by Jus Accardo
I frowned, trying hard to play my part as well as G had. He was positively perfect. “We’re not arguing about this, G. I’m not taking any chances. You’re too far along now. You’ve got hours—maybe a day.”
“Seems to me like the lady has spoken.” Dylan grinned. “Well?”
I took my time, looking from G to Dylan while I bit down on the corner of my lip. “The antidote first.” I held out my hand. I doubted he’d give it to me, but it looked more convincing to try again rather than to agree to his terms so easily. “We’re far more trustworthy than you.”
“Nope.” He shook his head, smile still in place. “I’ve been burned one too many times. You have my word, though. I’ll hand over the antidote just as soon as I have the drive in my hot little hands.”
I hesitated, and he sighed.
“You’re not my Ava, but you’re still her. A version of her. I don’t want to see you hurt or in pain. If this tool makes you happy, then I’ll do what I can to give him back to you.”
I didn’t believe a single word of it, but I forced a smile and nodded. “I guess we don’t have much of a choice.”
“I guess not.”
“I don’t like this,” G said as he woke his chip. I took his hand while Dylan slipped his into my free one. His grip was a little tighter than necessary, but I didn’t complain. We were almost at the end of the tunnel. This whole horrible ride might just have an end in sight.
Everything shimmered, and when it cleared, we were still standing in the alley, but the buildings were different. The dumpster was empty and the garbage that had littered the ground a moment ago was gone.
“So it’s on this world?” Dylan let go of me and poked his head around the corner. “Anything I should know? Specifics about the culture, et cetera?” He winked. “Wouldn’t want to get arrested before your boy finds his meds.”
“Normal world. We didn’t notice anything off-key when we were here to hide the drive.” G motioned toward the head of the alley. “Let’s get moving. The faster we’re done with this the better.”
We rounded the corner and started down the street. I kept glancing at Dylan to see if he recognized the area. So far so good, but I didn’t know how long that would hold up. I mean, this was his home. How long could we walk the streets before he realized where we were?
“So, I’ve never really gotten a chance to chat myself up,” Dylan said as we walked. He grinned at G like he was in on some secret. “What kind of world do you come from?”
G’s jaw clenched. I knew he wanted to snap, but I hoped he’d see the benefit of keeping Dylan distracted. “Don’t know,” he said after a few moments. “Cora stole my memories—or did you forget?”
“Yeah, but you must remember something? Were you up the Andersons’ ass like my brother? Did you have a brother?” He stopped walking for a moment to laugh. “Are you cheating on an Ava of your own with this one?”
I thought G would lose it then. His face drained of color, and he held his breath—probably counting. “No.”
Dylan seemed disappointed. “I met Ava when I was in first grade. We hated each other.”
“There was a version of me who hated you?” I offered a mock gasp. “How surprising.”
“I won her over by fifth grade.” He winked at me. “And hey…if something happens and I can’t get back to my Ava, you’ll learn to love me, baby.”
“I’m sorry,” G said. He stopped walking and was deathly still. After a few seconds, he turned to face Dylan. “That you lost your girl. It sucks, and given how things turned out for me, I have a pretty good idea where your head’s at. I understand why you’re so monumentally fucked up. It doesn’t give you a pass on the shit you’ve done, but I get it.” Like a snake, G lashed out and grabbed hold of his shirt front, dragging him close. With a violent shake, he added, “But talk about Sera like that one more time, and I will shred you. We clear?”
For a moment, all Dylan did was stare. There was the smallest hint of a grin on his face. “We are exactly the same, you and me. The sooner you get right with that, the better off you’ll be.”
G snorted and shoved him away. “We are nothing alike.”
Dylan shrugged and started walking again. “Guess we’ll see, eh?”
And that was it. From there we went along in blissful silence. I kept my eyes peeled for our backup, and G kept watch on Dylan, who strolled along like he didn’t have a care in the multiverse. After about fifteen minutes, I saw what I’d been looking for. Thankfully, G saw it, too.
He stopped walking and grabbed Dylan by the arm, twisting him around so they were face to face. “Know what? This is shit. Just give me the damn antidote.”
From there, everything turned upside down.
Dylan laughed, and G punched him hard enough to knock him off his feet. I screamed—catching the attention of the three men in black fatigues a few yards away. The same ones Cade promised, when we’d concocted the plan, he’d have patrolling the city for our arrival.
They barreled across the lawn and separated the boys. Dylan raged, realizing exactly what we’d done and where he was. He screamed and cursed and fought like a wild dog. G simply dropped to his knees and placed both hands behind his head as I did the same, all the while wearing an extremely satisfied grin.
On to phase two.
Chapter Twenty-Two
G
The officers cuffed me and loaded me into the back of their van without an ounce of objection. This world’s version of me wasn’t so subdued. He’d kicked and shouted and cursed until finally one of the soldiers had to come back and sedate him. The rest of the ride was blissfully quiet.
They’d cuffed Sera, too, but I wasn’t worried. Not when they separated us, leading her in one direction while they nudged me down a different hall, or when they deposited me in a small jail cell and locked me in nice and tight.
I estimated that it’d been a little over an hour when I heard footsteps in the hallway. Heavy footfalls, giving way to softer, faster ones. I hopped off the cot and pressed myself closer to the bars. “Sera?”
A few seconds later, she came into view. “G? You okay?” She skidded to a stop in front of the bars, hands reaching through to grab mine immediately.
“He’s fine,” someone said from behind her. Cade was there. Noah, too. But the speaker was Karl Anderson. “My men knew right away who our Dylan was. This young man complied without causing a scene.”
“So, you’re the good version of Anderson, huh?”
The old man laughed. He was more battle-worn than the Karl Anderson I’d become familiar with, rugged where the other Karl was smooth. But there was a light in his eyes not present when you looked at evil Cora’s husband. Something that made me want to trust him. “One of many, I hope.” He stepped back and motioned for the soldier behind him to unlock the cell.
The moment he did, Sera threw herself into my arms. When she pulled back, her expression was grim. “They searched him, G. There’s no antidote.”
I didn’t tell her, but I hadn’t expected there to be. Dylan was too smart. If it were me, there’s no way I’d be carrying the stuff with me. I’d have it tucked away, someplace nice and safe. “We’ll deal.”
“We’ve got people working on it,” Anderson said. He wore a black suit adorned with a bright red sash that was decorated in medals.
The soldier in me recognized the superiority of his rank and respected him for it, but the prisoner in me, the one who’d been kept stashed away in the Infinity basement, had to breathe deep and remember his control. “Appreciated, sir.”
Sera nodded her thanks to him as well, then turned to Cade. “Everyone is okay? Kori? Ash?”
“They’re fine,” he said with a smile. “Cora is actually out of the country right now, so Kori is kind of sitting on pins and needles.” He glanced over his shoulder at the General’s retreating form. “But she met him. I’ve never seen the old dog tear up before…”
“So, what now?” I interjected. As nice as the mushy
shit was, it wouldn’t solve our current problems—which were many. “You have him in custody?”
Noah nodded. “Fucker is locked up tight, and that’s where he’s going to stay.”
“Not gonna work,” I said, folding my arms.
Noah glared at me while Cade raised a brow. “Why?”
“Because Cora is going to be expecting him when she gets here. She made a deal with him—not you.”
“So?” Noah waved his hand down the hallway. “Get a haircut and act like an even bigger dick than you already do. Problem solved. Instant Dylan.”
“Problem not solved,” Sera said. “There’s too great a risk that Cora will know he’s G and not Dylan. She’s got trackers in the both of us. She’s too smart not to check all her bases before wandering into enemy territory.”
Cade frowned. He knew she was right. “Let me talk to Rabbit. He’s—”
“Phil MaKaden?” Sera’s face turned ashen.
“Yeah.” Cade smiled. “He’s a friend. You met a version of him when we freed you, remember?”
I took Sera’s hand and squeezed. “MaKaden is kind of a—”
“It’s fine,” she said. There was the slightest pitch in her tone. No one who didn’t know her would ever hear it. “Sorry. You were saying?”
“Yeah. Rabbit? He’s apparently working on base full-time now.”
“A lot’s changed in a year, man,” Noah said with a smile.
“It has,” Cade agreed. He turned back to me, then nodded to the other end of the hall. “There are bunks down there if you guys want to rest a while. I’ll check with Rabbit and see what we can do to keep Dylan in line. The general won’t even consider letting him out unless he’s sure he can be controlled.”
“Not to worry, though.” Noah let out a hoot. “Our Rabbit is a genius. I’m sure he’s got something we can use.”
I turned in the direction of the bunks, but Sera hesitated. “Actually, is there any way I could see him? Dylan?”
Noah’s mouth fell open, but Cade nodded slowly. He knew what she wanted, and although I could tell he felt it was a waste of time, he pointed to the entryway at one end of the hall and said, “Through that door. Tell the guard you have level nine clearance, and when he asks for the password, give him Jenga.”
“Jenga?” Sera quirked her brow.
Cade waved as he turned and followed Noah down to the other end of the hall. “Don’t ask…”
…
We’d stood in front of Dylan’s cell for twenty minutes. When he’d finally acknowledged our presence, it was only to flip us off and roll onto his other side.
“He’s not going to tell us where it is,” Sera said as we made our way to the bunkers. We’d been told to go there after we were done here. Rest up—because that was likely, right? With all the crap going down, a nice little nap was just what the doctor ordered…
“Probably not.” We got to the bunk room, but instead of sinking onto one of the ten beds, I slid down the wall. The pain was back, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. The more I moved, the more obvious it would become, and I didn’t want her to know. Not just yet.
“Then I’ll go to Rabbit. He’s like some super genius here, right?” She sank to the ground and balanced on her heels in front of me. “If my blood is the main ingredient, then maybe he can use it to create a cure. A vaccine.”
I shook my head. I didn’t have the energy to move right now, and she couldn’t go by herself. If she was alone with him… “You can’t.”
“Like you could stop me.” She thrust her chin out defiantly and stood.
“I’m asking you not to go.”
Her brows rose, and her eyes narrowed. “Why?” She took a step away from me. “Tell me what you’re hiding.”
I tried. I really did. On one hand, she deserved to know. But on the other, that missing knowledge amounted to a certain level of freedom. Freedom she’d never get back if she knew.
When I didn’t respond, she sighed. “I know you believe whatever it is you’re not telling me is for my own good, but I’m a big girl. A fighter—your words, not mine. But you’ve believed in me, in my strength, for more than a year now. What changed?”
Silence.
“I’m sorry, G. I’m going. He—”
“Sera!” I managed to grab her arm and tug her back to the ground. “You’re right, okay? There’s something I haven’t told you.”
“About?”
“About when I first got to Infinity.”
She settled down, tucking her legs beneath her. “Okay…”
Deep breath. I nodded to her wrists, trying not to cringe when she lifted them to glance at the scars there. “I lied. About not knowing the specifics.”
“You… Why would you lie?” Her tone wasn’t angry, really. It was more confused. Hurt.
“Honestly? Several reasons—one being you asked me to.”
“I asked you to lie to me?” Now she was angry.
“Not really in those words, but you told me you wanted to forget. You felt the serum starting to work. Your memories were fading, and you confessed that you were glad about it.”
“Why would I possibly be—”
“You and Rabbit, on your world, you were engaged.”
“Engaged?” Her face was pale.
“No. I mean, yes. But engaged is the wrong word.”
“There’s another word for engaged?”
“It wasn’t your choice, okay?” Anger bubbled in my gut. I remembered her words perfectly. The night she’d told me, it’d been a turning point for us. For me…
…
She’d been quiet, the girl in the cell next to mine. Ava. Usually she chattered away until the early morning hours, but tonight she was oddly silent. It shouldn’t have bothered me. I couldn’t count the number of times I’d begged her to shut up. But for some reason, the silence felt wrong.
“Hey,” I called out. “You alive over there?”
Silence.
“Hey? Av—”
“I tried to kill myself.” It was barely a whisper, but I heard it as clearly as if she’d been standing right next to me.
I jumped to my feet and flung myself at the bars. Part of my brain registered the response as ludicrous. Why the hell did I care what she did? Another part, though… Another part was frantic. I tried to convince myself that it was because if she was gone, then I’d be here alone. For all my bitching, the idea terrified me. “What—what did you do? Hey! Someone help us!”
She laughed, a soft sound that was almost airy. Almost, if you could ignore the bleak undertones as it bounced off the dank walls around us. “Not today. Not here. Back home. Right before I woke up in this place, actually.”
“I—” What the hell was I supposed to say? “Sorry”? “Bet you wish you hadn’t failed”?
“Uh, why?” I didn’t know if it was the right thing to ask, but I had nothing else.
“My father made some very bad investments. Our family was in heavy debt to a man named Phil MaKaden. He agreed to cancel their debt in exchange for me.”
I’d seen some twisted things in my time, but this was a new level of fucked up. “They sold you to him?”
She chuckled. “Yeah. I guess that’s a really good way to put it. He treated me like property, after all. I wasn’t a person; I was a possession. He kept me under house arrest. Treated me like some trophy he’d take out when he got bored.”
I wanted to say something comforting, but I had zero experience with this kind of thing. Instead, I simply sat there and let her keep going. Maybe if she purged this poison, she’d be at peace for however much time we had left.
“I couldn’t take it. Being someone’s possession… I killed myself—at least, I thought I had. When I woke up, I was in a cell at Infinity.”
“Ava, I’m—”
“Don’t!” Something crashed against the wall. “I hate that name. Sera…” Her voice shook a little. “My middle name is Sera. After my grandmother. I always planned to run away.
Use it and start a new life. Now it looks like I’ll never get the chance.”
“We could still get out of here.” I didn’t believe it for a second, but I felt compelled to comfort her. “Who knows? Maybe they’ll even let us go.”
She laughed, a sharp sound that made me cringe. “I doubt it, but even so, it wouldn’t matter.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m losing it all. Everything. My life is starting to fade, G. I’m forgetting things. You know what, though? I’m not sorry. I’m not sad. Maybe this is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Maybe for a short time, before they do whatever it is they plan on doing with us, I’ll have peace…”
…
When I was finished spilling my guts, her mouth fell open, eyes going wide.
I felt a spark. A small flicker of life inside me. I climbed to my feet and chased it, the weight that had been crushing me for so long starting to lift.
If I wanted her gone, truly safe and out of my life, the truth—the whole truth—might do it.
“How do you remember all this?” Her eyes narrowed. “Every tiny detail?”
“Because I lied about that, too.” I banged my fist against the side of my head. “I remember everything. Every moment of my miserable, garbage life before, and every single second of my life after. Every word you ever said to me—and every single one I ever said to you.”
She stood and turned away from me.
“I was horrible to you. I shouted at you and cursed at you and told you I’d rather die than hear your constant yapping.” I started pacing. I stalked the room from end to end, muscles tight and fingers twitching like an addict. “You just kept talking. Over and over. You kept repeating your name, Ava Fielding, and how you hated it. How you would do anything to shed it. Sera. Your middle name is Sera. You loved it. Something about your grandmother….” She’d turned and watched me. I didn’t stop, and I didn’t look at her, but I saw from the corner of my eye each time I passed.
I stopped pacing, winded, and slumped back against the wall on the other side of the room, as far from her as I could possibly get.
“I didn’t know if my memories would fade, so I carved my name into the wall of my cell. Dylan Granger. I didn’t want to forget. I wanted to remember. To never let go of who I was—because who I was deserved to be in that hell. Ending up one of Cora’s lab rats? It was more than I deserved.”