20: An Eye for an Eye
"This is Dr. Samuel Smith..."
The sound of the old botanist continued to chime from the P.A. and throughout the facility, beginning again just as Em's shaky, "Thank you, Samuel," concluded the message. The recording became louder the more we descended the stairs and moved closer to level nine's landing.
Randolph continued to speak, although he struggled to get his words out above the noise in the room as the people continued voicing their concerns, expressing their opinions, and asking questions.
"Silence!" The anger exuding from Randolph quieted the room. "Now listen—"
I took my cue.
"Randolph," a part of my voice I'd never used before sent shock waves through my body as the bass rumbled from my gut and out my mouth, "tell your higher officers to back down. I have your son with me."
A cry howled from the gasps. "The toxins!"
"No need to worry." I didn't make a move. "There are no toxins."
"Who's in there?" Randolph called out. The sound of heavy boots gathered at the stairwell's exit. "Who's speaking?"
Ralph Thomson answered instead. "It's Connor Nichols. I ran into him while I was up there. He claimed to be with Vince. He claimed that there was no toxin up there. No breach—"
"Silence!" Randolph growled. "I'm well aware of your misgivings and your frailties, Cadet Thomson. No need to waste your breath or my time with anymore nonsense."
I cleared my throat to allow my voice to carry above his. "It's not nonsense. It's the truth. Something we haven't heard in a long time." We turned the corner into view. With my arm still around Vince, as if I were using his body as a shield, I reached behind me and removed the handgun from my waistband to hold it at my side.
Randolph glanced to Vince's wounded leg and his mouth gaped. "What have you done to my son?"
I saw past the pretend concern and glared. "You did this to him. You gave him a stimulant that caused him anxiety and short temperament and told him it was to manage his anger. You woke us up in a panic so we wouldn't question why you instructed us to kill innocent people. And because of all that, and the fact that he cares for you and will do anything to save your life, he went up to Ten and got injured. Along with Tamara and I. We could've died."
He pointed a finger toward us as if it was a handgun and he had us in the crosshairs. "I never told cadets to go up. You violated my orders. This is what happens when you disobey." He looked out to the crowd of cadets and higher officers as he pointed to us.
Was he attempting to make an example out of us?
"Tell everyone how you lied." I looked out over the crowd, who looked at us with doubtful eyes. "He trapped the upper hemi residents up top for years, since the first 'breach.'" I gestured toward the gaunt men who stood behind me in their worn clothing. "But there is no leak, no toxins. He was afraid of losing his leadership role. For years he's fooled everyone, making me believe my mother had died during the breach, but she's alive. I've seen her, talked to her, and she told me the truth."
"Your mother is dead, Cadet Nichols." He lifted his chin and lengthened his spine. "Whoever claimed otherwise is the liar."
"She knew things only my mother would. Like how you sent my father on a suicide mission outside the facility to rid of him because he was secretly helping her."
The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Listen, people, these are all lies." Randolph raised his arms to get the crowd's attention and quiet them, but to no avail.
Vince broke away from my grip. "Why are you doing this, Dad? Connor is telling the truth. Everything he's said is the truth. I was there. I experienced the entire thing. His mother is alive, and you tried to kill her. To shut her up. Just like you tried to do to us, to me, your own son."
Commotion broke out again, anger written on so many faces. The higher officers pushed back people in the crowd who were trying to approach us or get near Randolph.
Randolph's voice raised. "Listen, people. Listen." But the commotion only grew.
"Dad?" Vince moved toward him. "Dad, you have to end this."
"Stop them!" Randolph looked to the higher officers to prompt them to obey the orders. "Put them in custody along with their allies."
A higher officer launched at Vince and tackled him to the ground. I lifted the gun in my hand, debating if I should point it at the officer, at Randolph, or fire a shot into the air, or get rid of it altogether. My mind filtered through several scenarios, but I settled on placing it back into my waistband and dove forward. My fingers sunk into the fabric at the officer's shoulders and I yanked him off of Vince with a violent tug then pushed him to the crowd, where he disappeared into the sea of bodies.
The men at my back raised their weapons to the crowd and Dr. Randolph.
"Don't shoot," I reminded them, raising my hand.
I pulled Vince to his feet and immediately we assumed our fighting stances, backs against each other, slightly crouched, and watching for any threats ahead of us and in our periphery.
"Connor," Vince called. "To your left, two incoming. I got your right."
In unison we landed swift punches while managing to stay on our feet. Impressed by Vince's clarity and strength despite his injuries, I followed his instruction wholeheartedly, without doubt. For a brief second, the higher officers hesitated and I took advantage of the moment and lurched at Randolph, moving swiftly. "Come on, Randolph. Show your shit."
He turned toward the crowd, trying to conceal himself within the mass of bodies. I pounced and tackled him to the floor. Using my arms and legs to pin him to my chest, I rolled to my back, placing him on top of me as a shield. As I held him in a secure grip, most of the cadets backed away, making room to watch my next move.
Vince inched closer, but kept his stance, maintaining a watchful eye on anyone who might pose a threat, including the higher officers who hesitated. He pointed to Randolph's feet. "He carries a loaded gun in his shoe at all times."
I pulled Randolph's elbows back tighter. "Stop struggling. It'll only get worse." He grunted in pain but lay still as Vince dipped to remove the gun from Randolph's boot. When Vince lifted the leg of his pants, shock rang out as the gasps and murmurs of the crowd filled the room.
Vince's face twisted in disgust at the sight. "What happened to you?"
I peered down at his leg to see hundreds of tiny cuts in his flesh. Each cut ranged from old silvery scars to freshly made swollen slashes. As I stared at his wounds, trying to make sense of it all, Tamara and Em appeared at the stairway entrance along with more men they'd brought from above. Tamara's eyes widened at the sight, and she brought her hand to her mouth in a grimace.
"Yes." Randolph relaxed against me, giving up the fight. A sense of defeat was apparent in his tone. "I did it. All right. I made the decision that killed hundreds of people and altered the lives of hundreds more. I've lived with what I've done for nearly fourteen years. Every single life I've disturbed, every single life I've taken, was a sacrifice I had to make. But every life that suffered at my hands, I made sure to carry a piece of their suffering." As he spoke his eyes locked onto Em. "These people deserve a good leader. No one had the gall to do what was necessary to prevent the majority from suffering, no one but me."
Em stepped forward, ignoring the many stares. "You're wrong, Randolph. We all want what's best for everyone."
"But how bad do you want it?" He stared.
For a few agonizing seconds, the sound of Dr. Smith's message was the only sound in the room.
Tamara moved closer. "What are we going to do with him?"
I looked around at the well-known faces and familiar names on the breasts of my fellow cadets. Names like Brown, Johnson, Ramirez, Sanford. The look in their eyes and their reluctance to harm us was proof that they were awaiting the same answer.
"We won't kill you, Randolph." I loosened my grip on him and watched him ball up into the fetal position beside me. "We won't kill anyone. We've all done enough of that."
Em cleared her throat. "He needs to be held in custody until we figure it out. Then an election should be held to determine a suitable person to take his place."
"He needs to be held responsible for the lives he's taken," I stood, "and the life he robbed from me for locking up my mom and sending my dad to his death."
"He'll pay for everything." Em nodded. "His punishment is one thing we can't allow to slide. And who here wouldn't agree?"
We looked around at all the frightened and confused faces. Other than the repeated message on the P.A. system and the scattered murmurs, it was silent.
Vince stared at the shuddering heap his father had turned into. "I know he said he suffers for every life he's ruined, but I think he and the people who helped him need a chance to redeem themselves. I think it's fair." He looked to me.
I narrowed my eyes. "Redeem themselves?"
"Maybe he needs to do something to improve the lives in the facility and our future." Vince threw a thumb back over his shoulder. He gulped and his lower eyelids were heavy with tears threatening to spill over. "Your dad was sent on an unsuccessful mission, but I'm sure my dad knows how to make that up to you. It's been about eight years; maybe it's time we send some people outside to survey the surface again. Who knows, maybe this time, the facility might see some real progress."
I looked to the mumbling man at my feet and imagined what justice felt like. An eye for an eye.
~~~
The next chapter marks the end! How do you think their story will conclude? Are you ready for the resolution?
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