Resurgence, page 15
part #2 of Convergence Series
The room fell silent. Tala’s nerves had been transformed, and now she felt fire inside her.
“I did the only thing I could,” she said sternly. “There was nothing I could do to stop twenty-six gunmen in the square. And I knew my chances of keeping President Royer alive were slim, but I still had to try everything I could to keep Thias from taking power,” she said, reigning in her voice, her eyes darting from person to person around the room, challenging them to question her. She caught Governor Otto Fulton’s eyes, dark and small under thick brows, and she was taken aback by the small curl at the corner of his mouth. Was he smiling at her?
“No one here is accusing you of not trying,” Victoria said, her voice like velvet as it carried through the room. “We’re simply trying to get as many answers as we can.”
“I don’t like the insinuation that I could’ve saved all those people, that their blood is on my hands,” she said, her voice steady.
“Of course not,” Otto said. “Tala, you were one person in a very extensive and elaborate plot. Personally, I don’t fault you for any of it. Including the assassination. If things are as you’ve described, Thias likely had fail-safes in place. He wasn’t going to let anything ruin what he had set in motion.”
Tala took a slow breath, relieved that at least one person in the room wasn’t judging her for her failures. Even if she judged herself for them.
“If Tala didn’t have information detrimental to Thias’s image and mission in the Republic,” Gemini said, speaking for the first time since they’d sat down, “then he wouldn’t have taken the measures he has to silence her. He put out a hit on her. His own sister. He’s afraid of her.”
“You’re what stands between him and a war with DeSoto and a civil war within his own country,” Lana said, a grim expression on her face. “Nobody would want to be where you are.”
Tala wasn’t sure how to respond to this. It was true though. She certainly didn’t want to be where she was. But no one had asked her. Fate put her there anyway.
“His motivations seem pretty clear to me,” Graham said, once again readjusting in his chair. Tala thought he looked incredibly uncomfortable. “He wasted no time invading DeSoto. And he went right for their shipping ports. It’s not just imports and exports for the Republic and DeSoto that will be in jeopardy if the Republic seizes control of all coastal areas around DeSoto. I don’t doubt that he wouldn’t try to seize control of the entire region, all of the Caribbean and central America, including the Panama Canal, because then he would control all shipping from east to west,” he argued.
“And that undoubtedly would impact all of us,” Lana said. “We have a lot of goods that come to us through DeSoto. The Republic too. If the Republic controlled what came from everywhere else as well, there would be devastation in all of our countries. Those are small countries in that region that wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight against the Republic’s Militia Forces.”
“DeSoto is likely a very small part of his plan,” Teagan said. “This is a threat to all of us. One by one, he could systematically destroy each of us on our own.”
A pit opened inside Tala at the sudden realization. She’d never understood the full depths of Thias’s greed until just then. And where would he stop once North America was conquered?
“Our only advantage is that we’re a united front,” Victoria said. “And it’s crucial we converge with DeSoto, and I don’t mean just as allies.” She pressed her lips into a firm line as she looked around the room.
“If we can get the people within the Republic to also intervene, well, he can’t fight us on all sides,” Fischer said. He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Things are deteriorating quickly inside the Republic,” Lana said, her voice sharp. Everyone’s head turned in her direction as she stood, walking to the digital wall. With a tap of her fingers, it woke up, and she pressed her hand to it, unlocking it. A large home screen appeared before them. With a few swipes and taps of her fingers, a map of the Republic appeared.
“Here,” she said, pointing with her finger to a region west of Lake Michigan. “And here,” she said, moving her finger toward the center of the map, near the city of Alexandria where her grandfather had been born. “Forced labor camps have been setup. We have people inside the Republic who have been able to get messages to us. Anyone they arrest as dissidents, anyone they find from DeSoto, they’re being sent there. A rearmament is creating work force shortages. The people in these camps are compensating for it.”
Victoria rose to her feet as Lana resumed her seat at the table. “Your advoprop has been very effective,” she said with a pause, squaring her body with Tala’s, her eyes lingering on her from across the room. Then she turned to the screen, tapping it like Lana, dragging her finger around. Photos of crumbled concrete and steel appeared before them. “These images,” Victoria continued, stepping to the side to give everyone a clear view, “were taken two days ago after explosives were detonated in the intermodal transit hub in Michigan City. This is a hard hit against the Republic. While destroying it will surely affect the people, it is a huge disruption of the transport of MF supplies throughout the country.” Using her finger, she swiped through a small gallery of images, all showing the complete decimation of buildings, and three of what looked to have been cranes. Michigan City was the second largest city in the Republic. It’s location along the Great Lakes made it a prime location for shipping goods throughout the country by boat, truck, or train.
“Since the bombing, there have been riots throughout the country. Those for and against the Republic clashing. But this,” Victoria said, motioning over her shoulder, her eyes once again finding Tala. “This wasn’t us. This was you. Your message, to your people. This is the flame you fueled from the spark of your advoprop.”
Conflicting emotions surged through Tala’s body, her cheeks flushing. “Were there casualties?” she asked.
“There most always are,” Victoria said, though she didn’t elaborate. “One star to light the way,” she said, talking directly to her, referring to their previous conversation. Victoria closed the images on the screen, then took her seat at the head of the table once more.
“If she has this kind of influence, we need more from her,” Elias said, and Tala realized that he’d been quiet throughout the conversation. “Thias uses his own newspeak with his people. We counter it.”
Tala swallowed. Thias had made her small because that was how he wanted her. And she couldn’t help but wonder, if it was true and he was afraid of her now, had he seen a threat in her long before she saw it in herself? It was time to show him what she was made of. “I’m ready for whatever,” she said firmly. The days of submitting to him were over.
Victoria pressed her lips into a small smile. And then Tala saw it, it was in her eyes. She was poised and graceful and kind, but there was fire in her. The intensity she saw in Elias’s stern face matched what thrived inside Victoria. She just wore it differently. She was a woman who was never going to back down to the Republic. And Tala wasn’t going to either.
Thias’s biggest flaw was that he was so focused on his primacy and his craving for dominance that he underestimated people. He scoffed at the Rebels, he believed that if he oppressed his people that they wouldn’t have any fight left in them. He was ignorant to the unity between his neighboring countries, and he thought Tala to be the woman he tried to mold, demure and insignificant. All of it, his underestimation, would be his demise.
“Is there anything else you’d like to say or add at this time?” Graham asked.
Tala sat a little taller. “Just that I hope you believe me.”
“You have given us plenty to further discuss,” Teagan said.
The other leaders nodded as Tala’s eyes circled the room. She’d given them everything, and now all she could hope was that it was enough.
“There is something else for you, something that you should see,” Victoria said, her eyes catching Tala’s, then swiftly moving to Gemini.
Gemini nodded as she rose from her chair. “Come with me,” she said as she passed Tala, heading for the door.
She quickly stood, unsure of what was happening.
“Tala.”
She paused, her eyes catching Otto’s as he stood as well, looking sharp in his blazer.
“Thank you for your testimony,” he said as he tipped his head to her. There was something in his eyes just then that caught her off guard. A gleam that she hadn’t expected. Almost a smile. She hadn’t come to the summit in search of validation from any of them. She knew what she had, what she’d done to get it. But in that moment, as he gazed the short distance across the table at her, she couldn’t help but feel that she’d found it anyway, in him.
She offered the room a half-smile, then turned to follow Gemini out the door.
Maverick straightened as Tala stepped into the hall, his eyes catching hers, and she couldn’t read them. She felt a small pang inside. She’d always been able to read them. It was just another reminder that they weren’t what they once had been.
Together, they followed Gemini down the hall. They turned three corners, each corridor looking exactly like all the others, doors and doors, all numbered, most with security panels. They finally came to a stop at a secure door. Gemini opened it and stepped aside to allow them in.
Tala stepped into a small room, a sofa and a chair facing a large TV screen on the wall. It looked like a cozy living room. She looked at Gemini with a raised brow. “What’s this?” she asked.
“We received a transmission this morning,” she said. “It’s meant for you.”
“I don’t understand,” Tala said, her eyes moving to Maverick as he shrugged.
“You will.” Gemini picked up a small remote from the table beside the sofa and turned on the TV. She tapped the remote a few times, then finally Tala understood. Her heart fell as she looked up, Thias’s face filling the screen.
“Press play when you’re ready,” she said, handing her the remote.
Tala took it gingerly in her hands, not trusting them as she felt the quiver in her fingers.
“Have you seen it?” she asked.
Gemini nodded, her mouth turned down at the corners. She turned toward Maverick. “You’re cleared for this information. You can stay or leave,” she said. “It’s up to her.”
His eyes met Tala’s. “Stay,” she said without hesitation. She didn’t know what was in the video, but she was certain she didn’t want to be alone when she watched it. “Please.”
“I’ll come back for you,” Gemini said. Silence unfolded in the room as she left, and Tala rounded the sofa, taking a seat, Maverick beside her. There was something that felt safe about having him with her for this. Though a video message couldn’t physically harm her, she knew better than anyone that words had power.
Tala looked at the still image of Thias’s face, the video paused, and suddenly all the reasons not to watch it came crashing over her, taking the breath from her lungs. Did she really want to know what he had to say? Did she care?
She hated the answer that whispered faintly in the back of her mind. Yes.
She took a deep, steady breath, letting it fill her up, fortifying her. She reminded herself that Thias only had the power over her that she gave him. This was her mind preparing her heart. She had stopped liking him a long time ago. But despite herself, there was a part of her that loved him still. And maybe that was okay. Maybe the fact that she could still love him as her brother after everything said more about who she was than it did about who he was.
She stole a glance at Maverick.
“As hard as this might be to watch, I know you’ll regret it if you don’t,” he said, nodding encouragingly.
Her hands clutched the remote, and after a moment, she pressed play, the video before her coming to life.
Thias sat back in a chair, his elbows propped on each armrest, his hands folded together. She recognized the room immediately from the National Statements President Royer had made. He was in the cynosure in the Central Government building. He was in the president’s chamber. He wore black slacks and a gray dress shirt, though no jacket, no tie, the top of his shirt open, the button loosened. It was an odd look for him. He looked… comfortable, she thought. This was a side of him she didn’t know.
His blond hair was longer than she remembered, thick tendrils starting to curl at the ends as they were tucked behind his ears, the top combed lazily back off his forehead. By all accounts, he was handsome. It was his eyes that hadn’t changed. They were a striking steel blue, cold and hard, and they made the hair on the back of Tala’s neck stand. They were the one constant as he sat before her.
He let out a loud sigh of emotion, his head bobbing slightly like he was struggling to find the words to speak.
“Tala,” he finally said, then paused for several seconds. “This is hard for me, talking to you as though you are right in front of me. When in reality, you’re likely somewhere far away. Where? I can’t say, but I’m guessing you’re not in the city anymore.” He took a breath as he sat up, his elbows now on his thighs, his head dipping, though his eyes never dropped from the camera.
“It hurts me that we are so divided. It hurts me that after all these years, after everything I’ve done for you, raising you on my own, giving you everything, that you could turn against me. Turn against your people and your country. And for what?” He kept his voice steady and calm, and Tala felt her anger beginning to simmer, her fingers tingling. It was almost laughable that of all things, he was accusing her of being the traitor. Like he hadn’t ordered the assassination of their president, like he hadn’t conspired to kill hundreds of his own people, like he hadn’t shot her friend in cold blood.
“The division that is between us is setting a terrible example for our people, for the world. People see you and I at war with each other and suddenly they feel it’s justified to go to war with everyone else. Your broadcast that hijacked my system broke my heart,” he said, his voice cracking as his eyes fell briefly to the floor.
Tala glanced away and willed herself to take a deep breath, exhaling slowly through her nose. She noticed the shake in her hands, then a moment later, Maverick slid his over them, gripping them enough to still them. She looked back up at the screen.
Thias’s eyes bore into the camera. “I don’t know where I could’ve gone so wrong that you would think it okay to join the Rebels.” She heard the rising tension in his voice. “That act alone is tantamount to treason. You know how the Republic handles Rebels and their schisies,” he said, using the slang term for Rebel sympathizers. “And though you should be no exception, I’m offering an olive branch to you. You’re my sister, and all I want is for us to be together again. As a family. I want you and I to stand before our people as a united front, honoring the legacy of our family that came before us. Our father. Our grandfather. I am willing to pardon you for everything, if you just come home. That’s all I want, for you to come home,” he said with sadness, a pained expression on his face.
She was buying none of it. For the first time in her life, she saw through him. Through every lie that spilled off his tongue. He was a master, and she was convinced that even he fell prey to his own manipulation and deceit. The truth and the lies blended flawlessly together, making it impossible to know where one ended and the other began.
“The one good thing that came from your broadcast,” he said, “was that I could see that you were okay. I don’t believe you’re safe,” he said with a firm shake of his head. “But at least I could have the peace of mind that you’re okay.” He fell silent, his head dropping, and she saw his ragged breaths from the rise and fall of his shoulders. The fact that he thought she’d fall for any of this was a slap in the face.
“I will rescind the notice that you’re a person of interest. Come back to Columbia City. Together, you and I can do great things. If we cannot come together, our battles will be fought at the expense of the people. And I know you don’t want that. All that blood on your hands. I know you don’t want to lose one more person close to you. It doesn’t have to be like that. Come home. You and I can repair what has been torn. Vaughn’s heartbroken and only wants to mend your relationship. You’re like a sister to Nina, and the children miss you terribly.”
Tala felt a pang in her heart as she thought of her nephew and niece, Jax and Millie. Far too young to ever understand any of it.
“I know you think you believe in what you’re doing. But you’re wrong. Look around you. Dividing the people weakens us as a whole, and we can never have peace amid that kind of discord. Think of all the lives you could spare. There’s already been enough destruction left in your wake. Keep in mind,” he said with a pause, his eyes fixing on her through the screen, “there is still more that you stand to lose.”
She suppressed a shudder as a chill ran down her spine, realization dawning on her. She swallowed hard as she stole a glance at Maverick who was too absorbed in the video to catch his guileful threat. At least that was something to be grateful for.
“You come back, and I will forgive everything.” His jaw set in a hard line, his lips pursing. “Whatever your next move, heed my warning. The Republic of Columbia was built out of the ashes of war, and it will not crumble under the petty threats of the Rebels. You choose them and you will have chosen wrong. I will destroy anything that stands in my way. Please don’t make that be you. I couldn’t bear it. I know that the particulars of politics are new to you, and so I understand your ignorance. And I leave you now with this. There is an old, proverbial saying that to know your enemy, you must become your enemy. Do you, Tala, have what it takes to do this?”
