She gives me the side-eye. “Fake waffles?”
“You know, the rubbery ones you hate.” I take her hands in mine and haul her to her feet. “Come on. You know you want some synthetic breakfast.”
A smile rounds the edges of her mouth. “You know what? I think I do.”
I pull her close against me. “You know, we never did finish our dance.”
“But now we’re in a lab.”
“It’s a romantic lab.”
“No, it’s not.”
Even so, Meimi’s already started swaying from foot to foot. I give her a twirl because my girl is a very good twirler. She steps back into my arms, her chest pressing against my own. Our mouths are only a breath apart. Her heart thuds so hard, I feel it against my ribs.
Damn, do I ever want to press my lips to hers.
There was some reason we weren’t supposed to kiss, but in this moment, I can’t remember what it was.
Tweet, tweet!
Rakkie goes nutso nearby. At first, I want to punt the little bugger across the room for interrupting our moment. Then, I realize it. That’s Rakkie’s visitor alarm.
Someone’s coming.
“Who’s on their way?” asks Meimi. “Please tell me it isn’t the Scythe.”
I step to a nearby display and scan the news. “No, it’s the Hollow.”
At those words, Chloe and Zoe race into the room. Both look wide-eyed and breathless. “I was checking the data feeds,” they say in unison.
“You first,” says Chloe sweetly.
“Oh, no. You begin,” counters Zoe. Her tone is even nicer, if that’s possible.
Turns out, these two act crazy-nice to each other when they’re actually incredibly ticked off.
“The Hollow is coming,” announces Chloe. “I can’t wait to meet her. She designed her own data access and processing implants. I think she could have some great ideas for squeezing the omnivoid generator inside the Crawler.”
“And I want to talk to her about vid feeds,” adds Zoe. “Even if I can get my hallucinogen to work, it won’t fool the folks at home. The Hollow is an expert at manipulating video. That way, my hallucinogen doesn’t have to do everything.”
“Drop the hallucinogen,” says Meimi in a singsong voice. She’s only said this a hundred times today. “Work on the puff bomb.”
Zoe ignores those words instead of starting yet another yelling match. Is that progress? Whatever it is, it’s quiet. I’ll take it.
Chloe bobs on the balls of her feet. “When is she getting here?”
Footfalls sound in the outer hallway. Godwin only wears dress shoes, and he’s the sole guy who can march around here without an invite.
“She’s arriving now,” I announce.
But the Hollow isn’t the one who stomps through the lab door. It’s Vargas.
I stifle the urge to groan. Of course, the Hollow wouldn’t be sent here without a military escort. And Humboldt would never miss the chance to send his favorite spy into Godwin HQ.
Vargas stomps along for a few yards and stops. He pulls off his skull-helmet. Now, I see something I never thought I’d witness. Vargas’s face is slack. A look of genuine surprise lights his eyes.
Vargas is stunned.
“I saw you girls in Thorne’s hovercar,” stammers Vargas. “Why are you here?”
Chloe shoots him an impolite finger gesture. “Because we’re scientists, shithead.”
Zoe lifts her pointer finger. “I’m going to let that language pass.” She glares at Vargas. “You really had that coming.”
Vargas leans in closer to Chloe. “You’re feisty.” He licks his lips. “I like that. I’m Captain Vargas of the Merciless.”
“I’m Chloe of the you don’t have a shot people.”
“We’ll see.” Vargas turns toward the door. “Ah, the rest of my command is here.”
More Merciless warriors file into the lab. My protective instincts go into overdrive. Without my powers, it won’t be easy to keep Meimi and her friends safe against so many.
Then again, it might also be fun.
A woman stands in the middle of the group. She’s as tall and lithe as a dancer. Her skin is deep ebony, which contrasts with her short white hair. Silver implants gleam in her eyes and on her fingertips. She wears simple white trousers and a matching cotton tunic.
The Hollow.
“Stop,” orders Vargas.
Everyone halts.
A snide grin curls Vargas’s mouth. “I think the Hollow disobeyed that order.”
My hands curl into fists. I’ve seen Vargas’s type before. He’s making up a reason to hurt the Hollow. No doubt he thinks it will impress Chloe.
He couldn’t be more wrong.
For her part, the Hollow stands perfectly still.
Sure enough, Vargas turns to Chloe. “We’ve implanted a blood-borne virus into the prisoner. Makes it easier for us to control her.” Vargas holds up a small handheld that’s little more than a flat square with a raised button. “Only the best criminals get an agony switch like this one.” He presses the button with his thumb.
Hunching over, the Hollow hisses in a pained breath.
“She’ll scream soon,” declares Vargas excitedly. “Just give her a minute.”
That’s not happening.
Crossing the floor, I rip the handheld from Vargas’s grip. Exhaling, the Hollow stands up straight once more.
She’s no longer in pain. Good.
“Your delivery has been made,” I tell Vargas. “You can go.”
Vargas cuts his gaze toward Chloe. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“And I hope you drop dead from the new plague,” counters Chloe.
Vargas grins. “I do like mine feisty.”
I point to the exit. “Door. You. Now.”
A flash of worry comes over Vargas’s face, but he hides it quickly enough. That’s satisfying. The guy hasn’t forgotten how I pummeled him at the Boston checkpoint.
“I’ll take my leave with pleasure.” Vargas plucks the switch from my hand. “But just try to control her without this, if you think you’re so clever.”
I stifle a groan. Only a sicko like Vargas would think he’s raining on my parade by taking away something called an agony switch.
With that, the Merciless march away. This time, I trail them to ensure everyone leaves the Underground. It would be just like Vargas to pretend he got lost and cause problems.
Once I’m certain they’re totally gone, I head back to the lab.
It doesn’t seem like anything changed since Vargas departed. The Hollow stands in the same spot as before. Meimi, Chloe, and Zoe wait nearby. I take up my classic spot leaning against a wall. If Godwin does a drop-by, I must look distant and official.
“Is this room secure?” asks the Hollow. She has a faint French accent.
“Yes,” replies Meimi.
“Then why am I here?” asks the Hollow.
Meimi hands her a data pad. “This is everything you need to know. Once we get your retinal scans, we can get you full access to the stuff we didn’t even show Fritz.”
Gripping the data pad in her left hand, the Hollow rests her right fingertips on the screen. A moment later, the metal attachments on her fingertips glow with white light. Then the Hollow’s silver eyes flash with tiny letters and numbers, images, and data.
“This is a strong plan,” says the Hollow. “But you’re missing the whole celebration side of this.”
“Meaning?” I ask.
“The logistics of the actual event,” says the Hollow. “If you want to place something inside the Crawler, it’s important to know more than just a slice of the evening’s schedule. You must understand every aspect. There’s no knowing what could be important.”
Meimi nods. “My bot downloaded some info, but I haven’t had time to analyze it.” She steps closer to the Hollow. “Do you know about the Liberation Celebration?”
“It’s where I’ll be executed,” says the Hollow. “I’ve take
n an interest.”
“But I thought you were in prison,” states Meimi. “How did you get this info?”
The Hollow grins a white-toothed smile. “Oh, they’ve no idea what I’m capable of. I can still take data in; it’s getting it out that’s a challenge. If you remove that blood-borne virus out of my system, you’ll be amazed what I can share … particularly about Godwin.”
Zoe and Chloe gasp. “Cool,” they say in unison.
The Hollow lowers the data pad. The light from her fingers vanishes. No letters or numbers shine in her metal eyes. “I’ve assessed your plan. I’m not part of this team.”
I kick off the wall and stalk closer. “You don’t mean that.”
“Let me clarify,” says the Hollow. “I’m not part of this team because no one is.” She turns to Meimi. “You need to fix this. Stop looking at this as three people. We are one team with a single plan. This isn’t four separate timelines, it must be a single decision tree.”
I do a double-take. In a matter of seconds, the Hollow pinpointed what was wrong with the project and how to fix it. I’m impressed.
Meimi gasps. “You’re right.” She speeds over to her workstation, fires up her computer, and gets to work. “I should have used Gantt charts all along.”
The Hollow turns to Chloe and Zoe. “Do you have anything to eat around here?”
“Oh, yes,” they say in unison.
“I’d love a tour,” says the Hollow.
As Chloe, Zoe, and the Hollow trudge off to the kitchenette, I pull up a chair beside Meimi’s workstation. I’ve spent years learning battle tactics and how to rule. It doesn’t matter that I won’t be emperor one day; learning is its own reward. And now, all that’s important is how my skills might help Meimi. As for Godwin? I’m done babysitting that guy. If he shows up, I’ll deal with it.
Nothing will stop me from helping my girl retool her master plan.
25 Meimi
I sit in the lab’s conversation pit. The couches are fake leather and stick to my legs. Ouch. I really shouldn’t have worn a skirt today. But I was trying to feel grown up, and a skirt suit seemed to fit the bill. Now I’ll have heat rash.
Although, the rash could also be my nerves.
Thorne, Chloe, Zoe, and the Hollow all sit nearby. Everyone has data pads with the new plan. Chloe and Zoe flip through screens as they soak in all the changes. The Hollow sets her fingers on the data pad while her eyes light up. It’s been a week or so since she arrived. Although honestly, it’s hard to know. Living without sunlight will do that to you.
All this time, I’ve been locked up with Thorne and working on revised plans. It’s not as fun as it sounds. Thorne already met my alter egos, Sarcastic Meimi and Sleepy Meimi. Over the past days, he’s met even more sides of me, namely Bossy Meimi, Stinky Meimi, Furry Meimi (I still haven’t gotten my hands on a razor; Godwin is a freak about that), and my favorite, Hangry Meimi. For some reason, he still likes me.
And I like him more every day, too.
Thorne and I haven’t had more dances or heart-to-heart chats, but I’ve gotten to know more of his sides, too. There’s Protective Thorne, and his alter ego, Hyper-Protective-and-in-a-Murderous-Rage Thorne. There’s Challenging Thorne, who debates the finer points of plans until I can’t decide if I want to poke his eyes out or kiss him. There’s Romantic Thorne, who I sadly must still avoid.
There’s been no kissing, obviously. We can’t risk attack by Thorne’s evil omniverse-ruling father. That said, the No-Kiss Rule is a real bummer.
And then there’s Sweet Thorne, who makes sure I eat and get some sleep. I knew this side of him a little before, but I’ve gotten to know it a lot more.
I like all the Thornes.
He likes all the Meimis.
So far, so good.
Only now, we’re showing the team all that our multi-selves have done, and that’s a little terrifying. Zoe, Chloe, and the Hollow all sit nearby, scanning the new plans. Silently. I don’t know how they’ll take it.
Finally, Zoe looks up. “You changed my hallucinogen into a big puff of smoke?”
“I did that a long time ago, Zoe.”
“Making the drug work is too risky,” says Thorne. “It’ll be easier to have smoke roll backstage.”
“I know you really wanted to develop that drug,” I add quickly. “But it will work better as a puff and a ta-da moment in the show. Plus, it will be way less suspicious afterward.”
Zoe purses her lips. “Okay, I get that.”
Thorne and I share a long look. I mouth three words: she gets that.
He arches his right eyebrow, becoming I-Told-You-So Thorne. This version always gets me to smile. Now is no exception.
“Besides,” says Zoe. “Now I have plenty to keep me busy with figuring out how to neutralize the Hollow’s blood-borne virus.”
“Most appreciated,” says the Hollow.
Chloe shoots me a worried glance. “You’re doing a ton of running around the day of the event.”
“I’m supposed to be monitoring things for Godwin. That makes me the natural for legwork.”
The Hollow’s fingertips flash more brightly as she runs them over the data pad’s screen. “This version is so much better.”
“Thank you,” I say. “Thorne and I teamed up on everything.” He and I share a quiet look that warms me to my toes.
“So.” Thorne scans the group. “What’s the verdict?”
“The first thing we have to do is rearrange the lab.” Chloe rises. Evidently, she’s ready to start working right now.
Whoa.
Zoe rises. “I’ll help.”
A chill of surprise prickles across my skin. I was waiting for a long fight on this. But they’re all ready to go. I turn to the Hollow. “How about you?”
“My first task is to learn how to handle the new version of the Lacerator. I’ll set up some scenarios in the Simulacrum.”
“You know how to use that?” I ask.
The Hollow winks. “Absolutely.”
“Great.” I stand up and wipe my sweaty palms on my skirt. “In that case, I’ll set up the new monitor.” I turn to Thorne. “Want to help me?”
He laces his fingers with mine. “Always.”
The Hollow leaves for the Simulacrum. Zoe and Chloe move to the other side of the lab, where they begin dragging ventilation equipment around. The moment becomes one for just me and Thorne.
We did it.
We fixed the plan.
Together, we may even have saved millions of lives.
From the deepest corner of my soul, I want to wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his face off. Why is it that when you can’t do something—like kiss a guy—then that becomes the number one thing your obsessive mind focuses on?
I don’t know the answer, but I can say this.
If the situation ever changes, I won’t miss my chance for a kiss.
26 Meimi
Thorne and I approach the lab door. For the first time since reworking the plan, we’re getting together to chat up where things stand for the Liberation Celebration. As we close in on the lab, low voices echo into the hallway around us.
“I think she’s coming,” says Chloe.
“I hope she likes my new chem dart launcher,” adds Zoe. “That way, the puffs of smoke will start from multiple spots.”
Not sure why these chats always make my stomach woozy, but they do. Thorne gently rests his hand on the center of my back. That’s calming. Together, we walk into the laboratory and park ourselves around the conversation pit. All the while, Thorne smiles and nods at folks like a pro.
A thought hits me. Thorne is part of the royal family back on his home planet. Perhaps he’s marched into tons of places while touching the backs of Umbran women. Like maybe at a ceremony for dedicating new spaceships. That would be cool. Perhaps they also have an annual ball, like Cinderella only in space. That would be fun, too.
Although I’d have to kill his space Cinderella date.
A
nd all that raises another question. Did Thorne date anyone? I mean, I’m his transcendent, but maybe that’s not exclusive. Could Thorne be keeping tons of transcendents back at his home planet? Like a transcendent harem or something? What do I know? It’s possible.
My blood pressure spikes. I’ve been so focused on defeating Godwin and protecting millions from being cleansed, I really haven’t been thinking about what it means be romantically interested in an alien.
Damn, he could be a sophisticated hologram, like the Scythe was to Fritz but even more advanced. I could be alien catfish bait.
This is serious stuff.
Chloe clears her throat. Shaking my head, I forcibly snap myself out of my thoughts about Thorne.
And I realize that everyone is sitting around the conversation pit, staring at me like I’ve grown a second nose. I might even have been muttering to myself again. That’s been happening more and more lately.
Sweet mother of science.
And this is why I don’t let my imagination explore Thorne’s alienness. It never ends well. Mostly for me. And with this Liberation Celebration coming up, I need to focus on my projects, not work myself into a frenzy over Thorne.
After all, assuming I live through this, there should be plenty of time to worry about the alien side of Thorne later on. For now, I can simply return to hanging out with my new mental friends, forced ignorance and denial.
“So,” I begin. “How are we doing this week?”
One big thing Thorne and I changed in our revised plan was to talk about stuff we needed to get done instead of who owns what. It’s been working pretty well.
And yay, denial! I can focus again!
Chloe leans forward. “About the master mechanisms. These are the fake ones for Godwin and President Hope.” She opens her hands, showing some small square devices. “We modeled them after old Earth remote controls.”
I try to keep my features level. “Really?”
Zoe straightens the lapels of her fashion lab coat. “I told you she’d make that face.”
“What face?” I ask. “I’m not making a face.”
“Yes, you are,” sighs Chloe. “It’s your look that says, oh sh—”
Alien Minds: Dimension Drift, Book 1 Page 14