The Significant (91 page)

Authors: Kyra Anderson

BOOK: The Significant

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Everyone watched as Dr. Busen checked the
strength of Isa’s heart and that she could breathe properly when upright. When
everything looked stable, he draped a robe over her shoulders.

Though he did not want her to walk, Isa
got to her feet and took a step.

“You need to take it slow,” Dr. Busen said.
“Just sit for a moment.”

“No,” Isa said, shaking her head. “There
is something that needs to be done.”

Everyone turned to look at the two
smaller machines hooked up to the large processor. Isa swallowed hard and
stumbled slowly to the machines, Dr. Busen and Paul supporting her as she
approached. She swayed, the drugs still running through her system.

When she was standing in front of the
switch that would release the virus, she slowly pulled her arms away from the
two doctors and turned her attention to the switch.

“Is this all I need to do?”

“Yes,” Remus answered.

Isa reached out to the switch, but
hesitated, feeling the weight of the action even through the fog of painkillers
and sedatives still pumping through her veins.

Her hand shook, barely above the switch.

For several long moments in the hot
cavern, everyone waited for Isa to move.

But she did not.

Kailynn took a step toward Isa, standing
beside her and resting a hand on top of Isa’s. She gently pushed the Elite’s
hand down until it rested on the switch.

Isa turned to Kailynn, seeing the weak,
nervous, smile on the younger woman’s face. Isa licked her dry lips and turned
back to the handle.

A hand rested on her other shoulder and
she turned to see Remus behind her, his hand grounding her as he nodded.

Turning a little further, Isa saw the
Syndicate members behind her, Rayal and Tarah near the front, their hands
clasped tightly together. Paul and Dr. Busen stood there as well, watching her
with small smiles that told her they supported her.

Isa turned back to the switch and, with
Kailynn’s hand on hers, pushed it down.

Two seconds later, the large processor
whirled loudly. Sparks flew from the openings in the sparse casing and the
colors flickered, the light fading as the machine whirred louder and louder.
With a deafening crack, the processor went
black, and, for that instant, it was as if the entire universe held its breath.

The darkness and silence of the room
remained.

Kailynn felt Isa’s fingers move, turning
around to clasp her hand.

“We did it,” Remus whispered in the
darkness.

Epilogue

Compared to the darkness of the cavern,
the bright light of the sun blinded everyone. The Bronze Elites had immediately
returned to Anon, arriving the day after Venus had shut down to direct relief
parties from Fortunea and to start the programs they had outlined to help
rebuild the capital.

However, Remus, Isa, Kailynn, Rayal,
Tarah, and the doctors remained in the cavern for two days to be sure that Isa
was well enough to return to her duties in Anon.

The reality did not hit Kailynn of what
had happened until she and Isa drove out of the cavern into the sunlight. They
were the first car out of the remaining members of the group that had taken
down Venus, the other cars close behind.

As they approached the road, Kailynn
asked Isa to stop. The Golden Elite did so and Kailynn stepped out of the car,
inhaling deeply. The air was hot in the middle of the day, but the clear air
still refreshed her. She glanced around the desert brush and the blue skies and
suddenly realized that everything was different.

Isa also got out of the car as Kailynn
walked around and took her hand.

“Walk with me for a moment.”

Isa followed Kailynn’s lead, hand secured
in the younger woman’s. With the sun beating down on them and the clean air
filling their lungs, they both realized the magnitude of what had happened, but
it did not seem as impossible to rebuild now. The entire universe had not
fallen into darkness. The sun still shone as the planet rotated around its
star, illuminating the surface of Tiao as it always had. However, it felt even
more powerful now that they realized that Venus had never controlled the sun.

She had never controlled nature.

“Do you hear that?” Kailynn asked,
stopping and turning to Isa.

The Golden Elite closed her eyes and
listened.

“Nothing?”

“Exactly,” Kailynn said with a smile.
“For some reason, I thought everything would be absolute chaos when we walked
out of there.”

“Admittedly, I did as well,” Isa chuckled
lightly. She took a deep breath. “Things will not be easy, though.”

“They never were meant to be,” Kailynn
said. “You know, someone once told me that anything that happens from inside a
society is more devastating than war,” she continued, her smile widening.
“We’ve toppled the society, and now we have to rebuild it.” She chuckled. “The
easy part is over.”

Isa chuckled.

“Shutting down a computer that was
hardwired into the entire planet was the easy part…” she murmured. “How does
that bode for everything else?”

Kailynn’s fingers tightened around Isa’s
hand.

“With you as the leader, everything will
work out,” she assured. “You saw it yourself. Everyone supported you. And you
succeeded.”

Isa looked at their clasped hands.

“I succeeded because everyone supported
me,” she said. “And because
you
supported me.”

She stepped forward and brushed her
fingers over Kailynn’s cheek, leaning down to kiss her.

“I would not be alive today if not for
you,” she whispered.

“I think you have Dr. Busen to thank for
most of that,” she chuckled.

“Living and surviving are not the same
thing,” Isa said. “I’ve survived my life thanks to Dr. Busen, Paul, Remus,
Rayal, Tarah, and everyone at the Syndicate who has supported me to this
point.” Isa’s hands went up to take Kailynn’s face. “But I’m
alive
because of you.”

Kailynn’s smile widened before she could
help it and she took Isa’s hands in hers, bringing them to her lips to kiss before
she looked at Isa mischievously.

“That was pretty good,” she teased. “Have
you been practicing that?”

“Maybe,” Isa laughed lightly, “but I’ll
never tell.”

Kailynn chuckled and pecked a quick kiss
on Isa’s lips.

“I do mean it, Kailynn,” Isa murmured. “I
would not be alive if not for you.”

Kailynn took a deep breath and pulled
away from Isa, turning to walk past her and back to the car, reaching out as
she passed to smack Isa’s behind.

“Don’t you forget it.”

Isa chuckled, walking back to the car
even as Kailynn jogged. She kept her eyes on Kailynn, watching her laugh and
run back to the group that was waiting for them to return, all standing by
their cars, watching silently.

Kailynn bounced around the car and smiled
brilliantly at Isa as she opened the door and sat in the vehicle.

Isa approached her car, feeling lighter
under the warm sun and surrounded by the fresh air. She suddenly felt her power
return to her. She knew that the road ahead would be very difficult, but she
understood that it would be better for her, the Syndicate, and all the people
on her planet.

She felt ready to face the challenge.

Isa glanced at the others standing by
their cars as she opened the door to her car. She winked at them with a smile.

“Try to keep up.”

End