When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (98 page)

             
“Ho
w’
s the weather
?”
Zev asked.

             
The boy shrugged, humorless
.“
Ca
n’
t see the sky, sergeant. You thinking of heading out
?”
Zev nodded
.“I’
d recommend bringing someone with better depth perception. Just in case
.
”

             
Zev was about to spit out a retort when a sound caused him to spin around. Standing by a concrete pillar, her face obscured by a brown bandana, stood Mary. Timothy leaned against a wall nearby, a dusty submachine gun slung over his shoulder. In the last few weeks h
e’
d become a quick study of guerrilla warfare, though he was much better at hiding behind cover than actually fighting. His clothes were worn and weather beaten: a faded green shirt and black jeans. A thick beard had replaced the stubble from days before.

             
“W
e’
ll join you
,”
Timothy said casually.

             
Zev shook his head
.“I’
m not going for a stroll, Tim. My platoon is out there. I
t’
s not right for me to be back here
.
”

             
The civilian walked toward the sergeant, his steps shadowed by his daughter. By his swagger, one would think he was an old vet
.“
The way I see it, w
e’
re living on borrowed time. The only chance Mary and I have is getting that radio working. And I do
n’
t know about you soldiers, but I have a degree in electrical engineering. Might come in handy, sergeant
.”
Timothy moved close to the sergean
t’
s face
.“I’
m getting her off this planet
.
”

             
For once, Zev did
n’
t have a punchy comeback. He gestured toward the gate, letting Timothy take point as they walked out of the FOB and into the brisk morning air. Mary stopped at the entrance and tugged on the soldie
r’
s combat webbing. Zev looked down with his good eye.

             
“You look like a pirate
,”
Mary said. She spun around and skipped after her dad, not waiting for a response.

-                           
X                            -

              Alexander found Arthur standing in the kitchen on the sixtieth floor of the building. The power was out and had been for almost 10 hours. General Titus and his Liberation Army of Terra had become quite the thorn in Jona
h’
s side. Within days of their public statement of a coup, the
y’
d taken control of twenty percent of the planet. Granted, those areas had always been light in Hammer support, but it was an ominous sign in these turbulent times.

             
Jonah, for his part, ignored the goings on outside the tower. H
e’
d become increasingly insular, devoting more and more of his time to conversations with the High Chancellor and preparation for his ultimate execution. Most of the day-to-day work of running the now pan-solar terrorist group had fallen to his second-in-command Victor. The German native seemed to relish the position of power, issuing commands that seemed more in line with his own personal ideals than the goals of the whole. Alexander did
n’
t exactly have the most reliable source of information, but from what h
e’
d gathered from conversations there had been some dicey incidents around South Africa and Madagascar.

             
Arthur was armed, as he had been since arrival in New York. Alexander knew not to approach him suddenly, as the young man was prone to reacting violently when startled. The High Chancellor made a show of stomping and coughing as he drew near to announce his presence. The former-aide turned, smiling smugly. His patchwork beard was coming along nicely, adding absolutely no sense of maturity to his face.

             
“Alexander, always a pleasure to see you traipsing about
.
”

             
The older politician ignored the bait. He walked around the central prep table, eyeing the assortment. Without electricity, all of the food had begun to spoil. Arthur, unable to sleep, had taken to pulling out snacks in the middle of the night and working through what he could. The stress of the job had finally started taking its toll, at least from what Alexander could tell. Arthur must have gained five pounds since they left
Imperion
.

             
“Still ca
n’
t sleep through the night, Arthur
?
”

             
The aide scowled
.“
You should
n’
t test me, Alexander
.
”

             
The High Chancellor took a seat, pulling a gallon box of gelato to his side of the table. He located a spoon within ar
m’
s reach and began picking at the mint chocolate treat
.“
You still have
n’
t learned to lighten up, Arthur. I
t’
s gonna kill you one of these days
.
”             

             
“You know
,”
Arthur said
.“
That was what always made me hate you. Having to listen to your stupid folksy advice and pretend it was
n’
t completely retarded. Taxing on the brain
.”
He plopped down in a chair, stuffing his mouth with leftover turkey
.“
How have you enjoyed your stay at our humble tower
?
”

             
Alexander placed a spoonful of the melting cream into his mouth
.“
The utilities are terrible. You really ought to speak to your landlord
.
”

             
“General Titus will tire of his siege
,”
Arthur said. It sounded as though he wanted to believe it
.“
Jonah knows what h
e’
s doing. And Victor has kept us strong during these early trials. Soon, the people of Earth will awaken from this stupor you left them in and rise up against the oppressors
.
”

             
Alexander shook his head. He did
n’
t even know this boy, this child who used to be a close friend
.“
What did they get you to drink to fall for all this? The Hammer does
n’
t have any better answers than the Council. Hell, the Federate did
n’
t have any better answers than the UEC or the Empire before. Every governing body inherits the problems of its predecessors, and never fixes them. I
t’
s a way of life. Not a great one, but i
t’
s the only game in town
.
”

             
“You never made a compelling case to keep the people happy. It was always about the greater goals, the path that we as humans had to take forward
.”
Arthur sneered
.“
That was when I knew I hated you, when I listened to your speech after the Council summit on the food crisis
.
”

             
“And here I thought it was because of the color of my skin
.”
The High Chancellor lowered his gaze. Even he had to admit it had been one of the darkest hours of his career
.“
There was nothing we could have done for those poor souls
.
”

             
“There was plenty
,”
Arthur shouted. He slammed a fist onto the table, rattling the containers
.“
Three million people dead, all because one of the biggest companies on the planet needed to turn a more profitable fourth quarter so they could earn a bigger bonus
.
”

             
“Tha
t’
s not true
,”
he said. But Alexander did
n’
t mean it. H
e’
d spoken to the CEO, Mr. Flowers, and found him to be as inhuman a person as had ever existed. So many countless dead at the whim of a few members of the board. Reliable Fabrications had long been the top producer of synthetic food for the ever-impoverished African continent. Hundreds of years of warlords and tribal genocide had left the land nearly uninhabitable, but with all the minerals and metals still waiting to be mined it was hard to give up the real estate. Flowers and his board had bought acres and acres on which they build vegetable and meat creation labs. For four years they saw amazing growth and, for the people living around the sites, prosperity. And then, one day, the food stopped flowing. Children were dying hungry in the streets and no one said a word. By the time Alexander and the Council took action, millions starved to death. All because it was more economical to run their glass and marble fabrication warehouses instead of the food houses, at least for the quarter.

             
Arthur took a sip of water from a glass on the table, chuckling to himself
.“
Tell yourself whatever you have to. I stopped listening to your bullshit a long time ago
.
”

             
“How long
?”
Alexander asked
.“
How long ago did you switch over to them? When did Jonah put enough money in your pocket or bullshit in your head to make you want to betray me
?
”

             
The aide looked away, unwilling to answer
.“
Have you thought of what yo
u’
ll say to the camera before they execute you
?
”

             
“Do
n’
t change the subject
,”
Alexander warned
.“
I
t’
s not very becoming of an enterprising young lackey
.
”

             
Arthur pouted
.“I’
m an up and comer, Alexander. Pretty soon
I’
ll be running this city. And yo
u’
ll just be a fading memory
.
”

             
“You think you can whitewash all this and move on, but the world does
n’
t work like that
.”
Alexander pushed the gelato aside, folding his hands together
.“
Arthur, listen to me. There is
n’
t a way this ends well for you. Either the Army busts though the door and kills everyone inside, or sooner or later you piss off Jonah and face him. Yo
u’
re young, you should
n’
t have to look over your shoulder the rest of your life
.
”

             
Arthur laughed, though it sounded somewhat forced
.“
Alexander, pompous does
n’
t work in your position.
I’
m doing fine with my new coworkers, and the Army does
n’
t have the firepower or the willpower to get inside this tower. Face it,
I’
ve won
.
”

             
“This round
,”
Alexander said darkly. He stood, turning away from the slowly spoiling feast
.“I’
d wish you good luck, Arthur. But honestly,
I’
m rooting for the other guy
.
”

-                           
XI                            -

              They worked quickly, without speaking. Trik and Vim barely glanced in each othe
r’
s direction while they set about gathering what salvageable supplies remained in the derelict hangar. Vim, for his part, had
n’
t  shown signs of panic once. Every few minutes, the room would rotate into the view of the shattered remains of
Xenogas
. It was a sobering and haunting reminder of the ticking clock. Trik used it as a totem, a pillar from which he found strength to carry on. His arm still ached, but it was
n’
t broken as h
e’
d previously suspected, just dislocated. Vim had managed to pop it back in rather quickly.