The Axe Falls

Although Indiga’s visit helped relieve some of Sedona’s worst fears, she still had a bad night’s sleep – even Snuggles was tossing and turning. Sedona was awakened by pounding on her door. When she rushed to open it, there was a message lying on the ground. It was a short summons. She was to report to Lundun’s office immediately. Sedona gulped.

“All right then, let’s get this over with fast,” she told the cat. She tossed on her clothes and after a quick hug for Snuggles, she headed for Tower One. She took a deep breath as she stepped onto the ring road. Another breath as she approached the main entrance. She held her breath in the lift until she realized what she was doing. Then she exhaled and took another deep breath as she put her wrist scanner up to the doorplate.

The door opened immediately and Lundun reached out and yanked her into the room. Sedona struggled to keep her balance. His face was red and his eyes bulged out as he roared at her.

“After all I’ve done for you and THIS is how you repay me. You are disloyal. And that is the cardinal sin, something I will NOT tolerate!”

“But sir, what do you mean? I’ve never been disloyal to you. I’ve been doing exactly what you asked me to do – to get close to Pariss.”

“Did I tell you to speak? No, I did not! Of course, you’ve been getting close, you’ve been building a close relationship with my arch enemy. You’ve never once brought me a single piece of incriminating dirt on Pariss. You’ve just been cozying up to him.”

“No sir, I only …”

Lundun screamed. “I have evidence!”

What evidence is he talking about, wondered Sedona, now deeply confused. Then, she noticed a shadow in the back of the room. Someone was lurking in the doorway and she was certain that it was Karachi. Clearly, he had come up with some sort of fake evidence against her, just so he could get in good with Lundun. This is bad, she thought, loss of Lundun’s patronage could mean trouble.

“I’m sorry sir, I don’t know what I can say except that I was only following your orders.”

“And did you think that I wouldn’t hear about what you’ve been doing while on scouting patrols? Athens was here early this morning, loyally reporting your failures to me. He tried to make excuses for you, claiming your risky behavior stems from your accident in the wasteland. But that was all I needed to hear. You’re not only disloyal, but you’ve been derelict in your duty as a scout. I’m planning to bring the whole matter to the city council’s attention.”

“What? But I haven’t been relieved of scouting duty. I’m only on medical leave…”

“No longer. We’ll see what the council has to say about all this. They may even think a trial is necessary. Now GO, I want you out of my sight.” Lundun turned away from Sedona as she slunk toward the door in shock. She barely stepped through the door when Lundun spun around and slammed it, nearly catching her hand between the frame and the door.

A trial! Now Sedona was really, truly frightened. A trial could mean exile, being forced to leave the city. Was this the kind of situation Pariss and Tokyo warned her about? Not knowing what else she could do, she headed for her quarters, wondering how long her nice little apartment would remain her home.

She took a round-about way home so the walking would give her a chance to calm down. The shock of Lundun’s anger began to fade. She had never seen him like that before – he was nearly out of control. And she was insulted by his accusations; she had never been disloyal to him. Even bringing the rocks into the dome – she did that only to try to make contact with Pariss – which was exactly what Lundun urged her to do.

She never imagined he could treat her like this. Clearly something, or someone convinced Lundun she had been disloyal. But why, how could he believe those lies, without giving her a chance to explain? Sedona was his favorite protégé, always loyal to a fault. Now she was forced to wonder if all the loving attention she’d received from him over the years was only because he was trying to manipulate her.

Had Lundun been merely grooming her, preparing her for a fate he chose for her? And even worse … she now realized she had begun to need his praise.

Still, Sedona had to admit she had been questioning a lot of things lately. Policies and procedures, even the history of the city. Things that she’d always blindly accepted. It now seemed that the calm surface of the city, which she’d always take for granted, was a lie.

Truthfully, she had been moving closer to Pariss and Tokyo’s way of thinking. And if Lundun was so power-hungry that he no longer cared about the city he was responsible for, well … then maybe it was time to switch sides!