Gunfire sounded in the Pit, and I saw Jack’s head peek around the corner. The lead guard motioned for the others to take up strategic positions, and finally two of the guards cowering behind the desk moved. As soon as they were out of the way, I quietly walked around the desk and past the one guard left behind it. As my cloak brushed against him, I stopped and held my breath, waiting for him to turn around and grab me. Not that I was afraid of him, but this was our only shot at getting to Leisel undetected. But he was too wrapped up in cowering from the gunfight to notice me.
I got to the switch, counted to three, pushed it, and ran as fast as my suit could take me to the opening doors. The lead guard reacted immediately, and the guard cowering behind the desk jumped up to shut the door. I slipped through and then paused to look around.
The big fireplace that dominated the main reception area was lit with its fake flames, and a half-finished drink sat on the coffee table in front of the big overstuffed chair beside it. There was a time when I thought this was the biggest, most beautiful room I had ever seen, but that was when the only place I had ever been in my life was the Pit. After a year of living outside and becoming accustomed to the blue of the sky, the green of the plants, and all the vibrant colors of the earth, the room looked small, tired and faded.
I crossed the reception area to the grand staircase. Holding out my cloak, I climbed, remembering another time I had walked these stairs shrouded in a gown: Leisel and Jack’s wedding. What a terrifying day that had been. When I wasn’t fretting over being shot by an assassin, I was worrying about being caught posing as the bride. At absolutely no point during that wedding did I ever think things would work out the way they had. Yet here I was, married to Jack Kenner and pregnant with his child, climbing the grand staircase once more to finally finish what had begun on these very stairs one year ago. Only I wasn’t scared this time around. Experience had made me wiser... not to mention my exoskeleton made me stronger than any bulletproof vest.
I left the grand staircase and suddenly stopped. I hadn’t thought about how to get into the elevator or open the door to the stairs without being seen on camera. The Dome was practically empty, so it wasn’t as if people were opening doors that I could slip through. Positioning myself between the stairs and the elevator, I waited. Someone was bound to come eventually.
About ten minutes later, just as I was about to give up and risk being caught, the ding of the elevator sounded. But it was downstairs, in the reception room, and not on this floor. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button, hoping they would think it was just a malfunction or something. The hum of the elevator came closer then stopped, and the doors opened.
Three Domers were on it.
“Who hit the second floor?” one of them grumbled. He punched the keypad.
I hesitated to the point where I almost didn’t make it, but at the last second I hopped on and held my breath.
“There’s no way it can be Jack Kenner,” said the one who had punched the keypad.
“One of the guards says he was sure it was him,” one of the others said.
“I’ll pass it on to Senator West. Right now your priority is to secure the presidential wing.”
I really needed to breathe. Would they hear one breath?
The elevator door finally opened. I tucked myself into the corner while they rushed out and then exited before the doors shut. Four doors led to four different hallways: Holt, West, Powell, and Forbes. I was on the presidential floor. The tactical squad I was trailing rushed into the Holt wing.
Desmond, Leisel’s boyfriend, was in the hallway shouting orders. His uniform had a lot more stripes than the last time I’d seen him, and I figured his girlfriend had given him a promotion. It wasn’t really surprising. More than ninety percent of the Dome’s security forces had left as soon as the doors were opened. Very few people continued to live inside. And by the look of it, Desmond took his position very seriously: he barked orders for soldiers to guard the stairwell and the elevator and to line the hallways. He reminded them all of how successful Jack Kenner had been at getting his forces up here last year and demanded there not be a repeat of that event. He spoke into his communicator requesting an update on the rebels at the Pit door and gave a satisfied nod when he was told the rebels were being held at bay. No one had gotten through.
Rebels. It was almost laughable.
I trailed Desmond, knowing he would eventually lead me to Leisel, even though the activity in the hallway made it almost impossible to stay out of everyone’s way. One Domer actually bumped into me, and I braced myself for him to blow the whistle. But he just stepped back, an angry set to his face as if ready to reprimand whoever had gotten in his way, and realized no one was there. With a blush, he looked around to see if anyone had seen him.
A very serious young soldier marched military-style toward Desmond, stopped in front of him, and saluted. “Sir,” he said, “the presidential floor is secured.”
“Thank you, soldier,” Desmond said. He looked at another guard with several fewer stripes than he had and said, “The rebels have retreated. Find out if they were from the Pit or if the Pit has been infiltrated. The entire biodome needs to be sealed within twelve hours.”
I wondered what was going to happen in twelve hours.
“Yes, sir,” the guard said, saluted, and left.
Another guard with only one less stripe than Desmond stood waiting for orders. “I’m going to go update President Holt,” Desmond said. “You’re in charge until I get back.”
President Holt? I was in so much shock I almost forgot to follow Desmond when he headed toward the presidential suites. I don’t know why I had been expecting Leisel to be in her own apartments. Of course she would move into her father’s bigger, more luxurious suites. But president?
Desmond was so preoccupied with the rebel attack that it was easy to slip unnoticed through the door with him. The presidential suite was just as I remembered. Even the bloodstain from the guard Bron had shot and killed was still on the carpet. Leisel was sitting on the sofa, Malcolm West by her side. Both were impeccably dressed and groomed. Camera ready, I thought. Two drinks stood on the low table in front of them—Leisel’s favorite blackberry wine.
“Pardon me, President Holt and Senator West,” Desmond said. “There’s a report that it’s Jack Kenner leading the rebels. If that’s true, then they have broken the seal in order to get into the Pit.”
West waved his hand in the air, as if throwing the thought away. “Impossible. Kenner’s dead by now.”
“Are the rebels still there?” Leisel asked.
“Yes, but they haven’t breached the reception area, and the doors to the Dome are closed,” Desmond said.
“We need to confirm whether the seal in the Pit has been broken,” Leisel said. “Please attend to that, Desmond.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said and left.
Leisel looked at West, a hint of sadness around her eyes. “Do we know for sure Jack is dead? Has it been confirmed?”
West turned a fatherly expression on her. “There’s no way he’s making it back here.” He patted her hand.
“But my sources tell me that Ted hijacked the Osprey to go out and look for him,” she said.
“Leisel, my darling girl. Don’t worry about the Kenners. They’re not a threat to us. If the seal in the Pit has been broken, we’ll have it fixed as soon as the rebels have been brought to heel. Tomorrow we begin again and put this entire unfortunate year behind us.”
That didn’t sound good. What were they planning?
“The warheads,” Leisel said, a definite note of uncertainty in her tone. She stood, hugged her arms and rubbed them as if she were cold, and took a few steps away from Malcolm West. Her eyes roamed in my direction, and I swore she looked right at me. She even had a puzzled look on her face. But then she turned around and faced Malcolm. “Are you sure we’ll be safe?”
West stood, pausing a moment to adjust his cufflinks and suit jacket. “I wouldn�
��t have suggested it if I wasn’t sure. This was an eventuality that your father and I anticipated. The contingency plan is well thought out and solid. However, if your conscience won’t allow you to go through with the plan, I’d be happy to execute it on your behalf.”
She tilted her head to one side and gave him a bland look. “You mean give you the codes.”
West nodded.
“You think I’m a weak president because I’m a woman, don’t you?”
Malcolm smiled at her indulgently. “Of course not, Leisel. You’re every bit as brilliant as your father. But”—he paused for effect—“it may not be the best idea to begin your reign with so much blood on your hands. That’s how your clan began their rule, and we all know the turbulent history of Edward Holt’s life and his eventual assassination.”
Warheads. Codes. Blood on her hands. They were planning to set off the nuclear warheads, but it sounded like they were hoping to live through it.
Leisel shifted her arms to cross them over her chest. “I’m not Edward Holt or my father!”
“I never meant anything by—” West began, but Leisel cut him off.
“Of course you did! You talk down to me, calling me ‘my darling girl’ instead of addressing me as ‘President Holt,’ as you should. And do you actually think that I don’t realize that giving you the codes to the warheads is the same as handing over my power?” She uncrossed her arms, balled her fists, and turned away from him, staring straight at me again. Her angry glower faltered slightly as she looked in the corner where I was standing, that puzzled look back again. She swung back toward West. “Please leave. I need some time alone.”
“Leisel, my darling—” West stopped himself. “I mean, President Holt. Please. We need to talk this through.”
“We’ve talked it through,” Leisel said. “The plan goes forward as we discussed, Senator West.”
West looked relieved. “I’m at your beck and call if there is anything you need.” He bowed, walked to the door, and left.
The room was really quiet with only Leisel and me in it. I was suddenly conscious again of how much noise I made breathing. I was also beginning to worry that my stomach might growl. Now’s not the time, little guy. If only Leisel would leave, or go to bed, or something, I could go into her father’s old office and look for the codes. But I still had no idea where they would be. Holt’s computer had already been confiscated and thoroughly searched.
Leisel picked up her drink and walked to her father’s old office. Her office now, I corrected myself. Her pantyhose swished as she crossed the room, her shoes making a spongy whisper as they sank into the carpet. I used the sound to cover my own movements as I tiptoed into the office behind her. She set her drink on the table, went to the bookcase, and stopped in front of a shelf lined with well-worn binders. Taking one out, she walked the few steps to the desk and sat down, placing the binder in front of her. She stared at it for a few minutes and then rested her face on the heel of her hand, pensively looking around the room. When her eyes came to where I was standing, her face crinkled into a quizzical expression.
“What?” she said and got up out of the chair.
She was walking right at me. My heart had been operating at an elevated rate ever since I had slipped inside the Dome, and now it started hammering. Prickly sweat broke out on my forehead as she bent down to touch something—touch me! I was already in a corner, and she was blocking my escape route. And then her fingers poked through a hole in the cloak and touched my knee. A bullet hole. It must have happened downstairs with all the gunfire.
She recoiled with a look of horror and staggered back. “What the hell!”
At this point I could run. Leisel was completely overcome with fear, and it would take her a few minutes to collect herself and call for Desmond. But then I would have accomplished nothing, and they might get the opportunity to go through with their plan.
I whipped off the cloak. Leisel’s fear turned to startled horror, but my hand was over her mouth before she could scream.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Leisel. But I will,” I said.
The terror in her eyes transformed to contempt as she looked at me. She wrapped her hand around my wrist and attempted to wrench it away from her mouth. I held fast. She pulled again. I stuck my leg out behind me and kicked the office door shut.
“It’s just you and me, okay?” I said and took my hand away from her mouth.
“How did you get in here? Where did you get that?” She pointed to the cloak.
“I’ll tell you all about the cloak if you tell me about the codes.”
“So Jack is downstairs? He’s the one leading the rebels.” A slight look of relief shone in her eyes.
“You mean you’re glad he’s back? Could it be Leisel Holt has grown a heart?”
She scoffed. “Get out.”
“Not without the codes.”
She sneered. “Who do you think you are to come into my office and demand anything from me? You were nothing when I scraped you out of the Pit, O’Donnell, and you’re still nothing! Now get the hell out before I have you killed.”
I studied Leisel for a moment, a little perplexed that she was already losing her cool. Manipulation was normally her first line of attack.
“Could it be that you don’t have any codes, and that’s why you’re upset?” I asked. “Were you lying to Malcolm West, and now you’re afraid he’s going to find out?”
Her lip curled up. “I don’t lie.”
I waved both my hands, gesturing for her to stop. “Leisel, you’re talking to me. I’ve lost count of the number of times you’ve lied.”
She huffed out a sarcastic laugh. “It’s because of me you’re married to Jack in the first place, and that seems to be working out just fine for the both of you.”
My eyes widened. “You’re jealous?”
Squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth, she rubbed a hand across her brow. With a clipped tone, she asked, “Why are you here, O’Donnell?”
“To finish the game, Leisel. The one you started playing a year ago in an attempt to become president.”
She threw her arms out and dropped them back to her sides. “Looks like I’ve won. I’m President Holt. But I’m sure if you see Desmond on your way out, he’ll have a consolation prize for you.”
“And as the newly appointed President Holt, your first order of business is to set off the nuclear warheads and... what? Blow up the valley? Start over?”
As her anger rose, her face turned red, and I was suddenly reminded of Damien Holt. There was no way this woman was my father’s daughter. She was too much like the man who’d raised her.
“If I had known what a pain in the ass you would turn out to be, I would’ve killed you myself at the wedding!” she yelled.
We were both startled when Desmond rushed through the door with a gun in his hand. I pulled up my hood just as he fired two shots at me. Leisel ran behind the desk, grabbed the scrapbook, and held it to her chest. Desmond looked at me, then at his gun, then at me again. He fired two more shots. The bullets crumpled when they hit me and fell to the floor.
“Kill her!” Leisel screamed at him.
“I’m trying to!”
I kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying into the wall. While he struggled to catch his breath, I took out my gun and shot him in the leg. Then I grabbed Leisel’s desk and dragged it against the door.
I unclipped my communicator. “Jack?” I waited.
The communicator crackled, and Jack’s urgent voice came over the line. “Sunny? Are you okay?”
“Send the militia up to the president’s suites. There was gunfire, so the guards will be storming the place any second now. I don’t have the codes yet, but I have a good idea where they are.” My eyes trailed to the scrapbook Leisel was clutching.
“We’re on our way,” Jack said. “Stay safe.”
I clipped my communicator back onto my holster. “I’ll take that scrapbook.”
Her eyes w
ere wide with fear again. “Why couldn’t he kill you?”
“This suit,” I said, running a hand down the side of my exoskeleton. “I’m completely bulletproof, and in a way, I have you to thank for that too. The man who designed this exoskeleton was inspired by the bulletproof vest you gave me.” I paused, thinking about how much my life had changed since Leisel’s betrayal. “You know, if I hadn’t met you, I’d probably still be living in the Pit, a slave. Isn’t it ironic how things turned out for us? I mean, here I am in a supersuit, married to the man of my dreams, living free under the sun.” I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. “Thanks, Leisel. Now I’ll take that scrapbook.”
She jerked her shoulder away from my touch. “It’s just a scrapbook, O’Donnell.”
“Then you won’t mind giving it to me.”
She clutched the scrapbook tighter, thinning her lips into a hard line.
“It’s over, Leisel. Even if you wanted to set off those warheads, we broke the seal on the Pit. The Dome isn’t safe from radiation. You’ll just end up killing yourselves.” I motioned to Desmond, who was losing consciousness. “And he’ll die soon from blood loss if he doesn’t get medical attention. Do you really want to lose the only person in your life who loves you?”
We heard the outer door of the suites splinter from gunfire. One more door to get through, and her security team would be in the receiving room right outside the office. My suit would protect me from bullets, but if there were enough guards between here and the staircase, they might be able to overwhelm me. Would I run out of time before Jack and our militia got to me?
There was no way I was going to fail. As long as those codes existed, there would always be the threat of nuclear devastation.
“This comes to an end now, Leisel.” I pointed my gun at her.
New World Order Page 31
