When All Else Fails (A Push of a Button Novella)

Chapter Nine

Dane laughed, and he didn't sound scornful or evil, shockingly. "In a way. But mostly, it's that secrets protect the power. They don't have the power you think they do, and without their secrets, someone else would take their power." He swept his arm toward his men. "We will take their power. And we'll create a world where the government can't take everything you love with the snap of their fingers."

Another step from Viv. "What do you mean? What are they taking away from you? They've given you everything, even me! You haven't lost anything, but I've lost all of it. Because of you!"

"You didn't lose anything because of me, Vivian." He sighed. "I've been protecting you from them, but I can't anymore. The Supreme One I work for has sent me to kill your friends and bring you back. He has ensured that Sebastian's plug will be pulled, or so he thinks. And when I bring you back, he has instructed me to wipe you and return the memories of what really happened while you grew up."

Seb stepped up to her side and took her hand, which rested limply against her thigh. A tear rolled down her cheek, sparkling in the moonlight. She didn't pull away from him, but she was crumbling right underneath his eyes. Something inside her was breaking just as something else had when Dane first told her the truth. How much more of her could the man break before he destroyed her?

Dane nodded to his men, and hands pulled him away from Viv. She resisted then, snapping out of the daze. She reached for him, but their struggles did no good, and the cold metal of a blaster pressed into the back of his neck, stopping his struggle. Dane held up a hand, and the men holding him loosened their grip. But they didn't let him go. They just quit manhandling him. "He isn't the enemy, men. Not unless he makes himself one."

Seb struggled in their grip, his gaze locked on Viv. She wasn't really going to buy into his lies, was she? Her tear-filled gaze met his eyes, lit by the plasma blasters' lights and the floodlight that one of the men had now flipped on to offer better lighting. She turned to Dane. "What are you talking about? You just said your boss was going to let you kill my friends and brainwash me!"

"I said he wanted me to. I didn't say that's what would happen." Dane smirked. "He's not all knowing. You come with me, and together, we'll bring them down, just like you always wanted."

"You'll let them live?"

"Of course. But I do have to bring in Mr. Hall here. If I didn't, well... I need some sort of peace offering for when I tell my boss that I didn't brainwash you but that you willingly agreed to come along." Dane smiled thinly. "But given his age, I'm sure they'll be lenient with him. They usually handle the older ones with care, especially if they're... Well, you know."

"What? Insane?"

"Their words, not mine. I wouldn't say he's insane, necessarily. Just opinionated, but the Supremacy, naturally, won't tolerate even a toe out of line." His voice softened. "Vivian, please. Help me. You have people on your side, a God on your side, that I don't have. You can help me see. You can help me to find a way to stop them and give the people they've been tricking for so long real freedom. Don't you want an end to the lies?"

Seb sensed the moment she made her choice. The men holding him let go just as she took her first step toward Dane. He didn't matter anymore, clearly, because Dane had what he wanted. He strode to meet Vivian and grabbed her hand, pulling her in close and dropping a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "That's better, isn't it?"

She shivered in his grip. "Now let Seb go."

Seb stared at her, his lips parted with a soundless plea. She couldn't do this. She couldn't go with him. "Vivian..."

"Seb, it's the only way. You need to stay free. You have to do what you can. I..." She lifted a hand to wipe away her tears. "I love you, you know. That's why I have to do this. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be a fugitive."