Tessa made sure that people were out of hearing range before their conversation turned more serious. She whispered, “Sam, Arica and I have discovered something since being here at H.I.V.E, and you might find it difficult to swallow. What do you remember about when they brought you here?”
His eyes darted between the two of them, “We all tested at school and received assignments. Then they put us on transport and brought us here. I went to military training and your two went to the labs. Why?”
Arica placed a hand on Sam’s arm, “That isn’t what really happened.”
“Okay. How do you remember it?” Sam shrugged.
Tessa began her explanation, “Sam, it’s not that we remember it differently. We all remember it the same. The problem is it’s a false memory planted there by someone here at H.I.V.E.”
Sam pursed his lips, “What would be the point of that?”
“Tessa’s an Evo.” Arica blurted out a little louder than she would have preferred.
“That’s ridiculous. Evos aren’t allowed in the mountain. Why would they bring Tessa here if she’s an Evo?”
Arica’s eyes diverted down in guilt, “That’s what I assumed at first, too.”
“I have a power they want. H.I.V.E is planning a mass evacuation from Earth, and they need the energy I have to power their ship. I’m the key to harnessing that power. Once they have what they want, H.I.V.E will abandon Earth, taking only their most prized executives. They plan to leave everyone else to die.”
Sam contemplated what Tessa said and then shook his head, “That’s a crazy story. Are you guys playing a prank on me?”
Tessa frowned, “I wish I were. This is true, Sam. I need you to believe me.”
His brow curled in confusion, “Prove it.”
Tessa made sure no one was watching and then focused her power on the cake in Sam’s hand. The purple glow surrounded the treat, and it lifted from his hand. He snatched it out of the air and canvased their surroundings in paranoia. “Fine, I believe you. Damn! This can’t be right. How did they jack our memories?”
“There are a ton of questions to answer, but right here and now is not the time or place. After dinner, both of you come to my flat, and we’ll share everything we know.”
Tessa was wary of prying eyes and ears as she saw her Aunt Norine walk into view.
Norine smiled toward her niece and approached their group. Tessa and her friends stood to greet her. “Tessa, so good to see you outside for some fresh air. Who is your friend?”
“Norine, this is Sam. Sam, this is my Aunt Norine.”
Sam’s mouth gaped open, “She looks just like your mother.”
“Tessa’s mother is my twin sister.” Norine clarified.
“Small world, huh?” Sam gave Tessa a sideways glance. He was having a very bizarre day.
Tessa didn’t like being around her aunt not knowing how involved Norine was in H.I.V.E’s plans. She learned that Norine’s name wasn’t on the evacuation list for the arc, so she wasn’t sure how much her aunt knew of H.I.V.E’s plans. Norine might be just like Tessa, another pawn in their scheme.
Security got anxious as the sun began to descend over the horizon. They started directing people to return to the mountain. The remaining crowd of people all herded toward the mountain entrance.
The opening of the base was cut into the mountain face of granite stone. There were metal doorways requiring everyone to pass through upon entry. These doorways reminded Tessa of metal detectors only they no longer detected metal. Instead, they detected Evo genetics. Arica explained the devices to her earlier as sensors designed to identify potential Evos and prevent the enemy from entering their base.
Tessa didn’t wish for the machines to target her, so it forced her to swallow one of the blue pills, which suppressed her Evo abilities. She hoped that the light over the doorway would not flash red as she passed through. The H.I.V.E leaders knew she was an Evo, but Tessa wasn’t sure if security knew. So, she wasn’t sure that if the light illuminated red, they would let her pass. She was unsure how deep this rabbit hole went.
Tessa let her friends pass first in line as she dreaded walking through the devices. As Norine passed through ahead of her, Tessa saw the light flicker green to red. Arica glanced back at Tessa. They had both witnessed the scanner react to her aunt. Things made sense now. Tessa wasn’t the only Evo pawn under the mountain. Her Aunt Norine had a secret of her own. She was an Evo.
2
Once Tessa re-entered base, she had a new objective to confront her Aunt Norine and find out more. To get the answers she wanted, Tessa needed to catch her aunt off guard and apply the proper amount of leverage. She knew Norine was a minion of H.I.V.E, but she wasn’t sure how deep her loyalty reached. The only morsel of information she had was Norine’s romantic relationship with the Director of the Science Division, Marlize Sharron.
Tessa made a mental note to search the H.I.V.E Evo database back in her room to see if there was any additional information on her aunt. H.I.V.E experimented on dozens of Evos. Tessa wondered if that’s how Norine was tied to H.I.V.E. Maybe H.I.V.E had some dirt on her to force her into servitude.
Tessa brushed up next to Sam and lifted a knife from his utility belt. He protested at first, “Hey, what are you doing?”
“Shh… I need to borrow this for a minute.”
Sam worried about being implicated if Tessa got caught. “That’s H.I.V.E issued equipment. If they notice it’s gone, I’m in hot water.”
“I’ll have it back to you as quick as possible.”
