The Significant

by Kyra Anderson

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Kailynn said, shaking her head. “Because then you are the one breeding discontent, aren’t you?”

  Isa sighed heavily.

  “Society is far more complex than that.”

  “And I’m just too stupid to understand it?”

  “I never said that,” Isa defended gently.

  “You didn’t have to,” Kailynn hissed, standing and walking to the guest hall. Her mind was clouded and she needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts before she continued the discussion.

  “Where are you going?”

  Kailynn did not answer. Isa was immediately on her feet, following the Significant.

  “I did not mean to upset you,” Isa said. Kailynn almost started jogging when the door to the guest hall opened. She went to the room she had when she stayed there and entered, turning around to press the lock button as it slid shut, barely shutting before Isa’s face could be seen on the other side.

  Kailynn turned her back to the door and leaned against it, sliding down to sit on the floor, desperately trying to control her tears.

  “Kailynn…” Isa said, pressing her forehead to the door. “Please, come out and talk to me.”

  Kailynn leaned her head against the door, listening to the Golden Elite’s voice. Kailynn knew she was tired and her tears had upset Isa, but she was also upset and confused. She had never felt so conflicted in her life.

  “Kailynn.”

  “Not now,” Kailynn choked. “I can’t do this right now.”

  Isa was silent for a moment.

  “What you said earlier,” she started, “that you wanted me to be safe, I want the same for you.” Isa pressed a hand to the door. “Seeing you in this much pain hurts me greatly, and I want to do whatever I can to help. But you have to understand that politics is a very dangerous and very delicate game. I have to plan every move very carefully.”

  “Please, Isa,” Kailynn pled, “don’t make this about politics.”

  “It is politics,” Isa insisted. “I can help you, Kailynn. But it would require deception on both our parts. And deceiving Venus is no easy feat, nor is it safe.”

  Kailynn’s brow creased in confusion and she hesitated before speaking.

  “Deceiving Venus?” she whispered. “We’re already deceiving her.”

  “I mean lying to her directly,” Isa clarified, “not keeping information from her.”

  Kailynn turned around to face the door. She was silent, trying to understand what the Elite was planning. She stared at the door, her mind going blank.

  “What are you talking about?” she finally murmured.

  Isa sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head.

  “I will admit that I have been trying to think of ways to keep you close to me without raising suspicion.”

  “You knew I wouldn’t stay all the time,” Kailynn said.

  “I did,” Isa agreed. “Nonetheless, I felt that it was necessary I do everything in my power to keep you safe, and to plan for your safety in future situations.”

  “What kind of future situations?”

  “As many as I can consider,” Isa said. “If I were to be killed, or replaced, or if we were to go to war with Gihron.” She paused, once again placing her hand on the door. “The fact that you agreed to have an emitter chip tells me that you are willing to stay close to me.”

  Kailynn hesitated, not sure how to respond.

  “Kailynn, please,” Isa said. “I do not want to discuss this through the door.”

  The Significant took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing herself. She had no idea what Isa was planning, and the uncertainty made her feel powerless, a sensation that made her uncomfortable.

  She unlocked the door and it opened.

  Kailynn leaned against the door, sniffing back her tears as she crossed her arms over her chest.

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “First, I want to tell you that this is not a command, nor an order. You are, of course, free to go as you like. But I will always do what I think is best to keep you safe,” Isa started. Kailynn nodded shallowly, her jaw clenching. “You are not the only one who has been confused about what is going on between us. In all honesty, I do not believe I have ever felt this way before, and it perplexes me.” Isa’s eyes softened. “If it were possible, I would have all of Trid granted citizenship and cleaned up, but I cannot convince Venus. I have tried for many years. She will not be persuaded. The only way she could be swayed is if she came to believe that Trids were a greater danger of social upheaval than as a tactic to keep the classes in place.”

  “…what does that mean?”

  “It means that the Trids would have to spark some discomfort in the classes, particularly in Anon,” Isa said. “Venus monitors the population as a whole to monitor stability. If the Trids were the protest, to show the horrid poverty that they are forced to endure, to show the sick and injured and the number of orphaned children, there might be a push to build schools and to assist the district from the upper classes.”

  “No there wouldn’t,” Kailynn scoffed. “Everyone looks down on the Trids.”

  “That is because the Trids have had to resort to criminal behavior,” Isa said. “It’s a complication in human psychology. There is a sense that anyone who breaks the law, even so much as to steal food, deserves whatever punishment they receive.” Isa sighed heavily and shook her head. “It will not be an easy task, nor will it be fast. It will take time and careful persuasion. We would have to start with basics, such as healthcare and schooling.”

  “How, though?” Kailynn pressed. “You expect to get up and make a speech about that?”

  “No.” Isa shook her head. “I would need your help to play a very dangerous game with Venus.”

  “Play a game with her?” Kailynn asked incredulously.

  “That’s all I do every day,” Isa said. “I know the rules very well. If you are willing, we can set forth a plan that might help the district as a whole and could, potentially, keep your brother off death row.”

  “Would it set him free?”

  “I doubt it,” Isa said honestly. “He will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.”

  “In Uren?” Kailynn choked.

  “No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “He was caught in the main Anon district. He’ll be sent Ikurah. There, he will get a cell where he will be fed, kept warm, and perhaps even educated in a trade so that he might be able to work, even though he will not be set free. But that is only if I can keep him off death row.”

  “How do we do it?”

  “I would take you on as my advisor,” Isa said. “You would be employed under Rayal in the Syndicate Intelligence Agency. You would be my authority on Trid.”

  “How can you get that past Venus?”

  “Carefully,” Isa chuckled brokenly. “I would have to tell Venus that Rayal was the one who scouted you for this project, after the incredible loyalty you showed me during the three plots on my life that you have, unfortunately, endured.”

  Kailynn dropped her head.

  “Then, we would stage an operation that will start the chain of events leading to rallies in Trid. They will have to be peaceful and properly timed,” Isa said. “The details will have to be decided, but only if you agree.”

  Kailynn closed her eyes, remaining silent, her arms crossed over her chest.

  “It will save my brother?”

  “If you trust me, I will do my best to spare him of the death penalty,” Isa said. “You have my word.”

  Kailynn sighed heavily, looking over Isa’s face and shaking her head.

  “Why are you doing this for me?” she whispered. “I just…ran to you and begged you not to kill someone who tried to kill you. You have no reason to do it other than…”

  “Other than for you?” Isa completed when Kailynn did not continue. “Because I care about you and I don’t want to hurt you?”

  Kailynn swallowed hard. “I feel like the leader of th
e planet shouldn’t be so easily influenced by one person.”

  “That is why I was created as an Elite, and not a human,” Isa assured.

  “You don’t act like any other Elite.”

  “Have you spent time with many?” Isa tried to jest.

  “I’ve heard that statement from a lot of people,” Kailynn said, ignoring the joke. Isa smiled.

  “It’s true,” she said. “I’ve always been different.” She took a deep breath. “However, I have also been called the best Elite Tiao has had in three hundred years.” She shrugged. “I still don’t know who judged that, but,” she looked at Kailynn, her smile growing wider, “sometimes, change is the healthiest thing.”

  Kailynn swallowed hard and stepped forward, grabbing Isa’s face and pressing their lips together in a kiss. She felt the heat of the Elite’s lips, the softness of her skin under her fingertips, the power that engulfed her whenever she was close to the Golden Elite.

  She continued to kiss the Elite whenever she turned to look at Isa as they made their way to Isa’s bedroom. When the door closed, Kailynn quickly helped Isa out of her clothes, pushing her gently until the Elite fell back on the bed.

  Quickly shimmying out of her pants as Isa backed her way up the bed, Kailynn climbed on top of the Elite and kissed her again, becoming desperate. It was as if the anxiety of the previous days, the fear and worry that consumed her every moment since learning of the plot on Isa’s life, rushed forward.

  She was desperate for reassurance that Isa was alright. She had spent so much time agonizing over what it would be like if Isa was killed that the reality had not yet hit her that Isa was safe and alive.

  Her body blanketed the Golden Elite, her hands running over Isa’s body as she kissed her eagerly.

  When she felt cloth under her fingers, Kailynn stopped and backed away.

  Her fingers lingered on the edges of the bandages around the wound in Isa’s shoulder. She stared at the gauze, her mind going blank, thinking about the way Isa’s body recoiled from the wound and the horror that ran through her when she thought Isa had been killed in front of her

  Isa stared up at Kailynn, watching the fear and pain cross her eyes. She turned her head and looked at her shoulder, seeing the way Kailynn’s fingers rested ever-so-slightly on the edge of the bandages.

  She reached up and took Kailynn’s hand, bringing it down her chest to rest under her left breast, pressing into her ribcage.

  Kailynn felt the warmth of Isa’s body, but the strong beat of the Elite’s heart seemed to calm the Significant’s heart as well. Her body relaxed and let out a shuddered breath.

  Her eyes went to Isa’s before she leaned down and kissed the Elite gently.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Jacyleen, can you hear me?”

  Kailynn took a deep, nervous breath and slowly let it out, nodding.

  “Yes, Rayal, I can hear you.”

  “Good,” his voice said in her ear. “I am connecting with the Syndicate now. Elite Isa?”

  “I’m here,” Isa said. “The video feed is fuzzy.”

  “Jacyleen, can you lift your head and blink a few times. I think the contact is out of focus.”

  Kailynn suppressed her angry muttering as she lifted her head and blinked a few times, trying to ignore the discomfort from the contact.

  “It focused,” Rayal said. “I know it’s uncomfortable, but try to endure it.”

  “We are connected entirely on our end,” Isa said.

  Kailynn tried not to let the statement unsettle her. They had been planning this for nearly two months. Isa had discussed the plan with her over and over again. She knew it very well. But it was still terrifying to realize that Venus was currently connected to the camera in her eye and the communication chip in her ear.

  “Very good, we’ll start then, Jacyleen,” Rayal said, breaking her out of her stupor.

  Kailynn took a deep breath and turned, getting out of the car and walking through the alleys of the Walking District.

  “First, we want to see the areas in the Walking District where the most thefts happen,” Rayal explained. “You said that they were closer to the south end of the street?”

  “Yes,” Kailynn said. She did not actually know which end of the street was south, but she knew where the thefts happened. She began walking through the ramshackle buildings to get to the Walking District. “It’s too early in the day, though, for any activity.”

  “Jacyleen, do the different gangs of Trid have arrangements with the different facilities in the Walking District?”

  “…what do you mean?” Kailynn asked, confused by Isa’s question.

  “For instance, do some gangs have claim over the goods from a particular club or bar? Only one gang can steal from a certain bar?”

  “No,” Kailynn said, continuing to walk. “When it comes to food, we don’t care about territories. The gangs never fight over ration packs.”

  There was a shrill beeping in Kailynn’s ear and she quickly flinched away from the sound, except that it was in her ear and she could not back away from it. She closed her eyes and fell against the side of the nearest building, gritting her teeth.

  “I am so sorry,” Isa said quickly.

  “I still have feedback on my end,” Rayal said.

  Kailynn opened her eyes and blinked, confused and shocked by the noise.

  “Remus, can you redirect?” Isa’s voice said.

  “Working on it.”

  “What was that?” Kailynn asked, her ear ringing.

  “My sincerest apologies,” Isa said. “That was V.E.R., Venus’ language.”

  “What?”

  “That was Venus talking,” Rayal clarified. “Elite Isa, can you translate?”

  “She asked what the gangs do fight over, but stay where you are for now, Jacyleen,” Isa said. “Remus is redirecting the audio feed through her translator. It will be a moment.”

  “You can understand that beeping?” Kailynn said, her eyes wide. Isa did not answer.

  “Venus, can you direct communication through Syndicate Port Seven?” Isa asked. A moment later, there was a new voice in Kailynn’s ear.

  “I lowered the decibels,” the mechanical female voice said.

  “Jacyleen, is that volume alright for you?” Rayal asked.

  “Y-yes…” Kailynn murmured.

  Even knowing that she was connected to Venus, hearing the voice of the machine, realizing that the computer that ran the entire planet was focused on what she was seeing, there was an instinctive fear in her belly.

  “To repeat,” Venus said, the grainy voice sharp and harsh, “what is it that the gangs of Trid fight over if not food?”

  Kailynn swallowed hard and started walking again.

  “Money, drugs, territory, protection…” Kailynn made her way into the Walking District. “Protection is the reason the gangs form.”

  “The statistics of personal safety do show an increase when an individual is in a group of those with similar goals,” Venus said.

  “Isa, are you alright?” Remus asked suddenly.

  “Fine,” Isa said, though there was strain in her voice.

  “A-C89072,” Venus said, “your blood pressure has risen.”

  There was a hesitation before Isa spoke.

  “The translation is delayed,” she explained vaguely. “The feedback is interfering with your other processes, Venus.”

  Kailynn stopped again, confused and worried about the pain in Isa’s voice.

  “Isa?” Rayal pressed.

  “Venus, with your permission,” Remus started, “I will terminate your audio connection and Isa can translate for you.”

  “Permission not granted.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Isa assured, “please continue, Jacyleen.”

  Confused and worried about Isa, Kailynn hesitated. However, with Venus looming over all of them, she decided it was best to obey the commands.

  She peered around the back alleys of the shops, all of which we
re closed. The dirty alley was littered with trash, but deserted.

  “This is where most of the thefts take place. Most gangs take enough to feed their members only. One gang did try to get all the food and sell it to the Trids, but the other gangs quickly killed them. Food is for everyone here, even if you are expected to get it for yourself.”

  “By that logic, every Trid is a member of a gang,” Venus said.

  “Yes,” Kailynn agreed.

  “And how many gangs exist?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What is this illness that you spoke of, A-C89072?” Venus said.

  “It’s a…Rayal? Please explain.” Isa said, her voice now revealing her pain. Kailynn’s heart constricted in her chest.

  “Uh…it…it was something that Jacyleen told me about. It causes severe dehydration, vomiting, bleeding ulcers, blisters over the skin…it is unclear how it is passed. However, it has killed many Trids. The bodies have not been properly dispose of, either,” Rayal explained.

  “Take me to one, Significant,” Venus ordered.

  “E-Elite Isa, are you alright?”

  “Her blood pressure is still at a safe level,” Venus assured. “Take me to an ill Trid.”

  Kailynn swallowed hard, but obeyed, walking to the area where she knew the sick Trids to be. When she began to turn down a set of streets she knew to lead to the junkyard at the lake, Isa’s voice stopped her.

  “Wait,” she said quickly, “turn to that building.”

  Trying to ignore how strained Isa’s voice was, Kailynn turned, trying to figure out what Isa was looking at.

  “Beyond it, the faded red building,” Isa said. “Is that a Keeper?”

  Kailynn tried not to let the nausea wash over her, though it was difficult not to with the orphanage where she grew up in front of her.

  “Yes.”

  “Can we get closer?”

  Kailynn knew that seeing Trid children was part of their plan to show Venus how horrible the conditions in Trid were, but Kailynn was hoping that they would see the young gang children, not those in possession of a Keeper.

  “A-C89072,” Venus said, “is this not the same Keeper from which you obtained your caretaker?”