Alex woke in her bed. Her body hurt more than the last time she had woken up. She didn't know how long it had been this time. The darkness through the curtains told her it was nighttime in the sphere. She tapped her fingers on the table. The lights started dimly first. She left them there.She hauled her aching body up and relieved herself in the bathroom. From beyond the door, she heard a monstrous thud. She slowly slid the door to the bathroom open with a wave. The door to her bedroom opened. Henry stumbled in backward, his hands up in surrender.Alex pressed her body against the wall. The point of a gun protruded from the door. She swung around the wall and disarmed the intruder, holding the gun to his head. Blue eyes turned on her. It was Jack!"But how?" She stammered."I broke out. That woman Abigail helped me.""What?""Is now really the time, Baby? Do you think you can point the gun at him?"Alex swung the gun around to Henry. She couldn't believe it. Jack was here and H
Pseudo-daylight streamed through the windows. Alex covered her eyes and rolled over onto something fluffy, hard, and soft all at the same time. It groaned.Jack's arm came around and wrapped her body close to him. She uncovered her eyes and stared right down into his ice blue ones. Her hands pushed the bushy hair away from his face.A tear ran down her cheek and Jack took his free hand out and caught it. "What's wrong?"Alex shook her head. "It doesn't matter. There's nothing that can be done about the past. We just need to figure out what to do now."Jack nodded. He lifted his chin and kissed her on the nose. "You're the boss." His smile warmed her heart.She laced her fingers around the back of his neck and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back, softly at first and then growing stronger.She pulled back. "Where's your Vice?"Jack shrugged. "When Abigail helped me escape I forced some of the scientists to take it off me. I didn't want to approach Henry with it still on. Things
A week after Henry's death, Abigail led Zeven into the foyer."Good afternoon, Alex.""Good afternoon. What brings you here this time?""Well, I actually have a proposition for your friend Jack here. See, with Henry gone, we need a new candidate to run for representative. We think he would be the perfect man for the job. And with the Truex empire behind him, we think he can win.""But Jack isn't even a hybrid. He doesn't even have the same rights as a hybrid," Alex stated. "Do you think people will even vote for him?""Well, that's not entirely true. Jack is a Genetic Modified Individual, which is the first step toward hybrid. He is in a unique position to speak for everyone really. And you yourself support the human rights movement, don't you? So I see this as a marriage made in heaven. What do you think?"Alex looked at Jack. "It's his decision. I will support him whatever he decides."Jack looked back to Alex and after a moment he grinned. "I never thought myself a people per
Jack sifted through his dresser drawers, pulling out clothing from the bottom drawer. A pile of dark T-shirts lay on the floor at his side."Why do I get the bottom drawer?" Lexi asked."Because you're short.""I'm tall for my age.""Shorter than me.""Taller than the other kids."Jack threw a glance back at her. "I think you're missing the point."She rolled her eyes and sat heavily on the blue couch. "You could help, you know."She looked down and pulled at a loose thread on the cushion. "Do you want me to fold them or something? My folding skills are a little sub-par.""Do you even know what sub-par means?"She sighed heavily. "Yes."Jack's finger caught a metal object in the back of the dresser and he pulled it free. A golden star dangled from a chain from his index finger. A deep pang of pain pulled his stomach down. Alex's necklace."You found it!" Lexi shouted from behind him. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind him and leaned down o
Jack sat in Ellie's rolling chair. He swung it back and forth while he waited. The dry hum of the computers and other electronics droned on, encouraging him to nod off. He didn't know how Ellie could work in here day after day and get anything done. He had to fight to stay awake.Finally, Lexi pushed through the lab door from the locker room. She wore a yellow dress that stopped just above her knees. She was still just a little girl in his eyes, but she was starting to get tall. Her young face smiled when she saw Jack. She pulled a bit of ash blonde hair behind her slightly pointed ear.A moment later, Ellie pushed through the door. She held a screen several centimeters from her nose. She muttered a few inaudible words as she walked forward into the lab. Lexi sat down on the patient bed and fiddled with the metal band around her wrist. It was a tracker that Jack's brother Jimmy put on her so he knew where she was at all times. As if a little girl was that much of a security risk, alt
"Martin and Gabriel crouched in the VIP cargo bay. The most important cargo on this ship was stored-" Tom trailed off as he felt a tremor vibrate through the floors beneath his feet. The eyes of the woman on the bed flickered open and searched his face, seeking the reason he had stopped reading.Tom fiddled with the cover of the book for a moment, then continued on. "Angel had arranged-" Another tremor, bigger this time shook the room. Little bits of dust worked loose from the ceiling and now other people took notice. Tom searched the nurses' faces, glancing from one to another to see if they had an inkling of the cause, but only concern washed their face. He set the book down on the table and started to get up.A very large vibration hit them this time and rocked his body unevenly. Bright flashing lights filled the room blinking rapidly along with a blaring horn. A few women shrieked with surprise as the lights went dim and the emergency lights popped on one by one in a path leading
"The whole building is going to collapse, come on!" He said, his voice muffled by his arm.The petite lady turned to him, a look of surprise on her face. She shook her head. "I can't, this is too important. I have to protect them." She bent back over her work and continued pulling the hard drives.Tom leaned down next to her and pulled a drive in each hand over repeatedly, throwing them on the magnet. After thirty drives he stood up and looked at her. "Done?"The women cocked her head to the side and looked at the mess of hard drives scattered on the ground. She turned around and calmly walked to her computer screens. She pulled another drive and tossed it in an open duffle bag on the floor near the counter. She then opened up the drawers of the counter and started tossing things in the bag.Tom went to take a step forward, but tiles from the ceiling engulfed in flame fell around her. The woman didn't scream or step back. She just continued about her very important looking business
Jack dashed around a few corners and popped open the door to his room. He grabbed two emergency bags from underneath the bed and handed one to Lexi. "Pack what you can fit in here and carry. Put on and pack clothes that will cover your whole body. We may have to go to the Surface."Lexi unzipped the top of the pack. "What is all this stuff?""Emergency supplies. Just pack clothes and stuff. No books. Got it?"Lexi shot him an upset look but nodded quietly. She pulled open her drawer from the dresser and started stuffing clothes into the pack.Jack opened the closet and pulled some outdoor clothes out and crammed what would fit in his bag. The floor shuttered again and footsteps clambered by their door. Lexi shot him a worried look but said nothing. She changed into a pair of jeans, a shirt, and tied on a pair of boots. She zipped up her pack and threw it over her shoulder, pulling the tabs tightly so it would fit well.Jack finished packing and reached out for her hand. "Ready?"