Chapter 33: Truth and Lies


    “Th-tha-that’s…that’s impossible,” the blonde stammered, her hands beginning to shake as she fell back into her chair.


    There was a mistake. It had to be a mistake.


    “Not with the means of artificial insemination,” Kurt returned.


    Vincent frowned, folding his arms. “Not that I know what that is, but wouldn’t Alice be too young? Matthew’s six, correct?”


    “Artificial insemination. That’s when an egg is fertilized by alternative means,” Kurt clarified. “Typically, it’s used to impregnate a woman who, otherwise, would be unable to conceive. Quite ingenious, actually. Not sure why you were never made aware of the possibility, Alice, now that I think about it.” Turning his attention to Vincent then, he nodded. “And you’re correct. He is six, meaning Alice would have been around eleven. Not unusual. As long as the subject is pubescent, the chance for viability is there. All that’s really necessary at that point is for the fertilized egg to survive being transferred into the host body.”


    The blonde swallowed, slowly shaking her head back and forth as she wrestled with the task of processing. She vaguely remembered eavesdropping on a conversation of a similar nature held between a physician and Leo.


    Sapphire eyes widened.


    “Kurt, who’s the father?”


    The brunette looked away, obviously more than a little uncomfortable. “It…it doesn’t matter.”


    Vincent’s eyes narrowed. “Now you hold on a minute. She has a right to know!”


    Kurt frowned. “Just a dead man that makes no difference in the grand scheme of things now.”


    Vincent blew out a sigh. He supposed that statement was correct. Sparing a glance at his girlfriend, he felt his heart ache. She was sitting with her head in her hands now, still visibly trembling.


    “Look, you signed the papers, right? No one is going to take him from you now,” Kurt assured as he reached over to take one of his sister’s hands in his own.


    Alice nodded, drawing in a shaky breath.


    After a moment, Kurt stood. “For what it’s worth, I think he’s extremely lucky.”


    With a slight nod in Vincent’s direction, the scientist took his leave of the pair.


    Now left alone with their thoughts, the couple sat in silence for a moment as they continued processing.


    Vincent gave a sympathetic frown as the lights dimmed, sparing a glance at the blonde. He couldn’t blame her. As shocked as he was, the teen could only imagine her perspective. His brows furrowed. “A-Alice, I-”


    “They never told me,” the blonde’s murmur cut him off. “I was told I’d never be…”


    Vincent reached across the table to take one of the girl’s hands in his own. He lovingly brushed the pad of his thumb along her knuckles, frowning at the, still visible, injury that marred her skin from where she’d been struck with the metal pipe prior to their escape from the prison.


    “That infernal program is going. I’ll see to that tomorrow at the meeting.”


    Vincent cocked his head. “Program?”


    Alice sighed, squeezing his hand. She honestly wasn’t sure she even wanted to burden the boy with the knowledge. However, she supposed he ultimately had the right to know, especially if she proved unsuccessful in her attempts to abolish it.


    “It was a system Leo started a long time ago, back before he even adopted me, as a way for the poorer women in society to get by alongside growing our numbers. We would send scouts out to them and extend them an offer. They could select any of our soldiers to conceive a child with, and we would pay for them to have a comfortable life. In return, if the child showed signs of manifesting powers, they would be raised into a soldier for The Resistance.”


    Vincent’s brows furrowed, resisting the horrified gasp that bubbled up in his throat. They were breeding soldiers? It all made sense now. The amount of youthful faces that comprised The Resistance was by design not coincidence.


    “T-That’s-”


    “Appalling,” the blonde stated flatly, another sigh escaping her pale lips.


    Vincent’s eyes widened as full realization dawned on him. “Wait, does that mean that…you could be requested now? Or me? You said they could request anyone, right?”


    “I won’t let that happen!” Alice snapped, squeezing his hand for emphasis.


    The lights gave a violent, flickering display.


    The blonde looked away, no doubt ashamed of her outburst.


    Vincent gave the girl a look of sympathy and regret. He could only imagine the stress she was currently under. The last thing he intended was to put additional pressure on her. Though he definitely had his concerns, he trusted her.


    Rising from his chair, the brunette pulled his girlfriend to her feet. Brushing his lips to her knuckles, he offered her a tender smile. “It’s getting late, Commander. I think we’ve both had enough stress for one day. Matthew is safe with us, and I’m not going anywhere.”


    Alice couldn’t help the small smile of her own as he gently tugged on her hand then, leading her in the direction of the bed they shared.


    Her cheeks darkened.


    Tomorrow could wait. For now, she had her own ideas concerning activities for alleviating stress. And, apparently, so did he.


    ****


    The redhead scanned the report she held, hazel eyes widening as she quickened her pace down the hall. Reaching a large door at the top of the staircase she ascended, she knocked.


    “Yeah, come in!” a deep voice bellowed.


    Reina Ashford grimaced. It sounded like the commander was already in a mood, and her news certainly would not help with that. Drawing in a deep breath, she pushed the door open.


    Seated at the desk in the back-right corner of the room was a rather broad man with thick, ebony hair. The left side of his face bore a scar just above his eye.


    The brunette looked up, running a finger over his thick, black mustache as he regarded the girl with no small amount of irritation at the interruption to his work. “Yes, what is it, Admiral Ashford?”


    Reina cleared her throat. “Well, it seems that we’ve lost the Pheora base, sir. Commander Leo’s convoy was apparently destroyed en route to the Ridgeport Base. We’ve lost contact.”


    Commander Victor’s head raised, his face nearly going purple as he stood. “What?! Why wasn’t I notified?!”


    Reina winced at the tone. “We only just now received the report. Apparently, the Ridgeport base has been without communication for quite some time.”


    Victor appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Do we know how many survivors?”


    Reina glanced at the paper she held once more. “Stein reports around three hundred.”


    Thomas Victor stroked his mustache again in thought. “And the report on Derwent’s convoy was verified?”


    Another nod from the redhead.


    Victor gave a grunt in the back of his throat. “We need a better assessment of the situation. While the Pheora base is an unfortunate loss, it could be a fantastic opportunity for us. Prepare to move out. I want you on an airship first thing in the morning. You will go to the Ridgeport base and oversee the repairs to the communication system.”


    Reina pursed her lips, but nodded in obedience. With Commander Victor, no was never an option. “R-Right away, Sir.”


    Victor waved the girl off then. “Very well. That will be all, Ashford. You’ll keep me briefed on the situation.”


    The commander could hardly keep the smile from his face as the door closed behind the girl. With Derwent gone, nothing would stop him from taking complete control of The Resistance. Stein was a doddering, old fool with zero experience in military operations. He would offer him no opposition.


    With The Order in shambles, it was the perfect time. If he played his cards right…


    It was time for a new order to be born from the ashes.


    ****


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A soft sigh left the blonde’s lips as she leaned back into the warm body pressed against her back, immensely enjoying the hot water running over the both of them.


    Her reward was the trailing of fingertips over her bare hips. Velvet lips ghosted down her neck to her shoulder, leaving a stream of kisses in their wake.


    The blonde sighed again. She was quite positive that nothing on Earth compared to the boy’s touch. Tilting her head back, she eagerly accepted as his lips left her throat in favor of her own.


    A soft squeeze to her hips drew a whimper from the girl.


    Slowly drawing back, the blonde tipped her head back down, concealing the smile tugging at her lips. Though a part of her felt guilty for waking him so early, there was a definite benefit to the prompt rise.


    With Matthew having yet to awaken, they were free to become lost in their affections for the time being.


    The lips quickly returned to her neck, this time trailing upward toward her ear.


    Alice chewed her bottom lip lightly as his hands drifted up to her breasts. It was the moments such as these that she wished would last forever. She could feel his hardness against her. Angling her arm back, she gently took him in her hand.


    Almost immediately the boy trembled, a soft gasp leaving his lips to caress her ear.


    The blonde gave a gentle squeeze, smiling fondly as her name immediately fell from the boy’s lips in a whispered rush of passion.


    Her world shifted as the room suddenly spun. She drew in a deep breath as she found herself lost in a sea of molten gold once more. The sound of her own heartbeat in her ears was nearly deafening as she felt him gently lift her. With her feet now firmly placed upon the rim of the tub, her back rested against the wall as he carefully aligned them.


    A flood of warmth surged through her as he joined them. Her eyes closed as his name left her lips in a shuddering whisper.


    He slowly began to move, drawing a soft whimper from the blonde.


    She trembled. Oh, if only every day could begin like this…


    Hands traveled down the length of her sides, evoking shivers in their wake as they made their way down to her hips before curving around to her backside to give a soft squeeze.


    Another whimper escaped her as her back arched on its own accord.


    Soft lips ghosted down her throat, drawing a pleasant sigh.


    “I love you so much.”


    The lips traveled to her ear then, gently nipping her earlobe in answer. “Love you more, darling.”


    Alice shivered at the warm breath against her ear. She was positive she’d never felt such a way before.


    Truth be told, she would be lying if she were to say that she wasn’t the least bit frightened by the intensity of her own emotions. It seemed the more love he gave, the more she desired.


    Her grip on the boy’s shoulders tightened as he pressed deeper, drawing a whimpering moan from her lips.


    The blonde’s heart skipped a beat. “Pl-Please…”


    Being perfectly honest, she wasn’t entirely sure if the plea was for him to bring her to release or to prolong their sensual game. Either way, she knew she wasn’t going to last much longer.


    Head spinning, his name fell from her lips once more.


    The teen was left nearly seeing stars a moment later, quivering as her body tensed before slumping limply against the wall, Vincent echoing her whimpering cry.


    For a moment, the lovers simply rested against one another.


    Vincent groaned, a shudder running down his spine as he carefully placed the girl back onto her shaky feet. A chuckle vibrated his chest as he grinned a fox’s grin.


    The blonde met his warm gaze with one of her own.


    Early start or not, they definitely could get used to this sort of wakeup call.


    ****


    “You can’t be serious!”


    “Since when did The Resistance have a woman as commander?”


    Hiro Tanaka winced at the harsh protests, sparing an apologetic glance at the blonde as she rolled her eyes.


    Honestly, it was nothing new. She had been dealing with nothing but protests her entire military career. Some only needed a show of power to earn their validation. Others warranted a swift kick in the teeth in order to dislodge their heads from their rears.


    “I’m not taking any orders from a woman. Let alone one younger than me,” the brown-haired man seated at the table in the meeting room quipped, shaking his head. “Victor would have my nuts on an ice cream sandwich.”


    Alice glared at the older brunette as he began shuffling the papers upon the desk. The lighting in the room began to flicker as she felt the heat travel up her spine and into her hand.


    The brunette yelped in pain as the papers he held suddenly burst into flame, causing him to toss them to the floor where he began stomping on them.


    For a moment, the room fell silent, save for the brunette’s muttered cursing as he shook his hands for relief.


    “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Commander Victor isn’t here; I am. Perhaps you should worry less about people who aren’t here, and start being more concerned with the ones who are. Now I believe we all have more important things to attend to than antiquated trash-talk,” the blonde coldly replied as she took a seat at the table.


    Julius spared a glance at the girl now seated next to him, shrugging as an amused smile tugged at his lips. “I’m afraid she does have a point, Nathan.”


    The injured brunette glared. “Yeah, well, my point still stands. Women can’t control their outbursts."


    Alice looked up, locking eyes with the belligerent soldier. “Oh, I assure you that was controlled. Next time, I’ll just skip straight to creating a human torch. Now are you going to follow orders, or does the cleaning detail need a new orderly?”


    The brunette grumbled under his breath, averting his gaze.


    Alice nodded her approval. “Good. Now, if we’re all done with the dick-measuring contests, I’d like to address a few matters at hand.”


    Julius and the blond, male soldier seated to his left shared a glance but said nothing, allowing the commander to proceed.


    “First off, if this is going to work, then we’re going to have to work together. A lot of you will now be managing teams way larger than what you’re used to, and I can respect that it’s not going to necessarily be easy.”


    The blond admiral next to Julius, a boy in his mid-twenties by the name of Cameron, sighed. “And what do we do if your people refuse the new leadership? A lot of commanding officers were lost at the Pheora base from what I’m told.”


    Alice shrugged. “What do you do with your own dissenters? This isn’t rocket science. If there’s a problem within the ranks, we’ll iron it out together. Personally, I think it’s about time we pulled together. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.”


    Julius nodded. “That is true. The capital is in chaos right now. If we play our cards right, we may actually see the end of this war. I say it’s a perfect time to discuss launching an assault.”


    Cameron shook his head. “Well, shouldn’t we be holding council then?”


    “Absolutely not,” Alice returned, folding her arms. “I think there’s way better tactics at our disposal right now that would better benefit us rather than get into another bloody skirmish at the expense of our men.”


    Julius folded his arms, frowning.


    Stein, who had wisely remained silent up until now, absently stroked his mustache. “What exactly did you have in mind?”


    “Personally, I think public relations would be our best asset at the moment. With the emperor gone, The Order is more likely to lose direction,” Alice replied. “What better way to sway the people than to show we’re the ones who truly care?”


    Nathan scowled. “Or it could just make us look like a bunch of bleeding hearts. I say we do nothing without Commander Victor’s approval.”


    Alice shrugged. “This isn’t Victor’s base, so it ultimately isn’t his call.”


    The brunette glared. “He’s a well-respected man. He was my superior for four years-”


    “Then perhaps you should be shipped back to his base. Stein and I are the ones calling the shots here, not Victor,” Alice quipped, cutting the admiral off. She and Stein exchanged a glance.


    The aged commander nodded. “I have to agree with Commander Lynheart. I’m not saying that Commander Victor isn’t a respectable man, but he’s less knowledgeable on the way things are run here.”


    “With all due respect, Commander Lynheart is too green to be determining much of anything!” Nathan snapped in retort.


    No one in the room spoke as Alice rose from her chair then. All eyes were trained on the young woman as she slowly lifted the burgundy shirt of the uniform she wore, revealing the large, stitched gash running the length of her left side.


    Hiro grimaced, looking away.


    Julius remained silent while the other two admirals seated at the table exchanged a glance.


    “I think I’ve given more than my fair share of blood for the cause, thank you.”


    Stein cleared his throat. “Quite. I believe we need to properly weigh our options before making any rash decisions. For now, Commander Lynheart’s proposal stands. We will be reaching out to the local verified friendly communities to establish rapport.”


    Nathan grumbled under his breath, but said nothing as he slouched down in his chair.


    Receiving a nod of approval then, the blonde commander took that as her cue to continue. “The next item for discussion is Commander Victor’s questionable dealings in Deinan.”


    “What?! Commander Victor is a seasoned veteran of this war! If you’re implying what I think you are, that’s treason!” Nathan barked, rising from his chair.


    “Now, hold on, Commander Lynheart,” Stein intervened. “What are you talking about? This is the first I’ve heard of this matter.”


    Alice shrugged. “Exactly as it implies. I have insider information that points to Victor being in with some of the higher-ups in the capital.”


    Stein frowned. “Well, this definitely raises suspicion. However, I wouldn’t exactly count it as hard evidence of treachery.”


    Alice raised a brow. “The information comes from Fort Brein. The informant also correctly recited the location of Victor’s base.”


    “Lies!” Nathan shouted.


    “Enough!” Stein barked. Heaving a heavy sigh, he ran a hand through his graying hair. “This certainly poses a problem. If what you say is true, then we could have a security breach the likes of which we’ve never seen.”


    Alice nodded, ignoring the glares Nathan sent in her direction. “Precisely why I believe all of his contacts should be properly vetted prior to admittance onto the base until further notice, and all information prescreened.”


    Stein nodded in agreement. “There was a communications expert from his base expected to arrive this morning, but it would appear that something came up and she will be delayed.”


    Alice sighed. “Very well. I trust I will be informed as soon as you know when she’s set to arrive?”


    “Of course, Commander,” Stein assured as he rose from his chair. “Now, I propose we adjourn this meeting for the time being. I have a few matters now that I wish to look into.”


    Alice frowned, though she gave her affirmation. There were plenty of other things that she had planned on discussing at this meeting, but she supposed there would be plenty of other opportunities. At least she had gotten Stein to agree to a temporary halt to The Program prior to their meeting.


    In lieu of the circumstances surrounding her newly-discovered son, the blonde felt it was the least he could do.


    Now finding herself alone in the meeting room, the teen stretched her arms above her head as she allowed a long yawn to finally escape her. It was still only mid-morning, and she could already tell that today was surely going to be as draining as the day prior.