Our bodies press together, seeming to merge more severely with every bump in the road. Her perfume infects my already hazy mind; her eyes gaze at me with the arcane knowledge of a graveyard raven.
“Who would have thought you would take to your training so well?” Her lips are parted, her breath smelling of mint tea. “Here you have barely joined us, and already you hand us the Coalition in one fell swoop.”
I drop my head to dislodge from her gaze. “I am just following through on clues and evidence that was already accumulated, Madam Lieutenant.”
Her hand finds my knee and squeezes. “Should this raid be successful, you can be sure your reward will be substantial.”
“My reward is my service to the Sovereign Empire. I am merely doing what is asked of me.”
Her eyes sparkle as she smiles. “So you say, SVR Gamble. But you forget I was once in your shoes. I know what it is like to be driven by ambition. You needn’t be ashamed. It is what separates us from the others. You have hungered, Franklin. And you will be fed.”
The transport slows to a halt. As soon as the doors open, the soldiers spill out. The sound of marching boots sounds across empty streets is unnaturally loud. Perhaps because the area is so desperately silent.
It is another stark, homogeneously constructed neighborhood, much like the one where the riot recently exploded. It could be the same neighborhood. How can I tell? How can I be certain of anything anymore, the least being my sanity?
The soldiers kick in the door of a nearby building and barge in. Their shouts echo in the empty streets. The other houses are merely mute witnesses, the darkened windows watch reproachfully like the empty sockets of uniformly lined skulls.
There does not appear to be any resistance. Butcher walks out of the building toward us, face still enveloped by the ridiculous dog-faced helmet. He gives me an odd sidelong look before turning to Ursula.
“You need to see this, Madam Lieutenant.”
She beckons with a gloved hand. “Come along, SVR.”
I follow them into the threadbare building. Despite its shoddiness, it has the appearance of being cared for; inhabited by people who care about one another.
There is something precious there, something poverty cannot touch…
Of course the soldiers and Dogmen have reduced everything to rubble. Even the pictures on the wall hang askew as we pass. Stairs lead us down into the basement where the soldiers surround a sizeable group of various individuals. They wear no uniforms, but they carry themselves with the defiant air of leadership. My eyes are blind to their faces, for they fixate only on one man who sags in the clutches of two Dogmen.
Jack.
His face is battered, his mouth bloodied as he smiles. “Madam Lieutenant. I am relieved to see you. Surely you can appreciate this little misunderstanding—”
Jack’s words disperse when Butcher punches him hard in the face, rocking him and his captors.
“He’s a liar, Madam Lieutenant.” Butcher picks up a handful of documents from the table. “These delivery notes and copies of blueprints all bear his signature and authorization. He’s been spoon-feeding the Coalition every bloody secret we have.”
Jack lifts his head groggily. One side of his face is heavily bruised. “I’ve been…establishing connections. Operating undercover so as to…take down the traitors.”
“You’re the only traitor, Kilgore.” Butcher deliberates his words with a brutal blow to Jack’s abdomen. I try not to wince as Jack sags, coughing up blood.
Ursula stands still as stone. Her face is even paler than usual, causing her lips to bloom like winter roses as she studies Jack’s face carefully.
Finally, she shakes her head.
“I’m terribly disappointed in you, Agent Kilgore. Terribly. Disappointed.” She turns to me. “What knowledge did you have of this, SVR Gamble?”
“None, Madam Lieutenant.” I am shocked that I can lie without trepidation. I should be a shivering wreck, but I control my voice and keep my face impassive under her scrutiny.
She narrows her eyes. “Are you sure, SVR Gamble? Your mentor who you’ve spent so much time with is allied with the Coalition—and you know nothing of his traitorous activity?”
I repeat the practiced response by route. “I studied the information Agent Kilgore gave me and found a few discrepancies. I didn’t want to bother the Agent so I followed up the flawed data on my own. It was quite by accident that I deciphered the location for this meeting. When I couldn’t find Agent Kilgore, I immediately thought to alert you, Madam Lieutenant.”
Butcher barks a guttural laugh. “And here I thought this SVR was a traitor all this time. I have to say that it never felt better being wrong.”
Ursula’s expression never changes as she stares into my eyes. It takes everything I have to meet that predatory gaze, to not wilt under the silent interrogation and confess everything that has occurred.
Finally she nods. “I believe you, SVR Gamble. But I must ask a token of your dedication. Your signature, if you will, to remove all doubt of your motives and assure the Sovereign Empire of your devotion.”
“You need not ask, Madam Lieutenant. I will do anything for the glory of the Sovereign.”
She smiles, but her eyes are cold. “Of course you will.” She swiftly pulls her firearm from the holster and hands it to me.
“Kill the traitor.”
The weapon is cold and ugly in my hands. The weight is surprising. It pulls with the gravity of murdered souls.
I look at Jack.
His face is calm, his eyes piercing. He knows the separation from the Sovereign’s signal would reveal the complete truth, including his own terrible actions. In his face I see the confirmation of his misdeeds, mingled with regret and determination.
Determination to pay for the lives he has taken.
What you and I will have to do will be the hardest…
He knew. He knew the only way to gain the trust of the Sovereign would be an act of calculated ruthlessness. How could they ever question my loyalty if I put to death an insidious traitor and possible leader of the Coalition?
“Are you having second thoughts, SVR?” Ursula’s voice slices like heated razors. The soldiers in the room stare at me and Butcher tenses at my side.
“None, Madam Lieutenant.” I raise the firearm and step forward, aiming at Jack’s forehead. His eyes meet mine steadily, filled with pain and steely resolve. I see my wife and son dead at his feet. I see him in front of me. He is the same man, but he is a different man. He is prepared to die for me. For the cause he convinced me to believe in.
Are you willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that task?
There is no turning back. No retreat. All is in vain if I falter; an entire movement dies if I fall short. There is nothing I can do except finish what we started.
A storm of emotions erupts as I pull the trigger. The muzzle flashes, and thunder reverberates as Ursula’s soft, mocking laughter drenches me like heavy rain.
Chapter 9
Jack is dead. His sacrifice was the final lesson, the last hurdle for my mind to overcome before the walls of indoctrination crumble to dust. I stare in the mirror, wondering if he saw the same haunted look on his face as he steeled himself for what was coming. Jack had been a murderer, a willing participant in the slavery of mind and soul. He had been the worst kind of man, the one willing to ignore the cries of the oppressed simply because he could not bring himself to care.
He had also organized a rebellion to bring all he previously believed in to ashes.
I button up the coat of my Agent uniform as the Smiling Man mouths silently in the background. I do not know if it is the machination in my ear or my newfound willpower that shuts him out. All that matters is the needling voice of the Sovereign can no longer affect me.
My promotion will be celebrated at the Chancellor’s Ball, an occasion made more special as it celebrates the end of the Coalition. Their leaders await execution, their mole rooted from our midst.
And I am the one who made it possible.
I comb my hair so every strand is perfect. My uniform is pressed, the buttons polished. I look the paragon of what the Sovereign Empire represents. It takes great effort to keep my face neutral. I finally understand why Jack could smile, even in the face of oppression and death. It was the one thing that could not be taken from him. I know how he felt, the sensation of invincibility under the mask of compliance.
I understand because at long last I am ready. In my former state I could never stand up under such pressure. But after sleepwalking for so long, I finally have awakened.
And I know what I have to do.
~*~
The ballroom is a grandiose exercise in overindulgence. The chandeliers hover over us like glittering stars, grand paintings hang from the walls, and every table overflows with succulent food and bubbling champagne. The most influential members of the Empire are present, mingling with upside-down frowns on their faces while they imagine the alcohol can mask their contempt of one another.
The Chancellor lounges like a king of old in an imposing chair of engraved steel embossed with the Dog of War emblem. He is tall and powerfully built; dark eyes glint like wet coal from his chiseled face. His head is shaved bald as if to deny the vanity of hair. His uniform is ceremonial: fringed shoulders and stacks of medals earned by betrayal and enslavement.
It is only when my inner ear tingles that I realize how powerful the propaganda machines are in this place. The signal is practically overwhelming; the very walls whisper the mantra to the subconscious: Silence is essential. Question nothing. Obey everything…
When my brain reroutes itself, I see things for how they truly are. The ballroom is standard at best; a worn building which carries only a shadow of its former majesty. The Chancellor is an old man, sinking into a crumpled uniform too large for him. His face is a map of creases and crags which sag downward from the gravity of a lifetime of scowling. His baleful stare encompasses the entire ballroom, hating everything as he surveys the procession from the dais like an enormous vulture waiting for the fall of man.
Ursula brings me forward to announce my deeds in service to the glory of the Empire. I am applauded as I accept my promotion and given what I have been waiting for: my access card and service pistol. I keep my eyes and smile vacant as I shake hands and take pictures. I speak to the empty vessels, accepting their counterfeit congratulations while inside I weep for the dead. For my family, who died because I dared to resist. And for the man who killed them, because he dared to become a better man.
“Dance with me.”
Ursula looks more feminine than I have ever seen her. Though her evening attire is still in military fashion, she is more relaxed tonight. The light of victory shines brightly on her, softening her features into something ethereal.
We float across the ballroom floor with all eyes upon us. Eyes that burn with envy and spite behind painted smiles and cheerful masks. My success is at the price of so many failures, and many resent my newfound favor. I am suddenly aware of how fragile the Empire’s epicenter is, so full of brittle alliances eroded by the winds of betrayal and guilt.
“How does it feel to be the man of the hour?” Ursula’s eyes are shadowy magnets, pulling my gaze into the darkness of her soul.
“I am honored, of course.”
She smiles. “We were all so worried about you. Worried our experiment might fail. But you have proved everyone wrong. We can go as far as we want, Franklin. All doors are open for us to ascend to the very pinnacle of the Sovereign Empire.”
I almost stumble. “You say ‘us’ as if…”
Her smile widens. “Yes, Franklin. You are more than just a personal project. You intrigue me. There is much we can do if you are willing to drop this façade of blind obedience. I can see the ambition that burns in your eyes. I want you to show me what you’re made of. We could work together in a much more intimate manner, Franklin. Like we did before everything changed.”
I let the seductive words mist around me for a moment, aware of the precariousness of the situation. The band plays on, and my feet move in concert with Ursula’s as though we have done this many times before.
“I’d like that, Madam Lieutenant. You understand the need for discretion when one is trying to prove oneself.”
“Indeed I do. But you have the favor of the Sovereign now, Franklin. And with me to guide you, you will be a very important man again. You can change things, Franklin. You can save this Empire from the decadence and corruption that has nearly destroyed it.”
My mind reels. “I…wasn’t aware the Sovereign needed saving.”
Her eyes narrow. “Don’t play me for a fool, Franklin. You always were critical of the Sovereign’s more controversial practices. That was why you organized this resistance, the Coalition. The Chancellor had no choice but to put you under the same rehabilitation program you so strongly opposed. Indoctrination.”
The memory returns so strongly that my eyes practically glaze over. My swift and brilliant rise in the ranks of the Sovereign to the elite circle who worked directly with the Chancellor to direct the Empire’s dominion. My arguments with the Sovereign Council, and the reprimands that followed. The private warnings from my closest friend, Jack Kilgore. The many nights I betrayed my wife while submerging into the creamy softness of Ursula’s supple body…
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.
“Th
e 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.”
Silent Empire Page 5