by Tracy Lawson
Chapter 12
6:59 PM
Quadrant DC-005
Tommy wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as he leaned against the wall outside Command Central. His nervousness was genuine and not just because of their plan. Atari stuck his head out the door and made an impatient face. “Why are you lurking in the hall?”
He shrugged. “Girls take forever to get ready.”
“Ready for what?”
Tommy let the insinuation pass, determined not to let Atari bait him. “We have dinner plans.”
“Well, you have to eat sooner or later to keep up your strength. You’ve been behind the Do Not Disturb sign ever since she got here.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “So … just between us … was it worth the wait? Or is she too much for you?”
If Atari ever found out he’d been sleeping in a chair, he’d never hear the end of it. Tommy forgot he was playing it cool and responded with a rude gesture. “Hardly.”
“Ha! I see what you did there. You don’t have to get testy about it. By all means, ply the pretty lass with food. I’ve got better things to do.” He slammed the door, and Tommy grinned at Atari’s feigned disinterest. Was it really going to be that easy to draw him out?
At seven p.m. sharp, Careen emerged in jeans and an emerald-green sweater with a neckline that did more than hint at her cleavage. She’d swept her hair up into an artfully messy ponytail with a few loose strands framing her face and concealed the last tinges of yellow-and-green bruising around her eye with makeup she’d found in the well-stocked bathroom. She’d applied a hint of eyeliner and lip gloss and powdered over the nearly healed gash on her cheek.
“You look great.” He lifted her chin for a strawberry-flavored kiss that lingered a bit longer than she might have liked. He knew he was taking a liberty, but Atari was certain to be watching. “Hungry?”
She nodded and took his hand, and as he led her into the dining area, she sniffed the air and her eyes lit up. “Did you make pizza?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s been—”
“Forever. I know.”
He led her to a table in a corner of the room and pulled out her chair. She smiled, almost unwillingly, as she sat. He saw Atari duck back around the corner as he headed into the kitchen.
As Tommy returned, carrying the fragrant pizza aloft on his fingertips, he scratched the side of his nose with his other hand, which was the agreed-upon signal that they were being watched. She applauded as he slid the pan onto the table, and they both dug in as if they didn’t have a care in the world.
Soon she popped a bite of crust into her mouth and wiped her fingers on her napkin. “You’re pretty good at this first date thing. Should I be jealous? How many other first dates have you had?”
“Umm … none. Not really. Unless you count our Essential Services smorgasbord on the day we met.”
“I don’t think you can have two first dates with the same person.”
Oh, good. A little teasing banter. She really is in there, somewhere. “Fair enough. This one should count as our official first date. I’ve watched lots of old movies. Pretty sure this is what people did on dates when our grandparents were teenagers.” He served them each another slice.
The video games whirred and chirped in the background as they ate. Careen looked over his shoulder into the gallery. He asked, “Have you ever tried any of those games?”
“No, I’ve never seen any of them before.”
“Let’s go play one.”
They left the table and she wandered around the arcade-like room, looking at the brightly colored images on the screens. “How about this one? Asteroids.”
“Okay.” He stood close behind her, reached his arms around her to take the controls, and settled his chin on her shoulder. The first round was a tutorial, and he spoke near her ear as he played.
“The object is to break up the asteroids before they hit your spaceship. Use the roller ball to rotate the ship, and hit this button to fire.” His lips brushed her cheek as he pushed the Reset button. “Your turn.”
At first she giggled helplessly as the asteroids threatened, but it was so good to hear her laugh that he didn’t care if she never caught on. As soon as she mastered the controls, her demeanor hardened until the competition felt more like a power struggle than a friendly game.
Seriously? No way was he going to knuckle under and let her win. He took his turn. “Ha! Beat you again.”
She stuck out her tongue at him. “Fine. Let’s try a different one.”
“Centipede? Q-Bert? Pac-Man?”
“I want a fair chance. Which one haven’t you tried? Or do you know how to play them all?”
“I’ve tried most of them. I’ve been here a lot longer than you.”
“Okay, then let’s play Centipede. The controls look the same.”
“Yeah. Use the roller ball to move the garden gnome and shoot the centipede before it gets to the bottom of the screen.”
“Me first.” The game started off slowly, and she yelped when the pace increased. “Whoa! It just split in two!” She tapped the Fire button as fast as she could.
“Blast those mushrooms out of the way. That’ll slow down the centipede.” He smiled at the focus and concentration on her face. “Look out for the spider!”
She zapped it into oblivion, and when the game was over, she’d won by a lot. While she tried to figure out how to add her name to the list of high scores, he wandered over to the neon-lighted jukebox, flipped through the playlist, and made a selection.
She turned around. “All this and music too?”
“Yeah. Most of the tracks are pretty cheesy, but this one’s good.” He took her hand. “Wanna dance?”
She stepped into his arms and laid her head on his chest, and they swayed in time to the music. He waited a verse before he spoke. “I like your hair this way.” He brushed his fingers against the side of her neck, and she sighed and nestled closer.
How could something as simple as slow dancing be so hypnotic? He wanted to freeze time until he was sure she felt it too. To hell with Atari, Madalyn, and the rest of the world. Right now all he wanted was a lifetime of ordinary moments.
As soon as the song ended, she slipped out of his embrace and beckoned him over to the Wild Gunman game, where she posed with the plastic six-shooter. “We have to try this one.” He watched while she drew down against caricatured desperadoes of all descriptions, until the guy in the serape was too quick. “See if you can win the tie -breaker.” She held out the gun.
As Tommy hesitated, Atari’s voice came from behind him. “Dude, when you gonna get back on that horse?”
He whirled around. “Mind your own business for once, will you?”
“What does he mean?”
Atari jaw fell open in exaggerated surprise. “You mean you didn’t tell her?”
“I didn’t tell you, so why would I tell her?”
Careen laid down the toy gun. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s hard to keep secrets here.” Atari flashed his wolf-like smile at her. “Careen, Danni’s clothes flatter you. That sweater’s a particular favorite of mine. Clingy. Sends all the right signals.” Atari’s eyes raked her, and she retreated behind Tommy, digging her fingers into his arm.
“Leave her alone.” Tommy grabbed a handful of Atari’s shirt, pulled him up on tiptoe, and stared down at him.
“Thought you didn’t like video games.” Atari twisted out of his grip and skulked away down the hall.
Tommy muttered to Careen, “Well, we called that right, even though we couldn’t predict what he’d say to get attention.” He pulled her back into their slow-dance cuddle.
She pushed against him. “The music’s over.”
“Doesn’t matter. Please stay.” After a moment she relaxed a bit, and they swayed on the spot until he mustered the courage to speak. “I never told you why I’m here instead of with the rest of the Resistance. Some bad stuff happened to me after the explosion too.” He to
ok a deep breath and kept his gaze fixed over her head. “A couple days after I got back to BG-098, they announced on PeopleCam that you were in custody and cooperating with the OCSD’s investigation into the bombing. We figured the quadrant marshals would be coming for us sooner or later, so we made a plan to evacuate. My dad decided to turn himself in and give the rest of us time to get away. But I couldn’t let him do that. He’s too idealistic, you know?
“Jaycee and I got everyone else to safety, and then I took off after my dad. By the time I got back to the diner, marshals were already there. I hid in the bushes and watched. Apparently Dad managed to convince them he was on his own and that he’d never met Mitch before. A local marshal backed Mitch up, said there was no way he was in the Resistance, so the rest of them put my dad in handcuffs and took him to the capital.
“At least that’s what Mitch said when I went inside. He didn’t want me to go after my dad, but I didn’t care. I was ready. I had the keys to the truck in my hand. Then, all of a sudden, one of the marshals was there. He’d thought something was fishy and doubled back.
“He held us at gunpoint and demanded to know where to find the others. Made some crack about looking forward to tracking down my mom.” He shuddered. “Then Danni came through the door with a big box of groceries and startled him. There was no time to think about it. I drew and fired. And I killed him.”
She stared, tears glistening in her eyes. He sniffed and turned his face away, trying not to cry. “It happened really fast. Before I knew it, Danni got me in her truck, and we were on our way here.”
“You’ve been in hiding with Atari nearly the whole time?” He thought he heard a hint of a laugh. It broke the tension, and he sighed.
“Yeah. I had a chance to leave with my dad and go back to OP-439, but I said no. By then Atari knew where you were, and I wasn’t going home without you. I’ve been stuck with Atari for weeks, and, believe me, I’ve suffered plenty.” He took both her hands in his. “But there’s no way to compare my situation to what you went through. When you pointed my gun at me, it freaked me out. A lot. I hope you can understand why I had to disarm you, even if it meant hurting you. I knew you were frightened, but so was I.”
She looked like she was going to cry. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”
“But it is my fault! I told the people who interrogated me how to find the diner. If I hadn’t—”
“No.” He fixed his gaze on hers. “That doesn’t matter.”
“I tried to protect you. I just … couldn’t.”
“I know. You don’t have to apologize. For any of it.”
“But I am sorry. So sorry …” Her lips sought his, and as he clung to her, he forgot about Atari’s treachery and the Resistance’s revolution on the horizon. At this moment, there was only Careen, warm and soft and mostly unbroken, despite everything she’d endured. The video games around them chirped and whirred victoriously.
She whispered in his ear. “This was a good first date.”
“Did you get enough to eat?”
“Yes. I really did.”
“I’m still hungry.” He’d seen a flicker of movement near where Atari had left the arcade, so he took her hand and led her across the lobby and down the hall.
She looked over her shoulder. “The kitchen’s the other way.”
“I didn’t say I wanted food.” He pulled her close and buried his face in her neck, whispering, “He’s still watching.”
She giggled and squirmed as though he was tickling her. He pressed her against the wall and kissed her deeply, letting his hands roam just a little, for effect, before he hurried her into his room. When they were alone, he kissed her once more for good measure.
This time, she pushed him away. “Slow down a little, okay?”
“What? You were great. It worked.”
“I disagree. We already knew Atari thrives on voyeurism. We didn’t learn anything about why he’s panicking and yelling at Mitch.”
“If we keep acting like we’re having fun together, he’ll butt in and try to ruin it by telling us something he thinks will upset us. I guarantee whatever he’s yelling at Mitch about will upset us too.”
She folded her arms. “I said I’d act like we’re together when Atari can see us. That’s all I can handle right now.”
“So you weren’t being sincere when you said you were sorry? You were pretty convincing. I thought we just had a moment out there.”
“I am sorry about what happened to you, but I felt pressured to kiss you.”
More lies. His anger flared, but he tried to keep his voice from showing it. “I didn’t pressure you, and I’d never jerk you around like that. My feelings for you haven’t changed. Don’t you remember?”
She didn’t answer.
“Okay, fine. Have it your way.” She’d agreed to pretend to be in love with him. It was a start. Maybe someday it wouldn’t be an act.
Chapter 13
6:48 AM
Sunday, December 24, 2034
Quadrant OP-439
It was all Lara could do to prevent Jaycee from leaving Eduardo’s apartment before dawn.
“Sweetheart, she won’t even be awake yet. No one is awake yet.” She took a sip of coffee. “We’ll go over in a few hours.”
“What’ll I say to her when I see her?”
“I don’t know. I suppose you’ll say whatever seems right.” What, indeed? The same question had been troubling Lara ever since she’d offered to introduce the girl to her mother. Jaycee had no memory of her, and Lara had last seen her the previous July, on the night of the car accident that had torn apart her family.
Once her memory had returned, Tom had broken the news that his best friend had been an informant for the OCSD. That she believed. But was his wife complicit? She was my best friend. I don’t want to believe she would hurt me on purpose.
Was she doing the right thing? She’d made the offer to introduce Jaycee to her mother while she was angry about Mitch’s neglectful conduct. Had she overstepped her responsibility to care for the girl? Jaycee had a right to know her mother, but would she live up to her hopes and be a positive force in her life? Or was she merely the lesser of two evils?
Jaycee did her hair ten different ways before she was satisfied, and dragged Lara out the door the minute the clock struck nine. Lara kept to the alleys behind the houses as they drove the short distance in Eduardo’s truck.
“Why don’t you let me go to the door alone, first? I think it might be good if I prepare her for the surprise.”
“All right.” The girl could barely conceal her excitement and seemed sure that the surprise would be a good thing.
Lara pulled into the alley behind the house and parked the truck near the garage, out of sight of the main road. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans as she crossed the driveway. Her knees trembled a little as she climbed the porch steps and tapped on the back door.
Someone drew back the curtain on the door and one eye peered out. Lara heard her name and then the click of tumblers moving in three locks. Beth Severson opened the door and flung her arms around Lara, who staggered back a step.
Beth held her close and kept her voice low. “I thought you were dead! When did you get here? Are you all right? Where’s Tom?” Then she grew silent, and her grasp on Lara loosened. “Who’s that?”
Lara turned. Jaycee was waving out the passenger window.
“Beth, umm, as you can see, your daughter’s anxious to meet you.”
“My … who?” She swayed on the spot and gripped the doorframe. “Are you sure?”
“Oh, quite sure.”
“Does Mitch know she’s here?”
Lara shook her head and motioned for Jaycee to join them.
Jaycee hurried onto the porch, where she halted behind Lara and ducked her head a little. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
Beth’s chin trembled and she reached out to touch Jaycee’s curls. “You’re so
grown up.”
“I’m fifteen.”
She glanced around and held open the door. “Come in, both of you. We shouldn’t stay out in the open like this.”
Lara looked over her own shoulder before she stepped inside and shut the door. “Are we safe here?”
“Of course.”
“Where’s Art?”
“We’re not together anymore.” Beth led them through the kitchen and the butler’s pantry to the dining room. Soon, she was pouring coffee. Lara watched Jaycee take in the opulent surroundings with wide eyes. Unlike the Bailey home, the Seversons’ had not been ransacked, and everything was neat and in pristine condition. Like a museum.
No one seemed to know how to begin the conversation. Lara’s cup clinked against its saucer. “Would you two like some time alone to get acquainted?”
Jaycee nodded, curls bouncing around her shoulders, and Beth smiled. “Yes. I just want you to know, Lara, that I treasured the time Tommy and I had together after the accident. He’s such a fine young man. I thought for a while it might turn into something more permanent, but”—Lara bristled without really understanding why. Beth tossed her head and continued—“well, I’m certainly glad you’re all right. It did make me envious of you, not because of what happened, of course, but because you’d been able to watch him grow up.” She picked at a perfectly manicured nail. “I guess what I mean is, thank you for doing this. I won’t ever forget it.”
9:25 AM
Quadrant DC-001
Pete Sheridan shook his head as he added new footage to his video archive. PeopleCam local affiliates from all over the country had been sending images of crowds massed in front of Distribution Centers, beating on the doors and demanding to be Linked.
The CXD protesters had bolstered their ranks, now that counterprotesters had showed up. The opposing groups waved their signs, shouting and chanting, their voices mingling with those of the frantic parents with their children in tow.
One young man made a heart with his hands for whoever was recording the video. “I just want to send out a message to Madalyn Davies and the OCSD—we stand with you! We pledge to do whatever we can to help get the Linking underway. Ask not what your country can do for you, right?”