Chapter 72: Luck and Foresight

The plan was bound to fail like everything else Fiori had ever planned. What was remarkable, was the fact that amidst all his failures, Fiori still planed. And that, perhaps, was his biggest strength: Fiori just didn’t give up. He marched on.

Like it was the case with any of his plans, Fiori truly believed in their success. It was luck he lacked, not foresight. In the end someone always screwed it up, no matter how careful everything had been put in place. And usually, the reason someone screwed up was because their emotions got in the way.

There was a strong case to be made that today would be no different…

Or would it?

When Fiori woke up, he was in a medical room. A blanket covering his entire body. He had a hard time breathing, pain burning his lungs. He took a moment, breathing in and out, remembering what it felt like to be alive. Clearing the daze away. Regaining his keen sense of survival. It took him a while to collect his thoughts, unsure of what had happened. He had been shot. Twice, he remembered. This hadn’t been part of the plan. He was lucky to be alive. And so, it begins… he thought.

He slowly pulled down the blanket covering his face. The room was sterile, cold, and empty. There was nothing around except another table like his.

He got up, sluggishly. His entire body weighted down by his near-death experience, his chest still bearing the mark left by the bullets. His wound had not been tended to, at least not in the traditional manner, yet he could see some early stage of healing. The point of entries left little doubt about the shooter’s ability. Fiori smiled. It wasn’t luck that had saved him, it was friendship. An unlikely friendship built upon ideals of freedom and vows of revenge. Fiori quickly ripped a piece of the sheet and bandaged his wound as best as he could. At the very least, he hoped to avoid an infection. Control Island B was still very far, many things could happen until they’d reach that safe heaven.

He leaned over the other table and pulled the sheet down. Fenn was motionless with his eyes close.

“It’s ok,” Fiori announced. “You can stop playing dead.”

Fenn opened his eyes and kicked the blanket off from him. He didn’t seem sluggish at all. In fact, he was burning with anger.

“What was this all about? I thought you were dead. Twice! I thought you were dead.”

“It might still happen, so don’t get too emotional yet. I need you to have a clear head until we get out of here.”

“It was you, wasn’t it? You told Eli to do all this. I mean… ALL this!! From the start, from the time we left Centrum Agricultio.”

“I told you we’d get your brother back. And this is exactly what we are doing!” Fiori said while inspecting the door.

“… at what cost!”

“So far we haven’t lost anyone, so I’d say we’re doing pretty good.”

“Ted has Eli. Doran and his parents are dead!!”

“That was Doran’s choice. He was done running. He chose to die at home, with his family. You should at least respect that!” Fiori had talked with authority and anger. Doran had been his friend. He wasn’t about to let a teenager insult his memory.

“Beside don’t think anyone can just walk into Ted’s house. I got us in! That, in itself, was a feat. We all had a part to play to make it this far. Eli is playing hers marvellously! Keep playing yours. That’s all you have to worry about right now.”

Fenn was somewhere between anger and confusion. Once more it was that feeling of being left in the dark. Am I being use? I am definitively being use! Who is it that I am trusting right now?

“Wait! Before I go any further with your plan, I want to know everything. The whole plan. Right now,” Fenn said with assertion.

Fiori turned and considered the boy’s request for a second. A smile quickly passed on his lips.

“Right now, all of us are in the medical wing. You and I are believed to be dead. That is what the doctor confirmed. What Evian made him confirm. In a few minutes, Ted will be having dinner with his posses. Meyer was able, this week, to schedule a deactivation of the security system in the medical wing.”

Fiori looked up at the clock on the wall.

“In twenty-four minutes exactly, the doors will unlock, and the security camera will be playing pre-recorded footages. We will travel towards the biowaste storage unit and embark on a disposal truck that Meyer ordered under the medical chief’s request. Yuki will be driving the truck. About fifty kilometers from here, we will change clothing and split into two vans. Benagher will be driving one, Yuki will be driving the other. We will meet up in two days’ time on the east coast where Rex Zeckrin will be waiting for us.”

He smiled before adding: “That’s it!”

“That’s it?” Fenn said incredulous.

“Well, that’s the gist of it. Minus a few changes here and there… as needed… that’s the plan,” Fiori said in a very serious tone.

“Why is Benagher coming with us? Is Eva coming too?”

“Benagher is coming with us because I invited him. Eva, I don’t know. I think she has a plan of her own. Actually, she worries me… a lot… There is a chance she might ruin this plan. Benagher assured me, she wouldn’t. But I think love is blinding him. I think he’s putting too much faith in her. What do you think?”

“She’s a wretched witch. I hope she dies.”

Fiori laughed. “She can be wicked, alright. I’ll give you that. But you know, we aren’t any better. By now, we’ve all done some pretty awful stuff…”

“So, you’ve given up on being a good man, I take it!” Fenn mocked him.

“I used to think it was all black or white. People were either bad or good. But now I see that we are all, mostly, various shade of gray. Some great things can only be achieved with a lot of evil… while even the best intention can result in wicked acts. I am still thriving to be a good man but…”

Fiori gently punched Fenn on the heart.

“… whether I succeed or not will depend on the perspective of those who, in the end, will judge me.”

“I am judging you right now, and I think you are a god damn devil.” Fenn said without any hesitation.

“Maybe you’re right… but right now this devil is on your side… while Ted is on the other. Pick your poison.”

Fenn tsked.

Fiori ruffled his hair.

Fenn pushed his hand away.

“C’mon, let’s get you and your brother out of here!”

“And Eli!” Fenn added.

Fiori paused.

“No. Not Eli,” he carefully said.

“We have Evian. Eli has no reason to stay here!”

“Eli has a job to do.”

“Eli is in danger here.”

“Eli is a very capable young lady.”

“Eli is in DANGER here.”

“There is no safe place on earth for any of us.”

“Eli will be killed, if she stays here.”

“Eli can defend herself.”

“Not against her brother.”

“Eli is smart.”

“But being smart is not enough, you know that.”

“Eli is strong.”

“Fiori don’t play this game with me. She needs to get out of here with us.”

“Trust her. You need to trust her.”

“I am not leaving without her.”

Fiori pushed his hair back. He had expected Fenn to react this way. He had long tried to come up with an infallible argument, but nothing had come to mind. Nothing that would persuade Fenn.

“If we don’t leave today. We will all die. All of us. You, me, your brother, Yuki, Meyer, Benagher, Eva and Eli. So, either you trust her, or you send us all to our death.”

Fenn frowned. He was annoyed.

“Fine then…”

Fiori breathed a sigh or relief.

But Fenn wasn’t done.

He added: “…we all die.”

Fiori’s arms fell to his side. He tried to hide his exasperation but with only 9 minutes left before the doors unlocked, he was starting to run out of time… and patience.

Fenn leaned against the wall and slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor.

Fiori kept his back to him.

The clock ticked away.

A minute pass… then two…

“Does Eli know we will be leaving without her?” Fenn suddenly asked.

“Eli doesn’t know about our escape plan. Everyone only knows what they need to know. They only know what affects them. That’s the safest way to avoid a leak.”

“So, you plan on just leaving her here, without any explanation.”

“She knows she has a job to do. She knows her work isn’t done here, not yet. She will understand why we left without her.”

“And what is it, that is so important, that she needs to do?”

“She needs to kill Ted.”

“Why her? I could do it. I bet even Meyer could do it!”

“It isn’t enough to kill the man. We have to kill everything he represents. Otherwise, another one will just rise up and take his place.”

“And how is Eli supposed to do that!?”

“She’s still working out the details… It’s complicated.”

“So you mean to say, you threw her to the lions with no clear ways to get out! Do you ever care about anyone else but yourself?” Fenn screamed.

Fiori turned and paused to look a Fenn.

“Ever since my wife died, there isn’t a single day where I didn’t care about others.”

“Well, for the record… it doesn’t show. You come across as a selfish prick.”

Fenn had tears running down his face. Ugly, big, honest angry tears.

The locking mechanism made a loud clunk.

Fiori and Fenn both jumped.

A sense of urgency suddenly built up.

“So, what is it? Are you coming, yes, or no?” Fiori asked.

“I am going to help my brother escape, then I’ll come back for Eli,” Fenn said.

That wasn’t good enough for Fiori. But it will have to do for now, he thought.

The door opened. Benagher walked in, a gun in hand.

“Let’s go,” he said, pulling another gun out of his belt and handing it over to Fiori.

Ceremoniously, Fiori took the gun. “Thank you.”

“Thank me when we are out of here, General Falx,” Benagher said with decorum.

Together, all three men entered the hallway.