Numbers Collide (Numbers Game Saga Book 5)

by Rebecca Rode

  Behind me, Alex sounded as if he was choking. I didn’t dare turn around. Instead, I smiled at the cameras, watching them swim in my blurry vision.

  “The Hawking family will forever be in your debt. We thank you for allowing us to serve you. It has been the greatest honor of my life, and I’m sure my family can say the same.”

  All eyes turned to Dad. I turned as slowly as possible, sure I would see the same horror in him that I’d seen at my Declaration a few months back. I’d just taken his job and everything else away from him. I’d ended the bloodline ruling system and, with it, removed every ounce of his power.

  But the father I saw before me now was far from the same man. He trembled as he straightened his shoulders, looking lighter than he had in years, and nodded. He returned to my side. “I, too, thank you for the trust you’ve placed in us. I will support my daughter’s edict.”

  My edict. It sounded so official when he said it that way. I threw my arms around him, partly holding him up at this point. “Thank you.”

  “No,” he said softly. “Thank you.”

  Thirty-Two

  Kole

  I sat in a too-soft chair under heavy lights that made every pore in my body sweat. I shifted my weight to find a comfortable position. The interview set had a distinct feminine flair—a sofa with floral pillows, some kind of metal climby thing with plants growing all over it, a stack of fake books on the coffee table. Across the room, in the darker section, Legacy chatted excitedly with Millian. Foster, Legacy’s former assistant, had planted himself right next to Millian, their fingers intertwined. Millian gave him a shy smile, and he grinned back.

  I chuckled. They hadn’t been exactly shy when we’d caught them making out in the transport a few minutes before. It reminded me of the first kiss Legacy and I shared—hot and fast and life-changing. Even now, months later, that same heat rushed through me, and I longed for this to be over so we could be alone together again.

  “Two minutes,” the reporter said, sitting down in her chair. I’d never seen this one before. A new hire, then. Something that would have been impossible under Malachi’s or Alex Hawking’s reign just one month earlier.

  Legacy hurried across the room to join us. I immediately pulled her close and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Should we open this interview by showing Millian and Foster how kissing is done?”

  “That would certainly improve the ratings,” she teased, but the tiniest blush appeared in her cheeks.

  “Later, then.”

  She grinned. “That’s a given.”

  Legacy wore a stylish pair of trousers and a dark-red blouse I was sure had been her mother’s. It brought out the warmth in her brown hair and the brightness in her brown eyes, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from her. Neither would the rest of the country, I knew, once this interview began.

  She leaned over to whisper again. “I still don’t understand why Millian isn’t going first. Nobody wants to hear from me.”

  “You’re the opening act, and I’m your sidekick. No pressure or anything.”

  “Have I ever told you how much I hate cameras?” she moaned, nodding as the reporter held up her forefinger. One minute.

  “Better get used to this. I hear the second-in-command gives a lot of speeches. I also hear the second-in-command’s consort gives hardly any, which suits me just fine.”

  “There’s never been a second-in-command before.”

  “Exactly.”

  She elbowed me in the side, making me grunt.

  The reporter’s eyebrows lifted, making her entire face light up, as someone counted down across the room. Then it was time.

  All business now, the reporter smiled at the camera. “We’re here with our nation’s favorite couple, Legacy Hawking and Kole Mason—former heiress and former scientist from the Shadows. It’s a modern version of the Cinderella story, wouldn’t you say?”

  “If you reverse it, maybe,” Legacy said, looking at me sideways. “Although I don’t think Kole would look very good in a dress.”

  I snorted.

  “You two are positively delightful,” the reporter said. “It’s a pleasure to be here with you both. It’s been one month to the day since your announcement, Legacy. We all know what’s happened since then. Were you surprised when your best friend was elected to take your place?”

  “Not in the least,” she said easily. “In fact, I think everyone got that exactly right. I can’t think of anyone more suited to lead a country.”

  “Did you expect to come in second?”

  “I didn’t expect to come in anything. I figured the country was tired of Hawkings leading them, and I was fine with stepping down. But I’m honored to be entrusted with such an important role.”

  “Even though you originally shunned it?” the reporter prompted.

  “Yes. And when it’s time for me to be replaced, I hope I’ll be able to say I did my best and the country is better for my service.”

  “I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we’re truly grateful to you, Miss Hawking. Now, you had a single request for your successor, and we’ve already seen it fulfilled. Why did you feel so strongly about restoring the border cities to Malrain?”

  Legacy spoke easily, confidently. “Because they were never ours in the first place. Malrain killed a lot of innocent people at the Block, but we’ve taken just as many of their lives in the past. And yes, they tried to take our country, but we took part of theirs first. We’ve spent the past decades condemning them for what we ourselves have done, and it isn’t fair. It’s time to end the fighting and restore peace as we should have all along.”

  “Some are critical of the new border,” the reporter said, pasting on a serious expression. “They feel like they’ve had their homes stolen from them.”

  Legacy didn’t miss a beat. “Just as the Malrain settlers felt in the beginning. But Her Honorable Millian Comondor has been generous enough to provide new homes for them within the border. I think their quality of life will be much better now that the fighting is over.”

  “Is that the reason for the new trade agreements as well?”

  “You’ll have to ask Millian about that, but I agree with her decision 100 percent. Malrain are no longer our enemies. They’re our neighbors. They have resources and knowledge to share with us and vice versa. We can learn from one another.”

  “You clearly have a deep sense of right and wrong. Is that the reason you had a hospital worker arrested recently? Did he have something to do with the attempted takeover at the Block?”

  “In a way,” she said. “I owed it to someone, and now everything is as it should be.”

  The reporter looked disappointed at the vague answer but quickly hid it. She turned to me. “Kole, you once Declared for Neuromen, but it was recently announced that the lab will not be rebuilt. What are your plans now?”

  “I’ve always had an interest in tech engineering,” I said. “I’m hoping to intern at a company across town. They originally offered me a position there, and I’m glad they still believe I’m capable of fulfilling their needs.” I still felt a little dumbstruck about it, to be honest. The position offered a decent living, but even more, recent changes made it so I could climb quickly in the company. No tattoos, oaths, or fistfights necessary. Just hard work and skill.

  Mom would have been proud.

  “That’s secondary to my real job, though,” I continued, squeezing Legacy’s hand. “I plan to be here for Legacy however and whenever she needs me. And she will. Don’t let her fool you.” I winked at the cameras.

  The reporter turned back to Legacy. “He seems like a good one.”

  Legacy laughed. “The best.”

  “Your family home, though,” the reporter continued, growing serious again as she addressed Legacy. “There have been rumors that your family has moved out and construction vehicles have been spotted out front.”

  “True and true. It’s being renovated.” She looked at me, and I watched her, nodding my encourage
ment. She took a deep breath. “I guess now is as good a time to announce it as any. My family won’t be living there again. With only three of us and two fully grown, it’s time to move on.”

  When Legacy didn’t continue, the reporter leaned forward eagerly. “What will it be, then, a museum? Surely your family has a fascinating political history full of artifacts of interest to future generations.”

  “We thought about that,” Legacy admitted, her blush apparent. “But there’s something we need even more than that. We’re turning it into a refuge for the poor. They’ll have a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and support to learn the skills they need for a good job. But that isn’t all.” She paused. “We have three more planned in cities across the country.”

  The reporter actually gasped. “That’s remarkable. What a benevolent gift.”

  “Thanks, but it shouldn’t be considered a gift. The citizens of NORA paid for our home, and I can’t think of a better use for it. I just wish we could renovate these buildings faster and get children off the streets.”

  “You and Her Honorable Millian Comondor have done a good job of finding temporary housing for the homeless during the past weeks,” the reporter said. “You haven’t announced it, but we’ve been watching. Thank you for your humble service.”

  “It’s my pleasure, truly.”

  “Once you and Her Honor discovered how to permanently disable Virgil’s brain implants, recovery rates shot upward. Only a small percentage of our original comatose patients remain hospitalized. I’m sure you’re glad to see that as well.”

  “That was all Millian. I’m devastated for those we lost but very grateful for the ones we were able to save. We have a long road of recovery ahead, though—physically and otherwise.”

  “Agreed. Thanks to you, we’ll do it together.” The reporter turned back to me, her eyebrows lifted in mock innocence. “Rumors say that you once supported the Rating system, Kole Mason. What is your feeling on that now?”

  I barked a laugh. This particular question had to be Gram’s doing. The woman would be watching on the handheld device I’d made for her, blankets piled high in her lap. “It’s no secret that I was a Firebrand once. Like the others, and like many of you, I wanted a better life. I thought the Rating system could bring us that. But I was wrong, because the Rating system would have cost us just as many lives as it did the first time. Legacy saw that. She knew what changes really needed to be made and she made them, not caring what she would lose as a result. I suspect that’s why you voted her onto the cabinet. You see what I see in her—a good heart.”

  “Speaking of which,” the reporter said with a sly look, “What are your intentions with our second-in-command?”

  I looked down on Legacy, who tensed. “Are you kidding? I’m definitely marrying her.”

  Now, it was Legacy who gasped. Across the room, Millian giggled.

  The reporter clapped her hands before gathering her composure once more. “You’re sure she’ll say yes?”

  “I’m no dummy. I’ll work on her till she does.” And thanks to the medicine Malrain gave her as a thank-you gift, I would be around for as long as it took to convince her. I even had our place picked out on the island, an abandoned home in near-perfect condition near a grassy field along the empty coastline.

  A slow grin spread across Legacy’s face. “That may not be as much work as you think.”

  Desire shot through my veins like a live electrical wire, but I only planted a chaste kiss on her hair. We were on national news, after all. Despite my earlier joking, I wasn’t about to embarrass her the way her ex-boyfriend had. She’d had quite enough of that in her lifetime.

  Legacy rolled her eyes, placed a hand behind my head, and pulled my face to hers for a kiss that left no question where she stood.

  The entire room erupted in whooping and delightful laughter. The reporter clapped her hands to her thighs as we finished and looked back at the camera, Legacy sitting with her hands folded sweetly in her lap, and me . . . Well, I wouldn’t be okay for a while. My hair was messed up now, for one thing, and I was almost positive my face matched Legacy’s blouse.

  “A Cinderella story if I’ve ever seen one,” the reporter repeated, her voice still bouncing with laughter. She turned back to the cameras. “The nation’s Second Couple, ladies and gentlemen. May it be a true beginning and a happy ending all at once.”

  Legacy smiled at me, her eyes sharp and happy and full of promise. She took my hand in hers. “I’m pretty sure it already is.”

  THE END

  BONUS: Millian’s Story

  Director Millian Commondor pulled her name tag straight for what may have been the tenth time that day and looked around at her lab. Her lab. The converted hotel with its chain of narrow rooms, high ceilings, and ornate woodwork that they’d only recently discovered was admittedly no Neuromen. But then, she was no Director Virgil, either, and she liked it that way. Just as Millian had risen from the Shadows of New NORA, her lab had risen from the overgrown ruins of an old, forgotten building. It seemed fitting that it bear her name: MILLIAN LABS.

  Yes, her dreams had found the perfect home. Everything was exactly as it should be. The other matter—the one that had her chest feeling as if it were filled with a bucket of writhing, snapping crabs, would be resolved soon enough.

  “Happy Election Day, Director!” a worker cried as he passed, hauling a container of old wallpaper strips behind him. He threw her a thumbs-up with his free hand, the arm covered nearly entirely in a peeling white paste.

  Millian nearly scowled back before forcing a smile. She hadn’t asked to be nominated for the new government position. Even if the unthinkable occurred today and she won a position in Legacy’s cabinet, she meant to turn it down. Her dream involved the lab and developing new neurotechnologies, not trying to change the world from a stuffy board room with cameras waiting in the hall. That was Legacy’s job, not hers, and she would support her friend one hundred percent.

  Even now, as she stood in the center of the reception area and watched workers clear out its musty, insect-infested furniture, she felt proud. Proud of herself, proud of her friends, proud of the workers who had chosen to work with her.

  I told you I’d make it.

  If only her sister could hear the words. The last report from her family’s neighbor said Nadia slept most of the day and their mother rarely left the house. An image of Nadia lying on the floor of the closet next to Millian, adjusting a pile of blankets over her so they’d remain hidden, sprang to mind. How many nights had they spent like that, catching snatches of sleep as heavy footsteps came and went?

  Millian quickly corrected it in her mind, placing her sister in the bed instead with Mom at her side, ever attentive and loving. The way Mom was supposed to be. The way she had been, before . . . before Dad got hurt at work and decided caring for a family was too much. Before Nadia got sick and collapsed on the kitchen floor. Before the physicians refused to help her without a down payment that they didn’t have. Before Millian left home with barely a glance backward, a string of empty promises on her lips.

  But Millian was a different person now. Neuromen had changed her like it had changed them all—not in the way her family had hoped, with wealth and position that would finally pull them out poverty, but with a discovery of who Millian was and what she truly wanted. She had helped fuel a rebellion and gather an army to restore the Copper Office back to the Hawking family—and in doing so, she’d received her mom’s wrath and a lecture that would have turned violent had it not taken place over the IM-NET. Mom’s message was clear.

  Don’t come home. You don’t belong here.

  Millian gave her name tag another tug and sighed. It took a full minute to remove the tag and replace it, straight this time. A minute well spent. No lab director could afford to look sloppy a week before her lab’s official opening. Not when she’d worked so hard to make sure every detail was perfect.

  Besides, she wanted everyone to read what the name tag s
aid. Director Millian. Not some politician eager for today’s election results.

  Her assistant, Clarice, hurried up to her, wearing her hair in a hundred tiny braids divided into two ponytails. The woman never sauntered anywhere. It made Millian like her even more.

  Clarice gave a little bob, clutching her tech board against her chest, and took her place at Millian’s side. “We’re a little behind schedule, Director, but if we work into the evening these next few nights, we should be done in time.”

  Millian nodded. “The physician team?”

  “All present. You have three more applicants, but those have been pushed off till the day after tomorrow.”

  Millian tried to be glad of it, but inside, frustration clutched her. Where she’d once been abandoned by her brain specialist partner, Physician Redd, now she had plenty of physicians seeking her out with the recent overturn of the industry. With Legacy’s recent changes, medical professionals who despised their positions were now free to look elsewhere, and those who’d discovered a late love for the medical field could now follow their dream. But that wasn’t the cause of her frustration. With several medical teams at her disposal now, Millian had sent the most qualified physician to examine her sister. Mom had turned the woman away.

  Millian had spent the past few nights since then considering her options. Send guards to escort the physician inside? That would burn any remaining threads connecting her to her family. Send a team to kidnap her sister and bring her here? She knew so little of Nadia’s condition. If she were too ill to be transported so far, that could make everything worse. Besides, Nadia would feel as out of place here as Millian did.