Chapter Nineteen
It hadn’t been long after her call with Christian that the Kaizen came back to retrieve her. Every scientist she’d passed had stopped to stare as Gemma was led out of the temple. Their faces had been lit with a strange mix of wonder, caution, and—most cutting of all—fear.
But Gemma couldn’t blame them. She was dangerous.
After handing over her eyepiece, access ring, and comm device to the two Systems soldiers who’d met them at Zion, the Kaizen and Gunner marched her through a set of heavily reinforced doors, secured by a biometric lock, to the prison block.
Gemma’s vision blurred behind unshed tears as she maneuvered down a long and narrow corridor lit with the same sterile artery of harsh light and the same black floors as the rest of the building.
The air smelled like bleach and something faintly metallic.
Every step echoed. Every breath was too loud.
They turned left and stopped at a cell forged entirely from electroglass.
The sides and rear panels were frosted; the front one was clear as air, and Gemma suspected they all had been reinforced to be impenetrable.
To her right was a clean toilet and sink; to her left, a water dispenser was mounted.
And at the very back of the cell was a cot built into the structure’s rear wall.
She fought the urge to cry.
“Place your palm against the front panel,” the Kaizen instructed.
Gemma did as asked, and a blue light scanned her hand. Her name and vitals appeared on the electroglass, glowing in pale text. A lump formed in her throat.
“I’ll come and see you every day,” Gunner said. “Bring you books or playing cards—whatever you want.”
“Within reason,” the Kaizen added.
Gemma nodded as the front panel of her cell shimmered.
“Go ahead and step through.”
She held her breath as she obeyed, knowing the moment she crossed the threshold, she’d never come out again. The electroglass sealed behind her with a muted hum.
“Hang in there, kiddo,” Gunner said before his footsteps trailed away from her cell, along with the Kaizen’s, the sounds fading with each of their steps.
When she was left with nothing but the buzz of the amber ultralight above and the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears, the tears finally came. And this time, she didn’t stop them.
Gemma startled awake at the sound of a male voice. “Wake up, Proctor. Director Vidar is here to see you.”
Slowly, she pushed herself into a seated position on her cot. Rami stood in front of her cell, alone and in his typical expensive suit, his graying brown hair parted perfectly.
“I am truly sorry it came to this,” Rami said.
“I did everything I possibly could to help you, but I can’t override the governor’s orders.
” His brown eyes held some of the kindness she remembered, but there was something off about the way he looked at her.
Like she was now just a loyal subject who needed to follow orders, nothing more.
Gemma cast her gaze to the floor and nodded.
“I did, at least, get the clearance to hold you here until you’ve had a chance to speak with your sister.”
Her eyes widened, and she moved to sit on the edge of her cot. “Did you find her?” Her eyes found Rami’s again.
But he frowned. “Not yet. But the team is working tirelessly on it. We hope to have her in our custody soon.”
Gemma’s shoulders sank. At least he was holding to his promise to let Gemma see her sister one last time.
The formality in his stare gave way to the compassion she’d come to know. “Is there anything I can get you while you wait?”
Gemma shook her head. What could anyone possibly provide that would make this situation any better?
“What’s going to happen to me?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“You’ll be taken to Capital City to stand trial. After that, it’s up to the president and her council to determine what steps to take with you.”
It felt as if her breath had been sucked from her being. “You mean whether or not to kill me.”
Rami’s silence and sympathetic stare told her all she needed to know. The Systems truly did see her as a threat, and what did powerful governments do to their threats?
They eliminated them.
“Just . . . give me a chance to say goodbye to Christian, okay?” Her chin trembled.
A flicker of sadness passed across Rami’s face. “Of course.” He turned to leave. “Hang in there. And keep those powers under control. Don’t give the council any further evidence against you.”
After she nodded, Rami marched down the hall and out of the prison block.
Gemma held her breath, desperate to scream.
She’d asked them to keep her somewhere she couldn’t hurt others, but she hadn’t wanted to die.
She hadn’t wanted to be sent away, not just to another planet but to one of Illari’s sister solar systems. Even if the council didn’t sign her death warrant, Gemma would never see Imara or Hawk or her sister—or Christian—again.
She threw her pillow across the cell as a sob shattered her chest. But the cry was cut short and replaced by terror the moment her gaze dropped to her hands.
Her fingertips were glowing.