The Significant (78 page)

      
And the pain was becoming too much to
bear.

      
Isa’s hands were once again trapped in
Remus’ and he loomed over her, his eyes dark.

      
“Fuck you, Remus!” Isa hissed angrily.

      
She stood still for two long seconds, her
breath coming in short pants as her body shook.

      
Remus lunged forward and kissed her
angrily, his weight bearing down on her, his anger and anxiety evident. Isa
tried to worm away from him and he released her, but she grabbed the front of
his uniform and yanked him closer, craving his contact, his control, his
ability to make her forget everything.

      
His hands immediately went to her
uniform, tugging at it sharply and forcing her pants down. With one hand still
tangled in the front of Remus’ uniform, she clumsily tried to help him, pushing
the fabric down.

      
Remus’ hand went up to her jaw and
sharply grabbed her, pushing her back and looking into her eyes for a brief
moment. He then turned her around, grabbing one of her arms and pulling it
behind her back, pushing her to bed.

      
She fell heavily, her face pressed into
the blankets and her back and chest shooting with pain as Remus pushed down on
her bruised body.

      
In the brief, frantic moments before
Remus entered her, Isa hoped that he would remove her uniform, that he would
see the bruises and realize that there was, actually, something very wrong and
it was far worse than they believed. She wanted him to see her injuries and
protect her, as he always had, to take the situation out of her hands and keep
her safe.

      
But this was not their normal routine.
There would be no gentle removal of clothes, no sensual exploration of each
other’s bodies. This was a rough, desperate need, something to dispel the
tension and frustration they both felt, and Isa did not want it any other way.

      
Remus kept one hand pinned behind her
back, furiously moving behind her as her other hand reached back to hold his
hip, keeping him close, quietly urging him to continue.

      
Between that moment and the moment that
Remus collapsed on top of her, gently kissing the shell of her ear, Isa felt
herself slip further into darkness.

      
Isa sat in her NCB chair, trying to
concentrate, but she could not focus. The situation with Saera was the main
focus of the day, but every time she got new information on what had been found
at the site, she felt herself cringe in pain.

      
She was responsible.

      
Finally, she turned off the NCB chair and
sat upright, cradling her pounding head in her hands.
  

      
She was beginning to feel desperate.

      
A beeping in her ear caused her body to
tense quickly. The automatic voice listed the number and she felt sick to her
stomach. Slowly, she reached up and pressed the area in front of her ear to
activate her phone.

      
“Yes?”

      
“I have to express my admiration for
you,” Colonel Amori chuckled. “Not only did you decide to destroy Saera, but
you seem to be destroying your Syndicate without my help.”

      
“Is there a reason you called other than
to taunt me?”

      
“Oh, you are tired today, aren’t you?”
the Colonel laughed. “Also, I will say how impressed I was at your display last
night.”

      
Isa’s eyes shot wide, confused and
worried.

      
“You certainly are a capable woman,” the
Colonel leered. “You can take quite a bit of
abuse
. It’s impressive, to say the least.”

      
Isa ground her teeth together.

      
“I can tell that I’ve underestimated how
much you can
take
,” he said, his
voice dripping with disgust. “So let’s see how much more you can take, Elite
Isa.”

      
“What are you talking about?” Isa
demanded, fear coiling around her chest.

      
“Perhaps you should see what is going on
with the other Elites.”

      
Isa’s fear doubled, images flashing
through her mind of the Elites storming into her office with the intent to kill
her. She scrambled out of the chair, the Colonel’s sick laugh cutting short as
he hung up. She went to the door and opened it just as another Elite called her
phone.

      
“Isa!” Maki said quickly. “You better get
to the control room. The Officials are here to arrest Remus.”

      
Isa’s vision narrowed, her mind repeating
the words over and over again.

      
She ran down the stairs to the main
control room and darted in just as the Officials were turning the Silver Elite
around and restraining him.

      
“What is going on here?” Isa barked.

      
“Elite Isa,” one officer said, approaching
her. “We are instructed to take you to the hospital immediately.”

      
“The hospital? What are you talking
about? Why?” Isa demanded, backing away from him as he approached. “Under what
charges are you arresting him?”

      
“It is best not to discuss it here,” the
Officer said, glancing at the other Elites in the room.

      
“You are placing my Silver Elite under
arrest, and I demand to know under what charges Venus has ordered this.”

      
The Officer sighed, glancing around once
more before lowering his voice.

      
“Elite Remus has been charged with rape
of the Golden Elite.”

      
“What?” Isa barked, her brow furrowing,
though her eyes had gone wide. “That’s preposterous!”

      
“There is evidence,” he said carefully.
“Video evidence.”

      
Isa was silent, staring at the Officials
in surprise. She turned to the other Elites in the room, who had heard the
charges and were looking between their two superiors worriedly. Isa glanced at
Remus, who stared back at her, confused.

      
“I will discuss this with Venus,” Isa
said sharply. “Release him at once.”

      
“Elite Isa, I follow Venus’ orders. I
must arrest him. You may discuss this with Venus and, if the charge is removed,
we will immediately release him. But you must be seen by your doctor at once.”

      
“I have no need to see a doctor,” she
snapped. “I am fine.”

      
“Venus insists that you have a medical
exam and have a medical professional determine the damage,” he said. He glanced
around once more and then lowered his voice. “Elite Isa, if I may be so bold,
if these charges are not unfounded, do not fight for him to be released.”

      
“Be quiet,” Isa hissed. “I will go to my
doctor at once.”

      
She left the confused Bronze Elites in
the control room as Remus was hauled away, discreetly being taken through the
emergency stairs to the garage so rumors would not spread about the Silver
Elite’s arrest.

      
Isa was guided by the Officials to the
hospital and into a room where Dr. Busen was waiting. He nodded to the
Officials to leave the room. They filed out and closed the door behind them.

      
“Dr. Busen, there has been a
misunderstanding,” Isa said quickly.

      
“Has there?”

      
She swallowed hard, hesitating.

      
“Venus sent me the security footage,” Dr.
Busen said. “You do know that it can still be considered rape even if you are
in a relationship with your assailant, yes?”

      
“It was
not
rape, I consented,” she said sharply. “I am not lying,
Michael.”

      
The doctor sighed heavily and motioned
for her to walk to the exam table.

      
“Isa,” he started as she sat down, “is
there something that you want to tell me?”

      
“You, too?” Isa asked with an exasperated
sigh. “Dr. Busen, only a few days ago, the largest production area for this
planet’s food was destroyed. I have been overworked and stressed. I’m sure
things looked bad on the footage, but I was consenting and I want my Silver Elite
released.”

      
“I’m not talking about last night,” Dr.
Busen said. “I’m talking about your health in general. I can tell just by
looking at you that you have lost a considerable amount of weight, and you look
ill.”
    

      
“I’m fine.”

      
“I would like to do an exam.”

      
“You do not have my permission to do so,”
Isa said sharply. Dr. Busen straightened, blinking in surprise.

      
“Why not?”

      
“You don’t need to question why,” Isa
told him, her eyes dark. “You do not have my permission. It is mine to give for
whatever reason I choose.”

      
Dr. Busen stared at the Golden Elite. He
was more worried than before.

      
“I have been ordered by Venus to perform
vaginal inspection to determine the severity of—”

      
“It
was
not
rape.”

      
“I understand that,” Dr. Busen said.

      
“Then put that in the report and tell her
to release my Silver Elite.”

      
“Isa—”

      
“
What
?”

      
Dr. Busen sighed heavily, briefly
pinching the bridge of his nose.

      
“I’m calling Paul, this is beyond my
level of expertise.”

      
Isa ground her teeth together.

      
“What does that mean?”

      
“Something is wrong, and I am not skilled
enough to get it out of you,” the doctor said.

      
“I told you what was wrong,” she said.
“I’ve been overworked and stressed. It happens. I have to lead a fucking
planet, it can be a little stressful at times.”

      
Dr. Busen stared at Isa for several long
moments, trying to let the silence get too heavy for the Golden Elite. However,
Isa did not back down, staring back at him with the same intensity.

      
“I will have to put in my report that
there is evidence of sexual intercourse due to the security footage, but no
damage to indicate rape,” Dr. Busen said quietly. “She will still have him
punished.”

      
“I will handle Venus,” Isa said,
standing. “You just file your report and leave the rest to me.”

      
“Isa,” Dr. Busen said, starting after
her. She did not turn around, leaving the room. “Isa!”

      
The Golden Elite left, not once looking
back at the worried doctor.

      
Isa went directly to the jail to pick up
Remus only one hour after she left the hospital. Her mind was sharply focused
on the task. She already knew how the day was going to go. She knew she had to
find a way to protect Remus from Colonel Amori, and that meant keeping him at a
distance.

      
Remus tried to get Isa to tell him what
happened, but she only told him that Venus had ordered his arrest because she
believed he raped her due to the security footage in her mainframe of the
previous night.

      
“We took care of that years ago,” Remus
hissed. “Those cameras don’t record on her mainframe.”

      
“I am aware.”

      
“Then how did the footage get to her
mainframe?”

      
“I don’t know, Remus,” Isa growled. “I
don’t really have time to figure it out. We have to deal with this fucking mess
with Saera and then I have to keep meeting with Colonel Amori because he can’t
make up his fucking mind about what he wants to do.”

      
Remus stared at Isa, confused and
worried.

      
“Isa—”

      
“What?” she snapped when he did not
continue.

      
“You’re scaring me.”

      
Isa took a deep breath.

      
“Venus wants to see us immediately,” Isa
said. “Let’s just handle this situation. Alright?”

      
They were silent for the remainder of the
drive back to the Syndicate Building. They walked through the building
silently, ignoring the eyes of the other Elites. Remus followed Isa down a
hidden stairwell to the audience hall for Venus, which was deep under the
Syndicate Building, heavily protected by Venus’ most advanced security codes.
They both went through the retinal and DNA scans, their bodies checked by
sensors for hazardous material before they were let into the audience hall.

      
The single chair still looked small in
comparison to the cavernous room and Venus’ enormous hologram. The figure
remained still, waiting for Isa and Remus to approach. Isa stood on one side of
the chair as Remus stood on the other.

      
“
I
have programmed a visual translator for B-X210016 to understand this
conversation
,” Venus started, the words appearing across the hologram’s
front as she spoke. “
The video of what
happened between you two last night shows that you have raped your Golden
Elite.”

      
“Dr. Busen determined that it was not rape,”
Isa spoke up. “Our relations last night were consensual.”

      
“Regardless
if they were consensual, sexual relations between Syndicate Elites is illegal
and punishable by death,”
Venus said. Isa and Remus both tensed.
“You both were engaged sexually at the
Academy, as well. Have those relations continued through these years in the
Syndicate
?”

      
“Yes, Venus,” Remus answered.

      
“As
this is still a private matter, and we are in a crisis with Saera being
destroyed and Gihron refusing to compromise, I will not order your execution,
B-X210016,”
Venus said, addressing Remus.
“However, you are ordered to terminate all sexual relations
immediately.
”

      
“With all due respect, Venus,” Remus
started, “we—”

      
“I agree,” Isa said. Remus rounded on
her, his eyes shooting wide. “I will obey your command, Venus. We will
terminate our sexual relationship immediately.”

      
“I
will delete this footage and we will mandate that all Officials who know of the
rape allegations remain silent, as well as anyone who has seen the footage.
”

      
“Isa?” Remus whispered, staring at the
Golden Elite in shock.

      
“As you command,” Isa said, bowing her
head.

      
“I
will meet with you at a later time when I have completed my diagnostics on
Saera,”
Venus concluded.
“Until then,
try to reach a compromise with Gihron. Meet with the Colonel’s delegates
separately and see if they can convince him to agree to our terms.”

      
Isa bowed her head and turned to leave.
Remus looked between Isa and Venus, confused, surprised, and hurt. He opened
his mouth to protest, but decided that trying to convince Venus would be
futile. Instead, he bowed his head quickly and hurried after Isa.

      
“Isa!” he called, running to her. “What
the hell was that?”

      
“What was what?”

      
“What you said in there?”

      
“It’s for the best, Remus.”

      
She picked up her pace and made her way
to the parking garage, Remus close behind.

      
“Are we even going to discuss this?”

      
“Remus, it has been a trying day,” Isa
said, watching her car pull up to the loading area. “Go home.”

      
“No,” Remus snapped. “You are not going
to push this aside. I deserve an explanation, Isa!”

      
Isa got into her car, ignoring Remus as
he tried to get her to talk to him. She remained sitting upright in her seat,
her eyes ahead of her as her car slowly pulled away from the loading area and
started toward the street.

      
Once Remus was out of sight, Isa bent her
head forward and pressed it against the front console, her breath leaving her
shakily.

      
She felt so confused and frightened that
she did not know how else to react. She had to keep everyone at a distance. If
she let them get close, Colonel Amori would harm them, turn the on her…

      
She closed her eyes tight and her hands
went to her head, fisting her hair angrily, her entire body shaking.

      
She did not want her relationship with
Remus to end. He had been her biggest support. Whenever he held her at night,
she felt safe, like she could finally be comfortable and not be held to the
standards of the Golden Elite. Remus had been the most important part of her
success.

      
It hurt her to say those words, that they
would end their relationship.

      
But Isa could not have Colonel Amori
continue to use Remus as motivation. She had broken many rules, but she had
always been sure not to cause harm to the people. Seeing the horrors that had
befallen Saera, Isa had been forced to wonder if she had made the wrong
decision.

      
Perhaps she should have chosen to destroy
the Syndicate.

      
Isa was barely composed when she walked
into her home. Rayal was setting the table for dinner, his hands shaking.

      
“Rayal?” she asked, surprised. “I called
the hospital to pick you up.”

      
“You did?” Rayal asked. “They never came
by.”

      
Isa closed her eyes and let out a
defeated sigh, rubbing her forehead.

      
“I’ll call again.”

      
“Is something wrong?” Rayal asked
nervously.

      
“The next person who asks me that is
going to end up with two broken arms,” Isa growled, walking past him. Rayal
watched her, startled by the words.

      
“I apologize if that was out of line,” he
whispered.

      
Isa stopped and took a deep breath, her
eyes closing.

      
She could almost hear the Colonel
laughing as he watched her tear her own life apart. She knew she was acting
harshly against everyone who had stood by her through the years, and she was
hurting her closest support system, but she could not think of a better way to
keep them safe. The Colonel watched her. If she told them what was going on,
that she was being blackmailed by the leader of Gihron, he would turn them on
her, killing Rayal as well. He would then kidnap her once more and force her to
watch as Anon was destroyed and Gihron took over her planet.