The Restored Girl

Chapter 22: The Threat

RHEA'S POV
Time: 16 07
Time of detonation: 16 30
23 minutes to detonation
Board members: 8

Thomas and I get all the way to the 31st floor by taking the emergency elevator on the eighth floor. When we emerge on the Level 31, we seem to have interrupted some sort of meeting.

It brings me some strange and yet immense satisfaction to step in while they're trying to hold some serious conversation on world domination just as we're about to blow them up.

"Sorry to interrupt," I say casually, walking in. "I didn't realise that we were holding a meeting. Why wasn't I invited?"

Janson is gaping at me. "Rhea?" He stammers.

I smirk. "Rhea Anderson. My father used to be in charge of this place, remember? So technically, I should be invited. Especially since we need to talk about the bombs."

Janson's eyes widen. "The bombs?"

Thomas pulls out a gun and points it at Janson, exactly as how we planned. "In a few minutes, bombs are gonna go off in this building. You can choose to leave now, or suffer the fate of being blown up."

There is a collective sound of gasps and the sucking in of breaths.

Janson looks surprised for a second, but then he smirks and says, "You can't blow us up without getting blown up too, Rheana."

I scowl. "Don't call me that."

Janson sneers. "So what's your grand plan, Rheana? Let us all go out in a blaze of fire?"

Thomas cocks the gun. "Maybe we'll just shoot all of you and leave."

I smirk slightly at that. "Well that's one option. But I wasn't talking to you, Janson. I was talking to rest of the Board. Go. Now."

All of them stand, hurrying out. Janson remains, and we watch them run out. I'm secretly relieved that they're all gone. It would be much harder to deal with both Janson and them.

"Now," I say, walking over to Janson. "Let's get to business."

Janson raises his hands into the air, smirk still on his face. "Listen, you won't kill me, Rhea. Not after you had to kill your own mother."

"I like how you think that makes a difference here," I roll my eyes.

"And if she doesn't, I would," Thomas speaks up, "but we have a better offer for you, Janson."

"I'm listening," Janson says.

It's clear that he's stalling. Whatever for, I don't know. But I've planned this out carefully. I only hope that the evacs are doing their job.

"You make a public statement, officially dismissing WICKED and giving all authority to Thomas," I say, crossing my arms in front of me. "Your statement will be broadcasted right before we blow up this place. We will provide you with a safe passage out of here, and you can watch from the front seats as WICKED comes crumbling down."

Janson stares at me as if I'm joking. He finally barks out a laugh. "You're crazy. You want to hand over all the power in the world to this boy?" He jerks his head towards Thomas. "He doesn't even know the first thing about rebuilding!"

"And you do?" Thomas asks, fury overcoming his features. "What, flood the earth and rebuild from scratch? What makes you think the people will listen to you once you've killed millions? What would make them think that they aren't next?"

Janson scoffs. "Oh please. And what would you suggest? The world can't be rebuilt in this stage."

Thomas shakes his head. "You're wrong. We managed to do the impossible, Janson. We found a cure. I'll be damned if we can't find a way to rebuild. And unlike you and the rest of WICKED, I won't send kids into a maze to die, and I won't torture and hurt people to get what I want."

Janson laughs mirthlessly. "There's no other way, Thomas. And look, at least we had results."

"At what cost?" Thomas shouts. He's breathing hard, the gun shaking in his hand. "How many died, Janson? How many kids, how many innocents?"

"None of us are innocent!" Janson yells back. "Kill me then! Prove to me that you're just. Like. Me. Like WICKED. Either way, Thomas, I win."

Thomas shakes his head. "I'm not going to kill you."

Janson chuckles. "I should've known. You're too cowardly."

"No," Thomas says, throwing the gun aside. "It means I still have my humanity. It just shows that I'll be better at rebuilding our world than you ever will be."

I nod at Thomas, encouraging him to go on.

"Come with us, Janson. It's over," Thomas says, stretching a hand out.

Janson shakes his head, taking several steps backward. "Never."

The doors are thrown open and Gina and Carson come in, both carrying long swords.

I suck in a breath, pulling out my two knives.

"You brought a knife to a sword battle," Gina says, smirking. "Not quite that smart, I have to say."

According to my mental clock, we have thirteen minutes left. I don't have time for this.

"It's pointless," I say, "we're all going to be blown to bits if we don't leave now."

"I'd rather go down fighting than running," Carson says, an annoying smirk on his face.

I don't want to hurt them. That would make escaping so much harder.

I'll have to hold them off. Thomas, too, seems to realise we can't do much. He picks up a chair and swings it at them, though.

It hits Gina, but she barely stumbles, seeming more annoyed than anything.

She lunges at me, and Carson goes to attack Thomas.

I pay attention to my fight. I use my knife and block her attack, and I feel the impact of the effort throughout my right arm.

I try for a different approach, just leading her closer to the wall. The next time she strikes, I'm directly in front of the wall. I duck under her sword and grab her arm, slamming it against the wall. She groans and her grip on the sword loosens.

I use the butt of my knife and slam it into her wrist, right at the pressure point. Her sword falls to the ground. I pin her against the wall, knife to her throat.

"Go ahead," Gina snarls, "kill me."

I shake my head, letting her go. "Run, Gina. Can't you see? WICKED's ended."

Gina glances past me, but I know better than to turn my attention away from my opponent. "I-"

"Kevin Anderson recruited you, didn't he?" I ask, lowering my voice. "My father recruited you, Gina. Not these people. But as his child, I dismiss you from your service. Go, Gina, before it's too late."

Something seems to leave Gina, and she nods. "I'm sorry," she tells me, and turns to Carson. "Let's go, Car. Before this place blows up."

Carson stops in the middle of fighting Thomas, who was defending himself by tossing and pushing chairs in Carson's direction.

He looks torn between his friendship with Gina and his alliance to WICKED.

"Come on!" Gina yells. Carson nods, turning and following Gina out, the two running.

They leave, and I turn to Janson.

"How dare you?" He yells, lunging at me.

Three minutes left.

I move away, realising too late that I wasn't his target. Janson slides and scoops up the gun that Thomas had thrown to the ground.

He lifts it up and aims it at me. "You're wrong, Rhea. Those bombs you used are WICKED. I sent out Guards to deactivate it."

I know that the safety is off, that the gun is ready to fire, but I didn't think he'd actually do it.

He pulls the trigger.