“It’s not okay!” Ryan screamed. “Look what they did to her!”
“Pretty much all of the people who were responsible for this are dead now, Ry,” Bill said. “Come with us. She’ll be okay here. When this is over, I promise we’ll come back and take her out of here. Now we’ve gotta go face Tiberius.”
“No,” said Theo.
“What do you mean no?” asked Kylee.
“I mean, no. You’ve all done enough. This is my job now.”
“Theo,” said Bill, “don’t be ridiculous. You can barely stand. Let’s bring the army up there and shoot the devil in his big, fat head.”
“It has to be me,” said Theo. “You need to get these people out of here and to safety. You know Tiberius’s power. If you all come with it will be a massacre.”
“I don’t understand,” said Kylee. “How can you win if you’re so sure we’d all lose?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just know that this is a fight for me and me alone. Just give me one last chance to speak to the people.”
“One last…” Kylee gasped. “You don’t think you’re going to survive this, do you? This is insane, Theo. Insane.”
“This army needs its leader,” he said. “I can’t risk any of you. If I don’t come back in an hour…Wes has grenades. Take this place down.”
He walked back down the hall. The eyes of the army followed him. Standing by the door he knew would take him to the staircase to the top floor, Theo spoke.
“People of Atlantic Island, you have done an amazing thing tonight. You have made it possible for this country and its people to be free. You have done right by the people who died in the tragedy of the Event, like my friend Mark, and you have done right by all those who died in the avoidable tragedies brought about since by Paul Tiberius and his men.
“You have helped me to avenge the deaths of Sam Lucas and so many others who died in the gladiatorial arena, in the prisons, the camp, or here in this Palace. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Now, I want you to go. Go out and be my representatives in the world. Let the people know as they awaken that they don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
He pulled Kylee to him and kissed her. When he pulled back, her eyes were full of tears. “I love you,” he said to her.
She hesitated, preparing a plea, then stopped herself. “I love you, too,” she said.
“Listen to Kylee as you have done so far, and as you have done for me,” he said. “Listen to my friends.” He looked at Bill and Ryan and smiled. “Listen to each other. You are the future of this nation.”
“What about you?” someone shouted. “Won’t you lead us?”
“I hope so,” Theo said. “I guess fate will decide. Now I have a dictator to overthrow. Thank you all for everything… Thank you for giving me a purpose.”
With that, before there could be more protests, he turned and opened the door behind him. He looked back one last time, making eye contact with Kylee. Then the door shut, cutting him off from his people.
Kylee took a moment to compose herself. “Alright people,” she said, “It’s time to go. We’re going to retrace our steps down and collect those we’ve lost.”
“What about Theo?” a voice called out. “Will he be back?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “We have to move now.”
Chapter 35
Theo heard the door close behind him. One flight of stairs separated him from the small lobby that had once divided Tiberius’s and Lucas’s offices. He thought there was a chance that he would be killed as soon as he stepped into the lobby. If that was how it was going to be, so be it. He had come too far to turn back, and he was out of options. This part of the script couldn’t be written in advance. It had to play out in real-time, come what may.
He wasn’t positive he had any ammo in his gun. He’d forgotten to check before he left the others. The firearm was held in his left hand. His right arm was as useless as if it had been amputated. Maybe eventually it would be. He certainly didn’t think it would ever work the way it had.
Black shadows danced in and out of the edges of his vision. Theo knew he was tired, but there was something more than that wrong with him. The shirt wrapped around his wound was drenched with blood. He wondered how long he would be able to stay on his feet.
Theo took the stairs slowly, conserving his energy. He was prepared for the possibility of Tiberius or one of his soldiers bursting out of the door at the top of the stairs and coming after him. If that happened, he’d run straight up, and maybe toss them down to the bottom. It wasn’t much of a plan but his addled brain refused to give him anything else. Conserve your energy, it said. Take your time. All in good time, Theo.
He thought maybe that was Sam Lucas’s voice speaking to him, or at least his own construction of the mayor. It was nice that he still had a friend with him. This made him think of Kylee and the rest. He hoped they were on their way to safety. Even with Bertier defeated, he knew a portion of the surviving Security Force would continue to fight as long as Tiberius remained in control. The rebels were tired and injured. They needed a break. They needed a victory, and Theo wanted more than anything to give it to them.
Three more steps to the top. So nobody was going to attack him here after all. Theo was confused. Tiberius must know he would be coming. Why give him the chance to get situated in the lobby? None of this made any sense, but then again he was dealing with a man whose ego and one-sided sense of right and wrong had driven him insane.
Two more steps remaining. Theo tightened his grip on the gun. Climbing had been so difficult with his right arm throwing him off balance and the gun in the hand that should be gripping the rail. Now, if he didn’t trip and send himself back down the stairwell in a heap, he needed to have his weapon at the ready.
On the final step, Theo took a deep breath. He was ready, as ready as one could be. Doing the best one could do in impossible circumstances. That’s what he had come to believe defined a hero, and it was the code he would continue to live by now, even if he might not live much longer. He let out the air he had been holding. He went to reach for the door with his right hand, and laughed when his arm didn’t move. So much for preparing his gun. He maneuvered the weapon under his left arm, pinning it to his side, and turned the knob with his left hand.
He opened the door and walked out into the small lobby. It looked like he remembered it, though of course he had never been there that late. No receptionist worked at the desk. Nobody was there at all. The door to the mayor’s office was partially open. Well, it was not the mayor’s office anymore, was it? Tiberius’s office.
Theo looked around. He knew these circumstances had been arranged for him, but he didn’t see an alternative. He had become a cow in a chute after all.
“The great and powerful Theo Essex returns to grace us with his presence!” Tiberius’s voice came from behind the open door. Theo felt a chill go through him. He was frozen where he stood, caught between conflicting impulses to move forward and to turn and run.
“Do come in, Mr. Essex,” said Tiberius. “We will talk of many things. Cabbages and kings, am I right?” The voice tittered.
He’s completely mad, Theo thought. Despite his reservations, he took a few cautious steps forward, raising his weapon.
“You have caused me a tremendous amount of trouble, Mr. Essex,” Tiberius said. “The least you can do is sit with me like two gentlemen. We can discuss our differences.”
Theo reached the doorway. He knew he only had one small chance to end the nightmare. He brushed the door against his shoulder and pushed forward, entering the inner office.