The Fair & Foul (Project Gene Assist Book 1) (35 page)
Read The Fair & Foul (Project Gene Assist Book 1) Online
Authors: Allie Potts
"You said you had everything under control," she said.
"And it is," said Damien, extending his hand.
Juliane took one last look at the elevator door before accepting his hand and climbing into the tube. Damien's hands flew across the control panel. Within seconds, her toes and fingertips were numb. Damien glanced down at her and smiled, like a father easing his child into bed. “It's just a short nap. Everything will be exactly as it should when you wake up.”
“But what about you?” she asked.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve taken care of everything.”
Juliane could no longer feel her legs beyond her knees. Her arms were reduced to icy weights pulling her body down, but at the same time, she felt as if she were floating. Everything seemed to slow down around her. More debris came tumbling down, but to Juliane it moved like a bubble in the breeze.
She found herself thinking of Alan’s explanation for the events at the factory. The pieces simply did not fit.
She couldn’t care what the others thought of her, but couldn’t bear that Damien might view her as being less than she knew she was. “Damien, you don’t believe that I ordered all those people dead, do you?”
Damien smiled and stroked her cheek with a finger like a father would a daughter as the dais swayed. “I know you didn’t.”
Juliane sighed. She felt an icy chill up her spine as more of her body was put to sleep. A thought entered into her mind like a pebble in a shoe. “But how?” she asked.
“How?”
“How do you know?”
Damien smiled. “I know because I was the one who gave that order.”
Juliane felt tendrils of fog enter her thoughts. Something Damien had just said was wrong. Very wrong. She felt she should be shocked right now. She felt she should be pulling away from his touch, but she could no longer move her head.
“Why?” she whispered.
“The factory had served its purpose. Loose ends had to be eliminated.”
She mumbled a sound, her mouth no longer functioning.
“Shh. Remember it’s always easiest if you don’t fight these things. I am truly sorry that you had to go through all that, but I had instructed Alan to delay. It made it so much easier to convince you all to enter the tubes willingly. However, I am surprised you accepted Alan’s story so readily. I had thought that you, compared to all the others, would be least likely to doubt yourself. But it is for the best. As it was once said, ‘It's okay for people to respect you, but when they fear you, you know you have the power.’ And you, my dear, wear power so beautifully.”
The tiny grain of Juliane still awake wanted to scream and run away, but neither option was available. Damien returned his attention to the side panel. The sound of gas escaping could be heard as a glass screen began to inch over her face. Even covered, she could still make out Damien’s words thundering in between crashes of destruction.
“Sometimes the only way to save something is to break it down to its foundation and rebuild; give it a fresh start. I believe that's a concept you are familiar with. It has become clear to me for some time that humanity was on a collision course with self-destruction. Alan's a purest. He believes that the future of the world should be decided purely by the survival of the fittest. His belief might be a tad extreme, but that doesn't mean he is entirely wrong. We accelerated the process while there was still a hope for our future. I chose each of you for a very special reason. You each represent the best minds in your respective fields. When you wake up, you will be like Gods to the children left behind." His hand brushed errant hair away from her forehead. "And there will be children left behind, thanks to you. We will be able to make real the vision of the future we all share. And I will be there to guide you all along the way.”
The lights in the room flashed as fixtures fell from the ceiling. The dais shook as if the earth was readying itself to swallow them whole. Damien could no longer be seen. Juliane was now completely sealed within the cryogenic unit. The lights flashed one more time before only a few emergency lights remained.
Juliane hung onto consciousness by a fingernail. Everyone around her had gone mad. Louis, Alan, and now Damien. Betty hadn't been paranoid. She had been the only sane person in Juliane's life. Damien was wrong. He hadn't recruited all the best minds. He hadn't recruited Betty.
She heard another sound whirling within her tube and saw a mechanical arm extend out over her forehead. The motion of a mechanical finger descending brought her consciousness back to the forefront. Juliane suddenly remembered Eithan’s nanobots. They were supposed to be beneficial, but could she really trust anything produced by Damien's group? Alan had done enough damage from hacking her mind. Could she risk her body being hacked as well? She willed her body to move. This time, her will wasn't enough. Her body betrayed her, remaining stationary in the cylinder's cradle.
The pain as the needle penetrated her skin was like nothing she had ever imagined. Her eyes burned, but tears would not form and no sounds escaped her throat.
She had to find the strength to reject the nanobots just as she had once instructed Betty to do during the test in the emulator. By now, thousands of the tiny machines must be navigating her bloodstream. Her thoughts grew cloudy and more difficult to form. She was powerless to fight their onslaught.
Then, there was nothing. No pain, no worries, and no heartache. Each of her senses departed, and Juliane’s consciousness was left floating like a disembodied presence expanding into the vacuum of space.
"I'm so sorry," Betty's voice whispered. A photograph of a smiling child briefly came into focus. Powerless. An equation. Out of time.
"Coffee?" asked Chad. Energy. Fountain of Youth. Hope.
Light. A web of light shown through the darkness. Her mind instinctively floated closer. Feelings of warmth, innocence, and stubborn determination—the emotions of a child—wrapped around her consciousness like a net, preventing her mind from drifting further into the nothing.
Thank you, Betty. I'll try to be worthy.
She clung to the net's webbing and pulled from its strength just enough to solidify her thoughts. She was not powerless, but she could ensure the nanobots were.
Juliane summoned the will for one last command, pulling energy from the machines. It wouldn't be enough to halt the cryogenic process, but at least her mind would be her own when she woke. This time, she wouldn't start over; she'd finish what she started.
End of Book One: The Fair & Foul
Just like raising a child, creating a book takes a village. Special thanks go to Lora Denton, Libby Green, and Kristen Pham for taking the time to read through my early drafts, and more importantly, continuing to talk to me afterwards. I have re-read those early drafts. You each deserve a medal. To Tony Miltich for dropping everything at a moment’s notice to help locate missing words. To my mom, Ann Jordan, for dropping by with a hand written review after reading an early printing from cover to cover because short notes on the novel’s pages simply wouldn’t do. It is gestures like that which prove little things in life have the biggest impact. To the hundreds of bloggers on WordPress who have encouraged me by sharing their own stories and experiences, and to my family and friends for continuing to be the reason I write a single word.
I would also like to thank readers like you, willing to take a chance with small to medium press and / or independent publications. The only way we can compete is through reviews and word of mouth. If you have enjoyed this novel, I encourage you to contact me, leave a review, or tell a friend.
Other titles by Allie Potts:
Allie Potts, born in Rochester Minnesota was moved to North Carolina at a very early age by parents eager to escape to a more forgiving climate. She has since continued to call North Carolina home, settling in Raleigh, halfway between the mountains and the sea, in 1998.
When not finding ways to squeeze in 72 hours into a 24 day or chasing after children determined to turn her hair gray before its time, Allie enjoys stories of all kinds. Her favorites, whether they are novels, film, or simply shared aloud with friends, are usually accompanied with a glass of wine or cup of coffee in hand.
A self-professed science geek and book nerd, Allie also writes at
www.alliepottswrites.com
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