Alternity (26 page)

“Yes.” Ruth nods. “That would do it. But there’s no way—”

“I’m on it.”

Dawn cocks his head, looking at me with suspicion. “What do you mean?”

“Easy. Duske wants me back, right? He has the thumb we need. I’ll simply go pay him a visit, tell him I was kidnapped by you guys the entire time and finally managed to escape. Now I want to go home. Once I get him to start trusting me, I’ll get his thumbprint.”

“No way. It’s too dangerous,” Dawn says. “You. alone in that … house?” He shakes his head. “I won’t allow it.”

“I won’t be alone,” I argue. “You have Thom working on the inside. Probably a slew of others, too. They can help if I get into a jam. And once I have the thumbprint, I’ll have security clearance to walk right out the front door if I want to.”

Dawn frowns. “And what if he doesn’t believe you? What if he decides to kill you on sight?”

I think for a moment. “He won’t,” I tell him. “He still needs me to be part of his Moongazing seminar. To convince the Indys that Moongazing is a worthwhile venture. Besides, the guy has a thing for Mariah, remember? He was even supposed to marry her. I bet if Mariah shows up, all ready and willing, he’d be good to go.”

“Not a bad idea,” Ruth says thoughtfully. “Get him close and he’ll be putty in your hands.”

“I don’t like it,” Dawn interrupts. “Him, putting his hands on you. I can’t—”

“Dawn, it’s the only way,” I say, laying my own hand on his arm. His muscles are hard, tensed. “What alternative do we have? Stay down here until we’re weak from hunger and dying of slow poison? If I’m going to die, I want to die in an attempt to save our people.”

And I mean it, too, I realize. I’ve lost my chance to go back to Earth. Probably forever. But for some reason I don’t feel the least bit of regret. My old life now seems nothing more than a very long dream, a halfhearted excuse of an existence where I never accomplished anything meaningful. Who cares about a video game, about school and clubbing and all the rest? It’s all empty and useless when standing beside an opportunity to save a world. Today I’m alive as I’ve never been. I have a reason to live. To fight. I have a cause and people who need me. And I alone have the power to help them.

I gotta say, in a weird way, I love being Mariah.

“She’s right,” Ruth says in an effort to stop Dawn’s continued protest. “It’s a good plan. The best chance we’ve got right now. And Mariah’s the only one who can really carry it out.”

“We’ll put a tracker on her,” suggests Kayce. “So we’ll know where she is at all times. If she gets in trouble, she can just hit the panic button and we can figure out a way to storm the house.”

“And Brother Thom’s a great swordsman,” Hiro adds. “I trained him myself. He can always break cover and help her, if need be. It’s not like there’ll be much point of cover if we all die.”

Dawn slumps his shoulders. He can’t argue with everyone. “Fine,” he says. “I can see you’re not going to be dissuaded. I don’t like it, but I won’t stand in your way.”

*

“I still think you’re crazy,” Dawn tells me as we walk through the door and into my apartment. He heads over to the couch and sits down, scrubbing his face with his hands. “What if Duske isn’t fooled? What if he kills you?” He looks up at me, his eyes hollow and full of shadows. “I can’t bear the idea of something bad happening to you.”

“I know,” I say, taking a seat beside him. I wrap my arms around him and cuddle my head to his shoulder. His body feels warm and taut against mine. Solid, strong. Only the smallest tremble gives away his fear. “I’m scared, too, believe me. But it’s a good plan. It can work. And once we get the high-security clearance thumb mold made, we can not only stop the poison, but maybe we can figure out some other government tricks. Imagine what secrets are being held in that building.”

“You’re right, I know,” Dawn relents. He turns to kiss me on the forehead. “It is a good plan. And you’re extremely brave to volunteer.” He shakes his head. “Enough talk now. I have one night with you and I don’t plan to waste it by worrying about the future.”

His lips brush against mine. Soft. Reverent. And I realize something’s changed between us. Some barrier that prevented us from becoming close has now melted away. Perhaps it’s due to me giving up my life on Earth, giving up all the baggage I’ve been carrying around and accepting my role on Terra. Whatever the reason, there’s no longer anything standing in our way. Tonight we will experience each other fully, accept the bond between us, and become one.

He stops for a moment, capturing my face in his hands, sliding his calloused palms up my cheeks, finding my eyes with his own. His gaze makes my breath hitch in my throat. He smiles at me. A completely unguarded, vulnerable smile. His face is so beautiful I want to cry and laugh all at the same time. Instead, I smile back, hoping he sees the expression for what it is: an offering of everything that I am. Everything I can be.

If I die tomorrow, at least I know I’ve lived today.

EIGHTEEN

I hover on the ladder, just below the rabbit hole. My knees are knocking together so hard I’m half convinced they’ll buckle out from under me, causing me to fall to my death. More than a small part of me wants to play the coward, to turn and flee and never look back.

But then I remember Dawn’s face. The love shining from his glowing eyes as he kissed me good-bye and sent me on my mission impossible. The pride in his voice as he praised my courage and told me that, Mariah or Skye, now I really would be the savior of the people. The one they would sing about for generations to come.

How could I possibly deny my new destiny?

I draw in a breath, trying to quell my nervous energy as I push open the rabbit hole, emerging onto Strata One.
Here goes nothing.

It doesn’t take long for the guards to grab me. And soon I’m being carted off in a squad car to Duske’s mansion. When they drag me inside, Thom is standing in the foyer. When the guards aren’t looking he gives me an imperceptible nod. I nod back; at least I’m not entirely alone, even though I know he won’t break his cover unless the situation gets dire.

“Sister Mariah,” he cries, keeping in character. “We have been looking everywhere for you. Let me tell the master you are here.”

I shuffle my step. I’m now at the point of no return. Inside the belly of the beast. Let’s hope he’s hungry.

Thom leaves me, heads up the sweeping staircase, and disappears down a hallway. The guards continue to flank me at either side. Was I crazy to think this plan would work? What will Duske do when he sees me? What if he decides I’m worth more dead than alive? Will he simply kill me on sight, never giving me a chance to accomplish my mission?

“Well, well, well.” A booming voice above interrupts my racing thoughts. I look up. Senator Reginald Duske is standing at the top of the stairs, dressed in an old-fashioned black suit. His hair is slicked back and his face is cold and unreadable. “It appears the prodigal sister has returned.”

Time to earn that Academy Award.

“Brother Duske!” I cry, breaking free of the guards and rushing up the stairs. Before he can react, I throw my arms around him, squeezing him in the most enthusiastic hug I can muster. I press my whole body against him, hoping to spark some heat in his cold, unyielding frame. “Thank God you’re here!”

The senator lets me hold him for a moment, then steps out of the embrace. He looks me over, eyebrow raised.

“You seem happy to see me,” he observes.

“Of course!” I say, practically bouncing with enthusiasm. “You have no idea what I’ve been through. This gang of rebels—I think they’re called Eclipsers or something—kidnapped me from your house and dragged me underground. It was horrible.”

“Kidnapped, huh?” Duske repeats slowly “And here I was sure you’d left of your own free will.”

“Are you kidding me?” I give him a disgusted look. “Do you know where they took me? Some horrible underground ghetto with these crazy mutant freaks. They kept insisting I was that girl named Mariah, their rebel leader or whatever. And they wanted to use me somehow to unite the people against the government.” I shake my head, as if reliving the horror. “So, I’m like, ‘Dudes, I’m so not Mariah. I’m Skye, and I’m from Earth and I need to get back.’ But did they believe me? No! They locked me up and only took me out when they wanted to show me off like some kind of prized cow.” I allow my voice to crack. “Oh God, Duske, I thought I was going to die down there. I was so scared.” I throw my arms around him again, sobbing into his shoulder, hoping it’s not overkill.

Duske stands still for a moment, then awkwardly pats me on the back a few times. I try to gauge his reaction. Does he believe me? Even a little? I step away and study his face. It’s hard to tell.

“An interesting story,” he says.

“Interesting?” I screw up my face in disgust. “Horrible is more like it. All I want to do is get back to Earth. To my real life. Please. You’ve got to help me.”

“How did you escape?” he asks, ignoring my request.

“There’s something going on down there,” I explain, glad Dawn and I had role-played this encounter last night so I knew exactly what to say. “The fans have stopped and the air has become poisoned somehow. It’s made everyone weak. I saw my opportunity, and when they were transporting me, I acted. I attacked my two captors and went up one of the hatches. That’s where your men found me and brought me here.” I shudder. “You can go look, if you want. Their bodies are probably still there, right under the rabbit hole by Moongazer Palace.”

This was a small insurance the Eclipsers had arranged to make my story more believable. The bodies in question were two asthmatic Dark Siders who had succumbed to the poisoned air a day before. Hiro and Kayce had worked on the two bodies and laid them by the exit to provide legitimacy to my tale.

Duske turns to the guards at the bottom of the stairs. “Return to Luna Park,” he says. “Go down the rabbit hole by Moongazer Palace. See if there are bodies there.”

The guards bow low, then exit the building to carry out their orders. Duske turns back to me. “I’m sorry not to take your story at face value,” he says amicably. “But these days we cannot be too careful.” He claps his hands again and two more guards show up. He instructs them to pat me down. Luckily, we’d envisioned this kind of scenario and so I’d come without weapons.

“I totally understand,” I assure him as the guards search me. “But soon you’ll believe me and we can move on. Did I miss your Moongazing seminar? I’ll still do it if you want. I’ll do whatever it takes. I just want to get back to Earth—like you promised.” I’m crying now. Easy to fake tears when I’m this terrified. “I’m so sick of this creepy place. All I want to do is go home. To see my family. My friends.”

Duske’s face softens. He reaches out to stroke my hair. “Shh,” he says. “Don’t cry. It’ll be okay. The nightmare is over. You’re safe with me.”

I breathe a sigh of relief. He’s buying it. He’s actually buying it.

“So, can I go to my room?” I ask. “I’m dying for a bath. And then maybe we could go to dinner tonight? I loved that place you took me originally. What was it called again? The Park Terrace? The ravioli is divine.”

Duske scratches his chin, studying me with his piercing eyes. “All in due time,” he says. “But first we must take a little trip.” He turns to walk down the hall, beckoning me to follow.

I cock my head. A trip? What kind of trip? Does he believe me or not?

“Come along,” he says, and I realize I have no choice but to follow him.

We walk down the hall until we come to an elevator. He presses his thumb to call it, and a moment later the doors slide open. We step inside and Duske selects a bottom floor. The doors close and the elevator shoots downward. We travel for what feels like a long time. I wonder how deep we’re going. My heart pounds so hard and fast I worry it’ll burst. I steal a glance at Duske, trying to read his expression. He simply stares at the descending numbers flickering above the doors, his face inscrutable. Finally, the elevator shudders to a stop and the doors slide open.

We step out into a long corridor, highly guarded by thumb-sensored doors, seemingly every few feet. This place is more secure than Fort Knox. But Duske’s thumb works magic on every lock. I so have to get a copy of it, no matter what it takes. I consider jumping him now—after all, we are alone—but then reconsider. At present I have no means to get his thumbprint. I must wait for Thom to slip me my supplies.

“Where are we going?” I ask, praying this is not some trick—some one-way trip to a high-security prison he plans to throw me in.

“Bunker twelve,” Duske says, stopping in front of a small golf cart. “Get in.”

I obey, joining him in the cart as he activates the hover controls. Soon we’re floating down the corridor at low speed, and about ten minutes later we come to another door. This one’s flanked by human guards in addition to thumb-sensor locks.

Duske steps out of the cart, nods to the guards, and waves an identification card at them. They step aside, pressing their thumbs against matching sensors, and Duske does the same with his. The locks click simultaneously and the door swings open.

We step into a long, featureless hallway, illuminated by dim fluorescent lighting lining the ceiling. I follow Duske down the hall, trying to memorize each twist and turn. The place is like a maze. An industrial catacomb. There are a million doors dotting the myriad of hallways.

Finally, we come to a door at the end of one corridor. Duske presses his thumb against the sensor and the door slides open. We step inside, into some sort of prison, though it certainly wouldn’t meet Geneva Convention standards. The smell of decay and rot permeates the air, and I have to resist a nearly overwhelming urge to block my nose with my hand. The floor is strewn with debris, and behind each iron-barred cell there’s a prisoner, dressed in rags and lying on the ground, covered in her own filth. There are no beds, no toilets, not a single creature comfort to be seen.

I steel my expression, not wanting him to see my revulsion. It’s all I can do not to lean over and puke. “What are we doing here?” I demand instead. “I thought you would take me to my apartment.”