REBELLION (Book Three of The Criminogenic Trilogy 3) (3 page)

BOOK: REBELLION (Book Three of The Criminogenic Trilogy 3)

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Chapter Five

Andrea Clinton sat before the State Council. The escaped inmates had only escalated the state of panic that consumed the Region. Zone One councilmen and women scuttled frantically, trying to find a resolution to the anarchy that surrounded them. She fidgeted with her fingers while listening intently as they deliberated. She had to answer for her insubordination, and the State needed someone to blame. Andrea Clinton and her experiments provided the perfect candidate to hold responsible for the rebellion.

After two weeks of relentless attacks on D.A.E offices and State Facilities, the rebellion finally had a face. The Foresworn stepped forward with their masked leader to claim responsibility for their actions. However, they still insisted that the real people to blame were those in the State. Still hoping for a resolution, the State brought in everyone who could be held accountable. Jonathan sat next to Andrea. He had insisted that she be hired at the Facility, and the state had approved. Her radical treatments and pioneering insistence that she could cure the patients of the Facility inspired the State. The Facility was designed around the State’s need to control society, and its desire to produce the perfect race. Segregations were imposed to try to control the underclass masses, and keep the upper class minority from being exposed to their poverty. But even the impoverished will tire of being shunned.

“You assured us that the Treatment would work, that you could rehabilitate the convicts.” A weathered man dressed in the finest suit glared down at her from his podium, face reddened with anger.

“Jonathan, you too were meant to ensure that a rebellion would never occur. We assumed that you would be able to prevent this, but look at what we are faced with now.”

Jonathan looked to the panel of his persecutors; they were forced to meet in a safe house that was situated under the University. Zone One residents used the labyrinth of tunnels that ran underneath the Upper Zones but it was only a matter of time before the Foresworn discovered their safe haven. The State knew this, as did Jonathan. They all knew with certainty that it was only a matter of time before they were at the mercy of the rebels. With an ongoing state of war consuming the Region, all the resources they once had at their disposal had been depleted. There was no way for Jonathan to communicate with Oliver; he wasn’t even sure if his trusty Bulldog was still alive.

“Now wait just a minute.” Jonathan spoke finally, frustrated with the constant accusations being thrown their way. “You ordered these sanctions. It was you who demanded that the Zones be separated, you brought this upon yourselves.”

The panel was horrified by his outburst, flushed faces and embarrassed glares steamed down from the podium where they sat. Jonathan didn’t care anymore; he was fed up of crawling through the city like a rat in the night. He was tired of living with the fear that he would be the next target for the Foresworn. He had only just recovered from an attack on his life, and he knew that he was still a target for the rebellion. Tired of hearing their words, Jonathan stood up and prompted Andrea to do the same. Words were no longer valid in the Region, the State no longer held the power, and he no longer wanted to answer for the wicket deeds that they all encouraged.

“I’ve heard about enough,” he said while walking toward the exit, “You fools don’t realize that you are no longer in control. You have no authority here anymore, and good riddance too!” With that, walked out of the meeting with a purpose, and renewed drive to stay alive by any means possible. Being associated with Andrea Clinton and the State would not help his cause at all.

Winding through a maze of tunnels that webbed underneath the city, Jonathan made his way home. He and Beatrice were able to return to the luxury of their penthouse suite, although neither had spoken to each other since the rebellion started. The Foresworn had allowed Zone One and Two residents to go back to their homes in peace, but would lash out at any D.A.E official caught out in the streets. The mysterious leader seemed compassionate to the needs of civilians, sending in Lower Zone inhabitants with food and water for them. This simple display of humanity sent a resounding message to the Region that the Foresworn were now in charge.

Standing at the doorway of his luxurious home, he paused to take in his surroundings. The antique furniture that he kept around him represented years of hard work and dedication. Walking toward the mammoth, glass wall that overlooked the city, he saw the ruins of Zone One, smoke and ash still circulating around it. He watched the people below hurrying around like ants, taking everything that they could get their hands on. Zone Two residents were being caught sneaking into Zone One to pillage the remains. He saw Beatrice flipping through a worn out magazine with chipped fingernails. He studied her coarse features for a moment, taking in the woman that he met forty years earlier. She had endured numerous affairs and love children from him, and yet she still stayed by his side.

“I really am an ungrateful bastard, aren’t I?” he said, hoping for some answer from her.

Beatrice raised one tired eyebrow up from behind the magazine and let out a deep, irritated breath. “Oh, what is it now, Jonathan?”

Shaking his head, he looked to her with sadness, visibly upset that he had caused her so much pain over the course of their marriage. Nothing he could do would rectify that now; the damage was already done.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I have been the worst human imaginable. You gave me everything, and I just gave you hell.”

Beatrice looked toward her husband. He had become the shadow of the man that he once was. She didn’t love him anymore, and hadn’t for years. But she knew that her position would have been secured had she just stuck it out with him while he worked his way up to becoming the Director. Affairs and love children meant that she didn’t have to put in that energy for him, she just needed to be able to portray the wounded wife each time. His apology was appreciated, but for naught.

“That’s all right. Apology accepted.” She responded icily, uninterested in pandering to his self-pity.

He moved toward the open window behind where Beatrice was seated. Taking in all of his surroundings one last time, Jonathan Phelps leapt to his death. His body an unrecognizable splatter on the pavement below was the final justice for the Foresworn.

***

Walking through the desolate streets that once shone with excess, Giselle and Calvin saw the aftereffects of the Zone One attacks. The Foresworn had successfully overthrown the State, and had started to form a new governing body. The first order of business was the abolishment of zoning. Calvin guided Giselle over rubble and mortar, gently leading her toward the park that still remained in the center. There weren’t many people nearby, but the sounds of children giggling had intrigued the two, and they followed the jovial sounds.

“Did you ever think that this would happen?” Calvin asked, breaking their comfortable silence.

Giselle thought back to what she had been through while in the Facility, and thought of being reunited with her family now that the Foresworn had reclaimed the Regions.

The ruins around her reminded her that they had won, but she wondered what would happen next. Where would this path lead her and her family? Where would Peter Ronin and the other renegades go now? The Zones had been united, and there was no limit to what Evelyn’s new government could do.

“I honestly hoped that it would for years.” Giselle replied.

As they neared the park, the sounds of playful laughing filled them with hope. The small patch of greenery was unaffected by the war on Zone One. Brightly dressed children filled the playground with their light, like shining beacons of a bright future for the Region. Giselle smiled, content that the sacrifice and struggle was not in vain. Calvin was preoccupied with the wasteland that surrounded the park; remnants of the former Golden City lay scattered all around them. He couldn’t see the potential that Giselle was seeing around her.

“But look,” he said, pointing out the rubble. “It’s all ruined. What are we going to do now?”

Giselle watched the children playing without a care, and a new wave of happiness swept over her. She turned to Calvin and touched his face. He would never know how blessed he was to be a part of this history, she thought. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, as they sat under the only tree that remained in the park.

“It’s simple,” she said. “We’ll just rebuild.”

The End.

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