Traitor Born (Secondborn Series Book 2)

by Amy A. Bartol

  “They haven’t gotten their cornea or other implants yet,” Agent Crow says. “The holographic images simulate mothers and fathers—a sibling—obedience to Census.”

  Thousands and thousands of cocoon cradles fill the nursery. It reminds me of a morgue. “Cranston Atom, the mortician at the Halo Palace,” I surmise, “somehow figured out that something wasn’t right about the assassins at the club.”

  “He was clever. At the morgue, Cranston noticed that the zeroborn monikers were all cut out of the Death Gods, but he also detected that the zeroborn moniker had left behind unique imprints inside the corpses’ flesh. The markings were different than ‘normal’ Fates Republic monikers. His discovery meant I had to kill him.”

  “How did you get away with that?”

  “We’re Census. No one questions us.”

  We’ve reached the end of the corridor. Another elevator opens before us. Agent Crow steps in. I have no choice but to follow. Hawthorne enters after me, the doors roll closed, and I’m relieved to feel the car rising.

  Hawthorne’s sandy hair lies over his eyes. I want to brush it away, but if I touch him, he’ll hurt me. He gazes straight ahead, emotionless. My heart aches with sorrow.

  “How is it that Hawthorne was converted weeks ago?” I ask. “I just saw him yesterday in the war room of Upper Halo.”

  Agent Crow laughs. “Hawthorne has no idea that he’s a Black-O when he’s not being actively redirected. Unless VPMD is turned on, you’d never know he is one of us. His eyes have the implants, true, but they won’t shine. You’d have to examine him closely. He’s the perfect spy because he’s unaware that he’s spying. We have but to question him.”

  “You’re disgusting,” I growl.

  “And you’ll make a fine Black-O, Roselle.”

  A cold shiver slips down my spine.

  We return to the trunk of the Tree. I’m escorted to a heartwood in the center of the facility. Agent Crow gestures for me to enter the heartwood with him. I clutch the pole and step onto a rising stair. Agent Crow is on the step beside mine. We’re lifted upward together through the tube. “There is something I want to show you on level five,” he says. We pass storehouses of neon vials containing people—his experiments. On level five, we step off the heartwood and walk together to the area that, in a normal Tree, would be used for the intake of new Transitions. Inside, secondborn Atom- and Star-Fated technicians are busy at work. They don’t appear to be mind-controlled. No silver light shines from their eyes.

  Agent Crow commands the attention of the nearest Star-Fated man in a yellow lab coat. The tall, handsome man stops what he is doing on his holographic screen, climbs off his chair, and walks toward us. Dark hair falls over his brow. His eyes are focused on his moniker, but his inattentiveness doesn’t seem to bother Agent Crow. “I need you to prepare Roselle St. Sismode for Black-O conversion.”

  My heart pounds in my ears. I turn to bolt, but I’m caught and restrained by Hawthorne and several other Black-O soldiers. I struggle, but they’re ridiculously strong.

  The technician doesn’t miss a beat, ignoring my outburst. “I just need a requisition, and I can take her back to an exam room now. I’m sending you the appropriate files.” His fingers swipe the light of his star-shaped moniker.

  Agent Crow uses his moniker to send the requisition. They’re still using the Fates Republic communication system. They must have ways of blocking access by nosy Star-Fated firstborns like Reykin, but for my sake, I hope not.

  The technician draws a tranquilizer gun from the holster on his thigh. I kick him in the stomach and try again to get loose, but I’m immediately tackled by the nearest Black-O. He growls in my ear until I exhaust myself and stop struggling, and he hauls me back to my feet. I pant in frustration. Agent Crow leans in, touches my cheek, and smooths my hair away from my eyes. “I’m looking forward to your conversion more than I have with anyone else’s, Roselle. What will it be like when you fall into my arms instead of trying to rip them off?”

  I spit in his face. He scowls and pulls a cloth from the pocket of his black leather coat. Methodically, he wipes away my spit. “Hand me the gun.”

  The technician places the tranquilizer gun in Agent Crow’s palm. He places it directly over my heart. My eyes defy him, even as the dart penetrates my skin. I jerk at the impact when the needle hits my breastbone. My eyes blur. My ears ring. Everything mutes. A dreamy, faraway feeling sets in.

  “Let her go,” Agent Crow orders. It sounds distant.

  I’m released. My knees weaken and I almost collapse, but the technician reaches out and catches me, clutching me to him. He smells like lemongrass.

  “Opa,” he groans. “It must be too much. You’re such a little thing.”

  His deep voice sound so familiar.

  “Don’t be deceived,” Agent Crow warns. “She’s a killer.”

  “Oh, I know who she is,” the technician says. “Everybody knows Roselle St. Sismode.”

  “Her mother expects her conversion to begin as soon as possible,” Agent Crow growls, “so quit the rhetoric. Prep her for conversion and tank her. Alert me the moment she’s ready. I’m leaving the Black-Os to guard her. Don’t let her out of your sight or you’ll regret it.”

  Agent Crow leaves, and the technician says nothing. My head lolls on his shoulder. He lifts me in his arms and takes me to an examination room, followed closely by Hawthorne and several other Black-Os.

  The technician lays me on an examination table beneath a bright-white spotlight. Beside it is a tall tank filled with briny fluid, like the ones I observed earlier. I drift in and out of awareness, trying not to succumb to the tranquilizer. The technician removes my cuffs. I feel him tug off my clothes and wrestle me into a wet suit. He inserts IVs into my arm. Using a powered sprayer, he coats my exposed skin with something.

  Then he takes my hand and lifts it.

  His thumb rubs over my palm.

  He pauses and lifts my hand higher, inspecting it closely.

  He rubs his thumb over the small star again.

  “That’s—” He leans over the table, his head blotting out most of the white light above. A halo remains, ringing his aquamarine eyes, which bore into mine. “How did you get this star?”

  I recognize the chiseled lines of his face, the way his dark eyebrows slash together. My pulse jumps as he lays a hand on my shoulder and shakes me. “The star is unique to my family crest.” He holds my hand in front of my face. “Seven points—a seven-three prism, with three long points that form a W. And my brother’s initials in relief—mirrored? What is this?”

  My lips curl into a dopey smile. “Ransom . . . Winterstrom.” I squeeze his hand. “Reykin is . . . looking . . . for you . . .”

  Rebel Born is forthcoming from 47North in 2019.

  Glossary

  air-barracks. Kidney-shaped dormitory airships that dock on the military Trees in Bases like the Stone Forest. They transport troops and house them.

  air elevator. Also known as an air lift, a glass-framed elevator that transports riders to and from the lower building of the Halo Palace to the crown level. The elevator cars travel in open air as well as elevator shafts.

  air lift. See air elevator.

  The Apiary. An outwardly decrepit-looking military Base on an island near the Fate of Seas. A Census stronghold.

  Barleycorn. The high-end restaurant shaped like a spike of barley and located in the Trial Village at the center of the Secondborn Trial training fields.

  Black-O. A Census soldier enhanced with advanced military-grade artificial intelligence technology embedded in his or her brain. Each soldier is subject to mind control by programmers and handlers who are often Census agents.

  Black-O mode. The state of being a Black-O soldier. It can entail being mind-controlled by a third party or using artificial intelligence to solve problems, follow commands, and complete tasks.

  Burton Weapons Manufacturing. A Sword-Fated weapons manufacturing company owned by Sword-Fated Edmund
Burton.

  Census. A branch of the government comprised of agents whose mission is to hunt down and kill unauthorized thirdborns and their abettors. Their uniform is a white military dress shirt, black trousers, black boots, and a long tailored leather coat. Their Bases are underground beneath the Sword military Trees at Bases like the Stone Forest Base and the Twilight Forest Base.

  chet. A nonaddictive substance that is used to relieve tension and induce relaxation. Looks like a white stamp.

  Class 5Z Mechanized Sanitation Unit. A robot designed to repair and maintain sewage and septic lines. The unit has no artificial intelligence capacities.

  conversion. The process of implanting a VPMD (Virtual Perception Manipulation Device) in the brain of a person other than a zeroborn.

  conversions. People who are unwillingly implanted with mind-control technology. Implanted people can be detected by the cornea implants in the eyes that shine with silver light.

  Copperscale. A defensive fabric developed by Salloway Munitions Conglomerate that acts like armor. It can conduct an energy pulse, either fusion or hydrogen, away from the wearer.

  Council of Destiny. The Virtue’s advisory board made up of members from the Virtue-Fated aristocracy. Experts are brought in to advise the panel on a myriad of topics.

  CR-40. A topical polymer dispensed in an aerosol device that, when sprayed on the skin, temporarily blocks the signal of an implanted moniker. It can be scrubbed off the skin or it will wear off in a few hours, making it ineffective.

  crella. A type of donut.

  Culprit-44. A sidearm, also called a fusionmag. A fusion-powered gun-like weapon with a hydrogen-powered option.

  death drone. An automated robot with a black metallic outer casing. It’s shaped like a bat and used primarily on the battlefield to interrogate and execute captured enemy soldiers. The drone is summoned by a black, blinking “death-drone beacon” that emits a high-pitched sound, prompting a drone to respond to the location. Once the drone interrogates an enemy, it decides whether to kill the soldier or take him or her back to a containment airship for further interrogation.

  drone camera. A spherical-shaped automated floating camera that has a multitude of lenses. Some are automated and can be programmed to follow a specific target, while others are operated remotely.

  Dual-Blade X16. The Salloway Munitions brand name for the dual-sided sword—fusionblade/hydroblade—designed by Star-Fated secondborn Jakes Trotter and Sword-Fated secondborn Roselle St. Sismode. It was sold to the company by Roselle St. Sismode.

  Exo. A rank in the firstborn Sword military. It is higher than all of the secondborn ranks. Only the Admiral and Clarities are higher. Black uniforms. Clifton Salloway is an Exo.

  fatedom. The realm of a Fate, like a kingdom.

  Fated Sword. A title given to the spouse of The Sword (the Clarity of the Fate of Swords). Kennet Abjorn is considered the Fated Sword because he’s the husband of Othala St. Sismode.

  Fates of the Republic. Also known as the Fates Republic. A society comprising nine Fates or “fatedoms.” The Fates highest to lowest in the caste system are Virtues, Swords, Stars, Atoms, Suns, Diamonds, Moons, Seas, and Stones. The leader of the Republic is the Clarity of Virtues.

  Firstborn Commander. A title given to the heir to The Virtue and the heir to The Sword.

  First Lieutenant. A position on the Sword Heritage Council that is considered the “right hand” to the Firstborn Sword (the heir to The Sword).

  Five Hundred. A drug that acts as a stimulant. It’s lethal when taken in large doses.

  fourthborn. The fourth child in birth order.

  FSP (Fusion Snuff Pulse). A device that acts like an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) delivering a short pulse of energy that disrupts the fusing of atoms that creates fusion energy. The device is a palm-size sphere with a silver metallic outer shell with a trigger button.

  fusionblade. A fusion-energy-driven laser-like sword. The sword resembles a broadsword without the expected weight. Fusion cells reside in the hilt of the sword and create a stream of energy when engaged. The hilt is constructed of a metal alloy and usually personalized with a family crest or some other distinctive marking. The St. Sismode family is the originator of the fusionblade.

  fusionmag. A gun-like weapon that fires fusion energy in bullet-shaped pulses.

  gravitizer. The antigravity mechanism in a combat jumpsuit. It uses magnetic force to repel against the molten core of the planet in order to slow the descent of a soldier after he or she jumps from an airship. It disengages once the soldier is within feet of the ground, allowing him or her to land safely.

  Hazy Daze-99. A drug that induces euphoria and sleepiness. It comes in aerosol form.

  heartwood. An escalator-like machine that carries occupants up or down levels through a vertical tube within a Base Tree.

  Heritage Council. A committee comprising firstborn members of the Sword aristocracy. The leader of the council is the Firstborn Sword. It’s a junior council of sorts in which firstborn heirs hold positions of power until they assume their parents’ roles as the leaders of the Sword aristocracy.

  hologram pad. A handheld device used to correspond with the administrative arm of the Halo Palace. The unit uses prerecorded messages as well as real-time holographic messages in the form of light projections for communication.

  hoverdiscs. Small round metallic discs about two inches in diameter that attach to the sole of a boot or a shoe. Once turned on, the discs keep the wearer aloft. They allow him or her to ascend by making motions as if walking up steps, and they allow the person to fall in elevation by using descending stair motions.

  hover mode. The ability to levitate and self-propel using antigravity technology.

  hovertruck. A large wheelless vehicle that hovers above the ground and is propelled by various means.

  hovervan. A large wheelless vehicle that hovers above the ground and is propelled by various means.

  kill tallies. Black line tattoos that extend from the outside corners of the eyes to the hairline of a Census agent, denoting the number of thirdborn kills the agent has amassed. The marks can also be found tattooed on the neck or temples of an agent.

  Killian Abbey. An abbey and collection of tombs where heads of the Fate of Swords are buried. Roselle’s grandfather is buried there.

  Lenity. A city in the Fate of Virtues where all of the wealthiest country estates are located. It is considered the “sister city” of Purity.

  looking-glass moniker. See mirror moniker.

  maginot. A canine-like cyborg that resembles a wolfhound. They patrol the grounds of the Sword Palace, acting as sentinels.

  mechadome. See mechanized domestic.

  mechanized domestic. A domestic robot with rudimentary artificial intelligence or advanced artificial intelligence designed to do a multitude of domestic tasks. Models vary in physical form.

  mirror moniker. A device that reflects the identity of the moniker closest to it. Used as a tool in espionage. Also known as a looking-glass moniker.

  moniker. A symbol implant each person receives at birth to denote class/caste. It is a brand that covers a holographic chip. The chip is loaded with the person’s identification and other vital information, such as rank, family members, fatedom, status, and so on. The holographic chips can be activated by checkpoints manned by security personnel. They are used to track people entering and leaving districts, to process secondborns, to denote firstborn status, and more.

  Neon Bible. The high-end bookmaking establishment located in the Trial Village at the center of the Secondborn Trials training fields.

  night owl bots. Surveillance robots made to look like owls that perch in areas around the Halo Palace. Used by Iono security as covert audio and visual recording devices to gather intelligence.

  phantom orb. A small silver ball-shaped device that provides resistance to infrared scanners and pings from Virtue-class stingers. It cools a person’s body temperature to camouflage the individual from detect
ion.

  Phoenix. Nicknamed “Phee,” this automated robot was recently converted into a mechanistic domestic or mechadome. In a former role, this robot was a sewer maintenance unit known as a Class 5Z Mechanized Sanitation Unit, but it was taken from a scrap heap, upgraded with limited artificial intelligence, and recommissioned to be Roselle’s valet at the Halo Palace.

  Purity. The capital city of Virtues.

  Pyramid Conspiracy. A high-stakes card game people bet on, in which one must remember every card laid and the order in which it was placed. Every level, new cards are added.

  Rose Garden Society. A secret club dedicated to the preservation and welfare of Roselle St. Sismode. They have a vested interest in seeing her become The Sword (Clarity of the Fate of Swords). One of the most influential members is Clifton Salloway (firstborn Sword aristocracy), an arms dealer who owns Salloway Munitions Conglomerate. Members are called Rose Gardeners.

  Rose Gardener. A member of the Rose Garden Society.

  Rush. A highly addictive drug that causes paranoia and delusions of grandeur.

  secondborn deserter. Any secondborn who fails to report to his or her designated post and is considered a runaway.

  Secondborn Deserter Bulletin. An all-points bulletin profiling a secondborn who has failed to report for duty and is considered a runaway.

  sky platform. A hoverpad located in the crown level of the Halo Palace.

  The Sword Social. An on-moniker news source that covers a variety of news items and topics.

  Transitioned. The state of any secondborn who has undergone the mandatory indoctrination of the Fates Republic and who is now the property of a Fate. The secondborn’s surname is replaced with the name of the Fate served.

  transporter pod. An automated, self-driving pod of a variety of sizes and functions. It’s used to transport items by using hover technology to levitate and fly.