Page 35 of Echos and Empires (After #3)

EIGHTEEN

Every passing day seemed to make the walls inch closer together as far as Bash was concerned.

Two weeks ago they’d made a choice and now they were stuck waiting for opportunities to present themselves.

They’d barely left the house and when they did, it was to find others even slightly against Victor.

They lived and breathed creating the rebellion, and so far had only found a handful of men who admitted to not taking the vitamins yet.

It hadn’t been all bad. They’d had twins to celebrate and a woman to worship, but it wasn’t entirely enough to remove the demons Bash knew haunted them all.

For years the unit had been close knit with only the occasional trouble between them.

Even realizing they all loved Emma and she shared her heart equally hadn’t done a damn thing for their bonds because it’s what they’d been hoping for.

But the last three days had them sniping at one another unnecessarily and sometimes intensely.

He paused by the kitchen door, recalling the hushed argument he’d had with Chris the night before.

“It’s too risky,” he’d hissed, eyes darting to the darkened staircase. “Walking into that viper’s nest is asking to get bit.”

Chris’s jaw had set in a firm line, meeting Bash’s gaze unflinchingly. “We can’t just sit here waiting for the axe to fall. We need information, and this council meeting is our best shot.”

They had gone back and forth, voices low but intense, until finally he’d thrown up his hands and stalked away.

Bash understood his friend’s fears, felt them like a leaden weight in his own gut.

But he also knew that moving too soon could get them all killed.

Chris was his leader and he would follow, but he’d keep an eye on things as he did it.

He moved to the window, staring out at the lush jungle just beyond the slightly overgrown yard, beyond the white picket fence that should have brought peace.

Somewhere beyond that fence, Victor was plotting, biding his time until he could spring whatever trap he had lying in wait.

Bash’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, his short nails slicing into his palms. He didn’t want to admit it, but Chris was right.

They couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

The council meeting tonight was a risk, but it was also an opportunity.

A chance to gauge the temperament of the other community leaders and those pesky enough to complain at a town hall.

Chris would have to tread carefully, layering his true intentions beneath a veneer of obedience.

One wrong move, one poorly chosen word, and Chris could bring Victor’s wrath down on all their heads.

But if he succeeded, if he could peel back even a corner of the curtain that hid Victor’s schemes and show people the danger they were in, it would be worth the danger.

The familiar rush of adrenaline, the cold clarity that came with walking the knife’s edge, rushed over Bash and reminded him of before meeting Emma. It was a dance he knew well, one he had perfected long before the world turned to ash.

Chris walked past and strode to the door before calling out to whoever was close enough.

“I’m going to head out a little early. I’m not William, I’ll need to get my head on right if I’m going to read body language tonight.

I have no doubt Victor will be there with more vitamins since that jar held only a month of the gummies.

This might be our last shot to find enough people. ”

“I’m coming with you. Just tell anyone who asks that you gave me security duty.” Bash interrupted, holstering a gun and stepping beside Chris.

“Just be careful. Emma will kill us if something happens to you both.” Alex quipped, popping his head out of the downstairs bathroom.

“I have no intention of pissing off the woman carrying two children because sooner or later she’s going to kill us for getting her pregnant when she’s in labor and I’d like to be in her good graces when that happens.” Chris laughed.

Alex’s small chuckle was audible even after Bash stepped out and closed the front door behind him.

The game was on, and he’d be damned if they let Victor win.

The council meeting hall was full despite them arriving almost an hour early. There were eight rows of seats with five seats in each, but Bash could only see five or six empty. The council table on the stage was largely empty. And that rankled Bash.

The first months on the island he’d been impressed by the democracy here despite cultures from all over. Maria had been a fair leader until her rotation ended. Now he began to realize the council was in Victor’s pocket and he’d been invited to join so Victor could try to sway him.

Never going to fucking happen.

Attacking the ship had been deplorable. Bash understood the greater good, but if he’d been Victor, he’d have attacked the government and run to this island considering Victor appeared to own it.

Bash stood along the wall as Chris took his seat at the long table, exchanging polite nods and murmured greetings with Anya and Ben, the only other council members already there.

To an outside observer, it would have seemed like a gathering of old friends, all warm smiles and genial small talk.

But Bash knew better. Behind each carefully crafted facade, gears were turning, alliances shifting and schemes unfolding.

Slowly, the other five, including Victor, came and took their seats. Bash watched as Chris’s body tensed as Victor sat beside, a sickening smile on his lips.

“I heard the good news,” Victor spoke loudly enough that all would hear him. “My congratulations to your family. Twins have never been recorded since the bombs. It will be a celebration that puts all others to shame when they enter this world.”

Rage surged through Bash like a storm, a tempest threatening to break free.

His muscles tensed, and he clenched his jaw so tightly that he had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent an outburst. The thought of Emma’s kidnapping churned in his mind, a dark cloud of anger mingling with the chilling knowledge of what babies signified to Victor.

The weight of it pressed down on him, each detail a sharp reminder of the danger and the stakes involved.

“Thank you,” Chris seemed to hiss, drawing Bash from his anger at the way Victor threatened his children. “We’re more thrilled than someone without a family could ever understand.” The barbed shot landed and Victor’s smile slipped for a moment.

As the meeting commenced, Bash kept his expression neutral, his posture relaxed.

But his mind was in overdrive, dissecting each word and gesture, filing away every tidbit of information.

There was Zach, the former general, his brow furrowed as Victor expounded on new security protocols.

Diana, the tech mogul, her lips pressed into a thin line when the topic turned to resource allocation.

And Hanna, the doctor, her fingers tapping a restless rhythm on the glossy tabletop as Victor waxed poetic about the importance of “population management.”

Bash made mental notes of each reaction, mapping the fault lines in Victor’s seemingly impenetrable power structure. He knew he would need allies if he had any hope of toppling the tyrant’s regime, but he also knew that one misstep could bring it all crashing down on his head.

Trust was a luxury he couldn’t afford, not when Emma’s life hung in the balance.

Every interaction had to be carefully calculated, every word measured and weighed.

Even here, surrounded by the island’s elite, he felt the constant prickle of eyes on his back, watching, assessing, looking for any sign of disloyalty.

As the meeting paused for a brief recess, Bash made his move.

He drifted casually towards the refreshment table, falling into step beside the general as he reached for a glass of water.

“Quite the speech,” he remarked, keeping his voice low.

“One might almost believe he has our best interests at heart. Seems like those vitamins are doing their job if my love has twins.”

The general cut him a sharp look, but something flickered in his eyes—a glimmer of understanding, perhaps even a hint of agreement. Bash pressed on, choosing his words with care. “I find a walk along the north cliffs quite refreshing toward the end of day very refreshing. Clears the head.”

He let the comment hang, heavy with implication, before moving away.

Later, as the council members filed out to return to their duties, Bash brushed past the small mother with her three kids in tow, murmuring, “The old lighthouse along the cliffs is especially lovely at sunset. Pity so few appreciate the view.”

To anyone else, the remarks would have seemed idle chatter, meaningless pleasantries. But he had to believe those who were upset would understand they were not as random as they seemed. They were invitations, a subtle code that promised something more than polite conversation.

When they were alone, Bash moved closer to Chris.

“Do you think I made wise choices?”

“I think you made the same damn ones I would’ve made, but we really could’ve used Will.”

He was walking a razor’s edge now, balanced between hope and disaster. Each meeting, each whispered conversation, brought with it the risk of exposure, of having his nascent rebellion snuffed out before it could even draw breath.

But he had no choice. He thought of Emma, of the tiny life growing inside her, and his resolve hardened into something unbreakable.

He would play the game as long as he had to, wear whatever mask was required.

And when the time came, when he had marshaled his forces and laid his plans, he would tear Victor’s empire down brick by blood-stained brick.

No matter the cost.

Hopefully at least some of them would show up.