by Rachael Wade
Lorie spun around to face the rest of us, her eyes wild. “If we walk away from this, we let our race down. We doom them all to an empty wasteland. These creatures won’t bring us to a new Earth unless we choose, with all the love and warmth and sincerity in our hearts, to submit to them and their plan. Free will?” She turned back to Elara, flames still dancing in her eyes. “Please. You leave us no choice but to help you if we want to save our people. Free will has nothing to do with it. I chose to report here to find out the truth, and because I was afraid. That’s what you’re selling here. Fear. Do what you want us to, or else. Well, I’ve had enough of that.”
“I have spoken.” Elara tapped the keypad once more and turned off the projector. The images vanished along with the screen, and her arms returned neatly to her sides. “There is nothing left to report. I have answered your questions, and what remains is your choice. You must choose to accept what I have presented to you or choose to decline.”
Kale’s knuckles whitened at his sides. They balled into fists, and I fought the urge to scream. Elara was right. We did destroy our planet. And maybe she did hold the key to a new beginning. Maybe the Invaders did have all the power here. But Lorie was right, too. We were being backed into a corner, without much of a choice. Apparently, our race was depending on us, and if we wanted any future at all, we had to choose to surrender to this plan.
“One last question,” Kale said, his voice quiet. Resolved. “Why did you make us?”
“We wished to.”
“That’s … that’s it? Please. I need to know.” I glanced at Kale and a pang of sadness assaulted my gut. His eyes were desperate, his lips turned down in defeat. He really did need to know, and I pitied him. I didn’t want to know—for disappointing reasons exactly like that.
“Affirmative. That is all. Are you accepting your role as Shepherd?”
Kale looked to me, then the others, his hurt gaze bouncing between us. He swallowed and nodded, swinging his brown eyes back to Elara. “Yes, I guess.”
“Good. Now it is time to visit the recruits. If you all agree to accept your positions, then follow me, please.”
One of the male Shepherds who’d been standing next to Lorie finally spoke. “Well, at least she’s polite,” he muttered under his breath.
“Lorie?” Kale asked.
“I want nothing more than to storm out of here, but I’ll never be able to live with myself if I did that,” she said. Rolling her eyes, she started after Elara and we all followed, closing the stretch across the tower until we reached the tall chrome door.
We made our way through the doorway and into a long glass tunnel. My jaw fell slack in awe at the sea life swimming all around us, but the alluring sight didn’t shake the thorn lodged into my side.
Everything Elara was saying contradicted itself.
The Invaders were asking us to accept their word on blind faith, after they’d torn our planet to pieces and forced us into servitude. Could I ever really accept that? Every part of me hated that I actually wanted to. Was it the damn chip implanted in the back of my neck making me feel this way? Would my loyalty really deepen the longer this thing was in me? Did I want to wait around long enough to find out?
“Now entering the recruit shells,” Elara said, her voice a lifeless guide in the long glass tunnel. We stopped in front of a dome-like door, which did in fact look like a shell. “I will escort each of you into separate shells, where you will be assigned to accommodations. You will be provided with all specifications for what to look for in recruits. Ideally, you will select humans that best possess those specifications. Remember, you are building a brand-new Earth. Your goal is to build a valuable team of upright citizens that will contribute to your new society.”
I glanced warily at the shell door. “What happens to the other people on Earth—I mean, our Earth? We just leave them behind?”
“The strongest and the most efficient are being identified in each camp and then filtered through our selection process. They are then sent here for evaluation and training until we feel we are satisfied with the selections.”
Kale spoke up. “So you’re weeding out the good from what you consider the bad, is that it?”
“Affirmative.”
“That’s disgusting, you do realize that, right?” Lorie seethed. “Oh, wait. You do realize it, you just don’t care.”
“We are compassionate creatures. Casualties are a natural part of the process, just as they are in your earthly wars. They are a necessary component for progress.”
“That’s absurd. And this isn’t a war, remember?” Lorie glared at Elara, the hate so strong, I could feel the heat radiate from her skin. “You came for peace,” she made little quotes in the air, “and to send us to a squeaky-clean new planet. Because you just love us to pieces and want to pinch our cute little cheeks.”
“Affirmative.”
“For crying out loud.” Lorie dropped her head into her hand, letting out a loud sigh.
Elara led us through the shell door, then escorted us one by one through different doors. As she took Lorie to one room over, I waited patiently with the remaining Shepherds in the hall. “Are you guys really on board with this?” I whispered. “Because if we want out, we need to walk away now.”
“They don’t leave us a choice,” Kale said. “They have us by the balls. This wasn’t what I imagined … not at all what I was hoping for.”
“What were you hoping for? A little handshake? A written peace treaty?”
“Hey,” he chided, pinning me with molten brown pools, “you were on board back in that control room.”
“Yeah, until I heard all of Elara’s crazy shit. Something doesn’t feel right, Kale. I want to be here, but—”
“But you want to run, right?”
I nodded.
“Me too, Skylla. Me too.” He shot a nervous glance to the door Elara had escorted Lorie through. “I’d love to know what made us all so special to be selected as the Sacred Seven. But this lady—”
“Thing,” I corrected him.
“This thing is sending me all sorts of mixed signals. Everything it’s saying is detailed, but cryptic. How do we know what to believe?”
“Whatever we choose to believe, we better figure it out, because that vague feeling to surrender? That desire to be loyal to these things? I already feel it, and it’s only going to grow deeper … I feel like I’m losing control or something.”
“I know what you mean. Look, just keep your wits about you. As soon as we have a chance, we’ll talk more about it, okay?”
“Affirmative.”
He rolled his eyes and cracked a small smile, but there was fear there. I understood completely.
I was afraid myself.
FIFTEEN
Only Kale and I remained as Elara returned from escorting the other Shepherds to their shells. We’d chosen to play it safe and cease our conversation. God only knew what these things could hear or what they were capable of. I wasn’t sure when would be a good time to resume our conversation, but it certainly wasn’t now.
“Kale, you may come with me,” Elara said, gesturing Kale to follow her. He tossed me an uneasy look but hurriedly recovered and turned to follow her. The hallway went silent as they disappeared, and I stared down at the cold white tile floor that matched the white walls, and the white ceilings. I fingered the collar of my shirt, beginning to feel claustrophobic. I preferred the glass-tunnel walkway that led us here. Hell, I even preferred the glass tower we’d arrived in. This place felt like an underwater tomb.
A well-lit, bright-white one.
“Skylla Warden?” Elara’s voice filled the space again, and I was about to release a relieved breath, but then I saw her expressionless face and my lungs seized up. I didn’t like being alone with this woman. This thing. I was waiting for her to morph back into an Invader at any moment and shove one of those Aqua Bombs into my chest.
Telling me to come with her, she began to lead me down the hall. “Elara,” I
said, watching curiously as we passed by the shell doors, “aren’t we going into one of those rooms?”
“Negative. The others report there. Not you.”
“Why not me?”
Her stride slowed and her face turned toward me, hovering over the side of her shoulder as she glanced back in my direction. “So many questions.” She stopped in front of a silver door and busied herself with the entry code, effectively dodging my question. “Ah, here we are.”
We stepped inside and came face to face with a large glass window that overlooked a plain beige, empty room. Elara gestured for me to take a seat at the table. “You may wait here. Please excuse me a moment.” She stepped out and I sat down, unsure what to do with my hands. I placed them gently on my lap, then brought them up to the cool silver tabletop. The silence was overwhelming. Unable to sit still, I stood and pushed my chair back, then walked around the table and toward the glass window. I peered down into the empty room. It was nothing more than a cement slab. What was this place? Where were all these so-called recruits? Where were those accommodations she spoke of?
A flicker of black pierced the corner of the room behind the glass, and in walked two faces I recognized, and that clearly recognized me. The faces I’d tried so hard to remember. Wide, fierce, crystal-blue eyes found mine. The guy was about my age. Tall and staggeringly handsome. With broad shoulders and a defined physique, it was clear he looked after himself. What was he? A soldier, maybe? My memory of him was still spotty, my mind groggy. His mouth moved as he tried to say something to me, but I couldn’t hear him. A small girl trailed behind him, her Asian features as striking as her silky ebony hair. She stared back at me, then glanced up to the man holding her hand, her mouth moving. The door they entered through shut behind them and they flinched, both turning to peek back at it.
I sent them a wry smile and hesitantly raised my hand to give them a small wave. The gesture seemed to upset them. The guy flew forward and his palms landed on the glass, his brow furrowed and mouth moving faster now. His distressed expression sent me stepping closer to the window. I brought my face to his and searched his gaze for something familiar, but only traces of my past memories with him surfaced. I’d spent time with him. Fought the Invaders and traveled here to help save his sister. I’d slept with him more than once, and the knowledge that we’d both seen each other naked further unsettled me. It was as if my intimacy with him was intimacy with a stranger. All of these memories, yet no feeling for the man on the other side of the glass other than curiosity.
The door clicked behind me and I turned to find Elara. “Thank you for waiting,” she said.
I pointed to Jet and Hera. Kale said their last name was Phoenix. “These were our friends. Why did you lie to us back there?”
“There was already too much tension. There was no need to escalate the situation.”
“So, what are they doing in there? Can’t you bring them in here so I can speak to them?”
“You wish to speak to them?”
“Um … yeah, I’d like to. They were our friends.”
Elara pursed her lips, her blank eyes falling on Jet through the glass. He glared back at her and pounded on the window. “It is my duty to show you the truth.”
“The truth?”
“The man you call your friend, Jet Phoenix, attempted to destroy Central Control. We found evidence of explosives.”
The memories continued to trickle in. “No. He dismantled them. He had nothing to do with those explosives.”
“We brought both him and the girl in for questioning before execution … unless you wish to select them as recruits for Foundation Zero. If that is the case, they must undergo various rounds of testing and training.”
“Wait, execution? And I can do that? I can save them and bring them with us?”
“That is your decision. You are the Seventh Shepherd. You have final say.”
“And why is that?” I turned my entire body toward hers, intrigued and borderline desperate for the answer.
“In time, you will receive your answer.”
“No, I want to know now. Stop dodging our questions. You want us to cooperate? Then you need to be straight with us.”
“Right now, I have other information to report.”
“And that would be?”
“Not only did we identify Jet Phoenix as an enemy to our kind—which, shall I remind you is where your loyalty now lies—but we also have proof that he is an enemy to you, as well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You call these people your friends.” She shot a glance at Jet and Hera, who were still pounding away at the glass. Jet was screaming, but I didn’t hear a lick of it. All my mind could focus on in that moment were Elara’s words. “But they are far from friendly. Hera, the little girl you know as Jet’s adopted sister, has done nothing but resist our direction in the children’s training camp. She has attempted to sabotage our control rooms, she has rebelled against authority at every turn, and she even helped fellow children recruits escape. Luckily, we caught her before she escaped, too.”
“Well, your kind was holding her prisoner. She’s a child. She’s afraid, and she misses her family.”
For the first time since I’d met Elara, a hint of irritation flared on her face. Her eyes were no longer lifeless, but full of offense, and the lines around her mouth quirked with impatience. “You mean our kind.” She snapped to the left and raised her hand, summoning the control keypad she’d used earlier to show us images of the seven prototypes. It materialized at her side and she clicked away at the buttons. This time, the transparent projector screen rolled out in front of the glass, dropping a thin shroud between us and Jet and Hera. I could still make out their faces through the screen.
“Not only is Hera a threat to our mission, Jet cannot be trusted, either. You thought he was on your side?” She smiled a smooth, knowing smile, and it sent goose bumps up my neck. “The man behind that glass is on whomever’s side is convenient. See for yourself.” She tapped the floating keypad again and pointed to the projector screen. I watched as Jet’s eyes studied the images. He said something to Hera, his gaze glued on the screen, and his expression turned from one of confusion to absolute horror.
I peeled my eyes from Jet’s face and forced myself to hone in on the images to see what was shaking him. A picture of a pet store appeared, and it was one I knew well. It was the pet store I used to work at in downtown Morton. Suddenly I appeared on the screen, running down Main Street and around the side of the building, down the little alleyway that led to the back door. I was sneaking around, looking scared out of my mind.
It didn’t take me long to register what this footage was from: the day the Invaders attacked Morton. The day I fled the house after my parents were killed and dashed into town to free the shop’s animals.
“How do you have this footage?” I asked, my voice a weak whisper.
Elara sounded pleased with herself. “We have the ability to review the memories of anyone who is implanted.”
I kept staring at the images as they played out before me.
I reached the back door of the store and slammed into it, frantic to unlock it, but relieved that it hadn’t already been broken into. I steamrolled inside and started unlocking cage after cage, urging the kittens and puppies to jump out of their pens. I moved to the rabbit bins next, tipping them over and shooing them toward the back door. It was total chaos as I rolled the birdcages to the back door and snapped open the cages. My fingers trembled while I worked to unlock each one.
And that’s when I saw him.
Jet Phoenix, standing at the edge of the building in the small back alleyway, just watching me. “Well, are you just going to stand there and watch or are you going to help me?” I shouted at him, my eyes latching onto his.
He flinched a bit when he realized I had caught him watching me, but he stepped out of the shadows and cautiously started forward. He glanced over his shoulder and drew his uneasy gaze back to
mine. “I want to, but I … uh …”
“You what?” I snapped, pushing more birds from their cages. Their wings flapped wildly around my head as they lifted off into flight.
“Yo, Phoenix!” another voice sounded from behind him. He cursed and spun around, meeting another military-clad guy with a big gun and even bigger biceps. “Well hello, baby,” the guy said, and whistled. “Good work, man. She’s gonna be a fun one.” He wiggled his eyebrows and checked me out from head to toe.
“She’s, uh …”
I looked at Jet and my vision instantly blinded me with a rush of hot tears. My gaze darted to the pet store’s open back door and the countless cages that still housed so many innocent animals that needed to be set free, before Morton went to hell in a hand basket.
“Yeah, she’s fit for training,” Jet said, nodding. “I can take care of her, man.” He jogged forward, his expression hesitant.
“Suit yourself, brother. But hands off, okay? I want first dibs on that when we get her to the prison.”
“Fuck off, Brandon,” he tossed back. “Leave her alone.”
“Whatever, you pussy. I’ll let you have a piece. Get her in the truck, let’s go.”
Jet slowed as he reached me, his crestfallen gaze holding mine.
“Please,” I begged him. “You don’t have to do this.”
“I’m so sorry….” He shot a look over his shoulder at his partner. A glimmer of something harsh glowered there—rage, I thought. “But I really do.”
“Just let me finish letting these animals go, please.”
“Phoenix, let’s go!” his partner shouted at him, lingering in the alleyway.
“I’m sorry.” A weapon I now recognized as a Venom Sphere appeared in his hand, and he reached forward to grasp my elbow.
“Please!” I screamed. “Don’t do this!”
Jet’s eyes fluttered to mine and his cheeks puffed out with a heavy breath. He plunged the sphere into my skin, and I cringed at the feel of the needle. The toxin took over and I immediately went limp, my body transitioning to paralysis. His arms shot out to catch me, his big body shifting to lift me off the ground. Adjusting my legs, he cradled my waist as he carried me. The sound of his voice was disorienting as I faded out, but I caught one last thing before the darkness took over completely.