Shadow Fall (The Shadow Saga) (25 page)

“The World System still holds the Western Hemisphere,” Liz replied. “But the east is controlled by the Ruling Council, who have broken away to form a new government.”

Justus withdrew from the bars and scoffed, “So there really has been no change at all. The System is just at war with itself, and more innocent people will die as they fight over which leader will reign.”

“The Imperial Conglomerate of Cities is preparing for the election of a legislative body called the Citadel,” Liz said. “An event that would never be possible under the reign of Napoleon Alexander. Don’t be too quick to judge when you haven’t even been above ground in over three months.”

“Please,” Justus spat. “The Ruling Council is just as bad as the MWR, if not worse. At least Napoleon Alexander will openly admit that he is a tyrant. Sounds like the Ruling Council is trying to fool everyone just long enough to gain power, after which they will devour and destroy every freedom they supposedly gave. Face it, honey: your uniform might be a different color, but you’re still working for the same System that keeps our world enslaved to tyranny. Don’t insult my intelligence or yours by trying to convince me otherwise.”

Liz’s eyes narrowed. He was going to be a tough one to handle, but she had taken Emperor Sullivan’s advice to heart. Every man had a weakness, and she already knew his. The only thing left to do was exploit it.

She dropped her commanding tone in favor of one softer and more inviting, “I’m not here to convince you of anything, Justus. I have a proposition for you.”

He flashed those bright white teeth again, “I thought you weren’t here for that.”

“You know of Silent Thunder, I take it.”

“Wouldn’t be much of a rebel leader if I didn’t. Everyone knows the story of how the World System was almost defeated by them fifteen years ago, despite how hard Alexander has worked to cover that up. Unfortunate that they were unsuccessful in the end. For them and everyone else.”

“Silent Thunder has returned,” Liz said, pleased to see the excited reaction she expected from him at the announcement. “Right before your takedown, Jacob Sawyer ambushed a squad of soldiers in Alexandria. Since then it has escalated, and the Phantom Army attacked the Communications Tower just hours ago. Donalson has been given the go ahead to purge Alexandria as he did Rome, and we both know what that will do to order in the capital. With the right pressures, the World System could soon be on the verge of collapse.”

“Silent Thunder…big news, for certain,” Justus shrugged. “I’m sure they’re putting up quite a fight, but I don’t see what it has to do with me.”

“We seek an alliance with them,” Liz said. “Sullivan can provide them valuable intel and they have substantial manpower already in Alexandria. Together, we could bring down the World System in half the time.”

“I still don’t see what you want from me.”

“As a renowned rebel leader, you are perhaps the only one who could get their attention to suggest such an alliance. Given your past history with the World System they might find in you a kindred spirit...someone they can trust. And with that trust, you can forge our pact.”

“So you’re asking me to what? Infiltrate Division One and then infiltrate Silent Thunder, all on behalf of a government I could never in good conscience serve? Who are you to make such a request?”

“I am Chief of Command Elizabeth Aurora, supreme commander of the land and naval forces of the Imperial Conglomerate of Cities.”

“That would make you equivalent to what, then? A grand admiral?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

Justus broke out in a loud stream of laughter that echoed all the way back down the corridor, “You, commander of the Ruling Council’s armies? Am I missing something? Because all I see is a young blonde who probably slept her way into—”

Liz pulled
Ignis
from her belt and the blade flashed toward the bars, slicing cleanly through them and leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. One more swipe and she could cut the bars free, but she preferred to keep Justus caged while he considered her offer. He had put his back to the wall furthest from the bars, though the cell was so small she could still have reached him without difficulty if she wanted.

“You were saying?” she asked.

Justus put up his hands as if to surrender, “Specter has returned too then, I take it.”

“Yes, and all save myself still serve the World System. But you will find many more Spectral adepts in the service of the rebellion, so you needn’t fear.”

“There’s one major flaw in this plan of yours, Chief of Command Aurora. I don’t have anything Jacob Sawyer wants. Sure, you hold the promise of great intel, but Silent Thunder will need little help in that regard.”

“You will not be dealing with Jacob Sawyer,” Liz said. “He died a few days ago. You will be dealing with his daughter Grace, who has assumed command.”

Justus gave a short chuckle, “Of course she has. Seems like the world has become a girls’ party during my time in this cell.”

“You would be unwise to underestimate either of us,” Liz warned. “But especially not her. Her father trained her with the Gladius himself, and it was she who led the Phantom Army’s attack on the Communications Tower.”

“All well and good, but the problem still remains. What do I have to offer
Grace
Sawyer?”

“You mean besides your charm and chivalry?” Liz retorted sarcastically. “I’m sure you can come up with
something
, Justus. Are you or are you not the rebel leader who managed to liberate Rome for eighteen full months?”

Justus crossed his arms, still eying her Spectral Gladius fearfully, “I am.”

“And I’m sure that took quite a bit of planning and advance recon. I’m not asking you to walk right in there with the expectation of becoming her best friend. We will stage another attack on Division One to drop you off with a team of our best intelligence operatives, after which you will study the movements of the rebellion. Find out what they’re after, their primary goals, and find a way to make them
need
you. If Sawyer has a reason to
want
to trust you, that should make your life a whole lot easier.”

“Then it’s just a simple matter of feeding them highly classified intel from a man they despise nearly as much as Napoleon Alexander. I admit meeting Grace Sawyer and convincing her to
need
me is quite an intriguing thought, but I’m just not sure it’s worth the risk. If they discover my intel comes from Sullivan, they would execute me as a traitor and a spy.”

“Don’t be too sure of that,” Liz smiled. “I’m sure that even now many of Silent Thunder see the rise of the Imperial Conglomerate as a chance to strike hard and fast at the World System to bring down Napoleon Alexander. They may not trust us, but they will fight with us if the end result is the System’s downfall. They’ve waited too long and spent too much blood to pass up that opportunity.”

“Let’s say you’re right,” Justus conceded. “Let’s say I am able to convince Sawyer to trust me and we start weakening the System from within so you can hammer away at them from outside. What’s in it for me?”

“I would have thought the prospect of doing something good to be enough for a man like you.”

“Well you also have to consider who you’re asking me to do it
for
. To be honest, Chief Aurora, I don’t trust you...and I certainly don’t trust Sullivan. So if you want me to agree to this plan of yours then you need to have something I want. There
needs to be something in it for me.”

Liz smiled grimly. She had come prepared for this. “How about revenge, Justus? Revenge for your people.”

“My people have suffered for the better part of twenty years, Chief,” he said. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

She returned
Ignis
to her belt and looked at the rebel leader sadly. This was the conversation she had been looking forward to least. Giving horrible news was never easy.

“Justus...” she began. “It pains me to tell you that Rome has never suffered as it has in the last three months. No city has, not since the Persian Resurgence.”

“Explain.”

“As punishment for the support given to your rebellion, the MWR ordered the city downgraded from a class four city to a class two. Half the city was burned—buildings, natural resources—and half the population summarily executed. They’ve come to call it the Rape of Rome. It was the most brutal event to date in the Systemic Era.”

Justus turned away from her, using a hand to steady himself against the wall while the other covered his heart. Liz remained respectfully silent, until he turned back to her and asked, “How many? How many dead?”

“I don’t know the exact count—”

“
How many
?” he demanded, his yell echoing back at them several times before finally fading back into silence.

“Five million,” she replied in a near whisper.

Justus released a sorrowful sigh, and Liz could tell he was on the verge of tears. To many across the world, five million was just a number—a terrible and horrifying number, to be sure—but one that affected them little. To Justus, that number was intensely personal—citizens who dwelt in the city he had tried to save, and who had perished because he failed.

“Who was responsible?”

“Napoleon Alexander gave the order,” Liz answered. “Grand Admiral Donalson carried it out.”

“Such inhumanity,” Justus whispered. “I bet the MWR didn’t even bat an eye.”

“No,” she said. “And Donalson did his work with relish. Such men must not be allowed to keep power, Justus. Such men must not be allowed to live in this world with the rest of us.”

“And is Sullivan any better? Why should I risk my life so that the world can just pass from the hands of one tyrant into the hands of another?”

“Who is to say what might happen when this war is over?” Liz said. “With the Citadel, made up of representatives of all the major cities of the hemisphere, and Silent Thunder standing upon the ruins of Napoleon Alexander’s palace, a clever man might do…anything. Restore the Old World, move toward a new worldwide republic, or even take control himself,” she leaned up against the bars as she spoke her seduction. “Such a man could create a new world order as he saw fit, centered in Rome, if he desired...the heir of its mighty legacy.” Liz stepped back with a smile. She could see the lust for glory shining in his eyes. She had him.

“Of course,” she took a couple of steps back as though she meant to leave. “No one could achieve such a thing locked away in a cell. I have other candidates for the mission, and if you don’t wish to participate that is your prerogative. Enjoy the rest of your stay.” Liz turned her back on him and started to walk away, and nearly panicked when he didn’t try to stop her immediately. Despite what she said, he
was
her only candidate. If she walked out now her plan would never work. Perhaps she should have given him more time?

She made it halfway up the corridor before his shout rang out, “Wait!”

Liz smiled to herself in victory, and then turned back, “Yes?”

“How many men will be participating in this mission?”

“However many you need.”

Even across the distance, she could see a smile spreading across his face, “I accept your offer, Chief Aurora, though I would request one more thing for myself.”

“What is that?”

“The chance to exact retribution on the man responsible for my downfall,” Justus said with malice. “Without him Napoleon Alexander would never have gotten the chance to unleash those horrors upon my city, and he must pay for what he has done. When the time comes, I want to be the one to kill Derek Blaine.”

Liz gave a simple nod, “Done.”

20

I
T WAS LATE AFTERNOON
before 301 got out of bed, mind still prickling with the effects of his nightmares. Now there were so many more than the normal visions of rain and fire—made worse by the fact that he suspected the person within those flames was his mother. He saw her every time he closed his eyes, burning. He couldn’t even remember what she looked like, but those emotions were as vivid as the flames themselves.

He dressed slowly, not overly eager to face the politics and posturing of life as a Specter Captain for even one more day. He could have put an end to it all if not for his cowardice. If he had just gone with Grace when she asked, he might be with her at that very moment. The knowledge of that fact made him want to punch the wall.

301’s eyes shifted to his dresser, suddenly remembering an item he hadn’t thought of in a long time. He knelt and pulled out the bottom drawer, sliding it off the rails so he could reach back toward the wall. For most of his life, he had carried a keepsake in his pocket—a ring that had been in his possession for as long as he could remember. He had always believed it had something to do with his origins, and keeping it close had given him a sort of comfort.

But when he had ascended to Specter and—at the time—believed himself to have finally arrived in glory, he had hidden the keepsake away. Why hold on to a crutch he no longer needed to walk? But now, as everything seemed about to crumble, he wanted it at his side again.

He replaced the drawer and stared into the ring’s blue stone. How many times had he looked into its depths and wondered about the people from whom he came? He was closer to the truth now than he had ever been. For some reason, he had hoped that performing this old ritual would yield more than it ever had before. But there was nothing. It was just a ring.