The Sowing

“You shouldn’t pity me…” He pauses and purses his lips. “Save it for all the poor people that died in those mysterious fires that wiped out the Pleasure Emporiums.”

He knows.

For a moment we just stare at each other in silence. The room continues to spin like a macabre carousel.

“What’s the matter, Lucian? You’re as stiff as the marble bust of our illustrious founder, Queran Embers, standing in the Citadel’s great hall.”

“What do the Emporiums have to do with me?” I finally ask, my voice disembodied and tremulous.

“Funny you should ask that. Especially in light of the fact that it’s not the first heinous crime that’s occurred within the past, oh”—he scratches his temple—“six months or so, is it? Around the same time frame you started your training…”

“I’m not sure what—”

“Now let’s see… hmmm…” The muscles of his face contract. “There was that explosion in the outland refinery, which hampered the government’s communications systems. Then, about a month later, that mysterious electrical fire that disabled the surveillance and security systems in the agricultural plants.” He frowns and shakes his head. “Nasty business. The breach allowed countless food storage containers to be stolen from right under our noses.”

He’s ticking points off with his fingers now, circling me counter-clockwise even as the room continues to revolve in the other direction.

“And we mustn’t forget that horrid incident with the railroad tracks being tampered with on their way to the mines—what? Two months ago?” He shrugs. “Lost a whole squadron of troops in that one.” His eyes fix on mine. “Miraculously, the car carrying the prisoners went unscathed and they all managed to escape. If I were a religious man, I’d question the Deity’s sense of divine judgment on that one.” He brakes directly in front of me. “And finally, the most recent incident at the Emporiums.”

I bite my lower lip. “Such an unfortunate loss, to be sure.”

“The general consensus seems to be that it’s all the work of the insurrectionists we’ve been trying to flush out.”

“But you have a different theory?”

He nods. “I believe it’s the work of only one, a terrorist with a single-minded purpose to disrupt our way of life. Do you know that at every crime scene we keep finding a lit torch that would appear to be this terrorist’s signature? Despite our attempts to keep these incidents from the public and stir further unrest, news of many of them has leaked, prompting the insurrectionists to begin referring to their new hero as the Torch Keeper.” He pauses. “I seem to remember you having a fixation with torch-carrying ladies once.”

I turn away from him and press against the glass, focusing on the now-darkening sky. The snow’s picked up, pooling on the turrets and streets below like white caps breaking on a dark sea. “I still don’t see what any of this has to do with me.”

“Each crime scene was within a ten-mile radius of your trainee outpost. Talk about a coincidence.”

So that’s it. He’s called this meeting to taunt me before he has me arrested. My muscles clench.

I turn to face him, resolved, calculating how much time I’d have to choke him to death before reinforcements arrived and killed me. “Coincidence isn’t proof of anything.”

“You’re quite right. I’ve been conducting discrete investigations into each of the barracks you’ve been posted at to see if anything turns up. So far nothing has. Yet.”

Now it’s my turn to smile. Good. Looks like my efforts to cover my tracks worked out after all.

“You’re wasting your time. There’s nothing to find,” I say.

“You can’t imagine how relieved I am, Lucky.”

The com-link band wrapped around his wrist bleeps. He glances at it. “Ah! Couldn’t have timed it better.”

My elation evaporates. “What do you mean?”

“Regarding the incident in the Medical Records room on sub-level three, I asked to be notified as soon as the analysis of the video surveillance was complete. Before the results are sent on to the Prime Minister.”

“What analysis?” My eyes narrow.

“You claimed the med tech was already dying when you found him and that none of the data on the computer system was tampered with before you were forced to flee and return to your squad to evacuate. The facility’s video logs are automatically transmitted off-site in the event that the station’s integrity is compromised. I had the techs pull the feeds to verify your account. Assuming your version of events checks out, you have nothing to worry about and will be returned to active duty.” He sighs. “However, if it doesn’t…” He lets the thought hang in the air like a blackened cloud.

There’s no way out of this. He’s going to know I lied. I can’t stay here, not with so much hanging in the balance. Even if I have to kill him now and somehow break out, I need to get out of here.

As his eyes scan the data on his tablet, I move in closer, ready to pounce, to dig my fingers in his throat, to make him pay for all the pain he’s caused, for murdering the person he used to be…

“Interesting.” He looks up, his expression unreadable.