Selene took a seat on the faux-leather chair before she picked up the holopad and flicked her fingers across it. The screen lit, casting blue-tinted light across her skin. On the right side of the screen, where the system menu hid while in read mode, a small icon like a chat bubble bounced up and down, seeking her attention. A red circle with a white number one appeared over the two-dimensional chat bubble.
Raising an eyebrow, Selene clicked the icon, and a chat screen popped up over the article she’d been reading. A message from “Unknown” stood out on the white background:
“You’ll need my help to escape.”
Selene’s heart raced and her eyebrows furrowed as she glanced around the room, then back at the screen, fully expecting someone to leap out and tell her it was all a big joke. When no one appeared, she shifted—casually glancing at each hidden camera.
Though she couldn’t see them, she remembered where they were positioned. If this was real, then she couldn’t be seen on camera talking to someone. From what she remembered, there was a camera at the front right corner of the room, one in the bathroom, one on either side of the room, one above the bed canopy, one by the sitting area, and one facing the door. She had only one angle a camera couldn’t see the screen at.
Selene stood and stretched as if it had been a long day. Holding the holopad facing her hip, she moseyed over to the bed of white silk, cotton and a sheer canopy draped from a silver ring hung from the ceiling. She crawled into bed, leaning her back against the mountain of pillows against the headboard, and set the holopad on her lap. From there, no camera should have the right angle to see her screen—not with the canopy and her body in the way.
Looking back at the screen, Selene tapped the chat screen. A set of two-dimensional keys popped up for her to respond. But what should she say?
This person, whoever they might be, claimed Selene would need their help to escape, but how did Selene know they could help? Or worse, how did she know this wasn’t another one of Pate’s games?
She shivered, fingers poised over the keys. She’d never find out if she didn’t answer. Biting her lip, Selene typed back: “Who is this?”
She sat back against the pillows but immediately squirmed amongst the soft fabric. With her pulse racing so fast, and nervous sweat slicking her skin, she couldn’t get comfortable.
Three dots danced at the bottom to show Unknown typing back. Selene’s heart leapt and dread cooled her insides. She wanted to hold onto hope that someone would finally help her, but what were the chances?
“That doesn’t matter,” they answered.
Selene’s eyebrow quirked up in irritation. Talk about vague.
“How do I know you can help me?” Selene typed.
She waited.
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
Selene leaned her head back against the pillows and stared at the ceiling. This was not boding well. Taking a deep breath, Selene shimmied into a slightly more comfortable position before diving back into the conversation.
“You expect me to trust you when you won’t tell me who you are?” Selene questioned.
“Yes.”
Selene paused as the ellipsis on the bottom danced again.
“Do exactly what I say, and I’ll get you out of there,” Unknown said.
“And if I don’t do what you say?” Selene countered.
“Then enjoy life in a cell.”
Selene’s chest tightened. How could she bear to spend more time in this place? Two weeks had already gone by, and it felt like an eternity. Her fingers balled into fists, and her eyes burned with the realization that this person might be her only hope.
“Why would you help me?” Selene asked.
She waited, and waited. Finally, a message:
“Someone’s coming.”
Selene jumped in her seat. The chat window closed, the app on the sidebar disappearing like it had never existed. A long article about New Manhattan’s anti-matter power reactor appeared before her, the same one she’d been reading hours ago.
The door whooshed open, and the pungent bite of cologne wisped up her nose. Her skin crawled and her nostrils flared as Pate walked in. His familiar smug smile made her entire body tense, while his amber eyes burrowed into her skin, making her stomach turn. Nausea clawed up her throat and burned the back of her mouth like acid.
“Good evening, kitten.” Pate placed the tray he held on the coffee table before sweeping a hand through his carefully slicked black hair. “I hear you’ve been naughty.” His smirk grew downright devilish.
Selene bit the inside of her cheek to keep from vomiting. Dinnertime with Pate: her least favorite time of day. Every evening, at the strike of five, Pate waltzed in with irritatingly good food she was forced to eat, lest she go hungry. She’d tried to ignore it for the first few days, especially when he brought it, but she could only starve for so long before her hunger overcame her, and finally, she gave in.
Pate’s smirk disappeared as Selene ignored him, sliding off the bed and climbing into her usual chair facing the window. Right on time, a holoscreen popped up, like a projection on the glass, but with a picture as clear as day. Pate’s irritating demeanor wasn’t the worst part of dinner with the ex-president. Watching the news was.
“You hurt my staff you know,” Pate chided, like a father about to discipline his child. “Randy has a concussion, and Jerr a broken nose.” He watched her from the corner of his eye, always waiting for her to make a move.
Selene refused to look at him. “It’s your fault for keeping me here.” Crossing her arms over her chest, and one leg over the other, Selene settled back in her comfortable seat, a fur pillow cushioning her arm and hip in just the right way.
“That’s no reason to attack my men.” His voice was harder this time, angry.
“Maybe you should train them how not to get beat up by princesses then.” She slid him an icy glare.
With a sigh of exasperation, Pate turned away and doled out the garnish atop both of their steaming plates of pasta. Once a small mound of green herbs lay among the plate of red and orange-coated noodles, he handed her a plate.
“Bon appétit.” He did a mock bow, as if he were her servant, and sat down in the chair opposite to her, facing the holoscreen as the evening news began.
A large three-dimensional number eight flew across the screen, then back again, revealing the evening newscasters she’d come to loathe. In truth, it wasn’t their fault she hated them or the news. Getting to know even a piece of what was going on in the outside world gave her some comfort, but the first report of the night always made her want to scream, or vomit. Sometimes both.
“Good evening, I’m Jace Fenton and this is my co-host Elrin Sarrel,” Jace began. The man was good-looking enough with tan skin and dark hair, but Elrin was otherworldly. The alien woman had nearly glowing white skin and pale blue hair that fell in curls around her delicate shoulders. Her lips were painted pale pink, and blue blush accented her protruding cheekbones.
“Thank you, Jace,” Elrin said. “Tonight we hear from the European ambassador to the United Americas, but first, interim President Zelena Stein has this to say.”
Selene’s stomach twisted, a hard cold lump settling in her belly.
The newscasters disappeared, and the screen went dark for a moment before the holoscreen lit up to reveal a large hall with United American flags lining the columns and a frenzy of reporters in front of a glass podium.
From the side of the raised stage, a woman with slicked back brown hair stepped up onto the platform, a cold smile on her thick lips, and black lining her somewhat hooded eyes. The camera zoomed in on her face as she stopped behind the podium, the warm dome lights settling on her perfect tawny-yellow skin. Silver powder flashed just above the black cat-winged eyeliner.
“Good evening, citizens of New Manhattan,” she said.
Selene’s nostrils flared and her fist balled in her lap, while her other hand shook.
Zelena Stein.
Whoever she was, Selene hated her with all the passion she could muster. While Selene was trapped inside Pate’s penthouse, Zelena used Selene’s old body to waltz around New Manhattan—free—as she goaded the masses.
“It has been one week since I was elected by the people of the United Americas to oversee our country while a new President is selected.” She paused, her cold gaze roaming the crowd. “New candidates are coming forward as I speak, and another election will be held within the year. As former President Pate has shown us all, we can’t be too careful when it comes to choosing our leader.”
Selene snorted. Because of all people, the woman using Selene’s body should talk.
“While democracy works, I am deeply humbled—honored—to serve a nation as great as this.” Zelena smiled, and Selene shivered as the crowd applauded. The camera zoomed out slowly as the interim president continued, “But while we wait for our justice system to investigate the videos displayed of the former president, and while a proper leader rises—”
A loud clatter made Selene jump. She looked at Pate, who narrowed his eyes at the screen, his fork bent in one hand, and his butter knife on the floor. It wasn’t the first time Zelena had called him out, but it was the first time she’d made such a clear, public jab at Pate.
“—I think it’s about time we address a more important issue at hand, one that affects each and every one of us.” She paused for dramatic effect, and it worked, as the crowd hushed and the camera zoomed back in, as if it too anticipated what Zelena might say. “For the last three-hundred years, humans and the Aldar have worked together to rebuild a world so deeply devastated by climate change, and war.” Her drawn-on eyebrows pulled together, as if remembering that made her feel anything. “And even though we’ve joined with the Aldar as if they were our own, have we truly come to accept them?”
Her long pause was filled with weighted silence. Not a pen dropped in the room as Zelena looked at the crowd. Selene held her breath, her mind racing.
“Yes.” Zelena smiled as she stepped out from behind the podium, splaying her hands on either side of her. “So why is it that our governments, still remain separate? Are we not one people, brought together by the cosmos, and the uncertainty of disastrous climate change?”
Murmurs filled the room as the camera panned out. Many people nodded along, and smiled, expressing their agreement with Zelena, while Selene’s blood ran cold. So this was the Dominion’s goal in placing Zelena as interim president. Whether the woman had won the election fair and square, which Selene very much doubted, the Dominion wanted one government, one government to control, and they were using Selene’s body to do it.
“I know change is scary. I know we as a people have been through so much already, but I ask you to consider this: when choosing who you’d like to represent you and the rest of your country, your fellow people, will you consider the Aldar one of us, and allow our governments to unite, or will we continue on with a divided heart like our ancestors did so long ago?” Zelena clasped her hands in front of her, her eyebrows rising as if disheartened by the past. “Let us not allow race, nor species, hold us apart. Let us become one people, one government, one world with the people that saved us three hundred years ago.”
Zelena stepped back up behind the podium as Selene’s heart pounded in her ears. “Thank you for your time this evening, and I urge you to consider my words when you think of the coming election.”
The broadcast cut off, and quickly returned to the same two news reporters she was used to. Jace began a new segment about the European Ambassador, while Selene sat back hard in her chair, staring into her supper, most likely cold now.
If Zelena pushed the country enough, anyone would be able to run for President. Some would be for it, and some against it, but Selene had no doubt in her mind which way the Aldar Dominion would push the public.
“Do you understand now why I’ve kept you?” Pate asked.
Selene looked up, having forgotten he was even there. Her eyebrows furrowed. She knew Pate had kept her without the Dominion knowing, or at least that’s what he’d said when she’d first woken up.
“What do you mean?” Selene sat up straight.
“She—Zelena—is you.” Pate motioned at the screen, even though Zelena was long gone. “If the masses find out who she really is, who you really are, no one will listen to her. They’ll feel betrayed. Fooled. They’ll never go ahead with this insanity.”
Selene looked away from his intense gaze. She understood now. He hadn’t kept her solely because of his twisted interest in her; he’d stolen her from the Dominion to use against them. He’d been their pawn, but now she was his. He’d gone rogue, and he would use her to scratch and claw his way back to the top.
Twisting her lip between her teeth, she set her plate of untouched noodles on the coffee table.
“I’ve got to go now.” Pate stood, his food untouched as well. He placed his plate back on the tray, and plucked his discarded knife from the floor. Once the plates were cleared, he picked up the tray and made his way to the door. “Goodnight, kitten.”
Selene bristled as the door opened, and closed behind him. She still hated him, especially the way he purred that pet name, but she understood something she’d been questioning for weeks. A weight lifted off her shoulders, even as cold clenched her stomach.
If Pate really needed her that badly, and for something so important, he wouldn’t be so foolish as to let her try and escape again.
She gulped as she glanced across the room at the holopad nestled in the comforter atop her bed. With a quick check of the door to make sure Pate wouldn’t return, Selene stood and repositioned herself on the bed, leaning back against the pillows before settling the holopad in her lap.
Selene flicked her fingers across the screen to pull out the sidebar menu. She only had three applications. Two news sites, always with certain material blocked, and a call button she could use in case of emergencies. The chat room icon was nowhere to be found, even as she closed the news app and flicked through system settings. If it wasn’t for the insane security placed on the device, she might be able to hack it and figure out where Unknown’s messages had come from. But unfortunately, it had layers upon layers of firewalls, and restrictions.
Sinking back into the pillows, Selene waited for the chat window to appear once more. She waited and waited until the sun dipped below the horizon and stars overtook the sky. But still, she received no message.
Light stabbed Selene’s eyes as she jerked awake. The whoosh of the door closing sent her leaping from the mess of covers and rushing to the door.
A silver tray with a covered plate, a plastic cup and plastic utensils in a transparent bag sat atop her sitting table. It was the first time someone had ever brought her breakfast early. Maybe they’d learned from yesterday’s escape attempt.
Sighing, Selene rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She stretched her arms over her head, cracking her neck and back before her arms settled at her sides again. Another morning in her cell, and though it was a pretty nice cell, it was still a prison. Making a move for the bathroom, Selene stopped mid-step when a soft bing sounded beneath her covers.
Her heart leapt, and she could barely keep herself from whipping around and jumping back into bed. Slowly, Selene turned around, forcing a not-quite-pretend yawn from her mouth as she crawled back in bed, settling against her pillows once she fished the holopad out from under the covers.
She flicked her fingers across the screen, and it lit, cold light falling across her skin as she eyed the chat bubble bouncing in the sidebar. Her heart sped as she tapped it.
“Breakfast is served.”
Selene’s eyebrows furrowed as the ellipsis at the bottom of the screen danced. Then another message:
“Check the cup where no one can see.” The cup? Selene slowly lowered her knees so her legs lay flat.
Bing.
Selene looked down at another message: “Do it now.”
Confused, but curious, Sele
ne lowered the holopad, flipping it over before she crossed the room to the sitting area, casually taking a seat before plucking the lid off her breakfast plate. Steam rose from a pile of scrambled eggs, bacon and tiny cubed potatoes. She inhaled deeply, the savory scent making her mouth water.
Although her stomach growled in response to the aroma, Selene forced herself to get back up, taking her cup of water back to the bed, where she returned the holopad to her lap, and took a drink. Cold slid down her throat, clearing the pasty night-taste from her mouth.
Something rattled in the bottom as she set the cup against her knee. Balancing the holopad and the cup, Selene ran her fingers along the bottom. It wasn’t seamless like she’d expected; a piece of plastic jutted out of the base, curved slightly on the sides, but flat enough to balance easily on flat surfaces.
She took another drink, pretending to read something on her holopad while gingerly pulling at the bottom of the cup. It didn’t budge, not until she twisted it. A tiny smile quirked the corner of her lips. She quickly squashed it as butterflies fluttered through her belly.
Out from the bottom of the cup fell a small silver cylinder, half the length of her index finger. Her brows rose as she turned it over in her hand.
What the hell is this?
Selene screwed the bottom of the cup back on and finished the water before setting the cup down on her comforter. Once her hands were free, she clicked on the box on the bottom of the chat screen and typed: “What is this?”
The ellipsis bounced, and a quick reply followed: “Your ticket out.”
Selene bit back a groan. “But what is it?” she asked again.
“Check again tomorrow.”
The chat window disappeared, as did the icon in the menu. Selene leaned her head back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling as she held back a frustrated scream.
Whoever was helping her, they were infuriating. She needed to get out of this hellhole, and all they gave her were more questions. Squeezing her eyes shut, Selene took a deep breath. Before she went off the rails, she needed to find a place to hide whatever it was they had given her.
The Zahkx Alliance: A Sci-Fi Dystopian Adventure (Dominion Rising Book 2) Page 2
