Rebellion by J. A. Souders Read Free Book Online Page A

didn’t agree with it, but they all had nanites themselves and Mother could kill them with a snap of her fingers. And did. Eventually Mother decided anyone who didn’t resemble her ‘saint’ of a mother was a liability. The Citizens stopped their objections, ducked their heads, and went about their lives, pretending everything was perfect until they believed it themselves.”
    Gavin frowns. “So how did you make it out of that ? Doesn’t sound like she cared very much that you were nice to her anymore.”
    â€œMy husband. He was a close friend of Mother’s father and Eli. He remembered this place and that, although it had been boarded up and never finished because of the war, it was finished enough for a small group of people to live. He gathered us in groups of five. He’d successfully gathered four groups here and was bringing a fifth when they got caught. She killed them all. Including Aleksandr—my husband.”
    â€œI’m so sorry.” I lean over and touch the top of her hand.
    She gives me a sad smile. “He managed to save twenty-one people.”
    â€œTwenty-one?” Asher asks.
    Her smile grows a little wider. “I was pregnant. Alek never got to see his son, but his son knows what he did.”
    There’s an awkward silence and I decide to fill it by asking something that’s been nagging at me. “What does Father have to do with all this?” I ask.
    â€œHe started his own rebellion right after Mother showed her true colors, after an imagined slight from him. But Dr. Friar had betrayed him and Mother killed everyone who had any part in the rebellion. Except Eli. She kept him around for whatever twisted reasons she had. After that, he didn’t trust anyone. For years he kept to himself and just did what Mother wanted.
    â€œBut then Evelyn changed things. Unlike the other Enforcers, Evelyn kept fighting her programming. She always broke through her mental constraints. When she completely shoved away her Enforcer protocols to save her stepfather, Eli changed. He had a renewed sense that he couldn’t let Mother do what she was doing. That’s when he came to us for help.”
    â€œYou said that you had forty people here, but not that all of those are willing to help. Why are you helping, if most of your people don’t want to?” Gavin asks.
    She purses her lips. “Most feel it’s safe here. That Mother doesn’t know we’re here. And we should leave it be. Not poking at the proverbial hornets’ nest.” She sighs. “However, there’s enough of us that don’t agree. And you’re right to be worried about Mother finding us. It’s only a matter of time before she does. Hopefully, Miss Evelyn will be what Father says she is.” Nadia meets my eyes. “Because I’m risking everything my husband gave his life for over it.”
    She leaves without another word.
    The room stays silent. The pressure on my chest is even stronger now than it was. I thought I was just going to remove Mother from power, and Father would fix my nanos and I’d move back up to the Surface with Gavin and live happily ever after. I didn’t think about what other people expected of me. I didn’t think about what other people were betting on me. What they’d lose, if I did.
    â€œWhat do you think was on the cubes?” Gavin finally says.
    â€œProof,” I say without hesitation. I slowly lower myself into a chair, kick off my shoes, and focus on the distraction Gavin gave me. He places my feet in his lap and immediately starts pressing his thumbs into the balls of my feet. I want to sigh at the feeling, but only smile my thanks. “He was running. Whoever told us about the assassination, warned him, too. That’s why he was late.” His frantic search runs through my mind again. “He didn’t hide them,” I blurt out. “Why else would he be looking for them?