Escape from Eden (Original Series book 2) (12 page)

I
hurry through the halls
, acutely aware that everyone is staring at me as I pass. Some of them whisper to each other. Word of our arrival must've spread quickly. I give a small smile and nod at those who will meet my gaze.

As I pass a couple who look to be in their early twenties, the girl steps in front of me. "I just want to say that you're pretty brave."

"Huh?"

Her eyes flash to her partners and then back to me. "We heard you’re turning yourself over to the Institute so we can get inside Enfield. We just want to say thank you."

"People already know?" I ask, incredulously. This worries me. What if one of them tells someone at the Institute. Security really should be tighter.

"Word travels fast, but don't worry. There's not a Prime here who would betray HOPE," the man says seeming to read my mind.

"I'm Lexi, by the way," the girl says. "And this is Leo."

She smiles kindly, something I really need right now. It's a good reminder that I'm not just doing this for my mother or other Originals. There are a lot of Primes too who would benefit from bringing down the Institute by finally having access to their research and possibly even a real cure for them.

"And I'm Sage. It's nice to meet you."

"Maybe we can hang out some time?" Lexi asks. "When all of this blows over?"

Leo snorts. "This isn't going to blow over for a long time."

"I would like that," I say quickly.

Her smile widens. "Are you looking for Link or the old Original? Sorry, I don't know his name. He wouldn't give it to me." She chuckles uncomfortably.

"That sounds like Smoke," I say, returning her smile. "He can be grumpy at times."

"They’re in the operation room," Leo says.

"Thanks," I say. Before I walk away, I add, "Maybe I'll see you later."

Lexi waves.

The door to the operation room is closed, but I can hear voices speaking behind it. I crack it open and peer inside. The same people who were here the night before are here again, along with Link and Smoke. I open the door and slip inside. People keep talking. Link is speaking with Ice, pointing at a map on a screen. Colt is at a small table with Anthony, Jenna and Raven, who I notice is sitting closer to him than the others.

The door opens behind me and Tank walks in, bringing attention to me. Everyone stops talking.

Link hurries and briefly touches my arm. "Are you okay? I heard you fell asleep on the roof?"

"By choice," I say and pat him on the shoulder. "So what's going on?"

I glance over. Colt is watching us with an expression I can't decipher, which is pretty much normal. It's the only thing I don't like about him.

Link walks over to the screen above the table Ice is sitting at and presses a button. Holographic images literally jump from the monitor and fill the space in front of us. "We've been going over the plans—"

"Which I will explain," Ice interrupts—a move Link doesn't seem pleased about. Back at Eden, Link was used to helping with the island's security, but here his voice holds no weight.

I shrug my shoulders at Link and continue to listen to Ice who shows me all of the exits. Even though I already know every detail of the building, it's good for me to hear it again, to let my brain think through every possible scenario should things go awry.

Colt comes up behind me. "If you're not out of there within twenty-four hours, then we're going to provide you with some distractions so you can escape."

From the corner, Smoke clears his throat. "What if she's restrained and can't get away?"

The room is silent. It's a question nobody wants to answer, not even me.

"They didn't restrain me before," I say, after swallowing around the tightness in my throat.

"And what if they erase your memory again?" Colt asks. His tone is sharp, with anger teetering on the edge.

"We have to take the chance," I say, my voice soft. I glance at everyone in the room. "I admit there are a lot of things that can go wrong, but the vote has already been cast. I'm going in there despite the risks."

Raven leans back into her chair. "What did we decide to do about the truth serum?"

"Truth serum?" I ask.

"We have to assume when Ebony questions you," Colt begins, "she will think your arrival is some sort of plot on our part. She will most likely give you a truth serum, but if she believes you went in there deliberately, then she'll also assume we would count on her giving you the serum and would've given you T-Vax to counteract it."

When I furrow my brow, he adds, "T-Vax is a drug that makes truth serum ineffective."

"I'm getting a headache," Jenna moans.

Colt paces the room. "If Ebony tests you for T-Vax and you come up positive, they will give you something to purge it from your body. But that won't even be the worst part. If they find it in your system, then they will know for sure you’re there under false pretenses. They will not be merciful."

"Then don't give me T-Vax," I say.

"But if you don't take it," Raven says, "and they give you the truth serum, then you will spill the beans on Eden's location, this safe house, the names of everyone involved…"

I groan. This was getting complicated fast. "So what do I do?"

"There is one option," Anthony says, but he's cringing. Jenna's sitting next to him, and she's also pulling a sour face.

"No," Tank says. "You can't ask that of her."

I look to Colt, but he won't meet my gaze.

"What is it?" I ask. "Tell me."

It's Raven who speaks first. "We infect you with the Kiss, a milder version of it from before the disease became a full-on epidemic. It never affected Originals, but we've modified it slightly. Don't worry, we have a cure. That won't stop you from getting pretty sick, though."

"Pretty sick?" Jenna asks incredulously. "She'll be barfing up her liver!"

Colt shakes his head and says, "We can't—"

"But," Raven interrupts, "if Ebony tests you for T-Vax, they won't find it because the Kiss virus masks it. This really is the only way to ensure all of our safety."

I don't like how satisfied Raven seems with this solution.

"But not Sage's safety," Link says. "This is a stupid plan."

"I'm with the kid," Smoke says.

I sigh and close my eyes briefly. "I won't risk the lives of everyone here. If there is no other way, then give me the injection."

No one says anything, but their flickered eye movements flash between each other, a silent communication that basically says I'm screwed. Colt lowers into a chair, his gaze downcast.

"How soon can we do this?" I ask. No point dragging it out.

Link approaches me, his voice low. "You don't have to do this. There are so many things that could go wrong! Think of Max."

"I am thinking of Max," I say. "It's our mother I'm trying to save, remember? So unless someone can come up with a better plan, I'm doing this."

Anthony clears his throat. "We heard from Lawrence, our guy inside the Institute, last night. He's learned that Ebony will be leaving the Institute tomorrow. He's not sure when she’ll be back so whatever we decide it has to be done right away, or we're going to have to wait until she returns. Who knows how long that will be?"

"I'm not waiting," I say.

Colt's gaze lifts to mine. There's a weariness in his eyes that makes me want to rest. "It's too soon."

"We can make it happen," Raven says, her voice upbeat. "We have the Kiss virus and the T-Vax here. We could get it in her system and within a few hours she could be on her way."

It's my turn to sink into a chair. It's all happening so fast. I had forgotten this part of their world. Back at Eden, time crawled so slowly I barely felt it moving, but out here, I can hardly catch my breath.

"What do you think, Sage?" Anthony says. "We don't have to rush this. An opportunity will present itself again in the future."

I look around the room and stop when I reach Colt. The way he's sitting, all hunched over like a giant weight might crush him at any second, makes the decision for me. For the last six months he has been doing all he could to help Originals. He has suffered, bled and almost died to protect us, to protect me. If I can help him in any way, then I'm going to do it. This isn't just about my mother or Max. It's about ending this war once and for all, and one of the biggest obstacles is shutting down Enfield. How many Originals are trapped within its walls being bled for Primes? And most Primes have no idea.

The walls need to come down. Starting now.

"
T
his will pinch
," Ash says.

I glance away from the thick needle pressing into my arm and wait to feel the sting, but it doesn't come. I look back at her. She is staring down at the dimpled skin of my arm, frowning.

I swallow a cold lump in my throat. "It's okay, Ash," I say. "It's what I want."

"I'm going on the record to say that I don't agree with this at all."

I smile a little because there's no one else in the small medical room but us. Ash, Tank's fiancée, has always been kind to me.

"Just do it already," I say. The needle plunges into my arm, and a cool liquid fills my vein. "How long until I feel something?"

It's a few seconds before she says, "Maybe thirty minutes."

"What about the truth T-Vax? When do I take that? And how long will it last for?"

"Right now." She turns around and slides a single green pill off of the counter along with a glass of water. It's much smaller than the pill Tank gave me. I take it from her and swallow it quickly, following it up with every last bit of water.

"You're all set," she says and takes the glass from me. "It will last for maybe a week."

I fold my hands in my lap, my mind numb.

"I'm going to take a peek under that bandage," she says, her gaze focused on my arm the shadow creature had injured. She carefully pulls the tape and gauze back. The sight of the two six-inch, dark purple gashes make my stomach swim. They are no longer oozing, thanks to the cream Tank had put on it, but they still hurt bone deep.

"You're going to have a nasty scar, but I don't think we need to wrap it anymore." She shakes her head. "I hope I never meet whatever did this to you."

"Me too," I whisper.

She pats me on the back, comforting me with the uncharacteristic motion. "Everything is going to work out fine. In no time at all, we will be injecting you with the cure."

I don't say anything because I'm still numb inside. It's a strange feeling—waiting for death.

"I'm meeting Tank for lunch," she says. "Would you like to join us?"

"I think I'll stay in here for a bit, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. Take all the time you need." Before she leaves the room, she turns the lights down low.

I lay on the long medical bed and curl into a ball, thinking of everything Colt and the others had told me not more than two hours ago: what to say when I'm questioned, how to act, escape plans, and back-up plans when those failed. They had a plan for every scenario, but even with all of these, none of them seemed super confident. There were just too many unknowns.

Link and Smoke had begged me to reconsider. Even Jenna expressed sarcastic concern, saying something about assisted suicide.

A sudden pain knots my stomach, and I grimace. Is this the beginning of the Kiss or am I just nervous?

There's a soft knock at the door. I don't bother sitting up.

"Come in," I say, fighting another wave of nerves.

I don't hear the door open, but a moment later Colt is standing in front of me, staring down. I don't meet his gaze.

"Are you going to say something?" I ask. My voice is too soft. I need to sound stronger.

"How are you feeling?"

I clear my throat. "No symptoms yet."

He drags a chair from the corner of the room and sits next to me, his face level with mine. "I don't want you to do this."

I shift my eyes to his. They are burning an electric blue. "I know."

His gaze drops from mine. "My mind is so messed up right now. Usually it's so easy for me to make decisions. I simply choose whatever will help the most people, but I can't do that in this situation—sacrifice the person I care the most for in the world."

I reach down and slide my hand over his. "It's a good thing this decision wasn't yours to make." I laugh, but it's broken up by several hitched breaths.

"Sage?" He places his hand on my back.

The motion breaks the last of my strength. Tears fill my eyes, and my shoulders tremble.

"I'm so scared," I say, tears flowing freely now. Not only am I about to have the common cold version of a worldwide plague that can kill every Prime I know before I'm thirty, but I'm also going to have to do it in front of my enemy.

He rests his forehead against mine. "Shh. It's going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. I will break down every door if I have to."

He continues to say soothing things until my tears dry and my breathing slows.

Several minutes pass. I rest quietly on the bed, focusing on his palm running gentle circles across my back. There is one last thing to take care of.

"Will you hang onto something for me?" I ask.

"Of course. What is it?"

I reach my hand into my left pocket and grasp Max's com device. I hand it to Colt.

"What is this?" he asks.

"It's a homemade communicator. Max made it to alert me if there was ever an emergency on the island."

He turns it over in his hands. "How does it work?"

"Using Morse code. Max will click a message into his device, a series of long and short beeps. I’ll write the code down for you so you can decipher it in case it goes off."

He stares down at it in awe. "He is the smartest kid I know."

I smile. "He is pretty special."

"So is his sister," Colt says, staring deep into my eyes until I blush.

I press my hand against the bed and push upward, but before I'm half way, a wave of nausea wracks my body and I almost fall over. He catches me.

"I don't feel so good," I say.

His muscles tighten. "It's starting. We should probably get you into position. Do you think you can walk?"

His voice is all business now. I attempt to do the same, shoving my fears to a place where I can no longer dwell on them.

"I think so." I slide from the table, taking my time. Some of the dizziness abates.

He keeps a steady hand on my lower back as we leave the room.

"Do you remember everything we discussed?" he asks.

I nod and give a quick summary. "You guys will drop me off a few blocks from the Institute. I will get caught and find my way to Ebony. First chance I get, I’ll snag a hair from her and protect it as if it were gold. As soon as I have it, I’ll try to escape from one of the three exits where you will have people watching for me. If I can't escape, then I will find a com device and use the emergency code 1991, signaling for you guys to come get me, which is a worst-case scenario. The whole time I’m in there, your team will be hacking their cameras, which may take a few days, but once you're in, you'll be able to see me."

"No matter what, Sage," he says, "we will save you."

"I don't want you coming in after me," I plead. "People will get hurt."

"We will do what we have to do."

His words don't calm my worries. Whatever happens, I just need to make sure that I escape.

When we reach the operation room, Link hurries over.

"You don't look so good," he says and slides a chair behind me. "Sit down."

I drop into it and suck in air. The room feels hot so I tug on the front of my shirt. "Why is it burning in here?"

Link and Colt share a look. That's when I notice that none of them look uncomfortable. This must be another symptom.

"Is she ready?" Raven asks from across the room.

"As much as she can be," Colt says. He turns to Ice. "Where are we at with the Institute's security cameras?"

"Like I said before, we're waiting on our guy in L.A.," Ice says, his fingers tapping quickly into a flat pad in front of a tall screen. "If he doesn't give us the code, then we can't get in."

"What's he talking about, Colt?" I ask and slouch further into the chair.

"We’re in touch with a security Techhead who used to work at the Institute. He said he will give us the code to break into their security footage without being detected."

"At what cost?"

"The cost doesn't matter," he says. "Besides, let us worry about this side of things. You concentrate on what you need to do. I think it’s going to be a lot harder to get one of Ebony's hairs than any of us think."

"Hey Colt," Raven says, "we need you to look over the escape routes one last time before we fly to Boston."

"I want to see them too," Link says, earning a sharp look from Colt. I can't help but wonder what Colt thinks of him.

As soon as Colt and Link step away from me, Tank, who had been sitting in the corner unusually quiet, rolls his wheeled chair over to me.

"If you start hurting, you can take the pill," he says to me, his voice low.

"Not yet. I'll take it right before I go into the Institute. Besides, I'm not really hurting yet. I just feel like I'm getting the flu."

"That's how it starts," Tank says. "But then it gets really bad—"

Just then a sharp pain, as if I'd been shocked in my stomach, doubles me over. I groan but force myself back up. This isn't the full-blown Kiss, I remind myself. Colt had much worse not that long ago, and I don't ever remember him complaining.
I can do this.

"Are you okay?" Tank asks.

I nod. "I'll be fine."

He purses his lips as if biting back more words.

Time moves deathly slow, probably because for every minute that passes I grow sicker. I sneak to the corner where I'm out of the way and lean my head against the wall. Several people come and ask me if I'm okay. For the most part they believe me, but when I begin to shiver, their faces turn from serious to concerned, especially Colt. I turn the corners of my mouth up and lift my chin a little. I hope it gives the illusion that I look worse than I feel. I don't want anyone cancelling this mission because they think I can't handle it.

"Hover's ready," a male voice says from the doorway. "Let's go."

Everyone in the room stands and bustles about the room completing last minute tasks. I run my hand across the pill in my pocket making sure it's still safely tucked away. Colt and Link come to my side.

"Can you walk?" Colt asks.

"I think so." I stand like I'm feeling fine, but the motion makes my head spin and I nearly fall over.

"Do you see this?" Link says, his voice rising. "She can barely stand, and we're sending her into the most dangerous place on earth for an Original!"

Colt doesn't say anything, so I answer for him. "I just stood up too fast. Besides, this has to be done. Don't worry, Link. I've done this before." I pat him on the arm, and, mustering all the strength I can, walk through both of them and out the door. No going back now.