Not just someone. Trevor.
“All of the fabricants nearby just… collapsed,” whispered Leigh. “Nobody has seen any on the move for three days, Archer. Since that last battle.”
“Whoa…” He thought about what that meant for a second, and then started chuckling.
“I did come here to check up on you,” said Ada. “But there are serious questions that need to be answered. The smogs still have access to the citizen’s district, and some of them are protesting the suggestion that they be moved back into the coal district.”
“Uh…” Archer scratched his head.
“And the Overseer has been stripped of executive power for the rest of his term by the Senate,” said Ada. “Several of the people he tried to execute were actually his political opponents.”
“Why are you asking me about this?” he asked.
Ada looked at him like he was stupid.
“Martial law is still technically in effect,” she said. “I’ve been giving orders in your steed, but now that you’re awake… you have the last say on everything.”
Archer rubbed at his temples.
“Well, then the first thing I’m going to do is give power back,” he said. “This is just going to give me a headache.”
Ada set a hand on his knee and smiled at him.
“Think about it carefully, Archer,” she said. “It’s a big decision to make, and Tempus is in a very vulnerable situation.”
She stood up and left the room. In the corner of the office was Karen’s tiny TV, and Archer could already see Rachel Madison and several other reporters filming from just outside the North Compound, apparently privy to the news that he’d woken up.
Leigh looked as though she had something else to say, but before she could, the door opened again and Vivian walked into the room.
“Can I speak with him?” she asked. “Alone?”
Leigh prickled a bit at her tone, but gave Archer a gentle kiss on the forehead and left the room. A silent second went by with Vivian just standing there, considering him.
“The Frequency Claymore,” she said. “You did something to it.”
Archer met her gaze, and could tell from her expression exactly what those words meant.
“Yes,” he said, simply.
“I… saw him,” she whispered. “Only for a couple of seconds, before I threw it to you. But I saw him. And he… smiled at me.”
Archer nodded.
“You’re not crazy,” he said. “He was in my armor skin, somehow. His spirit, or his mind. I don’t know.”
Vivian nodded slowly, her eyes contemplative.
“The suits have a nervous system, actual human neurons,” she said. “Quite a few of them, and so do the Frequency Claymores. Maybe even enough to hold a person’s personality and memories.”
“Vivian…” Archer hesitated, wondering if he should bring up the depth of what Trevor had felt for her.
Before she could, Vivian stepped in closer, her gaze meeting his. She kissed him, pressing her lips tightly against his and keeping him from getting another word out. Archer kissed her back after a half second of hesitation, enjoying the feeling of her body over his, despite the pain from his wound.
“Thank you,” she whispered, as she finally pulled back. She didn’t say anything else before disappearing through the door.
Leigh came back in looking a little peeved, but ultimately still concerned about him. Archer suddenly felt much, much better than he had when he’d woken up. He pushed himself into a sitting position and moved to stand.
“Hey, hold on,” said Leigh. “You should check with Karen, first.”
“If I can stand without it hurting, it will be fine,” said Archer. “And you still haven’t told me… what happened to your sister?”
Leigh smiled at him.
“She’s fine,” she said. “The hospital she’s in didn’t suffer much damage. And she’s doing better, not as sickly as she was. I think the stress of living in Tempus, the way things were before, was taking a toll on her.”
Archer nodded.
“What about the realists?” he asked. “Emily and the others? Do we have to worry about a second attack?”
“Nobody has seen Emily since that first explosion,” said Leigh. “A couple of the others were found and arrested, but as far as anyone can tell, Emily went outside the wall.”
At least that’s one problem that seems to have solved itself.
“Good,” said Archer. “Come on, help me walk.”
The techs applauded as Archer and Leigh made it across the floor of the armory. The elevator ride reminded him of just how much he hated unnatural vertical motion, but it was worth it to get outside. It was close to noon, and the light of the sun felt amazing on Archer’s face.
“What happens now?” asked Leigh.
Archer shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t think anyone does. We might be seeing the start of a new era. Or, maybe the fabricants will recover, and be back within days, or weeks.”
The two of them walked side by side, up the stairs and onto the compound’s wall. It was high enough to offer a view across the haven. The divide between the citizen’s district and the coal district was as pronounced as ever, even with the travel restrictions momentarily forgotten. Several dozen streamcasters were waiting a short distance from the compound’s main entrance.
They’re waiting for me. To hear what I have to say.
“They’re going to worship you, Archer,” whispered Leigh. “Even if things go back to normal eventually, and the fabricants come back.”
“No, I don’t think they will,” said Archer. “Worship me, that is. The fabricants… only time will tell.”
He took a slow breath, letting his eyes scan across the haven that he’d risked his life to save. It was his home. It, along with the people in it, were all that he’d ever had and ever known.
Archer spotted a figure, a man, standing on top of one of the buildings in the distance. The man was facing away from him, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck begin to stand up on end as he slowly turned in his direction.
Trevor…?
He saw the man’s face, and breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that it was someone else. Archer opened and closed his hand, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he leaned against the wall’s railing.
“You look worried,” said Leigh.
“I think I’ve just forgotten any other way to be.” He smiled. “I think it’s finally time for me to let myself relax.”
Ada had already summoned them a rail car. Archer pushed by the waiting reporters and streamcasters, promising to give an interview later and warning them that his health was still not good. He sat with Leigh in the rail car, and let her put in a destination.
“Your apartment?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Is there enough food in the fridge to last us a few days?”
Leigh smiled at him.
“There is,” she said, in a playful voice.
“Good,” he said. “Then let’s go home and get some rest.”
THE END
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Edmund Hughes
Tempus Regit Page 24
