by J. L. Lyon
For several heartbeats the room hung in delicate balance between order and chaos. Each second that passed brought 301 closer and closer to engaging his own men in brutal combat. But then he felt the soft touch of Grace’s hand on his own, and her tenderness forced his rage into submission.
“That won’t be necessary, Admiral,” she said, stepping forward. “I’m perfectly capable of surrendering to you on my own.” She looked into 301’s eyes and gently pushed the hand holding his Gladius back down to his side. “And I don’t need anyone to fight for me.”
“You understand, Miss Sawyer,” McCall began in a tone of warning, “that no mercy of any form will be accorded to you. You will be taken in, processed, likely interrogated, and put to death.”
Her eyes did not leave 301’s as she replied, “I know. My only request is that Specter Captain 301-14-A be credited with my capture. In return I promise my full cooperation.”
After a moment’s hesitation McCall nodded, “Done. I don’t know whether to consider your actions noble or foolish, but I admire your courage just the same.”
301 shook his head slightly in a desperate plea. “Don’t do this,” he whispered. “I can get you out.”
“No,” she whispered back. “I knew when I left that this was how things would end. You gave me hope for a moment that they didn’t have to…but the world does not stop just for two fools in love. I won’t have you die here for me.” She gave him a sad smile, and then backed away from him toward the circle of Specters. Seeing her resolve, 301 sighed with a feeling of defeat, and his blade retreated back into its sheathe.
The tension evaporated from the platform, and McCall broke the silence, “Marcus, Dodson…take her.”
The two Specters deactivated their weapons and grabbed Grace roughly by the shoulders. McCall held up a hand, “Gently, men. She has consented to be taken, and will receive no ill treatment from us.” Marcus and Dodson led Grace back toward the train, where they would take her back down the tunnel and up to the surface. She cast one last glance at 301 as she stepped off the platform, and then she was gone.
All but Derek and McCall followed, leaving the three men alone. The admiral returned Amicus to his side and shifted his feet uncomfortably. There was something in his expression that seemed almost disappointed. “You are not the first man to be ensnared by the Elect, Captain, and certainly not the first to be led astray by a beautiful woman. We are a unit…a team. And I swear to you upon my honor, the MWR will hear nothing of this. Again, well done, gentlemen.” He turned to walk toward the train, and followed the others back into the tunnel.
As 301 stood alone on the platform with his partner, he felt anger boiling inside of him. He didn’t want to say anything to the man, but as silence stretched between them he could hold it in no longer. “Was this your plan all along, Derek?”
His partner frowned at him apologetically, “It didn’t have to be this way, Captain. You left me no choice.”
“You betrayed me.”
“For her, you would have betrayed us all. I did what I had to do to save this city.”
“You did it for yourself,” he spat bitterly. “For whatever obsessive need you have for revenge against the Elect. This was my choice, Derek, and you stole it from me.”
“No,” Derek said. “I captured an enemy of the state and likely put an end to a rebellion in the capital. I did my duty. I did what you should have done on the roof of the Communications Tower. But I knew then that she had gotten to you—that no matter what happened, you would never bring her in.”
“You were supposed to be my friend. I trusted you.”
“I am your friend, Captain. This is about saving you just as much as it is about saving the people of the city. Do you think I want to see the Elect use you as they did my mother? Sacrifice you on the altar of their sacred cause? Because that’s where you are headed, if you continue on this path. If Napoleon Alexander ever finds out the lengths you have gone to on this woman’s behalf, you’re finished. I can’t let that happen. Once she’s gone, perhaps you will be able to see things clearly again.”
Once she’s gone… The very thought nearly shattered him at his very core. Not so long ago the World System was all he cared about, but the government he believed himself born to serve did not turn out to be what he thought—or perhaps he did not turn out to be what he thought. Whatever glories or accolades he might attain in the World System, they all paled in comparison to Grace, and to the way she had made him feel at the merest chance that they could leave it all behind. That chance was gone now, evaporated in an instant, but he couldn’t live in a world without her. He refused to.
“Wait,” Derek said as 301 made for the tunnel. “Where are you going?”
“To take a walk.” 301 shoved past his partner and stepped off the platform, plunging into the darkness of the underground without his light rod. He wanted to see nothing…to feel nothing.
“The MWR will be wanting our report, Captain!” Derek called after him. “It will take you hours to reach the palace on foot!”
“Then don’t hold your breath for my return,” 301 whispered, and continued on into the unending black where it seemed the world and everything in it no longer existed.
30
AMONG THE THICKENING MASS of movement in the command center lobby, Crenshaw caught sight of a young operative struggling to carry a bag almost as big as he was and shook his head in exasperation. He reached out to take hold of the man’s arm, “This is an evacuation, Soldier, not a vacation. You can’t take every single thing you own.” He raised his voice so all in the vicinity could hear. “I say again, people: take only what you can carry! Wherever we end up outside the city it is unlikely we will remain there long. I warn you to pack lightly. Whatever you bring you are stuck with, for we can’t leave behind a trail for our enemies to follow.”
Many of the operatives seemed distraught at leaving so much behind, and Crenshaw couldn’t help but see that as a deep concern. Most of them had lived the majority of their lives wandering through the Wilderness areas, but they had grown comfortable staying in one place for too long. He could only hope their comfort wouldn’t translate into a lack of caution. In the Wilderness, lack of caution would get them all killed.
He made his way to the briefing room and found Colonel Traughber poring over evac reports from the rest of the centers. Traughber straightened as Crenshaw entered, “General. How does it look out there?”
“Orderly,” he replied. “But slow. Moving a thousand people out of the most heavily guarded city in the world is no small task.”
“No more difficult than getting them in. But I suppose we had months of preparation for that, as opposed to hours.”
“What has the response been from the other centers?”
“Overwhelmingly supportive,” Traughber replied. “I suspect many were already considering an independent withdrawal after they heard about Center 3. There is a general sense that a storm is coming, and they are glad to be taking cover.”
“Good,” Crenshaw nodded. “Have you been watching the Great Army’s movements? Last I saw the majority of the violence seems concentrated around Center 3.”
“Yes, it began there in full force and has slowly spread in the hours since the center was lost. Many of Donalson’s fires have been confirmed at the homes of the nobles.”
“They’re trying to smoke us out,” Crenshaw said. “Us, and our suppliers.”
“If they go on like this they will probably succeed,” Traughber said darkly. “If we aren’t gone from here in three hours’ time they will be upon us.”
“Three hours should be long enough,” Crenshaw said. “As long as we stick to the underground and stay away from the path to Center 3, we should make it.”
“You know these tunnels just about as well as Jacob Sawyer did,” Traughber said. “With you I believe we have a chance. I suppose that’s why the commander said we could trust you no matter what came our way.”
“I’m flattered Jacob thought it.”
>
“No, not Jacob,” Traughber said. “Grace. I overheard her telling Davian that you had become somewhat of a father-figure to her, and that even though she didn’t know whether to trust you at first she had learned that you were every bit the man the stories said you were. The way she put it, you’re the only reason she’s still standing after all the tragedy she’s faced these past days.”
Crenshaw felt his chest tighten and his mouth hung open in disbelief. There had to be some mistake. The Grace who had spoken to him in the tunnels just an hour before would not have said those things about him. She had cast him off coldly despite his reasons for concealing certain truths from her, and it had made him angry. So angry, in fact, that he had missed the desperate look in her eyes…that same determination he had seen when she emerged from the memorial at the Silent Thunder dome. He raised a hand to cover his mouth as it suddenly dawned on him what she had done, and that he had let it happen. Of all those around her he might have been the only one to stop her, but he had let his pride blind him in the moment she needed him most.
Before he could voice his concern for what she might be about to do, Davian came in and stood in the doorway holding a single slip of paper, his expression a picture of the very same horror and disbelief Crenshaw felt. The general’s concern then became certainty.
“What is it, Davian?” Traughber asked. “Did we lose another center?”
The lieutenant commander shook his head, but when he opened his mouth no words came out. He couldn’t make himself speak them.
“What does that paper say, Davian?” Crenshaw demanded.
“It’s Grace,” he said finally. “She knocked out the lieutenant in the communications room and left her Gladius behind…with this.”
Crenshaw took the letter from him and read:
For the greater good.
“The proximity alert along the path to Center 3 was triggered,” Davian explained. “And the commander is nowhere to be found in the Command Center.”
“She must have gone out alone,” Traughber said. “To hold them off? But why?”
“I don’t know why, and I don’t care,” Davian said frantically. “Colonel, assemble a team of men and have them meet me at the exit hatch. I’m going to bring her back.”
Crenshaw grabbed him by the arm, “Wait. You can’t just storm into the underground with an army of warriors, not on that path. The more men that go, the greater the chance one of them will be captured to tell the Great Army exactly where we are.”
Davian shoved Crenshaw away from him angrily and pointed an accusing finger in his face, “This is your doing! All of it I place on your shoulders! You filled her head with all that nonsense about turning a Great Army soldier and now it may cost her life!”
“I don’t understand,” Traughber said. “Where is she going?”
“To him,” Davian said spitefully. “To General Crenshaw’s star recruit, Specter Captain 301-14-A. He was the one who tripped the proximity alarm, which means she will be taken by the World System and shown the courtesy of a Great Army firing squad. And the general just wants to sit back and watch the whole thing unfold.”
“Be careful, boy,” Crenshaw growled. “You don’t have any idea what I want.”
“Then why don’t you tell all of us your grand plan?” Davian challenged. “Tell us all how the great Ellis Crenshaw is going to deliver us all from this one. Or maybe the answer is that Grace is just pawn in whatever game it is you’re playing. Well? Tell us! Say something, you coward!”
Crenshaw had endured enough. He grabbed Davian by the collar and pulled his face close, “Get a hold of yourself, Lieutenant Commander. You have an entire building full of people who are frightened and uncertain about what the rest of this day will bring. The last thing they need is to see you losing it. You care about her, I know, and I’m glad that you do. So I will overlook the things you just said to me. But your people need you now, Davian. You must lead them to the rendezvous point and rally the other commanders. If you don’t we risk losing everything, and it won’t matter if we bring Grace back or not because sooner or later we’ll all be dead.”
Davian’s expression softened and he shook his head despondently, “We can’t leave her out there alone, Crenshaw. If they get their hands on her you know what they’ll do.”
The general nodded, “Yes…I know. That’s why I will be going after her. Alone. Get these people to safety, Davian, and wait for us at the rendezvous point. If we’re not there in twelve hours you must move on, do you understand?”
Davian wavered, unwilling to accept the possibility that he might fail.
Crenshaw shook him and demanded more forcefully, “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Davian said with a weak nod. “I understand, Crenshaw. Just go. Bring her back.”
“I will,” he promised, despite the doubt already creeping into his mind. He could only hope he was not too late.
-X-
Derek stood at attention before the MWR’s desk, filled with the same confused regret he had experienced while watching 301 disappear into the darkness of the underground. Admiral McCall waited beside him and also seemed somewhat distant, as though the night’s events troubled him deeply.
Napoleon Alexander, however, was elated. He leaned forward in his chair and addressed the two men, “I have to admit, gentlemen, I never believed this could be done. Less than three days gone since I ordered the purge, and already you have found and captured one of the most notorious rebels in the world. If only we could always be so efficient.” He looked up at them. “At ease, both of you.” Both men relaxed their stances as the MWR continued, “I understand the Specter Captain has been credited with the Sawyer girl’s capture.”
“Yes, sir, that is correct,” McCall replied.
“Where is he?”
“He…had business in the city, sir.”
“I don’t see what could be more important than this.”
“Matron Young of the Capital Orphanage is dying,” Derek said quickly, earning an approving nod from the admiral. “She raised him, so my guess is that he’s on his way to see her now.”
Alexander studied them closely, “Very well then. This is a great victory for us, there’s no doubt about that. Played right, her execution could be used to utterly break the will of the rebellion and force them back into hiding. Then we will be free to shift our full focus to the impending war with the Ruling Council. Specter has done the System a great service.”
“Thank you, sir,” McCall gave a slight bow.
The MWR’s expression turned more serious, “I know both of you have personal issues in this matter and, like me, will not rue the day the Elect have been destroyed. That said, I have already issued orders to have Grace Sawyer’s execution prepared for tomorrow night. Let her stew in the dungeons tonight and take some time to rest your men, Admiral. Then bring her before me in the morning at 06:00. You may go.” They both moved to leave. “Not you, Blaine. You stay.”
McCall gave Derek an encouraging nod, and then excused himself. Derek watched Alexander’s face for clues as to why he might want to speak alone. The man’s temperament was unpredictable.
“Have a seat, Specter Blaine.” Derek did so, and Alexander leaned back in his chair with a smile, “Let us talk about the future, you and I. You are a good soldier, intelligent and trustworthy. Those two qualities are difficult to find in the same man. I will have great need of you in the days ahead.”
“I am at the System’s service, sir. But if I may speak freely?”
“You may.”
“Donalson still has free reign in the city, and you promised that if we brought you Grace Sawyer you would call him off. If you leave his fires to burn much longer there may be little left but charred remains.”
Alexander’s brow furrowed, “We have Grace Sawyer, but there are others still at large who could rally the rebellion in her place.”
Derek’s heart hit the floor, and anger bubbled up within him. He had betrayed his only frien
d in the world to save the city from disaster. Now the MWR was going back on his promise? “With all due respect, sir, who could lead them after they have lost two commanders in a matter of days?”
“Ellis Crenshaw, the man who carved that Spectral Cross into the floor of the Solithium Plant,” the MWR said with distaste. “I won’t be comfortable until his body joins those already on the pyre. So long as he is out there I will let Donalson burn whatever he wishes. The rebellion’s supply network must also be brought to account—we can’t have them choosing a new group to support once Silent Thunder has gone.”
So now there was another target. Another ultimatum. And if he miraculously captured this Crenshaw, what then? Was that the end of Alexander’s list? Or would each of those nobles also endanger the future of the city?
“Surely, sir, there must be another alternative.”
Alexander tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk, “What of the Sawyer girl? Can she be made to talk?”
“She won’t be easy to crack,” he shook his head. “It would take time—time we don’t have, if you want to see her dead tomorrow night.”
“What about a trap?” Alexander asked. “It’s obvious from what we saw at the Solithium Plant that Crenshaw has been assisting the Sawyers in building up their resistance.”
“You’re thinking that if you execute her publicly, Crenshaw will be there.”
“I know he will,” Alexander said with confidence. “If he was close to the girl at all, he would never let her go to her grave without at least one sympathetic soul in attendance.” His smile turned sinister, “If we hold the execution in the Central Square and cut off all the exits during the event, Crenshaw would have no opportunity to escape. He’d watch the last Sawyer die, and then see the end of Silent Thunder’s precious cause.”
“It’s a bold move, sir…but risky. With so many people on the ground he might easily slip through our fingers.”
Alexander scratched his chin, “Everything would have to go perfectly, it’s true. Specter can maintain control of the interior while the Ninth Army blockades the Square. The soldiers can ensure no one escapes, and Specter can guard against any attempts on my life.”
