Objective Consequence (Book Two of the Subjective Justice series)

Chapter Two: Trust No One

Laser fire echoed through the air. Indra wanted to cover her ears to dull the sound beating at her skull. She gripped the zip line tighter, until her hands nearly cramped from the effort. All it took was one slip up and she'd go plummeting who knew how far to the ground.

Of course she had to stumble in a misstep. Starshitted bones. Indra hated how simple things incapacitated her. If she had placed her foot down firmly, her ankle would not have rolled and snapped.

She shouldn't have let Akio go back. With her damned morals, Akio was going to get herself killed. The only reason she hadn't yet was because Indra had been there to do what had to be done--what her girlfriend and leader could not.

It didn't matter how kind a heart could be, the darkness of society would either stamp it out, or feed on its battered corpse.

Indra refused to extend grace to those who wronged her and others. They were a blight on the world, they deserved to burn. The entire Lizz palace deserved to die a slow, gruesome death.

Perhaps Akio didn't understand because she hadn't been there to suffer in this sector for over five years. It had been foolish to assume that Akio's background in seeing the worst of society would aid in her understanding of the situation. Her naivety would bring their ruin.

When this was over and everyone was safe within the mansion walls, they had to talk. Indra couldn't allow everything Haim worked to create crumble at the hands of a stupid, but adorable leader. She sighed. Akio's intentions were pure and admirable, almost child-like, and that sort of stance didn't bode well for the others beneath her.

There was unrest within the walls of the mansion. Indra could feel the resentful energy every time she walked the hall. It was almost as if she were walking through the marketplace with the words "I'm a Se'li, kick my ass" nailed into her spine.

The Lizz's would not by the goodness of their bleeding hearts suddenly stop in specist activity and provide equality for all. Every vigilante knew that. All those within their group would need to fight for their freedom, and beat the government into the starshitted earth until they relented or died. That's why she joined the cause. That's why others joined the cause. And Akio was taking that away because she couldn't stomach killing.

It's kill or be killed and if she doesn't start killing--she'll die.

That was the grim reality. Nanon had the same ideal. And once upon a time, Indra had foolishly adopted it alongside her. 

No matter how hard Indra applied pressure to the wound in Nanon's abdomen, the blood kept oozing onto her ungloved hands. "Why?" The words came out in thick sobs. "Why, Nanon?"

"Be-because--" she coughed, the sound evidently showcasing the liquid flowing up her throat. "I trusted you."

That was all goodness wrought, suffering. Nanon died for Indra's stupidity, for giving a trust to someone too foolish to see through the lies of a murderous man. Misplaced trust--believing that there's good in anyone, leaves you blind.

Indra inhaled a shaking breath. She couldn't bear to lose someone else. But wasn't that the price of freedom? Blood? Hadn't she adequately prepared to lose all for the cause? Attachment was weakness. And like a starshitted moron, she was already far too attached to Akio.

A jolt alerted Indra to finally reaching the ground.

From this point on, Akio should be banned from all missions that require death to the opposite side. That way, she could still stick to her ideologies without bringing about their ruin. Anyone unable to kill had no place on the battlefield.