Free Rebellion by J. A. Souders Page A

Mother could take men and make them monsters, maybe I could take monsters and make them men. Reanimate the bodies. Use them against Mother, like she uses the Enforcers.” He closes his eyes. “But it failed. Miserably.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    His eyes open and he stares into mine. “Can’t you see? I reanimated the bodies, but not like I expected to. And now they’re this … substance. Worse than anything Mother programmed. It destroys almost everything it touches or comes near. And turning off and destroying the nanos has done nothing. The stuff is reanimated and operating somehow on its own. So now I spend my free time trying to figure out how to get rid of it, but I’m worried it’s too late. Mother has her own ideas of how to handle it.” He gives me a look. “If you plan on returning, I’d make this a fast trip. I’m not sure there will be anything to dock to if you take too long.”
    I look back at the Tube, then nod and step into the elevator. “I’ll make it fast.”
    For the rest of the trip to the submarine bay, we don’t speak. I don’t know what to say to him and he isn’t exactly sending off the vibe he wants to talk to me.
    When we get to the submarine bay, the one we’d used before, he places his hand on the hand plate. The door opens and he gestures toward it, handing me my bag. “Your ride awaits. I trust you remember how to operate it?”
    I’ll do as well as I did the first time, I guess. At least I’m not being attacked by a bunch of crazed Enforcers this time. I just nod, then glance toward the door again. Once more stopped by the desire to go back to Evie.
    â€œThere’s a button on the console that will bring you back here.”
    I take that step into the submarine, but it’s almost impossible. My heart and my head fight against each other the entire way. I can’t believe how hard it is to leave. It’s not like I’m not going to return.
    I turn around just as he’s about to press his hand to the plate again to shut the doors from his side. “Wait!” I say.
    He lifts his eyebrows.
    â€œWhat happens if there’s no place to dock when I come back?”
    â€œJust hurry and we won’t have to worry, will we?” Then he shuts the doors before I can say anything else.
    I take that to mean I’m screwed if this building is gone when I get back. It really will have to be fast.
    I take the controls. I don’t really know how to drive this thing, but I just press the same buttons I pressed the last time as best I can remember. The sub bursts away from the facility and, for some reason, this trip feels a hell of a lot faster than the last time I took it. Probably because I don’t have someone dying next to me. I sigh. No. Not just someone. Evie.
    When I get to the Surface, I almost steer directly onto the beach near my house like I did before. But I know if I do, Asher’s father will just take the sub away again.
    So I moor it to the island across from the village, making sure it’s anchored securely and won’t float away before I can get back to it.
    This is the island that fuels my nightmares. Not because of its eerie fog or that there’s absolutely no game on it, despite its deep forests. It’s the island I came to with my hunting partner, Con. The one that had me careening down a cliff and forced to wait in a cave. The one where I stupidly made the decision to venture into the tunnels that eventually led to Elysium. The one that led to Con’s death.
    The place where I anchored is right near the cave and I can’t stop myself from peeking into it. The ghosts of those that came before me beckon like the Sirens from long ago to lead me back to the tunnels. Con’s voice is the loudest, and for one second I can almost believe he’s been at the end of the maze of tunnels the entire time and needs my help.
    But when I get