by Doug Felton
Raisa put her hand on Jolene’s. It was the first time she touched one of the Ten Thousand. A wellspring of compassion surged in her chest. She wanted to reassure Jolene that she’d get home, but she didn’t know if she believed it herself, and Raisa refused to make promises she couldn’t keep.
Looking past her, Raisa saw a man at an adjacent table watching her. This was at least the third time she caught his stare since sitting to eat. She was used to people watching her; it came with the job, but this guy seemed to have something on his mind. So far, Raisa had only conversed with Jolene; everyone else stood off, unwilling to engage. She decided it was time to change that. Picking up her tray, she said, “Come on.” She moved to a seat at the adjacent table directly across from the man who had been staring at her. “I thought it would be better for us to talk instead of looking at each other,” she said to him. When he didn’t respond, she added, “You look like you had something on your mind. Why don’t we start with a proper introduction? I’m Raisa.”
The man looked around, apparently taken aback by the move, before saying, “Josh.”
Raisa smiled. “That’s what my father would’ve named me if I were a boy. What’s on your mind, Josh?”
He put his fork down and looked at her with soft hazel eyes that invited Raisa to trust him. “Zeke Wellington said you weren’t to blame for this.” He gestured at the surroundings. “I was trying to figure out if I believe him or not, ma’am.”
The people around them got quiet and turned their attention to the conversation.
“I don’t blame you,” Raisa said, projecting her voice beyond their table. “This has turned into a mess, hasn’t it?”
A spattering of people voiced their agreement, and the quietness spread once again as others listened.
“This isn’t what I wanted for you.”
“But your husband gave the order to have us arrested, and you sent us here,” Josh said, but with no edge to his voice.
Raisa wished that Zeke hadn’t told them it was Alexander who gave the order, but she couldn’t undo that. “Sometimes our choices are—”
“We can’t hear you.” The interruption came from someone Raisa couldn’t see farther back.
She stood and then climbed onto the table. By now, the entire room became hushed. Raisa began again. “Sometimes, the choices we have are between what’s bad and what’s worse. I didn’t want to send you here, but it was the only way we could protect you. I came here because I’m in this with you.”
The guy with the crossed arms from earlier found his way in front of her and said, “How can you be in this with us if you are the one who put us here?”
A few people nodded their heads or said, “Yeah.”
“It’s true, I gave the order that brought you here, but only because someone’s out there threatening you . . . us. And he’s got a lot of money and a lot of sensitive intel, such as your names. We couldn’t just leave you defenseless.”
“So, this is protective custody,” the man said with notable sarcasm.
“Yes,” Raisa said, “you are free to go, but I know you won’t because you and your families would be at risk. And not because of me, or anything my government has done.”
“Okay, let’s say you catch this guy, what about the next guy who doesn’t want us around? What then? Are you going to round us up again? Zeke’s got a plan. Do you?”
Raisa didn’t have a plan. She was barely keeping pace with events as they unfolded. “I’m here now. Let’s work on solving the problem right in front of us.” Zeke can afford to have a plan, he doesn’t have to rule the country.
The man approached Raisa and said in a tone that was quieter, but no less challenging, “And when this mystery person tries to wipe us out or do whatever he plans to do, where will you be then?”
“We won’t let that happen,” Raisa said.
“That’s not an answer, Your Majesty.”
“I won’t leave you,” Raisa said, her heart leading the way out in front of her head. “No matter what, I will stay with you until we finish this.”
Josh stood, and for the first time, Raisa saw that his broad shoulders were supported by a tall, muscular frame. She also saw that he wore the pants of a soldier’s uniform. “You’re a soldier?” she asked, climbing from the table.
“Lieutenant Joshua Lee. We were in the same basic training class. I was in Alpha squad.” He looked Raisa in the eyes and asked, “So, soldier to soldier, how do we know you’ll keep your word?”
“You won’t,” Raisa said, “until it’s over, and you see me standing with you.”
Back in the presidential suite, Penly said, “Well, that wasn’t helpful.”
“What was I supposed to say?” Raisa threw up her hands in frustration. “I want to be here with them, and in the end, I will be.” She hated keeping secrets, but even when you’re the queen, you don’t get to make the rules, despite what everybody thinks.
“If they find out you’ve left, they won’t ever trust you again,” Chi said.
“Then, you all will have to make sure they don’t find out.”
A blinking notification told her Alexander was calling. She activated the comm. “Yes.” Foreseeing that Cruise might have compromised their comms, Alora suggested the team use a specially encrypted set of devices. Not only were they encrypted, but they were linked, like an audio version of closed-circuit TV. No one outside the network could listen in.
“We’re ready for you at Camp David at 0930 tomorrow,” he said. “Have you circulated among the residents?”
“Oh, yes. They know that I’m here.”
“Good,” he said. “We’ve received another video from Tom Cruise.”
“Really. And what did he say?”
“He warned the council not to name me co-regent in your absence.”
Sweat formed on Raisa’s hands, and she rubbed them together. “The leaks are coming from Barrymore’s office?”
“It looks that way,” Alexander said.
Before she left, Raisa had filled Alexander in on Penly’s plan to feed false intel to each of the offices they suspected. It was an uncomfortable conversation since she and Penly had hatched the plan without him. He was hurt by being left out but was professional enough to put his feelings aside for the time being. Raisa knew that would only last until the current crisis was over.
Raisa had the others link into the call before saying, “We’re sure nobody else got that bit of intel?”
“No. Penly delivered it to Barrymore himself. She said President Tate had asked each of the council members to consider naming me as the co-regent in your absence. Just in case. So Barrymore thinks the whole council is in on it, but he’s the only one. It wasn’t forty-five minutes until the video arrived.”
Raisa wondered if Barrymore leaked the intel himself, or if it was someone in his office. She didn’t like him, but that didn’t make him guilty of insurrection.
“Do you believe in coincidences?” Penly asked.
Raisa shrugged. “Not really, but how does Barrymore fit into this? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know,” Penly said, “but the virus started in Pittsburgh, the mayor of Pittsburgh openly challenged you, which led to a disastrous visit, and now the Governor of Pennsylvania is leaking information, or at least someone in his office is. Just sayin’.”
“And wasn’t it Barrymore who got Zeke an invitation to the state dinner?” Alexander said.
Penly said, “And come to think of it, Zeke’s from Pittsburgh.”
Raisa swore. “Alexander, I need you to look for any connection between Barrymore and Zeke. Anything that might look suspicious. Use Raven and Deeson to do the legwork. I trust them. Also, Lieutenant Spikes. Oh, and Jimbo. He’s got all kinds of connections.”
“I got it,” Alexander said, cutting her off. “I know who I can trust.”
Raisa wasn’t sure if his words were a simple statement of fact or a subtle jab.
“One more thing,” he said, �
�there’s been more protest and violence over this.”
“What are they protesting?” Raisa asked. “The Ten Thousand are locked up.”
“That’s the problem. Now that they’re detained, some people are demanding we deport them.”
“To where?”
“Anywhere. Everywhere. They’re saying that a few immortals in a lot of different places pose less of a threat than ten thousand in one country. They’re saying we’ve had enough trouble because of the virus, and we should have to deal with this too.”
“I bet that sells,” Raisa said.
“Like an air conditioner in the desert. They’re calling for the U.N. to get involved.”
Raisa took a deep breath. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“I know,” Alexander said. “Just follow the plan, and we’ll see you tomorrow.” He disconnected without a personal word of goodbye. Raisa pursed her lips, but there was no time for hurt feelings now.
“Where’s Elliot?” She asked, noticing the lack of her brooding presence. Ekua was outside taking the first watch, and the others were in the living room, but Lieutenant Elliot was gone.
Chi said, “She slipped out a few minutes ago. I figured she had something to do.”
Raisa looked in the door's direction. Her bad feeling was getting worse.
Chapter Sixteen
After a night of fitful sleep, Raisa woke before dawn. Everyone else in the suite was still sleeping, which suited her fine; she needed time alone. She didn’t have any running gear, but a brisk walk would do her good.
Raisa got dressed and slipped out the door. Out front, Holloway stood watch. It struck Raisa as pointless to have one person standing guard in a facility of ten thousand. Ten of them could overpower her, or just one of Zeke’s augmented superhumans. Raisa raised her eyebrows at Holloway.
“We were expecting armed guards. I guess I’ll have to do,” Holloway said. “Are you going somewhere?”
“I need to stretch my legs before things pick up later.”
“Would you like me to go with you?” Lieutenant Holloway asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Ah, ma’am, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Prince Alexander was insistent that we not let you out of our sight.”
“It’s a good thing I outrank him,” Raisa said, “But I won’t tell if you don’t.” Raisa didn’t want to put Holloway in an awkward position, but she needed time alone to consider everything she’d learned last night. Even though there was plenty of space in the tunnels to walk, Raisa needed fresh air in her lungs and the rising sun on her face, so she headed toward the entrance.
Outside, a perimeter road made its way around the mountain containing the bunker. She didn’t know how long it would take her to circumnavigate the mountain, so she kept her eye on the time, planning to be out for only an hour.
As expected, the morning air steadied Raisa’s nerves and invigorated her body. Her brisk pace wasn’t the same as running, but it got her blood flowing and her mind working. She turned the information about council member Barrymore over and over in her thoughts. The leak came from his office, but did he know about it? If not, then who? If it were Barrymore, what reason could they have to sabotage Raisa’s plan for the Ten Thousand? And, was he behind the Tom Cruise videos, or was there someone else with whom he was working? The questions came in torrents, unaccompanied by answers.
Raisa had settled into a comfortable stride when she heard a sound behind her. She turned to see Elliot standing in the road, thirty feet back. A twinge of nerves settled in her stomach. “Lieutenant, you left without being dismissed last night. That’s not like you.”
Elliot walked to her in no particular hurry. “We never had that rematch.”
“No, we haven’t.” Did she want to fight here? Raisa shifted her weight to her right leg, readying herself.
“I wonder if we ever will,” Elliot said, sadness in her eyes.
“What’s going on, Sandra?”
“Why did he choose you?”
“What?” Raisa asked. “Why did who choose me?”
“Ashwill. Why did he choose you? We were all candidates, right? So why you?”
“I don’t know. But it wasn’t a contest. We were victims of his madness.”
“Victims?” Elliot said. “Then why did you agree to become queen? You sacrificed your family; a victim doesn’t do that.”
“Don’t,” Raisa said, sudden anger in her voice. Elliot had never spoken to her like this. How long had she felt this way?
“You’re not the strongest or the smartest or even the prettiest. So why you? What is it that Jamie Corson had that no one else did?”
She was right. Raisa wasn’t any of those things. She didn’t know why Ashwill chose her, or why it mattered so much to Elliot.
“Is that why you have to win at everything,” Elliot asked, “because you know you shouldn’t have been the one?”
The accusation stunned Raisa. She could only manage to say, “I don’t know.”
“Zeke’s not wrong, you know,” Elliot said. “If we don’t look out for ourselves, no one else will. We have the advantage, but only if we have the right leader.”
Raisa watched Elliot as she turned and walked away. She stood for a long time, soaking in the sun as it peeked over the horizon. Zeke was working hard to sell his vision for the Ten Thousand if he had managed to sway Elliot so quickly and so completely? And it was through romance alone, Raisa knew. Elliot was too sensible for that. If he convinced her, how many more had he won over to his way of thinking? Raisa needed Zeke to be an ally in protecting the Ten Thousand, not a competitor.
“What do you want from me!” she yelled at the sky, tears blurring her vision. “What am I supposed to do?” It was the closest she’d come to praying in a long time. If Father Aasir was right about God, maybe she’d get answers. Raisa waited, but the sky offered no response. Resigned to figuring it out on her own, she walked back to the bunker.
Lieutenant Joshua Lee was waiting outside the presidential suite when Raisa returned.
Holloway stood between him and Raisa as she neared. “He said he needed to talk to you, and that you knew him.”
“We met, briefly,” she said. In Raisa’s experience, people who needed to talk to her wanted something. She wasn’t up for one of those conversations but listened to what the lieutenant had to say.
“I wanted to apologize,” he said.
“For what?”
“Challenging you earlier, ma’am. I’m a soldier, and I had no right to question your leadership.”
“These are unusual times, Lieutenant Lee.” This was not the conversation Raisa had expected.
“That’s no excuse,” he said.
“I’m just coming back from a walk. Why don’t you come inside?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Josh said as he followed her into the suite.
“How are you dealing, knowing that you are immortal?”
“I won’t lie to you. For the first couple of days, I was scared. I still get a little queasy if I think about it.”
Raisa laughed. “You know, it’s only been six or seven days.”
Josh arched his eyebrows. “Has it really? Feels like a month.”
“How do you think this will end?” Raisa asked. Like before, she sensed no pretense in Josh, and she expected to get an honest answer.
Running a hand through his wavy light brown hair, he said. “It’s hard to say, but I know too much about history not to be worried when a large group of people gets singled out and locked up.”
“My father was a history professor,” Raisa said, remembering countless conversations they’d had about the best and worst moments of the human story. “And you’re right, we’ve seen this too many times in history.”
Josh nodded his agreement. “Fear is a powerful force but a horrible guide.”
Raisa tilted her head in thought. “You think fear is motivating whoever’s behind this?”
“It would make sense,” J
osh said. “As a group, the Ten Thousand don’t control anything or own anything of real value, so what’s the point of capturing us, unless somebody thinks we’re a threat. And isn’t that what all the online chatter is about?”
“That’s a good point,” Raisa said. “So, do you expect an attack in here?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Raisa considered his thoughts and then said, “What’s your background?”
“My father worked in the State Department and was the ambassador to China for three years . . . you know, before.”
Raisa assumed he didn’t say “before the vote” because it had been her father who sponsored the resolution that had dissolved the federal government. People avoided the subject around her. She sat and motioned for him to do the same. “What do you do in the army?” she asked.
“I’m being trained in intelligence.”
That made sense. He had a natural ability to assess and analyze a set of facts. He could think on his feet. Raisa needed someone like that in the bunker who wasn’t known to be loyal to her, the way her staff was, and Josh would be perfect. He had even challenged her publicly. But she’d just met him, and she really didn’t know him. Raisa weighed her options and then followed her instincts. “I need someone to be my eyes and ears in here. It will mean starting your intelligence career a little early.”
“What’s wrong with your eyes and ears, ma’am?” he asked with a slight smile.
“Earlier, when I told you I wasn’t leaving, I didn’t give you the whole story. I couldn’t. But I want to tell you now. I can’t stay here.”
Josh considered this. “Why did you say you would?”
“As much as I’d like to trust everyone here, I don’t know if Cruise has someone on the inside. He needs to think I’m stuck here with everyone else, so I had to lie. But it wasn’t completely false. I meant what I said, you’ll know I haven’t abandoned you. When it’s over, and you see me standing with you.”
