Sibylla was in shock. It was like the walls of her box had only grown thicker, trapping her in some caged world that had no end, no possibility for freedom.
"No," she said, shoving the data slate back into his hands. "I don't want this."
"Sib, the entire Military complex is in disarray. The President, the Council, even Murdock is missing."
"You haven't heard from them?"
"We've sent out drones. But nothing yet."
"How about the satellites?” Sibylla asked in desperation. “Can't they tell you anything?"
"They could if they were still working. But most of them were blasted out of orbit by the enemy. And the ones still in space are scrambled. We're doing our best to reboot them. But I can’t guarantee anything."
Sibylla stiffened at the information. She couldn’t believe it. Sinking her hands into the pockets of her gray sweatshirt, she let out a slow breath.
The protocol for situations like this was clear: fall back and regroup, assess the situation, then counter. But if there was no military, what then? "And who do you expect me to lead?"
"Them," Dillon said, nodding at the crowd of kids below.
They were just boys and girls, children sobbing as they clutched onto the hands of their older brothers and sisters, kids who looked just as scared.
"You can't be serious," Sibylla said. "They're just kids."
"Not anymore."
"Dillon."
"They've been trained, Sib."
"They've been schooled. It's not the same thing. None of them have been in a high-pressure situation where they could die."
"And I agree with you. But this was the government's plan. Now we have to follow it."
"Easy to say when you're not the one fighting."
He glared at her, the slight not going unnoticed. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep them out of harm's way. You know that. But in the meantime, we'll need to keep them busy. At least until the real army gets here. We'll reorganize their units. Feeder schools will be absorbed by their respective high schools. Officers will be appointed. Promotions handed out. There's also the issue of rearmament."
Sibylla scoffed. "You really expect a bunch of kids in exo-suits armed with VK-26’s to put a dent into these things? I saw how effective our soldiers were out there. We might as well field an army of old ladies in shoulder pads."
"Trust me, I’m going to do everything I can to keep that from happening,” he said. "But the weapons they used were outdated, old, useless."
"And you have something better?"
He nodded gravely. "Unfortunately, we do. The majority of the craft's technology was assimilated into the G.P.T.O.'s weapons' department. Since then, the strides it's made have been nothing short of frightening. They were even able to perfect the balance problem of the mech project."
Sibylla snorted. "Yeah, I know. It almost killed me. Twice." She sighed as she rubbed her head, trying to clear her mind to think.
"Sib, you’re the highest ranking military personnel on this base, the Commander for Heaven’s sake.”
"I never took the Oath!" Sibylla blurted out. "I just left…before they could make me."
“That doesn’t change things.”
Sibylla let out a groan. "There has to be somebody else. Somebody more qualified."
"There isn't."
Sibylla's hands balled into fists, fighting against the constriction of her senses. Planting a hand against the cold window, she braced herself against the resounding ache in her body.
"I already turned my back on who I was once before," she said through clenched teeth. "I won't do it again."
"Then don’t.”
Sibylla’s head fell to the glass, while her hand balled into a fist. There had to be somebody else. But who?
The G.P.T.O.?
It was an arms company—people who didn't know the first thing about leading troops onto the battlefield.
Connor?
He was a sadistic, little maniac driven by his own personal pleasures. He was probably waiting downstairs, hidden in some darkened room, plotting to swipe control of the base with his fleshy, greedy hands.
No, Sibylla realized. There was no one else. At least not yet. "I can't do this by myself."
"You won't have to," said a voice.
Sibylla turned to find Anais standing behind her.
"I sent for her a few seconds ago," Dillon admitted. "I figured she needed to see this as well."
"Thanks a lot, dead boyfriend," Anais said, patting him on the back as she moved toward Sibylla. “I’m a fan, by the way.” With a rueful smile, she reached for Sibylla’s hand. “But he’s right, Sib. You’re the best for this position. You’ve proven that.”
Sibylla glanced at Dillon.
He offered her a shrug. "You always wanted a team, right?"
Shutting her eyes, she took a deep breath, trying to balance against the weight that'd been thrust on her shoulders. She felt like she was about to faint. "I need to know that I can trust you," she said to Dillon. "That I'm not dealing with just another puppet from the G.P.T.O."
"You have my word."
She held her gaze, waiting for more.
"Look, what's happened has happened," he admitted. "We can't go back. Neither of us can. But I think we want the same thing."
"Peace?" Sibylla asked.
"Peace," he agreed.
Turning to Anais, she waited for the same.
"Hey," Anais replied. “You don’t even have to ask."
Sibylla managed a smile. So war had finally come. Was this the opponent Murdock had warned her about, the enemy who would never reason?
The prospect of it sent a chill up her spine and she wondered if she could actually do this. Could she be the military? Could she do what needed to be done? Her mind was spinning, and she felt a cold sweat on her arms.
Staring back at the kids through the window, seeing their scared little faces, she knew that she didn’t have a choice. So, straightening as best she could, she rolled back her shoulders and took in a deep breath, readying for the encroaching darkness.
* * *
Thank you so much for finishing this book. I if you enjoyed it, please leave a review. It doesn’t need to be long. Just one or two sentences. Anything will help. Again, thank you!
Sibylla of Earth Page 33