Evie sat back from the table and watched as blue network lines illuminated across the black table top, circles formed at each seat and Evie saw Lawson reach forward and lightly tap the one in front of him and a man from the waist up shimmered into view. Evie leant forward in amazement when a person popped up in front of her. She saw a black woman with short purple and white hair and was looking at her rather sternly as she looked around the hologram and waved her hand through it.
‘Excuse me,’ the woman said. ‘That is not the proper way to greet the Home Secretary of South Africa.’
Evie sat back in her seat. ‘Sorry,’ she said and gave Kit a worried look, but Kit was looking at her own council member, a rather angry looking man who was also frowning at her.
Everyone around the table had their own person in front of them and Evie saw that they didn’t look happy to be there at all and she decided it best to be quiet and see how it was going to play out rather than say anything to anger them further.
‘Members of the Council thank you for coming to this meeting at Atlas House,’ Lawson said.
‘It’s hard to ignore an invite from the Prime Minister himself,’ a man in front of Evans said.
‘Oh stop sucking up Taylor,’ Evie’s Home Secretary spat. ‘He’s been doing this since day one,’ she told Evie. ‘We’re here to determine the fate of this young lady and on behalf of the Republic of Africa, I would like to be the first to say that she should be cleared of all crime.’
There was an uproar of discussion in response. Sinclair pushed a button and the noise fell silent. ‘The joys of having a mute button,’ she said. ‘Lawson, you need to lead this, before Taylor and Mulago start their own war.’
Evie watched as Lawson narrowed his eyes at her but didn’t say anything and pushed another button that enabled the sound to resume. ‘Members of the council,’ he said loudly which brought them to a hush. ‘While I appreciate your passion, argumentative talks will not resolve our dilemma.’
Evie watched Lawson with interest, he held a similar position to Galen but carried himself in a different manner. He didn’t need to be cruel or manipulative, he spoke with an authority that commanded attention but people around the room seemed to respond with respect rather than fear. The fluttering of nerves in Evie’s stomach settled a little, as Lawson took command of the situation. Her hands shook under the desk and she kept looking down at Mulago with a nervous smile, not sure how she should respond to the woman, so thought it best to keep silent.
‘Now,’ Lawson said. ‘We don’t like to speak ill of the dead, but there’s no doubt that we’re in agreement that the world is a better place without Madelina Galen in it, however, she created a system that was incredibly dependent on her leadership and her removal from power is going to break that system and we’ve not got the proper tools in place to support America as it’s used to which is going to cause disruption and likely a civil war.’
‘Are you thinking it will be humans against Genics?’ Kit asked.
‘Potentially,’ Lawson said. ‘Because Evie killed President Galen and is a Genic you’ll be immediate targets and your safety in America will be threatened the moment you return.’
‘Do you intend to provide us with backup and support?’ Evans asked.
‘That is something to discuss once we have decided our outcome on Ms Fox,’ Lawson said.
Evie could see Kit growing agitated and the small twitches in her demeanour showed as she tried to remain calm. ‘So can we get on with it?’ She asked. ‘If we have a civil war on our hands, that’s more important than deciding if Evie’s guilty or not. We’re all in agreement aren’t we that the world is a better place in the long run without Galen in it?’ She asked.
There was a quiet murmur from the council when Mualgo spoke up. She looked up at Evie and gave her a smile. ‘I think it was a fine thing you did and took great courage, it takes a lot to bring down a dictator,’ she said.
Evie gave a small smile but held her reserve. Her heart thumped against her chest and she tried to keep her breathing steady. Whatever these strangers decided was going to determine how her life was going to change.
‘So that’s one vote,’ Lawson said and one by one the council members were asked their opinion and they declared innocence. Lawson then went to Sinclair and she declared the same with a warm smile, Lawson skipped over Evie and went to Kit.
‘Innocent,’ Kit said without a moment’s hesitation and took Evie’s hand under the table. ‘As if I could think anything else.’ Evie smiled as her heart tumbled warmly again, she couldn’t believe how lucky she was, that even amongst all this she could still have some form of love in her life.
‘Corporal Evans?’ Lawson asked.
‘Innocent,’
‘Princep Cerkis?’
There was a notable pause and Evie looked over to Cerkis, the woman sat with her hands clasped over her each other. She only knew the woman’s history from what Kit had told her, but she seemed reliable enough. She had escaped Volt not long after Kit and had wanted to establish law and order in the Stacks while Kit defended it. The title of Princeps had been more of a gesture than anything abut there had always been respect for her and Evie knew Kit liked her.
‘Guilty,’ Cerkis said and Evie’s heart fell to the pits of her stomach.
Chapter Eight
The room was quiet, unsure if they had heard correctly. Kit looked to Evie who had shrunk back in her seat. ‘Are you kidding me?’ Kit asked before her brain kicked in and stopped her. ‘You’ve been our support since the beginning, you’re the one who brought us here for a fair trial and now…this?’
‘Let me explain,’ Cerkis said holding up her hand. ‘Genics and humans exist in two factions in America, right now the human faction are desperate to see action taken against Genics as a result of Galen’s death. Allowing Evelyn to walk away with no repercussion will incite a civil war which is what Hawk is wanting. If we show that action will be taken against Evelyn then it will ease the growing tension in the States and hopefully stave off war until we have a plan of action on how to stabilise the country.’
‘The country can’t fall because of me surely,’ Evie said.
‘There’s already fighting between the factions,’ Cerkis said. ‘And there’ll be an uproar if they learn that nothing’s going to happen and you go back to the US without any recourse.’
There was a quiet murmur amongst the group as though they were in agreement with Cerkis and changing their minds. ’Then I should stay here,’ Evie offered.
The murmurs grew louder when Lawson intervened. ‘I think we need to take a recess,’ he said. ‘We’ll reconvene in an hour with our decisions.’
The holograms were deactivated and they rose from the table. Kit watched as people seemed to avoid looking at Evie as they left the room and Lawson took them into the office below. ‘Do you know what you’ve proposed in there?’ He asked Evie when she was alone with them.
‘That I stay here, we spin some sort of story to ease the tension and when it dies down, I can go back without much fanfare,’ Evie said. ‘I’ve never been one for being the centre of attention anyway so this could work out all round.’
‘And what happened to you fighting alongside me?’ Kit asked.
Evie turned to her and Kit could see that she looked torn. ‘What do I do?’ She asked. ‘Go back and make things worse for the country or stay…and make things worse for us?’ She trailed off at the question. ‘There’s going to be no win for this situation is there?’ she asked, Kit could see the pain in her eyes and wanted to take it away, but it wasn’t the right time or place. She didn’t even know what she could do to make it better.
Kit gave her a sympathetic look, even though she wanted to, she couldn’t be mad at her. ‘Would she be able to stay here until things died down?’
‘I would have to get approval from Parliament, given your current legal status in the UK. You’d have to be in confinement until they decided but given this an exceptional situati
on I might be able to get it through quickly. But only if the argument is convincing enough,’ he said.
Cerkis interrupted them by stepping over the threshold. Without thinking, Kit went for her and Evie had to hold her back.
’Traitor!’ Kit said. ‘Why would you say she’s guilty? Why would you bring her here only to condemn her?’
Cerkis remained annoyingly calm. ‘The reasons I gave the council are true, but I’d like to explain,’ she said and then looked to Lawson. ‘In private if I can.’
Lawson nodded. ‘I’ll reconvene with the others and discuss what we need to do,’ he said.
Heat rose up Kit’s neck as her thoughts swarmed. Evie holding her back wasn’t helping. ‘Well?’ She asked when Lawson had shut the door and Evie thankfully released her hold.
‘Think about where we are,’ Cerkis said as she stepped down to the office. ‘We’re one of the first people to enter Great Britain since the borders were closed, their technology and science are so far advanced compared to our own that we have a real chance to learn the true origins about who we are.’
Kit relented a little at this. ‘You’re a scientist,’ she said to Evie. ‘Aren’t you curious about what we can learn here?
‘Maybe.’ Kit heard tentativeness in her voice.
‘No, you’re a Forensic Pathologist,’ Kit said. ‘You were investigating the genome that created us, Cara was trying to find something that would stop its mutation and there’s something in your blood that helped me, and could help others. If we learn anything from being here, it should be about that, surely.’
Kit could see that Evie looked uncertain and she took her to one side. ‘I left that life behind me when I defected,’ Evie told her. ‘The experiments we did, the autopsies and endless cycle of investigations that never led anywhere. It was all an act, part of Galen’s propaganda.’
‘But this won’t be,’ Kit told her. ‘This time you’ll be able to work how you want for the results you want with equipment better than what Galen gave you access to.’
‘It’s either that or go back to the States to a lynch mob,’ Cerkis said.
Kit hated that Evie didn’t have any good choices to pick from, that she had ended up in this situation because she was trying to help her country. Kit didn’t know how they were going to change people’s perception. She didn’t know how she was going to get them to follow them rather than fight against what they were trying to do.
‘You could prove that Galen’s government made Genics on purpose,’ Kit said quietly.
Evie gave her a quizzical look. ‘What?’ She asked.
Kit looked over to Cerkis. ‘If it were proven that Galen’s grandfather ordered for Genics to be created, would it turn public opinion?’ She asked.
Cerkis thought for a moment. ‘It might,’ she said. ‘But the history has been that Genics were created as a result of exposure to the virus.’
‘Which has never been corroborated or peer tested in an independent review,’ Evie said. ‘We’ve always had to backup Galen’s messages and could never get a clear answer. If I had access to a lab, I could finally find some answers that weren’t dictated by propaganda,’ she turned to Kit, who saw conflict in her expression. ‘But it means not being in America,’ she added cautiously.
Kit tried her best to look calm and give Evie some hope, but she knew she was struggling. ‘I’m sure we can cope,’ a lump rose in her throat and she could hear her voice croak.
Lawson reappeared at the threshold. ‘We’re ready for you,’ he said.
They returned to the desks, the holographic images of the other leaders already waiting for them. Kit saw Mulago give Evie a comforting smile as she sat down. She was grateful they weren’t being instantly condemned for who they were, it was different here, there was a sense of a new future that Kit had only dreamt of. Now she could see it could be a reality. But as Kit looked at the other members of the order and could see the expressions in their faces had changed. They had become darker, more worrisome and a knot grew in Kit’s stomach.
Lawson took a moment to compose himself before he began. ‘Thank you for your time today,’ he said. ‘This is a unique situation for all of us. Evelyn,’ he said, looking up at Evie. ‘We believe that you have shown remorse for your actions, that killing President Galen was not premeditated but done in an act of self-defence and in the best interest for your country. We also recognise your willingness to work with us to understand the origin of the Genic gene, but we cannot ignore the ramifications that are being seen in America.’
The table turned into another holographic image and as the images appeared in front of them, Kit saw New York City in flames, gangs on the street fighting and killing each other. Scene after scene of the same swirled before them. The image shifted to a deserted landscape and Kit leaned forward.
‘That’s the outskirts of the Alto prefecture,’ she said.
‘Alto…or California, as we’ve known it, has managed to separate itself from Galen’s rule and was annexed from the rest of the United States and is the safest place for Genics now that the Stacks has fallen. There’s a group of self-made soldiers who are patrolling the border but we’ve made contact with them and they’re willing to accept both of you into the sector,’ he said to Kit and Evie.
Kit exchanged a glance with Evans, they both knew what Alto was and the type of humans and Genics who lived there and Kit tensed as she wondered where Lawson was getting his information from. ‘There’s a free zone,’ Kit said. ‘It’s difficult to get to but is the safest place for Genics, everything I know about Alto has always made me think we should avoid it. There’s a Death Mark known as Ryx, who’s in charge and he’s probably more brutal than Galen. Which is saying something’
‘Show me,’ Lawson said and pushed a button that transformed the holographic to a map of the US. Kit hadn’t seen this version before but did her best to hide her ignorance. She had to show them what she was worth in this war, she hadn’t come this far not to.
‘This is Alto,’ Kit said indicating to the region on this map that was marked as California. ‘Above it is what we’ve believed to be a free zone, aside from the Stacks it was only one area in America that wasn’t inhabited by humans.’
‘We know it as Oregon, Washington State, Vancouver and Alaska,’ Lawson told her. ‘And from our records, we know it was badly hit by the virus. It hit Los Angeles first, but it spread north and no one has been able to get any information on if it’s safe to visit.’
‘But if Evie and I are sent to Alto, we could try and get there?’ Kit asked.
‘When the war is over…yes,’ Lawson said. ‘Which brings me to the second point. You are to help us with our genetic programme and find an answer for all of this, but only in exchange for killing Hawk.’
Kit sat back in her seat and looked to Evie who had lost all the colour in her face. ‘You want her to kill Hawk?’ Kit whispered.
‘You were able to kill Galen, it means you’re strong enough to kill Hawk as well,’ one of the members said.
‘That’s not how murder works,’ Evans argued. ‘Has anyone in this room actually killed anyone?’ He asked. ‘Taken a life with your own hands?’
‘That is not what is in question here,’ Lawson said. ‘Hawk is the biggest threat to two species trying to inhabit this planet live in peace. She’ll continue Galen’s work and from what we’ve learned, she'll make things worse. Think tighter border control, increased taxes, flogging of innocent people to keep the population subdued, public executions of anyone who opposes her new regime. You think Galen was bad, what’s coming will only be worse.’
‘What intelligence are you basing that on?’ Evans asked.
‘We’ve been covertly gathering intelligence on the US for years,’ Lawson said. ‘As a unit, if we simply ignored the problem we would be doing ourselves and the rest of the world a disservice. Our intelligence though has told us that Hawk is the next leader of the country and has the means and capability to heighten an already dire si
tuation. If Galen has been taken out then so too must Hawk.’
‘And you think Evie should be the one to do that?’ Kit demanded. ‘You don’t know what it’s like, taking someone’s life, you don’t know what it was like for Evie. But I do, I was there afterwards, during the days when she couldn’t speak, when she’d wake up screaming, jumping at her own shadow because she was scared of what her powers could do. I saw all that, all because she did something that you and your governments refused to do. You didn’t have the balls to take out Galen, instead, you let her do it for you, now you want her to do it again, go through that again?’
‘Kit…’ Evie said quietly.
‘No,’ Kit snapped. ‘I’m not risking losing you, or you losing yourself because of something they’re incapable of doing.’
‘Enough!’ Sinclair bellowed. ‘We would not send Evelyn in on her own to carry out such an operation. She will join our unit and work for us, we will spin a story that makes it look like she’s being imprisoned here so that Americans can forget about her, shift their focus, while we get our op together.’
‘So I’d have to leave America?’ Evie asked.
‘We’ll spin the story as an exile,’ Lawson said. ‘It will ease some of the tension and show Hawk that we’re willing to work with her to stabilise the country, they won’t know anything about what’s been discussed here.’
‘And what about the rest of us?’ Kit asked, unable to hide the hesitation in her voice.
Sinclair looked to Lawson. ‘You will return to America and fight on the front line,’ he said.
Kit’s stomach fell and the room began to swarm. She could hear protests from Evie and Evans but couldn’t register what they were saying. She was prepared to fight, prepared to do anything for the freedom of Genics but the reality of being back out in the field brought back terrors that she had been trying to forget for too long.
She heard Evie and looked over to her as her vision went blurry.
Redux Page 8