Ursula studies my face, watching the realization dawn upon me. “I’ve been in agony, Franklin. I did everything I could to protect you, but you became more and more rebellious. You knew your family was at risk, but you were obsessed with proving your point. In the end the Chancellor was forced to order the executions. You were spared only to avoid being made a martyr for the cause.”
I feel weightless, adrift in a sea of guilt and regret. My fault. The death of my wife and son was so inevitable that I may as well have killed them myself. In my arrogance I had thought I could outwit the spies of the Sovereign. I had thought to protect my family by hiding them among the underground, but the Sovereign had my every move tracked.
Their bodies plummet like the last leaves of autumn …
The room spins around us. Laughing faces surround me, their mirth in direct contrast with the horrors that rise from the cemetery of my past.
Ursula continues, unaware of my torment. “I know your memories have resurfaced, Franklin. I can see it in your eyes. You’ve broken free of your indoctrination. Your will was always strong. I’m surprised we were able to hold you this long.”
My hand tightens on her waist. “My family…you lied about them. You told me they were still alive.”
“The lies were necessary.” Her voice is devoid of remorse. “You couldn’t be trusted yet, so you needed some incentive. Well, now you know the truth, and you know who did the deed. You must realize it happened because you rushed ahead. You cannot do this alone, Franklin. You need me to guide you. We can overthrow the Chancellor and reshape the Sovereign as we see fit.”
I look at her face. She is earnest; the truth shines in her eyes. Her face is flush with excitement, her lips parted. I recall when I was so close to convincing her to join me. So close…
I cannot help but to kiss her.
The room breaks into cheers as the sycophants rejoice. They know I am truly rejoined to them now. Ursula and I represent a new faction, a new brand of leadership in the ranks of the Sovereign.
I reluctantly pull back, letting the sweet taste of her dissolve on my lips. As we smile and acknowledge the crowd, I catch a glimmer of the Chancellor’s spiteful face in the background.
I wonder how long we have until he gives the order to kill us.
Chapter 10
The night air is cool, befouled only slightly by the smog of the Industrial Complex. The smoke and fog billow in the distance, shrouding the night like the face of my future. I know what I have to do. The pieces are all in place; the final act set to begin.
Yet the taste of Ursula still lingers on my mind.
“The night doesn’t have to end here,” she says. Her eyes are practically wet with seductive power. “My transport can take us both back to my quarters…”
The unspoken result of that action hangs in the air, ripe with the promise of sensual pleasure. I cannot prevent the memories of our many nights together, lying across raven silk with nothing covering us but sweat. The anticipation swells, practically begging for a release.
“I have a few things to wrap up first.” I smile at her, hoping the lies do not scream from my pupils. “It’s a lot to take in, and I want everything to be right when I start my new position tomorrow. But I promise as soon as I finish, I’ll come for you.”
She smiles. “That sounds like a most delicious threat, Franklin. Don’t keep me waiting. We have a lot to catch up on.”
I watch as her transport roars off. Confliction threatens to boil over as I consider her earlier words.
We can overthrow the Chancellor and reshape the Sovereign as we see fit.
I thought I knew the truth, but truth is an ever-evolving concept. In one truth, Jack is my enemy, a man I should hate forever. In that truth, Ursula is a dangerous predator as well, one whose guile is matched only by her beauty and seductive power.
In the other truth Jack is my friend and counselor. And Ursula…Ursula is my former lover who wishes to aid me in reshaping the Sovereign Empire I have sworn to destroy.
My transport pulls up. It is the same sleek machine I rode in when Jack first exposed me to the machinations of the Sovereign. It is no surprise that Emily is once again the driver when I enter.
As we pull away from the banquet hall, I’m aware of her eyes on me from the rearview mirror.
“Don’t worry, Emily. It’s me.”
Her relieved sigh is audible. “I’m sorry, sir. It’s just…”
“It’s been hard on everyone, I know. We knew this was going to be do or die when we initiated this mission. Now it’s time to finish what we began.”
Her expression is of apprehension and excitement. “Then Mission Endgame is initiated?”
I nod. “It was initiated when Jack died.”
My Agent status gains us easy access to the train yard. The dormant engines loom like monstrous centipedes, their exoskeletons glint dully in the dark. A latticework of elevated tracks surrounds us, humming with galvanic power. The trains whip by, metallic blurs that pass too swiftly to see the act of anarchy about to take place in their midst.
Emily’s face is apprehensive as she hands me the rounds for my service pistol. “Are you sure about this, sir?”
I understand her concern. In a very short period of time, the Coalition has lost the majority of their main leaders.
And now it will lose another.
Emily’s head drops. “Once the train starts, Transit Authority will recognize it has been hijacked. They’ll scan the cargo and—”
“And realize it’s carrying several cars of powerful explosives and headed directly for Power Central.” I smile reassuringly as I load the pistol and pocket the remaining rounds. “Then they’ll do everything in their power to stop me. It’s all right, Emily. We knew from the beginning this was a one-way trip.”
A tear slides down her cheek, betraying the steely resolve in her eyes. “I never thought we’d get you back, sir. It’s been an honor to be a part of your operation.”
I carefully brush the tear from her face. “We took the gravest risks for the greatest cause, Emily. When those entrusted to protect the people choose to abuse their powers, we have only two options: submit or resist. We chose the latter, and paid the price for our cause in human lives. Their sacrifices can’t be in vain. I have my task and you have one last thing to do for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which is…?”
Emily swallows. “Whenever the train stops…I trigger the explosives.”
“That’s right. Whether the train makes it to Power Central or not.”
She grabs my sleeve. “Why can’t you just set the train on auto? You don’t have to—”
I raise a forestalling hand. “Anything could go wrong. Someone has to be on hand to see this through to the end.”
I stare into the distance, where the City glimmers like a thousand dying stars. “And besides, I want their attention. I want them to know who has disrupted their machine and awakened the populace from the nightmare the Sovereign has engineered.”
I board the train. The sound of its silence is nearly overwhelming. I have had enough of quiet. It is the hush of shadows, of smothering oppression that has anesthetized the populace into a dreamless state.
It is my task to awaken them.
Emily waves farewell as the doors hiss shut, imprisoning me to the fate I have chosen. The train whispers forward, electricity crackling along the rails. In no time at all it is flying.