Numbers Collide (Numbers Game Saga Book 5)

by Rebecca Rode

  The sound of a blade plunging into my mother’s heart.

  The headache hit right then, nearly blinding me with its force. Dad hurt Mom, and I killed him for it. Dane killed Mom. He deserved a death like none other, and he would receive it at my hand.

  Dane lay limp now, half conscious, eyes open but dazed.

  I slid my father’s knife out of my pocket, nearly dropping it my fingers were so slippery.

  Suddenly, Legacy knelt at my side. “Kole,” she whispered.

  “Hey, give him space,” Zenn said, hurrying to pull her away. He looked like he was going to be sick.

  She just glowered at him until he backed off. Then she leaned toward me again. “Kole, you already won. We’ll make sure he sees justice.”

  I could feel my heart pounding, rage pumping through my veins along with the blood. It roared in my ears. I felt Zenn’s eyes on me, his girlfriend Lorna at his side. Behind him stood an army of Firebrands who watched me with angry frowns. I could barely see them through the haze of anger that gripped me. I stared at Dane’s chest, gauging where his heart pumped, grinning at the thought of making it stop.

  The headache swelled until I grunted from the pain.

  “Stay with me,” she said firmly. “You lost your parents to anger. I don’t want to lose you too. Please come back.”

  Dane groaned from the ground. My anger still flowed like a superpower. I could finish him off right now. I wanted it like I wanted nothing else in this world.

  Except Legacy.

  The pressure on my head increased until I felt unconsciousness closing in.

  “Violence is a poor substitute for justice,” she whispered. “Please. Put down the knife.”

  I stared at the knife, its blade clean and glinting in the too-bright sunlight, my bloody hand gripping the hilt. I noticed my reflection in the metal surface.

  How many times had I seen my father hold this very blade in such a way? How many people had met their end just like this, at his hand?

  You’re just like your dad.

  With a massive groan, I threw the knife aside. It bounced and slid to a halt on the grass. Then I fell over next to my uncle, holding my head in my hands to hold off the pain.

  Legacy was there in a second, leaning over me. “It’s all right,” she said, stroking my face. “You did it. They’re already taking your uncle away.”

  I released a low whimper. Second by second, centimeter by centimeter, the pressure began to recede. All I could see was the bright sunlight overhead and Legacy’s beautiful face, framed like an angel. My angel.

  She cupped my face in her soft hands. “The Firebrands are dragging him away, Kole. They’re retreating.” She gave me a quick peck on the lips and laughed. “Your uncle will never hurt anyone you love again.”

  “Mmm,” I managed. “That’s all well and good, but I’m going to need another one of those. Longer this time.”

  Her face turned quizzical. “What?”

  With great effort, I lifted my hand and pointed to my lips.

  She grinned, tucked her hair behind one ear, and covered my lips with hers.

  Thirty-One

  Legacy

  The press conference began at dusk.

  The Block square was filled with smiling people—my supporters from the island, those who had come at Millian’s call, Enforcers who had donned their uniforms at the surrender of the Firebrands, and curious onlookers. All signs of battle had been removed hours before, including, thankfully, the macabre evidence of Dane Mason’s defeat. It was a moment I didn’t want to remember but would never forget.

  I smiled at Kole as we sat on the makeshift stand. He’d gained his color back and looked much better, though I detected a deep exhaustion in his eyes. He even wore a new set of clothes some of Dad’s assistants brought. Same with Dad. His old clothes made him look more regal despite his still-shaky legs. Alex sat next to him, still wearing his formal clothes and usual frown. I smoothed my own clothing, fully aware that I would be visible behind him. My cheeks ached, but I couldn’t stop smiling. This time, I wouldn’t have to watch the recording of myself on the IM-NET.

  It felt really good.

  The only thing that soured this moment was the fact that we’d scoured the city looking for Virgil to no avail. Kole thought he’d be in Malrain by now. I could only hope he was right.

  Dad took the stand first. As he did, the audience quieted. No less than fifteen cameras lined the front.

  “We all like to think we’re making a difference in this world,” Dad began. “When you inherit a country by birth, the pressure can be great. I’m sure you can imagine.”

  The crowd chuckled.

  “Before all this began, I thought that what I did made this country better. There’s far more to it than people realize, and I got pretty good at juggling it all. The NORA I inherited ran like a dream, thanks to my mother, Her Honorable Treena Hawking.” He smiled at the audience. Only then did I realize Gram stood in their midst, covered in a thick coat with the hood pulled up. Nobody seemed to recognize her. Just the way she would want it.

  Next to her, Travers hovered like a guard. Our eyes met, his shining with pride and emotion. He thought of his wife, no doubt.

  “But then this happened,” Dad continued. “I keep thinking that I should have expected this, that I should have done something sooner. Director Virgil’s update should never have happened. Neuromen didn’t fall under government jurisdiction, but perhaps it should have. Maybe I wouldn’t have fallen with many of you and your loved ones had I been more vigilant.”

  I knew it hurt him to say that. He’d suspected Virgil more than anyone I knew, including me. I’d thought it an obsession back then. He’d been right about everything. Except Virgil’s plan turned out to be far worse than anyone expected.

  “Then my son took over and received some very bad advice from our enemies,” Dad continued, looking at Alex with an apology in his eyes. Next to me, Alex sat staring at the ground. The only indication that he’d heard was the faint pink in his cheeks. “It’s amazing how difficult it can be to separate enemies from friends when you’re in a position of power. I hope you’ll forgive both me and my son.” He turned to me. “And then there’s my daughter. Legacy could have hidden somewhere and started a new life, but instead, she cared for me while gathering supporters and trying to peacefully win the Block back. Many of you know she barely slept these past weeks. She was too busy trying to negotiate a better future for us, all while fighting against a tide of discouragement. Her decisions weren’t perfect either, but as I’ve watched her fight for you and this nation, I’ve seen her incredible potential. She inherited the courage of her mother, the stubbornness of her father, and even the confidence of her brother.”

  With each word, the guilt stabbed deeper. I tried to fake a smile, but even that wouldn’t come.

  “If I am the last of the tired generation of Hawkings,” Dad continued. “Legacy is the beginning of a new. I hereby name her my successor.”

  Alex gasped.

  The crowd leaped to their feet with thunderous applause.

  My stomach tumbled to the ground as the words sank in long after they’d registered for everyone else. Dad and Alex had made mistakes, sure, but I’d made the greatest of all—and Dad hadn’t even told them.

  They would find out eventually. It sent my nerves buzzing.

  “I’m pleased with this development,” Dad continued, “enough that I have one more declaration to make. As of today, I’m officially retiring. If Legacy wants me to act as her adviser until she learns her duties, I’ll be available between naps.” He winked at me, making the crowd laugh. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  Then it hit me. Everyone thought Alex had brought those Malrain soldiers in, and Dad had let them believe it. Eventually, the truth would come out, and I would lose the trust of everyone I cared about.

  I couldn’t rule if it meant hiding behind a lie.

  Dad gestured toward me, encouraging me to take his pla
ce behind the mic, but Alex shot to his feet. The audience quieted, looking uncomfortable, as my brother stared at the ground. Then he stalked to the mic and leaned over. Dad took a step to the side. Only the tenseness of his jaw betrayed his worry.

  “I have an apology to make,” Alex said, his voice echoing across the grounds. He cleared his throat and shifted his feet. “What I did was wrong. I spent years trying to learn what Dad did and watching how people treated him, and, after a while, I wanted them to treat me that way too.” He snorted and looked at Dad. “It sounds ridiculous, but I thought taking your position would make me more like you. Instead, it showed the differences between us like a huge stage light. It showed me my family is a greater part of my life than I thought, and I want it to continue that way.” He looked at me, his eyes shining with a depth of emotion I hadn’t seen in years. “The throne was never meant for me. The events of today make that clearer than ever. I apologize for . . . for bringing the Malrain soldiers here, and I concede to my sister, Legacy Hawking.”

  I sat frozen in my seat. I couldn’t believe it. Alex had taken responsibility for my mistake.

  The crowd applauded again, and I could almost feel the entire nation’s eyes on me. This all felt too easy. Alex’s actions seemed genuine enough, and Dad had dropped everything into my lap whether I wanted it or not. Kole stood at my side and a possible cure for his condition existed somewhere in the world. The Copper Office was mine. So why did I feel an echo of danger deep within my gut?

  I looked sideways at the Block we’d reclaimed, trying to make sense of the emotions churning inside me. Was it Kadee’s death? The defiling of my father’s office? I couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

  It was then that I saw movement in one of the windows.

  I squinted, hoping to see it again. A few seconds later, it reappeared. It was the barrel of a gun—trained not on us or the crowd but on the sky. It jerked and moved as if someone were messing with it.

  Or maybe loading it.

  “Get everyone to safety,” I hissed to Kole. “Shooter in the window.” I didn’t wait to see his reaction. There wasn’t time to send guards in after the shooter, and no stunner would effectively reach that high, even if I had the aim.

  But I knew exactly what could.

  I leaped from the stage toward the nearest Enforcement vehicle. Behind me, Kole yelled, “Shooter! Everybody hide!”

  Screams rose from the crowd as I reached the vehicle. The Enforcers inside blinked. I pounded on the window. “I need your stun cannon!”

  They looked at each other in amazement before opening the door and handing it over, the nearest one hefting it in both hands, looking a little dazed. “It’s heavy, Your . . . Honor,” he finally said.

  “Good,” I said and stumbled back toward the platform, struggling under the cannon’s weight.

  Kole had nearly finished scattering the audience, shouting for them to take cover as Enforcers jogged into the building. Now he gestured to Dad and Alex, who seemed to be resisting his warning.

  The shooter had his gun loaded now because he began to lower it as I situated the stun cannon against the back of a bench. I shoved the switch on, hearing it whir to life inside. A weird thrill shot through me as it vibrated under my hand. So much power. A tiny screen on the rear read, Please wait.

  “Come on,” I muttered, watching the gun’s barrel move as if searching for a target in the dispersing crowd. I couldn’t tell who held the weapon in the dimming light, but I had a really good guess.

  The cannon vibrated even harder now, still with the same message. I cursed, every second pounding with my racing heart.

  Maybe I wouldn’t have to use it after all. Maybe those guards would stop him in time.

  The shooter’s head was visible now, his balding head covered by a combat helmet. But there was no mistaking Virgil’s face. Our eyes locked and the man’s mouth spread into a victorious grin. The man thought he’d won. But he didn’t swing the weapon’s barrel around to shoot me as I’d expected.

  Instead, he turned back to the stage. The barrel found Dad . . . and stopped.

  No, no, no, no, no.

  Ready, the screen said.

  “You can’t have him, Director,” I breathed, taking aim.

  Then I pulled the trigger.

  The force of the blast threw me somersaulting backward toward the street. The cannon landed on the ground, narrowly missing crushing my arm.

  I lay there, stunned, and stared at the painted sky. A collective groan rose from the remaining crowd. It took all the strength I had to lift my head and find the window. Some of the stone around the window looked cracked, but I saw nothing inside. No weapon, no Virgil.

  Seconds later, figures appeared in the window and then disappeared again. Seconds later, someone ran out of the building. “All clear! They caught him.”

  A collective sigh of relief rose from those still standing nearby. Kole helped me to my feet, glancing at the window every so often to make sure the gun didn’t reappear, just in case. Then he helped me walk shakily back to the platform. I brushed my trousers clean, but I refused to sit yet. Kole stood between me and the Block, watching the windows and doors with tense shoulders. An eternity later, several figures emerged from the Block, dragging a still form behind them.

  Virgil. Unconscious Virgil. He didn’t look nearly as evil with his eyes closed and slumped between four guards. Blood trickled out of each ear, and he wore what promised to be an incredible bruise on his face.

  I cringed and stepped down from the platform to talk to the guards. “Is he alive?”

  “Yes, Your Honor,” one of the guards said, grunting under the weight. “Probably burst his eardrums, though, and he may have a concussion. Where would you like him?”

  “A prison cell. We’ll send a physician to check on him.” I didn’t trust Virgil to be contained by hospital security for a second. “And send another team to clear the building. We don’t need any more scares like that.”

  The guards nodded and dragged Virgil away.

  “Goodbye, Director Virgil,” I muttered. If I had any say, he’d be seeing the inside of that prison cell for a really, really long time.

  Dad jogged up, looking pale and shaky, and wrapped his arms around me. “That was far too close. I keep learning not to underestimate that man.”

  “But why shoot you and not me?” I asked into his shoulder.

  “Because he knows I would have hunted him down. I would never let Virgil wander the planet while my daughter ruled. He’s tried to destroy my family too many times, and that is unforgivable.” The steel in Dad’s voice softened into a chuckle. “After a shot like that, though, you’d better believe he’ll wish he’d targeted a different Hawking.”

  As I pulled away from Dad, grinning, Kole joined me. “Well, if you meant to impress everyone even more, you just did. I think you can go claim the Copper Office now.”

  Alex reached us, his frown slightly less deep than usual. He gave Kole a glare before nudging my shoulder with his own. “Go get it, sis.”

  “I intend to,” I said, “but first I have a speech to make.”

  Dad looked at me quizzically. “Now? Are you sure?”

  “Yes.” A new flutter of anxiety welled up inside me. Why was it easier to shoot the stun cannon at a murderer than give a speech? Especially the one I knew I had to make. “But first, I need you to answer one question. Are you sure about this?”

  “I am.” He looked deep into my eyes as if seeing my doubts and insecurities and everything else I kept hidden inside. “No matter what you do next, I support you. I’m sure Mom would too.”

  I looked at Alex. He gave a tiny nod.

  “Family before country,” Dad said, correcting his creed. He gave my shoulder a squeeze and took his seat again. I stood where he’d left me, still feeling where he’d gripped my shoulder, and felt warm inside like I hadn’t in a very long time.

  The audience quieted as I gripped the sides of the podium to steady myself. Two roads lay b
efore me now, and one felt brighter and lighter than the other. But it would take more courage than I had now to say what I needed to say.

  I searched the audience and found Millian in the crowd. She clasped her hands near her face in utter joy. Her happiness was for me, her friend. Would she still speak to me after this speech? There was only one way to find out.

  “I met a little boy recently,” I began. “He taught me a few things. I’d like to share them with you now.”

  The silence felt like a weight of its own, filling the empty air around us. I had everyone’s attention.

  “When I was born, I had two different mothers. One gave me birth but could give me nothing else. The other offered a life withheld from most children in the world—wealth, luxury. My own room. Elaborate dinners, closets full of designer clothes, an education, a future. She gave me her heart, her family. Herself.” My voice was strangled. This was no way to begin. I took a second to clear my throat before continuing, noting a couple of members of the audience dabbing at their eyes. “There’s only one thing she couldn’t offer me, and I’m realizing now that it’s something the Hawking family has forever promised but never quite delivered. Freedom.

  “The Rating system was designed to keep citizens from inequality. There would be no more unfair poverty or wealth, they said. If a person was either one, it would be because they chose it. Gram—er, my grandmother discovered otherwise. It seems conspiracies, like weeds in a rich flowerbed, can never quite be abolished. There will always be someone grabbing for power. And most of the time, that power comes at a cost. Usually, the cost is freedom. Even my own family has paid a heavy price for it. Today, we’ve all shared that price.”

  I caught Gram’s eyes in the crowd. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

  I lifted my chin, more sure of my path now. “I come before you as the only person in this land with true freedom, and I offer it to you now. Take it. Be smarter with it than we were. In swinging away from the Rating system, we created a system nearly as problematic. The truth remains somewhere in the middle. So I declare that there will no longer be a bloodline ruler in NORA. From this moment on, your leaders will be elected by popular vote—and every single graduate will have a vote. Never allow anyone to take it from you again.”