The Conspiracy Chronicles Boxset 2

by Michael Evans

  But seeing the peaceful city and the people riding around on bikes throughout the narrow gravel roads fuels me with even more passion. The children laughing as they kick a ball around in the streets remind me what life is all about. The excess and distractions we have filled modern society with are all a waste.

  Even if the Chimera Cube could be used for good in the world, it would inevitably lead to a radical abundance of everything. It would forever alter the landscape of the world and our relationship to things as basic as food and raw materials. The cube may be able to fix famine, end the need for material wealth, and enable people to live longer, healthier lives, but the cube will undoubtedly become a victim of its own success.

  The Chimera Cube will drown humanity in excess and lead to the collapse of the social order if it doesn’t envelop the entire surface of the world in a gray goo first.

  And as awesome as the world may seem with futuristic technologies indistinguishable from magic and the ability to create anything and everything at the snap of a finger, there is no saying that it will truly fix the root of any of society’s issues. The imperfect machine that is the human brain will always figure out a way to fuck itself.

  Utopia is impossible.

  The future that my dad dreamed this cube would enable is a pipe dream. The best thing this cube can do is destroy the Syndicate for good and end The Last Migration from being completed. And after my mission is complete, after I can hug my mom and hold Riva in my arms again, I will destroy this cube.

  The worldwide manhunt for me will be over.

  The Syndicate will be dead.

  I yell, the emphatic noise bellowing from my throat as a surge of power courses through me. I stand on the edge of the roof, my feet only inches away from hanging off the building. In the good old days, falling from a cliff or off a tall building used to be the feat that would keep me up at night. Now, falling off a building is the least of my worries. Standing this close to the edge, with the wind blowing my blonde hair in my eyes, I feel like a new man.

  I feel like for a brief moment life is not the horrendous dumpster fire that it has shared an uncanny resemblance to as of late.

  Then I see an aircraft breaking through the thick sheet of clouds on the horizon. Before screaming again with excitement, I wait to make sure that the aircraft isn’t just the first of a military fleet sent to kill me. But after a few seconds of the plane emerging from the clouds, there are no vehicles flying behind it.

  This must be Anika.

  “Fuck yeah!” I pump my fist in the air as I glance at the surrounding sky that is devoid of any aircrafts or other flying objects. I’ve never been one to dance, but part of me has the desire to break out into a dance of pure euphoria as I imagine stomping on the graves of each member of the Syndicate of Truth.

  They didn’t outsmart me this time. Their manipulative tactics didn’t work. I am going to win.

  Instead of breaking out into song and dance and only making myself look even weirder standing on the rooftop in the middle of a small city, I choose to deconstruct the force field. The least I can do upon Anika’s arrival is ensure that she isn’t shocked to death by the billions of nanobots.

  Then I open my arms wide, smiling as the aircraft comes closer and closer. I climb on top of the air conditioning vent at the center of the roof, wanting to welcome Anika with as much grandeur as possible. From the streets below, I can hear the echoes of people shouting in fear as the dark shadow of the aircraft flies over the city streets.

  The sneaking suspicion in the back of my mind that this is just a Syndicate aircraft in disguise is immediately thrown away as the details of it come into view. It is drastically different from any aircraft I have ever seen—the exact kind of plane I’d figure a wealthy bionic woman would parade around the world in.

  It is long and narrow, resembling the shape of a missile as it deaccelerates. The stainless steel sheet on the exterior of the plane blinds me as the light that penetrates through the clouds reflects off its exterior. Nothing but silence emanates from the aircraft as a set of stairs pops out of its bottom allowing it to hover just above the wooden building.

  The plane is only feet away from me, the stainless steel exterior and smooth edges resembling a spaceship. It is only ten feet tall, but its length well makes up for its lack in height. It is over fifty feet long, with two turbo-boosted jets on its back. This aircraft is capable of traveling around the world at hypersonic speeds.

  In this thing, getting to Moosehorn will be easy.

  This moment will make it all worth it.

  I step down from the air conditioner, walking towards the side of the plane that has an indentation in the steel exterior where the door opens up. I expect to see Anika’s face immediately as the door opens, but instead there is no movement from the plane.

  I contemplate jumping up and knocking on its exterior to let the person inside know that I am out here, but after a minute of me awkwardly twiddling my thumbs, the door finally opens.

  My heart races, my body unable to contain the excitement it is feeling.

  That is until I see Jake’s face poke out of the plane. Before I can even react, he is already walking down the steps with his arm outstretched to greet me.

  What a son of a bitch.

  It’s too late to run.

  It’s too late to even command the Chimera Cube to make a force field and fly as fast as possible away from this city. Jake’s wide smile and brown eyes are only feet away from me.

  The Syndicate is a step away from winning forever.

  They lied to me.

  And I fell for their trap.

  Now the world will fall too.

  Chapter 19

  “I come in search of peace.” Jake extends his hand, his short, stubby fingers inches away from poking me in the chest.

  “Turn around and walk right back on that fucking plane.” I step back from his hand, refusing to touch his skin that could be covered in a deadly poison for all I know.

  The massive shift that has taken course in the prospects of my life sends my mind on a neurochemical rollercoaster ride that will take weeks to recover from. The worst feeling is believing that the thing you have wanted for months, that the thing you have sacrificed your entire life for, is right in your hands, only to find out that you picked up a bomb instead of flowers from a beautiful rose bush.

  I fucked myself.

  “Get away from me,” I snap as Jake opens his mouth to rebut me. I glance inside the aircraft, trying to see if there are any humanoid soldiers or other Syndicate members watching us, but none of them are visible from my position.

  No doubt, every move I make is being analyzed by the cameras in the hologlasses that Jake is wearing. Behind the thin glass film that coats his upper face are his tired, bloodshot eyes. He looks like a wreck. His curly hair is all matted and sticking up in a million different directions while his body is tense to the point that it shakes as he speaks.

  He doesn’t need to say anything for me to know that he is losing his mind. And seeing my best friend, seeing my brother, as a shell of the man that he used to be breaks my heart. The Syndicate has taken everything away from me.

  They stole Jake too.

  I won’t let them have this cube.

  “I’m not trying to fight.” Jake maintains his firm presence, his tone surprisingly calm. However, his hands that are burrowed deep in his pockets form a stark contrast to his statement. There is no telling whether he has a gun or knife hiding in the loose pocket in the front of his hoodie.

  “Then what the fuck are you doing here?” I shift the bag with the Chimera Cube from my back to the front side of my body so I can easily make a move the second he tries to attack me.

  “I’m here to talk to you,” Jake presses, stepping forward as he tries to rest a hand on my shoulder. “To try and make a peace agreement. One that will end all of this mess and allow you to live a normal life again.”

  “That’s about the biggest piece of bullshit I’ve
ever heard. You people lied to me. You fucking betrayed me, and you expect me to make any sort of agreement with you?” My voice echoes off the surrounding rooftops, spit intentionally flying off my lips and landing on his face. “You must be high on some good shit to even be entertaining the idea.”

  “I promise you, Sam.” The warm, gentle nature to Jake is out in full force. When he speaks in long, smooth words, it is hard to deny anything he says. He makes me want to believe him. “I made a mistake earlier. I should have never just left you alone like that. I knew there was a better way, and it’s time we do that. It’s time we do something that will allow us both to move on from this mess we have been caught up in for the last year of our lives and end this misery.”

  “You call what you did earlier a mistake?” I poke him in his chest, unzipping the backpack with my other hand. I have no idea what I want to do to him, but I am prepared to taser him and fly as far away from him as possible so that I never have to look at his face again.

  The pain is too much.

  The anger is too raw.

  If I don’t control myself, I could rip his head off right now. But I know that if I do, I will end up regretting that decision for the rest of my life.

  I can’t betray my brother. I can’t let him go.

  He might be the only person alive on this planet that I truly love. He’s the only one who understands me.

  “Yes, I thought it was the only answer. The only way to make this all end, but now I know that there is another way.”

  “Nuking Beijing was a mistake if we are being really generous,” I say. “Executing a plan to throw your lifelong best friend under the bus and send the Syndicate out to kill him is pure evil.”

  Jake pauses before responding, a heavy silence following my words. No longer are people screaming with disbelief as they stare up at the sky. Now that the plane has landed, everyone in the city is continuing with their day as normal.

  They have no idea that one of the pivotal moments in human history is taking place on the roofs above them.

  “This entire world could be ours.” Jake outstretches his arms as if he can lift up the weight of the plains with the strength of his biceps alone. “We could usher the world into a new era of greatness. One where all the inequality of today is eliminated. One of unlimited wealth. With the power of the cube, together we can be the most powerful people in history.”

  “I’ve heard that same line a thousand different times by now.” I glance behind Jake into the open door of the aircraft, checking again to make sure there are no masked figures with guns waiting to kill me.

  “Because it’s true. You can’t just toss away this cube and let it go to waste. Without the help of the Syndicate, we can’t do anything with the cube. But with their global network and unparalleled influence, we can be the conduits of power in a new age for humanity. We can save this species from destroying itself.”

  “Stop reading the bullshit the Syndicate is feeding you in those glasses.” I let my hand hover above the cube, my only getaway plan for it to create a shit ton of smoke and fly away as fast as possible. “Talk to me. Talk to me like an actual human instead of a robot unless you want me to fly away and ensure that you and the brotherhood become nothing more than a pile of ash.”

  “Just listen. Just listen for once in your life!” Jake screams in my face, his arms shaking as he digs his hands into the same pocket of his hoodie. Chills immediately tingle down my spine as I imagine what is inside.

  The Syndicate would never have him face me unarmed.

  He likely has something in there that will end my life.

  “I’ll listen the second you start telling me the truth. I’ll start to understand the moment you tell me why you tried to steal this cube from me in the first place and how you were capable of tossing my life away like it’s nothing when you were my everything.”

  Jake points to his neck, for the first time tears welling up in his eyes. His entire body shakes as he stares at me, an expression of deep sadness on his face that makes me empathize with him.

  He doesn’t need to tell me anything for me to know what is happening. They have a microphone implanted inside him just like they do with every other Syndicate member on Earth. And the second he says something they disapprove of, they won’t hesitate to end his life.

  “You don’t have to be doing this.” My voice is much softer. No longer is there a look of emptiness in his eyes. I finally see the glow in his face that resembles the Jake I used to know. He is still there. The person who has been there for me my entire life isn’t gone.

  He’s been hijacked.

  “You don’t understand,” Jake hisses, his fists clenched. “There’s no other option. This is it. This is it. And I can’t go through this alone. I can’t do this without you. So please don’t let them do this to me. Don’t let them! Don’t let them!”

  His intimidating stance disappears as his body collapses on the roof. At first, I stand in shock, watching his body on the ground, it curled up in a fetal position as the wave of emotion overcomes him. The sound of him crying and the tears streaming down his face onto the wooden planks pains me even though part of me wants to stomp on his head and force more tears out of him.

  He killed millions in Beijing.

  He willingly sacrificed Ai to the Syndicate so that he could have the cube to himself. And now he’s here, crying at my feet as he begs for me to give him the cube.

  They know that I’m the one with the power.

  And they know that the second I choose to, I can turn the entire world into a massive playground of destruction and chaos.

  “Stop fucking crying on the ground.” I can’t bring myself to spit on him, but the desire to do so is strong within me. “This is pathetic. You are the one who did this to yourself.”

  “This is the end!” He slams his fist on the ground, the action no doubt hurting him. He stands up again, wiping the tears from underneath his eyes. His jaw is clenched, veins popping out of his forehead as he paces back and forth. He is about to explode.

  “Calm down,” I caution, moving both my hands away from the cube. My heart can’t help but splinter in half as I watch my best friend turning into a monster right before my eyes. This is everything I feared the Syndicate would turn me into. “You are losing your mind.”

  “I’m not losing my mind.” He stops pacing and locks eyes with me. Then he reaches back into the pocket of his hoodie.

  He finally pulls out the object that is inside.

  It is a pistol, its dark metallic exterior driving terror into my eyes immediately upon seeing it. Immediately, I tap on the Chimera Cube and prepare to deliver it a lethal command.

  “Stop!” Jake roars before the command can escape my mouth. I’d normally wait a moment and then just say something right after that could deliver a harsh pain to Jake that will make him think twice about ever pulling a gun on me again.

  But I freeze when I notice that the barrel of the pistol isn’t pointed at me. It’s pointed at his own head.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I say, slowly backing away. My brain is spinning, my thoughts ranging from this being all a hallucination to the fact that the thing in front of me isn’t even Jake and is only a hyperrealistic realistic humanoid of him.

  “I can’t do this anymore.” He rips his hologlasses off with the one hand that is not holding the pistol and smashes them on the ground. “I never wanted to betray you. I never wanted to nuke Beijing. I never even wanted to team up with the Syndicate in the first place.”

  He pauses, tears streaming down his face as he forces the barrel of the pistol against his forehead. The aircraft only feet behind him shifts slightly in the air as people move around on it.

  They are preparing to attack.

  “I was forced into all of this. The Syndicate has dictated every single decision I have made for the last year. They don’t just have a chip in me that listens to what I say and that tracks my location. They have a chip implanted into my brain t
hat whispers to me during all hours of the day. A chip that the second I don’t heed to their commands will overwhelm my nervous system with electrical impulses and immediately cause my body to shut down. They can kill me on command. It’s been this way since the moment I threw that fucking party at your house. They got to me right after the night that Riva almost died. And since that night, my life has been in the hands of the council. Every action of mine is monitored. Everything I say or do must be approved by the Syndicate. And now that I’m here, they want me to take this gun and kill you with it. They want me to end your life and take this cube from you, so that the world will never experience another day of freedom.”

  “This sounds like some fucked-up joke.” I let my guard down as I finally realize that Jake never wanted to hurt me. He never wanted to do any of this.

  “It’s not. I wish it were. I wish it were. But it’s not.” Jake closes his eyes, the tension in his arms leaving as he shifts the position of the gun from his forehead to his chest. “Drew is an evil man. He was the one that truly led to my father getting killed. He manipulated Bradley into vying for world domination with the cube, knowing that it would scare your father into taking drastic measures. And after his brother was eliminated, all he had to do was kill your dad for the world to be his. Now we are the ones in the way of his goal. And he doesn’t give a shit that I share his blood. He doesn’t give a shit about anything. He just wants power, and he’s willing to take everything away to make the world his. He’s willing to kill me.”

  “He doesn’t have any power over you. Come with me.” I extend a hand to Jake. “We can both use this cube to destroy him, to destroy the entire Syndicate for good. They can’t stop us. I’ll never let them. I’ll never let them break us apart again.”

  “Sam,” Jake says breathlessly. “It’s over. It’s too late. They will kill me in a few seconds if I don’t complete the mission. If I don’t turn this barrel to face your head and press down on the trigger, they will overload my brain with an electrical charge. They have only used me as their tool from the very beginning. They never cared about me, about anything. All they want is power. And there’s nothing I can do to stop them. Even if I killed you now, it wouldn’t stop them from eventually ending my life later. That’s why I have to do this.”