The

Significant

by

Kyra
Anderson

For information on future works, please visit:

www.kjamidon.com

Copyright © 2016 by K.J. Amidon

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S.
Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a
database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher

Website: www.kjamidon.com

Published by K.J. Amidon

ISBN: 978-1522730118

Cover Art by K.J. Amidon

Printed in the United States

Table
of Contents

Table of
Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter
Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter
Seven

Chapter
Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter
Eleven

Chapter
Twelve

Chapter
Thirteen

Chapter
Fourteen

Chapter
Fifteen

Chapter
Sixteen

Chapter
Seventeen

Chapter
Eighteen

Chapter
Nineteen

Chapter
Twenty

Chapter
Twenty-One

Chapter
Twenty-Two

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Chapter
Twenty-Six

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

Chapter
Thirty

Chapter
Thirty-One

Chapter
Thirty-Two

Chapter
Thirty-Three

Chapter
Thirty-Four

Chapter
Thirty-Five

Chapter
Thirty-Six

Chapter
Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter
Thirty-Nine

Chapter
Forty

Chapter
Forty-One

Chapter
Forty-Two

Epilogue

Dedicated
to

Introduction

Kailynn had to use all of her
self-discipline to get out of bed that morning, scurrying across the room to
grab her clothes, cringing when she felt how cold the garments were after being
strewn about the floor the entire night. A groan behind her caused her to turn,
though she lost her balance as her head spun. She pressed one hand to her face
and quietly cursed herself for drinking so heavily the previous night.

“Where ya runnin’ off to?” a voice,
gravelly with sleep, mumbled from the bed.

“Some of us gotta work,” she said,
pressing her clothes to her chest in an effort to warm herself. “It’s freezing in here…”

“Heat’s out again. What’d’ya expect? I
live in a dump.”

“Raffy,” Kailynn groaned, “you could get
a job and pay for stuff to work.”

“I work,” Raphael defended irritably.

“I wouldn’t call lifting credits from
tourists work,” Kailynn murmured, throwing her clothes on the bed to search for
her panties among the tangled mess.

“Got you out of trouble with those loan
sharks,” Raphael said into his pillow.

“That was my brother’s shit deal, not
mine,” she growled, snatching up her panties and pulling them on hurriedly. “I
gotta go home and change,” she muttered, pulling her pants on, jumping when she
could not get them over her hips. Raphael glanced at her and laughed.

“Jump some more.”

“Shut up, prick,” she snapped, finally succeeding
in donning her pants.

“You’re getting a nice ass,” Raphael
noted, turning on his side and propping himself up to look at her. “I guess all
that lifting at work has done some good.”

Kailynn pulled her shirt on, leaving her
bra slung across the bed.

“I’m so late. Brad’s gonna kill me.”

“No, he ain’t.” Raphael shook his head,
flopping back to the bed. “He’s got the hots for you. Just smile and show some
cleavage and he’ll forgive you.”

Kailynn grabbed her jacket from the back
of the door to the one-room flat and swung it over her shoulders.

“Hey!” Raphael called quickly as she
opened the door. “Am I gonna see you tonight?”

“Don’t you always?” she chuckled, ducking
out the door and closing it behind her, shivering as she huddled into her coat.
Winter was having difficulty leaving that year. Tiao was generally a cold
planet to begin with, but it had been getting worse the last few years, each
winter lasting longer than the one before.

The street became dark in the early
morning hours. Every night, the street lit up with neon signs and scrolling
advertisements, enticing tourists to the Walking District. Even though tourists
who came physically to Tiao and visited the capital city of Anon were part of
high society, there were still few curious enough about the darker
neighborhoods, looking for drugs and prostitutes.

The Walking District was known for
catering to those with salacious appetites. It was considered part of the slums
of Anon. Those with money were very conspicuous and were often the targets of
mugging and pickpocketing. Anon residents who frequented the bars and brothels
knew how to keep their money safe. Tourists were not as fortunate—Kailynn never
cared about the tourists. The money Raphael stole from them had always been
welcome.

She left the Walking District, crossing
the district border through an alley into the district of Trid—the non-citizen
district that Kailynn called home. While Raphael, her close friend from
childhood was lucky to live in the Walking District, despite being a
non-citizen Trid as well, Kailynn was never able to scrape enough money
together to keep rent on a place in the flashy Walking District.

Border Patrol was sleeping, as usual. The
one conscious guard, who had likely lost a bet with the others on his shift,
was nursing a beer, grumbling about his job and the cold winter. Kailynn
slipped by him easily, slinking into the shadows of Trid as naturally as the
winter breeze.

She passed a few underground bars where
Trids sold products they managed to lift off transport vehicles going in and
out of the Walking District. Of course, with the Trids being so broke, nothing
was paid for in credits, but in services or sex.

That was the way of Trid.

Kailynn greeted a few friends as they
stumbled home, numb from alcohol and drugs. She squeezed through the broken
doors of the building she had called home for six years and ascended the
stairs, being sure to avoid the large hole in the third step. There were a few
others who shared the building with her, but they never spoke to one another.
They would look at each other nervously, never sure who was coming into the
building and never exchanging words with the other squatters.

Kailynn fought to get the door open that
led to her room, where she had an old mattress with every blanket she had ever
collected—the number totaled eleven. Kailynn knew that she could always get a
warm place to stay and a decent meal by cozying up to someone who clearly had
money in the Walking District, but after a childhood friend was killed by
Officials fighting arrest for illegal prostitution, Kailynn decided it was not
worth the risk.

While prostitution was extremely common
in Trid, the Walking District was still part of the illustrious capital, which
meant all prostitution had to be regulated. Many Trids had been imprisoned or
killed in the Walking District for pretending to be legal prostitutes.

Instead, Kailynn spent her nights with
Raphael. He may have lived in a dump, but at least under the covers with him,
it was warm.

Kailynn tossed her blankets aside,
desperately trying to find the jumpsuit she had to wear to work as well as some
clean panties and a bra. She was able to find her stash of clean underwear, but
the jumpsuit was not around the bed. Cursing and hoping she was not too late to
work, she tore the bed apart one more time, finally finding the jumpsuit
tangled around one of her blankets.

She stripped quickly, pulling on the new
panties and then grabbing her jumpsuit, shoving her legs in and zipping it up
to her waist before trying to find a bra. That was when she remembered that she
had a habit of leaving her bras at Raphael’s place, because she was always late
for work after staying with him.

Kailynn rolled her eyes and put her
jumpsuit on completely.

“Fuck it, bras are stupid.”

She dashed out the door, hopping to put
her boots on again as she reached the top of the stairs. She ran out into the
cold and used the well-known route past another Border Patrol station to return
to the Walking District and to the warehouse where she worked.

“Kailynn! You’re late, again!” a voice bellowed from the check-in
desk. She waved briefly before running into the back and finding her
supervisor, Brad.

When the tall, brown-haired, green-eyed
man saw her, he sighed heavily and shook his head.

“Kailynn…”

“I know, I know.”

“…we’re working on school rations today.
Transports Three, Four, and Five.”

“Thanks, Brad,” Kailynn said, running to
join the rest of her team at the loading bays.

Kailynn had been lucky to get a job at
the Hunter & Leo Packing Warehouse. She was not educated enough to work in
the actual plant, where they made the food rations, but had managed to talk her
way into the distribution center. If a crate would break open, Kailynn would
sneak a few of the silver-wrapped bars for herself, even though she hated the
chalky taste. She never understood why the Hunter & Leo Rations were
distributed so widely over the planet when their ration bars tasted like cement
compared to Kieble Rations—of course, those ration bars were more expensive
because they used ingredients from the food they harvested in their greenhouses
rather than just putting the proteins and nutrients into a mush and heating
that into a bar form.

Kailynn hoped that she would get an
assignment soon to go with a transport team to another part of the planet. She
had never been out of Anon, but had a very strong sense of adventure and had
always dreamed of getting out of the capital, or even off of Tiao to visit the
other planets of the Altereye System.

She was disappointed that she was, once
again, not on a long-distance transport. She had been on the Anon Schools Route
at least one hundred times. It was boring.

Kailynn helped move the crates onto the
transport vehicles, sorting them based on type and school, working
methodically, laughing at Jenn’s story about her sister giving a lap dance to a
rich tourist and slipping seven hundred credits off his account when he paid
for her time. Of course, Jenn’s sister also owed a shark nearly three thousand
credits, so the seven hundred was only a small dent in the amount keeping her
dancing tables in the Walking District’s club.

As the group was loading the final crates
onto the transport vehicles, Brad’s voice caught Kailynn’s attention.

“Kailynn, you got a visitor!”

“What?” She poked her head out of the
transport.

“I said you got a visitor!”

Kailynn was surprised to see a very
familiar sandy-haired man standing next to Brad.

“Theo?”

She began walking to her older brother
when Brad caught her arm.

“Look, I don’t mind if you wanna chat
with your friends while you work, but I don’t pay you to stand around talking
to Johns.”

“Lay off, Brad,” she groaned, pulling her
arm out of his grasp. “He’s my brother. I’m gonna take a smoke break.”

Brad rolled his eyes and watched her walk
to the side door of the warehouse, her brother in tow. When the door closed
behind them, Kailynn pushed her hand into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled
pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

“What the hell, Theo?”

“Nice to see you, too,” Theo laughed
brokenly.

“What do you want?” Kailynn asked. “I’m
already on thin ice with this job. I can’t have you comin’ here and pissing off
my boss.”

“You keep not wearing a bra and he won’t
mind,” Theo chuckled, nodding to her jumpsuit where her nipples were clearly
visible, hard from the cold outside air.

“Don’t be an ass. What do you want?”

“Lynni,” he smiled excitedly, “we’ve got
a great plan.”

“Oh no,” Kailynn groaned, rolling her
eyes, her entire frame slumping. “No.
I’m not gonna be part of any of those half-baked schemes you and the Heart of
Trid gang come up with. I had to beg Raphael to pay for what happened last time.”

“No, this is different!” Theo insisted.
“Look at this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out an identification
card, handing it to Kailynn. She sighed, holding the cigarette in her lips as she
took the card and looked it over. When she saw the emblem on the card she
groaned and tried to hand it back.

“Yeah, right, you got one of the Elite’s
ID cards.” She sighed. “You’re a fuckin’ moron, Theo. It’s fake.”

“Did you even see which Elite it was?”

“Theo, it’s a damn fake!”

“No, it’s not!” Theo protested sharply.
“You know Liam?”

“The twitchy one?”

“Yeah, he got a temp job working in the
Syndicate Building. He was doin’ janitorial and workin’ in the securities
office where they were redistributing Elite ID cards because there was some
kind of security breach, or whatever. The point is he was around when Golden
Elite Isa’s card was being printed and he took the new one and swapped it with
the old one.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“No, it’s not!”

“When was this?”

“Three days ago.”

“Well, then, if it was true, you would
have been tracked and arrested already,” Kailynn said, trying to force the card
back into his hands. “They probably have tracers on that.”

“Did you see that there’s a corner
missing?”

Kailynn blinked twice at her brother,
silent, feeling the card become heavier in her hand. Slowly, she turned the
card toward her, looking over the information, struggling with the words
written on the card.

“What does this say?”

“It’s Golden Elite Isa’s ID card, Lynni.”

Kailynn looked up at her brother, feeling
the fear swell inside her.

“Are you fucking mental?!” she hissed.
“You guys have the ID card of the most powerful Elite in the entire fucking system?!”

“Just listen, Lynni—”

“No, I don’t want any part in this!”

“Just hear me out, please,” Theo said,
grabbing her arm as she tried to walk back inside. “We’re gonna get her.”

“What do you mean you’re going to get
her?”

“Venus. We’re gonna find her and we’re
gonna shut her down.”

Kailynn was so stunned she could only
stare at her brother’s enthusiastic green eyes for several long moments, her
mouth hanging uselessly open. She glanced once each direction and then leaned
closer to her brother.

“You’re going to shut down the computer
that runs the entire damn planet?”

Theo nodded quickly.

“Davi cracked the codes on the card. He
found all the addresses classified under Syndicate and found one that is
completely out of character with the rest of the buildings. Golden Elite Isa is
the only one who can access Venus, so
the card has to open the door where Venus is. We have the location of Venus.”

“I find it hard to believe that the
Elites would be that careless with information.”

“Everything is computerized. It would
make sense that there is no way to get to Venus without coming across some
electronic lock. We get in there, we unplug Venus, and the Elites fall.”

“Along with the rest of the planet,”
Kailynn growled. “I hate Venus and the Elites as much as you do, but this is suicidal.”

“Where is your Trid pride?” Theo hissed.
“It was those asshole Elites in the Syndicate that kept us from becoming citizens.
It’s the reason we’re all freezing and starving to death, and why the raid
teams come and kill anyone they find in the streets of Trid. Don’t you see? If
we can shut down Venus, everyone else will have to do what we do just to
survive! We’ll all be equal again.”

Kailynn sighed heavily.

“Theo…”

“Please, Kailynn, we could use your
help.”

“What could I do?”

“The gang needs a distraction while we
get into the building. There’s probably guards and we just need them to be a
little distracted for, like, five minutes.”

“C’mon, Theo,” Kailynn whined. “I’ve been
working here for seven months. I’m starting to get my life back together. I
don’t need to remind you that you’re the
reason I fell into such deep shit.”

“You think they’re going to let you go
out of Anon?” Theo hissed, pointing at the door to the warehouse. “I bet, even
if you let Brad fuck you, he wouldn’t let you go anywhere. You’re a Trid.
Everyone knows it. You need fucking papers to get out of Anon.” Theo shook his
head. “This is as far as you’re going to get, Lynni. Unless we find a way to
tear down the Elite Syndicate and shut down Venus, we’re going to die in an
alley like Dad.”

Kailynn shied away from her brother, her
fear turning cold in her belly.

Theo sighed and pulled his sister into a
hug, kissing the top of her head.

“I’m going to be with the others
tonight,” he whispered. “Think about it and let me know tonight if you’re going
to help us.”

Everyone on the team noticed the change
in Kailynn as they drove on their route to the schools in Anon. She was
thinking over everything Theo had told her, hating that she saw the truth in
his words. She would never get any further than the warehouse. She was a Trid—a
non-citizen—one of Anon’s Forgotten—the black spot on Tiao’s glittering
surface.

For the first time in several months,
Kailynn stared out the small rectangular window in the side of the transport,
watching Anon pass by her. As usual, only transports were on the streets in the
middle of the day. There was no reason for a well-off citizen of Anon to leave
the house. All work was conducted in NCB chairs, devices that allowed people to
have a virtual presence for whatever job they worked. There were some lower-class
citizens who had to travel for their jobs, but in the middle of the day there
was no one on the roads.

It was very common for people to go days
without seeing another live human, or speaking to another person’s face. That
was why there were businesses like Companion and Secret Partners Inc. that
specialized in providing human interaction—for a price. Kailynn had heard
rumors of the companion prostitution in Anon, but she could not tell what
rumors had been exaggerated and which were fact. She had heard that those who
worked as a Significant—as they were called—were asked to do all sorts of
sickening things for the people who paid them, such as acting like the child of
their client, or the wife or husband. The work of a Significant was always very
secretive, so it was impossible to know what Significants actually did with
clients.

When they returned from their run to the
schools, Jenn walked up to Kailynn and put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you’ve been quiet all afternoon. Y’alright?”

“Yeah…”

“Try ta be less enthusiastic,” Jenn
teased.

“I’ve just been thinking, that’s all,”
Kailynn murmured. “Do you ever think that…maybe the planet would be better
without the Elites? And Venus?”

“That’s dangerous talk,” Jenn hissed. She
glanced around before leaning forward to whisper, “But I’ll tell you, I would
give my right arm to see those pampered Elites try and survive like us.”

Chapter One

“You’re not even gonna tell me what’s
wrong?”

Kailynn turned to Raphael, surprised out
of her silent stupor and brought back to the loud noises of the club.

“Huh?”

“What’s with you?” Raphael asked,
wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they sat in a booth in the back corner.

“Yeah, ya been actin’ funny all night,”
Viv said, smiling as she leaned forward. “Ya already take somethin’ tonight?”

“No.”

“C’mon, Viv,” Trey laughed, nudging his girlfriend
in the arm, “Kailynn’s all about gettin’ on the straight n’ narrow, now.”

“Bullshit,” Kailynn huffed. “I don’t have
money to spend on drugs since my shit brother’s fuck up last year.”

“Ah, lay off ‘im,” Oggie said, stubbing
out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table. “Theo’s doin’ Trid proud—always
lookin’ for ways to screw over the Elites.”

“And that does Trid proud when he fucks
up and pays for a bomb that doesn’ even work?” Kailynn growled. “Then I’m stuck payin’ for it.”

“C’mon,” Alyssa said with a smile. “You
know those asshole Elites don’t give a damn ‘bout us. It’s about time we give
‘em something to give a damn about.”

“Ah, Kailynn, remember?” Raphael smiled
broadly. “You were so proud of him when he put all of Anon in lockdown as they
tried to find the bomb. So what if it didn’t work? It scared the hell out of
them when they thought they were gonna lose those precious Elites.”

Kailynn sighed heavily.

“So what if the Elites die?” she
grumbled. “There’s a thousand made every year. They probably wouldn’t even
blink.”

“Hey, that’s not the Kailynn I know,”
Oggie said. “When did you get so boring?
You’re the Wild Child of Trid. I mean, no offense to Raffy over there, but we
all know yer the brains behind this gang. The one who wanted to see the Elites
try n’ survive like we do, ya know? Who gives a fuck if a thousand Elites are
made all the time? They ain’t human. We are!
Where’s your sense of pride? When did you conform so much to what Anon thought
of you?”

Kailynn’s jaw dropped.

“Boring?” she repeated. “I’m boring?” She grabbed her drink. “Fuck
that, I’m still Trid’s Wild Child!”

“A’ight!” Viv cheered.

“My Trid blood runs thicker than anyone
here!” Kailynn laughed. She pulled herself onto the table, lifting her glass
high and raising her voice.

“Hey!” she called. “I just wanna say somethin’!”
The bar did not completely quiet, but many people turned to her. “I know this
is the Walking District of Anon, but I think a lot of you have better blood
than that!” Cheers greeted her as other Trids agreed. “So, on behalf of all of
us, I would like to turn to the cameras and send a message to our leaders.” She
lifted her glass higher. “Fuck.
Venus.”

Another round of cheers greeted her as
she downed her entire shot and cheered loudly. Raphael laughed and grabbed her
leg, pulling her into his lap and laughing.

“Alright, that’s fine in Trid. You do
that too often here and you’re going to bring the raids.”

The drinking continued late into the
night, as always. Kailynn was stumbling, her arm around Raphael’s waist to keep
her steady, when they finally exited the bar. Raphael had stolen a few hundred
credits off some oblivious tourists, so the drinking had continued even later,
which meant Kailynn had imbibed more alcohol than she considered normal.

Raphael took her back to his place where
they climbed under the covers so that the heat from having sex would keep them
warm. While Raphael slept, Kailynn watched patterns float over the cracked
ceiling, feeling the alcohol slowly wear off as she thought over a million
scattered ideas.

It was nearing dawn when she grabbed her
clothes, dressed, and walked deep into the Trid district, where an abandoned
car garage stood near the lake. The garage was surrounded by junk piles from
the landfill around the lake that could not fit within the fenced junkyard.

The Heart of Trid gang had claimed the
garage as their base of operations, though they had much territory around the
lake. Other gangs had not tried to take the land in over a year, but the Heart
of Trid gang never let their guard down. For this reason, Kailynn was sure
that, when she entered the garage, she knocked three times slowly, followed by
two rapid knocks, signaling that she was an ally.

The back door opened loudly, setting
Kailynn’s teeth on edge as the sound aggravated her growing headache. She stepped
in quietly, wondering why the garage was almost silent. She found the members
of the gang unconscious in various areas of the main garage floor, bottles
thrown carelessly, likely from celebrating their plan to shut down Venus. It
did not bother them that shutting down the super-computer of the planet would
leave the entire planet in a state of chaos. To those who had suffered through
growing up in Trid, it was only right that those who lived in grandeur had to
struggle to survive.

Stepping cautiously around the sleeping,
but armed, figures of the Heart of Trid gang, Kailynn found her brother.

“Theo,” she said, shaking her brother’s
shoulder. Theo groaned and tried to swat Kailynn away. “Theo.” The older Evada
sibling grit his teeth and turned onto his back, blinking slowly.

“Lynni?” he mumbled, his eyes squinted
against his hangover.

“Okay. I’ll help you take her down.”

“Now I know something is wrong.”

Kailynn blinked, startled at the ration
bag that was suddenly in front of her face. She stared at it before glancing
briefly up at Raphael. She took the bag, but did not take a bite out of the bar
inside, her eyes returning to her feet. Raphael sat on the bed with her.

“Did your brother do something again?”

Kailynn turned quickly.

“What?”

“Why are you all the way out in space?”
Raphael chuckled brokenly. “I mean, you’ve always been a bit of a space cadet,
but this is out of character, even for you.”

“Don’t call me a space cadet,” Kailynn
sneered. “I’m just thinking. Is that a crime?”

“Lynni, don’t be like that.” Raphael
sighed, rolling his eyes. “I can tell something is bothering you. You didn’t
even notice that I got the heat working.”

Kailynn shook her head, resealing the
ration bag and tossing it aside, laying back on Raphael’s bed.

“I’m just being stupid today, that’s
all.”

“Today?” Raphael teased.

Kailynn punched him in the thigh. The man
laughed and went to his side, looking over Kailynn’s troubled features.

“Are you really not going to talk to me?”

“Why do I have to tell you everything?”
Kailynn asked pointedly.

“You don’t,” Raphael admitted. “I just
want to make sure you’re not in trouble.”

“I’m not,” Kailynn said. “I’m just sick
of this life, like the rest of Trid. Those dickwads in Anon don’t give a shit
about us, and we’re sitting here celebrating that the heat is back on so we
don’t freeze.”

“You did not know the heat was on until I
told you,” Raphael pointed out.

“That’s not the point, Raffy.”

“I know, I know,” he tried to appease
her. “But there’s nothing we can do about it. You and I were born Trids.
There’s no way for us to get citizenship. Hell, they’ve even stopped giving
citizenship to those who had to move into Trid because they couldn’t afford
anywhere else.”

“And how is that fair?”

“Life ain’t fair.”

Kailynn ground her teeth together. She
wanted to vent all of her frustrations about the upper classes and how much the
Trids suffered in comparison, but she knew that the rant would get her nowhere.
Everyone in Trid had the same feelings, but talking about them never resolved
the problem. It only worked her up and made her angry for days.

“What do you think the world would be
like without Venus?”

Raphael sighed and fell onto his back,
staring at the ceiling.

“I don’t know,” he murmured. “Hard to
imagine what things would be like without her. She runs everything.” He was
quiet for a few moments, thinking about how he wanted to respond. “Maybe it
wouldn’t be much different. I mean, through history, hasn’t there always been a
low class and a high class?”

“I guess.” Kailynn shrugged. “I don’t
care about history. I only care about now.”

“Me too,” Raphael agreed. “Why are you
askin’ now?”

“I’m just wondering if shutting her down
would be a good thing or not.”

“Why would it matter?” Raphael chuckled.
“It’s not like you’ll ever get a chance to shut her down.”

“I know.”

Raphael rolled on top of Kailynn, smiling
at her.

“I know the heat is working, but I can
still screw you so well that you’ll forget about the problems of the world.”

Kailynn barked a laugh.

“Don’t flatter yourself.”

Raphael’s jaw dropped and he laughed.

“What? You think I can’t?”

“Why don’t we find out?” Kailynn
challenged with a devilish grin.

Even though Kailynn was exhausted—Raphael
gave his best effort, and it did take Kailynn a very long time to regain her
train of thought—she went into the cold night air, walking among the neon
lights that illuminated the streets. She normally did not pay attention to the
prostitutes and drug addicts lingering in the alleys of the Walking District,
but she kept a watchful eye on everyone around her that night.

She studying where different alleys led,
being sure she knew the area as well as possible, in case anything went wrong
with her brother’s plan. She wanted to believe that all would go well, but she
knew from experience that her brother’s plans never worked. She remembered too
well the catastrophe of the last one. She did not want to be stuck paying for
her brother’s mistakes once more.

However, she was also watching the area
closely because she was slowly moving out of the Walking District and into
Anon. She had never dared to move past the Walking District. She knew how
quickly Trids disappeared when they were found in the capital city. There was
no way for them to blend in. No one walked in Anon. There was no way to sneak
any vehicle past border patrol. Even then, with the electronic roads, Officials
were immediately alerted when an unregistered car was being driven.

At four in the morning, Kailynn was sure
that she would be safe from the electronic sensors in Anon, but if anyone
spotted her or saw her in the cameras, it would not take long for Officials to
take her into custody.

There was no tolerance for Trids in Anon.

Kailynn was sure that Raphael had worn himself
out enough to sleep for at least seven hours, so she wanted to use the time to
her advantage. She did not want Raphael to know about Theo’s plan. It would put
him in danger and he had already done enough to help Kailynn when it came to
Theo’s botched plots to destroy the government.

The gang was waiting for her in near the
side gates of an enormous warehouse complex.

“Finally! Fuck, where have you been?”
Jamis growled, his hands shoved deep into his pockets to avoid the blistering
cold.

“Fuck off. It’s none of your business.”

“Don’t have that kind of attitude when we
do this, Lynni,” Theo warned. “Remember, you are a lady of Anon who has been
assaulted. You need to be helpless.”

“Then why the hell did you choose me to play your fucking damsel in
distress?” Kailynn murmured.

“I need someone I can trust.”

“Yeah, but, who’s to say that we can
really trust her?” Arina said, glaring at Theo. She had always carried a torch
for Theo, and thought it was creepy how much the Evada siblings depended on one
another. She wanted to be the center of Theo’s world.

“First of all, bitch, I don’t give shit
if you trust me or not. Second, I was the one who freed him from prison when
you sat on your ass and waited. What the fuck were you doing when he was locked
up?”

“I sure as hell wasn’t whoring myself out
so that my boy-toy would pay for his bail.”

Kailynn started forward, but Theo held
her back as another member of the Heart of Trid put his arm in front of Arina
to keep her from attacking Kailynn in turn.

“Don’t start this now,” Theo growled. “We
have two days to figure the rest of this shit out. You two wanna scratch each
other’s eyes out? Wait until we’ve shut down Venus.”

Arina slowly backed away, but she and
Kailynn continued glaring daggers at one another.

“Are we ready to get started?”

Chapter
Two

Kailynn was shifting her weight back and
forth nervously, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, trying to stay as
warm as possible in the tiny dress that had been torn around her belly. The
scratches that Kailynn had made on her thighs were stinging in the cold air.
Theo stood beside her, glancing around as he waited for the signal that
everything was ready.

There were twenty-nine participating.
When the others were in their agreed positions, Jamis would flash his light
twice to Theo and Kailynn. Theo was watching the ledge of the nearby
manufacturing plant, his hands closed around the vile of whiskey he was nursing
to steady his nerves.

Kailynn ripped it from his hands and
gulped down some of the horrid drink. She needed to calm her nerves as well,
but was hoping the alcohol would also warm her frozen limbs.

When Theo snatched the vile back, Kailynn
ground her teeth together in frustration.

“I’m fuckin’ freezing!”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Theo breathed, his
voice betraying his anxiety. He had concocted grand plans of attacking the
Elites and rupturing the class system of Tiao, but the previous plans always
concerned taking out the nobles or the Elites. He never thought he would get a
shot at attacking the head of the snake—Venus.

When a small light flashed twice from the
roof of the manufacturing plant next door, Kailynn’s stomach flipped. Theo
turned to her, pocketing the flask of whiskey and bending to scoop her up in
his arms. Kailynn could not tell if her shaking was due to the cold, or
realizing that everyone was in position and they were about to attempt taking
down the super-computer that ran the planet.

“Ready?”

Kailynn gave a tight nod, wrapping one
arm around herself and curling forward.

Theo took a deep breath and raised his
voice.

“Help!” he cried, running forward,
holding Kailynn in front of him. “Someone?! Anyone?!”

He darted out of their alleyway and ran
the short distance toward the front gate of the warehouse complex they had been
scouting for days. Kailynn knew that there were four guards at the front gate
and two posted at the other seven gates around the complex. The others were
supposed to take care of the other guards—some were being drugged, others were
being lured away by members who were trying to appear to be casing the fence,
and a few of the guards were meant to remain unharmed. The gang hoped to do
their work quietly, and wanted a few of the guards around to take the blame for
not stopping the raid of the warehouse compound.

“Help us! Please!!” Theo called, looking
around frantically. When he saw the confused guards, he ran to them.

“Please! Please help!!”

The guards watched the man approach,
wary. However, when they saw that he was properly dressed in Anon attire for an
upper-class citizen—not knowing the garments were stolen—they relaxed slightly.

“What’s wrong?” one asked.

Theo ran to them, breathing hard. Kailynn
started gasping for breath, cringing, her face contorted in agony. She tried to
force some tears out of her eyes, but she was so cold and nervous about the
plan, that they would not come.

“I found her in an alley.” Theo nodded
somewhere with his head while the four guards crowded around them, their faces
hidden by dark, protective visors. “She was supposed to be home hours ago and,
when she didn’t show up, I went searching…and…she-she says…” Theo’s voice
became choked. “She says she was raped,”
he hissed, “by a gang of filthy Trids.”

“Trids? In this district?” one of the
guards hissed, sharing worried glances with the other guards. “Unlikely.”

“Please, can you call help for her?” Theo
said frantically. “I don’t know how badly she’s hurt…She’s so cold.”

“Pat, Boomer,” one guard said, turning,
“do a precautionary sweep. Make sure there aren’t any Trids.” He turned to Theo
and motioned to him. “Bring her inside.”

Theo walked in with the shivering and
whimpering Kailynn.

Kailynn was surprised that, so far, the
plan was working. She had never expected to be let in the main gate. Yet, the
guards were unlocking the man door and opening it, ushering both her and Theo
into the compound. Once the card swept over the electronic lock, the reader in Theo’s
pocket copied the code to another gang member’s proxy card, allowing them to
access the back gate of the facility, which should have been unguarded with the
now-drugged guards.

The guards opened the door to the small
building where they would take shelter and watch the security monitors. Kailynn
spared a glance at the screens as she cringed and groaned in mock-agony.
Everything seemed quiet. There was no movement on the cameras that would have
caused alert.

Everything seemed to be going according
to plan.

“Put her here.”

Theo moved to the cleared table and
gently set Kailynn down. Kailynn let out a cry of pain when her body was moved
out of the position, playing up her fake injuries, her hand reaching out to
grab Theo’s. Theo took her hand tightly.

“I don’t know what to do to help her…”
Theo choked. He squeezed her hand once. That was the signal that everything was
alright. If he released her hand, that meant that something was wrong and they
needed to escape. Two squeezes meant that she needed to play up her injuries
even more as a further distraction.

“She’s probably freezing,” one murmured.

“We’ll call for an EMU immediately,” the
second said, moving to the phone. Kailynn knew that, when the Emergency Medical
Unit was called, they would have less than seven minutes to complete their
plan. When she got two squeezes from Theo, she bolted upright, screaming.

“No! No! Stay away from me!!” she
bellowed, flailing wildly.

“Miss! Miss! You’re safe!!”

“Get away from me! I want to go home!!”

The other guard moved away from the phone
and went to help hold Kailynn down when one of her flailing hands connected
with the first guard’s face.

“Mina! Mina! It’s alright, it’s alright…”
Theo said, using the code word of her fake name to tell her that the
distraction had worked. She turned to him, her eyes going wide.

“Dale?” she whispered. “Dale!” She lunged
forward and hugged him tightly, trying to force tears to her eyes again. “I’m
so sorry!!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Kailynn glanced at the screens around her
brother. She caught sight of one of the gang members running down the middle of
the warehouses, looking for the one they had found to be linked to Golden Elite
Isa’s identification card. Her heart raced when she realized that they were caught
on camera. She pulled away from Theo and took his face, trying to keep the
attention of the guards on them and away from the screens.

“I tried to call you…”

“Miss, can you tell us what happened?”

Kailynn turned to the guards, her eyes
wide. She legitimately panicked. She had not come up with a story about her
assault.

“I…I was…” She lowered her head and
raised a hand to her head. “I was out with some friends…Dale and I had gotten
into a fight and I was drinking…”

“You were in the Walking District?” one
guard asked suspiciously. “With friends?”

“Yes,” Kailynn said. “And when we left…”

She could not think of how to continue.
Instead, she forced her eyes wider and turned back to Dale, trying to draw
attention away from the story so that she would have time to form it.

“Dale…I didn’t mean what I said…”

“What started the fight?” the first guard
pressed. “Were you yelling at one another?”

“Loud enough for the neighbors to hear,
unfortunately,” Theo said. “I didn’t go after her immediately because I was
explaining to them what had happened.”

Kailynn was watching the suspicious
creases on the guards’ faces get deeper the more Theo explained the fake fight.
Kailynn knew something was wrong. They did not believe the story.

Kailynn turned back to Theo and removed
her hand from his, signaling that something was wrong.

“Dale…we shouldn’t so openly discuss our
problems…” she tried to get him to stop talking. That was when she realized
their mistake. The high-class citizens of Anon did not speak to one another as Trids did. Often they rarely saw each other
face-to-face. That was why companies that provided Significants existed.

Her heart began climbing out her throat.

“I’m feeling ill…please…I want to go
home…”

“Where is the nearest hospital?” Theo asked,
turning to the guards.

“I don’t think it’s safe for you to take
her there yourself,” the first guard said, walking to the phone. “I’ll call the
EMU.”

Kailynn knew that they were not calling
an EMU. They were calling the Officials. They knew something was wrong.

“No!” Kailynn cried. “I don’t want to go
to the hospital! I just want to go home!”

“You must be seen by a physician,” the
second guard said, his hands moving to his sides.

Theo quickly realized how out of control
things were getting. Both guards were armed and could kill them at any moment,
and they appeared to be reaching for their weapons.

“I agree,” Theo said with a nod. “Where
is the nearest hospital? How long will it take them to get here?”

“No, really, I just want—”

“E-Team,
to eleven!!” a voice bellowed outside. Kailynn jumped when the sound of
orders being barked filled the air. She turned to the screens again and barely
caught sight of what seemed to be hundreds of armed Officials running out of
various warehouses, surrounding warehouse eleven—where the gang had expected
Venus to be located.

But Kailynn did not have long to study
the situation before a gun turned on her. Both guards had drawn their weapons,
pointing them at the Evada siblings.

“Stupid Trids,” the first guard growled.
“Did you think we were morons?”

“We’ve been waiting for you,” the second
added.

The two Trids were completely still and
silent, not sure how to respond or how to get out of the dangerous situation.
Kailynn looked between the two guns, her head trying to wrap around how fast
the situation had changed. She had never considered they would get into the
warehouse compound. She had never thought of an escape plan if they were
trapped inside.

The sound of rapid gunfire caught
everyone by surprise. Kailynn was sure her heart was about to jump out of her
throat. However, she knew her only means to escape was when the guards had
their heads turned.

She leapt at one, kicking him in the gut
and causing him to lose his balance. Theo jumped on the other one, wrestling
with the gun.

“Lynni! Run!!” he bellowed.

Kailynn did not hesitate. She ran for the
still-open door, almost colliding with the other two guards who were returning
to assist in the capture of those who had raided the compound.

Surprised by her sudden appearance, they
watched her turn and run out the closing gate. She managed to slip out of the
gap just before the gate shut, stalling the guards for a few further seconds.
Kailynn darted into the dark alleyways, trying not to notice that snow had
started to fall during the time they were inside the compound.

She heard the guards getting closer as
she tried to orient herself to determine the safest escape route. The reason
she had evaded capture from Officials so many times was because she knew the
streets like the back of her hand. She could easily out-maneuver any Official.
She knew the alleys. They did not.

The cold was making it difficult for her
to move. She was disoriented and frightened and her frozen muscles were
locking.

Kailynn lost one of her shoes as she was
running and it caused her to fall to the ground. She kicked off the other one,
grabbing it when she saw two guards coming at her.

“We have you, you little bitch!”

She lifted her knee into one of the men’s
groins, while she shoved the heel of her shoe into the protective visor over
the eyes of the other guard, shattering it, though she was not sure if it had
actually hurt him.

Then, she ran.

She moved quickly, her breath coming out
in puffs of smoke in front of her face as her bare feet carried her through the
alleys and streets toward the dark area she knew to be Trid. She did not stop
running until she saw something familiar. Hearing voices behind her, she forced
her way through a broken window, cutting herself on the glass, and hauling
herself up the stairs, too cold to feel the pain. She ascended all the stairs
until she reached the door for the roof, shoving it open with her shoulder.

She was still in the Walking District,
but she knew the crowds and the neon lights would make it easier for her to
escape. She knew she had just enough of a head start on the guards that they
likely did not see her jump into the building.

Kailynn ran to the far corner of the
roof, finally collapsing, trying to catch her breath, her lungs on fire. She
closed her eyes and covered her mouth, trying to stifle the noises of her
panting and hide the fogging of her breath. She barely had the strength to lift
herself up and peer over the edge of the building.

The guards were just below her, their
heated argument too quiet for Kailynn to discern.

Her entire body was locked, cold and
pained. The scrapes in her skin from her fall and the slices from the broken
glass were numb, and she was worried that they were far worse than she realized.

But she could not move from her hiding
spot. Even if she had the strength, she knew she would have to lay low until
the guards had searched everywhere they could.

She could not return to Trid as she was.

Kailynn glanced at the snow that was
coming down, seeing it stick to the roof. Knowing that her footprints would
give her away to any drones passing over the next day, she forced her frozen
limbs into action. She clumsily pulled off the dress from her shivering body,
pushing it deep into the corner of the building, hoping to hide it from plain
sight. Then, she tried to take big steps toward the door to the roof, leaving
as few impressions in the sticking snow as possible.

She slipped through the door and down the
dark stairs to the floor below. Shaking and on the verge of unconsciousness,
she stumbled into an open, empty room. There were holes in the walls and
bottles on the floor, adding to the scenes of graffiti that littered the walls.

Kailynn found a hole in the wall that was
large enough for her to fit in and she grabbed a few of the cold bottles,
stacking them against the insulation in the hole. She then forced her body to
contort between them, hissing through gritting teeth as the cold glass and
plastic bit into her bare skin, but she knew she had to be surrounded as much
as possible to make the best use of her own body heat to warm her again.

Only when she was curled in a hole in the
wall clad only her panties did she break down, stifling her terrified sobs in
her hand.

Chapter
Three

Isa watched the burgundy wine fall into
the wide mouth of the wine glass. She was already on her fourth glass that
night, but she was not concerned about the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

“Aha!” a voice sounded from the living
room. Isa smiled, amused. “I will have you in two moves!”

“Oh?” she called back, setting the wine
bottle down and returning to the living room, seeing the other Elite looking
over the holographic chess board intently. When he saw the Golden Elite walk
in, he smiled triumphantly.

“I’d like to see you get out of this. I
blocked your check and have you set up to fall into my trap,” Remus said with a
definitive nod.

Isa stood next to her seat, looking over
the chessboard briefly. She touched the controls on her side, moving the knight
forward.

“Checkmate.”

Remus’ eyes shot back down to the board
as Isa smiled, sitting down and sipping her wine. She watched the Silver Elite
look over the pieces on the board, his jaw slowly dropping.

“That was deceptive of you,” he laughed
brokenly. She smiled broadly. “I blocked you from here…but you already had that
planned.” He looked up at the Golden Elite. “I don’t know why I bother playing
strategy games with you. You always win.”

“You’re a glutton for punishment,
apparently,” Isa teased.

“Have I ever beaten you?” Remus asked,
hitting the reset button on the chessboard, watching the pieces move back into
place before the board flashed a goodbye message and powered off.

“A few times.”

“When you were sober?” Remus pressed.

“That, I can’t answer,” Isa said with a
chuckle, taking a sip of her wine. Remus watched the action carefully.

“That’s your fourth glass,” he noted.
“Are you alright?”

“Fine,” she assured. “It was a difficult
day. I’m trying to shake it off.”

“Yes, today was trying. I’m pleased that
you kept our dinner date, though.”

“It’s a tradition,” Isa said with a
smile. “Your new caretaker is quite the chef.”

“He is.”

“Is that why you chose him?” Isa asked
teasingly.

“No,” Remus chuckled. “He was highly
qualified in many areas. His culinary skills were merely an added appeal.”
Remus leaned back in his seat, picking up his own almost-empty glass of wine.
“Isa, there is something I wanted to ask you.” The Golden Elite turned her blue
eyes to him. He hesitated for only a moment. “If I went with you, would you
start seeing Dr. Arre again?”

Isa sighed heavily, lifting the wine
glass to her lips again. Remus watched her, knowing she would not answer.

“I think it would be best,” he pressed.

“I’m fine, Remus.”

“You might be able to convince everyone
else of that,” Remus said, “but I know you, Isa. You are not fine.”

“What makes you think that I need to
start seeing Paul again?” Isa asked, turning back to Remus. Her eyes were not
angry, but Remus knew he was walking a fine line. Isa was never one to take
care of her health, but he also knew that she only got defensive about seeking
treatment when she also knew she needed help.

“To start, you’re drinking again,” Remus
murmured.

“I’ve had some wine tonight,” Isa said, turning
to glance at him sideways. “You’re right, clearly I’m an alcoholic.”

“Isa…”

“I don’t mean to snap,” Isa said,
watching the wine swirl around the glass in her hands. “I am still allowed to
enjoy alcohol. That should not raise any alarms about my health.”

“I’m concerned that it’s in relation to
what is happening in the Ninth Circle,” Remus continued cautiously. Isa sighed
heavily, hesitating.

“There is no word yet that there is a
problem in the Ninth Circle,” she said vaguely.

Remus looked over his Golden Elite,
trying not to let his concern show. In the muted light, Isa looked as beautiful
as ever, but there was a sadness to her expression that was worrying. He knew
Isa was no longer the ambitious young woman he had once known, and he knew that
Isa could never return to how she had been before. Her wounds may have healed,
but the pain was still fresh.

“I understand,” Remus said quietly. “I am
just concerned.” He watched her every muscle movement as he spoke. “However, if
our intelligence agents are correct, we must contain Gihron before they got out
of hand.”

Isa tensed at the name of the planet, but
she tried to hide it with a nod.

“We will address that if it becomes an
issue.”

“And, in the meantime, you’ll return to
Paul so that you’re better prepared to handle—”

“Remus,” Isa said, turning to the Silver
Elite, “I thought one rule of our monthly dinner was not to discuss any
politics.”

The Silver Elite could not help but smile
at the playful grin pulling at Isa’s lips.

“You’re right,” he chuckled. “I’m just
looking out for you.”

“I know,” she murmured. “You always do.”

“Then you’ll consider seeing him again?”

Isa opened her mouth to speak but
stopped, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her buzzing phone, popping
the earpiece out and putting it in her ear.

“Elite Isa,” she greeted.

“Now look who is breaking the rules of
our monthly dinner…” Remus chuckled quietly. Isa ignored him, listening to the
person on the other end of the call. After a few moments she nodded.

“I see, thank you. Send the paperwork to
the Syndicate as soon as they are processed.” She pulled the earpiece out and
slid it into the side of the screen, pocketing the device again.

“What was that?”

“They caught the Heart of Trid gang.”

“That was a well-thought plan, Isa.”
Remus smiled. “What do they plan to do now that they have them?”

“Being non-citizen Trids, they’ll likely
stick them in cells for a few years until Venus decides if she wants to kill
them.” Isa took another sip of her wine. “Preliminary punishment is for
conspiracy and treason is three years before the death sentence for citizens.”

“The Trids are becoming a problem,” Remus
said. “Their numbers are growing daily.”

“The economy is still hurting,” Isa said
with a knowing nod. “We must find a better way to strengthen the middle class,”
she said seriously. “It’s amazing how horrifically Gattriel handled the economy
when he was in power.”

“Three wars will bankrupt a planet,”
Remus said knowingly. “Gattriel was a moron. We knew that when we succeeded
him.”

“That was a mess,” Isa chuckled brokenly.
“Remember staying at the Syndicate Building for days on end trying to mend
everything he destroyed?”

“That was where this dinner tradition
started,” Remus said with a smile. “It was the only way I could get you away
from work.” Remus lifted his glass. “And now, seventeen years later, we’re
still keeping our dinner dates.”

Isa’s smile widened.

“It’s an impressive feat.”

Remus met eyes with Isa and the two
shared a deep conversation without speaking, their eyes conveying their shared
memories of running the Syndicate and trying to repair the damage of inept previous
leaders. They had spent so much time together, it was hard to distinguish
memories that they did not share.

“Isa,” Remus started, breaking eye
contact and glancing at his glass.

“Are you going to ask me to see Dr. Arre
again?” she said lightly. She was not angry at Remus’ pestering. She knew he
was concerned.

Remus looked at her again, his eyes
filled with worry.

“Just promise me you will be careful,” he
murmured.

Isa’s smile was gentle.

“I know you’re worried. But there is no
need to be. I am alright.”

Kailynn knocked hurriedly on the door of
Raphael’s apartment. When he did not answer, she knocked louder, glancing
around nervously. The sun was rising and most had just gone to sleep in the
area, but Kailynn was still nervous about being seen mostly-naked, dirty, and
injured.

The door finally opened during her third
hurried-knocking frenzy. Kailynn did not wait for Raphael to take in her
disheveled state before she forced her way into the room. She saw an unknown
woman passed out in the bed, her clothes missing and the sheets covering
absolutely nothing. Kailynn paid her no mind. She and Raphael were no longer in
a monogamous relationship—or a relationship at all, for that matter.

“Kailynn?” Raphael hissed, his eyes wide,
staring at her as she limped in, shivering. “What the fuck happened to you?”

“I’m fucking freezing,” she managed
through chattering teeth. She pressed herself to him and he wrapped his arms
around her. Her skin was cold to the touch. He had so many questions, but he
could not voice them, startled and frightened by her state. He took her hand,
leading her into the bathroom, grabbing the fallen blanket on the ground as
they passed it to wrap around her shoulders.

He sat her on the counter and turned on
the faucet, grabbing the cleanest towel he could find. Even though the water
would be cold, he knew he had to clean the dirt and grime off and be sure that
her wounds were not serious. He was thankful that at least the heat was working
in his apartment again. Kailynn’s blue lips and pale skin were frightening.

“What the hell happened?” he repeated,
gently dabbing the dirt away from her skin. She shook her head quickly, pushing
his hand away.

“It’s cold.”

“I know, sorry.”

Deciding she was too cold to be treated
immediately, Raphael took off his shirt and grabbed the blanket around
Kailynn’s shoulders. He pulled her off the counter and they both went to the
floor, sitting in a corner with Raphael holding Kailynn tight to him, the
blanket surrounding both of them to trap their body heat.

When Kailynn’s shivering had finally
slowed, Raphael glanced at Kailynn’s face. She was still pale, her eyes swollen
from crying, but she was sleeping soundly.

“Kailynn…” he called. She slowly stirred,
turning to look at him. She was warmer, but did not want to leave Raphael’s
arms. Her mind was still trying to make sense of what had happened and what it
meant for her and her brother.

“Please, tell me what happened.”

Kailynn felt the tears return
immediately. She closed her eyes against them and lowered her head.

“We fucked up.”

“Who?”

“Theo and me,” she whispered. She went
through the entire plot, telling Raphael what the Heart of Trid gang had done
by stealing Golden Elite Isa’s card and finding the addresses classified before
forming a plan to attack the warehouse and rig it to explode and destroy Venus.
Raphael was unable to stop the shocked expression that crossed his features as
she explained, but he did not interrupt her.

The tears had taken over by the time she
was finished explaining. Raphael held her as she cried, mumbling that she did
not know whether Theo was dead or alive or what she would do now that she was a
wanted criminal. She was sure her face had been captured by the security
cameras and shown to every Official in Anon.

She knew she was going to prison and
likely facing death for conspiracy and treason.

Kailynn cried herself into exhaustion.
She was sleeping heavily when Raphael carefully moved from behind her and went
back into the flat, seeing the woman he had picked up the previous night still
passed out on his bed. He groaned and shook her awake, telling her to find her
clothes and leave. She was indignant and angry, but he did not care about
preserving her feelings. His thoughts were focused on Kailynn.

The failed plan was no minor occurrence.
The Heart of Trid gang and Kailynn were in an enormous amount of danger.

Raphael carried Kailynn to the bed and
covered her with all the blankets he could find. Once he was sure that she
would be warm, he left the apartment and went to her job, telling Brad that she
was very sick and could not work. Brad grumbled, but he must have seen the
worried look on Raphael’s face because he did not press the Trid with
questions. Once Raphael had taken care of that, he ran to the different members
of their own gang, telling everyone that the Heart of Trid gang had been captured
for a failed attempt to shut down Venus and that they needed to find out what
had happened to the members, particularly Theo.

Raphael went to everyone he could think
of and asked if they had heard about the warehouse incident the previous night.
A few had heard about it through other contacts and that sent Raphael on a
chase for some solid information. He was hearing everything from twelve
Officials being killed to the entire Heart of Trid gang being killed in the
warehouse and dragged away to become medical subjects in Anon.

Just when he was getting frustrated with
the search, Alyssa from his own gang ran up to him and told him that she knew
what had happened to the Heart of Trid gang.

One Official had been killed in the
struggle—adding another criminal count to the gang’s sentence—and seven members
of the large Trid gang had died as well. The rest had been taken into custody
and were being held at Uren Correctional Facility, the roughest, deadliest
prison on the entire planet.

“What about Theo?” he pressed.

“He’s alive,” Alyssa assured. “He’s at
Uren with the rest.”

Raphael rushed to tell Kailynn the news.
He found her in the bathroom, naked, treating her wounds with old antiseptic
that she had found under the sink. Raphael explained the situation to Kailynn
and gave her the clothes he had picked up at her place.

“Viv said she would dye your hair darker.
We can find contacts to change your eye color. We’ll have to find a way to keep
you hidden.”

“For how long?” Kailynn murmured. “And what
about Theo? He’s on death row. And you know they don’t wait to execute Trids.”

“I know, but you are not on death row, so don’t do anything stupid enough to
put you there,” Raphael said strongly. “You are the one that got away. They
will be searching high n’ low for you. Stay hidden.”

Kailynn lowered her eyes. She could not
leave her brother in prison to be killed. He was the only family she had left.
She had heard horror stories about Uren. Uren did not waste their lethal serums
on Trids. They took them out back and shot them. Kailynn shivered at the
thought. It was the same way both her parents died—one by Official fire, the
other by Trid fire. She could not risk her brother, her only living family,
being killed by a bullet to the head.

Raphael embraced her tightly, trying to
convey his worry. For all he said to her, he knew that she would not listen. He
just had to keep an eye on her and make sure she did not do anything stupid
while trying to save Theo.

“I’ll help you however I can. Just tell
me what you need.”

Chapter
Four

Kailynn was bound and determined to help
her brother get out of Uren. She had helped Theo get one man in the Heart of
Trid gang out of the same prison years before and knew that the guards were
willing to look the other way on escapees if they were compensated well.
Kailynn never knew where Theo had gotten the money from to pay for the escape,
but she never asked. She knew the Heart of Trid gang had some nefarious
dealings within Trid. Her own gang, the Cobalt Leopards, never dealt in drugs
or weapons. They were a small group, more concerned with each other’s safety
than with gaining money and prestige among those in Trid. Each member did what
was necessary to survive and stayed together for protection.

For that reason, Kailynn was a little out
of practice in dealing with career criminals in Trid.

She had gone to her brother’s contact in
Uren and asked what it took to release those in the Heart of Trid gang. The
answer was twenty-thousand credits a head with her brother being fifty-five
thousand credits. He had not even blinked when he told her the numbers.

Kailynn had almost choked on her tongue.
Twenty-two members—the surviving members of the Heart of Trid—were imprisoned,
one of which was her brother. That was four-hundred-twenty thousand credits for
the basic members of the gang. The grand total was four-hundred, seventy-five
thousand credits. Kailynn felt as if the words had physically struck her in the
chest, causing her to bleed all over the ground.

However, she put on a brave face, hiding
her shock.

“How long before they start executing
them?” Kailynn pressed.

“A year, maybe,” the patrol officer had
said with a shrug. “Apparently, your boys did something that has drawn
attention from Venus. Everyone’s waitin’ for her to make an announcement on
their fates.”

The fear in Kailynn’s belly turned cold.

She left, feeling discouraged.

Viv was trimming Kailynn’s hair and
preparing the dye when she finally asked how much money was needed to free the
Heart of Trid. When Kailynn whispered the amount, Viv’s hands stilled and her
eyes went wide.

“What?”

“Yeah…”

Slowly, Viv resumed trimming Kailynn’s
hair, trying to get over her shock at the large number.

“Is…can we…I mean, do you have a way to
get that money?”

Kailynn sighed and closed her eyes.

“I’m sure there are ways…” Kailynn
murmured. “But even if I were to steal as many credits as I could from the
Walking District, I couldn’t come close. We’d have to take up the Heart of Trid
drug ring and traffic at a higher price. I might have to work at one of the
clubs and whore a bit to get some more money. I don’t think there is enough money
in all of Trid to free them.”

“You could free only Theo.”

“I could,” Kailynn agreed. “But he will
need the gang with him. The other gangs are pissed that they brought the
Officials down on Trid with this stunt. I saw a bunch of Officials just walking
here—thankful they didn’t see me. Theo will need to be protected when everyone
comes after him.”

Viv continued snipping the ends of
Kailynn’s hair, thoughtful.

“But…what happens if you get him out? The
Officials will come looking for him again.”

“I doubt it,” Kailynn said. “I mean, what
do they care? They don’t want to warehouse him and they have to wait for Venus
to tell them what to do. If he disappears, problem solved.”

Viv went silent, running her hands over
Kailynn’s hair before grabbing the dye, setting it on the makeshift table next
to her and putting on gloves. She started to move Kailynn’s hair around,
preparing to dye it.

“Kailynn,” she started slowly.

“Yeah?”

“Why not get work in Anon?”

Kailynn snorted.

“You need papers to work in Anon.”

“I know someone who can get you papers.”

Kailynn turned to Viv, her eyes narrow.

“You’ve looked into getting papers?”

“Why the hell not?” Viv asked sharply.
“You wanna stay in this shithole all your life?”

“What the fuck are we qualified to do in
Anon?” Kailynn challenged.

“Will you turn around?” Viv said,
exasperated, pushing Kailynn’s shoulders. She started applying the dye, hoping
that Kailynn would stay still as she spoke. “I know, we’re not really
qualified.”

“Not really?”
Kailynn repeated, incredulous. “When the fuck did you learn how to read?”

“Shut up, Kailynn. You can’t read,
either,” Viv snapped. “But there are ways.”

“Enough to get nearly five-hundred
thousand?”

“Maybe,” Viv said. “As a Significant.”

Kailynn groaned, closing her eyes.

“Oh no, Viv. Don’t tell me that you’re
thinking of becoming a Significant.”

“Why the hell not? They make a lot more
money than those who whore themselves in the Walking District,” Viv defended.
“They make a lot of money. And most of the time, all they do is talk to
people.”

“That’s what they want you to believe,”
Kailynn said. “Significants are asked to do all sorts of sick things for those
nobleman assholes.”

“For seven grand a pop, I’d do some sick
shit, too.”

Kailynn was about to snap at Viv again
about considering the work, but the number stilled her tongue immediately.

“Seven grand? How do you know?”

“One of the guys I chatted up a few weeks
ago,” Viv said, continuing to apply the dye to Kailynn’s hair, watching the
light brown color darken almost immediately. “He was talking about how much
money he had lost because he had a partnership with a Significant and he lost
seven-thousand credits three times a week to spend a night with her.”

“For sex?” Kailynn said, blinking in
shock.

“That’s the thing. The sex cost extra,
like, five-thousand extra.”

Kailynn turned around and stared at Viv,
her eyes wide with disbelief.

“You’re making this shit up.”

“No,” Viv said. “The guy was slobbering
drunk and was whining about how his wife would divorce him for spending so much
of their money on a Significant. He was really upset about it.”

“All that over a Significant?”

“Guess so.”

Even though everything inside Kailynn
told her that becoming a Significant was not an option, the prospect of the money
to be earned gave her pause. Viv walked to one side of Kailynn, continuing to
apply the dye.

“It’s not a bad way to make money, you
know,” she said. “I mean, don’t you think that most who work as Significants
just need the money? It’s something to think about.”

“The idea of prostituting fake company to
the nobles is more sickening than whoring,” Kailynn said slowly, lowering her
gaze.

“Kailynn,” Viv started, standing in front
of her. “Who cares if it’s fake company they want? They’re willing to pay for
it. There is no reason for you to not exploit that.”

Kailynn stared at Viv. The older Trid
woman could see that Kailynn was nervous about going against her beliefs for
the sake of money. However, Kailynn was also in a situation where leaving her brother
in a prison cell, waiting to be shot and forgotten with the rest of the Trids,
was unimaginable.

The thought disturbed Kailynn, but at
seven-thousand a visit, she was sure she could raise the money to free her
brother and most of the others in the Heart of Trid gang working as a
Significant. She would have to be smart about how she dealt with her affairs,
since her papers would be fake, and she would have to continue working even
after getting the gang out of Uren to ensure suspicions remained low.

But it was the first time that Kailynn
believed she could make the money to
save her brother’s life.

“Who was the guy you said could get me
papers?”

Kailynn had asked for the five hundred
credits from Raphael to pay the man who would provide her with forged papers.
Raphael immediately demanded to know what she was planning to do, and she
explained truthfully. Raphael was strongly against the idea at first. He did
not think of the money Kailynn could make at first—he thought only about the
steep punishment of life in prison or death for forging papers to get into the
capital city. He had told Kailynn not to do anything that would get her in
trouble, but she had already concocted her plan that could easily lead her to
death row.

However, Kailynn continued to explain the
money that Viv had said she could make. Eventually, the words pushed past
Raphael’s initial worry.

He gave her the money and went with her
to the programmer who had been kicked into Trid after losing all his money to
his drug addiction. He still had citizenship, which still allowed him access to
duplicate the template for electronic citizenship.

When Raphael and Kailynn met with him, he
was thin and sickly, still twitching from his high the previous night.

They sat with him as he shakily discussed
all the information she would need to know for her fake citizenship, showing
her what her documentation looked like before giving her a fake name.

Jacyleen Lynden.

He then warned her that she needed to
carry the papers on her at all times and to avoid getting sick or hurt while in
Anon. He explained that everyone in Anon had a PIM chip implanted behind their
right ear and he could not give her one because they could only be programmed
by a hospital computer connected to Venus directly. If she was found not to
have a PIM chip, she could be immediately arrested.

Once she had her papers, copied onto a
small drive that she held tightly, terrified she would lose it due to its small
size, Kailynn went to a shop in the Walking District, buying clothes that would
help her blend into Anon. She only bought one outfit, unable to afford anything
else.

She then went back to Raphael’s place,
showered, shaved, and tried to make herself look as least-Trid-like as
possible.

The following day, she dressed in her new
clothes and, holding her faked citizenship, cautiously crossed the border into
Anon.

Once there, she walked out of the older
part of Anon into the clean, bright streets of Tiao’s capital. There were
towering buildings, clean and bright, made of glass and metal, reflecting light
from the sun. The streets were clean as well, which was easy to maintain since
there were never people on the walkways. Kailynn knew that there were extensive
roadways under the surface of the city where the self-driven cars could move
about without detection, but she could not hear noise under her feet.

The city was surprisingly quiet, apart
from the dull humming that seemed omnipresent on the planet.

Kailynn wandered around the city, feeling
small and out of place among the towering structures. She was starting to get
nervous about being caught or lost when she finally saw the round building of
sweeping glass with the word “Companion” along the top.

Taking a deep breath, she began walking
toward Companion.

She walked around the building twice,
trying to find the entrance, not sure if she should walk in where she saw the
road raise up in front of the building or not.

Taking a chance, Kailynn walked through
the black glass doors that opened for her immediately, leading her to another
set of black doors.

When she passed through the second set of
doors, she felt like she had stepped into another world. The room was dark and
slightly cold, with dark coverings on the walls and floor. There were couches
of deep red and black scattered about the large greeting room and, sitting on
the couches, talking lightly, were several extremely attractive people.

They all turned when she entered.

“Well, hello, beautiful,” one man said,
standing and walking to her, his opened shirt exposing his well-defined
muscles. “Anything I can help you with today?”

Kailynn was immediately reminded of the
prostitutes that tried to pick up tricks in the Walking District.

“Trust me, gorgeous,” another man
started, also approaching her. He was wearing a tight black sweater and
sporting a perfect smile, “you don’t want him. I’d be better suited for you, I
can tell.”

“I think she might be here for another
reason, boys,” one girl chuckled, joining the group around Kailynn. She was
wearing a tight dress that accented every curve. “Isn’t that right?”

“Actually,” Kailynn started, forcing her
voice to strengthen, “I’m here to apply as a Significant.”

“Oh,” the girl said, her expression
changing immediately. The boys started looking her over, as if evaluating if
she had what was necessary to be a Significant. “Then you want to talk to Jak.”

“Okay, where is he?”

“She’s brave,” one man laughed. “Look at
you, charging in there to talk to him. He’ll like that.”

“I’m not joking around,” Kailynn said
strongly. “Where is he? I’ll talk to him right now.”

The others chuckled and the girl smiled
broadly.

“I’ll call him for you.”

She pressed the area just in front of her
right ear. “Jak’s office,” she started. “Jak, it’s Mysty,” she said. “There’s a
pretty little girl who wants to talk to you in the greeting salon.”

She tapped the same area of her ear again
and turned back to Kailynn.

“He’s on his way,” she said. “What’s your
name?”

“Jacyleen,” Kailynn tried to say as
naturally as possible.

“Hmm, that’s a nice name,” Mysty said.
“And you don’t seem too nervous about talking to people. Maybe you would be
good here.”

“She’s pretty, too,” one man added. “She
could probably become a favorite, if she wanted.”

“What do you mean?” Kailynn asked,
turning as one man walked behind her to continue his examination. She resisted
the urge to punch him in the face for leering at her. She knew that
Significants were meant to be pretty and to talk to people, so she had to put
up with the examination if she wanted to work as a Significant, but it went
against all her self-preservation instincts.

“You’re good-looking enough that you
could get a lot of partnerships.”

“What are those?”

“It’s where the same client wants you
several times,” Mysty explained. “They pay more money to have a scheduled time
with you every week or every month. You get more money, basically. But that’s
only if clients like you enough and have enough money to bid for a time slot.”

Kailynn could only blink in surprise and
confusion. There was a part of her that was sickened at the thought of having
to see the same person multiple times as a Significant, constantly having to
act as though they were close with the client and pretend to be whoever, or
whatever, they wanted.

“Mysty, you better be telling the truth,”
a voice said at the back of the room, walking to them. “Who’s here to talk to
me?”

Kailynn looked over the man. He was
older, his hair greying and his skin lightly creased with wrinkles around his
eyes. He was not particularly tall, but he had burly shoulders that made him
seem bigger.

Mysty pointed at Kailynn and his blue
eyes turned to her.

“Who are you?”

“My name is Jacyleen,” Kailynn started,
“I want to apply as a Significant.”

“There’s an application through our
page,” he said, confused. “You should have filled one out.”

“I didn’t have time,” Kailynn said
hurriedly. “Look, I’m in hard times, and I want to work here. So, I’m applying
in person.”

“While that’s a cute trick, you can’t
just—”

A gentle chime sounded and the door
opened as an older woman walked in, dressed in rich Anon clothes with her
makeup painted heavily over her skin.

Jak groaned and grabbed Kailynn’s arm, pulling
her away as the Significants in the greeting salon went forward to greet the
customer.

Jak pulled Kailynn to the elevator around
the corner and punched a button, waiting for the door to close before turning
to Kailynn.

“We’ll discuss this in my office.”

It was a very short ride in the elevator
to Jak’s office, which was a glass room that was just as dim as the rest of the
building. There was something about the dark coverings on the walls and floor
that made Kailynn feel like she could hardly see.

Jak closed the door behind her and sighed
heavily, walking to his desk.

“Look, I understand that you are in hard
times and you want to apply for a job here, but there is a procedure, okay? You
need to fill out the application and then come in for the interview.”

“Well, I’m here for the interview,”
Kailynn said strongly. “I need this job, and I’m willing to work twice as hard
as everyone else. I’m good-looking, young, and I can handle anything the
customers throw at me.”

“I am impressed that you are able to keep
eye contact,” Jak said, nodding. “Most applicants can barely form a sentence
and keep their eyes down the whole time.”

“I’m not like the other applicants,”
Kailynn said. “I’m a quick learner, and I already know how to talk to people.”
Kailynn leaned across his desk and looked at him seriously. “I promise, I will
earn my keep and more.”

Jak looked her over, heaving a sigh and
motioning with his hand.

“Stand in the middle of the room.”

Masking her nervousness, she did as he
ordered.

He leaned against the front of his desk
and looked her over. “Take off the jacket.”

Again, she did as she was told.

“Okay,” he started, nodding. “You’re
thin, but that can be fixed. In that time, I’m sure you’ll fill out some
cleavage, though it’s not bad now.” He stood straight and walked around her,
looking over every inch. “That dye in your hair will have to come out. It’s
poorly done.” He continued to circle her as she tried not to shiver in anger.

She closed her eyes, hating the scrutiny.
She felt like something less than a Trid as she stood there, being examined for
her worth as a Significant. She was tempted to storm out and never return, but
the thought of Theo being executed was enough to make her stay and bear up to
the humiliation.

“Not bad at all.” Jak finished his circle
and walked back to his desk. “I will admit, you do have some potential, and you
are a little darker, so you have an exotic look.”

He sat down at his desk.

“Why do you think I should hire you?”

Kailynn was thrown off by the question.
She hesitated, thinking carefully about what he wanted to hear.

“Because you don’t have anyone like me,”
she finally said.

“How do you know that?”

Kailynn smiled, tossing her jacket over
his desk and leaning forward once more.

“Because I’m not like these pretty little
bitches you have around here,” she said. “You have someone that no one else
wants? I’ll take them. Someone your little, soft-skin babies can’t handle? I
can handle them. I’m one tough bitch and I can handle more than these kids
can.”

Jak smiled, nodding shallowly.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Let me see your papers.”

Chapter
Five

The last thing Kailynn expected was to be
a natural as a Significant.

Jak had hired her and immediately put her
in classes to learn how to act as a Significant. The class in which everyone
else struggled, she excelled—communication.

Since people rarely spoke face-to-face,
most applicants and other Significant trainees had to go through schooling to
learn the art of conversing with another human, but Kailynn was a natural.
Having grown up in Trid, where there was nowhere near the technology available
in Anon, Kailynn knew how to hold a conversation, how to read body language,
and how to hold eye-contact.

Manners and etiquette, on the other hand,
were a struggle.

But she forced herself to behave in
class, trying to learn how best to act like a Significant. She figured the
sooner she learned, the sooner she could earn money, and the sooner she could
leave Companion and get the hell out of Anon.

But the classes were difficult for her
without the skills of reading or writing. She stumbled through and was teased
by the other trainees in the classes until they got to conversation class and
she excelled.

It got the attention of everyone at
Companion and, before long, she was doing simulations where teachers and
evaluators for the company would act as clients and have the students come in
with different requests for behaviors and those students had to perform as
though they were with a real client as a paid Significant.

At first, Kailynn had trouble with the
simulations, since they felt incredibly fake and she had difficulty staying in
character, but she disciplined herself to keep a straight face.

It was a small relief that everyone
called her Jacyleen rather than Kailynn. It made her feel like someone else was
acting as a Significant, not her.

The day that she had her picture taken
and her promotional video made for the Companion page, she felt accomplished
and disappointed at the same time. She was thrilled that she could now get
clients and earn money, but her Trid upbringing made it hard for her to accept
that she had pleased those in Anon enough to excel in the job.

Shortly after she was made available on
Companion’s page, Kailynn met Nyx.

He knocked on her door after her classes
one day, since she had been living in the Companion dorms since starting her
training.

“Hey,” she said, looking over his
impressively tall and broad stature.

“Uh, hey,” he said awkwardly. “I’m Nyx.
I’ll be your guard from now on.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Jak said you have a client tonight. I’ll
meet you in the greeting salon at 18:30.”

“Alright,” Kailynn agreed, trying to hide
her excitement that she was going to have her first client and, therefore, her
first paid job. “See you then.”

She closed the door and the nerves
overtook her.

She was unsure she could be the proper Significant.
Fears of not being paid, or could be fired and destroy her chances of getting
her brother out of Uren, became stronger every passing moment. She had invested
so much time and taken so many risks to get to that point, she knew she could
not screw it up at that stage.

By the time she was expected in the
greeting salon, she had worked herself into near-hysteria.

She nervously met Nyx in the greeting
salon, where other Significants were waiting, scheduled to handle walk-ins. Nyx
led her to the car that was sitting in front of the building. It was growing
dark, but the brightness of the outside world compared to the dark atmosphere
inside Companion gave her pause.

Kailynn had also never been in a regular
car before—only the delivery trucks when working for Brad.

She got into the passenger’s seat and
looked around the sleek, expensive car. There was no means to steer it, though Nyx
got into the driver’s seat and entered the address of her client. Once the car
started forward, Kailynn watched in fascination as they descended into the
underground highways of the city, joining the other self-driving cars.

“Jacyleen,” Nyx said, calling her
attention. He was holding out a necklace with a large, red pendant. “This is
how I’ll know if you need help once with the client. Just press the pendant and
I’ll immediately be inside.”

“Okay,” Kailynn said, taking the necklace
and fastening it around her neck.

“First client?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll do fine,” Nyx assured with an
awkward smile. “This client just wants to talk with you as a friend. It’s only
an hour. You’ll be done before you know it.”

Kailynn took a deep breath and tried to
steady herself.

They arrived at the apartment building
and took the elevator with the guest key from the Caretaker robot at the front
desk. Kailynn tried to keep herself from fidgeting as she watched the numbers
ascend on the screen above the door.

The numbers stopped and the doors opened.

Nyx led Kailynn out of the elevator and
walked with her to the door of the apartment where her client lived.

“You’ll be fine,” Nyx reassured, smiling.
“I’ll be right out here if you need me.”

She pressed the bell for the door,
waiting for a moment before a young man answered.

“Jacyleen?” he asked. She nodded
silently, too nervous to speak. “I’ll tell him you’re here.”

Kailynn was surprised to see a live
caretaker at the home of her client—that was an indication of his wealth.

She walked into the living room,
surprised to see the stark, black-and-white theme. It hardly looked lived-in. She
was afraid to touch anything, seeing the paintings and sculptures throughout
the house and knowing immediately they were expensive.

“Jacyleen?” a voice asked. She turned to
see an older gentlemen walking into the room, followed by the silent caretaker,
who slipped away without speaking. “It is wonderful to see you.”

Kailynn prepared herself to put on the
act he had requested.

“It’s wonderful to see you again, Kris,”
she said with a smile. “It has been such a long time.”

“And a lot has changed recently,” Kris
said with a small laugh.

He motioned for her to join him on the
couch and she took the seat next to him.

“Tell me how things have been going,” she
prompted.

He began explaining to her that his son
had just graduated from law school and was going to another planet to study for
a few years before returning to Tiao to work on inter-planetary law—all of
which was far beyond what Kailynn could understand.

But once he began talking about his wife,
the tears came.

He suddenly, almost violently, confessed
how he had been unfaithful to his wife while on a trip to see the school where
his son would be studying off-planet. When she discovered his infidelity, she
immediately filed for divorce and he was extremely upset because he claimed he
still loved her.

Kailynn had to bite back her every
instinct to tell him that it was not love if he could cheat on her so casually,
but she refrained.

She comforted him and let him complain
and cry about his life and the turn it had taken.

The hour was up before Kailynn knew it.

She excused herself tactfully by saying
that she forgot she had an appointment and that he could call her if he ever
needed to talk to her. He thanked her, his tears causing his face to swell, and
bid her goodbye.

And, just like that, her first
appointment was over.

“See? Nothing to it,” Nyx said with a
smile as they returned to the car.

For the following four months, Kailynn
met with all kinds of clients, from wealthy men and women who just wanted to
pretend to hold a dinner party like they had seen on television, to the middle-class
men and women who wanted someone to listen to their problems.

She met with a noble family that wanted
to get their son to leave his NGS game and sit with them for a meal. However,
when the son came out for dinner, he saw a new person in the house, panicked,
and retreated to his room.

Defeated, the parents tried to tell
Kailynn that they had bought him an NGS console and had been unable to get him
away from it other than for his lessons. When she asked what an NGS was, she
found out it was virtual reality gaming console that put the player in the
middle of any game they wanted, mimicking smells and sounds as well as the
weight of weapons and, occasionally any injuries sustained, though the games were
proven harmless.

After spending the rest of the night with
the parents, who could do nothing but talk about the stock market and financial
trends, Kailynn understood why the kid wanted to be in an alternate life with
his NGS console.

Kailynn also ended up taking clients that
wanted her to spend the night. At first, having sex with the clients was
awkward and left her feeling dirty and disgusting. But as they all started
calling her Jacyleen, she started to adapt more to the name, and decided that Jacyleen
was the Significant, leaving Kailynn as the Wild Child of Trid.

For months she took every client she
could, offering to take the jobs no one else would, just for the money. At the
end of every week, she would receive a credit chip, the different colors
indicating the different amounts on the chip. She would count them on days when
her determination would waver, and it would help her realize that she was
getting closer and closer to buying her brother’s freedom.

Occasionally, Kailynn would return to
Trid and spend some time with her gang. They knew that she was trying to gather
money for the release of the Heart of Trid gang, but they did not ask how. Only
Viv and Raphael knew of her work as a Significant.

On one visit back to Trid, Kailynn went to
Raphael’s apartment and drank herself into a stupor.

She had just finished with a client, a
very wealthy man who had bought time with the Significant to talk to his wife,
claiming that she never spoke with him anymore because she was always in her
GAL life, which was a challenge-like simulator that was very similar to an NGS
console, except it focused more on long-term games that were not meant to be
beaten, such as cultivating an island and learning how to survive, or playing
puzzle games against the clock.

When the wife found that he had called
the Significant for her, she began screaming, telling him that he was also
always in his GAL life, where he had several wives and did not need her to keep
him happy.

As the yelling match progressed, Kailynn watched
the caretaker robot deliver a drink to a young girl in the corner of the room,
who was drawing on the interactive coffee table.

Kailynn ignored the parents and went to
sit with their daughter, drawing with her on the table.

It broke her heart to leave the child
there with such horrific parents, but she could not stay past her appointment
time.

With a heavy heart, she left the girl
with her bellowing parents.

After that, she had to go into Trid and
drink herself silly.

“What the hell’s up with you?” Raphael
asked, lighting a cigarette and laying on the bed next to her.

“I swear, those shitheads in Anon are
fucked up,” she groaned, declining when Raphael offered her a cigarette.

“Oh, yeah?” Raphael asked. “Well, you
have my attention, tell me.”

“These people actually pay me to go over
there and act with them. Like, they know
it’s fake. But they sit there and pretend I’m some great friend of theirs, or
girlfriend, or sister, or mother, sometimes. It’s fuckin’ freaky.”

“Hey, hookers do the same thing,” Raphael
said with a shrug.

“Yeah, but that’s sex.”

“So?”

“Sex is different.”

“How?”

“It just is. It’s, like, instinct or
something. All humans need sex, so that’s fine.”

“All humans need to talk to someone,
too,” Raphael pointed out. He sighed heavily and took another puff of his
cigarette. “Don’t get me wrong, I think those fuckers are messed up. But like
you said, if they’re willing to pay for it, you should exploit it.”

“You should have seen the little girl
today,” Kailynn murmured. “She was sitting in the corner, drawing, while her
parents screamed at each other how much the other ruined their life. The robot was making sure that the child was
fed. It was sickening. What kinda parents are those? And this other guy
yesterday, he was so terrified to talk to me, that he just sat there and
stared, and then he continued to say sorry because he didn’t have anything to
talk about.”

“Shit, that’s fucking stupid. Why would
he waste the money, at that point?”

“You should see these people,” Kailynn
murmured. “Kinda feel sorry for the fuckers, actually.”

Raphael immediately turned to her, his
brows furrowed.

“What?” he laughed brokenly. “You feel sorry for the privileged-as-fuck
assholes in Anon?”

“I just told you about a fucking kid who
never speaks with her parents,” Kailynn said sharply. “Don’t you feel sorry for
her?”

“I never spoke with my parents, either,”
Raphael said.

“That’s because they’re dead.”

“And so are yours.” Raphael turned over
and looked at her seriously. “Remember who killed your mom? Anon Officials. And
you’re sitting here telling me you feel sorry for them?”

“I’m just trying to get Theo and the
others out of Uren, and it’s fucking depressing to see how desperate they are
to talk. Life is fucking depressing, you know?”

Raphael sighed and flopped back down on
the bed, lifting the cigarette to his lips.

“Next thing you’ll tell me is that you
think the Elites are good leaders.”

“Fuck that,” Kailynn barked a laugh. “As
soon as I have enough to get Theo and the others out of Uren, I’ll never go
back to Anon.”

As much as she wanted out of Companion as
soon as possible, she had no idea that her status as a Significant would lead
her to the job that would change her life forever.

Chapter
Six

Kailynn did not like most of the clients
she found herself with, but she tried not to dwell on her disgust. She went
through each client, focusing only on the amount of money she was collecting.
Every night, she would count up the green, blue, yellow, and white credit chips
she had stored away, figuring out how much more money she needed to free Theo.
She figured she could free most of them in one payment, and then the remaining
members could be released at another time, once Theo had sufficient protection from
the gangs that sought to kill him.

She needed a big-paying client to partner
with her so that she could get the money quickly. It had already been five
months. She was worried she was running out of time. She knew that Venus could
decide any day to kill her brother.

After another night of no appointments,
Kailynn was staring at the ceiling, her mind fluttering with thoughts and
worries. A soft chime at the door alerted her to a visitor.

The door opened and a familiar face
entered.

“Jacyleen,” Jak greeted, walking into her
dorm room.

“Hi,” she said slowly, noting the drawn
look on his face. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” he assured. He grabbed her desk
chair and rolled it over, sitting in front of her, resting his head on his
hands on the back of the chair. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay…”

“This conversation didn’t happen, if
anyone asks, alright?” Jak looked at her seriously. Kailyn turned and dangled
her feet over the edge of the bed, cold fear stabbing her gut.

“Alright, but you’re making me nervous.”

Jak sighed heavily. “I know that you’re
taking tougher jobs for the higher pay,” he said quietly. “I don’t want to know
why you need the money, so don’t tell me. But…considering you do need the money, I think you’re the
person I can come to for this job.” Jak hesitated. “I can’t really tell you
details, but there is a client, an extremely wealthy client, that is asking for a Significant for an entire
month.”

“A month?”

“Yes, but…” Jak stopped, hesitating
before starting to speak again. “Basically, this person is paying for a very
discreet Significant to be at the home of a friend. The one paying is not the
one who wants to spend time with a Significant.”

“Paying for someone else?” Kailynn
murmured. “For a month? Sounds like
this guy has a lot of money to throw around.”

“He does,” Jak affirmed. “However…he
requested that the Significant be a woman, and someone who has not been a
Significant for long.”

Kailynn raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like
a red flag to me…”

“He says that the person he wants to
spend time with the Significant doesn’t like anyone who is fake, and
apparently, they think that all well-trained Significants are fake.”

“Sounds about right.”

“He requested someone with a bit of an
attitude. So, naturally, I thought of you,” Jak said. “Are you interested?”

“It’s all pretty shady…” Kailynn
murmured. “Did he say who the friend was that he’s paying for?”

Jak looked at his hands.

“Yes,” Jak muttered. “I trust the client
with you, but…” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Kailynn, this is a very
important job, but it’s also very dangerous. This person is not supposed to
spend time with Significants.”

Kailynn narrowed her eyes. “I thought
that only Syndicate Elites—” Her eyes went wide and she gasped. “A Syndicate Elite?”

“Shh…” Jak said, motioning her quiet,
even though they were already speaking quietly. “Yes, I can’t reveal a lot of
information to you and, naturally, this can never get out. You would have to
remain completely silent about who you are seeing, what you are there for, everything. At the end of the month, you
would come back and say that you went on some business trip with someone and
that was why you were gone. You could not ever tell anyone about this.”

“…how much are they going to pay?”

“Fifteen thousand a day.”

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide and her jaw
dropped.

“Fifteen
thousand?”

“Part of that payment is for discretion,”
Jak added. “Interested?”

“Hell yeah, I’m interested.”

“You need to be very careful,” Jak
whispered. “It’s not completely unheard of that a Syndicate Elite asks for
discrete services, but even then there are strict laws. You are not to touch
the Elite, and you are not to have
sex with them. They are bound by law to remain celibate. I don’t know the
punishment for Elites breaking the law, but anyone who breaks that law with
them is executed, quickly.”

“So basically all of the Elites are
forced to be blue-balled their whole lives?” Kailynn laughed. “I guess that
means they are dedicated to politics if they are willing to give up sex.”

“Jacyleen,” Jak sighed, “please, tell me
you understand.”

“I understand,” Kailynn assured with a
nod. “Since this is all so discrete, how much of the fee will I get?”

“If you stay discrete, you’ll get
eighty-percent,” Jak said. “We’re only going to put on the books what would
normally be paid for a nobleman business-trip deal. The rest of the payment is
under the table.”

“How are the Elites going to keep this
hidden from Venus?” Kailynn asked skeptically.

“I don’t think they do.” Jak shook his
head. “I think that Venus allows them time to talk to a Significant as long as
it is a rare occurrence and they do not break the rule of celibacy.”

“Don’t worry,” Kailynn laughed, rolling
her eyes. “An Elite is the last person I would want sex with, anyway.”

Jak sighed heavily and nodded. “Okay. You
will not have Nyx for this. The less people that know where you are, the safer
it is. Tomorrow, between noon and two, you will take public transportation to
Syndicate Central and go to Anon Tower. There is a code that will take you to
the level of the Elite you will be seeing.”

“What should I pack? Formal? Casual?”

“A small selection of both, just in
case,” Jak answered, standing. “But no more than that. I’m sure anything you
might need while there will be provided for you.”

There was a knock on Isa’s office as she
powered down her NCB chair.

“Come in.”

The door slid open and Remus walked into
her office.

“That was impressive what you did with
the trade embargo,” he congratulated. Isa sighed and shook her head, resisting
the urge to roll her eyes.

“I have to have an iron fist with those
morons,” she groaned. She smiled warily at the Silver Elite. “I’m surprised to
see you up here so late. Is everything alright?”

Remus nodded, looking at the ground.

“I need to talk to you.”

Isa studied the expression on Remus’
face, unsure if she should be worried about a massive disaster or if it was a
personal problem. It was not traditional for the Golden and Silver Elites to
speak face-to-face, but Isa and Remus were hardly traditional. They had been
close friends since their time in school together, so they found it easy to
approach one another. In fact, most of the Elites in Isa’s Syndicate were
unusual in that sense. While there were still many conversations that took
place through the NCB chairs while working, Isa encouraged all Elites to speak
with her face-to-face as often as possible, which was easier with all the
Elites having known each other since they were children.

“Where shall we go?”

“Anon Tower?”

Isa spent the entire drive worried about
what Remus could possibly have to tell her. She tried not to glance in the
mirrors of her vehicle to the car directly behind her, forcing her mind not to
jump to the worst conclusions.

When they pulled into the secured,
secluded parking garage for Anon Tower, Isa waited for Remus to get out of his
car before going to the guest elevator. Using her ID card, the two began the
ascent to the top floor. They did not speak, wary of the cameras in the
elevator car.

Isa could tell that Remus was tense.
Having known him for nearly their entire lives, she could discern that he was
not nervous about any disaster or catastrophe that Isa had yet to learn. She
knew he was nervous that she would not approve of something he had done.

She would have preferred to handle a
catastrophe.

They stepped out of the elevator and went
to the front door of Isa’s home. After walking in the door, they were both
greeted by Tarah, Isa’s young caretaker.

“Welcome home,” she said, bowing her head.

“Thank you, Tarah,” Isa said. “Please
bring two glasses of wine to the balcony.”

“Yes, Miss,” she affirmed, scurrying
away.

The two Elites moved through the spacious
living area to the balcony, stepping into the dusk air as the sun set and the
lights of Anon began to illuminate the city.

“Should I be concerned about something
you have done?” Isa asked lightly, glancing at Remus with a teasing smile. The
Silver Elite pursed his lips, smiling thinly as he looked to the balcony under
his feet.

“You should not be concerned…but you will likely not be pleased.”

Isa took a deep breath.

“Can you wait to tell me until after I
have my wine?”

“I’m probably going to need the wine to
get the courage to tell you,” Remus admitted with a broken chuckle.

“Why?” Isa laughed. “Do I frighten you?”

“You can be formidable,” Remus played
along. “You would never be so angry with me that you wouldn’t speak to me,
correct?”

Isa smiled gently, an unreadable light in
her eyes.

“I have always needed you by my side,” she
said. “I could not function without you. You know that.”

“You would be just fine without me,”
Remus said, shaking his head. “But that was not my question.”

“No, Remus,” Isa assured. “I might not
speak to you for a day, depending on what you did.” She laughed. “Once my wine
gets here, I want you to tell me what’s worrying you.”

Remus took a deep breath, nodding, his
expression showing his apprehension. He looked over the growing lights of Anon,
watching the darkness creep over the horizon as the city lit up and the
nightlife began. Isa also watched the city don the mask of nightly
entertainment, tantalizing everyone with bright lights and promises of escape.

The balcony door opened and Tarah came
out with two glasses of wine, handing one to each Elite before retreating
inside. Isa took a sip of the wine at the same time as Remus. The Silver Elite
glanced at the wine, his eyebrows high.

“That’s very nice.”

“It’s one of my new favorites. The
ambassador from Kreon gave it to me on his last visit. I will admit to spending
some money to getting more bottles.”

“Kreon wine, that is expensive,” Remus said. He took a larger drink of the burgundy
liquid, letting out a long breath when he lowered the glass again. Isa watched
him and then took a large gulp of her own drink.

“Alright,” she breathed. “Why did you
need to talk to me privately?”

Remus hesitated.

“I called Companion and hired a
Significant for you for a month,” he said, his words a little faster than
normal. He did not look at Isa, his eyes focused on the wine. However, he could
feel Isa’s eyes on him get wider.

“You did what?” she hissed. “Remus…”

“Isa, you need to talk to someone,” Remus
said. “Someone who isn’t me.”

“Remus, you know I severely dislike
Significants,” Isa groaned, turning away from Remus and walking to one of the
benches on the balcony. “I would get rid of the practice all together if I
thought the nobles wouldn’t assassinate me.”

“You refuse to go back to Paul. I needed
to do something. You’re starting to slip again.”

“I am not slipping,” Isa said, turning to
him before sitting on the bench. “It’s been a busy few weeks, so I haven’t been
particularly pleasant. I may have a glass or two of wine to get my brain to
calm down in the evenings, but I’m not being destructive.”

“I’m not talking about the drinking,”
Remus said, sitting next to her. “You’re losing weight, and your performance is
starting to decline once more. Before things get worse, you should take some
time and gather your bearings.”

“I have my bearings, Remus.”

Remus hesitated. “It’s barely been a year
since you last went into the hospital. You have a habit of jumping back into
the deep end before you’re ready.”

“That was a bad mix of medication for the
flu and the assassination attempt. That’s why I was back in the hospital. That
hardly—”

“Isa,” Remus said, placing his hand on
her shoulder, stopping her, “you can’t risk your health. Dr. Busen said that if
he saw you in the hospital again within the next eighteen months, he would have
you confined to the hospital until you were in the same state as when you were
first made Golden Elite.”

Isa sighed heavily, closing her eyes.

“I hardly think that’s fair,” she
grumbled. “I don’t even think magic
could get me the way I was when I was seventeen.”

“That’s why we have science,” Remus chuckled.
He gently rubbed her shoulder. “The Significant is going to be here for your
month leave.”

“Month leave?” Isa repeated, turning to
her Silver Elite with an incredulous look. “Pardon?”

“I’ve already informed the other Elites
that you are out of the Syndicate for the next month. For the first week you
are instructed not to work at all. After that, you can work remotely from
home.”

“You’ll never get this cleared through
Venus.”

“I already did,” Remus said. “She agreed
that she needed you healthy. But, because it is Venus, you still have to work
after the first week, just remotely. Dr. Busen also agreed that it was
important you rest.”

“Oh, and Venus wants me to have a
Significant?” Isa said skeptically. “The possibility of a scandal would be
enough for her to say no.”

“Actually, she agreed that you probably
needed some form of contact with new people,” Remus said. “As long as it was a
woman, she agreed.”

Isa groaned and rubbed her forehead.

“I can’t believe you are doing this to
me…”

“Isa,” Remus started, his voice pleading,
“I’m just worried about you. I let this get out of hand before and I refuse to
let it happen again.”

“You need to stop beating yourself up
about that,” Isa murmured, closing her eyes. “You did the best you could.” She
turned to Remus. “I’ve been off the medication for nearly seven months. I’m
alright.”

Remus looked at Isa, his hand still
rubbing her shoulder.

“I just want you to have someone to talk
to who is outside of the situation,” he murmured, his hand stilling. “Please?
Humor me?”

Isa sighed and smiled, shaking her head.

“You worry about me too much,” she
chuckled. Remus’ hand tightened on Isa’s shoulder as she moved closer, leaning
against the Silver Elite. “If everything I’ve been through in my life hasn’t
killed me yet, nothing will.”

Chapter
Seven

Kailynn did as she was told.

She had her small bag with her clothes,
but the bag felt surprisingly heavy. Even though she had agreed to meet with
the Syndicate Elite as a secret client, as she was standing outside Anon Tower,
staring up at the impressive structure of glass and steel, her nerves were
getting the best of her.

She steadied herself, remembering of the
money promised.

Then, she walked into the front lobby,
punching in the five-digit code for guests into the electronic lock.

The building was practically silent.
There was the gentle humming of the machines that ran the building, but the
foyer was devoid of people. The sounds from Kailynn’s shoes echoed in the
cavernous space and made her feel even smaller.

She walked toward the elevators, but
passed them, as she was told, going to the door marked “Caretaker.”

She knocked on the door three times and,
no more than two seconds later, the panel on the door lift up, depicting a man
with clean-cut, black hair and brown eyes.

“Welcome to Anon Tower. I am Caretaker.
How may I assist you?” the robot asked.

“I am a visitor,” Kailynn said slowly,
trying to strengthen her voice.

“What room are you visiting?”

“Code 7734,” Kailynn said nervously.

“Thank you. I shall page that room.
Please enter the first elevator.”

Kailynn turned to see the first elevator
door slide open. She was curious about the secrecy of the code to get to the
Elite’s level of the building, since she was sure no one would try to storm the
tower.

She stepped into the elevator and the
doors closed.

As the car of the elevator ascended,
almost silent, Kailynn concentrated on her breathing, being sure to keep
herself from shaking.

She had never seen an Elite before and was
unsure how they differed from humans. They were treated almost as if they were mythical
beings, ones only seen in the light of a full double moon. The reality that she
was about to meet an Elite—let alone spend a month with said Elite—was
overwhelming.

The elevator slowed to a stop and
Kailynn’s stomach flipped.

When the doors opened, Kailynn was
startled to see a young woman standing in the hallway. She was young but she
had a very natural and innocent beauty to her. She was dressed in simple
clothing, but that did not diminish the brilliance of her smile. Her long, dark
blonde hair was pulled into a braid that draped over her shoulder.

“Jacyleen?” the young woman asked.

“Yes.”

“Good morning,” the woman said with a bow
of her head. “I am Tarah, the caretaker of the household.”

“Tarah…caretaker? Are you old enough to
be working as a caretaker?” Kailynn asked.

“Yes,” Tarah said, surprised by the
question. “I am seventeen.” She motioned for Kailynn to follow her. “Please,
come with me. I will show you to your room.”

Kailynn slowly followed the young woman
down the short hallway to the only other door. The door opened automatically
and Kailynn had to stand in the doorway for a moment to admire the beautiful
home. There was a large sitting area filled with expensive furniture and a table
that served as a dining space. The lighting was installed into the white
ceiling and a fireplace was on the wall that curved outward into a wall of
glass, giving a spectacular view of the city skyline from the large balcony.

“Please, do not be shy, come in.”

Kailynn had been to several of the homes
of the nobles of Anon, but the elegance and simplicity of the level at Anon
Tower was unlike anything she had seen before.

“Thank you for coming to stay here,”
Tarah said with a smile. “Please feel free to make yourself at home. If you are
in need of anything, do not hesitate to let me know.”

“Thank you,” Kailynn said nervously.
“Um…where is…”

“She’ll be out momentarily,” Tarah
assured, understanding the question. “Allow me to show you to your room.”

Kailynn was, once again, surprised to see
that, when she rounded the corner, there was a bar with mirrors behind the glasses
and bottles of alcohol. She would have commented on the sheer number of
bottles, but the bar set up was so beautiful that she was captivated with the
way the light reflected off the glasses.

She followed the young caretaker through
the door on the other side of the bar. There was another hallway beyond with
four doors, two on each side. Tarah turned to the first door on the left and it
immediately opened.

“This will be your room.”

Kailynn walked in, her eyes captivated by
the grandeur of the large bed and desk with computer. She set her bag down on
the bed, her eyes wide.

“Please take your time to settle,” Tarah
said. “Come to the main room whenever you feel comfortable.”

Once Tarah left, Kailynn immediately went
to the bathroom and splashed her face with water, trying not to notice the
luxury of the bathroom as well. She told herself to calm down and that there
was nothing to be nervous about. The Elites also had to be careful if they
wanted a Significant around. Jak had assured her that they had dealt with
Elites before. Kailynn just needed to be careful and discreet and not allow
herself to be overwhelmed.

She dried her face and checked herself
over once before returning to the main room.

Kailynn was not prepared to be confronted
with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life.

The Elite was stunning. She was tall and
well-built, lined with lithe muscle. Her hourglass figure was accented by the
casual Elite attire, but the dark colors were in sharp contrast to her
alabaster skin and light blonde hair. But what took Kailynn’s breath away was
the vivid blue color of her eyes.

Their eyes met and, for those brief
seconds, everything else in the universe disappeared.

“Miss, this is Jacyleen,” Tarah
introduced, standing across the bar from the Elite.

“Jacyleen,” the beautiful woman said with
a perfect smile. “Thank you for agreeing to be here.”

“It is my pleasure,” Kailynn barely
managed to utter, still captivated by the blue eyes. “How…how should I address
you?”

“Just Isa is fine.”

Kailynn’s jaw dropped and her eyes shot
wide.

“Golden Elite Isa?” she whispered.

“You seem surprised,” Isa said gently.
“Were you not informed with which Elite you would be spending a month?”

“N-no, it’s not that…” Kailynn said
quickly, trying to disguise her utter shock. “I-it’s just that…I don’t think it
is appropriate to address you so informally.”

Isa’s smile widened.

“I would actually prefer casual conversation
while you are here.”

“Y-yes, of course.”

Kailynn could not form any thoughts other
than the fact that she was standing in the same room as the most powerful
person in the Altereye System. She had only heard of the Golden Elite. She had
never seen pictures or video, but she was sure that, even if she had, they
would not do justice to the perfection Isa exhibited. Even her blinking seemed
to be so perfectly timed that they were hypnotizing. Kailynn wondered if all
Elites were so flawless, or if it was only Isa.

“Well, Jacyleen, I do hope you will excuse
me, but there are a few matters to which I must attend.”

“Oh, yes, sure, okay.”

Kailynn’s tongue felt useless as she
tried to form words.

Isa thanked Tarah and walked past Kailynn
toward the hall of Kailynn’s room. When the door had closed behind her,
Kailynn’s entire body went slack. She glanced at Tarah, her eyes wide.

“I did not know I was going to be here
with the Golden Elite.”

“You didn’t?” Tarah asked. “Why wouldn’t
they tell you that?”

“I assume because they wanted to freak me
out as much as possible,” Kailynn groaned. She walked closer to Tarah. “That
was really Golden Elite Isa?”

“Yes,” Tarah said with a broken chuckle.
“Why are you so surprised?”

“I have never been around an Elite
before…” Kailynn said. “I thought it was one of the lower ranked ones, not the
most powerful one in the damn system.”

Tarah blinked at Kailynn’s tone. She had
never known Significants before, but she was sure they were not supposed to act
so unprofessionally when it came to their clients. Still, Tarah found herself
smiling.

“You are in for quite the month, then,
aren’t you?”

“I guess.”

“If there is anything you need, please
let me know. Feel free to explore the level. Isa’s office is in the back area.
Try not to disturb her when she is working. Otherwise, please make yourself at
home.”

“Um…what should I do?” Kailynn asked
nervously.

“Do?”

“Normally my clients are in the same room
with me when they want me over,” Kailynn said with a light chuckle.

“Oh,” Tarah laughed. “It’s very difficult
to get Isa to stop working. I’m sure that she’ll find you when she’s finished
with what she’s doing. You can do anything you would like until then.”

Kailynn was unsure what she possibly could do.

“Okay.”

“Are you hungry? I can make you something
to eat,” Tarah said, trying to make the Significant feel more comfortable.

“No, I’m alright.” Kailynn sighed heavily
and looked around. “I guess I’ll just…look around.”

“Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”

Kailynn watched the teenager move into
the kitchen through the door next to the bar. Kailynn sighed once more and
looked around the living room, noting the expensive pieces of art and the
beautiful, pristine condition of the furniture. The home hardly appeared to be
one that was occupied. It seemed to be for show. She walked around the
perimeter of the room and glanced over the paintings and photographs. She
noticed that there was no television in the room, and that surprised her.

She went to the other door in the main
room and it opened automatically. She was surprised when she was confronted
with what she assumed was the Golden Elite’s bedroom. There was a large bed,
the frame intricate designs of gold, holding the mattress and pillows in a nest
form, sunken in the middle and slightly tilted upward. The darker colors of the
room gave the bedroom a subdued and calming aura.

Kailynn glanced around nervously before
stepping into the bedroom, wondering if there was anything in there that could
tell her more about the Golden Elite. There was access to the balcony from the
bedroom, but the curtains were pulled closed over the windows to mute the
light. There was a large closet with the door open—Kailynn was sure that the
closet was the size of Raphael’s flat in Trid. There were racks of shoes and
accessories along with clothes of rich fabrics that Kailynn was afraid to
touch.

Across
the room from the closet was the bathroom, white with marble and silver. Even
after the time she had spent in the houses of noblemen, she was not prepared
for the luxury of the Golden Elite’s home.

She left the bedroom, going back into the
guest hallway where her room was located. She assumed that the other three
doors led to rooms that looked like hers, so she continued to the door at the
other end of the hallway.

The surprises continued.

There was a large pool set into the
floor, the pristine waters showing the care put into maintaining it. The
windows leading to the balcony allowed light and heat into the room. Kailynn
walked around the pool, completely overwhelmed. When she realized that there
was a smaller room off of the pool area with a sauna and workout area, she
could not help but roll her eyes.

“I don’t know what I was expecting…” she
grumbled.

As she left the pool area, she found
herself feeling indignant. She had to struggle to stay warm in Trid and find a
way to feed herself, but the Golden Elite had an entire level of Anon Tower
that had a pool and guest rooms for guests that Kailynn was sure Isa never had.
The class difference between the two was so apparent it almost physically hurt.
Kailynn was wondering why Isa was living in such luxury while there was an
entire district of her planet that struggled to survive just beyond the borders
of her shining capital city.

Kailynn walked through the other door of
the pool area, finding herself traveling further into the Golden Elite’s level.
She found herself in another hallway with four doors, two on each side. When
she got to the first door, it opened for her. Kailynn wondered what the Golden
Elite needed with four additional
guest rooms—except the hallway did not contain guest rooms, but guest suites. The rooms were even larger and
more lavish than the room Kailynn was staying in, which she found to be
incredibly extravagant.

Kailynn followed the bend in the hallway
and saw three more doors. She approached one, expecting it to open
automatically like the others, but it did not. She turned away from it, not
sure how to open it, since there was no handle on the door, and moved to the
next one, which did open. There was a smaller room with a billiards table and
several plush seats facing a large television—the only one Kailynn had seen in
the home.

The Significant went back to the last
door she had not explored and was confused at the sight.

There were shelves lining the room and in
many rows through the room. There were boxes sitting on the shelves with
writing along the edges. The boxes were different colors and sizes, filling the
shelves entirely. Kailynn stepped further in, the lights flickering on automatically.
She approached one of the shelves and gingerly touched one of the boxes. She
pulled it off the shelf, looking over the design on the front of the long, thin
box.

That was when she realized that the box
was not a box at all. It was multiple pages bound together to form a package
she had never seen before. She touched the pages, shocked at their texture and
thinness.

The sudden stop of a humming and the
sound of a door opening caused Kailynn to quickly replace the package and leave
the room, intent on coming back at a later time.

She quickly went back to the living room,
which was empty, and tried to decide what to do next.

She finally made the decision to go onto
the balcony. She walked to the glass wall and one of the panels automatically
moved aside for her. The cool air brushed her face and cleared her mind a
little. Never in her life did she ever think that she would be standing on the
balcony of the Golden Elite’s home.

Kailynn was looking out over the
buildings, trying not to get too close to the edge of the balcony. She had a
fear of heights and did not want to risk the vertigo she normally got looking
out of her own window on the third floor. Anon Tower was far taller than any
building she had ever been inside.

She took a deep breath and carefully
stepped forward, putting her foot down lightly and transferring her weight as
if the balcony would give way under her. She took another cautious step toward
the railing, raising on her toes to look over the edge, even though she was too
far away to see the ground.

“This building can withstand earthquakes
of nine-point magnitude,” a voice said behind her. Kailynn whirled around,
startled, and caught sight of Isa’s smiling face. Kailynn placed a hand against
her chest and let out a shaky breath.

“You scared the shit out of me.”

Isa chuckled and walked closer.

“I apologize,” she said. “You’re
acrophobic?”

“What?”

“Afraid of heights,” Isa clarified,
walking past Kailynn and turning around, taking a few steps back until she
could lean against the front rail. The younger woman watched her warily.

“Come closer,” Isa urged, extending her
hand.

Kailynn hesitated, not sure if she should
listen to Isa or decline and go back inside. She looked at Isa’s bright blue
eyes and found herself taking a step forward before she knew it. She slowly
reached out and let Isa take her hand. The Golden Elite gently led the
Significant a step closer to the edge.

“You’re safe up here,” she assured.
“There are sensors in the bottom of the balcony. If anything falls, a net
extends a few floors down to catch it.”

Kailynn blinked and turned to the Golden
Elite.

“Sounds like there have been some suicide
attempts from this balcony.”

“Not since they put the net in,” Isa
corrected with a laugh. She gently pulled Kailynn a step closer. “The trick is
not to look down. Look outward.”

Kailynn took another step forward, but
her fear got the best of her and she froze one step away from the railing.

She pulled her hand from Isa’s and shook
her head.

“I’m good here,” she said quickly.

“It’s closer than where you were before,”
Isa complimented.

“You’re not afraid of heights?”

“No,” Isa said with a shake of her head.
“I never have been.”

Kailynn looked over the Elite carefully,
unable to help herself. Everything about the Elite was so perfect, it was hard
to comprehend how someone could look completely immaculate. They were silent
for several long moments, staring at one another.

“I…I thought you were working…” Kailynn
started lamely.

Isa made a face. “I was, but Remus remotely shut down my chair.” She chuckled brokenly,
shaking her head. “He really does not want me working this week.”

“Remus?”

“The one who hired you,” Isa said gently.
“The Silver Elite of the Syndicate.”

“Oh…”

“I do apologize if it seemed that I was
distant this morning,” Isa said. “I will admit, I do not find the practice of
Significants at all appealing.”

Kailynn groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Me neither.”

“Yet, you do this work?” Isa asked.

“Best way for someone like me to make
money,” Kailynn said with a shrug.

“Someone like you?”

Kailynn felt her stomach flip, so she
pursed her lips and turned away.

“Never mind,” she said quickly. “I guess
I’m just surprised. Seems like a lot of people really like Significants.”

“Yes, unfortunately,” Isa agreed. “That
is why it is still in practice.” The Golden Elite turned to Kailynn fully and
smiled. “What’s your real name?”

“What?”

“Your real name,” Isa repeated.

“It’s Jacyleen,” Kailynn said, startled.

“No.” Isa shook her head. “I’m sure you
have a name better suited to you.”

Kailynn hesitated.

“…Kailynn.”

“Much better,” Isa agreed with a nod.

“Is your name really Isa?” Kailynn asked.
“Is it short for something? What about your last name?”

“No, Isa is my full, and only, name.”

“Only?” Kailynn asked, blinking. “You
don’t have a last name?”

Isa pursed her lips with a smile and
shook her head. “No Elite has a last name. We do not have parents from whom to
inherit them.”

Kailynn’s eyebrows furrowed.

“No parents?”

Isa looked confused by Kailynn’s
confusion.

“What do you know about Elites?”

“You run the Syndicate.”

“Yes.”

“What else is there to know?”

Isa chuckled at the indignant tone in
Kailynn’s voice. The Significant cringed.

“Sorry, I didn’t—”

“It’s alright,” Isa said. “May I ask a
question? Was there criteria for someone with an attitude to act as my
Significant?”

Kailynn laughed. “Actually, yes.”

“Remus knows me well,” Isa mused.
“Please, do not feel that you need to censor yourself. I deal with people who
are politically correct and vague all day. I prefer someone honest and
straightforward.”

Kailynn stared at the Elite for a moment
before she found herself smiling sincerely.

“You know, that’s amazing that you can
just say that.”

Isa’s smile knocked the breath from
Kailynn’s chest.

“Then, tell me, what else is there to
know about Elites?” Kailynn asked, trying to shake off the feeling. “I know you
run the Syndicate, and that you can’t have sex.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Isa said. “We
are not allowed to have sexual
intercourse. But we do have the physical capabilities.”

“That’s what I meant.”

“To be honest, that’s about everything
there is to Elites,” Isa admitted. “There is nothing more to us. No fear, no
emotion, high pain tolerance, low physical needs—”

“Did you say no emotion?”

“Elites are made, not born, and I do mean
that literally,” Isa explained. “We are created in incubational chambers and
grown to a certain age. During that process, certain functions of the brain are
turned off, such as emotions and the ability to cry.”

“You can’t cry either?” Kailynn gaped.
Isa shook her head.

“Elites were made to work. That’s all. A
great portion of Elites do not even have personality. They simply move about in
life as if they were a machine.” Isa walked to Kailynn, motioning her to follow
as they went back inside. “I’m sure that’s quite different from the people you
are normally around in Trid.”

Kailynn stopped at the door and blinked
in shock at the Golden Elite. Isa walked into the living room as Tarah walked
out of the kitchen, wondering if there was anything the Golden Elite needed.
The Significant quickly caught up to Isa and stood in front of her, blocking
Tarah.

“What did you just say?”

“That I’m sure there are far more
colorful people in Trid,” Isa said. “Did that upset you?”

Kailynn narrowed her eyes.

“You made it sound as though you were
calling me a Trid,” she said
carefully.

“Are you not?” Isa asked, her tone
without condescension. Kailynn was about to vehemently deny her true
birthplace, but stopped, startled by the tone in the Golden Elite’s voice. She
hesitated.

“What if I was?”

“Then you were born in Trid,” Isa stated
matter-of-factly. “I do not see anything wrong with that.” The Golden Elite
looked around Kailynn to Tarah. “Would you please make some tea?”

“Yes, Miss,” Tarah said, bowing her head
and returning to the kitchen. Isa was about to sit on the couch when Kailynn
stopped her.

“Say I was from Trid,” she started worriedly. “How did you know?”

“Because you did not know that Elites did
not have emotions,” she answered. She sat on the couch, turning her bright blue
eyes back on Kailynn. “That is something taught in all schools on Anon. Either
you skipped your lessons continuously, or you were born in Trid, where there
are no schools. Judging from what you said earlier about someone like you
needing to make money, I assumed you were a Trid.”

Kailynn remained still, staring at the
Golden Elite in shock. She had only spoken to the Elite for less than a
half-hour and already the woman knew that she was using a fake name and that
she had been born in Trid. It briefly crossed her mind that Isa, being the
Golden Elite, would send her back to Trid, or even to prison for faking
citizenship to work as a Significant.

“Are…are you going to call Officials on
me?”

“Why would I do that?” Isa asked gently.
“You knew the risks of faking citizenship and getting work in Anon. I’m sure
you would not do so lightly. There is a reason you need the money, and I’m not
about to make it more difficult.”

Kailynn stared at Isa in surprise. For a
few moments, she remained still. Then, she stepped to the couch across the
coffee table and sat down heavily, still looking at Isa. Several more seconds
passed before she spoke.

“You’re…not what I expected.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“…can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“Why, exactly, am I here?” Kailynn said
carefully. “Why would the Silver Elite pay for me to be here for you? I thought
Elites were never supposed to spend time with Significants? Aren’t you breaking
the law?”

“In a way, I am,” Isa agreed. “But Remus
is, as well, by paying for you to be here.” The Golden Elite took a deep
breath. “However, Venus does know you are here.”

“She does?” Kailynn gasped.

“There is no reason to be concerned,” Isa
assured. “Remus cleared the action with Venus before he asked for you. She
agreed.”

“Why would she agree?” Kailynn asked
suspiciously.

Isa’s eyes turned to the coffee table
between them.

“There are many reasons,” Isa started.
“But the biggest reason is that both Remus and Venus believe that I need to
take time off and talk to someone.”

“Why not just go to a therapist?” Kailynn
asked. “That’s what they’re meant for.”

“I do not feel the need to harass my
Specialist again,” Isa laughed lightly. “If I am being honest, I was opposed to
having you here. I do not like the practice of Significants, and I do not feel
that I need to discuss any personal problems. I might need this month-long
break to regain some of my mental energy, but I do not think I need a
Significant.”

“But I’m here anyway.”

“I was outnumbered,” Isa admitted. “While
you are here, though, please make yourself at home. I know you likely deal with
customers who are not great conversationalists, but I enjoy face-to-face
conversation greatly.”

“That would be a first,” Kailynn
chuckled.

Chapter
Eight

Kailynn had been unable to sleep the
previous night. She had sat with Isa for much of the day and spoken to her.
Only twice did Isa go back to her office to find that Remus was keeping her NCB
chair on remote lockdown, preventing her from working. She returned and would
ask Kailynn to tell her a little more about what Significants were like when
they were not with clients.

Kailynn was only too happy to tell her
the stories of the Significant lounges. Isa listened and smiled, rarely
contributing to the conversation other than to keep Kailynn talking. Kailynn
did not realize how much she had told Isa until she looked at the clock and
realized that they had been in conversation for over four hours.

She had stopped when Isa got a phone
call. The Elite answered it with her earpiece and began laughing gently at the
beginning of the conversation. Kailynn had taken the time of the Elite’s
distraction to study her, still unable to fully comprehend how the beautiful Elite
was real.

After the brief conversation, Isa
finished her wine and said that she was going to go to bed. She thanked Kailynn
again for being there and said she looked forward to spending the month with
her. Kailynn was not sure if she was just being polite, but the words made the
younger woman smile, regardless.

Kailynn went to her room, but could not
settle down. Her thoughts were practically consumed with her situation and with
how different Isa was from how she imagined.

Rumors of the Golden Elite were not
common, but there were certain things that were expected when one thought of
the most powerful person in the planetary system. Kailynn would have thought
that the Golden Elite would be cold and cruel, abiding strictly by the laws and
being sure that all under her rule did the same. Isa, however, had a strangely
gentle nature about her. Her perfection made her intimidating, and there was an
air of authority around her, but she did not appear to be a harsh leader.

Kailynn spent most of the night thinking
about Isa.

Therefore, she was tired when she walked
out of her room and joined Isa and Tarah for breakfast.

“Did you sleep well?” Isa asked.

“I did, thank you,” Kailynn lied. She had
always felt that the morning after being with a client was awkward and forced,
and this was no exception. She had spent so much of the night thinking about
the Elite, she felt awkward as she approached the table. Tarah stood to serve
her, but Kailynn smiled and shook her head.

“It’s alright, I can serve myself.”

“No, Miss Jacyleen, it’s quite alright.”

“Oh, actually, my name is Kailynn. My
real name.”

“Oh.” Tarah stared at Kailynn, blinking
slowly, “Kailynn. I will serve you.”

Tarah quickly went into the kitchen
before Kailynn could protest further. Isa watched her caretaker leave, her eyes
lingering on the door for only a moment before she turned to Kailynn.

“She will be more comfortable serving
you. It’s what she has been taught to do.” Isa motioned to the chair across
from her. “Please.”

Kailynn sat, her eyes averted from the
Elite. Isa was in a heavy robe, but she still appeared to be flawless, even
dressed so casually. Her hair fell in natural waves around her face. Kailynn
realized quickly that the Elite did not have makeup on but still looked
perfect.

It was then that Kailynn had to remind
herself that Isa was not human.

The Golden Elite looked up from a small
tablet, where she had been reading the news, and smiled at Kailynn.

“How are you this morning?”

“Okay,” Kailynn murmured. “Not used to
being served, though.”

Isa smiled. “I’m sure it’s a big change
for you.”

“I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with
it,” Kailynn laughed awkwardly.

“Tarah enjoys her works in the kitchen.
Letting her serve you is something that will make her happy. If you feel
uncomfortable with any of the other things she does for you, then feel free to
tell her to stop.”

“Other things?” Kailynn asked nervously.
“Are caretakers, like, the servants
of the Elites?”

“We try to avoid that word,” Isa said
carefully. “They are paid, and of course they are allowed to resign whenever
they wish. But they are responsible for the upkeep of an Elite household, and
an Elite.”

“Upkeep? What, do you have maintenance or
something?” Kailynn laughed. Isa chuckled as well, shaking her head.

“No, mostly they make sure that we eat,
keep the house clean, and make sure we have everything we need.”

“But caretakers aren’t expected to wipe
the asses of the Elites, or anything like that, right? They don’t have to do
everything for you?”

Isa could not help but laugh at Kailynn’s
vulgarity.

“I would certainly hope that those
working with me to run the planet are capable enough to wipe their own asses.”

Tarah returned with a plate of food and a
cup of coffee, setting it down in front of the Significant.

“If you would prefer tea, instead, I
still have some warm in the pot.”

“No, coffee is fine.”

Isa turned back to the tablet with the
news while Kailynn ate the most delicious food she was sure she had ever
tasted. She remembered her shock the previous night when real, organic food was
brought out for dinner as opposed to ration packs, which she had grown up
eating. Real food was too expensive. Only the high class society members were
able to afford it.

Kailynn almost wished she had never eaten
the food because she knew it would be difficult to return to ration packs.

Isa stood when Kailynn was half-way
through her breakfast. She walked into her room, the door closing behind her as
she continued to read the tablet in her hand.

Kailynn turned to Tarah, who was looking
at her food, pushing it around on her plate.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh?” Tarah looked up quickly. “Oh,
yeah, I’m fine,” she assured. “Are you comfortable in your room?”

“Yeah,” Kailynn said. An awkward silence
fell over them as Tarah tried to figure out what to say next. “So, how did you
come to work here?” Kailynn prompted.

“I took over for Rayal when he resigned,”
Tarah explained.

“Rayal? Was he the previous caretaker?”

“Mm-hm,” Tarah affirmed with a nod. “He
put in his resignation three years ago, and then trained me for a year, and
then left.”

“Why did he quit?”

“I think there was just a lot for Rayal
to process after…” Tarah trailed off, her eyes going wide when she remembered
who she was talking to and that she should not speak too freely. “Sorry. It’s
just that…a few years ago, things were a little difficult for the Syndicate and
Rayal was having trouble keeping up with Isa’s needs. He resigned, saying he
wasn’t young enough to deal with the stress of handling Isa’s care.”

“Is she difficult to take care of?”
Kailynn asked worriedly. She was suspicious about the way Tarah had quickly
caught herself and then began speaking vaguely.

“In a way,” Tarah chuckled, rolling her
eyes. “You will never meet someone who takes worse care of themselves. She never stops working. Some days it’s a
miracle if I can get her to eat anything. She’ll often stay up all night
working. I keep having to ask her to sleep and eat.”

“Sounds like a predicament,” Kailynn
chuckled. “Was Rayal not a good caretaker, then?”

“He was the best,” Tarah said strongly.
“No one could do their job as well as Rayal.”

“Well, then, why was he having trouble
keeping up with Isa?”

Tarah opened her mouth to speak, but
stopped. She looked torn and frantic, as if she was trying to keep something
secret. Kailynn watched her struggle, hoping that the teenager would just tell
her what had really happened, but when she saw how nervous the younger woman
was getting, she took pity upon her.

“I guess I’m just wondering if his
resignation was because he and Isa didn’t get along.”

“Oh no, far from it,” Tarah said, shaking
her head, relaxing a little. “Rayal still works for Isa as head of her
Intelligence Agency.”

“Humans are allowed to work for the
Syndicate?”

“Most of the basic workers in the
Syndicate are human,” Tarah explained. “Then there’s the Gold, Silver, and
Bronze Elites—fifteen in total.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“And they all have caretakers like you?”

“Yes,” Tarah said with a nod. “We’re
trained by our predecessor for a year before we take the position.”

“And how do you get to be trained to be a
caretaker?”

“It’s who you know,” Tarah explained. “I
was lucky. Isa took interest in me when I was very young, so she asked me if I
would like to take over for Rayal, and I quickly agreed.”

“Why? Why did you want this position? Sounds
like you’re basically Isa’s live-in maid.”

“I wanted to work for her. I owe her my
life.”

“Your life? What do you mean?”

“I wouldn’t be alive today if it weren’t
for Isa. Working here was the least I could do to pay her back.”

“What happened? How did she save your
life?”

“That’s not a good story…” Tarah said,
shaking her head and smiling nervously. “Maybe some other time.”

The caretaker stood and grabbed Isa’s
plate, as well as her own, and returned them to the kitchen. When she came back
out, Kailynn grabbed her arm.

“Tarah, I’m sorry if I upset you,” she
said sincerely. “This is a very strange world to me. I was just trying to
converse.”

“I know, I’m alright,” Tarah assured with
a gentle smile. “I know how much of a shock this is for you. I was born into
poverty. It took a long time to get used to this luxury.” Tarah’s smile
widened. “Enjoy it while you’re here. There’s no reason not to.”

Kailynn wandered about the home, not sure
what to do with her afternoon. Isa had vanished. Again. She had appeared for an hour or so and had another cup of
tea while she read her tablet. Then she disappeared for several hours before
returning for lunch. Kailynn had to busy herself with trying to help Tarah
because she did not know what to do with herself otherwise. After lunch, as
Kailynn was helping Tarah with the dishes, Isa disappeared again.

Kailynn was wondering what the Golden
Elite was doing that she could breeze about the house like a ghost. She also
wondered if that was going to be common through the entire month.

She was being paid far too much to act
like a piece of furniture in the house.

Kailynn walked into the pool area and was
confronted with the sounds of water splashing. Surprised, she watched Isa swim,
ducking underwater and changing direction as the Elite swam laps.

Kailynn walked up to the pool’s edge,
watching the Elite swim away from her, making the exercise look easy. Kailynn
was so caught up with how flawlessly the Elite moved through the water that it
took her longer to realize that the Elite was swimming naked.

Startled, but also fascinated, Kailynn
watched the Elite change directions again and swim toward her.

On the final few strokes, Isa broke form
and went to the side of the pool, smiling at Kailynn as she leaned against the
edge.

“Hello.”

“Hello,” Kailynn said, blinking out of
her stupor. “You’re a really good swimmer.”

“You think so?”

“You made it look easy.”

“Thank you,” Isa said, pushing some wet
tendrils of hair behind her ear. “Care to join me?”

Kailynn looked over the pool and laughed
nervously.

“Uh, I don’t think so…”

“Why not?”

“I…I don’t have a swim suit.”

“Neither do I.”

“I noticed,” Kailyn muttered. “Why are you naked?”

Isa shrugged. “It’s my own home.”

“But…what if another Elite were to come
over and ask you about something?” Kailynn said, looking at Isa skeptically. “I
mean, if they even do that.”

“I would hope that Tarah would give me
some notice of that,” Isa started. “But otherwise, I wouldn’t be bothered. I’ve
had the Elites of the Syndicate join me swimming.”

“Naked?”

“Yes.”

“But what if one of them tried to…you
know?”

“I don’t think any of the Elites would
ever think about doing something to me against my will,” Isa assured. “And, if
the thought ever did cross their minds, they would know better than to come
onto me.”

Kailynn groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Do you have any experience with the way
men are?”

“I do,” Isa laughed. “But the men that
you know and associate with are human,”
Isa said, pushing away from the edge of the pool and drifting backward. “Elites
are not.”

“I’m starting to understand that…”

“So?” Isa said, raising her eyebrows.
“Are you going to join me?”

Kailynn looked over Isa’s naked form
distorted in the water and made a face, feeling nervous about her body for the
first time in many years.

“No.”

“Come on,” Isa said with a grin. “There’s
no reason to be nervous.”

“Well, you say that,” Kailynn sighed. “But…if I looked like you, I wouldn’t be
nervous, either.”

“If you looked like me?”

“You know, a flawless body.”

“Kailynn,” Isa said, looking over the
younger woman, “you have an incredible body.”

Kailynn pursed her lips.

“…I don’t know how to swim…”

“Then you better get in the shallow end,”
Isa laughed, jerking her head to the other side of the pool. She turned away
from Kailynn and swam into the shallow end. Kailynn watched the Elite move
fluidly, standing in the shallow waters, the water lapping at the slope of her
abdomen. Kailynn stared at the curves of the Golden Elite’s body, noting the
indent of her soft waist and the swell of her perfect breasts, leading up into
soft, but strong, shoulders.

Kailynn walked around the pool as Isa
turned to her.

“What?” she asked when Kailynn continued
to stare.

“You really are perfect.”

“No,” Isa corrected. “I’m artificial.
It’s easy to look a certain way when a computer plans every gene.”

“Like I said, perfect,” Kailynn concluded
with a nod, stopping at the edge of the pool.

Isa’s eyes changed slightly at the words,
a sad look touching her expression. However, she took a deep breath and smiled,
motioning Kailynn into the pool. “Come on. I’ll teach you how to swim.”

Kailynn still hesitated. There were a
million different thoughts running through her mind. She knew that, as a
Significant, she was supposed to do whatever her client wanted. However, her
study of Isa’s body was worrying her slightly. She found the Elite extremely
beautiful. She was concerned that her staring, coupled with the fact that they
would both be naked and in close proximity, she would make the Elite
uncomfortable.

“There is no need to be so nervous,” Isa
assured, leaning against the side of the pool near Kailynn’s feet. “Don’t worry
about catering to me. If you really don’t want to swim, that’s fine.”

“No, it’s just…” Kailynn trailed off. “I
dunno…”

“The decision is yours,” the Elite said,
backing away. “I know that as a Significant, you are meant to do as I ask, but
I’d rather you swim with me as a friend, and only if you want.”

Kailynn’s eyes met the Golden Elite’s
once again. She was unsure what it was that she saw in Isa’s eyes, but there
was a type of pain, like loneliness, only deeper. Kailynn had come to notice
the excited and nervous looks on the faces of the clients who were so lonely it
had become physically painful. But with Isa, the pain looked different.

She decided that learning how to swim
would be a way to keep Isa from trying to work during her leave. It was also a
way to keep Kailynn from being completely bored.

“Okay.”

Kailynn unzipped her shirt and shrugged
it off, placing it on a bench where there were some folded towels next to Isa’s
robe. She then shimmied out of her pants and placed them on the bench as well.
She decided to strip off her bra and panties before she could think better of
it, placing them on top of the pile of her clothes.

She turned around, having to make great
effort not to cover herself. She put her toe in the water, pleased to find that
it was warm. She walked down the smooth steps until she was next to the Golden
Elite. She ducked underwater briefly and came back up, rubbing water from her
face.

“First things first,” Isa said. “Don’t
panic. If you are having difficulty staying above water, I will pull you up.”

“My life is in your hands,” Kailynn said
with a nervous laugh.

Isa started explaining how to tread
water. They stayed in the shallow end of the pool and Kailynn tried to tread
water, finding the task more difficult than she expected. However, as she
started to get the motions down, Isa told her to move further and further into
the pool until she could no longer touch the bottom with her toes. Kailynn
tried to tread water again, but it took her a while to get the motions strong
enough to keep her head above water.

After she had that, Isa kept them in the
deep end of the pool and went over to Kailynn, telling her to straighten her
legs before placing her hand under Kailynn’s legs and pulling them to the
surface, her other hand supporting the Significant’s back. She explained to the
younger woman how to keep her body afloat, teaching her the breathing
techniques she had been taught. She kept her hands under Kailynn. When she
tried to remove them, Kailynn glared at her.

“Don’t let go!”

Isa chuckled and her hands returned,
watching Kailynn as she inhaled and tried to kick her legs gently.

Suddenly, Isa’s hands were gone. Kailynn
turned quickly to see Isa backing away with a smile. However, the Significant
lost focus and her body dipped into the water, effectively scaring her.

“I told you not to let go!” she barked,
moving her hand and splashing Isa with water before lunging at her. Isa
chuckled and swam further into the deep end of the pool, Kailynn struggling
against the water to get close enough to exact her revenge. Isa watched her
awkwardly swim closer and splash the Elite once more. Isa laughed and ducked
underwater, swimming back to the shallow end, watching Kailynn to be sure that
she stayed above water.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit…” Kailynn huffed,
trying to follow Isa, realizing she was in the deep end of the pool. Isa resurfaced
when Kailynn could touch the bottom of the pool with her toes again and she
darted at Isa, splashing her once more.

Isa retaliated and Kailynn lunged at her,
grabbing her arm and splashing the Elite directly in the face, being sure her
arm was restrained in case of counter-attack.

Instead, Isa grabbed Kailynn’s wrist in
turn and pulled her into the deep end once more. Kailynn tried to swim
backward, but Isa brought her forward.

Clamoring to figure out how to stay
afloat with the bottom of the pool suddenly out of reach, she climbed onto
Isa’s back, wrapping her arms around the Elite’s shoulders.

“If I drown, you drown with me!” she
declared with a laugh.

Isa laughed and started to swim back to
the shallow end.

“You can swim when you’re angry enough,”
Isa teased.

“You let go of me!”

“I knew you would stay afloat,” Isa
assured, her feet touching the bottom of the pool as her hands released
Kailynn’s legs. The Significant unhooked her arms from around Isa’s shoulders
and moved further into the shallow end.

“But I was in the deep end.”

“Have you never heard the saying sink or
swim?” Isa asked with a devilish smile.

“And I was sinking!” Kailynn said, a wide smile on her face, unable to keep
from laughing. “If you ever drop me again, I will kick your ass.”

“So it wasn’t bad enough that you never
want to get back into the pool?” Isa asked. “Must not have been as traumatic as
you had me believing.”

Kailynn stuck out her chin in an
over-exaggerated pout. She turned and started to swim toward the deep end of
the pool, her arms and legs flailing underwater as she tried to propel herself
forward, just to show Isa. The Elite smiled and watched, but was sure to be
prepare to swim to the Significant if needed. Kailynn struggled against the
water in a way that almost made Isa laugh.

When the younger woman reached the other
end of the pool, she latched onto the siding and caught her breath. Swimming
was a lot more work than she anticipated.

With unnatural grace, Isa swam to the
other side of the pool and stopped next to Kailynn.

“This is…a workout…” Kailynn gasped.

“That’s enough for today,” Isa agreed,
pulling herself out of the pool, making it look effortless. Kailynn tried to
follow suit, but her arms were shaking from the exertion of her frantic swim
across the pool. Isa reached down and helped pull the Significant out of the
water.

Chapter
Nine

For the following three days, Kailynn was
sure that she found Isa and made her go to the pool to teach the Significant
how to swim. However, sometimes finding the Elite was a chore. Isa was trying
to find ways to override the lock on her NCB chair, but Remus would find out
what terminal she was working on and shut that off as well. It was amusing to
watch Isa walk around, defeated, not knowing what to do with herself when she
was not working.

But that did mean that, when Kailynn was
lost in thought, or in the middle of doing something with Tarah, the Elite
would appear from nowhere, startling the Significant every time.

Kailynn was no longer concerned about
being naked in front of the Elite. The second lesson had helped her get over
her self-consciousness. Isa had been focused on teaching Kailynn some swimming
techniques, and had been in close proximity to the Significant through the
entire lesson. Kailynn was beginning to look forward to the swim lessons every
day.

However, the lessons were short and Kailynn
was having trouble finding other ways to occupy her time. She would help Tarah
as much as the caretaker would allow, but Tarah felt uncomfortable with all the
help from the Significant. When Tarah would finally tell Kailynn to go do
something else, she would go to the entertainment room next to Isa’s office and
watch television, but there was little on that was interesting. There were a
lot of television shows that were half-way into a story that Kailynn did not
bother to learn. She had thought that television was more interactive, where
the person could be in the role of a character during the episode, but she came
to learn that Isa did not have that television because she only watched the
news, if she watched television at all.

The Elite had laughed when Kailynn said
that people probably prefered those experiences because it was a way to escape
reality. Kailynn suggested it as a means to help Isa escape the stresses of her
day.

“Perhaps,” she had agreed, “but I spend
all day at work as a virtual being. I’d like to be in the real world at least
some of the time.”

On the sixth day of Kailynn’s stay, she
wandered back into the room she had made a note to explore.

The lights came on automatically when she
walked in and the packages of papers were illuminated for her to see. She
walked in, looking among the different words printed on the ends. She continued
down the aisle of colors and shelves, looking over them carefully. She
desperately wished she could read, curious about what the words said along the
shelves.

When she rounded the corner of the first
row of shelves, something else caught her eye immediately. Along the wall was a
gallery of paintings. Some were smaller, abstract scenes and others were
stunning realistic sceneries. There was a photoset of the city of Anon being
built. But scattered among these paintings were four large depictions of naked
bodies—two women and two men. The bodies stood out against the solid black
backgrounds, their faces not depicted in the paintings. They were all positioned
differently, exhibiting a side of the body and the musculature of the frame.
One woman’s back was turned, one arm extended above her head as her body
twisted and curled forward. The other was leaning forward, one arm wrapped
around herself as the other wrapped her neck, her body tilted, her ribs
protruding slightly in the position. One of the male portraits was extremely
muscular, his back turned, one hand grabbing one foot and pulling it up behind
his back, leaning back to create an arch with his spine. The final picture, the
one that caught Kailynn’s attention, was a frontal of another man, his frame
built, but not too muscular. He was leaning back, his arms extended out of the
frame, his abdomen and chest pulled tight by the stretch as his body twisted
slightly.

Kailynn was studying the collection of
nude paintings when Isa, once again, startled her.

“I was wondering where you ran off to,”
the Golden Elite said. Kailynn jumped, trying not to blush at being caught
looking at nude artwork.

“You need to stop doing that,” she said
with a nervous laugh. “I’m going to get you a bell or something.”

Isa laughed. “I am sorry. I do not mean
to keep startling you.” She looked at the paintings behind Kailynn. “What do
you think?”

“Huh?”

“Of the artwork,” Isa clarified. “You
were studying it intensely when I walked in.”

“Oh, uh,” Kailynn glanced behind her at
the two particular images that had captured her attention, “I think they’re,
uh…” She turned back to Isa. “Why do you have so many pictures of naked
people?”

“I have an intense fascination with the
body,” she admitted, stepping closer. “I think it is incredibly beautiful.”

“So you have naked pictures? Wouldn’t
that be considered…I dunno…”

“Pornographic?” Isa completed. “No, I
don’t think so.” She looked at the male nude directly behind Kailynn, her eyes
following the curves in the artwork. “The body is not only about sexual desire.
It is incredible to see the design of the human body, the way the male and
female bodies differ and the utility of the body in its entirety.”

Kailynn turned to Isa, watching the
Elite’s eyes look over the male body.

“Doesn’t it make you curious?” Kailynn
asked. “You can’t actually have sex. Seeing these pictures,” Kailynn looked
back at the male nude, “it has to make you wonder what you’re missing.”

“Which one of the collection is your
favorite?” Isa asked, ignoring the comment. The younger woman hesitated and
then nodded to the picture Isa had been admiring.

“Mine as well.”

“His body seems perfect,” Kailynn said.

“I agree.” Isa nodded. “Symmetrical,
powerful, the angle really accents the musculature.”

“…I was talking about something else.”

“Oh?” Isa chuckled, looking at Kailynn.
“And what would that be?”

“Well…I’m not an expert or anything, but
I think he has a nice dick.”

Isa let out a bark of laughter, causing
Kailynn to smile.

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you never
looked at it.”

“I have, of course,” she admitted.

“He has no insecurities.”

“You don’t know that,” Isa said. “His
face isn’t shown. It’s possible that he only agreed to pose because his
identity would not be revealed. He might be extremely self-conscious of his
body.”

“He shouldn’t
be if he looks like that,” Kailynn said.

“I agree.”

“Be honest, if he came up to you and told
you he wanted to have sex, you would do it, wouldn’t you?” Kailynn said,
raising her eyebrows suggestively. Isa looked at Kailynn with an unreadable
light in her eyes.

“Would you?”

“Hell yeah,” Kailynn said enthusiastically.
“Do you know who this is? Because I’d like to see if he is as perfect as this
picture makes him look.”

“As a matter of fact, I know the artist
and I was there for one session of this painting.”

“Then you do know who this is,” Kailynn said. “And you know he’s
self-conscious, huh?”

“He is,” Isa chuckled. “And he is as
perfect as he looks in this picture.”

“And, not once, did he ask you to sleep with him?”

“No, of course not,” Isa said, shaking
her head. “Elites are forbidden from the sexual life.”

“Why is that? I mean, some of the guys I
know, if they don’t have sex, they
can’t think of anything other than having
sex.”

“For humans, that is likely true,” Isa
agreed. “However, for Elites, any physical desire, particularly for the males,
is beaten out at a young age.”

Kailynn stopped, looking at Isa’s veiled
expression.

“Beaten?”

Isa turned to the Significant.

“Yes.”

Kailynn stared at the Golden Elite for
several long moments, trying to think of something to say.

“Why?”

“Because Elites are meant to work,” Isa
explained coolly. It was clear she was reciting things that she had been told
at a young age. “Everything else is a distraction.”

Kailynn could not think of anything to
say in response. She slowly turned back to look at the paintings, trying to
think of a way to switch the conversation, but the words sat uneasily in her
stomach.

“Do the people know that?” she murmured.
“That all the Elites are beaten as children?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Isa admitted.
“Most Elites also learn to keep quiet. As I’ve told you, Elites rarely even
have personality. They don’t question why they’re being beaten. They learn what
brings the beatings and learn to avoid it. It’s programming.”

“It sounds horrible.”

“Yes, the Academy certainly can be
brutal.”

“Academy?”

“The Elite Academy,” Isa clarified.
“After Elites are removed from their incubational tanks, they are sent to the
Academy for schooling until graduation at age twenty.” Isa took a deep breath
and slowly let it out, turning back to Kailynn. “I don’t mean to drag down the
conversation.”

“No, it’s fine, it’s just…I mean, it’s not fine. They’re beating kids.”

Isa smiled thinly.

“Only until we learn.” She laughed,
shaking her head. “Which some of us never do.”

“Oh? Like you?” Kailynn asked, finding it
hard to believe that the calm Golden Elite ever had a difficult time with
teachers at the Elite Academy.

“Let’s just say that I used to be a very
slow learner,” Isa said mysteriously.

“I think you still are,” Kailynn teased.
“You’re still trying to get the NCB chair to work even though Remus continues
to thwart your plans.”

Isa laughed richly, the sound making
Kailynn’s breath catch in her throat. Isa turned her eyes, now bright with
amusement, onto Kailynn, making it more difficult for the younger woman to
breathe.

“Yes, he does keep catching me,” she
said. “At this point, I don’t care about getting the chair working. I’m just
trying to see if there is any way for me to work around his lockdown.” She
shook her head. “He’s amused by it as well. It’s been a fun way to pass the
time.”

“You mean distracting your Silver Elite?”
Kailynn laughed, surprised.

“Of course.” Isa nodded. “I have to
remind him how much he needs me around.” She winked at Kailynn, causing heat to
rise in the Significant’s cheeks. Kailynn chuckled as well, trying to dispel
the feelings churning in her belly.

“Sounds to me like you’re a slave-driver
of a boss.”

“I just like to keep him in shape,” Isa
said, trying to hide her smile.

“That sounds dirty.”

“It was intended to,” Isa said with a
nod. “I may be an Elite, but I can still have a sense of humor.”

“Can you not work from another computer,
or something?”

“Not in the capacity I need,” Isa
admitted. “I can send messages from other platforms, but I need the NCB chair
to handle most of my affairs.”

“And you just sit in that chair
and…what?”

“Have you never seen one?”

“No.”

Isa motioned Kailynn to follow her.
Kailynn fell in step behind the Elite, trying not to watch Isa move. It felt
like every move—every step, every strand of hair rustled, every swing of her
arms—was a perfectly choreographed dance, captivating and powerful. Kailynn had
become increasingly curious about the other Elites. She wondered if they were
all perfect. With the way Isa was capturing Kailynn’s attention so easily, it
was no wonder the Elites were such incredible politicians. They commanded
attention and respect by their very being.

Isa led Kailynn to her office, which the
Significant had never been in before.

The office was mostly bare, with a large
desk on one wall that had four large monitors on it, and a sitting area in the
far corner with windows looking out over the city. However, most of the room
was taken up by the NCB chair.

The chair was big, bolted into the floor
and had a large ring around the base and around the headrest.

“This looks terrifying.”

“It’s quite the machine,” Isa said with a
nod. She patted the ring around the headrest. “Hop in.”

“What?”

“It’s on lockdown. It’s not going to turn
on. Besides, you need training to operate one of these. I would never have you
sit in it and turn it on.”

“Training? Seriously? To sit in a chair?”

“It’s more complicated than that, this
chair can put you in the hospital if you’re not careful.”

“Then why are you asking me to sit in it?”

“To show you what an NCB chair does. If
I’m ever here and you need my attention, such as in an emergency, then you need
to know how to safely interrupt me.”

Kailynn stared at Isa, worried and
surprised. She was not sure how the chair could be that dangerous, but Isa did
have her curious.

Kailynn ducked her head under the upper
ring and went to the chair, sitting in it slowly, her hands resting on the cold
metal of the arm rests. The chair’s seat was tilted upward, which caused
Kailynn to slide back until her body was cradled in position. She tried to pull
herself back up, but the chair’s position made it very difficult to move.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to get
out,” Kailynn laughed.

“It’s meant to keep you as still as
possible,” Isa said. She tapped Kailynn’s leg. “Put your legs in the cradles.”

Kailynn kicked one of her legs over the
slightly-raised middle section of the chair and placed her foot in the covered
area, sliding her other leg into position as well.

“There are a lot of settings on this
chair,” Isa started. “Push your head back into the cushion.”

Kailynn did so and was surprised that her
head sank into the cushions as a section above her head protruded and covered
her hair, stopping at her forehead. Once the movement above her head stopped,
two rounded points protruded just behind her nape and touched softly to her
hairline.

“I thought you said this thing wouldn’t
turn on,” Kailynn said quickly.

“It isn’t on,” Isa assured. “When this
mode is activated, it’s called BCS—BioCranial Sourcing.”

“What does that mean?”

“It’s the mode used for filing documents,
looking up information, composing messages, receiving messages, etcetera. When
this chair is not on lockdown, this ring,” she tapped the ring on the headrest,
“will glow blue and there will be holograms of codes in the area below it. BCS
Mode is dangerous. The chair is connected directly to the brain and, if halted
too quickly, can cause severe headaches, concussion, memory loss, and a few
other problems. If you see this ring glowing blue, and you need to interrupt me
for an emergency, there is a number pad on the back of the chair. The code is
77743. That will start the ten-second emergency shut down.”

“When you’re in this mode, what does it
feel like?”

“It feels like being suspended in
weightlessness. This is meant to dull the senses to the body and allow for the
brain to process information, which is input through the nodes at the back of
your neck. From that point, it’s a bit like going through documents on a
tablet, only it’s in your mind.”

“That sounds confusing…”

“That’s why training is essential,” Isa
agreed with a laugh. Her expression fell a little. “Now, if this ring is
glowing red, it is far more dangerous to interrupt me. It’s the same code to
disable the chair, though.”

“What mode is red?”

“Off-Planet Mode, notoriously nicknamed
Opium.” Isa took a deep breath and gently tapped the ring again. “This means
that my entire body is dependent on the chair to survive. If interrupted in
Opium, it is likely that I will be unconscious upon being released from the
chair and I will need to go to the hospital. I strongly discourage ever
interrupting me in this mode unless there is immediate danger, such as a fire.”

“Noted,” Kailynn said, her eyes wide.

“If this ring is not glowing at all, I’m
not bound to the chair,” Isa said finally. “You can just walk up and talk to
me.”

“So there is a mode on this chair that
won’t kill you?” Kailynn said dryly. She tried to sit up, but her head was
still stuck to the back cushion of the chair. “Okay, how do I get out of the
claw?”

Isa chuckled and ducked under the ring.
She leaned forward, pressing her right ring finger to the part of the chair
that trapped Kailynn’s forehead.

When her fingerprint was recognized, the
chair returned to its original position, releasing Kailynn’s head. However,
Kailynn was startled by the close proximity of the Elite. Even though they had
been swimming naked together for the previous several days, the way the Elite
was positioned, her hand bracing against the back of the chair and the short
distance between her face and Kailynn’s made the Significant’s cheeks burn
hotly.

Her gaze was captured in the stunning
blue color of Isa’s eyes. There was power and strength in her eyes, but there
was also a gentle, warm part of the look, and the combination of the two made
the simple moment overwhelming. Isa smiled, causing light to touch her eyes and
Kailynn’s heart to skip a beat.

“Your eyes are beautiful,” Isa murmured.

“R-really?” Kailynn said. Her brain had
turned to static. She knew it would be impossible to form coherent sentences.
One word was already a struggle.

Isa nodded, offering her hand to the
Significant. Kailynn tried to stop the shaking in her hands as her fingers
closed around Isa’s and the Elite helped her out of the chair.

Kailynn knew, in that moment, that the
feelings that had been building in her body when she was around the Elite would
not easily be quelled.

She knew.

And, based on the look Kailynn saw in
Isa’s eyes, the Golden Elite knew, too.

Their fates were already entwined.

Chapter
Ten

There was only one more day of rest for
Isa, and then Remus lifted the lockdown on her chair and she was able to work
remotely from home.

But, even with Isa working, Kailynn could
feel the air between them getting thicker when they were in the same room.
After the moment of realization she had in the NCB chair, Kailynn had been
trying to spend more time with Tarah and getting to know the caretaker more in
order to distract her thoughts from Isa.

Kailynn knew that, no matter what her
body told her whenever Isa got close, she could never pursue those feelings.
Isa was an Elite, forbidden from sexual relationships. To make matters more complicated,
Isa was the Golden Elite—the most powerful person in the planetary system. And,
for added severity to the situation, Kailynn was a Trid non-citizen with fake
papers who was earning money in an attempt to free her brother and the other
Trids who had tried to shut down Venus.

Kailynn spent more time around Tarah than
Isa the second week of her stay. The young caretaker never left the house,
ordering in everything that they needed and having it delivered by the robots
that handled such matters in the capital. Tarah was a very talkative one when
the two were alone. She was unwilling to discuss her own life, but she was more
than willing to dish on a lot of the society gossip she heard as a caretaker.

“How do you learn about all this?”
Kailynn asked when she heard about the nobleman who was arrested for having
naked pictures of one of the male Elites, named Aolee, and circulating them for
profit, which eventually made it to another planet and sparked rumors about the
possible kidnapping of an Elite to determine how they were made. There had been
a rumor on that planet that the Elites were entirely robotic, and seeing a
creature that appeared human had irked the planetary leaders.

“The caretakers have a gossip network,”
Tarah answered. “I hear about it from other houses.”

“I thought no one spoke to each other in
the upper levels of society.”

“No, I guess not really,” Tarah admitted.
“The only other caretaker I’ve ever met in person is Luska.”

“Whose caretaker is that?”

“Remus,” Tarah answered.

“Then, if he’s the only one you’ve ever
met, how do you get all this other gossip?”

“We have our own communication network
through our computers,” Tarah explained. “We have to find some way to entertain
ourselves when the Elites are working all day.”

“Damn, that would be boring…” Kailynn
groaned, rolling her eyes. “Then your lives are completely dull. You just sit
around here, gossip about others in high society, and wait for the Elites to
need something. That sounds horrible.”

“It’s actually not that bad,” Tarah
disagreed. “For instance, we know before anyone else when something shady is
about to happen in the upper circles of society.”

“How does that work?”

“Caretakers aren’t just for the Elite.
The Elites are the only ones required
to have caretakers, but—”

“Required?”
Kailynn gaped.

“Yes. Venus orders that there always be a
caretaker in an Elite house. It’s law.” Tarah explained. “But there are many
noble men and women that have caretakers as well. Isa asked Rayal when he was
caretaker to reach out to other caretakers and keep contact with them so that
he knew what was going on in other houses. Since then, other Elite caretakers
have done so as well, and it has really expanded the network. This let’s
everyone be informed. We’ve helped stop some dangerous deals and illegal
activity because we’ve told the Elites what other caretaker have said.”

“Seriously? That’s scary. It’s like every
house has a spy.” Kailynn’s stomach flipped. “Wait, that means that you could
tell people about me being here.”

“I guess you have to be nice to me.” She
giggled, shaking her head. “Don’t worry, even if someone found out that you
were here, none of the caretakers would betray Isa.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because Isa is special,” Tarah said with
a gentle smile. “Everyone loves her. They would never hurt her.”

The words made Kailynn pause. Perhaps her
attraction to the Golden Elite was just the same thing that everyone else saw.
Maybe her feelings were not that crazy or out of the ordinary with those who
were near Isa.

Tarah’s eyes lowered to the table between
them.

“Kailynn…” she started slowly, pulling
the Significant’s attention back, “I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“I’m sure you don’t realize it, but Isa
has been far happier with you in the house,” Tarah explained. “It’s not a big
change, but there are subtle differences. There’s a light back in her eyes that
I haven’t seen in years.”

“That might be just because she hasn’t
had to work for a week,” Kailynn said, waving the comment away. She had just
believed that her attraction to the Elite was something that was common and
that she did not need to pay attention to. Hearing that the Elite was somehow
different with her, happier at that,
made Kailynn’s heart beat a little faster, no matter how much she told herself
to calm down.

“Maybe,” Tarah admitted with a small nod,
“but I don’t think so. It’s hard to explain. Isa isn’t just special, she’s very
different from every other Elite. I think she needs interaction with people. Most Elites just work and work and
that’s all they do. Isa needs to interact, she needs to talk to people, and I
think she finds that she can’t talk to me or Remus or Rayal about everything.”

Kailynn was looking at the table, her
nerves increasing by the second.

She was unsure what it was, but the words
held a lot more meaning than she could comprehend in that moment.

“I have to admit, when I heard that you
were coming here, I was nervous,” Tarah said with a guilty chuckle. “And after
I looked at your reviews—”

“My reviews?” Kailynn said quickly, her
head snapping up to look at the caretaker. “What was wrong with my reviews?”

“Nothing,” Tarah said quickly, raising
her hands. “You can’t always trust the reviews anyway. People exaggerate.”

“Tarah, what did my reviews say?”

“No, it was just one review, it’s fine,”
Tarah assured, trying to calm the Significant.

“Who? Who was it and what did they say?”

Tarah was now worried she had truly upset
Kailynn.

“Fine, just show me!” Kailynn said,
standing. “Where the hell is the computer?”

Tarah quickly stood.

“Kailynn, forget I said anything! I
promise, it’s fine!”

“Just show me, I need to know what
asshole said what shit!”

“That’s just going to upset you more!”
Tarah said, rushing after the other woman as Kailynn remembered that there was
a computer in her room. They both went in, though Tarah continued to tell
Kailynn that there was nothing wrong with her reviews and she did not need to
worry. Kailynn angrily sat in front of the computer and pushed the power button
hard enough to nearly knock the computer over.

“I don’t know how to check reviews,”
Kailynn growled. “Pull them up. I need to see them.”

“Kailynn, seriously, I’m sorry. I didn’t
mean to upset you.”

“Tarah, I need to know what’s being said
about me. It might change the way things are for me when I go back to
Companion.”

Tarah stared into Kailynn’s determined
eyes and sighed, nodding once. She typed into the computer and clicked a few
things on the screen. When Tarah sighed heavily and backed away, Kailynn looked
at the reviews, seeing the letters grouped together to form words that she
could not read.

“This is pissing me off,” Kailynn
groaned. “Will you just read the bad one out loud to me?”

“What?” Tarah said, her eyes going wide.
“No.”

“Tarah, I can’t read it. Will you read it
to me?” Kailynn was trying to sound so furious that Tarah would not question
Kailynn’s request. However, after studying the Significant’s eyes, Tarah
understood Kailynn’s illiteracy immediately.

“Oh…” She looked awkwardly at the screen
as Kailynn began pacing. Tarah hesitated, looking between the computer screen
and Kailynn before scrolling through the reviews on Kailynn’s Significant page.
Once she found the one she was looking for, she fully regretted saying anything
about Kailynn’s reviews.

She took a deep breath, glancing back at
the impatient and irritated Kailynn before bracing herself.

“Jacyleen is a pretty, but stupid, girl,”
she started.

“What?!” Kailynn bellowed. “Who the fuck
is this asshole?! How much did he write?!”

Tarah cringed, thinking about the rest of
the review.

“Well, keep going!”

Tarah turned back to the screen, rubbing
her forehead with her other hand as she continued.

“Jacyleen is not one for conversation.
She would much rather let sex do the talking. She has a nice body and is open
to sexual favors. However, there is a reason her sex fee is lower than most
Significants her age. She is rough around the edges and does not know how to
look for her partner’s pleasure.”

“What the fuck is he talking about?!”
Kailynn screeched. “Who is the fucker?!”

“She, however, is into fetishes and other
kinks. She is clearly desperate for money, so she will likely work quickly to
get on to another appointment to earn even more, so don’t expect to see her for
very long. Fast, kinky, and stupid, Jacyleen is good in bed, but otherwise, a
disappointing Significant.”

“What the fuck?!” Kailynn screeched. “Can you see who posted this review? Who
the fuck does he think he is?!”

“No, the names are always anonymous,” Tarah
said, getting worried that Kailynn would start throwing things around the room
in her rage. “You know, it’s just the opinion of one jackass. You can’t always
trust reviews. All the other ones you have were good.”

“That’s not the point!” Kailynn growled.
“I’m desperate to earn money? I am into kinky shit? What the fuck?!”

“Kailynn, I need to start making dinner,”
Tarah said, standing. “Why don’t you help me? It will take your mind off it.”

“No, it won’t,” Kailynn snapped. “Shit, I
really want to know who this guy is…”

“It’s not worth it to get upset.”

Kailynn let out a frustrated sound and
stormed from her room, going to the living room and pacing, bellowing about how
everyone was a perverted bastard and that she only did what they wanted her to
do and she ended up being called a slut. She continued to scream about it while
Tarah stood helplessly to the side, wanting desperately to go into the kitchen
and get away from the upset Significant.

Kailynn ground her teeth together and,
before she could think better of it, she picked up a pillow off the couch and
hurled it at the wall of windows leading out to the balcony. The pillow hit the
glass and fell harmlessly to the ground, though the automatic door opened
shortly afterward, pushing the pillow aside before closing again.

“Is my living room going to survive the
evening?” an amused voice chuckled behind Kailynn.

The Significant turned to see Isa
standing in the living room next to Tarah, bemused.

“Isa…” Kailynn murmured, her eyes going
wide. She looked at the pillow and then back at the Golden Elite. “I…I mean, I
just…”

Isa raised her hand, her smile widening.

“I’m not upset,” she assured. “I am,
however, concerned. What has you so worked up?”

Kailynn groaned and rolled her eyes, her
entire body tensing in preparation for the rant. Isa dismissed Tarah and walked
to the fallen pillow, picking it up.

“Have you seen the reviews on me?”
Kailynn demanded, watching the Elite.

“Pardon?”

“Have you seen the reviews on me as a
Significant? Have you read them?”

“No,” Isa said, returning the pillow to
its proper place on the couch.

“Are you lying?”

“No.”

“Well, they’re all lying!” Kailynn
barked. “I mean, this one was saying shit about how I’m desperate for money and
that I don’t care about the person I’m with. Damn right I don’t! I’m paid to be there! I don’t know these
people! I don’t give a shit about their sob stories! But I sit there and listen
and do whatever they want me to do because this society is so fucked up people
have to pay other people to talk to them! Do you realize how fucking demented that is?!”

Kailynn stopped when her eyes met Isa’s.
She suddenly realized that she had just blown up at her client—a client who
also happened to be the most powerful person in the planetary system. Isa
appeared to be amused, but Kailynn still forced herself to calm down before she
said something stupid.

“Something I have found,” Isa started,
when she realized that Kailynn was finished, “is that many who say things in
that manner are generally trying to hide their own insecurities. It’s a very
elaborate, and pathetic, form of making one feel better about oneself. More
likely than not, that client had certain inadequacies when he was with you and
he decided to blame you for them rather than acknowledge his own faults.”

“There was that one idiot who spent the
first half hour drinking and then ten minutes pawing at me, trying to figure
out what the hell he was doing, and then he was done before he even got to the
sex because he got off on me calling him “Baby Johnny.” Maybe that was his
review. Creepy bastard.”

“That sounds like Imothy Rex,” Isa said,
her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

“What?”

“The man, what you just described. He’s a
powerful figure in the economy, but a complete bastard,” Isa clarified. “His
advisors, but only his female ones, call him Baby J.” Her eyebrows went high.
“He seems incompetent enough to not know a thing about women.”

“I don’t remember what the idiot’s name
was,” Kailynn groaned, flopping down on the couch opposite of Isa, rubbing her
eyes and shaking her head. “I mean, that’s out there for anyone to see now!
They’re going to think I’m into all kinds of kinky shit, and I’m not! I mean, everyone’s curious, but
kink is not the same thing!”

“I can’t say I know what qualifies as
kink,” Isa said with a gentle laugh.

“Ugh, I hate this,” Kailynn continued.
“This is even worse than whoring. At least there no one pretends that they’re
there for other reasons. There’s all kinds of pretense around Significant
work.”

“That is true.”

“It just pisses me off when people assume
shit about me,” Kailynn pressed on. “Just because I look and act the way I do,
people think that I’m some sort of slutty thug, or something.” Isa smiled as
she saw Kailynn get more upset, winding herself up again even as she sat still
on the couch. “I mean, I waited. I
was sixteen when I first had sex.”

Isa barked a laugh before she could help
herself. Kailynn glared at the Golden Elite.

“Oh, to you, I’m sure that is
slutty,” she snapped.

Isa shook her head. “I first had sex at a
younger age.”

The shock of the statement calmed Kailynn
down almost immediately. For several long moments, she could only stare into
Isa’s blue eyes and process the words.

“What?”

“I had barely turned fifteen.”

“But…I thought…” Kailynn’s brow creased
in confused. “I mean…were you raped? Elites aren’t supposed to…”

“I was not raped,” Isa said, shaking her
head. “Just rebellious.”

“You?
Rebellious?” Kailynn barked a laugh. “How can you be rebellious when you end up
leading the government?”

“You rebel intelligently, I suppose,” Isa
said with a laugh.

“Then you were never caught.”

“I was,” Isa contradicted. “There were
cameras in every room of the Elite Academy. We had guards upon us in no time.”

Kailynn studied Isa’s expression.

“That explains how you know that sexual
desire is beaten out of Elites,” Kailynn said with a nervous laugh.

“Indeed,” Isa said. “I learned
first-hand.”

“What happens if an Elite has sex?”
Kailynn pressed, her curiosity taking hold.

“I assume it’s no different than humans,”
Isa teased.

“No, I mean, the punishment,” Kailynn
clarified. “Say one of the Elites were to have sex with someone. Would they be
killed?”

Isa sighed heavily, thinking about how to
answer.

“Not likely,” she admitted. “It would
depend on how public the incident became. Should any of my Bronze Elites be
caught in a public sex scandal, they would have to be immediately removed from
their position. If it was a very public affair, then death would likely be the
sentence.”

“Why?”
Kailynn hissed. “Yeah, Elites are supposed to work, but everyone has sex.
Literally everyone. What’s the big deal if Elites do as well?”

“I have never been able to fully
understand why, myself,” Isa said. “My assumption is that abstaining from
sexual activity creates an image to humans that we are infallible, that we are
not controlled by basic human desires and, therefore, we are superior.”

“But didn’t you prove that that wasn’t
true when you had sex at fifteen?” Kailynn pressed. “You wanted sex, so you had
it.”

Isa shrugged.

“I do not know that that is the reason
Syndicate Elites are forbidden from sexual relationships,” she said. “That is
only my hypothesis.”

“But, you do have sexual desires, right?”

“Yes,” Isa admitted, her eyes averting to
the coffee table. “Biology is still biology. We can try and cover it up and
control it with rules and rationalization as much as we want. That does not
change that the body wants what it wants.” Isa’s expression fell a little
further and the change surprised Kailynn. It was not an extremely noticeable
difference, but it did catch the Significant’s attention. “Of course, Elite’s
don’t want anything, so perhaps it is
easier for us to forego our desires.”

Chapter
Eleven

Kailynn was getting more and more nervous
around Isa. Everyone in the house could sense it. Tarah would ask her every day
if everything was alright. She would mechanically answer yes, but she never
meant it.

The look on Isa’s face had haunted her.
She had seen the pain in the Elite’s eyes as she talked about the Elite’s not
having desires. Kailynn was sure she had never thought about a single moment as
much as she mulled over the moment Isa’s expression changed.

Kailynn did not know what it was, but the
look had broken her heart. Kailynn did not get upset or sad over many things.
She was not a bleeding heart, something that she was often teased about as a
younger girl. However, Isa’s pained expression struck a chord deep inside
Kailynn’s being.

Her strange attraction to the Golden
Elite was reaching a dangerous level.

Near the middle of her third week with
the Golden Elite, someone came to visit the household.

When the front door opened as Kailynn and
Tarah were playing a game on the coffee table’s interface, Kailynn was
surprised to find herself startled by the visitor.

She had become used to the quiet of the
house. To have someone suddenly appear surprised her.

Tarah’s face lit up immediately when she
saw the man.

“Rayal!” she gasped, her tone raising
excitedly as she clamored to her feet and ran to him. Kailynn slowly stood,
watching the man smile at Tarah. Kailynn was surprised at how handsome Rayal was. He had a defined jaw
and defined cheekbones. His brown hair was neatly cut and swept away from his
face. He was also tall and broadly built. However, his right eye was a deep,
powerful brown color, while his other eye was glassy and grey, surrounded by
light scarring that extended into his hairline, showing he was blind in one eye
due to injury.

“Tarah,” he greeted, smiling gently at
her, exposing his perfectly white teeth. “How have you been holding up?”

“Fine,” Tarah said with a nervous giggle.
“It’s actually been nice to have Isa home. I don’t worry as much.”

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Rayal
chuckled. “As soon as the month leave is up, she’ll bolt out of here faster
than you can blink.” The former caretaker to the Golden Elite turned to look at
Kailynn, who was standing awkwardly in the sitting area. His warm nature faded
quickly, surprising Kailynn. “Are you the Significant?”

Kailynn tried not to be offended by his
tone and the way he addressed her, but her indignation came through her voice
when she spoke back.

“My name is Kailynn.”

“Kailynn,” Rayal repeated.

“Rayal, there’s no need to be worried,”
Tarah assured. “Isa has actually been very happy to have her here.”

Rayal and Kailynn shared an intense look.
Kailynn could not help but be intimidated by his stare. However, she held her
ground, staring back at him, waiting for him to look away.

Tarah was the one who broke the staring
contest.

“Rayal, please, be nice.”

“I’m always nice,” he chuckled. Once his
gaze was off her, Kailynn relaxed.

“Well, not always,” Tarah teased.

“Why not always?”

“Because you don’t come to see me anymore,”
Tarah pouted. “That’s not nice of you at all.”

“My apologies, my dear,” Rayal said with
a bow of his head. “I shall try to be more sociable from now on.”

Tarah giggled, her cheeks quickly
reddening. Kailynn could not help but laugh at the obvious crush Tarah had on
the former caretaker.

“How about we have lunch together
sometime in the next few days?” Rayal suggested. “Isa is going to be very busy
for a while.”

“What? Why? What happened?” Tarah asked
worriedly.

Rayal tapped the briefcase he was
carrying.

“Emergency came up a couple hours ago,”
he admitted. “From my understanding, she’s already in a conference call to try
and deal with these morons, but I have some information she’ll want.”

“She’s in her office,” Tarah said.

Seeing the two caretakers walk toward
Isa’s office and worried about Rayal’s serious tone, Kailynn followed them. She
watched Rayal carefully, not sure what to make of the former caretaker.

However, her study was halted when Rayal
opened the door to Isa’s office and the three stepped inside.

Isa was sitting in the NCB chair, but it
was sitting upright, not restraining the Golden Elite at all. The upper ring
was higher, extended on a stand on the back of the chair. Across from the
Golden Elite were four standing holograms. One was in the middle of his
sentence when the group walked in.

“—damage dealt. Predicting such a
catastrophe would have been almost impossible.”

“I find that very difficult to believe,
Yurim,” Isa said.

Isa’s face was very different now that
she was working. Her eyes were sharp and powerful, even as she looked at the
holograms in the room with her. Her perfect posture accented her power and
control while still showing that she was furious at whatever had happened.

“Please, try to understand, Elite Isa—”

“Try to understand what?” Isa challenged
coldly. “That I have an entire planet being held hostage by the Ninth Circle?”

“We do not know that the Ninth Circle is involved,”
one woman said. “They are always warring with one another. I doubt they would
come together to take over a single planet.”

“Even someone on the outskirts of the
Ninth Circle would have the intelligence to know that attacking and occupying a
planet of the Crescent Alliance is suicide.”

“Caroie is not just a member of the Crescent
Alliance,” Isa said sharply. “They are also under special protection. For an
attack, taking over Caroie is a brilliant move. Or have you forgotten that it
provides goods to fifty-four of the sixty-one planets in the Alliance?”

“Yes, the hit to trade could be
catastrophic,” the final hologram agreed.

“Then, why is it that ships from the
Ninth Circle were able to land on Caroie and initiate a planetary take-over
without detection?” Isa said, her eyes traveling over the other holograms. “The
four of you surround Caroie. There is no reason this should have occurred.”

The other four in the meeting were
silent.

“I have intelligence that Caroie sent
distress signals for nearly twelve days as the capital was being overtaken and
thousands of people were being killed. These signals reached three of you. Yet,
you chose not to act.”

Still, everyone remained silent.

Isa sighed heavily and leaned forward in
her chair, putting her hands on the armrests and getting to her feet slowly.

“Let me make sure I understand this,” she
said, her voice powerful and cold, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.
“Caroie is under special protection, and therefore, by law, their distress
signals are to be met immediately, regardless of confirmation of an emergency.
And yet, those closest to the planet ignored these signals that were repeated
for twelve days before communications
were interrupted. According to my intelligence, these signals were not lost,
they were deliberately ignored. Now, I
must come in and not only negotiate with Ninth Circle terrorists, but I must
also try and mend my relationship with Caroie so that most of the Crescent
Alliance does not fall into depression and famine. And this is all because
those sworn to protect Caroie were, not unable to help, but unwilling to help.” Isa stopped slowly
pacing in front of the holograms. “Is that correct? Am I misunderstanding
anything?”

“Elite Isa, surely you understand that my
planet is in no condition to render help to any planet,” one man said
nervously.

“Yes, including your own citizens, which
is why I have deployed seventeen-thousand of my own troops to maintain what
little order is left on your planet after your chancellor tore down the mockery
that was your economy,” Isa said. “Let me repeat that. Seventeen-thousand of my troops are already stationed on
Imala. Even if your planet is in disrepair from your civil war, it takes
thirty-seven seconds for a transmission to come from your planet to mine. If
you had informed me, I would have sent what forces I could to assist Caroie.”

“Seventeen thousand would not be enough
to handle an invasion of that magnitude,” one of the women said incredulously.

“Indeed,” Isa said, turning to her. “But
an army of Hyunen soldiers, such as the one-hundred ninety thousand in your
possession, might have been able to assist my meager seventeen thousand and we
could have provided reasonable protection for the capital.”

“Where did you obtain those numbers?” the
woman asked sharply.

Isa’s expression turned dangerous.

“Are those numbers inaccurate?”

“Of course they are!” the woman snapped.

“Then should I expect more?” Isa asked.

“You cannot build any troops in excess of
one-hundred and fifty thousand in the Alliance,” one man said, turning to the
woman nervously. “You are in violation of the law.”

“That is several counts against you, Miss
Yuta,” Isa told her. “Abandoning a special-class planet in need, treason, and
violation of the Crescent Alliance Peace Act.”

“Those numbers are too high!” Yuta cried,
her eyes becoming angry and frantic.

“Are they?” Isa asked. “I have been
monitoring the trade routes, Miss Yuta. I know what you have purchased and I
know the parts that go into making troops. I did my own calculations based on
how many Soldier data chips you bought, and how many parts you obtained to
craft your own.”

The other three holograms turned to the
woman, their eyes worried.

“Care to tell me your exact numbers, Miss
Yuta?”

“How dare you accuse me of violating our
laws?!” the woman bellowed.

“How dare you think me foolish enough to
believe your word when you abandoned Caroie and left them to the mercy of the
Ninth Circle?” Isa challenged, her voice even. “Because of your inaction, the
death toll is already over eighty thousand civilians, and those numbers
continue to rise by the minute as more casualties are discovered.”

“I am not alone on Caroie’s protection
front!” Yuta cried.

“You’re correct,” Isa said. “However, you
are the only one who has met with any member of the Ninth Circle ruling class
in the last year, and your troop numbers are soaring, even more so since
Colonel Ikan’s visit.”

“I am not consorting with those
barbarians in the Ninth Circle!” Yuka barked.

“We will see if that is true,” Isa said.
“I am ordering, under Title Four of the Crescent Alliance Peace Act, that an
investigation shall take place in order to discover any evidence of treason and
consorting to overthrow the Alliance.”

“How dare you?!”

“You are innocent until proven guilty.
However, under Title Four, trade with your planet will be halted and all
transmissions will be monitored. Anything found during conduct of the
investigation will be brought to the Courts and will be admitted into evidence
without question.”

“You cannot do this!” the woman bellowed.

“I will program your monitoring system and
it will go into effect today,” Isa completed. “As for the rest of you, I ask
that you submit your schedules to me as well as the last three months of your
trade numbers, and the number of troops you have in your possession. Should any
of these orders be ignored, I have full authority from Venus to place all of
your planets under investigation.”

“You bitch!” Yuta snarled.

“Good day,” Isa said simply, turning to
her NCB chair and pressing her right ring finger to the steel ring around the
top of the chair.

The holograms vanished and the ring
slowly lowered to the resting position Kailynn had seen it in when she had
first seen the chair.

Isa took a deep breath, closing her eyes
briefly before she turned to the three others in the room.

“Forgive me,” she said. “I did not mean
to ignore your entrance.” Isa smiled at Rayal, her face brightening a little.
“Rayal.”

“Isa,” Rayal greeted, his smile equally
warm. “Hyun is going to suffer with their trade being monitored so closely. I’m
sure you’ll find many things that are against the laws of the Alliance.”

“I figured that she was in illegal
markets,” Isa said with a nod. “At least now I have a reason to bring her under
investigation.” Her expression dropped. “How many are dead?”

“The final count I received was
ninety-thousand and eleven,” Rayal said. “The capital was ransacked. Their
communications are destroyed.”

“I don’t understand why no one responded
to the distress signals,” Isa murmured, shaking her head. “It is very
troublesome to think that four of the planets with the largest troop numbers
refused to help the planet that provides them with over forty percent of their
food.” The Elite rubbed her forehead, sighing. “I don’t think I ever mended the
Alliance as well as I believed.”

“That area of the system has always been
a mess,” Rayal said with a broken laugh. “Pride and greed are the only things
that drive those planets.”

“I think that Yuta, Shane, and Urya are
conspiring with the Ninth Circle,” Isa said seriously. “It seems that
everywhere I turn, another planet has joined the Ninth Circle to conspire
against Tiao.”

“Repairing relations with Caroie will be
exceptionally difficult,” Rayal added, shaking his head. “They will not easily
forgive being abandoned and their people being slaughtered.”

Isa nodded slowly, her eyes briefly
falling to the ground.

“Isa,” Rayal started, opening his
briefcase and handing her a file, “I’m afraid there is more bad news.”

“That’s alright,” Isa said with a thin
smile. “That’s all I’ve received today anyway.”

She took the file and clicked the screen
into life, looking over the information on the tablet.

“These are the transmissions that we were
able to salvage from the security mainframe before the shutdown,” Rayal said
carefully.

Isa closed her eyes, her expression
changing to something between irritation and pain.

“These are in Gihoric,” she whispered.
She looked at Rayal seriously, something brimming behind her eyes. “Gihron is
involved?”

Kailynn noticed the way Tarah tensed,
looking between Rayal and Isa.

“It would appear so.”

Isa sighed heavily, handing the file back
to Rayal.

“That complicates things. Over ninety thousand
dead so far, easily over a dozen planetary relations in ruin, and Gihron has
decided to rear their ugly head again,” Isa muttered. “Have you sent this to
Remus?”

“I sent it just before I came here.”

“Thank you.” Isa said. She rubbed her
forehead again. “This is a disaster.” She turned back to Rayal and forced a
smile. “I assume you have met Kailynn.”

“Yes,” Rayal said, turning to the
Significant. “I hope that you have not been overwhelmed,” Rayal said, still
addressing Isa.

“No, not at all,” Isa assured. “I have
quite enjoyed Kailynn’s stay.”

The smile that was directed at Kailynn
sent her heart fluttering in her chest.

Rayal glanced between Kailynn and Isa,
his eyes already unnerving because of the mismatched color, but even more so
when Kailynn saw that there was a look of acute realization in the former
caretaker’s expression. He quickly looked between the two again, then turned to
Isa.

“I’m happy to hear it,” Rayal said. “We
won’t keep you. Tarah, you and I should plan when to have lunch,” he said,
placing a hand on Tarah’s shoulder and leading her out of the room. Tarah’s
cheeks were immediately flushed again and she followed his guide without
noticing that he was leading her out to discuss something far more important
than lunch.

Kailynn’s eyes turned back to Isa.

The two were silent for several long
moments before Kailynn glanced back at the chair and her expression fell.

“Are…are you okay?” she asked stupidly.
Isa smiled thinly, her eyes falling to the ground.

“Not really,” she admitted. “This has
been a very trying morning, and there is still much about this situation that I
do not know.”

“…who is Gihron?”

“One of the most powerful planets in the
Ninth Circle,” Isa said vaguely. “They have been against Tiao for hundreds of
years. They do not approve of the Elites or Venus.”

Kailynn remained silent, not sure what to
say.

“Why was that planet attacked?” Kailynn
asked finally.

Isa shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t
know,” she admitted. “Nor do I know why it took us so long to learn of the
attack.” Isa took a deep breath. “Questions I will be trying to find answers to
all day. Not that it matters.”

“Why doesn’t it matter?” Kailynn hissed,
horrified at the statement.

“Because over ninety thousand civilians
have already lost their lives,” Isa said quietly. “There is no answer to these
questions that will explain away their deaths.”

Kailynn was surprised at the Elite’s
statement. Isa was taking the attack on the people of Caroie as though those
people were under her care. The Significant could only stare at the Elite,
wondering how someone who had stated that they had no human emotions could care
for people they had never met.

“I’m sorry, Isa,” Kailynn whispered
before she could stop the words or figure out why she had said them.

“There is no reason to be sorry,” Isa
assured. “I am the one who is sorry.”

Isa turned back to her chair to return to
work, but Kailynn’s voice stopped her.

“Isa.”

The Elite turned and was surprised to
find Kailynn right in front of her. The Significant wrapped her arms around Isa
and hugged her tightly. The Elite was still for several moments, surprised—Kailynn
was also surprised at her actions.

“I can tell this attack has upset you,”
Kailynn murmured. “But the fact that you’re angry and hurt over the deaths of
the civilians proves that you’re more human than those who killed them.”

Isa could not move for several moments,
stunned into silence as the words sunk into her brain. A small part of her that
had been forgotten five years previous slowly pushed closer to the surface.

For the first time in years, Isa felt
like herself.

She wrapped her arms around Kailynn,
tightening the hug.

When Isa came out of her office, she
looked older and tired, her face drawn in confusion and irritation. Tarah had
prepared dinner, but she had been absent-minded most of the day, which meant
dinner was later than usual. Isa did not seem to notice.

The Elite pushed the food around on her
plate, her eyes distant. Kailynn stopped eating when she saw the look on Isa’s
face. She could tell that the Elite was greatly disturbed and upset by what had
happened on Caroie.

After dinner, when Isa had barely eaten,
Kailynn went with the Elite to the sitting area.

“Do you want to swim for a bit?” she
tried to suggest lightly, though the question was clearly forced.

“No, thank you,” Isa said. The Elite sat
down on the couch and rubbed her forehead, lost in deep thought. Tarah
continued to clean up, throwing worried looks at Isa. Kailynn took a deep
breath and sat on the arm of the sofa next to the Elite, tapping her arm
gently.

“Hey.”

The Elite looked up.

“What can I do to help you get your mind
off this?”

Isa tried to smile, though her expression
just became more tired.

“I don’t think anything will help.”

“The more you think about it, the more
you’re going to think yourself in circles,” Kailynn said. “You need to step
away from work for a while.”

“I’m an Elite,” Isa pointed out with a
smile. “I don’t know how.”

Kailynn tried to think of something,
glancing around the room. When her eyes rested on the bar, she smiled.

“Alcohol helps,” she said, standing.
“What do you like?” she asked, walking to the bar as the Elite chuckled.

“Anything is fine,” she assured. Kailynn
grabbed some glasses, trying to remember where everything was from the few
times she had seen the Elite help herself to a drink late in the day. Kailynn
poured two glasses and picked them up when Isa chuckled.

“You better bring the bottle.”

Kailynn laughed, tucking the bottle under
her arm and walking over with the two glasses.

“You speak my language.”

The two downed several drinks together,
Isa silent as Kailynn tried to strike up any conversation. The Elite would
answer with a few sentences and then fall silent once more, letting the
conversation die. Kailynn would fill the quiet with another drink, causing her
head to be spinning by the time Tarah wished them both goodnight. The caretaker
was clearly worried about the Elite, but she did not know how to help.

Kailynn was not sure she could help,
either.

Isa was leaning against the arm of the
couch, her head in one hand as the other lightly held the small, now-empty
glass. The Elite’s eyes were not closed, but they were half-lidded.

Kailynn took a chance and stood, walking
around the coffee table and sitting next to Isa. The Elite turned to her and
smiled, leaning to the coffee table and pulling the bottle closer to her,
refilling her glass.

“Damn, you’re a strong drinker,” Kailynn
muttered.

Isa smiled in response, but did not
speak, bringing the glass to her lips. She took a sip, her eyes going distant
again.

Kailynn knew that Isa would not be able
to get her mind off the attack, so she no longer avoided the subject.

“Have you ever dealt with a situation
like this before?”

Isa tuned to Kailynn, her expression
genuinely confused.

“What kind of situation?”

“A planet being taken over,” Kailynn
clarified.

Isa sighed heavily and rubbed her
forehead.

“Yes, this will be my fourth hostage
planet negotiation,” Isa said. “However, I have never had to negotiate for a
special-class planet like Caroie.” She groaned and closed her eyes. “Those
morons have destroyed a large part of the Alliance.”

“I didn’t even know we were in an
alliance…” Kailynn said slowly, nervous about her ignorance.

“That does not surprise me,” Isa said.
“You were born in Trid. There would be no reason for you to know.” Isa closed
her eyes and leaned her head back on the sofa. “The Alliance had disbanded when
I came into power. Poor political decisions by my predecessors made the
Crescent Alliance collapse. I spent years and years trying to fix the mess they
left, but it appears that it was not as strong as I had believed.”

“How long have you been in power?”

“Seventeen years,” Isa murmured.

Kailynn could not help but gawk at the
number.

“How old are you?!” she gasped. Isa
turned to the Significant, surprised at the younger woman’s shock.

“Thirty-four.”

Kailynn’s eyes were wide.

“You don’t look thirty-four.”

“I look older?” Isa chuckled lightly.

“No, you look…I mean, you look amazing…”

Kailynn quickly grabbed her drink again,
gulping the strong liquor, hoping to somehow swallow the words that had just
escaped her lips.

Isa smiled gently.

“Thank you.”

Kailynn let out a long breath, setting
her empty glass down, though moving made her feel dizzy. She knew she had had
too much three drinks previous. Yet, the Elite seemed to barely be tipsy.

“I wish I knew what to say to help you
feel better.”

Isa’s eyes went distant yet again and a
small smile took over her mouth.

“You’ve done more for me than you
realize.”

Kailynn found herself staring at the
Elite again. Isa’s expression was complex, a mixture between pain and
happiness, as though she found something that had once filled her with joy, but
no longer did so—lost in memories of happier times.

Isa’s eyes turned to Kailynn and
everything stopped.

Kailynn found herself intrigued by the
secrets behind the piercing blue eyes. Kailynn could see that there was pain
hidden somewhere deep inside the Golden Elite but, for a being with no
emotions, Kailynn was not sure how such pain was possible. Everything she had
heard over the previous weeks had only increased her curiosity, seeing the
Elite in a manner that she was sure almost no one else had was an overwhelming
realization for Kailynn.

But Isa had told her that she had been
happy to have the Significant with her. The words meant something to Kailynn, but
she was not sure one what level they resonated.

The words came out before she could stop
them. As far as Kailynn was concerned, the alcohol spoke.

“Can I ask something? It’s going to sound
crazy…”

“What?”

Kailynn leaned forward.

“Can I touch your face?”

“Pardon?”

“I just…I wanna touch you…” Kailynn
reached both hands out to Isa, clumsily pressing both her hands to each side of
the Elite’s face. Her face turned serious as the pads of her fingers moved over
the smooth skin, her eyes studying every line in the Elite’s face. Kailynn
turned her eyes to her fingers, trying to understand the sensation of
perfection under her fingers. The Elite’s skin was impossibly smooth.

Kailynn still could not understand how
one could be so perfect.

Isa stared calmly back at Kailynn. After
a few moments looking at Kailynn’s flushed and awe-stricken expression, Isa
lifted one hand and gently pushed some hair away from Kailynn’s face.

“You’re incredible,” Kailynn breathed.

Isa hesitated only a moment before she forced
what little reasons he had left aside and leaned forward, bringing her face
closer to Kailynn’s. She would let Kailynn close the gap between them if she
wanted. She would not force the Significant, knowing the steep punishment for
anyone that became intimate with Elites.

However, Kailynn took the opening and her
lips locked with Isa’s.

Once their lips met, everything became
electric. Kailynn’s hands wrapped around Isa’s head and she pulled the Elite
even closer, desperate, her reason gone. Isa allowed Kailynn to control the
kiss, not sure that it would last long before Kailynn remembered where she was
and who she was with and stop.

Kailynn pulled away far too fast for Isa.
But one of her hands swept over Isa’s high cheekbones as she stared into the
Elite’s eyes. Isa studied Kailynn’s expression.

She pushed upward slightly and reached
out, setting her glass on the coffee table, her hand quickly wrapping around
Kailynn’s neck and bringing their lips together for another fiery kiss. Kailynn
eagerly locked lips with the Golden Elite again, her hands holding Isa, pushing
her down so that she was on top of the older woman, kissing her passionately.
Isa did not seem to mind their shift of positions.

Kailynn was not sure how long they were
kissing, but time had no meaning then. It was only her and Isa. Nothing else
existed—including consequences.

Kailynn grabbed the front of Isa’s shirt
and pulled her upright, her lips never leaving the Elite’s, sure that she would
collapse and die if she had to part with Isa. Isa followed the Significant’s
guide and found herself standing, her arms finally free to wrap around the
younger woman, allowing her to intensify the kiss.

Kailynn made a sound somewhere between a
whimper and a groan when Isa pulled away and the Elite was excited by the
noise. Her lips hovered over Kailynn’s as she looked over the Significant’s
expression. Her hand left Kailynn’s back and she cradled her jaw tenderly,
causing Kailynn’s eyes to finally flutter open.

Gently moving her thumb over Kailynn’s
cheek, Isa went in for another kiss.

Kailynn found her head spinning again.
She was not sure if it was the alcohol or the way Isa took her breath away as
they kissed.

Isa ended the kiss shortly, backing
further away and looking at Kailynn seriously. She did not need to speak for
the Significant to understand what she was asking. Kailynn took a deep breath
and laced her fingers with Isa’s, pulling the Golden Elite behind her to the
door she knew led to the Golden Elite’s room.

Neither of them spoke.

There were no questions of if the other
wanted to do this, or that they could stop at any time, or that what they were
about to do was very illegal. They both knew the other had chosen to take the
risk.

When the door shut on the rest of the
world, Kailynn turned to the Elite again and was immediately met with an
enthusiastic kiss.

Kailynn tried to open the front of Isa’s
uniform—she had thought the front
just pulled apart. Isa chuckled into their kiss, unhooking the row of hooks and
eyes that closed the tunic-like front. Kailynn reached to the bottom of her
shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it to the side before quickly
shimmying out of her pants.

She had to hop and find her balance as
she freed herself from her pants because she was staring at Isa as the Elite
undressed with the grace of a dancer.

Isa also left the uniform on the ground
stepping out of the floor-length skirt and walking to Kailynn again, grabbing
her face and pulling her into an intense kiss. Kailynn’s hands found Isa’s
shoulders and, yet again, she was surprised by how smooth the Elite’s skin was.
It was as if her skin was perfectly polished stone, only warm instead of cold
to the touch. The combination of those sensations sent shivers down Kailynn’s
spine.

Isa guided Kailynn back until her legs
hit the bed. She broke the kiss long enough to allow Kailynn to climb into the
bed before she climbed on top of the Significant and resumed their frenzied
kissing.

Kailynn felt completely overwhelmed by
the Elite. Her weight, her warmth, her very being surrounded Kailynn and forced
out all the wrong with the world. The warm, safe feeling she felt with the
Elite dispelled all negative thoughts.

There was only Isa.

Isa’s mouth left Kailynn’s and
immediately went to her neck. She kissed along the column of flesh, her lips
soft and gentle, causing Kailynn to hiss and push her neck closer, desperate
for more contact. Her bare breasts came in contact with Isa’s bra and her skin
sang at the friction. She let out a pleading noise, one hand tangled in Isa’s
hair as the other reached around to try and unhook Isa’s bra.

She suddenly understood why Raphael had
always complained about bras.

Frustrated and desperate, Kailynn
resorted to grabbing one of the straps and forcing it off Isa’s shoulder. The
Golden Elite smiled against Kailynn’s skin and sat upright, giving Kailynn full
view of her perfect form once more. She removed the bra and pecked a quick kiss
on Kailynn’s lips before her mouth descended. She kissed a path down Kailynn’s
neck and sternum, her lips lingering at different intervals, setting Kailynn’s
body on fire.

Isa turned her head and took one of
Kailynn’s nipples into her mouth, her hand passing over the other one, palming
her breast. One of the Significant’s hands was employed gripping the sheets
tightly while the other held Isa’s head to her chest, relishing in the feeling
of Isa’s warm lips and tongue.

When Isa had paid attention to both
nipples, she leaned forward, capturing Kailynn’s mouth again, her leg sliding
forward and making contact with Kailynn’s panties. The younger woman gasped
into the kiss and a shiver ran up her body. The keening sound made Isa’s blood
run hot. She suppressed shiver of her own and moved down Kailynn’s body again,
kissing a path down her belly until she reached the top of Kailynn’s panties.

Kailynn raised her head to look at Isa
and saw that the Elite was watching her face with a look of amazement and lust.
The intensity of the expression made Kailynn’s head fall back to the pillow,
weak. Her entire body was vibrating with pleasure that she was sure she had
never known before.

Isa pressed one kiss to the top hem of
Kailynn’s panties before sitting up and hooking her fingers in the fabric. Her
eyes held Kailynn’s as she slowly, agonizingly, moved the fabric down Kailynn’s
legs, her fingers tantalizing skin as they moved.

Kailynn pulled her legs up to allow the
Elite to remove her panties. Isa tossed them aside before taking Kailynn’s legs
and spreading them slowly. She lowered herself back to the bed, pressing a kiss
to Kailynn’s navel before turning her head and kissing the inside of both of
Kailynn’s thighs.

“Isa…” Kailynn gasped.

The Elite moved her head to the apex of
Kailynn’s legs. Her tongue darted out to gently lick Kailynn’s moist womanhood.
Kailynn’s reaction was almost violent. Her body shuddered and her hands gripped
Isa’s hair tightly. She let out a choked sound as her back arched. Isa,
unbelievably turned on by the reaction, wrapped one arm around Kailynn’s leg
and pushed her pelvis down to the bed, her mouth returning to Kailynn.

Her tongue and lips worked over Kailynn’s
clit with delicate, loving care. The tip of her tongue gently opened the soft
lips as her hands held Kailynn steady, allowing the Elite to work the sensitive
flesh.

Kailynn was sure she had never felt so
desperate in her life. She was torn between wanting the torture to end and
wanting it to continue into eternity. Her legs quivered in Isa’s hold. Her hips
moving in minimal circles, still held down by the Elite. Isa’s lips gently
closed around Kailynn’s clit and she pulled at it gently.

The cry that tore out of Kailynn’s throat
startled even her. She panted, her eyes closed, a sheen of sweat beginning to
break out over her body as Isa continued the blissful torment.

Isa slowly released her hold on Kailynn’s
pelvis and brought her fingers to Kailynn’s wet entrance. She gently caressed
the lips, rubbing her thumb over the clit as she looked up at Kailynn’s
expression. The Significant was panting, her chest rapidly rising and falling,
her entire body trembling with need. Isa thought she was absolutely beautiful.

She delicately pushed her middle finger
into Kailynn, reveling at the feeling of the younger woman’s muscles clenching
down on the digit. Kailynn let out a cry of pleasure, her back bowing off the
bed once more.

Isa crooked her finger inside Kailynn,
pressing forward and caressing the inner walls as her mouth went back to
Kailynn’s clit, gently licking and kissing, adding to the intensity of the
pleasure.

When Isa added a second finger, Kailynn’s
hips rolled down, bringing Isa deeper inside. She moaned, one hand moving from
the sheets to rest over her chest, gently pinching and pulling at one of her
nipples. Her hips continued to grind on Isa’s hand as the Elite’s mouth worked
her clit.

As Isa’s fingers crooked and flexed,
adding pressure to the front wall, Kailynn’s cries changed, becoming more
desperate and choked. She began babbling, moaning Isa’s name over and over
again. She could feel the pleasure building to an unbearable point, but she was
sure it had never been so intense before. Her entire body was singing with
bliss.

With a cry, her hips snapped and began
writhing on Isa’s fingers. Her orgasm consumed everything of her being. Every
pore of her body was bursting with sheer pleasure. She had never experienced
something so intense. Her breaths continued in pants, broken and exhausted as
the final waves of her orgasm slowed and settled once more.

Isa’s fingers slowly left Kailynn and she
crawled back up to capture Kailynn’s lips in a kiss.

The Elite’s slow, gentle kisses brought
Kailynn back to the moment.

Before the Elite could register what had
happened, Kailynn flipped them, settling on top of Isa as the Elite stared at
her in shock. It was the first time Kailynn had been able to notice the need in
Isa’s countenance. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes bright with desire and lust.
Her body was barely shaking, trying to stay restrained and in control of her
pleasure.

Kailynn’s hands went all over Isa’s body,
massaging the full breasts and following the slope of her waist. She stripped
off Isa’s panties and her fingers went to the warm, soft flesh she found there.

Isa’s eyes closed and a shuddered breath
left her lips. Kailynn thought it was the sexiest sound she had ever heard.

With the heel of her hand rubbing across
Isa’s clit, she slid one finger inside, amazed and flattered at the wetness she
found. Isa took in a small gasp of air before her head turned, her eyes tightly
closed. Her breathing was causing her breasts to catch Kailynn’s attention. She
gently kissed the side of one of Isa’s breasts and then placed her mouth around
the nipple, her tongue pressing down on the nub, moving it inside her mouth.

Isa moaned quietly when Kailynn added
another finger and used the same technique Isa had used, crooking her fingers
forward and pumping them in and out. Isa bit her lip, her eyes fluttering open
to meet Kailynn’s.

They quickly snapped shut and Isa’s back
arched, her release much quieter than Kailynn’s. The Significant held Isa,
letting the final tremors of her orgasm ebb away before she removed her
fingers.

Their eyes met in exhausted rapture.

There was no turning back.

Chapter
Twelve

Even through the fog of her hangover,
Kailynn knew she was in danger.

Kailynn slid out of the bed, not putting
any thought to where Isa was as she stepped into the Golden Elite’s bathroom.
Her head was foggy and there was a crippling sense of fear as she recounted
everything that had happened the previous night. She walked to the shower and
stepped in, pressing whatever buttons she could to get the water running. When
the hot water began beating over her head, she lowered herself to the floor of
the shower and cradled her aching head in her hands.

Kailynn was not completely inexperienced
with women. She had been very drunk one night a year previous and had had a
threesome with Raphael and Viv. Raphael had been too drunk to participate as
enthusiastically as he would have liked, leaving Kailynn and Viv to play with
one another while Raphael watched. That night had felt forbidden in a different
sort of light. It had been her first threesome and, at the time, she and
Raphael had been in a fairly-monogamous relationship.

But her night with Isa had been an
entirely different level of forbidden. She had just put her life on the line.
If anyone knew what she and Isa had done, she would be killed swiftly and
silently.

Isa held Kailynn’s life in her hands. Isa
had only to say that Kailynn had forced her into sex and that would be the end
of it. In a similar way, Isa could hold that threat over Kailynn’s head to get
her to do whatever she wanted.

Kailynn had made herself into Isa’s slave
in one night of drunken abandon.

But she knew she had made that decision. Isa did not force her. She was the one
who led them both into the bedroom.

Kailynn was becoming more terrified the
more she thought about the situation. She tried to relax, closing her eyes and
chanting to herself that she needed to calm down and breathe. She took several
deep breaths, her heart continuing to race.

The door to the shower opened and Kailynn
turned quickly, terrified. Isa stepped into the shower, moving slowly, watching
Kailynn.

She knelt next to Kailynn and reached one
hand out to her. At first, Kailynn flinched, staring at Isa with wide eyes,
fear coursing through her veins. Isa hesitated, but then reached forward
further, wrapping her fingers around Kailynn’s shoulder and bringing her into a
gentle embrace. Kailynn was frozen for several long moments before she relaxed
into the hold and closed her eyes.

Isa kissed the top of her head.

The two remained silent, sitting in the
shower for an indeterminable amount of time.

Once Kailynn had relaxed completely, Isa
turned her head, pressing her lips to Kailynn’s temple.

“I want you to know that you’re safe,”
she whispered. Kailynn opened her eyes and backed away from Isa, staring at her
worriedly. Sincerity was clear in Isa’s bright blue eyes. “What happened last
night will go no further than the two of us,” Isa said. “I will not report you,
nor will I threaten to report you.”

Kailynn could only stare at Isa in shock
and surprise at the way the Elite seemed to read her mind. She stared at the
Golden Elite for what felt like an eternity before she spoke.

“You…you won’t…say anything?”

“No.”

“But…”

“What?”

“It’s just…you know, most of the time, in
situations like this, someone says it was just a mistake and we should forget
about it…” Kailynn said, turning away. Isa was silent for two long moments.

“Do you want to forget?”

Kailynn turned her eyes back on Isa,
surprised by the tone of the Elite’s voice.

“I don’t think it was a mistake,” Isa
continued. “And I don’t want to forget what happened. But, if that’s what you
want, I will.”

“…n-no, it’s not…” Kailynn lifted her
hand to her head and cringed. “It’s just…it’s a lot to think about, I guess…”

“I’m sure you’re terrified about this
being reported,” Isa said. “But I give you my word that I would never do that.”

“I believe you.”

“Then maybe you don’t want to forget
about last night.”

Kailynn stared at Isa and then pursed her
lips, shaking her head.

“No, I don’t…”

Isa took a deep breath.

“If you want to leave early, I
understand,” the Elite said slowly. “Things have become more complicated, and I
understand if you feel uncomfortable staying. I will, of course, pay for the entire
month, as agreed. And I will pay—”

“No,” Kailynn interrupted, surprised how
fast the word came out of her mouth. Isa blinked. “I-I mean…” Kailynn turned
away. “I’ll stay the whole month.”

“Don’t feel obligated.”

“I don’t.”

Isa looked over Kailynn’s confused and
worried expression. She hesitated before ignoring her more sensible self once
again. She leaned forward and gently cupped Kailynn’s cheek, turning her face.
She leaned closer, pressing a kiss to Kailynn’s lips. The younger woman
relaxed, even though there was a part of her brain that reminded her that her
situation was becoming more dangerous by the moment.

Isa pulled away from the kiss, but
Kailynn grabbed her wrist, leaning forward to follow the Elite, intensifying the
kiss.

Isa allowed Kailynn to control what she
was willing to do.

The Elite found herself pressed against
the wall of the shower, Kailynn kissing her enthusiastically. She tried to
decipher the feelings of the kiss, worried that Kailynn was even more terrified
of being reported and was just trying to appease the Golden Elite. However, it
had been so long since Isa had felt such warmth from another person that she
also found herself unable to think.

Kailynn finally parted their lips, her
breath fanning over Isa’s mouth.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered. “I’m just
really confused.”

“We don’t have to discuss it now,” Isa
assured, taking Kailynn’s face again and locking their lips together.

Kailynn was feeling a little easier at
Isa’s promises as she walked out of the master bedroom. However, her fear
spiked to an unhealthy level when she saw both Rayal and Tarah standing by the
bar, their heated conversation immediately halted.

When Rayal’s eyes passed between Isa and
Kailynn, sharp with understanding, Kailynn was sure her legs would give out
from under her. She tried to appear strong, but she was sure fear was evident
on her face.

“That didn’t take long…” Isa muttered
under her breath.

“Isa,” Rayal greeted, his tone even.

“Will you be joining us for breakfast?”
Isa asked walking to the bar to get a glass of water. Kailynn found herself
almost angry at the Elite for being
so calm when they had been caught.

“Perhaps,” Rayal said.

“Is there a problem? Any more news on
Caroie?”

“Yes,” Rayal said, turning to face the
Elite fully. “That was the original reason I came over.”

“And the reason now?” Isa asked, peering
at Rayal as she put ice in her glass.

“Perhaps it is a conversation we should
have in private.”

Isa glanced at the other two in the room
and then turned back to Rayal.

“Is there anyone here not involved?”

“No,” Rayal admitted. “However, there are
some not here who are involved.”

Isa and Rayal shared a silent
conversation before Isa sighed and nodded, picking up her glass.

“We’ll go to the balcony.”

Isa passed Kailynn, who was sure her
heart was about to leap out her throat. The Elite stopped and turned back to
the Significant, wrapping her hand around Kailynn’s head. She kissed the
younger woman’s forehead and nodded to her once with a reassuring smile.

When the Elite and her former caretaker
were on the balcony, Kailynn turned to Tarah. She wanted to be angry at the
caretaker for obviously telling Rayal about what had happened the previous
night. However, she was too terrified, and too curious about how Tarah knew.

Tarah shook her head, her face pale and
filled with fear.

“I’m sorry, Kailynn.”

“Why did you tell him? How did you even
know?”

“I’m sorry, I had to tell him. I didn’t
know what to do,” Tarah said, her voice breaking.

Kailynn walked to the young caretaker and
sighed heavily.

“How did you find out?” Kailynn murmured.
“You went to bed.”

“I came back out to ask Isa something and
saw you two…” Tarah whispered. “I meant to keep it a secret, I really did. But
when Rayal showed up…it just all spilled out. I was terrified. This is all very
illegal as it is, and then you two…”

“I know it’s illegal,” Kailynn said
darkly. “I’m freaking out, too. But you just made it worse for me and Isa
because you told Rayal.”

“Rayal had to know.”

“I know you like that guy, but that
doesn’t mean you have to tell him all the secrets that will get me and Isa into
trouble. You know I could be killed for this, right?”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry…” Tarah’s eyes
were brimming with tears. “But so could Isa. I mean, Venus already forgave her
relationship once, but a second time—”

“Once?”
Kailynn snapped, her eyes going wide. “What the hell are you talking about?
Isa’s been with someone before?”

On the balcony, Rayal sighed as he walked
to the railing with Isa.

“I leave you alone for one day and you
get into trouble,” he tried to tease. A small smile took Isa’s lips, but she
was also nervous about the conversation with Rayal.

“What can I say?” Isa tried to play
along.

Rayal leaned on the railing next to Isa,
looking out over the city.

“I should have said something to you
yesterday.”

“Why?”

“Because I saw this coming,” Rayal
murmured, shaking his head, his eyes dropping to his feet. “I saw the way she
was looking at you.”

“Kailynn isn’t responsible for last
night.”

“No, you both are,” Rayal agreed with a
nod. “But I still should have said something.”

“I don’t think I would have listened…”

Rayal studied Isa’s expression, trying to
discern what the Golden Elite was thinking. After several long moments, Rayal
closed his eyes, his expression pained.

“Then you’re doing even worse than
everyone believes,” he murmured.

Isa closed her eyes as well, shaking her
head.

“I wish everyone would stop obsessing
over my health,” she said coldly. “I am capable of taking care of myself. I
know the last few years have not been easy on anyone, but I assure you, I am
doing far better than before.”

“Yet you were upset enough yesterday to
risk your life again, and Kailynn’s
life,” Rayal said. “I know that this is because of Gihron’s involvement in—”

“Rayal,” Isa interrupted, turning to her
former caretaker, “we both know the reason for my actions. Yes, I was upset
yesterday. Being with Kailynn felt natural and it helped me. I know the risks,
I’ve dealt with them before.”

“And it led to disaster before,” Rayal
said coldly.

“Don’t say that.”

“It did,”
Rayal insisted. “You pushed your luck with Venus’ mercy then. She will not be
as lenient now. When she finds out, she’ll immediately kill Kailynn and likely
have you removed from power.” Rayal’s voice went quiet. “Which means you’ll be
executed, as well.”

Isa lowered her eyes to the railing under
her hands.

“You said when, not if.”

“You know she’ll find out eventually,”
Rayal said. He heaved a sigh and shook his head. “I will do my best to keep the
information from reaching her mainframe, should any evidence of this get out.”
Rayal hesitated for a brief moment. “However, Venus is not the only one that
concerns me.”

Isa dropped her gaze further.

“Remus will find out, and probably very
soon,” Rayal said. He turned to Isa. “What will you say to him?”

Isa took a deep breath, thinking.

“I don’t know.”

“You should send Kailynn home,” Rayal
said seriously. “This is far too dangerous.” Rayal’s eyes turned pleading. “I
know you, Isa. The longer she’s around, the more you’ll start to care for her,
and it’s going to hurt more to let her go. But for your safety, and for hers,
you must send her home.”

“I gave her the option this morning,” Isa
said. “She refused.”

Rayal closed his eyes, trying to hide the
immediate bolt of fear that went through him at the statement.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing,” Isa said, shaking her head.
“This is something I must do myself.”

Rayal’s heart dropped.

“Okay,” he murmured.

Rayal returned inside, leaving Isa on the
balcony. The Golden Elite closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, deciding to
stay outside to collect her thoughts.

When Rayal approached Kailynn and Tarah,
Kailynn stopped trying to get the caretaker to talk about Isa’s previous
relationship. Rayal nodded once to Kailynn.

“You and I should talk.”

Kailynn, who had worked herself up into a
frenzy, tried to calm down. She glanced at Tarah once before following the
former caretaker into the guest hallway. When the door closed behind both of
them, Rayal turned to her, his expression conflicted.

“Isa said that you wanted to stay here
for the rest of the agreed time.”

“Yes.”

“And do you plan to have sex with her
again?” Rayal asked bluntly.

Kailynn faltered for a moment.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your
business.”

Rayal took a deep breath, lowering his
head.

“You know Isa far too little to
understand the severity of the situation,” Rayal murmured. “Isa is the Golden
Elite.”

“I know that,” Kailynn bit.

“Yes, but you do not know who Isa is when
she is not Golden Elite,” Rayal told
her sharply. “It took five years to get Isa back to this point. She was very
sick for a very long time, and we were sure we were going to lose her. Now that
she’s healthier again, I have been doing my best to make sure she stays healthy, both mentally and
physically.”

“If you’re worried, I am clean,” Kailynn snarled.

“I’m not worried about that,” Rayal assured.
“Her physical health is easier to care for than her mental health. As an Elite,
she processes things differently, and this could end up being a very dangerous
situation for the both of you because of that.”

“What does that even mean? It’s already dangerous.”

“It’s worse than you think,” Rayal said.
“I’ll tell you the truth. We have had past relations with Gihron that went
horribly wrong. They have no qualms about taking the loved one of a leader to
bully them into unfair negotiations. If Gihron really is behind this attack on
Caroie, then you are a danger to Isa.”

Kailynn blinked at the former caretaker,
not expecting the explanation.

“Isa is the best Elite this planet has
had in hundreds of years. She is actually turning things around in the Altereye
System. I cannot allow you to bring her to her knees.”

“How dare you say something like that?”
Kailynn growled. “Yeah, okay, I don’t know her as well as you do and I don’t
have any clue what she does for this planet or the system, but to think that I
could, let alone would, find a way to
manipulate Isa—”

“You already have,” Rayal snapped. He
rubbed his forehead, exasperated. “She’s already willing to risk her life, and
yours, for this fling.”

Kailynn ground her teeth together. “Shut
up,” she snarled. “Yes, she’s risking her life, but I am risking mine. I take
responsibility for my part last night. I came onto her. She gave me every
opportunity to stop, but I didn’t. So if anyone is responsible for last night,
it’s me.”

“And now you understand why you are in a
position to manipulate Isa,” Rayal said darkly. “She should have been the one
to stop you. Instead, she put everything in your hands. She gave control of her
life to you.”

“I have known her for three weeks. Like
hell she’s handed her life over to me. It’s not like Venus already knows.”

“Venus is not the only one you have to
worry about,” Rayal warned. “I am very protective of Isa, but I am not as
protective as Remus. If he discovers what happened, there’s no telling what he
will do.”

“He’s the one paying for me to be here,”
Kailynn growled. “What did he think
would happen? Clearly you guys haven’t been paying close enough attention to
her, because she is obviously in pain and she needs someone to talk to.”

“Don’t you dare accuse me of not watching out for her,” Rayal snarled, leaning
forward. “You only know a fraction of the situation. You haven’t the slightest
fucking clue about how to help her.”

“And you do?” Kailynn retorted. “I’m here
for her now. I was there for her last night when she was drinking herself into
a coma.” Kailynn glared at Rayal. “You’re right. I don’t know everything,
clearly, but that’s probably why she wants to be with me. You guys are treating
her like she’s fragile and thinking that every little thing is going to make
her pain worse, but do you really think she would do anything like that? She’s
not that stupid.”

Rayal hesitated, staring at the
Significant, the words slowly processing in his brain.

“I mean, fuck, why are you jumping down her throat about this? She knows how
much shit we’re in. She doesn’t need you to tell her. And yeah, she’s in pain.
But it seems to me like she’s trying to hide it because she doesn’t want you
worrying over her because that makes her feel worse.”

Rayal could do nothing but blink at
Kailynn in surprise.

He studied the look in Kailynn’s eyes. He
had been worried when he heard of the plan to have Isa spend time with a
Significant. However, staring at Kailynn, and recalling the way Isa had kissed
the younger woman’s forehead earlier, had Rayal nervous for a different kind of
reason.

Rayal lowered his eyes.

“This is even worse than I thought…”

“How?”

“Because I can see why Isa turned to
you,” Rayal murmured. “You’re right. She wouldn’t come to me or Remus. We’ve
spent five years treating her like she’s made of glass. I know she’s still not
healed. And she knows that too, but she would never admit it.” The former
caretaker looked at Kailynn. “But you don’t even need her to tell you that
she’s in pain. You know it. And you seem to know how to help it.”

It was Kailynn’s turn to blink in
surprise.

“There is nothing I can do to change
Isa’s mind on the situation. If she wants you to stay, nothing I say or do will
change that,” he continued. “It would be better for you to leave. She has given
you control of the entire situation. You should take it and change things
before it gets worse. If you don’t, I understand. You’re being paid a lot. But
Kailynn,” Rayal’s eyes hardened, “if you do anything to hurt Isa, I will kill
you.”

Kailynn retreated a step.

“I won’t,” she said quickly.

The two returned to the living room.
Tarah was anxiously waiting for someone to walk back in. Isa was still outside,
looking over the city. Rayal smiled thinly at Tarah and nodded once.

“I’m going to take over your kitchen,” he
said. “I need to distract myself.”

Tarah nodded quickly, her eyes dropping
to the ground after her gaze met Kailynn’s.

Kailynn stood awkwardly where she was,
throwing a glance out to the balcony, wondering if she should talk to Isa.

“Kailynn,” Tarah said suddenly, causing
the Significant to turn back to her. “I’m really sorry,” she murmured.

“I know,” Kailynn said, sighing. “I get
it. You didn’t know what to do.”

“I really didn’t,” Tarah admitted. “I
just…I’m scared. I had to tell someone.”

“It’s alright, Tarah,” Kailynn assured,
trying to force a smile, though she was not sure it was convincing. She was not
angry with the young caretaker. She understood why Tarah had told Rayal. But so
much had changed in her life in the previous day that she was disoriented.

Kailynn was about to press Tarah more
about Isa’s previous relationship, but the balcony doors opened and Isa walked
back into the room. The caretaker immediately turned to her and bowed her head.

“Miss, I apologize. I am so sorry.”

“There is no need for apologies, Tarah,”
Isa assured, walking to the bar and placing her empty water glass in the sink.
“I understand that what happened last night was a great deal to process.”

“I still wish to apologize,” Tarah
insisted.

“I accept your apology,” Isa said. “I
apologize as well, for putting you in this difficult position.” She glanced
around the living room. “Where is Rayal?”

“In the kitchen, Miss,” Tarah answered.
She bowed her head and turned, knowing that Isa was discreetly asking her to
leave the room. She ducked into the kitchen obediently.

Isa’s eyes turned to Kailynn, who found
herself lost in the blue color more so than she had been before. The color
seemed even more stunning that morning.

“Are you alright?” Isa murmured, a
comforting smile touching her lips.

“Yeah,” Kailynn said too quickly. Isa’s
smile widened and Kailynn chuckled nervously. “I mean…a lot has happened really
suddenly.”

“It has.”

Kailynn looked at her feet, trying to
think of something to say.

“Isa…I—”

The gentle tone of Isa’s phone cut
Kailynn off. Isa reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, using the
earpiece.

“Remus,” she answered. Kailynn’s stomach
dropped in fear, even though she knew there was no way the Silver Elite could know
what had happened the previous night. “Yes, I know, my apologies. Rayal came to
see me and I got caught up.” Kailynn stood awkwardly, waiting for the
conversation to be over. “Thank you,” Isa continued. “No, no, I’ll do it now.
It’s alright.” Isa nodded. “Very well. Thank you, Remus.”

She hung up the phone and removed the
earpiece.

Isa glanced at Kailynn.

“I must work,” she said quietly.

“Okay.”

Isa started toward the guest hall door to
go to her office. Even knowing where the Elite was going, Kailynn’s heart began
racing as Isa drew closer. The Elite passed her and walked to the door that
opened automatically. However, she stopped.

“Kailynn.”

The Significant turned around quickly.

“No matter what Rayal said, and no matter
what I say, the choice is yours.”

Kailynn blinked stupidly at the Elite for
a moment.

“But doesn’t what he say have a lot to do
with my decision?” Kailynn pressed.

“If it makes sense to you,” she agreed.
“But in the end, no one can make the decision for you. You choose what you want
to do and what is right for you.”

Isa turned to go through the door when
Kailynn stopped her.

“Isa,” she started nervously, “when do I
have to make the decision by?”

Isa smiled. “There is no timeline,” she
said. “You make the decision whenever you are ready.”

Kailynn had spent much of the day in
silence, wandering around the level of Anon Tower, trying to sort her thoughts.
Words and emotions were ricocheting in her head, confusing her. She wanted to
go and sit with Isa and discuss everything, but the thought of being in such
close proximity to the Golden Elite again made her mind go blank. She was sure
she would be unable to communicate anything she wanted to the Golden Elite.

She wanted to stay. She was unsure why she wanted to stay. She was trying
to convince herself that it was for the money, but she knew that, if that was
truly the case, she would have taken Isa’s offer to pay her in full even if she
left early. There was some other reason that she wanted to stay. Some deep, dark
part of her knew that she needed to
stay, because the thought of leaving Isa without knowing more about her was too
painful.

But that was not something she was
willing to acknowledge.

She began to remember that she would be
returning to real life in just over a week. She would be back to working as a
Significant to raise more money for her brother’s release.

Kailynn was a Trid. She was a non-citizen
with fake papers working to release the man who had tried to shut down Venus
and kill the Elites several times in his life. And she was earning most of the
money spending time with the Golden Elite herself.

Rayal’s words began to haunt her in that
moment.

She knew that, from a Trid perspective,
she could be a hero. She had the Golden Elite in an extremely delicate
situation. She had only to expose the Elite and that could bring down Isa’s
entire regime. Venus would be compromised with her Golden Elite having to be
replaced so suddenly and it could cause enough upheaval in the people to
overthrow the super-computer.

However, Kailynn knew that it was far
more complicated than that.

She had always been taught, as a Trid,
that the Elites were the enemy. She never really understood why the Elites were the enemy. All she
knew was that she had to struggle to eat and stay warm and the Elites never had
to struggle. She had been told that she struggled because the Elites made it so.
That was enough to fuel her hatred toward the Elite Syndicate.

But the previous night had changed that
perspective entirely. She had seen how upset Isa was at the attack on Caroie.
Isa had been trying to repair the damage that the previous Golden Elites had
dealt. Rayal explained that Isa was the best Elite the planet had had in a very
long time. Somehow, even without knowing what Isa had done and how the planet
had been before Isa took over the Syndicate, Kailynn understood that Isa was
very special, even among the Elites.

The sudden change in beliefs, and
remembering how she had felt before about Elites, was causing her head to spin.

She did not know what she was supposed to
do.

But Isa had given her the decision. She
was letting Kailynn choose how she wanted to proceed.

Kailynn was unsure if she was smart
enough to make that decision.

Over dinner, both Isa and Kailynn hardly
ate, lost in different thoughts. Kailynn was trying to determine her next step
while Isa was trying to understand her current situation with the other planets
after more information about the attack on Caroie had been uncovered.

Tarah cleaned up the plates, feeling
helpless, watching both of them struggle silently.

Isa stood.

“I’m going to bed,” she murmured.

“Oh…okay…” Kailynn said, startled out of
her thoughts.

Isa walked over to her and placed a hand
on hers, squeezing it gently with a knowing smile before walking to her room.
Kailynn watched her disappear and the door close behind her.

For over an hour, Kailynn sat at the
table, staring at her hands, trying to figure out the tangled mess of her
thoughts. Tarah went to bed, worried. There was a part of her that hoped
Kailynn would decide to go home so that there was no more danger to either of
them. However, there was another part of her that wanted the Significant to
stay because of how much happier Isa seemed to be with Kailynn around.

Finally, Kailynn stood, feeling her heart
race with every step she took toward the door. When the door opened, Isa sat
up, clearly surprised that Kailynn had come into her room. The younger woman
walked over to the bed and stood next to it for three long seconds before Isa
lifted the covers, inviting her in.

Kailynn shimmied out of her pants and
shirt and climbed into bed with the Elite, her arms wrapping around Isa. She
closed her eyes and tightened the hug, pressing her face into Isa’s neck. The
Golden Elite held her, her hand gently stroking Kailynn’s hair until they both
fell asleep.

Chapter
Thirteen

“Isa, there are a few things I wanted to ask
you.”

“Okay,” the Elite said, dressing in her
Syndicate uniform. It had been three days since the fated night that had
changed their lives, and Kailynn finally felt like she could gather her
thoughts enough to ask some of her burning questions.

“Rayal said that you were sick for a long
time. That they thought you would die.”

Isa turned to Kailynn, surprised that
Rayal had revealed that information. Kailynn turned away, hugging her knees as
she sat in the bed, still covered in the sheets.

“Is that true? You were that sick?”

Isa hesitated before turning back to the
mirror, straightening the collar of her uniform.

“I was very ill, yes,” she admitted. “To
be honest, I do not remember much of my time in the hospital, but I was there
for eight months.”

“Eight
months?” Kailynn gawked.

“The doctors said that I was on the verge
of death, but I do not recall anything of my treatment.”

“What put you in the hospital?”

“It was a combination of things,” Isa
admitted, brushing through her hair. “My health was in decline for over a year
before I was in the hospital. And then I fainted and fell down the stairs and
through some glass at the Syndicate Building.”

Kailynn’s jaw fell open at the story. She
could not respond as Isa turned around.

“But that was almost five years ago,” she
concluded. “It’s ancient history now.”

“Are you…I mean, clearly…you’re better?”

Isa chuckled lightly.

“I am fine,” she assured. “Every now and then,
particularly in stressful times, some of the pains return, but they are not serious.”
Isa walked over to the bed and sat on the frame, smiling gently at Kailynn. “I
am a little surprised that Rayal told you that.”

“I’ve actually been hearing a lot of
things about you that have me curious…”

“Oh?”

“Like that you’ve been in a relationship
before.”

Isa’s eyes were unreadable. She stared at
Kailynn for a few moments before heaving a sigh and nodding.

“I was.”

“How did you even manage that? Was it a
short-term thing?”

“No, it was not short-term,” Isa
admitted. “And I was very careful about it.”

“But Venus still found out,” Kailynn said
knowingly.

“She did.”

“But she didn’t kill you,” Kailynn
continued. “Did she kill the person you were with?”

“No.”

“She doesn’t enforce her own rules?”
Kailynn asked skeptically.

“At the time she found out, there was a
crisis within the Alliance. The relationship was very secret and she found out
while it was a still a secret. Because it was not public, and she still needed
me to help with the crisis throughout the system, she did not kill me. She
ordered the relationship terminated, and that was all.”

Kailynn looked down at the sheets,
thinking.

“But, there won’t be that kind of
reaction if she finds out about us, will there?”

Isa took Kailynn’s hand and squeezed it.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I do
not plan to have her find out.”

She leaned forward and kissed Kailynn’s
forehead.

“I must work.”

“Okay.”

Isa left the room while Kailynn flopped
back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Even though she and Isa had been
sleeping together the previous nights and continuing sexual relations, there
were several moments where the reality of the situation hit her hard enough to
knock the breath out of her. Hearing that Isa had been in a relationship before
eased her mind in part because it meant that Isa did know how to keep their
relations secret. However, knowing that Venus had still discovered Isa’s prior
relationship caused Kailynn to be overcome with anxiety.

Tarah had been her biggest support. When
the younger caretaker realized that the Significant would be staying, she
seemed relieved and overjoyed. She would talk to Kailynn constantly, trying to
get her to stop thinking about the dangerous situation. She knew she only had
to distract Kailynn while Isa was working, because the Elite always seemed to
calm the anxious Significant when she appeared.

Tarah was very careful not to reveal much
more about Isa’s past, but she did tell everything she had heard from the other
houses about the interesting, and sometimes illegal, things those in the upper
class did, which helped ease Kailynn a little bit, but it would also increase
her anxiety in other ways.

Rayal stopped by later in the afternoon
to discuss information with Isa that their intelligence agents had found. He
also stayed for dinner, helping Tarah cook. Kailynn had far too much time to
worry as they were cooking, though she was sometimes distracted watching Tarah
glance at Rayal with bright stars in her eyes. Kailynn wondered if Rayal
noticed Tarah’s crush.

During dinner, Kailynn immediately felt
more at ease. Whenever she saw Isa, she calmed, feeling safe.

She sat next to Isa at dinner, no longer
across from her.

Rayal spent his time watching them at
dinner, noting every secret glance and every small smile.

He saw that, somehow, in the three days
he had left them, they had become even closer. He could tell from the way
Kailynn was acting that she did not entirely understand Isa, or know her
secrets. Instead, it was as if the Significant was instinctively gravitating to
the Elite, and the Golden Elite was also pulled to the younger woman.

The realization scared Rayal.

Things were getting more dangerous the
longer the two women were together.

Two days after Rayal’s visit, a second
unexpected visitor appeared.

Kailynn was helping Tarah clean the
living room, listening to the caretaker relay a story Rayal had told her. The
younger woman had been unable to stop talking about Rayal and Kailynn was
starting to get annoyed with the crush. She did not say anything, hoping that
thinking about Tarah and Rayal and listening to Tarah’s stories would take her
mind off her own inner turmoil, but it was still starting to grate her nerves.

The front door opening stopped Tarah’s
story short as they both turned.

Kailynn did not see the way Tarah’s face
dropped, but she could feel the shift in the tension of the room when he walked
in. The man who entered was tall and broad, built with impressive muscles and
an extremely handsome face. From his appearance alone, Kailynn knew he was an
Elite. He was dressed in the same Syndicate Uniform that Isa wore, but somehow,
it made his already-perfect physique seem impossibly perfect.

“Elite Remus,” Tarah murmured, quickly
running forward to greet the Silver Elite. Kailynn’s heart stopped and fell
into her stomach. His eyes found her immediately and held her gaze for what
felt like days. Kailynn was sure her legs were trembling, because it was
difficult to stay standing. His green eyes were sharp and clear, veiled and
powerful in their knowledge. “Is there anything I can get for you, sir?”

“No, Tarah,” Remus said simply, glancing
at the caretaker before his eyes settled on Kailynn again. “Please retrieve Isa
for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tarah threw an apologetic look back at
Kailynn for leaving her alone with the Silver Elite, and then disappeared to
find Isa.

Two seconds passed before Kailynn moved.
She shifted her legs, trying to brace herself on one to keep from shaking. She
crossed her arms over her chest and looked over the Silver Elite, as if Elites
were something she came in contact with every day.

“Are you the Significant?” Remus asked.

“I would think that would be obvious,”
Kailynn said, her voice shaking only a little.

The corners of the Silver Elite’s mouth
quirked slightly upward.

“I’m glad my instructions were followed
to send someone with a little bite.”

Kailynn did not respond and forced
herself to remain still as Remus approached her.

“Let me ask you something,” Remus
started, his voice cold. “Were you instructed on what to do while you were
here?”

Kailynn said nothing, not sure what the
Silver Elite meant.

“You were supposed to sit with her and talk
with her, and that was all,” Remus explained.

Kailynn’s expression faltered, her eyes
going wide.

He knew.

The warning from Rayal rattled her skull
again.

“I’m guessing from your reaction that you
did not follow those instructions,” Remus said, his voice growing dark.

Kailynn was already intimidated by how
tall Isa was, but Remus towered over her and was broad, which made his looming
gaze even more frightening as it was cast down on the Significant.

“I was hoping the information was false,”
Remus continued.

“How did you find out?” Kailynn asked,
putting on her strongest face. “What happens in Isa’s private life is none of
your business.”

Remus’ eyes darkened.

“Everything
to do with Isa is my business,” he growled. “And this is something that cannot
be ignored.”

“Because it’s illegal?” Kailynn challenged. “We’ve both heard that argument
enough.” The Significant sighed, trying to sound indignant as she shifted her
weight to brace herself on the other foot, her legs still shaking. “Look, you wanted
me to be here to talk to her and comfort her, but when all this shit happened
with Caroie, she needed more than someone to talk to.”

Remus hesitated, the muscles in his jaw
clenching for a brief moment.

“What happened on Caroie shook her up,
that is without question,” he started, his tone measured. “However, even if she
was upset, or drunk, or whatever it was, you
as a Significant should have known the rules of interactions with Elites and
stopped her from making this monumental mistake.”

The words cut Kailynn deeper than she
anticipated.

“Mistake?”
she growled. “For your information, I was
the one who came onto her. She did
not start anything, I did.”

“What you did was illegal,” Remus hissed.

“What you did was illegal, too,” Kailynn
snarled. “But you would know that, already. You’re the one paying for me to be
here.”

“That’s right. I am the one paying,”
Remus repeated darkly, glaring at Kailynn. “But I never paid for you to touch
her. Do you have any idea the implications of what you’re doing?”

“She needed me,” Kailynn said. “That’s
why you hired me, right? Because she needed
someone?”

Remus was about to speak when the door
opened to the living room and Isa walked out of the guest hall, Tarah behind
her.

“Remus,” she greeted. “You should have
told me you were coming over.” She approached the two, looking between them. It
was clear she already knew the situation. “Is there a problem?”

Remus turned to Isa fully.

“I was hoping that it wasn’t true.”

“Rayal told you,” Isa said knowingly.

“He’s terrified for you,” Remus hissed.
“When he comes to me, I know there is
a problem.”

“Kailynn is not a problem,” Isa said, her
tone turning cold.

“You are having sexual relations with a
Significant,” Remus near-growled. “You have put her life, and your own, at
risk.”

“I am no stranger to risking my life,”
Isa said, standing next to Kailynn. “And I will protect Kailynn,” her eyes
hardened, “even if I have to protect her against you.”

Remus shook his head.

“You misunderstand,” Remus assured. “You know
I would never report you. However, this is still a problem. Kailynn needs to
leave.”

“I don’t believe that is your decision to
make,” Isa responded.

“I’m
the one paying for her to be here,” Remus said. “She violated the law. I should
have her arrested for even touching you.”

Isa’s eyes hardened.

“Would her cell be next to yours?”

Remus blinked at the Golden Elite,
surprised. Kailynn’s eyes shot wide as she connected the pieces, looking
between the Elites.

Isa looked at Kailynn. “I was the one who
asked Kailynn to be with me. If anyone violated the law, it was me.”

“Isa, this is not the time to be defiant,” Remus growled. “We have half the
system breathing down our necks and trying to find a way to tear you down. The
Ninth Circle is threatening to destroy the Crescent Alliance. Are you willing
to risk that because of this sort of distraction?” Remus motioned to Kailynn.
“I think it would be best if she left. She’s only here because I’m paying her.
If I stop, she has no reason to stay.” He turned to Kailynn. “That is the reason you’re here, right? The
money?”

Kailynn hesitated, caught off-guard by
the question. She looked at Isa, not sure what to say. The Golden Elite looked
at her briefly and then nodded once.

“Fine, I will pay for her,” Isa said. She
glared at Remus. “You are not the only one with money in this room, Remus. How
dare you put her in that position?”

“She’s using this for money!” Remus snapped. “You’re a fucking Elite, no
one should use you!”

“I’m a fucking Elite,” Isa repeated
coldly. “I was made to be used.” She nodded to the door. “Good day, Remus. We
will discuss this at a later time.”

Remus ground his teeth together and
sighed heavily.

He swept out of the room as Kailynn
turned to Isa.

“Isa…I…”

“I don’t want to hear your answer,” Isa
said. “It was not fair of him to ask such a loaded question.”

Kailynn glanced at the door.

“He was your previous lover,” Kailynn said
knowingly.

Isa nodded slowly. “He was.”

“Makes sense why Venus didn’t kill both
of you,” Kailynn said. “You were both Elites.” Kailynn hesitated. “In school,
too?”

“Yes,” Isa admitted. “We were sexual
partners for many years.”

“Did you love him?”

Isa’s eyes turned sad.

“Elites have no human emotions,” she
reminded the Significant. “I cannot fall in love.”

Kailynn’s brow furrowed, the words
hurting. She looked at the door once more.

“But he’s jealous.”

“No, I don’t believe so,” Isa disagreed.
“He’s worried. He knows the risks of this sort of relationship.”

“Why did you two call it off?” Kailynn
asked, confused, turning her eyes back on the Golden Elite. “You could have
ignored Venus’ order and continued to keep it secret. And you still work
together and clearly you still talk to one another.”

Isa hesitated, her eyes falling to the
ground for a moment as she thought about her answer.

“Things just ended,” she said slowly. “I
can’t say that there was one reason in particular. There were a lot of factors
and we decided it was best to comply with Venus’ order.”

Tarah dropped her eyes to the ground,
swallowing hard.

“It is in the past.” Isa waved the
conversation away. “In a way, I am relieved he knows.”

“Why?” Kailynn asked in horror.

“Because it saves me trying to keep it a
secret from him.” Isa turned to Kailynn and smiled gently, brushing her fingers
over the younger woman’s cheek. Kailynn’s body shuddered as her eyes were
captured in Isa’s powerful gaze. “I do not want you to worry about him, or about
the money,” she assured. “I will be sure you are properly paid for your time.”

“But…Isa…”

“No, you do not need to answer his
question. It does not matter to me if you are here because of the money or
not,” Isa said. “What matters to me is that you are here.”

Kailynn blinked at Isa, following the
Elite’s fingers as they left her cheek. Kailynn almost cried at the loss of
contact.

Isa turned to return to work but Kailynn
grabbed her arm, turning her around and grabbing her face. She crushed their
lips together, hoping that her feelings about Remus and the money were conveyed
in the kiss. She knew Isa did not want an answer, but she wanted to give one.

While she was frantic and desperate to
convey her emotions to Isa, the Elite was quiet and calm, as usual, slowing the
kiss to a gentler pace.

When they parted, Kailynn took a deep
breath and swallowed hard.

Isa smiled and ran her fingers over
Kailynn’s cheek, leaning down to kiss her again.

Chapter
Fourteen

Kailynn’s eyes fluttered open lazily as
she slowly came back to reality with the help of Isa stroking her hair. Her
throat was dry and her breath came in pants. She was hot and sticky with sweat,
which made resting on top of Isa uncomfortable, but she did not want to move.

She propped herself up and glanced at the
Golden Elite, who looked amazingly composed for someone post-coitus.

Isa ran her fingers over Kailynn’s
cheekbone, looking over the younger woman’s features. Kailynn turned her head
and kissed the Elite’s hand before leaning into the touch and turning her eyes
back on Isa.

“Isa…”

“You don’t need to say anything,” she whispered.
“I know.”

But Kailynn was sure that the Elite did not know. How could she know the complex
feelings coursing through the Significant when she could not feel human
emotions? Kailynn knew that it was her last night with the Elite. The following
day, Kailynn would return to Companion and then to Trid with the money she had
earned being with the Elite. She would be returning to free some of the
criminals who had tried to destroy Venus, the very computer Isa obeyed.

Kailynn leaned down and kissed Isa, her
lips hovering over the Golden Elite’s when she pulled away.

“Will you be alright?” Kailynn breathed.

Isa’s hands tenderly stroked Kailynn’s
back as she pecked another kiss on the younger woman’s lips.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?” Kailynn pressed. “It sounded
like things with Caroie really heated up today.”

Isa sighed and closed her tired eyes,
trying not to recall the difficult preliminary negotiations for Caroie and the
number of planets she found trying to thwart her every step.

“This is certainly not an easy
situation,” she said. “I will have to be very careful how I proceed.”

“…I feel like I have only been a
distraction,” Kailynn murmured. “You’ve had to handle Remus and Rayal chewing
you out because of me, on top of all this shit with Caroie.”

“You have been a very welcome and
necessary distraction,” Isa assured, smiling. “As difficult as it is to turn my
brain off, if I don’t distract myself from time to time, I do not do my job as
well.”

“Maybe that has to do with the brain
damage from falling down stairs,” Kailynn tried to tease, finally swinging her
leg over the Golden Elite and taking her place on her side next to Isa. The
Golden Elite chuckled.

“Perhaps,” Isa agreed. She turned to
Kailynn. “May I ask you something personal?”

“Uh oh…” Kailynn laughed nervously.

“Why are you trying to make money as a
Significant?”

Kailynn’s entire body went rigid. She had
not been expecting the question at all.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’ve noticed that you know more about me
than I know about you,” Isa murmured. “If you do not want to answer, you are under
no obligation. I just want to know if there is any way I can help.”

Kailynn was silent for a few moments.

“What?”

“You have done much more for me in the
last few weeks than you probably realize,” Isa said. “I want to return the
favor.”

“You mean you just needed to get laid?”
Kailynn joked.

“Perhaps,” Isa laughed. She turned onto
her side and propped her head up with her hand. “But it has also been nice to
have someone here who doesn’t treat me like I’m made of glass.”

“They’re just worried about you.”

“I know,” Isa said, brushing some of
Kailynn’s hair over her shoulder and gently touching the Significant’s cheek.
“Why are you trying to earn money?”

“…my brother is in trouble,” Kailynn
answered vaguely.

“Is he ill?”

“Yes,” Kailynn lied.

Isa nodded slowly, her eyes going
distant, lost in thought.

“How much do you need?”

“No, it’s fine,” Kailynn assured quickly.
“The money from this will be more than enough.” She did not know what the
average cost of medical treatment was and she did not want to make Isa
suspicious.

“If Remus refuses payment, for any
reason, let me know and I will take care of it.”

Kailynn looked down at the sheets,
feeling awkward. There were a lot of feelings coursing through her, including
the dread of tomorrow, when she knew she would have to leave the Golden Elite’s
home. The thought filled her with a sense of emptiness that scared her.

She leaned forward and took Isa’s face in
her hands, kissing her again.

The following morning, Kailynn moved
slowly, gathering her clothes and placing them in her bag. She had awoken to
being alone in Isa’s bed. She did not look for the Elite. She did not want the
entire morning to be a drawn-out, awkward goodbye. She felt like it was getting
harder to breathe as she realized her time to go back to Companion was coming
closer.

She brought her bag into the main room,
where Tarah was waiting, trying to hide her tears.

“It’s going to be so quiet, now,” she
said slowly.

Kailynn could not imagine how lonely
Tarah was, being alone for most of the day with very little human interaction,
always around Isa and the other Elites. It was no wonder the younger woman
clung to Kailynn and Rayal whenever they were around.

“Are you going to be alright?” Kailynn
asked.

“Yeah,” Tarah assured. “I’ll be fine.
It’s just…with you gone and Isa going back to the Syndicate Building for work
every day, it will be quiet.”

Kailynn hesitated. Her immediate reaction
was to invite Tarah to spend time with her outside of Anon, but she knew she
could not offer any place for the young woman to stay, particularly after the
teenager had become accustomed to living in the luxury of the Elite’s home.

“I would say you could come spend time
with me,” Kailynn offered, “but I don’t have anywhere to host you.”

“That’s alright,” Tarah said. “I don’t
really like to leave the tower anyway.”

“Never?”

“If I can avoid it.”

“Why?”

“I just…it scares me, that’s all.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,”
Kailynn said. “If you ever just want to get out and go on a walk or something,
I’ll go with you.”

“Go on a walk?” Tarah chuckled. “No one
does that.”

“Exactly,” Kailynn agreed. “So it will be
just us. No one else to worry about.”

Tarah giggled, trying to discreetly wipe
away a few tears.

“I might like that.”

“I think you should,” a voice said behind
them. They both jumped and turned to the door to the guest wing. Kailynn shook
her head, grinding her teeth together. When Isa saw the expression, she
chuckled. “What are you going to do without me sneaking up behind you all the
time?”

“I’m getting you a bell,” Kailynn said
shortly.

Tarah smiled lightly and bowed her head,
ducking into the kitchen, understanding that it was time for Isa to say goodbye
to the Significant. Kailynn felt her body tremble when she heard Tarah leave.
She stared at the Golden Elite as the door to the kitchen closed.

Isa stepped forward, pulling a card out
of her pocket and extending it to Kailynn.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a small gift,” Isa said. “Fifty-thousand
credits.”

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide.

“H-How much?”

“It’s just a little extra,” she
continued. “To supplement what you’ll be getting for being here.”

“I can’t accept this,” Kailynn said,
shaking her head and extending the card back to Isa.

“Then don’t use it,” the Golden Elite
said with a shrug. “But keep that card. It will give you access to this level.”

Kailynn had to take several moments to
process what that meant.

“…what?” she barely managed to breathe.

“You are welcome here whenever you
please.” Isa invited. “That card will give you access to the building and to
this level.”

“But…I…”

“There is no obligation for you to
return,” Isa continued. “The decision is yours. But you are always welcome.”

Kailynn stared at the grey card,
surprised beyond words. Isa watched the emotions that passed over the
Significant’s face. Kailynn finally swallowed hard and shook her head.

“I don’t know what to say…”

“You don’t need to say anything.”

“Thank you,” Kailynn whispered.

“You’re welcome,” Isa said with a gentle
smile.

Kailynn walked forward and rose up on her
toes to kiss Isa, pulling away while she was still able. Isa took her hand and
squeezed it.

“Thank you,” she said sincerely.

Kailynn could only nod, trying to swallow
the lump in her throat. She turned and picked up her bag, casting one final
look around the room as she pocketed the card Isa had given her. She turned
back to Isa, trying to push down the lump forming in her throat.

“Goodbye,” she murmured.

“Goodbye, Kailynn.”

Kailynn began backing away, her eyes
unable to leave Isa. After a few paces, she raised her voice.

“Bye, Tarah!” she called.

Tarah poked her head out of the kitchen,
trying to mask her tears.

“Bye, Kailynn.”

“Tarah,” Isa said, motioning the
caretaker to her. Tarah walked over, standing next to the Golden Elite as Isa
put her hand on Tarah’s shoulder. Kailynn looked between the two of them.

“Bye.”

Knowing she was seconds away from a
breakdown, she turned and half-ran out of the home. The door opened
automatically for her and she went to the elevator, waiting for it to arrive,
trying to stop the shaking of her body. She forced her feet to move forward
when the door to the elevator opened. The descent of the elevator car was too
fast, and a type of pain that Kailynn had never known before began to seep into
her bones.

When the door to the elevator opened
again to let Kailynn into the lobby, she was startled to see Rayal walking
toward the elevator. She was still for several seconds as the former caretaker
approached. Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind.

“Leaving?” Rayal asked casually, breaking
her out of her stupor. She stepped out of the elevator and walked past him.

“Yeah.”

“Kailynn,” Rayal called. She stopped, but
did not turn to him. “If she invited you back, I have some advice. Don’t come
back.”

Kailynn tried not to flinch at the words.

“This was already dangerous. Don’t push
your luck, or hers.”

Kailynn kept walking, keeping her head
up, trying to calm the storm of her mind. She left Anon Tower and felt her head
spinning. She quickly hurried away from the large building, disoriented and
unsure where she was going. She just knew she had to get as far away from the
building as possible.

She stumbled toward the center of town,
intent on returning to Companion. She could see the building of the company get
larger, but she was unable to get there before her confusion overwhelmed her.

She ducked into the nearest alley and
collapsed.

Leaning against the side of the building,
she let confused tears overtake her.

When Rayal walked into the living room,
he was alarmed at what he saw.

Isa was standing near the bar, her arms
around Tarah as the younger woman cried quietly into the Elite’s chest. He
walked to the both of them, his footsteps drawing Tarah’s attention.

“What happened?”

Tarah hiccupped between her sobs and
turned away from both of them, walking into the kitchen quickly. Isa let out a
defeated sigh.

“What’s going on?” Rayal pressed.

“She’s upset over Kailynn leaving,” Isa
murmured. “I was concerned that having another person here would complicate
things for her.”

Rayal turned to the kitchen,
understanding what Isa meant.

“I’ll talk to her,” the former caretaker
offered.

Isa nodded her thanks as he went into the
kitchen. Tarah was in front of the sink, her hands wrapped around the edge of
the basin as she crouched in front of it, crying.

“Tarah,” he called quietly.

“No, go away,” she snapped, her voice
breaking.

Rayal walked over to her and grabbed her
shoulders, pulling her up and turning her around to hug her. He smoothed over
her hair as her arms went around him, her sobbing wracking her entire body.
Rayal held her tight, letting her break down.

He kicked himself for not realizing how
difficult the situation would become for Tarah. Tarah had thrived with Isa, and
he hardly remembered the starved, bruised, terrified child that Isa had brought
into the capital. But as he held her, he remembered how young Tarah was, and
how much of her past she had been unable to leave behind.

“I’m sorry…” she choked, shaking as her
crying slowly subsided.

“No, I apologize,” Rayal murmured. “I
didn’t realize how difficult this would be for you.”

“It shouldn’t
be,” Tarah hissed. “She wanted me to go out and see her, but I haven’t left
this tower in years. But she…she…she can do whatever she wants, she can help Isa. But…I…”

Tarah was overwhelmed and confused, her
sentences jumbled.

In those few moments that Tarah buried
her face back in Rayal’s chest, the former caretaker started to see how
complicated the situation was for everyone. Tarah had become attached to
Kailynn, who was finally someone that the younger woman could talk to. Tarah
had also been able to see that Kailynn was good
for Isa. The words hurt Rayal, knowing that he had told Kailynn not to come
back, even knowing that Isa had already become very fond of the Significant.

“Rayal,” Tarah breathed. She glanced up
at him, swallowing hard. “I knew her from before.”

“What?” Rayal breathed. “What do you
mean?”

“I remember her from when I was younger,”
she continued. “She’s a Trid.”

Rayal was sure that his heart stopped
beating for a few seconds as the words processed.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she whispered. “We had the same
Keeper.”

“But she didn’t recognize you?”

“No.”

Rayal was not sure what to think. The
fact that Kailynn was actually an orphan from Trid who must have faked papers
to get work as a Significant added even more weight to the situation.

“Rayal,” Tarah started, “I’m so
confused.”

“We all are.”

“Will you stay?” Tarah asked. “Not for
me, but for Isa?”

“Yes,” he assured. “I’ll stay for both of
you.”

Chapter
Fifteen

Kailynn paced anxiously by the abandoned
car garage. She knew that the members of the Heart of Trid gang had likely
already made their escape, but she was still terrified that something would go
wrong. She had quickly taken the money from her job with the Golden Elite and
paid the guards at Uren to turn away when Theo and the others escaped. It had
only been four days since her return to Trid and she had quickly busied herself
with the gang’s escape, trying to keep her mind off of the perfectly clear blue
eyes that haunted her.

“Relax,” Raphael chuckled as she
continued to pace. “The guards don’t give a shit. They’ll get out.”

“You don’t know that.”

Raphael walked over and grabbed Kailynn’s
shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her. She stopped, surprised. When he
pulled away, Raphael kept his arms secure around her, smiling.

“It will be alright,” he assured. “Theo’s
smart. He’ll be fine.”

Kailynn was about to object but Raphael
pinned her against the wall of the car garage, capturing her lips in a near-bruising
kiss. She was, once again, stunned, but when Raphael’s hands went up the front
of her shirt to palm her breast, she broke the kiss and pushed him away.

“Not now.”

“You have been acting weird since you
came back,” Raphael said, stepping away. “Are you alright?”

“I’m worried about Theo, alright?”
Kailynn groaned. “I risked my fucking life to get this much money, and I want
to make sure that this works.”

For another two hours they waited, joined
by a few other members of their gang. Kailynn was trying not to let herself get
too worked up, but her heart was practically in her throat, choking her. She
continued to look around for signs of movement, knowing that Theo and the other
gang members could come from any direction, depending on how they managed to
escape.

“Alright, spill it,” Alyssa finally said
as she sat in the shade of the car garage, throwing pebbles and cracked pieces
of concrete at one another in boredom. Kailynn turned when she did not
continued, surprised to find that Alyssa was speaking to her.

“What?”

“Spill,” Alyssa repeated. “How d’ya get
the money to bust ‘em out?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“Because you don’t get that kinda money
whoring,” Alyssa said simply. “How d’ya get it? Stealin’ from people in the
capital?”

Kailynn was about to deny the accusation,
but hesitated. There were only two people in the gang who knew she was working
as a Significant. Kailynn did not want anyone else to know. In Trid, pride was
everything and rumors could be a death sentence. That was the reason Theo could
not be broken out of Uren without others of his gang. The gossip of his failure
and the possibility of bringing the Officials into Trid put a target on Theo’s
head. Kailynn’s situation was different, but not drastically so. Faking papers to
find work in the capital was not brave or admirable, but cowardly and selfish.
If you were born a Trid, you died a Trid. A Trid was never supposed to want to
become a citizen of Anon. Trids were proud to be Trids, proud to be rough and
strong, and proud to not need the guiding hand of Anon, the Syndicate, or
Venus.

Kailynn would be ridiculed for what she
was doing, particularly since she was earning money to break out the most-hated
gang of Trid.

“I ain’t tellin,” she said with a cocky
smile, turning away. She heard Alyssa and the others chuckle behind her.

“That’s our girl.”

Raphael did not feel the same sort of
relief as the others. He saw the brief hesitation that crossed Kailynn’s face.
With her strange behavior the previous four days, he was sure that something
more had happened that she was trying to hide. He wondered if she had gotten
into even more trouble. He understood that Kailynn would do anything to help
Theo. Theo was her only surviving family, but Raphael knew that Theo was far
from the ideal older brother. Raphael did not understand the hold that Theo had
over Kailynn.

He was about to ask Kailynn if she wanted
to check if her brother had gone to her place, which would give him a chance to
talk with her privately, when Viv gasped, pointing.

“There they are!”

Kailynn whirled around to see a group of
men and women jogging toward them, waving.

The others of Kailynn’s gang called to
them, welcoming them and congratulating them on their escape. Kailynn ignored
the others, searching the faces for her older brother. When she finally saw
him, he smiled and walked over to her.

She let him approach but, before she
could help herself, she slapped him across the face.

As soon as he turned back to her,
surprised and confused, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him
tightly.

“I guess I deserve that,” he chuckled.

“You deserve a helluva lot more than
that, you jackass,” Kailynn groaned, breaking the hug. “You cannot keep pulling
stunts like that.”

Theo smiled and ruffled Kailynn’s hair
playfully.

“Are you kidding? Do you know how close
we were?”

“To being killed? Yes,” she said sharply. “I’m serious, Theo, lay low. More
than half the gangs around here want you dead and now you’ve drawn the
attention of the Syndicate. You do anything stupid now and they’re going to
label you as a KOS.”

Theo did not seem worried about being
classified as a Kill on Sight target. He just smiled, glancing at the others of
his gang, causing them to smile at what they believed to be Kailynn’s dramatics.

“Theo!” Kailynn snapped.

“Alright, alright,” Theo chuckled,
hugging his younger sister again. “It’s alright.” He rubbed her shoulder.
“We’re here now. We got out.”

Kailynn was about to snap at Theo and
tell him that the only reason he was able to escape was because of her bribe
money, however, she decided against it. She let her brother hug her and pretend
like she was exaggerating.

She knew that she was not overreacting.

While some of the territory of the Heart
of Trid gang had been taken by other rival gangs, there were still several
small areas that belonged to them. Combined with Kailynn’s territory, they had
a safe place to celebrate the escape from Uren.

Aron, one of the oldest members of the
Heart of Trid gang, did not mind having everyone over at his place, as it was
the most central in the gang’s territory and the largest. The Trids lifted
drinks and ration packs from cafes and bars in the Walking District, smuggling
them back to Aron’s for their celebration. The elation of having booze and
several ration packs raised the already-celebratory mood. They did not care about
preserving the loot. They were too happy to have most of the Heart of Trid gang
free of Uren.

All of them toasted to the safe return of
Theo and the others and the drinking began. Alyssa hooked up a speaker to play
some grainy music from weak signals in the Walking District. Some Trids played
cards and drinking games, feeling safe and secure in the flat.

Kailynn drank and drank but she could not
join in the festivities. No one noticed her distant, sad look as she sat
against the far wall with a drink in hand. Anyone who looked at her figured she
was merely drunk.

When Raphael noticed the look, he crawled
to her, heavily inebriated, and sat next to her.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” she responded.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t look okay.”

“I’m drunk.”

Raphael fell silent. He knew that there
was something bothering Kailynn. He tried to think of something to say that
would get her to tell him what was wrong, but his mind was foggy with liquor.

“Wanna tell me what’s wrong?” he finally
said.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she answered, her eyes
never leaving the floor. She was staring at the dirty concrete, lost in
thoughts she could not follow. She closed her eyes and ran a hand through her
hair, sighing.

“Something is wrong,” Raphael disagreed.

Kailynn was still for several moments
before she let her head fall onto Raphael’s shoulder. Her eyes still closed,
she tried to fight the sudden urge to cry in frustration. She did not know what
she was upset about, but the alcohol made her emotional and upset.

She had to blame the alcohol.

Raphael decided not to think too much
about his next course of action.

He took Kailynn’s chin, tilting her head
up and capturing her lips in a kiss. He felt her smile against his mouth, so he
kissed her again, his lips covering hers in a way that he always enjoyed.
Kailynn had been the one who called off their monogamous relationship, saying
that he could be with other women if he wanted. Raphael never questioned why
she did that, but now that he was kissing her again, he wondered why they were
no longer a couple.

Raphael had been attracted to Kailynn
from the moment he saw her at the Keeper—the Trid orphanage. The orphans stayed
in their groups, never letting in new orphans, which led to four or five
newcomers creating a group of their own. Raphael had been with the Keeper since
he could remember, having been abandoned as a newborn. When Kailynn came
through the door, his eyes were unable to leave her. She was one year younger
than him, and had been dropped off by her fifteen-year-old brother because he
could not feed her. She had cried when he walked away, never turning back to
look at Kailynn, calling over his shoulder that he would be back.

Raphael broke the unspoken rule of the
Keeper and immediately took Kailynn into his group. That group eventually
became the founding members of the Cobalt Jaguars gang.

It was natural that Raphael and Kailynn
would become a couple. They were around each other constantly and there was a
definite spark between them. They got together when Kailynn was sixteen and
were a committed couple for two years before Kailynn said that they did not
need to be monogamous.

And slowly, their intimate relations
stopped.

Occasionally, they would have sex, when
they were lonely, or cold, or just bored and wanting to pass time, but it had
never been with the intent to resume their relationship.

Kissing her then, he wanted her to be
with him once more.

He wanted to hold her every night as she
drifted off to sleep. He wanted to wake up just before her so he could kiss her
awake. The thought of being sappy and romantic did not bother him. She was
worth it.

Kailynn broke the kiss and leaned her
head against his.

“Do you want to leave?”

She nodded.

He stood and offered his hand to her. He
shared a quick glance with a few of the others who saw them move. They waved
and nodded, some winking suggestively as the two left.

Raphael had his arm around Kailynn’s
shoulders as they walked silently back to his flat. He would glance at Kailynn
and smile gently.

She never once looked at him.

Kailynn’s eyes were focused on the
ground, her thoughts elsewhere.

She walked into Raphael’s apartment
without thinking. She heard the door close and she turned to him. He
immediately took her face in his hands, kissing her as he backed her up to the
wall.

For several moments, Kailynn was too
startled to move. She felt Raphael’s lips on hers and they gave her pause. It
was not what she had been expecting.

However, he was warm and his weight
against her body was comforting. She leaned into him and returned the kiss. She
had been so busy the previous days that focusing on the feeling of his warmth
was calming and comforting.

Raphael’s hands ran up and down her body,
his lips working against hers, his tongue ravaging her mouth.

Kailynn closed her eyes and tried to turn
off her mind and enjoy the sensations.

However, her mind turned to a pair of
stunning blue eyes that made her blood run hot. She thought about those eyes
looking into her soul, penetrating everything of her being, while still being
gentle. The smile that touched those eyes permeated through her intoxicated
mind, causing her to smile as she leaned her head back against the wall.

Raphael’s mouth moved over her skin,
gently scraping his teeth along her neck, sending shivers up her spine.

He guided her back to the bed, gently
pushing her so she was flat on her back before he made work of her clothes,
stripping them off slowly and seductively, smiling when Kailynn trembled under
his fingers.

But Kailynn could only think of water
moving over her skin, warm, as she enjoyed the weightless feeling. She could
feel hands pressing into her back, holding her afloat, steady and sure. She could
almost see the perfect face over her, smiling.

Raphael draped his body over her, kissing
her once more.

Kailynn slowly came back to reality.

She was not with Isa.

She was with Raphael.

Naked and being kissed all over, Kailynn
felt exposed and uncomfortable. There was something about the situation that
felt…wrong.

But Raphael was safe. There was nothing
dangerous about them being together. They had known each other for so long
there were no secrets between them. They always supported one another as best
they could in their times of need, and loved each other, even if that love was
difficult to describe.

Raphael knew exactly where to touch to
make her tremble in pleasure. Her body reacted to Raphael.

But that was not enough anymore.

Her mind was elsewhere.

When Raphael entered her, she was almost
shocked at the feeling. It was not painful—her body was ready for him—but it
felt intrusive, like he was not only penetrating her body, but also her mind,
invading an area of her thoughts that she had already dedicated to someone
else.

Even as her body bowed and climaxed in
pleasure, Kailynn felt as though she was betraying Isa.

Chapter
Sixteen

Kailynn felt as though she was living in
a dream as she went to the home of her next client. There were still seven
members of the Heart of Trid that needed to be broken out, and Kailynn knew
that there was no way Theo would be able to come up with the money on his own,
so she continued her work as a Significant.

Focusing on releasing the remaining Trids
allowed Kailynn to get her mind back in the right place.

Because she had been dwelling on Isa far
too much.

Her night with Raphael had made matters
worse. She felt guilty, as though she had betrayed and hurt Isa, even though
she and Isa were not a couple, technically, and Kailynn was not sure she was
ever going to see the Elite again. Being with Raphael was, in many ways, safer
than being with Isa. And she did love Raphael.

She could not name what she felt for Isa.

Going back to work at Companion felt
necessary. She needed a distraction. However, she was not called out for a job
for nearly four weeks after the Heart of Trid gang escaped, so Kailynn had a
lot of time to herself to think.

Her thoughts always went back to Isa.

She approached the door of her first
client in a month and was surprised to find herself nervous.

When the caretaker opened the door and
let her in without greeting her, she relaxed a little. She found the couple
standing awkwardly in the living room, stiff, uneasy about speaking with the
Significant.

Kailynn smiled as if she had known them
for years. Their request was to host a “dinner party” with a Significant. It
was their first time with a Significant and did not know how to react when she
walked up to them and hugged the woman before shaking hands with the man. She
commented on how beautiful their home was, even though Kailynn actually found
it dark and dull, like most noble homes.

It took the couple a few minutes to
relax, but even then, Kailynn had to skillfully ask questions to keep up the
charade. She asked them what they had been up to, asked them to explain their
jobs as though she was a friend who had forgotten or wanted to know about the
promotions they had obtained. The couple was confused by how much Kailynn was
talking.

Kailynn felt like she was pulling teeth.
The couple wanted her there to talk to through the dinner party, but they were
unable to hold up their end of the act. Kailynn forgot how tedious the work
could be.

Through dinner they started to relax and
speak more. The woman asked Kailynn’s opinion about current political affairs
and everything happening in the Ninth Circle, which was something that made
Kailynn hesitate.

“Oh, politics is such a frightening thing
to talk about over dinner,” Kailynn tried to laugh. “I have complete faith in
Elite Isa and the others of the Syndicate that they will solve the problem
efficiently.”

She then asked another question, hoping
to draw the attention off politics.

Kailynn, for all the free time she had to
mull over her own thoughts, had not been keeping up with the current political
state of Tiao. Now reminded of the trouble in the Ninth Circle, she wondered if
Isa was alright. She wondered if there was any progress with Caroie and if Isa
was able to resolve the hostage situation. Kailynn worried that Isa was not
taking care of herself, too worried about political problems to think of
herself.

Kailynn stumbled her way through the rest
of the appointment with her client, her mind focused on Isa.

It had become a warily constant theme in
her mind.

When it was finally time for her to say
goodbye to the couple that, she had to admit, was very nice, just awkward,
Kailynn rushed to the elevator eager to get out of the building. She met Nyx at
the car as he tried to keep up with her, even as she quickly clamored in. When
he saw her worried expression, he blinked, staring at her.

“What’s wrong? Did they hurt you?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” she assured, taking a
deep breath.

“Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”

“I’m just…I have a lot of things on my
mind, okay?”

“…are you pregnant or something?”

“Excuse me?!” Kailynn gasped, rounding on
Nyx.

“You’ve been acting weird,” Nyx said,
shrugging. “I was just asking.”

“I can have a lot on my mind without
being pregnant, Nyx!” she snapped.

“Fine, sorry I asked. Not like I’m
worried about you or anything.”

“Don’t use that tone,” Kailynn groaned.
“I know you’re worried. I know that’s why you asked. I just have a lot bothering
me.”

“Do you need to talk about it?” Nyx
asked, turning the car on and leaving the parking garage. Kailynn sighed and
rubbed her face, trying to get her thoughts under control. She felt like she
was obsessed with Isa. She had been thinking about the Elite every waking
moment for the past month. It was starting to feel like a full-time job.

“Have you ever thought about something
for a month non-stop?” she finally asked.

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “Wait, a good
thing or a bad thing?”

“…what if you didn’t know?”

“Then that’s a predicament,” Nyx
chuckled. “If it’s a good thing, then you can say you’re thinking about it
because it makes you happy, and there is nothing wrong with that. If it’s a bad
thing, then thinking about it helps you process it and helps you get over it.
If you don’t know…” Nyx sighed heavily. “I guess you’re thinking about it
trying to decide what it is.”

Kailynn groaned and leaned her head back.

“I feel like I’m obsessed.”

“With?”

Kailynn shook her head.

“Too personal.”

“Oh? Are you falling in love with someone?”

Kailynn had a strong urge to punch him.

“I doubt it.”

“Is it a person you’ve been thinking
about constantly?” he asked, turning to her as the car moved along the tunneled
roads under the city.

“So?”

“Maybe you’re in love,” Nyx suggested.
“That’s what happens.”

“You think about the person so much it
might as well be obsessive?”

“Yeah,” Nyx chuckled. His face fell
quickly. “Wait, did you fall for a client?”

“No!” Kailynn growled. “I haven’t fallen for anyone.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“…no.”

Kailynn closed her eyes and lightly hit
her head a few times against the window of the car.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Maybe talk to the other person?” Nyx
suggested. “That might be best.”

“Not really possible…”

“Why not?”

“…it’s complicated.”

The two fell into silence for a several
minutes. Kailynn did not notice it, but her body was becoming tenser with every
passing second. Nyx tried not to smile, but he knew it was only a matter of
time.

“Okay, fine, just…exit at the next stop and let me out. I’ll walk the rest
of the way!”

Nyx chuckled.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he assured, touching the
screen and programming a new exit for the car.

“Then why are you laughing?” she
demanded.

“I had a mental countdown of when you
would finally tell me to stop.”

Kailynn narrowed her eyes.

“Don’t tell anyone about this,” she
snarled darkly. He raised his hands and shook his head.

“No, my lips are sealed. But what are you
going to tell Jak?”

“I’ll just tell him that I needed to see
my brother in the hospital,” she said.

Nyx’s expression softened.

“Has he taken a turn for the worst?” he
asked gently. Kailynn shook her head.

“No,” she said. “He’s actually doing
better.”

“That’s a relief,” Nyx said with a smile.
“And you’ve fallen in love. Things are looking up.”

“I have not fallen in love,” Kailynn said
quickly, looking around as the car rose up to ground level and sat still,
hazard lights flashing, waiting for further instruction.

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Nyx
assured. “It’s a wonderful thing.”

“Goodnight, Nyx,” Kailynn said,
exasperated, getting out of the car and waiting for him to drive away before
walking around the buildings of Anon, glancing up at the lit windows and
hearing the hum of the machines as the city remained awake late into the night.
The city was so devoid of people and noise that Kailynn could hear the
commotion of the music in the Walking District, which was a fair distance from
where she stood.

She had to look around for several
moments, walking a few blocks and looking around again, trying to locate Anon
Tower.

When she finally saw it her pace became
determined, deciding to push all her thoughts and doubts away. As she got
closer, she reached into her bag and shuffled around the contents, being sure
to find the small, grey card that she kept on her at all times. She became
flustered when she did not find it immediately, but she also did not stop
walking, continuing down the walkways toward the building as she searched for
the access card.

Kailynn finally found it, holding it
tight as her steps hastened.

Entering Anon Tower felt surreal. She
remembered her nerves when she first walked into the building to spend a month
with an unknown Elite. She also recalled the pain and confusion she felt upon
leaving, and Rayal’s words came back to haunt her.

“Don’t
come back.”

For a brief moment, Kailynn hesitated.

But she had been thinking about Isa every
day since leaving the Elite. She could not turn back now that she was in the
lobby.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into
the elevator and swiped the card to go up to the level of the Golden Elite.

Her stomach was tangled with butterflies
as the elevator ascended. She wondered if Isa would be there when she opened
the door. There was a part of her that wanted to see the Elite’s face the
moment she walked in, and another part of her that knew she needed time to
prepare.

The elevator doors slid open. She stepped
out and walked to the door, shaking, though she did not understand why. Nervously,
Kailynn stepped in front of the door and it opened. She was immediately greeted
by Tarah running to her and hugging her tightly.

“I almost didn’t believe it when I saw
your picture on the monitor,” Tarah gasped, refusing to let go of Kailynn. The
older woman laughed and returned the hug.

“Where is the security system?” she
asked, confused.

“My room and the kitchen,” Tarah
answered, finally pulling away from the Significant, her face beaming. “It
feels like it’s been years since I’ve seen you.”

“How have you been?” Kailynn asked,
walking into the main room after Tarah. The younger woman sighed heavily.

“Alright, I guess.”

“That wasn’t convincing,” Kailynn laughed
brokenly. Tarah smiled thinly.

“Things haven’t been the same since you
left.”

Kailynn was not sure what Tarah meant,
but it made her concerned. She glanced around the main room, trying to hide her
shaking.

“She’s not home, yet,” Tarah said
quietly. “She had a late meeting.”

Kailynn was both disappointed and
relieved.

“Do you mind if I wait around?” she tried
to ask casually. Tarah’s smile widened.

“I was hoping you would.”

Tarah got Kailynn a drink and then sat
with her in the living room, asking her what she had been up to, thrilled to
see the older woman again. Kailynn was surprised how easy she found it to talk
to the caretaker. She missed the younger, bubbly girl. Her smile was
infectious.

However, when the door opened, Kailynn’s
attention was immediately diverted.

She could feel her entire body react to
the Elite when she walked through the door, even though she was talking on the
phone.

“—know what else I can do,” she said,
sighing heavily and shaking her head. She stopped when she saw Kailynn. Tarah
stood and dipped her head in a bow to the Golden Elite, but Isa did not notice.
She watched as Kailynn slowly stood from her seat, a nervous smile overtaking
her face.

Isa smiled as well.

“I’m starting to feel overwhelmed,” she
murmured, placing her fingers against the earpiece to show she was speaking to
someone. “And I think I’m coming down with something.” She paused, listening to
the other person. “Yes, I think that might be best. I’ll work from here
tomorrow and try to rest my body a little. I think Opium is starting to take
its toll.”

Kailynn’s heart skipped a beat. She
wondered if Isa was actually feeling unwell, or if she was saying that so that
she could stay at home—with Kailynn—the following day. Kailynn could feel the
heat rising to her cheeks.

“Thank you, Remus,” Isa said gently.
“Have a good night.”

She took out the earpiece and set it with
her phone on the bar.

“This is an unexpected surprise.”

Kailynn was still overpowered by how
beautiful Isa was and the radiance of her smile. No matter how many times she
had thought about the Elite’s stunning features the previous month, she was
still enthralled by Isa.

“Is there anything I can get you, Miss?”
Tarah asked. She was trying not to smile at the way Isa and Kailynn had not
broken eye contact.

“No, thank you, Tarah. I ate at the
Syndicate.”

Still, Isa and Kailynn had their gazes
locked.

“If that is all, Miss, then I will say
goodnight,” Tarah said.

“Thank you, Tarah,” Isa repeated.
“Goodnight.”

Tarah bowed her head and started toward
her room, allowing the smile to creep over her face when she went into the
guest hall.

Kailynn heard the door open to the guest
hall, but she did not turn to make sure that Tarah was gone. As the door was
sliding shut, she strode quickly over to Isa and grabbed her face, crashing
their lips together as if her life depended on it.

The Significant backed the Elite up until
she was pressed against the bar, pushing her body against Isa’s, her hands
holding Isa’s face tightly.

Isa smiled into the kiss and her hands
went to Kailynn’s waist, holding the younger woman to her, reveling in the
contact.

Kailynn’s entire body was sparking as
their lips worked against one another. She felt that she could not get close
enough to Isa. She needed to be closer, she needed to feel every inch of Isa’s
being, even though it was physically impossible. She whined at longing and
broke the kiss.

Both of them were still, their lips
barely apart, their breaths mixing between them.

Isa’s hand brushed over Kailynn’s cheek.
The Significant leaned into the touch, her eyes fluttering shut.

Isa swooped down and captured her mouth
once more.

“Isa…”

“Hmm?” Isa’s eyes opened and she turned
her head to look at Kailynn. The younger woman hesitated before turning onto
her stomach and crossing her arms to prop herself up on the bed.

“Are you staying home tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Is it because you’re not feeling well?”

Isa chuckled.

“It has more to do with you being here,”
the Elite admitted.

Kailynn chuckled nervously, dropping her
gaze to the bed.

“That’s unnerving.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re the leader of a planet
and I’m distracting you from running that planet,” Kailynn said with a wary
chuckle. There was an underlying question in the jest, and Isa immediately
understood. She smiled, running the backs of her fingers tenderly over the Significant’s
shoulder.

“I have been trained to run the planet
since I was ten years old,” she whispered. “I am very good at my job.”

“I know but…” Kailynn trailed off,
hesitant. “I am still distracting you. And I hear that things are getting worse
with the Ninth Circle.”

Isa’s fingers continued trailing over
Kailynn’s skin lazily.

“I’m a grown woman,” she said. “You can’t
be held responsible for my actions.”

“Then I am distracting you.”

Isa chuckled, closing her eyes.

“You said it yourself when you were here
last,” she started. “If I don’t get my mind off work, I’m going to think myself
in circles.”

Kailynn looked over Isa’s relaxed
features. Now that she was studying the Elite, she could see the exhaustion on
her face. She still looked perfect, of course, but the skin around her eyes was
darker and she had lost weight in the month that Kailynn had been gone.

The Significant crawled closer, drawing
Isa’s attention and causing her to open her eyes. Kailynn leaned down and
kissed the Elite.

“I should probably go.”

“I would like you to stay,” Isa murmured,
her eyes betraying how much she wanted Kailynn’s company. “I missed you.”

Kailynn’s smile widened.

“I missed you, too.”

Isa took a deep breath.

“I was actually relieved to see you,” she
said. “I was concerned you would not come back.”

Kailyn swallowed hard and turned away
from the Elite’s gaze.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to come back,”
she admitted. “I wanted to come back much sooner, but…I thought it was too
dangerous for the both of us,” she completed. She looked at Isa seriously.
“What do you think would happen if Venus found out about this?”

Isa was quiet for a few moments,
thinking.

“I truly do not know.”

“Can’t you convince her that you work
better when you’re allowed to fuck every once and a while?” Kailynn groaned.

Isa chuckled.

“She’s a computer,” she reminded the
Significant. “Her logic is infallible.”

“What does that mean?”

“That she’s without fault. She is
correct, no matter what she decides.”

Kailynn scoffed.

“Really?” she groaned. “So, creating
children that she can beat for wanting sex and then forcing them to work
themselves to death while she ignores a growing number of Trids isn’t the wrong decision?”

“To her, no,” Isa said. “The Elites
garner more respect than she. People like having a person, a living being, to
look to when discussing human problems.”

“If that is the case, why is everything
we do so dependent on technology?” Kailynn asked. “If people want someone to
talk to, why don’t they talk to one another? The Significants would disappear
if people would just talk to one another!”

“I wish that were so,” Isa murmured. “But
the dependence on technology is so deeply rooted in our society that changing
it would be almost impossible.”

“Why?”

“It’s extremely complicated,” Isa said.
“If one person wanted to change, wanted to start talking to their husband or
their children, both the husband and the children would have no concept of how
to react. They have never been exposed to those circumstances before. One person
cannot start the change in society just from changing themselves, particularly
if that society is set up to stop them at every attempt.”

“Couldn’t you do something?” Kailynn
asked. “I’m sure you heard a while ago that some Trids tried to shut down Venus.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Can’t you shut her down? Can she be shut down?”

Isa hesitated, her eyes looking over
Kailynn’s face, making the Significant nervous. She realized she was discussing
treason with the leader of the planet, but she hoped that Isa would take the
question as Kailynn’s curiosity, rather than plotting.

“Yes, she can be shut down,” the Elite
finally murmured. “But it won’t work to just go in there and smash her wiring.
The problem with shutting down Venus lies in the way she was created.”

“She’s just like any other computer,
though.”

“No, no, she is far from,” Isa said
quickly. “She’s is a very advanced artificial intelligence. She was created as
an early detection disaster program. When the city was being built, there were
fires and earthquakes and violent storms and several other obstacles that
continued to set back development of Tiao. Venus was programmed to detect
dangers and warn the city before the damage was done. However, that required
her to be able to determine when a threat was credible. That artificial
intelligence grew quickly, to the point where she was monitoring transmissions
from other planets and patterning criminal behavior. It was not long before she
was watching every person on the planet. She changed the way the city operated
entirely.”

“So why would that matter if she was shut
down?”

“Because she was wired into the entire
planet in order to monitor for disasters,” Isa said. “To go in and cut her
wires would do nothing. She is everywhere. Her coding and power source is in
the entirety of the planet. And even then, she has a secondary backup. If she
were to be properly shut down, the entire planet would shut down.
Transportation, power, food production, water treatment, heat…no one would be
able to survive.”

“We have none of that in Trid,” Kailynn
noted.

“You don’t have power, or heat, this is
true. But you do not treat your water, or produce your food. You steal what you
can from Anon.”

Kailynn hesitated, deciding it was best
not to respond.

“And this planet, even the undeveloped
parts, is not suitable for producing enough food to feed every inhabitant. That
is why we have ration packs. That is why we have to import food from other
planets.”

“But, you could shut down Venus and then
find a way to program everything without her,” Kailynn suggested.

“We would have no power to reprogram
after she was shut down,” Isa explained. “It would take us years and years to
get the planet up and running again. In that time, the citizens would starve
and die, plague would set in from poor sanitation, wars would break out within
the city…” Isa sighed heavily. “Too many would die if she were to be shut
down.”

“But she’s a dictator,” Kailynn said strongly. “And, in Trid, we’re sure that
the Elites are running the show and just using Venus as an excuse to do things.
People can’t see or interact with her, so how can she be expected to lead this
planet?”

“She does exist,” Isa said. “And the fact
that no one can interact with her is the reason she created the Elites. The
Elites obey her, and they give a human face to her orders. That’s why she won’t
get rid of the Elites. The data showed that people were more willing to follow
the orders when given by Elites rather than Venus.”

Kailynn sighed and flopped onto her back,
staring up at the ceiling. Isa turned onto her side and looked at Kailynn
seriously.

“Did I upset you?”

“No, it’s just…” Kailynn groaned. “It’s
frustrating.”

“Yes, it is.”

“So, she looks at the Elites as just
extensions of herself,” Kailynn said. “You’re not your own person? You’re just
part of her?”

Isa hesitated, her eyes showing pain
hidden deep below the cool exterior.

“No,” Isa said. “I am my own person.”

Kailynn looked at Isa, hearing the agony
in the Elite’s voice.

It was as if Isa was trying to convince
herself that she as not merely an extension of Venus.

“I’m really happy you’re back,” Tarah
said with a smile as Kailynn finished her breakfast. Kailynn chuckled nervously
at the elated look on Tarah’s face.

“Why?”

Tarah shrugged, her smile widening.

“This place just feels different when
you’re here,” Tarah said. “And Isa’s happier, too.”

Kailyn paused.

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Tarah,” Kailynn started, turning to her
almost-empty plate and shifting the remaining pieces of food around, “can I ask
you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Were you around when Isa and Remus
split?”

Tarah’s eyes shot wide and she blinked a
few times, stunned.

“She told you?”

“She told me she and Remus were partners
for a while, and that things just ended between them.”

Tarah let out an exasperated chuckle,
raising her eyebrows.

“Eight months in the hospital is what
ended the relationship,” Tarah grumbled. “I was around, yes.”

“Were you also around when Venus found
out about them?”

“No.” Tarah shook her head. “Why?”

“I was trying to figure out how Venus
found out about them,” Kailynn said. “Are there cameras around the level?”

“Yes.” Tarah nodded. “For security
reasons, there are cameras everywhere.”

“Then Venus probably already knows about
us?” Kailynn hissed, horrified.

“If she knew, she would have said
something by now,” Tarah assured. “I’m sure Rayal is doing a good job keeping
the camera feeds from Venus. They don’t go directly to her, anyway. They filter
through the Intelligence Agency before they are processed into her computers.
Rayal is probably deleting them.”

“You mean…he can see when Isa and I…”
Kailynn stopped, not wanting to continue.

Tarah chuckled.

“I guess so,” she said. “There is a
camera in Isa’s bedroom.”

“Does she know that?” Kailynn asked,
nodding to the guest hallway to indicate Isa, who had disappeared into her
office twenty minutes previous.

“Of course.”

“But that’s not how Venus found out about
them?”

“No.” Tarah shook her head. “According to
Rayal, someone leaked the information to blackmail Isa.”

“I thought you said that no one would
harm Isa,” Kailynn said quickly.

“This was over five years ago,” Tarah
murmured. “Politics got ugly. It wasn’t a caretaker, it was someone else that
had stumbled on the information.”

“Was he caught?”

“Yeah,” Tarah said, though her voice
trembled on the word. “He was punished.”

Tarah stood and started collecting the
dishes, smiling weakly.

“Are you finished?”

Kailynn wandered around the level of Anon
Tower, remembering the month she had stayed and how much the job had changed
her life. She had grown up hating Venus and the Syndicate Elites. She never
thought that meeting the Golden Elite would change her perception so
drastically. It was if there was some otherworldly power to Isa that drew
people closer. It was a feeling of security and strength that was addicting to
all that came in contact with the Elite.

Kailynn started watching the clock,
waiting for Isa to finish working. She had gone in to see if she could speak
with the Elite—she did not have anything in particular she wanted to talk
about, she just wanted to be with Isa—however, she found the Elite in BCS mode
with the ring glowing blue and a hologram curtain of various-colored boxes
slowly rotating around the chair.

The Significant had to wait.

However, when Isa finished up her work,
she found Kailynn and asked if she wanted to swim. The two spent nearly two
hours in the pool, talking lightly about nothing in particular. At one point,
Isa cornered Kailynn and began kissing her passionately. Kailynn’s eyes were
rolling back into her head as Isa’s hand descended into the water to gently
touch her when Tarah opened the door to the pool area, startling both of them.

The caretaker turned away, blushing at
the scene she had stumbled upon.

“So sorry to disturb you,” she said
quickly. “Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes.”

“Thank you, Tarah,” Isa said with a
smile, clearly not as embarrassed as Tarah or Kailynn. When Tarah left, Kailynn
let out an exasperated groan.

“How can you be so damn calm about
everything?”

Isa chuckled. “Practice.” She stepped
closer to Kailynn again, her hands gripping the Significant’s hips as she
smiled. “Where were we?”

Kailynn was a little embarrassed to meet
Tarah’s eyes at the dinner table, knowing what she had stumbled upon in the
pool. She sat down nervously next to Isa, who seemed to not be concerned at
being caught earlier.

However, before the Elite could start
dinner, her phone chimed and caught her attention.

She
stood and grabbed the small device, looking over the screen.

“My apologies,” she said, her face
creasing with concern. “An emergency. Please continue dinner without me.”

Isa made her way into her office once
more as Kailynn watched. When the Elite was out of sight, Kailynn turned back
to Tarah, worried about the emergency. The younger woman shrugged.

“It happens. She’s called away all the
time to deal with emergencies.”

The two ate their dinner. Tarah brought
up conversation to dispel the tension between them. As they were doing dishes
together, as they had done during Kailynn’s previous stay, Tarah finally
brought up what she saw.

“I don’t want you to be embarrassed,” she
said, though it was clear that she was embarrassed herself.

“Oh…” Kailynn dropped her gaze, running
her cloth over the already-dry, washed dish. “Yeah…sorry about that.”

“Don’t be,” Tarah assured. “It was just a
surprise, that’s all.”

“You seemed embarrassed about it, though,”
Kailynn noted.

“It’s…it’s just strange to see Isa like
that, that’s all,” Tarah murmured. “I was not around when she was with Remus,
but Rayal told me that he walked in on them a few times in different rooms.”

Kailynn blinked, surprised.

“They had sex that often?”

“From what I heard,” Tarah affirmed.
“Rayal said he used to call them his teenagers because they could hardly keep
their hands to themselves when they were here together.”

Kailynn was startled to hear that Isa and
Remus had been so sexual with one another. She had always believed that Isa was
restrained when it came to their sexual relations. There was another feeling
pooling in her gut. She was irritated to hear that Isa and Remus had been so
close. It made her feel like she was not as close to the Golden Elite as she
believed herself to be.

Tarah glanced at the silent Significant
and saw the jealousy written on her face.

“I wouldn’t let that get to you,” she
said quickly. “Just promise me you won’t do that to me. I don’t know if I could
handle finding you two doing it in every room of the house.”

Kailynn chuckled.

“Could give you some ideas with Rayal.”

Tarah’s jaw dropped to her chest and she
turned to Kailynn with horrified eyes.

“What?”

“Oh, come on, everyone here can see what
a crush you have on the guy,” Kailynn teased.

“He is fifteen years older than me!”

“So? You like the guy, don’t you?”

“That’s not the point!”

“Why not?”

Tarah’s cheeks burned hotly, and she
turned back to unloading the dishes from the dishwasher, handing them to
Kailynn, her eyes cast down.

Kailynn leaned over and smiled
devilishly.

“Why are you pouting?”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are,” Kailynn laughed. “It’s
not a big deal, you know.”

“Yes, it is,” Tarah murmured. “I
mean…I’ve never even been kissed before.”

Kailynn smiled.

“Not even when you were in school?”

“No,” Tarah said quietly, still pouting.
“I finished my schooling here in Anon Tower. The three years I went to public
school, I never even spoke to my classmates outside of the NCB chairs.”

Kailynn tried not to roll her eyes.

“Right, I forgot. No one here talks to
one another,” she mumbled. “Well, then ask Rayal to take you somewhere. You’ve
been in this tower too long.”

“I have been out of the tower. I’ve been
to the Syndicate Building,” Tarah defended.

“By highway, I’m sure, which means you
were underground. That doesn’t count.”

“Why not? It was—”

A shrill alarm sounded, causing them both
to jump. Kailynn looked around quickly, not sure of the meaning of the alarm.

“Are we under attack?” she asked quickly.

Tarah gasped and ran out of the kitchen,
Kailynn following her.

“Tarah? What’s wrong?!”

“It’s Isa!” she called as she ran through
the pool area.

Kailynn did not ask for more explanation.
Her heart stopped temporarily in fear before she forced herself to run even
faster to the Elite’s office.

Tarah opened the door and the loud alarm
sounding through the house increased in volume. Kailynn stopped dead in the
doorway, terrified at the sight.

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.”

Chapter
Seventeen

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.

When seven hours had passed and Kailynn
was falling asleep in her chair, a doctor walked into the waiting room. Rayal
spotted him immediately and straightened, grabbing the attention of Remus, who
turned.

As Rayal woke Tarah, the Elites stood to
surround the doctor that Kailynn recognized.

“Dr. Busen,” Remus greeted.

“Remus,” he said with a small smile.
“She’s stable. She’ll be fine.”

The Elites relaxed and let out relieved
chuckles.

“How bad was it?” Remus asked.

“Well,” Dr. Busen started, sighing and
shaking his head, “I don’t feel comfortable letting her leave without
surveillance. Her body is not in optimal condition, and I worry that she’s
declining again.”

“Why do you think that?” Maki asked
worriedly.

“Her heartbeat is irregular, and her
brain activity is…concerning.”

“Then it’s getting worse?” Remus asked
knowingly.

“That’s to be expected,” Dr. Busen said,
his eyes dropping to the ground. “She is prone to illness and deterioration
now. That’s part of reconstruction. She needs to be on boosters again, and I’ll
prescribe her some other medication while she’s recovering from this. We don’t
need any more infections setting in.”

“She’s been overworked. I’m sure her
immune system is weak.”

“That is not news to me,” Dr. Busen
chuckled brokenly. “I will submit my report to Venus and strongly recommend
that she remain out of the NCB chair
until at least two follow-up appointments.” The doctor hesitated. “Until her
strength returns, she cannot handle any more risk. She’s in delicate condition
for the next several days.”

“You’re going to have to keep her here,
then,” Remus said strongly. “You know that we can’t monitor her properly
anywhere else. She needs to be here.”

“I agree,” Dr. Busen said. “But I need
your approval and a ruling majority on the Syndicate to keep her.”

“You
have my approval,” Remus assured.

“And I don’t think anyone her is opposed
to her being here to recuperate,” Chronus said, glancing at the other Bronze
Elites. When they all shook their heads, Dr. Busen nodded.

“Good. We’ll be sure to keep her quiet
and be sure that she follows treatment until she is out of this delicate
stage.”

“Is there anything that can be done to
make her stronger?” Anders asked worriedly. “I understand that what happened
five years ago was horrible, but there has to be something you can do to strengthen
her body again.”

“I’m afraid Elites don’t heal the same as
humans. Her brain was altered completely from the accident. It doesn’t function
as it did before and therefore there are a lot of signals that are getting lost
between her brain and her body, including healing responses. The best we can do
is keep an eye on her, and try to translate what we can.”

“May we see her?”

“Of course,” Dr. Busen said. “But…before
I take you there,” he glanced at Kailynn, “there is something that needs to be
addressed.” He lifted a finger and motioned to Kailynn. The Elites turned to
the Significant, causing the younger woman to freeze temporarily. However, she
forced her feet forward. She stood in front of the doctor, who reached a hand
to her face. She backpedaled, confused, but Rayal placed a hand on her back and
forced her to stay still.

When Dr. Busen reached for her right ear,
another fear gripped Kailynn. He was looking for her PIM chip, which she did
not have as a Trid. Dr. Busen’s fingers pressed into the skin behind her
earlobe and his eyes met hers.

For two tense seconds, they stared at one
another.

Dr. Busen smiled and reached for his
pocket, pulling out the pen that read PIM chips. He pressed it to her skin,
staring at her purposefully. She waited, her heart choking her as it sat in her
throat. He pressed a button and it beeped loudly. He pulled it away from her
skin and glanced at the small screen.

“Excellent,” he murmured. “Follow me.”

The entourage that had been waiting for
news on the Golden Elite followed Dr. Busen to the elevator and took it to the
next floor, walking through the quiet, deserted hallways to one of the larger
rooms. Dr. Busen stepped to the side of the door and motioned everyone in. As
Kailynn started into the room, the doctor grabbed her arm and pulled her back,
allowing the Elites in and then the caretakers before pressing the button to
close the door.

Kailynn watched as the doctor turned to
her slowly, smiling.

“Don’t worry,” he assured. “I won’t
report you.”

Kailynn remained silent.

“I’m not an idiot,” he said. “I know full
well why you were at Anon Tower, and who you were there with.”

Kailynn’s head dropped and her eyes
focused on the ground, her body shaking nervously.

“I want you to know that I have one of
the most difficult jobs on the planet,” Dr. Busen said. “I have been charged to
care for the health of one of the worst patients in history. However, it is my
responsibility to watch out for her, and I take that duty very seriously. I
cannot tend to her every need, though. And even working together, her other
Specialist and I cannot care for her in every moment. Therefore, I am not
surprised to find that someone like you has entered her life.”

Kailynn was surprised at the warm tone in
his voice.

“Please take good care of her,” Dr. Busen
murmured. “Isa needs all the support she can get. If you are willing to risk
both of your lives, then be sure that you are fully invested in being with her.
She has seen enough pain in her life. Don’t cause her more.”

“…I won’t,” Kailynn promised, her voice
soft.

“And, just one more thing,” Dr. Busen
said with a nervous chuckle. “I know you get tested at Companion.” She nodded
slowly. “You’re clean, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Dr. Busen nodded. “I have to ask.
I’m her doctor.”

He pressed the button to open the door
and motioned for the Significant to enter. Kailynn glanced at the doctor and
smiled weakly.

“Thank you.”

She walked into the room, but did not get
far before her eyes settled on Isa and she had to stop and lock her legs to
keep from collapsing.

Isa looked worse than she had when
convulsing in the chair. Her face was pale and chalky. There were wires and
needles poking into her skin. The light of the room made her look sickly and
thin. The Elites were gathered around her but they did not seem as nervous
about her condition as Kailynn.

All eyes turned on the Significant.
Chronus, Anders and two other Elites—Ainee and Kyrin—stepped aside to allow the
Significant through. Kailynn stepped forward, trying to keep her legs strong as
she approached the bed. Remus and Rayal were standing beside the Elite, while
Tarah was in a chair, holding the Elite’s hand, her eyes swollen with
frightened tears.

Kailynn walked to Tarah’s side, looking
over the Elite and swallowing hard to keep her own tears at bay. She was
acutely aware of all the eyes on her, but she still could not think past Isa’s
condition. She stood next to Tarah, placing a hand on the caretaker’s shoulder
in a small gesture of comfort.

The world narrowed. The only thing
Kailynn could see was Isa’s ill countenance.

“The hospital always makes everyone look
worse,” Rayal murmured. “She will be alright.”

Kailynn only nodded. She could not bring
herself to speak.

She was not sure how long the room
remained silent, but when Chronus spoke, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

“What do you want to do, Remus?” Chronus
asked.

“How far has the information spread?”
Remus asked, turning to Rayal. The former caretaker shook his head.

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” he admitted.
“It was processed through the EMU network. It’s probably planet-wide by now.”

“Venus has not spoken,” another Elite,
Hana, murmured. “If she knew she would have said something.”

“Not necessarily,” Remus whispered.
“She’s probably processing everyone’s reaction. For now, we continue with the
original story.” Remus turned to look among the Bronze Elites. “The Significant
was there for Tarah. No laws were broken. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Security is our highest priority. We
will direct all questions and conferences to the security breach that happened
to get the virus in her chair. I want everyone working in safe-mode, all Opium
meetings cancelled, and all speculation that this was the Ninth Circle shot
down. We do not know that they were behind this.”

“No, but can you think of anyone else
that would do this?” Anders challenged.

“No, but until we can confirm it, we
don’t need the entire Alliance in an uproar. That will lead to war.”

“And what of Isa’s condition?” Maki
asked. “The people will want to know, but others could see it as a sign of
weakness and take the opportunity to attack.”

“We will just say that she survived an
assassination attempt. For safety reasons, she is in hiding. No more details
need to be given until she is well again.”

“Understood,” Maki said with a nod. He
turned to the other Elites. “You heard the man, we’re on damage control. Hana
and Kyrin, you start on security for the NCB chairs. Run every scan possible on
the Syndicate Building and get a diagnosis of our security. Chronus, you and I
can go to Anon Tower and deal with Isa’s chair.”

The Elites turned to leave the room,
knowing they had to pick up all the work for the Silver and Golden Elites. They
did not question it. They knew that it was the Golden Elite’s job to take care
of the planet, and the Silver Elite’s job to take care of the Golden Elite.
When the Golden Elite was unwell, the Silver Elite took charge while remaining
at the Golden Elite’s side. It was part of the framework for the Syndicate.

Maki walked to Remus and put a hand on
his shoulder.

“Call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Maki.”

The Bronze Elites filed out of the room,
leaving Remus, Rayal, Tarah, and Kailynn with the unconscious Golden Elite.

Kailynn felt even more intimidated. Now,
Remus, who Rayal had warned was the most protective of Isa, was staring at the
Significant darkly.

“Kailynn,” he started. She closed her
eyes before turning to him, trying to put up a brave front. “It would be best
if you went back to Companion.”

“I can’t just leave her,” Kailynn said
strongly.

“It is in everyone’s best interest if you
leave,” Remus said. “This is a very dangerous situation, and you do not know
most of it.”

“I know that my life is in danger just by
being here,” Kailynn growled. “I know enough.”

“No, you don’t,” Remus corrected sharply.
“There is no doubt in my mind that this attempt on Isa’s life was from Gihron.
And now the news is likely widespread about a Significant in the home of the
Golden Elite. That puts a target on your head.”

“Rayal told me that they could take me as
a way to get to Isa.”

“You have no idea of what they are
capable,” Remus hissed. “They have done much worse in the past. Isa is not
strong enough to handle something of that magnitude.”

“I don’t see how that is your call to
make,” Kailynn said. “I don’t know how bad her health is, true. But she seems
happier when I’m around, and I think that says a lot.”

“You’re a fool,” Remus whispered. “Isa is
the Golden Elite of Tiao, and you are a non-citizen Trid with forged papers
working as a Significant. Even if we keep this information from Gihron, the
others in the Alliance will see this as a weak point in the Syndicate. They
will think that Venus is no longer capable of running Tiao, and the other
planets in the system will destroy us.”

“Isa is strong enough to handle the other
planets,” Kailynn snapped. “You’ve all said that she is the best Elite the
planet has seen, and you know she is
damn good at her job. If the other planets doubt Venus, that’s one thing, but I
don’t think anyone would doubt Isa. In fact, if it was discovered that Isa was
rebelling against Venus, but was still able to maintain perfect control over
Tiao and the Syndicate, then the people will rally behind her as a strong leader.”

“That is not the way this works!” Remus
said, exasperated. “You have absolutely no concept of politics, so do not
pretend that you know how this will play out.” The Silver Elite took a deep
breath. “Go back to Companion. Keep quiet about what has happened, and do not
seek out Isa again. You will only bring harm to her.”

Kailynn crossed her arms over her chest.

“Tell me something, Elite Remus,” she
said, her voice dark and cold. “How much of this is about your jealousy?”

Rayal and Tarah’s eyes went wide.

“Jealousy?” Remus barked a laugh. “You
may have helped Isa feel better, and you may even share her bed on occasion,”
he started, stalking forward and looming over Kailynn, “but you will never understand her.”

Kailynn continued staring defiantly at
Remus

“Then this is about jealousy.” She glanced at Isa. “I don’t claim to know
anything about her. It’s true, you know her better. But when she needed
someone, I was the one she turned to,
not you. And that makes your blood boil, doesn’t it?”

Remus’ jaw clenched. Rayal started
forward, though he was not sure he should get between the two. He knew that
this confrontation would have to happen eventually.

“I don’t know everything that has
happened to her,” Kailynn continued. “And that is why I don’t treat her like
she’s fragile. You said it yourself, she has survived worse things than this
one attempt on her life. You know what she went through when she was in the
hospital for all that time, and I’m sure you can see how strong she is now,
even after all that. So why do you treat her like she’ll break if the wind
blows?”

Remus’ eyes changed and the look confused
Kailynn.

“Until you have seen the strongest person
you ever knew waste away in front of you, and you are forced to realize that you were the reason, do not judge my
actions regarding Isa.”

Rayal walked over to Kailynn and put a
hand on her shoulder, slowly pulling her away from Remus.

“That’s enough,” he whispered. “This not
the time or place.”

“What happened to her?” Kailynn asked.
“What happened to her that put her in the hospital five years ago?”

Remus’ expression hardened.

“Gihron happened,” he said darkly.

Kailynn looked at the various faces in
the room, understanding that everyone was not entirely worried about Kailynn’s
proximity to Isa. They remembered what happened to Isa when Gihron was last
active, and they did not want to see Isa go through the same hell she had
endured before.

“Kailynn,” Rayal said, standing between
her and Remus, “Isa will be in the hospital for a while so the doctors can be
sure she follows her treatment. During that time, she is going to need to stay
quiet.” He squeezed her shoulder. “When she is out of the hospital, I’m sure
she’ll call you and let you know that she’s alright. Until then, it would be
best for you to go back to Companion and let the rumors about a Significant in
the Golden Elite’s home die.”

Kailynn did not want to leave Isa’s side,
but she understood that it really was for the best. It would save both of them,
as well as the rest of the Syndicate, stress.

“Alright,” she agreed quietly.

“Thank you,” Rayal said, relaxing. “I
will call you if anything changes, alright? Do you have a phone?”

“No.”

“I’ll reach you at Companion, then,”
Rayal said. “I’ll take you there now, okay?”

Kailynn spared another glance at the
faces in the room, her eyes finally settling on Isa. Her eyes still locked on
the Elite, she nodded.

Chapter
Eighteen

When Isa started to wake, she felt
several sets of eyes on her. She could also feel the horrendous strain on her
ribs as her breathing became heavier, fighting the pain of her body as she was
brought back to consciousness.

Her eyes blinked open weakly. She saw a
blurry finger move in front of her.

“Isa, focus on my finger,” Dr. Busen
said, standing over the Golden Elite.

“I…I should pay you…for every time you
have…had to say that,” Isa chuckled breathlessly.

“Or maybe I should pay you for all the
months I don’t have to say it,” Dr.
Busen chuckled, moving his finger away. “Maybe that will give you some
incentive to stay out of the hospital.”

“But it’s my second home…” Isa teased
with a weak smile.

“How are you feeling, Isa?” Remus asked
on her other side.

“I’ve felt worse.”

Remus let out a sigh, picking up Isa’s
hand.

“You can’t keep doing this to me,” he
said with a wary chuckle. “One of these days I will have a heart attack and end
up here in the room next to you.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Rayal
asked.

Isa sighed, cringing as she tried to
move. She tried to straighten, but her body protested the movement.

“Just stay quiet,” Dr. Busen murmured,
placing a gentle hand on Isa’s shoulder and pushing her back to the bed. The
Golden Elite gave a defeated sigh.

“I can’t remember…”

“That’s alright,” Rayal assured.

Isa’s eyes traveled to the quiet young
woman standing near the corner of the bed, one arm crossed in front of her
chest and her other hand to her mouth as she bit her nails, trying to remain
composed.

“Tarah,” Isa whispered, reaching out a
hand. Tarah walked to the Elite, trying to keep her tears at bay. “I’m
alright.”

Tarah nodded tightly, swallowing hard.
Isa smiled gently and took her hand from Remus to reach out for the caretaker.
Tarah took the hand.

“I’m sorry I scared you,” Isa murmured.

“Isa,” Dr. Busen started, “we’re going to
keep you here for a few days to continue proper treatment.”

“I was afraid you were going to say
that,” Isa breathed. “I can’t, Dr. Busen.” She shook her head. “This is no time
to have me silent in the Syndicate.”

“This is the best time to have you
silent,” Remus contradicted. “Rumors will happen no matter what, but this was
an attempt on your life, and we do not need anyone else trying to kill you
while you’re weak.”

“I won’t work in the NCB,” Isa assured.
“I’ll keep all contact through—”

“That won’t stop anyone if they truly
want to kill you,” Rayal interjected. “There have been plenty of attempts on
your life from people you’ve met in person.”

“There is less of a chance of them
succeeding in person.”

“Isa,” Dr. Busen called her attention, “I
agree that we don’t need to put you in any further danger of assassination. The
hospital is a protected site. Any attack will result in immediate punishment.
They won’t risk it. We’ll have guards here and we’ll keep you safe. If there is
a pressing matter, we can bring a terminal to the room and you can use that.”
Dr. Busen lifted his finger to keep the Golden Elite from speaking. “And,” he
continued, “this is to be sure you actually stick to treatment. I know you,
Isa. And everyone else here may be willing to let you talk them out of
enforcing your treatment, but not me.”

Isa chuckled brokenly.

“I’d rather go home.”

“I know,” Dr. Busen said. “But this is
very important.” He sighed heavily. “You’re not as strong as before, Isa. We
must keep a very close eye on you.”

Isa nodded slowly.

“I understand.”

“There is something else that I would
like to discuss with you,” he said, his gaze purposeful. “It’s a private
matter.”

Rayal turned to Tarah, who was still
holding Isa’s hand tightly.

“I’ll take you home.”

“I want to stay…” she protested tiredly.

“Tarah,” Isa said with a smile and a
gentle squeeze of the younger woman’s hand, “I’m alright, really. Once Dr.
Busen’s finished speaking with me, I’m going to get some sleep. You should go
home and rest. I know I frightened you, but I am alright. You can come see me
at any time. I don’t think I’m going anywhere.”

Tarah wanted to protest, however, Rayal
pulled her shoulders carefully, causing her to step back and her hand to leave
Isa’s. She managed to utter a choked, “yes, Miss” as she left the room, Rayal
bowing his head to the Elites as he walked out. Remus began to leave, but Dr.
Busen shook his head, telling the Silver Elite to stay.

When the door closed behind the two
caretakers, Dr. Busen sighed heavily and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I was afraid this would happen when
Venus approved for you to have a Significant,” he mused.

Isa hesitated before speaking.

“I have it under control,” she murmured.

“You may have,” Dr. Busen agreed.
“However, she was identified while in the EMU. It’s been leaked that you had a
Significant in your home.”

“Where is she now?” Isa asked worriedly,
starting to sit upright.

“She’s fine. She’s safe,” Dr. Busen
assured as Remus gently pushed Isa back to the bed. “We sent her back to
Companion. Tarah took the initiative and played like she was the one who called
for a Significant. We’re trying to make sure that that is the only rumor that spreads.”

“Unfortunately, as we have already heard,
that is causing some to believe that the Significant is the one who made an
attempt on your life,” Remus added. “Some believe that she responded to Tarah’s
call to get close enough to you to kill you.”

“She has a name,” Isa said sharply. “Call
her Kailynn.”

“We can’t even call her that,” Remus said
darkly. “Since she has been using a fake name as a non-citizen.”

“Isa, this is a very delicate situation,”
Dr. Busen agreed, his tone even.

“Are you telling me to push her away?”
Isa asked, her voice cold.

“I know that, even if I did, you would
not listen,” Dr. Busen said. “So, no, I am not telling you not to see her.”

“Michael—” Remus started, surprised.

“There was a reason we all agreed time
with a Significant was the best course of action,” Dr. Busen said, interrupting
the Silver Elite. “Granted, we did not expect this to take a sexual turn.”

“What makes you think it has?” she
challenged.

“Past experience,” Dr. Busen said,
looking between the two Elites in the room. “My point is, if you do plan to
continue seeing her, security measures will have to be taken.”

“Such as?”

“Such as getting her a PIM chip,” the
doctor said. “And preferably one similar to yours.”

“An emitter?” Isa said. “You’ll need her
consent, which I doubt she’ll give.”

“The reason the emitter chip was invented
was because of what happened five years ago. After what happened to Remus and
Rayal and the Bronze Elites, Venus ordered that everyone close to you have an
emitter chip. With Gihron involved, we cannot be sure that the same thing will
not happen again with Kailynn.”

“He’s right, Isa,” Remus seconded. “If
you insist on having Kailynn near you, this is necessary to protect her life.”

Isa closed her eyes and took several deep
breaths.

“It’s not my decision to make. It is
hers.”

“It is actually yours,” Dr. Busen
corrected. “If you want to keep her close, if you insist on this relationship,
then it is mandated by Venus that she have an emitter.”

“Venus does not know about her.”

“How can you be opposed to this?” Dr.
Busen hissed. “After everything Colonel Amori did to Remus and Rayal? After all
the pain he put you through? And all the pain we had to endure watching you fall apart?”

“Michael, you promised…” Isa said, her eyes closing again as her voice broke in
pain. “You promised me you would never bring that up again.”

“You know this is a real threat,” Remus
pressed.

“Do you really want to put Kailynn
through what Remus went through?” Dr. Busen said. “Measures have to be taken
for her safety, and for yours.”

Isa’s face creased in pain and her arms
wrapped around her abdomen as she turned on her side.

“Isa, breathe…” Remus said, crouching by
her side and taking her hands, pulling them away from her body. “Count your
breathing.”

“Don’t patronize me!” she snapped,
pulling her hands sharply from his grasp. She did not open her eyes. “Do you
really believe that the thought hasn’t crossed my mind every damn day since I
met her? Why do you think I’m…” Isa trailed off, swallowing hard. She shook her
head.

“What, Isa?” Dr. Busen pressed. “Why are
you shaking your head?”

Isa shook her head again, clenching her
jaw tight.

Dr. Busen shared a worried look with
Remus and sighed heavily. He grabbed Isa’s shoulder, pulling her onto her back.

“Okay, I apologize,” Dr. Busen murmured.
“I should not have pushed you.”

“Stop treating me like I’m made of
glass!” she barked.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” Dr. Busen said,
raising his hands peacefully. “You’ve just survived an assassination attempt.
You need to rest. That was all I meant.” He took a deep breath. “But I’m going
to call Paul.”

Isa groaned and let her head fall back on
the pillow.

“No, don’t bother him.”

“Bother him?” Remus said, surprised.
“Isa, his job is to watch out for you. It’s not a bother.”

“It’s too early in the morning,” Isa
said, nodding to the clock on the other side of the room. Dr. Busen glanced at
it as well.

“He’s already awake,” he said. “He wakes
up earlier than this.”

Isa’s eyes remained closed.

“I want to sleep,” she murmured. “I’m
tired.”

Both Dr. Busen and Remus shared an
exasperated and frustrated look before nodding. Remus squeezed her hand.

“I’ll be right here,” he said.

The two men waited in the room until Isa
was sleep. Dr. Busen continued to watch the monitors and screens, making a few
minor adjustments when needed.

When Remus leaned back in the chair he
occupied, his hand slowly leaving Isa’s, Dr. Busen nodded to the door and they
both stepped outside, waiting for the door to Isa’s room to close before they
spoke.

“It’s good to know her stubbornness is
still intact,” Dr. Busen tried to joke. Remus barked a laugh.

“She’s been stubborn her entire life.
Nothing will ever change that.”

Dr. Busen nodded, his eyes dropping to
the floor briefly.

“This is a very dangerous situation,” he
whispered. “And I never thought I’d say this, but Venus is the least of their
concerns.”

“I know,” Remus agreed. “I will talk to
Rayal. Perhaps he can discuss safety precautions with Kailynn and get her to
agree to an emitter chip. I don’t think we’ll be able to keep Isa away from
her.”

“And I’m going to call Paul,” Dr. Busen
said. “I don’t want her working herself up like that again.”

“That reaction surprised me,” Remus
murmured. “It means she’s been thinking about this for quite some time. She’s
already starting on the spiral that led to what happened five years ago.”

“I know,” Dr. Busen breathed. “I don’t
want you to worry, Remus. We’ll keep a very close eye on her. And if we can get
Kailynn to be proactive about her own safety in this manner, it will help Isa
immensely.” Dr. Busen hesitated. “Speaking of which,” he started slowly, “this
cannot be easy for you, Remus.”

“What?”

“Everything,” the doctor said. “You were
horribly affected by Colonel Amori as well.”

“I did not have to go through anything
like what she endured,” Remus whispered. “And, if you’ll remember, I had over a
year of weekly sessions with Paul.”

“Yes, I do recall,” Dr. Busen said. “But
now you are having to deal with Isa turning to someone else.”

Remus’ eyes dropped to the ground.

“This must pain you greatly,” Dr. Busen
whispered.

“You are confusing me with a human,
Michael,” Remus murmured.

“Forgive me,” Dr. Busen said with a
knowing smile. “I do forget that I am speaking with an Elite on occasion, since
you do not act like a typical Elite. But, then again, you never have.”

Remus glanced at the doctor.

“I better call Rayal and talk to him
before Isa wakes,” he said carefully. “I do not want to leave her for long.”

He began to turn when the doctor stopped
him.

“Remus,” he called, “please impress upon
Rayal the severity of the safety concerns with Gihron. We do not understand how
they operate.”

Remus was silent and still for a few
moments before he turned fully and walked back to the doctor.

“When we were at the Academy, and
learning about all the planets not in
the Crescent Alliance, our professors told us that there were two currencies on
Gihron—pride and blood. If Gihron pride is hurt, blood will spill. If Gihron
blood is spilt, pride will lead to revenge.” Remus glanced at the door to Isa’s
room. “There is no doubt in my mind that Gihron will exact revenge on Isa.
Because that is the way they operate.”

Kailynn could do nothing but pace around
her room for hours after she returned to Companion. Her mind was frantic. She
continued to scold herself, telling herself that she had no idea what she was
getting into and there was far more to everyone’s actions than she could ever
understand.

When her legs were tired, she sat on her
bed and found herself asleep almost instantly. She was exhausted, the stress of
the night before wearing down her last threads of energy.

She woke near dinner time and decided to
venture downstairs to grab something to ease the tight knot in her stomach.
When she entered the almost-silent dining hall, the silence became deafening.
Everyone turned to her, stopping their quiet conversations or looking up from
their tablets. Kailynn was frozen in the doorway, scanning the eyes in the
room.

Her heart began pounding. She was sure
that everyone knew of the attempt on Isa’s life, and it was possible that
everyone knew she was in the Elite’s home when the attack occurred. But the way
they were looking at her made her feel as though they already knew about her
relationship with Isa.

She held her head high and walked toward
the rations counter, ignoring the whispering that started around her.

When she reached the counter, she looked
over the packages, trying to think enough to pick something to eat.

However, a voice startled her.

“Jacyleen.”

She turned.

“We’re curious about something,” Amyn
said, smiling darkly, surrounded by her friends. “Why was a
fresh-out-of-the-ghetto girl like you
in the Golden Elite’s home when she was attacked?”

“I was there on a job,” Kailynn said, her
voice dark and strong in an attempt to scare off the other Significants.

“A job, huh?” Brett said, his tone
disbelieving. “You weren’t booked for anything last night.”

“It was a private request,” Kailynn
growled, “in an attempt to avoid this
kind of speculation. I was there with Tarah, the caretaker.”

“Seems a little suspicious, don’t you
think?”

Kailynn’s heart was starting to climb
into her throat again.

“Perhaps, she wasn’t there with the caretaker,” Jyun said, his eyes sharp on her.
“Perhaps, you were the reason our Golden Elite was attacked.”

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide.

“Are you accusing me?”

“Hey!” a deep voice said, walking to
them. Kailynn turned to Jak, relieved to see him, but also ready to start a
fist fight in the dining hall. “What’s all this about?”

“Jak, Jacyleen is trying to tell us that
she was booked with Golden Elite’s caretaker last night.”

“She was,” Jak said simply. “Because the
appointment was in Anon Tower, it was kept off-record for security reasons.” He
took Kailynn’s arm as he glared at the others in the room. “Remember your
place.”

He pulled Kailynn from the room. Even
though he had lied for her, Kailynn could not help but be worried. She thought
that no one would pay too much attention to the information that she had been
in the Golden Elite’s home when the assassination attempt occurred if she said
she was there for Tarah, but it only raised more suspicion.

Jak pulled her through the halls of
Companion to his office, closing the door and locking it behind them.

“Jak—”

“Quiet,” he snapped. “You have put
everyone in danger.”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“What were you doing there?” Jak growled,
walking around his desk and grabbing a pack of cigarettes. “Are you insane? It was dangerous enough to have
you over there when Venus and the Silver Elite were on board. Now you’re going
over there whenever you fucking please?!”

“No!” Kailynn protested. “Jak, it’s not
like that.”

“You did not check in night before last,
so you were out all night. The next time I hear from you, you are being brought
back by the head of Syndicate Intelligence after an assassination attempt on
the Golden Elite. What the hell were you doing there?”

“Look,” Kailynn said, raising her hands
peacefully, though she kept her eyes averted, letting her exhaustion show in an
attempt to disguise her lie, “I went and saw my brother,” she said. “He was
doing better, but it’s still difficult to see him like this. So I went to get
some air. I was walking around when I got a call from Tarah, the caretaker.”

“You shouldn’t be walking around,” Jak
said, rolling his eyes. “It raises suspicion.”

“The point is, I went to spend some time
with Tarah. She was so good to me when I was staying there that I felt like it
would be nice to spend some time with her. We were having dinner when Elite Isa
was attacked. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Jak looked her over, unconvinced.

“For your sake, I hope you’re telling the
truth.”

He lit his cigarette and shook his head.

“Somehow, running this company has become
more difficult since I acquired you,” he murmured. He grabbed a box on his desk
and extended it to her. “Here.”

“What is it?”

“A package addressed to you,” he said,
shrugging. “There is no name on it other than yours.”

Kailynn carefully took the light, small package.

“It might be best if you stay clear of
the others for a while,” Jak advised. “I’m going to clear your schedule until
this blows over.”

Kailynn merely nodded.

“You may go.”

Kailynn returned to her room, her hunger
forgotten. She opened the package and was surprised to see a phone. She stared
at it for several long moments, sure that the phone without a message could
only mean something ominous. She picked it up carefully, trying to tell herself
that there was no reason to be afraid of something as trivial as a phone, but
she was in such a high state of anxiety, she could not help but worry.

She pressed the button on the phone’s
screen she knew to be the power button and then tried to think of all the times
she had seen nobles and Isa use their phones to see if she could figure out how
to make it work.

Pressing a mechanism on the side released
the tiny disk that acted as the ear piece. With the disk in her hand, the
screen lit up with a message.

Call?

Below the question was a name. She kicked
herself again for being unable to read. She could not even make out the name on
the screen.

Hesitantly, she hit the green button and
placed the disk in her ear. A monotone beeping sounded as she struggled to put
the earpiece in correctly. A voice came through the phone before she could
figure it out and she had to contend with holding the disk as close to her ear
as possible.

“Rayal Teleta.”

“Rayal?” Kailynn repeated. “It’s, uh,
it’s Kailynn.”

“I see you received the phone I sent.”

“You?”

“Yes,” Rayal responded. “I figured it
best that we have a way to reach you directly.”

“I don’t know how this works,” Kailynn
admitted, pressing the disk into her ear. Rayal chuckled lightly.

“You get used to the discomfort after a
while.” He sighed heavily. “Kailynn, you and I need to discuss some things.”

“I was worried you were going to say
that.”

“It’s far too late now, and it has been a
very trying day,” he continued. “Tomorrow morning at ten, I will come by
Companion and pick you up.”

“…and go where?”

“My office,” Rayal said. “You are not in
immediate danger. There is no need to be suspicious.”

“So you say,” Kailynn muttered. “It feels
like this is getting out of control.”

“No, not yet,” Rayal assured. “Everyone
who knows is working very hard to keep this a secret. We’re doing damage
control on what happened last night. I understand that everyone has been
warning you about the dangers, and they are right. But we are going to do our
best to protect both of you. That is why it is imperative we speak tomorrow.”

Kailynn was silent for several long
moments.

“Okay,” she finally whispered.

She slept in sporadic periods that night,
waking up with night terrors of Officials banging down her door, there to kill
her. The night terrors took their toll on her sleep, but she was too exhausted
from the previous night that she managed to fall immediately back to sleep
every time her dreams woke her.

When she did wake and dress for the day,
she could only sit on her bed, fiddling with the phone and watching the time
pass on her clock. She did not want to go downstairs, worried that she would be
confronted with glares and whispers of other Significants.

As the time drew close, she ventured
downstairs, trying to keep her head high. She did not see anyone until she was
in the greeting salon, where those who were open for walk-ins were sitting,
dressed in their finest attire. Kailynn felt as though she had walked into a
brothel, particularly with the glares of superiority she felt from the
Significants waiting for clients.

Kailynn sat on an empty couch and waited
for Rayal.

After several long moments, one male
Significant spoke to the others in the room, raising his voice.

“Who do you think attacked Elite Isa?” he
asked, his eyes briefly glancing at Kailynn with a small smile on his face. “I
doubt security would be so lax around the leader of our planet.”

“It does seem suspicious that there were
more people in the home than customary,” one woman agreed.

“And what a horrible time for the
caretaker,” another chimed in. “Could you imagine? Being blamed for not seeing
there was a danger to the Golden Elite?”

Kailynn bit her tongue until she could
taste blood.

“That caretaker is going to be put under
investigation,” another man said. “She’ll probably get kicked out to Trid for
such a failure.” The door opened to the greeting salon. “If they don’t kill
her, I suppose.”

“You clearly know nothing about the
system of caretakers.”

Everyone turned to the door, so immersed
in the gossip that they had not seen the man walk into the greeting salon.
Kailynn was relieved to see Rayal.

“Forgive us, sir, we did not see you come
in,” one woman said, walking to him, accenting the swing of her hips. She
sidled up to him. “What can we do for you today?”

“You can get your hands off me,” Rayal
said, pushing her away and turning his eyes around the room. “Perhaps you do
not realize that your trivial gossip is being heavily monitored by Syndicate
Intelligence. I would be very mindful of what you say.”

He looked at Kailynn and nodded once to
her, turning to leave. She walked out with him, her eyes low but her head high.

Those left in the greeting salon let out
chuckles of disbelief.

“Did she just get hauled away by
Syndicate Intelligence?” one woman gasped, her eyes wide but filled with
amusement.

“We won’t be seeing her again,” the man
who had started the bullying said with a smile.

Rayal stood by the passenger’s door to
the car and waited for Kailynn. She climbed into the car and watched Rayal walk
to the other side and get in with her, hitting several buttons on the screen
before selecting a destination.

Kailynn watched silently, but when the
car started the move, she looked at Rayal.

“How is she?”

Rayal gave her a small smile.

“She’ll be alright,” he answered. “She’s
tired and weak now, but that is to be expected. She woke up early this morning
and was coherent. They’re expecting a full recovery in the next few weeks.”

Kailynn let out a relieved sigh, turning
her eyes to her lap, where she continued to fiddle with the phone. She turned
to Rayal.

“I can’t figure out how to put the
earpiece in,” she said suddenly. Rayal laughed.

“I’ll show you.”

He showed her the way the disk was
supposed to fit in the ear and how to take it out and put it in. She tried to
put it in her ear, but it was extremely uncomfortable and she quickly removed
it.

“Is there any way to use this without the
earpiece?”

“Afraid not,” Rayal said. “That’s why
most have the earpiece implanted.”

“That’s disturbing,” Kailynn groaned. “But
Isa doesn’t have an implanted one. I’ve seen her take it out.”

“She used to have an implant,” Rayal
corrected.

“Used to?”

“They had to take it out after the
accident, when they were reconstructing half of her face.”

“Half of her face?”

“What did you expect when she falls
through glass?” Rayal said with a broken laugh. “The entire left side of her
face was destroyed. She can’t have another implant now, because it has caused
infections in the reconstructed part of her face three times.”

Kailynn’s eyes were wide.

“Did I shock you?”

“Yeah,” Kailynn murmured. “I’m starting
to understand why everyone is so afraid to talk about five years ago.”

Rayal’s eyes fell to the floor of the
car. He did not care to tell Kailynn that it was far worse than anyone could
wanted to admit.

“How is Tarah?” Kailynn asked.

“Scared,” Rayal said truthfully. “That
was the first time she’s seen an assassination attempt. She’s understandably
shaken.”

“At least someone is,” Kailynn grumbled.
“I know everyone rushed to the hospital, but no one seemed really scared that
someone had tried to kill the Golden Elite.”

“Sadly, everyone is desensitized to it
now,” Rayal agreed. “There have now been eighteen plots on Isa’s life, that we
know of.”

“Eighteen?”
Kailynn gasped.

“She’s had to deal with assassination
attempts since she was seventeen. Even she is desensitized to it,” Rayal
elaborated. “So, while everyone knows that Isa can survive just about
everything, there is an underlying concern that her luck will run out.”

“Seventeen years old and someone tried to
kill her?”

Rayal looked at Kailynn seriously. “When
there’s a brand new leader, and one that wishes to change the framework of the
entire planet, people get nervous.” Rayal leaned back in his seat and his eyes
went distant. “The youngest Golden Elite to come into power in the history of
the planet…”

Kailynn looked over Rayal’s face.

“You love her, don’t you?” she whispered.

Rayal nodded.

“I do,” he said. “But do not worry,” he
chuckled turning to Kailynn, “it’s not the same kind of love. I admire her
greatly, and I would do anything to keep her safe.”

Kailynn could not respond. She stared at
the floor of the car as it slowed and pulled in front of the underground door
for the Syndicate Intelligence Agency. Rayal got out of the car and Kailynn
opened her door, looking over the plain door as she climbed out.

Rayal gently tapped the button on the
front of the car and it pulled away to park in the garage below the building.

Rayal motioned to the door and walked
Kailynn into the building.

The building was surprisingly noisy.
Security footage and conversations picked up by Venus’ microphones around the
planet filled the air. There were several large rooms where monitors were being
watched by various people as robots wheeled around and moved cases, taking them
out of the room and bringing in new ones.

“Is it normally this busy?” Kailynn
asked.

“No,” Rayal said. “But there is great
cause for concern currently.” He led Kailynn through the halls until he reached
an elevator. They both walked in and, when the doors closed, the noise abated,
leaving them with only the humming of the elevator as it ascended.

Once they reached the desired floor, they
both walked a short distance on the very quiet floor to Rayal’s office.

Kailynn glanced around the large,
mostly-bare office. Rayal had an NCB chair as well and then a separate desk
with several monitors on it streaming different cameras in a very familiar home.

Rayal grabbed a chair and put it in front
of his desk chair, motioning for Kailynn to sit. She sat slowly, looking over
the main room and kitchen of Isa’s home on the screen in front of her,
imagining seeing herself running across the screen when the alarm sounded
through the house two days previous.

Rayal took his seat and typed something,
causing the computer monitors to go black.

He then turned to face Kailynn.

“There are a lot of things we need to
discuss.”

“Are you going to tell me to stay away from
her?” Kailynn whispered.

“No, I’m not.”

The answer surprised Kailynn.

Rayal rubbed his hands together, trying
to think of how to begin.

“Dr. Busen and Dr. Arre have agreed that
it would probably be best if you were to continue to see Isa,” Rayal started.
“I don’t know what arrangement you two have, or the reason you went to see her
again when you did, but her doctors agree that you two should continue with
that arrangement.”

“There is no arrangement,” Kailynn said.
“I have an open invitation.”

“I see,” Rayal murmured. “Then it is even
more imperative that you listen very carefully to what I’m about to tell you.”
He reached behind him and grabbed a small box on the table. He held it in both
hands, tapping his finger against the side. “This is an emitter PIM chip,” he
explained. “This is a very special class of PIM chip, developed to protect the
people closest to Isa. If you consent, I would like you to have one implanted.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I’m not a
citizen, you know that.”

“We’re going to grant you citizenship, if
you desire to continue this relationship with Isa,” Rayal said. “However, if
you are using her just to become a citizen and plan to leave her after getting
this, then I will be sure to hunt you down and make you suffer.”

“You clearly don’t know Trids,” Kailynn
groaned, sarcastic. “None of us want citizenship.”

“I need you to understand that this is
not given lightly,” Rayal said sharply. “However, this will help everyone if
you consent to having it.”

“How?”

“First, it will give you citizenship, so
that will no longer be an issue.”

“Even though I was born a Trid?”

“It has happened before,” Rayal said. “As
long as you have legal citizenship, it will not be a problem. This will contain
your identification, or rather, your identification as Jacyleen Lynden, the
Significant, since that is the name on your forged papers. Your medical
history, allergies, any other physical things that we need to know about for
treatment, and it will also allow us to track you, should it ever be needed.”

“I thought all PIM chips did that. Why do
I need a special one?”

Rayal looked down at the box.

“Venus has mandated that everyone close
to Isa have an emitter chip.”

“But Venus doesn’t know that I’m still
around her.”

“No, which is why we need your consent.
You are not mandated to have it,” Rayal said. “What this chip does is keep a
detailed record of your body’s rhythm. It monitors when you are healthy, when
you have a cold, the flu, or any infections that you may get. And when there is
a drastic and sudden change, it immediately lets emergency personnel know your
location and what is happening with your health. This chip was the reason the
EMU got to Isa so quickly. The chip noticed something was wrong before the NCB
chair noticed.”

“And these are mandated for everyone in
close contact with Isa?”

“Yes,” Rayal affirmed. “I have one, every
Elite in the Syndicate has one, Tarah has one as well.”

“Why should I have one?”

Rayal leaned forward.

“For your well-being, as well as Isa’s.”
Rayal shook his head slowly. “If we had had these five years ago, Isa would not
have been in the hospital for eight months.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Remus and I were used in a plot against
Isa’s life. Rather than abduct us and show the immediate threat to our lives,
the ambassador from Gihron tried slowly killing us and using us to control
Isa’s actions. Had we had these chips, it would have been clear to others what
was going on, and we could have avoided that hell entirely.”

Kailyn blinked at Rayal, confused.

“No one is going to give me a straight
answer about what happened five years ago, are they?” she asked sharply.

“We will tell you what you need to know,
when you need to know it. Isa doesn’t like to talk about it, so we do our best
not to bring it up,” Rayal explained. He extended the box to her. “That is what
this is. If you want it, we will got to Dr. Busen today and get it implanted.”

Kailynn stared at the box worriedly.

“If I agree, that means that I am
permitted to be close to her?”

“By those who know of your relationship,
but not by Venus. Therefore, you still have to be discreet.”

Kailynn continued to stare at the box.

“Then my life is still in danger.”

“Yes,” Rayal said. “But less so than
before,” he continued. “You will be a citizen. The fact that you are a born
Trid will no longer put you in danger of arrest.”

Kailynn nodded slowly, her eyes distant.

“What does Isa think about all this?”

“She does not know that we are discussing
this,” Rayal admitted. “When asked, she, once again, put the situation entirely
in your hands. You need to make the decision based on if you want to stay close
to her or not, and if you do want to stay close, how serious you believe the
risks to be.”

Kailynn stared at the box in Rayal’s
hands, her mind racing.

“Take it from a veteran,” Rayal
whispered, extending the box further, “be proactive about your own protection
so that Isa does not have yet another thing to worry about.”

Kailynn glanced up at Rayal, letting the
words sink into her skull.

She reached forward and took the box from
Rayal’s hand.

Kailynn did not understand why, but she
felt different after having the chip implanted behind her ear. She would spend
extended periods of time staring at her reflection, feeling over the small bump
covered in a bandage until the incision healed completely. There was a new
weight on her shoulders and a strange feeling of elation.

She was a citizen.

Rayal helped her take care of her
paperwork and discarded the forged information to hide the discrepancies. He also
told her how to use her phone entirely and gave her special programs to use to
learn how to read and write. He then told her to call him if she ever needed
anything.

Kailynn remained quiet for several days,
listening to the news and waiting to hear about Isa. She tried to call Tarah,
but the caretaker did not answer her phone.

Two weeks after the assassination
attempt, when most of the rumors had blown over, Kailynn received a call from
Rayal.

“Come downstairs,” he told her. “Isa is
out of the hospital.”

Kailynn practically ran to the elevator
and then impatiently bounced as the car descended. She gained enough sense when
she reached the ground floor to slow down and act like she was not in a hurry.
She ignored the calls and jests of the other Significants, as well as their
suspicious glances, as she walked calmly out of the greeting salon to the car
waiting for her outside.

She got in and turned to Rayal quickly.

“Is she alright? The doctors said
everything was alright?”

“They released her,” Rayal said with a
shrug. “I thought she was fine to leave a few days ago, but Dr. Busen held her
just in case. She still needs about a week of downtime and then she’ll be back
at work.”

“Have you told her about the chip?”

“No,” Rayal said, shaking his head. “The
hospital does strange things to people. They tend to forget everything they’re
told. I did not want to confuse or frighten her further. You should tell her
yourself, anyway.”

Kailynn nodded slowly, her stomach
fluttering with butterflies at the thought of seeing Isa again. She was worried
that Isa would look as she had at the hospital, pale and sick. She had been so
concerned over the Elite’s health that she had not gone back to Trid to check
in with her brother or Raphael, worried she would miss the moment Isa was
released from the hospital. She had spent her time worrying over the Elite’s
condition and fussing over the new implanted chip.

Now that she was on her way to see Isa,
her anxiety was even higher.

Her impatience in the elevator to the top
of Anon Tower made Rayal smile.

When the front door opened, Remus and Dr.
Busen were talking to Tarah, explaining the final stage of Isa’s recovery. Isa
was sitting on the couch, clad in her heavy robe, looking tired, but not ill.
Kailynn stopped in her tracks when she saw Isa, a wave of relief washing over
her.

“Kailynn,” Isa greeted, standing.

“No, no, sit down,” Kailynn said, rushing
over. “You just got out of the hospital.”

She took the Elite’s shoulders and sat
her back down as Isa chuckled.

“I assure you, I am alright.”

“She will be fine,” Dr. Busen assured.
“Just one more week of remaining quiet. I’m going to count on all of you to be
sure she does so.”

“She can’t work from here anyway. Her
chair has been dismantled,” Remus teased.

“And I’m sure that the delay you are all talking about on my
new chair will no longer be an issue as soon as this week is over.”

“Wouldn’t that be a coincidence?” Remus
chuckled.

Isa took Kailynn’s hand and gently
pulled, bringing the Significant to sit beside her on the couch.

“I think they’re conspiring against me,”
she said with a playful smile.

“There, you see?” Rayal said. “She’s
fine.”

“Well, in that case, I am no longer
needed here,” Dr. Busen chuckled, turning to Isa. “Please, stay quiet for a
week. It’s just a week, the planet will survive in that time.”

“I promise.”

“Thank you.”

Dr. Busen shook hands with Remus and
nodded to Tarah and Rayal, leaving the house. Remus turned to Isa.

“I should go as well.”

“Please keep me informed on what is going
on,” Isa said gently.

Remus narrowed his eyes playfully.

“You made a promise to your doctor.”

“I just want to know what is going on,”
Isa said with a smile. “You know how I am. I’ll assume the worst.”

Remus walked over to Isa and put a hand on
her shoulder.

“Alright,” he agreed. “But only if you
promise to stay quiet.”

“I promise.”

Remus squeezed her shoulder and turned
his eyes to Kailynn. He was still for only one second before he turned to
leave.

“Elite Remus,” Kailynn called, standing
quickly. He turned to her. “Um…I…about…about what I said at the hospital—”

Remus lifted his hand to stop her,
shaking his head silently. He turned and left as Kailynn stared after him.

Isa’s hand taking hers caused her to turn
back to the Golden Elite.

“Do not let him get to you,” Isa said,
guiding Kailynn to sit next to her once more. “What did you say to him?”

Kailynn sighed heavily and turned to Isa,
hearing the kitchen door close as Rayal and Tarah left the room.

“Nothing, it’s just…” She shook her head.
“They were telling me to leave the hospital…and I said some things to Remus I
probably shouldn’t have…”

Isa placed a hand gently on Kailynn’s
cheek, her thumb moving over the skin slowly. Kailynn’s eyes met Isa’s.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Isa assured. “It’s not
the first time this has happened.”

“Rayal said that you’ve had someone try
to kill you eighteen times.”

“He would know,” she agreed. “I’ve
stopped keeping track.”

Kailynn could only stare at the Elite.

“Does that not scare you?”

Isa shook her head. “No.”

Kailynn was still for several long
moments before she leaned forward and kissed Isa, wrapping her arms around the
Elite and resting her head on Isa’s shoulder.

Isa wrapped an arm around Kailynn’s
shoulders as her other hand went to Kailynn’s cheek, holding her tightly, her
head resting on Kailynn’s.

“You scared me,” Kailynn breathed.

“I know,” Isa whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Kailynn’s arms tightened around Isa and
she closed her eyes, listening to Isa’s quiet, even breathing.

Chapter
Nineteen

Kailynn took care of Isa, which allowed
Rayal time to spend with Tarah. Kailynn would smile whenever she saw the starry
look in the younger woman’s eyes as she looked at Rayal. Isa appeared not to
notice.

Isa was good on her promise and remained
quiet for the week. Kailynn spent all day with her, talking lightly about
everything they could think of without bringing up the assassination attempt.
Isa took frequent naps, and Kailynn often slept at her side. When she finally
told Isa that she had the emitter chip implanted, a very serious discussion
ensued, and it took a lot of convincing for Isa to believe that Kailynn was not
coerced into the decision.

Even though Isa seemed worried about the
implant, she was, in fact, relieved.

Kailynn also kept the Elite from any
sexual activity. Isa teased that sex would not hurt her, and that it was
exercise to help her get stronger. However, she did not push Kailynn. She would
touch and kiss the Significant, but when Kailynn told her to stop, she did.

On the fifth day of Isa’s rest, when she
appeared to be completely recovered, the two went swimming in the pool. They
raced and waded around, enjoying the time together. When Kailynn saw the
mischievous light in the Elite’s eyes, she smiled and backed away slowly. Isa
followed, grabbing her hips and pinning her to the side of the pool.

Kailynn closed the gap between them,
kissing the Elite passionately, their tongues dancing against each other. The
feeling of the Elite’s body against hers caused her hair to stand on end and
her muscles to quiver. It had been difficult to deny Isa the previous days, but
there were new facets of their relationship that made Kailynn nervous. She was
no longer a Trid. Those who were close to Isa—aside from Venus—knew of their
relationship and were doing their best to protect them.

There was something about the changes
that make Kailynn nervous.

However, with her body flush against
Isa’s, all negative thoughts left her about their situation. It simply did not
matter.

Isa was worth the danger.

“Miss,” Rayal said, walking into the pool
area. He was not in the least bit surprised or embarrassed by what he stumbled
upon.

“Yes?” Isa asked, her mouth parting from
Kailynn’s.

“Elite Maki is here. Shall I show him
in?”

“Please do.”

As Rayal turned to leave, Kailynn wiggled
out of Isa’s grasp and clamored out of the pool.

“Are you insane?” Kailynn gasped, staring at Isa incredulously.

“What?” Isa chuckled. “The entire
Syndicate knows.”

“So?”
Kailynn hissed, snatching her clothes from the bench. “That doesn’t mean that
he needs to come in here and see us.”

“I did not think it would be a problem,”
Isa said, unable to keep herself from smiling at the frantic look on Kailynn’s
face as she grabbed a towel.

“Not a problem?” Kailynn snapped. “I’m naked.”

“As am I.”

“Put some clothes on before—”

The door opened and Kailynn darted into
the opening in the wall for the spa, nervous about being seen naked. It was
true that the entire Syndicate knew about the relationship, and she was sure
that Maki had been the first to notice, but she did not want to meet him naked
after what had been turning into a very intimate moment.

However, as she stood in the spa area,
barely hearing Isa’s quiet chuckle, she felt like an idiot for hiding like a
child.

Maki smiled as he approached the pool.

“What are you laughing about?”

“Nothing,” Isa said, swimming to the
other side of the pool and folding her arms over the edge next to Maki’s feet.
The Bronze Elite sat down to the pool and took off his boots and socks, pulling
up his uniform and sticking his feet in the water.

“How are you feeling?”

“Well,” Isa assured. “Much stronger.”

“I can see that. You’re swimming,” Maki
said. “Too bad your life was predetermined. You could have continued
competing.”

“Ah, well,” Isa said, shaking her head,
“Elites can’t compete against humans. We have an unfair advantage.”

“I’m still trying to determine that
advantage,” Maki chuckled. “It’s not like the Elites are better than humans.
We’re all made from the same mold.” His smile widened. “Except, of course, you
and Remus.”

Isa laughed lightly, shaking her head.

“It was never a blessing to be labeled a
degenerate,” she said. She fell silent for several long moments. “How is he?”

“Remus?” Maki hesitated, thinking about
how to answer. “…he’s trying to process everything.”

Isa sighed and closed her eyes.

“I was afraid of that.”

“Can you blame him?” Maki asked. “You two
were together for, basically, your entire lives. It’s going to be difficult for
him to accept that you’re involved with someone else.”

Isa remained silent, her eyes going
distant.

“Will you please keep an eye on him?”

“Of course.” Maki was quiet for a few
moments before turning to her once again. “Has he told you about the rumors?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not like we haven’t dealt with
rumors before,” Maki reminded her. “It was always speculated that you and Remus
were together. But everyone was set on keeping it secret. And we will do so
again.”

“Even with the threat of war looming?”

“There is always threat of war,” Maki
said. “If there was no war, humans would die of boredom.”

Isa laughed. “Sadly, you are not wrong.”

“However, as far as the rumors are
concerned, they do know her name and have released her picture. We’ve done
everything we can to remove her picture and keep her safe, but enough people
have seen it. If she is spotted anywhere near you, the rumors will spread like
wildfire. And you know the damage of gossip.”

“I know,” Isa assured. “We will have to
take extreme precaution. If she quits Companion, it will raise more suspicion.
If she quits and then is never seen again, people will think that she was
responsible and that we’ve silently killed her, which will show more weakness
than we can afford right now.”

“I can hold a press conference and show
the proof of where the virus came from.”

“No,” Isa said. “It was a domestic
attack. I cannot have the people worried.”

“It was a domestic attack, but it was
probably just routed from another chair on Tiao. The virus itself was encrypted
in Gihoric,” Maki told her.

Isa sighed heavily.

“Regardless, until we have an actual
culprit, let’s not give away information.”

“Understood.”

“I will try to think of ways to keep
Kailynn out of the spotlight until people find something else of interest.”

“Very well,” Maki said. He glanced around
the pool. “Where is she, anyway? Remus said she was staying with you.”

“She’s taking a nap,” Isa said with a
smile.

Kailynn continued to think over Maki’s
conversation with Isa about the rumors of her involvement in the plot on Isa’s
life. Even though Isa assured her over and over again that there was no
immediate danger and that she would handle the rumors, Kailynn’s worry could
not be quelled.

Therefore, on the day that Isa was to
return to the Syndicate, Kailynn told her she was going to go back to Companion
before people became more suspicious. The Golden Elite smiled gently and told
her to come back whenever she wanted and to call her if she needed anything.
Rayal also returned to work, leaving Tarah alone in the house. Kailynn promised
to be back more often and Tarah just smiled and told her that she looked
forward to having her around more.

Then, Kailynn returned to Companion.

So many things had happened so quickly,
Kailynn felt disoriented.

Only two days after returning to
Companion, Kailynn was thinking about returning to Trid once more when Jak sent
her on another job. He told her to be careful and to keep Nyx close. He had
seen that her picture was circulating and he was worried, but she had been
booked for an appointment and he said she still had to earn her keep.

Kailynn was thrilled to have the
appointment. She was close to getting the money she needed for the release of
the final members of the Heart of Trid gang. Once she had the money, she had
planned to stay at Companion only for a month or two before returning to Trid.
However, now, she was not sure that her plans were the same. As a citizen, she
did not have to live in fear of being arrested being in Anon. She was able to
leave and go wherever she wanted. The thought used to excite her, but now that
it was possible, it frightened her.

What scared her more was a thought that had
become increasingly prominent—she could stay with Isa.

There were several things about the
notion that made her uneasy. She had never been one to be tied down, and she
knew that, if she lived with Isa, she would be confined. She would have to be
sure it was okay to be seen and when it was important to stay hidden. She would
have to know the safety measures of being around the Golden Elite—she knew that
there was more to it than just the emitter chip.

Perhaps she could find another job in
Anon, and then find a place to live, and then see Isa on occasion.

There were many options open to her now,
but so many of her decisions relied on knowing what Isa wanted.

She thought about the possibilities over
and over again as Nyx drove her to the home of her client. When Nyx told her
that they were close, she finally asked him what the client wanted that night.
She hated to hear that he wanted a Significant Other experience, meaning he
wanted her to pretend to be his long-time girlfriend. However, Nyx said that he
did not book sex. That did not ease Kailynn’s mind. She had been in a few
appointments where sex was discussed during the appointment and the client
agreed to pay more.

The thought of that unsettled her this
time.

However, she walked to the door of her client
all the same. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes briefly, reminding
herself that she did not need to take many more clients. She was close to
getting everyone from the Heart of Trid gang out of Uren and being done with
work as a Significant.

She rang the alarm bell and waited. A
caretaker opened the door. He was an older man with grey hair and wrinkles
etched deep into his skin. He nodded once, motioning for her to follow him. She
stepped in as Nyx took his position outside the door.

Kailynn followed the silent caretaker
into the house, studying the design of the home. The space was gloomy, with
dark painted walls and windows covered with heavy drapes. The atmosphere made
the area seem smaller and the ceiling lower, making Kailynn claustrophobic.

The caretaker led her into the living
room on the other side of the foyer, where her client, a man with black hair
and dark eyes, sat on the sofa, waiting. His eyes turned to her and, for the
first time in a long time, Kailynn was nervous about being left alone with her
client.

The caretaker stood by the door and
waited, showing that he planned to be there for the entirety of the
appointment.

“Ah, there you are,” her client, Rek,
said, motioning for her to sit next to him. She forced a smile and walked
forward, sitting next to him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said,
putting as much tenderness into her voice as she could manage. He put his arm
around her and she leaned against him. He smiled at her and put his head
against hers, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

They sat like that for a very long time.
Kailynn began to wonder why she was worried about being with her client in the
first place. He had done nothing more than sit with her and rest his head on
hers. She figured he was just lonely and he wanted to sit with someone for a
while.

Once Kailynn started to relax, he turned
his head and kissed her forehead.

“May I ask you a question?” he murmured.

“Of course.”

“A few nights ago,” he started, his voice
quiet and even, “you were with someone.”

The hairs on the back of her neck stood
up. She could not think of a response that fit with the role he had asked her
to play. She hesitated before sitting upright and turning to him, nervous. She
forced a smile.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“I think you do,” he said, a dangerous
light in his eyes. She backed away on the couch. “Don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“You were with someone who is very
influential in the circles I travel in,” he continued, his expression never
wavering. Kailynn could feel her heart begin to race in her chest, though she
did her best to maintain her impassive expression. She knew that her picture
and name had been released to the public through broadcasts about the
assassination attempt, but she did not think that would encourage people to
become her clients. If anything, she thought it would cause her to lose
clientele because no one wanted to be associated with a criminal.

“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to keep her
voice strong, “I’m afraid I do not understand.”

One corner of Rek’s mouth curved upward
briefly and he leaned forward, touching Kailynn’s face.

“Don’t be coy,” he whispered. “I know the
truth.”

She backed away, standing.

“Clearly, there has been a
misunderstanding.”

She knew she was in danger. She could
feel it in her bones. Everything inside her was telling her to run as fast as
she could.

When a hand latched onto her wrist,
forcing her to sit on the couch again, her fear doubled.

“I don’t recall saying I was finished
with you.”

She jerked her hand away, glaring at Rek.

“I’m
saying that I’m done.”

She tried to stand again, but this time,
the caretaker stepped forward to stop her.

“Why don’t you stay for a while?” Rek
insisted, also standing. “There are some things we need to discuss.”

“No,” she snapped. “I’m leaving.”

“What about your payment?”

“My company will sort that out,” she
said, walking to the caretaker with the intention of pushing past him. The
older man grabbed both of her arms and yanked her to the side, forcing her to
the ground. She barely had time to realize that she had fallen before the
caretaker had pinned her arms above her head.

She began kicking violently, hoping to
connect with something, but Rek’s hands grabbed her legs, pinning them as he
sat on her knees.

“You misunderstand,” Rek said, chuckling.
“I won’t hurt you.”

“Let me go! I will have you arrested!”

“Really?” Rek chuckled. “You think you
can do that when you’re a criminal yourself?”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“After all, you were the one who
attempted to kill Elite Isa,” Rek said, smiling as he leaned over her. “The
Intelligence Agency did not find any evidence against you, but isn’t it
interesting that you were back at Anon Tower only a few days ago?”

Kailynn blinked in surprise at the man,
stilling her struggle. Rek chuckled and tilted his head.

“You think that people don’t know?” he
murmured. “There are thousands that would pay more than you could ever imagine
to have Elite Isa dead.” He leaned closer to Kailynn. “And you, my dear, are
pivotal in securing the kill.”

Kailynn lifted her head quickly and felt
her forehead connect with Rek’s nose. He let out a startled cry and backed
away, getting off Kailynn’s legs as he nursed his broken nose. Kailynn thrashed
her body, pulling her arms free of the caretaker and punching him in the jaw.
However, with her position on the floor, the punch had little strength and did
nothing more than stun the caretaker momentarily.

In that moment, Kailynn reached for her
necklace and pressed the pendant, alerting Nyx that there was a problem.

The caretaker was on her once more,
trying to stop her as she kicked and punched, sometimes hitting him as he made
attempts to grab her.

However, Nyx appeared at the caretaker’s
back, pulling him off Kailynn and putting him on his stomach as Nyx kneeled on
his back to keep him down.

Kailynn turned her attention to Rek,
seeing that he was trying to get to his feet. She lunged across the floor and
grabbed his ankles, toppling him.

“Nyx!” she gasped. “Tie them up! They’re
plotting against Elite Isa!”

It took Nyx a few moments to process the
words before he used the one set of handcuffs he kept on him to restrain the
caretaker as Kailynn tried to keep Rek still. Nyx took off his jacket and tied
Rek’s hands to his feet, remaining on top of him to keep him still as he called
the Officials.

Kailynn stayed until the Officials
arrived and answered their questions as the two were hauled away. Kailynn could
not help but ponder the fact that she was in two situations where there had
been attempts or plots on Isa’s life. She was sure that the report would bring
up many questions and peg her as someone who was a danger to the Elite.

Nyx took her back to Companion, both of
them silent. When they got out of the car and were about to head into the
building, Nyx took her arm. She whirled around, still on-edge.

Her guard pulled her to him and hugged
her tightly.

She did not understand what had prompted
him to hug her or why she felt like the hug was exactly what she needed, but
she was grateful for the attention.

“Everything will be alright,” he
whispered.

When Kailynn got to her room again, after
a lecture from Jak about how she was getting into trouble so often, she got on
her bed and stared at the ceiling, allowing her thoughts to form and vanish as
they pleased.

The beeping from her phone caused her to
jump out of her stupor. She grabbed the phone from the desk, popping out the
earpiece and putting it in place, cringing at the discomfort.

“Hello?” she said when the soft beep told
her that the call was connected.

“Good evening,” Isa’s voice said, her
tone worried. “Are you alright?”

“How do you already know what happened?”

“Rayal called and told me about the
arrest,” Isa answered. “Are you alright?” she repeated.

“I’m fine,” Kailynn said. “I’m worried.”

“Understandably,” Isa said. “Did he hurt
you?”

“No,” Kailynn assured. “I promise, I’m
fine.” She heaved a sigh. “Are you going to kill him?”

“No, not yet, at least,” Isa admitted.
“Rayal and his team will try to get information from him about a plot.” Isa
hesitated before speaking again. “Kailynn…your account about what he said…”

“I didn’t lie,” Kailyn murmured when Isa
did not continue. “He said I was pivotal.” Kailynn opened her eyes. “Does that
mean anything to you?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Isa whispered.
“Kailynn…I know it’s asking a lot, but I would like you to come here. It’s
safer.”

“Isa, he said he saw me in Anon Tower.
They can monitor where I am, apparently. Going there would be more dangerous,
wouldn’t it? They might be waiting until I’m there to attack you.”

Isa heaved a sigh on the other end of the
call.

“It worries me not having you close,” she
said gently. “I won’t be able to protect you if you need me.”

Kailynn could not help but chuckle.

“I broke that asshole’s nose,” she
reminded the Golden Elite. “I’m pretty good about protecting myself.”

Isa let out a soft laugh as well, but her
tone did not lighten.

“Perhaps in some ways,” she agreed. “But
when it comes to politics, things get far more vicious.”

The two were quiet for an indeterminable
amount of time, acutely aware of the other person on the call, but not sure
what to say. Finally, Kailynn spoke.

“I have a few things I need to take care
of. I probably won’t take my phone with me,” she explained. “I’ll be alright, I
promise.”

“Will you let me know when you are back
on the radar?” Isa said with a light chuckle. Kailynn smiled.

“Of course I will.” She was quiet for
several more seconds. “Isa…”

When she did not continue, Isa asked her
what was wrong.

“Please be careful.”

With those words, Isa understood the
intensity of Kailynn’s fear. She had been trying to quell Tarah’s fears ever
since the assassination attempt. The caretaker was constantly terrified that
something horrible was going to happen to the Golden Elite. Now that Kailynn
had uncovered another person plotting on Isa’s life, the Elite was sure that
the Significant was nervous.

“I will,” Isa whispered. “I promise.”

Kailynn was thoroughly irritated when she
was sent to various locations in Trid trying to find her brother. The Heart of
Trid gang had been staying quiet since their release, waiting for the worst of
the anger to blow over before resuming their normal activities, which including
drug trafficking. Kailynn found one member of the gang in one of the exchange
alleys who told her that her brother was at Aron’s house.

However, Aron told her that Theo had left
nearly an hour previous, saying he was going to the car garage to grab a few
things.

Kailynn could only roll her eyes when she
went to the car garage and no one was there.

As she was walking back to find Raphael
and spend some time with him, she ran into another member of the gang, who told
her that Theo went to Sonya’s house.

She went to the woman’s house, recalling
that Sonya and Theo were in a difficult-to-define relationship. She kicked
herself for not checking there before.

When she knocked on the door, it took
several minutes for anyone to answer. Theo pushed the door open, fighting the
rusted mechanisms. He had his shirt off and his pants were undone, causing
Kailynn to roll her eyes, already irritated from her searching.

“Lynni,” he greeted, surprised. He walked
forward and hugged her quickly. “I have been looking everywhere for you.”

“You have?”

“You’ve been gone for weeks. I thought you had been killed and
dumped somewhere.”

“Thanks for having so much faith in my
ability to take care of myself,” Kailynn groaned, pushing her brother away. She
glanced back into the room, seeing Sonya walking around naked, picking up a
bottle of alcohol and taking several gulps. Kailynn rolled her eyes and reached
into her pocket, pulling out a card. “Here.”

Theo glanced at it, taking it slowly,
confused.

“What’s this?”

“Thirty thousand credits,” she said.
“This with your money should allow you to get the other members of the moron
committee out of Uren.”

“Thirty…” Theo looked between Kailynn and
the card several times. “But…”

“Theo,” Kailynn said, “don’t do anything
so fucking stupid again.”

“Wait!” Theo said, quickly fastening his
pants and closing the door to Sonya’s place, stepping into the hallway as
Kailynn turned around. “Where did you get this money?” he whispered, stepping
close to her.

“None of your business.”

“It is!” he hissed, grabbing her arm when
she tried to turn away. “Are you whoring?”

“No.”

“Does Raphael know?”

“Stop it, Theo!” Kailynn snapped, jerking
away from her brother. “I am not whoring, so don’t accuse me.”

“You have no circles, you have no
product, so what the hell else could you exchange for this amount of money?”
Theo growled. “I’m not going to accept it if you don’t tell me where you got
it.”

Kailynn rolled her eyes.

“What does it matter how I got it?” she
said sharply. “It’s sitting there, in your hand. What do you want me to do?
Give it back?”

“I want to know where you got it!”

“I worked
for it,” Kailynn said.

Theo looked at the card.

“Brad?
He pays you this much?”

“I had to pick up some other jobs to pay
for this,” Kailynn said. “The point is, I worked, and I didn’t whore myself in
the Walking District. Alright?”

“No, not alright,” Theo said. His
expression turned suspicious. “You paid for us to be released, didn’t you?”

Kailynn quickly saw that the amount of
money she would have needed to break them out of Uren would be impossible of
obtain outside of Anon. She tried to think of a response, of some job she could
tell her brother that would appease him without telling him that she was
working as a Significant.

“How did you get all that money?” Theo
whispered. “Even if you were a whore, there is no way you could get all this so
quickly, and everything you paid to get us out.”

Kailynn looked at the ground, trying
desperately to come up with something.

“Lynni,” Theo breathed, worried, “what
have you done? How did you get this?”

“Theo,” she started, her voice weak, “it
doesn’t matter how I got it.”

“It does. It matters to me!”

“Why?”

“Because I want to know what my baby
sister had to go through to get us out,” Theo said. “I want to understand why
you have been so absent. And I want to help you out of whatever trouble you are
in.”

Kailynn could not help but bark a laugh.

“You can’t.”

“Kailynn, what did you do to get this
money?”

Kailynn looked over Theo’s worried
expression. He was struggling to think of any jobs where she could obtain so
much money in such a short amount of time, and his inability to come up with an
answer terrified him all the more. He walked forward and took Kailynn’s
shoulders.

“Please, tell me.”

She looked at her older brother, her
resolve to keep him in the dark about her job as a Significant chipping away.
So much had happened so quickly since she had started working as a Significant
that the thought of actually being able to confide in her older brother was too
appealing to resist.

She dropped her head and Theo’s hands
tightened around her shoulders.

“It’s alright,” he whispered. He pulled
her into a tight hug. “It’s alright. I’ll help however I can.”

She braced herself, unsure of her
brother’s reaction.

“I have been working, Theo,” she started,
her voice weaker as she pulled out of the hug. “I found work…in Anon.”

Theo’s eyes shot wide.

“You’ve been working in Anon?” he hissed.
“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? You could have been caught and
killed!”

“I know.”

“Who would even hire you? You don’t have
citizenship.”

Kailynn hesitated once more.

“Kailynn,” Theo urged.

She took a deep breath to steady herself
and closed her eyes.

“I was working at Companion,” she
whispered. She opened her eyes and spared a glance at her brother. “I am
working as a Significant.”

Theo was still and silent. She could
almost see the words fall into place in his mind.

Suddenly, his hand struck her across the
face so hard she saw stars.

“You better be lying,” he growled.

“Theo—”

“You were working as a fucking Significant?” he growled. “Fuck, even
whoring is more honest than that fucking circus.”

“You don’t understand—”

“How could I not understand?!”

“You were going to be killed!” Kailynn
snapped, shoving Theo away. “You are all I have left! I couldn’t let you die!”

“But you didn’t have to go be a slave to
fucking Anon and cater to their sick desires!”

“You don’t know anything about it!”
Kailynn yelled. “Fuck you, Theo! I did it to save your life so I wouldn’t have
to hear that you were dead!”

“I know what happened to Father upset
you—”

“What the fuck do you know about it?!”
Kailynn barked. “I found him! You
didn’t! And you are the only family I have! What the fuck was I supposed to do
if you died?!”

The tears were forcing Kailynn’s voice to
break. She turned away and pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to compose
herself. Theo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“Fuck, Kailynn,” he sighed, closing his
eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “This would have never happened if…”

“If you hadn’t had such a shitty plan for
shutting down Venus?” Kailynn snarled.

“Yes,” he admitted. “If not for Venus,
things would be very different.”

Kailynn’s heart stopped. She recognized
the tone of Theo’s voice. It bespoke determination and decision.

“Theo, no,” she said sharply.

“You know it’s true. If it weren’t for
Venus, the Trids would not have to scrounge for food and shelter. We would not
be freezing to death in alleys and being killed by Officials without reason.”

“Theo, no, not again,” Kailynn pled.
“This is how I got stuck in this shit in the first place. There is no way to shut
down Venus.”

“I know,” Theo said, turning to his
little sister with a serious expression. “But we don’t need to take own Venus.
Only her messenger.”

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide, terrified.

“What?”

Theo took Kailynn’s shoulders.

“I was not going to tell you this,” he
said. “I did not want you in any danger. I know I screwed up last time, but
this time is going to be different.”

“Theo, what the hell are you talking
about?” Kailynn choked.

“We’re going to win, Kailynn,” he said
confidently. “The Golden Elite, the shining star of the Altereye System. We are
going to send a message to the entire system that the people are the true source of power and that we will not be ruled
by some computer and her army of genetically-altered freaks.”

Kailynn’s breath was caught in her throat
and she was sure that she was choking. She could only stare in horror as the
words continued to cut through the air and pierce her ears like daggers, their
meaning slicing open her chest over and over again.

She backed away from her brother in
horror.

He smiled and nodded.

“That’s right,” he breathed. “We’re going
to kill Golden Elite Isa.”

Chapter
Twenty

Kailynn wandered around Trid in a daze
for over an hour while the words processed. It felt as if there was a knife in
her belly that she could not rid herself of and each step and every breath made
it dig deeper into her flesh.

She went to her own home, unable to face
anyone with the words rattling in her brain. She sat heavily on her bed and
stared at the wall.

The conflict within her made her feel
ill.

She tried to find her breath, running her
hands through her hair and closing her eyes. She focused on calming down and
getting her thoughts under control.

She could not.

If she told Isa about yet another plot on
her life, then it would go without question that Theo would be arrested and
likely killed. It would be the second time that he went against the Syndicate
and Venus in such a brazen manner, and she was sure that, this time, there
would be no hesitation in killing him.

However, if she said nothing to Isa, it
was possible that the Golden Elite would be killed. All she could think about
for several hours was the way Isa’s body convulsed in the NCB chair when the
Pulse Virus hit, and how sickly she looked when she was lying in the hospital.
When she thought about the way the Elite looked when she was home once more,
tired but smiling, the thoughts of the Elite made her heart skip a beat. She
remembered the way Rek whispered to her that she was key in killing Isa.

To have become witness to three plots on
Isa’s life was enough to make her feel like she was losing her mind.

If she had heard about any of these plots
one year previous, she would have laughed and celebrated, excited to think that
the Elite Syndicate could be dismantled and the Trids could become equal to
those in Anon, even if that meant that the citizens of Anon would be forced to live
as the Trids lived.

Now that she had been close to the Elite,
her perspective on everything had changed.

Isa was not the enemy.

She still remembered vividly the day that
the news of Caroie had been announced. She remembered the pain that creased
Isa’s face, the way she blamed herself for being unable to maintain peace in
the Crescent Alliance, the way she stared into space, lost in what she believed
to be her failure. The look pained Kailynn. That had been the moment she
understood that Isa was trying to mend everything broken in the Altereye System
and was faced with opposition wherever she turned.

Kailynn did not want Isa to die.

She also did not want to lose her
brother, the only family she had left.

She fell sideways on her mattress and cried
quietly into the blankets, waiting and praying for sleep to take her to a
less-confusing world.

She woke from a gentle shaking of her
shoulder. She blinked her eyes several times, forcing her pounding head to
focus on Raphael’s face above her. He smiled gently, his eyes sad.

“Hey,” he whispered.

“Hey…” she responded, her voice cracking.

“I didn’t see you all day,” he said,
running a hand over her hair. “I was worried about you.”

“Sorry…”

“Why are you sorry?” he chuckled lightly.
He tucked some hair behind her ear and leaned close. “What’s wrong? You’re
acting like the fate of the world rests on your shoulders.”

Kailynn closed her eyes and pressed a
hand to her head. She wanted to tell Raphael everything—her relationship with
Isa, Theo’s plan to kill the Golden Elite, how confused she was at how easily
she had changed after meeting Isa—but she knew that he would not understand.
She was sure that he would remind her of her Trid heritage and that getting rid
of the Elites and Venus would be the best thing for their future.

But Raphael had not spent time with Isa.

He was just as ignorant as Kailynn used
to be—ignorant and fueled by anger.

Raphael leaned forward and kissed her.

“Talk to me,” he murmured. She turned
away, trying to keep him from being able to kiss her again. “You haven’t been
yourself.”

“I have a lot on my mind.”

“Kailynn, please, tell me what’s wrong,”
Raphael begged. Kailynn stood, leaving Raphael sitting on the mattress,
watching her walk across the room and search through her minimal belongings for
different clothes. “I want to help you.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle, Raffy,”
Kailynn assured, giving up on the search for clothes, deciding she would go
back into Anon and change at Companion. “I just need time to deal with it,
alright?”

Raphael searched her expression, worry
creasing his face.

“…alright.”

“Thank you,” Kailynn said. “I’ll be back
later tonight.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have some things to take care of.”

Kailynn walked out of her disheveled
apartment, knowing exactly where she was going.

After changing her clothes at Companion
and being sure she looked as professional as possible, she hailed a car and
went to Syndicate Intelligence, her heart choking her as it threatened to crawl
out her mouth.

Kailynn tried to keep calm. She tried to
remind herself that she was in a very dangerous world now, where her close
proximity to the Golden Elite could mean her death. If she let on that there
was a problem to Rayal, she was sure that the former caretaker would take any
measure necessary to protect Isa’s life without understanding Kailynn’s
connection to the attacker.

She took a deep breath as the car slowed
in front of the door.

The Significant got out of the car and
walked to the door of the Intelligence Agency, stepping through the automatic
doors to the security desk. The building was far quieter than it had been on
her previous visit, and that made her nervous.

“May I help you?” one robot guard asked,
rolling in front of her when she tried to walk forward.

“I’m here to see Rayal Teleta.”

The robot extended its arm and she had to
force herself not to back away when the sensor on the end of the arm pressed
into the space at the back of her ear. A few seconds passed before the robot
moved its arm away and spoke again.

“Follow me, please.”

Kailynn fell into step behind the robot,
which rolled slowly through the halls. Already knowing the way to Rayal’s
office, she was tempted to pass the robot and walk on her own, but she remained
behind the robot, her eyes on the ground, focusing on keeping calm.

When they finally reached the door, the
robot stood to the side as the door opened. Kailynn walked in, surprised to see
Rayal waiting for her.

“Kailynn,” he greeted, motioning her in.
“I was surprised to hear you were here. I did not expect you.”

“Sorry to just drop in,” she said,
walking forward as the door closed behind her. She took the seat that Rayal
motioned to. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“What about?”

Kailynn looked at her lap, nervously.

“Nothing discussed here will leave this
room, right?”

“No, of course not,” Rayal assured. “If
there is one thing I pride myself on it is my discretion.”

“You said that Isa has had eighteen
attempts on her life,” she started. “Why do people want to kill her?”

Rayal sighed heavily, thinking about how
to answer.

“Everyone has their own motivation,” he
started carefully. “When a young leader comes into power with big ideas about
change, people get nervous. Change is uncomfortable.”

“What has she changed, though? She said
herself that she did not think she mended the Alliance.”

“She has mended it far more than she will
ever take credit for,” Rayal corrected, shaking his head. “The Altereye System
is in a better state since her rise to power.”

“But there are still people who want to
kill her.”

Rayal took a deep breath, his eyes
lowering.

“The reasons have changed over the
years,” he admitted. “This latest strain of plots is related to Gihron and
everything that happened five years ago.”

“Why would that make people want to kill
her?”

“Because one of the planetary leaders of
Gihron died while visiting Tiao,” Rayal said. “And Gihron wants revenge.”

Kailynn hesitated. “…how did he die?”

“He was assassinated,” Rayal said. “But
he was under Isa’s care as a foreign leader when it happened. Therefore, Gihron
blames her for what happened to Colonel Amori. And they want her to pay for
their loss.”

“Why does Gihron hate this planet so
much?”

“The same reasons that the other planets
not in the Alliance hate Tiao,” Rayal explained. “They hate Venus. They hate
the Elites. They think that Elites are dangerous and should be destroyed. They
feel the same about Venus. It also has to do with many of these planets being
crushed under taxes and trade embargos and all sorts of other economic problems
that come from being outside the Alliance. It was better for those planets when
the Alliance had disbanded.”

“…sounds a bit like the Trids.”

Rayal let out a broken chuckle.

“Yes, I suppose it does.”

Kailynn sighed heavily, looking at the
ground again.

“Finding that man upset you a great deal,
didn’t it?” Rayal murmured. Kailynn glanced up at him, her mind taking a few
moments to realize he was talking about her client, Rek.

“It just kind of seems like everyone is
out to kill her, and it’s scary.”

“I know,” Rayal agreed. “And many people
are out to kill her. We’ve found many plots over the years. Most of them do not
develop far enough to be considered an attempt on her life, but there are a few
that we miss.”

“Miss?”

“Well, we do our best to monitor
everything for the safety of the Elites, but we are only human. We make
mistakes. And the computers and Venus don’t always catch everything, either.”

Kailynn was silent for several moments,
looking around the office, trying to decide how best to voice her question.
When Rayal saw the worried look on her face, he leaned forward.

“Kailynn? Are you alright?”

“Can Venus hear everything we say in this
room?”

“No.”

“Do you…you were in Isa’s service for a
long time, right?”

“Yes, since I was fifteen.”

“Did you ever…in the time that you were
with her….think that, maybe, things would be better without the Elites? Without
Venus?”

Rayal was silent for a few moments,
looking over Kailynn’s expression carefully. He finally took a deep breath and
rubbed his hands together, trying to think of how to answer.

“I think that’s a normal thought to cross
everyone’s mind,” he said. “Yes, I did occasionally think that things would be
better without Venus.”

“And the Elites?”

Rayal hesitated. “That’s a little more
difficult,” he said. “The Elites are a complicated system. I’m not sure I can
adequately explain. They’re not usually dangerous. Most of them are made to
obey, and they obey without question.”

“Isa doesn’t seem to obey,” Kailynn murmured.

Rayal chuckled. “Isa has always been a
special case,” he admitted. “According to many, Isa was different from day one.
She was the youngest Elite to ever come into power. She’s also one of only two
Elites to ever jump classes.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that Isa was made to be a
Bronze Elite, but she jumped to the position of Golden Elite.”

“They even determine the type of Elite
before they’re born?” Kailynn asked, startled.

“They determine everything before they’re
born—class, hair color, eye color, height, absolutely everything about the
Elite is determined before they are born. That is one of the reasons Isa has
always been special. She broke through everything she was made to be and became
something far stronger. Because of this, you can imagine, she has seen more
pain in her life than most. And that is how she gained so much favor in the
inter-galactic community. She may not be able to feel emotion, but she can
understand it.”

“You spent years with her,” Kailynn
whispered. “You really think she can’t feel emotion?”

Rayal smiled mysteriously.

“Kailynn, I must confess something to
you,” he started. “I’m sure you recall when I told you to stay away from Isa
and to never return after you left.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think you fully understand why I
said that.”

“Because we are risking both of our lives
and you want to protect her.”

“It’s more than that,” Rayal admitted.
“Apart from Remus, I may know Isa better than anyone. When she first came to
power, she was ambitious and driven to change things. She had strength within
her that enthralled and empowered everyone. She had such enormous plans,
but…time progressed, she got older, and she faced more challenges in her job.
Then, when she had the accident five years ago, that strength almost disappeared.”
He looked down at his hands and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “For
many years, I truly believed that her relationship with Remus was diminishing
her strength. Having to keep that relationship secret from Venus and other
planetary leaders and the people…I was sure that that was wearing her down. And
when their relationship began to fall apart…”

Rayal trailed off, closing his eyes
briefly and shaking his head.

“Anyway, the point is, I was worried that
her already-diminished strength would disappear, having to keep you as a
secret,” he said, looking at her seriously. “Now, I have to apologize for
thinking that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I believe you give Isa strength,” Rayal
said seriously. “I think Isa needs people, just as everyone else does, if not
more so. You are a Significant, so I’m sure you understand how lonely everyone
on this planet is. I think it’s far worse for Isa. She has been working herself
to death since she was a child, and it has been seared into her very being that
she is there only to serve the people and Venus. But, just like everyone else,
she needs someone to care for her, and see her as more than just the Golden
Elite. She takes care of the planet, but I think you take care of her in a way
that no one else can.”

Kailynn stared at Rayal, unsure how to
respond to the words. They struck a part of her soul that made her mind go
blank and her chest tighten.

Rayal smiled gently.

“I’m sorry if that puts some kind of
pressure on you,” he chuckled. “I know that this is a dangerous relationship
for both of you. That is just how I see you and Isa.”

Kailynn let out a long breath and closed
her eyes.

“I just…I would have never thought that
my life would take this kind of turn,” she tried to joke.

“I’m sure it’s a lot to take in,” Rayal
said knowingly. “But I think you are very good for Isa.”

“And you think Isa is good for the
planet?”

“I think she’s regaining the strength she
needs to change things for the better,” Rayal said with a nod. “She can do
great things, Kailynn. She just needs the right support.”

Kailynn returned to Companion, unable to
face returning to Trid immediately after the conversation with Rayal. Even
though he had joked about putting pressure on Kailynn, she felt a new weight
settle on her shoulders.

She had to choose between what her heart
was telling her to do, and the loyalty she felt to her family.

Feeling anxious and a little sick to her
stomach, she reached for the phone and told it who she wanted to call. She
paced around her room, listening to the monotone beeping sound three times
before cutting off.

“Are you back on the radar?” a gentle
voice asked.

The tone seemed to soothe Kailynn’s
fears, if only for that moment when the words washed over her ears. She closed
her eyes and let out a long breath.

“Yes.”

“Are you alright?” Isa asked, her voice
turning worried.

“Yeah, yeah,” Kailynn said quickly,
closing her eyes and leaning against the wall of her room. “I’m just tired. I
didn’t really sleep last night.”

Isa hesitated, clearly not convinced.

“Am I going to see you soon?” Isa asked,
her tone betraying her concern.

“Yeah,” Kailynn repeated. “I just have a
few things left to do and I’ll come see you.” She swallowed hard. “Should I
call you beforehand or just surprise you?”

“Either way,” she said. “You have an open
invitation.”

Kailynn fell silent, trying to hear Isa’s
breathing on the other end of the call, but she could not.

“Are you still there?” Isa asked quietly.

“I’m here…”

“Kailynn, what’s wrong?” Isa pressed. “You’re
upset. I can tell.”

Kailynn sighed and lifted a hand to her
face.

“I’m confused,” she admitted. “I feel
like my life is spiraling out of control.”

“How so?” Isa asked. “What can I do to
help?”

Kailynn tried to suppress her confused
sob behind her hand. She took several moments to calm down, worried about
blurting out the truth to Isa.

“I’m scared…” she choked.

“What are you afraid of?”

Kailynn closed her eyes.

“I’m afraid of how I feel,” she said.
“I’m afraid of how you are making me feel. I don’t know what to do.”

“Would you rather take some time to
yourself and think all this over?” Isa asked, her tone light and gentle. “Do
you want to not see me for a while?”

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide.

“No, no,” she said quickly. “It’s not
that. I just…” She swallowed hard. “I want you to be okay. I want everything to
be okay.”

“Everything is alright.”

“How do you know that for sure?”

Isa was silent on the other end of the
line.

“Kailynn, why don’t you come here?” she
said. “Let’s discuss this in person.”

“I can’t,” Kailynn said quickly, almost
interrupting the Elite. She knew if she went to Isa, she would immediately tell
her the truth about her brother’s plot. She did not want to betray her only living
family. “I have a client tonight.”

“I see,” Isa said slowly. “I made a
promise to you, remember? I told you I would be safe. And I will be.”

“People are trying to kill you, Isa,”
Kailynn half-sobbed.

“There will always be people who want to
remove me,” Isa said, her tone even. “But I know how to keep myself safe.”

Kailynn leaned her head back on the wall,
her eyes closing tight. She remained silent, trying to keep her tears at bay.

“Kailynn, I am very worried about you. Do
you want me to come see you before your appointment?”

“No,” Kailynn said, shaking her head
quickly even though the Golden Elite could not see her. “No, I’m sorry…I’m
acting stupid…” She sniffed and cleared her throat. “Just…promise me that you
won’t leave Anon Tower unless you absolutely have to. And that your guards are
always around.”

“Kailynn—”

“I have to go,” Kailynn said. “I’ll call
you when I am on my way to see you.”

She ended the call before she could say
anything else and took the earpiece out of her ear, angrily throwing it across
the room. She slowly sank to the floor, leaning against the wall and cradling
her head in her hands, breaking down into tears once more.

Chapter
Twenty-One

That night, and the two days after that,
Kailynn was in a drunken stupor. She slept in between alcohol binges and got
into two physical fights with Raphael when he tried to take the bottles away.
They were thrown out of their usual club when Kailynn became too rowdy and
tried to pick fights with the tourists, who cowered from her and looked on in
fear as she was thrown out with the rest of the Cobalt Panthers.

On the third night of her binge, she went
to her brother and drunkenly demanded that he tell her the day and time of
their plan. Theo took her aside, out of earshot of the rest of the Heart of
Trid gang and forced her to drink water. She punched him in the stomach when he
called her a drunk and told him that he needed to tell her his plan exactly or she
would turn them over to the Officials.

While Theo did not actually believe that
she would do that to him, he did tell her that, in four days, they would shoot
Isa as she was leaving a charity event.

Armed with the information, Kailynn went
to her apartment to get her phone, only to find Raphael there.

“I have been looking everywhere for your
drunken ass,” he snarled, irritated. “Come on. Let’s get you to my place and
get you some water.”

“Stop it, I have to call someone,” she
slurred together, trying to walk away from his hands as they reached out to
grab her.

“Call someone?” he said, barking a laugh.
“You don’t have a phone. Come on.”

“I do have a phone!”

“Sure,” he droned.

“Oh…but it’s not here…” she said, her
eyes sliding shut in sudden exhaustion.

“Okay, we’ll find it when you sober up,”
Raphael assured. “Come on.”

He hauled her to his apartment as she
incoherently babbled about needing to call the Syndicate with important
information. He humored her until he got her to the apartment, where he forced
her to drink water and lie in bed until she fell asleep.

Of course, after several days of
drinking, she felt horrible when she woke in the morning.

She spent the entire day snapping at
Raphael for being too loud and nursing her pounding headache.

After a day of rest, Kailynn was back on
a rampage, only it was of a different sort.

When Raphael woke and saw that Kailynn
was gone, he groaned and quickly got dressed, ready to search for her.

He spent half of the day asking everyone
he could think of if they had seen Kailynn. They all told him the same thing.

“She’s looking for Theo.”

Raphael became more frantic as the day
wore on.

Finally, he found Kailynn walking angrily
down one street, her eyes on the ground.

“Kailynn!” he snapped, darting across the
deserted street and grabbing her arm, turning her around. “I have been looking
everywhere for you.”

“I need to find Theo,” she said, yanking
her arm out of his grasp.

“Why?”

“Have you heard about his latest
shit-brain idea?”

“What?”

“This stupid fucking plan he has to kill
the Golden Elite,” Kailynn said sharply.

“What the fuck—will you keep your voice down?!” Raphael hissed urgently,
looking around to be sure that no one heard them. “Are you still drunk? What
the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Do you know about his plan?” Kailynn
growled.

Raphael looked over Kailynn’s expression,
trying to figure out why she was upset about Theo’s idea. He thought that it
was because Kailynn had just gotten him out of one botched plan and he already
was concocting another. However, there was a fire in Kailynn’s eyes that gave
him pause.

“You know, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Raphael said.

Kailynn shoved him backward.

“Why the hell didn’t you try to talk him
out of it?!” Kailynn bellowed.

“Kailynn, please, keep your voice down,”
Raphael said, holding his hands up peacefully. “You know how your brother is.
He’s set on it.”

“Where is he?” Kailynn growled. “We have
a few days to try and talk him out of it.”

“Why?”

“Why?!”

“You know that the only way the Trids
will get anywhere is by removing those in power and starting a revolution,”
Raphael hissed. “We’ve dreamed about this since we were kids, remember? We were
going to start the movement to bring down Anon.”

“And it’s fucking stupid!” Kailynn snapped.
“If we get rid of one Elite, then others will come to take her place. And they
won’t do nearly as much good as she has!”

“Wait, what?” Raphael gasped, his eyes shooting wide. “Are you…you support Elite Isa?!”

Kailynn stared at Raphael for several
long moments, her eyes showing her turmoil.

“I’ve just learned enough to realize that
we’re ignorant of what revolution actually means,” Kailynn whispered.

Raphael stared at Kailynn, slowly shaking
his head.

“Who are
you?”

Kailynn began walking away.

“I’m going to find Theo.”

“It’s too late, Kailynn,” Raphael called
after her. She stopped and turned around quickly. “Theo lied to you.”

“What?” She quickly walked back to him,
her heart sinking.

“He didn’t want to risk your life again,”
Raphael said. “They’ve already left. They’re going through with it tonight.”

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide and she turned
once more. This time, Raphael grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.

“No, Kailynn!”

“Let go of me!”

“What are you going to do?!” Raphael
barked, yanking her back once more. “You think you can just stroll up to the
Elites and tell them what’s going on?!”

Kailynn managed to yank her wrist out of
Raphael’s grasp.

She stared defiantly at her childhood
friend for two long seconds before turning and walking quickly along the
sidewalks toward the towering structures of Anon.

Raphael did not follow.

Kailynn rushed to Companion and grabbed
her phone, quickly trying to call Isa’s phone. However, the Elite did not
answer. Her attempt to call Tarah also failed.

She
called Rayal’s phone, pacing and quietly pleading for him to answer. Her heart
was racing and frightened tears were welling in her eyes. She was worried that,
if she did not warn them immediately, Isa would be killed.

As Kailynn listened to the beeping,
waiting for someone to answer, at the charity event, Isa, Remus, and Rayal were
sitting with the other Elites at a large table watching the art auction pieces
pass silently as the bids were tracked electronically. The hall was silent, everyone
in their respective seats in front of the Elites, bidding on the pieces that
were wheeled in front of them.

When Rayal’s phone lit up next to Isa,
she slowly lowered the wine glass from her lips, turning to look at the screen.
Rayal’s eyes also fell on the phone before slowly turning to Isa.

They both had been expecting the call.

Isa’s eyes lifted to look at Rayal before
she reached over and pressed the ignore button on the phone.

“She’s trying to warn you,” Rayal
whispered.

“I don’t want her in danger,” Isa
breathed.

“She knows something,” Rayal said. “Let
her tell you.”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “There
is a reason she did not tell me earlier.” She turned to Remus and nodded once.
He nodded in return and stood, walking out of the hall silently.

Kailynn hung up the phone and looked
around her room, desperate to find a way to warn Isa.

She ran downstairs to Jak’s office and
rapidly hit the call button on the outside of the door. When he did not answer,
she began furiously pounding on the door with her fist.

Finally, Jak opened the door, taking the
earpiece out of his ear and looking at her incredulously as she barged into the
office.

“Have you lost your fucking mind?” Jak
growled, closing the door immediately.

“We need to get in contact with Syndicate
Intelligence, now.”

“What the hell has gotten into you?”

“There will be an assassination attempt
tonight,” Kailynn said breathlessly.

“How do you know this?”

“Something I remember from my last
client,” she lied, pacing, her eyes frantic and her breath caught in her
throat. “I didn’t think anything of it until I heard there was a charity event
today.”

“Yeah, it’s an annual art auction. They
do it every year. Security is ridiculously tight.”

“Someone is going to try and kill Elite
Isa,” Kailynn said seriously.

“Jacyleen, take a deep breath. Explain
yourself.”

“I can’t get in contact with Isa,” she
said quietly.

“Are you on a first-name basis with her?”
Jak said, his eyes wide. “Jacyleen, tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I can’t,” Kailynn said, shaking her
head.

“You’re scaring the shit out of me,” Jak
said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You’re shaking.”

“This is really complicated and I really
need you to work with me on this.”

“Okay, I will. Just…take a deep breath.”

“Call Syndicate Intelligence and tell
them that someone will try to shoot Golden Elite Isa when she leaves the
auction.”

Jak stared at her, a million questions
running through his mind. Deciding it was best to do as Kailynn asked in an
attempt to calm her, he went to his phone and commanded it to call Syndicate
Intelligence. When he was connected to the tip line, he explained that one of
his Significants heard from a client that someone would try to shoot Elite Isa
when she left the auction. Kailynn listened to him explain, continuing to pace,
running her hands through her hair multiple times.

When Jak fell silent, Kailynn turned and
watched his expression.

He turned to look at Kailynn, but the
look confused her.

“I see,” he said. “No, that is a relief.
Thank you.”

He disconnected the call.

“Where did you get this tip?”

“From the last client, the one who was
arrested,” Kailynn said.

“He must have told them, too,” Jak said,
looking at her seriously. “He said they already received the tip. They were
working on apprehending the group.” He walked back around his desk and looked
at her seriously. “Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on? Why are
you so frantic?”

“I just realized there was a plot on
Elite Isa’s life.”

“I know, but showing such intense
reactions when you would scoff at any Elite a few months ago…” He studied her
expression, slowly shaking his head. “Please tell me that you obeyed all the
ruled when you were there.”

“Of course,” Kailynn snapped, indignant.
“But, she did make me realize that the Elites are not that bad, so I’m worried
about her.”

Jak stared at her, clearly not convinced.

“Okay, I understand,” he finally said. He
sighed heavily and shook his head. “Well, seems like the Intelligence Agency
has this under control. You can go.”

“Oh, uh…right…”

Kailynn walked out of the office,
standing in the hallway for several seconds. She finally turned and half-ran to
the elevator to get to the greeting salon.

Ignoring the sneers from the other
Significants, she ran outside and pressed the button to hail a taxi. One of the
taxis owned by Companion drove to the front of the building. She got in and
told the automatic computer to go to the charity art auction. After several
failed attempts to get the right location, the taxi asked if she wanted to go
to Anon Convention Center for the Annual Charity Auction, she agreed quickly
and the taxi began its path.

She sat in her seat, bouncing her legs
rapidly and fidgeting. She was terrified. She did not know when the auction would
end or when her brother was going to be there to attempt his plan. Being in the
dark worsened her anxiety.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when
the car’s automated voice sounded.

“Apologies. There appears to be damage
repair,” it said as it slowed and pulled over. “Recalculating route.”

Kailynn closed her eyes and let out a
pained breath.

Every passing moment was making it more
difficult to breathe.

“All routes to Anon Convention Center are
showing one hour delays,” the car explained. “Do you have another destination?”

“No,” Kailynn said quickly, inserting her
card into the slot on the dashboard quickly before opening the door and getting
out among the other cars pulled over on the highway, the car warning her about
the dangers of pedestrians on the road.

She began running along the side of the
road, ignoring the strange looks that she was sure other automobile passengers
were giving her. At the nearest garage, she darted in and found the elevator,
quickly ascending to the street and running along the deserted walkways between
the buildings, looking up and hoping to spot the Convention Center.

When she came across a large, rounded
building with several neon holograms flashing around it, she stopped and caught
her breath, sure that she had found the Convention Center.

As she tried to find her way to the front
of the building, glancing around for any sign of Theo or the others of the
Heart of Trid gang, she could feel eyes on her.

It was then that she realized how
suspicious she looked to any security detail that was looking for those
plotting against the Golden Elite. She stopped and looked around, trying to
spot guards.

A loud clank caused her to jump and turn
to the opening door in the parkway in front of the Convention Center. A car drove
out of the opening and pulled in front of the building. As it slowed, Kailynn
saw several robots and black-clad guards walking toward the car. Kailynn’s
heart was in her throat, choking her.

Isa was leaving the Convention Center.

The moment she spotted the blonde-haired
woman walking among the guards next to Rayal, she took a step forward and began
to take a breath to yell at Isa, when the ear-piercing sound of a gunshot
sounded.

Kailynn watched in horror as Isa’s torso
was pushed backward with the force of the bullet. Rayal stepped in front of her
immediately as the guards and robots closed the area around the Golden Elite,
who was crouching on the ground.

Kailynn was barely able to see Isa, her
blue eyes scanning the building across the street, one hand clamped over the
bullet graze on her shoulder. Rayal lifted his wrist to his mouth.

“Take any shot you can.”

The robots lifted their guns to the area
where the bullet had originated, some firing when they saw movement in the
windows.

Kailynn backed away from the area,
ducking around the nearest building and peering out to watch in horror.

When she had heard the first shot fired,
her mind went blank. She could not even form the questions of how severely Isa
had been injured, or the state of the Heart of Trid gang in the other building.

Bullets were flying in the space between
the two buildings, the shots echoing around the buildings as Kailynn remained
still, watching helplessly. She dared not run to Isa, sure that she would be
shot as well. She could only wait for the chaos to abate.

Almost as suddenly as it had begun, it
slowed. The bullets were no longer being fired in rapid succession, but in
short bursts when movement caught the robots censors or when those shooting
from the other building thought they had a clear shot.

It felt like hours to Kailynn, but two
minutes after the first shot was fired, the bullets stopped.

When Rayal got the clearance from those
in the other building, he stood, as did Isa.

Kailynn was relieved to see the minimal
graze on the Golden Elite’s left shoulder. The Golden Elite was holding the
wound to slow the bleeding, but she was clearly not in severe pain. She looked
up at the windows of the other building and told Rayal she wanted to see the
attackers.

Rayal ordered the robots and guards to
secure the Golden Elite’s path through the apartment building.

Kailynn looked around quickly, watching
the guards disperse and move across the street. She darted down to the parking
garage for the convention center and ran across the empty lanes of the
underground highway. She was sure that the Syndicate had purposely closed off
the area to contain the danger. Because of that, she was able to run across and
find the garage elevator for the apartments across the highway. When she could
not access the elevator, she found the emergency stairs and began climbing them
two at a time.

Now that she knew Isa was alright, her
thoughts turned to her brother.

She did not know if he was alive or dead.
She did not even know if he was there or if he had sent others of the gang to
shoot the Golden Elite. She had no idea what their punishment would be or if
Isa would find out Kailynn’s connection to the group that tried to kill her.

Kailynn poked her head out every door she
came across, listening for the sounds of orders being barked.

She felt as though she had been searching
the doors for hours when she finally heard voices in the hallway. She quickly
got out of the stairwell and went toward the noises only to press herself to
the wall when she saw the number of guards around the corner, standing post
around an open door.

Kailynn listened, every muscle in her body
tense.

“Four dead, seven injured,” Remus’s voice
said. “All Trids.”

“Fuck off, Elite scum!” Theo’s voice
bellowed. Kailynn closed her eyes and felt her stomach flip.

“What were you trying to accomplish by
killing me?” Isa’s calm voice asked.

“You could never understand the pain we
feel! You kill us without reason! You force us to live in filth, hungry and
dying. We can never climb out of Trid because you won’t ever let us!” Sonya’s
voice screeched.

“See?” Theo growled. “You can’t even deny
it. You know it’s true.”

Kailynn took a deep breath and turned the
corner, fully expecting another commotion when the guards and robots spotted
her. Once she stepped into view, the guns in the hall pointed at her, but, to
her fortune, Rayal was also looking in her direction. He quickly lifted his
wrist to his mouth.

“Stand down,” he ordered quietly.

The guns lowered and Kailynn started
forward.

“I wish you had thought more carefully
about your actions,” Isa’s voice said in the apartment that the Heart of Trid
gang had broken into for the assassination attempt. “It is true, Anon does not
allow for Trids to climb out of poverty. However, you ruined your own chances
of changing that by trying to take my life. Now, Venus will be more convinced
that the Trids are too dangerous to be assimilated into Anon society. There
will be nothing I can do to change her opinion.”

“Liar!” Theo bellowed. “Venus does not
even exist! We tried to shut her down! There was nothing in the warehouse!”

Isa sighed heavily.

“That is because you had the wrong
location,” she said simply. “I knew there was a Trid gang that wanted to shut
down Venus, so I set a trap. And you played into it. Just as you played into
this trap. We knew you would try to kill me today.”

“How?”
another member demanded.

Isa did not respond. Kailynn started
forward when the silence became too heavy, worried. However, Rayal held out his
hand and shook his head, telling her to stay back. She stared at his hand and
then at him, not sure how to respond.

“Miss?” one of the Officials that had
helped the Silver Elite storm the apartment asked. “What do you want to do with
them?”

“You know the punishment,” Remus said
darkly. “Execution.”

The Official raised his gun, along with
three of his comrades, and pointed it at the remaining members of the Heart of
Trid gang.

“Wait!” Kailynn cried. Before she had a
chance to think of her actions, she pushed past Rayal and ran forward, standing
between the guns and the kneeling, bound Trids on the floor of the ransacked
living room. Kailynn spread her arms in a sad attempt to shield the Trids and
her eyes frantically met with Isa’s. “Don’t kill them!”

“Kailynn?” Isa hissed, blinking in
surprise.

“What is she doing here?” Remus asked
coldly.

“Miss?” the Official asked, turning to
Isa.

“Kailynn?” the disbelieving voice said
behind her. Kailynn chose to ignore it and looked at Isa seriously.

“Isa, please, I’m begging you.”

“Who do you think you are?” Remus
growled, stalking forward. “This does not concern you!”

“Isa! Please!
Don’t have them killed!” Kailynn cried, backing away from Remus as he
approached. “Please!”

“Kailynn, what the hell are you doing?!”
Theo snapped behind her.

“You will not interfere in this,” Remus
growled, seizing Kailynn’s arm in a surprising grip and yanking her away from
the group of Trids.

“Let go!” Kailynn barked, trying to rip
free, the nails of her other hand scraping at him.

“Enough!” Isa ordered, motioning for the
Officials to lower their guns. “Remus, release her.” Remus hesitated only a
split second before letting Kailynn go. Isa turned back to the younger woman.
“You want me to spare their lives?”

“Please, Isa…I-I know what they did…”
Kailynn said, her voice choked. “But…please,
don’t kill them…”

The two shared an intense, silent conversation
before it was broken by Theo.

“Are you fucking for real?” he sneered,
glaring. “All the time we spent tearing Trid apart looking for you, and you
were kissing up to the fuckin’ Elites?!”

“Theo, please, not now.”

“Yes! Fucking now!”

“You’re a damn traitor!”

“We don’t need your help!”

“Killing us won’t do anything!” Sonya
bellowed, spitting at Isa. “We’ve got power in Trid you could never imagine.
Soon, we’ll drink and dance on your corpses! We’ll overthrow you! You have no
power over us!”

“Officers,” Isa said coldly. The
Officials pulled out their guns and pointed them at the prisoners once more.

“Isa!” Kailynn cried.

“Kailynn, come here,” Isa said, extending
her hand. Kailynn hesitated, but started toward the Golden Elite, her step slow
and weak. She stood next to Isa as the Golden Elite turned to the silent,
concerned Trids.

“Cease.”

The Officers did not hesitate in lowering
their weapons again.

“Remus.”

The Silver Elite pulled out his own gun,
pointing it at the Trids, forcing them to tense in apprehension again. They
remembered when the formidable Elite barged into the room and immediately
killed two of the gang, including Austin, the twitchy trigger-finger that had
fired the first bullet.

“I
have the power here,” Isa said. “You will do well to remember. Cross me, and it
takes only one word to end your lives.”

“We’ll never bow to you!!” Theo bellowed.

“I don’t need you to bow,” Isa told him.
“You’re already kneeling.” She looked at the Officials. “Take them into custody
but do not harm or kill them. Instructions will be sent when I better know the
situation.” Isa turned to Kailynn. The younger woman looked at the ground
quickly, trying not to notice the wound on the Golden Elite’s shoulder or the
concerned look in Isa’s eyes.

As the Trids began spitting insults and
hateful words, Remus turned to Isa seriously.

“Isa, this is a very bad idea,” he
whispered.

“I have had them before,” Isa said
simply.

“You cannot start to go soft because your
new toy is concerned for them.”

Isa rounded on Remus.

“Call her that again, and you will regret
it instantly.” Isa turned back to Kailynn and motioned her hand toward the
door. Not sure what else to do, Kailynn walked with the Golden Elite and the
silent Silver Elite out of the room. Rayal fell into step behind all of them as
the robots and guards surrounded the leader of the planet. Kailynn spared a
glance back at her struggling brother and the others of the Heart of Trid gang
as they were pushed out of the room and down the other hallway, away from the
Elites, to be taken to prison.

Kailynn swallowed back tears, closing her
eyes briefly.

Rayal reached forward and gently touched
Kailynn’s shoulder, offering a comforting squeeze and a soft smile.

“The press is outside, I’m sure,” Remus
said as the elevator doors opened and the guards stepped back to allow Isa and
the others inside. “We better go underground to get to the cars. The roads
should still be blocked.”

“That sounds best,” Isa agreed, sighing
heavily. “Let the rumors fly as they will. We will formally address the issue
at a later date.”

“Venus will want an explanation,” Remus
murmured.

“I’ll give her one.”

It was a silent walk through the garage
and pedestrian tunnels until they reached the garage of the Convention Center once
more. Isa had to call her car back down, as it was still sitting outside the
front door of the Convention Center.

“Don’t come to work tomorrow,” Remus
said. “It will be best to remain quiet until you can make an official
statement. I’ll call Dr. Busen and set up an appointment around your schedule.
Tarah can probably treat that at home for now.”

“Thank you, Remus.”

Remus turned to Kailynn, who unwillingly
flinched from the glare. The vehicle appeared before them and Isa climbed in,
motioning Kailynn to join her. Kailynn spared one final glance at Remus and
Rayal and then got in the car with Isa.

Despite all the confused thoughts in
Kailynn’s head, she could not form any sentences to speak to Isa as they went
to Anon Tower.

They were both silent.

However, Isa turned to her. Kailynn could
not look back.

Isa reached over and wrapped her fingers
around Kailynn’s, squeezing them gently.

Tarah was ready to treat the Golden Elite
the moment she walked in the door. She greeted Kailynn as well, but she was far
more concerned with Isa’s wounded shoulder. The graze from the bullet was
minimal. Isa sat patiently while Tarah treated and wrapped the wound. Kailynn
paced slowly near the couch where the Elite sat, biting her nails and feeling
exhaustion seep into her bones.

The silence in the house was deafening.

When Tarah was finished, Isa smiled.

“Thank you, Tarah,” she said. “Some
privacy, please.”

“Yes, Miss.”

Tarah obediently went into the kitchen as
Isa stood, walking to Kailynn and gently taking her shoulders.

Kailynn’s eyes raised to Isa’s face,
watching the Elite’s expression as Isa pulled her hand from her mouth,
squeezing the Significant’s fingers tenderly.

She brought Kailynn to the couch and sat
her down, sitting on the coffee table in front of her, holding Kailynn’s hand
as her other hand went forward and brushed her cheek.

“I’m sorry…” Kailynn choked.

“No need to apologize.”

Kailynn pressed a hand to her face,
bending her head forward.

“You already knew?” she asked, her voice choked.

“Yes.”

“How?”

Isa was still for a moment before she
took Kailynn’s hand away from her face again.

“You worried me,” she said. “When you
called and asked me not to leave Anon Tower, I knew something was wrong. Rayal
did the rest of the investigation and figured out when an assassination attempt
was most likely. We were prepared.” Isa leaned forward and pressed a kiss to
Kailynn’s forehead. “How did you find out about it?”

The tears came on so suddenly that they
knocked the breath out of the younger woman. Her face creased in pain and she
bent forward again, sobbing quietly.

Isa moved to her knees and wrapped her
arms around Kailynn’s shoulders, pulling her into a hug as Kailynn pressed her
forehead to Isa’s shoulder. The Elite rubbed her back, holding her as Kailynn’s
tears overwhelmed her.

When she finally regained her tongue, she
let out a shuddered breath.

“I’m so confused…” she choked.

“Help me understand,” Isa whispered,
leaning her head against Kailynn’s. “I want to help.”

Kailynn pulled away from the hug, looking
over Isa’s worried face. She took the Elite’s face in both hands and pulled her
into a tender kiss. When their lips parted, she still held Isa’s face, looking
at her through tear-filled eyes.

“I don’t understand anything anymore,”
Kailynn breathed. “I don’t understand what you’ve done to me.” She dropped her
head, sobs beginning to wrack her body once more. “I betrayed…I betrayed my
family for you…” She lifted her head. “Only a few months ago, I would have
celebrated their plan…but now…”

Isa thumbed away the tears on the
Significant’s face.

Kailynn closed her eyes and leaned into
the touch.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,”
she whispered. “I want to keep you safe.” She opened her eyes once more. “I saw
you almost die once.” She shook her head and swallowed hard. “I couldn’t bear
seeing it again.”

“I’m safe, Kailynn,” Isa said gently, her
thumb still stroking the Significant’s cheek. “As are you.”

Kailynn closed her eyes tight.

“Everything is so fucked up…” Kailynn
whimpered.

Isa took a deep breath, slowly letting it
out before she asked her question.

“Who were they to you?” she murmured.
“How were they your family?”

“My brother was the leader of that gang,”
she said quietly. “He’s the only family I have left. My mother was killed when
I was only four. My father was killed a few years after that. Then I was sent
to a Keeper because my brother did not want me around while he fenced drugs.”
She sniffed, her face creasing with pain once more. “I became a Significant to
get him out of Uren after you caught him. All the money went to him. I couldn’t
bear the thought of him being executed.” Her eyes went back to Isa. “But then
you…” She trailed off, looking into the clear, stunning blue of Isa’s eyes. “I
met you…and now I don’t understand myself anymore. The thought of you being
killed…it was worse than the thought of my brother dying…”

She choked on the words, her hands
dropping from Isa’s shoulders, where they had been resting. She cradled her
face in her hands, the tears coming once more.

“Isa…please…I’m begging you. Don’t have
them killed.”

Isa leaned forward once more and pressed
her lips to the top of Kailynn’s head. Kailynn could feel the apology in the
action.

She looked up quickly, forcing her tears
back as her expression became frantic.

“Please, Isa.”

“I’m afraid…” Isa trailed off, looking to
the ground and letting out a heavy sigh. “I’m afraid that the decision is
currently out of my hands.”

Kailynn let the words bounce around her
mind, her eyes searching Isa’s face for an answer.

“What do you mean?”

“Venus will make the decision. This was a
public spectacle. There were cameras around. I’m sure that most of the planet
knows by now that there was an attempt on my life. To deter others from trying
the same, Venus will want to make an example of them.”

“You’re just going to prove the Trids
right,” Kailynn said quickly. “You’re going to prove that you are the enemy.”

“There are limited actions available to
me,” Isa tried to explain. “I certainly can’t let them go. That would prove
weakness, and with the Alliance in the state it is in, I cannot afford to
appear weak. If they are not punished, then that won’t send a message to Trid, nor
to anyone else, that we do not tolerate this behavior.”

“Killing them won’t stop more from
trying, though!” Kailynn gasped. “More Trids will want revenge for the death of
a gang that tried to help Trid.”

“But they are harming Trid by doing
things like what happened tonight,” Isa said, her voice remaining calm. “I cannot
argue for Trid if they are undermining my work with Venus. If she sees Trid as
a threat, there is nothing I can do to change her mind.”

“No, you have to convince her,” Kailynn
said. “You have to tell her that they cannot be killed.”

“I cannot simply tell Venus what to do,”
Isa said. “It doesn’t work like that. She tells me what to do.”

“You have to do something. They can’t
die.”

“Kailynn, do you understand my position
here? Venus will not accept it if I tell her that I do not want them killed.
They made an attempt on my life. She’ll want them executed. The decision is in
her hands.”

“They wouldn’t have done that if they had
any other options!” Kailynn barked. “What else are they supposed to do? They’re
Trids! I was beyond fucking lucky. And it was all because of you! Why can’t you
do something to help the district of Trid?”

“It’s very complicated, Kailynn.”

“How complicated can it be?”

“Trid is essential to Tiao,” Isa said.

“Essential?”
Kailynn said in disbelief. “I thought it was the black spot on Tiao.”

“It is,” Isa admitted. “And that is why
it is essential. The only way to govern people is by proving that you have
power over them, and the way you do that is through fear, even if it is
surreptitious. Trid instills fear in the classes about what could become of
them if they do not do their part in society. Trid gives the others in Anon,
and on all of Tiao, something to fear.”

Kailynn stared at Isa in disbelief, the
words cutting her deeply.

“You won’t do anything to help the Trids
because you’re trying to control
everyone? You’re trying to scare them?”

“Humans need a form of governing,” Isa
said strongly. “Otherwise, what is to stop anyone from doing harm to others?”

“Why would they want to do harm to others
if they have access to everything they need?” Kailynn challenged.

“When it comes to the average person,
you’re right,” Isa agreed. “Most humans would not wish harm on others. Many
would do anything to help one another. That is the way human beings are made as
a species. But not all humans are like that. And when a human manipulates, they
gain power over others and then that breeds discontent in other humans. That is
why there needs to be a structure to keep everything in line.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Kailynn said,
shaking her head. “Because then you
are the one breeding discontent, aren’t you?”

Isa sighed heavily.

“Society is far more complex than that.”

“And I’m just too stupid to understand
it?”

“I never said that,” Isa defended gently.

“You didn’t have to,” Kailynn hissed, standing
and walking to the guest hall. Her mind was clouded and she needed a few
minutes to gather her thoughts before she continued the discussion.

“Where are you going?”

Kailynn did not answer. Isa was
immediately on her feet, following the Significant.

“I did not mean to upset you,” Isa said.
Kailynn almost started jogging when the door to the guest hall opened. She went
to the room she had when she stayed there and entered, turning around to press
the lock button as it slid shut, barely shutting before Isa’s face could be
seen on the other side.

Kailynn turned her back to the door and
leaned against it, sliding down to sit on the floor, desperately trying to
control her tears.

“Kailynn…” Isa said, pressing her
forehead to the door. “Please, come out and talk to me.”

Kailynn leaned her head against the door,
listening to the Golden Elite’s voice. Kailynn knew she was tired and her tears
had upset Isa, but she was also upset and confused. She had never felt so
conflicted in her life.

“Kailynn.”

“Not now,” Kailynn choked. “I can’t do
this right now.”

Isa was silent for a moment.

“What you said earlier,” she started,
“that you wanted me to be safe, I want the same for you.” Isa pressed a hand to
the door. “Seeing you in this much pain hurts me greatly, and I want to do
whatever I can to help. But you have to understand that politics is a very
dangerous and very delicate game. I have to plan every move very carefully.”

“Please, Isa,” Kailynn pled, “don’t make
this about politics.”

“It is
politics,” Isa insisted. “I can help you, Kailynn. But it would require
deception on both our parts. And deceiving Venus is no easy feat, nor is it
safe.”

Kailynn’s brow creased in confusion and
she hesitated before speaking.

“Deceiving Venus?” she whispered. “We’re
already deceiving her.”

“I mean lying to her directly,” Isa
clarified, “not keeping information from her.”

Kailynn turned around to face the door.
She was silent, trying to understand what the Elite was planning. She stared at
the door, her mind going blank.

“What are you talking about?” she finally
murmured.

Isa sighed, closing her eyes and bowing
her head.

“I will admit that I have been trying to
think of ways to keep you close to me without raising suspicion.”

“You knew I wouldn’t stay all the time,”
Kailynn said.

“I did,” Isa agreed. “Nonetheless, I felt
that it was necessary I do everything in my power to keep you safe, and to plan
for your safety in future situations.”

“What kind of future situations?”

“As many as I can consider,” Isa said.
“If I were to be killed, or replaced, or if we were to go to war with Gihron.”
She paused, once again placing her hand on the door. “The fact that you agreed
to have an emitter chip tells me that you are willing to stay close to me.”

Kailynn hesitated, not sure how to
respond.

“Kailynn, please,” Isa said. “I do not
want to discuss this through the door.”

The Significant took a deep breath and
closed her eyes, preparing herself. She had no idea what Isa was planning, and
the uncertainty made her feel powerless, a sensation that made her
uncomfortable.

She unlocked the door and it opened.

Kailynn leaned against the door, sniffing
back her tears as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“What do you have in mind?”

“First, I want to tell you that this is
not a command, nor an order. You are, of course, free to go as you like. But I
will always do what I think is best to keep you safe,” Isa started. Kailynn
nodded shallowly, her jaw clenching. “You are not the only one who has been confused
about what is going on between us. In all honesty, I do not believe I have ever
felt this way before, and it perplexes me.” Isa’s eyes softened. “If it were
possible, I would have all of Trid granted citizenship and cleaned up, but I
cannot convince Venus. I have tried for many years. She will not be persuaded.
The only way she could be swayed is if she came to believe that Trids were a
greater danger of social upheaval than as a tactic to keep the classes in
place.”

“…what does that mean?”

“It means that the Trids would have to
spark some discomfort in the classes, particularly in Anon,” Isa said. “Venus
monitors the population as a whole to monitor stability. If the Trids were the
protest, to show the horrid poverty that they are forced to endure, to show the
sick and injured and the number of orphaned children, there might be a push to
build schools and to assist the district from the upper classes.”

“No there wouldn’t,” Kailynn scoffed.
“Everyone looks down on the Trids.”

“That is because the Trids have had to
resort to criminal behavior,” Isa said. “It’s a complication in human
psychology. There is a sense that anyone who breaks the law, even so much as to
steal food, deserves whatever punishment they receive.” Isa sighed heavily and
shook her head. “It will not be an easy task, nor will it be fast. It will take
time and careful persuasion. We would have to start with basics, such as
healthcare and schooling.”

“How,
though?” Kailynn pressed. “You expect to get up and make a speech about that?”

“No.” Isa shook her head. “I would need
your help to play a very dangerous game with Venus.”

“Play a game with her?” Kailynn asked
incredulously.

“That’s all I do every day,” Isa said. “I
know the rules very well. If you are willing, we can set forth a plan that
might help the district as a whole and could, potentially, keep your brother
off death row.”

“Would it set him free?”

“I doubt it,” Isa said honestly. “He will
likely spend the rest of his life in prison.”

“In Uren?” Kailynn choked.

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “He was
caught in the main Anon district. He’ll be sent Ikurah. There, he will get a
cell where he will be fed, kept warm, and perhaps even educated in a trade so
that he might be able to work, even though he will not be set free. But that is
only if I can keep him off death row.”

“How do we do it?”

“I would take you on as my advisor,” Isa
said. “You would be employed under Rayal in the Syndicate Intelligence Agency.
You would be my authority on Trid.”

“How can you get that past Venus?”

“Carefully,” Isa chuckled brokenly. “I
would have to tell Venus that Rayal was the one who scouted you for this
project, after the incredible loyalty you showed me during the three plots on
my life that you have, unfortunately, endured.”

Kailynn dropped her head.

“Then, we would stage an operation that
will start the chain of events leading to rallies in Trid. They will have to be
peaceful and properly timed,” Isa said. “The details will have to be decided,
but only if you agree.”

Kailynn closed her eyes, remaining
silent, her arms crossed over her chest.

“It will save my brother?”

“If you trust me, I will do my best to
spare him of the death penalty,” Isa said. “You have my word.”

Kailynn sighed heavily, looking over
Isa’s face and shaking her head.

“Why are you doing this for me?” she
whispered. “I just…ran to you and begged you not to kill someone who tried to
kill you. You have no reason to do it other than…”

“Other than for you?” Isa completed when
Kailynn did not continue. “Because I care about you and I don’t want to hurt
you?”

Kailynn swallowed hard. “I feel like the
leader of the planet shouldn’t be so easily influenced by one person.”

“That is why I was created as an Elite,
and not a human,” Isa assured.

“You don’t act like any other Elite.”

“Have you spent time with many?” Isa
tried to jest.

“I’ve heard that statement from a lot of
people,” Kailynn said, ignoring the joke. Isa smiled.

“It’s true,” she said. “I’ve always been
different.” She took a deep breath. “However, I have also been called the best
Elite Tiao has had in three hundred years.” She shrugged. “I still don’t know
who judged that, but,” she looked at Kailynn, her smile growing wider,
“sometimes, change is the healthiest thing.”

Kailynn swallowed hard and stepped
forward, grabbing Isa’s face and pressing their lips together in a kiss. She
felt the heat of the Elite’s lips, the softness of her skin under her
fingertips, the power that engulfed her whenever she was close to the Golden
Elite.

She continued to kiss the Elite whenever
she turned to look at Isa as they made their way to Isa’s bedroom. When the
door closed, Kailynn quickly helped Isa out of her clothes, pushing her gently
until the Elite fell back on the bed.

Quickly shimmying out of her pants as Isa
backed her way up the bed, Kailynn climbed on top of the Elite and kissed her
again, becoming desperate. It was as if the anxiety of the previous days, the
fear and worry that consumed her every moment since learning of the plot on
Isa’s life, rushed forward.

She was desperate for reassurance that
Isa was alright. She had spent so much time agonizing over what it would be
like if Isa was killed that the reality had not yet hit her that Isa was safe
and alive.

Her body blanketed the Golden Elite, her
hands running over Isa’s body as she kissed her eagerly.

When she felt cloth under her fingers,
Kailynn stopped and backed away.

Her fingers lingered on the edges of the
bandages around the wound in Isa’s shoulder. She stared at the gauze, her mind going
blank, thinking about the way Isa’s body recoiled from the wound and the horror
that ran through her when she thought Isa had been killed in front of her

Isa stared up at Kailynn, watching the
fear and pain cross her eyes. She turned her head and looked at her shoulder,
seeing the way Kailynn’s fingers rested ever-so-slightly on the edge of the
bandages.

She reached up and took Kailynn’s hand,
bringing it down her chest to rest under her left breast, pressing into her
ribcage.

Kailynn felt the warmth of Isa’s body,
but the strong beat of the Elite’s heart seemed to calm the Significant’s heart
as well. Her body relaxed and let out a shuddered breath.

Her eyes went to Isa’s before she leaned
down and kissed the Elite gently.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

“Jacyleen, can you hear me?”

Kailynn took a deep, nervous breath and
slowly let it out, nodding.

“Yes, Rayal, I can hear you.”

“Good,” his voice said in her ear. “I am
connecting with the Syndicate now. Elite Isa?”

“I’m here,” Isa said. “The video feed is
fuzzy.”

“Jacyleen, can you lift your head and
blink a few times. I think the contact is out of focus.”

Kailynn suppressed her angry muttering as
she lifted her head and blinked a few times, trying to ignore the discomfort
from the contact.

“It focused,” Rayal said. “I know it’s
uncomfortable, but try to endure it.”

“We are connected entirely on our end,”
Isa said.

Kailynn tried not to let the statement
unsettle her. They had been planning this for nearly two months. Isa had
discussed the plan with her over and over again. She knew it very well. But it
was still terrifying to realize that Venus was currently connected to the
camera in her eye and the communication chip in her ear.

“Very good, we’ll start then, Jacyleen,”
Rayal said, breaking her out of her stupor.

Kailynn took a deep breath and turned,
getting out of the car and walking through the alleys of the Walking District.

“First, we want to see the areas in the
Walking District where the most thefts happen,” Rayal explained. “You said that
they were closer to the south end of the street?”

“Yes,” Kailynn said. She did not actually
know which end of the street was south, but she knew where the thefts happened.
She began walking through the ramshackle buildings to get to the Walking
District. “It’s too early in the day, though, for any activity.”

“Jacyleen, do the different gangs of Trid
have arrangements with the different facilities in the Walking District?”

“…what do you mean?” Kailynn asked,
confused by Isa’s question.

“For instance, do some gangs have claim
over the goods from a particular club or bar? Only one gang can steal from a
certain bar?”

“No,” Kailynn said, continuing to walk.
“When it comes to food, we don’t care about territories. The gangs never fight
over ration packs.”

There was a shrill beeping in Kailynn’s
ear and she quickly flinched away from the sound, except that it was in her ear
and she could not back away from it. She closed her eyes and fell against the
side of the nearest building, gritting her teeth.

“I am so sorry,” Isa said quickly.

“I still have feedback on my end,” Rayal
said.

Kailynn opened her eyes and blinked,
confused and shocked by the noise.

“Remus, can you redirect?” Isa’s voice
said.

“Working on it.”

“What was that?” Kailynn asked, her ear
ringing.

“My sincerest apologies,” Isa said. “That
was V.E.R., Venus’ language.”

“What?”

“That was Venus talking,” Rayal
clarified. “Elite Isa, can you translate?”

“She asked what the gangs do fight over, but stay where you are
for now, Jacyleen,” Isa said. “Remus is redirecting the audio feed through her
translator. It will be a moment.”

“You can understand that beeping?”
Kailynn said, her eyes wide. Isa did not answer.

“Venus, can you direct communication
through Syndicate Port Seven?” Isa asked. A moment later, there was a new voice
in Kailynn’s ear.

“I lowered the decibels,” the mechanical
female voice said.

“Jacyleen, is that volume alright for
you?” Rayal asked.

“Y-yes…” Kailynn murmured.

Even knowing that she was connected to
Venus, hearing the voice of the machine, realizing that the computer that ran
the entire planet was focused on what she was seeing, there was an instinctive
fear in her belly.

“To repeat,” Venus said, the grainy voice
sharp and harsh, “what is it that the gangs of Trid fight over if not food?”

Kailynn swallowed hard and started
walking again.

“Money, drugs, territory, protection…”
Kailynn made her way into the Walking District. “Protection is the reason the
gangs form.”

“The statistics of personal safety do
show an increase when an individual is in a group of those with similar goals,”
Venus said.

“Isa, are you alright?” Remus asked
suddenly.

“Fine,” Isa said, though there was strain
in her voice.

“A-C89072,” Venus said, “your blood
pressure has risen.”

There was a hesitation before Isa spoke.

“The translation is delayed,” she
explained vaguely. “The feedback is interfering with your other processes,
Venus.”

Kailynn stopped again, confused and
worried about the pain in Isa’s voice.

“Isa?” Rayal pressed.

“Venus, with your permission,” Remus
started, “I will terminate your audio connection and Isa can translate for
you.”

“Permission not granted.”

“I’ll be fine,” Isa assured, “please
continue, Jacyleen.”

Confused and worried about Isa, Kailynn
hesitated. However, with Venus looming over all of them, she decided it was
best to obey the commands.

She peered around the back alleys of the
shops, all of which were closed. The dirty alley was littered with trash, but
deserted.

“This is where most of the thefts take
place. Most gangs take enough to feed their members only. One gang did try to
get all the food and sell it to the Trids, but the other gangs quickly killed
them. Food is for everyone here, even if you are expected to get it for yourself.”

“By that logic, every Trid is a member of
a gang,” Venus said.

“Yes,” Kailynn agreed.

“And how many gangs exist?”

“I don’t know.”

“What is this illness that you spoke of,
A-C89072?” Venus said.

“It’s a…Rayal? Please explain.” Isa said,
her voice now revealing her pain. Kailynn’s heart constricted in her chest.

“Uh…it…it was something that Jacyleen
told me about. It causes severe dehydration, vomiting, bleeding ulcers,
blisters over the skin…it is unclear how it is passed. However, it has killed
many Trids. The bodies have not been properly dispose of, either,” Rayal
explained.

“Take me to one, Significant,” Venus
ordered.

“E-Elite Isa, are you alright?”

“Her blood pressure is still at a safe
level,” Venus assured. “Take me to an ill Trid.”

Kailynn swallowed hard, but obeyed,
walking to the area where she knew the sick Trids to be. When she began to turn
down a set of streets she knew to lead to the junkyard at the lake, Isa’s voice
stopped her.

“Wait,” she said quickly, “turn to that
building.”

Trying to ignore how strained Isa’s voice
was, Kailynn turned, trying to figure out what Isa was looking at.

“Beyond it, the faded red building,” Isa
said. “Is that a Keeper?”

Kailynn tried not to let the nausea wash
over her, though it was difficult not to with the orphanage where she grew up
in front of her.

“Yes.”

“Can we get closer?”

Kailynn knew that seeing Trid children
was part of their plan to show Venus how horrible the conditions in Trid were,
but Kailynn was hoping that they would see the young gang children, not those
in possession of a Keeper.

“A-C89072,” Venus said, “is this not the
same Keeper from which you obtained your caretaker?”

Kailynn’s step faltered and a gasp
managed to escape her. If the others heard the sound, they did not acknowledge
it.

“Yes.”

“Significant,” Venus said suddenly, “were
you ever in care of this Keeper?”

“Yes.”

“Were you ever prostituted at that time?”

“What?
No!” Kailynn gasped.

“But you were aware of the prostitution
of orphans that was occurring at this Keeper?” Venus pushed.

“Venus,” Isa said strongly, “she was a
child.”

“I am gathering information.”

Kailynn’s brain was racing. Her feet
continued to carry her to the Keeper from muscle memory. She had long pushed
away the few years she had remained in the care of the Keeper. The only Keeper
in Trid at that time was a man they called “Sir.” He was a thin, tall man with
small, beady black eyes and thin, stringy hair that fell over his face and
ears. He always left the stench of cheap alcohol in his wake as he stumbled
around the halls, grumbling about taking care of all the children and not being
paid enough.

The children knew never to go near Sir
alone. They always traveled in groups and stayed out of his way.

But one day, a newcomer had appeared at
the Keeper. A small, starved girl with bandages around her body. Her father
dropped her off without so much as a second glance, walking off with his
hundred credits and leaving his daughter at the mercy of Sir. Kailynn never
learned the little girl’s name. She had been ostracized by the other children,
who called her horrible names and threw dirt and garbage at her whenever the
saw her.

Kailynn’s stomach flipped over as she
connected the pieces.

One day, that little girl disappeared, as
well. Everyone assumed she had died. Kailynn now understood that she had found
her way into the home of the Golden Elite.

“Jacyleen,” Rayal said, bringing her back
to the present, “are you alright?”

“Significant, answer,” Venus ordered.

“Y-yes, I knew…”

“Jacyleen,” Isa’s voice said gently, “are
you alright to continue?”

“I…Elite Isa…” Kailynn wanted to ask a
million questions, but she knew she could not with Venus looming over her.

“Look up,” Venus commanded. “Let me see
the children.”

Kailynn was feeling weaker by the moment.
She wanted to go somewhere quiet and gather her thoughts. However, she obeyed
the order and lifted her head. There were some children of Trid sitting on the
steps of the front of the building, talking to one another and playing a
courage game where they would try to smack the other child’s hands as hard as
they could before their opponent pulled away.

“I do not understand,” Venus said.

“They’re just playing,” Kailynn murmured.

“Social interaction is common within
Trid,” Rayal added.

“Then unity is a possibility,” Venus
deduced.

“Venus, I must implore you to disconnect
your translator,” Remus said strongly. “Isa is struggling.”

“I’m fine,” Isa assured quietly.

“Her blood pressure is still safe, and
she is still conscious,” Venus said. “I will not cause her permanent harm.”

Kailynn was getting worried about Isa.
She decided that she needed to take the tour of Trid into her own hands.

“We can’t stay,” she said quickly,
turning around. “I am in enemy territory over here. I’ll take you to see some
sick Trids.”

She walked quickly. Through the silence,
she prepared herself. She knew that she had to give the appropriate signal to
Rayal so that he could go through with the more dangerous part of the plan.
But, as the time was drawing closer, she grew more nervous.

She slipped into one of the alleys and
stopped at the corner of the building, pressing her back against the wall.

“Why are you stopping?” Venus demanded.

“I just want to make sure that I’m safe,”
Kailynn said. She turned and glanced around the corner. She already knew who
would be waiting for her, but she allowed time for Rayal to open a virus that
Isa had programmed to take down all the blocks on the video feed. This allowed
everyone in Syndicate Intelligence to see what Kailynn was seeing, and would,
hopefully, spark some controversy. They were sure that the video would quickly
spread. She peered around the corner once more.

“Is he a friend?” Rayal asked.

That was her signal.

The virus was working.

“Actually, yes,” Kailynn said, trying to
sound surprised. “But…I…” She started forward. “Raffy!” she called.

Raphael turned. His face was pale. He was
nervous about the plan that Kailynn had explained. Kailynn had not explained
why, but she said that they needed to be there at that time on that day and
pretend that they had not arranged the meeting. That told Raphael that they
were being watched, though he was not sure how. However, he also knew that her
plan was to try and save Theo’s life, so he decided not to ask questions until
afterward. Kailynn was too tense and frantic to explain beforehand. He would
have to wait.

“What are you doin’ here?”

“I was going to ask you that,” Kailynn
said, trying to sound confused while communicating with her eyes that they were
being watched very closely. “I thought Viv was supposed to bring Amailli her
food today.”

Raphael swallowed hard and lowered his
eyes to the ground.

“Listen, Lynni,” he said. Kailynn tried
not to show her fear at what he called her, remembering that she had not told
him to use her fake name. “Amailli is dead.”

Kailynn stopped, legitimately surprised.
For several long moments, she could not speak.

Amailli and her two children were under
the care and protection of the Cobalt Panthers. Two years previous, during a
dark territory dispute between the Cobalt Panthers and another gang that had
since been eliminated, Amailli’s partner, and father to the two children, had
been gunned down, leaving Amailli pregnant and caring for her six-year-old
daughter, Emira, alone. Kailynn had seen the bullets tear through Amailli’s
partner, killing him instantly. Ever since, she had felt a duty to care for the
small family, even if it was only providing small amounts of food and clean
water when she could.

At the beginning of her care for the
three Trids, Kailynn would stay and visit with them, playing with Emira and
helping Amailli look after the infant Annette. But time progressed, Kailynn got
a job with Brad, then Theo continued to get into trouble with the authorities.
She had delegated the task of caring for Amailli to others of her gang. Even
when they got the sickness that was frighteningly common among Trids—nicknamed
“Wheezing Death”—Kailynn continued to insist that care was given to the small family.

Suddenly, she believed that she had
failed them.

“What?” she hissed. “A-are you sure?”

Raphael nodded and glanced at the door.

“I came here instead of Viv,” he said.
“When I went in there to check on them…she was dead. Seems like it’s been a couple
days.”

Kailynn was speechless, her jaw opening
and closing uselessly.

“Let me see the corpses,” Venus said in
her ear.

The others watching the video feed did
not speak.

Kailynn still could not speak for several
long moments. When she did, the words caught in her throat and almost choked
her.

“And the kids?”

Raphael hung his head.

“They’ve both got it,” he said.
“Annette…probably won’t last to tomorrow.”

“Show me,” Venus ordered.

Kailynn bit her tongue from snapping at
the computer to leave her alone. There was a lot for her to process.

“I want to see them,” Kailynn muttered,
turning and shoving the door open. Raphael glanced around behind her. He was
desperate to know what was going on, but he knew that Kailynn was in no
position to tell him in that moment. He was worried that Kailynn was in further
trouble, and being near Amailli’s children, who were extremely ill, he was very
concerned for Kailynn’s safety on many levels.

Kailynn was sure to keep her eyes up as
she climbed the stairs to the flat where Amailli and her children lived so that
everyone, Venus included, could see the horrible conditions I which Trids
lived. There was a small bite of contempt in her blood as she stepped around a
large hole in the stairs, holding the rail tightly, in case more of the
staircase collapsed.

Kailynn found the door to the flat open.

She could hear the soft sobbing as she
rounded the corner into the dirty, refuse-filled home. There were broken
bottles everywhere, wrappers of rations littering the ground with dirty clothes
and rags. The smell was rancid and Kailynn cringed away, covering her face.
Raphael came up behind her, holding out a rag that was mostly-clean. Kailynn
placed it over her nose and mouth and stepped further into the flat.

Raphael followed nervously, holding his
sleeve over his mouth.

Kailynn walked around the half-demolished
cabinets that originally made up a functioning kitchen and found Amailli’s body
curled on her side, facing the cabinets, her eyes wide and glassy and her skin
blue, the color only broken by the large, dark, aggravated blisters. Her stiff
body was in a disturbing position. Kailynn tried to block out the images of
finding her father dead in the alleyway when she was a child. He had also been
in a horrifying position, though he had been propped upright against some
discarded crates.

“Blue hints in the skin indicate lack of
oxygen,” Remus said quietly.

“Severe malnutrition,” Rayal added.

“Is this spread through air
contamination? Or physical contact?” Venus asked Kailynn.

The Significant did not respond.

Unable to look at Amailli’s body, she
turned her attention to the eight-year-old girl holding a still two-year-old.
Emira, Amailli’s older daughter, was pale and thin, her eyes sunken into dark
sockets as she cried, staring at her mother’s body while she clutched
desperately to Annette.

Kailynn had made it a point to avoid
anyone with Wheezing Death, so the horrifically-ill child caused her stomach to
flip and a chill to run through her body. However, she had no concern for her
safety. She quickly went to Annette and put a hand on her shoulder, staring at
the girl worriedly.

Emira turned her head to Kailynn,
shaking.

“She’s cold…”

“Please, be careful,” Isa said gently.

Kailynn looked down at Annette, seeing
the open sores on the girl’s skin and the way her chest quickly rose and fell
as she tried to breathe. Her eyes were closed, her face contorted in pain.

“She will die tonight,” Venus stated
simply. “The older girl appears healthier. Take her to the hospital for
examination. The bodies will be collected by a HazMat Team and brought in for
analysis.”

“What?” Kailynn hissed, feeling her anger
bubble within her.

“What is it?” Raphael asked, walking over
to her.

“I have already contacted the Officials,”
Venus said. “You can wait with the girl until they arrive or you can take her
to the hospital yourself. You will need examination as well. You are not
allowed near any member of Syndicate until you are decontaminated.”

Kailynn stared with wide eyes at the
floor.

“How…how can you…”

“Jacyleen,” Rayal said quickly, “it is
for the best. The doctors might be able to treat the girl if we get her there
in time.”

“She just lost her mother, and her sister
is dying,” Kailynn snapped.

“Kailynn…what…” Raphael trailed off when
he saw the distant, angry look in Kailynn’s eyes. He realized that she was
talking to the person who was watching them. That was when he realized that not
only were they being watched, but Kailynn was bugged with some sort of audio
feed.

“There is nothing that can be done for
the younger girl or the mother,” Venus said shortly. “We must gather all
information possible for analysis.”

“She just lost everything and you want to
turn her into a lab rat?!” Kailynn growled darkly.

“She is vital to understanding what
illness is plaguing Trid. If we can discern a way to treat it, then we can stop
it before it reaches Anon,” Venus continued.

“This illness has been killing Trids for
years!” Kailynn snapped. “But because it could spread, now you pay attention?”

“Kailynn, who the hell are you talking
to?” Raphael hissed. Emira’s tears began running more freely as she looked
around nervously, holding her dying sister tighter.

“Jacyleen,” Remus’ voice said slowly, “I
suggest you let the Officials take the girl to the hospital. You will need to
be examined as well.”

“I’m not going to leave her,” Kailynn
said darkly. “She’s scared and she’s alone, and you want to have her arrested
and hauled to a lab for testing like she’s some kind of criminal. She has done
nothing wrong!”

“She is a Trid,” Venus responded. Even
though the translation of her voice was even and calm, Kailynn could almost
feel anger from the machine. “She is not a citizen.”

“So she’s going to be arrested?”

“She will be treated,” Venus corrected.

“And then turned back here with no family
and no protection,” Kailynn challenged. “She’ll starve to death.”

“No, she will not,” Venus said. “She will
be taken to the Keeper and cared for until the age of fifteen, as is custom.”

“The same Keeper that prostituted Tarah?”
Kailynn hissed. “Isa, you can’t possibly—”

“Learn your place, Jacyleen,” Remus said
quickly.

“Always address the Elites with their
titles,” Rayal said, trying to remind Kailynn of the situation.

Kailynn turned to Raphael and, upon
seeing his pale countenance, she could feel the color drain from her face as
well. She had just said Isa’s name in front of him.

He knew they were being watched by the
Syndicate.

“If the Officials are coming, we cannot
stay,” he said quietly.

“Raphael—”

“Are you insane?” Raphael hissed.

“Officials?” Emira gasped, her eyes wide.
“Am I in trouble?”

“This situation is getting out of hand,”
Venus said. “Significant, leave the premises at once. Go to the hospital.”

“I told you! I’m not leaving her!”
Kailynn snapped, closing her eyes and lifting a hand to her head. “This…there
has to be another way…”

“She will die if we leave her untreated.
She has no one to care for her. She has no citizenship. She will be treated,
her treatment will tell us how to keep this from spreading to the public, and
then she will be taken to the Keeper where she will be fed until she is
fifteen,” Venus repeated. “This is a command, Significant.”

“This is why the Trids are so desperate
to kill the Elites,” Kailynn said with an exasperated chuckle. “What choice do
we have to change things for ourselves? We are confined to a place where we
cannot get medical help, we cannot be taught, we are forced to live in filth
and rely on theft just to eat. If you are so desperate to keep your social
peace, then why are you letting this happen to us? We’re human. We deserve to
live, too. Emira has done nothing wrong. Her family was just taken from her,
and your solution is to pretend to help by treating her and then tossing her
back here? How can you call yourself a ruler?”

“Venus! Venus, there was a meltdown in
the security coding,” Rayal said quickly. “A virus tore down the blocks. This
is being broadcast.”

“How far is the reach?” Remus demanded.

“Shut down all feeds,” Venus ordered.

Suddenly, everything went very still and
silent.

Kailynn stood still, staring at the
terrified child holding her dying sister. For several long moments, she could
not move. She slowly sank to her knees again, her body shaking.

“Kailynn, what the hell is going on?”
Raphael murmured, seeing the terrified look in Kailynn’s eyes. “They’re going
to take her to the hospital and treat her? Are they going to kill her?”

“I don’t know. I…”

As Kailynn kneeled on the floor of dirty,
rancid-smelling flat, she started to realize how powerless she was. Whenever
she had heard her brother talk about how easy it would be for the Trids to rise
up and overthrow the Syndicate, she had felt as though she could conquer the
planet. She felt powerful and smart, knowing the horrible conditions the Trids
lived in and how many Trids were angry with the Syndicate and Venus. She used
to believe that if those in Anon could only see the way the Trids lived, they
would revolt against the Syndicate and Venus, which would allow the Trids to
change their lives and show the power they actually had on the planet.

But in those moments, where an
eight-year-old girl, who had done nothing wrong other than be born within the
borders of Trid, was about to be hauled away by Officials to a hospital,
Kailynn understood what Isa meant by carefully playing a game with Venus. Venus
did not have the compassion of a human. She saw everything as a procedure,
steps to accomplish a goal. People were not people, they were numbers. Trids
were not humans, they were statistics.

Everything was numbers to Venus.

Kailynn did not know how to play the
political game. She was worried that she had made things worse. She had
forgotten that Rayal had broadcast the feed to the Intelligence Agency, meaning
everyone had heard her angry words toward Venus.

There was fear and anxiety coursing
through Kailynn like she had never felt before in her life.

“Kailynn,” Raphael hissed, “tell me what
the fuck is going on.”

“I can’t…” Kailynn said, shaking her head
and swallowing hard. “Not today. They’re coming to take her to the hospital. If
you want to leave, you should go now.”

“What happened?”

“It’s too complicated to explain now,”
Kailynn said, closing her eyes. “Just get out of here. I’ll explain another
time.”

“…I don’t even know you anymore,” Raphael
hissed.

The words hurt Kailynn far more than she
should have let them. She flinched away and distracted herself by putting her
hand on Emira’s shoulder.

“Just get out of here, Raphael,” she
murmured.

“Next time you want to betray all of us
to the fucking Syndicate,” Raphael snapped, “leave me out of it.”

He turned and left the flat as Kailynn
wrapped her arms around Emira and smoothed over her hair.

By the time the Officials arrived to take
them to the hospital, Annette had stopped breathing.

Kailynn stayed with Emira through the
entire examination. The doctors were stumped at the virus that was slowly
killing the child, which made Emira very nervous. Kailynn stayed by her side
and held her hand, telling her that everything was going to be alright.

When it seemed like the doctors were
getting angry and frustrated with the lack of results and understanding of the
Wheezing Death, Kailynn asked if she could see Dr. Busen.

After pointing out, in a condescending
tone, that Dr. Busen was head of Elite Special Medicine and, therefore, was too
busy to be seeing by a low-ranked, new employee of the Intelligence Agency, the
doctors told her to be quiet while they continued their examinations.

However, Kailynn insisted that they at
least call the doctor and see if he would see her.

One of the doctors used his in-hospital
communication piece to page for Dr. Busen to respond. When the other doctor
answered the page, the doctor said that there was an Intelligence Agency
employee named Jacyleen that wanted to see him.

When he responded that he would be there
as soon as he could, the other doctor’s face went pale.

Dr. Busen’s arrival to the examination
room changed the atmosphere drastically. It was clear that he was one of the
most respected doctors in the largest hospital in Anon, and his immediate
response to the request to see Kailynn caused the other doctors great concern.

He ordered the group of younger doctors
out of the room and started doing an examination of his own while he asked
Kailynn everything she knew about the illness.

Dr. Busen started talking about tests and
large drug names that made her head spin, but she nodded obediently. When he
finished speaking, she took a chance. She started to explain the argument with
Venus and what was to be done with Emira when Dr. Busen held up his hand with a
chuckle.

“No need to explain,” he said. “I’ve
already seen the footage.”

“How is that possible?”

“Someone at the Intelligence Agency
allowed the live feed onto the public broadcasting we have around the hospital
to entertain patients. I happened to catch the last five minutes, or so.”

Kailynn’s eyes were wide as she thought
about how many people had probably already seen the footage.

“Well…then…did it…are people angry?
What’s the response?”

“I’m afraid I’m not a good person to
discuss that with,” Dr. Busen said, shaking his head.

“…I don’t want her to go back to Trid and
be with the Keeper. It’d horrible there.”

“Yes, I know. I was the one who treated
Tarah when she first came to Anon,” Dr. Busen said sadly.

“Is there any way we can keep that from
happening to her?” Kailynn pled. “Can we keep her in Anon?”

Dr. Busen smiled. “I’ll see what I can
do. I have some friends in high places.” He chuckled lightly. “Don’t forget, so
do you.”

When Kailynn was given a clean bill of
health, Rayal came to pick her up.

She got in the car, feeling as though she
had been awake for days.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me that Tarah was
a Trid?” Kailynn asked as the car started forward.

“She’s not,” Rayal said simply. “She was
granted citizenship when she was eight.”

Kailynn closed her eyes.

“I knew her in Trid,” she said gently.
“Well, I knew of her.”

“I know,” Rayal said. “She recognized
you. She knew who you were.”

Kailynn turned quickly to Rayal, her eyes
wide.

“She recognized me?” she hissed. “Why
didn’t she say anything?”

“She’s embarrassed,” Rayal said. “You
know what happened to her when she was with that Keeper. And she knows that the
other children of that Keeper knew what was happening. She is still trying to
work through the trauma. She was not about to bring it up to you when she can
barely talk about it to anyone.”

Kailynn rubbed her face tiredly.

“Then it was all true?” Kailynn asked. “I
always thought there was some exaggeration.”

Rayal sighed heavily. “When she first
came to Anon Tower…she refused to be touched, she could not be left alone, she
just clung to Isa. Even when we took her to Dr. Busen, she would not let go of
Isa.” He looked at Kailynn seriously. “That kind of reaction told me everything
I needed to know about the abuse she suffered.”

“How did Isa get her right out of Trid?”
Kailynn asked, confused.

“Isa was doing something against the
rules,” Rayal said simply. “She was in Trid, driving around, looking at
everything, and she stopped at the Keeper to see the orphaned children. She
said she saw Tarah trying to run and a man chasing her. Tarah was naked and had
bruises all over her. She was bleeding from her arms and legs. Isa ran to the
man and got him away from her before taking Tarah into Anon without permission
from Venus. She had Tarah treated, kept her at Anon Tower for several months
before granting her citizenship and sending her to school.”

“How did Venus allow her to just grant
citizenship like that?”

“It was under the guise that Tarah would
replace me when I retired,” Rayal said. “Just like the reason we were able to
give you citizenship was to serve a political agenda.” The former caretaker
sighed heavily and leaned his head back on the seat. “But, I’m sure you can see
why Isa has to be very careful about granting citizenship. She cannot just take
a few Trids every month and give them citizenship. Tarah was a special case. As
were you.”

Kailynn looked down at her feet.

“I don’t want Emira to go to the Keeper,”
she said quietly.

“I doubt Isa will let that happen,” Rayal
assured.

“Is Isa alright?”

Rayal sighed heavily.

“She’s a little weak and tired,” he
admitted. “It’s not normal to have Venus speak through translators like that.
Isa has one implanted, which allows her to understand Venus’ language. However,
the interference between the two translators caused her to get a very nasty
migraine. She’ll have to go to Dr. Busen just to be sure that she’s alright.
Headaches are a sign of great concern since five years ago.”

Kailynn just nodded.

She did not even have the energy to ask
about what happened five years previous.

When they pulled into Anon Tower and took
the elevator up to Isa’s level, Kailynn was sure she was about to faint. She
was exhausted and shaky. She had never felt that way in her life. The stress of
that situation, she was sure, would take years off her life.

That is, if Venus did not have her
executed for treason after that day.

The two walked into Isa’s home and
Kailynn saw Isa stand from the couch, where she had been waiting for the
Significant.

Kailynn’s pace increased as she walked to
the Elite. She did not notice Rayal glance into the kitchen before going into
the guest hall.

Isa’s arms secured Kailynn to the present
as she embraced her tightly. Kailynn pressed her face into Isa’s shoulder, her
eyes closing and her body relaxing.

Even though they remained that way,
silent, for what must have been an eternity, it was still too soon that Isa’s
head moved back and she kissed Kailynn’s cheek gently.

“Are you alright?”

“No,” Kailynn said quietly.

“I’m so sorry, Kailynn,” Isa murmured.

Kailynn’s arms tightened around the Elite
and Isa’s head leaned against the younger woman’s.

“I’m sorry,” Kailynn said. “I thought I
could do it, but…”

“But?” Isa asked. “What do you mean?”

“I screwed it up, didn’t I?” Kailynn
said, her voice cracking with fear at the end of the sentence.

“No, no,” Isa assured, rubbing her back
tenderly. “You did not screw anything up.” Isa closed her eyes and kissed
Kailynn’s head. “I’m sorry I put you in that position.”

“I can’t do this,” Kailynn said, shaking
her head. “I don’t know how to do this political thing.”

“You don’t have to the political thing,”
Isa assured. “I can handle that. I’m sorry that I put such pressure on you. I
did not know it would be that bad.”

Kailynn swallowed hard and closed her
eyes.

“Will you help Emira?” she murmured.
“Like you helped me and Tarah?”

“Of course,” Isa said without hesitation.

A small chime at her door caused Tarah to
look up from where she had been reading on her bed. She climbed clumsily off
the bed and walked to the door, opening it. When she saw Rayal, she jumped a
little.

“Oh,” she said, “I didn’t realize that
you were here.”

“Isa let you off early?”

“She didn’t feel like eating, so she said
I could take the evening for myself,” Tarah said. She leaned against the
doorframe. “But…I know it was just because she was worried about me.”

“Then you saw the broadcast,” Rayal said.
She nodded slowly. “Are you alright?”

Tarah sighed heavily and crossed her arms
over her chest, averting her eyes.

“I think so…”

Rayal did not bother to push Tarah. He
could tell just from looking at her that she was upset. He lowered his eyes to
the ground and nodded slowly.

“Alright,” he murmured. “But, if you
every want to talk about it, or about anything, you know you can call me,
right?”

Tarah smiled.

“Do you remember, five years ago, when I
had that meltdown and collapsed in the middle of the hospital waiting room?”

“Yes,” Rayal said, confused why she would
bring that up.

“And you brought me back here, even
though you were extremely sick as well, and you sat with me and held my hand as
I cried until I finally passed out?”

Rayal nodded slowly.

“I don’t think I ever thanked you for
that,” Tarah said. “Or for everything else you’ve ever done for me.”

“There is no need to thank me,” Rayal
said.

“There is a lot of reason to thank you,”
Tarah corrected. She swallowed hard and looked down at her feet, her face
flushing. “You always put my comfort and needs before yours. You always made
sure that I felt safe, no matter the situation. You always made me feel like I
was stronger than I actually am.”

“Tarah, you are amazingly strong,” Rayal
said. “That has nothing to do with me. That’s all from within you.”

“But I only feel it when you’re around,”
Tarah murmured. She shyly glanced up at the former caretaker. “You make me see
it in myself.”

Rayal stared at Tarah for a moment,
unable to respond. Tarah, nervous and embarrassed, cleared her throat and stood
straight.

“Anyway, thank you.”

Rayal smiled gently and reached forward,
pulling Tarah into a gentle hug. The younger caretaker was startled at first,
but then relaxed and hugged Rayal back. The hug only lasted for three seconds,
but Tarah’s head was still swimming when Rayal pulled away.

“If you need anything, just let me know,” he murmured. “I’ll always be here for
you.”

Chapter
Twenty-Three

Isa took a deep breath and closed her
eyes, facing the closed door, gathering herself as best as she was able. No
matter how many times she had an audience with Venus, she was never prepared.

Seeking an audience with Venus was very
different than communicating to her through the NCB chair or terminal
messaging. There was something far more intimidating when staring at the
hologram of the machine’s persona and discussing delicate topics.

Venus had called her to audience to
discuss the protests in Trid and the spread of information about the Wheezing
Death Virus and the viral way the video of Emira spread, not only around the
planet, but through the entire Altereye System.

Isa reached one hand out and pressed her
palm against the orb outside the door. The warmth of the sensor made her skin
tingle. A small needle pricked her finger and drew a drop of blood for DNA
verification. The door hummed open and Isa stepped in, stopping two steps into
the first chamber of Venus’ audience hall. When the door closed behind her, Isa
closed her eyes and waited for the second verification process.

She could see flashes of green light pass
beyond her eyelids and her skin warmed around her chest as beams of light
passed over her.

When the lights shut off, the doors in
front of Isa opened and the Golden Elite was allowed into the main audience
hall. The room was stark and bare a single ring near the high ceiling of the
domed hall allowing for the hologram projection. Venus’ computers were hidden
under the floor and behind the walls of the room, secured very tightly. Isa had
only seen one of her processors when she had to repair it, but the central
units that kept Venus running were never accessed, not even by Isa.

But, because of the massive computers and
power cores, the audience hall was exceptionally hot. Isa was in full Syndicate
uniform, and almost immediately after stepping into the room, she felt sweat
break out over her skin.

Alone, five paces into the room, was a
single chair—not an NCB chair, just a normal chair with a cushion on the seat
and on the back with thick arms and a simple, metal design.

Isa walked to the chair and sat, leaning
back and putting her wrists on the edge of the chair arms, activating the
hologram.

A whirring of the machines filled the
room, and the lights flickered. The composite form of Venus took shape. The
image towered into the room, human in appearance, though shrouded by a cloak
with the hood pulled over the face. The nose and mouth were visible, though the
mouth never moved, as Venus’ language was comprised of tones.

“A-C89072,”
she greeted, using Isa’s prototype number.

“Venus.”

“You
understand that there are several reasons I called you here,” Venus
started. “The first of these reasons has
to do with the Y-99 Virus that has been in Trid.”

“I am unfamiliar with the Y-99 Virus.”

“It
is the new virus, undocumented. This is the first time that it has been seen.
It has been named Y-99.”

“Is there any treatment?”

“More
research is needed,” Venus stated simply. “I have had samples sent off-planet for testing in other areas of the system.
Though it has not been documented on any other terminal, it is possible that
this virus is in other parts of the system and has gone unnoticed, as it has on
Tiao.”

“I see.”

“However,
I noticed that you have put the Trid girl under your protection. She is now
listed within your circle. Why?”

“The girl had very little to begin with,
and now she has nothing,” Isa stated. “If we are to continue to get samples
from her for the virus, she needs to be protected from harm. Very few take
kindly to Trids.”

“That
is precisely why she needs to be returned to Trid at the nearest possible time,”
Venus said.

“Forgive my defiance, but I disagree,”
Isa said, shaking her head. “She will die if we return her to Trid. Her face
and story are now wide-spread news, which means that it would be more
beneficial to keep her close, as a sign of good faith to the Trids.”

“The
Trids want her back,” Venus said. “They
are protesting at the border, demanding that she be returned.”

“The sentiment has been noted,” Isa
admitted. “However, if we were to return her to Trid untreated, there will be
no one to care for her. The Trids try to stay away from those who have this
virus. She will be isolated and she will either starve or the virus will kill her.”

“Where
did you get this information?”

“From Jacyleen, the Significant, and
advisor for the Trid District.”

“I
did not approve her as your advisor.”

“She is the only Trid I have to advise me
on matters concerning the district.”

“Your
caretaker was once Trid, and has proven her loyalty to you far more than the
Significant.”

“Tarah has been with me longer, it is
true,” Isa admitted. “But she was a young child when she left. Jacyleen still
has contacts in Trid. And she has proven to me, on three occasions, her
loyalty.”

“You
would keep her close, despite the fact that she forged her citizenship
originally to work at Companion Corporation?”

“Yes,” Isa said strongly. “It is as she
said in Trid. The Trids have very little means to change their lives. She did
what she had to do to survive.” Isa leaned back in her chair. “Venus, you have
access to all the numbers. Eighty-five percent of incarcerated criminals in
this hemisphere are Trids. Their crimes are very often not violent, which is
why we imprison them rather than execute them. Two percent of these Trid
criminals have been convicted of rape or murder. Seventy-seven percent of Trid
criminals are convicted of forgery, falsified documents, and sedition. These
numbers speak for themselves. They are willing to risk imprisonment to earn
money to survive.”

“You
know the Trids are vital to the security of this society.”

“We can maintain social order with the
Trids receiving citizenship.”

“No,”
Venus said, her hologram flickering slightly as a red tinge washed over her
figure. “This is the twenty-ninth time
you have suggested the Trids be granted citizenship.”

“Venus, these are the same people that
are willing to kill me to tear down the Syndicate. Compared to that, the risk
of grating citizenship would be—”

“No.
If citizenship is granted, then they are given healthcare, sustainable ration
numbers, coded housing, and minimum salary unemployment pay. There are no funds
to provide these services to the numbers in Trid. And Trids will not obtain
jobs upon being granted citizenship. The low-paid workers are now robots. You
understand that there is no way for Trid to contribute to society other than to
be our low-point scare tactic.”

“The scare tactic does not work when the
Trids grow in number every day,” Isa protested. “They are having children of
their own because we do not provide birth control and we cannot regulate their
numbers with the Child Licensing Board. Soon, those protests at the border are
going to turn into an insurrection, and if we try to put them down with force
as we have done in the past, they will flood the city and destroy it.”

“I
will not entertain the notion of Trids being granted citizenship,” Venus
said, her beeps becoming shrill and causing Isa to cringe. “You are also to remove the Trid child from
your circle. Two Trids close to you is far too many.”

“Alright,” Isa said. “She has secondary
protection from Dr. Michael Busen, who is keeping her under his protection as a
research patient for this new virus. If you wish to remove her from my circle,
I will not protest.”

“She
is removed from your circle.”

“Venus, I have been noting the trends in
your network and have noticed that many nobles and other citizens of Tiao have
put in requests for non-profit fundraising for Trid,” Isa started carefully.
“If we are unable to grant citizenship, and the public already knows about the
V-99 Virus, then it might be best to allow them to raise the money and put that
into a hospital along the Trid border that provides healthcare to Trids and
those living in the Walking District.”

“We
do not need this becoming a larger problem,” Venus stated. “In a few months, this will fade.”

“I do not think it will,” Isa disagreed.
“We need to assure the people that the virus is being treated. The people are
more concerned about the spread of the virus than the Trids themselves. If we
allow the citizens to raise money for a hospital, it will be easier to assuage
their fears and keep the peace.”

Venus was silent for a moment, doing her
own calculations and algorithms.

Isa sat in the chair, her expression
controlled, though the heat of the room was starting to make her light-headed.

“You
have my permission to approve fundraising for a healthcare service building in
the Walking District,” Venus said. “Submit
a proposal to me by tomorrow.”

“I will.”

Isa tried not to show her relief at
making small progress.

“Update your investigation on the virus that
took down the feed blocks.”

Isa tried to hide the deep breath she
took to prepare herself, her relief vanishing.

“The virus was an R-type. It was aimed at
your security computers. Since you were linked with the feeds, it attacked
anything blocking it. Thankfully, Rayal noticed what was happening before more
of your security code could be copied for decryption.”

“The
origin?”

“I have been unable to locate it.”

“The
timing of this is too close to the attack on Caroie and the various pirating
acts that have been occurring along our trade routes,” Venus stated. “Someone is trying to destroy us.”

“I understand.”

“You
must find the origin of this virus,” Venus said. “There has been another attack on my systems. The coding is in Gihoric.”

Isa straightened, her heart racing
suddenly. She was unaware of the second attack, and she knew she could not tell
Venus that she was the perpetrator for the first virus.

“Your
heartrate escalated,” Venus noted.

“When was this attack?”

“Three
hours ago,” Venus answered. “It has
been blocked and destroyed.” Venus was silent a moment. “You understand we are on the brink of war
with Gihron.”

Isa swallowed hard and tried to gain her
bearings.

“Take
precaution,” Venus said. “After what
you did five years ago, you should have known this war was going to take
place.”

Remus punched in the code for Isa’s
office door and it opened, allowing him into the locked room. Isa was reclined
on the couch, one arm over her eyes, her breathing slow.

“Feeling better?” Remus asked, walking to
her NCB chair and leaning against it as he looked her over. He had been sure to
let her rest for at least an hour after her meeting with Venus so her headache
could subside.

“A bit.”

Remus was silent for a few moments before
he sighed.

“That was very reckless of you.”

“What?”

Remus reached into his pocket and pulled
out a small, square device. He put it against the NCB chair and pressed the
button. It gave a high whine and the blue and purple lights on the end
flickered rapidly. Isa saw the jamming device and her stomach tightened in
apprehension.

She had been expecting this confrontation
with Remus.

“The stunt you pulled with Kailynn in
Trid,” Remus clarified. “That was very reckless.”

“I got Venus’ approval to build a
healthcare facility in the Walking District,” Isa said, sitting up and swinging
her legs off the couch. “You used to support my plan to naturalize Trid.”

“And I still do,” Remus assured. “Your
methods, and motivation, are questionable.”

Isa pursed her lips.

“I see…”

Remus looked at his feet.

“Are you sure this is about the good of
the planet and not about Kailynn?”

Isa let out an exasperated chuckle.

“Do you really think I would let her use
me like that?”

“I think there are many who would take
advantage of you,” Remus said strongly. Isa groaned and stood, turning away
from him.

“I don’t need to listen to this lecture.”

“Maybe you do,” Remus snapped. “Isa, you
know better than anyone how quickly a situation can turn bad. The difference is
that you’ve let Kailynn get closer to you than anyone else. She could destroy you.”

“No, she couldn’t,” Isa said, turning to
look at Remus. “Colonel Amori already did that. I’m never going to be the
same.”

“You know I hate it when you talk like
that.”

“Like what?” Isa said sharply. “When I
tell you how I feel? When I recall those painful memories? Let me remind you,
Remus, that I lived in that hell every
day for months. Every part of who
I was was destroyed by him.”

“If that were the case, you would not be
trying so hard to get the Trid District naturalized,” Remus said. “But because
of how different you have been since Kailynn came into your life, I can’t help
but be nervous that she’s going to turn around and stab you in the back.”

Isa pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You’re getting reckless,” Remus said
again. “And I’m not sure that you’re in a state to be handling that sort of
pressure.”

“What does that mean?”

“Dr. Busen and Dr. Arre are worried about
your health, as am I. Your latest results show that there has been a decrease
in blood flow to your brain. Isa, don’t shrug this off!” he snapped when he saw
Isa turn away, groaning, irritated. “Stress is going to increase the
possibility of seizures and stroke.” Isa turned around and fixed Remus with a
stern look. However, when she saw his face, her expression softened quickly.
His eyes were showing fear, something that he never let show to anyone else.

Remus took a deep breath.

“I don’t want you to feel broken,” he
said. “I wish I could take away the pain he inflicted on you. I wish I had
noticed what was going on earlier and maybe I could have done something to
change it. I know I wasn’t there for you when you needed me.” He looked at Isa
pleadingly. “But Kailynn is more dangerous than you might realize. She has so
easily passed all your barriers, barriers even I couldn’t overcome after the
accident. And it scares me.”

“Remus,” Isa murmured, walking to her
Silver Elite.

“You know I’m absolutely nothing without
you,” Remus whispered as Isa stopped in front of him. “I don’t care about being
your partner again, I just want you to be safe. Seeing you with her, it’s like
I’m waiting to see you fall apart again, like Kailynn is going to do the same
thing Colonel Amori did, and you won’t notice it’s happening until it’s too
late.” Remus swallowed hard and lowered his gaze to the ground. “If you were to
die, I would not be able to live.”

Isa placed a hand on Remus’ face.

“Remus…” she whispered again. “You can’t
blame yourself for what happened five years ago.”

Remus took her hand.

“Neither can you,” he said strongly.

Isa took a deep breath and closed her
eyes.

“Remus, you have been, and always will
be, my strongest support,” she whispered. “You know me better than anyone.” She
took Remus’ face in both hands and smiled at him. “Remember when I was first
appointed? You and I had huge dreams about how we would change everything.” She
closed her eyes and pressed their foreheads together. “The two degenerate
Elites revolutionizing the Altereye System. Every time I became discouraged,
you were right there to pick me up and remind me of what we were doing.

“It seems that Colonel Amori also took
that fire from you, just as he did from me,” Isa murmured. “And maybe, what we both need, is a fiery Trid with no
manners but a lot of heart to come in and remind us of who we really are.”

Remus looked at Isa, surprised to see
that Isa looked younger, as though she was still the seventeen-year-old Elite
that had taken over the Syndicate with passion enough to pull the planet
through any ordeal.

“I imagine how painful it is for you to
see me with Kailynn,” Isa said, one of her thumbs running over Remus’ cheek.
“And I apologize for the pain I’m inflicting on you.” Isa swallowed hard. “But
she’s helped me feel stronger. She has made me remember who I was, who I am.” She tightened her fingers on Remus’
face to get him to look at her again. “I am the Golden Elite of Tiao,” she
whispered, “but do you remember what I told Venus when she appointed me?”

Remus looked at Isa and a small smile
crept over his face.

“That you wouldn’t be Golden Elite,”
Remus said quietly, “unless I was appointed your Silver Elite.”

Isa smiled and nodded.

“And look at where we are now,” she said.
“You said you’re nothing without me, but you were the one who got me to this
point. You stood by me through all that shit five years ago, even though I
constantly abused you and tried to push you away. I am nothing without you.
I knew I would never have survived as Golden Elite without you by my side.”

Remus watched as Isa’s smile widened.

“I need you to stand beside me as you did
then,” she said. “I need Kailynn with me. But I also need you more than you
seem to realize. Keep me grounded, and we’ll change this planet, and the
Altereye System. I promise.”

Kailynn was completely unaware of the
conversation that Isa and Remus had had when Isa called. When she heard the
bright tone of the Elite’s voice, she was worried and excited at the same time.

When Isa told Kailynn that she had
approval to fund and build a medical care facility in the Walking Districts
that would provide healthcare to Trids, Kailynn thought she was dreaming. She
asked Isa where they would get the money and how long it would take and began
spewing questions as fast as she could think of them, but Isa just told her
that she had to work on all the details and that she would not be home until
later.

For some reason, it was very comforting
for Kailynn to hear Isa talk to her as though the home was theirs.

Kailynn told her that she would see her
“at home,” her cheeks flushing, the butterflies jumping in her stomach.

And she had every intention of going back
to Anon Tower. However, she had something she needed to handle first.

Walking among the streets of Trid was
becoming more and more foreign to her. The dilapidated structures closest to
the Walking District were in even worse shape after the protests that had been
occurring in Trid. There were different groups demanding different things, such
as healthcare, food, and schooling for the children, though some were just
yelling and blaming Anon for everything happening in the universe. That was
when the Officials would get involved and it normally ended in violence.

Considering he way things had changed
after her previous visit, Kailynn knew she had to speak to Raphael.

His words had stung. She had been unable
to get them out of her head. They were on constant repeat, getting louder in
the quiet hours of the night when she was trying to sleep.

She could not avoid it any longer. She
needed to talk to Raphael. She felt she owed him an explanation.

She walked into the bar that her gang frequented
and glanced around the tables. She saw a few members of the Cobalt Panthers,
including Viv and Raphael. Viv was the one who spotted Kailynn. She tapped
Raphael’s arm and pointed to the door.

Without saying a word to the other
members of the gang, Raphael stood and walked out of the bar, finding Kailynn
around the corner as she slipped into an alley for some illusion of privacy.

“Hey,” she greeted.

“Hey.”

An awkward, heavy silence followed the
forced greeting. Kailynn shifted her feet nervously back and forth before
clearing her throat.

“They’re still running tests on Emira,”
she started. “But she’s getting to stay at the hospital under protection of one
of the top doctors.”

“Really?” Raphael said, unable to keep
the bite out of his voice. “Something Isa arranged?”

Kailynn flinched from the words.

“No…actually, I did….”

“You?”
Raphael said. “Wow. Already a member of high society.”

“I want to say I’m sorry, Raffy.”

“That’s all you want to say?”

“A lot of things happened very quickly,”
Kailynn said. “I was working as a Significant, and I got caught up in Elite
affairs.”

“How?” Raphael demanded. “Elites aren’t
supposed to be with Significants.”

“It’s really complicated,” she said
hesitantly. “The point is, I have another job now.”

“Which is?”

“Working for Syndicate Intelligence,” she
murmured, lowering her eyes.

“Oh, it’s even better than I expected,”
Raphael chuckled. “Here I was hoping you had been arrested and this was part of
your release program.”

“…you were hoping I had been arrested?”

“It was the only explanation I could come
up with!” Raphael snapped. “You didn’t tell me anything. You just said that you
needed me to do something for you, and I did it because I always do what you
ask. Then you come around, wanting to go into the house of someone with
Wheezing Death and the started talking to yourself like a psychotic and then you start talking to Isa, who is the enemy of all Trids. So
yeah, I had hoped that you were arrested and that was the reason for all the
madness last week. But no. Instead, I hear that you have a job with Syndicate Intelligence.”

Raphael sighed heavily.

“What the fuck has happened to you?” he
hissed.

“A lot,” she admitted, her voice pained.
“Raphael, I don’t want this to be the way this conversation goes.”

“And how do you want it to go?”

“I want you to understand that a lot of
shit is happening in my life and I don’t know how to tell you without pissing
you off!” Kailynn snarled. “It’s not that I want to lie to you, or keep things
from you, but I’m scared you’ll hate me.”

“Would you rather I make up reasons for
what happened?” Raphael asked. “I know something is happening, Lynni. I’m not
an idiot. You have been weird ever since you got Theo and the others out of
Uren. And now that they’re arrested again…it’s like you’re desperate for them
to be released. Look, Lynni. I know he’s your brother and you love him, but he
has done nothing but use you your
entire life.”

“Raffy, that’s not—”

“No, let me say this,” Raphael
interrupted. “He used you when it was convenient for him. When he needed you,
he came to you. And he made sure to tell you that he loved you and wanted what
was best for you because he knew that if he was ever in trouble, he needed
someone to count on. And you proved time and time again that he could count on
you. Now, you’re working for the
fucking Syndicate! How far are you going to sink before you realize that he’s
not worth it?!”

“Don’t talk about my brother like that!”
Kailynn barked, shoving Raphael backward. “You know nothing! This isn’t about Theo!
It started out as a way to get him out, but now…I’m in too deep. I need to find
a way to survive and deal with all this shit. My life has been turned upside
down…and I don’t know that I want to change it.”

“…what are you saying?” Raphael
whispered.

“I…” The words were trapped in her
throat. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to decide what to
say. “Raffy…My life has changed. I’ve changed.
I want different things now. I can’t explain how it happened. It just did. I
have a chance to shape my life away from Trid, and I want to take it.”

“By working for the Syndicate?”

“Yes,” Kailynn said. “By working for the
Syndicate.”

Raphael pursed his lips and shook his
head, turning away as if looking at Kailynn would make him sick.

“Raffy…”

“I don’t know who you are anymore.”

“I’m the one that helped get it approved
to have a hospital built in the Walking District for Trids,” Kailynn said
sharply, walking back into Raphael’s field of vision. “I haven’t abandoned
Trid. I’m trying to help it.”

“Wait, what? A hospital?”

“Yes,” Kailynn said. “I know that it
seems like I’m turning my back on you, but I’m not. We can’t change things like this. We have to be smarter. If
we want to change things for the better we have to try different things until
we get the result we want.”

“How the hell did you get them to approve
a hospital?” Raphael said sharply.

“I had help, of course.”

“I’m sure, considering you can’t read or
write. You would have to.”

Kailynn, irritated and angry, slapped
Raphael.

“You know what, you’re being an asshole!”
she snapped. “For fuck’s sake. I’m still helping Trid. Now, no Trid can know
that I had a part in this, or they’ll destroy the project and then there will
be no helping the Trid district. And, if this is some sort of way to tell me
that I belong here, I will tell you now that I don’t belong here, and I don’t belong in Anon. I don’t belong
anywhere, which is why I need to do this. I refuse to be one of those people
who dies in an alley or in my flat to have other people discover me and dump my
body in the landfill. Things have to change, and I’m willing to do it. So if
you want to back me up, then back me up. But I will do this with or without
your help.”

Raphael stared at her, stunned into
silence.

“Fine,” Kailynn said, walking away. Even
though she was upset by the way Raphael had reacted, she was not about to let
that get in her way. With Isa’s small victory of getting the medical center
approved in Trid, Kailynn was ready to push harder and do something for the
district where she had grown up.

Kailynn made a brief stop at Companion,
getting a crazy notion in her head about a way to celebrate with Isa that
night. But when she got to the Elite’s level of Anon Tower, there was no noise.

“Hello?” she called.

Since Tarah was almost always in the
kitchen, Kailynn poked her head in to see both Tarah and Rayal chatting and
cooking. Rayal looked up when she walked in and smiled.

“Hello.”

“Hey,” she greeted. “What are you doing?”

“Making dinner,” Tarah said with a wide
smile. “The medical center got approved. That’s huge.”

“Isa must have sold it just right to
Venus,” Rayal chuckled. “But that’s what she’s good at.”

“Is she home yet?”

“No, not yet,” Tarah said. “She had to
work on some things, but she should be back within the hour.”

“Okay, need any help?”

“No, we’re fine,” Tarah said cheerfully.
Kailynn glanced at Rayal and saw him smile at the happy tone of Tarah’s voice.
Kailynn also smiled and excused herself from the kitchen, going to hide the
duffel bag she had brought with her in Isa’s room.

“Seems like I taught you well,” Rayal
chuckled, elbowing Tarah lightly when he saw her properly preparing the food.

“You think so?” Tarah challenged with a
smile, picking up the sliced carrots and turning to put them in the pan.

“I do,” Rayal said.

Tarah glanced down at the oven and
stopped.

“You forgot to preheat the oven!” she
gasped, laughing.

Rayal turned around and glanced at the
oven.

“You didn’t tell me to do that,” Rayal
said, turning back to his task, trying to hide his guilty expression.

Tarah’s jaw dropped and she let out a
broken chuckle, grabbing a rag from the counter and twisting it, snapping it so
that smacked Rayal’s rear.

“Hey!” he gasped, jumping away, laughing.
“Don’t touch the merchandise!”

“Why not? When that merchandise,” Tarah
snapped the rag again, hitting the side of Rayal’s thigh as he tried to
awkwardly hop away, his hands raised, covered with flour, “doesn’t do what he’s
supposed to!”

Rayal darted forward and gently patted
Tarah’s cheek, causing flour to puff up into her eyes and nose. She stopped,
coughing and laughing as she tried to wipe the flour from her face.

“Sorry! Did it go up your nose?” Rayal
laughed, stepping forward again. He turned sideways. “Here. Use my sleeve.”

Tarah shook her head, laughing as she
sneezed. She bent down and picked up the rag, using it to wipe her face.

She glanced up at the smiling Rayal and
her cheeks flushed again. She averted her eyes quickly and turned away,
returning to what she had been doing.

When Isa came home, she seemed tired, but
relieved. She kissed Kailynn and over dinner discussed the fundraising and where
they were going to build the medical center. She explained the details, though
most of it went over Kailynn’s head. Still, she watched Isa speak, enthralled
by how easily the words flowed from her lips and the brightness in her eyes.
She found herself smiling without meaning to.

When everyone went to bed, Kailynn took
both Isa’s hands and pulled her into the bedroom.

The Elite chuckled and swooped in for a
quick kiss.

“I brought us something to celebrate
with,” Kailynn said.

“Oh?” Isa asked, stepping into the room
and hearing the door close behind her as she shrugged off her uniform jacket.
Kailynn leaned down and extracted the duffel bag from under the bed, setting it
on the frame with a mischievous smile.

“Come sit down.”

Isa smiled, suspicious. Slowly, she
walked forward and sat on the bed, watching Kailynn open the bag. When she got
a glance inside, she stopped, blinking a few times.

“What the hell did you bring those for?”
Isa laughed.

In the bag was an assortment of dildos.

Kailynn laughed, pulling one out and
wiggling it.

“Honestly, I brought them on a whim.”

“I fear what your other whims make you
do,” Isa teased.

“Nothing to worry about. They’re all
brand new.”

“That’s hardly the issue…”

Kailynn got a mischievous look on her
face.

“I’m curious about something,” she
started, setting the first dildo down on the bed and picking up another,
holding it upright. “How big is Remus?”

Isa’s eyes shot wide at the question,
startled. Kailynn barked a triumphant laugh and pointed at the Golden Elite
with the dildo.

“Ha!
I broke your poker face! Finally!”

“That’s because you asked about the penis
size of my closest friend!” Isa gasped, picking up the dildo on the bed and
playfully smacking Kailynn’s arm with it.

“He’s also your ex-lover,” Kailynn
stated, rifling through the bag again. “So you would know the information.” She
grabbed a smaller dildo. “Is he about this size?”

Isa gave her an exasperated look, but did
not answer.

“Or…considering how tall he is…maybe…”
Kailynn rifled through the bag and pulled out the largest dildo she had. “He’s
closer to this.”

Isa’s eyes widened further.

“That thing is horrifying,” she chuckled brokenly.

“So, he’s not this big…”

Isa rolled her eyes and watched Kailynn
pull out the various toys she had brought. The Elite did not know what some of
them were for, and she glanced over them with startled and confused eyes. As more
dildos joined the three on the bed, Isa looked among the various colors and
shapes, amused. She finally grabbed one, taking Kailynn’s hand and placing the
dildo in her palm to stop her from pulling out more sex toys.

“There.”

Kailynn’s eyes looked at the size of the
toy before her eyebrows rose.

“Oh…” she said slowly. “That’s…can’t
really compete with that…”

“Believe me,” Isa said, taking the toy
from the Significant, “this is no great benefit to males. In fact, it’s a
hindrance, even to Elites like Remus.”

Kailynn laughed and grabbed another toy,
raising it.

“But isn’t this the reason for
everything?” she teased. “I thought, at one time, men ruled everything.”

“These things certainly have caused
problems in the past,” Isa agreed.

“Like war?” Kailynn asked with a laugh,
smacking her toy against the one Isa was holding. “It’s really just a
cock-measuring contest, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Isa said, also attacking with
the dildo she held in her hand, smiling. “It’s such a shame that a large army
indicates a small dick.”

“Oh?” Kailynn asked, playing along with
the sword fight as they stood, laughing. “Then shouldn’t your army be among the
largest?”

“As it would happen, I actually have the
largest dick in the system,” Isa said, poking Kailynn in the side with the
dildo. The Significant yelped in surprise and tried to move away, giggling.
“The difference is, I can control mine.”

The two leapt about the room in fits of
laughter as they smacked the toys against one another in mock-battle. Finally,
Kailynn succeeded in toppling them both to the bed. Isa chuckled, reaching
under her and pulling the largest toy from under her back.

“We don’t really need these, do we?”
Kailynn asked with a smile.

Isa glanced at the one in her hand.

“Well, certainly not this one,” she
laughed.

Kailynn looked over Isa’s relaxed face,
still finding herself enthralled in everything about the Golden Elite.

However, she was too curious to keep the
words from bubbling out of her mouth.

“Was Remus a good partner?”

Isa’s face became confused.

“How do you mean?”

Kailynn sighed, tossing the toy aside and
resting her body atop Isa’s, folding her hands over Isa’s belly and resting her
chin on them. Isa folded an arm under her head to look at the Significant,
puzzled.

“Was he good to you?”

Isa was silent and still for two long
seconds. She finally sighed and looked away, pursing her lips.

“Remus has, and always will, support me
and protect me to the best of his ability.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,”
Kailynn pressed.

“Why are you so interested?” Isa evaded.

“I keep hearing about how horrible things
were five years ago, but no one ever tells me what happened,” Kailynn said. She
could feel Isa’s body tense under her, though the Elite’s face remained stoic.
“I’m not going to ask you to tell me unless you want to tell me, but I’m trying to understand how that changed you.
Why it changed everything so much, including your relationship with him. I’m
trying to figure things out.”

Isa sighed heavily and lifted a hand,
rubbing it over Kailynn’s shoulder tenderly.

“What happened five years ago…” she
started slowly, “was extremely difficult, for everyone. I was not the only one
changed. Remus has never been the same, neither has Rayal. Every Elite in the
Syndicate changed to some degree.” Isa closed her eyes and moved her arm back
to her side, letting her head fall back to the bed. “If you want to know how it
changed me…”

Isa hesitated.

“Getting the medical center approved in
Trid is something I have wanted since coming to power,” she explained. “I
always wanted to grant citizenship to Trids and integrate the district into the
rest of the planet. For years, I fought against Venus, though she would hear
nothing of it. I wanted to do so many things for this planet, and its people,
but I had a very large, corrupt mess to clean up when I first came to power.
Then, about six years ago, almost seven, I started to gain some ground on
cleaning the planet up as I wanted.”

The Golden Elite fell silent for several
long moments.

“But five years ago…when…” Isa took a
deep breath, “when everything happened, I felt like I was the least powerful
being in the universe. It felt like everything I was, everything I believed
in…was all taken from me. I didn’t know who I was…there are many days I still
don’t know.”

Kailynn heard the pain in Isa’s voice and
lifted her head, shifting to crawl up the Elite’s body so that her face was
even with the Elite’s.

“The hospital is approved in the Walking
District,” Kailynn said quietly, trying to cheer the Elite up. “It was
something you always wanted, right?”

“It was,” Isa agreed. “But I did not
think I had the strength to fight for it.”

“Clearly you did,” Kailynn chuckled
lightly.

Isa smiled, one hand going up to
Kailynn’s face and brushing her cheek.

“I have you to thank for that.”

Kailynn could only stare at the Elite,
trying to figure out how to respond. She was too shocked to think of any words.
She was not sure how she felt about the words, either. It was a strange mixture
of surprise, embarrassment, and happiness.

Rather than speak, she leaned in for a
long, lingering kiss.

Chapter
Twenty-Four

Umana had only been in service of Bronze
Elite Maki for seven months. He was still in training under Tauren, Maki’s
retiring caretaker, and even though he knew everything there was to know about
caring for an Elite, he was still nervous whenever Elite Maki was around.

His anxiety doubled when any other Elite
came to visit.

Therefore, when Tauren was out of the
house running errands, and Elite Chronus showed up, Umana was a trembling mess
as he opened the door.

He bowed his head deeply.

“Good morning, Elite Chronus,” he
half-mumbled, his voice breaking at the end of the sentence.

“Good morning.”

Umana stared at the brown-haired,
blue-eyed Elite for three, very long seconds before he remembered that he
needed to step out of the way and let in the Elite.

He hurriedly stepped aside and Elite
Chronus entered, the door shutting automatically behind him. Chronus turned his
strong eyes onto Umana, who flinched away, trying to still his shaking.

“I’ll be right back,” he said quickly,
keeping his head down and darting into the house, trying to remember where he
had last seen Elite Maki.

Chronus sighed and resisted the urge to
roll his eyes.

He was not sure how he always managed to
make Maki’s new caretaker so nervous.

Chronus walked further in, looking around
the pristine condition of the living room. Through the open door off the living
room, Chronus could see the Maki’s personal NCB chair.

What confused Chronus was the severe
state of disarray in Maki’s office. The chair stood untouched in the middle of
the room, but around it were books and files and parts of computers scattered
on the floor and desk.

Chronus stood in the doorway, looking
over the mess, confused.

His office in the Syndicate Building was
across from Maki’s. He could often see the other Bronze Elite working through
the glass walls. Maki was notoriously neat. He did not like things to be
disorganized. He had been that way in school and had carried the habit with him
into his time at the Syndicate.

Seeing the other Elite’s office so
disheveled alarmed Chronus.

“Looks like a bomb went off, doesn’t it?”

Chronus whirled around, startled. Maki
was behind him, smiling at the other Elite’s surprise.

“You startled me.”

“Sorry about that,” Maki said with a
teasing laugh. “What did you see in there that had you so focused?”

“Nothing,” Chronus said. “It’s just a
mess in there.”

“I know,” Maki said with a sigh. “I’ll
get to it eventually.”

The words sat uneasily with Chronus.
Decades of knowing Maki would have told him that Maki should have been upset
about the mess in his office.

“What brings you here today?”

Chronus reached into his pocket and
pulled out a removable drive.

“I ran a few more tests on the power
management program in Isa’s old NCB chair. I thought you might find some of
this interesting.”

“Oh,” Maki said, taking the drive out of
Chronus’ hand and walking into the office. “Let’s take a look, then.”

Chronus followed Maki into the office,
his eyes passing over the piles of books and files. As he glanced around, he
immediately saw the pattern. The stack on the left side of the desk was on NCB
chair programming—which was not alarming, since both Maki and Chronus had been
assigned to determine how Isa’s chair had been vulnerable to a Pulse Virus. In
the middle of the desk was a personal terminal that had been taken apart,
different parts scattered by the dismantled casing. On the left side of the
desk were medical articles on Elites by Dr. Michael Busen.

On the floor next to the desk was a very
tall stack with years etched on the metal casings of the files. Chronus picked
up the first file, flipping the protective cover open and tapping the screen to
life. Immediately, information on the previous Golden Elite, Gattriel,
appeared.

“Chronus?” Maki called.

The other Elite looked up.

“Are you alright?” Maki asked, confused.

“Why do you have this?” Chronus asked,
lifting the file.

“I was just curious about something.”

“And the other files?” Chronus pressed.
“These are not easily accessed. Does Isa know you have these?”

“Remus knows,” Maki said, turning back to
the NCB chair and plugging the drive into the correct port, tapping a display
button on the back of the chair that lifted the panels on the side of the chair
to make a functioning, interactive screen. “What tests did you run?”

“I ran a few more decryption scans on the
coding for the power management. I also ran a few tests on power allotment and priority
settings.”

“I thought we did that already,” Maki
said, touching the icons on the screen to pull up Chronus’ test reports.

“Yes, but…” Chronus stood next to Maki,
touching one of the report files, “those were on all active faces. We didn’t
run it on background processes.”

“Why would we? The chair did not
malfunction.”

“It had to in some way, otherwise the
Pulse Virus would not have been able to get past the security codes,” Chronus
disagreed.

“You think the hardware and original
manufacture coding was corrupt?” Maki asked skeptically. “She had that chair
for seven years. The only two that ever do maintenance on it are Isa and Remus.
No one else has access.”

“I know,” Chronus said. “That’s why this,” he motioned to a part of the
coding on the screen, “is so disturbing.”

Maki read over the lines of code, his
eyebrows furrowing as he continued reading.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” he
murmured. “Why are the outgoing
transmission security codes missing? For an attack, they would need to destroy
the security for incoming transmissions. That would be the only way to get a
Pulse Virus to the chair.”

“That’s what I didn’t understand,
either,” Chronus said. “I know you have the log on Isa’s chair. I think we need
to review all outgoing transmissions from her chair and see when the codes were
deleted and how they were able to get into the chair’s central processor.”

“I agree,” Maki said, turning away to
search among the stacks of filed in his office. “I just don’t know how anyone
could remotely access it,” he muttered. “You have to be physically at the chair
to mess with this kind of stuff. Unless you’re Venus. But no one knows how to
hack her.”

“Well, those who have access to the chair
are pretty limited. We both know that Remus would sooner shoot himself in the
head than cause Isa harm. Rayal, too,” Chronus said, looking over the lines of
code, his brain trying to create explanations for the problem. “I don’t think
Isa’s trying to kill herself, and Tarah would never hurt her, either.” Chronus
turned to Maki. “What about the Significant?”

Maki chuckled, turning over his shoulder
to look at the other Bronze Elite.

“She’s a Trid who can’t read or write,
yet. Remember?” Maki chuckled. “You expect her to be able to delete a very
specific area of security coding in a high-security NCB chair?”

“It’s possible,” Chronus muttered, his
eyes showing his concern.

Maki shook his head, turning back to
Chronus as he pulled out another file and a blank drive, transferring the data
into the drive to be viewed on the NCB chair.

“No, she wouldn’t do that,” Maki said
gently. “She loves Isa.”

“How do you know that?”

“You can see it in her eyes,” Maki
answered, stopping in front of Chronus, his eyes locked with the other Elite’s.
Chronus quickly averted his gaze to the file, pointing at it.

“Where is the original drive?”

“I think I left it at the Syndicate.”

“Or it’s lost in here somewhere,” Chronus
chuckled teasingly.

“That’s a possibility.”

Chronus was silent for a moment, watching
the transfer complete and Maki put the drive into another port of the NCB
chair.

“You don’t think the Significant could
have done this?”

“Call her Kailynn,” Maki said. “That’s
her name.” Maki pressed a button on the NCB chair so a secondary screen would
unfold across the back of the chair. “And no, I do not believe she did it.”

Maki and Chronus both tried different
searches in the log, trying to find anything that would tell them how the
chair’s security codes had been changed. Before they knew it, three hours had
passed. Remus called Chronus when the Bronze Elite did not return to the
Syndicate when expected and the other Elite told him that he and Maki were
running tests and he would be there until all the scans were completed. Maki
told Remus that they would submit anything they found to the Syndicate network
to be reviewed.

Chronus rubbed his eyes and turned away
from the coding as the third hour wore on.

“I didn’t realize that Isa used her home
NCB chair so often. These logs are enormous.”

“You don’t think it’s hilarious how many
times she tried to contact Remus when she was on leave for a month?” Maki
chuckled. “Isa never knows how to stop working, does she?”

“None of us know how to stop working,”
Chronus chuckled brokenly. “Speaking of which, I didn’t even ask if you were
feeling better.”

“I am,” Maki said with a nod, still
glancing over the log. “I guess I scared a few of you.”

“We found you passed out on the floor of
your office,” Chronus said, his eyebrows high as he turned to face Maki. “It’s Isa who is expected to pass out and
scare us all to death, not you.”

“Dr. Busen said it was over exhaustion,”
Maki said, distracted by the information he was reading.

“You need to be careful,” Chronus said.
“We can’t have you passing out on us all the time.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Chronus went back to Maki’s side and
looked over the log.

“This is ridiculous,” he said. “Three
years back in the log, and the codes still aren’t there.” He sighed heavily.
“Maybe it was faulty from manufacturing.”

Maki stopped, blinking a few times before
turning to Chronus.

“Or maybe we haven’t gone back far
enough.”

“You want to go through all seven years
of the log? Are you crazy?”

“No,” Maki muttered. “Just the first six
months from five years ago.”

Chronus stopped immediately, understanding
what Maki was thinking.

“You don’t actually believe he got into
her NCB chair, do you?”

“After everything else he did?” Maki
said, typing the query into the computer. “I think he did.”

With the narrowed-down log, the two
Bronze Elites began scanning the days of coding records.

“Look here,” Chronus hissed, pointing.
“Right here, the outgoing transmission to Fortunea has the proper security
coding with a closed pathway.” He pointed to the next outgoing transmission.
“Here, on the transmission to Corinne, the pathway is open. The codes are gone
a month later.”

“This is the entire month before Isa got
sick,” Maki whispered. He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “He got into her
level at Anon Tower and he destroyed the coding of the chair…”

“How could he do that? Rayal was always
there.”

“I don’t know,” Maki murmured. “That
might have been when he was sick.”

“If this was done five years ago, why now? And why outgoing?”

“Nothing was logged on the day of the
Pulse, right?” Maki murmured.

“Correct.”

“A message was sent to Isa on the
Altereye Distress Path, which is open to all planets in the Alliance. What if…”
he trailed off, thinking. “What if that was just bait to get her into the
chair? What if, with the open pathway, they could send the virus to the chair
once she sent an outgoing transmission?”

“But she would have received a
transmission first.”

“Which was the bait,” Maki said. “They
might have routed the message. They might have had it recorded and then
corrupted the data so it was impossible to discern the emergency. Once she was
in the chair, they could cut off the transmission, and when she tried to
reconnect, they use the open pathway to send the Pulse Virus.”

“That would have to be specially
programmed. I’ve never heard of an outgoing transmission causing a virus on the
source chair.”

“True,” Maki said. “But that could
explain why they have not done this already. They were programming it, knowing
what pathway was open.”

Chronus looked at Maki seriously. “You
think it was Gihron.”

“Colonel Amori is the only one who could
have destroyed the security coding. He was the only one outside of Isa’s inner
circle that could have had access to
the chair. The timeframe also matches. The codes disappeared during the month
that everything started going to hell.” Maki took a deep breath, nervous. “What
if Colonel Amori told Gihron what he had done? And they have been trying to get
a Pulse Virus programmed just for this?”

“Then it’s an assassination attempt,”
Chronus stated. “It’s war.”

“But they haven’t claimed responsibility
for the attack. They probably think we don’t know.”

“We have Gihron heavily monitored,”
Chronus murmured.

“I don’t think we will ever have them
monitored enough,” Maki said, shaking his head. “I’m going to call Isa and tell
her that she needs to build her own central processor for her work NCB chair.
Who knows if anyone’s gotten to that one…”

Maki tapped his ear and told the
implanted phone to call Isa.

“What time is it?” he murmured as Isa’s
number was dialed. He glanced at the clock and his eyes went wide. “Oh…” he
turned to Chronus. “Hey, can you see yourself out? I have a call in five
minutes.”

“A call?” Chronus asked.

“Isa,” Maki said, motioning to his ear to
tell Chronus that the Golden Elite had answered. He tried to motion with his
hands, asking Chronus to leave, but the other Bronze Elite just looked at Maki,
confused.

“Chronus and I just went over the log for
your chair to figure out what happened, and we have some information that you
might want to know,” Maki said. He walked out of the room as Chronus stared
after him. “Are you sitting down?” Maki’s voice said as he walked out of the
office.

Chronus waited until Maki’s voice was
gone before he sighed heavily and started saving the information on the NCB
chair to power it down. There was a lot about Maki’s behavior that was
concerning. Even if he was expecting a call, he would not have asked Chronus to
leave. The two Bronze Elites were very close—they always had been—but Maki had
become surprisingly distant and distracted over the previous year. Chronus had
noticed the changes more than anyone else in the Syndicate.

He knew Maki was hiding something.

However, he decided to respect Maki’s
wishes.

Once the NCB chair was properly powered
down, Chronus placed the drives on the seat and started to walk to the front
door. He did not know where Umana was, but he was relieved he would not have to
deal with the nervous, shaky caretaker.

He glanced around, trying to figure out
where Maki had gone to talk to Isa. He knew that telling Isa the Pulse Virus
was related to Gihron and facilitated by Colonel Amori would upset the Golden
Elite. He figured he would stop by Anon Tower on his way home, since Isa was
likely home, and check on her.

He walked to the front door when a
high-pitched whine came to his ears.

The sound of the alarm was muffled, but
Chronus recognized it immediately. It was the sound of an NCB chair fatal
error—the same alarm that would occur if the person sitting in the chair was
attached by a Pulse Virus.

Chronus ran back to the office, knowing
that that was the only NCB chair in the home. The chair was still and silent,
powered down entirely.

However, the alarm continued to sound.

Chronus started walking through the
hallways, following the sound of the alarm until he reached Maki’s bedroom. He
knocked quietly and opened the door, even though he knew that Maki had gone
elsewhere.

The whine of the alarm was much louder in
the bedroom. The room was also a horrible mess. There were clothes strewn
across the floor with more files and parts of machines. The bed was a tangled
mess of sheets, two of the pillows thrown to the floor.

The site terrified and disturbed Chronus
greatly. Seeing the office in such a state was shocking enough, but to see that
Maki’s bedroom was also so disorderly caused Chronus’ stomach to flip. It was
not uncommon to hear of Elites suffering severe, early-onset dementia and
hallucinations. Seeing Maki’s room and office in the state they were in made
Chronus believe the worst about his closest friend.

What worried him further was the whining
emanating from the wall behind Maki’s headboard.

Chronus walked to the wall, following the
sound, his eyes glancing over the various files and drives littering the floor.
When he reached the headboard, he saw there was a very large gap between the
headboard and the rest of the bed. Crouching, he found that the headboard had
been completely removed from the frame and attached to the wall.

He pushed the pillows aside and ran his
hand along the smooth, flat headboard, searching for any sort of opening
mechanism.

Along the ridge where the bedframe had
once been attached to the headboard, there was a release tab. Pulling it,
Chronus saw a panel flip open with a number pad and a screen that was flashing
green.

Trying to keep himself from assuming the
worst, he typed in the Syndicate passcode. When that was not accepted, he tried
Maki’s other known passwords. None of the number combinations worked. Chronus
stared at the numbers for several long moments, racking his brain for the
passcode.

He turned to look at the wall, listening
to the NCB chair alarm. Being so close to the noise, there was no mistaking the
alarm. He turned his head and glanced among the files around him. One stack of
files was annotated as specification sheets for high-power generators.

Chronus knew.

He did not want to believe it, but
somehow, he knew immediately what Maki was planning.

For that reason, when he turned back to
the number pad, he knew the passcode.

1-7-3-6.

When the light flashed twice and a loud
click followed, Chronus felt his heart began to race.

1736 was a very profound code for
everyone in Isa’s Syndicate. It was the code they used whenever they discussed
Aren, a former Elite Prototype who had died horrifically when they were all in
school. Aren’s death had hit everyone who knew him very hard, but Isa had
always blamed herself for his death. It was when Aren died that Isa truly
became the leader everyone in the Syndicate knew her to be.

But as Chronus pushed the headboard
slowly into the wall to reveal the bunker, the name caused his stomach to tie
itself in knots.

Aren was synonymous with pain.

Aren was synonymous with rebellion.

Chronus walked the short distance to the
ajar metal door, allowing the shrill whine of the alarm to echo in the hall.
Chronus took a deep breath and pushed the door fully open.

The cavernous bunker was lined with
machines and computers, wires haphazardly strewn about the room, connecting
different parts. There was an enormous column of hardware that nearly touched
the ceiling. It was whirring loudly, the small screen plugged messily into the
bottom flashing with the word “error.”

In the middle of the mess of cables and
hardware was an NCB chair—Isa’s NCB
chair.

Chronus stared, listening to the alarm,
unable to process what he was seeing.

He turned to one of the computers and
looked at the screen, seeing the log of processes halted with the words
“unknown fatal error” at the bottom. Above that line were lines of code about
Venus’ main security mainframe and power supply.

“Fuck…” Chronus barely managed to
whisper.

“Chronus?” Maki called. “Chronus?!”
Maki’s voice got louder. “Shit!”

Maki ran through his room, tipping over
stacks of files, diving into the opening into the bunker and appearing at the
door, breathing hard and looking frantically around. Chronus stared at him,
shaking his head in disbelief.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?”
Maki snapped. “Did you touch anything?!”

“No.”

Maki ran to the NCB chair and unplugged
one wire before punching a few codes into the back to stop the alarm.

The silence was deafening and heavy.

Maki looked at Chronus, his heart
pounding against his ribs.

“What the fuck were you doing in here?!”
Maki snapped. “How did you get in?!”

“The alarm was going off,” Chronus said,
staring at Maki seriously. “How could I ignore it?”

“I closed the door.”

“1736,” Chronus said seriously. “Do you
really think I would forget Aren’s code?”

Maki ground his teeth together, walking
around the NCB chair and storming over to Chronus.

“You shouldn’t have come in here. I told
you to leave.”

“I knew something was wrong, Maki,”
Chronus said strongly. “A neat freak like you leaving your office like that?
Passing out at work? Tell me what is going on.”

“I don’t owe you any explanation!” Maki
snapped, shoving Chronus angrily backward. Chronus was shocked at the actions,
tripping and finding himself on the ground. “You don’t know everything about
me! You have no right to break into my room!”

Maki pushed Chronus back to the ground,
pinning him and grabbing his shoulders in a vice-grip.

“Did you touch anything?” he snarled.

Chronus stared at Maki, unable to speak.

“Maki?” he breathed.

Maki continued to glare at Chronus, his
breathing labored through his nose, his eyes filled with something Chronus had
never seen before.

Suddenly, Maki’s face softened. He
scrambled to his feet and backed away.

“Chronus…I…”

The other Elite got to his feet, staring
at Maki in horror.

“How long?”

Maki lowered his eyes to his feet.

“Three years,” he muttered. “I think when
I got into that crash on Caroie, the head trauma changed things.”

“And you never thought to say anything?”
Chronus hissed. “That you could feel emotions? Not even to me?”

Maki closed his eyes. “What was I
supposed to say?” he hissed. “Don’t you understand? I’m a degenerate now. If
Venus were to find out, she’d have me tested and killed.”

It was not until Maki said those words
that Chronus suddenly remembered what it meant to be degenerate. He glanced
around the room.

“So…all this…”

“It’s not for me,” Maki whispered.

“You’re trying to shut her down?”

Maki did not speak. He merely looked at
Chronus, his eyes speaking volumes.

“I’m calling it the Aren System,” Maki
murmured. “It’s a power generator that can operate outside of Venus’ control.”

“But it doesn’t work,” Chronus said,
nodding to the error messages around the room.

“Uh, no…that’s not the generator,” he
said. “This is the other process…the one that shuts Venus down.”

“It can’t be done, Maki.”

“Do you remember what Isa said in school?
All those things that she said needed to change for the planet and the rest of
the Altereye System to move forward? She said that Venus needed to be
destroyed.”

“Until she was made Golden Elite and she realized that we can’t shut her down.”

“That’s not the reason she stopped
trying,” Maki said quietly. “She realized that shutting her down came at a
heavier price.”

“Of course it does, that’s what I meant.
Even if you manage to get power to the major cities, communications and
defenses would remain down until we could reprogram everything, and that’s why
we can’t shut her down. You know this already.”

Maki shook his head.

“We can
shut her down.”

“No, you can’t!” Chronus snapped. “She
has power sources all over the planet and she can program herself off-planet as
well.”

“Not without her source coding.”

“And you have her source coding?”

“No, of course not,” Maki said, shaking
his head. He glanced back at the NCB chair. “But I am working on something that
will delete her source coding. A virus, actually. So far, nothing has worked.”

“How can you test this without Venus
noticing?”

“It has taken me years to get to this point. Why do you think I’m so tired all the
time? Why do you think my house is so disorganized that I barely find my
clothes in the morning?”

“You have to stop this,” Chronus said.

“No.”

“Maki, we’re on the brink of war. There
are already enough secrets in the Syndicate with Isa and her Significant, we
can’t—”

“Kailynn,”
Maki snapped. “Call her Kailynn.” Maki stared at Chronus seriously. “Isa was
right all along. Venus must be shut down. She can’t keep up with the evolving
society, that’s why the Elite generations are getting worse and worse. You
remember what a fucking moron Gattriel was, but he was the best in that generation. Humans are changing, but Elites and Venus
stay the same. On this track, everyone on this planet will die.”

Chronus stared at Maki, unable to speak.

“Isa was the first Elite to do anything
different in nearly seventeen generations of Golden Elites. She is the one
degenerate Elite that could actually change things for the better, but she
can’t do that if Venus is holding her back.”

“Venus would not have allowed Isa to live
if Isa was not going to follow the protocol of the Syndicate.”

“They almost had her terminated,” Maki
said seriously.

“When?”

“When we were fourteen,” Maki murmured.
“Venus was sure that she could not be controlled anymore. So she ordered her
execution.”

“I never heard of this.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Maki whispered.
“I looked at the school files. Two days before her execution date, Aren was
killed.”

That stopped Chronus.

“That subdued all of us,” Maki continued.
“But it also changed Isa. She knew that she had to change things from a
position of power, not from the position of a rebel. So she played Venus’ game.
And just when she was getting strong enough to take on Venus, Colonel Amori
came and ripped her apart.” Maki swallowed hard. “But Kailynn is bringing her
back. Kailynn is giving her strength that I haven’t seen in her in years.”

“…I’ve noticed, too.”

“So, now is the time to change,” Maki
breathed.

Chronus closed his eyes.

“Maki…” He took a deep breath. “What
you’re doing…all this…” he motioned to the room, “you’ll be killed.”

“I’ll be killed anyway,” Maki whispered.
“I’m a degenerate now. That’s what happens.” He took Chronus’ shoulders when
the other Elite looked away. “We’ve talked about the day without Venus for
years. We knew that if anyone could find a way to change things, it would be
Isa. We wanted this when we were certified Elite prototypes—no emotion, no
tears, no weakness, right?” Maki’s hands tightened around Chronus’ shoulders.
“Now that I’m degenerate, I see that we need
this to happen. The people are disjointed and scared, but no one talks to one
another because they are so afraid of what will be overheard, because they are
taught not to talk to one another. If we get them talking, Venus holds no power
over them.”

“And we shut her down?” Chronus asked.

“Yes,” Maki said. “For Aren, for Isa, and
Remus, for the rest of us, and for everyone who will come after us. We need to do this.”

Chronus took a deep breath and slowly let
it out.

However, he nodded.

Maki let out a breath of relief and
relaxed.

“Thank you, my friend.”

Outside the opening, Umana’s eyes were
wide with horror, his hand over his mouth as his stomach turned.

Chapter
Twenty-Five

Isa finally came home after a long,
exhausting day at the Syndicate. She spent the first part of the morning
handling political affairs and the second half of the day building her own
central processor for her NCB chair. She had forgotten the harrowing nature of
the task.

However, seeing Kailynn’s face, creased
with concentration as she worked on exercises to learn how to read and write,
the Elite’s worries seemed to disappear.

She walked to Kailynn and leaned down,
kissing her cheek.

Kailynn turned to her.

“Long day,” she noted.

“Yes,” Isa agreed with a sigh, tucking a
tendril of hair behind Kailynn’s ear.

“Are you alright?” Kailynn asked, turning
to face Isa fully. “You weren’t yourself yesterday.”

“I’m alright,” Isa assured. “Just a lot
going on at work right now.”

“Rayal said the exact same thing,”
Kailynn grumbled.

Isa smiled gently, brushing her fingers
over Kailynn’s cheek.

“I’ll tell you everything you want to
know, just not tonight. I’m tired.”

The night progressed as usual. Rayal,
though, did not join them for dinner, and Tarah was clearly disappointed. She
barely spoke at all through dinner.

When they went to bed, Kailynn climbed on
top of Isa and kissed her passionately, but the Elite smiled and slowly pulled
away from the kiss, her eyes closing.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered. “I’m
exhausted.”

“That’s alright,” Kailynn said with a
gentle smile. She leaned down and kissed the Elite once more. “I just wanted to
kiss you goodnight.”

She took her place next to Isa and closed
her eyes.

Two hours later, a beeping woke both of
them. Kailynn groaned, confused and unsure what was making the noise. Isa,
however, grabbed her phone, bolting upright.

“Elite Isa,” she answered quickly,
putting the call on speaker.

“Isa, it’s Remus,” Remus said quickly.
“We have an emergency situation. Venus has ordered Maki’s arrest.”

“What?” Isa gasped, her eyes going wide.

“Apparently, the caretaker overheard him
discussing plans to shut down Venus,” Remus said. “The data is unclear right
now, but she ordered his arrest. As soon as the Officials appeared, he ran.”

Isa was silent, her eyes wide. She stood,
grabbing her robe and slipping it on as Kailynn watched, nervous, not entirely
understanding what was happening. “Did the caretaker report him?”

“No,” Remus said. “Apparently, Umana
called Luska on his private phone. Naturally, the call was monitored. When
Umana realized the call was on record, he hung up. There’s no word on his
whereabouts, either.”

“And Maki is running?”

“The Officials just called in for a
vehicle chase. He put his car on manual and overrode all tracking devices.
They’re chasing him.” Remus hesitated. “They think he’s heading to you.”

Isa was pacing next to the bed, her eyes
on the floor, thinking.

Kailynn could only watch in silence.

“Let him come,” Isa said. “I want to talk
to him.”

“If he really was trying to shut down
Venus, he may mean to kill you,” Remus pointed out.

“You know Maki would never hurt me.”

“…no, he wouldn’t,” Remus agreed.

“I’ll call the Officials now,” Isa said.
“Thank you, Remus.”

“I’m on my way over.”

Isa hung up the phone and dialed another
number, talking to the Official dispatcher and ordering them to give Maki space
and time to get to Anon Tower. When she was met with resistance, she commanded
them to do as she bid.

She then called Rayal, asking him for the
status on Venus’ orders. Kailynn dressed nervously, watching Isa’s agitated
pacing. Rayal explained that Venus had ordered Maki’s arrest on suspicion of
treason and degeneration. Isa hesitated, confused.

“Degeneration?”

“That’s what it says,” Rayal said.

“Does she have a location on him?”

“No,” Rayal said. “Two minutes ago she
located his car near Grant’s Palace Hotel.”

“How is he avoiding the cameras?” Isa
murmured, snatching up the phone from the bed and walking into the living room,
Kailynn close behind. “Even on foot, the cameras should be able to find him.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Are all of the Syndicate Elites on
notice?”

“Yes.”

“Tell them to stay away from Anon Tower
and not to contact him,” Isa ordered, going to the bar and pressing her finger
to a sensor under the counter. One metal panel in the bar slid to the side,
revealing a control panel for Anon Tower security. “What’s the fastest way from
Grant’s Palace to Anon Tower?”

Rayal was silent as he searched the
different routes.

The door to the guest hall opened and
Tarah walked out, confused by the noise and tension in the living room. She
walked over to Kailynn.

“What’s happening?”

“Maki is under arrest,” Kailynn relayed
quietly. “He’s running from the Officials.”

“The fastest route on roads is twenty
minutes,” Rayal answered. “If he was heading to Anon Tower, he would not have
driven so far away and gone on foot back to you.”

Isa’s face lit up in realization.

“He was never in the car,” she murmured.
“Don’t let the Officials open the car. Put them on alert that Maki is armed and
dangerous.”

“You just said he wasn’t in the car,”
Rayal asked, confused.

“I need to buy time,” Isa said, punching
in codes to the security system.

“Isa, everything in Anon Tower just went
down,” Rayal gasped.

“That was me,” the Golden Elite assured.
“They’ll only be down for a moment. Can you delay the signal to Venus?”

“For one minute, at most,” Rayal said,
exasperated.

Isa walked into the kitchen, glancing at
the screens on the wall to her right. Her eyes scanned over the various images
while Kailynn and Tarah watched from the door.

“He’s in,” Isa murmured. She went back to
the bar while Kailynn and Tarah blinked at the Golden Elite in shock.

“Isa, you’re letting him in?” Tarah
asked.

“He won’t hurt me,” Isa said strongly,
crouching to the control panel again and bringing everything back online.
“Rayal, Maki is here. I’m sure Venus has already dispatched Officials and
overridden my command to not pursue him. Please get me as much time as
possible.”

“Once they are alerted and on their way,
I am also coming to Anon Tower,” Rayal said.

Isa disconnected the call and closed the
cover to the security control panel.

She turned to Kailynn and Tarah.

“Can you give me some time alone with
him?”

Tarah nodded obediently but Kailynn shook
her head.

“No, I’m not leaving.”

“Kailynn—”

“You think he won’t hurt you, but how can
you be sure?”

“We’ve known each other our entire
lives,” Isa reminded her. “I need to hear what he has to say about this.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with him.”

“Come on, Kailynn,” Tarah said, taking
her arm carefully and trying to pull her to the guest hall.

“No!”

The door alarm rang and Isa immediately
darted to let in Maki.

“I’m sorry, Isa,” Maki said, walking into
the living room as Isa followed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Tell me what is going on, Maki,” Isa
said, her voice calm. She glanced at the other two in the room. “Please, give
us some privacy.”

“It’s fine, they should hear this,” Maki
said. He was breathing hard from running and his face betraying his panic. He
swallowed hard. “It’s true.”

“Which part is true? Trying to shut her
down? Or that you’ve degenerated?”

“Both.”

Isa’s face was controlled and calm, but
she did not speak for several long seconds.

“You should have told me,” she said
quietly. “Degeneration is something that I can protect you from. Not shutting
down Venus.”

“You managed to save Remus from a death
sentence,” Maki said quietly. “But that is because he is your Silver Elite. I
am expendable. I’m just a Bronze Elite.”

“You should have told me,” Isa said
sharply. “Not try to shut her down.”

“I was working on shutting her down
before I realized I was degenerate,” Maki said. “I started this when you were
in the hospital five years ago.”

Isa stared at him, thinking over the
words carefully.

“Explain yourself.”

Maki sighed heavily and lowered his eyes.

“You wanted to shut down Venus when we
were in school,” he started.

“I was a child,” Isa said strongly. “She can’t be shut down. It will cripple
the planet beyond repair.”

“No, it won’t,” Maki said. “Not if we can
transfer power sources to new generators.”

“There is no such system.”

“I made it,” Maki explained. “The Aren
System.”

Isa was about to speak again when the
name caused her to stop. She stared at Maki in surprise, unable to form a
response. Maki nodded knowingly.

“Isa, I have always stood beside you, and
I’ve always believed in what you could do, and everything you can accomplish. I
know that you can change the planet for the better. I know that you can lead
the people through this change.”

Isa opened her mouth once more and then
stopped, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

“No…I can’t.”

“Maybe not before,” Maki admitted. He
took a step closer, looking at her with a small smile. “But you can.”

Isa’s brow furrowed as she looked at
Maki, trying to figure out the hidden meaning. When the gears in her mind
clicked, her eyes shot wide and she covered her mouth, turning away from Maki
and walking around him, thinking.

“Isa, you have to believe me,” he
started. “It’s possible.”

“Why would you do this?” Isa whispered.
“Why would you not tell me that you were doing something that would force me to
make this decision? You should have consulted me first.”

“I wasn’t sure it was even possible,”
Maki said, walking to her as she leaned on the bar, her eyes distantly staring
at the counter in thought. “You were in the hospital, and Dr. Arre explained
everything to us about what happened with Colonel Amori. When I realized what
he had done to you, I understood that Venus is the source of this planet’s
power, but it is also the biggest threat.
All it would take would be someone figuring out how to shut her down or
weaponize her, and the entire Altereye System would be doomed. You managed to
fend off one person who tried, but he found a way to weaponize your NCB chair
and almost kill you.”

Isa rubbed her forehead, closing her
eyes.

“Venus has to fall,” Maki near-growled.
“For the good of the people, for you and Kailynn, and for all of us who wish we
weren’t forbidden from being with someone.”

Isa’s eyes turned to Kailynn, who was
standing in shock to the side of the room, unable to process the situation
unfolding before her.

Isa turned back to Maki.

“I was worried about you two for a long
time,” she murmured. Maki lowered his eyes.

“There’s no reason to be worried,” he
said. “Nothing ever happened between us.”

“Did he know?” Isa pressed.

“He found out yesterday,” Maki said, his
voice quiet and filled with pain. “He had nothing to do with my actions. They
were all mine.”

Isa cupped her hands over her nose and
mouth, leaning on the bar as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“I can’t go against the arrest order,”
she whispered. “Had you not run from the Officials, I could have the treason
charges dropped. But you confirmed your own guilt by running.”

“I know,” Maki said. “And while the
Officials were driving after my programmed car, I hacked and broadcast their
radio communications. By the end of day tomorrow, it will be viral that one of
the Syndicate Elites wanted to shut down Venus.”

“Maki, how could you?” Isa snapped,
standing straight. “You are forcing me to deal with this on top of Gihron?”

“I’m forcing you to be who you are,” Maki
said. He glanced at Kailynn. “You already have the support you needed here, but
now, I’m pushing you. You said that you would change everything for the better,
then you would find a way to operate the planet without Venus. I’m helping you
achieve that goal. You made a promise to us, and you made a promise to Aren.”

Isa shook her head, closing her eyes.

“Maki…”

The Bronze Elite walked forward and
placed his hands on Isa’s shoulders.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “You were
made to do this. You were the one to break the mold of Elites. You are the one
that needs to make this transition. You know no one else will.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled
her close, hugging her tightly.

Isa hugged him back, but pulled away when
she felt him drop something into her robe pocket.

Maki nodded to her.

“I believe in you.”

A chime sounded from the kitchen and
everyone turned.

“It’s either Remus or the Officials,”
Maki said. “There is something I need you to do for me, Isa.”

Isa stared at Maki, feeling worry settle
into her gut.

“Yes, I have put you in a very difficult
position, but I am also going to give you a means to contain it until you are
ready to use it to your advantage.”

He walked to the bar and opened a drawer,
reaching into the back as Isa darted to stop him.

“Maki, no.”

“It’s going to happen eventually,” Maki
said, pulling out the gun that he knew was in the drawer. “I’m not as strong as
you. You know I would fail the degeneration tests and I would become a lab rat
for months before they finally killed me. They can extract a lot of information
from me while I’m alive.”

Isa made a grab for the gun as Kailynn
started forward, terrified that Maki would turn the weapon on Isa.

Maki moved the gun away for a moment
before turning it around in his hand and holding it out for Isa.

She grabbed it quickly and backed away
from Maki.

“I don’t want to be tortured, Isa,” Maki
said. “And you need to be the leader of the planet and protect its people from
the degenerate Elite that wants to shut down Venus.” Maki took a step toward
Isa. “You don’t have much time.”

“I won’t do it,” Isa said, shaking her
head. “I won’t kill you.”

“Why not?” Maki took another step
forward. “I’m very dangerous. I’m a degenerate, and I have information on how
to shut down Venus.”

“Because I’m not a murderer,” Isa said
coldly.

Maki let out a broken chuckle.

“Oh, right,” he looked at Isa with a
twisted smile, “I forgot.”

Isa ground her teeth together, her hand
tightening on the gun.

“You better hurry,” he said. “The Elites
might know about you and Kailynn, but the Officials do not.”

Isa quickly turned to look at Kailynn, as
if it just occurred to her that her relationship with Kailynn was forbidden.

Another soft chime rang through the
house, stating that the elevator doors had opened to her floor.

Isa quickly walked around the bar and
shot the door controls twice, sealing it temporarily.

“Maki, get out of here. Use the back exit
in the entertainment room.”

“I’m not running, Isa,” Maki said,
shaking his head. He turned to look around him. “There is nowhere for me to
run.”

“We’ll figure it out. I’ll find a way—”

“Isa,” Maki snapped, cutting her off,
“you have enough secrets as it is. I’ve served my purpose and fulfilled my duty
to you, both as a colleague and as a friend.”

There was rapid knocking on the door and
several loud voices yelled Isa’s name.

“Maki, we don’t have time to argue about
this!” Isa walked to Maki and grabbed his wrist, starting to pull him away.

Maki reached to the bar and grabbed a
wine glass. He broke the glass against Isa’s collarbone, some shards flying to
her face and neck, slicing open her skin. She immediately released in him shock
as Kailynn darted forward.

However, before Kailynn could get between
the two, Isa’s other hand lashed out and the gun struck Maki across the face,
disorienting him.

Kailynn shoved Maki away, forcing him to
the ground and punching him in the jaw.

“Kailynn! Stop!” Isa bellowed.

Maki’s hand locked around Kailynn’s neck
and he lifted the broken stem of the wine glass, slashing her chest enough to
draw blood, but not enough to be a fatal injury.

Tarah ran forward when she heard
Kailynn’s pained yell.

Maki pulled Kailynn down and rolled from
under her, forcing her face to the floor as he straddled her back, one of his knees
pinning her left arm as her right arm flailed wildly in defense. Maki grabbed
her wrist and pinned it to her back as he held the bloodied glass to her neck.

Everything was still as Isa and Tarah
stared in horror. The yelling and banging of the Officials was getting louder
as they tried to pry open the disabled door.

“Come on, Isa,” Maki challenged, pressing
the glass deeper into Kailynn’s skin, causing her to let out a pained cry. “You
want me to kill her?”

Kailynn managed to glance at Maki and saw
Isa pointing the gun at him, her eyes hard and dark.

“Don’t you dare harm her,” she growled.

“Make sure that I can’t.”

Maki kept his eyes locked with Isa. He
quickly pulled the glass across Kailynn’s neck and shoulder. Kailynn screamed
in pain and a single gunshot sounded, making Kailynn’s ears ring before a heavy
weight fell on her.

“Elite Isa! Respond!” the Officials
yelled on the other side of the door.

“Get out of the way!” Remus’ angry voice
bellowed.

Kailynn tried rolling out from under Maki,
but Tarah had to help her push the Elite off to free her.

“Come on!” Tarah gasped, grabbing
Kailynn’s arm and hauling her to her feet, pulling her into Isa’s room just
before Remus forced the door aside with his altered strength and Officials
swarmed the living room.

Remus looked at Isa and saw her staring
at Maki’s lifeless form on the ground, the gun still in her hand.

“Isa.”

She quickly lifted her head and the gun,
pointing it at Remus, though her hand was shaking. The Officials turned their
guns on her, startled and confused.

“It’s alright, Isa,” Remus assured,
lifting his hands peacefully, looking over the cuts on Isa’s skin and the blood
that stained her robe. “You’re safe.”

He looked at Maki, trying to keep his
mind clear as he took in the situation. Seeing one of his closest friends dead
on the ground brought back horrific memories and made his chest tighten.

Isa’s eyes also dropped to Maki and the
gun lowered.

She dropped the weapon to her feet and
let out a long, shaky breath. She backed away from Maki’s dead body and Remus
ran to her taking her face in his hands.

“Look at me,” he said quickly. Isa’s eyes
half closed and her body started to relax. “Isa, look at me. Stay here. Stay
with me.”

Isa’s eyes barely opened enough to look at
Remus.

“You did not do anything wrong,” he said.
“You protected yourself.”

Isa pushed his hands away and turned
around. She walked to the wall and pressed her head against it, taking slow,
deep breaths.

The Officials moved forward and looked at
the dead Bronze Elite, startled at the accuracy of the single shot to his
forehead.

Tarah had just finished cleaning the
large wound on Kailynn’s chest as the Significant sat on the vanity in Isa’s
bathroom when the Golden Elite appeared. Remus followed, though he remained in
the doorway, silent.

Kailynn quickly hopped off the vanity and
walked to the Elite.

“Kailynn, I still have to wrap those,”
Tarah said quietly, her eyes resting on the Golden Elite.

Kailynn ignored the caretaker, taking
Isa’s face in her hands. The Elite’s eyes raised to Kailynn’s face, but
remained half-lidded in exhaustion. Kailynn was surprised at the shut-off look
in Isa’s eyes. They were darker than she had ever seen them before—the look
scared her.

“Miss, I’ll clean those wounds,” Tarah
said slowly, approaching the Golden Elite.

“Kailynn,” Remus called, motioning her to
him. She glanced at the Silver Elite and then back at Isa. She ran her thumb
over the Golden Elite’s cheek and then slowly, painfully, pulled away from Isa,
walking to Remus, throwing glances back at Isa as Tarah carefully led her
toward the vanity.

She finally met Remus’ eyes.

“Isa is not going to handle this well,”
Remus whispered.

“I don’t know of anyone that would.”

“Any normal Elite would not have a
problem moving past this,” Remus disagreed. “However, Isa is no normal Elite,
and she has been through severe trauma in the past. This is going to be very
difficult for her.”

Kailynn glanced at Isa once more. The
Golden Elite’s eyes were lost in the tile on the floor. She did not even flinch
as Tarah cleaned the cuts along her neck.

“Do not leave her alone,” Remus said
strongly, causing the Significant to turn back to him. Remus was also looking
at Isa. “It’s not safe to leave her by herself.”

“What about when she goes to the
Syndicate?”

“She’s not going to work tomorrow,” Remus
said. “I’ve already called Paul. He’ll be in touch with her tomorrow and decide
her treatment.”

“Treatment?”

“Elites aren’t like humans,” Remus
reminded her. “She’s going to need immediate attention to process everything
that happened here tonight. Paul will help.”

Kailynn swallowed hard, letting out a
shaky breath.

“I don’t understand what happened,
either,” she admitted. “It happened very fast.”

“It did,” Remus agreed. He sighed heavily
and fixed Kailynn with a stern look. “Swear to me that you will not leave her
alone.”

“I won’t,” she assured. “I’ll stay with
her.”

Remus nodded once and approached Isa. He
placed a hand on her shoulder and ducked his head down to look Isa in the eye.
The Golden Elite did not respond for two seconds. She then turned her head to
him, as if just noticing his presence.

“I’m leaving,” he said quietly.

Isa’s hand latched onto Remus’ wrist, her
eyes conflicted.

“Do you want me to stay?”

She nodded quickly.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll stay in the
guest wing.” He took her hand and squeezed it. “I’ll deal with the Officials,
okay? I’ll be here in the morning.”

He backed away from Isa and Kailynn tried
not to be hurt by the way Isa’s hand followed his. As Remus left the bathroom,
Kailynn walked to Tarah and Isa. She waited for Tarah to finish wiping down the
cuts with antiseptic before she placed one hand on Isa’s face, turning her
head.

Isa’s eyes met hers again.

Kailynn’s chest tightened in pain.

Isa’s eyes dropped to the bandaged wound
on Kailynn’s shoulder and the uncovered one on her chest. Slowly, as if moving
through water, Isa reached up, her fingers hovering over the cut. Kailynn took
Isa’s fingers in her hand and lifted them to her mouth, kissing the fingertips.

Tarah finished treating Isa’s cuts and
placing the clear, liquid bandage over the largest wounds. She then turned her
attention back to the cut on Kailynn’s chest.

When they were both treated to the best
of Tarah’s ability, she excused herself, trying to keep her tears at bay. When
she walked out into the living room, she saw the Officials walking next to the
sheet-covered body on the gurney as they left. By the bar, Rayal and Remus were
quietly discussing what had happened.

“Tarah,” Rayal said when he saw her. He
hugged her tightly. She was unable to keep her tears back and began crying into
his chest, shaking and shivering. “It’s alright. It’s over.”

Tarah shook her head.

Rayal rubbed Tarah’s shoulder and back,
trying to comfort her.

Remus stood silently by the bar, his eyes
glancing at Isa’s bedroom door several times. He had to grip the edge of the
bar counter to keep himself from going in to be sure Isa was alright. As much
as he wanted to comfort Isa, he knew it was no longer his place. The trauma
they shared would make the situation worse, and Remus knew that. The way Isa
pushed him away earlier in the evening hurt more than he was willing to admit,
but it told him that he was no longer the one Isa needed.

“It’s not over…” Tarah hiccupped as she
backed away from Rayal. He kept his arms around her, worried about her shaking.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s like before…” she choked. “The look
in her eyes. She’s shut down. Just like with Colonel Amori.”

Rayal looked over Tarah’s tear-streaked
face, his mind turning over the words. Unable to say anything in response, he
pulled her back into a hug and turned to Remus. The Silver Elite closed his
eyes and dropped his head, unsure what to say, either.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

Kailynn fell asleep again only one hour
before the sun rose. Isa had fallen asleep earlier, but Kailynn remained awake,
looking over her face, worried about the distant and cold look she had seen on
the Golden Elite.

She slept uneasily and woke after
sleeping only two hours.

Isa was not in the bed.

Kailynn leapt out of bed and darted into
the bathroom. Isa was showering, but she was sitting against the wall under the
spray, her head down, her knees tucked into her chest.

Kailynn opened the shower door and walked
in, hissing at the scorching temperature. Trying to ignore it, she kneeled next
to Isa and pulled some wet hair out of her face. Isa turned her head. Her eyes
were still cold and dark, but she was moving at a normal pace, which eased
Kailynn’s mind a little.

She sat next to the Elite and took her
hand, entwining their fingers.

They sat in silence for what felt like an
eternity.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions…”
Isa finally murmured.

“I do.”

“Maki…” Isa trailed off.

“He was trying to shut down Venus,”
Kailyn completed. “I thought you said it wasn’t possible, but it sounds like he
made something that could let you do it.”

“Just the power supply,” Isa said, her
eyes distant. “That means we could get power to the cities and shorten the time
to reprogram the planet, but only if she were shut down entirely.”

“And that’s not possible?”

“…anything is possible,” she whispered.
Kailynn looked at Isa in surprise, trying to discern the Elite’s tone.

“You wanted to shut her down when you
were in school?” Kailynn asked. Isa nodded slowly.

“The numbers proved that it was the best
thing for the planet,” Isa said, her voice monotone and even. “Statistics show
that the longer she is in power, the bigger the social gap becomes.” The Golden
Elite sighed heavily. “They make one hundred Elites every six years,” she
explained. “For the first generations of Elites, it was not uncommon for a
Syndicate to remain in power for over a decade. That meant that two generations
of Elites were made and not chosen to participate in the Syndicate. And, of the
generations where there was a Syndicate turnover, only fifteen Elites were
chosen, leaving eighty-five Elites without Syndicate work.”

Isa turned to look at Kailynn seriously.

“These Elites outside of the Syndicate
take the highest-paying jobs in society. If an Elite and a human were
interviewed for the same job, and Elite would always get the position. They
work harder, they are smarter and learn faster, they have no emotions, and they
don’t exhaust the same as a human. For this reason, the humans moved around the
planet in an attempt to get out of the job market where Elites dominated, but
the Elites started moving around the planet as well, because Elites don’t get
fired or replaced the same way humans do.”

“But Dr. Busen is a human, isn’t he?”

“His father was an Elite,” Isa said. “He
had connections that allowed him to study and be employed in Elite Specialty
Studies.”

“I thought Elites couldn’t have
families.”

“Syndicate Elites are forbidden,” Isa
affirmed. “And even outside of the Syndicate, only male Elites have the ability
to have children. Female Elites are barren.”

Kailynn was surprised by the news. But,
as she thought about it, she had never noticed Isa having a menstrual cycle.

“But the planet became so accustomed to
hiring Elites that, now, it’s standard to have an Elite employee for positions
even if there are human candidates. The problem with that is the same problem
with Venus. Humans continue to innovate and change things, it’s part of their
makeup. They’re creative. Technologies are evolving and changing constantly,
but none of those technologies are used when creating Elites. Venus has not
changed her practices or her methods since she took power. Humans have
evolved—Elites and Venus have stayed the same. In the process, the Elites
outside of the Syndicate are causing a severe imbalance in the economy, even as
the number of degenerate Elites skyrocket. That’s forcing humans lower and
lower in the classes, until they finally reach Trid.”

Isa chuckled brokenly, shaking her head.

“And in Trid, it’s amazing, but humanity
starts to show itself again.”

“You clearly haven’t spent much time in
Trid,” Kailyn said.

“You heard what Venus said, when she saw
those children playing,” Isa said, looking at Kailynn. “Unity is possible. Humans communicate in Trid, they form bonds,
they help one another, they look out for one another, they fight for one
another. That’s not how it works in Anon.” Isa closed her eyes and leaned her
head back on the shower wall. “And Venus doesn’t realize that the more she
fights against the change, the larger the problem becomes. The Trid population
is growing, and it won’t be long until the Trid population is large enough to
stage a revolution.”

“…you really believe that Trid could
overthrow Anon?” Kailynn asked skeptically.

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head.
“Because rebellion is met with violence. It always has been. Revolution has to
happen from a much higher position.”

They fell silent again as Kailynn thought
over Isa’s words.

“A position like yours?” Kailynn
whispered.

Isa nodded.

Kailynn’s fingers tightened on Isa’s
hand.

“Who was Aren?”

Isa swallowed hard.

“Aren…was a very good friend of mine, of
ours, everyone in the Syndicate knew him.” Isa took a deep breath. “In school,
we were very rebellious. I’m not sure how we managed to survive, to be honest.
My execution was ordered, and when I learned of it, I figured I would at least
let my death send a message. One night, Aren and I broke into the school’s
mainframe and began downloading the security tapes of the Elite prototypes
being beaten at the Academy. We were about to upload them on a constant
broadcast in Anon when we were caught.”

Isa lifted a hand to her head, her eyes
tightening.

“They began beating us, harder than we
had ever been beaten before,” she continued, her voice quiet. “But they stopped
beating me…to this day I don’t understand why. And they held me down and forced
me to watch Aren be beaten. I remember screaming at them, telling them that they
were killing him, but they didn’t stop.”

Isa paused, her hand dropping from her
face.

“When they finally stopped, Aren was…”
Isa shook her head. “He was making these horrible sounds…I can’t even describe
them. All I could do was watch him die.”

Kailynn stared in horror at Isa as she
recounted the story.

“Needless to say, that changed a lot of
things,” Isa murmured. “I was afraid to continue rebelling, so I stayed quiet
for a while. The death sentence was taken off my head, and I was appointed to
the Syndicate. When I was inaugurated, I made a promise to everyone in the
Syndicate that we would fight to make the planet better, but we would do it
intelligently, never forgetting what happened to Aren, because we never wanted
anyone, Elite or human, to be treated like that for standing up for themselves,
or for trying to change things for the better.”

Kailynn moved away from Isa’s side,
kneeling in front of her. Isa looked at her, her eyes tired.

“But I never kept that promise,” she
whispered. “I tried…I really did. But I got tired, and then…”

Her eyes went unfocused.

“Colonel Amori?” Kailynn asked quietly.

Isa nodded slowly.

“What did he do to you?”

Isa shook her head quickly.

“I can’t talk about it.”

“…okay.”

Isa closed her eyes.

“I don’t know what to do,” she breathed.
“I don’t know how to handle what Maki has done…or what I’ve done…”

Kailynn took Isa’s face in her hands,
looking at her seriously.

“Maki would not want you backing away
from this,” she said. “I didn’t know him, and I didn’t know Aren, or anything
that has happened in the past that made you lose sight of what you wanted, but
he believed in you enough to go against Venus entirely. Clearly, he knew you
would figure out what you needed to do, whatever that was.”

Kailynn leaned forward and kissed the
Golden Elite gently. She backed away and her thumbs ran over Isa’s cheeks.

“You’re unlike anything else on this
planet,” she said with a small smile. “Don’t try to change that. Be exactly
what you are.”

Isa closed her eyes, lowering her head.

“I don’t know what that is,” she
murmured.

Kailynn pushed Isa’s head up and looked
at her seriously.

“Yes, you do.”

The house was quite full that morning.
Rayal and Remus had both stayed at Anon Tower—Rayal to watch over Tarah and
Remus at Isa’s request. Isa seemed surprised when she saw the number of people
in the living room. She spared a glance at the floor near the bar, but quickly
turned away, relieved that Remus distracted her.

He pulled her into a quick hug that had
Kailynn scowling.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head.

“Paul called this morning,” Remus said.
“He’ll be here soon.”

Isa could only nod, looking at the
worried faces around her.

“Does everyone in the Syndicate know?”

“Don’t worry about that right now.”

“Then everyone knows,” she concluded.
“And the people? Have they heard about it?”

“…I’m afraid so,” Rayal admitted.

“How viral is it?”

“Considerably,” Rayal admitted. “But the
information is splintered and very few reports are remotely close to the truth.
Many are saying that he went insane.”

“That’s the best report for damage
control,” Remus added. “If we say that he went insane, then we can discount his
treason against Venus as mad ravings and that there is no means to shut her
down.”

Isa let out a broken chuckle.

“You want to lie?”

Remus blinked at the Golden Elite.

“What are you talking about?”

“Maki created a backup power system,” Isa
said. “I don’t know the details, of course, but he said he created a system—the
Aren System.”

“…do you think he actually did?” the
Silver Elite breathed.

“I don’t know,” Isa sighed. “I’m not sure
I want to know. That’s only a small part of attempting to shut down Venus, and
you know that.”

Remus lowered his head.

“Then he didn’t find a way to save your
life?”

“What?” Kailynn said quickly, turning to
Isa.

“Isa?” Rayal asked, his eyes wide.

“Well done, Remus,” Isa said dryly,
turning away from the group and walking into the kitchen. Everyone followed.

“What is he talking about?” Kailynn
demanded.

“The reason we never shut down Venus is
because we knew she would die,” Remus said.

“Are you trying to get a treason charge
put on your head as well?” Isa asked sharply, glaring at Remus. “You can’t
reveal these sorts of things.”

“I’m trying to understand how far Maki
got in figuring out how to remove her.”

“Remus! There is no way to destroy her!”
Isa snapped, rounding on him after grabbing a bottle of water. “Accept it!”

Everyone in the doorway of the kitchen
went silent, staring at the Golden Elite. Isa sighed heavily and leaned against
the counter of the kitchen.

“Look,” she said slowly, “I know that we
always discussed taking down Venus, but I’m more concerned about Gihron
breathing down my neck and threatening war. Taking down Venus when things are
this unstable in the Altereye System would be suicidal. No one in the Alliance
would come to our aid, not once Venus is shut down. They wouldn’t know how to
respond. And I doubt that Maki found a way to shut her down without killing me,
so you would be the one to lead the people through a war with Gihron and a
planetary reform that would likely kill half the population of the planet.”

Isa took a deep drink of water, closing
her eyes and letting out a long breath.

“That’s it, then?” Remus asked.

Isa shrugged, her eyes averted to the
floor.

“We have to submit to the reality of the
situation.”

Remus stared at Isa.

“You’re doing it again,” he whispered.

“Doing what?” Isa challenged.

Remus shook his head and turned away,
walking out of the kitchen.

Isa sighed heavily and took another drink
of water.

“Isa,” Kailynn said, stepping forward,
“he’s just trying to understand. We want to help you, no matter what you
decide.”

“You can start by getting off my back
about making decisions,” Isa
near-growled, walking out of the kitchen, pushing past a surprised Kailynn and
speechless Rayal and Tarah.

“Isa,” Kailynn called after her, walking
back into the living room once more. When the Golden Elite did not answer,
continuing to walk toward the balcony doors, Kailynn felt her own anger swell.
“Isa!”

“What, Kailynn?” Isa groaned, turning
around, her eyes cold.

“How dare you treat us like this?” she
snapped. “We’re just trying to help!”

“How do you expect to help?” Isa snarled.
“What do you know about any of this?”

“I know that there is something about
this that you’re not telling me, because you are so fucking defensive, it’s
clear you’re hiding something.”

Isa spread her arms, her tone going dark.

“But apparently, you all know more about
me than I do, because I’m not acting as I should, or as I once did, or however
the fuck you think I should act!”

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Kailynn,” Remus said, quickly walking up
to her, “don’t push it. She’s impossible to talk to when she’s like this.”

Isa’s arms lowered.

“When I’m like what?”

“When you are trying to act like an
Elite,” Remus said sharply.

“I am
an Elite, which is more than I can say for you.”

Tarah turned away, lifting her hands to
her cover her nose and mouth. Rayal walked over to her and hugged her once
more.

“It will be alright,” he assured.

“You really are going to let this happen
again?” Remus growled. “You’re going to start pulling this shit once more? You
feel guilty and hurt, so you need to push everyone away? Isa, we’re not going
anywhere.”

“You don’t know the first thing about how
I feel!”

A chime at the door caused everyone to turn
as a man walked into the home.

Kailynn’s eyes shot wide and she found
herself staring, unable to look away.

The man who walked through the door was
the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life. He was tall with thick,
wavy brown hair pulled away from his sharp features. His eyes were a stunning
dark blue and his jaw was sharp and defined. His well-built frame was accented
in just the right way by his professional suit. Kailynn continued to stare,
unable to immediately take in the stunning good looks the man possessed.

“Sounds like I arrived just in time,” he
chuckled, his voice calm, but strong. His white teeth were also perfect as he
smiled gently. “Isa, perhaps it would be better if you only spoke to me today.”

Isa groaned and turned away, walking out
onto the balcony as the man stepped further into the room, setting down his
briefcase on the coffee table.

“Paul,” Remus greeted, letting out a
relieved sigh. He shook the doctor’s hand, shaking his head. “She’s doing it
again. It’s the exact same thing she did when Colonel Amori was here.”

“Well, the situations are quite similar,”
Paul said. “She’s trying to protect herself.”

“They’re not similar.”

“Yes, they are,” Paul disagreed with a
gentle smile. “She did something against her duty to protect the few she
loves.” The doctor turned his vivid blue eyes on Kailynn. She felt weak in the
knees, her cheeks flushing. She had to turn away. He was too handsome to bear.

“Yes. Kailynn, this is Dr. Paul Arre, the
leading doctor in Elite Psychology,” Remus introduced. “Paul, this is Kailynn.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of you,” Paul said,
extending a hand, his palm up.

Slowly, trying to keep from shaking, she
took his hand, but was startled when he leaned down and kissed the back of her
hand. When he backed away, Kailynn was worried he would hear her heart
pounding.

“You may call me Paul.”

“O-okay,” she said meekly, her eyes
averted.

“Whatever Isa said to you, or if she said
anything that hurt you, I want you to try and disregard it,” he said. “Elites
have a complicated way of defending themselves psychologically. What happened
last night opened many wounds from five years ago. You know about that, yes?”

“Uh, no, not exactly,” Kailynn said. “A
little bit.”

“I see,” Paul said, his eyes were looking
over the cuts on Kailynn’s shoulder and chest. “Michael really should look at
those,” he said, motioning to the injuries.

“Tarah treated them,” Kailynn said,
shaking her head.

“Yes, but I would feel better if he took
a look at them.”

“You should go see Isa first,” Kailynn
said quietly, glancing at the balcony where the Elite was leaning against the
railing.

Paul glanced at her as he touched his ear
to activate his phone.

“She’ll need to cool off a bit before she
listens to anything I have to say,” he chuckled lightly. “Michael Busen.” He
turned to his briefcase and opened it, revealing a few glass bottles and
syringes. “Michael, it’s me,” he said when the other doctor answered the phone.
“What does your schedule look like today?”

He listened to the other man as he pulled
out a few bottles, setting them on the table.

“I see, but you’re planning to come over
here?” He unwrapped a syringe. “Well, Kailynn has a few cuts. I didn’t get a
good look at Isa’s wounds before she stormed out to the balcony.” He chuckled
brokenly. “About as well as you’d expect,” he answered, dipping the syringe
into one bottle and pulling back the plunger. “I’m going to give her a mild
sedative, so she’ll probably be more cooperative when you get here.”

He laughed again.

“Okay, thank you. Bye.”

He tapped his ear again and unwrapped
another syringe.

“You’re going to drug her?” Kailynn
asked, surprised.

“Do you want to deal with her as she is
now?” Paul asked with a smile. “Don’t worry, it’s just a way to get her to calm
down. If we can keep her quiet for a day or so, she’ll start to feel better.
She’s too spun up right now.”

He filled the second syringe and returned
the bottles to his briefcase.

“I’m going out there,” he said. “I don’t
know how long we’ll be, but I suggest you don’t come out. I’ll bring her in
when she’s doing a little better. Michael is will be coming around in an hour
or two to look at both of your wounds.”

“Thank you, Paul,” Remus said quietly.

The tall, handsome doctor flashed his smile
once more and nodded.

“You probably should make an appointment,
too,” he said with a chuckle. Remus smiled as well.

“Probably.”

Paul went out to the balcony, Kailynn’s
eyes following him.

“That’s
Paul?” she asked, her eyes widening again.

“Yes,” Remus said, confused. “Why are you
surprised?”

“Hey,” Rayal said, snapping his fingers
in front of Tarah’s face, forcing her to look away from Dr. Arre as he stood
next to Isa outside.

“Huh?”

“Why are you staring at him?” Rayal
asked.

“Why wouldn’t
I?” Tarah breathed.

The week after Maki’s death was rough on
everyone in Isa’s home. Dr. Busen had arrived a half-hour after Paul had left
and double-checked their wounds, though he said that they were properly treated
and complimented Tarah’s work. He also gave the sleeping Isa a short medical
exam, checking her blood pressure and heart rate—“just to be sure,” he said.

Remus stayed for only two days before he
returned to the Syndicate. Isa started to come around by the middle of the
week, though her eyes still remained dark and she seemed uninterested in
eating. Paul came over every day and they went to the balcony and spoke alone,
sometimes for hours, while Kailynn waited impatiently inside.

Even though she tried to let go of the
way Isa acted the day after Maki’s death, Isa’s actions startled and confused
her so much that Kailynn found herself becoming angrier. On the fourth day of
Paul’s visit, when Isa came into the living room once more, she sighed heavily
and sat on the couch next to Kailynn. Paul excused himself quietly.

“Kailynn,” Isa started, turning to face
the younger woman. Kailynn looked at the Elite, her jaw clenching to be sure
she would not yell at Isa out of frustration. “I want to apologize.”

“Good.”

“I’m trying to get my thoughts straight,”
Isa whispered, flinching away from the sharp tone of Kailynn’s voice. “I killed
one of my best friends four days ago,” she murmured, her eyes dropping. “I keep
trying to think of ways I could have acted that would have saved his life. I
feel so guilty, it physically hurts.”

“I thought Elites couldn’t feel emotion,”
Kailynn noted.

“…they can’t,” Isa affirmed. “When an
Elite can, they’re considered degenerate. And that’s what Maki would have been
killed for.”

“…are you?”

“According to all the tests I’ve been
through, no, I’m not a degenerate,” Isa said. “They can’t figure out what’s
wrong with me.” The Golden Elite looked at Kailynn seriously. “I am sorry if I
hurt you. I’m just very confused and worried about everything going on right
now. I did not mean to lash out.”

Kailynn took a deep breath.

“Don’t push me away, Isa,” she said. “You
and I are both risking everything just by being together. If we can’t depend on
each other, there is no reason to be risking our lives like this.”

Isa sighed, lowering her eyes.

“You’re right.”

“If you do that to me again, I’m going to
call you out on your bullshit,” Kailynn warned.

“I would hope so,” Isa said with a smile.

The following day, Isa returned to work,
as did Rayal and Kailynn.

Kailynn never thought she would enjoy
working with the Syndicate Intelligence Agency, and she did struggle with her
limited reading and writing abilities, but she was learning quickly, and she
started to enjoy working for Rayal, even if most of the time she was only
running errands.

Things seemed to be returning to normal,
slowly.

Kailynn never asked how the other Elites
were handling Maki’s death. She did not want to bring up that night. It had
frightened her, and she could see the way Isa’s eyes darkened whenever it was
discussed. The wounds were too fresh to be immediately addressed.

However, a week after Maki was killed,
there was a crash reported in Trid that put the entire Syndicate on alert and
turned the attention away from Maki.

Kailynn came back from dropping off files
at the various desks of the other employees and saw Rayal staring pensively at
the screen.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Do you know the area around Raizen Lake
in Trid?” he asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“There was a drone that crashed there
about an hour ago,” he said pointing to the red dot flashing on his screen.

“A drone? Like a spy?”

“Possibly,” he admitted. “I need you to
come with me. I don’t know the area.”

“The lake is huge,” Kailynn said, walking
closer to the screen. “Where is the Walking District on this?”

Rayal pointed.

“So it was close to the Walking
District,” she noted. “Does that mean it was
a spy drone?”

“The only way to find out is to retrieve
it,” Rayal said, standing.

They drove silently to the border of the
Walking District, where Rayal parked the car and the two joined the tourists on
the streets, walking with their heads down and glasses covering their faces,
trying not to be noticed.

Kailynn led the way into Trid, ducking
into an alley that allowed them to slip carefully past the border patrol.

Once in Trid, Rayal turned to Kailynn,
following her lead.

“Isa apologized?”

Kailynn dropped her gaze and nodded
slowly.

“Yeah…”

“You don’t seem to have accepted her
apology,” he noted.

“I have,” she said. “I just wish I knew
what the hell was going on half the time. I feel like she doesn’t trust me.”

“She trusts you,” Rayal assured.

“Then why won’t she tell me what happened
with Colonel Amori?” Kailynn snapped. “She’s dealing with Gihron again, right?
Wasn’t he from Gihron?”

“He was,” Rayal said with a nod.

“Then I feel like I should know.”

“I agree,” Rayal murmured. “But I can’t
tell you everything she endured, because I don’t know. She never told me
everything. She never told Remus, either. I’m sure Paul and Dr. Busen are the
only two who know.”

“Then what did he do to you?” Kailynn pressed.

Rayal closed his eyes briefly.

“He poisoned me,” he said simply.

“Poisoned
you?”

“Slowly, over the course of four months,
or so,” Rayal said. “He was trying to take over the planet, and he knew the
only way to do that was to have complete control over Isa. So, he made sure to
manipulate everything he could to ensnare Isa in a trap. She was being
blackmailed by the time she realized what he was doing.” Rayal took a deep
breath. “I didn’t realize what was happening, either. I just started to feel
ill and it kept getting worse. I would lose hours of the day. I would just
black out. I didn’t realize until it was far too late…until the damage was
already done.”

“What damage?”

“You thought Isa was bad last week?”
Rayal said, looking at Kailynn with his eyebrows high. “Imagine her acting like
that all day, every day, for months, and you have no idea why. You try to ask her what’s wrong, and she just…pushes
you away. I didn’t realize that Colonel Amori was the reason until…”

“Until what?”

“Until I saw him…” Rayal hesitated,
“standing behind her as she looked into my hospital room. He was whispering to
her and I had never seen her look so afraid.”

Kailynn dropped her eyes to the ground as
well, looking up only briefly to be sure that they were going in the right
direction.

“You just have to understand that, when
she does that, it’s because she’s trying to protect you, and herself.”

“Can Isa feel emotions? Or not?” Kailynn demanded.

“According to the doctors, no, she
can’t,” Rayal said seriously. “She’s passed every degenerate test they have. No
one has been able to figure out why she acts the way she does, like she’s…”

“Human?”

“Yes.”

Kailynn sighed heavily and shook her
head.

“I just wish she would talk to me,” she
said. “I’m starting to feel useless, like I’m just around for decoration.”

“No, not at all,” Rayal said strongly. “I
wish I could say something that would make you feel better, because I know how
scary and confusing it is when she’s like that. But I can only tell you that
she cares for you very deeply. And you are the best thing that has happened to
her in…who knows how long.”

Kailynn sighed once more and dropped the
subject.

It was another ten minutes before they
reached the general area where the drone crashed. Among the dilapidated
buildings with broken windows and crumbling foundations, it was hard to
determine where the drone had crashed.

Rayal pulled out a hand-held sensor.

They followed the signal into one
building and up three floors, finding the small, round drone sparking
sporadically on the ground.

“That’s what a drone looks like?” Kailynn
asked as Rayal pocketed the sensor again.

“Yes.”

“Those things crash here all the time.”

“They do?” Rayal asked, turning to
Kailynn quickly.

“Yes, at least four times a year,
sometimes more.”

“For how long?”

“I dunno…at least the last three to four
years.”

Rayal turned back to the drone, looking
it over carefully as he circled it.

“And they look exactly like this one?”

“Yeah,” Kailynn said. “Spy drones have
been in Trid for years?”

“This isn’t a spy drone,” Rayal said,
crouching on one side of it. “It’s a router drone.”

“A what?”

“These haven’t been in use in decades,”
Rayal said. “I’ve never actually seen one operational.” He reached into his
pocket and pulled out gloves. “They’re…something of a transmitter. They pick up
a paired signal and move to a location closer to where the owner wants it
broadcasted. This is ancient technology at this point.”

“Could someone change it to do something
else?”

“I doubt it,” Rayal said, reaching into
one of the fractured pieces and pulling out one wire. The small, glowing light
faded immediately. “We’ll take it back to the office and have it examined. We
should also tell Isa once we know for sure what it does.”

Kailynn had never been to the Syndicate
Building before, and her eyes continued to wander as she tried to keep up with
Rayal. The building was a towering structure of glass and metal, filled with
light. The first floor held small offices where robots were taking and
directing calls. The second floor, the floor where Rayal and Kailynn got off
the elevator, was open and spacious where a hallway led into a cavernous room
of computers, with monitors and screens that lined the walls for five stories,
different images flashing across different screens. There were three Elites in
that room, focused on their tasks as they moved around the different computers.

Kailynn had to jog to catch up with Rayal
as he approached an elevator on the other side of the room. Through the glass
doors, she looked over the immense control room, seeing the glass-walled
offices with walkways overlooking the large room.

They stopped at the top floor of the
control room and exited immediately to Isa’s office door. It opened
automatically for them and Kailynn looked around eagerly.

Isa’s office was mostly bare. There were
two tables stacked high with files and removable drives. One desk near the
balcony doors had a personal terminal on it that was hibernating with the
screensaver of the Syndicate crest rotating on it. In the middle of the room
was a large NCB chair, even larger than the one Isa had at Anon Tower. Opposite
the desk was a small seating area with black couches and a coffee table.

Isa was sitting there, Paul across from
her, and a creature Kailynn had never seen before sitting next to Isa, its
front legs over her legs. Its head lifted and turned to those who entered the
office, ears perking up.

“Kailynn, Rayal,” Isa greeted.

“What is that?” Kailynn asked, her eyes
fixed on the creature.

“It’s a dog,” Paul answered with a
stunning smile. Kailynn was not sure how one human could be so good-looking.
His appearance rivaled that of an Elite. “You probably have never seen one
before.”

“They’re very rare, now,” Isa elaborated,
motioning Kailynn closer. “They’re used for therapy only now, and come at a
very high price.”

“Is it safe?”

“Very,” Paul chuckled. “She’s mine. Her
name is Tiana.”

“Is this the mother of Remus’ dog?” Rayal
asked, walking forward and extending his hand to the animal.

“She is,” Paul affirmed.

Kailynn slowly walked over to the animal,
unsure what to do. She had never seen anything like the dog before. Animals
were very rare on Tiao—only birds were common. She had never even heard of a
dog before.

The animal was very soft, and Kailynn sat
down next to it, petting it over and over again. Tiana’s tail began wagging and
she licked the Significant’s hand.

“She likes you,” Paul said with a smile.

“Remus has one of these?”

“I prescribed one to him,” Paul said,
nodding. “Tiana had just had a litter of pups, so I sold him one.” His smiled
widened. “How are you doing, Kailynn?”

“Alright…” Kailynn said, turning away
from the handsome doctor.

“Yet another flustered by your stunning
good looks, Paul,” Isa teased.

“I have to make friends somehow,” Paul
played along. “Have you two been speaking to one another? Did you apologize,
Isa?”

“Of course I did,” Isa said, glaring
playfully. “I’m not a child. I can admit that I was wrong.”

“Did you accept her apology?” Paul asked.
“You can be honest with me.”

“I told her if she treated me like that
again I would call her out on her bullshit.”

Paul laughed, looking at Isa.

“She’s a good match for you.”

“Yes, I think so,” Isa said, glancing
briefly at Kailynn with a smile.

“We were just finishing up our visit,”
Paul said. “I hope that you’re not here with bad news…”

“Afraid we are,” Rayal said, showing him
the removable drive in his hand.

“Back to work, then, Isa.”

“What are you doing for the rest of the
afternoon?” Isa asked as the doctor stood.

“I have an academic paper to finish,”
Paul said with a heavy sigh. “Doctors are supposed to continue publishing, you
know.”

“I know,” Isa chuckled. “I’ve read
everything you’ve published.”

“What about Michael? His last paper was
incredible. I find the genetic reset topic in Elite descendants fascinating.”

“I haven’t gotten to that one yet,” Isa
admitted.

“I’m telling on you,” Paul teased. “He’ll
be crushed.”

“I think he’ll understand,” Isa said
playfully. “He published that less than six months ago. I’ve been busy.”

“You have,” Paul agreed. “But you should
read it. Both your doctors are rather brilliant, if you don’t mind my saying
so.”

“How much of that is due to your Elite
fathers?” Isa challenged with a smile.

“If you had read Michael’s last paper, you would realize that we do not owe
them much,” Paul said with a playful glare. “You have some required reading to
do, it would seem.”

Isa laughed, standing as Tiana jumped off
the couch and trotted to Paul’s side, sitting obediently. Kailynn was surprised
to find herself upset to have the dog move away. She glanced between Isa and
Paul before walking to the dog, crouching next to her while the two continued
their conversation.

“I appreciate you coming to see me here,
Paul,” Isa said. “Things are getting a little hectic. I can’t be at home all
the time.”

“I understand,” Paul assured. “If you
need me, any time, day or night, you can call. You should know that by now.”

“I just hate disturbing you,” Isa
chuckled nervously.

“You’ll never disturb me,” Paul said
sincerely. “You are very important to me, Isa. I want to make sure you are
well.”

“You are far too good to me. Thank you.”

She glanced at Kailynn, who was petting
the dog and smiling. Tiana was clearly enjoying the attention. Paul also
glanced down and chuckled.

“She really likes you,” he repeated.

“She’s beautiful,” Kailynn complimented.

“Thank you. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad
idea for Isa to have one from the next litter.”

“I shall have to think about it,” Isa
said. “I do love her, and I love Rio, as well.”

Kailynn assumed that was Remus’ dog.

“Think about it,” Paul said. “She’s due
for another heat soon, so I’ll have pups to train, if you want one.”

“I’ll consider it,” Isa assured, her
smile widening when she saw the way Kailynn’s face lit up.

“Good,” Paul said. “Well, we’ll be going
now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you again.”

“Kailynn, it was very nice to see you.
Rayal, you as well.”

“Paul.” Rayal nodded back.

“Come, Tiana,” he said, motioning to the
dog with his hand.

As Paul left the office, the dog trotted
along beside him.

“I cannot believe that he’s so
good-looking,” Kailynn said, looking at Isa with an exasperated sigh. Isa
chuckled.

“I know,” she agreed. “He is
exceptionally attractive.”

“Thank you, for making me feel
self-conscious,” Rayal teased.

“He makes Remus self-conscious, too,” Isa
laughed. She looked between the two. “This is an unexpected surprise, but you
said you bring bad news.”

“A drone crashed in Trid,” Rayal said,
holding up the drive once more. “We brought it in for analysis. It was a router
drone.”

“A router drone?” Isa repeated, taking
the drive and moving to the NCB chair. “That makes no sense. Those are
obsolete. They were obsolete thirty years ago.”

“I know,” Rayal said. “We ran all the
tests on it, and it’s not altered. It’s a standard router droid.”

“And no viruses?” Isa pressed, plugging
the drive into the back of the NCB chair and extending a screen to look at the
data.

“None.”

“What about the coding?”

“Encrypted, but when we started
decryption, it was in English.”

“Well, Dover has no reason to spy on us,
and we sure as hell aren’t spying on ourselves,” Isa murmured, scanning through
the information. “Router drone…” she repeated, shaking her head, “and there
were no files on it? No transmissions?”

“None that we could find,” Rayal said,
shaking his head.

“What about a manufacture number?”

“Scratched off,” Kailynn answered.

Isa’s eyebrows furrowed together.

“That doesn’t make sense…” she repeated.
“If it was unaltered, and it was launched for the purpose of routing something
here, then it would have had to originate from somewhere on the planet.” She
glanced over the information on the screen again. “Looking at the Specs, its
range is only forty kilometers.”

“Are there any facilities in the
immediate area that would be testing with these drones?” Rayal asked. “Kailynn
said that those crash a few times a year for the last few years in Trid.”

“Why haven’t those shown up on our scans,
but this one did?”

“I don’t know,” Rayal said, shaking his
head. “I’m just as confused.”

“This is worrisome,” Isa said, turning to
look at them. “All eyes of the Alliance are one us now. The news of Maki’s
death has caused a lot of concern among the members. They are already
considering calling for a meeting to discuss the future of our relations.”

“And Caroie?” Rayal asked.

“Unfortunately, hostage negotiations have
ceased. I sent an ambassador three days ago to see what happened, but no one is
responding to any transmissions from any planets in the Alliance. We should
know more when they land in two weeks.”

“Obviously we have not released
information on this drone,” Rayal said. “But it seems relatively harmless to
me. My question is from where it originated.”

“There should be a tracking device on
it.”

“We looked for it,” Kailynn said, shaking
her head. “It was either removed or destroyed when it crashed.”

“Were it any other type of drone, I would
be worried,” Rayal added. “But those are harmless.”

“They are on their own,” Isa agreed. “But
it had to come from somewhere with a purpose, as it was emitting some sort of
signal to show up on our scans. No tracking device and the manufacture number
scratched off…those are red flags.”

“Do you think those in the Crescent
Alliance would be worried about a router drone crash?” Rayal asked.

“I don’t know,” Isa admitted, running a
hand through her hair, frustrated. “For all I know, it’s a distraction. But the
Alliance is very tense right now, and everyone is waiting for Gihron and the
Ninth Circle. We can all feel a war approaching, and fast.”

“Gihron wouldn’t send a router drone,
wouldn’t they?” Kailynn asked.

“It wouldn’t survive entering the
atmosphere,” Isa said, shaking her head. “And I don’t think there are any ships
from the Ninth Circle that have come to the planet recently.”

“Well, the entire Alliance is nervous,
maybe one of those planets that ignored Caroie’s cry had some Gihrons stowed on
board when they came here and they’re using the router drones from here.”

“It’s possible,” Rayal said.

“I need information on every ship that
has been docked near Anon in the last four months. Even if these drones have
been crashing in Trid for a while, this is the one that was picked up on our
sensors. Something was different.”

“Very well,” Rayal said with a nod. “I’ll
also look into all manufacturers of router drones and see if there is anyone
who has purchased old models recently.”

“Don’t extend that search off-planet
until you have determined that there was no one on-planet who sold router
drones,” Isa advised. “The Alliance is nervous. We don’t need them to think
we’re spying on them. “

“Understood. What about—”

A shrill beep from Isa’s NCB chair caused
them all to jump and turn to the machine. The ring around the top of the chair
was pulsing with a yellow color.

“Emergency Transmission. Origin
Unidentified,” the mechanical voice of the chair recited.

Isa immediately hit a few buttons on the
back of the chair and then pushed her left ring finger to the ring of the
chair.

“Display in privacy mode on back screen.”

The chair turned slowly in the middle of
the room as Isa walked over to her desk and pressed one button on the corner.

“Broadcasting emergency transmission from
an unknown location to entire building. Be advised. Remain in privacy mode.
Remus, come to my office.”

Kailynn turned to the chair when it
stopped moving and watched the large screen extend over the back of the chair.

Isa pressed her finger to the ring once
more.

“Receive Transmission.”

The screen immediately flickered to life.

Isa stood next to Kailynn, who was
confused about what she was seeing.

There were four men in black clothes
standing in the frame, though their faces were not visible on the screen.
Seated in front of them were four children, appearing to be about ten years
old. They looked related, with the same face shape and structure, even though
their eyes and hair were different colors. They did not appear to be afraid,
merely confused, as they sat with their arms bound tightly, folded in front of
them, their hands covered in cloth.

It took Kailynn several long moments to
realize she was witnessing the unfolding of a hostage situation.

“Tiao Syndicate,” a voice started.

“Voice modulator,” Isa said immediately.
She walked over to the desk and picked up a small metal band, clipping it
around her wrist as she turned back to the screen.

“We demand a dismantling of Venus and the
Elites of the Syndicate,” the man continued. “These terms are non-negotiable.”

“Anders,” Isa said, speaking into the
wristband, “trace this transmission.”

“Understood,” the voice said through the
wristband.

“Hana,” Isa said, “contact the Elite
Academy immediately. Four missing prototypes in Generation 132. Have them
conduct a trace for the prototypes but do not move in until I give the word.”

Kailynn looked at Rayal in horror.

“Those are Elites?” she whispered. He
nodded slowly.

“This system can no longer operate under
the rule of artificial intelligence, nor will we bow to sub-human Elites. This
is no idle threat. As you see,” one man grabbed one of the bound prototypes and
hauled him to his feet, shoving him close to the camera and tilting his head,
pulling his hair from the back of his neck to reveal a white ink tattoo of a
number.

“Hana,” Isa said into the wristband
again, “there’s his number, B-Class.”

“…we have four of your precious Elite
children here. See how they do not cower in fear from us. They do not cry or
feel pain.”

The man holding the boy close to the
camera smashed the gun against the side of the prototypes head, but the boy did
not make a sound.

Isa flinched and closed her eyes.

“Isa,” Anders’ voice said through the
wristband, “the signal is being routed from three locations. Once of those is
at Syndicate Intelligence.”

Isa sighed heavily.

“At least now we know why the router
drone was sent.”

“Isa,” Hana said as the men in the video picked
the Elite off the ground and put him back in the chair, “they’re running
searches, but there have been no missing prototypes reported.”

“No surprise. They weren’t paying
attention,” Isa groaned. “Keep me updated.”

Kailynn was watching the children on the
screen as they looked around, confused and worried, but not frightened.

“Our motives are simple and pure,” the
man continued. “Humans were not made to bow to machines. Venus is the cause of
the corruption in the Altereye System. All those not bound to her mainframe are
forced to starve and receive no aid unless they agree to become slaves to her
whim. We know that you are weaponizing her to destroy all planets that oppose
you, disguising her as a protection program as a means to cover the destruction
you plan to wreak.”

Isa’s eyes were sharp on the screen,
trying to pick up anything she could about their location. Kailynn’s heart was
in her throat. Remus walked into Isa’s office, slowly approaching the group.

“Our Brother, Colonel Amori, knew the
dangers that Venus posed, and he sought to destroy her, but in an attempt to
keep yourselves in power, you murdered him while he slept. But he did not die
in vain. We have intelligence on you, on your movements, your habits, those you
hold dear, and your weaknesses. We will finish what our Brother started. We
will annihilate the Elite Syndicate and the Crescent Alliance.

“Golden Elite Isa,” the man said, his
voice dripping with contempt, “we have a special message for you. We know that
you were behind our Brother’s assassination, and we failed to avenge him when
we Pulsed your chair. But, rest assured, we have other methods. Gihron blood
spilt can only be repaid in blood. You are not safe. You never will be. We
infiltrated your heavily-guarded Elite Academy, and took these mindless sheep
from the confines of those walls. If we can get to them, you know we can get to
you.”

Kailynn’s stomach was twisting sickly.

“Isa,” Hana said over the wristband,
“their signals are jammed. They’re somewhere eighty kilometers away from the
docking station.”

“Scramble every available military
personnel to that area,” Isa ordered, her eyes never leaving the screen.

“Everyone should take heed,” the man on
the screen continued, “this is only the beginning of the revolution. The
Syndicate will die and Venus will fall.”

The man pointed the gun at the first
prototype’s temple. The boy looked at the man, his eyes confused. Then, his
eyes briefly turned back to the camera and the man pulled the trigger.

Kailynn could not stop the wail of horror
when she saw the bullet rip through the Elite prototype’s head.

He fell out of his chair and to the
floor, dead.

Isa closed her eyes tightly and dropped
her head briefly, letting out a shaky breath.

“The Syndicate will all die,” the man
said, moving to the next prototype as she stared at the dead Elite on the
floor, her face filled with confusion. The man put the gun to her head.

“No!” Kailynn screamed.

Her cry was punctuated by the gunshot
that killed the next prototype.

Isa grabbed Kailynn and pulled her close,
turning her head so her tear-filled eyes were pushed against Isa’s uniform,
away from the horrible scene playing on the screen.

Rayal lifted a hand to his mouth and
turned away, closing his eyes against the tears.

“Elite Isa will die,” the man said.

He moved to the third prototype, who
tried to move away. One of the other men darted forward and pulled the Elite
back to the chair, where the gun was pointed at his head.

“Venus will die,” the man continued the
gruesome countdown, ending the life of the third prototype. Kailynn jumped at
the sound, her hands tightening in Isa’s clothes. Isa’s arms held Kailynn,
though her eyes remained locked on the screen.

“And the Alliance,” the man said,
pressing his gun to the temple of the last prototype, “will fall.”

The fourth gunshot seemed louder than the
other three.

Kailynn was shaking violently, terrified
as her tears overwhelmed her.

“If you wish to contain this bloodshed,”
the man concluded, “you will dismantle Venus, you will turn over Golden Elite
Isa to face execution for her crimes, and you will disband the Crescent
Alliance. Otherwise, you will have a horrible, bloody war and we will kill
every citizen of the Alliance. Make your decision.”

The transmission cut out and silence fell
over the room.

Isa pressed her head to Kailynn’s,
rubbing her back gently as Kailynn cried.

“This is an open declaration of war on
the entire Alliance,” Remus said, turning to face Isa. “Not just us.”

“Fuck, Remus, they just murdered four children to prove their
point!” Rayal snapped. “We’re past war. This is terrorism. They’re threatening
the life of our leader and the entire alliance. This is a terrorist cell we’re
dealing with.”

“How did they get them out of the
Academy?” Isa asked, turning to look at Remus. The Silver Elite shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “The security
is top of the line.”

“Then there is concern that they can get
to you,” Rayal said to Isa. “They can get inside the Syndicate Building if they
can get into the Elite Academy.”

“The entire building is on biometrics,”
Isa said, shaking her head. “If they’re not in the system, they can’t get in.”

“They have to get through the docking
station, first,” Remus pointed out. “We would notice a large group of Gihron
citizens arriving on planet.”

“Clearly, we wouldn’t,” Isa disagreed.
“This is the only place in the Altereye System with Elites. They’re already on the planet. And they’re ready for
war.”

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Kailynn was unable to calm down after the
terrorists’ message. That night, she continued to wake up in cold sweats,
shaking, thinking about the kids being killed on the screen. One nightmare, she
was sure that Isa was the one sitting in the chair with the gun to her head.

Isa woke up with the Significant each
time, soothing her until she went back to sleep.

The next day, she and Isa got into an
argument about safety and security before Isa left for the Syndicate. Kailynn
was terrified that, the moment she let Isa out of her sight, the Elite would be
assassinated. Isa tried to calm her and tell her that there was very heavy
security around her and that she would be fine. However, worried about
Kailynn’s safety, Isa told Kailynn to go back to Companion and keep a low
profile.

Kailynn angrily opposed and declared that
she was going to quit Companion that day.

She had not been back to Companion in
what felt like years, and walking back into the lobby was a surreal experience
after the life she had been living in Anon.

As the doors opened for her, she tried to
remember how long she had been gone. She had grown accustomed to Anon Tower, to
sharing a bed with the Golden Elite, to the comforts provided to her while in
Isa’s care. Her time at Companion, and her time in Trid before that, seemed
like distant memories from decades past.

The stark contrast between the light of
the Syndicate and Anon Tower and the darkness of the lobby of Companion was
alarming. Kailynn hesitated after her first step into the greeting salon. She
felt as though she had entered a place she did not belong.

The Significants in the salon stopped
their quiet conversations and turned to her. Kailynn recognized most of them as
the highest-earning Significants of Companion. Considering the time of day, it
did not surprise her that they were in the greeting salon, but she wished she
had remembered the basics of Significant scheduling before storming back into
the building.

“Oh my, we have been blessed,” Camilla
said with a cold laugh, standing from her position and walking forward. “It is
Jacyleen, Significant to those in the highest echelons of society, even though
she comes from breeding rats in Trid.”

Kailynn stopped, looking around as the
other seven Significants in the greeting salon stood, surrounding her. She grit
her teeth and turned to Camilla.

“Step aside,” she said sharply.

“Oh? Are you commanding me now? I guess that’s what happens when you spend so
much time at the Syndicate. You start talking like an Elite.”

“I do not work with the Syndicate
directly,” Kailynn said evenly. “I work for Syndicate Intelligence under Rayal
Teleta.”

“Do you really believe we are so
ignorant?” Harven asked, scoffing. “You forget who you speak to.”

“Well, you can’t blame her for that,”
Mika said, her shrill voice setting Kailynn’s teeth on edge. “After all, she
didn’t really spend any time among the Nobel Soirees or with others in the higher levels of society.”

“Any Significant worth their fee knows
that Rayal Teleta is the former caretaker to Golden Elite Isa. And you were
spending time with Isa…oh, sorry, I mean Tarah, Isa’s caretaker, when she was
almost assassinated. You were in the house when that happened,” Camilla
sneered, leaning forward as the circle closed tighter around Kailynn. “You seem
to like Elite caretakers. I wonder if you set up that poor boy to turn over his
own master to Venus for trying to shut her down.”

“What?”

“Umana, Maki’s caretaker in training,”
Myin said, looking at her seriously. “The one who turned Maki over for treason.
He was so distraught over it all they found him with a bullet in his brain and
a gun in his right hand. Or have you not heard about that?”

Kailynn blinked, horrified by the news of
the caretaker’s suicide.

“It would make sense that she did not
hear about it,” Harven said with a sick smile. “She was probably wrapped up in
the much bigger scandal about how Elite Isa’s Syndicate is crumbling around
her, because we all know that Elite Isa was the one to pull the trigger and
kill Maki. Now, the other Bronze Elites are scared of her.”

“Trouble in the Elites seems to happen
whenever you are close,” Camilla noted, her expression filled with
mock-confusion. “Isn’t that a coincidence?”

“The nobles know that Isa is keeping a
Trid near her as an advisor,” Myin added.

“Perhaps…it’s more than that?” Camilla suggested.

Kailynn clenched her fists. She took a
deep breath and tried to adapt an air of calm authority.

“You’re all morons,” she said simply. “I
may not have known about Umana, but I did know that Elite Isa killed Maki,
because Rayal was there that night, and he saw Maki break a wine glass over
Isa’s neck. It was self-defense. And, as for the advising Trid, I have been
asked questions about Trid by Rayal, however, she has another Trid that has
been with her for a very long time. That is who she is getting her advice
from,” she lied. She took another deep breath and shook her head. “I understand
that you’re upset that I’ve managed to pull myself out of whoring my time to
rich, entitled perverts, even being a pathetic, rat-bred Trid, but there is no
reason to believe that I have any ties to the Elites.”

Kailynn tried to step forward, but three
Significants held out their hands, pushing her back.

“We know that you’re close to Isa,” Myin
snarled darkly. “We don’t give a damn what those fuckers want to do with their
free time.”

“But when the leader of the planet is so
distracted that she allows children to be killed as a declaration of war,”
Camilla hissed, “then the problem involves all of us.”

“How could you think I had anything to do with that?” Kailynn
asked, horrified.

“You are distracting the Golden Elite.
Ever since the Pulse Virus, Elite Isa has not been a proper Golden Elite. You
clearly have something to do with that. As soon as the rumors started about a
Significant in the home of the Golden Elite, things began to change,” Harven
said. “Business has been booming, but only because people want to know what
Golden Elite Isa’s Significant has been doing. They call us to ask about you.”

“I am not Significant to the Golden
Elite,” Kailynn growled. “Now get out of my way. I need to speak with Jak.”

“We do not answer to you,” Camilla
snapped, shoving Kailynn backward. “You distracted her, you brought this war
on,” she said as some of the other Significants grabbed Kailynn’s arms, holding
her steady as she tried to struggle. “Because of you, four kids are dead. How
does that feel? Having that blood on your hands?”

Kailynn lifted her knee into Camilla’s
stomach, causing a surge of panic and chaos among those in the greeting salon.

Before Camilla could recover from the
blow, the others were rounding on Kailynn, lifting their fists and punching her
in the stomach and chest, a few blows landing on her face. She flailed against
those holding her and kicked her legs, connecting with limbs of unidentified
Significants, but in the chaos, there was little else she could do.

She continued to flail and fight back,
yelling obscenities as fists and feet rained over her body angrily.

“Knock it off! Break it the fuck up!!!” an angry voice bellowed.

The movement ceased around Kailynn and
several of the Significants backed away, nursing their own injuries. A few were
on the floor, cradling broken fingers or noses that had connected with Kailynn’s
flailing legs.

Kailynn managed to blink to pain of the
blows away from her eyes and saw Jak approach her quickly, yanking her away
from the other Significants.

“Are you all fucking insane?!” Jak
yelled. “You decided to attack a registered
Syndicate Intelligence employee?! Are you so eager to be executed?!”

No one spoke and Jak turned to look at
Kailynn.

“You should never have come back here,”
he said, releasing her and shaking his head. “With everything going on right
now, Syndicate employees are under close watch. You’re going to make things
harder for Rayal by walking around doing whatever the fuck you please. You work
for the Syndicate now. There are rules.”

“I came here to quit,” Kailynn said,
trying to breathe around the throbbing of her ribs.

“I accept your resignation,” Jak said
quickly. “Just get the hell out of here, Jacyleen. And don’t ever come back.”

Isa was far more sensitive to things
since Maki’s death, and her sensitivity concerned her more than anyone else.
When she had seen Kailynn’s bruises from being jumped at Companion, she became
almost-hysterical, silently pacing back and forth behind the couch while
Kailynn tried to calm her down, telling her that she was fine and she would
never go back there again. Isa continued to run her hands through her hair,
trying to think, but nothing came to mind.

Thinking about how easily bad memories
were resurfacing, Isa stood anxiously outside the cell door in the maximum
security prison, trying to prepare herself for facing the criminal within.

The guards standing around her did not
push her to enter the cell, though they did not understand why the Golden Elite
was standing, still as a statue, staring at the closed door.

Finally, the Golden Elite nodded to one
of the guards and he entered the security code for the door, opening it for the
Elite. Isa stepped into the room and waited for the door to close.

The robots stationed around the prisoner
turned to Isa and scanned her to be sure she was not a threat. When the screens
of their eyes flashed green, Isa knew it was safe to move. However, she did
not.

Instead, she looked over the woman in
front of her.

The woman, Dienne Marvis, was the reason
four Elite prototypes had been taken from the Elite Academy and killed during
the broadcast that had become viral. But she looked pathetic, dirty and pale,
confined tightly to the wall of her cell, her hair matted over her eyes. She
was a heavier woman, but she also had a touch of beauty to her that was
indicative of her Elite paternity.

“Golden Elite Isa,” Dienne said, her
voice dripping with condescension.

“Dienne Marvis,” Isa greeted coldly.
“Were you informed of the reason for your arrest?”

The woman pretended to think. “I think it
has something to do with those four dead prototypes.”

“Then you do not deny it.”

“No,” Dienne snarled. “I don’t.”

“A guard said that he saw you bartering
with someone near the gates of the Academy grounds. Was that for the sale of
those four Elite prototypes?”

“Yes,” Dienne said, her tone bored and
irritated. “Don’t you already know about all this? You had all your little
birds run off and get information, didn’t you?”

“I want to hear you confess.”

“Confess…” Dienne chuckled brokenly,
shaking her head. “Do you think you hold some sort of power over me?”

“I do,” Isa said sharply. “I am the
Golden Elite of Tiao.”

“You are a degenerate that somehow
managed to escape the filtering system,” Dienne sneered, pushing against her
restraints. “You Elites…you think you’re so superior…you spend the first
eighteen years of your life being kicked around by humans, you mindless fuckers!”

“There is no need to raise your voice,”
Isa said, her voice calm.

“And you pretend that you’re so high and
mighty now that you bow to the great Venus, but I bet if I were to yell “SIT!” you would try and find the nearest
chair to obey the order!”

Isa stared at Dienne confidently, though
her body did tense immediately at the command. Dienne chuckled.

“You never were one for rules, were you?”
she said. “I never taught you, of course, and my father was out of the Academy
when you were yanked from your incubational tank, but I heard all about you and
your gang of merry misfits—destroying school property, organizing rebellions
among the prototypes, hacking systems and trying to make yourselves out to be
the next revolutionaries. I’m surprised you weren’t all taken out back and
shot.”

“Dienne, I am here to discuss what you did, not what I have done in the
past.”

“Do you know what happens when Elites
have children?” Dienne growled. “All that shit, all those beatings, they continue. You’re programmed. You don’t
rationalize. And you don’t change. You never do.”

Isa merely stared at the woman, waiting
for the silence to become too heavy for Dienne to bear.

“What do you want from me?” she finally
hissed.

“I want to know to whom you sold those
prototypes,” Isa said coldly. “Each of those B-Class prototypes were worth
sixty-eight thousand credits. Collectively, they were two-hundred seventy-two
thousand credits.”

“Well, then, those bastards certainly got
a deal. I only got one hundred thousand out of the exchange,” Dienne said,
smiling sickly.

“One hundred thousand credits was worth
the lives of four children?”

“Children?”
Dienne snapped. “They were Elite prototypes. They were machines. You know better than anyone, Isa. No emotion, no tears,
no weakness. We drill that into your brains from the day you turn up at the
Academy. You are cold, mechanical, and heartless. That’s what you’re built for.
You can’t pretend their children when it’s convenient for you and then claim
that you’re superior because you’re not
human. That’s not the way it works!”

“Dienne, to me, they were not just
machines. I stood on those grounds. I know what it’s like.”

“Do
you, though?” Dienne challenged. “You were always treated special. Special Isa,
always able to bend the rules. Trying so hard to save everyone in your little
group of friends. Still, that little brat, whatever his name was, you got him
killed because of your rebellion. Yet, I bet you never cried for him. The rest
of the school went on, as if he had never existed. He was just one of many.”

“Aren,” Isa said darkly. “His name was
Aren.”

“He got off easy,” Dienne said. “In my
opinion, I did those brats a favor.”

“How do you see that?”

“They are dead. They don’t have to deal
with the Elite Academy anymore. Is it true that you always hated that place?”

“How could I not?” Isa whispered. “What
they made us endure was torture.”

Dienne smiled.

“You mean what Remus, your lover, endured,” she said. “I was wondering why your
attack dog wasn’t here, but I’m sure you don’t want him close to anyone from
the academy.”

“Was the money worth those children’s
lives?”

“It was never about the money,” Dienne
hissed. “I want to see every Elite dead.
You motherfuckers are not worthy to rule. We teach you, we program you, we
build you, and it’s time we shut you down.”

Isa started forward, grabbing Dienne’s
throat and pushing her head back against the wall. She glared at the teacher,
her fingers tightening around the woman’s neck.

“I will not be threatened, and I will not
stand by and listen to you speak so lowly of us. We may be programmed and
built, but we feel pain, we bleed, and we die. We have a living body, and we
deserve more respect than being sold for one-hundred thousand credits.”

“Clearly…if
I lost out on over two-hundred…fifty thousand on those…fuckers…” Dienne choked,
cringing against Isa’s hand.

“Were the men you sold those prototypes
to from Gihron?” Isa growled.

Dienne gasped, her eyes rolling back in
her head. Isa ground her teeth together and released the woman’s neck,
immediately reaching for one of the wall restraints. She released Dienne’s
right hand and pulled it to her. The teacher struggled, trying to get her hand
back from the Elite, or try to strike her, but Isa grabbed her fingers and bent
her hand backward, twisting it. Dienne let out a pained cry and tried to move
her body to ease the pressure on her hand.

“This is a very simple question, Dienne,”
Isa said, her tone dangerous. “But I understand if you need to take some time
to think about it.” She forced Dienne’s hand back further, her fingers
tightening around the teacher’s.

Dienne cringed and ground her teeth
against the strain.

“I’m waiting,” Isa warned.

“Does it matter?” Dienne growled. “Gihron
is not the only planet that hates the Elites and Venus.”

“It matters to me,” Isa hissed, leaning
closer.

“Fuck off!”

Isa’s fingers tightened further and four
of Dienne’s fingers snapped under the strain. She let out a blood-curdling scream
and her entire body shook in pain. Isa tightened her fingers further when
Dienne tried to get away, causing the teacher’s scream to echo again in the
cell.

“Why don’t we try that again?”

Dienne shuddered, her eyes closed tight.
She turned her head to Isa, spitting at her, though she missed the Elite.

Isa smiled and leaned closer, her other
hand reaching for Dienne’s forearm.

“Allow me to explain something to you,”
she said quietly. “My patience has been very thin lately, and I am in no mood
to play games. This is the only question I have for you, and I am not giving
you the option of not answering. Therefore, if I have to, I will break every
bone in your body other than your jaw until you answer. The only variable is
your schedule this afternoon. Mine’s clear, so I have all the time I need.”

Dienne stared at Isa in horror, silent.

“No? Not convinced yet?” Isa asked. She
began pulling on Dienne’s broken fingers, her other hand bracing Dienne’s
forearm, straining the bone. “I’m sure you know, since, as you have stated,
Elites are built, that we have superior physical strength to humans.” Isa
looked at the teacher’s arm. “Would you like me to demonstrate?”

Almost immediately, Isa broke Dienne’s
wrist.

She screamed and collapsed against her
other restraints, her body trembling violently.

“Yes!” she cried. “Yes! They were
Gihoric! They were!”

Isa released her arm.

“I’ll have you know that, even if I were
to let you live, those hundred-thousand credits would not be enough to repair
this damage,” she said, motioning to Dienne’s hand and fingers. “Something to
ponder in your final moments when you are dwelling on your hatred for those
children.”

Isa swept from the cell, leaving the
wounded prisoner half-hanging in her restraints, sobbing in agony.

When Isa returned home from work the next
day, she had to search the level for Kailynn. She finally found the younger
woman in the entertainment room, watching a news broadcast.

“What are you doing in here?” Isa asked.
“You never watch the news.”

“There was a lot of talk around the
Intelligence Agency today,” Kailynn said.

“Talk of what?” Isa asked, sitting next
to Kailynn as the Significant muted the sound of the report.

“That the Elite kids were sold by one of
the teachers at the Academy,” she said. She looked at Isa seriously. “Isa, you
haven’t been eating, and you aren’t telling me what you’re dealing with at
work, and that scares me. So, I wanted to see if I could hear anything on the
news that would explain what seems to be bothering you.”

Isa gently passed her fingers of
Kailynn’s cheek.

“Isa, I just want to understand what is
going on,” Kailynn murmured, leaning into the touch.

“It was a young teacher at the Academy,”
Isa said, looking over Kailynn’s face, taking in every detail. “She harbored an
immense hatred for Elites, and she wanted them dead. So she sold them for one
hundred thousand credits to some people from Gihron, who killed them to make
their statement.”

Kailynn sighed heavily.

“The Academy beats the Elites, and even
kill them at times, and now have sold them
to the enemy…” Kailynn shook her head. “And the news said something about it
not being the first time that a teacher has done something like this. Is that
true?”

“The teachers at the Elite Academy do
horrible things to the students,” Isa said, her hand dropping as she turned her
eyes to the floor.

“They mentioned Remus,” Kailynn pressed.

“Yes,” Isa said with a nod. “Remus was a
spectacle for over a year due to a horrific event that happened between him and
a few teachers.” Isa said. “Remus…is a degenerate.”

“I gathered that, but I don’t see how. He
seems like he’s a normal Elite.”

“Well, for the most part, he is,” Isa
agreed. “Remus has managed to overcome some incredible obstacles, far more than
most realize. I’m not sure if you know this, but Elites, when they are created,
are already determined to be part of a class.”

“Yeah, the Gold, Silver, and Bronze.”

“Yes, A, B, and C class,” Isa clarified.
“But, as always happens, some prototypes do not turn out as expected. There are
errors that occur, or spontaneous mutations…in any case, some prototypes that
have these problems are killed immediately. Others are tested for degeneration,
and if they’re degeneration level is deemed safe, they are kept alive for…I guess
you could almost call it spare parts for the other prototypes.”

“Wait, really?” Kailynn asked, her eyes
going wide. Isa nodded.

“Yes,” she sighed, “the X-Class. They’re
the mistakes. And that was Remus’ class when we started at the Academy,” Isa
explained. Kailynn’s eyes went wide again, surprised. “His level of
degeneration was deemed safe. I have to admit, I do not know exactly how this
works, but, apparently, his brain can only react to certain stimuli, which
evokes an angry response. His temper is…” Isa shook her head, trying to find a
way to explain. “He has worked very hard to keep it under control, but under
the right circumstances, he can cause an incredible amount of damage.”

Kailynn blinked, surprised that the Elite
she had seen remain relatively calm was a degenerate Elite that could feel only
anger.

“Remus and I are the only class-jumpers
in history,” Isa murmured. “But it was a very difficult transition for Remus.
To go from X-Class to B-Class was something that no one else in the school
deemed acceptable. One of the teachers and his wife, another teacher at the
Academy…they believed that Remus needed to be terminated.”

“They tried to kill him?”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “They
tried to break him. They psychologically tortured him for several months in an
attempt to reverse the decision that he would jump to the B-Class.”

“How?”

“They provoked him intentionally, and
then told him he was broken, and wrong, and he would be killed if he continued
to act out. Then they would provoke him to act out again as evidence of the
severity of his degeneration. They even told him that, if it wasn’t for me, he
would have already been killed.”

“Is that true? That’s what Maki said.”

Isa sighed heavily. “I guess it is,” Isa
said slowly. “I do not like to think of it that way, though.”

“What happened with the teachers?”

“They took Remus from his bed one night
and locked him in a mechanical room where they…” Isa hesitated. “They beat him,
and raped him. They kept him in there for almost three days, continuing the
torture.”

Kailynn was stunned into silence, the
words bouncing around her skull for several long moments before they finally
absorbed.

“How did…I mean…did no one else…”

“When it came to the X-Class,” Isa said
slowly and carefully, “the teachers took it upon themselves to test the level
of degeneration in the prototypes. Remus told me, when all that was happening,
they continued to tell him that, if he was really
an Elite, he would take the abuse and rape without complaint and without a
fight.” Isa closed her eyes. “But how can you ask anyone to comply with that?” she whispered.

Kailynn did not respond.

“The incident became very public,” Isa
said. “It seemed that the more the school tried to downplay the incident, the
more interested the public became. After nearly seven months of constant
attention and scrutiny, the two were finally sentenced to death,” Isa let out
an exasperated chuckle, her face becoming pained, “for sabotage and irreparable
damage of government property.” Isa looked at Kailynn. “That’s all he was—property. And they saw him as damaged.”

Isa leaned her head back on the couch.

“I never understood why everyone was so
hateful toward Elites,” she whispered. “This whole thing with Gihron…they talk
to us like we made the decision to be this way, like we chose how to be born
and how to be raised. We’re products of the government, the government that
humans built. And then, we’re raised and damaged by humans, and they still
blame us.”

Kailynn leaned forward and ran her fingers
over Isa’s cheek, tucking some hair behind her ear.

“Sounds a little similar to Trid.”

Isa smiled slightly.

“You’re right,” she agreed. “It does.”

“So…maybe we’re actually not so
different.”

Isa smiled and Kailynn leaned forward and
kissed the Elite.

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Isa tried not to let her feet drag as she
walked out of the elevator to her office. The doors opened automatically and
the lights came on, but she shied away from them, reaching to shut them off.
She stumbled, falling against the wall and resting her hand over the light
controls. The lights dimmed immediately.

The Golden Elite put her other hand over
her eyes and sighed heavily, gathering her strength to stand straight.

The five-hour meeting with Venus had been
brutal. The hot room had dehydrated her considerably, and the tension that
always wracked her body when she was in conference with the artificial
intelligence had worn down her already-weak body.

She could feel herself slipping back into
very destructive habits.

She had been unable to eat, her sleep had
been plagued with half-awake hallucinations that had her too terrified to close
her eyes at night, and she could feel the tension in her shoulders and belly
that she remembered too well from five years previous.

Isa’s head began spinning, her world
whirling around her. The fuzzy feeling in her head was also very familiar.

She forced herself away from the wall,
trying to get to the couches in her office before she passed out.

She only made it half-way.

Remus, in his office one level below Isa’s,
finished looking over the Intelligence Agency’s report on the location of the
Gihron men who had killed the Elite prototypes. He ground his teeth together in
frustration. They still could not find the men. They managed to find the
prototypes, but they were not in the bunker where they had been killed. They
were thrown carelessly into quarry and found by the machines four hours after
their disposal.

The attack on the prototypes had hit
everyone in Isa’s Syndicate far harder than they were willing to admit. Most of
them remembered their own beatings, the way the Elites were used and tossed
aside carelessly. They recalled what happened to Aren, and they remembered what
happened to Remus. With the wound of Maki’s death still fresh, they were
struggling not to let their past experiences dictate their actions. However,
they were working slower than usual, and Chronus had not been to work since the
transmission of the prototypes being murdered.

Remus glanced at the schematics of the
building, entering his biometrics to see the status of the audience room for
Venus. When he saw it marked as inactive, he sighed, rolling his eyes, thrilled
that Isa was finally out of the
meeting.

He got out of the NCB chair and went to
Isa’s office, only to find the Golden Elite passed out on the floor.

Somewhere nearby, Isa could hear voices.
They were muffled and incoherent, but she tried to find them and figure out
what they were saying.

“…can’t use that as a reason,” Remus’
voice finally floated to her. “No one else knows what happened to Colonel
Amori. The Alliance will not stand behind us if we try to attack Gihron.”

“You know that, if they attack, she won’t
be able to handle it,” Dr. Busen’s voice responded. “Her body is not able to
handle this type of stress anymore.”

“Her mind, either,” Paul agreed.

Isa’s eyes fluttered open. She recognized
her the ceiling in her office, but it took her a while to focus on the three
figures standing next to her in deep discussion.

“She has to handle it,” Remus murmured.
“She’s the Golden Elite. If she’s unable to perform her duties, she’ll be
replaced, which means she’ll be killed.”

The two doctors remained silent, their
heads dropping.

Remus turned his eyes to Isa and saw her
conscious.

“Isa,” he breathed, stepping forward and
kneeling at her side. She moved slowly, her head pounding painfully. She looked
around, her eyes meeting those of the three men in the room.

“What happened?”

“I found you passed out on the floor,”
Remus explained. “You were dehydrated and you’re malnourished.”

Dr. Busen stepped forward, sitting on the
coffee table next to the couch where they had placed the Golden Elite.

“Isa,” he started seriously, “we really
need to discuss this.”

“I’m fine,” Isa insisted.

“People who are fine do not pass out on the floor like that,” Dr. Busen told her.

“I was dehydrated,” she said. “I spent
five hours in the furnace of the audience hall.”

“Five hours is not long enough to starve
to the level you are now,” the doctor murmured. “You haven’t been eating, have
you?”

“I have not had an appetite.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do,” Paul said, standing next
to Dr. Busen. Isa sighed and placed her head back on the couch, closing her
eyes.

“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” she
whispered.

“I’m sure,” Paul said quietly. “And I’m
sure that everything that has been going on lately has brought up painful
memories about Colonel Amori, and the damage he caused.”

Isa did not open her eyes, trying to keep
her mind from racing at the name.

“Isa,” Paul said, crouching next to her,
“open your eyes and look at me.”

The Golden Elite did not comply.

Paul reached forward and gently placed a
hand on Isa’s cheek, turning her head to the side.

“You’re safe,” he assured. “Open your
eyes.”

Isa took a deep breath and opened her
eyes.

“Name every person in this room.”

“Remus, Dr. Busen, and you,” Isa said
quietly.

“And you,” Paul added. “No one else is
here. He is not coming back, and you are not the same person you were when he
was here. You are much stronger now.”

“My other doctor would disagree with
you,” Isa said with a broken chuckle.

Paul smiled, tapping his finger gently
against her forehead.

“This
doctor is talking about up here,” he said. “Gihron is threatening you, but
Colonel Amori is dead. We know that for a fact. Remember, Michael did the
autopsy.”

Isa’s eyes turned to Dr. Busen, who was
looking at her tenderly, though he was clearly concerned.

“He cannot harm you anymore,” Paul
assured. “He won’t harm Rayal, or Remus, or Tarah, or Kailynn. He’s gone.”

“He’ll never be gone, Paul,” Isa
whispered.

“I suppose that is so,” he admitted. “And
you can’t think of Gihron at all without thinking of him, can you?”

“No.”

“And you can’t forgive yourself for what
happened, can you?” Paul murmured.

“We’ve been over this thousands of times,
Paul,” Isa groaned.

“I know,” Paul agreed. “And we’re going
over it again.”

“I could never live with myself if I let
anything like that happen again,” Isa whispered. “To anyone. But…”

“What happened to the prototypes reminded
you of it all?” Paul asked knowingly.

Isa nodded.

Dr. Busen dropped his head and Remus
looked away, both suddenly understanding.

“Isa,” Paul started, “you did what you
had to do to protect yourself. You were not
responsible for his actions. You were the victim.”

Isa closed her eyes.

“Are you not going to listen to me say
this?” he asked. She shook her head quickly. “Okay,” he said. “I won’t say it,
yet, but soon, you’re going to have to hear it. For now, I think it would be
best if you were to see Michael at least once a week to be sure that you’re
physically strong enough to endure this stress.”

“I don’t want to endure it,” Isa growled. “All I do is endure it. I’m tired.”

“Isa, if you can’t perform as Golden
Elite…” Remus trailed off. Isa turned to him, her eyes cold.

“Venus will order me dead?” Isa concluded
sharply. “I know, but she wouldn’t kill me without finding a replacement, and
in that time, I’ll rip her apart.”

“Isa, remember where you are,” Paul said,
placing his hand on her shoulder. She pushed his hand away and tried to sit up,
but Dr. Busen guided her back to the couch.

“You’re attached to fluids. Stay put.”

“Let go of me,” Isa ordered darkly.

Paul backed Dr. Busen away from the
agitated Golden Elite, worried about Isa lashing out.

“I don’t care if she hears this,” Isa
snarled. “I am tired of having to
endure all of this. My life was
determined to be like this hundreds of years ago. It was never my choice. I was
taught to endure the abuse of the teachers, I was taught to endure the threats
of Venus. And I was taught to endure this alone.
I am risking death just by having someone to go home to, someone with whom
I don’t have to be the Golden Elite. But because I am the damn Golden Elite, everyone around me is in danger, Kailynn
especially, if Gihron is so set on revenge for what I did to Colonel Amori.”

The others were silent.

“I am sick of my hands being tied no
matter what I do,” Isa hissed. “After a while, the threat of execution loses
its edge. It’s been hanging over me my entire life. And every death threat I’ve
ever received, whether it was at the Academy or from fucking Colonel Amori and
the rest of Gihron, has been because of Venus,
so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I want her gone.”

“Isa,” Dr. Busen said slowly, “you became
the Golden Elite because you were very careful and smart about how you
rebelled. You have changed a lot on Tiao, and in the Alliance, and I know it’s
not everything you’ve wanted to change, but you have accomplished a great deal,
even with the horrors of Colonel Amori.” The doctor rubbed his forehead. “I
guess, what I’m trying to say, is don’t throw away all of your hard work. You
can still change things, but you are the only one that can at this point. A new
Golden Elite will fall right into routine, you know this.”

Isa closed her eyes again, going quiet.

Remus rubbed his eyes tiredly, his
irritation reaching levels of anger. Paul glanced at him, seeing his agitated
state.

“Remus, may I speak with you?” he asked,
standing. The Silver Elite nodded quickly, turning and walking out the door of
the office. Paul followed him, leaving Dr. Busen and Isa alone in the office.

The doctor reached forward and checked
the small screen on the monitor attached to Isa’s arm. Content with the
knowledge that she was no longer severely dehydrated, he backed away and rubbed
his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I’m not an Elite Psychiatrist,” he
started quietly, “so I may say the wrong thing here, but I want you to know
that I admire you immensely, Isa.” She opened her eyes and turned to the
doctor. “From the moment I saw you, fifteen and full of fire about changing the
entire Altereye System, I knew that, if any Elite were to actually change
things, it would be you.” Dr. Busen took a deep breath. “There is a fire inside
of you still. Colonel Amori did not take it from you, no matter what you
think.”

“How can you be sure?” Isa whispered.

“Because I see it,” Dr. Busen said
tenderly. “I see that fire in your eyes again.” He looked to the ground,
rubbing his hands together once more. “I think…this thing with Gihron has you
even more confused than ever before, because you have always wanted to shut
down Venus, and they are asking you to do so.”

“I can’t shut her down, Michael.”

The doctor smiled, a mysterious glint in
his eyes.

“There it is,” he breathed.

“What?”

“There is the Golden Elite,” he said.
“And I don’t mean the A-Class prototype that was appointed from the Academy, I
mean the Golden Elite, the leader of
the planet, the one who knows how to play this bloody game of politics and
knows her strengths. You won’t shut down Venus because you know it can kill
you. And you don’t trust anyone else, not even Remus, to implement the changes
you want on this planet.” He reached forward and took her chin, smiling at her.
“That’s the fire. You know things have to change, you know how to change
things, and you have the confidence and trust in yourself that you are doing
right by the people of this planet, which is why you don’t trust anyone else to
lead this planet through that revolution.”

His smile widened.

“Anything
is possible,” he breathed. “We’ll always stand behind you. If you want to find
a way to shut down Venus, and keep yourself alive, we will find a way.”

Isa stared at the doctor for a few
moments before clearing her throat and looking at her desk.

“Over there,” she said, “bottom left
drawer, there is a key secured to the back of the drawer. Take that key and
open the hatch on the floor under the desk.”

Dr. Busen obeyed, despite his confusion.
He found the key, inserted it into the small opening in the floor, and pushed
aside the covering of the hatch. In the floor were several electronic files and
drives, each marked with a number.

“Which one?”

“Number nine,” Isa said.

He sifted through the contents, finally
coming across a case marked with the number nine. He pulled it out, closed the
hatch, returned the key, and walked back to Isa. She tapped the case and looked
at the doctor seriously.

“This is absolutely never to connect to
any NCB chair, or any terminal,” she hissed. “This computer is wired outside of
Venus. It’s not connected to her at all.”

“How did you manage that?” Dr. Busen
hissed.

“It was not easy,” she said, “but the
information on there is vital.” She placed a hand over her heart. “If you want
to know anything about how this works,” she said, “then carefully look over all
that information.”

Dr. Busen stared at her, trying to figure
out what she was saying. His eyes shot wide when he realized what he was
holding in his hands.

“These are the notes—”

“From the very first Golden Elite
prototypes,” she completed with a nod. “All the failures, all the deaths,
everything before they finally figured out how to make it work, all the
information is in there.”

Dr. Busen looked down at the file,
feeling the weight of it in his hands.

“If you really want to help, look over
those and see if there is way to keep my heart beating once she’s shut down.”

Rayal walked into the kitchen of Isa’s
level at Anon Tower, following Tarah as the caretaker went to prepare something
light for the Golden Elite to eat. Isa had returned home early, pale, shaking,
and accompanied by both of her doctors and Remus. Paul told Tarah that Isa was
over exhausted and needed to rest and eat, trying not to worry the young
caretaker about the Golden Elite’s health.

Isa refused to rest, sitting in the
living room and working on her personal terminal. Tarah repeatedly asked if she
wanted something to eat, but the Golden Elite refused.

When Rayal returned to drop Kailynn off
at Anon Tower and saw Isa home so early, he knew something was wrong. There was
a look on the Elite’s face that worried him. Kailynn went forward immediately
and asked if everything was alright. Isa smiled and assured her she was fine
and she was just exhausted.

Even though it was clear Kailynn did not
believe the Golden Elite, she did not press and sat with the Golden Elite.

Tarah came out of the kitchen and asked
if they wanted anything, but they both refused.

Standing uselessly in the living room,
Rayal finally went into the kitchen after Tarah.

“Hey,” he greeted. She turned to him, her
face tired and dark circles under her eyes.

“Hey.”

“How are you holding up?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

He nodded slowly, his eyes lowering to
the ground.

“She collapsed at the Syndicate,” Tarah
whispered. “She’s not eating, she hardly sleeps…” Tarah rubbed her forehead. “I
don’t know what to do…”

Her voice became choked and she turned
her eyes to her feet.

Rayal placed a hand on her shoulder.

“The most you can do is be there for her.
She’s very stubborn, you know this. You can’t do anything about her behavior,
but if you show her you care, and that you’re worried about her, that will be
enough.”

“I am
worried, and I do care,” Tarah
choked. “I can’t just sit back and watch her do this. I feel like she’s going
back to the ways she was when—”

“She’s not,” Rayal assured quickly.
“She’s teetering on the edge of it, but she won’t do that again. We won’t let
her. This time, we know what to do when she starts acting like that. Things are
already different than they were five years ago. Plus, she has Kailynn, and
that has helped immensely.”

Tarah nodded, taking a deep breath and
slowly letting it out, her hand going over her mouth as her eyes became lost in
the floor.

Rayal squeezed her shoulder.

“Hey,” he said, ducking his head to look
her in the eye. “Remember what I told you when you started training as a
caretaker? You can’t take everything she does to heart.”

“I just don’t know how to help,” Tarah
hissed. “It’s so unfair, you know? She has done so much for me. I wouldn’t be
alive if it wasn’t for her. But…I can’t do anything to repay her for that.”

“Tarah,” Rayal caught her attention,
“having you alive and well is more than enough to repay her. You don’t owe her anything.”

“It’s not about owing her,” Tarah said.
“It’s about…doing something for her…about using this life she gave to me to do
something.”

Rayal took Tarah’s face in both hands,
forcing her to look at him.

“You are her caretaker. You are
responsible for her home and her safety. You feed her, because you know she
won’t eat unless the plate is shoved under her nose. You keep her company when
she needs it. You are doing something amazing
with your life. You are helping the leader of a planet. That is nothing
meager.”

Tarah closed her eyes and sighed, shaking
her head.

“It’s not enough.”

Rayal smiled, grabbing her hand and
pulling her out of the kitchen.

“Rayal?” she gasped, confused.

They walked through the living room and
to the front door.

“We’ll be back,” Rayal called over his
shoulder to Isa and Kailynn.

He pulled the startled and confused Tarah
into the hallway toward the elevator.

“Where are we going?”

“Out,” Rayal said. “You have been cooped
up in there too long with your thoughts. You need to get out.”

“Then shouldn’t we get the car?” Tarah
asked, pointing to the opposite end of the hallway.

“No.”

Rayal stepped into the elevator, pulling
Tarah in and pressing the button to go to the lobby.

“Are we getting your car?” she asked, her
voice tight with nervousness.

Rayal turned to face her as the elevator
descended.

“I have been meaning to tell you this,
Tarah,” he said with a gentle grin. “You cannot care for Isa when you don’t
take care of yourself. You can’t let yourself go into that dark spiral of
thoughts, thinking that you owe Isa something or that you are not doing
enough.” He took her face again. “Your existence is enough. You are enough. Don’t think that you
need to be anything else to take care of Isa. And you can’t put yourself last,
because if you do, and she needs you, you won’t be able to help her because
you’ll have no energy left to give her.”

“Rayal,” Tarah said, “Isa is the leader
of the planet. Her problems are significantly more important than mine.”

“No, they’re not,” Rayal said strongly.
“There is no difference in your worth versus Isa’s.”

“Yes, there is,” Tarah said, laughing as
the doors to the elevator opened.

“No,” Rayal repeated. “There is no
difference, particularly not to me.”

Tarah was surprised by the statement.
Rayal walked out of the elevator, taking her hand once more. Tarah had always
felt that Isa was more important to Rayal than she. She had not felt jealous
about it, because she knew that Isa was the leader of Tiao, and that was the
highest position in the entire Altereye System. The statement that Rayal cared
about Tarah and Isa equally made her chest bloom with warmth.

However, that quickly changed to fear
when she saw they were approaching the doors of the building. The lobby was
empty, as usual, and the outside world was beaming with sunlight, but devoid of
people.

She stopped walking and pulled against
Rayal’s insistence.

“No, wait.”

“What is it?” Rayal asked

“We can’t go out there,” she said. “No
one walks anymore. It will look suspicious.”

Rayal smiled. “No one else is out there,
so no one will see,” he said. “You’re safe with me.”

She stared into his mismatched eyes. She
had always avoided looking at Rayal’s scarred eye, not wanting to make him
uncomfortable. Even though Rayal never told her how he received the injury, she
had watched the security tapes when she started training as a caretaker. For
months after seeing the footage, she thought about the violent fight that broke
out in the living room of Isa’s home between Rayal and Remus. But even after
part of his face had been destroyed, Rayal would not let the Silver Elite get
anywhere close to Isa. He stood between them, arms stretched out, face bleeding
profusely, trying to protect the Golden Elite.

Perhaps seeing the loyalty he had for Isa
was what made Tarah feel so safe with the former caretaker.

With a wobbly smile, she took his hand
and followed him into the sunlight.

She had been on the balcony on multiple
occasions, but there was something different about being at the base of Anon
Tower, staring up at the towering structure among the other sky scrapers in
Anon. The sun was bright and hot, but there was something about it that was
comforting.

Of course, that might have been the way
Rayal held her hand as they walked on the abandoned walkways between the
buildings, strolling away from Anon Tower.

Rayal turned to her, walking backward,
his hand never leaving hers.

“We have the entire city to ourselves,”
he joked. She smiled, her cheeks flushing. “Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere,” she murmured. “As long as
you’re there.”

Rayal slowly stopped walking, his hand
tightening around Tarah’s.

“Tarah,” he started quietly, “you know
that I’ll be here for you. Always.”

“I know.”

She glanced around the buildings. She
felt very small in comparison to the structures of glass and metal, but there
was something comforting about the feeling. High in Anon Tower, it felt like
everything was so delicate and fragile below. As she stood in the middle of the
structures, noticing just how large and beautiful everything was as the
sunlight bounced around the angles and facets, things seemed somehow simpler.

“Rayal,” she said, before she could stop
herself, “remember how I told you that you made me realize how strong I was?”

“Yes.”

“I’m also feeling pretty brave, right
now.”

“You are very brave,” he agreed. “This is
the first time you’ve been outside in…at least a year.”

“It’s not only that,” she said, looking
at him. Her face was burning hot and her stomach was twisting itself into
knots, but she took a deep breath and reminded herself of her bravery and her
strength.

“What is it?”

Tarah stepped forward, leaning up on her
toes and kissing Rayal.

She backed away from the peck and laughed
nervously.

“Um, sorry…”

Her hand started to pull out of Rayal’s,
but his fingers tightened and stopped her from backing away. He took a step
toward her, his other hand reaching up to brush over her cheek.

“Don’t apologize,” he murmured. He leaned
closer, but did not kiss her. He waited for her to close the gap between them.

Tarah’s entire being felt like it was
flying when she kissed Rayal. She had been infatuated with the man for nearly
four years, her childhood admiration turning into interest as she grew older.
However, she had always been too nervous. Rayal never seemed interested in her.

As she kissed him, she knew that her
crush was not just a crush. It was love.

He pulled away from the kiss and smiled.

“Are you alright with this?” he asked
quietly.

She nodded quickly, her other hand
wrapping around the back of his neck, pulling him back down for another kiss.

Standing among the skyscrapers with the
sun’s rays embracing them, Tarah and Rayal kissed, alone in the largest city in
the Altereye System.

Kailynn had been too curious about the
goofy smile Tarah had in on her face and the way she giggled when Rayal said
goodbye to leave the young caretaker alone.

As Isa took a nap in the master bedroom,
Kailynn went into Tarah’s room and asked her what had happened.

She was then launched into a two-hour
explanation of what Rayal had done and their first kiss and how it was Tarah’s
first kiss and how Rayal was the best human being to ever exist…and on…and on…

As happy as Kailynn was that the
recently-sulking caretaker was so happy, after the first hour of the rapid
explanation, she wanted nothing more than to escape the caretaker’s room.
However, she sat with Tarah as she explained everything, smiling when she saw
the light in Tarah’s eyes.

There was something about Tarah’s
flustered, excited, innocent way of explaining the experience that made the
Significant envious.

Obviously, her relationship with Isa was
far more complicated.

But as she left the caretaker’s room to
check on Isa, she realized that she felt the same flustered excitement with the
Elite. She knew how she felt about Isa—that was not complicated. Their
relationship itself was not complicated. The society to which they were forced
to conform made their relationship confusing and dangerous.

Isa was awake when Kailynn walked into
the room. The Significant closed the door and walked to the bed, where the
Elite was sitting, her head leaned back on the wall, staring at the ceiling.
When Kailynn climbed into the bed, she wrapped her arms around Isa and rested
her head over the Elite’s chest.

Isa’s arm wrapped around her shoulders
and her head rested on Kailynn’s.

The two remained silent for a very long
time.

“Isa?” Kailynn finally murmured.

“Mm?”

“Why does Gihron want to dismantle
Venus?” she asked. “They don’t gain anything from it, do they?”

“No,” Isa admitted. “Not in reality. But
it’s the concept. Venus is, more or less, the tyrant of the entire system. She
can access information anywhere at any time, even if it’s not in her mainframe.
She can monitor all transmissions, all trade, all social interactions. She is
omnipresent.”

“She’s what?”

“She’s everywhere,” Isa clarified.

“There’s something else I don’t
understand about that,” Kailynn said, sitting upright. “If she’s everywhere,
and she can hear and see everything, how do these plots on your life happen?
How does she not know about everyone trying to shut her down?”

“She knows,” Isa disagreed. “She is just
programmed to determine credible threats from false ones. Sometimes, her
calculations are wrong.”

“I thought she was a computer and
therefore her calculations could never be wrong.”

“Her statistics are never wrong,” Isa
admitted. “Her calculations on society are correct, but individual people are
always unpredictable.”

“Then, if she knew that Gihron was trying
to destroy her, why doesn’t she just kill them?”

“Venus is not a weaponized machine,” Isa
said, her eyes going distant. “She has certain abilities—she can shut down the
planet to its core, but that is not considered weaponized. Because, from that
point, humans are the ones that will cause problems, such as sanitation and
health concerns, looting, starvation, crime—those are all results of humans,
not of Venus.” The Elite sighed heavily. “But she cannot shut down other
planets, at least not most of them. A few of them she has that control over,
but Gihron is not one.”

“Can’t she, I don’t know, hijack their
ships and force them to crash, or something?”

“She could, potentially,” Isa said with a
nod. “But that’s where her statistics come into play. Gihron is creating a
fuss, it’s true. But they have allies that are remaining quiet, for now. If we
were to attack, those allies would rear up and fight. She’s calculated the
risk. The likelihood of them actually doing any damage to her or her system is
very minimal.”

“But what about you? What about the
people of the planet?”

“Those are all things she’s considered in
her calculations,” Isa explained. “For now, she has agreed that keeping the
Elites as her ruling Syndicate, and therefore risking an attack from Gihron, is
less dangerous than removing the Elites from the Syndicate and risking social
upheaval.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m ignorant, but
wouldn’t social upheaval be easier than war?”

“Not at all,” Isa said, shaking her head.
“Anything that happens internally is far more devastating than anything that
can occur from outside of a society. In war, you can dehumanize the enemy, band
together under your leader, your city, your planet, whatever it is you believe
in as a collective whole. During a social upheaval, there is no collective
belief. Everyone wants something different,
but they don’t know what that is until after they succeed in overturning
everything. Then they have to pick up the broken pieces and try to make a
cohesive unit. It’s devastating.”

“Didn’t you say that’s what would happen
with Trid eventually?” Kailynn pressed.

“Trid is a very good example,” Isa said.
“Trids protest and fight for rights in Anon, but they do not seem to understand
what that really means. They just know that the way they are being treated is
wrong, and they want something different. But with the system as it is, the
entire social structure would have to be toppled and rebuilt to incorporate
Trids as they want. They don’t know how they would restructure everything, they
just know that it needs to happen.”

Kailynn thought over the words, trying to
process them fully.

“And, if we were to dismantle Venus, then
the planet would be a horrible place to live, and building a new structure
would be…”

“Chaotic,” Isa completed, turning to look
at Kailynn seriously. “When people are desperate for change and don’t know what
it is that they want to change, or the consequences of that change, corruption
sets in and becomes a cancer. Those who have a better understanding of the
society, whether that is because of family connections, higher education, or
any number of factors, are quick to secure their own wealth and position in
such social upheavals. That’s why, more often than not, a revolution leaves
things more broken than they were before, like what happened to Earth.”

“Earth?”

“I guess you wouldn’t have heard about
Earth before,” Isa mused. “Everyone in the Altereye System originated from a
planet called Earth, several hundred years ago.”

“Where is Earth?” Kailynn asked.

“Far away from here,” Isa said, her
eyebrows high. “And still not far enough.”

“I don’t understand…how could all the
planets of the Altereye System have origins on the same planet?”

“Earth started out as all these planets
started. Humans developed and changed things over time, and the population
grew, humans grew stronger, behaved as humans do…” Isa sighed heavily.
“Technology developed and allowed further exploration in the universe, which eventually
led to the technologies we have today. The entire planet went through many
upheavals, each more devastating than the previous. One country had a
revolution, and then another, and another, until the entire planet had torn
itself apart and tried to rebuild, but it was disastrous. Everything was
corrupt. Countries were trading people and weapons without care, killing one
another…eventually, it led to a weaponized human.”

“What does that mean?”

“A weapon that was born and raised like a
human, but had strength like you could not imagine. This weapon was the result
of testing on other humans until they created what they believed to be the
ultimate weapon.” Isa looked at Kailynn, her eyes dark. “And all that testing
eventually led,” he motioned to herself, “to this.”

Kailynn blinked.

“You mean…Elites were the weaponized
humans?”

“No, no, not at all,” Isa said, shaking
her head. “We’re far weaker than those weapons, but the research and technology
that creates Elites all began with those weapons. But they were as human as
possible. When they were traded around, beaten, tortured, forced to fight and
kill each other as if they were emotionless machines, they retaliated. They
might as well have incinerated the planet. The final reports and explorations
of Earth say that the planet was uninhabitable.

“However,” Isa continued, “they had found
the Altereye System before the bloodshed. And when the weapons began to
retaliate, the rich and those in power, who could afford to evacuate Earth, did
so. Every country bid and purchased planets based on resources and currency. It
was a political blood bath. And then, on top of that, humans were already
developed to a certain point, and they decided to develop these planets to that
same standard, killing all indigenous species, intelligent or otherwise, and
forcing these planets to adapt to what they had been used to on Earth.”

“…I’ve never heard of any of this.”

“I know,” Isa said. “Many schools learn
about Earth, but much of this information is heavily guarded. Obviously, it
would raise concerns about the Elites.”

Isa sighed heavily.

“So, as you can see, even here and now,
these planets were built on corruption from those who could afford to leave the destruction of
Earth. They left the others to die.” Isa leaned her head back on the wall once
more. “But, with Earth now a distant memory, more present matters push planets
apart that have their roots in the evacuation of Earth. Some planets were
less-favorable than others, and poorer countries obtained those planets. These
are planets that require more sophisticated tools to cultivate and tame for
human habitation. But, often, these planets are also far away from trade
routes, which isolates them economically and socially. This breeds discontent.
And that is the entirety of the Ninth Circle, Gihron included.”

Kailynn took a deep breath, her eyes
going wide as she exhaled.

“Wow…” she murmured.

“A lot of information, I know,” Isa said,
reaching over and running her fingertips over Kailynn’s cheek. The Significant
turned to look at the Golden Elite.

“Knowing all this, you want to shut down
Venus?”

Isa nodded slowly.

“If I could, I would,” Isa said.

“So much for Elites being loyal to
Venus,” Kailynn tried to joke.

Isa smiled. “I’m not considering myself
an Elite anymore,” she whispered. She shifted forward, taking Kailynn’s face in
her hands and kissing her tenderly. “I don’t think I ever was. I may have
passed the degeneration tests, but I know for sure that I am a degenerate.” Isa
looked over Kailynn’s face. “I’ve fallen in love with you. An Elite can’t be
more degenerate than that.”

Kailynn looked into the clear blue depths
of Isa’s eyes, her heart stopping at the words.

“…I love you, too,” she breathed.

Isa let out a relieved breath and closed
her eyes.

“Can you repeat that?” she asked, the
smile touching her eyes when she looked at Kailynn again.

The Significant smiled broadly.

“I love you.”

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

The day was progressing as normal.

Kailynn was picked up by Rayal nearly an
hour after Isa left for the Syndicate. They discussed the continuing
investigation for the Gihrons that had killed the prototypes and were
continuing to send threats to the Syndicate about attacking.

All of the Syndicate Intelligence Agency
was on-edge, but it was the environment they were used to working in.

Kailynn went about her normal day,
running errands around the office for Rayal and trying to learn as much as she
could. She had become much better at reading at writing, partially because
Isa’s doctors had been worried about her health and continued to send her home
hours early to be sure she was well enough to handle the mounting tension.
Kailynn was able to spend her evenings with Isa, and the Elite helped her with
lessons, finally taking her back into the library where there were electronic
book cases and hardcopy books, which Kailynn had never seen in her life.

Kailynn did not mind spending time in the
library. Sometimes, it was too much for her to watch the sappy romance
unfolding between Tarah and Rayal, so she would escape into the library.

A month had passed since Isa’s collapse
at the Syndicate Building. While she was not eating as much as she should, she
was forcing herself to eat every day, which helped her keep up her strength.
This allowed some of the tension to leave the Syndicate.

But on that day, everything would reach a
fever pitch.

At 14:36, there was a deep, sonic
rumbling that caused everything in the Intelligence Agency to rattle. Kailynn
and Rayal both looked up from their tasks, glancing around at the shaking
glasses and files on the table.

Before the rattling stopped, every
monitor in the room began flashing red and alarms shrieked. Kailynn was
immediately on her feet, walking to Rayal as he glanced at the screens, hitting
several keys on his keyboard.

“Fuck…” he breathed. He angrily smashed a
button on his desk. “Code Red! Scramble detonation control and the military to
the Syndicate Building immediately! The Syndicate has been bombed! Initiate
emergency response and then evacuate the building!”

Kailynn’s hearing had turned to a dull
ring as the words bounced around her head.

The Syndicate Building had been bombed.

“Kailynn, we have to evacuate,” he said,
grabbing her hand.

“What about Isa?!” Kailynn gasped.

“We won’t know immediately. Come on!” he
snapped, yanking her out of the office. “We’ll get as close as we—don’t call
her!” Rayal snapped when he saw Kailynn reach for her phone.

“What?!”

“If she’s in any sort of trouble, you
don’t want to make it worse!”

At the Syndicate Building, Isa heaved
herself out of the small compartment door to escape the audience hall where she
had been meeting with Venus. She glanced around the main control room, looking
at the flashing lights and warnings as various automated voices in the building
recited their programmed words.

“Isa!” Remus yelled. She turned and
looked up to the third balcony above her head, where Remus was leaning over the
railing. “Are you hurt?”

“No!” she called back over the deafening
sounds.

Remus ran down the stairs to get to the
main control room as Isa ran to one of the terminals to assess the damage to
the building. As she looked over the flashing red sections of the building where
the structure had been damaged, a sonic boom sounded and all lights in the
building flickered briefly, the sounds distorting as power began to fail.

“They’ve hit the central power!” Isa
called. Several other Elites had joined her in the control room, also looking
over the screens and warnings.

“One more hit like that and they’re going
to knock out part of our defenses,” Hana said.

“All employees to the central control
room,” Isa said, pressing a broadcast button. “Do not attempt to leave the
building.”

“The front of the building is completely
destroyed,” Aolee said, looking over the building schematics.

“…we’re about to be ambushed,” Isa
hissed.

They all rounded on her, their eyes wide.

“Get the employees in here,” she said,
motioning to the few operators and maintenance employees that were running into
the central control room. “Fey, deactivate all of Venus’ ports in the building.
Chronus, get a tablet and see what exterior cameras are still operational.”

Isa climbed up onto the center platform
of the room and walked to one corner, flicking the release switch and typing in
several codes.

“Anders! Get the employees down here,”
she said, motioning to the hatch that opened. “Take them to the far west side
of the Pipes. They’ll be safe. Stay with them.”

Anders nodded, pushing one of the
computers to the side and getting up on the center platform with Isa, pulling
some employees with him and motioning to the open hatch. Isa watched the first
operator go down.

“Hostiles in the building!” Chronus announced.
“East entrance.”

“Remus, we’re going to need protection,”
Isa said quickly.

The Silver Elite ran to one side of the
room to open one of the vaults while Fey turned to Isa.

“I can’t deactivate any of Venus’ ports,”
he said quickly. “The mainframe is glitching.”

Isa glanced around at the computers in
the control room.

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath,
“everyone focus on getting the employees into the Pipes.” She climbed off the
center platform as more employees quickly ducked into the hatch and
disappeared. “Everyone’s here, right?”

She got a chorus of affirmatives as she
ran to one of the desks and pulled out a communication piece. She shoved it in
her ear and placed her pointer finger against the top, going to Chronus and
pressing her finger to the edge of the tablet. When the three high beeps
sounded, she nodded and looked at him.

“Go into the Pipes and watch them.
They’re clearly done with bombs or they wouldn’t be entering the building.
Watch the street. When one minute has passed without a hostile entering, let me
know.”

“I’m not leaving your side,” Chronus said
quickly.

“I need you to watch them,” she said
seriously. “Go. That is an order.” She turned to the room. “Okay, everyone,
we’re going to force shut down the building once they’re inside. Stay together.
Remember everything we’ve been taught.”

“Isa,” Remus said, walking over to her
and handing her a gun. She nodded once to him and attached the holster to her
waist, pulling the gun out and checking the ammunition as the other Elites were
given weapons.

“Wait for me here,” she said. “Make sure
everyone gets down into the Pipes and then shut the hatch.”

She turned aimed her gun at a small area
of the west wall high above their heads. When the bullet connected with the
area, sparks flew into the room and rained down on them, continuing for several
seconds as the lights flickered and the building groaned.

Isa ran to the same wall, Remus behind
her. She shot twice at a handle that was concealed among the monitors to
destroy the lock and then she and Remus shoved the heavy door aside.

Isa holstered her gun and ran into the
long corridor with the wires and ports for the building.

Remus stood at the door as Isa stopped at
the section she knew she needed to rewire. She quickly unplugged all of the
ports she knew to belong to Venus’ vital information, plugging them into a
secondary port that blocked the transmissions to keep them from being copied to
any external source.

She was nearly finished when she heard
Chronus’ voice in her ear.

“I’ve counted sixty-three,” he said. “But
they’re still coming.”

“These cocky bastards…” Isa groaned,
running to the end of the corridor and flipping two large switches, typing
hurriedly into a computer.

“Isa! They’re in the stair corridor! The
security robots are down!” Hana called.

Isa continued typing hurriedly. Once she
was sure that her coding secured Venus’ information, she ran to another, much
larger switch. She pulled it down twice, allowing it to snap back into position
when the charge had been built.

Isa ran out of the corridor and she and
Remus pushed the door shut. Isa pressed her finger to a small touch pad under
the desk and the clanking of magnets forced every component in the wall to be
completely sealed in emergency lockdown.

“Where are they now?” Isa asked, pulling
out her gun again.

“The southeast stairwell.”

Isa watched an employee slip into the hatch.

“Is that everyone?” she asked.

“I think so,” Remus said, climbing onto
the center platform and closing the hatch, securing it correctly.

“Isa,” Chronus’ voice said in her ear,
“I’ve counted eighty-three. Some were fighterbots, but most were human. All
armed. It’s been thirty seconds since the last one.”

“We’ve got human and bot,” Isa announced,
walking back to the center panel and climbing on top of it with Remus. Remus
went to one corner and pressed his ring finger to a very small sensor under the
lip of the platform. Isa did the same on the opposing corner. A soft beep
sounded and a small panel no larger than a phone opened up in the middle of the
platform. A touchpad raised up from its fireproof box, exposing the black
screen

Isa and Remus walked to it, glancing at
one another.

Isa held out her hand to Remus.

“Stand by me?” she asked.

He took her hand.

“Always.”

“Chronus,” Isa said. “How long since one
has entered the building?”

“Fifty-six seconds.”

Isa nodded to Remus and they both went to
their knee, pressing their ring fingers into the pad.

Immediately, the building shuttered and
groaned, loud gears clacking within the walls to force the building to shut
down. Blast doors slammed angrily shut, covering every door and window. The
computers went silent, the lack of their humming noticeable to all who worked
at the Syndicate day-to-day.

Isa and Remus got down from the center
platform and the Bronze Elites began filing out of the room, Isa and Remus
following. They were calm and prepared.

“Well, everyone,” Isa started as she
reached the hallway. She turned around when she was out of the control room and
went to a crouch, hitting her fist against one of the floor panels, shattering
it. She swept the pieces to the side and turned back to the other Elites.

“They wanted a fight,” she continued.
“Let’s show them exactly who they’re picking a fight with.”

The Elites backed away from the entrance
of the corridor and formed a block in the hallway, the only hallway that
allowed anyone to get to the secondary stairwell and, therefore, further into
the Syndicate Building. The quiet and the darkness were unnerving, but the
Elites fell into formation, three Elites in a crouch, shoulder to shoulder and
two Elites standing directly behind them, all their guns pointed at the only
area where the attackers could approach. They quietly crept backward toward the
stairwell. Isa was at the back of the group, Remus directly in front of her,
both of them with their guns ready.

Isa reached the stairwell and everyone
began filing into it. They scaled the steps carefully and quietly, everyone
with their guns pointed at any possible direction from which they could be
shot. They managed to reach the second floor when they heard the ambush. The
footsteps and barked orders echoed in the quiet building. Isa and Remus slipped
onto the walkway overlooking the control room, their backs pressed against the
wall to stay hidden in the shadows created by the dim, red emergency lights.

Both Elites watched the number of people
filing into the room. There were some robots that walked stiffly, carrying
their weapons as their mechanical eyes scanned the area. However, their design
did not allow them to tilt their heads upward. Isa knew immediately that they
were from Gihron, who had not upgraded to the new Soldier robot. Everyone
remained still and silent. Two Bronze Elites were positioned at the door of the
stairwell, two more along the stairs, their guns pointed at the opening.

When they started speaking Gihoric, Isa
had to close her eyes and grit her teeth against the harsh-sounding language.

“They’ve
probably evacuated.”

“No,
they’re here,” the man said. Isa immediate opened her eyes and pinpointed
his location. “The lockdown was initiated
from the inside. Get a bot plugged in. Get what you can.”

“Arna,
get in here!”

Remus nudged Isa gently but she shook her
head, craning her neck to look down at the intruders. She held up one finger,
reminding him that they only had one shot. A few of the soldiers climbed onto
the center platform.

“Think
this is where they are?” one asked.

“R-Team,”
the leader ordered. “Come with me.”
He began to lead some of his men out of the room, calling back orders. “Get what you can,” he repeated. “And see if you can find a panic room. That
bitch is in here somewhere.”

Isa quickly aimed her gun, pointing it at
the broken tile on the floor. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.

She fired the gun and everyone turned.
The Sergeant was about to go back in the room and see what happened, but he was
stopped by the loud humming and cracking of electricity. The robot fighters let
out high whines and collapsed, the high-voltage passing through their feet and
frying their wires. The humans were unable to make a sound as the electricity
passed through them, their expressions lit up by the occasional streak of white
energy and sparks that showered over them from the doubly-charged, weaponized
floor.

The four soldiers standing on the center
platform dropped to a crouch, watching in horror as the others collapsed. They
had no idea that the center platform was completely grounded to protect the
machines that ran the building in the area the Syndicate called the Pipes.

However, they did not have time to figure
out that they were not electrocuted. Remus and Isa both fired shots, taking all
four of them out with terrifying accuracy.

“UP!”
the Sergeant bellowed. A round of cries and whooping followed as the surviving
attackers ran toward the stairs. Isa knew they had only killed thirty of them
with the electricity, but she was not worried. She knew that they could handle
the ambush.

She and Remus moved to the other side of
the hall, even though no one was willing to go into the control room to shoot
them, not sure if the floor was still live with voltage. The Bronze Elites
remained in their formation.

Bullets started firing from both sides.
The Elites moved into the walkway, stepping backwards, firing with more
accuracy than the human attackers. The Elites were sure to take out all fighter
bots first, raining bullets along the front line of ambushers and forcing the
ones behind to trip over the fallen bodies, slowing them down as the Elites
went into the hallway, two slipping into each alcove that was meant to look
like a design choice by the architects, but was actually a tactical point in
the building’s construction.

Isa and Remus were in the alcove furthest
from the stairwell, and Hana remained in the hallway to draw the enemies out.
When she saw the first few faces of the ambushers appear, she turned and ran,
around the corner.

“There!”
one man bellowed.

Hearing that someone had spotted the
Elites, they surged into the hallway and were met with bullets ripping into
them. The Elites all had their guns out of the alcove, peering carefully out as
they shot down the next wave of intruders. Their bodies fell heavily to the
floor, once again slowing those behind as they tried to navigate around the
corpses of their comrades.

Several Elites had to reload, but once
the guns were prepare to fire again, Isa called to move again. They all moved
out of their alcoves, the Bronze Elites at the front continuing to shoot at the
intruders. Bullets fired back. Isa, at the back of the group, saw two of her
Elites sustain small injuries that they ignored as they moved around the
hallway to the next tactical part of the building.

However, as they were about to slip into
the next alcove set at the pinch point in the hallway, Aolee heard a sound he
recognized immediately.

“Grenade!”

The Elites darted out of their hiding
spots and ran toward the next set of stairs, firing over their shoulders as the
bullets chased them.

A concussion through the hallway sent
them all reeling, collapsing to the ground as glass shattered and the building
groaned once more. Their ears were ringing, and they could not hear the orders
of the intruders as they picked themselves up.

Remus hauled Isa to her feet and put her
behind him immediately as she tried to orient herself. The other Elites were
scrambling to their feet, a few more sustaining injuries that were more
serious.

“Go!” Remus snapped, shoving Isa into the
next stairwell. When he turned around, gunfire sounded and two bullets struck
him, one whizzing past his ear. The bullet in his shoulder was not concerning.
The one that lodged into his abdomen, however, caused searing hot pain to blind
him temporarily. He pushed past it, raising his gun again and firing multiple
times.

“Are you alright?” he called, looking at
Isa as the Bronze Elites created their formation once more, climbing into the
stairwell.

The Silver Elite stopped at the sight of
blood on the stairs.

Isa was holding onto her side, shaking
her head.

“I’m fine,” she assured through grit
teeth. “Broken rib, but lung’s fine.”

Remus, too, had his hand over the bullet
wound in his stomach.

“Come on,” he said quickly.

“No, we’re not breaking formation,” Isa
said, steadying her gun once more and firing into the bottom of the stairwell
over her Bronze Elite’s heads into the neck of one attacker. She turned the
bend in the stairs and leaned over the railing, shooting again.

“There
she is!” the Sergeant bellowed.

The men who were still alive and fighting
leapt at the Elites, bringing them to the ground and breaking their defense
line, allowing the Sergeant and two other attackers into the stairwell.

“Go! Go!” Remus barked, shoving Isa up
the stairs. He turned and fired several shots, but only managed to take out one
of the two grunts. He ran to the top of the stairs where Isa was waiting, her
gun drawn.

“Get into the alcove,” he said, pushing
her once more.

Before his hand left her shoulder,
another bullet tore through his body, hitting him just below the shoulder blade
on his left side.

Isa steadied her gun and shot the person
at the top of the stairs, causing him to fall backward and tumble down the flight.

Remus was on the ground, groaning and
holding the wound.

“Stay calm, Remus,” Isa whispered,
crouching next to him and touching his shoulder. She touched the earpiece
quickly. “Chronus, we need the emergency crews ready. Remus has been shot repeatedly.”

“They’re standing by outside,” he
assured, his voice betraying his worry.

“Well, well,” a voice said, his accent
thick and reminiscent of an old adversary. Isa stood immediately and pointed
her gun at the Sergeant, “I did not believe them when they said you were more
beautiful in person.”

His gun was lax at his side as he stood
in the stairwell, clearly believing the Golden Elite was not a threat. Isa’s
eyes were unblinking as she stared at him, her gun aimed at his head.

“And that fire in your eyes, it’s so…arousing,” he said, taking one step
forward. Isa tried to hear past him to understand the situation with her Bronze
Elites. “I wonder how many men have been fortunate enough to see that look. I
guess I should consider myself lucky.”

“I can think of one other person,” Isa
said darkly. “Someone you once knew.”

His face fell.

“When you see him in hell, tell him I’m
sending more.”

She pulled the trigger and watched the
bullet rip through his head. He fell backward and tumbled limply down the
stairs.

“Isa!” Hana called, darting over the
bodies and to Isa.

“Anyone hurt?”

“A couple, none fatal,” the Bronze Elite
assured.

“Good, we need to get this lockdown
lifted,” Isa said, tossing the gun to the ground and grabbing the groaning and
gasping Remus. “Help me get him to the control room.”

Elites who were less injured help carry
Remus to the second floor once more. Isa quickly broke a hole in the wall with
her fist and pulled the wires loose so the floor was, once again, safe to tread
on. She jumped onto the platform and helped heave Remus toward the touchpad. He
groaned in agony, his face contorted.

“Stay with me,” Isa said quietly, pulling
him to one corner and pulling his finger away from the wound, wiping it on her
uniform before pressing it to the sensor. “Stay with me, Remus,” she snapped,
crawling hurriedly to the other corner and pressing her finger to the sensor.
Once again, the panel raised in the center of the platform.

She turned around quickly when she heard
the other Elites yell at Remus.

He had gone very still.

“Remus!” Isa cried, crawling over and
grabbing him once more, hauling him along the surface of the platform and
pressing his finger to the touchpad next to her own. “Don’t you dare,” she
hissed. “You promised me. Always.
Remember?”

The building clanked once more and a soft
humming resumed.

Isa angrily pressed her finger to the
communicator.

“Get the EMU in here, now!”

She pressed her hand tightly over the
wound in Remus’ chest and bent her head over his, closing her eyes tightly,
every moment passing like an eternity.

Kailynn ran out of the elevator at the
hospital and to the figure standing alone in the hallway.

She wrapped her arms around the Golden
Elite as Isa held her tightly, her eyes closing and a shuddered breath leaving
her.

“Are you alright?” Kailynn whispered.

“I’m fine,” Isa assured, lifting her
shirt slowly to show the bandages around her abdomen. “Just a minor wound and a
broken rib. Otherwise, I’m fine.”

“And everyone else?”

Isa swallowed hard and glanced back at
the window in which she had been staring. In the single bed, Remus was still
and pale, hooked up to various monitors and machines.

“They said that…” Isa took a deep breath,
“another twenty minutes and he could have been beyond help.” Her voice shook as
she spoke the words. “But Dr. Busen is sure that he’ll make a full recovery,
with time. Everyone else is fine.”

Kailynn ran a hand over Isa’s hair,
looking over her pale and worn features. The way Isa looked at the sleeping
Silver Elite gave Kailynn pause. She blinked at the Elite, her hand slowly
dropping to Isa’s shoulder.

“You love him,” she stated. Isa turned to
look at her. “You love him very deeply.”

Isa swallowed hard and closed her eyes,
nodding slowly.

“I do,” she said. “Very much.” She
wrapped a hand around the back of Kailynn’s neck as she pressed her forehead to
the younger woman’s. “But it’s not the same,” she continued. “I never felt with
Remus what I feel with you.”

Kailynn closed her eyes and pecked a kiss
on the Elite’s lips.

“We both love you,” Kailynn murmured.
“We’ll both stay with you, no matter what.”

Isa opened her eyes and backed away from
Kailynn, looking over her face, gently tucking some hair behind her ear.

“Always?”

“Always.”

Isa dropped her head, her eyes tired.

“Even through war?”

Kailynn took Isa’s face in both hands.

“Look at me,” she said. Isa’s eyes met
Kailynn’s. “Always.”

Chapter
Thirty

War moved much slower than Kailynn
anticipated.

After the attack on the Syndicate
Building, she was sure they would be bombed every day and have people flooding
the city, trying to attack the Syndicate. She was jumpy and nervous, constantly
checking every out-of-place noise. It took her a week before she finally
started to settle again.

In that week, Isa went from working hard,
to being near the point of collapse.

Kailynn returned to Anon Tower a week
after the attack on the Syndicate Building with Rayal and they were both
surprised to see Dr. Busen punching the code into the front door.

“Dr. Busen,” Rayal greeted. “Is
everything alright?”

“I appear to have an AWOL patient,” Dr.
Busen chuckled. “I’m trying to track her down.”

“She said she had an appointment to see
you yesterday,” Kailynn said, walking into the home with the doctor.

“She did,”
Dr. Busen affirmed, sighing, “however, she stood me up.”

“Things have been crazy lately,” Rayal
said.

“I know,” Dr. Busen said. “But, if she’s
going to be traveling off-planet, I need to give her a clean bill of health,
and I certainly can’t do that if I never see her.”

As the doctor set his briefcase on the
table and opened it, Kailynn’s jaw dropped.

“She’s going off-planet?”

Dr. Busen turned around, surprised.

“Did you not know?”

“No.”

“It was only confirmed today,” Rayal
interjected. Kailynn rounded on him, glaring at him for not telling her that
Isa would be going to another planet. “The Alliance is having a meeting to
discuss the attack on the Syndicate and what to do with the Ninth Circle.”

“Dr. Busen,” Tarah greeted, walking into
the living room.

“Hello, Tarah,” Dr. Busen said with a
smile. “Is she here?”

“She’s in the office. I’ll show you to
her.”

“Actually, I would prefer if you would
forcefully yank her away from work,” Dr. Busen said, sighing and shaking his
head. “I swear, these Elites…”

“How is Remus?” Kailynn asked.

“He’s doing much better,” Dr. Busen
assured. “He’s healing very nicely. In about two weeks, I’ll release him. He’s
going to have to do some physical therapy and regain his strength, but he’ll
make a full recovery.”

“That’s a relief,” Kailynn said with a
nod.

Dr. Busen smiled. “I’m relieved to hear
you say that.”

“Why?”

“I was worried that you would be
predisposed to dislike Remus,” Dr.
Busen explained. “Considering the situation.”

“…oh.” Kailynn chose not to tell the
doctor about the number of time she was extremely jealous of the bond that Isa
and Remus clearly shared.

“Remus is a very good man,” Dr. Busen
said seriously. Rayal lowered his eyes to the ground. “He has been through
much, and he has done a lot of things that are very difficult to forgive, but
no one can deny how important he is to Isa and his loyalty to her.”

Rayal turned to Tarah.

“Tarah, I’ll get her.”

He left the living room and Dr. Busen made
a face.

“I keep forgetting how much he dislikes
Remus.”

“He does?”

“Yes,” Dr. Busen said. “Anyway, how have
you been, Kailynn?”

“Honestly? Not great. I keep expecting
the building to explode, or something.”

“There is a lot of anticipation in the air,”
Dr. Busen agreed. “But there is no need to worry. Security around the planet
has been tripled and everyone is on alert.”

Dr. Busen stood with Tarah and Kailynn in
the living room, talking about how he would likely be over every day to be sure
that Isa was healthy enough for the meeting with the Alliance. He was
discussing how to keep an eye on her when Isa walked into the room, looking
pale and tired, though that did nothing to distract from her beauty.

“Dr. Busen,” she said with a weak smile.

“This is why you cannot skip
appointments,” Dr. Busen said. He shook his head, walking over to Isa and
grabbing her wrist, pinching it as he glanced at his watch. “Isa, I have
hundreds of hours invested in your health, but you seem to like to challenge me
at every turn.”

“Admit it,” Isa said with a small smile,
“if I wasn’t such a difficult patient, you would not be so innovative in your
treatments.”

“You get no credit for that,” Dr. Busen
chuckled. “Your appearance is worrisome.”

“You know, there are several who find me
quite attractive,” Isa said with mock-hurt.

Dr. Busen chuckled and motioned to the
couches in the living room.

“Sit. I’m going to give you a full exam.”

“I have an appointment for a full exam
next week,” Isa reminded him, though she moved to obey.

“Yes, and I’m sure that, when the time
comes, you will ditch once more.”

Isa sat down heavily on the couch,
letting out a long sigh. Kailynn sat next to her.

“Are you really going to another planet?”

“In about a month,” Isa said with a nod.
“I’m going to Fortunea. The Alliance is meeting to discuss the current state of
affairs.”

“Why do you have to be there in person if
you can just use the Opium mode on the chair?” Kailynn asked, confused.

“With so many members of the Alliance, it
becomes extremely difficult to coordinate. Also, having so many planetary
leaders in Opium, it’s very easy to plan assassinations. It’s safer, in
situations like this, to meet in person.”

“I’m going to ask you to stay out of
Opium for a while,” Dr. Busen said, walking to Isa and sitting in front of her
on the coffee table, opening his briefcase once more. Kailynn glanced at Tarah
and Rayal, who were standing by the bar. Tarah was looking up at Rayal, smiling
broadly as he grinned gently back at her. She grabbed the front of his shirt
and pulled him down for a kiss, giggling quietly when they parted. She grabbed
his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

Dr. Busen continued with his basic
examinations, checking Isa’s pulse, blood pressure, and her wound from the
ambush of the Syndicate Building. The longer he continued the exam, the more
drawn his face became. Kailynn tried not to feel nervous, but she could tell
that there was something bothering the doctor.

Dr. Busen sat back, looking over Isa.

“Everything alright?” Isa asked.

“No,” he said simply. “Something’s not
right.”

“I feel alright. Tired, but that’s it.”

“Headaches?”

“I’m bound to get those if I only get an
hour of sleep a night,” Isa said with a tired laugh.

“Stand up.”

The Elite complied and Dr. Busen pushed
the coffee table away, turning back to her and holding out his hand.

“Right hand,” he said. She lifted it and
he gently took her wrist, holding her hand at the level of her belly. “Push
up.” She did so, fighting against the pressure he put on her arm, familiar with
the exercise. He shifted, putting his hand under her wrist. “Push down.” He
moved her hand and put his fist against her palm. “Push out.”

She completed the exercise and he
motioned for her other arm.

She was significantly weaker on her left
side.

He looked at her, his eyes showing his
concern.

“Sit down.” When she was seated, he
pulled the coffee table back and sat on it, leaning forward and placing a hand
on each of her shoulders, feeling around the muscle and collarbone. When he
pushed on the left side of her neck near her collarbone, she hissed and backed
away. He sighed and continued the examination, finding the painful points on
the left side of her neck.

When he reached her jaw, she immediately
backed away.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Dr. Busen looked at her suspicious.

“Recite your vowels,” he said seriously.

She sighed heavily, making a face.

“Michael—”

“Isa,” he interrupted quickly, “recite
your vowels.”

She opened her mouth to enunciate the
letter A, and when she shifted her mouth to enunciate E, she flinched and
sighed, defeated.

“Okay, remember what I told you?” Dr.
Busen said, exasperated.

“Yes.”

“Yet, you decide to ignore me?”

He leaned forward and pressed his fingers
into her jaw, moving them slowly. “Open your mouth.” She slowly did so.
“Close.”

“What’s wrong?” Kailynn asked.

“She’s suffering reconstructive
deterioration,” Dr. Busen murmured, asking her to open her mouth again as he
peered inside, feeling along her cheek.

“What’s that?”

“When she fell five years ago, she
received substantial injuries, particularly to the shoulder, neck and face. I
had to reconstruct the entire left side of her face, including the eye, tongue,
and nose. But Elites do not react well to reconstruction. For some reason due
to their immune system and the way their genes are manipulated, the new tissue
breaks down. For some it take several years, for others it takes only a few
months.”

He sighed and lifted his finger.

“Follow my finger without moving your
head.”

She did so, but as she turned her eye to
the left, her eyes began closing and she cringed away, dropping her head.

“That’s what I was worried about,” Dr.
Busen said. He reached forward and pressed his fingers carefully around the
eye. Isa backed away quickly when he pushed under her eye above her cheekbone.

“Sorry,” he said, pressing a little more
gently. “No wonder you have a headache. There is a deposit of fluid here.”

“Is she going to be alright?”

“Yes, thankfully, since we caught it
now,” Dr. Busen said. He reached back to his bag and pulled out a syringe.
“Isa, lie down. I’m going to drain that.”

Kailynn quickly stood and turned away,
refusing to watch the process.

When he was finished, he pulled out a
bottle of pills and extracted two. As he reached for another bottle, he glanced
at Kailynn.

“Could you get her a glass of water?”

“I’m giving you a couple things,” he
said, grabbing yet another bottle as Kailynn went to the bar. “This is for the
headaches. This is to slow the deterioration. In the next few months, I’m going
to have to reconstruct everything again.”

“…can’t you leave it?” Isa asked
hopefully.

“Not if you don’t want your face to
collapse and your skull to deteriorate around your brain,” the doctor quipped.
“I didn’t have you on the table for twenty-seven hours for nothing.”

“Twenty-seven hours?” Kailynn gaped.

Dr. Busen nodded.

“The damage was extensive. We thought we
were going to lose her.”

Isa sighed, too tired to ask the doctor
not to say things to scare Kailynn.

“Take all of these,” Dr. Busen said,
handing the pills over to Isa as Kailynn walked over with the water. “I’m going
to monitor you for two weeks. If nothing has improved by then, then I can’t
sign off on you going off-planet.”

“Just tell me how many to take of what
and I’ll do it,” Isa assured quietly, lifting the first pill to her mouth.

“No,” Dr. Busen said. “I’ll come over and
administer them every day.”

“Why?” Isa asked, laughing brokenly.

“For my own peace of mind,” he said. “So
I don’t lie awake at night agonizing over whether or not you took them.”

Dr. Busen concluded his examination and
made Isa swear not to work for the rest of the night. He left saying he would
be back the following day and that he expected Isa to eat something and sleep
for the entire night.

Kailynn extended her hands to Isa.

“What?”

“Let’s take a shower,” she said. “The hot
water will relax you. Then you can eat and we can go to bed.”

Isa sighed, but did not protest. She let
Kailynn lead her to the shower and they both stepped under the hot spray.

“Have you ever been to Fortunea before?”
Kailynn asked as she ran the washrag over Isa’s shoulders.

“Yes,” Isa said. “It’s a beautiful
planet. There is a lot more foliage and wildlife than here on Tiao.”

“I’ve never heard of it before.”

“It’s the third power in the Alliance,”
Isa explained. “Tiao is the first, and a planet called Kreon is the second.”

“What’s it like to travel to another
planet?”

“Long,” Isa chuckled, turning around, her
arms wrapping around Kailynn. “We’ll be spending a week on the ship alone. Then
a few days on the planet just to turn around and spend a week on the ship
again.”

“I’ve never been on a ship before.”

Isa smiled gently.

“I would say it’s nothing special, but
that’s because I have traveled so many times, I grow weary of the travel.” Isa
took Kailynn’s hands in hers and kissed the fingertips briefly. “With something
of this magnitude, it is not uncommon for the leading powers to bring an entourage
of people. The entire Syndicate will be going, including the new girl, Tia. And
I’ll likely have Rayal join me, as well.”

“Sounds like quite an ordeal,” Kailynn
said, trying not to let her disappointment show.

“There are going to be at least twenty-one
different planetary leaders there with their entourages. It will be difficult
to keep up with everything.” Isa glanced down at Kailynn’s hands in hers and
smiled. “Perhaps it would be best if Rayal had his assistant join him.”

Kailynn’s face lit up immediately.

“Really?” she gasped. Isa nodded.

“I think an assistant would be necessary
for this meeting.”

“Thank you!” Kailynn breathed, wrapping
her arms around Isa’s neck and clashing their lips together. “Thank you! Thank
you so much!”

Isa chuckled into the kiss and her arms
tightened around Kailynn’s waist.

“There is one thing, though.”

“What?”

“We,”
she motioned between them, “will have to be twice as careful. The Alliance is
shaky, and everyone is nervous. They will look for any means to get to me to
tear down my regime. Therefore, we have to be very careful about how we
interact.”

“I will be on my best behavior,” Kailynn
said strongly. “I promise.”

Kailynn was so excited to travel
off-planet that the days were crawling by for her. For everyone in the
Syndicate, the days were passing too fast. Trying to repair the Syndicate
Building, train a new Elite fresh out of the Academy, and handle the press and
other planets when it came to the attack on the Syndicate was causing tension
to run high among the Elites.

As promised, Dr. Busen was over every day
to check Isa’s condition. She seemed to improve under his very careful watch.
Similarly, the other Elites healed well from all injuries received during the
ambush, and Remus was released from the hospital, though he was asked not to
work until traveling off-planet to preserve his strength.

The day to leave the planet came closer
and Kailynn could hardly sleep she was so excited. It had always been a dream
of hers to leave Tiao and see the other planets in the Altereye System. She had
always assumed it would only be a dream that she could never achieve, but it
filled her with hope on the days she had needed it. Realizing that the dream
was about to become a reality, she could hardly contain herself.

Tarah, on the other hand, was less than
enthusiastic.

She had been left alone in the house
before when Isa went off-planet on other occasions, but with Rayal leaving, she
was disappointed that she could not join them.

Isa
apologized that she could not take the caretaker with them, and even though
Tarah understood why, she tried not to be hurt that Isa found a way to make
Kailynn part of her political entourage, but could not do the same for her.

Rayal did whatever he could to cheer her
up, though he knew she was going to be upset for a while.

“I’ll be sure to vidcall every day,” he
said to her when she was pouting about being left alone in the house for a
nearly month with Rayal gone.

In the final days before the trip,
Kailynn was sure she never slept.

Going to the docking station for the ship
was a surreal experience. She was waiting to wake up and realize she had been
dreaming.

The security around the Syndicate was
extremely intimidating, even for Kailynn who was being protected by the same
detail. There were armed robots all around them and the live guards walked
around that circle, their guns in front of them, prepared. They spoke quietly
to the scouts they had around the entire docking station. All commercial
transportation had been halted for that morning, meaning the docking station
was mostly-empty, but with the attack on the Syndicate Building, no one wanted
to take chances.

Kailynn glanced through the windows at
the various ships in the station, enthralled and amazed. She stayed close to
Rayal and he constantly had to call to her to remind her that they had to be at
the ship at a certain time and they could not linger.

They entered a large hanger where a ship
sat idling quietly, being loaded and double-checked by the crew. The ship was
black and grey in color, the sleek design accented by the dark colors against
the white hanger walls. When the crew saw the Elites walking toward them, they
stopped and bowed their heads, waiting for the group to go up the ramp into the
ship. The robots would be joining them as security detail for the ship, but the
humans stayed behind.

Once inside, several of the small bots
that patrolled the ship led various Elites to different areas of the ship.
Kailynn and Rayal went one direction while Isa, Remus, and a few other Elites
went to the other side of the ship.

The inside of the ship was not at all
like what Kailynn pictured. There were long hallways with ornate designs along
the walls, and the black panels she had seen on the ship were large, albeit
dark, windows. There were several seating areas with interactive coffee tables,
like what Isa had at home. There were NCB chair and NGS chairs in various
alcoves of the ship, surrounded by ornate, beautiful dividers that made Kailynn
feel like she had stepped into an exclusive club.

The bot stopped in front of one door,
turning its wheels so the screen was facing the two passengers.

Rayal pressed the open button on the door
and stepped into the room.

There were two beds in the room attached
to a bathroom and a sitting area with a large screen. The wall on the far side
of the room was made up of dark windows, allowing Kailynn to see the hanger as
everyone continued preparations.

“This is amazing…” she whispered.

“You should see some of the big commercial
ones,” Rayal chuckled, setting both their bags on the floor near the beds.

“There are ships bigger than this?” she
gasped.

“Yes,” he said. “This is actually a
relatively small ship. It’s a special class ship, used only for the Syndicate.
No markings, no distinguishing features other than the frequency of its
communication. For obvious reasons, we don’t want to draw attention to the
Elites when they’re traveling. That’s why we don’t use the big, lavish resort
ships.”

“I would like to see those,” Kailynn
breathed, looking around the comforts of the room, wondering how anything could
be more lavish.

“You might be able to, someday,” Rayal
said with a smile. “This is our room for the week.”

“Where will Isa be?”

“In another part of the ship, probably,”
Rayal said. “Let’s go find her.”

The two left their room. Kailynn told
herself that she needed to pay attention to where they were so that she could
find her way back and, therefore, not raise suspicions with the crew about
spending time with Isa. However, as they walked through the ship, Kailynn was
immediately distracted by how comfortable the ship felt.

Rayal led her down another hallway and
knocked on a few of the doors, asking the Elites what room Isa had. Kailynn
noticed that the Elites were all paired two to a room, and her stomach began
twisting nervously at the thought.

When they came upon the room where Isa
would stay, Rayal knocked and opened the door.

Isa was sitting on one of the two beds,
leaning back on her hands as Remus stood in front of her. They had obviously
been in deep discussion when the two entered.

“Kailynn, Rayal,” Isa greeted. “What room
number are you in?”

“Fourteen,” Rayal answered.

“Why are you sharing a room?” Kailynn
asked.

“Safety procedure,” Remus answered.

“Everyone on this ship shares a room.
It’s a means to keep everyone safe and accounted for.”

“But why…” Kailynn trailed off, biting
her tongue.

“Kailynn, there is no need to worry,” Isa
assured, looking at Remus. “Remus and I are not engaged sexually anymore. You
know that.”

Kailynn bowed her head, deciding not to
speak. It did not matter that Isa and Remus were no longer in a relationship.
There was something about the arrangement that made jealousy bubble in the
Significant’s stomach.

Isa stood and walked to Kailynn.

“Why don’t we see the rest of the ship?”

Kailynn and Isa walked around the ship,
Isa showing Kailynn the different areas of the Syndicate ship, telling her
about the entertainment offered so that the Elites would not go crazy from boredom
when traveling. Since they were going to be traveling for a week, Isa was sure
the Elites would be getting together for drinks and games—apparently, there was
a tradition of a certain betting game that always occurred on the trips with
the Syndicate Elites.

When the ship was rolled out of the
hanger and to the launch site, Kailynn had her face pressed to the window,
eager to see everything she could. The ship hovered, jolting when it was taken
off its cable, and then it began soaring into the sky. The feeling was
disorienting and Kailynn had to grab onto the nearest seat and hold it as they
soared through the atmosphere and into space. Isa sat across from the
Significant, watching with mild interest, though she constantly spared glances
at Kailynn, smiling at the younger woman’s fascination.

Once they were in space, Kailynn felt the
ship stabilize and she felt steady enough to let go of the chair.

However, she did not move from her spot
at the window, looking over the impressive blue-grey color of Tiao. Her eyes
were wide, afraid to blink, should she miss something.

She did not realize it but, for over an
hour, she stood at the window and watched Tiao become smaller and smaller.

Finally, around what would be the middle
of the day on Tiao, everyone was called into the dining hall for lunch. Kailynn
spent most of the time staring at the black sea littered with white dust. She
had never thought that space could look so empty and vast, even with all the
stars, but there was something about looking into the void of space that had
her feel small. But it was not a frightening feeling—it filled her with peace.

After an afternoon of wandering around
the ship with Isa, Kailynn saw the first round of the game called Evolu. It was
a speed game, memory game, and a game of chance rolled into one.

Kailynn stood by Isa’s side as they
started the game at a very large interactive table in the back of the ship. The
screen lit up with symbols before shifting into boxes with pictures on them.
The pictures were very simple objects and shapes. The electronic table dealt
the “cards” to the Elites, each of them getting six different cards. There were
thirty different pictures on the cards, and the object of the game was to get
as many matches as possible, discarding unwanted cards to the person next to
them, allowing the cards to make an infinite loop around the table. However,
whenever one match was made, a virus card was released and the person who made
the match would have to send it to someone else at the table. If they got a
virus card and did not make a match in that turn, they would lose a card from
their hand.

This was all done at a very fast pace.

Tia, the new Bronze Elite, watched the
first game as well, not knowing the rules.

When the game started, Kailynn was
surprised at how fast and competitive the Elites became. Whenever one of them
was struck by a virus card and lost one of their cards, they would let out
agonized groans and make everyone around them laugh.

Not surprisingly, Isa was very good at
the game. Her hands moved very fast, swiping the cards around the table that
she did not need and quickly matching the ones that she could. When the virus
card hit her, she was able to make a match and did not lose a card.

When all cards had been matched or
destroyed by the virus card, the points were tallied and the next round began.

The Elites kept their own tally of the
points they each received and said they would add them all up at the end of the
trip to decide the winner, who would win the sum of the money they each put in
the electronic deposit box on the ship. They were required to make at least one
bet a day if they wanted to play, so the sum grew very quickly.

As Kailynn watched three rounds of the
Elites playing Evolu, she forgot that she was with the Elites of the Syndicate.
With the drinks going around the table and the amusing competitive nature of
the Elites, the evening felt like one spent among friends.

However, at the end of the night, when
most of the Elites were a little tipsy, and Kailynn was very close to being too drunk, the Elites retired.

Kailynn went to Isa’s room after
stumbling, lost, around the ship.

“Kailynn, you need to drink some water
and get some sleep,” Isa chuckled, sitting in the seating area with Remus as
Kailynn clumsily entered the room.

“I wanna drink with you,” she slurred,
stumbling to Isa and flopping with no grace at all on the couch and across
Isa’s lap.

“You have had plenty,” the Elite laughed.
Kailynn sat up, wrapping her arms around Isa’s neck and kissing her cheek
several times before biting her earlobe teasingly.

“I want you,” she cooed.

“Kailynn, Remus is sitting right here,”
Isa reminded her.

“No, he’s not,” Remus groaned, standing.
“I’ll go see if Anders wants to play a game of Evolu. I think he’s still
awake.”

Remus walked out of the room and Isa
watched him go apologetically.

“Kailynn…”

“What? He said he wanted to play,”
Kailynn said, pouting.

“You can’t ignore him like that.”

“He’s not your lover anymore. I am!”
Kailynn declared, her words merging as she spoke.

“Yes, you are.”

“I want you,” Kailynn repeated. “How many
people can say they’ve had sex in space?”

Isa chuckled as Kailynn climbed on her
lap.

“Have you
had sex in space?” she asked, trying to focus on Isa’s face.

Isa chose not to speak, but Kailynn knew
the answer was yes.

“See! Now you have to have sex with me,”
Kailynn said. “You did it with Remus, now you have to do it with me.”

Twenty minutes later, Kailynn was laying
on Isa’s bed, trying to catch her breath as Isa settled next to her. The Elite
kissed her neck gently and Kailynn turned to look at the Elite, her eyes caught
something out the window behind the Elite.

“Whoa! What is that?!” she asked
excitedly, scrambling to her feet and darting to the window, not caring about
her naked state.

The ship was flying over a long platform
of metal on top of a space station. Around the platform were enormous rings,
twelve in total, that each rotated a different direction than the one in front
of it. The ship flew slowly through the rings, hovering above the constructed
runway.

“We’re already at the Gate,” Isa noted,
joining Kailynn at the windows. “This is the first Gate, Dani-Kahl.”

“What’s a gate?”

“It’s a bit like a jump in space. The
gate will launch us into a very fast pace through its route until we reach the
other side. Then we’ll have to go to the next gate for the next jump.”

Kailynn had no idea what Isa was talking
about, but she nodded, watching as they flew through another large, rotating
ring.

“Is the ship going to jolt?” Kailynn
asked.

“No,” Isa assured, wrapping her arms
around Kailynn’s waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. “You won’t even
notice.”

The two watched as each ring passed over
the ship. When they reached the last one, the stars seen beyond the station
were blurred into streaks across the window, shooting by them in the blink of
an eye. Kailynn gasped in amazement as Isa leaned her head on the
Significant’s, both of them watching the stars streak past them.

Chapter
Thirty-One

The thrill of traveling in space lost its
effect after the third night in the ship. Kailynn became stir-crazy and bored,
as did almost everyone else. The only two who seemed not to be bothered by the
long travel time in the ship were Isa and Remus. Most of the time, the two were
sleeping or sitting quietly.

At first, Kailynn was irritated by the
behavior, until she realized that there was no one to disturb Isa on the long
trip, allowing her time to rest.

After that, she left Isa alone until she
could no longer stand it.

The sleeping arrangements also got on her
nerves. She wanted to continue sleeping next to the Golden Elite, but Rayal
refused to share a room with Remus, even when Kailynn begged. Therefore,
Kailynn would go to Isa’s room and climb into bed with her. When he was too
exhausted to put it off any longer, Remus would go back to the room and sleep
in his separate bed.

Isa did nothing to change the situation,
either.

Therefore when they finally reached
Fortunea, Kailynn was eager to get off the ship.

Once again, Kailynn’s face was glued to
the window, watching the ship approach the large blue and green planet. The
flames that licked the ship as they entered the atmosphere startled her at
first, but Isa assured her that everything was alright, which eased Kailynn’s
mind, but she did not press her face to the glass until the flames were gone.

The ship flew toward a large, grand city,
passing over the buildings and streets. There were people walking through the
city and the cars were not in underground tunnels, but next to the buildings,
causing a lot of movement on the surface of the planet.

Once they landed at the docking station,
the entourage was escorted by an enormous security detail to a caravan of cars.
Kailynn, Rayal, Remus, and Isa shared a car in the middle of the convoy. As
soon as the door closed and they began moving, Kailynn pressed her face to the
window and watched the city pass.

Remus reached into his pocket and pulled
out a small device, setting it against the side of the car and turning the
scrambler on.

“This is not going to be a pleasant
meeting,” Remus said seriously.

“I am aware,” Isa agreed.

“I need to know your intensions.”

Every eye in the car turned to the Golden
Elite. Isa stared at Remus silently for a few moments before sighing.

“I’m not backing down,” she said simply.
“I will not submit to threats and terrorism from the Ninth Circle. Anything I
do after their threat has been neutralized will be my decision and the Alliance
need not know of it.”

Kailynn was unsure exactly what Isa was
saying, but there was something about the words that caused a feeling of
anticipation to pool in her belly.

“You will need their support if you plan
to go through with it,” Remus corrected.

“There is no reason for them to know
about that now,” Isa said. “The Ninth Circle is a bigger threat.”

The rest of the car ride was silent.

Kailynn was surprisingly tired by the
time they got to Leadership Square, which held the heavily-guarded, stunning
palace of the Queen of Fortunea. Kailynn’s tired eyes tried to take in the
stone walls and the incredible carved statues of beasts and humans alike,
flanking the large staircase that led up to the columns in front of the grand
entrance adorned with gold.

Compared to the metal and glass
structures of Tiao, the light stone buildings felt warm and opulent.

Kailynn was swept up with the rest of the
crowd, Rayal keeping a close eye on her as the entourage, surrounded by droves
of security, were swarmed at the gates of Leadership Square by reporters,
cameras, and people curious about the commotion. The Elites did not seem
phased, but Kailynn was overwhelmed and tried to hide her face as much as
possible, walking quickly to get to the steps of the palace, where security
prevented spectators from coming further.

Inside the palace, everyone in the group
was scanned for security purposes and then admitted and led toward one of the
living quarter areas. As they walked through the marble-floored halls, a woman
dressed entirely in black quickly approached the group, walking alongside them
until Isa motioned for her to approach.

“Seventeen leaders are here. We are
expecting the remaining twelve through the day. The rest will be connecting
remotely,” she relayed quietly to Isa. “The dinner tonight has been postponed
due to an emergency and the meeting is set for tomorrow morning at eleven,” she
continued.

“Red flags?” Isa asked.

“Several,” the woman said. “Orille is
here and he brought that Syna with him.”

Isa groaned quietly.

“Fine,” she said. “What else?”

“Juren was seen speaking with Lynn and
Ralphia alone last night at dinner,” the informant continued, even as they
walked around the corner. “The rumor is that there was an assassination attempt
on Kren last night and that is the reason for the emergency postponement.
Everyone, of course, suspects Lynn.”

“Kren is still breathing, though?”

“Barely,” the woman groaned. Isa
chuckled.

“Alright,” she said. “Are there any
representatives from Hyun?”

“Yuta is here with some of her advisors.”

“She’s quite bold,” Isa muttered. “Are
Shane and Urya here as well?”

“Yes, they arrived late last night.”

Isa nodded to the woman. “Thank you.”

The woman turned away from the group and
walked away. Kailynn took a few quick steps to catch up to Isa.

“Does she work for you?”

“Yes.”

“You have a spy here?” she hissed.

“Several,” Isa confirmed. “Knowledge is
power. I must stay informed, or I’ll be killed.”

“What if the queen finds out?”

“She knows about all but one of them,”
Isa assured. She smiled. “We may be good friends, but I need to keep an eye on
her as well.”

Kailynn could only blink at the back of
Isa’s head as they turned into the wing of the palace dedicated for the
entourage from Tiao. For some reason, the former Significant was startled by
Isa saying so calmly that she was spying on everyone in the Alliance.

The rooms were divided among the
Elites—two to a room, as usual—and Rayal and Kailynn shared a room next to the
two other advisors of the Syndicate. Once they were settled, Kailynn poked her
head into the hallway to be sure that no one was there and went to Isa’s room,
Rayal with her.

“—don’t trust her,” Remus said. “That is
an extremely bold move to come here herself.”

“It’s only going to harm her in the end,”
Isa assured, turning to Rayal and Kailynn as they closed the door behind them.
“We have to be patient. Right now, we have information that gives us power over
her. We need to remember that.”

“And Shane and Urya? We haven’t been
watching their planets as we should.”

“We have enough,” Isa assured gently.
“All will be well.”

“It is dangerous to have traitors in your
midst,” Rayal agreed, approaching.

“We have little information on Gihron.
You know they abandoned Caroie, which means they’re waiting to see what we do.
If Yuta is working with Gihron, then she is a very valuable source of information,”
Isa explained. “We have the upper hand, but we can only keep that if we are
very careful about how we proceed. We need to let her convict herself.”

“But if you let her get out of hand, then
you’re going to have a larger war on your hands,” Remus warned.

“I agree,” Rayal seconded. “The Ninth
Circle is using obsolete technology, but if they’ve managed to swing Hyun,
Imala, and Tepian to their side, we are going to be fighting with armies that
match our own.”

Isa sighed heavily and turned to Kailynn.
The Significant was silent, knowing she could not offer any advice to the
Elite.

“Let us see how the meeting goes
tomorrow,” Isa said. “They are not the only planets I am concerned about.” She
smiled at Kailynn. “What do you think of the palace?”

“It’s…huge.”

Isa laughed. “It is.”

“I didn’t know you could make buildings
out of rock,” Kailynn continued.

“This palace has—”

“Isa,” Remus interrupted, “this is a very
dangerous situation for us. We do not have time to talk about the palace.”

“Remus, you are getting yourself worked
up.”

“And, for once in your life, you’re too
damn calm,” Remus hissed. “The Alliance is crumbling, and the Ninth Circle has
already gotten to Tiao and managed to attack the Syndicate Building. The
situation is already out of hand. We need to remind them that we are the
hegemon of the system.”

“If we start exerting power and dominance
over these planets in this fragile state, we will not be hegemon for long,” Isa
said darkly. “We need to make them feel it on their own. The only way to do
that is to remain calm and stay secure in the knowledge that we have the upper
hand.”

“We don’t,”
Remus near-growled.

“They do not need to know that.”

“They already know it,” Remus said. “They
know that our past relations with Gihron are riddled with blood, and anyone who
wants to tear you down will use that as a means to pull you out of power and
destroy Tiao.”

“Only if they gain something out of it,”
Isa said. “And, as long as Venus is still operational, no one will gain
anything from Gihron’s victory.”

“That is not true. Remember, you—”

A knock from the door stopped him and the
door opened as a steward walked into the room and bowed his head.

“I heard that my palace had become
infested with Elites,” a voice said with a laugh.

Kailynn was surprised to be meeting the
queen of the planet in such an informal setting. She was dressed in rich
clothes of gold and red, ornaments in her hair and heavy makeup on her face,
accenting her soft, dark skin. Despite the incredible difference in her appearance
from anyone Kailynn had seen before, she was enthralled by the queen’s beauty.

“Glynna,” Isa said with a warm smile,
walking forward and taking the queen’s shoulders as the queen did the same to
Isa, both kissing each other cheeks. “It has been far too long,” she said.

“Indeed it has,” Glynna said. She turned
to Remus. “Elite Remus,” she said, bowing her head with a teasing smile. He
bowed deeply.

“Your Majesty,” he said with same teasing
tone.

When he straightened, he also kissed both
her cheeks. “It is wonderful to see you again,” he said, his smile sincere.

“I have missed you both. Isa, Remus,
welcome back.”

“Thank you,” Isa said. “I hope you are
well.”

“Of course, I always am,” Glynna said,
glancing at the other two in the room. “You brought your caretakers?” she
asked, confused.

“No,” Isa said, turning to Kailynn and Rayal.
“Rayal works as head of the Intelligence Agency. He’s here as an advisor. This
is Jacyleen, his assistant.”

“Oh, I see.” Glynna said.

“I heard there was an emergency that
postponed the dinner,” Isa asked, her face becoming concerned.

“Ah, did one of your birds already find
you?” Glynna asked with a broken laugh. “Yes, there was a poison found in the
wine. Naturally, everything must be checked, now. As you know, it is terribly
bad luck on Fortunea to have a dinner without wine.”

“Was it domestic or imported?” Remus
asked.

“Both, actually,” Glynna answered. “Rest
assured, we have the situation under control. There is no need to be concerned.
At every summit, there is an assassination attempt. You know this.”

“Let us hope that there is only one,” Remus
said with a small laugh.

“Yes, let’s,” Glynna chuckled.

Kailynn could not help but wonder how
many assassination attempts these leaders had endured to be able to joke about
their own murders so lightly.

“I would stay and visit, but I am afraid
I have to disappear before the next convoy arrives,” Glynna said. She reached
forward and took Isa’s hand. “I just had to see you. It’s been too long.”

“It has,” Isa agreed, smiling. “We’ll
catch up sometime after tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Glynna agreed. “I will see you
both tomorrow.”

The Isa that led the Elites into the
enormous conference hall of the Fortuean Palace was not the Isa Kailynn knew.
Isa was not dressed in her normal uniform. She wore all black, her clothes
formfitting and perfectly tailored to her, making her appear far more
intimidating.  Her hair was pulled away
from her face and the look in her eyes changed her entire demeanor from the Isa
everyone knew to the Golden Elite of Tiao.

The remaining Elites were dressed in grey
dress clothes, all perfect in their appearance, causing everyone’s eyes to turn
and the conversations around the room to halt as everyone looked at the Elites.
Kailynn, Rayal, and the other two advisors were dressed formally, but they were
not nearly as impressive as the Elites.

Isa stopped briefly in the doorway as the
eyes turned to her. After the two second pause, she barely motioned with her
fingers and the Elites began moving around the room, silently following the cue
to go around the room and learn what they could.

Isa and Remus walked further into the
room, Rayal following them. Kailynn knew that the former caretaker was bugged
so he could record every conversation Isa had with the other planetary leaders.
There was something about the secrecy of everything happening in the meeting
that thrilled, and terrified, Kailynn.

“Golden Elite Isa!” a voice called,
walking to her. She smiled graciously and extended her hand, palm down, to the
man that approached.

“Juren,” Isa greeted. “I have not seen
you in years.”

“It has been too long,” the man said,
taking her hand and trying to pull her hand up to his mouth to kiss, however,
she kept her hand low, forcing him to bow down. When he straightened, he
released her hand and smiled, trying to hide his irritation.

Kailynn glanced around the room as Isa
struck up casual conversation with Juren about his family.

The room was tiered two levels and
circular. In the middle, everyone was walking around and mingling, no one
interacting with the large, circular table with a hologram of Fortunea’s seal
in the middle. Around the circular room there were several chairs with glass
tables in front of them, a transparent hologram of the planet’s name on the
front of each table. Kailynn saw a lot of planet’s names that she had never heard
of, as well as a few that she recognized. She found Tiao’s table on the top
tier, directly across the room from the golden throne for the Queen with her
advisors seated next to her.

Kailynn wondered how they could conduct a
meeting in such a large room with so many people.

Another delegation of people walked into
the room, quickly assessing the area before walking to the center of the room
to mingle with everyone else.

As Isa was finishing the conversation
with Juren, one man started toward her. Rayal, spotting him quickly, took
Kailynn’s arm, turned her to him, and forced her to take a step back from Isa.
He glanced sideways, watching Isa, causing Kailynn to watch as well, confused.

“Elite Isa,” the man said, smiling
broadly and approaching her.

“Habim,” Isa greeted with a broad smile.

The man took her extended hand and bent
down to kiss it.

“I was hoping to get a chance to say
hello before the meeting,” he said, straightening. As Isa’s hand returned to
her side, Kailynn caught the flash of light that reflected off the tiny disk
she had between her fingers.

Rayal reached into his pocket slowly.

“Habim!” a man called from across the
room.

“Oh, excuse me,” he said quickly. “The
boss is calling.”

The man walked away and Isa turned back
to Juren.

“My apologies, please continue,” she
said.

As the man was about to speak, a soft
beeping sounded from Isa’s pocket.

“I apologize again, one moment,” Isa
said, grabbing her phone from her pocket and popping out the earpiece. In the
same motion, she slid the disk into the slot in the back of her phone. Kailynn
only saw the movement because she was looking for it.

“Your doctors can’t figure out how to
implant one?” Juren said teasingly.

Isa forced a smile and placed the
earpiece in her ear.

“Elite Isa,” she greeted.

She turned away from the group and
pretended to talk to someone. Rayal extracted his hand from his pocket as Remus
took up the conversation with Juren.

Kailynn turned her wide eyes to Rayal.

“Keep your face straight,” he said seriously.

Isa took out her earpiece, popping out
the disk and slipping it between her fingers as she approached the group again.

“Forgive the interruption.”

“Elite Isa,” Rayal said walking up to her
and pretending to whisper to her. She nodded once and he turned to walk away.

“Oh, Rayal,” she said quickly, her hand
reaching out and taking his wrist. She slipped the disk into his hand. “Keep an
eye on Tia?”

“Yes, Miss,” he said with a bow of his
head.

Rayal and Kailynn walked away from Isa
and moved across the room.

“What the hell just happened?” Kailynn
whispered.

“Isa’s spies are reporting to her,” Rayal
whispered back.

“That was…I mean…everything here is so…”

“I know,” Rayal said with a nod. “You
thought being a Significant had a lot of hidden pretense? Politics is far
worse. But Isa’s one of the best. Remember, it’s all a game of smoke and
mirrors as you try to survive those who want to stab you in the back.”

Juren excused himself from the conversation
and Remus turned to another leader, discussing something trivial. Before the
meeting, everyone was catching up and testing the waters, trying to determine
the best strategy for each planet depending on the mood of the leader that day.
Isa was trying to pay attention, but she continued to glance around the room,
seeing who had joined them and who she wanted to talk to in the limited time
before the meeting.

“You always did stand out in a crowd,” a
voice said, suddenly at her ear. She whirled around to face the woman.

The initial surprise of the voice faded
and elation filled every part of Isa.

“Vanessa?” she breathed, her eyes going
wide.

The woman smiled broadly.

“Hello, Isa.”

Isa,
unable to help herself, hugged the older woman quickly.

“Sorry,” Vanessa said, “I guess I really
should call you Elite Isa, now.”

“I…” Isa looked over the woman and shook
her head slowly. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Ms. Henrick?” Remus asked, also
surprised to see the woman as he walked to Isa again.

“Elite Remus,” Vanessa greeted. The small
group of politicians from the planet Nexia looked over the woman warily.
Vanessa Henrick was referred to in the Altereye System as a shadow politician.
She was seen at many of the large summits and peace meetings between planets,
but no one knew where she had been born or who she truly served, which made her
very dangerous.

Isa, however, knew Vanessa as one of the
former teachers at the Elite Academy. Vanessa had only been a teacher for half
of a year. She was ordered into exile for trying to insight rebellion with Isa
and the group that eventually came to run the Syndicate. Isa had not seen the
woman in twenty years.

Yet Vanessa looked exactly the same, her
red-auburn hair pulled into a loose braid, exposing the piercing hazel eyes.
She was extremely beautiful, but unbelievably intimidating.

“What are you doing here?” Isa asked,
following Vanessa’s lead as they walked away from the group to discuss things
on their own.

“Her Majesty Glynna asked me to sit as
advisor for the meeting,” Vanessa explained.

“I didn’t know that you were in her favor
so much,” Isa said. “I haven’t seen you in twenty years.”

“I would have visited, but I was in
exile.”

“…I thought you had been executed,” Isa
whispered, her voice straining.

“No, no,” Vanessa assured. “Venus could
not risk upsetting you further, or you might have caused some damage.”

Isa let out a soft bark of laughter.

“Things have been very difficult for you
lately,” Vanessa noted. “I certainly hope that this meeting does not create
more problems.”

Isa looked at Vanessa suspiciously. The
older woman laughed.

“I keep my finger on the pulse of
everything,” she said. “I had to watch you from afar.”

Isa shook her head again. “I can’t quite
grasp the fact that you’re standing in front of me right now.”

“I am sorry for not reaching out to you
sooner, but I watched all the reforms you put on Tiao and I’ve been following
your work mending the Alliance. I knew you would do amazing things.”

“…not everything I had hoped.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Vanessa
said with a gentle smile. “There is still time.”

Isa blinked, confused at the tone in the
woman’s voice.

“Vanessa,” she started slowly, “you’re
here for Glynna, but…it seems strange to me that you are here, yet not a member
of her court or council. I have not heard from you in twenty years, and now
you’re here, at this conference, when
we are discussing a very severe problem with the Ninth Circle.”

Vanessa’s smile widened.

“You have learned the game well,” she complimented.
“I won’t try to convince you that I’m on your side, just know that I am. And,
if you can handle this problem with the Ninth Circle, I will make sure you have
all the support you need, should there be any other change in circumstances.”

Isa blinked at the woman, surprised and
confused. Vanessa glanced at the door and smiled.

“It would appear that Yuta is here. I
will go over and say hello,” she said, her smile showing her irritation at
having to do so.

As she walked away, Isa watched her, confused
and concerned.

She was pulled out of her thoughts,
however, by a shaky voice.

“Elite
Isa,” the man said. She turned around and saw Kren, an old, withered man
who had been dictator of his planet since he was twenty, standing behind her.

“Kren,”
she greeted, bowing her head and slipping easily into another language. “It is a pleasure to see you again. Are you
well?”

As she listened to Kren complain about
his old bones and how he wished he was young again, Kailynn and Rayal started
walking to the different Elites that were conversing with different planetary
leaders. Kailynn could feel the apprehension in the room, and she realized that
Rayal was right. There were far more false pleasantries in politics than in
work as a Significant.

They had made it back to Remus when Isa
was approached by an older, nervous man and a handsome, tall man. Kailynn
watched their interaction, seeing the way the younger man leered at the Elite,
looking her over appreciatively. Kailynn ground her teeth together.

“What’s wrong?” Rayal asked, seeing her
expression.

“That asshole,” she hissed, nodding.

He looked at the two and sighed.

“That’s Orille from Barcel,” he said.
“And one of his advisors, Syna.”

“Look at the way he’s looking at her.”

She felt even more irritated when Isa
looked at him and smiled.

“Don’t worry,” Rayal said with a small
laugh. “Isa can sure as hell handle herself, even with these jackals.”

Isa turned and smiled politely as Syna
complimented her.

“I
appreciate that you’ve noticed.”

“So
confident,” he said, laughing.

“I
have every reason to be,” she told him.

“I
do hope we do not offend you,” Orille said, fidgeting. It was clear he was
worried about upsetting Syna. He cleared his throat and laughed worriedly. “Elite Isa, I do hope you will visit us in
the near future. We have developed a ship that—”

“I’m
sure she’s not interested,” Syna said sharply, glaring at the older man. “Perhaps you should sit down. You look tired.”

Isa glanced between the two, seeing the
way Orille quickly obeyed, walking away.

“You
have him trained,” Isa said darkly.

“Sometimes,
even great planetary leaders need to be guided,” Syna said, standing
directly in front of Isa. “I’m sure you
understand my meaning.”

“I
do,” she assured, her voice strong and steady.

“Perhaps
you are in need of that sort of guidance?”

“No.”

“Perhaps…”
he looked over her slowly, his eyes finally meeting hers again, filled with
dark fire, “there are other services that
you require.”

“I
have no need for your services, Syna.”

“I
hear that often,” he said confidently. “But
they all come to heel, in the end.”

“You
think you can bring me to heel?” Isa challenged. “You could never control me.”

“Everyone
in the Alliance calls you the white tiger.” He gave her a half smile. “I’m curious if you’re like that in all
facets of your life.” Isa stared back, her eyes unblinking and her
expression controlled. “Perhaps I should
find out for myself.”

His hand reached for her waist, but she
caught it quickly, smiling.

“Syna,”
she started, “if you try to touch me,
they will have to amputate after the damage I deal. I promise.”

Syna laughed quietly, taking his hand
back from her.

“What
will they amputate?”

“That
depends on how insistent you are,” Isa said, her smile lined with ice. “Maybe one limb, maybe two.” She glanced
down and her smile widened. “Or perhaps
something you value more.”

She walked away, her head high.

Syna watched her, his eyes alight with
anger.

“Bitch,”
he grumbled, turning back to his table.

The pleasantries continued with Isa
receiving seven secret messages from different people in different forms.
Kailynn only saw two of the exchanges and was shocked at how easily Isa managed
everyone in the room.

A steward appeared at the door and raised
his voice, announcing the arrival of the queen.

Glynna walked into the room, her
vestments of gold and red hugging her curvy figure tightly. She wore a
headdress that extended down her nose, delicate gold chains brushing across her
cheeks. She walked toward the throne as everyone bowed their heads. Once she
passed them, they went to their tables, sitting for the start of the meeting.
Isa was the only one who remained once Glynna had walked by her. She moved to
the center of the room, standing next to the platform and waiting for everyone
to take a seat.

Glynna sat in her throne between a young
woman who appeared to be her daughter and Vanessa. Kailynn sat in a chair
behind the Elites at the table with Rayal, looking at the various faces around
the room.

“Your Majesty,” Isa started, bowing her
head once more. Isa’s voice could be heard around the cavernous room, clear and
strong. “I offer you my sincerest gratitude for your hospitality to Tiao and
the others of this alliance. Your generosity is unparalleled.”

“Your gratitude is accepted, Golden Elite
Isa,” Glynna said with a shallow bow of her head. “You have my permission to
command the meeting.”

“Thank you.” Isa reached into her pocket
and pulled out a small disk, placing it on the table. The hologram in the
center shifted and, from the center, rose a shrouded figure, the black lines of
the cloak sharp, even as they covered the figures head, exposing only a mouth
that did not move.

Kailynn’s eyes were wide.

“Is that…”

“That’s Venus,” Rayal answered with a
nod.

“Is she…is she actually here?”

“She is wired into the entire room,”
Rayal said with a nod. “To every table, every camera, every microphone. She is
the cornerstone of the Crescent Alliance. She logs everything about every
meeting.”

“Esteemed
members of the Crescent Alliance,” Venus
said, her voice reminding Kailynn of the time that she was in Trid with the
computer in her ear, “all interactions
will be recorded today. These can be accessed at any time by any member of the
Alliance. The meeting will commence now.”

Isa bowed her head once to Venus, and
once again to Glynna before walking to her seat at the table for Tiao, across
from Glynna.

“This meeting is to discuss the threats
of the Ninth Circle,” she started once she had sat. “Gihron, in particular, has
threatened Tiao several times, and even allied with Jakra and Ulam to attack
and occupy Caroie for nearly three months, resulting in nearly two hundred
thousand civilian casualties and immense damage to the planet and the trade
markets. After the bombing and attack of the Syndicate Building on Tiao, we are
here to discuss war preparations.”

“You have not made a formal declaration
of war,” one woman from the table for Nexia noted.

“No, I have not,” Isa admitted.

“Yet you prepare for war?”

“The building in which I work every day
was bombed and ambushed with every intent to assassinate me,” Isa said.
“Clearly, there are hostile intentions. I submitted to everyone in the Alliance
the threat that Gihron sent where four of the Tiaoian Elite prototypes were
murdered and demands to dismantle the Alliance, the Elite Syndicate, and Venus,
were put forth. At this point, the attack on my Syndicate was just the first
step in a larger plan for the Ninth Circle to dismantle the Crescent Alliance.”

“Forgive my ignorance,” one man said,
“why are they not included in the Alliance?”

“They were extended the invitation to
sign with the Alliance and they turned it down upon reading the terms of doing
so.”

“To what terms did they disagree?”

“The Crescent Alliance Peace Act
restrictions on their military and—”

“Gihron’s entire hierarchy is military.
They are a militaristic society,” Yuta said from across the room. “The Alliance
would ask them to destroy their
entire society?”

“We asked them to comply with the terms
that all planets have submitted to as a part of this Alliance,” Remus stated
from Isa’s side. “The restrictions on the military are meant to preserve the
safety of each planet that has
conformed to the rules.”

“One-hundred fifty thousand is hardly an
army,” Shane said from the table for Imala. “Perhaps if you had higher numbers
of troops, Elite Isa, your building would not have been so severely damaged.
Perhaps it is time to rethink some of the terms of the Alliance.”

“My troops were not deployed to handle
the ambush,” Isa said calmly. “They were not needed. And the numbers were
carefully calculated based on the average need of each planet for basic
protection against civil upheaval and foreign attack.”

“Tell that to Caroie,” Yuta murmured.

“No, Miss Yuta, I have no need. Your
abandonment of their planet when they sounded their distress signals spoke
volumes about your beliefs on use of military forces,” Isa said sharply. “Do
not stress the rules of the Alliance if you are unable to follow them.”

Yuta sat back in her seat, glaring, as a
few other planetary leaders chuckled.

“I must admit, Elite Isa,” Glynna
started, “I am concerned about the numbers of our military forces. Should the
Ninth Circle choose to attack again, and with more force, one-hundred and fifty
thousand troops does not seem to be enough to protect Tiao.”

“I agree,” Isa said. “Which is why I
bring to the rest of the Alliance a proposal of combining forces around Tiao
for the duration of the conflict with Gihron.”

“I do not see any reason for us to weaken
our own forces to protect you, Elite Isa,” Syna said from his table lower in
the room. “As I understand it, Gihron is threatening to ally with the Ninth
Circle and tear apart the Alliance. They have no regulation on their numbers,
and with Gihron being a militaristic society, their entire planet is a factory
of troops and Soldiers to attack you. This war could last for decades. If we
focus our forces on protecting Tiao, we leave ourselves open to attack.”

“This is not a command,” Isa reminded
him. “It is a request.”

“It sounds like an order,” Syna told her
darkly.

“Perhaps that because you feel inferior
to me. How you feel is something I cannot change,” Isa said.

“How dare you speak down to me?!” he
snapped, standing. “You think you are the only powerful person here?”

“I am the most powerful person in the
Altereye System,” Isa said simply. “You would do well to remember that.”

“We do not have to sacrifice our forces
and security to protect you when Gihron wants you dead because you killed their
previous ambassador.”

“I will not have such disrespect in my
palace,” Glynna said sharply, glaring at Syna. “Sit down and remember your
place. Tiao is the flagship of the Crescent Alliance, and we have a duty to
protect one another. Perhaps, Syna, you have forgotten the definition of an alliance?”

“This is not a war,” Syna said. “It’s
terrorism, directed at Tiao, because of a blood feud. We have no obligation to
assist a planet that purposely destroyed relations with a dangerous planet.”

“I will not repeat this, Syna, so listen
carefully,” Isa started darkly. “This is not an order. It is a request.”

“I think Barcel has a heightened sense of
their own importance,” Habim said, sitting next to the leader of Kreon, the
second most powerful planet in the Alliance. “If we do not lend aid to the most
powerful planet in the Alliance, and they are defeated, then the rest of us
appear weak, and Gihron will take us out one by one until they have established
control over the entire system.”

“They merely want to settle their
grudge,” Urya said, sitting at the table for Tepian.

“That is not the case,” Glynna said
strongly. “They would not threaten the Alliance or Venus if this was about a
grudge. This is a push to take over the system.” She looked around the other
tables. “We agreed to this Alliance. For fourteen years, we have lent aid to
one another by the rules set forth by Venus, to which we all agreed. For this reason, we should be
able to provide a strong front against the terrorist actions of the Ninth
Circle.”

“We do not know the numbers of the Gihron
army, or what they have recruited from other planets in the Ninth Circle. The
outlier planets are, perhaps, part of this plot as well,” Yuta spoke again.

“My intelligence reports that Gihron has
a prepared military force of three-hundred eighty-nine thousand troops,” Isa
said. “They have recruited help from Jakra, Ulam, and Rebma for supplies and
troops. Ulam can contribute up to seventy-nine thousand troops, Jakra
forty-one, and Rebma eleven. That is a total of five-hundred, twenty thousand
troops.”

There was outrage around the room as the
numbers were recited. Glynna called order several times before the meeting
could progress.

“You are certain of these numbers?”

“Yes,” Isa said with a nod. “We have been
monitoring Gihron for several months.”

“We cannot allow them to raise a military
that high,” one woman said, shaking her head.

“We have no power in the Ninth Circle,”
the leader of Kreon said. “They are not bound to our rules, and we have no
right to attack the planet out of fear. Now, they have attacked the Tiao
Syndicate and committed acts of terror in an attempt to strike enough fear in
us to dismantle the Alliance, Venus, and the Elite Syndicate. We cannot succumb
to such tactics. This alliance must remain strong.”

“The Alliance has not been so kind to all
of us,” one woman said, turning to Isa with a glare. “Our people are still
starving, scraping for food and money. Our economy has not benefitted from the
so-called aid of the Alliance.”

“This is not so much an Alliance as it is
an oligarchy,” Yuta agreed. “The Elites, Venus, Kreon, Fortunea, and only a few
select others rule over the rest of us and use our resources for their needs
without regard for our people.”

Venus’ form flickered and shifted,
shifting into a three dimensional rendering of Yuta sitting in an NCB chair.

“We
have another thirty thousand Soldier chips coming in from Jakra,” a man’s
voice said. “But they are demanding
payment at the drop-site.”

“Fine,” the recording of Yuta said.

“We
do not have the funds. Can you get them by tomorrow?”

“Yes.
We’ll take them from Caroie. They’ll be here by tomorrow.”

There was shocked mumbling around the room. Isa
stared calmly at Yuta, having already seen the footage.

“Won’t
that add to the deficit? And Caroie is trying to rebuild. What about them?”

“Fuck
Caroie, and fuck the deficit. The Alliance doesn’t pay attention.”

Venus’ form shifted back to her figure,
but the muttering did not cease. Yuta’s breathing was heavy, her eyes alight
with fire as she glared at the calm Isa.

“You were so quick to throw the rules in
my face,” Yuta snarled, “but you cannot spy on a member of the Alliance and
blackmail them.”

“Under Article Four, I can spy on you,
remember?” Isa said. “You will recall, Miss Yuta, that I put you under
surveillance after your failure to lend aid to Caroie. If you do not remember,
Venus can replay that recorded conversation, as well.”

“You filthy bitch!” Yuta snapped,
standing angrily. The guards surged forward and grabbed her, restraining her.
“I will never bow to you! You cannot control me or my planet! You can kill me,
for all I care, but there will be more that will find any way to bring you
down!”

“Remove her from the room!” Glynna
ordered. “She will face the Courts.”

Yuta continued to scream as she was
hauled from the room by the guards, her voice becoming incoherent quickly.

“At this time,” Isa said, turning to look
around the room, “I would like to remind everyone of the terms of the Alliance.
If you wish to leave the Alliance, for any reason, you are welcome to do so.
However, upon withdrawal, all debts are to be paid with the complete interest,
all aid given by other planets will halt, and trade taxes will be raised by
one-point-two percent. If more than ten planets wish to withdraw at any time,
the rules will be assessed and amendments will be considered. Before we
continue this discussion on Gihron and the Ninth Circle, are there any planets
that wish to withdraw from the Alliance? Again, if more than ten wish to
withdraw, the terms will be revisited and changes can be agreed upon.”

Everyone in the room, and those who were
in the meeting remotely, remained silent. They knew that it was very dangerous
for any planet to admit that they wanted to leave the Alliance. While the terms
of leaving had been agreed upon as fair, if the planet wanted to withdraw with
the intention of changing the Alliance, and they did not get nine other planets
behind them, then they were forever marked as a planet to watch carefully for
any attempt to overthrow the Alliance.

Therefore, no one spoke.

“Very well, we will continue.”

“Elite
Isa,” Kren said, his voice shaking as he turned to the Elite, the
translations sounding at each table as he spoke, “during these attacks and terrorist acts, has General Decius of Gihron
ever contacted you directly?”

Isa hesitated for a very brief moment.

“No,” she said. “He has not.”

“Have
you attempted to contact him to discuss negotiations for a peace agreement?”

“No, I have not.”

“Perhaps
that is the best course of action.”

Everyone was silent, their eyes falling
on Isa. The Golden Elite was silent for a few seconds. In that time, Vanessa
leaned over and whispered something to Glynna.

The Queen of Fortunea cleared her throat.

“Under most circumstances, I would agree
that extending an olive branch would be the first step, however, Gihron is a
militaristic planet,” she reminded. “They follow a very strict chain of
command. If the lower officers were doing something against the wishes of their
General, he would be the first to reprimand them and offer condolences to Tiao.
As he has not, it is clear to me that these attacks and acts of terror have
been at his behest.”

Isa glanced at Vanessa and the other
woman offered a small smile, nodding once.

“Kreon will always stand beside Tiao,”
the leader said strongly. “We lend you our support and aid, however you need
it, Elite Isa.”

“I thank you, Sebil,” she said with a bow
of her head.

“I agree with Kreon,” another planetary
leader said. “Mabira lends her support.”

Isa nodded to her as well.

Several other planets seconded. As more
planets agreed with the action to engage Gihron in war, several planets
remotely attending the meeting also voiced their agreement, their messages
appearing on the surfaces of the glass tables for all the leaders to see. Queen
Glynna said that she would support the Elite Syndicate, no matter what.

Of the sixty-one planets of the Crescent
Alliance, only twelve did not agree to support Tiao.

“For those who have not offered aid, no
explanation is required,” Isa said when the chorus of support quieted.

“I will also support Tiao, but I have a
question I want answered before I do so,” Uyra said, leaning back in his chair,
cocky. He looked at Isa. “Five, nearly six, years ago, Colonel Amori of Gihron
visited Tiao with intentions of coming to a peaceful trade agreement with the
Alliance without becoming a part of the Alliance. As we all know, he was
assassinated on the planet before an agreement could be made and that has led
to a blood feud between Gihron and Tiao.” His expression turned pensive. “What
I do not understand is why he was on the planet for five and a half months, and
you were unable to reach an agreement in that time.” He shrugged. “Why such a
long negotiation period?”

“As we all know, the Gihron people are
very prideful,” Remus stated. “He was unwilling to compromise on several key
points of the agreement. We would revise, and he would reject, remaining firm
in his position of—”

“Silver Elite Remus, if I may interrupt,”
Urya started. “I was speaking directly to Golden Elite Isa.” He turned to her.
“You met with him on several occasions, did you not? Why did negotiations take
such a long time?”

“We were unable to reach a compromise,”
Isa said, her voice cold and quiet. “In addition, we were communicating with
the Gihron Court for clarifications, and communications were interrupted and
delayed considerably. We wanted him to remain on-planet so that we could come
to a peaceful agreement. The assassin that killed him, clearly, did not want us
to ally with Gihron.”

“…I see,” Urya murmured. “Well, if that’s
what you say,” he said darkly, “then it must be true.”

Chapter
Thirty-Two

Kailynn was quiet for their remaining
time on Fortunea. Rayal asked her repeatedly what was wrong but she said she
was alright and that she was just trying to take in everything.

Isa noticed that something was wrong, but
Kailynn did not tell her what was bothering her either.

Their three days on Fortunea passed and
they were escorted to the docking station to fly home. It was an ordeal merely
to leave the palace. Formalities dictated that everyone needed to bid the
leaders farewell as they left. It had eaten up hours the previous days when Isa
and the rest of her entourage had to go around and see off other leaders. The
queen was the last person they had to see before leaving, and she stood in the
marble entrance hall, dressed as opulently as ever. She kissed Isa’s cheeks and
told her that she would be on Tiao to visit soon.

Isa thanked her for her hospitality and
support and turned to lead the Syndicate out of the palace when she caught
sight of Vanessa standing by the doors, talking to two other delegates that
would be staying for one more day.

Isa turned to Remus.

“I’ll be there in a moment.”

He nodded, walking out the door and
leading everyone to the convoy outside waiting to take them to the docking
station.

Isa approached Vanessa and the other two
delegates bowed their heads shallowly, walking away as Vanessa turned around.

“Heading home?” she asked.

“Yes,” Isa answered. She swallowed hard,
her eyes briefly averting to the ground. “I didn’t thank you.”

“Pardon?”

“For what you said in the meeting,” she
said. “To Glynna. You turned the direction of the meeting around.”

“I was merely stating what I observed,”
Vanessa said.

“…but you knew that there was no way I
would contact General Decius. You got me out of a very difficult situation.”

Vanessa’s smile widened. “I told you that
I would support you.”

“Thank you.”

The Elite turned to walk to the doors
when she stopped.

“Vanessa,” she called, walking back to
her. She dropped her voice to a whisper. “How much do you know?”

“About?”

“Colonel Amori.”

Vanessa sighed heavily, closing her eyes
briefly.

“All of it.”

“…everything?”
Isa asked, her voice breaking.

“Yes.” Vanessa nodded, knowing what Isa was
asking. “I only wish that I had known what was happening sooner. I would have
rushed to help you. As such, I only learned of it after you were in the
hospital.”

Isa lowered her eyes and took a deep
breath.

“I don’t know how you found out, but
thank you for not saying anything,” Isa said.

“I wouldn’t,” she assured. Isa began to
walk away once more. “Isa.” The Elite turned. “An Elite would have handled the
situation with the Colonel differently,” she said. “It took a true leader to
handle him the way you did.”

Isa blinked at Vanessa, surprised.

“Don’t think for a moment that you aren’t
the right leader for this system. You are. You always were.”

Isa stared at Vanessa for several long
seconds.

“Whenever you can manage, visit me on
Tiao. I’ll lift your exile status,” Isa said.

“I would be honored,” Vanessa said with a
bow of her head.

Isa left the palace, joining the others.

Everyone was silent as they drove to the
docking station. Everyone could feel the seriousness in the air. Even though
the meeting with the Alliance had turned in their favor, they knew that they
were now, officially, at war with Gihron.

Still silent, they boarded the ship and
soared back into space.

Kailynn fell asleep as soon as they
started their smooth flying toward their first Gate. She was exhausted from the
few short days on Fortunea. The formalities, dinners, meetings, and secret
message exchanges were almost impossible to keep up with. Kailynn knew she
would never be meant for the political world. She would rather do her job, do
it well, and then go home and be with Isa.

Part of her admired the Elite for being
able to do what she did, but seeing her in action at the meeting, the way she
commanded the room, the secret exchanges, the power play between her and the other
politicians, also frightened Kailynn. She had no idea Isa was capable of that
behavior.

She was awoken by a gentle hand on her
head.

She turned over and saw Isa sitting on
the bed next to her, a gentle smile on her face.

“Are you feeling alright?” she asked,
pressing the back of her hand against Kailynn’s forehead.

“Yeah,” the younger woman said, sitting
up. “I’m just tired.”

“Travel and a quick turnaround like that
will do that to you,” Isa said knowingly. She ran her hand over Kailynn’s hair
again. “You’ve been quiet for a few days. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Kailynn said. “I’m just…there was
a lot for me to think about.”

“What do you mean?”

Kailynn shifted on the bed, folding her
legs and looking at Isa seriously.

“How many people do you have spying on
other planets?”

Isa paused, thinking.

“Over one hundred,” she finally answered.
“I’m sure you’ve handled some of their information at the Intelligence Agency.”

“Don’t you worry that we’re being spied
on?”

“Absolutely,” Isa said with a chuckle.
“In fact, Jesmia, the other woman with us, she’s a Silver Spoon spy.”

“A what?”

“She was approached several years ago by
Kren, another planetary leader, who offered to pay her to spy on the Syndicate.
However, she is very loyal to me, and I tell her what to tell him. She feeds
him information for me, acting as his spy while working for me the entire
time.”

Kailynn blinked, slowly shaking her head.

“You’re different when you’re an Elite,”
she murmured.

“Different?”

“There is something frightening about the
fact that you have so many spies around the system,” Kailynn said. “I don’t
know, it just feels scary, like you don’t trust anyone.”

“I don’t,” Isa admitted. “I can’t afford
to. Every politician in the system has an agenda. As Golden Elite of Tiao, the
voice of Venus, it is my duty to keep the system as secure as possible. Knowing
what everyone is up to is a means to keep control over the Alliance and the
Altereye System.”

Kailynn looked down at the bed.

“I’m not cut out for this political world,”
she said. “All the secret notes and messages…it was exhausting to keep up
with.”

Isa chuckled lightly, reaching forward
and resting her hand on Kailynn’s.

“It’s exhausting for me, too,” she said.
“But that is how I survive.”

“Do you ever get tired of it?”

“All the time,” Isa said. “Why do you
think I’m so eager to come home and be with you, the one person I don’t have to
be Golden Elite with?”

Kailynn smiled slightly, her heart
skipping a beat at the words.

“This war is going to be bad, isn’t it?”

Isa sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”

“It seemed like there were a lot of
planets that weren’t keen on supporting you.”

“The Ninth Circle makes everyone
nervous,” Isa said. “They’re uncontrollable, and that’s frightening for any
leader.”

“Do they scare you?”

“Yes,” Isa said quietly. “They do.”

“Did they before Colonel Amori?”

Isa nodded slowly.

“Yes.”

Kailynn averted her eyes, taking a deep
breath.

“I wish I understood more about what was
going on.”

Isa shifted on the bed, facing Kailynn
completely.

“The truth is Gihron has always wanted
control of the system. They believe that a militaristic approach to society is
the best, and that respect should be earned by those who climb through the
ranks of service. Those who do not serve the military agenda on Gihron are
treated like slaves, forced to live in crowded, unsanitary barracks and make
weapons and other goods that keep the Gihron government wealthy enough to raise
their troops and build their army. Gihron is a barbaric place. The planet is
desert with limited food and water, and the people who do not serve the
military do not have access to food or water most days. The way they treat
their people is horrific. That is why I invited them to the Alliance, to try
and help the people of Gihron. That’s why…”

“That’s why Colonel Amori wouldn’t
compromise?” Kailynn asked.

Isa sighed heavily, lowering her gaze.

“Gihrons are very prideful,” she
continued. “And they believe that an Alliance between the planets destroys the
societies of each planet. They say that unity is toxic to civilizations, that
everyone should remain separate and out of each other’s business.”

“Makes sense to me.”

“If all planets were like Caroie or
Fortunea, I would agree,” Isa said with a nod. “But there are many planets that
cannot support their own population, mostly due to food supply. Before the
Crescent Alliance was formed, those poorer planets attacked larger ones,
desperate for something to help their people. When other planets are more
fortunate, or wealthier than others, it can breed discontent very quickly. That
is why the Alliance is vital. It’s the only way some planets can get food to
sustain their societies. Gihron, who enslaves their people and lets them die of
starvation, believing that food is something that needs to be earned by signing
your life away to the ranks of the military, does not believe in giving aid to
other planets, like we do.”

Kailynn pursed her lips.

“When you explain these things to me,”
she started slowly, “all I can think about is how Trid is the same way.”

“It’s the same everywhere,” Isa said,
nodding. “Humans are the same, no matter what language they speak, or what
color their skin is, or who they bow to.” Isa’s thumb gently rubbed the back of
Kailynn’s hand. “And we’ll work on getting Trid incorporated into Anon. You
just have to give me time with Venus.”

Kailynn smiled thinly.

“You confuse the hell out of me
sometimes,” she chuckled brokenly.

“Why?”

“The way you spoke at the meeting, telling
everyone that you were the most powerful person in the room and saying some of
the things you did to the other leaders, anyone would think you were a
heartless dictator. But then you tell me that you’re trying to save the
non-citizen criminals of Trid, and that you are trying to keep the Alliance
together because the people of the planets should always have food. The two
images just don’t seem to fit together.”

“That’s because I have to be a politician
with the members of the Alliance,” Isa said. “I have to intimidate and flaunt
my power with them to serve my agenda. But my agenda has been, and always will
be, to be a good leader.”

Kailynn smiled and nodded slowly.

“You play the game very well.”

“Thank you,” Isa said with a quiet laugh.
“I hate the game, but I have been well trained in it.”

Even though Kailynn felt a little better
after talking with Isa about what had happened on Fortunea, there was still
something in the back of her mind that refused to be silenced. For three days,
she went about partaking in the entertainment on the ship. The Elites played
several games of Evolu in an attempt to break the tension of the meeting. It
succeeded, particularly when the alcohol started flowing. The pool of money was
getting larger and larger, and everyone was trying to gain more points to knock
Isa out of the top spot.

On the final day, when they were
approaching Tiao behind schedule, Kailynn went to Isa’s room, where she found
the Elite on a portable terminal, going through her messages. She turned when
she heard the door open.

“Sorry, you’re busy,” Kailynn said,
turning to leave, losing her nerve.

“No, please,” Isa said, setting the
terminal aside and rubbing her eyes, “save me from this. I hate war
preparations.”

Kailynn closed the door behind her and
walked behind Isa. Isa turned over her shoulder to look at the former
Significant, but Kailynn took her shoulders, pressing her thumbs into the
Elite’s tense muscles. Isa relaxed quickly, closing her eyes as Kailynn
massaged her shoulders.

After several long minutes, when she
could tell the Elite was relaxed, Kailynn leaned down and tilted Isa’s head
back, kissing her tenderly.

“Thank you,” Isa murmured.

Kailynn walked around the couch and sat
next to Isa.

“Isa,” she started slowly, “I’m sorry,
I’m probably going to screw this up,” she said, rubbing her forehead, “but this
has been bothering me for days.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve tried to tell myself that you’ll
tell me when you’re ready and that I should respect your limits on this, but…I
feel like, with this war, and everything going on at home, and the way you’ve
been talking about Venus lately, I should know more about what happened with
Colonel Amori.”

Isa took a deep breath, lowering her eyes
to the couch.

“I know, I shouldn’t push you, but I’m
scared,” Kailynn continued. “I feel like everyone in the Alliance knows
something about what happened, and they are trying to use it against you.”

“Everyone has their own theories about
what happened,” Isa admitted. “When a planetary leader, which Colonel Amori
was, is killed while in the care of another planetary leader, and, at that, a
high-profile one like myself, it makes other leaders extremely nervous.”

“Who killed him?” Kailynn asked
seriously.

“He was assassinated in the middle of the
night.”

“Who pulled the trigger?”

Isa stared at Kailynn, silent for several
long moments.

“He was stabbed to death,” Isa corrected
quietly.

“Who was holding the knife?”

Isa’s eyes did not leave Kailynn’s. The
longer the silence continued, the more the truth sank into Kailynn’s chest.

“Holy shit…” she breathed, closing her
eyes and turning away.

Isa lifted a hand to her mouth, rubbing
her face slowly.

“I had to…” she whispered.

“I…” Kailynn shook her head. “I
suspected, but…” She turned back to Isa. “How many people know?”

“Rayal, Tarah, Remus, the rest of the
Syndicate, with the exception of Tia, Venus, you…”

“And on Gihron?”

“No one,” Isa said, shaking her head.
“There are rumors and suspicions, saying that we hired someone to kill him when
negotiations weren’t going the way we wanted.”

“Is that what happened?”

“If it was, don’t you think I would
handle myself better whenever he was mentioned?” Isa asked quietly. “No, that’s
not why I…” Isa swallowed hard, trailing off.

“Fuck, what did he do to you?” Kailynn
hissed, pained by the terror in Isa’s eyes.

“…he tore me apart,” she choked. “He
found every weakness I had and used it against me until he had destroyed me.”
She swallowed hard bowing her head and closing her eyes. “He used me for his
own agenda. He blackmailed me, and tortured me…he turned everyone against me
and against each other, and mentally abused me for months.” Isa shook her head.
“There was no other way to escape him…”

Kailynn rubbed her face, standing and
pacing by the seating area.

“Kailynn…”

“I…I’m trying to process this,” she said.
“I believe you, of course, but…I saw the way you handled everyone in the
meeting. How could this one guy do so much damage?”

Isa’s eyes went distant as she stared at
the ground, lost in memories of that time. She let out a shuddered breath and
pulled her sleeves down over her hands, her body shaking once.

“It happened very suddenly,” she
whispered. “Before I knew it, I was trapped.”

Kailynn walked back to Isa and sat with
her.

“Then this is really for revenge,” she
hissed. “Gihron wants you to be killed for his death, even though they don’t
know the truth. Isn’t there some way you can convince them that you’re innocent
and that someone else was responsible? Or just tell them it was self-defense?”

“No,” Isa said. “It’s more complicated
than that.”

“Why?”

Isa looked at Kailynn seriously.

“Because General Decius, when Colonel
Amori was coming to Tiao, contacted me personally and asked me to take care of
him. And I didn’t.”

“Just tell him there was no way you could
have predicted what happened.”

Isa closed her eyes.

“Colonel Amori was General Decius’
younger brother,” she said quickly. Kailynn’s eyes went wide, her mouth falling
open in surprise. Isa sighed heavily. “The betrayal ran far deeper for him than
losing a comrade.”

Kailynn let out a long breath, her eyes
distant as she tried to think over the situation.

“No wonder you’re so nervous about
Gihron,” she whispered. “You really think he’ll kill you, don’t you?”

“I’m worried he’ll do worse.”

“What do you mean? What could be worse?”

“Isa,” Remus said, walking into the room.
They both turned, startled. “We have a problem on the command deck.”

Isa sighed heavily and stood, swallowing
hard as she walked out of the room. Remus stopped her at the door.

“Are you alright?”

Isa glanced at Kailynn before shaking her
head and leaving. Remus rounded on Kailynn.

“What the hell was going on in here?”

“She…” Kailynn hesitated. “She told me
the truth about him. About who did it.”

She could see Remus’ mind working around
the words, trying to figure out the meaning. When he realized who she was
talking about, his eyes widened.

He fought with himself for several
seconds about what to say.

“Just how bad were things when he was around?”

“You can’t even imagine,” Remus breathed.
“If I could kill him a thousand times over, I would, and it wouldn’t be enough
to pay him back for what he did to her.” He stepped closer, looming over
Kailynn. “This is a very heavily-guarded secret. You cannot speak of this, do you understand?”

“We have to figure something out. This
war is all about revenge. She is the sole target.”

“Yes, we all know that,” Remus said
strongly. “And she knows it, too.”

Kailynn glanced out the door, frightened
and confused tears rising to her eyes.

“Why didn’t you protect her?” she asked
darkly.

Remus ground his teeth together.

“Do not accuse me,” he snarled. “You know
nothing about it.”

Kailynn pushed past him, hurrying to her
room. She closed the door and sat against it, hiding her tears of confusion in
her hands.

Remus returned to the command deck and
saw Isa near the front windows with the crew.

“You’re right,” she said.

Remus walked to her side and looked in
the same direction as everyone else.

There were several ships docked along the
Dani-Kahl Gate. It was not uncommon to see ships docked for repairs or fuel at
the Gates, but the ships were very old, and the hulls were marked with a red
circle, a twelve-point star in the middle.

“Gihron,” Remus murmured.

“Carrier ships,” Isa noted. “They’re
picking up fuel for the war ships.”

Isa and Remus both counted the number of
carrier ships.

“Considering the amount of fuel each
could transport, we’re looking at half their army already at our door,” Isa
stated. She glanced at the other ships that were traveling out of the gate
pathway toward Tiao. “Keep a steady speed. Do not activate any stealth or
weapons. Let’s just quietly pass by.” She glanced at Remus as the crew answered
with a chorus of “yes, Miss.”

“It’s begun,” he murmured. She nodded.

“I made the first declaration of war five
years ago,” she said. “It’s time we deal with it.”

Chapter
Thirty-Three

The first three months of the war were
the most stressful and terrifying.

Kailynn was extremely tense, worried
about every announcement of ships shot down and troops destroyed, terrified
that General Decius was going to exact his revenge for his brother’s death. Isa
was also tense and nervous, partially from the war, but also from the way
Kailynn looked at her. The two shared a bed, but never touched one another,
their anxieties keeping them apart.

The war took place mostly in the
territory above Tiao’s atmosphere. Support troops from other members of the
Alliance quickly came to Tiao’s aid and lessened the burden on the planet’s
resources.

Gihron retreated into neutral territory
when they needed to repair and regroup their forces. Due to the rules of
engagement, Tiao could not attack when they were in that space, meaning that,
for two weeks, the apprehension of the battles starting again reached a fever
pitch.

Isa and Kailynn finally blew up into an
argument that ended in a hurried, frantic fuck on the floor of the
entertainment room. However, once they had both calmed down, things seemed to
lose their urgency. Both of them felt as though they had been holding their
breaths for months, and they were finally able to take a breath when there was
no longer suffocating tension between them. That meant, when Gihron came back
into the battle territory, they felt prepared to deal with it.

But the breath of fresh air did not last
long.

As the war moved into the fifth month,
Rayal pulled Kailynn into his office.

“We have to talk,” he said seriously,
locking the door and turning on the scrambler to keep anyone from
eavesdropping.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Kailynn asked
hurriedly. “Did we not get the support troops from Kreon?”

“No, no, they showed up late last night,”
he assured, sitting across from her and sighing heavily. “You have been on edge
for months, so I’m a little worried about talking to you.”

“We’re at war!” Kailynn hissed. “Am I
supposed to be at ease?”

“No,” Rayal said. “But something’s wrong.
Something else is bothering you.”

Kailynn sighed heavily and rubbed her
face, groaning.

“I’m scared, okay?”

“About what?”

“This asshole General Decius.”

“He hasn’t even entered Tiao territory.”

“Yeah, but…” Kailynn closed her eyes.
“Isa told me…the truth about how Colonel Amori died.”

Rayal’s eyes widened.

“She told you?”

“Yeah…” Kailynn groaned again, rubbing
her face, trying to focus her thoughts. “I just…how am I supposed to handle
that information? I don’t know what to do with it.”

“It took me a long time to come to terms
with it, as well,” Rayal said with a knowing nod.

“And she didn’t even shoot him,” Kailynn
whispered. “She stabbed him.”

“Twenty-four times,” Rayal hissed.
Kailynn choked hearing the number. “She snapped. Apparently there is a breaking
point for Elites, and Colonel Amori found it.”

“Fuck…” Kailynn breathed. “She said she was
worried that General Decius would do worse than kill her. What did she mean?”

“Probably that he would try to do the
same thing Colonel Amori did.”

“Take over Tiao?”

Rayal nodded. “Take over Tiao, destroy
the Alliance and Venus, enslave half the system…” Rayal sighed heavily. “She’s
trying to figure out the best way to deal with the war without bringing him
close.” He closed his eyes. “Which is why…”

“What?”

“Why the last thing I want is for her to
be distracted,” Rayal said slowly.

“By what?”

“You.”

Kailynn blinked in surprise at the former
caretaker.

“What the hell are you saying?”

“I need you to remain calm,” Rayal
started.

“Are you about to tell me to leave again?
Because I’m not going anywhere!”

“Kailynn—”

“No, I’m not leaving!”

“Kailynn!” Rayal snapped. “Shut up and
listen to me!”

Kailynn went quiet.

“I screwed up,” he said slowly.

“How?”

“We’ve been working endlessly on this war
and monitoring all of our connections and learning what Gihron is doing that
I…I fell asleep here last night…as a result of me being unconscious and not
paying attention…some footage got into Venus’ mainframe.”

Kailynn stared at Rayal for a few
moments, trying to figure out what he was talking about. He looked at her
apologetically.

“I’m sorry, Kailynn. I really am.”

Kailynn’s stomach turned violently in her
abdomen and her heart fell. Fear consumed her entire being. She leaned forward,
her world spinning around her.

“Venus knows?” she choked. “About Isa and
me?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Does Isa know?”

“I don’t know,” he said honestly.

Kailynn stood and ran out the door, even
as Rayal called to her. However, he did not chase her.

Kailynn did not bother to find a vehicle
to get to the Syndicate Building. She climbed to the surface of the city and ran
along the walkways toward the Syndicate Building. She barged into the front
door and was immediately stopped by the guards. With the repairs done to the
building, the security office of the Syndicate Building had grown and the
robots would not let her pass through the doors without providing a retinal
scan and a blood sample. Her heart was racing in her chest, making it hard to
breathe as she pricked her finger on the reader and looked into the retinal
scanner.

When she was cleared as having access to
the building, she ran through the doors, weaving around the robots and
operators, startling everyone she passed.

Ignoring the elevator, Kailynn ran for
the stairs, passing Chronus on the way.

“Kailynn?” he called. She ignored him,
slipping into the stairway and climbing the steps two at a time. She made it to
Isa’s office and angrily jabbed the button to open the door.

Isa turned, surprised to see a flushed
and flustered Kailynn dart into the room.

“She knows.”

“Who knows what?” Isa asked, watching
Kailynn pace by the desk, running her hands through her hair quickly, her nails
scraping her scalp.

“Venus knows about us,” Kailynn panted.

Isa blinked several times, startled by
the news.

“Are you sure?”

“Rayal said that some footage of us got
into her mainframe last night.”

“…oh.”

“Oh?!”
Kailynn snapped. “That’s all you can say?!”

“If it’s already in her mainframe, then
she knows,” Isa said simply. “But it’s clearly not an urgent matter to her,
because she did not contact me.”

Kailynn stared at Isa, her mind blank.

“How can you be so fucking calm?!” She began pacing again. “Shit, shit, shit. This is
really bad. This is really fucking
bad.”

“Kailynn,” Isa called, walking to the
younger woman.

“Fuck, this is bad,” Kailynn muttered,
stopping when Isa took her wrists, pulling her hands from her hair. “She’s
going to have me killed.”

Isa squeezed her hands and looked her in
the eye.

“No, she won’t,” she said strongly. “I’m
not going to let anything happen to you.”

Kailynn shook her head.

“She knows…” she whispered. “She knows, Isa.”

The Elite leaned forward and kissed
Kailynn slowly, holding the younger woman close, trying to keep her still to
slow her heartbeat.

When she pulled away, Kailynn’s terrified
tears started falling down her face.

“Gihron wants you dead, and Venus wants
me dead,” Kailynn breathed.

Isa kissed Kailynn once more, pushing her
back until her hips hit the desk. Isa’s lips parted from Kailynn’s, her breath
fanning over Kailynn’s heated mouth.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Isa
repeated. “I promise.” She captured Kailynn’s lips once more. “Gihron wants me
dead, but I’m still alive. We’re going to win this war. If Venus wants you
dead, I’ll wage war on her, too.”

Kailynn closed her eyes and leaned her
head against Isa’s.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” Isa responded, taking
Kailynn’s chin and lifting her head once more to kiss her. Kailynn wrapped her
arms around Isa’s neck as they kissed. Isa’s hands dropped to Kailynn’s hips
and she picked her up, pushing her back to sit on the desk, knocking files
aside. Isa pushed her hips between Kailynn’s legs, her fingers tight on
Kailynn’s hips as she held their bodies together,

Kailynn moaned, breaking the kiss as her
head fell back, her body shuddering, Isa’s lips immediately began working over
the flesh of Kailynn’s neck, one hand skimming up Kailynn’s body to palm her
breast.

“Isa…” Kailynn gasped. “We’re in your
office…”

The Elite chuckled against Kailynn’s
neck.

“Venus already knows, doesn’t she?”

Kailynn smiled at Isa’s risky behavior,
her body lighting on fire at the danger. Adrenaline was pushing her senses to
new heights. Each touch on her body, the gentle tickling of Isa’s breath on her
skin, the heat of Isa’s body as is pressed against her—all of it made Kailynn’s
head swim with sensation.

Isa’s hand dropped down Kailynn’s body
and her fingers slipped past the waistband of Kailynn’s pants, pressing into
the warm flesh between her legs. Kailynn gasped and her body bowed, sending
more files scattering to the floor. She let out a choked moan as Isa’s fingers
expertly worked their magic.

Kailynn grabbed the back of Isa’s neck
and forced the Elite to her, crashing their lips together. Isa’s fingers
slipped deeper into Kailynn, her thumb pressing into the sensitive clit, slowly
moving it under the pad of her finger, varying the pressure.

Kailynn wailed wantonly into Isa’s mouth,
her hips bucking against the Elite’s hand.

All at once, her body snapped and the
overwhelming pleasure wracked her nerves. She let out a choked sound and fell
back on the desk, shaking and trembling as her muscles sang in bliss. Isa
smiled and leaned over Kailynn as she recovered, peppering kisses to her neck.

When she felt Kailynn moving, she backed
away.

Kailynn’s arm was extended completely,
her middle finger high in the air.

“What are you doing?” Isa chuckled,
confused, watching Kailynn move the insult around in the air.

“I don’t know where the cameras are in
here, but I’m letting Venus know exactly what I think of her,” Kailynn said,
continuing to wave the finger to different portions of the room.

Isa laughed richly, leaning forward and
pressing her forehead to Kailynn’s.

For all her efforts calming Kailynn down,
Isa was extremely worried about Venus finding out about their relationship. The
computer contacted her late in the night, telling her to report to the audience
hall first thing in the morning.

Isa decided not to tell Kailynn about the
upcoming meeting. She spent several hours that evening in her office, working
diligently on her computer. Kailynn found her in there past midnight, asking
her if she was coming to bed. Isa smiled and said that she would be in shortly,
but she was still in her office four hours later.

Isa caught a few hours of rest, but her
mind was too busy to be silenced for a restful sleep.

She went to the Syndicate Building early
in the morning, but was surprised when she approached the doors of the audience
hall and saw Remus, waiting for her.

“You’re here early,” she noted.

Remus sighed heavily, straightening from
leaning against the wall and taking a few steps toward her.

“Venus contacted me last night,” he said
slowly. “She told me to be here early, in case you needed to be contained.”

“Contained?”

“Because she’s going to discuss your
current affair,” Remus said. “And, from past experience, she knows how you get
when you are ordered to do something you don’t want to do.”

Isa let out a broken chuckle, her eyes
dropping to the ground.

“She clearly doesn’t know you well
enough,” Remus continued. “I don’t know what makes her think you would listen
to me.”

“I often do listen to you,” she murmured.

Remus pursed his lips.

“I don’t want you in danger,” he said
slowly. “When we were young and stupid, your rebellious spirit was enthralling,
but the thought of you gone…it hurts so much I can hardly breathe. I don’t know
if I could live if I lost you.” Remus dropped his eyes to the ground. “But I
always loved you most when you were being exactly who you were meant to be.”

Isa stared at Remus, silent for a few
seconds.

“Loved?” she whispered.

“Yes,” Remus said with a nod. “Everyone
knows I’m degenerate. There’s no point in trying to pretend like I’m not.” He
looked at Isa seriously. “I’ve always loved you, and I still love you. I always
will.” He smiled, though there was a painful edge to the grin. “I don’t want
you to be any less than who you are, and if that means you declare war on
Venus, then you know I’ll stand right beside you.”

Isa smiled, taking a deep breath.

“I love you, too, Remus.”

“I know you do.”

He began walking away from the door to
the audience hall when Isa stopped him.

“Remus?” He turned back to her. “Do you
think, had Colonel Amori not happened, things would have worked out between
us?”

Remus sighed heavily, walking back to
her.

“With all my heart, I want to say yes,”
he started. “But no. It wouldn’t have worked.”

“Why not?”

“Because you were never meant to be
tethered,” Remus told her. “What makes you exceptional is your ability to
evolve, to grow stronger, no matter the obstacle. You are creative, and
innovative, and brilliant beyond compare. I could never keep up with you, and I
would never want to hold you back.” He placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Everything in your life has been an upheaval, and the reason you and I worked
is because I was the only thing in your life that was constant, that never changed. I saw you moving away
from me long before Colonel Amori came along. You had the stability you needed
when you needed it. But you needed something to propel you forward, toward
something greater, and that was not me. I was part of the foundation to get you
to the top, but you need something else to go farther. I knew, eventually, I
would have to let you go.”

Isa lowered her eyes.

“You are a powerful creature, Isa,” Remus
whispered. “You think that Colonel Amori destroyed you, but you took the pieces
and you built someone even stronger.” His hands moved from her shoulders to her
face, turning her head to look at him. “Don’t change who you are, who you
always were meant to be. Fight for what you want, and what you believe in.”

Isa swallowed hard and nodded slowly.

Remus leaned forward briefly and his lips
brushed over hers.

The chaste kiss spoke volumes, signifying
both the end and the beginning of different stages of their lives.

Remus’ thumbs brushed over Isa’s cheeks
and then slowly left her face.

“Remus,” Isa said, her voice quiet. She
looked at him apologetically. “I wish that things hadn’t ended the way they did
between us.”

Remus pursed his lips and nodded tightly.

“Me, too.”

He walked away and Isa took a deep
breath, unable to turn to the doors until the Silver Elite was out of sight.

She performed the proper scans to open
the doors and walk into the audience hall.

As usual, the room was unbearably hot and
the single chair in the vastness of the room reminded Isa of how small Venus
thought her to be.

The computer was already depicted in her
hologram form, waiting for the Golden Elite to appear.

Isa walked forward, bowing her head
shallowly and sitting in the chair.

“A-C89072,
your rebellion must cease immediately.”

“My rebellion?”

“You
are in a sexual relationship with the Trid Significant,” Venus stated. “I saw a recording of you engaging in sexual
activity two nights previous, and then again, brazenly in your office in the
Syndicate Building.”

“Yes,” Isa said strongly. “I am in a
relationship with Kailynn. As much as you may disapprove, I am in love with
her.”

“You
cannot comprehend such emotions,” Venus said. “This is a temporary rebellion. You are upset by engaging Gihron once
more, and you know that I would order your Silver Elite’s execution if he were
to touch you again. While I commend you for choosing someone you could
discreetly dispose of, I cannot condone these actions.”

“I have no intention of disposing of Kailynn,” Isa said darkly.
“I love her, and I plan to stay with her as long as she’ll have me.”

“With
the war with Gihron, you should know that they will use her as a means to trap
you, just as Colonel Amori used B-X20016 to blackmail you.”

Isa took a deep breath, but her
expression did not change.

“I will be sure to protect her and keep
her safe from all harm,” Isa’s eyes hardened. “Even harm from you. I will rebel
against you, Venus, if you order me away from her.”

The computer was silent for several
seconds.

“You
forget who you address,” Venus said. “Your
priorities need to be reordered. You created conflict between Tiao and Gihron
when you killed Colonel Amori. Once he was gone, you were quiet, which allowed
things to progress peacefully to this point. What he did to you made you more
compliant. That is something to be commended.”

Isa blinked at Venus.

“You’re commending that he tortured me?”

“You
inflicted most of the torture on yourself,” Venus stated. Isa ground her
teeth together, biting back the angry words. “You had become compliant. Now, you are rebelling once more. And I know
the reason is the Significant.”

Isa sat back in her chair, straightening,
preparing herself.

“I
will not have you creating another situation with Gihron as you did before,”
Venus said. “You disobeyed me, you killed
thousands of people because you could not be Golden Elite as long as you held
irrational attachment to a sexual partner, and you nearly killed yourself in
the process while creating the foundation for this war. I will not allow you to
fall back into that behavior.”

“Venus, Colonel Amori killed those
people. I was trying—”

“He
would have been unable to do so had you not given him the codes to weaponize my
systems.”

“I did not give them to him!” Isa barked. “He ripped them out of me!”

“You
should have taken measures to protect yourself,” Venus said. “You know the information you hold and how
dangerous it is. Since you seem unable to keep yourself safe in such
situations, I am ordering the Significant’s arrest. I will determine at a later
time if execution is warranted.”

“I will not let you arrest her.”

“I
am issuing the order now. The Officials will have apprehended her by the time
this meeting has concluded.”

Isa was silent, her hands folded in front
of her, waiting.

After three long, heavy seconds, a high
whine wailed through the room and the image of Venus flickered rapidly,
distorting and pulsing.

“You will find that order difficult to
issue,” Isa said coldly. “The information I hold is indeed dangerous. I have
programmed your system to respond a certain way to any official order you
issue.”

The wailing continued, the sound of air
being pushed through the room becoming a dull roar as Venus’ system attempted
to cool down from the virus that surged through her mainframe.

“I
will not allow you to defy me in this manner!” Venus’ tonal language became
piercing.

“I have always defied you,” Isa told her.
“And I will always defy you while you continue dictating to the people of the
Altereye System.”

Venus’ machines whirred, her image
flickering. Isa did not move, watching her struggle around the virus she had
spent the previous night perfecting. She was not sure how long Venus was
silent, but she did not leave the room. The Elite knew that she had to remain
strong in her defiance, and watching Venus in those moments was important to
show the artificial intelligence how serious she was.

“You
dare to infect me,” Venus said finally, “yet, you have neglected to protect yourself once again.”

In an instant, excruciating pain shot
through Isa’s body. She doubled forward in the chair, one hand reaching to her
chest, her breath knocked out of her. The muscles in her body quivered,
straining, tensed in electric agony. Another pulse radiated from her chest, and
she let out a choked cry, collapsing out of the chair and onto the hot floor.
She gasped, her eyes closing tight as pain exploded behind her eyes. Millions
of small sparks danced angrily over her skin and her bones trembled under the
flexing of her muscles.

She tried to catch her breath, but it was
impossible. Her chest felt as though it was about to explode outwards.

She writhed on the floor, the flickering
lights of Venus hologram disorienting her whenever her eyes fluttered open.

“You
cannot destroy me,” Venus warned. “If
you shut me down, the entire planet will die, as will you.”

Isa let out another pained cry, her body
convulsing as another painful wave washed over her.

She
barely heard Remus’ voice yell her name before she fell unconscious.

Chapter
Thirty-Four

Isa was very pale when she returned home.
She was later than usual, and that worried Kailynn immensely. When she walked
through the door, the younger woman immediately ran to Isa and took her face in
her hands, looking her over.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Isa assured. She leaned
forward and gently pecked a kiss on Kailynn’s lips. “A rough day at the
Syndicate, but I am alright.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Isa was quiet and pensive most of the
night. She did not touch her food, staring at the plate distantly. Kailynn
finally reached over and took Isa’s hand. The Elite jumped, startled out of her
thoughts. When she saw Kailynn’s comforting smile, she smiled in return, her
chest tightening once again.

Kailynn walked with Isa to the bedroom,
but stopped at the door.

“Do you think I should stay in another
room?”

Isa shook her head.

“No,” she said, squeezing Kailynn’s hand.
“Stay with me tonight.”

“What about Venus?”

“Let me handle her,” Isa murmured. “I
have more power over her than she realizes.”

Kailynn was both nervous and relieved to
be able to climb into bed with Isa. Isa still wanted her close, even though
Venus knew about them. However, she was worried that it was only a matter of
time before Venus arrested and killed her.

Isa was different that night. She made
love to Kailynn intensely, bringing Kailynn’s body to the brink of pleasure
over and over again. The former Significant could feel the anxiety and fear in
Isa’s actions, but the intensity of the Elite’s actions told her that being
with Kailynn was a means for her to handle her fear. She was trying to lose
herself, to focus her thoughts only on being with Kailynn.

However, Kailynn was completely exhausted
when Isa finally settled next to her and pulled her into her arms. The Elite’s
gentle kiss on her forehead and the way her fingers lightly trailed over
Kailynn’s shoulder guided her into deep sleep, allowing her sated body to rest.

She had no dreams. Everything was dark
and quiet.

Until a hand shaking her shoulder
disturbed everything.

“Kailynn,” Isa hissed. “Kailynn, wake up.”

Kailynn groaned, her eyes fluttering open
slowly as she tried to clear the fog in her head. Isa’s hand became insistent.

“What?” Kailynn mumbled.

“Wake up,” Isa whispered. “Quickly, there
isn’t much time.”

Kailynn, remembering that things were
actually very dangerous for her lately, clamored out of bed.

“What’s wrong? What’s happening?”

Isa grabbed a bag from under the bed.

“Get dressed.”

Kailynn did not question. She pulled on
her clothes as Isa glanced at her phone screen periodically. When Kailynn was
dressed, Isa motioned for her to follow and they both went further into the
house, finally going to Isa’s office. Kailynn thought she was dreaming for a
moment, since there was a section of the wall that was missing, but when she
stopped, trying to understand why the hole was there, Isa grabbed her wrist and
pulled her to it, stepping into the opening with the younger woman.

Isa crouched to the bottom of the hidden
elevator and lifted the cover on the control panel, typing in a short code and
pressing a button, causing the elevator car to descend.

“What’s going on?” Kailynn hissed.

Isa stood and turned to her, extracting
an electronic key from her pocket.

“This is the key to a safe house.”

“A safe house where?”

“I can’t say,” Isa said. “I don’t know if
anyone is listening.”

“Did Venus—”

“No,” Isa interrupted, shaking her head
quickly. “But we can’t be too careful.”

“Why hasn’t she done anything, yet?”
Kailynn asked, taking the key. “I thought she would be upset when she found out
about us.”

“She is,” Isa said with a tight nod.

“She said something?”

“Yes. Yesterday.”

“What did she say?”

“What I expected her to say,” Isa said, turning
to the opening as she felt the car slow. When the car stopped, she pulled
Kailynn into the underground parking garage. The cars were stacked in rotating
columns that held twenty cars each. Isa walked her along the rows of cars for
everyone who lived and worked in Anon Tower. “She wanted us to end our
relationship and she ordered your arrest.”

Kailynn felt her heart trying to climb
into her throat.

“Are they coming here now?”

“No,” Isa said. “I made sure that the
order never made it to the Officials.”

Isa pulled Kailynn to one car that was on
the bottom of the column, ready to be driven out of the parking system. Isa
crouched next to it and reached under the driver’s door, feeling along the
bottom until she found what she was looking for.

The car clicked, unlocking. Isa hurriedly
stood and opened the door, climbing in and using the side of her fist to break
one of the panels in the center of the car. Tossing the bag she had carried
into the back, she reached inside the hatch she had forced open and pulled out
a small, round disk, crushing it in her hand. Kailynn blinked at Isa, startled
and confused.

Isa turned to the controls of the car and
clicked open the override panel, unplugging two wires and moving a third to a
different port. She then popped a small drive out of her phone and slipped it
into an almost-impossible-to-see slot under the wiring.

“Okay,” she said, getting out and gently,
but insistently, pushing Kailynn in. Kailynn sat in the driver’s seat, staring
at Isa incredulously.

“I can’t drive this thing,” she hissed.
“And if they’re not coming here now, then what’s the hurry? And if I leave, she
can trace me. I have an emitter chip now.”

“I disabled the chip, and this is only a
temporary solution,” Isa told her. “I released a virus in Venus’ mainframe.
It’s going to screw up a lot more than just her ability to issue official
orders. Security is going to be compromised with that virus, and I do not know
if Gihron can hack any cameras or audio feeds as a means to spy on me.” Isa placed
her hand on Kailynn’s, looking at her seriously. “I need you to stay at the
safe house for a while, at least until I know the extent of the damage I caused
Venus.”

Kailynn blinked at Isa, trying to process
what the Elite was saying.

“You started destroying her already?”

“No, I weakened her,” Isa corrected. “It
will take a lot more to shut her down, and I need to buy time so I can figure
out how.”

“We’re at war and you’re thinking of
shutting her down?”

“No, not until Gihron has been
neutralized,” Isa said. “But I can’t risk your safety in that time.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Kailynn said,
shaking her head and trying to climb out of the car. Isa pushed her back.

“If Gihron finds out about you, I have no
doubt that they will use you the way Colonel Amori used Remus to get to me. I
cannot risk that. I couldn’t do that to you, or to myself. This is the best way
to keep you safe for now. Give me time to find another solution.”

“Isa, you can’t ask me to just watch from
afar and hope that you’ll be alright,” Kailynn said sharply.

“This is a way to be sure that I’ll be
alright, and you as well.” Isa took Kailynn’s face in her hands and kissed her
quickly. “Please, trust me. I know that this is a horrible solution, but for
now, it is the only one I have. Not only have I pissed off Gihron, but I’ve
screwed with Venus. I have two very dangerous enemies that I need to manage,
and I can’t do that if I am worried about you, or that they’ll get to you. As
it is, they are both after a way to contain me or kill me, and that’s you.”

Kailynn swallowed hard. She wanted to
scream at the Elite and tell her that she was never going to leave Isa’s side,
that they would find the enemies together, but she knew that she did not
understand how to fight in these situations. Isa knew how to play this very
dangerous game. Kailynn did not.

She swallowed hard, tears welling in her
eyes. Isa’s thumbs stroked Kailynn’s cheeks.

“I am sorry that it’s come to this, but I
promise,” her fingers tightened on Kailynn’s jaw, “I will find a way to keep
you safe.”

“Don’t do that if you can’t find a way to
keep yourself safe, too,” Kailynn said darkly. “I swear, Isa, if you try to
pull some stupid shit by putting yourself in danger just to protect me, I will
never forgive you.”

Isa leaned forward, kissing Kailynn.

“I promise,” Isa said. “They call me the
best Elite in centuries. It’s time to prove them right.”

“I’m pretty sure you already have.”

Isa kissed Kailynn one more time and then
stood, closing the car door.

Once she did, the car turned on and began
pulling out of the parking system, turning and heading to the programmed
destination. Kailynn watched Isa grow smaller in the distance as the car drove
to the street, turning onto the freeway and speeding away as the sun began to
rise.

Kailynn tried to pay attention to where
she was going, but the car drove out of Anon entirely and for nearly eleven
hours, the car did not stop. Kailynn was able to make out some names on signs
of areas and cities as she passed, but the names did not allow her to orient
herself—she had never heard of most of the places before.

The long drive gave her plenty of time to
think over her situation, and the more she thought about it, the more powerless
she felt.

She had always felt like a powerful
person under repressed circumstances, but she knew now that it had been her
ignorance and arrogance that allowed her to feel like that. She wanted to go
back to Isa and be there to help the Elite, but she knew that she would not be
able to assist other than just being there for support. Isa was the one who
knew how to fight and how to protect them, and Kailynn had to trust her to do
so.

The matter was entirely out of her hands.

And the feeling of being powerless scared
her.

The car finally turned into a garage and
slowed, parking in one of the seven empty parking spots. The car turned off and
Kailynn sat in silence for several minutes.

She reached into the back and pulled
forward the bag Isa had left in there, opening it to see the clothes folded
neatly inside under several currency chips, each reading five-thousand credits.

Kailynn swallowed hard and closed the
bag, feeling the reality of her separation from Isa settle into her chest. She
knew she had not only left the Elite not knowing where she was or how to get
back to Isa, but she knew she had to remain quiet and not draw attention to
herself. It was as Isa said—she did not know who was watching or listening.

Kailynn stepped out of the car and walked
to the only door in front of her, slowly pressing the electronic key to the
reader and hearing the door click. She stepped into the elevator, watching the
door close as if in a dream. The elevator lifted and stopped only four seconds
later, allowing her into the entrance hall leading to the main door of the safe
house. She walked in and pressed the electronic key to the lock reader, finally
walking into the safe house.

It was small, but clean and comfortable.
The living room had a sitting area and a television, and the kitchen was clean
and white. There was an open door on the far side of the room that led to a
bedroom. Kailynn stood, staring vacantly around the living room.

She dropped the bag heavily to the floor
and walked slowly around the safe house, glancing around the walls and
furniture, her head in a fog.

Kailynn wandered into the bedroom,
turning on the light and staring around the room.

She flopped on the bed and heaved a sigh,
letting the frustrated, frightened, and pained tears overtake her.

The moment Isa appeared at the Syndicate
Building, she was surrounded by people, operators and Elites alike. Remus
pushed through the crowd and put his arm around her shoulder, guiding her
through the crowded hallways, barking at everyone to back off. Isa closed her
eyes tiredly and let Remus guide her.

“Everyone to the main control room,” she
said quietly.

Even though there had been a lot of
commotion around her, everyone heard the order and obediently followed her. Isa
stood near the center platform, waiting for everyone to file in around her.
Remus stood at her side, his arm around her shoulders until she nodded and
gently pushed him back.

She took a deep breath and stood
straight. She was trying to mask her weakness and the trembling of her agonized
body.

“Good morning, everyone,” she greeted.
The operators and other human employees of the Syndicate Building heard the
shaking in Isa’s voice and thought she was merely tired. The Elites who had
been in the Syndicate for years knew that Isa was in pain.

“I understand that, when you came in this
morning, you were unable to access any information in the mainframe. I already
know what happened, and I will work on resolving it. Until then, please respond
to messages and orders from Syndicate Elites only. Do not respond or process any request or order that appears
to be submitted by Venus. A virus was released in the mainframe and is
masquerading as Venus.”

There was murmuring among the human
employees. Tia blinked in surprise. She turned to ask Chronus how they were
supposed to know which messages were real and which were the virus, but when
she saw the way her mentor was watching the Golden Elite, she hesitated,
glancing around the other Elites. They all had a knowing look in their eyes.

That was when she realized Isa was lying.

“I routed all messages from our military
and troops through her backup communications board, which appears to be clean,”
Isa continued. “Please treat these messages with the highest priority and let
me know of anything that needs immediate attention. Until we get her mainframe
operated optimally again, we cannot let Gihron, or the military, know that she
has been infected.”

“Was it Gihron?” one operator asked,
hatred in her voice.

“I do not know,” Isa said, shaking her
head. “Please return to your workstations and access the secondary panel. The
instructions on how to do so have been sent to you on your handheld devices,”
the Golden Elite ordered. “I will keep you updated on the progress in the
mainframe.”

Hesitantly, the operators left the
control room, muttering to one another.

The Elites remained still, staring at
their Golden Elite as Isa leaned back against the platform, her eyes sliding
shut as she let out a shaky breath.

When the control room had been silent for
five seconds, Isa opened her eyes again, though her gaze remained averted to
the floor.

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Hana breathed.

Isa nodded slowly.

Tia was unable to hide her surprise, but
since she was standing in the back of the group, no one reacted to her shock.

“What do you want us to do, Isa?” Anders
pressed.

Isa heaved a sigh, her body shuddering
once.

“We cannot let Gihron know what is going
on,” she said as strongly as she could manage. “I realize that this was a
horrible time to do this, but…” She lifted a hand to her head. “I’ve made a
decision.”

Everyone remained quiet, waiting for her
to elaborate.

“We will defeat Gihron,” she stated. “We
will defeat them. We will come to an agreement, and we will deal with the
threat they pose with great tact and care. Regardless, we will not bow to the
terms that they want Venus dismantled.” Isa looked at all of them. “We will
dismantle her of our own accord when we reach a peace settlement.”

The Elites stared at their Golden Elite,
apprehensive, but not surprised.

“You’re really going to do it?” Aolee
asked.

“I made a promise, didn’t I?” she
breathed. “I promised you, I promised Aren, I promised Maki…” Her eyes turned
to Chronus, who lowered his eyes at the mention of the other Elite’s name. “And
I intend to fulfill that promise.”

“Have you figured out how?” Hana asked.

Isa lifted a hand to her head, closing
her eyes.

“No…not exactly…” she said. She cringed.
“My apologies for my appearance today…” She took a deep breath and steadied
herself. “I have a team working on it,” she said. “And I want all of you to
join that team.”

“How close are you to figuring it out?”
Anders pressed.

Isa turned to Chronus.

“How has the work been coming?”

The other Elites turned to him, surprised
that he had already been working on dismantling Venus.

“Maki did most of the work,” he said. “I
think, if we all put our heads together, we can finish it.” He looked at Isa.
“But…I haven’t found a way to keep your heart beating…”

The Bronze Elites whirled around to look
at Isa, confused and worried by the statement. Only Isa and Remus knew that
Isa’s life was tethered to Venus in a lethal, one-way bind. If Isa died, Venus
would keep operating. If Venus died, she would kill the Golden Elite.

“I have a brilliant doctor working on
it,” Isa said with a wobbly smile. “If you can figure out how to wire the Aren
System to the main areas of the planet where we will need to reprogram
everything, and you figure out how to destroy her codes, he’ll find a way to
keep me alive.”

Her eyes caught Tia’s surprised and
confused ones. She smiled shakily.

“Welcome to the Syndicate, Tia,” Isa said
with a broken chuckle. “It might not be around much longer, but this is it.”

Tia looked at the older Elite and a smile
broke over her face. She shook her head.

“I heard all the stories about you,” Tia
said. “You’re a legend at the Academy. The Elites talk about the way you
rebelled, how you didn’t take the abuse, how all of you started asking
questions and realizing that things needed to change.” Her smile widened.
“Chronus asked me if I would stand by you if Venus were no longer around when
he interviewed me to replace Maki. I told him that, if anyone could do it, you
could, and I would be honored to assist you however possible.”

Isa looked at Chronus, surprised that the
Bronze Elite, even after the trauma of having Maki murdered for sedition and
treason, would know to find a replacement that was ready to revolutionize the
Altereye System.

“I am honored to hear that,” Isa said.
She took another deep breath, her eyes closing as her body began swaying. Remus
stepped up to her and put his arm around her once more. She leaned against him,
relieved that she did not have to keep her head up on her own. “Chronus, if you
could handle the details…”

“Of course.”

“I don’t want to worry any of you,” Isa
started, “but Venus has been attacking me for the last—” she threw a glance at
the clock, “—four hours. I’m afraid that I will be unable to operate an NCB
chair while like this. I need you to fill in for me as best as possible.”

“Honestly, if you tried to climb into an
NCB chair right now,” Anders chuckled, “I would lock you in the Pipes to be
sure you could not access a chair.”

Isa laughed with the others, her eyes
remaining closed, exhausted.

“I don’t think I can be in an NCB chair
for a while anyway,” she admitted. “It would be too easy for Venus to access
me.”

“I’ll find a way to rig your chair
outside of her mainframe,” Remus assured, rubbing her arm.

“What about Kailynn?” Chronus asked. Isa
opened her eyes briefly before shaking her head.

“She’s in hiding,” Isa said. “That is all
I’m going to say. I’m not the only one Venus can access.”

A loud crack sounded above them and the
lights flickered as sparks rained over them. They looked up quickly, hearing
the groaning of the control room. Isa flinched, her hand gripping at her
uniform at her chest as she curled forward. Remus wrapped both arms around her
to keep her upright.

The monitors and screens around the
control room changed from their normal monitoring systems to show the image of
Venus’ head, her cloak covering everything but her nose and hard-set mouth that
never moved. The image flickered angrily, trying to find a way to operate
correctly around the virus ravaging her system. Some screens went black for
several seconds before Venus regained control of them.

A piercing whine surrounded them and
caused them to cover their ears, gritting their teeth in pain.

Isa screamed in pain, her body convulsing
and falling limply out of Remus’ arms.

“You
will yield! You will submit! You will obey!” Venus’ automated voice
recited, barely audible with the high-pitch screech in the room.

Isa screamed once more, her back bowing
off the floor as she grabbed at her chest.

A few monitors began flashing with the
warning code that there was something wrong with the Golden Elite. The emitter
chip in her body sent out several calls for help, including to the Syndicate.

The Elites surrounded Isa, trying to keep
her still, though it was impossible. They watched in horror, waiting for the
EMU team to arrive, though Isa passed out before they made it into the control
room.

When Isa came to, there were three sets
of worried eyes on her. It took her several moments to recognize the faces of
Paul, Dr. Busen, and Remus. Even when she did, she could not focus on their
features with the blinding pain behind her eyes.

One of the machines beeped and Isa
groaned as the sound bounced around her skull. The sound of her own voice was
also too loud, and the vibration of her voice in her throat felt like thousands
of needles piercing her muscles.

Garbled voices sounded around her.

“Look at that activity,” Paul said,
motioning to the screen that was showing her brain activity in real time. “She
has signals misfiring all over the place.”

“Her blood pressure is rising,” Dr. Busen
said. “With that activity, this spike…” He quickly went to the bedside table
and grabbed a prepared syringe. “Isa, I’m going to give you something for the
pain. Try to stay conscious.”

Isa was acutely aware of someone’s hand
taking hers, and even though it hurt to close her fingers around his, she did
so. She tried to focus on her breathing, though each movement was agony.

It seemed to last forever.

The talking continued around her.

“This is only the second day,” Remus
said, his hand holding hers. “And she’s already this bad.”

“Stress has lowered a lot of her immune
functions,” Dr. Busen noted. “And, it would appear, Venus is making the pain
even more excruciating than necessary. But we know that, when Isa underwent the
pain-resistance degeneration test, she not only passed, she exceeded
expectations. She has a higher pain tolerance than the average Elite.” He nodded
to Isa. “Venus is going to have to deal some severe damage to keep this up.”

“It’s going to kill her.”

“It’s not just these kinds of attacks we
have to be concerned about,” Paul said, shaking his head. “She is suffering
reconstruction deterioration, isn’t she? Her system is poisoned.”

“I can’t operate on her if Venus is going
to be doing this. It’s too dangerous.”

“I know,” Paul said. “But if she keeps
this up, Isa is going to get worse very quickly. And if there is too much
deterioration of the skull…” He sighed heavily. “No one, Elite or human, has
ever had a skull reconstruction and survived before, so there’s no data. I can
only hypothesize.”

“You don’t have to,” Remus said, “I can
imagine.”

“There has to be a way to jam the signals
coming from Venus,” Paul said, looking at Dr. Busen. “Can you think of
anything?”

“I’ve never seen the processing system
she holds,” Dr. Busen said, shaking his head and running a hand through his
hair, frustrated. “And I can’t very well look at it. It’s in her chest cavity.”

“She gave you the information she had,”
Remus said.

“I would like to remind you that I am a
doctor, not a programmer. There is a lot of information I don’t understand, and
I sure as hell don’t understand how they managed to match all this with
biometrics as they did.” Dr. Busen groaned. “I would have to talk to a doctor
that performed the transfer, but there are no names mentioned.”

“There wouldn’t be,” Remus said darkly,
shaking his head. “They’re killed before they leave the operating room.”

Dr. Busen and Dr. Arre both blinked
incredulously at Remus, shocked. The Silver Elite glanced back at Isa.

“Venus guides them through the
procedure,” he continued. “And then she has them killed before they leave the
room, along with the previous Golden Elite. That’s how she protects the
information.”

“Then how do you know about it?” Dr.
Busen asked.

“Isa told me,” Remus murmured. “She saw
Gattriel killed, and she saw the bodies of the surgeons when she woke. She
couldn’t handle that alone.”

“Did you know about this?” Dr. Busen
asked, turning to Paul.

“If I did, don’t you think I would have
told you?” Paul said. He sighed heavily and looked over the monitor on Isa’s
brain. “That processing unit is toxic, the deterioration is releasing toxins,
and she’s regressing to defensive behaviors she exhibited when Colonel Amori
was around—not eating, not sleeping…”

Dr. Busen groaned, once again running his
hands through his hair, closing his eyes and trying to think.

“You don’t want to medicate her with pain
management medication?” Dr. Busen asked, turning to Paul.

“We’re going to need to increase the
dosage every week,” Paul told him. “Her brain adapts too damn quick. That’s a
big part of the problem. Soon we’ll be destroying her liver if we prescribe pain
medication regularly to manage this kind of agony.”

“There has to be something you two can
do,” Remus said, worried. “I’ll do whatever I can. She can’t function when in
this pain, and we are at war. We can’t afford to have her out of commission
like this.”

Both doctors went silent for a very long
time. Isa slowly felt the pain easing. After thirty minutes of silence from
both pensive doctors, she was able to open her eyes and look around the room.
Breathing came a little easier, as well. Paul was staring at one of the
monitors, his hand over his mouth as he thought. Dr. Busen was pacing at the
far end of the room, his head down and his hand raised slightly in the air,
moving as he thought through different solutions.

The two doctors did not notice that Isa
had woken.

“Michael,” Paul said, not tearing his
eyes from the screen he was staring at. The other doctor turned, startled. Paul
motioned Dr. Busen over. “Do you notice how all the systems are stressed, but
when you did the stress test on her heart, it showed no anomalies?”

Isa glanced at Remus and rolled her eyes
with a playful smile at the doctors’ discussion. Remus smiled as well, reaching
forward and gently placing a hand on her cheek, silently communicating with
her, still holding her hand.

The doctors were locked in a heated
discussion, pointing to different monitors and test results as Isa and Remus
remained silent, listening half-heartedly. Isa closed her eyes, resting as
often as she could. She still felt twinges of pain, which caused the doctors to
both point and talk about what showed up on the screen. Isa did not understand
most of what they were discussing. Even though she had read all of their
academic papers, she was in too much pain and too tired to try and follow a
language she barely knew.

Suddenly, Dr. Busen’s expression lit up
and he turned to Paul, saying something that had both Elites looking at one
another in intense confusion. Paul asked a clarifying question and Dr. Busen
answered. Paul’s face also lit up and they both started walking to the door,
discussing the technical aspects of the treatment.

Isa chuckled, shaking her head.

“Do they seem a little too excited about
the challenge?” she tried to tease.

“They don’t want to see you in pain,”
Remus said, squeezing her hand. “Dr. Busen was frantic trying to find a way to
help you.”

They both fell silent again for a very
long time. Isa fell asleep once more and Remus leaned forward, resting his head
on his arm on the bed next to Isa, keeping her hand in his.

A nurse walking into the room stirred
both of them.

“My sincerest apologies, Elite Isa, Elite
Remus,” he said, bowing his head slightly. “Dr. Busen said that he will perform
your surgery in about an hour and he would like you prepped.” The nurse walked
forward slowly. “He…he’s not putting this surgery in our computers. Something
about Venus’ mainframe being locked down?”

“It’s locked down for safety,” Remus
said, quickly making up a plausible lie. “We received threats from Gihron. We
took precaution.”

“I understand,” Isa added. “It’s alright.
The information will be added later to her mainframe.”

The nurse seemed more at ease after
hearing the explanation. He approached the Elite and began hooking the Elite up
to even more monitors, though it was difficult for him to place them all
correctly when there were already so many machines attached to the Elite. Isa
did not bother to ask what surgery Dr. Busen wanted to perform. She trusted him
entirely.

“You also have someone that wants to see
you,” the nurse said.

“Who?”

“A woman. She said she’s a close friend
of yours and the Syndicate sent her over,” the nurse elaborated. “Someone named
Vanessa Henrick. Does the name sound familiar?”

“Yes,” Isa said. “I’ll see her. Can you
show her up before the surgery?”

“Isa, can you handle that?” Remus asked,
worried.

“I don’t know what state I will be in
when I wake up,” Isa said. “But judging from past experience, I will be nearly
incoherent. It won’t take long.”

“You can see her later.”

“Remus,” Isa said, looking at him
seriously, “I need to speak with her. It concerns this treatment.”

Remus blinked at Isa and then sighed
heavily, nodding, understanding what the Golden Elite meant.

“Alright, but a short visit.”

The nurse nodded, lifting his wrist to
his mouth.

“Waiting room, send Henricks up to fourth
floor security window.”

Remus looked at Isa seriously.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that she just
showed up now?”

“I do,” Isa agreed with a nod. “But I’ve
been asking around, gathering all information I can on where she’s been all
these years, and I’ve noticed that there is a very good trend wherever she
appears. She helped guide Kreon through the social upheaval nine years ago,
she’s been jumping around the smaller planets, negotiating stronger trade
routes with the larger planets on their behalf, she’s clearly working to
strengthen the Alliance.” She sighed heavily. “And she promised that she would
help us, should we ever need it.”

“And you’re going to trust her word on
that?”

“Don’t you remember what she was like as
a teacher?” Isa asked.

“We were children,” Remus reminded her.
“We were ambitious and more than a little stupid. You know this. Venus had her
exiled.”

“I lifted her exile status. She was
always different from every other teacher we had at the Academy, and Venus was
quick to fire her and throw her into exile when we started making some serious
headway. Clearly, she understands more than she’s letting on.”

“And that doesn’t concern you?”

“Of course it does,” Isa said. “But we
should listen to what she has to say. With Gihron attacking and the threat of
the rest of the Ninth Circle weighing on us, we need to take a few risks.”

Remus sighed heavily, lowering his eyes
and shaking his head.

“I’m not sure I have the same faith in
her that you clearly do,” Remus murmured. “The timing is just too
coincidental.” He pursed his lips and looked at her seriously. “But, you know
that I will stand by any decision you make.”

The two Elites were silent for several
minutes. The nurse left when he was called by the security office and the two
members of the Syndicate waited for Vanessa Henricks to be guided to the room.

When the woman walked in, she looked as
she always had—beautiful with the most powerful eyes anyone had ever seen.

“I was worried when the Syndicate said
you were in the hospital,” Vanessa said, walking forward as the nurse left the
room.

Remus backed away from Isa, allowing
Vanessa to come forward and sit next to the Golden Elite. He leaned against the
wall, watching warily. Vanessa sat next to Isa and looked over her.

“Are you alright?”

“Not really,” the Elite chuckled. “But
I’m still breathing.”

“That’s a good start,” Vanessa said with
a smile. She turned to the Silver Elite. “Hello, Remus. How are you?”

“I’m well, thank you,” he said stiffly.
He nodded to Isa. “It has been a trying day.”

“I can imagine,” Vanessa said. She looked
back at Isa and took a deep breath, looking over the Golden Elite once more.
“How did this happen?”

“Oh, the same way it always does,” Isa
chuckled. “I was not being as smart as I should be.”

Vanessa smiled at the joke. “It does
sound familiar,” she teased. “Where is your doctor?”

“Prepping for surgery.”

“What kind of surgery?”

“I actually don’t know,” Isa chuckled
brokenly, cringing at a sharp flare of pain.

“That’s a leap of faith, don’t you
think?” the older woman laughed.

“I trust him immensely,” Isa assured. She
took a deep breath and shifted in the bed, smiling at her former teacher. “I
wasn’t aware that you were on-planet.”

“I arrived this morning,” Vanessa
explained. “I came because I have some news for you.”

“What kind of news?”

“After some…heated negotiation,” she started, “I managed to get Ulam to
withdraw their support to the Gihron Army. This will drop the Gihoric defenses
severely.”

Isa’s eyes shot wide.

“How did you manage that?”

“It was not easy,” Vanessa admitted. “I
had to play a card I was trying to avoid.”

“What do you mean?”

“I showed them a transmitted discussion
between Jakra and Gihron showing that Gihron intended to make Ulam pay all
reparations if Gihron lost the war, and that they would be taxed severely if
Gihron won.”

“How did you get that information?”

“Gihron uses obsolete technology,”
Vanessa said with a shrug. “I hacked their system.”

Both the Elites in the room were staring
at the woman with wide eyes.

“How…” Remus trailed off. “Why would you
do something like that?”

“Because they were about to launch
another thirty-thousand troops to support Gihron, and you would have been
overwhelmed.”

“How did you get that information?” Isa pressed.

“You’re not the only one with little
birds everywhere,” Vanessa said with a mysterious grin. “You could say that
knowledge is my trade.” She lowered her eyes. “I may not have many eyes on you,
but I think I can guess what put you in here.” She smiled thinly. “Taking on
another enemy?”

“You could say that,” Isa said. “I’d say
this one is more dangerous than Gihron.”

“I would have to agree,” Vanessa said.
“More at stake with this new enemy than with Gihron.”

“Bad timing to focus on both of them at
the same time,” Isa chuckled brokenly.

“No, no,” Vanessa disagreed quickly.
“It’s a brilliant time, actually.”

“How do you figure that?” Remus asked,
unconvinced.

“She won’t have you killed in the middle
of a war with Gihron,” Vanessa explained. “You’re too important, to her, to the
war, to the Alliance, to the people. She knows that she has no chance of
controlling the situation if she does not have the Golden Elite.”

“She could use it as propaganda,” Isa
said, shaking her head. “She could blame it on Gihron.”

“But that wouldn’t serve her agenda,”
Vanessa said. “You remember the meeting. Others were hesitant to support you
because they said that it was a blood feud between Gihron and Tiao. If you were
to die in this war, that would show submission to Gihron, who is acting in
revenge, and the Alliance would lose faith in the power of Tiao.” The former
teacher smiled broadly. “She needs you alive. You are far more powerful than
you realize.”

Isa lowered her eyes to the bedsheets,
sighing.

“I have no power over her.”

“I can’t think of a statement more
false,” Vanessa said, shaking her head. “You have all the power. Every Golden Elite has always had complete power
over Venus, but she never allowed them to realize it. Every time any one of
them started trouble, she would have them killed. And, if they wanted to shut
her down to rebuild everything, she made sure that the Golden Elite would not
survive shutting her down. It was a brilliant and very calculated move on her
part.”

“She can easily have me killed at any
time,” Isa pointed out. “She controls everything on this planet. The cars, the
robots…absolutely everything is under her control.”

“Everything that is not human,” Vanessa
agreed with a nod. “She doesn’t control you.
You know that the times Venus is wrong it is because of one individual. And she has always been wrong about you. She
believed you could not lead the planet, because you were clearly a degenerate,
even if the tests could not determine how. She believed that telling you to
stop being with Remus would make you listen, she believed that you were safe as
long as you were subdued with the knowledge that rebellion against her would
mean death, and she believed that what happened with Colonel Amori would break
you and allow her to control you. She’s always been wrong about you. So, when
she discredits you as a threat, you need to prove her wrong again.”

“But how do I know that I can succeed?”

“No one knows that for sure,” Vanessa
admitted. “But, what makes a great leader is when that leader knows just how
much power is at their disposal, and knows when to use it for the good of the
people, and when to refrain from using it for the good of society. You clearly
have that understanding. You showed that knowledge even in school, with your
group of friends, who are now the Elites of the Syndicate. They follow you,
even risking death for degeneration and treason, because they know that you are
the leader that this planet needs.”

“I want to change things,” Isa murmured.
“But things will get worse before they get better.”

“They always do,” Vanessa said. She
placed her hand on Isa’s. “You are an extraordinary being, Isa. You understand
the need for change, and you crave something better for the people. That’s not
a trait one normally sees in anyone, human or Elite. Sometimes, I feel like you
are the only hope humanity has left.”

Isa chuckled brokenly. “I was created by humans. I doubt I can save
humanity.”

“Often times, what humans create is the
thing that saves them.”

“But…” Isa hesitated. “What if this isn’t
the right path?” The Golden Elite looked at her former teacher, her eyes
showing her uncertainty. “Venus works for a reason. People need regulation.
They can’t be governed on their own. Crime is not the same as it was before,
and even though there is an enormous social imbalance with Venus and the Elites
in power, it has been a stable system for hundreds of years.” Isa sighed
heavily. “Maybe…maybe Venus is the right way to govern humanity.”

“A computer is not a good judge of humanity,”
Vanessa disagreed, shaking her head. “Humanity is far more than numbers and
statistics and death, they are artists and creative vessels for advancement. A
computer can replicate art, but it cannot create it. A computer can replicate
tones and sounds and words, but it cannot string them together in an original
composition, because it cannot determine which sounds are pleasing or which
words will evoke emotion in the listener.”

“Elites can’t do that, either,” Isa said.
“Well…except Remus.”

They both turned to the Silver Elite, who
looked between the two of them before slowly lowering his eyes to the ground.

“Correct,” Vanessa agreed. “An individual
that is degenerate by Venus’ standards can create some of the most beautiful
music and art that any of us have ever heard or seen.” Vanessa turned back to
Isa. “There is no standard when it comes to creativity. If there was, there
would be no advancement.”

Isa’s eyes lowered.

“But I
cannot create art,” she murmured.

Vanessa reached forward and lifted Isa’s
chin, forcing her to look up.

“But you can create change,” she whispered, smiling. “And I know you will. I’ve always
known you would.”

Chapter
Thirty-Five

Kailynn was going stir-crazy.

She had never been good at staying inside
for days at a time, and now that she had nowhere to go, she was losing her
mind. She would spend the days pacing around the safe house, watching the news
broadcasts for the tiniest mention of Isa and agonizing over the Elite’s
safety.

The two and a half weeks were torturous.

She would talk to Isa occasionally on the
phone, but the Elite could only call occasionally and only for two minutes.
Venus could trace the calls and figure out which of the Syndicate safe houses
Kailynn was occupying. Isa would call, make sure Kailynn was alright, assure
the former Significant that she was also alright, and then tell her when she
would call again.

Kailynn tried to focus on continuing her
reading and writing lessons, but she would always break away from them and
watch the news for hours on end, learning about the wins and losses of the army
fighting in Tiaoian space and the various planets that had lent their support
to the Syndicate.

She also learned that the Wheezing Death
had been announced to the public upon the opening of the medical center in the
Walking District, which officially opened one week after Kailynn left Anon.
However, they were so overwhelmed with patients from Trid with the Wheezing
Death Virus that they had declared it a regional epidemic and called in doctors
from all over the planet to assist Dr. Busen in studying the strange,
undocumented illness.

Even though she considered it a victory
that the medical center had been opened and allowed health care to Trids, she
could hardly celebrate.

She was too worried about the Golden
Elite.

Kailyn also received brief, encouraging
phone calls from Rayal and Tarah. They both assured her that Isa was, in fact,
alright and told her that Dr. Busen had operated on Isa to help with the
reconstructive deterioration and the pain from Venus’ angry attacks on the
Golden Elite.

Due to the limited time allowed on all
calls to her, Kailynn had to learn about how Venus was attacking Isa through
the course of four days. It caused her anxiety to triple.

Two and a half weeks in the safe house
and Kailynn was planning her escape. She could not drive the car, and knew that
if it took her eleven hours to get to the safe house from Anon by car, it would
take her a week, if not longer, to walk back. She was no further on getting a
plan together when she received a phone call.

Since she had been in the bathroom when
it rang, she quickly had to scramble out, darting across the living room while
she pulled her pants up. She dove for the phone on the coffee table, catching
herself precariously on the couch.

“Hello?!” she gasped, trying to catch her
balance on the sofa, though she ended up tumbling to the ground. “Hello?”

“Are you alright?” Isa’s voice chuckled.

Kailynn let out a relieved breath and
smiled.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she assured. “I just had
to run to the phone and I ended up falling. How are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Isa assured. “I can’t stay on
the line long. Venus can still trace it. Just know that in about two minutes,
an alarm will sound in the house. Don’t worry, you’re still safe.”

“Wait, why the alarm?” Kailynn asked.
There was silence on the other end. “Isa? Hello?”

Kailynn glanced at the screen of the
phone and groaned when she saw that the call had ended. She squeezed the phone
tight, resisting the urge to throw it against the wall in frustration. She knew
if she did not find a way to get out of the safe house and back to Isa soon she
would suffer a psychotic breakdown.

She watched the clock anxiously, waiting
for the alarm to sound.

Two minutes exactly after the phone call
ended, a beeping alarm sounded from various corners of the house. Each alarm
site on its own was not loud, however, combined, the noise still caused Kailynn
to jump in surprise. She stood, wondering how to stop the alarm before someone
heard it, or before the Officials were alerted, but an automated voice, soft
and gentle, spoke before she could move from the living room.

“Vehicle parking in bay two. Verified
visitor.”

Kailynn listened to the voice, thinking
over the words as the alarm stopped. She stood still, her breath stuck in her
throat. For several seconds, she could hardly breathe.

Her knees shaking and her heart lifting
in her throat, nearly choking her, she took careful steps toward the door,
listening to every noise. The soft chime of the elevator, followed by the sound
of the door opening caused her to still, her eyes fixed on the door.

There were footsteps in the entrance
hallway and then the main door opened.

A tall, blonde figure with stunning blue
eyes stepped inside, a relieved smile spreading across her face.

Kailynn went forward, her arms wrapping
around the Elite’s neck and hugging her tightly. Isa’s arms went around
Kailynn’s waist, securing them together, even though Kailynn’s momentum caused
the Elite to fall back against the closed door.

In those moments, the world stood still.

All that existed was the tight embrace
around them both.

Isa let out a long breath and Kailynn
remembered that this was not a dream. The Golden Elite was there with her,
breathing, smiling, warm and gentle as always.

She backed away from Isa long enough to
take her face in her hands and crash their lips together. The touch seemed to
break the floodgates, and emotion and anxiety rushed forward. Kailynn let out a
primal sound and her mouth worked desperately against Isa’s. The Golden Elite
was not as frantic, but her hands were shaking as she held Kailynn to her.

Kailynn’s hands skirted down Isa’s body,
quickly shedding the jacket of Isa’s uniform, her lips never leaving the
Elite’s. One of Isa’s hands went up to Kailynn’s head, her fingers tangling in
her hair as they kissed hungrily.

The younger woman’s fingers quickly
worked at the fastening of Isa’s uniform pants and pushed them down sharply,
her hands grabbing at Isa’s skin desperately, as if worried the Elite would
disappear if they were to part.

One of her hands went down to cup, Isa
her fingers gently exploring flesh she had not touched in what felt like years.

Isa broke their kiss with a gasp and her
head fell back against the door.

She panted as Kailynn kissed her neck,
slowly going to her knees, her lips marking a trail down Isa’s body.

“Kailynn…” Isa whispered, breathless.
“Don’t you want to move out of the doorway?”

“No.”

Time passed without notice. Kailynn and
Isa were both desperate for one another, their hands never leaving the other’s
body, their lips tangling whenever they were close. It was frenzied, and every
action was filled with anxiety that they could not put words to,

Eventually, they found themselves on the
couch, sated and calmed. They reveled in the closeness of the other, silent for
an indeterminable amount of time.

“…how long can you stay?” Kailynn
whispered, her hands drifting over Isa’s back as the Elite rested over her like
a blanket. Isa sighed and lifted her head, meeting Kailynn’s eyes.

“Unfortunately, I have to leave tomorrow
afternoon,” she murmured. She ran a hand over Kailynn’s cheek. “I actually
shouldn’t be here now, but I had to see you.”

Kailynn smiled, lifting her head to kiss
Isa.

“Are you alright? Be honest. I’ll kick
your ass if you lie.”

“I’m alright,” she assured with a
chuckle.

“Rayal said that Venus has been attacking
you.”

“It’s not as bad now,” she said.

“How can she attack you? I don’t
understand.”

Isa hesitated, her eyes averting as she
tried to find a way to explain. She lowered her head back to Kailynn’s chest
and sighed once more.

“When I was made Golden Elite,” she
started slowly, “Venus and I were connected.”

“What does that mean?”

“Remember when you were in Trid? And we
had to translate Venus’ language for you?”

“Yeah, and that hurt you…somehow…”

“I had a few medical procedures when I
was inaugurated,” the Golden Elite said vaguely. “A tracer chip, a heart
monitoring system, a translator, a bunch of other things. This anchors me to
Venus. Which means she can send electric pulses to all of these devices and
cause a lot of pain.”

“…is she attacking you because of me?”

“No,” Isa assured. “She’s punishing me
because of what I have done.” She closed her eyes, falling silent for several
seconds. “I’ve disobeyed her. I’ve incapacitated her in many ways.”

“Incapacitated?”

“That virus I released in her system was
no simple infection,” Isa said. “I made sure to program it so that when she
tries to send certain orders, it infects her. The more she tries, the more
avenues she tries to work around the infected parts of her mainframe, the worse
her system becomes.”

“Can you shut her down that way?”

Isa stopped, her eyes opening once more,
becoming pensive.

“Isa?”

“That particular virus will not destroy
her,” Isa said. “However, if we were to find a way to infect her main codes, maybe with a virus that would destroy those
source codes, it could be possible to shut her down with a virus.”

“I thought that was how you were going to
shut her down eventually,” Kailynn said.

“No, I actually always thought we would
have to destroy her source codes through physical force.”

“I thought Venus could program herself
anywhere.”

“As long as she has her complete source
coding. She can’t exactly move from place to place, since her processors are in
various locations throughout the planet. If one of them goes down, or even half
of them, she would still function because her source coding, which she uses as
a backup, can still be accessed.”

“…you lost me.”

Isa shifted once more, climbing off of
Kailynn to rest next to her, propping her head up in one hand as her other arm
draped over Kailynn.

“Venus was created to monitor the planet
for disasters,” she started. “At the time she was created, she could not
monitor the entire planet from one source. There were edges to the areas where
she could monitor. Therefore, they built additional processing units and linked
them with one another. This gave Venus complete control over every area of the
planet. Obviously, as technology advanced, she downloaded more processes and
she is not dependent on those processor units around the planet. She used the
newer technology to create two backups of her source coding. One of those codes
moves around constantly. The other is linked to her first processor.”

“Where is the first processor?”

“About a three hour drive from here,” Isa
explained.

“It’s not in Anon?”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “Anon
is too high-profile for such delicate information. Her first processor is very
secluded in a low-profile, low-population area. There are three processors in
Anon and the surrounding areas, but if those were attacked or destroyed, her source
codes would not be harmed.”

“So, if you were to destroy her first
processor,” Kailynn mused, “she would still have her source codes because of
the second backup that keeps moving around.” Kailynn’s eyebrows furrowed. “How
do you know where that is?”

“I can track it,” Isa said. “But
destroying those source codes…that’s far more difficult.” Isa closed her eyes,
sighing. “Venus’ programming is very complex, even more so now than when she
was created. She has upgraded herself and downloaded different lines of code
from different places to build herself to what she is today. To figure out a
virus that could effectively destroy the necessary codes before she finds a
means to copy them in another processor…” Isa shook her head. “And both source
code backups are never in the same location. So if we destroy one, we would not
have the time to destroy the other before she filled in her code again from the
secondary backup and we would end up chasing her around the planet until she
loaded those code off-planet.”

Kailynn reached up and her fingers
brushed over the Elite’s cheek.

“How would this affect you?” she whispered. Isa blinked at the
younger woman, confused. “Remus said that you would die if you tried to shut
down Venus.”

Isa sighed heavily, leaning into
Kailynn’s hand.

“One of the procedures I went through
when I became Golden Elite was to implant a failsafe into my body,” she
explained. “If Venus’ codes start deteriorating, then the processor inside me
will download all the codes into yet another backup, killing me in the process
and uploading her to the nearest processor.”

“How in hell does that work?” Kailynn gasped, her eyes incredulous.

“No one but Venus knows for sure,” Isa
admitted. “Dr. Busen is trying to figure it out. I’ve given him as much
information as I have. Hopefully, he can figure it out.”

Kailynn’s eyes averted, her hand dropping
to take Isa’s, lacing their fingers together.

“If we defeat Gihron,” she started.
“Sorry, when we defeat Gihron,” she
corrected herself, “if we beat them and then
shut down Venus, won’t they just attack again once the planet is shut down?”

“No, not if I have anything to say about
it,” Isa said, shaking her head.

“How can you be sure, though?”

“When we defeat them, which we are
getting closer to accomplishing, we will discuss a peace treaty. One of my
terms will be that Gihron, and Gihron’s allies that assisted in this war, will
be prohibited from attacking Tiao for the duration of fifty years. If they do
attack, the entire Alliance will meet them full-force. Sixty-seven planets
against the Ninth Circle is no contest.”

“You think they will honor it?” Kailynn
asked hesitantly.

“Probably,” Isa said. “Of course, nothing
is certain.”

Isa was getting tired of the
follow-the-finger-without-moving-her-head routine. However, she obeyed Dr.
Busen and continued to follow his finger as he moved it around in her field of
vision.

“Thankfully, things seem to be holding
up,” he said, lowering his hand and reaching forward, feeling along her jaw
once more. “I replaced the worst of the deterioration, but we will need to
completely reconstruct everything within a year.”

“Can we do that in increments?” Isa asked
hopefully.

“I think so,” the doctor said with a nod,
dropping his hands and walking over to a cabinet, opening and pulling out a few
monitors. They were in his office, which afforded them more privacy and more
tests at Dr. Busen’s disposal. “But your headaches have been bad?”

“Some days it’s hard to keep my eyes
open,” Isa said, turning her head as Dr. Busen glanced in her ear. “The light
is too much.”

“Are you sleeping?”

“Not really.”

“Eating?”

“Not much.”

“And you wonder why you’re getting
headaches?” Dr. Busen chuckled brokenly. He backed away and picked up another
monitor with a needle on it. He removed the cap and pushed up Isa’s sleeve,
rubbing down her elbow before inserting the needle and touching a few buttons
on the screen.

“How is the research on the virus?” Isa
asked, trying to strike up conversation, uncomfortable with the extent of the
testing.

“Not well, unfortunately,” Dr. Busen
admitted, his tone distracted as he looked over the screen. “The virus is
resistant to everything we put against it. It’s now being classified as a
super-virus. We’re doing everything we can.”

“And the girl? From Trid?”

Dr. Busen sighed, clicking a few buttons
before turning his eyes to Isa.

“She’s not doing well,” he admitted. “The
virus is taking hold. The most I can do is try to keep her comfortable.”

Isa dropped her gaze to the ground, the
words causing a pain in her chest.

Dr. Busen removed the needle from her arm
and walked to his desk, grabbing her patient folder and leaning against his
desk, scribbling notes.

“Isa, do you think these headaches are at
all related to Kailynn going into hiding?”

Isa hesitated, looking at Dr. Busen
suspiciously.

“How do you know about that?”

Dr. Busen chuckled lightly, glancing up
from his file. “Paul told me.”

Isa sighed, though she was smiling. “I
thought doctors weren’t supposed to discuss their patients.”

“You are correct,” Dr. Busen said,
closing the file and placing it on the desk, walking to Isa and gently taking
her head, tilting it up as he looked at her eyes once more. “However, you are
not the typical patient.” He pulled down her bottom eyelids and studied her
eyes briefly before walking back to the cabinet, pulling out yet another
examination tool. “You are the leader of the planet. It is critical that your
doctors communicate with one another.”

Isa chuckled brokenly as Dr. Busen
wrapped the reader around her arm and pressed several buttons on the small
screen.

“I must be such a headache for you two,”
she teased. “What do you do? Meet up every night and go over all my medical
problems?”

Dr. Busen laughed. “Difficult not to when
we live together.”

It took Isa a few moments to process the
words.

“You two live together?”

Dr. Busen nodded, pressing another button
and watching the numbers on the screen. When he noticed the silence, he glanced
up at Isa briefly.

“What?”

“You two…”

“Are together? Yes.”

Isa’s eyes remained wide and unblinking.
Dr. Busen smiled.

“You didn’t know?”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “I had
no idea.”

The Elite Specialist chuckled, removing
the reader from her arm and setting it next to her, picking up his file again
to enter his notes.

“We met when your personal care team was
being assigned,” he said. “I thought he was an arrogant asshole and we were in
a very intense rivalry for several months when it came to your care. After your
first assassination attempt, we had a very intense disagreement about who was
responsible for your primary care that ended…in an unexpected way. We’ve been
together ever since.”

Isa smiled.

“Sounds intense,” she teased. “How could
you think he was an arrogant asshole?” she asked. “He’s one of the kindest
people I know.”

“He is very kind. He’s also very
confident,” Dr. Busen said. “Far more than I ever was. And, he’s nearly ten
years younger than me. It came off as arrogance, not confidence. In any case, I
know better now.” He sighed and leaned against the desk. “He said that you were
reverting back to your behaviors when Colonel Amori was here.”

Isa dropped her gaze.

“He said that you subconsciously want to
make yourself weaker,” he continued, “because that’s how you felt when he was
around you. You felt weak and powerless, so you made sure you were weak.” He walked forward, sitting
in front of Isa. “I wish I could take away everything he did to you,” he said
quietly, “but I can’t. All I can do is try to keep you from getting that bad
again.” He hesitated. “I can only assume that you’re not eating or sleeping
because of Gihron, or Kailynn, or some combination of the two. And I am worried
that it’s going to get out of hand very quickly.”

Isa sighed heavily.

“Now that we’re doing better in the war,
we’re not far from a victory over Gihron. I’m starting to realize that that
will force me to meet at the negotiation table with Gihron’s leaders.”

“You mean General Decius.”

Isa nodded slowly.

“I’ve only spoken with him twice, both
over six years ago,” Isa said. “But he was Colonel Amori’s brother. What if
he…”

“You know, if he tries anything like what
Colonel Amori did, you can tell us. You can find a way to tell us,” he said
strongly when Isa started shaking her head.

“No,” she said. “If he threatens Kailynn,
I won’t dare do anything that could risk her life.”

“That was exactly how Colonel Amori
blackmailed you,” Dr. Busen said. “You know, now, what these people are capable
of, and you can guard against it.”

“No, I can’t,” Isa said, shaking her
head. “I proved that I cannot. If he’s just like his brother…”

“Isa,” Dr. Busen said, taking her hands
in his and looking at her seriously, “you did what you had to do.”

Isa looked away, sighing heavily.

“I cannot risk that again.”

“What do you want to do, then?”

“I want to have a way to shut down
Venus,” she said seriously.

“I’m doing all that I can,” Dr. Busen
said. “There is a lot of information missing. I’ve looked through all the
Syndicate files—”

“No, you haven’t,” Isa said, shaking her
head. “Several files that were highly guarded were seized from Maki’s residence
when he was killed.” She took her hands from Dr. Busen’s grasp and pulled the
collar of her uniform down. “He did a lot of research on her evolution and the
biometrics. He was running tests on whether my heart would stop if he tried
several different means of destroying her codes.” She reached under the collar
of her uniform and to her breast. “Unfortunately, he did not know much
medicine, nor did he have time to complete his tests before he was killed.”

She extracted her hand from her bra,
holding a very small, portable drive. She held it between them.

“He gave me this the night he died,” she
said. “This is all of the research that he knew would be dangerous if it was
seized by the wrong person. I do not have a computer that works away from
Venus’ systems anymore. You do.”

She extended the chip to him and he
stared at it before chuckling and taking it.

“That’s a safe place for it,” he teased.

Isa smiled.

“I’ve kept it on my person,” she
explained. “I had to be sure it was safe.”

“How was Maki running tests on whether
your heart would stop?” Dr. Busen asked, looking at the drive once more.

“He was using my previous NCB chair,” she
explained. “It used to be linked to my body. It knew my biometric rhythms from
Opium mode.”

“Where is the NCB chair now?”

“Safely stored in his bunker. Chronus
made sure that the area was secure when the Officials seized everything in his
home. Chronus and the others are working on getting the NCB chair to a
different location so as not to raise suspicion.”

“Have him come see me,” Dr. Busen said.
“I know all calls are being traced and recorded now, so I’ll see him face-to-face.
We’ll figure out a location to move it and I’ll run tests. I can handle the
medical side if the other Elites can handle the programming side.”

“And you’ll find a way to shut her down
and keep me alive?”

“Yes,” Dr. Busen said, nodding. “We will
find a way.”

“Just promise me something.”

“What?”

“If her system gets weaponized again,”
she started slowly, “don’t worry about saving me. I would rather die than
witness that again.”

Chapter
Thirty-Six

One more month passed and Kailynn was
convinced that the world was falling apart. Part of the support for Gihron from
the Ninth Circle planets was withdrawn. While everyone was sure that meant
there would be a victory for Tiao, it was not easily won. The Gihoric army gave
their all in fighting Isa’s military. Since there were so many robotic troops
in the war, Gihron has no qualms about programming their ships and troops to
crash onto the surface of the planet, taking out several large buildings in the
process.

When they began attacking the surface of
Tiao, the Alliance planets quickly sent aid to Tiao, shocked at the brazen
attacks.

Surrounded by the Alliance ships and
facing the guns from Tiao, Gihron seemed trapped.

Kailynn was glued to the sofa in the safe
house every day. She slept on the couch, ignoring the bedroom entirely,
sleeping between news broadcasts. Her two-minute conversations with everyone in
close confidence with the Golden Elite were not nearly enough to stay as
informed as she wanted, which left her edgy and worried.

For one week, she could not reach anyone.
She got through to Rayal for ten seconds, just long enough for him to tell her
that things were in a crucial stage with the war and that he would call her as
soon as he had more information.

But Rayal never called her back.

Instead, Isa appeared at the safe house
one day.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
Kailynn gasped, kissing the Elite as she walked into the safe house.

“I sneaked out of the capital,” Isa
chuckled, leaning down and kissing Kailynn again. “I got a later start than I
wanted,” she started, walking further into the safe house, taking Kailynn’s
hand and leading her to the sofa once more. “There will be a special broadcast
today. Come, sit down.”

“Special broadcast?” Kailynn repeated.

“Concerning the war.”

“Did we win?”

Isa used the remote to click on the
television and then took Kailynn’s hand, pulling her down to the couch as she
nodded with a smile.

Kailynn gasped and quickly joined Isa on
the couch, though she ignored the discussions about the upcoming message from
the Syndicate. She grabbed Isa’s collar and pulled her close, kissing her
passionately. She pushed the Elite back to lie on the couch, kissing her
tenderly as the Elite held her close.

When the announcer turned the broadcast
over to the Syndicate Building, Remus’ face appeared on the screen.

“Good afternoon, Tiao,” he started. “I am
broadcasting to the planet to announce that Gihron has conditionally
surrendered to Tiao.”

Kailynn felt relieved to hear the words,
her body relaxing as she rested over Isa, her eyes closing briefly at the
announcement.

“We will be meeting Gihron at the
negotiating table to discuss the terms of this surrender,” Remus continued. “As
always, the terms of this surrender will be made with the well-being of both
Tiao and Gihron in mind. These terms will be announced upon agreement.”

Remus continued to thank the people who
fought for Tiao, as well as the allies that sent aid. While he was talking, Kailynn
turned to Isa.

“What terms do they have for surrender?
He said it was conditional.”

Isa hesitated before speaking.

“All the terms are negotiable, as
always.”

“What terms?”

“They want us to stop the production of
Elites and turn the government over to humans,” Isa said quietly.

“Are you going to do that?” Kailynn
asked, not sure how she felt about the demand. The Golden Elite sighed heavily.

“I have not yet decided,” she admitted.
“But I am considering it.”

“You are?” Kailynn gasped, shocked.

“The life of an Elite is no type of
life,” Isa murmured. “And I don’t want to put another being through what I went
through when I was inaugurated. I don’t want another Elite beaten to death
because of rebellion. I don’t want another Elite to be tortured and tested to
prove that they’re created properly. It’s cruelty at its darkest.”

Kailynn pressed her hand to Isa’s face.

“What would happen if you stopped Elite
production?”

“Hard to say,” she admitted. “But I would
not completely turn over everything to humans immediately. I would have to
create a plan for slow integration to be sure that everything continued running
smoothly. However…”

“What?”

“Well, there might be another power shift
soon, anyway,” Isa said slowly, smiling thinly at Kailynn. The younger woman’s
eyes went wide once more. “To be honest, Kailynn, with the war over, and being
in the negotiation stage now, it’s very likely that Venus will focus entirely
on bringing me to heel.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is going to be a very delicate
balancing act,” Isa said. “I’ve also declared war on Venus. She is still
heavily-infected, much to the Syndicate’s annoyance, since so many things have
to be manually computed now. And I plan to make some changes.” She took a deep
breath and her arms tightened around Kailynn. “Venus is going to do everything
in her power to keep me from upsetting the system.”

“How can she do that?” Kailynn pressed.
“You already have her infected.”

“She’ll probably try to take me down
physically,” Isa said. “She’ll start attacking with force again. And for all of
Dr. Busen’s efforts, she has found occasion to work around his work and put me
down for a few days.” Isa closed her eyes. “I am hoping that you’ll support me
through this time. It’s going to be a very difficult time for all of us. I’m
going to need to carefully wrap up everything with Gihron and then I’m going to
turn my attention to taking down Venus.”

“…you’re really going to do it?” Kailynn
breathed.

“Yes.” Isa nodded. “It has been too long
as it is. It should have been done long ago.”

Kailynn stared at Isa, feeling awed anew
by her strength and determination. She could hardly remember the time when she
blindly hated the Golden Elite and the Syndicate. As she stayed draped over the
Elite, looking into her powerful eyes and feeling the words stirring excitement
in her belly, she felt as though she had the most powerful being in existence
under her, and the thought excited her.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”
Isa asked with a small smile.

“I’m just…” Kailynn shook her head,
smiling. “You really are amazing, Isa.”

Isa tenderly kissed Kailynn, smiling
against the younger woman’s lips.

“This brings me to my second
announcement,” Remus started. Kailynn turned to the screen, confused. Isa took
a deep breath, preparing herself. She knew, even before the words were spoken,
what would happen.

“This war has been very taxing on our
planet, on our resources, and on our economy,” Remus said. “Due to these
difficulties, Golden Elite Isa and the Syndicate have agreed that we must
provide every opportunity for our planet to build stronger than before. In
order to do so, we need a stronger foundation on which to build. For that
reason, we are offering citizenship to all Trids that wish to work with our
military building operations and our reparations committee on repairing the
damage from the war with Gihron.”

Kailynn sat upright, her eyes wide, glued
to the screen, her breath caught in her throat.

“Holy shit…” she choked.

“We understand the concerns of the public
at allowing Trid non-citizens to become legal citizens of Tiao,” Remus
continued. “However, all Trids will be afforded a medical exam, given a PIM
chip, offered schooling opportunities to reduce the illiteracy rate, and
housing within the southern districts of Anon. Other programs will allow for
Trids to travel to other portions of the planet to work in these operations.”

Kailynn turned to Isa, who was watching
Kailynn’s reaction with a small smile on her face. Kailynn let out a shuddered
breath and leaned back down to Isa, kissing her passionately, small tears
gathering on her lashes.

“As Trids become citizens, they will be
informed of the laws under Venus and will be expected to conform to those laws.
They will be subject to full penalty of the law should they not assimilate into
Tiaoian society,” Remus concluded. “This program will take effect on the
seventeenth of next month. In that time, all of Trid will be informed of this
offer.”

Isa flinched and backed away from
Kailynn, her face twisting slightly as she tried to move out from under the
former Significant.

“What is it?” Kailynn asked. When Isa
tried to wriggle out from under Kailynn, her face still contorted in
discomfort, she stood, allowing the Elite to turn over and go to her hands and knees
on the floor. “Isa?”

“Kailynn,” Isa started, trying to get to
her feet, “I’m sorry.”

“What? What are you sorry for?” Kailynn
asked quickly, starting toward the Elite, worried. “Are you alright?”

“Don’t touch me,” Isa said quickly,
backing away from Kailynn, her hand over her heart as she continued to cringe.
“Shit…” she choked. “You can’t touch me, Kailynn. Wait for this to be over.”

“For what
to be over?” Kailynn hissed.

Isa let out a pained groan and sank to
her knees. She started curling forward, her hand twisting in the clothing over
her heart. Her breath came out in labored pants around clenched teeth. Kailynn
watched in horror as Isa curled forward until her forehead was pressed into the
floor.

Suddenly, Isa let out a cry of pain,
falling to her side and rolling onto her back, her eyes tightly closed and her
teeth set against screaming. Her back bowed off the floor and her body began
convulsing violently. Isa screamed in agony as she writhed against the cold
floor.

“Isa! Isa! What’s wrong?!” Kailynn cried.
She tried to start forward, but Isa let out another scream and a high, whining
feedback sound came from the alarm system in the house. The lights flickered,
surging with a buzzing noise. The television flickered on and off rapidly. Kailynn
looked around in horror, not sure what was happening.

Isa contorted, freezing in positions
occasionally, every muscle in her body tensed, her veins bulging under her
skin, her hands clawing at her chest. The Elite let out pained screams in
sporadic bursts.

Kailynn started forward once more,
kneeling to turn the Elite over, but Isa saw her hands coming closer and she
quickly shied away.

“Don’t!” she barked.

“What am I supposed to do?!” Kailynn
yelled, frightened tears rising to her eyes.

Isa did not respond, her body snapping
forward as a choked cry escaped her throat that turned into a loud wail. The
lights surged to life, blinding Kailynn briefly until a loud pop cracked the
air and sparks flew down from the light fixtures.

Isa screamed, her throat raw and the
sound causing her head to nearly explode.

Kailynn crawled over to her phone,
grabbing it shakily and, with shaking fingers, pressing the number for Rayal.
She shoved the earpiece in, adrenaline coursing through her body angrily.

“Kailynn,” Rayal said. “Is she with you?
Did you hear—”

“Rayal!” Kailynn cried, the tears choking
her. “Something’s wrong. I don’t know what to do!”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know!” Kailynn sobbed. “Isa’s
screaming and having a seizure or something on the floor. The lights are
popping, I don’t know what the fuck is happening!”

Isa’s scream pierced the air again and
the tears quickly fell down Kailynn’s face. She flinched away from the noise.

“Kailynn,” Rayal said quickly, “I’m on my
way out to you. I’ll get Dr. Busen and Remus, okay? We’ll be out there as soon
as we can.”

“She can’t wait that long!” Kailynn
screamed.

“Yes, she can,” Rayal said. “Even if we
were there, there is nothing we can do to stop this. It has to take its
course.”

“What is it?!” Kailynn wailed.

“Venus is punishing her for granting
Trid’s citizenship, I’m sure,” Rayal said. “I have to hang up, Kailynn. But
stay with her. Once she stops moving, you can touch her. Until then, don’t move
her. Don’t do anything other than make sure she doesn’t hit any furniture.”

“I can’t just—”

“You have to, Kailynn!” Rayal barked.
“I’m on my way out to you. Just stay with her.”

He hung up the phone and Kailynn’s heart
fell.

Her eyes went to the writhing and
screaming Elite on the floor. The feedback on the alarm system was grating to
her ears, but she did not care to unplug the system. She could not turn away
from Isa.

She could not process what was happening
in front of her. Isa was being punished for granting citizenship to Trids.
Venus was causing excruciating pain for the Golden Elite, and there was nothing
anyone could do to help her.

Isa’s scream made thousands of knifes
pierce Kailynn’s chest. She closed her eyes, flinching away from the noise. Isa
screamed again, her body snapping fiercely. Kailynn pulled her knees into her
chest, her body shaking in fear and pain at seeing Isa suffer.

She watched Isa writhe in agony for six
hours, the tears tumbling down her cheeks as Isa’s writhing slowed and her
screams became quieter with exhaustion. Her body sporadically shook, her eyes
fluttering as her breathing became strained.

It seemed to be in slow-motion for
Kailynn.

Isa’s eyes slipped shut and her body went
lax.

For three seconds, Kailynn did not move.

She crawled forward slowly, listening to
Isa’s exhausted, strained breath. She placed her hand on Isa’s shoulder, seeing
the sweat gleaming over Isa’s skin. The Elite had finally passed out.

Kailynn gathered the Elite in her lap,
hugging what she could of Isa, the tears falling faster as the fear slowly
abated.

When she felt she could stand again,
Kailynn walked around the house, violently unplugging and deactivating
everything in the house she could. She did not want Venus finding them, furious
at the computer for putting Isa through such torture. Kailynn then ran into the
bedroom, pulling all the blankets off the bed and bringing them to where the
Elite had fallen unconscious.

She placed a pillow under Isa’s head and
then piled blankets on top of her to protect her from the chill of the room.

She then wrapped her arms around Isa,
pressing her chest to Isa’s back, hoping to keep the Elite warm.

She vowed to help Isa take down Venus
however she could. She could not bear to see Isa in such agony.

Chapter
Thirty-Seven

Kailynn was gently roused by a hand on
her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw Rayal above her. She looked around,
feeling uncomfortably hot, and saw Dr. Busen walk forward, Paul behind him, and
Remus behind both of them.

Dr. Busen pulled the blanket from them
both and Kailynn slowly untangled herself from the unconscious Golden Elite.

Isa’s face was pale and there was a sheen
of sweat over her skin.

“Let’s move her to the bedroom,” Dr.
Busen murmured. Remus walked forward and scooped Isa up in his arms, walking
toward the bedroom as the doctors followed. Kailynn took Rayal’s offered hand
and pulled herself to her feet. He hugged her before she was hugged tightly by
an excited, worried Tarah.

“How are you?” Tarah asked.

“I’ve been better,” Kailynn murmured,
glancing in the open bedroom door. “…I’ve never seen anything like that,” she
whispered.

“I’m sure that was terrifying,” Rayal
said. “She must have thought that Isa was at the Syndicate, and was trying to
send a message to all the Elites.”

“There has to be a way to keep that from
happening…” Kailynn said, clearing her throat. She walked into the bedroom,
where Dr. Busen was walking around Isa, checking her over carefully, asking
Paul to take notes of different things.

Remus turned to Kailynn when she entered
the room and nodded once to her.

“Have you seen that happen to her
before?” Kailynn asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she stood next to
the Silver Elite.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I understand how
painful it is to watch that happen and being unable to help.” He sighed and
closed his eyes. “She was concerned that Venus’ reaction would be violent.”

“You announced it to the people without
her knowing before?” Kailynn murmured, surprised.

“Her system is so clogged with viruses
right now that we can actually keep information from her. But anything that is
publicly broadcast, she has access to.”

They both watched as Dr. Busen undressed
Isa’s chest, stopping when he opened the front of her uniform, his eyes going
wide.

“Holy shit…” he breathed.

“What is it?” Kailynn asked worriedly,
starting forward and climbing on the bed next to her. She looked over Isa’s
chest and saw strange patches of red skin that splayed across her chest in wavy
patterns. “What is that?”

“Burns,” Paul said quietly, his
expression pained. “Michael, we have to find a way to stop this. Venus will
destroy her from the inside out.”

“Remus,” Dr. Busen said, looking at the
Silver Elite, “can you jam the signals from this processing unit at all?”

“I can try,” Remus said. “I probably
won’t be able to interfere with all the frequencies,” he admitted. “And we’ll
have to watch her closely to be sure we don’t cause arrhythmia in her heart.”

“If you can work on a jammer, anything
would help,” Dr. Busen said, standing straight. “Paul, can you get my bag?” He
pointed to the living room and the other doctor went to obey, walking by Rayal
and Tarah, who were watching from the doorway.

“Is she going to be alright?”

Dr. Busen sighed and glanced at Kailynn
apologetically.

“I have never seen an attack leave her
with burns before,” he said. “It must have been truly excruciating.” He looked
back down at the Golden Elite. “She’s dehydrated, undernourished, and clearly
in pain. But she managed to last a very long time, it would appear.”

“Why didn’t the EMU come here?” Kailynn
pressed. “I’m sure her emitter chip was firing.”

“The safe house has been completely
blocked from all transmissions,” Remus said, shaking his head. “She didn’t take
any chances with your safety.”

“In any case, it’s best that this does
not get put in record at any hospital. We don’t need anyone hearing that the
Elite is severely ill when we’re heading into negotiations with Gihron.”

Paul returned to Michael’s side, handing
him the bag. The older doctor opened the bag and pulled out various vials and
syringes.

“If this is occurring while you are in
negotiations with Gihron,” Paul started seriously, “we are all going to need to
keep a very close eye on her. She’ll be weaker, and more susceptible to
manipulation.”

“You mean like what Colonel Amori did?”
Kailynn asked.

“Perhaps,” the doctor said with a nod.

Everyone stood around Isa as Dr. Busen
treated her as best as he was able. Once he was finished with her treatments,
they took various seats around the room, waiting for the Golden Elite to stir.
Kailynn sat with her on the bed, holding her hand tightly.

They only had to wait an hour before Isa
cringed and opened her eyes. She looked around her, flinching away from the
shooting pain that sparked on every moving muscle. When she met eyes with
Kailynn, she forced a tired smile and squeezed the former Significant’s hand.

When her eyes caught sight of everyone
else in the room, her eyes slowly closed.

“I guess I really scared you,” she
breathed.

“You were like that for six hours,”
Kailynn choked.

“How are you feeling, Isa?”

“I don’t know, yet,” she muttered,
turning to Dr. Busen. “It’s never been that intense before.”

“No, I would think not,” the doctor
agreed. “I’ve never seen an attack like that leave burns on your body.”

Isa lifted her other hand and looked at
her arm, seeing the wavy patterns of red and dark brown skin. She sighed
heavily again and closed her eyes.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered.

“Don’t apologize,” Remus said. “You did
nothing wrong.”

Kailynn gently squeezed Isa’s hand,
unsure what to say. Isa swallowed hard and cringed, moving her body in an
attempt to get comfortable. She let out a short breath, flinching in pain.

“That hurt?” Dr. Busen asked.

“It was less painful to suffer through
the Pulse Virus,” Isa groaned, her eyes shut tightly.

“Isa, I’m going to work on a transmission
jammer,” Remus said. “What series transmitter do you think I should use?”

Isa sighed, her eyes remaining closed as
she tried to think through her pain.

“Probably a Series Seventeen.”

“Not Eighteen?”

“Eighteen has the metered connection
rate,” Isa reminded him. “It will shut down automatically at these levels.” She
took a deep breath, opening her eyes. “The car Kailynn had here should have a
Series Seventeen transmitter. Use that one.”

Remus nodded and left the room. Tarah and
Rayal walked in when the Silver Elite left, standing worriedly at the Golden
Elite’s bedside.

Isa took a deep breath, looking around
the room.

“Do you need to go back to the hospital?”
Isa asked Dr. Busen. The older doctor chuckled.

“No,” he assured. “I’m technically not
employed by the hospital. I’m employed by the Syndicate exclusively for your
care. I just work at that hospital to keep busy when I’m not working with you.”

Isa chuckled, cringing as the action sent
pain through her. She turned to Paul, who smiled and pointed at Dr. Busen.

“I just follow him around,” he chuckled.

Isa smiled, taking slow, even breaths.

“Isa,” Paul started, catching her
attention, “when are you starting negotiations with Gihron?”

“Next week,” Isa answered. “The
diplomatic convoy left Gihron several days ago. They should be here in about
six days.”

“I’m going to insist that you rest for
the entirety of those days,” Dr. Busen said strongly. “You need to be as strong
as possible for negotiations with Gihron, and I’m sure that Venus will not
attack you when you are hosting another diplomat, particularly in this delicate
situation.”

“We do not know for sure if General
Decius is coming to the planet,” Rayal said. “It’s possible that he will remain
on Gihron and send others in his stead.”

“Let’s hope that he does,” Paul said.

“The fact that they’re insisting on
negotiations on Tiao is a red flag,” Dr. Busen mused.

“They want to show us the lengths they
are willing to go for a peace agreement,” Isa murmured. She let out a strained
laugh. “They must think I am an idiot,” she groaned. “They came these lengths
for war to begin with.”

The group let Isa sleep, knowing that
they had to return to Anon soon. Kailynn sat with the others in the living room
of the safe house, discussing warning signs to look for if Isa was in danger
from any of the diplomats from Gihron. Kailynn listened intently. Even though
the subject had not yet been raised, she was firm in her decision to return to
Anon with Isa.

When the subject did come up, Dr. Busen
said that he would have to change her emitter chip, which was still disabled,
and make sure that Venus could not locate her. However, no one protested
Kailynn’s return to Anon.

They knew Isa would need all the support
possible.

Late at night, they woke Isa and tried to
get her to eat, though the pain in her body made it difficult for her to keep
food down.

Kailynn remained in the bed with Isa as
the others stayed in various spots throughout the safe house, making up beds
with any blankets and pillows they could find.

Remus remained awake the entire night,
programming and building a small, box-like device on the table in the living
room. He was intensely focused on the jammer, so much so that he did not
realize he had spent seventeen hours building it and everyone was waking the
next morning when he finally finished.

Kailynn watched in fascination as Dr.
Busen and Remus worked together attaching the device directly to Isa’s skin,
just below her left breast. They inserted nodes into her ribcage, feeding them
into position by using a portable scanner to see into her chest cavity. Kailynn
watched the process with fascination and horror. She could see that there was a
relatively large, metal device in Isa’s body, frighteningly close to her heart,
and she was concerned that one false move would cause Isa’s heart to stop
beating.

However, the two finished attaching the
jammer to Isa’s ribcage and secured it with an adhesive bandage that hardened
against her skin.

When Isa dressed again, no one could see
the device through her clothing.

They decided to leave the safe house that
night. Rayal and Tarah returned first, agreeing to take the shortest route to
Anon. Remus left three hours after them, taking a different way, a much longer
one that would allow him to enter the city from the west. Isa and Kailynn took
Isa’s car back to the capital the same way Rayal and Tarah had, both of them
quiet as they left close to midnight.

Kailynn wanted to sleep through the long,
eleven-hour drive back to Anon, but her nerves were too high. She could feel
the fear and anticipation in her stomach. She understood that the negotiation
stages were far more dangerous than the battles. They did not know who was
coming to negotiate on behalf of Gihron, and it could lead to a similar situation
to Colonel Amori’s manipulation and blackmail of Isa.

Rayal’s words many months ago resonated
through her skull.

“He
poisoned me…slowly…over the course of about four months.”

Kailynn had spent many sleepless nights
in the safe house wondering how Colonel Amori had managed to poison Rayal, how
he had managed to turn the Elites against each other and against Isa, and how
it all related to the accident that had caused Isa to have half of her face
reconstructed, and end the relationship between her and Remus.

However, she could not come up with any
plausible explanations.

She knew Isa was incredibly strong and
smart. It seemed impossible to have her so trapped and scared that she felt
that she had to kill someone just to escape them.

Then again, Kailynn remembered the
incident with Maki, how he provoked Isa into killing him by attacking Kailynn.

Perhaps that was how Colonel Amori
controlled Isa. Isa did not care what happened to her, but if anyone she loved
was harmed, or threatened, she was willing to do anything to keep them safe.

Kailynn spent a lot of the drive staring
at Isa’s pale, sleeping face, desperate to understand what had happened six
years previous.

They finally made it back into Anon in
the late morning. They went to Anon Tower and back to Isa’s home, Isa calling
the Syndicate and explaining that she was ill and could not go into work today,
but to keep her informed of everything that happened.

She also called Paul and Dr. Busen, being
sure that they were traveling safe, since they had left the safe house nearly
five hours after she and Kailynn.

Kailynn had only been out of Anon Tower
for a month and a half, but she hardly recognized the level when she walked in
the door. Nothing had changed, the furniture was exactly where it had always
been, but the feeling in the home was entirely different. It was colder, more
foreboding, as if reflecting the severity of the situation with Gihron and
Venus.

Remus wanted to stay with Isa. His duty
as Silver Elite was to protect the Golden Elite, and it was a duty he took very
seriously, even more so after previous dealings with Gihron. Isa agreed that he
should stay, but Kailynn was not as fond of the idea.

The realization that she knew nothing
about what had happened with Colonel Amori other than the fact that he had
upset Isa to the point that she had killed him became overwhelming when Isa
asked Remus to stay close.

Late in the afternoon, Isa received a call
from Anders. He told her that he was directing a video call to her home NCB
chair from the Gihron delegate ship.

She went back into the office, taking
several deep breaths to steady herself for the conversation.

She sat in the chair, Remus and Kailynn
standing near the door as she pressed several buttons, bringing the chair into
an upright position for the call. She straightened her shoulders, took another
deep breath, and accepted the call.

In front of her, the hologram of a man in
a chair appeared. He was wearing a heavy, dark-green military jacket, decorated
with various ribbons and metals. His face was thin and angular, with deep-set,
narrow, dark eyes and stubble on his jaw and upper lip. His black hair was
short, exposing his high forehead.

He had an aura of authority to him, and
the way he sat, with his broad shoulders squarely set against his chair,
exhibited his power.

“Elite Isa,” he greeted, his voice cold
and soft.

“General Decius.”

Isa’s voice was surprisingly steady as
she addressed the man—she even managed to smile a little. Kailynn quickly
turned to Remus, the question in her eyes of whether or not that was General
Decius—the older brother of Colonel Amori. However, the Silver Elite’s eyes
were fixed on the man’s hologram, dark and filled with anger.

“I hope I am not disturbing you,” General
Decius said.

“No, not at all.”

“We are approaching the Dani-Kahl Gate,”
he announced. “I wanted to let you know that we will be there in approximately
three days, but you know how travel like this can be.”

“We are, of course, prepared to receive
you whenever you arrive,” Isa said. “Am I correct in understanding that you are
joining your delegation here on Tiao?”

“Yes,” General Decius said with a small
smile. “I do hope that is not an inconvenience.”

“No, no inconvenience,” Isa said calmly.

“And we are to stay in Anon Tower?”
General Decius said expectantly.

“Yes,” Isa said. “I have your delegation
accommodated on one level of Anon Tower. However, if you wish to have quarters
separate from your men, I will arrange accordingly.”

“I do prefer to keep my men at a certain
distance,” General Decius said. “I’m sure you can understand that, when you let
people get too close, the dynamic changes.”

“Yes, I do understand,” Isa said, a cold edge
to her voice. “Very well, I will assure that you have quarters separate from
your men.”

“You are very generous, Elite Isa,” the
Gihoric leader said coldly. “I shall not keep you. I will transmit my ship
information to the Syndicate so that you will know of our arrival time.”

“Thank you, General Decius.”

The man’s hologram flickered out and Isa
quickly climbed out of the chair, darting out of the office, pushing past
Kailynn and Remus. However, she did not get far. She collapsed against the
wall, breathing hard, one hand over her mouth. Remus and Kailynn quickly went
to her side.

“Isa?” Kailynn whispered.

“He looks exactly like him…” Isa gasped,
her eyes wide as she shook violently. She whirled around and pressed her back
to the wall, shaking her head quickly. “I can’t do this,” she whispered.

“Yes, you can,” Remus said strongly. “You
just did. You just spoke to him and you did wonderfully.”

“It was a transmission,” Isa hissed, her
eyes frantic. “How can I do this when he’s in the same room? He looks exactly
like his brother! He even speaks like him!”

“I know, I know,” Remus murmured. Isa
lowered her head, her hand covering her mouth once more.

“I can’t do this…”

Remus took a step forward and pulled Isa
into his arms, securing her in a hug as he rested his head on hers.

“You can do this,” he said. “I know you
can. You are very strong, Isa.”

Kailynn bit her tongue so hard it almost
bled.

Isa’s hands clenched in the fabric of
Remus’ uniform and she buried her face in his chest, her body violently
shuddering in fear. Kailynn wanted to be worried about General Decius coming to
negotiate. She wanted to comfort Isa and tell her that everything would be
fine. However, she could only feel the hot fire in her belly burn as she
watched Isa turn to Remus for comfort and support.

Remus turned his eyes to Kailynn and
motioned with his head for her to follow them.

With his arm secured around Isa’s
shoulders, he guided her down the hall and into the living room.

“Get her some water,” Remus said.

“I need to lie down…” Isa whispered.

Remus guided her into her bedroom as
Kailynn bitterly went to the bar and got Isa water. Rayal poked his head out of
the kitchen.

“Is everything alright?”

Kailynn shook her head.

“General Decius is coming here himself,”
she explained. “And apparently, he looks exactly like his brother.”

Kailynn turned away from Rayal’s stunned
and terrified face, walking to the bedroom.

Isa was on the bed, breathing slowly as
Remus told her when to inhale and when to exhale. He held her hand, his voice
quiet and calm. Kailynn took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm.

She climbed on the bed with Isa, holding
the water out to her.

The Golden Elite slowly sat up and took a
small sip of the water, forcing it down with a cringe.

Kailynn set the water aside and watched
as Remus continued to count Isa’s breathing with her, getting her to calm down
from the initial terror of seeing General Decius.

Isa fell asleep for twenty minutes, and
in that time Kailynn looked everywhere but at Remus.

Finally, the Silver Elite cleared his
throat.

“Do not think much of it, Kailynn,” he
said quietly. She turned to him, trying not to show her intense anger and
jealousy. “She loves you more than she ever loved me. This is just because she
is frightened and I know what happened with Colonel Amori.”

Isa stirred at the sound of the voices
and looked between the two faces above her.

She lifted a hand to her face and groaned
slightly.

“Isa,” Kailynn murmured. The Golden Elite
turned to her. “You are being extremely unfair right now.”

The Golden Elite was silent, looking at
the former Significant, waiting for her to continue.

“If General Decius is coming here, then I
think it’s only fair that those who are in danger of being victims of his revenge
know exactly what happened six years ago.” Kailynn glanced up at Remus. “It
hurts to see you turn to Remus just because I don’t know what happened.”

Isa closed her eyes.

Kailynn pressed a hand to the Elite’s
face.

“Please,” she whispered, “tell me.”

Chapter
Thirty-Eight

Six years earlier…

“What time is his ship arriving?” Remus
asked, leaning against Isa’s desk as she looked over several files.

She glanced at the clock.

“In about two hours,” she answered. “I
have a convoy taking him to his quarters in Anon Tower. We’ll meet for dinner
tonight.”

“You don’t think it’s suspicious that he
reached out to you?”

“No, not really,” Isa said, shrugging.
“Gihron is struggling. They’re at least twenty years behind in technology,
they’re broke, and their society is unbalanced. They’re trying to find a way to
stabilize the economy through trade. In the process, we can implement the rules
of the Alliance on them, which should make their people should be happier.”

“I don’t know,” Remus murmured. “The
entire Ninth Circle is territory everyone steers clear from for a reason.”

Isa chuckled, looking at Remus with a
teasing smile.

“Do they scare you?”

Remus smiled.

“No, but you do when you want something,”
he returned the teasing. Isa’s smile widened and she stood in front of him,
tapping her finger on the center of his chest.

“Are you coming over tonight?”

“Don’t I always?”

Isa and the others of the Syndicate
greeted Colonel Amori with a dinner thrown in his honor. He had brought four of
his officers on the journey to Tiao, and they all enjoyed the best hospitality
the Syndicate could offer. Everyone was aware of Isa’s desire to incorporate
the Ninth Circle in the Crescent Alliance, so they were all very congenial and
showed their interest in learning more about Gihron in order to put the Gihoric
delegates at ease.

After the dinner, when they were enjoying
drinks around the large dining hall in the Syndicate Building, discussing
simple topics, one of the Gihoric delegates went to Remus and asked him to join
the conversation he had previously been a part of and explain something the
Silver Elite had said over dinner. Remus was led away from Isa, who smiled at
the enthusiasm of the delegates who was startled at the kind of technology on
Tiao.

Feeling eyes on her, Isa looked around
and saw Colonel Amori looking at her over the rim of his drink, ignoring what
Anders and Maki were discussing with him.

He excused himself from the conversation
and walked to her. Isa watched him approach, a soft smile taking over her face.
He was quite handsome in his own way, with a strong air of command to him.

“You have remarkable hospitality, Elite
Isa,” he said.

“Thank you,” Isa said. “I do hope
everything is to your liking. Are your quarters acceptable in Anon Tower?”

“Of course,” he said. “You are far too
kind. I understand that I asked to meet with you on short notice.”

“It is no trouble at all,” Isa assured,
lifting her glass to her mouth and finishing off the wine.

“To be perfectly honest,” the man said,
“I’ve never met an Elite before. You are not what I expected.”

“What did you expect?

“Cold,” he answered. “Machines, through
and through.” He looked her over quickly and then shook his head. “But you
appear human.”

Isa was not sure how to respond, so she
remained silent, watching his eyes pass over the other Elites in the room. He
turned back to her, extending his hand. “May I?”

Isa hesitated, not sure what the man was
asking, but she put her hand in his and his fingers closed around hers. He
stared at her hand, his thumb passing over the skin, pressing into the knuckles
gently.

“You’re warm,” he noted. “And you have a
pulse, and bones.”

“Physiologically, we are human,” Isa
said. “We have the same organs and bone structure as a human.”

“But that does not necessarily make you
human, does it?”

“I suppose that depends on how you define
human.”

“Do you
think you’re human?”

Isa stared at Colonel Amori. His fingers
had not released her hand, even as he stared into her eyes. There was something
behind the question that concerned Isa, but she merely pulled her hand away
carefully.

“I am an Elite,” Isa responded.

Colonel Amori smiled broadly. “I see.”

The dinner wrapped up late at night and
Isa and Remus saw Colonel Amori and his excited, awed delegates to their
quarters in Anon Tower. The lower officers were walking around the rooms,
gasping, talking about how amazing the technology was on Tiao in Gihoric, too
excited to realize that they were acting like stunned children.

Colonel Amori, however, seemed
uninterested in everything except the Golden Elite. He turned to the Golden and
Silver Elites after they led him to his quarters.

“I greatly appreciate your hospitality,”
he said once more. “I believe that Tiao and Gihron can find an agreement that
is mutually beneficial.”

“I agree,” Remus said.

“I do hope that you will be comfortable,”
Isa added out of courtesy. “Please, do not hesitate to contact the property
Caretaker robot should you need anything.”

“And we will meet tomorrow at the
Syndicate Building?”

“Yes.”

“Good night, then.” He extended his hand
to Remus and shook the Silver Elite’s hand. He extended his hand to Isa and
bowed to kiss her hand, his lips lingering on the Golden Elite’s skin for one
second longer than she felt comfortable.

When Isa and Remus entered Isa’s level of
Anon Tower, the Golden Elite let out a soft groan and rolled her neck.

“The pleasantries do get old after a
while, don’t they?” Remus chuckled, following Isa into the living room. “Oh,
thank you so much for joining us—no, no, it’s our pleasure to have you
here—please, tell me again about your planet—we hope the accommodations are to
your liking,” the Silver Elite said with a mocking tone. “We all know we’re
trying to manipulate one another to get what we want, but we pretend we’re
genuinely pleased to see one another.”

“Politics,” Isa agreed. She grabbed
Remus’ collar and pulled him down, pressing their lips together. When they
parted, she smiled. “In contrast, I am very
pleased to have you here tonight.”

“Not yet,” Remus teased as she bit her
lip, “but you will be.”

Remus swooped down for another kiss,
breaking the contact only long enough for Isa to lead him into her bedroom.

The three weeks of negotiation were very
difficult for Isa and Remus. They were startled that someone who had contacted
them to form an agreement refused to bend to any of their terms. Colonel Amori
was very eloquent and spoke very well, which meant that he could turn any words
the Elites said around, trying to poke holes in the entire structure of the
Alliance to justify not joining.

Unfortunately for him, Isa was just as
well spoken and, in Remus’ opinion, far more brilliant than the Gihoric
Colonel.

For three weeks, the negotiations went
absolutely nowhere.

On the fourth week, Isa suggested that
they include the leader of the planet, Colonel Amori’s older brother, General
Decius, in the negotiations. However, days passed with all transmissions receiving
interference between Tiao and Gihron. Finally, Colonel Amori met with Isa on
one of her days off, meeting with her in Anon Tower.

“Apparently our main transmitter suffered
a catastrophic failure,” he explained. “My brother said that they are working
day and night to fix it but, until then, all communications are down.”

Isa was irritated, but said she
understood.

“Actually, Elite Isa, may I ask you a few
things?”

“Of course,” Isa said with a nod,
motioning for him to sit in her living room.

“I’m trying to understand a few things
about how Tiao has managed to stay in power for so long. After all, not
twenty-five years ago, everyone was waiting for this planet to collapse. The
Crescent Alliance had completely disbanded and everyone was sitting back,
watching Tiao destroy itself.” He smiled at the Elite as she sat across from
him. “And then you came along.”

“I do not see fit to dictate everything
about every planet in the Altereye System,” Isa said. “The alliance was meant
to provide support to the planets, not change their societies.”

“Yet, you would seek to dictate the level
of our military if we were to sign even a trade agreement with you,” Colonel
Amori continued. “Our society is militaristic, which I’m sure you already knew.
It is the very foundation of our planet.”

“Yes, I understand that,” Isa said. “But
the Crescent Alliance seeks to put everyone on equal ground when it comes to
military force. As soon as one planet has a larger army, fear of invasion
begins to take hold. If I were to allow Gihron access to Alliance trade routes
without regulating your military force, I would insight great fear in the other
planets.”

“You don’t seem to understand Gihron’s
position here,” Colonel Amori said. “We are the Tiao of the Ninth Circle. We
are the most powerful planet in your so-called outlier planets, and we are the
only ones that keep those other planets from waging war on the Alliance.”

“I must disagree with you,” Isa said.
“Jakra attacked Pirian just last year.”

Colonel Amori went quiet, staring at the
Golden Elite with a cocky expression. He was not thrown off by Isa’s
information. If anything, it seemed to excite him.

“How powerful do you consider yourself,
Elite Isa?”

“As powerful as I need to be for the
situation,” Isa answered.

“A very good answer,” Colonel Amori said,
leaning forward. “Gihron is not looking to bow to Venus or the Elites. In fact,
if Venus were not the cornerstone of the Crescent Alliance, we would have
considered joining decades ago, before your predecessors fucked up everything.”

Isa’s expression was carefully
controlled, veiling her annoyance. She felt that Colonel Amori was in no
position to be making demands on her. She was the Golden Elite of Tiao, she was
the leader of the Crescent Alliance, and she held more political power than he.
She would not give in to his demands. If he was unwilling to yield, she would
not allow the trade agreement. She had nothing to lose from not solidifying the
agreement.

“But, as such, we are not part of the
Alliance,” Colonel Amori continued. “Nor will we ever be if Venus is the law of
the Alliance.”

“Perhaps I have misunderstood you this
entire time,” Isa said coldly. “I did not realize that you were discussing
terms on joining the Crescent Alliance. I have not fully informed you of all
the terms for joining, including taxes and war agreements.”

Colonel Amori chuckled coldly.

“We are getting off-track, aren’t we?”

“Indeed,” Isa agreed. “I know that you do
not wish to join the Alliance, and as such, it is optional to join for all
planets. However, I am bound by the rules of the Alliance as well. These trade
routes that you want access to are not mine. They belong to all planets that
have sighed with, and complied with the terms of, the Alliance. Because I alone
do not hold the power to give access to these routes, I must insist you comply
with trade and military terms.”

“I thought you were as powerful as the
situation required?” Colonel Amori challenged.

“I am,” Isa agreed. “And I am firm in my
position that I will not grant access to the trade routes unless you comply
with my terms. I suffer no loss from you walking away from this trade
agreement.”

Colonel Amori leaned back in his seat,
smiling arrogantly.

“You are a force to be reckoned with,
aren’t you?” he murmured. He sighed heavily, tilting his head. “Why not just
allow Gihron to keep its social system in tact?”

“Because it is dangerous to the
Alliance.”

“What makes it so different from Tiao?”

“I believe my people have the basic right
to food and shelter,” Isa said darkly. Colonel Amori let out a bark of
laughter, shaking his head.

“Is that so?” he challenged. “What about
the Trid district?”

“Trid is an entirely different matter,”
Isa said simply.

Colonel Amori pursed his lips.

“I could say that about our grunts, too,”
he said. “I could wave the question away and say it was an entirely different
matter, and that you couldn’t possibly understand, but I’m not afraid of what
the lower class represents.”

“And what is that?”

“Fear,” he answered. “I know that that is
what you use Trid for—fear to keep your classes in line and working, keeping
the economy running and the planet appearing strong. It’s the same with our
grunts.” He leaned forward once more. “It seems we are not so different after
all.”

“Politics are politics no matter where
you are in the Altereye System,” Isa said, her voice cool and calm.

“I’m glad you understand that,” he
murmured. “Which is why you should understand why I cannot condone tearing
apart Gihron’s society merely to allow our ships to trade goods.”

“If that is the case,” Isa started, “then
perhaps our negotiations have ended.”

“No, Elite Isa, they have not,” Colonel
Amori said dangerously. “They’ve only begun.”

“I cannot change the rules agreed to by
the Alliance. The numbers in military forces were carefully calculated and
agreed upon,” Isa said strongly. “They are Venus’ Law. They are absolute.”

Colonel Amori gave her a half smile.

“If you’re so keen on the rules, why do
you break them yourself?”

Isa stared at the Colonel. After studying
the dangerous look in his brown eyes, she started to feel worry settle in her
stomach. Her mind raced, trying to think of what he had seen that would make
him believe she did not obey Venus.

She did obey the computer.

Apart from being with Remus.

“What do you mean?” Isa asked, keeping
her voice steady.

“Nothing, of course.” He stood and bowed
his head. “I will take my leave now. We will resume our negotiations tomorrow.”

“I will not be at the Syndicate
tomorrow.”

“I know,” Colonel Amori said. “But I find
your office cold and depressing. I would rather meet with you here.”

“It is unprofessional, I will not allow
it.”

“I will be here tomorrow.”

He turned and walked out of the level.
Isa groaned and her head fell back on the couch, frustrated.

Even though Isa was sure she had been
very careful to keep her relationship with Remus a secret from the Colonel, she
was worried that he had found out somehow. The next day, before the Colonel
appeared at her house, she called Remus and told him to come over for the
negotiations. She said they needed to be firmer in their discussions and that
she would rather break ties with Gihron and leave them in their corner of the
Altereye System than drag on the negotiations.

The Silver Elite came over and asked her
why she was upset, but she did not have time to discuss the possibility of
Colonel Amori knowing about their relationship before the Gihron leader
appeared at her door.

Rayal answered the door with a bow of his
head and then promptly excused himself from the room.

The negotiations that day were very
short. Colonel Amori did not seem interested in discussing anything with Remus
in the room. Isa, however, refused to speak with the planetary leader alone. He
was in her home, a place she preferred to keep free from political matters, and
she needed to show that she had the power in that situation.

Once again, Colonel Amori and Isa were in
a deadlock with their stances on the trade agreement.

Twice, Isa tried to dismiss the Gihoric
Colonel, but he refused. He said he would contact his brother and discuss a
course of action with him.

For two weeks, Isa did not see Colonel
Amori. Her frustration continued to build, however, when she did not hear from
him.

She was also very careful about how she
associated with Remus. She had managed to keep their relationship secret for
nearly fifteen years, and she was not about to get careless. There was
something about the Colonel’s demeanor that told her he would resort to dirty
tricks to get his way. Therefore, she kept the Silver Elite at a distance, much
to Remus’ confusion.

Another emergency came up when Kreon
sounded a distress signal for the Alliance. One of their power reactors had
gone into catastrophic meltdown and Isa’s attention was focused entirely on
getting the people of her closest ally the assistance they needed. Remus had
fallen ill just one day before the emergency occurred, so she was left handling
the problem on her own. She deployed her troops to help secure and evacuate the
area around the reactor and then sent aid by means of food and supplies for
those displaced, as well as four of her most-qualified technicians to organize
repairs.

When it seemed the problem was properly
contained, Isa had almost forgotten about Colonel Amori. She never saw him, and
he had not called her to tell her about his brother’s decision.

Remus came to her home when the reactor
was reported as stable and shared a drink with her. Her frustrations and stress
about Kreon and Colonel Amori caused her to seek Remus intimately. She wanted
him to take control of her life, even if it was only within the confines of her
bedroom. They had not had sex in weeks, and both were hungry for contact.

She fell into a sound sleep next to
Remus, who also slept deeply, still recovering from the strange virus that had
taken hold of his system.

As she slept, she dreamt she was swimming
in warm, serene waters. The feeling of weightlessness and calm surrounded her,
and she allowed herself to enjoy the dream.

Until she felt her limbs become heavy,
and she began to slip under the surface of the water. She struggled to breathe
as water pressed hard against her nose and mouth. She struggled and flailed
violently, panic setting in as she began to drown.

Her eyes snapped open and she realized
the drowning feeling had been due to the hand clamped over her nose and mouth.

“Shh, shh…” a dark voice whispered in her
ear. “This will be so much easier for you if you don’t struggle.”

Isa started flailing violently, reaching
out to hit Remus, trying to wake up the Silver Elite.

“Don’t bruise the poor man, now,” the
voice laughed. “He’s not gonna wake up for a while.”

Isa’s eyes focused on the shadowy figure
over her and her hand swung, punching him violently in the jaw and rolling her
off the bed in the same motion. She quickly turned over and started to stand
when the body collided with hers, grabbing her wrists and flipping her over. As
she kicked, he pressed his hand deeply into the back of her neck and a pulse of
pain shot through her, her muscles freezing in their tensed positions. She
could not move. She was paralyzed.

Her eyes moved about the room and she saw
the man’s face come into her field of vision once more. His bright smile and
dark eyes were in contrast with one another, and his cold, dark voice sent a
terrible tremor of fear down her spine.

“I told you it would be better if you
didn’t struggle,” he said with a light laugh. He turned her onto her back, her
muscles still refusing to move, no matter how she struggled. Once she was on
her back, he straddled her, leaning down and crossing his arms over her
collarbone, pinning her.

“Allow me to explain how this is going to
work,” Colonel Amori said darkly. “These terms are non-negotiable, and you will obey them.”

“The hell I will!” Isa spat, her teeth
locked together. “I’ll have you executed for this.”

“Will you?” he challenged. “My dear Isa,
you seem to think that you have the upper hand, when, in reality, I have you
completely cornered.” He leaned closer to the Elite. “What do you think Venus
would do if she knew you were fucking your Silver Elite?”

Isa said nothing. Her mind was working
around the situation, trying to figure out how to alert someone that she was in
danger and get the Colonel taken into custody for use of force and political
coercion.

“No? Is that not enough for you?” Colonel
Amori asked. “How about this, then?” He reached into his front coat pocket and
pulled out two black devices. One was a portable drive of a sort that Isa had
never seen before. The other was a small handle with a button in the middle.
“Do you see this?” He shook the one with the button. “I have two of these. This
particular one won’t cause as much damage as the other, but I assure you, they
will both work.”

Isa stared at the device, trying to
figure out what it was.

“Your brother seeks war against us?” she
growled. “If you harm me, the entire Alliance will destroy your planet without
hesitation.”

“My dear, you misunderstand me. Decius is
not privy to any of this. He never was. And I have no intention of hurting
you,” he said. “I need you too much.”

Isa glared at the other politician,
trying to move her arms and legs, but the needle pressing into her neck was
effectively keeping her body paralyzed.

“I need you to help me destroy the
Alliance and Venus.”

Isa stared at Colonel Amori with wide
eyes.

“Are you insane?” she hissed. “I would never help you. You could threaten me
all you want, but you will never destroy Venus, and the Alliance will come to
my aid to destroy you.”

“Assuming that you call them,” he said,
shaking the device in his hand. “Do you really think I was sitting around this
entire time? I’ve been hard at work, securing my control over you and Tiao.” He
put the device in her face. “This holds the life of your Silver Elite, all of
your Bronze Elites, and your caretaker.”

She looked at the device.

“What have you done to them?”

“I’m sure that you’ve heard of
microbionics?” he asked. “Those tiny little robots used in medical practice?”

“Those were outlawed twenty years ago,”
Isa said coldly, fear seeping into her gut.

“In the Alliance, yes,” Colonel Amori
agreed. “But we are not in the Alliance. I happen to be a brilliant programmer.
I’ve developed them to be smart, well, as smart as a machine can be. Certain
microbionic cells were injected into each of your colleagues and your caretaker.
And this little button,” he barely tapped it with his finger, causing Isa to
tense, “will activate all of them. First, the ones in your caretaker will eat
him alive from the inside out. Some of them have already tried, I suspect,
since your caretaker fell ill last week. But the best ones, the microbionic
cells I injected into Remus and into your brainless Bronze Elites are far more
sophisticated. Those ones will attach to the spinal cord and they will control all of them to kill you.”

Isa stared at the device.

“I wonder what you would do in that
situation,” Colonel Amori mused. “Imagine it. You’re working in your cold,
depressing office and Remus comes into see you, only it’s not Remus.” He shook
the device again. “It’s me. And he
comes after you, with every intention to kill you. Of course, he won’t
understand why. He’ll probably be screaming at you, telling you he doesn’t
understand what’s happening, even as he raises a gun to kill you. I wonder…”
Colonel Amori smiled darkly, his face barely parted from Isa’s, “how strong are
the survival instincts of an Elite? Will you let him kill you? Or will you put
a bullet in his brain? Pop!” He tapped the end of the device on Isa’s forehead.
“Right between the eyes.”

Isa stared in horror at the Colonel. She
was not sure if the needle in her neck was keeping her paralyzed or if it was
her fear at the words.

“But if you kill him, you’ll leave the
room only to realize that all thirteen of your Bronze Elites are acting the
exact same way. They surround you, chase you down, tear you limb from limb, all
the while screaming, not sure what they are doing, but fully conscious of the
fact that they are doing murdering their beloved Golden Elite.”

“I’ll kill you for this,” Isa hissed.

“No, darling, you won’t.” Colonel Amori
smiled. “Because there is yet another device, remember? No microbionics, this
time. Instead, it’s far more primitive. A catastrophic failure of three of your
power processors in Anon. I believe they’re connected to Venus, too, which is
just a bonus for me. Just like Kreon, these processors will go into accelerated
failure, and before everyone has time to realize they are in danger, Anon will
be erased from the face of the planet.” He smiled darkly. “This is your test.
If you were a real Elite, you would not bother to worry about your colleagues
and your forbidden lover. Instead, you would focus on getting the people to
safety, and then you would have me executed, even at the expense of killing
your colleagues. That would be the calculated decision. More people saved from
danger.

“But you’re no ordinary Elite, are you?”
he challenged. “The question is, what will you do?”

“I already told you,” Isa growled. “I’ll
kill you.”

“Well, before we can get that far,” he
said, returning the device with the button to his pocket and raising the other
one, “there is something I need from you.”

He sat up and his hand violently grabbed
Isa’s left breast, forcing it toward her collarbone before jamming the device
against her ribcage, forcing a node deep into her skin until it touched the
processor around her heart.

Isa began screaming in pain, and Colonel
Amori clamped his hand over her mouth.

“I hate it when women scream. Shut up,”
he snarled.

Isa continued to scream. The pain forced
the noise out of her, cutting it from her lungs and pulling out of her throat.
Her body spasmed angrily as shockwaves went through her.

She was not sure how long the pain
lasted, but when he ripped the drive from her, she choked and groaned, sure
that she had been in agony for days.

“Excellent.” Colonel Amori smiled. “Oh,
something I forgot to tell you,” he said, looking down at Isa. “If you breathe
a word of this to anyone and try to get me arrested, I’ll pull that trigger and
force you to die with me and the rest of the city. And when that happens, my
brother will come with the entire planet at his back and destroy everything on
Tiao before taking over every planet in the Alliance. You can be sure of that.”

Isa tried to move her arms, but she could
not. She struggled and groaned, trying to move, her body shaking.

“Oh, right,” he chuckled. “It’s late. You
should get some sleep. After all, this is only the beginning. I need you rested
and ready to help me when we move to the next stage.”

He leaned forward once more, grabbing a
syringe and uncapping the needle. He pushed it into her shoulder and flashed a
brilliant smile.

“Isn’t it amazing how detailed nightmares
can be?”

Isa’s eyes slipped shut and she was left
at his will.

When Isa woke, she was immediately
terrified, but the pain in her head made it impossible for her to move very
fast. She groaned and forced her eyes open. There was no one there with her.
She saw the light on to the bathroom and sat up slowly, cradling her pounding
head in one hand.

“You feel shitty, too?” Remus chuckled,
walking into the room from the bathroom with a package of pills he had rifled
from the drawer and a glass of water. “We both drank too much last night and
then did too much physical activity,” he teased lightly, sitting on the bed
next to her and extending the glass and painkillers. “Here.”

Isa took them slowly, her mind in a fog.

“I feel like…I don’t know…”

“I know, I’m in a fog, too.”

“Do you remember anything out of the
ordinary last night?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Are you
alright? You look pale? Are you nauseous?”

“No, that’s not…” Isa looked into the
water glass. “Look at the back of my neck. Do you see any bruises or cuts?”

“What?”

“Just check, please,” Isa said, turning
her back to him and lifting her hair. He looked over her skin, but saw nothing.

“No,” he said. “Nothing at all.”

“And this shoulder?” she asked, turning
her shoulder to him. He looked over the area, but shook his head.

“No,” he repeated. “Except we better hope
that that is covered by the uniform,”
he said, passing his finger gently over a bruise at the base of her neck. She
put her hand over his quickly, trying to feel the area.

“What? What is it?”

“That was me, sorry,” he said, leaning
down and kissing her shoulder. “I got a little carried away last night.”

“What do you mean?

Remus chuckled. “I will try not to be
insulted that you don’t remember.” He stood and nodded to the water. “Take
those. You’ll start to feel better.”

He began walking toward the bathroom once
more. Isa sighed heavily and closed her eyes, figuring that it had been an
alcohol-induced nightmare. There were no marks on her body from the needles
that she remembered penetrating her skin.

But it had felt so real…

She glanced at Remus, about to ask if he
had strange dreams as well, when she caught sight of the light bruise across
Remus’ lower ribcage.

“Don’t
bruise the poor man, now.”

Isa quickly looked down, lifting her
breast to look at her ribcage

A small bruise painted her skin, a red
dot in the middle showing an entry wound. She climbed out of bed, ignoring her
naked state, and walked into the kitchen. Rayal was making breakfast, though he
was pale and had large bags under his eyes. He was clearly not feeling any
better than he had the previous few days.

“Miss?” Rayal asked, confused by her
naked state and the way she immediately went to the security screens. She
rewound the recordings, looking for any movement in the hours of the night.

However, there was none.

Two days later, Isa was a nervous wreck.
She was trying to determine what of that terrifying night had been real and
what had been a dream. She knew that the security footage could be altered, and
she knew that it was possible that the needles that had penetrated her skin to
paralyze her and knock her unconscious were small enough not to leave
noticeable marks. But there was something about the situation that made her
question herself.

What made matters worse was that the
threat—whether real or a dream—had caused her to ask a very frightening
question of herself.

Would she save the people of Anon? Or
would she try to find a way to save Rayal, Remus, and the Bronze Elites? Every
time she closed her eyes, she thought of Remus coming at her, his eyes wide and
terrified, as he screamed at her to kill him to keep him from hurting her.

Because of these images, she had not
slept.

She spent her days at the Syndicate
Building carefully watching Venus’ mainframe for any sign of trouble. If
Colonel Amori had stolen codes from Isa’s internal processor with the intent of
finding a way to shut down Venus, he also held her life in his hands. If Venus’
codes started to disappear, Isa’s heart would stop immediately.

Occasionally, for no reason she could
explain, she would get sharp twinges of fear and her heart would begin racing.
In those moments, she was sure that Venus was triggering her failsafe, and
Isa’s heart was about to stop beating, leaving the other Elites to find her
lifeless body.

On the third day after the frightening
night, an operator called her office to tell her that Colonel Amori was there
to see her.

Nervously, she allowed the Gihoric leader
up.

She was expecting the other delegates to
be with him when he walked into her office, however they were not. He was
alone. And that terrified Isa further.

She stood by her desk, prepared to
activate her panic button in her office if necessary.

“Colonel Amori,” she greeted with a bow
of her head.

“Elite Isa,” he said. “I wanted to let
you know that I spoke with my brother and he is asking me to stay until we can
reach an agreement. He wants us to come to a compromise.

Isa barely heard him. She was staring at
his features, trying to discern any hint of malice.

When she did not respond, he spoke again.

“Elite Isa?” he asked. “Are you alright?”

The Golden Elite walked forward him, her
eyes suspicious. He retreated a step, confused. When his back was against the
door, Isa patted down the front chest pockets of Colonel Amori’s military
jacket. He tried to retreat once more, laughing nervously.

“Elite Isa, what are you doing?”

There was nothing in his pockets.

Isa then began patting down his side
pockets, once again finding nothing in them. Becoming frantic, worried that she
had imagined the entire night, her hands went to his pants pockets.

He grabbed her wrists and gently pushed
her away, laughing once more.

“Elite Isa, please don’t take this the
wrong way,” he started. “You are very beautiful, but I am not interested in you
that way.”

Isa backed away from him, her expression
confused.

“My apologies…” she murmured. “I don’t
know what came over me.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“…good,” Colonel Amori said, clearly not
convinced. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you. Let’s have dinner tonight to
discuss what my brother said.”

“Yes, let’s,” Isa said. “My apologies,
once again.”

“No need to apologize.”

Colonel Amori turned and opened the door,
walking out into the hallway.

“Oh, Elite Isa?” he called back. She
turned around and her heart stopped in panic. “Were you looking for this?”

In his hand, he was holding the device
she remembered so vividly from her dream, the small, black handle with a green
button in the middle of it, just under his first finger.

However, before she could react to the
sight of the device and the sick smile that crossed Colonel Amori’s face, the
door closed, leaving Isa in the dull buzzing of her office, her stomach doing
somersaults.

That night, Isa met with Colonel Amori
alone in her home, Rayal cooking dinner for the both of them. It was clear that
the caretaker was feeling unwell. His hands were shaking and he was very pale.
Isa watched him worriedly, telling him to bring the food to the table and then
lie down.

Rayal did as instructed, leaving the two
alone.

“He seems unwell,” Colonel Amori noted.

“Is that because of you?” Isa asked, her
food remaining untouched.

“Most likely,” Colonel Amori admitted,
diving into his full plate. He took a big bite and looked up at Isa. “I will
say, I am impressed that you have not tried to have me arrested. I guess you
aren’t that suicidal.” He pointed at her with his fork. “So tell me, are all
Elites programmed to do what is needed to survive, or are you just special?”

“What, exactly, are you after?” Isa
asked, ignoring the question. “You said you wanted to tear down the Alliance
and shut down Venus, but that would do no good for anyone in the system.”

“Did you ever learn what happened to
Earth?” Colonel Amori asked, turning back to his dinner.

“Yes.”

“The truth
of what happened to Earth?”

“Yes.”

Colonel Amori took another bite of his
food.

“So why would humans allow themselves to
be governed by the same technology that almost killed them?”

“Venus is not built on the technology of
those weapons,” Isa disagreed. “She has access to some of the genetic
information, but the data was mostly destroyed when humans evacuated Earth.”

“I was talking about Elites.”

Isa sighed heavily.

“We are not weapons,” she said. “We are
just altered humans meant to obey Venus’ command.”

“Then Venus has become the weapon and is
hiding behind the Elites.”

“She’s not a weaponized system. She can
alert about disasters, but she cannot take action on her own. She is not
programmed that way,” Isa disagreed. “She is, however, a very powerful
monitoring system. She creates a network for all Altereye planets to use and be
monitored on.”

“And you think that is acceptable?” Isa
went silent, staring at Colonel Amori as he looked up from his plate, chewing
his food slowly. “No?”

“Everyone can agree that humans are
dangerous,” Isa said carefully. “Humans need guidance and supervision.”

“And you believe that your guidance is
better than, say, mine?”

“As I’ve stated before, Colonel Amori,”
Isa said, her voice cold, “I believe that humans have the basic right to food
and shelter, not forced to slave away until they are near death just to try and
ease the pain in their bellies.”

“And as I have stated before, the grunts are no different on Gihron than
the Trids are on Tiao,” Colonel Amori reiterated. He leaned back with a heavy
sigh, smiling. “You surprise me, Elite Isa.” He chuckled, tossing the fork onto
the half-eaten plate of food. “You had the opportunity to make good on your
promise tonight.”

“What promise was that?”

“That you would kill me,” Colonel Amori
chuckled, picking some food out of his teeth. “You didn’t poison the food.”

“I may have promised that I would kill
you, but I’m not stupid,” Isa growled. “A diplomat in my home, alone, and he’s
poisoned? Autopsy would show that you ate food that I did not and were
poisoned. Then, your brother would have a blood-grudge.”

“Seems you do know a little bit about
us.”

“You seem eager to die, Colonel,” Isa
noted. “I might have poisoned the food, and you dove right in.”

Colonel Amori chuckled.

“Either way, I would have you cornered,”
he said. “To think, in just one short month, I have brought the greatest Golden
Elite in history to heel.”

“No, you have not,” Isa said strongly.

“We’ll see about that,” he said. He
leaned forward. “And I want to thank you for inviting me to stay in your home
while I’m here.”

“I’ve done no such thing,” Isa growled.
“You are not welcome to stay here.”

“I need to keep an eye on you,” Colonel
Amori said. “I’ve invested a lot of time, money, and technology into this so
far, and I will not have some altruistic Elite fuck it up.”

“You’ve already signed your death
sentence,” Isa said simply. “You were
the one who fucked it up.”

“Fine,” Colonel Amori said, shrugging. “I
have camera feeds everywhere in the house, and in the Syndicate Building.
Honestly, you should consider increasing your security. It’s amazing that no
one has done this already. You left yourself open. You can only blame
yourself.”

Another sleepless night left Isa was with
a splitting headache. She went to the Syndicate Building and passed everyone
without greeting them, her head down and her eyes dark with exhaustion. The
other Elites figured that she was merely tired from having to handle the
stubborn Colonel Amori so soon after the Kreon incident. They let her go to her
office without pestering her.

Isa walked to her NCB chair as it greeted
her entrance, turning to her. She stopped next to it, putting her hand on the
cold metal and staring distantly into the machine.

When her legs began to tire from standing
still for so long, she walked to her desk and sat at it, staring at the stacks
of files and drives on the surface.

She had spent the entire night and
morning thinking about the security in the Syndicate Building and in Anon
Tower. While she had not programmed it—the coding had been in place for
generations—she knew that it had been updated as necessary by various Elite
programmers and engineers. She tried to think of ways that Colonel Amori could
get into the building to plant his cameras, or how he could rewire the existing
cameras. She was sure he could not access the codes to get into Venus’
mainframe and access her cameras.

However, there was a sick feeling in her
stomach.

The bruised area where the node had
entered her body was evidence that he could have access to Venus’ mainframe.

She glanced around the hidden cameras in
her office, her body on high alert.

When the soft chime in her ear alerted
her to a phone call, she jumped, startled, and then groaned, cradling her head
in one hand as she gently tapped the area just in front of her ear.

“Elite Isa.”

“Yes, I can see you.”

Isa’s eyes went wide and she
straightened.

“You stood completely still for nearly
three hours,” Colonel Amori chuckled. “I was beginning to think you had looped
the security feed.”

“How do I know that you’re not just
tracking me?” Isa challenged.

“Fine, I’m watching. Do something.”

Isa turned to one of the cameras and
flipped it off, glaring.

Colonel Amori chuckled. “Excellent. Good
to see the lack of sleep has not dulled your edge.” Isa felt dirty just
listening to the way his voice oozed with supremacy, even as she tried to
ignore the way he told her he had been watching her sleep—or not sleep—at
night. “You flipped me off. To be specific, you flipped off the south-west
camera in your office.”

Isa lowered her hand.

“What do you want? I need to
concentrate.”

“I have a task for you,” he said. “There
is something I’m very interested in. You’ve managed to terraform part of this
planet to grow crops from Earth.”

“It’s a protected site,” Isa said darkly.
“If you attack there, you will wage war on every planet in the Altereye
System.”

“I am merely interested in how it works,”
Colonel Amori said with a cold laugh. “You’re quick to assume that I want to
destroy everything.”

“I thought you did.”

“I just want to know how your terraform
greenhouses function. Perhaps I can bring the idea back to Gihron and we can
produce more food for our people,” Colonel Amori said. “I will meet you for
dinner and I expect the information by then.”

Isa was about to protest when Colonel
Amori disconnected the call.

She groaned and cradled her head in both
hands once more.

The door opening caused her to jump,
standing up quickly, worried. Remus stopped in the doorway, surprised by her
startle.

“Are you alright?” he asked, walking in
as Isa let out a shaky breath and sat at her desk again.

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she said.
“Hard for my brain to settle.” She took a deep breath and looked at him. “I had
a question for you. What is the status on, uh, what’s that one city called with
the spire monument to the Alliance?” she asked, her brow furrowing in confusion
as she tried to think of the name of the city.

“Dyran?” Remus asked slowly, surprised
she did not remember.

“Yes, the name was escaping me,” Isa
said, forcing a smile.

“You must really be exhausted,” Remus
noted. “Why don’t you go home? Or just sleep for a bit in here?”

“No, I have too much to do,” Isa
protested. She took a deep breath, rubbing her temples.

“Well, if you want, I can come over later
and we can work on getting you to sleep,” Remus said with a smile.

Isa smiled as well and shook her head.
“As tempting as that is, I must refuse. It’s alright. Dr. Busen gave me
something to try tonight, so hopefully I’ll get some rest.”

“You’ve already spoken to him?” Remus
asked. When she nodded, he blinked at her, surprised. “That’s not like you,” he
said teasingly. “You’re actually being proactive about your health?”

“Be quiet,” Isa said with a strained
laugh. “What is the status on the greenhouse project in Dyran?”

“The plans were approved a week ago. Maki
is working on coordination and preparation.”

“I would like to see those files before
he gets too far.”

“…alright,” Remus said, wondering why she
would want to look over the files she had pushed to have approved and acted on
as soon as possible. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Remus discussed a few other work-related
things with her before leaving her office once more. She leaned back in her
chair and took several deep breaths. Dyran was a new terraform development. She
did not want to give Colonel Amori information on Saera, the city of engineers,
agricultural specialists, and workers that ran the enormous facilities that
produced crops from Earth. Most of Tiao’s food was grown and distributed from
Saera, and because food-related sites were heavily protected, she had never had
fear that it would be under attack. However, she still wanted to keep the city
as safe as possible from the dangers of Colonel Amori.

Isa glanced around the office once more,
wondering if his eyes were on her in that moment.

She stood and walked to her NCB chair,
climbing in and signing into the mainframe. She spent hours going around the
mainframe, trying to find weaknesses and trails that would tell her how the
Colonel was able to watch her at home and at work. However, even after
searching, she could not find anything suggesting Venus’ mainframe had been
hacked.

Isa was beginning to fear that Colonel
Amori was doing his work under her name, using her codes from her internal
processor as Golden Elite to grant him access to everything in Venus’ mainframe
and leave no trace.

The Golden Elite decided to send a very
short, simple message into Venus’ encrypted archives, hoping that Colonel Amori
could not access the area, let alone understand and read the message in Venus’
coded language.

Possible
breach of security. No information is safe.

Isa met with the Colonel that night for
dinner and gave him the information on Dyran. He took it quietly and then ate
the simple dinner that Rayal had cooked before asking to be excused for the
night. Isa told herself that she would call a physician for her caretaker the
next morning, worried about his declining health.

Colonel Amori did not speak to her over
dinner, and when he finished eating—Isa had not touched her food—he took the
drive with the information on Dyran and left without a word.

There was something terrifying about the
behavior.

For two days, Isa heard nothing from
Colonel Amori. Rather than ease her mind, it frightened her more.

She left work on day, exhausted and
shaking. She knew that she was weak from not sleeping or eating, but her
stomach was constantly twisting inside her and her mind refused to be silent at
night to allow her rest. She tried not to notice how pale her face had become,
or how dark the circles around her eyes were, or the way her body would fire
painful signals randomly in muscle spasms strong enough to knock the breath out
of her, but she could feel her body falling apart slowly.

The most she could do was to try and hide
it from the Syndicate. She was worried that, if they found out, Colonel Amori,
who was watching her constantly, would press the button on his remote and
activate the microbionic cells. She knew the threat was not idle—Rayal was
getting worse by the day, and she knew it was from the microbionic cells.

She closed her eyes as she sat in the
car, feeling the gentle hum of the vehicle as it sped along the highway to its
programmed destination.

Isa heard a noise behind her and whirled
around in time to see the Colonel’s face before a cloth pressed tightly over
her nose and mouth and the world fell into black.

When her eyes opened, she spent several
minutes staring at the dark grey, metal wall, trying to recall what happened.
Her confusion was only enhanced by the drugs still running through her system.

She had to prepare herself to turn over,
her body twinging in pain from lying on the cold stone floor. Her eyes scanned
the ceiling where the dull lights nearly blinded her tired eyes. With a careful
breath, she turned once more and scrutinized the walls. There were no windows
on the walls. It appeared to be a solitary confinement cell, with a metal door
one yellowed window.

In the window of the door was the face of
Colonel Amori, twisted in a sick smile.

The screeching of the door opening almost
made Isa’s head explode in pain. She cringed away, trying to lift her hands to
her head, but the sharp tug of restraints on her wrists, waist, neck, and
ankles made her realize she was confined like a prisoner in maximum security
confinement. She stared at the thick, twisted cables between the cuffs on disbelief.

“As I expected,” Colonel Amori chuckled.
“You are awake several hours before a normal human. The bio-engineering in
Elites is quite remarkable. It’s too bad you’re all so mindless and stupid. You
would be incredibly interesting to study.”

“The Syndicate will notice if I’m gone.”

“Eventually, yes,” Colonel Amori agreed,
crouching in front of her. Isa, in her peripheral vision, saw that he had left
the door open. She needed only to get her feet under her, stun Colonel Amori
briefly, and then lock him in the room. From there, she knew she could find out
where she was and get help. However, she did not dare look at the door, not
wanting to tip off the Gihoric leader.

“But they won’t notice that you’re
missing for another three hours, when you don’t show up for work.
Unfortunately, poor Rayal has become so much worse, he didn’t notice that you
weren’t home last night,” he said. “And it’s such a shame that those blood
samples went missing.” He wagged a disapproving finger at her with a smile.
“Your people clearly aren’t as happy as you claim,” he stated. “It was so easy
to bribe a nurse to misplace the
blood samples.”

“You fucking bastard,” Isa growled.

“Name calling is hardly going to help.”

“You realize that you’ve kidnapped the leader of Tiao and the
Crescent Alliance,” Isa snapped. “You are now committing acts of terrorism. You
will be killed and your planet will be either destroyed or conquered.”

“It’s adorable how powerful you think you
are,” Colonel Amori chided. He stood, walking around her. “You even thought
that your little message to Venus would help? Granted, it was brilliant of you
to put it in that strange encryption code. I must work on translating that, but
I knew it was a warning. It was too short to be anything else. But I guess I didn’t
give you much time to send something more detailed, since I’m always watching
you.”

Isa listened to the Colonel’s boots as
they slowly walked around her, stopping at her back. She kept her eyes forward,
on the open door, preparing to fight and escape.

“I was looking into the Elite Academy,”
Colonel Amori said. “I was trying to figure out why you are so different from the others.”

“Even the doctors can’t understand it, so
I doubt you can.”

“I’ve read their reports,” he said. “And
even with all the trauma you’ve been through, you seem not to exhibit any
traits of mental problems. You saw a classmate killed, your lover was tortured
for days, you were beaten probably every other day the entire time you were in
school, but still, you march along as though you are so powerful.”

Isa remained silent, rallying her
strength.

“You spent the first seventeen years of
your life being beaten and ordered around by humans, and you then turn around and think that you can rule them?
Does that make sense?”

Still, the Golden Elite was quiet.

Suddenly, Colonel Amori lifted his foot
and violently kicked Isa in the back. She let out a surprised cry and her body
was forced forward, rolling twice until it came to rest near the door. As she
tried to force her lungs to work once more, she pulled her legs under her and
tried to get out of the cell.

Colonel Amori’s fingers wrapped in her
hair and his other hand shoved the door shut as he yanked her backward.

She managed to stumble within her
restraints but remain standing. She twisted her body, swinging her restrained
hands together to connect with Colonel Amori’s face. He quickly regained his
balance and grabbed Isa’s shoulders, violently kneeing her in the stomach.

She collapsed to the ground, groaning and
gasping in pain.

Colonel Amori smiled, licking the blood
from his lips.

“I want to remind you of exactly what you
are,” he said. He kicked her in the stomach as she started to straighten and
she let out a cry of pain, falling to her side. “This is how powerful you are.
You are meant to obey, and to always obey.
Humans, teachers, Venus, it doesn’t matter, you are the lowest of the low.” He
kicked her once more. “And now, you obey me.”

Isa tried to remain still as the Colonel
kicked her. She figured eventually he would get bored and stop. She tried to
formulate a plan for what to do when he did stop the beating.

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled, yanking her
up by her hair and smiling sickly. “I’m following the rules of the Academy.”

He shoved her back down to the ground and
kneeled on her stomach and chest.

“Never hit the face or neck, right?” he
asked. “Only the places that are covered by the uniform. That way, you can keep
up appearances.”

Isa struggled to breathe under his
weight, her head going light.

Colonel Amori stood only to kick her
three more times and then left the cell, not allowing her time to recover
before the door screeched shut and the clank of the lock caused even more pain
to settle into Isa’s chest.

Without windows, there was no concept of
time. When the pain in her body became tolerable, Isa stood and clumsily
shuffled around the room, looking at every wall, every corner, the hinges on
the metal door, and glancing out the window to the empty hallway beyond. The
ceiling was solid apart from the lights, and Isa had no way to reach them.

She was trapped.

She pressed her face against the wall,
rubbing her cheek back and forth across the surface in an attempt to activate
her phone and call for help. When she managed to hear the automatic voice ask
who she wanted to call, she said the Syndicate. The automatic voice came back,
saying that her location and identity could not be verified, and therefore the
call could not connect.

Isa barked at the phone to operate on
emergency mode, but as it began connecting to emergency operators, the sound
warped and eventually turned into a high, painful whine. Isa tried to get away
from the noise, but with the implanted earpiece, the sound penetrated into her
brain.

She finally conceded to sit in a corner,
turning over every possibility of escape.

The Golden Elite did not have much time
to think, however. Colonel Amori returned, this time with a tablet and the
black handle with the green button.

“You must be feeling alright, trying to
put out an emergency call like that,” he said with a smile. He closed the door
behind him and walked forward, crouching in front of Isa and holding up the
tablet. “You seem to need a little more convincing, which is why I brought you
here. You will obey me. I have big plans for Tiao, so I would rather not destroy everything in the process of
conquering it. The faster you cooperate, the less lives will be lost.”

He tapped the top of the tablet twice and
it flickered to life, showing a live video feed from Remus’ office at the
Syndicate.

“What are you doing?” Isa hissed.

“Showing you that I am not joking about
controlling Remus and the others.” His other hand lifted the device and he
smiled, placing his finger over the trigger. “Just for added assurance that
this footage has not been altered or recorded previously, I’m going to have you
tell me when to push the button.”

“You think that I’ll cooperate if you
kill them?”

“No, your Elites will survive.” He turned
his hand to show her how the trigger worked. “If I push this up, it activates
the cells. If it’s down, however, they return to hibernation.”

“I won’t do it.”

“I didn’t give you the option to refuse.”

“You said Rayal was worse, I believe you.
If you press that button, you might kill him.”

Colonel Amori chuckled. “You’re more
worried about the caretaker than your lover?”

“I don’t need to be convinced,” Isa said.
“You’ve kidnapped me and beaten me. You have made it abundantly clear that your
threats are not idle.”

Colonel Amori narrowed his eyes, smiling
dangerously.

“All the same—”

He clicked the switch and Isa started
forward.

“No, don’t!” she cried. “I told you I
believed you!”

“Let’s solidify that.”

Isa’s eyes turned back to the monitor and
she saw Remus leave his office, the camera switching, locked onto his
signature, to him running down the hallway, up the staircase and to her office.
Chronus was already there, angrily shoving the door open.

Remus ran into Isa’s office and to the
NCB chair. He pushed on the machine, his altered strength causing it to snap
off the base. Isa watched in horror as three other Bronze Elites stormed into
her office, overturning her desk and looking for her. Their faces were frantic
and confused, but their actions terrified Isa.

“Stop,” she said. When Colonel Amori did
not flip the switch down, she turned away from the screen. “I said stop!” she barked. “I understand! I’m
listening to you!”

He laughed and flicked the switch.

“Finally, some progress,” he said. He kept
the tablet facing her and she watched as, one by one, the Elites slowed and
stopped, breathing hard, turning to one another in confusion.

Before Colonel Amori turned off the
tablet, Isa glanced at the clock, seeing that she had already been gone for
almost an entire day.

“Now,” Colonel Amori started, grabbing
the cord between Isa’s restraints and hauling her to her feet, “I need to test
your obedience.”

He yanked her into the dark, short
hallway she had seen out the window. She glanced around briefly to spot an
exit, but when she could not, she focused entirely on the trigger in Colonel
Amori’s other hand. She wondered if she could get it and destroy it before he
could use it against her once more.

Pushing the door open with his shoulder,
Colonel Amori brought her into a room that appeared to be a recreation room of
some sort when the facility was in use. There were old tables and chairs and a
broken vending machine in one corner. Sitting on one table, in stark contrast
to the older furnishings, was a new computer, hooked up to several external
drives and two supplemental monitors that were black.

On the computer, Isa could see Venus’
mainframe and schematics flashing across the screen with several meters of
slowly-ascending numbers.

“How did you access her mainframe?” Isa
asked sharply, planting her feet and pulling against his tugging. He let out a
bark of laughter, yanking sharply to force her forward.

“That’s paltry at this point, I should
think,” he said. “I told you, I’ve been able to watch you for some time, all
from Venus’ mainframe.” He turned to her when they were in front of the
computer. “And it’s all thanks to you.” He smiled, gently pulling on the cable
between her restraints to bring her two steps closer. “I was going to thank you
for the information on Dyran, but you must think I’m a moron. I would think,
after everything, you would realize you cannot hide anything from me. I know
all about Saera.” He nodded to the screen of the computer, so Isa turned her
eyes trying, to figure out what she was looking at and how it related to Saera.

“This is your test,” he started. “This is
a Charge Burst. It’s been charging for a while now, just to be safe, but it’s
currently aimed at the main power generator for Saera. If it hits that generator,
it will cause a chain reaction through the rest of the facility and it will
destroy the entire city, and all of its inhabitants, as well as decimating your
terraform facilities. I’m not sure if anything will grow after something so
devastating happens underground and rips apart everything on the surface.” He
chuckled darkly at Isa’s controlled expression, even though her eyes were
showing her horror. She watched the numbers increase on the Charge Burst,
trying to recall everything she knew about the weapon. It was an old form of
warfare, attacking from under the ground. As with microbionics, the Charge
Bursts were outlawed in the Alliance with the regulation of military forces.

“Obviously, this provides nearly sixty
percent of Tiao’s food,” Colonel Amori continued. “And I doubt you’ll be able
to get anyone to eat the native crops to Tiao, since they have no nutritional
value to humans. So, if it is destroyed, you’re going to be feeding your people
chemical rations.” He lifted the handle with the green button with his other
hand, smiling. “You already know what this does. You have to choose between
them. Either kill your caretaker and make your Syndicate of idiots so
homicidal, the only thing that will stop them is a bullet to the brain, or
destroy the main generator of Saera and annihilate your planet’s food source.”

“What is the point of making me do this?”
Isa growled, glaring at Colonel Amori. “If you destroy the food source of the
planet, then Tiao is weakened and not nearly as valuable of a conquest.”

“However, if you destroy the Syndicate, it will be that much easier for my
brother to take over, once I shut down Venus.” Colonel Amori smiled. “Quite the
conundrum, isn’t it?”

“And if I choose neither option?”

“You want to leave it in my hands?” Colonel Amori asked. “You and
I are far from Anon. I would just destroy the capital and stay with you here
while my brother presumed me dead and attacked Tiao. I would force you to watch
as your entire planet was conquered and your people slaughtered.” His smile
widened. “You make the decision, you have three options—destroy your Syndicate,
destroy Saera, or destroy Anon.”

Isa looked between the screen and Colonel
Amori, noting where his hand was on the handle and on the cable restraining
her.

In a brief moment, she lunged forward and
her head connected with his, stunning him while she tried to reach for the
handle. He let out a startled cry of pain and rolled away from her, tugging on
the cable and causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground. His foot
connected with her ribs.

“You bitch!” he groaned, holding his
bleeding nose. “Have you learned nothing?! Do you want me to destroy all three
for you?!”

He kicked her once more. She tried to
breathe, but her body was already bruised and beaten from his previous attacks
and the pain seared through her.

Colonel Amori pulled out a gun from his
jacket and pointed it at her as she tried to catch her breath.

“You have ten seconds to make your
decision before I destroy all three.”

Isa let out a shaky breath, trying to get
to her feet, struggling against the pain. Colonel Amori angrily yanked her
upright, holding her steady and pushing the barrel of the gun into her chest
sharply.

“Make your choice,” he snarled.

He released Isa and backed away one step,
keeping the gun pointed at her with one hand raised and his finger on the green
trigger.

She stared at him for two long seconds
before turning to look at the computer screen, her mind racing, weighing all
the options. She fought with the urge to turn around and attack him once again.
She was too weak and hurt already to risk not dominating the fight and allowing
the Colonel to destroy both cities and her Syndicate.

If the Syndicate were to be controlled to
the point of having to be killed to be stopped, leaving only Isa alive, it
would leave her without support and would raise suspicions among the Alliance,
which would, in turn, cause others to doubt the strength of Tiao. That would
limit the amount of aid Isa could get in retaliating against Gihron. However,
if Anon was destroyed, millions of lives would be lost, along with the symbol
that was the capital of Tiao. The most lives would be lost if she did nothing.

If she were to allow the Charge Burst to
destroy Saera, then about one-hundred thousand lives would be lost, and
millions of credits that went into developing the greenhouses that developed
food. While it would make real food more expensive, there were rations to fall
back on, and Dyran was on its way to becoming the next site for terraformed
greenhouses.

The gun against her chest pushed hard,
breaking her out of her trance.

“Five,” Colonel Amori started. “Four.”

Isa turned to the computer and looked
over the screen, trying to see if there was any way she could minimize the
damage. She saw there were seven generators on the screen, the main one, the
one that would cause the chain reaction, highlighted and targeted for attack.

“Three.”

Isa lifted her hand, allowing her fingers
to brush one of the other generators and change the target site before she
pressed the launch button.

The numbers on the screen stopped
ascending and then went into rapid decline as Colonel Amori let out a
triumphant laugh.

“I knew it,” he declared. He stepped
forward and tapped the top of one of the secondary screens twice to turn it on.
“You chose the life of your lover and your Syndicate over the lives of your
people.” He nodded to the screen that showed a map of the power grid in Saera.
“You believe that your rule is better than any humans? You let personal
interest guide you to kill over one-hundred thousand people on your planet, as
well as doom your people to starve. You even prided yourself on how you believe
humans should have basic rights to food, but you destroy your own food supply
to save the man you fuck, and those idiots that do whatever you say.”

Isa watched the power grid light up with
a red, flashing error symbol and went through a mental map of the city. The
generator that had gone into catastrophic failure was on the far north side of
the city, a place that was still very under-developed.

The grid beeped several times, and then
the generator that had been attacked went completely offline, causing alerts to
flash everywhere about an explosion in the city.

“What?!”

Colonel Amori took a step forward and
stared at the screen, realizing that the generator that had blown up had not
been the one he intended.

He turned to the first screen, seeing
which generator was highlighted. He tried to shove Isa out of the way to start
another charge when Isa jumped at him, pushing him to the ground and wrapping
her bound wrists around his neck, pulling them taught, rolling Colonel Amori on
top of her, trying to strangle him. However, Colonel Amori turned over and
pulled her with him, angrily jabbing his elbow back into her bruised stomach.
She gasped, the breath and strength immediately leaving her.

In that time, Colonel Amori untangled
from the cable and went to the computers, starting a second Charge Burst.

Isa turned her body quickly, still on the
floor, and kicked his legs sharply, forcing him back to the ground, where she
climbed on top of him and tried to smash her restrained fists against his face.
He dodged the blow and sat up quickly, grabbing her hair with one hand and
shoving his fist deep into her diaphragm. That time, Isa almost passed out from
the pain. Her eyes rolled and she let out a pained groan.

Colonel Amori flipped her to her side and
banged her head against the floor twice before getting to his feet once more
and going to the computer.

Isa did not even have the breath to yell
at him to stop.

She watched in horror as the map lit up
with warnings and errors, before the central generator went dark and the error
reading “Danger! Catastrophic Failure” flashed across the screen.

Three other generators went dark and
Isa’s eyes slid shut, a different, sharper pain spearing her body.

For two days, Isa was confined to the
small cell with a screen secured over the window in the door. The screen played
a constant stream of news, discussing the horrors of the destruction in Saera.

The words of the news reports cut into
her like knives.

“There
has been no word from the Syndicate as to the cause of these horrendous
explosions…”

“Over
one-hundred thousand workers, engineers, and scientists were killed in the
explosions that destroyed Saera…”

The information was painful. She could
not sleep around the noise and the pain in her chest. After two days and
several runs of the same news with very few developments, Colonel Amori showed
up in the cell, turning off the screen.

“I plan to return you to Anon, now,” he
said darkly, crouching next to her as she remained on the ground, her eyes
half-lidded. “Do you want me to drug you to keep you from misbehaving, or will
you be a good Elite and come quietly?”

Isa turned her exhausted eyes on him.
Slowly, she lifted her wrists and extended them, showing her compliance.

“There’s a good girl.”

She was silent and cooperative as she was
taken back to Anon. She did not bother to note where they had been for four
days, or what time they had left and when they finally returned to the capital.
Her exhausted eyes projected images of the generators flashing before going
blank on the screen. Her ears were ringing with the horrible news on Saera, the
number dead, and the silence of Venus and the Syndicate. Her body was pulsing
with pain at her bruised and battered ribs and back.

Even if she had the strength to move, she
knew she would be unable to.

The sun was setting when they pulled into
the garage of Anon Tower. The car parked and turned off. Colonel Amori got out
immediately. Isa remained still, staring blankly ahead.

Colonel Amori walked around the car and
opened her door.

“Come on,” he coaxed, his tone annoyed.

Still, Isa did not move.

“I told you to get out of the car,”
Colonel Amori snapped, grabbing the raw skin of her freed wrist and pulling her
out. “You’re dead to the fucking world. Go sleep or something.”

He shoved her toward the elevators and
Isa’s legs mechanically carried her.

Colonel Amori saw her to her level of
Anon Tower, but then left, going to his own room.

The house was quiet when she walked
inside. She stood in the living room for several long moments, trying to
process where she was and what she needed to do next.

Her mind remained blank.

Her legs started moving to her bedroom,
but she stopped. She went to look in on Rayal, finding the caretaker fast
asleep, very pale, and shaking with a sheen of sweat over his face. Isa closed
her eyes in pain and turned away, knowing that she was causing the pain to the
man who had watched over her for years, the man who had kept her relationship
with Remus a secret, and the man she considered a brother.

Isa had to leave his room. She went to
her bedroom and collapsed on her bed, shaking uncontrollably.

The next day, she dressed and went to
work as though nothing was wrong. When she walked into the building, she passed
the frantic operators, her sudden appearance causing them to pause and stare.
One of them quickly dialed Remus’ office.

“Elite Remus, Elite Isa is here.”

Isa barely made it to the control room
before she was swarmed by her Elites.

“Where have you been?!” Chronus gasped.
“Do you have any idea what’s been going on here?!”

“You had us worried!” Anders said
quickly. “Where were you?!”

“Saera’s generators exploded and
destroyed the city,” Maki relayed. “It killed almost everyone and the entire
area is in ruin.”

“I know!” Isa snapped. The Elites stopped
immediately, surprised at her tone. “I am fully aware of what happened in
Saera.”

“Then why didn’t you come here for four days?” Anders hissed. “Everyone is
frantic trying to figure out what happened.”

“Generators can go into catastrophic
failure,” Isa said darkly.

“That’s hardly the point,” Chronus
hissed. “You should have rushed here to help us handle this situation. Everyone
is furious that we’ve been so silent.”

“What do they expect us to do?” Isa
growled, pushing past them. “Go out there and help with the cleanup?”

Remus stepped in Isa’s path, his eyes
dark.

“Where the hell have you been?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Isa said coldly,
trying to push past him, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her. She tried not to
cringe at the flares of pain that shot through her arm at the contact.

“It does
matter,” he growled. “You have never
gone missing like that. And for you to ignore a crisis like this is
incomprehensible.”

“Maybe,” she started darkly, angrily
yanking her arm from Remus, “I did not ignore it and I wanted you to handle
things for a change. Are you all really so incapable of handling things without
me?” She glared at all of them. “Perhaps I made the wrong decision about which
Elites to appoint to this Syndicate.”

The fourteen other Elites in the room
were wide-eyed in shock at her words and the cold tone of her voice. They could
only watch as she turned away and went to her office. After several long
moments, staring in surprise at the empty hall, they turned to one another.

“What the hell just happened?” Hana
whispered.

“That…that’s not like her at all…” Anders
said.

“She’s been acting strange for a couple
months now,” Aolee said slowly. “But that is too drastic of a change.”

“She must be pretty upset about Saera,”
Maki murmured. His brow furrowed. “Maybe she knows something about it.”

They all immediately turned back to the
direction the Golden Elite had left.

That night, when Isa returned home, she
went to Rayal’s room and sat on the bed, passing her hand gently over the
caretaker’s forehead. Rayal stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he let out a
strained breath. He slowly turned over in bed and looked at the Elite.

“Isa…” he whispered, trying to sit up.

“Shh, shh,” she cooed. “Stay quiet.” She
sighed heavily. “I’m going to call the hospital and have you admitted,” she
murmured. “You are getting worse.”

“I am so sorry…” Rayal whispered.

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I don’t know why I’m not getting
better.”

“You do not have to apologize for that,”
she said. “I should apologize for not admitting you sooner.”

“Did they call about the blood tests?”
Rayal asked, cringing in pain.

“…no,” Isa said. “I’ll ask them when I
call.”

She forced a smile and stood, walking out
of the caretaker’s room and to the main room. She called the hospital and asked
them to immediately send someone over to retrieve and admit Rayal. As she was finishing
the call, the door alarm rang and Remus walked into the living room.

Isa felt her heart fall into her stomach.
She had been hoping that the Syndicate would leave her alone for several days.
She needed time to process what had happened, and she did not want Remus or the
other Elites pestering her with questions.

She hung up the phone and turned to
Remus, preparing herself.

“Is there something you want?”

“Yes,” Remus said, his eyes showing his
barely-contained anger. “I want to understand the hell is wrong with you.”

“With me?”
Isa snapped. “There’s something wrong with me?”

“Clearly,” Remus growled. “You are not
acting like yourself at all. You’ve been distant, absent-minded, even angry, it seems. You say you don’t
sleep, you’re losing weight at an alarming rate, and then, in an enormous
planetary crisis, you disappear for
four days.”

Isa stared at him before shrugging.

“Okay, and?”

“That’s all you’re going to say?” Remus
snarled.

“There’s nothing else to be said.”

“Where have you been for the last four
days?”

“I needed time to myself, so I left the
city,” Isa said. “The question I have
for you, is why you did not come here to find me and see that Rayal is nearly
dying?”

“I did
come here and I did notice,”
Remus corrected. “I called the hospital yesterday and asked them to take him
in. He’s still here?”

Isa could not stop the way her eyes
widened. It showed her that Colonel Amori had found a way to block the request,
forcing Rayal to suffer without the medical care he so clearly needed.

Isa let out a shaky breath and turned
away, closing her eyes and trying to remain calm.

“Isa?” Remus asked, his tone changing.
“What is it? Is Rayal still here?”

“Yes, he’s here. I just called the
hospital again.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, turning around
and staring at Remus with a cold expression. “You should go home, Remus.”

Remus blinked at her in disbelief.

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me
what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong.”

“The hell nothing is wrong,” Remus hissed.
“I know you, Isa. And you are not the
type of leader to run off during something this catastrophic.” He stalked
forward, fixing her with a serious stare. “You know something about what
happened to Saera that you are not telling me.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You would not be acting like this if it
was a catastrophic failure of the generators. You are acting like this was planned, like there was some plot to
destroy Saera.”

Isa scoffed, trying to hide how much the
words hurt.

“I don’t need to stand here and listen to
your conspiracy theories,” she growled, walking away from him and to her
bedroom. Remus quickly followed.

“Why won’t you just talk to me and tell me what is wrong?” he snapped.

“Nothing
is wrong, Remus!” Isa barked,
rounding on him.

“I’m not a fucking moron, Isa!” Remus
retaliated. “I know that something is wrong!”

“You don’t know anything!” Isa growled,
shoving Remus away. “You’re not the leader of this planet! You have no right to
come in here and accuse me of conspiring to destroy one of the most important
areas of this planet!”

“For the past four days, you haven’t been
the leader of this planet!” Remus retorted. “You ran away from your
responsibilities and left your people in fear! How dare you call yourself the
Golden Elite after a stunt like that?!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Isa bellowed, shoving
Remus away once more. “You know nothing about it! You don’t know everything
about me, Remus!”

“Clearly, since the Isa I knew would
never abandon her people!”

“I did not abandon them!” Isa screeched.
“I have done everything in my power to serve this planet and its people! I put
myself after them! How dare you say
that?!”

She tried to shove him once more, but he
grabbed her wrists. She tried to free herself, but his grip was firm and the
pain that radiated from her wrists caused her to weaken.

“Do you feel how weak you are right now?”
Remus hissed. “How can I believe what you’re saying when years of knowing you and being by your side tells me that your
behavior the past few months has been terrifying? You’re clearly lying to me!”

“Stop accusing me!” Isa bellowed, still
trying to free herself from Remus’ vice grip. “Let go of me!”

“Not until you tell me what is wrong!”

“I can’t!” Isa bellowed.

“Can’t or won’t?!”

“I can’t tell you because, for the last
fucking time, nothing is wrong!”

“I don’t believe you!” Remus snapped,
forcing her to take a step backward. She managed to get one arm free and lashed
out, slapping him across the face.

“Get your hands off me”

“No. I told you, not until you tell me
what is wrong,” Remus growled. “I am your Silver Elite. I am supposed to help
and protect you, but I can’t fucking do that if you’re keeping secrets from me
and falling apart in front of my eyes.”

“I am not falling apart!” Isa snapped. “I
am doing what I need to!”

“And what is that?!”

Isa finally got her other hand out of
Remus’ grip and she tried to slap him again. She knew the situation was
spiraling out of control. She wanted to tell Remus what had happened with the
Colonel, but the guilt she felt was too intense. She had been the one that had
chosen to destroy Saera rather than the Syndicate or Anon. Even though it had
been a calculated choice, and she tried to minimize the damage, she felt
responsible for what happened to Saera. She felt responsible for not finding a
way to deal with the Colonel before things got this out of hand. She felt the
weight of the deaths of her people on her chest.

Isa felt like she had failed as a leader,
choosing the lives of her Syndicate over the lives of those in Saera. The
Colonel’s words about letting her personal interest guide her decision to
murder one-hundred thousand citizens of Tiao sliced into her like knives.

And the pain was becoming too much to
bear.

Isa’s hands were once again trapped in
Remus’ and he loomed over her, his eyes dark.

“Fuck you, Remus!” Isa hissed angrily.

She stood still for two long seconds, her
breath coming in short pants as her body shook.

Remus lunged forward and kissed her
angrily, his weight bearing down on her, his anger and anxiety evident. Isa
tried to worm away from him and he released her, but she grabbed the front of
his uniform and yanked him closer, craving his contact, his control, his
ability to make her forget everything.

His hands immediately went to her
uniform, tugging at it sharply and forcing her pants down. With one hand still
tangled in the front of Remus’ uniform, she clumsily tried to help him, pushing
the fabric down.

Remus’ hand went up to her jaw and
sharply grabbed her, pushing her back and looking into her eyes for a brief
moment. He then turned her around, grabbing one of her arms and pulling it
behind her back, pushing her to bed.

She fell heavily, her face pressed into
the blankets and her back and chest shooting with pain as Remus pushed down on
her bruised body.

In the brief, frantic moments before
Remus entered her, Isa hoped that he would remove her uniform, that he would
see the bruises and realize that there was, actually, something very wrong and
it was far worse than they believed. She wanted him to see her injuries and
protect her, as he always had, to take the situation out of her hands and keep
her safe.

But this was not their normal routine.
There would be no gentle removal of clothes, no sensual exploration of each
other’s bodies. This was a rough, desperate need, something to dispel the
tension and frustration they both felt, and Isa did not want it any other way.

Remus kept one hand pinned behind her
back, furiously moving behind her as her other hand reached back to hold his
hip, keeping him close, quietly urging him to continue.

Between that moment and the moment that
Remus collapsed on top of her, gently kissing the shell of her ear, Isa felt
herself slip further into darkness.

Isa sat in her NCB chair, trying to
concentrate, but she could not focus. The situation with Saera was the main
focus of the day, but every time she got new information on what had been found
at the site, she felt herself cringe in pain.

She was responsible.

Finally, she turned off the NCB chair and
sat upright, cradling her pounding head in her hands.

She was beginning to feel desperate.

A beeping in her ear caused her body to
tense quickly. The automatic voice listed the number and she felt sick to her
stomach. Slowly, she reached up and pressed the area in front of her ear to
activate her phone.

“Yes?”

“I have to express my admiration for
you,” Colonel Amori chuckled. “Not only did you decide to destroy Saera, but
you seem to be destroying your Syndicate without my help.”

“Is there a reason you called other than
to taunt me?”

“Oh, you are tired today, aren’t you?”
the Colonel laughed. “Also, I will say how impressed I was at your display last
night.”

Isa’s eyes shot wide, confused and
worried.

“You certainly are a capable woman,” the
Colonel leered. “You can take quite a bit of abuse. It’s impressive, to say the least.”

Isa ground her teeth together.

“I can tell that I’ve underestimated how
much you can take,” he said, his
voice dripping with disgust. “So let’s see how much more you can take, Elite
Isa.”

“What are you talking about?” Isa
demanded, fear coiling around her chest.

“Perhaps you should see what is going on
with the other Elites.”

Isa’s fear doubled, images flashing
through her mind of the Elites storming into her office with the intent to kill
her. She scrambled out of the chair, the Colonel’s sick laugh cutting short as
he hung up. She went to the door and opened it just as another Elite called her
phone.

“Isa!” Maki said quickly. “You better get
to the control room. The Officials are here to arrest Remus.”

Isa’s vision narrowed, her mind repeating
the words over and over again.

She ran down the stairs to the main
control room and darted in just as the Officials were turning the Silver Elite
around and restraining him.

“What is going on here?” Isa barked.

“Elite Isa,” one officer said,
approaching her. “We are instructed to take you to the hospital immediately.”

“The hospital? What are you talking
about? Why?” Isa demanded, backing away from him as he approached. “Under what
charges are you arresting him?”

“It is best not to discuss it here,” the
Officer said, glancing at the other Elites in the room.

“You are placing my Silver Elite under
arrest, and I demand to know under what charges Venus has ordered this.”

The Officer sighed, glancing around once
more before lowering his voice.

“Elite Remus has been charged with rape
of the Golden Elite.”

“What?” Isa barked, her brow furrowing,
though her eyes had gone wide. “That’s preposterous!”

“There is evidence,” he said carefully.
“Video evidence.”

Isa was silent, staring at the Officials
in surprise. She turned to the other Elites in the room, who had heard the
charges and were looking between their two superiors worriedly. Isa glanced at
Remus, who stared back at her, confused.

“I will discuss this with Venus,” Isa
said sharply. “Release him at once.”

“Elite Isa, I follow Venus’ orders. I
must arrest him. You may discuss this with Venus and, if the charge is removed,
we will immediately release him. But you must be seen by your doctor at once.”

“I have no need to see a doctor,” she
snapped. “I am fine.”

“Venus insists that you have a medical
exam and have a medical professional determine the damage,” he said. He glanced
around once more and then lowered his voice. “Elite Isa, if I may be so bold,
if these charges are not unfounded, do not fight for him to be released.”

“Be quiet,” Isa hissed. “I will go to my
doctor at once.”

She left the confused Bronze Elites in
the control room as Remus was hauled away, discreetly being taken through the
emergency stairs to the garage so rumors would not spread about the Silver
Elite’s arrest.

Isa was guided by the Officials to the
hospital and into a room where Dr. Busen was waiting. He nodded to the
Officials to leave the room. They filed out and closed the door behind them.

“Dr. Busen, there has been a
misunderstanding,” Isa said quickly.

“Has there?”

She swallowed hard, hesitating.

“Venus sent me the security footage,” Dr.
Busen said. “You do know that it can still be considered rape even if you are
in a relationship with your assailant, yes?”

“It was not rape, I consented,” she said sharply. “I am not lying,
Michael.”

The doctor sighed heavily and motioned
for her to walk to the exam table.

“Isa,” he started as she sat down, “is
there something that you want to tell me?”

“You, too?” Isa asked with an exasperated
sigh. “Dr. Busen, only a few days ago, the largest production area for this
planet’s food was destroyed. I have been overworked and stressed. I’m sure
things looked bad on the footage, but I was consenting and I want my Silver
Elite released.”

“I’m not talking about last night,” Dr.
Busen said. “I’m talking about your health in general. I can tell just by looking
at you that you have lost a considerable amount of weight, and you look ill.”

“I’m fine.”

“I would like to do an exam.”

“You do not have my permission to do so,”
Isa said sharply. Dr. Busen straightened, blinking in surprise.

“Why not?”

“You don’t need to question why,” Isa
told him, her eyes dark. “You do not have my permission. It is mine to give for
whatever reason I choose.”

Dr. Busen stared at the Golden Elite. He
was more worried than before.

“I have been ordered by Venus to perform
vaginal inspection to determine the severity of—”

“It was
not rape.”

“I understand that,” Dr. Busen said.

“Then put that in the report and tell her
to release my Silver Elite.”

“Isa—”

“What?”

Dr. Busen sighed heavily, briefly
pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I’m calling Paul, this is beyond my
level of expertise.”

Isa ground her teeth together.

“What does that mean?”

“Something is wrong, and I am not skilled
enough to get it out of you,” the doctor said.

“I told you what was wrong,” she said. “I’ve
been overworked and stressed. It happens. I have to lead a fucking planet, it
can be a little stressful at times.”

Dr. Busen stared at Isa for several long
moments, trying to let the silence get too heavy for the Golden Elite. However,
Isa did not back down, staring back at him with the same intensity.

“I will have to put in my report that
there is evidence of sexual intercourse due to the security footage, but no
damage to indicate rape,” Dr. Busen said quietly. “She will still have him
punished.”

“I will handle Venus,” Isa said,
standing. “You just file your report and leave the rest to me.”

“Isa,” Dr. Busen said, starting after
her. She did not turn around, leaving the room. “Isa!”

The Golden Elite left, not once looking
back at the worried doctor.

Isa went directly to the jail to pick up
Remus only one hour after she left the hospital. Her mind was sharply focused
on the task. She already knew how the day was going to go. She knew she had to
find a way to protect Remus from Colonel Amori, and that meant keeping him at a
distance.

Remus tried to get Isa to tell him what
happened, but she only told him that Venus had ordered his arrest because she
believed he raped her due to the security footage in her mainframe of the
previous night.

“We took care of that years ago,” Remus
hissed. “Those cameras don’t record on her mainframe.”

“I am aware.”

“Then how did the footage get to her
mainframe?”

“I don’t know, Remus,” Isa growled. “I
don’t really have time to figure it out. We have to deal with this fucking mess
with Saera and then I have to keep meeting with Colonel Amori because he can’t
make up his fucking mind about what he wants to do.”

Remus stared at Isa, confused and
worried.

“Isa—”

“What?” she snapped when he did not
continue.

“You’re scaring me.”

Isa took a deep breath.

“Venus wants to see us immediately,” Isa
said. “Let’s just handle this situation. Alright?”

They were silent for the remainder of the
drive back to the Syndicate Building. They walked through the building silently,
ignoring the eyes of the other Elites. Remus followed Isa down a hidden
stairwell to the audience hall for Venus, which was deep under the Syndicate
Building, heavily protected by Venus’ most advanced security codes. They both
went through the retinal and DNA scans, their bodies checked by sensors for
hazardous material before they were let into the audience hall.

The single chair still looked small in
comparison to the cavernous room and Venus’ enormous hologram. The figure
remained still, waiting for Isa and Remus to approach. Isa stood on one side of
the chair as Remus stood on the other.

“I
have programmed a visual translator for B-X210016 to understand this
conversation,” Venus started, the words appearing across the hologram’s
front as she spoke. “The video of what
happened between you two last night shows that you have raped your Golden
Elite.”

“Dr. Busen determined that it was not rape,”
Isa spoke up. “Our relations last night were consensual.”

“Regardless
if they were consensual, sexual relations between Syndicate Elites is illegal
and punishable by death,” Venus said. Isa and Remus both tensed. “You both were engaged sexually at the
Academy, as well. Have those relations continued through these years in the
Syndicate?”

“Yes, Venus,” Remus answered.

“As
this is still a private matter, and we are in a crisis with Saera being
destroyed and Gihron refusing to compromise, I will not order your execution,
B-X210016,” Venus said, addressing Remus. “However, you are ordered to terminate all sexual relations
immediately.”

“With all due respect, Venus,” Remus
started, “we—”

“I agree,” Isa said. Remus rounded on
her, his eyes shooting wide. “I will obey your command, Venus. We will
terminate our sexual relationship immediately.”

“I
will delete this footage and we will mandate that all Officials who know of the
rape allegations remain silent, as well as anyone who has seen the footage.”

“Isa?” Remus whispered, staring at the
Golden Elite in shock.

“As you command,” Isa said, bowing her
head.

“I
will meet with you at a later time when I have completed my diagnostics on
Saera,” Venus concluded. “Until then,
try to reach a compromise with Gihron. Meet with the Colonel’s delegates
separately and see if they can convince him to agree to our terms.”

Isa bowed her head and turned to leave.
Remus looked between Isa and Venus, confused, surprised, and hurt. He opened
his mouth to protest, but decided that trying to convince Venus would be
futile. Instead, he bowed his head quickly and hurried after Isa.

“Isa!” he called, running to her. “What
the hell was that?”

“What was what?”

“What you said in there?”

“It’s for the best, Remus.”

She picked up her pace and made her way
to the parking garage, Remus close behind.

“Are we even going to discuss this?”

“Remus, it has been a trying day,” Isa
said, watching her car pull up to the loading area. “Go home.”

“No,” Remus snapped. “You are not going
to push this aside. I deserve an explanation, Isa!”

Isa got into her car, ignoring Remus as
he tried to get her to talk to him. She remained sitting upright in her seat,
her eyes ahead of her as her car slowly pulled away from the loading area and
started toward the street.

Once Remus was out of sight, Isa bent her
head forward and pressed it against the front console, her breath leaving her
shakily.

She felt so confused and frightened that
she did not know how else to react. She had to keep everyone at a distance. If
she let them get close, Colonel Amori would harm them, turn the on her…

She closed her eyes tight and her hands
went to her head, fisting her hair angrily, her entire body shaking.

She did not want her relationship with
Remus to end. He had been her biggest support. Whenever he held her at night,
she felt safe, like she could finally be comfortable and not be held to the
standards of the Golden Elite. Remus had been the most important part of her
success.

It hurt her to say those words, that they
would end their relationship.

But Isa could not have Colonel Amori
continue to use Remus as motivation. She had broken many rules, but she had
always been sure not to cause harm to the people. Seeing the horrors that had
befallen Saera, Isa had been forced to wonder if she had made the wrong
decision.

Perhaps she should have chosen to destroy
the Syndicate.

Isa was barely composed when she walked
into her home. Rayal was setting the table for dinner, his hands shaking.

“Rayal?” she asked, surprised. “I called
the hospital to pick you up.”

“You did?” Rayal asked. “They never came
by.”

Isa closed her eyes and let out a
defeated sigh, rubbing her forehead.

“I’ll call again.”

“Is something wrong?” Rayal asked
nervously.

“The next person who asks me that is
going to end up with two broken arms,” Isa growled, walking past him. Rayal
watched her, startled by the words.

“I apologize if that was out of line,” he
whispered.

Isa stopped and took a deep breath, her
eyes closing.

She could almost hear the Colonel
laughing as he watched her tear her own life apart. She knew she was acting
harshly against everyone who had stood by her through the years, and she was
hurting her closest support system, but she could not think of a better way to
keep them safe. The Colonel watched her. If she told them what was going on,
that she was being blackmailed by the leader of Gihron, he would turn them on
her, killing Rayal as well. He would then kidnap her once more and force her to
watch as Anon was destroyed and Gihron took over her planet.

She tried to think of any way, of any
means, to communicate to the Elites, or to Dr. Busen or Paul, that something
was wrong. Every form of communication was monitored, cameras set up all over
the city and every place she worked. The network was too extensive. It was
meant to be extensive to keep her safe, but it had her trapped in a very
dangerous situation.

Her head began spinning.

The alarm went off at the door and Remus
stormed in, his eyes alight with fury. Isa whirled around.

“You do not get to push this conversation
aside,” Remus growled, walking to her. “I deserve a fucking explanation.”

“It’s for the best, Remus,” Isa said,
retreating.

“Why?”
he snapped. “Why is it for the best?”

“We can’t act like this anymore, Remus!”
Isa barked. “We were young and stupid when we started this relationship, and we
knew that we would be discovered eventually.”

“Yes, and you said that when we did, you
would fight. You would fight for us!”
Remus snarled. “You said that we needed to revolutionize the planet, we had to
fight her and her laws against us and humans, and now that this comes up, you
just lie down and take it!”

“Fuck off, Remus! You don’t seem to get
how dangerous this is!” Isa bellowed.

Rayal stood to the side, his eyes wide in
horror as he watched the fight rapidly unfold.

“I know exactly how dangerous this is!” Remus snapped. “I have had to live
with it just as you have, but I was always ready to fight for you! I promised I
would stand by you, and that I would never let Venus determine our
relationship! You do not get to make this decision alone! You owe me more than
that!”

“I don’t owe you anything!” Isa yelled. “You
are the one who owes me for saving
your fucking life, or have you forgotten that you’re a degenerate?!”

“Who the fuck are you?!” Remus snapped, stepping closer. “Anytime anyone said
anything like that you would deny it and say that no one owed their life to
anyone, and now you’re saying that I owe
you?!”

“I did save your life, didn’t I? I told
them that if they had you killed, I would rip everything down, and then I even
went so far as to help you when you started to class jump, even after all that
shit when those teachers—”

“Don’t you dare!” Remus barked, looming over Isa. “Not you. Don’t you even
dare.”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” Isa growled. “The
truth fucking hurts. You would have been dead if it wasn’t for me.”

“Maybe it would have been better that
way!” Remus bellowed. “At least then I wouldn’t have to watch you fall apart in
front of me and attack everyone who has ever cared about you. We all know
something is wrong, Isa! We’re not fucking stupid! And now, you just decide
that we need to obey Venus’ order? We’re ending this relationship we have
managed to maintain against all odds for nearly fifteen years?!”

“What do you expect when you pull the
shit you pulled last night?!” Isa snapped. She regretted the words the moment
they escaped her lips.

“What?” Remus hissed.

“Maybe there was a fucking reason Venus
thought you raped me!”

Rayal’s expression changed immediately,
his eyes showing his horror. He shook his head, confused and terrified.

“I didn’t,” Remus murmured. “You never
told me to stop, you never said no. You told me to keep going.”

Isa shook her head, staring at Remus,
trying to show with her eyes how truly sorry she was for what she had said. She
swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

“Just leave, Remus.”

“No, Isa, you are not going to accuse me
of rape and then tell me to leave!” Remus snapped. He loomed over her once
more. “Is that what it was to you?”

“Remus, get the fuck out of my house.”

“No.”

“You asshole, I’m trying to protect you!
We’re ending this! It’s over! Get out!”

“What do you mean you’re protecting me?!” Remus snapped.

“Get out, Remus!”

“No!” Remus barked. “You can’t protect me
when you can’t even protect yourself! And it’s clear you can’t protect the
people either, since you disappeared on them when Saera was destroyed and
one-hundred thousand were killed!”

Isa’s fists balled and she threw a punch
at Remus, connecting with his jaw and causing him to stumble. As he
straightened, he lifted his hand and struck her across the face with his palm.

“Stop!” Rayal bellowed, running forward.

Remus grabbed Isa’s shoulders and pushed
her almost violently against the wall.

“You’re going to tell me what the fuck is
going on, Isa!”

Isa did not have time to register how
quickly the situation changed.

Rayal leapt on Remus’ back and wrapped
his arm around the Elite’s neck, pulling him backward quickly, forcing him to
release Isa.

“Stop it! Both of you!” Isa cried.

Remus turned around and forced his fist
into Rayal’s stomach before tossing him carelessly to the ground, looming over
him as he coughed, trying to scramble to his feet.

“Remus! Enough!”

The Silver Elite rounded on Isa and was
about to push her against the wall once more when Rayal shoved all of his
bodyweight into the Silver Elite’s side and both sprawled to the ground. The
caretaker lifted his fist and punched the Silver Elite twice in the face before
Remus fist raised and he punched Rayal.

Remus felt his fist connect with the high
part of Rayal’s cheekbone, the bone giving way under his altered strength and
collapsing inward, blood immediately erupting from his eye as he let out pained
cry and rolled to the floor, his hands going to his face.

Remus scrambled to his feet, looming over
the groaning caretaker, his fists still clenched in anger.

“Stop!” Isa bellowed, leaping at Remus.
However, the Silver Elite swept the Golden Elite aside, causing her to collide
with the wall with an audible thud, disorienting her.

Seeing Isa hit the wall caused Remus to
return to his senses slightly. He turned away from Rayal and went to Isa, fear
consuming him.

“Isa!”

However, a figure darted between him and
the recovering Golden Elite. Both Isa and Remus stared in surprise at Rayal,
who stood on shaky feet, his arms spread to shield the Golden Elite, his breath
heaving as he cringed, copious amounts of blood pouring down his face.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” he growled.

Remus looked over the damage he had caused
Rayal and then turned to Isa.

“Isa, I didn’t mean—”

“Get out, Remus,” Isa said, standing, her
expression cold and pale. “Get the fuck out. If you ever touch me again, I will
kill you myself.”

Isa reached up to her ear and told the
phone to call an EMU. Once she had placed the call, she rounded on Remus again.

“I told you to get out!” she bellowed,
shoving Remus. “Get out!!”

Remus left, though he stood in the
hallway for several long moments, his eyes distantly lost in the floor, trying
to recall how things had escalated so quickly.

Isa ran back to Rayal, who had collapsed
to the floor and pulled him into her lap, holding his head gingerly and trying
to assess the damage, pressing her hand gingerly over the wound.

“Just hold on,” she whispered. “The EMU
will be here soon.”

Six hours of reconstructive surgery and
Isa finally received the news that Rayal was going to survive. They were not
sure if the original eye, which they managed to save, would ever be able to
function properly again, but they would reconstruct his eye at a later time, if
he wished.

The doctors also told her that Rayal’s
internal organs were under an enormous amount of stress. They were worried that
he was suffering from an autoimmune disease and his body was attacking itself,
but they had to run more tests before they could determine the problem.

Isa stood outside Rayal’s room, watching
a nurse take notes on a few of the monitors hooked to the unconscious caretaker
through the observation window. It was very early in the morning, so the
hallway was deserted apart from the Golden Elite.

When the door opened at the end of the
hall, and Isa heard boots approaching, she closed her eyes and suppressed the
shiver that ran through her body.

“What an impressive show,” his cold voice
said at her ear, his breath fanning over her skin. She turned her head away
from him, cringing as he stepped behind her.

“How did you get in here?”

“You underestimate me, my dear,” he
breathed. “He showed such loyalty to you,” Colonel Amori said, glancing in the
room. Isa turned her eyes back to Rayal. “It is a rare trait to find. Aren’t
you fortunate.” He chuckled. “I wonder what he would do if he realized that you were the one who actually put him
here in the hospital with his face nearly destroyed.”

Isa stared at Rayal, recalling all the
times that the caretaker cared for her, being sure to pick up the sleeping
Elite when she pulled all-nighters at the Syndicate, or bringing food to be
sure she ate when she was working. She recalled the late nights when he would
just sit with her and talk about mundane things to help her unwind. She
remembered the jokes and the shared dinners. Rayal had become a very important
part of her life.

“To think,” Colonel Amori continued, “had
you not upset Remus, this might not have happened.”

Isa felt her body tense, but she did not
turn to look at the Colonel.

“Of course, we could go so far as to say
that, had Remus not been degenerate, he would not have the temper to do so much
damage. Oh, but wait,” Isa could feel the smile in the Colonel’s voice, “you
saved his life, didn’t you? So, had you let him be executed, he would not have
done this, either. It really does come back to you in the end, doesn’t it?”

Colonel Amori pressed his cheek to the
side of Isa’s face.

“You are doing beautifully, my dear,” he
said. “You’re tearing apart the Syndicate without my guidance, and everyone is
losing faith in the Elites after the extended period of silence when Saera was
destroyed. You are so predictable. Trying to keep up appearances when the truth
is, you’re no longer running Tiao—I am.”

Isa closed her eyes, her stomach
flipping.

“And I plan to rip this planet apart and
show the Altereye System what true power is.”

The Golden Elite swallowed hard, staring
into the room once more. Colonel Amori, seeing her unwavering gaze, turned to
Rayal.

“The poor boy is going to be in pain for
months, if not years, after that. And just in time to see you fall as you tear
the Syndicate further apart.”

“I’ll kill you for this,” Isa whispered.

“You can try,” Colonel Amori said. He
pressed his body to her, and she choked back her disgusted response. “You
forget who has the power here.”

He pressed his hand against her hip,
holding the handle that controlled the microbionic cells.

“Should I do it?” he breathed. “Should I
save him from suffering?”

Isa did not respond, acutely aware of his
hand as he pressed the handle to her buttock.

“No…not yet,” Colonel Amori said. He
kissed her cheek. “But soon, my dear. Soon.”

For three weeks, the Syndicate limped
along with Isa not speaking and Remus angrily avoiding everyone. The Bronze
Elites did their best to keep the affairs of the planet in order and fend off
questions from other planets about Saera and how it would affect trade, taxes,
and a slew of other problems.

There were rumors flying around about Isa
losing her mind, suffering from dementia or some other mental disorder that had
her jumping at every sound, appearing so sickly, and pushing them away whenever
they tried to ask what was going on.

But Dr. Busen could not get her to come
in for an examination. Nor could Paul.

Instead, the Bronze Elites felt like the
planet was entirely on their shoulders. When strange codes and files began
appearing in the mainframe, causing viruses to put down the Syndicate for
several days, they were sure that things were on the verge of total collapse.

They all knew that Isa was hiding
something.

One day, at a meeting, Isa collapsed,
which gave the Elites an excuse to call the hospital and have her admitted.

Dr. Busen ran every test he could while
she was unconscious, finding her severely malnourished, her heart beating
irregularly, and her blood pressure so low she had passed out from staying
upright so long.

Once she awoke, she demanded to be let
out of the hospital, and despite everyone’s protestations, Venus granted her
leave from the hospital because another virus had ransacked the Syndicate
communications board, making it impossible for them to contact any foreign
planet, though other planets could contact Tiao. Venus needed Isa back at the
Syndicate to work on fixing the problem.

However, Isa seemed to be unable to
figure out the virus.

Rayal was released from the hospital
three weeks after his surgery. He was still weak and tests were still being run
to determine what illness he had, but he was allowed to return to Isa’s service.

When he appeared in the house, he was
startled to see Colonel Amori in the living room with Isa.

“Welcome home, Rayal,” Isa said, forcing
a weak smile.

“Forgive me for disturbing you,” Rayal
said, glancing at Colonel Amori. There was something about the man that
disturbed him greatly, but he could not determine what. He recalled—what he
assumed was a hallucination—seeing Colonel Amori standing behind Isa when she
was looking in on him at the hospital. Ever since, he could not stop thinking
about the cold eyes of the Gihoric leader.

“Are you feeling better?” Colonel Amori
asked, as though he had known Rayal for years.

“Yes, thank you,” Rayal lied. He bowed
his head and walked to his room, but stopped on the other side of the door to
the guest hall. Something felt very wrong about having the other planetary
leader in the home.

He pressed his ear to the door, but he
could not determine their conversation. However, he did hear the tone of Isa’s
phone. Her muffled voice sounded once more and then the sound of footsteps
coming toward the door.

Rayal ducked into his room, glancing at
the security monitors as Isa walked out of the living room and down the guest
hallway, through the pool area and making her way back to her office to receive
a call.

Rayal turned to watch Colonel Amori, who
was sitting in the living room, bored. He glanced at his wrist several times
and then pulled out his phone, staring at it intensely for several long
minutes. Rayal watched every movement, waiting for something, though he did not
know what.

For the first time in months, Rayal did
not feel like he was walking around in a fog, and even though he was still
getting used to barely being able to see out of his left eye, his mind felt
clearer.

He watched intently, never tearing his
eyes away from the Gihoric leader.

After ten minutes of sitting in the
living room, looking at his phone, Colonel Amori groaned and stood.

“Where the fuck is she?”

Rayal tensed.

He watched Colonel Amori walk across the
living room toward the guest hall, as though he had lived there his entire
life.

Rayal walked out of his room, stepping in
front of the Colonel, his eyes sharp.

“Out of my way,” Colonel Amori ordered.

“No,” Rayal said. “You are not permitted
into the rest of the home. It is custom.”

“Fuck your custom,” Colonel Amori
snapped, trying to push past him. Rayal was startled by his demeanor, but he
jumped in front of the foreign leader once more.

“I must insist.”

“You?”
Colonel Amori scoffed. “You insist when you couldn’t even stand up to Remus?”

Rayal’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know
about that?”

“Get out of my way.”

“No,” Rayal snarled. “You stay away from
her. You even think about harming her, and I will kill you.”

Colonel Amori laughed, the sound sending
chills down Rayal’s spine.

“That’s quite the joke,” he said. “Hate
to break it to you, kiddo, but it’s a few months too late for that.” He reached
up and pat Rayal’s cheek. “But it’s cute that you think you can stand up to
me.”

Rayal smacked his hand away and pushed
the foreign leader back.

“You stay the fuck away from her, you
asshole.”

Colonel Amori reached into his sleeve and
pulled out a small blade, grabbing Rayal’s shoulder and pulling the caretaker
onto the knife.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand that,” Colonel
Amori said. He removed the blade and stabbed Rayal again, causing the
caretaker’s body to slip into shock. There was no pain, yet. Rayal could only
take in the situation with wide eyes. “Did you say to stay away from her? You
clearly don’t know who you’re talking to.”

He dropped the caretaker unceremoniously
to the ground and stood over him with the bloody knife.

Rayal, with one arm wrapped around his
stomach, lifted his hand to his ear and pressed for his phone.

“Isa!” he gasped. “Get out of the
building! Now! You’re in danger!”

Colonel Amori chuckled and crouched next
to him.

“You’re a bit slow,” he said, smiling
darkly. “Isa is under my control
now,” he stated. “She listens only to me.”

Rayal cringed, trying to stay conscious
as his body began tingling. He groaned and closed his eyes, pressing his finger
to his phone once more.

“Emergency,” he hissed. “Anon
Tower…Golden Elite…”

“What a pesky little thing you are,”
Colonel Amori groaned, lifting his knife again.

The door opened on the other side of the
hall and Isa darted forward, immediately grabbing the Colonel and pulling him
backward, away from Rayal.

The Colonel turned and his fist and the
handle of the knife connected with Isa’s cheek. The Elite fell to the ground,
the Colonel, kicking her in the stomach again.

“You want a repeat of this? Fine.”

He kicked her several times, Rayal’s
eyelids fluttering violently as he slipped into unconsciousness, the automated
voice on the phone telling him that they were locked onto his location and they
would be there in three minutes

Isa did not fight back as the Colonel
rained blows on her body. She was tired, and merely happy that the Colonel’s
temper was directed to her and not Rayal. In her mind, she deserved the
beating, for not doing her duty and protecting the planet from Colonel Amori.
She felt helpless and powerless, unable to help those in her close circle, let
alone those who looked to her for guidance and protection, such as those in
Saera.

A soft chime went off at the door and Colonel
Amori quickly went to his knees next to Isa, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Elite Isa? Can you hear me?” he called,
gently shaking her.

She wanted to spit at him for pulling
such an act.

The door to the guest hall opened and
Officials and EMU team members swarmed forward.

“Elite Isa? What happened?”

Isa was too tired and in too much pain to
answer.

“I found her like this,” Colonel Amori
said, his eyes wide and frantic. “I don’t know what happened. First she walked
back here and then Elite Remus, and the caretaker. I heard noises, but…” He
shook his head, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly.

“Where is Silver Elite Remus?” one
Official asked.

“I don’t know,” Colonel Amori said,
shaking his head.

“Okay, back away from her,” the Official
said. Colonel Amori obeyed and Isa closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep to
escape the hell that had become her life.

When the Syndicate was notified of the
attack, and the statement from Colonel Amori about what had happened, panic and
confusion set in.

Chronus went to Maki’s office, finding
Anders, Aolee, and Hana already there.

“What the hell is going on these days?”
Chronus murmured. “Rayal just got out of the hospital today, and now he’s back in because of multiple stab wounds?”

“Isa was beaten as well, though it seems
the knife wasn’t used on her,” Maki added. “Colonel Amori found them. He was
over there discussing terms.”

“Like he’s been doing for the last how
many months?” Hana groaned.

“He said Remus was there as well,” Anders
said. “After the rape accusations last month…I’m starting to wonder if they’re
both losing it.”

“You think he did it?” Chronus asked.

“I’m just saying that he was the one to
put Rayal in the hospital to begin with, and he and Isa did get into a heated
argument to the point where he struck her.”

“But it’s Remus,” Aolee murmured. “He would sooner kill himself than beat Isa
like that.”

“It doesn’t make much sense,” Maki
agreed.

“But you saw the footage from the night
Venus said he raped Isa. He hasn’t been gentle with her lately.” Anders pointed
out. “I don’t know, I’m just thinking that maybe we shouldn’t allow Remus near
her for a while.”

“He’s the Silver Elite. We can’t exactly
tell him to stay away,” Chronus said.

“Do we have any proof that he was the one
who did this?” Maki pressed. “Did we trace him? Where was he when this
happened?”

When no one answered, Maki turned to his
chair and did a quick search. When he saw the answer, he showed it to everyone
else.

“He was here…” Aolee murmured.

“Who else has access to that level that
could do this?” Hana asked, confused.

Chronus looked thoughtful.

“…maybe they didn’t need to have access,”
he whispered. “Maybe the attacker was already there.” He looked at Maki. “What
was the date of Colonel Amori’s arrival?”

The Elites of the Syndicate were not
performing as expected on their work, all distracted by other things. Remus was
steering clear of everyone, constantly replaying the night that he had hurt Isa
and put Rayal in the hospital. The Bronze Elites were doing intense
investigations of their own, looking into the Colonel’s arrival on the planet,
and when things started getting bad around the Syndicate.

Isa was just trying to hold onto what was
left of her sanity.

One day, Maki walked into her office,
smiling gently when he saw her sitting at her desk, with her head in her hands.

“Still have a headache?” he asked
lightly.

She lifted her head, nodding.

“When is your next appointment with Dr.
Busen?”

“Next week.”

“Do you want me to call and see if we can
get you in today or tomorrow?”

“No, it’s alright,” Isa assured. She
forced a smile. “What can I help you with?”

“Well,” Maki started, “I wanted to show
you something.” He walked to Isa’s desk, setting his tablet down in front of
her and leaning over to point to certain parts of the screen. “Here’s what I’ve
been able to find about Saera,” he said. “First, this generator was hit, but
the damage on the generator showed that it was not an internal problem. It was hit
by something from the east side,” he motioned with his finger, “which struck
it, caused damage to the casing, allowed oxygen in, and caused the first
explosion. But the second reaction, the one that hit his central generator, the
damage was not as severe to the casing, meaning it wasn’t as powerful. It was a
Charge Blast, likely fired from the Uran-East Bunker, which is the closest
place where a Charge Blast could still be used.”

“I see…”

“What is strange is that, when I traced
the Charge Blast records from the Uran-East Bunker log, I found that there was
an override the day before the explosion that disabled its safety codes. The
override was coded in Gihoric.”

Isa looked up quickly, her eyes wide.
Maki was watching her carefully.

“…what are you trying to say?” Isa
whispered.

“That maybe you didn’t appoint the wrong Elites to your Syndicate,” Maki murmured.
“And you need us to figure out what is going on so that we can help you.”

Isa swallowed hard, a small glimmer of
hope sparking in her chest. She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes.

“I need help, Maki…” she breathed.

“Tell me how to help,” Maki said. “Keep
researching? Or something more drastic?”

“This is a very dangerous situation,” Isa
whispered. “Please, keep quiet, but do what you can.”

Maki’s hands suddenly shoved everything
off the desk, grabbing the edge and turning it over.

Isa let out a startled cry, scrambling to
her feet and running out of the office.

She knew, immediately, that Colonel Amori
had triggered the microbionic cells. Soon, all the Elites would be swarming
around her. She knew that the moment she revealed that she needed help, Colonel
Amori would remind her how powerless she was.

“Isa! Isa! Wait!” Maki said, his voice
betraying his confusion. “I don’t know what’s going on!”

Isa darted out the door, slamming the
close button and going to the staircase. Maki pried his hands into the door and
forced it open, bending it with his altered strength.

“Isa!” he bellowed.

Isa tripped half-way down the stairs and
tumbled to the stair landing, her breath forced from her as she landed on her
back. She tried to get up, but her body was weak and shaking. She forced
herself to sit upright, but only had time to back against the wall before
Maki’s hand grabbed her neck and squeezed.

“I’m sorry…” she whimpered. “I’m sorry…”

Maki’s fingers relaxed immediately and he
backed away, looking at his hands in horror before looking over his Golden
Elite.

“Isa…” he whispered. “Isa…I’m so sorry,
I-I don’t—”

“Get away from me!!” she bellowed,
curling forward and tucking her knees into her chest. The other Elites, who had
run toward the stairs to get to her office when the cells were triggered, stood
still at the bottom of the landing, watching the Golden Elite sit and shake
against the wall while they could only stare and wonder what had possessed them
to run to her.

Maki was determined to get an emergency
status raised in the Syndicate. He continued to submit reports to Venus stating
that there was clearly a problem that needed to be addressed, but the messages
were never replied to, and when Maki tried to find them again, he could not.
They had been deleted.

Maki rallied the Bronze Elites, telling
them that they all needed to try different avenues to get a message to Venus or
to other planets for assistance, explaining to anyone that their leader was
being held hostage. However, still, they could not send transmissions to other
planets.

That was when the Syndicate realized they
were being primed for a planetary invasion.

They worked diligently, trying to keep
their work secret while still discussing what they had found. The more research
they did into the Colonel, the more they believed that he was the culprit.
However, they needed proof, and a means to reach Venus.

Isa would walk by the Elites, sharing a
silent look with them. Now that they were looking, they could see her silent
plea for help.

One day, Isa received a call from the
Colonel at her work.

“I’ve been working very hard on a
surprise for you,” he said when she answered the phone.

“I hate surprises.”

“But this is a very important one,” he
said. “Your Elites have been trying to order my investigation and arrest.
Naturally, I’ve stopped all their transmissions to her, but their constant
attempts have given me much information about the way the Syndicate Building
works. It’s really an impressive feat of engineering, and it gives Venus a nice
base to branch out to the whole city.”

“Venus’ codes are not here,” Isa said
darkly. “I have told you a thousand times.”

“Yes, you have,” he agreed. “But I’m not
talking about her codes. Just her network. You know, if properly programmed,
she could be quite the weapon.”

Isa hesitated, the words causing fear to
settle in her gut.

“What?”

“You really should go look downstairs,
Isa,” Colonel Amori whispered. “Your surprise is waiting for you.”

Isa stood, walking out of her office and
downstairs to the main control room, not sure what to expect, her anxiety
increasing with every step.

However, there was nothing outside the
ordinary in the control room. She glanced around, ignoring the eyes of the
other Elites on her as they tried to concentrate on their work. Whenever the
Golden Elite came around the other Elites, everyone got nervous.

The phone in Isa’s ear beeped. She
connected the call but said nothing.

“Further down.”

Isa walked out of the control room and
went to the operator’s center.

When she walked in, she immediately
noticed how quiet it was.

She descended the final steps, nervous,
and looked around slowly. The robots and drones were moving around as normal.
But every human was still, slumped over their desk or fallen on the floor,
their eyes wide, their faces pale.

Isa let out a choked cry and backed up,
her hand covering her mouth as she pressed her body against the wall.

“I wouldn’t stay down there too long,”
Colonel Amori said in her ear. “Carbon monoxide will kill you if you’re exposed
too long.”

“How did you…what…”

“I told Venus that the operators were
plotting against her that they were the reason for all the viruses in her
mainframe, and then I gave her the codes to reverse her air filtration system
for this level to neutralize the threat.”

Isa’s heart stopped.

“…you weaponized her…”

“I did,” Colonel Amori said with a
chuckle. “This is just a little reminder of who you really obey. Don’t let your
Bronze Elites do anything stupid. Once I have her reprogrammed, this planet
will be mine.”

Isa quickly ran up the stairs, darting
through the control room and to her office. She immediately went to her NCB
chair and issued an official order for evacuation of the building due to
noxious gas.

As the alarms began sounding, alerting
everyone to exit the building in an orderly manner, Isa ran to her desk, her
breath short. She grabbed the gun from under her desk and checked the
ammunition. Then, she put it under her uniform and ran to the stairs, entering
the control room only to take one of the hidden exits before anyone could see
her.

She got to her car and anxiously sat in
it as it sped toward Anon Tower. She acutely felt the gun at her side, but it
solidified her determination. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the
various dead, pale faces of the operators and human employees of the Syndicate.
She felt a strong sensation tightening her stomach and chest, making it hard to
breathe. Her eyes felt hot as she stared at the road ahead.

When she got to Anon Tower, the car
immediately went into her car elevator for her level, and she sat and waited as
the car ascended, the door finally opening to the hallway outside her home. She
walked out and continued down the hallway until she reached the other elevator,
pressing the button for the level she wanted.

By the time the doors to the elevator
opened, revealing the hallway of apartments within Anon Tower, Isa’s vision had
become tunneled.

She walked directly to the door of
Colonel Amori’s quarters, overriding the lock and walking in, her eyes sharp
around the room.

However,
he was not there.

She checked every room before moving to
the room next door, where his delegates were staying. She had suspected that he
had sent the delegates back secretly to Gihron so that they would not interfere
with his plans of taking over. She now figured that Colonel Amori was hiding in
the other room, always watching her.

She overrode the lock and the door
opened.

She was immediately overpowered by the
horrific stench. It was thick and heavy, turning her stomach over repeatedly,
but it was a stench she knew from her distant times in the lab where Elites
were made. It was the smell of death.

She pulled the gun out, preparing to
attack as she walked further into the living room.

The horror within was nothing she could
have prepared for.

The delegates were dead, all four of them
hanging from a beam in the ceiling above overturned furniture and scattered
plaster. They were naked, their skin dehydrated and cracked from weeks of
decay, their faces contorted in gruesome expressions.

In the skin on their chests were deformed
words, carved into the skin.

“Death
to Tiao.”

One word for each body, the fourth body
bearing the planetary symbol for Gihron—a circle with a twelve-pointed star.

Isa retreated behind the corner again,
pressing her back to the wall and sliding down, her legs giving out from under
her. She closed her eyes tight, but the image was seared into her brain.

She lifted the gun and pressed it to her
temple, pushing hard against the skin of her forehead, cringing in a pain she
could not describe. She felt the barrel of the gun against her head, her hand
shaking as she pushed it harder against her skull.

Her entire being was shaking, sitting in
the silence, trying to make sense of what her reality had become.

Isa let out a pained sob and dropped her
hand, shaking and choking as her body reacted to the stress without tears.

Isa knew she was breaking apart.

But she could only sit and feel her seams
rip open as pain tore through her.

Two nights after the operators were found
dead, Isa, who had been mandated to stay away from the Syndicate Building while
the final inspections were completed, was called down to the level where
Colonel Amori had been staying.

She tried to ignore the shaking of her
body as she stood in the elevator while it descended. She contemplated not
responding to Colonel Amori’s request, but she did not want him in her home
again when he came to retrieve her. Therefore, she obeyed, going to him,
feeling half-asleep and on the verge of collapse.

She walked into his room, trying not to
think of the horrors in the adjacent room. She looked around, unable to find
the Colonel, so she walked further back into the apartment, finding him in the
bedroom, staring intently at the computer screen as he sat at the desk next to
the tousled bed. He did not even turn to acknowledge her.

“You’ve been moving a lot slower lately,”
he stated simply.

Isa did not respond.

“At least the evacuation has kept your
Bronze Elites from doing anything stupid, but tomorrow will be the real test,
won’t it? Back to work again?”

“What do you want?” Isa asked tiredly.

Colonel Amori stood and turned to her.

“I almost have all her codes in place to
completely weaponized her. Now, not only will she be able to establish
“credible” threats, but she’ll be able to neutralize them.”

“Venus was not created to be a weapon,”
Isa said. “You’ve destroyed her.”

“You and I have a very different
definition of a weapon,” Colonel Amori said. “She was already a weapon. Just
because she couldn’t immediately take human life does not mean she was not a weapon.” He stopped in front of the
Elite, smiling darkly. “But I can’t weaponize, or shut her down properly, if I
don’t have her source coding.” His smile widened. “Which you have.”

Isa stared at him impassively and he
chuckled.

“I’ve been patient with you. But now, I
want those codes.”

“I refuse.”

“I didn’t give you the option to refuse,”
he said darkly, his eyes turning dangerous. “Or do I need to remind you that I
hold the life of your Elites, your caretaker, and all of Anon in my hands?”

“You do not need to remind me,” Isa said
tiredly.

“Then you will give me those codes now.”

“No.”

“I will destroy your Syndicate,” he
warned.

“Go ahead,” Isa said, shaking her head.
“You’ve already done most of the damage as it is.”

“Oh, what’s this? Giving up? Or is this
some play for dominance?”

“You can destroy the Syndicate, Anon, the
Elite Academy, but I refuse to be aid to you as you morph the artificial
intelligence on this planet to be a weapon with which to terrorize the system.
Now, you’re not only destroying my planet, but the rest of the system, whether
the planets are in the Alliance or not.” Isa shook her head. “I will not allow
you to become the tyrant of the Altereye System.”

“This is an interesting change of
character,” Colonel Amori noted. “I was not expecting this reaction.” He looked
her over. “You know I can take them by force.”

“Try it.”

He lunged forward, grabbing her by her
neck and throwing her onto the bed. She tried to roll off the bed, but he
grabbed her and yanked her back, climbing on top of her and pinning her down,
one hand around her throat. Her arms flailed wildly, trying to hit or scratch
him, but he backed away, laughing darkly.

“You think I don’t have power over you?”
he asked. His other hand went down and angrily ripped open her uniform,
pressing sharply on the area where he knew the processor was, where he could
copy Venus’ source codes that were stored within the Golden Elite’s body. “You
think I couldn’t take what I wanted from you?”

Isa kicked her legs, but her body was
weak from starvation, lack of sleep, and stress. She felt her struggle being
easily overpowered and fear began to consume her.

“Remember,” he said darkly, moving his
hand to reach between her legs, angrily grabbing her, “I own you. All of you. And I will take what I
want.”

Isa’s hand to the desk next to the bed
and found the magnifying lamp used in manufacturing and programming. Her hand
closed around the lamp and she brought it, with all her strength, into Colonel
Amori’s head. The glass shattered, some going into his eye and causing him to
yelp and reel backwards. He tried to brace himself on the bed, but his hand
went into the glass shards that were still attached to the top of the metal
frame

Isa’s arm swung back sharply and slashed
the Gihoric rule across the neck and chest, slicing into his skin and causing
blood to soak the front of his shirt. He gasped and rolled away.

“You bitch!”
he bellowed. “I’ll kill you!”

Isa was immediately after him, lifting
the sharp broken base of the lamp into the air before angrily plunging it into
his side. He yelled and contorted, rolling away once more and onto the hard
floor, landing on the open wound and letting out a cry of pain.

Isa leapt on him, raising the broken base
of the lamp and repeatedly stabbing his chest and torso. She could not feel the
blood that splattered onto her face and neck. Her body was moving as if on
instinct, destroying the one who had been torturing her.

When her weak hand released the base of
the lamp, her fist still continued the motion, slamming into the corpse of the
Gihron leader, breaking few ribs.

Finally, Isa stopped, her body shuddering
violently as she collapsed on the floor, barely finding the strength in her
limbs to remain upright next to the body.

She turned her eyes onto her hands,
seeing the blood that soaked her skin, dripping down her arms and staining the
ripped front of her uniform. Slowly, she lifted her hands to her face and bent
forward, her body shaking. She did not care about the blood. She covered her
face with her hands, the silence of the room ringing in her ears.

The following day Isa returned to the
Syndicate, but her head was low and her body was shaking uncontrollably. She
had spent the entire night angrily washing her body over and over again, trying
to get rid of the blood under her fingernails and in her hair. She then burned
her clothes on the balcony, watching the flames intensely, every muscle tense.

Then, she paced around her bedroom for
five hours before she was expected at work.

But even as she dressed and prepared to
go to the Syndicate, she felt no more ready to handle seeing the other Elites.

Isa had no idea how she was going to tell
anyone about what happened. There was a part of her that believed she had not
killed Colonel Amori, only angered him further to the point where he would flip
the switch on the black handle and send all the Elites after her to kill her,
forcing her to kill them to save her own life.

She could hardly remember dismantling and
destroying the handle the previous night before tearing the room apart to find
the second trigger for destroying Anon. She was not sure if it had been a
dream, or if she had, in fact, destroyed both triggers.

With her entire body in a high state of
stress, she felt as though she was about to break.

She managed to get past the control room
without anyone seeing and stopping her, but as she was climbing the stairs,
refusing to stand still long enough to use the elevator, she caught Remus on
the floor below hers.

“Isa,” he said quietly, surprised to see
her. She jumped, her eyes wide and frantic as she stared at him. “Are…what is
it?”

“Nothing,” she said quickly. She turned
to walk up the stairs, but Remus called her attention again.

“Isa,” he said. She stopped, her
shoulders tense as she debated with herself about turning around to talk to him
or if she should just run up to her office. She felt as if her world was
spinning very fast around her, about ready to collapse into chaos. “I have the
reports on what they found for the building.”

“Oh?”

“Do you want to see them?”

Isa turned around slowly. That was when
Remus noticed that Isa’s body was rocking back and forth shallowly, her
breathing short. He stepped back, nervous.

“Why don’t you come here into the hall
and look?” he suggested.

Slowly, Isa walked to him, her steps
short and her exhales shaking as she stepped closer. Remus watched her move,
terrified.

“Are you…do you need to go to the
hospital?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” Isa blurted.

“You’re clearly not.”

“I said I’m fine. Just…just tell me what
you want to tell me and then let me go.”

Remus blinked, the words frightening him.

“I’m not holding you here, Isa,” he said
slowly. “You can leave if you really want. You’re starting to scare me. What’s
going on?”

“Nothing is going on,” Isa said darkly.
“Just, tell me. Okay? I need…”

“What do you need?”

“…I don’t know,” Isa whispered, her voice
breaking. “This needs to be over.”

“What needs to be over?”

“…everything…” Isa’s voice choked and her
body began shaking so violently Remus was about to call an EMU for the Golden
Elite. Isa could feel the Colonel watching her. She knew he was waiting for the
moment to activate the microbionic cells and send the Elites after her. She
could feel the anticipation building and it was choking her.

“Isa,” Remus hissed. “Isa, look at me.”

“…I can’t do this…”

Her legs began giving out from under her
and Remus grabbed her arm, pulling her up, his hands gripping her shoulders,
trying to keep her standing.

But Isa was sure that Colonel Amori had
activated the cells.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, shoving at
him weakly and falling to the ground when Remus released her in surprise. She
clamored to her feet, turning to run to the stairs, but her legs gave out at
the top and she pitched forward, tumbling down the staircase, her left arm slamming
against the railing and snapping instantly. She came to an abrupt halt, face
down, on the landing.

“Isa!” Remus cried, descending the stairs
after her. The commotion was heard by the other Elites, and they quickly went
to the staircase.

Isa saw Remus rushing after her and her
fear tripled. She forced herself to her feet again and struggled down the next
flight of stairs to the next level. She darted onto the walkway but stopped
instantly when she saw the gathering of Elites coming to inspect the noise. She
let out a pained sound and sank to her knees in the middle of the walkway,
looking around frantically as the faces of her Syndicate came closer, their
eyes showing their fear and concern, their fast actions terrifying her.

Isa glanced over her shoulder, cradling
her broken arm, and saw the control room through the glass railing.

In a terrified daze, Isa moved her legs
under her just as the other Elites reached for her and she pushed all of her
bodyweight into the glass panel, her body falling with the shattered glass to
the floor below, connecting with the computers in the center platform of the
control room with an audible crunch.

Her world went black.

Nearly twenty-eight hours of agonized
waiting passed before the Elites heard anything about Isa. No one slept,
sitting around the waiting room, fidgeting uncontrollably and getting up
whenever they could not handle sitting.

The nurses and orderlies avoided the
room, glancing in every now and then to check on the Elites.

The entire hospital staff was aware that
there had been a horrible accident at the Syndicate and that Elite Isa was in
critical condition, but no one knew details. However, nurses and other doctors
went in and out of the large operating room, relieving one another for sleep as
Dr. Busen worked diligently through the entire twenty-seven hour procedure.

As it neared twenty-eight hours since Isa
had been rushed to the hospital, another doctor slowly walked into the room,
holding her tablet to her chest, worried about breaking the news to the
Syndicate.

As she approached, everyone who had been
sitting swarmed around her.

“How is she?” Remus asked quickly.

“The damage was very extensive,” she said
nervously. “Fractured arm, eight broken ribs, a fractured hip, both clavicles
shattered, and the left side of her skull was damaged severely.” She took a
deep breath, closing her eyes and swallowing hard. “Dr. Busen reconstructed
everything, but we do not know if she will make it through the night.”

All the Elites felt the pain radiate
through their bodies.

“The next twenty-four hours are the most
critical,” the doctor continued. “We will have her on constant watch, and we
will let you know of any changes. If she makes it through the night, her
chances of recovery greatly increase.”

“May we speak with Dr. Busen?” Chronus
pressed.

“Not at the moment,” she said. “He’s
sleeping. When he wakes I will let him know that you wish to speak with him. If
you would like to return home, we can contact you with any news.”

“Thank you,” Remus murmured.

The doctor bowed her head and left the
room.

The Elites turned to one another.

“What do we do?” Anders asked.

“We’ll take shifts being here and being at
the Syndicate,” Remus said, his eyes distant on the ground. “For now, we just
say that she’s busy and that is why no one has seen her.”

“And if she…”

“We’ll prepare a statement if that
happens,” Remus said shortly. The other Elites dropped their eyes. “It’s only
one day until we know her chances,” he continued. “We’ll take shifts being here
until we receive news. No one discuss what happened.”

“Someone has to tell Rayal,” Anders
murmured.

“I’ll do it,” Maki offered.

“Thank you, Maki,” Remus said. “Decide
among yourselves who will go home and who will stay.”

When the Elites had determined their
shifts, Maki went to Rayal’s room, where the caretaker had been recovering from
the stabbing.

“Rayal,” Maki greeted, his voice
strained.

“Elite Maki…” Rayal said, setting his
tablet aside, surprised by the Elite’s visit. When he looked over the Bronze
Elite’s exhausted expression, his heart fell. “What is it?”

“There has been an incident,” Maki
started slowly, “with Isa.”

“What? What happened?” Rayal demanded.

“I think…I think she suffered a psychotic
episode,” he murmured, his eyes dropping to the ground. “She started running
away from everyone, she fell down the stairs and broke her arm. Then, when she
stopped in the hallway…” He swallowed hard. “She threw herself through the
glass railing into the control room—two stories. She crashed into the center
platform.”

Rayal let out a shaky breath and lifted a
hand to his mouth, his eyes wide.

“Is she…she’s not…”

“Dr. Busen just performed extensive surgery
to try and repair the damage,” Maki continued quietly. “They say that, if she
survives the next twenty-four hours, it’s more likely that she’ll recover.”

Rayal felt the tears gathering in his
eyes. He tried to swallow them back, but they still spilled down his cheeks,
causing his damaged eye to burn, but he did not care.

“It has something to do with that bastard
Colonel Amori,” Rayal ground out behind his teeth. “It has to.”

“Are you sure?”

“I know he had something to do with
this,” he said, motioning to his stomach. “I can’t remember what, but I know he was involved. And there is no
way he’s not involved in this somehow. You have to keep her away from him.”

“Okay,” Maki said, seeing Rayal working
himself up. The Elite reached forward and put a calming hand on Rayal’s
shoulder. “We will do everything we can to protect her. We’ll keep her away
from Colonel Amori. I promise.”

Rayal nodded slowly, taking a deep
breath.

As Maki walked back out to the waiting
room, he felt his stomach twisting irritably. He had known that the Colonel was
dangerous, particularly with the way Isa reacted when he brought up Saera and
Isa tried to plead with him for help. Being in the hospital, now haunted by the
image of Isa flying through the glass panel and colliding with center platform,
he kicked himself for not noticing the Colonel was a danger much sooner.

He approached Remus, standing in front of
the Silver Elite and swallowing hard.

“I need you to come with me to Anon
Tower.”

“Why?”

“I think I know why this happened.”

Remus straightened.

“I think Colonel Amori has been
blackmailing Isa somehow, and I think it’s finally become too much for her.”

“You’re on about this again?” the Silver
Elite said, groaning and rubbing his forehead.

“The timing is perfect, Remus, and you
should have seen the way she acted when I mentioned the Charge Blast on the
generators. Don’t you think it’s strange that they still haven’t reached settlement and we’ve heard nothing about their negotiations, yet we
find Isa beaten in the hallway of her own home and Rayal stabbed next to her?
He immediately pointed the finger at you.
Who’s to say that he wasn’t the one who changed the cameras in Isa’s room so
that Venus would see you two? Remus, we need to place him under arrest.”

Remus sighed, looking over Maki
seriously.

“Let’s at least speak to him and see if
we notice anything out of the ordinary,” he agreed.

“Fine, let’s go.”

“Right now?” Remus asked.

“Now,” Maki said strongly. “If he is the
reason she did this, we don’t want to give him the chance to run before we can
bring him to justice.”

Remus was about to protest, feeling like
he could not leave the hospital until he was sure that Isa would survive.
However, Chronus’ hand on his arm stopped him.

“We should probably get out of the
hospital for a little bit,” he suggested. “For your mental health.”

Remus paused, thinking about what Chronus
said, before he nodded slowly.

“Let’s go.”

Maki, Chronus, and Remus went to Anon
Tower and made their way to Colonel Amori’s quarters. As they approached the
door to Colonel Amori’s quarters, Chronus stopped and looked at the door where
the Gihron delegates were quartered.

“Hey,” he started, pointing at the door
when the other two turned to him, “did the other delegates leave? I haven’t seen
them in…over a month.”

“I don’t recall them leaving,” Remus
said, shaking his head.

“They must have,” Maki said.

Chronus looked at the door and started
forward.

“Let’s just make sure.”

He pressed the alarm on the door, but no
one answered. He then knocked, but still there was no answer.

“I guess they did leave,” Remus said,
stepping forward and pulling out an access card, passing it over the electronic
lock to override it. When his identity was confirmed, the door clicked open and
all three of them recoiled, backing across the hall, their hands over their
mouths as the stench overpowered them.

“What the hell?” Chronus choked.

Remus quickly went forward when he
recovered and stepped around the corner into the living room, where he stopped
in his tracks and his eyes went wide.

“Remus?” Maki asked, walking in with his
sleeve over his nose and mouth. “What—”

When both Bronze Elites saw the bodies
strung up on the ceiling with their ominous message, their hearts stopped.

“Fuck…” Remus breathed.

“Do you really think he did this to his
own men?” Maki hissed.

“They clearly didn’t do it themselves,”
Remus said, noting the disheveled state of the room. “Let’s go in there and
take this fucker down. I don’t care if we have to beat him into unconsciousness.
We can’t let this psycho run free.”

The three left the room, closing the door
behind them as they went into the next room, indicating a struggle. Remus
opened the door with the override code and they stepped in quietly, listening
for any noise from the Gihoric leader. When they heard nothing, they walked
further in. There were files and drives scattered around the room, stacked
high, some piles toppled to the ground.

“Where did he get all these?” Chronus
whispered.

“What information do they contain?” Maki
said, looking at the other Bronze Elite worriedly.

They walked through the living room and
kitchen, quiet and vigilant, waiting to hear signs of the Colonel moving.

Remus led them into the hallway leading
to the bedrooms and stopped at the door of the Colonel’s room. From his vantage
point, he could only see one boot on the floor in a huge pool of blood.

He darted in and turned the corner,
finding the Colonel’s corpse next to the bed, the bloodied lamp next to him.
Maki and Chronus followed the Silver Elite, staring in horror at the dead
foreign leader, their minds racing with thoughts about Colonel Amori’s relation
to General Decius, and the pride of the Gihrons. All five of the ambassadors
sent to Tiao were dead, killed in gruesome ways.

“Do you think…” Chronus looked at Remus,
unable to finish the question.

Maki walked forward carefully, reaching
down into Colonel Amori’s hand and pulling out some tangled strands of pristine
blonde hair from his fingers. He held them up, looking at the other Elites in
horror.

Remus lifted a hand to his mouth and
closed his eyes tightly.

“She was trying to tell us all along,
wasn’t she?” Chronus whispered. “And she finally couldn’t take it…”

Remus turned away from the body, cringing
as he tried to calm his breathing.

“We have to come up with a story,” Maki
said strongly. “To protect her, to protect our people.”

“We don’t know the entire story,” Chronus
said. “We don’t know what he did to Isa. If it was self-defense from the
ravings of a madman, perhaps—”

“No,” Remus said strongly.

“What?”

“This was General Decius’ younger
brother,” he said. “If we say that he was insane, that he attacked Isa, and she
killed him in self-defense, then he will deny it. He knew his brother his
entire life. He would say that there was no way he was crazy.”

“Clearly something was going on!” Chronus
snapped. “He killed his own men! Isn’t that proof?”

“These are Gihoric leaders we are dealing
with, it has nothing to do with the truth or proof or anything like that,”
Remus said darkly. “General Decius’ younger brother was murdered. That is all
that matters. The reason is irrelevant.”

“We need to cover this up, make it an
assassination by someone else. The other delegates need to be dealt with as
well, though that’s going to be much harder to cover up,” Maki mused.

“Do you think this is why she…” Chronus
swallowed hard.

The other two Elites fell silent,
wondering if Isa threw herself into the control room out of guilt.

Isa made it through the night and
everyone anxiously counted down the hours. Dr. Busen came out and spoke to all
of them, exhausted, Paul at his side as he tried to explain what he had done.
He was worried, and his voice broke as he discussed the procedure, showing how
difficult it had been on the doctor.

“If she survives…” he whispered, his eyes
lowering, “there is no guarantee that she will be able to function as she once
did.”

Isa made it through the first twenty-four
hours, but she did not wake, remaining in the coma for nearly two weeks.

During that time, the Elites were
informed of the carnage found within the two apartments of the Gihron
ambassadors. Each of them did their part in covering up what had happened,
making up a story to tell Gihron. When Isa was still not awake after the first
week following the incident, Remus broke the news to General Decius. He
explained that the cleaning maids had discovered Colonel Amori’s body as well
as the bodies of the other ambassadors. He said that they were doing everything
they could to apprehend the terrorists, a group that, he said, had been sending
threatening letters to the Syndicate against allying with Gihron.

General Decius was furious, bellowing at
the Elite that he asked Elite Isa to take care of his brother, to which Remus
stated that she had also been attacked in the same night and was in critical
condition.

The statement seemed to appease the
leader, but only slightly.

He angrily demanded that their bodies be
returned to Gihron, but Remus reminded him that bodies were not permitted to be
transported off-planet without cremation. General Decius demanded a full
autopsy report and then to have his brother’s ashes returned to the planet.

Remus asked Dr. Busen to do the autopsy,
stating that he was sure Isa had been the one to kill the Colonel. The doctor
agreed, and did as he was asked, being sure that any evidence that could damn
Isa for the crime was destroyed.

He then had the body cremated, watching
the flames angrily.

Remus took seven criminals that were
already sentenced for execution and pegged them as the terrorist group that had
murdered Colonel Amori. He sent the status of the investigation to General
Decius and the Gihoric leader demanded the criminals be put to death right
away. He was sure to be virtually present for the execution.

During the second week of Isa’s coma,
Tarah learned of the horrible incident. She had gone to see Isa for their
monthly lunch, since Tarah was at school and could not see the Elite all the
time, but she had been told by the other Elites at the Syndicate that Isa was
in the hospital.

She quickly rushed there, but Rayal,
still extremely ill and recovering from his wounds, kept her in the waiting
room, telling her that Isa was very sick and that it was not a good idea for
the young girl to see her. Tarah broke down, claiming that she knew Isa had
been sick and she did not say anything to anyone.

Rayal took her to Anon Tower and stayed
with her until she calmed.

In that time, Dr. Busen sat in the chair
in Isa’s room and watched the monitors, his chest tight.

At the end of the second week, Rayal was
sleeping in the chair in Isa’s room, a seat he had been occupying for over a
week, while Dr. Busen sat against the wall, his legs tucked into his chest and
his head resting on his knees, sleeping.

Paul walked into the room and looked at
the silent Isa, watching the monitors document her status. He then saw Rayal
and Dr. Busen sleeping and his heart fell. He walked to Dr. Busen and gently
shook him.

“Michael.”

The other doctor jumped awake, his eyes
wide, startled.

“What?”

Paul squeezed his shoulder. “Why don’t
you come home and get some sleep?”

“No,” Dr. Busen said, shaking his head
and straightening. “Not until she’s out of this coma.”

“Michael, you haven’t left this hospital
in two weeks. It’s not—”

“I can’t leave her here alone, Paul,” Dr.
Busen said, his voice straining. “I need to know that she will wake up. I want
to be here the moment she does.”

Paul let a small, sad smile tug at the
corners of his mouth. He sat next to Dr. Busen, putting an arm around his
shoulder and pulling him closer. Dr. Busen rested his head on Paul’s shoulder,
closing his eyes and falling back to sleep immediately.

Four hours later, Rayal shifted in his
seat and woke, confused and disoriented for several moments. He glanced at Dr.
Busen on the floor with Paul, sleeping against the younger doctor’s shoulder
while Paul rested his head against Dr. Busen’s, sleeping as well.

Rayal shifted as quietly as he could,
standing and stretching out the kinks in his body without jarring his abdomen.

He walked to Isa, looking her over, the
tears in his eyes.

“Come on, Isa,” he breathed. “You can’t
leave us like this…”

Isa did not move.

For twenty minutes, Rayal paced around
the room, timing his steps to the beeps on the heart monitor, his eyes down,
his arms crossed over his chest.

Suddenly, the rhythm of the beeping
changed and Rayal turned quickly to Isa.

When he saw her eyes opening and closing
slowly, he let out choked breath and ran to her side.

“Isa?” he whispered.

Isa’s eyes blinked slowly and her
breathing changed. One of her fingers twitched and Rayal felt his heart soar.

“Dr. Busen!” he gasped. “Doctor, wake
up!”

Both doctors jumped awake, startled. Dr.
Busen scrambled to his feet and ran to Isa’s other side, looking at her with
wide eyes. When he saw her blink the one eye that was not covered with
bandages, he put a hand over his mouth and his legs gave out from under him. He
sank to his knees at her bedside and took her hand tenderly.

“Isa…Isa, if you can hear me, and
understand me, let me know somehow…”

Isa’s eyes closed and she let out a
shuddered breath, her fingers slowly closing around the doctor’s hand.

Dr. Busen let out a sobbed laugh and bent
his head forward, pressing Isa’s hand to his forehead, breaking down in relief.

Isa was in the hospital for eight long
months. In that time, the people were notified that there had been a horrible
accident that had almost killed the Golden Elite, but she was recovering and
getting stronger every day.

But Isa got worse before she got better.

Now conscious, Isa could feel the pain of
her reconstruction surgery and it was agonizing. She would often cry out in
pain merely trying to shift in the bed. She went through physical therapy
several times a day. When she was in bed, quiet, Paul would sit next to her and
coax out the truth of what happened, Dr. Busen standing quietly behind the
younger doctor, listening.

Paul did not relay to anyone what Isa
told him until after he had heard the entire story, which it took several weeks
to get out of Isa. He explained to the Syndicate the beatings, the
microbionics, and what happened with Saera. He told them about Venus being
weaponized, and that Isa had been the one to kill Colonel Amori.

The Syndicate went about damage control,
all being tested and treated for the microbionic cells. In that time, they also
worked on removing the codes that allowed Venus to be weaponized, reprogramming
everything they could, though it was a very long process that left most of them
frustrated and exhausted.

Isa called the Syndicate to her hospital
room three months after the incident.

“There is something very important I want
to discuss with all of you,” she started quietly. “First of all, I must
apologize for the hell I have put all of you through since this started.” She
swallowed hard. “I should have handled things differently, and I take
responsibility for that. I hurt all of you, and I hurt myself in the process. I
wish I could take it all back.”

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

“This incident has proven to me that I am
not fit to lead Tiao,” she murmured. All the Elites straightened, their eyes
widening. “Therefore, I will be stepping down as Golden Elite.”

“Don’t you dare do that,” Chronus hissed.
“No, Isa, you did everything in your power to save as many lives as you could. We should apologize to you for not
understanding that you were asking for help. We learned too late that there was
a problem, and because of that…” he trailed off.

“I did not handle the situation
appropriately,” Isa said slowly. “I let personal interests guide my judgments.”

“How can you say that?” Maki whispered.
“You took a calculated risk and chose the option best for you and your people
at the time.”

“That’s correct,” Anders said strongly.
“You saved our lives, you saved the lives of everyone in Anon.”

“…not everyone,” Isa whispered. “The
operators of the Syndicate were killed because of me. And Saera…” She closed
her eyes. “I should have contained him the moment I understood he was
dangerous. I did not handle the situation as the Golden Elite should have.”

“No, you didn’t,” Remus agreed. He took
her hand, squeezing it. “You handled it like a leader. An Elite would have
immediately had him executed or arrested and risk war with Gihron, no matter
the reason. You tried to keep everything contained to save as many lives as
possible while not sparking a war with a very dangerous planet.”

“But I have,” Isa whispered. “I…I was the
one…” She took a sharp breath in and cringed. The other Elites looked at one
another before turning back to her.

“Isa, you have always been our leader,
friend, and colleague,” Hana said. “And you always will be. You cannot step
down. We have too much left to do, and you are the only one who can do it.”

Isa closed her eyes, leaning her head back
against the wall behind her headboard.

“I don’t think I can,” she murmured.

“We will stand behind you,” Anders said
strongly.

“You know that we will always be here for
you,” Aolee seconded.

Remus smiled at her, his eyes showing his
own pain.

“If you forget your strength, you can
always turn to us for support,” he said. “You are still the Golden Elite, and
you will remain so, because your Syndicate is standing with you, and we’ll
remind you of the leader you are.”

Isa looked at the gentle smiles and
determined eyes around the room. She let out a broken chuckle and shook her
head.

“You are all too good to me,” she
whispered.

The Syndicate Elites smiled wider, ready
to stand by their Golden Elite to the end, even knowing that, eventually,
Gihron would rear its head again.

Chapter
Thirty-Nine

Tensions were running very high at the
Syndicate Building as they prepared for General Decius’ arrival. Now knowing
what had happened six years previous, Kailynn understood everyone’s
apprehension and worry. She found herself watching Isa’s actions very
carefully, looking for anything that would tell her the Elite was struggling
stay strong.

Isa was having difficulty handling the
stress. Not only was General Decius coming to the planet himself, meaning that
Isa would be confronted with the image of the man who tormented her, but she
was also sure that Colonel Amori would be brought up in conversation.

On top of that, she was worried that she
was already being spied on by the approaching Gihrons, which meant that every
time the Elites would come to her and ask her questions about dismantling
Venus, she would quickly quiet them and tell them to figure out a plan on their
own and discuss things with Dr. Busen and Paul to be sure they were ready for
the plan to move forward.

The day before General Decius was to land
on the planet, a strange visitor came to the Syndicate Building.

Kailynn, who had refused to leave the
Elite’s side and sat in her office while the Golden Elite worked, remembered
the woman from their time on Fortunea.

Isa straightened when she saw the woman.

“Vanessa…” she breathed, motioning her
hand to close the hologram files she had been looking at on her chair. “I did
not realize you were back.”

“Only briefly,” Vanessa said, hugging the
Golden Elite. “I heard that General Decius was coming.”

Isa’s jaw clenched and she nodded slowly.

“I want you to know that, no matter what,
you can ask for my help,” Vanessa said. “Even if you think you’re overreacting
to something he says or does, I want you to call me immediately.”

Isa smiled weakly.

“Thank you.”

Vanessa turned to Kailynn, who was eyeing
the woman cautiously.

“I recall seeing you on Fortunea,” she
said, walking to Kailynn. “I am Vanessa Henricks, a former professor of Isa’s.”

Kailynn shook Vanessa’s hand, still
unsure about the woman and surprised by how warm
her hand was.

“This is Kailynn,” Isa introduced. “One
of our Intelligence Agency employees.”

“Ah, it would be best to keep your eyes
on absolutely everything until Gihron is pushed back to their corner of the
system,” Vanessa said with a strong nod. “And, also, Isa, anything that you need after Gihron is gone, please do not hesitate
to ask.”

Isa chuckled quietly.

“I’ll be sure to keep you informed.”

The following day, when General Decius’
ship landed on Tiao, everyone was put on high alert and under high security.
Everyone understood that the Gihoric leader was dangerous, even if they did not
know his grudge against Isa. The Elites of the Syndicate were the most
on-alert, constantly monitoring Venus’ mainframe to be sure that there were no
unexplainable changes. However, monitoring Venus’ mainframe was a
nearly-impossible task since implementing the various viruses and blocks
against the computer’s attacks on Isa. There was concern that the viruses
slowing down Venus’ machines would make her more vulnerable to hacking, but
they were not about to expose Isa to the violent, painful attacks from the
artificial intelligence.

Therefore, every employee of the
Syndicate was told over and over again to keep a sharp eye out for anything out
of the ordinary and to immediately report to Rayal or Remus.

Kailynn had special orders to keep a
close eye on Isa—orders she took very seriously.

General Decius, Colonel Ikan, and their
delegation of seven Gihron officers were brought to the Syndicate in the late
afternoon and were led to a large conference room where the entire Syndicate,
Rayal, Kailynn, and nine other employees, advisors, military personnel, and
intelligence agents were waiting to receive the Gihron politicians.

The moment General Decius walked in the
room, everyone felt the tension become nearly unbearable. The General’s uncanny
resemblance to his brother made many of the Elites question if General Decius
was four years older than Colonel Amori, or if they had been twins.

Isa stood when General Decius walked into
the room, and the others followed suit.

“General Decius,” Isa greeted. “We are
honored that you have made the long journey to be here in person to negotiate
the peace between our planets.”

“It is an honor to finally be on the
illustrious Tiao in the presence of the Golden Elite,” General Decius said,
bowing his head.

Isa motioned for the Gihoric leader to
take the seat opposite her on the long conference table. General Decius walked
to his seat and stood by the chair, waiting for the rest of the delegation to
decide on their seats. Tension was so high that everyone was watching everyone
else and it was not until Isa sat that the rustling of chairs being occupied
filled the room.

Isa took the brief moment to take a deep
breath and prepare herself.

She sat straight in her chair, leaning
forward, her shoulders square with General Decius.

“I understand that you have had a very
long journey,” Isa started, her voice strong and unwavering. “Therefore, I do
not want to discuss the entire peace agreement today. I would like to introduce
your terms for your conditional surrender and we will discuss them in detail
over the following days of your visit.”

“Very well,” General Decius said,
reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out a drive. He placed it on the
table and slid it down to Isa. Before it could reach the Golden Elite, Remus
grabbed it off the table, looking it over briefly before plugging it into the
table and allowing the terms to appear in front of every seat.

At first, Kailynn glanced down at the
terms until she realized that everyone’s eyes were elsewhere.

Some Elites were staring down other
members of the delegation, but Isa and General Decius were locked in an intense
staring contest. Isa’s eyes were unwavering, her blinking perfectly timed, but
she never tore her eyes from General Decius. Likewise, he did not turn away
from her. The feeling between the two leaders was growing more intense by the
second. Kailynn saw the two of them waiting for the other to back down. General
Decius seemed sure that Isa would break the intense gaze first, and Kailynn
believed she would, as well, considering her past with Colonel Amori.

However, in the growing silence, General
Decius finally turned his eyes to the terms in front of him.

It was only after he looked away that Isa
also looked down at the terms.

“I see that you have opened your terms
with title one demanding the transfer of all government offices to humans over
the next twenty years,” Chronus said, turning to the Gihron leader. “If I may
be so bold, General Decius, you were quick to say that the Alliance did not
have a right to dictate the way any planet ruled itself or structured its
society. Yet, you believe that Elites are unfit to rule over Tiao.”

“I do,” General Decius said with a strong
nod. “Elites are created from the technology that forced humans from Earth. We
have studied the trends in your society and have found the frightening pattern
in the way the Elites change your society.”

“Regardless of any imbalance that the
Elites create in our society, I agree that it is a problem for which the
Syndicate must determine the appropriate course of action, not Gihron,” Isa
said strongly, looking back at General Decius.

Several of the human employees of the
Syndicate, Kailynn included, were startled by the strength in Isa’s voice.

“We will not negotiate on this title,”
Isa said strongly. “You will strike it from your terms.”

General Decius was still for two long
moments before his lips pursed briefly and a half-smile took over his lips.

“If I recall correctly, Elite Isa,” he
said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his arms on the table over the
terms of surrender, “this was a point that we tried to negotiate six years ago,
when my brother was in your care.”

Several bodies in the room tensed, from
both Gihron and Tiao. However, Isa did not flinch at the words.

“That is correct,” Isa affirmed. “And my
stance has not changed in six years. The Syndicate will remain in the hands of
the Elites and Venus.”

“I wonder,” General Decius started,
looking at Isa with darkness in his already-dark eyes, “had we come to a
compromise on this issue, if my brother’s stay would not have been so extended,
and he could have returned home alive.”

Isa’s eyes were cold.

“I do not compromise to my planet’s
disadvantage,” she said. “I will not compromise on any of the terms listed in
title one. You will strike them.”

General Decius’ smile widened.

“And if I am unwilling?”

“I did not give you a choice.”

The tension was making it difficult for
everyone to breathe. While Gihron was getting increasingly nervous, most of the
Elites, Isa, and General Decius were unwilling to back down, making tensions
rise higher.

“Then perhaps this negotiation was
immature,” General Decius said.

“If you wish to return to senselessly
destroying all of your technology and killing your men, then we will meet you
in battle,” Isa said with a shallow nod. “However, considering that you were the one to reach out to me with
a conditional surrender, I do not believe you have the resources to continue a
longer battle. It is for you to decide if you are willing to doom your planet
further by straining your assets, or if you are willing to comply with my terms and stop this war so we could
both get on with leading our planets.”

“You were quick to accept my conditional
surrender, which tells me you were desperate to end this war.”

“As Tiao is not a militaristic society
and, therefore, does not believe that war is the only answer, I am quick to
stop any war in which I find myself involved.”

General Decius chuckled.

“You are not as I remember you, Elite
Isa.”

“Glad to know that I exceed your
expectations, while mine were perfectly met.”

Kailynn had to purse her lips and turn
away from Gihron’s side of the table to hide the laugh threatening to bubble
out of her at Isa’s sharp words.

“You insolent—”

“Colonel Ikan, sit down,” Isa ordered, turning
to the second-in-command of Gihron. The man, half-standing from his chair,
turned to General Decius, who nodded quietly. He slowly lowered himself to sit,
though his eyes were brimming with rage.

“Moving on to title two,” Isa continued,
“I agree that all those involved in this war shall pay appropriate reparations.
From the analysis of the debris collected from the battles, we have determined
that two percent of reparations will be paid by Urya, twelve percent Ulam,
twenty percent by Jakra, twenty-nine percent by Hyun, and the remaining
thirty-seven percent will be paid by Gihron.”

“How did you obtain those numbers?” one
delegate asked, confused.

“From all the debris and refuse that we
collected after each battle,” Isa said. “Tiao was sure to clean the mess made
after every fight, as Gihron would not.”

“It would appear that Tiao is quite
skilled at cleaning up messes,” General Decius said darkly.

Kailynn expected to see Isa waver at the
words, however, she did not.

She turned back to General Decius.
“Pardon, General Decius?”

“I said that Tiao is skilled and cleaning
up messes.”

“Is that meant to illicit a certain
response?” Isa pressed.

Kailynn was having trouble breathing with
the tension in the room.

“There was no response sought,” General
Decius said, his tone clipped. “Merely an observation from our previous
dealings, Elite Isa.”

Isa took a deep breath and leaned back in
her chair.

“I was under the impression that you were
her to discuss a peace agreement,” she said. “Was I mistaken?”

“No,” General Decius assured, “but I
believe we all know that there is a topic we are avoiding.”

“That topic being?”

“My younger brother’s brutal murder six
years ago,” General Decius said, nearly growling. “As I cannot ask for your
execution in peace agreements where I am the losing party, I’ll have to settle
for demanding that you tell me the truth of what happened.”

“The truth was discussed at length in the
autopsy and the Official reports,” Isa said strongly.

“Do you believe those reports to be the
truth?” General Decius challenged.

“I trust in my Intelligence Agency and
the medical professionals that performed the autopsy. Therefore, yes, I do
believe those reports are the truth.”

General Decius stared at the Golden
Elite, as if trying to decide if Isa was lying. Tensions were growing in the
room. Gihron delegates were watching the Elites’ reactions, but all of them
were stoic, apart from the uncomfortable shifting when the tensions grew too
high. However, their faces never betrayed their discomfort. The human employees
were the ones that were showing their worry about the direction of the meeting.
Kailynn was sure that none of the humans—other than Rayal and herself—knew the
truth of what happened, and she hoped that their confused expressions would
assuage the suspicions of the Gihrons.

“Shall we continue?” Isa asked, sitting
forward once more.

“Yes.”

Isa discussed broad aspects of each of
the titles of Gihron’s surrender. There were five titles to the surrender, and
when they reached number four, Isa paused briefly.

“Title four states that Gihron will join
the Crescent Alliance, should an exception be made about the size of military
forces for the social preservation of Gihron.” Isa looked at General Decius
seriously. “The rules of the Alliance cannot be altered or amended without a
ruling majority from planets after
Venus has approved the possibility of an amendment.”

“This would not be an amendment,” General
Decius said. “It would be an exception.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I will not make an exception for
Gihron’s military forces,” Isa elaborated, her voice clear and strong. “This
was a topic discussed in great length years ago.”

“Indeed, and I have reason to believe
that it was the reason for my brother’s death.”

“It did appear to be part of the reason,
as the assassin group did confess to being concerned about a militaristic
change to the Altereye System should Gihron be included on the Alliance trade
routes.”

“Do you believe, if my brother had not
been here so long, he would have returned to me outside of an urn?”

“I do not deal in what-ifs, General
Decius,” Isa said. “And I do not live in the past. That was six years ago, and
currently we are discussing peace agreement terms to end a war that you began
upon allowing your men to kidnap and kill four Elite prototypes.”

“No, Elite Isa,” General Decius
corrected. “You started this war six
years ago when my brother was killed in your care.”

“As I just said,” Isa said coldly, “we
are discussing peace agreement terms to end the war. I will not waste any more
of my time, or yours, discussing hypothetical situations. If Gihron wishes to
become a part of the Alliance, they will abide to the same rules as all other
planets. There is no discussion or negotiation, and certainly no exception.”

The meeting continued for another hour,
as all major questions were discussed and answered before agreeing to meet the
following day to amend terms and find a solution that was beneficial to all
planets involved.

Kailynn had to ride back to Anon Tower
with Rayal to avoid suspicion, but as she sat in the car, she could only stare
blankly at the road. They followed General Decius and his convoy, as they were
going to be staying on another level of Anon Tower during the negotiations.

“Isa was very impressive today,” Rayal
murmured.

Kailynn nodded. “No shit…”

General Decius and the others were shown
to their rooms by members of the Intelligence Agency and the security robots
for the building, which would be placed along the halls—it was explained to
them that it was for their security, considering previous relations with
Gihron, and while everyone seemed content with the response, everyone who knew
the truth about Colonel Amori knew that the increased security was to watch
them for suspicious activity.

When Kailynn finally made it up to the
Golden Elite’s level with Rayal, Isa had already poured herself a drink and
brought the bottle to the coffee table. Rayal went to Tarah, explaining what
had happened while Kailynn walked over to Isa after grabbing her own glass.

Isa remained in the living room for
hours, silent, her head cradled in one hand as her other hand loosely held an
empty liquor glass. Kailynn sat next to her, smiling gently as she leaned her
head against the back of the sofa.

“You were amazing today,” she finally
whispered.

Isa slowly turned her eyes to Kailynn.

“I can hardly remember half of what I
said,” she murmured. “I went on autopilot.”

“It certainly didn’t seem like it,”
Kailynn said, reaching out with one hand and resting it on Isa’s, carefully
removing the empty glass from her grip. “Why don’t we go to bed?”

Isa nodded, her eyes closing. She stood
and walked toward her room, but stopped when her eyes lifted to the door.
Kailynn stopped next to her.

“What is it?”

Isa did not speak, her eyes locked on the
door of her bedroom, though lost somewhere in time. Kailynn looked between the
Golden Elite and the door and then carefully took Isa’s hand.

“Do you want me to stay in my room?” she
asked, understanding that Isa was likely wondering if she was going to be
watched once more. Isa’s fingers tightened around Kailynn’s and she swallowed
hard before shaking her head.

“No,” she whispered. “I don’t want to be
alone.”

Kailynn also squeezed Isa’s hand.

“Why don’t we stay in my room, then?”

The Golden Elite nodded quickly and they
both turned and walked to the guest hallway.

“I
was sure you would not come.”

“I feel that it is very important to
discuss some of General Decius’ terms with you,” Isa said. “The past two days
of negotiations have been difficult, and I think it is important you review the
progress we have made.”

“I
have reviewed the submitted terms. I agree with all sections under titles two,
three, and five. I do not agree with Gihron being brought into the Crescent
Alliance as stated in title four, and I do not consent to any of the terms in
title one.”

Isa took a deep breath and slowly let it
out.

“Venus, allowing the humans to take over
the Syndicate would take considerable strain off relations between Tiao and the
other planets of the Alliance. While Tiao does not teach its population about
the fate of those on Earth, most of the other planets in the Alliance learn of
the weaponized humans and they know that Elites were created using that
technology. It makes many nervous.”

“The
information from Earth is incomplete.”

“That does not appease the other
planets,” Isa protested. “While I agree that we should not allow this to be a
term to which we submit for Gihron’s surrender, it is something to consider for
the near future.”

“Humans
are too irrational to rule themselves. They let self-interest guide their
actions and their greed dictate their society. As a whole, humans cannot be
trusted to govern themselves.”

Isa closed her eyes, trying to brace herself.
While she did not think it was wise to anger the artificial intelligence while
in daily negotiations with Gihron, she knew she had to start moving things in a
different direction on her own planet.

“If I can bring Gihron to heel as I
hope,” she started, “then I think it would be best to implement a system to
phase out Elites and have humans take over the Syndicate.”

“That
is not your decision to make,” Venus said sharply. “When Gihron is brought to heel, you will be submitted to final
degeneration testing, and should your levels be found elevated, you will be
replaced, Isa.”

The Golden Elite did not flinch at the
words. She had been expecting it.

“Gihron is not the only planet discussing
that Elites need to be removed from power,” Isa continued. “Several planets
would be much happier to work with Tiao if the Elites were not involved. You
will recall the disastrous state of affairs when Gattriel was in power. I was
able to mend these relationships through very careful politics, and the only
reason I was able to do so is because I am not a typical Elite, nor is Remus,
nor is anyone else in this Syndicate. The planet is stronger now than it has
been in over one hundred years and that is because the most human-like Elites
have come to power.”

“There
is no data to support that that is the reason for the increase in or society’s
strength.”

“No data?” Isa asked incredulously. “The
data is in front of you.”

“The
data in front of me suggests that you let personal interest guide your actions
six years ago and therefore you started this war with Gihron.”

Isa bit back the angry growl in her
throat.

“Perhaps it is not the Elites, nor the
Syndicate, nor the humans that are the problem,” Isa started. “Perhaps you are the cause of the distress in the
Altereye System.”

“While
you have done impressive research on the social implications of my rule over
the years, compared to previous data on humanity, and the information gathered
on planets outside our sphere of control, the data proves that my rule has
peacefully run this planet for hundreds of years.”

“Perhaps that was the case,” Isa said, “but
that is no longer so. That was not the case when, six years ago, Colonel Amori
was able to hack into your system and weaponize you. You have updated your
technology to be compatible with the changing times, but humans have changed in
ways beyond your comprehension, and things are not as peaceful as you seem to
believe.”

“Your
evidence?”

“The Significants,” Isa said strongly.
“You understand that the greatest threat to our society comes from Trid, where
the non-citizens speak to one another, and form friendships and bonds that
people in Anon and other areas of the planet do not. Your fear of unity is your
biggest weakness,” Isa continued. “You want to keep everyone disjointed by not
speaking to one another, by being so desperate to feel like they are not alone
in this universe that they have to pay other human beings to sit and speak with
them because their own families will not do so. This proves that your system is
not working. Perhaps there is no unity in the people that will overthrow you,
but there is also no unity in the people to stand strong behind you.”

“They
know that they need me, and they respect me as their leader.”

“No, they do not!” Isa snapped. “If they
did, the Elites would not have been necessary for you to maintain your power.
But the Elites, and you, have not changed while society has. How can you expect
to grow stronger if you cannot come back from every challenge different than
you were when you started? Every challenge to your authority has been met with
violence and death. At the Academy, you almost had me killed because I was
getting out of hand, and your response was to exile my professor and kill one
of my closest friends, but I have also changed. And I refuse to bow to you when
I have been running this planet without your assistance for decades.”

The machines in the room began roaring as
Venus’ machines heated in anger.

“You
believe you can defy me?!” she bellowed, her beeps ear-piercing and causing
Isa to flinch. “You bow to me because I
created you. I decide if you live or die, and when you will step down as Elite.
I will remove you from power now, if you continue with this behavior!”

“If you do that, you doom your
existence,” Isa said strongly. “Replace me if you wish, but the new Elite that
comes in will be a soft-shelled, obedient child and Gihron will destroy them.
General Decius is demanding that you be shut down, or he will find a way to
attack your core processors and destroy you.”

Venus’ hologram was flickering angrily as
her computer ran all algorithms it could, calculating risks and outcomes as Isa
straightened.

“Your time has come to an end, Venus,”
she declared.

Her legs buckled under her as the pain
rocketed through her chest from the processor in her chest reacting to Venus’
attack. However, she bit back her cry of pain, her lip bleeding as her teeth
sliced into her flesh.

“You
will yield!” Venus ordered. “The
people see me as their leader, and they will always see me as their leader!”

Isa sat in her living room late that
night, a cold compress over her eyes as her headache throbbed behind them. Dr.
Busen had just left after checking up on her and giving her an update about his
research into shutting Venus down and keeping the Golden Elite alive. Remus sat
across from the Golden Elite as Kailynn sat next to her.

“You’re being extremely reckless about
this,” Remus whispered.

“I know.”

“It’s a miracle that she hasn’t killed
you yet,” Remus continued.

“At this moment, she needs me too much,”
Isa said. “As soon as this mess with Gihron clears up, I will not be able to
keep her at bay. She’ll either replace me or kill me and make it look like an
accident and then replace me.”

“You realize that we can’t handle her on
top of General Decius, right?”

“We can,” Isa assured.

“Isa,” Rayal said, poking his head out of
the kitchen, “there’s a broadcast on all frequencies. It’s even on the security
monitors. It’s from Venus.”

Groaning, the Golden Elite stood, walking
with her eyes half-closed into the kitchen and seeing the hologram of the
computer’s face on the twelve screens across the kitchen wall.

“—submit. There are those that would seek
to shut me down and destroy me, but I will never yield to such threats or
terrorist tactics. I am the life of this planet. If I am destroyed, all
communications will go down, defenses as well. All phones, NCB, NGS, and GAL
platforms will be rendered useless. The economy will collapse and the planet
will starve. Remember this and report all those that claim they will never
submit. There are those that would seek to shut me down…”

The computer repeated the message as
Remus groaned and rubbed his head.

“She clearly does not care about the delicate
nature of having Gihron on-planet
while she’s making this broadcast on all
frequencies.” He closed his eyes. “We’re never going to get them to agree
to terms if they think we’re fighting with the artificial intelligence we
always claim as being our ruler.”

“I’m sure Gihron already knows that she’s
not really our leader,” Isa said. She closed her eyes and leaned her head
against Kailynn’s as the Significant put her arms around the Elite’s waist,
holding her upright as Isa tried to stay strong from the violent attack from
Venus earlier that day. It had now been a pattern for two days—Isa would be in
horrendous pain for the day apart from two hours before her scheduled meeting
time with Gihron, during the entire meeting with Gihron, and at night when Venus
wanted her rested for dealing with Gihron the next day.

They listened to the message several
times, thinking over the panic that would probably be running rampant through
the people.

Kailynn wondered if people were terrified
of losing their NCB, NGS, and GAL platforms because they would not know what to
do with themselves, or if they were worried about being unable to produce food
or keep the city clean with the incredible number of humans. She wondered if
those thoughts were even crossing the minds of the people, or if they were just
terrified of the thought of change.

“Come on,” Isa said, pulling Kailynn with
her as they walked out of the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Remus asked,
following the Golden Elite. Tarah and Rayal followed behind the group, walking
with them through the guest hallway, pool area, and into Isa’s office.

“Remus, can you piggyback her frequency?”
Isa asked.

“Probably.”

“Alright, let’s record our response.”

“We’re going to respond?” Kailynn asked,
surprised.

“Venus told me that the people see her as
the leader, and she’s trying to use fear to prove that to me,” Isa said,
walking to her NCB chair and sitting in it, activating it in safe mode so Venus
could not immediately find her. “I’m going to prove to her that the people
would rather follow me than her.”

“You don’t know that, though,” Kailynn
murmured.

“I know my people,” Isa said with a nod.
“And I have information she won’t like the people knowing.”

“I can set you to record on a backup and
work on the piggyback once you are clear of the chair,” Remus said, walking to
Isa’s chair and typing a few things into one of the control panels.

“That will work.”

Isa opened up her hologram recording and
took a deep breath, preparing herself, forcing her eyes to open past her
headache and her face to relax, while her eyes still shone with the intensity
of the Golden Elite.

“Start,” she commanded.

The chair let out a soft beep and Isa
began her message.

“People of Tiao, I come to you in
response to the message that has been circulating from Venus, discussing the
repercussions of shutting her down. It is true, if she were to be deactivated,
the planet would be without power for an unknown period of time. However, Venus
has failed to mention that there are many planets of the Crescent Alliance that
would support us if we were in need, and there are terms carved out among
several planets that, should something occur and Venus was no longer in power,
those planets would come to Tiao’s aid. Another thing Venus has failed to mention
is the dangers of keeping her in power. As she said, she is in control of all
our communications, but she also has access to our homes and our businesses,
and all electronics on our planet.

“Six years ago, this planet suffered a
terrible tragedy,” Isa continued. “Saera, our terraformed greenhouse site, was
destroyed by catastrophic failures in the generators for the city. These
generators were connected to Venus mainframe, and the catastrophic failures
were, in reality, another section of her system attacking and forcing the
generators into meltdown, eventually leading to the death of one-hundred
thousand citizens and the destruction of our food supply.

“Shortly after the destruction of Saera,
Venus was weaponized, and tricked into believing that certain members of the
Syndicate staff were a threat—a threat that she neutralized by poisoning those
members of her own Syndicate,” Isa said, her voice steady even though there was
a great deal of pain in her eyes at recalling the memories. “It is possible for
Venus to be weaponized. It has happened before, and it can very easily happen
again. The attacks six years ago were the result of a madman hacking into an
older section of her coding and reprogramming her. The Syndicate has currently
dismantled this part of her coding, but it would still be possible for her to
weaponize herself now that the codes have been in her system once before.

“Therefore, people of Tiao, I ask for
your support in considering shutting down Venus and shifting Tiao into a new
future away from artificial intelligence rule,” Isa completed. “If you will
unite behind me, I will dismantle Venus and help us move forward as a stronger,
cohesive Tiao.”

She was still for two seconds before she
stood carefully, her eyes sliding shut in exhaustion.

“Take it slow…” Kailynn murmured, helping
the Elite out of the chair. Isa sighed heavily and swayed a little on her feet.
Kailynn took the Elite’s shoulders, looking at her seriously. “Are you crazy?”
she chuckled brokenly. “You just declared war on Venus.”

“Yes,” Isa said. She leaned her head on
Kailynn’s. “But this has to happen. The people cannot live under the rule of
Venus. She is our greatest weakness, and I won’t let anything like what
happened to Saera or the Syndicate happen again.”

Kailynn smiled and placed her hands on
both sides of Isa’s face, her eyes welling with tears.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Isa whispered.

The Elite bent down and gently captured
Kailynn’s lips in hers, kissing her tenderly before pressing her forehead to Kailynn’s
again, unaware that Remus had turned the camera on both of them to catch the
entire exchange for the broadcast to the people of Tiao.

Chapter
Forty

Isa was furious when she discovered that
Remus had allowed her exchange with Kailynn to be broadcast. They both began
arguing in Isa’s office at the Syndicate just before meeting with General
Decius. Several other Elites were also in the office, listening to the
argument, while others were preparing for the Gihron entourage to arrive.

“Do you have any idea of the danger you
put her in?!” Isa barked.

“The people are going to need more than
your word to stand behind you,” Remus said. “You need to relate to them. You
said the future would be away from artificial intelligence and the candid
moment showed that you were not the
typical Elite.”

“You put a target on her head for Gihron,
and for any planet that seeks to tear
me down.”

“You said yourself, we have planets more
than willing to help us, planets run by leaders that know you. Seeing your defiance to Venus, and knowing what you are
capable of, and that you have the
human compassion and love to fall for someone, you will gain more support.”

“She is now a target!” Isa repeated. “How
dare you do that to her? To me?”

Remus took a deep breath.

“Because you two deserve better than the
relationship you had with me,” Remus said simply. “You should not have to hide
your relationship.”

Isa heaved a sigh and turned to Kailynn.
Kailynn smiled weakly. She was also nervous about being a political target,
particularly with General Decius so near, but she was also a little relieved
that their relationship was out in the open.

“I’m sorry, Kailynn.”

“Hey,” Kailynn started, walking to the
Golden Elite, “you may have tamed me a little, but I am still the Wild Child of
Trid. I can sure as hell take care of myself if I need to. And I’m not as smart
as you, so I won’t care if I have to break a few noses if someone’s coming
after me.”

Isa let out a soft chuckle.

“Perhaps it is you who is wise,” she
murmured.

The chair in Isa’s office beeped with an
incoming transmission from Fortunea. Isa accepted the message and a brief light
passed over the entire room before projecting the Queen of Fortunea, still
ornately-dressed, in stunning clarity, two large men behind her in military
uniforms, their dark faces half-covered by an ornate black headdress.

“Your Majesty,” Isa said, bowing her
head.

“Elite Isa,” Glynna said, glancing around
the room as if she were standing with them. “I see you have many visitors. Did
I interrupt a strategy meeting?”

“I suppose you could call it that,” Isa
said with a smile. “You received my message, I presume.”

“Yes,” Glynna said. “As I have always
stated, I will support you and Tiao to the best of my abilities. Should Gihron
get out of hand and try to attack you, I will have troops standing at the
ready. Do they have permission to enter your airspace?”

“They do.”

“Perhaps I should double my aid?” Glynna
asked with a smile. “Considering the message you were sending out after Venus’
poor attempt at controlling Tiao’s people.”

Isa took a deep breath, forcing a smile.

“I assume the entire Altereye System has
seen that message by now.”

“Indeed,” Glynna said. “I cannot tell you
the number of calls I have received since last night. Everyone is talking about
the renegade Golden Elite declaring war on Venus.” Glynna glanced at Kailynn
and her smile widened. “You have my full support,” Glynna said. “Both of you.”

Isa visibly relaxed.

“Isa,” Glynna said, turning to her, “in
celebration of your victory over Gihron, I would like to supply your planet
with some of our bountiful crop this year,” she said, her smile widening. “My
troops will be at Tiao within the week to secure the planet and protect it, and
the produce ships will arrive over the next month to be sure that your people
are well-cared for.”

Isa closed her eyes and swallowed hard,
placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head deeply to the queen.

“You are far too generous, Your Majesty.”

“I have already spoken with several other
members of the Alliance and called on those able to assist to prepare for the
change on Tiao. Once you secure peace terms with Gihron, we will immediately
declare a State for Relief for Tiao.”

“Do you believe that the Alliance can
remain strong without its cornerstone?”

“My dear friend,” Glynna smiled gently,
“everyone is rallying for you. I have never seen the Alliance so united on one
issue.” She bowed her head. “Golden Elite Isa, Fortunea is at your service.”

“I am in your debt, Your Majesty.”

Glynna’s hologram faded and Isa turned to
the Syndicate members in her office. Several of them were staring at Isa in
surprise.

“It’s really happening,” Aolee murmured.

“What is the status on the Aren System?”
Isa asked.

“We have seven-hundred generators set up
over the planet,” Chronus said. “While that will not give us much, it will
allow us to start reprogramming in the larger cities, which will get us up and
running again quicker than anticipated.”

“And has anyone spoken to Dr. Busen?” Isa
asked, her voice straining.

“Yes,” Anders said. “He believes that,
should removal cause problems with the organs, it would be best to be ready to
replace it, that includes lung, heart, and esophagus and would mean extensive
reconstruction.”

“Marvelous,” Isa groaned.

“If anyone can do it, he can,” Remus said
strongly. “After all, he performed your previous reconstruction and you are the
only surviving patient with a reconstructed cranium.”

Isa took a deep breath, closing her eyes
and nodding.

“Alright,” she said. “I want everyone
prepared to execute Plan Maki at the nearest opportunity. As soon as General
Decius has left the planet, we move.”

“Understood,” Chronus said, followed by
several affirmatives.

“Should things with the General take the
same turn that they did with his brother, I don’t want anyone to hesitate,” Isa
said strongly. “His delegates are terrified of him, and if we have evidence of
any tampering with the Syndicate, we can bring up charged against Gihron
through the Alliance. Therefore, if you see anything suspicious, interfere, but
not before they successfully incriminate themselves.”

Isa did not want Kailynn in the meeting
with Gihron, worried that her message that had been playing continuously had
given General Decius the idea to use Kailynn as a way to weaken Isa’s stance on
some of the terms of the peace. However, she opened the cameras from the
conference room so that Kailynn could watch what was going on from the Golden
Elite’s office. While Kailynn was not thrilled about the idea, she did not
protest.

She sat nervously, watching the Elites
file into the room and prepare for the Gihron delegation.

Remus glanced at Isa and offered a small
smile. The Golden Elite took a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing
herself for what she knew would be a very stressful meeting.

When the door opened, Isa opened her eyes
and straightened her shoulders.

“Good morning, General Decius.”

“Elite Isa,” he greeted, walking to his
seat. Now on the fifth day of negotiation, the formalities had been dropped on
both sides. The tension had been building between Isa and General Decius for
days, and they both knew there was no reason to put forth false pleasantries.

General Decius sighed and looked at Isa,
his position relaxed, his eyes showing his annoyance.

“I saw your message to your people last
night,” he said. “As far as I’m aware, it’s still on repeat, playing after
Venus’ message.”

Isa did not speak, looking at General
Decius with stoic eyes.

The Gihoric leader drummed his fingers
along the arm of the chair, glancing around the room.

“There is much about that message
that…piques my curiosity.” He looked at her seriously. “You said that you
wanted to unite your people to take down Venus, but those terms were preposterous
six years ago, and I knew that they would not be entertained had I put them in
our surrender.”

“If we decide to overthrow Venus, it will
be a decision made by the people of Tiao and the Syndicate,” Isa explained. “I
will not be bullied into changing the structure of Tiao’s society to end a war
where we clearly have the advantage.”

General Decius let out an exasperated
snort.

“But you would ask me to change the
structure of Gihron’s society.”

“If you wish to have your planet join the
Crescent Alliance, then the structure of Gihron’s society will be changed,” Isa
said. “Joining the Alliance was something that you placed in your terms for
surrender. I did not demand that you join. Therefore, it is your choice if you
wish to change Gihron’s society and join the Alliance.”

“There is no choice at all,” General
Decius scoffed. “With the state of the Altereye System, any planet not in the
Alliance is crushed under the weight of having to support their planets without
aid from wealthier planets. Gihron’s economy cannot hold its own, therefore I
have no choice but to bow to the Alliance.”

“No, you have a choice,” Isa corrected.
“You either change your planet and make it stronger, or you turn your back on
your people, choosing to maintain the society that is clearly not working for
your planet if it cannot support itself.”

While General Decius’ eyes narrowed in
anger, two of the other delegates blinked, their eyes going distant, thinking
over Isa’s words.

“Our planet is the strongest in the Ninth
Circle,” General Decius growled.

“But you are eager for help from the
Alliance,” Isa pointed out. “General Decius, if the Alliance were to make an
exception for Gihron it would not solve the problems on Gihron, and it would
breed discord among the members of the Alliance, weakening it and causing
damage to all the planets in the Altereye System.” The Golden Elite looked at
the Gihoric leader strongly. “Times are changing, and as leaders, we must
change with them.”

“Is that what you call your affair? A
change for the better?” General Decius challenged.

“My personal life has no bearing on our
discussions, General Decius.”

“But it does,” General Decius corrected.
“You are changing things on your planet, and you are breaking the rules set by
Venus, rules that you hold to the highest regard, by having a lover. Yet we are supposed to herald you as a true
leader? You are not human, you cannot have the same compassion as a human, and
you will never have the respect of humans. You have no regard for the structure
of the way things are. You are a machine. You could never understand.”

“Perhaps, it is you who misunderstands,” Isa said. “Because understanding and
respecting a societal structure is one thing, but understanding it and
respecting it enough to see where it is weak, and finding a means to strengthen
it, that is what a leader does, and
that is what I have done. I have the respect of my people and of the other
planets in the Alliance. I respect that you wish to preserve your planet while
still reaping the benefits that come with being part of the Crescent Alliance,
but the system works because everyone adheres or they are punished. No
exceptions can be made. As a military man, I’m sure you understand that dissent
in the ranks is dangerous to the unity of the army.”

General Decius’ eyes were bright with
anger, his hands gripping the arms of the chair.

“I wish to speak with Elite Isa alone,”
he said darkly.

The shiver that ran through the room was
felt by everyone.

“That is out of the question,” Remus said
strongly. “It is against our customs to leave Elites alone with other planetary
leaders.”

“No, it is not,” General Decius snapped.
“My brother was alone with her often.”

Remus’ nostrils flared and his body
tensed. However, Isa quickly put a hand on Remus’ arm.

“Wait outside.”

Remus hesitated, his eyes locked on
General Decius, but he obeyed, standing with the other Elites. General Decius
nodded to his men and they, too, walking out the conference room.

When the door was closed, General Decius
turned back to Isa, who sat silently at the opposing head of the table, her
eyes cold.

“I was raised hating Venus and the
Elites,” he stated, his eyes dark as he stared at the other leader. “And it was
something I never questioned. Now that I have had the opportunity to meet with
you and work in person, I realize that there is a reason for that hatred.”

“You hate me because I tell you that you
have a choice on how to run your planet?”

“You have no respect for humanity and the
way it operates,” General Decius growled. He was silent for several long
moments, his eyes going to his hand as he drummed his fingers along the arm of
the chair. “Let’s cut the bullshit right here,” he said, leaning forward and
clasping his hands on the table as he looked at Isa seriously. “You understand
that everything Gihron did to you and your planet was under my order. I was the
one who ordered the Pulse Virus be put on your chair, but I was only able to do
so once our best coders and programmers were able to discern the information my
brother left us about what he had done to your NCB chair.”

Isa was able to keep her face straight,
staring at General Decius coolly.

“When Amori was murdered, I started to do
my research on what was going on here in the months before he died. Your planet
was under a great deal of stress, with the catastrophic failures of so many
systems that resulted in many deaths. You even were involved in a horrific
accident the day my brother was found dead.” He raised his eyebrows. “How do
you think that looks?”

Isa did not respond.

“It looked to me like you were trying to
frame Gihron,” General Decius said darkly. “You were trying to bully us into a
position where you could impose the Alliance on us and destroy our society so
that we would be under your thumb.”

Isa could not help but react to the
statement in shock.

“Pardon?” she said. “You believe that I
was trying to frame Colonel Amori?
That I ordered him dead?”

“I do,” General Decius said. “He was
unwilling to yield to your demands, and so you began to frame him. Why else
would he want to send an encrypted message to me telling me about how to send a
Pulse Virus to your personal NCB chair? He was trying to tell me that he needed
help, but I was too late to save him.”

“You’re wrong, General Decius,” Isa told
him. “I stood to gain nothing from framing Gihron, and I still gain nothing
from allowing Gihron to join the Alliance. I am not in need of Gihron’s support
or submission, as you seem to believe.”

“Then why did you order my brother dead?”

“I did not order your brother dead,” Isa
said strongly.

“He was trapped on this planet for
months, trying to reach me, even though our communications had been knocked
out, and every time we spoke, he would tell me these cryptic things that told
me that I needed to save him, but I ignored them. He knew his life was in
danger.”

“His life was in no danger until he put it in danger,” Isa snapped.

She stopped, forcing herself to control
her expression. General Decius stopped, blinking several times.

“What do you mean?”

“Your brother brought forth radical ideas
about changes to the Altereye System. Surely as a politician, he knew the risks
of that.”

General Decius let out an exasperated
laugh.

“You really did have him killed…” he
whispered. “I knew you were behind
his death. How can you call yourself a compassionate leader for your people if
you are killing leaders when they do not serve your agenda? You put out this
message to your people that you want Venus destroyed when that same desire
caused you to kill my brother?”

“Perhaps if you had listened to that
message and not let your hatred blind you, you would come to realize that the
destruction that occurred on my planet was due to a madman that hacked into
Venus’ computers and weaponized her.” She leaned forward. “Do you want the
truth, General Decius? Your brother was the one who hacked into Venus’ mainframe,
reprogrammed her, threatened the lives of everyone in the Syndicate, destroyed
Tiao’s food supply, killing one hundred thousand of my people, and killed nearly one hundred members of the Syndicate.
Had I ordered his execution, I would have had plenty of reason to do so.”

General Decius stared at Isa, his brain
turning over the words.

“You’re lying.”

“Your brother kidnapped me, beat me,
mentally and physically tortured me, and you have the gall to call me a liar?”

“My brother is dead because of you!”

“Your brother is dead because of
himself!” Isa snapped. “Your brother thought that he could control me, but he
forgot exactly who he was dealing with, and he brought his fate upon himself
when he threatened to rape me and force me to watch my people suffer while he
had you invade and destroy my
planet.”

General Decius stared at Isa, silent,
surprised.

“You’re right, General Decius, I am not
human. You cannot intimidate me and you cannot control me. If you try, you will
meet the same fate as your brother.”

“Admit to me that you ordered his
assassination,” General Decius hissed.

“I did not order your brother’s
assassination,” Isa growled. “When your brother was beating me and threatening
to rape me, I defended myself, and your brother ended up choking on his own
blood.”

General Decius stared at the Elite’s
eyes, convinced in those moments that they were not the eyes of a human or an
Elite, but the eyes of an animal that had sighted its prey and was circling it
with malice.

“My brother would never harm anyone,”
General Decius breathed.

“You clearly did not know your brother,”
Isa said sharply. “I believe that I knew him better than anyone, because I saw
the side of him that he would never show to anyone other than someone he
believed would not survive. His own men probably didn’t even suspect him when
he murdered them and strung their bodies up to rot in their room for nearly a
month before they were discovered. You think you knew this man you called your
brother, but he was a monster starving for power, and when he tried to take it
from me, he found himself in over his head.”

General Decius stood quickly, but
stopped, bracing himself on the table, forcing himself not to attack the leader
of Tiao in the Syndicate Building. Isa remained seated for several long moments
before she stood.

“You wanted the truth of your brother’s
death,” Isa said, “and now you have it. Does that change the terms of your
surrender?”

“Yes,” General Decius said darkly. “We do
not surrender. We will continue this war until I put a bullet in your brain
personally.” He turned and angrily punched the button to open the conference
room doors. He stormed out between the slew of spectators, the others of his
delegation following him in confusion, asking what had happened.

The Elites quickly went to Isa who sat
heavily in her chair, cradling her head in one hand.

“What happened?” Remus demanded.

“We’re still at war,” Isa murmured. “He
knows the truth now.”

“You…you told him?” Chronus hissed. Isa nodded.

“He’s very much like his brother,” she
said. “I know that he’ll try to take over while on the planet. Our advantage at
the moment is that he is furious, and he will act out in anger.”

“How is that to our advantage?” Anders
asked, exasperated.

“He’s more likely to act rashly and make
a mistake,” Isa said. “Let him make the mistakes.”

Kyle, Rei, and Jamen carefully cut a hole
next to the door sensor pad for the Syndicate Building, glancing at the wires
within. The three Gihron delegates were hesitant to go through with the plan,
feeling that they had not had proper time to develop the technical aspects.

Kyle carefully cut two of the wires,
which allowed Rei and Jamen to pry open the doors of the back entrance of the
Syndicate Building. The three slipped into the darkened rooms, carefully
holding their bags full of explosives that they intended to put around the
building. The General had said that he did not care if they killed any Elites
in the Syndicate—he was partial to killing them off one-by-one to avenge his
murdered brother.

Rei was the most opposed to the plans to
destroy whatever they could of Isa and her Elites. He was infuriated that Isa
had not faced proper charges for killing Colonel Amori, but he knew that
General Decius’ younger brother had been a horrible ruler that had always
blackmailed anyone he could for power. Rei was also haunted by the words of
Elite Isa, and wondered why they were holding so close to a system that clearly
did not benefit their planet.

However, he had to follow orders.

“Let’s tear this motherfucker down,”
Jamen chuckled. “Fuck these Elites. They think they know war?”

“Let’s show them what Gihron can do,”
Kyle agreed, reaching into his bag and pulling out the explosives he had
brought with him.

They spread out to different areas of the
room, each preparing to set the first charge when the lights of the building
snapped on and blinded them temporarily.

“Freeze! Get on the ground!” several
voices bellowed. Officials and police robots swarmed the room, their guns
pointed at the Gihoric men.

Slowly, confused and terrified that they
had just been caught committing acts of terrorism, the three fell to their
knees, their hands extending above their heads. Even as they wondered why their
reconnaissance team had not warned them of the Officials in the Syndicate
building, they did not believe that the other delegates who had been at Anon
Tower to monitor their rash operations were being hauled away by another group
of Officials.

At Anon Tower, Colonel Ikan slowly pushed
open the disabled door to Elite Isa’s home. He glanced around before nodding
once to General Decius and walking into the home. General Decius quickly
slipped inside, keeping his eyes on every corner as he crept around the living
room, slipping into the doorway that led to the guest hall.

He slowly moved through the house,
knowing that Isa’s office was somewhere in the back of the level, though he did
not know where,

As he passed through the pool area,
Colonel Ikan entered the guest hall, looking at the doors on each side. He
stepped in front of the first one to his right and it slid open, barely making
any noise. Keeping his gun drawn, he stepped inside to find the bed neatly
made, as though it had never been used.

Colonel Ikan left the room and went
across the hall to the first door on his left. It, too, slid open quietly. In
the bed, he saw what appeared to be a sleeping figures, back turned to him.
With a dark smile, he started forward, moving slowly so that he would not be
heard.

He reached out his hand and covered the
mouth of the first figure, pulling her back quickly as she let out a startled
cry.

“Don’t you dare scream, you little
bitch!” he snarled, pressing the gun to her back. “Get out of the bed.”

“What the fuck are you doing?!” she
gasped, quickly trying to move away from the gun. She got to her feet and
started toward the door, but Colonel Ikan grabbed her arm and violently yanked
her back, wrapping his hand around her neck.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re
going?” he hissed, tightening his hand. She grabbed at his wrist, trying to
pull it from her neck.

“Let go of me!”

“Oh, no,” Colonel Ikan chuckled. “You, my
dear, are very important. You see,” he tightened his grip, “you are going to be
the best way to get that bitch Isa to comply. Therefore, you will come with
me.”

He struggled with her as she threw her entire
bodyweight into fighting, her elbows flying behind her in an attempt to hit
him.

“You are a feisty one, aren’t you?” he
laughed. “I like them with a little bite. Maybe I’ll enjoy you a little before
I take you to General Decius.”

Kailynn brought her fists together,
moving her hips out of the way and angrily jamming her elbow into Colonel
Ikan’s side. He doubled over and she took the opportunity to grab the gun from
his hand, smashing the butt of the gun into his nose.

“Don’t you even think about it, you sack
of shit!”

As Colonel Ikan held his nose, his eyes
tightly shut, Kailynn pointed the gun at him.

“Get on the fucking ground!” she ordered.

“You bitch! Who the fuck do you think you
are?!”

“I think I’m the one holding the fucking
gun, so get on the fucking ground before I shoot you and put you there myself.”

“You think you can kill me, little girl?”

Kailynn dropped the gun down and pulled
the trigger, shooting Colonel Ikan in the leg and causing him to crumple to the
ground with a shout of pain.

“I told you I would put you on the
ground.”

From the open bathroom door, Rayal walked
out with his gun pointed at Colonel Ikan. He approached him slowly, Tarah
peeking out from the bathroom to watch, her own gun lowered at her side.

“Colonel Ikan, you are under arrest,
charged with attempted abduction, attempted rape, treason and espionage,” Rayal
listed. He lifted his wrist to his mouth. “Execute arrest order.”

Further into the Golden Elite’s level of
Anon Tower, General Decius finally found Isa’s office, where her NCB chair sat
proudly in the center of the room. He climbed into it, pushing his head back
into the cradle and tapping twice on the startup button under his finger.

It took only a few seconds for the chair
to boot up and General Decius immediately went to the programming for the
Syndicate, choosing to use the chair’s credentials to enter Venus’ mainframe.

The mainframe began to load when the
chair’s soft whirring wound down to a dull hum, and the holograms that were
beginning to come up from the mainframe disappeared. The upper ring of the
chair began glowing red.

General Decius hesitated, his eyes
glancing around him as he tried to pull his head out of the cradle. However, he
was locked into place.

He urgently tapped the startup button
multiple times, trying to get the chair back online, glancing up occasionally
at the red ring, the color causing his heart to race as he realized there was
something wrong with the chair.

He glanced up once to see a figure in
front of him, her tall frame illuminated in the red light, her hands clasped
behind her back.

“What the fuck have you done?” he
demanded.

“The chair has a defense mechanism,”
Isa’s calm voice stated as she took a measured step forward. “I programmed it
so that, anyone who is in the chair that does not match my DNA, will cause it
to go into emergency shut down,” Isa’s bright blue eyes were unnerving in the
red glow of the NCB chair, “and destroy anyone trying to hijack it.”

General Decius’ eyes went wide.

“That’s illegal,” he whispered. “You
can’t weaponize an NCB chair.”

“You were about to,” Isa pointed out.
“You were about to access the mainframe, get what information you could, and
then infect the chair so that it would kill me the next time I used it.” She
shook head. “You and your brother are very alike, in that respect. Except that
your brother managed to briefly weaponized the greatest artificial intelligence
that ever came into being.”

“You bitch. Are you going to kill me?
That won’t stop anything. You have already killed my brother, and if you kill
me, more Gihrons will come for vengeance.”

“You’re wrong,” Isa murmured. “Your
little coup was poorly planned and even more poorly executed. You have just
been caught committing acts of terror. You would normally be stripped of your
title as leader of your planet, detained on Kreon, and the Alliance would take
over your planet in your absence.”

“Why are you making this a hypothetical?”
General Decius asked darkly. “You said yourself that you do not deal in
hypotheticals.”

“That would be the situation if you were
to survive tonight, General Decius,” Isa said darkly. “However, you ordered
that my Elites be killed, that the person I love be killed, and you were going
to hack Venus and then kill me. I cannot let you survive.”

General Decius was about to protest when
the chair gave a shudder and electricity pulsed through the Gihoric leader’s
body. His muscles strained, his skin crackling as the continuous pulsing raced
along his nerves. His eyes were wide, focused on Isa as she watched the Gihoric
leader shake. He watched as she remained still and unwavering in front of him.

Then his body went slack and the chair
immediately turned off, a small chime sounding.

“Unauthorized
access to classified information. DNA match possible threat. General Decius
Touren of Gihron. Threat neutralized.”

Chapter
Forty-One

Isa called Vanessa shortly after the
Officials had hauled away Colonel Ikan and the body of General Decius. She
asked the older woman to carefully handle the news of what happened between
Gihron and Tiao so that Isa could keep as many allies as possible when the
truth was discovered.

However, she did not have time to discuss
much with Vanessa.

She quickly gathered the bags that they
had packed the previous days and hurried to one car with Kailynn while Rayal
and Tarah went to another vehicle.

They were executing Plan Maki—go into
hiding to shut down Venus.

Kailynn clamored into the car with Isa,
who had already altered the car for the journey they would have to take under
Venus’ radar. Isa got into the driver’s seat and inserted the chip she had programmed
for their destination. Kailynn did not know where they were going, and when she
asked Isa said that she would not say until they were there safely, just to be
sure Venus could not find out where they had based their operation.

They pulled out of the garage for Anon
Tower and sped toward the rising sun.

“Are you alright?” Isa asked, turning to
Kailynn.

“For the moment,” Kailynn tried to joke.
“I feel like I’m dreaming right now.”

“Things did happen very quickly,” Isa
agreed. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes before turning to Kailynn and
taking her hand. “Kailynn,” she started slowly, “I want to tell you something.”

“You’re making me nervous…”

“There is no guarantee that I will
survive this,” Isa murmured. “As I told you, shutting down Venus requires
destroying her source codes, which will kill me. But I was not entirely
truthful.”

“What do you mean?”

“I hold the other source codes,” she
said. She placed her hand over her heart. “I already have them. There is the
stationary processor that holds her source codes, and I am the backup. Every
Golden Elite before me has held Venus’ source codes for the last hundred years
or so.” She squeezed Kailynn’s hand as the former Significant stared at the
Elite, trying to understand. “These codes are contained in a processor that is
connected to my heart, which is surrounded by a casing in my chest.”

“How in the hell…”

“No one knows, except Venus,” Isa said.
“The doctors that performed the surgery to change these codes from Gattriel to
me are all dead.” Isa took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Dr. Busen has
done every scan possible and all the research he can, but he does not entirely
know what he will be faced with when he tries to remove the processor and
casing.”

“He’s going to operate on you while we’re
hiding in a bunker in the middle of nowhere?” Kailynn choked.

“Yes,” Isa said. “He, Paul, and the other
Elites of the Syndicate have been transferring everything to that location for
months. They’ve tried to prepare for everything.” She lowered her eyes.
“However, there is still a high risk of this killing me.”

Kailynn blinked at Isa, trying to let the
words sink in, though they continued to bounce around in her brain. She was
unable to consider the possibility that Isa could die.

“If you die…” she choked on the words,
“what will happen to the planet? Venus might be shut down, but then…”

“Then Remus and the Syndicate will do
everything they can to bring the planet back online and move forward,” Isa
whispered. “I have had threats on my life since I was a child,” she murmured.
“I had become so desensitized to it, and for a while, I even welcomed the idea
of one of the plots succeeding, but now…this is the first time I’ve ever been
truly afraid to die.”

She reached forward, resting her hand against
Kailynn’s cheek.

“I used to be afraid to go through with
this plan because I did not want to leave the planet without a leader, and I
figured if I was going to fuck up the planet so horrendously, it was my
responsibility to repair it. But now,” she shook her head, “I know that if I
were to die, Remus and the others would do a fine job leading the planet. What
I’m afraid of is not being able to be with you.”

Kailynn reached up and took Isa’s hand,
holding it tightly and turning her head to press it to her lips, trying to hold
the tears back.

“My life has been dictated by Venus,” Isa
continued quietly, “and even though I rebelled slightly, I was still a part of
her, I was still obedient. Now, I would throw all of that away if it meant I
could be with you as I should be, without the fear of death on both of our
shoulders.”

“Isa,” Kailynn whispered, sniffing back
her tears and clearing her throat, “you survived your life up to this very
moment,” she said. “You even managed to bounce back after throwing yourself
into the control room of the Syndicate.” She tightened her grip on Isa’s hand.
“Do not let this be the thing that brings you down.”

She released Isa’s hands and took her
face, looking into her eyes.

“You will survive this. I know you will.”

Isa closed her eyes and leaned forward,
kissing Kailynn gently.

For seventeen hours, the car drove them
over the continent, crossing bridges that spanned the seas and going through
cities that Kailynn had never heard of. Most of them looked like Anon, clean
and white with no one on the surface streets, but cars whizzing around the
underground roads.

As they were driving through yet another
large city, the windshield of the car darkened and turned into a screen where
the word “advisory” flashed on the screen.

In the next moment, the word disappeared
and Kailynn’s picture flashed on the screen. Next to her picture, was the
advisory notice. Kailyn was able to read most of the words, but she did not
need to read all of them to understand.

Jacyleen
Lynden. Height: 170 cm. Weight: 53 kg.

Kill
on Sight—by Order of Venus.

Report
any information.

Isa stared at the picture and the words next to
it as Kailynn gasped, staring at the words that seemed to stab her in the gut.

Kill
on Sight.

“Once she is disabled,” Isa started,
“stay close to me.” The Golden Elite turned to Kailynn, her eyes dark with
anger. “Until we can get Anon up and running again, you will remain a Kill on
Sight target. Once the Official computers are back up and running, we can
remove the order.”

“How much longer until we get there?”

“Two hours,” Isa answered. “We’re taking
a longer route.”

“Can Venus kill you even from here? With
the processor and everything? Can she just stop your heart?”

“No,” Isa assured. “She has been sending
little attacks at me all day. They just haven’t been enough to hurt as much as
her previous ones. As I continue to move, she has trouble finding a strong
signal to the processor in my chest. Once we stop moving, I’m sure the attacks
will become severe.”

Kailynn took Isa’s hand once more.

As the night began darkening the skies,
the car slowed and pulled off the road, driving out of the town into barren
land where small, sharp brush grew in the fine sand where nothing else could
live.

Isa opened the control panel of the car
once more and activated manual controls. A joystick protruded from the center
console and the car began to slow. Isa moved her foot forward to the front of
the car to rest on the sensor that would keep them moving.

“Why are you turning it on manual?”

“Because we’re about to leave the road
system.”

“What?” Kailynn gasped. “You’re going to
drive this thing over dirt?”

“Yes,” Isa said, a small smile taking
over her lips.

Isa slowed the car and turned off the
road. The car beeped at her twice, telling her there was a problem, but as soon
as they were off the road completely, the alarm silenced and the computer for
the car shut down, leaving Isa to direct the vehicle over the rough dirt path
without interference.

Kailynn, confused and unsure where they
were or where they were going and increasingly nervous about the darkening sky,
remained quiet. There were no lights so far away from the city, making it very
difficult to see.

Isa continued to drive toward a large
mound of rocks and finally slowed at the base of it. She tapped the car lights
twice and a small red light could be seen in the crevice between two large
rocks.

One of the rocks moved backward, showing
an underground passage that allowed the car under the rock.

“Where are we?” Kailynn asked as Isa
drove forward.

“The outskirts of Saera.”

Kailynn turned to Isa quickly, surprised
to recognize the name.

“Saera?”

“Venus’ main processor was placed in a
remote location just outside of the city,” Isa said with a nod. “Since food
production is protected across the Altereye System, previous Golden Elites
began projects to terraform Saera into food production.” Isa sighed heavily,
glancing ahead of her, though she could barely see in the short tunnel that led
them to an underground lot where other cars were parked. “That protected Venus’
main processor.”

“But, when Colonel Amori attacked Saera…”

“The city was leveled,” Isa whispered,
“because Venus’ processor was so close to the generators. The processor was not
damaged, it was never in range. However, it provided a lot more power to the
Charge Blast that destroyed the city.”

Isa got out of the car, Kailynn in tow,
and grabbed their bags of food and supplies. Everyone was bringing some rations
to hold them through the process of shutting down the super-computer.

Isa typed in a code to the only door in
the underground lot and they both walked into the cavernous, hot room. Rayal
and Tarah were already there with half the Syndicate, Paul, and Dr. Busen.
Tiana, Paul’s dog was also there, and ran forward to greet them.

Kailynn was too distracted by the
enormous pillar in the room to notice Tiana at first.

Standing in the center of the metal-lined
dome was an enormous pillar of light. Small strands of brighter yellow and blue
would occasionally flicker in the grooves of the sparse metal casing around the
light, but the white light remained constant and unwavering.

“Is that…”

“That’s Venus,” Isa murmured, stepping
forward to greet Dr. Busen.

“Glad to see you’re here safely,” he
murmured.

“You as well,” Isa agreed, taking Dr.
Busen’s hand before hugging him briefly. She also hugged Paul. “How is it going
here?”

“They’re still trying to disable the
monitoring system,” Paul explained. “They can’t figure out how to turn it off.”

Isa walked to the Elites crouched around
the base of the pillar as Paul and Dr. Busen turned to Kailynn.

“How are you holding up, Kailynn?” Paul
asked.

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” she laughed
nervously. “I don’t know, this seems a bit…”

“Surreal, I’m sure,” Dr. Busen said with
a nod. He took a deep breath, averting his eyes to the ground. “Did Isa tell
you about the procedure?”

“Yeah, sorta,” she said, her stomach
flipping in fear. “But you managed to help her after everything with Colonel
Amori. I’m sure that everything will be fine.”

“I promise, I will do everything in my
power.”

“I know.”

Isa and the other Elites were looking
over the control panel for Venus that was far more complicated than any of the
newer technology to which they were accustomed. They knew they only had once
chance to disable the security monitoring system, which would allow them to set
up the area where Dr. Busen would perform the surgery. As long as the
monitoring system was up, Venus could be notified of any changes in the chamber
of the processor, tipping her off to their location when the healthcare
machines were plugged in.

Isa carefully moved her finger along the
screen, rotating the circle of codes and files represented by small boxes.

“I’ve never seen one of these before,”
Aolee whispered.

“I’ve only dealt with this once,” Isa
said, her eyes sharp on the screen as she held her finger over one square,
seeing the route of the codes listed at the top of the screen. “I had to do
repairs on one of her processors, and I know there is a release mechanism for
programming somewhere around here.”

“This isn’t the programming panel?” Hana
asked, confused.

“No,” Isa said. “Just the control panel.”

“What is the difference?”

“Control panel is what you might call the
landing page for everything,” Isa murmured, turning the circle once more and
holding her finger over another box. “Programming panel is what we understand
as the control panel.”

Isa double tapped the box and a metal
panel moved away from under the screen, extending a platform with a touch
keyboard.

“There we go,” Isa said. She quickly
typed in some commands for the processor and opened up the security, disabling
the program. She checked once more to be sure that the monitoring was off on
all related files and programs and then turned off the programming panel.

“I guess it’s safer that her hardware was
never upgraded,” Anders said, shaking his head. “No one would know how to use
it.”

The Elites went over to help Dr. Busen
and Paul set up the surgical area, while Isa walked back to Kailynn, who was
crouched on the ground with Tiana.

The two remained as far away from the
surgical bed and monitors as they could, glancing over occasionally and sharing
silent conversations with each other in the heat of the humming processor.

Isa began to get nervous when Remus did
not arrive at the time he was expected. After three hours of pacing worriedly,
the door opened and the Silver Elite walked in, his caretaker, Luska, behind
him, and a dog that looked almost exactly like Tiana with them.

Isa ran to him and hugged him tightly.

“You scared me,” she whispered.

“I’m fine,” he assured, heavily dropping
the ration bags and a bag of programming wires and supplies. “Listen,
everyone!” he called through the cavern. “Venus has shut down everything on
Tiao.”

“What?” Isa hissed.

“She’s left the Official communications
up and planetary communications, as well as her own security monitoring system,”
Remus continued. “That’s why I was late. I had to walk the rest of the way
here. The roads were shut down before I could disable the system on the car.”

Isa turned to look at the surprised
expressions in the room.

“It must be chaos out there,” Chronus
whispered.

“Dr. Busen, do you have that computer I
gave you?” Isa asked. He turned to get it as Isa looked at the other Syndicate
members. “This is probably a way to scare the people into believing they need
her and cause chaos that will force us out of hiding. She knows if the people
cause enough problems that we’ll step in because we can’t leave them to destroy
themselves.”

“We have to stay hidden for now,” Anders
said strongly.

“This is what it will be like when she
does shut down,” Remus added. “The people know that you’re trying to shut her
down. Their reaction to this situation will tell us if they support you.”

Isa sighed heavily, running her hands
through her hair, her stomach tying itself in nervous knots.

Dr. Busen returned with the computer and
Isa took it, rifling through one of Remus’ bags and pulling out a cord. She
went to the processor and connected the computer to it.

“What are you doing?” Tia gasped,
horrified. “If you access her mainframe, she’ll see it immediately.”

“This computer operates outside her
sphere,” Isa murmured, opening up several windows and typing in codes. “I’m not
opening anything she does not already have open. If she has left her security
running, then we can just project it onto this screen.”

Several codes flashed across the screen
before it went temporarily black. Then, the security footage from the Syndicate
Building lit up the screen.

Everyone was too stunned to speak.

In Anon, it was the late hours of the
night, and the speakers were playing a continuous message, hauntingly echoing
through the silent city.

“Without
me, this planet will plunge into darkness. Starvation, illness, and war will
become rampant. I have kept Tiao strong all these years, and I will show you my
power. As the planet sits in darkness, remember the power I hold.”

However, the city was not dark. Several
small points of light were gathered at the base of the Syndicate Building. As
Kailynn looked among the small, floating lights, she realized that each of
those points of light were emergency lights, and each was held by a person,
pointed upward to the sky.

There were several thousand lights
gathered at the base of the Syndicate Building.

The feed switched before they could study
it further, and they saw that, throughout the city, there were congregations of
lights in the streets.

Beyond the city limits, a gathering of
lights and fires could be seen in Trid, contained in the center of the
district, near the Keeper’s building.

When the feed switched to another city,
one where dawn had just begun to lighten the streets, the security cameras
showed the citizens gathered in the city center, sitting with one another and
chatting lightly, some standing, others by themselves along the edges of the
congregation of thousands of citizens.

No one in the processor cavern could
believe their eyes.

Yet another city showed gatherings of
people in the streets. One city even saw the largest group in the city center,
chanting as dusk descended on another area of the planet.

“Isa! Not Venus! Isa! Not Venus!”

Isa placed her hand over her mouth and
bowed her head.

Everyone remained silent in awe as they
followed Venus while the computer discovered just how much support Isa had
across the planet to shut down the artificial intelligence.

Chapter
Forty-Two

Kailynn was so overwhelmed by everything
she had seen while watching Venus’ security mainframe scan the reactions around
the planet that, when Paul slipped away to take Tiana for a walk, Kailynn
quickly volunteered to go with him and take Remus’ dog Rio, allowing Luska to
get some sleep.

Kailynn followed Paul to the lot filled
with cars and out the direction they came, leading them into the cool morning
of the desert.

The former Significant took a deep
breath, letting the air fill her lungs and clear her head. She was startled at
the difference in the air. The air felt cleaner as it entered and left her
lungs, and the cool feeling of the morning relieved her body from the heat of
the cavern.

“Amazing how different the air is, isn’t it?”
Paul said with a chuckle. He also took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I
don’t know about you, but I was dying in there.”

“It’s way too fucking hot in there,”
Kailynn agreed.

Paul began walking around the rock mound,
finding a path that led up the embankment and to the top of the ridge behind
the mound of rocks.

“That was incredible,” he said.

“What?”

“Seeing the support she has,” Paul
clarified, leading Kailynn up the path, watching Tiana sniff around the bushes.
“Isa is incredible.”

“I don’t know if that’s the word for it,”
Kailynn whispered. “I’m not sure there is
a word for what she is.”

“No, I don’t suppose there is.”

“Paul, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are you and Dr. Busen a couple?”

Paul chuckled. “Yes, we are.”

“Dr. Busen is one of the best doctors
alive, right?”

“Not one of the best,” Paul said, shaking
his head. “He is the best Elite
Specialist alive.”

“Does that ever get to you?” Kailynn
asked. “Do you ever feel intimidated by him?”

“No,” Paul said, shaking his head again.
“I’m one of the best, too.” He glanced back at Kailynn with a teasing smile.
“We’re both doctors. Anyone who would listen to our conversations at home would
think we were speaking a different language at some of the terms we throw around.
Michael astounds me. He’s absolutely brilliant, and watching him research this,
seeing his dedication and fascination with what we’re about to do, it just
makes me admire him that much more.”

Kailynn lowered her eyes to the ground.

“But it never makes you feel
insignificant?”

“No,” Paul said. “We’re both doctors, so
we operate in the same way. You and Isa? You two are extremely similar in many
ways, but very different in others.” Paul turned around and looked at Kailynn,
slowly walking backward up the dirt path. “You should not feel insignificant at
all,” he said. “I’m sure Isa’s power unsettles you. Right now, she has the
power to shut down Venus, with help, of course, but that help would have never
been available without her power to begin with. That is no small feat, and that
would be frightening to anyone.”

Paul turned back around and continued
walking as Kailynn dropped her eyes to the dirt.

“When this is over,” she finally said,
“and Venus is gone, Isa will still have that power, though. She’ll still be the
leader of the planet, and she’ll still have the power to affect everyone on the
planet.”

“She will,” Paul agreed. “That’s why we
should be thankful that Isa is the one who will be doing this, and not Colonel
Amori or General Decius.”

Paul stopped at the top of the ridge and
turned to Kailynn.

“I want to show you something.”

Kailynn stepped up beside him and glanced
out over the vast area in front of them.

The valley beyond was filled with
dilapidated and collapsed buildings. Most of the metal structure still stood,
the outer walls outlining the building that had once been there, but the roofs
were caved in, the floors sunken in the center, leaving only a destroyed
carcass. There were mangled buildings, where the metal of the framework was
sharply bent and tangled, protruding from the rubble with malicious appearance,
covered in rust.

“Saera,” Paul whispered. “At one point,
this is where the planet harvested most of its food. Losing it caused
significant damage to all of Tiao.”

Kailynn stared at the ruins, thinking
over the story of Saera’s destruction.

“Do you know why it’s so difficult to
produce our food on this planet?” Paul asked. “There is plenty of food on the
planet as it is. Indigenous species would eat the plants and animals here, but
humans cannot. Even if we were to, we would starve or poison ourselves, because
we were not built to consume them. Our bodies are meant for our origins on
Earth. Therefore, we had to produce food from Earth here. But, had we forced
people to eat the indigenous plants and animals here, our species would have
built up a body that would handle that food. And we would not be struggling to
feed the people of this system.”

Paul glanced at Kailynn.

“Staying the same is never an option,” he
murmured. “Just as a person has to change to overcome trials in life, a city, a
society, a species, they all must change as well, because that is what nature
demands.” Paul chuckled. “I used to say this jokingly, but, the truth is, Isa
is a force of nature. She had to change to overcome the hardships in her life,
and she is changing things for everyone so that this planet and its people may
grow stronger. While it’s terrifying to stand next to that kind of power, and
think of yourself as powerless, it is better to be amazed by that strength, and
revel in it. Because you are also capable of great change. Just think of the
way you clawed your way out of Trid, the way you started reading and writing,
the way you came to Isa’s aid and helped her strengthen herself. You are just
as powerful as Isa. You are anything but insignificant. You gave Isa back to
us, and to the planet.”

Kailynn could only stare at Paul, letting
the words move around her skull slowly.

Paul looked over the ruins and smiled.

“Change can look devastating,” he agreed,
nodding to the city. “But I see a lot of flowers growing there that would have
never grown had a city been there.”

Paul walked back down the path, stopping
a little further down to wait for Kailynn, who continued to look out over the small
splashes of color she had not seen before among the grey concrete and rusted
metal rubble.

Tensions were very high later that day.

Paul and Dr. Busen went to all the
monitors in the improvised surgical area, turning them on and preparing the
instruments they would need for the surgery. Isa sat against the base of the
processor, watching from afar. Kailynn, who had been playing with Rio and Tiana
to take her mind off the impending surgery, finally walked to Isa and sat with
her. The Golden Elite’s eyes did not move from the doctors, so Kailynn wrapped
her arm around Isa’s and rested her head on the Elite’s shoulder.

The waiting continued.

Remus and several of the other Elites
were setting up the connections between the processor and another machine that
Maki had tried to complete on his own to destroy Venus’ codes. The Elites of
the Syndicate had continued Maki’s research and created a computer that would
read the codes.

Then, they had built a system that
contained the virus to destroy the codes, setting it separate from the other
machine and the processor. It was a simple-looking machine with a stand and a
handle that would activate the virus and send it to the two processors.

Setting up the three machines was enough
to distract them from what was about to happen.

Rayal and Tarah continued to take shifts
monitoring the outer areas of the processor’s location to be sure they had not
been found by Officials. However, they were more interested in checking in with
everyone in the cavern.

Finally, Dr. Busen stepped away from the
surgery area. He motioned for Paul to follow him and the two left the cavern,
everyone watching them.

When the door closed, Kailynn glanced at
Isa.

Isa smiled weakly and stroked her cheek
before leaning forward and brushing their lips together.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Kailynn breathed,
tears threatening to overtake her, making her voice crack.

The Elites stepped away from their tasks
and waited, understanding that Dr. Busen was ready to perform the surgery.

“How much more is left?” Isa asked,
looking at Remus.

“Just connecting the final ports to the
processor.”

“Better do those now,” Isa said with a
nod.

Remus turned back to the other Elites and
they began moving around the processor, plugging in different wires.

Kailynn could hardly breathe.

When the final setup was complete,
everyone waited for the doctors to return.

When Dr. Busen walked back in, everyone
tensed. Paul and Dr. Busen walked to Isa and crouched in front of her.

“We’re ready, Isa,” Dr. Busen whispered.

“Okay,” the Elite said, taking a deep
breath and slowly letting it out.

Dr. Busen swallowed hard and looked at the
floor.

“Do you want me to tell you what I will
be doing?”

She shook her head quickly.

“Tell me afterward.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Alright. Let’s
start, then.”

Dr. Busen helped Isa to her feet, and
Paul helped Kailynn. Kailynn quickly grabbed Isa’s arm and pulled her into a
tight hug, the tears falling down her face. She whispered to the Elite that she
loved her once again and Isa repeated the sentence.

Then, Isa walked with Dr. Busen to the surgery
table.

“Chronus, Anders, Hana,” Paul called,
motioning them over. “Does someone want to tell Rayal and Tarah?”

Tia left the cavern to get the two
caretakers as Kailynn watched the three Elites approach the surgery area,
preparing to act as the nurses assisting Dr. Busen and Dr. Arre.

Remus walked to Kailynn and placed a hand
on her shoulder. She looked up at him, her hand over her nose and mouth as she
fought to contain her tears. Before she thought better of it, she wrapped her
arms around him, hugging him tightly. He returned the hug, closing his eyes.

They both remained silent.

Isa removed her shirt and bra and
reclined on the table as everyone who would be involved with the surgery washed
their hands and covered their clothes. Isa closed her eyes and took several
deep, measured breaths.

Dr. Busen started the IV on her and then
hooked up her other arm on fluids. He covered her body with a blanket and then
the hole in the blanket with another sheet before continuing to attach Isa to
different monitors.

Tarah and Rayal walked in, both walking
up to Isa and standing in her line of vision as the final preparations were
made.

By the time Dr. Busen announced that he
would be putting her under to start the procedure, everyone had gathered around
the area, watching nervously. Isa turned her head and looked around the cavern,
her eyes finally meeting Kailynn’s.

The two remained in an eye-lock before
Isa’s eyes slowly slipped shut, and all the beeping of the monitors evened to a
constant, rhythmic sound.

Dr. Busen turned around and looked at the
group that had gathered.

“My apologies,” he said slowly, “but
please give me a little space. This is nerve-wracking enough.”

The group not participating in the
surgery backed away, going to the opposite side of the cavern. Remus guided
Kailynn away, sitting next to her as Rayal and Tarah sat on her other side.
They did not bother to watch for Officials finding them. At that point, they
could not bear to leave the room, knowing Isa was undergoing surgery.

Kailynn refused to watch the figures on
the other side of the cavern. Her eyes were, instead, focused on the machines
hooked up to the processor. It was unbearably hot in the cavern, and she was
sweating profusely, beads of sweat rolling into her eyes, which she furiously
wiped away, refusing to move more.

Some Elites would get up at various times
to pace, or walk around processor to check the connections. Even though they
had tested their connections on a processor that had been put out of
commission, they had not tried shutting it down. Therefore, they did not know
for sure that the virus would work.

They figured that, if Isa could come out
of the surgery, and the virus did not work, they would find another way to shut
down Venus with the help of the Golden Elite.

Freeing Isa from Venus’ grasp was the
highest priority.

Even though only two hours had passed, it
felt like days for all those watching.

Two hours in, Chronus called Remus over
to look at the protective casing they were slowly removing, just to be sure
they were removing it correctly and that they would not damage Isa’s heart or
trigger the processor.

Remus quickly returned to the group when
he had finished giving his advice.

“How does she look?” Kailynn demanded.

“As you would expect,” Remus said slowly,
sitting against the wall once more and loosening the fastenings on his uniform,
also sweating. “They’re half-way through with the casing. This last panel
should reveal the processor and they’ll finally be able to see what they’re
dealing with.”

“They don’t know for sure?” Kailynn
choked.

“No,” Remus said, shaking his head. “But
have faith in them. Dr. Busen is the best.”

Kailynn closed her eyes, unable to look
in the direction of the surgery.

Another hour later, after some worried
conversations between the two doctors, Dr. Busen told Dr. Arre to prepare for a
heart reconstruction. The words caused Kailynn to physically feel pain in her
chest. She folded her legs and rested her forehead on her knees, trying to
breathe around the fear in her chest and the heat of the cavern.

“It’s alright,” Remus assured. “Dr. Busen
has done this before.”

“On a heart?”
Kailynn snapped.

“Not on Isa’s but a heart reconstruction
is not uncommon,” Remus told her. “They already have one ready for her. They
began growing it a week ago.”

“Growing
it?”

“Isa’s entire genetic map is documented.
She had her tongue and eye regrown for reconstruction when she had the
accident,” Remus said. “The heart and the reconstruction are not the worry. The
concern lies entirely with the processor.”

Kailynn felt as though she was about to
be sick.

Tarah clung nervously to Rayal, who was
also pale and shaking. Everyone was extremely nervous.

With everything prepared for a quick reconstruction,
Dr. Busen and Dr. Arre continued working diligently.

At the beginning of the fifth hour, panic
set in on the other side of the cavern.

The monitors began sounding alarms and
the Elites all jumped, terror bolting through them.

“I clipped it,” Dr. Busen hissed.

Kailynn was on her feet, ready to dart
forward, but Remus leapt up and grabbed her, getting in front of her and
forcing her back.

“Get out of my way!” Kailynn barked.

“Kailynn, keep it down,” Remus snapped.
“Let him concentrate.”

“She’s dying!”

Remus wrapped his arms around Kailynn,
forcing her to muffle her cries into his uniform, trying to weakly fight him to
get to the surgery area, where the monitors continued to beep their warnings.
Dr. Busen snapped something at Paul and then told the other Elites to get out
of the way. Kailynn did not know what was going on, but she could feel the
tension in Remus’ body and she knew that everyone had their eyes on Dr. Busen.

After what felt like an eternity
listening to the shrill beeping, the warnings stopped and the simple, rhythmic
beeping stumbled into a steady beat.

Dr. Busen slowly removed his hand from
Isa’s chest, shaking.

“Michael, Michael, breathe,” Paul said.
“Just breathe for a moment.”

There was stillness and silence as Dr.
Busen took a few moments to collect himself.

When Remus felt Kailynn relax, lulled
into a calmer state by the rhythmic beeping of the machines, the Silver Elite
released her and guided her back to the spot where they had been sitting.

Two hours later, Chronus called Remus
over once more, his voice a little weaker.

Kailynn finally turned her eyes to the
surgery area, and saw Chronus holding a bloodied, metal contraption that had
everyone standing, their eyes wide.

The former Significant watched, her body
locked, as the Silver Elite carefully took the contraption.

It was shaped to be cased around a heart,
small needles poking out in different areas to touch the muscle. It was black
in color with ridges of gold that made up the pathways of the processor.

The Silver Elite brought it over to
everyone else. While the Elites seemed fascinated by the machine itself,
Kailynn was focused entirely on the blood that coated it.

“Where did it get its power?” Tia
whispered.

“Isa’s heart powered it. It’s in safe
mode,” Remus murmured. “We should set it on a circuit before Venus realizes
it’s in danger.”

He walked over to the secondary machine
they had set up and two Elites helped to attach the processor to a live circuit
to get it out of safe mode and prepare it for shut down.

Kailynn walked around them slowly,
approaching the surgery area.

When Anders saw her, he walked over to
her, keeping his voice down.

“The processor is out,” he assured. “Dr.
Busen is just finishing up patching the areas of her heart.”

“Then…she’s going to be alright?” Kailynn
asked, her voice breaking.

“We won’t know for sure until she wakes
up,” he admitted. “We don’t entirely know what effect the processor has on her
heart and how it will work without the processor. Dr. Busen is doing everything
he can.”

Kailynn nodded tightly, crossing her arms
over her chest and taking a deep breath.

She did not move for the final hour as
Dr. Busen finished the surgery and closed Isa’s chest once more.

Kailynn had to contend to watching the
monitors prove that Isa was alive.

Finally, Dr. Busen backed away from the
surgery area, his hands and protective clothing stained with blood and his face
pale and covered in sweat.

Everyone surged forward.

“I’m going to let everything stabilize,”
he said quietly, removing his gloves, his hands shaking. “I’m going to leave
her sedated for another hour and see what the monitors say. If everything looks
good, we’ll stop the drugs and see…”

He did not finish the sentence, but they
all knew that there was still some uncertainty.

Dr. Busen and Paul began cleaning the
surgery area, continuously looking at the monitors and at Isa. The others did
not approach until the doctors were finished cleaning and stood by the
machines, watching the lines and numbers move up and down.

Kailynn finally walked up to Isa and
looked over the Elite’s pale face, terrified that Isa would die the moment they
stopped the sedation.

She rested a hand on Isa’s hair and let
the tears blur her vision.

The hour wait was agonizing, but when it
was over, everyone wished they had more time to prepare.

Dr. Busen closed the drip, carefully
removing the needle from Isa’s arm, though he left her on the fluid monitor.

Then, everyone turned their eyes to the
other monitors, waiting, scarcely breathing.

Everything remained stable and normal.

But still, everyone held their breaths,
watching the lines and numbers worriedly.

Dr. Busen turned away from the monitors
and ran a hand over his face. Paul went up to him and took his shoulders.

“It will be alright,” he whispered. “She
did not peak, nor drop. She’s still stable.”

“She might be in a coma,” Dr. Busen
whispered. “She might not wake up on her own.”

“Michael,” Paul said strongly, tightening
his fingers on the other doctor’s shoulders, “look at me.” The older doctor
looked up, his face creased with anxiety. “This stubborn Elite pulled through a
skull reconstruction. This is not going to be the thing that takes her down.”

Dr. Busen swallowed hard and closed his
eyes, nodding.

Paul pulled Dr. Busen closer and hugged
him tightly.

Kailynn watched the time pass on the
clock of one of the monitors, one hand still resting on Isa’s head.
Thirty-three minutes and twenty-seven seconds passed before the monitors
changed their tones.

Kailynn looked around quickly as everyone
jumped, turning their eyes to Isa.

The Golden Elite slowly blinked her eyes
open, opening her mouth to take a pained breath. Kailynn gasped and the tears tumbled
down her face as she covered her mouth.

Isa groaned and closed her eyes tightly.

“It’s…fucking hot in here…”

Everyone in the cavern let out a relieved
laugh, a few of them shaking, barely able to keep their legs from giving out on
them. Dr. Busen did collapse to his knees, letting out a long breath as Paul
went to a crouch next to him and hugged him tightly once more.

Kailynn pressed a kiss to Isa’s lips,
thrilled to feel that they were warm.

“You have the power to change that,”
Remus said, walking up to Isa’s other side and taking her hand. The Elite
looked at the Silver Elite and a small, tired smile came to her lips.

“Then…”

Remus’ hand tightened on Isa’s.

“He got it out,” he said with a nod.
“You’re free of her.”

Isa’s smile widened.

“…and you were all so worried…”

Kailynn could not help but laugh, her
entire body shaking as she ran her hand several times over Isa’s hair.

“The amount of stress I deal with being
around you is going to take years of my life,” she hiccupped with a teasing
smile.

“Mine, too,” Dr. Busen groaned,
approaching the Golden Elite.

“I knew you could do it,” Isa said,
looking at Dr. Busen.

“I want you to sit up very slowly,” he said, taking Isa’s
other hand.

Everyone watched as Dr. Busen checked the
strength of Isa’s heart and that she could breathe properly when upright. When
everything looked stable, he draped a robe over her shoulders.

Though he did not want her to walk, Isa
got to her feet and took a step.

“You need to take it slow,” Dr. Busen said.
“Just sit for a moment.”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “There
is something that needs to be done.”

Everyone turned to look at the two
smaller machines hooked up to the large processor. Isa swallowed hard and
stumbled slowly to the machines, Dr. Busen and Paul supporting her as she
approached. She swayed, the drugs still running through her system.

When she was standing in front of the
switch that would release the virus, she slowly pulled her arms away from the
two doctors and turned her attention to the switch.

“Is this all I need to do?”

“Yes,” Remus answered.

Isa reached out to the switch, but
hesitated, feeling the weight of the action even through the fog of painkillers
and sedatives still pumping through her veins.

Her hand shook, barely above the switch.

For several long moments in the hot
cavern, everyone waited for Isa to move.

But she did not.

Kailynn took a step toward Isa, standing
beside her and resting a hand on top of Isa’s. She gently pushed the Elite’s
hand down until it rested on the switch.

Isa turned to Kailynn, seeing the weak,
nervous, smile on the younger woman’s face. Isa licked her dry lips and turned
back to the handle.

A hand rested on her other shoulder and
she turned to see Remus behind her, his hand grounding her as he nodded.

Turning a little further, Isa saw the
Syndicate members behind her, Rayal and Tarah near the front, their hands
clasped tightly together. Paul and Dr. Busen stood there as well, watching her
with small smiles that told her they supported her.

Isa turned back to the switch and, with
Kailynn’s hand on hers, pushed it down.

Two seconds later, the large processor
whirled loudly. Sparks flew from the openings in the sparse casing and the
colors flickered, the light fading as the machine whirred louder and louder. With a deafening crack, the processor went
black, and, for that instant, it was as if the entire universe held its breath.

The darkness and silence of the room
remained.

Kailynn felt Isa’s fingers move, turning
around to clasp her hand.

“We did it,” Remus whispered in the
darkness.

Epilogue

Compared to the darkness of the cavern,
the bright light of the sun blinded everyone. The Bronze Elites had immediately
returned to Anon, arriving the day after Venus had shut down to direct relief
parties from Fortunea and to start the programs they had outlined to help
rebuild the capital.

However, Remus, Isa, Kailynn, Rayal,
Tarah, and the doctors remained in the cavern for two days to be sure that Isa
was well enough to return to her duties in Anon.

The reality did not hit Kailynn of what
had happened until she and Isa drove out of the cavern into the sunlight. They
were the first car out of the remaining members of the group that had taken
down Venus, the other cars close behind.

As they approached the road, Kailynn
asked Isa to stop. The Golden Elite did so and Kailynn stepped out of the car,
inhaling deeply. The air was hot in the middle of the day, but the clear air
still refreshed her. She glanced around the desert brush and the blue skies and
suddenly realized that everything was different.

Isa also got out of the car as Kailynn
walked around and took her hand.

“Walk with me for a moment.”

Isa followed Kailynn’s lead, hand secured
in the younger woman’s. With the sun beating down on them and the clean air
filling their lungs, they both realized the magnitude of what had happened, but
it did not seem as impossible to rebuild now. The entire universe had not
fallen into darkness. The sun still shone as the planet rotated around its
star, illuminating the surface of Tiao as it always had. However, it felt even
more powerful now that they realized that Venus had never controlled the sun.

She had never controlled nature.

“Do you hear that?” Kailynn asked,
stopping and turning to Isa.

The Golden Elite closed her eyes and
listened.

“Nothing?”

“Exactly,” Kailynn said with a smile.
“For some reason, I thought everything would be absolute chaos when we walked
out of there.”

“Admittedly, I did as well,” Isa chuckled
lightly. She took a deep breath. “Things will not be easy, though.”

“They never were meant to be,” Kailynn
said. “You know, someone once told me that anything that happens from inside a
society is more devastating than war,” she continued, her smile widening.
“We’ve toppled the society, and now we have to rebuild it.” She chuckled. “The
easy part is over.”

Isa chuckled.

“Shutting down a computer that was
hardwired into the entire planet was the easy part…” she murmured. “How does
that bode for everything else?”

Kailynn’s fingers tightened around Isa’s
hand.

“With you as the leader, everything will
work out,” she assured. “You saw it yourself. Everyone supported you. And you
succeeded.”

Isa looked at their clasped hands.

“I succeeded because everyone supported
me,” she said. “And because you
supported me.”

She stepped forward and brushed her
fingers over Kailynn’s cheek, leaning down to kiss her.

“I would not be alive today if not for
you,” she whispered.

“I think you have Dr. Busen to thank for
most of that,” she chuckled.

“Living and surviving are not the same
thing,” Isa said. “I’ve survived my life thanks to Dr. Busen, Paul, Remus,
Rayal, Tarah, and everyone at the Syndicate who has supported me to this
point.” Isa’s hands went up to take Kailynn’s face. “But I’m alive because of you.”

Kailynn’s smile widened before she could
help it and she took Isa’s hands in hers, bringing them to her lips to kiss
before she looked at Isa mischievously.

“That was pretty good,” she teased. “Have
you been practicing that?”

“Maybe,” Isa laughed lightly, “but I’ll
never tell.”

Kailynn chuckled and pecked a quick kiss
on Isa’s lips.

“I do mean it, Kailynn,” Isa murmured. “I
would not be alive if not for you.”

Kailynn took a deep breath and pulled
away from Isa, turning to walk past her and back to the car, reaching out as
she passed to smack Isa’s behind.

“Don’t you forget it.”

Isa chuckled, walking back to the car
even as Kailynn jogged. She kept her eyes on Kailynn, watching her laugh and
run back to the group that was waiting for them to return, all standing by
their cars, watching silently.

Kailynn bounced around the car and smiled
brilliantly at Isa as she opened the door and sat in the vehicle.

Isa approached her car, feeling lighter
under the warm sun and surrounded by the fresh air. She suddenly felt her power
return to her. She knew that the road ahead would be very difficult, but she
understood that it would be better for her, the Syndicate, and all the people
on her planet.

She felt ready to face the challenge.

Isa glanced at the others standing by
their cars as she opened the door to her car. She winked at them with a smile.

“Try to keep up.”

End

More Works by K.J. Amidon

Inside

(Written as Kyra Anderson)

Inside – Pt. 1

Inside – Pt. 2

Inside – Pt. 3

The Dimension Guardian Series:

Book 1 – Dimension
Guardian: The Realm of Beasts –

The Guardian Tournament

Book 2 – Dimension
Guardian: The Realm of Darkness –

Blind Ambitions

Book 3 – Dimension
Guardian: The Realm of Humans –

Fate

Book 4 – Dimension
Guardian: The Realm of Light –

Imbalance

Book 5 –
Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Demons –

Scars in Time

Book
6 – Dimension Guardian: The Realm of Exile –

Continuum

The Significant

(Written as Kyra Anderson)

Dedicated to:

My friends and family who inspire me everyday

The numerous people who would not let me quit, even though it was very
tempting

T.L. Coulter—You are the best! Thank you for all your support!

All of the readers who took a leap of faith to read this book. You have
no idea what you’re in for, do you?