9
Quiet your mind and lend me your screams.
Khalani rubbed her eyes, the stone wall barely holding her up. She sat alone in the basement where they’d trained the previous night.
She should’ve gotten more sleep.
But her mind was a convoluted place where rest died.
She thought about Takeshi. The chip. Apollo.
Her birthplace called out to her, reminding Khalani of all the people she’d left behind.
She massaged her temple, desperately trying to focus on something else, when it happened.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her gaze flicked toward the stairs.
A figure descended, their face partially hidden in the shadows. The stranger wore a pristine black suit, adjusting cuff links as they calmly walked down the steps. But when the person reached the bottom, she scrambled to her feet, her mouth flying open.
“No hello?” Alexander Huxley asked, a mocking grin on his face.
“Wh—wh…wha—”
“What am I doing here? Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
She backed away, her shoulders hitting the wall as he took a measured step forward.
“No.” Khalani raised her hand, trying to dispel the illusion. “You’re not real. You’re dead.”
“Am I?”
Another step forward.
Her breaths grew shallow. His perfect face stared at Khalani like she was the one who owed him answers.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.
This isn’t real.
This isn’t real.
But apparently, she’d started speaking aloud, because he answered, “This is more real than you think.”
She wedged herself against the wall, unable to do anything except stare into his monstrous blue eyes.
“I just have one question for you, Khalani.” Alexander licked his lips and bent to whisper in her ear, “Haven’t you ever wondered why you can’t escape me?”
Her entire frame trembled like a leaf.
“Get out of my head.” She choked out the words.
“Are you sure that’s where I am?”
“Get out of my fucking head!”
“Khalani?” A new voice echoed across the space.
She swung her head around just as Winnie walked down the stairs, her gray hair slightly frazzled and her purple dress wrinkled. “Who are you talking to, dear?”
Khalani turned back to the Governor, but he was gone.
“Did you see him?” she asked desperately.
“See who?”
“The Governor!”
Khalani huddled against the wall, still shaking as Winnie ran to her. She expected Winnie to stare at her with judgment or tell her that she was finally going crazy.
But Winnie crouched right beside her, grabbing her hand.
Khalani hated herself when she flinched.
“Winnie’s right here.” Winnie squeezed her fingers, unbothered by it. “Tell her what happened.”
Khalani hesitated.
Seeing the dead wasn’t normal. But the only person who might believe her was Winnie.
So, she took a deep breath and relayed all her visions of the Governor.
She told her how the hallucinations were getting worse.
They were so vivid and real, Khalani couldn’t distinguish reality from nightmares anymore.
“Saying it out loud, I guess I really am going crazy,” she finished, banging her head against the wall.
“You’re not going crazy.”
“If I’m not, then what does it mean?” she rasped. “What if I’m somehow…connected to him?”
Khalani had been afraid to say those words out loud.
Ever since she met the Governor in Apollo, her emotions felt tethered to him. She thought it was due to the unfathomable hatred for murdering her parents, but maybe it was something more.
“Khalani, dear, we’re all connected to him,” Winnie implored, locking eyes with her. “We suffered under his authoritarian rule in Apollo. We were lied to and kept from the beautiful surface. You and Winnie both watched him die.”
She nodded, knowing everything Winnie said was true, but she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something wasn’t right.
“Do you think the Governor knew about Project Helix?”
Winnie’s face paled at the mention of Project Helix.
It was the mysterious initiative top scientists and engineers worked on during the Great Collapse. The secret that was supposed to save the world.
The only clue they had to finding Project Helix was Timothy Talbot’s journal. He said the path starts at Prometheus. But all they’d learned was that Prometheus used to be a company in the old state of California.
That was it.
“Timothy lived three hundred years ago when humanity first went underground.” Winnie frowned. “The Governor couldn’t have been around that long.”
“We don’t know that, Winnie,” Khalani reminded her. “He was a freaking robot. Who knows how long they’re able to last? He could’ve been in Apollo from the very beginning.”
“But if we find Project Helix”—Winnie held up a finger—“we might finally get the truth!”
“Or we could be walking into a trap.”
Winnie rubbed her chin, considering Khalani’s words. She didn’t speak for a long time, but she finally nodded in solidarity.
“You’re right, dear. We don’t know what lies ahead. But if there’s one thing Winnie learned in the Archives, it’s that the truth will set us free. And if the door is closed, it’s up to us to open it. Do you understand what Winnie’s saying?”
She shifted her weight, tingles running up her legs.
Winnie spoke as if she were ready to leave for California tomorrow to find Prometheus. But a strange voice told Khalani that once they took that step, they wouldn’t come back the same.
More footsteps thundered down the stairs, interrupting them. Adan’s characteristic laugh reverberated through the basement as Elise walked beside him. Following behind were Serene and Brock, who didn’t say one word to each other.
She could practically see the tension coiling around their stiff frames.
Raziel leisurely strolled down the stairs after them like he possessed all the time in the world. Khalani drew back, not expecting him to join their training sessions anymore.
But Brock didn’t seem surprised and prowled to the front of the room. His dark gaze lingered momentarily on Serene before speaking.
“All right. We’re going to practice full takedowns today. Three seconds to tap out, and we’re going one pair at a time.”
Adan and Elise went first.
Adan fidgeted, unnaturally quiet as he faced Elise. When Brock sounded off, Khalani could tell Adan didn’t want to fight her. But Elise held a fire in her eyes, like she had something to prove.
She used her size well, landing solid hits on his larger frame. But when it came to knocking her opponent to the ground, she didn’t quite know the proper technique. Her movements became erratic with each failed attempt to take him down.
But he didn’t move for the final blow either.
“Stop going easy on her,” Brock snapped.
Adan glanced over at him, and that’s when Elise punched him in the balls.
Punched.
Him.
In.
The.
Balls.
Adan collapsed to his knees, his face turning purple as he clutched his stomach.
“One…two…three. All right, Adan. You lost.”
Elise backed away, looking slightly sheepish, but the tinge of victory in her eyes was undeniable.
Serene let out a low whistle. “I knew I liked her.”
Adan hobbled to his feet, moving gingerly, his expression twisting like he was swallowing back vomit.
“You all right?” Khalani called out.
“Yep.” Adan heaved, half bent over. “I think I just fell in love.”
“Moving on.” Brock rolled his eyes. “Winnifred, you’re with me again.”
Khalani wanted to protest the unfair matchup, but Winnie refused to complain. If anything, her eyes sparkled with gratitude when Brock didn’t leave her out and treated her like an equal.
That was something she needed to remember.
Just because you wanted to protect someone with your entire being didn’t mean you should. Sometimes, the greatest form of love was letting them face danger.
Brock held back his strength with Winnie, but he didn’t go easy on her either. He blocked hit after hit, but he coached her through the moves, letting her know where she should strike next.
Winnie’s forehead was scrunched in fierce concentration, and after ten minutes, her limbs trembled and she was covered in sweat.
Brock released his hold on her arm. “Good job, Winnifred. You need to put more power behind your hits, but we can work on that.”
“Winnie went easy on you. Just you wait for next time.” Winnie huffed, entirely out of breath.
“Looking forward to it.” His lips curled in a rare smile.
Khalani readied herself for the next fight, but a strange noise drew their attention.
A large figure descended the stairs, his black hair gleaming like silk. His broad shoulders were squared, eyes set, hands in his pockets like he could take on the world but chose not to.
Her lips parted as Takeshi landed on the dusty ground, his dangerous gaze taking in the entire room.
Raziel reached for his gun. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Takeshi glanced at the masked man, unafraid. “I thought it obvious.”
“Who said you could come down here?”
“A man named Jack.”
Raziel scowled, opening his mouth to argue, but a tiny figure ran past him and threw her arms around Takeshi.
“Winnie’s so sorry for hitting you with a chair. Even though you deserved it,” Winnie gasped, squeezing him tight.
Takeshi stood frozen, arms completely stiff by his sides. His eyes were wide, and when Adan walked up and patted him on the back, he looked ready to bolt back up the stairs.
“You all right, man?” Adan nervously asked. “Still got your brain fried or what?”
“Adan, you’re probably the one person he didn’t mind forgetting.” Serene rolled her eyes but she gave Takeshi a small wave.
Takeshi’s throat bobbed as he tried to pull away, but Winnie’s arms remained firmly wrapped around him.
Khalani didn’t move from her spot.
Takeshi was so used to being surrounded by enemies, she didn’t want to scare him off.
Or at least, that’s what she told herself.
She didn’t know how much pain her heart could take if he pushed her away again.
“Winnie,” Brock said softly. “Let him breathe.”
Winnie finally backed away, but she looked Takeshi right in the eye. “You must remember Winnie, right?”
He opened his mouth, clearly ready to say no, but he hesitated, frowning slightly. “Aren’t you the old woman they put in the library?”