Rebel (The Alliance Chronicles Book 4)

by SF Benson

  Zared’s nostrils flare as he grabs the phone. This time, Ko, who hasn’t said a word in some time, scoots closer so she can watch. A video of Taa sitting at a desk starts up. Zared adjusts the volume.

  “Hello there, Jacob. I am sure you are not surprised to see me. What might surprise you is the reason for this video. It is time the world found out just what kind of leader is in charge of the American Republic. People might find it interesting to know what little regard you have for women and children. When I gave birth to our son, I never imagined I might need to run for my life. You left me no choice, my darling. I bring up all of this because now you want to be the sole leader of the country. I am sorry, Jacob. It is something I cannot allow.”

  Taa’s voice drones on as she lists all the hateful things Jacob Venter has done in the name of science—endless, botched experiments, along with the manufacture of the hideous vaccine, are just the tip of the iceberg. She talks of ethnic cleansing and clones, something I learned while at North Woods. Taa even mentions duping the American citizens. Not once, however, does she implicate herself. Taa Aoki comes off sounding like an innocent mother whose only concern is for her son, a boy who never knew his father.

  Bullshit.

  Where’s the woman in charge of the Alliance? A woman who wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of anyone in her way. A woman who did, in fact, jeopardize her son’s recovery.

  “And Jacob, if you try to destroy this video, it will unleash a virus that will corrupt the Ubernet. The source of the virus will be traced back to you.”

  The video fades out.

  Zared lets the phone slide from his hand. I catch it and return it to Asher. My boyfriend pushes himself off the sofa and walks around the room in a daze, muttering to himself. “How could she do this?”

  Ko interjects, “Unfortunately, I get it. If Venter acknowledged Zared, he would have to admit what happened between him and Dr. Aoki. It was better for him to stay quiet.”

  “Exactly,” Asher says.

  Who asked Ko for her opinion?

  This whole story doesn’t play well with me. Sorry. Maybe it’s just me feeling pissy. My hands clench into a fist as reality sucker punches me. My voice shakes, “All of this has been a fucking game to Venter and Taa. We’ve been their pawns.”

  I can’t believe the audacity of Taa and Venter. Playing with our lives. Risking our lives. Their hazardous intervention cost me my family. Zared nearly lost his life. It’s unfathomable that parents—people who are supposed to love us unconditionally—would orchestrate such perilous events. I can forgive my mother. She was an unfortunate player in a reticent game. But I can’t forgive Taa for her part in the dismantling of my life.

  “Tru, don’t you think that’s a little harsh?” Ko comments.

  Since when did she become the personal cheerleader for Taa and Venter?

  I sit forward. “Are you kidding me? You honestly believe that shit? The only credible thing about Taa Aoki is she’s on a mission. I promise you it’s not to win the Mother of the Year Award.”

  My so-called best friend holds her chin a little higher. Does that help reposition the stick so firmly planted up her righteous ass?

  “You’re obviously misinterpreting the video we watched,” she says flatly.

  “Please.” I fold my arms over my chest, cross my legs, and tilt my head to the side. “Here’s your chance to correct me. Go ahead. The floor’s all yours.”

  “Did you actually listen or are you jumping to conclusions? Dr. Aoki is only guilty of choosing the wrong men in her life.”

  I shake my head. I know I didn’t hear this from Ko. “No. You weren’t listening. That woman never divorced Venter. There’s nothing innocent about Taa Aoki. She’s been playing me…” I wave my finger back and forth in the air, “playing us the whole fucking time.”

  Ko stands and crosses her arms. “Whatever. We need to be planning our next move. Your rant is getting us nowhere.”

  I clench my fist at my side. Zared, thankfully, places his hand over mine preventing me from doing something rash. Unfortunately, Ko notices his gesture. She rolls her eyes and leaves the room.

  She’s not the only one in need of some space. I stomp up the stairs and storm back to my bedroom. Just before I can slam the door, Zared sneaks through it.

  “Babe, you okay?”

  “I’m tired.” It’s not a lie, but it isn’t the complete truth either. Frankly, I don’t feel like explaining myself.

  “Then take a nap. I’m sure you and the baby could use it.” Zared grasps my hand and leads me to the bed.

  “Will you take one with me?” I yank off my boots and sit down.

  “Let me shower first. I’ll be right back.”

  I wake up to a dark, cold room. Zared’s snoring softly beside me. I’ll admit the nap helps me feel a little better, but there’s something nagging at me. I slip my feet into my boots, check for my blade, and then stand up.

  My thoughts carry me across the room to Zared’s carefully folded pile of clothes. I check his shirt pocket for the SIM card reader. It’s not there. My breathing comes out in spurts. Maybe it hit the floor. I glance down and find nothing.

  “Zared!” I shout as I reach the bed. “Wake up!”

  He doesn’t budge. Something’s wrong. Zared doesn’t sleep this soundly.

  I rush to the door, make my way down the hall to Asher and Mark’s room, and fling the door open. The beds are made up but their gear, however, is gone. Where are they?

  I stand in the middle of the floor and listen. Nothing. The house is too damned quiet. Where’s Ko?

  Standing on the bottom step, my eyes dart around the dimly lit room. Ko is asleep in a chair. Her posture resembles someone who passed out. With trembling hands, I shake her shoulders roughly.

  “Wake up, Ko!” I shout.

  It takes a minute before her eyes flutter open and she pushes herself up on the seat. Ko asks in a groggy voice, “What’s wrong, Tru?”

  “Where’s Asher and Mark?”

  Ko rubs a hand across her face. “Aren’t they upstairs?”

  “No. They’re gone, and so is the card.”

  “Are you sure?” Her voice is flat and somewhat indifferent. “Tru, you should stop worrying. I’m certain the card is safe. Maybe the fellas are just outside.”

  Is she kidding me? I study Ko hoping for a clue as to what’s going on.

  She lifts her head and scowls. “For Christ’s sake, Tru, can you give me some space?”

  That nagging feeling from earlier intensifies. “If I find out you had anything to do with this, your ass is mine,” I spit out before pivoting on my heel and running back upstairs.

  How should you approach the enemy? Move like the air. Be silent like the jungle. Crush like flames. Be constant like a rock.

  —from “An Introspective on Combative Strategies” by Dawa Zhu

  Zared

  Tru’s side of the bed is empty when I drag my eyes open. I thought Asher gave me something for a headache. The fuzziness in my brain says it was much stronger than a pain pill. But why would he drug me?

  The door swings wide, and Tru rushes in—pinched expression, tension visible in her tight shoulders and arms. Something’s wrong.

  “What’s going on?” I ask her.

  Tru pushes her hair off her forehead. “Asher and Mark… They took the card and left us behind.”

  “No. Ash wouldn’t do that.” I jump off the bed and go over to where I placed my clothes. The reader and the card are gone. I mutter to myself, “When did he do it?”

  “What happened when you went to shower?” Tru flops down on the bed.

  “I ran into Ash in the hall. Told him I had a headache. He said he had some pain pills. You know, the ones left over from my injury?”

  “You took them?” Her tone is drenched in disbelief.

  “Yeah. I didn’t think twice about it. Then I showered.”

  “He had to take it while you were in the shower. I don’t think Asher would have chan
ced coming in here.” She drops her head.

  Her despair crosses the room and lands on my shoulders. I let her down. She trusted me to keep the card safe, and I failed. Miserably. It seems like I’m always disappointing Tru in one way or another. For the baby’s sake, for our sake, I have to stop. She deserves a better man.

  “Where’s Ko?” I ask and tug on my jeans.

  “I think she knows something. I found her downstairs passed out,” Tru says flatly.

  I pull on a clean t-shirt. “You think she turned on us?”

  “I’m starting to wonder if she was ever on our side.” Tru starts to get up.

  “No, babe. Let me handle this one. I owe you that much.” I put on my boots and head for the door.

  No one could have prepared me for the events that happened today. I’m too trusting around these people. I’ve forgotten my own rules of the streets—personal standards that kept me alive in the face of daily dangers. The most important one of all being only give faith to those who’ve earned it. In a nutshell, don’t trust everyone including your friends. Out of those surrounding me, Tru is the only one I should trust without hesitation.

  But I let my guard down at the wrong time. I didn’t think for a minute that Asher would rifle through my clothes while I showered. The guy is so good he didn’t even leave a clue he’d been snooping. Damn Riza training. Asher could steal the keys to Fort Knox, and the guards wouldn’t realize it.

  Now, Mark Carter? He’s a different story. I’ve never trusted the fucker—goes back to our days in the Corps together. He’d sell out his own parents to save his ass. So, I stayed at the ready around him.

  But Ko? I would have wagered money on her never betraying us. That’s just a little too much for even my comprehension. I would have thought our history meant something to her. Years ago, I wrongly believed we could be a couple. I should be grateful nothing developed out of my infatuation with her. Maybe being shot changed her. I know it altered my priorities in life.

  I find the traitor in her room packing a duffel bag. Does Ko honestly think she can just walk away as if nothing ever happened? She knows too much. She’s a risk to Tru and me staying free. Correction. She’s a risk to Tru, the baby, and me staying free.

  Ko’s back is turned. I close the door behind me and say, “I can’t let you leave here.”

  “How do you plan on stopping me?” she throws over her shoulder as she continues folding items and placing them inside the small travel bag.

  I cross the floor, grab the pack, and toss it to the floor. I’ve had enough of her disrespectful attitude. She can at least look at me when I speak to her. My goal was to make this as pleasant as possible, given the circumstances. “We can do this one of two ways. You can come to your senses and stay put.”

  She glares at me. “Or?”

  “Or I can lock your ass in this room. I can treat you like the double-crosser you are.”

  Ko sits on the edge of the bed. “You don’t want to take me on. It won’t be pretty.”

  My jaw clenches. This has always been Ko’s problem—not knowing when to stand down. She has to have the last word, or action in every damned situation. “Little girl, you don’t scare me. Here’s a news flash for you. Your Napoleon Complex doesn’t get you anywhere with me.”

  She crosses her legs and bounces her foot. “So tell me, what will work, Zared. History says it doesn’t take much for me to get what I want from you.”

  Is she seriously pulling that shit with me? Has she forgotten Tru is down the hall?

  “That was a long time ago. Won’t happen again.” I pick up Ko’s duffel, shove the remaining contents in it, and grab her jacket from the end of the bed. “I’ll be keeping these things. If you decide to run off in the middle of the night, you’ll be going out in your shirt sleeves.”

  Ko uncrosses her legs. She nods her head. “Okay. I get it. You’re protecting Tru. Fine. But you need to listen to reason. Your little attempt to expose the government will never work. The New Order’s secrets are bigger than you and your girlfriend can handle.”

  I bend my neck forward and cock my head to the side. “You think Asher and Carter can do a better job?”

  “Yeah. I do. That’s what we were discussing before they left,” she admits.

  I sling the bag over my shoulder. My voice rises. “So you weren’t drugged?”

  Ko rolls her eyes and huffs. “Of course, I wasn’t drugged. Come on, Zared. We both know I’m smarter than that. But Tru isn’t. I needed her to think I was.”

  “Why?” It makes no sense for Ko to pretend to be drugged. Why didn’t Asher or Carter just tie her up? That would have been more believable.

  “Simple. If I appeared drugged, Tru wouldn’t believe I had anything to do with Asher and Mark disappearing.” Ko’s shoulders curl over her chest. She clasps her hands in her lap. “Contrary to your opinion of me, I do value Tru’s friendship.”

  Nice try. I’m not buying the act. As long as I’ve known this girl, the only valuable things in Ko’s life are those centered around her.

  “You have a fucked-up way of showing it,” I tell her.

  Ko stares at me with emotionless eyes. “Someone has to look out for Tru. You’re too blinded by love to do a worthwhile job. If it weren’t for me, authorities would have locked Tru up for being a Creative a long, long time ago.”

  I turn the words over in my mind, but I just don’t trust Ko. I can’t. When Katsuo abandoned me, I learned once a person screws you over they’ll continue to do so if given the opportunity. Ko won’t get another chance with me.

  “Do us all a favor and keep your distance from Tru. I don’t want to see either of you get hurt,” I concede and move closer to the bed. “But if I have to make a choice, I’ll always choose my girl.”

  “I expect no less from a lovesick moron.” Ko lies back on the bed.

  The girl is unbelievable. She’s trying hard to push my buttons. To what end? I wonder how deep her ties go to my mother. Better question—who else are they working with?

  I remove the skeleton key from the door and step into the hall. This lock is too flimsy to hold a determined person. As I turn the key, I pray Ko isn’t adamant about leaving here. Push come to shove, I won’t hesitate to put an end to the girl. But that’s something I can’t allow to happen.

  For Tru’s sake.

  For my child’s sake.

  If we’re fortunate, it’ll snow and Ko will be stuck with us for a while. I pocket the key and head downstairs. I’ll stash Ko’s gear in one of the outbuildings. Then Tru and I need to have a talk. Somehow, we have to figure out what our next move will be.

  Cut to the core as quickly as possible. Do not give your enemy the opportunity to assemble an attack.

  —from “An Introspective on Combative Strategies” by Dawa Zhu

  Tru

  I am sure I’m wearing a groove in the floor with my frantic pacing. I should have gone with Zared. Staying in this room is bending my thoughts, causing me to ponder every asinine possibility. Fear of the unknown, however, keeps me in place. What if Zared has to hurt Ko? Will I understand his actions or condemn him? Like I said, ridiculous notions. Zared will do whatever is needed, just short of physical harm, to keep Ko from leaving.

  But what is taking him so damned long?

  It’s not like Ko could get too far on foot. It’s freezing outside, and she isn’t a big fan of winter weather. Plus, I never heard the front door open and close. So, I don’t believe they’ve gone anywhere. Unless Zared and Ko went out the back door.

  She can’t leave. If something happens, I don’t know what I’ll do. Ko’s my best friend…

  Former best friend.

  I can’t think of her in the positive anymore. Friends don’t forsake one another.

  But she did. Cast her aside.

  My little voice would choose now to speak up. I wish it would go back to sleep. Losing anyone else in my life isn’t an option. With all that we’ve been through, I can’t discard Ko like spoiled
milk. Besides, how do I know she’s betrayed us? Doing so would serve no real purpose for her, right?

  Maybe this is all my fault. I’ve made poor choices. Putting my faith in people who didn’t deserve it. Let’s be honest. It’s not the first time I’ve affiliated myself with a snake. My mind automatically goes to the black mamba of traitors—Taa Aoki.

  All signs, including my little voice, said not to trust the viper, but I didn’t listen. I went against my basic instinct. I dropped my guard and let the bitch worm her way into my heart. Part of it was because of Zared. It seemed a necessity—liking his mother and having her develop warm fuzzy feelings about me. I wanted to be the girl she’d accept and possibly welcome into the family.

  One day.

  But if I’m honest, aligning myself with Taa had more to do with losing my mother. I desperately needed someone else to fill the gap in my life. I still do.

  But it shouldn’t have been Taa.

  Our conversations filter through my mind. She told me how she faked her death. I got an explanation of Malcolm’s role as a double agent. Taa revealed her identity as the true leader of the Alliance. There were clues embedded in her tales, but I missed the obvious connections.

  Until now.

  Now I’m connecting the dots at lightning speed and painting a picture. Unfortunately, it can’t be considered a masterpiece unless artistry can be found in deception, war, and destruction. And that’s where this country is headed if Taa gets her way.

  The Alliance is a group with the sole purpose of overthrowing the government. Their intent would mirror the ideas of whoever leads them. Unless the American Republic managed to correct itself while I spent time in prison, the Alliance and its leader still have the same objective. Reality dawns on me. Holden Pratt, albeit a despicable human being, was never the real enemy. No. The actual culprit was the woman pretending to have my best interests at heart. The woman who pretended to be my friend.

  Which leads me back to Ko—the person who was supposed to be my honest-to-God, dyed-in-the wool, ride-or-die best friend.