“Who are you?” I finally managed to whisper, my voice shaking with both alarm and disbelief.
“My name is Nikki and I’ve come to set you free,” she answered.
I opened my mouth as if to ask another question but she shook her head. Instead, she tossed a pile of clothes at me and looked back expectantly.
“There’s no time. Get dressed quickly and then we have to move,” she explained as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Automatically, I obeyed and pulled on an outfit that looked eerily similar to hers. Pulling up the black slacks and buttoning the vest closed, I was suddenly thankful to finally be able to cover my nakedness.
Then I made a split-second decision. I was going to go with her. Maybe she really had come to rescue me. It seemed likely, in any case.
I raced forward and she nodded, smiling gently in my direction.
“Follow me,” she whispered and the two of us raced into the depths of the building. Every step of hers was sure and true, as though she knew exactly where she was going. She led me into another room I vaguely recognized, and then she pushed a heavy-looking grate aside before gesturing that I go through. Timidly, I climbed into the hole beyond the grate and she followed, each step of hers as silent as the last. The grate soundlessly slid back into place, hiding our escape route from anyone who would come looking for us.
She took my hand in hers and led me forward into a dark passage, the red light from the band around her throat brightening and lighting the way. It was a cave of some kind, likely dug a long time ago before the Great War. Surrounded by dark stone, the air felt wet and damp. I could hear the sound of water dripping in the distance and the further we traveled, the louder it became. We walked for what felt like an hour until we came to a wide crack in the rock that opened up into the night air. As I looked around, I realized I knew where we were.
We’d escaped into the dark streets of Tharia. I looked up, recognizing the opaque shimmer of the dome and took a deep shaky breath. Nikki didn’t stop though. She pulled me along until we arrived at what looked like an old abandoned factory building.
My eyes stole along the streets, trying to place our location in the city. It was still night, but the streetlamps blinked on and off, giving me enough light to study my surroundings. The buildings around us looked derelict and decrepit, as though nothing had been done in several years to fix any of them. About half a block down the crumbling cement road was a building of several stories. It was an apartment complex, but it was nothing like the glamorous ones that I had grown up in.
I licked my lips.
I knew where I was.
This was the omega sanctuary, a place developed to confine omegas should they be foolish enough to reveal their genetic background. The city viewed omegas as dangerous, but thought it was safer to keep them captive rather than banish them to the wilds. The city feared that if omegas were wild and loose, that the population of both alphas and omegas would grow out of control. They feared the chaos of such a development.
So, they developed omega sanctuaries to keep us under their control. But really, it was a prison. I could even see the walls that surrounded this area of the city to keep us confined. I could see the dark shape of the guards keeping all the omegas inside.
Us. The moment the word popped into my mind, something clicked within me.
I was with people like me. Other omegas.
Nikki pulled me into the old factory building and I didn’t say a word the whole time. I stayed silent and watched the confident maneuvers of a woman who seemed to be fearless and brave. Her demeanor was one of strength and the more I followed her, the more I came to respect her even though I hardly knew her.
Whoever she was, I had a feeling she was about to change my world forever.
She led me through steel gangways that echoed beneath my steps, winding through old steam-powered machinery that had long been abandoned to ruin. Rusted steel and crumbling bolts towered around me though and it was a formidable sight. Nikki strode with purpose, unafraid of the creaking metal under our feet.
We walked down one flight of stairs and then another, descending into the darkness into the basement of the old factory. We came to a thick metal door and Nikki lifted her hand, knocking against it in quick succession. She did it again and I realized it was a specific pattern of some kind. Probably a password or something like that.
The door groaned and creaked open slowly. A small woman stood in the doorway, moving aside and nodding her head toward Nikki. She dropped her eyes with respect, and I looked back at the woman who had broken me out of Genwell.
I hadn’t yet heard a word of Nikki’s story yet, but I was pretty sure she was a leader of some kind.
Behind the door was almost another world. Hidden away from prying eyes, the women of the omega sanctuaries flourished. Light flooded the halls, the white painted walls shining bright and I could see hints of recent technology down the hall. Nikki led me further into the basement hideaway, and as we passed rooms, I saw holograms and maps and many other women huddled together talking strategy. We even passed an area that looked similar to the laboratories I’d worked in all my life. Women in white coats leaned over benches, studying glass slides mounted with gods know what.
The omegas were doing their own research down here.
I blinked with surprise. If the government ever got wind of this, they’d probably kill them all.
“Come on. Let’s go to the pit and get you something to eat. When was the last time you ate and drank anything?” Nikki questioned, turning toward me and searching my gaze.
“It’s been some time,” I answered hesitantly. What the hell was the pit?
As we rounded a corner and walked onto gangways similar to those above us in the factory, the meaning of the pit slowly came into focus. The steel footways opened up to frame a large square shape the size of a football field. I ventured closer to the handrail and looked down, seeing an open-air floor several stories below. One area had a small market while another was a gathering place with many cushioned chairs, sofas, and loveseats. There was even a part devoted to tables and chairs, surrounded by women operating booths with delicious-smelling food that wafted up toward my nose. My stomach growled and I realized I was starving.
Nikki headed to a spiral staircase in the corner closest to us and I followed, wondering what kind of food I’d be able to find here. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten, and I was so thirsty.
When we reached the bottom of the pit, Nikki gestured for me to relax at one of the tables while she got some food for the two of us. I saw down at the nearest one and looked around. Women moved around me with confidence and grace, but there were still signs of their poverty and abuse.