Page 106 of Longing for Liberty
“The guard,” I started, but Jeremy shook his head.
“He’s…gone.” Dead. My stomach turned. “I can take this,” he said gently, wrapping his hand around the gun. I let him have it. “I called Italian authorities,” he told me. “And Aidan.”
“What do you think the authorities will do?” I asked. “What if they let him go?”
“He’s a war criminal. It’s all over the news here. My guard had it on BBC last night before he finally fell asleep. But Lib…I’ll kill him right now if that’s what we agree on.” His eyes were serious and calm. “If you don’t want to take the chance?—”
Amos began to stir, sucking in a loud breath as he grasped his forehead.
“No,” I said. I had no idea what was happening back in the State. But if the world leaders could use Amos to get information, I should allow that to happen. Though, when I thought about his trillionaire friend, it was impossible not to fear that his connections could somehow get him out of this.
“What…” Amos pushed himself upright against a chair, his eyes puffy from being beaten. He held one wrist in his other arm and hissed. “What do you think you’re doing? My people will be…coming.”
“Your people aren’t coming,” Jeremy assured him. “Your guard here is dead, and the other one is knocked out and tied up. But the Italian police and international police? They’re on their way.”
For the first time, an actual look of fear was clear on his swelling features, even misshapen as they were. That fear told me we’d made the right decision.
“Why are you doing this?” Amos asked. “Ruining your country for what? Jealousy?”
Jeremy and I made eye contact. I was the first to let out a snort, and then his whole face scrunched as he laughed too. Amos looked at us like we were asylum fugitives until we finally calmed down.
“Our country,” I said, losing all humor, “was ruined years ago. By you.” My voice got louder with each word. “By Roan. By Wright and Walinger, and your whole. Entire. Fucking cult!” And then, unexpectedly, I lost it. My hands balled into fists, and I let out the scream I’d been holding in for years, a scream so fierce, from so deep in my soul, I had to bend forward and stomp my foot until it was all out. I was breathing hard, pointing into Amos’s shocked face. “You ruined everything!”
“No,” he whispered. “I was trying to do…good.”
“Shut up!” I screamed. “Shut the fuck up!” I wanted to hit him. To slap him with all my might. To be violent and rain down my nails on his face. But I held my hands in fists, trying to get control over myself.
“Liberty.” Amos’s chest heaved, and he let out a sob. “I love you. You said you loved me?—”
“I lied,” I said, standing tall again. “I’m a storyteller, just like you. Remember when you lied about other countries bombing us?” He shut his eyes as I went on. “And like you lied about not believing in germs and not being able to provide medication for the people? And you lied about us being able to go back home? And then you forced families apart? You forced people with skin different from yours to live far away from everyone else. You made everyone into servants. You killed people for who they love. You-you…” I covered my mouth with the back of my hand as tears streamed down my face. “You killed America.”
Amos shook his head and finally opened his eyes again. “I can’t believe I couldn’t see it.” He looked at me like he’d never seen me before. Like I was the monster. “You’re one of thoseradical lunatics.”
I reared back.
Beside me, Jeremy let out a quiet scoff and muttered, “You fucked up now.”
“If I’m radical,” I said with utter clarity, “It’s becauseyouradicalized me. And if I’m a lunatic, it’s because you made me lose my mind. Or, at least, youtried.” His mouth pursed. “Oh, and by the way? Our children are alive.” His eyes popped open. I stepped back beside Jeremy and held out my hand, which he took with his free one. “They escaped with our parents right before we were stuck. Because of you. And guess where they are?” He pressed his swollen lips together. “Yeah…right here in Italy, where I got you to bring me after you let them hurt me.”
His breathing was rapid as I crouched to look him straight in the eye. “I would say we’re even, because there’s nothing bad enough I can do to you to ever make it even. But know this…right now, the resistance is working to take down your State Force network. Community Five just so happens to be filled with computer programmers, former military, scientists, engineers, doctors…should I go on?” Ooh, that earned me a little snarl. I smiled. “That’s right. You locked away many of America’s best and brightest, and for some strange reason, you thought they were powerless.”
I stood and looked down my nose at him. “We have the names of all OM members. And when the resistance and Community Five come into power, your people will be eradicated. Ironic, right? The Order of so-called Mercy was so worried about other races having more people than them that they caused their own downfall.”
Amos shook his head slowly. “They can’t get rid of us all.”
“Maybe not. Your kind always comes back like a boil on the Earth’s ass,” I said, causing him to flinch. “There will always be hate.” And greed and fear and all of the evil qualities. “But you’ll never get rid of us either. Good people will always rise up to fight. It might take a lot, because we’re too trusting at first, and we don’t like violence. You take advantage of that, but in the end, your kind will always lose.”
He breathed hard, staring up at me with absolute venom. I felt…nothing.
“I had you, Liberty,” he said. “Remember that. I’ll always be part of you.”
Jeremy took a step forward, but I spoke out, loudly and clearly.
“Youneverhad me,” I clarified. “You touched my skin, and that is all—my shell—the thing you put so much value into, when it’s actually the thing about humans that matters least in this world. That’s what you don’t get.”
“Liberty, listen to me?—”
“Shut up, Amos,” I whispered. “I won’t be listening to you anymore.” His face was pained, and he finally had the decency to be quiet. I turned to Jeremy. “You got him?”
