“And if I did know how to find them and knew the code, how would I deliver the information to them outside the compound? I have been captured and I am scheduled to be put to death.”
“I would help you escape. But the hard part will be teaching you the code.”
“You would help me escape?” Roxal asked to be sure she had heard him correctly.
“Yes,” Quarx said while looking past her into the corner of the room. He appeared to be lost in thought. Then he nodded, looked at her again, and said, “We will have to start new helio. If the Rep stays true to his pattern, he will visit you again. It is best if I do not give you any new information before his visit.” Quarx suddenly looked away from her.
“You are going to help me escape?” She questioned again. “Why would you help me? If you have the information and know a way to escape, why do you not do so?”
“Because your life is expendable. You are going to be killed soon. So whether you stay here and wait for it, or try to escape and get captured, it makes no difference. However, I am still safe, for now. Though I know that eventually someone who knows of my involvement with the Resistors will be interrogated. And when that happens, I will be in the same position as you are now. My hope is you will have gotten the information to the Resistors and they will have attacked before my life is in immediate danger.”
Once again, Roxal thought of how little her life was worth. Quarx did not care whether she lived or died. He was helping her in hopes that he would be helped in return. The only difference between him and the Reps was he was honest about his motives.
“I understand. What is your plan?” she asked.
“Next helio, during the early helio Glorious Session, I will let you know the plan and begin teaching you the authentication codes. Then, during normal Glorious Session, you will escape.”
“Early helio Glorious Session? Those are not regularly scheduled, so how can you be sure there will be one?”
He took a deep breath. “Since the failed attacks, they have become a regular occurrence because that is when the captured blasphemers are put to death.”
Blasphemer executions. Edo, Roxal thought. “How long—” she felt the lump return to her throat as she struggled to ask her question. “How long has it been? Been since Edo was killed?”
She felt nauseous as the words left her mouth. She clenched her jaws and closed her eyes tight, bracing herself for Quarx’s response.
“I do not know the answer to your question. The designations of the executed are not announced before their deaths. And I did not know your mate, so I do not know when he died.”
“Okay.” She unclenched her jaws to respond. Her entire body began to tremble. Edo was gone and she would never know anything about his death.
But now, Quarx was offering her an opportunity. Not just an opportunity to save herself, but an opportunity to make Edo’s sacrifice and the sacrifices of the others who had been executed mean something.
“I will be ready next helio,” Roxal said with her eyes still closed. Quarx did not respond before leaving her alone with her thoughts.
CHAPTER 20
The ringing of her cell phone startled Lauren, and she shot upright in her bed. After a panicked few seconds of searching, she found her cell phone lying in the bed with her. She reached for it. While fumbling to answer, she realized, I think I was asleep.
She didn’t have time to think about it much before she answered the phone.
“Hello,” she said in a raspy voice.
“Lauren? This is Estella. I got your message and I was calling to check on you. Are you all right?”
She looked at the clock. It was almost noon. She had been asleep for almost six hours. This was the longest she had slept since her insomnia started.
“Lauren, are you still there?” Estella’s voice asked on the other end of the call.
“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m here. I was just asleep.” She chuckled. “I think I just went to sleep.”
“That’s great news! Now I feel bad for calling. I wanted to check on you and on Kyle. Is he feeling any better? Or did I wake him up also?”
“No, you didn’t wake Kyle up. And he’ll be okay. But thank you for your concern.” She hoped Estella couldn’t tell that she wasn’t being totally honest with her.
“Well, hopefully he’ll be well enough to drive you to your next appointment. Or, maybe if you’re sleeping again, you’ll be well enough to start driving yourself.”
“We’ll see,” was all Lauren said.
“‘We’ll see?’ You do plan on continuing our sessions, don’t you? I’m glad you were able to sleep last night, but we should make sure you’re fully recovered. I would hate for you to stop seeing me and to then relapse.”
“You’re right. I should get checked out to make sure I don’t relapse. But shouldn’t I go back to Dr. Jackson for that? I don’t know that I still need to see you. The hypnosis technique you taught me appears to have worked.”
Lauren didn’t want to go back to see Estella. She knew the therapist would not believe that an alien from another world was actually communicating with her. And she didn’t want to be prescribed any of the medications Roxal told her could break their connection.
“Well, yes. You’re right that you need to follow up with Dr. Jackson. But I don’t feel our work together is done. I really believe we’ve just scratched the surface of what’s going on in your head. I think it would be very beneficial to you for us to continue working together.”
Crap, she thinks I’m crazy and probably wants to gauge just how crazy I am.
“Estella, thank you for your concern, but—” her call waiting beeped. She checked the phone and saw it was Kyle calling. “But, I’m good. Thank you for your help. Look, I’m getting a call on the other line. I have to go. Bye.”
“Bye, Lauren. Just think about coming to see me again.”
Lauren didn’t respond. Instead, she answered the other call.
“Hello. Hello. Kyle, I’m here.” She was afraid he had hung up because it took her so long to switch over.
“Hi.”
“Baby, are you okay? I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m fine. I just needed some time to think.”
“Think about what?” Lauren was nervous about what his reply would be.
“About all of this. I know being sick hasn’t been easy for you. But it’s also been difficult for me. And yesterday... It just feels like you’re hiding something from me. And we’re supposed to be a team. How can you expect me to make the sacrifices I’m making to be with you if I don’t fully know what’s going on?”
“You’re right. I know my being sick has been hard on you, too. And I’m so thankful that you’ve been here for me. I’m just having a hard time dealing with all of this, myself. But I do have some good news. I’m getting better. I went to sleep for about six hours this morning. I think I’m cured now. I’ll go see Dr. Jackson on Monday for confirmation, but I’m starting to feel better.”
“That’s great!”
She could practically hear Kyle’s smile through the phone. The excitement she heard in his voice sounded genuine. She smiled and thought, Maybe I won’t have to explain Roxal to Kyle after all.
“Kyle, I love you. Let’s try to put this behind us and get back to normal.”
“I love you, too,” he replied. “Getting back to normal sounds great to me. How about we go out for dinner tonight? We can talk and celebrate your getting better.”
“That sounds great to me. Do you want me to meet you at the Indian place near your office?”
“No. For one, I don’t think six hours of sleep is enough to make up for what you’ve missed over the past week. You probably shouldn’t be driving yet. And two, I think I want to go somewhere fancier.”
“You’re probably right about me needing more than just six hours of sleep,” Lauren laughed. “I guess I got excited. What time do you want me to be ready to go?”
“I�
�ll come back home by 6:00 PM. That should give me enough time to finish up here at work. And I’ll have a place all picked out. You just make sure you’re dressed up and ready to go.”
“Sounds good to me,” she replied, trying to picture in her head what she would wear. “I’ll see you at 6:00 PM. And I promise I’ll be ready on time.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he replied, joking with her like old times.
They said their goodbyes and got off of the phone. Lauren laid her head back on her pillow, smiling from ear to ear. The smile was still plastered on her face as she drifted back to sleep.
CHAPTER 21
Roxal opened her eyes. She had been in a dreamscape with sleeping Lauren. She knew it was sleeping Lauren because it was a child version of her who wanted to play a game. Roxal had told her that before they played, she needed to say goodbye because she would not be seeing her anymore. The child started crying and grabbed her about her waist. She could feel the sincere sadness of Lauren through their link as the child buried her face into Roxal’s body and begged her not to go because she loved her, and did not want her to leave.
Roxal had been in the process of explaining to the child why she had to go when she felt the transition back to her world start. Now, fully transitioned and awake, she looked into the uncovered face of the Rep who had been present when she had first awakened after the explosion.
“Now that you are awake, we can begin.”
He walked away from her. Roxal turned her head to follow where he was going and realized she could move her head now. Eager to see how much of her body had been freed, she raised her hands while still lying on her back. When she did, she saw that an IV had been attached to her right arm and, following the tubing, that it was attached to three bags. One had a light blue fluid in it, another had a sickly yellow-green fluid, and a third bag was filled with a clear fluid. The clear fluid was dripping into a nodule and going into her veins as she watched.
She looked around the room and saw Quarx standing at her feet. His expression was solemn and blank. He did not make eye contact with her but watched the floor, as one should in the presence of a Rep.
“Beta 56-02-05, you have been connected to a chemical interrogation unit. I will be asking you questions. Any time you answer truthfully, the system will release this drug.”
The Rep stood behind a terminal as he spoke. She heard the light taps as he repeatedly touched something on the terminal, and there was a vibration in the tubing connected to her IV. She looked in time to see the light blue fluid flow into the nodule and mix with the clear. She watched the now blue-tinted fluid flow down the tubing and into her arm. Seconds after it entered her system, a feeling of calmness overcame her. She did not care about anything at that moment because everything was perfect.
“And anytime you answer untruthfully, this drug will be released,” she heard someone from somewhere say.
With no warning, the feeling of wellbeing was replaced with a burning pain in her right arm. She tried to reach over to stop the burning, but her left arm was once again restrained.
“Oww!” Roxal screamed and tried to use her right hand to reach back and grab the tubing to yank it out of her arm. The sickly yellow-green fluid kept on flowing. Unable to use her left hand or reach it with her right, she then tried to bend her head down to where the needle went into her arm. Through her tears, she could see that she was nowhere close to reaching the tubing.
All Roxal could do was watch and scream. Finally, the tubing fluid turned clear again. The pain subsided slowly. She looked at her arm, expecting to see it had been burned open from the inside out. Instead, she saw nothing but that the skin around the needle’s entrance into her veins was inflamed.
“There is no way to beat this interrogator. It measures your vital signs to determine if you are telling the truth or not. So remember what you have just felt and answer accordingly. Now we will begin.”
She cried silently, waiting for the first question. She could not go through that pain again. She could not.
“How long have you been part of the Resistors?”
“I am not part of the Resistors,” Roxal answered. The tubing vibrated. She looked at it ecstatic to see the light blue fluid filling the line.
All too soon, the euphoria ended. She looked at the tubing again and saw that the fluid was now clear.
“If you are not part of the Resistors, why were you found with confirmed Resistor members during the failed attack on our gods?”
“I was there because my mate was there.” She felt a brief euphoria.
“When you say mate, you are referring to Beta 56-02-12?”
Hearing the Rep say Edo’s official designation felt like a punch to the stomach.
“Yes, my Helper was my mate.” Euphoria.
“Was he a member of the Resistors?”
“Yes.” Euphoria.
“How long had he been a part of the traitors?”
“I do not know.” Burning agony filled her veins. Her throat was now sore from screaming. She felt like she wanted to rip her arm off to stop the pain.
“How long had Beta 56-02-12 been a member of the traitors?”
“At least three annums,” she said between sobs. “I do not know for sure. He only told me about them one annum ago.” Euphoria.
“Do you know the designations of the other members of his cell?”
“No.” Burning, never-ending pain. Then darkness. Then a shock to awaken her again.
“Do you know the designations of the other members of his cell?”
“Please.... No.... I do not.” Pain. Then darkness. Then another shock.
“Do you know the designations of the other members of his cell?”
The agony seemed to grow with each wrong answer. When she would lose consciousness from the pain, as soon as she was revived, the Rep did not pause or give her time to recover before asking the question again. Roxal’s thoughts were scrambled. She could not figure out why the interrogator thought she was not being truthful, but she was willing to tell it whatever it wanted. What name did the machine want? Quarx? But he was not with Edo’s cell. Then she remembered. Jonar.
“Do you know the designations of the other members of his cell?”
“Yes.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Gamma 67-08-30.” Euphoria.
“Do you know the designations of any other members of his cell?”
“No.” Euphoria.
“Did Beta 56-02-12 tell you what other areas would be attacked?”
“No.” Euphoria.
“You are useless! You have not given me any new information!”
Roxal waited for the next question. She was tired. Her body ached. And she wanted to die now. However, instead of a question came the burning. Then darkness.
***
Roxal jerked awake.
“I beg of you. Just kill me. No more. No more.” Roxal raised her arm to wipe the tears from her eyes and realized she was free to move again.
Quarx stood at the foot of her recovery unit. “If you are going to leave, you have to go now. The Rep plans to execute you next helio.”
She did not try to get up. Instead, she curled into a ball and closed her eyes. If she died, at least it would be over.
“What are you doing? Do you want to die?”
“I want this to be over. I do not want to fight anymore. I cannot.”
“Do you think death will be easier than fighting?” he asked. “You are a blasphemer. The Reps want to make an example of you. The pain you felt during your interrogation will be nothing compared to what is planned. They will hook you to a similar machine new helio and activate it over and over again. Only the blue feel-good chemical will not be there. And like this helio, when you lose consciousness, they will revive you and do it again and again until they cannot revive you because you are dead. All of you that they have captured are being used to strike fear into the rest of the Citizens. Death is not the easy choice here.”
She did n
ot respond. She wanted to be done with this. She wanted to be with Edo. As if he could read her mind, Quarx asked, “Would your mate have chosen to stay and die, or would he have kept fighting?”
Roxal looked up at the old man. She hated him for asking that question. Because she knew he did not care about her or Edo. He only wanted her to escape in hopes of keeping himself safe. But even though he was trying to manipulate her, he was right. There was no way Edo would have given up if there was a chance to keep fighting.
Slowly, she sat upright and hung her legs over the side of the recovery unit. She felt shaky and weak, but she was still alive.
“What do I have to do?”
CHAPTER 22
“Fight me.” Quarx looked into Roxal’s eyes and did not break eye contact as he continued. “Do not hold back because I will have to fight you to make my story about your escape believable. Once you get the upper hand, there is a comm pad in my right pocket. Take it; it will lead you outside. It also has the information you need to give to the Resistors. And here.” He injected Roxal with something. Immediately after the injection, she began feeling stronger.
“The stimulant is temporary. There are three more doses left in this injector.” He placed the injector on a small table not far from her. “Now it is time.”
He backed away from her a few paces and stood, apparently waiting for her to make the first move. “Also, the name of my contact within the chain of command is Rodan. I do not have time to teach you the authentication codes because you need to leave now. Hopefully her name will be enough for them to trust you.” He then nodded and was silent once more.
Roxal stood for the first time in she did not know how long. The floor was cold to her bare feet and sent a chill through her body. Whatever stimulant Quarx had given her had made her feel like her normal self. She walked over to him and kicked him in the stomach as hard as possible. The teaching from her physical training classes came back to her with ease.
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