blend in, would have been smarter.

  Too late now.

  The doors opened and a young man in a tuxedo offered me a hand to escort me from the elevator. I took it gratefully because I was starting to shake with nerves.

  Thick heels.

  Just in case.

  I wanted to get in and out, but that wouldn’t be an option. Not tonight.

  I let my breath go and spotted Grant from across the room. He smiled broadly at my introduction to the party and excused himself from the man he was talking with. Making a beeline toward me, he shook his head and held out both arms to embrace me. I smiled despite my worries. Grant would make everything okay, one way or another.

  “Audrey,” he sang as he put his arms around me. Then, he let go. “You look positively deadly.”

  I laughed and air-kissed him on the cheek. I would’ve hated to mess up his makeup with my fire-engine-red lips.

  “Please,” I begged. “Take me away from here. Damien is—”

  “Oh, that rat. Of course.” He offered his arm, and I took it gratefully. “Care to dance?”

  I looked up at him, scowling.

  “Ouch!” he said. “
Champagne, then?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He led me to the bar where several glasses stood ready. He took one for me and one for himself and held his up to toast. I followed suit.

  “To the most beautiful woman in the room.”

  I smirked, but I clinked my glass with his. I knew I needed to be on point for this operation, but I was so nervous I drank the champagne anyway.

  Not too much.

  “So, tell me about yourself, dear,” he said. “I hardly know a thing.”

  “I would argue that you know plenty. I could use a hand from you tonight, though.” I leaned in and whispered in his ear. “I’m not here just for the party.”

  He leaned back and clapped his hands excitedly.

  “Ooh, I love it! A secret mission! Do tell.”

  I laughed, and for a moment I was concerned that maybe I’d gone too far.

  “I can’t tell you much,” I said. “But I need to have a few moments to myself. Three different moments, in fact. Do you think you can arrange that?”

  “Oh, definitely. Take a look. Here’s number one.”

  He pointed at a man I’d never seen who was approaching us. His eyes were smoldering as he took me in. I glanced sideways at Grant, but he paid my mood no notice.

  “Andrew,” he said. “Have you met the beautiful Audrey Page?”

  “I haven’t yet had the pleasure,” he said, holding out one hand. I extended mine to meet his, but in that delicate, princess sort of way. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss it, but in the end he resisted.

  Grant looked back and forth between the two of us, and I could tell he felt very proud of himself. He leaned in and whispered in my ear.

  “Where’s your first stop?” he asked.

  “Bathroom,” I murmured.

  “Oh, please, darling. I thought you’d need something challenging.”

  “Okay. Behind the stage, then.”

  “Mmm, much better.”

  “Andrew, be gentle with her,” Grant said. He looked my way again. “I’ll catch you later.”

  And he walked away. I felt oddly abandoned, frightened, even. But I just pretended. That was the name of the game, anyway. If I had to pretend to be Audrey, I should be able to handle one dance with just about anyone.