PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  “Well?” Alexander asked.

  I sighed, resigning for the moment. “Noah.”

  “Noah what?” he pressed.

  “Noah Ehlers.”

  The whispers increased. I didn’t care. I’m not as human as they thought I was.

  He chuckled, moving quickly to the chair and pulling the sheet—none too gently—from Noah. His eyes burned angrily. I nearly broke down seeing him still alive, but couldn’t show Alexander or the poorly, misguided people my emotions.

  “Just to make things clear . . . ” Alexander said. “I’ve administered a complex poison to all four of our contestants. You get to watch them die slow and agonizing deaths.”

  “You bastard!”

  He stopped, looking at me with a glance that seemed less than shocked of my interruption, like he expected it. “Unless you answer my questions truthfully. If I believe you, you can choose one person to die quickly.”

  “What kind of deal is that, you low life scum of Earth! They’re dying anyway. Why not trade for the antidote?”

  “That would leave survivors and that’s not . . . ” he seemed to ponder the correct word, “good for my character. You see, I’m leading a revolution. In order to do that, I must exert a certain level of fear, and that requires delicate handling.”

  “A real man wouldn’t sink this low to prove how strong and powerful he was,” I snapped.

  He chuckled darkly. “I’ve seen the men you surround yourself with. I’m not impressed.”

  “Still haven’t looked into that mirror, huh?”

  “Enough!” His words echoed again. “These are the rules of the game. If you don’t play along, I’ll choose for you and you’ll have to suffer through it. Starting with your compar.”

  I shifted my gaze to Noah. He seemed too calm sitting there. He wouldn’t look directly at me. But I knew he had a plan. I focused on him for a moment longer then nodded.

  “Good. Now tell me, on the night before your accident, where were you?”

  I pursed my brows and stared, like he had spoken a different language or quizzed me in math. God, I hated math. His gaze met mine in a look that lacked patience.

  “I don’t remember anything like that. I’ve been through this numerous times with you.” I hoped he bought it as truth. I couldn’t bear to watch someone suffer needlessly. Especially in the ways that he surely had in mind.

  Just then, Alexander moved his hand to hover over my dad’s. A small burst of fire shot from his palm. My dad screamed in agony. The crowd around us rippled and moved.

  “Not so fast,” Alexander shouted at his audience. “Did you really think I invited you to watch a torture and would let you live to walk through those doors, proclaiming the monster that I am? Oh, goodness me! Did I forget to mention? I’m an Aagrarian.”

  Loud whispers filled the air. I searched Noah’s eyes for confirmation. He slowly nodded his head.

  “Yes, the words of the Nepherium were true. We do exist. Biding our time for when the faith in them would fade enough to give us a leg in through the door. You humans really made it too easy.”

  “You staged the murders?” I asked, having connected the dots enough that things started making more sense.

  “Elsabetha, I murdered them!”

  “But the dinner . . . ” I tried to make sense of the time frame. There was another body found with incriminating evidence at the same time I was supposed to meet Alexander for dinner. The same time Taberious arrived at the club and stopped Justin from giving me answers.

  “I killed that human before the dinner, went home, cleaned up, and then went to the restaurant, where you had the gall to stand me up.” His voice never changed in volume but seemed to vibrate through my mind, especially as he stepped closer to me. “Now, for the one you want to die . . . ” He turned to walk back behind the chairs.

  Relieved he believed me, I knew exactly who to choose. Whether he accepted it or not was on him. “I choose me.”

  He stopped then faced me. “Not a choice, I’m afraid. Although, I do have a very special death planned for you. Here’s a sneak peek . . . your precious compar will have your blood on his hands. Or should I say, for the sake of our human audience, husband?”

  “How is that when he’s dying from a complex poison?”

  “You really do irritate me with your incessant questions.” He turned around, stepping behind the chairs. With a bouncing gesture above each person’s head, he said, “Eeny . . . meeny . . . miney . . . ” He stopped, turning toward the sound of the door behind me. “I thought I told you not to interrupt?”

  “I wanted to see.” A familiar voice dripped with honey as she sauntered to him, wearing a black tank top with black cargo pants and boots. Her blonde hair was pulled back. She peeked over her shoulder, wiggling her fingers at me before turning back to Alexander. When she reached him, she pressed her lips against his in a long kiss. Then she faced me, pulling on a silver chain with a small, silver vial attached. “Looky what I got.”

  “Jenna,” Alexander reprimanded. She pouted to him then stepped to the other side of the chairs, next to Noah.

  “What’s that you’re wearing, Jenna?” I asked. “A vile of your own venom?”

  “That,” Alexander answered, “is the ingredient list to concoct an antidote. Make one more sarcastic remark and she’ll turn it to dust.”

  I raised an eyebrow, not believing him. Was he planning on keeping someone alive? To what purpose did he have in mind?

  My sight fell to my family. Each one was important to me in different ways. I knew the likelihood of any of us coming out alive was very slim. Not knowing how much longer we had to wait until the others showed, I had to play his game. Win or lose.

  And played, I did.

  I dragged the game out for as long as I could before it became too much to bare. Charred flesh scented the air, making me nauseous. Even though some of the humans in the room had already vomited or passed out from fear, I held on to what strength I had remaining.

  My poor dad and Justin were a mess. For whatever twisted reason, Alexander left my mother and Noah unscathed. I refused to answer any more questions and continued refusing to pick a person. Then he stepped behind Noah.

  “I’m warning you, tell me what he means to you.”

  I looked into Noah’s gaze. Was that worry in his eyes?

  “Mea lux, cor mea. Sum vestrum semper.”

  Noah’s eyes widened as I publicly spoke my affections for him. I rarely did that. Though, I couldn’t remember why. The weight of my words fell on the room like iron rain.

  I had one chance to remember what I was about to do correctly. One chance alone, to pull off IlluminÁ re. The gift Noah’s love had given me, and the gift of my blood. I shut the world from my sight, hoping the others would follow suit. I focused my energy, letting it vibrate through me and gain enough force to knock Alexander and Jenna out.

  Light. Aagrarians hate it, especially the pure kind.

  Screams filled the room. Loud, crashing sounds came from all around me, along with intense heat. I had to hold on as long as I could. I would save them. All of them.

  Alarms erupted, bringing flashes of that terrible night to my mind, causing me to waver in my concentration enough to feel the heat and smell the burning structure. It was too much to handle. I let go of the light and let the world return to me, along with it my dad’s burned body.

  I screamed. Not because I thought he was dead but because he was alive. I lifted from the chair, feeling the ropes fall slack around me, and ran to his side. He struggled to breathe and shook horribly. Alexander must have set him on fire along with the rest of the room. Why did he choose my dad?

  “Dad! I’m so very sorry! I’m sorry!”

  He gasped a few times. “I . . . sor-ry . . . save . . . your . . . mother . . . ”

  I tried to shush him and calm him as best I could. I couldn’t touch him and help ease some of his pain or give him something soothing to die with. There was no skin left. Just raw m
eat with charred clothing.

  “I love you . . . ” His final words failed to have sound. He could only mouth them before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his lids slid shut. And then, I felt his heart give out.

  I searched the room for Alexander. He was gone. Jenna was gone, too . . . along with the antidote. I moved to Noah and Justin, untying them and then my mom. I gave a fleeting glance to my dad, knowing there was no point in untying him. He was no longer in the shell that his body had become.

  We moved toward the door as it exploded, rocking the building and sending me flying back against floor at the foot of the chairs. Noah came to my side immediately, helping me stand.

  Soldiers rushed into the room. Some running toward the humans, who were passed out on the floor, and some running to the rest of us. I blinked back the smoke and fire that burned my eyes and forced myself to focus, knowing things were going to be okay when the rest of the Vanguard came into view.

  Relief filled me. Even more when Bear took up the doorway. Noah shouted commands, helping me to the door, following my mom and Justin. His arm was around my waist, supporting my weight. I tried to push him away until I discovered a massive cut in my calf. I couldn’t support myself.

  “Let me help you,” he pleaded.

  “But the poison,” I tried to argue.

  He pushed me against the wall, pinning his body against mine. “I’ll be fine. I don’t feel the effects yet. Let me help you.”

  His eyes gave away much more than he realized. They were completely dilated, the flecks of silver and gold nearly consumed by the black. Only a thin band of blue was visible. Within them was also a silent plea. He felt responsible for the events around us. I felt it within him.

  I pressed my lips together, giving a firm nod and trying to make the strain on him as little as possible. I was losing a lot of blood. My strength ebbed with each step until I stumbled. When I looked up, Noah was unconscious.

  “Bear!” I called.

  He ran to me, checked Noah’s neck for a pulse then shouted, “We need a transport now.”

  My heart pounded furiously in my chest. I helplessly stared at his face as if he just fell asleep in the midst of chaos. A deep, peaceful sleep that left his eye lids with a purple hue and his skin more pale. I reached a trembling hand to him before my blood loss made everything fade to black one, final time.

  . . . TO BE CONTINUED . . .

  SPECIAL SNEAK PEEK

  ECHOES OF MEMORIES

  Coming July 2014

  ONE

  I SUCKED IN A deep breath as my eyes opened and took in the ceiling of my bunk on Tartarus. My nights had been consumed by the same nightmare since waking in the hospital, back on Earth. Except the dreams evolved to what I had come to realize was a memory. My last of the many lost from the past six years of my life. Each night, I received more details. Sometimes the details were huge. Sometimes they were small. The scene plays clearer each time, overwhelming me with the terrifying truths of what happened. I still remembered everything else through Swiss cheese, and could piece things together without much effort. A small relief, but a large comfort.

  At least my progress could be measured by the length of time it takes me to calm. Already my heartbeats returned to a normal pace and my breaths evened. I’m no longer afraid to fall asleep.

  One week passed since Alexander exposed himself as an Aagrarian. One week since I failed to save the ones I loved. I failed to save my dad. I failed to stop Alexander. One week since waking up on Tartarus as a prisoner rather than soldier.

  My punishment was being kept at a distance, locked in a room, held under suspicion, alone, while Noah, my mom, and Justin struggled to live. At least that was my assumption. Since waking up on Tartarus, I was kept from my family and wasn’t privileged to information on their condition. Just saddened looks of pity.

  Yet I couldn’t deny the fact that stared me in the face, daring me to acknowledge it. In my effort to save them, I sealed their deaths.

  I failed . . .

  Not only that, but I knew I was under surveillance. My every move watched and scrutinized, waiting for the one that would give them an excuse to deport me. I could almost feel their eyes on me, begging me with their silent thoughts to step out of line. Admiral Vassarious hadn’t been as forthcoming as I hoped. Instead of taking me in and debriefing me, per protocol, he saw me as a potential threat. An advocate to Alexander, traitor to my country, world, and the Aurora Vanguard. Temporary suspension would’ve been a lot easier to deal with. That would’ve been a smack on the hand compared to this evident banishment.

  Traitor . . . Killer . . .

  How I managed to keep my head as long as I had, I couldn’t say. Nor was I sure how much more I could take. Something had to give soon. I needed something to keep my hope alive. Hell, I needed a reason to believe there was anything to hope for.

  A chirp sounded from the speaker at my door, followed by a voice belonging to a soldier on the other side. Some poor sap sent to do Vassarious’ bidding.

  “Ehlers, report.”

  “Awake and well,” I replied in a flat tone then stood from the bed. Leaning against the wall, I limped to the thick white line that marked my required position whenever I was greeted by Tartarus personnel. The tips of my thermal sock covered toes touched the edge of the line with my legs spread shoulder-width apart and my hands placed behind my back with the palms facing out.

  Mere seconds passed before the soldier commanded, “Take position.”

  “Duh.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Repeat.”

  “Done.” Despite the gloom in the situation I faced, I found humor in having tripped the old speaker system in the space station. My lips pulled to a grin then slacked as the door slid open.

  My sight bypassed the soldier at the speaker and went straight to the redhead that stood just behind him in a pressed, navy blue and black officer’s uniform. The soldier stood to the side, at attention, letting her pass through the door. Her jacket draped down the back of her legs. Her shiny silver buckle matched the jacket buttons that climbed her torso in a diagonal to her right shoulder. She was tall for human standards. Then again, she wasn’t human. She was Nepherium and someone I really didn’t want to see. Having avoided an encounter with her up to this point was considered a mercy. One no longer given.

  “Greetings, Sergeant. It’s been a while.” Her ruby painted lips pulled over her pearlescent teeth. Bright jade eyes with silver and gold specs glistened as they took me in, as if enjoying my reaction to her visit.

  “Captain Morrigan,” I muttered in greeting. Our last meeting didn’t end well, and I feared a similar outcome this time. All sense of militant formalities had escaped my better sense of judgment. I snapped to attention and brought my fist to my chest. The patch on the side of my leg pulled with a sharp tug.

  “Don’t worry, you can remain at ease.” She stepped to my desk and pulled out the chair then took a seat and gestured toward my bed, the only other spot available to sit at.

  Moving with care, and not wanting to give Morrigan a glimpse at weakness, I tried not to limp but failed. Resigned to what can’t be changed, I lowered myself onto the mattress and met the captain’s blank gaze. After a few moments of less than comfortable silence, I said, “Permission to speak at will?”

  “Of course.”

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Right. Well, I suppose you would remember that part of your life, wouldn’t you? Convenient, don’t you think? Out of the six years of your supposed missing memories, you remember me.”

  “No. It’s quite unfair and maddening. What do you want? To interrogate me? Please do. This is the same song and dance I’ve been forced into every day since arriving. You won’t get anything new because I don’t remember anything new. But please, knock yourself out.”

  “Your transparency with me will grant you more freedoms. Seeing your com—Captain Ehlers, for one.”

  “Compar. He’s my compar. Just say t
he damn word. It won’t choke you as much as you’d think.”

  “My clan refuses to honor your union. Nevertheless, it’s imperative that you remain transparent—”

  “I have remained transparent!” The sting of the Council’s distrust burned me. Although, I suppose if the situation was reversed . . .

  She shrugged and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a small black orb and holding it out where I could see. The face held a dial with a line of lights surrounding it. I recognized the contraption, having been threatened with it since my arrival. An apologetic smile graced her features until she shifted her gaze to mine and said, “Despite our history, I am on your side. Protocol dictates my actions.”

  “You have a detector in your hands, and you want me to believe you’re on my side? To hell with protocol.”

  “This will either buy you the information you’ve been seeking or it will give you a one-way ticket off of Tartarus. This will link to your PIC. It will also monitor your pulse and alert me to any distress. So do yourself a favor and be very honest. May I begin?”

  She held still while I assessed her energy. She knew what I was doing and didn’t seem to hold anything back. Including the hostility she felt toward me.

  My side, my ass.

  I almost said a few things that would grant me that one-way ticket until I noticed that underneath the hostility was truth and calmness. After musing over that, I realized I had to do what she said to get what I wanted.

  Damn the Council!

  With a sigh, I allowed her to activate the contraption that would link to the barcode on my wrist that holds all my personal information, including bank accounts and keys. It also keeps an encrypted record of my whereabouts, as well as any files from my past. Just a short time ago I remembered that last part, and by overhearing a conversation on my way back to my room from another interrogation with the Council. All it took was hearing a Galactic Promotions Specialist explain what a Personal Identification Code was to a visiting prospective cadet for that memory to unlock and fall into place. PICs differ from the barcodes assigned to civilians. How that was remained locked away. I couldn’t imagine there being that much of a difference. Too bad my memories couldn’t be stored there, too.