I take the gun and mask Marc hands me and am last in line to follow them out of the prison hall. As I’m passing Luke’s cell, I spot something under the pillow laid upon his cot. I leave the line and go to it, grabbing a folded scrap of paper. I stuff it into my pocket and hurry to follow the group to freedom. Or to another set up…
It’s hard to accept Luke isn’t next to me, and I’m about to attack this mission without him. His voice echoes in my mind. “You ready?”
“Yes,” I respond. “You ready?”
“Yes.” He comes into view, a transparent shine of particles making up my brother’s frame.
“Don’t stop until we’re out,” I tell him.
“Don’t drop.”
“Don’t doubt.”
“I got you,” he says and—maybe I’m imagining all of this—he lifts his arm and fist for me to meet.
I lift mine and meet his. “I…I got you, Luke.” We bump fists, and he disintegrates. I breathe and shake my head.
The others are a bit ahead of me when I turn my attention back to the mission. I use the anger that’s yet to wane and boost my adrenaline to push onward.
The pain is all in my head, it’s not real, I try to convince myself.
Pfft. Tell that to the burn crawling up my throat and the warm tear creeping from the corner of my right eye.
Clearing my throat, I remind myself, Battle now, mourning is over.
The others have loaded into the elevator room. Marc waves me in. I hustle to the elevator and move to the back. The two Vojin are in the front.
The door slides closed, and the elevator descends until we come to a smooth stop. The pink and blue Vojin are out first. The five of us silently follow out behind them into the wide, circular room where we had our first battle a few days ago. We walk through what could pass as a starless night sky. The room is dark, barely lit by the deep blue glass walls, floor, and ceiling. It’s quiet.
We cross the open floor to the wall on the other side, and a door slides up instead of sideways. It opens to another narrow hall, and we enter in a line, Marc taking the spot behind the blue Vojin.
We remain quiet as she jogs through the hall to another door where we stop. Marc pulls his handgun, one provided by the scientists that can handle the bullets specially made to kill the Vojin.
The blue Vojin faces the door, shoulders rising and falling as though he’s breathing nervously. He doesn’t speak but keeps his attention on the pink Vojin. Standing aside, Noranti places her hand against the center of the door before us. A blue horizontal line slides down the length of her hand from the four fingers to the heel of the palm, seeming to read her prints. Before Noranti presses down on the reader, she looks at Marc.
Marc clicks the safety off his gun as the blue Vojin turns to face him. The blue Vojin adjusts, scrunching down by a couple inches so the barrel of Marc’s hand gun can be aimed just left of where the heart should be. The precise area the scientists advised us is required to do the most damage to a Vojin. The blue Vojin nods to Noranti and readies himself for the next step, balling his fists and holding his head high.
I blink, and Marc fires a shot into the blue Vojin’s chest. The shot is silent, and the bullet quickly penetrates his frame. The Vojin cringes in pain and hunches over as his hands fly to his chest, though he doesn’t release a cry. The hole the bullet creates seals, and just like the others, his chest begins to expand as the combustible components react with the Vojin’s genetic material, causing the Vojin’s deep ocean blue hue to darken into a warm silver.
Noranti gives it an encouraging pat on the shoulder, and the blue Vojin feebly faces the door. As his color fades, the Vojin’s skin stretches almost to the point of bursting.
Noranti presses down on the reader, and the door slides open, revealing the three seven-foot Volones, Collins, and Cecilia. They look toward us, enclosed in a tight room with two floating beds and a clear glass table with a projected screen like one from the command center. On it are obscure circles with jagged edges and pie graphs with one quarter shaded in.
Collins and Cecilia whip around to face the door from the bed’s edge where the Volones lie. The five of them jump to their feet, intention to battle sewn into their crouched backs and narrowed eyes.
Marc kicks the once blue Vojin into the room just as he explodes, releasing the harmful gas. Collins and Cecilia aren’t wearing their masks.
Noranti presses down on the reader to close the door, and I thrash past the line and shove her hand away.
“Kylie,” someone says angrily in a muffled voice from behind me as I rush into the darkening room. I grab Collins as she coughs and topples to the floor. I drape her arm over my shoulder and help her to her feet to carry most of her weight as we hurry for the exit.
A seven-foot Volones moves in front of me. The gray fog surrounds him as if his entire body is breathing in the deadly fumes. He heaves for air, hands flying to his stomach as he drops to his knees. I kick the fallen Volones aside, and we climb over him. I ignore the crying and hacking behind me and continue to pull Collins from the room.
Noranti shuts the door.
Coughing, Collins manages to shout, “No!” turning for the door. “Please open the door?” she begs.
I take a step back, a smile playing on my mouth.
“You have to open this door!” she says, tears streaming down her slim cheeks. She grabs Noranti by the hand and slams it against the reader. “Open the damn door!”
I yank Collins away from Noranti, and she whips around, landing a punch on my jaw. “Get the hell away from me, Kylie!”
Breathing through the pain, I lick my dry lips. The satisfaction of Cecilia choking to death among the three Volones, her yells and cries to be saved pounding against the other side of the closed door, and her heavy coughs indicating death is soon to come are all far more pleasing than ramming my fist against Collins nose over and over again.
Unfazed by Collin’s threat, Noranti says, “We must go.”
Collins looks daggers at me. I smile and say, “Payback’s a bitch.”
Sean grabs her shoulder and pushes her to follow Noranti. Marc taps my arm with the back of his hand. “Don’t touch me,” I say under my breath, shoving him aside. “You’re next if you don’t stay out of my way.” I pass him, marching behind his brother.
Jord and Seits fall in in front of me, and Marc is at the rear of our line. We’ve picked up speed, racing down the hall, Noranti rushing us along saying, “We must hurry.”
But why? If the worst enemy is down, should we not be home free?
Something doesn’t feel right. We took care of those Volones too easily, and to be racing for an exit after being assured the worst of our problems is over…Something is up.
We burst into a familiar area. An empty room with glass walls lit in green: the same room we fell into on arrival. Panting, we halt and the door behind us seals shut.
Collins hunches over, heaving for air. As her tears drop onto the glass, she cries for her sister.
I look away from her, rolling my eyes. Nothing in this room has changed since the day we arrived, but I’ll be damned if they catch me with my guard down again. This pink Vojin has us racing through these halls, likely after doing her dirty work. I played along because I wanted to get out of here, but she’s admitted to hating humans and Creations. I draw my gun, click off the safety and aim it at Noranti. “What are we running from? The threat is over,” I say to her.
“What are you doing, Kylie?” Marc snaps.
“Shut up!” I point to him. “Tell me,” I say, gesturing to Noranti with my gun.
She extends her hands toward me, palms up. “Recall, Kylie,” she says in a pleading tone. “When I came to you, I explained the Volones were the ones who wanted to rule the universe. It’s not only three of them, but many that walk our corridors. We’re avoiding you all being attacked. The three you destroyed were the three in charge of you.” She turns her head as she makes eye contact with each of us.
U
nconvinced, I slide my finger over the trigger. “I don’t believe you.”
“Ky, we’re going home. Let her go so we can get there and save our planet,” Marc orders.
“I don’t believe you either.” Seits takes my left, her gun aimed at the Vojin. “Save our planet from what? We just eliminated the threat, didn’t we?”
With Seits’s eyes on the Vojin, I look to Marc. “While we’re stopped, let’s address the elephant in the room,” I start. “The only twins leaving here together are Jord and Seits.” Jord steps to my right, aiming his gun at Sean. “Now which of you will not be returning home?” I ask.
“What the hell, Ky,” Sean says, throwing an arm out at his side. “You do not need to do this.” His arm falls and slaps his leg. “We did not turn on you. We’re helping you! Let’s get the hell out of here.”
I purse my lips and shake my head. “That doesn’t sound like an answer, Sean. But no worries.” I hitch a brow at Marc. “If you can’t choose, I’ll choose for you.”
“Kylie,” Noranti calls. “Your anger over the murder of your brother is understood. However, you must realize your hate and the unnecessary death of others will only cause more destruction within yourself and your world.”
“Fuck off,” I snap. “You all must realize that I am a born Creation designed for Separation, to manage and maintain order with my twin at my side as my lifeline. You need to understand that if it was not for them,” I gesture to the three traitors, “my brother would still be here. You should also realize that I don’t care about this destruction. You have something up your sleeve, I just know it.”
Forget this.
I turn and aim at Marc, but at the last second, I hesitate. My shot hits him in the neck.
Sean leaps for his brother as Marc soars backward. Though the shots of these guns are silent, they sure pack a satisfying punch.
“Tell me the truth,” I tell Noranti. “Or you’re next.”
“You know the truth, Kylie. I am here to help you,” she says, pressing her palms together. “The Volones you took out were a major threat. You must go and go quickly. We will hold back those here willing to initiate further attack. We appreciate your help.” She squats down and places a finger to the ground. From the glass swirls a pit, starting small then spreading, opening a gateway for us to pass through.
Seits lowers her gun. “Let’s go with it, Kylie. We have nothing but their word to go off. Let’s get home, and we’ll figure it out from there.”
I bite my lip and feel my nostrils widen as I suck in an angry breath. We shouldn’t be walking away from this. But we’re still on their turf and risk not getting back to warn our people about what’s going on. “Okay,” I say. “Collins, you first, then me.”
“No way,” Collins says. Sweat moistens her cheeks, and she fiddles with her shaking hands. “Someone is going between the two of us.”
“Whatever,” I wave her off. “Collins first, Seits and Jord, and then me.” After she’s through the portal, she won’t know otherwise.
Chapter Eight
Collins jumps into the portal, and I’m hot on her heels. The colors of the Vojin circle around me as I fall through the tunnel and out of the hole. Collins is getting up from the floor as I climb to my feet. A bit dizzy from the fall, I stumble as I charge for her. Fear twitches the corners of her eyes. She crouches down, ready for my attack.
Throwing my weight forward, I tackle Collins to the floor. She tries to shove me off her, and as I knock her hands away with one fist, I ram a punch in her face with the other. I drive jab after jab into her face until her nose bleeds.
She groans. “Stop, Ky,” she gurgles.
Her throat is slippery from the pool of tears and blood. I squeeze her neck in my hands and press my thumbs against her airway.
Gasping, she beats her weak fists against my locked arms, and her legs kick roughly against the ground behind me, heels of her boots scraping at the tile floor. I ignore the pain from her feeble attacks. “Give, Collins,” I tell her as the muscles in her neck tighten. “Don’t fight it,” I say through my teeth.
She gasps for air, hands wrapped around my wrists, nails digging into my flesh.
“You better die before someone pulls me off you, Collins. If we have to go through this again, it’ll only get worse.”
I lift her up and slam her against the golden floor beneath us. My grip tightens around her neck, and I do it again. Her eyes lose focus, and she mouths, “Stop.”
I slam her against the floor again, and a blood vessel in her right eye bursts.
I hear the thud of someone else falling through the hole, and I tighten my hold and ram her against the floor harder and harder. Gah, she’s a fighter!
“Dammit, Kylie!” Marc shouts. I’m grabbed by my middle and yanked away from Collins. I throw my head back, headbutting him. He drops me, and I twist around to shove him away from me.
I turn back to Collins. She’s gulping for breath, flipped onto her side. “Stop, Ky,” she says with a hoarse voice, extending her palm in my direction.
Back at her, I flip her onto her back and look her in the eyes. “Beg me to stop, Collins,” I order.
Marc pulls me back again. “Kylie, stop! There are other pressing matters we need to handle right now.”
“Killing you will have to wait.” I smack his hand away from my arm. “I’ve only got a small window before someone else falls through that hole.”
Marc jumps in front of me. Beyond him, Collins is on her hands and knees catching her breath, having a hard time recovering. I snatch my gun from my pocket and aim it at him. “I could shoot you right now, Marc. Right in the head. Sean won’t make it to you in time. You want to die for her?”
Marc snatches my gun from my hand, fast as a flash of light. “You won’t kill me, Kylie,” he says in an uninterested tone. “Your love for me runs too deep. You’re mad, and we all get it. But cut the shit for now. We don’t have time for this.”
Nodding, I look away from him before I twist my entire body back around to throw a TKO. Eyes rolling back in his head, Marc stumbles backward and topples to the ground.
I drag my gaze away from his fallen body back to Collins. She’s yet to stand. I aim my gun at her temple and place my finger to the trigger.
“Ky, wait!” Sean’s fallen through the hole.
I face him. “No,” I say, pulling the trigger.
Sean grunts, falling to the floor, hand clutched at his chest while the other catches his fall. I grumble, watching Collins shuffle from the floor after being pushed out of the way by Sean. In my periphery, I see Marc turning onto his side. I march over to him. “I accidentally shot your brother. If you want him to live, I suggest you get it together and save him,” I say impassively.
He props his foot up, attempting to rise, and I kick him in the chest and force him back to the ground. Like I said, I will not be the only one without a twin. Marc hits the floor. I pass him, and he snags my ankles and yanks my legs from under me. I slap the ground and land on my wrist, groaning against the pain that can only be a sprain. He climbs onto my back and pins me to the ground, a hand pressed down on my head.
Marc takes a fist full of my hair and slams my head against the ground. He grunts, shoving me down as he gets up.
My sight blurs and fades in and out of focus. I squeeze my eyes shut, dazed from the impact worsening my already throbbing head. I push myself up on my arms and collapse, lightheaded.
I clear my throat and shake the dizziness away. When I part my lids, I can see clearly.
Marc’s made it to Sean. He’s healed. The others fall through the hole.
I stand, taking the back of my head in my hand, as they rise and look over the scene.
Seits rushes over to me saying, “We are in Highrum, not Arizona.”
I take a moment to survey my surroundings. The ballroom where we celebrated the Premier’s birthday. The golden floor where the attendees danced. Golden columns in all four corners accented by black flowers. Tables,
chairs, and the band is missing, but it’s the same place with wall-length windows and gold drapes. “Why’d she send us here?”
“To discuss the reasons for abolishing Creations,” Seits says. “After you were through the hole Noranti said the Guidance needed to be notified about their change in plans.”
I scoff, testing the heat of the gun’s barrel before I stuff it in my front pocket. They never returned my holsters. “Change in plans…”
Seits flicks her gaze to her left and rubs her index finger down the bridge of her nose. “We’ll have to find out what’s going on.”
Jord steps to Seits’s side and says, “We will locate the leaders of the Guidance. We need to warn them and let them know what we found out and accomplished during our mission.” His voice booms through the ballroom. “Kylie,” he says, with a heavy base of authority, “stand down.”
I stiffen at the demand, and anger pumps through my veins. “Stand down?” I thrust my arms out at my sides. “Why should I?”
His boots snap together, and he faces me, arms drawn behind his back. In his stance, his frame towers over me, and his narrow-eyed bore rebuts my questioning. “Captain, you are too angry and unfocused. Your blindness is putting us at risk. Find a hotel room and stand down until someone comes to get you. Respond.”
I grind my teeth, and the words cut from me. “I understand.” My gaze stays locked on his until he turns away. I turn on my heels and march out of the ballroom.
“Follow her,” he tells someone. “Make sure she makes it in and keep her there.”
Chapter Nine
*Marc*
As ordered, I follow Ky to the lobby of the building we landed in. I keep my distance. The hostility in each of her steps speaks loudly for her anger. I hate fighting with her, raising my hand to her sticks a nail in my side. I should’ve retaliated for her shooting Sean and me, but I understand she thinks I’ve deceived her.
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