The Significant
Page 69
“I knew you could do it,” Isa said, looking at Dr. Busen.
“I want you to sit up very slowly,” he said, taking Isa’s other hand.
Everyone watched as Dr. Busen checked the strength of Isa’s heart and that she could breathe properly when upright. When everything looked stable, he draped a robe over her shoulders.
Though he did not want her to walk, Isa got to her feet and took a step.
“You need to take it slow,” Dr. Busen said. “Just sit for a moment.”
“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “There is something that needs to be done.”
Everyone turned to look at the two smaller machines hooked up to the large processor. Isa swallowed hard and stumbled slowly to the machines, Dr. Busen and Paul supporting her as she approached. She swayed, the drugs still running through her system.
When she was standing in front of the switch that would release the virus, she slowly pulled her arms away from the two doctors and turned her attention to the switch.
“Is this all I need to do?”
“Yes,” Remus answered.
Isa reached out to the switch, but hesitated, feeling the weight of the action even through the fog of painkillers and sedatives still pumping through her veins.
Her hand shook, barely above the switch.
For several long moments in the hot cavern, everyone waited for Isa to move.
But she did not.
Kailynn took a step toward Isa, standing beside her and resting a hand on top of Isa’s. She gently pushed the Elite’s hand down until it rested on the switch.
Isa turned to Kailynn, seeing the weak, nervous, smile on the younger woman’s face. Isa licked her dry lips and turned back to the handle.
A hand rested on her other shoulder and she turned to see Remus behind her, his hand grounding her as he nodded.
Turning a little further, Isa saw the Syndicate members behind her, Rayal and Tarah near the front, their hands clasped tightly together. Paul and Dr. Busen stood there as well, watching her with small smiles that told her they supported her.
Isa turned back to the switch and, with Kailynn’s hand on hers, pushed it down.
Two seconds later, the large processor whirled loudly. Sparks flew from the openings in the sparse casing and the colors flickered, the light fading as the machine whirred louder and louder. With a deafening crack, the processor went black, and, for that instant, it was as if the entire universe held its breath.
The darkness and silence of the room remained.
Kailynn felt Isa’s fingers move, turning around to clasp her hand.
“We did it,” Remus whispered in the darkness.
Epilogue
Compared to the darkness of the cavern, the bright light of the sun blinded everyone. The Bronze Elites had immediately returned to Anon, arriving the day after Venus had shut down to direct relief parties from Fortunea and to start the programs they had outlined to help rebuild the capital.
However, Remus, Isa, Kailynn, Rayal, Tarah, and the doctors remained in the cavern for two days to be sure that Isa was well enough to return to her duties in Anon.
The reality did not hit Kailynn of what had happened until she and Isa drove out of the cavern into the sunlight. They were the first car out of the remaining members of the group that had taken down Venus, the other cars close behind.
As they approached the road, Kailynn asked Isa to stop. The Golden Elite did so and Kailynn stepped out of the car, inhaling deeply. The air was hot in the middle of the day, but the clear air still refreshed her. She glanced around the desert brush and the blue skies and suddenly realized that everything was different.
Isa also got out of the car as Kailynn walked around and took her hand.
“Walk with me for a moment.”
Isa followed Kailynn’s lead, hand secured in the younger woman’s. With the sun beating down on them and the clean air filling their lungs, they both realized the magnitude of what had happened, but it did not seem as impossible to rebuild now. The entire universe had not fallen into darkness. The sun still shone as the planet rotated around its star, illuminating the surface of Tiao as it always had. However, it felt even more powerful now that they realized that Venus had never controlled the sun.
She had never controlled nature.
“Do you hear that?” Kailynn asked, stopping and turning to Isa.
The Golden Elite closed her eyes and listened.
“Nothing?”
“Exactly,” Kailynn said with a smile. “For some reason, I thought everything would be absolute chaos when we walked out of there.”
“Admittedly, I did as well,” Isa chuckled lightly. She took a deep breath. “Things will not be easy, though.”
“They never were meant to be,” Kailynn said. “You know, someone once told me that anything that happens from inside a society is more devastating than war,” she continued, her smile widening. “We’ve toppled the society, and now we have to rebuild it.” She chuckled. “The easy part is over.”
Isa chuckled.
“Shutting down a computer that was hardwired into the entire planet was the easy part…” she murmured. “How does that bode for everything else?”
Kailynn’s fingers tightened around Isa’s hand.
“With you as the leader, everything will work out,” she assured. “You saw it yourself. Everyone supported you. And you succeeded.”
Isa looked at their clasped hands.
“I succeeded because everyone supported me,” she said. “And because you supported me.”
She stepped forward and brushed her fingers over Kailynn’s cheek, leaning down to kiss her.
“I would not be alive today if not for you,” she whispered.
“I think you have Dr. Busen to thank for most of that,” she chuckled.
“Living and surviving are not the same thing,” Isa said. “I’ve survived my life thanks to Dr. Busen, Paul, Remus, Rayal, Tarah, and everyone at the Syndicate who has supported me to this point.” Isa’s hands went up to take Kailynn’s face. “But I’m alive because of you.”
Kailynn’s smile widened before she could help it and she took Isa’s hands in hers, bringing them to her lips to kiss before she looked at Isa mischievously.
“That was pretty good,” she teased. “Have you been practicing that?”
“Maybe,” Isa laughed lightly, “but I’ll never tell.”
Kailynn chuckled and pecked a quick kiss on Isa’s lips.
“I do mean it, Kailynn,” Isa murmured. “I would not be alive if not for you.”
Kailynn took a deep breath and pulled away from Isa, turning to walk past her and back to the car, reaching out as she passed to smack Isa’s behind.
“Don’t you forget it.”
Isa chuckled, walking back to the car even as Kailynn jogged. She kept her eyes on Kailynn, watching her laugh and run back to the group that was waiting for them to return, all standing by their cars, watching silently.
Kailynn bounced around the car and smiled brilliantly at Isa as she opened the door and sat in the vehicle.
Isa approached her car, feeling lighter under the warm sun and surrounded by the fresh air. She suddenly felt her power return to her. She knew that the road ahead would be very difficult, but she understood that it would be better for her, the Syndicate, and all the people on her planet.
She felt ready to face the challenge.
Isa glanced at the others standing by their cars as she opened the door to her car. She winked at them with a smile.
“Try to keep up.”
End
More Works by K.J. Amidon
Inside
(Written as Kyra Anderson)
Inside – Pt. 1
Inside – Pt. 2
Inside – Pt. 3
The Dimension Guardian Series:
Book 1 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Beasts –
The Guardian Tournament
Book 2 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Darkne
ss –
Blind Ambitions
Book 3 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Humans –
Fate
Book 4 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Light –
Imbalance
Book 5 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Demons –
Scars in Time
Book 6 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Exile –
Continuum
The Significant
(Written as Kyra Anderson)
Dedicated to:
My friends and family who inspire me everyday
The numerous people who would not let me quit, even though it was very tempting
T.L. Coulter—You are the best! Thank you for all your support!
All of the readers who took a leap of faith to read this book. You have no idea what you’re in for, do you?
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Epilogue
Dedicated to
Table of Contents