Rise of the Phoenix (The Phoenix Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

“Adam?” She asked hoping.

Ben shook his head.

The loud speaker crackled to life again. “Today’s activities include a movie at 1:00 P.M. on the dot, there will be time for exercise after your food has been properly digested, and a very special speaker will be in the main hall this evening after supper.”

“Finish at least part of your food,” Cloud urged.

“Ben, we’re going to find them,” Phoenix said as she shoved a scoopful of eggs into her mouth.

Ben gave a hopeful grin.

Phoenix finished half her food when a guard and her least favorite human, Nan, approached.

“I see you have enjoyed this morning’s breakfast buffet?”

Phoenix turned her body around to look. Nan stood with her nose in the air and her hands clasp behind her back. Her expression was full of venom.

“You’ll be joining me for a couple of hours.”

“Why?” Phoenix replied mocking her with a cocky grin.

“Come,” was all she said before walking away.

The guard waited for Phoenix to stand, then followed behind her.

The main building’s décor ended when they walked into a section of offices. Pictures of people celebrating sat on the desktops of busily typing secretaries. As they passed the staff desks, a spiral staircase came into view. Phoenix looked up and saw that it reached five stories. Nan gripped the metal railing and began to climb. Her suit jacket and skirt wobbled back and forth along with her tiny ass as she climbed.

When they reached the top they entered an open floor plan with large marble pillars spread across the space to support the roof. The windows were tinted dark grey and surrounded the entire room. Off in a corner of the room sat a desk with a computer. The other side contained a fireplace and a plush leather couch. Phoenix’s boots sunk down into thick carpet with at least two layers of padding beneath. A man in a business suit stood with his back to her looking out the windows.

“Mr. Lachance, here is the woman you asked to speak with,” Nan said.

Phoenix stopped short of making a comment about not having an elevator. She didn’t breathe nor blink. The lump that instantly formed in her throat went down hard as a rock when she swallowed. The man that ended America was standing directly in front of her.

Decklin Lachance turned. His face was covered in a well-groomed beard that was cut close to his face. His dark brown, curly hair was short and professional. His suit was tailor cut and his shoes perfectly shined. As he approached, Phoenix guessed that the slight lines around his face put him in the mid-thirties age range. He motioned for her to sit in a chair that Nan had slid up to the couch. Phoenix felt numb as she sat down on the leather business chair.

Decklin raised his pants at the knee and slid onto the maroon leather couch and rested his arm across the back.

“You and your partner made quite the disturbance when you came here.”

Phoenix gripped the chair arms and slid foreword. Nan stepped back a little with a look of fear. Decklin didn’t move but, looked up at the guard who had escorted her. The vamp in military fatigues moved closer to her adjusting his gun just enough to remind her of the barrage of bullets that would hit her if she moved again.

“Where’s Adam?” she demanded.

“Unfortunately, he had a violent outburst when the guards tried to take him to his room. He’s now undergoing treatment.”

“Treatment?” Phoenix’s rage was growing with every word he uttered.

“Yes, we cannot have lawlessness here. The world has been cleansed of such behavior and I intend to see that it stays that way.”

“You took people’s freedom. You stole our lives and made monsters out of us.”

“The mutation was not something we anticipated. It seems there was a flaw in the system, but we have turned it around to our advantage.”

Off to her left she heard the low voice of the guard say, “The hell you have.”

Decklin sat there looking arrogant, while Nan stood off to the side with her perfect posture.

Phoenix looked up at the guard and he flashed her a grin.

“You complain about the new America,” Decklin continued.

“My life wasn’t yours to take or anyone else’s for that matter.”

“The government wanted change; they wanted a stronger more peaceful nation. I gave that to them. You can either decide to live in this new world or be taken from it permanently.”

“In other words don’t think, speak, or shit wrong and I get to live?” Phoenix stood. “Are you done?” Not waiting for a response she started for the spiral staircase.

“Miss Williams, you will find that your life will be a lot easier if you let go of the past.”

She froze at the sound of her real name and whirled around. With every bit of venom she could muster she spat, “You took that name from me with your fucking bombs, so you deal with the consequence of your actions.”

Bounding down the stairs two at a time she heard Lachance tell the guard to take her back to her room and there would be no activities for her. Just to insure her co-operation he gave her one last order; if she caused any trouble or even attempted to do so she was to be locked up in solitary.

As she walked back to her room the guards footsteps mimicked her own.

“I know you can hear me. If you want to live and get your man back move in secret.” He spoke only loud enough for her own ears and stayed behind her.

“Do you know where Adam is?”

“I have an idea.”

“Can you tell him something for me?”

“I can try”

“Tell him…” The guard cut her off.

“Don’t worry, I know exactly what you want to say. They took my wife. I imagine he is in the same section of the building she is.”

When they reached her door she paused before opening it and turned. “What’s your name?”

“Hell Raiser,” he said smiling.

“Phoenix.”

As the door clicked closed behind her and she was finally alone, she burst into tears. Unable to calm her rage and fear, she stripped her clothes and got into the shower making the water as hot as she could stand it. When the hot water heater finally spit out its last vestige, she got out.

Walking back into the room she smiled, but it was staged for Cloud’s benefit. The petite girl stood there with a brand new pair of pajamas wrapped neatly in the store packaging. “I thought you could use these. We can go down to the laundry and wash your clothes.”

“Thank you.” She let her towel drop and slid on the flannel jammies. They were straight black with no pattern.

When she looked back Cloud sat with her mouth open. Phoenix motioned toward her towel as she spoke. “Oh, I’m sorry; I grew up with a little sister so there were never any scruples about changing in front of another girl.”

“No problem, now you know I’m a lesbian. So thanks for the view.”

Phoenix took a second to process that statement. “Good to know.” She picked her towel up and tossed it in the laundry basket and then sat down on Cloud’s bed. “Should we do the laundry?”

“You’re not totally freaked?”

“Embarrassed, as if I had just stripped in front of a guy I don’t know is more like it. Freaked, no. I really never cared for homophobes; for lack of a better name.”

Cloud instantly became her bubbly self again. “Well, cool. The laundry is down the hall. Grab your clothes.”

The walls in the room were lined with dozens of washers and dryers that were front-load and built right into the wall. Phoenix was thankful that no one else had decided to clean his or her clothes at the moment.

Phoenix tossed her one outfit into a washer and added some soap. “You would think I could be happy for hot water in the shower, a washing machine instead of a rock, and constant electricity.” She sighed and looked down.

Cloud put her hand on Phoenix’s shoulder. “When things are forced on you it doesn’t matter what they consist of. It’s still torture.”

“Not spoken like a seventeen year old.”

“I try.”

Phoenix took a seat at a table. Cloud shoved all her laundry, white and dark into the washer, and sat down across from her. When the noise of the washer started Phoenix asked, “You say they watch everything we do; do they listen?”

“In some places they do. When you’re in therapy, or in lockdown.”

“Do they know about the super hearing and sight we develop?”

“No, not that we can tell. You’ll notice a lot of us talking only loud enough for other vamps to hear.”

“Where are the camera’s?”

“In the walls behind pictures.”

“In our room also?”

“No I checked when I first came here.”

Phoenix let out a sigh of relief and then looked at the walls surrounding her. Four pictures decorated them.

“Yeah, there are camera’s in here. I guess a vamp had tried to destroy the laundry once so they installed cameras.” She waved her hands around. “Like we all want to obliterate their washers and dryers. Morons.”

Phoenix lowered her voice. “This entire place just gives me chills.”

“They can’t hear us over the washers, so don’t worry. That’s kind of why I brought you here. I was worried after Nan took off with you.”

“I met public enemy number one.”

“That’s because you caused trouble when they brought you in. He doesn’t tolerate people messing up his grand plans.”

“He knew my real name. Does he know everyone’s history?”

Cloud shifted in her seat and leaned on her arms taking in a deep breath. “Do you ever remember having your mouth swabbed?”

Phoenix’s forehead wrinkled indicating that she was thinking. “Do you mean with a Q-Tip; like it was just for fun”? she motioned up and down with her fingers.

“In high school biology we studied DNA,” Cloud explained. “That’s how the record keeping started.”

“I’m not following.”

“School kids were easy.” Her hands waved again. “Hey kids, lets practice taking samples.” Then she clasped her hands together and got serious. “Even college kids fell for it. Adults in the workforce were different. Get pulled over for DUI then the cops would swab you. They were told it was a new way to test blood alcohol level or whatever drugs the person was on; it was, but as soon as they stuck the swab into the analyzing machine, boom, DNA was in the governments system. Others that followed the law had their samples taken for health insurance companies, you know stuff like that.”

“Shit. Not good.” Adam’s face was all that she could see. “Alright, how do you know all this?”

“I’m a hacker. And a total snoop.”

“And my best friend.” Phoenix said grinning.

Cloud pumped her fist. “Let’s Snoop Dog this. And by the way I got my name because of the cloud people store info on. Secrets can run but they can’t hide from these.” She wiggled her fingers back and forth along the table.

WHEN PHOENIX STEPPED outside her room Hell Raiser was standing outside the door.

“Mr. Lachance would like to speak with you.”

“And I’m guessing I can’t just crawl back into bed? Shoot myself? Cut my eyes out?” she replied with a snarky grin.

Hell Raiser bit down on his lip, then cleared his throat. “I’m instructed to take you to his office before you go to breakfast.”

“Well then I’ll follow your big Arnold Schwarzenegger ass.”

He chuckled at that.

As she walked down the hall he followed.

“You know you’re as big as a damn house,” she said.

“I was a pretty good linebacker before the bombs.”

“Pro?”

“It was my rookie year for the Brown’s.”

“I can see why you’re bitter.”

“Trust me; everyone is.”

“Good, because we are going to need that anger. I have to find Adam.”

“He’s in the restricted section. You want my advice—play extra nice to Lachance. He wants you or you would be dead. Butter him up and he may let you see your man.”

As they climbed the spiral staircase both were silent. Phoenix’s mind contemplated whether she could charm the ultimate evil.

This time Lachance was sitting at his desk. His fingers tapped away at his keyboard. As soon as Phoenix entered he stopped and looked up at her.

“Have a seat.”

Hell Raiser stayed by the doorway.

Phoenix sat and leaned back in the chair, resting her arms on the sides and waited.

“I was hoping that you had contemplated changing your position.”

I hate fucking kissing ass,
she thought to herself.

“I’m not saying the world is even going back to the way it was for me.” That was all she could think to say.

Lachance’s perfectly combed hair, primped beard and blue eyes made her want to vomit. He reached up and loosened his tie, then removed it. “I can make your life better than you ever had it.” His voice was full of arrogance.

“How can you do that? You won’t let me see Adam. I have one pair of clothes. No hairspray, toothpaste or toothbrush. If it weren’t for my amazing roommate I wouldn’t have the one pair of pajamas I own. I don’t see life here being so great.”

“Mr. Mathers?”

“Yes Mr. Lachance,” Hell Raiser said.

“Miss Williams will be taken to the general store and supplied with the items she needs.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Do you see how easy that is? You corporate and life is easy for you.”