by Zoey Indiana
With his last bit of courage, he twisted the throttle. It was now or never. Either he would escape and make Nova see reason, or he would die in a fiery crash.
17 Resistance Safe House: Nova
Nova wanted to tear the housing pod apart in frustration. She’d read over every file several times, but it didn’t get clearer. Impossible! Aliens didn’t exist, space didn’t exist, and every experiment, every study, every attempt had failed to prove there was anything beyond the great blue sky.
It’s a cover-up.
But it was a hell of a cover-up. To convince the entire population that there was nothing out there was insanity. The amount of resources it would have taken blew her mind. It was unfathomable, but it didn’t seem as impossible as she wanted.
The Sovereign can’t be trusted. You know that.
That was true, the Resistance was organized when the Sovereign declared men illegal after the virus hundreds of years ago. If they could lie about an entire gender, then maybe they were lying about aliens. But why? It didn’t make sense. What about aliens existing made the Sovereign so paranoid it created a cover-up and killed off an entire gender?
Click.
A red haze with a tinge of purple colored her vision, and the door to the pod creaked open. Nova’s heart stopped. ARI had found her, but how? She spun, reaching for her Hydra5, but grasped nothing instead. Glancing to the door, she expected to see Crimson uniforms, but it was worse. The world disappeared around the woman standing there.
Lyn’Da, she was alive and standing in the doorway.
“Hello, dear sister.” Lyn’Da paused and tapped her finger against her lip. “Actually, I think we covered that topic last time.”
But she was dead, Nova remembered the sickening crack of Lyn’Da’s head against the hard floor of the warehouse. The scarlet blood pooling around her head.
“Surprise! I’m not dead.” Lyn’Da stepped forward and a young girl followed her in. Looking her over, Nova guessed she was mid-teens.
“Not quite, I’m seventeen. Just small for my age.” Nova’s eyes widened in shock. “Yes, I know what you’re thinking.”
“How?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Lyn’Da closed in on Nova. “Freya, hold her.”
Nova stepped back, but her feet remained motionless. She continued to jerk but her feet were glued to the floor.
“You’ll just tire yourself out, you can’t move.”
Nova looked to Freya, purple eyes just like her own stared back at her. Never had she seen someone with the same color eyes. So many questions flooded her brain. Who was this girl and why were their eyes the same rare color?
“I know it’s you doing it, I just don’t know how.”
Freya just stared back, silent.
“I hate to break up this little chat, but I have important business to attend to.”
Lyn’Da shoved Nova down into a chair. She expected her feet to stay adhered to the floor, but they moved effortlessly. If the Sovereign had mind readers, impossible would be an understatement for infiltrating the inner circle. Another thought popped into her head.
“How did you find me?”
Lyn’Da let out a chilling laugh. “Ah, yes. I noticed you removed the track chip. Fun fact, that was a decoy.” Lyn’Da circled Nova. “We’re developing a new technology, little tiny robots called nanites. I injected you with them, and you never noticed. They live inside your body and constantly transmit your location so there’s nowhere you can escape to.”
Cay, he wasn’t safe at the colony. When she was trying to save him, she’d put him at more risk. Her heart twisted at the thought of never seeing him again. If she survived this, An’Da needed to know that she’d compromised the colony.
“It’s been fun catching up, but I’m tired of wasting my time. I want the spies; name, rank, and base would suffice. I’ve had Crimson pick up everyone I knew about.”
They’d lost so many lives. This war continued to destroy the lives of thousands, and she would die defending their identities. From the day she set up Violet Five, she knew this might be her fate. The resolution lifted a weight off her shoulders.
“Nothing, she refuses.” Freya stated in a flat tone.
Nova stared at Freya and something teased her mind, there was something familiar about Freya, but it eluded her.
“Then steal the information from her mind.”
Nova’s lungs seized as the meaning sank in. She could read more than active thoughts; dormant memories were also within her grasp. Nova felt the weight of all her failures sink into her. Jay’La, An’Da, Cay, and so many others she’d let down.
Genevieve.
That was who Freya reminded her of, her biggest failure. She was one of her first contacts within the Sovereign’s empire. Through the few short months they’d worked together, Genevieve had provided priceless amounts of information about the secret Acquisition Program. Doctors stole away babies and informed mothers the babies were stillborn or had terminal birth defects, instead they sent the babies to a secret location and experimented on them.
Just. Like. Freya.
With her abilities, that had to be what the program was for. The experiments were on the children. The dots connected in her mind, and it all made sense now. Purple eyes had to be a side effect. The Sovereign was too powerful, too corrupt. It did whatever it wanted with no care of what happened to those affected.
You’re smarter than I thought.
Nova flinched as Freya’s voice invaded her thoughts. Her abilities were potent, and if ARI had an army of Freyas, the Resistance was doomed.
Your abilities haven’t manifested yet, or they don’t apply in this situation. That’s a shame because I prefer a challenge.
What do you want from me? Nova sent the thought hoping it would get through.
Lyn’Da already stated her demands. It’s less painful for you if you don’t resist.
Pain exploded in her brain as her blood turned to acid throughout her body.
Just give her the information.
“Never!” Her hands pushed against her head, but no relief came. She needed to think about something, anything.
Genevieve.
The last time they met, it was almost time for her to give birth to her daughter. Nova had offered her asylum at one of the Resistance colonies, but Genevieve refused. She wanted to learn one more thing before she disappeared. No one ever found her or her daughter, a promise Nova would break when she died. Violet Five was a hotspot of information, and she’d opened it hoping that she would learn something about Genevieve’s missing daughter. Her last wish had been for Nova to bring her to the safety of the Resistance.
Knowing that her body wouldn’t last much longer, Nova recalled Genevieve’s face, her long black hair and soul-seeing blue eyes.
Relief crashed into her as the pain disappeared. Nova breathed, taking time to appreciate every breath.
Prove it.
“What?”
Shut up, I don’t want Lyn’Da to hear this. Nova searched her thoughts but wasn’t sure what she would be proving. Prove to me that you knew Genevieve.
I have a recorded video for her daughter. If I ever find her, I’m supposed to give it to her to watch.
The realization hit her. Freya was Genevieve’s missing daughter. Thoughts rushed as she remembered all the times Genevieve talked about how she couldn’t wait to meet her unborn daughter, how much she would love her.
Freya let out a soft cry before she collapsed to the floor. A faint trickle of blood ran out of her ears. Lyn’Da didn’t even blink as she continued to threaten her. Nova barely jumped out of the way before Cay barreled into Lyn’Da.
18 Resistance Safe House: Cay
Nova couldn’t die, the Resistance needed her. He needed her. Cay recklessly tackled Lyn’Da before she could do more harm. No one would harm Nova while he was around. Lyn’Da kneed him between the legs and everything became fuzzy. His skin grew hypersensitive to touch, but he refused to back down. Sliding
up, he straddled her stomach, grabbed her fists, and tried to breathe through the pain. Who knew balls could hurt this much?
Cay coughed, and Lyn’Da’s hands escaped his. She pummeled him with fists, but he didn’t budge as nails dug into his chest. Shifting his legs apart further, he put more pressure on her until Lyn’Da struggled to breathe and Cay pinned her arms again. She lifted her hips, but he redistributed his weight and found his balance.
One of her arms slipped from his grasp, and she used it to throw a punch into the bend of his elbow. Cay fell forward, and before he realized it, he was on his back and Lyn’Da stared down at him. Her elbow smashed into his chest, and he struggled to breathe. Shadows encroached on the edge of his vision as another crack to his chest and sound slipped away. His whole existence became pain and breathing.
It all stopped and Cay drifted through his thoughts. This was supposed to go differently. When he walked through the door, Nova rushed to him, greeting him with a kiss. Then clothes disappeared, and they would fall into bed.
So many regrets. So many missed chances.
Rough hands shook him. “Come back, Cay.”
Nova was calling him, she wanted him and he needed to return to her. He opened his eyes, and the pain returned. An’Da was kneeling next to him with a scanner.
“You stupid man, I gave you one last chance, and you blew it. Almost got yourself killed too.” Sharp pain erupted in his arm. “There, that will counteract the poison she used on you.” She stood up and remained focused on her scanner. Cay sat up on his elbows. The young girl was gone, Lyn’Da lay on the floor unconscious, and Nova slumped over in the chair.
“Is Nova okay?”
“Yes, we shot both of them with tranqs. They’ll wake up with an awful migraine in a few hours.” An’Da whistled, and another woman in red appeared. Shar’ana, she was another member of the Resistance that now worked in the Crimson Reserve as a spy.
“Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s get him back. I want to leave before anyone else arrives.”
Shar’ana helped him to his feet and guided him out to a transit.
“What about Nova?” Shar’ana ignored him. When he tried to get out of the transit, she pushed him back in the seat.
“The games are over, playboy. Nova is none of your concern.” Then she door shut on his face before he could argue. One try to open the door revealed someone had locked it from the outside. His heart grew heavier every minute they drove further from the safe house.
Safe house. Ironically, the safe house was now the least safest place for Nova. Cay stomped at the injustice of the situation. His whole life would have been different if he’d been born a woman. So many opportunities he would never have.
The transit stopped, and his door opened. “There are two ways to do this, only one of them is pleasant for you.”
“Why are you doing this?” An’Da’s personality change left him reeling.
“Because you can’t be trusted. Now you’re here at Gu’Rati Colony, and I’m in charge. You do what I say, when I say. I’m the boss, and you have one purpose. So let’s go.”
His life had no purpose, infertility plagued him, and life no longer had any meaning for him. Defeated, he hung his head and followed her. The room they entered had smaller rooms with walls made of metal bars. It was see-through with no privacy, color, or comfort. Shar’ana grabbed his wrists and cuffed them in front of him.
“So you’re more comfortable.”
Silence was his only response.
An’Da put a hand on his shoulder and urged him into the cell. “It’s safe in there. When we can trust you, it will change. Until then, this is best.”
Cay sat on the small cot. “This is going too far.”
“Going too far? You’re the key to the future. Without what you can provide, the Resistance is nothing, and there is no hope. The Sovereign reigns supreme and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Why should we lose that chance because you’re reckless? You keep needlessly risking your life.” An’Da sat next to him on the cot. “Sometimes, we have to do things for the good of the whole, at the cost of the individual. You’ll lose a little freedom to strengthen the cause. Now, more than ever before, we have a chance.”
“Then why didn’t this happen at Gu’Kano?”
“Because they were idiots. The Patriots control this colony and we will redefine the Resistance. While they stutter and fail, the Patriots will swoop in and finish what they started. Too many leaders and philosophies contaminate their progress, we don’t have that problem.”
Cay sank into himself. “What happens next?”
“We work to reverse the injections I gave you. The last thing we needed was for you to strengthen the wrong group.”
“You said I was infertile.”
“You are, the injections I gave you to reduce your sperm count were too efficient. Once we reverse the effects of the drugs, you should be a fertile turtle again.”
“Should? You don’t sound too confident.”
An’Da left the cell, locking him in. “It will take a while, but then you will be ripe for the harvest.”
An’Da left the room and horror set in as everything was changing. Losing Nova wasn’t the worst thing today. He didn’t know what the future would hold.
A soft groan caught his attention. He looked around the room and saw no one until he looked in the cell next to him. On the cot was a sleeping man.
19 Resistance Safe House: Nova
Nova woke up and opened her eyes. Only a small stab of pain shot through her eyes this time. Much less than the last time she’d woken up when just existing hurt. Whatever had happened to her, she didn’t want to go through again soon.
Nova eased onto the edge of the bed. Overturned furniture lay everywhere, but no one was in the safe house with her. Trying to remember what happened right before she blacked out, her memory was hazy. Something important happened, but it continued to elude her. Lyn’Da must have left while she was out. No sign of either her or Freya remained in the room.
Right now, she needed to find the handheld, both of them. The video that Freya needed to see was on there. If she appeared again, Nova would have to show it to her if she wanted to live. First she located the one she’d retrieved from the warehouse, then she’d found the second one under the table.
Looking around, she thought about leaving the safe house but decided against it. Lyn’Da could find her anywhere. Nowhere was safe, so might as well stay somewhere familiar for now. Pulling up the files she’d started searched through earlier, she found one named Specimen F103-01-001 - Nova.
“Specimen F103-01-001 shows no improvement despite increased doses of XAR4B8. Supplementation of drug DAJ8Q1 also shows no improvements despite a successful history in other specimens. All PSY tests have one conclusion. This experiment is a failure. Head scientist ALPHA38 authorized specimen termination.”
Words blurred beyond recognition, even as a specimen she was a failure. Hopelessness snuck in as she set the handheld down. They’d terminated her. The irony of her life slapped her in the face. The only reason she was alive today was because Lyn’Da needed an oblivious mole.
Anger fueled her as she walked to the replicator. New clothes and supplies, a shower, and she was gone. Everyone else had controlled her all her life, and she never knew it. Now she was in charge, and she would return to Violet Five and rebuild it. Anytime ARI raided one of the bars, they moved to a new location. They would never expect her to reopen it in the same spot.
Forty minutes later and cloaked on her hover bike, she arrived outside the remains of her beloved bar. Walking the hover bike inside, her eyes glanced over the destruction. All the tables and chairs lay overturned, most of them destroyed. Parking the bike along the wall, she entered the back area. Only rubble remained of the office she’d shared with Jay’La. Frantically, she searched the hidden wall for the data drives. They were missing, ARI had taken them and now the Sovereign knew almost everything she knew.
Her hopes destroyed, she searched everywhere she could think of. They’d taken every single piece of tech and information.
Sinking against the wall, Nova attempted to focus. A deep breath in, then she slowly blew it out. Another deep breath in and out. She pulled out her handheld and sent out an alert. All the Resistance strongholds would increase security if it wasn’t possible to move. Since the raid of Gu’Kano, everyone should already be relocating, but she had to send it in case. Now she would do the only thing she could, rebuild.
“I thought you might come back here.” Freya’s voice invaded the room.
20 Gu'Rati Resistance Colony: Cay
“Hey, what’s your name?”
Silence answered him.
“How did you get here?”
Still no response, Cay sighed. He didn’t appear to be asleep. Taking a moment to look the guy over, Cay noticed he also had restraints on. It was too dark to see details though. Cay walked over to the shared wall of bars and looked the man over. Long messy hair obscured his face, and an unkempt beard hung down to his chest.
What the hell?
Large purple patches larger than Cay’s hand riddled his chest. Looking closer, he saw scratches, cuts, and scars all over. What kind of life had this man lived? Not much of one if he had to guess. How many more men were here? If this was a picture of what would come for him, he needed to find a way out, death was better than whatever this was.
“Enjoying the view?” The deep raspy voice startled Cay.
“Not at all. What happened?”
“What hasn’t happened is the real question.”
Chills broke out as Cay thought about the man’s response. “What’s your name?”
“If I ever had a name, I don’t remember it.” The man eased against the wall, facing Cay.
“We need to get out of here.”
