by Kate Moretti
Gideon cuts Riley off. “Yancy’s dead!” He seethes through clenched his teeth. “You can’t feel it. You’re not… I am, but…” He fumbles for the words through his rage and frustration. “You’re thinking logically, like they want you to. They’re manipulating us, and we didn’t even bat an eye when they killed our brother. I don’t know if Sarah is just able to see past the fake logic, but she’s right. We can’t stay here.” He looks at Riley. “You need to cut the rest of the feeds. All of you will agree with me once you come off whatever they’ve got us on.”
Whatever they’re feeding us has numbed the emotion of Yancy’s death, but Gideon’s outburst has helped us see what we should be feeling. I look down at Riley. “Do it. We’ve got three days till our next briefing, so we’ll reconvene in two and come up with a plan in the right state of mind.”
Our team was given a few weeks off to properly grieve after Yancy’s death, or at least that’s what they told us. Riley was already in the system, searching for anything that could help during our escape, so it wasn’t hard for her to hack into the email system. The time off was actually to make sure that the drugs they’d been feeding us continued to do their job after a simulated tragedy. Yes, a simulated tragedy; the emails confirmed that they killed Yancy to test the limits of the emotion and hormone-reducing drugs.
Two days after drawing the irreversible line in Riley’s room, she found out where the drug was being introduced into our ventilation system and suits. I removed the storage units from the suits, and Britney found a way to synthesize an antidote with Gideon’s help. The effects seemed to wear off after we discontinued the exposure, but we didn’t want to take any chances.
Riley continued hacking the system, filtering information about what Relleg had planned and trying to find a way for us to escape without being tracked. Unfortunately for us, because of how far underground we are, that means hijacking our suits, which are the most advanced technologically lo-jacked pieces of tech in the world. It’s the most important and most difficult part of our escape. Unfortunately for Relleg and his cronies, I pretty much rebuilt those suits from the ground up after they recruited me.
Now, nearly three weeks later, we’re meeting with Relleg so he can address us all personally and make sure the drug is still working before we go back into the field. Of course he didn’t tell us that, but we know the truth. Problem is, for weeks now, we’ve been thinking back on thirteen months’ worth of manipulation while piecing together coincidental events and timing to figure out just how deep his reach goes. As our emotions mix with previously dampened hormones, we become more volatile each day. There’s anger, fury, boiling just under the surface, and I’m hoping beyond all hope that we can just get through the meeting without doing something to compromise our escape.
Relleg’s office is a little too small to accommodate the four of us at once, so instead, he’s meeting us in the briefing room. Riley enters, then Britney, Gideon, and finally me. Relleg is standing at the head of a long eight-person gun-metal table with built-in hologram terminals at each seat.
“Please sit,” he says, sweeping an open hand across the room. Please sit. I’m getting so damn tired of hearing him utter that phrase. That smug jerk knows exactly what he’s done and thinks that we’re oblivious to his treachery. We all sit, doing our best to hold back the emotions churning below.
Riley begins typing away at the laser keyboard on her desk.
“Riley, we won’t be using the holo-terminals. This is just an informal meeting for me to see how you’re all doing.”
We’re all doing our best not to strangle you—that’s how we’re all doing.
“Oh, I know, sir. I’m sorry.” She offers an innocent smile. I may be the youngest in the group, but she definitely plays the timid-younger-sister role, smiling whenever she needs something. “I was just checking in with Gabe down in R&D. He asked for my input on one of the new suit’s software systems, and I wanted to let him know I’d be late.”
He glares at her for a second then offers a slight smile as she bats those cute little eyelashes that cover her big, beautiful blues and nods.
“Not a problem.” Relleg turns around, and Riley winks at me. That means we’re ahead of schedule, which is definitely comforting to know. “We wanted to give you all some time after the tragic event with Yancy,” he continues with a sigh, looking down at the table. “It’s been hard on all of us. He was one of a kind. I’m sure it’s been hardest on you four, though, given your proximity to him.”
My chest is starting to feel warm, and I’m clenching my jaw to prevent from screaming at the top of my lungs. The monster in front of us who killed Yancy for a test is feigning sadness, spitting in my face in the process. Gideon must see my jaw clenching, because he grabs my left hand under the table and squeezes it to show support. My grip tightens around his fingers, and my nails dig into the palm of his hand. I want to stop. I want to loosen every part of my body, but I don’t have control. It’s taking everything in me not to jump up and strangle that monster right now.
He lifts his head and looks right into my eyes. “I know it must have been hardest on you, Sarah, and I’m sorry for that.” I cock my left eyebrow and tilt my head, unsure of what he’s insinuating but hoping for his sake it’s not what I think. “Being team leader, having designed the system that failed, I’m sure you blame yourself, but you can’t think that way.”
There it is—the catalyst. I’ve been so worried about the other three on my team for the past few weeks that I’ve all but ignored my own emotions. It never occurred to me that I might be the one to explode. The warmth in my chest transforms into a raging fire, and my nails draw blood from Gideons palm as I launch from my chair toward Relleg.
“I blame you!” The words come in a low growl, foreign to me and everyone else in the room.
Relleg reacts, swinging his right fist forward to catch me with a cross hook. I don’t know if it’s instinct or if he’s aware of our plans, but he’s been confined to an office for too long. The punch is fast—I’ll give him that—but I duck, blocking the blow while turning, and reach over his biceps to lock his elbow between my arms. My back is nestled in his chest now, and I turn to see wide-eyed shock. He didn’t expect an outburst of anger. We still have the upper hand.
Behind me Riley says, “I’ve got the system.”
I quickly extend my arms, which causes Relleg’s elbow to snap with a loud crack. He wails in pain as I raise a foot into the air and bring it down on his knee, causing it to collapse backward with a spine-tingling crunch. Rotating back toward Gideon, I glare at Relleg, who falls to the floor with two shattered limbs. Heaving, he looks up at me with disdain.
“You’ll never escape,” he wheezes then spits at my feet. “This facility was meant—”
Gideon’s massive fist slams into Relleg’s left temple, knocking him unconscious. “I’ve heard enough of his voice to last a lifetime,” Gideon mutters.
Britney yelps with joy, and Riley chuckles. I move over to Gideon and pat him on the back. “What’s our next move?” he asks with a smile. I’ve never seen him smile before. It strips away all that brooding intimidation and makes him look so kind.
“Well, Sarah performed a mock systems check on all the suits yesterday and completely removed the tracking system,” Riley says, snapping me back to reality once again. She looks to me for confirmation, and I nod before she continues. “Our best bet is to escape through the quick-launch tunnel.”
Britney nods as she and Riley dart around the desk toward the door. Gideon and I move up behind them, but Riley turns and puts her hand on Gideon’s chest. “Not you, big guy. You’re grabbing Drake.”
Britney’s halfway out the door but grabs onto the frame and springs back into the room. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, what?” Gideon asks shaking his head. “Is it even functional?”
Riley
nods with a giant grin painted across her face. “Oh, yeah, has been for a week. Sarah’s been sacrificing some much-needed downtime to make sure it’s fully functional, even if the lab doesn’t know it. To top it off, all the ordinance is live. We might need it. My hacking is going to be limited in the Kestrel.”
Gideon looks to me for approval, and I pause before nodding.
“Be careful,” I say, setting a hand on his shoulder. “We’re all making it out in one piece.” There’s a moment between us that seems to halt the rotation of the earth, and it hits me all at once. I’ve never cared for any boy like this before. He understands everything, the burden of intelligence, the need to test your living existence through pain and exhilaration, the loneliness, and the fire inside to wring more out of life. The damn drugs have been suppressing a world of emotions, and now they’re all surfacing at once, churning my reality and tossing everything I knew into the wind.
A single tear rolls down my cheek as I stare into his dark green eyes. My entire body went numb after my parents’ death, and I honestly thought I’d never be able to cry again. Gideon raises his hand and sets it on my cheek, using his thumb to delicately wipe away the tear.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he whispers.
“Ladies!” Britney shouts from the doorway. “Highly dangerous breakout and ensuing illegal activity in progress!”
I turn to see her bolt out of the room and run down the right hall. Riley follows, and I’m right behind her, letting Gideon’s hand slide away from mine as he runs in the opposite direction.
“Are the suits still in the emergency docking pattern?” I yell to Riley in front.
“Yup!” she replies without looking back.
Excellent. The Kestrel suits are lightweight, strong, and fast. Meant specifically for long recon activity or last-minute emergency rescue operations. There are no weapons systems loaded, but they carry a backpack full of medical supplies and survival equipment in the unlikely event that we’re shot down. The fact that they’re currently loaded for emergency operations means they’re docked for fast release.
I designed the emergency docking system and pattern to allow for a three-second launch. The suits are held open, facedown above the quick-launch tunnel by an infrared magnetic-release system. All we have to do is run to the end of the walkway, leap off the edge spread-eagled, and fall into our suits. The moment we cross the infrared sensors, the magnetic clamps will release, and the suits will close and tighten around our bodies as we fall. Riley and I spent months integrating the hardware and software to react under such compressed time frames. It was a nightmare but some of our most impressive work yet. Ignition and wing activation occurs simultaneously, and the large tunnel situated below the dock curves up and out of the facility.
“Security protocols?” I ask Riley, running up from behind and passing her.
“Two security doors and a surface door, all deactivated for the time being.”
“For the time being?” Britney screeches behind us.
“Why do you think I activated the Drake for Gideon? I’m one of the best hackers in the world, but there’s only so much I can account for in the time we had.”
Only another thirty seconds until the quick-launch tunnel. “I hate to bring this up now, Sarah,” Britney shouts from the rear, “but is the Drake payload capable of taking out the security doors if need be?”
I scoff. “That damn thing is built to be a bunker buster; it doesn’t even need the payload.” Now I just have to hope Gideon doesn’t run into any trouble getting into the thing.
“Don’t worry,” Riley says, reading my mind. “I sent a memo to R&D with Relleg’s signature, saying there’s going to be an emergency preparedness drill with our team today.”
I’m laughing so hard, I almost trip over my own two feet and am barely able to get out “I love you, Rie!” before jumping off the ledge of the quick-launch bay.
I feel a slight impact on my chest as I fall into the suit and it activates. Mechanical clicking echoes around the tunnel entrance as Riley and Britney hit their suits a second after I hit mine. We’re not free yet, but nothing feels better than having a suit click in and shrink around my body. The wings unfold, the jets fire up, and all of a sudden, anything is possible.
The optics blink to life as the massive tunnel begins to curve upward, and I can see Riley and Britney’s signatures in the three-dimensional hologram on the right side of my visor.
“Coming up on the first door,” I say as the tunnel tilts up, forcing us into vertical climb. Luckily, it’s open, and we fly through unscathed, but I can’t see any light above us. “One or both?” I ask Riley.
“Just one, the last one, but… oh, crap!”
The second security door above starts to close as I pull my arms closer to my body, causing less drag and activating the after-burner.
“This is gonna be close…” Britney says, then she screams, “Whoo!” as we escape just before the doors close.
Relleg’s voice comes over our comms. “Those suits can’t make it through the external security seal. You may as well give up now.”
“Riley?” I ask nervously. He’s right, the suits won’t be able to make it through the seal, which is where Gideon comes in, but if Relleg can communicate with us, could he have taken back control of the system? His voice is coming through our comm system, but I’m positive that the tracking systems I removed contained the remote connection module, as well.
“He’s using the facility’s PA system, and our suits are piping it in. They don’t have any control over the suits, trust me,” Riley assures me.
“No, Relleg,”—a wave of relief washes over me as Gideon’s voice fills my ears. There’s a thunderous crash from behind, and my rear-camera feed flickers to life to show the Drake suit plowing through the second security door—“but this will.”
I spread my arms to fall out of the way, and Britney and Riley’s signatures follow my move as Gideon tears past us in the Drake suit. It really does look like an armored dragon with a blue ion-propulsion system on its back. A small missile launches up past Gideon, and the security door explodes into a ball of fire. Gideon tucks the wings to his side and disappears into the flames. I close my eyes just before hitting the churning inferno and relish the thought of freedom with these three amazing people by my side. Next stop, everywhere.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jason Kucharik grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Full Sail University with a degree in 3D animation and, after moving to San Diego to pursue a career as a freelance artist, decided it wasn’t for him. Unsure of what to do next, he wrote a bucket list and decided to tackle the first item: write a novel. An idea for a short story turned into a 125,000-word novel in a projected three part series. More ideas began to populate every day, and he was hooked.
After meeting Taran Matharu (first male author on Wattpad to get signed for a publishing deal) in an authors’ club on Facebook, he began co-authoring Project Aspire with Taran and two other authors. Jason’s second novel, VOK, rose to #1 in Science Fiction on Wattpad in September of 2014 and continues to be featured due to the readers he gains daily. He will be self-publishing VOK in the coming months and use the proceeds to create an organization called Authors For Change, which will pair up self-published authors with charities to raise money for those in need.
THOUGHTS ON BRAVE NEW GIRLS
“Growing up with a mother who was willing to do anything to provide for her children and make them happy, as well as two strong-willed, passionate sisters, I’ve always appreciated the unsung strength of females. It breaks my heart to see sexism so prevalent in our society to this day. Hopefully, Brave New Girls can help correct such a huge flaw, and I’m happy to be a part of that.”
Illustration for “Fledgling” by Jason Kucharik
THE MAD SCIENTIST’S DAUGHTE
R
by Leandra Wallace
No one wants you around when your father is the mad scientist responsible for a dozen murders.
Viala had learned this truth at an early age, as well as not to show signs of her deceased father’s brilliance—because what if being a mad scientist was inherited? What if it could be passed through genes, like eye color, height, or your mother’s child-bearing hips?
She’d realized the need to keep her smarts to herself when she’d been playing in Bay 14—alone, as usual—watching a mechanic wrestle with the exposed guts of a shooter. It was clear he needed only to recalibrate the hydrogen coils for the shooter to thrum to life, but apparently, that wasn’t so clear to him. After he’d thrown a wrench and a punch and supplied Viala with some new words for her vocabulary, she’d crawled from under the rusted shooter wing she’d been hiding beneath and quietly gone about fixing the problem. When she was done, she looked up with a tentative smile, which the mechanic did not return. He’d looked at her, scared-like, and muttered, “Just like your father, huh?”
Later that day, an officer had collected her from the apartment. Margaso, Viala’s mother, had stood in the doorway with her hand over her mouth, but Viala had already seen the quivering of her lips, the fear in her eyes.
In a small white room, she’d been extensively quizzed and tested. When the results had come back two days later, they showed she had no higher IQ than your average starship baby—Viala had made sure of that.
As the years went by, and her schoolmates went on to apprentice in different parts of the ship, Viala had watched with secret regret as their shirt patches had been embroidered with things she would have liked: a sun for command, stars for navigation, crossed wrenches for engineering, the pi symbol for mathematics. Her patch showed a cooking pot. She was kitchen help. It was hot, tiring work, but there was one silver lining: standing for hours, chopping up vegetables and fruit, left her mind free to wander.
