Tessa could see her Aunt Norine’s dark ponytail up ahead and tailed her. She weaved in and out of people but maintained her distance. Tessa boarded the massive lift that carried large numbers of workers underground. She clung to the dark corners and behind tall men to avoid being noticed by her aunt. The lift stopped on the floor with most of the personal quarters, and the entire elevator emptied. Tessa continued her pursuit and stalked Norine through the maze of hallways.
Tessa studied H.I.V.E security schematics from their hacked data files, and she learned the location of every security camera. She identified blind spots and committed them to memory, starting with the areas of the highest potential for covert missions.
Tessa waited until Norine neared a blind spot, and no one else lingered in the hallway. She sped up and bumped hard into Norine’s back, “Into the storage closet.”
Tessa pressed Sam’s knife into her back, and Norine obliged the request. Tessa didn’t give her a moment to speak first and pressed her aunt hard up against the wall holding the knife to her throat, “Now you will listen and be quiet, or I’ll spill every ounce of your blood right here. You’ll drown in your own blood, and no one will hear you cry for help. You may be my family by blood, but you are not by action. You’ve been playing a game with me, and I’m tired of your lies.”
She terrified Norine, “Please, don’t kill me. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Tessa pressed the knife harder, “Stop! I’m not the idiot you take me for. I know everything. You may look like my mother, but you are nothing like her. She would never betray her family.” The accusation shook Norine, and tears welled up in her dark eyes. “You are partly responsible for Evie’s death. How can you work for these monsters?”
“They’re not monsters,” Norine choked out.
“So, they aren’t holding Evos prisoner and conducting experiments on them? Care to explain the list of names I have that prove otherwise?”
“You have a list of names?” Norine’s voice echoed concern.
“You worried I might find a name on the list I recognize?” Norine shrugged. She didn’t want to speak about the Evos. “I saw the detector light flicker when you walked through, tell me the truth. Are you an Evo?” Norine pursed her lips together in defiance, and Tessa moved the knife to remind her of the stakes. “I suggest you answer the question.”
“Yes,” she blurted out, crying. “They took me from school when I was a girl and brought me here. I was in one of those cages, and they tested on me. I was one of the lucky ones. They found my abilities useful.”
“What are your abilities?”
“Mental manipulation,” she hesitated to answer.
“You were the one in the lunchroom rolling around inside my head.” It appalled Tessa that her aunt would attack her like that.
“You weren’t taking your meds. My job is to make sure your power stays in check.” Norine defended her reasoning.
“Let me be clear when I say that if you ever even think about entering my mind again, I will see that you suffer.” Norine swallowed. “How much do you know about what they’re doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Norine seemed confused about the question.
“What do you know about Project Genesis?” Tessa lowered the knife but kept it close and ready just in case.
“I’ve heard nothing about it. What is it?” Tessa noticed confusion in Norine’s eyes. She told the truth.
“H.I.V.E’s master plan is to build a spaceship and head to the stars in search of a new planet,” Tessa started to explain.
Norine interrupted, “Sounds like a good plan.”
“No!” Tessa shouted just a little louder than she wanted. “It would have been a great plan, but they intend to leave most people behind to die. Evos being at the top of their list. Most of these people working on the project don’t even realize what they’re contributing to, and they are not one of the chosen few. H.I.V.E is only taking top heads of government, and their stocked resources. The rest of us get to stay here and die as our resources dwindle, or the sun burns us up. Whichever one comes first.”
Norine stood for a moment contemplating Tessa’s accusation. She shook her head, “No… It’s not true. You’re making it up.”
“Wish I was, but I have proof.”
“What proof do you have?”
“I hacked Directors Sharron’s files and uncovered all the plans.”
“How on earth did you manage to...”
“Doesn’t matter. I don’t trust you enough to explain what resources I have at my disposal. And if you tell anyone what I’m doing, I’ll use my power to explode you from the inside out.” Norine looked shocked. “Looks like your lover is planning to betray her pet.”
A flash of defiance flashed in Norine’s eye, “No! It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it like? Your name isn’t on the manifest. I looked. I’ve been trying to figure out what part you play in all this, and I’ve figured it out. You’re only here to keep me in check. They need my power to provide enough energy to jumpstart their ship. Once they have it charged up, they only need to convert the energy and store it. Face it; we’re both pawns being used.”
Norine realized H.I.V.E used her, “What can we do?”
Tessa pointed to herself, “I’m getting the hell out of here. But before I do, I’ll be freeing all the Evos they have imprisoned and destroy as much of their Project Genesis as I can manage. What are you going to do?”
Tessa backed off, giving her aunt room to move and think. “How do I know you’re
