The Downfall

Chapter 5

It was dark when Nadia woke, she didn't even remember drifting off to sleep. It took her a moment to realize that they weren't moving anymore. Instead, they were parked on the side of a road somewhere, and Seth was outside taking a smoke. Joining her friend, she leaned against the car with him and took the cigarette he offered. Placing it between her lips she inhaled the bitter tasting smoke and welcoming taste of nicotine. Blowing the smoke out through her nose, she handed the cigarette back to him.

It had been a while since each of them had a cigarette. They were scarce in Rebel Territory, but tonight seemed like the night to have one. Long after the cigarette finally died, having been passed between the two of them back and forth, they stood there. They just stood there. Trying to figure out what to do now? Where to go after this? It seemed like a lost cause, it did.

“ What did you want to tell me? " Nadia asked, head tilted up to look at the stars. She heard Seth intake a soft, worried breath. Thoughts began to form at the back of her mind, suspicions rising. Shouldn't he have told her yet? Maybe it was hard. She wasn't sure.

“ I did it. " He whispered out, eyes filling with tears. Not for the lives that were lost today, but for his own selfish reasons. He was starting to cry because he knew he'd lose his best friend; the one who had become family to him. Her head snapping down, Nadia narrowed her eyes at him. That made him want to shrink and confess and keep it hidden all at the same time. “ I. . . I lead the government there. “

He didn't have to look up to see that her jaw had dropped. To see that she was quietly trying to form words herself, trying to figure out what to say. Trying to register that he actually led the enemy into their capital. She couldn't speak, she couldn't process all that was happening. She felt her feet turn their own way, and walk in their own direction, as far away from him as they would take her.

She could hear his distant pleas, but they went in one ear and directly out of the other, not even registering. She just wanted to put distance between them, no matter the consequence. It took a few hours, but with her lone travels, she eventually reached a town where she was then seized and searched by the sheriff and heavily questioned.

They had all heard about what happened at the capital by now. She didn't truly care, the dull realization that her best friend had betrayed not only her but innocent lives and the people. Their friends, their neighbors. Everyone. He also saved you. A small part of her mind screamed at her. But why only her? Why lead them there in the first place?

“ Who are you? " The sheriff asked, setting a small cup of water in front of her as they sat in the interrogation room. Taking a small sip to wet her lips and get rid of what felt like sand in her mouth, she answered.

“ Nadia Kingsman. A survivor from the Capital. Main strategist. " She introduced. That should have cleared at least two of the many questions she was about to be asked. The male stared at her, his brown eyes meeting her green ones. In them, she saw fear, doubt, but also one other thing: hope. “ We'll run your credentials. “ He left the room.

Nadia didn’t like being alone in a dimly lit room like this. It made her nervous and on edge, maybe that was why it so dimly lit. It worked for everyone. Made them wiggle, shifting uncomfortably left and right and back again, desperate to keep yourself hidden, even if you had nothing to hide. She guessed she did technically have something to hide now. It had hit her, the shock was over. Tears ran down her cheeks the next one faster than the last, almost as if it was a race. Who could leave her cheeks the fastest?

Soon enough, she was sobbing. Curling into a ball, she sobbed into her knees, shoulders wracking with every howling sound that left her lips. Pain gripping her heart and tearing it apart and then resting weights on her chest, on her shoulders. Everywhere, really. In what felt like hours, but was only really about twenty minutes, her tears dried up.

Nadia could still taste the salt on her lips as she stared at the wall, hoping that nobody on the other side had seen her break. After another twenty minutes, the sheriff came in holding a file. He slapped it down on the table in front of her. The picture at the top was one of her. “ You were tough to get to in there, so many clearances needed. “ He spoke a hint of a laugh on his lips.

She only gave a small shrug in return. “ Welcome to Denver. “ He clapped a hand on her shoulder and she tried to give a weak smile back. He left once more and a woman, not much older than she was, replaced him. “ Come with me. We’ll get you cleaned up and fed. “ She offered a hand. At first, Nadia was hesitant but then decided if they were to kill her, she couldn't stop it anyway. Taking the other's hand, her stomach grumbled at the thought of food.

Food. She hadn’t eaten within the events of today, but right now, she was afraid if she tried to eat anything it would just come back up. But as they picked snacks from the vending machine, she found that she could keep it down and that she was hungrier than she had originally thought. After scarfing down what she had, she finally noticed the other staring at her with a look of pity.

“ Thank you, " She spoke awkwardly. Awkward, but grateful. What were they supposed to do now? Wait around for the rest of the government to take them out? Looking back up to the girl, she had a new fire in her eyes. “ May I meet with your general? Or the person in charge?

The one across from her finally smiled. “ You're talking to her. I'm General Shannon Lee. “ She spoke, standing up and offering Nadia a hand. Taking the hand, Nadia shook it and stood up herself. “ Nadia Kingsman, but you knew that already. “ She gave a small half grin. The other mirrored it. “ Let's get to work.“

Denver's headquarters turned out to be a little barn on the outskirts. From the outside, you wouldn't expect much, but as soon as you walked in it transformed right in front of your eyes. There were three levels and people bustling all around. It was what Nadia was used to, the business. But it was also completely different, it was a different air, different atmosphere.

They were rushing because if they didn't rush another hit would happen. She followed after General Shannon, eyes wide and jaw slightly dropped. It would have been amusing if the circumstances were different. She was lead into a war room, a room she knew would never really change. Three people stood around a table, muttering quietly to each other as they studied the map.

They were strategist as well. The only other female, besides her and Shannon, looked up and instantly narrowed her eyes at the other and her new clothes-- although the other couldn't tell they were new, just clean. “ General, who is this? " She drawled out, standing and squaring her shoulders as if Nadia posed a threat to her. The two men besides her looked up and copied her actions. Nadia had a quick feel of who was the boss between them.

“ Nadia Kingsman.“ She butted in before Lee could introduce her. “ Who are you? “ She was defiant, sticking her chin up to the other, she wouldn’t be tossed around like a ragdoll. The other broke into a grin which surprised her. “ Good choice, sis. " She spoke towards the General. Lee smiled and made an excuse to leave.

Nadia was now alone and she had three people now staring at her like she had suddenly sprouted three heads. The feeling was. . . uncomfortable to say the least. “ What do you do? “ One of the men asked his posture now relaxed.

“ Attacks and escapes. " She explained. The three shared a look. “ You'll be with me, then. " She nodded as if she was wanting Nadia all along. Hopefully, she'd grow back into her skin here. Currently, she felt new and exposed. She didn’t like that feeling, not one bit.