by Rebecca Rode
Her chin rose. “You’re right. I do. But any Firebrand plot that hurts my father also hurts me. You need to tell me what they’re planning. It has to do with the update, doesn’t it?”
I looked around, but we were alone in the darkness. “Dane’s a shark. He wouldn’t be involved unless he smelled blood. Whatever this update triggers, it will involve violence. If things go well, maybe a peaceful Firebrand takeover of the Block. If they go badly, people will die. I’m betting it will start with your family.”
Even in the low light, her eyes were saucers. “Oh.”
“Look, you have to leave. Warn your dad and hire more guards for protection. If you can convince your family to stay away from the Block, even better.”
She was quiet for a long moment, hesitation in her expression. “I want to trust you.”
My hand felt empty where hers had been. “You’re right. I could be lying about this, but I’m not. I’ll tell you what’s going to happen. I’m heading to the transport outside, which my uncle is tracking. I’ll send it off somewhere to buy you some time. You’ll have an hour to get home and warn your dad. Maybe two if I can stall long enough. Don’t try to warn him with a message. Virgil will intercept it in that filtering system of his.” In the meantime, I had to beat my uncle to the hospital before Mom paid for my decision tonight.
“And you?”
“Let me worry about that.”
She sighed. “I can’t go tonight. There’s something I need to do first.”
“Something you need to do?” Bewildered, I took her hand in mine. She didn’t pull away. “Legacy, you aren’t listening. You have the chance to save your family here.” And yourself.
“I’ll go, just not till tomorrow. I can’t help my family until I know exactly what that update does. Virgil wants me to make the big announcement tomorrow. I’ll read the script in advance, find an excuse to leave the room, and escape with the information we need. That should give me several hours to get back before the update takes effect at midnight.”
“Legacy. Dane could send someone else in my place. You aren’t safe here.”
“Then I’ll hide where even Virgil’s cameras can’t find me.”
I gaped at her.
She smiled and poked my chest. “That expression right there. It’s adorable. You aren’t used to girls telling you no, are you?”
“This isn’t a joke. I can’t protect you. There’s somewhere I need to be tonight.”
“Then take care of your business knowing that you tried. But seriously, I’ll be okay. Nobody is going to kidnap me tonight.” She rose onto her toes and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.”
Then she was gone.
I sent the transport on a long, windy road to a distant coastal town. As it disappeared into the darkness, I turned to find Zenye marching out the front doors with two older guys, her cheeks red in the lamplight overhead.
“Hey,” I said, managing a quick smile just before her fist slammed into my mouth.
My head snapped to the side. Stunned, I stumbled away and cupped my mouth as salty warmth began to flow. What in the fates?
“Bring him.” She turned on her heel and marched inside, her two minions grabbing my arms and practically dragging me after her.
They shoved me into an empty meeting room full of chairs before she whirled on me. “You know you’re a predictable idiot, right?”
“I . . .”
Another fist flew at me, harder this time, catching me in the jaw. I stumbled a step before the two secured me in place once more. Fates. The girl could throw a punch almost as well as Uncle Dane.
“You’re going to have to enlighten me,” I muttered, testing my jaw.
“I knew you’d do the stupid thing and let her go, but your uncle didn’t believe me. He likes you more than he should. Left me behind to make sure you followed through. That little performance was sweet, by the way. What a caring soul you are.”
The hallway. Cameras. Virgil may have turned a blind eye to my mission tonight, but that didn’t mean nobody was watching.
I groaned inwardly. I was an idiot.
“Do you always stalk guys you like on security cameras?” I asked with a lopsided grin. Not because it was charming but because my jaw hung at an odd angle.
This time the blow came to my solar plexus. It hit dead center, knocking the wind out of me. My breath came in gasping coughs for a good minute.
“I don’t like traitors,” Zenye finally said. “Liars either. So I’ll give you one chance to tell me the truth about whose side you’re on.”
“I answer to my uncle, not you.”
“You won’t be answering anyone if you don’t choose your words more carefully. I happily disposed of the last defector myself. His removal got a little messy, though. Do you realize how hard blood is to scrub out of white stone?”
The graffiti message Legacy had warned me about. She’d described a smear of blood. The Firebrand defector Dane had mentioned—it had to be the same guy. He was likely at the bottom of the bay right now.
“If you hurt Legacy, I’ll—”
Zenye whirled around with a smirk and cut me off. “Will what? Sorry, but you’ll be out of commission for a while. Perhaps a very long while.” She nodded sharply to the two guys and rolled up her sleeves.
“She didn’t do anything to deserve this,” I shot back.
“She did nothing to deserve her privilege, either. None of the Hawkings did.”
“They aren’t monsters. They’re just regular people who have made mistakes, and regular people can be taught. There’s a more peaceful way to get change.”
“What, love and hugs? Spare me the sap. Some people require a bit of remodeling before they’re willing to listen. Speaking of which, we’d better get started.”
The minions dragged me to a chair and forced my arms behind my back, securing them in a position that wrenched my shoulders. I endured it all with a numbness born of experience.
Legacy was in trouble. My mom was exposed at the hospital.
I’d failed.
The blows came.
Twenty-One
Legacy
I spent the night shivering in a carefully-chosen transport parked around the back of the building, thanking the fates for Travers and his universal access code.
My dreams came in bursts of memory and imagination—Firebrands breaking into my room and searching my bed, a late-night discussion with Mom about her childhood, and an argument with Dad at fourteen. Racing Alex from tree to tree when we were nine and realizing I could finally beat him. At some point Alex became Kole and we were running through the forest together, tripping on roots and getting tangled in underbrush.
After leaving Kole last night, I’d woken Millian up and filled her in while changing into a clean uniform. Now we met in the early morning shadows of the parking lot, long before either of us were usually awake. She handed me a muffin, smoothed her messy hair, and said that nobody had tried to enter our room last night. Either Kole’s uncle hadn’t sent anyone else after me, or they knew I wasn’t there. As many times as I’d circled the building last night, I suspected the security team hadn’t been able to pinpoint my exact location. A small victory, but still a victory. My heart pounded at a constant, wary rhythm.
“What time are you supposed to do this broadcast?” Millian asked, breaking off a piece of her own muffin and popping it into her mouth. Frizzy black hair fell over her face, giving her a face a wild effect.
“Two hours, but I’m not waiting. I’ll march up to his office and demand to see the script so I can practice. If I don’t return within thirty minutes after the broadcast, send that message to my dad like we discussed.”
“I can’t decide whether this plan is stupid or brave.”
“The best plans are a little of both.” In truth, Kole’s words continued to haunt me. I can’t protect you here. Even if Virgil and the Firebrand leader were truly working together to overthrow Dad, they kept secrets from each other. At
the very least, they disagreed on how to use me. Virgil needed me for this broadcast and Kole’s uncle wanted to use me for some kind of ransom. My plan to escape both and save my family would require the biggest risk of my life.
The locked wing door clicked open when I arrived. After a long walk, I reached a desk with a clerk whose eyebrows drew together in what seemed like permanent disapproval. He ushered me to Virgil’s office without a word.
The office was as large and luxurious as I expected—old-fashioned leather-look sofas, a board game I doubted had ever been used set up on a heavy side table. A statue of Virgil dead center, like this was some public park. A fire extinguisher bigger than any I’d ever seen resting on the wall next to his desk. Mom’s fire had really gotten to him.
A giant window covered the exterior wall, framing a massive view of the stark-white bridge jutting back to land. It was a strong reminder of how far away my family was. The bay was a dull gray under the stormy sky. Virgil had chosen real glass for this view. It was too beautiful to be tinted in green.
I initiated the recording feature in my implant just as Director Virgil turned in his chair. It would livestream to Millian across the building.
“Miss Hawking,” he said, feigning surprise. “You’re early. Water packet?” He opened a small coolbox under his desk and retrieved one, holding it out to me. I shook my head. No way was I accepting food or drink from this man, sealed or not.
The victory of solving Mom’s mystery was vastly overshadowed by what this all meant. This man had looked into my mother’s eyes and spouted lies. He’d planned her murder and covered up her death. Then he’d found the nerve to pretend it was an accident while stealing her research. He was every bit the criminal Dad thought, and I was about to prove it.
“I came early to read the script,” I said, plopping myself onto the sofa and schooling my face to look nonchalant. “The one you were supposed to send me last night?”
“The script.” He didn’t look fooled. “You understand, of course, that you’ll be unable to leave or communicate with anyone outside this room once you’ve read it. We can’t allow any details to spread before they’re announced.”
“Sure, if that makes you feel better.”
He scowled at my dismissiveness. “That includes the recording you’re streaming to your friend, I’m afraid. The security room will be intercepting it now. If you don’t want strangers hearing our conversation, I recommend that you discontinue the recording.”
My smile slipped. Had he known from the second I walked in? I ended the recording, trying to pretend like I didn’t care, and shot off a quick message to Millian. It immediately came back as undeliverable.
My heart sank further as I searched my captures and found the graffiti image gone as well. No evidence. Any accusations I made after today would be my word against Virgil’s. I muttered a curse.
I was on my own.
Virgil’s smile tightened. “That’s better. Now, may I ask why you want to read the script?”
He thought he’d shaken me, but he was wrong. I will not be used. “If the words come from my mouth, I’m endorsing them. It’s a reasonable request to know what I’ll be saying.”
“Reasonable, yes.” He leaned forward. “But let me ask you something. Your father gives an average of ten public speeches a week. Do you really think the words he speaks are his own?”
“He may not write them, but he wouldn’t say anything he didn’t mean.”
“On the contrary. You think of him as the head of a triangle, so to speak. That belief comes from a lack of understanding of our political system. The triangle is actually upside-down. Miss Hawking, your father is a face programmed by committees and representatives to deliver information. When your brother ascends, he’ll do the exact same thing.”
I shook my head. “That’s not true.” It couldn’t be true. Dad wasn’t perfect, but he was no puppet. “You said this was an implant announcement and nothing more. If you’re trying to turn this into an anti-Hawking declaration, I won’t do it.”
“You won’t be selling anyone out. You’ll be protecting your country through a time of transition.”
Country before family, country before self. A mantra I knew too well. “I want to know details right now.”
Virgil sat back in his chair with a sigh. “I was right, then. You came here in an underhanded manner, intending to shake up my company.”
“I couldn’t care less about your company. I just want the truth for once.”
“The truth? Your father points fingers, suspecting everyone, and your brother believes everything he’s told. But you—you’re different, aren’t you? You have your mother’s analytical mind.”
“My analytical mind says you’re avoiding my questions. Enough of this. Either give me the script or tell me what the update does that will hurt my father’s position. Otherwise we’re done here.”
“Strong demands from a lab candidate who doesn’t belong in a lab. While I’m not obligated to answer any of your questions, let me assure you that the update won’t hurt your father’s position. Contrary to what you may believe, I don’t have that kind of political power.”
“What about the Firebrands, then?” I spat, my words hot and angry. So much for playing it cool. “I know about your alliance. How could you turn against your own country?”
He chuckled. “You’re as fiery as your mother was.”
“The mother you killed to steal her life’s research from? Yes, I am.”
He nodded, not surprised in the least. “I figured you would come to that conclusion. It isn’t true, but it would certainly solve all your problems, wouldn’t it?”
“Not all of them.” Mom still wasn’t here, and nothing either of us said would bring her back.
“Then let’s discuss what really happened. She and I both knew the potential of her project, but we disagreed on how it should be used.” He shrugged. “She was always a smart one. Found a loophole in the contract and made sure the project was licensed to her instead of Neuromen. By the time I discovered my oversight, she had closed the project and written it off as a failure.”
“That’s when you killed her.”
A grimace crossed his face, combined with naked pain. It was so startling, so unexpected, that the next accusation fled my mind.
“My anger got in the way of sense,” Virgil said, his voice rough. “When I suspected her plan, I chose to do nothing. I suppose that places the blame for her death squarely on my shoulders.”
I rose and slammed a fist on his desk, making its contents jump. “Don’t lie to me. You are not the victim here. You killed my mother and planned to pretend her implant update was yours all along. Now I’m here to expose you.”
“Expose me?” He chuckled. “You’re going to hail me as one of the greatest inventors in history, and you’ll do it publicly.”
I gaped. “You really think I’m still doing your stupid broadcast?”
“I know you are. The fact that you committed to spend your life in a field you care nothing about simply to investigate your mother’s death proves that you care deeply for the safety of your family. This update, however, is as close to my offspring as anything will ever be. I mean to protect it no matter the cost. Your participation here today will ensure that we both get what we want.”
Panic rose in my throat like bile. I swallowed it back with a grimace. “Elaborate.”
“That dear grandmother of yours. She’s lived at that coastal manor for, what, twenty years now?”
No. Not Gram. “Don’t you hurt her.”
“I have no desire to hurt her. My agents have been stationed in her house for years and have never harmed the woman. Yet.”
I heard Carmen’s voice in my head and thought of her irritation whenever I stopped by. The guards who weren’t really guards. The medic who barely cared about her health. Were they all Virgil’s spies?
I had to warn her.
He read my intentions immediately. “Go ahead and try. She h
as no implant. If she did, I would have blocked her from you too. Your determination to avoid society has resulted in a convenient lack of allies, Miss Hawking. The technology in your head is mine. You can’t use it to fight me.” He cocked his head. “Neurotechnology is the world now. Whoever controls the implants controls the world.”
The walls were closing in, sucking the air from my lungs. I’d been completely disarmed even before my arrival here. Alex was right. Virgil had found a way to use me after all, and I’d walked right into it. Speak against my father and lose what remained of my family forever, or refuse and lose Gram. Both choices were utterly unthinkable.
“Dad would know it was you,” I snapped. “Murdering his mother would only seal his anger against your company.”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Your father has already lost that battle. My allies have seen to that. I’ll have your answer now. Give our glorious introduction speech and I’ll dismiss my agents from your grandmother’s house. Reject me and she’ll be dead by nightfall.”
I couldn’t lose Gram when I’d already lost so much. It tore at my heart to even consider it. But I was still a Hawking, and I knew my duty. I’d sworn to never be used again. It was a promise I’d made to myself. Not my country, not my family. A promise to Legacy Hawking, and one I intended to keep.
Problem was, there wasn’t enough time to warn Gram. Traveling to her house would take far too long. Fates. There had to be a way out of this.
I made my way to the window, pretending to consider his question. The bridge several hundred meters below may as well have been on another planet. I placed my hand on the glass and marveled at how smooth it was. Odd that he’d chosen the real thing for a window so high up.
“Well?”
I glanced at his fire extinguisher and put it all together. In case of emergency, Virgil wanted an easy escape. That meant breakable glass.
It also meant a fire escape. I eased myself to the right, searching. There. The corner of a rail was barely visible.
