Saven Deception (35 page)

“That sounds like a tall order.” While it
speaks to the heart of my desire, I can’t imagine overturning our current
culture is going to be easy or something that can be achieved in the short
term.

“It is, and I’m sure it’ll be a
step-change process, but they are very focused on shaking things up. First,
they need to position themselves to gain control, and that’s where we’ll come
in.”

“What exactly is expected of us? Of me?
Vin was extremely vague.” And I was extremely dumb not to question him before
giving a commitment. But I’m not admitting to that out loud.

“Essentially we’ll be spying. Using the
opportunity to feed whatever privileged information we discover to the rebels.
They have spies all over the place, in all the main government departments, and
all the intel they gather feeds into their overall planning.”

“That still sounds very vague.”

“They don’t give away much on purpose.
That way, if anyone is captured they can’t relay details they don’t have.”

A shiver lances through me. “I don’t like
being kept in the dark. How do we know the information we are providing is
being used in the right way?”

“We don’t. It’s a blind leap of faith. But
I’ve been involved with them for years, and so has my father, and they look
after their own. It’s certainly our best chance at having a future where we
have some say, some measure of control. That has got to be better than the
current alternative.”

I’m not disagreeing per se, but if I’ve
listened correctly, I’m being asked to place my trust in an unknown group, with
an overarching mission statement, and vague details of how they intend to
achieve their aims. It’s not giving me a warm and cozy feeling, and I’m on edge.
Something doesn’t feel right, but for the moment, I’m riding this train whether
I fully embrace it or not.

“Vin told me what happened the other
night,” Jarod says, with a sinister scowl. “I can’t believe those alien freaks
messed with my mind. I want to hit something whenever I think of it. Preferably
one of them. ” The skin on his knuckles blanches white as his fists clench at
his sides.

“They’re not all freaks. At least, Logan,
Neve, and Haydn aren’t.” I feel aggrieved on their behalf.

He harrumphs. “Don’t let them manipulate
you, Sadie. None of them are human. You’d do well to remember that.”

Anger simmers in my veins as I face him.
“You don’t understand. They don’t like this either.” I have to choose my words
carefully. Jarod isn’t aware of the whole conscience issue, and I can’t confide
in him about that yet. Not unless he’s willing to accept some of the aliens
aren’t bad, and that some of them are on our side.

“Wake up, Sadie,” he says, annoyingly
flicking his fingers in my face.

I work hard to calm myself before I
respond. “Jarod. Trust me when I tell you that they’re not the bad guys. I
think we should tell them we’re members of the rebel movement and ask for their
support. They’ll help us stop the government.”

Jarod stares at me as if I’ve grown ten
heads. “Unbelievable.” He emits a low whistle. “How can you be so naïve?”

“I’m not naïve!” I’m immediately on the
defense. “How can you be so pigheaded?”

“Oh, that’s rich,” he says, nudging his
finger in my face. “You’re so infatuated with that freak that you can’t see
straight! Reality check, Sadie!”

Fuming, I climb to my feet. “If you think
the rebels can defeat the government when they have the aliens in their pocket,
then you’re the delusional one. Don’t you see? We need them! Logan can amass support
for the rebel cause. We can’t stop this on our own.”

Jarod’s jaw goes rigid. He stands up in
front of me. “Are you switching sides?”

“What?” I pin my hands on my hips. “No! Of
course not. But we could do more, achieve more, if we have Logan and the others
as allies—”

“Not going to happen, Sadie.” He looks at
me with stubborn determination.

My shoulders slump in defeat. There’s no
convincing him. “Fine. Forget I said anything.” I purse my lips.

“For your sake, I will.” He scratches the
back of his head. “Don’t even think about suggesting this to Vin. He’ll renege
on the deal if he hears this nonsense.”

I yearn to scream in frustration.

“The shit is going to hit the fan, soon,
and you don’t want to be on the outskirts when it does. Your best bet is to
stick with the rebels, take up your new role in the city, and help us overthrow
the government. We owe it to all other stars to stop the government from
banishing them underwater. Don’t forget what this is about.”

As if I could. And he doesn’t know the half
of it. Part of me feels dreadfully guilty for not disclosing what I know about
the alien’s real agenda, but I can’t tell the rebels until I know they will act
appropriately with the information.

I don’t want to be the catalyst that leads
to a full-scale alien-human war.

I feel torn in two, with one foot in
either camp. It’s not a good place to be. The only one constant is the desire
to halt what’s planned.

How come I’m the only one who can see
that?

Jarod and I part uneasily. This difference
of opinion has driven a gap between us.

“What was all the shouting about?” Haydn
asks while we walk to Dante’s apartment.

“He disapproves of my relationship with
Logan.” It’s only a partial truth; however, it’s the best explanation I can
offer for why Jarod will most likely be acting like a total ass around Logan in
the weeks to come.

“He wants you for himself?” Haydn jumps to
the wrong conclusion.

I shake my head. “It’s not like that
between us. He doesn’t think Logan is good enough for me.” I’m starting to
clutch at straws here.

“If only he knew the truth,” Haydn says in
all seriousness.

“If only,” I agree, ignoring the irony of
his statement.

***

Neve opens the door and pulls me into her firm embrace.
“She’s gone, Sadie.” She says it outright, no softening the blow. In a strange
way, I appreciate that. My attention locks on the two medics in starched white
cotton scrubs as they wheel a hospital bed through the living room. A long
white sheet drapes over the length of Jenna’s lifeless form. My breath rattles
and a hacking sob rises up my throat.
No! This can’t have happened. Not Jenna.
I hug myself, hoping to wake from this nightmare. But unfortunately, it’s
all too real.

As the medics pass, I grip the metal edge
of the bed. With trembling fingers, I peel back the sheet and take one last
look at my friend. My entire body shakes. Her eyes are closed and sunken in a
face that barely looks human anymore. Gaunt cheekbones protrude in angular
fashion underneath the grayish tinge of her skin. Her lips are dry and flaky
and leeched of all color. I barely recognize her.

My sobs have transformed into a monsoon,
and heavy drops leak out of my eyes, falling over my cheeks, and plopping onto
the sheet. Tenderly hugging her lifeless bones, I let the deluge flow
unchecked. Acute pain perforates my heart at the loss of my friend and the
innocence of the world.  

An amused cough echoes in the room. Tacit
fury starts to build inside me. Bending down, I press my lips one final time to
Jenna’s cheek.
I’ll miss you. I’ll make him pay even if it’s the last thing
I do.

Swiping my sleeve across my face, I
straighten up as the medics wheel the hospital bed out of the room. My eyes
narrow on Dante. He is slouched against the wall outside the bedroom, fixing me
with a frigid stare. I walk toward him, keeping my expression neutral.

“Sadie.” Haydn places a cautionary arm on
mine. “Leave it.”

Exuding calm collectiveness, I face him.
“I only need to say one thing.”

Acknowledging my cool demeanor, he
concurs. I stand in front of Dante and eyeball him. He doesn’t shift from his
relaxed pose, and he looks at me with puissant derision. “Her death is a stain
on your soul for eternity. She’s at peace now, but that’s something you’ll
never experience.”

He laughs and I pounce, giving into my pent-up
rage.

Thrusting myself forward with a jump, I
claw my fingers down his cheeks, dragging bits of skin and DNA under my
fingertips. It’s hugely satisfying. Blood pools under his skin and little
droplets trickle from the puncture wounds as he lets out a murderous roar. His
eyes burn with hatred.

Haydn curses as he wraps an arm around my
waist and hauls me away. “You’re dead, asshole!” I scream, thrashing about in
Haydn’s arms. He flings me over his shoulder. My hair surrounds me, obscuring
my view, but I feel the floor vibrating as Dante advances.

“You can let her have this,” Neve says.
“You deserved that.”

I throw a string of obscenities at him,
shocking even myself with the extent of my colorful vocabulary.

Haydn stalks from the room and anger rolls
off him in waves. I don’t blame him. Logan is going to give both of us hell for
this. He refuses to put me down when I ask but I wisely zip my lips.

Neve catches up to us as we reach my
apartment. Haydn lowers me to the ground and I open the door. Once inside, Neve
collapses on the floor in a fit of giggles. Adrenaline-spiked laughter travels
up my throat, begging for release. But how can I laugh when my friend just
died?
Jenna would approve.

Dropping on the floor beside Neve, I laugh
until my stomach hurts. Then we are hugging and laughing and crying and
laughing again. I wonder if this is what insanity feels like.

The door eases open. “What the …?” Logan
asks.

“They’re crazy. Especially her.” Haydn
points to me. “That one’s got a definite death wish.”

I sober up the minute I look at Logan’s
face. Uh-oh. Neve whispers in my ear. “Jen would be proud of you. Don’t mind
what he says.” I bury my head in her shoulder as Haydn quickly and quietly
updates Logan.

“Angel.” Logan crouches down beside me.
“Let me wash your hands.” Glancing down, I notice the crusty, dried blood and
broken fingernails for the first time. I let him lead me into the bathroom. He
switches the faucets on and water gushes into the tub. Sitting me down on the
toilet seat, he gently dabs my hands with a cloth.

It feels surreal. Like I’m not actually
here. As if I’m floating by the ceiling, looking down on the scene below,
watching as Logan attempts to piece me back together. “She’s dead. Really
dead.” I look at him with dull eyes. “I didn’t think it would come to this.”

His jaw flexes. “I should’ve done more.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Shoulda. Woulda. Coulda.”

He looks at me anxiously and uncertainly.
“Um, should I ask Neve to sit with you while you bathe?” Reaching over, he
shuts off the faucets.

“I can manage. I’m not going to drown
myself.” His brow creases with worry. “I won’t do anything stupid. I’ve pretty
much drained my stupidity reserves already today.”

His mouth twitches. “I’ll make us
something to eat. You relax.” He kisses me on my forehead and my arms curl
naturally around his waist.

We stay frozen in time for a few minutes
and his comforting embrace grounds me. “I’ll be okay,” I say, as much to myself
as him. “Go cook.”

After dinner, we switch on the TV and tune
in to the government broadcast. The president introduces Logan’s father as the
Saven king and explains about the alliance between our two races.

“This is a moment for the history books,”
the president says, a proud look on his face. I snort derisively. “Never before
has such an alliance been brokered, and at such a critical juncture for both
our kind. This is a natural partnership, born out of necessity, and maintained
by a mutual respect for our different cultures. King Adjani and I have been
working closely for months now, and we share a commitment to ensuring success
in support of both our communities. My government’s concern over dwindling
energy resources has been well documented, so I’m pleased to announce that our
future fuel reserves are assured thanks to the generosity of King Adjani. In
exchange for access to the abundant renewable energy on Saven, we have agreed
to permit them to live among us on Earth.”

The first boisterous shouts are heard from
the media crowd present at the press conference. Horrific expressions are
mirrored on most every journalist’s face in the room. The president’s advisor
attempts to calm the crowd.

When things have settled, the president
resumes. “In fact, the Saven have already been cohabiting with our volunteers
in ‘The Experimento’ these past few months. Those of you familiar with our
weekly updates from Thalassic City will know that both races have integrated
extremely well. So well, in fact, that it was impossible to tell that the Saven
were even among us.”

Murmurs of disbelief ring out in the
assembled audience. “I understand that this is a lot to take in, and I fully
appreciate that people will have natural concerns. However, I can assure you
that the Saven are an honorable nation with a keen interest in developing a
long-lasting working relationship with our country. Our mutual agenda is
prosperity for both our people, and this deal will secure all our futures. The Saven
support has enabled us to accelerate construction of other underwater cities,
and we intend to accelerate plans to transfer residents in the coming weeks.
Now I’ll pass you over to King Adjani who would like to say a few words.”