“There,” Rosie says, leading Willow and Chase into my room, pointing at Madison on the ground.
Chase scoops Madison up and throws her over his shoulder.
Willow squares off in front of me, hands on her hips. She doesn’t say anything at first. She just watches as Chase lumbers out with Madison. Noah follows close behind, asking what he can do to help the Protectorate. He’s ready to fight. I’m not.
“Do you realize now why we keep our missions secret?” Willow asks. “The fewer people who know the details, the less the risk to our cause. Should you choose to fight with us and not against us, you will get the answers you’re looking for.”
I nod. What can I really say to argue at this point?
“Doc and I would like to talk to you in our office,” Willow says. “You want to know who we are and what we do, but I think first you need to learn who you are.” Willow’s statement throws what little remains of my confidence in the trash.
What does she mean by that? I know who I am.
Part Two
“To those who would oppose the Directorate, make no mistake: we will work tirelessly to preserve our way of life and protect the sanctity of our city and everything it was founded upon. By any means necessary.”
~ Directorate Chief Seaduss
Today
12
My mood is sour as I trail into Doc’s office. Willow leans over Doc’s shoulder as he shows her something on his computer. The screen is old tech with a black plastic casing on the back, so I can’t see through it like with the more modern screens.
For a moment, neither of them acknowledges me, so I clear my throat and they both look up. Doc stares at me much as he has since the beginning, like a puzzle he has to solve.
“What are you going to do with Madison?”
Willow sighs. “For now, she will be held in a Power-dampening cell to ensure she can’t communicate with anyone. We need to be sure she didn’t leak information before we proceed, so she will be questioned.” Willow cocks her head. “You know, she was caught more than once trying to read people. This doesn’t come as a surprise. We were preparing to bring her in for questioning already.”
“Some of that she was doing for me,” I admit. “I asked her to learn more, but she never really had anything to report. Or maybe she just didn’t want to share it with me.”
“Why?” Willow asks.
“You have to understand, after everything we’ve been through, it’s hard to trust anyone. Especially when we aren’t even allowed to know what’s really going on. I just wanted to know we weren’t setting ourselves up for more trouble.”
Willow raises her thin brows at me.
I wave dismissively. “Clearly, I missed the mark.”
“I guess so.”
I sink into the empty chair in front of Doc’s desk. “Anyway, you wanted to talk to me.”
Willow perches on the edge of the desk, hands folded on her thigh. “You told us before that Paragon wanted you because you are unique, that they used you as a base against other subjects so they could find a way to enhance Powers.”
I nod.
“And did they ever discover your Power?” Willow asks.
I shift and fold my arms over my chest. Is this a trick question or a joke? Either way, I’m not in the mood. “Dr. Cass said they couldn’t find any traces of any abilities. That my skills are in leading others to be stronger and in my intelligence, for whatever that’s worth.”
Willow snaps a glance at Doc, who sits back, rubbing at his graying beard as he watches me. Something about him feels familiar, but the way he stares makes me so uncomfortable I can’t focus long enough to place him.
“You are unique, Ugene,” Doc says. “Joyce was right about that. But she lied to you. You have what we call recessive genetic allele mutation.”
An Allele mutation? This must be a joke. Now hardly seems like the time, and I have to stamp down a surge of irritation. I’ve studied myself over and over again, and I don’t recall ever discovering something like this. Sure, I understand that recessive alleles can make me a carrier of certain genetic dispositions, but the mutation of the alleles is beyond my knowledge. Is that what makes me Powerless? I shake my head. It can’t be true.
“It’s okay to feel confused,” Doc says, folding his hands over his slightly paunchy stomach and drumming his stubby thumbs together. “Typically, people with two recessive alleles act as a carrier, and when it comes to Powers, this usually means they have a dormant Power that hasn’t surfaced.”
Dormant Power? Is it possible? I sit up straighter in my chair. “So I do have a potential Power?”
Doc’s expression saddens, offering absolutely no reassurance. “Not exactly. Ugene, your alleles aren’t matching pairs.”
The news knocks the hope out of me, and I slump down. Why do people offer me hope just to rip it away again? If the alleles aren’t paired, they aren’t compatible. If they aren’t compatible, I’ll never have a Power.
“Sounds to me like Dr. Cass wasn’t lying at all,” I say bitterly.
“You misunderstand, Ugene,” Willow says. Her blue eyes sparkle. Is she excited about this? The very notion disgusts me. “You don’t have two, but dozens, all mismatched.”
“But…but that’s…”
“The next link in Power evolution,” Doc says.
I rub my forehead, try to push away the headache forming.
“You see,” Doc continues, “those alleles are mutated and missing the linking mechanisms that create Powers, which is why Powers aren’t manifesting for you. It’s like the links in a chain, and a piece of the link is missing, which creates a gap that prevents other links from connecting to it. But you can’t just force the link closed or it changes the entirety of your DNA in ways that could be potentially catastrophic. Or deadly.”
Didn’t sound promising for me in the least.
“I have not finished decoding your genetic structure yet, but so far I have discovered more than twenty of those broken links. Twenty Powers that could potentially link together to become one dominant hybrid Superpower once that gap is closed.”
“But not for me,” I say as an eddy of disgust swirls my stomach. “I’m a carrier, right?”
“Unfortunately, yes.” Doc heaves out a sigh. “However, given enough time, your DNA could be used to force us into that next step of evolution. Maybe not a Hybrid yet, but the knowledge and actual DNA could be used to strengthen the linking mechanism in others.”
I blink. Taking all of this in is too much, and my mind can’t make sense of everything.
Willow leans forward. “Dr. Cass could have used your biology to selectively offer those Superpowers to anyone.”
Now I realize why Dr. Cass wanted me. She wanted to use me to create these selective Supers. All that blood they took. All those samples. Paragon still has those.
Wait, Doc has a sample to examine, but I never gave him one. I never had blood drawn or gave them anything to use to study me. “Where did you get a sample of my genetic structure?” I ask, unable to look up, still pressing my fingers to my temples.
“We took samples from everyone during the intake process,” Willow says.
“Without permission,” I say.
“It’s standard security protocol,” Willow says.
I glare at her, and I’m not sure if I look angry or scary or what, but she flinches back. Deception is deception. How can they not see they are making some of the same mistakes as Dr. Cass?
“We need to know who we are bringing into our home,” Doc says.
Their home? Is that what they call this place? “That’s funny because the people at Paragon said basically the same thing.”
“We aren’t them,” Willow says. “Why do you keep fighting us on this?”
“Why? Because you still haven’t given me a good reason to trust you.”
“Ugene, we need you to work with us, not against us,” Willow says. “If not for yourself, do it for the others. They follow you.
They see you as their leader, but what you’re doing is hurting them more than helping.”
I rise, balling my hands into fists. “I never asked to be the leader. They put that on me.”
“Did they?” Doc asks. “Worthy leaders often find leadership thrust on them, even when they don’t want it. And look where that got all of you.” Doc waves around the room. “You led them out of that place and into safety. Not everyone is a fighter like you. They wouldn’t have survived without you.”
“I’m not a fighter!” Why do people keep assuming I wanted any of this? All I wanted was a cure for Dad. Maybe even a Power. Now I can’t have either.
“Willow, will you please excuse us?” Doc says it so patiently that it even pacifies me.
Willow huffs as she marches toward the door, but she doesn’t question his request. As soon as we are alone, Doc leans on his forearms so he can be closer to me.
“Let me ask you something, if I may.” Doc pauses, waiting for me to nod. I do. “What are your plans for the future?”
The question takes me aback. “What do you mean?” I’ve not thought more than a few steps into the future since all of this began.
“I mean if the Directorate gets their way, and people with weak Powers have no true value to society, where does that leave you? What will you do if we fail and the Directorate carries out their plan?”
The question grates on me. My desire to be ordinary is what drove me to Paragon and set me on this course. If I truly can never have a Power, as Doc suggests, then according to Directorate laws there is no place for me. Which means my options are to die in the Deadlands or stay here and help the Protectorate. The weight of this reality makes me sink down on my chair.
Doc nods. “We aren’t your enemy, Ugene. We want the same thing as you—a chance for everyone to have equal rights no matter their Power. This is what we fight for. But to succeed, we need information, security, and strong leaders.” He sinks back in his chair, but never breaks his gaze from me. “Imagine the good that someone with your intelligence could do to our cause. Your people from Paragon follow you. They trust you. To them, you are their leader, their Ambassador.”
There’s that word again. But he’s right. I’ve known it for a while now. Like it or not, those people follow me.
“If you can inspire such dedication from your friends, imagine what you could do for Elpis.”
Silence falls as Doc lets his suggestion hang in the air like a guillotine. Finally, I sigh. “I’m not a fighter.”
“Sure you are.” Doc offers a kind smile. “You fought your way out of Paragon. You’ve fought us every step of the way to protect them. You’re doing it right now. How do you not see that? Until you let down your guard, you’ll never trust us.” Doc stands, waiting. I realize he’s waiting for me to join him, so I rise as well. “Do you know what happened to the handful of people who decided to trust Dr. Cass’s promise of safety and return home?”
More than anything I wish I could tell him no, but a sinking feeling in my gut says otherwise. All I can manage to get out is a number. “Twenty-three.”
“What?”
“That’s how many went home.”
Doc nods as if he already knew that. “Paragon has swept most of them back up. We don’t know what Paragon is doing with them, but I have no doubt they’ve already grilled each one for information about you.”
And again, I have failed them. We fought so hard to escape that place, and of the sixty percent who made it, only thirty percent remain. We went from one hundred thirty-nine to forty-two. I can’t think about this anymore. Not right now.
“Will you help us, Ugene? We sure could use someone like you on our team.”
“I get to be the Ambassador for my people?”
Doc shakes his head. “My dear boy, you’re thinking small again. You are far more important than that.”
What does that mean? Aside from my genetics, I don’t understand how I can be so important to this group.
“Are you ready to join our cause and help us create a better future for everyone, no matter what their Power?”
The line sounds an awful lot like what Dr. Cass asked me before I signed up at Paragon. But how can I argue with that? What choice do I really have? Either I help them and have a purpose, or I’m nothing. I nod.
“Good.” Doc claps my shoulder in a very fatherly way and guides me toward the door.
As we step into the hall, an alarm on Willow’s watch chimes repeatedly. Doc’s face falls.
“What is it?” he asks.
“Directorate announcement,” Willow says.
The three of us enter a conference room, where Doc turns on the announcement.
Directorate Chief Seaduss’s face fills the holoscreen, his strong jaw and angular facial features making me flinch. The way he stares at the camera makes it seem like he’s staring straight at me, and it makes my skin crawl. I’ve never understood how a Somatic ended up in charge of the Directorate, but his face certainly is imposing, commanding.
“Citizens of Elpis,” he begins, his voice just as strong and commanding as his presence. “I stand before you today with rousing news. When I took this office, I promised you that we would find a cure for regression. I have kept my promise.”
Hope lifts my chest. Maybe this is it then. Maybe the entire fight, the unlawful experiments, will end.
The camera pulls back, revealing a clear plastic podium in front of him. At his shoulders, each member of the Directorate stands with their chins raised proudly—Director Collins and Shielding, Director Jordan, and four others whose names I can’t recall. Dr. Cass waits at his side with her hands folded together, wearing the same pencil skirt and jacket she always does.
Seaduss continues, “Paragon has developed a vaccine that will slow the rate of regression in our citizens. The new vaccines are a breakthrough, but they will only work if all regressing citizens submit to them.”
So far, his words seem logical enough, but I can’t shake the sensation that something is off.
“Tomorrow morning, vaccinations will commence for all citizens with a Cass Scale rank below thirty, particularly those between the ages of sixteen and thirty. The Department of Military Affairs will set up vaccination stations first in Pax and Clement. We ask that citizens report to their local station for immediate vaccination.”
I glance up at Willow and Doc, and both wear the same bearing of red-hot fury. I’m missing something important.
Directorate Chief Seaduss’s voice pulls my attention back to the video clip. “It has been the Directorate’s goal to ensure the safety and continuity of our way of life since the founding of our city. This vaccine offers us a chance to focus on improving the living standards in Pax and Clement, increase the quality of water supply and food in these impoverished boroughs, and make life better for all our citizens.
“However, a new danger looms, and it lives within our own borders. A group of dissenters continually evade us, and the Directorate has declared a state of emergency to pass a new proposition immediately.”
And here it comes…
“Proposition 9 begins tomorrow,” Seaduss continues. “Each citizen with outstanding debts under the Consumption Tax Law will have the opportunity to erase their debts in exchange for services to the Department of Military Affairs. Those who continue to actively work for the DMA will receive a ten percent increase in wages.”
My hands start sweating and I glance at Willow again. Her jaw is twitching, she has it clamped so tight.
“All citizens with debts are required to report to their local DMA station before the end of this week for assessment. Those who are selected for service will be given a second booster to aid in the facilitation of the protection of Elpis.
“Together, we can oppose this dissension and begin eradicating regression from Elpis for good,” Seaduss says, then the video stops.
For a moment, I’m too stunned to speak. The Directorate is turning regressing citizens into a military force. They are
already viewed as expendables if Lily’s story about being sent out is to be believed. This also means no one else will be sent into the arms of the Protectorate. They have cut us off at the source.
Us. Funny. That’s the first time I lumped this group with my own.
I lick dry lips.
“Elpis is more dangerous now than ever before,” Willow says. “You know it, too. It’s written all over your face. And Pax is going to not only be crawling with DMA enforcing this new law, but they are bolstering their numbers using people we normally would target.”
I nod. My mind is racing and it’s hard to put everything into place, but one thought prevails. “Doesn’t this make now the best time to recruit more people? We need to get to them before they do.”
Willow raises an eyebrow. “We?”
Do I really mean we? Accepting that we should work together to save these people from whatever the Directorate has planned next is a big step, and I still don’t know if I fully trust the Protectorate. But I told Doc I would help.
“We are all living here together,” I say, hoping this explanation covers my tracks a little. “If the Directorate gets a large enough force, they will find us all living here and destroy what you’ve worked so hard to build. That effects my group as much as yours. All I want is to protect my people.”
My people. I’m not sure I’ve actually referred to them as mine before, but I don’t really know how else to define them. And they want me to lead. I suppose that makes them mine as much as the Protectorate is Willow’s or Doc’s.
“Does this mean we are working together?” Willow asks, crossing her arms.
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