Into the Black Hole

Chapter 40: May the Universe Burn

It's twenty-two-hundred hours, and there's no certainty that Huxley will be in his office. But then I spot Blaze outside the office's door, clutching his elec and acting like a guard. His eyes pierce me, and he offers a grim smile. "We've been expecting you." He takes out his portal and speaks into it, "Miss Chambers is here."

Huxley's voice emits from the device, "Let her in."

Using facial recognition, Blaze opens the door, and I walk in. The door closes behind me. Locks.

Huxley reclines on an armchair, nursing a glass of what looks to be whiskey, the watch I bought him glinting in the chandelier's light. He's expressionless, but his eyes are intense as ever as they latch onto my every movement. "Sit," he insists, gesturing to the linen couch across from him. I obey. "I know why you're here."

I raise my eyebrows. "You do?"

"You're searching for a pesky Liansan, and I'm happy to tell you where he is... after you answer a few questions I have."

I swallow. "Is he alive?"

"For the time being." He leans forward, setting his glass down on the table between us. "Now, I'm going to get right to the point: You know what my de facto plans are for NeuroQueue. How?"

Breathe in. Breathe out. "You mean the plan to cure the sick Cosmics?"

"Cut the crap, Ailee." His facade minutely fractures. "You're aware of my plan for Liansa. Who filled you in?"

If I continue playing dumb, he'll never tell me where Timour is. "I figured it out after visiting Leonid."

There's no humor in his smirk. "You're smart, but you're not that smart. Since you seem to be having a difficult time recalling, I'll help connect some of the dots for you. We conducted a few test runs on our nukes this past week, and imagine my astonishment when each and every one broke apart into a dozen pieces upon launch, scattering hundreds of NeuroQueue devices into the void of space." He waits for me to comment. "You have nothing to say?"

"I'm interested to see where this is going."

"Ooh, I sense hostility." He flinches melodramatically. "You care to know what I think? I think you dismantled the nukes. But"—he rises, wagging his finger at me as he circles the table, nearing my couch—"you didn't do it alone."

"And you have proof of this?" I jut my chin up.

"Your guards complete timesheets so I know how much to pay them. They're paid biweekly, not hourly, but whenever they aren't working, they must provide valid excuses as to why. And the irony here is that if you hadn't gone on your little hunger strike in front of blondie's room, I would've had no reason to double check their specific excuses. Apparently, we went on a bunch of late night dates I wasn't present for." He blinks. "I feel a bit gypped."

He saunters behind my couch. I don't turn my head, but when his fingers run across my back from shoulder to shoulder, I involuntarily shiver.

"You couldn't have dismantled the nukes yourself," he continues. "You don't have access to the armory. In fact, only a handful of people do. But who was the sucker who helped you? Nupan? Nalani? Certainly not Blaze—he despises Earth with every fiber of his being. I wouldn't have believed for a second that it was Felix until rumors began circulating about you and my Quartermaster. You screwing him for information? Or is it one of my Gunners? Thomson's been getting on my nerves lately, asking too many questions—questions about you, no less."

I state, "You're seeing what you want to see."

He appears in my line of vision again, eyes slits of blue fire. "Why would I possibly want to see this? Disloyalty both within my inner circle and from my—" he stumbles, widely gesticulating with his arms. "I don't even know what to call you! I don't know who I am to you! It's not that I want to see this, Ailee; it's that you've left me no choice." His voice softens, "Why did you do it? Why couldn't you just trust me?"