6

POWER PLAY

I AM POWERLESS. Rage pulses through my veins, and I inhale through my nose, willing myself to calm down. I have to keep my wits about me, especially with him here. My father moves closer, waving a light across my retinas from a metal wand he’s holding. It records my vitals on a holo-screen along with some other empirical data that likely has to do with the nanobes. He smiles in satisfaction and pockets the device.

“You are in excellent health, daughter.”

“Don’t call me that!” My hand itches to slash my ninjata right across his throat but, of course, it’s an action that my body can’t execute because of the paralysis. “You lost that right years ago.”

He smiles. “Fine, General.”

I don’t rise to his provoking response. Instead, I turn to Charisma who is staring at me with a pleading look on her face as though begging me to understand what she’s done. My eyes harden. Her motives, while justifiable, won’t regain the trust she’s broken. “Why don’t you ask him how many men he killed trying to replicate my blood?”

“She’s dead without him, Riven,” Charisma says in a small voice. “He says your nanobes can rebuild the defective parts of her heart.”

I laugh, a sound that comes out like a wheeze. “Is that what he told you? That my magic blood will make everything okay? He’s a liar who makes promises he can’t keep. My blood will kill anything that’s a threat to me, including your sister. All you’ve done is given her a death sentence.”

Charisma shakes her head, her glance darting to my father. “He built an electronic lung for the old prince of Neospes. He can do the same for Stephanie’s heart.”

“Then you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were. Where do you think he’s going to get the equipment to build a heart? The Faction will never let you use that technology, not for your own gain.”

“The Faction doesn’t have to know.”

“They always know.”

Charisma’s desperation is clear. When she discovered the existence of a parallel world with medical advancements that could save her dying sister, I’m sure it’ d become the driving force in her life. Now I understand why she’ d gotten close to Philip. A part of me wants to empathize with her. After all, I know what it’s like to watch your sister die.

I think back to the moment in the cave before Shae sacrificed herself to the Vectors that were hot on our tail. If I had known what she was about to do, would I have acted differently? Would I have tried to stop her?

Probably not.

In Neospes sacrifice is necessary. That’s why we’re taught not to form attachments—not to love. It causes duty to fragment into shades of gray. If you’re faced with a choice between saving the one you love and saving thousands of nameless others, you’ll always be compromised. My thoughts shift to Caden. Maybe it’s better this way. With what we’re about to tackle, I can’t afford to have my attention divided.

Inhaling a calming breath, I focus on the task at hand. My father.

“Release me,” I tell him.

“I can’t do that, Riven.”

“You know that I’ll kill you for this.”

“I know you’ll try,” he says. “But for now, we have to be friends, don’t we?”

I glance sharply at Charisma. She must have told him that the Faction needs his help; of course he’ d think that he had something to negotiate with. It’s just like him to work every situation to his own advantage, and now he has me exactly where he’s always wanted me. He’s so close, I can smell the spice of his skin—a special cleansing oil made just for him. One that is accompanied by a sudden unwelcome barrage of memories:

Me, competing at the Winter Games as he stands proud on the sidelines.… Me, deciphering complex coding program puzzles.… Me, sitting in his lab and watching him work on the Vectors.

Just as he’ d worked on Shae.

The violent surge of anger makes something spark deep in my cerebral cortex, and I hone in on it, willing the nanobes pooling there to reboot. Those memories are lies. Danton never cared for me. I was an experiment—his pet science project. My father feels nothing, just like the Vectors he creates. No wonder he loves being around them so much. No one could be so clinical and cold without already being dead inside.

Ice slithers through my brain, dousing my thoughts and bringing me sharply back to the present. “Just because the Faction needs your help to defend Neospes doesn’t mean that you and I are friends, Danton. We all know that, for you, everyone is disposable, even your own daughter.”

His dark eyes glitter, a smirk twisting his lips. “Shae wasn’t my daughter. She was your mother’s Artok mistake.”

Shae wasn’t a mistake, you bastard! I want to rail at him. My mother’s tribal heritage has nothing to do with why he’ d destroyed Shae. True, she wasn’t his blood, but he’ d been the only father she knew. I bite my lip hard. “Only a monster would kill another man just because he coveted that man’s wife. She was already married, and yet you wanted her.”

“Your mother was a brilliant geneticist. A prize. And, yes, I wanted her. So I took her.”

“She wasn’t a thing to be taken. Neither am I.” My voice shakes slightly. “Neither was Shae.”

He smiles, cocking his head and studying me, as if thrown by the bitterness I can’t seem to conceal. His expression is calculating. “Shae betrayed you, Riven. So did Aurela. They left you with me when they defected because they knew you belonged with me.” His voice takes on a conciliatory tone as he moves closer and blocks Charisma from my line of sight. “You still do. Think of what you could accomplish… what we could accomplish, together. I built you to be great—to usher Neospes into an era of greatness—and you want to throw that all away for some boy.” His fingers move to push the hair off my forehead, a gesture meant to be paternal, but that only makes me flinch. “I tried to show you what would come of that connection, but you chose to ignore my warning.”

He is referring to the programming code he hardwired into my DNA as a defense mechanism against anyone but him getting too close to me. Months before, when I admitted that I loved Caden, my body went into overdrive and shut down. When it rebooted, I had only scraps of memory of who I was. My mother had been able to counteract the programming… saving me, and any others targeted by the rogue code in the process.

“Aurela fixed that.”

“She broke you. She made you weak. Vulnerable.”

“You’re the one who breaks people.”

Danton smiles. “I could reprogram you. Make you stronger than you ever thought possible. You’ d be invincible. We could take Neospes back together.”

I laugh in his face—an ugly humorless sound. He backs away, his mouth curling in distaste. “Come back to you?” I gasp, barely able to breathe through my pained laughter. “You stupid, arrogant ass. I’ d rather become a Vector corpse than ever come anywhere near you. You’re going to pay for what you’ve done to me and to Shae.”

“Always back to Shae,” he laments. “Shae was nothing, Riven. She would have led you astray. The Artok”—he pauses, disgust furrowing his forehead—“are a cancer on our society. Those fools don’t understand what you’re capable of.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. They know exactly what I can do.”

“If that’s true, why aren’t any of them here to save you?”

With a resigned sigh, he gestures to two people in the hall. My eyes widen as one of the figures steps into view: Bass. What’s he doing here? Why is he with my father?

My mouth sets into a hard line—either Bass has been tailing me on my father’s orders since the minute I got back into town, or he’s one of Era’s spies. Time to find out which. “Who’s your lackey?”

“My research assistant.”

“Research what?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard? I’m the new visiting professor of quantum mechanics at Colorado State University.” He winks, and then shares a glance with Charisma, who hasn’t said a word since trying to convince me that her intentions were honorable. “Imagine having my very own laboratory, here of all places. It’s obsolete technology, but better than nothing.”

My stomach sours at the thought of my father in any kind of lab, even one with limited tech. “How’ d you make that happen?”

“I can be very persuasive. And, of course, who else would be brilliant enough to demonstrate that the many-worlds theory is more than just conceptual, and that multi-universe travel is possible? To tell the truth, I see myself fitting in quite well here. My students love me, Bass in particular.” There’s nothing in Bass’s expression to indicate he’s surprised by any of this. Is he a student at all? My eyes narrow.

I keep my focus centered on my father as he nods to the second burly man who steps forward with a slim silver case. “You don’t belong here.”

“Neither do you.” His voice is hard. He pulls a tablet from his pocket and consults it. “We only have a few minutes before those pesky cells of yours start to refire.” He shakes his head in a self-congratulatory sort of way. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Danton’s going to draw my blood and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. We don’t break eye contact as he hefts the metal barrel of a syringe from the silver case and slams it into my body with a grunt of satisfaction. Charisma gasps loudly but Bass doesn’t make a sound. I barely feel the needle as it slides into the thickest part of my arm.

Blue-edged crimson fluid pools against the syringe’s clear window. The burly man reaches in to take the full vial from my father, placing it back into its case, and disappears from the room. Bass follows, casting a thoughtful look at me over his shoulder. I ignore him. He’s a pawn, nothing more.

I focus on the slight sensation of feeling returning to my fingers and toes. Whatever it was they’ d injected me with is already starting to wear off. I concentrate on the nanobes, feeling them rebooting, sluggishly at first, but then with more vigor.

“Is that all you need?” Charisma’s voice is hopeful.

“For now.” My father’s toothy grin makes me want to vomit. “Now that you have fulfilled your part of the bargain, I shall endeavor to fulfill mine.”

Their exchange is interrupted by the sound of the front door blowing inward off its hinges. My father’s eyes go wide as he looks over his shoulder, then snaps his stare back to me. “What’ d you do?”

“Nothing,” I say with a grim smile. “You disabled me, remember?”

“I underestimated you.”

“You always do.”

I don’t hesitate as my hand crashes into his face, launching him across the room. As my body comes alive, I enjoy the twinge of pleasure I get from seeing the bright smear of blood on his mouth and the bruise already flowering on his cheek. I advance on him, grasping him by the scruff of his well-groomed neck and holding him off the ground so the rest of his face turns a matching shade of purple.

“If I didn’t promise the Faction that I’ d keep you alive, I’ d rip every bone from your body. For now, this will have to do.” With a flick of my wrist, I hurl him straight into the wall behind us, smiling grimly. When he wakes up, he’ll have one hell of a headache.

“Riven, please.”

I glare at Charisma who is wringing her hands as if she thinks she’s next. Like I’ d ever hurt a defenseless girl whose only mistake was letting herself get played by a practiced liar. I make sure my voice is calm when I say, “I don’t care what you promised him, but if you ever do anything like that again, Charisma, it won’t end well for you. You get a pass this time because of your sister, but do not for one second think we’re friends.” I clear my throat. “That man has betrayed everyone he’s ever made promises to. For your sake, I hope you’re the first one he doesn’t disappoint, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

“Are you going to tell the Faction?” she asks. I study her for a moment. I should let the Faction know that there’s a traitor in their midst, but something stops me. Maybe it’s the fact that I have little loyalty to anyone, or the fact that she’s nothing more than a chess piece… like me.

“It’s your secret to tell, but remember that secrets have a way of getting out and becoming currency for people like him.”

Without another word I walk past her to greet an army of Faction guards at the door headed by Era herself. “What happened?” she demands. “We got a wireless SOS transmission. Was that you?”

I nod and jerk my head over my shoulder, meeting Charisma’s gaze. “Charisma managed to contact my father and trick him into coming here.” Era narrows her eyes and I shrug. “She suggested we use me as bait. It worked.”

“Danton Quinn,” Era murmurs, walking into the room and eyeing the unconscious figure in the corner. “You are now held under the authority of the Faction.” I smile at hearing my father’s ridiculous names said out loud. He’s always fancied himself better than everyone else, insisting on two names when everyone else in Neospes only has one. He certainly has an ego double the size of any normal man.

“Well done,” Era says to Charisma as the guards escort my groggy father outside.

She flushes—guilt and pride look the same. “It was really nothing.”

“Were there others with him?”

“Two men,” I answer. “One large and older, and the other, possibly a student at CSU. Red hair.”

“Sebastian,” Era says nodding. “Bass. He’s one of ours. He’s been undercover for months.”

“Undercover?” I frown, my eyes darting to Charisma. She hadn’t known, either. “If he’s one of yours, you’re saying that you knew where my father was all this time?”

“Yes.”

“But why? You could have brought him in yourself.”

Era exhales, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It’s… complicated.”

My jaw slams shut. Complicated is a word in this world that I’m starting to have a real problem with. “If you want my help, you’re going to have to be straight with me. I’m not one of your minions. Either you tell me what’s really going on, or I walk.”

“Calm down, Riven,” she says, unsurprised by my outburst. “Our intelligence tells us your father was working on something important. We needed him to finish it.”

“What’s more important than getting him to help rebuild the Vector army?”

“A vaccine.”

“A vaccine for what?”

She goes quiet for a long moment. “An immunity vaccine.”

Era can’t possibly mean what I think she does. “An immunity vaccine, as in a vaccine to survive this world?”

“Yes. I’m not sure what Danton’s endgame is, but Sebastian’s confirmed that initial tests have been successful. Your father’s been here the better part of a year with no ill effects.”

“He’s been using an untested drug on himself?” Then again, that’s nothing new for my father. He’ d experimented on himself before I was conceived.

“We still need his help to rebuild the Vectors, Riven,” Era says. “This is a backup plan for the backup plan. One we need in case all other options fail. Neospes has been breached and Avaria’s allegiance will depend entirely on Caden. And you.”

I hate thinking of Caden having anything to do with Cristobal’s ridiculous diplomatic liaison. But Era has nothing to worry about. I’ll behave. “Understood,” I say. “Why do you need a backup plan? Do you think Avaria won’t take us in?”

She pauses before answering. “Their society is a closed group. It’s the reason they chose not to be found or seen before the alliance. The people of Neospes—you in particular—are a risk to them and their way of life. Cristobal—”

“What about Cristobal?”

“He’s not a supporter of the alliance.”

“Why is Caden even going there if they’ve already decided they won’t help? What’s the point?”

Era takes a deep breath. “You know Caden. He won’t give up. Not even when the odds are stacked against us.”

“So your plan is to bring our people here? Make them all evert?”

Deep lines appear at the corners of Era’s mouth. “If Neospes falls to the Reptiles and Avaria won’t take us in, then we have no other option. There’s no way I can sacrifice so many lives on my watch. We have an alternative—one that’s viable thanks to your father. I’m willing to explore that scenario.”

“But what about what you said? About maintaining the barriers between worlds? We’re not meant to cross between them. Look at the Plague—millions died here because of those who everted. We’ll be bringing risk to this universe.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take so that countless lives can be saved.” She pinches the bridge of her nose as if the words are difficult. “Condemning people to death because we aren’t prepared to take a chance isn’t the answer. At least they’ d have a chance. With Danton’s vaccine, integration could be successful.” She pauses, watching me. “I know what your father did to you, but this could help so many.”

“You don’t know anything.”

None of them get it. My father is a genius—a brilliant scientist. But he doesn’t care about the cost of his work. He just wants to prove the theory, no matter what it takes. He experimented on me, his own unborn child, without a qualm. All that ever mattered was the research.

Era rubs her face with her palm. “I know that his advancements will give the people of Neospes a fighting chance. Surely, you see the value in what he has achieved.”

I study the implacable leader of the Faction, seeing her in a new light. I never imagined that she would be someone who’ d circumvent laws the Faction had put into place, but when your back is against a wall, sometimes you have to make impossible choices. “Does Caden know?”

She shakes her head. “No one knows except you.”

“Why?”

“Because if the vaccine doesn’t work, they’re all dead anyway. This is a last resort if Neospes falls and Avaria will not help. We can’t let it come to that, Riven. You have to promise me that you’ll do everything you can to defend the people of Neospes. This is what you were born to do. I know you have your differences with your father—and trust me, I understand—but we need him. We need you.”

Era Taylor is not asking for my help—she’s pleading for it. Regardless of my feelings, I’ve never let my father impact my decisions, and I’m not about to let him do it now. I lift my hand to my chest in a formal fisted salute and square my shoulders.

“On my life, Madam Chancellor.”