Chapter 23 #2
‘She should have annihilated him,’ Mace says. Fury seeps through his every word. ‘She was Queen. She doomed us all because she didn’t.’
But is it really that easy? I doubt it. They must have been as tight-knit as Top Team is. And how could Franka have set Stu aside, short of murdering him? Commanders are chosen for life.
The image shimmers out and vanishes.
‘That’s it?’ Julian says. ‘No more explanations? Nothing about the aftermath?’
‘What else would there be to know?’ Xandra examines the tips of her boots. ‘It’s clear. The first Council fucked us sideways because of their choices. The laws we live by were passed. Franka let it happen. And the other kingdoms still hate us.’
‘But it doesn’t make sense,’ Mace says. ‘Other kingdoms have Warriors now. They aren’t hunted down anymore. Why are they so hostile to us?’
‘Doesn’t it serve Central Command?’ I put in. ‘To be so hated that anyone who doesn’t agree with them wouldn’t have anywhere else to go? And why wouldn’t the other kingdoms hate us, when all we do is steal from them and aren’t open to any real trade negotiations?’
‘That’s different,’ Julian says. ‘We need resources to survive. We hardly have any.’
I snort. ‘You sound just like Stu. He could also justify everything by saying that he had no other choice.’
‘Central Command failed us miserably at some point,’ Xandra says. ‘Instead of trying to change and strike new paths, we became stuck in our ways. And it goes on and on and on. Central Command never changes anything.’
‘We’ve been through this more than once, haven’t we, Xandra?’ Mace says, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
The knowledge that all of Top Team are in on this, becoming Central Command so they can affect lasting changes afterwards, solidifies. But it will take years and years. If they even succeed.
‘Stella?’ I ask. ‘Is there anything else you want to show us?’
Another image shimmers into existence. Franka is in the Central Command Room, and screens are lit up on the wall across from her. They show how armed Warriors are taking control of different chambers: the Monitoring Chambers at the Arena, the Kitchens, the streets of the Shopping District.
A rebellion is in full swing.
Franka covers her mouth. ‘There are so many of them.’
Stu shrugs in a careless gesture. ‘It was to be expected. There was bound to be some resistance.’
I wonder at how the two of them can stand so calmly while this is happening. Franka twitches, but Stu says, ‘Not yet. They’re spread out too widely.’
The rebels seem to group in select chambers around The Citadel, taking control. They trickle from the streets, taking over one Quarter after the other.
‘Now,’ says Stu.
The other four Commanders are clustered behind him, simply watching.
Franka brings her hands to the central command panel, tears in her eyes. Magic flows from her in a steady stream, coating her arms in blue. The circlet on her head and the arm band glow. ‘Catch them all, Stella,’ she whispers.
Blue nets spring out across The Citadel, catching the rebels as if they were mere helpless prey. I see it unfolding on the screens in front of Command. Tears are falling down Franka’s face. ‘I told you this would happen, Stu,’ she says in a choked voice.
‘If they can’t accept our rules, then they don’t deserve to live in The Citadel,’ he replies coldly. ‘Now make your choice.’
Franka says, ‘Stella, pull them into safe rooms. Don’t let them get out.’
Across The Citadel, rebels are being dragged, nets and all, through tunnels, towards rooms hidden within the depths of the city. The screens change to those images, to rebels knocking at metal panels that won’t open for them.
‘Horrifying,’ I say.
‘What should we do about them?’ Stu asks. ‘I challenge you … to make the right choice.’
Franka looks at him over her shoulder, and then back to the screens. ‘I don’t know who you are, Stu. I don’t know who we’ve become. This isn’t right, and I’m not going along with this anymore.’
Stu doesn’t reply. Instead, he generates a yellow short sword in his hand. I realise what will happen a fraction of a second before he drives the magical sword through her back, twisting and pushing, until it comes out, covered in blood, through her chest.
Even if this is just a hologram, a recreation of what happened in the past, I still shout a warning to Franka.
Unfortunately for her, in the footage, there is no one else there to warn her.
No one moved a finger to help her. And it happens too fast, anyway.
She doesn’t even have time to twist, to defend herself, to look into Stu’s eyes.
She falls on her knees, blood pooling on the floor.
‘It had to be done, Franka,’ he says. ‘You were too soft. You were going to have us all killed. Destroy everything we worked for.’
Two of the other Commanders pat him on the back and leave the room. The others stand behind him, unmoving. Then, the Healer I’d seen in those old posters at the beginning of our mission, exhales a shuddery breath. ‘This isn’t right.’
‘We had no choice,’ Stu grits through his teeth. ‘She would have driven The Citadel into the ground. And it was done by the rules. I challenged her first.’
The Healer shakes his head and leaves.
‘Stella,’ Stu says. ‘How many Apprentices with Shield magic are there in The Citadel?’
There’s a long pause before Stella says, ‘Two.’
‘Kick them out of training,’ he says. ‘See to it that they receive partnership contracts. I’ll select the partners myself.
And from now on, you’re forbidden to show them how to use their powers in conjunction with you.
They’re also forbidden to train with the Warriors. No official training for them at all.’
I inhale sharply. A Shield. And Franka also trained with the Warriors. I remember what Stella said when we found the previous block of information, how Franka had some unique qualities to her magic.
‘Did you see that?’ Julian says. ‘Franka neutralised hundreds of rebels. By herself. With Stella’s help.’
‘Did Stu just get away with it?’ Xandra asks. ‘How was that even possible?’
‘Stella, hold on a second,’ Mace says. ‘How come Central Command murdered one of their own – a Queen – and got away with it?’
‘Simply,’ says Stella. ‘The law permits for Central Command to be challenged. Especially if the challengers think there are outliers who threaten the integrity of the Council. Or the integrity of the Citadel.’
‘And who judges when the integrity is threatened?’ I ask. We seem to be revolving in circles.
‘Central Command decides,’ Stella says in an even tone. ‘Or the people decide.’
‘What people?’ Mace asks. ‘Random people?’
‘One of the basic principles that the Cities are governed by is that anyone might challenge Central Command,’ Stella says.
‘Wait, wait, wait,’ I say. ‘What do you mean, anyone can challenge Central Command? They don’t just get to replace whoever dies and go on ruling for life?’
Stella laughs. ‘No, Apprentice Errington. The Commanders can be replaced.’
‘What does that exactly mean?’ Mace says. ‘A fight to the death?’
‘Not necessarily,’ Stella says. ‘Killing a Commander is the more extreme way to replace them. There are other ways to defeat them.’
‘It’s useless, though,’ Mace says, seeming to ponder loudly. ‘Stella is compelled to obey the orders of Central Command. The AI can simply … take care of any challengers, if Central Command orders it.’
‘Incorrect, Apprentice Hardfield,’ Stella says. ‘During a Challenge I’m compelled to step down. Only the basic functions that ensure that The Citadel’s supply and defence links are working at maximum capacity are still active. I’m designed to remain impartial during a Challenge.’
Mace looks like he’s received the best gift of his life.
‘Hold on. Why do you have the permission to tell us this?’ I ask, suspicious.
‘This is information that is available to all citizens of The Citadel,’ she says. ‘To citizens of all the Cities, in fact.’
A shudder goes through me and I nearly lose the grip on my power that keeps the holograms in check. ‘You mean that we were supposed to know this? How our own rulers may change, and this sort of information has been purposedly kept hidden from us? For centuries?’
This is beyond anything I can imagine. The first Central Commands couldn’t wipe this principle of succession from Stella’s programming without destroying it completely. Instead, they found a way to put it away so that no one would know that their rule isn’t absolute and that they can be challenged.
Mace looks as stunned as I am. ‘The implications of this,’ he says, ‘are staggering.’
I can imagine what he’s thinking of.
‘Would you like to download statistics on power profiles and methods of training?’ Stella asks in a neutral voice.
‘Yes,’ Allen says enthusiastically, and pulls out his ART. ‘Initiate device pairing.’ He begins to tap instructions, grinning. ‘Oh, this will be good. I’ll be able to study this later.’
‘Just a little while longer, Ellie,’ Mace says.
He must have been watching closely to realise how tired I am from holding the sensors inactive.
I nod.
‘This was way too easy,’ Julian says.
‘You think? The problem wasn’t going in; it will be coming out. We have to think of an escape plan,’ Mace says. ‘What we’ll do the moment Ellie takes her hands off the sensors.’ He turns to Xandra. ‘Can you give us a lift?’
Xandra pouts. ‘It won’t be easy.’ She studies the ceiling, the opening we fell through. ‘But I can try.’
‘Three more minutes,’ Allen says.
‘You can levitate us? All five of us?’ I ask. I had no idea she had that ability. So that must have been her hidden skill.
‘Yup,’ Xandra says. ‘But this is a classified ability. I’m only allowed to train it in contained environments. And only Central Command has access to the footage.’
This explains, at least, why I never heard even a whisper about this. So I’m not the only one who has ever received secret training. The question is, as always, why this has been kept under wraps. But this isn’t the right time to untangle this.
‘One minute,’ Allen says.
‘Xandra, brace,’ Mace says.