“Listen Mason, I’m really sorry. I’ve just had a lot on my mind and a lot that I’ve needed to sort through. I hope you can understand where I’m coming from—” The static on the other end of the line interrupted her apology. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to make sense of the noise. “Wait, where are you?”
“Both Warren and I have been staying at 7S Headquarters,” he responded. “I really didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
A pang of guilt hit her in the stomach, although she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like Mason was her boyfriend. Neither is Torin. And yet, I invited him to come with me. “I’ll fill you in on everything,” she promised, her choices replaying over and over again in her head. “How about tomorrow? We’ll go grab a bite to eat or something.”
There was a long moment of silence before he spoke. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“I’ll call you later tonight and we’ll set something up.”
Mason’s voice caught. “I look forward to it.”
As she was about to say goodbye, the line clicked. She brought the phone away from her ear and looked down at the screen. The words CALL ENDED stared her in the face. She brushed her annoyance aside as she stood up from the couch, but before she could organize her thoughts, a figure emerged from the bedroom.
“You’re up before me,” Torin observed as he made his way into the kitchen. “That’s a first.”
“Har-har,” she responded as she plopped onto a barstool.
“Did you sleep well?” He quickly ordered breakfast from SmartMeal, then slid a plate of toast and a glass of cold milk across the counter.
“Better than usual,” she responded as she took a bite. “That couch is surprisingly comfortable.”
“Happy to hear it,” he said with a grin. “So, what do we have planned for the day?” He maneuvered his way around the kitchen counter and sat down on the barstool next to her.
She didn’t know how to tell him that she needed to meet with her father . . . in private. It felt weird keeping things from Torin, especially when he’d been so supportive and helpful the past couple of weeks. It felt wrong to not include him, but her father had made it clear that he’d wanted to speak with her alone. She checked her phone again, hoping that her father had sent a message regarding when and where to meet, but her inbox was empty.
I need to talk to him. Today.
“If it’s alright, I’m going to head over to 7S this morning, maybe grab coffee with my dad before he gets too busy.” Before Torin could invite himself, she continued, “It’d be nice to have some father-daughter time.”
Torin struggled to hide the disappointment on his face. “Okay, yeah. That sounds nice,” he said, then quickly added, “for you and your dad. Not for me.” He blushed. “If you don’t mind, I might tag along—not to coffee,” he reemphasized, “but to headquarters. I have a few things I need to check on.”
“Fine by me,” Emery responded as she munched on her last bit of toast. It was easy to forget that Torin actually worked for the Seventh Sanctum . . . for her father. How bizarre. “I can be ready in twenty minutes. Does that work for you?”
He smirked, his boyish nature returning. “Make it fifteen.”
She smiled, happy to see his disappointment hadn’t lasted long. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
+ +
It actually ended up being a good thing Torin had wanted to tag along because Emery still didn’t have access to many of the corridors within 7S Headquarters. She gazed up at his head of shaggy brown hair as the moving disc came to a stop. The ride into the interior of the building felt longer than she remembered, or maybe it was just the anticipation of finally finding out her father’s secret. She fidgeted with the zipper on her jacket, her nerves getting the better of her.
When they arrived at the ground floor, Torin leaned in to give her a hug, which was a little out of character, even for him. “Have fun with your dad,” he said hurriedly as he split off to run his errands.
“Bye!” Emery called after him.
His figure faded into a mere shadow, then disappeared altogether in the morning rush hour.
She sighed as she stepped onto another platform, and directed it to take her to the seventh floor. The ride was brief, as per usual, but as she stepped off the T-Port, the hair on the back of her neck rose. It made sense that the seventh floor was never as crowded as the other hallways, seeing as it was the Commander—ahem, her father’s—floor, but today, something felt different.
Something was . . . off.
Her throat thickened as she strode over to the oak door that led to her father’s office. She gently tapped the silver knocker three times, expecting the young male assistant to greet her like last time. Instead an older gentleman, whose hair was the color of a crisp winter’s snow, greeted her. His face was rugged and wrinkled, like a leather bag that had sat out in the desert sun for far too long. His eyes were a deep grey, the irises so large and so whole, that they almost swallowed his eyes.
She felt herself shiver as a cool draft swept across the back of her neck. “Hello. I’m here to see the Commander.” Her words came out far quieter than she’d anticipated.
The old man grinned, almost demonically, before gesturing for her to step inside. “Do come in.”
At that moment, all Emery wanted to do was turn around and run. This man, whoever he was, looked at her as if he’d known her his whole life. Another chill ran down her spine.
Who is he?
Cautiously, she stepped inside the doorway and started down the hall toward her father’s office, the man’s footsteps in time with her own. She picked up the pace as she approached her father’s desk. He stood at the window with his back to her, in the same position as last time, watching the holographic images switch from one scene to the next. She cleared her throat, hoping to catch his attention. When that didn’t work, she inched a few steps closer. “Hey, dad. Sorry I’m a little late.”
He turned toward her almost robotically, his eyes empty and devoid of emotion. She stepped backward in shock, unable to pinpoint why he looked so . . . different. When she reached out to grab his arm, he briskly stepped to the side, his eyes locked on the man standing behind her.
“It’s okay,” he answered, his focus unwavering. “Emery, I’d like to introduce you to my new Secretary of Defense, Chief Victor Novak.”
The only word she heard was new.
The white-haired man walked toward her, extending his hand for a firm handshake. Emery hesitated ever so slightly before meeting his grip with equal force. She looked him up and down as nonchalantly as she could. She wasn’t sure why, but she didn’t like him. The way he slithered over to her reminded her of a serpent just before the moment it attacks its prey. With that image etched into her mind, she quickly released his hand, then rubbed her palm along the side of her pants.
“This must be your daughter,” Chief Novak drawled. “Emery, is it?” As her name rolled off his tongue, she noticed his eyes went straight to the pendant clasped around her neck. He stared at it for a minute too long, admiring it as if he wanted it for himself.
Goosebumps rose all over her arms and legs. Stay calm. Don’t freak out. “If you could please excuse us for a moment, I need to speak to my father in private.” Her eyes narrowed as she directed a harsh stare at Victor.
“Take your time,” he murmured. “I’ll be at the front. Commander, please don’t forget that our next appointment is at 0900.” He slinked toward the front door out of sight. When she was sure he was out of earshot, Emery turned back toward her father. “What a strange old man. Please tell me that he was appointed by the people and that you didn’t hire him.”
Her father moved away from the window, then sat down in his plush leather desk chair. “Correct. Victor was appointed by the people. He’s great company and he’s damn good at what he does.”
His movements were less robotic now, and Emery relaxed a little. “So, I never heard back from you, which
had me a little worried since you told me you had something important to tell me.” She paused, waiting for a flicker of recognition to cross his face, but there was nothing. “You said you’d send me a time and place to meet you, remember?”
Still nothing. Not even an ounce of recognition.
Don’t panic.
“So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”
Her father stared at her like a statue, not a single muscle moving throughout his entire body.
“Dad?”
He was still for a few more seconds before finally picking some strange gadget up from his desk. “Consider it taken care of. Chief Novak has it handled.”
Her stomach twisted into knots. “Chief Novak has what handled?” she pressed. Why is he brushing off our conversation like it’s nothing? She knew she hadn’t mistaken the tone of his voice the other night. There was something serious he’d wanted to share with her. Something urgent.
“I said to consider it taken care of. If we’re finished here, I need to head to my next appointment.” He stood up from his desk and gathered his tablet and a few other indiscernible gizmos. “I’ll see you soon.” He gave her a hasty nod, then walked to the front where Chief Novak was standing just out of earshot.
“It was nice to meet you,” Victor called out to her as he opened the door for the Commander. “I’m sure we’ll bump into each other again soon.”
Emery crossed her arms defiantly, her lips pursed. “We certainly will,” she murmured. “Chief”.
10
She’s onto me.
Victor walked briskly alongside the Commander, amazed at how well his self-made technology worked. It was normal to expect a kink or two in the controlling mechanism, but that wasn’t the case this time around. The Commander was easier to control than ever.
When Victor had overheard Emery asking her father about his “secret”, he’d controlled the response with the touch of a button. Surprisingly, hearing the question come out of her mouth had put his mind at ease—it meant that her father hadn’t told her yet, which in turn meant she still didn’t know. And as long as Victor had him under his control, there was no way she’d ever find out.
A wicked smile touched his lips. Everything’s still on track. No disruptions. No setbacks.
He continued to walk alongside the Commander until they reached the end of the hallway. Victor hit a combination of buttons on his remote to power down his robotic boss, waiting for his eyes to close and his head to lower, then shoved him into the nearest utility closet.
He leaned against the cool metal wall, his mind reeling back to the past twenty minutes, to his first real sighting of the omega pendant. It was just as beautiful as he’d imagined—a sterling silver horseshoe lined with dozens of tiny emeralds. He smiled as he recalled the way the emeralds had bounced off the light. It had taken everything in him to not reach out and tear the necklace from the girl’s throat; but his temptation had dissipated as his eyes had traveled from the pendant to Emery’s face. That look.
It’d been a look of complete and utter distrust, but there had been something else there as well. Something Victor knew quite well.
Loathing.
It was the same look he’d received at school as a young boy. The same look all the teachers and counselors had given him. The same look his parents had given him. The experiences during his childhood hadn’t even been close to smooth sailing, quite the opposite in fact. His father had been a mechanic, his mother an alcoholic. Instead of raising him while his father was away at work for ten hours a day, his mother would drink herself into oblivion. Whiskey, tequila, scotch. Full cabinets one night, and empty the next. It was a vicious cycle.
She was never abusive, but Victor wouldn’t have put it past her. She was either blacked out or too disoriented during her waking hours to pay him any attention. Sadly, this wasn’t even close to the tip of the iceberg—no, that had come when his father had been diagnosed with a rare case of lymphoma. At the time, only two percent of the world had been diagnosed.
There hadn’t been, and still wasn’t, a cure.
The treatment had been brutal on his father. Multiple rounds of chemotherapy with no health insurance and the woman he loved drinking herself off a cliff. Eventually, his father had become so weak that he was unable to fulfill his duties at work. Working on cars called for too much physical exertion that his father just couldn’t keep up with. In the end, Victor could only watch, as a helpless young boy, as his father and what remained of their family unit disintegrated right before his very eyes.
Helpless.
It was the one emotion he never cared to feel again. The one emotion that filled him with rage every time an image of his frail, dying father drifted across his mind—which was less and less often, but it still happened every now and again. Back then, he’d been powerless to do anything and so, every move he made, every decision he took would lead him to never feel that way again. It simply wasn’t allowed.
Once his father had passed, Victor’s need for control became stronger than ever. To have the ability to fix things and make everything right—to do the very thing he couldn’t do in his past. This was all that mattered, and Alpha One was his answer. More than that, it was his calling.
He sighed as he tried to push those thoughts far from his mind, but it was no use. A flood of anger suddenly washed over him as he reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out the alpha ring. He’d been so close to getting what he’d wanted until Emery’s friend—Torin, was it?—had come along. He’d had everything all mapped out, down to the last detail. Thankfully, Theo had done most of the dirty work; all that was left to do was reap the rewards.
Full control was just within his reach, right beneath his fingertips.
Of course, they’d experienced more than a few setbacks, but that was to be expected. Strangely enough, though, those setbacks all seemed to revolve around one particular person.
Emery.
And who had been in charge of Emery’s training? Her overall candidacy? Naia. His eyes narrowed at the possibility of being two-timed by such a young and naïve girl. While he’d never been particularly fond of Naia, he was almost certain that she wouldn’t do anything stupid—like putting his entire operation at risk. She was one of his own, an integral part of his team.
Wasn’t she?
Doubt clouded his mind as fear settled in. What if I’ve been played? What if all of this is her fault? He allowed the fear to stay only for a moment before shaking the thought far from his mind.
He had to stay focused on the task at hand. His plan to make Emery trust him wasn’t going as smoothly as he’d wanted. He’d hoped that having her father, someone she trusted and admired, introduce the two of them would give him some ground to stand on, but it seemed that she’d seen right through the deception.
“It’ll just take some time,” Victor muttered to himself. He turned the alpha ring over in his palm, the diamonds glimmering in the overhead light. He placed the ring back into his pocket and stepped onto the nearest platform, his mind swirling with images of the omega pendant and the alpha ring united for the very first time.
11
Mason’s heart fluttered as Emery strolled out of the giant sliding doors of 7S Headquarters. His knees ached from sitting on the same bench for the past hour in the hopes that he’d eventually catch a glimpse of her. He’d expected Torin to be with her, but, surprisingly, she was alone.
He jogged over to her, instantly realizing that she was pretty shaken up over something, albeit he didn’t know what. “Hey,” he breathed, as he lightly placed his hand on her shoulder.
She looked up from the ground, her eyes brimming with tears. “If you’re here to scold me, I’d prefer if you didn’t.”
He smiled and wiped a tear from her cheek. “Hey, I’m not here to scold you. What’s wrong, Em? You can tell me.”
She shook her head and fell onto the ground, even though the bench was just a few feet aw
ay.
“Really? The bench is literally right there.”
When she didn’t move, he leaned down and scooped her up, her legs dangling over the sides of his arms. “Come on, it’ll be ten times more comfortable than the ground.” He carried her over to the bench he’d previously occupied and set her gently on the surface. She buried her face in her hands. With each passing second, her breathing grew heavier and heavier.
“Emery,” he soothed, unsure as to why she was so worked up, “please tell me what’s wrong.”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she managed through uneven breaths.
“You know me, I love crazy,” he urged. “Bring on the crazy. Even if I wanted to, you know I couldn’t go anywhere.”
At this, she looked up at him and laughed, the smile stretching all the way to the corners of her eyes. It was the first real smile he’d seen in ages and the closest he’d felt to her since their initial meet-and-greet one summer ago. He latched onto that smile, onto that feeling, hoping that it’d carry him through whatever was about to come out of her mouth.
“Where do I even begin?” She let out another shaky breath as her expression turned serious. “Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I told you that we were fighting for the wrong side? That Theo wasn’t who he said he was?”
Mason nodded. “I remember.”
“Well, it turns out the Federal Commonwealth is the one who wants to control all of mankind. That’s why Theo was on the rooftop with the lethargum—you know, that green fog that killed everyone. We launched the sanaré and it brought everyone back to life, except for Theo and the eleven other members of the FCW, because I’d sliced the wires connecting their pods to the mainframe just moments earlier.” She sighed as if telling him all of this was physically exhausting her. “The Seventh Sanctum soldiers have been the good guys all along. They’ve been trying to stop the Federal Commonwealth from wiping out mankind.”
The Order of Omega (The Alpha Drive Book 2) Page 6
