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Invidia TWENTY-NINE
"My father's journal started getting strange," Cameron interjected. "He was eager to start this new job at Keegan Enterprises. He just mentioned that some of the workers looked dead inside, and honestly, what job doesn't have some people like that? But he mentioned it was everyone. They all looked like they'd lost their will to live. He started to get suspicious and nosy when he knew he shouldn't have. He started prying, and then all of a sudden, his entries got shorter. He got paranoid, convinced someone was following him and watching both him and my mom. I don't know what to believe.""No one expects you to have all the answers, Cameron," Justin patted his shoulder. "That's too much to ask of you. As for me, I'd say he probably wasn't wrong about everyone looking dead inside. A job like that is sure to be killing people, both inside and out.""But why'd he get so paranoid all of a sudden? I don't get it.""I'm sure people would actually be keeping an eye on him if he were straying w
Invidia THIRTY
"I'm sorry butwhat?"Cameron's jaw dropped. "You heard me. My mom met some hunk at Keegan Enterprises, or rather, a part of it, and left my dad for him. My dad, in a frenzy, joined Keegan Enterprises and never left. He's been involved with their team ever since, and I don't know why. It's never made sense to me, but that's how it worked." "That confirms our suspicions though," Madison turned to Cameron. "Keegan Enterprises is definitely responsible for this. I didn't realize how deeply until now." "So, you're telling me that Hendrickson isn't the real threat here," Cameron said flatly. "No, he is, trust me," Madison typed away on her HoloComm, making hundreds of notes in a few seconds. "He's just not thebiggestthreat, and it's also not entirely his fault." "Don't tell me you're trying to say he's a victim," Cameron growled. "I didn't say that, Cameron." She snapped. "I just don't think he's the
Invidia THIRTY-ONE
"So how the fuck are we going to get in to Keegan Enterprises?"Justin was always a professional at asking the obvious questions, so Cameron was always a professional at giving the sarcastic answers, "I don't know, man. I just thought we'd walk right in through the front door.""Oh really?" Justin snarked back. "That does seem like a solid plan. Too bad the place is a fortress.""Dude, I was kidding. That's the worst idea I could possibly think of," Cameron stated."Enough, boys," Madison reached for Cameron's hand to calm him. He was on edge, and she knew that. "We can't afford to be such smartasses to each other, not yet. We have to figure out a plan and execute it first. Then you can be as sarcastic as you want.""She's right," Shane jumped in. "That place is under lock and key. Not even my dad can get in without prior authorization.""Now would be the time for you to jump in with some kind of info you'd been forgetting to tell us, Shane," Justin said.He shrugged, "Too bad I don't
Invidia THIRTY-TWO
After several long minutes of being enveloped in the presence of Madison van Buren, they pulled their lips apart and just sank into each other's arms. She rested her head on his chest, and he had to ask the obvious question that was burning a hole in his thoughts. "Why'd you do that?" "The kiss?" "Yeah." Madison looked up at him, and he'd never noticed how beautiful her eyes were. Her eyelashes glistened across her brow as she replied, "Because I got jealous, and I wanted you to know how I felt about you. Plus, I got tired of waiting for you to make the first move, so I figured I might as well go ahead." "I didn't even realize I liked you, Mads. It's definitely best that you made the first move," Cameron chuckled. He ran his fingers through her hair, gently petting it. "So, what does this mean for us?" "What do you want it to mean?" She asked. She looked back down, as if she couldn't face him during this part of the conversation. "Well, I like you Mads. In fact, I think I love y
Invidia THIRTY-THREE
"Where are they located?" Cameron asked once they gathered the whole place together."It looks like they're about forty-five miles from here," Justin answered after a quick glance. "So how are we going to get there?""Could we ask Frank?" Madison asked."No," Cameron said firmly. "For one, I don't want to put him in any more risk, especially by bringing him here. For two, Hendrickson has a big event today that Frank has to be busy for.""So let's just walk," Madison suggested."Since Carly's here, I guess I could drive us," Justin suggested. "I was sparing my mom the car while she was at home with Carly, but now that Carly's with us, Mom'll just take the train.""Bet," Cameron clapped his hands together. "Let's go."Madison excused herself for a moment before they left. She came out of her bedroom about ten minutes later with a black duffel bag that was full to bursting with strangely-shaped lumps. "Okay, everyone else ready?""I'll bite," Cameron stepped forward. "Honey, what's in th
Invidia THIRTY-FOUR
"Wow, this place is even bigger inside," Madison tilted her head back to see glass ceilings and walls everywhere. "Yeah, but that's not what we're here about," Justin directed. Cameron noticed how clearly he'd been coming into a new identity for himself. He was becoming a leader, one that would make his mother proud, if she really knew him well enough."I know. Just thought I'd mention it," Madison sounded a little hurt, but she didn't push it. "Don't," he spun around to look at her. "We're supposed to act like we belong here, and you going around like you've never been here will give that away.""I'm sorry," she turned even whiter than she'd always been. "Don't be, but remember that you're already on thin ice with me. I don't need you giving us away," he scolded. "Besides, you're the one that arranged this whole thing, so why are you desperate to give up now?""I'm just overwhelmed is all. I'll be alright," she said. "Guys," Carly butt in. "I hope I don't ruin your precious argui
Invidia THIRTY-FIVE
"About six months after I started here, people started acting strange." Chuck started."Strange how?" Cameron leaned on the edge of his seat."Well, they'd be depressed every day. They came in here acting like the world was ending and their lives were falling apart, but I didn't know why. You know, the place can have its days, but I've never thought it as that bad, you know? Anyway, I noticed people here went from being depressed to killing themselves. One by one, people were dropping like flies. I never understood why, but I ended up going to get a drink with this man once. I never got his name, but he had a wife at home. We were at the bar, and he was telling me about how she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He was totally in love with her, and I haven't seen that in a long time. Anyway, he'd been noticing the same things I was, even wrote about it in his journal that night. That's how we came to meet, actually. His best friend, Marcus I think is what he said, was becomi
Invidia THIRTY-SIX
"You'll never believe what we found," Justin told Cameron and Carly when they met up."What did you find?" Carly purposely dodged questions about them, which Cameron appreciated. He wasn't ready to talk just yet."Come on. We can't talk here," he instructed. "Follow me." He led them a ways down the hallway to another stone room that, at first glance, contained no cameras, but they weren't stupid enough to take that as the truth. The room was empty. It had no place to sit or conceal themselves from any potential cameras. The floor was hard and cold, but Justin sat on it to spread out the files he found."This isn't about Project Invidia," Cameron inspected."I know, but they're about Keegan Enterprises," Justin defended. "I didn't think we'd have enough time to look solely for Invidia, so I just went into the history of this company. It's apparently much older than originally thought.""How old?" Carly asked."A hundred and thirty years," Mad
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- Invidia
FIFTY-ONE
Her world was blurry, and she was finding it difficult to stay conscious. The harder she fought, the harder it became. She was going to have to let it happen. With as deep of an inhale as she could, she swallowed her breath and let herself fall into it.*****Everything was wavy; the beach, the sand, the clouds. Even the way Madison's hair whipped in the wind. Everything was also distorted, wrong, like she didn't belong there.Someone was out in front of her. They were tall, slender, and dark complected. As far as Madison could tell, the person had a kind face. They reached out a hand towards her, beckoning her to come closer. She took a step, but it was slow. The air was heavy, like she was standing on the moon. Everything was in slow motion, and she couldn't tell how far away the person was. Each step she took, the person always seemed the same distance away, but they weren't moving."Come, child," the person said. It sounded like a woman's voice, but it was nearly impossible to tel
- Invidia
FIFTY
“Whythe hell are you doing this?” Cameron mumbled. The gag dried out his mouth and made his tongue feel sandy, which made moving it to get the gag out all that more difficult. “You know why,” his stepfather answered, bent over the table Cameron was strapped to. The restraints sliced into his skin and bent his wrists at unnatural angles. “You’ve deceived me. You’ve lied. You’ve done everything in your power to overthrow me.” “Whatpower?” He finally spit the gag out. “You’re the freaking president. Ihaveno power. I d
- Invidia
FORTY-NINE
Justin forgot where they even were. He knew they were in the Keegan building, but between the ceiling falling, walking through a holographic wall, and having a mission of death assigned to them, he couldn't remember where in the building they were. The lack of labeling and entirely white walls all over the place didn't help ground him either. It was an endless maze, and the only way he knew to get out of it was to wait for himself to stop being able to breathe.Great,he thought. "Do you have any idea where we are?" He asked Carly, who shook her head no.They had just turned a corner and finally saw something different.Stairs. Justin ran to them and although they were white like the rest of the building, at least he might have foreseen something changing in the near future. He never thought he'd be so happy to see stairs."Up or down?" He asked Carly, beaming."Justin, we're at the bottom. The only way we can go is up."
- Invidia
FORTY-EIGHT
"Kill my father? No way." Cameron said. "Not happening." "Cameron, it's the only way," Dr. Jackson defended. "Besides, that's the only thing now that would truly free him, wouldn't it?" "No!" Cameron argued. "Cam," Madison put a hand on his shoulder, "can you imagine what your father is like now? After being in captivity by the one man who has beaten you foryears? He's been jailed by the man forfifteen years.We have to set him free, in the most humane way possible." "But that doesn't mean we have to fucking murder him!" "Cameron, I know this must be hard to understand, and that's okay, but I need you to listen to me. Even if we do somehow free your father from the government's hands, don't you think he would still be plagued by those 15 years? Think a decade and a half of post-traumatic stress disorder, on top of the amount he already had in response to the oxygen shortage. Wouldn't you want to be truly set
- Invidia
FORTY-SEVEN
Rock, plaster, and dust covered everything in a thick layer of ick. Justin coughed and spit on the floor, and Carly snapped at him for being gross.During the ceiling falling, and their chests becoming engulfed in choking clouds of dust, neither of them noticed the giant man that fell with the ceiling. The man was gargantuan, with a hooked nose and a scruffy beard, no hair on his head, and his breath was the scent of spoiled milk. He landed softly on the ground, noiselessly, and stalked away down the corridor. The only thing he left behind were footprints settled on the sooty ground."God, what was up with that?" Justin finally finished coughing."I don't know, but look," Carly pointed to the footprints of what had to have been at least a size 14 foot."Geez, who is that? Bigfoot?" Justin followed them, walking carefully so his own footprints did not disturb them.It didn't take long for them to catch up with the beast. He was large, but what he made up for in size, he lacked in speed
- Invidia
FORTY-SIX
"Gross, Cameron," Madison jumped back."If you really believe that, does that mean you hate our government?" Cameron asked after wiping his mouth."I don't really feel comfortable answering that, considering who I'm speaking to," Dr. Jackson spoke carefully.Cameron stared, "Do you really think I'm a fan of my stepfather?" He chuckled. "The man beats me. I want to see him in the ground."Dr. Jackson's eyes widened. "Yes, I despise everything about them.""Good," Cameron's face sparkled. A new potential ally amongst all the other enemies in this wretched, fucked up world was exactly what they needed. "We may need your help.""How so?" Dr. Jackson asked hesitantly."I need you to befriend my stepfather," even Madison's head turned when Cameron said that."Why?" Dr. Jackson was infinitely more suspicious than he already was."Because we think he's up to something he shouldn't be, and we have reasonable evidence or whatever it is you say we need in class for a theory, but I can't tell you
- Invidia
FORTY-FIVE
"Wait, wait, wait." Madison said. "Hold on. How does he steal all of their oxygen? And how does he know that what he's doing works?""I don't know, but I have an idea who might." Cameron said."Who would that be?""My professor at San Vanjay's, the one who was writing about biomolecular physics.""And how do we know we can trust him?" Madison asked.Cameron gulped, "We don't, but what other choice do we have?"*****"How exactly did they wipe themselves out?" Carly asked the little girl."They made themselves known too quickly.""In what way?"Adalia gave a smile, "Have you ever heard of the Beginning?"Justin worked hard to keep his face as straight as possible. "I think I might have heard it somewhere. Why?""They were the ones who put me here, gave me a chance at becoming a part of the Project."Carly piped up this time, "And was that your choice, to leave?"She smiled sadly at the ground, "Not at first, no. I did not want to leave my mother and my father, but they understood. The
- Invidia
FORTY-FOUR
"What the hell makes you say that?" Madison asked."God, that's so like him," he muttered to himself. He walked over to a man. The man was strapped to a table with tubes attached to his chest. He also had a mask over his face, one that looked like an older mask, the kind they used to put over asthmatic patients when they needed help breathing."Cameron," Madison yanked his arm. "Look at me." He turned around slowly. "Why do you say that he's stealing their oxygen?"He gestured at the man's feet. "Do you see that giant metal tank? I can tell that the masks on their face are collecting it. Those tanks used to give oxygen, so what makes you think they can't take it as well?""Except for the fact those people aren't breathing out oxygen. They're breathing out carbon dioxide.""They're not though. I think he's stealing it from their lungs.""How?""Do you see these tubes here?" He pointed to the tubes suctioned onto the man's chest. "I think those are filtering out the stuff Hendrickson do
- Invidia
FORTY-THREE
"Madison! Please come back with me. They don't need Carly and Justin, which means we do." Cameron pointed out the obvious. "Clearly, them being here would mess up the project, otherwise they wouldn't have even bothered. Would they? They'd have just killed them and gotten it over with."Madison turned around, eyes wider than he'd ever seen them. "They're needed for something else.""Is there something bigger than Project Invidia?" Cameron pinched his nose. "Damn," he muttered."There has to be, otherwise like you said, they'd have just killed them off already.""Shit, you're right. We need to find them." Cameron started backtracking."Cam, we fell through the floor. How exactly do you expect us to find them?" Madison put her hands on her hips."Good point. Madison van Buren," he put his hands on her shoulders, steadying them both at the same time, "you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I want you to know that. I want you to know if it weren't for you, I probably woul
