“And since I’m technically a hybrid…”
“No one will harm you at the base. I was instructed to watch over you like a guardian angel, to make sure all your needs are met. My superiors want to meet you; everyone’s psyched at the lab!” Lilou’s voice trailed off with uncanny familiarity.
Somehow, this seemed like a situation where Zoey needed to measure her words, to take in the scenery and every damn roundabout this small town had to offer. So many thoughts lingered in her head and never escaped her mouth, leaving a lot of agony unspoken. The Alliance had an agenda, James had an agenda. Was she there to pick a side? Would they experiment on her? Would they give Earth another chance if this panned out in her favor? She wanted nothing more than to fully trust Lilou, see Jasper and Rufus and shake off the icicle rooted in her core.
The moment they got out of the cab, fresh air stung at her nostrils and she felt Lilou’s fingers sliding into hers with a warm squeeze. “We’re here.” Electric blue eyes stared at her half decomposed figure in a mix of hope and relief. “Zoey, we’ll brief just like we did back in June, and we’ll welcome the girls tomorrow so you’ll all be safe and together. The Timeline crew will make sure they remember it all before you meet.”
Back in June. Who could forget that Victorian mansion, the safe place where they were kept before all hell broke loose at James’s touch. Where she almost fried Jasper and they nearly devoured each other afterwards.
Right now they stood in front of a huge glass building in the middle of what looked like a park or a huge green area with pine trees blossoming on the sides. Isolated from the rest of the buildings and seemingly far from Paseo Sarasate. Damn it if that name wouldn’t remain committed to her memory for the rest of her days. The building looked new and normal, apart from the built-in body scanner which opened once Lilou tapped her kalenium. They stepped into a blue lit capsule which made unfamiliar sounds.
“Um… is this thing analyzing the contents of my luggage?” Zoey’s stomach tightened. She saw Lilou smirk under her breath as she fiddled with her kalenium band. Again.
When the doors of the so called capsule opened, the hum of conversation fizzled out and Zoey was now facing no fewer than twenty-something busy optans who had ceased their activity and dropped jaw at the sight of her. Despite them all trying to be casual about it, their body language gave each and every single one away. Optans never dealt with earthlings, she knew that much. Swallowing hard and feeling like the late student who just interrupted a whole class, Zoey flinched, taking a step back.
“I guess you’re now entitled to your very own earpiece.” Lilou jammed something in her ear. “You’ll now understand everyone and they too will understand you if they share one of these.” She winked playfully and watched the crowd steady their earpieces like in some twisted videogame. They all stared back google eyed and awaiting for her to initiate conversation like an army of minions in their navy blue coveralls and white thermals which resembled the texture and pigment of a shell. The huge table they were gathered at or hovering around seemed to be made of kalenium too, holograms projecting into thin air like she had seen at Alex’s work station.
“Say something.” Lilou whispered.
In a rush of anxiety, Zoey raised her hand and waved clumsily. “Um… hi?” The optans exchanged inquisitive glances and raised their hands to imitate Zoey’s gesture. It was enough for Lilou to burst out laughing and shoot forward like a self-proclaimed interpreter.
“Zoey, I’d like you to meet our strategists. As expected, Alex doesn’t mingle and he’s working from the privacy of his office.” She signaled toward a long corridor with sturdy lab doors on both sides. “This floor handles strategy, tech and maintenance.” She moved swiftly, eagerly followed by unearthly eyes. “Wanna say hi to Alex?”
“Sure.” Before heading toward the hallway, Zoey spun on her heels, pursed her lips and gave the awaiting crowd the hallmark of awkward waves.
Not weird at all… They mirrored her greet in return and spoke under their breaths as Lilou headed toward the first door on the left. Optans didn’t knock. Maybe it wasn’t in their nature, or maybe it was just Lilou marking her territory wherever she went.
They found Alex bent over the intersat, and it took a while for him to detach from whatever he was following. “Oh, hi Zoey. I knew you were arriving today.” He nodded and pulled a kalenium band from somewhere underneath. This building was clearly not as evolved as the beings in it, but the optans managed to squeeze their tech and mingle it with desks and filing cabinets in what looked like Chef Miguel’s 24 karat gold leaf on pepperoni pizza. Zoey found herself wondering if optans had drawers and cabinets of their own, or if maybe this looked like a jump to prehistoric times to them.
“Is this for me?” Zoey’s eyes were pinned to the translucent material the kalenium band was made of and watched Alex grin. He looked… happy which was a tad unusual given his nature.
“Yes. May I?” As soon as Zoey nodded, the kalenium was on, feeling cold against her wrist. “You should probably know the entire lab is now following your charts.”
Gee… “Great.” There was no enthusiasm in her voice as she perfectly remembered what that meant. Her emotions, her blood sugar and all the other extras only Jasper’s eyes had seen before. “Where is this lab and what does that really mean for me?”
Alex dropped into his seat and got a little comfier than before. “Second floor. That’s where they’re testing the residue Etienne left behind and all the evidence we’ve gathered from the scene. It’s like a medical paradise, one part lab one part ER, one part—”
“Jasper is there, isn’t he?” The back of her throat burned a little, raw emotion spreading from her chest to her face.
Lilou snatched Zoey’s arm before the blushing got any worse. “And why are you blushing?” She eyed Alex like the seventh wonder before realizing time was of the essence. “We’ll have plenty of time for everything, Zoey. Now I need to take you to your room. You must be dying for a shower.” She rushed Zoey through the door before she ever got the chance to say her goodbyes.
Back in the capsule, Lilou tapped on Zoey’s kalenium with a wink. “There. That should give you an energy boost for the rest of the day.” It took seconds for Zoey to actually feel her head clearing and shoulders straightening as a consequence. What else could that darn band do?
The capsule also served as an elevator, so when the door opened to an empty floor, she shrugged. White tiles, white ceiling, white doors. Austerity and silence, much like a morgue. It even smelled like something in between bleach and air freshener. They moved swiftly before stopping in front of what was to become Zoey’s bedroom. Of course it was fingerprint activated, so Lilou pressed a few small buttons, and instructed Zoey to place her thumbprint on the minuscule display on the handle.
Once the door opened, a pale green rug, similar to the one in the Victorian mansion’s ballroom spread in uneven bits across the space, enough to reveal the white tiles underneath. This room was big enough to fit a reddish wood canopy bed with intricate leafy carvings on each post and enough pillows to drown under. The same maple leaf design extended on the dark green and gold duvet cover and cushions with an abundance of golden tassels, in an attempt to compensate for the office vibe Lilou was trying to cover so badly. Like the white filing cabinet that served as a night stand and stood out like a sore thumb. Especially under the antique brass bed lamp.
Lilou shrugged. “It was the best we could do in such a short time.” She scratched her elbow, seemingly scanning all the imperfections.
“It’s perfect. No one can do a better job dressing up an office.” Zoey leaned in for a hug. “Love what you’ve done with the place.” There was a small closet on the left wall, clearly not picked out by Lilou, and a door leading to an en suite. “Is this my bathroom?”
Behind the white door, the bathroom presented itself as if it belonged in this building: white, with a small shower and vanity. “Two more days and I’d have worked my magic on that
space too.” Lilou crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. “Right. I’ll let you settle and pick you up in thirty minutes. I got a little briefing with my superiors now.”
She was out before Zoey had a chance to nod.
The unknown side of the coin
“Check your email! Now!” Sam urged Emma over the phone. If ever there was a person in this universe who loathed surprises of any kind, it was her and Sam was crossing fingers on the opposite end. She hadn’t stopped giggling since she got the news.
A long silence followed. “Is she out of her mind?! She must have spent a fortune on these tickets!” Emma rubbed her temples, still fazed. “I can take four days off but we’ll be jetlagged zombies by Wednesday!” Throwing a quick glance at her office, she sighed. Sam’s expectations for this particular Valentine’s Day were sky high. She’d never shut up about it if Emma pulled out.
“I’ll get you six bottles of wine for your trouble, then!” Sam chuckled under her breath. Pamplona, her ex’s hometown didn’t make the cut for the prime Valentine’s Day destination, but it was a change and change was fun. “I’ve already packed if that helps.” She squealed, all giddy.
“Spain does have incredible wine…” Emma shook her head. “Wouldn’t it be weird for you with Carlos and all? I mean, what if he’s there? What if you bump into him?” She would’ve crawled under a rock before seeing Frank again. At least for a decent month or two.
Sam on the other hand had a totally different approach. “I don’t give a flying fig as long as I got my sisters with me! Plus, Carlos doesn’t really live there anymore. Knowing that schmuck, he’ll probably be at another upscale restaurant this February 14th, making puppy eyes at the staff.” After all, that was exactly how they’d met.
Maybe Zoey needed this more than she led on. Sure Emma pictured Sam pulling something like this off but not Zoey. “Do we even know where we’re staying?”
“Would you relax?” Sam rolled her eyes again. “Zoey says she’s got it all planned and she’s almost as bad as you when it comes to this. Oh, would you just give into the frolic already?”
A long sigh later Emma seemed to have a date with destiny at the airport. “I think I might just take the rest of the day off to pack then.” A knowing smirk later, she swiftly moved the phone away from her ear. As expected, Sam shrieked loud enough to deafen reason.
γ
“Get the fuck out of my face!” Mia spat against the cold bars keeping her in place. As if she hadn’t seen enough of this forsaken place, she was now a caged animal. Literally. And Beck’s satisfaction hung on that sinister smile on the other side.
Jerk! The lab made her squirm, every inch of it a reminder of the freedom she’d come so close to. She was past the point of fearing for her life, it’d been too long since she actually had a resemblance of it.
Rufus. Three days had passed since she’d last seen him, maybe four and that guy wasn’t her Rufus. What had they done to him? The thought ate at her insides as she watched Beck sauntering in and out of the room. He never really answered any of her questions. He just stared, too close for comfort.
The cage they had her in seemed to be fit for a tall, large animal. She let out a long breath as she circled it for the tenth time in twenty minutes. Agonizing. They’d left her toilet paper and an improvised potty. A potty so she could smell her own feces and remind herself her freedom ship has sailed to no man’s land. Beck had told her more than once life was about the choices you made. Choices. As if she had any. They’d even removed her kalenium band so there was no way the optans had any clue of her whereabouts.
Not even the attire she woke up in had been her choice. Gray sweatpants and hoodie. A severe downgrade from her former designer heaven closet which she hated anyway. She hated everything and everyone right now.
Hissing at Beck from behind the bars once more, she saw him sliding in another smoothie. “Are you here to watch me shit again, you twisted perv?!”
He carefully backed away in his lab coat and pulled a chair. “That’s not a proper way to address someone who knows you on such an intimate level, Mia.” He cocked a brow and stared at her from behind the newspaper he suddenly decided to read. “Magnetic field’s a bitch, ain’t it?” That voice made her inside shrivel.
They never had to control her like that before, to cage her so that she couldn’t portal anywhere. Another layer of freedom she was stripped of. “You can’t keep me here forever!” Why Etienne decided she needed to remember everything was beyond her, yet again, he hadn’t bothered making her forget since they nearly beat her to death before meeting Rufus. She was certain they wanted her to remember what they were capable of and the reminders were all over, carved into her skin like names of lovers on innocent trees.
Beck laughed without a trace of humor. “Let’s see what Etienne has in stock for you, shall we? Drink your smoothie.”
She knocked it against the bars, sending the thick spatter all over the perimeter. Beck wiped some off his face, looking too motherfuckingly serene. “That’s a waste of good strawberries right there.” Licking his fingers, he examined his lab coat and paper from the comfort of his chair. Strawberry spatter wouldn’t keep him from reading away. Tension uncoiled in Mia’s stomach. No food in twenty-four hours. She knew the drill too well.
A flash of blue revealed Etienne had returned with a hopeful grin, walking poised toward Beck as he adjusted the collar of his dark leather jacket. “Good afternoon, Mia.” He whistled as he got a little closer. She hadn’t seen him since she woke up a few days ago, but this skippy mood was new to her eyes.
Next thing you know, he patted Beck on the shoulder and nodded as if saying ‘it’s done’. He freaked her out beyond belief. Beck was a monster, but for Mia, Etienne was another breed of creepy. And on top of all the horrors, Zoey’s ex-boyfriend.
She got closer to the bars and grabbed them with both hands. “Where’s Rufus? What have you done to him? Is he alive?” The probability of him being alive was the only thing keeping her from contemplating a drop hanging suicide.
Etienne’s head jerked up. All he had for her was a dry smile.
A change in momentum
It was too silent. A shower and sandwich later, Zoey sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for Lilou. She’d said thirty minutes. Thirty minutes of trippy agony rushing through her veins. It was like being tied to the tracks, awaiting the train to come. Who was she kidding? She didn’t really know who she could trust anymore and thoughts of Mia and Rufus made her heart jackhammer against the chest. James had Mia, the Alliance had Rufus and tomorrow, they’d have Sam and Emma.
This can’t end well. No matter the scenario, things didn’t play out in Zoey’s head. If the Alliance captured Etienne and Beck, they’d still be left with four altered subjects and a planet exposed to harm. There was no light at the end of this tunnel.
The door cracked open to reveal Lilou’s reassuring smile. But there was one question still lingering on Zoey’s lip. “Lilou, what is Mezin? Etienne said you could get back to Mezin if you joined him...” She bit her lip, remembering Lilou’s face when Etienne had said the words on Sarasate. Well aware the question was an intrusion on her behalf, this time around, she was going to ask all the questions. Especially the uncomfortable ones.
“Huh.” Raw emotion took over Lilou’s features as she carefully closed the door and took a seat beside Zoey on the green duvet. Lilou didn’t make any eye contact, but looked as if she was summoning all her willpower to produce an answer. She slumped against the duvet, staring at the wooden frame. “Mezin is my sister.” She said in a low voice. “The Alliance was working on planet Dars and my sister and I were part of the team they had sent for surveillance. They were on the verge of joining the Alliance when Dars representatives suddenly decided they did not want to become a member of the I.P.A. and therefore all troupes had to be retrieved and mission aborted.” Zoey watched Lilou’s fingers curl into a small fist on her stomach. “We’ve been there for a long time, possibly around
three years and Mezin made the catastrophic mistake of falling for a darsel.” That sounded too familiar for Zoey. “Naturally, as Dars didn’t want to become a member of the I.P.A. we had to gather our toys and our crew and move on. She couldn’t have stayed. If you want to cease being a soldier, you can quit after any mission and go back to a regular job on your home planet.”
“I’m sorry.” Zoey leaned on her side to face Lilou.
She watched her shift uncomfortably, lowering her voice even more as she spoke. “Long story short, Mezin faked her own death to be with Leiki, the one she’d fallen for.” There was no easy way to say this but Zoey deserved to know. “It was Etienne who actually helped my sister fake her own death and if anyone ever finds out about this, we’re all going down as traitors.”
No one could have prepared Zoey for this kind of truth. “James? My James?” Her fingers instinctively covered her mouth.
“They’ve known each other since they were kids.” Lilou admitted. “Of course he and Mezin were close friends, probably closer than I’ve ever actually been to her, so yeah. Etienne had science on his side and all I had to do was deliver a message. He slipped me a pill for Mezin and that was that.” She sighed. “The rest was just between the two of them and it was the most perfectly orchestrated death in the book.”
Watching her eyes peering sightlessly at the ceiling, Zoey curled her fingers around Lilou’s wrist. “God, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“Mezin was his first love, you know.” Lilou turned on her side and rested her head on her arm. Surprisingly, Zoey had pursed her lips and looked as shocked as she’d imagined. “I’m guessing you’re his last, so yeah, I did have a clear idea of what he was capable of doing for love.”
A rush of everything. That’s what was going on with Zoey.
Hot and cold flashes.
Found in Amber Page 3
