I sleep well past sunrise, but Quin doesn’t leave until I’m fully awake. He waits for me in the sitting room while I change from my pajamas into the damp clothes. We’ve missed breakfast, so all that’s left is some dry cereal. After we finish eating, Quin decides to go and check on the guards outside as he was supposed to relieve them this morning with Lehen. I go to see how Braxton is faring with the satellite.
All but one of the monitors is displaying a live feed from the cameras that we placed yesterday. Braxton is sitting at a control panel while Jagger is hunched down in the back connecting wires together, Duren kneeling by his side helping. Neither notices my appearance until I ask how they’re doing.
“We have intermittent control of one of Acheron’s satellites. This room isn’t meant to handle this function, so the link is spotty at times.” Braxton answers through gritted teeth, frustration weighing heavy in his voice. “We don’t have a…wait,” he shouts. “Hold it right there.”
The picture on the monitor is grainy, but outlines of the city are visible.
“It looks okay to me,” I comment, as I sit down next to him on one of the stools.
“No…it’s not.” Braxton tries to pan out further from the city. “See…there.” He points to a white line in the lower right section of the screen.
It takes me a moment to focus in on what he’s pointing to, so I take a step closer to the screen and see the shuttle rail. Whole sections are missing.
“What would’ve caused that?” I question, as I notice areas about a mile wide crumbling into the lake water below.
“It’s a failsafe for the city,” Braxton replies, as he continues to try and move the satellite view. “The shuttle rail is designed to break apart if the city is attacked. The only way to get close enough now would be by boat, but if you don’t know the correct paths through the water you’ll hit detonators just below the surface. They should’ve been released from the lake bed when the failsafe was put into action.”
He focuses briefly on a metal wreck in the water, just off shore. A small boat sits tangled in the shallows, with several bodies floating next to it. Other boats sit idle, waiting to be launched.
“What about the Laics in the Boroughs?” Jagger asks, as he crawls out from his spot, wires in both hands.
“There’s nothing that can be done.”
The image moves to the left; smoke and flames reaching high into the sky. Buildings have disintegrated into dust, a river of fire flowing into the lake.
“What about the defenses? The Regulators? Don’t they have anything that will help defend the Boroughs?”
“The Regulators aren’t trained for battle; they’re only a control force for the Laics. The cities dismantled all of their aircraft and defensive armory long ago.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Because that was what the Antaeans were supposed to be for!” Braxton barks. “After the destruction of the Dormitories, Tyre and Acheron located the individual responsible and eliminated him, along with his faction. That was supposed to be the end of it.”
“It appears the High Rulers were wrong about that.”
Braxton scowls at Jagger’s comment before returning to the monitor.
“You can’t just leave them to die!” Jagger exclaims, coming around to our side of the room, knocking Duren down in the process. “They’re defenseless because of you and the city, so you’re just going to let them be slaughtered?”
“They can be replaced,” Braxton snaps back. “What do you think the Hatcheries are for? You were born in one. I was born in one.” He rises out of his seat, veins pulsing in his neck.
Jagger surprises everyone by gripping Braxton around the throat. Braxton tries to free himself from the vice-like grasp, and I stand and watch Braxton’s face turn purple from lack of oxygen. A smile grows on my face. Trea is enjoying the spectacle.
Rabaan steps into the room, pulling Jagger off Braxton, who’s gasping for air.
“How can you defend him?” Jagger shouts.
“Now is not the time.”
“He’s letting all those people die!”
“More will die if we don’t stop the Hostem.”
Jagger steps back, still enraged. He storms out of the room, hands balled into fists. I get down from the stool and chase after him. He’s in the process of going up the stairs when I stop him.
“We’ll get our chance, Jagger. Just give me time and we’ll take care of them all at once.”
He turns to look at me, rage in his eyes.
“Them? You’re no different!”
He plants his fist into my chest, sending me sailing across the hall, landing hard against the far wall. I slide to the floor, stunned more by his remark than his blow. It takes me a few seconds to regain my composure…as well as my footing. I stand up, walk up one flight, and hide myself in my room for the remainder of the day.
Quin comes to check on me in the late afternoon, but I don’t answer his knocks. I miss lunch and dinner, so my stomach is growling from emptiness. Normally I’d do something physically challenging to drive off tension, but there’s nowhere to go in the hatchery, and venturing outside isn’t an option. A headache begins to grow behind my eyes from being inactive, so I turn off the lights and curl up under the covers, falling asleep.
Chapter 26
Shouting rouses me. As the voices grow in pitch and in number, I roll over onto my left side, opening my eyes just a little.
A large figure looms in the doorway; light from the hallway casts his shadow deep into the bedchamber. I see a woman in orange charging up behind him, but in one smooth motion he turns and snaps her neck.
The man
