Time continued to pass slowly as Exton forced himself to consider the whole situation as logically as possible. Since the Rothsburton had fallen, Brock said he hadn’t contacted the URS. He had worked on Petra’s grounds and he had even signed up for the fighter squad with Cal and Dorian. Was it possible he had changed his mind, at least somewhat, since he arrived? It seemed so, Exton thought, considering he admitted everything in the med ward that morning.
It’s certainly been a day for confessions.
Exton was briefly distracted from Brock’s bruise and his own inner reflection as he recalled his earlier conversation with the Thorne brothers.
Dennis had been unrepentant, while Don was at least somewhat apologetic.
“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you sooner,” Reverend Thorne had said. “But you have to understand, Exton, we are bound by our order to keep silent on the secrets others share with us in prayer.”
“Speak for yourself,” Don scoffed. “We are under no jurisdiction to keep secrets for Victor, no matter what Merra or our orders say.”
“We didn’t tell him about Aerie before,” Reverend Thorne pointed out to his brother. “I didn’t think there was any real reason for alerting him about their behavior this time, either.”
“How in the world did you come to that asinine conclusion?” Exton retorted angrily. “You know St. Cloud was under our watch, and you know I didn’t want Aerie to be put in danger. That seems pretty simple, and you still messed it up.”
“You do not have the support of the Ecclesia for this war, even if we agreed you could do as you wanted.”
“That’s even more convoluted.” Exton frowned. “I gave you the specific responsibility of watching over him. Why would you allow him to leave, and with Aerie at his side, no less?”
Reverend Thorne crossed his arms over his chest. “People will do what they want to, Exton, even if you leave them under guard and under orders.”
“Good to know you’re on St. Cloud’s side, then,” Exton said. “I’m ordering you down to Petra for further questioning.”
“Both of us?” Don asked.
“Yes,” Exton snapped. “See if Sister Katalina or someone else can come and relieve you. I need someone up there who knows the difference between my orders and following your calling.”
“I don’t think you know the difference,” Reverend Thorne shot back with a scowl.
His anger was somewhat uncharacteristic, Exton noticed. In all the years that he’d known the Reverend, and worked with him on the ship, Dennis had never been the one to lose his temper before Exton had. Don rambled on, talking about the price one took for following the Lord, and how a war among nations could not usurp the right of the individual, and how they had warned Exton before they weren’t going to be compelled to follow him if they didn’t want to ...
Exton largely ignored it, choosing instead to reiterate his orders, telling them he would be ordering Henry to get them onto a shuttle to Petra just in case they decided not to listen to his orders now, and then signed off.
Sitting in the cockpit of his shuttle, with Brock brooding at his side, Exton suddenly wondered if the Reverend Thorne knew his father’s secrets as well.
It was possible. Papa did know both of them well before. They were close with him.
Maybe they knew the truth of Silas’s plans for the Paradise.
He decided that would be the first thing he would ask them when he got back.
There was another small beep. At the sight of the Craftcarrier on the radar, Exton finally addressed Brock directly. “How is the pain?”
“Shut up, before I hit you just as hard, so you know what it feels like.”
Exton grimaced. “I’m sorry I hit you so hard.” The words tasted like bile on his tongue, but he spat them out in as much as a poised manner as possible.
Brock rolled his eyes. “Just shut up. I don’t like you, and I don’t want to talk to you. The only reason I’m agreeing to this is because Aerie’s in trouble, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“At least we have that in common.” Exton glanced down at the controls. “We’ll be coming up on the Canal soon. Are you going to hail the URS?”
“Why don’t you try to call Aerie again?” Brock snapped back. “I’d prefer to hear from her first, before we decide to go all suicidal with this mission.”
“We’ve had her movements confirmed,” Exton reminded him. “Henry, the Perdition’s pilot, managed to find her on the ship’s cams as she and General St. Cloud stole a shuttle. There’s no doubt where she’s headed, either, since my analysts were able to track the shuttle’s movements until they passed the Tropic of Capricorn.”
He felt his fist clench tightly as he added, “Besides, there’s no reception for our comms out here. The cloud cover prevents us from signaling her.”
Brock kept his mouth in a tight frown as he fiddled with the miniature comm. He’d had Serena pull it out from under his skin completely before they left.
He punched in a code before a responding siren emitted softly from the device. “Beacon One, hailing Beacon One. This is Comrade Rearden of New Hope. Do you copy?”
“Copy”
“This is Comrade Rearden,” Brock said. He glanced over at Exton. “I’m approaching the Panama area. I am experiencing engine troubles with my craft.”
“We do not have you on scope, Comrade.”
“I’m approaching from the southeast quadrant.”
A moment of silence passed. Exton saw the Morgan Soromsky as they approached. He nudged Brock’s arm, pointing to the approaching Craftcarrier.
“I’m in the vicinity of a Craftcarrier,” Brock added, giving Exton another dirty look. “That could be preventing you from catching my ship on radar.”
“Roger that. We have confirmed with Dictator Osgood that you have the required security clearance to land at Panama. He has directed you to land at the Ustupo landing site. He will personally come out to meet you once you land.”
Exton and Brock exchanged quick glances. “His Excellency is at the Panama base?” Brock asked. “Repeat for clarification.”
“Yes. His Excellency arrived this morning,” the voice on the other end confirmed.
As the air traffic controller read off the landing site’s coordinates, Exton leaned back against his seat.
It had been many, many years since he’d seen the dictator in person. Over the years as Captain Chainsword, he’d made some calls with the man, taunting him when possible. Osgood made his threats and ranted appropriately for a man who hated having anything outside of his control. Exton knew he was in his late fifties, or even possibly older, and he had never been one who did his own dirty work.
As the communication link between Brock and the base was once more severed, Exton sighed. “I wonder why Osgood is here.”
“It’s pretty unusual for him to leave New Hope,” Brock agreed. “I’ve only ever seen him leave a few times. Most of the time it was for on-site verification, from what I know.”
“On-site verification?”
“Not all bases and communities are connected by the same systems,” Brock said. “If there was a record he wanted to check or a follow-up inspection he wanted to make in person, that’s when he would leave.”
“I see.” Exton had to wonder if he had gone to Nova Scotia after St. Cloud betrayed him there. That would be one way to catch St. Cloud in a lie, he thought. He knew St. Cloud had altered medical records for Aerie’s sake.
“Well, this throws a wrench in our plan to land quietly,” Brock said. “I don’t think we’ll be able to hope no one cares if I’m there or not.”
“I won’t be able to hide,” Exton said. “Osgood will recognize this shuttle. He’ll likely have it stripped for parts by the time he’s done pulling it apart.”
“Well, we better think of a new plan. We’re closing in on the base; only about another twenty minutes.”
Exton reached up and grabbed the comm. “That gives me only a few moments to get
this sorted out. Here.” He tossed Brock Emery’s weapon, the one he’d used on Brock earlier.
“What’s this for?” Brock asked.
“You’re going to need it,” Exton said.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to hold off an entire base of soldiers. Especially Panama. I’ve never been there myself, but it’s supposed to be pretty big,” Brock said.
“That’s not how you’re going to use it,” Exton replied. He gave him a humorless smile. “But you are going to get what you wanted.”
“What do you mean?” Brock’s expression was curiously interested.
“You’re going to get a chance to hit me after all.” Exton turned his attention back to the comm, as Kamalo’s voice came over the line. “Kamalo, can you read me?”
“Loud and clear.” Despite the time difference, Kamalo was alert and engaged. “What can I do for you?”
“You might be sorry you asked that question,” Exton replied. “We have a new mission, and I need you to put it together, stat. I’m going to try to patch in my aunt and Henry too. We’re going to need everyone on board for this one.”
“Sounds exciting,” Kamalo cheered. “I’m ready.”
“I’ll need more than that,” Exton said. He glanced over at Brock, who was still slightly confused. “Osgood is in Panama, and if we can capture him, we’ll be able to finish the war. Brock and I are here right now, and if you and the others can give me a sizable distraction, that will give Brock and me the cover we’ll need to get in and get out.”
“And save Aerie,” Brock added.
Exton nodded, jolted he’d almost forgotten. “Yes, that too.”
He could almost see Kamalo’s smile at the thought. “Well, boet,” he said, “then let’s finish this war.”
♦20♦
“Ugh, this stinks,” Aerie muttered, as she made her way past another pile of laundry.
“We’re in Panama now,” the General reminded her. “In New Hope, it is easier to keep the temperatures regulated. Here in Panama, this close to the equator and with all the humidity in the air, the soldiers here are more likely to sweat more.”
Aerie pinched her nose shut even more tightly. “Thanks,” she muttered, her voice nasal. I was taught to fight and shoot and survive, she thought. I was not supposed to deal with this amount of terrible body odor!
It wasn’t like she had a whole array of other options, and this was the least troublesome of the others she had discussed with the General. They had managed to do a quick survey of the surrounding environment as they made their way out of the mountain trails. It was then that, after a few rounds of arguing, they decided to move in through the ventilation.
Aerie was happy to know her experience with slipping in and out of air vents was coming in handy; it was all too easy to recall the rush she felt when she would climb up an old, broken shaft to get to Moona and the Memory Tree, to allow herself a few moments to escape New Hope’s underground city. When they came across an older vent, Aerie found a similar set up.
She almost smiled, despite the smell in the air as they made their way through the sanitation center of the base. The General had commended her with a nod as he struggled to shimmy down the tube after her.
“Aerie.” Her father’s voice was soft and sharp against the atmosphere. “Something is wrong.”
“What is it?”
“No one is here,” the General said. He glanced at his watch. “It’s mid-shift.”
“Well, Osgood is here,” Aerie said. “Maybe they are reporting to him?”
“Doubtful, but possible.” He sighed. “We’ll need to find an informant.”
Aerie picked up a relatively clean-looking uniform. It looked close enough to her size that she had an idea. “Do you think we can blend in by playing along?”
“We’ll have to leave our packs here if we disguise ourselves,” the General said. “They’ll know someone is here.”
Aerie scowled. “You’re the one who said this would be quick,” she reminded him. “I think we’ll be able to last between here and getting Mom out.”
“We don’t know how long it will be until we find her,” General St. Cloud said. “Anyway, I wasn’t disagreeing, I was just letting you know the risks.”
“The risks of this mission are already too much for some people,” Aerie snapped, her patience nearly gone. “We might as well finish it.” She put her pack down and started to pull the URS uniform over her own.
The General put a hand on her arm. “Everything will be alright, Aerie,” he said. “You can just tell Exton that everything was my idea, and I coerced you into going along with it.”
“What?” Aerie shook her head. “No. That won’t work. He already told me not to go and meet with you. I’m already breaking his orders and disobeying him; there’s no need to add to my betrayal with dishonesty.”
“If you had a good enough reason to disobey him, he’ll likely be able to forgive you.”
“Like he forgave you for killing Silas?” Aerie shot back. She wrinkled her nose. “No, you’re mistaken. Exton doesn’t forgive people very often, and especially not people like you ... or maybe I should say like us.”
She was surprised at the lump that formed in her throat as she spoke the words. Is this really what is in my heart? Aerie wondered.
“He’s hurting himself more than anyone else,” the General said. “You can’t change things like that. You can only go forward.”
Aerie stiffened. “He might forgive you if you were a little more sincere about things like this, you know.”
“And the moon might fall into the ocean, or the sun might suddenly burn blue.” The General shook his head before searching through another pile of uniforms to find one he could borrow. “There’s no point in wondering about what could be, when you already know what it won’t be.”
Aerie said nothing else as she finished zipping herself into the uniform. She tucked her hair up under the hat as much as she could, hoping that she would be able to sneak around without her long, red hair giving her away.
“Here.” The General handed her a small gun. “Tuck this into your belt. Make sure you can reach it easily.”
“I have my own weapon,” Aerie reminded him.
“You’re smaller, and even in that uniform disguise, it’ll stick out. Take the smaller one.”
Aerie tightened her lips, irritated he was ordering her around, and further irritated that he had a point. “I wish there was a mirror in here,” she murmured, pushing her bangs out of her face.
“Don’t obsess over your hair. It’s longer than the URS would like, but you’ll pass. That being said, don’t be surprised if someone says something about your uniform or your boots. Those always were your bigger problems when it came to presentation.”
Aerie shot him a scowl, but she was surprised to see him smile back at her. She lost her confrontation air as he explained, “Your mother had the same issues, Aerie. It was never something that bothered me, even if it was too unkempt for the military.”
Warmth in her heart seemed to trickle through her body, making her more confident at once. Some part of her wondered if she’d always had her father’s approval, even though he felt he had to protect her from the truth. “I wish you would have told me that after Mom left,” Aerie said quietly. “I missed her a lot.”
“You did a good job of hiding it,” the General told her. “And I guess I did a good job of not looking for it.”
It was surprising when, despite his past and her grief, Aerie realized she could forgive him, too. He was more like Exton than she’d realized—a man of honor, charged with a responsibility too great for one person to bear alone.
The General nodded toward the door. “We’d better get going. We’re going to have to—”
Before he could finish the rest of his sentence, an alarm blared throughout the complex, gutting Aerie’s ears with its instant power.
“Augh,” she moaned. “What’s going on?”
The Genera
l peeked out of the room. “I see some other soldiers,” he said. “Let’s follow them. You go first; I’m the one who is more likely to be recognized between the two of us.”
Aerie nodded and took the lead. They fell in line easily between different groups of guards, but no one seemed to notice their presence.
Good, Aerie thought. She didn’t want to have to fight. They had a limited supply of shots and a close fight in the labyrinthine corridor would give them the advantage. Several moments passed, but Aerie barely realized it; she glanced between the guards, wondering if Gerard was close. The few whispers she was able to catch all spoke about Osgood, not his lieutenant commander.
She almost fell over when a door opened and the sunlight, as little as it was, lit up the hallway. She could see the landing strip from earlier as she peeked outside. There was even a shuttle landing on it.
A shuttle she recognized.
Aerie felt her mouth drop open as her heart stopped. She might have gasped, if she had been able to speak, if her body had been able to work properly. As the line of guards walked outside, the General pulled her back, diverting her to an area off to the side where they could watch without being noticed.
It was a good thing, too, Aerie decided. Her legs went numb, her arms went limp, she almost tripped, and she struggle to breathe in that moment.
She watched as Exton came down the gangway of his chainsword shuttle, the very same one she’d been picked up in months before. She could see from where she was there was blood slowly dripping out of his nose.
He was followed by Brock, who held something tucked under his one arm. In his other hand, he held a weapon steady, pointing directly at Exton’s heart.
Exton! No, not him! God, no, please no ...
Beside her, the General nodded approvingly. “I told you Brock was probably a traitor,” he said. “Looks like I was right.”
“This is not the time to remind me of that,” Aerie snarled. Her annoyance blossomed into full self-disgust, as she realized she could have told Exton about the General’s suspicion of Brock, but she didn’t. And now he was captured.
The Price of Paradise Page 20