Meridian | The Second Life III [COMPLETED]

3 - Omphalos

- R O N N I E -

I'd heard before that broken men were the most powerful. It's true; I have nothing left to lose. Tulsa is a ghost town. Everyone in the Battery hated me for what I'd decided. Ironically, leaving the prison of skyscrapers only allowed me to lose the most important thing.

Tori.

The scene had intruded into my thoughts enough to where I'm almost numb to it. We'd been in San Jose for a week and were walking down a seaside parkway at sunset. We were talking about our latest visit: her childhood home. Like mine, it was deserted and lifeless. It hurt her to see that, and I was trying to comfort her.

I had caught a glimpse of a group watching us seconds before it happened: black masks, Red sunglasses. Before I could even get Tori and me to cover, gunfire rang out. I felt a bullet shoot through my left arm before my memory was cut short. I think I'd passed out from shock. The next thing I knew, I was lying in a puddle of my blood under the night sky. All of my gear was gone.

I will never forget the image of her corpse. They had hit her in the lung, and it looked like she'd choked on her blood.

I couldn't bring myself to use the radio for the last two weeks. I had thrown out the family I'd gained for the life of my dreams with the perfect girl; now, I have neither. Losing everything and everyone is freeing in the worst way imaginable. I'd used it today and told Zach when to expect a call. If there wasn't one, he'd know I'm dead.

My future mainly is undecided; do I want to continue knowing I had failed? There isn't an answer to that question now. Only one thing is sure, and that's what's about to happen to the people who killed my beloved.

Their base is a block away from my location in Beverly Hills. I'd been planning my assault for the last week, studying their movements. I couldn't save her, but I could avenge her. If I died today, at least I would die trying.

- B L A K E -

"Wait, wait, slow down," I stammer. "There was an assassination attempt?"

Evan had joined the scavenging run with Caden as it made its way to Battery. Now, he's sitting in my office. The sun has nearly set by this point, so what he has to tell me is important. To get home, he'll have to wait until sunrise. No man is insane enough to brave the infested streets under a night sky.

Most people, I guess.

"Yes," he confirms, sighing loudly. "Someone who used to be with Colt. Nikita."

"Nikita tried to occupy this place back in the Battle," I remember, and Evan nods in agreement. "Fuck, this is weird. Didn't we presume them dead?"

"We did," he confirms, leaning back in his chair. "That was a mistake."

"Let's see," I mumble, counting on my fingers. "There were seven, including Colt. That leaves you, Nikita, um... Vaughn, and I don't remember the other three. Colt took a fifty floor plunge towards the street. Vaughn was killed when the Front was occupied. As we know, Nikita took a knife to the throat a few hours ago."

"Right," Evan confirms, leaning forward in his chair and holding up three fingers. "The remainders are Aubrey, Cross, and Chuni. All of them were presumed dead alongside Nikita."

Great. I wouldn't say I like having loose ends anytime, much less with those maniacs. "Incredible. This is just what we need right now, is it not?"

"You'd rather have the truth... right?" Evan questions, a concerned look on his face.

"Of course, I'm just frustrated," I laugh, scratching an itch on my shoulder. "Anyway. What do you think, Evan? Are they alive?"

"I think so," he answers, and I sigh. "Nikita said a few things that, well, stuck out to me after I shot her."

"You have my full attention," I state.

"She told me I picked the wrong side," he remarks. "But that, that could be something said in frustration and fear. No, what stuck out to me was when she said something about a meridian almost arriving."

I stare at him for a second, confused. "What, you mean... the fucking longitude?"

"What?"

"I mean, Manhattan's longitude is something like -73.98," I ponder, and he looks at me, stunned.

"Why do you know that?" He asks, shaking his head. Honestly, great question. "No, it's not longitude. That makes no sense."

"Well, what do you think it is?" I question, looking at him annoyedly.

"I've been thinking about that for a while," Evan responds, taking a sip of the sweet tea he had requested. "I never heard that word during my time in the Circle. Granted, I never talked with Nikita that much, but if this was some sort of plan, I doubt they'd hide it from me."

"So, not a plan, then?" I ask.

"I can't rule it out, but I wouldn't bet on it," he replies quickly. "My gut tells me that those three are alive, though. Somewhere."

"Comforting," I sigh. I don't like this, not one bit. Thoughts run through my mind, and one sticks out. What if Catey going offline was related to this?

No, no. Stop. People go offline all the time, mostly because of batteries dying. Just because she went farther north than ever doesn't mean she got caught up with those three; hell, they may not even be alive. After all, why would Nikita attempt an assassination if she had a thriving group with some super secret initiative? None of this makes sense. After a long while, I speak again.

"Go ahead and sleep here tonight," I tell Evan, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Tighten your security once you return; I'll do the same."