by Drew Cordell
I shifted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “You don’t know that. There’s always hope.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll meet my fate with bravery. I just want you to know I’m proud of you.”
One of the guards tapped his rifle on the glass, getting my attention. He held up two fingers. I had two minutes left to speak with Bracken, likely the last two I’d ever have.
“It’s not fair,” I said.
“No, it’s not, but all we can do is stay brave and never stop fighting until the end. Whatever happens, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m completely responsible for my actions, and I hope they’ll lead to the creation of a better society without corruption—a society without the Omniscience Engine.”
“Thank you for everything,” I said as I heard the door click open.
“Time’s up,” Pascal said, irritation in his voice.
I tried to think of more to say, to comfort Bracken and let him know how much he meant to me, how thankful I was for everything he’d done, but the words wouldn’t come out as the emotion hit.
“Remember what I told you,” Bracken said. “I’m proud of you.”
Pascal reached forward and pulled me off the bed and out of the cell, slamming the glass door and dragging me away from Bracken.
I didn’t talk on the way back to the ship or on the flight back to my House. The guards talked amongst themselves, but I was trapped in my thoughts, thinking about Bracken, Mary, and trying to devise a way to get out of this impossible situation.
Taking Pascal’s clearance badge had been an unnecessary risk. I don’t know if I would have been able to forgive myself if my actions had prevented me from speaking to Bracken one last time. In all likelihood the card wouldn’t be very helpful with all the surveillance watching me in Olympus, so I gave it back to Pascal, bumping into him and dropping it on the ground while I did it. He picked it up and simply assumed it had fallen off during the bump. If I were caught with the card, I wouldn’t be able to go to the trial tomorrow, and I wouldn’t gain the information I desperately needed. Where had Adrihel’s pilot gone? I needed the box, and I feared something terrible would happen if the Omniscience Engine were to get a hold of it.
The ship parked on my landing platform, and I was escorted back inside where the Enforcers were waiting to watch my every move. It was still midafternoon, but I was exhausted. I needed to think, to try to create a plan in my head that would solve everything, but I kept coming up blank. I needed more information about the new Government and how it would be run on the surface level. Evelyn Aeoxous wasn’t predictable, and there was no way to tell how deep her connection to the Omniscience Engine went. We weren’t safe here, but there also wasn’t much we’d be able to do in the Slums. The Guild was barely scraping by, on the verge of total collapse.
I returned to my living room to pass the time, counting down the hours before Bracken’s trial.
31 TRIAL
I awoke the next morning after a terrible night of sleep. It was eight AM, and the trial was set to take place in two hours. I hadn’t been told specific details of the trial or even where it was located. There was nothing I could do but attend and absorb as much information as possible, looking for something I could use to better the outcome of my own trial. If possible, I needed to use the opportunity to speak with Mary and Marwin. I wasn’t holding up well, and I could only hope they were doing better.
Not feeling like cooking anything else, I ate the last of my leftover spaghetti for breakfast and took a bath, blasting the steam and soaking in the hot water, trying to calm my nerves. I had to hope that Bracken would make it out alive, but I also had to steel myself for his death.
I stepped out of the bath and toweled off, appraising my appearance in the mirror. My hair was long and unruly, and I had a lot more scars on my body now. Deciding to fix my rugged appearance, I sat in the automated barber chair while the machine cut my hair and shaved the three-day-old stubble from my face. Satisfied, I stood and prepared to get dressed.
I grabbed a suit from my closet, and it probably hadn’t been touched since I left Olympus. I hadn’t worn a suit in years, and the fit was a little tight since I had grown. Bracken hadn’t bothered updating my wardrobe; he probably thought I was dead for a long time. Since Marwin and I were officially considered missing, our estates were left more or less intact until our return.
I slipped on my leather shoes and put on deodorant and cologne, the pleasant and familiar scent flooding my nose and bringing back strong memories of when I first arrived at Olympus. I tested my mental abilities, layering away the thoughts and isolating them from my conscious. I breathed in the scent of the cologne again to test what would happen. My barrier held unwavering, and the memories sank beneath it. I was still Unbound, and the strain of the past few days weren’t messing with my abilities. Yet.
I looked in the mirror again when I was finished dressing and was surprised at how different I looked now from when I had come here. The past three years had hardened me; I was a soldier now, and I didn’t think I’d be able to return to a life of luxury like this anytime soon. My perception was sharpened, my reflexes were faster, and I was stronger than ever, but I was also mentally and physically scarred from the Slums. The death toll from the Omniscience Engine was too high, and the number was only growing.
“Baron, it’s time to go,” someone called from behind.
It was a different guard this time, one I hadn’t seen yesterday. The guard was wearing bulky plate armor and carried a compact repeater rifle. Several replacement magazines were strapped to his armor, and he had a long brown beard that extended toward the center of his chest.
“All right. I’m ready; let’s go,” I said, exiting the bathroom and following him through the main hall.
The bulky man led me to the landing platform where an unpainted ship waited. Two Enforcers trailed behind me as we walked and confirmed I boarded the ship. I saw a dot moving across the sky; it was another ship in the distance.
“My name is Higgins, and I’ll be with you all day. When we get to the trial, you’ll go straight to your seat and won’t talk to anyone. No speaking with anyone but me, and if you do speak at the trial when you aren’t asked a question, I’ll remove you right away. Got it?” the man asked.
“Got it. Where are we going?”
“The Omniscience Engine facility. The trial is in the Vault.”
“What? Why?” I asked. That was ridiculous. It would be cramped in there, and I had expected some lavish room for the hearing.
“Don’t ask me. I’m just following orders,” he said as the ship took off.
I tried asking how long the trial would take, but Higgins either didn’t hear the question or ignored me. He maintained eye contact the whole way there, keeping his weapon clutched in his hands with a firm grip.
The ship landed on the platform, and I was escorted inside to the Omniscience Engine Vault where the others were already waiting. My heart sunk when I realized Mary wasn’t in the room; it looked like only the direct royalty of Olympus was present for the trial. There were chairs arranged in the room in a semicircle, marked with the emblems and colors of our Houses. Everyone was beginning to take their seats.
I searched the room and found Marwin, who nodded when he saw me. He was wearing a brown and gray suit and had an escort just like me. Baroness Jex Brae was staring at him, but she hadn’t gone over to talk to him. Marwin’s guard probably told him the same thing I had heard from mine. I spotted Baroness Carly Aera and fought the urge to go over and ask her about Mary. I needed to be here for this trial. Supreme leader Aeoxous wasn’t in the room yet, and I couldn’t see Bracken either.
Others were staring at me as if trying to decide if I was guilty or not. The light conversation faded when Supreme Leader Evelyn Aeoxous entered the room. She was followed by two Titan-class robots clad in white and black armor. The Titans had two sheathed short swords fixed to the front of their legs, and a long, two-handed sword stretched
across their backs. They were identical to the robot that killed Caeldra and Leroy.
As she walked in, two Enforcers escorted Bracken to the center of the room where he took a seat. Evelyn walked forward and stood before us.
“We are gathered here today for the trial of Bracken Rowe for his alleged crimes which are as follows: one count of subversion, one count of theft of confidential Olympic property, and one count of high treason. The defendant will have the opportunity to stand before the Omniscience Engine and have his thoughts collected while the system evaluates what it finds and deciphers the truth. Once the Omniscience Engine has come to a verdict, we will vote on the punishment for crimes, if applicable. Each house will have one vote and will be given three options for the outcome of this trial, one of which will contain the option to pardon Mr. Rowe. If the Omniscience Engine determines him to be innocent, Mr. Rowe will walk away without a vote. Because of their pending trials, Barons Ashton and Zaris will not be eligible for voting today.” She sat down and nodded to the Titans that stood behind her.
A hatch slid open on the floor, and a thought collection chair rose from below. Bracken walked over to the chair and sat down. The latches on the feet and armrests clamped down, and one of the Titans walked over with the headgear. The massive robot positioned the gear on Bracken’s head and gently tilted his head back. A needle extended from the back of the chair and sunk into his neck. Bracken winced, then went limp as his head rolled back against the magnetic locks that secured his head in place. The chair powered on with a dull hum, then became silent. A few seconds later, the screens surrounding the room turned red.
The word ‘Guilty’ flashed along the screens, and the needle on the back of the chair disconnected from Bracken. He jolted up and pulled against the restraints, breathing heavily and sweating. He looked disoriented as if he wasn’t sure what was happening. He met my eyes and I could see the fear he felt, the panic that threatened to turn into hysteria. It hurt to see him like that, and I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, trying to stay collected while I waited for the trial to proceed. Even if he had been able to layer his thoughts, the Omniscience Engine could display whatever it wanted without proving anything. There was no way to evaluate the validity of the results, only see the consensus of the other Barons and Baronesses deciding his fate.
“The Omniscience Engine has found Bracken Rowe guilty of each of the charges set against him. Mr. Rowe, would you like to say anything in your defense before the others vote on the punishment for your crimes?” Evelyn asked.
Bracken was still struggling for composure, and it looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. The restraints retracted into the chair, and Bracken remained in place.
“The drugs—I can’t think clearly. Can you give me a second?” he pleaded.
“Mr. Rowe, you have two minutes to collect yourself and state your defense while I read the options for the Houses to vote on,” Evelyn said. “There are three choices. The first is a full pardon, the second is life in prison, and the third is execution. The majority vote will win, and if there is a tie, there will be another vote. If there is still a tie after the second vote, the side with my vote will take precedence.”
Bracken’s eyes were turning red, and his sweat had turned black. The drugs from the chair were doing something to him—something was wrong, but I couldn’t do anything about it. If I said a word, I’d be removed from the room. No one else seemed to want to say anything in the silence while he suffered the side effects of the drugs.
“Bracken, have you prepared your final defense statement?” Evelyn asked, turning to face him and smiling. “I’m sorry the medicine we had to use to extract the truth is causing discomfort. The procedure usually takes about four hours, but we had to shorten that down to a few seconds for brevity.”
Blood was dripping from the corners of Bracken’s eyes now, sliding down his face in two crimson streams. His hairline was stained black from the discolored sweat, and he was struggling for breath. Grimacing, he nodded.
“Barons, Baronesses, I have had the great pleasure of knowing each one of you. If you know me well, you know I live to serve, that I want to better the lives of everyone I meet.” Bracken paused, catching his breath and letting out a series of deep, raspy coughs that wracked through his chest. He raised his hand to wipe his mouth, and it came away bloody. “I did what I did to preserve Olympus, to build a society free of the corruption of this machine. Adrihel wasn’t what this machine would lead you to believe. He was not a perfect man, but he was not a traitor. The Omniscience Engine is guilty of all the egregious crimes against our country, and it has pinned them on Adrihel to cover its tracks and grow its own power. If you allow things to continue, to be ruled by this creation of the Omniscience Engine before you, then things will be over before you know what happened. The Ascendants are meant to replace humanity, not coexist alongside us. Think long and hard about your decision. If I die here, so be it, but don’t allow our race to be destroyed by the Omniscience Engine. Colton Adrihel was killed because of his commitment to our people. Don’t let his life go to waste.”
“Thank you for your statement, Mr. Rowe,” Evelyn said.
I looked around the room, trying to decipher how the others were feeling based on their facial expressions. I couldn’t get a good read. Some of them looked shocked at how quickly the powerful drugs were affecting Bracken. It looked like his body was decaying from the inside out, and each breath he took looked like it sent fresh waves of pain through him.
“Barons, Baronesses, it is now time to vote on the fate of Mr. Rowe. Cast your vote through the device on your chair’s armrest.”
There was a screen on my armrest, but it wasn’t turned on. There was nothing I could do but watch and wait for the results to come through. The seconds seemed to drag on endlessly. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t break my gaze from Bracken. He was beginning to groan as the drugs burned through his system. I wanted to yell out, to demand they help him and give him something for the pain. When he started screaming, the Titans behind him stuffed a strip of cloth into his mouth and tied it around his head to stifle the noise. Some of the women in the crowd were crying at the grim spectacle.
The results of the vote flashed across the screen, omitting names in the voting pool. Out of the fourteen houses of Olympus, twelve were eligible to vote. There were six votes for the execution of Bracken, three for life in prison, and three to pardon him. My heart sunk as I realized his fate was sealed.
“Bracken Rowe, you have been sentenced to die for your crimes by the Houses of Olympus. This verdict will be carried out now,” Evelyn said.
Another hole in the floor opened, and a large, glass cylinder emerged. The tube looked to be seven feet high and had heavy cables attached to the sides.
Evelyn stood once more, addressing the others. “Mr. Rowe’s death will not be in vain. In death, he will find redemption. Mr. Rowe’s consciousness will be uploaded to the Collected Thought where it will be compounded with others in the reserve of consciousness used to create new Ascendants. Though he dies now, he will redeem himself and give his life to our sacred cause of establishing Absolute Knowledge. In a sense, he will live forever.”
The Titans lifted Bracken and walked him to the cylinder, guiding him in and attaching the headgear before closing the door. Tears blurred my vision, but I couldn’t look away.
“The chamber will supercool his body after he is injected with a sedating agent. While that is happening, Mr. Rowe’s consciousness will be uploaded before his body is cooled to absolute zero and halts all function. The process is painless, and it’s the most peaceful death we can give him,” Evelyn said.
Bracken’s body went limp as the machine injected the sedation. The chamber started hissing, and the glass began to crystallize with frost. Bracken’s methodical breathing fogged the glass in front of his face and continued to slow while his body was frozen. The process took only seconds, and his breathing stopped. The vital display on the front
of the chamber stated the process was complete and he had been uploaded to the system. Just like that, he was gone.
The cylinder beeped before retracting back into the floor with Bracken still inside. The room was left in deafening silence as the hatch slid closed and took Bracken’s body away forever.
32 EXODUS
By the time I arrived back at my house, I was on the verge of breaking down. I knew I was also in store for Bracken’s fate. I didn’t want to live forever, not like that. I tried to speak with Baroness Carly Aera about Mary after the trial, but my guard, Higgins, forced me to leave immediately. I couldn’t understand how most of the others could condemn Bracken to death after how long they had known him. I guessed they were scared and didn’t know how to react to the situation. They had been told Adrihel was responsible for the death of the country, and because of the fear they felt, I suppose they could justify killing someone like Bracken or the Omniscience Engine never planned to let him live.
It wouldn’t matter if I could protect my mind against that abomination of a thought collector. The Omniscience Engine could spit out anything it wanted as fact, and the other Houses would believe it. The Omniscience Engine was a machine, and it was easier to pin evil on a human, on Adrihel. In hindsight, it seemed foolish to assume we’d be able to beat the Omniscience Engine without resistance. I just never expected something like Evelyn Aeoxous. She was giving the others the illusion of control, a taste of power they had never experienced as royalty before. Now, it seemed like they were more important, that they had a vested stake in the decisions made for the country. The Government may have been restructured, but Bracken was right. By the time the others realized something was wrong with Supreme Leader Aeoxous, it would already be too late. Ascendants were our replacements, and while I didn’t know exactly what they were or how they worked, I knew nothing good could come from this situation. I also knew if I stood trial against the Omniscience Engine, I would die unless it had further use for me.
