Seneca Rebel (The Seneca Society Book 1) (14 page)

"I know. It's so surreal. One moment they were laughing. Right there, a few feet in front of me, the next..." I replayed the crash in my head, Brittany's scream, the chaos on the porch, Reba standing there with the chewed-up cookie in his open mouth. The visuals were burned on my mind like a brand on cattle. I knew it would be with me forever. "I wish that whole night never happened."

"There are a lot of people who feel the same."

I hung my head. Ellen patted me on the back. "Don't worry. Everyone is going to go through their own grieving process after what happened, and things are going to be tense around here for a while, but they will brighten up. Just know that, okay?"

"I hope so."

"So, how about those chilaquiles?"

I smiled, but not fully. I was dying for some Mexican food, but hated that I was pulling one over on Ellen. There’d been no other way. I figured that, if she knew what was really going on with Dom being thrown under the bus, she’d have understood. Either way, I had to make the decisions that were in the best interest of Dom, myself, and as bold as it sounded, the entire Seneca Society.

"I am so ready. The meal hall is great and all, but I need a change of scenery."

"You bet."

Ellen Malone and I strolled right past the men in blue, who didn't question us. Few people in Seneca could get away with questioning Ellen Malone. Congressman Wallingsford was out of the picture, I assumed, consumed with the well-being of G.W., who was in critical condition at an undisclosed location. I really hoped he’d be okay, and was sure he was receiving the best possible medical care, but I’d seen that crash and I knew it would take a miracle for him to walk away from it the same way he went in.

Ellen didn't ask any questions and thankfully she didn't try to make conversation for the sake of avoiding silence. She was comfortable just being. There were so many things about her I really respected. She was one of the people I looked up to most in Seneca, one of the ones who gave me hope that, although there were some shady things going on behind the curtains, there was also limitless possibility.

At Dia De Los Ninos, my favorite Senecan Mexican Restaurant, the hostess was happy to see me. It made me feel good. I was regarded as a regular in a spot that not so long ago had felt so strange. Seneca was starting to feel like home, or at least a home away from home. I still missed my Saturday night excursions to Highland Park for driveway pupusas with Julie and our moms and I always would, but this helped fill that hole inside me as best it could. The hostess walked us to our seats and looked back at Ellen, "Trajiste a otro amigo que chilaquiles."

"Sí, nunca los ha tenido tampoco," I replied.

The hostess gave Ellen a playful 'shame, shame
'
wave of the finger and then handed us our menus as we took our seats. Ellen didn't know what we said, but she went right along with it. A waiter brought over some chips and salsa and I dove right in. There was no holding me back from chips and salsa.

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish. That's something I definitely should have known, considering."

"Everyone in LA knows Spanish."

"Makes sense. Silly me."

It was pretty funny that she knew about my quantum computing skills and offshore financial activities, but had no clue that I was fluent in Spanish.

The waiter came and took our order. I asked for two of the same dish– went for the verdes because I knew that would be easier on Ellen's undoubtedly sensitive palate than my go-to chipotle.

I gathered my nerve because I was about to lie to Ellen's face. Something I really wished I didn't have to do. I felt the guilt building from my toes to my fingertips. She’d been awfully nice to bring me out, and I did appreciate it. I hoped she would never find out about this.

And here it came.
 

"I don't feel so hot."

"Oh no. What's wrong?"

"My stomach. Ugh."

"Nerves?"

"No, more like
sick
sick."

"We can have them pack our food to go if you want–"

"No, no. I'll be fine..." I hesitated. This was tougher than I’d thought. I hunched over a little and feigned stomach cramps. The guilt running through me was ridiculous. "I think I might vomit."

"We'd better get you home."

"You know what, I'll be okay. I'll just head back. You stay and enjoy your meal."

"Doro, I can't just leave you."

"No, really, I'll be fine."

The way Ellen looked at me so caringly jabbed me with little needles all over. I felt like such a deceitful person. I second-guessed myself, wondering if I should have concocted another plan.

"Why don't I just walk you back, and then I can take my food home with me?"

"Please, Ellen, I really want you to have the full experience here. I'll be fine." I stood up and hunched over, rubbing my belly.

"I don't know–"

"I'll flex you later to check in."

I could tell Ellen just felt bad for me. I had to drive this home. She was insisting, but I had to insist more.
 

"I'd hug you, but I don't want to get you sick."

"Okay, I want to hear from you before you go to sleep, understood?"

"Yes, I'll flex you."

Ellen watched me go. Emotions of every variety rushed through me as I walked out into the bustling restaurant district of Seneca City. People in blue streaming through the halls, coming and going on the acoustic carrier. But I didn't have time for anything but the mission at hand. I was in a race against the clock.

25

T
Y
WAS
HUSTLING
behind the sushi bar at the peak of dinnertime as I darted in through the entrance. He locked eyes on me while continuing to work his culinary magician's hands. He didn't need eyes on what he was doing, he was that good. I knew that, when he saw me, he hoped I knew something more about Dom.

I wiped my sweaty brow with my shoulder and kept going straight behind the bar. Ty and I had an unspoken understanding. He knew that I was here to help Dom. I went directly through the double doors, through the kitchen, past the claustrophobic aisle of supplies, and straight to the door marked, "Employees Only Restroom."
 

Before the S.E.R.C. residences, I had programmed my flexer with a hardcore multi-level quantum encryption so that any activity I engaged it in could not be read anywhere else. Still, I knew that the potential for tracing my whereabouts was there, since I had yet to tap into the microprocessors in my bloodstream. I assumed that physical location was one of the bits of information that was definitely being traced. I didn't know how much time I had. I had a massive feat to accomplish before I was caught, or Dom would forever be just a memory to me... if even that.

I took a seat in the chair I’d shared with Dom only the day before. Then, the vibe between us had been full of exuberance, optimism, teamwork and what I thought was mutual attraction. But now it was all urgency, a crazy fast learning curve on things I knew nothing about, lying to one of the only people I trusted and a whole lot of nerve. I had no partner this time— whatever happened seemed to be down to me alone. This wasn't easy. It wasn't easy at all.

Dom's lab was foreign to me. First I had to attempt to do what I had seen him do. His equipment was all in the same place I’d seen it last. I powered on his makeshift hyper-spectral nano scanner. I looked across the table, in drawers, all over the place trying to find his blood sample. Not a trace of it anywhere. I spotted a needle and syringe. I felt weak, then shook it off. This wasn't the time or place to feel freaked out over needles. I was much bigger than that needle. My dad had always said that to me about me and spiders.

Without Dom’s blood sample I was going to have to draw my own blood and get down to business. I had seen my mom do this so many times when I’d gone with her on house calls to her private geriatric patients. Still, everything about it made me squeamish. I told myself this wasn't about me. I had to move out of body now and make things happen. Easier said than done. I felt the blood leave my face, my palms become clammy, my feet scorching hot and, although the room was silent, I could hear every single sound. My hearing became wolf-like. The buzz of electricity, water flowing through pipes, forced air and the slight hum of the scanner all played together in perfectly organized chaos. I focused in on the noise like it was an orchestra, playing to calm my rapidly swelling nerves.

I pushed the sleeve up on my left arm to look down at the crease on the inside of my elbow. Doctors always made the comment that my veins are good. The thought of forcing a needle through my flesh into my good blue vein was dizzying. When had my mouth gotten so dry? I had forgotten to drink water, with everything else going on. You can’t draw blood if you’re dehydrated, my mom had repeatedly told her patients. There was a half-full glass of stale water on the table. What the heck... I gulped it down and grabbed a rubber band on the desk. Snapped in half, I could cinch it tightly around my arm just above the crease. I took a few deep breaths as I opened and closed my fist and watched my vein bulge. It
was
a really, really good vein. I made a mental note to myself that the next time someone asks me that strange question: "What quality of yourself are you most proud of?" I should say, "My veins."

I wasn't afraid of heights. I imagined that the way I felt when I looked at that needle was exactly how someone with acrophobia felt when they inched towards the edge of the Grand Canyon. Just as they had to get over the fear just long enough to see that gorgeous expanse below them, I needed to overcome my own fear, just long enough to accomplish something that was desperately important to me. This needle wasn't going to kill me, I hoped. Did I know that? Could I guarantee myself that? I wasn’t sure. No, wait, I
was
sure. This little needle was not going to kill me! I clutched the thing, and stuck myself in my flawless blue vein. I let out a sound that was as much a moan as an exhalation, while blood filled the small glass tube. When it was full I pulled the needle out, grabbed a tissue and pressed it down over the tiny incision. I finally caught my breath. Smiled. Blew out a "whew." That was intense. There was no time for patting myself on the back. I'd have to remind myself to do that later.

I turned to the centrifuge that Dom had lifted from one of his sessions. It had an S.E.R.C. emblem on it. I placed the tube filled with my blood into it, closed the lid and peered at the dials. I would have bet my life that Dom had the numbers set to where they needed to be, so I pressed "start" and waited for it to finish spinning. This was definitely working. I was starting to feel a lot less like a teenage girl, and a lot more like a professional scientist. If only I had a white lab coat. Maybe next time.

The spinning stopped. I opened the lid, carefully removed the vial, and used a syringe to take a sampling of the same heavy particle part of the blood that I had seen Dom extract yesterday.
 

Next, I turned to his hyper-spectral nano scanner, to pull out the glass plate that rested beneath the beam of light. I slowly pushed down on the syringe, watching my blood sample drip soundlessly onto the glass.

I took my trusty flexer from my pocket, held it up to the device and issued the communicate command. A beam of blue light linked my flexer to the scanner device. The beam of light spread across the blood sample and sent an instant reading back to my flexer screen. Here we go. My flexer picked up on signals being emitted from the nanobots Dom had detected. There was no question. I tried to access the communications. I was blocked.

Bring it on!

My hands danced across the flexer screen like an accomplished pianist on a baby grand. I was in the zone. I had passed the challenging part and was in my element now. Nothing could stop my ferocity towards these nanobots that were squatting in my blood.

I was on the verge of something huge. I felt it as the equations and formulas surged through my head like the rapids of Difficult Run. This gush of numbers, symbols, solutions, resonated deeper within me than any equation I'd ever pursued... and BANG! The nanobot I cracked revealed its quantum state– I could instantly tell that it was part of an entangled quantum system. I
sprung from my chair, my body electric with delight, but I kept my victory dance muted. I dropped back down to the seat even though my heartbeat flew through the roof. I had to keep my eyes on the ball. On the screen: charts, graphs, neurological statistics and biometrics. I couldn't decipher what it all meant specifically, but I knew it was a biological spying mechanism. The implications were almost both too vast to wrap my head around and horrifyingly clear: A literal, duplicate copy of the inner workings of my brain was tied directly to a mainframe elsewhere and being manipulated... affecting my mind right here and now. Not if I could help it, and I knew I could.

As the reality of this set in I became furious. I felt so violated it was as if my skin crawled with armies of fire ants. Someone was literally inside my head without my permission. I didn't know the extent to which my thoughts had been tweaked or traced so far, but I wasn't going to let it happen any longer.

My dad had always said we were here for a reason. Now I understood. I was brought to Seneca for a reason, I met Dominic Ambrosia for a reason, I was sitting here faced with this problem for a reason... and problems are meant to be solved.

My fingers moved maniacally. They were possessed. I was possessed. I couldn't stop until I found the opening at the end of the maze. I moved through every twist and turn, holding my breath, not blinking, until finally– "Ha!" I leaped from my seat in victory. I’d broken the quantum entanglement. Whoever, wherever was not inside my head, anymore. I was uncoupled from their manipulation, but they would still think they had me, because when I’d run the break I had simultaneously synched my mainframe ID to a random Senecan's nanobot data.

Oh, but there was so much more to figure out! I quickly returned to my seat and wiggled my fingers around the flexer frame, stretching in preparation for round two.