Superior

Chapter 42

Picture of Jeremy Fairleigh on the side!

Chapter Forty-Two

Caleb

"Blow it to bits," I murmured, stepping back from Fairleigh's grin.

"Indeed," he agreed, nodding. "We have several hundred people laying explosives under every building, street, and monument in this entire city." He stepped away from me, looking absolutely serene. "You must understand who we're dealing with. These are Superiors. They are stronger than us, smarter than us, and sharper than us. If we were to try anything more...subtle, we'd be annihilated."

I stared back at him, unsmiling. "Don't you think blowing things up is a little bit extreme?"

"It may seem that way," Fairleigh admitted, shrugging, "but if we're going to cleanse this country of the Superiors, we need to use a force that's greater than theirs."

It took a moment for his words to sink it, and when they did, I felt a sudden urge to throw up my breakfast. "You're going to kill them all," I breathed. The man gave me a strange look.

"I'm afraid so. It's really our only choice."

"What about all the other people?" I demanded, horrified. "The guards, the reporters...the candidates, even—are you just going to let them die?"

"Collateral damage," Fairleigh said dismissively. "Think about the bigger picture, Caleb. Once we destroy the Superior's rule, it will all fall into place. This simple act will make sense in the long run."

It infuriated me, the way he was so calm, so utterly dispassionate. He spoke about killing innocent people as if he were discussing a day at work. But even as anger boiled inside me, and I glared at the man, ready to explode, Fairleigh simply looked on with a tranquil expression.

"What about murder makes sense, Fairleigh?" I practically shouted. He raised an eyebrow, staring at me patiently. "How can you write off killing a bunch of innocent people as 'collateral damage?'"

The man hesitated, then strode over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. It was almost comical, as I was nearly a head taller than him, but he didn't seem even slightly intimidated by the size difference.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," Fairleigh said sadly. I tried to shrug his hand away, but he held on with surprising strength. "I am not a violent man, and having to take these measures saddens me. But sometimes, sacrifices must be made to ensure the prosperity of the greater good."

"The greater good," I echoed hollowly.

Just then, a shrill beeping filled the air. Fairleigh retrieved a small cellphone from the pocket of his jeans and glanced at its screen with a blank expression. He pocketed the phone as quickly as he had extracted it, then fixed me with a saccharine smile.

"I'm sorry, Caleb, but I have some important business to attend to. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, but I'm afraid this meeting must come to an end."

He jump back into the tunnels quicker than I could respond.

"Wait!" I called after him. His crunching footsteps paused, though I couldn't see his face. Knowing that my time would be limited, I hurried on. "There's a woman here, Myra Shea. She's a prisoner, but she's a member of the Pro-Inferiors. You're planning to help her, right?"

For a long, tense moment, there was no sound, and I wondered if Fairleigh had slipped away while I was speaking. Then, as I held my breath, he sighed, punctuating the silence with his quiet exhalation. And when he spoke, it sounded like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.