The Significant (45 page)

      
Isa rubbed her forehead, closing her
eyes.

      
“Venus has to fall,” Maki near-growled.
“For the good of the people, for you and Kailynn, and for all of us who wish we
weren’t forbidden from being with someone.”

      
Isa’s eyes turned to Kailynn, who was
standing in shock to the side of the room, unable to process the situation
unfolding before her.

      
Isa turned back to Maki.

      
“I was worried about you two for a long
time,” she murmured. Maki lowered his eyes.

      
“There’s no reason to be worried,” he
said. “Nothing ever happened between us.”

      
“Did he know?” Isa pressed.

      
“He found out yesterday,” Maki said, his
voice quiet and filled with pain. “He had nothing to do with my actions. They
were all mine.”

      
Isa cupped her hands over her nose and
mouth, leaning on the bar as she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

      
“I can’t go against the arrest order,”
she whispered. “Had you not run from the Officials, I could have the treason
charges dropped. But you confirmed your own guilt by running.”

      
“I know,” Maki said. “And while the Officials
were driving after my programmed car, I hacked and broadcast their radio
communications. By the end of day tomorrow, it will be viral that one of the
Syndicate Elites wanted to shut down Venus.”

      
“Maki, how could you?” Isa snapped, standing
straight. “You are forcing me to deal with this on top of Gihron?”

      
“I’m forcing you to be who you are,” Maki
said. He glanced at Kailynn. “You already have the support you needed here, but
now, I’m pushing you. You said that you would change everything for the better,
then you would find a way to operate the planet without Venus. I’m helping you
achieve that goal. You made a promise to us, and you made a promise to Aren.”

      
Isa shook her head, closing her eyes.

      
“Maki…”

      
The Bronze Elite walked forward and
placed his hands on Isa’s shoulders.

      
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “You were
made to do this. You were the one to break the mold of Elites. You are the one
that needs to make this transition. You know no one else will.”

      
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled
her close, hugging her tightly.

      
Isa hugged him back, but pulled away when
she felt him drop something into her robe pocket.

      
Maki nodded to her.

      
“I believe in you.”

      
A chime sounded from the kitchen and
everyone turned.

      
“It’s either Remus or the Officials,”
Maki said. “There is something I need you to do for me, Isa.”

      
Isa stared at Maki, feeling worry settle
into her gut.

      
“Yes, I have put you in a very difficult
position, but I am also going to give you a means to contain it until you are
ready to use it to your advantage.”

      
He walked to the bar and opened a drawer,
reaching into the back as Isa darted to stop him.

      
“Maki, no.”

      
“It’s going to happen eventually,” Maki
said, pulling out the gun that he knew was in the drawer. “I’m not as strong as
you. You know I would fail the degeneration tests and I would become a lab rat
for months before they finally killed me. They can extract a lot of information
from me while I’m alive.”

      
Isa made a grab for the gun as Kailynn
started forward, terrified that Maki would turn the weapon on Isa.

      
Maki moved the gun away for a moment
before turning it around in his hand and holding it out for Isa.

      
She grabbed it quickly and backed away
from Maki.

      
“I don’t want to be tortured, Isa,” Maki
said. “And you need to be the leader of the planet and protect its people from
the degenerate Elite that wants to shut down Venus.” Maki took a step toward
Isa. “You don’t have much time.”

      
“I won’t do it,” Isa said, shaking her
head. “I won’t kill you.”

      
“Why not?” Maki took another step
forward. “I’m very dangerous. I’m a degenerate, and I have information on how
to shut down Venus.”

      
“Because I’m not a murderer,” Isa said
coldly.

      
Maki let out a broken chuckle.

      
“Oh, right,” he looked at Isa with a
twisted smile, “I forgot.”

      
Isa ground her teeth together, her hand
tightening on the gun.

      
“You better hurry,” he said. “The Elites
might know about you and Kailynn, but the Officials do not.”

      
Isa quickly turned to look at Kailynn, as
if it just occurred to her that her relationship with Kailynn was forbidden.

      
Another soft chime rang through the
house, stating that the elevator doors had opened to her floor.

      
Isa quickly walked around the bar and
shot the door controls twice, sealing it temporarily.

      
“Maki, get out of here. Use the back exit
in the entertainment room.”

      
“I’m not running, Isa,” Maki said,
shaking his head. He turned to look around him. “There is nowhere for me to
run.”

      
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll find a way—”

      
“Isa,” Maki snapped, cutting her off,
“you have enough secrets as it is. I’ve served my purpose and fulfilled my duty
to you, both as a colleague and as a friend.”

      
There was rapid knocking on the door and
several loud voices yelled Isa’s name.

      
“Maki, we don’t have time to argue about
this!” Isa walked to Maki and grabbed his wrist, starting to pull him away.

      
Maki reached to the bar and grabbed a
wine glass. He broke the glass against Isa’s collarbone, some shards flying to
her face and neck, slicing open her skin. She immediately released in him shock
as Kailynn darted forward.

      
However, before Kailynn could get between
the two, Isa’s other hand lashed out and the gun struck Maki across the face,
disorienting him.

      
Kailynn shoved Maki away, forcing him to
the ground and punching him in the jaw.

      
“Kailynn! Stop!” Isa bellowed.

      
Maki’s hand locked around Kailynn’s neck
and he lifted the broken stem of the wine glass, slashing her chest enough to
draw blood, but not enough to be a fatal injury.

      
Tarah ran forward when she heard
Kailynn’s pained yell.

      
Maki pulled Kailynn down and rolled from
under her, forcing her face to the floor as he straddled her back, one of his knees
pinning her left arm as her right arm flailed wildly in defense. Maki grabbed
her wrist and pinned it to her back as he held the bloodied glass to her neck.

      
Everything was still as Isa and Tarah
stared in horror. The yelling and banging of the Officials was getting louder
as they tried to pry open the disabled door.

      
“Come on, Isa,” Maki challenged, pressing
the glass deeper into Kailynn’s skin, causing her to let out a pained cry. “You
want me to kill her?”

      
Kailynn managed to glance at Maki and saw
Isa pointing the gun at him, her eyes hard and dark.

      
“Don’t you dare harm her,” she growled.

      
“Make sure that I can’t.”

      
Maki kept his eyes locked with Isa. He
quickly pulled the glass across Kailynn’s neck and shoulder. Kailynn screamed
in pain and a single gunshot sounded, making Kailynn’s ears ring before a heavy
weight fell on her.

      
“Elite Isa! Respond!” the Officials
yelled on the other side of the door.

      
“Get out of the way!” Remus’ angry voice
bellowed.

      
Kailynn tried rolling out from under
Maki, but Tarah had to help her push the Elite off to free her.

      
“Come on!” Tarah gasped, grabbing
Kailynn’s arm and hauling her to her feet, pulling her into Isa’s room just
before Remus forced the door aside with his altered strength and Officials
swarmed the living room.

      
Remus looked at Isa and saw her staring
at Maki’s lifeless form on the ground, the gun still in her hand.

      
“Isa.”

      
She quickly lifted her head and the gun,
pointing it at Remus, though her hand was shaking. The Officials turned their
guns on her, startled and confused.

      
“It’s alright, Isa,” Remus assured, lifting
his hands peacefully, looking over the cuts on Isa’s skin and the blood that
stained her robe. “You’re safe.”

      
He looked at Maki, trying to keep his
mind clear as he took in the situation. Seeing one of his closest friends dead
on the ground brought back horrific memories and made his chest tighten.

      
Isa’s eyes also dropped to Maki and the
gun lowered.

      
She dropped the weapon to her feet and
let out a long, shaky breath. She backed away from Maki’s dead body and Remus
ran to her taking her face in his hands.

      
“Look at me,” he said quickly. Isa’s eyes
half closed and her body started to relax. “Isa, look at me. Stay here. Stay
with me.”

      
Isa’s eyes barely opened enough to look
at Remus.

      
“You did not do anything wrong,” he said.
“You protected yourself.”

      
Isa pushed his hands away and turned
around. She walked to the wall and pressed her head against it, taking slow,
deep breaths.

      
The Officials moved forward and looked at
the dead Bronze Elite, startled at the accuracy of the single shot to his
forehead.

      
Tarah had just finished cleaning the
large wound on Kailynn’s chest as the Significant sat on the vanity in Isa’s
bathroom when the Golden Elite appeared. Remus followed, though he remained in
the doorway, silent.

      
Kailynn quickly hopped off the vanity and
walked to the Elite.

      
“Kailynn, I still have to wrap those,”
Tarah said quietly, her eyes resting on the Golden Elite.

      
Kailynn ignored the caretaker, taking
Isa’s face in her hands. The Elite’s eyes raised to Kailynn’s face, but
remained half-lidded in exhaustion. Kailynn was surprised at the shut-off look
in Isa’s eyes. They were darker than she had ever seen them before—the look
scared her.

      
“Miss, I’ll clean those wounds,” Tarah
said slowly, approaching the Golden Elite.

      
“Kailynn,” Remus called, motioning her to
him. She glanced at the Silver Elite and then back at Isa. She ran her thumb
over the Golden Elite’s cheek and then slowly, painfully, pulled away from Isa,
walking to Remus, throwing glances back at Isa as Tarah carefully led her
toward the vanity.

      
She finally met Remus’ eyes.

      
“Isa is not going to handle this well,”
Remus whispered.

      
“I don’t know of anyone that would.”

      
“Any normal Elite would not have a
problem moving past this,” Remus disagreed. “However, Isa is no normal Elite,
and she has been through severe trauma in the past. This is going to be very
difficult for her.”

      
Kailynn glanced at Isa once more. The
Golden Elite’s eyes were lost in the tile on the floor. She did not even flinch
as Tarah cleaned the cuts along her neck.

      
“Do not leave her alone,” Remus said
strongly, causing the Significant to turn back to him. Remus was also looking
at Isa. “It’s not safe to leave her by herself.”

      
“What about when she goes to the
Syndicate?”

      
“She’s not going to work tomorrow,” Remus
said. “I’ve already called Paul. He’ll be in touch with her tomorrow and decide
her treatment.”