He replied with a wave of his hand that sent her heading for the shower while he stood at the end of the bed and slipped on a pair of slacks. His mind buzzed in circles trying to remember what he had been dreaming about. It felt important.
Trevor took a deep breath and tried to clear his mind. It surprised him to realize that despite the long night only his mind seemed groggy. His body felt strong and tense, as if looking for a reason to expend energy. Perhaps he would go to the training facility to work out. Or maybe join Nina in the shower.
"Holy shit!"
The voice came from the main room, accompanied by a series of gasps trying to form a scream.
Trevor scrambled along the short hall and into the living room. Jolene Crawford stood at the open front door staring at something in the hallway. Nina, struggling back into her robe, hurried behind.
He pushed Jolene aside and saw Reverend Johnny's body outside the door slumped against the hallway wall, his gut and upper legs soaked in blood, eyes frozen open.
It took his mind a long second to digest the sight as if the idea of 'dead' and 'Reverend Johnny' were diametrical opposed concepts. When reality finally hit, he turned to Jolene and shouted, "Did you see anyone? Was there anyone here? ANSWER ME!"
She stumbled for words longer than he liked so he shook her shoulders.
"No! No! I just opened the door and he was there! I didn’t see anything!"
Trevor pushed her away and then knelt at Johnny’s corpse, running a hand over his eyes to force the stiff lids shut. Then he squeezed his own eyes tight as a wave of emotions poured in. First came guilt over his series of reckless decisions that eventually led them here. But that guilt drown in a sea of red anger, a much more satisfying emotion because he could focus it outward instead of in.
Nina's voice—a thousand miles away—asked, "What's that?"
Trevor opened his eyes and noticed a blood-stained note on Johnny's lap. He leaned close and read: REMEMBER WHO IS IN CHARGE.
"Trevor…The Committee…oh shit…did they do this?"
Nina’s first guess was also his guess.
"The…the Committee..?" Jolene mumbled.
Trevor stood straight but he did not take his eyes off his friend. His fists clenched.
REMEMBER WHO IS IN CHARGE.
Yes. It is time to show them. Time to show them who is in charge.
---
A few snowflakes drifted among the buildings of Thebes on a cold but windless morning. The clouds that brought the flurries looked as if they carried a heavy payload of snow to deliver but were not quite ready to give up their cargo. Maybe later. Maybe somewhere farther east.
Despite the flurries and despite temperatures in the teens, the sentries outside of the Operations Center felt fairly comfortable. With little wind, their heavy parka jackets and balaclavas kept them relatively warm.
Whatever calm the improvement in weather bestowed to those guards ran away as two armored attack vehicles bearing Third Legion insignia screeched to a halt opposite their post.
"What is this?" The Captain of the Guard went from annoyed to concerned when he noticed that the rocket launchers were fully armed and pointed at him.
An assault buggy joined the armored trucks and two people jumped out. The Captain of the Guard recognized them. The first, Major Forest of the Third Legion. The second was, well, still somewhat of a mystery. He resembled his old Emperor and rumor had it he had been riding the asses of every soldier over at the Third L. Other rumors—newer rumors—said he had personally overseen the slaughter of yesterday’s Chaktaw invading force.
The two of them—the Major and the man—walked to the Captain of the Guard.
"Major Forest..?"
She did not speak. The man did.
"Captain. I’m going to give you a choice. I’m going to give you a choice and you need to give me an answer right now."
Suddenly that bearable cold became an arctic blast careening along his spine. Partly from those missiles, and partly from the blood rage glowing in the man's eyes.
The Captain made his choice…
…Scuffling and shouts from outside the sealed chamber doors interrupted the conversation between the three Committeemen. Two of them sat at their elevated desk reviewing papers and photographs. The third occupied a chair at the oval conference table working on a small computer.
A heavy thud caused the doors to shake, drawing the attention of Thebes' three leaders.
"Guard," the one at the table ordered. "Find out what’s going on out there and silence them. We have important work to do."
One of the two sentries in the room nodded and walked toward the doors. As he reached for the knob, both doors exploded inward. Wood and metal and the sentry’s body parts blew across the chamber in a gale of shrapnel, punctuated by the crack of an explosion. The wave of concussion and debris engulfed the committeeman at the table, tossing him from his chair.
An angry swarm poured in to the room directly behind the blast, led by Trevor Stone.
The second sentry raised his rifle. Major Forest fired from her silver pistols blam-blam…blam-blam.
Two horrified Committeemen remained and attempted to speak from atop their shattered pedestal. Trevor did not afford them the chance. He tossed a grenade between their chairs. Their bodies flew in the air as if their asses had been spring-loaded, and then fell to the floor in two deadened thumps.
The air inside the chamber grew to a surreal quiet broken only by the rain-like pitter-patter of debris caught in gravity’s grasp. A cloud of dust hovered over the scene.
Trevor, his invading force, and the stunned spectators in the Operations Center stood and waited to see if a few seconds of violence had truly erased years of The Committee’s rule.
A groan broke that silence, followed by a sliding sound, then the sound of debris being pushed aside. Trevor searched the piles of scraps, the overturned chairs, and the bloody remains until he found the source.
The Committeeman seated at the table when the door blasted open lived, his body covered in ceiling tiles and wood chips and he was missing half of his face, but he still drew breath.
Trevor saw the face of Reverend Johnny on the floor outside his penthouse. Reverend Johnny—his friend—was not drawing breath anymore.
Every one in the room watched. They watched as Trevor walked in big hard steps over to the crawling man covered in dust and debris. They watched as Trevor raised his assault rifle, aimed the bayonet, and drove the blade home.
---
Eventually the dust settled and the silence broke. Workers carted off the bodies of the three deposed rulers.
Director Snowe and General Gronard stood in what had, a half hour before, served as The Committee’s chambers. Major Forest hovered near the door looking out at the Ops Center where Trevor moved among the technicians and support personnel, providing more chances to choose.
So far, Snowe heard no gunshots, suggesting people made the right choice.
In addition to offering choices, Trevor also shut down communications. The man who would be Emperor again wanted to control every snippet of information in Thebes while he moved to consolidate his newly-won position.
Gronard asked again, "What caused him to do this?"
From the doorway, Major Forest said, "After his counter attack yesterday, they killed his friend. I mean, I guess they wanted to send a message."
"Really?" Based on his expression, that piece of information stunned Gronard even more than the coup. "That doesn’t seem like something they would do."
"No," Snowe agreed. "But you heard them yesterday. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them that annoyed."
Gronard absently nodded. "I suppose so. Just seems out of character."
"Well it’s done," Nina said. "So what do we do now?"
"Trevor did this?" Gronard repeated what they had already told him.
"He did it, yeah," Nina agreed. "But everyone followed him. I mean everyone. Me, the guards, the squad leaders from Third L.
And, shit, they loved it."
"So I guess that puts him in charge." Gronard looked directly at Snowe.
"I guess so."
"For the man who was probably next in line, you seem to be handing it over to him easy enough. I would have thought you’d have more to say about that."
Snowe answered, "I guess we’ll just have to see how things go."
"How things go? Last time things didn’t go so well," the First Legion’s General reminded.
Snowe said, "Last time we did things half-assed. Things got out of control; there wasn't enough discipline in the ranks. With a few exceptions here and there, we're not dealing with a professional army. We should have anticipated that some people wouldn't just fall in line. This time, we drop the hammer on anyone who acts up; leave no doubt who is in control."
Major Forest interrupted, "They want to follow him. Our people—our troops—are ready for a strong leader again. You know?"
The sound of approaching footsteps silenced the conversation. Trevor Stone walked into the room, a rifle slung over his shoulder. He stopped and surveyed the scene.
"Are there any problems I need to know about?"
Snowe glanced to Gronard. Gronard turned to Trevor and said, "No problems here."
"Not here?" Trevor caught the tone. "Where might there be problems?"
Snowe answered, "Second Legion, General Goss. He supported The Committee."
Forest asked, "Does he know about this yet?"
Snowe guessed, "Probably not. If he did, we’d have heard about his troops mustering."
"I shut down communications in the city. A total lock down. No one knows shit yet," Trevor told them.
"Then someone better go tell Goss," Director Snowe suggested.
Trevor said, "I’ll tell him myself. I’ll give him a choice."
"I’ll go with you," Nina volunteered. "You’ll need some back up."
Trevor shook his head and ordered, "I want you here in Operations. I can trust you. This is the nerve center. Hold this place and we've got Thebes by the balls. Anyone starts causing trouble, shoot them. This is no time for debate."
Nina nodded and did her best to suppress an enthusiastic smile.
Trevor threw his attention at the two Generals. "I don’t want any problems with Goss but I don’t know him. I’m just saying, I’ll need to take a familiar face with me."
"And a couple squads from Third L," Nina added.
Gronard said, "I’ll go. Max and I go way back. I’ll talk to him first."
"That’s good," Stone agreed. "After we get Goss in line we’ll start broadcasting the news across the city. Until then, everything is in lock down. All traffic off the streets. I sent Third Legion troops to man the key check points and secure armories."
"You’re expecting problems?" Snowe asked.
"No," Trevor shook his head. "As far as I can tell, everyone in this city has been a bunch of sheep for the last couple years. They may not know who I am, but they’ll take to a new leader easy enough. It’s the Generals and the veterans I’m worried about. But we’ll get them under control quick. Okay then," he pointed to Gronard. "You’re with me. Let’s get this done."
Snowe touched Gronard's arm and said, "Goss knows who this man is, he received a full briefing before Major Forest jumped universes. Still, he might cause a problem if he's not happy about what happened here. Don't hesitate to put him down fast if necessary, understand?"
The idea of shooting a fellow General did not appear to sit well with Gronard, but he nodded his head in agreement nonetheless.
Trevor gave Nina one last look before leaving the room; a look that said don’t let me down. She could not help but offer a big, earnest grin. Snowe saw the grin, too.
Trevor and Gronard left the chamber and workers dragged away the last of the body bags, leaving Director Jakob Snowe and Major Nina Forest alone in the room. They said nothing for several moments as they listened to the sound of Trevor and his entourage exiting the Operations Center. To their surprise, the techs and workers in the Ops Center did not break into chatter as soon as Trevor left. On the contrary, they appeared more focused on their work than ever before.
When certain no ears listened, her eyes narrowed and she said, "You killed his friend, didn’t you?"
"What makes you say that?"
"Shit, you did. The Committee wouldn’t have the balls for that. I mean, they were probably going to send him another dozen memos before doing anything."
"Yes, that’s right. That’s about all they were going to do."
"So you killed Johnny. Why?"
"Why?" Snowe brushed dust from the destroyed committee chamber off his gray tunic then motioned around the room at the results of Trevor's tirade. "This is why."
"I had everything under control. You didn’t need to do that."
"Yes I did and you know it. Did you think you were going to get him to lead a coup just by shaking your ass? Wow, you think a man like that only thinks with his dick?"
Nina bit her lip but could not find a counter-argument.
"Relax, Major. You got him most of the way there. You should be proud. He’s starting to remind me of our old Emperor. But to slaughter The Committee? No…he is…he was too honorable of a guy for that. Not in his nature. At best he might have arrested them. And where would that have gotten us? Think The Committee was going to go to a jail cell quietly? Think they would have still kept the secret? I'm surprised they played along as far as they did. No, they would have started talking. Think he would want to rule in Thebes then?"
The diminutive Director casually strolled to the shattered remains of The Committee's platform. It no longer stood so tall.
He went on, "But revenge, now there is a motive any man can follow. There’s a motive that can send a man into a rage, and rage is what we got. Damn, from how you described it, he looked a lot like our old Trevor for a few minutes there, didn’t he?"
Nina walked to him and, through clenched teeth, said, "If he finds out? If he turns on us?"
Snowe shrugged half heartedly and told her, "That really doesn't matter too much. What is important, Major, is that you remember the terms of our arrangement. If he somehow manages to find a way back to his universe, you have to stop him, even if that means putting a bullet through his head. Do you think you could do that?"
She averted her eyes. Snowe smiled to himself and said, "Everything comes with a price, Major. For all this, our price tag was simple: Stone never goes home. Face it; even with him here our chances of surviving are long if not for the deal I brokered. Now we'll be getting help. Probably best if you don't mention that to him, by the way."
Nina huffed then turned to walk away.
Snowe thought of something and as he spoke he watched her response carefully.
"I know, if he does find out, maybe you can just shake your ass a little more for him."
He slapped the Major’s rear end. In an instant—less—the Director found the sharp end of a blade pressing against his throat. She looked at him through the eyes of a murderess.
"You ever…ever touch me like that again I’ll slit your throat."
Snowe grinned and said, "Yes, you could put a bullet through his head, couldn't you? Maybe if our new Trevor gets out of line then he can have a little battlefield accident, too."
She sheathed her blade.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"We never did an autopsy on our fearless leader’s body, I didn’t let them. Some were concerned that you were the only witness. They wanted to know if his knife wound was from the front, or the back. I convinced them that Nina Forest would never kill Trevor Stone."
She hovered in front of him as if caught by a hypnotist’s eye.
"They agreed because everyone knew how much you loved Trevor. Why, we could all see it. You did everything he wanted. Everything. Like a pet trained to do tricks. All you asked for was the approval of your master."
Snowe leaned closer. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Tell m
e, what finally pushed you over the edge? When did you have enough of his sadistic games? You put up with it for a long time, but then you just snapped, didn’t you? One day you found yourself alone with him, with a knife in your hand, and maybe the part of you that still had some pride left decided to kill him."
She stumbled for words but could provide no answer.
Snowe continued, "Problem is, with Trevor gone, what did you have? Where were your friends, Major? Oh yes--what friends? You were always the outcast, always the shy one. Until Trevor took a liking to you. Why, he just molded you exactly how he wanted, didn’t he?"
"I…I mean he…Trevor loved me. He loved me…"
"Sure he did. That’s why he shared you. How many dinner parties did Trevor throw only to serve you as the main course? How many home made movies did you star in? See that’s the thing, Major. I can’t understand why you wanted Trevor back. After the way he used you, the things he made you do. Why would you want him back?"
"This was your idea," she shot.
"No, it wasn’t my idea. I just found out how to do it. I just made the arrangements. But you, you jumped across universes to bring him back. You risked your life and you’re the one who has spent the last few weeks confusing the Hell out of him…turning him…"
"Stop it."
"…turning him into our Trevor. Your Trevor. Doing the things for him that your old master made you do. I’ll give you credit, you were right, he does have some of our Emperor in him. You just had to find it. Do you have a list of your old games? Are checking them off one by one? Still, what is it you’re hoping? You know this won’t last forever. I'm surprised he hasn't found out already, just one slip, just someone we haven't talked to first."
She said, "We just have to control access and brief those around him. It's worked so far. Nothing to it."
"Really? Maybe that will work here in Thebes, but what about when he gets out there, looking for survivors? He's convinced he can find more people. Face it, Major, sooner or later he’s going to find out what you’ve done. I don’t think he’s going to like you, or us, then. Maybe you’re hoping he likes playing with you so much that he won’t mind the truth. I wouldn't count on it, Major. A man like that, well, he doesn't like being lied to. Not like this."
Beyond Armageddon: Book 03 - Parallels Page 30
