Turning, she briskly led Dwayne, Caitlyn, Lindsey and Dr. Curran into the heart of the Constabulary. Dwayne was surprised when they arrived at his office. Petra looked up from her desk as they passed and he motioned for her to follow. She quickly fell into step. Once inside the room, Commandant Pierce motioned for him to lock it.

“Room lockdown. No transmissions in or out until I specify,” she said.

Dwayne lifted his eyebrows at the commandant.

“My office is bugged,” she answered with a shrug.

Lindsey put a finger to her lips, tugged out a pad that appeared to have been modified, and swept the room. Petra watched Lindsey thoughtfully while Caitlyn nervously took her father’s hand. Dr. Curran merely sighed and sat down heavily in a chair.

Commandant Pierce looked at Dwayne curiously, then slowly grinned as she fit the pieces together. “You’re one step ahead source, huh?” She pointed to Lindsey.

Dwayne shrugged.

Petra arched an eyebrow, looking slightly insulted.

“I am a man of many resources,” Dwayne admitted.

That mollified Petra and amused the commandant.

Lindsey climbed onto a chair and laid her pad against the wall. She swiftly tapped away on it before jumping back down.

“We’re clear now.”

“We need to find out what is going on out there,” Dwayne started.

“It can wait. We have other matters to deal with,” Commandant Pierce said, holding up a hand. “Have faith that our people can defend themselves.”

Dwayne started to protest, when Dr. Curran started to get to her feet.

“I don’t know why I’m here,” Dr. Curran said.

Commandant Pierce shoved the doctor into the chair. “Stay right here, Dr. Curran. Trust me. Be glad we made it back to the Constabulary.”

“What are you talking about?” Dwayne asked.

“We’re in the middle of a coup d’état,” Commandant Pierce answered simply.

“What?” Dwayne felt the blood rushing out of his head and he felt a little faint for a second.

“She’s not lying, Dad. I was there,” Caitlyn said somberly.

“Admiral Kirkpatrick is about to seize control of the entire city. The president was informed today that he should be prepared to resign for the greater good of the people. Admiral Kirkpatrick made it very clear to the president and the council that the SWD is not to be reckoned with. They’re going to clear the valley with what remains of our armament, then take full credit. Therefore, in a few weeks, when President Cabot announces that despite the victory over the Inferi Scourge there is still a dire food shortage and that he is declaring martial law until the crises is over, he is going to take the brunt of the blame. He will later resign and Admiral Kirkpatrick will officially take over.”

“What the hell?” Dwayne stared at the commandant incredulously.

“I was informed by Admiral Kirkpatrick that he expects my full cooperation and that of the Constabulary. I told him he has it. Of course, I was lying.” Commandant Pierce folded her arms over her breasts. “I was a fool. I should have realized what was happening. They weren’t preparing for a Section A evacuation. You have provided them with the solution to the food riots. Strip away the evacuation and what do you have left?”

Dwayne felt a cold chill whisper down his spine. “Specific plans on how to control the population, where to assign the armed forces...”

“Exactly.” Commandant Pierce shook her head in disbelief. “How could I have not seen it? All the food supplies have been compiled in one secure location that the SWD now controls. They control the food. They control the armaments of the city. They control the president. They control everything. And we were all blind fools.”

“Is this why they sent only one squad out to kill millions of Scrags? To give them time to maneuver? To build public support?” Dwayne leaned back against his desk, his jaw dropping in amazement. “Dammit, it’s so perfect!”

“What’s happening?” Petra asked softly. “I don’t understand.”

Lindsey handed Petra her pad. “Read this. It’s my summary of what has been going on outside the wall. I’ve been preparing it just in case I have to leak it to the press.”

Commandant Pierce started in surprise, then laughed. “I was about to say we’re fucked since we have no proof of what has been going on. I see I was wrong.”

“Oh, if you need proof, I have it,” Lindsey assured her.

“And I have the backups.” Dwayne grinned at Lindsey despite the sick feeling in his gut.

Caitlyn joined Petra in reviewing all that Lindsey had compiled.

“We’ve all been so expertly played. Even today. All that fuss about the Inferi Boon and the weapons. It pushed the president to order the clearing of the valley. Which is what they wanted. He played into Mr. Petersen’s hands, giving the official order that seals his doom.” Commandant Pierce hung her head. “We were fools.”

“Once the president signed off on the attack, that gave the SWD everything they needed. They can now move forward legally…until they force the President’s hand.” Dwayne rubbed his face. “He gave them the city.”

“It’s rather amazing. I should have never let them keep me out of such vital planning and kept you, Castellan, in the dark of what I knew.” Commandant Pierce paced back and forth before Dwayne’s desk. She would give her head a shake every few seconds, the look of disbelief not leaving her features.

Dr. Curran stared down at her pad, her silence disconcerting.

Dwayne lightly touched her shoulder, pulling her attention to him. “There has to be a way to sort this out, right?”

“It doesn’t matter, Castellan Reichardt. We were all pawns and it’s too late now.” She looked years older now. It was evident she had not realized the full extent of the conspiracy within the SWD, if at all.

“We can release the information Lindsey compiled,” Dwayne suggested.

“If we leak the information about how the SWD cleared the valley, the citizens of The Bastion won’t care. They’ll be thankful to the SWD for freeing them from the Inferi Scourge.” Dr. Curran slumped in her chair. “They’ve won. They have control.”

“We’ll just have Maria tell them that they—that you lied to her!” Lindsey leaned heavily on her cane, glaring at the doctor. “You totally fucked her up and didn’t even tell her what you were doing.”

“I did what I believed was right,” Dr. Curran said defensively, then deflated again. “It doesn’t matter anyway. Maria won’t be able to tell the media what happened out there.”

“If the SWD confines the veterans of the mission, won’t that be suspicious?” Petra asked.

“I have important information about that,” Caitlyn said softly. Her vivid blue eyes gazed at Dwayne sadly as she reached out and took his hand in hers. Dwayne could feel his daughter’s fingers trembling and he wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her like he had when she was a little girl. “Sometimes Secretary Mayburn forgets I’m still in the office, or maybe he just doesn’t care about security clearance. He sometimes speaks openly about confidential matters. I’ve just ignored it until today. I overhead something that really bothered me.”

Leaning toward her, Dwayne tried to give her a reassuring look. “What is it, Caitlyn?”

With a sigh, she tucked her blond hair back from her face, her wristlet catching the lamp light, flashing brightly for a moment. Obviously struggling with words, or maybe having second thoughts about confiding in the people in the office, his daughter took a moment before responding. At last she said, “The soldiers clearing the Inferi Scourge from the valley...they’re not coming back.”

Dwayne stared at her, mouth agape, trying to process her words. “What?”

Commandant Pierce lowered her eyes as Lindsey swore impressively. Petra sat down heavily in a chair, clutching Lindsey’s pad. Dr. Curran sighed sorrowfully.

“They’re not letting them back into the city, Dad. I know they’re Constabulary soldiers. They’re your people. I was afraid that you were part of that decision until I heard all of this. But I should have known better.”

“Shit,” Dwayne exhaled. “Shit.”

“It makes sense in a terrible way,” Commandant Pierce said angrily. “The SWD created its own thinking Inferi Scourge, used them to clear the valley, and will dispose of them to ensure there’s no risk of further infection. There was never any cure for Maria and the others. It’s all been a lie, hasn’t it, Dr. Curran?”

Dr. Curran shifted around in her chair so she could glare at the commandant. “I’ve been working on a cure since I successfully made Vanguard Martinez into the first viable thinking Inferi Scourge. All other scientists before me had failed, but she was perfection. I did lie to her and the others. I knew that there was a possibility that they would be destroyed, but I didn’t think it would really happen. Mr. Petersen swore that he would give me the time to develop a cure. I modified the virus. I was convinced I could discover a way to turn it off.”