The Alpha Drive

by Kristen Martin

  “A bomb?” Torin looked at her with an intense expression, the lines in his forehead creasing. His eyes grew wide as he recalled something. “Lethargum,” he whispered, “Theo mentioned lethargum capsules multiple times in his conversations.”

  “What are lethargum capsules?” Emery asked impatiently. “And why is this the first time I’m hearing about this?”

  “I didn’t pay much attention to it because it sounded like gibberish. Don’t you agree?”

  “Wait,” she paused, recognizing the language almost immediately. “It’s Latin. It means lethargy.” She looked at him with wide eyes as the realization sunk in. “I know what their strategy is,” she whispered.

  37

  Torin took a deep breath. “Go on,” he urged. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  Emery nodded as she gathered her thoughts. “Lethargum means lethargy, which is another word for inactivity. Fatigue. Lifelessness.” The last word lingered in the air like an unwanted guest who refused to leave.

  “Lifelessness,” Torin repeated.

  “That green capsule is comatose gas,” she whispered. “How did I not see this before?” She smacked her palm against her forehead. “In my terrae training, when you put that capsule in the spherical device, and then press the button on the side . . .”

  “It explodes and releases the gas,” he finished, his fingers tapping against his thigh. “That helmet you’re wearing must protect you from it or something.” He reached out again to touch the moving particles, then slowly drew his hand back.

  “That’s it. That’s their strategy,” Emery confirmed, feeling lightheaded. “They’re going to put the rest of the world in a coma. In Dormance.”

  Just as Torin opened his mouth to respond, the sound of gunshots filled the streets outside. They both jumped, startled by the sudden noise.

  “I have to go,” she said as she rushed toward the window. “Stay here and do whatever you need to do to warn 7S!”

  “We can stop them!” he called behind her. “Let me help you!”

  “It’s too dangerous!” she yelled over her shoulder as she climbed back down the stairwell. “Stay here, Torin. I mean it!”

  Emery let go of the railing and dropped to the street, gravel crunching under her boots as she landed. She dashed down the alleyway, hoping that they hadn’t left her behind. As she rounded the corner, she collided headfirst with Mason, their bodies jolting in opposite directions from the impact. Two rifles spilled from his hands and scattered across the pavement.

  “Ouch,” Mason groaned, his hand caressing his forehead. “Where did you wander off to? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” He walked over to where the rifles had landed and picked them up, then tossed one over to her, pulling the strap of his gun securely around his neck.

  Emery looked down at the rifle. “What’s this for?”

  “For defense, what else?” Mason cocked his head to the side, his eyes blazing. “Come on, the others have already left.”

  Before she could open her mouth to tell him what was really going on, Mason took off. Emery secured her gun over her shoulder and followed him through the alleyway, her pace quickening with each stride. “Where did everyone go?”

  “Where do you think?” he responded, his eyes focused straight ahead. “Obviously, Seventh Sanctum Headquarters.”

  It took everything in her not to seize a handful of his hair and drag him back to Torin’s apartment, back to safety. She had to find a way to tell him the truth, or at least get him away from the chaos.

  In the distance, people screamed as shots were fired left and right. Emery crouched behind a trashcan near the end of the alleyway, pulling Mason down with her. She peered around the edge, just far enough to catch a glimpse of what was going on. Either Torin had warned 7S or they’d figured it out on their own because the bloodshed in the streets was no coincidence.

  7S soldiers stood armed at the ready, equipped to impale anyone who came near them. Floating hovercrafts and deadly machines she’d never seen before lined the streets, making The Alpha Drive look ill-equipped. She recognized a few of the fallen ones as students from her Latin class. So much death. Emery looked over at Mason, who was watching the same atrocious scene with wide eyes. I can’t do this by myself. I need his help.

  Just as she was about to reveal the truth, Mason burst upwards, his arms pumping at his sides as he raced to the middle of the skirmish. Emery popped up, her reflexes like a cat, and raced after him. A 7S soldier charged at Mason headstrong with a dagger, but it wasn’t an ordinary dagger—electrified currents pulsed around the blade.

  Emery stopped mid-run, watching in horror as the scene unfolded. The soldier attempted to stab Mason, but he blocked the attack, flinging his rifle around to strike his opponent brutally in the jaw. His assailant buckled to the ground as blood sprayed from his mouth, red specks dotting the pavement like warped polka dots.

  Emery darted over to the 7S building, jumping over slain bodies along the way, doing her best to keep her eyes focused on what was in front of her instead of what lie beneath her. She’d almost reached the door to headquarters when, all of a sudden, she was rammed into the side of the building. The icy, titanium walls smashed against her cheek. Her left hand reached for her rifle, as her right arm was twisted behind her back. A moan escaped from deep within her throat.

  “Shhh,” a familiar voice hushed.

  It was Torin.

  Emery wriggled free and elbowed him in the side. Hard. She spun around, a drop of blood dripping from her lip, and seized the throat of his shirt, knocking him against the same wall he’d just shoved her into.

  “Don’t sneak up on me like that again,” she growled through clenched teeth.

  His eyes wide with terror, Torin lifted his hands up in surrender. Emery let go of his shirt with balled fists. “What are you doing here?” She looked him up and down, noticing that he was wearing the exact same outfit she was, earpiece and all. Her eyes widened in disgust. “Where did you get those clothes?”

  “It’s not what you think,” he pleaded. “A 7S soldier broke into my apartment right after you left, so I knocked him out—”

  “And you took his clothes?” she interjected.

  “I can’t let you do this by yourself,” he huffed. “Whether you like it or not, I’m a part of this too.”

  “I told you to stay put,” she scolded in the same tone she used with her younger sister.

  Torin puffed his chest out. “I’m not going to apologize because whether you like it or not, you need my help.”

  Emery scrutinized him for a moment, then bowed her head. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She needed him. “Fine. Come on then, partner.”

  They crept to the front of the building and surveyed the perimeter for Mason. Torin slinked in front of her, scanning his fingerprints and retina for entry into 7S Headquarters. With no sign of Mason, Emery followed him inside the building, the automatic doors locking securely behind them.

  The inside of the building was eerily quiet for the deadly combat that was occurring just outside the walls. As they reached the elevator doors, Torin scanned his fingerprints and retina a second time.

  “Wait, the 7S world still has elevators?” She raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we just supposed to teleport wherever we need to go?”

  Torin shrugged. “Maximum security. This is the service elevator. Just trust me, okay?”

  Emery sighed as she stepped into the metal box.

  Torin pressed the button for the top floor, floor 164. “You know, the Burj Khalifa used to be the tallest building in the world. It stands at 2,723 feet and has 163 floors,” he thought aloud. “Except now, it’s the second tallest building in the world.” He grinned goofily.

  “We’re about to prevent the rest of the world from being forced into a coma and that’s what you’re thinking about? The tallest building in the world?”

  “Snapple cap,” he winked. “I’ve got more where that came from.”


  Emery looked at him incredulously, wishing she could slap him on the side of the head and knock some sense into him. “Focus. Now,” she reprimanded.

  After what felt like centuries, the elevator finally dinged, indicating that they had reached the 164th floor. The doors opened, the light from within illuminating a hallway that led to a staircase. Emery rushed forward, her fingers making contact with the slick rails. As she began to climb, she turned around to face Torin. “I need you to stay here.”

  “I’m not letting you go out there alone,” he insisted, trying to push his way past her.

  Emery grabbed his wrist. “You’re wasting time. I need you to stay here. Hide over there,” she ordered, gesturing toward the staircase. “If I need you, you’ll know.”

  Emery waited for Torin to position himself under the staircase before walking up the steps. When she reached the last one, she took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. With tremendous force, she pushed through the metallic frame, a cool gust of air whizzing past her. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next.

  She was on the rooftop with a dozen other people, none of whom she recognized. Sitting in the center, was a circular, metal cage, the top open like a firepit. Within it was the black spherical device that contained the green capsule.

  The lethargum.

  Emery stepped forward, unsure of what her next move should be, when a figure rose from behind the cage.

  “How nice of you to join us,” Theo hissed. “We just finished setting up.” He slithered toward her like a snake stalking its prey. “Care to do the honors?”

  She gulped, watching as his finger hovered over a singular button on a remote control.

  “When I press this button, it’ll activate the timer on the bomb. The bomb will be launched into the air and we’ll have a spectacular show of green haze as it travels with the wind currents and fills the lungs of everyone in the 7S world.” He spun around to look at the contraption, his eyes gleaming with pure evil.

  I can’t let him win.

  Without thinking, Emery lunged toward him, arms outstretched, fingers reaching desperately for the remote. She knocked it from his grip, watching as it flung from his fingers, landing just out of reach.

  “Don’t just stand there, you imbeciles!” he bellowed as he grappled with her on the ground. “Do something!”

  Theo leaned his body backward, violently elbowing the inside of her knee. Emery grimaced, crying out at the jolt of pain running through her leg. Quickly regaining focus, she realized that his weight was unevenly distributed. Bucking him forward with a swift movement of her hips, she kneed him in the groin, watching victoriously as he toppled off of her in extreme pain. His body crumpled into the fetal position, his head between his knees.

  Her leg throbbing, Emery crawled toward the remote as quickly as she could, adrenaline coursing through her veins. It was only a foot away. She extended her arm, fingers spread as far as they could reach. Just as she was about to grab it, a hand swiped the remote from the ground. Emery looked up, her eyes landing on none other than Warren Bradley.

  “Warren, please.” She tried to lift herself from the ground, but she was too weak.

  His index finger hovered over the button.

  “Warren, no!”

  The bomb was released from the cage. It shot straight up into the air until all that remained was a small speck of dust that could barely be seen with the human eye. A bright flash illuminated the sky like fireworks on the fourth of July, sparks flying in every direction. Immediately after the flash appeared a green ball of fiery gas. It hovered for a moment over the city and then ruptured with great force, stirring everything in its wake. Emery could feel the building sway from left to right, and see the waves rippling through the air. She watched through her helmet as the lethargum whirled around her, the gas combining successfully with the particles in the air.

  An idea hit her like a bolt of lightning.

  Hoisting herself up from the roof, she sprinted back toward the metallic framed door, her feet pounding down the steps. Emery swiveled around the edge of the staircase, her hands digging in her pockets for the crystal dials. She dropped one onto each wrist and scanned the area for Torin, who was in the far corner of the room, standing in front of a T-Port.

  “Brilliant!” she called out as she rushed over to him.

  He turned around at the sound of her voice. “All the years I’ve worked here and I never knew we had a T-Port on the top floor.” He shook his head bleakly. “This would have saved me so much time getting to and from work.”

  Emery flicked him in the head with her thumb and middle finger. “I need to teleport back to Dormance—to the FCW common room,” she demanded.

  “Wait, what? Why?” Torin asked with wide eyes.

  “No time for questions. Just trust me.”

  Torin sighed. “Please tell me you have a plan.”

  Emery smiled. “I most certainly do.”

  “Well that makes one of us,” he said as he readied the T-Port.

  “Connect to my phone,” she instructed as she stepped onto the platform, feet planted firmly on the metal surface. “I’ll walk you through it once I get there.”

  Before he could respond, the familiar gust of air whirred around her, transporting her body back to where it had all begun.

  38

  Emery opened her eyes, grateful to be standing in the middle of the FCW common room. Her vision adjusted in the dim overhead lighting as she marched out the door to the hallway. The ignis and aquam training rooms whirred past her as she jogged along the corridor. At the end of the hallway was a door.

  Emery looked for a posted label with the name of the room, unable to find one. Pushing the door open with the butt of her rifle, she poked her head inside. The door didn’t lead to another room at all, but instead, to another hallway.

  Emery entered the hallway cautiously, her heart beating so loud she could hear the pounding in her ears. She crept along the brick walls, noticing that there were no doors to the left or right of her. After a few minutes of walking, she stopped dead in her tracks. She’d been here before. It was the same hallway from her dream—the same place she’d found the pendant.

  I’m underneath the Sychem building.

  From a distance, the sound of footsteps paced back and forth. Emery glued herself to the wall, inching forward slightly until she was close to the edge. A long-haired, brunette girl paced back and forth and was guarding a massive, steel door. Emery inhaled deeply, squinting her eyes just to be sure. Oh my god.

  It was Rhea.

  She whirled back around the wall, her heart pounding out of her chest. What in the world is Rhea doing here? Is she one of them? Emery hadn’t seen her since the incident at the hospital and, according to The Alpha Drive rules, Rhea wouldn’t have a clue who she was. It’d be like Emery never existed. Like they’d never even met.

  I don’t have much time. I have to do something.

  Emery stepped out from the hallway into the open space, standing about ten feet from her old roommate. Rhea locked eyes with her, a gigantic rifle in her right hand and an electrified dagger in her left holster. The blue currents sparked violently.

  “Rhea,” she said as she moved closer, “do you remember me?”

  Rhea raised her rifle, her face showing no sign of recognition. “Unauthorized personnel. You can’t be down here. Leave. Now.”

  “It’s me, Emery,” she coaxed as she took her hand off of her weapon. “We used to be roommates at Darden.

  Do you remember?” Emery thought she saw a flicker of recognition in Rhea’s face, so she inched a few steps closer.

  “Stay back!” Rhea boomed, her finger on the trigger. “I said leave!”

  Emery jumped back, startled. “Rhea, I can’t leave. I need to get behind that door.” Her eyes flitted between her old roommate and the steel frame. “Please.”

  As Emery took another step closer, Rhea lowered her gun and drew the electrified dagger from the holster, t
hen flung it directly at her head. Emery swiftly moved to the right, the dagger just missing her ear. At the same time, Emery lifted her rifle and, without thinking, pulled the trigger, a single shot bursting through Rhea’s chest.

  It was the gunshot from her dream.

  “No!” Emery shrieked. She fell to her knees at the same time Rhea’s lifeless body crumpled to the ground. “Oh my god, oh my god,” she sobbed as she crawled over to her fallen roommate. Blood oozed into a deep pool of crimson around her. “I didn’t mean to, I didn’t mean to,” she wept, rocking back and forth as she held Rhea’s head to her chest. “I’m so sorry, Rhea. I’m so, so sorry.”

  She squeezed her roommate’s hand, watching as her head lolled to the side. Emery stayed there for a few moments, unable to break her eyes away from Rhea’s pale, lifeless face. This was exactly how she’d felt at the hospital, except worse. Because this time, it was all her fault.

  This time, she’d killed Rhea.

  After what felt like a century, Emery finally gathered the strength to stand. She wiped the tears from her eyes, her body still trembling from shock. She looked down at her deceased roommate, then glared at the door she’d been guarding just moments before.

  Her death . . . it has to mean something.

  Emery searched for the room name, her eyes landing on a familiar word. Imperium.

  “Control,” she said aloud, her Latin skills coming in handy once again. Realizing that a key card was needed to enter, she began searching Rhea’s clothes, resisting the urge to gag. She checked Rhea’s pant pockets and boots with no luck, but eventually found what she was looking for tucked deep inside the pocket of her vest.

  Tears formed in Emery’s eyes again as she swiped the card in front of the reader, listening as the latches within the door unlocked. The door swung open and she found herself inside an enormous control room. Desks, screens, buttons, and knobs covered the entire surface area. Sitting in the middle of the room were a dozen seven-foot-long pods, each covered with dome-shaped, glass cases.