“Who are you becoming?” Vash asks.
“I am your queen, wife, as well as the mother of your three children,” she says.
And then, staring into his hurt eyes, she places her palm across his face. Sweetly, she drags her thumb across the faint outline of his tears, brushing them dry.
“I know life is painful. I know how you have suffered,” she says. “Traumatic events have lead us to more misery, but there is beauty within it all. Even when our future feels futile, we have to stick together.”
Vash nods, piercing deeply into her eyes. They haven’t connected in so long. There hasn’t really been any time.
If anything positive, Killian’s sudden disappearance is a wakeup call to slow down. Things don’t need to be solved in a day. The mending of their hearts is more important than anything else.
“I can’t bear to lose you again,” he says. “He was practically my brother, and he was the strongest alpha I knew. I can’t lose him either.”
“I am the strongest omega in the world. If he is still alive, I will find him,” she says.
Lucas walks with Virgil. “You can’t expect to put every piece together by yourself,” he says.
“It’s her story,” Vash says. “Hers. Remember?”
Appearing disgruntled, Virgil reaches he door. Without warning, he pounds three times, waiting for a response.
The alphas stop bickering. Rae holds her breath.
Whatever lies on the other side of that door is either a blessing or a curse.
Before it opens, Virgil says, “You’re both wrong. It’s no one’s story. And that’s why I’ve made it a habit of staying out of harm’s way.”
The handle turns, and Rae’s muscles tighten with worry. She grabs ahold of Vash, saying, “Wait. This isn’t right. We need to turn back.”
But the door opens, and the rush of wind comes out of the exit, flooding the room with the disgusting smells of alpha filth. Severin walks out of the darkness, and Virgil bows like a loyal rat.
“No,” Vash stutters. “No!”
“Sir,” he says. “I have brought you them.”
Severin smiles. “Very good, Virgil. You have done well for the New Republic.”
In an instant, all the hope Rae has stored inside her breast dries up.
“Why?” she mutters, eyes fixed on the old preacher.
But she doesn’t expect an answer. She knows betrayal doesn’t come with closure.
Instead of fighting, she gives up. She closes her eyes and prays to a God who does not care about her.
Severin rushes past her. “Where is the other one? He is the most important,” Severin says.
“I apologize. We lost him along the way,” Virgil states.
Severin shoves Rae’s head toward the concrete, letting her go at the moment of impact. The blow nearly knocks her unconscious.
“Missing?” he asks.
Both Lucas and Vash raise their rifles. “Stand the fuck down,” Lucas warns.
“Fuck this,” Vash grunts, pulling the trigger.
But the rifle does not fire, and a quick check of the magazine shows it is empty.
Severin allows for a smile. He is not worried about dying tonight. “Virgil, I’m going to need you to close your eyes. Can you do that for me?”
“I can, sir,” he says, confidently.
“Fuck this, let’s rip his throat out,” Lucas growls.
Severin chuckles, revealing a small black box. In the center s a button, which he presses, delighted.
Currents of electricity roll through the alphas necks, rendering them inert. “Did you really think I’d let you win?” he asks.
“You… bastard,” Vash exhales, neck bulging.
“Do not forget. You were processed in my prisons,” Severin teases.
“Vash,” Lucas chokes. “I can’t move.”
Breathing freely, Severin kneels and bows his head. “Allow us to pray for a moment,” he says. “Join us, Rae.”
Virgil is eager to start. “To obey is better than to sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams,” Virgil says.
“Louder,” Severin yells, gritting his teeth with new strength. “Scream it toward the heavens. I want to feel your will extend toward the heavens.”
Virgil obeys, tone rising. “For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as queen,” Virgil says.
Every word is like a shot to the heart.
Rae slides across the ground, inching toward the water.
Severin opens his eyes. He finishes Virgil’s passage. “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the alphas, and so I gave in to them.”
“You are wrong about everything,” Rae says, hurt but not destroyed. “In time, you will realize your errors, but it will be too late. By then, a blade will have ended your worries.”
When he stands, he walks toward Rae, ending her slow crawl toward death. “Don’t think you’re getting out of this that easy,” he taunts, heel hitting the butt of her spine.
He forces the air out of her, but she manages to speak. “Why keep us alive?”
“I have a story to tell,” he says. “I need you alive. All of you.”
She reflects on her moment inside the forest. Is she the lamb or the lion?
“Virgil,” she moans. “How could you betray us?”
Virgil’s eyelids tighten. Though he betrayed them, she sees goodness inside his soul.
They need a miracle.
“Please,” she whispers. “Help us.”
To Severin’s surprise, Virgil raises his gun. Trembling, he arms it, taking aim. “Run,” he says. “Run as fast as you can.”
Shocked, Severin drops back, reaching into his holster. Virgil shuts his eyes, lost in bitter tears, and Rae takes her chance to run.
As soon as Severin opens fire on the man, she dives into the black water, the bitter lake from whence her darkest dreams seem to manifest.
She swims.
She does not turn back.
Chapter Twelve
The days underneath the ground have been heavy.
Killian is hungry and worn down, but he made the right choice to leave the group. He saw the darkness in Virgil’s eyes. That type of man is a loyal servant to death.
Underneath the water, he saw two paths. Swimming forward, he grabbed ahold of a small, rusted ladder that led to the surface. He pulled his weight and found air. What he also found was an image he couldn’t wrap his head around.
Now, standing on new ground, Killian opens his eyes to face an unknown structure of brilliance and beauty, a tall and metallic assembly rising at least a hundred feet in the air.
There is more than enough electricity down here to power an entire city, but that isn’t what shocks him the most.
He walks toward the center of the room, reaching a source of light, an orb that floats within the metal confines. He recognizes it as the glass womb those bastards drowned Rae inside.
Above the artificial womb is the inscription: EC23.
Killian doesn’t know how to react. Rae hasn’t been called that since the days of Cassian, but those programs have long been shut down. Lost in a trance, he places his hand against the glass before darting it away again.
When he realizes it cannot hurt him, he reaches out again. This time, he feels the warmth against his palm. In his eyes, the liquid shines bright and innocent like the morning star above a village.
Killian stares in silent wonder. The structure is so magnificent in scale, so clandestine in location he almost wants to applaud its architect. But before he can figure out its purpose, a woman’s voice breaks the silence.
“They’ll put her back in her place. You know that, right?”
Killian spins, aiming his rifle, but he does not pull the trigger. A youthful woman wearing a lab coat walks toward him. “Please, don’t attack me. I’m not here to turn you in,�
� she says.
Killian doesn’t know if he should believe her, but she is weaponless, so he lowers his gun and takes a chance. “I’m not in the mood to make any new friends,” he says. “Who the fuck are you?”
The woman bows politely. “Helen Kurtfield, a specialist for the New Republic,” she says.
Killian wipes the sweat off his forehead. As she steps out of the shadows, he sees her much clearer.
“I remember you from before. You helped clean the corpses of the… the milking chambers.”
“There are many of us here,” she reveals. “We are registered under the same name.”
Killian swallows, stomach sinking. “More clones,” he says.
She nods, nostrils widening as she inhales air she does not need to breathe. The resemblance to Rae is almost uncanny, but the eyes are different.
“Yes,” she says.
“I thought you were killed in the raids of Dagon. I saw the bodies at the nightclub,” he says.
“Did you really believe they had us all killed?” she asks.
“No,” Killian replies. “No, I guess it’s obvious they would keep some of you alive.”
“Some of us escaped,” she says. “Most of us were caught.”
He places his hand across her cheek and feels the softness of her skin, confused. Killian backs away, dizzy.
“How?” he asks.
“I remember the night we were brought to the nightclub. Patriarchs, elite alphas traveled all around the world for the experience of a lifetime. For many years, we were expected to service them. To smile and take their abuse. Those who resisted were beaten until rendered completely inert,” she says. “It was difficult watching my sisters die, but it was somehow even harder watching those spared lose the bit of life they had inside them.”
“What happened after the bombs fell?” Killian asks.
“We hid in a pile of rubble until the sounds dissipated. Then we split up. A few of us went toward the sewers underneath the city. I’m sure they were killed, but I have no proof.”
Killian nods. “I’ve been feeling a lot of things lately.”
“You were an Ouroboros. You were never trained to feel.”
“I was an orphan, ripped from my home and thrown into the life of a soldier. I played my role well, but my eyes have been opened to your cause,” he says. “When I met their prized clone, I felt love. Ever since then, I’ve been trying my hardest to change. But things have only gotten worse.”
“They took your children,” she says.
Killian tenses up. “How did you know that?”
She turns around, leading him into a long hallway of computers. “A man used to visit me. He showed me this place, told me something was on the rise, a great tidal wave of change,” she says. “When you escaped, I knew it was true.”
“Severin?” he asks.
The clone shakes her head. “No. An older man, a preacher. I only met him once,” she says. “Follow me. There is more to show you.”
Killian does not react, but he knows she is speaking of Virgil.
“What is this place?” Killian asks.
“This place stores the history of the world. Some of the clones were given the task of documenting. Complex data mining. As much as Severin wants to confuse and play games, he can’t help but keep things contained,” she says.
“Why?” Killian asks.
“To keep his story in tact. Everything we know about the past has been stored here,” she says. “This is our little ark.”
“I don’t care about the world’s history. It’s all the same. Rape, death, and endless violence,” he says. “I just want my woman, my pack, and some fucking peace.”
“Maybe,” she says. “But tragedy is necessary. You must learn to adapt, adopt new sets of habits, and learn as all great beings do.”
“Don’t you understand? I just want to be with her. I’m not a computer. I don’t need new programming,” he says.
She reaches forward, grabbing a small computer chip. Carrying it carefully between her fingers, she walks over to a central hub.
“This is the central computer,” she says, showing him some wiring that caves into the side of a large box. “It connects into the womb above.”
Again, he places his hand over the glass and breathes deeply. He doesn’t know how to feel about this place. “Severin nearly drowned her here,” he says. “What does it do?”
“We’ve tried to understand it. On some nights, it turns luminescent. I have seen it turn blue, even,” she says. “Whatever it does, it can’t be good.”
Killian taps against the glass. “What happens if I get into it?”
“You’ll hear things,” she mutters, eyes watering. “Voices. Screams. Sometimes, the light tapping of lips against a woodwind instrument flows from somewhere on the other side…”
This unsettles Killian more than most things. “What? Is it a portal? Like, to the other side?”
“I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “I can’t tell you anything more. I have spent countless nights wondering what it means. All I know is that it’s not meant for us. It was found.”
“Found,” Killian repeats. “Found where?”
“During the raids, it was dug up by the officers of Severin’s village. Severin shot them, doused their bodies with gasoline, and burned their bodies. Then, he stored the mysterious object,” she says. “He waited a lifetime to unearth it again, and I believe it’s nearly ready, that it has something to do what that old man told me.”
A tidal wave is forming.
“This world is more evil than I thought,” Killian whispers.
“In any case, you have been the one to disrupt many of his plans. Some congratulations are in order,” she says.
“You shouldn’t congratulate people when they didn’t plan on anything spectacular,” he replies. “If anything, you should be thanking the leaders of the New Republic. I saw the way the public gawked at Rae on those screens. She captivated them. Severin won.”
“The New Republic is a farce. They never had any plans to lead the world. They knew the task was to guide the world into a Third Phase, a world that builds upon worlds,” she says. “They used Rae and your pack to push in the new changes. Don’t you see? It’s all a drama, and Severin is your puppet master. But you can beat him.”
He kneels, tracing his hands across the coarse wiring. Tough, yet malleable. He wonders how much information can be stored within one inch of cable.
He has heard the stories of the old world, of how it used to be with computerization, automation, and communication. It all led to dead ends, a vast echo chamber of depression and vitriol.
But the possibilities for the future are endless, and despite mankind’s near-extinctions, they have found ways to develop unique and note-worthy technology. For all of Cassian and Severin’s faults, they were innovators. They simply chose the wrong paths to take.
“Phase three?” Killian asks. “Listen, I have no plans to end the New Republic. As soon as I find Rae, I’m getting us the fuck out of this place. Somewhere far. Somewhere safe.”
“You’ll need more than that,” she says.
He raises his brow, utterly perplexed.
The clone continues. “There is more to your story, and we have to act fast, so let’s continue,” she says.
She reaches behind the set of cables to pull out a dusty tablet. As she taps on the outer edge, it fizzles brightly before illuminating the entire area as a hologram.
Killian’s eyes focus on a three-dimensional map of the world. It is so much bigger than he had ever imagined.
The clone frowns. Finally, she places the computer chip into the side of the tablet and scrolls to a name: Subject EC21.
“Just open your eyes,” she says. “All of your old files have been pulled and categorized. They know everything about you.”
Killian nearly rolls his eyes. What does he care? He has nothing to hide.
But when his face appears on the screen, he can hardly believe h
is eyes. “What the hell is going on?” he asks.
The clone steps back. Together, they look at a younger version of himself. His hair is the opposite of what it is now, shaved down to the skin. His face is clean. His eyes are menacing, far from the empathy they hold today.
“Are you ready to know your origins?” she asks.
Killian feels his head start to nod, but when he realizes what that might mean, he stops.
His heart beats against his sternum, sending shockwaves through his nerves.
Throat closing, he tries to breathe, but he finds it harder than usual. “Wait,” he says.
She glides her hand over his shoulder, and, for a second, he closes his eyes and thinks of Rae. “It’s okay to be scared,” she says.
Killian tightens his muscles and shoves his shoulders back. “I’m not scared, dammit. Show me. I’ve been ready for a long fucking time now.”
The clone hits a button, and text fills the computer screen below them:
Subject: Killian Korine. Born in a small and now defunct mining town, Junction City. Mother: Unknown. Father: Severin Korine.
Killian sees the words, but he cannot form any of his own. Unable to comprehend the news, his body falls into a state of shock.
“Killian?”
Killian Korine. Severine Korine.
“Tell me none of this is true,” he whispers. “I can’t be related to him. I can’t…”
The image of Severin flashes on the screen, a man born in the western region of the country, the deserts in the South. “Is it so hard to believe?” she asks.
He looks at her, shocked. “Yes. It is impossible.”
“In the end, he made a deal with Cassian. He bought the defective twin, Ruby, knowing she would use her resentment to kill the alpha who made her. He planned all of this,” she reiterates.
“What the fuck does this have to do with me?” Killian growls, knowing full well it had everything to do with him. Still, the thought of his father being the center of all this madness tears him to pieces.
“He talks to us,” she says, swallowing hard.
Broken Angel: The Complete Collection: A Dark Omegaverse Romance Page 29
