“Don't ever say that again, Zack. Do you hear me?” Zack nodded his head and she dried the top half of his chest by patting him with the fluffy towel.
“Okay.”
“A crime is still a crime, Zack. It won't do to admit to performing an illegal act.” She closed her eyes and raised her head up to the ceiling as if praying to God, or perhaps the president on the higher levels. “Our good President,” she whispered under her breath before beginning work on Zack's face. Definitely not to God.
“I had to do it, Sarah. I'll never mention it again, but please let me tell you what happened. I can't keep it to myself. I have to tell somebody.” She set the flannel onto the edge of the bowl before encouraging him to stand up. She eased him out of his trousers and got him to sit back down. In some way it felt as if she was acting as his nurse, someone who was there to heal him. She began washing his feet before pausing to look up to him.
“Okay, go on. But afterwards it is like you never told me. Afterwards we forget that this ever happened, or that we ever had this conversation. Understand?”
He nodded and told the story of Gamma Tower. By the time he finished she had washed him from head to toe and had him dressed in fresh clothes that she had paused to get from his room. As she slid his feet into a fresh pair of shoes he told her how he had sat on level seventy two and made a decision.
“I can’t spend any more of my life alone, Sarah.”
“And that's when you came here? To me?” Zack nodded. He didn't have any more choices left. He had to look at what was in front of him and try to allow himself to need what was available rather than crave what had been lost. He figured that he didn't have any choice, considering now he was even beginning to lose himself.
“Yes.”
“We will be a good match, Zack. I think we both understand what is needed of us in order to succeed. But, and it has to be said, you haven't even been to the library yet. You forgot to complete your Renunciation Pledge yesterday. Don’t you listen to your Unity Panel?”
“I was here with you. Even you didn’t go.” Sarah shook her head in exasperation.
“Of course I went. It’s no excuse to say you were here. They won't let you off for long, and that means that you put me at risk. You have to start adhering to the rules, otherwise they'll start to think that you have connections to the Southern Resistance.”
“The Southern Resistance? What is that?” When she didn't say anything in reply Zack pulled his foot from her hands and crouched on his knees before her. He pushed the bowl of tepid water aside and took her hands in his. “Sarah, look at me.” He reached one hand up and pulled her face towards his. For a moment she remained defiant, refusing to meet his gaze. But he pushed himself up bringing his face within only inches of hers and as if his eyes were magnets he drew her towards him. He spoke again, but this time with caution in a way not to scare her, as one might speak to a child. “Sarah, if we are going to be a unit, you have to trust me with the things you know. Please tell me.”
“If I tell you, will you promise to perform the Renunciation Pledge afterwards? We could go together, and I could return this book to the library at the same time.” She reached forwards and picked up the copy of the Omega Manifesto and held it up for him to see. Zack thought about how he had written in the copy at the Health Centre. Everybody is somebody. Only now, that also applied the person that he had killed. He nodded his head and tried to block the image of the body tumbling to the ground, reduced to flesh and bones in the split second it took to fire a bullet.
“I promise.” It was a lie of course. In his mind he had already envisaged a resistance movement so strong that he could step from this bedroom and charge down the stairs chanting freedom. Just the idea of a resistance had inspired him, forgetting all about the promises he had just made to Sarah. Maybe he did have other choices after all.
He knew that such lofty ideas were little more than fantasy, but just the concept that there was somebody else that fought against what the Republic of New Omega stood for was intoxicating. It was a freckle on the face of a model, or dust in a palace. It was the detail to remind you that what you see, no matter how perfect it might appear on the surface, is still real. This meant that it was fallible.
“You've been outside, Zack.” She was whispering as if she was scared that somebody might overhear. “You have seen that the world is recovering. At first, when people in Omega Tower started going outside they really were looking for a way to repopulate the world and free those trapped.” This seemed in direct conflict with what Duke had told him, but he ignored that fact and sucked up what she told him like a sponge. Somewhere in each version there was a little bit of truth. “At least our part of the world. But the Guardians brought back stories with them from the other towers. They started whispering about what was happening in them.” She leaned in closely to him. “Terrifying things, Zack. Things that we didn't want in our society. And I mean everybody. There were discussions, elections. We were scared.”
“Elections for what?”
“Regarding the future of Omega Tower. For the Republic of New Omega.” She paused, searching for the strength to continue. Zack crossed his legs and made himself comfortable. She nodded to reassure herself, before she began speaking again.
“At first, people tried to be understanding, Zack. We started by bringing citizens from Alpha Tower and integrating them into our society. The Conservators figured it was the safest choice because the conditions in Alpha Tower were the closest to ours, even though they lived behind the Scenic Simulation Programming. They brought ten people from Alpha Tower in the first wave of relocation. It was such an exciting time, but it didn't take long for it to fall apart. They tasted freedom, and they felt angry about being lied to. One night, three of them just walked straight out of here. They were gone for hours before anybody knew anything about it. But after a day, two of them came back. They came running at the doors through the lobby like crazy people, shouting about how the third one had fallen and broken his leg. They told of how they had met a group of survivors in the south. We didn't believe them at first because it seemed so unlikely. How could anybody have survived what happened?”
“People outside of the towers survived the bombs?”
“Yes. The whole of the south-eastern region came off quite lightly when it came to bomb damage.” After what he had seen today, he could attest to this. “They took shelter where they could, and somehow, God knows how, they survived.” The way she spoke was refreshing to Zack. She spoke freely, and for the first time he felt that she was being entirely honest with him. The real truth.
“What about in the north? Did anybody survive in the north?” Even though he was beginning to accept there was no way Samantha could have survived, if there was the remotest of hopes, he would cling to them.
“I’m not sure. Anyway, President Grayson organised a rescue party for the third person. But after the Alpha Relocations failed he was reluctant to bring in any of the survivors from the south. It didn't take long to find them. There weren't many options via road at that point. Most roads were still congested, full of rubble. They loaded up the man with a broken leg. But the survivors wanted to come back with the rescue team. They expected us to help them. I don't know exactly what happened, but the result was that one of the rescue team shot one of the survivors.” Zack could understand how that could happen. The fear, the instinct, the urgency all taking over. “Ever since they keep coming, drifting towards us. We voted that the Drifters posed a threat. That our society was better off without them. The Republic of New Omega seemed like a utopia in comparison to what was going on outside. I'm not sure there was a single person that wasn't scared enough to vote yes to Proposition Protect. Nobody wanted to lose the only thing that we had left.”
“Proposition Protect?”
“The bill that proposed that New Omega had the right to defend itself at any cost.”
“That's when they started killing the Drifters, isn't it?” Sarah nodded, her h
ead bowed through shame, as if she had been solely responsible for the decision.
“And the Southern Resistance is everybody who voted against the bill Or would have voted against it if they weren’t scared of the repercussions. We needed protection, and so President Grayson set up an agreement with Denmark. They sent us protection teams like the men you go outside with.”
“Is that what you think the people from Denmark do? Protect?”
“I didn’t say they protect everybody. And anyway, they are not just from Denmark. They are from all over Europe.” She rose to her feet and picked up the cold chamomile tea. She sat down in her chair. “Word soon spread about a population living in the old capital. The Drifters started turning up, expecting shelter. Some people in Omega Tower started to whisper that if there were that many survivors, there must be another option to being stuck like we were. What with people leaving, people turning up, and the yes vote for Proposition Protect, people started sympathising with the other towers. Especially the closed towers like Delta.”
“What do you mean closed towers?” There was so much information Zack didn’t know what to do with it. He wanted to try to compare it with Duke’s story, see how much of it fitted together. But it was all he could do to listen. He leaned in close to Sarah, feeling that this was the most truth he had heard in years.
“Besides Omega Tower there are seven other towers, Zack. At least there was before today.”
“Eight. You mean eight.” He counted them on his fingers. “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Épsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta.” He held up his fingers as proof that he was correct. “Eight.”
“I mean seven. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Theta.” She too counted her fingers one at a time. “Eta was lost during the war. It didn’t survive. After today there are only six. We call the towers who live under Scenic Simulation Programming closed. Gamma Tower was one of them. Now it's destroyed and everybody's dead. See what freedom brings you. What's happening in Delta is better, if you ask me.”
He was close to saying that nobody had asked her, but he bit his lip and left her to continue.
“When people started sympathising, Omega Tower introduced the Renunciation Pledge. It's like a polygraph test. They say you can't fake it. The Conservators use it to monitor every resident. There have been three occasions when they removed people because they believed them to be part of the Southern Resistance, based on the Renunciation Pledge. But some people believe that you can fake it. That you can trick them into believing that you are a believer. Those people believe there are individuals that live in Omega Tower who supply information to the Southern Resistance.”
He was about to ask if she knew who any of them were when he heard somebody knocking on her door. Sarah tensed her muscles from head to toe, her eyes darting to the Unity Panel. Was it listening to them? She believed somebody must have been eavesdropping on them, and that now she might be mistaken for a sympathiser. Zack stood up and stepped towards the door, peeking through the glass. It was Serena. When Zack opened the door Serena grabbed him, pushing him backwards into the room so that he nearly lost his footing. She slammed the door behind her.
“They'll get a message to him. It will be tomorrow.” Sarah stormed towards the door, all but ready to throw Serena out. Zack held up his hand in front of Sarah's chest to stop her.
“To Leonard? But I forgot to meet you last night…”
“It doesn’t matter. I asked one of the Guardians who said that he knew who I was talking about. He said that Leonard was doing fine.” She stroked Zack on the arm and smiled as he choked back a lump rising in his throat. His eyes stung with stifled tears.
“Zack, you promised me,” Sarah spat, pushing his arm away as if it were as light as a feather. “All this time I have been talking, telling you about the resistance and you knew everything all along.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “You are one of them.”
“Sarah, I promise, I had no idea about the Southern Resistance. I’m not one of anything.”
“Sarah, he doesn’t know anything,” Serena chipped in. “I offered to help, that’s all.” Sarah folded her arms across her chest, and with her shoulders hunched up high her gaze flicked between Zack and Serena. “But there is something else. Zack, your message is not my biggest concern.” Serena walked between them towards the window. Every step she took seemed to push Sarah further to the edge. It was as if danger was pacing around her room, leaving a trail that would catch her when she wasn't expecting it. “I have to leave Omega.”
Sarah flopped on the edge of her bed, her head hanging in her hands. “Zack, I don’t want her here. She at least is one of them.”
“What do you mean? Where do you have to go?” Zack asked, ignoring what Sarah had said. It was as if she wasn’t there.
“Far away. I can't stay. It's dangerous for me here.”
“Serena, what has happened? Are you in trouble because of the message?” Zack rushed towards her, grabbing her by the arms. “I told you not to risk anything.”
Serena shook her head. “It was nothing to do with the message. It's me. I was stupid.”
“What did you do, Serena?”
“I think I’m pregnant, Zack. In fact I'm certain of it. I can't do a test to confirm it because nobody can get their hands on one. But if I am, if I'm right, I can't wait around here for a Denunciation Ceremony to come my way.”
Sarah let out a whimper. “Whose is it?” Serena swallowed hard before answering.
“A Guardian. He isn't from Omega. They have to get me out. Otherwise they'll kill me.”
“Why will they kill you? They want people to have children,” Zack said, desperate to reassure her. He tried to inch closer towards her to comfort her, but Serena backed away.
“They want women the right kind of pregnant, Zack. Not knocked up by some Guardian from Delta. I can’t have an Adoration of Life Ceremony with a Guardian from Delta. They are not supposed to mix with us. They are supposed to keep themselves focussed. But when they get distracted.....”
“It’s the woman who distracted them.” Sarah interrupted, finishing her sentence for her. Serena nodded in agreement, unsure whether or not Sarah sympathised with her, or whether she really meant what she had just said. Serena couldn’t tell. “Every damn time.”
“It will be months before you show,” Zack said. “Don't rush. You can't leave now.” Zack knew that if Serena had managed to get a message into Delta, she had to be a member of the Southern Resistance. This could be his chance.
“It's no good. They test us.” Zack looked to Sarah who nodded in confirmation.
“They call it Population Planning,” Sarah said.
“What if you marry somebody else?” Zack proposed.
“I won't find anyone else to help me, Zack. Not in time.”
“Then I'll help you. I'll say it's me.”
Sarah jumped from the bed, anxious that his stupidity was placing her future chances at risk. But she didn't need to say anything, because Serena already knew what she was thinking.
“I can't let you do that, Zack. It wouldn't be fair on you. Or Sarah. She could be pregnant, too.” Relieved, Sarah sat back down on the edge of the bed, thankful for a snippet of sense. Zack couldn’t deny the possibility. “The perimeter is heavily guarded. I have to leave tomorrow because my appointment with the health clinic is the day after. I need you to tell me where the wall is incomplete. There is no other way out.”
Zack knew that feeling. He had felt that way for ten years in Delta Tower. He had been certain that there was no way out from there that hadn’t been designed by the Republic. But one person had proven that he was wrong. She had proven that when there seemed to be no hope left, there was another choice that was just waiting to be discovered. She had shown him that there is always a way out. You just have to find it.
Zack walked over to one of the chairs and sat down. He looked at Sarah, and then to Serena, knowing that for the first time in years he might have found some courage. He could
n’t help but smile, knowing that what he was about to suggest was complete insanity. So insane it might just work.
“I might know another way.”
Chapter Thirty Five
“Even talking about this is crazy, Zack. What the hell are you thinking?”
Zack already had one hand on the door, and Sarah was desperate to make him see sense before he walked out and ruined their lives. She wasn’t prepared to lose everything she had, and everything she was planning for the future. Not for Serena. Not for a woman who couldn’t resist the Guardians. Getting mixed up with them was like asking for trouble, so whatever was coming to her was just tough luck. Even if it was a Denunciation Ceremony. Which it would be. Sarah shook the thought away and focussed on the idea of her own child.
“Insanity, Zack. It’s madness to even imagine it.” Sarah was still whispering. “Our good President,” she said, louder this time as her eyes flicked back and forth between Zack and the Unity Panel. She was convinced somebody was listening in.
Serena was at the window looking down at the city below. It was as awkward as having walked in on a couple having an argument. She had tried to leave once but Zack had stopped her, saying it was better to stay here with Sarah. If she left at the same time as Zack it could look suspicious. That was over twenty minutes ago, and still nobody was convinced of anything except for Zack.
“I have to try, Sarah. I cannot just leave her to try to sneak past the wall. They have lookout towers now, and no doubt a Guardian standing on each with a gun.”
“The Guardians don’t carry guns, Zack.” He had no idea anymore if she was saying such things for the benefit of Unity Panel and whoever might be listening on the other side of it, or whether she really was this naive. Every now and again during a break in talking a thought would come to him. It was the idea that only half an hour ago he was prepared to give up, succumb to Sarah and the Republic’s plans for him. How easily he had bowed down to their pressures, collapsed under the idea that he had killed a man.
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