The Unlocked (Charlie Hartley Series Book 1) (25 page)

"And the government just agreed to all of her demands?
The government I know doesn't back down like that, I mean..." Madison
said, looking at her friends for reinforcement.

"Amanda claimed to have a kill switch, sort of an
insurance, that if things didn't go her way, she could cancel out the effects
of the serum. I'd say that's a lie before, but residing in the laboratory
could've allowed her to make one. Aside from that, Amanda appears to have no
gain in going against the contract or the government."

"Why did you leave GEN?" Hilary inquired.

"I didn't want to, but..."

"You committed suicide," said Charlie.

"You're jumping to the last part of the story. I was
part of ANDREI's creation. I designed the programs to help the students hone
their talents, since I was, how would you put it... enchanted by Amanda. It was
like being in a prolonged REM phase, really. I agreed to whatever she asked me
to do. But when she left on a trip to Washington, D.C. and left me there, I
realized I didn't want to be part of that. I was subjected to her hive mind
like you guys."

"So that's what it's called," Madison mused.

Joshua nodded and continued. "I guess that's what was
eating me up and why I felt so exhausted, because this small part of my brain
consciously fought Amanda. I was an orphan too, you know. I went through the
same pain of not being wanted. I found my place in the world, and the students
at ANDREI wouldn't be able to do that because once the serum is injected, their
fate is determined."

"A fate we didn't consent to," Hilary said as she
looked away.

"Precisely the reason why I wanted it to stop. But I
couldn't do anything because I'm just a lowly citizen of the country; I was up
against the government and the weapons they were creating: you and all the
students at ANDREI."

A shiver ran down Charlie's spine.

"But I couldn't just let it happen. I had to do
something to stop it, so I created a team of operatives to help me in my
objective to rescue the students at ANDREI. Hilary, the day you thought Charlie
saved you, was actually our first mission to retrieve a student. We weren't
trying to shoot you, Hilary, we merely wanted to taser you so you wouldn't
resist our attempt to rescue you."

"That was you?" Hilary said, baffled.

"Yes. That was Linda who was aiming for your arm."

Just then a tall red-headed woman appeared in the doorway,
making her way to the fridge to fetch a bottle of water. She looked at the
girls and raised an eyebrow, particularly interested in Hilary, who seemed to
spark her memory.  "Hi," Linda said with a wave before
disappearing.

"The only way for us to get the students is during a
field mission, because there is no way we could infiltrate both the laboratory
and the school without acquiring casualties. And we're only a team of
five."

"There are five of you? But we met only two."
Charlie said.

"Actually, you've met four already. Brian, Linda, me
and your guidance counselor at ANDREI," Joshua replied with a smile.

"Natalia?” Hilary exclaimed.

"We planted her there to deliver necessary information
that could aid us in our operations."

"And the fifth member of the team?" Madison asked.
Someone tapped her on the back and a guy with brown curly hair greeted her.
"Giorgio, computer genius and security breach expert at your
service."

Joshua continued. "As I was saying, I tried to leave
but the guards didn't let me, so I settled for the next best thing: tip off an
infamous leftist blogger.” His eyes moved over to Giorgio’s as he said it.
“However, the government was able to intervene and the uploading of ANDREI
files was aborted. By then I was already on the run, but the authorities caught
up with me at the peak. When we reached the edge, I jumped off the cliff. The
authorities came down, looking for me, making sure I was gone for good. When
they didn’t find my body, they organized a water search and rescue which, of
course, yielded nothing. They eventually assumed I was carried by the current
to the falls nearby. I was declared missing for a year before I was officially
declared dead."

Giorgio piped in. "Joshua was declared dead and all
records of his identity were erased from the United States Database, as if he
never existed at all. I know because I checked. Kent was born to take his
place."

“Who’s Kent?” Hilary asked.

“That is my new name. I go by Kent now,” he said.

"I want to join your team," Madison said suddenly.
"Made a lot of mistakes in my life. Better to make up for it now before I
run out of time."

"Me, too." Hilary declared. "My friends are
stuck at ANDREI. I need to rescue them."

"You're welcome to join our team, Madison and Hilary. I
hope you don't mind me addressing you as such now that I know all of you.
Natalia has given us sufficient information about the students at ANDREI."

Charlie broke her silence. "We have to get my
sister."

"Yes, of course Charlie. But I can't guarantee you
when," Joshua replied, apologetic.

"Excuse me?"

"Jeanne is Amanda's prized trophy and now that you've
escaped, I'm sure she's going to ask the government for reinforcements. Plus,
Amanda doesn't send Jeanne on field missions. In fact, the government doesn't
know about her. She's keeping your sister for herself. I'm afraid she has you
on her watch list now. We have to be extremely cautious from here on out."

"What are you saying?" Charlie said.

"I'm saying we might have to delay rescuing your sister
for the meantime. Let the storm pass first and be smart about how we go about
it."

Charlie was crestfallen. She couldn't stand knowing her
sister was still in Amanda's clutches and that it would take time before
Joshua's team got to her.
I will save my sister. I don't care if I have to
do it alone.
Charlie didn't speak up anymore and Joshua took this as a
signal to escort them to their rooms.

"You should all get some rest, you've had a rough
day," Joshua said, leading them to a hallway with six doors on both sides.
"Take your pick.” Madison and Hilary went to their respective rooms of
choice, leaving Charlie in the middle of the hallway, unmoving. Something
dawned on her.

Charlie turned to Joshua, who was still standing behind her.
"Do you have a phone I can use to call my parents?"

"Of course. Go down to Giorgio's, he has a secure
line."

"Thank you," Charlie said quietly. Joshua's remark
regarding the retrieval of Jeanne was still fresh in her mind. She ran down the
stairs and knocked on the door with the sign "Genius at Work".
Giorgio evidently detected the urgency and didn't wait a beat to allow Charlie
to use the secure line.

For the first time in days she felt hope after swimming in a
sea of dread. With frantic fingers she punched the buttons to dial their number
at Milford. At the fifth ring, somebody finally picked up.

"Mom and Dad, you have to get out of there! Something
happened at ANDREI and they're after me. They'll get to you, too!"

There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Mom?" No response. "Dad?" Charlie's
heart beat faster.

Then a low, sinister voice that Charlie did not recognize
answered: "Your parents are not here."

The message struck Charlie’s heart, more so when the phone
disconnected. She stared at the phone, stunned at the thought she might lose
her parents on the same night she’d lost her twin sister to ANDREI.

Back at the school, Jeanne woke up to the last rays of light
gracing the afternoon sky.  Looking around, she saw that she was lying on
the grass. Slowly, Amanda and the other students of ANDREI approached her, all
with stoic faces that she assumed she also sported. A few feet away, Amanda
commanded: "Once you are stable, you are to return to your room and stay
there until I say you can come out."

Amanda walked away, followed by her minions, leaving Jeanne
lying on the ground.

Pulling herself together and disentangling herself from the
heap she was in, Jeanne caught a glint of something on the grass. She walked to
the object and saw a circular object strapped to a gold chain. When she picked
it up, she saw a locket that was a replica of hers, except with the name
"Cate" engraved on it. Jeanne felt something coursing through her
veins, the same connection she felt when Charlie had held her tight as she was
about to explode. The images that she saw during her dream were evidence that
she could no long deny.

Charlie is my twin; I know this now.

The conviction was blurry but
present, and it propelled Jeanne to follow Amanda's orders. But this time, she
wasn't a robot under Amanda's hive mind. She was a long lost sister, determined
to reunite with her twin.

Thank You So Much

Thank you for reading The
Unlocked.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.  As an
independent writer, my books do not get the same marketing, financial and
promotional support as those published by the traditional publishing
houses.  Instead, the success of these books relies heavily on reviews and
word of mouth recommendation by readers like yourself.  If you enjoyed
this book, please tell as many people as you can in as many places as you can–
Tweet it, Pin it, Blog it, post it on Facebook, post on a forum, recommend it
to a book club, or any other social media platform.  Tattooing it on your
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Please don’t forget to leave a review.  Any assistance on your part is
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J.D. Stonebridge

If you liked this,
please check out my other books

The Charley Hartley Series
:

The Unlocked, Book 1

The Enlightened, Book 2

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