Page 99 of Pet: Genesis

“Come, let us show you our facility,” Iriel says as he walks past me. I take note that the other humans sitting at the table rise as well, all of us going on an impromptu trip. As we step through the halls, Iriel begins to speak.

“The resistance is only thriving because I offered them our technology, allowing them to turn even the harshest of conditions into a home,” he says, gesturing to the wall crystals. He’s an arrogant Leviathan in the face of humanity. I’ve seen him cower in Remus’s presence.

“Unlike human energy, which was harmful to your planet and detectable because it needs a source, Leviathan energy is pure, leaving no trace, and can power whole cities for years, especially on this planet,” Iriel says smugly.

“It’s been a huge help to the weapons and the research here,” Cypress adds behind me.

“We knew that taking them down would be difficult. Once word about her children reaches her, we hope to have the planet under our full control and leverage to make her leave your solar system,” Iriel says. My chest clenches at the word leverage. My discomfort becomes even heavier as we exit the main building we were in, walking deeper into the cavern until there is a building not made of stone but metal that I recognize from the Leviathan ships.

Sky places her hand on the pad for the door, allowing it to open, and leads everyone inside. The lights are bright, and the walls inside are made to keep something from getting out. It’s a sturdy building made for one purpose. Sky casually greets the few humans that work in this building until we reach more doors that she must scan her face, palm, and card to allow the heavy gates to creak open. The trek continues down a flight of stairs, and the dread I felt multiplies as we pass a control room. There are men sitting behind the glass, looking down at monitors as we pass.

Iriel steps forward now, halting Sky.

“Wait out here,” he says softly before stepping past her. I see her features morph into that of disappointment before she quickly covers it up, her eyes meeting mine. She seems to notice her folly, offering me a reassuring smile as I make my way past her along with the other men inside the room. I slowly step into the room, my heart coming to a standstill as I take in the Leviathan that I’ve only seen once before, but he looked nothing like this.

His arms are locked into massive metal tubes with needles pressing into his forearms. My eyes widen when I see the steam coming from the needles. They’re pumping something inside of him. Hehas cuts and bruises and a hideous gash along his forehead, and his once shoulder-length white hair has now been cropped to his head. He tenses as we approach, inhaling lightly before lifting his gaze. His gaze whips past every other person in the room, landing on me without hesitation, revealing those strange eyes: one purple, one blue.

“You’re not Remus,” he says, eyeing me. He studies me for what feels like an eternity, his confusion morphing into shock before he drops his head, a laugh escaping him.

“What is this?” I whisper. Now, Iriel steps forward, making his way toward Ezra.

“This is our ticket to freedom,” he says. Before I can speak, Iriel steps forward, roughly gripping Ezra’s face between his fingers.

“Remus and Xion are dead. Thanks to you, our most recent development has led to their downfall,” he brags. Ezra isn’t at all phased by Iriel’s gloating. He laughs softly, narrowing his gaze.

“And you’re a brave one now, aren’t you, Iriel?” he asks. I take in Ezra’s battered and bruised body. If he is like this, the weapons must have worked. Remus really is dead. Ezra’s gaze shifts to me again, but Iriel uses the opportunity to strike him across the face. Iriel says something in their language to Ezra, who in turn responds with something snarky enough to make Iriel angry.

“Dose him,” he snaps. The machine that holds him captive makes a whirring noise before Ezra tenses. The needles shift deeper, and I watch in horror as they torture him in front of us. Ezra clenches his teeth, his skin turning black as whatever they dosed him with enters his body.

He grunts in pain, and when I look at Iriel, he’s smiling.

“Stop it!” I shout after a minute passes. Cypress pulls me back, looking at me in anger.

“Iris. Stop,” he growls. Iriel, however, has had his fill. He signals for them to stop their torture. Ezra’s body sags as he catches his breath, and we all watch the display with unease.

“We will use him as leverage. To stop his mother and to deter the people. Thanks to you, Iris, our immediate threat is gone, but the real battle has yet to begin.” Iriel turns to stand over me, his gaze narrowing as he takes me in. “I do hope that you are ready to join this fight.”

He doesn’t speak as he leaves the room, the rest of the men silently following. I slowly move my feet, taking one last look at Ezra as I step near the door. The pain in my chest spreads to my neck, and I immediately place my hand over the area to staunch the pain.

Ezra chuckles softly, his gaze focusing on me.

“Enjoy your freedom, Iris.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Iris

Enjoy your freedom.

Those words haunt me. It’s barely been a week, and each day that passes makes me feel like I’ve made a massive mistake. My mind can’t seem to focus, and I can’t remember the last time my head wasn’t pounding in pain. The rebellion and hope I felt entering this place have all but disappeared after meeting Iriel and seeing Ezra. Remus always spoke of Ezra as being very calculating even if he was reckless. And even in Ezra’s state of weakness, he taunted me, putting me on edge. He had no fear of Iriel and no reaction to the news of his siblings’ deaths, a fact that Iriel seems too dumb or too arrogant to notice.

Remus always spoke of Iriel in a low light. He didn’t praise him, nor did he at least admit Iriel was a formidable opponent. And Remus is never shy about revealing his true feelings. He didmention, however, how Iriel feared him and his siblings. He didn’t have to tell me that though, I could see it in Iriel’s demeanor around Remus. The only thing I have to go on as proof of the weapon’s success is my brother’s recollection of what happened that night, and he says Remus disintegrated before his eyes.

“Iris?” I’m pulled from my thoughts at the sound of my name. Cypress watches me with an irritated expression when he realizes that I haven’t been paying attention to the meeting.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I feel all eyes on me, including the eyes of Leviathan I have yet to see during my travels in this society. These must be the other traitors Remus knew about. There are also two humans in here as well who never speak. Cypress releases a deep breath before pointing back to the map on the wall. There are markings over the places Remus resided during our time together. We do this daily. They hold me in this room for hours, asking me questions about Remus and his siblings. Things that they should already know if they were set to launch an attack.

Iriel now speaks up from the back of the room.

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