Gabriel ran out of an office and separated them.
“Just go, Ailsa!” Gabriel said. “There’s nothing you can do here. I will make sure they don’t hurt her. Just get out, while you can. You have no idea of what’s coming now.”
66
Hanshin grabbed Ailsa’s upper arm. “Let’s go, ma’am.” He marched her out.
Ailsa jerked her arm away from him. “I can walk on my own, thank you!”
A memory sparked in her mind. Dr. Xemura was outside the cage and she was in it. ‘She depends on you. You are the foundation.’ That’s what he said.
Hanshin handcuffed her and pushed her into the troop carrier. “Where will you go?” he asked.
“Did you forget that we were working together?” she asked.
“No. I remember.”
“Then what has changed? Ask yourself, what has changed? Why are you—” she started.
He waved his hand to silence her. “My orders changed.”
“Your orders are wrong! They’re going to separate me from my child.” She squinted at him and her voice broke.
“It’s not my responsibility.” He slammed the doors behind her.
Ailsa took a deep breath and focused on Texa. She focused on the current between them. No. No. No. She turned it off.
Ailsa listened. She pushed on the door and it clanged open. She looked out. The soldiers sat on the ground. Some reclined in the street.
She stepped out onto the street. A hot, dry wind blew dust into her face. Above her, aircars streamed in four lanes each way. She nudged one of the soldiers with a foot. He did not react.
She walked into the Central Office and opened the door to the room where Gabriel had been.
Zora jumped out at her and landed on Ailsa’s neck. “What did you do!”
Ailsa hit the floor and Zora got on top of her. She landed punch after punch to Ailsa’s nose. Blood spattered over Zora’s face.
“I had them,” Zora yelled. “I had the Republic. I was going to stop it all, the cleanings, the oppression, I was going to force sharing and provide education for all. What did you do?”
Ailsa smiled through the blood and a swollen left eye. “I almost believe you.”
Gabriel ran into the room holding a dark screen. “Zora, I lost control! I’m locked out!”
“Damnit!” Zora rolled off of Ailsa. She kneeled and massaged her forehead.
Ailsa got up and ran into the room Gabriel had just exited. “Texa! Texa!”
Texa stood up from behind a table. She stared at Ailsa. Her eyes were unfocused and her face slack.
Ailsa ran to her. She fell to her knees and hugged Texa tight. “What did they do to you, baby?”
Ailsa ran her hands over Texa’s body and through her hair. She stopped at the nape of her neck.
Her hand caressed a smooth, metal ball that protruded from Texa’s neck. She grabbed it and pulled.
Texa screamed.
Ailsa grabbed Texa’s hand and pulled her into the other room. “I want it out now!”
“It’s a more advanced version of Vernor’s control chip,” said Gabriel. “It won’t cause any permanent damage.”
Ailsa squinted at him. Tears streamed down her face. “I don’t care! I want it out now!”
Gabriel shrugged and turned.
“Can’t you please just get it out of her. She won’t help you anymore. We will—”
Zora stood up. “Why doesn’t she work anymore? What did you do?”
“We have to get out of here,” whispered Gabriel. “He’s going to make his move and then it will be too late. We’ll take them both. We’ll figure it out.”
Zora nodded. “Texa, come,” she said.
Texa followed her.
“Come with us,” said Gabriel to Ailsa. “Help us keep her safe.”
67
“You drive,” Zora said to Gabriel. “Texa and Ailsa, in the back seat.” They exited the Republic Trust Central office and climbed into a Guardian aircar.
Gabriel hit the start button but the engine did not respond.
A shadow fell over them. Gards descended on ropes outside the car and trained their guns on Gabriel. Dr. Xemura appeared behind them.
“Out of the car,” he said.
Gards opened the four doors and they all piled out.
“You have gravely disappointed me, Zora,” said Dr. Xemura. He approached her and jammed his finger into her chest. “I offered you a position of trust.”
“Which you used to further intimidate me,” Zora said. “You involved me in coercive human testing. You used my work to initiate this program of mass population control. So save your sanctimonious violation of trust bullshit! You violated mine first.”
Dr. Xemura felt the back of Texa’s head. “Yet I see you did some coercive human testing and control of your own.” He cocked an eyebrow.
Zora crossed her arms.
“And you, Gabriel? Have you forgotten that we are brothers?”
“Hello, Vernor,” said Gabriel. “I’m glad you’re alive. I just want you to stop hurting people.”
“And you, Ailsa, my dear,” said Dr. Xemura, “we are reunited.” He turned to a Gard. “Take them to the Celtic Sea lab. ”We’ll soon have our lives back on track,” he said to Ailsa.
“You will not!” Ailsa said. A Gard grabbed her. She ripped her arm away from him.
“Don’t worry, my dear,” Dr. Xemura said. “I will restore your memory and we will be together again. You have suffered for this crazy experiment long enough. There is enough data now, I think.”
Ailsa turned to Zora and nodded. She closed her eyes and felt for the current. Yes. She forced herself to relax and become open to it again.
“Knock them out, Texa! Knock them out, now!” yelled Zora.
Dr. Xemura laughed. “Did you not think, my dear Zora, that I would disable the chip in her? You did not secure the interface in any fashion.” He laughed with his mouth closed. “Very careless of you.”
Zora looked down.
Ailsa kneeled down. “Texa, it’s Mommy. Texa?”
Dr. Xemura continued laughing. “I can assure you—” he started.
“Baby, I need you to use your power.”
“—that her will is subverted right now by the technology. There is nothing—”
“I love you, baby girl. I promise to always take care of you, my little princess,” said Ailsa. She hugged Texa’s limp body.
“—absolutely nothing,” continued Dr. Xemura, “that you—”
Texa took a deep breath. “Do you promise not to kill us again, Mommy?”
A tear rolled down Ailsa’s cheek. “I promise. I’m so sorry.”
“—can do.” Dr. Xemura’s face hardened. “Take them now!”
Gards grabbed their arms behind their backs and started to handcuff them.
“Texa, I just need you—” started Ailsa.
“I heard your thought, Mommy,” said Texa. She twisted her head to the side.
The Gards collapsed to the ground.
Ailsa stood up and smiled. She covered her mouth. She picked up Texa and hugged her tight. “You did it, baby girl. Good job.”
“Please stop that, dear.” Dr. Xemura picked up a gun and pointed it at the ground in front of Ailsa and Texa.
Gabriel leaped at him and his brother opened a hole in his chest. Gabriel fell dead to the ground.
Zora ran at him. “You bastard!” She raised her hand to smack him.
Ailsa put Texa down. “Just hold on a minute, honey.” She got behind Dr. Xemura.
Ailsa grabbed one arm, Zora the other. Zora bit his gun hand and he released it. Ailsa flipped him over and put a knee in his back.
“What do we do with him now?” asked Ailsa.
Zora reached for the gun.
“No!” yelled Ailsa. She grabbed Zora’s arm and held the gun up. A shot fired off into the sky.
“We have to kill him,” Zora yelled.
“People need to know what happened,” said Ai
lsa. He has to be put on trial, exposed, the Republic ended. Otherwise, nothing will change.”
“No,” said Zora. She ripped the gun away from Ailsa and it hit the ground.
Ailsa picked it up and fired at Zora.
Zora gulped for air but her lungs were gone. She fell dead to the sidewalk.
Vernor sat up and laughed. “Very good, my dear. Excellent work. We are quite the team, as always.” He looked behind Ailsa and a tremor crossed his face.
Ailsa turned around. Texa lay still, flat on her back on top of a Gard. A spurt of blood erupted from her chest. Her left arm and a piece of her chest were missing.
68
Ailsa sat at the kitchen table and sighed. She wanted to remember something. It tugged at her memory. She knew it was there but the details escaped her.
She remembered the last few years with Vernor. The surprise romance, the lavish marriage and now, the life of fame and luxury he provided her as President of the Republic Trust.
She walked to the kitchen window and looked out. Republic Guardians kept watch at the end of their drive. She admired the green fields around their home and thought of children playing in them. Her children. Lots of them.
A sound came over the radio. She smiled and softly traipsed up the padded stairs. She turned right at the top and opened the nursery.
The baby stood up in its crib. The pacifier fell out of her mouth and she gurgled at her mother.
She cradled the baby in her arms. “Oh, Alexa, you’re such a beautiful—” started Ailsa.
A spark jumped into her mind. Protectorate 13477. Uplift. The Death Shop. Zora. Gabriel. Vernor. Her Vernor. Texa.
She touched the back of her head. There was something round and hard under her skin.
Her eyes went wide. She felt the current. Alexa looked up at her with curious yet knowing eyes.
The front door opened downstairs. “I’m home, dear! Where are my girls?” It was Vernor.
Book 2 Out Soon
Get notified when book 2 in the Republic Trust series is available:
CLICK THIS LINK
Get 3 free books at GeorgeDonnelly.com.
Did you Like this Book?
I NEED YOU…
Without reviews, indie books like this can’t find their audience.
Leaving a review will only take a minute — just a sentence or two that tells people what you liked about Death Shop, to help other readers know why they might like it, too, and to help me write more of what you love.
The truth is, VERY FEW readers leave reviews.
Be the exception. Help me find my audience.
Write a review today.
About the Author
Former starship redshirt turned rag-clad resistance fighter, George Donnelly is the author of space opera, cyberpunk & post-apocalyptic science fiction series. A single unschooling expat dad, George prefers zombies to aliens but is primed for any meatspace apocalypse minus grey goo.
@GeorgeDonnelly
AuthorGeorgeDonnelly
GeorgeDonnelly.com
[email protected]
Also by the Author
For more books by George Donnelly,
visit
GeorgeDonnelly.com/Books
Death Shop: With Hope, Anything is Possible — Or Not Page 9