Tempest: The Renegade

Phase 6: Trust, part 1

Our team is currently trying to contact the leader of the Warden association, General Anastasia, as well as the possible survivors of the attacks. We will keep you updated about the case."

When the news report ends, I'm close to crying. It took a horribly wrong turn.

"Why didn't you explain what happened right on the spot?" Jaroslav asks me. His face turned pale and his usual jolly smile got replaced by careworn wrinkles.

"The things were already heating up on the spot," I explain. "I presumed nobody would listen to me, so I decided to make for the door and leave that place before someone notices me."

Jaroslav nods, accepting my explanation. At that moment, my pentop rings. I see who is calling - General Anastasia. I accept the call. "Hello?"

"Zoya? Are you alive? Thank God!" I hear Anastasia's firm voice, now shaken by emotions.

"I managed to escape, but it was close. Were you watching the news? I hope you don't think we were responsible for the explosion."

"Of course not. I guess that Bureš wanted to erase all evidence his illegal arena ever existed, so he decided to blow the whole building up. Did I guess it right?"

"Absolutely right. What about the others? Did someone else make it?"

Anastasia's long silence tells me everything I needed.

"I need you to do me a favor," she finally speaks. "I need to tell the world what really happened... and I want you to be there, too. You're a survivor. Maybe if we present our version, the people will believe us. We can't let Bureš and the others destroy the reputation of the Wardens."

"Of course. You can count on me." My legs are getting wobbly when I imagine speaking in front of so many people who see me as a terrorist, but I can't let Anastasia down. The world has to know about Bureš's deeds. We have no evidence to back up our version, but neither does he.

"Thank you, Zoya. I really appreciate it. You know... I'm shaking right now. To think it would end so horribly... The raid was supposed to strike the Yeomen with a vengeance, but now... we have to defend ourselves instead. This is not what I wanted."

"I think neither of us did."

Anastasia ends the call. I return the pentop to my pocket and look at Jaroslav. Although he doesn't say anything, his expression is tell-tale enough. If we won't manage to defend the Wardens, the path to his impeachment will be a bit clearer again.

And this would ultimately lead to Zeman's nuclear strike on Bifröst.

I feel like the ground under my feet crumbled and I'm balancing on a tightrope above a deep gorge.

...

Wenceslas Square, the next day.

Everything went just like we expected.

When I showed up on the square, the people were generally surprised to see me alive. But most of them weren't hesitant to show displeasure. It felt so awful, to be a terrorist in their eyes. The crowd booed and whistled so loudly our words were barely audible.

Both me and Anastasia told the truth about Bureš's illegal arena. It convinced some people, but, unsurprisingly, most of them only took it as a lie to justify the attack.

Now we are facing the crowd which would probably lynch us to death if there weren't TV cameras and staffs. Even the journalists seem to not believe our story. The silver-haired woman next to me who used to be proud, resolute leader of the Wardens is now on a verge of a mental breakdown.