Read Kings and Crowns: A Dystopian Thriller (Age of End Book 2) for Free Online

City. He was dozens of floors up, at least, and could see the twisting maze of buildings fade into the distance. To the left, he saw the wall surrounding the City, and the gap they had entered from. Past the wall was the vast ocean. They had come a long way.
    He was enjoying the view when the lady popped in. “Okay, Mr. Vigo. Come with me.”
    He followed her across the hall to another room. There was a large tube-shaped machine standing upright, slightly bigger than the size of a person.
    She looked at her clipboard and scribbled some notes. “Please remove your clothes and step into the scanner.”
    Vince hesitated, staring at the contraption.
    “I assure you, it won’t hurt. You won’t feel a thing.”
    He did as she said and removed his clothes. When he stepped inside, he saw glowing lights at his feet, around the edge of the tube.
    “Please stand with your legs apart and your arms stretched out to the sides.”
    He followed her instructions.
    “Now, stand still for a moment.”
    As he held his pose, a low hum grew louder. The lights at his feet grew brighter and spun around the outer edge. When they reached their full speed, they lifted up from the ground and slowly moved up his body. At the peak of the cycle, they stopped spinning and lowered back to the ground.
    “See?” the lady said. “That wasn’t so bad. You may put your clothes back on and I’ll bring you to your friends. We will have the result of your scan tomorrow morning.” He got dressed and followed her out. She led him to a waiting room area. “If you need anything else, anything at all, just give a wave.” She turned around and left the room.
    The others were sitting on long couches and talking amongst themselves. Saul looked up. “Vince! You’re alright.” He popped up and pulled him in for a hug. The others got up and joined in.
    Vince saw Rupert’s bare shoulder. “Where’s Fred?”
    “They’re taking a look at her right now. They say they can probably treat her. Get her back to normal within a day or two. She just has to stay here overnight.”
    “That’s good news. She seems to be in good hands. They have impressive medicine here.”
    “I’ve never seen anything like it. Certainly not in Snow Peak, that’s for sure.”
    Vince looked at the rest of them “Did they scan you?”
    “They insisted on scanning all of us,” Ella said. “Wanted to make sure we’re healthy. I guess Greene is looking out for us.”
    Saul shook his head. “I find that hard to believe.”
    “We shouldn’t talk about this right now,” Vince said.
    “Why not?”
    He shot a quick glance at the camera in the corner. They all saw.
    “Because he’s tired, Saul,” Ella said in a casual voice. “He doesn’t want to hear about your crazy conspiracy theories.”
    Saul looked down. “You’re right. We’re all tired.”
    “So what now?” Alan asked.
    Rupert shrugged. “Can we leave? Where would we go?”
    Just as the question left his mouth, a young gentleman entered the room. “Welcome to the Spire, friends.” His voice was upbeat and cheery. “This is a very exciting day. Two subjects from the outside, coming all this way to support our program. It’s amazing! Now, if everyone’s ready, there is someone for you to meet. Follow me!”

ELEVEN
    CHARLOTTE WATCHED THE screen as a recording of Simon’s rally played. She snuck a quick glance at the door. Still locked. Trevor sat beside her, reading. She sighed. “I’m getting sick of this safe room.”
    Trevor turned the page. “Just relax. You work too hard.”
    “I can’t relax. My two test subjects just became the most popular faces in the City. If anything, I should panic.”
    “Greene seems to have everything under control. If he needed you, he would have called—”
    A voice blared from the loudspeaker. “Charlotte Marble. Please report to the briefing room. Repeat. Charlotte Marble. Please report to the briefing room.”
    She jumped from her seat and grabbed her journal.