Just before six o’clock we snuck out without telling anyone where we were going. We stole Kyle’s car and drove the hour’s drive to Rob’s house. We barely said a word the entire way.
We arrived just before seven, greeting Rob and waiting for his guest to show up. Even then, we waited in the kitchen while they spoke before bringing us into the conversation.
Rob finally called us in and introduced us as the project members that had escaped. Except no introductions were necessary, his guest was one of the guards that used to watch over us in the recreation room. He recognized us just as we recognized him.
“Quite a stir you caused,” he commented light heartedly. “We had a lot of changes occur after you two fled the place. Not to mention the fire…”
“My fault, sorry,” Garrick said quickly. “Desperate times and all that.”
The guard, Finn, laughed. “Don’t worry about it, it was a nice change to the routine. I’m glad you made it out safely, I was worried that you hadn’t.” He sounded sincere, it made my nerves a little better.
As good as the chit chat was, I was anxious to get down to business. “So you have concerns about how the Department is treating everyone at the complex?”
Finn nodded, his cheeks dimpling slightly as he pressed his lips together. “I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it, the situation is getting bad. The place is being run on a shoestring budget and they’re not interested in the welfare of the members. Everyone is locked in their rooms for most of the day now.”
It pained me to know we were responsible for the others’ suffering. It only helped to reinforce the belief that we were doing the right thing by trying to get them out. We had to free them, at all costs, we had a duty to.
“Have they discussed what they are planning on doing with the members?” I asked, already dreading the answer.
Finn’s expression grew dark and I could tell I had hit on the reason why he was there in Rob’s house discussing the problem. “They haven’t said anything official, but we all know where it’s headed. They have been reassigning staff to other departments, it’s only a matter of time before they want to close the facility altogether.”
He didn’t need to add what closing the complex meant. They would only close it when they no longer had any members left to keep hostage, when they had killed them all. I’m glad he didn’t say the words out loud, I might throw up if he did.
All those teenagers they had spent the past seventeen years keeping safe and fostering their futures, would be disposed of like nothing more than mere rodents. I couldn’t understand the coldness of the Department. They were humans, they were supposed to feel compassion. I guessed it didn’t extend to aliens.
I had only one question left. “Will you help us get them all out?”
Garrick, Rob, and I all stared at Finn expectantly. I was waiting to hear the affirmative, but I’m sure the men were trying to work out whether he was lying or not.
Finn’s eyed flicked between us, looking at each face before moving onto the next. He seemed to be taking the question as seriously as it was intended. He wasn’t going to give me an off the cuff response just to please us. He was really weighing up whether he could do it or not. Good, we couldn’t have people just wasting our time. Not when so many real lives were at stake.
He finally gave one definitive nod. “I will help you in any way I can. You have my word.”
Garrick snorted in disbelief but nobody else seemed to notice. I ignored him, he wouldn’t have believed Finn whatever he said. All he could see was one of them, and an Agent’s word was far from golden in his eyes. I couldn’t blame him, not after what his parents did to him.
Finn continued. “But I’m afraid I don’t have much say about anything at the facility. All I do is follow orders and guard the place.”
“You have access to the members,” I started explaining. “You can let them know to be ready for when we come. You can start speaking to the other guards, maybe they think the same as you do?” It was too much to hope he could solve all of our problems, but he was a start. And you had to start somewhere, right?
“I think some do, I hear them talking sometimes. Some of us want the facility closed but not the way the bosses do. It’s inhumane.”
Rob patted him on the back, understanding his discomfort. Seeing as though he was in the same position with the Department, he could relate. One voice was easily drowned out amongst many. Especially when it wasn’t a voice that held an opinion that was welcomed.
Garrick and I left Rob and Finn to discuss the strategy further. As soon as they started on the ins and outs of the Department, it was information we didn’t need to know. We drove back to the bunker in silence, mulling over our plan.
The bunker was quiet when we climbed down, the whole place seemed deserted. One voice carried through the corridors, the unmistaken – and unavoidable – sound of Krom. We followed the noise until we found the source.
Gathered in the largest meeting hall, Krom held an audience captive as he spoke animatedly at the head of the group. Garrick and I stood at the back, sneaking in to join them.
“… and then we whizzed by. Can you believe they decided to chase us? As if their little craft could keep up!” Krom slapped his knee and the room erupted into heartfelt laughter. I hadn’t heard the satellites so happy before, I didn’t even think they were capable of it. They were normally always so serious.
“How long did it take before they gave up?” The question came from the front, I couldn’t see who had asked it.
“About ten minutes in Earth time,” Krom shrugged. “We landed on Trucon safely and got out like nothing had happened. I didn’t even bother reporting it.”
“What did the Savers say?” Kyle asked the question. I had no idea what a Saver was, just another question to add to my ever growing list.
“They laughed, you know what the Liptors are like, nobody takes them seriously. We extended them an invitation if they wanted to speak to us about it, but they never responded.”
I guessed Liptors were the ones that had chased them unsuccessfully. Were they inhabitants of another planet? I wondered just how many different species were out there. It was foolish to think it was just us, especially considering what I knew. There was so much in the universe I didn’t know about. It only made me think about Krom’s invitation to come back to Trucon with him. I wouldn’t need to ask Kyle about it then, I could see it with my own eyes.
I took a free seat at the back, sucked in by Krom’s stories as he geared up for another one. I needed to know what we were fighting for, not just the project members and our freedom, but our entire planet. I wanted to know more and he had a penchant for storytelling. I settled it to listen for as long as he would speak.
Over the next hour, Krom gave everyone a comprehensive update about what was happening on Trucon. He described the morale as low. Everyone could see the asteroid growing closer as the months passed by. They knew their time was counting down and they didn’t have forever to wait before their planet was destroyed. Our project wasn’t just a fun experiment, it was life or death. We might be able to forget that down here, but they definitely didn’t.
He spoke of the people growing concerned about their children and our future on Earth. They didn’t want to come to a planet where they weren’t welcome, but knew it might have to come to that. Overall, they weren’t a bunch of happy campers. I couldn’t imagine how they could be truly happy with a noose around their neck. It was either conquer or perish. Any country on Earth would do the same.
At almost midnight, Krom declared he was too tired and turned down the satellites’ urging for one more story. He held up his hands and closed his eyes slowly. “I have to go to bed, you’ll all be the death of me. Good night, sleep well.” He left with a few helpers in tow.
I yawned, feeling tired myself. The stories had distracted me from my own thoughts which was nice. I caught a glimpse of Garrick as he stalked out of the room. I was glad he stayed to listen, I was s
tarting to get really worried about him. He seemed to be holding all his emotions in since we entered the bunker. It couldn’t be healthy.
“All good?” Kyle asked as he slid into the seat beside me. I hadn’t even noticed him approach.
“Under the circumstances, I guess,” I replied, forcing a smile. I waited until some more satellites had gone before I continued. “Garrick and I are working on something.”
He nodded. “I thought as much, you guys have that conspiring whispers thing going on. Remember to be careful, our hearing is excellent, you know.”
“We think we can get everyone out of the complex safely.”
“We’ve got that under control, Amery. You don’t need to worry about it anymore, it’s our job. We’re-”
“Your plan isn’t going to work,” I interrupted, too tired to care how rude it was. “The Department is going to kill them before you do anything.”
Kyle held up his hands, not wanting to hear anymore. He wasn’t pleased. “Just stop, Amery. This isn’t your job, it’s ours. All you should be doing is staying put. Understand?”
“But Kyle, we need to-”
“You need to do nothing. Don’t make me regret giving you and Garrick such leeway. I will order you to stay in the bunker if I feel you are putting your lives and those of the other members in danger. Am I clear?”
I didn’t know whether he had the power to do that but I also didn’t want to test it either. If he didn’t throw his weight around, I was sure the other satellites wouldn’t have a problem doing it. Garrick and I were going to have to be more discreet. There was no way we were going to stop, I didn’t care what Kyle said.
“Amery?” Kyle prompted, his face wearing nothing but a scowl.
“Fine,” I lied. “I’ll lay off it, I’ll leave it all up to you.”
“And tell Garrick the same?”
“Yes, I’ll make sure he plays nicely too.”
Kyle stood, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Good to hear, now go to bed. You look like you could use some sleep.”
I waited until he had left before heading off to bed myself. By that time, most of my roommates were already tucked in. I climbed up to my bunk and settled in, falling asleep before I could even seethe over Kyle’s orders.
By morning, I was still grumbling to myself. Garrick didn’t take the news well either.
“He can’t boss us around,” he protested.
“Keep your voice down,” I whispered, knowing how loud he could be when angry. He could rival Krom at times. “I’m sure he outranks us somehow, but it doesn’t mean we have to listen to him. We’ve just got to make sure he doesn’t know what we’re up to.”
That seemed to calm him down slightly. “He still shouldn’t be saying things like that to us. We are the only ones actually doing something about the complex, we’re the only ones that actually have a clue what’s going on.”
“Agreed, that’s why we have to be careful.”
He slumped back and crossed his arms. Speaking with Garrick was like speaking with a brick wall at times. If he wasn’t the only person I completely trusted in the bunker I would have given up ages ago.
A gasp from some satellites in the corner caught my attention. Garrick and I exchanged a worried glance before heading over to see what the growing crowd was staring at.
A television had been set up on one of the breakfast tables. It was on most mornings but today’s breakfast program seemed more controversial than the others. Someone turned up the volume so we could all hear the commentary instead of just seeing the pictures.
The male newsreader looked deadly serious. “Over two hundred people stormed the FBI headquarters in Virginia yesterday afternoon, demanding answers about the alien invasion. Accused of covering up their existence and harboring extraterrestrial beings, the Federal Bureau called for calm. According to their spokesman, they knew nothing about what the Originals Organization refer to as Project Integrate.”
As he spoke, images of a flood of people storming into the office building flashed over the screen. They smashed windows, broke through doors, and collided with the security guards. The images were difficult to watch they were so violent. To think the humans hated us so much they would harm each other was painful. It only made other humans watching hate us even more.
The images of the project members started rotating in a loop on the screen again. I turned away before it was my photo’s turn. It always appeared after a girl named Fiona. She was still locked up in the complex, completely oblivious to her sudden fame.
I was starting to get immune to the news reports about us. They only made me sad now and not angry. I used to hate the Originals for outing us like they did and spreading such lies. Anger is a difficult emotion to hold on to. It takes a lot of effort to continue feeling that way.
Now, I was just disappointed. The Department was supposed to facilitate our outing, explain the project in full so people didn’t have to be afraid of us. It was disappointing we didn’t get to have that chance.
It was also disappointing to know the Department weren’t putting out our side of the story. Instead, they were completely ignoring the problem and claiming everything was just a lie. The people of Earth didn’t get a chance to decide for themselves after hearing all the facts. All they heard was the Originals’ propaganda which they had no choice but to believe.
“Turn it off,” one of the satellites moaned.
“The Department deserve what they get,” another added. I left them to it, stalking out of the food hall. I needed some air, some time away from the reality of how much we were hated. I could imagine Lochie watching the news as he ate breakfast with his mom and brother Jordan, nodding in agreement at the people’s actions.
I climbed up the ladder and sat in the open field. I don’t know how long I sat there but the sun moved quite a bit while I was watching.
The next week passed by much the same. The news reports only got worse as the fear started to reach fever pitch. I was convinced that if the Department would just explain everything, the people would calm down. It was their denial that was feeding the frenzy. People had to make up the truth to try to make sense of things. And their truth was never based on real facts.
After almost three weeks in the bunker, I was going stir crazy. Part of my routine was sitting in the field now and waiting for Rob’s call where I got good phone reception. I was trusting him to get the members out of the complex but my patience was waning every day. Not to mention Garrick’s.
On the Monday morning, I did my usual crawl up the ladder and found my favorite tree to seek shade under. I placed my cell phone on the ground and stared at it, waiting for it to ring. Sometimes I would keep it in my pocket, remembering how my mom used to tell me a watched pot never boiled. I hoped it would boil if I didn’t stare at it.
When the thing actually did start ringing, I jumped on it immediately. “Hello? Rob?”
CHAPTER 5
“Hey Amery, I’ve got some great news for you.” My heart pounded as I waited for Rob to continue. “Finn has come through. There are five guards all willing to help us. I just need a date and we’ll be ready.”
I didn’t dare believe it. After all the bad news, to actually hear something positive was like an oasis in the desert. “Are you serious?”
“Sure am. Will you be able to organize things on your side?” Rob had a happy tone to his voice, proud of coming through for me. For us.
“I will.”
“And the date?”
My mind raced. How long would the members have before the Department decided they weren’t worth the resources anymore? I knew I couldn’t delay it too long. “How about on Thursday?”
“That’s doable,” Rob agreed. “I’ll call you on Wednesday to confirm the details.”
“Thanks, Rob, really.”
“Don’t mention it, soda pop.” I could tell Rob was smiling, even though I couldn’t see him. I listened to the dial tones long after he had hung up.
I sli
d the phone into my pocket and stood. I somehow had to convince a hundred aliens to go along with my plan. The fate of all the project members rested solely on my success.
Every rung on the ladder down to the bunker made the knot in my stomach bunch tighter. If I failed… if I couldn’t convince them… if they didn’t listen… I couldn’t even think about what it would mean for the future.
I frantically searched around the rooms, finding none of the satellites around. That could only mean one thing – they were in a meeting. The doors to the largest hall were closed, I burst through them before I could lose my nerve.
All the faces turned to me, even Krom as he sat at the head of the table. I walked with purpose to the front of the room and stood there. All the eyes were on me, including Kyle’s and Garrick’s, making the bile rise up from my stomach. If I didn’t vomit, I might be able to go through with it.
“Amery?” Krom asked, expecting some reason for my grand entrance.
“You’ve got to listen to me,” I started, trying to keep the shaking out of my voice. I needed to be strong, show no weakness. Garrick would have been so much better at this than me. Even Lola was used to performing in front of crowds. I was the least qualified to do this. And yet I had to.
“We are listening,” the woman with the microphone said, rolling her eyes.
“Your plan to get our members out of the complex isn’t going to work. I have been working with the guards of the facility and several have agreed to help us. If you just listen, I know we can get them out safely.”
The moment I stopped, the whispers started. The voices carried in the echoes of the steel walls. “She’s crazy… doesn’t know what she’s talking about… silly girl… knows nothing…” They swirled around me like a nightmare.
“No!” I yelled, jumping at the sound of my own forcefulness. “This will work. They are going to open the doors for us, they will prepare our members. Come this Thursday, all we need to do is be waiting on the outside. We can pick them up and bring them back here, we can set them free.”
Project Integrate Series Boxed Set Page 47