by J B Cantwell
“Busy?”
“Yeah. I’ll tell you about it sometime.”
Great.
“All business, eh?”
She shrugged.
I turned and went to pick up my backpack, unwrapping the jammer and handing it to her.
She looked down at it, then up at me.
“What’s this supposed to be?”
I sighed, frustrated.
“You could at least try to be nice, you know.”
“You could at least try to be Riley,” she countered. “Look, I’m sorry it hurts your feelings that I don’t believe you. Get over it. As far as I’m concerned, you could be an enemy trying to break into our group. My group.”
“It’s our group, actually,” I spat. “And this,” I took it back from her again, “is a signal jammer.”
I broke it apart into three pieces; it was an exact replica of the one I’d taken to the party.
“It’s easy enough. It was created by a friend of mine, a brilliant friend. Sorta crazy, but, you know, that’s just how it goes sometimes. Anyway, if you need to hide the pieces for whatever reason, you can. Then they snap back together like this.”
I popped the pieces together and flipped the device over.
“Just press here to detonate.”
“Detonate what?” She suddenly seemed leery.
“It won’t hurt you. It disrupts the cell towers, which control the ability to run our lenses. If you look around, you’ll see that there are towers all over the city. We’ll just need a few handfuls of these, and we can shut off everything.”
“Everything?”
“Well, not everything. We’ll still have electricity and hard-line telephones and internet. That way society won’t completely collapse. But our signals will be gone. No more designations.”
I handed it to her. She paused momentarily, then took it in her hands, rotating it, examining it.
“Who did this?” she asked. “Not you.”
I sighed, exacerbated.
“No, not me. But hey, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She ignored me.
“Who, then?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you, actually. In fact, I don’t think I will. But he’s a genius, and he’s been used by the government for a long, long time. He’s sort of going rogue, building these for us.”
“Why for you, though? How did you get him on board?”
“I don’t know, really. Somehow, he figured out who I was. He and the Champions’ leader, Damien. They both knew right away, and they both hate each other. I didn’t fool them at all with the Audrey story, even though my chip broadcasts her signal.”
“Yeah,” she said. “About that. Who, exactly, is this Audrey person?”
“Not is,” I said. “Was.”
“What, did you kill her, too?”
“Too?”
“Yeah. If you’re really Riley, then you know who she’s killed. So, give me a list. Maybe I’ll believe you then.”
“No. I’m not going to do that.”
“Because you don’t know.”
“Because it’s disgusting. You think I’ve enjoyed some sort of bloodthirsty existence? You think I’m a Champion in disguise?”
She folded her arms across her chest.
“Maybe. How do I know?”
“You don’t. I’ve already given you a ton of information, private information that only you and I share. If that’s not enough, I don’t know what is.”
I turned and walked toward the sink and my pants. I pulled out another stack of credit cards and turned, walking back over to hand them to her.
She looked at them, confused.
“Where are you getting all of this?”
“It was Audrey’s money. She was a Volunteer back when they were stationed in the Stilts. She was their benefactor for years. She would take the chip info back from time to time and buy anonymous credit cards so that they could buy food and supplies. She never got caught, but she died in the Stilts bombings. She left this.” I pointed to my scalp. “Chambers put it in when he did all this.” I looked down at my body, no longer my own.
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” she said.
I shook my head at her. Unbelievable.
“Somehow I doubt that you would appreciate waking up from a sleep you were certain was death only to find yourself changed. And not just my body, but my lips, my eyes, even my voice isn’t the same.”
She went silent for several long moments, considering.
“Alright, then,” she said. “Let’s say I believe you. Just tell me one thing. Why not run for it? With all that money and a designation nobody can touch, why stay and help?”
“Really? Do you know me at all?”
“I guess not. I don’t know. Do I?”
Not really, then.
“They have Alex,” I finally said. “Somebody does; I don’t even know who. But I’m going to get him back. I don’t know how, but I will.”
She stared at me, and it seemed like she was seeing me for the first time.
“I’m sorry,” she said, stumbling. “This—this whole thing has just been hard to wrap my head around.”
“Hard for you? Try waking up a completely different person. Rich, yes. Free, no.”
I said these things, but I knew I wouldn’t get any sympathy from her. Not after all she’d been through on her own.
“So,” I said, trying to be an ounce more pleasant. “How is everyone?”
“Better now that they have food and water,” she admitted. “We found a place to hide, and it’s not bad. The water only comes up to our knees. Things have been … busy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re not going to like this, but Hannah has come to stay with us. And we didn’t have much choice but to—”
Was I hearing her right?
“Are you insane? You may not believe that I’m Riley underneath here, but that’s just … Hannah … that’s just stupidity on your part.”
I suddenly regretted telling her anything, and I definitely regretted giving her the signal jammer.
“I’ll take that back now, thanks.” I stuck out my hand for it. Game over.
“I’m not giving this back to you,” she said, hugging it to her chest.
“Why not?”
“Because you risked all to get it to me. There must’ve been a good reason.”
There had been a good reason. She could use it to hide the Volunteers and anybody who fell under the umbrella of the jammer’s protection.
But Hannah didn’t make it onto my list of people I wanted to protect.
“Hand it over,” I said, reaching for it.
“No,” she said, taking a few steps back. “I can use it. We can use it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You really need to talk to Hannah,” she said. “And this way, you can. I can put it on the roof and—”
“You’re not going to put it on the roof. No way. I’ll find a better use for it. This was a mistake.”
“It was not a mistake. Do you have a better use than protecting every Volunteer you helped save?”
I glared at her, but she glared right back.
“That’s what I thought.” She pulled a backpack from around her shoulders and placed the device inside. “I can do it tonight, and you can come see her for yourself.”
“I don’t want to see her. I don’t—”
“You need to see her. Just trust me. I’m trusting you.”
We stared at each other, both of us angry, both of us determined.
Melanie didn’t understand. She hadn’t dealt with Hannah before, and I had. I’d had a few too many dealings with her. And she was nothing but a traitor. A terrorist.
Terrorist. Terrorist. Terrorist.
The word echoed through my mind again and again, and soon it was nothing more to me than a pattern of sound, meaningless gibberish.
She was a terrorist.
Like me.
<
br /> I looked up at Melanie, and I could see in her eyes that she was doing what she thought was right. She just didn’t know. A month ago she might’ve believed me if I’d told her to stay away from Hannah, but considering that it was only in the last five minutes that she believed I was Riley, I could see why she doubted me.
“Fine. I’ll go. And I’ll show you about her. You’ll see in the end.”
She stared at me, and for a split second I thought she might cry. But then she looked down at the device again, eyes dry.
“Okay. So, all I need to do here is set this down somewhere and hit this button?”
I didn’t answer right away. I was tired. So tired of it all, that the excitement of the precipice we were standing on was lost on me.
Everything was about to change.
And that was what I wanted. Right?
I took a deep breath and tried again.
“Yeah. It’s pretty simple, actually. But wherever you put it, you should try to hide it. I don’t think anyone has figured out what they are or how to find them, but they will soon enough.”
“Okay. I’ll put it on top of our building. Then, when your chip goes blank, meet us there.”
She gave me the address.
“What floor?”
“Three. I’ll be watching for you. One hour.”
One hour.
Albert wasn’t happy, I could tell. But he didn’t say anything.
“Your chip still working?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Is yours?” he responded.
“Right. Well, let me know if yours blows first.”
“Will do.”
I was glad for the tinted windows in the back of the car, because if anyone were to look inside, they would’ve seen a very nervous girl looking out at the world.
I’m more than a girl. I’m a soldier. A Volunteer. A leader.
An assassin. A murderer.
No. Not on purpose.
Not on purpose.
“Do you think we should drive around?” I asked.
“I think it’s probably better to stay in one place. Less visible, in a way. Though, honestly, I don’t think anyone is watching you.”
But I knew he was wrong. I had told Albert what I needed to, but not much more; he didn’t have the whole story. And the story was that I knew better.
Damien was certainly watching.
But I supposed there was a chance, a slim chance, that I would make it out of all this a free woman. Maybe Damien wasn’t watching. Maybe Chambers had been released, and Damien had his eyes on him now.
Fool’s wishes, but I wished them.
The signal cut out earlier than I expected it to, just forty minutes in. Around us, life stopped as people put their hands to their temples, confused. A couple of people tapped the area over where their chips were inserted, but they came up empty. Just like in Manhattan, the buildings started to empty. Suddenly, I wondered if we shouldn’t have left our resting spot sooner. Any minute, the streets would be blocked with taxis and a crush of people.
“Let’s go,” I said, trying to remain calm.
Albert put the car in gear and hit the gas. The meeting spot was only about ten blocks away and two blocks into the flood zone. I could’ve walked easily, but I was too nervous to do it alone, especially in what would quickly become a panicked crowd.
It didn’t take us long, though. There weren’t so many cars in Brooklyn, so the streets didn’t clog like they had in the city. And it was late. While people looked shocked, and some of them nervous, there wasn’t a panic. If anything, there was a sense of relief in the people who were out. A sense of wonder.
“This is where I stop,” Albert said as he pulled over the car. “Good luck, Page.”
“You’ll wait for me here? I can’t exactly message you.”
“Of course. If you don’t find me here, all it means is that I’m driving around, trying to stay mobile. No need to worry. Understand?”
“Yeah, I understand.”
But I knew what it would mean if he disappeared.
I took a deep breath and let myself out of the car. Albert killed the headlights.
Down on this side of town, few people came out. It was late, and, unlike Manhattan, not everyone was awake and partying like they had been the night of the first detonation.
I wondered what had become of them, my people, in the last weeks. Months. Had they rallied? Become strong? Or were they hurting? Too weak to move forward?
While we’d waited, I’d changed into my dry clothes. But I kept on my wet shoes. She had said the water was up to the knees, so I would have cold feet no matter what. But I could roll up my pants.
I splashed into the water, the river icy cold, and made my way down the sodden block to the address Melanie had given me.
I was early, but I knew they would be waiting for me.
As I walked along I heard a quiet, “Psst!”
I looked up and saw Melanie’s head poking out a third floor window, and she had a big smile on her face.
“It worked!” she whispered. “The door is right over there.” She pointed to my left.
I took a few steps deeper into the water and found an open door swinging on its hinges.
Not exactly secure.
I stepped into the building and swung the door closed behind me. But I shouldn’t have bothered. The current of the river took hold of it again, the latches broken.
Desperate times.
Maybe things would be different now.
I found the stairwell and pushed myself through the water and up the first flight. I wasn’t even halfway up to the second floor when I heard footsteps rushing to greet me.
“It worked!” Melanie called. “It worked! It worked!”
She slammed into me, jumping up and down as she hugged me.
And a small part of that feeling, that sickening, lost feeling, evaporated.
She recognized me. Trusted me again. Was celebrating with me.
What more could I ask for?
“How did you know?” I asked. “None of you are chipped.”
“Easy,” she said. “We were up on the roof, and once the thing went off, we could see people in the streets. Seemed pretty obvious.”
She turned and started back up the stairs.
“Come on,” she said. “They’re waiting for you.”
And they were.
Twenty or so of them were waiting in a pack right near the door to their hideout. I walked over the threshold, and several jaws dropped.
“Wow,” one girl said.
“Whoa,” another one, a man, said. “She said you were beautiful, but seriously. You’re ridiculous. You’re spectacular.”
He approached me and reached out one hand as if to touch my face, but I backed away.
“Hands off,” I said, defensive.
And suddenly, I didn’t feel scared anymore.
“So, I guess we’re all in the clear now,” I said to the group. “As long as that device blocks the signal, we’re good for as long as we like. It will be our job to protect it, at least until more are deployed. So we’re all free to roam the streets within ten blocks of this building.”
“What are you going to do?” one of the women asked. “Are you staying this time?”
“No. I can’t stay. Not unless you want to lose your benefactor. Keeping my chip in is the only way I can keep money coming in for you all.”
“But what’s next then? What’s the plan?”
“Yeah,” a raspy voice said. A voice I recognized.
The crowd parted, and Hannah, leaning heavily on a cane, came into view.
“What is the plan, boss?”
Chapter Seven
I saw red.
I was suddenly out of control. I pushed my way through the crowd, wound up and punched her as hard as I could in the jaw.
She hit the floor, cane rattling away on the concrete.
“I told you,” I said, spitting. “I told you that I would kill
you. What part of that did you not understand?!”
Hands wrapped around my arms, my beautiful, perfect arms, and held me at bay. I kicked out, narrowly missing her stomach.
More hands, people getting in the way.
But I screamed and kicked anyway. I wanted to hurt her, to kill her, just as I’d said I would. And if they wanted to get in my way, then so be it.
But then something happened that I couldn’t run away from.
A punch in the gut.
I bent down, clutching at my stomach, falling to my knees. In an instant, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think or hear or speak.
The hands let go, and someone’s muffled voice made it to my ears.
“—you understand? I don’t care how beautiful you are! You keep your hands to yourself or go join the Champions! She is here under our protection. If you want hands off you, then keep your hands off her.”
I looked up and realized that it was Jay who was in my face, Jay who was yelling, who had hit me.
“Jay,” I whispered through my gasping.
My ear brushed the concrete as I rolled over onto the floor, still clutching at my middle, eyes closed as I tried to recover.
But when I opened them again, I didn’t see Jay or anybody else standing over me. Instead, across the floor from where I lay, I saw Hannah.
She opened her eyes, and I could see now on her tattooed face there were fresh scars. Burns or cuts or both, I couldn’t tell. The marks of the Champions. Of Damien.
“Do it,” she mouthed. “Please.”
The group was in an uproar, and a moment later, a pair of feet stood between us. I looked up and saw Melanie. She reached a hand down to me. I took it, and her help, and stood, still hurting, but upright.
Someone, the man who had tried to touch my face, had picked up Hannah’s emaciated body and was carrying her over to a couch against the far wall. Carefully, gingerly, he lay her down. Then, he turned and stood his ground in defense of her.
I started walking in her direction, and I felt hands on my arms again, Jay’s words floating around in my brain.
“No,” I said, shaking off the hands that held me back. I stopped, coughing, unable to move forward. Then, head up again. “I’m fine. I won’t touch her.”
Jay came into view, blocking my path.
“I won’t,” I said.