“Why, that should be obvious.” He walks around the table to where I sit and turns the butt of the gun toward me. “It is up to you to make sure that I die.”
I stare at the handle of the weapon in his hands. In my mind, I take it. I aim. I fire. The Testing is ended. All of this is over. But all I can do is stare at the gun, trying to decide what new test lies behind Dr. Barnes’s words.
“I don’t understand,” I say.
“Of course you do.” He smiles. “I want to end The Testing. For that to happen, sacrifices need to be made. It seems only fitting that I am the one to make this one, since I have been a part of this process for so long. And truly this is the only way for The Testing to come to an end. The Testing has helped our country get through the darkest time in our history. People have come to trust the system and the leaders it produces. They believe in it.”
“Because they don’t understand what The Testing entails,” I insist.
“You aren’t that naive, Cia,” he chides. “They might not admit it, even to themselves, but more people than you think understand what The Testing involves. Most choose to pretend they’re ignorant of the facts because the system works. The idea of changing it scares them more than giving it their tacit approval. But you, my dear, are here to test whether the system really does function as well as we believe. In previous years, despite your grades and your performance in the fourth test, you would never have passed The Testing. Without the drug provided by Symon, you would have answered the interview questions truthfully. Your natural inclination to trust and your lack of killer instinct would have been apparent. Those qualities that have rallied friends to your side would have caused you to fail, because those characteristics are viewed as weaknesses by the selection committee. Today, you will prove that The Testing and the reasoning behind it are flawed. The president doesn’t believe students like you have what it takes to do what is required when your country demands it. By killing me, you prove that I am right in my convictions and she is wrong. Kill me, and this all comes to an end.” He places the gun in my lap, takes a step back, and folds his hands in front of him. “I am sorry, Ms. Vale, but after all that you have done,
I have to ask that you take this one last test. You now have all the facts at your disposal. What will your answer be?”
Chapter 20
I WRAP MY fingers around the gun and stand. Slowly, I extend the weapon in front of me. I walked into this building resolved to kill, but I could never have imagined that Dr. Barnes would stand quietly in front of me asking me to take his life.
He created the tests, selected the candidates, and forced them into situations in which giving the correct answer was not enough. The president has asked for his death. Killing him will mean an end to The Testing.
His eyes fill with sympathy. The expression on his face is one of understanding and acceptance. I steel myself against the doubt that swirls inside me. Dr. Barnes calls this a test. If so, it’s one I don’t completely understand and one I cannot fail. I have to shoot. For Zandri, Malachi, and all those who did not pass. For Daileen and the others who could be a part of The Testing in the future. For me.
I jump at the sound of voices raised in anger. Running footsteps. Someone is coming. Friend? Foe? It doesn’t matter. All that matters are the gun in my hand and the man waiting for my answer.
My hand trembles as I search within myself for the truth. Something crashes into the door, making it shake.
Dr. Barnes’s eyes meet mine. “Your time is almost up, Cia.”
I do not take my eyes off the man who stands before me. Is he the monster I have always believed, or someone who is now making the ultimate sacrifice as a means of righting wrongs and finding redemption? The answer shouldn’t matter. But it does.
Everything depends on this moment.
I need to fire.
I need to kill.
But I can’t. No matter how much I want to succeed, I know that Dr. Barnes was wrong to choose me. Because I can’t look into the eyes of an unarmed man and fire. No matter what answer I give to this test, I know that ultimately it will cause me to fail.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the door to my right open. Lowering my weapon, I turn and see Symon standing in the entryway with his gun raised. Behind him are two more men. Both armed. And their weapons are all pointed at me.
“Put your gun down on the table, Cia. After your surviving this long, it would be a shame for it all to end here.” Symon takes a step toward me. His shirt is torn. Blood and char streak his pants. He must have still been inside Dr. Barnes’s house when it exploded. The hand that holds the gun poised to fire at me does not tremble. Symon’s eyes are flat and cold. He will not think twice about ending my life. I know I have no choice. My fingers tremble as I set the gun on the table next to me. Nodding, he calls over his shoulder. “Guard the elevator and the stairs. The president might have sent people here, too. Once we have a plan in place, we’ll be leaving.”
The two men hurry down the hall as Symon turns his attention to Dr. Barnes. “When you missed our meeting at your house, Jedidiah, I was worried. The person who attacked me and the bomb that went off there concerned me even more. The students here on campus have been leading an unauthorized assault on the officials Professor Holt assigned to keep the campus locked down.”
That’s what the fighting I heard outside was. Ian must have convinced the rebel students to turn against Symon.
Dr. Barnes frowns. “I thought you said you had the students under control.”
“I did, but things have started to unravel. Ranetta is refusing to deploy her teams around the city. Instead, she has convinced most of them, including many in my faction, to stay in camp. I don’t think we can wait for the rebels to hit first. If they’re going to be eliminated—”
“The rebels aren’t going to be eliminated,” Dr. Barnes says.
Symon goes still. “I don’t understand.”
Dr. Barnes smiles and puts his hand in his pocket. When he pulls it out, he is holding a small gun. “The president and I have come to an understanding. Too many people know about The Testing, the rebellion, and the Redirection project.”
“The rebels—”
“Not just the rebels, my friend.” Dr. Barnes’s face is filled with sorrow as he steps toward Symon. I am forgotten while they study each other. I slowly reach for my gun as Dr. Barnes says, “The time has come for all three to come to an end. The country is better for them, but they have served their purpose. I wish you had died in the explosion I created. After Ms. Vale’s heroics, I thought it appropriate. And then I wouldn’t have to do this.”