Psychogen (Galactic Syndicate Cycle Book 1)

by N. C. Madigan

  “Shit,” she mumbled. Vely crossed the room and dropped into a chair. “I thought we’d only need to get rid of Zimir. This is-”

  “Mutiny. I know.”

  Becce paced back and forth for several minutes, deep in thought. Finally, she stopped and looked at Vely. “We’re pirates. Loyalty is a loose code among us. But the crew must agree before actions are taken. At the very least, we can get Warwick on that. The problem is that he may believe that Liza was his “property” and not a member of the crew.” Becce stopped moving and rubbed her temples. “Is it enough to try and save Liza, or do we take full revenge and remove Warwick from power?”

  Vely wanted to understand the conflicting feelings that the crew was having, but she hadn’t been around long enough to form any attachments. To her, Warwick and Zimir were the criminals, but she had to remind herself that moral codes didn’t go hand in hand with piracy. Vely did understand that for them to succeed, the crew would have to be on the same page. There could be no doubts about the mutiny, just as Becce had implied. The crew must agree to oust those two before they could act. A ripple of excitement crawled over Vely’s skin.

  44

  It was clear to Liza that Morre was avoiding her. He would abruptly change directions whenever she was around, and he hardly attended their Train and Test sessions. It reminded her of school on the Moon, when whatever boy she’d beaten up would avoid her at school the next day, shamed that they had been bested by “that Strange girl.”

  Liza was perfectly fine with this arrangement. It was easier for her to concentrate on improving if he wasn’t criticizing her at every turn. She’d gotten better at controlling her power without using her hands to direct it, though it was a small improvement. Gwen assured her that it was a difficult concept to master, and that Liza was well on her way.

  Whenever they had the chance, Liza and Gwen made attempts to sneak into the shuttle port of the station, testing the security. It would have been easy, except for the other Tranq and Katho officers who would hang around the area, presumably to keep the trainees from doing exactly what Liza and Gwen were planning. Even so, it wasn’t an impossible feat. The biggest problem they discovered was the doors locked by a tether. They were incapable of breaking the tether, which meant they’d have to alter their plans a bit.

  During their Meals, they continued to work out the problems of their plans. We could try and convince a Tranq to help us, Gwen suggested. Liza wrinkled her nose. Maybe there’s one who wants to get out of here as much as we do.

  That would complicate things more, Liza replied. We already have to bring Cedrick with us. Liza looked at Cedrick across the cafeteria. He was sitting with the other Augurs, though sat slightly apart and was hunched over his food. Liza hoped that this place was breaking down his ego a bit, even if it was doing the opposite to her.

  I agree with you on that, Gwen said. We’ll have to figure out if there’s a time when they unlock the door themselves.

  That might work, Liza said. She pressed her gloved hands to her face, thinking. Liza had already asked Gwen if anyone had ever escaped from the station, but Gwen hadn’t thought so. The number of trainees who weren’t brainwashed or in the facility on their own volition was minimal; not many trainees wanted to escape. “It can’t be impossible,” Liza said from behind her hands. “There has to be a weakness.”

  The following morning, it was announced that the morning sessions were canceled, and all trainees were required to report to the auditorium. Gwen growled low when she heard this. “Another damn brainwashing session.” Liza grinned at her.

  “How ironic,” she commented. Gwen rolled her eyes.

  “We need to be more careful, I think,” Gwen said. “We can’t have them figuring us out before we even attempt to escape.” Her face hardened. “There’s always a reason for the brainwashing sessions.”

  “And we’ll resist it once again?” Liza asked.

  “Of course.”

  Liza rose and dug out her old clothes, which had been balled up at the bottom of her wardrobe since she arrived. As she pulled the fabric out, familiar scents rose briefly. Liza’s heart ached as she picked out one piece of clothing from the pile - the light shirt she’d been wearing when she was kidnapped.

  “What are you doing?” Gwen asked. Liza didn’t answer right away. Instead, she sat down on the floor and began to tear the shirt into small strips. Once she had four strips, she rolled them into tight cylinders.

  “Once, when I was a kid, there was a problem with the exhaust system on the Moon. There was this constant loud screeching noise for about two weeks. We stuffed our ears with pieces of cloth to try and block out some of the noise.” Liza held up the pieces of cloth. “We’ll stuff these in our ears when the session starts.” Gwen gave her an impressed smile.

  “Good thinking,” she said.

  Liza and Gwen joined the other Kathos in the auditorium. As they were filed into their seats, Liza saw Morre and caught his eye. He gave her a deep frown, which Liza returned as a cheeky grin. His eyes darkened further, and he looked away. Liza had a feeling that this brainwashing session was because of her. She squeezed the pieces of cloth in her hand. They would never succeed in bringing her to their side.

  Gwen and Liza stuffed their ears as soon as the auditorium went black, and they closed their eyes tightly. Behind her eyelids, she could still see the flashing of the screen, but the sounds were muffled and useless against her ear plugs. She let her mind drift away, replaying memories of when she’d ended up on The Gypsy Star. Looking at her old clothes for the first time in weeks had unlocked the part of her mind that she’d closed down when she’d arrived. She couldn’t be distracted by pining away for what she’d so briefly had in her grasp.

  Dom’s face appeared in her mind, and Liza pressed a hand over her heart without realizing it. She wondered if he’d been angry when she was kidnapped. Liza had long ago convinced herself that she was not the kind of girl who fell in love. It was how she protected herself on the Moon, and how she would continue to protect herself. But still…

  Gwen was shaking her shoulder. Liza opened her eyes and looked around. The trainees were rising from their chairs and heading towards the exits. Liza pulled the cloth from her ears and stuffed them in her pocket.

  “What’s wrong?” Gwen asked when they were in the hallway. Liza rose an eyebrow.

  “Nothing.”

  Gwen didn’t look convinced but didn’t press the issue.

  After the midday meal, the Kathos were sent into a Test session. Gwen stuck close to Liza’s side, since the Fakes were still trying to beat the life out of Liza. Inside the room, the Kathos and Fakes paired off. Gwen was pulled away from Liza by her partner, and before Liza could attempt to hide, a heavy hand clamped down over her shoulder. She looked up into a slightly familiar face.

  “Remember me?” the man asked. Liza opened her mouth to speak, but he didn’t give her a chance. “You blew my chip out, remember?” Liza’s stomach tightened. This did not bode well.

  Reluctantly, she was pulled away from the group to pair with this Fake. From the corner of her eye, Liza saw Morre and another officer she didn’t know enter the room.

  “Begin!”

  Liza looked up at the Fake in front of her. She wasn’t prepared for the blast of energy that hit her in the chest, sending her sliding across the floor. Lying on the ground, she ripped off her gloves and dropped them on the floor. She pushed herself up, her ribs still aching.

  “I have more power than you now,” he said while looming over her.

  “Oh yeah?” Liza asked, adjusting her feet to a more stable stance. There was a sparkle of uncertainty in his eyes. She smiled to herself. The Fake lunged at her, his fist connecting with her broken ribs, sending her flying backwards onto her tail bone. Pain exploded through her body; she felt the barely healed bones crack once more. The Fake stood over her. Liza closed her eyes and pulled power from the others around her, even though Gwen told her it was rude. She could feel her power
crackling over her skin, swelling, preparing for an attack. Her nose filled with the scents of the Kathos. The Fake continued to beat her with his fists and feet, sending waves of pain through her over and over again. She barely felt it. Her mind was focused on concentrating her power into the palms of her hands. Around her, she could hear other Kathos shouting in protest. Even they knew that beating someone without using their ability was against the rules.

  But the officers weren’t stopping it.

  Liza pulled on her hatred of Morre, and her power swelled, his scent invading her senses. Finally, she felt like she would burst apart with her power. She opened her eyes. No one else could see it, but her body was covered in arcs of light, crawling up and down her body. She was glowing. Liza looked up and caught the eyes of the Fake, who briefly stopped punching her in the ribs. Liza lifted her hands and fired the concentrated power into his mind.

  Something broke.

  The Fake froze, his eyes wide and his pupils dilated until there was nothing left of his irises. He dropped to his knees. Liza pushed herself away from him, feeling the pain of the beating now, her body completely depleted from her efforts. She felt Gwen’s presence behind her, and her body slid across the floor with Gwen’s help.

  Morre and the other officer ran over to the Fake. His expression hasn't changed; his mouth still hung open, eyes wide. Liza’s struggled to keep from passing out. She wanted to see. Gwen leaned close to Liza’s ear.

  “You Snapped him,” she said. Liza was about to ask what she meant when Morre was in front of her, glaring down.

  “Come with me, Miss Strange,” he said, his voice deadly calm and not matching the fury in his face. Gwen helped Liza to her feet. Gwen was about to help her follow Morre from the room, but he stopped her. “I’m sure Miss Strange is perfectly able to move on her own, Miss Adan. You will remain here and finish your Test.” Gwen reluctantly released Liza.

  Liza followed Morre from the Test room, though she was barely aware of her moving body. They followed the now familiar route through the halls to his office. Liza tried to push away the pain she felt, to send her power inward instead of outward. She was able to dull the pain a bit, to keep her feet moving forward and her mind relatively clear.

  Morre unlocked his office and gestured for Liza to enter first. He followed her and sealed the door.

  “Had I known that you would cause me constant problems, I would have told that Zimir Tchesova to leave you with the pirates,” he said while he pulled out his chair and sat down. “Never in my years of working with Katho trainees have I had someone like you.” Liza slumped into a chair and grinned.

  “You should be so lucky,” she said. Morre glared at her. He rested his elbows on the desk and laced his fingers together.

  “Do you even know what you have done?” he asked.

  “I felt him break,” Liza said.

  “Yes. You Snapped him. When a Katho controls someone, it’s called ‘bending their will.’ And when you bend something too far, it Snaps.”

  “What will happen to him?” Liza asked. Morre unlaced his fingers and rubbed his fingers over his brow.

  “If he doesn’t kill himself in the next few hours, then we’ll have to destroy him. He is useless to us,” Morre said. “You don’t know how much money has gone into that individual.”

  “Nope.” Liza said. “Why would he kill himself?”

  “We don’t know. We’ve never been able to research the mind of someone who has been Snapped. Because they always kill themselves, if the Snapping itself doesn’t kill them.” Liza lifted an eyebrow. She filed that information away for if she ever came across Zimir again. Morre fixed his gaze on Liza again. “I heard an interesting rumor,” he said.

  “Oh?”

  “You want to escape from here.”

  “Who wouldn’t,” Liza said. Morre released a long, annoyed sounding breath. He reached across the table and grabbed her arm, pushed up her sleeve, and pushed his finger into the mark that had been placed there.

  “You belong to the SSA,” he said. Liza snorted.

  “You can’t possibly think that I would fall for that kind of crap. You do not own me,” Liza said. She could feel her power swelling once more, though her mind and body were already exhausted from the effort it took to Snap the Fake.

  “You cannot escape here.”

  “Watch me.”

  Liza jumped up from her chair and released her power.

  45

  The atmosphere on The Gypsy Star had become tense. Vely knew that Doctor D had talked to Corbin, and Becce had talked to Dom, which meant that Zimir and Captain Warwick were the ones left out of the loop. While Vely anxiously waited for the crew to come together under the plan of mutiny, she was also fearful that they might change their mind, and Vely wasn’t entirely sure what would happen to someone who suggested mutiny and lost. It seemed to her that it was possibly she’d end up dead.

  After breakfast one morning, Becce and Dom collected Vely and left the ship for the Cove. Once they found a secluded table, Dom leaned forward over the table. He looked at Vely with a stern expression.

  “Are you positive you want to get mixed up in this?” he asked. “You aren’t a pirate, and you’ll be risking everything by being involved, including your life.”

  “Liza wouldn't be afraid, so I’m not afraid,” Vely said. A smile flitted across Dom’s face. “Besides, who says I’m not a pirate,” Vely said, crossing her arms over her chest. Becce and Dom gave her identical skeptical looks. She smiled. “The only thing Liza and I have left to lose is each other.”

  “You’re sure then,” Dom said. Vely watched him closely. Whatever feelings he had for her sister remained unchanged. And that was fine with her. “We already know that the twins are on board. Corbin and Doctor D are mulling things over.”

  “Tsuto is in agreement as well,” Becce added. Dom was staring off into the distance, so Becce rose to order a round of drinks. When Becce returned to the table, she touched Dom’s shoulder.

  “Tell us what you’re thinking about,” she said.

  “Say we go through with this and succeed,” Dom said. “It’s not going to help us get Liza back.” Vely and Becce glanced at each other.

  “You’re right, but we’ll be able to make our own decisions,” Becce said. “There’s always a chance we’ll get her back.”

  “Liza wouldn’t go down without a fight anyway,” Vely said. “You should have seen her when we lived on the Moon. She didn’t take crap from anyone.” Silence fell for a moment as the three of them retreated into their own thoughts. Weed and Speed approached the table and sat down.

  “Do we have a plan yet?”

  “Future Captain Rhyne?”

  Dom looked up at the twins and shook his head. “Who says I’m going to be captain?” The rest of the group gave him withering looks. “Well, if you’re that adamant about it.”

  The activity on the Cove picked up as more pirates came down from their ships to drink and take advantage of the other “services” the Cove had to offer. The mass of pirates parted as Doctor D, Corbin, and Tsuto walked towards their table, both looking grim but determined. The two large men sat down at the table and glanced at Dom.

  “We’re with you,” Doctor D said. Vely sighed in relief. She was sure that if those two weren’t on board, their plan would fail. Dom dipped his head, his expression unreadable for a moment, while everyone else watched him. Finally, he lifted his chin.

  “Few ground rules: one, no one speaks of this while on the ship. Two, we have to continue to act like nothing has changed, that our original plans are all still in place. And three, if anyone has any doubts at any time, you need to talk to me right away,” Dom said, looking into every pair of eyes, one at a time, as if trying to etch his words into everyone’s minds. He released a long sigh. Vely twisted her fingers around. Hearing the words out loud with the group was making the entire endeavor more real, and she was just now starting to understand the gravity of the situation.

&nb
sp; “We can’t move until we’re off the Cove, and a decent distance away,” Dom was saying. “Our attack could happen at any time. It’ll be difficult to plan ahead since anything could happen, which means that everyone should be armed at all times. That way, should Captain or Zimir get wind of our plan, they’ll never know when to be prepared. Stopping them will be easy enough, and once they’re subdued, they’ll be locked in the brig.”

  “Seems simple enough,” Becce said.

  “Weed, Speed - you’ll need to change our communicators to a new frequency. We can’t take the chance that Warwick and Zimir will overhear us.” The twins nodded. “The biggest issue will be the codes for the ship that only Captain Warwick knows,” Dom said. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t passed those onto me, but I will work on getting that information from him before we act.”

  “Too bad we don’t have Liza here. She could just use her ability on him,” Doctor D said with a smirk. Beside him, Tsuto shifted into Liza’s form, and Vely saw a look of sadness pass over the faces of the crew members. Her heart clenched, both missing her sister and wondering what she did to make these people so loyal to her; Liza had always been such a loner.

  “We’ll find her once we have control of the ship,” Dom said. “Until then, we’ll have to hope that she’s doing alright, wherever she is.” The crew nodded. “I’ll declare myself captain, if that’s what you all want, and we’ll drop Zimir and Warwick off at the nearest SSA heavy location and turn them in.”

  “And what if we fail?” Corbin asked. Dom sighed once more.

  “I don’t know yet. But I’ll make sure we have a contingency plan,” he said. “Or several.”

  46

  Morre’s office exploded. Furniture blew at the walls, crashing and breaking apart. Electronic equipment crashed against the ceiling. Morre lifted from his chair and landed in a heap on the floor. Standing in the middle of the chaos was Liza, her breath flying rapidly through her lungs, chest heaving. Her skin crawled with power. She could feel it as an extension of herself, like it had its own motivations and wants, and it wanted to attack him again. But she held back, waiting.