Gravitating: Part One Read online

  The Guile Series

  Gravitating Part One

  Olivia Palloc

  Copyright © 2020 Palloc Books

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Art Painter

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  To all of my wonderful girls that help me make it through each chapter. You know who you are

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  A note from the author

  About The Author

  Books In This Series

  Books By This Author

  Prologue

  The young nurse kept a slight upturn of her lips as she moved her hand to guide us toward the room. I grabbed my husbands hand swallowing a quiet dreadful sigh.

  I was born here, in this underground city. Where none of the world above knows of our existence, and few here below, know of theirs. I know of the vast lands above, only because of the man I married. He is one of the three children, of the founders of the New Law Union. Today is the day we choose our child. I wish that I could have had my own child. I longed to bare a child from my own body. My husband made the decision for us to wait until plans were complete. The only solace I take in that decision is knowing my two friends were also bound to never be with child.

  Out of the three of us couples, my husband and I are the last to choose our child. The child we would raise as our own. The child that would be forced to mature quickly, learn quickly, and follow all of the plans laid out to establish a new world. Generations of planning and work have went into what we have now. I hate to put the burden on a child, or well three children, I suppose. Knowing the jobs and the strife that leading something like this causes. I hate that the one that I pick will be responsible.

  The nursery is full this month. Having twelve new deliveries in the last week alone is quite an accomplishment. The mothers here do not get to know their own children. They stay with the child through breast-feeding stage, and then are taken back to their mates as their children move on to the young-lings area. I suppose that is one good reason for never bearing my own child. The thought of giving him up for the greater good is heart wrenching.

  I look over the rows of bassinets laid out before me. I don’t know how I am supposed to choose one. Last year the first of our couples chose their child. He is a white haired, pale eyed, bubbly infant now. He is smart, learning how to walk at only eight months of age. Already little Gabryl can identify colors and several of the alphabet. I hope ours is that quick of a study.

  The second couple chose their child less than six months ago. Tye has hypnotizing green eyes and light brown hair. He is a very large baby, coming in close to the same size as Gabryl even being half his age. I don’t know if I want a baby quite as large as him. I’d like to keep the baby that I choose to be my own, as a baby, for as long as I can.

  Both couples join us for this process, just as we had joined them on their journey. They stand quietly against the back of the room, while we walk the rows of cribbing. A sharp cry grabs my attention and I turn to see the cause.

  “No miss, this is not the one you want.” The young nurse from before rushes to the crib to quiet the babe inside.

  “And, pray tell, lady, why would you assume that?” My husband stands largely behind me. I know his presence can be a bit overwhelming due to his size, so I feel a little satisfaction knowing that he addressed my inquiry to the nurse.

  “I do apologize sir, I do not mean to tell you what you can or can not have, I would never!” she stutters slightly, “I only mean to say, that this child was marked for repose due to a condition called, heterochromia.”

  “Explain.” I state not liking at all the fact that this child has been determined to die.

  “Heterochromia ma’am. That is, his eyes are not the same. Even here at birth it is detected to be one green and one blue. Typically the pigments wouldn’t set in so quickly.” She seems to come to life explaining this medical predicament. It is obvious she is in the correct field of work. I am glad our new program for placement is working well. However I don’t like that she thinks because eyes do not match a child does not deserve to live. Before I can accost her on this front she continues. “Not to mention this bright red hair, I have never even seen this color on a child so young. Being that his pigmentation is so prominent, the doctor tested him for defects. None of the known defects presented, however upon analysis, it was determined he had a mutation in his genetic code that caused this predicament. With regards to preserving pristine genetics, it was determined the child must perish.” She seems proud of herself for her recollection. I however, am not.

  “I want him.” I state firmly.

  “Excuse us for one moment,” my husband returns.

  “There are mutative markers in his DNA, sweetheart, I know the idea of him dying is hurting you, but we can not put the future we have worked so hard on at risk for one child.” he pleads.

  He is hoping that I understand. I have understood every decision he has ever needed to make, but this one, this one I will not abide.

  “No. I have stood by faithfully and went with every decision you have ever needed to make. I put away my own future and my own desires to bare my own child, for the sake of the future you all have planned. I have witnessed the expansive lands above, and yet asked for nothing. I have asked you for nothing. I want for nothing. I choose to help with this endeavor we are on because I believe in what you are doing, but please do not ask me to give up this child. Please let me choose this one thing for me. Let me be selfish this one single time. I have not many years left, nor do you. A hope for a few years with this child is all I need to be happy. Please.” I have almost brought myself to tears fighting for this baby, that I do not even know. I take a jagged breath in and let it out slowly as I lift my eyes to meet my husbands.

  “Nurse, has the child been chipped?” he asks without looking from my eyes. I stare back into his not knowing what that means exactly.

  “Yes sir. He was chipped prior to the testing.” she replies meekly.

  I study him closely. He doesn’t look away from me. “Bring us our child nurse.” his studious remark resounds through my entire body. Tears spring unwillingly from my eyes. He reaches up to brush them away as the nurse gently hands me our baby. I break eye contact and we both look down to the sight in my arms. I snuggle him closer, my cheeks hurt from how high my mouth is turned up on my face. The smell of the colorful newborn floods my nose.

  “Well sweetheart, do you have a name?” he asks. Even though I don’t look away from the babe in my arms, I can hear his grin.

  I stare at the litt
le one a minute longer deciphering. Slowly I bring my eyes back up to my husbands and utter the name my heart has decided on.

  “West.”

  Chapter 1

  Gabryl

  Eighteen years later

  “Are you sure you got the feed cut dude?”

  “Gabe, I told you all is good, I got you man. Little faith please, yeah?” Tye scolds into the phone.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, sorry man. I’m freaking out a little though, for real. This is the biggest score yet.” I panic.

  “Look, bro, I trust you when you tell me that the bunker isn’t going to collapse, even though you know I hate being underground. You trust me to handle the security feeds. You are good. You know the plan. The guys helping got the plan down. Its an in and out. You got it. Now quit shitting around and get it done. We got more stuff to take care of.”

  “Gah! Damn okay! I got it. Watch my back, hit me up if anything changes. Keep an eye on the guys helping in case one of them tries something shifty. I don’t like outside help. I’m off.”

  “There’s the boss man we know and love,” I can hear his stupid smirk through the phone as he signs off, “Later!”

  I check to make sure my phone is on vibrate before sliding it into the cargo pocket of my pants. I signal to one of the guys that it is go time. Even though my nerves are still sky high I prepare for the largest heist I have been a part of.

  Synotech, is a large technology and pharmaceutical production company in London, and we need product. We have the money to just buy it thanks to a siphoning scheme we have set in place, but this is just easier. No one will be breathing down our necks about the large quantities of products this way. We won’t have to come up with lies about what it is for, or go through legal formalities to procure all the inventory. That would simply take too long.

  I absolutely can not fail this mission. Tye put in a lot of work hacking their systems and placing claims of asbestos from the employees computers. Then he worked hard to procure my identity as a identifier and cleaner of the problem. I laugh to myself thinking about showing up yesterday with those credentials and demanding to be shown around the area to search for the issue. The companies higher ups were shook when I told them there was indeed asbestos signs in several areas of their establishment and that I would need them to shut down productions and evacuate the area for 48 hours while my team and I cleaned up the problem.

  What kind of major company with so much on the line falls for something so simple? I mean, I know I have an air of authority about me but damn, someone is going to be in a lot of trouble once they realize the truth behind the matter.

  They think that they will be able to keep an eye on the situation from their hundreds of security cameras placed all over but Tye has that under control too. I don’t know what exactly he is doing, as my own computer intelligence is limited, but something about loops and blurs and whatever. My job now is just to lead these men in, load the vans with everything we can fit, and then get the hell out of dodge.

  I shake my head as if the physical motion can actually brush away all the thoughts flitting around in there. I need to focus on my next step. The other guys on the team are already in their locations waiting on my signal to start pulling the assigned items. I open the door to the lab, “Go,” I demand into the communication device that all of the team is carrying.

  They know that they can start carrying out the loads now that I have given the signal. While they do that I get the pleasure of following Tyes' instructions, to hack the lab computers so we have the information that West will need to keep up production of the products and any new products we develop back home.

  Apparently it is a hack that needs to be done in person not from half way across the world. The lead scientist for the company was a little sloppy with his computer protections. This allowed Tye to access his login information, so getting into the computer is a breeze. However, the lab has security measures set up on its computers giving us a very small six minute window to get all of the information we need before the system will shut down. Thankfully Tyes’ program only needs three minutes to get the goods. After plugging in the USB, I take a step back there is nothing more I can do while the computer does its thing, so I decide to raid the lab while I am here. I pull all labeled bottles from cabinets around the room and store them in the cargo bag I brought with me. I keep an eye on my watch as I scurry around.

  “Three,” I warn through the devices. We are half way through this part of the mission. The team knows they have two minutes to finish and get loaded into the vans. I check the computer. The program finishes and I pull the little device from the tower and secure it with my phone in my pants pocket.

  “Two,” I state through the coms. It will take me a full minute to get to the vehicle location from the lab. I zip the cargo bag containing the products and throw it over my shoulder. Time to get out of here.

  “One,” I breathe into the mic as I round the corner to the parking area.

  “Lets get the hell out of here, yeah?” I confirm as I take my place in the drivers seat of the front van.

  “Ready,” several of the other guys answer back. Getting out of the compound is simple. Their parking area is just a drive around the building. The gates to keep people out are disabled so that we could “clean” today. We cleaned up alright, I chuckle at my own joke.

  The hangar is only a five minute straight drive from Synotech, but to keep suspicion down each of the six vans drive separate directions making the meet time take fifteen minutes at max. I take the short route, so that I can get the plane ready.

  My nerves are still riding high but I do my best to quell the emotions and just drive. One thing at a time, I remind myself. Pulling into the hangar I back the van right up to the plane to load my wares. The owner of the airstrip has already prepped my flight for me. I am so thankful. Even though I prefer to do my own pre-flight checks, I understand why he did it.

  Though the ID I carry on me says that I am twenty-two, I am in fact only eighteen, and I look eighteen. The only physical aspects of myself that make me seem slightly older is the platinum blonde hair and gray eyes. Those two characteristics tend to intimidate people, or is it my size? I am a pretty large guy so I guess it could be that.

  My mind is wandering again. So I refocus on the task at hand. I have the cargo loaded from my van and the engines running. The next two vans pull up and the men driving help me load the product onto the plane. Before we can finish loading, the next van pulls in. The man driving says nothing just climbs out of his seat and starts carrying items into the plane.

  When the vans are clear the men drive them to different locations around the city and wait for the get a way driver to retrieve them. Finally the last of the vans pull up. As we load the last of the products into the plane, I speak to the man, “Final payment will transfer once I am air bound.”

  “You not going to screw us are you?” He growls, “Just seems like it would be easy for you to get out of here, without completing your end of the bargain.”

  “I always pay my debts, man, you need to back down.”

  “I think that you are going to need to finalize payment before you leave. We don’t know your name, where you are going, where this money is coming from. I mean we are holding all of the fall out if something were to go wrong. So how about you just transfer the money to us right now. Huh? Then I will get out of here and you can be on your merry little way boy.”

  I look at the man trying to intimidate me and try not to laugh at his stupidity. “That isn’t going to be possible, my man. You see, my partner has my flight tagged with a GPS, he has the money transfer information, and he will not release the money to your accounts until I am in the air. So, on that note, why don’t you exit my plane so I can be on my way, and you can get your pay. Yeah?”

  “No. That isn’t going to work. You pay me now or you don’t leave. Matter of fact, with the amount of products we relieved Synotech of, I think you can afford to pay us a great deal m
ore. Now to be blunt, I don’t care if you give it to the other guys but I think for all of my effort, I deserve oh say an extra 500 thousand. I also say you give it to me now or you won’t be leaving.” He smirks as he pulls the pistol from his jacket.

  The idiot truly thinks he has me in a jam. “Whats your name?” I ask as I uncross my arms.

  “Doesn’t matter. You get me my money now, or there is no need for you to breathe any longer.”

  “Ah, and just what is it that you are going to do with all this stolen merchandise if you shoot me? Have you thought of that? The things we got today, those aren’t things you can resale, you dumb ass. The minute something out of the haul hits the market, you will be caught. So you shoot me. You don’t get the money you were supposed to get and my partner releases the video of all of your faces robbing Synotech. Then you are on the run for the rest of your life. Without money. So tell me, sir, do you still think that I am going to do what you want?”

  “I want it now!” he roars.