Chapter Forty-Three

Zella Mills - Calloway’s Lab - São Paulo, Brazil

Zella felt the side of her blood-soaked tank top, where Jade had stabbed her with some sharp object moments ago. Though the wound stung, she could feel it healing already. She wondered if Quinn knew that her healing was perhaps the most superior of all the remaining Starlight subjects. Her eyes locked onto Marina, searching for wounds, or anything suggesting that she was seriously hurt. Marina was conscious, her eyes bulging, watching Zella. Her demeanor appeared calm given her circumstances. Someone might have drugged her, or she might have suffered so much that she lacked the energy to fight her restraints.

Jade knelt beside Zella as she lay panting on the ground. “We know everything about you now, bitch,” she said. She prodded at Zella’s wound, causing her to wince. “We even know that daddy Calloway thought you were slow. I think he was right on the money.”

“Are you aggravating our guest?” Quinn smirked. “I haven’t even told her the best part of this little party yet.”

“You’re right,” Jade said, grabbing Zella by the arm and pulling her up. “You might want to sit up for this, sis.”

Zella knocked Jade’s arm away, choosing to stand up on her own. She did her best to mute her painful groans. “Do whatever you want with me. Just let her go. Marina has nothing to do with me or Calloway.”

“Innocence is the first casualty of war,” Quinn said. “Wasn’t it you who declared war on us, sis?”

“I’m not your sis,” Zella spat.

“Maybe not genetically, but we are bound by starfalite. The ancestors chose us as our descendants.”

“What ancestors?”

“The ones who left humanity behind on the earth thousands of years ago.”

Zella groaned, feeling a sharp sting from the healing wound. She swayed on the spot, feeling lightheaded. She’d lost too much blood. “You think the starfalite comes from some alien entity?”

“There are secrets in this world that I’m privy to.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Zella snapped. “You’re a product of Dr. Calloway. Calloway’s work gave you your power, and you let yourself become COGs lapdog, aiding them in their conquest to control the world. And then you killed the one person who could have helped you become something other than a tool for the government.”

Quinn’s deep laughter echoed around the room. “That’s where you’re wrong. Because after today, the government has no control over me. Do you think I intended to operate under COG forever? No, my dear.” He pointed at Marina. “I was playing the pathetic game of politics these humans concern themselves with. And now, I’ve mastered the game.”

Zella swallowed. “What have you done?”

Quinn beamed, looking as though he couldn’t wait to elaborate. “A mysterious spacecraft called the Black Knight orbits our Earth. It’s extraterrestrial and acts as a satellite, scanning everything on our planet. No one knows who operates the Black Knight, and NASA is against engaging it, worried about its defense capabilities. But we do know something about the thing. Every month the Black Knight hovers over the coordinates directly above Antarctica.”

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Zella’s eyes thinned at the mention of Antarctica. She felt Jade at her side, holding something in her hands. “I know you were on the jet this morning, so you probably missed the news,” said Jade, showing Zella an article on her phone.

Zella read the headline: Covert Operations Group seizes Xopren base in Antarctica.

Her mouth fell open with the realization. “No,” she said.

Quinn smirked. “You understand now, don’t you? You already know of the powerful alliance between Estrea and the United States. It took little effort to coordinate with them so that we could send a team into Naguela and snatch that tech right from under your friend’s nose. But I had to keep it under wraps so that higher-ups in COG and the U.S. government wouldn’t find out about the prototype. That thing is all mine now.”

Zella’s mind overworked itself, trying to figure out the consequences of Quinn possessing the prototype. “The EnigmaCore isn’t even finished. What the hell do you want with it?”

“First of all, I want to strip it of that atrocious name. I’m thinking, the GhostGrid. It’s a more suitable name for what I have planned.”

“And what do you have planned?”

“When the Black Knight aligns itself over Antarctica, it releases an energy that humanity has been unable to tap into. Until now. That energy is what paves the way for future iterations of quantum computing. And it’s that energy that powers the GhostGrid. The Xoprens beat America to this discovery, but thankfully, we had the upper hand in that location in Antarctica. And now, we operate it. All that’s needed now is for me to send in my own hand-selected team, and then I can begin using the prototype I have acquired from the assault on Naguela. I have scientists and technicians working on upgrades as I speak, and once I get the prototype into their hands, I’ll have the device that will change the world. I will single-handedly overthrow all human-led governments. The AI capabilities of the GhostGrid can operate a non-human government, while I herd the sheep. Someone has to keep the weak in line, after all. Even the six families won’t be able to stop me.”

He knows about the six families, too? No way! Zella closed her eyes briefly. The weight of these revelations was heavy. “You’re delusional,” she said. “Even with you being one of their best tools, the American government will never let that happen. The moment you try to overthrow them, they will stop you.”

“What you fail to understand, Zella, is that this is already happening. There are no ifs or buts. Very soon, the world will know but two classes. There will be no more economic class. Race relations won’t be a thing. The only separation will be immortal or mortal. Sadly, your serum death hindered your immortality, but I still regard you as one of us.” Quinn grabbed a handful of Marina’s hair and whipped her head back. He removed a pistol from his waist and held it to her head. Marina wailed. “Therefore, I’m going to let you decide one last time where you stand.”

“Stop!” Zella cried. Without thinking, she sprinted across the room, heading for the platform. While she was midway up the room, the lights abruptly cut out once more, plunging her into darkness. She carried on in the direction she’d seen Quinn and Marina moments ago, hearing movement from her front and back.

Jade’s voice echoed through the room. “Time to choose. Join us or die.”

Zella reached the edge of the platform and climbed up the front side. She reached out, searching for Marina in the darkness until her finger found the edges of her rope-indented skin. “Marina,” she whispered. Quinn was lurking somewhere, but her first instinct was to get Marina to safety, so she knelt behind her, pulling at the knots.

The spotlight illuminated the stage, revealing Quinn’s position across the platform. “I’ll take this as your decision,” he said.

Quinn fired the pistol at Zella, hitting her in the right thigh. Zella collapsed in a heap, heaving at the impact. She couldn’t give in to the pain now. Marina needed her. With desperation, she forced herself back onto her feet, putting more weight on her left leg.

“Before you die, I’d like to show you one of my greatest talents,” Quinn said. He lunged towards her before she could make her way back to Marina. He sprayed a pungent substance into her face, causing her eyes to water. Her vision turned blurry. In an instant, the weight of her body became palpable to her. Before long, her vision was fading.

When the light reached her again, she found herself standing in the old version of the laboratory that she recognized. The panel lights on the ceiling lit up the entire space, allowing her to see every corner of the room.

“There you are,” Dr. Calloway said. Zella turned, seeing Dr. Calloway alive and well. “I’m so proud of you,” he said, smiling.

To Be Continued!