36
We ventured too close to the sun. But you didn’t expect us to smile as we burned.
Shards of glass fell from the dome like mist. The projection of the rainforest vanished, replaced by a clear blue sky with smoke billowing high in the air.
The Governor snatched the phone from the table as it rang furiously.
“What’s happening down there?” he snarled.
They were unable to hear the caller’s answer, but Alexander went rigid, his face contorting in fury. “What do you mean outside fighters?”
Khalani and Brock locked eyes.
It had to be Jack and the Aces. That was the only logical explanation. If they’d successfully blown up the dome and were fighting inside Genesis, there might still be hope…
“Kill them all!” the Governor screamed, pausing for another moment to listen. “I don’t care if the units are struggling underground and the people are resisting. You have guns. Fucking use them!” He slammed the phone down.
Screams and gunshots from outside shattered the quiet.
Alan inhaled shallow breaths, obsessively checking his watch, and for the very first time, she detected a note of fear in his gaze.
He clenched his jaw, staring off into the distance, as if he were seeing a million things at once.
“G-Governor, if I may.” Cheryl bravely stepped forward, forcing a smile amid the bone-chilling tension. “Perhaps we can send another announcement to the cities. Help calm things down. I’m sure the people would appreciate that.”
As she spoke, the Governor held out his palm. Takeshi immediately stepped forward, handing him something, his broad frame blocking Khalani’s view.
“Perhaps we can work on your tone.” Cheryl raised her finger. “I’m thinking a more calming and respectful ideation of your voice will make everything right as rain—”
Bang!
The Governor lifted the gun and shot her in the forehead.
Khalani nearly jumped out of her seat as Cheryl collapsed face-first to the ground, her limbs twitching. No one dared move. Even the guards exchanged wary glances.
The Governor silently handed the weapon back to Takeshi, whose face remained conspicuously blank.
Alan checked his watch once more.
“Thirty minutes,” he muttered to himself before turning back to Takeshi. “I want you and another guard to watch them. Make sure they stay put. The rest of you, come with me.”
All but one guard followed the Governor, rifles held at the ready as they slammed the office door shut behind them. Takeshi pocketed his handgun and crossed his arms, standing guard like the dutiful soldier.
She flinched when another woman’s shrill scream rang out beyond the walls. But Takeshi remained motionless. In her peripherals, Brock ever so subtly cut through the ties on his wrists.
Khalani didn’t know how close he was to breaking free, but Takeshi shifted his gaze to him.
She had to do something.
Khalani bent over, coughing violently around the gag. When she glanced up, Takeshi’s dark focus slid to her, his brow furrowing, but he didn’t move.
Time to up the ante.
She rolled her eyes in the back of her head and started convulsing. Muffled wails came from the others as heavy boots crossed the floor. Takeshi’s strong hands gripped her shoulders, but her trembling intensified. She heaved in deeper breaths, as if she couldn’t breathe.
“Helllp herrrrr!” Serene’s mumbled voice came through her gag.
In a millisecond, the rope was taken out of her mouth and thrown off to the side. Khalani gasped for air, still shaking. Takeshi hovered inches away, the smallest hint of concern flaring in his eyes before it vanished.
But Brock’s face was knotted in deep concentration, and his hands started to move faster as the other guard watched Khalani and Takeshi.
Just a little more time.
“Neeeeed to…” she rasped. “Lie down.”
“You think I’m going to let you go?” Takeshi hissed, but his hand remained on her shoulder. Her quakes intensified, and she even let some drool escape her mouth.
“Noooo. Justtt need to…lay downnnn.” Her eyes rolled back, and Takeshi cursed. The click of a switchblade registered, and he cut her bindings.
She fell on her stomach. He crouched beside her, the blade held tight in his hands as his eyes darted over her body, searching for signs of injury.
“Better?” His voice deepened, and Khalani’s breath hitched as their eyes met. She swam in an ocean of black, and for a moment, it was just the two of them.
Slam!
Brock barreled into him like a truck. Takeshi’s face transformed into rage as Brock landed on top of him, brandishing his knife. But when he thrust the blade down, Takeshi caught his wrists, blocking the stab. Brock gritted his teeth, pressing down with his full body weight as Takeshi’s arms shook.
Panic gripped her, like someone was trying to flail her skin off. A loud clatter reached her and her wide gaze swiveled to the other guard, who raised his gun, trying to line up a clean shot.
Khalani kicked her chair with as much force as she could. The metal screeched across the ground and slammed into the guard’s knees. His legs buckled, the gun dropping to the floor.
She lunged for the weapon across the room. But the guard quickly recovered, reaching the gun at the same time as her. He tried to yank the rifle away, but she held fast. The sound of heavy punches drifted to her, and she yelled out, struggling to gain control of the weapon.
Her head whipped to the side as the guard hit her in the face. Pain exploded across her cheekbone, but Khalani held firm, refusing to let go.
She just needed to hold on a little longer.
But the guard snarled and threw an even harder punch into the side of her head. Khalani reared back and fell to the ground. Her vision went in and out, completely discombobulated. The guard turned the weapon around, pointing the rifle at her head.
She jumped at the sound of the gunshot, blood spraying across her face.
But it wasn’t her blood.
The guard fell to his knees, a gaping hole in his forehead as he crashed to the ground.
She jerked around, her mouth falling open.
Takeshi still pointed the gun, his pupils blown wide. Brock groaned on the floor, but he didn’t appear to have any major wounds, only scrapes on his face.
“Takeshi,” she breathed, afraid to move an inch.
His eyes were wild, trained on her. But he gripped the sides of his head as he yelled out, veins bulging in his neck.
She rushed toward him.
“Stop!” he rasped, holding out his hand. “Don’t come near me. Run. Get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” she said, daring to take another step closer.
Brock struggled to his feet, rushing to cut the others free.
The gun in Takeshi’s hand trembled, his whole forearm shaking. The sharp lines of his face twisted and contorted as if he were barely maintaining control. With a roar, he hurled the weapon at the opposite wall, trying to get it as far from him as possible.
“Fucking leave,” he growled, nails scraping down his face. “I don’t know how long I can keep him out of my head.”
Takeshi refused to look at her as he crouched on the floor. Sweat beaded down his forehead, his bulging muscles held taut.
“Khalani, we need to go,” Derek said in a soft voice, the others rubbing their raw wrists as they came to stand by her side, their conflicted gazes sliding to Takeshi.
“No,” she stated, her voice cutting through the room with firm resolve. “He needs us.”
Khalani had already lived through one lifetime of watching him reach for her on the ground after being shot. She refused to walk away again.
And in that horrible moment, Khalani realized it didn’t matter if Takeshi never got his memory back. She didn’t care if he was a super-soldier.
She knew his heart better than anyone. And it was made of love. And even if she never heard those three words back, she’d never stop feeling the same for him.
Takeshi had been fighting alone for so long—invisible battles she’d never known or seen—and he deserved to have people fight with him for a change.
Khalani slowly walked toward him, but he still refused to look at her as she lowered to the balls of her feet. And when she touched his arm, he flinched.
“Takeshi…I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered, letting her other hand rest over his, gently connecting their fingers. “You killed the Governor once on the surface. Your mind is stronger than his. We’re stronger.”
“How? How can that be true when I still don’t remember? When Alan might still take over and force me to hurt you?” He lifted his head, and the tears pooling in his beautiful gaze nearly ripped her heart out.
She squeezed his hands, letting him see that she was just as scared. Just as uncertain about life.
But they didn’t need to have it all figured out.
Winnie once told her that being human meant having flaws. So Khalani was just fine with all her jagged edges and broken parts. She would never be perfect. But she could be better than she was yesterday.
“I’ll remember for the both of us,” she answered. “And I’ll thank God for every single moment that I get to meet you again for the very first time.”
Takeshi’s head bowed, his whole body trembling, like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, afraid to take that final leap.
“Takeshi.” Winnie stepped forward. “You might not remember much about ole Winnie, but she remembers you. My dear Khalani wouldn’t choose to be with someone unless they had the strongest soul on the planet. That’s who you are. And who you always will be.”
A tear cascaded down his cheek.
Serene, who’d been listening in silence, stepped beside Winnie. “For the longest time, I didn’t understand what Khalani ever saw in you. But now I do. There’s no one I trust more to keep her alive and safe than you. And if my sister believes in you, so do I.”
“That goes for me, too.” Adan moved forward, nodding in solidarity. “You beat the Governor before and can do it again.”
“We’ve all made mistakes, Takeshi.” Derek swallowed, appearing beside Adan. “But we still have time to make up for them.”
An entire world swam in Takeshi’s eyes, and when Brock stepped forward, they all tensed. He stared down at Takeshi with an unreadable glint in his eye, studying him for what felt like eternity.
But then he said, “I know your grumpy ass is in there, cuz you still hit like a bitch.”
And Brock held out his hand.
Takeshi stared at the palm like it was the most dangerous weapon he’d encountered. Khalani and the others held their breath.
But he took the outstretched hand and stood, pulling Khalani to her feet too. Takeshi looked back at her, the last teardrops sweeping away, and he drew her into his warm arms.
“Thank you for not leaving me.”
Her heart clenched, the heaviest weight releasing from her body as her cheek pressed against his chest. Takeshi held her close, like she was the calm in his storm.
“So, what’s the plan?” Serene straightened as they released each other, their eyes ready for battle.
“We need to find Alan,” Khalani said, turning to Takeshi. “Do you know where he might’ve gone?”
“The White House,” he answered, frowning. “I can sense him there.”
“But how do we stop him?” Derek asked. “He’s got a whole army. And if we kill him, won’t he just come back with another clone?”
“No.” They shifted their focus to Adan, who had a renewed fervor in his voice. “You heard what he said about Timothy Talbot’s code.”
“That’s right!” Winnie exclaimed. “If Alan activates Project Helix, his code will be deleted. But Winnie can’t remember how long we have.”
“Thirty minutes,” Khalani answered, remembering. “He said thirty minutes until he fixes the code.”
“About twenty-five now,” Adan added.
“C’mon.” Brock flipped the knife into his pocket. “We need to help the Aces and find the Governor. We’ve got no time to lose.”
He strode over to the dead soldier. He grabbed the discarded gun and threw it at Takeshi, who caught it without hesitation.
The others prepared to leave, but Khalani had one more thing she needed to do.
“Wait!” She rushed to the Governor’s desk, searching for the broadcast button.
“Khalani, we have no time,” Brock said urgently.
“Just give me one minute,” she insisted. “Serene. Turn on the camera.”
Serene didn’t question her and immediately bolted to the camera, carefully avoiding Cheryl’s dead body on the floor.
Her pulse raged. Khalani had no idea what she was doing. Didn’t contemplate the consequences. All she knew was that this battle wasn’t just theirs.
The world needed to know the truth.
Serene gave her a thumbs-up from behind the camera, and without another shred of doubt, she pressed the green button.
“This is Khalani Kanes from Apollo,” she began, not bothering to sit at the desk.
Khalani hesitated, the adrenaline giving way to reality that she was talking to every underground city in the world. But when she made eye contact with Winnie, it gave her the strength to keep going.
“Your government has been lying to you. The surface is survivable. It has been for quite some time. And now, they’re killing us so we don’t discover the truth and escape.”
Khalani took a deep breath, letting her heart speak.
“We’ve been toiling under the earth for three hundred years.
But it’s time for us to return home. On the surface.
That is where we truly belong. So, if you can still hear this, I’m asking you to not sit back while they take everything.
Fight the people keeping you beneath their feet.
We outnumber them, and if enough of us band together, we can win. And if you’re listening from Apollo.”
She stepped forward, looking into the camera.
“Head to the elevators and take them to the surface. Fight with us on Genesis. We wait for you under the sun.”
Khalani pushed the button, ending the video.
The room fell silent as the others gazed at her with profound shock and love, like they’d follow her to the gates of heaven…and into the depths of hell.
Khalani grabbed a knife, finally leaving her hesitations and fears behind.
“Let’s go.”