Donner settled himself back into the chair, a faint smile still on his lips. “I know this must be a shock, but I’m so excited to finally meet you.”
Meke felt the rough cotton fibers of the sheet that covered her legs. Maybe this man was crazy. “Why?” Meke asked.
“Oh, I’m so bad at explaining myself. I’ve been watching your progress since you were a baby.” His eyes crinkled. “I feel like I know you intimately. I’ve been a fan of your genetic profile, it’s quite remarkable.”
“Genetic profile?” Meke clutched the sheets to her chest.
Lucio tapped his forehead with a thin finger. “I keep getting ahead of myself. I looked at your genetic makeup when you were just a toddler. I knew you’d become something remarkable.” He leaned toward her, propping his elbows on his knees. “Well, you don’t want to hear the scientific babble, but let’s just say that you have the most interesting genetic combinations that I’ve ever encountered. I had wondered if we would ever find an experiment that would capitalize on your special qualities.”
“Toddler?” Meke understood the words, but they made no sense. “Why would you ever know me as a small child? I was a Zero.”
“That was regrettable. They said that they had to keep the system consistent. You had many of the aptitudes of a Star, but you had to be a Zero.”
“Because of my ears,” Meke said, feeling her earlobe.
“Precisely. Ever wonder how your parents got all these books? Knew how to sign? Well, I made sure of that.”
Meke shook her head, her blond hair sticking to her cheeks. “No, they were—”
“Revolutionaries. I know.” Lucio scoffed. “Ungrateful little brats. They wanted to squander your potential. They just didn’t understand the plan. I took care of that.” He stood up and walked to a small side table and poured a glass of water. “Here, you’re probably dehydrated.” He handed her the glass. Meke clutched the cool, smooth glass, holding on. “I better get to the point, we don’t have much time.”
Meke stared down at the water, looking at her distorted Zero through the glass then looked up. “What do you want from me?”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “I don’t want anything from you. Perhaps I’m still getting ahead of myself.” He rose, and paced the room. “I should start from the beginning. I started the Genex program as a way to improve the human race. It was supposed to be my greatest achievement. Make me the top Star in Prosperon history. Just imagine it.” He turned to Meke, eyes glimmering. “And I did it. Because of you.”
“What?”
“I wanted to discover something that would change our frail, weak human race. I did. It was you, Meke.” Meke looked down at the empty circle. It seemed disembodied but all too familiar. “All of the experiments hadn’t been for nothing. You proved that we could improve our senses beyond our poor, limited human capacity.”
Realization crawled its way into her mind. Lucio Donner hadn’t wanted revenge. He had just wanted his property back.
Meke shook her head. “I’m not something you can just take. Why don’t you just give yourself up? You’ll save yourself.”
Lucio stopped in his tracks. “Give myself up? Why on earth would I do that?”
“You’re surrounded. It’s over.”
“Sterling brainwashed you, didn’t he? Turning you against me.” Lucio kneaded the Star on his hand. “He always wanted my glory. He can’t do what I can do, so he’ll just steal it.”
With a sigh, he sat besides her. The closeness made her want to shrink into the bed, but she had nowhere to go. The drug still lingered in her body, weighting down all movement.
“Doctor Ball shouldn’t have let you get into Sterling’s hands. That traitor is just poisoning everyone against me. I was doing this for the greater good, for humanity.” He clasped Meke’s hands. “And that’s you. I know once you understand, once you realize that Sterling is lying to you, you’ll be on my side. You’re too smart not to be.”
“What about everyone who died? The Fivers, the Stars, everyone?”
He shoulders slumped slightly. “Regrettable, but, necessary. The scientific process is about trial and error. I needed subjects with more similar genetic composition. Although, none of them came close enough.”
The horror of it all descended upon Meke. All of the deaths were just part of a scientific process. A tiny footnote at the end of a scientific paper.
“They were people.”
Lucio Donner frowned. “Of course they were.”
Meke waited for the guilt to appear on Donner’s face, but nothing happened. He looked as he had a moment ago, contemplative and relaxed.
“What do you want me to do?” Meke said, fearing the answer.
“I already answered that question. I want you to tell everyone that they’re wrong about me, that Sterling is wrong. I was just trying to help everyone. Just imagine what we could do together. Maybe we can even reunite this country, take over The States and throw off the Foreign Powers’ domination.”
Meke clutched her sheets even closer. “I can’t.”
“You’d become important, Meke. Once we finish with all of this nonsense,” He glanced around. “You’ll be the most valuable person in Prosperon. You hold the secrets to human evolution. You’d be a Star. I’d put you in your rightful place.”
For one crazy moment, Meke imagined what it would be like to have her zeroes transformed into stars. It would feel wonderful. She already knew that.
Lucio patted her hand. “Think about it,” Lucio said.
Then he left her surrounded by too-solid walls. She stared at her hands, wondering. It seemed too odd to imagine that her Zero was supposed to be a Star. She closed her hands, making the Zero bigger.
Flinging off the sheets, Meke slid out of bed. She touched the walls, hoping that the touch would restore her sense. It didn’t. What was happening outside? Had the Equalists attacked yet? Meke could feel the panic rising in her. So many things depended on her knowing what happened outside, and she was stuck here, ignorant.
She felt very alone in this room.
◆ ◆ ◆
Meke tried not to flinch when the door opened. Lucio Donner walked in, smiling, with several Elite Forces soldiers. They stared at Meke, eyes blank and cold. She wished that, instead of the flimsy cotton clothing she wore, that she had her uniform back. Their eyes judged her, and found her wanting. She exhaled, stood straighter. If circumstances had been different, she would have been one of them, perhaps one better.
Lucio inclined his head and murmured something. Without a backward glance, the soldiers left.
“What time is it? How long have I been here?” Meke asked.
A small smile flashed on Donner’s face. “Ah, so you know about the attack? Well, so do we.”
Meke’s mouth fell open. They already knew. One mad thought circled her mind: All of this had been for nothing. Sterling had been right.
“What will you do to them?” she asked, dreading the response.
Lucio Donner shrugged. “This is a fortress. Every door and wall here are under my command. All I have to do is send them along a few different corridors, isolate a few of them and bang.” He crooked his finger, pulling the imaginary trigger. “They’ll be gone.”
Meke thought of Trove as one of the ones trapped. “You always had this plan, didn’t you?”
“Yes. I’ve thought about this. Isolation and control are key. The Equalists think they will win since they have more people and more weapons.” He tapped his head. “But brains win, always.”
Meke stood there, a bit stunned. Then she realized he was right, brains won. “I understand.” Meke finally said.
“I knew you would. It’s only natural.”
“You made the walls here impermeable for me, so I wouldn’t help them.”
“Smart girl. It was a tricky thing, too. We only had a few brain scans to work with, but we did it. We figured out how your sense works and we neutralized it.”
“That’s very smar
t. How did you do it?”
“It was a matter of figuring out what changed about you. Once we isolated the change, we had the answer.”
“I see.” Meke’s brain whirled. “So, you want to use this to help people?”
“Yes. Think about it. We wouldn’t need to have this tedious ranking system. We could really improve people. Just imagine it, a nation full of people who can see, hear and do all these incredible things. We’d stop being a has-been country and return to our former glory, but better.”
Meke blinked. “I understand it all now. I hadn’t heard your side of the story, but now that I have—” she paused, “I see your side of it. You want a better future for us. A truly prosperous Prosperon.”
“Exactly! The name is aspirational, but it doesn’t have to be.”
“Yes, it’s logical. Prosperon with improved people will be unbeatable.”
Lucio stopped nodding abruptly. “How do I know that you truly believe me?”
Meke’s throat constricted. Lucio had figured her out somehow. “What? Why are you doubting me?”
“Because even Stars have their moments of stupidity. Sterling had such potential. I was going to make him my first man, you know.” Lucio shook his head, his hair flopping into his eyes. “He got soft. He talked about how we needed to be kinder, more inclusive of the less capable.”
“Sterling was your friend?”
“Best friend, actually. We grew up together at the Ministry of Education. I even tried to stop him from running away and ruining his life. So, you see. I can’t trust you even if you’re Star material.”
Meke needed to gain his trust somehow so to draw him outside. If Lucio was outside, that would mean that Trove and the other soldiers wouldn’t be inside.
Meke inhaled slowly. “But I’m not jealous of you. Sterling was. He said that he knew you were responsible for Genex. He even said that he couldn’t believe that you went so bold and farsighted.”
“He did?” Lucio’s head poked up. “Why would he say that?”
“Because you were brave. You disregarded the ranking system for the greater good.”
Lucio leaned back, smiling. “I was, wasn’t I? I really thought about the grater good. Still, just because you’re not jealous of me doesn’t mean that I can trust you.”
Meke tried not to give into the burning sensation behind her eyes. If she didn’t do something, she would be stuck in this room as people—Trove among them—died only meters away from her. Meke needed to try. She could’ve been a Star. That knowledge gave her the tiniest glimmer of hope for what she could do.
“If you don’t trust me, why bother bringing me here?” she asked, carefully watching Lucio.
“Trust you or not, I need you to upset the global balance.”
“But you can’t do that with just me. You need the entire country behind you. The Foreign Powers could just take me and everything would be lost.”
Lucio furrowed his brow. “But—hmm. Let me think. Well, I must admit, it’d be optimal for me to have an entire country behind me.”
“So, if you just sit here and kill all these soldiers out there, nothing will change. We’ll be stuck here.”
“So,” Lucio frowned, “the risk is worth taking. I can’t gain anything by staying here. I can gain something by going out there and having you explain.”
Meke worked that glimmer of hope into a bright fire of optimism. Maybe Lucio would believe her. “Yes,” Meke said.
Lucio stared at the wall, eyes unfocused for a long while. Finally, he spoke. “Okay. It’s a calculated risk,” he glanced at Meke, ”but I think you’ll be worth it.”
Meke stifled her sigh. If a Star required only hard logic and no humanity, she wanted nothing of it.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE SUN’S rays peeked out from behind the tall buildings, making the city shine. She squinted at the rays, accustoming herself to the newfound span of her vision. She closed her eyes and told herself that this was the best that she could do. That didn’t feel like enough.
Lucio Donner pulled her closer to him. Her shoulders brushed his. Up close Meke could see how calm and relaxed he was. A Star had followed her logic, just because he thought of her as a Star as well. That thought scared Meke more than anything else.
Lucio didn’t need to depend on her for protection. Several Elite Force guards circled both of them. Even if Meke wanted to run, she would run into a green wall of swords, crossbows and axes. They all formed a protective half-moon with the Ministry at their backs. Even more Elite Forces soldiers stood ready at the periphery. Donner had rolled out an army that Meke hadn’t known he had.
The Equalists hung back, giving them a wide berth. The space meant nothing. Meke could feel every weapon aimed at them, their ends sharp. If even a single one went off, she would easily become just another casualty.
Nobody moved. Even the wind had enough sense to remain still.
Lucio Donner shifted beside her. He opened his mouth and started to speak. He pointed at her, mouth moving unintelligibly. Meke watched everyone glance about, puzzled by his words.
Doubt slithered into her resolve. Maybe everyone believed Donner, believed that she had turned traitor. Her idea had depended on people believing in her loyalty. Perhaps it didn’t matter, she had gotten him out. No soldier would get trapped and killed in the Ministry.
A small movement in the crowd far to her left caught her attention. There was no mistaking the shape. It was Trove. Meke had to still herself so not to draw attention. She focused on him with all her strength, outlining his silhouette. She saw what he said as clearly as if he was in front of her. “Is all of this true?”
Meke slid one of her hands behind her and she signed one thing, “No.”
Trove placed his handheld near his mouth. His lips moved so slightly that Meke wasn’t sure they had moved at all. “We’ll attack in a few minutes. Can you take down Donner?” He signs were so small that Meke had to struggle to decipher them.
Meke blinked. Could she? What did he mean, take him down? She swallowed and kept her hand behind her. She curled her fingers, forming a fist and signed, “Yes.”
A female Elite Forces soldier behind her moved forward, her mouth open in a shout. She raised her sword, its tip directed at her.
Pandemonium exploded all around her.
Meke’s whole world turned into a writhing, twisting sensation. So many bolts flew in the air that the sky darkened. Swords hacked at one another. Axes whirled in the air. Bodies fell all around her, crumpling into the ground. A wall of bodies surrounded her, pulling and pushing against each other. The movement engulfed Meke’s mind.
She only saw the sword when it came directly at her.
Meke dropped to her knees, rolling as someone’s sword smashed onto the ground besides her. A heavy body fell on her, pinning Meke to the ground. Her heart pummeled her ribcage. She could feel the woman who had shouted push aside someone and head for her. The woman’s sword raised high in the air, ready to strike. Meke struggled to free herself from the dead weight that pinned her to the ground.
The woman was only a few steps away, shoving another Elite Force soldier out of the way. Her face dark with rage, her eyes fixed upon Meke, the woman swung the sword with both hands down on Meke.
Grunting, Meke shifted the body and felt the sickening thump of sword hitting flesh. With strength she hadn’t known she had, Meke pushed the body against the attacker. The woman stumbled backward, losing her footing. Meke could only watch as she fell into someone else’s fight. Someone’s sword skewered her neck. Meke closed her eyes, but she still felt everything.
As she extricated herself from the dead body, Meke looked for Donner. The writhing crowd turned Meke’s mind into a morass. She clenched her teeth trying to settle the uproar in her mind.
The constant vibrations, sensations and movements around her posed the smallest problem. She had no weapon, but everyone around her had one. She searched for something, anything that she could use. Grabbing
a discarded sword, she wished for her poleax.
She managed to find Trove in the moving, bloody mess. Shoving and weaving past fighting bodies, with a few hacks with her sword thrown in, Meke finally reached Trove. He shoved her poleax toward her. Her fingers tightened around its coolness, glad to feel the familiar weight again.
“Where’s Donner?” Trove asked.
“I don’t know. I was knocked down and I lost track of him in the commotion,” Meke said, her signs frenetic.
Trove swore. “Can you find him?”
“I need to concentrate. I can’t do it with all of this, worrying if someone will kill me.” Meke’s mind swam with the moving bodies. She could feel every one of them.
“I’ll cover you. Do whatever you need to do, but try to hurry,” Trove said, raising his sword.
Meke closed her eyes and let everything in. Everyone jumbled together, pushing against each other. She tried to ignore the feeling of Trove striking someone, several someones.
Then she seized onto a figure that wasn’t fighting. A thin body slunk through the mayhem. Meke’s eyes flew open. “I found him.”
“Let’s go,” Trove said, letting Meke take the lead.
Lucio Donner got further and further away as Meke and Trove pushed against the unyielding bodies. Meke’s arms ached from deflecting sword blows.
A gap in the crowd opened up and Meke ran for it.
A large man stepped between her and Trove, an axe raised. He was taller and broader than even Trove. Meke could see his forearm muscles ripple as he gripped the axe. She turned around, positioning her weapon.
Trove shook his head and mouthed, “Go.”
Meke hesitated. The man’s axe and Trove’s sword crashed. Trove angled his sword to trap the axe blade. Meke exhaled. Trove knew what he was doing. He didn’t need her. She still gulped in some air as she ran.
The crowd thinned at the edges, only isolated patches of fighting. Meke, ducking a few crossbow bolts, ran toward the Ministry’s door.
Lucio stood by the door, ready to escape into the Ministry’s fortress. He spun around and stared at her. “You’re responsible for this,” he said. “I thought you understood.”
Secret Value of Zero, The Page 22
