Betrayed: Book Five of the State Series

by M. J. Kaestli

  Her mind started spinning, struggling to come up with a cover story which would ease Chastity’s mind and self-loathing. This story had to be something she could say in front of Security without divulging any classified information on camera, but she could say something close to the truth, as long as it was vague.

  “Chastity, I don’t believe this has anything to do with you. I think this is because of me.” Her mind spun, trying to piece together a believable tale.

  “What do you mean? How can this have anything to do with you?”

  Hope took a deep breath, mulling over every word carefully in her mind before she dove in. “The accident that killed your father.” She began slowly, cautiously.

  Chastity nodded. “Yeah. You said you and dad were working and there was an accident. He died. That’s all you have ever told me about it.”

  Hope bit her bottom lip. “I know. Please understand, our project was classified, and I am still not permitted to speak of it. I can’t answer questions you may have, and I’m afraid this information will simply give you more questions than answers.” She took a deep breath and continued. “I was there, during the accident. I wasn’t directly beside him, but I was close enough to be injured.”

  Chastity squinted and cocked her head to the side. “So? What does that—oh… you had to have been pregnant with me at the time.”

  “Precisely. I was so early into my pregnancy, I didn’t even know yet. Chastity, you know how seriously the State sticks to their regime of improving genetics. It’s not just because of intelligence, they have been striving to eradicate disease. There is no data for them to comprehend the effects that accident could have on you. Being exposed to a surge of radiation when you were just a cluster of cells could disrupt your DNA. If that DNA were damaged, who knows what you would pass on to future generations.”

  Chastity’s shoulders slumped, her eyes circling around the room as the weight of the information sunk in.

  “I am so sorry, Chastity. The doctors were concerned you could have a defect, but as soon as you were born with ten fingers and ten toes, I thought the repercussions of the accident was behind us. I never considered they would prevent you from reproducing on the off chance of damaged DNA, but there could be no other suitable explanation. A child of two parents who both came from breeding families not selected for reproduction is questionable, saying the very least.”

  “So, there is something wrong with me—with my DNA.”

  Hope shook her head. “No evidence has been presented to me to prove it, so I think the State is being cautious. I am uncertain if checking DNA is a standard protocol, or if they did it to you. It wouldn’t surprise me if they sterilized you without testing you. The State isn’t known for taking risks.”

  Chastity looked away thoughtfully then nodded. “Which is why the State was able to save us and keep us safe all this time.”

  Hope gave a curt nod, swallowing back the bile rising in her throat. Chastity’s sterilization had been enough for her to realize her daughter was fully ingrained in the system, yet Chastity’s dogmatic words made her feel nauseous.

  She had no one to blame but herself.

  “Thanks for telling me, Mom.” Chastity nodded.

  Hope swallowed hard, forcing a half-smile. “I hope it helps. I need you to understand that to me, you are perfect.”

  A few tears snuck down Chastity’s cheeks once again. “I got a message from Ursa.”

  Hope perked up at a lighter topic. “Oh? That’s great. How is she?”

  Chastity pursed her lips, slowly nodding. “She just had a little boy, Colin.”

  Hope’s chest tightened. “Oh, Chastity.”

  Chastity clenched her jaw, staring blankly just below the monitor. “Part of me wants to make sure Cora knows that Ursa was selected for reproduction, and I wasn’t. She always thought I was so much better than her own daughter because I enjoyed school more.”

  Hope leaned forward again to protest, but Chastity held her hands up.

  “I know, Mom. It’s not my fault. We don’t know if there is actually something wrong with my DNA or not—”

  “I bet there isn’t, or you wouldn’t be so healthy.”

  “Yes. But I hated the way Cora treated Ursa. I wish you still lived next to her simply so you could make sure she knew that the State chose her for something, and I wasn’t.”

  Hope’s jaw nearly locked into place. “Well, I’m glad I don’t live next to her. I would get arrested for wringing her neck!”

  Chastity actually laughed. It was light, not completely shifting her dark mood, but it was the first step.

  Chapter 12

  Victor

  He took a deep breath. Instant elation coursed through him. The damp air caressing his skin, putting him on the brink of perspiration in combination with his elevated heart rate. He was home.

  There were many who complained when they were stuck in the military underground between missions—or even worse, assigned to train new recruits. Although he would rather garden than be stuck with the young idiots, he loved every moment he spent in this place, his home.

  Now that he was formally a Council member, the military underground was accessible to him once again. It may not be as readily available as he preferred, but each moment he could slip away was a moment he cherished.

  He was meant to conceal his military status from the Head of State, but the man was clearly no fool. Not only had he guessed Victor’s origins, he had called him out on it. The man may be cleverer than the High Council gave him credit, but he obviously couldn’t have his loyalties in the right place if the High Council was conspiring against him. If he did, he would embrace the appearance of his end.

  A true leader would know when his time was nearing an end and hand the baton over graciously. He should be willing to lay down his life for the betterment of the cause. If he were a real man, he would be willing to take his own life if it was what the High Council required.

  Possessing an attachment to his own life above the needs of the State was a trait which disgusted Victor. Nothing would feel as satisfying as pulling the trigger on a man who so clearly deserved to die.

  He shifted his body, focusing on each muscle as it took proper form. Starting with his feet, he adjusted until his entire body was positioned in the most ideal posture for target practice.

  His hands and forearms tingled as the power of the kickback reverberated through his body, permeating his soul. The power traveled up his core and into his lungs; he exhaled in pure elation.

  It had been a very long five years since becoming a gardener at the State House. Three years since he pretended to become a member of the Council. He had spent his time forming useless reports about the activities of those he saw in independent living and the members of the State House.

  The most horribly ironic part of his mission was the Council member he reported to, a civilian who thought their Council position was real. They weren’t special, simply someone compliant the State wanted to make feel important. As the purpose of Victor’s reports were to produce the paperwork needed to validate his identity, the civilian contact was there as a precaution should the Head of State care to investigate his connections. If Victor’s contact was military, it would only serve to validate his suspicion of conspiracy.

  He pressed on the lever to move his target towards him. The paper displayed what he already knew. Every single one of the bullets hit its mark. He smiled and touched the large hole the bullets made of the center of the target.

  “Victor,” a man was suddenly at his side.

  The one true downfall of the firing range was he couldn’t hear what was going on in his surroundings. If this man was an enemy, he would have had the advantage. Fortunately, it was just the man who was responsible for this training space.

  “Yes?” He smiled winningly. “Has my time here expired?”

  “No.” He shifted his body to a more casual stance. “I have a message for you. I need you to follow me.”

 
Victor nodded and tucked away his firearm. As he followed the man, he quickly recognized the general direction they were headed, and what this would mean.

  They walked past the training mats to the storage area, and then into the hidden room. He took a seat in front of the monitor as a near giddy feeling came over him. In mere moments, the monitor flashed and a light humming sound came through the speakers.

  “Good afternoon, Victor. Thank you for meeting us on short notice, and on your day of free time.”

  He laughed. “Are you kidding me? I was so accustomed to military life I’ve been bored out of my mind every time I’ve had a free day.”

  “You are such a delight. If more of our civilians were like you, my position wouldn’t be needed in the society they would create.”

  Victor smiled and nodded to the monitor. “If more people were like us, the State wouldn’t have needed to take power to begin with.”

  “Another fair point.” She cleared her throat and continued. “How have you been enjoying your time in the State House? And your calling as a Council member?”

  He held a slight smile on his face yet didn’t quite understand where she was leading this conversation. He had been at the State House for five years. It was a dreadfully long time to wait to kill someone. “I have adapted and settled in well to both roles, although I believe the Head of State has not found me trustworthy.”

  “Can you please elaborate?”

  “When he brought me into his office to inform me of my admission to the Council, he made some derogatory remarks towards me. Basically, he knows I am not who I appear to be. I believe he knows I am military and was sent to aid in his removal.”

  There was a brief pause before she responded. “And how do you feel about aiding in his removal?”

  He gave a half laugh. “No disrespect, but I don’t understand why I have waited 5 years for the order. I could have taken care of this on the first day, had you requested it.”

  Victor scratched his chin and looked directly at the monitor. “I must admit, I didn’t hold any type of opinion about the man until he confronted me. A man in his position should accept when he moved from being someone who contributes to being a drain on the system. He should go into retirement willingly and with honor. I don’t feel he is worthy of his role, which is why I will take a semblance of satisfaction if I can aid in his removal.”

  If it were possible to hear someone smile, he could swear he did. The High Council member remained silent for a moment before responding. “Was it your assumption from the beginning that we sent you to be his assassin?”

  The smile fell slightly from his face. The question implied he had been incorrect about his assumption.

  If I am not there as an assassin, then why was I sent?

  “Yes. I gathered that impression the moment you met with me without his knowledge. You gave me an identity he isn’t privy to.” He licked his lips and took a breath to ease the tension building in his chest. “Of course, if my impression was incorrect, I am most definitely ready for any role you desire. I am your servant.”

  “I am pleased to hear it. I have a very special role for you, which is the reason we have invested 5 years into your identity. You are correct. You could have walked in the first day and killed him then if that were our purpose for sending you. You see, the Head of State started to show some concerning behavior—such as you have seen for yourself. It has been his intention to modernize our world. We are not interested in such adaptations. It became obvious to us that we needed to have him removed, which led us to a new issue. Who do we have to replace him?”

  Victor’s throat went dry.

  She doesn’t want me to take his place, does she?

  She continued, “You see, we are on the cusp of an interesting time, one where we will deal with events which need a highly skilled facilitator. It will take the most special and skilled Head of State we have ever had. They not only need to possess the highest level of loyalty to our cause, but they must also contain the skills to manipulate those around them. Those two skillsets rarely coincide. We have been watching you for a very long time, Victor. Once the Head of States removal is taken care of, we want you to be his replacement.”

  Victor blinked rapidly. He had always known that his devotion to the State ran deeper than his peers, yet he had never envisioned himself climbing to such a high station. His body flooded with emotions he couldn’t contain.

  “I am so deeply honored.” A nervous laugh crept up. “I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless.”

  “Do you accept this roll? Can I place you in the running to become Head of State?”

  He shook his head. “I am struggling to comprehend that you find me worthy, but as I said before, I am your servant. I will take on any role you feel will best serve you.”

  “Wonderful. You will be officially added to the candidacy, and your civil duty hours will be modified. You will receive notifications when it’s your time to be formally interviewed, and when it’s time to remove your predecessor.”

  “Victor,” she paused. “I want you to be very careful. If he has already suspected you and shown hostility, I don’t want to see you taking any risks. Stick to your strict schedule without variance. I don’t want there to be any opportunities for him to take you out of the running. Watch your back.”

  He nearly stammered. “Do you really think he would try anything?”

  “It has happened before with other heads who loved their power more than our cause. With the information you have shared about your meeting with him, it would not surprise me if he tried something. I personally would like to have you take care of him today, but we have a few players that need to be convinced we held a proper electoral process.”

  Victor laughed. “Is there a proper electoral process?”

  “No. The Head of State is always exactly who we intend it to be, at the exact time we desire. We choose our potential Heads of State by the time they are 13 years of age, and we ensure their lives follow the correct paths to not only get them there but mold them into who we need them to be.”

  Victor marveled. It was one thing to learn he was being considered for such an honorable role and completely mind-boggling to learn they had selected him at such a young age. “I look forward to our future.” He nodded respectfully.

  “With you as our Head of State, so do I, Victor. So do I.”

  Chapter 13

  Hope

  Hope removed her hand from the monitor, focusing to control her trembling. The message displayed on the monitor indicated she was to report the following morning on the progress of her project, yet more could be inferred from this message. The words re-configure and progress were used too much and a little too close together for Hope’s comfort.

  Once the military was sent to oversee her project, reporting in ended abruptly. There were no more questions or accusations about their progress, as her supervisor seemed to trust the team was working to capacity with the daily military presence.

  In reality, the military personnel knew nothing about the experiments her team conducted, nor had they influenced her team’s productivity. The team worked diligently towards developing the material the State had sanctioned, but there was one catch; Hope knew from the projects beginning it wasn’t possible. Creating a failsafe could be incredibly simple, but it would never happen as an inflatable material to stand in place of the dome. The solution was so much simpler than that—strengthen the glass.

  If she had wanted the project to succeed, she would have pointed out the flaw in their plan years ago. She couldn’t tell the State immediately as they surely wouldn’t listen without a sufficient number of failed attempts.

  As she had been working on this project for just over 16 years, she knew she couldn’t avoid changing directions, disclosing the hopelessness of this task. Clint had taken more than enough time to bring in his army, which forced her to face the fact: he wasn’t coming. If she wanted to be free of the dome, she had to save herself. There was no
cavalry.

  What happened? Was it me? My leaving? Or is it something much worse?

  As the evening rolled in, she crawled into bed and closed her eyes, yet sleep did not come to her. She wrestled the ideas in her head all night, dreading her meeting in the morning. When the sun’s rays crept in through her window, she rose from her restless sleep and readied herself for the day. As she was up far before her alarm, she made herself some tea, sat with her tablet and pretended to read until it was time for her to leave.

  A numbness washed over her as she headed towards her destination. It had been so long since she had been called to report in; she suspected it couldn’t be a good thing she was called in today.