Children of a Greater Evil by Imogene Nix

Author:Imogene Nix
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Love Books Australia

Chapter 16

Jonah watched as Daniella tottered from the building, her face a stark and icy white. He slid out of the vehicle, but Michael stopped him before he could reach the woman slowly making her way in his direction.

“No. She needs to hold her own in front of the men and women here.”

Jonah growled deep in his throat but stopped and waited. He knew the minute she saw him, the glassy look in her eyes melting into distress.

She reached out, then curled her hands into fists. “Jonah?”

The tightness in his gut turned to concrete. “What happened?”

“They’re using them. The girls are meant to be walking, talking incubators for their next generation of warriors. That’s after they serve their purpose as fighters. How can they do that?”

He sucked in a shuddering breath, feeling the emotional turmoil that rolled off her in thick waves. It didn’t surprise him. Perhaps on some intuitive level, he’d already guessed that the children were dispensable, and that through the genetic manipulation, they could be replaced in short order, an army of replaceable drones, completely lacking in empathy.

“Jonah?” Her voice faltered.

“I guess I already worked that out, senator.”

“But they’re children.” A tiny, diamond-like tear fell from her lashes and rolled down her cheek. She didn’t wipe it away. Instead, she let him see the level of horror and disgust that wove itself around her.

“Not to them. The ones running this plot placed orders for a mass delivery of emotionless warriors. We need to stop thinking of them as children, because they won’t be thinking of us as humans, only as combatants.”

Daniella reared away from his harsh reminder. “I can’t—”

“If you don’t, the war is won by them before we even began taking up arms. They kill. You’ve already seen their handiwork, senator. We have to be strong.” He allowed his voice to harden, becoming an effective weapon, like a hammer. The words slammed into her, and she stepped back, her arms winding around her body.

Daniella bit her lip, blinked once, then again. “I’m not sure I can.” She shuddered and exhaled, but she steadied, sliding her arms down so that they lay at her sides, fists curled tight then released.

He grunted, and she reached out to him, gripped onto his wrist. “This is who I am, Jonah. I may be a senator, but I’m also a woman. I feel things deeply, and this… It hits me hard, right here!” She hit her chest, and he couldn’t fault the emotions she shared.

Michael sighed. “Daniella, war is never simple. So few things we do or see are black and white, and the tones are even harder to read in this kind of situation. Jonah is trying to explain that we have to think differently. It doesn’t make us wrong or bad. Just aware and realistic. Millions of people will rely on us to protect them, our way of life, and the democracy you swore to uphold. We can’t do that if we aren’t able to separate ourselves from these emotions, no matter how unpalatable it is.

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