by Jiny Lee
To find it out, Fox chose the most direct way possible. She just asked Liz. Personally, I'd prefer a more indirect and safer way but Fox just said to Liz like, 'Hey, we're planning something dangerous called revolt accompanied by assassination. You want in?' The more surprising news was that Liz simply said, 'Yes, count me in.'
I found out that Liz and Chris were from the 198th floor. That was the highest floor you can get in the building since the 200th floor was only for the sisters and the Reaper himself, and maybe a few royal guards to protect their emperor. I asked Fox how they ended up on the 100th floor. They were undoubtedly from the most powerful family if they were from the floor that high.
Fox told me that they never were part of the cartel. Actually, she said they were against the cartel for all their lives. They tried to voice against the cartel and tried to change people's attitude, saying, 'Can't you see the people down there are starving to death? We should stop being extravagant and save the people. If we spend less, it doesn't have to be much but just a little bit less, we can save thousands of people. Think about the children. Think about the elders. This building is dying. What's supporting us is the people on the lower floors. We can't survive if they can't survive.'
Obviously, no one listened. The luxurious privileged didn't want to lower their living standard not even a single inch. So they ended up being exiled to the 100th floor, which was the lowest of the non-working floors.
I was surprised by two things. First, I never thought there were people who thought like them on the top floors. And secondly, I was surprised that the Cartel didn't kill Liz and Chris.
You see, the cartel, especially the Reaper, is infamous for being powerful and ruthless. But he couldn't kill anyone just because he didn't like the way they talk. It meant he wasn't a god who could do whatever he wished to do. He was only human. He wasn't almighty. He was also just a part of the whole power game.
The privileged people were being cooperative to the Reaper and the cartel not only because they were afraid of them. They were being so just because it was beneficial. The richest top floorers are the ones who had real powers. Why would they be afraid of the Reaper? They were the ones who should be called the reapers. The Reaper was only one of them. It's all politics. The system was represented as the cartel and the guards, but they were just one of many other invisible powers.
Jacques must have figured it out the second he saw the way people behaved at the party we had at Finlin's. He was from the city where this kind of political shit is more abundant and more elaborate. And that was probably the reason why he was spending that much time with Finlin.
Around that time, I asked Jacques how was it going. He answered, 'Finlin is a very cautious guy, but he has an ambition. He's kind of a guy who always carries a scale with him. He wouldn't touch anything that would burn his fingers. He weighs before he acts. And when he concluded that this is the bigger nugget than that, he takes it without hesitation.'
...
By the time the Chigan Sar was only a few weeks ahead, we came up with the most of the plan. The plan to kill Hannibal and give people a gentle push. The plan to show people that they could resist. When the day came, when Hannibal came down to the 100th floor, we would kill him and free the sisters and spread the news all over the building that we killed Hannibal. Then the people would stand up and shout out for freedom.
But there was one thing we needed in order for the success of the plan. We needed weapons. Jacques claimed that people should be armed in order to gain liberty. He said liberty, the freedom, is not to be given free but to be earned and fought for, and he believed that liberty can be only earned by the uprising of the majority with rifles in their hands.
There were only one group of people in the building who could print out the rifles and pistols without being detected by the guards. We needed the day walkers to help us. So, I went down to the 13th floor one day with Purple and Jacques. Purple asked the baker to take care of the generator on the 20th floor. He was more than welcome to help us.
The day walkers welcomed us too. We told them what our plan was. They listened to us. To be more precise, they listened to Jacques.
They really wanted to help us. They all moved in an organized, and efficient way to prepare for this. It was as if they were already prepared for the revolution. I told Jacques that I was impressed to see that they were so prepared. He said they had already been preparing for the revolution for years. Only the location had changed.
The veterans upgraded their machine arms and legs. It was a technology much beyond the technology we had in the building. With such limited materials, they turned their synthetic limbs into killing machines. Their arms and legs could do what human arms and legs weren't capable of. They could smash the walls in one hand, and they could jump up the stairs at once. After all, the rumors about their machine arms had their points.
At the same time, they quickly set up an assembly line in an empty room and started to print out the pistols and rifles.
The arsenals they were making looked much more of pieces of art than to be called weapons. They made revolvers with the simplest mechanism, but with the most elaborated performance at the same time. 45 calibers in 6 shot cylinders.
I asked them why they made revolvers instead of the auto pistols. They said it was because the revolvers were easier to make, easier to clean and maintain, and most of all, the revolvers didn't need any extra magazines. Our plan was to hand out the weapons to as many people as possible, not to make a formal army.
For the same reason, they made rifles with lever-action mechanism, and they called them repeaters. Those repeaters used the same caliber as the revolvers, so as to simplify the ammo supply. I know how important it was to unify the calibers since when we were in the rebel, we had loads of different types of guns and their bullets were not compatible so we had plenty of useless bullets all around. I said that was a brilliant idea.
I asked them if I could get one of the revolvers. They said they'd make me a unique one as a present and they gave me a one and only revolver with a special engraving on it. They engraved a shape of a boy sitting on a moon, a crescent. After watching it, Purple asked them to make him one, too, and they gladly said they'd make one each for our team.
...
I got a chance to talk with Jacques alone while we were there. I asked him whether we could really trust Finlin.
'Kid, as I told you, Finlin is not happy with the current way. He thinks he should be somewhere much higher. A man like that, if he had a chance to, would sell his soul to the devil.'
That's what he said. I must have been having a dissatisfied look on my face while listening. He said, 'I know you're not happy with the way it is, but that's the way it is. Not all people help others out of pure morality. Like Liz. I heard what she did. That's truly an act of good will. But kid, most of the people are selfish and greedy. Their motive is not a good will. It's the profit. It's the benefit that moves that sort of people. Kid, it might be hard for you to do so, but you also have to have some of that attitude in order to achieve what you want.'
Well, I don't know. Not even at this point, I can't say I agree with him. I just wanted to live free. Free from oppression. Free from pressures. Free from the walls. I agree that not all people are so naive like me. But what's the point? Why should I calculate everything before I do anything and think about whether the outcome would be an advantage or a disadvantage? Where will it take me when the roads I take is all muddy?
...
The next step we took after it was to move around the lower floors to spread the words. It didn't have to be specific. We just spread words like, 'Something might happen on the Chigan Sar and we should be prepared.' At the same time, we secretly gave out weapons to people we could trust. Whether or not they knew how to use it wasn't a problem. The most important thing was to give them a will in a form of a solid metal.
After all that, we came up stairs to the 100th floor. It was the day before the Chigan Sar. We were
equipped with pistols, rifles, a few hand grenades, and bullet proof jackets. We gathered up in Liz's bar for the final check up. If there were a way we could quietly assassinate Hannibal without any major contact, and free the sisters without any dangerous situation, that would've been perfect but that was nearly impossible. There would surely be a combat. There would be blood. Someone would get hurt and some would die. We quietly toasted and emptied the glasses that might be our last.
19
The day came. I was more nervous about the possibility that I might see Diane than the mission we had.
Jacques went to see Finlin. I didn't know whether he had told him about what was going to happen. I think he didn't. I think he didn't and that was why he went to see Finlin so early before the guards and the sisters came down. To persuade him and tell him what to do when it began and when he got confused, since it was easier to influence people when they are confused than when you give them a plenty of time to think.
People lose their judgement when they panic, and it's easy to push them over on the back. Just a gentle push, that's what it takes.
Kimmy was with the kids with Liz. We needed someone to lead the people in the mess and Kimmy maintained a good reputation among the people, especially the ladies.
Alex and Wonder were holding their positions on the second floor of a building on a narrow street and looked out the window where they could shoot Hannibal down on sight with their rifles. The street was called the 9th street. Liz told us that the street was where they always passed through to get to the largest hall on the floor.
The building Alex and Wonder went into was where an old lady lived alone. We told her to be somewhere safe. We could persuade her easily because she personally knew Kimmy and liked what she made. She was wearing a red scarf that Kimmy gave her as a present one day.
I was hiding on a corner of the street behind a huge trash container with Fox. We were hiding there, holding our rifles in our hands and revolvers in our holsters. If Alex and Wonder succeeded in sniping down Hannibal, I was to ambush the rest of the guards with Fox while they were busy looking for Alex and Wonder.
It was around 10o'clock in the night. The street was so quiet. The whole floor was deadly quiet. We could hear them doing the mass on the floors above. I kept rubbing my hands on my jacket to remove the sweat. I was sweating all over my hands. Unlike me, Fox looked deadly calm.
Purple was not on the floor. He was on around the 20th floor with Shorty the broker to turn the generator off and start fanning the fire. The day walkers would rush up and up the floors with people shouting out for liberty.
We were all confident about our plan. But there was one thing that I was worried about. Hannibal and the guards would definitely come to the 9th street, but they would be with the sisters. I didn't want anything bad happening to the sisters. If it turned into a gunfire exchange between us and the guards. Some of the sisters were sure to get shot in the middle. In order to minimize that risk, it was of tremendous importance that Alex and Wonder kill Hannibal with one clean shot. The rest of the guards would freeze for a moment, and we could make the sisters runaway and clear the scene.
...
At last, I heard them coming down. I could hear them marching down the stairs. Most of the residents were waiting in the hall for the ceremony. Liz's bar wasn't far from the hall. Once they heard the gunfire, Kimmy would go out and lead the people into the bar. The bar was spacious enough to accomodate almost everyone in the hall cause unlike the way we did, people on the higher floors were not forced to participate the ceremony.
The waiting which felt like forever finally came to an end. Alex quietly told us on the radio that he could see them coming. He said he could see dozens of sisters and a squad of guards escorting them. five guards in the front, and five at the back. Hannibal was at the back of the line. Fox said, 'You take care of the two from the left, and I'll take care of the three from the right.' I nodded and paid attention to the radio.
Alex said, 'They're making an entry into the street. Quite a long line. I can see Hannibal at the back of the line. I should wait for him to get in.'
It was lucky that the street was long enough to accomodate them all. I wanted to see them myself but I couldn't. I had to wait. I had to wait for Alex.
The guards in the front were almost near us. I whispered on the radio and said, 'Come on, Alex. They're almost near us.' Then he started to count down. 'Three, two, one..' and Bang. Fox and I quickly turned around the container and pulled the trigger.
The guards in the front didn't see us coming. They were looking back to find where Alex. We shot down the five guards in the front and shouted, 'Move! Move!' at the sisters who were frozen with fear and perplexity.
Fox led them straight to the bar. I heard a few more gun fires. I shouted at the radio.
'Alex! Did you get him?' He didn't answer. I shouted again, 'Alex! Did you get him?' Wonder answered back. She said, 'We're taking fires! There were more than five at the back! Alex's been shot!'
Shit! There were another squad following behind a distance. When Fox safely led all the sisters to run away from the street, I could see the guards taking cover behind the walls, doors, and literally anything on the street. I saw some of them trying to get into the building where Alex and Wonder were. I shot them down and ran for another cover. I quickly reloaded bullets in my repeater and I talked on the radio again.
'Wonder, did you get Hannibal,' I asked. She said, 'Alex shot him on his shoulder but he's not dead yet! We have take them down quickly before they send a reinforcement!'
Fox returned quickly after she told the sisters to go to the bar. I asked her, 'Did you hear what Wonder said? What are we gonna do?' She took a deep breath as if she was about to do something and said, 'Watch and learn, kid.'
Then she started to run toward the guards, firing her rifle madly until she was out of ammo and pulled out the revolvers from the holsters and fired them with her both hands. Wonder and I covered her. She killed five guards before she got shot and rolled inside an open door. I quickly checked on her. She was bleeding. I couldn't afford more time. I pushed the container to get as near to her as possible.
'There are only two of them left!' said Wonder. They were not so far from where I was. I ran toward one of them and knocked him off with shoulder. I was nearly shot by the other guy but Wonder shot him before he shot me. I smashed the guard I just knocked over on his helmet with my rifle like I was swinging a baseball bat. The face shield of his helmet got shattered and so did my rifle. I threw it away and punched him with my bare hands a couple more times.
I felt the skin reaped off my fist. I took his broken helmet off and he punched me back and pushed me off with his feet. I fell down and tried to get up. The guard was reaching for his rifle. I got myself up, and ran to him like crazy and my instinct told me that I was too late. He grabbed his rifle and aimed at me, and bang! A bullet went right beside my ear and went through his broken face shield. It was Wonder.
'You almost shot me, Wonder!' I turned my head a little and yelled at her. 'Almost, but I didn't!' She yelled at me back.
After that, I walked in front of a door with a blood stain on the door knob. I pulled my revolver out from the holster and carefully opened the door.
Hannibal was there, sitting against a wall. He stared up at me. He got shot on his shoulder as Wonder told me. I could see that the bullet went into his left shoulder, moved down to his body, diagonally, and probably didn't came out. He was dying. He looked hard to breathe. He stared at me for a short while and said, 'I remember your face. You grew a little bit but you still have the eyes. I remember you. You were there that day, weren't you? On the 15th floor... You had a friend... What was her name?'
I said, 'Diane. Where is she?'
'Diane... I know Diane. She's not here. You know what that means? She's not here...' he said.
I knew what that meant. There were sisters who don't have to march down the floors on Chigan Sar. Jewelries the Reaper kept in his tr
easure box.
I didn't say anything to him. I just kept looking down on him.
Hannibal opened his mouth. He said, 'Don't look at me like that, little boy. I know what I've done is wrong. I just.. I just... All my life, I've been following orders. I'm from the thirteenth floor like you. Just like you. Maybe you and I are the same. We just wanted change. We just wanted to get out of the mud well we were from... You don't have to forgive me, boy. But do me a favor. Please find Rachel. Find her, and tell her that I'm sorry... for not keeping the promise...'
He reached for the pocket inside his vest. I flinched for a moment, but he wasn't reaching for a gun. He took out a small pocket watch and gave it to me. It had a picture of a girl inside. A girl named Rachel, probably.
Handing me the watch, he said, 'Find, mark. It's all in this watch.' That was his last words.
It was a strange feeling. All my life, I'd been wanting to kill him. I always thought of Hannibal as a devil who took everything away from me, but... What was he? Maybe this Rachel could tell me what he actually was.
...
I dragged Hannibal's body to the main hall. Jacques took the body and he started to make a speech in front of everyone. I went back to Wonder and helped Fox and Alex to the Bar. We lay them on the beds and Kimmy brought her aid kit. Liz helped. Alex said he was fine. He was hit on his right arm. The bullet went in and smashed his elbow. Liz pulled out the bullet inside his elbow and wrapped a bandage around.
Fox was worse. She was hit on her belly and bleed too much. The bullet went out, but she needed a transfusion. Kimmy had needles and tubes for that. Kimmy put one end in her arm and put the other end in Fox's arm.