by T Y Carew
Beside her, the nurse mouthed, “Two minutes.” Matt nodded.
“Evelyn, nod if the Anassos is still in your mind.”
Nothing.
The next question took guts, and Matt steeled herself for the madness it might bring. “Do you... do you know me, Dr. Cardew?”
Still nothing. If the Anassos still had her, Matt had little doubt that’s what it would respond to. Relieved, Matt took a moment to compose herself and then started in again. Even to herself, she sounded exhausted.
“You've been a pain in our sides for so long. I feel like I've been chasing you almost as much as I have been the Beltine. I hate you. There is no sugar-coating that. You are the worst kind of evil. You've sacrificed everything decent about yourself, and for what? To kill the Beltine? We fight like them, we become like them. And that's what happened to you. Maybe you thought you were doing the right thing, but that's no excuse.”
One minute. Matt grimaced. There had been so much she wanted to say.
“But this... this isn't something anyone should have to go through. Everyone deserves their mind, at least to remind themselves at night about their guilt. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but... I'm sorry, Dr. Cardew. And... goodbye.”
Matt pressed the button again. She raised a hand to the glass, unsure as to why she was making the gesture to someone she despised so much, but there it was. Still, Cardew didn't respond, and Matt turned away and left.
In her cell, Dr. Evelyn Cardew stared straight ahead at the wall, her once-burning mind now utterly extinguished.
***
The announcement was only open to a few dozen military brass, politicians, and a handful of CEOs directly involved in Simon's companies. The exceptions were the crew of the Contessa and Simon's newest personal assistant, Avery Lawrence. She was still getting used to her new prosthesis and occasionally had to take Simon's hand for balance. He didn't seem to mind.
The man who took the stage hardly resembled the same playboy who had been so vile to Mattie. This Simon was ten pounds lighter, nearly gaunt, and he wore a few scars across his pretty face. But those were the least of the changes in him. Throughout the endless meetings with Kelton and the rest of the task force charged with figuring out what to do with him, he'd been quiet, reserved, almost polite. There was still a natural swagger to him, but his old contempt seemed mostly turned inward, at least for the moment.
As he took the podium, he gestured to the former lieutenant to take a spot beside him. Avery glanced around from her chair at the edge of the room, and shook her head frantically at him. Simon smiled, hopped off the stage, and helped her to her feet. Matt watched with sadness and amusement as Lawrence, blushing furiously, stood next to Simon at the podium.
“Sorry, but for those who don't know, my assistant... no, my friend Avery is a large part of why I'm here in front of you today. Having her stand beside me here is an honor and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now, usually I like to put on a show at these things, but I think we're going to jump right into it. Starting immediately, my company's backing of the military will be resuming.”
Matt grabbed Xander's hand under the table. The funding they'd helped secure without Simon was only one part of the equation. With him back on board, vessels and equipment the military direly needed were within reach again.
“One thing I've been, ah... this is a terrible joke, but... one thing I've been adamant on is that Adamanta continue to be developed for civilian use. The events during Operation Cutthroat have only convinced me of this, and I've refused to back down on that point during negotiations with the military. The people deserve a chance to defend themselves, to utilize this fascinating new discovery for themselves, for their families, and for their homes. The military has agreed, and as such, my civilian-focused mine will continue as planned.
“However, the operation also opened my eyes to a great many of my mistakes, past and current. To that end, I will be establishing a three-branch advisory council comprised of military consultants chosen by Generals Kelton and Maron as well as Admiral Ory, private sector consultants of my team's choice, and three representatives from regulatory boards we have no history of supporting with nonprofit funding.”
That brought a low murmur from everyone not in the know, and Simon raised a hand to cut them off. “This board will be made privy to patents, blueprints, accounts, and our factories and shipyards. Our company will be an open book to them in the future. I cannot promise I'll ever be able to make up for the mistake of bringing on Dr. Cardew into our company, but I can assure you this—those affected by Operation Cutthroat and their families will see justice. There are those who have called for my resignation, and I cannot blame them. But my eyes have been opened and I know that I can either resign as an act of cowardice, or continue to fight for all our people and our allies. And that's what I've chosen to do today. Now, we'll have some brief words from...”
General Kelton rose from his chair, and Xander leaned in to whisper into Matt's ear, “Come on.”
Matt had been dreading this moment since the initial euphoria of entering into a relationship with Xander. “Do we have to?”
“Yeah.”
They followed the general out through the rotunda and out through the main doors to the front steps of the massive building. He stopped in the shade of a great statue meant to look like Simon's father.
“Do you believe him, sir?” Xander asked.
Kelton's lips flickered in what was almost a smile. “Let's just say I have a wait-and-see policy on Mr. Dantos.” He glanced at Matt. “How are you feeling?”
“Almost one hundred percent, sir.”
“Excellent.”
She fidgeted, staring at Xander. General Kelton folded his hands behind his back and stretched, his chin turning up towards the sunshine. It was a gloriously beautiful day, with hardly a breeze or cloud in sight. “Was there anything else?”
Xander glanced aside at Matt, who nodded slightly, her whole body tensing. “Um. Yes. Sir, we feel the need to tell you—”
“You know, Colonel Finlay, Captain Adair, I'd hate to have to explain away why I was separating two of my finest soldiers, particularly if, say, there was some kind of fraternization going on. Strictly hypothetical, of course, but if actions like that were to occur, I would definitely not wish to hear about them. Given the chain of command, it would be immoral and against military code.” The general's gaze fell to them, flicking between Xander and Matt, his eyes cold. “Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they both said, trying to hold back smiles.
“Excellent. I'll have new orders for you soon. In the meantime,” Kelton said, “there's a remarkable restaurant near here, Lordato's. They have amazing dim sum. I'd say to check it out, but it's the sort of place you might take a date. Surprisingly romantic, really. Probably best not to, then. Avoid the temptation.”
“We will definitely, ah, not do that. Thank you, sir,” Matt said, blushing as she grinned at Xander.
“Thank me for what?” General Kelton asked, and turned to head back inside the building. Before he was out of earshot, though, he turned back. “By the way. The fuzzy hat you gave me? Two sizes too big. The wife loves it, though.” As Matt cracked up, the general walked away, nodding to Trey, Tyra, and Drew as they jogged down the steps. As Xander snuck in a kiss to Matt's cheek, their team caught up to them.
“Yo, what are the odds that Simon's sleeping with his assistant? Anyone want to take a bet on that?” Drew asked hopefully. The rest ignored him. “What do you two have planned for the evening?”
Trey elbowed the techie, but Tyra glanced at the pair curiously. Matt looked up at Xander and said, “We were just about to grab some dim sum, actually.”
“I have yet to try it,” Tyra said thoughtfully.
“Miniscule little morsels, and there's never enough to make me feel full,” Trey said, frowning. “But it does have good flavor.”
“Hey, yeah, I'm in too,” Drew said.
Xander shook his head. “I think we
were going to—” go alone was what he meant to say, but Matt cut in, her eyes twinkling.
“Grab a drink first, then head there,” she said.
“Now that is a plan,” Trey said, delighted.
The two Lentarin and Drew raced each other down the steps. Matt stared up at Xander, challenging him with her eyes even as she smiled, and he leaned down to kiss her softly, holding the small of her back as he enjoyed the feel of her. Matt, Adamanta, his best friend, his great love. Tomorrow might go wrong. It probably would, knowing how their luck ran. But they would face it and move on to the next fight, the next stolen moment of happiness. She made him realize he wanted that tomorrow, and a day after that, and as many as they could get together.
She tugged him by the arm to join their friends, and Xander followed, amused, a little amazed, same as he'd always been ever since he met Matilda Adair.
~
Thank you for reading Episode 18 of the Adamanta series. The team of writers under T.Y. Carew are all taking a year off to work on their own projects and allow our lead writer Jess Mountifield, some maternity leave with her new tiny human, but we’ll be back with season 4 in 2020.
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Books by T. Y. Carew
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In the Adamanta series:
Episode 1 – Adamanta
Episode 2 – Shafts of Kudos
Episode 3 – Excelsior
Episode 4 – Anathema
Episode 5 – Iridia
Episode 6 – Corda-Mara
Episode 7 – Pharo
Episode 8 – Phoenix
Episode 9 – Belshazzar
Episode 10 – Going Solo
Episode 11 – Rokku-Sai
Episode 12 – Trident
Episode 13 – New Contacts
Episode 14 – Darkness
Episode 15 – Control
Episode 16 – Porteus
Episode 17 – Sacrifice
Episode 18 – Cutthroat
About the Author
T.Y. Carew is the pen name for an entire group of authors. They've come together to write the Adamanta series and other works in the same universe. So far they consist of, Andrew Bellingham, Ella Medler, Brendon Berg, Cameron Lowe, Jess Mountifield and the late Stephen P. Scott. They're a quirky bunch of writers, with a variety of genres under their belt and different elements to their styles we'll hope you agree make an interesting blend. One thing they definitely have in common is the love of diving into a book and going on an adventure, be that reading or writing one!
This episode has been written by Cameron Lowe.
About Cameron Lowe
When he's not fighting polar bears in underground cage matches for beer money in the wilds of Antarctica, Cameron's usually found causing trouble in White Sulphur Springs, Montana. Every day is a struggle to keep his wild pug Yoda and his adorable psychopathic Chihuahua Sadie (collectively known as Team Chug) under control, but somehow he manages. Besides his Adamanta contributions, Cameron has written the Rankin Flats supernatural thrillers and Forever and Farewell, a romance novel. Check them out and be one of the cool kids. Or don't, and hate fun and good times.