Configured: (Book #1 in the Configured Trilogy)

by Jenetta Penner

  I press my hands to my ears to block out the sentencing and squeeze my eyes tight. I can't see this. I know after this it will be Jayson, and I turn toward the back wall and hug myself, holding back the tears that threaten to overwhelm me.

  From behind, I hear Jayson's voice. "It wasn't your fault."

  At that, my knees buckle, and I grab Meyer's arm. I'm fully aware that statement was for Meyer alone. Reluctantly, I swing my head back toward the viewer just in time to see his body fall to the ground. The scene flips back to Manning. His mouth is moving, but I don't hear him since the room has erupted. Everyone is speaking at once.

  "Turn it off," Ruiz's voice rings out, and the viewers shut off one by one. Everyone goes silent.

  Meyer rubs his eyes and starts to speak, then pauses. "I need some air."

  He pulls away from me and heads from the room. I start to follow him, then look to Ruiz. She nods.

  "Just go."

  In the corridor, Meyer stands leaned against the wall, head in his hands.

  Numbness creeps over my body, and I have no idea what to do. I want to be anywhere but here.

  "Is your EP on?" I ask.

  Meyer nods and rises.

  "Give me your handheld."

  He tips his head. "Why?"

  "Just do it."

  He reaches into his pocket and places the device into my palm.

  With it, I jog toward the same room we used for training earlier and clear the door. As if in a trance, Meyer follows. An auto light illuminates the stark room as I pull my Flexx off my wrist and place it and Meyer's together.

  I close my eyes. Code swirls in my mind and forms a destination. Before I open my lids, the sound of crashing waves fills the air and the wind kisses my face.

  Meyer releases a long sigh, his eyes brimming with moisture.

  "Anything's better than that bunker," I say as a pink-and-orange-streaked sky greets us.

  Meyer nods and walks toward the edge of the water to step into the surf. The water and foam drifts over his feet, and I watch as he releases the tension from his shoulders.

  After a few minutes, he sighs and turns toward me, tears streaking his face. "Jayson loves it here. We go sometimes just to talk."

  I glide toward him and stand at his side, tracing his jawline in my mind and working up to eyes filled with sorrow.

  "I could have done something," I say.

  "You don't know that," he sighs. "Ruiz is right. It was too risky."

  "They have my parents too."

  "I know… I'm so sorry," he says as his gaze moves from the painted sky to me.

  Meyer's body remains still, solidly alongside me, but from the corner of my eye, I can see he's returned to watching the sun recess into the horizon. Heavy tears stream down his face.

  Without a word, I slip my palm into his and interlace our shaking fingers. A warm calm seeps through me. "Thank you for being my friend."

  Meyer's hand squeezes mine. "Friends are what make Lena's and Jayson's death's worth something."

  The EP flashes. They need us to come back. Even though I ache to stay, I let go of the sim in my mind, blink, and Meyer and I stand in the empty room. The heat of his palm still burns on mine, even though we're not holding hands anymore.

  I hold out his handheld and he takes it.

  "Thanks," he mutters. In real life, his face glistens with tears too.

  "For what?" I ask.

  "For remembering that place."

  I square my shoulders and look him straight in the eyes. "Now, let's go do something."

  When we enter the makeshift headquarters, the room already bustles with activity. The people working on viewers are back, swiping and moving information, furious as ever. Whatever they're doing appears important… and urgent.

  Ruiz motions the two of us back to the council table where the others have returned, but neither of us sit.

  "Unfortunately, there is little time to discuss what just happened," she says. "Each one of those people is a huge loss, both personally, and to Affinity. But there is urgent business to attend to. So many more lives are at stake."

  She looks around at the silent council.

  "All the intel has arrived," Ruiz continues. "Avlyn, the project you worked on this afternoon at GenTech was successful."

  Upon hearing her words, a minuscule amount of hope spreads through me and I fall into my seat. It's something. Maybe this means they can focus on getting my parents out.

  "We got what we needed, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough," Ruiz says.

  My hope turns cold and rigid.

  "As much as I desire to remove Miss Lark from the city and explore her… ability, in order to proceed with the next phase, I can't. Manning has advanced his timeline, and so too must we."

  She turns to Meyer.

  "Quinn, you're leading the team with Preston." The guy who showed me some concern before snaps to attention when she says this. "It is imperative you get Ms. Lark in and out of Genesis Technologies tonight."

  My mind reels.

  Affinity is sending me back into GenTech?

  28

  Every ounce of confidence I just had with Meyer in the sim dwindles away to nothing.

  "I can't go back in," I protest. "They'll be on high alert." I'm up again, and don't remember standing.

  "Please, sit." Ruiz's expression is flat, but frustration brews in her eyes.

  I fall back into my chair with a thump.

  "You're unaware of how dire this situation is."

  "Well, fill me in," I growl, tipping forward with rapt attention and my own irritation.

  The side of her neck twitches. "Direction wants to prune its tree, so to speak…"

  "GenTech is developing a new virus," I say. "Something called Project Ectopistes. Most of the people in Level One not will have immunity. Manning is wiping them out."

  "Yes, but how do you know this?" she asks, her eyes flicking to Meyer.

  "I didn't tell her," he says. "I understand it's need-to-know information."

  The stares of the council sting. "I read it," I admit. "When I unsecured the lab."

  "You read it?" Ruiz asks.

  "Through the GenTech's server. In the lab, I could bring up the information on what they were doing," I explain.

  "You were only supposed to disable the security, not enter the project," Ruiz says.

  Heat builds in my entire body, but I lock my gaze to hers. I'm not going to justify myself to her. "You didn't even let me try to get into Direction's network for Jayson and Lena, and now you're trusting me to do go back into GenTech to stop this inhumanity?"

  Ruiz leans back and folds her arms. She makes eye contact with the woman sitting to my right who says, "The mainframe doesn't allow access from the outside. This means we need you in the building to do it. At this point, options are limited, time is of the essence, and your ability to immerse and destroy the project quickly is our best hope. This part of GenTech's system doesn't extend outside the building, so you will need to physically be there. Meyer is one of the best, and as you know, your ability guided you out of the detention center. It was impressive, although sloppy…"

  She trails off. The reminder of Jayson and Lena proves too disquieting.

  "So?" I ask. "What does Manning know about me?"

  "By now, GenTech must realize the lab was breached, and may suspect you," Ruiz explains. "And it seems another placement filed an anonymous report on you recently. Someone thought you were up to something. That's why Direction was waiting for you today."

  Daniel finally made his move.

  "But, according to intel," she continues, "Manning only believes you to be a hacker, albeit an amazing one. A pawn for Affinity. If he truly understood you were more, he would have sent in more than a couple officers. You never would have escaped." She narrows her eyes for a moment, thinking. "Does anyone outside this room know about you? Your parents?"

  The mention of my parents feels like Ruiz reached over and grabbed my heart through my
chest, knowing Manning has them.

  I push back away from the table. "No," I mutter, anger stirring in my core. How can this woman be so calm? My life, the way I knew, has ended. My parents may be killed. And Kyra? What will become of her?

  "At least it buys us time. Anyone else?"

  The rousing fury shoots up my spine at her question. "No, only the people around this table, and the other one who just died!" I yell, slamming my fist on the table and jumping from my seat.

  My gaze darts to Meyer. I didn't mean to say it… not like that, but he's a stone.

  Ruiz gestures with a nod to my chair. "Please, calm yourself."

  Preston, the guy who is apparently coming with Meyer and me, at the other end, sits quietly, but the white on his knuckles on top of the table isn't the most encouraging sign.

  A dizzying sensation fights to better me, but I drop into the chair again and try to focus.

  "We've run the stats, probability, drone schedules, and anything else to determine the best course of action to take," Ruiz continues. "Of course, there will be variables, but the EP should help guide the team. Ideally, you'll be in and out."

  "What will I be doing exactly?" I ask.

  "Meyer will be escorting you to the mainframe access, where you will be completely wiping Project Ectopistes."

  "And someone more experienced can't do this?"

  "The speed and accuracy you have will better ensure the mission's success," says the woman next to Meyer. "Preston will be destroying the actual lab, and Bates, Davis, and I will be targeting anyone who worked on Ectopistes."

  I whip my head toward Meyer. "Targeting? What does this mean?"

  The look on his face tells me I already know what it means.

  "This is a war, Avlyn," Ruiz says. "There are hundreds of thousands of lives at stake. Our first step is to stop this project."

  "What are the chances this will play out accurately?" I mutter as my foot taps under the table. No one responds. "You're confident?" I ask, louder than before.

  Ruiz's gaze falls on me. "I am. I must be. And you need to be certain too. At this point, you're our only shot, because if the information brought out earlier is as disastrous as it appears, confidence in this team is all we have left."

  "And it's only the three of us in GenTech?" Meyer asks.

  Ruiz nods. "Sending in more seemed like a better option, but in every scenario we ran, your team strengths and capabilities ranked the strongest. The best chance of completing the mission and getting Ms. Lark out alive is with a limited squad."

  I gulp. What about Meyer and Preston?

  As if she sees into my brain, she says, "The team mission is get you in and out of GenTech… no matter what."

  "What do I do when I'm in?" I ask.

  "You'll be given the code for a system virus to upload directly within GenTech to wipe out the research." Ruiz leans onto the table. "Your ability to immerse should allow you to make immediate modifications if necessary. Doing this will set them back considerably, and buy us time."

  The memory of the Level One woman who only wanted to stay with her child comes to mind. "Real people are in that lab," I say.

  "Yes." Ruiz lowers her gaze and shifts it to the man sitting on the right. "This mission will be at the expense of the test subjects’ lives as well. If we fail, most of Level One may become infected if Direction finishes their work."

  She's right. So many can't be put at risk to save a few…

  "When can we review the whole operation?" Meyer asks.

  "Instructions are uploaded. Study it to help you prepare," Ruiz orders.

  "One thing that should be interesting," Preston's deep voice finally pipes in, "is getting there."

  I picture another race through the darkened city and dread the increased security. How in the world will this work?

  Meyer leans back and folds his arms. "What's the plan?"

  Preston smirks. "Drones. We're riding in the package compartment of three drones."

  My stomach lurches.

  I can't fly. I hate flying.

  Even the thought of riding in the public air shuttles gives me the shivers, and now this?

  "This means go time is in less than thirty minutes," Ruiz says. "The team needs to be out of here while the building is still receiving packages for nighttime deliveries. The drones have new, modified Direction technology programmed into the hull. On the way in, the drone will appear as an Aerrx, and on the way out, a Guardian. Once they drop the team at the lab, the drones will maneuver out and onto the rooftop and circle the city until you are ready. Get inside, complete the task, exit, and they will dispatch your team to a safe location."

  "Back here?" I ask.

  "No, Avlyn. Affinity needs you out of the city as soon as possible," Ruiz says. "The risk of your ability falling into the wrong hands is too great."

  My chest constricts. "What about my parents?"

  "Please focus." She stands. "I understand your concern, but Affinity is doing what it can. Unnecessary risks are dangerous for everyone, including your parents."

  I open my mouth to argue, but the words die in my throat.

  She's right. I wanted to help, and I'm only being selfish.

  Ruiz motions at Meyer. "Quinn, get Avlyn out of here and ready to go. Preston has the new suits. Council adjourned." She sighs, then turns and strides toward the door.

  Meyer rests his hand on my shoulder. "Come on. Let's suit up and review the rest of the mission."

  Preston walks to the door, and Meyer and I follow, leaving the council. I'm headed to do something more incredible and meaningful than I've ever done, but all I feel is smothering dread. How is it that stopping a deadly virus that will affect most of Level One, and one not unlike the one that killed Ben, falls on me? A girl who not much more than a month ago wanted to disappear into the crowd?

  We spend the next twenty minutes fitting the suit and gloves. The letter from Bess is still crumpled in my pocket, and I smooth it out and tuck it into a secret compartment inside the chest of my suit. I get a chance to review the virus code, and Meyer uploads the contained version to my nanos.

  There's only time for a quick mission review. After our trip in the drones, we will be scanned in as a delivery. The drones will drop us near the mainframe access, where I can upload the virus. Preston is loaded with a small, but powerful set of explosive devices he will set off in the lab once we exit on the roof, hitching a ride to a safe location.

  My teeth chatter, even though the air in the room is warm. Meyer and Preston check the weapons and other equipment to ensure all is in working order. I'm a ball of nerves, just anxious to get going. If I'm going to die, I want to get it over with.

  "Where are the drones?" I ask.

  "Waiting on the roof," Preston replies. "We'll ride the elevator to the top floor. It's completely secured. Then we'll take the stairs to the rooftop. The drones calculate liftoff depending on the patterns of the ones already in the air, so you won't have to do a thing until we arrive at GenTech. The one downside is the drones have no defense system. There was no time to build it."

  Which means if they discover us… we're going down.

  Meyer glances from his handheld, then folds and stuffs it in his pocket. "It's time." From the table next to him, he grabs the two gray stunners, holsters the first to his side, and then tosses me the second. I catch it. The metal is heavy and cool in my hands, and I attach the equipment, trying to convince myself it could very well stay unused.

  When we exit the room, I half expect Ruiz to be in the hall to fill us in on last-minute details, but it's just the three of us.

  On the rooftop, three large model 3000 Aerrx delivery drones sit parked, the evening sun glistening off their metallic hulls, each big enough for commercial-size packages. I'd never imagined a human could actually fit inside a drone, but why not? The packages for GenTech and other companies are sometimes sizable. A person could fit in one… barely.

  The cargo panels of the pods slide up as we approa
ch. The holding space is even tighter than I imagined. I stop in front of the cavity and lean over to peer inside.

  Preston chuckles. "It's roomier than you might think."

  I swivel toward him. "You've done this before?"

  He smiles. "Oh, once or twice."

  Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Meyer shaking his head, a slight grin on his lips.

  "What?" I ask.

  "Nothing," he says, then pulls his Flexx from his pocket and swipes the screen.

  My hand finds a spot to rest on my hip. "You've never done this, have you?"

  Preston knits his eyebrows together and starts to say something, then stops. "Just trying to make you feel better. You look green." He ducks to peer into the cavity, then straightens to turn his attention to me again. He forces another smile. "I have to fit myself and this pack inside."

  He stuffs in a backpack that must contain the explosives needed to destroy the lab, and I shake my head, willing down the sickness from the thought of flying welling up inside me. Since the ride won't be long, comfort isn't a huge priority.

  Closing my eyes, I steady myself, and the EP comes alive with information.

  Brace for liftoff flashes green.

  Are you kidding?

  I'm so wedged in here that no bracing is necessary.

  "Ready?" Meyer's voice sounds over the comm.

  Preston grunts, "Yeah."

  "As I'll ever be," I groan.

  The drone whirs, and my gut drops when the unit defies gravity and lifts from the concrete roof. In the EP, the walls of the transport appear to fade away in my vision, giving me a full 360-degree view of our surroundings. I gasp and throw my hands to the metal interior as the buildings of Level One appear below.

  "I didn't know that was going to happen either," Meyer says. "Sorry, would've warned you."

  "Nice view." Preston sighs. "Better take the time to enjoy it."

  I don't even want to consider the meaning behind the words, and instead focus on the night sky.

  "The moon is so big tonight," I say softly.

  "It won't be the last time you see it, Avlyn," Meyer assures me.

  The comm goes silent. Not because of a malfunction, but because there are just no words left to say.