That has to be enough.
Tweet, tweet.
Rakkie lets out a series of low warning tones. I look to Chloe. “That’s your cue.” She’s a critical part of our new plan.
Zoe pats her sister on the shoulder. “You can do this.” She hands Chloe a chem dart filled with colorless hallucinogen. Jam this into someone’s skin and the target becomes a mindless puppet for hours.
“Thanks,” whispers Chloe.
“One last thing.” Zoe tapes what looks like a Band-Aid to Chloe’s forearm. That’s the immuno-tab. This way, Chloe won’t be affected by the chem dart.
In truth, Zoe already applied an immuno-tab to Chloe. In fact, Zoe gave one to all of us. But Chloe is the key player here who’ll have the most exposure. Doesn’t hurt to be extra safe.
Zoe chucks her sister on the shoulder. “Go get him.”
“Fuck yeah,” says Chloe.
Zoe winks. “Kick that bastard’s ass.”
Some part of me is shocked that Zoe even knows how to swear. More of me is nervous about this entire operation. If the chem dart doesn’t work, or the immuno-tab fails, then Chloe could get arrested or worse. And that’s before she activates the personal hologram to take on Vargas’s identity.
What made me think this was a good plan again?
Oh, right. Meimi and three million lives.
Chloe grins, rises, and marches out into the hallway. We turn off all the lights and crouch behind the conversation pit. Good thing I found large couches. This is the perfect hiding spot. Chloe’s voice echoes through the darkened lab.
“Hi, Vargas!” she calls. “Can I show you something in the lab? Just us two?”
“And leave my men waiting the hallway?” asks Vargas.
“You’re the captain, aren’t you? I thought they did whatever you wanted.”
“Of course I am. Let’s go.”
Footsteps sound as they step into the laboratory. “Where is everyone?” asks Vargas.
“In their rooms. It’s just us for a moment. Can I …” Chloe takes in a deep breath. “Touch your handsome face under that tough-guy mask?”
The Hollow curls her hand into a fist. The intent of the move is clear. Go get him, Chloe!
Vargas chuckles. “Sure thing, Feisty.”
Zoe makes a gagging face. I agree. Feisty is a crap nickname.
Soft clicking sounds as Vargas removes his helmet. A flash of purple light follows. Zoe already explained what that means. Chloe is jamming the chem dart into Vargas’s neck.
One second passes.
Two.
Any moment now, we’ll know if Zoe’s hallucinogen worked. When Chloe next speaks, she uses a singsong voice. “This is all a dream.”
“This is all a dream,” repeats Vargas.
Zoe, the Hollow, and I exchange silent high fives. Yes!
“You must do whatever I tell you,” continues Chloe.
“Whatever you say,” says Vargas.
I slip over to the door, close it, and lock us in. Out in the hallway, I hear the Merciless soldiers laughing in low voices. They think they know what’s happening in here.
They have no idea.
I flick on the lights. Vargas stands just inside the lab, a silly grin on his face.
“Quick,” says the Hollow. “Check for his agony switch.”
We all scan Vargas. Once. Twice. There’s no agony switch. Minutes pass. My blood pressure skyrockets.
A knock sounds at the door. “Sir, are you all right?”
Chloe goes on her tiptoes and whispers in the captain’s ear.
“Bother me again and I’ll end you!” bellows Vargas.
That seems to do the trick, but we can’t rely on the Merciless to wait out there forever. They were already cutting it close to get the Hollow to the Liberation Celebration.
We’re still looking through his armor when the Hollow throws up her hands. “They do this sometimes,” she says. “Purposely forget the agony switch. It just means I have to walk around in pain for a while. It’s fine. I’ve done it before. I’m surprised they put some kind of blocker down here for me in the first place.”
Rage and grief battle it out in my soul. The Hollow never deserved any of this. Although one thing I’ll say for the woman, she’s always got a plan. I wouldn’t be surprised if she already figured out some way around the agony switch problem.
Meanwhile, Chloe’s already started forcing the helmet back on Vargas’s head. Turns out, this part isn’t easy.
“This.” Ugh. “Thing.” Ugh-ugh. “Won’t fit.”
“Big head,” says Vargas.
“Don’t speak again unless I tell you,” scolds Chloe.
Vargas mimes zipping his mouth and throwing away the key.
That’s a priceless sight, right there.
With a snick, the skull helmet finally falls back in place. Chloe sets the rings on her thumbs and raises her hands. “Activate scan,” she orders.
Pale purple light shines out from the matching bands, shifting over Vargas from head to toe. Afterward, the same happens to Chloe.
Nervous energy zings through me. I press my hand against the wall with such force, the concrete starts to crack. This has to work.
Another flash of purple light bursts forth. This time, the brightness encompasses both Vargas and Chloe. The next moment, it looks like two Vargases stand before us.
“Did it work?” asks Chloe Vargas.
“Perfectly,” replies the Hollow. “Now get his gloves off. We need to turn Vargas into me.”
Turns out, Vargas has a fat head but very tiny hands. After ripping off Vargas’s gloves, Chloe sets a new pair of thumb rings on the Merciless warrior. Next the Hollow and Vargas go through the same ring-routine, only this time, Vargas takes on the appearance of the Hollow.
“Wow,” gasps Chloe-Vargas. “He looks just like you.”
“He’s got the best thumb rings,” says the real Hollow. “Even so, I don’t know how long they’ll last. You better hurry.”
“And remember,” says Zoe to her sister. “Don’t talk. Point and grunt.”
“Right,” says Chloe-Vargas. “I mean, grumpf.”
Chloe-Vargas grabs the real Vargas, who now resembles the Hollow. She drags him over to the door, swings it open, and marches out into the hallway. Vargas-Hollow follows. The outer corridor turns silent.
“Where’s the girl?” asks one of the Merciless.
I catch Zoe’s gaze from across the room. Pure terror lights up her eyes. Will anyone believe Chloe’s hologram illusion? Can the Merciless accept her as Vargas? Even more importantly, will they believe the hologram that Vargas is the Hollow?
Moving through the shadows, I slip closer to the open door. I simply must see what’s happening.
Chloe-Vargas stands nearby. Merciless warriors surround her. “Murph!” she grunts. She motions toward the Vargas-Hollow and then the exit elevators. “Grrr.”
A pause follows in which I think we all age about two years, minimum.
“Yes, sir,” says someone at last.
With that, Chloe-Vargas, Vargas-Hollow and all the rest of the Merciless warriors march off toward the exit elevators. I exhale.
Everything is going to plan.
Looking to Zoe and the real Hollow, I raise my hands. Fresh rings gleam on my thumbs. “Let’s do this. Zoe and I will swap places with two guests at the celebration. Then we’ll find Meimi and get her backstage.”
“I’m going with you,” says the Hollow.
I shake my head. “You can’t. You’ll be in too much pain until we find your agony switch.”
The Hollow’s eyes flare white. “I can’t stay here.”
“True,” says Zoe. “We need you to take over the data feed and reveal Godwin.” Zoe gestures toward the pair of hologram rings on the Hollow’s thumbs. “Your best bet is to find a fake identity of your own and hide out somewhere in the Golden Pantheon.”
“Remember,” I state. “The guard station at the event will have another agony
switch. We know that from the plans. Make your way to the fake Hollow. One of us will bring it to you, just like we planned.”
“Or,” says the Hollow, “I’ll find myself a Star Council adjunct. They always have agony switches and many owe me favors.”
I grin. “That’s the spirit.” After so many months together, I can understand why President Hope relied so much on the Hollow. She’s unbelievable. No agony switch? No problem.
Zoe rounds on the Hollow. “Is Chloe’s controller is still in your wrist cuff?”
The Hollow nods. “Check.”
Leaning back, I scan the hallway once more. “They’re gone. We’re free to leave.”
Together, the three of us exit the Underground. The Golden Pantheon isn’t far. With any luck, Zoe and I will find some guests with good identities to steal long before we reach the event.
After all, it’s about time for our luck to change.
Meimi, I’m on my way.
39 Meimi
I sit in my chair at the Liberation Celebration, my mind whirling through ways to get backstage before Godwin’s big moment.
Meaning before the smokescreen rolls across the stage.
And the Crawler lumbers across the floor.
Not to mention the part where millions to die.
In other words, just a few minutes from now.
A smooth male voice echoes across the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, may I present … President Hope!”
The wall of monitors shows the Presidential Palace. It looks just like what Godwin modeled back in the Simulacrum, two months and a million years ago. President Hope even wears the same white pantsuit and heels. A black patch covers her left eye. Camera drones encircle her as she steps to center stage.
“My people,” says the president. “Tonight, we celebrate the glorious revolution when my brother, General Humboldt, freed the people of this continent from the oppressive rule of the United Americas.” She gestures behind her to where the stocky form of General Humboldt lurks behind her. He wears a dark military coat lined with silver medals.
The audience lets out a polite round of applause. Humboldt is too icy and militaristic for most people to warm up to him. They only follow their so-called Mother Hope.
President Hope raises her arms. The crowd falls silent. “Since that day of freedom, my administration has been dedicated to removing undesirables from our society. Anyone who saps resources, breaks rules, or enacts treason must go! And tonight, at our annual Liberation Celebration, you shall witness the efficiency of your government at work as these dregs of society are finally cleansed!”
The crowd cheers. I don’t.
“Ridding ourselves of undesirables is hard work,” continues President Hope. “Why, one of my own assistants, the Hollow, is slated to be cleansed this evening. Although I appreciate the service Dr. Godwin performed by uncovering her treason, it still won’t be easy. Fortunately, Lacerator kills are swift, painless, and help the undesirable in question move along to their final rest, body and soul.”
My brows lift. Help the undesirable in question move along to their final rest, body and soul. That’s an interesting way of saying the body decomposes into thin air within a few minutes. The way President Hope tells it, that’s a good thing.
And to the Authority, sadly enough, it probably is.
I lean in closer to Luci. “Excuse me.”
“What?” she bites off the word. “We’re not supposed to talk now, you know.”
“May I borrow your backstage pass? I need to step away for a few minutes. I’d like to check a few things behind the scenes.”
There. That was simple, direct, and truthful. I don’t mention the part where I plan to derail the entire cleansing, but Luci doesn’t need to know that. Yet.
On reflex, I set my hand on the replacement sentient. The silver swarm waits within its nest inside my pocket, ready to be swapped out with the Lacerator.
And to do that, I simply must get backstage.
Luci shoots me a sly look. “Dr. Godwin warned me about you. He’s known from the beginning that you wouldn’t have the guts to see this through. That’s why Josiah and I are here. We both have backstage passes, sure. But we also have smart watches.” She holds out her arm. Sure enough, her smart watch has the layered logo of the Star Council. “Looks just like your guard’s watch, right? I can contact Godwin like that.” She snaps her fingers. “So sit back, shut up and watch the show.”
My blood chills. “Luci, listen to me. Millions of people are going to die.”
Luci gestures between us. “And we’re not on the list. Don’t be a sucker, Meimi. You’re going to ECHO Academy. I’ll be your sponsor mother. Do you know how many seventeen-year-olds would love to be in your shoes? Tons.”
If my blood felt chilly before, now it turns positively arctic. “You can’t mean that.”
Luci rolls her eyes. “Drop the drama. Why don’t you just play along?”
In this moment, I can at last see Luci with clear eyes. We’re nothing alike. She simply doesn’t understand anyone’s needs outside her own. I’m merely another source of money for her. And of prestige, if I pull off this evening for Godwin. She doesn’t care for me. She never has.
“I’m serious,” states Luci. “Why don’t you play along?”
My next words feel torn from my soul. “Because I never liked your games.”
Leaning away from Luci, I return my attention to the stage. For her part, my sister shrugs and continues watching the show as well. My thoughts spin faster. There must be something I can do.
“And now,” announces President Hope, “let me introduce the brightest light in our Star Council, Dr. Godwin!”
Godwin marches out onstage. As always, he’s a wispy guy in his lab coat and small glasses. After pausing center stage, the doctor launches into a talk about how tonight is about more than just tagging undesirables. It’s about automating their cleansing as well.
It’s too much.
Turning away, I focus on the flow of people nearby. Since our table is closest to the wall, a stream of workers and latecomers to the event march past. There’s also a clear path up the far-right aisle to the backstage door.
So. Close.
That said, I can’t get near that door without a pass. My stomach twists with worry and despair. Waiting here, powerless, is its own kind of torture.
An elderly couple hobbles closer. She’s plump and stooped in a blue dress. Her partner is tall and wiry with white hair and a wide mustache. As they approach the table, the woman stumbles.
I rush out, catching her before she falls.
The old man pats my shoulder. “You act just like my transcendent.”
The voice sounds familiar. My eyes widen. Did that old dude just say transcendent? And did he sound like Thorne?
“Yes, it’s me,” says Old Guy Thorne.
“And it’s me,” adds the Old Lady Zoe.
Now, normally I’d ask how these two got made up as old people, but in this moment, I don’t care.
Old Lady Zoe fans herself, acting as if she needs a moment before she can stand. “Thorne and I are wearing hologram projector rings. You need a set of these, pronto.” Old Lady Zoe then sets a pair of rings onto my palm. “Hold these for just a sec. They need to calibrate to you. After that, you can put them on.”
Their plan becomes clear. My heart soars. This is the same tech that the Scythe used to fake that he was Fritz. Only the Scythe’s version also hid the voice as well. These rings only do the physical body. Not that I’m complaining.
A spark of hope lightens my body. This isn’t over.
Inside my fist, the thumb rings flare with a pale-violet light. I’ve seen that shade before. Everything the Hollow does has that particular color. Whatever this tech is, the Hollow must have had a part in building it. That’s super encouraging.
“Calibration’s done,” says Zoe. She taps my fist. “These rings will now create the perfect Meimi hologram, so give them to me. I’ll give you my o
ld lady rings. Let’s swap in three, two, one …”
Moving quickly, I set the old lady illusion rings on my thumbs. Meanwhile, Zoe puts her Meimi hologram rings on. For a second, a soft shimmer of purple light surrounds both me and Zoe. The next moment, I look like the old woman. Zoe now resembles me, down to every detail of the pink dress.
That’s some tech.
“Be careful,” whispers Zoe Meimi. “This is unstable stuff. It won’t last long.”
“Got it,” I say.
“Hey,” grumbles Josiah. “What just happened over there?”
Zoe Meimi slides into my old chair, turns to the stage, and ignores Josiah. Luci looks around, confused. Clearly, my fake sponsor mother was too interested in the show to pay attention to anything else.
Not so with Josiah, though.
Josiah rises. For a long second, his gaze flickers between Zoe Meimi and the Old Lady Me. I can’t stand the idea of nasty Josiah going after my friend. But if my fake sponsor father chases after me? That could be even worse, and for many more people.
Old Guy Thorne grabs my hand. “Let’s go.”
I hop to my feet and make for the backstage door. Old Guy Thorne walks in sync beside me. My pulse speeds so fast, my head turns woozy.
Focus, Meimi.
“We copied a couple with backstage passes,” explains Old Guy Thorne. He taps the silver card that hands from a chain around his neck. Looking down, I see a similar one on my hologram-self as well.
“Be sure to show yours to the guard,” adds Old Guy Thorne. “Don’t let them try to touch it or the illusion will be broken.”
“Got it.” I try to walk as speedily as I can without seeming to run. “Is Josiah following?”
“Hey, you!” cries Josiah. “Where are you two going? Stop right there.”
“That would be a yes,” deadpans Old Guy Thorne.
Onstage, Godwin’s speech kicks into high gear. “Tonight, at this event, before your very eyes, we’re about to execute all the undesirables that plague our land, including the most-wanted—or I should say least-wanted—undesirable on the continent. The Hollow!”
On the left-hand side of the stage, a silver cage is lowered from the rafters. Inside, there stands the Hollow. Although, having lived with the Hollow for so many weeks, I know the precise and dignified way she moves. This version seems drugged up.
Alien Minds: Dimension Drift, Book 1 Page 19
