Project Integrate Series Boxed Set

by Campbell, Jamie

  We exited through a door and fresh air hit me. The relief was instant as I gasped for oxygen to refill my lungs. The sirens still wailed in the distance, red flashing lights reflecting on every surface.

  It was chaos outside. Aliens and humans alike were being ushered around, told to help wherever they could. Obviously the fire department wasn’t there yet, despite how long the fire had been burning. The complex was clearly more isolated than I had first thought.

  I could finally see the shape of Garrick pulling me away. His jaw was set in a determined grimace as he hurried me along. Once the fresh air had started to circulate in my lungs, my head started to lose the fog it was clouded with. I could finally think straight again, understanding how important it was that we move quickly.

  Garrick took me to the back of the complex, avoiding any guards along the way. We seemed to be heading for the fence, I didn’t know if I would be strong enough to go over it again. I now knew what toll it placed on the body.

  “Garrick, you need to go, I’m not going to be able to climb the fence again,” I urged him. I didn’t even know what he was doing back there anyway. I guessed he had been caught after Agent Harrison and I had our chat.

  “You don’t have to climb the fence,” he replied. We reached the edge of the lawn and he showed me what he meant. Garrick had pulled a portion of the fence aside, just enough for us to crawl through. It was a tight squeeze but we made it.

  There was nothing but dense forest confronting us. Garrick grabbed my arm again and we started traipsing through the trees. I focused hard on keeping up and not tripping over. It took all my concentration.

  As we moved and were shielded by the trees, the siren wails grew fainter. I wasn’t sure how far we would have to go before disappearing completely from the complex. I kept expecting to see the guards jump out from behind a branch or shadow. All we had was the moon to guide our way and its beams barely made it to the ground.

  It felt like we ran for hours before Garrick allowed us to stop. The sirens were silent by that time and I was ready to drop to the floor with fatigue. “Garrick, where are we going?”

  “Anywhere but back to the complex,” he replied, leaning on a tree for some support.

  “You saved my life.”

  “I couldn’t leave you there. It was an easy decision to make.”

  “How did they find you?” I asked. If I knew how he was captured, we could work out what not to do next. We could use our past mistakes to learn from and stay on the outside of the complex.

  “They didn’t,” Garrick stated simply. When I looked completely confused, he continued. “I went back for you. I lit a little fire and then waited until everyone was distracted enough for me to jump in and get you out.”

  “You started the fire?” My voice was far higher than it should have been. He nodded. “You’re crazy.”

  “It worked, didn’t it?”

  I couldn’t disagree. As long as nobody got hurt, I would be okay with it. But I wasn’t about to go back to check. We had to move on and hope everyone was safe. Perhaps it was all smoke and very little fire. “I can’t believe you did all that for me. You were free, you could have made it home.”

  “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.” Garrick stared at me with his intense dark eyes that reflected the moon above. I could see why Cecily giggled and flicked her hair whenever he came into her vicinity. “We have to keep going and find something to get these chips out of our shoulders. It won’t be long before they activate the beacon.”

  My shoulder instinctively twitched with the memory of the pain from getting my last chip out. I tried to push it to the back of my mind, there was no choice. “They have to get approval from the head of the Department to trace a chip. They might have already put the paperwork in for yours. We won’t have much time.”

  “I need a scalpel or a knife or something.”

  “We’ve got to find civilization. Where do you think we are?”

  Garrick threw up his arms, shrugging. “No idea. But when I was out here last night and it was quiet, I thought I could hear cars this way. If we can find a road, we can follow it. A road has to lead to a town, right?”

  “I would think so.”

  “Then it’s a plan,” Garrick agreed.

  We kept up a fast but steady pace through the forest. The only way to know we were going in the right direction was the occasional sound of a vehicle as it whizzed by. The noise was slowly starting to get louder with each car.

  The moon started its slow descent as morning rolled around. The sun was behind us, its rays starting to peek out over the horizon and filter through the trees. In the daylight, I could see how covered in soot and smoke Garrick was. I guessed I probably looked even worse. At least it helped us blend into the trees and bark.

  We finally found the road but remained in the safety of the trees. We followed the route, always keeping the road to our left. Not many cars passed by, but it was enough to remain hopeful they were heading somewhere that could help us. Our most pressing issue was definitely the tracking chips in our shoulders. Mine was in my right shoulder, Garrick’s would be in his left.

  When the sun was heading toward the middle of the sky, a small gas station came into view. It was nothing more than a store that sold some food and fuel, but it would suit us perfectly.

  “I’ll go in and get something sharp,” Garrick volunteered.

  “We don’t have any money.”

  “I told you, I’m sneaky. I’ll get what we need.”

  I hated the thought of stealing but we really were desperate. That only left one thing. “You have to wipe yourself first. Your entire face is black with the smoke.”

  Garrick used his t-shirt to wipe at his face and arms. It didn’t do anything for his shirt, but he did manage to clean himself up a little bit. He could have seriously used some water, but then again, so could I.

  “You’ll do,” I said, giving him the thumbs up to go inside the store. He left the safety of the forest and headed for the doors.

  I couldn’t get a good look at what he was doing in there. Instead, I sat on the ground, using the time wisely for a break. To say I was exhausted was an understatement. It felt like I hadn’t slept for a year and had been doing manual labor that entire time.

  I tried not to think of Lochie and wonder what he was doing. Chances were it was a weekday so he should be at school. Perhaps he was looking forward to basketball practice or hanging out with his friends? Maybe he would be helping his mother with his disabled brother, Jordan? It was torture not knowing.

  Garrick returned quicker than I had expected. He carried a Stanley knife in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other. I knew which one I was happier to see.

  “I thought you might need a distraction,” he said as he threw me the bar. “This is going to hurt… bad.”

  “I’ve taken out my chip before,” I confessed, breaking the bar in half and handing him some back. “It hurts but it feels good knowing they can’t track you.”

  Garrick raised a questioning eyebrow at me. “You took it out?”

  “Long story.”

  “Do you want to go first then?” He held up the knife. I guess it was better to get it over and done with. I nodded. “Let’s get these things out then.”

  I felt around in my shoulder and showed Garrick where the chip was. He felt it, hesitating with the knife. I kept reassuring him it would be alright, I could handle the pain. When he finally plunged the knife in, I bit down hard. I didn’t want to make a noise, I knew the pain would eventually pass. At least the new Stanley knife might be more sanitary than Lochie’s fishing knife.

  “It’s out,” Garrick said with relief, placing the chip in my outstretched hand. We switched places and I did the same for him. It was really gross taking it out, I finally understood why Lochie found it so difficult. Fishing around in someone’s flesh for a tiny piece of silicon and plastic was not fun.

  We took our chips to the drain by the gas station an
d threw them in. When the Department traced them now, they would be led to the dank depths of the sewer system.

  We ate our chocolate in silence. I was sure Garrick was trying to concentrate on anything else besides the dull throbbing in his shoulder – just like I was. At least the chocolate was good in my empty stomach.

  “We should keep moving,” Garrick warned. “We still aren’t very far from the complex. They could find us if they wanted to, it wouldn’t take much even without the chips.”

  “I think I know where we can go,” I replied. I had been doing nothing but think about our next move. As much as I wanted to run back home, I couldn’t. The Department would be there waiting for me, anticipating the move. We had to be smarter than that, we needed to be unpredictable. “I need access to a computer.”

  “The guy in the store said the next town was about three miles down the road. It’s only small but they should have a computer there somewhere.”

  I stood, there was no time like the present. “Hopefully they’ll have a library with public computers. Let’s go.”

  I helped Garrick up and we started the long walk. We kept to the trees, but at times they would thin out. At those times we had to run to stay out of sight, we never knew who was driving past. I certainly didn’t want to risk being seen. Not after we had come this far.

  The signs for the town of Maitland started to get closer together as we approached. The trees then completely disappeared to make way for houses and then the main street. We stood out terribly in our dirty and bloody clothes, I crossed my fingers hoping for no-one to notice. If everyone minded their own business, we’d be fine.

  We passed a small church and I stopped. Attached to it was a small community center, the type that gave lessons to seniors and children. With any luck, they would have a few computers for public use.

  I led Garrick inside and asked the grandmother behind the front desk if we could use the computers. After looking us up and down, grimacing with what she saw, she nodded to the right and went back to her knitting. Once in front of the computer, I didn’t hesitate in logging on and hurrying to click through.

  “What are you doing?” Garrick asked, hovering over my shoulder.

  “Finding some people who hate the government as much as I do,” I replied. I thought I needed to explain a bit further, his life was at stake just as much as mine. “I’ve been hanging around these conspiracy message boards for years. It used to be out of curiosity but some of these people are hard core. If some of my regular posters are around, I know they’ll help us.”

  “Do they know what you are?” He sounded panicky.

  “No, of course not. I’ve always said I was just curious about all the conspiracies, that I thought the government was hiding something big from us.” He seemed to calm down a little. Considering revealing our true origin was the biggest no no of all the rules, I could understand his concern. “I would never tell them what I really was. They would then know some of their theories were right.”

  I flicked through the names, checking to see who was currently online. I had to get to the very bottom before finding a familiar name. Razor1119 and I had many virtual conversations over the years. He was smart and he was paranoid. The perfect combination to help us.

  I sent him an instant message, hoping he wasn’t involved in anything and would reply straight away. The boards had helped me track down the Originals a couple of months ago, I hoped they would be able to help me again now.

  “Do you really think he’ll help?” Garrick asked. I looked up at him, his worry was written all over his face.

  “I think he will. But I’m sure we’ll think of something else if he won’t. We’ll figure it all out,” I tried to reassure him. It felt good saying the words out loud. If we had managed to escape from a federal complex, I was sure we could stay hidden for a while. Even if we had to live in the forest, we could handle it. It was worth it for our freedom.

  The ping of a message turned my attention back to the screen. Razor1119 was all ears. I typed back a message:

  On the run from Feds, need help. Refuge?

  I hit send and held my breath. If Razor1119 couldn’t help, I would wait for someone else I knew to come online. Until I thought up a new plan, I would stay there until I had gone through each and every one of them.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to. The message came back quickly:

  Refuge given. Need a ride? Address?

  I typed back our location and showed Garrick the message. Razor1119 promised to be there within two hours. All we had to do was wait. Help was on its way.

  CHAPTER 6

  “I can’t thank you enough, Razor,” I said honestly as the landscape whizzed by outside. The matte black painted van hurried along the nearly deserted streets. The sun was on its way down and the darkness would soon offer us some more cover.

  “Call me Hayden,” Razor1119 replied without taking his eyes off the road. He wasn’t exactly as I had expected him to be. For years I had imagined some young skater boy type guy, dark hair, spindly, and wearing only black. Yet the guy that was now sitting beside me was tall, blonde, and wearing a shirt with a rainbow across the front. He was older too – I would guess about early twenties. He didn’t look like the kind of person who would sit on conspiracy message board all day long.

  “I’m Amery,” I started the formal introductions. “This is Garrick.”

  Garrick gave a wave from the back of the van. He had got the short straw, having to sit on the floor and hold on for the ride. At least he couldn’t be seen by any prying eyes. I probably should have been back there too. If I wasn’t feeling so nauseous, I would have been.

  “So why are the Feds after you?” Hayden asked. It was a fair question, considering he was harboring two wanted fugitives. If we got caught, then so would he. The Department would probably discreetly deal with him and he would disappear. Now I was starting to sound like a conspiracy nut too.

  I should have anticipated he would ask the question and have an answer ready. If I wasn’t concentrating so hard on staying alive, I might have done that. “We, uh, uncovered something we shouldn’t have. Garrick and I were investigating because we had a hunch and they caught onto us. Now, they’re going to be looking for us everywhere.”

  “Do you have evidence?” Hayden continued, absolutely buying everything I was saying. Good, that would make it a lot easier.

  “Not really, but they don’t know that,” Garrick chimed in when I hesitated. “They think we’ve uncovered it all and want us taken out.”

  “Bummer,” Hayden commented happily, like we were having a normal conversation about normal things. Yet everything about this was definitely not normal. It would have been funny under other circumstances.

  “Would you mind hiding us for a few days?” I continued on, getting the conversation back on track. “We won’t be any trouble, we just need to lie low. Then we can work out what we should do next.”

  “My place is yours for as long as you need. I’ve already cleared it with my girlfriend. We’re happy to do anything we can for the cause of the people.”

  I wasn’t sure if protecting a race of aliens was a cause for the people, but I wasn’t going to correct him. If Hayden knew what we really were, he’d probably have a heart attack and die. That would be a bit hard to explain to a coroner.

  After a little under two hours, Hayden pulled into the garage of his house and closed the door behind us. We entered the main part of the home via an inside door, the perfect entrance for a covert operation.

  To say the house was tiny would be an understatement. The garage was bigger than the main building. The living room barely fit the couch, the adjoining kitchen was scarcely large enough to fit two people and I assumed the bathroom and bedroom were probably equally as miniature.

  A woman greeted us with a large smile. She was wearing a yellow summer dress, her wispy brown hair in a plait over her shoulder. “It’s so nice to meet you, welcome to our home.” Her voice was squeaky, it seemed
to suit her.

  Hayden did the introductions and we each received a hug from the girl in response. Her name was Harmony, I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone fit their name so well. I wondered if it was a name she just chose to use, like her real name was probably something boring like Kate or Jane.

  “Do you guys need food or clothes or something?” Harmony asked, as hospitable as she was welcoming. Although, one look at our clothes probably told her we needed to clean up. I wouldn’t let us sit on the furniture in our state.

  “A shower would be awesome,” I replied. “If that’s okay?”

  She took my hand. “Our home is your home. We need to stick together in the war against repression.”

  “Okay?” I said, I probably would have agreed to anything at that stage. She led me through to the closet that was actually a bathroom and showed me where the towels were. By the time I had showered, she found me some sweatpants and a shirt. Wearing a stranger’s clothes had never felt so good before.

  Hayden made us a sandwich which I tried to eat slowly rather than gulp down. He also made green tea which was supposed to help with our chi energy. Surely this couple were too nice to think the government was capable of a mass conspiracy? It was difficult to reconcile it all in my head.

  When Garrick was cleaned up, we found ourselves in a deep conversation about the government. As it turned out, Hayden was just as engaging as his online persona, Razor1119. Even Harmony had some really good points. From what I knew about the government through the project, their theories were probably pretty close to the mark.

  “So I just feel they want to unite the people by creating a common enemy,” Hayden continued. “So they create the enemy by planting evidence and fake weapons of mass destruction. All the people get behind them and they forget about the reason why they are in the middle of a war in the first place.”