The Last Bastion of the Living (The Last Bastion #1)(114)

“What the hell?” Dwayne stared at the commandant incredulously.

“I was informed by Admiral Kirkpatrick that he expects my full cooperation and that of the Constabulary. I told him he has it. Of course, I was lying.” Commandant Pierce folded her arms over her breasts. “I was a fool. I should have realized what was happening. They weren’t preparing for a Section A evacuation. You have provided them with the solution to the food riots. Strip away the evacuation and what do you have left?”

Dwayne felt a cold chill whisper down his spine. “Specific plans on how to control the population, where to assign the armed forces...”

“Exactly.” Commandant Pierce shook her head in disbelief. “How could I have not seen it? All the food supplies have been compiled in one secure location that the SWD now controls. They control the food. They control the armaments of the city. They control the president. They control everything. And we were all blind fools.”

“Is this why they sent only one squad out to kill millions of Scrags? To give them time to maneuver? To build public support?” Dwayne leaned back against his desk, his jaw dropping in amazement. “Dammit, it’s so perfect!”

“What’s happening?” Petra asked softly. “I don’t understand.”

Lindsey handed Petra her pad. “Read this. It’s my summary of what has been going on outside the wall. I’ve been preparing it just in case I have to leak it to the press.”

Commandant Pierce started in surprise, then laughed. “I was about to say we’re f*cked since we have no proof of what has been going on. I see I was wrong.”

“Oh, if you need proof, I have it,” Lindsey assured her.

“And I have the backups.” Dwayne grinned at Lindsey despite the sick feeling in his gut.

Caitlyn joined Petra in reviewing all that Lindsey had compiled.

“We’ve all been so expertly played. Even today. All that fuss about the Inferi Boon and the weapons. It pushed the president to order the clearing of the valley. Which is what they wanted. He played into Mr. Petersen’s hands, giving the official order that seals his doom.” Commandant Pierce hung her head. “We were fools.”

“Once the president signed off on the attack, that gave the SWD everything they needed. They can now move forward legally…until they force the President’s hand.” Dwayne rubbed his face. “He gave them the city.”

“It’s rather amazing. I should have never let them keep me out of such vital planning and kept you, Castellan, in the dark of what I knew.” Commandant Pierce paced back and forth before Dwayne’s desk. She would give her head a shake every few seconds, the look of disbelief not leaving her features.

Dr. Curran stared down at her pad, her silence disconcerting.

Dwayne lightly touched her shoulder, pulling her attention to him. “There has to be a way to sort this out, right?”

“It doesn’t matter, Castellan Reichardt. We were all pawns and it’s too late now.” She looked years older now. It was evident she had not realized the full extent of the conspiracy within the SWD, if at all.

“We can release the information Lindsey compiled,” Dwayne suggested.

“If we leak the information about how the SWD cleared the valley, the citizens of The Bastion won’t care. They’ll be thankful to the SWD for freeing them from the Inferi Scourge.” Dr. Curran slumped in her chair. “They’ve won. They have control.”

“We’ll just have Maria tell them that they—that you lied to her!” Lindsey leaned heavily on her cane, glaring at the doctor. “You totally f*cked her up and didn’t even tell her what you were doing.”

“I did what I believed was right,” Dr. Curran said defensively, then deflated again. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Maria won’t be able to tell the media what happened out there.”

“If the SWD confines the veterans of the mission, won’t that be suspicious?” Petra asked.

“I have important information about that,” Caitlyn said softly. Her vivid blue eyes gazed at Dwayne sadly as she reached out and took his hand in hers. Dwayne could feel his daughter’s fingers trembling and he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her like he had when she was a little girl. “Sometimes Secretary Mayburn forgets I’m still in the office, or maybe he just doesn’t care about security clearance. He sometimes speaks openly about confidential matters. I’ve just ignored it until today. I overhead something that really bothered me.”

Leaning toward her, Dwayne tried to give her a reassuring look. “What is it, Caitlyn?”

With a sigh, she tucked her blond hair back from her face, her wristlet catching the lamp light, flashing brightly for a moment. Obviously struggling with words, or maybe having second thoughts about confiding in the people in the office, his daughter took a moment before responding. At last she said, “The soldiers clearing the Inferi Scourge from the valley...they’re not coming back.”

Dwayne stared at her, mouth agape, trying to process her words. “What?”

Commandant Pierce lowered her eyes as Lindsey swore impressively. Petra sat down heavily in a chair, clutching Lindsey’s pad. Dr. Curran sighed sorrowfully.

“They’re not letting them back into the city, Dad. I know they’re Constabulary soldiers. They’re your people. I was afraid that you were part of that decision until I heard all of this. But I should have known better.”