Chapter Forty-Two

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

The laboratory entrance was unrecognizable to Zella as she stepped down into its depths. LED strips illuminated the path on the walls. She had the sensation of being led towards her impending demise. When she reached solid footing, she glanced around the dark, dimly lit lab. The place was as big and spacious as she remembered, with its many appliances offset against the walls. The lab comprised of one main room, two side rooms, a small bathroom, and a utility room big enough to fit a small double bed. There was no main lighting turned on. She could only make out the various shapes and objects thanks to the ambient lighting. There was a large walkable platform mounted on the far back wall, but it was vacant.

She stepped into the center of the main room, turning around in a circular motion, her eyes searching, waiting for something to happen. The mechanical movements of a drone caught her attention. The drone whizzed through the air, emerging from one of the side rooms. She tugged on her pistol and aimed at it. A red light beamed from the front of the drone while it flew sideways with its camera lens locked onto her. The drone was filming.

Quinn’s amplified voice startled Zella as it crackled through mounted wall speakers. “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re watching an important livestream, so please share it with as many people as you can. I’m here today so that I can expose the real Zella Mills to you all. This is the face of Solace, the group everyone believes is uncovering the truth about us immortals. But what if I told you that solace is hiding harrowing secrets.”

Zella's jaw dropped in disbelief. She was unsure how to act, knowing that her every move would now be under analysis. Asshole.

“As you can see by how quickly she aimed at the camera, she’s fast to her guns,” Quinn continued. “Zella Mills is a violent, murderous scoundrel, and she can’t help it. It’s what Dr. Calloway trained her to be.”

Zella scowled. She pulled on the trigger, shooting down the drone with a clear shot. Her emotions getting the better of her. “Where is Marina?” she yelled.

Two more drones whizzed into the main room, both with their cameras trained on her. “That right there is the mindless, irrational violence that led to Zella Mills murdering our beloved comrade, Zip. You see, this isn’t about some noble crusade to fight American corruption. This is about Zella continuing the problematic legacy of Dr. Calloway.”

Quinn paused, and Zella switched her aim between the two drones, considering whether it was a good idea to shoot them both down. It would not look so good to the eyes of people watching if she continued playing into Quinn’s narrative. She walked across the room, searching for him.

“Some might say that us immortals owe our talents to the doctor,” Quinn continued. “I believe that two things can be true. I believe I can be thankful for the capabilities that his work gave me, but I can also see his flaws. Calloway was selfish. His work was about him, and not the betterment or advancement of society. If it was about society, then the Starlight Program wouldn’t have put so many babies, including myself, at risk.”

The drones followed Zella as she searched the main room. When she was certain Quinn wasn’t there, she headed toward the rightmost side room.

“Calloway’s decision to use orphans was callous. As if he decided children left without their parents should be subjected to life-threatening experimentation.”

Zella stopped in her tracks, aiming for the drones once again. “Shut up!” she cried. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Though I turned out to be a well-dressed success, the Starlight Program killed two sweet, innocent babies. But through the mad scientist’s disobedience of the American government, he continued to experiment, even after receiving an order to stop. And it’s because if this disobedience that you’re looking at Zella Mills right now.”

With two clean shots, Zella took down the drones following her. “Stop being a coward and face me,” she snapped. Within seconds, another drone swarmed in to film her. Stepping further into the side room, she now saw her image projected on a large screen on the rear wall. She looked every bit as deranged as he was making out. Strands of hair folded over her face, tangled and unkempt. Her face was pale and blotched with tears, sweat, and sprinkles of blood. She was still wearing the stress of the independence festival attack.

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“You see, Zella here was supposed to be one of us. She, too, was an orphan in the Starlight program. In fact, she was one of the unlucky babies who died after receiving the serum. But through his unsanctioned, unethical practices, Calloway brought Zella back to life after she was already dead. Calloway couldn’t stand that he was outcasted by the U.S. government. In his eyes, he was being forced to give up his creations. He saw me and my immortal family as nothing more than objects that were taken from him. And that’s why he had to have his own object. One that he could groom into an object of his bidding.”

Zella bit her lip. Tears bubbling at her eyelids. She fought the urge to shoot down the new drone. “You’re lying,” she said. “You don’t know him.” She wasn’t even sure that the audience could hear her. Quinn likely muted her so that only his words could be heard. She thought about all the people who now knew her secret. The secret she’d held onto to protect her father’s image. The secret she’d neglected to tell the rest of Solace, because she worried they would never regard her as a real person.

“The only way Zip could be been killed was by another person with immortal capabilities, one that was trained by Calloway himself to eliminate us. When Zip was murdered, I was perplexed, wondering how an average human could best his teleportation abilities. Well, it’s because Zella Mills possesses superhuman reflexes and enhanced adrenaline levels on top of that. This is why she favors pistols and smaller firearms, because her quick reactions boost her ability to make fast, precision shots. Calloway’s training, combined with her time at the Maher Military Academy, makes her a danger to America. Let me remind you all that the Maher Military Academy in Africa is an unsanctioned institution that trains terrorists, private armies, and militias that always have anti-American philosophies.”

“You’re lying,” Zella screamed. “Stop lying!” She ran back to the main area, heading for the second side room positioned on the opposite side. The drone tracked her every movement, displaying her unhinged desperation to the world. Quinn knew what he was doing. He wanted to flip the script on her. Solace’s recent work was successful in reframing both COG’s and the Seer’s public image, to the point that they were now under discipline from the American government. Quinn wanted to discredit Zella and Solace so that nobody could ever trust them again.

Every light in the area shut down when she stepped into the room. No ambient lighting remained. All she could see was the red beam from the drone above her.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Quinn continued. “I leave you with this in hopes that those of us who love our country will unite and fight against these evil forces. Understand that we have intel that shows Zella Mills collaborating with Xopren hackers and people closely connected with the Xopren mafia.”

“What?!” Zella yelled in shock.

“Are we going to let someone with Zella’s troublesome background plot against our nation? We immortals collaborate with organizations like COG and EIA to stomp out these threats before they can cause anarchy on our soil. I ask you all to put your faith in us and not look to the likes of Solace, Elaine Rowe or the Phantoms for the truth. Good night, America. Keep fighting for freedom.”

As soon as the red light blinked off, Zella shot the drone down cleanly despite the lack of reliable lighting. “Where is she?” Zella screamed at the top of her lungs. “You said you wanted me in Marina’s place. Well, I’m here, asshole. You want me? I’m all yours. Just let her go and I’m yours.”

A hard punch rocked Zella’s jaw. A combination of blows to her body followed. She couldn’t see her attacker, but she could feel her. This was another woman.

Zella raised her pistol, squinting her eyes to find the outline of her attacker. The woman pushed against her, wrestling the gun from her hands. Zella received several knees to the gut as the gun clicked against the floor. And then something sharp poked Zella’s side repeatedly. Before she knew it, her body was on the floor and she was coughing violently.

Her attacker spoke. “Not so capable now, are you?” said Jade.

Jade grabbed her by the boot and dragged her across the floor. Zella’s mind was a whirlwind as Jade pulled her to the main room. She found herself overwhelmed by the magnitude of events over the past two days. She wished nothing more than to pass out and let them do what they wanted with her. If they killed her, she would at least be at peace. It was the thought of Marina keeping her present. Allowing them to kill Calloway had been her failure. She couldn’t let them kill Marina.

“Where is she,” Zella asked through painful whimpers.

Jade let her foot go, and the room illuminated once again. “On stage,” Jade said.

With painful gasps, Zella turned to face the platform at the back of the room. A spotlight illuminated the entire stage, revealing Marina sitting on a chair, bound and gagged.

“Marina,” Zella cried.

Quinn stepped into the light and faced Zella, as if he were a stage actor about to address his audience. He wore a black suit with a deep red jacquard detailing. “Time to find out what you’re made of,” he said.

To Be Continued!