by G. P. Ching
The man charged into the room from the foyer, Esther trailing behind as if she could somehow retract him by force of will. So this was Dr. Konrad. He was stern, with a yellowing, sickly complexion. He didn’t look like a doctor. He looked like a patient, one with an unsuccessful treatment. The last time Trinity saw someone as thin and yellow, they were smoking Slip, the addictive byproduct of artificial meat production. She’d met plenty of Deadzoners addicted to smoking the stuff. All of them yellow like Konrad. All of them with one foot in the grave.
“Konrad,” Chancellor Pierce said by way of greeting. He dismissed Esther, his thick lips descending into a scowl. The skin around his eyes wrinkled in annoyance. “Is there a reason you are intruding on our family meal?”
“I need a military unit to apprehend the four criminals who terrorized my lab. The commander is telling me I have to get special permission from you.”
“He’s right. You do.”
Konrad’s eyes widened incredulously. “They forced me to inhale toxic gas. I only survived because I’ve worked with the chemical before and built up a tolerance. I’m sure you’ve been briefed on the attack and escape!”
“Yes. Lydia Lane and Korwin Stuart. I was briefed. Unfortunately, I was not briefed about their original capture. Nor was I informed of the purported torture you inflicted on them and others in that lab of yours.”
Trinity’s stomach kicked when she heard the name Lydia. It was an unusual name, and her mind went immediately to the Lydia and Ace who’d evaded the Green Republic raid on the Red Dog Kennel. They’d escaped into the sewer. Of course, none of the Red Dogs used their real names. Still, the coincidence unsettled her. She chewed a bit of toast to disguise her intrigue.
“About that,” Konrad said. “I planned to inform you as soon as I dealt with the immediate threat.”
“Don’t be absurd. According to my sources, we spoke on the phone while Lydia and Korwin were in your detainment. Not only did you conveniently forget to tell me of their presence but you mobilized troops upon their escape without permission or funding.”
“It is my right to do so as the director of military science and technology. They are byproducts of the Operation Source Code experiment and are absolutely lethal. They cannot be underestimated.”
Pierce bared his teeth. “Yes. We learned that, didn’t we, when we had to bury six of the men involved in the skirmish. Talk about a political black eye.” He pointed a finger at Konrad’s face. “You didn’t follow procedure, Emile. Frankly, I’m concerned you are abusing your power and circumventing the system. You don’t respect my authority.”
“Of course I do, sir,” Konrad said in an insincere and condescending tone. “I simply wish to avoid any embarrassment to you. By taking responsibility, I merely sought to insulate you from the brutal and dangerous realities of my position.”
“Cut the bullshit, Konrad. I was fighting in the Great Rebellion while you were pushing a writing utensil at that university of yours. I’ve made my decision; your position has been temporarily revoked, and there will be an inquiry into your office.”
“I received no notice of this!” Konrad said through thin, drawn lips. “You can’t do this. I know where the fugitives are hiding. Now is the time to strike! You must authorize my use of force to hunt down and apprehend Lydia and Korwin.”
Chancellor Pierce held up one finger. “First, I’m notifying you now. It’s all the notice you deserve after the stunt you pulled. Second, if you know where the fugitives are, why didn’t you mention it before now? It’s been weeks since the incident.”
“I was recovering,” Konrad squeaked. “I wasn’t strong enough.”
“Well? Now that you are strong enough, where do you believe they are hiding?”
“The Outlands.”
Her father scoffed. “We’ve had people stationed in Willow’s Province for months. They would have detected any rebel activity in that sector.”
“I didn’t say Willow’s Province. I said the Outlands.”
Pierce chuckled. “If you’re right, I hardly see the problem. The radiation levels in the area will kill them off eventually. They might already be dead.”
Konrad’s eyes shifted from side to side. “I have reason to believe that Korwin’s and Lydia’s electrokenisis makes them immune to radiation.”
“Reasons to believe… What reasons?” Pierce asked skeptically.
Konrad fidgeted and licked his lips. “The girl said as much. I don’t think she was lying. Other members of the Liberty Party are helping her. David Snow and Laura Fawn are responsible for their escape. They’re still alive, and I believe they’ve done something to counteract the radiation in the Outlands. They’ve been hiding there. The Liberty Party was behind the attempt to steal the specimens from Stuart Manor. I’m sure of it.”
Pierce shook his head. “You are even sicker than you look. David Snow is dead. We found his remains in the explosion at CGEF. DNA evidence, Konrad. The poison you inhaled is playing tricks with your brain.”
Konrad huffed. He held up one hand. “I am fully in control of my faculties. I can prove I’m right. Give me a small military contingent to investigate the area and I will show you David Snow is still alive.”
One of Pierce’s meaty fists landed on the table, rattling the dishes. Trinity sat up straighter, her stomach clenching at the violent outburst. “Am I speaking to myself?” Pierce asked. “What evidence do you have that could possibly be strong enough to induce me to put more human lives at risk to search an area where we already have flasher drones safely doing the exact same thing?”
Konrad thrust his hands into the pockets of his lab coat and shook his head. “The flashers are useless. They relay too much information. Every time the wind blows it sets them off. The analysts are weeks behind—”
Face red, Pierce pointed a finger at the doctor. “The evidence, Konrad.”
“The girl told me as much when I interrogated her!”
“Did you drug her to tell the truth?”
“The drugs don’t work on her composition.”
“Obviously a lie then. She chose the one place we can’t thoroughly search without injuring our troops. That was her intention. It was a poison pill, Emile. We both know there’s nothing alive out there.”
Trinity cleared her throat and put on her sweetest, most curious expression. “Excuse me, Daddy, do you have a picture of the girl, Lydia? The name is familiar to me.”
Her father did a double take, his face softening. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved his phone and tapped the screen. Holding it up, he showed her a security photo. “Have you heard of them, sweetheart?”
Trinity stared at the picture. It was Lydia and Ace, real name Korwin. Was it possible they’d escaped to the Outlands? Images of the sketchpad she’d seen Lydia holding in Ace’s room came back to her. The drawing depicted strange clothing and surroundings. For a long time she’d suspected the two had known each other before the Kennel. Not to mention, she’d seen both of them exhibit electrokinetic powers, although she’d assumed they were simple scampers. Ace was Korwin. Lydia was Lydia. Her friends were the products of Dr. Konrad’s experiment.
“I knew them,” Trinity said.
Pierce adjusted himself in his chair. “What’s that, honey?”
“I knew Korwin and Lydia. They lived in the Deadzone with me. They were Red Dogs. I didn’t know their history at the time.”
Konrad lurched forward and grabbed her by the shoulders. “How did they get there? Where are they now?”
“Unhand my daughter!” Pierce said, standing.
Konrad lowered his arms but held her within the grasp of his intense stare.
She looked him in the eye and lied like a pro. “Lydia’s been a Red Dog forever, since she was a baby. She never lived in the Outlands as far as I know. She left for a while to be part of some political movement and came back with Korwin. They said something about the group they were part of being eliminated. They called the Red Dogs home after that.”
Konrad’s mouth dropped open. “You must be mistaken. It can’t be the same girl. A different Lydia.”
“No. That’s the one,” she said, pointing to the picture. “She could shoot lightning from her hands. Everybody got used to it after a while. She’s probably returned there. The Deadzone was home for her.”
Pierce grinned. “There you have it, Konrad. We will search the Deadzone.”
“With all due respect, Officer Reynolds and his team have scoured the Deadzone for weeks. She’s not there.” Konrad pressed the tips of his bony fingers together. “My assistant pursued Lydia and Korwin after they escaped my lab. He was found dead just a few miles from the border of the Outlands. He was”—Konrad’s eyes shifted to the side—“electrocuted. It had to be them.”
“Your assistant?” Pierce raised his eyebrows. “What type of assistant attempts to apprehend dangerous fugitives on his own?”
Konrad took a step back. “One who is familiar with Operation Source Code.”
Pierce rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I did not approve a special assistant for that purpose.”
“Give me a few men. I’ll prove I’m right.”
Pierce groaned. “Listen to me carefully. If Lydia was living in the Deadzone until recently as my daughter suggests, that means the Liberty Party is scattered.”
“Not necessarily—”
“Shh.” Pierce held up one finger. “The Green Republic has never been stronger. Aside from the escape, the Liberty Party hasn’t presented an organized attack since the night we assassinated Maxwell. They’re weak. Let the girl rot from radiation poisoning in the Outlands or go on with her life in the Deadzone. I don’t care. She’s nothing to us. The boy is less than nothing.”
“She’s everything!” Konrad ran his fingers through his hair, leaving it wild and uneven. “It’s too dangerous to allow her to live. If the rebellion has hold of her blood, they can reproduce the serum to make more alphas. Or worse, with both her and the boy, they could make an army of gammas.”
Trinity laughed. There was nothing funny about Konrad’s red face or his temper. The laugh was meant to deceive. If she was right about Lydia, it was imperative that her father believe what she was about to say. “I am positive that Lydia said the rebel group she’d fought with had disbanded. That’s why she came back home to the Deadzone.” She shrugged. “It’s over. We’ve won. Whatever Lydia and Korwin were doing when you arrested them, I’m sure it was just an effort to survive after their home in the Deadzone was raided. They weren’t working for anyone.”
“You’re a liar,” Konrad barked.
Her father’s hand slapped Konrad’s chest, pushing him toward the door. “You will not talk to my daughter in that tone. Go back to your hole, Konrad. I’ll be in touch about the official inquiry into your conduct. Until then, you are suspended on forced medical leave and Operation Source Code is on permanent hiatus.”
Esther held the door open and Pierce pushed Konrad through it.
“You’re going to regret this, Pierce,” Konrad yelled. “If you turn your back on this, they’ll do to your daughter what they did to your wife.”
Trinity gasped. It was a low blow. Her mother had died of a massive stroke at a Republic dinner. Due to the circumstances, there was speculation she may have been poisoned. She’d been campaigning for peace and a more democratic government, the exact opposite of the Republic’s current position with her father at the helm. There was never any proof of assassination. It was gossip. Hurtful gossip after all this time.
There was a pause as if her father was registering what Konrad said. The door slammed. “Esther, do not let that man back into this house.” Pierce stormed from the foyer, giving Trinity a small nod before heading for his bedroom.
Trinity smiled, authentically this time. Success. She wasn’t sure what Lydia and Korwin were up to, but she hoped they were safe. With any luck, she’d just witnessed the end of Dr. Emile Konrad.
Continue reading Wired…
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Books by G.P. Ching
The Soulkeepers Series
The Soulkeepers, Book 1
Weaving Destiny, Book 2
Return to Eden, Book 3
Soul Catcher, Book 4
Lost Eden, Book 5
The Last Soulkeeper, Book 6
* * *
The Grounded Trilogy
Grounded, Book 1
Charged, Book 2
Wired, Book 3
Soulkeepers Reborn
Wager’s Price
Hope’s Promise
Lucifer’s Pride
About the Author
G.P. Ching is a USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy novels for young adults and not-so-young adults. She bakes wicked cookies, is commonly believed to be raised by wolves, and thinks both the ocean and the North Woods hold magical healing powers. G.P.'s idea of the perfect day involves several cups of coffee and a heavy dose of nature. She splits her time between central Illinois and Hilton Head Island with her husband, two children, and a Brittany spaniel named Jack, who is always ready for the next adventure.
www.gpching.com
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