by Amy DuBoff
“If I have to. Unfortunately, Andrea’s the only person I’m certain would have such a passcode, but she’s impossible to read.”
Luke’s brow wrinkled with confusion.
“Oh yeah, by the way, Andrea is a vampire.”
“What?!” He then continued telepathically, “Like, an actual…?”
“I know you’ve been briefed about the Unknown World and know about the Weres we have in the FDG. It’s similar technology, except I think Andrea must be from Earth, from the time before Bethany Anne left—a Forsaken.”
“How do you know she’s even a vampire?” Luke asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
She smiled over her shoulder at him. “How do you think?”
“Shit, Ava. You tried to read her mind? She’s probably expecting you to do exactly what you’re doing!”
“Which is why we have to move quickly. But until she tips her hand, I’m staying the course. I don’t have another choice.”
Luke released a long breath and ran his fingers through his light brown hair.
“Relax,” she told him. “Just show me this genetic model of yours.”
Ava tuned out Luke’s half-hearted explanation of the model while she returned her attention to tunneling through the NTech computer system. Eventually, she reached a quartered off section of the network. “My, my. What have we here?”
“That’s a lot of data,” Luke commented out loud before he caught himself. “Must be some serious models, or videos—something—to be hogging that much space.”
“Like a whole secret division.” Ava gnawed on her lip. “I need to find out where it is, physically.”
“Ava…”
“Stop. Support or no comment at all.”
He nodded.
“Now, when do people normally head home for the day?”
“Around 18:00 most days. Why?”
“Because once most people go home, the cleaning crew steps in. And if anyone knows secret doors in the facility, it’s the people operating in the background.”
“Even if you find a door, how do you expect to get in?”
“We find someone with the right access.” She smiled.
Luke shook his head. “I never should have agreed to this.”
“No take-backsies.” Ava patted his arm. “We’ll go on an expedition after lunch. Maybe we can catch one of the early cleaning crew.”
“For the record, I do not endorse this plan.”
Despite his grumblings, Luke proved to be a good sport for the rest of the morning while Ava counted down the minutes to their lunch break. Her desire for a salad had continued to intensify.
At last, he escorted her to the lunch room, which she’d seen briefly during her tour the prior afternoon.
The room was filled with people from across the division. What Luke didn’t need to know was that Ava had no intention of tracking down one individual to give her a lead. If there was anyone around that wing who knew something relevant, there was a good chance they’d pass through the lunch hub at some point in the next half hour.
“Forgive me if I’m not too talkative,” Ava said while they got in line. “I’m ravenous. That test this morning really did a number on me.”
“Sure, don’t worry about it,” Luke replied.
Ava cleared her mind and began reaching out to those around her, sensing for any indication about their position or access. So soon after leaving their stations, current work assignments were at the forefront of their thoughts, making her task far easier than it would have been at any other time.
Most were low-level techs, but there was the occasional manager. Ava dismissed the first forty people in a matter of thirty seconds, then moved onto the next wave. By the time she was up to the front of the buffet line, she’d vetted close to two hundred people and had encountered no one promising.
Feeling disheartened, she prepared a salad with extra carrots and radishes before finding a seat along the side wall with Luke. She kept her mental scan running in the background.
“I don’t recall you being much of a salad person,” Luke commented when they were settled at the table.
“I’m normally not. It was that fucking guinea pig…”
He almost spit out his first bite of sandwich.
“Yeah, laugh all you want.” She stabbed into a piece of carrot and bit off a chunk. Damn, that’s satisfying.
Ava was trying to think up another witty retort when someone’s thoughts caught her attention in the background.
She zeroed in on a man just entering the cafeteria. He wore a white lab coat, like half the other employees, and had a brisk gait that was offset by a twitchiness in his hands. The man kept his gaze straight ahead until he reached the queue line.
“Whatcha up to?” Luke asked.
“Shh, nothing.” Ava blocked out her companion while she attempted to read the newcomer’s mind.
His thoughts were scattered and disorderly, but several impressions came to the forefront for Ava. The first was that he looked down on those around him—perceiving the other workers to be nothing more than menial cogs. Beneath that, he was working on something important. They were about to make history, and he’d get to be a part of it. The final impression was that whatever experiment was underway had a danger unlike anything else the man had previously encountered. Not only were the subjects dangerous, but he had to tread carefully with his own position.
‘Subjects’? Are they doing experiments on people here? Ava was pulled back to the outside world by the sound of a plastic tray clanging to the ground.
“Sorry!” a woman said while bending down to pick up the spilled contents.
Another woman chuckled and bent down to help her. “Collisions are bound to happen now and again, don’t worry about it.”
Ava had a moment of panic when she realized she’d lost sight of the man, but she quickly spotted him seated at the end of a table on the other side of the room.
Keeping one eye on him, she returned to her salad.
Luke gave her a questioning gaze from across the table. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing I won’t reveal in due time,” she said around a mouthful of salad.
A slight shake of his head was Luke’s only reaction. He resumed eating his sandwich in silence.
Ava finished her meal two minutes before the man across the room, but she remained seated until he rose to clear his tray.
She stood and grabbed her own tray. As she tossed away the waste, she timed her movements so she’d be able to leave right after the man.
“You go on ahead back to your office. I’m going to… stop by the restroom,” Ava said to Luke.
He rolled his eyes. “You will do nothing of the sort.”
“What did I say earlier about supportive statements?”
Luke threw up his hands. “Fine, but I warned you.”
“I’ll be careful.” Ava jogged lightly across the cafeteria and into the hall where the man had gone.
She paused at the corner and peaked around nonchalantly. The tech was still going straight ahead.
Stepping as quietly as possible, she hurried down the hall to catch up with the tech before he reached the next intersection. He took a right.
Ava crept forward and waited to see the man’s next move. Her glance told her it would be obvious, since there was only one visible door down that segment of hallway. However, when she chanced a second look, she saw the back wall of the hallway pulling aside to allow the tech through.
A placard on the hidden doorframe read: ‘Wing D – Restricted Area. Authorized Access Only’.
Ava shook her head. Those sneaky bastards.
The door wouldn’t stay open for long. She made a run for it.
After two steps, a firm hand caught her arm. Instinctively, Ava grabbed the wrist and twisted it to bring her would-be assailant to their knees.
“Ow, Ava!” Luke exclaimed.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed, releasing his arm.
“Not now,” he pleaded in her mind.
Damn it, he was right. She couldn’t go in without an exit plan. Ava groaned. “Well, this confirms they’re up to something.”
“And we shouldn’t be here. Andrea may decide she’s had enough of your skulking around at any moment.”
“Thanks for coming to find me! I got turned around,” Ava said aloud, and Luke released her arm. She caught his gaze again. “As soon as I figure out how to get in and out of there myself, you won’t be able to stop me.”
CHAPTER TEN
Andrea reviewed the footage of Ava’s near-infiltration of the D Wing. She scowled at the monitor.
“What do you want to do about her?” Jared asked.
“There’s not much that we can do,” Andrea replied. She rose from her seat with a huff and paced behind her chair in the observation room.
“We could detain her.”
“If we do, the FDG will know something is wrong and they’ll come after her. Our forces are strong, but we can’t compete with the military resources of the extended Etheric Federation.”
Jared frowned. “So our cover is blown. That’s it?”
“No, of course I won’t give up that easily. I’m thinking.” Andrea continued her pacing.
With how easily unmodified humans could be manipulated, there had to be an elegant solution. Ava herself was an important part of that equation. The strength of her natural abilities, coupled with her training, made her a prime specimen with which to test the penultimate stage of their experimentation. Unfortunately, that wasn’t yet complete. They’d need one final push to bring their plan to fruition.
“I have an idea,” Andrea said to Jared as the plan formed. “It’s not without its risks, but it’s the best way to keep the operation on course. We’ve been on borrowed time since the FDG discovered our other lab.”
Jared crossed his arms. “Forgive my bluntness, but why didn’t you take additional precautions when you moved the subjects here?”
Her lips curled into a smug grin. “We have fail-safes in place—no need to worry. And besides, the Federation’s eyes were on this system enough as it was with the vassal agreement being so close to signing. We’re trying to keep a friendly face, remember? If I had denied Ava access, we’d be in exactly the same place we’ll be in a day or two, anyway—at least this way, we get those extra days to prepare. And Ava.”
“You intend to use her as the test subject for Stage Four?” Jared asked.
“She’s perfect, don’t you think?”
He nodded with consideration. “Already trained as a solider… She’d probably put on a great show.”
“It would be an excellent template to build upon. I believe our collaborators would be pleased.” Andrea placed her hands on the back of her chair, lost in thought.
“Have you ever met them—in person, I mean?” questioned Jared.
“No, but they pull some very powerful strings. If we deliver on our promises, we will be well compensated. They always take care of those who play their part.”
“How will we get her out of here, though?”
Andrea smiled. “Through the front door, of course.”
“Assuming by that point we’ll be surrounded by the FDG, how are we supposed to do that?”
“When I say our friends pull some powerful strings, you must trust that they are powerful strings indeed. I’ll share my plan, and all will be taken care of for us.”
Her colleague let out a slow breath and nodded. “I trust in our work and your word. Tell me what I need to do.”
***
“So, what’s the plan for today?” Luke asked as he turned off the car in the NTech parking lot.
Ava gazed at the lab’s entrance, aglow in the morning light. “It’s probably best you don’t know.”
“That dangerous, huh?” Luke slumped back in his seat and unfastened the safety belt.
“I can’t give you any specifics, knowing Andrea is a telepath. Let’s just say I need concrete proof of wrongdoing in order to pull in the FDG without it turning into a political disaster.”
“Have you been paying attention to the news reports? There’s already a major political upset underfoot with this system.”
Ava had watched President Connors’ address while she was getting ready in the morning. The call for peace and to finally become an official vassal of the Etheric Federation aligned with her own political leanings, but she was saddened to see counterarguments pour in from commentators after the speech ended.
Her home system was fairly isolated compared to the core worlds in the Federation. While the three planets offered sufficient resources to maintain a good quality of life, their relatively low population would be an issue in the long-term. Exactly two college-level institutions existed in the Alaxar Trinary, limiting career options, and the relative self-sufficiency required many people to fill roles in manual labor or service.
Given the level of technology available, everyone should have been able to pursue more advanced work, if they desired—but the imbalance in population relative to the necessary functions to keep their little civilization running meant many people were held back. Nezar had raised the issue on numerous occasions, but the gentle Alucian people were content to allow their future to unfold at a slower rate. They were very young worlds and still needed to find their own identity.
Joining the Etheric Federation would supply some of that culture, and the resources necessary for even growth that would provide greater opportunities to all citizens. It was the greatest argument against the Nezaran’s bid for independence, and why the position of unification would win out in the end.
But the path to get to that resolution was messy, as the birth of so many nations was. The Alucian president’s words would not sway everyone. With any luck, those objections would subside once final agreements were signed.
“Those reports of FDG military action were proved to be false rumors,” Ava replied after a moment of reflection on Luke’s question. “The news outlets are making a big deal out of nothing.”
“That’s the news for you,” he said.
“Just remember, I’m covert ops—whenever we can keep it that way, at least. Unless things go completely sideways, no one should ever know I was here.”
“Andrea already knows,” Luke countered. “Every time you step foot in the facility, you put yourself at greater risk.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I don’t doubt your ability to kick ass and take names. Hell, my shoulder is still sore from when you almost took me out yesterday.”
She flashed a semi-apologetic smile.
He waved it off. “I’m fine.”
But Andrea is a vampire, for fucksake. She’d eviscerate, not dislocate a shoulder. Ava’s doubts must have been written on her face, because Luke just raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in response.
“She might be dangerous,” Ava continued. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I need proof of what’s going on in there. The Force is counting on me to get the job done.”
“Perhaps I can find someone on the inside who’ll help you out…”
“Why didn’t you mention that possibility before?”
“It didn’t occur to me until last night. I got to thinking about what you said regarding the ‘hidden’ jobs—cleaning staff and the like.”
“Right. What about them?”
“Well, I might know a guy. He has zero technical aptitude, and I was thinking any collaborators would need to have some grasp of the tech we were investigating, so he didn’t come to mind. But this guy is all about keeping people fed and happy.”
“Are you talking about a lunch server?”
“Indeed I am. Think about it—if there are people being held captive, they have to be getting some kind of nutrition. And that food needs to get routed through somewher
e.”
“You may be onto something.”
Luke nodded. “We’ll pay him a visit this morning.” His face lit up. “Oh, and I got you a present.”
A present? Please tell me this isn’t for our three-day anniversary… “What for?”
“It’s so terribly romantic—a privacy bubble.”
“You mean a close-range cloaking module? That’s military-grade tech. Where did you—”
Luke shook his head and pulled out a palm-sized device from his jacket pocket. A seam ran around the perimeter of the metal rectangular object, with a wheel and three buttons on one side. A tiny logo was on the underside.
“You forget that all military tech makes its way onto the civilian market in dumbed-down form,” he said. “This one is used by ecotourists to get close to wildlife without scaring them off—it records a visual of the surroundings and plays that back along with noise-cancelling waves around a holographic static field bubble on a loop, so you can talk within it and from the outside it’ll just look like you’re sitting there. The loop won’t hold up to close examination, but anyone glancing at a video feed shouldn’t get immediately suspicious.”
Some women might swoon for flowers, but Ava was a sucker for a good gadget. And pastries—Luke had nailed that one the previous morning.
She took it from him, noting that the operation looked identical to the FDG’s devices she’d used throughout her career. “This is going to be so unbelievably handy. Thank you.”
He tore his gaze away and stared out the windshield. “We should probably get inside.”
“Right.” Ava unbuckled her seatbelt and reached out to open the car door.
“Ava…” Luke grabbed her nearest hand, stopping her. “Be careful in there today.”
She gave his hand a squeeze. “I will.”
They climbed out of the car and entered the lobby.
With the cloaking module tucked into her pants pocket, Ava strode toward the security arch after Luke. He flashed his ID and passed through first.
When it was Ava’s turn, the guard held up his hand. “The Director would like to see you.”
Shit. Ava’s stomach dropped, but she gave the guard a polite smile. “Really? She’s already been so generous with her time.”
