King chuckled at my newly found resolve and took a few steps forward, leaving Cato to stand behind him as if he knew he wouldn’t move.
“I’m going to give you a choice,” he said as he stared directly into my eyes.
From the short distance, I could see the determination in his gaze. He wanted to see how long my tenacity would hold. He wanted to break me just as he had broken Cato and countless others before. Even I wasn’t sure how long I could hold onto it.
“We are in need of a human trial. While you have hospitalized two people, we have yet to see the end result of your abilities.”
At first, confusion flooded through me, but then there was perfect understanding of what King had in store. I knew I couldn’t keep the look of utter shock from my face when King began to laugh maniacally. It echoed off the walls and reverberated back to me, sounding almost like a hyena. A part of me wanted to laugh with him. To laugh at the tiny ray of hope I’d believed there was, but I didn’t. That hope was being swallowed by a black hole, never to be seen again.
King was going to make me take Cato’s life or suffer the consequences
“And if I refuse your offer?” I had a feeling I already knew what King would say. I just wanted to hear the words pass from between his lips and fill the space between us.
“Oh, believe me, Mila. You won’t.”
Another smile spread across his mouth, and I had to fight an urge to slap it away. I would be replacing that smile with a different expression in the future.
“I’m about to make you an irresistible offer.”
I didn’t like how he had said the word irresistible. It rolled off his tongue in a purr of sound that slid around me in a shiver, melting away my resolution. The look on his face was one of a predator that knew it had its prey cornered, and I was ashamed to admit, even to myself, that he was indeed one.
King lifted his arms away from his sides and announced, “Here are your choices, Mila.” He turned, looking to Cato with a hand out in his direction. He didn’t lack showmanship. “Kill Cato. Show us what you’re made of,” he said as he dropped his hand and came to stand directly in front of me.
My chest was mere inches from touching his.
“Or…” He removed a gun from a holster hidden in his jacket, turned, and pointed it at Cato in one swift move. “I kill him and everyone you love and leave you to suffer until I come for you.”
My breath caught in my throat and nearly choked me. I couldn’t keep my eyes from moving to his face, and there was nothing there. No hint of emotion. He was cold and unfeeling, and it caused a shudder to run up and down my spine. The man standing in front of me was a psychopath. Pure and simple. He was going to push me until I broke and not feel an inch of remorse about doing it. I could only guess that he was in a position of power because of that mentality.
More tears sprang to my eyes, causing him to become a blur as I shook my head in protest. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t take Cato’s life and cause him the pain I knew I had caused others. Cato was my friend and had never lifted a hand to harm me. One man would’ve hurt others, and Jones would’ve killed me and took all the dignity I had left.
King was asking me to do the unthinkable. I had two choices. I could kill Cato in cold blood to save my family and friends, or I could refuse and I wouldn’t save anyone. My mind was having trouble wrapping around the two possibilities. I knew what Cato would want, but I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to give that to him, and I didn’t want King to have the satisfaction.
Was I ready to let him go? Absolutely not.
“No,” I insisted.
I was looking at Cato, and his head shot up, brown orbs wide and pleading. He was going to beg me to kill him to save myself and everyone else. Kill the one to save the many. I was unwilling to do what he wanted because I cared about Cato and something would be missing from my life if he were gone. A selfish reason, but I could have said the same for my mother, Gaia, Julius, Nero, and Cecilia—but none of them were there. None of them were looking at me with wide, beseeching eyes that I couldn’t look away from.
King wasn’t surprised by my answer. Instead, he seemed to feel challenged, and I had an inkling that it was just what he had wanted. He had said that he felt as if I needed a push, and that he would do whatever he felt was necessary to push me.
“Are you sure?” he asked as he turned off the safety and pulled back the hammer.
Cato’s lips parted, his eyes darting between me and the gun in King’s hand. He didn’t want to die, but if he had to, I was certain he would have rather it been by my hand. We stood there, silently begging one another not to make it harder than it had to be.
“Please,” Cato whimpered. “Mila, please.”
His shoulders began to shake as sobs racked his body and tears began to spill over his lower lids, sliding down his cheeks in rivers. I was doing the same, but my entire body was shaking in response to all the emotions I could no longer hold at bay. It was okay for him to beg me to do that. He wouldn’t have anyone’s blood on his hands, but I would, and it wouldn’t be just anyone’s blood. It would be the lifeblood of a dear friend that I had known all of my life and that I loved dearly. He was my brother.
I couldn’t kill him, but was he, right? Kill the one to save the many. I had heard it more than once and had always been told it was the right thing to do. That shouldn’t change just because of who the one would be.
I continued to shake my head and responded, “I can’t, Cato. I can’t. I’m sorry.”
King moved to stand beside him, and in one quick motion, he placed the barrel of the gun against Cato’s temple. His sobs became audible and closed the distance between us with what was almost a distinct snap of energy.
I wanted to do it for him, but I couldn’t. My heart wouldn’t let me, even though my mind knew it was the right thing to do.
I watched Cato’s face continue to crumble as I looked from him to King. The evil man’s eyes continued to stay on me, watching my every move and every emotion crossing over my face. I could see his finger pulling the trigger, and I couldn’t watch him kill Cato when I had the power to stop it. Cato would die either way, but I could make the choice of how he perished.
He didn’t seem to mind the pain he would endure and the way he watched me told me he didn’t want King to be the one to do it. He would sacrifice himself for everyone he loved because that was the kind of person his parents had raised him to be. Had they also threatened the lives of his family? I was willing to wager that he had.
“Mila, you have to be the one. You have to.” The words escaped from between his lips, short and clipped by moans.
A part of me was wondering how he was able to speak at all.
“I will not become another one of his victims.”
Those words registered within me. How could I deny him that? There was no way I could blame him for not wanting to become another notch on King’s belt. I wouldn’t want that either so I had no choice but to give Cato what he sought. King’s finger was pulling the trigger. I only had one chance to act before I watched him splatter Cato’s brain all over the walls.
“Okay,” I yelled, hoping I had stopped him in time. Cato’s shoulders sagged in relief, and I saw him hang his head. “I’ll do it, but I have one stipulation.”
King raised his eyebrows, a look of surprise erupting on his face and replacing the look of enjoyment. He was thoroughly relishing tonight’s entertainment. “Well,” he said as he dropped the hand with the gun in it to his side, “you’re not exactly in the position to negotiate.”
I shrugged and said, “It seems like you need me. I don’t know what for, but I’m pretty sure you need me alive. If I don’t get what I want, neither do you.”
“Go on.” King took a few tentative steps closer to me.
I raised my hand, letting him know I was not playing games. “Don’t come any closer. If you do, you’ll be the first human trial.”
His eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch as he leered at me, and then h
e began to laugh.
“What is it that you want, Mila?” He raised his hands in the air, showing me that he meant no harm.
I would’ve believed that if he hadn’t just asked me to murder one of my best friends. A part of me wanted to show him that he wasn’t in the position to give orders. It was possible I could kill everyone in the room with one flick of my wrist if I focused hard enough, but I wasn’t even certain of the scope of my power and I couldn’t take chances. Especially when I couldn’t even control the extent of the damage it could do.
“I want everyone to leave this room,” I commanded. I wanted to do it alone if they were forcing me because it was going to hurt enough without an audience.
King began to shake his head. “No can do, little lady. As you can tell, I am not a very trusting person. We also cannot see the effects if we are not in the room.”
I clicked my tongue and said, “Now, now, we are all aware you have cameras in every conceivable place. Even here. You can record it. I’ll give you that much. All I ask is that I don’t have an audience just waiting to applaud me.” I took a quick glance back at the group of people behind me and then turned back to King.
“I need at least one or two people in this room, Mila. Not only to make sure you have done it, but to directly observe. How do you think we have made so many scientific advancements? We have to see it happen with our own eyes.” He dropped his hands to his side and took a non-threatening step toward me. “I want Doctor Aserov in the room at least, with Ryder to ensure her safety as well.”
I thought about that for a moment. I would at least give him that. He was right, but I wasn’t so interested in scientific advancements. I was in it to save people, and that was the only reason I would give into Cato’s suicide wish. Suicide by a friend just wasn’t the typical request.
“All right. Ryder and the good doctor can stay, but the rest of you are to leave. I won’t try to take off. I can promise you that. It’s much harder to plot revenge when you can’t observe your target.” I smiled and let the words sink in.
I would play his game. He just didn’t know how good I was at it. I had been watching the freak show that was our government closely for a long time, and my interest in it had started in school. King only had government mandated education in economics and administration to blame for that. I didn’t want him to mistake the smile on my face for joy so I let the sadness fill me as even more tears welled up and threatened to spill from my eyes. I blinked to hold them back, which was harder than it seemed.
King nodded, and I watched him carefully as everyone left the room, not including Doctor Aserov and Ryder. If I had to trust anyone at that point, it would be those two.
King crossed the threshold and the door closed behind him. He looked back at Cato and I with a gigantic and patronizing grin on his face that I knew would be in my nightmares for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, I wasn’t being given the choice. I had to cut Cato’s life short. At that point in my life, it would be the most painful thing I had ever done, and I would make King pay for it once I got the chance.
Chapter 20
Once King was out of sight, I let the tears begin to fall again as I walked to Cato, arms held out to embrace him. I heard Ryder move forward a few steps, his military issued boots squeaking slightly on the tiled floor. I shot a glance back at Ryder, and he stopped. I wasn’t sure what my expression had said to him, but if I had to guess, I had given him a look that could have left him on the floor either drooling on himself or dead. Ryder and Doctor Aserov weren’t to blame, but I couldn’t feel anything but anger and deep sadness. I could barely control where my thoughts were going.
By the time I made it to Cato, I was practically running, and both of our faces were covered in tears as we embraced. I wrapped my arms around him. He was warm. He was trembling violently, but warm. His tears mingled with my hair, causing it to stick to my neck and the side of my face. I didn’t care. My tears were doing the same. I breathed him in because I knew that would be the last time I would ever hug him or smell his woody scent ever again. It was like apple orchards and fresh oak.
Both of us wouldn’t be walking out of the room alive. We were being watched just to make sure it happened. I wanted to push against King and resist what I was being made to do. It wouldn’t be that easy, but Cato was silently begging for an end to his suffering as we stood there holding onto each other.
I felt Cato’s wet lips meet my forehead in a soft and gentle caress of skin. We had never once been romantic. We shared the bond of a brother and sister, and I loved him just as deeply.
“I can’t do this, Cato.” I shook my head and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes as I said the words in a whisper.
“You have to, Mila. There is so much you can do in this world that will amount to much more than anything I can.”
My eyes shot open, and I pulled away from him slightly, looking deep into his dark brown orbs in shock and horror. The gold flecks throughout were stunning, but the tears in them made me want to die.
He responded to my shock quickly. “You’re meant for more. The more I’m here, the more I realize I’m not that special. You have no idea how many people here can do the same thing. Clairvoyance isn’t exactly unique to just me.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. While he was correct about the distinctive nature of my gift, he was wrong in the thought that he couldn’t make a difference.
“No. We can make that difference together. We all can. We can get out of here and make the world see what King is doing. ” I made sure to emphasize the we in that statement.
He shook his head and replied, “You are the one who can make the difference. No one else here can. You have to be a voice for all of us, and I can be the fuel for your fire.” He inhaled deeply as if memorizing my scent and whispered, “There is something I have to show you.”
His forehead met mine, the tips of our noses touching as I breathed him in deeply, my arms resting on his upper arms. Images began to flash inside of my mind. The first was from over a year before, and I could see it perfectly, just as if it had happened yesterday.
We were laying on the hood of his car in the darkness along the wall where there were no street lamps so that we could see the stars. I had been teaching him about the constellations, and I watched as he turned to me, admiration and love in his features.
Then, the stench of death replaced the smell of fresh Earth. In my mind, I saw the passion of two bodies moving together as one and I recognized the man instantly. That made it hard to conceal the blush creeping into my cheeks seeing Ryder’s bare chest in my mind’s eye.
Lastly, I saw me standing in front of King with Ryder, Caius, and Julius behind me. No Cato. Disbelief at what I was seeing blossomed within my chest. It couldn’t be true. Within seconds, I was staring into Cato’s eyes again, surrounded by white walls.
“See?” He planted a kiss on my forehead. “I’m not in your future. Not in the physical sense anyway.” He smirked. His busted lip looked painful.
I shook my head in response.
He took his hands and placed them on my shoulders, gently pushing me away from him. I couldn’t stop shaking my head in disbelief. He believed that we would be better off without him. That the world would be better without him. I planted my feet and stopped moving as he continued to try to force me back. I wasn’t going to walk away from him. He dropped his hands and took a few steps away from me, making me fight the urge I was feeling to run back to him with just a look.
I could feel my chin tremble as I looked at him, the absence of the will to live in his face. He believed he was useless, but he couldn’t be farther from the truth. I turned and looked at both Ryder and Doctor Aserov. Ryder watched with compassion on his face, but Doctor Aserov was in tears. She had let a few trickle down her cheeks as she looked at us, obviously knowing how it had to end.
A part of me couldn’t believe Cato was willing to let his life end and that both Ryder and the doctor were ready to stand back
and watch it happen. I was overwhelmed by the fact that Cato thought I could fix the world because I wasn’t even sure of that.
I turned back to Cato in that instance and knew with everything I had that I would try my hardest to do what he knew with all of his heart that I could. I wasn’t sure how, but I had to try. If not for me or the world, then for Cato.
He’d always believed in a better world than the one in which we lived. One without fear and discrimination. Who was I to deny him that? His eyes bore into mine, and I couldn’t tear myself away from them. I had looked into those eyes my entire life, and they were about to close forever, and I was going to be the one to close them. Not by choice.
Through a river of tears and near sobs I said, “I’ll try.”
His expression softened. No other words needed to be said, but I felt a few more were necessary. “I love you.” It came out in a near whisper, my sobs making it almost imperceptible.
“I love you.”
I couldn’t stop the sobs despite my resistance. Tears soaked into the red fabric of my shirt and caused my hair to stick to my skin in long strands. I ran my hand through it as I looked at him and felt a few drops of my grief run onto my fingers and slide down my skin.
I was trying to prepare myself for what I was about to do, but I knew there was no way to prepare to kill one of my closest friends. When it came to the people I loved, killing them was something I was certain I couldn’t do. But I was about to with King watching on a screen outside the room as if he was looking over my shoulder. I even had a soldier and a doctor in the room to make sure I did as ordered and to report what they saw. If only I didn’t have to suffer through it at all, but Cato was about suffer even more.
I raised a trembling hand toward him, letting the power build, but I didn’t release it. Not yet. My heart was beating so hard that it threatened to spill from my throat and out of my mouth, and all I could hear was the sound of my blood pumping in my ears. It felt as if no one else was in the room. There was only me, Cato, my sorrow, and the power. With certainty, I knew no one would be able to forgive me, and I could only hope they would understand.
The Harvested (The Permutation Archives Book 1) Page 13
