Saving Eden (Original Series book 3)

by Rachel McClellan

  Anthony stands in the doorway, looking from Rafe to me. "What are you doing in here? Sage? Are you okay?"

  Rafe picks up his briefcase and secures the latch. "We are finished."

  "What business do you have with her?" Anthony asks, his tone hard. He doesn't look much older than Rafe, but with the way our world is now, Anthony is considered ancient even though he's only twenty-six.

  "None that concerns you." Rafe stands. "Now if you'll excuse me." He moves to get past Anthony, but Anthony blocks him.

  "Whatever you're planning, keep her out of it. She shouldn't be a part of your war."

  Rafe places a hand on Anthony's chest and pushes him back. "She became a part of our war when she fell in love with a Prime, left Eden, and told our enemy where to find one of the biggest Original strongholds in the East. That was her choice, and now I'm giving her the chance to make it right." He glances back at me. "I expect an answer soon."

  I stare at him as he leaves the room, the hole in my heart growing. Every day I try to block out what I had done, baring my soul to my mother, including the location of Eden on Purgatory Island, but something inevitably reminds me of how much damage I caused.

  Anthony turns to me. "What did he want?"

  "It doesn't matter," I mumble.

  "Like hell it doesn't." He pulls the chair Rafe had been sitting on directly in front of me and sits in it, his knees touching mine. "I've consulted with Rafe many times since he came into power in the West. I wanted to understand how he succeeded so well in defeating the Institute there, but the more I learn, the more I distrust him."

  "You think he's working for them?"

  He shakes his head. "Nothing like that. I think his methods are less than honorable. He cares more about results than about how many people get hurt in the process. In a way, he reminds me of a war general I read about when I was a child. His name was General Murond, the man who took us into the last World War over two hundred years ago. He fought just for the sake of fighting. Millions of people were killed. Leaders from other countries begged him to stop fighting, even surrendering, but he wanted absolute control."

  "I've never heard of him," I say, somewhat surprised. Growing up, it was my mother who had taught me history, as it was her favorite subject, but she'd never mentioned him before.

  "Not many have. It's a history people would rather forget. Most books about General Murond, and there were many, were destroyed." He takes my hand in his. "What did Rafe want with you?"

  I purse my lips, trying to decide if I should tell him…not like I was seriously considering Rafe’s idea anyway—was I? How many times had I hated feeling like a burden to those around me? How many times had people sacrificed for me? Maybe it was my turn.

  "Sage," he says again. "I need to know."

  I sigh and say, "He offered me a special pDNA injection. A series of them, actually. They will make me stronger, faster, you name it. Basically, it would turn me into a superhero, like the rest of you."

  He releases my hand to curl his fingers into a fist. "I can't believe he would suggest something like that, especially knowing how we value Originals. They are our future." His gaze locks with mine. "You are our future." His anger is almost palpable in the small room.

  "I'm not considering it," I say, my voice soft. "Not really, anyway."

  His golden eyes return to mine, and he takes my hand again. "That isn't the way. You are perfect just the way you are, and no matter what he told you, this war against the Institute can be won without turning you into some fighting machine. Do you understand me?"

  I nod my head a little.

  After taking a deep breath, he asks, "What happened to your eyes? And does it have anything to do with that bloody rag on your lap?"

  "What's wrong with my eyes?"

  "They're turning black."

  "Oh. Probably because I got punched in the nose." No wonder I had a massive headache.

  "Sparing with Link? Since when has he ever got the best of you?"

  I hesitate before saying, "It was with Jet."

  He lets go of my hand again and sits up straight. "Why in the world would you be sparring with a Prime? You know better."

  "I know that I need to be tougher," I say, my voice rising. "I can't help save Max and Colt if I'm always a liability."

  "We've had this talk, Sage. You are not a liability. You are a valuable member of our team."

  I roll my eyes. "As what? A cheerleader?"

  "Words are power. You've witnessed this firsthand."

  "We are beyond words. Now is the time to fight, especially with Rafe here. I've heard people talking. Big things are coming, and I don't want to be left behind because I'm just an Original who needs protection." I stand. The room is growing small again. "By the way, who's been giving Rafe personal information about me?"

  "What do you mean?"

  I open the door and step just outside where the space isn't so small. "He knew everything about me, even personal things I didn't think anyone knew."

  He shrugs. "It wasn't me, but like I said, Rafe can't be trusted."

  I lower my gaze, wondering if he's right, then look up. "Why did you come over here? Aren't you supposed to be over at command with Tank?"

  He pushes off the chair and straightens. He's a good seven inches taller than me.

  "I was, but we got something."

  My eyes widen, and a spark of hope ignites the dark space in my chest. "What?"

  "We think we found Colt."

  3

  I follow Anthony into command. It's a large room in one of the security buildings near the front of Enfield. It's where the Institute's previous guards monitored everything that went on at this huge compound, and where they also maintained the electrical field surrounding the outer wall. I hate going outside the walls, even with my new security bracelet that keeps us from getting shot with one of the thousands of electrical darts hiding within the trees. Link is the same way. The bracelet is just a reminder of the pain we both endured when we had to sneak into this place not too long ago.

  Tall and wide wall TV's are positioned in a grid pattern across the back wall. They used to be for monitoring Originals within the compound, but we have reprogrammed the old software to focus on everything to do with the Institute. At several desks, our most intelligent Primes, including a Techhead, work day and night hacking into the Institute's security all across the East. It is a constant cat-and-mouse game. We break in, they reset. The cycle continues several times a day all in an attempt to gain intelligence that will benefit us.

  Tank is hunched over speaking with a Prime, pointing at something on a desk screen. He's finally speaking to me again. At first, I thought his silent treatment was because of my confession to my mother about Eden's location, but later I found out it was because he saw me hesitate to kill the Titan who shot Colt.

  Realization dawns on me. Tank is the one who spoke with Rafe! It has to be. But I didn't think Tank knew about my aversion to tight spaces. I guess Colt could have told him when we were separated for six months. Colt probably thought he would never see me again so didn't think it was a big deal.

  Tank sees Anthony and waves him over. I tag along.

  "What happened to your face?" Tank asks me, as he motions the man he was speaking to away so we can crowd around the desk.

  "Long story. " I point at the screen. "What do you know?"

  He turns to Anthony. "Why did you tell her? You know it may be nothing."

  "She needs this."

  I glance at Anthony with a small smile. Since the day he saved me from Ebony, he has always looked out for me, much in the way I think an older brother would if I had one.

  Tank shakes his head. "Whatever. Take a look at this." He swipes at the screen until he reaches an aerial view of a square building in the middle of the forest.

  "What are we looking at?" Anthony asks.

  "It's satellite images of Cylotech, one of the Institute's labs in the outer region. It's a small one, but still. Check out
their security."

  Outside the building, which couldn't have been much bigger than the one we were in now, there must be at least a dozen military vehicles, and four times that many guards.

  "Do you think Colt is there?" I ask.

  "He could be," Anthony says. "We intercepted a transmission stating that they moved a high-profile prisoner to this facility in the last twenty-four hours. They talked about this prisoner needing a lot of security."

  "It's not much to go on," Tank admits.

  I stare down at the screen counting the vehicles. "Why the military? Since when does the government lend their army to the Institute?"

  "When they went to bed with them decades ago," a voice says behind me.

  I whirl around. Rafe steps out of the shadows. "It's no secret the government supports the Institute, but lately Ebony has been requiring more of their services. Even more unsettling is the fact that Ebony has spent the last five years growing their army. It used to consist of normal Primes, but she's been adding more dangerous ones, and also forcing pDNA injections on Originals to turn them into whatever she wants.”

  I'm stunned by this information. I knew the government already took a hands-off approach, letting the Institute do whatever they wanted in exchange for unlimited Original DNA, but I had no idea they were also supporting them with military forces.

  "How do you know that?" Anthony asks him.

  "We have our own, much better, intelligence than you," he answers. "We’ll have our guys share this information with you soon."

  "I don't understand," I say. "Why would they change Originals? Don't they need their blood?"

  Rafe's eyes shift to mine. "They only change the ones who repeatedly cause problems."

  I grimace, imagining what they would do to me. This brings up a new thought. "But how are they getting these newly changed Originals to fight for them?"

  "The drug Fenoquel, a newer version of enhanced DNA. I'm sure the others have already caught you up?"

  They had, but only a little. I don't think even they fully understood how this new drug created by the Institute was going to work. My father said it basically makes everyone like robots, but others said it stripped one’s humanity down to a primal level. So you'd still have emotions, but they would only be expressed for basic survival needs.

  I'm not sure what to believe, but I figure the truth lay somewhere in the middle. That is frightening enough.

  "More or less," I say.

  Rafe's perfect features scowl in frustration. "It's beyond me why you people aren't more informed!"

  Tank straightens, rising his full seven feet. "You people?"

  Rafe doesn't acknowledge the unspoken threat and walks over to him. "It's like you're in the dark ages over here when it comes to understanding the Institute. Haven't any of you studied war strategies?"

  No one says anything.

  "Take this, for example." Rafe taps the screen. "This is a trap. They are trying to bait you. This facility is a small lab, one they can afford to lose. Besides, they would never take someone as valuable as Colt to a place like this."

  "How do you know?" Anthony asks.

  "Because they will want to make a public example out of him. Hang his body in the biggest city for everyone to see. Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't done it already."

  "A public execution?" Tank's voice is loud. "They wouldn't dare!"

  Rafe laughs. "Who do you guys think you're fighting? Public executions are one of Ebony's favorite means of controlling a population. She's been doing it in the West for years, at least in the cities she still controls."

  The thought of what the West has had to endure for so long makes me nauseous. Being the leader of HOPE, a fairly young resistance to the Institute, my father had only made contact with Rafe about five years ago due to the Institute's ban on travel and communications with the West.

  It takes me a second to find my voice. "Why hasn't Ebony done any of this in the East?"

  "Probably because up until recently, the Institute was still viewed in a favorable light, but now that you've exposed them, prepare for the body count to rise. As for this," he glances down at the screen, "you need to leave it alone."

  Tank shakes his head. "But if there's even the slightest chance that our Intel is right, then we need to take it. This is Colt we’re talking about. He's like a brother to us." He glances down at me and smiles. "Except for you, of course."

  "You’re too emotional about this," Rafe says, his brow creased. "Look at the big picture."

  "Colt is part of that picture!" Anthony says before I can.

  Rafe shrugs. "Fine. Storm the castle and save the Prince, but my men and I won't be there to help you."

  "But isn't that why you came?" Anthony blurts.

  "Where will you be?" Tank asks right after.

  "First of all, I don't act on false Intel. Second, I've got a meeting with—" his voice lowers— "Leaf Myers." He glances down at his wrist pad as if checking the time.

  Leaf Myers. The name spins in my mind until it clicks. He heads the government's Continued Peace Initiative Program. In its time, CPIP was touted as society's greatest achievement, a government program dedicated to ensuring peace, but from everything Rafe just said, it sounded like CPIP acts in name only.

  "What do you want with Myers?" Tank asks.

  Rafe steps close to us, forming a small circle. He glances around to make sure we aren't being listened to and says, "Myers is going to help us topple the government. The Institute won't stand a chance without their support."

  All three of us open our mouths to ask questions, but he stops us. "We'll have this conversation when I get back. As for this," he taps the screen, "stay away."

  Rafe turns and leaves the room. No one says anything for almost a full minute. I can't stop staring at the image of Cylotech, wondering if Rafe is right. But what if he isn't? What if this is our only chance to get Colt? I look up, meeting Tank's gaze.

  "I have to know for sure," he says.

  "Then we're in agreement," Anthony adds, glancing at each of us. "If we're right, Colt will be home by morning. If we're wrong…"

  He doesn't finish. We can't be wrong.

  4

  It took a lot of talking to convince Tank and Anthony to let me go. Somehow I managed to persuade them that my photographic memory would be needed, especially if the Institute hacked into our system again and shut off our communications. Not only that, but my keen mind (I really played that up) might be able to spot small details that they might miss, details that could save Colt's life. We would need every advantage possible.

  In the end, they finally agreed. Probably because they got sick of me talking. Despite what I had told them, there is really only one reason I have to go—to redeem myself. It’s my fault Colt was captured. This time, when I aim and shoot, I won't hesitate.

  Before Rafe leaves Enfield, he at least has the blueprints of Cylotech sent over. It only takes me a few minutes to memorize them. There is a main floor and a basement. Just beyond the entrance lies a huge lab surrounded by several smaller offices, but the basement is a mystery. It's divided into three long sections with small rooms lined wall to wall. Our only guess is they are used as some sort of holding facility, which makes us think Colt really could be there.

  Through all the planning, I try not to think about Rafe's offer, but it's hard, especially knowing that if I don't accept, Link may take my place. He could be convinced to do it if it would save his family, but I don't think transforming into some kind of super Prime is the answer. There has to be another way.

  Before I leave to go with them, I dash across the Green, an expansive lawn in the center of Enfield. There's just enough moonlight to prevent me from tripping. My father works across the way in a small building that houses several labs. This is where he spends most of his time.

  Since Max was taken, we've grown closer. I understand much of what my father went through when my mother abandoned him to join the Institute. It must've been hard for
him to take care of Max and me and keep us safe from the very woman who was supposed to love us. I get now why he told us she died.

  When I approach the front door of the lab, it slides open. The smell of lemons and alcohol stings my nose, and I cringe. My father loves the chemical smell. I hate it.

  I hurry through a series of halls until I reach his workstation, but it's empty. I check the next best place, the room I like to call the dormitory. He pretty much eats and sleeps there along with a few others who are all dedicated to finding a cure to the Kiss.

  Like I expected, he's there speaking with Ruth, an older Original woman who we helped save when my back-stabbing mother had the Originals locked up in Containment. They were supposed to die in that building per my mother's orders while she got away. I became trapped there too, but Colt saved us. We later found out that these same Originals had been infected by a rare strain of the Kiss. Three days ago, my father had finally created a cure to this particular variety.

  I walk up to Ruth. "How's it going?"

  She smooths back her long brown hair and smiles, something I've never seen her do before. "I'm starting to feel stronger. Your father is a miracle worker."

  He chuckles and pats her knee. "I wouldn't say that, but I am glad you're feeling better. Make sure to drink a lot of liquids tonight and then come see me tomorrow for your final injection."

  She slides from the table she's sitting on and gives him a big hug. "Thank you, William." Her eyes meet mine, and she lets him go. "My goodness! What happened to your face?"

  My father looks at me. He takes hold of my chin and turns it left, then right, examining it closely. "That doesn't look good."

  I pull away from him. "It's nothing really. I just made a mistake while sparring earlier."

  "I've got something that will fix that right up," he says and walks over to a cupboard.