Bridget Bundy - The Secret Weapon

Coraset entered cautiously, ducking as she walked behind Erato Federation vehicles. Every parking spot had a SUV, and she stealthily walked through them listening and watching. She heard the stairwell door slam open against the wall and orders being barked. Coraset made her way carefully to the exit and out onto the street.

She saw a man standing at her building entrance, but he didn’t see her. The trees and street décor blocked his view, and she managed to get across the street. She went three blocks and decided to hide in building three garage. Before she could get to the garage gates, someone pulled up right in front of her at the entryway. Coraset pointed the gun, and the window rolled down revealing a familiar but friendly face.

His name was Brochudo, a husky black man with dark eyes and a round bearded face. He was bald headed and smiling.

“Get in,” he stated as the glass slid back into place.

Coraset looked around one last time, and she opened the back door and got in. The man backed out onto the street, and he headed for the Barat Region outer exit. Their identification was scanned, and they were allowed to leave. Coraset looked out the back window at the closing gate.

“No one is crazy enough to follow this car,” Brochudo’s deep voice sounded from the front seat.

“Where is he?” Coraset asked as she slouched down in her seat.

“Bel Air,” Brochudo answered as he reached in the compartment next to his seat. He pulled out one CD, looked at the cover, and then put it back in. Then he pulled out another. He peered at the blonde posing beautifully on the cover, and he took the CD out of its cover. He pushed the disc into the player, and a song with an upbeat tune started playing. Brochudo started singing. His deep voice was a horrid contrast to the songbird singing from the speakers.

Coraset sat back and watched the scenery pass. She was glad to be in safety. She tried to find a reason why anyone would want her dead. She couldn’t picture the warden having enough power or reach to send someone after her, especially an entire team of killers. Maybe it could have been Lea Cassis who sent them in order to stay off revenge, but Coraset never thought about going after Lea, not even once.

Brochudo drove through hills filled with forests and empty mansions. Some gates were pried open, rusting off their hinges, or completely disconnected from the walls that surrounded once exclusive properties. Coraset kept her gun in hand, still unwilling to think the run for her life was over, but she saw no sign of the people that were chasing her. She wondered how many others were after her. Who did they work for? Why were they trying to kill her? She needed answers.

Finally, Brochudo turned into a driveway. It wound for half mile to a wrought iron gate. The car came to a screeching halt, and the gate remained closed. Coraset had that uneasy feeling again, but she hated to think that Brochudo was leading her into a trap. He’d always been a nice guy, never said a bad thing about anyone.

Coraset asked guardedly, “Brochudo, whose house is this?”

“Mr. Cassis,” he answered as he tapped on the steering wheel casually.

“What are we waiting for?” She gripped the gun tightly and started looking around.

The gate suddenly started opening slowly.

Brochudo stated, “For the gate to open. Jory isn’t paying attention or was in the toilet.”

Coraset sat back, still on edge. When the gate was fully open, Brochudo drove the broken brick driveway to the front door of a home completely covered with overgrown, untamed ivy. The house looked like it was built into the greenery itself.

Brochudo opened the car door for Coraset and remarked, “He’ll be in the first room to your right.”

She shifted the gun into her other hand and looked at Brochudo with doubt.

He understood her uncertainty and said, “It’ll be alright, Coraset. You can still trust Mr. Cassis.”

Without saying anything else, she went inside. She held the gun tight, aimed in the direction she was moving. The house was dark except for one room that was lit by a chandelier. Senator Xavier Cassis stood with his hands in his pants pockets, with a slight smile on his face. Coraset was glad to see him, but she was still tense. The room appeared empty, but there were dark corners and cascading shadows hiding the appearance of the walls. Coraset approached Xavier, and she stopped in front of him.

Senator Xavier Cassis was a middle aged man with brunette hair, brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He was clean shaven, young looking for his age, tall, and slender. Xavier was driven and very intelligent. He was appointed a Senator for the Barat Region by Chancellor Katherine Erato when the Federation was first formed. Deep down, he did not like nor approve of the new society, but Xavier worked diligently to ensure his front of supporting the totalitarian system was never in doubt. He wanted change. Xavier knew if he voiced what he really felt, he would be ousted from his high profile government position, imprisoned for treason.

“You and I need to talk, Xavier.” Coraset stated calmly.

“I will answer any and all question you may have, but first there are other matters we need to discuss.”

“There is nothing else to consider other than why your wife set me up.”

Xavier pointed out, “There is more important-”

“Why was I framed, Xavier?” Coraset cut him off angrily. She didn’t want to hear anything else but the answer to her question.

He hesitated but eventually answered, “Lea thought I hired you to kill Lieutenant Donner.”

“Did you tell her that?”

“No, of course not,” he answered with a convincing stare. “She was seeing him. I found out. I did hire someone to take care of him. She thought it was you. So, she went to the police and told them.”

“I lost a year and a half of my life over a lie, Xavier.” Coraset stated with restrained anger.

“And I did everything in my power to ensure that’s all you lost. The judge was going to sentence you to death, but I convinced her that you did not kill the lieutenant.”

“But she sent me to jail, anyway.”

“She had no choice. Lea is my wife, and I am a Senator. With those facts alone, the judge could not disregard her accusation.”

“Ridiculous! Why didn’t you tell the judge who actually did it?”

“Because I had to protect the operative, Coraset,” Xavier explained.

“And what about me,” Coraset asked as she pointed a finger at herself.

“I took care of you. I made sure you were looked after while you were in there.”

“I was nearly raped twice, Xavier!” Coraset stepped away from him in disgust. “That’s a hell of a way to look after me!”

“I’m very sorry you had to go through that, but I worked hard to keep you alive. The warden wanted you dead. Lea wanted you dead, but I wouldn’t allow it. I saved you.”

She chuckled and remarked, “No, you didn’t.”

Xavier exhaled in aggravation. He wanted so much to move on from the subject. He remarked, “I know you’re mad, but there are more pressing matters. I need your help.”

“You got some nerve, Xavier.” Her voice shook from her anger, “I’m not going to help you.”

“Will you let me say my peace before you make your final decision?”

“No,” Coraset started for the exit.

“Then listen to me instead,” A feminine voice stated from a darkened corner.

Coraset turned back towards the unfamiliar voice. She glanced at Xavier with uncertainty as she gripped the gun tighter. A woman stepped from the shadows. She was statuesque and blonde. Coraset thought she looked familiar. She couldn’t place where she saw the woman before.