Bridget Bundy - The Secret Weapon

“If you’re a part of the harem, you will be. That’s when you can make your move.”

“I don’t callously kill people, Malie.”

“But you have killed before.” She added with a point of her forefinger.

“I was defending myself each time. Plus, I am a horticulturist! I’m not some secret agent.”

“I know. It’s a brilliant cover, don’t you think?” Malie laughed at the sheer thought of it.

Coraset leaned back in her seat and looked away. She didn’t think it was funny at all.

Malie remarked as she tried to ease Coraset’s mind, “We have the prefect plan. You just need to execute it, and more than likely, no one will ever know you were involved.”

Coraset listened, even though, just being there and hearing Malie’s plan was scaring her to death.

“Dominic Erato is diabetic. He needs insulin shots. That’s all you have to do is switch one of the dosages.”

“With what,” Coraset asked.

“Brecco will give you potassium hydrochloride.”

“You got my stepfather involved in this!” She was incredulous and angry. “Why would you do that?”

“He believes in the cause, Coraset.”

She sighed impatiently and said, “Lets get one thing straight. This isn’t a cause. What you and Xavier are trying to do is assassinate a Chancellor for your own political gains.”

“His demise will be for the greater good of Erato.” Malie thought for a minute and then offered, “What if I give you a way out of this society?”

“There is no way out,” Coraset stated. “This whole idea is absurd.”

Malie asked completely ignoring her statement, “Have you ever heard of Barbados?”

“It’s an island in the Caribbean.”

“The Senator has a home out there. You can live the rest of your life on that island. You’ll have a staff, and they will be at your every beck and call.”

“It sounds too good to be true.”

Malie remarked with confidence, “It’s very real.”

“Okay, if it’s so real, why aren’t you living there? Why isn’t Xavier living on the island?”

“The Senator and I are committed to changing things here. We can’t do that from Barbados. You complete this assignment successfully, without anyone being compromised, including yourself, and I will have you flown to Barbados to live for the rest of your life. All existing records of you will be expunged. You will be able to live in privacy, without the worry of the Federation, and if you ever wanted to come back, I can make that happen, as well.”

Coraset was now seriously considering her the task. “So, let me get this straight. You want me to go to the Chancellor Ball, and try to get into Dominic’s harem. If that happens, you want me to switch his insulin dosage with something my stepfather is supposed to give me. Once Dominic takes it, he should die, right?”

“Yes,” Malie answered with a nod.

She thought about it for a moment. She tried to find the good in the plan and concluded there was nothing good about it. Then Coraset considered her escape if she in fact agreed to infiltrate the harem. How would she leave?

She asked Malie, “How do I get out of there after he dies?”

“I doubt if the Erato family will allow Dominic’s harem to remain. Once he’s gone, they should let you go.”

“But you’re not sure if that will happen,” Coraset asked.

“No, I’m not completely sure,” Malie admitted.

“What exactly are you expecting Sergei Erato to do if he becomes Chancellor? Is he even involved in this plan?”

“Sergei is not involved. He has no idea what we’re doing. But once he’s in power, he’ll change the current government. We’ll become a democratic nation like the United States.”

“Malie, you make this plan sound so easy to pull off, but it won’t be. You’re trying to change an entire government, and there are people who prefer for it to stay like it is.”

“The Senator will be able-”

“You will meet resistance. It won’t go down the way you think.”

“That’s all I need to know is whether you are willing to do the job.”

The stakes were too high. If Coraset got caught, she’d be put to death. The Elite Guard will kill her immediately. Was it worth the risk? The only thing she could gain from accomplishing the mission was getting out of Erato and living outside the dominant society, living beyond the rules and the political iron hand.

But on the other hand, Coraset couldn’t think of one bad thing in her life because of the totalitarian state. She was working. She didn’t have any demands made on her. She wasn’t being bothered by anyone. She had a roof over her head, clothes to wear, and food to eat.

Even though, Barbados sounded wonderful, she decided not to get involved. Whatever political environment Xavier and Malie was trying to attain wasn’t worth her life. She was the only one going into the fire. Coraset didn’t see any positives coming from trying to kill the Chancellor of Erato.

“Malie, I know you and Xavier are dedicated to helping society. I get it, but I’m not going to do this. You have to find someone else.”

They stared at one another, but Malie was the first to turn away. Her expression showed her clear unhappiness with Coraset’s decision.

“Brecco said you wouldn’t do it.”

Coraset didn’t answer.

“You’re not leaving me any choice, and I hate going this far with you. I was hoping to avoid it.” Malie stood and signaled for one of the soldiers from her protection team.

He stepped out into the path in their view from behind a tall wall of vines and flowers. The soldier had on the same black camouflage uniform, and he held a pistol in his hand.

Coraset didn’t move from where she sat. She asked, “What is this? Are you going to kill me now?”

“No, but I will have your stepfather pulled from the labs he works in, and I will see to it that he goes to prison for stealing highly classified documents.”

“You’ll have to do more than just make up lies in the computer to hang him with those charges.”

“I can tip off Federation Constabularies that he has lab reports belonging to Erato in his apartment. Taking his work home is forbidden, Coraset, and he could get in a lot of trouble. They might even sentence him to death.”

“You would do that to him because I refuse to help? He believes in this so called cause you and Xavier have created.”

“We’re willing to make whatever sacrifices there is to exact that cause including sacrificing Brecco.”

“Sacrifices,” Coraset scoffed. “You and Xavier aren’t making any. It’s me and my stepfather you’re asking to step into the fire.”

Malie asked ignoring her last statement, “What is your answer, Coraset?”

She approached Malie in a calm manner and said, “I’ll do as you want.”

“I thought you might,” Malie remarked with satisfaction.

Coraset walked passed Malie into the house, leaving her and the soldier outside in the garden. She rushed into the hallway leading into the foyer and out the front door. Brochudo’s car was still parked in front of the house, and she tried to get into the car only to discover it was locked. Brochudo appeared in the front door of the house.

“You need a ride?” He asked as he smacked on an apple.

“Please,” Coraset responded.

Brochudo reached in his pants pocket, pulled out the remote to unlock the car doors, and he strolled over. He asked where she wanted to go, and Coraset requested for him to take her back to the Barat Region. She needed to see her stepdad.

Coraset stood at the window staring down at the city. Brecco Jefferson relaxed on the sofa with his pipe. His thick white hair was combed back, showing an aged pale face with blue eyes, a wrinkled medium size nose, and thin lips. He was a tall man. His legs looked like bent sticks, with one resting on the other. He rotated his ankle as he looked straight ahead. He considered what Coraset told him about Malie’s plans, not really having a reaction to the news.