THE LULLABY KEY : THE FALL
CHAPTER 37: The Sisterhood of Zero
Zero found Lena on the roof of the Baltimore warehouse, staring at the stars.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“I’ve been hiding. Same thing, different words.”
Zero sat down next to her. She was wearing jeans and a hoodie, no makeup, her gray hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked like someone’s grandmother. That was the point.
“I owe you an explanation,” Zero said.
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“I owe you the truth. About who I am. About why I’m here. About why I’ve been helping you.”
Lena turned to look at her. “Go on.”
Zero took a deep breath. “My real name is Maya Hassan. I was the deputy director of the NSA. I had a security clearance so high that most of the people in the White House didn’t know I existed. I was responsible for global surveillance. Every phone call. Every email. Every text message. I saw everything.”
“And you quit.”
“I didn’t quit. I was fired. Because I refused to sign a warrantless surveillance order. The order came from the White House. From the President himself. He wanted me to spy on American citizens. On journalists. On political opponents. On anyone who might threaten his power.”
Lena’s blood ran cold. “And Marchetti?”
“I didn’t know about Marchetti then. Not really. I knew there was someone behind the President. Someone pulling the strings. But I didn’t have a name. I didn’t have a face. I just had… suspicions.”
“So what changed?”
“Your father. He came to me six months before he died. He showed me the vault. He told me about Marchetti. He asked me to join the Swarm. To help him expose the truth.”
“And you said yes.”
“I said yes. And then I watched him die. From a distance. Because I couldn’t get to him in time. Because I was too scared to act.” Zero’s voice cracked. “I’ve been living with that guilt for two months. Every day. Every night. Every time I close my eyes, I see his face. I hear his voice. I feel his blood on my hands.”
Lena reached out and took Zero’s hand. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. I could have saved him. I could have warned him. I could have done something. Instead, I did nothing. And he died.”
Lena squeezed her hand. “Then don’t do nothing now. Help me find Marchetti. Help me bring him down. That’s how you honor my father. Not by feeling guilty. By acting.”
Zero looked at her. Tears streamed down her face.
“You’re extraordinary, you know that?”
“I’m just tired. And angry. And determined.”
“That’s what extraordinary looks like.”
They sat on the roof, holding hands, watching the stars.
The countdown to the server strikes was down to 00:14:22:09.
Fourteen hours until seven teams moved.
Fourteen hours until the world might end.
Fourteen hours until they would know if they had succeeded or failed.
Zero stood up. “I should get back to the command center. There’s still work to do.”
“I’ll be down in a minute.”
Zero walked to the door. Then she stopped.
“Lena. Whatever happens tomorrow. Whatever happens after. I want you to know that I’m proud of you. Your father would be proud of you. And I’m grateful to have fought beside you.”
Lena nodded. “Same.”
Zero left.
Lena sat alone on the roof, staring at the stars.
Somewhere out there, August Marchetti was watching too.
But for the first time, Lena felt like she was winning.