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X5 by Diana Stager

Chapter One

Tara

Cam was normally a laid-back guy who always had a smile on

his face, but that morning he was pale and sweaty. When I sat next to

him in the polygraph waiting room, I could practically feel the tension

rolling off him.

"Cam?" I said. "You don't look so great. Are you sick?"

He turned towards me, but his eyes were darting all around

and I saw his hands shaking. "Hi, Tara. I‒I‒had a‒really bad vision."

Yes, he said vision. Like me, and all the other kids at The

Bunker, Cam had visions of the future. I knew sometimes the other

kids saw horrific things in their visions, plane crashes, explosions,

murders and the like. It had never happened to me, but I could

imagine it would be really upsetting.

"What was it?" I asked. They discouraged us from talking

about our visions with anyone before we reported them because that

could influence what we remembered about them, but I thought

maybe Cam needed to get it off his chest.

"I can't tell you," he said. "I can't tell anyone."

"Oh. Okay, sure."

We sat in silence, though he fidgeted constantly, and took a lot

of really deep breaths. When it was his turn to go in, he turned to me.

"Bye, Tara."

"Bye," I said with a frown. He made it sound awfully final.

Not long after he disappeared into the room, a pair of guards

came out of the employee entrance to the residence. A knot formed in

my stomach at the sight of them. We hardly ever saw the guards down

here. When they opened the door to the polygraph suite, I could hear

Cam yelling, but couldn't make out what he said. The sound cut off

when the second guard slammed the door behind him. Next thing I

knew, the guards were dragging Cam, unconscious, out of the room

and through the employee entrance. My heart thumped in my chest

and I swear I could feel it pushing against my ribs. My best friend,

Mike, who was waiting on the other side of the room, shot me a

questioning glance, but before we could say anything to each other,

some old guy came out of the employee door. Well, not grandparent

old, but at least forty.

"Good morning, boys and girls," he said. The tone he used

was one usually used by pre-school teachers with their stupidest

students. I rolled my eyes. "Some of you may not know me, but my

name is Mr. Slater and I'm the head of Operations here at the X5

Project Habitat."

I straightened up a bit. I had been trying to find out more

about The Bunker and the X5 project, and this was someone who

could probably give me answers. "Excuse me, sir. Can I ask—"

"Just stay quiet and listen right now, young lady," he said with

a dismissive wave. "I'm sure you're all confused by what happened

with Cam just now. I'm afraid he's had a seizure and had to be taken

to the infirmary. We'll keep an eye on him there, but he may need to

be transferred to a proper hospital. If that happens, someone will let

you know."

Before any of us could respond, he'd disappeared through the

door again. I didn't believe Slater's story for a second, but as I

struggled to process what I'd seen, the technician emerged from the

polygraph room and called my name. Once inside, he hooked me up

and then sat down.

The polygraph machine was designed to monitor physiological

signs like heart rate, respiration, and muscle tension, the theory being

that changes might signal someone attempting to be untruthful. We

went through our usual routine, beginning with questions like name,

age, and favorite color. In other words, things I had no reason to lie

about. This gave them a baseline to compare against when they asked

the important questions relating to visions. We had to take a

polygraph every morning to report any visions we'd had since the

previous morning. My test that morning went quickly since I hadn't

had a vision since the previous day. As the technician unhooked me, I

decided to see what I could find out about the unusual events we'd

witnessed.

"What happened to Cam?" I asked, but as I did, I jabbed out

with my mind, almost as though I were forcing my way into his brain

to give him a nudge.

The tech's eyes went glassy and distant. "He lied. He wouldn't

tell us what he saw, so they took him."

"What will they do to him?" Nudge, nudge.

"Probably get rid of him."

"Send him home?"

"Nope. He'll never go home."

My breath caught and I took a step back. If Cam wasn’t going

home, did getting rid of him mean they would kill him? It was the

only other explanation I could think of. While I stood there in shock,

the technician came to his senses and gave me a confused look. "You

can go now."

In a daze, I headed for breakfast in the cafeteria, but I was too

distracted to eat. Because Cam lied, they were going to get rid of him.

From what the tech had said, it sounded like they would…kill him. I

knew that the Consortium that ran the X5 Project was crooked, but I

never dreamed that they might actually kill people. My hands shook

and a wave of nausea came over me. Ignoring the questions of my

friends, I jumped up and bolted from the table and into the women's

bathroom down the hall. I barely made it to the toilet before I spewed

the contents of my stomach. Thank goodness it was still morning and

my stomach was still fairly empty. Dry heaves followed, and when

they subsided, I sat on the floor and leaned against the door of the

stall.

There was a gentle knock. "Tara? Are you okay?" It was

Mike.

Taking a deep breath, I managed to stand and open the door.

"I'm okay," I said weakly. "Stomach flu or something. What the hell

are you doing in the ladies' room?"

"It's just one of the many sacrifices I'm willing to make for my

bestie." He held out a bottle of water. This was one of the things that

made Mike such a great friend. Not only did he know when

something was bothering me, he could usually make me feel better. "I

thought you might want this."

With a grateful smile, I took the bottle, uncapped it, and took a

couple sips. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"No. I think I'll be fine. But I'm going to go to my room and

brush my teeth before first period."

Excuse made, I took off for the safety of my room. As I

brushed my teeth, I was glad to have a bathroom that I didn't have to

share with anyone else. At The Bunker, all of us had a great bedroom,

complete with en suite bathroom, all to ourselves. Someone else did

all the cooking and cleaning. The teachers didn't give us too much

homework. We had excellent, free medical care, and the coolest

common room. Most sixteen year olds would love to have this life,

but after what had happened that morning, I knew I had to get out,

before The Consortium decided I was expendable, too.

****

I wasn't dumb enough to just try to make a run for it, or I'd end

up in the same boat as Cam. I needed a plan, and in order to come up

with a good one, I had to find out as much as I could about The

Bunker. For the first time since I'd gotten here, I really started paying

attention to my surroundings, especially the security in and around the

prison—I mean, habitat. It didn't take me long to figure out that I

couldn't do this on my own.

So how to choose an escape partner? As far as I knew, I was

the only person who had any idea about the true nature of this place.

Since he was my best friend, Mike was the natural choice for a

confidant. But I also needed someone who was strong enough to use

physical force if we needed it. At five foot three inches tall, and

barely over a hundred pounds, I wasn't delusional enough to think I

would be the strong one in the partnership.

One day out on the exercise yard (I did mention that it was

like a prison, didn't I?) I sat in the middle of the yard, enjoying the

spring breeze, and absent-mindedly pulling out blades of grass while I

watched the other kids. In particular, I was studying Mike's body. He

was around six feet, and though he was thin, his wiry arms were

muscular. I knew he lifted weights in the gym, so he had to be in

decent shape. He turned away from his friend Andy, with whom he'd

been tossing a football around, and caught my eye. He grinned and

came walking over to me.

"Don't think I don't see you checking out my ass," he said as

he flopped down beside me.

"You're an idiot," I said, tossing the loose grass at him. "Why

would I be checking out your ass?"

"Because it's just so sexy," he replied, getting up on his hands

and knees and shaking his butt at me.

"Oh, please."

"Please, what? Please take you off to my room so we can have

wild sex? Gladly." He waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Be serious! I want to talk to you."

He sat up then. "What's up?" he asked.

Now that I had him there, I wasn't sure how to proceed. I

glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, and we were

well away from trees or walls that might have listening devices

planted in them. This was definitely a conversation I didn't want

overheard. I wondered if it was possible that they had the entire yard

bugged, in which case, how could I let him know my suspicions?

Looking around, I noticed a vent with an exhaust fan in one of the

building walls. The noise from the fan might muffle the sound of our

voices enough to keep whoever was listening from figuring out what

we were saying.

I stood up and grabbed Mike’s hand. “Walk with me.” As we

made our way to the fan, I asked him a couple questions about an

assignment we had. Once we were close to the building, I was pleased

to hear how much noise the vent made.

I leaned close to Mike so he could hear me. "You remember

Cam having that seizure last week?"

"Sure," he replied. "Pretty hard to forget that."

"He didn't really have a seizure. He lied on his polygraph, and

because of that, they got rid of him." I spoke fast, and when I finished,

Mike just stood looking at me.

"Got rid of him?" he asked finally.

After another glance around, I said, "I think they killed him."

His eyebrows knit together and he gave me a look that

suggested he was questioning my sanity. "Oh, come on. Why would

they do that? And even if they did, how did you find out?"

"The polygraph technician told me."

He sputtered a laugh. "As if he'd share something like that

with you!"

I decided that a little demonstration of my powers would make

him believe me. In a low voice, I explained how I was able to

convince people to do things and because of it, I'd learned some

things that I didn't like.

"You can convince people to do things? Bullshit."

"Want me to prove it?”

While he laughed, I started nudging him with my mind. Sit

down against the wall. Sit down against the wall. His laughter cut off

and, with a look of confusion, he walked over to the wall and sat

down. When he started to stand up again, I used my power to keep

him on the ground, and then sat down beside him. "Now do you

believe me?"

He nodded. "That was bizarre. I wanted to get up, but I

couldn’t do it. Why didn't you just use your power to make me

believe you?"

"I wanted you to believe because you realized it was true, not

because I made you."

"So you used this ability to find stuff out?"

“Yes, but it hasn’t been easy and I don’t know everything. I’ve

picked up bits and pieces of knowledge, but I’ve had to guess at the

rest. What I know for sure is that the X5 Project is run by a group of

people called The Consortium. I have no idea who belongs to the

group, but I know they have money. Shitloads of money. And

apparently, they use our visions to help them make more of it.”

"If greed is their motivation," Mike interrupted, "keeping a

group of kids locked up in a habitat in the middle of nowhere doesn't

seem to be the most efficient use of their money."

"You remember the Dream Seers online forum? They use that

as well. Most of us were members of that network before applying to

come here. At least, we were all told we had applied."

"What do you mean? I remember filling out those forms and

my parents dropping me off, and everything."

"You know Margaret, that psychic trainer?" He nodded. "She

can modify our memories. She convinced every single person who

came from outside the Habitat that they were here voluntarily, but the

reality is that they abducted all of us."

Mike sat in silence, staring off into the distance. "Wait," he

said finally. "If we're all kidnapped, how can we still have

conversations with our parents?"

"It’s not really our parents, it’s just employees pretending."

“No freaking way, Tara!” He jumped up. “This is just too

unbelievable. You’re basically telling me that the life I think I’m

leading is a lie.”

He started to walk away, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him

back beside the vent. “Don’t raise your voice! They’ve got bugs

planted everywhere, inside and out, but the noise of the fan should

cover up what we’re saying.”

"You know how crazy this all sounds, right?" he asked.

“I know it does, but you have to believe me! The whole thing

with Cam has me terrified. I have to get out of here, but I need your

help. We can escape together!” Begging wasn’t my usual style, but I

needed him to see that I was right.

He didn’t say anything, just stared at the ground where he was

kicking at a little patch of dirt. I watched his face, waiting for some

kind of reaction. At last, he looked up at me. “You’re determined to

get out of here, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Reaching out, he brushed my cheek, and then tucked a loose

strand of hair behind my ear. “Then I can’t let you go alone.”

"Thank you." I hugged him, and the embrace lasted longer

than usual, though I was so relieved he’d agreed to come with me that

I didn’t say anything. We were escaping! I just hoped we could pull it

off without anyone getting killed.

****

That evening, I was sitting in the common room watching TV

with some of the other girls, when Mike came up to us and asked if he

could talk to me on the other side of the room. This earned giggles

from my friends and a few whispered comments as I followed him to

a chair in a secluded corner. Mike and I talking in private was nothing

new, so I couldn't figure out what their problem was. When he pulled

me down onto his lap, it startled me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned close. "If

we’re going to get out of here, we need a plan," he whispered. "What

do you need me to do?"

Excitement raced through me. I leaned close, so my lips were

nearly touching his ear, and I felt him shiver. "Are you okay?" I

asked. He shifted a bit underneath me and nodded. I began to tell him

about the escape kit I wanted to put together, but I hadn't gotten very

far before one of the other boys walked past and wolf-whistled at us.

As I watched him go, I noticed a few of the other kids talking and

pointing at us.

"They think we're hooking up because you’re sitting in my

lap," he whispered, tightening his arms around me. "You know, if we

say we're dating, it gives us an excuse to always be close to each

other."

He pulled back a bit to look me in the eye, and in those deep

blue pools I saw desire. That wasn’t new, but now, for the first time,

there was no joking around to go with it. Before I could say anything,

he threaded his fingers into my hair, pulled my head close, and

pressed his lips to mine.

I've seen a lot of romantic movies, and read my share of

romance novels, and I had always expected my first kiss to make the

world spin, and throw my body into an intense state of arousal. Mike's

lips were soft and warm and the pressure he applied to my mouth was

firm, without being forceful. All in all, a pleasant experience. But not

earth-shattering.

Catcalls echoed from across the room, and Mike pulled away

to look at me, a huge grin on his face, happier than I'd seen him in a

long time. "I've been wanting to do that," he murmured. I didn't reply,

but as he studied my face, his smile faded. He started to stand and I

jumped off before I fell to the floor.

"Mike!" But he was already stalking toward the hallway for

the boys' rooms.

"Shit," I mumbled as I raced after him. Between his head start,

and legs way longer than mine, he slammed the door to his room

before I could catch up. I pounded on the door. "Mike! Please, talk to

me!"

There was no answer from within, and I figured he was just

being stubborn. So I kept knocking. Continually. The knuckles on

both of my hands were sore as hell, but he finally opened the door.

"What?"

"Can we please talk about this?" I asked. He started to close

the door on me, but I managed to slip in before he could. "Please?"

"Whatever," he said and stomped over to his bed, where he

sprawled out on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

With a sigh, I sat on the bed beside him. "Mike, you're my best

friend."

"Friend," he said. "Yeah, I got it." Neither one of us said

anything for a moment. "I think we could be really good together." He

sat up to look at me.

"But—"

He held up a hand to cut me off. "Hear me out," he said. "And

please don't freak out at what I'm about to do."

Grabbing my hand, he tugged me down so we were lying

beside each other. With his arms around me, he whispered in my ear.

"I'm guessing you don't want a relationship, and that's fair enough.

But if we need to plot an escape together, we need an excuse to be

always whispering, to always be this close. Nobody can overhear us

like this. Let me show you."

He planted soft kisses along my jawline, under my chin, down

my neck. And I'd be lying if I said I felt nothing. My stomach

fluttered a little, even more so when I closed my eyes and tried to

imagine that it wasn't Mike. That sounds awful, but we'd been friends

for so long, that it was hard for me to think of him as more than that.

He drifted back to my ear again.

"If we do this in the common areas, no one would guess that

we were really talking." To further demonstrate his point, he kissed

his way to the other ear. "We can pretend to everyone else that we're

seeing each other." More kisses down my neck and back up. "But

we'll still have to kiss when we're out there."

At that point, he lifted his head to look down at me. In his

eyes, I saw the desire from before, but also a look I couldn't decipher

as easily. He made a good argument, but would he remember that the

relationship was a ruse? Would I? He lowered his lips to mine, the

contact tentative at first, testing my reaction. I had to make a decision.

I wrapped my arms around him and returned his kiss.

****

It didn't take long for word of our new relationship status to

travel through The Bunker. I wasn't prepared for all the questions the

other girls threw at me, though. They wanted to know if he was a

good kisser, how we decided to go out, how far we'd already gone. By

the time Kelley asked me if I was going to sleep with him, my face

could have lit the entire room, it was so red.

Mike took advantage of our little charade by kissing me as

much as possible whenever we were in a common area. I tried to keep

him on track by outlining our plans for escape.

"We're surrounded by forests, so we'll need supplies until we

can get to a town," I whispered. Every day, we would sneak a nonperishable

food item out of the cafeteria: one day a granola bar,

another day a package of crackers, or whatever else we could get our

hands on and smuggle easily. Mike was also in charge of bringing

water bottles since he was able to carry more in his backpack. If

anyone caught us with the food, we could just say we needed a snack.

We were technically allowed to take food outside the cafeteria, but I

didn't think they'd approve of us stockpiling it. I stashed my supplies

under the bottom drawer of my dresser.

But more food wasn't our biggest concern. I had been told that

we had tracking chips implanted in us so that security could track our

whereabouts. If we managed to find our way out of here, we had to

make sure no one could follow us, and that meant getting the tracking

chips out of our arms. A few times I had faked being sick and when

they took me to the infirmary, I stole a scalpel, some bandages, and a

few other first aid supplies that might come in handy. Using a razor

sharp knife to cut into my own flesh or Mike's was a little daunting,

but it would be necessary if—no, when we escaped.

As the weeks, and then months, passed, our stash of supplies

grew, along with our knowledge of the security system. We all had ID

cards that opened our rooms and allowed us to get out to the exercise

yard, but if we wanted to go anywhere else, we needed an employee

pass. I figured it would be easy enough to talk someone out of one,

but the situation had to be right. Leaving at night seemed like our best

option as there were very few staff members on the residence level

after dinner and it was likely that the rest of the complex would be the

same. But if we took a pass too early in the day, the employee would

be able to report it as lost, and they'd probably disable it before we

had a chance to leave. If we waited until nighttime, we might not be

able to get out before the employee realized what had happened and

security was alerted.

The problem of the ID cards had me stumped, and it stalled

our progress. The longer we went without a solution, the more

frustrated and desperate to escape I became.