Triple Point

Chapter 95: The Brief Truth

Camilla

27 AUG 34AE, 0925

When Camilla had agreed to help the Alliance uncover the ugly truth within the Org, she had a vague idea of what would be required from her. But now that she stood just outside the briefing room, moments away from having to dredge up memories she would rather not think about, she wasn't sure if she could do it anymore. She hardly liked talking about herself with people she considered to be her friends. How was she supposed to recount her most painful memories with strangers?

"You can still change your mind, if you want," Elsie's reassuring voice sounded from Camilla's side. "You don't have to tell them anything."

But she did. After what happened at Farallon, Camilla's hands were far from clean. If she wanted the chance for some form of repentance, this was the best way.

Except it would be pointless to tell Elsie that. If she did, Camilla knew Elsie would just reassure her that the lives she took were not her fault, that their deaths were on Hester and Stein and the Org. And she would probably be disappointed that Camilla didn't feel the same way.

Besides, the rest of their friends weren't aware of exactly what Camilla had done yet, and they were all waiting patiently behind her, ready to follow whatever decision she made with their perplexing sense of loyalty to her. Sure, they would probably find out the truth eventually, but Camilla wanted to put off the inevitable for as long as she could. Whatever good they still saw in her, she wanted them to keep it for a little while longer, even if it was a lie.

"If you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch its cub," Hitomi said sagely in Japanese from Camilla's other side.

The fact that her cousin was quoting idioms made Camilla briefly more irritated than anxious, and she shot her cousin an annoyed glare. In contrast, Hitomi shrugged nonchalantly.

"You know I'm right," Hitomi continued in Japanese. "If you want to take that bitch down, you're going to have to take some risks first."

"I know, I know," Camilla muttered in Japanese before taking a deep breath.

As much as she hated to admit it, Hitomi was right. Risking her friends' faith in her was a small price to pay to protect other people from the Org's corruption. Besides, her friends deserved some explanation as to what they risked their lives for, Hitomi especially.

So before Camilla could change her mind, she opened the door and entered the briefing room.

The layout was akin to a small lecture hall and was similar to the ones at the Org base but on a lower budget. The seats were made of stone, as if they had been carved out of the mountain at the same time the room itself was excavated, and they were already occupied by dozens of Alliance metas chattering with each other. At the sound of the door opening though, they turned, and a sudden hush briefly filled the small space.

"Captain Wyatt," Senior Chief Ali's annoyingly calm voice filled the void. "Right on time."

Camilla turned to Senior as she sat at the front of the room, holding a tablet that she must have just been reading. Her brother was standing at her side, and he eyed Camilla with a mixture of wariness and annoyance. In return, Camilla shot a glare in his direction, then to his sister.

"I'm not a captain anymore," Camilla let herself say without thinking.

"You still are in my book," Senior said, not at all perturbed by Camilla's rudeness. "Have a seat wherever you want. We'll get started in a minute."

Camilla didn't have to look at the seating area to know there were no openings large enough to accommodate her entire group, so she merely stepped to the side and kept herself positioned next to the exit. As she did so, Elsie and Hitomi kept their spots on either side of her, and the rest of her group followed suit. She could hear Jordan's whispered commentary and Mack's patient replies behind her, accompanied by Minyoung's annoyed sighs. She could make out snippets of Finn's curious questions to no one in particular, Nakia's hissed shushes, and Bev's stifled chuckles.