Rising Tomorrow (Roc de Chere Book 1) by Mariana Morgan (essential reading txt) 📕

with various resistant nano-compounds until the right blend was discovered. Soon, just keeping the crystal shards together was not enough, and the Elite began experimenting with crystalline-structured nano-materials capable of withstanding high amounts of kinetic energy. Their aim was to create something shatter-proof.

The majority of the nano-crystal used in Elite buildings since before the Freedom Wars could withstand an aircar crashing right into it as long as the vehicle observed the city speed limits. High-velocity bullets, however, could still make it through a standard reinforced nano-crystal. Which probably explained why in the era of powerful energy weapons those that spewed old-fashioned chemical projectiles were still popular.

When nano-crystals could no longer be improved, either by manipulation of the crystalline structure itself or through adhesive coatings, other external layers were created to cater for the needs of the ultra-paranoid. When the Freedom Wars erupted and a few cities in the Afro-European Alliance were razed to the ground, all Elites became ultra-paranoid, proofing their houses in whatever way their fortunes would allow.

What Wagner had was unusual, in the sense that there was no sign of it until activated.

‘Banshee,’ Gonzalez said to Ingram, nodding in approval as Tilly sent Rivas modifications for the laser gun, ‘find the energy source. That barrier rose too fast to be nanobot-generated.’

‘On it!’ Ingram replied, taking the Stealthy into a dive.

***

‘Get up!’ Wagner barked at Eloise.

His usual preference was to have his underlings do the dangerous shit like this, while he only showed up when everything was all safe and sound at the end, but he was actually enjoying himself. He liked to feel his power, and he liked to wield it.

‘Closer to the window, right in front of me. I want that sonofabitch Gonzalez to see you.’

Eloise moved, limbs heavy and awkward. The voice in her earpiece was quiet just when she needed it most. She couldn’t make a damn decision by herself. She didn’t know what to do.

Blank, useless mind, dammit. Blank. Empty.

‘Take your clothes off,’ Wagner instructed when she had shuffled to the indicated position. ‘Gonzalez isn’t going to do anything stupid, risking your life, so I have some time to teach you a lesson.’

And then, Wagner added to himself, all I have to do is activate the remaining security features and we will have all the time in the world.

Where the fuck are you, Rivas? a voice at the back of Eloise’s head cried. Her numb fingers groped awkwardly at the waist of her trousers. She didn’t really care much about nudity—she had never been conditioned to think anything of it—but even someone as socially clueless as her could not miss the monstrous cue that Wagner didn’t have anything pleasant in mind for her. This was all turning into a nightmare worse than the slums.

And this time, she was all alone.

Capitalising on the numb fingers, she took her time, moving slowly without making any threatening gestures until all her clothes were in a pile on the floor. The temperature was pleasantly comfortable, but her body hair stood on end regardless. In the corner of her eye she could see the nano-generated bruising and scrapes all over her body, and part of her hoped Wagner would find the damage distasteful, but the man only grinned and licked his lips.

‘Pick it up,’ he demanded, throwing a knife from the table to the floor at her feet. Eloise stared at it, too paralysed to move.

‘Pick it up or I’ll blow your hand off!’

‘Why are you doing this?’ she squeaked, hastily bending down, her eyes firmly on Wagner. A spell of dizziness overwhelmed her, and she set a hand on the floor for support.

‘Because I can,’ Wagner replied. His heart was beating a happy rhythm as he savoured her terror and helplessness. It was as if he could smell it in the air. ‘Because I can, and there is nothing you can do about it. Pick up the knife and get back on your feet!’

His shout made her flinch and she instinctively obeyed, terrified he wasn’t bluffing. The knife’s heavily decorated handle felt alien and cold in her hand, and she stifled a sniffle. The surface of the blade was smooth and shiny, and the edge as ultra-sharp as only nano-tech could make them. It was a kitchen utensil, its primary role meat carving, but it could cut through living flesh as easily as through a chunk of perfectly cooked nano-grown beef.

Suddenly, the familiar weight of a knife in her hand broke through the mental fog that had enveloped her, and her fingers tightened around the handle. A weapon. If she threw it just right, and ducked just quickly enough…

‘Stand down! Do not attack,’ Gonzalez ordered. His voice was deafening after the utter silence.

That asshole must have read the spike of adrenaline through my BCC and guessed what I was about to do. I’ll stick this knife right in his smug face too, when I get a chance. Right after I get rid of Wagner.

‘Do. Not. Attack,’ Gonzalez ordered even more firmly, and Eloise cursed the bloody BCC for betraying her. Her grip on the knife relaxed.

‘I want to see your blood,’ Wagner announced, bringing her attention back to the room.

‘What?’ Stunned, she sounded far removed from her usual carefully measured curiosity.

‘I want to see your blood. I want to see you cut yourself. Your breast. Cut your nipple off.’ His tone of voice was almost whimsical, but the sick anticipation was so palpable Eloise could actually feel it.

A distant part of her brain marvelled at how, after a whole afternoon of Rivas’ nagging instructions to focus on feeling things, she had got nowhere, but here she was, about to die, and her subconscious had finally provided her with something she had lacked her entire life. Nothing made sense. Time seemed to freeze.

And then, everything happened at once.

Eloise screamed when the ground hit her in the face moments after Gonzalez ordered her to duck.

The shutters behind her flashed an angry cherry red and then flickered.

Rivas swore loudly through the