Rinse [manxman]

Chapter Twenty

"Right now, Goss has the remaining Qizadian troops running campaigns all across Qizade. He's trying to get sympathizers to join the cause by using familiar faces." Lebeaux waved a hand, switching the screen playing various clips of these campaigns to grainy security footage of Xeniden's Military HQ.

Everyone participating in the upcoming mission—everyone excluding Elizabeth, Wyatt, and the kids—was sitting on countertops and in the few chairs Lebeaux had scattered around his lab. Screens with every piece of information Varik and Lebeaux had gathered during the previous day surrounded us as he gave everyone a rundown of the current happenings in Xeniden.

"Goss is trying to run damage control in Xeniden, but there are a lot of people that aren't buying it. It also seems like over half the Xeniden military have abandoned their positions, so he's been scheming with Boone and the Commander of Unit 84, Erica Delaney." Those must've been the three pixelated people in the video. "Since they're all under Goss's roof, there hasn't been any need for electronic communication, so I've had Varik on a low-grade operational mode in order to observe, but go undetected. That's why this footage is so shitty." Lebeaux grimaced at the footage and waved his hand, making the screen disappear.

"What are they planning?" Dakota asked.

Lebeaux looked up at the ceiling. "V, pull it up." A second later, a holographic diagram of Xeniden and Qizade appeared. There were no barriers between the two realms, and instead of both capitals being marked, there was a single marking where the main border should have been. "I'm thinkin' this was the plan for what Goss would do once he and Stanner got rid of all the opposition, then he got rid of Stanner."

"How does he plan on achieving this when he and Stanner never finished the first part of the plan?" I asked.

"It's similar to before. There's a list of people that need to be executed. Boone, Delaney, and a few other elite soldiers have all been tasked with bringing them in and executing them publicly. Goss would manipulate the media to ensure that each execution would be broadcast repeatedly until everyone from Qizade and Xeniden has witnessed them. Anyone still ballsy enough to oppose him will also be executed."

"Pull up the lists." Dakota's voice came out hard and unwavering.

Lebeaux brought up two new screens: one with the names of the executioners and the other with the names of the soon to die. The executioners were split evenly between high-ranking Qizade and Xeniden soldiers. As for the executionee list, the top was comprised of the members of Unit 03, while the remaining ones were elite soldiers from both militaries, high-ranking scientists, progressive politicians, anyone that had status, prestige, and the means of turning the population against a realm leader.

The one similarity of the lists was my name appearing at the top of each. I was meant to be an executioner, and then executed when they were done with me. It was the same plan as before, except that time, they planned to kill me after using me.

Either Goss had demanded it or Boone wasn't taking any chances with me after what had happened during Stanner's conference. Considering how arrogant Boone was and how much he wanted me, I would've been shocked if that were the case. In order to make me an executioner, they'd have to capture me again. They'd have to come for the others in order to kill them too, but I felt sure that they planned to get me first. Boone would want me to be part of that.

"Have you found out when they're planning to make their move?" I asked, only to frown when my voice came out distant and cold. Despite sounding as if I had just slipped into a state where I'd accessed my magic, I didn't even feel close to tapping into it. In fact, I could feel a low-grade panic brimming underneath each piece of rational thought I had.