by Mary Ting
“I have to be the one, Rhett. Mr. Novak thinks you’re dead, and if he finds out you’re alive because you walk into his facility, he’ll kill you in front of everyone to prove a point. There will be no questioning. I’ve already told you I can’t stay here. I have to go back for Brooke.”
Reyna bristled. “I understand Brooke is your new best friend, but you shouldn’t risk your life for her.”
I detected jealousy in her tone. I supposed I should understand, so I said nothing. We had been best friends once, but things had changed. I still cared for Reyna, but she was safe. Brooke wasn’t.
Ozzie nudged Reyna. He must have agreed her comment was uncalled for. She simply rolled her eyes.
Rhett laced all his fingers through his hair and sighed through his nose. “When?”
“As soon as possible. Time is running out.” I bit my bottom lip, anxious for his response.
“We have to plan this right. You’ve been kidnapped twice. Mr. Novak is already suspicious.” Rhett released a soft, frustrated growl. “I’m supposed to meet Mitch tomorrow afternoon. Maybe we can make it look like Ava tailed us.”
“That sounds perfect.” My stomach filled with acid at having to go back. But it had to be done.
“Reyna and I’ll come with you.” Ozzie raised a hand and placed it down. “You’ll need backup.”
“I’ll be going, too.” Cleo met her father’s gaze sternly as if to let him know she had the final say.
I was about to object, but when Rhett didn’t, I decided to keep my mouth shut. Who went or didn’t was none of my business.
Zen kept his steady regard on Cleo. Then he turned to me. “Ava, you’ll have three days to get the serum.”
“You can’t just tell her when.” Rhett flexed his finger on the table as if ready to jump out of his seat. “And then what? How are we going to bring her back here? She can’t get out of the compound unless she’s on a mission.”
Zen looked behind his shoulder to the hologram of a city Frank had pulled up. “We’ll create one. We’ll give ISAN what they want, but it will be a trap. Ava, tell Mr. Novak the rebels are planning something big. Tell him you tailed Rhett and his team to their base. I’ll give you the location, time, and date. I’ll give you more instructions in detail later, but it will be your last mission.”
Rhett slid his hand over my thigh under the table. He didn’t like this plan, but he had no choice. It was going to be difficult for him to see me go again, but this time, it would pain me just as much. I had just found Rhett and I had to let him go.
Lives were at stake. I had to push my feelings and wants aside to get the job done. Fate had brought me here. I had to suck it up and play the cards dealt.
I twirled my thumbs, my hands clasped under the table. “There’s another reason why I have to go back. I overheard there’s a girl like me. Her name is Abby. She has the ability to ...”
If Zen didn’t know what my special ability was, he would know now. It wasn’t my secret to hold any longer.
“She has the ability to mentally map out any area she’s in with total accuracy. I’m not sure if her ability only happens when given Helix, or if she can conjure it like me without the serum. I can safely assume she’s my twin sister. And she may have more abilities and not realize it. It’s been that way for me.”
Rhett squeezed my thigh to let me know he understood and he would be there for me. He had said he wanted me to count on him, to be on my team, to help me find my father and my twin. I believed him.
I would accept his help and anyone who offered. Before, when I’d only had myself to depend on, it had been a lonely, miserable road. No more. No more foster parents. No more juvie. I had people who loved me, who wanted to help.
“Twin sister,” Zen parroted, leaning back. “Interesting. Your father and I met through ISAN. We were both new scientists hungry for work and knowledge. We worked closely together until we found out what ISAN truly stood for. I knew your mother, too. I met her when she was pregnant with you. Your mother and Cleo’s mother became friends. They were pregnant at the same time. But your father never told me your mother was having twins.”
“You knew my father?”
I pinched my eyebrows to the center and caught Rhett’s apologetic gaze. He hadn’t disclosed that information when he’d first mentioned Zen. I knew why he hadn’t, since he hadn’t known he could trust me, but it hurt nonetheless.
“I’ll explain later,” Rhett said wearily.
“Well then.” Zen rapped the table lightly as if anticipating what was to come. “Ava has a lot to do in ISAN. Your first priority is to get me a sample of the serum. Without it, we don’t have a chance. Find out where your father and sister are located. Once you find out, do not attempt to get them out on your own. Let us help you. The chances of getting them out successfully will be much higher with our help. It won’t do anyone good if you’re dead. Your father sacrificed himself so I could keep the rebel group safe. Deep down, he knew I could lead the rebel team and he couldn’t. I promised your father I would look after you. There are things at play you’re not aware of. Do not let his sacrifice go in vain. Do you understand?”
“I understand.” No hesitation from me.
I bit my bottom lip, soaking in his words. My father had sacrificed the comfort of a family so my sister and I could have a chance at a normal life. But what he’d done to us had also marked us as targets.
What about Cleo? Had Zen experimented on his daughter, too? If he hadn’t, lucky for her. But what did that make my father? A monster? A sadistic scientist? What if the experiment had gone wrong?
If the opportunity presented itself to get my father and my twin out on my own, I would do it. I would never be able to live with myself if something were to happen to them while I waited for backup. Not only was my motive to get my father and my sister to safety, I needed answers.
Zen gave us a curt nod. “The meeting is dismissed.”
“Wait. I have one last question.” I scrubbed my sweaty palms on my pants. “I was on a mission to bring in a Mr. Palmer. First of all, does his name ring a bell? Second, a group of kids, about the age of twelve or so, flew a glider and grabbed Mr. Palmer first.”
Zen swung his chair back to face us again. “I don’t know Mr. Palmer or why ISAN would want him, but I’ll look into it. But twelve? Are you sure they were kids? Are you sure Mr. Palmer was taken against his will?”
“Well ...” I tried to recall, but everything had happened so fast. “They didn’t shoot at us, but instead used EMP technology to prevent us from using our Tasers. And yes, they were kids.”
Zen scrutinized me as if he could find the answer on my face. “I wasn’t sure, but ...”
“Oh, they did. Those sons of bitches really did.” Rhett shoved his hand into his hair.
Cleo swiveled closer to her father. “What? What are you talking about?”
Zen’s chest rose and fell, his lips so thin, they practically disappeared. “I thought it was only a rumor. I heard children from juvie as young as ten were taken to be experimented on. These kids you saw couldn’t have been with ISAN anymore. Every mission is inputted into their systems. If your facility didn’t know they’d be there, then these kids must have escaped somehow and created their own rebel team. I don’t know who could be running the show there. Frank, any thoughts?”
“No.” Frank scrunched his face in disgust. “I thought they were a rumor, too.”
“What the—” Ozzie dropped his shoulders, shoving a palm to his face.
Reyna’s scowl turned to a look of hope. “Well, at least some escaped. We need to hurry and find them. Mitch said ISAN was going after another rebel group.”
Rhett gripped Zen to get his attention. “Tell me you already sent a scouting team in search for them, even if you thought it was a rumor.”
“I did. But ...” Zen stared blankly at the wall. “They’re so young. We wouldn’t know how many there are and who is leading the team. We are going to need a lot of prayers.”
; Rhett
Zen might have believed Ava when she technically promised she would stand down if she found her family, but I didn’t. I knew Ava too well.
There were only two places Ava hadn’t visited: South and North.
I hoped ISAN East didn’t plan a trip to either anytime soon. If Mr. Novak was trying to keep Ava from finding her father and her twin, he would not allow her to visit West, mission or not. The big question was, did he know she had a twin?
What if Ava’s sister was part of the rebel team ISAN was preparing to attack? Ava would never forgive herself if things went wrong. I had to stop second-guessing. We could only be at one place at a time.
“Ava.” I ran after her when she dashed off after the meeting.
She turned to look at me, her face was pale, and I anticipated she needed to be alone.
“I need a second.” She exited the compound.
I let her have her space and trusted she could work through her thoughts. Her mind must be milling with questions. One in particular: why I hadn’t told her Zen had worked with her father. And second, she must be wondering about her sister. Sighing, I hiked to the top of a pile of debris.
“Cleo—”
Cleo turned in midstride, but seconds passed before she spotted me.
“Thank you for offering to be part of our team. You didn’t have to, but you did.” I tracked down midway.
Cleo ascended to meet me. “You need the best, and you know I am.”
Her genuine smile let me know we were okay. She was okay.
“Does this mean we’re still friends? You’re not mad at me anymore?”
Cleo leaned her hip against a wall fragment and crossed her arms. “I’m always mad at you.” She let out a jovial laugh. “Just don’t do anything stupid. Love can make you do stupid things.”
“I suppose it can.”
Her eyes widened. “Anyway, I was looking for you to tell you to check the news. This report just came out.”
I clicked on my chip. A hologram of the news reporter and her surroundings hovered over my hand. She stood a distance from a block of stores.
“The thieves have left the scene but left a handful of Council guards dead. I’m with one of the witnesses now.”
The camera fixed on a man.
“Tell us what you saw. Tell the world what you told me.”
The witness said, “Two teen girls barged in. They held no weapons but ordered the store owner to transfer 4Qs to their chips. When the guy refused, they just blew air from their mouths, like how you blow candles out. The owner flew back and slammed against the wall. It was crazy. I’d never seen anything like it. They had superpowers.”
“Thank you for your time,” the reporter said.
The hologram of the man faded, and the image projected the two young girls doing exactly what the witness had told the world. Then the recording played back how they used their power to force the guards’ gliders to crash into each other. Then I switched off my chip.
Cleo grabbed my wrist when I continued to stare where the holograms had been. “Rhett, you okay?”
“Yeah.” I met her gaze and dropped my arm. “You think these girls have been injected with Helix and forced to do crazy shit like that?”
“Or maybe they’re rebels from another territory?”
I stretched my neck from side to side in frustration. “Who the hell knows.”
Or perhaps they were like Ava and didn’t need Helix. Was that possible? Some would hide their abilities. But others would do foolish things, like these girls, if they were desperate.
“Well ...” She paused and her eyes lingered as if she wanted to tell me something and then changed her mind. “I better go. I have dinner to help prepare.” She strolled toward the kitchen area.
A few minutes later, Ava walked back inside. I had contemplated whether to go find her but thought better of it.
Sunlight glowed around her in the hollow space of the makeshift door, and I swear she looked like a mirage. She sucked the air out of the room.
Many times I’d imagined her walking through that door, and there she stood. Not just in my head, but real. She was real. She was really here. Sometimes I had to pinch myself to know I wasn’t dreaming.
“You haven’t moved from your spot?”
I smiled at her teasing tone and watched as she walked toward me with that swaggering assassin’s gait—one that either made people stop and stare or run the other way.
“I was doing things.” I almost choked on my lie.
“You have lots to explain to me, Rhett.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and shuffled her feet, hiking up to me. “I never even knew my last name was Hunt, assuming my dad didn’t change it. I suppose my mom changed her name back to her maiden name, if she took my father’s name in the first place.”
“Ava, I know you. Doesn’t matter what your last name is. Ava is a great name, and that’s all people need to know. And I promise to explain things when we get a chance.”
She gave me a sideways glance, and all I wanted to do at the moment was hold her.
Real. She’s real. I’m not dreaming.
“I’m really standing here, aren’t I?”
I closed the distance between us and framed her cheeks with my hands, gently tugging her closer. “Yes, you are. Unless we’re dreaming the same thing and at the exact same time. I don’t think that’s possible, though.”
Ava snuggled her cheek against my palm, and I went boneless.
“Thank you for not giving up on me, on us. You could have just let it be. But you risked your own life and went against all odds to reach out to me, to get me out. I’m forever grateful. I’m forever grateful to Ozzie and Reyna, too. I would’ve been in the dark, living a lie.”
My heart bounced happily like a ping-pong ball. “You are a gamble worth taking, and I would do it all over again. And you would have done the same for me. Love makes you do crazy things, things that seem impossible. But you find a way. We may have won this battle, but we have a war to fight. Many lives are at stake. I’m just glad we’re on the same side.”
Ava pressed her body to mine, and her warmth and scent drove me wild. I kissed her forehead and embraced her tighter. These precious moments were rare, and I would enjoy them with every breath.
Ava
After dinner, everyone gathered around a bonfire near the far back. A few told stories of history long ago. Some told scary stories, funny ones, and one spoke about the disaster from the meteors. Not only the adults, but even the children were engrossed in the stories. When the storytelling was over, music filled the air. People clapped to the beat and danced.
I sat on a makeshift cement chair next to Reyna. “Do they tell tales and dance every night?”
She handed me a plastic-like tube with a cap and drank from hers. “Nope,” Reyna dragged out the word and snorted. “And I have no idea why we are today. Maybe simply because. Or to celebrate we made it another day without ISAN finding our base.”
“What is this?” I flipped the cap filled with dark liquid.
“Soda.”
“Soda? The last time I had one was when I was thirteen years old. The packaging—”
“Yup. Gone are the cans and glass bottles. These are biodegradable.”
“Cool.” I savored the first sip as if I’d tasted gold.
Little girls and boys gathered around Rhett and Cleo. Everyone linked their arms from one partner to the next in an orderly, practiced fashion. How many times had Rhett and Cleo danced together with the children? How many times had Cleo thought about stealing Rhett from me?
Jealousy slowly circled me, but I squashed it. It wasn’t fair of me to judge or assume again. I reminded myself war was brewing, and Rhett had done so much for me already. I was grateful. I decided to smile and enjoy the festivities.
Through the laughter and smiles of the children, I too lost myself in celebration. What did it matter what we celebrated, anyway? We were alive—and that was all that mattered.
Rhett narrowed his eyes playfully and crooked a finger at me. I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. When the music changed, I peered through the slit between my fingers. Rhett continued to dance with the children, but Cleo had walked away and now sat next to Reyna.
Sweat shone on Cleo’s forehead and she fanned herself. “Those children are wearing me out. I don’t know where Rhett gets all that energy.”
I ignored her comment and let Reyna do all the talking. Not that Cleo was talking to me. I wondered if she knew I sat on Reyna’s other side. Why would she sit close to me when she had given me the cold shoulder?
“Who knows how or why with Rhett.” Reyna cackled and took another sip. “I enjoy watching him. He makes me laugh, but Oz makes me laugh harder.”
Rhett grabbed more onlookers and lured them to dance with his charm, including Ozzie. Ozzie moved stiffly at first, and then began to enjoy himself. Then he shook his ass toward us and yanked Reyna to their group.
Reyna took my comfort with her. She had been the wall separating me from Cleo. Now that the gap was opened, my stomach coiled into knots and cool air replaced the peace. How big and heavy those knots became depended on Cleo.
Be the bigger person. Fix this. You’re the idiot for acting like an ass in the first place.
I stretched my crossed legs—recrossed them to buy time—and cleared my throat. “Everyone seems so happy. The atmosphere is different in ISAN.”
Cleo tucked her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms to lock them in place. She kept her head forward and didn’t acknowledge me.
At least I’d tried.
Cleo shifted, then shifted again a second later. “I don’t know much about ISAN except what Reyna and Ozzie explained to me. Rhett hardly spoke when we first met. He only spoke to his friends and my dad. It took a while for him to open up, let alone trust anyone. I used to wonder why he wanted to go back to ISAN when everyone seemed to hate that place. Later I found he wanted to go back for a girl he loved.”
Something inside me trembled, and I had no reply. Rhett had been through so much in ISAN, and even when he was out of ISAN, he was just as miserable. As for me, I hadn’t remembered him during those glassy months. I’d had it easier. Free from the ache of missing Rhett and free from the regret over what I had done. Until now.