Virtue of War

by L O Addison

  Nathan shook his head sharply. "Evidence? No. Not nearly. The invaders were tricksters and killers. Their claims about the incoming battle with the Ascendancy are even more doubtful than the claims the Rhuramenti have been making."

  For a moment, Beck was tempted to believe him. After all, he was right: Earth had no solid evidence that the Ascendancy was real. All they had was hearsay brought to them by invaders and aliens.

  But then he thought of the conversations he'd had with Lio and Marin. How disturbed they'd both been at the mere mention of the Ascendancy, and how genuinely terrified they'd been at the prospect of the Ascendancy getting hold of the Virtue. On top of that, their extreme reluctance to use deadly weapons against humans wouldn’t have made any sense, unless their goal truly was to bring peace.

  They might have come from across the universe, but they clearly had the exact same mission as the Resistance: to protect innocent people. Nothing else could explain the gentle, genuine concern the Rhuramenti had shown toward humans.

  "You're wrong," Beck said, his voice quiet but firm. "The Rhuramenti want to help. Lio and Marin came here because they want to save innocent lives, even if it puts their own lives in danger." He swallowed hard, trying not to think about the sight of Marin falling to the tunnel floor, covered in her own blood. Beck jabbed a finger toward Nathan. "You call us idiots for believing the aliens, but it's just the opposite. If you don’t start treating the Ascendancy like a legitimate threat, you’re going to get yourself and all the Wardens killed."

  Nathan flicked away his words with a wave of his hand. "Even if the Ascendancy is coming, it changes nothing. It’ll be just like the last invasion. They'll give us war, and we'll give them hell."

  "No," Kaylin said, shaking her head. "We can't fight this next invasion on our own."

  "Then we'll die with dignity," Nathan snapped, shooting her a fierce glare.

  "Dignity?" Kaylin repeated, her voice rising sharply. She let out a harsh laugh. "You train kids to kill people. How the hell can you sit here and lecture us about dignity?"

  "If they don't learn to defend themselves, they'll be killed," Nathan growled. "That might be upsetting, but it's the harsh reality of things. Some of them will be killed on the battlefield, and it's horrible. But it's better than all of them being helplessly slaughtered, like they were during the Syndicate War."

  Kaylin shook her head fiercely. "You don't get it. When the Ascendancy comes, those kids aren't going to have to fight against anyone, because we're allying ourselves with other civilizations. Civilizations with real armies, not with kids who've had weapons shoved at them."

  "And your so-called 'alliances' with aliens will end in the destruction of the entire human race!" Nathan snarled.

  "You have no proof of that!" Kaylin yelled back.

  "She's right, Nathan," Beck said. He wanted to join Kaylin in yelling, but his words came out as a low, hoarse growl. "You can spend all day claiming you want peace and protection, but it's easy to see straight through your bullshit. You’re just like every other opportunistic dictator the Resistance has fought against since the Syndicate left. All you really want is power.”

  Nathan gritted his teeth, anger flashing across his face. "I've been good to you, Beck," he said. "And this is how you repay me? By breaking into my stronghold, killing my men, and insulting me?"

  Beck blinked, struggling to believe he was really hearing this. He was calling Nathan a murderous tyrant, and the commander somehow thought he was the victim.

  “You’re sick,” Beck whispered, shaking his head back and forth. “You’re fucking sick.”

  Nathan sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, staring down at Beck with a pitying expression. “I do what has to be done to protect the human race,” he said simply. “It’s not always pretty, but it’s necessary.”

  Beck’s mind whirled as he struggled to figure out all the repercussions of what Nathan was telling him. And then it slammed into him.

  “You stole the Virtue, didn’t you?” he whispered.

  It suddenly all made sense. Everyone on the base had jumped to the same conclusion: Goodfellow had pulled off another “impossible heist.” They’d called it “impossible” because it seemed so outrageously clever, they just couldn’t understand how the thief could have broken through the Resistance’s security system. But now Beck understood: no thief had broken into the base to steal the Virtue, just like no thief had ever broken into the other Resistance bases that had been hit by Goodfellow.

  Nathan had been behind it. He hadn’t even needed any thieving skills to pull off the “heists.” After all, he was one of the highest ranking officials in the Resistance, and he had access to huge swaths of the organization’s security system. He could simply disable it and steal whatever he wanted.

  Kaylin’s eyes widened, and Beck could tell she was thinking the exact same thing. “Holy shit,” she whispered, pointing a finger at Nathan. “You’re Goodfellow.”

  Nathan snorted. “I’m not Goodfellow any more than I’m Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Goodfellow doesn’t exist.”

  Fresh anger roared through Beck’s veins. “So you knew Kaylin wasn't the thief?”

  Nathan tossed him an annoyed glance. “I knew Kaylin was a thief, and an experienced one who had ties to the Resistance. Logically, she was the perfect scapegoat. Not to mention I was doing the world a favor by ridding it of a criminal.”

  Kaylin gaped at Nathan, her lip curled in disgust. “So the person who gave me the intel to break into your base…”

  “That was me,” Nathan said with a nod. “Clever, wasn’t it? Not a single person batted an eye when I accused you of stealing the Virtue.”

  “I did,” Beck growled. He straightened his shoulders and looked Nathan dead in the eye. “You’re not as clever as you think. I figured out it wasn’t her, because Kaylin is a damn good person. And unlike you—” He jabbed a finger toward the commander, desperately wishing he had a weapon to point at Nathan instead. “—Kaylin would never have mindlessly killed a loyal Resistance guard.”

  Nathan sighed and actually looked slightly guilty for a moment. “Lea’s death was highly unfortunate,” he said. “She wasn’t supposed to be patrolling that area of the base. But it was necessary. I never would have been able to get the Virtue off the base if I hadn’t stopped her from raising the alarm.”

  “You shot her in the back,” Beck hissed. “You killed one of your own soldiers who you helped to train!”

  As Beck said the words, another piece of the screwed-up puzzle slammed into place. He shook his head in disbelief. “You sent us on a suicide mission,” he whispered. “You scared Kaylin into confessing, but you knew she wasn’t actually Goodfellow and that she didn’t have the skills to get the Virtue back. You expected our entire team to die trying to get through these goddamn tunnels.”

  “I tried to stop you from taking this mission, Beck,” Nathan said, suddenly sounding tired. “Why do you think I tried so hard to assign Alex instead of you? I knew that it wouldn’t end well for whoever went.”

  Beck shook his head back and forth. “You’ve always had issues with Liam and Alex challenging your orders. Everyone knows that. And I’ll bet Cate was onto you, wasn’t she? She was best friends with Lea. She probably looked closer into Lea’s death than anyone else on the base.” Beck rubbed a hand over his face. “You wanted all of them to die. Kaylin, Liam, Cate, Jamison, Alex, Lio, Marin. You were better off with all of them dead. So you cooked up this suicide mission to do away with them.”

  “I didn’t want anyone dead,” Nathan insisted. “But it was necessary.”

  “You sent us on a suicide mission!” Beck roared. “You got Marin and Cate killed, all for nothing!”

  Anger flared in Nathan’s eyes, and he reached forward, grasping the bars of the cell in his fists. “You stupid boy,” he said, his voice suddenly colder than ice. “How can you possibly say it was for nothing? Have you understood anything I’m trying to tell you? Every life I lose, ever
y sacrifice I make, is to protect the human race.”

  “You’re sick,” Beck spat, stepping closer to the commander. “And a goddamn coward. You’ve told us for years that the Resistance has some of the best and brightest soldiers you’ve ever worked with. So why the hell don’t you trust us to decide whether or not a suicide mission is for ‘the greater good?’ Huh? Are you such a coward, you can’t stand to have your decisions questioned?”

  Nathan’s eyes narrowed into a ferocious glare, and Beck froze, not daring to get any closer to the man. His respected mentor was officially gone, and in his place was a man who glowered like a rabid dog.

  “You’ve gotten too full of yourself,” Nathan said, his voice dangerously low and flat. “All those promotions I gave you have gotten to your head.”

  “No,” Kaylin said sharply. “They’ve just taught him to think for himself. And that’s let him come to the same conclusion I have: you’re a worthless, murderous psychopath.”

  Nathan’s lip curled into a thin, cold smile. He looked at Beck, his eyes still narrowed, and calmly asked, “And what do you say to that, Beck?”

  Beck swallowed hard. “I say she’s right.”

  Nathan let out a sad sigh and nodded. “Then you’re far weaker than I ever thought. It’s a pity I wasted any time on you.”

  “I was about to say the same,” Beck spat.

  He searched the man’s expression for any sign of pain, but all he could see in Nathan’s face was annoyance. Then the commander shrugged his shoulders and stepped away from the cell.

  “I gave you a chance, Beck. You can’t ever claim I didn’t.” He gestured at the two of them. “The dealer for the Virtue will be here shortly. I’ll let him decide what to do with you two. I’m sure he’ll want the thief dead, but he might allow you to live, Beck. Another informant about the Resistance may prove to be valuable.”

  Nathan spoke as if he was discussing selling junk at a garage sale, not bartering with their lives. Beck swallowed back his anger, knowing it would do nothing to help him.

  “You can’t sell the Virtue,” Beck said. “You have no idea who you’re selling to, Nathan. They’re not human, and they’re going to use the Virtue against you and everyone on Earth.”

  Nathan raised his eyebrows. “Is that the nonsense the Rhuramenti ambassador has been feeding you?”

  Beck shook his head. “It’s not nonsense. You don’t understand, Nathan. That thing has more power—”

  “—than all the weapons on Earth,” Nathan said, cutting him off. “I know damn well how powerful it is. Why do you think I went through all the trouble of acquiring it?”

  “Then why the hell are you selling it?” Beck demanded.

  “For the same reason I do all of this,” Nathan said, making a broad gesture around him. “To protect the human race. I’ve negotiated a deal with the Russian government. They’re actually intelligent enough to recognize the threat of allowing aliens onto our planet. The Wardens don’t have any scientists who can get the Virtue to work, but the Russians do. They’ve managed to figure out how to operate alien ships and an impressive amount of other alien tech. So I’m giving the Virtue to them to help them in their fight against the invaders.”

  Beck shook his head. “Nathan, those aren’t Russians with a knack for tech. Those are aliens you’re dealing with.”

  Nathan scoffed. “They’ve given me plenty of proof that they work for the Russian government.”

  “They’re Ascendancy agents,” Kaylin insisted. “They have some of the most advanced tech in the universe. Faking an accent and connections to the Russian government would be beyond easy for them.”

  A flash of uncertainty crossed Nathan’s expression. But then he shook his head. “I’ve met them in person. They’re human. They can’t just fake their species.”

  “The Syndicate looked human, too,” Beck said. “Humanoids are hardly rare in the universe.”

  “According to who?” Nathan demanded. “The Rhuramenti? They have everything to gain by lying to us.”

  “And you have everything to lose by not listening to them,” Beck snapped.

  Nathan raised his eyebrows. “I came in here hoping I could convince you to join me so I could let you out of that cage. But I’m beginning to see that’s not a possible ending to this situation.”

  “You’re a monster,” Beck growled. “And I don’t do business with monsters. Especially not ones as foolish as you.”

  Nathan let out a frustrated breath and held up his hand, as if to ward off Beck’s words. “Stop. I’m done bickering. You’re acting like I’ve just cluelessly waltzed into this deal, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve checked and double-checked and triple-checked the background of these people. They are who they say they are—scientists connected to the Russian government. I have a dozen people far more educated than you who have confirmed that.”

  Beck shook his head. “Maybe that’s true. Maybe they really are connected to the Russians. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re also connected to the Ascendancy.”

  Nathan shook his head, his expression impassive. “That’s not a ‘fact,’ Beck. It’s a wild conspiracy theory the Rhuramenti have fed you. And you might be foolish enough to buy it, but I’m certainly not.”

  Beck gritted his jaw, realizing there was no way to convince Nathan of how disastrous the deal would be.

  Nathan shook his head. “Don’t look so worried. My buyers will be here by the end of the day, so you two won’t have to wait long to figure out what your fate will be.”

  Beck struggled to hide his horror. Beside him, Kaylin let out a quiet curse. They’d just entered the worst-case scenario—the Ascendancy was picking up the Virtue early, meaning even the Resistance’s airstrike wouldn’t be able to stop them from getting the Virtue.

  Anger flared in Kaylin’s eyes as she glared up at Nathan. “How much are they paying you for it? I’m guessing an absurd amount, if you’re so willing to ignore all the red flags.”

  Nathan’s lip curled in contempt as he met her ferocious gaze. “My trade dealings are none of your business, thief.”

  Beck shook his head in disbelief. “You idiot,” he whispered. “You goddamn idiot. You’re giving our enemies exactly what they want.”

  Nathan gave him a harsh smile. “Your enemies, Beck. Not mine. The Russians are willing to fight off the invaders, and that makes them my friends.” His smile faded just slightly as he stared down at Beck. “It’s a pity I can no longer say the same about you.”

  “I was only ever friends with the man you pretended to be,” Beck snapped. “Now that I know who you really are, I’d rather die than call you my ally.”

  For a single moment, Beck swore he saw a flicker of sadness flash across Nathan’s face. But then the commander’s expression hardened, and he nodded toward Beck. “I’ll be sure to pass that message on to my buyers.”

  Nathan didn’t give them a chance to respond before turning and striding out of the room, letting the heavy steel door shut behind him with a deafening boom.

  35

  Lio

  Matteo led them through the ventilation system on his hands and knees, guiding them toward the base's barracks. Lio did his best to keep up with the soldier’s quick crawl, but sheer exhaustion had crept into his limbs, and the icy air flowing through the vents seemed to blow straight under his skin and freeze his muscles. He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep them from chattering as he hauled himself forward.

  They were close. So close.

  All the misery and agony of his mission was about to end. Whether that meant they were about to succeed or die, he wasn’t sure. But at least it would be over, one way or another.

  Red slinked along silently behind them, pausing to sniff the air every few seconds. He was twitchy and out of sorts without Kaylin around, his tail lashing anxiously through the air, but Lio was still glad to have the creature with them. Whenever someone below passed too close to the vents, Red would freeze and let out
a quiet growl, cuing the others to stop moving and keep quiet.

  So far, they seemed to have avoided detection, but Lio knew that couldn’t last long. The Wardens would get the door to the weapons closet open soon enough, and when they did, it’d be obvious that the only escape route was through the vents.

  "Almost there," Matteo whispered.

  "You said that two minutes ago," Adrien muttered.

  Lio and Matteo both ignored the comment. Muttering complaints and insults seemed to be the way Adrien calmed his nerves, and Lio was learning to simply tune it out.

  Instead, he focused his attention forward. Their immediate plan was simple enough: drop into a supply closet in the barracks and find some Warden uniforms to wear. Matteo and Adrien would blend in seamlessly with the rest of the soldiers, and while Lio would never exactly fit in with humans, the uniform might be enough to keep people from examining him too closely and noticing he didn’t belong.

  As for Red... Lio still wasn't sure what they’d do with the beast. They'd figure that out when they had to.

  Matteo came to a halt, stopping right above a slotted vent. He peered through the slats, spying into the room below. Lio tried to stare down with him, but he couldn’t see anything from where he was crouched behind Matteo.

  Red’s growl echoed off the vent’s thin metal walls, this time louder than before. Lio flinched at the sound and looked over, his heart thudding. “Be quiet,” he whispered to the dragon.

  Red ignored him, his attention focused on something in the murky darkness they'd just crawled through. In the dim light filtering through the slats of the vent, Lio saw the spines along the dragon’s back slowly raise.

  "I think someone else is in the vents," Lio whispered. "They must have figured out where we are."

  Matteo nodded tightly and pointed to the vent cover in front of him, which was just big enough for a person to drop through. “Help me get this open.”

  They hurriedly undid the screws and lifted the grate away, careful to keep quiet as they slid it out of place. Sharp fluorescent light flooded in from below, and Lio blinked against it as he watched Matteo drop down to the floor, landing with a grunt. Lio followed after him, wincing as his feet struck the hard concrete below. By the time he regained his balance and stood up, Matteo already had his pistol out and was doing a full sweep of the small room they’d landed in. It was another supply closet, although this one seemed to mostly hold clothes and cleaning supplies.