Ill-Fated (Ill-Fated Series Book 1)

by S. C. McMurray

  Everett answered in his gentlemanly way, “We’d hate to be a bother to you.”

  “It would be no bother I assure you and my brother would be upset if he found out I let you go on an empty stomach.”

  “In that case, we will take something to eat, Miss…?” responded Everett.

  The woman smiled. “Alexia.”

  Everett bowed. “Thank you, Alexia, for you hospitality.”

  Alexia glanced around the room. “I’m going to make some pasta, would any of you like a cup of coffee or tea while we wait?”

  “I’ll take a cup of coffee,” said Everett.

  “Coffee for me too, please,” added Selena.

  At the thought of drink, Evelyn became very thirsty. “I’ll take a glass of tea,” she said.

  Lana stood up from the sofa. “Let me help you.”

  Alexia smiled warmly and the two of them disappeared into the kitchen. Rillian slid over and took Lana’s place next to Evelyn on the sofa. He faked a yawn and put his arm over her shoulders and said suavely, “Hey.”

  Selena rolled her eyes and Evelyn shrugged him off. “Nice try.”

  “Does that ever work?” asked Selena.

  He winked at her. “You oughta’ know.”

  Selena shot a glare in his direction and shook her head. “No.”

  Rillian shrugged. “There are other women.”

  As Evelyn watched Rillian with his confident demeanor, she didn’t doubt that he could have just about any woman he wanted. The girls at her school would be swooning over him, clawing at each other just to get his attention. He was handsome and clever but also smug. Evelyn hated to admit it, but there was something appealing about his roguish attitude.

  Lana appeared with their drinks. “Coffee for Selena and Everett and tea for Evelyn.” She passed out the drinks then turned to Rillian. “Would you like something?”

  “Yes.” Rillian cocked his head. “A martini and make it snappy.”

  Selena sighed from across the room. “Do you ever stop?”

  Rillian smirked. “No and that’s what they love about me.”

  Lana rolled her eyes. “Keep telling yourself that, Rillian. Oh, and if you want something to drink, there’s a whole lake outside.”

  They all laughed, but Rillian, who, after being zinged, changed the subject. “So, how does Clive know Dr. Larkin anyway?” He asked as their laughter died down. “Is he his uncle or something?”

  Everett took a sip of his coffee then answered, “Dr. Larkin is a good friend of Clive’s. When Clive decided to cease his work on OPTIC his life was put immediately in danger. There was no way that the Party was just going to let him walk away with all the knowledge he had about the program.” He paused and took another sip of his coffee. “Clive reached out to the SPC and it was Dr. Larkin who saved his life.”

  “By faking his death?” Rilian followed.

  “Something like that,” Clive answered. “Since then, they have been good friends. Much of the technology we use, like that pill you swallowed Evelyn, was created by Dr. Larkin and Clive has become, in many ways, his protégé.”

  Just then the door opened and Clive appeared in the hallway. He had a solemn look about him and was desperately pale, as if he’d just had a conversation with death.

  “He wants to speak with you, Evelyn.”

  They all stood but he motioned for them to sit. “Just Evelyn.”

  They sat with sighs of disappointment, except Evelyn who walked hesitantly down the hall. She was nervous, like she was meeting a long lost relative for the first time. This man, this supposed doctor, claimed to know more about her than she did. Clive opened the door for her and she quietly stepped inside.

  The room was dimly lit by a lamp in the corner. The thin, frail man reclining in a hospital bed clinging to life, with an oxygen tank linked to him through his nostrils, was a stark contrast to the room around him. If what she was seeing was any indication, this man was a modern renaissance man. There was a bear skin rug among other hunting trophies, a piano with handwritten sheet music, elegant paintings hanging on the walls, an acoustic guitar and finally, a picture of the Harvard’s 12-1 Football Team from 2019.

  Clive hurried over to Dr. Larkin and whispered, “She’s here.”

  The man, eyes closed, replied in a meek raspy voice, “Bring her to me.”

  Clive turned around. “Evelyn, if you would.”

  Evelyn was somewhat apprehensive, as she had no idea what to expect, but she needed answers and the old man before her looked just inches from death. She crept toward him as if the simple noise of her shoes on the wood floor would push him over the edge. She stood by his bedside and waited for his acknowledgement.

  Eventually she said, “Dr. Larkin, my name is Evelyn and…”

  His eyes opened as if what he was hearing wasn’t real. It was then that Evelyn noticed that he was blind.

  “Come closer,” he said with some struggle.

  Evelyn slowly knelt down beside him. With great effort, he lifted his hands and gently touched her face as if he was reading brail. His aged eyes began to glisten.

  “It…It is you.” His strength gave way and his arms dropped to the bed. He took a long breath. “You have questions…for me.”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “You want to know who you are?” he asked between breaths. “I cannot tell you who you are, only where you come from.”

  “What-What do you mean, where I come from?”

  “My child, forgive me for this will not be easy to hear.” He paused and took another strained breath. “But you need to know the truth.”

  At that moment, any excitement she felt about learning the truth evaporated. She almost wished he wouldn’t go on. Still, she had to know what he knew. She was determined to hear him out, no matter how painful the truth may prove to be.

  He continued, be it slowly. “You are the first of your kind and you will change the world, for good or… bad only time will tell. Since you are here, we have reason to hope for good.” He paused. “My dear Clive will you excuse us? I would like to speak with Evelyn alone.”

  Clive nodded. “Yes, sir,” then showed himself out.

  When the door latched shut, Dr. Larkin began again. “Only a handful of people know what I’m about to tell you and those people are very dangerous.”

  Evelyn was wrapped in confusion and fear, she became weak kneed.

  “I need to sit down.”

  The old man nodded and Evelyn unfolded a metal chair that was leaning against the wall nearby. She sat down on it and took a breath to gather courage.

  “Okay. I’m ready.”

  “My child, when I was a younger man much of my work was dedicated to vigorous research in the fields of nanotechnology and genetics.”

  Nanotechnology was becoming more and more commonplace in Evelyn’s society. The micro-sized machines and robots were used mostly for medical purposes and scientific study. It was said that they could be used to attack cancer, if one had enough money. But what Dr. Larkin was referring to was different.

  “That research was very promising. So much so that Party leaders commissioned me to head a division of a specific program meant to ‘ensure the authority of the Unionist Government and its policies for generations.’ In the name of progress, I agreed, though I knew the implications.”

  His face seemed filled with regret. “We are a slave to our funding and every scientist knows that they must dance with the devil sometimes if they want to continue their research, so I did. With unlimited resources, I was able to go places that no nanotechnologists or geneticist had gone before.

  “Still, what the authorities desired was proving very difficult to accomplish.

  “Then I came across an article published in a meager scientific journal by a scientist as brilliant as me. The article provided the final clue and I was able take the step I couldn’t take before. I was so grateful to the scientist who unknowingly helped me that I visited her in person in New England. We became f
ast, fast friends, despite her disapproval of my work.”

  He paused as an immense sadness swept over him.

  Though it looked painful for him he continued, “That friendship was fated to end. Something terrible happened to her and out of grief I poured myself into my work and that, my dear Child, is when I created you.”

  Evelyn didn’t know how to feel. She should’ve been angry but she felt like crying with the pitiful old man. Tears streaked down the sides of his face unto his pillow as he reached his trembling hand towards her.

  Out of pity, she took it.

  “There is a power in you, I can feel it now.” He gripped her hand as tightly as he seemed able. “You will change the world.”

  Evelyn pulled her hand away from his. “What am I?” She asked in frustration.

  Dr. Larkin didn’t answer, he just closed his eyes and wept bitterly as Evelyn sat in the metal chair, too stunned to bring to words the many questions that were swirling in her brain.

  Eventually Dr. Larkin spoke again. “There is more you need to know, but it will have to wait till morning. I must rest now. Will you send my sister in, please?”

  Evelyn, without saying a word, stood to her feet and walked out of the room. When she appeared in the hallway, all conversation ceased and her friend looked expectantly at her.

  She looked them over for a second then said, “He wants to see his sister.”

  Alexia hurried out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron as she passed by Evelyn.

  “Well?” asked Selena. “What did you find out?”

  Evelyn felt tears welling behind her eyes. She grabbed her bag off the couch and hurried to the front door.

  “Wait Evelyn!” said Lana, who was standing at the edge of the kitchen. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No.” Evelyn said as she opened the front door. “I want to be alone.”

  She didn’t give Lana time to respond. She shut the door and headed into the fading evening. She slipped her bag over her shoulders, crossed her arms and marched toward a broken peer leading about fifty meters into the lake.

  She took a seat on the broken end of the wooden peer, the water gently lapping against the wooden supports a few feet beneath her feet. As she stared into the setting sun and the now purple sky, she thought of her parents.

  They had to have known, didn’t they?

  They did.

  She remembered.

  Mom wanted to tell me, but Dad wouldn’t let her. Why? She cupped her face in her hands.

  She heard footsteps coming up the peer behind her. Without turning around she said angrily, “I told you Lana, I want to be alone.”

  “I’m not Lana and you shouldn’t lie.” It was Rillian and he took a seat beside her. “No one ever really wants to be alone.”

  “I’m not like everyone else.”

  “No you’re not.” He agreed. “But is that a bad thing?”

  She shrugged.

  “I don’t think it is.” He paused and waved his hand toward the west. “It’s kind of like the sunset. No two are ever the same, yet what do people do when they see it? They stop and admire it and they take pictures because they know they will never see that same beautiful sunset again.”

  Evelyn smiled, his words were actually making her feel better. “That’s really deep, Rillian.”

  He rubbed his head in boyish embarrassment. “I know.” He smiled. “I heard it in a movie somewhere.”

  “I should’ve known.”

  Rillian shrugged. “But it’s true though.”

  “You really believe that?”

  “Yes.” Rillian said sincerely. “But some sunsets are more beautiful than others.”

  Evelyn turned her gaze from the setting sun to Rillian. He was looking directly into her eyes. She felt a warming sensation rising inside her. She bit her bottom lip and leaned toward him and he towards her, but suddenly an image of her dreamscape visitor flashed on her mind and she pulled away abruptly. She turned her gaze back to the glimmering horizon and brushed aside a rogue strand of hair from her face.

  There was an awkward silence as both of them avoided making eye contact.

  Eventually Rillian broke it.What’s the deal with that locket you have?” Evelyn sighed to herself with relief. She was glad Rillian hadn’t asked why she pulled away from him.

  “It was a gift.” She pulled the locket from the inside of her hoody and held it out for him. “These are my parents.” She paused. “I guess. I mean they raised me.”

  “They look happy.”

  “They were then.”

  “What do you mean, then?” Rillian followed.

  Evelyn peered down at the locket. “They used to be happy. It was shortly after this picture was taken that everything changed.”

  “Do you know why?”

  She shook her head with regret. “I don’t know.”

  There was a few seconds of silence before Rillian said, “Tell me about them.”

  “My parents?”

  “Yeah.” He said. “What are they like?”

  “Okay.” She looked again at the picture in the locket. “My Dad has put on quite a belly since this picture was taken. He works for the transportation department and he works a lot of hours. Somehow, he always makes time for me, even when he is exhausted from a long day. He has high blood sugar and is too fond of deep fried food. And when my mother isn’t looking he sneaks Twinkies from a hidden stash on the shelf in the living room closet.” She stopped and laughed to herself. “Why am I telling you this?”

  He smiled politely. “It sounds like you and your father are pretty close.”

  “Yes,” she answered. “He’s the one who gave me this locket.”

  “What about your mother? Are you close to her?”

  She gazed back out over the water as the sun surrendered to the night and sighed. “Not really.”

  “Do you miss her?”

  Evelyn pondered his question for a second. “It’s funny, people say that a mother’s love for their child is instinctual but I think it’s the other way around. I think that children love their parents even when their parents aren’t very good at returning that love. So, to answer your question, yes I do miss her.” She paused. “But apparently she wasn’t even my real mother since I’m just some science project.”

  There were a few seconds of silence before Rillian said boldly, “I don’t know what the good doctor told you, but I don’t believe life just happens by accident. Don’t feel too sorry for yourself and don’t let people fool you, no one’s life is perfect. Everyone has issues. Everyone has baggage. It’s part of what makes each sunset beautiful.”

  “Did you get that one from a movie?” She asked jokingly.

  “No.” He responded. “I got that one from experience.”

  “You sound like an old man,” she said.

  “You don’t have to be old to have experienced things.”

  Rillian looked away from her and for a moment that confident façade he wore looked like it was going to crumble. He seemed a man too old for his years, weary in spirit, but not in body. The roles reversed and she longed to put her arm around his shoulders and comfort him, but she didn’t.

  Suddenly Rillian leaned forward. “Look.” He pointed out over the wide expanse of the great lake and Evelyn followed his finger.

  There were lights on the horizon, hovering just above the water.

  Rillian jumped to his feet as the familiar ferocity returned to his eyes. “They’re coming.”

  “Who?”

  “SS.”

  “We should warn the others!”

  Rillian shook his head quickly. “We don’t have time.”

  Rillian was right, the lights were growing brighter and approaching at high speeds. They would be on them in a matter of seconds.

  “What are we going to do?” Evelyn asked.

  Rillian turned to her. “Do you know how to swim?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” Rillian shoved Evelyn off the peer a
nd she fell feet first into the cool dark water. He followed her.

  The black dye washed out of her hair and Evelyn’s natural red hair color was on full display when she came up for air, angry that he hadn’t warned her first. “You could have said something before you shoved me in!”

  “Sorry, I didn’t have time to argue with you.”

  “Who said I would have argued with you?” He flashed her a skeptical look and Evelyn realized she was arguing with him about arguing.

  “Oh…”

  Rillian grabbed onto one of the wooden supports. “When I say go, swim to the bottom and stay down there as long as you can. You got me?”

  Evelyn nodded as she grabbed the other support. Rillian peered at the approaching lights. There was now a slight humming sound accompanying them.

  “Remember Evelyn, as long as you can.” He took a deep breath. “Go.”

  Evelyn took a breath and plunged herself into the water. She swam to the bottom and wrapped her arms around the base of the support. She saw the silhouettes of two hover-copters pass overhead but she was too deep to hear them. She closed her eyes and tried not to picture what might soon happen to her friends. Eventually her breath gave way and she was forced to surface. To her surprise, Rillian had already done so.

  He looked relieved as he whispered to her, “I was starting to get worried, you were down there for a long time.”

  “I was?”

  He nodded, then motioned for them to move closer to the shore.

  Keeping her head just above the water while staying in the dark, she glided with him toward the cabin.

  The SS ships, which resembled metal insects, were hovering just above the cabin with spotlights shining on the doors and windows. Heavily armed soldiers in black military garb had made a perimeter and were preparing to breech the cabin.

  A voice beamed from one of the hover-copters. “This is Captain Phelt of the United People’s Secret Service. You are harboring a fugitive and are ordered to evacuate the premise unarmed.”

  There was a pause, then the voice returned. “We will fire on you.”

  All was silent for a moment before turrets located on the bottom of the ships erupted in a blaze of illuminating gunfire. The two ships peppered the cabin with rounds, splintering wood and shattering windows for about ten seconds then machined to a stop. The smoke from the gunfire hovered in the air like a thin fog. After a few anxious seconds, the door opened and Clive, Everett and Selena stepped out with their hands on their heads.