The moving chair stops. It unwinds and I hop out into a single lit room. Asorra disregards my hand and walks out towards a part of the wall that has a yellow screen on. Seriously? This is getting old.
Just as I am about to tell her to relax, she turns around and smiles at me. She’s giving me a mind numbing headache, I think, as I attempt to grin at her. I don’t know where I stand.
Asorra places her hand on the yellow light. A door shimmers into sight. I stare. “It’s a camouflage door. It’s my best work yet,” she says. If she can do this to a door, but can’t figure out how to start a boat, what do I think I’m going to do?” I shake the moment. I was brought here for a reason. I’m going to keep following my intuition. Asorra opens the door ever so slowly and peaks out. She waits a few seconds then crouches low and ducks out. I follow.
Every fiber in my body is on high alert, but we come across not an ounce of resistance as we make our way down and across the dock to the largest boat I’d ever seen.
Asorra holds a pad in her hand and she clicks away. A large ladder attaches to the opening door and we race up the stairs, down the corridor, and straight to the control room. By the time the chair meets my backside; I’m breathing hard. What happened to the armed guards?
“I can’t believe that was so easy,” Asorra says.
“It was meant to be,” a man’s voice says. The High Councilor that sent me too my doom waltzes in with his four guards, his wife, and Purity. Purity is dressed in some form of high fashion and he won’t even look at me.
“Father?” Asorra says.
The man grins pure sin. “You are the brightest child ever to be born in Serenity, Asorra, but security is not one of your strong suits.” The High Councilor pushes me off my seat, wipes it down and then sits. I scramble to my feet and stand next to Asorra. “I’ve suspected you were up to something from the very beginning. But it wasn’t until you placed a chip into Saved and wrote that little kissing scene, between innocent Purity, that I knew you were on to something.” What? I look at Asorra, her face is so still I don’t know what to make of it. “I did some digging into your mother’s things, and guess what I found?”
“Then why didn’t you stop me?” Asorra asks, totally disregarding his question. What did he find? Was that kiss really staged? Purity still won’t look at me.
“I think you know the answer to that,” he says. “Why don’t you explain to your new friend the reason for your eager aide.” What? What is he going on about? I look at Asorra and she drops her eyes. “Oh, darn that cat. It’s forever hording tongues. No worries, honey, my speech isn’t impaired.” The High Councilor glares at me. “Before you were born dear Saved, there lived a couple who wrote the days for the people of Serenity. As it turns out they also wrote the days for the builders of these magnificent vessels of the sea.” The High Councilor begins playing with his nails like he has not a care in the world. “They built the boats in such a way that only a very specific team could propel them.” The High Councilor finally redirects his attention back to me. “When the boats were complete they escaped to the surface with a child in the woman’s womb. For three months they survived in the deadly atmosphere.” He rises from his seat. “A child of no particular sex, nor shade of gray was born in the midst of poison, completely and irrevocably immune. The last act of the child’s merciless parents was to place it in a boat and send it from the strong holds of my rule.”
The High Councilor pulls Asorra towards him, but I hold onto her wrist. “Don’t Saved, he will kill you.”
“Is this true, did you know this? Did you do this?” What was the charade about? I would have taken her anywhere she wanted me too.
Asorra eyes glisten. Tears will not work in this moment. “Your father, he left my mother a video and instructions on how the boat works. He said that you would one day return and lead us to the island.” She moves closer, I back away. “My mother told me to wait for you.” Asorra stalks me. “I waited for my knight.” My body seizes. Something is taking control of my extremities. My brain isn’t reacting to any of my commands. Asorra touches my face. “And I can’t let you go.” She takes the hand held off of my waist and presses a few buttons. I slump to the floor as feeling returns with a bang. I breathe deep and look up. “You’re the only one that can propel these ships.” Asorra says. If I didn’t find a way to distract you, my father would have had the guards kill you. It was a risk, I wasn’t willing to take.” Asorra pushes more buttons. The High Councilor and his men drop to the floor unmoving. Cecil and the others storm in and relieve them of their guns. She’s the one in command. What?
She turns to me. “If you don’t want to end up like them, go to the front of the boat and fire up the engines.”
“Once all the people of Serenity are on board, I’ll do as you ask,” I say. Leaving has always been a goal of mine. Why does she feel she needs to tell me what I already know?
Asorra grins again. “Saved you are not in a position to take command. We go now before another quake buries us all.” This is odd I haven’t felt a single shudder. “Don’t look so confused, no one feels them, that is the way I like to keep it.” She walks over to Purity. “If you want your friend to remain breathing you will start the boat.” She clicks the screen in her palm. It shows whole sections of the complex crumbling under falling rocks and dirt. Garden Home! Horizon! We need to go, now, but I will not sacrifice these people.
There is something that snaps inside of me, something that I didn’t even know is there. It roars and before I know it, I’m vaulting over tables locking my legs around her neck flipping back until Asorra is on her back. I pound one quick fist over her heart and watch pain course through her eyes. Asorra’s breathing shallows. Her eyes, and for a moment, I see an innocence that wasn’t there before.
I almost remove my weight when four guns surround me. My hands instinctly snake around Asorra’s neck. “Kill me if you wish, but she goes with,” I say. I don’t fear death, if anything I’ll welcome it, so I won’t have to stare at the false kindness around me.
“Stop!” Assora shouts. I loosen my hold.
The men move away and I drop her head. I look up at Asorra. “Direct everyone into the boat.” Asorra twists my legs, slips out, knocks me over and jambs her knee into my throat. I try to dislodge her, but she knows how to use her weight. “Nice try, but I downloaded your life. There isn’t a skill that I don’t have a counter to.” My body freezes again. This time my head ignites in fiery agony. I gasp a scream and close my eyes hoping for relief. “Let’s try this again. Go to the front of the boat, sit in the chair that is specific to your genetic code and turn the wheel every twenty seconds.”
Asorra guides me to my feet. I immediately exit the door to do her bidding. She knows what is right. She knows the way to the island. I am only a tool, an instrument for her survival. I will do as she asks, down to the letter.