Corrupted: Book Three of the State Series

by M. J. Kaestli

  Her mind was spinning, but she had made an impact; she could feel it.

  “I again would ask what information you are basing this threat off of. I do not claim to be educated on this matter, yet it just feels wrong to me. I think that people are excited for the new possibilities of the colony world. If we were to hide the transport device, I think they might feel cheated. This could, in fact, ignite the threat you speak of. Why not make everyone a part of it? Let it show like a statue or monument to ignite the pride for the State in our people. Let them see our amazing breakthrough and remind them of how well-taken care of they are by the State. Let it stand as a beacon of hope, one that anyone can see as they pass by, instead of just on a broadcast in a place that we may not give a suitable explanation to the people of its location.”

  Instead of a murmur, there was complete silence. The only sound was the faint hum of the monitor until it switched off. Freya had heard this sound before, and she understood its meaning. She was being shut out of the conversation. There was no way to know whether it was just her, or all of the candidates. She gripped the sides of her chair, hardly able to breathe in anticipation.

  “This meeting is adjourned. The vote will be suspended until further notice,” said a female voice, and Freya breathed again for what felt like the first time.

  She gasped and nearly choked. Chastity was instantly by her side, patting her back. James just stood there, looking dumbfounded. Freya couldn’t get up. She knew she should leave, but her legs had gone numb.

  James started to mutter words under his breath like “wow” and “hmm,” but no one cared to comment. She had just singlehandedly taken on the entire Council, and there was even a chance she won. At the very least, the vote had been postponed. It would give everyone time to think and strategize.

  “You want to know the best part?” Victor said as he opened the trap door of the underground access in the floor. “Freya almost didn’t get her seat because the Council thought she was too docile.” Victor laughed; he laughed so hard it impeded his ability to climb out of the stairwell. “I kept telling them she wasn’t, but they didn’t believe me,” he said, still struggling to enter his office. “James, do you remember the first day Freya was here, when I said she was feisty—you remember that?” Victor had righted his standing position, and looked directly at James.

  “Yes, I believe those were your words,” he replied.

  “My God, woman, the only predictable thing about you is that if you have a thought, everyone is going to hear about it.” He chuckled. Freya knew she should also laugh, but the feeling of nausea and shock was not letting her mood lighten. “I’m proud of you, Freya,” he said, now with less humor.

  “You like my idea?”

  “No, I think you’re nuts, but it doesn’t mean it’s not an idea worth exploring.” He took a seat at his desk and leaned back with his head resting in his interlocked hands. “I am going to fight your idea, I thought you should know.”

  “Then why were you laughing?”

  “Oh Freya, don’t be a spoilsport,” he said with a light huff. “I think your idea is as reckless as the way you presented it. I also think there are too many likeminded people on the Council. We need some diversity to shake things up, come up with new ideas. It is so boring that we always agree. You could liven things up a bit, keep us on our toes.” He shrugged. “Who knows, you might even win. That part about pride and monuments—it might actually sway them.”

  “Then why are you leading the fight against my idea?” As she heard herself speak, there was a part of her telling herself to shut up, but she had been reckless, and it felt so damn good.

  “I truly believe that the best place for the unit is in the care of the military. I will fight to make it happen, and that is exactly why we have the Council in place. I could be wrong, you know.” He winked at her. “Go on now, Miss Bossy, take that frown back to your own apartment and plan out how you will beat me.”

  Freya questioned whether her legs would support her weight yet, but it was time to leave. She got up, wobbled a little, but found her way. Never had she been more grateful that her apartment was only steps from Victor’s office.

  Chapter 9

  Freya closed her apartment door and grabbed the meal in the delivery slot. Maybe if she ate something, the trembling would stop. Lewis popped his head up from the floor, and when he saw her sitting there, he climbed the rest of the stairs.

  “Hi. Where were you?” he asked.

  “Council meeting,” she mumbled through a mouth full of food.

  “Oh, how did it go?”

  Freya’s chewing slowed. It was not that she felt she couldn’t trust him with the information; it was more she didn’t know how to tell him. He had made her promise less than twenty-four hours ago that she wouldn’t let anything come between her and becoming the head of State.

  “Oh dear.” Lewis sighed. “What did you say?”

  For a split second, she wanted to be angry at him for just assuming she was at fault. It only lasted for the second, until the humor Victor had seen in the situation came into light.

  She put down the plate and began to share the events of the evening with him. He listened diligently, without disruption. There was no trace or hint of emotion on his face, until she got to the part about Victor appearing and his remarks about her behaviour. It started with a lost battle trying to keep the sides of his mouth from turning up, and shortly thereafter progressed into a full-bellied laugh.

  She joined in and laughed also, it was kind of funny. It was still possible she had just sabotaged any chance she had at pulling ahead, but then again, maybe she hadn’t. Victor said they thought she was too docile. Nothing she said was offensive or disrespectful.

  “Well done. I knew I placed my bet on the right girl.” Lewis leaned in toward her.

  “Oh yeah, what did you bet?” she asked playfully.

  “Everything.” He kissed her tenderly.

  Things were moving so rapidly now; change was on the horizon. It was not enough for her to win; she wanted to save lives. A war could be won, but it always came at such a high price. If she could just take control, peace might be possible.

  There were no more words exchanged between them that night; there was no need. Freya had never shared her association with the rebellion with Lewis. Part of her felt as though he already knew, and she couldn’t pass on any information or names that were not necessary.

  Each moment the two of them had stolen needed to be cherished. They could have one-hundred nights together, they could even have thousands, but it was possible that each night was their last. So much time had already been lost between them. Every moment was precious.

  In the morning, Freya awoke to find Lewis beside her, which was unusual as he always disappeared in the middle of the night. Had he overslept? She prodded at him until he opened his eyes and looked over to her.

  “Why are you poking at me?” He wrapped his arms more securely around her.

  “Why are you sleeping in my bed?” she asked back.

  “Why sneak out? You said everyone already knows, so what’s the rush?” He nibbled on her ear. “Unless you want me to go, that is.”

  “I am sure I could miss one day of exercise.” She kissed him, and softly traced the contours of his face with her fingertips.

  “What day is it for you?”

  “Running.”

  “Then I feel honored,” he said, and Freya laughed until he intensified their kiss.

  Freya felt she deserved a break. Once she started to live in the State house, she never took a day for free time. It was offered to her; she just didn’t see the point. Her apartment was cleaned, and clothing laundered for her, and where else would she rather be but in the gardens? She had taken on the State and won, or at least survived; celebrations were in order. They spent the better part of the morning together until Lewis regretfully informed her he had to leave.

  She showered and decided it would be best to head out to the gardens.
As soon as she reached the balcony, Devina ran up to her.

  “Freya, I had another idea about our garden!” she exclaimed. “I must show you. Come quickly. I could hardly sleep last night,” she said with her child-like innocence. They walked with their arms linked together, Devina practically dragging Freya.

  “You have a nice morning with your boy toy?”

  “That would be none of your business,” she replied with an eye roll.

  “Well, while you were doing that, a lot has happened, actually,” Devina said. “In fact, a lot happened last night. Thank you so much for not showing up to work this morning and reporting to me like you are supposed to.” Her tone had taken an edge far beyond sarcasm.

  “I have no doubts that your contact has already informed you of the events of last night,” Freya replied.

  “Yes, we do in fact know what happened, no thanks to you.”

  “So it worked out just fine for me to take the morning off then.” Freya didn’t know where this sudden rebelliousness was coming from; it was like a dam had been opened, and she couldn’t close it now. They had reached the garden and were able to speak more freely.

  “You did the right thing last night.” She gestured to the garden, as though it was the topic of their conversation.

  “I know I did,” Freya replied.

  “You were far behind in the running, and you have launched ahead. We don’t need Victor to cast his vote in your favor anymore; the Council will have a majority ruling.”

  “That’s good, right?” Freya asked.

  “It’s great, actually. We can kill him.”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean why? He is no longer needed, that’s why,” Devina replied. “Don’t go getting all sentimental on me now, Freya. We are too close.”

  “If I am in the lead, why do anything? Why take the risk? Why not just wait until he retires?”

  Devina rolled her eyes at Freya. “Because he is causing two very large problems for us right now. First of all, he is leading the campaign for the transport device to be built in the military underground. You understand how bad that would be for us, don’t you?” she asked in an air of condescension. “Secondly, he is stalling. We have reason to believe he is not selecting his replacement because he knows the Council will have him removed the next day.”

  “You don’t think he will retire on his own?” Freya asked.

  Devina nearly lost her composure. She took a deep breath and pointed out areas in the garden as if they were talking about it. “No, you idiot!” she spat. “He isn’t just going to choose to retire. There is no retirement, Freya. You are working, or you are dead. Have you never noticed that there isn’t a swarm of old people in the common rooms?”

  “You think they would kill him?” Freya asked.

  “No, because we are going to kill him first.”

  “Who’s going to do it?”

  Freya realized now that there was no stopping this plan. Was it so bad? She did have a few valid points—not to mention, things could change greatly between now and when Victor was ready to step down. It was best to strike while the iron was hot. She should simply step to the side, and let others handle this.

  “You are,” Devina answered, snapping Freya out of her delusion.

  “I can’t do it,” Freya stammered.

  “Do you have a gun?” Devina pressed.

  “Well, yeah but—”

  “Do you know how to use it?”

  “Wait just a minute. How can I kill him when I am supposed to be the new head of State? They will arrest me and game over.”

  “No, they won’t. Why would they investigate who did their dirty work for them? It’s what they want.”

  Freya shook her head. This was too far beyond her capacity.

  “Fine, here is your cover story. You stopped wearing the gun when you moved back into the State house. It had been so long since you even thought of it, you have no idea when it could have gone missing. Since you live right over a military access, anyone could have taken it when you were on the grounds. You finished up your day, and then were in bed with your boy toy when you heard the shots fired. A perfect cover story. All you need to do is persuade the boy toy to play along.” She paused. “Who knew he would turn out to be useful?”

  “I can’t do it. I am no killer,” Freya protested.

  “Fine, then don’t. Wait it out, see if you can keep your shit together long enough to stay in the Council’s favor for the next…I don’t know, anywhere from a week to ten years.”

  Freya huffed. It was not possible for her to keep it together for that long.

  “In fact, it could take so long, that maybe I will be old enough to take your place when your identity leaks and you get killed.”

  “Stop it!” Freya cried out, on the verge of tears.

  “Then step up! Do what you were meant to do. No one else will have the opportunity you do. This all could be over so quickly; we would have everything we need if only you had the spine to do it!” Devina paused, and squatted down by the garden. “After the evening meal is delivered, the only people in the house are Victor, Chastity, and you. Chastity will be in her apartment, and Victor never closes his office door at night. There are no Security cameras inside the State house. Once your meal is delivered, you grab your gun and take him out.”

  “Wait. If I am supposed to be in bed with Lewis, how did they get in?” she asked in a panic.

  Devina rolled her eyes at her. “So open the trap door in his office if you must. God, you can’t do anything on your own! Open the trap door, tell them you thought you saw something in the trees today, whatever. You are still acting on the assumption they will care he was killed.”

  “When do I do this?”

  “Tonight.”

  Freya turned her back on Devina and walked away.

  “I have to get back to work. Good talk,” Devina said to her back, and turned to return to the kitchen.

  Freya headed to the very outskirts of the forest. It was odd that she lived such an isolated life and still craved space. After arriving at her once favorite tree, she sat and looked out into the grassland.

  It had been so many years since she sat there and saw the attack on the dome. Often, she avoided this place, almost as though it held onto a ghost of the men killed in the attack. She didn’t believe there were ghosts present; it was the inner demons that terrified her. This space was a symbol. It pushed her into becoming a spy and represented what she thought she had been fighting for. It had crossed her mind many times, questioning whether the attack was real, or whether it was just an elaborate plan to give her a push.

  A movement in her peripheral vision made her turn her head. A deer and its fawn were eating grass just on the other side of the glass. Freya watched it for a moment; it was such a beautiful creature. It was such a shame that not many people were able to see it. This was the second time she could recall seeing one.

  She shot to her feet. The deer snapped its head up in anticipation. Freya looked the animal directly in the eye until it turned and ran. If the outside was so toxic, how is it this deer can exist?

  Like a glass shattering, her consciousness awoke to reality. It may be true that an incompatibility had formed between the human race and life outside the dome. It was possible, but it was not likely, or at least not as likely as the possibility that they could go outside. It was fit for mammals, and if it were really in the best interest of the State, they would find a way around this genetic alteration. This entire colonization tactic was an elaborate waste of resources and lives. They could rebuild this world, if the State had an agenda other than control.

  It would be so simple. New colonists wouldn’t dare to defy the government who sent medical supplies—the risks were too high for them. Another fear to use to control the people.

  The State wouldn’t rely on the colony world for resources; it would be the other way around. No matter how she viewed it, there was no purpose to colonize: it was just a gesture, a show
to distract the people from the monsters who ruled them.

  The fate of the world was balancing on the tip of a blade; it could fall to either side. Either another one of the State’s puppets came into power, or she did. If it was not her, it didn’t matter how many colony worlds could open.

  Freya headed back to the State house at almost a run. One part of the cover story Devina had given her was true—she no longer kept her firearm safely concealed at her ankle.

  Chapter 10

  Freya waited until the house was empty and everyone had left for the day. She hoped with everything in her that she could make it out of this room undetected. She had retrieved her gun and held it now with shaky hands.