His dad could keep inventing new ways to control him, but Anders would get around all of them until the day he found a way to leave this town.
And Anders would leave. Step One: Convince his uncle to talk to him again.
Last night, before Charlotte had shown up, Anders had come up with a surefire way to get his uncle back on his side. All he needed to do now was remove the tracker from his bike and pick up some items downtown.
One of the white squares in the wall lowered, revealing the espresso machine and Anders’ freshly poured shots.
He quickly downed them, burning his mouth but not caring.
The sooner he got to work, the sooner he could leave this glass house for good.
Katherine Raines emerged onto her great house’s veranda, glass in hand. She took a deep, satisfying breath, inhaling the clean scent of the rain and the fir trees on her property. How many of this century’s world-changing decisions had been made from this very spot?
All of them.
And this morning, Katherine had another one to make. In the distance, dawn fog drifted across Puget sound, and low gray clouds partially obscured Mt. Rainier. Infinitek’s headquarters glinted proudly next to the space needle. The tall, glass and steel building with its modern slanted roof seemed to cut through the clouds, towering above everything else in Seattle.
A beacon of hope and progress to all who saw it. And proof that all was still right in the world.
At the far edge of the Raines’ family property, a guard patrol rumbled by, and the humvee’s lights glanced off the barbed wire fence, disrupting Katherine’s calm. Here she was, solving the world’s most pressing problems, yet she had to employ guards to sweep her property for terrorists. Humanity would be lost without her invisible guiding hand. Destroyed.
Katherine’s nostrils flared, and she deftly plucked a small white pill from the hidden pocket in her dress. She dropped it onto her tongue and drained her rum. The liquid coursed down her throat, taking the medication with it, warming her up against the chill in the air.
There were people in the world who hated her—who wanted to see the leader of Infinitek and the Corporate Coalition dead. They were ignorant, selfish children who would rather return to the Dark Decades of endless pandemics, starvation, and worldwide economic collapse. Instead of enjoying the prosperity Katherine’s father had created for them when he’d formed the Coalition, terrorists dreamed of destroying it. She’d obliterated the worst of them… the so-called ‘Watchtower’ terrorists who had assassinated her father fifteen years ago, but there were always more—a never ending plague that had no cure.
Politicians like Prime Minister O’Shannon were another example of the systemic bureaucratic infection that had nearly destroyed the world the last time. O’Shannon had especially become a problem lately, with her secret meetings and underhanded dealings. Katherine had already put the last stages of her plan into motion, but she needed to make a final decision this morning… a pivotal one that would disrupt the delicate balance of things before equilibrium could be restored.
One of Katherine’s hovers lifted off for an aerial patrol, and its low hum joined the sound of light rain hitting the roof over the veranda. The infinity symbol on the hover’s side stood out, silver on navy blue, and her eyes flicked back to the Infinitek building.
Progress requires sacrifice. Her father’s favorite words.
And with that, Katherine made the most important decision she’d likely make today. She’d given Tara O’Shannon plenty of time to shape up, yet all she’d done was dig herself a deeper grave.
A resolute calm flowed through Katherine as she turned, head high, and strode through the wide French doors into her office. Gray morning light streamed between velvet curtains, illuminating the room.
She left her glass on the table in her sitting area, then headed straight for the desk, her heels clicking across the marble floors.
“Aurora,” she called, her voice echoing off the wood-paneled walls, “Do I have any call requests this morning?”
“Good Morning, Katherine. I hope you slept well,” the home’s artificial intelligence replied in a warm tone. “Representatives from Calliope6 and MetaTransport have called six times each since last night, requesting updates on the quarantine zone. Prime Minister Tara O’Shannon and President Joss Harris have also requested private calls in advance of this afternoon’s conference call. Which call will you be making first?”
Katherine let out a breath. Infinitek was the most powerful corporation in the world, but Calliope6 and MetaTransport came in a close second and third, respectively. They were both founding members of the Coalition, and while Katherine was in charge of leading the Coalition, they would expect a real update soon. She couldn’t hold them off for much longer.
“Aurora,” she said, “Please inform Calliope6 and Metatransport that I will have updates on the quarantine zone for them by tomorrow morning. I will only be speaking with President Harris this morning. Send a message to Prime Minister O’Shannon informing her that my schedule is too full for a private call today.”
“Certainly. Shall I bring the President online and activate your holoscreen array now?”
“Yes.”
Aurora closed the blinds, and the holo array emerged from the floor across from Katherine. Rainbow light streamed from it, and as it warmed up, the colors merged into one glowing body of cool white light. Katherine placed both palms flat on her desk—an heirloom from her father, its wood sourced from the last tropical rainforest on Earth. An ivory inlay displayed the most recent political landscape. She ran her fingers along the surface, tracing the continents.
Six thriving nations accepted Corporate Coalition oversight. Fewer than two dozen smaller areas still needed to be recovered and folded into the six. She’d dedicated her life to finishing her father’s work. Someday, everyone on Earth would be a citizen of one nation beneath the Coalition’s guiding hand.
“President Harris has been connected and is waiting on the line,” Aurora said.
Katherine’s holoscreen flickered on, reflecting her own 3D image. She smoothed her hair back, making sure every deep brown strand was secured in her bun, and checked her make-up. Her last rejuvenation session had been well worth the cost. A smile budded on her newly-full lips. She looked even better than she had at thirty.
“Aurora, connect us.”
The President of United North America, Joss Harris, appeared beside her own image. “Good morning, Katherine.”
“Good morning, Mr. President.” She smiled and inclined her head.
Joss was an attractive man, with classic features and eyes that inspired trust. Katherine preferred former actors in positions of power, and he’d been an excellent choice. He knew how to work a crowd, understood when tears showed strength and not weakness, and had a talent for soothing citizens without redirecting their anger or fear on the Coalition.
As he leaned back in his office chair, she glimpsed the New York skyline through the window behind him.
“Enjoying Wall Street today?” Katherine asked.
“One hundred and ten degrees, and it’s not even noon. Be glad you’re not here.”
Katherine laughed. “I’ve told you. Just say the word, and we’ll move the capital to Seattle.”
Joss lifted a brow. “You know I would, but then I’d never hear the end of it. Congress is already riding me harder than usual this week. But I am looking forward to flying out for the CC Entertainment Awards.”
“And Isabela and I can’t wait to see you. You know you and your wife are always welcome to stay at our guest house.”
“We had a wonderful time there last summer.” He gave her a charming smile, then tapped the holo tablet on his desk and cringed at the document that popped up. “The Coalition Liason Committee has handed me a mile-long list of things to bring up in the call this afternoon. Questions about the quarantine zone make up more than half the list. I’ve told them it’s nothing t
o be worried about…”
Katherine shook her head and shared a rueful smile with him. “Pandemic Control is reporting a mild flu virus. The quarantine is just a precaution. The citizens remember that bird flu from five years ago, and they will appreciate seeing that their leaders are willing to go above and beyond on this. Perhaps the Liason Committee needs to be reminded again that elections are coming up next year.”
Joss looked at the ceiling in his office and shook his head. “With any luck, this bunch won’t be re-elected.” He folded his hands in front of him, and his expression changed, lightening. “But that’s not why I wanted to have a private call with you this morning. I wanted to make sure I had a moment with you to thank you for what you did for my son.”
Katherine waved a hand dismissively. “We should be thanking you. Infinitek always needs more bright minds, and your son was an ideal candidate for this company. I see a lot of potential in him.”
Joss’s face brightened even more. “I know he has great hopes for his career there.”
“Management already sees a rising star in Joaquin. We’ll take great care of him, and I will personally ensure he has access to the best opportunities.”
Joss nodded, satisfied, and Katherine bowed out of the conversation gracefully, with another mention of her guest house invitation for the CC awards. President Harris accepted, and she ended the call.
“Aurora, reset the room.”
“Certainly,” Aurora replied in a pleasant voice, as the holo array shut down. “Captain Wells’ hover touched down on landing site three approximately two minutes ago. He will be with you shortly for your morning briefing.”
Katherine stood, unbuttoning her coat with one hand as she walked across the near-dark room to her sitting area. It was never too early for a second drink or another dose.
She picked up her empty glass and tapped a wood panel in the wall. It slid open, revealing the small bar where she kept her rum. As she poured the rich liquid into the glass, the blinds finished lifting, revealing still-gray skies, and she sank down on her leather sofa to await Captain Wells. The movement sent a sharp ache up her arm, and the glass shook in her hand. Katherine closed her eyes, waiting for the pain to fade, then took another pill. She let it dissolve a little—crumble into bitter, beautiful powder—then chased it with her rum.
She leaned forward and twisted her wrist above the glass coffee table, activating the holoscreen embedded in it. A hologram appeared above it, displaying everything just as she’d left it from the night before.
It was a selection of files and holovids sent down from Infinitek’s orbital station by Jordan Sorenson, the lead engineer on Infinitek’s most ambitious project yet: a space fleet that would someday carry humanity farther than they’d ever dreamed. Katherine had involved the other members of the Coalition in its construction for PR purposes, but in reality, it was Infinitek’s project. Expanding humanity’s reach had been her father’s dream when he’d bought out her deceased husband’s fledgling aeronautics company, Galactic Frontier. But where her useless husband had failed with his doomed Mars Mission, she would succeed. And more.
Her fleet would be a traveling city, a fully self-sufficient colony made up of eleven massive ships. And her engineers were even working on faster than light travel so the first colonists could leave the solar system. Katherine’s father had considered jumpgate technology an unlikely achievement within this century, but Katherine had excised the word “impossible” from her dictionary long ago. Bots had been able to mine the martisium found on Mars even after the colony failed. And the martisium had been the key to building the first functional jumpgate.
Her lips turned up slightly as she viewed what Sorenson had sent down—diagrams for the latest version of the radiation shielding they’d developed for the flagship Paragon’s power core.
Despite all the setbacks, her fleet was nearly commercially viable, and it would fly within the decade. Or perhaps much, much sooner. Humanity would remember that Infinitek had been responsible for leading the way into the final frontier. As she took another long swig of rum, a sense of rightness burned through her along with it. The Coalition was her father’s legacy… But this fleet would be hers and hers alone.
“Captain Wells has arrived,” Aurora said.
Katherine casually gestured, switching to a map of the quarantine zone. A thick red line wound its way through Alabama, North Florida, and South Georgia. Pandemic Control wasn’t dealing with a flu virus like she’d told the President, but the rest of the world didn’t have to know that. At least, not yet. This problem, much like Prime Minister O’Shannon, would be taken care of soon.
“I’m ready for Wells, Aurora.”
The door to her office slid open, and Katherine arched her neck to watch her newest Head of Security stride over.
When he reached her, he stood straight, looking past her. “Here to report, ma’am.”
She took another sip of her rum and swept her gaze over Carson Wells, taking her time. When her last Head of Security had made some unforgiveable mistakes, she’d needed a new one. Carson had had an excellent track record, his whole career spent serving in the Coalition forces. He was single, dedicated to doing his duty, and he knew how to do as he was told, without question.
But that wasn’t the only thing to appreciate. He was ten years younger than she was, forty at most, and very good-looking in that rugged, well-muscled way so many ex-marines were.
She set down her glass and waved a hand. “Report. Have we identified and contained all the infected in the zone?”
“Not yet, ma’am,” he said, dragging his vowels out with his light southern accent. “There were several incidences of violence when we extended the zone, and we believe some individuals may have made it out. We don’t know if they’re infected, but I had Headquarters issue a high priority APB on them. As soon as we get a lead, all local police will be mobilized to assist.”
“I want them found. Will we have to extend the zone again?”
“Pandemic Control expects to extend the zone one more time but should have the situation fully under control within the next forty-eight hours. However, they’ve only received one shipment of the serum and are concerned about the growing fatalities in Alabama. Would you like me to send a message to Dr. Dalton and ask for a timeline on the shipments?”
“Yes.” Katherine pursed her lips. That old man was almost more trouble than he was worth, but she needed him… at least until this quarantine problem was resolved. “We’ll handle Dalton. You tell Pandemic Control Command to focus on locking down that zone and rounding up the infected.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carson hesitated. “But… there’s another issue.”
“Well?”
He cleared his throat. “In South Georgia, at approximately 5:30 a.m., Control caught a hover landing inside the quarantine zone.”
Katherine stood up, sweeping her glass into her hand, her heart beating faster. “Who was it?”
“They think possibly Calliope6 personnel, based on their hover tech. They made it past our patrols with some kind of cloaking device we’ve never seen before.”
“Get someone looking into that tech.” Katherine began to pace. “I haven’t told Calliope6 the infection originated near their facilities yet. They agreed to wait on my update and not attempt to cross into the zone.”
“Some of their people may have sent out messages before we locked down communications. Unfortunately, the hover crashed, taking one of ours with it. We were unable to recover anything.”
“Did any of their men make it in?” She asked, her jaw tightening.
“No. Pandemic Control says they took care of it. But I’ve ordered some of their men to continue searching for any survivors, so we can be sure.”
“Good.” Katherine inhaled, her calm restored. She took another drink and stepped closer to Carson, casually raising a hand to straighten the Coalition pin on his lapel.
She ran her finger ligh
tly along the metal triquetra and looked up at him, enjoying how his gray eyes widened slightly at her forwardness. “It’s a shame those men had to die.”
Carson swallowed, his jaw working. “Ma’am?”
“But they must have known what would happen…” Katherine drew her hand lazily down every button on his uniform, letting her fingers come to rest over the spot just below his naval. She sipped her rum and met his eyes, which had gone dark. “It was dangerous for them to try to cross the line.”
Heat seemed to emanate from him, traveling through her fingertips, warming her own body further.
“Yes… it was.” His voice came out husky.
“Captain,” she said softly, grazing his stomach lightly with her fingertips, “report on Tara O’Shannon.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Carson glanced down at where Katherine’s hand still rested above his belt, and he cleared his throat. “O’Shannon hasn’t made any new calls on her unregistered phone, but we believe she met with two cabinet members in secret last night. We were unable to trace her to an exact location, but she and both cabinet members went offline at the same time near her home in London, for one hour. We’re still monitoring them.”
“And the wall? Did your men stage the attack?
“Yes. Our objective was accomplished. There were some additional casualties. A busload of high school students were involved.”
“Unfortunate. It should never have come to this, but it did,” Katherine said evenly. “And an organized push against the Coalition could destabilize the whole region. The Eastern European Alliance would certainly attempt to take advantage of the chaos that would follow.”
“Yes, ma’am. Our intelligence teams maintain that O’Shannon is a high-level security risk to the Coalition.”
Katherine let her hand fall and turned away from him, swirling her rum in her glass and looking out at the grounds.
A hover lifted into the sky and took off toward the Infinitek building. That would be Izzy, leaving for her weekly visit with Infinitek management.
Defective (Fractured Era Book 1) Page 5
