AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The people of Arras don’t have everything they need,” I say.
“And what are they lacking?” His lips smack on the final word.
“Freedom.” I hold my gaze steady with his. He knows this and he can’t deny it’s something Arras doesn’t have and will never have under the control of the Guild.
“That’s a want, my dear,” Cormac says without missing a beat. “No one needs freedom.”
I guess we’ll have to disagree on that.
“We could kill each other,” Cormac says. “Right here and now and then what would come of Arras? Of Earth?”
“I’m not sure what happens if we both live through this,” I say softly. I don’t know if either of us deserves to walk out of here. And yet if we don’t, what becomes of everyone else? The singularity Albert predicted could be another form of control, misinformation spread by Cormac to distract us from his plans and lure me here. But did Albert believe it? Because I’m certain he wouldn’t lie to Loricel and me.
“It’s not too late. We can still join together,” he suggests.
“You just killed my father,” I remind him. “Our relationship is built on body bag after body bag, Cormac. I can’t think of anything worse than joining with you. Plus, you already admitted you’ve wanted to kill me this whole time.”
“There is that.” Nothing flickers in his cold black eyes. He’s not amused. He’s not calculating. His eyes are the color of the dark of night when the world lies in wait.
He’s plotting.
“Then neither of us walks out of here?”
As though he’s giving me a choice.
There are no choices with Cormac, only carefully laid traps. This is something I know too well.
“Arras won’t survive, but if we initiate Protocol Three then we can still save the people,” I argue with him. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve always acted out of concern for the citizens, even if your methods were a bit warped for my taste.” I’m putting this mildly, hoping to lure him in with honeyed promises and sweet words.
He laughs at me, clearly seeing through my act. “Don’t try to placate me, Adelice. I’ve spent my career twisting words to get what I want. There will be no compromise on Protocol Three.”
I look to my useless digifile. There’s no one to call. Every channel leads to dead air.
“I see you’re still trying to set things right. You can stop,” Cormac says. “You’ve played your part remarkably well, Adelice.”
I don’t feel the ball of burning rage that usually builds in my chest when Cormac mocks me. No clever retorts float to mind. In their wake is something much more chilling: a dreadful emptiness that yawns inside me and makes me feel like giving up. How can you save the world from men like Cormac? There are too many to ever defeat them all.
Too many of them to even make it a possibility.
Cormac watches me with interest and a smile plays at his lips.
“What now?” I ask him.
“I find your reaction rather dull,” he says. “I expected a fight. I find it tasteless to unwind someone who’s sitting around doing nothing. If you aren’t a threat, then what’s the point?”
“If what you’re telling me is true, then I’ve never been a threat to you.”
“Touché, and yet…” Cormac pauses, tilting his head slightly. The companels in the room prompt us once more for the pass code but now the evacuation sirens feel like background noise. I hear the prompt, but it doesn’t matter. “Hannox, initiate the troops in the Eastern Sector.”
My eyes fly up to Cormac’s and now there’s a glimmer of amusement in them. He’s made his puppet dance.
“Would you like to watch?” he asks.
“Is this necessary?” I ask him, reaching for any argument that might stop him. “The bugs will spread to Earth more quickly if you let the citizens go to the surface.”
“Who sounds desperate now?” He barks a security cleara
nce code at the screen and it begins to stream the Eastern Sector. There’s a crowd of people gathered outside the Ministry offices. The camera’s stream sits far off the ground but I spot Jost and Erik directing the group.
