Read Vendetta Nation (Enigma Black Trilogy #2) for Free Online

backdrop; the harsh, black tile floor was traded for cherry wood flooring. Bare walls surrounded us, making the room appear even brighter. In one corner stood a filing cabinet, in another corner stood a bookshelf. On the bookshelf sat not books, but an odd collection of mechanical figurines, the likes of which reminded me of cyborgs, half human, half machine in nature.
    And in the middle of the office stood not a throne, but an archaic desk with a simple leather desk chair. In that chair sat Victor, eyeing us thoughtfully. “Not what you had in mind?” he asked, sensing my confusion.
    “You could say that,” I replied.
    Victor chuckled. “Have a seat.” He pointed to two leather chairs situated in front of the desk.
    Ian and I obediently followed his instruction. As I sat down, my eyes drifted to a small robotic figurine encased in glass on Victor’s desk. For the most part, the figure was human in nature; the head, torso, half of one arm, and the majority of both legs appeared to be made of artificial flesh and blood. The rest of its body, however, was sheer machine. Cold, lifeless steel entwined the bottom portion of the left leg from the knee cap down to the silver-plated foot. A steel shrug wrapped around each shoulder, extending out into both of the being’s arms. It was a harmless figure, really, but there was still something about it that gave me an uneasy feeling.
    “Are you a fan of the obscure, Ms. Stevens?” Victor’s voice interrupted my concentration.
    “Pardon?”
    “I see you’re admiring my little hobby.”
    Who would have thought the man has hobbies? “It’s really…something,” I answered him.
    Victor picked up the glass case and inspected it thoughtfully. “This is my favorite piece,” he said, obviously proud of the incongruous figure in his hands. “Science is truly a marvel. It can take weak mortals, and turn them into something quite indestructible. Who knows, one day we may even be able to break through the barriers of our own mortal existence to achieve immortality itself.”
    “Immortality can only be achieved at the cost of humanity.”
    “Oh?” Victor seemed curious to understand my reasoning. “Now, why do you think that?’
    “If that figure were a living being, its expression would be just as empty and as hollow. It’s like engineering took over, removing all traces of feelings or hope from its very soul. We may be able to keep our hearts beating with the use of artificial measures, the institution of spare parts to craft limbs, and with nuts and bolts to maintain our body’s structural integrity, but we’ll cease being human. A lifeless machine will have taken possession of our bodies by then, stripping us of our souls, rendering us nothing more than monsters.”
    “Monsters.” Victor let the word rest on his tongue, an amused grin forming on his face. “Well, Ms. Stevens, your thoughts may very well prove true. Perhaps it’s a good thing science hasn’t progressed that far yet.”
    “Perhaps.”
    “So,” Ian chimed in, “what is this development? Have we found The Man in Black? Is he even alive? We haven’t heard from him in a while. People are beginning to talk.”
    Victor chuckled. “I assure you he’s still alive, and still very much in hiding. What I wanted to discuss with you concerns a matter of security.” He leaned back in his chair as though he needed to make himself more comfortable to break the news to us. “As you may have heard, the country is in a state of unrest. The rebels have grown substantially in number and are threatening the very tapestry of our society. As a result, President Brooks has had to take more extreme measures. Measures that haven’t exactly been popular.”
    “Imagine that,” I muttered. Ian gently kicked my foot to stop me from saying anything further.
    “There’s going to be a televised address at Potomac Park in a couple of weeks. A monumental crowd is expected to be in attendance at the park, while the rest of