The Significant (4 page)

      
The cold was making it difficult for her
to move. She was disoriented and frightened and her frozen muscles were
locking.

      
Kailynn lost one of her shoes as she was
running and it caused her to fall to the ground. She kicked off the other one,
grabbing it when she saw two guards coming at her.

      
“We have you, you little bitch!”

      
She lifted her knee into one of the men’s
groins, while she shoved the heel of her shoe into the protective visor over
the eyes of the other guard, shattering it, though she was not sure if it had
actually hurt him.

      
Then, she ran.

      
She moved quickly, her breath coming out
in puffs of smoke in front of her face as her bare feet carried her through the
alleys and streets toward the dark area she knew to be Trid. She did not stop
running until she saw something familiar. Hearing voices behind her, she forced
her way through a broken window, cutting herself on the glass, and hauling
herself up the stairs, too cold to feel the pain. She ascended all the stairs
until she reached the door for the roof, shoving it open with her shoulder.

      
She was still in the Walking District,
but she knew the crowds and the neon lights would make it easier for her to
escape. She knew she had just enough of a head start on the guards that they
likely did not see her jump into the building.

      
Kailynn ran to the far corner of the
roof, finally collapsing, trying to catch her breath, her lungs on fire. She
closed her eyes and covered her mouth, trying to stifle the noises of her
panting and hide the fogging of her breath. She barely had the strength to lift
herself up and peer over the edge of the building.

      
The guards were just below her, their
heated argument too quiet for Kailynn to discern.

      
Her entire body was locked, cold and
pained. The scrapes in her skin from her fall and the slices from the broken
glass were numb, and she was worried that they were far worse than she
realized.

      
But she could not move from her hiding
spot. Even if she had the strength, she knew she would have to lay low until
the guards had searched everywhere they could.

      
She could not return to Trid as she was.

      
Kailynn glanced at the snow that was
coming down, seeing it stick to the roof. Knowing that her footprints would
give her away to any drones passing over the next day, she forced her frozen
limbs into action. She clumsily pulled off the dress from her shivering body,
pushing it deep into the corner of the building, hoping to hide it from plain
sight. Then, she tried to take big steps toward the door to the roof, leaving
as few impressions in the sticking snow as possible.

      
She slipped through the door and down the
dark stairs to the floor below. Shaking and on the verge of unconsciousness,
she stumbled into an open, empty room. There were holes in the walls and
bottles on the floor, adding to the scenes of graffiti that littered the walls.

      
Kailynn found a hole in the wall that was
large enough for her to fit in and she grabbed a few of the cold bottles,
stacking them against the insulation in the hole. She then forced her body to
contort between them, hissing through gritting teeth as the cold glass and
plastic bit into her bare skin, but she knew she had to be surrounded as much
as possible to make the best use of her own body heat to warm her again.

      
Only when she was curled in a hole in the
wall clad only her panties did she break down, stifling her terrified sobs in
her hand.

Chapter
Three

      
Isa watched the burgundy wine fall into
the wide mouth of the wine glass. She was already on her fourth glass that
night, but she was not concerned about the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

      
“Aha!” a voice sounded from the living
room. Isa smiled, amused. “I will have you in two moves!”

      
“Oh?” she called back, setting the wine
bottle down and returning to the living room, seeing the other Elite looking
over the holographic chess board intently. When he saw the Golden Elite walk
in, he smiled triumphantly.

      
“I’d like to see you get out of this. I
blocked your check and have you set up to fall into my trap,” Remus said with a
definitive nod.

      
Isa stood next to her seat, looking over
the chessboard briefly. She touched the controls on her side, moving the knight
forward.

      
“Checkmate.”

      
Remus’ eyes shot back down to the board
as Isa smiled, sitting down and sipping her wine. She watched the Silver Elite
look over the pieces on the board, his jaw slowly dropping.

      
“That was deceptive of you,” he laughed
brokenly. She smiled broadly. “I blocked you from here…but you already had that
planned.” He looked up at the Golden Elite. “I don’t know why I bother playing
strategy games with you. You always win.”

      
“You’re a glutton for punishment,
apparently,” Isa teased.

      
“Have I ever beaten you?” Remus asked,
hitting the reset button on the chessboard, watching the pieces move back into
place before the board flashed a goodbye message and powered off.

      
“A few times.”

      
“When you were sober?” Remus pressed.

      
“That, I can’t answer,” Isa said with a
chuckle, taking a sip of her wine. Remus watched the action carefully.

      
“That’s your fourth glass,” he noted.
“Are you alright?”

      
“Fine,” she assured. “It was a difficult
day. I’m trying to shake it off.”

      
“Yes, today was trying. I’m pleased that
you kept our dinner date, though.”

      
“It’s a tradition,” Isa said with a
smile. “Your new caretaker is quite the chef.”

      
“He is.”

      
“Is that why you chose him?” Isa asked
teasingly.

      
“No,” Remus chuckled. “He was highly
qualified in many areas. His culinary skills were merely an added appeal.”
Remus leaned back in his seat, picking up his own almost-empty glass of wine.
“Isa, there is something I wanted to ask you.” The Golden Elite turned her blue
eyes to him. He hesitated for only a moment. “If I went with you, would you
start seeing Dr. Arre again?”

      
Isa sighed heavily, lifting the wine
glass to her lips again. Remus watched her, knowing she would not answer.

      
“I think it would be best,” he pressed.

      
“I’m fine, Remus.”

      
“You might be able to convince everyone
else of that,” Remus said, “but I know you, Isa. You are not fine.”

      
“What makes you think that I need to
start seeing Paul again?” Isa asked, turning back to Remus. Her eyes were not
angry, but Remus knew he was walking a fine line. Isa was never one to take
care of her health, but he also knew that she only got defensive about seeking
treatment when she also knew she needed help.

      
“To start, you’re drinking again,” Remus
murmured.

      
“I’ve had some wine tonight,” Isa said,
turning to glance at him sideways. “You’re right, clearly I’m an alcoholic.”

      
“Isa…”

      
“I don’t mean to snap,” Isa said,
watching the wine swirl around the glass in her hands. “I am still allowed to
enjoy alcohol. That should not raise any alarms about my health.”

      
“I’m concerned that it’s in relation to
what is happening in the Ninth Circle,” Remus continued cautiously. Isa sighed
heavily, hesitating.

      
“There is no word yet that there is a
problem in the Ninth Circle,” she said vaguely.

      
Remus looked over his Golden Elite,
trying not to let his concern show. In the muted light, Isa looked as beautiful
as ever, but there was a sadness to her expression that was worrying. He knew
Isa was no longer the ambitious young woman he had once known, and he knew that
Isa could never return to how she had been before. Her wounds may have healed,
but the pain was still fresh.

      
“I understand,” Remus said quietly. “I am
just concerned.” He watched her every muscle movement as he spoke. “However, if
our intelligence agents are correct, we must contain Gihron before they got out
of hand.”

      
Isa tensed at the name of the planet, but
she tried to hide it with a nod.

      
“We will address that if it becomes an
issue.”

      
“And, in the meantime, you’ll return to
Paul so that you’re better prepared to handle—”

      
“Remus,” Isa said, turning to the Silver
Elite, “I thought one rule of our monthly dinner was not to discuss any
politics.”

      
The Silver Elite could not help but smile
at the playful grin pulling at Isa’s lips.

      
“You’re right,” he chuckled. “I’m just
looking out for you.”

      
“I know,” she murmured. “You always do.”

      
“Then you’ll consider seeing him again?”

      
Isa opened her mouth to speak but
stopped, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her buzzing phone, popping
the earpiece out and putting it in her ear.

      
“Elite Isa,” she greeted.

      
“Now look who is breaking the rules of
our monthly dinner…” Remus chuckled quietly. Isa ignored him, listening to the
person on the other end of the call. After a few moments she nodded.

      
“I see, thank you. Send the paperwork to
the Syndicate as soon as they are processed.” She pulled the earpiece out and
slid it into the side of the screen, pocketing the device again.

      
“What was that?”

      
“They caught the Heart of Trid gang.”

      
“That was a well-thought plan, Isa.”
Remus smiled. “What do they plan to do now that they have them?”

      
“Being non-citizen Trids, they’ll likely
stick them in cells for a few years until Venus decides if she wants to kill
them.” Isa took another sip of her wine. “Preliminary punishment is for
conspiracy and treason is three years before the death sentence for citizens.”

      
“The Trids are becoming a problem,” Remus
said. “Their numbers are growing daily.”

      
“The economy is still hurting,” Isa said
with a knowing nod. “We must find a better way to strengthen the middle class,”
she said seriously. “It’s amazing how horrifically Gattriel handled the economy
when he was in power.”

      
“Three wars will bankrupt a planet,”
Remus said knowingly. “Gattriel was a moron. We knew that when we succeeded
him.”

      
“That was a mess,” Isa chuckled brokenly.
“Remember staying at the Syndicate Building for days on end trying to mend
everything he destroyed?”

      
“That was where this dinner tradition
started,” Remus said with a smile. “It was the only way I could get you away
from work.” Remus lifted his glass. “And now, seventeen years later, we’re
still keeping our dinner dates.”

      
Isa’s smile widened.

      
“It’s an impressive feat.”

      
Remus met eyes with Isa and the two
shared a deep conversation without speaking, their eyes conveying their shared
memories of running the Syndicate and trying to repair the damage of inept previous
leaders. They had spent so much time together, it was hard to distinguish
memories that they did
not
share.

      
“Isa,” Remus started, breaking eye
contact and glancing at his glass.

      
“Are you going to ask me to see Dr. Arre
again?” she said lightly. She was not angry at Remus’ pestering. She knew he
was concerned.

      
Remus looked at her again, his eyes
filled with worry.

      
“Just promise me you will be careful,” he
murmured.

      
Isa’s smile was gentle.

      
“I know you’re worried. But there is no
need to be. I am alright.”

      
Kailynn knocked hurriedly on the door of
Raphael’s apartment. When he did not answer, she knocked louder, glancing
around nervously. The sun was rising and most had just gone to sleep in the
area, but Kailynn was still nervous about being seen mostly-naked, dirty, and
injured.

      
The door finally opened during her third
hurried-knocking frenzy. Kailynn did not wait for Raphael to take in her
disheveled state before she forced her way into the room. She saw an unknown
woman passed out in the bed, her clothes missing and the sheets covering
absolutely nothing. Kailynn paid her no mind. She and Raphael were no longer in
a monogamous relationship—or a relationship at all, for that matter.

      
“Kailynn?” Raphael hissed, his eyes wide,
staring at her as she limped in, shivering. “What the fuck happened to you?”

      
“I’m fucking freezing,” she managed
through chattering teeth. She pressed herself to him and he wrapped his arms
around her. Her skin was cold to the touch. He had so many questions, but he
could not voice them, startled and frightened by her state. He took her hand,
leading her into the bathroom, grabbing the fallen blanket on the ground as
they passed it to wrap around her shoulders.

      
He sat her on the counter and turned on
the faucet, grabbing the cleanest towel he could find. Even though the water
would be cold, he knew he had to clean the dirt and grime off and be sure that
her wounds were not serious. He was thankful that at least the heat was working
in his apartment again. Kailynn’s blue lips and pale skin were frightening.

      
“What the hell happened?” he repeated,
gently dabbing the dirt away from her skin. She shook her head quickly, pushing
his hand away.

      
“It’s cold.”

      
“I know, sorry.”

      
Deciding she was too cold to be treated
immediately, Raphael took off his shirt and grabbed the blanket around
Kailynn’s shoulders. He pulled her off the counter and they both went to the
floor, sitting in a corner with Raphael holding Kailynn tight to him, the
blanket surrounding both of them to trap their body heat.

      
When Kailynn’s shivering had finally
slowed, Raphael glanced at Kailynn’s face. She was still pale, her eyes swollen
from crying, but she was sleeping soundly.

      
“Kailynn…” he called. She slowly stirred,
turning to look at him. She was warmer, but did not want to leave Raphael’s
arms. Her mind was still trying to make sense of what had happened and what it
meant for her and her brother.

      
“Please, tell me what happened.”

      
Kailynn felt the tears return
immediately. She closed her eyes against them and lowered her head.

      
“We fucked up.”

      
“Who?”

      
“Theo and me,” she whispered. She went through
the entire plot, telling Raphael what the Heart of Trid gang had done by
stealing Golden Elite Isa’s card and finding the addresses classified before
forming a plan to attack the warehouse and rig it to explode and destroy Venus.
Raphael was unable to stop the shocked expression that crossed his features as
she explained, but he did not interrupt her.

      
The tears had taken over by the time she
was finished explaining. Raphael held her as she cried, mumbling that she did
not know whether Theo was dead or alive or what she would do now that she was a
wanted criminal. She was sure her face had been captured by the security
cameras and shown to every Official in Anon.