“When did you discover this?” Novak snapped.
Mason tried to keep his mouth shut, but it was no use. “Just now, sir.”
Novak snapped his eyes from Mason back to Warren. “Set up a perimeter,” he demanded through clenched teeth, “and enable a search team. Find her and bring her back to me.” He paused, his brows furrowing. “We’ll discuss your punishment later.”
Warren gulped, his face as pale as a ghost’s, then darted out of the room in a tizzy.
Novak’s steely gaze shifted. “Good work, soldier. I had my doubts, but you’re starting to become one of us.”
Mason nodded robotically, then turned on his heel to walk toward his chambers. Over my dead body.
26
Emery bit into her slice of pizza, smiling as the cheese oozed from the corners of her mouth. After being locked away and fed food that resembled cardboard in both appearance and taste, she’d almost forgotten how good real food tasted. She licked her lips, wanting to savor every single bite. Her father and Naia sat across from her, legs crossed indian-style, so that together they formed a circle.
“So Dad, now that you’re here and not under Novak’s control,” Emery managed between mouthfuls, “I have so many questions.”
Byron leaned back in the makeshift chair. “I’m sure you do. And I want to answer them in whatever way I can.”
Emery’s brows drew together as she contemplated where to begin. “When we first saw each other again, at 7S Headquarters, it seemed like there was something really urgent you wanted to tell me. What was it?”
Byron set down his plate and reached for a water bottle. “Before I answer, did you find the letter? The one your mother left for you?”
She nodded as more cheese spilled onto her plate.
“I’m sure that helped explain some of it,” he said after taking a swig of water. “Did the letter explain what the alpha ring and omega pendant stand for?”
Emery tilted her head sideways, trying to recall the contents of the letter. “Actually . . . no, I don’t remember it being mentioned.”
Byron smiled. “Sandra loves biochemistry, but she is also fascinated by the Latin and Greek cultures. Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet, Omega is the last.”
Emery leaned forward as the pieces came together. “Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end.”
“Exactly. Both the ring and pendant are keys that will fully deactivate Dormance.” A tear caught in the corner of his eye, but he quickly blinked it away.
Emery couldn’t understand why he was getting so emotional. “What’s wrong?”
“The irony of it all. Your mother is the creator of Alpha One, yet also the destroyer.” Sadness washed over his face like waves crashing onto a deserted beach.
It was starting to make sense, but she still had so many questions. “Did you know about Alpha One when you married mom?” Emery whispered.
Byron lowered his eyes and let out a long sigh. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. Truth be told, I didn’t want you to ever find out; you nor your sister.” He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “But yes, I knew about Alpha One when I married your mother. She was so young when she designed it, right around your age. We lived in the 7S world, the real world, as a happy family for a while, but then they took her . . . and you. And your sister.” Tears filled his eyes. “I never left you, Alexis, or your mother, Em. They took you from me and forced you into Dormance.”
Emery could feel the pain pulsing from her father as if she were experiencing it herself. As much as she didn’t want to cause her father more pain, there were too many questions that needed answering. “When did that happen? When did they take us?”
“Do you remember when I was permanently deployed?”
Emery remembered that day almost perfectly, but there had been a brief period of time that she couldn’t quite piece together . . . almost as though time had frozen, just temporarily, and then started again.
And then it came to her.
She gasped as the realization hit her. “That same day, the day you were deployed—I was six and Alexis was four. That’s when it happened?”
Her father nodded, a solemn look in his eyes. “The FCW was stationed just outside our house as I was getting ready to leave. I was going to visit the sponsor of the project to see if we could get more funding. Your mother had come down with something and asked if I could go in her place.” He drew in a shaky breath. “The minute I stepped outside, the FCW attacked and held me captive. They administered the lethargum on you, your sister, and your mother. They made me watch as they carried your lifeless bodies from the house.” His last words were barely above a whisper.
Tears burned her eyes. “Where did they take you?”
“I was held prisoner for a while. For years, they’d tried to get information out of your mother, but she never budged. Their tactics were impressive, but they weren’t clever enough. Your mom saw through their schemes every time.” His face lifted from the darkness for a brief moment. “Strong woman.”
“What happened after that?” Emery whispered.
“Seeing as your mother, the sponsor of the program, and I were the only ones who knew the intimate details of Alpha One, they went for the next best alternative: to try to break me to the point where I would tell them what they needed to know, while holding my family as collateral.”
Emery’s jaw tensed at the thought. “And that’s how you got the . . .” She hesitated, then pointed to her cheek to clarify that she was asking about his scar.
Byron averted his gaze to the ground, then nodded. “Just one of Novak’s many tactics for getting information.”
“I’m so sorry, dad,” Emery said, her voice shaking. “I had no idea.”
Byron lifted his gaze. “For what, sweetheart? You didn’t do anything wrong. And there was nothing you could have done to stop them. You were just a little girl.”
“I know. It’s just hard to hear.” She cleared her throat, hoping that her father would continue this uncanny streak of openness with her. All the questions she’d had about Dormance were finally being answered. Things were finally becoming clear. “It’s hard to think that mom would create something that could have such dire consequences. She created Alpha One for the right reasons,” she pressed, her cheeks flushing. “Didn’t she?”
Byron sighed. “That’s a difficult question to answer. Yes and no. At the time, I understood the premise—train our soldiers in a simulated environment where they would be safe and free from harm. But my biggest concern was what would happen if the technology fell into the wrong hands.” He paused. “Unfortunately, that concern became a reality.”
Emery fidgeted with the edge of her napkin, tearing off small pieces bit by bit. “Mom didn’t know it was going to fall into the wrong hands . . .”
Suddenly, as if she’d flipped a switch, her father’s eyes blazed with rage. “Regardless, it should have been part of the protocol. That was the one major flaw in the Alpha One initiative. No one, not even your mother, took the time to put measures in place to ensure that it could never fall into the wrong hands.” He grunted. “The naivety of the whole thing still baffles me to this day.”
Emery sat back, in shock at her father’s sudden outburst. “I’m sure she would have—”
“No. It’s not that simple. If Alpha One had never been created in the first place, none of this would have happened. You have to understand, Emery. I didn’t know if I’d ever see my family again. I’ve lived with that uncertainty for most of my life.” He shook his head. “Alpha One went from your mother’s pride and joy to my worst nightmare.”
Now it was Emery’s turn to be angry. “Mom didn’t know that this was going to happen, and I’m sure if she did, she would have halted any and all progress on Alpha One. You need to stop blaming her. This isn’t all her fault!”
“That’s enough, Emery,” her father scolded. “What’s done is done. It’s in the past. The
re’s no use rehashing what could and should have happened. We’re here now, so let’s focus on the present.” He picked up his slice of pizza, dismissing the conversation entirely.
All Emery could do was sigh. She’d pushed him too far.
After fifteen awkward minutes of complete and utter silence, Naia spoke up. “So,” she said cautiously, “since we’re focusing on the present, we should probably discuss the plan from this point forward. By now, I’m sure Novak and the others have realized that you’ve gone missing.”
Emery drew her lower lip between her teeth. “There’s something else. Mason and Warren are under Novak’s control. Torin seems to be missing and, although I have no idea where he is, I’m guessing that Novak has something to do with his disappearance. He has to be here. Somewhere.”
“What makes you say that?” Naia asked.
“Well, the night I was captured and brought here was the same night I was supposed to meet with Torin to strategize. I’d just filled him in on everything in my mom’s letter.” She paused to look at her father, hoping he wouldn’t lash out again. When he remained still, she continued, “But that night, I felt something strange. It felt almost as if someone were watching us.” She sighed. “I just hope he’s okay.”
Naia lifted an eyebrow. “Victor wouldn’t hurt him. He’ll come to find that Torin is too valuable.”
“Too valuable?” Emery looked at her questioningly. “In what way?”
“He hasn’t built the disintegration module yet,” her father interjected.
Emery looked back and forth between Naia and her father. Obviously, she’d missed something important. “Disintegration what?”
“A ticking time bomb.” Byron shook his head. “It’s the only way to completely destroy both the alpha and omega keys. And, seeing as Torin is one of the most tech-savvy people in the world, President Novak will need him to build it. This could end very badly.”
“It could,” Emery said as she looked from her father to Naia, “unless we get to Torin first.”
27
The search team had been on the ground for exactly four hours and thirty minutes since discovering Emery’s empty cell. Victor sat at the control station, his patience wearing thin. Why haven’t they found her yet?
He gazed up at the holomonitors. One showed a dozen soldiers that had been deployed to downtown Chicago to check Seventh Sanctum Headquarters. Another monitor showed six soldiers in Arizona, who were currently searching Emery’s house, neighborhood, and the surrounding area. Victor had sent both Mason and Warren back into Dormance to check the Darden campus, as well as her house. In the meantime, all he could do was sit and wait for their return.
Victor skulked over to Torin’s pod, watching as the boy floated amongst the electric blue currents, his eyes sealed shut. He pulled the ring and pendant out of his pocket, scrutinizing each of the keys. They were made of carbon steel, one of the toughest metals known to mankind. About a year back, he’d started working on a schematic to destroy them, realizing early on that the task was much more complex than he’d originally thought. He’d considered using fire to melt the metals and mold them to take a different shape, but after a few rounds of failed testing, he discovered that heat only made the metal stronger. It was then that he realized one of Mother Nature’s forces wouldn’t be powerful enough. He needed the effects to be completely irreparable.
That’s where Torin came in.
And, it just so happened that Emery’s feelings for Torin were strong and only growing stronger. As an outsider looking in, it seemed that she was head-over-heels for the guy. Even if his squadrons didn’t locate her, he knew Emery would come back. If she hadn’t already, she’d realize that Torin was missing and she’d come looking for him—which meant that his time with Torin was limited.
Victor typed a seven-digit access code into the holoscreen on the outside of Torin’s pod, watching as the dome-like glass slid upward. The minute oxygen entered the inside of the pod, the boy’s eyes flew open. His expression was one of pure confusion as he looked at his surroundings. Confusion quickly transformed into fear.
“I’m sure you feel well rested,” Victor chirped, “and if you don’t, I really couldn’t care less. It’s time for you to get to work.”
Torin’s feeble attempt to escape from the pod was enough to make Victor bellow with laughter.
The holocuffs held him in place. “Where the hell am I?” he snapped.
“In my chamber, where all the magic happens,” Victor replied, already reveling in his upcoming victory. “I’ve heard you’re quite the young man—gifted when it comes to technology and, shall we say, hacking?”
“You heard right,” he shot back, “but if you think I’m helping you, you’re out of your goddamn mind.”
Victor chortled, a low rumble sounding from his belly. “Let me put this into terms you’ll understand. If you don’t help me, the girl dies.”
Torin clenched his teeth. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on her.”
“Or what?” Victor teased. “You should feel lucky. Normally, you’d already have a chip embedded and I’d be controlling your every thought, your every move.” He walked around Torin and the pod like a lion stalking its prey. “There’s just one problem with this, however,” he coughed as he took a seat back at his desk. “It pains me to say that I don’t have the knowledge to build the machine I’ve designed in my blueprints. I need your knowledge, skills, and expertise.” He sighed. “And, in order for me to utilize those, you must be free to think on your own. My microchips are no good in this particular situation.”
Torin glared at him, his mouth pressing into a firm line.
Victor continued on. “Let’s move forward then, shall we?” He whirled his chair around to face the control station. After typing in a bunch of codes, a holoimage of a blueprint appeared before him. “This is my schematic for the disintegration machine. Now, I’m sure you’re familiar with these?” He pulled out the alpha ring and omega pendant, dangling them in front of Torin’s face.
“How did you—?”
“How I got them is irrelevant,” Victor cut in. “You see, these little babies are made of carbon steel.”
A know-it-all-expression crossed Torin’s face. “The toughest metal known to mankind.”
Victor smirked. “Very good. I knew I picked the right protégé. I built a machine a few months back, but unfortunately, it had the wrong, shall we say, components. Originally, I wanted to use fire to force the keys to take a different shape. They’d be unusable . . . but I quickly discovered that heat actually makes carbon steel stronger.”
“Everyone knows that,” Torin muttered.
“Watch yourself, boy,” Victor warned as he stood up from his chair. “Don’t think for a second that I won’t make your life a living hell after this is all over. Show me respect and we won’t have an issue. Understood?”
Besides narrowing his eyes, Torin remained still, not saying a word.
“I know that you’re well-versed in the science of teleportation. I’m thinking we can use the crystal dials to our advantage. Essentially, the crystals have the power to dissolve the human body, then rebuild them into the same DNA structure in a new location. My thoughts are to cut out that last step, and use only the dissolving properties of those dials.”
The lines in Torin’s forehead creased as he considered this proposal.
“Well?” Victor pressed.
Torin furrowed his brows. “How do you expect me to work when I’m bound to this . . . thing?” He gazed up at the structure he was standing in.
“It’s a captivity pod,” Victor replied. “Now, I will release you, but only under certain circumstances.”
Torin gave him an exasperated look. “Which are?”
“I can’t let you have free rein of the chamber, given recent events.” He bit his tongue, not wanting to mention the debacle surrounding Emery’s untimely escape. Best for him to think that Emery was still under his wa
tch, even though she wasn’t. “You can use the laboratory, but you’ll be supervised by one of my soldiers at all times.”
Torin grunted. “Fair enough.”
“We’ve wasted enough time. If you’ll follow me . . .”
The pod’s glass dome resurfaced, closing Torin in as it had before. He floated along behind Victor until they reached a glass-paned double door, to which he scanned his retina, grinning as the doors opened to welcome him.
“Ready?”
+ +
As Torin entered the lab, he could hardly believe his eyes. The equipment was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. The latest and greatest teptrometer stood at one end of the room, which was used for testing the long-term effects of teleportation on the human brain. The REGAL 5000 stood in another corner, a testing device for decreasing the time element in international teleportation. The only other machine he recognized was the ARC-G2, which was used to test physical and internal properties and compatibilities of any substance in the world. There were at least a dozen others that were completely foreign to him.
Victor came into Torin’s line of sight, stopping at one of the white lab tables to press a button. A giant holoscreen illuminated above the table. “For your reference, the work we do in here is all holobased. Just search for the materials you need here,” he pointed at the top left of the screen, “then fashion it into the optimal shape, preferably along the same lines as the blueprint.”
Torin nodded, his eyes wide with amazement. He didn’t want to appear too excited since Victor was technically the enemy, but this lab was top-of-the-line. Actually, it was far above top-of-the-line. This was his forte. On the inside, he was fully and completely geeking out. Novak’s facility was a dream come true.
“You can adjust the properties here,” Victor continued, pointing to the lower right corner of the screen. “Obviously, we need the proper weights assigned to each object to ensure it doesn’t self-destruct. I assume you know how to code?”
The Order of Omega (The Alpha Drive Book 2) Page 14
