Darkening Chaos: Book Three of The Destroyer Trilogy (45 page)

Although,
I’m not sure what it says about me that I think I can do the same thing. I’m
not alone, though. My army of Ciphers and renegades are strategically
positioned around the Great Lawn of the White House, ready to identify the
Spiritualists tied to the Dorotabos, take out Guardians, and generally cause a
lot of chaos and destruction. Not to mention, I have one more secret nobody
else knows about. Well, nobody who’s still alive.

My
body finally calms completely. I lend all my focus to pretending I’m
unconscious, and to feeling my link with Braden. It trembles slightly. Not
cringing is very, very hard. I can’t move, though. It’s getting close to time
for Milo to come get me. If he sees me stirring, he’ll know I’ve been playing
him for a fool. The link shudders again, but I stay completely still. I had
hoped I would be able to feel more than just whether or not he was alive, but I
hadn’t been sure. At least one thing has gone my way so far. That is so unusual,
I decide to take it as a good sign. The brief moment of satisfaction falters as
I remind myself of why the link is behaving the way it is.

Braden
is about to be captured.

I
can’t help flinching at that thought. I asked him to do this. Well, I asked him
to give himself up to Howe. Braden isn’t usually a very prideful or
glory-hungry kind of person, but he refused to give himself up. He insisted,
very pointedly, that if he was going to have to be taken by the Guardians, he
wasn’t going to go without a fight. I tried to tell him what a stupid idea that
was, how he might get himself hurt or killed, but he laughed at me. Apparently,
with all the training he’s done with the Ciphers since I was taken, he thinks
he’s just as capable as any person with talents.

The
last night we were together was the only time I got to see him use his Capoeira
skills, but he was amazing. I’ve heard stories since then about what he can
still do. He took down Dean in two different Capoeira matches over the summer,
and has even managed to beat Lance once. I didn’t tell Braden, because I didn’t
want to put a dent in his ego, but after we confirmed we were still Companions,
even though his talents were gone, I felt sure at least some of his abilities
still relied on my talents. Without any talents of his own, there are only his
own natural abilities to enhance. He was strong and fast before his Inquest, so
adding even a tiny bit of my own monstrous talents to his natural skills makes
him very dangerous.

Still,
I wasn’t totally convinced. Which is why I gave him a specific time to launch
Operation
Get Captured
. I wanted to be able to feel what was going on. I keep my body
immobile, but I shudder inwardly every time I feel a spark of pain through the
link. It seems to last forever. Realizing I was holding my breath during the
entire episode, I let the air out of my lungs slowly when the link quiets back
down to a subtle feeling of satisfaction. I almost shake my head at him. He’s
pleased with himself for getting captured.

It
seems like an odd sentiment, but I get a little giddy thinking about it myself.
I’ll see him soon. Very soon. It won’t be pretty, though. My mind starts
running a marathon as I think about seeing Braden. I need to be ready,
concentrated. I have to be fast, or Braden won’t live through us being brought
back together. I’ve practiced so many times, but I know that’s not a guarantee.
I tremble so slightly it wouldn’t be seen by anyone. Inside, I am shaking hard
enough to knock my brain loose.

The
sound of my cell door being unlocked an hour later nearly makes me jump. I
fight my fear for control and win out, but only barely. A hand closes over my
arm and pulls at me softly so I’m lying on my back. Milo eases my head up from
the pillow and presses the glass of antidote to my lips. This is always the
moment where I can almost believe he didn’t betray me, murder a Guardian right
in front of my eyes, and let someone beat me to hell nearly every day for the
last eight and a half months. His gentleness only lasts until I let my eyes
flutter open after the appropriate amount of time. Then he forces me up to
sitting and backs away.

It
makes me sigh to watch him step back. He’s not my friend anymore, but I could
have killed him any time I wanted to. I chose not to. Why? I’m not sure. He
deserves it for everything he’s done. But not only do I have a problem killing
people just because I can, I also still have hope that Milo will see what an
idiot he’s turned into and help me save the world.

The
hesitation and fear in his expression doubles that hope.

“What
time is it?” I ask.

“It’s
almost time, Libby,” he says quietly.

I
stare at him. “What time is it exactly?”

“Twelve-fifteen.
You’ve got an hour.”

Perfect.

“I’ll
take you out to Howe on the Great Lawn in about fifteen minutes. He’ll give you
one more chance to do what he asks, and if you don’t, he’ll kill you at one-fifteen.”

One-fifteen,
the hour and minute printed on my birth certificate as my exact time of birth.
Howe will wait for my diktats to flare, the signal that my talents have been
fully unlocked and I have truly become Cassia the Destroyer. Everyone in the world
will be waiting for that one moment. Some with hope. Some with fear. I will be
waiting with a completely different emotion.

“Have
you reconsidered Howe’s offer?” Milo asks.

Yesterday,
he was screaming at me in an effort to try and wring a few last drops of
information about my plans out of me. Now his tone is more that of a worried
friend. I don’t fall for it. My lips stay closed in perfect neutrality. Milo’s
jaw tightens.

“You
have a chance to stop this from happening,” he says.

This
being Howe murdering me on national television. I
don’t respond.

“Please,
Libby. Just think about giving him what he wants. He’ll honor his word if you
make a deal with him.”

I
can’t stay quiet any longer. “Milo, I know you want to believe that because of
the deal you’ve made with him, but Howe has no intention of letting me live no
matter what I say. Even if I gave in and everyone in the world heard me say I
wouldn’t try to destroy the Guardians, he wouldn’t let me go home. He’d send me
back to my cell, order some Guardian to drug me and slit my throat, and then
tell everyone I killed myself out of guilt. He knows I won’t ever give up.”

“He
knows more than that,” Milo says, his voice dark and angry.

Dark
and angry aren’t that unusual coming from Milo, but the fact that it doesn’t
seem to be directed at me makes me ask, “What do you mean?”

“He
knows you won’t let innocent people suffer to save yourself.”

“What
is that supposed to mean?”

It
takes him a moment to speak. “Braden was captured over an hour ago trying to sneak
into the compound.”

My
face registers false shock. I do my best to pretend panic. Milo buys it.

“He’s
going to use Braden to try and change your mind, Libby.”

“How?”
I ask, though I was planning for exactly this situation. I figured Howe would
see catching Braden as a chance to force me into doing what he wants. Give in
and promise to be good, and I won’t kill your boyfriend. He’ll parade him out
in front of the cameras with me, getting me close to Braden just as I had hoped
for. Just what I thought he would do. Predictable.

I’m
expecting Milo to spell all that out for me with a plea to do as Howe says, but
what he says instead is something I never expected.

“He
has the Albuquerque Ciphers. They aren’t dead.”

“What?”

“They’re
still alive.”

I
shake my head at him in disbelief. “No. No, you and Dean checked. You saw Lucas
in one of the body bags. They were all dead.”

“We
couldn’t get into the cell where the bodies were kept, remember? We didn’t have
enough time.” Milo sighs a shakes his head sadly. “We could only check the
bodies up next to the bars. And they only had the renegade Ciphers we already
knew were dead, no one else. They must have put them there purposely to
convince us.”

“Have
you actually seen them?”

He
nods slowly. The weight of everything he has done, everything he once fought
for seems to settle on his shoulders. “This morning. Casey’s friend Caroline
was there. So was Sam Vera.”

“Why?”
I ask. “Why go through the trouble of pretending they were all dead just to
admit they’re still alive, now? Does Howe think that will make people think
better of him? Because it won’t.”

“He
didn’t do it for his approval rating. He did it purely for you, for today. To
pressure you into admitting defeat. Or that was his basic plan until Braden
showed up. Now he’s twisted it even further.”

“How?”
I demand.

Suddenly,
Milo looks very tired. He was so sure of what he was doing the night he stormed
into the ballroom with a whole squad of machine gun toting Guardians. I know
I’ve rattled some of that away, but I can see how much working with the
Guardians has stolen from him, weighed him down until it’s about to crush him.
I don’t want to, but I feel sorry for him as I wait for an answer.

“He’s
going to give you a choice between the Ciphers’ lives and Braden’s,” Milo
finally says. “Admit he’s won, and you can save one of them. Keep fighting, and
they’ll all die.”

“He’s
been planning this since the rescue.” My disbelief is palpable. That was a year
ago. He knew I would break the truce and give him a reason to come after me. He
knew my team would keep fighting, and he must be at least a little worried that
I’ll win. So he planned ahead. He knew I would give up my own life to save my
friends. Who’s the predictable one now? I fell right into his trap.

Chapter
35

The Cost

I can hear Howe’s
perfectly composed voice carry through the air as Milo walks me through the
halls leading to the Great Lawn. I wonder briefly how long he’s been up at the
podium spouting what’s sure to be total nonsense. He no doubt knows nothing he
says today will change anyone’s mind. The people who have cast their lots in
with mine did it with a diehard belief that they were making the right choice.
Most of them came from families of Ciphers, people who’ve been ravaged by
Guardian rule, even people who simply have a moral conscience. They are mine
just as much as the Ciphers are.

For
the other half of the world, they will hate and despise me until their dying
breaths. There’s nothing much I can do about them. At least not right now.
Maybe if I can survive this day that will change. I can’t think about that right
now. I focus on Howe’s voice as Milo tugs me onto the grass. My feet fall in
cadence with Howe’s expertly intoned words.

“This
isn’t a moment for doubt. For two years, this young woman has done everything
she can to unravel our society. She has murdered those who did not give in to
her. She has turned people away from what they know is right by promising them
power and glory. She has corrupted the truth and fed it one spoonful at a time
to the young people of the world naïve enough to listen to her. Given the
chance, she will tear down everything we have worked to accomplish over the
last two centuries.”

Howe
pauses for dramatic effect. The crowd rages with alternating cheers and threats.
My people are out there somewhere. Some of them, anyway. Howe seems to soak it
all in without letting it really touch him. Coldhearted prick. I almost pull
away from Milo in my desire to slap him before remembering I’m supposed to be
drugged enough to keep me from having any substantial access to my talents.

“Under
Guardian rule,” Howe continues, “there have been no wars in centuries.”

Except
the clandestine ones the public doesn’t hear about.

“There
have been dramatic drops in crime in even the largest, most violent cities.”

As
long as you don’t count the kidnapping and murdering done by the Guardians
themselves.

“Guardians
are revered and respected like no other government has been in history.”

Now
that’s just stupid. People lock their doors at night because they fear
Guardians, not petty criminals. A respectable government wouldn’t be holding
innocent people hostage and threatening a teenage girl’s life. Howe turns and
glares at me furiously as if he has heard every one of my silent comments. For
a moment, I almost think he did hear me, until I see the hint of fear pulsing
behind his anger. One flick of his wrist and Milo starts dragging me toward
him. I don’t have to pretend to be scared.

Howe
grabs my left arm and holds it up for the photographers and cameramen to see.
“This is the Destroyer! She will take away everything! She has already taken
many of your children. She won’t stop there. She won’t stop until every single
one of you is kneeling at her feet!”

Well,
that’s kind of true.

Lowering
his voice to something akin to a soothing tone, Howe stares at the cameras and the
gathered horde of people. “I am not the monster this girl has painted me as.
All I want is to continue living in peace, protecting this world from people
like her.” He sighs dramatically, as if he won this position by crocheting baby
blankets for orphans, not by lying and murdering his way into it. “To show that
I do not want to see any more blood spilled today than is necessary, I will
offer Libitina Sparks one final chance to change her course. One chance to
prove her life does not need to be taken today.”