Alex continued, “Our lifespans allow us the luxury of taking the long view.”
“We moved quickly at first.” Thomas interjected. “We had to consolidate our base here and put me in position on the Council. But since then, we’ve waited and watched. Until you. Things seem to be accelerating now. You have them in quite a state. We’ve decided to take advantage.”
Alex leaned in, elbows on his knees. “Because of the distances involved and the autonomy of each Zone, each Councilor is responsible for naming his own successor. The successor is named within the first year, and the name is submitted in secret to the Council at the annual meeting. No one but the Councilor and the Council knows. Until now. At the Council meeting several years ago, long enough to not arouse suspicion, mixed in with Three’s various reports and requests, he unknowingly submitted a change to his successor. A new name went in.”
Thomas smiled. “It’s time for Three’s heir to take his place. With him, we will have two strategically critical Zones in our control. We can put in motion our plans to acquire the third.”
“So…you’re removing Three.” She remembered the man in his garish clothes. She remembered his eyes on her body.
They nodded.
“The annual Council Meet is coming up. Three leaves via caravan in two weeks.” Alex told her. “He’s going to die on the way. When the caravan arrives at the Meet, the first order of business will be announcing the successor’s name and installing him.”
“Okay. So what’s my role? You said you wanted to take advantage of the situation. I assume you have something reserved for me?” She did a terrible job of keeping the eagerness out of her voice. It wasn’t merely what the Council had done to her. It was what they’d done to the girls.
Thomas nodded.
Alex exchanged a look with him and told her in a steady voice, “We want you to take revenge.”
“Revenge?”
“On the man who ordered your torture and allowed the death of your mother.” He looked at Thomas.
“On the man who killed your father,” Thomas said.
Her breath caught. “Three?” She’d always suspected it.
They nodded.
“But my father was his aide.” The cold sweat down her back returned. She had to know. “Was it because of me?”
“No. His security caught your father looking for information about something no one was to know about.”
“The prison?” Lena breathed.
“The prison.” Alex confirmed. “We didn’t understand why until now. Everyone within the Council upper echelon knows about the prison. Even the citizens have some idea. But not about the secret program. Not about the girls.”
“For the record,” Thomas said, “I didn’t know about the program. Either I’m too junior to be brought in on the conspiracy, or, as we suspect, not every Councilor is involved. We’re hoping to get an answer on that after this strike.” He grimaced.
Three was one of the Councilors involved in the imprisonment of powered girls. Her father had figured it out, and it had gotten him killed.
“So I’m to kill Three?”
The nonchalance of the question should have bothered her. It didn’t. She had waited for this. Her family had earned it.
Alex nodded. “We’ll insert you into the caravan as one of the workers. When the time comes, I’ll bring you to Three. Courtesy of your power, he’ll suffer a heart attack. He’ll suffer his heart attack over and over until we have all the information about the Council conspiracy he can give us.”
“Alex has been named as his Security Chief.” Thomas said. “He can create a distraction and get you in.”
“Won’t that be dangerous? I mean, it’s kind of obvious. New Security Chief? Death on the road?”
“We’ve got it covered.” Alex told her. “It will look like a heart attack brought on by betrayal. After he’s dead, there will be a strike by a well-trained force hunting the Councilor. They’ll drag him off, leave his body in the woods. We’ll find him after a search. And hopefully the seeds of suggestion we plant about agents coming for the Councilor will sow mistrust and confusion among his collaborators.” He smiled. “It’s a risk. They could close ranks. But self-preservation is a double-edged sword—we plan to work the angle that would bring some to abandon the cause, and work it hard. After all, we have a hysterical junior Councilor to demand investigations.”
The first of the blood-price would be paid soon. Her answering smile, like the eagerness swirling inside her, was close to feral. “And we start in two weeks? I’m ready. I’m ready now.”
Chapter 25