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

different side of Ingram. The one who had wrapped her arms around a man and snapped his neck, the one who had shoved a piece of sharp metal into a woman’s ear canal…

Some distant part of Eloise’s brain actually recognised the moves. She had practised them herself during her VR martial arts training. But never in her craziest dreams had she considered it could be done for real. Sparring was just fitness training, for fuck’s sake!

Eloise had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been minutes, hours even, or maybe mere seconds. Mercifully, her brain stopped forcing new images upon her, and the ones already present started fading in intensity. Her headache was easing off too. She sat down for what felt like an eternity, rocking back and forth, hands pressed to her head, fingers tugging at her platinum hair.

Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at Ingram with a mix of gratitude-inspired awe and terrified apprehension. The other woman was dangerous. And crazy. And… She is also the only reason I am still alive. Eloise swallowed loudly.

Ingram had stood motionless throughout. Watching Eloise brought back her own memories. She knew exactly where the other woman’s thoughts had gone, reading Eloise’s facial expressions like an open book.

‘I take it introductions are not necessary then?’ Gonzalez said, breaking the awkward silence.

He sat himself to Eloise’s right, and Ingram followed suit to her left. They all had their own armchairs, and the comfortable distance between them seemed like one of those things Gonzalez would have planned for carefully.

Ingram looked at her mentor and had to suppress a frown of incredulity. The man was actually smiling gently, radiating comfort and relaxation. It took someone who knew him very well to see the darkness clouding his grey eyes, as his own highly intelligent brain took him on a journey through the Underground City. Ingram, among very few people, knew Gonzalez that well.

‘But to maintain the honesty and no-lying policy, this is Sergeant Carlotta Ingram. Previously Special Forces Major Aisha Toscano, an MIS operative. She was with me at the 4th.’

Eloise nodded, grateful that her mind, at least temporarily, had run out of new footage to offer. Her body was so tense it actually hurt to move, and her breathing was still ragged, but this was something she could at least begin to deal with.

‘Ms Moretti, I am fully aware how unusual this situation is, and that some truly horrible things have happened to you. You deserve rest and proper medical and psychological treatment from the best mind healers the Alliance has to offer. You deserve the right to forget everything that has happened to you lately, if that is what you desire, but we desperately require your expertise. I need to ask for your help. Please, would you agree to consult for us?’

Eloise eyed him suspiciously. The words sounded so pretty she almost believed that it was her choice. But deep down she knew better. She had no experience assessing people’s ability or potential to lie in real life, but she had programmed all that and more into her VRPs. She understood the subtle non-verbal signs as well as the cues one’s choice of words offered.

Gonzalez was good. Every single word he said was carefully measured, chosen especially for this particular little monologue he had just delivered. It was aimed to soothe and induce trust. He also wanted to make her feel important and indispensable.

What Eloise wanted more than anything was to make use of her discovery. She wanted to turn it all against him to her advantage, but this was not VR; this was real life. The panic she felt was merciless at squashing her ability to think constructively. She had to focus on the basics. She needed to breathe, which was already difficult, and she needed protection. She could hope to achieve the first all by herself, but she knew she didn’t have it in her to achieve the latter. She was at Gonzalez’s mercy.

Reluctantly, she nodded.

‘Thank you.’ Gonzalez smiled reassuringly. ‘I realise this place may seem a bit spartan by your standards, but we are well provided with basic supplies, and as you have already discovered our medical facilities are top-notch. We also have quite a selection of VRPs, most I’m sure you will recognise, which you are welcome to enjoy in your free time.’

Eloise nodded again. She couldn’t care any less about the rough look of the place, but the promise of escaping into VR was like a soothing balm.

‘For now, if you are ready, we would like to ask you a few questions about the VRP you investigated at the 4th.’ He paused briefly, waiting for any sort of reply from Eloise, but as the woman only sat watching him, he continued. ‘You mentioned previously that the VRP, our evidence, still exists. That you copied it? How did you break the encryption?’

Eloise considered the question carefully, forcing her sluggish brain to work. Just a few minutes ago she had been determined to avoid telling the truth. But memories of the Underground City had shocked her. Ingram had been willing to die a horrible death to get her out. She didn’t even hesitate. If it wasn’t for Ingram, her piloting skills, her determination, her… killer instinct, Eloise would have been dead at least a few times over. And even knowing that Gonzalez was playacting for her benefit didn’t diminish the fact that he did make her feel safer. The quicker she helped them, the quicker this whole nightmare would end, and then indeed she would be able to afford the appropriate therapy with a highly qualified mind healer to make herself forget it all.

‘I didn’t break the encryption.’ The decision seemed to have made itself. She spoke slowly, enunciating each word carefully, as if it hurt to speak faster. ‘I didn’t have to. It was my VRP. I wrote it.’

CHAPTER 19

Roc de Chere

Lac d’Annecy

Afro-European Alliance

Sunday 26 April 2725

DAY 7

Both Ingram and Gonzalez twitched. The