“I want you to extend the power of Chimera into China. I want you to create chaos, a chaos beyond anything the world has seen. Whether you have to kill millions, tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions to make it happen, whatever price we have to pay will be worth it for our own survival. It’s time to do a new and better version of The Last Migration, but this time, instead of protecting the goals of the Syndicate, we will be cementing the Party and the newly formed Wang Dynasty as the most powerful in human history. Instead of having people choose to enter these worlds, we have to force them into it. And we will have all the power in the world, so that no matter what, they won’t be able to stop us.” He grins, his stare moving from my face down to my hand that is clutched around the smooth, heavy fabric of the backpack.
“So, now I have to ask you.” His eyes are narrowed at me again, his wide pupils digging into me. “Since you are our little American friend, what do you know about Chimera that could help us?”
“You goal is to take down the rén, correct?”
“Our goal is to take over the world. But first we have to ensure our power within our present-day borders.”
“Well, if you want to make people fear for their lives, then we can build a similar network here to what Chimera did in the United States.” I close my eyes for a short moment, having to use all my mental fortitude to even entertain the idea of building another killing machine at an even greater scale than in America. “I remember the designs of the compounds and how they funneled people into the acid, and I also remember what the designs of the Life Pods were.”
“No,” Li says. This time I am certain, by the anger in his narrowed eyes, that he is dissatisfied. “I said different from The Last Migration. Our goal isn’t to convince people that virtual worlds are better than the real one. We want you to arrive, as our intruder from America, who will unleash a darkness among this country that only the Party can protect the rén from. A darkness even more intense and deadly than The Last Migration. A darkness that could kill everyone in an instant if we desire.”
“I’m not sure I’m following,” I say, my voice diminished to nothing more than a feeble whisper. The horrifying thing is that deep down inside, I know exactly what he is talking about. I know exactly why he is eyeing my backpack, and exactly why there is something about him that feels like he can see through me. Suddenly, I feel a stinging feeling in my chest. I no longer am calmed by the warm vibe around me. Now I know that the closer I get to this man, he will burn me. I wish I drank more so that I wouldn’t have to remember this conversation.
“Your protection in this country will survive as long as you want it to.” There is no hint of joy on his face, and a new harshness to the words he speaks in Mandarin that causes the thoughts racing through my mind to freeze. “We didn’t coordinate your escape from America for you to continue the same games you played over there. We aren’t here to protect you, or Jake, or anyone. We are here to protect what you have, the secrets you hold, and stop them from going to the Syndicate, the U.S. government, or anyone on this Earth. We know your dad had a secret; many people do. And we won’t let anyone else get it. The only option is for you to give it to us or die.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I respond to Li, the words firing out of me the second he stops speaking.
“Are you sure?” He stares right at my backpack, the force of his eyes causing my hand to lazily fall off it, and dangle in a lost manner by my side.
“I’m positive.” I meet his gaze with equal intensity, the adrenaline causing all the questions and surprise floating through me to be sequestered. The only thing I’m focusing on is survival. And at the end of the day, whether he knows about it or not, I have the most powerful technology in the world on my back.
If I have to, I will weaponize it to kill him within a second.
“Lying now won’t do you any good. We will force the truth out of you either way.” He smiles, outstretching his hands as if the darkness in the room and all the books on the shelves behind him can be summoned by his mysterious powers and thrown at me.
“To force something out of someone requires more power,” I say, congratulating myself for producing a semi-intellectual response. From the little attention I paid to physics in high school, my answer sounds vaguely applicable. “You don’t have that.”
“What makes you say that?” He looks at me curiously. I know for a fact he knows I’m hiding something, and if he knows it, it must mean the Syndicate does too. And the United States government likely knows it too. No matter how hard Isaac Savery tried to bury the truth, word must have gotten out that a secret existed. And whether they know the true power it contains, it won’t change the fact that everyone will want to take it away from me.
“Because I am the most powerful man on Earth.”
“You must be delusional.” Li snorts. His fists are clenched, his patience about to be lost for good. I know I have to redirect this conversation, or else he will unleash the beast of his communist government to kill me, and I can’t dive into another crisis without having a strategy of how I can control it.
“I’m not delusional, just a man on a mission.” I smile. All the anger and hatred inside me is fueling my desire to compete to the highest level it’s ever been. I need to win. I need to crush this man. But first I have to play the game—play him—and beat him at it. “And I feel that our mission is similar. I think my dad was right when he said I would be the man for this job. I know just how we can scare the Chinese people, even scare the entire world into never daring to lift a finger in spite of our power.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I know exactly how. The only risk we would be running is killing too many people.” I pause, the messed-up thought hitting me that if we did release fantastical monsters and horrible weapons of mass destruction upon the Chinese people just from the power of the Chimera Cube, we could easily destroy the world overnight.
And for some reason that thought gives me a larger rush of adrenaline than terror.
“That’s not a risk. That’s a cost of doing business.”
“Right.” I nod, trying to mimic the way that any power-hungry dictator would respond when orchestrating destruction that will help them while hurting everyone else. “The secrets of Chimera will allow us to wipe out everyone on the face of the Earth within an hour’s time.” I say it dead serious, although part of me questions the validity of that claim. I hope I never get to find out if that’s true or not. “And your platform will allow us to be the ones who reign supreme once the dust settles.”
“Us.” He repeats that word back to me, as if he has never heard it before. His lips move slowly, like he is tasting a new food for the first time. From the harsh expression on his face, it’s safe to say he doesn’t like it.
“It doesn’t have to be us, per se. But if it was me alone, it wouldn’t be as fun. What do you say?”
“I say that’s good.” Li stares at me with surprise. The calm tone of the translating device does not match up with his bewildered expression. Since I am only nineteen, he thought he could manipulate me, and scare me into giving him everything that he wants. He has no idea who he is dealing with, he has no idea of the power that he has to overcome in my bag. “Why don’t you go and continue to enjoy the festivities? This won’t be the last of our celebrations welcoming you to China.” He smiles, seeming to regain his confidence as he talks more. He stands up and extends his hand.
I shake it firmly in return. “It was good talking to you today.” He nods, keeping his eyes attached to my bag. He can stare at it forever and still not unlock the mystery. The problem is, he may have already figured it out. He may already know the patents that lie inside it, and he may already know that I hold a technology that can kill him and anyone he ever sends after me.
Maybe that’s why he lets me go.
Maybe that’s why he recedes back into the dim light surrounding the bookshelves at the end of the large room. I don’t say a goodbye a
fter I shake his hand. I know I will be seeing him soon.
Instead, I walk towards the door that leads to the staircase and the smell of endless sweets and savory foods. As I approach the door, it automatically slides to the side, and waits to close until I have walked past it. The moment before the door shuts, I turn around and glance at Li, whose large, muscly arms are holding up a tiny manuscript that he is reading over intensely.
Not until the door shuts do I finally take a deep breath and let all the panicked thoughts enter my mind.
There are too many questions now to even begin contemplating. But I do know one thing is true.
He knows I’m hiding something.
And he is going to do everything to take it away from me.
Chapter 5
“How was talking to President Li?” Noah asks, his hands gripped around the handle of a sharp knife.
No, my life isn’t being threatened—at the moment. He is simply cutting a chunk of zucchini into dozens of tiny slices for the salad he will have for lunch tomorrow. Apparently, the act of cutting various vegetables into miniscule pieces is a ritual for him every night before bed.
He has an ornate cutting board, one that he claims has been passed down for several hundred years in his family, and the opportunity that Jake and I have to watch him complete such a monotonous task threatens to put me to sleep.
“It was fine.” I use that word, well knowing that most of the time when someone says something was fine that they really mean something else. And in my case, I found out that the leader of China and one of the most powerful people in the world is aware that I am hiding a powerful technology, which would mean he is likely not the only person who knows that, and he wants me to use it to scare the entire population of China from ever rebelling again.
You know, just a casual conversation one has when meeting someone for the first time.
“Usually meetings with Mr. Wang don’t go fine.” Noah’s gaze upon the zucchini remains unbroken, the rhythmic thumping of the knife pounding against the board echoing off the glass walls that surround the kitchen.
After we left the palace of the president, we were driven in an armored car with bullet-proof glass and tinted windows to the apartment building Noah lives in. Oh, and he owns the building as well, but I didn’t know that until I saw the name of the building was Chu and I asked why, and he simply said “I own it.”
“My meeting with Mr. Wang went terrible.” Jake rubs his fingers over the large white patch on his neck. “He had some random lady come up to me and slice the chip from the Syndicate out of my neck. It hurt so badly.”
“There was no better way to do that,” Noah says.
“I beg to differ. A massive chunk of my neck is now gone. I know they patched my skin up with a 3D-printed layer, but it still feels like something is missing.” He rubs his fingers over his neck again, which causes me to subconsciously run two fingers over my own neck. “When did you get yours out? Your neck looks perfect now.” Jake eyes me, throwing his arm in the air as if having the chip out of him is some sort of burden.
“I took it out after Riva and I exposed the Chimera conspiracy.” I stumble over my words, doing everything I can to not leave a hint of doubt in any of their minds. “Well, I didn’t take it off, I used a knife to cut out a large portion of my neck.”
This is a partial lie. In reality, within the last day I cut it out (the hours have blurred together into one massive moment that has left me exhausted). But my wound is nonexistent due to the magical nanobots in the air at Zion speeding up my cellular repair and forming a new, perfect layer of my skin within milliseconds.
“Didn’t that just happen?”
“Yes, my dad and I did it together so we could have a final talk together.” I pause, both of them looking at me. Noah’s rhythm of cutting up the cabbage he transitioned to is interrupted. He looks up from the cutting board, an expression of genuine worry on his face, while Jake’s eyes are closed, his face turning to the thousands of lights that pierce through the smog in the sky as the day slowly melts away into night.
“Can we talk about something else?” I do my best not to cry. Even thinking about my dad, never mind replaying any of the memories, makes me feel an emotional pain unlike any I have ever experienced in my life. And if I let it overcome me now, I will be mentally crippled. I can’t let my guard down for a second, I can’t let the pain win.
He was the best man I ever knew.
Riva was the best girl I ever met.
And my mom was the best person, maybe ever.
Now, they are all dead.
All dead because of the one damn thing in my backpack.
“Yeah, yeah, sorry for even mentioning it.” Jake finally looks back at me, his face devoid of emotion when he opens his eyes. “I just was whining about my neck because I like to whine.” He laughs, yet his chuckle is full of more melancholy than happiness.
“Well, it’s safe to say your time with Mr. Wang was a bit more interesting than maybe Sam’s was.” Noah continues chopping. He has an entire stack of vegetables next to him, and I can’t help but think that either he has some freakish metabolism to eat that much and keep off the weight, or he is making salad for every top executive at his e-commerce company.
“How did he even know we have chips in us anyway?” Jake asks.
“I can’t say who, but someone inside the Syndicate is actually an informant for the Party.” Jake’s eyes widen as Noah begins to chop a white radish. There is something about the way in which his wrist subtly pops with each slice that makes the anxiety seem to ebb out of his joints. Without this odd ritual each night, he would likely go mad in this quiet, dark penthouse, all alone. “He knew the second Sam’s chip was disconnected from the network and destroyed, and he also knew that the moment you arrived in China, that you were still connected.”
“That’s hella creepy.” Jake sighs as I hastily scan the environment for any security cameras. Although the view from this penthouse is absolutely spectacular, the sunset and dim lighting could all be a distraction from the dozens of security cameras planted behind the ferns growing in pots throughout the living area.
However, upon my initial inspection, the walls are painted in a simple cream color, most areas devoid of decorations or any machines entirely.
“The Party knows nearly everything about all one point four billion people in this country. They have a massive network of cameras and microphones that listens to what people say about the government, watches who they hang out with, and even can see if they jaywalk or not.” As messed up as it is, what Noah is saying doesn’t even surprise me. It’s just a fact that by this point privacy doesn’t even exist. “It’s all part of the extensive social credit system that the Party designed to be able to target dissidents, who as a collective call themselves the rén, and one day hopefully wipe them out.”
“That’s insane,” Jake responds. Meanwhile, I stay silent, the inside of my body is vibrating with the shock from the president’s demand of me earlier. The empty walls of the house, and large living area that has only one couch and a chair, is making me feel lonelier than ever, yet at the same time like someone is watching over my every thought.
“The people know about this system. It affects what neighborhoods you are allowed to live in, even what schools your kids can go to.” Noah points with his knife outside, the bright row of lights above the counter casting a dark shadow on his large nose. “Out there, every single citizen is one of the most loyal to the newly coronated Wang Dynasty. Li will be President of China for life, and he wanted his house on top of a hill in the middle of a city of people who worship him. You can’t even walk on these streets if your social credit isn’t high enough, and for all those with low social credit, he forces them into specific cities around the country.”
“Doesn’t that cause chaos?” I ask, my mind putting the different pieces of the puzzle together to see where I fall in.
“In those cities it does, but he knew when it came time to
end the chaos that it would be easier to have them all concentrated,” Noah says, and finally things make sense. Whether Li knows that I have the Chimera Cube and what it is capable of or not, he knows I have some sort of powerful weapon. And he made my job of killing as many of the rén as possible as easy as it gets.
“Smart,” I respond, still suspicious that somehow Li is listening in. If he is trying to get Noah to play us and force the secret out of me, then he must think I am stupid.
“Smart?” Noah stops chopping, glancing at me, bewildered. As his tone grows harsher, his accent shines through and his voice booms off the white cabinets in his kitchen. He drops the knife on the counter, beginning to pack all the left-over vegetables into plastic baggies. “You think that is smart? Maybe he brought you over here for a reason.”
“I’m running on empty right now,” I plead with him, my tired mind not in the mood to put up with any bullshit games. I clutch my backpack, the weight of the Chimera Cube starting to drag down on my lower back after holding it for twenty-four hours straight. “Forgive me if I misspoke.”
“He poisons everyone, I swear!” He shakes his head and opens the fridge. He hastily shoves all the vegetables inside, the cut-up slices all in their own separate little containers that he will likely combine to form his salad in the morning.
Jake glances at me, his expression halfway between bursting out laughing and surprise.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jake leans backward in the stool. All he is missing is popcorn to enjoy what is quality entertainment for him. Even with everything at stake, Jake isn’t worried. He is still stuck on the high of being a free man.
“First of all, you should know that you both can say whatever you want around me.” He places both his hands on the cold granite top. “I mean that. In this residence he has no cameras, no microphones, no nothing. It is part of his reward for the people at the top of the Party, and being that I started one of the largest companies in China, my wealth automatically got me a spot on that list. It’s why he wants the both of you staying here, he wants you both to enjoy the freedoms of those at the top of the Party as you work to kill millions that don’t have any at all.”
The Conspiracy Chronicles Boxset 2 Page 4