by Drew Avera
Chapter 20
Kara and I ran from the university grounds as quickly as possible. I was thankful that she was without injury, but we had nowhere to go that was safe. We needed to find some place to rest for a while, restore our strength.
"I'm starving!" Kara said. It must have been a couple of days since she had eaten last. It's been about five days for me. It's hard to keep track when you've been living on Serum.
"Fine, we will stop at the first safe place I can find." I said. We must have run a good two or three miles away from the university before we slowed down to catch our breath. We came across a restaurant that had minimal business so we stepped in. It was a seat yourself kind of establishment with one waitress who served the entire restaurant. Kara and I took a booth in the back corner; I sat facing the door so I could keep a watchful eye out for any policemen that may be looking for us.
"Hello, my name is Glora. Can I take your order?" The waitress was about my age with a thick build. She had closely cropped blond hair and gray eyes. She smiled at us and seemed unmoved by my status as a policeman.
"Can we get a couple of sandwiches please?" I asked.
"Do you have a preference?" She asked.
"No." I said.
"We will just have your special if that's alright." Kara interrupted as she gave me an odd look.
"Two specials. I'll have that right out." Glora said as she walked away.
"Excuse me." I called her back.
"Yes, sir?"
"Do you have a media device available so I can catch up on the lottery?" I asked. Glora frowned a moment before retrieving a device from the table next to us and switching it on. The image illuminated on the wall next to our table. I looked back to thank her, but she had already gone back to put in our order.
The list of names was scrolling in four columns that seemed to go in an endless loop. I was looking for names that I knew, but most of them were businessmen who were members of the Syndicate. The list was towards the end when I looked for Pontiff White's name, but it was not there. Kara read along with me and pointed out names of fellow scientist that she knew, most were in the pockets of the Syndicate. I focused on the list as it started over and then I saw his name. Kara gasped when she saw it, 'Thom Brine'.
"I can't believe it!" She cried.
"I know. He told me."
"Do you know what he did? He stood there while those men carried me away!" she was practically shouting.
"What?" I asked. "Sorell told me that Thom had sold me out. I just assumed he told Sorell when I was at the hospital. You mean to tell me that he alerted the Syndicate to come and get you?" I asked.
"I don't know. I think so. All I can tell you is that I was asleep and the next thing I know these men are grabbing me by the arms and dragging me out. I saw Thom standing in the living room talking to one of the other men as they drag me out of the room. I made eye contact with him and he looked away. He didn't try to step in or say anything!"
I couldn't believe it. When Sorell told me he had sold me out I thought it was just to protect the board members of the Syndicate from dying by my hand. Now I knew that I was set up by someone I thought was my friend, my ally. I swore under my breath. He had not only condemned Kara to death by ratting me out to Sorrel, but he was the one who set it all in motion.
Glora reappeared with our sandwiches and sat them down on the table in front of us. "Were your names on the list?" She asked.
"Not this time." I said as politely as I could. "Thank you." I switched the device off so I no longer had to look at it. Kara and I ate our turkey sandwiches and chips. Real food really did me some good. I hadn’t realized how bad I felt until I finished eating. I felt energized for the first time in days. Kara skipped etiquette while she stuffed her mouth with food as quickly as she could. We were both done eating within minutes.
"What are we going to do now?" Kara asked.
"I really don't know. We have no refuge and we can't afford to just roam around the city and hope that we aren't detected. The only thing I can think of is to go to White. He has his palace and it’s filled with rooms. Maybe he can put us up for the time being." I said.
"That sounds like a good idea. Let’s try that." She said.
I nodded and stood up from the table. I dropped some money down for a tip and motioned for Kara to come with me. We left the restaurant and started walking towards the square. It wasn't too far away and I was careful to keep an eye out for possible threats. Now that we escaped I would bet that our fugitive status had skyrocketed. Once we made it to the square I scanned the area with my eyes and looked for any policemen I could find. It was odd to not see any in the area. Maybe there was a turnover of duty or the word had not been put out that we had escaped. Either way we needed to hurry inside the palace and find refuge.
We entered the lobby and Kara gasped at the beauty of the waterfall on the wall in the back. I supposed that she had never been inside the palace before. We walked to the elevator and stepped in. It immediately lifted us to Pontiff White's office. Kara tried to step out first when the door opened, but I grabbed her before the floor could scan her. White looked up and quickly stood up from his desk and ran over to the elevator with us. He pressed the button that had taken us to the attic before. No one spoke until we were at the top.
"I thought you were dead!" He said. "Word has been passed to the Syndicate that you were neutralized."
"We escaped." I said with a nonchalant shrug.
"Well, I'm glad to see you. How did you escape?" He asked.
"By killing people." Kara quipped.
"Of course. How silly of me." He laughed nervously.
"We have a problem." I said.
"What's that?" White asked.
"Thom betrayed Kara and me."
"How did you find that out?"
"Sorell told me."
"It doesn't surprise me. Sorell was probably trying to get information from you and told you that to get in your head." He said.
"No it's true!" Kara said. "Thom stood by and let them take me!"
"Oh my! That is a problem." White said.
"It's worse." I said. "When he said I had been betrayed I let your name slip. I'm sorry."
Whites face grew several shade paler. I could see worry crease across his face and his jaw went slack. I had just betrayed the one man who was in a position to help us. He paced the room silently for a moment. "I guess that explains why the lottery hasn't pulled my name yet." He said. "The puzzle is coming together piece by piece. Sorell knows that I was helping you, but instead of pulling a hit on me he chose to make it so that I stay here and die. It makes perfect sense."
The three of us stood there in silence and reflected on our situation. There was no hope for us. We were doomed to die on a planet that was erupting in chaos.
"White, I know it's a lot to ask, but Kara and I have nowhere to go. Do you have a room that we can stay in until all of this blows over?"
"Yes, of course. There is a suite on the sixth floor that will serve you nicely. I know you're concerned that you betrayed me by letting my name slip. Don't worry about that. I knew the danger when we started this. I knew the risk and still chose to go against the Syndicate. I would choose to do it again in a heartbeat." His words made me feel somewhat better. "Come; let's get you to your rooms."
We followed White back into the elevator and stepped off on the sixth floor. At the end of the hallway was a large suite that served as a living space for members of the Syndicate. It would now be a home to fugitive’s hell bent on bringing down the people who were leaving the rest of us to die. It only seemed fitting that we would enjoy the living conditions of those I was going out to kill, but first I needed sleep. White showed Kara to her room and then pointed me to mine. He walked out of the suite quietly and closed the door behind him. I walked over to the bed and laid out across it, it was a luxurious comfort that I had not experienced in years. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.
&n
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