Chapter 26, a shattering realization.

(Callie)

Callie sat on one of Dustin's crappy chairs next to the couch, her every movement making her feel unsteady, while Taniya and Dustin sat on the couch. They made idle chatter until the cake was mostly eaten, watching Dustins rarely used television. Cool recycled air filled the living room, washing over Callie's necks pleasantly. The holographic tv changed from a commercial about quick and easy weight loss cereal to a breaking news bulletin.

"This is it!" Dustin said excitedly.

Taniya perked up and focused on the Tv. Callie's heart fell, and her stomach clenched with anxiety. Two faces were plastered on the screen, with dangerous criminals stencilled above each in red. On the right was Villus, he was a man in his early fifties with shoulder-length brown hair and piercing grey eyes. His skin was dark and leathery from too much sun and his square jaw was specked with stubble.

On the left was Warren, they had him labeled at eighteen, but Callie wasn't sure if that was his actual age, she doubted Peyton knew either. His black hair was combed to one side, covering one of his bright blue eyes. His face was clean shaven except for a goatee that looked out of place.

" How can someone so young be so awe full?" Taniya asked softly. "It's the way they were trained, they were taught to hate us."Dustin said.

"The sketch artists that work for the enforcers do good work, but how do we know this is what they look like?" Callie asked, trying to seed some doubt.

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know, the enforcers sent both photos to a loyalist of ours in Etria and they confirmed the pictures' accuracy."Dustin said victoriously.

"Wait, if you have a contact in Etria who knew the secari, then why didn't you just get them to give you the photos?" Callie asked, her stomach clenching nervously.

"Well, it's quite simple, only a select few people actually got to meet the trainees and instructors of the compound."Dustin said. Callie nodded, " So your contact is afraid to reveal their identities because he knows the secari will track him down and murder him?" Callie said with confidence.

"Exactly, and since we killed most of the old leaders of Etria, we aren't exactly liked by the ones we left alive. Not to mention they are too scared to say anything that will bring a group of highly trained assassins nocking on their doors."Dustin said, grimacing.

"And how do you keep tabs on these new leaders of Etria? You have been in Berdant ever since Etria was conquered."Callie said, slipping up on that last word. Dustin smiled at her, not seeming to notice her slip up.

"You have people spying there, don't you?" Callie asked accusingly. "Of course I do, it's my job to spy on people."Dustin said, with a brilliant smile that dimpled his cheeks.

"You may be an excellent spy, but you are lousy at keeping track of your personal items."Callie said, placing his shuttle keys and the key card to his room on the table in front of them. Taniya burst out laughing, giving Callie a winning smile while Dustin graced her with a glare.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Taniya asked excitedly.

"Of course, then you can help me rob Dustin' blind."Callie said with a mischievous smirk. Dustin massaged his forehead and grumbled, "I should have listened to mom and fired you when I had the chance."

Taniya let out a yawn, her eyelids drooping."Well, I am exhausted and I have a busy day tomorrow."Taniya said, shaking herself to wake up. She stood from the couch stretching and tousling her messy, light blond hair. She gave her brother a hug that he only half returned due to his seated position.

Taniya approached Callie and paused in front of her, holding out her arms for a hug. When Callie didn't rise to hug, Taniyas' expression changed from exhausted to determined. She gave Callie the cutest puppy dog eyes.

Taniyas eyes were open wide, glimmering, and she pouted, giving Callie the most adorable look. Callie disliked being touched as a rule, but she decided one hug couldn't hurt. Besides, she would pull the younger woman tight so she couldn't access Callie's weapons. She stood from her chair and stepped into Taniyas' warm embrace, cradling the younger woman's head into her shoulder.

The younger woman squeezed, her arms feeling warm through the thin fabric of Callie's shirt. The young woman released the hug and turned to go walking towards the exit with a spring in her step. Callie and Dustin were alone when the door clicked shut, watching after Taniya.

"That young woman just can't help herself, can she?" Callie asked. Dustin laughed. "I thought you were going to run away instead of accepting a hug."Dustin said, with a grin.

"Well, I don't exactly like hugs all that much, but for her I'm willing to accept them from time to time."Callie said fondly. "Thank you." Dustin said, looking at Callie with genuine appreciation.

"For what?" Callie asked, turning on her chair towards the couch.

"For being their for T, ever since the torchere she has been having a tough time. But I have noticed that when you two are together, she acts a lot more like her old self." Dustin said, softly.

"I like her, she is smart and witty, not to mention she appreciates my humour."Callie said, honestly.

"Your humour is terrible."Dustin said. "Uh huh, i have met turtles with a better sense of humour than you."Callie retorted.

"What does that even mean?" Dustin asked with a raised eyebrow. "See, this is what I mean. I can't even tell a joke without having to explain it. You Zrixians and your backword way of life."Callie said, smiling to soften the insult.

"You are a pain in the ass, you know that?" Dustin stated. Callie laughed, sticking her tongue out at Dustin.

For the next hour they watched as two politicians argued, shouted and spouted nonsense in equal measure. One was in front of the growing group of protestors, standing on a podium, while the other was behind a barricade of imperial enforcers. The politicians were shielded with thick panes of bulletproof glass that reflected the green light of the barrier in odd ways.

"I just realized something. You didn't mention when we would be going to escort this Etrian diplomat?" Callie asked. "That will be In one week. In the meantime, we will need time to play cate the Imperial enforcers."Dustin said, his attention on the Tv.

"What did we do to ruffle their feathers?" Callie asked, curiously.

"We left them with a political storm, angry protestors and the prisoners at the same time."Dustin said, his expression stony.

On the Tv the group of protesters waved their signs around chanting, We want mercy! Free the prisoners! We want mercy! And leading the protestors was a single regale figure, standing tall on a podium.

Callie had to admit it, those two politicians had some guts to be out in the open after the recent murder of senator Sergile. But it was likely a bold move to gain support on each side. With the two wanted posters all over the news every couple of minutes, then any daring politician would be out trying to gain the favour of the amassed protesters.

Not to mention their PR agents could plaster how brave and strong they were for daring to go out and join the people during this stressful time.

"Do you think the people will be happy when the enforcers release Peyton?" Callie asked, scowling to maintain an appearance of dislike of Peyton. She directed her scowl at the tv as protesters held up signs saying No execution!

"That is doubtful.The people are angered and scared at the thought of a war with the Slax. But, in this they see two young men, one who looks eighteen and one who looks sixteen. To them, these are two people who are barely adults and don't deserve to be executed."Dustin said.

"Do you think they deserve execution?" Callie asked, the question slipping out. Dustin took in a deep breath and let it out.

"Some of them, yes, but not all. Those two, Peyton and Jerry, are too young for what happened a year ago, but that older one, he could have been there."Dustin said, his face a mask of anger.

"Been where?" Callie asked, unsure of what he was talking about. Dustin eyed her introspectively. "I keep forgetting that you, despite your perfect Zrixian, are a foreigner."Dustin said, scratching his chin.

Callie shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to answer the questions he had in his deep brown eyes. "If you don't want to tell me, I won't be offended."Callie said, waving away the serious mood.

"You need to know this, and it's not a secret. Over a year ago, almost two one of Valias main reactors were blown up. Over ten thousand people died in the explosion, and tens of thousands were injured."Dustin said, choking up.

"That is awful," Callie said, genuinely.

"We thought it was a malfunction. At first we thought it was a defect in the design, but after extensive inspections of the destroyed reactor, we discovered no such flaw. I studied the reactor's logs dozens of times, looking for any malfunction. There was nothing, not even an alert, that would warrant maintenance until a second before the blast. We were lucky the two backup reactors were still functional, and the city's core wasn't damaged or the entire capital city of Valia would have been opened to the vacuum of space."Dustin said, his body shaking with anger and sadness in turn.

Callie walked over to the couch and sat beside Dustin, resting a comforting hand on his shoulder. She didn't know how she got up the nerve to lower her guard, but she did. He smiled sadly at her, vulnerable in his grief.

"I don't think they knew we had two backups for the reactor. They destroyed the wrong piece of the puzzle or they would have succeeded, and almost a hundred million people would have died."Dustin said.

"Who did that? What kind of monsters would do that?" Callie asked, but she already knew! Dustin was looking into her eyes and nodded when realization crossed her face.

"Why do you think we attacked the Etrians? Not for practicing their negative art, not for leaving the empire, but because they were training terrorists."Dustin said, his tone bitter. Callie was taken aback by those words. They shook her to her very core. He had to be lying, but he spoke with such confidence.

He believed those words with every fiber of his being. Callie nodded, trying to hide the fact that her mind was reeling from this new information. She needed to do research and confirm Dustin's accusations, but what if he was telling the truth?

Looking for anything to distract herself from that information, Callie turned to the Tv. "If the Secari did something so awful, then why are people out there protesting their execution?" Callie asked, swallowing her doubt.

"See that old man on the right? That is senator Orlean, and on the left is senator Bradly. Bradly is forthright and honest for a senator, that's probably because he served in the navy as a major for thirty years. He holds a strong dislike for those who discredit all the sacrifices the military has made. He is pushing to have the two prisoners executed, despite the fact they are too young to have been a part of the attack two years ago."Dustin said.

"And senator Orlean?" Callie asked.

"They have a complicated history, and for as long as I can remember, those two have been on opposite sides of every conflict. Even the attack on Etria to kill the terrorists, Orlean, kept saying we didn't have enough proof to invade our neighbor." Dustin said with a scowl for the man.

"Did you have enough proof?" Callie asked, her certainty wavering. "We had enough proof, but we did not gain legally it, or ethically."Dustin said, his tone unapologetic.

"You mean, you torchered people to get the information?" Callie asked deadpan. "I know you dislike torchere, but over ten thousand people were killed in seconds, and many more wounded. We needed to go to extreme lengths to find out who was responsible. And we captured one terrorist in their attempt to escape."Dustin said, choking up.

"You lost someone in the explosion, didn't you?" Callie asked, softly. Dustin nodded," Yeah, I lost my dad."Dustin said, seeming to force out the words. She rested her hand on his arm, giving him what little comfort that simple touch could. Her heart raced. He always looked so strong and in control, but dredging up those horrible memories was showing her the cracks in his armour.

She wanted to do more to soften that pain, but wasn't sure how? How do you heal such pain? Well, Dustin smiled when Taniya gave him a hug, even if he pretended to be the stern older brother. Callie braced herself, and ignoring her instincts of self preservation took Dustin in a firm embrace. It was strong and tense, all Callie, but she made herself do it, anyway.

She patted him on the back, unsure how to do the whole hugging thing. Did she tousle his light brown hair or just pull him in tight? He hugged her back after a few awkward seconds, his warmth oddly comforting. They were like two cacti, cactuses? Hugging, just standing there awkwardly holding each other tight. Deciding two hugs were her limit for the day, Callie walked towards the pile of dirty dishes in the sink, looking for an excuse to not talk about that hug.

Callie took a wet rag and began scrubbing the plates in hot, soapy water. Dustin approached her and filled the second sink with clear water, taking the clean dishes and drying them as she worked. She thought he was going to talk about that awkward attempt at comfort, but Dustin smiled at her gratefully instead.

Callies pressed hard on the gunk sticking to the nonstick pan, allowing the soapy water to do its thing. It was nice to have something to do with her hands, something to soften the heavy atmosphere of their previous conversation.

"About the enforcers, is it just senator Orlean and Bradly putting pressure on them?" Callie asked, cutting through the heavy silence.

Dustin shook his head at those words."Thats not the half of it, there were at least seven extremely influential politicians vying hard for the execution of Peyton and Jerry for most of this week. I had to turn off my comm to avoid all of their calls, to bribe or threaten me to make it happen." Dustin glower at that memory, and continued." Then everything changed when senator Sergile was killed. It was like all of them changed their minds at once."Dustin said.

"They got scared for their lives, and decided that the bargain with Peyton was actually a good idea?" Callie asked, her hands warm from the steaming water. "Yeah, well, killing a senator was certainly a good way to get their attention, and after we aired the photos today, the two responsible will realize the cost of their brash actions."Dustin said.

"Why did the media release their photos? That will just send the two secari into hiding." Callie asked, curiously. Dustin winced at that question, clearly disliking it. "If it was up to me, then no. But after they killed a senator, the big shots are throwing a lot of weight around to get these two assassins dealt with. Not to mention that both the emperor and the Slax ambassadors are monitoring this development closely."Dustin said, with a grimace.

Callie used the heavy silence to think and plan while washing the dishes. She was unsure what to believe anymore after Dustin's story and needed time to think. In the meantime, she decided it was worth warning Villus and Warren with a quick text. Villus would be pissed, of course, and would want to know who betrayed them. Warren would do what? She would need to ask him.

Callie smiled, serves Villus right. If he would have helped save Peyton from the enforcers, then this wouldn't have happened.

Her chest tightens with concern. Warren and Villus would be fighting against the clock. With a city full of cameras, drones, streetlights, and enforcers, they wouldn't be able to get away forever. Face recognition software was good, and it was only a matter of time before either Warren or Villus slipped up and got spotted.

All hope wasn't lost, however, as changing your appearance was something they had all trained for extensively. In fact, Callie would prepare just in case Villus did something spiteful, like leak the fact the Devali had a spy in their midst. Knowing that bastard, he would think it was Callie who leaked his face to the public.

She hoped Warren ran, and maybe went to the Slax empire. She sent a message to him, suggesting as much to him. Callie was unsure of what to do. She scrubbed dishes, wondering if she should tell Warren what she had just learned? Of course she should, but she doubted he would believe it. In fact, she didn't believe it.

Maybe she should just cut her losses and stop this quest for revenge? Peyton was free, and they didn't have to worry about him being executed anymore, well unless the politicians changed their minds. Villus, on the other hand, could go die in a hole for all she cared.

The comm rested on her bicep, wrapped around her arm like a creepy living bracelet of metal technology and magic, far away from the water. It's not that water would damage the device, but it was a force of habit to keep the comm out of sight of everyone. The comm projected the messages in front of her, for only her to see. An icon flashed in front of her, giving her Warren's one word response, NO.

Of course, Warren wouldn't back out now. Her fingers touched the bottom of the hot soapy water and with a gentle probe, she found no more dishes to clean. She pulled on the plug and the soapy water drained, swirling like a bubbling soapy sinkhole.

"Do you mind if I crash in your spare bedroom again?" Callie asked, feeling exhausted. "I don't mind, it's yours while you work with me. If you want it, I can even give you my spare key card."Dustin said.

"About that. I only took the key card so Taniya and I could make some food. Well, that was the first time. The second time was because I knew it would make Taniya laugh."Callie said, feeling embarrassed.

"You could have just asked?" Dustin said, folding his arms across his form fitting shirt. His shirt collared shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his toned forearms. Noticing her look, his body tensed and she could see the muscle ripple through his shirt temptingly.

"That isn't near as much fun. Sneaking into a guy's apartment to cook him food is supposed to be a nice thing to do. Haven't you read any romance novels?" Callie said, raising her eyebrows at him playfully.

Dustin flushed, his dark stubble doing a poor job of masking the red blooming on his cheeks. "You made my sister food, not me."Dustin said, raising an eyebrow to her.

"Well, you ate some of the cake, so it counts."Callie said defensively.

Despite his words, he was having a hard time making eye contact. Callie laughed, giving him a warm smile. "Well, I don't know about you but I'm going to take a shower, talk to you tomorrow."Callie said, walking towards her room.

In the heat of the moment, Callie reached out as she walked passed him, running her fingers over his shoulder as she walked passed him. "Alright, you can use up all the hot water if you like. I'm going to be up for a few more hours working on a project. Our earlier conversation is making me nervous, so I'm going to do some thorough inspections of the capitol cities reactors tonight."Dustin said.

"Do you want help with that?" Callie asked, thinking that might be fun to learn about. "Do you know anything about reactors, advanced magnetic theory, physics, electrical engineering and advanced magical engineering?"

"What does magnetism have to do with a reactor?" Callie asked, curiously. She had a general idea about some of those fields, but wasn't as advanced as she would have liked.

"Various things. Both magnetism (as one aspect of the electromagnetic force) and gravity are two fundamental forces of nature, which mold matter at the microscopic and macroscopic scales. The geomagnetic field is the magnetic field that extends from the reactors out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from our star."Dustin said, pausing at Callie's look of bewilderment.

"So the magnetic field protects us from sunlight?" Callie asked.

"In the most basic, mundane terms, yes, it protects us from our star. In fact, without the constant upkeep of our magnetic field, our bubble of atmosphere protecting each of the cities would be torn away. That marvel of engineering is one of the things that allows us to have entire cities in orbit over a gas giant. We have a separate and extremely isolated station at the heart of each city, working in tandem with the reactors to create the magnetic field." Dustin said, revealing too much in his excitement.

"Whatever you are doing is definitely not in my area of expertise. I changed my mind, am too exhausted to comprehend most of what you just said."Callie said, miming her head exploding.

"It's nothing, it's just a little thing I do for fun."Dustin said with an embarrassed smile. "You do that for fun?" Callie asked. "Its an interesting pastime."Dustin said with a shrug.

Feeling rung out and overwhelmed, Callie enter the room on the left. She locked her door and created a trap on the entrance, with thin lines of white intersected by orbs of black power. She disrobed and climbed into the shower, her tense muscles relaxing bit by bit. The steady drone of water filled her ears, cascading down the hundreds of small needle scars on her chest and legs.

With so much to think about, and the foundation of her beliefs tilting on the edge, Callie slipped into bed. When she first arrived in Proxima, she was so full of anger, so dedicated to her thirst for revenge. Now she was uncertain. She didn't know what to believe anymore after Dustin's story. Were the Secari really terrorists?

If Dustin's story was true, then the empire really had been within its right to attack Etria and annihilate the compound. The empire hadn't even destroyed the country. In fact, after watching the news, it looked like they were doing their best to send aid and repair the collateral damage. Callie clenched her fists, balling up the sheets. It was too soon to jump to conclusions without undeniable proof. She had a week, a week to do her own research before she left for the capital city Valia. And if she couldn't find answers, then she would need to ask Villus some hard questions.