Gods Under The Dome

9.3

《Smile》

¤

Chair legs squeal across the room's hardwood floor. Dieter bolts for the door. Della nods at Keran. With lightning speed, Keran jolts upright, gun in hand, and aims at Dieter's back. He pushes over Nose and Finn in his rush to escape, but it's no use. Keran shoots and the bullet whistles through the air before embedding itself in Dieter's spine. He drops dead with one shot, before his fingers can graze the doorknob.

Della motions for the pills. "The spy's been put down." Titav members move slowly as they push the pills Della's way, their minds still processing what had happened. Dieter no longer occupies the space he sat in, but instead lies bleeding out on the floor nearest the door.

Keran holsters her gun. Della scoops up the pills, throws them on the ground and pulverizes them to dust with a few good stomps of her boot. "You were right, Sparks," she says. The boy jumps at the sound of his name. "I wouldn't resort to Council tactics."

"But fear is a Council-"

I stretch my foot, step on Tujo's toes to get him to shut up. He needed to learn to value silence as much as I did. Luckily, he's become easier to holster, and at the added pressure of my foot, snaps his mouth shut.

Della claps Keran on the back. "You did good, lieutenant."

Keran nods. "I'll always do what needs to be done."

"Spoken like a true Councilman," I say.

Keran's back stiffens. A vein in her neck twitches. She doesn't turn to face me, but I don't need to witness her expression to say what's on my mind. "You were so quick to kill Dieter," I continue. "So eager. That's why you scare me and that's why you'll never be useless."

Della looks from her second-in-command to me. "You two share a heart-to-heart down in the infirmary?"

"Something like that." I turn to face Della. "You've really done well, honing your soldiers into triggers you're not afraid to pull."

Della snorts. "There's that one-zero insight." She turns to face the Titavs. "You're all dismissed. Keran will give you tonight's patrols. Pairs tonight because of the lockdown. Be on guard for scouting drones. Those laser beams can pierce the skull in seconds." She points a finger between her eyes.

Had it really just taken seconds for the laser to burrow and burn it's way inside Jensen? It'd felt like I'd watched on for an eternity.

The Titavs nod, stand, and then give Della that rigid, meat-fisted salute. One by one they exit the room, each stepping over Dieter's body. The two Collective members who'd been standing outside, grab Dieter's arms and pull him from the room. The door clicks shut.

"We've prepared beds for you in the basement." She eyes me and Nol, who still have fingers intertwined. "You can squish the beds together if you can't be bothered to sleep apart." She grins, and I immediately let go of Nol's hand.

"I suggest you get some sleep while you can." Two more of her gloved fingers run along the table's knotted wood grain. "Come sunrise, you'll be making your first run to Sector Six-b, Mid-level."

I gape. So soon? She was putting us to work after all this?

Della must have read my thoughts in my expression because she says, "No rest for the weary. Chemist," Nol turns his head. "I trust you'll get to work on the new batch?"

Nol nods. "Just show me the lab."

She claps and moves past us. "Well, then, you all are dismissed."