The Sowing

There’s a cut to a montage of the information I discovered in Sanctum, including the simulations of Incentives designed to deceive everyone into thinking the Recruitment process could provide a good life for the Recruits’ family members. Cassius narrates the details of the conspiracy, which is intercut with startling footage I’ve never seen before—the friends and families of winning Recruits being tortured and experimented on, some turned into Fleshers, the ones that don’t survive the process dumped into mass graves.

At certain points, there are live cutaways to the faces of Imposer squads throughout the city as they take in the revelation that everything they’ve sacrificed, all that has made them into the hardcore soldiers they are, the reason for their unquestioning allegiance to the Establishment, has been a great lie.

Cassius is doing the same thing to Talon and her cabinet that he did to me on Recruitment Day, masterfully trying and convicting her in front of all to see. I can almost pity her. She’s nothing but a pawn, like I was.

Onscreen, Cassius shakes his head. “I cannot stress enough how disgusted I am that the covert actions of so few”—there’s another shot of Talon and her crew—“have resulted in such devastation to soldiers who have given so much of themselves and provided services so loyally for years.” Cassius swallows hard. “But, my poor citizens, this isn’t even the worst of it.” He clears his throat. “It appears that Talon and the insurrectionists have established an alliance with a dangerous cult of extremists entrenched in the bowels of the forbidden territories.”

Once again, the broadcast switches to a montage. This one depicts the legions of Fleshers attacking Infiernos and readying for combat in the catacombs of Sanctum. Even from way up here, I can hear the gasps of the crowds, feel the fear in the air. And most damaging of all are the images of Talon and Straton. Her smiling as she takes his hand. The huge projection of the Parish map in the Sanctum war room.

So it seems that Talon and Straton met prior to Talon’s recent trip to Sanctum. Unless Cassius is using her unconscious body to create another simulation, like those of the Incentives…

The cameras cut back to Cassius, now holding up his hands. “I urge you all not to panic. There’s still time to avert this tragedy and restore order to our great nation. But to do this, I need you all to join me in our most desperate hour.” The camera starts to zoom in slowly as he speaks. “Despite the differences we may have had, we cannot let the actions of a handful of criminals dictate the survival of our society. It’s not too late to protect ourselves. Protect our families. Protect our children. Even as we speak, I have already launched a preliminary offensive on those who seek to destroy us,” he concludes.

Sanctum. If Cassius is willing to betray them too, it can only mean that he plans on gaining even greater power than he already has now.

The screens fill with images of Squawkers zooming through the skies over the still-smoldering Infiernos. And then the statue of the Lady zooms into view. The Lady who’s been such a beacon of the hope and beauty of the old world to Cole and me ever since I discovered her picture in the Parish library.

There’s a series of blasts, echoing through the Parish, that may as well be bullets fired directly into my heart. Each missile blasts into the Lady, who remains defiant if just for a few seconds. Her stone eyes dominate the screen and I imagine I see sorrow there—and pity.

And then she’s toppling to the ground, her body and book disappearing in a billowing plume of black clouds.

One of the missiles impacts the only part of her still intact—her torch—and ignites it in a huge fireball. Then it, too, shatters into a million pieces. And then the Lady is no more. Just a crumpled pile of smoke and ash.

I feel sick with loss.

An extreme close-up of Cassius’s face now dominates every single jumbotron in the Parish. If I didn’t know firsthand how treacherous he could be, even I might believe him.

A fierce determination sears his eyes. “I urge you to trust in new leadership and join me to defeat our enemies—

starting with these traitors behind me, whose vile corruption has threatened the very core of our existence, but will do so no more.”

In a flash, he whips out a weapon, jams it against Talon’s head, and pulls the trigger. The sounds of the shot tears through the city, magnified by every loudspeaker and screen like a violent storm. Talon is thrown back in a bloody mist and her body collapses.

Then the squad of Imposers holding the cabinet members hostage begin firing, not stopping until every single member of the entourage has been assassinated ten times over.

Cassius turns back to the cameras, droplets of blood bleeding down his face. “I promise to end the plague of corruption polluting our country and restore a peaceful, prosperous society. Who is with me?” he shouts.