Authors: Heather Anastasiu
“So Saminsa’s still alive?” I finally managed to ask.
Xona nodded. “Cole picked her up and carried her to the Med Center. Doc said she’d keep her sedated for the time being.”
“And then what? They can’t just keep her knocked out forever.”
Xona shrugged.
* * *
All the next day, I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility that Taylor had developed some kind of chemical weapon against glitchers. As disturbing as it was that she’d set it up here in the Foundation to use against us whenever she saw fit, I couldn’t ignore the fact that it meant we might finally have a chance against the Chancellor. I didn’t understand why we hadn’t already set up a mission. I could get close enough to administer it, then the rest of my team could follow me in as backup without fear of her compulsion.
Instead of going to lunch with everybody else, I headed toward Taylor’s office to talk to her about it. I was still in the suit while they repaired a cracked pipe in the air-filtration system and didn’t feel like eating through a straw anyway.
When I knocked on Taylor’s door, though, there was no answer. I stood outside her office for a minute feeling frustrated, then went to the Med Center. Jilia was the one who had activated the gas that had taken Saminsa down—surely she knew something about it.
But I slowed to a stop outside the open Med Center door when I heard voices inside.
“Henk, you know what she’s doing is wrong, but you’re building it for her anyway.” It was Jilia talking. I leaned in closer, though I was careful to stay clear of the entryway.
“I don’t know anythin’ of the sort.” Henk’s voice responded. “Revolution’s the only way to bring it all down, so we all can start over. We finally got the tech to make it happen. The Kill Switch Op is our chance.” His tone was hopeful, urgent. “Maybe even give you and me a chance to get a fresh start.”
I heard Jilia’s feet tapping the floor, like she was walking away. “But at what cost?”
“Do you wanna sit here and see another generation enslaved? You think all those drones ain’t mostly dead already? Gettin’ that adult V-chip is the same as a death sentence. They just make the corpses walk around a few more years so they can work till they drop.”
There was a pause and some shuffling, then Henk lowered his voice. I could just barely make out his words.
“It’s our best chance to end the war and save countless lives. Taylor’s finally tracked down the missing component. She’s out gettin’ it right now. I’ll finish the device up for her, then you and me can get out of here. You could keep doin’ your research, you don’t have to see one bit o’ blood. We’ll hide out somewhere till it’s all settled.”
“I’m a doctor, Henk. If Taylor goes through with this, they’ll need me more than ever.”
“Tell me you’ll at least think about it.” Henk’s voice was low and insistent.
I didn’t hear Jilia’s response. I backed away as Henk’s footsteps came toward the doorway, wincing at the squeak my shoe made on the tile. When he reached the door, I reversed my direction, hoping it looked like I’d just arrived.
“Hi Henk,” I said, trying to smile and do my best to pretend everything was fine.
“Hey,” he said back as he brushed past me.
I stepped into the Med Center, but suddenly didn’t know what to say after the conversation I’d overheard. Taylor was obviously planning something big, but if it was about taking down the Chancellor, why hadn’t she briefed my team on it?
“Is there something you need, Zoe?” Jilia’s hair was falling out of her bun and she looked disheveled.
“Is she okay?” I walked over to where Saminsa lay on one of the beds. Her face was unusually pale, her lips almost white.
“She’s sedated.”
“What did Taylor use on her? Xona said there was a gas of some kind?”
Jilia’s messy hair flopped into her face, and she tucked some behind her ear. “We closed off the hallway leading to the elevator and gassed it. It’s a mix of heavy antipsychotics and sedative.”
“Antipsychotics?”
She stopped and rubbed her forehead, clearly uncomfortable. “We’ve been trying to develop a serum to neutralize glitcher abilities. It was one of Taylor’s requirements in setting up the Foundation.”
I’d known it must be something like this, but hearing it stated out loud made the air whoosh out of my lungs. “Neutralize abilities? You mean take away our Gifts?”
“No, no,” Jilia said. “Not you guys! Only the enemy. Just for tactical…” Her voice trailed off.
“But you had it installed here. To use against us.” I turned back to look at Saminsa. “Is her power totally gone?”
Jilia’s shoulders sagged and she sat down on her lab chair. “It’s not permanent. The antipsychotic numbs the norepinephrine transmitters and seems to disrupt whatever it is that makes Gifts possible. We don’t even know how it works, just that the serum did work in sample patients.”
“Sample patients? You experimented on glitchers?” I didn’t even try to hide the accusation in my voice.
“You don’t understand. We needed another way to try and combat the Chancellor’s compulsion. Or at least to defend against her glitcher army without shedding blood. Just think, Zoe, without it, we might have had to kill Saminsa. Sometimes you have to go along with things you aren’t comfortable with.” She glanced at the door Henk had left through. “But if the end goal is important enough, the good outweighs the bad.”
I stared at her, frowning reluctantly. It was what I wanted, wasn’t it? A way to neutralize the Chancellor’s compulsion powers? It was why I’d come looking for the General in the first place.
“If you’ve had this serum or gas or whatever, then why haven’t we put together a mission against the Chancellor already?”
Jilia looked away. “Taylor’s been busy pursuing another mission first.”
“What mission?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you.”
Surely it had to be the one Henk was just discussing with her, but she obviously wasn’t going to share. “Well, why didn’t someone at least tell us about the serum you guys were developing? Even if you didn’t want to tell everyone, you could have told our task force. We’re all fighting on the same side here.”
Jilia didn’t say anything, she just looked at the ground.
My chest tightened. Jilia didn’t have to say it. Taylor didn’t think of us as on the same side. That was the crux of the whole issue. As much as she was willing to use glitchers to further her goals, she still considered us an enemy.
“She wants to find a way to make it permanent, doesn’t she?” I looked up at Jilia. I didn’t wait for her answer. “How can you help her with this? You’re one of us!”
“I didn’t want to at first,” Jilia said earnestly. “I didn’t want any part of it. But it was the only nonviolent solution on the table. And we would never use it on you, only the enemy.” She shook her head. “You don’t know how bad it’s gotten out there. Everyone’s scared and desperate. We’re all afraid of what’s coming.”
Her words suddenly triggered a memory of watching Adrien, dripping wet at the sink. Staring with shadowed eyes into the mirror talking about how he’d told Taylor something he shouldn’t have. Some vision that had changed her. Made her desperate.
Jilia’s wrist com vibrated and she looked down at it. She turned back to me with a falsely cheerful smile. “They’ve finished repairs and all air systems checked out fine. It’s safe for you to take off the suit. If you hurry, you can make it in time for lunch.”
I didn’t say anything but my mind was racing. It wasn’t only about the General and her serum. Henk had spoken of blood and revolution. If Taylor was desperate, just how far was she willing to go?
I didn’t know, but I was going to find out.
Chapter 23
I MESSAGED XONA AND GINNI
to meet me later in the equipment room. They were the only two I trusted completely. Part of me longed to message Adrien, but I couldn’t be sure where he stood in all this. If he’d seen something about the General in the future, he wouldn’t tell us. And maybe it was petty, but I still couldn’t forget what had happened the other night. I needed to be able to focus right now, and I couldn’t do that with him around. Besides, the fewer in on this, the better chance we had of pulling it off.
“What’s up?” Xona asked when she walked in. “Why not just talk in our room?”
“Because someone might overhear or come in. I didn’t want to take any risks.”
“What risks?” Xona asked. She put a hand to her waist, touching her weapon holster. Her eyes darted around anxiously. “Is it those ex-Reg bastards? Are they spying on us?”
“No, nothing like that.” I took a deep breath. “I want to break into Taylor’s office, and I need your help.”
“What?” Ginni’s eyes flew open wide. “We can’t do that!”
But Xona looked as if I’d finally said something worth her time. “What are we looking for?”
“I overheard Jilia and Henk talking about an operation called Kill Switch. He’s building her some kind of device.” I looked at Ginni. “Have you heard anything about it?”
She shook her head.
I paced in the small space. “Look, Taylor’s the leader of the Rez. But what if she’s making the wrong decisions? I just learned today she and Jilia have been doing experiments on glitchers to take away their powers.”
“What?” Ginni sounded shocked. “They wouldn’t!”
Xona didn’t seem as outraged. “It could be pretty handy against the Chancellor and her minions,” she pointed out.
I nodded. “Exactly. That’s how they justified it. And I don’t know,” I threw my hands in the air, “maybe it’s the right thing to do. But they’ve done it all in secret. We’re supposed to be on the same side, but she had the weaponized gas installed here at the Foundation to use against us.
“Taylor talked to me about sacrifice once, about being willing to give up the people you loved most for the greater good. Which might be a nice ideal, except I’m not sure she’s going to give us a choice in the matter.” I stopped pacing and looked at them. “We need to know what she’s up to.”
“What does Adrien say?” Ginni bit her lip nervously. “He’d know if she were planning something bad. He’d have a vision of it, right?”
“I think maybe he already has.” I looked down. “But he won’t tell me, and I’m not sure he’d help us with this. We need to get into that office. I’d do it by myself, but if I just rip off the door to get past the locks, it would set off alarms.”
“Which is why you need me,” Xona smiled and cracked her knuckles. “I may not be a computer whiz like Adrien or that other security kid, but I’ve been sneaking into places my whole life. I just have to steal the daily encryption key for the compound’s locks.”
“You won’t be doing anything of the kind,” said a deep voice from the doorway.
We all froze.
Tyryn walked into the light, striding quickly to where we were gathered in the corner. He held up a sonic listening device. He’d obviously heard our entire conversation.
Ginni stared at him open-mouthed.
“You gonna rat us out, Ty?” Xona narrowed her eyes.
Tyryn held up a hand. “Xona, I know better than to try to keep you out of trouble. I didn’t come here to stop you. Something big is going on, but they won’t tell us anything. And the way Taylor takes risks lately…” He shook his head. “I’m here to help.”
“Can you get us the encryption key?” Xona asked.
Tyryn smiled and held up a small drive. “What, you mean this?”
* * *
Ginni pinpointed the General’s location, confirming she was away at another Rez site. Tyryn agreed to go down to the military level and keep a lookout. If we triggered any alarms, the soldiers there would be the first to know. Ginni stayed behind too, but promised to watch with her power and com us if anyone was approaching.
We waited until everyone was asleep, then Xona and I crept over to Taylor’s office. Xona waved the newly encrypted key card in front of the reader at the door. The metallic sound of the sliding door opening echoed down the empty hallway. I cringed, but Xona was calm. She made a sharp forward motion with her hand. I followed her inside.
I was nervous. We couldn’t afford to make a mistake here. At least Xona was completely cool, a total professional at this. She closed the door behind us.
The lights clicked on, and I gasped.
“It’s just the motion sensor,” Xona whispered, then allowed a smile. “Don’t be so tight, girl.”
She went around Taylor’s desk and began rifling through the papers tacked to the board all around the imaging panel.
“Bet if she knew we were in here she’d rethink her paper obsession,” she said.
I nodded. “Ginni says it’s because Taylor thinks paper is safest. There’s no way it can be hacked digitally, and the Foundation is their most secure location. Secure to outsiders at least.”
Xona pulled on one of the drawers in the desk.
“Locked.” She raised an eyebrow at me. “When there’s a lock, you know the good stuff’s hidden inside.”
I went over to the closet on the left side of the wall. It had an old manual slide door, and I opened it easily. “Well then I guess this is a very good thing.”
Xona popped her head up from behind the desk and let out a low whistle. “A safe!” She hurried over to me. “The General sure likes her Old World stuff, huh?”
I crouched down to get a better look at the wide three-by-three-foot box that took up the entire floor of the small closet. I closed my eyes and raised my telek. It took a little longer than normal for the buzzing to sound in my ears because I was so anxious, but it finally came. I cast around the box.
“How do we open it?” I asked.
Xona pointed at a circle turnstile on the front and frowned. “It’s an antique. No one bothers learning how to open these things anymore. We should have brought Rand. He could have melted through it.”
“Yeah, along with whatever’s inside,” I said sarcastically. I finished my sweep of the surface with my telek. “If it’s an antique, what is this wire on the back for?”
I could feel that it lead from inside the box straight into the wall.
Xona swore. She stood and felt quickly up and down the door frame of the closet. Her hand stopped about midway in the frame. “I should have known.”
“What? Should have known what?”