To reveal a woman who could be her twin.
Anadil had said this was her sister’s hideout. That the woman who needed saving looked like her.
The woman who was pregnant.
With a daughter named Sparrow.
The woman’s wide blue eyes were glassy, heartbreaking. There was a certain amount of confusion and pain that sent jabs of discomfort deep into Griffin’s being.
He didn’t want to watch this.
“Shocked to see my dear sister up here? You may think her an innocent in this, but she’s not. She is compliant. She has accepted the hostilities of this Government, of the actions of the Facility, and has done nothing to change their ways.”
Griffin clicked off the screen, but it wouldn’t silence the video. He listened to it play as he called Oleks.
“Listen to her heartbeat,” Anadil stated, and a distinct Thump Thump pounded through the speakers.
“Boss?” Oleks’s voice was foggy, distant, it was clear the video playing in the background had been forced there, that it was messing with their devices.
“Save the girl on the video! Tell the others! We must protect her at all costs!” He was sprinting out of the room now, back through the walls towards the exit. He recognized where Anadil was. It was just outside the back of the Facility. He resolved to make it there too, just in case.
“Boss? What do you—” The call disconnected, the screen flashing back to the video in Griffin’s hands.
“Kill them,” echoed out of the device, but he didn’t look down. He was moving as quickly as he could, sprinting through the now empty walls.
“I want this to be a reminder that there are no innocents when it comes to tyranny. Bystanders are just as guilty as the transgressors. Even the cherished are not safe!” came through the speaker. This time Griffin had to look down, he was at the outside door, his hand on it, but he came to a complete stop, staring in confusion.
This message is directed at the Sacred Trinity.
Griffin did not immediately see the knife, but then it glinted on the screen.
What is she doing?
Anadil leaned forward, whispering into the woman’s ear as she plunged the knife into her stomach, deep and then twisted.
A moment later, the Thump Thump of her heart no longer filled the space.
What the fuck is going on?
But Griffin didn’t have time to process it before a bomb propelled him outwards and through the partially opened door.
The Cherished woman’s face flashed through his mind as the world exploded.
Griffin blinked blearily, his head pounded and his body ached. He couldn’t move, his blood pounded loudly in his ears. Screaming, shouting, hysterical sobbing faded in and out.
“There you are.” Anadil tsked as she came into view. She leaned down, lifting the door off of him, but didn’t help otherwise. “Did you relay the message to your men? Will she be kept safe?”
“Yes,” Griffin croaked, smoke choking him. “What have you done?!"
His vision cycled and swirled.
“Anadil?!” The voice was familiar but distant. It came from further away, from outside the facility.
“Fuck. Stay there Griffin, you cannot let him see you here. Do not speak.” The heavy weight of the door was placed on him again, but he didn’t struggle even as she covered his head and partially blocked his blurry vision.
Anadil turned, her heels just above Griffin as he attempted to understand anything that was happening.
“Sweetheart, I missed you. I thought you were going to ask for help. I didn’t think you were going to blow everything up.” The voice approached, and it clicked to Griffin exactly who this was. “And then you didn’t even get it right. She is a Sacred Cherished. That was the only way the Sacred Trinity would act. Now we’ll have to move on with the other plan.”
