The Sympathizer

Chapter 40

The North city is bustling with traffic. Gliders zig zag along multiple intertwining lanes, leaving colourful trails in their wake. The city is alive with Plutonians crowding the sidewalks. Families gathered in restaurants, having their meals together as they laugh and chat.

Couples saunter along the sidewalks, their smiles glowing under the neon lights from the billboards above. 

Only a select few know about the roiling undercurrents that are circulating amongst us. Last I heard, my father and Lazarus have been detained for questioning since those videos were leaked. I haven't caught sight of them since we got back to Pluto. 

Not that I want to. By now they would know I was a part of their downfall. I'm just surprised they haven't thrown me under the bus yet. The fact that I haven't been called in by the judicial team and the war council can only mean that they haven't admitted to my participation. 

Either that or someone has been covering for me. 

We arrive outside the lobby to the magnificent Rubauld hotel and my heart lurches as I look up at the towering building. Black, shiny stone makes up the entire facade and as I look up, I realise I can't see the end of it. This building is one of the tallest on Pluto, it reaches up into the sky, disappearing into hazy clouds we replicated from our previous world. 

I step outside in one of my most modest outfits and pull the shawl I'm wearing over my head. Attendants run over to lead my driver to one of the valet lots. One of them greets me and I nod curtly, pulling the cloth closer to hide my face. 

It feels like I'm about to meet my secret lover as I walk over to the concierge and tell them I'm expected in room 201. 

A Plutonian in a red striped suit, with the label 'manager' hanging over his breast pocket leads me to the back, past the set of the lifts in the foyer. We walk past the hotel lounge and the restaurants filled with decadently dressed guests and I keep my head down, trying to remain as unnoticeable as I can. 

There is a private lift just after the kitchens and the manager scans his key card before sending me in alone. I want to call out to him when the doors close in my face, wondering if I've made a mistake by coming here. 

There's a gun strapped to my inner thigh and a heated knife tucked neatly into the sole of each of my boots but I still find myself growing more and more nervous. 

A robotic voice announces that I've reached my designated floor and the doors slide open. I remain in place, debating if I should take a step forward. The lift doors don't close and I notice the screen signalling our floor goes blank. 

The lift has been deactivated. I take a tentative step outside, my boot landing on the soft plush carpets that line every floor of this hotel. 

One of General Aldric's many hotels. 

Room 201 looms before me, the gold lettering glittering under the dim lighting over head. I walk up to the door and take a steady breath before knocking twice. 

General Aldric greets me at the door himself and I resist the urge to look down, noticing that he is only half dressed. His beard is scruffy and unkept, eyes red rimmed like he's intoxicated. He's wearing black pants with no shirt, only a cloth robe that hangs open, revealing a torso I do not want to see. 

"Luna," He drawls, tilting his head as he stares at me. "What a sight for sore eyes." 

My skin crawls, fingers bunching into fists by my sides. I could take him on, especially in the state that he's in. This man is no threat to me, I think. "You wanted to see me." 

He moves to the side, making way for me. "Come in."

I scoot past him quickly, noticing how my arms brush against his chest. He must have moved closer and I dart forward, putting some space between us before we end up touching again.