Lyndsay Ely - Deadlock Rebels: An AFK Book

T he thing about trouble was, once you got into its company, it was tricky getting out. You could try to avoid it, you could run from it, you could even fight itwhich was, in the case of the Bonney brothers, exactly what Ashe had donebut it still had a way of finding you.

I dont even know what to say, Elizabeth. There were crumbs in Sheriff Carsons mustache. Only a few, but enough to draw her eye, distracting remnants of the mans breakfast. Am I ever gonna see the last of you?

I told you Ashe clenched her teeth, fingers worrying at her silk skirt. A few hours ago, it had been immaculate. Now it was wrinkled and stained with spots of blood. Not hers, of course. It was self-defense. They attacked me .

The sheriff sighed, loosening a few of the crumbs and sending them plunging to the screen displaying Ashes record. Thats not what those boys say.

Well, she locked eyes with him, then theyre liars as well as bullies.

But the sheriff didnt believe her. She could see it on his face, plain as the crumbs. Not that his skepticism about her innocence was unexpected.

The only surprise was how fast this day had managed to go from bad to worse.

It had started so good, too.

For once, Ashe woke with the sunrise, raring to go. Most days began with B.O.B., her familys robot butler, yanking the blankets off her five minutes before she needed to be out the door. An advanced, sentient omnic, B.O.B. had been by Ashes side for as long as she could remember, acting as both a companion and a bodyguard. And, of course, making sure she got up for school in the morning. But she didnt need B.O.B.s help today.

Because today was special. Today was graduation day. Not only did that mean shed never have to set foot in the suffocating halls of that tedious, soul-sucking academy again, it meant shed get to see the look on Headmaster Wallachs weaselly face as he handed over the diploma he never thought shed get.

The same looks she hoped to see on her parents faces as she walked across the stage.

Ashe washed, dressed, and brushed her snowy hair until it shined. Then she took the steps of Lead Rose Manor, her familys ancestral home, two at a time as she went downstairs to the formal dining room, where her parents always ate breakfast.

But when she reached it, the room was empty. No steaming cups of coffee, no holovids projecting endless financial reports and sales figures, no parents.

Only a vase of stark white roses on the mahogany table, and a card leaned up against it.

Congratulations, Elizabeth! Were so proud of you!

Despite the warm words, Ashe turned cold as she read, the color leeching out of the room until it was as hueless as the roses.

We know wed promised to be there today; however, an exciting business merger called us away at the last minute. But were very proud of you, and hope youll see this as a fresh start, a moment in which to leave behind the missteps and troubles of the past and finally embrace our family legacy.

They hadnt even taken time to sign the card.

Ashe frowned. Were very proud of you

It read like a joke. A bad one. If they were so proud, why werent they here? Why had they left her alone, again ?

Family legacy. What a joke. Across the room, the portrait of her great-great-and-more-greats-grandmother Caledonia stared blankly down at her. It was Caledonia whod created the Arbalest Arms Company, whod built the foundation for the premier, high-tech arms dealer it was today. Not Ashes parents, who preferred to rub elbows and chase deals with the executives of more powerful corporationsHelix, Vishkar, Hyde Global, and the resttrading on a reputation whose success they had little to do with.

If anything, theyd gotten lucky. Arbalest had done good business for years as the makers of expensive, highly customized luxury rifles. But then the Omnic Crisis happened, and the military turned their attention to them. Arbalests AA92 rifle became standard-issue for the army due to its higher capacity and higher muzzle velocity. With that contract, demand for their unique brand of rifles exploded. War was good for business.

Especially if it was far away.

Larger cities had been hit by the war, sure, but Bellerae, the community where they lived and where Arbalest was based, was secluded. Before the crisis, theyd never had more than a dozen omnics to speak of. It had remained mostly untouched throughout the war, during which the companys factories kept up brisk production.

But now the crisis was over, thanks to Overwatch. Demand for weapons was down; already one Arbalest factory in Bellerae had closed. Ashes parents were more interested in business deals made and executed thousands of miles away than in the community their company had kept thriving for generations. What kind of legacy was that?

Mounted below the painting was an heirloom Viper rifle, one of Arbalests early creations, and the gun that had carved the companys place in the weapons market. Over a century old, the gun still looked new and shot straight. Innovation. Quality. That was the legacy Caledonia had strived for, never letting Arbalest lag behind, hiring the best and brightest minds she could find, and always making her workers feel valuedmore like family than employees. Not that she was a pushover; it was said she made her employees call her Ms. Ashe, no matter how long theyd known her. Maybe it was meant to show respect. Or maybe shed simply disliked Caledonia as much as Ashe disliked Elizabeth, also preferring to be called by her surname.

Ashe turned as a clunking tread approached. In the doorway of the dining room stood B.O.B., a tray balanced delicately between his massive metal hands. On it was her favorite breakfastwaffles dripping with syrup and a big side of bacon, extra, extra crispy.

A sour taste rose in her throat. Do I look hungry right now? she snapped.

The omnic simply blinked at her and placed the tray on the table. Immediately, Ashe felt a pang of guilt. B.O.B. hadnt done anything wrong. In fact, hed been the only dependable part of her life. Except, of course, during the war, when hed disappeared. Like all omnics, he disappeared during the Omnic Crisis. Years passed, during which Ashe thought shed never see the butler again. It had surprised her how much she missed the omnic when he was gone. Then, after the war had ended, he returned to Lead Rose, newly sentient and different in ways Ashe never entirely understood. But he was still the companion she remembered. And hed stuck by her side ever since.

Unlike her parents.

They couldve at least said good-bye. Her voice caught on the last word, and she tensed, as irritated with herself as she was with them. This wasnt the first time her parents had left her alone with hardly a word, and it probably wouldnt be the last. As far back as she could remember, there was only the sprawling, echoing solitude of the estateespecially during the years of B.O.B.s absenceor else the tense veil of her parents disapproval for whatever mess shed gotten into lately.

She twisted the card in her hands. So why was she so steamed?

Because today was supposed to be different. Her graduation had actually seemed to mean something to them. Maybe theyd only wanted to show, in public, that their daughter was more than a troublemaker. More than the girl whod gotten caught trying to convince the academys resident hacker to change all her grades to As, or caused the school to close for decontamination after showing off with her slingshot in the science lab. Or maybe, as Ashe had hoped, it was a reason for them to finally believe she was capable of doing something right. Shed sworn to graduate. And theyd promised to be there.