Tempest: The Renegade

Phase 6: Trust, part 1

"I'm afraid this is the end, Zoya," she sighs.

Even though they instructed us not to speak unless asked, I look straight into the lens of one of the camera drones. "I know not many of you believe us now, but I can assure you we're speaking the truth," I say firmly. "And I won't stop until I prove how wicked and corrupt your leaders are. I almost died in the arena I told you about. And there are countless Castaways who actually lost their lives there."

"Cut her off!" I hear a shout from the crowd. "She's a liar!"

I continue nevertheless. "I know there are people who know about the arena's existence and were threatened not to talk about it. Please, don't be afraid to raise your voice. I know some of you lost your Neoclash partners, Castaway friends or even lovers there. And the Wardens can ensure your safety, no matter what they say about us now. Please, help us. There's a great injustice happening here."

"Okay, that's enough," one of the journalists says and disables the camera drone. Then he turns to the crowd. "There's nothing more to see here. The press conference ended."

The crowd would happily tear us to pieces. Fortunately, the news staff had enough courtesy to provide us with a car we can use to escape the square unharmed.

"Well, that didn't go well," Anastasia mutters.

"But we can still turn this around!" I cheer her up. "We convinced at least some people and I'm sure we'll be able to find enough evidence to disclose Bureš. We just have to be patient."

"The time is what we don't have!" Anastasia snaps. "The evidence won't matter after Havel gets impeached and Zeman pushes his nuclear strike through. We lost, Zoya! You know that I'm the leader of the Wardens for many years already, but here, we finally encountered something we can't fight."

"I'm sorry you see it this way."

"There's nothing we can do now."

I look at the woman with a firm gaze. "But if you expect me to just do nothing, then I'll have to disappoint you. Maybe we can't help it anymore, but even if the shit goes down, if Bifröst ends up in ruins and Valentina starts an all-out massacre, at least I'll know I didn't just watch it as it happened."

"Your resolve is inspiring, Zoya, but I think you're in for a big disappointment."

"I'm used to disappointment."

No matter how bold do I try to sound, I have doubts myself. It seems not a single thing is working in our favor lately. Do I really believe that things will get better, or is it just a pose which is supposed to fool both everyone around me and myself?

Damn, my life lost purpose to me when Ryan died. Now I remember - before I was taken into Bureš's arena, I was ready to give up on everything and wait for the end somewhere in solitude. Maybe I should just return to this original plan.

But I'm already pretty sure the trouble will find me anyway.

...

When I arrive home...

Strange. I already got used to calling Jaroslav's house home. But it's no wonder since he's a man who married my mother. When I'm with him, I feel the closest to Alexandra who is long gone. The man sometimes makes a remark about her, shares a random fact about her with me. And it helps me piece together the person she was outside the Dead Zone, the person I never got to know.

Okay, back to the point.

When I arrive home, Jaroslav looks troubled; that doesn't help my current situation much. I'm almost afraid to ask what's wrong. He's sitting in the living room, all alone, clenching a sheet of paper in his hands. Whatever it is, it's not pleasing.