“She’s probably freezing,” one murmured.
“We’ll call for an EMU immediately,” the second said, moving to the phone. Kailynn knew that, when the Emergency Medical Unit was called, they would have less than seven minutes to complete their plan. When she got two squeezes from Theo, she bolted upright, screaming.
“No! No! Stay away from me!!” she bellowed, flailing wildly.
“Miss! Miss! You’re safe!!”
“Get away from me! I want to go home!!”
The other guard moved away from the phone and went to help hold Kailynn down when one of her flailing hands connected with the first guard’s face.
“Mina! Mina! It’s alright, it’s alright…” Theo said, using the code word of her fake name to tell her that the distraction had worked. She turned to him, her eyes going wide.
“Dale?” she whispered. “Dale!” She lunged forward and hugged him tightly, trying to force tears to her eyes again. “I’m so sorry!!”
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Kailynn glanced at the screens around her brother. She caught sight of one of the gang members running down the middle of the warehouses, looking for the one they had found to be linked to Golden Elite Isa’s identification card. Her heart raced when she realized that they were caught on camera. She pulled away from Theo and took his face, trying to keep the attention of the guards on them and away from the screens.
“I tried to call you…”
“Miss, can you tell us what happened?”
Kailynn turned to the guards, her eyes wide. She legitimately panicked. She had not come up with a story about her assault.
“I…I was…” She lowered her head and raised a hand to her head. “I was out with some friends…Dale and I had gotten into a fight and I was drinking…”
“You were in the Walking District?” one guard asked suspiciously. “With friends?”
“Yes,” Kailynn said. “And when we left…”
She could not think of how to continue. Instead, she forced her eyes wider and turned back to Dale, trying to draw attention away from the story so that she would have time to form it.
“Dale…I didn’t mean what I said…”
“What started the fight?” the first guard pressed. “Were you yelling at one another?”
“Loud enough for the neighbors to hear, unfortunately,” Theo said. “I didn’t go after her immediately because I was explaining to them what had happened.”
Kailynn was watching the suspicious creases on the guards’ faces get deeper the more Theo explained the fake fight. Kailynn knew something was wrong. They did not believe the story.
Kailynn turned back to Theo and removed her hand from his, signaling that something was wrong.
“Dale…we shouldn’t so openly discuss our problems…” she tried to get him to stop talking. That was when she realized their mistake. The high-class citizens of Anon did not speak to one another as Trids did. Often they rarely saw each other face-to-face. That was why companies that provided Significants existed.
Her heart began climbing out her throat.
“I’m feeling ill…please…I want to go home…”
“Where is the nearest hospital?” Theo asked, turning to the guards.
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to take her there yourself,” the first guard said, walking to the phone. “I’ll call the EMU.”
Kailynn knew that they were not calling an EMU. They were calling the Officials. They knew something was wrong.
“No!” Kailynn cried. “I don’t want to go to the hospital! I just want to go home!”
“You must be seen by a physician,” the second guard said, his hands moving to his sides.
Theo quickly realized how out of control things were getting. Both guards were armed and could kill them at any moment, and they appeared to be reaching for their weapons.
“I agree,” Theo said with a nod. “Where is the nearest hospital? How long will it take them to get here?”
“No, really, I just want—”
“E-Team, to eleven!!” a voice bellowed outside. Kailynn jumped when the sound of orders being barked filled the air. She turned to the screens again and barely caught sight of what seemed to be hundreds of armed Officials running out of various warehouses, surrounding warehouse eleven—where the gang had expected Venus to be located.
But Kailynn did not have long to study the situation before a gun turned on her. Both guards had drawn their weapons, pointing them at the Evada siblings.
“Stupid Trids,” the first guard growled. “Did you think we were morons?”
“We’ve been waiting for you,” the second added.
The two Trids were completely still and silent, not sure how to respond or how to get out of the dangerous situation. Kailynn looked between the two guns, her head trying to wrap around how fast the situation had changed. She had never considered they would get into the warehouse compound. She had never thought of an escape plan if they were trapped inside.
The sound of rapid gunfire caught everyone by surprise. Kailynn was sure her heart was about to jump out of her throat. However, she knew her only means to escape was when the guards had their heads turned.
She leapt at one, kicking him in the gut and causing him to lose his balance. Theo jumped on the other one, wrestling with the gun.
“Lynni! Run!!” he bellowed.
Kailynn did not hesitate. She ran for the still-open door, almost colliding with the other two guards who were returning to assist in the capture of those who had raided the compound.
Surprised by her sudden appearance, they watched her turn and run out the closing gate. She managed to slip out of the gap just before the gate shut, stalling the guards for a few further seconds. Kailynn darted into the dark alleyways, trying not to notice that snow had started to fall during the time they were inside the compound.
She heard the guards getting closer as she tried to orient herself to determine the safest escape route. The reason she had evaded capture from Officials so many times was because she knew the streets like the back of her hand. She could easily out-maneuver any Official. She knew the alleys. They did not.
The cold was making it difficult for her to move. She was disoriented and frightened and her frozen muscles were locking.
Kailynn lost one of her shoes as she was running and it caused her to fall to the ground. She kicked off the other one, grabbing it when she saw two guards coming at her.
“We have you, you little bitch!”
She lifted her knee into one of the men’s groins, while she shoved the heel of her shoe into the protective visor over the eyes of the other guard, shattering it, though she was not sure if it had actually hurt him.
Then, she ran.
She moved quickly, her breath coming out in puffs of smoke in front of her face as her bare feet carried her through the alleys and streets toward the dark area she knew to be Trid. She did not stop running until she saw something familiar. Hearing voices behind her, she forced her way through a broken window, cutting herself on the glass, and hauling herself up the stairs, too cold to feel the pain. She ascended all the stairs until she reached the door for the roof, shoving it open with her shoulder.
She was still in the Walking District, but she knew the crowds and the neon lights would make it easier for her to escape. She knew she had just enough of a head start on the guards that they likely did not see her jump into the building.
Kailynn ran to the far corner of the roof, finally collapsing, trying to catch her breath, her lungs on fire. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth, trying to stifle the noises of her panting and hide the fogging of her breath. She barely had the strength to lift herself up and peer over the edge of the building.
The guards were just below her, their heated argument too quiet for Kailynn to discern.
Her entire body was locked, cold and pained. The scrapes in her skin from her fall and the slices from the broken glass were numb, and she was worried
that they were far worse than she realized.
But she could not move from her hiding spot. Even if she had the strength, she knew she would have to lay low until the guards had searched everywhere they could.
She could not return to Trid as she was.
Kailynn glanced at the snow that was coming down, seeing it stick to the roof. Knowing that her footprints would give her away to any drones passing over the next day, she forced her frozen limbs into action. She clumsily pulled off the dress from her shivering body, pushing it deep into the corner of the building, hoping to hide it from plain sight. Then, she tried to take big steps toward the door to the roof, leaving as few impressions in the sticking snow as possible.
She slipped through the door and down the dark stairs to the floor below. Shaking and on the verge of unconsciousness, she stumbled into an open, empty room. There were holes in the walls and bottles on the floor, adding to the scenes of graffiti that littered the walls.
Kailynn found a hole in the wall that was large enough for her to fit in and she grabbed a few of the cold bottles, stacking them against the insulation in the hole. She then forced her body to contort between them, hissing through gritting teeth as the cold glass and plastic bit into her bare skin, but she knew she had to be surrounded as much as possible to make the best use of her own body heat to warm her again.
Only when she was curled in a hole in the wall clad only her panties did she break down, stifling her terrified sobs in her hand.
Chapter Three
Isa watched the burgundy wine fall into the wide mouth of the wine glass. She was already on her fourth glass that night, but she was not concerned about the amount of alcohol she had consumed.
“Aha!” a voice sounded from the living room. Isa smiled, amused. “I will have you in two moves!”
“Oh?” she called back, setting the wine bottle down and returning to the living room, seeing the other Elite looking over the holographic chess board intently. When he saw the Golden Elite walk in, he smiled triumphantly.
“I’d like to see you get out of this. I blocked your check and have you set up to fall into my trap,” Remus said with a definitive nod.
Isa stood next to her seat, looking over the chessboard briefly. She touched the controls on her side, moving the knight forward.
“Checkmate.”
Remus’ eyes shot back down to the board as Isa smiled, sitting down and sipping her wine. She watched the Silver Elite look over the pieces on the board, his jaw slowly dropping.
“That was deceptive of you,” he laughed brokenly. She smiled broadly. “I blocked you from here…but you already had that planned.” He looked up at the Golden Elite. “I don’t know why I bother playing strategy games with you. You always win.”
“You’re a glutton for punishment, apparently,” Isa teased.
“Have I ever beaten you?” Remus asked, hitting the reset button on the chessboard, watching the pieces move back into place before the board flashed a goodbye message and powered off.
“A few times.”
“When you were sober?” Remus pressed.
“That, I can’t answer,” Isa said with a chuckle, taking a sip of her wine. Remus watched the action carefully.
“That’s your fourth glass,” he noted. “Are you alright?”
“Fine,” she assured. “It was a difficult day. I’m trying to shake it off.”
“Yes, today was trying. I’m pleased that you kept our dinner date, though.”
“It’s a tradition,” Isa said with a smile. “Your new caretaker is quite the chef.”
“He is.”
“Is that why you chose him?” Isa asked teasingly.
“No,” Remus chuckled. “He was highly qualified in many areas. His culinary skills were merely an added appeal.” Remus leaned back in his seat, picking up his own almost-empty glass of wine. “Isa, there is something I wanted to ask you.” The Golden Elite turned her blue eyes to him. He hesitated for only a moment. “If I went with you, would you start seeing Dr. Arre again?”
Isa sighed heavily, lifting the wine glass to her lips again. Remus watched her, knowing she would not answer.
“I think it would be best,” he pressed.
“I’m fine, Remus.”
“You might be able to convince everyone else of that,” Remus said, “but I know you, Isa. You are not fine.”
“What makes you think that I need to start seeing Paul again?” Isa asked, turning back to Remus. Her eyes were not angry, but Remus knew he was walking a fine line. Isa was never one to take care of her health, but he also knew that she only got defensive about seeking treatment when she also knew she needed help.
“To start, you’re drinking again,” Remus murmured.
“I’ve had some wine tonight,” Isa said, turning to glance at him sideways. “You’re right, clearly I’m an alcoholic.”
“Isa…”
“I don’t mean to snap,” Isa said, watching the wine swirl around the glass in her hands. “I am still allowed to enjoy alcohol. That should not raise any alarms about my health.”
“I’m concerned that it’s in relation to what is happening in the Ninth Circle,” Remus continued cautiously. Isa sighed heavily, hesitating.
“There is no word yet that there is a problem in the Ninth Circle,” she said vaguely.
Remus looked over his Golden Elite, trying not to let his concern show. In the muted light, Isa looked as beautiful as ever, but there was a sadness to her expression that was worrying. He knew Isa was no longer the ambitious young woman he had once known, and he knew that Isa could never return to how she had been before. Her wounds may have healed, but the pain was still fresh.
“I understand,” Remus said quietly. “I am just concerned.” He watched her every muscle movement as he spoke. “However, if our intelligence agents are correct, we must contain Gihron before they got out of hand.”
Isa tensed at the name of the planet, but she tried to hide it with a nod.
“We will address that if it becomes an issue.”
“And, in the meantime, you’ll return to Paul so that you’re better prepared to handle—”
“Remus,” Isa said, turning to the Silver Elite, “I thought one rule of our monthly dinner was not to discuss any politics.”
The Silver Elite could not help but smile at the playful grin pulling at Isa’s lips.
“You’re right,” he chuckled. “I’m just looking out for you.”
“I know,” she murmured. “You always do.”
“Then you’ll consider seeing him again?”
Isa opened her mouth to speak but stopped, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her buzzing phone, popping the earpiece out and putting it in her ear.
“Elite Isa,” she greeted.
“Now look who is breaking the rules of our monthly dinner…” Remus chuckled quietly. Isa ignored him, listening to the person on the other end of the call. After a few moments she nodded.
“I see, thank you. Send the paperwork to the Syndicate as soon as they are processed.” She pulled the earpiece out and slid it into the side of the screen, pocketing the device again.
“What was that?”
“They caught the Heart of Trid gang.”
“That was a well-thought plan, Isa.” Remus smiled. “What do they plan to do now that they have them?”
“Being non-citizen Trids, they’ll likely stick them in cells for a few years until Venus decides if she wants to kill them.” Isa took another sip of her wine. “Preliminary punishment is for conspiracy and treason is three years before the death sentence for citizens.”
“The Trids are becoming a problem,” Remus said. “Their numbers are growing daily.”
“The economy is still hurting,” Isa said with a knowing nod. “We must find a better way to strengthen the middle class,” she said seriously. “It’s amazing how horrifically Gattriel handled the economy when he was in power.”
“Three wars will bankrupt a planet,”
Remus said knowingly. “Gattriel was a moron. We knew that when we succeeded him.”
“That was a mess,” Isa chuckled brokenly. “Remember staying at the Syndicate Building for days on end trying to mend everything he destroyed?”
“That was where this dinner tradition started,” Remus said with a smile. “It was the only way I could get you away from work.” Remus lifted his glass. “And now, seventeen years later, we’re still keeping our dinner dates.”
Isa’s smile widened.
“It’s an impressive feat.”
Remus met eyes with Isa and the two shared a deep conversation without speaking, their eyes conveying their shared memories of running the Syndicate and trying to repair the damage of inept previous leaders. They had spent so much time together, it was hard to distinguish memories that they did not share.
“Isa,” Remus started, breaking eye contact and glancing at his glass.
“Are you going to ask me to see Dr. Arre again?” she said lightly. She was not angry at Remus’ pestering. She knew he was concerned.
Remus looked at her again, his eyes filled with worry.
“Just promise me you will be careful,” he murmured.
Isa’s smile was gentle.
“I know you’re worried. But there is no need to be. I am alright.”
Kailynn knocked hurriedly on the door of Raphael’s apartment. When he did not answer, she knocked louder, glancing around nervously. The sun was rising and most had just gone to sleep in the area, but Kailynn was still nervous about being seen mostly-naked, dirty, and injured.
The door finally opened during her third hurried-knocking frenzy. Kailynn did not wait for Raphael to take in her disheveled state before she forced her way into the room. She saw an unknown woman passed out in the bed, her clothes missing and the sheets covering absolutely nothing. Kailynn paid her no mind. She and Raphael were no longer in a monogamous relationship—or a relationship at all, for that matter.
“Kailynn?” Raphael hissed, his eyes wide, staring at her as she limped in, shivering. “What the fuck happened to you?”
The Significant Page 3