arbitrate (daynight)

by Thomason, Megan

  “Yes, we’re here, and we are taking over the city and the axis of power of the SCI. And I guess it is all thanks to you. You’re the one that gave the information about the mega-portal to Blake. It’s just too bad that we left him behind, so he won’t be able to see his dream come to fruition.”

  One of the babies has crawled over and is fussing at my feet. I pick him up and hold him against my chest. “You left him behind? Why? Did you do something to him?” Is he okay? My chest tightens at the possibility that Bailey might have hurt him. I can tell that Madison heard her words and is equally concerned.

  She cackles. “I didn’t do anything to Blake that he won’t sleep off. I hope that he enjoys being completely alone when he wakes up. That’s what he deserves. If he can’t be faithful to me, he’ll get no one. I’m all about revenge, and today, I’m going for the big score. The SCI. Blake. You. Blake’s current slut, who is cowering in fear back there. And it looks like I hit the bonus round because I can obliterate all of your and Blake’s offspring as well. I may start with that one of Blake’s in your arms.”

  Talk about taking “mean girl” to a whole new level… She was always a piece of work back at Carmel Valley High but never did anything this extreme. “We used to be friends, Bailey. We cheered together. I don’t get this.”

  “You took what was mine.”

  I’m having a hard time concentrating. There are over a dozen babies fussing, from whimpering to wailing, and the smell of dirty diapers is getting extreme. “Who? Blake? I didn’t even know him back at school, much less know that you guys had ever been an item. And we are long over.”

  “You don’t get it. Not that I expect such an inferior being to get it. But you are not worthy to touch anything that has been mine. You think just because we cheered together that we are on the same level? Not even close. You never were worthy to even be in my presence. I was always way prettier, richer, and better than you. You wouldn’t have even been in our circle at Carmel Valley High if you hadn’t glommed on to Tristan. It amused me that he was sleeping with Bri behind your back. And here on Thera? Nothing has changed. I’m still better. What have you done other than pop out some kids? I just took over an entire city and took out the SCI’s top gun. I was better back on Earth, and I’m better here.”

  Wow. This girl has an ego larger than the mega-portal. She’s certifiable. And unfortunately, the crazy voices appear to be telling her it is okay to kill people today. If she wasn’t holding a gun and a bomb, I might choose to contest her assertions, but she is packing weapons. And I’d prefer she didn’t use them. I stay silent, giving her plenty of time to finish her rant.

  “Tell her to come up here. Or I start shooting babies.” She glares at Madison with true loathing. Madison, who despite Bailey’s accusation of “cowering,” has been trying to corral the babies.

  With Madison by my side, Bailey continues to spew accusations and threats. “You—,” she points at Madison. “—I heard your story, you know. What was it like to be raped over and over again?” The color drains from Madison’s face. She didn’t know, didn’t remember, didn’t want to…

  “I wasn’t raped. You’re wrong. The guy tried to in Western City and…I…killed him.”

  “Oh, you little two-bit whore. I wasn’t talking about here. I was talking about back on Earth. You know…before you came to Thera. What was it like to be kidnapped? Raped by your kidnapper for years? It’s too bad that the guy got a little careless, or else you might still be there.”

  Madison struggles to understand what Bailey is telling her. There’s a flicker of recognition though. She knew the SCI had “adjusted” her memories, and now Bailey has filled the hole with something terrifying, yet potentially true. I whisper, “Ignore her. She’ll do or say anything to belittle people.”

  “Kira, since you’re choosing to talk without permission…I feel like that needs some sort of consequence. Lucky for you, I’m feeling generous now that the SCI and Blake are out of the way. So I will let you make a choice. You can die. Or the babies can die.” She holds up a harness with a bomb strapped to it. Does she expect me to put that thing on?

  All I can do is stare at her. Is she for real? She would really kill all the babies? Kill me? Over petty jealousy?

  “What’s it going to be? You or the babies? If you agree to strap this bomb to yourself, I’ll let you walk far enough away that your precious little kiddos may make it.”

  If those are the only two choices, there is no contest. I kiss Blake’s baby and gently set him down. I give Madison a big hug. Then I walk towards Bailey. “Strap it on. I’ll happily sacrifice my life to save the lives of the others.”

  Bailey straps the bomb to me. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The timer is set for five minutes. I have five minutes left to live. “Jax, I’m so sorry. Tell Ethan and Blake I’m sorry. Please take good care of Evvie, Aiden, and Zander. And know…I love you too.”

  Perhaps, if I stay close to Bailey, she’ll suffer the same fate as me. She smirks at me. “I’m betting there are no second chances for you…but if there are, please remember every last minute of this—particularly this next part where you watch your children die. Think of this like a late baby shower gift. One with a really short fuse.”

  She reaches into her bag. I see the light blinking before it registers that it is another bomb. She presses a button and I see the timer is set for thirty seconds.

  Bailey throws it towards the babies. It falls short of the platform yet close enough to do a lot of damage.

  All of the sudden, I see Blake come out of nowhere and throw himself on top of the bomb. Madison jumps on top of him. My vision is completely blurred by tears. This can’t be happening.

  Bailey hesitates for a moment when she sees Blake on the bomb, but when Madison’s arms go around him…she pulls a third bomb from her bag.

  Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

  “Later, you traitorous bastards.” I see :45 flashing on the display. She tosses it into the air and then strides away from the scene.

  Tick, tock.

  “Nooooooo.” We all shout.

  Tick, tock.

  BOOM.

  I feel something unlock in my brain. I’m flooded with emotions so strong and powerful that I don’t know how to organize them. One thought filters through all the others. STOP THIS.

  Everything freezes. I mean everything. Other than me that is. My eyes dart around, trying to figure out what has happened.

  Is this a dream? Did the Arbiters intervene after all? The Genitors?

  It doesn’t matter. I must act and salvage all that can be salvaged.

  Not all can be salvaged.

  I run over to the undetonated bomb. The display says :13. I grasp hold of it and then sprint over to where Bailey is.

  The ticking at my chest has stopped. I carefully set the bomb in my hand on the ground. Next, I search Bailey and her bag for the key to the one she strapped to my chest. I find it in her pocket and quickly remove the harness. Since I refuse to lower myself to her murderous level, I take both bombs, Bailey’s bag, and the gun and transport them to a field far from everyone. My beating heart thrums, matching the cadence of my feet.

  Once I’m confident the threat to the babies is gone, I hurry back to face the only thing I cannot fix.

  Blake and Madison.

  They are both suspended mid-air, in the process of being shredded by the bomb. I don’t need to be a doctor to know their injuries are fatal. My hope is that it happened fast enough that they did not suffer.

  Blake died to save his children.

  I stroke his bloody hair and kiss his remains. “Thank you, Blake. You will always hold a special place in my heart. I’ll never forget what you did for the children.”

  The pained look on Madison’s face is heartbreaking. Her short life was filled with more pain than anyone should ever have to face.

  I collapse to the ground and weep. “I’m so sorry. I failed you both.”

  “You didn’t fail them. It was their choice
.”

  I look up to see “B,” the Genitor boy.

  “What do you mean? Of course I failed them. They are dead. Had I not asked Brad about the babies…had I not brought Madison here…then Bailey wouldn’t have threatened us. Blake wouldn’t have had to intervene. It is my fault.”

  “Blake chose to sacrifice himself to save his children. And Madison chose to help him do it. Brad knew that Blake would be headed through the mega-portal. He wanted Blake to see the babies, wanted someone to pay for them being ‘different.’ One way or another, you would have all ended up here tonight.”

  I peer at him through my veil of tears. “You did this? Stopped time? If so…I’ve got to say…you were a little late. They could have been saved.”

  “No. I didn’t stop time. You did.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Ethan

  The crowd at Henry’s inauguration flows from the West front of the Capitol building, through the National Mall, and all the way to the Washington Monument. Henry stands beside Elizabeth, who is wheelchair-bound, her legs mere stumps above the knee. Where Anne and Mary used to stand are empty spaces. It makes quite the statement.

  I have arrived late on purpose, so that I won’t have to sit up in the reserved seating section, choosing to be down with the rest of the public. After all, we’ll soon be subjected to the SCI’s machinations together. I shift spots until I find one where my view of Elizabeth is obscured. While the missing legs don’t bother me, the expression of pain on her face does. Unfortunately, her face is plastered across large screens that have been set up throughout the mall.

  The ceremony begins, and I tune it out. There is nothing to celebrate here. Henry being sworn in is not a moment of greatness but the beginning of a dark period for a once great nation.

  People are pushing through the crowd, trying to get a little closer. Two people flank me, pushing up against either side. I feel a hard object thrust against my ribs.

  “There is failure all around, when the SCI’s involved. They walk might-ly upon the ground, until such time they fall.”

  I’d know that grating singing voice anywhere. I snap my head to the left. “Hey cousin,” the stranger says, giving me a wink. I would have never recognized him if not for the song. Chocolate brown eyes, slicked-back dirty-blonde hair, Argyle sweater hiding a beer belly. Joshua looks every bit the part of the thirty-something college professor. Looking to my right, I see Alexa disguised as an old lady—gray hair, wrinkles, hunched back, and all. Impressive work.

  “Hey, Ethan,” she says softly, placing her hand on my arm.

  “I travel all around the world in search of the two of you…and here you are, alive and well.”

  Joshua looks me up and down. “You do seem to have acquired quite the tan while following our trail of breadcrumbs.”

  “Did you actually go to any of those places? Or just send us on a wild goose chase?”

  The corners of his lips curl up. “I can’t say that we had the pleasure…but we did send others in our stead.”

  “Victor and Violet? Were you all working together?”

  Joshua chuckles. “My parents would never… They’re more the ‘die for the cause’ type. They’ve gone…underground.”

  “Dead?” I ask. Did he honestly kill his parents? He killed my mother. I guess anything is possible.

  “Nah. In death they’d get another chance…and the truth is…not everyone deserves a second chance at life. So, they’ll be serving a long life sentence…in solitary confinement.”

  “How’d you do it?”

  He leans in close to me. “Alexa’s necklace was made of C4. Genius, right? We didn’t want anything big. As I said, these people don’t deserve second chances. They deserve to lose their livelihoods and self-esteem and stare at their pathetic, warped faces in the mirror every day.”

  “Thus the small bomb and acid rain.”

  “Precisely.”

  I turn to Alexa and spit the words out at her. “So you…used me? To get information? ‘We’ were all one big joke to you?”

  She winces but doesn’t look at me. “I’m sorry. There were bound to be some casualties in the war. The SCI killed my mother…killed Adam…took away my brothers. The only thing that matters is taking them out.”

  I yank her face toward mine so that she has to look me in the eye. “You know what mattered to me, Alexa? My family. Because of your little stunt at the election party, you cost me Kira and my son. You killed my mother. And to think I believed in you both…when everyone thought you were responsible, I scoured the world in hopes of proving you innocent and bringing you back safe and sound. I hope you both rot in hell.”

  Joshua rams the gun harder into my side. “Shoot me,” I sneer at him. “It would be a kindness. But good luck escaping arrest this time if you do.”

  “Get a grip and try to see the bigger picture. In fact, the bigger picture should start in…three…two…one…”

  The big screens flicker and the coverage of the inauguration ceremony fades to black. The words, “The Second Chance Institute—Benevolent Non-Profit or Killing Machine?” come to life. Images of SCI buses driving to an abandoned warehouse and unloading people going inside to meet an untimely death fill the National Mall.

  I look up at Henry, and he looks terrified. He’s shouting orders and people are scuttling all over the place, trying to get the feeds shut off. His protests are drowned out by the crowd’s moans of shock and outrage. Henry can’t contain this. The damage is already done. Photograph, after video clip, after audio clip of damning evidence against the Clean Slate Complexes and The Second Chance Institute continue to roll. So unbelievable that it feels like a “B movie” horror flick. It all ends with a picture of Henry with Violet and Victor (labeled as “Henry’s sister and husband, the Clean Slate Complex directors”).

  “Where did you learn how to do all this?” I ask rhetorically.

  He gives me a wicked grin. “Homeschool. My SCI-approved education didn’t take me too long to get through every day. I had a lot of free time on my hands. And I learned how to bypass their secure network by the time I was ten.”

  “Impressive. Very, very disturbing. But, impressive nonetheless.”

  Joshua leans across me and says to Alexa, “I think our work here is done.” Alexa squirms behind me and around to Joshua’s other side and takes the crook of his arm. Then Joshua whispers to me, “I’m sorry you got caught up in all this. I had to take action against them, though. The SCI just took over leadership of the free world. It’s not right and can’t happen. They are dictators and murderers.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “And now you’re a killer too.”

  He shakes his head. “I disagree. What I am is a soldier at war. However, I’m sorry how this has affected you. The whole thing with Kira is…unfortunate. Can I ask, though—is she really the right girl for you? Of the billions of options, is she the only one you can be happy with? It’s obvious to me…that since you were able to move on with Alexa…that the answer to that is no. Perhaps we did you a favor? Just food for thought…”

  I should wrestle the gun away from him and turn him in. Or at least punch him in the gut for what he has cost me. But I’m too weak. Too overwhelmed. Too depressed. Too much in shock. Too grateful, since I finally have the answers I sought. So instead, I watch them walk away and join the throngs of people leaving in protest. Joshua grabs an American flag from its post and proudly waves it through the air. He raises his voice in song and the crowd joins in.

  “Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,

  What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,

  Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,

  O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?

  And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

  Gave proof thru the night that our flag was still there.

  Oh say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

  O'er the lan
d of the free and the home of the brave?”

  Score one for Joshua and Alexa. Henry, the SCI, and me…zero.

  Now what?

  The crowd has thinned. I stayed to listen to Henry spin his magic.

  “It was the work of terrorists. Do not let them divide us.”

  “They doctored these films. We’ve all seen movies. Using computer technology, it’s easy to make things seem real that aren’t.”

  “The SCI is one of the finest organizations that I have ever had the opportunity to work with. They focus on saving lives and offering second chances, not the horrors that they have been accused of here.”

  Many people believe him, and who could blame them? What is more conceivable? The now-President (this all happened after he’d been sworn in) colluding with an evil non-profit, or a terrorist group who has killed thousands spreading disinformation? The SCI, until now, has had a blemish-free reputation. They have been above reproach. And on the surface, they appear to be everything they claim to be.

  However, the seed of doubt has been planted. Investigations will happen. And even if they come up smelling like a floral shop, some people will wonder whether the flowers are being used to cover up the stench of rotting corpses. The voting public is fickle. The staunchest supporter can become a politician’s biggest detractor in the time it takes to broadcast a bad economic forecast. And this is a whole lot worse than an out-of-control unemployment rate.

  Jax appears at my side. He’s wearing a black suit and black dress shirt. The contrast with his light features is striking. He looks like he came straight from a funeral.

  “I have news,” he says. “Bad news. Blake…” He chokes up and has trouble saying the words. “He is…gone.”

  “Blake died?” I ask. I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings this time.

  He nods. “A bomb…in Garden City. It’s a long story. But know that he died saving your children.”

  He can’t be dead. I feel tears starting to well up in my eyes, and I sink down to the ground, putting my head between my knees. I never got to say goodbye. I was never a good brother to him, letting what happened with Kira get between us. “Children? Zander?”