26: Traitor in the Midst
“We can’t just leave him like this.” Juliette voices out as we leave the chamber containing the holding cells. “He knows who the real Supreme Commander is! We have to force the answer out of him!”
“We do not resort to torture here at Souseiki Dousa.” Devin replies. “Even against our enemies, we do them no harm.”
“But you can read his mind.” Warner declares. “That doesn’t involve any form of torture.”
Devin sighs. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible.”
“What do you mean?” Juliette frowns
“There’s something about the general I haven’t told you.” Devin stops midstride, then turns around to face us. “Like us, he too has a special ability.”
We all freeze in place, stunned by the revelation.
“He can manipulate emotions with his mind. And for some reason, I cannot gain access to his thoughts or memories. It’s like he’s put up a barrier somehow; one I cannot get through.”
The possibility of this terrifies me. “There are…there are people like us working for The Reestablishment?”
Juliette casts a worried look towards Warner.
“It’s highly likely.” Warner grimaces in consternation. “After all, I was a sector leader working for The Reestablishment. However, I had no knowledge about my abilities until I arrived at Omega Point.”
“I remember the day I took down the Supreme Commander.” Juliette says, her voice sounding distant. “Paris Anderson had some sort of bodyguard with him who could create incredibly powerful sound waves just by clapping his hands. The pressure was enough to throw me against the wall.”
“In Oceania, there were three generals in sectors 11, 13, and 15 who each had abilities.” Kenji adjoins grimly. “One was extremely strong, even stronger than Juliette. Another could shoot lightning bolts out of her hands. The third one could control a person’s actions by playing a flute. There were more like them in South America, Europe, and Africa. It comes as no surprise that there are people like us here in Asia working for The Reestablishment as well.”
We all stand there in silence, pondering over what each of us has just shared and exchanging worried glances. Then after a few minutes, Devin voices out the one fear on our minds.
“What if the Supreme Commander has an ability as well?”
Juliette’s voice is almost a whisper. “Then we’re all in big trouble.”
* * *
We’re back in the library, just four of us this time. Devin has excused herself to return to the laboratory to do something important. The library is now empty except for the four of us and we’re seated around one of the tables near the corner of the room, mulling over today’s events.
We’re all broken out of our collective reveries when Juliette suddenly slams her fist against the metal table. She doesn’t notice that the force has left a dent. “That General Watanabe definitely knows something! I can tell.”
Kenji nods in agreement. “And what did he mean when he said that we’re all idiots; that it’s a wonder we still haven’t realized who the Supreme Commander really is? For some reason, I get the feeling that the Supreme Commander’s identity isn’t so secret after all. Maybe he’s hiding in plain sight.”
YOU ARE READING
Transform Me (A "Shatter Me" Trilogy Fanfiction)
Fiksi PenggemarSYNOPSIS After Juliette Ferrars takes over Sector 45, she spends the next five years liberating the other sectors, until the whole continent of North America is almost entirely free from the Reestablishment. Their resistance gave hope to the other...
