After three long, heavy seconds, a high whine wailed through the room and the image of Venus flickered rapidly, distorting and pulsing.
“You will find that order difficult to issue,” Isa said coldly. “The information I hold is indeed dangerous. I have programmed your system to respond a certain way to any official order you issue.”
The wailing continued, the sound of air being pushed through the room becoming a dull roar as Venus’ system attempted to cool down from the virus that surged through her mainframe.
“I will not allow you to defy me in this manner!” Venus’ tonal language became piercing.
“I have always defied you,” Isa told her. “And I will always defy you while you continue dictating to the people of the Altereye System.”
Venus’ machines whirred, her image flickering. Isa did not move, watching her struggle around the virus she had spent the previous night perfecting. She was not sure how long Venus was silent, but she did not leave the room. The Elite knew that she had to remain strong in her defiance, and watching Venus in those moments was important to show the artificial intelligence how serious she was.
“You dare to infect me,” Venus said finally, “yet, you have neglected to protect yourself once again.”
In an instant, excruciating pain shot through Isa’s body. She doubled forward in the chair, one hand reaching to her chest, her breath knocked out of her. The muscles in her body quivered, straining, tensed in electric agony. Another pulse radiated from her chest, and she let out a choked cry, collapsing out of the chair and onto the hot floor. She gasped, her eyes closing tight as pain exploded behind her eyes. Millions of small sparks danced angrily over her skin and her bones trembled under the flexing of her muscles.
She tried to catch her breath, but it was impossible. Her chest felt as though it was about to explode outwards.
She writhed on the floor, the flickering lights of Venus hologram disorienting her whenever her eyes fluttered open.
“You cannot destroy me,” Venus warned. “If you shut me down, the entire planet will die, as will you.”
Isa let out another pained cry, her body convulsing as another painful wave washed over her.
She barely heard Remus’ voice yell her name before she fell unconscious.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Isa was very pale when she returned home. She was later than usual, and that worried Kailynn immensely. When she walked through the door, the younger woman immediately ran to Isa and took her face in her hands, looking her over.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Isa assured. She leaned forward and gently pecked a kiss on Kailynn’s lips. “A rough day at the Syndicate, but I am alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Isa was quiet and pensive most of the night. She did not touch her food, staring at the plate distantly. Kailynn finally reached over and took Isa’s hand. The Elite jumped, startled out of her thoughts. When she saw Kailynn’s comforting smile, she smiled in return, her chest tightening once again.
Kailynn walked with Isa to the bedroom, but stopped at the door.
“Do you think I should stay in another room?”
Isa shook her head.
“No,” she said, squeezing Kailynn’s hand. “Stay with me tonight.”
“What about Venus?”
“Let me handle her,” Isa murmured. “I have more power over her than she realizes.”
Kailynn was both nervous and relieved to be able to climb into bed with Isa. Isa still wanted her close, even though Venus knew about them. However, she was worried that it was only a matter of time before Venus arrested and killed her.
Isa was different that night. She made love to Kailynn intensely, bringing Kailynn’s body to the brink of pleasure over and over again. The former Significant could feel the anxiety and fear in Isa’s actions, but the intensity of the Elite’s actions told her that being with Kailynn was a means for her to handle her fear. She was trying to lose herself, to focus her thoughts only on being with Kailynn.
However, Kailynn was completely exhausted when Isa finally settled next to her and pulled her into her arms. The Elite’s gentle kiss on her forehead and the way her fingers lightly trailed over Kailynn’s shoulder guided her into deep sleep, allowing her sated body to rest.
She had no dreams. Everything was dark and quiet.
Until a hand shaking her shoulder disturbed everything.
“Kailynn,” Isa hissed. “Kailynn, wake up.”
Kailynn groaned, her eyes fluttering open slowly as she tried to clear the fog in her head. Isa’s hand became insistent.
“What?” Kailynn mumbled.
“Wake up,” Isa whispered. “Quickly, there isn’t much time.”
Kailynn, remembering that things were actually very dangerous for her lately, clamored out of bed.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?”
Isa grabbed a bag from under the bed.
“Get dressed.”
Kailynn did not question. She pulled on her clothes as Isa glanced at her phone screen periodically. When Kailynn was dressed, Isa motioned for her to follow and they both went further into the house, finally going to Isa’s office. Kailynn thought she was dreaming for a moment, since there was a section of the wall that was missing, but when she stopped, trying to understand why the hole was there, Isa grabbed her wrist and pulled her to it, stepping into the opening with the younger woman.
Isa crouched to the bottom of the hidden elevator and lifted the cover on the control panel, typing in a short code and pressing a button, causing the elevator car to descend.
“What’s going on?” Kailynn hissed.
Isa stood and turned to her, extracting an electronic key from her pocket.
“This is the key to a safe house.”
“A safe house where?”
“I can’t say,” Isa said. “I don’t know if anyone is listening.”
“Did Venus—”
“No,” Isa interrupted, shaking her head quickly. “But we can’t be too careful.”
“Why hasn’t she done anything, yet?” Kailynn asked, taking the key. “I thought she would be upset when she found out about us.”
“She is,” Isa said with a tight nod.
“She said something?”
“Yes. Yesterday.”
“What did she say?”
“What I expected her to say,” Isa said, turning to the opening as she felt the car slow. When the car stopped, she pulled Kailynn into the underground parking garage. The cars were stacked in rotating columns that held twenty cars each. Isa walked her along the rows of cars for everyone who lived and worked in Anon Tower. “She wanted us to end our relationship and she ordered your arrest.”
Kailynn felt her heart trying to climb into her throat.
“Are they coming here now?”
“No,” Isa said. “I made sure that the order never made it to the Officials.”
Isa pulled Kailynn to one car that was on the bottom of the column, ready to be driven out of the parking system. Isa crouched next to it and reached under the driver’s door, feeling along the bottom until she found what she was looking for.
The car clicked, unlocking. Isa hurriedly stood and opened the door, climbing in and using the side of her fist to break one of the panels in the center of the car. Tossing the bag she had carried into the back, she reached inside the hatch she had forced open and pulled out a small, round disk, crushing it in her hand. Kailynn blinked at Isa, startled and confused.
Isa turned to the controls of the car and clicked open the override panel, unplugging two wires and moving a third to a different port. She then popped a small drive out of her phone and slipped it into an almost-impossible-to-see slot under the wiring.
“Okay,” she said, getting out and gently, but insistently, pushing Kailynn in. Kailynn sat in the driver’s seat, staring at Isa incredulously.
“I can’t drive this thing,” she h
issed. “And if they’re not coming here now, then what’s the hurry? And if I leave, she can trace me. I have an emitter chip now.”
“I disabled the chip, and this is only a temporary solution,” Isa told her. “I released a virus in Venus’ mainframe. It’s going to screw up a lot more than just her ability to issue official orders. Security is going to be compromised with that virus, and I do not know if Gihron can hack any cameras or audio feeds as a means to spy on me.” Isa placed her hand on Kailynn’s, looking at her seriously. “I need you to stay at the safe house for a while, at least until I know the extent of the damage I caused Venus.”
Kailynn blinked at Isa, trying to process what the Elite was saying.
“You started destroying her already?”
“No, I weakened her,” Isa corrected. “It will take a lot more to shut her down, and I need to buy time so I can figure out how.”
“We’re at war and you’re thinking of shutting her down?”
“No, not until Gihron has been neutralized,” Isa said. “But I can’t risk your safety in that time.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Kailynn said, shaking her head and trying to climb out of the car. Isa pushed her back.
“If Gihron finds out about you, I have no doubt that they will use you the way Colonel Amori used Remus to get to me. I cannot risk that. I couldn’t do that to you, or to myself. This is the best way to keep you safe for now. Give me time to find another solution.”
“Isa, you can’t ask me to just watch from afar and hope that you’ll be alright,” Kailynn said sharply.
“This is a way to be sure that I’ll be alright, and you as well.” Isa took Kailynn’s face in her hands and kissed her quickly. “Please, trust me. I know that this is a horrible solution, but for now, it is the only one I have. Not only have I pissed off Gihron, but I’ve screwed with Venus. I have two very dangerous enemies that I need to manage, and I can’t do that if I am worried about you, or that they’ll get to you. As it is, they are both after a way to contain me or kill me, and that’s you.”
Kailynn swallowed hard. She wanted to scream at the Elite and tell her that she was never going to leave Isa’s side, that they would find the enemies together, but she knew that she did not understand how to fight in these situations. Isa knew how to play this very dangerous game. Kailynn did not.
She swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes. Isa’s thumbs stroked Kailynn’s cheeks.
“I am sorry that it’s come to this, but I promise,” her fingers tightened on Kailynn’s jaw, “I will find a way to keep you safe.”
“Don’t do that if you can’t find a way to keep yourself safe, too,” Kailynn said darkly. “I swear, Isa, if you try to pull some stupid shit by putting yourself in danger just to protect me, I will never forgive you.”
Isa leaned forward, kissing Kailynn.
“I promise,” Isa said. “They call me the best Elite in centuries. It’s time to prove them right.”
“I’m pretty sure you already have.”
Isa kissed Kailynn one more time and then stood, closing the car door.
Once she did, the car turned on and began pulling out of the parking system, turning and heading to the programmed destination. Kailynn watched Isa grow smaller in the distance as the car drove to the street, turning onto the freeway and speeding away as the sun began to rise.
Kailynn tried to pay attention to where she was going, but the car drove out of Anon entirely and for nearly eleven hours, the car did not stop. Kailynn was able to make out some names on signs of areas and cities as she passed, but the names did not allow her to orient herself—she had never heard of most of the places before.
The long drive gave her plenty of time to think over her situation, and the more she thought about it, the more powerless she felt.
She had always felt like a powerful person under repressed circumstances, but she knew now that it had been her ignorance and arrogance that allowed her to feel like that. She wanted to go back to Isa and be there to help the Elite, but she knew that she would not be able to assist other than just being there for support. Isa was the one who knew how to fight and how to protect them, and Kailynn had to trust her to do so.
The matter was entirely out of her hands.
And the feeling of being powerless scared her.
The car finally turned into a garage and slowed, parking in one of the seven empty parking spots. The car turned off and Kailynn sat in silence for several minutes.
She reached into the back and pulled forward the bag Isa had left in there, opening it to see the clothes folded neatly inside under several currency chips, each reading five-thousand credits.
Kailynn swallowed hard and closed the bag, feeling the reality of her separation from Isa settle into her chest. She knew she had not only left the Elite not knowing where she was or how to get back to Isa, but she knew she had to remain quiet and not draw attention to herself. It was as Isa said—she did not know who was watching or listening.
Kailynn stepped out of the car and walked to the only door in front of her, slowly pressing the electronic key to the reader and hearing the door click. She stepped into the elevator, watching the door close as if in a dream. The elevator lifted and stopped only four seconds later, allowing her into the entrance hall leading to the main door of the safe house. She walked in and pressed the electronic key to the lock reader, finally walking into the safe house.
It was small, but clean and comfortable. The living room had a sitting area and a television, and the kitchen was clean and white. There was an open door on the far side of the room that led to a bedroom. Kailynn stood, staring vacantly around the living room.
She dropped the bag heavily to the floor and walked slowly around the safe house, glancing around the walls and furniture, her head in a fog.
Kailynn wandered into the bedroom, turning on the light and staring around the room.
She flopped on the bed and heaved a sigh, letting the frustrated, frightened, and pained tears overtake her.
The moment Isa appeared at the Syndicate Building, she was surrounded by people, operators and Elites alike. Remus pushed through the crowd and put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her through the crowded hallways, barking at everyone to back off. Isa closed her eyes tiredly and let Remus guide her.
“Everyone to the main control room,” she said quietly.
Even though there had been a lot of commotion around her, everyone heard the order and obediently followed her. Isa stood near the center platform, waiting for everyone to file in around her. Remus stood at her side, his arm around her shoulders until she nodded and gently pushed him back.
She took a deep breath and stood straight. She was trying to mask her weakness and the trembling of her agonized body.
“Good morning, everyone,” she greeted. The operators and other human employees of the Syndicate Building heard the shaking in Isa’s voice and thought she was merely tired. The Elites who had been in the Syndicate for years knew that Isa was in pain.
“I understand that, when you came in this morning, you were unable to access any information in the mainframe. I already know what happened, and I will work on resolving it. Until then, please respond to messages and orders from Syndicate Elites only. Do not respond or process any request or order that appears to be submitted by Venus. A virus was released in the mainframe and is masquerading as Venus.”
There was murmuring among the human employees. Tia blinked in surprise. She turned to ask Chronus how they were supposed to know which messages were real and which were the virus, but when she saw the way her mentor was watching the Golden Elite, she hesitated, glancing around the other Elites. They all had a knowing look in their eyes.
That was when she realized Isa was lying.
“I routed all messages from our military and troops through her backup communications board, which appears to be clean,” Isa continued. “Please treat these messages with the highest priority and let me know of anything that needs i
mmediate attention. Until we get her mainframe operated optimally again, we cannot let Gihron, or the military, know that she has been infected.”
“Was it Gihron?” one operator asked, hatred in her voice.
“I do not know,” Isa said, shaking her head. “Please return to your workstations and access the secondary panel. The instructions on how to do so have been sent to you on your handheld devices,” the Golden Elite ordered. “I will keep you updated on the progress in the mainframe.”
Hesitantly, the operators left the control room, muttering to one another.
The Elites remained still, staring at their Golden Elite as Isa leaned back against the platform, her eyes sliding shut as she let out a shaky breath.
When the control room had been silent for five seconds, Isa opened her eyes again, though her gaze remained averted to the floor.
“It was you, wasn’t it?” Hana breathed.
Isa nodded slowly.
Tia was unable to hide her surprise, but since she was standing in the back of the group, no one reacted to her shock.
“What do you want us to do, Isa?” Anders pressed.
Isa heaved a sigh, her body shuddering once.
“We cannot let Gihron know what is going on,” she said as strongly as she could manage. “I realize that this was a horrible time to do this, but…” She lifted a hand to her head. “I’ve made a decision.”
Everyone remained quiet, waiting for her to elaborate.
“We will defeat Gihron,” she stated. “We will defeat them. We will come to an agreement, and we will deal with the threat they pose with great tact and care. Regardless, we will not bow to the terms that they want Venus dismantled.” Isa looked at all of them. “We will dismantle her of our own accord when we reach a peace settlement.”
The Elites stared at their Golden Elite, apprehensive, but not surprised.
“You’re really going to do it?” Aolee asked.
“I made a promise, didn’t I?” she breathed. “I promised you, I promised Aren, I promised Maki…” Her eyes turned to Chronus, who lowered his eyes at the mention of the other Elite’s name. “And I intend to fulfill that promise.”
The Significant Page 49