by Emery Hale
But Lily thought this was the perfect time to give Quinn a pep talk.
‘Love, I know you’re eighteen but being a virgin isn’t a bad thing.’
‘Why – why are we talking about this?’ Kayson asked, his voice muffled from the ice pack. ‘How did we go from Naomi blackmailing me to Quinn’s sex life?’
‘I don’t have a sex life!’ she squealed.
‘That’s the whole concept of being a virgin,’ he said bluntly.
‘And it’s not anything to be ashamed about,’ Lily said, taking her friend’s hand, but Quinn looked ready to run out the front door.
OK, that was it.
‘Guys!’ I shouted grabbing the attention back. ‘We can all have a good chat about everyone’s sex life later.’
‘I won’t be included in that,’ Kayson said.
I turned to him, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes brimming with impatience – why was he adding to this? We weren’t continuing this conversation! If his nose wasn’t bleeding already. . .
‘Right now, we need to worry about keeping Naomi hidden until we can securely get her out. I need to know what time the highest number of cars leaves: with that pass she could hop into one of the –’
‘Jessica, I’m not leaving,’ Naomi interrupted, and I sighed. This day wasn’t going to get any easier was it? ‘I’m staying.’
That was when Grace spoke up, her eyes as cold as ice.
‘Oh yeah, that’s fine, Naomi. It’s not like you’re implicating us or anything, putting our lives at risk.’
Naomi spun around to face her, exasperated.
‘I’m trying to help you! If I stay here and gather more intel then at least my trip can be worthwhile.’
Students had spoken out before and gotten nowhere. All of us knew what the faculty were doing, it wasn’t like we went into this blind, but we were given a promise: The work you do will change the world for the better. I had to believe that. Did I agree with the way the faculty went about it? No. Did I agree that every single aspect of our life had to be monitored? No. Did I think it was necessary to dismantle the organisations that threatened to destroy us? Yes. Now, anyone can say this was bullshit but it’s what I believed. It’s all I’d ever known. My mum was one of the donors for the Academy, it’s not like I had a choice to think anything else.
‘Quinn, circling back to the computer.’ I quickly held up a hand. ‘Not how you got it, since I assume you just bought it, the part where you got around the Academy server.’
She nodded.
‘Well, you know my step-dad is part of the management team at the Hatched Bank? When I was passing it on outside duty, I hopped onto the Wi-Fi and piggybacked their server,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t stretch back here so I just snuck in one day and took one of their mobile servers. You know, the black box things. Then I could use it here. I made an algorithm to hide it from the Academy’s scanners.’
‘Oh, so the asshole has his uses.’ Lily muttered. ‘Glad you finally found one.’
Quinn stayed quiet but I offered a sympathetic smile. Even though she’d done this without our knowledge, I knew she’d done it for a good reason. Quinn’s mum was in a witness protection programme so my best guess was that she used it to speak to her. I knew I could get away with a text to Naomi here and there without pulling up any red flags but the loving relationship between Quinn and her mum needed more than a simple text.
‘So you can call, email and text people through this private server of yours?’ I asked.
Quinn shrugged. ‘Yes, but I still keep the calls to once every three weeks, just to be safe. You never can tell with the new tech Thompson is developing.’
That was when Naomi perked up. ‘You can upload videos through the server to the internet, right?”
Something changed on Quinn’s face, hope glimmering through her.
‘Yes, the Academy would still be able to find them but they wouldn’t be able
to pinpoint where they came from. When I sent it to your mum I sent it through the server not the internet, the only people that would be able to see it are me and maybe my dad if he ever learned how to fix his hard drive.’
That didn’t give me much reassurance – given who was in the videos it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who posted them. I didn’t know the ins and outs of the Reign Academy’s tech department since that was Quinn’s area, but I presumed the videos would raise some red flags the moment they went live. Besides, how many people would actually see them?
‘That could work,’ Lily said. ‘If we used that fancy server thing we could get a good head start.’
Grace’s face was stricken with anxiety, shaking her head rapidly.
‘Are we seriously discussing this?’ she asked. ‘Two videos aren’t going to do anything.’
‘I agree.’ Nodding in her direction. ‘You would have to have way more evidence: videos, audio. Something irrefutable.’
Instead of hindering Naomi, this sparked a lightbulb behind her eyes. ‘Well, that’s all the more reason for me to stay, I should be able to gather loads of information –’
‘Woah, hold up,’ I cut her off sharply. ‘It’s bad enough I’m even considering letting you stay here more than ten minutes.’
Grace’s chair scraped angrily against the tiled floor, like nails grinding against a chalkboard.
‘Jessica, you can’t seriously let her stay. Get her in a car and get her the hell out of here.’
I knew where Grace was coming from because I shared her concerns. If anyone found out a civilian had infiltrated one of the Government’s best-kept secrets, I feared to imagine what would happen to her, to us. Had anything like this happened before?
Harkness had threatened to shoot Eve last night; if he found Naomi here she’d see the same fate. As Team Lead I had to ensure the safety of my team but as a friend, was I glad to see her.
Naomi wanted to help us, she wanted to put her neck on the line. Even after all this time, she still cared. Not that it mattered cause I wasn’t going to let her stay. The Academy can’t just be dismantled. It’s been going on since 2001, they’ve probably got protocols for rebels. The most prominent one being a bullet to the head.
But the alternative could set us free – God I was dramatic, but it was true. If these videos got out then there would be a trial at least, and if we were able to get a lawyer we could convince them to get us out of here.
‘You’re not actually considering this?’ Grace asked.
Despite what I believed I knew this could be an out for all of us. If the videos were released, would this wretched dictatorship fall? Could it be that simple? Doubt riddled through my mind but there was something there, a soft spot of hope, that maybe this could work.
Then it hit me – we were monitored twenty-four seven. By the cameras Naomi just walked past.
‘Did the cameras catch Naomi on the way in?’ I asked urgently, and I kept my eyes firmly on Quinn as she darted over to the table and sat down next to Grace.
If anyone could tell me the answer it would be her.
She gently took the laptop and started to type: it was a good thing we still had a techie in our team. If someone had seen Naomi come in here then we had limited time to get her out. Marsha Evans didn’t exist after all, and certainly didn’t work at Thames House – the name was just in case they bumped into faculty and an idea that’s been passed down through the students ever since we started. None of that mattered though if the cameras caught her.
The tapping of keys filled the silence for a few moments before Quinn, thankfully, shook her head.
‘As far as I can tell there have been no motions made or flags raised,’ she said, but she continued to type, briefly exchanging glances with Naomi. ‘Your profile hasn’t brought any questions up either; I don’t think that the technicians have noticed anything.’
At that I let out a sigh of relief, my head falling back. Well there was one less thing to worry about – no one would crash through the front door any time so
on.
Naomi walked over to the table and glanced at the screen, but her face screwed in confusion.
‘How can you tell that?’ she asked. ‘It’s just code.’
‘Well yeah, it’s the tech department,’ Quinn told her. ‘Basically, it just means you’re in under the radar.’
Naomi smiled, but before I could say anything Grace stepped in front, blocking my view. She was the rational one in the group, but it sometimes led her to overthink everything. No one heard what she said as she leaned forward and whispered into Naomi’s ear. It only lasted a brief moment, before Grace knocked into her shoulder and left the kitchen in a hurry. She’d never liked the idea that I kept in contact with Naomi, and now it was starting to show.
Last night she’d made me and Lily sit down and gave us both a full medical examination, given the relentless punishments over the past couple of weeks. I knew she cared, but sometimes her mother-hen tendencies clouded her judgement. In fact, she managed to squeeze supportive, judgmental and condescending into one facial expression. I’d never have admitted it but it scared me a little.
Naomi seemed visibly shaken, her eyes wide, head bowed and feet turning in on one another. What the hell had Grace said to her?
‘Naomi?’ I asked.
But unfortunately that had to wait as the familiar ringtone echoed through the kitchen. My eyes darted to Quinn as she scrambled for her phone, a wave of worry rippling through her. She answered it hurriedly.
‘Mamo, co się stało? Jesteś . . . Czekaj zwolnij nie rozumie cię . . .’ Quinn could switch between Polish and English like it was nothing – fortunately, it was one of the languages my brother had forced me to learn and one most of my team were fluent in. ‘Ciemny cień?’ Quinn seemed puzzled.
A dark shadow? Oh this wasn’t good.
Before I could give the order Lily darted over to the cabinet under sink, rummaging around, pulling out a folded piece of paper. I knew Quinn’s mum had been given code words to say if she thought she wasn’t safe but I hadn’t memorised them all so I certainly didn’t know what this one meant.
Darting back, Lily slid into the seat beside Quinn, unfolding the piece of paper, while I walked past Naomi and over to the two girls to get a better look at the situation. Lily scanned the piece of paper for a moment before she spoke up.
‘Ciemny cień?’ she repeated and Quinn nodded.
Kayson and Naomi shot me expectant looks but I didn’t explain because I knew the two of them would ask way too many questions and use up the time we don’t have.
‘A dark shadow means Quinn’s mum thinks there’s a man following her, could it be him?’ Lily said looking up from the paper.
‘No.’ Quinn said firmly switching back to English. ‘I checked – he’s not left the country.’ You could read Quinn like a children’s book, her worries clear as day. ‘Dlaczego nie ma ciebie w mieszkaniu? Mamo – w porządku, wróć do mieszkania jak najszybciej.’
‘Pull up the program, we need to trace this call,’ I said to Lily. She quickly grabbed the laptop and started a program Quinn had developed.
Luckily it seemed to already be connected to Quinn’s phone as it worked its magic. Then on the screen, the dot landed in the middle of Morocco, which was a good sign since that was where Quinn’s mum was staying, but there was no live feed. We couldn’t see the city, never mind the street.
‘Załatwię to dobrze, ja z dziewczynami sprawdzimy czy nie jesteś śledzona . . . jeśli coś znajdziemy zadzwonię do ciebie przez zwykłe kanały . . . tez cię kocham.’
As soon as Quinn hung up she looked at the laptop but then shook her head, looking to me.
‘I need satellite but only the control rooms –’
I cut her off before she continued.
‘We’re going now, there aren’t any ops scheduled, grab the laptop and let’s go.’ She’d already lost a dad, I wasn’t going to let her lose a mother too.
Everyone moved in unison: Quinn grabbed the laptop and ran like a bat out of hell to the hall, and I could hear the scuffle as she tried to put her shoes on. Lily grabbed her own phone then spoke to Kayson.
‘You have connections in Morocco, right?’ she asked. ‘Your dad used to work there?’
I watched Kayson carefully as he dropped the ice pack and nodded, pulling out his own phone.
‘Possibly. I might still have someone I can call.’
‘We can use Quinn’s server.’
‘She doesn’t know if it’s secure enough,’ Kayson said.
‘Well then, we’ll use the Academy’s phones. It’s not like they look at the bill every month,’ Lily muttered. She stood up and Kayson followed, shoving Naomi out of his way.
God he could be such an dick.
He lingered at the door waiting for me. I needed to talk to him later about this, it was ridiculous. I shot an apologetic look towards Naomi, this was the last place I wanted to leave her, but she couldn’t exactly come with us.
‘What’s happening?’ Naomi asked, startled. She tried to follow but I held a hand up and she stopped dead.
Before I could speak however, Kayson spoke for me.
‘Naomi, for once can you shut up and stop asking obvious questions. I would try to explain but I don’t think you’d understand it,’ he snapped. ‘Now we need to go, so stop with the pestering.’
As Kayson took a couple of steps towards us, Naomi shrank back, the spark of curiosity diminished. I whipped around to face the man behind me, my patience breaking with every syllable he uttered.
‘Apologise,’ I demanded, crossing my arms.
‘I’m not apologising, she doesn’t know the first thing that’s going on.’
I stood straighter, ready to actually break his nose this time, when Lily shouted through.
‘We’re going to need to move this to the control room now, the tracking is beginning to lag!’
‘Kayson?’ I didn’t move, but neither did that prideful dick. How did I ever date the guy?
‘You’re not my Team Lead, I don’t need to do anything,’ he replied, an egotistical grin creeping its way up his face.
‘Jessica, we need to go if we’re to stay on top of this!’ Grace shouted from the hall, as that sorry excuse for a man still didn’t budge.
I glanced back at Naomi with a small smile; she didn’t need to be on the receiving end of my hatred of him.
‘Stay away from the windows – my room is the last one on the right, have a look around,’ I told her quickly.
Then I barged into Kayson’s shoulder as I walked out of the kitchen, smiling a little as I heard his feet stumble back. He was twice my size but that didn’t mean I couldn’t take down his lanky ass.
Leaving Naomi here was not something I planned to do, but plans can change. Maybe if she had some alone time here she might find something useful. Right now I had to focus on Quinn and my team, they needed me. Apologies would have to wait – first, we needed to focus on getting Quinn’s mum out of a hostile situation, and Naomi had to make sure she didn’t get herself into one.
CHAPTER 11
Plexure
The act or process of weaving together
NAOMI JADE
As the last sound of footsteps disappeared a shrill gust of wind blew through, the chill tickling my bones. As the dark, foreboding door swung shut and warm sunlight waned I was locked within the cold empty house.
Of course the door wasn’t locked, I could walk right out – but I was curious, not stupid. They’d all made it very clear what could happen; what would happen. I had to face the facts: if anyone saw me and reported it to the faculty my death would end up in the news as a hit and run. That seemed their preferred method for disposing of people.
I had no idea what was going on with Quinn and I wanted to help, but Kayson had made it very clear it wasn’t my place. Well you know what was? Finding enough evidence to get this institution shut down. With that thought in mind I hurled myself up the stairs to the next floor.
I was right, the expen
sive taste did continue throughout the house. The wallpaper was the same navy blue with gold accents, three mirrors placed exactly along the wall, opposite a random painting with a white cabinet below. The cabinet was messy, covered with magazines, unopened letters and papers with large red stamps plastered all over them. When I took a closer look I realised they were delivery slips, listing food, water, toiletries and medical supplies, but most of the items were scored out in red, leaving only the bare essentials.
This couldn’t be enough for everyone here – even toilet paper was marked off. I had no idea the Academy had this much control – so much that they could deny supply deliveries.
I took out the camera phone, snapping a couple of pictures of the sheer insanity printed in black and white – this must be Jessica’s normal. If the Academy was cutting supplies maybe it was because money was tight? Or was it for some more deranged and twisted reason?
With a sigh, I gathered everything I knew about the Academy in my head. It was run by the Government; they had ‘agents’, so to speak, embedded throughout society; they abused their students into obedience through physical violence and controlled vital supplies. I had to go deeper because, like my mum said, this was just the tip of the iceberg.
With that in mind I followed Jessica’s directions.
The corridor was in the shape of an L, with three doors to the right and two to the left. I walked around the corner to see a tall brown door ahead of me. As I gripped the handle, a sense of paranoia washed over me. What was behind this door? Would there be blood all over the walls? Would it be stripped bare of everything but a bed? Would there even be a window? Theories ran through my head one after the other, like a carousel at warp speed.
If your bedroom is supposed to mirror your personality, then why did I have a feeling Jessica’s would be similar to a prison cell?
With a swift push I went inside. In front of me wasn’t a cell, or anything that resembled a prison – in fact it looked like an ordinary bedroom. Compact but not crowded, one wall painted black while the others were a cold cream, a white ash wooden floor and a simple grey desk and chair. Sheet music piled neatly to one side in a container; black and white pictures of New York on the wall. A double bed with duvet covers, pillows and blanket all in the same shade of grey, along with wardrobes built tightly into the wall.