Chapter 6
A wave of anger swells through the mess hall. Chairs scrape the floor and clothing rustles as people shift so they can see the far wall, which suddenly glows from the light of a holoscreen.
My shoulders go rigid. I don’t even want to know what Cross’s brother, the newly minted General, has to say. Whatever it is, it’s bound to provoke rage, retaliation, or both.
With a low hum and a white-green flicker, Travis’s image appears on the holoscreen.
He’s standing alone on the steps of the Capitol.
I’m startled for a moment, because his resemblance to Cross is so damn jarring.
They share the same classically handsome features, the chiseled jaw, the bottomless blue eyes.
But where Cross accelerates my pulse, Travis makes it stutter with trepidation.
The last time I saw Travis, he wore civilian attire. Intelligence officers rarely don Command gear even though they technically serve in Silver Block.
Today the new General Redden sports the navy-blue uniform his father used to wear. The same general’s star pinned to his left breast, like the one that used to grace his father’s.
His gaze is cold and unwavering as he fixes it on the camera.
“I’d like to begin this broadcast with a somber message.
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the news. My father, General Merrick Redden, a man of unwavering honor and integrity, the leader who has stood at the helm of our Continental ship for the past twenty-five years, a quarter of a century during which our society prospered—”
Someone snorts.
“Did it, though?” Henley quips, and I grin despite the tension gripping me.
“—was tragically targeted last week by members of the Aberrant Uprising. During this attack, the enemy revealed a power previously unknown to us: the ability to corrupt minds. To destroy them, as if our minds are nothing more than a series of wires to be tugged and pulled at their will. That night revealed a danger unlike anything we’ve faced before.
The Aberrant destroyed my father’s mind, and they now seek to destroy the rest of us.
These people, these unnatural beings…they must be neutralized, swiftly and decisively. ”
I feel the heat of everyone’s fury rippling through the room in palpable waves.
And I can’t help but put myself in the shoes of a Prime citizen watching this broadcast, being told about the threat of having my brain fried.
Any terror they’re experiencing right now would be wholly justifiable.
Cross’s brother is intentionally trying to create division, and I suspect it’s going to work.
So many Primes already hate us, fear us.
This broadcast will only stir up more hatred.
Meanwhile, Travis’s own brother is a Mod. One of these “unnatural beings” he so despises. Would Travis kill Cross if he knew the truth?
My stomach clenches at the thought. Fuck. I hate this hopeless, helpless feeling that’s stuck in my chest. Cross keeps assuring me he’s not in danger, but how can he not be? His entire world is one dangerous misstep away from crashing down on him.
But he’s right—would he really be any safer if he were here with me? They threw Xavier in a cell the first chance they got. I don’t even want to consider what they might do to Cross.
“My message to the Aberrant,” Travis continues, “to you, the silverbloods hiding in the fringes, planning your little attacks on the Company and its citizens—your actions will not go unpunished. If war is what you want, then war is what you’ll get.”
“Bring it,” Evlynne says, mocking the screen.
“And to all the Primes on the Continent, this is the time for neither hesitation nor inaction. War doesn’t allow for indecision.
War requires a choice. So I want you to ask yourself this: What side will you choose to fight on?
Do you want to be on the right side of history, or would you rather look back and wish you’d followed the moral path?
Not only are the Aberrant dangerous, but they lack all traces of morality.
They are the enemy.” His expression grows cold.
“And make no mistake, any Prime citizen caught aiding that enemy will face the same consequence as the enemy himself: detainment at one of our camps, or execution by firing squad.”
He’s clever, I’ll give him that. The impassioned speech, the clear battle lines. Sowing fear, because fear is how you control the masses. Making them question whether they’re on the right side of this war, because nobody wants to feel like the villain of their own story.
Like my parents.
Shame burns my throat as I realize that every single person in this room would view my parents as the villains. Marina Serrano and Jake Hess sided with people who abhor us. They worked with the Company to murder an entire Mod village.
But I’m not them. The reminder has me tightening my jaw in fortitude. Now that I’m an official member of the Uprising, I plan to do everything in my power to defeat people like Travis Redden, not work with them.
“The Aberrant will not go unpunished for what they did to my father, to our leader. I promise you, as the newly appointed General of the Continent, that I am committed to eradicating the Aberrant scourge on our society. I commit to crushing the Aberrant Uprising, one silverblood at a time if I must. And it is your duty, as a Prime and as a citizen, to help us achieve this.”
The broadcast cuts off without warning, the holoscreen flickering before shutting off and disappearing from view. The mess hall is deadly silent for several beats.
“Godfucker,” Evlynne finally mutters, and then the entire room seems to be speaking at once.
I hear incredulous laughter at another table. A few snorts. A male voice remarking, “Someone’s on a power trip.”
My mind is spinning too hard to pay much attention to all the reactions. Travis had delivered that broadcast alone. Where was Cross? Roe? How do either of them fit into any of this? And why didn’t Cross warn me his brother was planning to deliver a war declaration this morning?
“You good over there?” Gray’s voice nudges me out of my thoughts.
“Oh. Yes. I’m fine,” I say, trying to pretend the broadcast hadn’t left me shaken. Nobody else seems too concerned by Travis’s bold threats.
“You sure, cowgirl?”
“Cowgirl?” Karra’s pinched expression belies her airy tone.
I don’t think I blame her. If Cross had a nickname for another woman, I’d rip his tongue out.
Since I’m not a total bitch, I decide to do Gray a favor. “That was my nickname at the Command base,” I tell his girlfriend. “Everyone called me cowgirl because I grew up on a ranch in Z.”
The nickname was used exclusively by Grayson Blake.
But she doesn’t need to know that.
I don’t miss the quick flicker of gratitude that passes through his eyes. “Sorry, all those Command nicknames are stuck in my head now. I should probably break myself out of the habit.”
“Oh no, I think it’s cute,” Karra chirps, while her tight jaw reveals “cute” is not the word she really wants to use.
Luckily, I’m given a reprieve when I feel Adrienne trying to link with me.
“Are you still with Gray?” she asks.
“Yes, why?”
“Have him bring you to my quarters. We need to speak.”
Adrienne’s quarters are larger than Gray’s, but not any more luxurious. Inside, I find sparse furnishings and zero frills. It appears nobody lives beyond their means on this base.
“Your lieutenant friend is an insufferable ass,” Adrienne says as we enter the living area. She doesn’t offer me a drink or make small talk. I get the feeling this woman is always business.
I bite my lip in amusement. “Xavier’s an acquired taste.”
She lifts a brow. “Are you sure you want to continue vouching for him?”
“If it saves him from execution, yes.”
“Well, he’s refusing to cooperate, so execution is looking like the likeliest option here. We’d give him back to the Company, but they don’t want him, either. They released a red threat for him.” She gestures to the small sofa. “Have a seat.”
“Am I ever getting my own quarters?”
“We’ve assigned you a room on Gray’s block. The current occupant is being relocated. Room’s being cleaned now. It should be ready for you soon.”
“You kicked someone out of their room for me?”
She waves off my consternation. “Take it up with Gray. He requested it.”
I don’t know whether to be touched or annoyed that Gray wants to keep me close. I suppose it depends on his motives. If it’s because of how much he’s missed my amazing friendship, I’ll give him a pass. But if he thinks I can’t watch out for myself, then he should know me better by now.
Adrienne settles in an armchair and crosses her legs. She clasps her hands on her thighs. “Let’s discuss your goals, Wren.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you were working undercover for us in the Command, you told me you were willing to do anything to take the General down.”
“Yes, and then you went in and did it yourself,” I say, my voice edged with sarcasm.
“I took down the man, not the system.”
I fold my arms against my chest. “Can we talk about your corruption now or are we still dancing around the subject?”
She shrugs, causing strands of red hair to slide over one shoulder. “What do you want to know?”
“What do I want to know? How about: How the fuck is it possible?”
“Trust me, it’s very possible.” Her tone is dry.
“How many other corrupters are there?”
“I’m the only one we’re aware of.”
“On the entire Continent?” I say in surprise.
“As far as we know, yes.”
“Do you have a bloodmark?”
Without a shred of modesty, she pulls up the bottom of her shirt to show me the red circle above her belly button. It’s about as large as mine.