Restitution (The Alpha Drive Book 3)

by Kristen Martin

  The news had hit her entire family hard. Alexis was a wreck and her father was furious. Every morning, Emery could hear Alexis crying in the bathroom through the paper-thin walls, and every afternoon, she called her father to check up on him. Unfortunately, his anger would overtake the conversation, so she could never actually tell whether he was okay, if this was just his way of coping, or if he was fully losing it. That left her. She’d become numb. Fully and completely numb.

  The holomonitor in the far corner of the garage-turned-greenhouse blinked red. Time to water the plants. It was so mundane, but it was something her mother had enjoyed doing every day. And while she could have turned on an automatic timer for the watering system, she refused to do so. Albeit small, and seemingly insignificant, it was a piece of her mother that she wasn’t ready to let go of just yet.

  As the water spouts began to sprinkle over the plants, Alexis appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were puffy and she was holding a box of tissues under one arm, a holopad in the other. Emery stopped what she was doing, her attention shifting from the plants to her distraught sister. “Whatcha got there?”

  “Caskets,” Alexis sniffled.

  Emery waited for her to say something else. When she didn’t, she said, “Oh. Well, let’s see them.”

  Alexis handed her the holopad. Emery watched as holoimages of different caskets appeared before her. Oak, birch, spruce, jungle, acacia, steel, titanium. The choices were endless.

  “I’ve already picked out the dress and earrings we’re going to bury her in,” Alexis whispered. “I can’t do any more. It’s too hard.” Another set of tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

  “Shhh,” Emery coaxed as she set the holopad down and brought her in close. She squeezed her sister tight, running her fingers through her straight brown hair. The grease stuck to her hands like glue, and Emery realized that Alexis hadn’t showered since their mother had passed. “Why don’t you go take a bubble bath and relax?” she suggested. “I’ve got it from here.”

  Alexis looked up at her with grateful eyes. “Really? Are you sure?”

  Emery nodded. “I’ll see you in a bit. Now go relax.” She watched as her sister opened the door to the garage, then shut it quietly behind her. When Emery was sure she was out of earshot, she heaved a loud sigh, her hands trembling, chest heaving. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

  But it was no use.

  She sank to the floor with her head in her hands, her body shuddering as images of caskets floated across her mind. As the older sister, she knew she needed to be strong for Alexis, for their family. But with the emotions flooding over her at that moment, strength seemed way out of reach. Still, she pulled the holopad down from the ledge, wiping her eyes as she scrolled through the various casket options. A steel or titanium casket seemed too harsh. Her mother had loved nature, so it only seemed natural to choose a casket made of wood.

  After a few minutes, she settled on a dark oak one with delicate adornments. Oak trees were abundant around their cabin in northern Arizona and it just so happened that this had been one of her mother’s favorite vacation spots. It was perfect.

  She stood up, and, with still trembling hands, set the holopad back onto the ledge. She wiped her eyes, noticing that the sprinklers had turned off. I need a distraction.

  She glanced at the next step on her mother’s gardening to-do list: Prune plants in aisle three. She searched the garden shed for clippers, but couldn’t find any. Feeling disheartened, she meandered back over to the first aisle of plants. As she played with the leaves of a ficus, trying not to think of her mother and how she was no longer living, a random thought occurred to her.

  Sanaré.

  She pressed a hand to her forehead as the realization hit her like a speeding freight train. Of course! Why hadn’t she thought of this before? Maybe sanaré could be used to help heal “the grey”—this mysterious illness that had spread across the nation.

  It could work. It’s entirely possible.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket and pressed on Torin’s holoicon.

  “Hey, Em,” he answered, a live image of his face appearing above the screen.

  “Hey, are you busy?” Please say no.

  “Not really. What’s up?”

  “Okay, this might sound crazy,” she started as she tried to get her thoughts in order, “but I think I have an idea for Operation Revive. I think I know a way to cure the previous dormants of their illnesses.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “To cure them of the grey? Really?”

  “Yeah,” she breathed as feelings of exhilaration replaced those of desolation. “Can you come over?”

  “Sure. Give me a few.”

  + +

  A short while later, Torin arrived at her front door. Emery called for Alexis as he entered, shutting the door behind him. When there was no response, she went upstairs to check on her, but her door was shut. She figured it was best to leave her be. She teleported back downstairs, ushering Torin into the kitchen as she grabbed the mugs of tea from SmartMeal. They sat down at the table, his eyes locked on hers as she took a sip of the steaming beverage.

  “So?” he asked.

  “Okay, hear me out,” she began, “and please try not to interrupt. I want to get this all out in one go.”

  “By all means,” he said as he waved a hand in the air.

  “Operation Revive has tested and confirmed that those who were in Dormance for extended periods of time are the ones exhibiting symptoms of the illness. This means that the lethargum is having a negative effect on our bodies, but,” she paused, “there’s an antidote. And we already know what it is.”

  His eyes narrowed as he moved to the edge of his seat.

  She smiled, full well knowing that she’d captured his undivided attention. “It’s sanaré. Sanaré is the antidote.”

  He sat back in his chair, his forehead creasing as he absorbed the information. “I must admit, it makes sense. But I’m afraid there’s just one problem.”

  Her smiled faded. “And what’s that?”

  “There’s no more sanaré left. Remember?” He brought his hands to the top of his head before making an explosion motion. “We used the last one in downtown Chicago when we defeated the FCW.”

  “Well,” she interjected, not wanting to admit he was right, “we can make more. Someone has to know the ingredients . . .” Her voice drifted off as an unfortunate reality sunk in.

  He eyed her, concern etched all over his face. “Why do you look like you’re about to be sick?”

  She put her head in her hands as a loud sigh escaped her lips. “My mom,” she whispered. “My mom knew the ingredients, and I’m just now having this idea. We’re too late.”

  An unbearably long silence filled the room.

  “It’s my fault,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry, Em. I should have told you about your mom sooner. Seems I can’t do anything right these days.”

  She reached across the table and laid her hand on top of his. “It’s not your fault. Her memory was shot to begin with, remember?”

  He forced a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I suppose that’s true. Hey, what about your dad? Would he know?”

  “It’s possible,” she said, feeling slightly more hopeful, “but the last time I asked him about Alpha One, he really didn’t know too much.”

  “It’s worth a shot though, isn’t it?”

  She didn’t answer, just nodded her head. Even though it was unlikely, she knew she had to try. Her well-being, and apparently everyone else’s, depended on it.

  17

  “Is everything ready?” Emery asked as her sister checked the final bouquet of flowers in a line of many.

  “I think so.” Alexis turned to face the altar. “I still think we should have used a more recent picture of mom, though.”

  Emery looked at the framed picture sitting next to her mother’s closed casket. It was a family picture, one that included their entire fa
mily, not just Emery, Alexis, and Sandra. Byron was in it too, and that’s exactly why she’d chosen it. “It’s the perfect picture,” she sighed. “Mom would have picked this one.”

  Alexis glanced over at the frame again, then nodded. “You’re right. It is perfect.” She squeezed Emery’s arm before walking to the doors of the church.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m just going to step outside and get some air,” Alexis said without turning around. It was obvious she was getting choked up. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Emery walked over to the altar, pulling on the neckline of her dress, her gloved hands slipping along the sheer fabric. It was a little stuffy in the room and the thought crossed her mind to maybe get some fresh air as well. She turned to walk toward the doors, feeling surprised to find Torin standing in front of them. “Hey, when did you get here?”

  “Just a few minutes ago,” he said as he took a few steps toward her. “How are you doing? Do you need anything?”

  She took one last look around the church. “I think we’re all set, but thank you.”

  He glanced over her shoulder, his eyes landing on the altar. “That’s a great picture.”

  She smiled. “I like it.”

  “Me too.” He returned her smile. “People are starting to show up. Do you want to go outside?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I guess we should get this thing started.”

  “Are you sure there’s nothing you need me to do?”

  Without thinking, she took his hand in hers. “Just sit by me. And hold my hand.”

  “Of course, I think I can manage that.”

  She gave him a weak smile. “And please don’t let go.”

  “I won’t.” He gave her hand a light squeeze before following her out the double doors.

  + +

  While it’d only lasted an hour, the ceremony was beautiful. Emery had held it together pretty well, but unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for her sister. Byron had escorted Alexis out of the church multiple times due to her insatiable sobbing. She’d felt terrible for her sister, yet grateful at the same time to have Torin there with her. As she’d requested, he hadn’t let go of her hand once.

  The priest finished his speech by asking everyone to bow their heads in prayer. The entire room lowered their heads. Emery followed and closed her eyes, slowly inhaling and exhaling as she repeated the priest’s words in her head.

  “Amen,” said the priest.

  “Amen,” the room said in unison.

  And just like that, it was over. A celebration of her mother’s life, complete in a little over an hour. As much as she wanted to be okay and let go of it all, she didn’t want to leave a single memory of her mother behind. Her grief shifted into something surprising: anger. Her hands curled into fists as she thought of President Novak. He did this. To her. To them. But he was gone.

  He got what he deserved.

  The room began to file out of the church, one row at a time. Emery walked in the opposite direction of the flow of traffic, making her way to the altar instead of toward the doors. She could feel Torin watching her, his eyes burning into the back of her head. She waited until they were the only two left in the room, besides her late mother.

  He cleared his throat. “Should I go?”

  She nodded. “I just need a minute alone with her.”

  He grabbed his coat, then headed for the exit. “I’ll be just outside these doors.”

  She gave him a small smile. “I know.”

  He nodded before heading outside.

  She waited for the doors to shut behind him, then turned toward the casket, heaving a huge sigh. Tears streamed down her face. She’d held it together during the entire service. But now, finally being alone with her mother, was the last time to get it all out.

  All of the anger, grief, and tears.

  She laid a gentle hand on top of the casket, her body heaving as she sobbed. Pressing her other hand to her mouth to muffle the sound, she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the last of her tears fall down her cheeks. “I love you, mom,” she whispered as she patted the casket. “You deserved so much more than this.”

  She wasn’t sure how long she stayed there, but it felt like an eternity. Even so, she didn’t want to leave. With a final steadying breath, she wiped the tears from her eyes. She straightened her posture and combed the wrinkles out of her dress, then slowly walked toward the exit. She couldn’t help but think about how much death she’d experienced recently: Rhea, Mason, her mother, even Anthony had been a death-like event, seeing as his memory of her had been wiped clean. Too much death. No more death.

  She exhaled slowly as she placed a hand on the door. It was time to move forward. Time to put her past behind her. As she pushed the door open, she knew exactly what she needed to do.

  And this time, there would be no looking back.

  18

  After his wife’s passing, Byron thought it only seemed right to move back into his family’s house. Even though Emery and Alexis were faring just fine on their own, the importance of having a parental figure at home was undeniable. Sandra would have wanted it that way, and he was in no position to disappoint what would have been her last wishes, nor did he want to.

  Byron and Emery sat outside, covered in blankets and warming their hands on mugs of hot cocoa. A crisp winter’s wind ruffled his daughter’s hair, blowing her crimson locks behind her shoulders. Alexis was upstairs, probably asleep, and although he wanted to enjoy the evening as a family, he knew that she was having an incredibly difficult time recovering from Sandra’s passing. He couldn’t tell if it was more so the grief or the illness that was affecting her, but most likely, it was a combination of the two. For the first time in his life, he felt at a loss when it came to how to handle the situation. Fortunately, Emery seemed to be full of ideas.

  “So, I wanted to talk to you about this before mom’s funeral, but the timing didn’t seem right,” Emery said as she shifted the blanket to cover her shoulders. “I think I may have found a way to cure the illness the lethargum caused.”

  Byron set his mug down on the table and moved to the edge of his seat. “I’m listening.”

  “Well, to put it simply, I think we can use sanaré,” she stated flatly. “The only problem is, we used the last capsule back when we fought the FCW in downtown Chicago.”

  “I remember,” he said with a sigh. “So how could sanaré help if there’s none left?”

  Her eyes lit up at the question, as if it were the exact one she’d wanted him to ask. “Well, mom created Alpha One, which means she also created lethargum and sanaré.” He knew exactly where she was going with this. “Do you happen to know anything about the formulations? The ingredients?”

  If he were being completely honest, he knew nothing about the formulations—Sandra had been the chemist in the family, not him. But he did remember something, and that was better than nothing. “I’m at a complete loss when it comes to the formulations,” he admitted.

  Emery’s face fell.

  “But I do remember your mother keeping journals during the beginning stages of Alpha One.”

  Her face lit back up. “Journals? Mom kept journals?”

  He nodded, trying to think back. “Leather journals. I don’t know where she kept them, but they have to be around here somewhere.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” She popped up from her chair like a toy that had been wound too tight. “We need to start looking.”

  “Oh, Em,” he said with a shake of his head, “even if we did find those journals, the Alpha One initiative was incredibly complex. I’m not sure we’d be able to successfully decipher her entries.”

  “Well certainly not with that attitude,” she muttered. “We won’t know unless we try.”

  As much as he admired her optimism, he knew it was a long shot. Sandra had been a very private person, and, knowing her, those journals were probably long gone. Still, he d
ecided to say the one thing he knew his daughter wanted to hear. “I’ll help in whatever way I can, sweetheart.” He glanced at the holoclock hovering over his phone. “But not tonight. We’ll have to start tomorrow. I told Naia I’d meet with her tonight to discuss plans for a potential cure.”

  Her ears perked up. “You have a potential cure?”

  “Not yet,” he confessed. “But I’m confident we’ll come up with something.”

  Emery brushed a stray hair from her face as a gust of wind blew across the back patio. “The more options, the better. I’ll start looking for mom’s journals. Will you keep me updated on everything?”

  Byron stood up and tossed his blanket onto the chair. “Of course.”

  She stood up as well, then leaned over to give her father a big hug. “We’re going to beat this. For mom.”

  He held his daughter as an image of his wife floated across his mind. For Sandra.

  19

  The game room was a complete and utter mess by the time Emery was through with it. Old photo albums, movies, video games, and crafts littered the floor. She’d spent three hours ravaging this room alone, and, at this rate, she was afraid she’d never finish.

  I need to enlist some help.

  She pulled out her phone and clicked on the holoicon with Torin’s contact information. When he didn’t answer, she left a holomail of her pretending to pull her hair out, surrounded by the chaotic mess she’d created. She wasn’t sure when he’d receive it, but she hoped it would be soon.

  “Alexis!” she yelled as she strode along the upstairs hallway. “I need your help!”

  Not surprisingly, her sister’s door was shut. She hesitate, then knocked quietly before entering. Her sister was lying in bed with the covers thrown over her head, clearly not wanting to be disturbed. “Alexis?” she whispered.