The Zahkx Alliance: A Sci-Fi Dystopian Adventure (Dominion Rising Book 2)

by Katherine Bogle

  Tossing her holopad back onto the bed, Selene returned to the sitting area and sat in her usual chair. She held the cylinder tightly, glancing at what she had left to work with. She looked at the chair, the table, the bed, the canopy, and the bathroom. Everywhere was monitored. Wherever she hid it, she had to be careful.

  Swallowing the nervous lump in her throat, Selene leaned over her breakfast and removed the cutlery from the plastic bag with two quick tugs. The bag broke open, and fell onto the plush fur carpet.

  Selene sighed. Of course.

  She grumbled as she climbed onto her hands and knees, and reached under the coffee table. She froze.

  The lip of the table curved under on each end, creating a small shelf on either side just wide enough for her to hide something. Her pulse quickened as she glanced back and forth, a smile tugging at her lips.

  Perfect.

  Reaching for her cutlery with one hand, Selene quickly placed the cylinder under the lip of the table with the other. When she was sure it was secure, she pulled back and sat back in her chair, dusting off her cutlery before she started on breakfast, careful not to smile too much as her chest buzzed with mischief.

  It had been awhile since she’d had some good luck.

  Three days later, Selene still had no idea what the hell her helper was trying to send her. On the first day she received a square silver slab of metal with rounded edges and a blue line running around it in one full loop. On the second, she received a silver square with two tiny black prongs, just big enough she thought it might fit into the two tiny holes on the side of the silver slab, but with no way to test it and not get caught, she couldn’t be sure.

  On the third day, with growing irritation, she received a silver cord wound together like a tiny lasso.

  Trying not to throw whatever it was across the room, Selene quickly stowed it before returning to bed. It was time she had words with her mysterious helper. If they were trying to help her at all. She had no way of knowing. With her limited outside knowledge, she really couldn’t say. Her breakfast, lunch, and dinner came at random times within a two hour period of each meal, her breakfast arriving before she woke up; even when she pretended to be asleep, she still somehow opened her eyes to a tray of food on the table.

  Sitting up against the pillows with the holopad in her lap, Selene angrily typed to Unknown: “Enough. I need to know who you are.” She sat back and waited.

  “I told you, it doesn’t matter,” Unknown replied.

  “Do I know you at least?” Curiosity burned through her, mingling with the frustration warming her chest.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you part of the Alliance?” It was a logical leap, Selene thought.

  “No.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. If Unknown wasn’t part of the Alliance, she had no idea who he or she could be. If they were one of her friends, they’d say so, but this person gave her no clue as to who they were.

  “How do I know this isn’t a trick?” Selene asked.

  “You don’t.”

  She groaned. Helpful.

  “Why are you helping me?” A long pause followed as the ellipsis bounced along the bottom of the screen. It stopped, disappeared, then reappeared and started again. Was Unknown typing and deleting what they wrote? Trying to figure out a way to further trick her? Or was this foolish app just broken?

  “I owe you one.”

  Selene stared at the four words, her forehead wrinkled and her stomach twisting in confusion. Unknown owed her one?

  She started typing back: “Who the HELL are y—”

  “Pate is coming. Your chance to escape will come soon. When Pate arrives, complain that your neck hurts, or you’re not sleeping well.”

  Selene quickly deleted what she’d been typing. “Why?” she wrote instead.

  “Trust me.”

  “Easier said than done,” Selene muttered. Fingers poised to type back, the chat window disappeared before she could. The app vanished from the menu, just like it always did, leaving her more confused than ever as she stared at an article on reforming the current political landscape.

  The door whooshed open, and just like Unknown said, Pate walked right in.

  “Good morning—” He paused and glanced at the clock. The dial had hit noon only minutes before. “Or should I say, good afternoon.”

  Selene didn’t hold back her sigh as she closed the holopad and set it on the bed beside her. “What do you want?”

  Pate frowned. “Crabby this afternoon, aren’t we?”

  Selene rolled her eyes. “No more than usual.”

  Crossing the room, Pate set a tray of sandwiches, artfully cut and displayed to resemble a blooming rose, on the coffee table before he straightened his perfectly tailored black suit.

  “I assume you’re wondering why I’ve come for lunch today,” Pate continued as if she hadn’t spoken.

  “Not really.” Selene stood and sat in the sitting area, plucking a sandwich from the display.

  Pate raised an eyebrow, but wisely ignored her rude comment. “I’m going away for a few days, and I wanted to say goodbye before I go.” He paused, expecting an answer. She gave none. “I have some things to sort, but while I’m gone, I don’t want any more repeats of the other day.” He narrowed his eyes.

  A sly smile spread across her lips as she nibbled on a corner of the sandwich. Creamy tuna melted on her tongue. “No promises.”

  Pate’s hands slammed down on the arms of her chair, forcing her to sit back, eyes wide. His gaze darkened with barely leashed anger. Now that she knew what was at stake for him, she understood his rage at her callousness. “You will be good while I’m gone, or there will be consequences upon my return.”

  Selene swallowed her food and calmed her racing pulse. His face was mere inches from hers, his cologne slipping up her nostrils. After a long moment, she nodded, if only to get him out of her face.

  Clearing his throat, Pate straightened and turned away, taking a seat across from her and adjusting his tie. “Good.” He took a small dinner plate from the tray and placed a couple sandwiches atop it, taking a few bites before relaxing and setting his plate on his crossed leg.

  Selene resumed her nibbling, though her stomach had gone sour. Unknown was right. Pate was leaving, even if for a few days, and that would be her chance to escape. Whatever Unknown was planning, Selene was sure the time to carry out the plan was coming any day now.

  Her heart leapt with excitement. Freedom was so close she could almost taste it. Licking her lips, Selene dusted off her lap before taking another sandwich from the tray. She glanced at Pate under her lashes, but he seemed lost in thought.

  Sitting up straight, Unknown’s other words returned to her. She was supposed to pretend her neck hurt, or something to make it obvious she wasn’t sleeping well. But why? The only logical thing she could think of was so Pate would replace her pillows, or mattress, or something along those lines. In doing so, would Unknown slip another, perhaps larger piece of the puzzle into her grasp?

  Clearing her throat, Selene made a show of rubbing her shoulder and twisting her neck as if she couldn’t get comfortable. She continued to eat her lunch all the while, being sure not to look at Pate in anything but her peripheral.

  After a few minutes of silence, Pate finally set his lunch down and faced her. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  Jackpot.

  Selene met his gaze. She had to give him credit—he did actually sound concerned, even if he was the scum of the earth. “Nothing.” She forced a yawn, and again, rubbed her neck and shoulder.

  “Are you sleeping all right?” he asked.

  Selene bit back a victorious smile. “I’m fine.”

  “It looks like your neck is bothering you.” He reached over, his fingers brushing the bare skin above her collarbone.

  She bristled and quickly sat back out of reach. That hadn’t been a result she counted on, nor did she want it.

  “I’ll have someone send in some new pillows for
you this evening.” Pate stood, buttoning his jacket. He returned his plate to the tray, leaving her a few extra sandwiches on another in case she got hungry later. Then, he took the tray and went to the door.

  Frankly, Selene was surprised he hadn’t forced her to watch the afternoon news with him after they were done. He really must be leaving right away.

  “Have a good evening, kitten.” Pate’s faraway thoughtfulness disappeared, replaced with his typical slanted smirk. Selene narrowed her eyes, and he chuckled as he turned away. “Remember to be good.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Selene crossed her arms as the door opened, and closed behind him. She listened as his footsteps faded, and the outer door closed.

  Then she returned to her bed and sat in silence, staring at the holopad and hoping Unknown would come back with good news.

  Bing…. Bing…. Bing.

  Selene rolled over and groaned, irritation flashing through her chest at the annoying sound trying to wake her. Didn’t it realize she was sleeping? Pulling a pillow over her head, Selene attempted to drown out the noise, and embrace the blissful darkness of sleep.

  What had she been dreaming about? Somewhere sunny, and warm with wide-open plains, and grass to tickle her feet.

  Bing.

  Selene groaned and threw the pillow she held off the bed. She propped herself up on her arm when she realized what the noise was.

  The holopad.

  Selene’s heart squeezed as she sat up, sifting through the ocean of blankets and sheets in the near pure black of night. Every day when the clock struck ten, the glass of her windows darkened like the windows of an important cruiser trying to keep the public eye away from whatever politician or celebrity sat inside. Though at first she’d thought it was to simulate night and ruin her perception of time, when the city lights glared through the windows as the sun set, she knew it was just to help her sleep.

  As she rose, the darkness of the windows shifted, turning clear. The blazing neon lights of New Manhattan shone inside, blue, pink, red, all glowing across her tawny skin as she finally grabbed the holopad and flicked it on.

  The chat window popped up immediately with a string of messages from Unknown, all equating to one simple thing: Wake the hell up!

  Her cheeks warmed as she sat back and typed: “I’m awake. What is it?”

  The ellipsis bounced and her heart slammed against her ribs.

  “It’s time.”

  Selene shot out of bed, expecting the lights to flash on from her movement, but unlike every other day, they didn’t. She paused, glancing between the outside world and the holopad in her hands. No ellipsis bounced, or message popped up to explain.

  Was the power out?

  Glancing at where she knew the cameras were hidden, she raced to the bathroom and the small closet just beyond it. Yanking on the least transparent pair of white shorts and a white shirt she could find, Selene raced back into the main room, again cursing Pate’s love of white and her lack of shoes.

  Bing.

  Selene grabbed the holopad from the edge of her mattress.

  “Get the pieces I’ve sent you.”

  Selene nodded and set the pad on the sitting table as she crouched down. Slipping her fingers beneath the rim, she pulled the four pieces from the edge and set them on top of the white metal.

  “Got them?” Unknown asked.

  “Yes,” Selene typed back.

  “Good. Follow my instructions exactly.”

  Selene braced herself, her palms clammy as she gripped the edge of the table. It was happening. This was really happening. She was about to be free. Finally.

  “Thread the silver coil through the top of the cylinder.”

  Picking up the pieces, Selene did as she was asked, unable to stop the nervous trembling of her fingers or her desperate glances at the door. Any moment someone could come running in. Any moment this could all be over.

  “Once it’s through, open the receiver hatch on the large square piece.”

  Receiver hatch? Selene’s brows furrowed as she turned the silver slab over in her fingers. On one side, two small black holes descended into the body of the square. She assumed that’s where the prongs of the fourth piece went. Again, she turned it over. All other sides were sleek, except for the blue line wrapping around it. On a hunch, Selene pulled on either end.

  Pop. The two pieces pulled apart, and where the outside was once seamless, on the other end, a small circle descended into the body, just wide enough for her to thread the cord into the piece.

  “Huh.”

  “Once the cord is through the receiver, coil the end in the opposite side of the slab. It should light up.”

  Selene continued to thread the cord, wrapping it before gently settling it into the smaller half of the slab, the same side that had the holes. As soon as it settled, the cord flared bright blue, like the lines in her old black laser pistol. Her heart ached at the memory. She missed her guns.

  With a loud snap, the cord and the two pieces of slab slapped together. Her eyes widened and she bit back a yelp of surprise.

  “Now the slab should be one piece again with the cylinder attached.” Unknown was right, the cylinder had attached itself. “Insert the prongs of the smaller piece and an ‘on’ switch should glow at the base.”

  Selene did as she was told, and at the base of the smaller silver cube, a light blue rectangle glowed with a circle inside.

  “To use it, hold down the button, but don’t touch it until I say so.”

  Finger hovering over the on button, Selene carefully set the device down on the table. Now what? She still had no idea what the device was, or how it’d help her escape. Could it be some sort of hacking device? Or a tiny gun?

  “All right, if you haven’t flayed any of your fingers by now, go look at your new pillows by the door.”

  New pillows? Selene looked up, and sure enough, six pillows in fresh linen were stacked directly beside the door. When the hell had those arrived?

  “Rip them apart until you find one with a hard interior.”

  Selene left the holopad on the table beside her might-be weapon, and rushed to the door. Her heartbeat sped as she picked up the first, squishing it between her hands. It was soft like down. Not what she was looking for.

  Tossing the pillow, Selene grabbed the next. Nope. Then the next. Still soft. On the fourth, she squeezed and something hard kept her from crushing it.

  She smiled, despite the nervous sweat dripping down her spine, and tore off the pillowcase. Once it was off, she found the seam and tore into it, using all of her meagre-clone strength to rip it in two. Feathers poofed from within, tickling her nose and covering the floor.

  Selene sneezed and brushed the feathers away from her face before dumping out the rest of the contents from the mangled pillow.

  Thud. She looked down to find a rectangular backpack a few inches shorter than the pillow on all sides with three cords dangling off the straps. Two of the cords were black with plastic handles on the end, while the third was red and looped up into the highest part of the strap.

  She had no idea what it was. Returning to the sitting area with the backpack, Selene grabbed the holopad and typed: “What the hell is it?”

  “Seriously?” Unknown replied.

  Selene flushed and twisted her lip in indignation. How the hell was she supposed to know what it was? Placing the bag in her lap, Selene reached for the clasp to undo the top.

  “Do NOT open it!!”

  She froze, staring at the screen at the ellipsis bounced.

  “Idiot. It’s a parachute.”

  A parachute? Like from old war movies?

  “Put it on, and strap yourself in. Then go to the window with your laser.”

  Laser? Selene stared wide-eyed at the silver slab on the table. Her heart sank into her stomach. She did not have a good feeling about this.

  “Hurry!”

  “Okay. Okay!” Selene stood, slipping the backpack on and clipping the straps around her waist and ches
t. She tightened them and took her laser and holopad with her to the window. A long white table sat beside it, the only open space about three feet wide.

  Her stomach seized as she looked down. Two hundred stories high. She couldn’t see anyone walking by on the street below, not that they’d be discernable from ants at this height.

  Bing.

  Selene looked at the holopad.

  “Are you ready?” Unknown asked.

  Selene sighed, and typed: “You’re going to make me jump, aren’t you?”

  “Yep.”

  She glanced down at the street below, neon lights bathing the surrounding buildings in a million colors: ads for boosters of all types, of politicians seeking the presidency, and of the news anchors from her least-favorite news show. She gulped.

  “If I’m going to do this, you could at least tell me who you are,” Selene typed. Anything to keep from having to make the jump just yet.

  “It isn’t important. Now hurry. Burn a hole in the glass, and go. Pull the ripcord when you’ve fallen for 5 seconds.”

  Selene froze, her fingers ready to type back. If she didn’t go soon she was going to lose her nerve. Setting the holopad aside, Selene took up the laser and pointed the cylinder at the window. She took a deep breath, and pressed down on the glowing blue button.

  A red laser flared out the end, slicing through the glass like butter. Her eyes went wide and her heart raced as she quickly drew it in a wide circle. Red flared around the edges, and a terrible bitter smell flooded her nostrils. Her eyes burned as she squinted into the bright light.

  Ten seconds later, she had a slightly wonky circle. She cut off the laser. Setting it aside, she stepped back, and kicked the glass out. The shriek of glass cut through her ears, nearly driving her to her knees. Then the glass circle was gone, falling two hundred stories below. She looked out the window, wind whipping her hair against her face.

  Light flashed off the glass until it grew too far away for her to see. She expected to hear the shatter of it, but only wind pounded against her ears.

  She turned back to the holopad, her heart thudding louder.