I walk into the center and am mesmerized by the amount of workstations that are still running with no one manning them. I bump into a wide table in the middle of the area. It’s glass-shiny, but with a blue fluid racing from side to side under the surface. I place my hand on the tabletop and an image automatically appears, hovering just inches above the surface. It’s not a picture, but a list of my personal details.
Name: Mera Thomas, aka Maxine Sutton
Creators: Liam and Clio Thomas
Place of creation: Tarsus
Place of residence: Outer Limits
Directive: Save us
I remove my hand and the image vanishes. A shiver runs down my spine and enters my core. I step back, hitting one of the workstations with my legs.
“Max,” a voice speaks behind me.
I turn and see the face of the woman from my nightmare in the monitor attached to the workstation.
“You’re not real,” I say more to me than to her.
“We are quite real.”
“Who are you?”
“We thought this type of communication might be easier for you, so we took a face from your memory.”
“It’s from a nightmare, and one I would like to forget.”
The image changes to my mother, but I still don’t know what to make of any of this.
“How do you know me?”
“You were selected by the Patrician for a task. One that will change all of humanity. Not just in this world, but in all others. Because of this, we have been monitoring you closely.”
“You’re the Keepers.”
“No, we are not.”
“Then who are you?”
“We are the Dracken.”
“The Keepers and the Dracken are the same.”
“No, Max, we are not. The Dracken are the original inhabitants of this world. The Keepers are not. And neither are the Patrician.”
“I…I don’t understand.”
“All will be explained if you go to the fifth floor.”
“It’s sealed, just like this floor.”
“Yes, but with the suit and your modifications you can easily access that level.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Your very existence depends upon it. We cannot afford to lose this world, or the tower.”
“And if I refuse?”
The lights turn on, flooding the room and throwing odd shadows in every corner. I begin retreating to the lifts. The monitors hanging from the ceilings show images from within the tower. Frey is sitting at the table where I left him, but he’s only with Van. Garrett paces in the lift. Addie is patrolling the lobby, but keeping her distance from the door. Brink is in one of the classrooms going through cabinets.
“If you do not, you leave us with no choice,” the voice changes to one of a low hum, but I can still understand it. “All will die, even those you care for. Their deaths will be painful, but necessary. Do not be afraid, Max. You are one of us now.”
I slam myself into the security gate. My fingers hastily search for the handle behind me, finally locating it. I pull the door open and begin to loop back into the lift, but I get stuck in the void.
“We will help you, but in turn you must help us.”
“Let me go,” I scream.
“You are one of us now, Max.”
My face hits the floor of the lift hard, cracking my nose. Garrett grabs my arm, helping me to my feet. I slam my fist into the console in anger, and we start to ascend to the fourteenth floor. Blood is pouring down my nose, yet the suit isn’t stained. Garrett directs me to one of the exam rooms and takes care of my injury.
“What happened?” he asks, applying a healing ointment to the bridge of my nose. It mends in a matter of seconds and the blood stops.
“I want to get out of here.”
“And go where, Max? Pentras Tower is the safest place in the Dead Zone.”
“We’re not the only ones here.”
“You’re not making any sense.” He helps me down from the examination table. “Let’s get you upstairs. You haven’t eaten all day.” He takes my arm and guides me back to the lifts.
“I’m not hungry,” I say, protesting. “Please, I just need to get out of here for a while.”
The lift door opens and a Dead Mark and a Rapid are waiting inside. Garrett instructs them to take me to the top floor and make sure I eat. The door closes without Garrett getting on board. When we reach the top floor, I sit down at the table I’d been at earlier. Frey has left and I’m almost force fed by Van. I finally succumb to Van’s threats of sitting on me and eat. When I’ve satisfied him, I’m allowed to go back to my room.
As soon as my door is shut and locked, I strip the suit off and throw it into the corner with the other dirty clothes. I put on the outfit I had on the night before, turn off my light, and get into bed. It’s not even completely dark yet, but I feel like if I don’t shut down now, I’ll regret my actions.
I doze off and on. The light outside has completely faded when I wake several hours later. As I open my eyes, I hold my breath since I know I’m not alone in my room.
“You were never subtle in your lurking,” I say to Brink.
He emerges from the corner off to my left. I try and move, but discover I can’t. I catch him smiling out of the corner of my eye as he comes closer.
“Paralyzers are wonderful things,” he says, sitting on the edge of my bed. He taps the device that currently rests on my abdomen.
“Why?” I ask, choking back my fear.
“You betrayed me, Max. I thought I could forgive you after your affair with Frey, but now you’re with Garrett? A Patrician sympathizer?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“We all saw you leave together. No one could find either of you in the building. It was like you two didn’t want to be found.”
“You’re crazy. Get this thing off me.”
“Frey thinks it too,” he says, lying
