The Day Earth Died

25. Beginning of Their End

"Malory Keïta's one-hundred fifty-fourth report on Saturday November 19 3098 at 5:04 AM. I'm doing it. I got my reason. Yin has been, along with his younger son, killing other governors for the sake of power. I want to first tell Amell, Earl, Neith and Cygne. I need Earl to access the cameras, I can't do it without him. I'm thinking of a way to subtly inform every one of them of the situation. Guillebault's room may not be recorded for privacy purposes, but I can't say the same for other places. I always thought our dorm was safe but it might not be. I'll need to convey the information quick, to convince them instantly. I can do that... I think. It's time to start. And I won't let this, whatever this is that burns inside me, die down before Yin is dead, Major too. And if Wester, Haile, Fidre, or anyone for that matter, refuses to let go, they'll have to go too. I cannot bear a second Yin, not in one lifetime. End of report."

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With my hands thrust into my pockets and my slow, leisurely walking pace, no one could've suspected I was planning a coup. Yet I was. My fingers grazed the pieces of paper I had meticulously prepared, hidden deep in my pockets. Everything about this was thought out, it couldn't go wrong—or rather, it shouldn't. Earl first, then Cygne, then Neith and finally Amell. All the people I truly trusted would know what I was preparing and, hopefully, want in.

Earl's shifts started late and finished early. I couldn't go bother an officer like him before his shifts; I likely would be disturbing someone's patrol. So after it is, though it's not as convenient. It was 5:30 AM when I finally found him wandering through the corridors with a cafeteria platter, returning to his dorm to get some rest after his meal. I passed by him and slid a paper into his pocket, knowing he'd notice it instantly, even with sleepiness mellowing him. On the paper was a concise letter that heavily encouraged him to let me into his room for a talk, briefly mentioning that Yin was a killer who needed to be stopped. I leaned my back on a wall, a few meters away from him and watched as he stopped in his tracks and shifted his food tray from one hand to another to read the note. He slowly rotated his head to the side and gave me an inviting motion towards his dorm door. He didn't have roommates—senior advantage. I creaked the door open and we walked in. The lights were already turned on. His room was the same size as ours, except it had one bed only and a private bathroom attached to it.

"Spill," he said tiredly but not uninterested nonetheless, hips leaned back against his desk where he had dropped his tray.

"I need your help," I whispered as I checked each of his light bulbs.

"Go on." He bit into his green apple.

"You know a camera room?"

"Yeah."

"I need to access it," I admitted.

"Why?" Earl didn't bother pretending to be attentive as he started eating his cheese pasta.

"The cameras, it's us they record."

"And?"

"Like everywhere. Even in the bathrooms. The governors want to control us."

"About that, the letter..."

"Yes. I saw the youngest son kill Singh. His death hasn't been announced yet but trust me, it will."

He laughed, a spoonful of food still in his mouth. I wasn't sure what was funny.

"You've got vigour, kid, I like it. I'll help you. My next shift there is in a couple weeks, I'll keep you updated."

I thanked him, relieved, and walked out of his dorm and back to mine to get some well-deserved sleep.

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