Page 9 of The Hive

Well, this wasn’t awkward at all.

“Ok, I’m ready. Let’s go.” Zillarah always paraded her decoys around, so I knew enough to lead the way out the door and into the hallway. Grey fell into step beside me, directing me on a slightly different route than I would normally have taken. I looked at him curiously, but he shook his head as if he didn’t want me to question it. Fine, if my handler wanted to take the long route to breakfast, who was I to complain?

Grey guided me down a side corridor with my silent sentinels following closely. He called for a stop at a junction. From where we stood, I could see a distance down all three of the intersecting halls. I still didn’t see the purpose of this detour, other than probably making me late or miss breakfast, which I was trying to avoid, but once we were all gathered, Grey explained.

“The camera in this corridor is down for maintenance, so we have a moment to speak unobserved. I know you don’t understand yet, Saphyra, but you are in danger. These men are not Imperatrix soldiers. They are from the moon you were born on.”

“Wait, what?” I shrieked, looking at the two men leaning casually against the walls. “In danger from who? Them?” I trusted my handler, but it seemed like he was setting me up to be kidnapped, or worse, and I wasn’t happy about it.

“No, not them. Calm down and let me explain. They are here to rescue you.”

I interrupted him, not caring how rude it was. “Rescue me from what? Are you kidding right now?”

“There is a lot going on that you don’t understand, but I know you’ve been concerned about the fate and treatment of your fellow students. Your fears and distrust have merit. Your intuition is correct.”

I was shocked, to say the least. My handler, who always seemed so motivated to be a model employee, was standing here telling me that my suspicions were valid. “I don’t believe this.” I sort of did believe it, though. I’d been growing more and more wary every day.

“You don’t have to accept it for it to be true. For your safety, I have arranged for you to be returned to your people.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is my home. These are my people.” A hazy memory stirred of a mother and father figure and hallways of warm, cream-colored stone competed with the dark metal corridors of the Hive. I shook those silly daydreams away. This was no time for fantasy. I needed to understand what was happening.

“This is not your home, Saphyra. You were born on Verden, and these alphas are here to take you back,” he said, his eyes flickering uneasily to the decoys. “I know this is a shock, but I need you to listen and think. You’ve watched the betas leave for assignment, but the ships don’t head toward the planet, do they?”

I had noticed that. “No, they don’t seem to.”

“Right. Where do they go?” he asked, waiting patiently.

“It always looked as if they were heading toward the system’s interior, but maybe they are going around for some reason.” That sounded like an excuse as soon as it left my lips. I suspected something was off, but if what he said was true, everything I thought I knew was a lie.

“Why would they waste expensive fuel by not traveling directly to the planet?” He glanced down the hallways.

“They wouldn’t,” I said as the realization settled over me. Something was wrong. Just like I feared.

“Good girl. The betas don’t leave to go to Altaira. I know this is going to be hard to hear, but I need you to understand the danger. We’ve spent too much time here, so we need to hurry. The betas are either sent to the mines in the system’s interior or sold as slaves. Omegas are bred until they die or until they prove infertile and then are auctioned to the flesh markets. The life of a Hive resident is not long or happy. The students are raised like a crop to be harvested and used for the glory of the Imperatrix. Do you understand now?”

I couldn’t answer. I felt lightheaded and my legs wobbled, but before I could fall, the white-haired stranger I’d called Ghost caught me and scooped me up. He smiled down at me. “Hi there. My name is Axion, but you can call me Ax.”

I blinked up at him owlishly. He wasn’t one of our soldiers, but he was an alpha. How was that possible? The teachers said we were unique and special, that it was the highest honor to emerge as an alpha and serve the Imperatrix in her army. Omegas were prize gems that lived like queens. And betas were sent to work on the surface in glamorous jobs. Not cannon fodder and slaves to be worked to death.

I looked back and forth from Axion, Ax, Ghost, whatever his name was to the handler I had known and trusted for the past year. There were too many questions, too many thoughts running through my mind. This new information was overwhelming.

Grey saw the panic in my eyes and motioned for Axion to put me down. Once I was settled on my feet with his arm wrapped around me for support, my handler looked me in the eye. “Your nurse, Iris, was my aunt. Your fantastical stories sparked suspicions, so she started to dig. She found out that you were kidnapped in a raid, and that made her question everything. The children on the Hive are supposed to have been born here, not stolen. She learned too much, and the Imperatrix had her killed. Before they murdered her, she passed her knowledge on to me. When I learned what was happening, I knew I had to get you out before it was too late. It was already too late for so many, and more continue to be processed through the Hive every day. None of this is right. It needs to be stopped, and we need to get you out of here.”

The pain of his loss was clear on his face as he wrapped his arms around me, nudging Axion out of the way. He’d never held me like this before, and I became aware of the ropes of lean muscle in his arms and his solidly muscled chest pressed against me. He was safe, my comfort. I nuzzled against his neck, breathing in his citrusy scent. He smelled delicious, but neutral, like a beta with no pheromones. I’d never noticed how good he smelled before.

His embrace fell away, and he stepped back. “Saphyra, your emergence is coming. All the indicators are there. I’ve been altering your reports to keep the attention off of you and on Zillarah, but the Imperatrix is getting impatient. The delays worked in our favor and enabled me to hand select your decoys, but their presence with you will only speed along your classification allocation. You need to hold it off as long as you can so that we can get you out alive. And that’s just one step.” He glanced down the hallways nervously. “We’ve already spent too much time in this corridor. We should go.”

Chapter Nine

Saphyra

After spending so much time in the corridor that morning, grabbing breakfast had been impossible without being late. I couldn’t risk bringing more attention to myself. So, we agreed it would be best to skip food and go straight to class. My stomach churned with uncertainty, and I wouldn’t have been able to eat, anyway.

Anxiety held me firmly in its uncomfortable grip as I went through the motions of my daily schedule. The possibility of Lyrah, and even Flora, toiling in some mine who-knew-where, was awful. The thought of becoming a slave myself was just as terrifying, if not more.

The weight of watchful eyes followed our group as I went about my day. It was as if the knowledge I now carried was a spotlight, bringing everyone’s accusing glare to us. They couldn’t know the reality of their fates, but it felt like they did and blamed me for it. How could I go about my business as if nothing had changed?

By lunch, I wasn’t feeling any better, but I resolved to choke down a few bites of a bland nutrition bar. Classes passed by in a blur, with my decoys following at my heels like dark shadows. Their presence was a gloomy reminder of the truths that were laid bare that morning. My mind raced for solutions or excuses, but what it came back to was this was exactly what I had been afraid of. I knew something was wrong, but there was nothing I could do.

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