Obsidian: Birth to Venus (The Obsidian Chronicles Book 1)

by Marisa Victus

  Jai nodded. “We’ll get everyone through the main tunnel and meet you ASAP.”

  Sean stood on a chair. “Listen up! Everyone, follow Quaid here. He’ll take you to the underground tunnel, to your vehicles.” Quaid showed them the way. Sean jumped down and ran to the bar. He hit a button underneath the granite countertop and pressed his thumb to a security screen. The wall of liquor shifted, revealing an arsenal of weapons behind it. He chucked weapons at Jai and Borda, and began packing more into duffle bags. Jai pushed a gun into the backside of her pants, and holstered two to her legs, then joined Sean. They packed more guns and ammo into a bag. Borda did the same as the front door continued to shake. The chairs and tables rattled against it, shifting and loosening as bombs continued to explode outside the building.

  “Follow me,” Sean said. Jai and Borda ran with him to their private room, to the same secret passageway that Mach, Diana, and Kevin had taken. They busted through the door, to a garage where a van was waiting. Piling in, Sean took the front seat. Jai and Borda went through the side door and slid it shut. The van was an arsenal on wheels, with weapons affixed to both sides. Weapons in hand, Jai walked to the rear doors. She rolled two windows down. Hoisting her gun, she rested it against the window frame. Borda turned, hunching over, and walked as quickly as he could to the front, to the passenger seat beside Sean. He rolled the window down and took aim, too.

  Sean drove to the end of the garage and stopped short, poised to open the gate. “You ready for this?”

  “Yeah,” Jai screamed. Borda nodded.

  As soon as the garage door began to open upward, fire erupted, sending smoke into the garage. They all held their breach. Sean punched it, pushing past hordes of men and women. Jai looked at their faces, surprised. They hadn’t bothered to wear masks this time. The rioters were everywhere, and some were armed. Three raised their guns at the van and shot. Borda took them out as Sean sped through the crowd, gunning down two with molotov cocktails in their hands. Their bodies flew back, sending the molotovs hurtling up into the sky. The cocktails landed, and their bodies erupted in flames. They screamed in agony. Jai stared as the van sped past. One, a human, fell silent as his body continued to burn. The other, a sentient, rolled against the ground and resurfaced, his body ashen and black. Nevertheless, he continued. He picked up a gun someone had dropped and began chasing their van. Now, with a bit of distance, Sean was able to kick up speed. The sentient stopped. He stood, took aim, and positioned his gun to fire, but Jai shot first, hitting him between the eyes. He flew back, his head smacking against the hot pavement.

  Jai’s body rocked from side to side, as Sean sped the van through the streets, littered with trash and debris. Borda took care of the last rioters, the hangers-on. Many had tried to climb onto the van, even humans with baseball bats. But, the sentients were the real concern. Shooting them in the arms or legs only served to slow them down momentarily. Even limping, their speed was ruthless. At high speed, the van bowled over most of them, but some were able to grapple on, like expert mountain climbers, without the need for carabiners or quickdraws to secure them. Borda shot them off the front of the van, while Jai handled those on the back and sides. Stone cold, Jai hit her marks. The rioters’ bodies spun back, off into the sky before spinning to the ground. Their bodies tumbled to the ground at high speed, their skin ripping off the bone.

  Jai took a moment to rub her temples. Over an hour had passed since her migraine had first begun, and the pain hadn’t subsided. It’d gotten worse, her head throbbing like it was going to split into a million pieces. Above the din of exploding bombs and screams, a racket of voices rattled inside of Jai’s mind. She rubbed her head, trying to tune the sound out, but it was overwhelming. If the rioters weren’t in pain, they were talking to themselves, as if building their resolve, to do what they’d set out to do. Do it! Take aim, kill them! They have to die, or Max will. As long as Scout’s safe. Don’t let them escape, Dad’s depending on you! Their thoughts seared into Jai’s mind. Their fear coursed through her veins; it burned like molten lava. And, the more she killed, the more her stomach tightened. She’d barely noticed her mouth agape, a wretched scream flying out of her, not wanting to kill them, but having to.

  What else can I do? She knew there was no choice. Whatever these people’s motivations, they were set on killing her, killing everyone she loved. They were even killing the innocents who were unfortunate enough to be nearby. Jai watched as couples were gunned down; as children on their bikes were knocked over, trampled by the rioting swarm. If they weren’t killing, they were pillaging, wrecking, burning every building they could downtown. So, she shot on, killing as many as necessary. Her stomach heaved. She retched, tears streaming down her face. By the time Sean sped into her beach house driveway, she and Borda were nearly out of ammo.

  Jai ran inside, to the study where Kevin’s lab was. She threw her body down on the floor, pressing her hands hard against her temples. Sean wrapped his arms around her. “You okay?” Sean asked. Jai was fading, fast. The pain was unbearable, even worse than it’d been before. “Kevin!” He screamed. Kevin finished checking Diana and the baby, then ran over with his computer cuffs.

  “Jai! Let me look at you.” He attached electronic sensors to Jai’s body.

  “Ah!” Jai was screaming in agony.

  “I know, I know,” Kevin said, his tone calm. “Jai, please, look up.” Jai could barely move. The only desire she had was to crumple up into a ball. The knots in her stomach had traveled up, tensing and tightening along her spine. Her brain felt like one tightly balled fist, gripping so firmly it’d collapse onto itself. Looking up was the last thing she wanted to do. She clasped her eyes shut, unwilling to move.

  “Sean, please help,” Kevin begged. Sean grabbed hold of Jai by the arm, but she wouldn’t respond. She just held on to her head, as if doing so would somehow lessen the pain striking her mind and body. With no other choice, Sean took her head in his hands and pulled it upward. Vaguely, Jai felt his hands on her. She flung her hand out, hitting his left rib. It cracked.

  Sean screamed through the pain. “Jai, please, open your eyes. We have to!” Sean held on tight, pulling her head up again.

  Eyes clenched shut, Jai heard Kevin’s voice. It was dim. “Please, Jai. Open your eyes! Open your eyes!” he repeated. Kevin fastened the monocle over his left eye, ready to record. Jai braced herself through the pain, holding on to the distant sound of Kevin’s and Sean’s voices. With all her might, she forced her eyes open.

  Kevin gasped in horror. Her eyes were black. Even the whites of her eyes had disappeared. Kevin felt a sharp pain in his chest, like his heart had stopped. Every cell in his body hummed, vibrated, jolted him to move, to run, to look away, but his body was stiff, like it was no longer his. At once, Kevin was the interloper, a mere witness. His body was a vessel, a vessel Jai had commandeered. All he could do was stare at her, into those limitless black eyes, like two obsidian shards, plunging deep, deep into his soul.

  Chapter 42

  2121

  In the darkness, Jai had the same nightmare as she’d had in the past. She was in the garden, trying to carry Darin to safety, trying to reach her mother, but the black sludge was sucking them under, burning them. When they could no longer move, the sludge hardened to a black, obsidian glass. And, in the last moment, she looked down, horrified by her own reflection. Someone, some thing, had overcome her. Her big brown eyes, the whites, were gone. Two obsidian shards were in their place. And, with just one gaze, she felt the blackness pierce her soul.

  Searing pain jostled Jai awake. She’d passed out, but unlike the last time, her recollection was crystal clear. Like a boulder, the shame and embarrassment of what she’d done to Kevin hit her, hard. She sucked a tremendous amount of air, hurtling her body up off the sofa in one fell swoop. “Kevin!” she cried, frantically. Sean rushed to her side.

  “Kevin’s fine. He’s fine,” Sean assured, but Jai’s body was tense with fear. She knew it wasn’t so simple
.

  “Where’s Kevin?” She jumped to her feet. She scanned the lab, and saw everyone standing in the library, next to Kevin, who was laying on the couch.

  “Take it easy, Jai,” Sean said, his voice hushed. He tried to take hold of her hand, expecting her walk to be uneasy, but it wasn’t. Jai rushed through the library doors. In an instant, she was standing above Kevin. Everyone stepped away as she fell to her knees.

  “Please, Kevin. Are you okay? Please tell me you’re alright.” She sobbed, taking his left hand, clasping it in both of hers. He looked at her with the gentlest of eyes, and sat himself up.

  “Yes, yes. I’m fine, Jai. Please, stand up,” he said, but she wouldn’t budge. Shoulders shaking, she cried and cradled her face in her hands.

  “I’m so sorry!” she cried, again and again, unable to stop the torrent of tears.

  “Jai, I’m fine. Please believe me. Everything’s fine.” Kevin pleaded for her to understand. Borda grabbed hold of Jai’s shoulders and lifted her up, but Jai’s knees buckled. Avena caught her just in time.

  “Kevin’s okay,” Mach emphasized.

  “We all are,” said Diana. “We love you, Jai. Everything will be alright.”

  Jai was embarrassed and afraid. Things will never be the same. They must hate me now. First, the color-shifting eyes. Now, this? My eyes went black, evil. This is horrible. “What am I?” she screamed. “What have I done?”

  Sean rubbed her gently on the back, trying to console her, as Kevin motioned for Mach to bring the computer cuffs. “I’ll play it,” Mach said, and started the recording. Just as Jai had feared, she saw her eyes go black, the same way she’d seen it in her mind’s eye. But, what frightened her more was what she’d seen, the feelings she’d felt, as she looked, simultaneously at Kevin and through Kevin, through his mind. The more she had stared at him, the more she had felt his presence slip away. She knew she’d taken his place. It was just a moment before she had passed out, but it was enough to show her, and everyone in that room: she was a monster.

  “I’m a monster!” she cried. They tried to reassure her. They loved her just as before. She hadn’t meant to do anything. She hadn’t harmed anyone. But, Jai could only hear her own voice, screaming inside her head. Monster! Monster! she called herself, repeatedly.

  Suddenly, Kevin’s grey eyes locked on to hers. “Jai,” he said. He gripped her hand forcefully. “I promise. I won’t ever lie to you. So, listen to me now. Trust me. I. Am. Fine. You haven’t harmed me. In fact, I have to thank you. That was, bar none, the most exhilarating study I’ve ever conducted.” An incredulous stare swiped Jai’s face clean. She wasn’t sure whether or not to cry, she was so disarmed. He smiled and laughed. “Really, I sincerely mean that. I’m normally on the outside looking in. Gathering data and all that. But, this time? I was front and center. It’s rare indeed to be the experimenter, and the one being experimented on.”

  Everyone laughed. “See, Jai?” Avena said, caressing her other hand. “Kevin’s all good. Really, we watched him test himself after you passed out. He’s one-hundred-percent!”

  “A hundred and twenty!” Kevin said.

  “Really?” Jai found it hard to believe.

  “Really,” Kevin said. “Soon as you passed out, it’s like you unlocked a key. I was back to my normal self in no time. I was just resting in the library when you woke up. Sorry if I gave you a scare.”

  “Please, don’t apologize to me. I already feel like shit.”

  “Well, stop beating yourself up. I’d let you know if there was a problem.”

  “Problem?” Borda chortled. “Hardly. I’d say we’re golden.” Jai looked up, perplexed. “Come on!” Borda wrapped his arms around Jai and hugged her fiercely. “Who could possibly hurt us if we’ve got Jai, our secret weapon!”

  Everyone but Jai laughed. She was still sick to her stomach, and just as afraid as before. But, she felt a surge of peace. She could feel the sincerity, in all of them. And, none of them were afraid of her. She sensed no disgust, no disdain, none of the hatred she felt for herself. And, just as uncontrollably as before, she felt her eyes spill over with tears, tears of overwhelming gratitude.

  Chapter 43

  2121

  By 3 a.m., Jai was still struggling to settle down. It wasn’t easy. They were all standing at the kitchen table, watching the news. Club 10 was eviscerated, as were major sections of downtown New York, but the Mayor promised, “We might have a weak pulse, but we’re still holding on to our great city.” Things quickly took a turn for the worse, though. All the eye witness accounts proved that what they had encountered was far from isolated. Across the United States, in every major metropolitan city, riots were erupting into the early morning hours. Humans, sentients, everyone, it seemed, was either rioting or holed up, barricading themselves inside. Watching the news, it was apparent. The Reapers had struck the match, but the fire was burning uncontrollably now, with a life of its own. Death, destruction, and fear were everywhere.

  By midnight that evening, President Rogers was addressing the nation, live from the Oval Office. “I am declaring a state of national emergency,” she said when, suddenly, the lens on her bifocal frames shattered in half. The screen went black. A second later, it registered. They’d televised her assassination. Jai, Sean, everyone in the room, even Borda, sat in silence, dumbstruck by what had just happened. No one knew what to say or do. It had gone from a nightmare to an apocalypse.

  “It’s final then,” Sean said, an hour later, as he walked back from the living room to the kitchen. “I just got off the phone with my contacts in D.C., Jersey, Philly, Atlanta, Raleigh, St. Louis, Chicago, San Fran. One massive con call with the whole network of sentient Clubs throughout the U.S. Their cities are ravaged. Sentients are making a mass exodus to the new sentient-controlled city: Boston.”

  The news came just in time. No sooner had Sean delivered the message than the lights began to flicker and the floor began to shake throughout the house. Borda ran to a window and lifted the blackout blind they’d used to keep rioters from seeing inside. “Shit, they’ve made there way here!” he yelled.

  Jai ran to take a look and, true enough, there was a massive throng beating against the gate. And, unlike the crowds before, they weren’t armed with grenades or bats, both of which the gate could largely handle. This multitude had come prepared, with a ram and guns. A group had already hoisted the ram and were battering the gate. It dented and rattled under the weight of each thrust. Meanwhile, other rioters began climbing up the wall.

  “Why the hell are they here?” Borda screamed, gun now in hand.

  “I have no idea,” Jai said, scanning the neighborhood. None of the other houses were under attack. Luckily, the Home system had already switched to defense mode, revealing a much taller secondary wall with a spinning spiral of serrated blades along the top. The sentients paid no mind. Before Home had revved to full speed, a few sentients had managed to make it over, losing only a few fingers, a hand, or an arm. It wasn’t enough to bleed them out. They’d heal in time. To them, it mattered more to get inside. It was good Sean had had time to prepare. He had programmed their family’s handprints into the Home system, ensuring that there was no other way to unlock the gate. Still, it could only stop the rioters for a time.

  “Go! Go!” Borda screamed. “I’ll take care of the rioters. You finish loading up.” Sean ran off to start the jets. Borda unlocked a window and took aim at the sentients who’d made it inside the grounds, shooting them with a sniper’s rifle, one by one in the head. This riled the horde even further. More joined in, throwing the battering ram against the gate, denting it deeply. Gaps were beginning to form around the gate’s periphery, where it was previously affixed to the walls along each side.

  “Jai, Mach, help me with Zin!” Kevin cried. Avena and the others had already loaded most of the equipment onto the jets. They’d destroyed all hardcopies of Zin’s data. The only remaining copy was safe, hidden in an encrypted, virtual database. The only thing
left was Zin’s 6’5”, comatose body. He looked older, his body atrophied, and he remained extremely heavy. The three of them carried him off the couch. Borda ran over, another helping hand. They placed him on a gurney and pushed him into Jai’s jet.

  She rushed to the cockpit, running through a mental checklist. She yelled back at Kevin and Borda, letting them know she was taking off. Sean launched his own jet with Avena, Mach, and Diana on board. Jai followed. From the sky, they watched the gate’s hinges as they finally broke. The mob rushed through, throwing grenades until the security windows broke. They set the house on fire, including the couch where Jai and Joy had had their last mind-sync, the couch where her mother had died. The rioters — humans and sentients alike — ran through the house, pillaging, destroying everything in sight. Jai accelerated the jet, thankful she had saved her most priceless treasure: a photo album of Mom, Dad, Darin, and her new family. The rioters were tossing only empty frames. Within minutes, the entire penthouse was ablaze. Thick curls of smoke choked the early morning sky. Jai took her jet higher and higher, until the sirens faded to a distant mew.

  As they flew to Boston, Jai remembered the first time she’d seen Boston in the news. Boston was one of the first cities to be hit after the rioting began in South Carolina. Beacon Hill was hit hard. The Statehouse and nearly all of the historic homes were left crushed and burning. As the rioting had spread beyond the city, the destruction had fanned outward, hitting town after town. Soon, Boston’s deterioration and the government’s failure to make any repairs, had become a blight, a symbol of failure. How could one of the nation’s most historic cities fall to ruin? It was obliterated. Boston was a no man’s land.

  Then, Jai recalled the first time Sean said Boston was being rebuilt. He'd come running to find her on the beach, in the middle of an early morning run. "Jai! Jai!" He caught up quickly.