Chrysalis

by Brendan Reichs

  “Who runs this place?” Ethan asked sharply. “How many people are aboard?”

  Black Suit frowned. “It’s hard to tell. There are crew members and security personnel occupying different areas of the station. If I had to guess, I’d say no more than a hundred altogether, but I stay out of their way. The halls are surprisingly empty, which is the main reason they haven’t found me. I was operating under the assumption that a large civilian population sleeps somewhere, cryogenically or electronically, but I haven’t found any evidence to support that.”

  “So maybe a hundred crew, and twenty Nemesis Three collaborators?” Ethan said.

  “Not all twenty, either. A few were sorted out from the rest, and some others took issue with that. I’ve been in contact with a small group within Nemesis Three that is suspicious of the station’s intentions. I made arrangements with them today, in fact.”

  Ethan’s gaze swung to me. “We’ve got forty-five classmates at last check, not including Toby’s team, though I guess those losers probably count for the other side. But my point is—the numbers aren’t great, but they’re not hopeless, either.”

  Black Suit eyed him curiously. “What are you suggesting? Don’t forget, the security personnel are armed.”

  “They’re not the only ones.” Ethan removed his pistol and set it on the table.

  “I’m going back for Min,” I said, without a trace of give in my voice. “I won’t leave her in there.”

  Black Suit scanned our faces. Then he laughed. “You want to invade the Terrarium? And then what? Take over the whole station? That’s bold, I’ll give you that, but you don’t even know what these people want from you yet. Have you considered that you might like what they have to offer?”

  My frown deepened. “If they’d wanted to offer something, they could’ve done it without attacking our homes and kidnapping my friends. I’m finding Min first, period, and I’m not going to ask the people who bombed us for directions. We can discuss next steps after she’s safe.”

  Before he could respond, a noise echoed in the outer hangar.

  “You might be in luck.” Black Suit popped up and went to the door. Then he stepped back, wiping his forehead. “Whoever it is, they’re headed for this room. There are only two possibilities, so let’s hope it’s my new friends returning from their mission.”

  Muffled voices grew closer. Ethan held his pistol in a white-knuckled grip. Tack was glaring at the ground, seemed unsure what to do. I tensed as the door opened and a short black kid with bleached hair walked in.

  Black Suit relaxed visibly. “Cyrus.”

  The boy turned and swept a hand behind him. In strolled a girl dressed in black fatigues, followed by the greatest surprise of my life.

  “Min!”

  I nearly bowled her over in a hug. There were others with her—Sarah, Akio, Richie, Casey; a whole slew of our people—but I only had eyes for Min. I smothered her in my arms, our lips folding together in an explosion of heat, and need, and relief. Then I felt her pull back.

  She was looking over my shoulder. Across the room, Tack turned away as if burned.

  I released her, feeling guilty, then felt angry about that. Why should I be ashamed? This is why he moved away.

  Min walked over and placed a hand on Tack’s shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

  Tack eased out of her reach. “Thanks. You too. It’s good to see you.” He strode to the hangar door and stepped outside. Min silently watched him go.

  Unsure how to act, I swooped in again. “I was just planning how to rescue you,” I joked. “But that never seems to work, because you always handle it yourself.”

  She shook her head as if coming awake, then spun to face me. “Noah, I can’t believe it.” Her eyes gleamed. “How are you here right now?”

  I realized she hadn’t looked at the table yet. “We had help,” I said, then stepped out of the way.

  Min saw her father. Her face went slack. She wobbled.

  I caught her elbow and held it. Felt her chest heave next to mine.

  Black Suit pressed steepled fingers to his lips. “Hello, Min.”

  Her body was rigid. I worried she might shatter into a thousand pieces. “I thought you didn’t make it,” she said quietly.

  “I took the opening you left me.”

  Min sniffed. “I want to be glad.”

  “That’s enough, for now.”

  The room had gone silent. Everyone was darting glances at one another, uncertain what came next. It felt like an important moment, but all I could feel was relief. Min was here. She was okay. We were together again.

  So why did Rose’s face pop into my head?

  Black Suit recovered himself. He slapped his hands together, drawing every eye. “Cyrus, great work. I’ll try to deliver what was promised. To everyone else, welcome. We have a lot to talk about. Why don’t the newcomers get settled in?”

  Min turned and grabbed my shirt with both hands. “Noah, we’re on a spaceship!”

  I nodded, the craziness hitting me again. “It’s insane. And there were four Nemesis projects!”

  Conversations erupted all around the room, everyone nearly drunk from the madness of the last few hours. Though Cyrus had an unshakable calm, the black-haired girl eyed us with something close to suspicion. My friends seemed no more trusting of them despite everyone arriving together. Did these two attack our settlements? People had died. How could we ever trust them, much less forgive?

  “Everyone find a seat,” Black Suit instructed finally. “We have a lot to go over.”

  * * *

  • • •

  The meeting took forever.

  There were fourteen of us in the cramped room: Black Suit, Cyrus and his companion Parisa, Tack, Ethan, and me, plus Min and Sarah’s group of Derrick, Casey, Leighton, Richie, Spence, and Charlie. The two sides began by sharing information grudgingly, but soon everyone was speaking over each other.

  Cyrus swore his squad hadn’t participated in any of the raids. “We aren’t trusted,” he explained. “I think Rose suspects my misgivings and keeps us in reserve because of them. We only went into the Terrarium to catch stragglers.” He nodded to Black Suit. “We met this man weeks ago. When he offered to find out what happened to some of our classmates in exchange for sneaking someone out, we took the deal.”

  Black Suit nodded in confirmation. “Cyrus and his team can be trusted.”

  Min was staring at her father with an unreadable expression. “Where is the rest of our class being held?” she said.

  “In the training facility,” Cyrus said. “My class lives close by in a security wing.”

  “They made us into prisoner guards,” Parisa said disgustedly. “Some of our less desirable associates have taken to it.”

  “That part of the station is patrolled by armed guards,” Black Suit added. “I don’t go there often.”

  “We have to free everyone.” Tack hadn’t spoken much since Min’s awkward hello, which did nothing for his mood. He sneered at Cyrus. “If your people are too scared, we can handle it ourselves.”

  “You’d be locked in a cell right now without us,” Parisa shot back. “So maybe talk less and listen more.”

  “I got myself out of the Terrarium,” Tack said. “I didn’t need your help then or now.”

  “There’s no point in arguing about the past,” Min cut in. “We should focus on our next move.” She looked over at Tack, but he didn’t meet her eye. “I think Tack is right. Our first priority is a rescue mission. Is anyone still inside the Terrarium?”

  Black Suit consulted his tablet. “Sensors indicate no human life in the habitat. They extracted everyone.”

  Min swallowed. “Do we know if anyone else was killed?”

  He shook his head. “But everyone they’ve taken prisoner will be in the training facility by now.”
>
  Min nodded. “That makes things simpler. They’re all in one place. We just have to break them out.”

  “That might sound easy,” Cyrus warned, “but I assure you it’s not. Much of this station might feel like a ghost town, but not that part.”

  “I don’t care about easy. I’m going to save my friends.”

  Cyrus laughed. “I like her,” he announced to the room.

  Something squirmed inside me. I scooted closer to Min, bumping my knee against hers. She gave me a confused look. I tried to keep the embarrassment from my face. Get it together, Livingston.

  Something shattered at the back of the room. I twisted around to see Leighton standing beside the refrigerator, blinking stupidly at an overturned plate on the floor. “Sorr . . . guyzz . . .”

  He staggered a step, then stopped.

  “Leighton?” I asked. “You okay?”

  His head rose, eyes unfocused. His mouth dropped open as if he were about to speak, but he collapsed instead.

  I sprang up, but Casey reached him first, kneeling beside Leighton’s now-twitching body. A moment later her eyes rolled back and she slumped over on top of him.

  Everyone froze in astonishment. I heard a low hissing noise.

  The answer came in a blink.

  “Gas!” I shouted, but I could already feel my head growing light.

  Shouts echoed. An alarm blared. I tried to find Min, but my mind was shutting down.

  Heavy boots outside. The door crashed open as I toppled to the ground.

  Something streaked by me and slammed into the knot of hazy figures blocking the doorway.

  “After him!” a voice shouted, but the sound played at half speed.

  The room strobed in and out of focus. An alcohol smell filled my nostrils.

  White boots.

  Something poked into my thigh.

  All thought fled.

  21

  MIN

  I awoke in darkness.

  The blackout was so complete, I couldn’t see my hands as I pressed them to my face. Spots and curlicues danced on my corneas, remnants of disturbing dreams. I swallowed a thick ball in my throat.

  Where am I?

  I sat bolt upright, experienced a vicious head rush that sent me flopping back down to the . . . mattress. The movement must’ve triggered a sensor. Soft yellow light diffused from the ceiling.

  I was in an empty room perhaps a dozen yards square.

  “What the hell?” I whispered.

  “Good morning,” a disembodied voice said. “How may I assist you?”

  I pressed back against the wall beside the bed. “Who’s there?”

  “How may I assist you?” the voice repeated, with identical inflection.

  A computer.

  “Lights?” I said tentatively, and the pale glow blazed to harsh white illumination. White walls, white ceiling, white floor. No apparent door. The only objects were a metallic ball in the center of the ceiling and the bed I cowered on, which extended from the wall like a shelf.

  I rose, realized I had on a one-piece jumpsuit made of ultrathin white cloth. It fit perfectly. I shivered, imagining how I came to be wearing the stretchy garment. As I examined the material, my bed slid seamlessly into the wall, leaving me trapped inside a featureless, colorless box and starting to freak out.

  “I, uh . . . I need to use the ladies’ room.”

  A wall panel slid open, revealing a small bathroom containing a toilet, sink, and phone-booth shower. Everything was molded plastic and sparkling white.

  “Something to drink,” I said, more firmly this time. Another panel opened with some kind of dispenser behind it. A plastic cup dropped from its mouth, followed instantly by a stream of water. I took the cup and examined the liquid inside. Then drank. If they intended to poison me, this seemed like a dumb way to go about it.

  I tried other commands. Table. Desk. Both extended from the wall like the bed had, complete with attached chairs. I couldn’t help cracking a smile. I was inside a science-fiction story. Astronaut Melinda J. Wilder, aboard a miracle space station orbiting in the vacuum of space.

  Except I’m a prisoner. Don’t forget that part.

  I washed my face and used the facilities, keeping a nervous eye on a second metal orb hanging in there. When I emerged all the furniture had disappeared back into the walls, so I had to recall the table.

  I sat and asked for food. The water dispenser revolved silently to expose a glass case. Inside it was a selection of fruits, breads, and nuts, and a purple bar of some kind of hard gelatin. I shrugged and dug in, calling out other commands just to see how far the hospitality extended.

  “Exit?”

  The voice returned. “Sorry, that command is not authorized.”

  Big surprise. “Entertainment?”

  The desk reappeared, its drawer sliding open to reveal a gray tablet. I swiped it eagerly but was disappointed—the library contained only boring classic books like the kind we were forced to read in school. No communications apps. No movies or music. There was a button labeled Chrysalis, but the screen that came up was password protected. After a few minutes I set the tablet aside with a grunt.

  I thought about what had happened in the hangar. We’d been taken prisoner, which meant they’d found that secret hideout almost right away. Had my father sold us out? I didn’t think so—that seemed like an awfully complicated way to go about it—but I wondered where he was right now. These Chrysalis people seemed to want my class alive at the moment, but did that extend to a stowaway?

  I had no reason to suspect Cyrus and Parisa, but no reason to trust them, either. Nemesis Three remained an enigma.

  I thought of Noah, and my heart dropped. I’d found him again, only for us to be ripped apart hours later. Then Tack’s face rammed into my head and I felt even worse. He’d barely looked at me, even after all the weeks we’d been apart. Did he truly not want to be friends anymore?

  Thinking of Tack sparked a foggy memory from the ambush. There’d been a crash, then shouting. Fighting. I thought a handful of people might’ve escaped the room, but had they gotten away completely? What about my father?

  And where am I, anyway? Was this the training facility my father had mentioned?

  Anger kindled inside me. I thought of the struggles we’d endured over the last six months and ground my teeth. We’d developed a fledgling society, built settlements, and even started down the path to self-sufficiency. We were finding a way to live in a strange and dangerous world. People had lost their lives in the process.

  And for what? Nothing. Our whole “planet” was an experiment, and we weren’t in on the joke. We’d been used as test subjects again. I thought of the killer storms, the ocean swirls, and all the other dangers thrown at us, and nearly got sick. Everything had been a fiction. Whoever ran this station were monsters.

  I still hadn’t seen one of my captors up close. I vowed to make it memorable when I did.

  Silently fuming, I could no longer sit still. “Computer, when can I leave this room?”

  “Orientation is scheduled for zero-eight-hundred.”

  Orientation? “What’s the current time?”

  “The current time is zero-seven-fifty-two.”

  Not a long wait, at least. I stood and did some stretching, working blood back into my muscles. I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious. My body ached slightly, but nothing terrible. My mind felt sharp. I tried to control my breathing and keep my temper in check, waiting for whatever came next.

  Minutes later there was a chime. A panel on the far side of the room slid open. I’d guessed the door’s probable location based on the other furniture—had even tried to find it—but the panels fit together seamlessly when closed. This technology was beyond anything I’d ever seen. Which made sense, since I was on a space station over a million years into the fu
ture.

  Am I, though? Can I trust anything I was told?

  No one appeared. Curious, I crept over and stuck my head out. There was a long corridor with other openings along one side. I spotted Hector Quino peeking from his cell down the way.

  “Hector!” I raced down and wrapped him in a hug.

  His face broke into a smile. “Min! Thank God for a familiar face. What’s happening?”

  I squeezed him again, delighted to see a friend. Our voices drew more heads. Classmates. They spilled into the corridor, slapping backs and exchanging hugs, everyone wearing the same white jumpsuit. No one had any idea where we were or how we’d gotten there.

  I did a headcount. There were sixteen of us: me, Alice, Anna, Rachel, Lauren, Casey, Dakota, Vonda, Ethan, Sam, Akio, Hector, Leighton, Floyd, Charlie, and Darren. Eight boys and eight girls. That has to mean something, but what? I licked my lips, trying to remain calm. Where was Noah? Tack? Derrick? I’d even hoped to see Sarah’s sneering face, despite the crap she always gave me.

  Ethan whistled, and everyone went quiet. “What’s going on? Did they let us go?”

  “There’s a turn down by my room,” Floyd said, looking huge in the narrow passageway. He pointed toward the last cell on the opposite end of the corridor from mine. “Maybe we’re supposed to go somewhere?”

  “Walk ourselves to the slaughter?” Ethan shot him an annoyed look. “Not a chance.”

  Hector checked the opposite side, but it was a dead end. There was only one way to exit the corridor.

  “We can’t just stand here,” Rachel grumbled. “What’s the big plan, Min?”

  “Where’s Aiken?” Anna moaned at no one. “Is he . . . Are the others dead?”

  I realized Anna had been missing since the Home Town raid. “How long have you been here?”

  “I’ve been stuck in that room for two days,” she whimpered, lips trembling. “This is the first time they let me out.” Other classmates taken that night nodded in agreement. I glanced at Darren, who’d been living at the Outpost.

  “After those douchebags attacked our cabins, they split us up,” he said. “We got marched through the forest to some weird cave door in the side of a mountain.”