Limitless

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Chapter 31 - Harmony

Hope tried to escape his prison today. But it was a pathetic attempt. He had no chance of getting out of the building alive. He's back in his cell now, and I'm standing in a room with Alec facing me. And I have a gun with me.

'Alec. Listen to me.' I hold up my pistol. 'This is a Kahr PM9 with an advanced armament Ti-Rant silencer. I can shoot you now and it'll barely let out a whisper. No fingerprints or any identification will be left in this gun. And I will shoot you, not in a fatal area, but I will. Unless you tell me the truth right now. Tell me what's going on with the plagues!' Something has taken control of me; I'm not even myself now. I'm threating my brother's best friend. I push him against the wall.

He doesn't hesitate. 'Harmony. Harmony, listen to me. I don't know anything. I don't know why. I was just following orders.' He starts sobbing now, sobbing like a little baby.

'What do you mean? WHAT DO YOU MEAN?' I shout.

'I - I killed your brother, Harmony. I stabbed him.' I don't interrupt. I'm too shocked by what he said, it's something I totally didn't expect, and it almost makes me black out. Alec. Alec, my brother's best friend. Alec, who helped me with everything when my brother wasn't there. He was like a second brother to me. And he's saying he killed Raiden. It can't be true. Or can it? 'That night when Hope broke into the Limit,' he continues. 'Commander Jacobs and I went to another street, and we heard Raiden's scream. Not when he got stabbed, but when he saw Hope. And then, then, Commander Jacobs had ordered me to kill him. I didn't know why. "Kill him now, or I'll fire you and make sure you don't get a job anywhere else. Forget Hope, just kill Raiden," she had said. And I had no choice, Harmony. No choice. I ran to Raiden, and I saw him lying on the floor. He had a knife buried in his shoulder. I walked to him, pulled the knife off, and I stabbed him in the heart. He didn't even expect it, he wanted me to chase Hope, but I betrayed him, Harmony. Please forgive me. Please. I didn't mean to, Commander gave me no choice.' He's still sobbing, sobbing hard.

And then I notice my damp cheeks, I'm crying too. I stand still, only out sobbing breaking the silence. Why? Why did Commander do this? 'Alec, I hate you. I abhor you, I detest your presence. Remember that. You should be ashamed, Alec.' I shout at him. 'Listen, do you have any idea why they did it? Is it anything to do with the plagues?' I came here and expected to find some answers about the plagues. But instead, I got to know how my brother died. That Alec is the one who killed him.

'The plagues? What do you mean? All I know is that Commander Jacobs told me that he went across the limit and found out things he shouldn't have known. That's all I know, Harmony. Please. Forgive me.'

I throw him an unforgiving glance and stamp out of the room. So that's what happened. I have a clear idea of everything now. Mostly. Raiden found out about the plagues, same as I did. And Commander didn't want anyone to know it, so she ordered Alec to kill him.

I stand there unmoving, trembling. If Raiden and Hope had met some other time, would they have become allies?

The sun changes position. Afternoon comes. I still don't move from where I stand.

Finally, when the sunset bathes my room in orange and gold, I break out of my trance. I dress in my full uniform. I make sure my hair is pulled back flawlessly, that my face is clean and calm and devoid of emotion. In the mirror, I look the same. But I am a different person inside. I'm a prodigy who knows the truth, and I know exactly what I'm going to do.

I'm going to help Hope escape.