Page 31 of Echos and Empires (After #3)

SIXTEEN

“Sorry I’m late,” William called as he opened the front door, more than a little surprised no one was on the couch. Someone was always on the couch.

Stepping inside, William was nearly suffocated by the unusual and heavy silence settling over him like a weighted blanket.

It was a tangible presence, thick and oppressive, that seemed to muffle even the soft scuff of his boots against the floor.

He paused, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light, and scanned the space for the source of the tension that hung heavy in the air.

Voices drifted from upstairs, leaving him with frantic and clipped conversations. Taking the stairs two at a time, he called out again. “Everything okay?”

The door to the computer room was open, the voices loudly filtering out, drawing him closer.

William found them huddled around the computer, Liam’s reflection in the computer screen etched with fear.

They were clustered together, shoulders hunched and expressions tight, as if bracing themselves against an unseen force.

The sight sent a prickle of unease crawling up William’s spine, and he found himself moving closer, drawn by a morbid curiosity.

As he approached he opened his mouth to speak, to ask what had everyone so on edge, but the words died on his tongue as he drew near enough to see the rest of their faces.

Shock, disbelief, and a growing horror were etched into every line and curve, their eyes wide and unblinking as they stared at the screen.

William’s confusion mounted, mingling with a growing sense of dread.

He tried again to get their attention, clearing his throat and reaching out to tap the nearest shoulder.

But before his fingers could make contact, Chris’s hand shot out, gesturing for him to be quiet.

The movement was sharp, almost frantic, and it spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation.

Swallowing his questions, William edged closer, craning his neck to see what had the group so transfixed.

He found himself standing behind Liam, the other man’s broad shoulders blocking most of the screen from view.

But even from this angle, William could see the tension in Liam’s posture, the white-knuckled grip he had on the edge of the desk.

The room seemed to hold its breath, the silence broken only by the soft hum of the computer and the ragged edge of Liam’s breathing.

William’s heart began to race, pounding against his ribs in a staccato rhythm of anticipation and dread.

He leaned forward, straining to catch a glimpse of the words on the screen.

“What are we doing?”

Chris caught his gaze and returned a glacial stare. “Hush.”

William shrunk back, uncertain what was wrong but aware he’d only heard that tone from Chris one other time.

When Marcus kidnapped Emma right under their fucking noses.

Liam’s voice cut through the heavy silence, low and strained as he began to read aloud from the document on the screen.

“Phase One B.” Liam hissed as if he’d read ahead.

“Continue work with US, UK, and Russian government scientists until the bomb is complete. Once built, we can make a test drop on one of the seven purchased islands for the experiment. Groups of refugees have been sent to four of the seven, believing they were saved from US reprimand and will be the perfect candidates as many are women and children.”

With each word, William felt a growing sense of horror and disbelief wash over him, his mind reeling as he tried to process the implications of what he was hearing. Even when Liam stopped speaking, William could hear the words reverberating in his mind.

“Victor’s plan was far more insidious than we ever imagined. He didn’t just partner with military organizations to build the bombs...he orchestrated the entire apocalypse beginning with fucking test subjects.” Chris’s words echoed in William’s ears like a fucking bomb.

Emma made a choked sound, her hand flying to her mouth. Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his face grim.

His stomach churned, bile rising in his throat as the pieces fell into place with sickening clarity.

The way Victor had always seemed to have a plan, to be one step ahead in the last few weeks.

..it wasn’t luck or foresight. It was because he had been pulling the strings all along, manipulating world events like a puppet master.

“Test one results. A mixed bag. Not enough women with the genetic markers for cancer succumbed to the small pipe bomb and at least three men did. This test of four hundred will need to be repeated on another island with a similar sized small bomb that won’t draw notice or spread.” Liam continued.

“My god,” Alex breathed, his face ashen. “All those people... they trusted him. They thought they were being saved.”

William finally found his voice. “But...but why? Why would he do something like that?”

“Power. Control. He wanted to prove that he could engineer the perfect society, one that would worship him. The bombs were just a means to an end. With the world in chaos, he could remake it in his image.” Fury laced Bash’s response.

“There’s more,” Liam said grimly, scrolling further down the document. “It looks like Victor used the data from that test to refine the bombs, to make them even more devastating. He was the mastermind behind it all, pulling strings and manipulating world leaders until war was inevitable.”

William’s head spun, his vision blurring at the edges as he tried to comprehend the sheer scale of Victor’s betrayal. The man had played God, orchestrating the downfall of civilization itself, all for his own twisted ambitions.

In the aftermath of Liam’s revelations, the room fell into a stunned silence.

It was as if the very air had been sucked from the space, leaving them all gasping and reeling.

The weight of the truth settled over him, a heavy, oppressive thing that seemed to press down on his chest until he thought his ribs might crack from the pressure.

But as his initial shock began to fade, something else took its place.

Anger—hot and fierce—began to burn in the pit of William’s stomach.

It was a feeling he was all too familiar with, the same rage that had driven him to join the military after losing his family to the toxin.

Only this time, the target of his fury was not some faceless enemy, but the man they had all trusted to lead them to safety.

He could see the same anger reflected in the faces of the others, their expressions hardening as the reality of Victor’s betrayal sank in. Fists clenched and jaws tightened, eyes narrowing into slits as they grappled with the depth of the deception.

For William, the sense of betrayal cut deeper than he could have ever imagined.

He had believed in Victor, had put his faith in the man’s vision of a better world from long before the danger when the man spoke of genetic testing to cure ailments.

Now, here, William had fought and bled to get to this island, had sacrificed everything to help build the sanctuary they now called home.

To learn that it was all a lie, that their hard-won peace was nothing more than an illusion, was a blow that left him reeling.

His mind raced with questions, with doubts and fears that he had never allowed himself to acknowledge before. Had any of it been real? The friendships they had forged, the sense of community they had built? Or had it all been just another part of Victor’s grand manipulation?

The thought made him sick to his stomach, bile rising in the back of his throat as he struggled to reconcile the man he thought he knew with the monster that had been revealed. He felt like a fool, like a na?ve child who had been taken in by a pretty lie.

Alex had listened intently as Liam read, his unease growing with each word.

He had always prided himself on his ability to read people, to sense when something was off, but this—this was beyond anything he could have ever imagined.

The depth of Victor’s deception, the scale of his ambition, it was enough to make Alex’s skin crawl.

“Keep going,” Chris urged Liam.

As Liam’s voice began to falter, the weight of the revelations taking their toll, Alex found himself stepping forward. He placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder, a silent gesture of support, before setting his hand on the mouse to scroll as he read.

Alex’s eyes skimmed over the report, his brow furrowing as he continued to read aloud, his voice low and tense.

“Phase Three. Consolidation and Expansion.” He paused, his jaw clenching as he absorbed the words.

“With the successful establishment of the island society, begin the process of selective breeding to create a population loyal to the cause. Utilize psychological conditioning and manipulation techniques to ensure compliance and devotion to the leadership.”

His voice grew harder, disgust dripping from every word as he read on. “Maintain control through a combination of fear, isolation, and carefully curated information. Monitor all communications and restrict access to the outside world to prevent any challenge to authority.”

Alex’s hands tightened on the mouse. “Once the population has been sufficiently conditioned, begin the process of expansion to other islands. Use the loyal population as a base to rebuild and spread influence, with the ultimate goal of retaking the mainland and establishing a new world order under the supreme leader.”

As he finished reading, Alex looked up to meet the eyes of the others.

In their faces, he saw his own emotions reflected back at him—the horror, the disgust, the utter revulsion at the depths of Victor’s depravity.

But he also saw something else, a glimmer of determination that cut through the darkness like a beacon.