The breaking, p.27
The Breaking, page 27
part #2 of The Reckoning of Anecor Series
“Once in the system, they discovered what Manglebee is really up to.”
“Enough of the suspense! Tell us already!”
“I am getting there. Earlier in the day, Bendi figured out that the scientists at BRO working on the structure of the virus weren’t actually trying to kill their targets. This didn’t make sense at all, not at first. Not until Troy and Destin made their discovery. The point of the virus is to bring people to the brink of death. Everything about them is supposed to signify that they are dead. No discernable heartbeat, no breathing. No apparent bodily functions. In reality, they are in a state similar to a cryogenic sleep. Once the individual is removed following the funeral, they are taken to BRO.
“Most of those taken in so far have actually died from the virus, but the number of survivors has increased over time as the scientists have continued to modify the virus. We have not yet figured out who has survived and who hasn’t. We only know the basics from the scientists’ notes that Bendi interpreted and from the document that Destin and Troy found. For those that survive, though, they are being used to create another army.”
Chaos erupted. Remy had a difficult time bringing their attention back to him. Even Melody and Zeche began talking between themselves.
Selby let out loud whistle. That got everyone’s attention.
“That isn’t the worst of it!” Remy called out in the momentary silence that followed Selby’s whistle.
“Not the worst of it? What could be worse?”
“This isn’t a normal army. Manglebee is having microchips implanted in the brains of the survivors. They lose all control over their brains, and, therefore, their bodies. He’s turning people into robots. This is how he’s building his army. And he plans to wage another war on the people of this country because he’s afraid he’s losing control of the population. He wants to ensure our submission again, and the way he plans to do this is to turn a large portion of us against the rest. Ordinary citizens…people we know…fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters. He believes that we won’t fight back when we are confronted with this army.”
Now the noise was deafening. Melody looked like she was on the verge of passing out. So much so that Zeche was propping her up, in spite of her protests. It would be several minutes before voices quieted enough to hear any one of them above the general din. Remy and the others expected this. He didn’t even make an attempt at this point to calm the group. They knew everyone had to be given an opportunity to process the information.
At last, the noise level died down enough for someone in the audience to be heard when they called out, “If what you say is true, we have to stop him before his plans get too far!”
“I…we…agree. This is why we brought everyone in. We feel like we, as an organization, need to drastically amp up our efforts.”
“That is a mistake!” Melody yelled, trying again to make her point. “You will risk the lives of everyone in this room if you do that! Do you not understand that? You could all die if you throw caution to the wind this way!”
“We all knew our lives were at risk when we joined,” Remy responded. “No one has to participate in anything they don’t want to, but we do all have to act. Our lives are certainly all at stake if we don’t act. Do you think any of us will be spared when Manglebee’s army marches through? Not even Bryn and I will be safe at that point.”
A majority in the room voiced their agreement with Remy’s words, while no one actually dissented. Melody was definitely outnumbered. Even Zeche looked like he was no longer certain of what he should be thinking.
A voice from the gathered Colossus members called out, “I move to nominate Remy as our new leader!”
“I second that!”
“It’s a vote, then!”
Remy was nearly speechless. This was not at all what he’d expected. He looked to the others, who all were smiling, several of them shrugging their shoulders to say they were also surprised at the turn of events. None were unhappy about it, though.
Remy turned back to the others, “I appreciate the vote of confidence. However, I cannot accept—” voices of disappointment rang out, while Melody looked utterly relieved. Remy held up his hand to quiet everyone. “Let me finish. I will not accept unless Bryn is voted in as my co-leader. Our tasks are too great for one person to be in charge of it all. In addition, this group beside me here, they’ve proven their skills, their willingness to go above and beyond, and their ingenuity in the face of unexpected events. I would also expect that they have leadership roles as well. However, that is not to say that we will have all the control. Each of us is important in determining our course forward. No one among us should have the only voice in what happens going forward. If you all accept, and if Bryn is willing to join me as co-leader,” he, and everyone else, looked to Bryn, who nodded her head in agreement, if a bit uncertainly, “then I will accept the nomination.”
“Remy and Bryn have my vote!”
“I move to nominate Remy and Bryn as co-leaders,” someone else called out, to make the nomination official.
“I second it!”
In a procedure that harkened back to pre-Reckoning days, the group inside Headquarters held a vote, during which they nearly unanimously voted in Remy and Bryn as co-leaders of their Colossus pod.
Melody approached Remy. “You will regret this, Remy.”
“Is that a threat, Melody? Because I’m afraid you will have a lot of people here who will not stand by and let anything happen to me.” Melody took a step back, realizing the truth of what he said.
“It isn’t a threat. I don’t need to threaten you. I know you too well. You don’t think I do, but I do. You will crack under the pressure, and you will fall when Colossus lives are lost in large numbers.”
“We’ll see about that,” was all Remy would say. He had no need to say anything further. He turned from her and back to the crowd, many of whom had overheard the conversation that just took place. Melody stormed out of the building. Zeche stayed behind.
“Okay, with that sorted, it’s time to get to work,” he said to the group, motioning for Bryn to come over and join him.
Little did any of them know at that moment how quickly Remy’s and Bryn’s new roles would be tested, or how they would all have to fight for their country and their fellow citizens, in Region 1 and beyond.
But soon. Too soon. There would be Another Reckoning.
EPILOGUE
C
A 5349 awoke in a cold sweat. It was the middle of the night and darkness blanketed the training facility inside. There were no windows in the facility, so CA5349 could not see that the night outside was just as black, with no moon to light the landscape. CA5349 was not supposed to be awake. None of the other CA Individuals were awake.
Images had played through his head while he was sleeping. Images of people familiar to him, but whose names eluded him. His eyes were now transfixed on the ceiling. There was a sound in his brain, something he could not identify, though he felt like he was struggling against a power he could not control. And he was losing the battle. The darkness was claiming him again, but before it did, one clear and cohesive thought entered his mind.
“Jonathan. My name is Jonathan.”
And then all was blackness again.
The story of the Reckoning of Anecor Trilogy will continue with the third book in the trilogy, Another Reckoning. Join Rebecca and the others as they face their enemies and confront unexpected challenges and obstacles in their fight for Anecor!
Hello Readers!
I am so grateful to you for continuing to follow Rebecca’s story by reading the second book in The Reckoning of Anecor Trilogy: The Breaking. I hope you’re enjoying the adventure and will stick around for the final chapter. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would leave a review on your favorite book and social media platforms. As a new and independent author, reviews are the best way to help others discover The Reckoning of Anecor Trilogy. Your review does not have to be long! Even a couple of sentences is helpful. And please share with your book friends on social media!
Feel free to contact me at AuthorDK@dkshepston.com, visit my website at https://dkshepston.com, and sign up for my newsletter!
Thank you,
D.K. Shepston
Gratitudes
The completion of this book would not have been possible without the support and votes of confidence I continue to receive from friends and family. I also have my fur babies to thank. They’ve forced me to take much-needed breaks through their demands for my attention and their propensity for making a bed out of my computer should I step away for the briefest of moments.
I am forever grateful to the readers who have taken the chance on a new author. Your willingness to spend your valuable free time diving into Rebecca’s story means a great deal to me. Know that you are appreciated.
I would especially like to thank Gail, Shay, and Kelly for reading drafts of this book. Their feedback and suggestions made it a much better story. I am truly and forever grateful.
About the Author
D.K. Shepston is writer, traveler, and adventure seeker. She has an affinity for YA novels, especially science fiction-dystopian. In 2018, she left the stationary life and career behind for a life on the road in a 1993 RV, traveling North America with her best friend and four cats, and living her passion for travel and an outdoor life. She wrote her first book, Travel Cats: tips for beginning an rv journey with your feline family, after working through the kinks of RV living with cats herself. Also look for her children’s book, The Adventures of Gatsby the Travel Cat in Mesa Verde and, of course, the first book in The Reckoning of Anecor Trilogy: The Undoing. D.K. has lived in Chicago; Garmisch, Germany; and Austin. She is now finding herself enamored of the Olympic Peninsula and just might hang there for a spell.
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Also by D.K. Shepston
The Reckoning of Anecor
The Undoing
The Breaking
D.K. Shepston, The Breaking
