Authors: Kyra Anderson
Isa was locked into the NCB chair, the
ring around it illuminated red, though the color was flashing. The Elite was
strapped into the chair, but her body was writhing in spasms against the
restraints. There was a trickle of blood coming from her nose and her eyes were
rolled back into her head.
“Don’t touch her!” Tarah cried as she ran
to the back of the chair and quickly put in the override code. An automated
voice sounded through the room.
“Emergency Shut Down Initiated. Shutting
down in ten seconds.”
As the voice counted down to zero,
Kailynn waited anxiously by the chair, watching the Elite spasm, fear gripping
every cell of her body.
The whirring of the chair stopped as it
moved back into the powered-off position and the alarm finally stopped piercing
the air. The red color faded and Tarah darted forward. With Kailynn’s help,
they pulled the still body of the Elite from the chair, putting her on the
floor.
“Isa! Isa! Can you hear me?!” Kailynn
said, taking the Elite’s face. Isa’s eyes were half-open, rolled back, her mouth
slightly open and a trail of blood from her nose staining her smooth skin.
“The EMU should be here any moment,”
Tarah said, her voice tight with tears. She reached into her pocket and pulled
out a handkerchief, wadding it up and pushing it to the back of the Elite’s
neck where the nodes from the NCB chair had been.
“She’s not breathing!”
“We can’t treat her!” Tarah snapped, the
tears springing from her eyes.
“She’s not breathing, Tarah!” Kailynn
cried.
“I know!”
The door to the office opened and several
automated robots came into the room. Tarah backed away, but Kailynn refused to
move. She had never seen the EMU teams, and was surprised to see that they were
all robots. There was not one human.
Tarah grabbed Kailynn and pulled her
away, which allowed the robots to grab Isa and put her on the gurney. One of
the robots touched Isa’s arm as they all moved out of the office.
“No pulse detected,” it read. “Heart
stopped approximately four minutes, eighteen seconds ago.”
“They can save her, can’t they?!” Kailynn
gasped, turning to Tarah as they followed the team out of the house and to the
vehicle elevator door that was open at the far end of the hall. Tarah looked at
Kailynn, her eyes filled with fear and tears.
The EMU team rolled Isa into the vehicle
and Tarah and Kailynn climbed in, sitting on the two available seats in the
back as the doors were closed and the elevator descended.
“Code Red Emergency. Golden Elite Isa in
critical condition,” the robot said, its hand still on Isa’s arm. “Initiating
breath and pulse simulation.”
One of the other robot’s hands went over
Isa’s nose and mouth and Kailynn watched in shock as Isa’s chest began rising
and falling.
“Initiating Plug In,” another robot said,
both hands going under Isa’s neck as the screen on the head of the robot lit up
with lines that were splayed in jagged spikes.
The first robot, the one with the
engraving of Unit Leader on the chest, turned to Kailynn and Tarah.
“Identify.”
“Tarah Marxus,” Tarah whispered, her
voice tight with tears.
“Confirmed. Golden Elite Caretaker.” The
robot turned the blank screen on its head to Kailynn. “Identify.”
Kailynn was too stunned and scared to
answer immediately. When Tarah elbowed her, she cleared her throat.
“Kai—Uh, Jacyleen Lynden,” she corrected
quickly.
The robot took a moment to process the
name.
“Confirmed. Significant of Companion
Corporation.”
Kailynn and Tarah shared a terrified
look. It was registered with the Emergency Medical Unit that the Golden Elite
had a Significant in her home, and neither of them knew how far that
information would travel.
“Transmitting message from Dr. Michael
Ren Busen,” the robot said. Before Kailynn could begin to wonder what that
meant, the screen on the unit leader’s face lit up and the face of a frantic
man was shown. He was very attractive, with dark brown hair and sharp hazel
eyes, but his worried expression concerned the other two in the vehicle with
the Elite.
“Dr. Busen,” Tarah said.
“Tarah,” he greeted. “The EMU is on Code
Red Emergency. The roads are clear. You will be at the hospital in under a
minute,” he explained. “My team is receiving all the needed information. We are
prepared to take her.”
“What happened?” she whispered, her voice
choked.
“It was an assassination attempt,” Dr.
Busen said seriously. “Somehow, someone got the Pulse Virus into her personal
NCB chair.”
“Oh no…” Tarah moaned, her hands going up
to her face.
“We’re prepared to help her,” Dr. Busen
said. “We’ve dealt with the Pulse Virus before. We know how to combat it.”
“But Isa…” Tarah trailed off.
“Remember everything that Isa has already
survived,” Dr. Busen said. “She’s very strong. She’ll be alright.”
The vehicle started to slow and one of
the robots announced that they were pulling into Bay One of the hospital.
Kailynn could only look at Isa, fear twisting her gut into a tense knot. She
saw the sharp spikes on the screen of the robots and the way Isa’s chest rose
and fell. But her body did not move, and Kailynn knew that Isa was in critical
condition.
She was legitimately afraid that Isa was
dead.
She was so focused on Isa that, when the
doors to the vehicle opened, she almost jumped out of her skin.
More robots and a few nurses were there
to take Isa into the hospital, orders and codes being yelled around them as Isa
was pulled from the car.
In the commotion, one male nurse walked
up to Tarah and Isa.
“You’ll have to wait,” he said. “Dr.
Busen’s team needs to work on her without interruption.”
“Okay,” Tarah whispered. She turned to
Kailynn and grabbed her arm. Kailynn looked around, becoming more nervous by
the moment. Somehow, she understood that the information in the EMU had made it
to the hospital and everyone wheeling Isa further into the halls of the
hospital knew she was a Significant.
“Perhaps it would be best if you returned
to Companion,” the nurse said to Kailynn. She knew that the suggestion was
actually a warning. Fear began tunneling her vision. If it got out to the
public that Isa had a Significant in her home, then their relationship would be
a public affair, and Isa said that could lead to one or both of them being
executed.
“No, wait!” Tarah said. She looked around
frantically before turning to Kailynn, her eyes trying to communicate
something. “I know that I only asked you to join me for dinner, but…this…” She
shook her head. “I’ll pay, of course, but could you stay with me until I know
for sure that she’s better?”
The nurse looked between the two,
suspicious.
Kailynn felt relief, and even worse fear,
course through her at the same time. She looked at the nurse, trying to keep
her expression calm.
“My client wants me to stay,” she said.
The nurse did not seem to immediately
believe them. He looked between the two, noting the way Tarah was clinging to
the Significant’s arm.
Finally, he nodded.
“Very well. This way, please.”
Seven agonizing hours passed in the
upstairs private hospital waiting room. At first, only Tarah and Kailynn were
present. However, within fifteen minutes of being brought into the hospital,
Remus showed up.
Remus approached them, his eyes hard and
cold with realization.
“Elite Remus,” Tarah greeted, standing
and bowing. Noticing the nurses and orderlies in the room, Kailynn also stood
and bowed her head. Remus’ expression caused panic to rattle Kailynn’s bones.
“
You
…”
he breathed.
“My apologies, Elite Remus,” Tarah said
quickly. “I know how bad this looks, but I called her for
me
. She’s here with me.”
Remus looked between the two before casting
a careful eye around the room. It was clear he understood that he needed to
protect Isa, despite how much his rage was blinding him at realizing Kailynn’s
visit to the Golden Elite.
“I see,” he murmured. He turned to
Kailynn. “And your name?”
“…Jacyleen, sir,” she whispered, unable
to keep the trembling out of her voice.
“Jacyleen,” he repeated. “I’m sure you
understand the delicate nature of this situation,” he started. “Therefore, your
extreme discretion is requested.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Good.”
Remus took a seat across from the two
woman, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing them both with a purposeful
look.
Ten tense minutes passed before Rayal
also entered the room. He immediately went to Tarah as she stood, relieved to
see the former caretaker.
Even as he hugged Tarah, he glanced at
Kailynn, his eyes sharp.
“Any word, yet?”
“None,” Tarah said, backing out of the
hug and shaking her head. She looked between Rayal and Kailynn, her eyes barely
glancing at Remus as well. “Uh, this is the Significant I told you I was
calling,” she said, motioning to Kailynn.
“Right, of course,” Rayal said, his tone
slightly clipped. “It was good of you to accompany Tarah here, but I will take
care of her now. You may go.”
Kailynn stared at Rayal in horror. While
she knew it was very dangerous to have her there, everyone already knew she had
come in with the Golden Elite and had been with her at the time of the
assassination attempt. Since everyone already knew, Kailynn figured she might
as well stay until there was news on Isa.
“I am concerned about Elite Isa,” Kailynn
said carefully.
“I understand and I thank you for your
concern,” Rayal said, trying to keep his tone even. “But this is not a matter
in which Significants should be party,” he continued. “The other Elites will be
here soon. She will be well cared for. You should leave.”
Kailynn’s stomach flipped for the
umpteenth time that evening. All of the Syndicate Elites were coming to the
hospital.
She felt like all eyes in the hospital
were on her waiting to see her reaction, ready to jump on her and arrest her
when they realized she had been with the Golden Elite.
“I…”
Kailynn could not bring herself to leave.
She continued to think about Isa writhing in the chair, the way the blood
trickled down her face, her still, dead countenance as she as wheeled away by
the EMU. She did not know how she was expected to leave when they did not yet
know Isa’s condition.
Remus sighed heavily.
“There’s no point in forcing her to leave,”
he said. Rayal turned to the Silver Elite, surprised. Remus shared a knowing
look with him. “It’s already too late. The damage is done.” Remus leaned back
in his chair, shaking his head. “Let her stay.”
Kailynn could only stare at the Silver
Elite in shock. She had not expected the Silver Elite to come to her aid and
allow her to stay.
“Thank you, Elite Remus,” she whispered.
The Silver Elite did not acknowledge that
she had spoken.
Rayal turned back to Tarah.
“Are you alright?”
She shook her head. “No, not really…”
“Isa’s very strong,” Rayal assured. “This
is not the first time she’s had an attempt on her life.”
“It’s the first one I’ve ever seen…”
Tarah choked.
“This is the second time Isa has dealt
with this sort of attack,” Remus reminded both of them. “She came out of a
Pulse within a week last time.”
“But that was before…” Tarah trailed off,
her eyes welling with tears. “She’s much weaker now. What if—”
“She may not be as strong, but that does
not mean she is weak,” Rayal interrupted. “She will be fine. She has the best
Elite Specialist with her now. Dr. Busen has treated every injury Isa has ever
had. He knows what to do.”
Rayal wrapped his arms around Tarah once
more and held her tightly.
He stood for several long minutes,
holding Tarah as she cried into his chest. She was terrified and tired. She had
never been witness to an assassination attempt before, and the terror and
stress of the situation was proving to be too much for the seventeen-year-old
caretaker.
When Tarah finally sat down, Rayal sat
between her and Kailynn, one arm wrapped around Tarah’s shoulders.
He turned to Kailynn.
“How are you holding up?”
“Not great,” she admitted truthfully.
“Trust me, it will take much more than a
basic Pulse Virus to take Isa down,” Rayal assured. “She’ll be alright.”
“But…after she’s recovered…” Kailynn
decided that the hospital waiting room was not the place to discuss her
concerns. Isa was fighting for her life, and Kailynn was worried about what
would happen to her after the leaked news that a Significant had been with the
Golden Elite during the assassination attempt being leaked. She had to make
sure that Isa was alright. After that, she could worry about her own situation.
Rayal turned to Remus and the Silver
Elite lowered his gaze.
“This is not the first time,” he said.
When Kailynn turned to him, he looked at her seriously. “For
any
of this. We’ve dealt with these
situations before. And we will do so again,” he said. “We will do everything we
can to protect Isa.”
Kailynn stared at the Silver Elite. As he
looked at Kailynn, she could see the depth of his worry. She did not know if
the Silver Elite was worried about Isa’s health, or the repercussions and
rumors that were sure to start, but there was concern in his eyes. Kailynn was
about to ask if she could speak to the Silver Elite in private when another
person was brought to the waiting room, capturing everyone’s attention.
“Anders,” Remus greeted, walking to the
other Elite.
It was clear that all the Elites were
built to be perfect. Even Anders, who was older than Remus and Isa—and
currently the oldest Elite in the Syndicate—had stunning features. His dark
brown hair was starting to grey at the temples and his dark brown eyes were set
into an angular, sharp face. He was tall and well-built with broad shoulders.
Kailynn felt herself become nervous once again. She was sure that, by the end
of the evening, every Elite in the Syndicate would know the truth about her
relations with Isa.
“Everyone is in a panic. There have
already been calls asking if she’s been killed.”
“Dr. Busen is with her,” Remus said. “It
was a Pulse Virus. She’ll be alright.”
“How the hell could someone Pulse her
private NCB chair?” Anders hissed. “That one has tighter security than the one
at the Syndicate.”
“I’m not sure,” Remus admitted.
“Therefore, until we know for sure, all NCB chairs are to be operated in
safe-mode. If they got to that chair, then there is no doubt they can get to everyone
at the Syndicate. We’ll cancel all Opium meetings. We’ll run investigations,
have her personal chair dismantled, bring in a new one and tighten security.”
“Understood,” Anders said. “I called Maki
and Chronus on the way here. They’re already programing traces. The chair must
have been in Opium, so we’ll have to trace all transmissions and try to locate
the one it came in on.”
It was only minutes later that two other
Elites joined them. At this point, there were guards lining the room. With all
the Elites in one place, and the fact that the Golden Elite had been attacked
that night, there was a greater need for security. Both live guards and
automated ones stood silently around the room as more Elites arrived.
It took over an hour before all thirteen
Bronze Elites had joined Remus and the others in the waiting room. Most waited
in silence. Kailynn spared glances at them between long periods of keeping her
head down. She noticed that, while all the Elites had different hair color and
eye color, they all looked about the same. Their skin tone was the same, and
their facial structure, even between the men and women, was similar. Their eyes
were identical, just different colors, like they had all come out of the exact
same mold.
Whenever she looked up, she noticed that
one of them, the Elite that had been called Maki, was staring at her. There was
something about him that set him apart from the other Elites. His hair was
jet-black and his eyes were brown, but they had a lighter hazel color around
the pupil. He seemed to look right through her, seeing the secret between her
and Isa without inquiring Kailynn’s identity.
When she had made eye contact with him
for the seventh time that night, he smiled and turned to Remus.
“
This
is an interesting turn of events,
” he said in another language. The
different language caught the attention of all the Elites. Remus turned to
Maki, his face controlled. He had tried to ignore the way Maki was staring at
Kailynn, he had known that Maki would be the first to figure it out.
“
What
?”
“
The
Significant,
” Maki said. “
I thought
she was for Tarah, at first. But it’s very clear to me she’s here for Isa
.”
The other Elites glanced at Kailynn and
the Significant knew immediately she was the subject of their conversation.
“
Is
this true, Remus?
” Anders pressed, his eyes wide with surprise.
“
Venus
approved her to meet with a Significant,
” Remus murmured.
“
I
thought that was a month ago
,” Chronus said. “
Why is she here now?
”
Remus turned away.
He did not need to say more for the other
Elites to understand immediately. Once more, they turned back to the
Significant, looking her over. Kailynn shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She
considered leaving to avoid the awkward confrontation happening in the waiting
room. However, she could not leave without knowing that Isa was alright.
Therefore, she took a deep breath and sat
confidently in her chair, lifting her head to look at the Elites. They already
knew, clearly. It was time to act like she belonged there.
Tarah fell asleep on Rayal’s shoulder as
the night progressed. Several Elites took short, five-minute naps. A few of
them took phone calls, reaching to their ears to activate their implanted
earpieces and walking away from the group, talking quietly.
Remus was the only one who did not sleep
or take calls. He remained in his chair, transferring all calls he received to
Anders and Maki, who answered them without complaint. They knew that the Silver
Elite was very worried about Isa. Even knowing that Isa was very strong and had
survived multiple attempts on her life, there was an underlying worry that this
was the one that would finally take the Golden Elite down.