ELIANO #6
"I never wanted to drag you into this," he continues, his voice tight. "I just started to stupidly believe that…" He trails off, lips press together.
I understand how he feels now. Betrayed. He dared to hope we would be in this together, because… he might have started to like me. But I refused like a jackass. I threw all the cons back in his face.
I close my eyes and lower my head, pressing my cheek gently against his tense one.
"I know exactly why you did this, Salt. I can feel why you wanted me involved, and that reason makes me happy. Because it’s the same reason I wanted you to tell me everything, so we could come up with a different plan together."
Something like a sob mixed with an angry snort tears out of his chest.
"Bullshit. This was stupid. I regret telling you."
"Salt, don’t say that. Maybe we can still figure something out together."
"I’ve been thinking about this for months, Eliano!
" he snaps. "Do you really think there’s anything I haven’t considered?
Every plan has flaws. In one, I kidnap Tanner and torture him until he gives up where Senu’s body is.
But think about it. He’ll know that even if he confesses, I’ll kill him anyway, so he won’t say a word.
And even if he does, and they somehow find Senu’s body, I still won’t be cleared.
Don’t you get it? My fate is already sealed.
I killed four alphas. There’s no scenario where I walk free.
So breaking rules or gathering evidence doesn’t really change anything. "
He exhales sharply and once more turns his head away, pulling his cheek from mine.
"You can't unchain me, Eliano. Nobody can."
"If you'd believe in me, Salt, maybe I could unchain you. All I need is for you to have faith in me—"
Salt seems not to hear me at all.
"What you said is right. If you help me, you’ll get dragged into this. You’d end up in prison, and I don’t want that for you. This was a stupid impulse on my part. I’ll do it alone."
Wow, it hits me all at once. He isn’t abandoning his plan. He’s just removing me from it.
"Salt… please don’t do this. Don’t run. We’ll try to find another way to deal with him. I’ll come up with something, I just need time."
He’s quiet for a moment, then suddenly speaks, his tone stiff, almost formal, like he rehearsed it in his head.
"I won’t run. We’ll see how this whole situation on the island develops. Besides, we’re locked in here anyway."
I hesitate before releasing his wrists and sitting beside him.
Silence settles over the room. Only our breathing fills it. His heart is racing, and I can sense the sweet, candy-like smell of his slick in the air. He’s obviously still in this peculiar beta heat of his, but he’s holding back.
I glance at my phone.
"Oh. The file finished uploading ten minutes ago. They’re probably reviewing it now," I say, but Salt doesn’t answer.
He’s lying there, staring at the ceiling.
Then, with a sudden motion, he sits up and reaches for his stack of tattoo sketches.
"All we can do is wait," he says flatly. "Until they finish watching the video and decide what happens next, and whether they’ll unlock the module."
"Salt…"
"Eliano, please. Let’s not talk about this anymore. My head hurts. One thing at a time. Let the current mess resolve itself first."
I nod. He’s right. Planning anything while we’re locked inside the module makes no sense.
I sit down at my laptop and notice that the island’s internet network is completely offline. It doesn’t affect me since I’m using a hotspot, but it means everyone else on the island is cut off from the internet, or is it? Maybe it's just our unit.
About an hour later, I finally get a call from Storm.
Jordan is on the line too, again on speaker.
Even Salt perks up when he hears their voices and comes closer, setting his sketches aside.
This time, Jordan speaks first.
"The news is that with this video, we can do a lot. It’s even possible to shut down the entire facility, because what we see here seriously incriminates Sidorov and even the program itself, which clearly lacks sufficient oversight of its facilities.
Sidorov let a mutant alpha stimulate betas’ fertility, and this is not a scientific or approved method within the BA program. "
Salt and I exchange looks. It looks like the video hit exactly where it needed to.
"We also called Blue Lowen and showed him the footage," Jordan continues. "So he knows what’s happening at one of the facilities of a program that’s basically his creation. You can imagine he wasn’t happy. He said he’s about to start making calls."
"What does that mean for us?" I ask cautiously.
"For now, we’re not taking legal action. We’re waiting for Blue Lowen’s call. We have a business deal with them, after all, so we need to proceed with caution."
"Of course," I mutter grimly.
"Well, keep in mind that despite the criticism of Beta Activation, the facilities are filled with volunteers, people who genuinely want to start families. We would rather not take that chance away from them. Releasing this video publicly could sink Beta Activation in the court of public opinion and hurt a huge number of people, including those who already benefited. There would be rumors that other pregnancies were also the result of coerced sex with Fenn Drax. That would damage relationships and families. But make no mistake, something like this can’t go unpunished.
That’s why Blue committed to taking strong action, including initiating criminal proceedings. "
"I still don’t know what that means for us."
"I don’t think it means anything bad for you. You’ll almost certainly be released from the module very soon. You can stay on the island and continue. I wouldn’t be surprised if a new facility director shows up there quickly. I’d give it two days at most."
"A new director? So soon?"
"I suspect it might be Mr. Gomez."
"Gomez, the guy who brought us here on the ferry? Wasn’t he just some kind of intermediary?"
Storm chimes in. "Blue told us Gomez used to be the deputy director at that facility before. He had a serious conflict with Sidorov over several procedural issues and requested a transfer to an independent position. Now they’ll likely bring him back, since he knows the island and how the program operates. "
"Wow. Okay. Then we wait and see what happens next. And if they come in here and shoot us, avenge us properly," I say with a crooked smile.
Jordan speaks again. "Relax. If anything happens, place your phone somewhere discreet and start a live stream on the channel I’m about to text you.
It’s encrypted. My brother is a police detective and uses it occasionally.
That way, the police will have access too, and the recording will be indisputable. No AI accusations."
"Thanks, Jordan. Wait. Detective Arnold? The one who also handled the bomb attack on Blue?"
"Yes. That’s my older brother."
"Good connections to have. You never know when they’ll come in handy," I murmur, and at that exact moment, a seed of a plan starts forming in my mind. I’d heard a lot about that detective. He’s publicly recognizable and gave interviews after the attack Anzo carried out.
Could knowing someone like that help Salt too?
"All right. Take care. I’m sending you the link now. If you see anyone approaching the module, a group of people, or anything suspicious, just start recording."
"Understood. Thanks."
I feel a rush of excitement at the news. Just knowing the island’s leadership might change at any moment brings me huge relief. Salt, however, doesn’t look pleased. He sits still.
"Well," he mutters, "at least no one on the island will be raped anymore. That’s the only upside of this whole mess."
He leans back against the couch, then calmly picks up his sketches and starts drawing again, like nothing has happened.
About twenty minutes later, we both hear a soft beep.
The door unlocks!
I move to it right away, tap my card, and it opens without any trouble.
"Yeah, I’ve got a feeling Sidorov just got a call from the oversight committee. He probably decided it’s better not to risk getting his ass kicked extra over locking us in the unit."
"He definitely did," Salt replies in a flat tone, very deliberately avoiding my eyes.
About half an hour later it’s time for lunch.
We head there in a tense atmosphere, at least I’m tense, because Salt seems completely checked out. He scans the area with a dull, distant look, walking like he’s in a trance.
Did my refusal really hit him this hard? His independent, sharp-edged personality doesn’t quite fit that picture.
Or maybe I underestimated how much he hoped for my help, and how deeply my refusal cut? The thought makes my chest sink, but I don’t change my mind. That plan was terrible. Dangerous for both of us, and it would have stripped us of any future.
Lunch goes on as if nothing happened. Everyone sits at their tables. You can hear people whispering to each other, and the atmosphere is a little different from usual, but the staff works like always.
Hugh stands by the food counter, and I catch a glimpse of Pip moving through the back of the cafeteria. On the surface, it looks like an ordinary day.
"Is the barbeque still happening today?" I ask Evan and Roman, who are sitting silently next to us.
"No idea, but no one canceled it, so I’m assuming yes," Evan answers stiffly. He avoids my gaze.
Damn, this is starting to look like a pattern. Everyone is avoiding eye contact with me.
Am I really the problem here?
Well, I don’t press further. I assume the outdoor grill is on. Those events usually show up on our wristbands anyway, so Salt and I just head back to our module.