Revolution's Light (The Last Revolution Book 1) by Armond J. Boudreaux

Author:Armond J. Boudreaux [Boudreaux, Armond J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2023-11-20T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 33

JESSICA

Jessica parked the motorcycle behind the restaurant under the large awning that covered the loading ramp and the back entrance. The bike’s headlight caught a pair of stray cats scrambling away from the garbage cans that stood next to the brick wall.

On the way here, Jessica had told Merida everything over their helmet intercoms. Merida hadn’t seemed very surprised. At least, not the parts about the Samford Virus or the origin of SRP. She’d had a harder time swallowing the bit about the telepaths.

When Jessica killed the engine and lights, they were in almost complete darkness under the overhang. Merida got off the bike’s passenger pillion. The messenger bag hung over her neck. Jessica sat still. She kept her right foot on the foot peg and gripped the handlebars. Her heart pounded out slow, sickening thumps that radiated through her chest and stomach. Staring at the shadows under the awning, she wondered if she would ever stop seeing gutted pigs in the darkness.

“What’s wrong?” said Merida. She took off her helmet and shook her hair.

“Have we thought this through?” said Jessica.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” said Jessica, “there’s two unconscious government agents on the floor in my apartment. I probably killed one of them. And I just ran from the cops. And now that I know what this is all about, I’m not sure that I want to risk... I want the story, but I don’t know if I want to destroy SRP.”

“You think SRP is worth what they did to get it?” Merida said.

“No,” said Jessica. “Of course not. But it’s done now, right? Everyone involved is dead and buried. There’s no justice to be had, Merida.”

“So they get away with it?”

“They’ve already gotten away with it. Do you really want to risk fifty years of progress for women and equality because the people who brought it to us turned out to be evil dicks?”

“Evil, genocidal, child-maiming dicks. You’re not thinking straight, Jessica. The truth matters. You’re a journalist, for fuck’s sake.”

Jessica looked away. She wanted Merida to be right. She knew Merida was right, even if she didn’t feel it in her heart at this particular moment. “I’m sorry. I just—”

“You’re rattled. Beyond rattled. It’s okay, I get it,” said Merida. “Doesn’t matter anyway. If you’re right about what’s going on, there’s no sitting on this story until it goes away. They know you’ve got the computer, and they’ll never stop coming for you. Doesn’t matter if you try and give it back to them, they’ll still put a bullet in your head. You can swear up and down on a hundred copies of the Susan Wade Act that you’d never do anything to hurt SRP, and they still won’t take that chance. We’re in too deep for that.”

“If you’re trying to comfort me, you’re fucking up royally.”

“It’s just reality, baby.”

“And now you’re the one giving me a speech about facing reality?” Jessica snorted an incredulous laugh. “The whole world really is upside right now, isn’t it?”

“You

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