Uprising
Page 64
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Jeffrey's heart was racing as he easily slipped away from Citizen Michaels. The man wasn't paying the slightest attention to him, so turning down the hallway back towards the exit across the way from the servant's living space was simple enough. As soon as he was out of sight of anyone, he started running.
He couldn't believe the intense stroke of luck it was to actually get invited up to the council chamber room. At most, he had hoped to be able to shadow the damp Michaels and catch fragments of any important conversation.
After reaching the council floor and mashing the 'door close' button to maintain a hiding place, he was able to eavesdrop on almost the entire meeting. He soon wished that he hadn't been so successful, as the things he heard were terrifying.
He was pleased enough to hear about the success of the military campaign, even if the Citizens were now aware of it. The message, particularly the silencing end of it, assured that Elijah and everyone else already knew that their secret had been revealed. Jeffrey was confident that they would have been able to deal with it. However, the latter portion of the meeting scared him.
They had apparently developed some kind of weapon that they believed would eliminate every single individual in the down below area to the point that they were concerned its devastation would reach the surface. Jeffrey had trembled when the High Inquisitor mentioned, in such an offhand manner, the utility of the event. The callous treatment of "inferior" human life was something that Jeffrey was used to, but he never expected it to extend to the members of the Citizenship as well.
He moved quickly across the grass, not outright running in case anyone could see him. A jolt of pain like a blunt object crushing his ribs tore through his midsection. He barely took another step before dropping to the ground and curling up. His muscles clenched in what felt like his entire body. The pain was so intense, yet he couldn't even cry out. His heart pounded, sweat poured from his body, and in that instant, he believed he was going to die as everything went dark…