16. Elliott
Elliott
My second night at the facility, I was asked to fill out a questionnaire about my experiences—all related to being an omega x—and doing that left me in a high state of anxiety.
Did I do the right thing by writing them all down so truthfully?
After what Dr. Freedman had done to me with the contraption in his pocket, it had made me afraid to lie.
I needed to contact Ben, but, when I lay down to sleep, I couldn’t because my mind kept thrumming with fears and questions.
Sometime in the night, as I tossed and turned, I thought I felt Ben’s worry. It was like someone pushing at the barrier of my soul.
“Ben, I can’t do it,” I murmured. “I feel you, but I can’t see you.”
Did it matter, though? I didn’t have anything concrete for him to relay to the SOS yet. I let my mind wander from my friend, and it immediately went to Jet. What had he thought of me when he found out I’d left?
“Jet, I made a mistake,” I whispered into the darkness, fervently wishing he were there with me.
He probably thought I was an idiot for doing what I’d done.
He was probably glad not to have to deal with my anxiety any longer.
I imagined him scaling the wall outside the window of the room they’d put me in.
I would hear a light tap at the pane and get up and pull back the curtain.
There he would be, in a black ops outfit, motioning me to let him lower me from the window to the ground.
These thoughts allowed me to finally drift off to sleep. I dreamed about Jet telling me he was coming for me. Ben never came.
I woke the next morning feeling oddly comforted and ready to face whatever I had to. I had put myself in this situation; I needed to take responsibility and make my efforts worthwhile.
A beta nurse that I hadn’t met yesterday bustled in. “Good, you’re up,” she said brusquely. “Take a shower and I’ll lay out something for you to wear. Hurry, now. Breakfast will be here momentarily.”
I did as she said.
When I returned from the bathroom, a large towel wrapped around me, I found a silky green robe on the bed. Nothing else. Was this all I was going to wear?
Not wanting to think about it too much, I quickly dropped the towel and put the robe on. It was soft and felt nice against my skin, but it felt odd not to be wearing any underwear.
A bowl of oatmeal, two slices of unbuttered toast, and a plastic cup of orange juice were on the rolling table. I hungrily ate it all, scraping the last of the oatmeal from the bottom of the bowl. The nurse appeared again. “Ready?”
“As soon as I brush my teeth.”
She seemed annoyed I was making her wait.
I went into the bathroom and quickly took care of my teeth, then put on the pair of slippers by the bed and followed the woman down a long hall.
She walked very quickly, and I had to hurry to keep up.
The building was eerily quiet, as though we were the only people in it.
When we reached a door, the woman knocked. A deep voice called to enter, and she opened the door, stood back, and gestured for me to pass her and go inside. When I did, the door clicked closed behind me. She hadn’t followed.
The male beta standing in front of me wasn’t much taller than I was.
With medium brown hair, a beard and mustache, and hazel eyes, he was average-looking.
His white lab coat over a navy shirt and a pair of dark denim pants suggested he was a doctor.
I was so relieved that I hadn’t been left alone in a closed room with a male alpha, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“Hello, Elliott. I’m John Mooneyham. I am a doctor who works for the government and the head of this facility. Please, have a seat,” the man said, indicating one of two leather chairs across from his desk.
After he sat down behind his desk, he leaned back in his chair and regarded me, and that’s when I realized he was not a beta after all, but an altered alpha, like Dr. Freedman.
My blood pressure went up, and at the same time, a bell notification went off on Dr. Mooneyham’s phone. He picked it up and looked at it.
“Why are you so nervous, Elliott?” he asked me. “Your vital signs suddenly went crazy.”
He was monitoring my vital signs? How?
“Y-you’re an alpha,” I said.
“Ah, I see.” The doctor put his phone down on the desk. “Yes, but I’ve been altered. You can still tell?”
“Not at first,” I said. “But, yeah.”
Mooneyham cocked his head to the side, looking curious. “How? I’m not the average beefy alpha, after all.”
“You have an aura about you,” I told him. “It’s hard to explain. Confident. D-dominant.”
I inwardly cursed myself for stammering over the word. I didn’t want him to know how afraid of him I was.
“I see,” he said, looking pleased about what I’d said.
“Thank you for explaining that to me. I’m going to get straight to the point, Elliott.
Your parents did not register you as they were required by law to do.
Your name was included on a list that the kidnappers procured from government files.
Did you know that? Did you ever wonder why you were on that list? ”
“I’m pretty sure I know why,” I said. “I’m an omega x, like my birth father was.”
Mooneyham nodded. “You are an unusual genetic strain of omega. From the very few of you that we have encountered, we’ve learned that omega x’s are endowed with certain gifts such as second sight, prophetic dreams, extreme fertility, and the ability to heal illness.
Because we feel it would be beneficial to know more, we have hoped to study those like you.
The only problem has been, until now, we didn’t know how to detect them.
We only had omega x’s who had shown their abilities in public.
Thanks to you, though, we now know. Dr. Freedman has already told you this, correct? ”
I nodded, fear seizing me. Not knowing what he was going to say next was excruciating. Would I be subjected to painful tests and then killed?
“I personally would like you to understand that, with information we glean from you, mankind will advance significantly and the world will eventually become a better place.”
Licking my lips, I forced myself to speak. I needed to know this. “In what way?”
Although average-looking in color and shape, Dr. Mooneyham’s eyes were unnervingly shrewd. I instinctively knew I couldn’t trust him, no matter what he said. I already knew I couldn’t trust Dr. Freedman.
“Elliott, the betas of this country—of this world—have long been underestimated. Forced to take a backseat to alphas and their disgusting lust for omegas, they’ve nevertheless remained the backbone of society, holding some of the most important professions as well as standing behind those who hold other positions. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“A little,” I said. “Betas are very important to society. But…may I ask a question?” I fervently hoped he didn’t have a torture device in his pocket like Dr. Freedman had.
Dr. Mooneyham nodded indulgently. I realized at that moment that he thought I was stupid, and probably thought the same about all omegas, x or otherwise.
Concentrating hard to speak without fear, I said, “You’re an alpha. Why do you care so much about betas?”
Mooneyham sighed and if I hadn’t just figured out what he thought of omegas, I would have at the look of forced patience on the doctor’s face.
“I have learned over the years that extreme sexual prowess and aggressive, dominant behavior are not commendable character traits. I’m sure that as an omega you have thought the same about your innate submissiveness and seductive mannerisms. We are both slaves to our biological classifications.
But the betas are not. They are free from the urges and negative aspects that plague alphas and omegas.
Our president may be an alpha, but he has very little to do with the goings on in the capital.
Do you realize that? Alphas are useful in their way.
A forceful and impressive presence inspires fealty and respect.
We have played a very large part in making our takeover run as smoothly as it has. ”
He waited a beat before continuing, his shrewd gaze locked with mine.
“Omegas, however, have no use in society. At least, regular omegas don’t. Omega x—maybe. You’re going to help us figure that out.”
“Takeover?” I asked, latching on to the word even though I was pretty sure what he meant.
“Soon, Elliott, the betas will run the United Regions of America, creating an example for the rest of the world. Altered alphas like me and Dr. Freedman will be a part of that. And you, little omega x, are going to help us.”
“How? By healing diseases?”
Mooneyham leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together over his slightly thick midsection.
“Yes, but something else is more important. Although the superior of the three biological character classifications, betas have been shortchanged in one area—and that is fertility. Many have trouble becoming pregnant, and most who do average 1.5 children. Alphas aren’t much better off, averaging two.
But omegas, inferior to both alphas and betas, are able to have numerous children. How is that fair?”
I wanted to point out that being so fertile could possibly be the beneficial role in society he claimed we lacked, but his hand was close to his pocket, and I vividly remembered the excruciating pain that Dr. Freedman had imposed upon me when I’d displeased him.