The Constant Star (72)

THE STORY SO FAR

Siff doesn’t see any bodies here, like the population just left. Likewise the buildings show minimal damage, “When we captured the level below they evacuated. No resistance here.” One of the troops must have noticed her questioning gaze.

<Silence. This is recon, not friend-con. Shut the fuck up and assume the enemy is watching us.> Addy’s voice over comms puts the man’s face back to the mission and they continue in silence.

About ten minutes of jogging and the team stops in a building to regroup, “The console is under the road one-hundred meters that way. I need three with me, two on the roof, and three fifty meters ahead of my position. Princess is with me at the console. Recon head up now, the rest of you with me.”

Siff follows Addy into the street and jogs the last few meters before ducking behind an abandoned small transport. Addy signals for the three others to head forward and scout. It isn’t long before the recon teams are heard, <Clear from the sky, over.>

<Clear from the ground, over.>

Siff joins the remaining three in the middle of the street. Addy gets to work disassembling the floor panel as the other two mount tripods just ahead of their position, assembling large guns and attaching them to the top. They crouch beside them with guns drawn as the tripods come to life and scan the area ahead, “I thought this was a safe zone? Why are—“

“Just shut up Siff. That’s your mission. Shut up and don’t touch anything.” Addy grunts as she pries the floor panel free. It hisses as hydraulics finish what she started. The wiring beneath looks very well organized, but Siff has no clue what any of it is for. Addy retrieves the comm-box from her pouch and quickly connects it to two sets of wires. She pushes the floor panel back down into place and Siff hears the clicking of magnetic locks, “Forward team retreat to my position.” Addy grabs Siff and they return to hide behind the abandoned transport. A few seconds later the forward team joins them, “Okay, this is the fun part. Diana, you’ve got comms. Objective one complete.”

<Thank you Addy. Well done. Okay Siff, this next part is for you. Fire cannons.>

There is the sound of launching gun fire ahead. Siff looks from behind the transport to see explosions rock distant skyscrapers. One collapses slowly in dust and iron, “What the fuck?!” Siff stands agape.

<Movement from the city.> The comms open up from the team on the roof.

<Excellent.> Macy’s voice is grinning, <Prepare to retreat.>

“Yes, Sir.” Addy smiles at Siff who tries to move. She can’t.

“What? What’s going on?”

“That long range communicator you put on? That’s a modified paralyzer.” Addy’s smile is from ear to ear, “I really wanted to just shoot you, but Macy told me about this idea and it seems so much more poetic. You left us to die, and now we get to leave you. Bye, bitch.” Addy punches Siff in the gut, causing her to fall paralyzed to the ground. Addy turns to leave, but changes her mind. She pulls her gun and points it at Siff’s terrified face, then aims and shoots her on the outside of her leg. Siff lets out a wail and cries. Addy smiles a wicked smile before turning again and sprinting with her team back the way they came.

Siff watches until they are out of sight, hoping they might change their minds. But when they are gone she closes her eyes and speaks trembling with fear and pain, “Macy? Macy please. Why? Are you there? Why?”

<That is the question, isn’t it? Well, let me tell you.>

57

<You’re one fun girl to manipulate, that’s for sure. It’s been a blast, Siff, but you were supposed to die before you ever hit the ground in the Tube—that was the plan. And of course it was me, Idiot. I leaked the info of your departure so they could kill you and I could use you as a martyr. But, like always, your precious daddy saved you.>

“But, your generals…?”

<Pathetic leaders with no vision. They wanted to cave every chance they got. They wanted to negotiate when we had so little to bargain with… they would have taken us right back were we started. I couldn’t let them do that to us. I set them up. Obviously. They needed to go. Just like you needed to go when you got to that village.

<I hoped the Council would make the right decision, and they did. You were supposed to die with that village you were contaminating, but noooooo…once again your precious daddy saved you!

<And so here you are. Precious Siff. The one who gets to live a perfect, charmed life. The one who never has to face the consequences of her actions. The one who abandons her closest friend to be tortured. Abandons her to die under the surgeons knife only to be resuscitated for a life of slavery.

<That hardware Addy just installed? It’s telling Security that a large Rebellion force is moving through here. I can see them already scrambling to strike.>

“Macy, please. Why are you doing this?”

<You want to know why?! I needed you! I needed you to save me like you saved yourself! But once I was gone you forgot about me. Your father claimed to love me but he let me be taken away in order to save your life. I’ve hated you from that day, Siff. From the day I realized my life was going to be nothing but suffering and your life would be nothing but joy, all because of who your father is. But he’s not here this time, is he?

<Everything you’ve ever done has been for yourself, and so I took your insatiable selfishness and I made you a promise I knew you wouldn’t refuse: I promised to give you your dreams. You did everything you were supposed

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