Redemption (Enigma Black Trilogy Book #3) (17 page)

“It’s going to take a moment for it to boot up,” he said to Marshall, who nodded his understanding.

More people left the table, bound for the showers. while we waited for the laptop to power up. I wondered whether I should wake Ian to tell him of this new development, but after some careful thought decided against it in favor of letting him sleep. Most likely, it would be nothing new, perhaps just Brooks informing the country of our defection and lying to the public about our misdeeds. Instead of cheering for us, hoping that we would bring them a miracle, the country would be told to fear us, even loathe us. Such was the price we’d have to pay for the ability to take back our own destinies.

The sound of Marshall’s fingers typing on the keyboard brought my attention back to where I remained seated at the table. Moments later, both rebels and former soldiers alike came trickling back into the room after their quick showers, taking a seat in the open chairs or standing together in their respective cliques when no chairs remained.

“Here it is,” Marshall said as he brought a website up on the screen. He turned the laptop so that more of us could view it.

Displayed prominently on the screen was an image of Brooks standing in front of the American flag. Below Brook’s photograph, a timer ticked down the seconds until he was scheduled to speak live. A little under two minutes remained, ticking away at a rapid pace.

“How long do you think it’s going to last this time?” Jill asked.

“Probably not long,” Max said. “Just long enough for him to get the country riled up like he always does.”

“Does this mean we’ll be moving again, Marshall?” Jill asked.

“Don’t go packing just yet,” he said.

On the screen, the counter ticked down to zero, and then everything went black. Around the room, rebels and soldiers alike fell silent, awaiting the inevitable announcement. Seconds later, Brooks appeared. Instead of his office, he was in what looked to be a pressroom, standing in front of a royal blue curtain emblazoned with the presidential emblem, a symbol of strength and unity that Brooks himself created shortly after his inauguration: two ovals linked together into the lemniscate—a sign representing infinity, eternity and the higher powers— encased inside a triangle. Few ventured guesses about its meaning over the years, mostly pointing to the lemniscate as a sign that Brooks did not intend to ever give up his presidency, his hold over our country and its citizens.

“Good morning,” he said. A bevy of disembodied voices echoed his greeting like parrots speaking the words for the first time. “It is with great disappointment and regret that I stand before you today to announce to you all that our nation’s own superheroes have betrayed us all by joining the ranks of the rebels.” Gasps emanated from the crowd along with a slew of questions, which Brooks held up his hand to stave off. “I will be taking no questions as I, like you, am feeling an immeasurable amount of betrayal due to this turn of events.”

“He’s really laying it on thick,” I said, rolling my eyes. Jill giggled beside me.

“Last night, our country’s heroes thwarted the apprehension of some key members of the rebellion, including Jill Leitner, the niece of Marshall Leitner, the main organizer of the rebellion.”

I stole a glance over at Jill. Her cheeks were red as though Brooks had just told the world a secret she’d hoped to keep locked away.

“During their ambush, one of them even shot and killed one of our own soldiers.” My stomach turned at the thought of the dead man lying on the ground and the hatred his loved ones must have for me at this moment. “Because of this, we must now consider them—even treat them—like the enemies they’ve become. From this point forward, anyone caught harboring our former heroes, whether giving them food, selling them provisions, or providing them with shelter of any kind, will be arrested, imprisoned, and tried for treason. If found guilty, the offenders will be sentenced to a very swift and televised death.”

“Big deal,” a young rebel said from across the room. “It’s not like the same thing wouldn’t have happened to us had we been caught before they showed up.”

“However,” Brooks’ voice came through the speakers again, “my administration is prepared to offer total amnesty to anyone who leads to their capture—preferably alive. This offer includes the guarantee of safety for the informant and their family along with the promise of a monthly stipend that will exceed their annual salary, no matter what that may be.”

Almost in unison, everyone turned their heads to look at me, some with pity in their eyes, while others seemed to be contemplating the offer Brooks just put on the table.

“In closing, effective immediately, a bounty has been placed on the heads of our former superheroes. Until their capture, keep your guard up, for they are to be considered armed, very dangerous, and a threat to our country in the same category as The Man in Black.”

With that, the screen went blank and the bed and breakfast was once again stripped of electricity, imprisoning us all in darkness.

“Even the best laid plans have a tendency to go awry,” Victor said to The Epicenter employees, all of whom attended, save for Cameron whose absence was notable. “This is one of those instances, to say the least.” He looked around the table at all of their faces, most questioning, few knowing, what he would say next. “Due to Celaine and Ian’s sudden departure, President Brooks has threatened to pull our funding. After speaking with him personally, I have persuaded him—for now—to allow us to continue our work. Our research, what we’ve done here and will continue to do here, will change lives. This one setback will not derail what we have spent years to accomplish. Your loved ones’ deaths will not have been in vain. Together we will continue our fight to restore your lives and the lives of those you love.”

“As far as I’m concerned, Celaine and Ian are traitors who have abandoned us and what we stand for to join the ranks of our enemy. For this, they will meet swift and severe repercussions at the hands of Brooks’ men when they are captured and brought to justice. They’ve made their beds and they must now lie in them. Because of their decision, no one here is to have any contact with them whatsoever. Their ear buds have been disconnected, no longer permitting them the ability to contact anyone here, nor any of us to contact them.” He looked around the table to see everyone still transfixed on his every word. “In fact, no one here should attempt to contact them in any way. They are no longer the people you once knew, but strangers whose empathy for the rebels has made them dangerous. They are our enemies.” He looked across the table at each one of their faces. “Does anyone have any questions about anything I just said?”

From around the table, he received mainly poker-faced stares, coupled with a few head shakes. “Good. You are all dismissed. If anyone needs me, I will be retiring to my lab for the rest of the day.”

The sound of chairs screeching across the floor resounded throughout the dining hall. Kara stood up last, eventually falling in line behind the others.

“Ms. Topper, may I see you for a minute?” Victor called out to her.

A chill inched its way up her back. “Yes, of course,” she said meekly before turning around to walk back to the table. A host of possible topics swirled around in her head, even though in her heart she already knew what their topic of conversation would be. When she reached the table, she looked Victor in the eyes and reached for a chair.

“There’s no need to sit,” Victor said. “This shouldn’t take but a minute.” She nodded, pushing the chair in. It struck the table with a loud bang that sounded like a crash of thunder in the empty room. “You were very close to Celaine, were you not?” he asked, confirming her suspicions.

“Yes, we grew quite close.”

“Surely she must have said something to you about leaving? About her plans?”

Her eyes widened as she muddled through the thoughts in her head. “No, she didn’t,” she said, a lie that was only obvious to her. “I mean, we were close in a lot of ways, but I honestly don’t think she wanted me to know what she was doing; she didn’t want to put me in that kind of position—to have to choose between betraying her trust or yours. She wouldn’t have done that to me.”

“And who would you have betrayed had you known of her plans, Ms. Topper? Her or me?”

“My allegiance is to The Epicenter, the cause and what it stands for.”

He looked into her eyes like he was searching for confirmation of the truth that was buried somewhere deep within her brain. They stood staring at each other, neither refusing to back down until Victor finally broke the overwhelming silence. “Have you heard from Ms. Stevens or Mr. Grant at all since they left?”

“No. I haven’t heard from either of them.”

He searched her face, which remained unmoved, devoid of any emotion. “Very well. You are excused.” She nodded and turned to walk out the door, but he spoke again when she was just short of reaching the doorway. “Oh, Ms. Topper,” he called. She hesitated and stopped in her tracks without turning around. “Over the years I’ve become a lot of things, a doctor, a scientist, a businessman of sorts, but there’s one thing I’ve never become and that’s a fool. Do you think I’m a fool, Ms. Topper?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. I just wanted to make sure that we are all on the same page here.” He smiled at her as she turned back to face him, which made her skin crawl. “Thank you for your time.”

He watched as she left the room, his eyes turning as cold as the steel grafted to his skin.

Kara walked past the sitting room where she noticed Cameron hunched over on the sofa. The television was on, but he wasn’t looking at it. Instead, he stared blankly at the wall next to the screen, his body rocking back and forth just enough to be perceptible. He didn’t look up, didn’t acknowledge her when she stepped directly in front of him. To her, it was as though he was a shell, a body whose soul had left long ago—a zombie without the bite.

“Hey,” she said without receiving a response. She sat down beside him, but he still didn’t stir. “Look, you need to quit being so hard on yourself. It was an honest mistake. In time, Victor will forgive you, and—”

“What do you know of Victor?” he said, suddenly snapping out of his trance. “Nothing. You know nothing of him. Not what he thinks or what he believes. When you screw up, in his eyes, that’s all you are—a screw-up. A person who can’t be redeemed.”

“Well, then, we’re both screw-ups. I was the closest one to Celaine and should have seen what she was planning, but I didn’t. If I’d only pried more information out of her, maybe I could have stopped her and Ian.” She settled into the couch and watched him, gauging him and his state of mind. “I know that Victor doesn’t believe me, that he thinks I’m a liar, but, Cameron, I swear I knew nothing of it until it was happening. By then, it was too late to do anything but react like you did.” Kara turned toward him and rested her hand on his. At first, he seemed startled by her gesture, but soon the hardened, troubled visage he’d carried melted away. “What you did was noble,” she began again, sensing him coming around. “In fact, I think it was quite brave, if you ask me. If I were Victor, I’d be thanking you, not shunning you. It’s wrong, the way he’s been treating you, Cameron. I just wanted you to know that.”

His eyes remained transfixed on her hand situated on top of his, and it was a while before he answered her. “Thank you, Kara.”

“Anytime.” She let go of his hand and stood up to walk away, only to pause midstride. “Listen, I know I haven’t always been the best of friends to you over the years, but I’m here for you. Whenever you need someone to talk to, don’t think you’re alone. You know where to find me.” He nodded at her and smiled, the first he’d smiled in quite some time.

Kara turned to walk away again as her lips curved upward into a smile of her own.

I stood on the roof of the bed and breakfast deep in thought. Before me, the sun was steadily setting, turning even the modest of buildings into dark mountains on the horizon; mountains bathed in the reds, oranges and purples of the evening sky. Brooks’ announcement from hours earlier replayed in my head. There was a bounty on our heads, which I would wager even the most loyal of rebels was considering at this moment. Marshall would be the only barrier preventing them from taking it; their respect for him would be their only deterrent and our one saving grace. But even the most stalwart of followers has their price.

Then there was the matter of what Ian and I should do. Because of Marshall’s hospitality, the rebels had targets on their backs solely due to their association with us. We were putting them in harm’s way even more than they already were. But if we left, where would we go? How far could we run, or should we even run at all? Even if we weren’t caught with the rebels, would they still be punished regardless? In my head, I already knew the answers to those questions. No matter how far we ran, who helped us run, or where we ended up, Brooks was going to do what he already had set in his mind to do. Yet, I couldn’t get the faces of Drake, Jill, Brad, and the other rebels out of my head. I couldn’t be responsible for another death, either directly or indirectly.

The sound of footsteps behind me caused me to turn my head just enough to catch a glimpse of their maker. Ian had woken up and had probably guessed where I was after he couldn’t find me. Lately, just being in his presence made my pulse quicken, and the same was true now, except this time every beat was followed by an overwhelming sadness as though its essence was contained within the blood pumped through my body. I didn’t know what to say, wasn’t sure how to greet him without somehow hurting him again. So I stayed where I was, looking out toward the horizon, and decided to let him speak first.

His footsteps drew nearer until they stopped right next to me. In my peripheral vision, I could see him looking out upon the same view of the setting sun as me. At that moment, I would have killed to know what was going on inside his head, to know how I could mend things and repair them back to where they were before without leaving a permanent mar on our relationship.