Fractured: Book Three of The Illusion of Truth by Jenetta Penner

Author:Jenetta Penner [Penner, Jenetta]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Torment Publishing
Published: 2021-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

Despite the lack of sentry escorts, Dr. Pierce still stands out from the Cobalts on the street like a sore thumb. He’s dressed too nicely, and I’m sure that everyone who looks at him knows he’s not one of us. He seems to sense the tension as well. The man hasn’t said two words since we left City Hall.

I’ve noticed the eyes of passersby and how people have crossed to the other side of the street to avoid coming too close to us.

But I stand out too in my CPW uniform. The CPW has always been a mixed bag. Of course, being a part of the organization should be an honor, but a lot of Cobalts still see us as traitors . . . Scarlet lovers.

Too-Good Tenly.

The insult rolls in my mind, and there is a distinct possibility that anyone we question in the contact tracing investigation could still offer resistance because they see us as a threat.

But all I can do is my best. Let them know we don’t have all the answers and we need their help. Hopefully, Dr. Pierce is willing to do the same for the greater good. Put any of his preconceived notions . . . prejudice, really . . . aside.

Offer a bit of flattery. Just like Mayor Lark offered me.

This side of town is slightly less run-down than where I lived. Here there are more government offices and fewer factories, but just a few blocks over and we’d start to see the decay. That’s what I’d really like Dr. Pierce to see, but I’m sure what he’s witnessing now is shock enough. A public transport bus drives by and lets out a smelly waft of fuel aroma.

Dr. Pierce coughs, and I twist back to the two Cobalts that accompany us. I happen to know they carry tasers under their coats, as they are not allowed a more deadly weapon. I’m sure our escorts are nice enough people, but by their blank expressions, I don’t think they’re thrilled about their job this morning. One of them is a man, the other a woman. It’s odd to me how in the Tenements a woman can hold a security position, but outside this place none of the sentries are female.

I guess it’s one tiny freedom Cobalts share—we have a little more say in the work ladder that we pursue rather than society telling us we’re only capable of certain things based on our sex.

Mayor Lark is another example.

I move my attention from them up to the obstructive shimmer of the electrodome. Over the last months, I’d almost forgotten what it was like to live in a literal cage.

Now my cages are more figurative.

“Here’s our stop,” our female escort says from behind us. Dr. Pierce and I turn to see her gesturing to the gray cement building on our left. Other than the number of the address, the building name is unmarked.

Dr. Pierce clears his throat and finally speaks again. “Thank you.”

I purse my lips. Are they planning to just leave us here alone? And Dr.

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