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But not yet.
Not until she completed her quest for vengeance.
While she could have chosen to cover them, she preferred wearing the black leather vest and matching pants that most of the Krytos favored. If seeing her scars bothered people, that was too damn bad for them. There was no way to cover up the slash mark that ran through one of her brows and down her cheek or the curved mark on one side of her neck that proved just how close she’d come to losing her head.
Remembering how she’d gotten that particular mark made her headache worse. She finished up another drink order, then was glad to be spared a prolonged trip down memory lane when one of the servers hurried over to slump against the bar top.
“Is it time to close yet?” Violet whined. Bonded to a Krytos and another human, she was one of the few humans who lived and worked at Exodus.
Secret’s lips twitched as she fought back a smile. “I wish.”
“Do me a solid, will you? Fill the drink order for the brats at table twelve before they change their minds again? If they do, I might just have to hurt them.”
“They been giving you a hard time?”
Violet sighed. “It’s nothing that bad. They’re just being annoying.”
“I’ll ask Juno to take the drinks over when they’re ready,” Secret offered, mentioning the large Krytos covered in tattoos and attitude that was currently scaring the shit out of a group of humans waiting for a table near the entrance.
“Oh, I would love that. You’re the best!” Violet giggled. “That should give me enough time to run downstairs and make sure Fiona and Levi eat something before the next rush. I’ll be back in a few.”
As she hurried away, Secret called the order up on her screen and got to work making the drinks. While the booths and tables had automated order options, a lot of the patrons preferred to place their food and drink orders with one of the servers.
“It’s the Travers sisters and their friends,” the blonde sitting at the bar announced quietly. She shared a look with her friends, then she shot Secret a conspiratorial glance, including her in on their conversation. “I heard they threw a fit last week when they couldn’t get the cure.”
The brunette rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t they just make an appointment like everyone else?”
“They just got back from one of the space stations. Since Regent Travers is their uncle, I’m guessing they just expected to show up whenever they wanted,” the female with black hair told them dryly. “They were one of the wealthiest families in Light City, but they moved here after the massacre. I’m sure they were used to getting preferential treatment wherever they went and are not used to how different things are here in Zion.”
“Welcome to the real world,” the redhead snickered, then she let out a happy sigh. “I’m really excited about the cure. I can’t wait for my appointment next week.”
“I’m still not sold on this whole thing,” the blonde said, a hint of worry evident in her tone. “Maybe I’ll wait a few more months to make sure you don’t turn into a zombie or something before I get mine.”
Their brunette friend snorted in derision. “I think it’s a trap. They might claim Hart Pharmaceuticals is managing everything, but the new guy in charge of the company is still an Alliance officer. That makes me highly suspicious.”
“She’s right,” their scroll friend confirmed. “I don’t want anything bad to happen to any of you, so I think we need to remain cautious.”
“I heard some of the other scrolls are even getting the cure to completely eradicate all traces of the virus,” the redhead explained.
The brunette scoffed. “That’s crazy. Why would they inject something into their body that they don’t need?”
As they continued debating, Secret finished the drink order for the problem table, then she waved Juno over and briefly explained the situation. With a feral grin, the Krytos lifted the tray of drinks and practically skipped toward the table.
“What do you think, Secret?” the redhead asked. “Do you think they’re lying about the cure, or is this really the miracle we’ve all been waiting for?”
Secret didn’t say anything for a moment as she took her time to consider how to respond. While she didn’t know much about the medical side of things, she understood being overly cautious when something sounded too good to be true.
The cure meant everything was going to change for the human race.
The virus and the resulting infertility had been the cause of so much conflict and pain over the years. Declining population had forced humans to declare martial law, and females were literally branded with their fertility status to make it easier for elite males to claim them. While the Alliance selected certain individuals to be given enhancements in order to make them stronger, faster, and smarter, citizens were relegated to positions with little to no chances of wealth or advancement. Citizens might be the backbone of society, but they were completely unappreciated and overlooked most of the time.
Then, there were the rebels.
Humans that were classified as rebels were essentially designated as criminals. The rebels didn’t believe in the Alliance’s rules and regulations, nor did they agree with women being marked with their fertility status. Rebels also refused to allow their children to be taken away so they could be tested and conscripted into military service, which was one of the main reasons rebels had fought against the Alliance for so long.
With the creation of the cure, humans were going to have to reevaluate their priorities. If fertility was no longer an issue, the divide between the human factions would become obsolete. That would change the entire power structure and destroy the control the Alliance had over everyone. Secret wasn’t sure if the Alliance was ready for that, but she believed freedom and equality were definitely worth fighting for.
Humans had been segregated for far too long, and the current class system had done more damage than good over the years. Secret understood what it felt like to have her freedom taken away, and for that reason alone she wanted to destroy the system that branded females as potential breeders and alter it into something better. A great deal of reform needed to happen in order for Earth to step away from the current martial law regime, but curing the virus was the first step to making that a reality.
