5.
The glamorous couple arrived outside of the Capitol Plaza just as the last spot of sun disappeared and was replaced by the night sky. The two of them together shone with a brilliance that even these stars could not mimic.

Andrea felt a flutter in her chest. She felt nervous all of a sudden. She reached for wife's gold draped arm and held her close. She needed to feel the sense of security that only Miranda could provide. They slowly made their way up the grand marble staircase and into the Parthenon inspired new world structure.

Miranda's eyes wandered over the great columns around her. They towered over her, magnificent in their stature. The whole place sparkled white like the enamel of teeth. She couldn't help but think herself descending into the belly of a beast as they walked on toward the gathering.

She had spent the better part of her life building this place and it was all right here before her eyes. She remembered working on the plans for the Capital many years ago. She had handpicked every piece of fabric that hung on the walls and was sewn on the furniture. She remembered feeling great excitement in having a part in it, but she was surprised that seeing everything now, she felt nothing but contempt.

Their heels echoed loudly against the floors as they made their way toward the party. They could hear the low murmur of voices and they whispered that they were near. When the couple rounded the corner and the older woman scanned the room. She found many familiar faces. They were suddenly among the most powerful people the world had ever known.

Andrea could see the change in her wifes entire demeanor. Down here, she is not just Miranda Priestly. She is Royalty. She radiates like the sun, you can feel her presence like heat upon your skin. Her face was like stone, and her eyes were dark. They were so dark that the bright blue of her irises could barely be seen. Everyone that greeted her looked at her in awe. She was an Alfa even among these men.

It was a small occasion, only Council Members and their spouses were in attendance. Andrea had not realized it but she had met several council members in the past. She remembered meeting a couple of elected officials, media personalities, financiers and big business execs. She recognized nearly every member, having either met them or heard of them. Something about seeing them all in one room made everything fit together like a puzzle in her mind. Now she could see the bigger picture.

Everything she thought she knew was manipulation, deliberate misinformation, and utter propaganda. She had been just as much a part of it in the last couple of years as any other mainstream Journalist. She had no idea she was feeding this sick machine. Seeing it all now she could not rationalize to herself why she never saw it in the first place.

She saw the faces of famed news anchors, and people she always had great respect and admiration for, smiling and socializing with each other in the room. Now, knowing the evil that they were, it made her heart ache for the ignorance she once lived in. It was much more comfortable than this heaviness that now weighed on her chest. She tried to avoid all eyes in the entire room. She was sure she could not hide her anger.

These people had controlled the consciousness of the earth for a very long time. The brunette oddly found herself understanding her wife more and more every moment they stood in the presence of these men and women. They were human no doubt, but terrifying in their power.

Maybe this was inevitable. Andrea thought to herself. Even without Miranda, the council would have succeeded in their plans no less. She looked over at her wife. She admired the amazing way the woman held herself. She watched her make conversation with her fellow council members. She played her part terribly well. But at this point she didn't believe that Miranda wanted to be here anymore than she did.

A handsome older man with graying dark hair approached the two women where they stood. They were waiting for their glasses of Viognier that they had ordered moments ago from a young servant. Miranda stiffened next to her wife.

The young woman could feel the atmosphere chilling around them and thicken with a powerful energy. Andrea was not sure whose energy, but she was almost certain it was Miranda's. She almost felt like her wife was asserting it to protect the two of them from the man that approached. Andrea swore she could see the two forces battle each other in midair for dominance. She only recognized him when he was inches away; It was Daniel Sweeney, Secretary of State.

"Miranda, so good to see you've made it." He grinned as he leaned over and kissed Miranda's cheek. She flinched internally at the closeness of him.

"Mister Secretary." She said as she forced a smile that did not remotely reach her eyes.

"Andrea, you look exquisite, as always." The powerful older man said as he stared too long into her eyes. He could sense the discomfort between the three of them and it seemed to encourage him.
"How are the twins?" He asked as he took a sip of his drink. There was a darkness about him that suffocated everything around them. The only source of light was Miranda's, but it seemed so dim next to this man.
"They're fine, Mr. Secretary. They just arrived this evening."
"Quite thrilled to be here, I'm sure."
She did not reply but gave him a stiff smile. She seemed uneasy, like she wished he would go away. No one else had made her act this way since they arrived. It was disconcerting for Andrea to see her submit to this man the way she did. She wondered why, he just seemed like a pompous prick to her, but Miranda must know something about him that frightened her.

He addressed Andrea "Did you know that Miranda was briefly considered a contender for my seat?" He asked with a smugness that dripped from his features like tar.

Andrea shook her head, as much as she did not like him she had never heard a word about Miranda's political aspirations. She didn't even know she aspired to be in high office. The servant returned with their glasses of wine. Miranda held it delicately with her right hand as she listened to what the man had to say.

"Oh yes. Many here even thought that she should be the first President of the New World."

He waved his empty crystal glass in the air, signaling a nearby servant for another. The ice cubes clacked nosily in his glass before he sat it on a metal tray that passed by him. His eyes wandered over a shapely gold chest. He had no qualms about licking his lips before he looked right into Miranda's ice cold gaze.

Pig, Miranda thought to herself. She raised her eyebrow at him warningly. She hated being looked at like a piece of meat and by this man, no less.

"I'm most certain she has got the wits for it. She is one of the most brilliant women in the council's history. But I'm not so certain that she has the balls, there is a weakness in her that not too many see." He was so close to Miranda that she could smell the whiskey on his breath. He stepped back and looked at Andrea. He saw the anger boiling in her dark brown eyes like a vat of molasses, and he delighted at the sight.

"It has always been a man's job." He said finally with a wicked grin.

"Oh, that hasn't stopped her from doing much, Mr. Secretary" Andrea said slyly with a long sip of her wine. She stared back at him. She refused to back down, and looked at him until he looked away. She noticed the way he was staring at both of them and it angered her greatly.

"Daniel, it's been a pleasure." Miranda said as she guided her young wife with her hand at the small of her back, feeling the fury build in the small woman next to her.
"We'll be finding out seats now." She glanced back at him as they walked away, knowing he was watching them closely. He was the only man who dared treat Miranda this way. Her eyes bored into him, channeling all of the rage she felt into one cold glance. He felt the chill hit him. She knew because she saw him shiver. He turned around with an arrogant shake of his head.

They sat down to dinner at a long table in the middle of a basilica. The structure mirrored the construction of the ancient temple of Hera in its infancy because the marble sparkled in the artificial moonlight. Great towering columns surrounded them and a pleasant breeze whipped sheer fabric between them. It reminded Andrea of something that belonged on Mt Olympus. She imagined these people thought they were the Gods themselves.

A caramel colored blonde sat down next to them, they both recognized her immediately as Senator Grisham from New York. Her pale shoulders were freckled and bare, her bright blue dress contrasted by the white of her skin. She was a beautiful woman no doubt, but deplorable.

Andrea had dealt with her extensively in her work as a journalist, and Miranda with her work as a council member. Neither of them cared for the senator, in fact they would be hard pressed to say much good about the woman.

"Miranda, Andrea, So wonderful to see you're here." Senator Grisham said with a smile so fake that they both felt the insincerity leaking from her lips, the woman never knew how to turn off Politician mode, the insincerity was always there.

"Isn't this grand? After everything we've been through this last week, I'd say we deserve a beautiful place in which we may feel secure" She continued talking without missing a beat.

She did not catch the disgusted face Andrea couldn't help but make. Miranda was amused but equally concerned. She began to rethink bringing her here, maybe control was not in Andrea's hands, she did not know how she expected her to behave but she wasn't doing very well. The couple was only half listening but 'everything we've been through this last week' caught their attention and they both exchanged a confused look.

"Has something happened, Diana? Andrea and I have been down here for a week and haven't heard much from the surface" Miranda asked with a cool smile, she faked sincerity much better than the blonde. Her wife could see how she would have made for an excellent secretary or president, a much more convincing one than most, at least.

"You must not have heard about Mr. Alexander White. He left the council about a week ago, and has been trying to warn the public about us. That prick has killed more agents in the last week than we have ever lost in the entire history of the council. The man was part of the French legion. He is one of the best trained guerrilla fighters in the world."

"Alex? Really?" Miranda asked, shocked. He seemed committed to the council above all else. Something must have happened to him, something big. He knew more than most that they would send everyone, and they would not stop until he was dead.

"Can you believe it? He is fifty years old and the man still thinks he's Rambo!" She picks up glass of champagne and holds it in front of her as she continued.
"We know he has been training and arming citizens somewhere south-east of here, but we can't seem to find his exact location." She sips gingerly from her glass of champagne as she continued.

"He and a few others ambushed the airport and set fire to it yesterday. He killed two council members and then he just disappeared. He's hiding out in the mountains somewhere, but once the bombs drop I imagine he will not be much of a threat to the operation anymore."

She chuckles to herself. "He actually thinks he can stop us. How foolish he is to even try."

Miranda and Andrea did not know what to say. A council member had defected and he had somehow eluded their capture after burning an entire airport to the ground. He was the biggest threat to their plan that they had ever encountered. It excited Andrea and gave her some small amount of hope but it frightened Miranda.

She knew that his existence did not just put the life of the council in jeopardy but her and Andrea's lives, a man who knows the ins and outs of the council and uses his knowledge against them could easily bring harm to its entire existence. However, Miranda could not deny that there was a small spark of excitement within her at the prospect of burning this godforsaken place to the ground. The thought alone was worthy of death.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the Vice President entered the room. The entire place fell silent and they stood out of respect for their leader, Andrea did so under duress. The man was tall and handsome, his hair greying in streaks, his name was Benjamin Stork, and he was the leader of the council. He out ranked the president by years of service. He gave a small humble smile and motioned them to sit down.

"My friends" he said with open arms. "Our time has come. For over a century, our forefathers have worked tirelessly for this day. We are lucky enough to be here to live their dream. A new age is upon us, a new world upon which we may build a better one. Tomorrow all of our work will pay us very handsomely. Come morning, the world will belong to us." He says with hands high, welcoming applause.

Andrea boils with anger, unlike any emotion she had ever felt. This was rage. She feels her face flushing red and she sees crimson clouding her vision. She feels herself standing, she feels herself shaking. She could not control herself any longer, something was coming over her.

Miranda stands beside her wife. She gently grabbed her arm in a futile attempt to calm her. The white haired woman whose poker face no one could break, was wide eyed, fear apparent in her features as her eyes darted around the table. She met the curious and rather amused gazes of the council. She leaned close to her young wife's ear and whispers to her "Darling-remember what I told you. Please, don't do this."

Andrea does not look at her, her breathing is rapid, her nostrils flaring, her cheeks a furious shade of red. This was something that she had to do. To hell with the consequences, there was always a rebellious streak in her, and it ran deep.

"Is there something you would like to say, dear Andrea?" The vice president mocks from the other end of the table. A sickeningly self-satisfied look plastered on his face. It only enraged the girl even more and the words spilled from her mouth, almost as if it were someone else speaking from her mouth.

"Fuck every single one you. You are responsible for the deaths of countless, priceless human lives. The lives of whole families, people who feel happiness and pain, men, women and children. What you do tomorrow will not go unpunished, I believe that with all of my heart." Hot tears spill from her face, as she spoke these words. She knows her speech is her confession and it was all that they would need to put her to death. She did not care in that moment. She found only comfort in the idea of leaving this place, no matter how it had to be.

"One day I will see all of you hanging by your necks for everyone to witness and on that day I will dance in celebration with the rest of the world. But I will not rejoice in the death of even one Innocent. Human. Being. " She looked around the table, and into the eyes of each council member, burning them with her fury. She thought of her family and the horrible ends that they would come to, and that decision came from this very group of people. They weren't smiling anymore, not even one. Her eyes fell on to the Vice President.

"That's all I wanted to say."

A group of guards burst into the area, and they crowded around Andrea and Miranda. The older woman embraces her, wrapping her arms around her fully and squeezing her tightly. She feels she may break apart in this moment. It was the saddest moment in her entire life.

They were going to take her Andrea, they were going to take her and they were going to kill her. What she had said was far beyond what they would punish with imprisonment or slavery, especially after Mr. White and all of the trouble he had caused, they would take no chances with her. She decided in that moment that she would do whatever it took to get her back. She would get her entire family out of this fucking place, if it was the last thing she ever did.

She loosened her grip enough to press her mouth close to her ear, "My darling. My love" She crooned, unable to hold back the sobs that began to wrack her frame.
"You are so brave."
She combs her fingers through her beautiful soft brown locks and presses her forehead against Andrea's before taking her head into both of her hands.
"Everything is going to be okay".

Her young wife sniffed and wiped away her tears with a scoff. "It's over for me, Miranda." She whispered.

"It is not over." Miranda says before she pressed her lips to her young wife, kissing her with all of the passion in her heart, knowing that if she did not succeed in breaking them out of here that this would be their final embrace.
The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes. She couldn't stand the feeling, it was the worst than she could ever have imagined. She wanted to hold her forever, and she thought that she would have forever to do it.

They would not execute the woman tomorrow, not on such a glorious new world holiday, but when the festivities were over, they would execute her publicly. Her words were treason, and showed nothing but contempt and disrespect for the council. The punishment for which was death. There would be no investigation. There was not need. She had done this in front of the entire council.

The only reason Miranda had not joined her in death or even prison was because she had a twenty year history with the council and they knew her loyalty was unwavering. They would deeply underestimate her. No one has ever crossed Miranda Priestly and lived to tell about it. Her brain stormed with a thousand different thoughts, firing away inside of her like a thousand strikes of lightening. She was not sure how, But she had no other option. She would grab her daughters, and she would do it. She would leave this life for good.

Miranda felt her slender body being pulled away from her embrace and she reluctantly let go. She straightened her posture and wiped away her tears, trying to regain composure. She knew all eyes were upon her in that moment, the thought nearly drove her crazy. She watched them drag her wife away, their hands holding her roughly, treating her like a common criminal. She felt herself begin to tremble with her own frustration. Andrea was out of sight. She turned to the table and then to the V.P. They were all looking at her expectantly. What did they want her to say?

"I apologize," She said as she sat back down without another word. Tears fell down her face still, and she wiped at them quickly. Senator Grisham looked at her, mouth open and with a look of utter dismay. It was not unlike the rest of the faces surrounding her. The table sat quietly, staring at Miranda and whispering to each other until dinner was served. Soon the entire debacle was forgotten, but Miranda would never forget, and she silently contemplated a way out.