The Perfect Outcast

by Melissa O. Hansen

  Alina stepped out from behind the monitor. “Rex, they’re looking for you,” she said nervously.

  He lifted his visor. “It’s okay. My goal tonight was to get you to Carthem. Yes, having those two in the control room complicates things since that’s where the dagger is kept. I’ll have to draw them out. But this can also work to our advantage.” He took her arm. “Listen to me, Alina. You’re the valuable one here. It’s crucial you make it to Carthem. Don’t worry about Jade and me, we’re expendable, but you—”

  Alina pushed up her visor and jerked her arm away. “What are you talking about Rex? I’m the expendable one! You need to kill me for this whole plan to work, so what are you waiting for? Don’t risk any more of the rebels’ plans by keeping me alive!”

  Rex stared at her for a moment, then understanding dawned his face. “Oh, no, Alina, you have it all wrong! I can see why you’d think that, but—oh I’ve messed up—we don’t want you dead; you’re much more valuable to us alive! Believe me. You must keep yourself safe for the resistance.” He clutched her arm again. “Please.”

  Alina hesitated, then nodded. “All right. Tell me what to do.”

  “If they’re expecting me, then I’ll give them what they’re looking for. I’ll draw them out of the control room so you can reach the dagger and enter Carthem on your own. I’ll do everything I can to meet you there.”

  “But I don’t know anything about the dagger!” Alina exclaimed.

  “There’s ageless serum in its blade. I don’t know how it works, but when someone is cut with it, they are transported to Carthem. Simple.” Rex took a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it and handed it to her. “My friend wrote these directions. They begin at the laboratories, so figure out where we’re at now and start from there.”

  Alina read the note to herself.

  Turn left and follow the hallway to your first right, into a large foyer with a spiral staircase. Take the stairs up to the next level and turn left. Follow that hall until you see a door labeled ‘Operations and Control.’ The code is 469904. Open the door, and proceed to the control room, the third door on the left, code 386022. The dagger is kept in the drawer of the central control desk.

  Alina looked up. “Just like that?”

  “I hope so,” Rex answered. “There may be guards, and an alarm is likely to go off when you take the dagger, so be fast. Get your hands on it and cut yourself.”

  “Do you think Sampson suspects we’ll go after the dagger?”

  “He might. That’s why my diversion needs to be big enough to empty that room. But hey,” he grinned, “I know how to put on a good show.”

  “Rex—”

  “We have no choice, Alina. You must make it to Carthem. And keep yourself alive. Unfortunately, I have no advice for you once you’re there. But you’ll find allies since everyone hates Sampson. Maybe you’ll find Camden.”

  He looked at her and his face softened. “I’m sorry I have to leave you. This whole escape has been reckless, out of necessity. But I think you’re ready.” He hugged her and whispered in her ear. “Believe in yourself. Camden used to say mortals were stronger than immortals by a thousand-fold. Something about passing through adversity. I never knew what he meant, but if he said it, then it’s true.”

  He opened the door, peeked out, and looked back at her and nodded. “All clear. Stay here for about fifteen minutes while I clear your path. Don’t wait any longer.” He paused. “And be safe.”

  She swallowed. “You too, Rex.” He pulled the shield over his eyes and disappeared into the hallway.

  She closed the door and locked it, then let out a long breath and glanced around the room. The info-disc on the floor caught her eye. The striking woman on the case looked familiar.

  She studied the disc for several moments before it came to her. The woman, once Sampson’s public girlfriend, now lived on Alina’s street. She accompanied him to the Day of Genesis celebration two years ago. He had a different girlfriend now, but Brock and Phil claimed she was still one of his.

  Many of his ex-girlfriends didn’t fit into society after the breakup, and this one in particular became the subject of fierce gossip after Sampson let her go. People called her a social climber, a manipulator, an inept lover. She threw a tantrum when Sampson broke up with her and was almost sent.

  Alina shook her head. This woman couldn’t possibly be with him. Brock and Phil must be mistaken.

  She looked at the cases along the wall and noticed each spine had a name. Since no two people had the same name in Pria, she knew which discs belonged to whom. Scanning the lower trays, she found her name next to Jade’s, then grabbed both discs and took them to the monitor. She had a few minutes to spare.

  She grimaced at the photo on her case, taken in the hallway at school. The fluorescent lighting illuminated every oily pore on her face. She opened the case and slid the disc into the slit on the monitor. Bold letters flashed onto the large screen, and she backed up to get a better view.

  ALINA

  born: March 22 (DOE)

  caretaker: Jade

  What did DOE mean? Was it a code for the year? No one kept track of years in Pria, except in their minds. But the date puzzled her most. She celebrated her commencement on June tenth. March twenty-second was the day following the Day of Genesis.

  She found the remote and swiped through the pages, then let out a startled cry. She glanced around the room. Is he watching me now?

  She never knew her life had been so closely monitored. Hundreds of video links and pictures filled the screen. She smiled at a photo of Jade holding her, tickling her tummy and watching her laugh; then at six years old, grinning a toothless smile. Other pages showed her sitting in class at school and on outings, or sleeping in her bedroom, taken from the angle of her window. That one unsettled her.

  Her disc even included a photo from the day before, when she ran to the school bathroom after the encounter with Eris, and then as she talked to Zaiden in the hall with puffy, red eyes. She cringed with humiliation.

  She had to get moving, but couldn’t resist taking a peek at Jade’s disc. She slipped the disc into the monitor and as the first picture flashed across the screen, she gasped.

  The woman bore no similarities to the one Alina lived with. Thick eyeliner and lipstick shaped Jade’s eyes and mouth. Twisted, kinky black hair fanned out around her face. She looked so much happier, even younger. The bold letters read:

  JADE

  commenced: August 5

  caretakers: Marcos and Thea

  caretaker to Alina; SD in occipital lobe

  SD. Surveillance device?

  Alina didn’t know a couple had raised her. How strange Jade never mentioned them before.

  She seemed a happy child. Videos with her caretakers showed a handsome couple doting on her at parties, school activities, and celebrations. Hundreds of photos were taken with friends. Her appearance altered over the century of her life. Alina giggled at the stiff hair, heavy jewelry, skin-tight clothing, and other fads. Did she know this woman at all?

  Then Alina reached a photo that made her jaw drop in disbelief. A dark-haired, handsome man had his arms wrapped around Jade, who looked more beautiful than Alina had ever seen.

  But Jade doesn’t like men!

  This one seemed different—rugged and flawed. Attractive, but not like men of Pria. One blue-green eye was slightly higher than the other. His teeth were faintly yellow, and his hair carried flecks of gray. She read the caption below the picture.

  Jade with J’koby Yates—Enemy #1

  Who was he?

  Alina removed the disc from the monitor, put it in its case and set both back in their trays. She hunted through the discs for one that read J’koby but found no sequence to their order. She climbed the ladder and after skimming several rows, found another that caught her attention. Zaiden.

  She had no time to search his disc now. She chewed her lip for a moment, hovering on the ladder, then snatched the case and scram
bled down. She’d take it with her to Carthem to remember him.

  A disc was nothing without a panel, however. Did they have them there? She scanned the room until her eyes settled on the remote underneath the monitor.

  She picked up the small panel and examined it. The screen was small but contained a slit in the side for an info-disc. She unzipped the laboratory uniform and shoved the disc and panel into the bodice of her gown.

  She pulled the visor over her eyes and had just touched the doorknob when a loud explosion echoed through the palace, shaking the walls. She froze as footsteps thundered down the hallway.

  “Clever fink. He’s in the laboratories!” Brock shouted as he passed the door. “We’ve got him!”

  Alina’s heart raced. What did Rex do?

  She turned the knob, peeked into the hallway, and crept out. She pulled the paper from her pocket and unfolded it. Turn left, then right into a large foyer. Take the staircase up to Operations and Control.

  She reached the foyer, but nearly cried out when she saw the staircase. It swirled in the center of the room, exposed, without walls or rails. She gritted her teeth and dashed for the staircase, crouching on her hands and knees as she climbed. She inspected the horizon as she came to the next floor, then scrambled up the last few steps and hurried to the hallway on the left.

  She fought back tears. Rex was caught, she knew it. But what happened to Jade? Alina hadn’t lived a day without her, and now she must go to Carthem alone. Everything depended on her.

  The paper shook in her hands as she reread the instructions. She snuck down the hall until she found the door with large, black letters.

  OPERATIONS AND CONTROL

  She exhaled and tapped the code into the lock-screen. It clicked, and she slid through the door. This hallway differed from the other areas of Gordian. It wasn’t grand and lofty but gleaming white. The floor, ceiling, doors, and walls were all the same sterile color.

  Third door on the left. There might be guards. An alarm will sound. Find the dagger and use it before Sampson gets there.

  She found the door and put her finger above the lock-screen, then paused. Something nagged at her. Sampson’s most valuable possession shouldn’t be this accessible. She heard no sounds behind the door and saw no sign of the guards. Entry seemed too easy. Maybe Rex had been misinformed.

  She’d come this far and shouldn’t leave without being certain. She set her teeth and tapped in the code, expecting a shrill siren the moment it registered. But the door opened without a sound. A dim light flickered through the crack.

  The door flung open, and strong hands seized her, pulling her in and yanking the hood from her head.

  Guards! She wrestled with all her strength until a voice cut through the darkness, turning her blood cold.

  “Welcome, Alina. We’ve been expecting you.”

  Light flooded the room, and Alina let out a startled cry.

  Hundreds of monitors blinked around her. She glimpsed Rex’s street, lit up in celebration with tangled lovers and wild dancers. Other screens revealed the inside of homes, the front gate of Gordian Palace, and the foyer with the exposed staircase she had just ascended. She swallowed.

  Sampson, always watching. Even now, he glared at her as he ran his fingers along the hilt of a sheathed knife.

  He stood up and walked to her. He lifted a long finger and stroked her cheek. She didn’t blink.

  “Well done,” he whispered. “You played your part well.”

  She held her voice steady. “What are you talking about?”

  “Crome, make sure her wrists are tight.” The man holding her wrapped a rope around her wrists and fixed it into a hard knot. She winced.

  A ping rang out. Sampson kept his eyes on Alina as he lifted a small panel and tapped it. “Yes?”

  “Rex is in the dungeon. Everything went as planned.”

  Sampson flashed his white teeth. “Perfect.”

  He clicked off the screen. “Yes, well played. Although, I am a little disappointed. I expected more rebels to show up in a vain rescue attempt. I know Rex doesn’t work alone.”

  Alina’s nostrils flared, then her eyes darted to the knife in his hand.

  Sampson raised the dagger. “If you think I’d leave this in a room available to anyone in my palace, you highly underestimate my intelligence.”

  Alina opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

  “When I take you down to your friend Rex, you can tell him he’s far too trusting. I also have my spies.” Sampson smiled coldly.

  Alina bit her tongue. I walked right into a trap. I should’ve stopped when something felt wrong. But if Sampson carried the dagger himself, no plan would’ve worked.

  “Do you always carry that with you?” she asked.

  “Oh no, that would be too dangerous. It travels around my palace, and security moves with it. I am the only one who wields it.” He returned the knife to its sheath on his belt. “That will do, Crome. I’ll take her now.”

  He grabbed Alina’s arm and pulled her out of the room and down a maze of hallways and stairs. As they moved deeper into the palace, the floor changed from marble to stone, and the light in the corridors dimmed. They reached a high arched door where Sampson tapped in a code, then entered a narrow stairwell. Sampson turned sideways as he descended, and Alina’s shoulders brushed the walls. Her chest felt tight.

  The tightness moved to her throat and closed in, like the stone around her. She wrenched out her arms to stop the enclosing walls, and the rope loosened and almost fell from her hands. Alina stiffened with shock, then lifted her chin and smiled. Either Crome didn’t know how to tie a knot, or he’d helped her.

  The passage opened into an empty antechamber, and Sampson turned, fixing his stern eyes on her as if waiting for her to speak. She didn’t meet his glare but stared at the ground. Her hands would help her only if she caught him off guard.

  Strange sounds echoed from the darkness: a deep, guttural growl, and an unintelligible chatter, like a woman speaking two octaves higher than normal. A man’s voice sang a hollow, choppy song, as if something pounded his back. A cold chill tickled Alina’s spine.

  “Who are they?” she rasped.

  Sampson’s eyes flashed in the dim light. “Do you think I’d make life pleasant for my traitors? That with one painless swipe of this dagger, I’d send them to Carthem without paying for their crimes? Now, don’t misunderstand me—the stories of Carthem are true. It is a terrifying place because I make it so. They suffer here, then are sent there to suffer more.” He heaved an inflated sigh. “If people would just believe what I tell them—that they’re lucky to live in Pria, life would be so much better for them.”

  “What can you do to them?” Alina scoffed. “They’re immortal! You can’t starve them or hurt them—they can’t feel pain! What do you do—bore them to madness?” Her heart stopped as she spoke the words.

  Sampson flashed a dark, knowing smile. “These people have been coddled their whole lives,” he stressed. “They’ve had one thrill after another: party after party, tryst after tryst. They’re accustomed to beautiful scenery and people. You put them in a dark place like this, by themselves, and before long they start to break down. You see, Alina, while I have full control over the body, I have yet to conquer the mind.”

  “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “I have created a true utopia where no one is in want. Physically speaking, that is. The needs of mortals are simple: they must eat, drink, and sleep. When these basic needs are met, as they are for immortals, they move onto more addictive, sensual needs: refreshment, entertainment, gratification for the eyes and body. If it’s a carnal desire, Pria can grant it, but beyond those pleasures, things get tricky. Mental and emotional desires create chaos. To be a ruler with absolute power, one must control all the cravings of its subjects.”

  “I see,” Alina realized. “You control them by focusing so much on carnal needs, they don’t think about deeper ones.”

  Sampso
n chuckled. “Yes, but the best part is, everyone worships me as a wise and peaceful ruler. As long as I keep Pria pleasant and satisfying to their bodily pleasures, they rely on me. Instant gratification makes people weak—easy to govern and manipulate. The unfortunate ones who end up here are begging for mercy within minutes. They promise not to think again if I let them go back to their lovely homes and shallow relationships. But do they ever leave after seeing things here?” He laughed darkly. “Of course not.”

  He noticed Alina’s glare, and his features hardened. “My greatest obstacle can be my greatest weapon, when used wisely.”

  “And what’s your greatest obstacle?” Alina asked.

  “I’ve told you. The mind. It threatens me every day. Although I generally succeed in making people selfish and passive, occasionally one thinks outside the box. They believe something is missing in their lives, though they don’t know what it is. They become increasingly dissatisfied until, before they know what happened, they’re here in my dungeon begging to go home.”

  “And how is that your greatest weapon?” Alina hoped to keep him talking as she twisted the rope behind her into a ball.

  He rolled his eyes. “Don’t you get it? I meddle with their pampered brains. I can’t hurt them physically, but it’s easy to hurt them mentally. Mind torture is much more effective. I’ve learned quite a bit about the immortal mind through my experiments.”

  Alina took a step away from him. “How many prisoners do you have?”

  “Oh, a decent number. But I can’t hold them here forever. Carthem is vital—I need a place to send them if they’re of no use to me. How else would I keep Pria from overpopulation? I send them to Carthem before they go completely mad, so they have some awareness of their suffering once they’re there. Otherwise, what’s the point? But I admit, once or twice I’ve waited too long.” He chuckled.

  Alina felt sick.

  His smile vanished. “Now, are you ready to see your friends for the last time?”