[Contributor 02] - Infiltrator (2013)

by Nicole Ciacchella

  “Mingyu, that was uncalled for,” Raj said angrily, standing as well.

  “It’s the truth,” Mingyu said sharply. “Dara, you’ve helped us a great deal, but you’ve caused us problems as well. What we’re doing here is about more than just you.”

  “Answer this for me, then,” Dara said, taking a step closer to Mingyu and jabbing a finger at her. “You’ve been using me as a pawn, all of you.” She gestured around the room, and she didn’t miss Raj flinching as her gesture encompassed him as well. “How does that make you any better than the Creators? From where I stand, it’s the same game played on a different board.”

  “I won’t bother giving you the usual speech about the greater good. You’re clever enough to figure it out for yourself. Arguing won’t get us anywhere anyway. You’ll simply have to decide if you want to continue to help us or if you’d rather live your life out somewhere in one of the residential areas. Either way, you’ve earned your place.”

  Turning her back on all of them, Dara went to her father, taking his hands. “What do you want, Dad?”

  He cradled her cheek. “I want my family safe. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Honestly, Dara, it’s all I’ve ever cared about. If that makes me a selfish person, so be it. I’m not indifferent to the suffering of others, but your safety and the safety of your mother are the most important things to me. I’ll stand by whatever you decide and help you however I can, but I don’t want to be a part of this…this…whatever it is. It’s not my battle. The things I’ve fought for, I have them. That’s all that matters to me.”

  She leaned into him. It would be so easy to walk away, so easy to go live in a residential zone with her parents, try to cobble together the semblance of a normal life. They were free of Magnum’s restraints, and they could all live together again. Wasn’t that what she’d wanted as well? She hadn’t gone into this to overthrow the Creators, she had wanted to protect her family. Her job was done.

  Then again, wouldn’t that kind of life be a lot like her former life? She could be with her parents, yes, but they’d be living in underground bunkers, always fearing discovery, having to be ready to flee at the drop of a hat. What kind of life was that?

  And what about all the other people like her? What about all the other daughters who had to sit back and stay silent while their mothers were ripped away? What about the children who had to denounce their own parents in order to maintain their positions?

  But it wasn’t pure idealism that drove her. Hatred of the Creators burned within her, and she wanted to avenge her family, avenge Letizia. She’d tear Magnum apart with her bare hands if she were able. Could she walk away from the chance to bring about its downfall? Magnum had used her, the Free Thinkers had used her, but now she could use them both to achieve her own ends. She had used Andersen to get to the data, and she could use the Free Thinkers to help her see him and every other calculating Magnum Creator destroyed.

  “I need to end this, Dad.”

  He nodded. “I had a feeling you’d say that. I understand, and I’ll do anything I can to help you, but only you, and you.” Joshua raised his eyes to Raj, who squirmed uncomfortably. “I still owe you for saving my wife.”

  “Neither of you owes me anything,” Raj mumbled.

  “I want in,” Dara said, addressing Mingyu. “But I want all the way in. I’m not going in blind anymore. Keep secrets from me again, any of you, and I’m out.” She glared at Tasha, Mal, and Raj in turn. Tasha lowered her eyes, abashed, while Mal pressed his lips into a firm line. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, his face stricken, Raj nodded, meeting Dara’s gaze. There was an apology there, but she wasn’t ready to accept it.

  “Very well,” Mingyu said. “You’ll resume training tomorrow, at which time you’ll receive a full briefing. You’ll be assigned quarters with the other operators, and we’ll arrange housing for you, Mr. Morrow.”

  “Thank you,” her father said, his voice stiff.

  “I’ll give you a few minutes with your dad and then take you to your quarters,” Raj said.

  When everyone else left the room, Joshua pulled his daughter into a tight embrace. “I don’t trust these people,” he told her.

  “I don’t either,” she said with a weary sigh. “Not even Raj.”

  Joshua nodded. “That’s smart. I’m sorry things are the way they are, Dara, but maybe you can help change that. Maybe once this information goes public, things will change for the better.”

  “Or they might change for the worse.”

  “That’s possible too. I wish I could tell you something different, but I can’t shelter you anymore.”

  “It’s okay, Dad. I can take it.”

  “I know, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing I could shelter you.” He gave her a gentle smile and she hugged him tightly.

  “See you soon.”

  “I love you, Dara.”

  “I love you too.”

  They parted at the door, Joshua following the man who’d been in the room with them, while Dara trailed along behind Raj. He tried to talk to her, but she refused to say a word, and when they reached the operators’ quarters, she went into the room without a backward glance at him.

  Chapter 55

  She found herself in a common room, a couple of battered couches and armchairs scattered about. There were a few small tables as well, their scarred surfaces littered with cups and cards with numbers and symbols on them. Dara picked the cards up and examined them. She had no idea what they were for, and the thought made her tired. Sinking into a chair, she rubbed her hands over her face. Would she ever live in a world that made sense to her?

  “Fancy meeting you here,” a familiar voice said as someone entered the room.

  “Javier,” she said, surprised. She hadn’t quite believed he was one of the Free Thinkers, but here was the proof staring her in the face. He made her just as wary as the others did, and she could see he knew it.

  “Listen, I know you don’t trust me, and I get it, I do. You know how I feel about trust.” He shrugged one shoulder and gave her a crooked grin.

  “I’m starting to doubt trust even exists.”

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. Looking for the ladies’ bunks? They’re through that door and to the right. Mens’ are to the left.” He hooked a thumb, indicating the door through which he’d entered.

  “Thanks.”

  “You look like hell.”

  “Letizia was captured.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry.” He sat down across from her, folding his arms over the table. “She was so damn smart. What happened?”

  It shocked her, but she told him, even though she’d thought she’d never tell the tale again. Maybe it was because he was the only other person she knew who was more or less in the same boat as her.

  When she’d finished, his face looked pained. “I can’t believe she’s gone.”

  “Tell me about it.” She let out a dry laugh, wishing she could lay her head down on the table, close her eyes, and wake up to find everything completely different.

  They sat in silence for several minutes, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Convinced as she’d been that stopping would be more painful than trudging forward, she was surprised to find it was actually a relief. Thinking about Letizia hurt, and nothing would change that, but she could learn to deal with it. She wasn’t running for her life, her mind wasn’t reeling with images of dire scenarios. For the first time in longer than she could remember, the moment was quiet and she didn’t really have to worry about what would come next. There were no more roles to play, no more masks to wear, and it relieved her of a burden she hadn’t quite been aware of bearing.

  “So you joined up?” she asked, breaking the silence.

  Javier started, his eyes unfocused for a second as he turned his gaze on her. “Yeah.”

  “Why?”

  “Same reason you joined, I’ll bet: I want to bring Magnum down.”

  “Do you think they’re different from Magnum, from the other Creators?�
��

  “They’re definitely different. Is it a good different? I don’t know that. I’ll have to see. But it’s different, and that’s what counts at the moment.”

  “Have they told you everything? Do you know about—”

  “Our esteemed Creator compatriot? Yeah, I know about her.”

  “Good. They weren’t always honest with me.”

  “And now?”

  “They’re probably still not being honest, her least of all.”

  He nodded. “You may be right about that.”

  Sighing, Dara propped her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. “You think she has a hidden agenda?”

  “I don’t know. Could she be doing all this out of the goodness of her own heart? Anything is possible, but I’ll bet she stands to gain something.”

  “Yeah.”

  “It doesn’t mean that what we’re doing here is wrong, though. Someone’s going to gain, no matter what we do. The real question is: Who do we think should gain?”

  “Not Magnum,” she said, her words dripping venom.

  “I agree.”

  “Did they tell you about the domes?”

  “They told us about what they suspected. I take that to mean your mission brought us proof?”

  “Yes, it did.”

  “I know you may not want to hear this, but it means Letizia’s sacrifice was worth it.”

  “You think so?” Dara asked, staring at him with a furious gaze, her voice lowering. “You think her being tortured, questioned, probably killed, was worth this evidence?”

  “Yes, I do, and I think you will too, once you figure out how to redirect that anger.”

  “What makes you so sure of that?”

  “I have personal experience. This is how I’m redirecting mine.”

  Blowing out a breath, she let go of her anger. He was right, she did need to redirect it. Taking it out on him, on Raj and everyone else, wouldn’t get her anywhere. Taking it out on Magnum would. “How’s your sister?”

  Pain brightened his eyes, but also hope. “She’s doing better, now that she’s getting the treatment she needs. I owe you my thanks, you know. You doing what you did, I know it got you in hot water, but you saved my life, and you saved my sister.”

  “You were trying to save her all along, weren’t you?”

  “Yes, I was. I thought if I became Andersen’s assistant, I might be able to gain some leverage, but when I realized I’d lose to you, I stole as much information from him as I could get. I knew I could use it to help Rosario.”

  “That’s why you were so nice when my mom was injured.”

  “Yes. I knew what it was like to be in your shoes, to be asked to choose between your family and your duty to Magnum.” He put sarcastic emphasis on the last few words, and it struck her how parallel their lives were in many respects. She hadn’t known what to make of him, still wasn’t entirely sure, but she felt like she was finally getting a glimpse of who he was and what motivated him.

  “We both chose our families.”

  “I’d do it all over again, wouldn’t you?”

  “Yes. Every bit of it.” Something inside her broke at the admission, and she swallowed. Yet it also set a part of her free, brought her a peace she hadn’t expected. She didn’t want to have to sacrifice Letizia, and she wasn’t ready to give up hope for her former master, but she did feel partly absolved of her guilt. Letizia had believed in what the Free Thinkers were doing, had trusted that it was the right thing, to the extent that she’d been willing to sacrifice herself for it. That counted for something with Dara.

  “We have a common cause, you and I. We don’t have to fight against one another for self-preservation anymore. Imagine how dangerous we could be if we worked together.” Javier gave her a wolfish grin, and she found herself smiling in response.

  “Partners?” She offered him her hand.

  “Partners.” He took it and shook.

  Wasn’t that what it was about, in the end? The chance to work with people instead of against them? It was the choice she had made, and she knew it was the right one.

  “You ready to set the world on fire?” he asked.

  “Yes, I am.”