The World Above Us

Chapter 7

Elizabeth

Elizabeth was halfway through unpacking her stuff when her holo bleeped. She tapped the screen to reveal a voice recording from the one and only Maryanne Holland. CEO of Novae Terrae. Elizabeth's heart pounded in her chest. No. Not now. Not when she finally found safety. She was finally able to stop running from the U.S government, now she was being summoned by Maryanne Holland of all people.

Elizabeth groaned and combed her hair as she tapped on the voice recording.

"I presume I have reached Dr. Sandra Gilbert. your work at the Agency impressed us all here at Novae Terrae. You've been chosen for a special, once-in-a-lifetime research program. You will be given a briefing inside the company car that will be sent to your habitat," the voice recording narrated.

Elizabeth's suspicion was piqued. She grasped for the supercomputer inside her pocket. She should have chosen a less high-profile person to steal an identity from. But Dr. Gilbert and her looked almost exactly alike. Not to mention they had almost the exact same skill set. The opportunity had been too good to pass up. Elizabeth would just have to play along and hope she didn't get caught. She highly doubted Maryanne Holland wanted anything with her. As far as she could tell, only high-profile individuals at the Pentagon knew about the Invention. Holland couldn't exactly send her back to Earth to face their wrath.

Elizabeth tilted her head as she walked out of her habitat to see a sleek, black hovercar waiting for her. The black tinted windows and the shininess of the car sent memories flashing through her head. She shook it off. She was Elizabeth Mitchell. She did not dwell on the past.

The only things that mattered to her were staying alive and the supercomputer in her pocket.

She climbed into the hovercar, feeling it dip slightly. She closed the door gently and clasped her hands in front of her. The car was autonomous, but that didn't mean Holland didn't have secret cameras hidden throughout the car.

As soon as the door was shut, the car went dark. Elizabeth's heart started to drum faster in her chest. Memories of her family being dragged away filled her head. She shook it off. PTSD wasn't going to help her. All she could do was survive.

She sighed in relief as a briefing for the program popped up on a holo projecting from a screen hidden in the floor. She squinted to read the small, blue text projecting in front of her.

Project Icarus was typed at the top of the document in large font. The document described a drug that would induce happiness. It showed a picture of a blue liquid inside of a shiny, space-grade vial. Elizabeth couldn't help but roll her eyes. This was the once-in-a-lifetime research project that Dr. Gilbert was being summoned for? She wasn't even in the medical program, Elizabeth recalled.

She fought the urge to pull out her supercomputer and check the data. The last thing she needed was to be discovered. She would participate in this research program and go back to her habitat and resume her role as Dr. Sandra Gilbert. Technology specialist. It was only a drug. Elizabeth had done plenty of those on Earth. And many of those weren't even sanctioned by the FDA or whoever was in charge of those things.

Her eyes widened when she saw the large glass building towering over her. This building was the only one in the colony that had real glass. Space-grade or not. Their logo was unmistakable on the front of the building. A spaceship headed for Mars. Nobody could ever mistake Novae Terrae for subtle.

The hovercar came to a stop and slowly lowered itself to the ground. Elizabeth climbed out, only to be met with two Novae Terrae agents. They both had square jaws and chiseled muscles. She took note of the powerful laser guns at their sides. Everything about them screamed business. Instantly, Elizabeth was struck with memories of the FBI agents that had carted her family off as if they were no better than animals. She shook her head. She was free of the Pentagon for good. She made sure to keep her hands away from her pockets as the two beefcakes led her inside.

They led her to an office with the Novae Terrae logo printed on the shiny hydraulic doors. Within several minutes, the doors hissed open to reveal Maryanne Holland herself sitting behind her desk. Elizabeth plastered a smile onto her face. She was an expert at charming people. Years on the run forced her to hone her abilities for deception until she could pretend to be anyone she wanted to be.

"Dr. Gilbert. I was waiting for the chance to meet you. I've heard all about your work," Dr. Holland said, tilting her head. There was something about the Novae Terrae CEO that unnerved Elizabeth. She couldn't tell if it was her cold demeanor or the authority she held. There was a disturbing lack of emotions with which the CEO conducted herself. Even at her most ruthless, Elizabeth was never that cold.

"Thank you, Dr. Holland. It is an amazing opportunity to be here. I've spent my whole life preparing for this," Elizabeth recited. She knew her lines by heart now.

"I'm glad to hear that. Did you read the briefing that was provided for you?"

"I did, Dr. Holland," Elizabeth responded. In truth, she skimmed it. Reading was never something she much enjoyed. She preferred to work with her hands. She glanced down at her pale fingers and her perfectly manicured nails. It was those hands that had gotten her and her family into so much trouble.

"Excellent. So you know what you must do?" the CEO asked, leaning forward. Elizabeth nodded. "I do, Dr. Holland," she replied. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity to conduct this kind of research."

"Brilliant. McGregor will show you to the orientation room. I'm sure you and the other researchers will get along quite nicely," Holland said as she waved her hand. McGregor and the other agent led Elizabeth out of the room. Her heart was pounding in her chest. it was only one day. One day, she told herself.