This is a story I wrote for my Creative Writing class. My teacher had us write on theme of a Dystopia, where it seemed like the world was perfect, but it was really just an illusion. The requirements of this assignment were 3 pages minimum. I went to 7 pages and decided I needed to cut off the story there. Here, however, I am finishing the rest of what I have to write. I don't quite have a page count, but I think it is somewhere around 20. I was telling someone my plans for this this story, and they said, "Oh. Luke! That is far more gruesome than mine! My character only commits suicide in the end." Yes, be very afraid.
Under Fresh Supervision
I am number 1925414525. But, my friends call me 19-5. Sometimes, when we are alone, we call each other real names. I am sometimes called Sydney.
Since the formation of our great country, we have all prospered. There are no wars or fights, no hunger or thirst, and no need for any change. The Officials know what is best for us and we should not argue. Officials never make mistakes and always regard each problem with intense thinking. Everyone is equal. The world is perfect.
At least, that is what they have us say. It is a memorized speech that each day, we are required to repeat it to our “families.” Families have become containment units, more or less. At least one person is an Official or has absolute loyalty to the State. It’s not as bad as you would think, though. We still talk about our lives rather freely, play games, and have fun. The speech doesn’t even have to be perfect. In most families, you can even abbreviate it and make it shorter, if your Watcher is lenient, like mine.
It was a normal day in our neighborhood. We had a B-B-Q the other night and had woken up thoroughly happy. The children, including me, were sent off to school on the school bus, and the parents went off to their work. Luckily for us, school and work ended early so the families could listen to the Official’s speech. Everyone, well, almost everyone, was excited, for the newest Official was giving his speech. All the girls found him to be really attractive, and the guys were captivated by his wit and charm. All-in-all, he was the newest movie star.
During school, in fact, in the middle of History, a school-wide announcement was made. The Official 41225 was giving his speech in our town and everyone was invited to watch free of charge. In the hallways, when it is devoid of life except for a few fans of Official 41225, a name, “Dave,” is whispered. They do this secretly.
As promised, school ended early, even earlier than expected. I asked permission from my parents and my Watcher so see if I could be with my friends during the speech, and was given an okay. We sat in the furthest row on the highest balcony and broke out our opera glasses. Up in the highest and furthest away seats, we were alone, but still able to see “Dave’s” face.
The speech started with the national anthem, and everyone stood, saluted, and gave their full attention to the flag. After the thunderous applause subsided, the speech began. I believe that my friends and I were the only people in the entire crowd that would not take what Official 41225 said as fact. We remained skeptical at what he said.
The reason Official 41225 is so efficient is speaking is, like every Official and unlike the rest of the population, he does not have his voice altered and does not have to wear a mask or costume. This sets them apart from the crowd, a sea of white, green, blue, and brown identical masks, identical black clothing, and identical voices. The crowd was a mob of equity that surged as Official 41225 spoke. He roused their spirits and called them to action. He pointed out the surprising lack of discipline here and announced that he was the new appointed leader over this area. He said he will be reassigning families, appointing new Watchers, and replacing teachers. He then simply stated we were falling behind. The rest of the world was ahead, already in a better future. At each point, the crowd would cheer, clap, and salute.
Official 41225 cried out, “I am here for a better today. I am here for a better tomorrow. I am here to bring us into the new world!” The crowd had reached a new level of excitement never experienced in these parts. The rest of the world deems us as a lazy bunch.
“We shall adhere strictly-” here he emphasized strictly by rolling the R around in his mouth for a few moments. I was impressed. He continued, “to the laws of the land! We shall be a greater people! We shall rise out of this slump to a brand new high! We shall become a shining example for the other cities!” The crowd became frenzied in their zeal, and it continued to rise. Official 41225 calmed them down with a flick of his hand.
“I know that everyone here is at some sort of fault. However, I am telling you today that through the grace of our Supreme Leader, Official 1, all is forgiven! We start as a new people, pure and clean. I am offering each and every one of you a chance to volunteer to serve our State. I have jobs for everyone to do! I have need of your power, you determination, your might. We must all bond together to assure that the perfectness of the State will remain!” The crowd, once again, cheered. I saw my friends begin to join in the uproar. I looked at the only one besides me who didn’t cheer. We nodded and then stood up and began cheering.
This new Official was a different breed from the rest. He was strong, determined, powerful, and strict. My friend and I both knew that we must conform, or a punishment would ensue. And, by the looks of the Official’s speech, it would be severe.
Days passed and my friend and I watched helplessly as the new rules and changes were placed. The colored masks all became white. The speech had to be memorized to perfection or there would be consequences. Families were no longer a place for fun, a place for happiness, a place for love. They were merely another way for the State to watch you. Our friends became Watchers. We watched them watch others and turn them in for the slightest infraction. Anyone taken into the Administration building in the center of town was never the same again. I watched as my younger sister, Emily, was taken into the building and, one week later, brought back to us. Before this incident, she was a fun spirit, one that wasn’t afraid to bend the rules a bit to have fun. She had even removed her mask once. She was gorgeous, but she before she could put the mask back on, our Watcher took her away. Now, she is as hollow as she was gorgeous.
My friend and I were able to avoid being taken into the Adminitration building, and we managed to still be ourselves in spite of recent events. We even snuck away in the middle of the night so we could discuss a very serious matter. We met behind the stadium where Official 41225 gave daily speeches, rousing the people to an even greater norm. We had listened to his speech the other day when he mentioned something very grave. Official 41225 had decided that the city would be expanded and the forests nearby destroyed. His reasons followed that we needed more places for people to live, but we believed that he needed a larger "reeducation center." That, however, wasn’t the worst of it. He said that a new law was instituted that gave him the power to kill anyone who is disobeying the rules in any way on sight. It would begin tomorrow. He said that the division created to help enforce this rule would be called Safeguarders. I thought people would take this with less enthusiasm, but the crowd cheered it on, even more than some of the other planned projects. We met that night behind the stadium to discuss our escape.
My friend, whose lettered name is Jacob, and I talked about our escape.
“We have to leave. If we stay, we will be forced to conform like the others,” I said in the masked voice.
Jacob said, “I don’t know Sydney. It might be too dangerous. You know what happens to people who are caught trying to escape. Reeducation. Taken away to some other place and who- knows-what is done to them. We can’t risk it. You should know that I want to get away as much as you do.”
“Jacob,” I said, “We can’t stay either. They will find out about us being different. We can’t hide forever. We need to escape.”
"Sydney... all right. If we are going to do this, we need to know each other’s faces. Let me see yours.” Jacob reached over and hesitantly pulled off my mask. He stared into my eyes for several moments before he removed his. I looked into that pale face with shrunken eyes, shrouded by these accursed masks. I was sure it would be a remarkable face it was able to develop instead of being hidden in the mask. I pulled my mask on and urged him to do the same. It was dangerous taking off our masks, even if we were alone.
“Jacob, we have to do this soon,” I said urgently. “We need to have this planned out. We’ll need supplies, we need gear. And, most of all, we need a place to go.” Jacob remained silent.
Then, he said, “We have to meet tomorrow. It will be more dangerous with the Safeguarders around us, but I’m confident we can do it. I’ll see you around town.” With that, Jacob quickly exited the vicinity. I looked after him and then, after a short wait, I ran off too, back to my house.
The next day, we all saw the Safeguarders come in via helicopter and plane. I watched in dread as hundreds of them poured out into the stadium. Official 41225 smiled happily as the Safeguarders surrounded the Stadium.
He said, “Welcome, Safeguarders. We all welcome you here. I hope we can all follow the rules and live in the safety of the State. Now, if you . . .”
He was cut off by the abrupt voice of the Head Safeguarder, saying, “Sir, we need to speak to you in private. If you would step this way.” The Safeguarders lead off a very worried-looking Official 41225.
A Safeguarder stepped up to the microphone and said, “You are all dismissed. Go to your home; work and school are cancelled for the day.” The crowd let up a murmur, but swiftly obeyed the intimidating Safeguarders. The stadium was emptied in almost no time and the Safeguarders walked out behind the crowd, now guarding the streets. It would seem that we needed to be guarded, but the question was from what?
By the end of the day, my “family” was rearranged. I was now in the possession of a strict Watcher who, when we made even the slightest deviation in the rules, would regularly report me. My new “family” was as uneventful as they were strict. They made sure I was no more than them. That night, I snuck out and went to the place underneath the stadium. I was forced to go slowly because of all the Safeguarders patrolling the streets. When I arrived, Jacob was already there. He looked at me as I approached him.
“We need to gather supplies if we want to live. And we need to do it soon. The Safeguarders are constantly following me and my new Watcher is a witch,” Jacob said hotly.
“I know. Look, I brought some of my rations so we can store them somewhere where we can get them fast. Do you have anything?” I asked.
“Yes, I already have a spot picked out. I brought some sheets and pillows and backpacks, along with some food. We need to leave soon,” Jacob replied. He took me to where the supplies were, and I added mine to the pile. He hid it, and bid me adieu.
The next morning, an assembly was called. The crowd gathered anxiously and quickly.
The Head Safeguarder stepped up to the podium and said, “You are all placed under arrest. Last night, a Safeguarder found a pile of supplies, obviously placed with the intention on escape. Until we find who the culprit was, you will all be confined within your neighborhoods and under the constant supervision of at least five Safeguarders, who will be armed and under orders to kill. You all may now return to your homes. Move quickly now.” The crowd stood for a few seconds, stunned, before a Safeguarder fired a shot into the crowd, instantly killing one masked person. The crowd exited with the force of a hurricane. The body was left on the ground as people were more worried for their own lives than for the dead.
While the above events were happened, Jacob and I exchanged terrified looks but dared not to speak. We knew that escape was impossible now. We quickly hurried to our homes. Luckily, we lived in the same neighborhood and were able to converse together without much suspicion.
I whispered, “What can we do? They know about the supplies. They might even have suspicions about us! We need to escape now!”
“I don’t know Sydney, “Jacob replied. “It might be too dangerous now. Though I wholeheartedly agree with you, I don’t want to risk dying or worse, being taken to the Administration building for reeducation.”
“I know, I know. We need to get out. It won’t be long before they can trace the supplies back to us. Here, I have a plan.” I quickly laid out the details of my plan. Jacob looked at me with his blank mask and said, “Okay.”
I walked over to one of the Safeguarders. When I came too near, he said, “Come any closer citizen, and I will exterminate you with no remorse.”
I looked surprise and said, “But I need help! My Watcher’s clothing is stuck in the doorway, and I can’t get it loose. Can you help me?
The Safeguarder looked around and then said, “Fine. Just don’t tell anyone.” We walked with me over to my house. Once near enough that we were out of sight, I picked up a rock and bashed his head open. I then grabbed his gun and hid it. I walked casually over to where I could see Jacob’s house. He was standing in the front, looking at me. He nodded his head in the affirmative. Then, he and I took out the guns, aimed at the two of the remaining three Safeguarders and fired, killing them instantly. The third was able to get his gun out before as we fired at him immediately. His finger pulled on the trigger and as he fell, it released a spray of bullets. We ran back into our respective houses, where we gathered supplies.
After we had our supplies, we ran out, pointing our guns at anyone who came too near. We ran out of the neighborhood and to the fence nearby, shooting at any Safeguarder we saw. We reached the fence and quickly and cut a hole in the side. As we rushed though, we saw a squad of Safeguarders running towards us, stopping, and then opened fire. Luckily, we were through before a bullet could hit us. We ran again, through the dense thicket of trees. We were scratched and our clothes torn, but we pressed onward. The guns kept getting caught and made it awkward to run, so Jacob and I both dropped them. Soon, Jacob ripped off his mask, revealing his pale white face. I was about to tell him to put it back on when I realized that we were free and took off my mask too. He smiled at me and I smiled back.
Soon, we were out of the thicket and on to a grassy hill. We ran about halfway up and looked back. We saw no pursuers, so we stopped to catch our breath.
“Ha! We are free!” yelled Jacob. I shouted too, enjoying the freedom. I looked at the beautiful scene unfolded before me. I saw birds, rabbits, butterflies, and a deer. Then, the animals disappeared.
Suddenly, a helicopter appeared above us and a voice said, “Stop. You are hereby ordered to return to the Administration building for reeducation. If you do not comply, we will capture you, be it dead or alive.”
Jacob looked at me and then shouted, “I’d rather die!” We both ran up the hill further. Suddenly, from behind us, several squads of Safeguarders appeared out of the thicket, armed with guns. They aimed and fired. We continued to run zigzagging to avoid the bullets. I felt one hit my hand and cried in pain, but continued running as I cradled the injured hand. The Safeguarders continued their barrage until we were safely atop the hill and hiding behind trees.
Jacob and I, however, continued running until the sun began to fall from its apex. We stopped by a stream that diverged in into three separate paths; we began to drink the clear water. After we had had our fill, we walked further into the woods, as stealthily and as quickly as possible. We continued in this way for what must have been hours before night started to fall.
We found a clearing, gathered firewood, and started the first fire we had ever made. Quickly, we built it to a suitable size, and then relaxed. We started to discuss what we should do and whether or not the Safeguarders were still looking for us.
Then, from behind us, we heard a hissing noise and then a voice whispering, "You idiots! Do you want to be found? Put out that fire, quick." We quickly realized our mistake and started to stomp out the smoldering fire. It went out quickly, blinding us with darkness and chilling out skin.
"Come over here if you value your lives. They will find you if you stay here." Jacob and I looked at each other and realized the voice was right. We had no reason to trust him, but there was really no choice. We moved into the direction of the voice. Suddenly, we were knocked on the ground, gagged, and bound. Our muffled voices were quickly silenced by a whack to our gut. The assailants then had us stand us and walked us around. We could see nothing, but luckily, we did not trip.
Gradually, we began to descend. At first, the ground was a slight slope. but it began to become steeper. I suddenly had the ground come at me and pound my face. I realized I had been pushed down. As I quickly stumbled to get up, a light was shone in my face, stunning me momentarily.
A woman's voice said, "Stop it, stop it. Let me see her. Hmm. Her hand is injured. Get me my bag and stop treating her so roughly. Unbind her hands, but keep a close watch on her." I was grateful for the reprieve of the burn of the ropes. I rubbed my wrist with my uninjured hand.
The moon was shining slightly in the sky, casting a dull, pale light that confused my sense more than it helped. A bandage was hastily put around my hand. I, or at least I think it was just me, was taken even further down what appeared to be a road. I saw shadows of large buildings coming up in front of me. I was taken into the camp and was told to sit down. I sat and waited.
I felt another body sit down next to me, and in the ghostly light, I could just barely make out the face of Jacob. He gave me a quizzical look and I shrugged. We were given two dirty blankets and told to sleep. The guard also said he would shoot us if we tried to run. Jacob laid down immediately and fell asleep. I had a harder time falling asleep. I decided to sit and look around. The moon had reached its full height for the night and it seemed much brighter. I was able to make out the figures of at least four guards. We sat in an open clearing, far enough from the buildings that we couldn't hide in them before being shot. I made an inaudible sigh through the gag and laid down. I slipped off to a dreamland full of dark figures, winding roads, and guns firing everywhere.
We awoke to a rising sun, and the guards had us stand and go into a grass hut. We moved inside and sat down once again. This time, however, we had a woman in there along with the guards. She was armed only with a bag and she gave us critical looks as if judging if we were worthy. We sat in the hut as the sun rose further and further in the sky. When it was light enough inside the hut to make out features, the woman opened her bag and pulled out some bandages. She moved towards me, took my hand, removed to old bandage, and started to wrap it again.
When she finished, she said, "Okay, it is light enough that we can talk. The forest is awake and will stop anyone from hearing. Guards, remove their gags. Now, what are your names?" Jacob and I looked at each other, wondering if we should tell her our number names or our lettered names.
Jacob said, "I am Jacob and she is Sydney." The woman looked pleased that we used lettered names.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
I answered, "We are from Sector 1513571, or as we like to call it, Sector Omega. The Safeguarders came and took over it from Dave - I mean, Official 41225. We were planning to escape when they discovered our supplies. We took some drastic actions, killed a few Safeguarders, and then wound up here. Do you need any more information?"
The woman replied, "No."
"Then may I ask some questions?"
"Yes, you may, but I can't answer them all truthfully. Ask away."
I smiled slighty. "Who are you, where are we, and why are we here?"
"Very good questions," the woman said. "I can answer them almost completely truthfully. I am Doctor Juliet Reese, but you may call me Doc. I am part of the resistance. I see by the confused look on your face that you didn't think there was a resistance. Yes, the State is very good at covering information. See, we were planing to liberate your sector, but one of the State's spies told them of our plans. That is why they sent Dave and the Safeguarders. The resistance only liberates the sectors ready to be free, those that are lax in their security and not as loyal to the State. They sent Dave to fix you and the Safeguarders to protect you. But you see, that was going according to our plans too. Dave is one of our agents working for the State. Well, he was one. We have no clue as to where he is."
"Dave was going to make sure it was apparent that there was no need for the Safeguarders and that they could leave, which I am sure they would. We have several other rebellions happening as we speak that I'm sure the Safeguarders would have been more than happy to go and try to quell. However, the State had more spies than we expected and it was able to find out Dave's true intentions. The Safeguarders took him aside and either killed him immediately or are torturing him for information as we speak."
"You are in one of the resistance's camps. This one just happens to be one of the larger ones. Because of its size, we are able to have women and children here. Actually, most of it is underground. The huts, like the one we are in, are disguised so they look like trees from above. I can't divulge any more information about how we work yet."
"You are here because you were out in the forest. We cannot trust anyone. We are holding you here because we need to be sure you are not spies for the State."
I asked, "But how will you find out if we are spies or not?"
"Good question." Juliet said. "We have some technology that will help us with that. There is a device we took from the State that allows us to see if you are lying or not. So, we ask you questions that you must answer. Based on how truthful you are and your answers to the question, we will see if you are spies or not. Shall we begin?" As Juliet asked the last question, the guards brought in a table, two chairs, and a device of some sort. Juliet had me go first. She sat me on the chair, attached some wires to me, and turned the machine on, which emitted a low hum.
"Are you really from Sector Omega?" she asked.
"Yes, I am." I replied. I looked nervously at the machine, but it did not react.
"Are you a spy for the State?"
"No, I am not a spy." The machine remained still.
"Do you like the State?" Juliet questioned.
"No, I hate it!" The machine appeared dead. I started to wonder if it was broken.
"Did you enjoy your life in Sector Omega?" I stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about my life.
"Yes, I did enjoy it," I replied.
"Then why did you leave?"
"I left because I wanted to be free. It was a good life, but I didn't want to live in bondage, especially since the Safeguarders came."
"Good answers. One last question." She leaned really close to me before whispering, "Are you in love with Jacob?" My eyes widened and I realized I didn't know.
I looked down and whispered, "No." The machine reacted and started making lines on a paper. I looked at it in surprise.
Juliet laughed and said, "I think you're lying!" She unhooked me and had me stand in a corner as she questioned Jacob. The questions paralleled the questions she asked me. Then, she leaned in and asked him a question that I could not hear. He looked around and then replied in a voice I could not hear. The machine remained still. She smiled and winked at me. I pleaded silently with her, but she smiled just shook her head. I gave her an exasperated look. She laughed.
After the test was finished, she had us trade out our old clothes for new clothes and changed the bandage on my hand. She explained that the State may have put tracking devices on our clothes or microphones or something of that sort, so they needed to be examined in a safe location and then burned. This resistance group really hated the State with all their hearts.
Then, we were taken into one of the huts and down a manhole. After a short climb down a ladder, Jacob and I saw a large and long hallway with many doors and people walking everywhere. As we walked down the hallway, we received mixed greetings. Most were slightly suspicious and not afraid to let us know. Others welcomed us heartily. The Doc explained that most of those were previously part of the State, but were dissenters. However, one of the people we met in the long walk to the end of the hallway stopped us.
"Look!" he cried." The State has sent more spies to kill us in our sleep! Look at them! The strangers only want to harm us! Reject them. Reject them!" He continued his rant as he walked the other way, pointed furiously at us.
"Oh, don't worry about him. Ever since his family was assassinated by the State in the middle of this very base, he has hated any new strangers. He's harmless and hardly anyone listens to him any more. Let's keep walking," Juliet said.
"Then why don't you make him be quiet if no one cares?" Jacob asked. Juliet looked at him like that was the worst thing he could have said. All she got in return was a confused look.
"Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting you just came from the State. See, Jacob, if we did that, we would be like the State. We believe in the freedom of speech here, which means you can say almost anything to whomever you please. However, that means people can also say what they want to you too. Don't worry, you'll understand the rules, or as you might view them, the lack of, soon enough." Juliet turned away and walked on. Jacob shrugged at me and I returned the gesture. Both of us ran to catch up with Juliet.
"Here we are," Juliet said as we reached the end of the hallway. She showed us into a room surrounded by guards.
"Don't worry, they are just in case something bad happens. Now, the leader of this base wants to see you in person. He wants to welcome you and tell you about the rules here. This place is very different from where you lived, although some things are the same. Our leader, or as some like to call him, the Mayor, will help you adjust and become comfortable with this place. Right this way, please." Juliet ushered us into another room with three chairs, one of which was behind a desk.
"Ah," said a voice from behind the chair." You are the two escapees from the Omega sector, where Dave was." The chair turned around and a man stared at us. "I see you have been injured, Miss-?"
"Sydney. Just Sydney," I answered. "And this is Jacob. Juliet bandaged me. After the Safeguarders came and took over, we knew that we would be caught and placed in reeducation. We decided to run. We were almost caught and would have been if not for your people. For that, we are grateful."
The leader sat staring at us. He turned to Jacob and asked, "And how about you? What do you have to say?"
Jacob looked into the leader's eyes and said, "What's your name?"
The leader laughed and said, "I am known as Frank. The people here call me Leader Frank, or Mayor Frank, though I am really neither. More like, General Frank."
"So why did you choose to save us? Why let us in here? Why do you seem to trust us?" Jacob asked.
Mayor Frank suddenly became very serious. "You are wrong. We do not trust you at all, yet we are forced to trust you. In our eyes, you are spies and you are refugees. You are assassins and you are victims. You are the State and you are the Resistance. We saved you because we thought you might just be some kids who escaped from the State, or you are spies, and therefore of use to us. You can see why I am in a predicament here. I need to find out if I can trust you or if you are spies to begin interrogating you. I have a few ideas on how to achieve it, but I want to see if you can come up with some better ones."
Jacob leaned over and whispered in my ear, "What do you think?"
I whispered back, "I think we should find out what his ideas are first." Jacob nodded at me and then turned to Mayor Frank.
"What are you ideas, exactly?"
"Well, my first thought was interrogating you. That includes torture and persuasion. I realized that if you weren't spies, then you would have reason to become spies. So, I thought that I could detain you and wait for you to crack, but that idea seemed just as bad. People have advised me to send you away and let you fend for yourself. Others wanted me to fully integrate you into our society. All of these ideas aren't very ideal, but that doesn't mean I won't use them."
Jacob looked at me and shrugged. I looked past him at the wall. On it, it had plaques with several people who received honorable mention and why. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.
"What if you send us on a mission? Nothing too important, but something that can prove we are trustworthy."
Mayor Frank looked thoughtfully at me for a few moments. "Yes, that could work. You're a bright one, you are." He called for his assistant, who in turn called for an escort, which included Juliet. She claimed she needed to "keep an eye on her patient."
The escort delivered us to our room, which was in between the Mayor's office and the entrance. Juliet claimed she needed to do some check-ups on my hand. The escort left one guard there while Juliet unwrapped my hand.
"Jacob, Sydney, I'd like you to meet Gabe, a friend of mine." The guard did a quick wave towards us. "Don't worry, he isn't all that bad. What did Mayor Frank want with you?" Juliet asked whilst she worked.
"Well," I began, "first he asked for our names. Then, he said he needed to know if he could trust us. He asked us for our ideas."
Jacob continued, "And then, Sydney here came up with a brilliant idea. She suggested that we should go on a mission to prove we are trustworthy."
"What did he look like?" Juliet questioned.
"Well, he looked about 50 and he had half-black, half-gray hair. He was short from what I could tell," I said. I let out a small cry of pain and Juliet apologized.
"He also didn't seem very confident about what he was doing. It was almost like it was rehearsed," Jacob said.
"Yes, yes, I thought so. Well, it looks like your hand is healing very well. Let me apply some more antibiotics and rewrap it." Juliet was mostly silent except for the occasional "Please don't move" or "This might hurt."
As she was leaving, she said, "You both will need plenty of rest for tomorrow. I think I know what the mission will be. Gabe will be right outside your door if you need something. Goodnight!" We rehearsed our rounds of "goodnight" and watched as Juliet and Gabe walked outside.
"She's right, you know, "Jacob said. "We need our rest. Who knows what the mission will involve?"
I giggled and said, "Juliet, apparently." Jacob laughed as he climbed into his bed. I turned around and climbed into my bed on the other side of the room. We yelled at Gabe and asked him how to turn off the lights. He entered, indicated a switch with much flourish, and then turned it off for us. As the door closed, the room became black.
A shot fired outside our room woke us up. Since this was a close-quartered, civilian area, the gunshot was out of place. We ran out of bed and opened the door. Gabe was laying on the ground with a bullet wound to his side. We looked around for the assailant and saw the man from yesterday, the one who wanted to kill us. He was holding the gun that shot Gabe. He looked at us and aimed the gun. Luckily, he was a terrible shot and he missed with the first shot. We ducked and dashed back into our room as he fired the second shot, which hit my injured hand.
I screamed in pain and my vision started to blacken. I heard more gunshots as I collapsed into a bloody heap.
When I woke, I was in a bed in a sterile room. I moved my head to my left and saw the man who shot us, his head and his waist bandaged. I screamed as the pain came back. The scream, though, was caused more by the man. Juliet rushed into the room, pulled a curtain between us, and administered pain medicine. Slowly, the pain dulled down to a bearable level.
I asked, weakly, "Why is he still alive?" She looked at me and sighed.
"We saved his life because he is a citizen. He will be tried according to our laws." She sighed again. "We never thought he held feelings strong enough to kill. It's a sad day."
I suddenly remembered our guard. If he hadn't been there, the man might have shot us in our sleep. "How is Gabe?"
"Look for yourself." She indicated to my right. I looked over there and saw Gabe, sitting in his bed with his waist bandaged. He smiled at me.
I looked at Juliet with a puzzled look on my face and asked, "Why doesn't Gabe talk?"
She looked at me and said, "He does, but not with words. He is a mute, meaning he can't speak. We don't know why, though, as his vocal chords seem to be in order. He has learned a bit of sign language, but he prefers to write down what he wants to say." I nodded in understanding and looked at Gabe.
Juliet told me that my hand was further injured. It was possible that it would be permanently crippled and unusable. She said she would do everything in her power to make it usable again. I looked around and suddenly felt very tired. Me eyes fell shut and I drifted to sleep.
I awoke to see Gabe out of bed, talking to Juliet. Even though he was standing, he still looked weak and winced whenever he moved too much.
Juliet looked my way and said, "Oh, Sydney! You're awake! Good. Gabe is able to move around now, as you can see. Jacob has been dying to see you. Would you mind?" Gabe slipped her a piece of paper, which she quickly read. When, she had finished, she smiled and said, "Oh, and Gabe wants you to know that he proposed to me the other day, after you had fallen asleep and our wedding is in three days, if events permit. Mayor Frank wants you to know that your mission is in two days, so you had better get better."
Juliet turned around and opened the door. Jacob walked in and looked at me. I smiled at him and he returned the smile and rushed over to me.
"Sydney!" He exclaimed. "I was worried about you. Juliet told me minimal details. How is your hand? Is it getting better?" I looked over at Juliet and she gave me a worried look.
"The bullet hit the same hand that was injured by the Safeguarders. It is possible that my hand won't be able to heal and will be crippled. It is possible, though, that it will get better and heal itself."
Juliet expounded, "So far, the results remain inconclusive. We don't know if it is getting better or worse. Hopefully, within twenty-four hours, we will be able to know if it will heal or not. I'm sorry, but that is all we know." Juliet turned around and ushered Gabe out of the room.
Jacob sat there and took in the news. I was enjoying his company and remained silent. We both sat there for several minutes, just enjoying silent companionship.
"You had better get your rest. Besides, Mayor Frank gave me some duties I need to take care of. See you tomorrow!" Jacob exited the room, leaving me all by myself. Neither Juliet nor Gabe entered back into the room, so I was left to myself. Well, almost myself.
I looked to the left and moved the curtain slightly. The man who tried to kill us was still lying in the bed, unconscious. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he tried to lunge at me. I screamed, but he was injured enough that he could barely even turn over. He glared at me in hatred as Juliet rushed into the room. She closed then curtain and went over to the other side. She called for help and Gabe and a few others came in. I heard some struggling and then silence. Juliet appeared at my side and said that the man had bitten into a cyanide capsule he had in his mouth. He was dead.
Within minutes, the body was wrapped up and wheeled away, presumably to be buried. I was still in shock at what happened. The room was isolated for half the day and no one was allowed in or out. It was about the time I started to feel hungry when Juliet entered back into the room. She brought in some delicious-looking food and set it down next to my bed. She then sat down on a nearby chair and held her head in her hands. I let her sit there until she looked up and began to explain what happened.
"The man was not who he said he was. He had been here so long, I guess anyone who really remembered what happened has either passed on or moved to a safer area. When we investigated his room, it was full of files with information, mostly about us. We saw several files marked with the State's insignia. He was a spy for the State." She stopped and collected her thoughts before continuing.
"The story we all knew was a lie. It wasn't State assassins that killed his family. It was civilians. The Resistance used the assassin lie to keep people from the truth. Please understand, this was early in the days of the Resistance, and it was more like the State than it is now. The man, Luke, was an escaped refugee. The people didn't trust him and after a mishap completely unrelated to him that killed five people, his family was killed by some of the men in a drunken rage. It was covered up to encourage more refugees to come instead of frightening them away. The men involved in the murder were charged with other crimes, whether made up or real, and were punished accordingly, but Luke wanted public justice.
"He assumed the facade of a man insane with grief to cover up what he really was - a spy. He contacted the State and agreed to spy on this base for them. The reason he distrusted any escapee who came here was because they could know about him. They could reveal his secret. However, he's never taken this drastic of action before. Maybe he though you looked like spies or maybe he just lost it. I guess we'll never know for sure." Juliet stared at the ground in between her feet.
"What has he told the State about this base?" I asked.
"He kept a very extensive file about what he sent to the State. For one, he was the spy who told about Dave. I think the only thing he withheld from the State was the location of this base. I guess even he wasn't loyal enough to the State to tell them." She sighed. "Luke's death has caused a lot of suspicion to be aroused. Some are even wondering if you two are responsible. Frank has ordered a base-wide search to find if he placed any bugs. Luckily, you two won't be imprisoned. Your mission is still going to go as planned."
I took the news with a little excitement, but I was still sad about Luke's death. Jacob came in and held me in his arms despite me saying I was okay. Still, I needed some stability with the recent turn of events. After a while, Juliet shooed Jacob away and said I needed to rest. She reminded me that Gabe was at the door if I needed anything and turned off the lights. I drifted into a dreamland filled with unsettling images.
The next day was uneventful as most of the attention was towards taking care of Luke's body and uncovering any secrets Luke still had. Fortunately, they found no bugs. Juliet was still worried about us, and had at least two guards around us at all times. Juliet said my hand was doing better and that she was going to be able to let me go on my mission. Jacob came in and told me that Mayor Frank had been having him run messages between him and the men and other small duties. I smiled and told him that it was good he was being kept busy instead of worrying over me all day long.
Juliet came in early the next morning to make sure I was completely ready. She said it was a strenuous job and it would likely take us a few days. She gave me a small bag full of medical supplies and told me how to care for my hand. She led me and Jacob to the Mayor's office where we received a small letter and our instructions.
We were to go to a small island in a swamp and place the letter in a metal box. It was about a half-days journey there, but the swamp may make it take longer. Once we came back, it was to be decided whether we were spies or fugitives. Instead of giving us a map, they gave us a teenager, probably around 16. Mayor Frank told us that the teen had the pathway memorized, and if we were caught, then the State wouldn't be able to track us back to the base nor could we divulge any information if we were spies.
After giving us packs with the supplies we would need and requesting that we repeat our mission, they showed us the way out of the base. Juliet was with the guard, fretting over us like a frantic mother. I suddenly realized that she was like my mother, well, Jacob and mine's. The mother we never had.
We were soon topsoil again, in the small clearing where the huts were. Juliet hugged Jacob first, whispered a few private words to him, and came to hug me. I embraced her before she had the chance to hug me. I whispered in her ear, "Thank you."
She smiled. "Now, you keep safe. Don't do anything stupid. Make sure you care for your hand." She leaned in close and then whispered, "And good luck with Jacob." She gave me a quick wink and then walked over to one of the huts. She pulled out a red-headed teenager, the one who was supposed to accompany us.
She leaned in close to the teen to whisper something to him. All I could hear was, "Are you sure... can't lose... could be tracked." The teen smiled and whispered back, "Of course... your concern... be safe." She patted him on the back and then introduced him to us.
"This is illustrious ne'er-do-well and your map, Owen. He knows the path inside-out and is also a survivalist extraordinaire. If I could take anyone on a mission such as yours, I'd beg for it to Owen."
"Stop it. You're making me sound like some sort superman," said Owen. "Alright then," he said, detaching himself from Juliet, "let's set off. The sooner we get started the sooner we can get back!" His voice was surprisingly mature as was his general attitude, nothing like the bratty teenager I had expected.
The swamp was a few miles to the north of the camp. Owen told us that the trail didn't start until a few hundred yards into the swamp as to prevent people from finding it. He also said the trail fades away from time to time. The swamp makes it extremely hard to always have a reliable trail ready. He estimated that due to the recent downpour, which had happened while we were in the base, that the trip would most likely take three days, two if we hurried and avoided any misfortune.
We reached the outer edges of the swamp where the ground was only moist. Owen looked around at the willows for a few moments before turning sharply to the right. Jacob looked at me quizzically. I shrugged and we turned and followed Owen. He was intently studying the ground as he walked. We followed directly behind him, hoping to see what he was studying. He suddenly stopped and we almost bumped into him. He turned and looked towards the swamp. This area was thickly forested almost to the point of impassibility.
Owen stared at it intently for a few moments before declaring, "Yes, this is the way to go."
Jacob asked, "Can we even get through that?"
Owen looked at him and nodded before replying, "We have to. The other areas have been flooded from the rainfall. This appears to be the only way through." He looked each of us in the eye and said, "I need you two to do exactly as I say. This is a dangerous swamp, full of all sorts of deadly animals and plants. And people. I want you two to follow my footsteps exactly. Don't deviate even an inch. You'll need all of your concentration to do this. Are you up for it?" Jacob and I looked at each other and then nodded. "Good. Follow me." Owen stepped forward and immediately was waist-deep in water. "Never mind that direction. Help me up." We grabbed his arms and pulled him out of the water. After he was free, the water calmed to look like solid land again.
"Don't even think about saying anything," Owen said. He stepped a few feet to the left, and slowly began to make his way to the trees. He turned around and said, "Well, are you coming?" I looked at Jacob and he nodded his head towards Owen. I sighed and began to follow Owen's footsteps with Jacob right behind me. Soon, we were at the tree line.
Owen went right up to one of the trunks of the tree and began to climb up it a few feet. He told us to stay where we were. He disappeared into the foliage for a few minutes before reappearing.
"The trail is right up there. We'll need to stay in the trees for a while, though. Follow where I go and be careful. The moss makes some of these trunks slippery." He showed up the way up and then began to forge the way to the trail. After some minutes of climbing, he jumped down onto a dry-ish spot and stopped.
"Well, here's the trail." Owen pointed at the ground.
I looked at it and said, "Where? I can't see a trail at all." Owen indicated an area where the vegetation was slightly less thick than the rest. It led a few feet away before it submerged under some water. I scanned around, trying to see where it came back up, but was unable to find it.
"How in the world are we supposed to follow that? It's hardly even a trail where it isn't underwater," Jacob said. He was obviously worried that we would get lost.
"Don't worry," Owen reassured him. "I know this trail better than anyone else. There is no way we will get lost. We can get there and back before we run out of supplies as long as you two do exactly as I say. Here, let's take a short break and eat and drink something." He took off his pack and pulled out a small bag. He opened it and handed us some of what was inside.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Trail mix. It has nuts and raisins in it. It helps keep your energy up." I studied the small pile of food in my hand before throwing it into my mouth.
"We need to get moving," Owen said. He scanned around where the trail submerged and then the began walking. We followed him, not daring to even try to make our own way. He led us around the submerged area and over a rotting log.
As the day dragged on, Jacob and I quickly became tired. We began to stumble more and more after we had stopped for lunch. We were going along a dry area when my foot slipped and sank three feet into the water. I pulled it back out just as my other foot slipped into a different pool of mud. I stood up and began to walk. My boots squished with the mud and water.
Finally, I stopped and said, "Owen, I can't walk another step. My feet have been wet since before lunch and I can't stand it any more. I need to air out my boots." Jacob added a "Yeah!" for effect. Owen turned around and sighed.
"Look, we'll stop soon. The sun is starting to set and we need a dry place to set up camp. There's a small hill rising above the marshes just a few hundred yards ahead. We can stop then, get a fire going, and get some new socks on, okay?" I nodded and Owen started walking.
Almost an hour later, we reached the spot Owen was talking about. The only problem was that it was surrounded by the marsh with no clear way in. Owen sat down suddenly on a log behind us and held his head in his hands. I sat down next to him, but just as I did, he stood up again. He indicated for us to stay there and began to walk around. He disappeared into the swamp. Jacob sat down next to me and sighed.
"Well, so much for a fire," he said. "And a dry place to sleep."
"Don't worry, Owen will find a way to get to it," I said hopefully. We both sat in silence and waited for Owen to return. Suddenly, from behind us, we heard something snap. I became rigid, but Jacob stayed relaxed.
He breathed, "Act like you haven't heard anything. I'm going to stand up and try to see if Owen is nearby. Don't look behind you." He stood up and walked a few feet towards to island, looking for Owen. It was getting dark and it was hard to make out any anything against the gnarled trees. I shut my eyes, trying not to think about what could be behind us. I heard a slight splash, closer this time. I tried to slow my breathing, but to no avail. I heard a footstep just a few yards behind me. I squeezed my hands into fists, my fingernails digging into my hands. I couldn't stand not knowing what was behind me. No, I thought. Don't look back!
I turned behind me only to see nothing. The darkness obscured my vision and I could not see a thing. Suddenly, a hand reached around my mouth from behind me along with a voice saying, "Don't make a sound." It was Owen. I almost sighed in relief, but stopped myself. I felt another hand rest on my shoulder. It was Jacob's hand. Owen released me and then began to walk forward. He pulled out something tubular and slowly lifted it up. He flipped it on and a beam of light lit up the area. In the center of the beam was a man.
He was hunched over and dressed completely in rubber. His face was obscured in a netting of some sort coming down from his hat. In one hand, he held a machete. He put his other hand in front of his eyes, trying to see who we were.
Owen lowered the beam and said, "Wait, Percy, is that you?"
The man squinted at Owen before saying, "Ye gods, Owen? What are ye doing 'ere?" He was about to say something else, but Owen stopped him.
"Not here. We need a place to stay. How far away is your abode?"
Percy pointed at the island and said, "But a few yards." He took us to a boat hidden in the brushes. He lit a small lamp on the end of the boat before we all piled in. He took out a long pole and began to push us towards the island. He talked as we went, telling us how he dug out around the island himself during the dry season and then built his house on top. When I mentioned that we didn't see a house, he laughed gruffly and said he disguised it so no one would find it. I noticed that he wasn't going directly towards the island and I pointed it out to Jacob, who then questioned Percy about it.
"This whole island is surrounded by some of the deepest parts of the marshes. 'Owever, there are many snares hidden in the plants growing around. I, and only I, know 'ow to navigate around them to get to my island." He winked at me in the dim light and said, "Many 'ave tried to get to it by swimming, but the crocs took care of them." I glanced at the water worriedly. He laughed, "I was only joking 'bout the crocs. No, most of them drowned in the water, never 'aving a chance at survival. The rest were picked up by me." He remained silent for the rest of the time.
"We're 'ere," Percy said right before we came near a wooden dock, barely above the water. We stepped out onto it, finding it surprisingly steady. Percy pulled the boat ashore, hiding it far above the water before showing us to his house. It was covered in plants of all sorts and surrounded mostly by trees, making it almost impossible to see from the shore.
Percy showed us our beds. We were all sleeping in the same room; Percy's house was small. He told us to go ahead and try and get some sleep, he and Owen needed to catch up. Jacob and I wormed into our sleeping bags and then tried sleeping. I heard some movement and opened my eyes to see Jacob getting out of bed and sneaking over to the door. He glanced at me and I gave him a quizzical look. He gestured towards me and I began walking over to him. He moved his finger to his lips as I almost tripped over a metal box. I paused and opened it quietly.
Inside of it was several pictures of a young Percy with a young lady. Some of the other pictures revealed them holding a newborn baby, then a young boy. The last picture was one of the whole family, with another baby on the lady's lap and Percy holding a boy around eight years old. Underneath was a coded document, a map, and a radio. I lifted the radio up to see a small box under it. Inside the box was a pistol and several boxes of bullets. I placed the contents back in and closed it quietly. I tip-toed over to Jacob.
The doors and inner walls of the house were made of paper that had a seal over it to make it waterproof. Jacob had opened the door slightly, just enough that we could see the room where Percy and Owen were talking. Because of the paper walls and the lantern in the room, we could see the silhouette of Owen, who was standing, and Percy, who was seated.
We heard Percy say, "But 'ow can ye trust them?" Owen shushed him and they began talking in subdued tones. Jacob opened the door even further, hoping to catch something.
We could hear Owen saying, "What they don't know won't hurt them. If all goes according to plan, we should get back home without them even knowing a thing." He said some more, but we couldn't hear them. Jacob tried to get closer, but the floor creaked as he took a step forward. Percy's head snapped towards the sound and he grabbed his nearby machete, and then laughed.
"I 'aven't 'ad company in quite some time. Ye'd better get to bed, Owen. Ye 'ave a long walk in front of ye." Owen nodded silently and moved towards the door. Jacob and I sprinted back to bed and slipped into them. We assumed the façade of sleeping, but we didn't know whether Owen was fooled or not. A few moments later, Percy also came into the room with the lantern. He put it out and then went into the only bed in the house. At least we had a roof over our heads because as the night progressed, it began to rain slightly.
I was the last one to wake the next morning. I heard something cooking and sluggishly moved out of bed. I had spent too many days in that nice, soft hospital bed. I stretched and walked over to the already opened door and peered out. There was nobody that I could see, so I began exploring the house a little bit. It was completely empty. I found the stove and saw some food on top of it. The stove was off, so the food was just keeping warm. I moved it off and began devouring it. After I was finished, I began to explore the house a little more. There were five rooms total: the bedroom, a meeting room where Percy and Owen talked last night, a kitchen and dining room, a storage room, and a room full of books and scrolls. I was surprised they had lasted this long in the marshes, but I realized that they were kept in special cases that controlled the moisture content.
I didn't want to intrude on Percy's privacy any more than I already had, so I decided to explore the island a little bit. I went down to the dock to find the boat gone. I wandered around the island. It was mostly empty, just a lot of plants and trees. I found a few places where a chair was hidden among the trees, probably for meditation or lookout. As I was about to go back inside, I noticed a small wooden hatch covered in willows. I walked over to it and found it to be locked. I pressed my ear to it and heard a low hum from inside. I stood back up and went inside.
A few minutes later, I heard the door open. Percy, Owen, and Jacob walked inside.
Percy said, "Sorry fer leavin' ye 'ere all by yerself. We went out and did a bit of exploring to see which path would be best. Jacob was awake so we took 'im with us."
I nodded and asked, "Well, did you find out which path was best?"
"None of them are very good," Owen said. "But we did pick out the safest path. We'll leave as soon as we can. Go pack up your bags." Soon, we were out by the boat, all ready to leave. Just before we got into the boat, Percy whispered something to Owen. He nodded and thanked Percy. We got in the boat and Percy took us in the opposite direction of last night.
We climbed out of the boat and onto a drier looking path than yesterday's. Percy nodded at us and disappeared into the swamp. Owen set the pace and before we knew it, it was lunch.
As we stopped for lunch, I couldn't help but ask, "So why all the secrecy between you and Percy?" Owen stopped chewing and looked at me.
"It may not look like it, but I actually have quite a few responsibilities, important ones. Percy and I were just talking about them. We're friends, him and I, and we were just making sure everything was going okay. The secrecy is because we still can't trust you yet. Don't worry, if anything was vitally important, I'd let you know." He resumed eating and even though my curiosity wasn't satisfied, I didn't ask any more questions.
After a few more hours of hiking on a nice, mostly dry path, we had to stop. The path disappeared into a vast lake of water. Owen stopped and stomped in frustration.
"We can't turn back and find a different route; it would waste too much time." He walked around for a few moments before collapsing in defeat.
"I was hoping to be to the place by tonight. This is a time-sensitive mission and this delay could cost us." Jacob and I sat down on a log nearby. I glanced around the area; it looked as if the lake went on for miles. It also stretched to either side for quite a ways, so walking around it was probably out.
Jacob suddenly stood up and pointed at a small grove of trees. "Look!" he said.
"It's just some trees, Jacob. They only go a few feet into the swamp before ending," I said.
"No, there's a path there," he insisted. Owen looked over there and squinted.
"He's right, there is!" Owen jumped up and ran over to the trees. I followed, also running. As we approached the trees, I noticed some logs leading away from the grove. They continued out into the lake and onward from there. It wove around other trees and sometimes lifted up completely out of the swamp and continued in the air. It was all disguised to look natural, but it was a path. Owen immediately began going on the path, but then stopped and looked at us.
"Here's another spot where you will have to be extremely careful. The logs are old and some are probably rotten. Most will be slippery and if you fall off... We need to move quickly and safely. Come on, let's go." Jacob and I followed him with Jacob in the back.
Most of the trees had branches nearby to hang on, but sometimes, we had to shimmy our way across. The path curled around trees, doubled back on itself and was overall terrible. It took us several hours before we reached the other side safely. Owen glanced at the sun and growled in frustration.
"We only have a few more hours to go and we're still miles away. We need to go faster." Owen took off and Jacob and I struggled to keep up with him. After two hours, Jacob and I had slipped into pools of mud more times than we cared to count, we had terrible blisters on our feet, we were soaked to the bone, and we were tired. Owen stopped and promised us it was just another hour at the most before we reached our destination.
He lied; it only took ten more minutes. We stopped on an empty piece of ground in the middle of a clearing.
Owen looked around, checked the position of the sun, and then froze.
"Take your backpacks off slowly and set them down." Jacob and I looked at each other in confusion. "Just do it!" We took them off and set them on the ground.
"Now kick them away from you and put your hands near your head." We did so and from all around us, Safeguarders appeared. The entire place was surrounded by them. A motorboat began to approach us. On it was a very important-looking Safeguard and two very tough-looking Safeguards. When it reached us, the three of them stepped out and walked over to us.
"Well, if it isn't the illustrious Mr. Owens. What are you doing so far away from your precious hideout?" The superior Safeguard raised his hand and the the rest of the Safeguards prepared to fire. He waved his hand and the guns dropped. He removed his helmet and Owen gasped in surprise.
"William, you little son of a gun. What was that for?" They grasped each other's arms and did some sort of acknowledgement or handshake. William was only about twenty.
"We took out a squad of Safeguards and when we heard you were coming, we couldn't resist. Lucky for us, they were guarding a supply van full of uniforms. Well, maybe not so lucky. It would seem that they are planning on recruiting locals."
"You can include that in your report. First, though, we need to talk. If you could take us back to your base where we can talk... in private." Owen glanced at me and Jacob. William nodded in understanding and motioned to the motorboat.
"After you." He took us to the base and ushered Owen inside a building with several guards around it. He told us before he went in that we were welcome to wander the base. The only catch was that three guards would follow us around. He explained that it was so that we wouldn't get lost and we could get back to Owen when we need to leave, but I was sure it was that they still didn't trust us.
The base was very interesting. Since it was in the middle of a swamp, the entire town was on stilts. From walkways to houses, the entire town was above the swamp. Jacob and I wandered to the very center of the town, one of the few places that was on the ground. It was a giant wooden plaza right in the center of a massive lake. The trees grew from the water and touched the sky.
The plaza had several merchants with shops all around. We learned that they had a system of money, something that the State didn't allow. We wandered around, looking at the different stands. We didn't have any money, so we couldn't buy anything. We did enjoy looking at the crafts and tools people had made. Soon, a soldier came and told us Owen had delivered the message and had finished talking with William. We were to report back to him immediately.
The sun was a few hours away from setting when we got back. Owen told Jacob and me it was best if we just stayed overnight. He lead us into a building with individual rooms, gave us some soft clothes to sleep in, and told us to stay inside the building. He needed to take care of some business and he'd be back soon. Jacob and I spent the evening talking to each other, discussing all that had happened, and worrying about the future. After a few hours, we both agreed it was late and we should get some rest, so we retired to our beds. Owen wasn't even back yet.
Owen woke me up next morning by blinding me with light and throwing a backpack on me.
"Rise and shine! The sooner we leave the sooner we get out of this swamp and back to base." He handed me some new clothes and left me with a promise that if I wasn't changed and ready to go in ten minutes, bad things would happen. I spent a few seconds after he left wondering what those things could be, but decided it was best to hurry. I stepped out of my room and met Jacob, who only had one shoe on. I asked him about it, and he said that Owen had made some very specific promises to him. We stepped outside and noticed the sun hadn't even risen yet. I shivered a little; it was chilly. Owen stepped around a corner with William and hailed us. He lead us quickly over to a small dock where William's motorboat was parked. We loaded ourselves in and William drove us to a different spot than where he picked us up. He explained that this path was in better shape and that we should be able to make it in just under a day if we moved quickly.
William had told the truth. The path was way better than the one we used to get there, so we moved quicker. By the time we stopped for lunch, Owen said we were well past the half-way mark. He told us we should reach the base well before nightfall if we kept the pace. Owen told us the reason he didn't use this path in the first place is because it runs alongside a well-used road by the State. He said it was easier to avoid any vehicles going to the base than it was coming from the base. Before long, we had reached the road. The path was just a few feet away from it, but thankfully, thick vegetation concealed us.
"Wait, hold up." Owen stopped us. "Get down!" he whispered. We ducked right before some vehicles came into view. Owen stared at them intently. There were five massive trucks that rose well above the trees. The vehicles were moving slowly down the road. Several squads of Safeguarders were jogging alongside them. By the time the vehicles were out of sight, I was cramped. Owen had us stay down for a few more moments before standing up. I could tell by his face that he was afraid and worried, but he was still calm.
"Those vehicles are the State's tanks. It uses them when it plans to destroy something. They're massive and dangerous, but extremely slow and vulnerable when moving, hence the Safeguarders. I don't like it. We need to get back to base quickly." Owen began almost running down the trail. We followed him, but we were falling behind. The path broke off from the road and ran perpendicular to it for a mile or so. Jacob and I had to stop for a few seconds to catch our breath, and by then, Owen was out of sight. When we got close to the base, we noticed smoke rising from the distance. Jacob and I exchanged worried glances.
We broke out into the clearing and stopped in shock. The entire base was in ashes. Several buildings were still burning and the ground was scorched. We walked further into the base and noticed at the center a pile of decapitated bodies. Around the pile were the heads on stakes. I dropped in shock as I noticed some of the heads were people that I had gotten to know from the base. Jacob saw Owen walking out from one of the buildings. He rushed over to him. An explosion ripped through the silence from the far end of the complex. Juliet, I thought. I glanced at the pile, but I couldn't look at it for long. It made me sick. I shakily stood up and walked over to Owen. Owen was just staring at the ground in disbelief while Jacob was trying to get answers. The air was thick with smoke and ash and the smell of death. Jacob started to yell at Owen, trying to get something out of him. I had just gotten over there when Jacob shoved Owen in the chest. Owen pulled out a knife and was about to attack Jacob when I got in between them.
"Stop it!" I yelled. "Just, stop it." Jacob looked at the ground and kind of apologized to Owen. Owen just stood, staring off into space. I grabbed Owen's arm and tried to drag him out of the smoke, but he pushed me away and ran into one of the buildings. I walked over to it and saw a hatch in the center of it.
"Don't follow him." Jacob was right behind me. I nodded and we walked away from the wrecked base. We stopped a few yards out and sat down on a patch of grass. I looked at Jacob and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned on his shoulder started crying. We sat there for a few minutes before I stopped crying.
"Jacob, Juliet and Gabe..."
"I didn't see their bodies, Sydney. They might have gotten out in time." We sat in silence for a few moments before I replied, "I hope so."
Owen emerged from the debris almost an hour later and began walking towards us. He sat down heavily and held his head in his hands for a moment.
"You need to know something," Owen said finally. "Mayor Frank isn't actually the mayor." He stared at us for a few seconds.
"I thought so," Jacob said. I looked at Jacob. "He looked more like a decoy to me, a fake mayor in case we planned any assassination attempts." Jacob looked back at Owen. "Then who is the real mayor? Is he still alive?"
"Yeah, the mayor is still alive."
"Then where is he?" I asked.
"Right in front of you." Jacob and I looked around quickly.
"Wait, you're the mayor?" Jacob said.
"Yep."
"But you're so young!" I said.
"Why'd you go with us on this mission, then?" Jacob asked.
"It was my idea," Owen replied. "I thought I should personally examine you, and this mission seemed like the best way to do it." He smiled weakly. "Besides, taking chances is the only way to get things done. I doubted you were really working with the State, so this was more of a chance to see your abilities and if you'd be of use to us."
"But you're so young," I repeated.
"Yeah, youngest general out there." He glanced back at the wreckage. "Thankfully, the State doesn't know who I am. They think they killed the general of this sector. This is actually more of a scare tactic. You probably don't know, but most of the bodies in the center are people not from this base. I think the State brought in some of its criminals and then killed them here. Most of our people escaped, I think. Either that, or they were taken prisoner." He paused. "I pray that no one did."
Owen stood up and said, "There's a small shack a few minutes from here that has a radio in it. We should see if it's still operational and try and contact someone if it is." He helped us up and then lead the way. We followed a dirt path that went through the forest before coming up on a clearing.
"Where's the shack?" I asked.
"Underground," Owen replied. He went over to one side of the clearing and reached down. He grabbed a handle and pulled it up, revealing a manhole in the ground. He told us to go in first. He closed the hatch above us. The bottom was a small room with some equipment in it. He took a seat at the center of the machinery and began to work it. I noticed a few seats against the wall, so I grabbed a couple for Jacob and I. Soon, Owen had began speaking into a microphone.
"This is M. Frank, calling from Sector Omega. Code-17a. Is anyone there?
After a few moments, we heard Percy's voice replying," Ah, I've 'eard ya." Owen grinned.
"Percy, it's nice to hear your voice."
"And yers. I've got a few refugees 'ere. I sent a most of 'em over to Base 12, but I kept a few. Do ye have any survivors there?"
"No, the base is completely empty. I do have Jacob and Sydney here, though." Before Owen could say anything else, a voice from the other end cut him off.
"Jacob, Sydney, thank goodness you're all right." It was Juliet.
"Juliet!" I yelled. "Are you okay?
"Yeah, I'm fine. Gabe and I got out in time. We were put in charge over one of the groups that evacuated. The rest should be showing up here any time." I sighed in relief.
"Juliet, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Percy," Owen said.
"Oh, yes, sorry, here he is."
"Ye need to get 'ere, Owen, now. Some very important people are worrying about yer safety, and after the little stunt ye pulled with Jacob an' Sydney, ye might be in major trouble."
"Yeah, I'll be there tomorrow. It's too late to try to make it now. We'll be safe; the State thinks I'm dead." After a few more words, Owen shut the machines off. He stood up and walked over to a door that I didn't notice before. He opened it and revealed several beds.
"It'll be best if we sleep down here tonight. It'll be safer and, frankly, warmer than sleeping under the stars."
It was a long night. All of us were restless and we got hardly any sleep. About halfway through the night, someone opened the door and stepped out. I waited a few minutes before following. As I rose from my bed, another figure did too. I realized it was Jacob. We both stepped out and climbed the ladder.
Owen was sitting on a rock nearby. The smoke blotted out the moon and most of the stars. The air was filled with ash and the smell of death. Jacob and I walked over to Owen and sat next to him. It was several minutes before anyone spoke.
"It just received a telegram from Percy. He said that the other base's location may have been compromised, so they are evacuating. William wants to send a reconnaissance mission into the city at Sector Omega. They're afraid, though. If they don't get someone in there soon, then they may not be able to get one in. We picked up a radio wave of the State. Official 1 is personally sending in his elite guard by tomorrow afternoon. William wants someone in there now." Owen sat silent for a few moments.
"And he want us to go in there, right?" Jacob asked calmly.
"I can't ask you to do this," Owen replied. We sat for a few more moments before I stood up.
"Well," I sighed, "when do we leave?" Owen looked at me in surprise.
"You realize that I can't guarantee your safety," Owen said. "If you get caught, I can't help you. You'll be killed or worse, reeducated."
Jacob nodded and said, "We know. But we can't sit around doing nothing while the resistance is killed. Sydney and I want to help." I agreed. Owen sighed.
"Okay. You leave in ten minutes." We stood up and rushed over to the manhole. Seven minutes later, we were ready to leave. Owen signaled for absolute silence and then lead the way. It was a few hours before dawn when we reached a hill right outside the city. It was just high enough for us to see the layout of the city.
"This is how you are going to do this. We have one or two agents still inside the city. We haven't heard from them since the Dave incident, but it's possible they are still there." Owen pointed to a few buildings. "They should be around those. You'll know them when you see them. If you can make contact, they'll lead you to the targets. If not, then head for the Administration Building in the center of town. It's the largest building; you can't miss it. There should be three or four smaller buildings around the vicinity. Look of the one that says "Supplies" or "General Purpose". There should be a radio inside there. Take it apart. You should find a chip planted by our agents inside it. It's been recording the transmissions between the State and Sector Omega." He handed us a bag. "Put it in here. If you found an agent, give it to him or her. If not, there should be a large rock near the fence near this hill. Lift the rock, and there should be a hole dug. Put it in there. If you make it, I'll be waiting back at the manhole. Knock three times, wait a few seconds, and then three more times."
Owen reached inside his backpack and pulled out two small guns with extra long barrels. "They're simple enough to operate. Point and pull the trigger. They have silencers in them, but that doesn't make them silent, only quieter. Try not to use them, though." He hugged each of us and said, "Good luck." He melted back into the darkness and disappeared from sight. Jacob looked at me and said, "Let's go."
We hurried down the hill and to the fence. It was poorly kept and rusting away. Luckily, the bottom of the fence was torn and a hole was dug underneath. Some poor animal probably made it. Jacob expanded the hole and slid through it. I ducked down and followed him. Jacob slipped behind a building into a shadowy area. I was about to follow when a Safeguarder rounded the corner. I tried to slip back outside the fence, but my shirt got caught on the fence. I stayed completely still as the Safeguarder walked past me. The masks, unsurprisingly, really affected the vision. After he passed, I untangled myself from the fence and walked over to Jacob.
"Look," he breathed. "One of the agents should be in that neighborhood around the corner. Sneak alongside the shadows and be quiet. I'm going to check for the other agent. He should be in our old neighborhood."
"Jacob, we should stay together. It's safer."
"No, actually, it's not. If we split up, then we have more chances to succeed. If we stay together and get caught, then the mission fails."
"But Jacob." I paused for a moment. "I couldn't bear not knowing if you've been captured or not." Jacob grabbed my arms and pulled me close. He hugged me for a few moments before pulling away slightly.
"Oh Sydney. I know." He looked me in the eyes and kissed me on the forehead. "I love you." Jacob turned around and started to hurry away. "We meet back up at the entrance to the Administration lot in fifteen minutes. Be safe!" Jacob turned around and ran down an alleyway.
"Be safe..." I muttered. I turned around and walked quietly into the neighborhood. There were no lights on in the neighborhood, and there were several bushes near the entrance. I moved slowly further and further to a hunched figure on the sidewalk. I reached out to touch it when a voice said, "Stop." I turned around to see a tall figure.
"Trust me, you don't want to touch that." It was a woman, telling by the voice. She walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "He's been dead for almost four hours now, and I don't think he'll be cleaned up for another twenty. You're not wearing a mask, are you? Ooh, are you wearing wool? I haven't felt wool since..." Her voice faded out for a moment.
"But what are you doing in here? Spies, thieves? No, I think not. I think you are from the Resistance. Yes, I can tell. You smell of the woods and fresh air and freedom. Yes, you are here to see me." She pulled out a glowing stick and held it to my face. "I haven't seen you before. Tell me your name. Quiet, though. There are spies everywhere." I managed to tell her before she said, "Come with me, quickly. I sense your mission is limited by time." She pulled me inside a nearby house and quickly shut the door.
"We have can have only a little light, my curtains are thick enough." She grabbed a lantern and turned it on. It began to hum, but there was no light. She turned a knob and the lantern began to emit a soft light. She pulled off her mask, revealing a pale face shrouded in silver hair.
"Sydney, is it? I am Agent 129. Call me Abi, though. Now, what do you need?" I quickly relayed my mission to her. She nodded and pulled me close.
"Jacob, your friend, is in great danger. The other agent was killed just a few days ago by accident. They found out who he was, though. They put someone in his place, though. We need to get to Jacob now. Here, put on this cloak." She handed me a black cloak. She rushed out the door without bothering to let me put it on. I rushed out the door and almost ran into her.
"This is not good, not good at all. You go to the Administration building and follow your orders. I'll take care of Jacob. Whatever happens, finish the mission. We'll meet you at the rock. Hurry, now. And be careful." She ran off into the street and disappeared from sight. I ran over to the Administration building, which was about seven minutes away. I was halfway there when I heard a gunshot. I stopped and almost fell, but I kept running. The mission had to be completed.
I reached the entrance to the Administration lot when I first saw the dead bodies. They were along the road, faceless bodies stacked up as a warning. I couldn't stop to see the numbers, the only thing that showed that these were people. I stopped outside the gate, and found no guards. I slipped around a corner and ran right into Jacob.
"Oh Sydney, you're okay!" He hugged me. I saw behind him someone carrying a very large gun. "We thought that you had been captured by the fake agent."
"But Abi said that you were the fake..." The man behind Jacob swore perhaps just a bit too loudly.
"That means she knows our plan. We have the chip, we just need to place it under the rock. Did you tell her where the rock was?" I shook my head. "Good, that means we still have an advantage. Rocko here will protect us as we head to the extraction point."
The man grunted, "I told you, it's Ricky." He threw something towards one of the buildings and then said, "Run." We were about fifty yards away when something exploded behind us. The buildings were on fire and there were sirens everywhere.
"Faster," shouted Ricky. Ricky opened fire on three Safeguarders, killing them before they could even lift their guns. We kept running until we reached a fence. Ricky pulled out some wire cutters and quickly opened a hole in the fence. Jacob rushed through, but before I went, I heard someone call out behind me, "Sydney, is that you?" I turned and saw one of my old friends, 61121214.
"Fallow, come with me!" She shook her head, but stepped closer. "You can be free, you can take off that mask! Come with me!" I shouted.
"Sydney we need to leave now!" Ricky yelled. Fallow started to walk towards us before she suddenly turned stiff. She looked down at her chest and collapsed in a bloody heap. Behind her was a squad of Safeguarders, ready to fire. Ricky swore and pushed me through the hole. He began to shoot as he jumped through the hole.
"You two, finish the mission. The rock is nearby. Put it in there, then get out of here!" Ricky was hiding behind a tree. A bullet ripped through his leg and he shouted. "I'll stall them! Get out of here!" Jacob grabbed my arm and ran.
The rock was at the bottom of a hill. Jacob quickly lifted it and I slid the bag into a hole underneath. He dropped it and then we ran us the hill. It was heavily forested for a few moments, and then it burst into a clearing. This was the same hill where we made our first escape. The sun was just just peaking above the hilltop, blinding us with its light. We were about halfway to the top when the Safeguarder squad appeared at the bottom. The sun affected their aim, and bullets were flying everywhere. Several more squadrons were appearing at the bottom of the hill and began to dash up the top.
"We can make it!" I shouted at Jacob. The Safeguarders were catching up on us, but we were almost at the top. If we made it, we could easily escape them.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob trip. I shouted, turned around, and ran towards him. He waved his hand at me and told me to get to the top as a bullet whizzed overhead. I was split between freedom and my friend. He looked at me, his head bleeding because he had hit a rock. He shouted one last time to get out of there. I gave him a pained look, mouthed "I'm sorry", then turned and ran.
I had reached the treeline at the top when I glanced me. He was snarling at a group of Safeguarders who were approaching him. He tried to pull out his pistol, but a Safeguarder shot his hand. I shouted and pulled my pistol out and tried to aim. Then, one Safeguarder took a gun, rested the barrel on his forehead, and fired one shot, killing Jacob instantly. I screamed and fired a buller, hitting the Safeguarder who killed Jacob. One quickly aimed a gun at me and shot me in the chest. Pain exploded as the bullet pierced my ribs. I fell over and as my vision faded, I saw a Safeguarder look over me with a gun aimed at my head.
I woke in the Administration building. I was strapped to a chair and a little bald man in a white lab coat stood in front of me. He smiled and bid me welcome to his laboratory. He explained how I was merely strapped for my own safety, and soon, I would be reeducated. He smiled as he said I would become a shining citizen and be an example for all the others. I spat on his bald head and told him that this would be much better if we were truthful.
His face immediately changed from pleasant to disgust as he said, “Fine you ungrateful brat. You will be put through a series of tortures that I will personally see you through." He smiled, gloating, as he said, "Then, you will be brainwashed. You will become a shell of the person you once were. Now, shall we begin?” He looked over at a mirror on the wall and nodded. A jolt of pain and electricity shot through me. I screamed in agony. The bald man nodded at the wall again and the electricity ceased.
"Ready for another bout? Oh, this is just the beginning. I think that you will be a particularly tough case, so this might take weeks. And, of course, it will take my personal recommendation for them to begin questioning you. Let's make this easier for both of us and how about you tell me when you're finally broken, okay? Oh, and don't lie to me." He leaned in close to me face. His breath smelt of rotting peaches and teeth. "I'm very good at seeing through lies." He pulled out a tray with an array of knives and saws. "This is for later, my deary. Not too much later though." He nodded at the wall again and I screamed in agony.
It was weeks of torture. They did terrible things to me in that room, and I never left. That bald man oversaw each and every torture, and it gave him a sick, twisted pleasure to see me writhe in pain. They brought food and water to me, and when I was too sick to eat it, they forced food down my throat. They drugged me, they cut me, they all but killed me. They wouldn't let me die. Oh, how I wished for it, day and night. But they kept me awake and conscious, just barely, for every torture.
Then, they began the brainwashing. They were especially trained at this, more so than with torture. It only took a week for them to accomplish it. They stripped me of all willpower and identity. Or, so they thought.
I live in the center of the base. I mostly just sit around like an old woman in a rocking chair. Sometimes I knit, sometimes I write down nonsense. They let me do these because it would be too much effort to stop me. This has been their biggest mistake. Soldiers and Officials talk about plans around me because they think I don't understand them. I've been practicing writing just so I could write this, the story of my life.
I am writing it and will send it to the Resistance. They made contact with me through Abi, who actually joined the Resistance after the State captured me. I've been sending the Resistance intelligence about the State for about two years now, and the State has yet to catch on. I've been promised that my story will be published and sent to millions of people, both bond and free. If you are reading this, rebel. Resist the State and their lies and cruelty. We can't free you and keep you free if you don't rebel in everything you do. If we can get the seed of rebellion in the hearts of the people, then the State is doomed to fail. It cannot stand on the backs of the people if the people refuse to be stood on. Sector Omega will fall soon, and then, the State.
I am in my room, finishing this. Soon, it will be in the hands of Abi, who will send it to the Resistance. Soon, millions upon millions will read it. The State is onto me, though. I can hear them now, arguing about what to do with me. They're worried that someone made it back into sanity from reeducation.
They will soon burst into my room, and they will find the secrets I've been sending the Resistance. They will do as they always do, wreck my place, ruin my possessions, and then threaten me. They'll shout and scream at me as they wave their guns. And I will laugh at their faces, because it is too late. They'll push the barrel of the gun to my face and demand I tell them. I won't, so they'll pull the trigger.
I was number 1925414525. I was alone with no friends, but if I had any, they would have called me 19-5. My deceased friend, Jacob, would have called me Sydney. I now go to join him.
Since the formation of our great country, we have all prospered. There are no wars or fights, no hunger or thirst, and no need for any change. The Officials know what is best for us and we should not argue. Officials never make mistakes and always regard each problem with intense thinking. Everyone is equal. The world is perfect.
At least, that is what they have us say. It is a memorized speech that each day, we are required to repeat it to our “families.” Families have become containment units, more or less. At least one person is an Official or has absolute loyalty to the State. It’s not as bad as you would think, though. We still talk about our lives rather freely, play games, and have fun. The speech doesn’t even have to be perfect. In most families, you can even abbreviate it and make it shorter, if your Watcher is lenient, like mine.
It was a normal day in our neighborhood. We had a B-B-Q the other night and had woken up thoroughly happy. The children, including me, were sent off to school on the school bus, and the parents went off to their work. Luckily for us, school and work ended early so the families could listen to the Official’s speech. Everyone, well, almost everyone, was excited, for the newest Official was giving his speech. All the girls found him to be really attractive, and the guys were captivated by his wit and charm. All-in-all, he was the newest movie star.
During school, in fact, in the middle of History, a school-wide announcement was made. The Official 41225 was giving his speech in our town and everyone was invited to watch free of charge. In the hallways, when it is devoid of life except for a few fans of Official 41225, a name, “Dave,” is whispered. They do this secretly.
As promised, school ended early, even earlier than expected. I asked permission from my parents and my Watcher so see if I could be with my friends during the speech, and was given an okay. We sat in the furthest row on the highest balcony and broke out our opera glasses. Up in the highest and furthest away seats, we were alone, but still able to see “Dave’s” face.
The speech started with the national anthem, and everyone stood, saluted, and gave their full attention to the flag. After the thunderous applause subsided, the speech began. I believe that my friends and I were the only people in the entire crowd that would not take what Official 41225 said as fact. We remained skeptical at what he said.
The reason Official 41225 is so efficient is speaking is, like every Official and unlike the rest of the population, he does not have his voice altered and does not have to wear a mask or costume. This sets them apart from the crowd, a sea of white, green, blue, and brown identical masks, identical black clothing, and identical voices. The crowd was a mob of equity that surged as Official 41225 spoke. He roused their spirits and called them to action. He pointed out the surprising lack of discipline here and announced that he was the new appointed leader over this area. He said he will be reassigning families, appointing new Watchers, and replacing teachers. He then simply stated we were falling behind. The rest of the world was ahead, already in a better future. At each point, the crowd would cheer, clap, and salute.
Official 41225 cried out, “I am here for a better today. I am here for a better tomorrow. I am here to bring us into the new world!” The crowd had reached a new level of excitement never experienced in these parts. The rest of the world deems us as a lazy bunch.
“We shall adhere strictly-” here he emphasized strictly by rolling the R around in his mouth for a few moments. I was impressed. He continued, “to the laws of the land! We shall be a greater people! We shall rise out of this slump to a brand new high! We shall become a shining example for the other cities!” The crowd became frenzied in their zeal, and it continued to rise. Official 41225 calmed them down with a flick of his hand.
“I know that everyone here is at some sort of fault. However, I am telling you today that through the grace of our Supreme Leader, Official 1, all is forgiven! We start as a new people, pure and clean. I am offering each and every one of you a chance to volunteer to serve our State. I have jobs for everyone to do! I have need of your power, you determination, your might. We must all bond together to assure that the perfectness of the State will remain!” The crowd, once again, cheered. I saw my friends begin to join in the uproar. I looked at the only one besides me who didn’t cheer. We nodded and then stood up and began cheering.
This new Official was a different breed from the rest. He was strong, determined, powerful, and strict. My friend and I both knew that we must conform, or a punishment would ensue. And, by the looks of the Official’s speech, it would be severe.
Days passed and my friend and I watched helplessly as the new rules and changes were placed. The colored masks all became white. The speech had to be memorized to perfection or there would be consequences. Families were no longer a place for fun, a place for happiness, a place for love. They were merely another way for the State to watch you. Our friends became Watchers. We watched them watch others and turn them in for the slightest infraction. Anyone taken into the Administration building in the center of town was never the same again. I watched as my younger sister, Emily, was taken into the building and, one week later, brought back to us. Before this incident, she was a fun spirit, one that wasn’t afraid to bend the rules a bit to have fun. She had even removed her mask once. She was gorgeous, but she before she could put the mask back on, our Watcher took her away. Now, she is as hollow as she was gorgeous.
My friend and I were able to avoid being taken into the Adminitration building, and we managed to still be ourselves in spite of recent events. We even snuck away in the middle of the night so we could discuss a very serious matter. We met behind the stadium where Official 41225 gave daily speeches, rousing the people to an even greater norm. We had listened to his speech the other day when he mentioned something very grave. Official 41225 had decided that the city would be expanded and the forests nearby destroyed. His reasons followed that we needed more places for people to live, but we believed that he needed a larger "reeducation center." That, however, wasn’t the worst of it. He said that a new law was instituted that gave him the power to kill anyone who is disobeying the rules in any way on sight. It would begin tomorrow. He said that the division created to help enforce this rule would be called Safeguarders. I thought people would take this with less enthusiasm, but the crowd cheered it on, even more than some of the other planned projects. We met that night behind the stadium to discuss our escape.
My friend, whose lettered name is Jacob, and I talked about our escape.
“We have to leave. If we stay, we will be forced to conform like the others,” I said in the masked voice.
Jacob said, “I don’t know Sydney. It might be too dangerous. You know what happens to people who are caught trying to escape. Reeducation. Taken away to some other place and who- knows-what is done to them. We can’t risk it. You should know that I want to get away as much as you do.”
“Jacob,” I said, “We can’t stay either. They will find out about us being different. We can’t hide forever. We need to escape.”
"Sydney... all right. If we are going to do this, we need to know each other’s faces. Let me see yours.” Jacob reached over and hesitantly pulled off my mask. He stared into my eyes for several moments before he removed his. I looked into that pale face with shrunken eyes, shrouded by these accursed masks. I was sure it would be a remarkable face it was able to develop instead of being hidden in the mask. I pulled my mask on and urged him to do the same. It was dangerous taking off our masks, even if we were alone.
“Jacob, we have to do this soon,” I said urgently. “We need to have this planned out. We’ll need supplies, we need gear. And, most of all, we need a place to go.” Jacob remained silent.
Then, he said, “We have to meet tomorrow. It will be more dangerous with the Safeguarders around us, but I’m confident we can do it. I’ll see you around town.” With that, Jacob quickly exited the vicinity. I looked after him and then, after a short wait, I ran off too, back to my house.
The next day, we all saw the Safeguarders come in via helicopter and plane. I watched in dread as hundreds of them poured out into the stadium. Official 41225 smiled happily as the Safeguarders surrounded the Stadium.
He said, “Welcome, Safeguarders. We all welcome you here. I hope we can all follow the rules and live in the safety of the State. Now, if you . . .”
He was cut off by the abrupt voice of the Head Safeguarder, saying, “Sir, we need to speak to you in private. If you would step this way.” The Safeguarders lead off a very worried-looking Official 41225.
A Safeguarder stepped up to the microphone and said, “You are all dismissed. Go to your home; work and school are cancelled for the day.” The crowd let up a murmur, but swiftly obeyed the intimidating Safeguarders. The stadium was emptied in almost no time and the Safeguarders walked out behind the crowd, now guarding the streets. It would seem that we needed to be guarded, but the question was from what?
By the end of the day, my “family” was rearranged. I was now in the possession of a strict Watcher who, when we made even the slightest deviation in the rules, would regularly report me. My new “family” was as uneventful as they were strict. They made sure I was no more than them. That night, I snuck out and went to the place underneath the stadium. I was forced to go slowly because of all the Safeguarders patrolling the streets. When I arrived, Jacob was already there. He looked at me as I approached him.
“We need to gather supplies if we want to live. And we need to do it soon. The Safeguarders are constantly following me and my new Watcher is a witch,” Jacob said hotly.
“I know. Look, I brought some of my rations so we can store them somewhere where we can get them fast. Do you have anything?” I asked.
“Yes, I already have a spot picked out. I brought some sheets and pillows and backpacks, along with some food. We need to leave soon,” Jacob replied. He took me to where the supplies were, and I added mine to the pile. He hid it, and bid me adieu.
The next morning, an assembly was called. The crowd gathered anxiously and quickly.
The Head Safeguarder stepped up to the podium and said, “You are all placed under arrest. Last night, a Safeguarder found a pile of supplies, obviously placed with the intention on escape. Until we find who the culprit was, you will all be confined within your neighborhoods and under the constant supervision of at least five Safeguarders, who will be armed and under orders to kill. You all may now return to your homes. Move quickly now.” The crowd stood for a few seconds, stunned, before a Safeguarder fired a shot into the crowd, instantly killing one masked person. The crowd exited with the force of a hurricane. The body was left on the ground as people were more worried for their own lives than for the dead.
While the above events were happened, Jacob and I exchanged terrified looks but dared not to speak. We knew that escape was impossible now. We quickly hurried to our homes. Luckily, we lived in the same neighborhood and were able to converse together without much suspicion.
I whispered, “What can we do? They know about the supplies. They might even have suspicions about us! We need to escape now!”
“I don’t know Sydney, “Jacob replied. “It might be too dangerous now. Though I wholeheartedly agree with you, I don’t want to risk dying or worse, being taken to the Administration building for reeducation.”
“I know, I know. We need to get out. It won’t be long before they can trace the supplies back to us. Here, I have a plan.” I quickly laid out the details of my plan. Jacob looked at me with his blank mask and said, “Okay.”
I walked over to one of the Safeguarders. When I came too near, he said, “Come any closer citizen, and I will exterminate you with no remorse.”
I looked surprise and said, “But I need help! My Watcher’s clothing is stuck in the doorway, and I can’t get it loose. Can you help me?
The Safeguarder looked around and then said, “Fine. Just don’t tell anyone.” We walked with me over to my house. Once near enough that we were out of sight, I picked up a rock and bashed his head open. I then grabbed his gun and hid it. I walked casually over to where I could see Jacob’s house. He was standing in the front, looking at me. He nodded his head in the affirmative. Then, he and I took out the guns, aimed at the two of the remaining three Safeguarders and fired, killing them instantly. The third was able to get his gun out before as we fired at him immediately. His finger pulled on the trigger and as he fell, it released a spray of bullets. We ran back into our respective houses, where we gathered supplies.
After we had our supplies, we ran out, pointing our guns at anyone who came too near. We ran out of the neighborhood and to the fence nearby, shooting at any Safeguarder we saw. We reached the fence and quickly and cut a hole in the side. As we rushed though, we saw a squad of Safeguarders running towards us, stopping, and then opened fire. Luckily, we were through before a bullet could hit us. We ran again, through the dense thicket of trees. We were scratched and our clothes torn, but we pressed onward. The guns kept getting caught and made it awkward to run, so Jacob and I both dropped them. Soon, Jacob ripped off his mask, revealing his pale white face. I was about to tell him to put it back on when I realized that we were free and took off my mask too. He smiled at me and I smiled back.
Soon, we were out of the thicket and on to a grassy hill. We ran about halfway up and looked back. We saw no pursuers, so we stopped to catch our breath.
“Ha! We are free!” yelled Jacob. I shouted too, enjoying the freedom. I looked at the beautiful scene unfolded before me. I saw birds, rabbits, butterflies, and a deer. Then, the animals disappeared.
Suddenly, a helicopter appeared above us and a voice said, “Stop. You are hereby ordered to return to the Administration building for reeducation. If you do not comply, we will capture you, be it dead or alive.”
Jacob looked at me and then shouted, “I’d rather die!” We both ran up the hill further. Suddenly, from behind us, several squads of Safeguarders appeared out of the thicket, armed with guns. They aimed and fired. We continued to run zigzagging to avoid the bullets. I felt one hit my hand and cried in pain, but continued running as I cradled the injured hand. The Safeguarders continued their barrage until we were safely atop the hill and hiding behind trees.
Jacob and I, however, continued running until the sun began to fall from its apex. We stopped by a stream that diverged in into three separate paths; we began to drink the clear water. After we had had our fill, we walked further into the woods, as stealthily and as quickly as possible. We continued in this way for what must have been hours before night started to fall.
We found a clearing, gathered firewood, and started the first fire we had ever made. Quickly, we built it to a suitable size, and then relaxed. We started to discuss what we should do and whether or not the Safeguarders were still looking for us.
Then, from behind us, we heard a hissing noise and then a voice whispering, "You idiots! Do you want to be found? Put out that fire, quick." We quickly realized our mistake and started to stomp out the smoldering fire. It went out quickly, blinding us with darkness and chilling out skin.
"Come over here if you value your lives. They will find you if you stay here." Jacob and I looked at each other and realized the voice was right. We had no reason to trust him, but there was really no choice. We moved into the direction of the voice. Suddenly, we were knocked on the ground, gagged, and bound. Our muffled voices were quickly silenced by a whack to our gut. The assailants then had us stand us and walked us around. We could see nothing, but luckily, we did not trip.
Gradually, we began to descend. At first, the ground was a slight slope. but it began to become steeper. I suddenly had the ground come at me and pound my face. I realized I had been pushed down. As I quickly stumbled to get up, a light was shone in my face, stunning me momentarily.
A woman's voice said, "Stop it, stop it. Let me see her. Hmm. Her hand is injured. Get me my bag and stop treating her so roughly. Unbind her hands, but keep a close watch on her." I was grateful for the reprieve of the burn of the ropes. I rubbed my wrist with my uninjured hand.
The moon was shining slightly in the sky, casting a dull, pale light that confused my sense more than it helped. A bandage was hastily put around my hand. I, or at least I think it was just me, was taken even further down what appeared to be a road. I saw shadows of large buildings coming up in front of me. I was taken into the camp and was told to sit down. I sat and waited.
I felt another body sit down next to me, and in the ghostly light, I could just barely make out the face of Jacob. He gave me a quizzical look and I shrugged. We were given two dirty blankets and told to sleep. The guard also said he would shoot us if we tried to run. Jacob laid down immediately and fell asleep. I had a harder time falling asleep. I decided to sit and look around. The moon had reached its full height for the night and it seemed much brighter. I was able to make out the figures of at least four guards. We sat in an open clearing, far enough from the buildings that we couldn't hide in them before being shot. I made an inaudible sigh through the gag and laid down. I slipped off to a dreamland full of dark figures, winding roads, and guns firing everywhere.
We awoke to a rising sun, and the guards had us stand and go into a grass hut. We moved inside and sat down once again. This time, however, we had a woman in there along with the guards. She was armed only with a bag and she gave us critical looks as if judging if we were worthy. We sat in the hut as the sun rose further and further in the sky. When it was light enough inside the hut to make out features, the woman opened her bag and pulled out some bandages. She moved towards me, took my hand, removed to old bandage, and started to wrap it again.
When she finished, she said, "Okay, it is light enough that we can talk. The forest is awake and will stop anyone from hearing. Guards, remove their gags. Now, what are your names?" Jacob and I looked at each other, wondering if we should tell her our number names or our lettered names.
Jacob said, "I am Jacob and she is Sydney." The woman looked pleased that we used lettered names.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
I answered, "We are from Sector 1513571, or as we like to call it, Sector Omega. The Safeguarders came and took over it from Dave - I mean, Official 41225. We were planning to escape when they discovered our supplies. We took some drastic actions, killed a few Safeguarders, and then wound up here. Do you need any more information?"
The woman replied, "No."
"Then may I ask some questions?"
"Yes, you may, but I can't answer them all truthfully. Ask away."
I smiled slighty. "Who are you, where are we, and why are we here?"
"Very good questions," the woman said. "I can answer them almost completely truthfully. I am Doctor Juliet Reese, but you may call me Doc. I am part of the resistance. I see by the confused look on your face that you didn't think there was a resistance. Yes, the State is very good at covering information. See, we were planing to liberate your sector, but one of the State's spies told them of our plans. That is why they sent Dave and the Safeguarders. The resistance only liberates the sectors ready to be free, those that are lax in their security and not as loyal to the State. They sent Dave to fix you and the Safeguarders to protect you. But you see, that was going according to our plans too. Dave is one of our agents working for the State. Well, he was one. We have no clue as to where he is."
"Dave was going to make sure it was apparent that there was no need for the Safeguarders and that they could leave, which I am sure they would. We have several other rebellions happening as we speak that I'm sure the Safeguarders would have been more than happy to go and try to quell. However, the State had more spies than we expected and it was able to find out Dave's true intentions. The Safeguarders took him aside and either killed him immediately or are torturing him for information as we speak."
"You are in one of the resistance's camps. This one just happens to be one of the larger ones. Because of its size, we are able to have women and children here. Actually, most of it is underground. The huts, like the one we are in, are disguised so they look like trees from above. I can't divulge any more information about how we work yet."
"You are here because you were out in the forest. We cannot trust anyone. We are holding you here because we need to be sure you are not spies for the State."
I asked, "But how will you find out if we are spies or not?"
"Good question." Juliet said. "We have some technology that will help us with that. There is a device we took from the State that allows us to see if you are lying or not. So, we ask you questions that you must answer. Based on how truthful you are and your answers to the question, we will see if you are spies or not. Shall we begin?" As Juliet asked the last question, the guards brought in a table, two chairs, and a device of some sort. Juliet had me go first. She sat me on the chair, attached some wires to me, and turned the machine on, which emitted a low hum.
"Are you really from Sector Omega?" she asked.
"Yes, I am." I replied. I looked nervously at the machine, but it did not react.
"Are you a spy for the State?"
"No, I am not a spy." The machine remained still.
"Do you like the State?" Juliet questioned.
"No, I hate it!" The machine appeared dead. I started to wonder if it was broken.
"Did you enjoy your life in Sector Omega?" I stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about my life.
"Yes, I did enjoy it," I replied.
"Then why did you leave?"
"I left because I wanted to be free. It was a good life, but I didn't want to live in bondage, especially since the Safeguarders came."
"Good answers. One last question." She leaned really close to me before whispering, "Are you in love with Jacob?" My eyes widened and I realized I didn't know.
I looked down and whispered, "No." The machine reacted and started making lines on a paper. I looked at it in surprise.
Juliet laughed and said, "I think you're lying!" She unhooked me and had me stand in a corner as she questioned Jacob. The questions paralleled the questions she asked me. Then, she leaned in and asked him a question that I could not hear. He looked around and then replied in a voice I could not hear. The machine remained still. She smiled and winked at me. I pleaded silently with her, but she smiled just shook her head. I gave her an exasperated look. She laughed.
After the test was finished, she had us trade out our old clothes for new clothes and changed the bandage on my hand. She explained that the State may have put tracking devices on our clothes or microphones or something of that sort, so they needed to be examined in a safe location and then burned. This resistance group really hated the State with all their hearts.
Then, we were taken into one of the huts and down a manhole. After a short climb down a ladder, Jacob and I saw a large and long hallway with many doors and people walking everywhere. As we walked down the hallway, we received mixed greetings. Most were slightly suspicious and not afraid to let us know. Others welcomed us heartily. The Doc explained that most of those were previously part of the State, but were dissenters. However, one of the people we met in the long walk to the end of the hallway stopped us.
"Look!" he cried." The State has sent more spies to kill us in our sleep! Look at them! The strangers only want to harm us! Reject them. Reject them!" He continued his rant as he walked the other way, pointed furiously at us.
"Oh, don't worry about him. Ever since his family was assassinated by the State in the middle of this very base, he has hated any new strangers. He's harmless and hardly anyone listens to him any more. Let's keep walking," Juliet said.
"Then why don't you make him be quiet if no one cares?" Jacob asked. Juliet looked at him like that was the worst thing he could have said. All she got in return was a confused look.
"Oh, sorry, I keep forgetting you just came from the State. See, Jacob, if we did that, we would be like the State. We believe in the freedom of speech here, which means you can say almost anything to whomever you please. However, that means people can also say what they want to you too. Don't worry, you'll understand the rules, or as you might view them, the lack of, soon enough." Juliet turned away and walked on. Jacob shrugged at me and I returned the gesture. Both of us ran to catch up with Juliet.
"Here we are," Juliet said as we reached the end of the hallway. She showed us into a room surrounded by guards.
"Don't worry, they are just in case something bad happens. Now, the leader of this base wants to see you in person. He wants to welcome you and tell you about the rules here. This place is very different from where you lived, although some things are the same. Our leader, or as some like to call him, the Mayor, will help you adjust and become comfortable with this place. Right this way, please." Juliet ushered us into another room with three chairs, one of which was behind a desk.
"Ah," said a voice from behind the chair." You are the two escapees from the Omega sector, where Dave was." The chair turned around and a man stared at us. "I see you have been injured, Miss-?"
"Sydney. Just Sydney," I answered. "And this is Jacob. Juliet bandaged me. After the Safeguarders came and took over, we knew that we would be caught and placed in reeducation. We decided to run. We were almost caught and would have been if not for your people. For that, we are grateful."
The leader sat staring at us. He turned to Jacob and asked, "And how about you? What do you have to say?"
Jacob looked into the leader's eyes and said, "What's your name?"
The leader laughed and said, "I am known as Frank. The people here call me Leader Frank, or Mayor Frank, though I am really neither. More like, General Frank."
"So why did you choose to save us? Why let us in here? Why do you seem to trust us?" Jacob asked.
Mayor Frank suddenly became very serious. "You are wrong. We do not trust you at all, yet we are forced to trust you. In our eyes, you are spies and you are refugees. You are assassins and you are victims. You are the State and you are the Resistance. We saved you because we thought you might just be some kids who escaped from the State, or you are spies, and therefore of use to us. You can see why I am in a predicament here. I need to find out if I can trust you or if you are spies to begin interrogating you. I have a few ideas on how to achieve it, but I want to see if you can come up with some better ones."
Jacob leaned over and whispered in my ear, "What do you think?"
I whispered back, "I think we should find out what his ideas are first." Jacob nodded at me and then turned to Mayor Frank.
"What are you ideas, exactly?"
"Well, my first thought was interrogating you. That includes torture and persuasion. I realized that if you weren't spies, then you would have reason to become spies. So, I thought that I could detain you and wait for you to crack, but that idea seemed just as bad. People have advised me to send you away and let you fend for yourself. Others wanted me to fully integrate you into our society. All of these ideas aren't very ideal, but that doesn't mean I won't use them."
Jacob looked at me and shrugged. I looked past him at the wall. On it, it had plaques with several people who received honorable mention and why. Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.
"What if you send us on a mission? Nothing too important, but something that can prove we are trustworthy."
Mayor Frank looked thoughtfully at me for a few moments. "Yes, that could work. You're a bright one, you are." He called for his assistant, who in turn called for an escort, which included Juliet. She claimed she needed to "keep an eye on her patient."
The escort delivered us to our room, which was in between the Mayor's office and the entrance. Juliet claimed she needed to do some check-ups on my hand. The escort left one guard there while Juliet unwrapped my hand.
"Jacob, Sydney, I'd like you to meet Gabe, a friend of mine." The guard did a quick wave towards us. "Don't worry, he isn't all that bad. What did Mayor Frank want with you?" Juliet asked whilst she worked.
"Well," I began, "first he asked for our names. Then, he said he needed to know if he could trust us. He asked us for our ideas."
Jacob continued, "And then, Sydney here came up with a brilliant idea. She suggested that we should go on a mission to prove we are trustworthy."
"What did he look like?" Juliet questioned.
"Well, he looked about 50 and he had half-black, half-gray hair. He was short from what I could tell," I said. I let out a small cry of pain and Juliet apologized.
"He also didn't seem very confident about what he was doing. It was almost like it was rehearsed," Jacob said.
"Yes, yes, I thought so. Well, it looks like your hand is healing very well. Let me apply some more antibiotics and rewrap it." Juliet was mostly silent except for the occasional "Please don't move" or "This might hurt."
As she was leaving, she said, "You both will need plenty of rest for tomorrow. I think I know what the mission will be. Gabe will be right outside your door if you need something. Goodnight!" We rehearsed our rounds of "goodnight" and watched as Juliet and Gabe walked outside.
"She's right, you know, "Jacob said. "We need our rest. Who knows what the mission will involve?"
I giggled and said, "Juliet, apparently." Jacob laughed as he climbed into his bed. I turned around and climbed into my bed on the other side of the room. We yelled at Gabe and asked him how to turn off the lights. He entered, indicated a switch with much flourish, and then turned it off for us. As the door closed, the room became black.
A shot fired outside our room woke us up. Since this was a close-quartered, civilian area, the gunshot was out of place. We ran out of bed and opened the door. Gabe was laying on the ground with a bullet wound to his side. We looked around for the assailant and saw the man from yesterday, the one who wanted to kill us. He was holding the gun that shot Gabe. He looked at us and aimed the gun. Luckily, he was a terrible shot and he missed with the first shot. We ducked and dashed back into our room as he fired the second shot, which hit my injured hand.
I screamed in pain and my vision started to blacken. I heard more gunshots as I collapsed into a bloody heap.
When I woke, I was in a bed in a sterile room. I moved my head to my left and saw the man who shot us, his head and his waist bandaged. I screamed as the pain came back. The scream, though, was caused more by the man. Juliet rushed into the room, pulled a curtain between us, and administered pain medicine. Slowly, the pain dulled down to a bearable level.
I asked, weakly, "Why is he still alive?" She looked at me and sighed.
"We saved his life because he is a citizen. He will be tried according to our laws." She sighed again. "We never thought he held feelings strong enough to kill. It's a sad day."
I suddenly remembered our guard. If he hadn't been there, the man might have shot us in our sleep. "How is Gabe?"
"Look for yourself." She indicated to my right. I looked over there and saw Gabe, sitting in his bed with his waist bandaged. He smiled at me.
I looked at Juliet with a puzzled look on my face and asked, "Why doesn't Gabe talk?"
She looked at me and said, "He does, but not with words. He is a mute, meaning he can't speak. We don't know why, though, as his vocal chords seem to be in order. He has learned a bit of sign language, but he prefers to write down what he wants to say." I nodded in understanding and looked at Gabe.
Juliet told me that my hand was further injured. It was possible that it would be permanently crippled and unusable. She said she would do everything in her power to make it usable again. I looked around and suddenly felt very tired. Me eyes fell shut and I drifted to sleep.
I awoke to see Gabe out of bed, talking to Juliet. Even though he was standing, he still looked weak and winced whenever he moved too much.
Juliet looked my way and said, "Oh, Sydney! You're awake! Good. Gabe is able to move around now, as you can see. Jacob has been dying to see you. Would you mind?" Gabe slipped her a piece of paper, which she quickly read. When, she had finished, she smiled and said, "Oh, and Gabe wants you to know that he proposed to me the other day, after you had fallen asleep and our wedding is in three days, if events permit. Mayor Frank wants you to know that your mission is in two days, so you had better get better."
Juliet turned around and opened the door. Jacob walked in and looked at me. I smiled at him and he returned the smile and rushed over to me.
"Sydney!" He exclaimed. "I was worried about you. Juliet told me minimal details. How is your hand? Is it getting better?" I looked over at Juliet and she gave me a worried look.
"The bullet hit the same hand that was injured by the Safeguarders. It is possible that my hand won't be able to heal and will be crippled. It is possible, though, that it will get better and heal itself."
Juliet expounded, "So far, the results remain inconclusive. We don't know if it is getting better or worse. Hopefully, within twenty-four hours, we will be able to know if it will heal or not. I'm sorry, but that is all we know." Juliet turned around and ushered Gabe out of the room.
Jacob sat there and took in the news. I was enjoying his company and remained silent. We both sat there for several minutes, just enjoying silent companionship.
"You had better get your rest. Besides, Mayor Frank gave me some duties I need to take care of. See you tomorrow!" Jacob exited the room, leaving me all by myself. Neither Juliet nor Gabe entered back into the room, so I was left to myself. Well, almost myself.
I looked to the left and moved the curtain slightly. The man who tried to kill us was still lying in the bed, unconscious. Suddenly, his eyes opened and he tried to lunge at me. I screamed, but he was injured enough that he could barely even turn over. He glared at me in hatred as Juliet rushed into the room. She closed then curtain and went over to the other side. She called for help and Gabe and a few others came in. I heard some struggling and then silence. Juliet appeared at my side and said that the man had bitten into a cyanide capsule he had in his mouth. He was dead.
Within minutes, the body was wrapped up and wheeled away, presumably to be buried. I was still in shock at what happened. The room was isolated for half the day and no one was allowed in or out. It was about the time I started to feel hungry when Juliet entered back into the room. She brought in some delicious-looking food and set it down next to my bed. She then sat down on a nearby chair and held her head in her hands. I let her sit there until she looked up and began to explain what happened.
"The man was not who he said he was. He had been here so long, I guess anyone who really remembered what happened has either passed on or moved to a safer area. When we investigated his room, it was full of files with information, mostly about us. We saw several files marked with the State's insignia. He was a spy for the State." She stopped and collected her thoughts before continuing.
"The story we all knew was a lie. It wasn't State assassins that killed his family. It was civilians. The Resistance used the assassin lie to keep people from the truth. Please understand, this was early in the days of the Resistance, and it was more like the State than it is now. The man, Luke, was an escaped refugee. The people didn't trust him and after a mishap completely unrelated to him that killed five people, his family was killed by some of the men in a drunken rage. It was covered up to encourage more refugees to come instead of frightening them away. The men involved in the murder were charged with other crimes, whether made up or real, and were punished accordingly, but Luke wanted public justice.
"He assumed the facade of a man insane with grief to cover up what he really was - a spy. He contacted the State and agreed to spy on this base for them. The reason he distrusted any escapee who came here was because they could know about him. They could reveal his secret. However, he's never taken this drastic of action before. Maybe he though you looked like spies or maybe he just lost it. I guess we'll never know for sure." Juliet stared at the ground in between her feet.
"What has he told the State about this base?" I asked.
"He kept a very extensive file about what he sent to the State. For one, he was the spy who told about Dave. I think the only thing he withheld from the State was the location of this base. I guess even he wasn't loyal enough to the State to tell them." She sighed. "Luke's death has caused a lot of suspicion to be aroused. Some are even wondering if you two are responsible. Frank has ordered a base-wide search to find if he placed any bugs. Luckily, you two won't be imprisoned. Your mission is still going to go as planned."
I took the news with a little excitement, but I was still sad about Luke's death. Jacob came in and held me in his arms despite me saying I was okay. Still, I needed some stability with the recent turn of events. After a while, Juliet shooed Jacob away and said I needed to rest. She reminded me that Gabe was at the door if I needed anything and turned off the lights. I drifted into a dreamland filled with unsettling images.
The next day was uneventful as most of the attention was towards taking care of Luke's body and uncovering any secrets Luke still had. Fortunately, they found no bugs. Juliet was still worried about us, and had at least two guards around us at all times. Juliet said my hand was doing better and that she was going to be able to let me go on my mission. Jacob came in and told me that Mayor Frank had been having him run messages between him and the men and other small duties. I smiled and told him that it was good he was being kept busy instead of worrying over me all day long.
Juliet came in early the next morning to make sure I was completely ready. She said it was a strenuous job and it would likely take us a few days. She gave me a small bag full of medical supplies and told me how to care for my hand. She led me and Jacob to the Mayor's office where we received a small letter and our instructions.
We were to go to a small island in a swamp and place the letter in a metal box. It was about a half-days journey there, but the swamp may make it take longer. Once we came back, it was to be decided whether we were spies or fugitives. Instead of giving us a map, they gave us a teenager, probably around 16. Mayor Frank told us that the teen had the pathway memorized, and if we were caught, then the State wouldn't be able to track us back to the base nor could we divulge any information if we were spies.
After giving us packs with the supplies we would need and requesting that we repeat our mission, they showed us the way out of the base. Juliet was with the guard, fretting over us like a frantic mother. I suddenly realized that she was like my mother, well, Jacob and mine's. The mother we never had.
We were soon topsoil again, in the small clearing where the huts were. Juliet hugged Jacob first, whispered a few private words to him, and came to hug me. I embraced her before she had the chance to hug me. I whispered in her ear, "Thank you."
She smiled. "Now, you keep safe. Don't do anything stupid. Make sure you care for your hand." She leaned in close and then whispered, "And good luck with Jacob." She gave me a quick wink and then walked over to one of the huts. She pulled out a red-headed teenager, the one who was supposed to accompany us.
She leaned in close to the teen to whisper something to him. All I could hear was, "Are you sure... can't lose... could be tracked." The teen smiled and whispered back, "Of course... your concern... be safe." She patted him on the back and then introduced him to us.
"This is illustrious ne'er-do-well and your map, Owen. He knows the path inside-out and is also a survivalist extraordinaire. If I could take anyone on a mission such as yours, I'd beg for it to Owen."
"Stop it. You're making me sound like some sort superman," said Owen. "Alright then," he said, detaching himself from Juliet, "let's set off. The sooner we get started the sooner we can get back!" His voice was surprisingly mature as was his general attitude, nothing like the bratty teenager I had expected.
The swamp was a few miles to the north of the camp. Owen told us that the trail didn't start until a few hundred yards into the swamp as to prevent people from finding it. He also said the trail fades away from time to time. The swamp makes it extremely hard to always have a reliable trail ready. He estimated that due to the recent downpour, which had happened while we were in the base, that the trip would most likely take three days, two if we hurried and avoided any misfortune.
We reached the outer edges of the swamp where the ground was only moist. Owen looked around at the willows for a few moments before turning sharply to the right. Jacob looked at me quizzically. I shrugged and we turned and followed Owen. He was intently studying the ground as he walked. We followed directly behind him, hoping to see what he was studying. He suddenly stopped and we almost bumped into him. He turned and looked towards the swamp. This area was thickly forested almost to the point of impassibility.
Owen stared at it intently for a few moments before declaring, "Yes, this is the way to go."
Jacob asked, "Can we even get through that?"
Owen looked at him and nodded before replying, "We have to. The other areas have been flooded from the rainfall. This appears to be the only way through." He looked each of us in the eye and said, "I need you two to do exactly as I say. This is a dangerous swamp, full of all sorts of deadly animals and plants. And people. I want you two to follow my footsteps exactly. Don't deviate even an inch. You'll need all of your concentration to do this. Are you up for it?" Jacob and I looked at each other and then nodded. "Good. Follow me." Owen stepped forward and immediately was waist-deep in water. "Never mind that direction. Help me up." We grabbed his arms and pulled him out of the water. After he was free, the water calmed to look like solid land again.
"Don't even think about saying anything," Owen said. He stepped a few feet to the left, and slowly began to make his way to the trees. He turned around and said, "Well, are you coming?" I looked at Jacob and he nodded his head towards Owen. I sighed and began to follow Owen's footsteps with Jacob right behind me. Soon, we were at the tree line.
Owen went right up to one of the trunks of the tree and began to climb up it a few feet. He told us to stay where we were. He disappeared into the foliage for a few minutes before reappearing.
"The trail is right up there. We'll need to stay in the trees for a while, though. Follow where I go and be careful. The moss makes some of these trunks slippery." He showed up the way up and then began to forge the way to the trail. After some minutes of climbing, he jumped down onto a dry-ish spot and stopped.
"Well, here's the trail." Owen pointed at the ground.
I looked at it and said, "Where? I can't see a trail at all." Owen indicated an area where the vegetation was slightly less thick than the rest. It led a few feet away before it submerged under some water. I scanned around, trying to see where it came back up, but was unable to find it.
"How in the world are we supposed to follow that? It's hardly even a trail where it isn't underwater," Jacob said. He was obviously worried that we would get lost.
"Don't worry," Owen reassured him. "I know this trail better than anyone else. There is no way we will get lost. We can get there and back before we run out of supplies as long as you two do exactly as I say. Here, let's take a short break and eat and drink something." He took off his pack and pulled out a small bag. He opened it and handed us some of what was inside.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Trail mix. It has nuts and raisins in it. It helps keep your energy up." I studied the small pile of food in my hand before throwing it into my mouth.
"We need to get moving," Owen said. He scanned around where the trail submerged and then the began walking. We followed him, not daring to even try to make our own way. He led us around the submerged area and over a rotting log.
As the day dragged on, Jacob and I quickly became tired. We began to stumble more and more after we had stopped for lunch. We were going along a dry area when my foot slipped and sank three feet into the water. I pulled it back out just as my other foot slipped into a different pool of mud. I stood up and began to walk. My boots squished with the mud and water.
Finally, I stopped and said, "Owen, I can't walk another step. My feet have been wet since before lunch and I can't stand it any more. I need to air out my boots." Jacob added a "Yeah!" for effect. Owen turned around and sighed.
"Look, we'll stop soon. The sun is starting to set and we need a dry place to set up camp. There's a small hill rising above the marshes just a few hundred yards ahead. We can stop then, get a fire going, and get some new socks on, okay?" I nodded and Owen started walking.
Almost an hour later, we reached the spot Owen was talking about. The only problem was that it was surrounded by the marsh with no clear way in. Owen sat down suddenly on a log behind us and held his head in his hands. I sat down next to him, but just as I did, he stood up again. He indicated for us to stay there and began to walk around. He disappeared into the swamp. Jacob sat down next to me and sighed.
"Well, so much for a fire," he said. "And a dry place to sleep."
"Don't worry, Owen will find a way to get to it," I said hopefully. We both sat in silence and waited for Owen to return. Suddenly, from behind us, we heard something snap. I became rigid, but Jacob stayed relaxed.
He breathed, "Act like you haven't heard anything. I'm going to stand up and try to see if Owen is nearby. Don't look behind you." He stood up and walked a few feet towards to island, looking for Owen. It was getting dark and it was hard to make out any anything against the gnarled trees. I shut my eyes, trying not to think about what could be behind us. I heard a slight splash, closer this time. I tried to slow my breathing, but to no avail. I heard a footstep just a few yards behind me. I squeezed my hands into fists, my fingernails digging into my hands. I couldn't stand not knowing what was behind me. No, I thought. Don't look back!
I turned behind me only to see nothing. The darkness obscured my vision and I could not see a thing. Suddenly, a hand reached around my mouth from behind me along with a voice saying, "Don't make a sound." It was Owen. I almost sighed in relief, but stopped myself. I felt another hand rest on my shoulder. It was Jacob's hand. Owen released me and then began to walk forward. He pulled out something tubular and slowly lifted it up. He flipped it on and a beam of light lit up the area. In the center of the beam was a man.
He was hunched over and dressed completely in rubber. His face was obscured in a netting of some sort coming down from his hat. In one hand, he held a machete. He put his other hand in front of his eyes, trying to see who we were.
Owen lowered the beam and said, "Wait, Percy, is that you?"
The man squinted at Owen before saying, "Ye gods, Owen? What are ye doing 'ere?" He was about to say something else, but Owen stopped him.
"Not here. We need a place to stay. How far away is your abode?"
Percy pointed at the island and said, "But a few yards." He took us to a boat hidden in the brushes. He lit a small lamp on the end of the boat before we all piled in. He took out a long pole and began to push us towards the island. He talked as we went, telling us how he dug out around the island himself during the dry season and then built his house on top. When I mentioned that we didn't see a house, he laughed gruffly and said he disguised it so no one would find it. I noticed that he wasn't going directly towards the island and I pointed it out to Jacob, who then questioned Percy about it.
"This whole island is surrounded by some of the deepest parts of the marshes. 'Owever, there are many snares hidden in the plants growing around. I, and only I, know 'ow to navigate around them to get to my island." He winked at me in the dim light and said, "Many 'ave tried to get to it by swimming, but the crocs took care of them." I glanced at the water worriedly. He laughed, "I was only joking 'bout the crocs. No, most of them drowned in the water, never 'aving a chance at survival. The rest were picked up by me." He remained silent for the rest of the time.
"We're 'ere," Percy said right before we came near a wooden dock, barely above the water. We stepped out onto it, finding it surprisingly steady. Percy pulled the boat ashore, hiding it far above the water before showing us to his house. It was covered in plants of all sorts and surrounded mostly by trees, making it almost impossible to see from the shore.
Percy showed us our beds. We were all sleeping in the same room; Percy's house was small. He told us to go ahead and try and get some sleep, he and Owen needed to catch up. Jacob and I wormed into our sleeping bags and then tried sleeping. I heard some movement and opened my eyes to see Jacob getting out of bed and sneaking over to the door. He glanced at me and I gave him a quizzical look. He gestured towards me and I began walking over to him. He moved his finger to his lips as I almost tripped over a metal box. I paused and opened it quietly.
Inside of it was several pictures of a young Percy with a young lady. Some of the other pictures revealed them holding a newborn baby, then a young boy. The last picture was one of the whole family, with another baby on the lady's lap and Percy holding a boy around eight years old. Underneath was a coded document, a map, and a radio. I lifted the radio up to see a small box under it. Inside the box was a pistol and several boxes of bullets. I placed the contents back in and closed it quietly. I tip-toed over to Jacob.
The doors and inner walls of the house were made of paper that had a seal over it to make it waterproof. Jacob had opened the door slightly, just enough that we could see the room where Percy and Owen were talking. Because of the paper walls and the lantern in the room, we could see the silhouette of Owen, who was standing, and Percy, who was seated.
We heard Percy say, "But 'ow can ye trust them?" Owen shushed him and they began talking in subdued tones. Jacob opened the door even further, hoping to catch something.
We could hear Owen saying, "What they don't know won't hurt them. If all goes according to plan, we should get back home without them even knowing a thing." He said some more, but we couldn't hear them. Jacob tried to get closer, but the floor creaked as he took a step forward. Percy's head snapped towards the sound and he grabbed his nearby machete, and then laughed.
"I 'aven't 'ad company in quite some time. Ye'd better get to bed, Owen. Ye 'ave a long walk in front of ye." Owen nodded silently and moved towards the door. Jacob and I sprinted back to bed and slipped into them. We assumed the façade of sleeping, but we didn't know whether Owen was fooled or not. A few moments later, Percy also came into the room with the lantern. He put it out and then went into the only bed in the house. At least we had a roof over our heads because as the night progressed, it began to rain slightly.
I was the last one to wake the next morning. I heard something cooking and sluggishly moved out of bed. I had spent too many days in that nice, soft hospital bed. I stretched and walked over to the already opened door and peered out. There was nobody that I could see, so I began exploring the house a little bit. It was completely empty. I found the stove and saw some food on top of it. The stove was off, so the food was just keeping warm. I moved it off and began devouring it. After I was finished, I began to explore the house a little more. There were five rooms total: the bedroom, a meeting room where Percy and Owen talked last night, a kitchen and dining room, a storage room, and a room full of books and scrolls. I was surprised they had lasted this long in the marshes, but I realized that they were kept in special cases that controlled the moisture content.
I didn't want to intrude on Percy's privacy any more than I already had, so I decided to explore the island a little bit. I went down to the dock to find the boat gone. I wandered around the island. It was mostly empty, just a lot of plants and trees. I found a few places where a chair was hidden among the trees, probably for meditation or lookout. As I was about to go back inside, I noticed a small wooden hatch covered in willows. I walked over to it and found it to be locked. I pressed my ear to it and heard a low hum from inside. I stood back up and went inside.
A few minutes later, I heard the door open. Percy, Owen, and Jacob walked inside.
Percy said, "Sorry fer leavin' ye 'ere all by yerself. We went out and did a bit of exploring to see which path would be best. Jacob was awake so we took 'im with us."
I nodded and asked, "Well, did you find out which path was best?"
"None of them are very good," Owen said. "But we did pick out the safest path. We'll leave as soon as we can. Go pack up your bags." Soon, we were out by the boat, all ready to leave. Just before we got into the boat, Percy whispered something to Owen. He nodded and thanked Percy. We got in the boat and Percy took us in the opposite direction of last night.
We climbed out of the boat and onto a drier looking path than yesterday's. Percy nodded at us and disappeared into the swamp. Owen set the pace and before we knew it, it was lunch.
As we stopped for lunch, I couldn't help but ask, "So why all the secrecy between you and Percy?" Owen stopped chewing and looked at me.
"It may not look like it, but I actually have quite a few responsibilities, important ones. Percy and I were just talking about them. We're friends, him and I, and we were just making sure everything was going okay. The secrecy is because we still can't trust you yet. Don't worry, if anything was vitally important, I'd let you know." He resumed eating and even though my curiosity wasn't satisfied, I didn't ask any more questions.
After a few more hours of hiking on a nice, mostly dry path, we had to stop. The path disappeared into a vast lake of water. Owen stopped and stomped in frustration.
"We can't turn back and find a different route; it would waste too much time." He walked around for a few moments before collapsing in defeat.
"I was hoping to be to the place by tonight. This is a time-sensitive mission and this delay could cost us." Jacob and I sat down on a log nearby. I glanced around the area; it looked as if the lake went on for miles. It also stretched to either side for quite a ways, so walking around it was probably out.
Jacob suddenly stood up and pointed at a small grove of trees. "Look!" he said.
"It's just some trees, Jacob. They only go a few feet into the swamp before ending," I said.
"No, there's a path there," he insisted. Owen looked over there and squinted.
"He's right, there is!" Owen jumped up and ran over to the trees. I followed, also running. As we approached the trees, I noticed some logs leading away from the grove. They continued out into the lake and onward from there. It wove around other trees and sometimes lifted up completely out of the swamp and continued in the air. It was all disguised to look natural, but it was a path. Owen immediately began going on the path, but then stopped and looked at us.
"Here's another spot where you will have to be extremely careful. The logs are old and some are probably rotten. Most will be slippery and if you fall off... We need to move quickly and safely. Come on, let's go." Jacob and I followed him with Jacob in the back.
Most of the trees had branches nearby to hang on, but sometimes, we had to shimmy our way across. The path curled around trees, doubled back on itself and was overall terrible. It took us several hours before we reached the other side safely. Owen glanced at the sun and growled in frustration.
"We only have a few more hours to go and we're still miles away. We need to go faster." Owen took off and Jacob and I struggled to keep up with him. After two hours, Jacob and I had slipped into pools of mud more times than we cared to count, we had terrible blisters on our feet, we were soaked to the bone, and we were tired. Owen stopped and promised us it was just another hour at the most before we reached our destination.
He lied; it only took ten more minutes. We stopped on an empty piece of ground in the middle of a clearing.
Owen looked around, checked the position of the sun, and then froze.
"Take your backpacks off slowly and set them down." Jacob and I looked at each other in confusion. "Just do it!" We took them off and set them on the ground.
"Now kick them away from you and put your hands near your head." We did so and from all around us, Safeguarders appeared. The entire place was surrounded by them. A motorboat began to approach us. On it was a very important-looking Safeguard and two very tough-looking Safeguards. When it reached us, the three of them stepped out and walked over to us.
"Well, if it isn't the illustrious Mr. Owens. What are you doing so far away from your precious hideout?" The superior Safeguard raised his hand and the the rest of the Safeguards prepared to fire. He waved his hand and the guns dropped. He removed his helmet and Owen gasped in surprise.
"William, you little son of a gun. What was that for?" They grasped each other's arms and did some sort of acknowledgement or handshake. William was only about twenty.
"We took out a squad of Safeguards and when we heard you were coming, we couldn't resist. Lucky for us, they were guarding a supply van full of uniforms. Well, maybe not so lucky. It would seem that they are planning on recruiting locals."
"You can include that in your report. First, though, we need to talk. If you could take us back to your base where we can talk... in private." Owen glanced at me and Jacob. William nodded in understanding and motioned to the motorboat.
"After you." He took us to the base and ushered Owen inside a building with several guards around it. He told us before he went in that we were welcome to wander the base. The only catch was that three guards would follow us around. He explained that it was so that we wouldn't get lost and we could get back to Owen when we need to leave, but I was sure it was that they still didn't trust us.
The base was very interesting. Since it was in the middle of a swamp, the entire town was on stilts. From walkways to houses, the entire town was above the swamp. Jacob and I wandered to the very center of the town, one of the few places that was on the ground. It was a giant wooden plaza right in the center of a massive lake. The trees grew from the water and touched the sky.
The plaza had several merchants with shops all around. We learned that they had a system of money, something that the State didn't allow. We wandered around, looking at the different stands. We didn't have any money, so we couldn't buy anything. We did enjoy looking at the crafts and tools people had made. Soon, a soldier came and told us Owen had delivered the message and had finished talking with William. We were to report back to him immediately.
The sun was a few hours away from setting when we got back. Owen told Jacob and me it was best if we just stayed overnight. He lead us into a building with individual rooms, gave us some soft clothes to sleep in, and told us to stay inside the building. He needed to take care of some business and he'd be back soon. Jacob and I spent the evening talking to each other, discussing all that had happened, and worrying about the future. After a few hours, we both agreed it was late and we should get some rest, so we retired to our beds. Owen wasn't even back yet.
Owen woke me up next morning by blinding me with light and throwing a backpack on me.
"Rise and shine! The sooner we leave the sooner we get out of this swamp and back to base." He handed me some new clothes and left me with a promise that if I wasn't changed and ready to go in ten minutes, bad things would happen. I spent a few seconds after he left wondering what those things could be, but decided it was best to hurry. I stepped out of my room and met Jacob, who only had one shoe on. I asked him about it, and he said that Owen had made some very specific promises to him. We stepped outside and noticed the sun hadn't even risen yet. I shivered a little; it was chilly. Owen stepped around a corner with William and hailed us. He lead us quickly over to a small dock where William's motorboat was parked. We loaded ourselves in and William drove us to a different spot than where he picked us up. He explained that this path was in better shape and that we should be able to make it in just under a day if we moved quickly.
William had told the truth. The path was way better than the one we used to get there, so we moved quicker. By the time we stopped for lunch, Owen said we were well past the half-way mark. He told us we should reach the base well before nightfall if we kept the pace. Owen told us the reason he didn't use this path in the first place is because it runs alongside a well-used road by the State. He said it was easier to avoid any vehicles going to the base than it was coming from the base. Before long, we had reached the road. The path was just a few feet away from it, but thankfully, thick vegetation concealed us.
"Wait, hold up." Owen stopped us. "Get down!" he whispered. We ducked right before some vehicles came into view. Owen stared at them intently. There were five massive trucks that rose well above the trees. The vehicles were moving slowly down the road. Several squads of Safeguarders were jogging alongside them. By the time the vehicles were out of sight, I was cramped. Owen had us stay down for a few more moments before standing up. I could tell by his face that he was afraid and worried, but he was still calm.
"Those vehicles are the State's tanks. It uses them when it plans to destroy something. They're massive and dangerous, but extremely slow and vulnerable when moving, hence the Safeguarders. I don't like it. We need to get back to base quickly." Owen began almost running down the trail. We followed him, but we were falling behind. The path broke off from the road and ran perpendicular to it for a mile or so. Jacob and I had to stop for a few seconds to catch our breath, and by then, Owen was out of sight. When we got close to the base, we noticed smoke rising from the distance. Jacob and I exchanged worried glances.
We broke out into the clearing and stopped in shock. The entire base was in ashes. Several buildings were still burning and the ground was scorched. We walked further into the base and noticed at the center a pile of decapitated bodies. Around the pile were the heads on stakes. I dropped in shock as I noticed some of the heads were people that I had gotten to know from the base. Jacob saw Owen walking out from one of the buildings. He rushed over to him. An explosion ripped through the silence from the far end of the complex. Juliet, I thought. I glanced at the pile, but I couldn't look at it for long. It made me sick. I shakily stood up and walked over to Owen. Owen was just staring at the ground in disbelief while Jacob was trying to get answers. The air was thick with smoke and ash and the smell of death. Jacob started to yell at Owen, trying to get something out of him. I had just gotten over there when Jacob shoved Owen in the chest. Owen pulled out a knife and was about to attack Jacob when I got in between them.
"Stop it!" I yelled. "Just, stop it." Jacob looked at the ground and kind of apologized to Owen. Owen just stood, staring off into space. I grabbed Owen's arm and tried to drag him out of the smoke, but he pushed me away and ran into one of the buildings. I walked over to it and saw a hatch in the center of it.
"Don't follow him." Jacob was right behind me. I nodded and we walked away from the wrecked base. We stopped a few yards out and sat down on a patch of grass. I looked at Jacob and he wrapped his arms around me. I leaned on his shoulder started crying. We sat there for a few minutes before I stopped crying.
"Jacob, Juliet and Gabe..."
"I didn't see their bodies, Sydney. They might have gotten out in time." We sat in silence for a few moments before I replied, "I hope so."
Owen emerged from the debris almost an hour later and began walking towards us. He sat down heavily and held his head in his hands for a moment.
"You need to know something," Owen said finally. "Mayor Frank isn't actually the mayor." He stared at us for a few seconds.
"I thought so," Jacob said. I looked at Jacob. "He looked more like a decoy to me, a fake mayor in case we planned any assassination attempts." Jacob looked back at Owen. "Then who is the real mayor? Is he still alive?"
"Yeah, the mayor is still alive."
"Then where is he?" I asked.
"Right in front of you." Jacob and I looked around quickly.
"Wait, you're the mayor?" Jacob said.
"Yep."
"But you're so young!" I said.
"Why'd you go with us on this mission, then?" Jacob asked.
"It was my idea," Owen replied. "I thought I should personally examine you, and this mission seemed like the best way to do it." He smiled weakly. "Besides, taking chances is the only way to get things done. I doubted you were really working with the State, so this was more of a chance to see your abilities and if you'd be of use to us."
"But you're so young," I repeated.
"Yeah, youngest general out there." He glanced back at the wreckage. "Thankfully, the State doesn't know who I am. They think they killed the general of this sector. This is actually more of a scare tactic. You probably don't know, but most of the bodies in the center are people not from this base. I think the State brought in some of its criminals and then killed them here. Most of our people escaped, I think. Either that, or they were taken prisoner." He paused. "I pray that no one did."
Owen stood up and said, "There's a small shack a few minutes from here that has a radio in it. We should see if it's still operational and try and contact someone if it is." He helped us up and then lead the way. We followed a dirt path that went through the forest before coming up on a clearing.
"Where's the shack?" I asked.
"Underground," Owen replied. He went over to one side of the clearing and reached down. He grabbed a handle and pulled it up, revealing a manhole in the ground. He told us to go in first. He closed the hatch above us. The bottom was a small room with some equipment in it. He took a seat at the center of the machinery and began to work it. I noticed a few seats against the wall, so I grabbed a couple for Jacob and I. Soon, Owen had began speaking into a microphone.
"This is M. Frank, calling from Sector Omega. Code-17a. Is anyone there?
After a few moments, we heard Percy's voice replying," Ah, I've 'eard ya." Owen grinned.
"Percy, it's nice to hear your voice."
"And yers. I've got a few refugees 'ere. I sent a most of 'em over to Base 12, but I kept a few. Do ye have any survivors there?"
"No, the base is completely empty. I do have Jacob and Sydney here, though." Before Owen could say anything else, a voice from the other end cut him off.
"Jacob, Sydney, thank goodness you're all right." It was Juliet.
"Juliet!" I yelled. "Are you okay?
"Yeah, I'm fine. Gabe and I got out in time. We were put in charge over one of the groups that evacuated. The rest should be showing up here any time." I sighed in relief.
"Juliet, if you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Percy," Owen said.
"Oh, yes, sorry, here he is."
"Ye need to get 'ere, Owen, now. Some very important people are worrying about yer safety, and after the little stunt ye pulled with Jacob an' Sydney, ye might be in major trouble."
"Yeah, I'll be there tomorrow. It's too late to try to make it now. We'll be safe; the State thinks I'm dead." After a few more words, Owen shut the machines off. He stood up and walked over to a door that I didn't notice before. He opened it and revealed several beds.
"It'll be best if we sleep down here tonight. It'll be safer and, frankly, warmer than sleeping under the stars."
It was a long night. All of us were restless and we got hardly any sleep. About halfway through the night, someone opened the door and stepped out. I waited a few minutes before following. As I rose from my bed, another figure did too. I realized it was Jacob. We both stepped out and climbed the ladder.
Owen was sitting on a rock nearby. The smoke blotted out the moon and most of the stars. The air was filled with ash and the smell of death. Jacob and I walked over to Owen and sat next to him. It was several minutes before anyone spoke.
"It just received a telegram from Percy. He said that the other base's location may have been compromised, so they are evacuating. William wants to send a reconnaissance mission into the city at Sector Omega. They're afraid, though. If they don't get someone in there soon, then they may not be able to get one in. We picked up a radio wave of the State. Official 1 is personally sending in his elite guard by tomorrow afternoon. William wants someone in there now." Owen sat silent for a few moments.
"And he want us to go in there, right?" Jacob asked calmly.
"I can't ask you to do this," Owen replied. We sat for a few more moments before I stood up.
"Well," I sighed, "when do we leave?" Owen looked at me in surprise.
"You realize that I can't guarantee your safety," Owen said. "If you get caught, I can't help you. You'll be killed or worse, reeducated."
Jacob nodded and said, "We know. But we can't sit around doing nothing while the resistance is killed. Sydney and I want to help." I agreed. Owen sighed.
"Okay. You leave in ten minutes." We stood up and rushed over to the manhole. Seven minutes later, we were ready to leave. Owen signaled for absolute silence and then lead the way. It was a few hours before dawn when we reached a hill right outside the city. It was just high enough for us to see the layout of the city.
"This is how you are going to do this. We have one or two agents still inside the city. We haven't heard from them since the Dave incident, but it's possible they are still there." Owen pointed to a few buildings. "They should be around those. You'll know them when you see them. If you can make contact, they'll lead you to the targets. If not, then head for the Administration Building in the center of town. It's the largest building; you can't miss it. There should be three or four smaller buildings around the vicinity. Look of the one that says "Supplies" or "General Purpose". There should be a radio inside there. Take it apart. You should find a chip planted by our agents inside it. It's been recording the transmissions between the State and Sector Omega." He handed us a bag. "Put it in here. If you found an agent, give it to him or her. If not, there should be a large rock near the fence near this hill. Lift the rock, and there should be a hole dug. Put it in there. If you make it, I'll be waiting back at the manhole. Knock three times, wait a few seconds, and then three more times."
Owen reached inside his backpack and pulled out two small guns with extra long barrels. "They're simple enough to operate. Point and pull the trigger. They have silencers in them, but that doesn't make them silent, only quieter. Try not to use them, though." He hugged each of us and said, "Good luck." He melted back into the darkness and disappeared from sight. Jacob looked at me and said, "Let's go."
We hurried down the hill and to the fence. It was poorly kept and rusting away. Luckily, the bottom of the fence was torn and a hole was dug underneath. Some poor animal probably made it. Jacob expanded the hole and slid through it. I ducked down and followed him. Jacob slipped behind a building into a shadowy area. I was about to follow when a Safeguarder rounded the corner. I tried to slip back outside the fence, but my shirt got caught on the fence. I stayed completely still as the Safeguarder walked past me. The masks, unsurprisingly, really affected the vision. After he passed, I untangled myself from the fence and walked over to Jacob.
"Look," he breathed. "One of the agents should be in that neighborhood around the corner. Sneak alongside the shadows and be quiet. I'm going to check for the other agent. He should be in our old neighborhood."
"Jacob, we should stay together. It's safer."
"No, actually, it's not. If we split up, then we have more chances to succeed. If we stay together and get caught, then the mission fails."
"But Jacob." I paused for a moment. "I couldn't bear not knowing if you've been captured or not." Jacob grabbed my arms and pulled me close. He hugged me for a few moments before pulling away slightly.
"Oh Sydney. I know." He looked me in the eyes and kissed me on the forehead. "I love you." Jacob turned around and started to hurry away. "We meet back up at the entrance to the Administration lot in fifteen minutes. Be safe!" Jacob turned around and ran down an alleyway.
"Be safe..." I muttered. I turned around and walked quietly into the neighborhood. There were no lights on in the neighborhood, and there were several bushes near the entrance. I moved slowly further and further to a hunched figure on the sidewalk. I reached out to touch it when a voice said, "Stop." I turned around to see a tall figure.
"Trust me, you don't want to touch that." It was a woman, telling by the voice. She walked up to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "He's been dead for almost four hours now, and I don't think he'll be cleaned up for another twenty. You're not wearing a mask, are you? Ooh, are you wearing wool? I haven't felt wool since..." Her voice faded out for a moment.
"But what are you doing in here? Spies, thieves? No, I think not. I think you are from the Resistance. Yes, I can tell. You smell of the woods and fresh air and freedom. Yes, you are here to see me." She pulled out a glowing stick and held it to my face. "I haven't seen you before. Tell me your name. Quiet, though. There are spies everywhere." I managed to tell her before she said, "Come with me, quickly. I sense your mission is limited by time." She pulled me inside a nearby house and quickly shut the door.
"We have can have only a little light, my curtains are thick enough." She grabbed a lantern and turned it on. It began to hum, but there was no light. She turned a knob and the lantern began to emit a soft light. She pulled off her mask, revealing a pale face shrouded in silver hair.
"Sydney, is it? I am Agent 129. Call me Abi, though. Now, what do you need?" I quickly relayed my mission to her. She nodded and pulled me close.
"Jacob, your friend, is in great danger. The other agent was killed just a few days ago by accident. They found out who he was, though. They put someone in his place, though. We need to get to Jacob now. Here, put on this cloak." She handed me a black cloak. She rushed out the door without bothering to let me put it on. I rushed out the door and almost ran into her.
"This is not good, not good at all. You go to the Administration building and follow your orders. I'll take care of Jacob. Whatever happens, finish the mission. We'll meet you at the rock. Hurry, now. And be careful." She ran off into the street and disappeared from sight. I ran over to the Administration building, which was about seven minutes away. I was halfway there when I heard a gunshot. I stopped and almost fell, but I kept running. The mission had to be completed.
I reached the entrance to the Administration lot when I first saw the dead bodies. They were along the road, faceless bodies stacked up as a warning. I couldn't stop to see the numbers, the only thing that showed that these were people. I stopped outside the gate, and found no guards. I slipped around a corner and ran right into Jacob.
"Oh Sydney, you're okay!" He hugged me. I saw behind him someone carrying a very large gun. "We thought that you had been captured by the fake agent."
"But Abi said that you were the fake..." The man behind Jacob swore perhaps just a bit too loudly.
"That means she knows our plan. We have the chip, we just need to place it under the rock. Did you tell her where the rock was?" I shook my head. "Good, that means we still have an advantage. Rocko here will protect us as we head to the extraction point."
The man grunted, "I told you, it's Ricky." He threw something towards one of the buildings and then said, "Run." We were about fifty yards away when something exploded behind us. The buildings were on fire and there were sirens everywhere.
"Faster," shouted Ricky. Ricky opened fire on three Safeguarders, killing them before they could even lift their guns. We kept running until we reached a fence. Ricky pulled out some wire cutters and quickly opened a hole in the fence. Jacob rushed through, but before I went, I heard someone call out behind me, "Sydney, is that you?" I turned and saw one of my old friends, 61121214.
"Fallow, come with me!" She shook her head, but stepped closer. "You can be free, you can take off that mask! Come with me!" I shouted.
"Sydney we need to leave now!" Ricky yelled. Fallow started to walk towards us before she suddenly turned stiff. She looked down at her chest and collapsed in a bloody heap. Behind her was a squad of Safeguarders, ready to fire. Ricky swore and pushed me through the hole. He began to shoot as he jumped through the hole.
"You two, finish the mission. The rock is nearby. Put it in there, then get out of here!" Ricky was hiding behind a tree. A bullet ripped through his leg and he shouted. "I'll stall them! Get out of here!" Jacob grabbed my arm and ran.
The rock was at the bottom of a hill. Jacob quickly lifted it and I slid the bag into a hole underneath. He dropped it and then we ran us the hill. It was heavily forested for a few moments, and then it burst into a clearing. This was the same hill where we made our first escape. The sun was just just peaking above the hilltop, blinding us with its light. We were about halfway to the top when the Safeguarder squad appeared at the bottom. The sun affected their aim, and bullets were flying everywhere. Several more squadrons were appearing at the bottom of the hill and began to dash up the top.
"We can make it!" I shouted at Jacob. The Safeguarders were catching up on us, but we were almost at the top. If we made it, we could easily escape them.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob trip. I shouted, turned around, and ran towards him. He waved his hand at me and told me to get to the top as a bullet whizzed overhead. I was split between freedom and my friend. He looked at me, his head bleeding because he had hit a rock. He shouted one last time to get out of there. I gave him a pained look, mouthed "I'm sorry", then turned and ran.
I had reached the treeline at the top when I glanced me. He was snarling at a group of Safeguarders who were approaching him. He tried to pull out his pistol, but a Safeguarder shot his hand. I shouted and pulled my pistol out and tried to aim. Then, one Safeguarder took a gun, rested the barrel on his forehead, and fired one shot, killing Jacob instantly. I screamed and fired a buller, hitting the Safeguarder who killed Jacob. One quickly aimed a gun at me and shot me in the chest. Pain exploded as the bullet pierced my ribs. I fell over and as my vision faded, I saw a Safeguarder look over me with a gun aimed at my head.
I woke in the Administration building. I was strapped to a chair and a little bald man in a white lab coat stood in front of me. He smiled and bid me welcome to his laboratory. He explained how I was merely strapped for my own safety, and soon, I would be reeducated. He smiled as he said I would become a shining citizen and be an example for all the others. I spat on his bald head and told him that this would be much better if we were truthful.
His face immediately changed from pleasant to disgust as he said, “Fine you ungrateful brat. You will be put through a series of tortures that I will personally see you through." He smiled, gloating, as he said, "Then, you will be brainwashed. You will become a shell of the person you once were. Now, shall we begin?” He looked over at a mirror on the wall and nodded. A jolt of pain and electricity shot through me. I screamed in agony. The bald man nodded at the wall again and the electricity ceased.
"Ready for another bout? Oh, this is just the beginning. I think that you will be a particularly tough case, so this might take weeks. And, of course, it will take my personal recommendation for them to begin questioning you. Let's make this easier for both of us and how about you tell me when you're finally broken, okay? Oh, and don't lie to me." He leaned in close to me face. His breath smelt of rotting peaches and teeth. "I'm very good at seeing through lies." He pulled out a tray with an array of knives and saws. "This is for later, my deary. Not too much later though." He nodded at the wall again and I screamed in agony.
It was weeks of torture. They did terrible things to me in that room, and I never left. That bald man oversaw each and every torture, and it gave him a sick, twisted pleasure to see me writhe in pain. They brought food and water to me, and when I was too sick to eat it, they forced food down my throat. They drugged me, they cut me, they all but killed me. They wouldn't let me die. Oh, how I wished for it, day and night. But they kept me awake and conscious, just barely, for every torture.
Then, they began the brainwashing. They were especially trained at this, more so than with torture. It only took a week for them to accomplish it. They stripped me of all willpower and identity. Or, so they thought.
I live in the center of the base. I mostly just sit around like an old woman in a rocking chair. Sometimes I knit, sometimes I write down nonsense. They let me do these because it would be too much effort to stop me. This has been their biggest mistake. Soldiers and Officials talk about plans around me because they think I don't understand them. I've been practicing writing just so I could write this, the story of my life.
I am writing it and will send it to the Resistance. They made contact with me through Abi, who actually joined the Resistance after the State captured me. I've been sending the Resistance intelligence about the State for about two years now, and the State has yet to catch on. I've been promised that my story will be published and sent to millions of people, both bond and free. If you are reading this, rebel. Resist the State and their lies and cruelty. We can't free you and keep you free if you don't rebel in everything you do. If we can get the seed of rebellion in the hearts of the people, then the State is doomed to fail. It cannot stand on the backs of the people if the people refuse to be stood on. Sector Omega will fall soon, and then, the State.
I am in my room, finishing this. Soon, it will be in the hands of Abi, who will send it to the Resistance. Soon, millions upon millions will read it. The State is onto me, though. I can hear them now, arguing about what to do with me. They're worried that someone made it back into sanity from reeducation.
They will soon burst into my room, and they will find the secrets I've been sending the Resistance. They will do as they always do, wreck my place, ruin my possessions, and then threaten me. They'll shout and scream at me as they wave their guns. And I will laugh at their faces, because it is too late. They'll push the barrel of the gun to my face and demand I tell them. I won't, so they'll pull the trigger.
I was number 1925414525. I was alone with no friends, but if I had any, they would have called me 19-5. My deceased friend, Jacob, would have called me Sydney. I now go to join him.
12/25/13
This is the product of about two years of writing. It's been rough, doing a project this large, so I'd like to thank all of the people who encouraged me, bugged me, and edited it for me. It's been a long time waiting, but I think it is worth it. I actually took out some parts of it, mostly because they were too gruesome. A few select ones are posted below.
You have been warned...
You have been warned...
Deleted Scenes
1. This "deleted scene" goes while Jacob, Sydney, and Owen are travelling back to the first base from the swamp-base. It would be right before they reach the road, so while they're still in the swamp.
We started walking over a muddy stretch of terrain. The trail disappeared underneath the swamp, but there was a log over the sunken part. It was covered in moss and mud, so it was very slippery. Owen warned us to be careful as he began walking. He took a few steps before almost slipping off. Owen told us to wait until he got to the other side before we went on.
After Owen got to the other side, Jacob got on the log. About halfway to the other side, the log shifted and Jacob almost fell off. He had a hard time getting his feet stable, so he just crawled the rest of the way.
It was my turn. The log was about four feet above the path, so I had to carefully lift myself up. I started to walk across the log when it suddenly jerked forward and then back. I stumbled and fell onto the log with my legs in the water on each side. The log started to spin to the left, so I shimmied my way to the right to avoid falling in. The log stopped, but things began to surface.
The first thing that identified what was surfacing surfacing was the smell. It came in waves when each new thing surfaced. It was the smell of death and decay, of rot and puss. Owen and Jacob were yelling at me, but I didn't dare breath to answer them for fear of fainting from the smell.
The things in the water kept surfacing, and once they did, they floated at the top of the mire. One of them surfaced right next to my leg. I felt something rub against it as a round thing reached the top. It rolled over and I got my first clear look at what it was. It was a skull, completely decayed of flesh and covered in moss and muck. I screamed and tried to stand up, but my leg was caught in its body. I finally pulled my leg out, along with an arm, and then started to crawl the rest of the way. Bodies began to surface more frequently, and the stench became unbearable. Heads, arms, legs appeared from underneath the water. Some of them were just bones, while others had half-rotten flesh hanging on the bones. Chunks of flesh and muscle surfaced alongside the bone. As I was crawling, dead bodies would brush against my hands or my legs.
I reached the edge of the log and fell into Jacob's arms. I buried my face into his shoulder as I tried to block out what my eyes had seen. I could still hear the bubbles and slight splash as more bodies surfaced.
"We should go now," Owen said.
"What is this place, anyways?" Jacob asked.
"A dumping ground for the State. All the dead bodies from this sector that they don't want people to see, they dump in here. I'd imagine some of these date back decades ago, while some are fresh." Owen paused before saying, "Keep Sydney from seeing anything while we walk. It will take a few minutes before we clear the bodies."
I kept my head buried in Jacob's shoulder as we walked. He warned me of obstacles in my way so I wouldn't trip. Even after Owen said it was safe to look, I still wouldn't move my head. The image was seared in my brain, and I tried to escape it in Jacob's shoulder.
We started walking over a muddy stretch of terrain. The trail disappeared underneath the swamp, but there was a log over the sunken part. It was covered in moss and mud, so it was very slippery. Owen warned us to be careful as he began walking. He took a few steps before almost slipping off. Owen told us to wait until he got to the other side before we went on.
After Owen got to the other side, Jacob got on the log. About halfway to the other side, the log shifted and Jacob almost fell off. He had a hard time getting his feet stable, so he just crawled the rest of the way.
It was my turn. The log was about four feet above the path, so I had to carefully lift myself up. I started to walk across the log when it suddenly jerked forward and then back. I stumbled and fell onto the log with my legs in the water on each side. The log started to spin to the left, so I shimmied my way to the right to avoid falling in. The log stopped, but things began to surface.
The first thing that identified what was surfacing surfacing was the smell. It came in waves when each new thing surfaced. It was the smell of death and decay, of rot and puss. Owen and Jacob were yelling at me, but I didn't dare breath to answer them for fear of fainting from the smell.
The things in the water kept surfacing, and once they did, they floated at the top of the mire. One of them surfaced right next to my leg. I felt something rub against it as a round thing reached the top. It rolled over and I got my first clear look at what it was. It was a skull, completely decayed of flesh and covered in moss and muck. I screamed and tried to stand up, but my leg was caught in its body. I finally pulled my leg out, along with an arm, and then started to crawl the rest of the way. Bodies began to surface more frequently, and the stench became unbearable. Heads, arms, legs appeared from underneath the water. Some of them were just bones, while others had half-rotten flesh hanging on the bones. Chunks of flesh and muscle surfaced alongside the bone. As I was crawling, dead bodies would brush against my hands or my legs.
I reached the edge of the log and fell into Jacob's arms. I buried my face into his shoulder as I tried to block out what my eyes had seen. I could still hear the bubbles and slight splash as more bodies surfaced.
"We should go now," Owen said.
"What is this place, anyways?" Jacob asked.
"A dumping ground for the State. All the dead bodies from this sector that they don't want people to see, they dump in here. I'd imagine some of these date back decades ago, while some are fresh." Owen paused before saying, "Keep Sydney from seeing anything while we walk. It will take a few minutes before we clear the bodies."
I kept my head buried in Jacob's shoulder as we walked. He warned me of obstacles in my way so I wouldn't trip. Even after Owen said it was safe to look, I still wouldn't move my head. The image was seared in my brain, and I tried to escape it in Jacob's shoulder.
12/30/13