Holly snapped another image on the mini digiamara. This would be just the evidence she needed to show everyone what the Cyrellians were up to. Now the next step would be to download it to a public computer and find a way for the pictures to go out to everyone connected to the city’s mainframe. It would be too dangerous to use her own computer because they’d be able to trace it back to her. She could imagine it now.
Once everyone saw this so-called waste management plant wasn’t what it actually was, then they’d begin to question what was going on, and hopefully that’s when a revolution would begin.
The only problem with her plan was finding a place to put it into action without getting caught. Lately she had a feeling she was being followed and she couldn’t shake it. Was it possible they were on to her?
Holly was about to put the digiamara away when something inside caught her eye. Instead of boxes, a couple of Cyrellians were pushing bodies on gurneys and loading them into the hatch. She held the instrument up and zoomed in to get a closer look. The rise and fall of one person’s chest told her they were still alive.
This situation was getting stranger by the minute. Why were they loading people onto the ship and where exactly did this ship go? The night before she’d stayed until almost dawn and watched the dome roof of the building open up and several minutes later, the ship rose and took off.
Tonight she planned to stay and photograph the space craft leaving the plant.
She knew it would be a long wait before takeoff so she lowered herself on the grass and pulled out the apple she had in her purse. At least tonight she’d come prepared.
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While she waited, she pulled out her digiamara again and clicked on the voice recorder and began to orally document everything she’d seen. She glanced at her watch again and sighed.
Holly wondered what her friends were doing now. Was Bella still alive and was Sydney somewhere safe? There was no news on her capture, but then again, perhaps the Cyrellians would remain silent on the matter. So many people believed in them as the saviors of the planet; not many people would suspect them of anything foul.
She must have dozed off, because the next thing she remembered was hearing the faint sound of the space craft taking off in the distance. “Shit!” she exclaimed, angry at herself for having missed it. After grabbing her digiamara she took a shot of the ship, but it was so far off, it would probably look like a speck once the picture came out.
Holly looked up and noticed the dome was still open. Well, this was better than nothing.
After taking that photo, she yawned with a stretch. She might as well go home and get a couple hours of sleep. Holly had been careful to park her hovercar a few blocks away so as not to draw attention.
As she walked down the street, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being followed.
Glancing behind her, she didn’t notice anyone. Maybe it was her imagination getting the better of her. Sleep deprivation often did that to people.
When she pulled out the keycard from her purse to unlock the door, a hand came over her mouth. This was no human hand, but one with long spindly fingers. A Cyrellian! She struggled against the hold the creature had on her but its grip tightened.
To her horror, several more Cyrellians joined the first one. She elbowed the one holding her so hard she connected with bone.
He let out a howl and released her. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she slammed past the group gathering around her and then she began to run faster and harder than she ever had in her life. She wasn’t in the greatest of shape, and could never be considered the athletic type, but in this moment she would have put any track star to shame.
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They were practically on her heels, but she couldn’t stop, despite the beginning of a leg cramp and her chest burning as if it were on fire. She couldn’t let them catch her, not without someone seeing the pictures, but how? Holly didn’t know anyone she could trust enough to do the right thing with them.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw two Cyrellians within a few feet of her.
Even though her body was ready to give out on her, she caught her second wind and picked up speed. Holly realized, however, no matter how hard she ran, they would eventually catch her. She’d have to get rid of the digiamara. Up ahead, Holly spotted an alley and turned down it in hopes that it wasn’t a dead end.
It wasn’t!
She ran to the end and spotted two more alleys ahead. Taking the one on the right, she spotted a side door. “Please, let it be open,” she whispered to herself.
Fate was on her side this night because it was! She closed the door behind her and looked around. It appeared to be an abandoned factory. She rushed behind some machinery and pulled out the digiamara and hurriedly placed it between two pieces of old equipment, pushing it far enough back so it wouldn’t be seen.
She knew it wasn’t ideal, but if she was able to find this place again, she could recover her property and then use it against the Cyrellians.
Just then, she heard a commotion outside, followed by the sound of a door crashing in. Holly realized she’d have to move lest they discovered the hiding place where she’d put her evidence. She raced to the far corner of the room and found some stairs. Bounding up them two at a time, she felt her heart skip when the eerie sound of creaking metal ripped through the air.
The next thing she knew, she was falling. When her head hit the floor, she believed she would die. At least death wouldn’t be as painful as she thought it would be.
* * *
Chase had been in the city for two days and he’d seen no sign of Holly. He’d gone to the address Sydney had provided him and she wasn’t there. He had even gone
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by the place he knew she worked, not daring to go inside, yet he still couldn’t find her.
He had a sinking feeling he knew what had happened to her.
The Cyrellians had gotten to her. From what Sydney had told him, Holly had been suspicious of them as it was, and it wouldn’t have surprised him if she’d tried something stupid like going after them.
Just like Sheila.
As he rested in his hiding place, he closed his eyes and imagined her. She had red hair and was plump as well, but her eyes had been a dazzling green. If he could go back in time, he’d take back all the things he’d said about her. There wasn’t a day that went by when he didn’t think about the difference it would have made had he simply listened to her instead of calling her crazy. Sheila had warned him about the Cyrellians too, but he didn’t want to hear it because he’d worked a cushy job at a surveillance center.
Its purpose was to discourage crime, but now he knew better. Big Brother, as he liked to call them, had been in place to spy on everyone and make sure no one was on to the aliens. Sheila had warned him about working there, but Chase was too caught up with the money and making a future for them. He didn’t realize she too was thinking about their well-being. Deep down, he probably suspected there was more to her words than simple paranoia, but he was too comfortable in his lifestyle to make any radical changes, like going against the very beings who’d restored civilization on Earth to what it was now.
She’d be alive today if he’d only believed in her. Chase would never stop carrying that guilt around with him for as long as he lived. After he and Jack had founded their group, it had been Chase’s desire to get rid of the surveillance center.
He’d taken great satisfaction in blowing that building up. Of course, there were more centers like that one around the city.
It was part of his vow to avenge his lost love, but he knew his work wasn’t done yet. His thoughts turned to Holly. He didn’t think it was disloyal of him to have these feelings toward her because the love he’d had with his deceased fiancée was the
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generous kind -- the type that had been so satisfying and true he knew she’d want him to move on with his life and be happy. The last couple of years had been a struggle, but as he’d thrown himself into more of his missions his wounds began to heal.
For a while, Chase had thought Anna might be the one woman he was willing to give his heart to again, but he soon realized they were better off as friends. Thank goodness she preferred Jack over him; otherwise he would have been in quite a tangle right about now. Meeting Holly had changed everything and he knew, with absolute certainty this time around, Holly was the one.
As sappy as the sentiment was, he’d fallen for her at first sight. It had been the same way with Sheila. Maybe because he was such a straight to the point guy he recognized love so instantly. Most people would think he was crazy for falling for a woman on so short an acquaintance -- someone he’d barely had a conversation with --
but that didn’t matter to him.
That’s why it was so important that he find her and bring her back to their headquarters. He couldn’t see her hurt and he didn’t want anything to happen to her.
That is, if the Cyrellians hadn’t already killed her. He pushed that thought from his mind. No. He refused to dwell on that. Chase needed to stay positive in order to see this thing to fruition.
He racked his brain trying to figure where she might be other than the clinic, and then it came to him. The asylum!
Of course, why hadn’t that come to mind in the first place? That’s where she had to be. A few of the freedom fighters had managed to escape from the Cyrellians’
clutches after being placed in the insane asylum. It was a typical Cyrellian tactic: anyone caught speaking out against them was made to look crazy, and then thrown in a mental institution. Not many people questioned this practice because too many of the humans were brainwashed into believing the Cyrellians could do no wrong.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to bust her out until nightfall. He did however have two things going for him: one was his hiding place, less than a mile away
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from where he needed to go, and the second was he didn’t have a very long wait. Until then, he’d have to bide his time.
* * *
Her lids felt heavy and she had trouble opening them. Why couldn’t she open them? Holly tried again with no luck. Her bed seemed harder than usual and where was her pillow? When she reached out to get it, she found it difficult to move her arms.
Suddenly it was much easier to open her eyes. This wasn’t her room, and why was she on a bare bed with no sheets? It took a moment for her pupils to dilate and adjust to the darkness, but when they did, Holly attempted to sit up. What was wrong with her arms? She looked down and saw the reason she couldn’t move them.
She was wearing a straightjacket. What was going on here? This couldn’t be happening. The last thing she remembered was… falling. That’s it. She had been running from the Cyrellians when the stairs had given way. Surprisingly her head didn’t hurt, but who was to say how long she’d been here?
Shaking her head to rid herself of the groggy sensation, Holly had the sneaking suspicion she’d been drugged. She felt lethargic and each one of her movements was a struggle. “Come on, you can do this.”
She swung one leg off the bed and then the other. Her first attempt to stand was met with failure when she went tumbling back onto the bed. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. Success came this time around, though her legs felt like rubber and that they’d give out on her at any second. She willed herself to remain on her feet as she moved toward the door that had big metal bars covering the window. The straightjacket and the bars told her this could only be one of two places: a mental institution or some kind of jail.
She wondered why they’d brought her here instead of killing her outright. She’d been so sure they were going to do exactly that when they’d chased her. Holly wasn’t sure whether she should be grateful that they hadn’t because who knew what they planned on next.
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The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway caught her attention. Holly figured they would pass her room, but she was taken by surprise to see a Cyrellian in a white lab coat stop in front of her door. His large oval eyes widened. He obviously didn’t expect to see her up.
The no-lipped creature gave her a slight smile. “Ah, very good. You’re awake.
I’m Doctor Heyzah. I’ll be working on your case during your stay.”
“What case? What are you talking about? What is this place?” The Cyrellian gave her a cold dispassionate look. “We’re in the psychiatric center.”
“What? I’m not crazy!”
Heyzah shook his head. “We don’t use that word here. Our staff realizes our patients suffer from mental deficiencies and should not be labeled as crazy.”
“I don’t have any mental anything. Why am I here?”
“I think you know, Miss Combs. You’ve been causing trouble and unfortunately we have to separate you from the rest of society because you’re a danger to the community.”
Holly pursed her lips, unable to believe the audacity of this creature. “Don’t you mean I’m a danger to your plans to destroy the Earth?”
“It also seems you’re suffering from paranoid episodes. It would behoove you to lie back down and get some rest, or else I’ll have no choice but to have you restrained.”
“I’m in a straightjacket, how much more restrained can I be?”
“You’ve been warned. I won’t tell you again.”
“Bite me.”
The Cyrellian glared. “You will regret your sharp tongue.” He strode away, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
She wondered if he was going to come back or if he’d simply issued an empty threat. The door flung open. Holly had to hop backward to avoid being knocked down.
Holly had the answer to her question when Heyzah entered flanked by two other aliens.
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It wasn’t as if she could fight them off, because one of the goons grabbed her by the arms, and the other took her by the feet. She struggled for her life as they carried her the short distance to the bed.