The door opens from behind, and my jaw works overtime. I clasp my hands on my lap and will myself to stay calm and composed.
A thick manila file is slammed down on the desk. Despite my silent coaching, I jump in my seat.
A well-known face slithers into the chair opposite me and I’m instantly slack-jawed. “It’s about time, Sadie,” the VP says, smiling smugly.
CHAPTER 8
“I don’t understand.” My brow wrinkles. The VP slouches down, intersecting his feet at the ankles. He slides the file toward me, gesturing for me to open it. Cautiously, I flip the folder. My face pales and my heart is engaged in a round of energetic somersaults. And not the pleasant kind.
I scrape my fingers up and down my neck as I stare at the folder I’d prepared for the rebels. “I can explain.” Slowly, I bring my eyes up to meet his. Amusement dances in his gaze, and I’m utterly confused.
“I’m sure you could. But I’m not interested in explanations. Our time is limited. When exactly does Officer Rox expect to collect you from work?”
My jaw slackens and the VP laughs. “How do you? Wh …” I trail off as sudden realization dawns. “You’re spying on me?”
He sits up straighter, amusement and annoyance glittering in his eyes. “Come now, Sadie. You’re a smart girl. Think about it. Why would I handpick you as my assistant if not for the connections you have?”
I twitch in my seat. “What do you want from me?”
“That’s more like it,” he says, propping his elbows on the desk. “But you can do better than that.” He issues an unspoken challenge as he waits for me to respond in the way he expects.
I’ve been around him enough these last few weeks to know exactly how he operates. I wet my lips. “Before we discuss your demands, I have one of my own.”
“Go on,” he gleefully encourages.
“I want my sister Ella released into my care. I’ll take responsibility for her, but I want her permanently excused from this program.”
“And?” he prompts.
I mill down hard on my teeth. “And Jarod and I will remain unharmed, and you will provide written evidence that neither of us will be subjected to the program either.”
The VP claps his hands like a performing seal, and the urge to jump up and deck him is hitting me hard. I hate that all this is apparently delivering to some predetermined script, but I’m at his mercy. I’d agree to pretty much anything to guarantee Ella’s safety. “Nicely played, my dear.”
“I’d ask that you disband this program and release all the stars from impending slavery, but I know I’d be wasting my breath.”
“And how very right you would be.” His lips pinch tight.
“How can you do this? Don’t your fellow humans warrant more concern than an alien alliance?”
“Don’t act so ignorant. It’s beneath you,” he snaps, his aggressive tenor alarming me. “I told you time is limited, so now I’ll outline the terms I expect in return for my agreement to your conditions.” He motions toward the file under my fingertips. I’d almost forgotten about it. “I am aware that both you and Jarod have aligned yourself to G and his sympathizers.” My eyes bulge out of their sockets. He permits himself another smug grin. “Sadie, Sadie.” He flaunts his exasperation with a dramatic thrust of his hands. “Do you really think my administration is unaware of the rebels and how far-reaching their network is? Did you actually think you could fabricate records and steal my passwords without my knowledge?”
He tuts. “Don’t insult my intelligence. I let you proceed as you planned because I wanted to find your Achilles’ heel. I thought offering you elevated social status would do the trick, but you surprised me on that front. Good for you.” He reaches over and pats me on the hand like a proud mentor.
“What you have failed to grasp is how much we are co-dependent on one another. How much we need each other.”
“I think we’ll agree to disagree on that front.”
He thumps his fist on the table, and I flinch. “Don’t do that. You are better than this. I know you.” He cocks his head, perusing me with scary intensity. “Actually, I think I know you better than you know yourself.” Frigid fear sweeps the length of my body. “Together, you and I could make a very formidable team. I will be president very soon, and once things slot into place, I will reunite all countries under my leadership and reinstate the United States of America to its former glory.” He emits a satisfied smile.
“You’re freaking insane.” The sentence escapes me without a filter.
“Be very careful what you say to me next. I could issue a death sentence like that.” He snaps his fingers. “Do I need to bring your sister in here to ensure your loyalty?”
That sobers me up. Panic and fear choke me. “No. No. I’ll agree to your demands. I’ll do whatever you want. Tell me.” I’m incapable of masking my fear.
“That’s more like it. Firstly, I’d like you to feed intel I give you to the rebels.” I nod agreeably. “Secondly, you’ll inform me of all details regarding the rebels’ plans the minute you are privy to them. And I also expect you to tell me everything Logan confides regarding human-Saven dealings.” I bob my head a little less enthusiastically this time. “And my final request is the most important one.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “I need you to kill King Adjani.”
You have to be kidding me. Do I have “assassin for hire” branded on my forehead or something? My brain battles to adjust to this latest drama. Little does he realize how closely his goals are aligned to the rebels’ objectives. I nearly laugh at the irony. “Just him?” I tentatively inquire.
“Yes,” he confirms, and I collapse a little inside.
“I don’t understand. Isn’t he your ally? I know you need the Saven energy supplies and you want them to turn the lower classes into your slaves. So why take him out?”
“That is an astute observation and an intelligent question, Sadie.” His words are akin to a verbal pat on the back. “The king is ruthless and not an easy man to reason with. He doesn’t care for humans, and it’s only a matter of time before he invades or permits one of his alien allies to invade. The crown prince is far more reasonable, and he will make a much better leader and ally than his father. Plus, he will have you by his side, and you will ensure the Saven don’t double-cross us.”
“While your faith in me is heartwarming,” I lie, “you seem to be overlooking a very important fact. Logan will want nothing to do with me after I kill his father.”
He casts a knowing smile my way, and I wish I could wipe the arrogance off his face. “On the contrary, my dear. I will have that taken care of too.”
“How?” I clench my hands sharply in my lap, afraid to listen.
“By erasing that from his memory.”
I stare at him with my mouth hanging open in a most unattractive fashion. “What? How?”
“We have a device that can alter memories.” My eyes narrow suspiciously. “Allow me to give you a practical demonstration.” Before I can declare any protest, he clicks his fingers, and the strange alien from this morning walks into the room. B6, I remember his name was. If that’s even a name.
“You recall your conversation with this alien?”
“Yes.”
“Sit,” the VP commands, and he takes the empty seat beside me. “Sadie, do you know what a Brainiac is?”
I shake my head. “Explain your gift to her,” the VP instructs B6.
“The Saven have special mind-control abilities aligned to our true form, and it’s something that humans seem especially susceptible to. According to our most sacred legends, some Saven possessed a rare talent, which enabled them to see into the innermost chambers of the mind, allowing them to determine a whole host of information on brain composition and mental ability. We call them Brainiacs. Nowadays, most Saven scoff at the old legends, but some have merit,” he explains obediently.
The VP emphatically yawns. “Get on with it,” he drawls, picking at an imaginary thread on his jacket.
>
“There are seven of us in existence now. We were all born at the exact same moment twenty years ago. Before us, there hadn’t been any Brainiacs in centuries.” He removes his glasses and rubs at the corners of his stark glossy white eyes. Startled at his strange pupil-less gaze, I attempt to disguise my surprise. I can’t tell if he’s looking at me or through me.
He replaces his glasses, and my body relaxes a smidgeon. “Why are you here? And why were you and your fellow Brainiacs so focused on the people being processed? What exactly are you doing?”
He places his hands on top of the desk, angling ever so slightly toward me. “We are checking their strength of will.”
My eyes fly to the VP, noticing the smug look on his face. Holy cow. What the commissioner inferred was true. “How does it work?” I whip my head back around to B6.
“Our gift is much more transparent when assessing humans, so it’s actually pretty easy. We can look through the human skull into the brain. Each brain has a color surrounding the organ—an aura if you like—determining the strength of that person’s will. Approximately fifty percent of the human brains we’ve encountered have been shrouded in hues of yellow, which indicates a middling degree of control over their will, but they can be manipulated, so we like the yellows.” He says all this in a monotone voice with a blank expression on his face. “Our favorites are those who have orange or red shrouds because they are the easiest to manipulate. Anyone with a pink aura is automatically dismissed because they are too strong-willed to turn. And then today, there was you.”
“What about me?” I swivel in my seat so I’m directly facing him.
“You are virtually unique.” He stares at my forehead in amazement, and it’s the first time his expression has shown any fluctuation, any hint of animation.
“What color is my brain aura?” I drum my fingers anxiously against the tabletop.
“It’s essentially transparent, there is no color, merely a very faint, hazy white aura. It’s astounding.”
I gulp nervously. “And you’ve never met anyone else like me?
He pins me with a weird look and I frown. “I’ve seen one other like you.”
“Who was it?” I ask with evident urgency.
B6 looks over the table at the VP. For what, I’m not sure. Permission to tell me? “That’s neither here nor there, Sadie.” The VP rises from his seat like a viper, coiled and ready to strike. He bends menacingly over B6. “Have you told any of your colleagues about Sadie?”
He looks a little antsy. “I discussed it with B7.”
“And what about the other individual with the same anomaly? Did you tell anyone about him?” There’s that damned word again.
He vigorously shakes his head, a perplexed look on his face. “How coul—”
“Excellent,” the VP interrupts, removing a small rectangular multi-pronged metal device from his pocket. “This may hurt.” With lightning-fast speed, he clasps B6’s face with one hand and fixes the device against his skull. B6’s legs and arms flail about as sparks fly from his forehead.
“Good God!” I jump up. Covering my mouth, I’m sickened as I watch his body judder all over the place. His head lolls grotesquely back and forth. When he passes out, slumping head first onto the table, the VP removes the device and pockets it.
“Bring him to the infirmary and advise the nurse that he’ll be unconscious for twenty-four hours. Please arrange to bring B7 to me,” the VP says to the officer in the corner of the room. I had forgotten he was here.
“As you wish, sir. I’ll organize a replacement to keep guard.”
The VP waves his hand through the air. “Not necessary, officer. Sadie and I have an agreement now. She won’t do anything to jeopardize that. On your way, advise the other officer to bring the boy in here.”
The officer concurs before scooping B6 up and over his shoulders. He speedily exits the room.
“What did you do to him? Will he be all right?”
“He’ll be fine. I erased his short-term memory so he won’t remember you or your special brain. I’ll do the same to B7 later. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” His look is calculating in the extreme.
“Why do you care about that?” I sit back down.
“Don’t be facetious, Sadie. We’ve agreed terms, and the last thing I need is anyone sniffing around you. Now keep up. It’s getting tiresome having to explain so much.”
I grit my teeth and bite back my retort. The door opens and Jarod stumbles into the room, an officer prodding him in the back. I’m relieved to see he looks unhurt. “That will be all,” the VP says, dismissing the guard with a wave. Jarod plops into the seat beside me, his eyes probing me for a sign.
“Mr. Manly. It’s so good of you to join us.” Jarod’s eyes widen to saucers, and at first, I’m unsure why. Then it hits me. The VP called him by his real name.
“We have a deal. You can’t hurt him.” The words spill out of my mouth with panic-filled urgency.
“My dear, we made no such deal. I said I wouldn’t subject him to this program.” He whirls his hand in the air. “But I never made any promises not to return him to the penitentiary he escaped from. You should brush up on your negotiation skills.”
“I need him. If you want me to successfully deliver your demands, then he’s a non-negotiable part of that bargain. I didn’t have to be specific. It was more than implied.”
The VP chuckles, and I seriously wonder if he has a split personality. Or some type of brain malfunction. “Nice recovery. Nonetheless, I wasn’t going to send him to the penitentiary. I was simply toying with you.”
This guy is a total nut-job. And he’s planning on taking control of the country. Scary.
“What deal?” Jarod looks me squarely in the eyes. So I tell him. He doesn’t look overly pleased, but his demeanor tells me he understands it was the best way out of a bad situation.
“I will require the same of you, Jarod, or Watson, or whatever the hell you call yourself these days. Naturally.” The VP pretends to examine his nails. “Unless you have any issue with that?” He looks up at Jarod, eyes glittering in silent challenge.
“No issue.” Jarod is gruff but acquiescent.
“Good. It’s imperative that the rebels don’t discover what we are doing here, so I expect both of you to keep what you’ve learned today to yourselves.” Jarod and I glance sideways at each other with matching aggrieved expressions. “I assume you’ll need to tell them something, so inform them this is a nuclear armory and that we are recruiting the stars to make weapons. That should keep them off the beaten track for a while anyway.”
I tear my gaze from Jarod and eyeball the VP. “That should work.”
“Great. Well then, I think our business is concluded.” He stands, the chair screeching across the tiled floor in the process. “You may take your sister with you, and I’ll sort out her paperwork tomorrow. Please inform Ella that she’s now gainfully employed as my housekeeper. She will report to my residence at eight a.m. sharp Monday morning.”
My jaw opens and closes like a fish out of water. The desire to beat my knuckles into my head resurrects with considerable urgency. I’ve just sold my soul to the devil, but at least I’m getting Ella out of here. Mission accomplished.
“Oh, and Sadie?” he asks, stopping at the door. He pivots around so he’s facing me dead on, his malicious glare piercing me skin-deep. “Don’t even think about double-crossing me or your sister will pay the price.”
CHAPTER 9
Jarod leaves us at the king’s apartment block before tearing off up the road. It’s ten p.m. and there’s a litany of missed calls from Haydn. He was probably totally freaking out, and he’s going to be pissed as hell, but I don’t care. My sister is out of that godforsaken place.
Ella is safe.
For now.
Haydn lunges for me the second I step foot in the apartment, grabbing me into his arms. “Stars. I’ve been so worried.” My eyes spot Neve and Alex loitering anxiously in the bac
kground. “Where were you?” He holds me at arm’s length now as relief gives way to mounting anger. “I went to Government Buildings looking for you, and the place was secured for the night. What’s going on?” He looks up, finally noticing Ella.
Shrugging out of Haydn’s embrace, I loop my arm in my sister’s as my booted foot closes the front door. “This is my sister, Ella. She’s going to be living with us.” Temporarily, but I don’t want to get into that. I’ve done plenty of thinking on the drive back, and one of the first things I’m doing to reclaim my independence is getting my own place.
“Do you want to explain?” Haydn pins me with “the look.” He hasn’t even acknowledged Ella.
“The VP located Ella today, and he asked me to go with him to Sector Twenty to organize her release. It only happened late in the day, and there wasn’t time to contact you. I didn’t think it’d take so long. Sorry.” I flutter my eyelids, hoping to deflect from the blatant lie. It was the only way I could think to explain it. I abhor lying to him, to Logan, but I have no choice.
Tension slips off his shoulders as he steps toward Ella. “It’s nice to meet you.” He extends his hand while I make quick introductions all round.
“I have dinner for you, Sadie, but I didn’t realize you’d have company. I can make you a sandwich?” he suggests to Ella.
“That would be great. I’m starved.” She throws me a quizzical look.
“Later,” I mouth.
After we’ve eaten, I show Ella to one of the spare guest bedrooms while Haydn runs her a bath. Walking back into the living room, I falter mid-step. Neve is straddling Alex on the couch, and they are practically eating each other alive. She moans indiscreetly as his hands creep up her skirt. I cough loudly. Alex moves his head to the side, but Neve grasps his face sternly, meshing their mouths together. “Okay. Don’t mind me then.”
Neve drives Alex down on the couch, flattening her body against his, not caring that she has an audience.
“No, really, don’t mind me.” Honestly, it’s borderline obscene.
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