“Language,” interrupts Zoe.
“Fine,” huffs Chloe. “Her looks says, oh shhhhhhh-ugar plum fairies, we’re all going to fail and die. Gee. Darn. Drat.”
Zoe nods. “That works.”
The Hollow leans back onto the couch. She’s changed her loose white pants and tunic for the same look, only in silver. “Giving them a simple, old-fashioned remote control is a good idea,” says the Hollow. “My data shows neither of them can handle sophisticated tech. Buttons that say on, off, and kill are about their speed.”
Thorne frowns. “I thought Godwin was more of a techie than that. After all, he built out that whole mock-up of his master scheme in the Simulacrum.”
The Hollow picks a bit of lint off the back of the couch. “The last team of scientists did all that. All Godwin knows is how to steal other people’s work.”
“Which brings us to the real controller for the Hollow.” Chloe pulls what looks like a thin square of paper from the bib pocket of her coveralls. The tiny sheet gleams with transistor patterns.
That’s no ordinary paper there.
Chloe hands the sheet to the Hollow, who slips it under her wrist cuff. The device’s embedded screen immediately changes from green to blue.
My jaw just about hits the floor, I’m so impressed.
“The real Controller will be the Hollow’s hacked wrist cuff?” I ask. “That’s brilliant!”
“It’s not done yet, but yes.” Chloe beams.
My mind takes a snapshot of this moment. Not too long ago, we weren’t a team. We were a crazy mess. Now, everyone’s working together. We’re actually making progress on things. On reflex, I gaze down at my wrist.
* * *
Star Council Level Access: Godwin
Humboldt-Merciless Undesirables Tagged: 2,136,904
Godwin-Horde Undesirables Tagged: 478,162
Total To Be Announced At Liberation Celebration: 2,615,066
* * *
My chest tightens with sorrow and worry.
More than two and a half million now.
When I look up, Zoe brushes her fingers across her wrist cuff as well. “I checked the feed from Rakkie. They tagged a bunch of kids from our high school last week.”
Our group began this chat with what we’ve gotten done lately. Now, a chill cools the air as our conversation becomes something else entirely.
“President Hope never wanted the job,” states the Hollow. “But you should have seen the creeps Humboldt wanted to put in. Believe me, whatever she approves, there’s a long list of much worse stuff she’s talked the Star Council out of. Together, we were trying and change things. Then Godwin framed me. And the worst part? The look of betrayal in Hope’s eyes. In some ways, that’s worse than being on that undesirables list. I lost who I was. A good person.”
Zoe leans forward, resting her hand atop the Hollow’s. “Chloe and I hid off-grid so the Authority wouldn’t mark our dad as undesirable.” Her voice cracks. “He died anyway, though. We couldn’t source the cancer treatments he needed. And what hurts us the most?” A tear slowly rolls down Zoe’s cheek. “All this time, the government had the tech to save him, he just didn’t make enough money to be considered worth it.”
“Then after we lost Dad, Mom turned unhinged.” Chloe shivers. “She reached out to the Sister Rage rebellion. It’s not a real group, more of a trap by the government to find undesirables. She got caught.” Chloe stacks her hand onto Zoe’s and the Hollow’s. “They tagged her last week.”
I twist at my cuff, remembering the upbeat voice in the phone, telling me to BLEEPING BLEEP. Suddenly, Chloe’s and Zoe’s short tempers make more sense.
“You didn’t tell me,” I say.
“You’ve had a lot on your mind without that,” replies Zoe. “There will be plenty of time for tears. Later.”
I don’t know what to say to such a selfless act, so I decide to share some of my heart as well.
“When I first saw the download of names, I didn’t recognize many of them. But then I saw Miss Edith. I’ve been thinking about her ever since. She must have been special to me. I can’t stand by while she’s cleansed.” I set my palm atop everyone else’s.
Thorne rests his elbows on his knees. “I’m honored to be here with you all. You inspire me.” He rests his hand on the stack.
There’s a long moment where we just sit there, connected. We’re all working together as a team. But now? We’re also on a mission. Somehow, that’s important.
“We better get back to it,” I say at length. Everyone lowers their arms, and I sense the ties forming between each of us.
This caper is more than a project.
It’s the adventure of our lives.
27 Thorne
“There’s work, and there’s purpose. Always combine them.” – Empress Janais, The Fifth Age of Umbra
I rub my neck and think through what just happened. These four ladies have faced down some serious stuff, and yet they’ve chosen to stay locked the Underground, trying to make things better.
Our talk continues, only now, we refocus on the Liberation Celebration. Zoe shares how she plans to neutralize the Hollow’s blood virus. Chloe explains how Fritz came through with Captain Francisco, the custom builder who’s making the Crawler. The captain wants specs.
“but we don’t have those yet,” explain Meimi.
“Why not?” asks the Hollow.
“Two reasons,” answers Meimi. “One, I haven’t finished building the omnivoid generator yet, so I’m not sure how big it will be. Two, we haven’t found the replacement for the Lacerator. There’s no knowing if we’ll even find a new sentient swarm, let alone what size container it’ll fit in.”
“I may have good news there,” I say. “My brothers are working on finding us a different version of the Lacerator.”
Chloe’s eyes go large. “They are?”
“What can I say?” I ask in reply. “I’m connected.”
Everyone nods. Seems my reply covers things enough, at least for now. After all, I am Godwin’s goon. For all they know, I have many friends in low places.
“Next time I talk to them,” I continue, “they should have details on the replacement, including what kind of container the creature would fit in.”
Here it is.
The big ask.
I promised my brothers that I’d bring Chloe and Zoe. In all truth, I have no idea if the twins will want to go. After that passionate speech about saving the people they care about, I feel guilty even asking them to leave the Underground.
“It’s like this.” I shift my weight on the couch. “I’m supposed to meet my brothers today outside the dome.”
Chloe raises her hand. “Can I go? You deactivated the tracking on all our wrist cuffs.”
Some of the tension eases from my neck and shoulders. “Absolutely, you’re all welcome to come.”
The Hollow rises from the couch. “Appreciate the invite, but count me out. Until my blood-borne virus is gone, I can’t leave the building without serious pain.”
“Understood,” I say.
Zoe’s blue eyes flash with excitement. “I’m in.”
I turn to Meimi. “Will you go as well? I really want you to meet my brothers.”
Her face turns a pretty shade of pink. “Sure, I’d love to meet them. When do we leave?”
“How about now?” I ask.
“Do we need to, you know, explain anything before we go?” she asks. There’s no question what Meimi really means here. Do we need to cover the whole aliens issue before we take off?
“No, my brothers are just regular guys. You know.” I wink. “On the surface, anyway.”
Meimi nods. “Perfect.”
And even though I promised my brothers I’d bring Chloe and Zoe, I can’t ignore the sense of unease in my stomach. What if the twins figure out my family is from another planet? Suppose they aren’t able to find a replacement for the Lacerator? There aren’t a lot of ways this could go off the rails.
Even so, there’s only one direction. Forward.
28 Thorne
“All Umbrans contain sentient within their bodies. What makes a royal is not only holding more sentient than most, but also developing related powers to a new level, whether it be battle, knowledge, second sight, or—in the case of an emperor or empress—detecting danger.” – Hammurabi the Seventh, Law of Sentient
An hour later, I’m driving my favorite hovercar out of the Boston Dome. Meimi rides shotgun while Chloe and Zoe sit in the back, chatting up a storm. We got lucky crossing the checkpoint. There were no long lines, so I didn’t have to use the Star Council lane.
Which means I also didn’t have to deal with Vargas.
Chloe was especially appreciative.
“I don’t know why Vargas glommed on to me,” she announces from the back seat. “All the guys usually drool over Zoe. No offense.”
“None taken,” says Zoe. “But guys drool over you as well. It’s just that, Vargas aside, your feisty act generally turns them away. You’re like…” She taps her lips. “What are those extinct animals from old Earth again?”
“What?” asks Meimi. “You mean all of them?”
“The ones with the quills,” clarifies Zoe.
“Porcupines,” I say.
“You’re from Umbra,” says Meimi. “How do you know that?”
Chloe raises her hand. “What an Umbra?”
I decide to ignore that question and focus on Meimi. “Things were boring before you woke up. I spent a lot of quality time on history databases attached to ECHO Academy.”
Chloe leans so far forward from the back seat, her pigtails brush Meimi’s shoulder. “I said, what’s an Umbra?”
I give Meimi the side-eye. “Should I share?”
Chloe bounces in her seat. “Let me guess! Let me guess! Umbra means you’re from…” She scrunches up her mouth to one side of her face, deciding.
“Outer space,” deadpans Zoe.
Meimi gasps. “How did you know? His home planet is called Umbra.”
“WHAT?” Now Zoe leans forward so her face is between me and Meimi as well. “I was kidding.” She looks at me like I’ve got six eyes or something. “You’re from outer space?”
Meimi closes her eyes. “Oops.”
Chloe leans back in her chair again. “Oh, I totally suspected it.”
Zoe leans back as well. “You did not.”
“Did so.” Chloe starts counting off things on her fingertips. “First of all, Thorne is always saying things like your atmosphere or your sun.”
Zoe shrugs. “I thought he just wasn’t that great with the English language. Like he was from New France or something.”
I narrow my eyes, thinking through all my conversations with Chloe. I hadn’t noticed that said stuff like your moon when really, the moon is for everybody on the planet. Something to watch in the future.
“Second,” continues Chloe, “the guy doesn’t eat, sleep, or work out, and yet, he’s ripped.”
“You noticed that?” asks Meimi. There’s a jealous edge to her question which I like far more than I should.
“We’re locked in a subterranean prison and he’s the only guy around so yes, I totally noticed.” Chloe rolls her eyes. “It’s not like I’m interested. I get he’s yours. It’s just that I have eyes, you know?”
Meimi scooches so far away from me, she’s almost plastered against the passenger side window. “I didn’t say we’re together. Thorne and I aren’t together.”
Chloe smacks her lips sarcastically. “Sure, you’re not together.”
At this point, I’m thoroughly enjoying the conversation. It’s great that Chloe noticed the bond between me and my transcendent. It’s even better that Meimi is blushing up a storm right now.
“Back to your second point,” says Zoe. “The food, sleep, and buffness could all be good genetics.”
“No one has that good of genes,” says Chloe. “Not on this planet anyway. Which brings me to the third and final clue.”
Zoe folds her hands neatly in her lap. “This’ll be good.”
“Meimi said Thorne was an alien,” explains Zoe.
“I was kidding,” offers Meimi.
“I remember when that happened,” confirms Zoe. “Thorne didn’t sleep for three days and Meimi said that it’s because he’s an alien. Then she said she was kidding. That totally didn’t confirm any alien-ness.”
“Just wait.” Chloe gestures toward Meimi. “Say those three words again.”
“I was kidding?”
“See. There.” Chloe rounds on Zoe. “You had to notice it that time. Meimi said that like it was a question. She did the same thing when she first brought up the Thorne is an alien thing. Her question voice always means there’s a hidden something-something going on.”
I raise my hand. As the resident alien here, I feel like my voice needs to be heard. “I remember that day. Chloe’s right about the voice thing. It was suspicious.” Not sure when I started following along in the semi-nonsensical conversations with Meimi, Chloe, and Zoe … but I’m one of the girls now.
“So,” says Zoe. “What are you?”
I give Meimi another side-eye. These are her friends, after all.
Meimi takes in a deep breath before answering. “He’s absolutely an alien from another planet. His brothers are aliens, too.”
Chloe and Zoe share a long look, followed by a short shrug. “Oh,” they say in unison.
“That’s it?” I ask. “Oh?”
“Well, Meimi’s a drift science maven,” explains Zoe. “That involves opening voids or whatever to other worlds. Chloe and I always said it was a matter of time before she dragged some alien into her life. I just thought he would be different, that’s all.”
This has me interested. I glance at Zoe in the rearview. She’s not kidding. Her and Chloe had some idea about what I’d be like. Clearly, I don’t match expectations.
“How different?” I ask.
“Oh,” sighs Chloe. “Meimi has a wild imagination. She’s always wanted to meet the Jell-O men from Pluto, that kind of thing.”
Zoe nods. “Or someone with six arms, an extra eye, scales, wings, you get the idea.”
Meimi pops her hands over her mouth. “I never said that.”
Chloe shoots Meimi a dry look. “Come on. Who’s the one who can’t remember anything about her past … and who’s been that person’s best friend for YEARS? You have a thing about odd space men. Own it.”
All the color seems to drain from Meimi’s face. “That explains a lot.”
It takes everything in me not to laugh out loud. “Sometimes she does get a little dreamy.”
“And mumbly,” adds Chloe. “Don’t forget that.”
Meimi scrunches lower in the seat. We’ve clearly hit a nerve.
“My guess?” asks Zoe. “When she does that, she’s thinking about you having antennae or something.”
Meimi scoots even lower in the chair. “Ugh.”
“That’s enough,” I say. “You’re embarrassing Meimi.” I park the hovercar beside the abandoned apartment building. “And we’re at our destination.”
Meimi lifts her hands from her mouth. “Are your brothers arriving in a cool spaceship, by chance?”
I grin. My girl does have some imagination. “No, drift voids. And they’re already here.”
Not for the first time, I wonder about the wisdom of introducing Chloe and Zoe to my brothers. Janais is still screening princess candidates for Justice. She wants someone with extra powers for second sight, so their children will be able to both kick ass and see the future. And she has similar plans for Slate.
If my brothers fall for these humans, things could get even more complex than they already are.
I shake my head. I’m worrying about nothing. My brothers are both happy bachelors. They got interested in Chloe and Zoe because they’re friends with my transcendent. By now, they’ve probably forgotten all about my promise to bring the twins to our next meeting.
I step out of the hovercar. The apartment building only has a few windows that aren’t boarded up. Plus, the few that could still be considered “windows” are pretty thick with grime. Even so, I can still see through them a little bit.
My brothers wait inside. Justice wears his best suit. His hair is slicked back and even combed. The guy’s permanent five o’clock shadow is gone. And Slate’s not in his preacher uniform. Instead, he’s wearing human-style jeans, a Henley, and some serious boots.
For my brothers, this level of dressing up is a major deal.
Oh, no.
I turn to Meimi. “Why don’t you and I go inside first?”
A little crease forms between Meimi’s eyebrows. It’s a sign that she suspects something’s off. “Sure.” She turns to Chloe and Zoe. “You two don’t mind waiting a few minutes, do you?”
Zoe and Chloe shake their heads no. I’d take that as a good sign, but it’s not. They aren’t speaking because their gazes are glued to the lobby interior. And my brothers.
My sentient find this situation hilarious, by the way. They start sending me images of hearts, flowers, and little cooing birds. Not sure how I ended up with smart-ass sentient. But I did.
Oh, well. Better get this over with.
With Meimi at my side, I head toward the lobby door.
29 Meimi
I’m just about to meet some of Thorne’s family. Which isn’t a big deal. Because we aren’t together, no matter what Chloe and Zoe say.
Sure, maybe I tried on about ten different outfits before deciding on dress pants and a sweater, that doesn’t mean I care what his brothers think.
Not a chance.
I’m a big bad scientist who’s planning to take down none other than Dr. Godwin. Millions of lives depend on my success. With so much to worry about, why would I ever get nervous about meeting my non-boyfriend’s alien family?
Thorne and I walk toward the apartment building. As we reach the front door, my stomach feels like I hit zero gravity.
Alien Minds: Dimension Drift, Book 1 Page 15
