Transform Me (A "Shatter Me" Trilogy Fanfiction)

FOURTEEN: FIRST DATE

14: First Date

“Wh-what do you mean they know The Genesis Movement exists?”  My mind is racing; my heart is pounding a mile a minute.  “I’ve been extremely careful about not being followed.  How could anyone have tailed me for a month without me noticing anything?”

 “The Reestablishment’s soldiers are a lot more well-trained than you can imagine.  You being shadowed without you noticing is entirely possible.  Trust me.”  He explains grimly.

 “Do they know who I really am?  Do they know the exact location?  What else do they know?  What are they planning to do?” The questions spill out of me before I have a chance to stop them.  Thankfully, Kishimoto does not seem pestered by my queries.

 “For now, Fukawa still believes that you’re the general.  However, he also suspects that you may not be allegiant to The Reestablishment, which is why he’s having you followed.  So far, all they know is that you leave the sector frequently for long periods of time and no one knows of your whereabouts.”

 I think of Lieutenant Fukawa and the look of subtle skepticism he always wears when focused on me.  All this time, he’s been waiting for me to slip up.  One wrong move and all my efforts would be for naught.

 “What about the headquarters?”

 “They’re inspecting several various locations, thanks to the fact that you park the tank in different areas every time.  This Fukawa guy authorized a search—needless to say without your consent—and the soldiers are instructed to be as discreet as humanly possible.  They start this week.”

 Feeling the blood drain from my face, my knees start to buckle.  I stumble rearward a few steps until my back is against the wall, then I slowly begin to sink until I’m slumped on the carpeted ground.  I don’t even realize I’ve transformed back into myself until I see my own hands fisted on my lap. 

How could I have let this happen?  Why didn’t I see this coming?  I can’t believe how stupid I had been to assume everything was working out just fine.

 Usually, I would have been able to think of several plans by now.  However, in my desperation and fear, I can’t come up with a single coherent thought.

 “What do we do now?”  My voice is a quavering whisper.

 Kishimoto slides down to the floor next to me.  “Logically, you’ll have to keep up the general act for as long as you can.  You can’t afford to slip up now.  This means we can’t go back to the headquarters.”

 At this, my head snaps in his direction.  “But what about the mass execution?  We can’t allow that to happen!”

 “We’ll find a way to stop them.”  Kishimoto assures me, his eyes twin pools of certainty.  “You’ll have to stall for time until we can rally up the others to stop the execution.  But for now, all we can do to help is stay here and do what we’re here to do.” 

 “That doesn’t sound like a good plan at all.”  I argue.  “We should go back now so we can rescue the prisoners as soon as possible.”

 “Or the moment you leave, Fukawa can veto your orders and have the prisoners killed while you’re absent.”  He points out.  “You’ll have to trust me on this, Vi.  You’re not thinking straight right now.”

 I hate to admit that he’s right.  “Fine.  But how long do we have to stay here?”

 “I’ll be your eyes and ears.  I’ll let you know when it’s safe.”

 “Alright then.”  I drag a hand over my face.  “But when—”

 Three sharp knocks interrupt us and we both instantly tense.