“You’re talking in circles, Exton. You’re not making sense. By your own logic, it would seem that the General did the right thing in stopping your father.”
He had to take another deep breath to steady himself. “Even if it’s true that my father was planning on attacking the URS with the Perdition, he was stopped. We’re not dealing with hypotheticals. Your mother was not stopped, and now an ecobomb is likely poisoning half the Caribbean. And our fighters are still gone.”
“It’s still the same, Exton. Your father wouldn’t have been killed if he wasn’t doing something wrong,” Aerie insisted.
“You don’t know that!” Exton shouted into the comm. “You don’t even know if he was doing something wrong.”
“My father told me what he told you,” Aerie said. “I know you don’t believe him, but I do, after hearing what he had to say. Don’t you?”
Exton gritted his teeth together. “I’m not talking about that with you,” he growled. “I’m not talking about it. Go and talk about it with St. Cloud if you want to talk about it.”
“We wouldn’t be talking about it if you would just do something about my mom. Who gets to decide who has to die, Exton? Who decides who has to pay?” Aerie asked.
Exton tried to brush her question aside, but it was difficult. He knew that she had a point, but he didn’t want to face the reality of it right now. He had other priorities that demanded his attention, and as much as he felt for Aerie, seeing her mother’s capture, he had to assess the damage that came along with the events leading up to her capture.
“We have to rescue my mother,” Aerie continued. “Gerard has her imprisoned. They’re going to torture her. Just like they did to me, Exton.”
He sighed. He didn’t want her thinking that he didn’t care about her. But there were other factors to consider.
“Right now, we can’t do anything. We’re still collecting information here,” Exton said. “We are still deciding what to do. No definite plans have been made.”
“My mother doesn’t deserve to be tortured, Exton,” Aerie insisted. “I know that for sure.”
“I’m sorry, Aerie.”
Aerie must have caught the lack of sympathy in his voice. “You’re not seriously thinking of leaving her there, are you?”
He sighed. “Aerie, this is war. Sometimes people get left behind. You’re the one who told me earlier that you’d already lost her once.”
“I can’t believe you,” she hissed.
“I’m just telling you the truth,” Exton snapped. “We have to wait for more information to come in. There’s plenty we need to know before we do anything at all. Maybe if I had known sooner that your mom wanted to poison the Caribbean Sea, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
Aerie sank into a bitter silence, saying nothing in reply.
“I’ve lost people, too, Aerie. Gerard is proof of that.”
“I don’t care about that right now,” Aerie said. “What are we going to do?” There was a hint of desperation in her voice now.
He said nothing. He had already given his answer. He rubbed his forehead, trying not to hate her in that moment; he was sorely tempted to yell at her some more, trying to hurt her as much as she had hurt him. Silence was the easiest answer for now, and also the least condemning.
“Well?” Aerie demanded. “Are we going to attack? Stage a rescue mission? What?”
“We don’t have the resources to do that,” Exton said.
“I can do it then,” Aerie offered.
“No.” Exton’s voice was sharp and scalding. “No, you will not do anything, Aerie. Do you hear me? I will not have you put yourself in harm’s way. Not after everything we’ve been through, and especially not after all the trouble your mother has caused.”
“But she’s my mother!” Aerie insisted.
“I know, but the answer is still no. Do not disobey me on this, Aerie. You’ve seen what Gerard can do.”
“Exactly! That’s all the more reason to do something!”
Exton scoffed. “If you go, you could just make things worse for us, Aerie. You might have some training, but you still don’t know what to do or what kind of powers you’re up against.”
“But—”
It was time to hang up before he said something he would regret even more. “There is no easy answer for these things, Aerie,” he said. “I’ll talk with you later.”
Exton didn’t say goodbye before he clicked off the comm.
♦15♦
The second the comm line went silent, Aerie felt something inside of her snap.
“Augh!” Aerie screamed as she tossed the small communications device across the room. Her hands were shaking as she ran them through her loosened hair. She fell to her knees and wondered if the anger and betrayal would ever cease.
There was nothing he could do. No, Aerie corrected herself bitterly, there was nothing he would do. Angry tears fell down her flushed face, and she was very glad she was alone. Her frustration was almost manifest, and she did not want to be face to face with Exton’s cruel reality.
In the back of her mind, Aerie knew that Exton was probably right. Aerie had never thought of her mother’s recklessness when she was a child, but since she had found her mother not only alive but coordinating a worldwide revolt against the States, she had wisely reevaluated her mother’s character. But ...
But she’s my mother! Aerie’s hand flew up to her heart as she felt the hollow ache in her chest. Shame filled her as she thought about how reluctant she had been to forgive her mother for leaving her. Even if she could understand it, even if she had a younger brother now, she had been unwilling to overlook her mother’s abandonment of her as a young child.
But now, it seemed silly. Of course she loved her mother, and of course she forgave her. It was a miracle she even had a second chance to be with her.
And now, Aerie thought, I’m back where I started. She’s gone, and I’ll likely never see her again.
Gerard was cruel, whether he tried to hide it or flaunt it alongside his so-called charm. There was no telling what he would do—or, apparently, what Phoebe would do—when it came to making her mother pay.
Aerie recalled all too vividly the feeling of lightning lashing through her body, the dark energy drilling into her body all the way down into her bones. Reliving the memory made the dull shadow inside of her roar once more.
As she slumped against the ground, she shook her head. “He’s not going to do anything,” she whispered to herself, as shocked disbelief sank into her skin and permeated her soul.
She knew she had fought Exton’s reasoning with everything she had; Aerie knew she had overstepped a line in bringing up Exton’s father. She was distressed and fuming and frantic, but she was also right. What was the difference, really, between her mother and Exton’s father? Why should one be exonerated while the other one is condemned?
Something has to be done.
Exton wasn’t planning on doing anything.
As soon as that thought, that harsh resonance of truth, crossed her mind, Aerie sat up and pushed herself off the floor. Her knees buckled at the sudden rush of blood, but her resolve was reignited.
This feeling had come to her before—this feeling that Exton was wrong. It was the same feeling she’d had as she sat on the shuttle when he took her back to see the General at Nova Scotia.
Back then, she was hoping against all hope Exton would change his mind and allow her to stay with him, even if it meant angering her father. He had been unhappy, but resigned. He had been so concerned with Petra that he didn’t realize he was ultimately putting the rest of the world in more danger by turning her back over to her father.
Aerie had been understanding. She didn’t want to cause Exton’s community to be devastated with attacks from the URS, and she didn’t want to force him to admit that he loved her more than he feared the death of his friends. Aerie had willingly submitted to his commands, proving that she could do so as much as she would, if it was the
only thing that would prove to Exton she loved him.
But in the end, they had been wrong; all of them had been brutally wrong. They had both been laboring under false assumptions—namely, that the General wouldn’t try to kill Exton, and that Aerie wouldn’t be harmed. And they paid the price for it.
Aerie knew Exton was wrong now.
Yes, her mother had been involved in some shady dealings before. And yes, it wouldn’t surprise Aerie to find out that she had coordinated the attack on Panama from the start. But she did know what Gerard and his cohorts were capable of, and Aerie knew that her mother didn’t deserve that.
Her breath provided a steady beat alongside the furious beating of her heart.
“Exton’s not going to do anything,” Aerie told herself, steeling herself. “So I will.”
It was the right thing to do.
At that realization, Aerie faltered; she didn’t want to lose Exton. She knew she would be going against her word, and Exton’s orders, and she knew even in the best case scenario, she would lose Exton’s trust, and possibly his love.
But she also wanted her mother back. She had to tell her mother that she forgave her, and that she loved her. And if it was possible to free her, Aerie would do whatever it took to do just that.
If she was going to do this, she thought, she needed help. An idea, rebellious as it was brilliant, came to her instantly.
She was going to see the General.
If there is anyone who will be able to help me do this, it’s the General. Aerie had a feeling he would relish the chance to help Exton see he was wrong.
There was still some hesitation inside of her as she glanced around the room. Aerie felt the full weight of her condemnation as she slipped out the door of her room, willingly leaving the last of her innocence behind.
AERIE WORKED THROUGH the rest of her shift with terrifying efficiency. She kept her eyes innocent and clear, and her expression engaged. She made sure there was nothing to suggest she was planning a quiet rebellion of her own as she attended meetings, read reports, and managed the staff.
Emery would be proud, Aerie thought, as even Olga left their meeting without demonstrating any inkling of suspicion.
Exton tried to contact her more than once throughout the day, but she ignored his calls. She made excuses, dodged crewmembers, hid from messengers—anything that was necessary to avoid the fight she knew would come the next time she talked with her husband.
She saw the time, and headed off the Command Bridge with a few moments to go on the shift. Due to the late night, Henry had passed the console to Phil, another copilot, after the midmorning break. Aerie quickly excused herself by implying she need to take care of female trouble, and that was that. Phil nodded at once, and there was no awkward questioning or any particular inquiry after that.
She was left to walk the long hallway of betrayal alone, with no one the wiser to her thoughts or feelings or plans. Aerie did feel guilty enough for lying that she stopped at the restroom briefly, but only long enough to wash her hands and stare at her reflection, steeling herself for another visit to her father.
When she came to the General’s door, she considered turning back one last time.
She was a second away from knocking when the door opened, and she was face to face with her father.
“General,” she greeted, surprised and unsure.
“Get in,” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside the room.
“I can get in by myself,” Aerie huffed, as she struggled to regain her ground. If she was going to be breaking all the rules, she was going to assert herself to the last of who she was to everyone, and that included her father. “There’s no need to be so pushy about it.”
“I know what’s happened,” the General told her. “We don’t have a lot of time. And I know Exton’s far from foolish enough to allow you to see me again. If we’re going to escape from here, you’re going to have to follow my lead as we get out of here.”
“What?” Aerie’s attempt at reorienting herself flailed even further off course. “What are you talking about?”
“Merra,” he said. “Your mother. We’re going to rescue her.”
“What have you heard?” Aerie asked. She folded her arms. “I’m not doing this ‘you-take-the-lead’ stuff. Not after what you did to me last time with the Memory Serum. You have to tell me what you know.” She gave him a hardened look. “You owe me that at least.”
“I don’t owe you anything,” the General snarled back. “But if it’ll gain your cooperation and make my life even the least little bit easier, I’ll give you that.”
Aerie was beginning to regret her decision to come see him.
“I’ve been in constant contact with your mother since she left for Chaya years ago,” the General said. “When she was captured by Gerard, we were cut off. I know she’s alive.”
“Gerard has her down near Panama,” Aerie said. “He called the Perdition last night. He had the URS sabotage the MENACE fighters by hacking their NETech.”
“Figures. That was always a last resort for using that technology.”
“You knew?” Aerie’s eyes widened.
“I knew and I didn’t know. It was never fully tested. Some people had ethical issues with testing it, especially on the MENACE fighters. Don’t forget, when the URS made those, MENACE was already less than a threat. All we needed the fighters for, in theory, was propaganda. It was decided that a testing of the kamikaze feature would be a waste of resources and money, especially since we were not supposed to use them for anything that amounted to anything other than fearmongering.”
“So you didn’t know.”
“I didn’t know they would actually do it,” the General clarified. “I was one of the people who ruled against testing the kamikaze hack to begin with.”
“Dorian’s gone.”
The General finally stopped and stared at her, as though he was trying to figure out the meaning of the words she’d just told him. Then he put his hand over his heart and sat down at the small table.
“I was shocked, too,” Aerie admitted, trying hard not to let her emotions overcome her again. She knew she was already at a disadvantage when it came to working with her father. She needed her wits sharp and alert, and there was no way crying over the loss of her brother, again, would help her.
“What else?” the General asked.
“Cal and Brock are the only ones who made it back to Petra. The rescue mission was foregone. Exton said that he’d been told the ship, the Freedom, had ecological weapons on it.”
“It did.”
Aerie sat down across the table for him. Her fingers tightened around the edge. “Did Mom actually plan for that to happen?”
“You already know she did,” General St. Cloud said. “The ecobomb she was working on along with Evelyn, Exton’s mother, had been further developed over the last couple of years.”
“So she did all that? Why did she need to lead fighters to the ship then?” Aerie asked.
“So she could ensure the bomb would go off. The ship only had a skeleton crew, and there was no way to know if they would make it down there. Merra took off to ensure that the bomb went off.”
It all formed a picture inside her mind, one that was painstakingly coordinated. From her conversation on the Perdition with Merra before, it all somehow came together like clockwork. Aerie could see it clearly, and she realized just how elegant and terrifying her mother’s plans could be.
“I see,” Aerie said quietly. She felt bad when her resolve to rescue her waned ever so slightly.
“The crew was originally headed for Petra. It was a good thing that she managed to get it to head for Panama instead. When the bomb explodes, it will unleash a poison into the water system near Panama. We were aiming for the Canal, so it would do the most damage. The URS, when it ships things, still uses the Panama Canal quite a bit. Slowing their supply train would open up a new black market and it would force trade routes to be redrawn.”
> “Not to mention we would kill a bunch of the URS forces that remain near Panama,” Aerie interjected.
At her gloomy tone, St. Cloud raised an eyebrow. “It’s war, Aerie. It’s kill or be killed, or even worse—you could get to live while you watch others get killed. Or they don’t even have to be killed. You just watch their souls quietly morph into a twisted form as their humanity is slowly killed off by the sheer stress of it all.”
“There are other ways to win a war, aren’t there? Couldn’t we could still negotiate with Osgood—”
“That’s a laugh. Osgood knew from day one of his dictatorship that the world was nearly his. All he had to do was undermine our allies and tie up all the loose knots. What he didn’t realize was that Silas had already been aiming to stop him.”
“Why did you kill Silas then?” Aerie asked. “If you have no problem killing other people, and he was going to kill people, then why bother?”
“He grew reckless in the end,” the General said. “It’s one thing to kill in all-out war, Aerie. It’s another thing entirely to kill the truth to gain power and to maintain the narrative.”
“The narrative?”
“Every side in a war has a story they want to be true. You know Exton is a man of honor. I do, too. But he’s working with people like Silas and Merra, people who will stop at nothing to win this war, so they can make their ideas into reality. But the truth is, people like that fight the other side by becoming the other side. So there’s a story, like a fairy tale, that they tell themselves, to keep themselves from realizing it.”
“So Mom and Exton’s father fell victim to the narrative?”
“No. They fell victim to their own impatience and self-serving attitude,” the General said.
Aerie gaped at him. “Mom still doesn’t deserve to die.”
“We all deserve to die, Aerie,” the General said dejectedly.
The Price of Paradise Page 15