“How do they have access to the Priestess’ computer system, and you don’t?” Gideon asked.
Suki smiled. “He paid us more for exclusive rights. Doesn’t mean we can’t get them back when the price is right. Or in your case, the cause. But even if we get you to the computer, I can’t guarantee you’ll find what you’re looking for,” Suki said. “Neither the Zoons nor the Consulate have been able to break through the Priestess’ security.”
“That’s not a problem,” Lena said. “I can get Tern past the Priestess’ security.” All eyes turned towards Lena. “I can access the Priestess’ system undetected. It’s a long story, but I can do it.”
“No, Lena,” Gideon said. “We’re finding Tarek and leaving Mir.”
Lena bit her lip, she didn’t want to fight him. “Gideon, I’m not arguing with you. This is a way we can help my friend. My friend who was captured because of me.”
“You should let her help. If she has a way to bypass the system’s security, then the most dangerous part is getting into The Port—which you have to do anyway,” Suki said.
Gideon gave Suki an unappreciative look.
“Dorry did something to my insignia. I can do it,” Lena explained, holding out her hand for them to see the Priestess’ insignia. She surged with hope. She had found a way to help. And stay on Mir a little longer.
“Dorry?” Evren’s eyes went wide. “Do you mean Dorrijan?”
Zeke had also used the name Dorrijan when referring to Dorry. “Yes, I believe that’s his real name,” Lena respond. “I only knew him as Dorry.”
“Dorrijan is only the greatest inventor of all time,” Evren went on. “I mean, he’s brilliant. Most of the technology used today have elements he invented in them. He’s a genius. Absolute genius. His tech is the reason I can’t break into the Priestess’ system. It’s also the reason I can break into the IMA’s.” Evren chuckled. “Kind of funny if you ask me.”
Gideon crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his feet shoulder width apart. The creases in his forehead furrowed. “Fine,” Gideon said. “I’ll help you break into the Defense’s system. Then we’re leaving.” Gideon gave Lena a pointed look.
Lena smiled unabashedly. She was excited they were staying and this would give her more time to find a way to stay permanently. “I’m assuming 1 that the Zoons have a way to get into The Port unnoticed,” Lena said.
Suki smiled. “Of course I do.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lena stood on the edge of the cliff. The wind blew around her. She looked down and noticed she was in a dress. What was she doing in a dress? And why was she on the edge of the cliff? She searched the span. Had she been here before and why was it all so familiar? She gazed into the chasm below her. A group of people stood at the bottom all looking at her. Their screams terrified her.
“You must save them, Evangeline.” Lena looked to her right. Xenia the mystic, stood next to her.
“I don’t know how,” Lena whispered.
“Destroy her technology and she’ll have no way to control them. Give them something to fight for, and they’ll free themselves,” Xenia said, her voice humming through the air.
The world started falling away from her. The ground below her gave way. She started falling into the chasm. She gasped.
“Evangeline, wake up.” Lena jolted to a sitting position. Suki sat across from her. A table sat between them. Lena clenched the medallion in her hand. It took a few seconds before she remembered where she was. She sat up and looked around.
She was in the room in which she first met Suki. Only a few Zoons sat amongst the worn out furniture. Their conversations sounded like a low hum in the background. She must have dozed off. Lena looked across the room. Evren stood beside Gideon in front of a hologram. The hologram was replaying the scene at the waterfall. They were still analyzing Zeke’s behavior. Evren’s arms flew wildly as he talked. Gideon nodded and asked something inaudibly. She couldn’t have been asleep long. She noticed the box in front of her still filled with the broken pieces of the device. Lena fiddled absentmindedly with the box. She and Evren had examined the contents together before Evren asked to see the footage of Zeke to get a better understanding of what the device’s purpose was.
“You were screaming in your sleep,” Suki said across the table.
Lena hunched in her seat and looked to see if anyone else noticed.
“No one here cares,” Suki said. “We all have nightmares.” Lena looked at the Zoons around the room. Seeing their physical scars verified they must have emotional scars to accompany them. “What were you dreaming about?” Suki asked.
Lena looked back to Gideon. His arms were crossed in front of him and they kept flexing like he was ready to hit something.
“The night Everleigh was attacked, Gideon and I, met a mystic. The same one who gave me this necklace.” Lena grabbed at the necklace around her neck. “When I touched it, I was thrown into a vision. I saw Gideon on the other side of a cliff, but I couldn’t reach him.”
“And now you’re having this same vision in the form of a dream?” Suki summed up. Lena thought for sure her friend wouldn’t believe her, but Suki didn’t look phased by the confession. She looked interested, like she wanted to understand what was happening.
Lena shrugged. “The same, but a little different each time. Am I going crazy, Suki?”
“Probably,” Suki said with a nonchalant smirk. Her accusation made Lena relax and laugh. Suki still acted so much like she used to. Free with her thoughts and her words. Suki’s face grew serious. Leaning back in her chair, she looked as if she were searching for the right words. “People on Mir, are very science-based,” Suki finally said. “But my parents came from another world so my thoughts aren’t as streamlined. I personally think dreams are a form of communication,” Suki said. “They help show you things you can’t see when you’re conscious. They can help give you direction; help you find solutions to the problems that plague you while awake. Do you happen to know the name of the mystic you keep dreaming about?”
“Xenia. Gideon and I met her the day Everleigh was bombed,” Lena said.
“I’ve heard her name before,” Suki said. “Never met her myself.”
“What was Xenia doing on Mir in the first place?” Lena asked.
“Mystics, in general, follow their own spiritual pull. They go where they feel they should. I imagine she was in Everleigh because that’s where she felt the pull. When you saw her that first time, what happened?”
“Gideon and I we were on the square in Everleigh. He’d promised me my best day ever. Now I look back on that day, and it’s clear that Gideon was having his worst day ever.” She looked to Gideon who was now watching footage of Zeke in slow motion analyzing each movement. Evren had set up some type of flow chart he would input each movement into. Gideon pointed out various points on Zeke’s body as if clarifying each movement.
“Anyway, Xenia was peddling jewelry. Both Gideon and I saw the crystal necklace at the same time. We touched it at the same time. The next think I knew, I was looking across a cliff. Gideon was on the other side fighting the darkness surrounding him. There were people below us calling for help. As I left the dream, Xenia’s voice told me to reach Gideon. That it would take both of us together to accomplish our destinies.”
“I think she’s giving you direction,” Suki said. “From what I understand, up until this point, your visions have been centered around closing the gap between you and Gideon,” Suki said. “You’ve taken that step so it’s only natural she give you the next one.”
“I think Xenia is telling me to go to Everleigh,” Lena said. “That’s where our friend Thora is. I had another dream that said Thora was waiting for me.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of her telling you how to destroy the device and overthrow the Priestess. But yeah, I guess starting in Everleigh might work.”
Lena looked at Gideon again. He was pointing to his father on the screen to the device in
the box.
Suki looked at Gideon then Lena then back to Gideon. “You’re studying Gideon as much and he’s studying that holo,” Suki said. “What’s up with you two, anyway. You talk like your destinies are linked, but you’re acting all weird around each other?”
“Nothing,” Lena responded. She felt herself blush. She quickly looked away from Gideon and back at the table in front of her.
“Don’t tell me ‘nothing’. The way he looks at you. The way you look at him. The way you protect each other. You dreaming about him. It’s way more than nothing. Why aren’t you guys a couple, yet?” Suki placed her good hand under her chin. She blinked expectantly at Lena as she waited for her to reply. Lena focused on the scars around Suki’s ear. It was bumpy and wrinkled like aged skin, but at the same time, Suki wore it with confidence. Suki cleared her throat urging Lena to refocus and answer the question.
“You’re changing the subject. And not eloquently, either,” Lena said.
“I’m just trying to understand the whole situation,” Suki said. “And your relationship is the most confusing part of all of it.”
Lena let out a loud puff of air. She knew Suki was right, but how could she explain something she hadn’t taken the time to understand herself. “Look, Jonah—the last guy I dated— betrayed me, and then died horribly in front of me,” she said, hoping that would satisfy Suki. It didn’t. Suki gave her an unconvinced purse of the lips. Lena continued, “Besides we’re leaving Mir, and he’s going to do his own thing. I don’t really know what he’s going to do, but he’ll be doing something. And, in case I didn’t tell you, Gideon shot me.”
Suki shook her head totally unconvinced.
“Oh, and Gideon has a girlfriend. Azara,” Lena blurted.
Suki lifted her head from her hand. ”First off, we both know you’re trying to find a way not to leave Mir.” Suki glanced at Gideon then back at Lena. “You may be keeping your thoughts a secret from Gideon, but I know you’re grasping at any reason to stay. As for Gideon’s girlfriend?” Her eyebrows rose in disbelief. “I don’t know who this Azara is. But Lena, Gideon has always loved you. From the time you were kids. There’s no competition.”
Now Lena was really blushing. “Did you know that the Priestess is Gideon’s mom?” Lena said, purposely turning the conversation away from herself.
“What?” Suki shouted dropping her arm to the table with a dramatic slap. “The mom who abandoned him?”
“You knew, didn’t you?” Lena said.
“Yeah, I may have heard. I didn’t know it when we were kids. I guess only a few people knew her real identity back then. But you can stop her. The prophecy says you can stop her. And the dreams you were just telling me about, they’re showing you how.”
“The thing is, Suki, I don’t think the prophecy is about me alone. If it’s about me at all.”
“What makes you say that?” Suki asked.
“I don’t know. The words of the prophecy. The offspring of your greatest threat to power. That’s really vague. It could mean anyone.” She looked at the Zoons lounging around the room. It could also mean a group of… anyone. She paused her thoughts and looked at her arms. They had goosebumps. Rubbing the bumps she turned back to Suki.
“Gideon wants me to leave Mir. And in my logical mind, I know it makes the most sense.”
“But you’re confused because the dreams seem to be leading you in a different direction.”
“Yes!” Lena said, so relieved that Suki understood.
Suki looked at her silently, gathering her own thoughts. “Lena, I know you’re grasping at any opportunity you have to stay on Mir—”
“But you think I should leave,” Lena interrupted.
“Not at all,” Suki said. “You’ve had your own confirmation that you and Gideon should work together. Go forward with what you know and the unknowns will reveal themselves.”
“What do you mean?” Lena asked.
“Something big is coming. Be ready.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gideon, Evren, Ollie, and Bates stood around the hologram of the Port. Evren beckoned to Lena and Suki to join them. Tern stepped next to Lena causing her to jump. She hadn’t even noticed him in the room.
“This device can get us through the shield at any location,” Gideon explained to Lena. “Our problem is that the Priestess has increased her security around the Port’s shield. There is no spot we can sneak through without a soldier seeing us.”
Ollie was brimming. “We cun get ya in The Port, no problem,” said Ollie. “The trick, ya see, is not gettin’ caught. But Bates un I come up with a plan to distract.” Ollie smiled.
Bates had never really warmed to them since their sudden initiation. But Suki was right, he was loyal and took his job protecting the Zoons seriously. Lena respected him for it. Ollie puffed out his chest as he explained the plan. Some of the Zoons around him rolled their eyes, but Lena could see their excitement as well.
“Once we get into The Port, we’ll go to our safe house. The Genosee Consulate is having a gala which I happened to procure an invitation to. We’ll be able to get in without a problem,” Suki said. “Sneaking into their control room should be easy.”
Gideon nodded. “We’ll go to the Genosee Consulate, help Tern find Birdee, then contact Tarek. Eves will leave with him,” Gideon instructed.
Suki gave Lena a sideways glance, reminding her of their earlier talk. Lena straightened her shoulders. She could do this, she told herself. She could find a way to stay.
***
Merchants crowded the streets with carts selling food, clothes, and house goods. She’d heard about markets. She hadn’t imagined them smelling so bad. Lena blinked. Bits of information floated above almost everything she looked at. Lena wasn’t sure if she liked the lens Evren had given her. Mostly it just displayed names, but every now and again a person she looked at had information about transactions with the Zoons, or offenses against them. It fascinated her and made her mind swim with all the extra information. One person Lena looked at had so much information floating above him that Lena forgot to look where was walking and tripped over the edge of the sidewalk. Gideon’s hand caught her arm and he waited for her to regain her footing. She gave Gideon a sheepish look before blinking the information away. Gideon had refused to put his lens in. She hadn’t ask him why but now she wondered if she should take hers out as well. Suki was right, it was distracting. Refocusing on where she walked, she watched scrapped-together bots floating around, acting as servants to their masters.
Lena reached into her pocket and pulled out the money Suki had given her before they left the old opera house. Lena had resisted taking it and said she’d be fine, but the Zoons around them had laughed. “She’ll just steal it back,” one Zoon had said.
She walked along the street. Peddlers called to her from all directions. Dirty kids sat along even dirtier gutters eyeing a cart of roasting food. Lena examined the food. The meat smelled old and looked overcooked. Still, she handed the children a coin.
She found a hat cart and bought a hat to help her fit in better. As she turned from the hat cart, an old woman bumped into her. Her head barely reached Lena’s chest. She looked at Lena and smiled. Lena jumped back and turned to Gideon. He gave her a quizzical look and kept walking. When she turned back to the woman, she was gone. Lena knew she was the mystic. Standing on her toes she looked over the crowds of people, but the mystic was already gone.
The group split up on the street and headed towards the forcefield. Gideon, Tern, Lena, and Suki together. The rest of the Zoons took different routes toward The Port’s entrance. The closer they got, the cleaner the streets got and the wealthier the buildings looked. Lena couldn’t believe the striking difference in such a little distance. The morning light cast an orange hue on the buildings as it rose.
Tern grabbed her elbow, pointing to a group of soldiers ahead.
“We’ll break into the shield a quarter mile from this entrance,” Suki whispered. “Th
e road around the forcefield is heavily patrolled. But the Zoons will cause a distraction big enough we won’t have a problem getting in.”
The closer they got to the border, the thicker the crowds gathered, causing them to slow down. Lena saw the gates just in front of them and to the right. Lena could see the outline of the huge man Tern had told them about. He stood tot he side of the entrance. Lena couldn’t make out his details, but something about him caused her to shiver. The other guards at the gate checked every ship lined up to pass through and then turned each away. Guards were also searching the people walking on foot. They weren’t nice about it, either, throwing people to the ground if they objected to the search.
“She knows I’m here,” Lena said, almost in a whisper. “The innkeeper reported me. Now they’re searching everyone to find me. I bet that scary looking man at the gate works for her.”
“Let’s hurry,” Suki said. “Ollie should be distracting the guards any time now. Follow me. Stay close and don’t draw attention to yourself.”
Lena heard and explosion and Ollie’s distinct voice ululating near the gate. Gideon to grab Lena and tuck her into his side. Tern did the same to Suki. Black-clad soldiers ran past them towards the entrance. Suki led them to the street next to The Port’s shield. A small fence was the only partition between the forcefield and the street. Suki and Tern jumped over the fence first. Suki set up a small machine next to the forcefield. She pressed a button and the machine entered the barrier causing a disruption in the forcefield. A small hole appeared, then grew until its opening was just large enough for a person to slip through. Tern went through first followed by Suki.
“What are you looking at?” a man said.
Lena turned to see a soldier walking towards them. Gideon stepped in front of the hole hiding it from the soldier’s view.
“Answer me, peasant.” The soldier was clad in black with the Priestess’ red insignia on his shoulder. She knew by his uniform he held no authority.
The Children of The Resistance (The Mir Chronicles Book 2) Page 12