Series: Zandian Brides Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 290(@200wpm)___ 232(@250wpm)___ 193(@300wpm)
I did it. I’m here.
At first, I double over and almost vomit. Weak in the knees, I can barely stand. The smell of antiseptic floods my nose, and memories of my surgeries, the pain, the terror, overwhelm me.
I stumble and fall against a nearby wall. Stars, I can’t do this.
I feel small again. Insignificant. Afraid for my life.
But then I think of Daven. I touch the crystal he embedded in my ear.
I’m not helpless. I’m not a slave here anymore.
I have a chance to live.
And I need to make sure I get it. I need to make sure Katia, Flora, Alyza and Janae get theirs.
I force myself to stand and shake my arms and then my legs to control the jitters. “There’s no going back now,” I mouth silently. I know better than to speak aloud, even in my panic–the motion sensors are off, but I can’t make a sound. Who knows if any being is listening? “I can do this.”
The main lights are off, but the night lights are on, and I know the way, anyway. I was marched along this very path to my operations every planet rotation.
My feet slip a little as I walk, and I steady myself. That dew from the grass affected my shoes more than I realized.
I make it down the first hallway, enter the new passcode. The door glides open, as if beckoning me in.
And there it is, at the end of the room–the main control panel. My goal is in sight!
Can it possibly be this easy?
I hurry over to the panel.
The buttons are backlit in pale green, and the holo entry screen flashes blue. My master entered the code several times, and I remember it perfectly.
“Enter the emergency code,” I tell myself and try to steady my fingers. “One wrong try, and it sets off the alarm.”
I take a deep breath and then enter the code, the one I’m not supposed to know. The one no slave should know. The one I only have in my mind because the very tech they installed in our heads allowed us to record things while they were working on us.
There’s a soft beep, and the screen lights up. “Emergency Protocol Activated. Are you sure you want to proceed? Continuation can mean the deactivation of the entire Project Alpha Protocol.”
I hit “Yes. Proceed.”
The next choice: “Individual Deactivation or Entire Project?”
I select “Entire Project.”
The options array on the holo in front of me: Deactivate All Alpha One Slaves or Exterminate All Alpha One Slaves.
I immediately press Deactivate All.
There’s a beep and a hum. The lights in the room come up suddenly, and an alarm blares.
Stars! What’s happening?
Another command shows up on the screen.
“Verify Deactivate All on remote device.”
Stars. Remote device? This is definitely new. They never had that before!
Panicked, I glance around the room. Where and what is the remote device I need? Everything was supposed to be right here on this panel! They’ve changed it up.
I’m not going to succeed.
There’s the sound of voices shouting, and footsteps, and suddenly two guards burst into the room.
“Halt!”
They have weapons raised, trained at me.
Unable to move, I stand and stare.
“It’s a slave!”
“How did she even get in here?”
“Seize her. Take her to the commander.”
Strong arms grab me, twisting hard, and I scream in pain.
Before they can move me, though, a familiar voice cuts through the room.
“Which one is it? Is it a missing Alpha?”
It’s my old master.
“Release her,” he commands the guards. “Let me see her face. I need to be sure.”
He grabs my chin with his warty hand. “You look different.” He stares at me. “But it’s you. Sia. Where were you? Who took you? We thought you were all dead.”
I don’t answer.
He stands in front of me. “You’re back, and you managed somehow to get into the panel?” He’s irritated and surprised. “But it’s no good, as you can see. Because you also need to verify the commands on here.” He pats a device at his waist. “I decided to make things more secure, after we lost your batch, you see.”
He steps closer. “This isn’t exactly a shame, though. In fact, it’s a bonus. You must have been somewhere quite interesting. Perhaps with some Zandians? I can’t wait to extract that chip and find out what you’ve heard and seen.” His voice rises with glee. “We’ll do it immediately. Take her to the med bay.”
It’s over. If they get to the chip, I’m not only dead, but I’ve jeopardized the entire planet of Zandia and everyone I care about. I can’t let that happen. I don’t know what my chip recorded before I figured out how to make it stop, and even a single vision or piece of information could be enough to enrage the Ocretions enough to have them attack Zandia.
I need to do something. I need to fix this. Finish it.