by Trevor Wyatt
“I’m sure espionage is your usual game, but not this time. Right?” Cassius said.
“Right again,” Vivienne replied.
“What do you want?”
“I actually came here on behalf of Pak and Lange. We’d like to make a peace offering.”
Hold on. What? Cassius thought.
What a twist. The bastards were caving. He wanted to laugh in triumph.
You have nothing I want.
“We’re prepared to offer you, well, everything at our disposal. Money, sex, health care for your old neighborhood. You name it.”
Cassius leaned back and looked at the ceiling. He could get money and sex on his own. That was the lowball offer.
Thanks to Francis, the Rolands took care of the old neighborhood. She knew that. If they were willing to go that far, though…
He sat up straight and shot her a glare that made her jump, “Tribune.”
The lady made a priceless incredulous face that made Cassius laugh this time. Who knew an old lady could twist her lips like that?
“But, I don’t know—” she sputtered.
It was an obvious act. Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor would be out of the question. The Tribune position was doable.
He held up a hand. “That’s my price. If Pak and Lange can come together to try and shut me up, they can make this happen. Get me that position, and I’ll back off.”
Vivienne stood, her wrinkled face pinched in a tight scowl.
“Oh, and Ms. Stone? If I ever see you again, I’ll put an old-fashioned bullet between your eyes. Same goes for any rep who shows up. I’m sick of you people.”
He waved a hand in dismissal. She opened her mouth several times before clamping it shut and scurrying away.
In the eyes of the administration, Tribune would be a place to stick him and forget about him. A political oubliette. While they were going about their pointless business, Cassius would be maneuvering under their noses.
It had been created to waylay the corruption that took over. Obviously, it was now a dead position, only filled because it looked good to the public.
The one thing that everyone seemed to forget over time is that the appointed position of Tribune was third in line for Chancellor.
While they thought they could just tuck him away into a quiet corner, he planned to make it into what it was intended to be.
The day went on without any other major events, and Cassius started to gather his things and got ready to go back to his sanctuary, his home.
“Daddy, can we go to Derby?”
Cassius rolled his eyes at the innocent stares of Sienna and Peyton. His life outside of work had become Zero-G Derby. The girls insisted on going every week. All he could do was wait in the lounge with the other bored parents and drink bad coffee.
“We’re not watching the Derby this week,” he said.
Their fallen expressions lasted two seconds and he couldn’t take it any longer. He sauntered over to the front closet, which slid open at his approach. He pulled out two matching lycra uniforms with pink and purple padding and matching helmets.
“You are now Young Confederates.”
Both screamed with joy. Cassius winced and handed over the uniforms. They rushed to their room to change, chattering unintelligibly the whole time. He smiled, but it wasn’t a happy one.
If they had all the fun possible, maybe they wouldn’t notice everything falling apart around them. Evil hid around every corner. Sometimes, it was easy to spot. Sometimes, it held the face of a kid with shiv made of scrap metal.
He had been planning things that could provide a better life for his children. On the other hand, it could get them killed.
Visions of his wife and son haunted him all the way to the Derby ring and he knew he would dream of them that night.
The ring was loud, dirty, and reeked of body odor, as always. Instead of ducking into the lounge, he stood up front. It took the girls a few tries, but soon they got the hang of free floating. The team captain showed them how to push off the strategically placed railings to make their plays.
For the next two hours, he cheered as his daughters rammed into other players, causing as many bruises as they gave. He forgot about his nightmares in the unfettered joy on their faces.
Four weeks passed and still Cassius waited for an answer. His considerable patience wore thin. Retaliation weighed on his mind, but he decided to give it a while longer. If they didn’t contact him within the next business day, he would make sure his recorded conversation with Vivienne Stone got publicized.
That might not accomplish much, but it would blemish their reputations as competitors.
As if reading his thoughts, the tablet on his desk chimed. The notification for a priority message popped up, and he threw it a hateful smile before tapping the screen.
“Congratulations on your appointment of Tribune. Please turn in your final reports before vacating the office.”
This cold, straightforward message was all Cassius wanted.
Better office, more pay, and less responsibility meant more time to devote to his real agenda.
His final reports took too long. There was too much paperwork when exiting an office, and he had to call the babysitter to stay late with the girls. Finally, he felt confident enough to buzz his assistant.
“Isaac,” he said through the comm. He finally had to learn the poor boy’s name, as he stuck around through it all.
Isaac NeVine knew everything, and he was incorruptible. That was the rarest quality in the Human Confederation.
In fact, the man was so noble that Cassius couldn’t bring himself to let the boy know of his shadier deals. The most Isaac knew was his family’s connection to the Rolands, and he understood how life on Centralia went.
Once, he confessed he was proud that his boss had brought himself out from the slums and made something of himself.
“Yes, sir,” Isaac replied through the comms.
“Have a few guys come from the mail room and pack everything up. We’re moving again,” Cassius said.
“Where to, sir?”
“The office of the Tribune.”
“Yes, sir.”
The offices were about to close for the night and the men who came to pack up were in sour moods. They grumbled and slammed the furniture around.
Cassius just stood back and watched them work, but Isaac was a nervous wreck.
“Be careful. That equipment’s delicate. Don’t shove it through the door, turn it!”
They just ignored him and went about their work, occasionally pushing him out of the way.
It only took them thirty minutes, even with Isaac hovering.
It only took them thirty minutes, even with Isaac hovering.
Chapter 23
Cassius
It had been a while since Cassius was appointed as Tribune, and things seemed to be going smoothly for him. Everything was going according to plans—at least as well as could be expected.
Cassius sat in his chair, a mug of coffee in one hand and his tablet in the other.
With his thumb, he flicked through the various news stories in his feed, skimming over the ones that caught fleeting interest. It was more to pass the time than anything else, not for his actual work or his personal vendetta.
A minute later, his comm chirped in. “Sir, Jebediah Lange wants to have a slipstream call with you,” Isaac said.
He smirked and set his mug down the coaster. He walked towards the slipstream monitor. “Well, patch him in.”
The face of Jebediah Lange appeared on the slipstream monitor.
“Hello, Mr. Lange,” Cassius said.
“Cassius, well, hello!” Jebediah replied with a smirk on his face.
“I was just thinking about you,” Cassius said. “Did you need something?”
“Well, I was just wondering if you’d want to pay me a visit at my estate so we can discuss a few things. Nothing too serious, just what we’ve been through, maybe have a few drinks. Very ca
sual,” Jebediah said.
This was perfect. Having drinks with Jebediah in private was everything Cassius wanted. “I’d like that very much, actually,” Cassius said.
“Perfect. We’ve had our differences, but I’m sure you and I both would like to put this behind us,” Jebediah replied.
Cassius knew his words were hollow, but for his purposes it didn’t matter all too much whether he were sincere or not. Jebediah Lange didn’t hold an honest bone in his body, and Cassius would use that to his advantage.
“I’ll have someone pick you up shortly. Be ready when they arrive,” Jebediah said. “Until then, friend.”
“See you then,” Cassius said, followed by the slipstream monitor going blank.Cassius stood to his feet. He sipped the rest of his coffee down in one gulp and quickly began getting ready.
All in all, his shower, shave, and change of clothes took around half an hour.
The sound of a car horn honking outside rang out as soon as he slipped his shoes onto his feet. Outside, a black air car was waiting for him in the driveway. He stuffed a discreet package into his coat pocket then slipped outside the door and into the car.
The ride was quiet and uneventful. Soon enough, he arrived at the Lange Estate. The pilot of the car escorted him to the front door, Cassius being of a high enough rank to not need to pass through security.
He slipped into the building and found Jebediah’s office rather quickly.
He knocked at the door once, and a voice called out from the other side. “Come on in,” Jebediah said.
Cassius opened the door and walked through, the door automatically closing once he was in. Behind a large wooden desk sat Vice Chancellor Jebediah Lange.
Cassius did a wonderful job at not showing that the sight of the man caused bile to stir in his throat. Instead, he put on his best smile and approached the empty chair in front of the desk to sit.
“Thanks for having me,” he said. “It’s a pleasure having this alone time together.”
“Trust me, Cassius, the pleasure is all mine,” Jebediah said. “You’re really doing wonders in gaining popularity in this fine community. The people love you, your policies are extremely popular. I just hope that, the further you go, you don’t forget those of us who put you here in the first place.”
Cassius could see through the saccharine words that oozed from Jebediah’s lips.
To the uninitiated, it would seem like a compliment, but he could tell that it was a reminder that he could take away the power he’d given Cassius at any moment he wanted.
“Of course. That’s something I won’t forget,” Cassius said with a smile. Cassius stood to his feet and began walking around the room, examining the various knickknacks and tomes adorning the shelves.
“Good, good. It’s not very becoming to forget where you come from,” Jebediah said. “One must always remember where they─”
Jebediah was interrupted by Cassius mindlessly bringing up his tablet and scrolling through it. Cassius smirked, seeing Jebediah surprised through his periphery.
“Excuse me, Cassius. Are you listening to what I’m saying?” Jebediah said, his eyebrows drawing together.
“Hmm, what? I’m trying to look up new pizza recipes,” Cassius said, only half-looking at Jebediah.
“Are you mocking me? That’s incredibly rude. You can do that on your own time,” Jebediah replied.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassius replied in a very sarcastic tone as he finally put his tablet away. “I was under the impression you thought it was okay to ignore others.”
“Cassius Ojun, how dare─”
Cassius was in front of Jebediah’s desk, his palms resting on the bare wood. He knew his form was intimidating. He was a large man, and he was using this to his advantage against the older man.
“How dare I what? I’m only doing what you do to countless innocents,” he said.
Cassius tapped his chin for a moment, as if pondering something.
“Speaking of them. Do you ever wonder what happens to people who are ignored and abused by their leaders?” he asked rhetorically. “The smaller communities no one thinks about, no one cares about? Those unseen people.”
“What are you getting at, Cassius?” Jebediah asked, obviously shaken by the sudden outburst.
“Eventually, they start getting a bit desperate. Some might think Reunification is the right answer,” Cassius said as an example. “There are some who get a bit extreme, too. They’ll go to any length to get what they feel they deserve.”
Cassius reached into his coat pocket for the package he’d picked up at his home earlier, producing a small, round object about the size of a lemon. The metal parts glinted in the light from above, and the plastic parts felt rough against his skin.
“Sometimes, they’ll use bombs like these. Think of them like proximity mines,” he said. “Except that they can be rigged to detonate with their particular target’s DNA.”
“Cassius, what are you doing?” Jebediah said, slowly scooting his seat back from the desk.
“They’re discreet, easy to conceal, and no evidence of the creator is left behind,” Cassius said.
He turned the device in his hand and paced around the room for another moment.
Then, Cassius stopped just by the door and threw the device towards Jebediah’s direction. It landed beside his desk, the man’s eyes growing wide as he realized what was going on.
He barely managed a scream as the bomb detonated. Shards of metal and plastic burst outward in all directions, shredding Jebediah’s flesh while the force of the explosion spread and created a red mist where Jebediah used to be.
Cassius barely had time to brace himself from the force before he was sent flying backwards. His back slammed onto the bookshelf at the back of the room, volumes of now-ruined books falling onto him while other debris also piled on top of him.
Cassius must have blacked out for a moment, as he rose to his feet groggily. He pressed his hand to the side of his waist, feeling the warm wetness of blood. There wasn’t much wound or injury, but it was enough to cause a bit of pain and discomfort.
Slowly, he stumbled out of the office and was met with a crowd of people.
“Jebediah...explosion...awful,” he managed, putting on his best performance.
In truth, he felt no regret, no remorse for his actions. It was all part of the plan and he knew it. Still, the people around seemed to believe that he was genuinely upset about what happened. No one suspected anything.
Cassius may have stepped far enough before he tossed the bomb to Jebediah and kept himself from being lethally wounded, but his injuries were still rather severe. Shortly after emerging from the office, he fell face first into a group of people. A large man managed to catch him, but he was long since unconscious.
The next thing Cassius knew, he woke up in a hospital bed. The sound of beeping machines filled his ears while his vision cleared up.
In a groggy state, he tugged the collar of his hospital gown to see that the shrapnel wound had already been stitched up and covered in bloody bandages.
He sighed, reaching his hand up to his forehead. He couldn’t believe he’d finally done it.
Jebediah Lange was dead.
He’d gotten his revenge for his family and for his planet.
He’d gotten his revenge for himself.
He’d gotten his revenge for himself.
Chapter 24
Cassius
Cassius had gone accustomed to the beeping and whirring of the machines in his room. He had been in recovery for a week now, under observation and urgent care and was healing more quickly than someone in his position should.
Still, he needed time to recuperate. The doctors had done a good job, but they could only do so much. He still had a lot of recovering to do.
He’d heard that it took an entire team just to clean the stain of ash and blood that was once Jebediah Lange off the walls and ceiling, and that idea brought satisfaction to Cassius.
Of
course, he had to keep up appearances; he pretended to be traumatized about the ordeal, but internally, he hadn’t been so happy since before his world fell apart.
That didn’t stop the authorities from poking their noses in, though. They wanted to see him, and he knew there was no getting around this. So he had to hope they would buy his story.
He’d worked out a story that he was sure enough people would believe to the point where it would be a non-issue.
Two Security Forces agents entered his room, one politely knocking as he entered, while the other quickly made his way to one of the free chairs.
“Tribune Ojun, we’d like to have a word with you,” the polite one said.
Cassius sat up, his body still aching from the blast. He let out a small gasp and winced, but quickly recovered.
“Sure, what can I do for you?” he asked, settling against a pile of plush pillows.
“We just have a few questions,” the agent said. He took the other free chair and pulled it up beside his partner. He seemed to be the older of the two, his hair white while the other man’s was black.
“It’s no secret that you were there when Jebediah Lange was killed. We just wanted to see if we could get any leads,” he said.
They were so predictable. Cassius knew that would be how they worded it. It wasn’t like they were going to outright accuse him. No, they wanted him to dig his own grave if they believed he was responsible.
“Right, of course. I’ll help in any way I can,” he said.
“Good, good. So, why were you at Mr. Lange’s office to begin with?” the older man asked.
Cassius leaned back and crossed his arms, maintaining eye contact with the two men.
“Well, he invited me over that morning,” Cassius answered honestly. “Said he wanted to have some drinks, congratulate me in person on my new position as Tribune. He and I were going to have a nice friendly day at the estate and mend any rifts between us.”