by A W Wang
“Oh?”
“You killed a ten sigma. People are terrified.” Her lips broaden into a smile. “I need an all-consuming villain to cement my authority. Things have worked much better than I’ve planned. You’ve united everyone behind my leadership.”
“Never let a crisis go to waste, right?”
She chuckles. “I’m happy you’ve taken that lesson to heart.”
“You still have your hands full. The counter-rebellion went better than planned.”
“It was more than a minor inconvenience, but it did allow me to get rid of many enemies too.”
The word “many” isn’t lost on me. Jonesy or someone else must have escaped.
More allies to help win the neverending scenario.
“Looks like I’m not the only loose end you have.”
The levity leaves her face. “No, you’re not.”
“Losing a ten sigma probably has your resources spread pretty thin.”
A ragged cheer and a smattering of applause erupt in the background. Champagne corks pop. “Forgive me, we’re having a celebration.”
For some reason, her confident tone annoys me.
“Until next time, Victoria.”
“Wait, I have something to show you, Mary.”
“Brin…,” I say, surprised by the mention of the name I’ve feared and loathed since my rebirth.
“What was that?”
The nature of this world fills my thoughts. It’s a place of human trafficking and slavery. Of casual death and teenagers righteously torturing despots. Of medieval dungeons and torture chambers. Of super-enhanced beings killing without remorse.
The brutality consumes the innocent. I think of the women and children I rescued in the Badlands, the people in New Austin, those hanging from the nooses in front of the Flying Eagle’s camp…
And the family in that house.
My stomach clenches.
The truth I’ve been avoiding since regaining my past blasts to the forefront of my consciousness.
2065 isn’t 2051.
We can only be who we need to be, and the person I was before the Ten Sigma Program is ill-equipped for the terrible deeds that need to be done.
“What will you do?” call the voices from the virtual universe.
Even though Mary is part of me, she can’t be who defines me in this world.
“Brin,” I say with determination, “my name is Brin.”
The gray eyes coolly appraise me while Victoria’s face lights up in appreciation. “That was the name I was expecting when we first met. You’ve finally surrendered to your true self.”
“No, I finally understand how I fit into this world, and I’ve accepted what needs to be done. Everything you’re trying to create, I’ll destroy. That will be my mission from now until I erase everything you stand for from this planet. I’m coming for you and Balthazar and the rest of your jackets.”
“As I shall be doing to you as well, your other value notwithstanding.”
“I killed Samantha, and I’ll do the same to whoever else you send. You can’t afford to lose too many ten sigmas hunting for me.”
“It’s good you mentioned that.” Her gaze wanders from the screen. “There you are,” she says to someone out of view. Her eyes return to me. “We’re celebrating because two new ten sigmas have joined our ranks.”
The hologram sweeps across the festive crowd. A sense of dread seeps into my bones when the camera settles on a man and woman in maroon unitards. While I don’t recognize the woman, the man sparks more than a passing familiarity.
“Smile for my friend,” Victoria says.
A wide, reassuring smile cuts across his face.
My stomach clenches like it’s been punched, and my mind reels, unable to form rational thought.
He’s gone. It can’t be him. This isn’t possible. He died.
Even though I keep a stoic mask, my insides crumble under a barrage of conflicting emotions.
When the view swings back to Victoria, she says, “Remember to hide well, Brin. Until we meet again.”
Unsure I can conceal my turmoil, I stay silent, forcing my eyes to match her stare.
When the channel finally cuts, my hand trembles. The tablet falls and clatters on the filthy floor.
My vision blurs as I stomp on the screen, venting my frustration. After only glassy shards remain, I sink to my knees in despair.
Like everyone else who entered the virtual universe, he looks like an idealized version of his former self. My thoughts grind, trying to find some hidden trick that Victoria is playing, but there aren’t any.
I’d recognize that smile and the sparkle in those eyes anywhere.
It’s him…
While I should feel happiness or even just relief, only a nagging sense of doom eats at my soul.
In anguish, I bury my face in my hands, fighting to accept the harsh new reality.
The man in the maroon unitard is my husband Nick, who “died” when he followed me into the Ten Sigma Program.
The journey continues with Nick in
Ten Sigma
- Echoes -
(coming July 2021)
Afterword
Before you go…
A heartfelt thanks to the reader. I’m humbled that you’ve chosen to continue to read the Ten Sigma series.
Also, if you loved or hated the book (or had a reaction somewhere between the two), please consider leaving a brief one or two-sentence review here, even if it’s just to say that Renegade reminded you of another book. Short or long, reviews are incredibly helpful for independent authors like myself.
And if you like the series, please consider leaving a review with the first book here.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read and thank you in advance if you do leave a review. Please sign up for my email list here to get updates on the Ten Sigma Series and other upcoming works.
Sincerely and with warmest regards,
A. W. Wang
Acknowledgments
The act of writing and publishing a book is a long and arduous process that would be impossible without the assistance of other people.
This is, in no particular order, a list of the awesome authors and people who have read through the various rough versions of this manuscript and provided insightful comments into characters and story and provided useful questions into any aspects of the world-building as well as pointing out places to improve the pace and flow of the story.
Cass Kim: who contributes to and puts together the Autumn Nights Anthologies and sends all profits to worthy charities. Also she’s author of the YA Half-Apocalypse series - Wilders, and the creator of the children’s PACBSpeech series.
E.H. Night: the marvelously twisted author of the horror thriller “The Four Before Me” and the historical fiction novel “Stray, Astray”.
Dan Neil: writer of the epic adult fantasy series “The Daybreak Saga.”
Holly Graf: co-author of the YA fantasy books in the Elesara series.
And my from the UK critique partner who has been with me since before Ten Sigma released, Dibz Stewart. In any story or book that Iíve written assume any English accent you happen upon is an homage to her.
And of course, no list would be complete without my sister Vivian, who beta reads everything I write and gives me no-nonsense feedback that makes everything clearer and better.
By A.W. Wang
The Ten Sigma Series
Ten Sigma
- Renegade -
Echoes
Short Stories
Autumn Nights: 12 Chilling Tales for Midnight
The Summoning
Neo Cyberpunk: The Anthology
The Volunteer
About the Author
A. W. Wang is an enthusiast for studying military history and enjoys reading all genres, especially science fiction and fantasy. In his adolescent years, he exercised his mind by playing strategy games and his body by running around a soccer field.
He r
eally should have shown Course 21 more love.
After letting his small amount of talent in computer programming hijack his post-college years, his life’s journey has taken him back to his first true dream - writing science fiction and fantasy stories.
Besides the usual forms of mundane entertainment, his scant time outside of writing is spent going on ocean cruises and entertaining the cat, whom he is (of course) allergic to.
www.awwangauthor.com
