Uprising (The Light Thief Book 4), page 1
Contents
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Prologue
I. Victims
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
II. Dreamers
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
III. Anarchists
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
IV. Lightslayers
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
V. Warriors
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Epilogue
Thank You
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Uprising
The Light Thief, Book 4
David Webb
When tyranny becomes law, rebellion is a right.
Simón Bolívar
Prologue
“It’s time.”
The man in the gray cloak turned to face the speaker.
“Please, Mr. President. I ask again, reconsider. If you do this now, you will welcome in all manner of trouble. The Director—”
“The Director doesn’t care what happens down here,” the man in white snapped, turning to face his adviser. “He gave this web to me and me alone. This is my decision, my right, my obligation.”
The Adviser shook his head. “Your obligation? To spiral the Web into chaos?”
“To give these people what they deserve—a choice. A life that is not domineered by our influence.” The president turned again to face out the window, staring up at the sky ceiling. The electronic dome was currently projecting a bird’s-eye view of every sector, laid out in a neat grid that spanned across the Hub.
“You wish to give them freedom?” The man in gray raised his eyebrows. “So you will lift the regulations for mate selection? Population control? Relocative servitude?”
The man in white scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. If we allow them to mate as they choose, we will run out of resources in mere decades. If we don’t feed the machine, as it were, we will have no energy. No, the Web will continue on just as it always has. But now, they will at least have the freedom of mind to believe what they want to believe, and not what we force-feed them.”
“You are willing to risk a complete upheaval of everything we have built because you want the people to have an original thought? Forgive me, Mr. President, but I do not believe this is wise. And as your adviser, I beg you to heed my words. Level XVIII will burn if you continue down this path.”
The man in white took a deep breath before turning to his adviser again. “And as your president, I remind you that the choice is mine. I refuse to take the easy way out, as all my predecessors have done before, the way of the coward that my peers have resigned to.”
“You would choose Neeshika’s path? Level XIX lies in ruins because of her choice.”
“Neeshika did what she did in open rebellion of the Director. She chose to destroy her people. I choose to free mine.”
The Adviser frowned. “All you will do is open their minds to the point where they will realize that they are not truly free. They will question you now. They will resist, perhaps violently.”
“If that is their choice, so be it. But what kind of leader am I if I simply rule over men whose minds are clouded? They deserve better than that. I can do better than that.”
“But what if—”
“Enough, Aram.” The president turned to his adviser and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I have decided. It is done. Give the order to remove the behavioral suppressant, or I will walk down to Oxygen Circulation and do it myself.”
The Adviser stared back for a moment before bowing his head. “Yes, Mr. President.”
“About that . . . As I am choosing the noble path my peers have rejected, I have decided to distance myself from their title of president.”
The man in white turned and looked back out the window at his domain as a smile spread across his face.
“Call me Chancellor.”
Part I
Victims
1
Three Months Later
“Honey, I’m home!”
Twenty-year-old Elliot Prime grinned as he stepped inside his house. However, as he closed the door, he realized the house was completely dark. He flipped on the light switch and smiled warmly as the light revealed a field of poppies, painted on a canvas that hung on the opposite wall.
It was the first painting he had ever done for Sarah, and it showed in Elliot’s amateur brushwork. But though his skills had grown dramatically over the years, it was still Sarah’s favorite.
But his smile faded as he realized she hadn’t yet returned his greeting in the usual fashion.
“Must be taking a nap,” he muttered.
After a quick check of the kitchen and bathroom, Elliot went upstairs. He carefully opened the door to their bedroom and reached to take off his shirt, planning to quietly join Sarah in bed for the remainder of her nap, but he paused as he realized the bed was empty.
A quiet fuss drew his attention to the crib that rested against the wall, and he walked over and picked up the waking infant, pulling him close.
“I got you, Luke. Where’s your mommy?”
The fussing child offered no answers, instead burying his face in Elliot’s neck as he reached aimlessly toward his father’s face.
A soft click echoed through the house, and Elliot turned around, walking back downstairs and into the living room, where his wife of a year younger was slowly closing the door.
“Sarah?”
She jumped and turned around, her white face quickly turning red.
“Hey, El. You’re home early.”
Elliot cocked an eyebrow and glanced toward the digital clock on the wall. “No earlier than usual.”
Sarah followed his eyes and cursed as Elliot covered the infant’s ears.
“You know he’s listening to you, right? Where were you?”
Sarah placed her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t feeling well, so I put him down and went for a quick walk. Couldn’t have been gone longer than a few minutes.”
Elliot softened and placed the baby in a bed of blankets on the couch. “You could have waited for me to get back. I would have watched him for you.”
“I know, baby.”
Sarah gave him a quick kiss, but Elliot pulled her in and returned her kiss with a much longer one. He wrapped his arms around her and let his hands travel down her body, but as they neared the small of her back, Sarah tensed up.
Elliot backed away slightly and felt her forehead. “Are you still not feeling well?”
“I’m fine.”
Sarah started to pull away, but not before Elliot’s hands reached the top of her pants, grasping a small bundle that was tucked into the hem.
Elliot frowned and pulled the bundle out of her pants and brought it up to his face, his eyes widening as a wad of bills unfurled in his fingers. “How did you—” His gaze hardened again as he looked back at her. “You didn’t. Not again.”
“I had to, El. Now that there’s three of us, stretching your income is getting harder. I’m willing to go hungry, but Luke deserves better. And medicine is much more expensive when you can’t get it legally.”
Elliot shook his head. “We’ve been getting on just fine in the last six months.”
“Off of money I’ve already stolen,” Sarah said quietly as she bowed her head.
Elliot stepped back again, letting bills fall from his trembling hands. “You said you would stop when I caught you three months ago. How many times have you done this since then?”
Sarah matched his steps, closing the gap between them as she clutched his biceps. “The less you know, the better. We have enough now. Does it matter how we got it?”
“Yes!” Elliot’s voice cracked as he pulled away. “You’re stealing money to keep our child alive, but what do you think will happen when you get caught and go to prison? How do you expect him to survive them? How do you expect me to . . .” He bit his lip and shook his head. “It’s not worth it, Sarah. We’ll find another way.”
“There is no other way. As long as we can’t get married, they’ll never increase your income. They have no reason to. For all the Lightbringers know, you’re a single man with no other obligations.”
“Then I’ll file another appeal. We love each other. Is that not enough for them?”
“They made it perfectly clear that I can’t get married to anyone, Elliot. Not just you.”
“Well, they didn’t make it clear why.”
Sarah shrugged. “Does it matter?”
Elliot closed his eyes tightly as he searched for something to say. Finally, he dropped the bills on the floor and clutched his hair. “I don’t know what to do, Sarah. I just don’t.”
“There’s nothing we can do, at least not legally.” Sarah gently pried Elliot’s hands away and held them. “Whatever remains is our only choice.”
After a long moment, Elliot slowly nodded. “Then let me do it.”
Sarah smiled warmly. “You, stealing? Perish the thought. I couldn’t imagine my sweet El becoming a thief in the night.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes for the two of you.”
“Not this,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “You’re a good man, Elliot. That can never change.”
“I have to do something, Sarah.”
She leaned in and gave him a tender kiss before backing away, stroking his cheek. “I need you to stay the same sweet man I met all those years ago. That’s what you can do for me.” She took a deep breath and placed a hand on her stomach. “It’s what you can do for our children.”
Elliot smiled for a second before raising an eyebrow. “Children? Plural?”
Sarah’s smile grew wider.
With a gasp, Elliot pulled her close again, lifting her in the air and spinning around. When he finally set her down, her smile had vanished.
“It’s about to get harder, El. A lot harder.”
Elliot bowed his head toward her, touching her forehead with his own.
“We’ll make it, Sarah. We have to.”
Sarah’s smile faded somewhat as she stared at her fingers. “Then you know this won’t be the last time I steal, Elliot. Until we find a more permanent solution, I have to make sure our children are fed.”
“I know,” Elliot whispered. “You did what you had to do. I know you didn’t do it for yourself, Sarah. You’re a good person.”
“I love that you see the best in me, El, but you know that’s not entirely true. But it’s okay. You’re good enough for the two of us.” Sarah’s smile dwindled further as her eyes grew moist. “Are you sure about this, Elliot? It’s not too late to change our minds. The doctor can—”
“No,” Elliot said firmly. “Whatever we have to do for our family, we’ll do it. Even if I don’t like it.”
“Whatever it takes?”
Elliot took a deep breath and nodded. “Whatever it takes.”
2
Two young men in silver armor leaned against a small building in downtown Lyrindal. One of them had very nearly closed his eyes for a short nap when his partner spoke up.
“Hey, Bedford. Why was the cook arrested?”
The other officer groaned. “Not another one, Redmond. What would Commander Weston say if he knew you were cracking bad jokes while on patrol?”
“The same thing he’d say if I was cracking good ones, probably. But since he was just in this zone fifteen minutes ago, I wouldn’t count on seeing him again for a few hours. Besides, what would he say if he knew you were napping on the job?” Redmond poked Bedford in the seams of his armor, managing to jab him right in the armpit. “Come on, why was the cook arrested?”
Bedford sighed and leaned his head back against the wall again, letting his helmet clang against the concrete. “I don’t know. Why was the cook arrested?”
“Because he was caught beating an egg!” Redmond burst into laughter and slapped his hand on his armored knee.
Bedford pulled his head forward only to let it fall back again on the brick wall as he sighed.
“Good one, right?”
“Let’s just say that the commander may never find out that you’re slacking off, but I’m this close to using a shock baton on you myself.”
Redmond shoved Bedford, pushing him away from the wall and nearly making him lose his balance. “Don’t be like that. You may have seniority on me, but I know you wouldn’t do such a thing to little old me.”
“Keep up with the bad jokes, and you’ll find out.” Bedford smirked at his friend and raised an eyebrow. “It’s been a few weeks since you’ve been shocked, right? I’m sure you’re due for another round under the baton.”
Redmond folded his arms. “You wouldn’t be so cocky if you weren’t Weston’s pet project.”
“Commander Weston.”
“Whatever. I swear, he has a crush on you or something. I’ve never seen a Silver who hasn’t been shocked before, let alone under Weston’s command. God knows you deserve it.”
Bedford rolled his eyes. “I’m just too good to get caught doing stupid things.”
“Like what, Officer Bedford?”
The two officers straightened as a man in a black uniform stepped from around the corner of the building and stood before them, his face like steel as he looked the two men up and down.
“Nothing, Commander,” Bedford said as he placed his hands behind his back, focusing his eyes on a spot in the distance.
Redmond snorted. “Nothing? Come on, Bedford. Are you too good to be caught, or are you just a good enough liar when you finally are caught?”
“Silence,” Commander Weston said, placing a hand on the baton hanging from his belt. “Your friend is too wise to be provoked while I am watching, Officer Redmond. Or were you trying to get a rise out of me? Either way, I strongly recommend that you do not speak.”
Officer Bedford cleared his throat. “To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, Commander?”
“Suck-up,” Redmond coughed out.
The commander spun toward Redmond with an icy stare before turning back to Bedford. “There was another burglary last night.”
“Another?” Bedford raised his eyebrows. “That’s the third one this month. This is not the kind of crime rate they prepared us for back in Level I.”
