The Destined Read online

  “Hey, Zach”—Carl smiles and shake’s Rae’s hand—“she sure did. You guys can head on up.”

  Carl merely gives me a quick nod before returning to his article.

  “Zach?” I ask Rae as I follow him to the elevators.

  “Zachariah Bell—one of my aliases.”

  “How many do you have?”

  He shrugs. “A few.”

  “How did I not know this?”

  “You never asked.”

  Stepping into the first open elevator, I glance at Rae. “Zach Bell…why does that sound familiar?”

  A deep blush spreads across his cheeks. “I ah…might have gone through an obsessive phase with Saved by the Bell.”

  “Oh. My. God.” I slap the side of his arm while saying each word. “That is too friggin’ perfect!”

  Rae smiles sheepishly while I crack up, and I don’t stop until a disembodied woman’s voice announces we’ve reached the twenty-fifth floor. When the car finally opens, it reveals a scene so frighteningly familiar that goose bumps race down my arms, and I hesitate. Everything is white on top of white on top of white. Visions of the Dreamer Containment Center, the place that Dreamers train in Terra, pulse in front of me, and for a moment I question if I’m not asleep.

  “You coming?” Rae asks from in front.

  I blink. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, this just…reminds me a lot of Terra.”

  He glances through the glass partition that separates the elevator bay from the laboratory. “Yeah, I guess it sort of does.” He turns back to me, his gaze searching. “Are you going to be okay?”

  I slowly nod and follow him through the doors that open as we approach.

  “You said this Vigil is a scientist?” I ask.

  “Yeah, she’s been guarding a human employee here for about ten years or so.”

  “Ten years… What does this place do?”

  “A lot of different things, but their main businesses are in studying diseases and human advancements.”

  “Do they…do they know about Terra?”

  “By the elders, no.” Rae laughs.

  “Then how can they help?”

  “That’s what we’re here to find out.”

  We stand on a walkway that rings a two-level space and descend one of the four sets of stairs to the atrium below. Rows upon rows of clean white tables are patterned throughout the space, and I take in the variety of equipment, wires, and monitors resting on each. There are more doors off to the sides, and I wonder how many employees work here. Rae walks to the back of the room, where another glass partition sits, separating us from a stark-white lab that’s visible beyond. The only things filling the chamber are a table against the far wall and a large metal contraption that rests proud in the middle, it’s multitude of tubes and wires making it seem like some hi-tech and complicated engine. He knocks on the pane, and a gray-haired Asian woman pops her head up from behind the machine. Her gaze moves from Rae to linger on me before she swivels on a stool to press a button on the far wall. The glass doors unlock with a puff, and we walk inside.

  “You weren’t lying when you said you’d come right over,” the woman says, her back to us as she scribbles something on a notepad that rests on the desk.

  “You said you might have found something.” Rae and I stand next to the giant machine, and I study all the protruding parts before returning my attention to the woman. She turns to face us, and I’m shocked at how young she looks, despite her silver hair, which is tied in a tight bun atop her head. She appears no older than early thirties, and with the combination of her high cheekbones, clear skin, and stormy gray eyes, she’s seems not entirely of this world—which, I guess, she technically isn’t.

  “You must be Molly,” she says and stands, taking my hand. “An honor. I’m Sonja.”

  “Sonja,” I repeat. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “I wish it were under better circumstances. I was sorry to hear about what happened.”

  I blink at her directness. “Yes…it’s been…uh.”

  “An adjustment,” Rae finishes for me.

  She nods, studying me a beat longer. “Of course. Well, I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but we’ve come across a few developments that seem more promising than our past ones. So I needed you here to take some samples.”

  “Samples?” I ask.

  “Yes, blood samples.”

  “Um, what?”

  She looks from me to Rae. “Have you not told her about what we’ve been doing?”

  He shifts his weight. “Not exactly. I thought it would be best if you explained, and like you said, I didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.”

  Sonja sighs, rubbing the sudden crease between her brows. “I wasn’t planning on giving a science lesson tonight.”

  “Sorry, but you know this stuff makes no sense to me.” Rae shrugs. “It would have ended up all backwards and upside down if I explained it.”

  “Okay, well, I apologize, Molly.” Sonja leans against the table, her lab coat falling open slightly to reveal a gray power suit, her long legs ending in black heels. “But you’ll have to accept the abridged version for now.”

  I nod.

  “All right, so first, you know I’m a Vigil, yes? Well, my human charge is Dr. Mackenzie, who runs this lab. She also, with a bit of unknown guidance, has grown into one of the leading scientists on cell mutation and DNA transformation in your world. And while she doesn’t precisely understand what she’s trying to achieve on our end, she’s been a vital part in the process. Raymond, especially, has been impressed with her capabilities.”

  “Raymond?” I ask, remembering the Vigil engineer I met with Elena, who gave me the Dreamer vest.

  “Yes. He’s been our main contact in Terra,” Sonja says, placing her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. “He’s been a huge asset in pushing us forward and will be portaling here soon should everything I find after today be promising.”

  I look between her and Rae. “And what exactly are you trying to find?”

  Sonja rubs her lips together, as if organizing her next words. “Do you know what that machine is next to you?” She nods to it.

  “No.”

  “It’s an atomic-force microscope that can view individual DNA molecules.”

  I glance at it. “Oh, is that all?”

  The Vigil woman smirks. “We’ve been experimenting with Crispr-Cas9. Have you heard of this?”

  I raise a brow as if to say, What do you think?

  “Well, it’s a gene editing tool that works a bit like a find and replace. It can locate a gene to be edited and make the desired change. It’s been put to a staggering range of uses, like creating hardier crops, making genetically modified mosquitoes that can’t spread malaria, and with what we’re doing here at Vita Corp, designing human cells that are resistant to certain diseases.”

  My jaw grows slack. “Is that even legal, the human part?”

  “It’s definitely highly controversial on Earth.” She walks over to the microscope, checking a valve. “Because the manipulation can be done in a one-cell embryo, like sperm and egg, it can be inherited into future generations by becoming permanently sealed in the germ line of that organism.”

  “Which for non-science-brained people means what exactly?”

  “It means”—she turns back to me—“this technology has the potential to create superhumans. You want someone immune to all disease? Check. You want them to be stronger, smarter, have red hair and blue eyes? Done.”

  “Jesus,” I whisper.

  “More like God,” Sonja corrects.

  There’s a loud crash behind us, and I jump, turning to find Rae grimacing. “Sorry,” he says and bends to pick up the broken pieces of a blue-and green-molecule model. “I thought it was glued down.”

  “Maybe refrain from touching anything else?” Sonja gives him a strained smile.

  “Yeah, good idea.” He nods.

  I look back to her. “So the government is letting you guys experiment
with this?”

  She snorts. “They’re funding us to. This could change your world, Molly. Rid the Earth of AIDS, mental sickness—”

  “Yeah, but couldn’t it also be abused?”

  “If placed in the wrong hands, always. But there are already laws being created to control how this technology can be used. None of that will matter to us though.”

  “It won’t?”

  “No, we won’t be operating under human law if what I’ve found can work. We’ll need to set up a secure location to complete the rest. Your world isn’t ready for this yet.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “And what are you trying to do?”

  “We’re going to build a Molecular Chamber or, rather, finish the one that was shut down in Terra.”

  “Shut down?”

  “Yes, this experiment was attempted—”

  “Once,” Ray interjects, “illegally.”

  A distant memory of walking with Elena in the Vigil engineers’ lab and peering into an abandoned room with forgotten equipment, her words about an experiment gone too far. Was that this?

  “So why are they letting you try it again, if it was going against the law there too?”

  “Because you’re the Dreamer,” Sonja says matter of factly.

  Rae comes to stand beside me. “Have you really figured it out?”

  She nods. “There’s still a bit more to do, of course. Tests, data gathering, et cetera, but I’m confident we can build a functional one here.”

  “But I still don’t understand,” I say with a frown. “What’s this Molecular Chamber? What are you using it for?”

  “It’s sort of like your sleeping pod mixed with a DNA transmitter,” Sonja explains. “It will scan you and do what I explained before, find and replace or insert the proper DNA.”

  My heart picks up pace. “The proper DNA for what?”

  “To make it safe.”

  “Safe?”

  Sonja shakes her head, a small smile appearing. “Don’t you see, Molly? We might have found a way to give you the necessary elements to use our portals.” She places a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You’re going home. We’re getting you back to Terra.”

  — 3 —

  My closet is organized by hues now,

  my books alphabetized.

  It’s funny, isn’t it, what we do for distractions.

  —Part of a letter from Molly to Dev

  Dev’s oxygen mask was hot against his face, and he resisted tearing it off. He knew this discomfort was far better than exposing himself to the oppressive stench that hung thick in these tunnels. They’d been down here longer than planned, and he wasn’t sure how much farther his team could hold out before he’d need to order their retreat.

  “If our thermal scanner is accurate”—one of his cadet’s voices spoke through his earbud—“there should be a hive down this way, sir.”

  Dev raised a Glower to peer down another burrowed-out shaft that connected to the one they’d been traveling through. The blue light illuminated dirt walls that glistened with a strange boiling mucus, and the air was so humid in this section that his eyes watered.

  “Yes, looks like one of their paths.”

  “Do you want me to set the pins this time?” Aveline came to stand next to him, her hazel gaze skimming over the sludge-crusted entrance.

  By the mucus density, this hive would be larger than normal. Dev looked to his six other team members who waited in the darkened tunnel for his command. They all wore the sleek black ventilation suits, the durable material molding to every inch of their arms and legs, protecting them from the acid-riddled air that often swept through these shafts unannounced, while their hands were wrapped in skin-flexible gloves. Their mouths and noses were covered with the black breathing masks that ran under their chins to strap at the back of their necks, and though a glass shield could be activated to enclose the top portions of their faces, they were all currently down.

  “No, I’ll do it.” Dev said and motioned for Minka.

  A stocky blonde with short-cropped hair and an austere expression pushed her way through the small group. She swung a small bag from her back to her front and searched through its contents. While not a party favorite, Minka was one of the best explosive technicians Terra had, and Dev knew he was lucky to have procured her. Finding and eradicating the Metus hives that hid in the once believed, collapsed tunnels of Terra felt like a never-ending task. The paths proved to snake like an underground labyrinth across the land, and what lay waiting for them was the opposite of a prize. For some soldiers it was a permanent end. Which is why the Nocturna brought on for these missions needed to be strong, unwavering, and so far his men and women were fulfilling this role. They had yet to show fear, exhaustion, or complaint. Even when Dev gathered them for these extra runs, they followed wordlessly, with blind faith, into the devil’s den.

  “I’m giving you eight like last time,” Minka said while taking out a rack of small titanium pins whose tops glowed cyan. “Place them as you go, and roll this”—she held up an egg-sized silver ball—“as far down the path as you can when you find the opening to their hive. We’ll place emergency activation points on our way out, along with the rest of the detonators. Once we—”

  “See me exit the tunnel, you’ll detonate,” Dev finished. “Yes, I remember from the dozens of other times we’ve done this.”

  “The procedure must be explained every time, sir. Mistakes have no room here.”

  “And as always, Minka, your thoroughness is appreciated.” Dev took the case of explosives and strapped it into his belt. “The rest of you can make your way back out. I’ll see you in a few.”

  While his team nodded and retraced their steps, heading to the exit that sat a mile away, Aveline didn’t move.

  “Remember, the Cell can be a good distance from the hive’s opening and still do the job. The explosion radiance is wide.” She glanced at the small ball stuck near his hip.

  “Yes, I know.”

  “So you don’t need to get as close—”

  “I said I know.” Dev turned from her and faced the entrance of the new tunnel.

  “Do you?” she asked. “Because it seems you’ve been playing dumb to a lot of things lately.”

  He remained silent, and Aveline’s sigh filtered through his earbuds. “Just…make it back, okay?”

  “Always do,” he said without a backward glance.

  The thick mucus coating the ground suctioned to Dev’s boots as he carefully traversed the tunnel, and the heat waves lapping toward him were relentless—a warning that would tell most to stay away. But Dev wasn’t most, and though the thickening air became more unbearable with each step, it was merely an invitation. Come find us, it was saying. I dare you. So he kept moving, imbedding pins every few yards. The hunger to eradicate these beasts pumped through his blood like fire, his mind growing more focused and determined with each passing day, for it was another painful hour away from her, another second her features threatened to dim from his memory. Ending these nightmares was all he could do to keep him from living his own.

  After turning a few corners and following the heat scanner strapped to his wrist, Dev gripped his Glower more firmly and peered around a new bend that revealed a steep slope. He stopped there to stare into an inky blackness that awaited him at the bottom—the door to their domain. The void sat unnervingly quiet, a patient threat, and Dev knew neither his light nor his night vision would be much use from here on out. The dark energy that radiated out of a Metus den had a tendency to consume any light that dared to draw near. He swallowed. Dealing with these monsters alone and even in their packs of twenty-five was manageable, but when they rested in their hives, in the pool of disease and horror that birthed them, they were terrifying. When so many were grouped together, they became one being, their orange glowing forms liquefied into a black hole of endless suffering, and even from this distance, he could sense the despair reaching toward him, ravished to have a taste o
f his Navitas—his life energy. If he waited much longer, the beasts would surely become aware of him and emerge. He’d seen it before, a very long time ago, when he sought retribution for another he loved that was torn from him. He’d been so close to giving up then, to letting their power manipulate him like a fly into a spider’s web. Even now the phantom sensations of what they promised sent chills down his spine, the whispers of easing his pain, of taking it all away. His skin crawled at the same time it yearned for such a sweet release.

  “Dev, can you hear me?” A female’s voice abruptly filled his head. “We’re almost out of the tunnel. How’s it going?”

  Dev shook away the unwanted memories before responding. “I found the entrance to their hive.”

  “That’s good,” Aveline said. “How far are you from it?”

  “It’s at the bottom of a slope, about seventy yards.”

  “Perfect. You can roll the Cell straight down from where you are.”

  “There’s too much mucus on the ground. It’ll get stuck.”

  A beat of silence.

  “Dev…” Aveline’s voice came through low and adamant. “Whatever you’re thinking, I know for a fact it’s not necessary. Roll the stupid thing down, and get back here.”

  Dev didn’t respond. Instead he blinked away the beads of sweat that fell into his eyes and flipped up his face shield before making slow progress down the ascending tunnel, his feet suctioning with every step. He let Aveline rant for another second before clicking her off. He wasn’t about to waste his team’s time by coming all this way not to destroy the hive properly.

  Dev only made it half the distance, however, before he began to taste the sickness through his mask, the heat and putrid energy now so overwhelming that it could no longer be kept out. Even if he wanted to, he could go no farther.

  Implanting one last pin into the wall by his side, he reached for the Cell at his hip. Bringing it forward, he was about to activate the timer, when a strange twinge of energy caressed him, an invisible strand reaching out of the blackness below. Dev stared, his highly attuned vision trying to make out anything from the void, but it remained elusively flat yet endlessly deep. Then, like a snake striking, a fear so great leapt from the dark and wrapped around his mind, rendering him paralyzed. His heart beat violently in his chest as hopelessness filled every ounce of his being. Bile rose from his throat, and his muscles screamed in protest as whatever gripped him twisted, dove, and yanked his subconscious into something unrecognizable, mutated, and horrid. Right as he was about to scream, there was a releasing breath of fresh air, and a form appeared, a silhouette separating from the lightless backdrop.