The younger guards, who were barely preteens during his reign, didn’t pay him much mind, but the older guards who remembered President Asher Saevus took pause.
Even if they hadn’t known what he looked like, there was no denying the resemblance between father and son.
A middle-aged guard stepped forward. “Sir. How is this possible?”
“My son is a maniac. That’s how this is possible,” exclaimed Asher. “Stop fighting these people! They’re the ones who freed me from the prison my son’s kept me in.”
The guards on the balcony stopped fighting for the moment. Luka and Dakota had managed to temporarily barricade the door with a heavy dragon sculpture, but it wouldn’t last long.
“Izzy, are you there?” Dakota screamed into his two-way.
“I’m here. Still having issues with the shield but I’ve gotten control of the S.U.R.G.E.s. They’re down.”
“First off, you’re amazing. Second off, we need you to hack the security cameras and record Asher Saevus speaking on the twentieth-floor balcony. Can you do that?”
“Earlier than expected.” She paused. “I can but I have control of too many things right now. I’m going to have to relinquish the elevators.”
“That’s fine. We’ll make do.”
“Next time we go to war I’m going to need an assistant.”
“I’ll remember that.”
A few seconds passed. “Okay. It’s recording. Shall I broadcast live?”
“If you’re able to do that, then by all means.”
Dakota put away his two-way and nodded toward Asher. “You’re up.”
The man cleared his throat and turned toward his city, ready to speak to them for the first time in nearly a decade. Although the man they remembered and the man he was now were as different as life and death.
“Citizens of Utopia, everything you have been told is a lie.”
• • •
Elvira glanced up as she walked around the outside of the tower. She knew the voice and could see a hologram floating in the center of Inner City, but she had no clue where her grandfather was.
“Are we almost there?” Ronan asked, his face still buried in her shoulder.
“Yes, just a few more minutes.”
Her foot hit something and she nearly tumbled to the ground.
Elvira backed up and looked down. She had to bite her cheek to keep from screaming. She’d been so distracted by her grandfather’s voice that she’d completely missed the two bodies lying in the street.
Soren’s blood coated her boot and she couldn’t stop looking at it. Blood was much easier to comprehend than the flattened man in front of her.
It was hard to believe the mess of a man was once someone she’d loved.
“What is it?” asked Ronan, sensing her torment and trying to get a good look.
Elvira pressed his head back down and said, “Nothing.”
With a heavy heart, she stepped over Soren, around his slave and continued on.
It hadn’t been easy getting Ronan out of the tower. People had questions.
What was she doing?
Where was she going?
What were they supposed to do?
Where was the president?
Elvira had sidestepped all of them and managed to leave through one of the side doors no one ever used. Her wristband was buzzing nonstop but she hadn’t answered it. If her father wanted her to head back so badly then he would just have to activate the mind-control programmed into her wristband.
As Elvira continued around the tower, two people came into view.
Two guards, distracted as they watched her grandfather speak.
But not really. She knew instantly by the way they carried themselves that they were imposters. Any other time she would have killed them, but it just so happened that this was their lucky day.
The first ‘guard’ didn’t even notice her until she was ten feet away. A girl she recognized instantly.
“Well, well. It appears you’re more resilient than I gave you credit for. Miki, is it?”
Ronan instantly reacted, his head turning until he saw Miki standing there.
“Who’s this?” asked Elvira, unable to place the man beside Miki, although he looked familiar.
The pale man said nothing, lowering his eyes as he quivered in fear.
She squinted. A small and wicked smile curved at her lips. “Oh, this is rich. A wave playing rebel.”
Miki moved protectively in front of Atticus’s wave and lifted the Element she held. It was a primitive model, probably stolen from Sewick’s stash after his death. Or before. Who knew with those Rubys.
“Don’t, Miki!” cried Ronan, hugging Elvira a little bit tighter.
A weird feeling rushed through Elvira. She hugged him back, still terribly torn over what she was about to do.
“Ronan, you said you trust me, right?”
The small boy nodded.
“Good. So what I need you to do now is go with them. Go with Miki. Can you do that?”
Ronan looked at her with wide green eyes. “B-but where are you going? You’re not coming with me?”
“No, I can’t come with you. I ...” She paused as she realized the horrible truth. “I am my father’s daughter.”
His eyebrows knitted in confusion. “But we have the same father. I’m his too.”
She shook her head. “No, you’re not. You belong to our mother and you’re better off.”
“But -”
“No arguing. I know what’s best for you.”
Ronan didn’t look convinced, but he listened all the same. With a deep sob, he hugged her again. Elvira hugged back and slipped him into Miki’s anxious arms.
“When will I see you again?” asked Ronan, looking over his shoulder at her.
Elvira gulped and said, “Never.” Before she could witness his reaction, she looked at Miki. “Your friends have escaped. I imagine they went looking for you at Atticus’s.”
She turned, took one step, then looked back.
“If you drop him off somewhere and come back to fight we will be enemies. Remember that.”
Elvira turned away again and ran back to the tower. As soon as she was out of their sight, she took out her Element and prepared herself for battle.
• • •
Saevus stepped out of the elevator and stormed his way to the twentieth-floor door leading to the balcony. Guards were surrounding it, trying to break it down.
“What’s the damn problem?” he demanded, pushing his way through the crowd.
Barath and Arron were standing beside it, watching while Wenton tried to kick it down. Saevus shoved him out of the way, took out his Element and fired a magnetic wave so strong it dented the metal door until it burst right through it.
“What the hell was that?” asked Barath.
“Something I had made just for me, so all of you remain weaker in my presence,” said Saevus, stepping over the metal that remained and onto the balcony.
“Not shocked, but that was a damn odd thing to say,” Wenton whispered to Barath as they followed Saevus through.
President Saevus took several steps onto the balcony. All eyes were on him and even his father turned his chair to face him.
“What are you standing there for?” Saevus demanded of the nearest guard. “Kill them!”
The guard nodded toward the edge of the balcony.
It was then that Saevus noticed it. The large hologram head of the man in front of him, watching him with his giant green eyes.
“What lies have you told?” he demanded.
“I only spoke the truth, Collin,” said Asher. “People have the right to -”
Saevus aimed his Element and fired before anyone could react. A large gust of wind shot across the balcony, sending his father’s wheelchair racing backwards.
April activated her gravpack and sped after him, but just as she was about to grab him the president fired again, this time at her. April went spinning off at three
times the speed, unable to regain control.
Dakota only had enough time to go after one of them.
He chose April.
As Dakota raced after her, Asher’s chair hit the barrier. Saevus fired again, guaranteeing that his father would fall backwards over the edge. Everyone watched in horror as the man screamed for his son as he plummeted to his death.
“That man was a liar!” Saevus screamed in the direction of the nearest security camera.
Izzy must have adjusted it, because suddenly it was his hologram floating above the city.
“He said he wanted what’s best for Utopia, but if that were true he would’ve made better decisions! We need to stay isolated to avoid this!” He motioned all around him. “With one government we stand united. When the Outsiders formed, choosing to govern themselves they brought war to our world! We need to stop them and close ourselves off! To live as one!”
“Who are you to decide what’s best for everyone?” said Xander, stepping forward.
“I am protecting everyone!” Saevus screamed, the veins in his forehead pulsing. “I am the leader here! I know what’s best! The lie about toxic air was necessary to keep us safe!”
“You’re a coward,” said Deryn, stepping beside Xander. “You can’t hold people prisoner because you’re afraid!”
Saevus’s eyes darkened. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.” He activated his wristband and zipped his finger along the hologram that popped up. With a wicked smile aimed at Deryn, he pressed a button.
Every last guard in Utopia collapsed to their knees, crying out in pain before their eyes became milky white. Any recollection of who they were or what they believed was lost, replaced with the absolute need to obey their president.
“The night your brother recruited you, I sent Elvira on a different mission,” Saevus said to Deryn. “She was to enter Godfrey Leon’s home while he was distracted, then inject his soap with a toxin created just for him. It would infect him instantly, then kill him slowly and painfully. Tell me, girl. Has he died yet?”
Deryn stood there, her body numb as everything Saevus said sank in. He’d killed her father. Her jaw clenched as she watched him, anger spreading through her veins. She’d always hated the man, but what she felt in that moment was beyond hatred. If he lived a million lives burning in the depths of hell it wouldn’t be enough.
Deryn didn’t feel herself move forward, not until Xander was gripping her arm and holding her in place.
“How ironic,” said Luka, appearing on her other side.
Saevus looked at him and tilted his head.
Luka smirked. “Come on, my president. I know you didn’t miss the fact that I injected you with something upstairs. Aren’t you the least bit curious to know what it was, or perhaps why you suddenly feel the desire to share your assassination attempts with the entire city?”
Saevus’s mouth opened slightly.
“It was a toxin and it’s killing you slowly. Not over a period of years though. You’ll be dead by the days end. But first you’ll confess all of your sins. Anything you want to tell me?”
“Your father asked me to have your mother killed shortly after you were born. He had his heir and he was bored with her. I was happy to oblige.” After he spoke, Saevus tightened his lips, realizing that this was information he did not want to share.
“Shit,” said Luka, his gaze moving to his father standing silently behind his president. Even after activating mind-control on every last guard, his Guardians were still being loyal. To the death. “That’s what divorce is for, you fucking -”
“Kill them,” ordered Saevus.
Every guard raised their Elements.
“Kill every last Resistance member. Whatever it takes!”
Saevus was the first to fire. While Luka and Xander activated shields, he set his sights on Deryn. Wind shot out of his Element and straight for her. Shields didn’t protect against the wind and Deryn went flying backwards before Xander or Luka could grab her.
“Deryn!”
Xander sprinted after her, his heart shattering as she went over the edge of the balcony.
“NO!”
“Women are trouble, Xander. I did you a favor.” Saevus put his Element in its holster. “Good luck surviving.”
He turned and walked away. As he passed Barath, he caught him by the arm. “Kill your son or be killed. The choice is yours.”
Saevus released him and walked back inside. Gordon was standing near the door, staring straight ahead with his milky white eyes.
“I fucked your wife, Gordon. Everyone has.”
He bit his cheek as he climbed the stairs to floor thirty-three. His personal Medical Ward. He would not die just yet.
CHAPTER 53
Dakota peeled off the straps of April’s gravpack while she bit down on her shirt sleeve to keep from screaming. The two of them were in the dark depths of an alley, hiding from the passing guards with blank eyes while he assessed the damage.
Raw, bleeding flesh in the shape of straps marked April’s skin around the entire length of both arms. She’d crashed into a building before Dakota had reached her. She was lucky the gravpack had hit it and not her face. It she’d done half of another spin in the air she would probably be dead.
The president’s hologram screamed above their heads somewhere. Dakota shuddered as he listened to the confession about Godfrey Leon. It wasn’t shocking but still hit him hard. He could only imagine how Deryn felt in that moment.
“You need to get back,” said April. “I don’t know where knucking Sam is and someone needs to get them off of that balcony.”
Before Dakota could respond, he heard several approaching voices. They were coming from different directions but soon they were clashing. When he looked at the street, someone sped by. The cries of relief that followed brought him to his feet.
Dakota hurried down the alley, turning in the direction the person had run and witnessing Miki and Kemp embracing. She was in a guard uniform and a small body was squashed between them.
“Let me breathe, will you?”
Dakota’s breath hitched. “Ro?”
Ronan peeked over Miki’s shoulder. “Dax!”
He shimmied his way down Miki’s body and shoved free, running until he was inside a crouching Dakota’s arms.
“Where the hell have you been?” Dakota demanded, squeezing the boy.
“You were gone so long. I was scared,” Ronan cried. “My sister came for me. My mom told me I could trust her.”
Dakota pulled away and looked at him. “What?”
“It’s true,” said Miki, who was now standing beside them. “Elvira brought him to me. I’d already escaped with Ezra, but I think she was on her way to Atticus’s to let me go.”
“What?” Dakota repeated.
“Not to be a wet towel or anything but is there any way we can move this touching scene somewhere less out in the open?” asked Odette, poking her head around the corner.
Dakota blinked, remembering something. “Harper!” he called.
Harper appeared from around the same corner. She’d been sent with Odette, Autumn, Hera and Cress to get the prisoners out of the tower.
“April’s hurt. Can you take care of her?”
Harper nodded. “Where is she?”
“In the alley.” Dakota put down Ronan. “Ro, I have to go. Stay with Miki. Okay, kid?”
Ronan nodded. “Come back, Dax.”
Dakota smiled and nudged his chin. “It’ll take more than a war to get rid of me.”
He activated his gravpack and took off.
Harper was already running down the alley toward April. Miki picked up Ronan and motioned to Ezra, who was standing nervously at the other end of the street. He followed her into the alley and so did Kemp. Odette stayed on the corner and directed the rest of their group while keeping a watchful eye.
“What’s happening up there?” Harper asked while cleaning April’s wounds with a serum from her pack.
April w
inced. “Sam and the others haven’t come yet. Has your damn boyfriend contacted you at all?”
“He checked in briefly about fifteen minutes ago. There are five large mechanical spiders attacking everyone in Middle City, even the citizens. They’d only taken one down. Izzy shut down the S.U.R.G.E.s but she couldn’t find anything about spiders.”
“They must not be controlled from the mainframe,” said Cress, leaning against the wall.
“No shit, Captain Obvious,” spat Hera. “What the hell are we doing trying to get out of the city? We should be fighting!”
“Our orders are to take the prisoners wherever they want to go,” said Autumn, who had taken a seat beside April and looked worriedly at her pale and sweaty paramour.
“We need to go back.”
They all looked at Bronson, who was standing near the back of their group. He wasn’t exactly the one they were expecting to speak up. He’d barely said anything since they’d encountered Fiona’s body splattered across the pavement. Bronson hadn’t wanted to leave her there, but they couldn’t exactly lug a dead body around. So, with great reluctance, he’d left her, and that usual twinkle in his eye hadn’t been present since.
“Everyone I love in this world is in that fucking tower, and if the person who was supposed to get them out is delayed then we can’t leave them to die.”
“Lona’s still in there,” said Odette. “If he’s going back then so am I.”
Neo didn’t even bother confirming that he was going too. It was already a given.
“Then go,” said Harper, taking the lead. “I’m staying with April. Miki, you take Ronan and get the hell out of here.”
“I want to go with Miki,” said Kemp, taking her hand.
“Fine,” agreed Harper. “Your friend can go too.” She motioned to weak looking Ezra. “The rest of you are going in. When Adrian checks in again, I’ll let him know your plan.”
“Which one of you gave the Guardian that plant injection?” asked April.
“I did,” said Chace, raising his hand.
“He got him with it. Saevus. How long until the son of a bitch is dead?”
Chace’s eyes widened in surprise. Even after all that effort, sneaking it in, keeping silent while his friends were tortured so no one would discover it, he’d never really believed his creation would be of any use.
Arise (Cruel and Beautiful World Book 3) Page 56
