Damian let out an aggravated sigh. “Fine. It isn’t working anyway.”
“If there was any risk of that, I wouldn’t have called.”
“And why did you? I suppose it would be too much to hope it was because you’re ready to end this nonsense.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” she said, glancing down at the concrete far below. “But I only wanted to talk to you. Well, hear you, really. It’s been so long…”
“I’m glad you did,” he said, adding softly, “I’ve missed you,
Liane.”
She closed her eyes momentarily, answering with equal softness, “I’ve missed you, too, in a way. Just not enough to come back.”
“How are you healing?”
“The bullet wound? It was just a graze; I’m fine.”
Damian was quiet for a moment, then asked, “And otherwise? You’ve been out in the real world for nearly a month. Is it what you thought it would be?”
“It’s bigger than I imagined,” she said, her words measured. “There are more people in it willing to stand against the Agency than I thought.”
Damian gave a dark chuckle. “So, you’re still with those mods who saved you in the alley, are you? I can’t understand why. I know what Black Sun is fighting for, and they’re no different from us.”
“That’s not true—”
“You mean they’re not willing to do whatever’s necessary to win this fight?” When she remained silent, he went on, “If morality is what’s driving you, you’re headed in the wrong direction.”
“At the moment, they’re the lesser of two evils.”
“You think that now, but I doubt you’ve been there long enough to learn all of their plans. Regardless, you know that it’s only a matter of time before we find their headquarters.”
Liane smiled bitterly to herself. “You would say that. You’d say anything to drive me away from potential allies.”
“I’d be careful of those allies, if I were you,” Damian warned, “Especially if they don’t know who and what you are. There’s a wealth of information in your mind and a myriad of uses for your genetic advancements. Be on your guard, or they’ll use both to their advantage.”
They both lapsed into silence. Liane listened to the sound of his breathing for a moment before Damian said, “Tell me you’re keeping up with your reading, at least.”
Liane smiled to herself. “Yes. I finally got the chance to read a history of the Third World War. There are no alarm sensors on books out here.”
“Ever looking to the past, aren’t you, Liane?”
“Because I want to learn from it.” She hesitated, then admitted, “I’m learning how chaotic things were after the war ended, how vulnerable the country was. It’s understandable why the Agency was created, and why Libertas thought it was necessary.”
She could hear the frown in his voice as he asked, “If you
understand now, then why aren’t you willing to come back?”
“Just because I understand doesn’t mean I agree,” Liane said sharply. “Fear of another war doesn’t give them the right to
experiment on people, or murder innocents to keep those
experiments a secret. That should never be the price of peace.”
Through the phone, she heard the beat of his footsteps, and then the soft sound of an automated door sliding open. The sounds of the city murmured in the background, and in her mind’s eye, Liane could see him standing on his balcony, looking out over the waking city just as she was. There was a new
purposefulness to his words as he asked, “What is your plan now, Liane?”
She remained silent, not wanting to give anything away.
Damian reasoned on, “You’re still in the city; that means you aren’t going to run. And you’re still with that officer, who can do nothing but slow you down. Do you know what that says to me?”
“I don’t know.”
“It tells me you want me to catch you,” Damian said, his voice soft. “To come back willingly would be admitting you’ve made a mistake. But if I hunt you down and bring you back by force, you get to pretend that you’re not regretting everything that’s
happened.”
“You’re just fooling yourself, Damian,” Liane said. “I don’t
regret learning the truth.”
“Whether I am or not, it doesn’t change what will happen. You’re a trained Agent; you’re one of us, and you belong here. The Agency isn’t just going to forget that and let you walk away.”
“The Agency doesn’t forgive, either,” Liane pointed out. “You seem to think I’ll just come back, and everything will be normal again. I’m not stupid enough to believe that they’d pardon me now, even if I return willingly.”
Damian paused for a moment, but his tone was certain and stubborn as he went on, “I won’t let them kill you, Liane.”
“I don’t think it will matter what you say or do, when the time comes,” Liane said, her short hair tousled by the breeze.
“What can I do to convince you?” he asked, desperate. “What do you need to give this up and come home?”
“I won’t go back, Damian,” she said, then went on, “But there could be another way…”
“Tell me.”
The sun rose on the horizon, casting bright light onto the highest skyscrapers of the city. Liane closed her eyes against the blinding rays, suggesting, “Run with us. You, me, and Seth...we’ll disappear, head someplace far away where they’d never think to look for us.”
Damian laughed; she could practically hear him shaking his head, “And do what, exactly? Your officer could blend into
civilian life, but what about us? Do you expect us to work as
freelance assassins? Murderers for hire who garden in their spare time?”
Liane tucked a knee up to her chest, saying, “Maybe we could find a new way to live; something that doesn’t involve killing.”
There was a note of sadness in Damian’s voice as he said, “I wish that was an option, Liane. If it was, I’d do it.”
“But it’s just a foolish dream, isn’t it?”
“Not foolish, perhaps, but certainly a dream.”
Liane nodded to herself. “Then there’s no option for either of us. I’ll keep running and fighting...”
“And I’ll keep hunting you.” Damian finished. “There’s only one way this ends, Liane, and it isn’t with your escape.”
She went quiet for a moment, then said, “Goodbye, Damian.”
There was a smile in his voice as he murmured, “I’ll see you soon, Liane.”
Liane lowered the phone, ending the call with her thumb. She glanced below at the broken concrete that comprised the courtyard. Extending her arm, she let the cell phone go, watching as it plummeted twenty stories and shattered on impact.
By the time she felt ready to return to the underground bunker, the sun was well above the horizon and her limbs were growing stiff from immobility. She climbed down carefully,
wondering how long it would take for the Strain to take effect and make her feel like herself again.
The main hangar was surprisingly crowded with mods when she entered, and with a frown, she made her way through the crowd. She spotted Seth near the canteen in conversation with Neil and another mod, though when their eyes met, he broke off mid-sentence to make his way towards her. She was surprised to find his face mottled red with anger, and his voice was low but tense as he demanded, “Where’d you go? Why’d you vanish on me?”
Irritated and embarrassed at his concern, Liane shrugged her coat off, saying, “I went for a walk. I wanted to be by myself for a while.”
“While I sat here worrying that you’d been recaptured by the Agency,” he snapped, eyes flashing. “God damn it, Liane; if the twins hadn’t caught you on the external cam, I would have charged off to the Agency to break you out.”
“I can go wherever I want,” Liane retorted, her voice sharp. “You’re not my Handler.”
Seth s
tared at her, hurt replacing the anger in his eyes as he said, “I’m not trying to be. Just let me know where you’re going next time, alright?”
Liane swallowed her angry retort, giving a stiff nod. Seth looked back at the crowd of mods filling the hangar, saying, “Owen told everyone to meet here this morning, wants to make some announcement.”
No sooner had he said it then Owen appeared from the
corridor that led to his command room, Paz following close behind him. He went to one end of the room, climbing up on a makeshift podium made of crates. Leaping up, he turned to the roomful of mods, raising a hand for silence. When they quieted, he said in a ringing voice, “Black Sun, I asked you here today because I have important news about our fight. We have waged war against the Agency for over a year now; you have fought and bled to protect your fellow mods. Some of your fellow soldiers even gave their lives for the good of our cause.”
Owen paused, letting murmurs of agreement trickle through the crowd before he cautioned, “But our greatest challenge has yet to be faced. The true heart of this fight, the destruction of the Agency, lies ahead, and soon our moment to act will be here. I want you all to consider what more you are willing to sacrifice.
Remember, you’re not just fighting for your own freedom when you go out there; you’re fighting for every single mod in London. For all those who must hide out of fear from the fascist killers who run this country.”
Liane glanced around, a sense of unease running up her spine when she realized that every single mod was transfixed. It was a disturbingly familiar scene; she had heard speeches like this before in the arena of the Agency, during the large-scale assemblies when Administrators and Party members railed against the enemies of the state. She looked back to Owen, stony-faced as she understood what he was doing.
Owen shook his head as he went on, “I can’t promise you an easy road, so I won’t. But what I will promise you is that I am in this fight just as much as you are; just as willing to bleed, to die, and to bring justice to our enemy’s doorstep!”
The mods around them burst into spontaneous cheers. Seth glanced at Liane, whispering, “You as creeped out by this as I am?”
“Yes,” she whispered back, “But I have more reason to be.”
“Stay steadfast, stay strong,” Owen went on, his voice
thunderous. “And when our moment comes, be ready to fight!”
The mods erupted in shouts and applause. Seth brought his hands together a few times, but Liane didn’t so much as move. She was too distracted to notice Paz until the mod sidled up to them and said over the noise, “Owen wants to see the two of you. Now.”
Seth raised his eyebrows at that but followed Paz anyway. There was nothing for Liane to do but trail behind them as they made their way to the opposite end of the hangar. Owen was still surrounded by mods, accepting their accolades and eager
promises. Liane eyed him as they passed, and he met her gaze with a knowing smile. Discomfited, she continued after Seth with questions crowding her mind.
Paz led them into Owen’s command room, and for several minutes the three waited in silence, the only noise coming from the monitors in the corner. Finally, the door opened to reveal the former Agent, and as he shut the door he said, “Sorry to make you wait.”
Liane stood with her arms crossed as she observed, “That was quite the performance.”
He smiled coldly. “You and I both know how important
performances are for keeping the fire in the belly of an army.”
“What did you want to see us about, exactly?” Seth asked with a frown.
“The twins caught you coming in on camera last night,” Owen said, picking up a remote control and clicking it at a monitor. The screen switched to a night-vision view of the exterior of the hatch. As they all watched, images of Seth and Liane appeared onscreen. They both moved unsteadily, and their faces looked spent. Liane had a hand clamped to her side, over a bloodstain that shone black onscreen. Owen turned off the monitor, turning to face Liane as he asked, “Care to explain?”
“A mishap in Chinatown,” she said, expressionless.
“Ah...another ‘mishap’,” Owen said softly, his pale eyes on
Liane as he said, “The Agency caught up with you, didn’t they?”
She shifted. “My Handler guessed where I would go for help. We got away, but barely.”
“And your symptoms? Did your medic have any answers?” When both remained silent, Owen sighed in irritation. “Look, it’s obvious that you’re suffering withdrawals from whatever they dosed you with.”
Liane lifted her chin, defiant as she said, “It’s uncertain at this point.”
“But likely,” he added. “How long do you think you’ll be able to keep outrunning them in this state? How long before you have one mishap too many and they catch you?”
“Back off,” Seth said through gritted teeth. “She doesn’t need you to make things seem worse than they are.”
“Things are already worse,” Owen said to Liane. “You just don’t want to admit it yet.”
“So what if they are?” Liane challenged. “Why should I trust you to help us?”
“Because I’m the only one who can,” he said, turning and picking up one of the blueprints lying on the table. Turning it, he asked, “You recognize it, I hope…”
Liane gave it the briefest of glances before saying, “The Agency headquarters.”
Owen traced a finger along the drawing of the skyscraper, saying, “This is the heart of the organization; strike at it, and the entire infrastructure will suffer for it.”
Seth frowned at the skyscraper, saying, “What do you mean to do?”
“Demolish it,” Owen said, savoring the word. “There are escape tunnels extending from the building, and we’ve found a way inside of one. Follow the tunnel back to the headquarters, place a series of charges on the foundational supports of the building, and all that will be left of the Agency is a smoking crater. We’ve amassed enough explosives to do it. All I need is someone who’s been down there recently, someone who can help us navigate the passageways.” He looked up at Liane, saying, “You need the serum you were dosed with to avoid withdrawals; I need an insider to help us in our attack. Help me in this, and I’ll help you get what you need.”
Seth moved closer to the blueprints, protesting, “This building is in the center of the city; it’s surrounded by offices, taxis, civilians... If you blow it up, you’ll kill innocent people.”
Owen looked at him for a moment, then shrugged, “As long as we also destroy the Agency, their sacrifice will be worth it.”
“That’s not your call!” Seth said sharply. “You can’t just
recruit people to die for the sake of your cause!”
“What do they mean to you?” Owen challenged back, “Nothing. They’re just extra names on a list, collateral damage.”
Liane raised her mismatched eyes to his, saying quietly, “Now you finally sound like an Agent.”
His eyes flared white-hot with anger, and his voice was low and deadly as he asked, “Do you know what made me decide to run after six years in the Agency?”
Liane bit her lower lip, shaking her head.
“I was a fair Agent, had a good success record, but my Handler was always disappointed in my progress. One day she took me to a room in the lower levels of the building. They tranquilized me, strapped me down, and pumped some serum into me. Something experimental that they were just starting to test on humans. For an entire night, I lay there having seizures, vomiting, screaming... I was almost dead by the time they stopped. That’s when I understood what we all were to them; nothing but test subjects to be used as they saw fit.” His eyes hardened, hatred shining in the light blue depths as he went on, “I swore afterwards that not only would I escape from them, but I would also find a way to pay them back. To let them know what it felt like to be helpless in the face of pain.”
“And to see that done, you’re going to kill countles
s people who did nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Seth said, his voice colder than Liane had ever before heard it.
For the first time, rage swept over Owen as he snarled, “I would kill thousands if it meant the end of the Agency.” He turned his burning, murderous gaze to Liane as he said, “Your body is failing you. I’d be willing to bet you’re living on borrowed time, and that you know it as well.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” Liane said furiously, turning away.
But Owen grasped her shoulder, forcing her to face him as he said, “I know more about you than anyone else here, because I’m the only one who knows what it’s like to belong to the Agency. To exist as nothing more than a weapon, a pawn, a tool; how could any civilian possibly understand that?”
Liane looked up at him, shaken by his words even as she
protested, “I don’t want to hurt people anymore.”
“They’re not people, they’re Agents,” Owen said venomously. “And if you don’t want revenge for what they did to you, then maybe you’re still one of them.” Liane could think of nothing to say, and remained silent as he went on, “If you help me in this
attack, I swear on everything I am and once was, that I will get you what you need to stay alive.”
Seth stepped forward, saying in a strained voice, “Liane, don’t... No more killing, remember?”
Liane pulled away from Owen. Her stomach twisted with
unhappiness, but her voice was steady as she said, “If I don’t, then what will we do? Wait until I’m worse, or until I’m too weak to get away from Damian’s Agents?” She shook her head, saying to herself, “I won’t go back. Not ever.”
Seth protested, “We can find another way—”
“There is no other way!” she shouted, pale cheeks flushing. “And there’s no way out; not for me. Not anymore…”
Seth looked up at Owen with barely disguised contempt, saying, “Well, now you’ve got just what you wanted, haven’t you?”
Liane felt her face contort as she turned and all but ran from the command room. Seth was hurrying after her, pleading for her to stop and listen. But she didn’t even break stride, shaking him off when he tried to take hold of her arm. As she turned the
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