Absolute Power (Book 1): Origins

by Queen, Grayson

  Maybe the worst mistakes were the ones that kept living. The ones that never died.

  It had taken a month for Robert to physically recover from what had happened fifteen years ago in New Mexico. His sister's powers were still out of control. The only option was to place her under sedation, in a specially designed containment system. Robert was afforded some opportunities to visit her, but she was essentially in a permanent coma. As his responsibilities increased, he saw her less and less often. Perhaps someday they could help her, but even then she'd be an eight-year-old in a twenty-one-year-old’s body.

  For now, Angie would have to suffice as a sister, they were basically siblings anyway. “What is this?” Angie asked from the kitchen. She was holding out a limp green blob. Robert had decided to make his big announcement and called his platoon in for a meeting at his apartment. But he had told Angie first, and so she offered to help pack.

  “Where did you find it?” Robert asked.

  “In the back of the refrigerator,” Angie answered.

  After a bit of thought Robert answered, “An orange.”

  Disgusted, Angie tossed it in the trash. Before she had a chance to comment, someone knocked at the door.

  “Come in,” Robert said.

  Alison and Henry entered and stopped dead when they saw the boxes.

  “We're being transferred to the Bahamas,” Henry cheered and jumped up and down. He saw Angie shaking her head sullenly and stopped jumping. “Greenland?” He asked worried.

  Robert put Alex's mug in a box then sat on the couch.

  “Why don't you guys take a seat,” he said.

  No one moved.

  “You know that they've been on me to fill Alex's slot on the platoon,” Robert started. “And after the explosion on the training course, the brass are done giving me any leeway.” Angie and Henry tried hard not to look at Alison. “The Colonel and I talked, and we both agreed that they were going to move me to another command. That would mean you guys would be serving under Lieutenant Pepper.”

  “Argh,” Henry groaned. “When did he get promoted?”

  “This is exactly why I’m going to beat them to the chase,” Robert continued. “Before I lose authority, I'm disbanding the platoon and transferring all of you.”

  “What?” Henry was shocked.

  Robert looked to Alison, who hadn't said or done anything to indicate her thoughts. He needed to go as fast as possible before they started panicking. He grabbed a nearby folder and pulled out the papers.

  “Henry, I got you transferred to R&D as a department head,” he handed the paperwork to Henry. “Congratulations Staff Sergeant,” he said, then gave him his new insignia.

  “Does that mean I get to do what I want, and boss people around?” Henry asked.

  “Yup,” Robert answered.

  “I can get used to that,” Henry smiled. “What did you get Anne?”

  “That's Lieutenant Godfrey, to you,” Angie said gleefully.

  “What?” Henry moaned, “No fair that’s nepotism.”

  Robert was still watching Alison who had been staring into the distance. He told the others, “What else are big brothers for? Angie is being reposted to an Assault Team at an undisclosed location. And I got Alison into a post in Los Angeles with OID.”

  “Wait,” Henry was getting agitated. “She gets to be a Lieutenant too?”

  “Not yet. But don't worry,” Robert said. “I'm not a Lieutenant either.”

  “Captain Day?” Henry questioned. “Captain, right? You weren't demoted were you? Because if you were I'll use all my Staff Sergeant power to fight for you.”

  “Yeah, it's Captain,” Robert laughed. “I'm taking charge of an integrated team, which is why I need to pack my stuff and get to my new offsite apartment. So my final order is to help me carry this stuff out.”

  Without warning, the silent Alison, spun on her heels and stormed out of the apartment slamming the door behind her. Robert looked from Angie to Henry, then ran after Alison hoping to explain.

  Alison sprinted to the elevator knowing that Robert was going to chase after her. Not that she was running off to get him to come after her. Of course, if he didn't, she'd kill him. She was going to kill him, that stupid bastard. The last week had been filled with hope. They had been happy. Alison had fallen in love with him and was already thinking about their future. She thought Robert would come up with a solution.

  It felt like she was going to vomit, or pass out, or burst into tears. She just wanted to get back to her room and lock the door. That way she could be alone, and no one could see her fall apart. Because that was all she needed now, a bunch of subordinates watching her break down.

  The elevator opened up to the fourth floor; it was filled with junior officers. So like always, it was over crowded, and Alison had to shove past. She only hoped she could make it before the sobbing started.

  A minute later, the second elevator arrived and Robert came barreling out. Anxiously he scanned the crowd looking for Alison. When he thought he spotted her, he moved fast making sure everyone noticed his Captain's insignia. Those who did try to clear a path could only do so much in the cramped quarters. It wasn't helping; Alison was getting farther away. He could see her approaching her room.

  “Alison,” he called out.

  She seemed to hear him and hesitated for a second.

  “Alison,” he yelled louder.

  This time she did hear him and so did everyone in the hallway. They all turned to gawk. Robert continued toward her, slowing to give himself time to think. He had no idea what to say or how to explain himself. The entire thing had been a misunderstanding, but Alison was still fuming at him.

  “Hi,” he said to her.

  Alison folder her arms and glared at him.

  “You didn't give me time to explain,” Robert said.

  “Explain that you're so chicken, instead of breaking up with me like a man, you make up some story about being relieved of command, so you have to disband the platoon and move away?” Alison snarled.

  “No, you misunderstood,” Robert pleaded.

  Alison raised a threating eyebrow.

  “I mean I'm an idiot,” Robert changed tactic. “Okay, can we both agree on that? I meant this all as a surprise. A good surprise. For everyone. I figured out a win, win solution, and everyone got all they could want. Henry got out of the field and into a lab like he should be. Angie was never going to get a command while she was under me.”

  “And what about me, Robert?” Alison asked. “What grand prize did I get?”

  “Me,” Robert smiled, but it only made Alison angrier. “I'm being posted to Los Angeles too. Under a different regiment. And I got an apartment. Because here at the Complex you and me couldn't... I thought maybe we could try...” Robert had a plan, had being the operative word. He imagined this picture of how he'd ask her to move in with him. It was supposed to be cute and romantic. He'd pretty much messed that up, and Alison must have hated him for it. “Screw it,” Robert said.

  He grabbed Alison by the waist and pulled her toward him. Robert kissed her, desperately and hopelessly. For him, his only chance to fix everything was in this one kiss, and he wasn’t going to give up, or let go.

  Elsewhere

  Sitting in the garden of the Residence, Eve plucked aimlessly at the grass. Next to her, Shruti and Sara lay on their backs calling out shapes in the clouds.

  “Have you decided to stay?” Shruti asked Eve.

  To Eve it wasn't much of a choice. If The One were a terrible and lonely place that had conscripted her into slave labor, it would still be better than nothing. She had nowhere else to go. Besides, she had found friends here and people who cared about her. They offered education, shelter and food.

  “I think you should stay,” Sara said. “You don't want to live on the run like I did with my parents.” She sighed at the thought. “Boy, I miss them. Usually, I hang out with them during the summer, but they got stuck at an anti-One rally.”

 
“I guess I’m the lucky one this time,” Shruti laughed. “Alison lives just upstairs, and I can talk to her whenever I want. Even if she’s distracted.” Shruti giggled knowingly. She shifted to put her head on Sara's shoulder. “But PR day is coming up,” she said happily. Eve gave her a questioning look, so she explained, “It's when they let people on the base to visit. This PR is mostly so parents can drop off kids for the school year.”

  “My mom said she's going to bring me a box full of her oatmeal cookies,” Sara said.

  “Isn't there food here?” Eve asked.

  “Yeah, but you know, she's a mom,” Sara replied. “They do things like that. Maybe you should call your parents and tell them to come.”

  Shruti stiffened as Eve nearly burst with emotion. She tried not to let on that she had felt it. Eve however remained stone-faced.

  “They can't come,” Eve told them.

  Shruti's curiosity got the better of her. “Why?” She asked.

  “They don’t know I’m gone,” Eve answered.

  That didn't make sense to Shruti, and she wanted to ask her to explain, but Eve didn't look like she would talk about it. The questions were burning in her head. She resisted the temptation to read them for herself. Shruti thought of her instructor, who told her that she needed to control her impulses in order to control her power. So she let it go.

  The Following Week

  Classes were going to begin soon, turning the entire Complex into a bustle of commotion. Jess arrived at Eve's room holding a piece of paper.

  “How did your new clothes work out?” Jess asked.

  Some time ago, a box filled with a variety of outfits had arrived. Eve had a hard time imagining why anyone needed so many different things. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, she made sure to wear every item.

  “Well, thank you,” Eve replied.

  “You won't be thanking me in a second,” Jess said holding up the paper. “Now that you've decided to stay with us at Hotel de One you have a schedule to follow.” She held the paper so Eve could see the list of times and locations. “Your entire life is on here, education, recreation and you're going to have to work,” she said pointing at a line on the paper and smiling mischievously.

  The line read: Staff Advisory (Lang).

  “Don't ask me how I swung it,” she said. “Well, I've got to run, things to do, children to torture.” Jess stopped on her way out the door. “Oh, don't know if you know, but PR starts tomorrow, so the Complex is going to be crowded with kids and Norms. If you want some breathing room head over to R&D. It's off limits to civilians, and there's some TV's and stuff. Right, okay, adios.”

  Jess bounced down the hallway. Eve was beginning to get used to her coming and going like a whirlwind. She looked at the schedule in her hand. It accounted for every day hour by hour, though she noted it estimated travel time on foot.

  Her classes were listed as so:

  Monday and Wednesday – 9am – 11pm FT1 Exercise (Lewis), 11:30am – 12:30pm RC Lunch, 1pm – 2pm FT3 Espionage (Beach), 2:30pm – 3:30pm EA6 History (Thorne)

  Tuesday and Thursday – 9am – 10am EA2 Science (Richter), 10am – 11am EA8 Math (Poole), 11am – 12pm EA11 Language (Branch), 12pm – 1pm RC Lunch, Free Time

  Friday and Saturday – 9am – 10am PG Procedure (Lewis), 10am – 12pm PG Focus (Saga), 12pm – 1pm RC Lunch, 1pm – 3pm RC Staff Advisory (Lang)

  Most of what was on the piece of paper didn't make any sense to Eve. All she knew was what time to be there, but didn't know where to be or what she would be doing. All of it made her feel nervous and unprepared.

  PR Day

  As advertised PR day was pure chaos. Hordes of families came driving in to drop off their sons and daughters. Dozens of cadets that Eve had never seen before filled the halls. The noise and chattering wore on her composure. What made things worse was that to the other kids, Eve was the newbie. They all stopped and watched her as she walked by them. She could hear the kids whispering about her, and it was driving her crazy. Eve had lasted through Friday night and all of Saturday, but when Sunday lunch came she couldn't find a seat. Tired of having to dodge and duck through the people, she took her food outside. Her friends would be busy visiting all day, so she headed off to eat alone.

  There was a spot near the southern wall, behind the Residence that had a place to sit. She ate quietly; the only interruption was from a patrol that passed on the wall above her. They asked if she was okay, checked her ID and went on. When she was finished eating, she walked along the wall heading east. All the while she could see the Residence in the distance. The people were so loud they could be heard from where she stood. As she approached the Administration building, it got quieter, but the cameras and heavy security was uninviting. She moved on toward the Testing Field hoping to find a shady spot. Before she arrived at the gate, Eve could already see a number of families picnicking in the forest. None of this was making her feel very happy about being alone on such a busy day. She supposed that was probably why it was so bad. Everyone else had friends and family to be with today, and she had no one. Even Shruti received leave to go with Alison and Robert to LA; they left without saying goodbye.

  Eve had been walking and kicking at rocks on the ground when she came to another building. She looked up and realized that she had found her way to R&D, like Jess had suggested. Her ID opened the door, and she went inside. The lights were off in most of the rooms. A couple of labs were occupied with researchers busy on time sensitive projects. As she came to the lounge, she heard two people arguing inside. There was a man and a woman having a heated debate over a math equation. It looked like they were about to come to blows. She decided against going in and continued down the hall to the far exit. Eve stepped outside and stared across the airstrip. There were no scheduled flights during PR day.

  She hadn’t seen Henry standing against the wall, so he spoke up, “Howdy.”

  He was wearing overalls and covered in grease. At his feet was a small four-wheeled machine.

  “Greetings, Sergeant Schreier,” Eve bowed slightly.

  “That’s Staff Sergeant Schreier to you,” he joked.

  Eve took him seriously and made to apologize.

  “I'm kidding, relax,” Henry chuckled. “What brings you around these parts?”

  Telling him that the people were annoying her didn't seem polite, so she told a half-truth, “Wandering.”

  Henry didn't believe her. “Yeah, it gets noisy with all the Norms running around.”

  Again Eve tried to apologize, and Henry waved a hand to stop her.

  “Why do you think I'm halfway across the Complex?” He asked rhetorically. “There won't be a second of silence till Monday, and who can get any work done when it’s that loud.”

  “I should leave you to your task then,” Eve said.

  “Stay,” Henry said. “You're quiet enough for the both of us.” He crouched down over his little car and unfastened some of the screws. “I've been trying to get this thing running all morning.”

  “Is it a toy?” Eve asked.

  “Automated sentry,” Henry told her. “It can patrol the grounds twice as fast as a human, scans for activity and reports to a central computer. Except right now it’s picking up interference. Some type of massive stream of tracking data near the same wavelength...” Externally Henry went silent, internally he was searching for a frequency further away from whatever was being sent into the Complex.

  Eve stepped closer and leaned down to look at the machine. It was about the size of a dog and other than the tires and motor; the rest was circuit boards and servos.

  “You built this yourself?” Eve asked impressed.

  “From the ground up,” Henry answered, having also found the solution to his problem. “Nothing is impossible for the great Henry Schreier.” He pulled open a metal compartment revealing a small computer processor.

  “This is your ability?” Eve asked.

  “I'm part robot,” Henry told her, “Makes things like this a piece of ca
ke when you have a super-computer for a brain.”

  Eve watched Henry. She spent the better part of two hours trying to guess what he was doing. He was working faster than she could keep up. After rebuilding the circuit board, he redesigned the control software. Then he seemed to do nothing for fifteen minutes, only staring at the machine as it whirred and groaned. Eventually, Eve accepted the fact that she would have to go back to her room. She left quietly while Henry was absorbed in his project. Eve decided to walk back to the Residences rather than use a portal, delaying the inevitable. Some of the disarray had died down. It was the last night of PR, and most of the families had already gone home. The dining hall was a little less packed than earlier, but Eve didn't feel hungry. She went straight to her room and lay on her bed. If she let the darkness of the room engulf her, it felt a little like home. A part of her was angry that no one had cared much that she was alone over the weekend. When they had the time, they would say all sorts of comforting things. Then the moment they were busy, they forgot about her. Of course, she knew that she was being irrational, and yet that didn't stop her from feeling sad. Her friends got to see their parents. They got to feel happy. Eve would never see her family again.

  Before she could spiral any further into her depression, in barged Danni. She flipped on the lights and slammed the door behind her.

  “You're here,” she said harshly. Danni ran around the room gathering things off the floor. She threw everything into the closet and closed it. “Don't you have parents, or something else to do?”

  Eve rubbed what were the beginning of tears from her eyes. “No,” she said simply.

  “Well, keep your mouth shut, and I won't have to hurt you,” Danni threatened.

  A knock came at the door, and Danni hurriedly kicked something under the bed.

  “Danni?” An older woman said as she poked in her head.