The Significant

by Kyra Anderson

  The gun against her chest pushed hard, breaking her out of her trance.

  “Five,” Colonel Amori started. “Four.”

  Isa turned to the computer and looked over the screen, trying to see if there was any way she could minimize the damage. She saw there were seven generators on the screen, the main one, the one that would cause the chain reaction, highlighted and targeted for attack.

  “Three.”

  Isa lifted her hand, allowing her fingers to brush one of the other generators and change the target site before she pressed the launch button.

  The numbers on the screen stopped ascending and then went into rapid decline as Colonel Amori let out a triumphant laugh.

  “I knew it,” he declared. He stepped forward and tapped the top of one of the secondary screens twice to turn it on. “You chose the life of your lover and your Syndicate over the lives of your people.” He nodded to the screen that showed a map of the power grid in Saera. “You believe that your rule is better than any humans? You let personal interest guide you to kill over one-hundred thousand people on your planet, as well as doom your people to starve. You even prided yourself on how you believe humans should have basic rights to food, but you destroy your own food supply to save the man you fuck, and those idiots that do whatever you say.”

  Isa watched the power grid light up with a red, flashing error symbol and went through a mental map of the city. The generator that had gone into catastrophic failure was on the far north side of the city, a place that was still very under-developed.

  The grid beeped several times, and then the generator that had been attacked went completely offline, causing alerts to flash everywhere about an explosion in the city.

  “What?!”

  Colonel Amori took a step forward and stared at the screen, realizing that the generator that had blown up had not been the one he intended.

  He turned to the first screen, seeing which generator was highlighted. He tried to shove Isa out of the way to start another charge when Isa jumped at him, pushing him to the ground and wrapping her bound wrists around his neck, pulling them taught, rolling Colonel Amori on top of her, trying to strangle him. However, Colonel Amori turned over and pulled her with him, angrily jabbing his elbow back into her bruised stomach. She gasped, the breath and strength immediately leaving her.

  In that time, Colonel Amori untangled from the cable and went to the computers, starting a second Charge Burst.

  Isa turned her body quickly, still on the floor, and kicked his legs sharply, forcing him back to the ground, where she climbed on top of him and tried to smash her restrained fists against his face. He dodged the blow and sat up quickly, grabbing her hair with one hand and shoving his fist deep into her diaphragm. That time, Isa almost passed out from the pain. Her eyes rolled and she let out a pained groan.

  Colonel Amori flipped her to her side and banged her head against the floor twice before getting to his feet once more and going to the computer.

  Isa did not even have the breath to yell at him to stop.

  She watched in horror as the map lit up with warnings and errors, before the central generator went dark and the error reading “Danger! Catastrophic Failure” flashed across the screen.

  Three other generators went dark and Isa’s eyes slid shut, a different, sharper pain spearing her body.

  For two days, Isa was confined to the small cell with a screen secured over the window in the door. The screen played a constant stream of news, discussing the horrors of the destruction in Saera.

  The words of the news reports cut into her like knives.

  “There has been no word from the Syndicate as to the cause of these horrendous explosions…”

  “Over one-hundred thousand workers, engineers, and scientists were killed in the explosions that destroyed Saera…”

  The information was painful. She could not sleep around the noise and the pain in her chest. After two days and several runs of the same news with very few developments, Colonel Amori showed up in the cell, turning off the screen.

  “I plan to return you to Anon, now,” he said darkly, crouching next to her as she remained on the ground, her eyes half-lidded. “Do you want me to drug you to keep you from misbehaving, or will you be a good Elite and come quietly?”

  Isa turned her exhausted eyes on him. Slowly, she lifted her wrists and extended them, showing her compliance.

  “There’s a good girl.”

  She was silent and cooperative as she was taken back to Anon. She did not bother to note where they had been for four days, or what time they had left and when they finally returned to the capital. Her exhausted eyes projected images of the generators flashing before going blank on the screen. Her ears were ringing with the horrible news on Saera, the number dead, and the silence of Venus and the Syndicate. Her body was pulsing with pain at her bruised and battered ribs and back.

  Even if she had the strength to move, she knew she would be unable to.

  The sun was setting when they pulled into the garage of Anon Tower. The car parked and turned off. Colonel Amori got out immediately. Isa remained still, staring blankly ahead.

  Colonel Amori walked around the car and opened her door.

  “Come on,” he coaxed, his tone annoyed.

  Still, Isa did not move.

  “I told you to get out of the car,” Colonel Amori snapped, grabbing the raw skin of her freed wrist and pulling her out. “You’re dead to the fucking world. Go sleep or something.”

  He shoved her toward the elevators and Isa’s legs mechanically carried her.

  Colonel Amori saw her to her level of Anon Tower, but then left, going to his own room.

  The house was quiet when she walked inside. She stood in the living room for several long moments, trying to process where she was and what she needed to do next.

  Her mind remained blank.

  Her legs started moving to her bedroom, but she stopped. She went to look in on Rayal, finding the caretaker fast asleep, very pale, and shaking with a sheen of sweat over his face. Isa closed her eyes in pain and turned away, knowing that she was causing the pain to the man who had watched over her for years, the man who had kept her relationship with Remus a secret, and the man she considered a brother.

  Isa had to leave his room. She went to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed, shaking uncontrollably.

  The next day, she dressed and went to work as though nothing was wrong. When she walked into the building, she passed the frantic operators, her sudden appearance causing them to pause and stare. One of them quickly dialed Remus’ office.

  “Elite Remus, Elite Isa is here.”

  Isa barely made it to the control room before she was swarmed by her Elites.

  “Where have you been?!” Chronus gasped. “Do you have any idea what’s been going on here?!”

  “You had us worried!” Anders said quickly. “Where were you?!”

  “Saera’s generators exploded and destroyed the city,” Maki relayed. “It killed almost everyone and the entire area is in ruin.”

  “I know!” Isa snapped. The Elites stopped immediately, surprised at her tone. “I am fully aware of what happened in Saera.”

  “Then why didn’t you come here for four days?” Anders hissed. “Everyone is frantic trying to figure out what happened.”

  “Generators can go into catastrophic failure,” Isa said darkly.

  “That’s hardly the point,” Chronus hissed. “You should have rushed here to help us handle this situation. Everyone is furious that we’ve been so silent.”

  “What do they expect us to do?” Isa growled, pushing past them. “Go out there and help with the cleanup?”

  Remus stepped in Isa’s path, his eyes dark.

  “Where the hell have you been?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Isa said coldly, trying to push past him, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. She tried not to cringe at the flares of pain that shot through her arm at the contact.

  “It does
matter,” he growled. “You have never gone missing like that. And for you to ignore a crisis like this is incomprehensible.”

  “Maybe,” she started darkly, angrily yanking her arm from Remus, “I did not ignore it and I wanted you to handle things for a change. Are you all really so incapable of handling things without me?” She glared at all of them. “Perhaps I made the wrong decision about which Elites to appoint to this Syndicate.”

  The fourteen other Elites in the room were wide-eyed in shock at her words and the cold tone of her voice. They could only watch as she turned away and went to her office. After several long moments, staring in surprise at the empty hall, they turned to one another.

  “What the hell just happened?” Hana whispered.

  “That…that’s not like her at all…” Anders said.

  “She’s been acting strange for a couple months now,” Aolee said slowly. “But that is too drastic of a change.”

  “She must be pretty upset about Saera,” Maki murmured. His brow furrowed. “Maybe she knows something about it.”

  They all immediately turned back to the direction the Golden Elite had left.

  That night, when Isa returned home, she went to Rayal’s room and sat on the bed, passing her hand gently over the caretaker’s forehead. Rayal stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he let out a strained breath. He slowly turned over in bed and looked at the Elite.

  “Isa…” he whispered, trying to sit up.

  “Shh, shh,” she cooed. “Stay quiet.” She sighed heavily. “I’m going to call the hospital and have you admitted,” she murmured. “You are getting worse.”

  “I am so sorry…” Rayal whispered.

  “Why are you apologizing?”

  “I don’t know why I’m not getting better.”

  “You do not have to apologize for that,” she said. “I should apologize for not admitting you sooner.”

  “Did they call about the blood tests?” Rayal asked, cringing in pain.

  “…no,” Isa said. “I’ll ask them when I call.”

  She forced a smile and stood, walking out of the caretaker’s room and to the main room. She called the hospital and asked them to immediately send someone over to retrieve and admit Rayal. As she was finishing the call, the door alarm rang and Remus walked into the living room.

  Isa felt her heart fall into her stomach. She had been hoping that the Syndicate would leave her alone for several days. She needed time to process what had happened, and she did not want Remus or the other Elites pestering her with questions.

  She hung up the phone and turned to Remus, preparing herself.

  “Is there something you want?”

  “Yes,” Remus said, his eyes showing his barely-contained anger. “I want to understand the hell is wrong with you.”

  “With me?” Isa snapped. “There’s something wrong with me?”

  “Clearly,” Remus growled. “You are not acting like yourself at all. You’ve been distant, absent-minded, even angry, it seems. You say you don’t sleep, you’re losing weight at an alarming rate, and then, in an enormous planetary crisis, you disappear for four days.”

  Isa stared at him before shrugging.

  “Okay, and?”

  “That’s all you’re going to say?” Remus snarled.

  “There’s nothing else to be said.”

  “Where have you been for the last four days?”

  “I needed time to myself, so I left the city,” Isa said. “The question I have for you, is why you did not come here to find me and see that Rayal is nearly dying?”

  “I did come here and I did notice,” Remus corrected. “I called the hospital yesterday and asked them to take him in. He’s still here?”

  Isa could not stop the way her eyes widened. It showed her that Colonel Amori had found a way to block the request, forcing Rayal to suffer without the medical care he so clearly needed.

  Isa let out a shaky breath and turned away, closing her eyes and trying to remain calm.

  “Isa?” Remus asked, his tone changing. “What is it? Is Rayal still here?”

  “Yes, he’s here. I just called the hospital again.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, turning around and staring at Remus with a cold expression. “You should go home, Remus.”

  Remus blinked at her in disbelief.

  “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Nothing is wrong.”

  “The hell nothing is wrong,” Remus hissed. “I know you, Isa. And you are not the type of leader to run off during something this catastrophic.” He stalked forward, fixing her with a serious stare. “You know something about what happened to Saera that you are not telling me.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You would not be acting like this if it was a catastrophic failure of the generators. You are acting like this was planned, like there was some plot to destroy Saera.”

  Isa scoffed, trying to hide how much the words hurt.

  “I don’t need to stand here and listen to your conspiracy theories,” she growled, walking away from him and to her bedroom. Remus quickly followed.

  “Why won’t you just talk to me and tell me what is wrong?” he snapped.

  “Nothing is wrong, Remus!” Isa barked, rounding on him.

  “I’m not a fucking moron, Isa!” Remus retaliated. “I know that something is wrong!”

  “You don’t know anything!” Isa growled, shoving Remus away. “You’re not the leader of this planet! You have no right to come in here and accuse me of conspiring to destroy one of the most important areas of this planet!”

  “For the past four days, you haven’t been the leader of this planet!” Remus retorted. “You ran away from your responsibilities and left your people in fear! How dare you call yourself the Golden Elite after a stunt like that?!”

  “Shut the fuck up!” Isa bellowed, shoving Remus away once more. “You know nothing about it! You don’t know everything about me, Remus!”

  “Clearly, since the Isa I knew would never abandon her people!”

  “I did not abandon them!” Isa screeched. “I have done everything in my power to serve this planet and its people! I put myself after them! How dare you say that?!”

  She tried to shove him once more, but he grabbed her wrists. She tried to free herself, but his grip was firm and the pain that radiated from her wrists caused her to weaken.

  “Do you feel how weak you are right now?” Remus hissed. “How can I believe what you’re saying when years of knowing you and being by your side tells me that your behavior the past few months has been terrifying? You’re clearly lying to me!”

  “Stop accusing me!” Isa bellowed, still trying to free herself from Remus’ vice grip. “Let go of me!”

  “Not until you tell me what is wrong!”

  “I can’t!” Isa bellowed.

  “Can’t or won’t?!”

  “I can’t tell you because, for the last fucking time, nothing is wrong!”

  “I don’t believe you!” Remus snapped, forcing her to take a step backward. She managed to get one arm free and lashed out, slapping him across the face.

  “Get your hands off me”

  “No. I told you, not until you tell me what is wrong,” Remus growled. “I am your Silver Elite. I am supposed to help and protect you, but I can’t fucking do that if you’re keeping secrets from me and falling apart in front of my eyes.”

  “I am not falling apart!” Isa snapped. “I am doing what I need to!”

  “And what is that?!”

  Isa finally got her other hand out of Remus’ grip and she tried to slap him again. She knew the situation was spiraling out of control. She wanted to tell Remus what had happened with the Colonel, but the guilt she felt was too intense. She had been the one that had chosen to destroy Saera rather than the Syndicate or Anon. Even though it had been a calculated choice, and she tried to minimize the damage, she felt responsible for what happened to Saera. She felt res
ponsible for not finding a way to deal with the Colonel before things got this out of hand. She felt the weight of the deaths of her people on her chest.

  Isa felt like she had failed as a leader, choosing the lives of her Syndicate over the lives of those in Saera. The Colonel’s words about letting her personal interest guide her decision to murder one-hundred thousand citizens of Tiao sliced into her like knives.

  And the pain was becoming too much to bear.

  Isa’s hands were once again trapped in Remus’ and he loomed over her, his eyes dark.

  “Fuck you, Remus!” Isa hissed angrily.

  She stood still for two long seconds, her breath coming in short pants as her body shook.

  Remus lunged forward and kissed her angrily, his weight bearing down on her, his anger and anxiety evident. Isa tried to worm away from him and he released her, but she grabbed the front of his uniform and yanked him closer, craving his contact, his control, his ability to make her forget everything.

  His hands immediately went to her uniform, tugging at it sharply and forcing her pants down. With one hand still tangled in the front of Remus’ uniform, she clumsily tried to help him, pushing the fabric down.

  Remus’ hand went up to her jaw and sharply grabbed her, pushing her back and looking into her eyes for a brief moment. He then turned her around, grabbing one of her arms and pulling it behind her back, pushing her to bed.

  She fell heavily, her face pressed into the blankets and her back and chest shooting with pain as Remus pushed down on her bruised body.

  In the brief, frantic moments before Remus entered her, Isa hoped that he would remove her uniform, that he would see the bruises and realize that there was, actually, something very wrong and it was far worse than they believed. She wanted him to see her injuries and protect her, as he always had, to take the situation out of her hands and keep her safe.

  But this was not their normal routine. There would be no gentle removal of clothes, no sensual exploration of each other’s bodies. This was a rough, desperate need, something to dispel the tension and frustration they both felt, and Isa did not want it any other way.