41

243 22 18
                                    

"He introduced himself as DELIVERANCE. He understood our past and wanted to make a difference. And he convinced us to join a revolutionary party called the Bracks. The symbol represents the Freedom that Bracketers only dream of."

"His name was DELIVERANCE because he promised to Deliver the Brackets from Astellian control, I presume?" Decha narrowed his eyes, and Jamison nodded, confirming his suspicion. "Did the Bracks have anything to do with the bombs? How big is the organization?"

"I didn't. My job was only to spread the word and hand out fliers. They were seen as obstructions of peace by Generals, so I had to smuggle them around the city after work. After I did my job to distribute the message, I got paid." Jamison frowned, "When I learned about the bombs, a lot of us started to question Deliverance's sanity. But he promised that no one would be hurt. Our protest was peaceful."

"Wait, so the Bracks didn't want to bomb our shops and buildings?" Decha snapped.

"No. We wanted to petition against the Council originally. But plans changed, and most of us had to adapt to the tech produced to continue serving him."

"Tech? He provided you with Tech?"

"Under Kilos. I started getting suspicious, but Deliverance threatened me. And I looked up some information on the guy. My research led me to believe that this guy wasn't some caring man. He was greedy. He wanted to use the Bracks as a tool to accomplish his goals. He never cared about the Bracketers, and the Collapse of the border proved that."

"Where were you on the day of the Borders Collapse?"

"I had just crossed the border, going after Rory. One of my colleagues at the butchery told me he saw her crossing. I went after her, and by the time I crossed, the bomb went off. I barely escaped,"

"How did you survive? We looked at all the bodies, and no one saw you. There was no way you could've gotten past all that rubble without being spotted."

"Deliverance's team saved me."

"He was at the scene?"

"No," Jamison shook his head. "His team. No one has met Deliverance up close. But when I found out that the Walls collapse also killed Bracketers, I just felt like it was all wrong. Deliverance contacted us all by letter, telling us it was collateral damage, and that the Astellians were at fault for not prioritizing our safety as they did with their own. And the people who are part of the Bracks completely fell for that bullcrap."

Decha was stunned. But the details didn't explain how Jamison was able to go around undetected.

"I dropped out of the Bracks, but Deliverance threatened to hurt Rory. Somehow, he knew her. I don't know what connection they had or how they met, but he told me that he'd go after Rory if I betrayed the Bracks."

Decha thought for a moment. How would the culprit know Rory? There had to be a reason why POYO was taken. If Deliverance was connected with Kilos, then they had to be Astellian.

If the culprit was Astellian and very good at handling the tech, that also explained why Jamison could travel around Astell so easily.

But who could Deliverance be? He had to be someone superior. He must've had access to the Agency's software.

"My theory is that he's a General."

"Why do you say that?" Decha sneered. It figures that Jamison would try to blame Astell's officers.

"I just have this feeling..."

"There's just one suspicion I have about you that makes me not want to trust you."

Sector BWhere stories live. Discover now