Page 11

It was glaringly obvious Vasilis was being manipulated and controlled by his family. I should’ve known, he was a completely different person to the man I’d met who planned a life with his new found freedom of faking his death it seemed. I still didn’t have answers on how he got back to them, or how they found him, but I wasn’t in any position to ask those questions.

Vasilis took me back to his room where I leapt out of his shirt. I stunk of him, it was not a scent I ever thought I’d carry, but here I was. In an underground bunker, surrounded by snakes, literally.

“Come on,” he said. “You heard my brother, we’re going up to the surface. I’ll get you out. You can go, maybe find something to help. I’ll do what I can from in here, and then we’ll meet when you’re back.”

My eyes rolled, it was a reflex whenever he suggested anything. I didn’t know if he was being plucked or pulled in one direction from something his family had poisoned his ears. “No,” I said. “You can go, but I’m going to put on one of your outfits, and I’m going to go out there and see for myself. I want whatever it is you use to get in places, because I need to help these people. Without you, everyone knows you, so they flock.”

He shook his head. “No chance. You’re not going out there without me.”

“For this to work, you’re going to have to trust me. And that starts with you knowing that I’ve done this before.”

“Not for the Syndicate.”

Technically, true, but I had infiltrated corporations to uncover some of the tactics they used to practically enslave their omega workers. I’d gotten a small trophy for that, granted, it was given to me by the local newspaper, but it still sat on a shelf at the family home, right by my college degree certificate.

“Let’s agree to disagree,” I said. “I’m putting your clothes on. I’m going out there, and you’re going upstairs to keep your brother distracted.” I pressed a hand against his chest, knowing exactly where I’d scratched him up. “And don’t drink anything they give you. I heard everything. I know I shouldn’t leave you alone, the opposite way round, but I need to see this all for myself.”

He looked defeated. He’d been weakened by the news his family had been fucking with his mind. And I was taking advantage of that by forcing him to submit to my will. “You’re gonna get yourself killed,” he whispered, placing his hand over mine. “Everything is up in the air right now, and if it all falls on you, I—I’m gonna feel pretty guilty.”

“The only thing in the air right now is the people waiting for you to go up to the surface, they’re gonna wonder what you’re doing,” I said. “So, hurry up. Scooch away. Well, tell me how I’m supposed to open doors, first.”

He revealed a magnet in the end of his sleeve. “Common areas don’t need special access, but the pods and stuff, they work from these. They’re in the sleeves of all my clothes. So, just put one on. Although, I am significantly taller than you, so—”

“So, I’ll just roll the pants,” I said. “You don’t have to worry. Although, it’s an adorable look on you now that I can see how genuine you are about it all.”

Pushing the tip of his tongue through his teeth, he smiled. “If anyone finds you, tell them you’re my assistant, and make something up. Make them call for me. I’ll—I’ll clear it up. Assuming my brother doesn’t know I’m conscious or—whatever it is I’m not supposed to be.”

I’d already thought long and hard about that cover story, and I would be using Vasilis’s name all the way to the top. The top being his brother. The idea I could end the entire syndicate right here and now seemed like an opportunity, but I was ill-equipped to carry out something like that. My taser was in the car and I wasn’t about to have my entire life ended before I could free these omegas.

“Can I get one last taste of you before I go up?” he asked.

“A taste?”

“Well, just a—”

On my tiptoes I pushed up and reached him to plant a kiss on his lips. “There,” I said. “That’s your taste. Keep your brother upstairs for as long as possible. I’m going to mentally map this place out before anyone knows I’m not supposed to be here.”

The plan was simple. The plan had always been simple. The idea that I could come here, free the omegas, be hailed a hero, yet again. I never gave up, that wasn’t in my repertoire of actions. I did, however, know the limitations of my actions, and I knew I couldn’t physically fight my way through several Alphas, of any kind.

Once Vasilis left the room with a demonstration on how the sensors worked for the doors, I raided his closet. It was all the same tightly fitted style black shirts with smart jackets, some of them embellished with gold thread. I steered clear of those. I didn’t know the significance, but it wasn’t worth finding out. I looked like I was in a position of power, much like Vasilis. It would make me stand out, but I smelled the part, and that was all that really mattered.

Flexing my hand over the sensor, the door opened. It was a relief to feel freedom almost, without being attached to Vasilis. All I had to do was channel all of my upbringing into walking around as if I’m better than everyone. I assumed that was what Alphas did, and I was even more sure that’s how I could pass for one now.

It was strange to walk the hallways, almost in the same way that I’d had the night terror where the snakes were all over my body, pulling me down. I walked in the direction we went to the first large bunkered room where omegas were being kept.

Three soldiers were there. I opened the door and walked inside to see them. Offering them a smile. “I’m here to finish out the checks Vasilis started,” I announced.

They glared at me, seeing them up close and personal with their blackened teeth and how dirty they smelled. I nearly gagged. The feeling was choked up in my throat. “You’re not a soldier.”

“No. I’m Vasilis’s personal assistant, and I’ve been told to come in here and finish off the checks he started,” I said, keeping my chest pushed out with a nearly held breath. “You’re going to have to leave while I continue the check. Assuming that’s ok with you all.”

The three of them glanced to each other and almost as if I was giving them time off, they were happy to leave, and I was happy to keep on the air that I was actually better than them on the hierarchy.

Once they were out of the room, I walked around, skittish, looking at all the tubes going into their bodies. I’d worked in enough emergency rooms since graduating with my nursing degree to know these were people being put into comatose states. There wasn’t much else going into their systems other than that, but there was a full vat of venom, as labeled and several syringes, some of them re-used, again and again, their ends turning to rust.

“Fuck you all,” I grumbled. I took the needles and stabbed them into the walls, forcing them to fly off. They weren’t going to keep injecting these poor omegas. I’d even though about tipping the small container of venom as well, but I feared they’d all smell it and come running.

Inspecting each of the omegas, I found their bodies covered in bed sores from lack of movement. Their arms were strapped to the beds and their legs buckled in to the frames. I didn’t even need to think about it, I loosened each and every one of the binds around their wrists. I didn’t know what was happening to them in that state, but I also knew it could be more dangerous for me to turn off the machines that kept them in statis. They would have to wait until I’d formulated a plan.

The soldiers came back, licking their lips. “We need to take our post,” one of them said. “Have you finished your checks?”

“What checks were you doing?” another asked. “If you don’t mind telling us. We won’t let Vasilis know you’ve said anything.”

“Just regulation checks, making sure they’re all ready for the next phase of the plan,” I said.

The three soldiers high fives each other, and then looked to me as if waiting for a high five in return. I didn’t want to, and I waited, almost hesitant to give them a high five in return. I did it anyway, and then brushed my hand off on the slacks.

“You smell strange,” one of them said.

“Might be because I’m not addicted to the venom like you three,” I snapped back. “You’re gonna have to clear your senses, soldiers. They might get you into trouble.”Their smiles faded as I tried my best to show power. “Is—is the Apex still above ground?” I asked, relieved to recall his title, and seem to solidify the fact I was meant to be here.

“He is. And we are encouraged to consume the venom. As Vasilis’s assistant, you should know that.”

With a large smile and a slight chuckle, I tried to disarm them. It didn’t work. They were waiting for me to say something. “Yes, that’s true. But they want you in a position of addiction. If you exercise some personal strength, you might just get beyond being called a soldier. You know, thinking for yourself isn’t as underrated as some of you might think.”

They just stared at me like whatever I’d said was going above and beyond their feeble minds. I assumed they hadn’t always been so feeble, but after such a long time sucking on the venomous teat presented to them, they had no choice but to look like their brains were rotting.

“Everyone starts somewhere.”

“True,” I said. “And you have started here, so I’ll leave you to it.” Disengaging in conversation was difficult. I walked out quickly before they could sniff it out on me that I wasn’t meant to be here. I couldn’t even rest and collect my breath, I had to keep going, following the signs that often didn’t make sense. I nodded at everyone who nodded at me, seemingly the clothes were doing most of the work here, the scent on them, and the way they looked had people letting me go by without question.

And then I reached the second large room where another section of omegas were being housed. These once were a little more lucid since they didn’t have tubes coming out of them, only the one attached to the back of their wrists where they were probably being drip fed venom through the canula.

A man and woman in white lab coats were stood with the usual soldiers in the room. They glanced at me, and then locked eyes as if trying to place me.

“I’m Vasilis’s assistant,” I said before allowing their minds to wonder. “I’m just doing a check of all the—” I noticed one of the people from my list. A woman who’d left her family with a single note saying she was going to make money, and she would be home soon. Her skin was almost translucent with purple bruising around her eye sockets and cheekbones. “The omegas.”

“Ah, well, the Syndicate have just made their announcements about the future, I hope that means we’re not discontinuing with our experimentation,” the woman, Doctor Rathe according to her name tag, said. “The third group have barely had time to let the venom settle. The Rotmor has barely consumed a third of them.”

“And this group?” I asked, locking eyes with the other doctor, Doctor Payne, quite apt considering what these people were going through. “How are they doing?”

“Well, we’re studying the healing responses currently,” he said.

Of course. They were humans. Whatever means, they’d been pulled into this scheme to study us. “And out of curiosity, has a cure to Rotmor been discovered?” I asked. “Or an antidote to the venom?”

They laughed together, as if I’d told them the funniest joke they’d ever heard. It caught the attention of the soldiers who were walking up and down the beds, teasing the omegas, some of whom were muttering to themselves.

“We’re not here to do that,” Doctor Rathe said. “You’re trying to trick us into saying something, aren’t you?”

“No, no, I’m not. I was strictly curious about any potential antidote,” I said. “We need to second-guess what our enemies are going to think. If we’re not, then we’re failing. But if you have an answer, then we know how to—”

Doctor Payne snapped his fingers and pulled out a pen from his lab coat. “That is smart thinking,” he said. “Although not our area of expertise. We’ve not even managed to create a synthetic version of the venom yet. Everything we’ve got is from the Vepres family. They’re the ones who hold the key to the antidote too, I’d assume.”

“So, all of that venom, is made by—” I struggled to count how many alive Vepres members I could recall. “Well, not many of them.”

“No, not at all,” she said. “It’s why the next step in this is attempting to create as many offspring as possible. We need as many new Vepres babies as this compound can house.”

It made sense as to why all of the beds weren’t being used. I assumed they were waiting to ship more omegas in, but they could’ve had countless rooms just like this, even if Vasilis had only told me there were three. I couldn’t rust what he knew, because it was all second-hand from whatever he was being controlled to do by his family.

“From Vasilis or the Apex?” I asked.

“Both,” Doctor Payne said. “I have a great fascination of omega gynecology, or whatever department of science it would fall under, but I’m excited to see. The other infected Syndicate members will contribute in other studies. We want to know if them being infected will produce similar results.”

“There’s a lot we don’t know, especially in the genetics of your people,” Doctor Rathe added. “Especially how those other sexual characteristics are formed, the Alpha and omega, and of course, betas. But we’re most looking forward to observing the male omegas and their impregnation journeys.”

I felt sick, light-headed, and suddenly numb from my ankles up. Glancing to my feet, I wondering if my nightmare had come true where I was being pulled down by the grip of snakes, but that wasn’t the case at all. I’d exerted a lot of energy today shifting, and I hadn’t replenished much back. “Perfect,” I said, nodding. “I’ll let Vasilis know these—omegas are all under your watchful eye.” I needed to let him know more than that, but until then, I had to find my way back to the room before I passed out and got found out.

The route back was filled with soldiers as obstacles, each one demanding a nod as I passed them and full eye contact. I wanted to run, but my feet felt clunky in Vasilis’s shoes. I couldn’t recall the way back, not by any of my senses. I was going to get myself killed, and all because I’d been reckless.

Pausing a hall that split into two. This was the end for me. I could feel it.

“Soren,” a whisper prickled at me from behind, following by a firm arm hooking mine in its grasp. “How’d you get this far?” Vasilis asked, hauling me to stand straight. “You’re lucky I came back.”

Through blurry eyes and panting for breath, I looked up at Vasilis, and without another word, I shifted and squirreled away inside his jacket, seeking comfort against his hairy chest like a nice burrow.