Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 554(@200wpm)___ 443(@250wpm)___ 369(@300wpm)
“Our leader died. Dr. Randall McClain.”
“And which team was he playing for?”
“He was Team Regime when we got to the island, but once he saw what the experiments were doing to people, he changed his mind.”
This room is cool and comfortable, so it has to be air-conditioned. Cress is wearing pink nail polish. Their clothes are clean. Every detail tells me this island is more than it seems.
“And what about you?” Cress asks.
“I was on McClain’s team of scientists. We created aromium, the compound being used on my island. I also changed my mind because of what aromium was doing to people.”
The man, physically fit with inked-up arms, a short beard and shoulder-length brown hair, just watches me, not saying a word.
“Where are the rest of the scientists?” Cress asks.
No reason to lie about it. “Dead.”
“Cause of death?”
“They tried to go back to the mainland in a sub and the sub didn’t make it.”
She’s not giving a thing away with her expression or mannerisms. But I don’t like being on this side of the table. I prefer to be the one asking the questions instead of the one answering them.
“You’re with the ILF?” I ask.
“What makes you think that?”
“Evander told me.”
“Yes, we’re with the ILF.”
“You know who Olin is?”
She nods. “We’ve had very minimal contact with him, but yes. How is he?”
“He’s good.”
“What about Virginia Marsden?”
I drop my brows a notch. “What about her?”
“How is she?”
“Dead.”
“Cause of death?”
I shift in my chair, aggravated. “Choking. How long are you planning to ask me questions you already know the answers to?”
The man beside her crosses his arms. Cress’s lips quirk almost imperceptibly.
“What are your plans for your island?”
I scoff. “Stay alive. We didn’t know there was a way for us to leave until McClain died and that video came up about the sub.”
“Are you fighting Rising Tide?”
“As much as we can. I was starving them out, but then the New America pricks sent a human tank to Rising Tide and he kidnapped one of my people. I had to give up supplies to get her back.”
Seth comes back in the room with a glass pitcher of ice water and three upside-down glasses on a tray. He sets it on the table.
They have ice cubes. Unreal.
“Do you want to join the ILF?” Cress asks.
“Not now. I need to get back to my island. I want to get my people back to the mainland and I need a boat.”
Cress turns over a glass and pours ice water into it. “And you want us to give you one?”
“Loan me one.”
She offers me the glass and I put my palm out in refusal. She takes a long drink from the glass and says, “See? Safe. I wasn’t even thirsty until you got here.”
Cheeky. I am thirsty as fuck, so I pour myself a glass of water.
“Well? Can you spare a boat?”
She sits back in her chair, studying me. “Possibly. Tell me what you know about Briar Hollis.”
My chest tightens. I’m not giving up any information about Briar beyond the basics.
“She’s on my island. What else do you want to know?”
“Why are people on your island afraid of her?”
I bristle, tired of being fucked with. “Enough of the games. You seem to know things about my island. How?”
“We have our ways.”
“You expect me to be completely forthcoming with you, but you won’t tell me shit.”
She lifts her shoulders in a shrug. “You’re the one who wants something.”
“Aren’t we on the same side? Evander offered to answer every question I had, but you’re just fucking with me.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Is there anyone on my island other than Olin communicating with the ILF?”
“No.”
“Why are you asking me why people are afraid of Briar? Did Olin tell you that?”
“No.”
I shake my head, frustrated. “Look, if it’s a no on the boat, just say so.”
The man beside her bumps his upper arm against hers lightly. She sighs softly.
“Your island is the one we know the least about. But that doesn’t mean we know nothing.”
I’ve led both sides. Rising Tide and the Dust Walkers. No one but McClain has ever had communication capabilities. McClain was only able to communicate with the mainland through the computer with a direct link to it, which I suspect comes from cables on the ocean floor. I know its limitations because he showed me how to use it and explained it to me. I can order more supplies through that connection and check records that were last updated several years ago, but nothing else.
“You’re surveilling us.”
She ignores me.
“Does Briar Hollis want what the ILF wants?”
“What does the ILF want?”
“The complete destruction of the New America regime. A restoration to democracy. Free and fair elections.”
I rest my elbows on the table, making them wait several seconds before I say, “There are people on my island who want that. Why are you singling out Briar?”