Forgotten

by Jessica Carbine

  She tried to analyze her feelings for him, to ensure it was real. But it was hard to do. She couldn’t pinpoint why she fell in love with him. Instead of worrying about this, she focused on the most important fact to her: she hadn’t felt the crushing, depressing loneliness from her youth since he had entered her life. Despite being locked up by a megalomaniacal general, she was still feeling much happier than she did during her dark moments. In analyzing this, she realized with surprise that she believed General Ramford’s story in its entirety. Kyler was more or less a superhero.

  Once she had decided to try to escape, Cassie knew she couldn’t stand to be here any longer. If there was any hope, she had to at least try, and she had to do it soon. Succeed or fail, at least something will change. Of course, it could be for the worse. But it was a risk she was definitely willing to take.

  She planned on going for it that day. The sooner the better, right? After lunch, she ran the plan through her mind several hundred times; it was more or less her dream, but she tried to plan for any other eventualities. What if there were people in the hall outside her door and she couldn’t pull the fire alarm? What if Lieutenant Berg didn’t even black out? Could Cassie fight her? Perhaps it was fortunate she’d grown to hate Lieutenant Berg so much, it would make it easier.

  What am I thinking? Everything is based on this dream, that may or may not be just another creation of my mind. She thought about the things she knew for certain, like the fire alarm and the people in black uniforms being respected, and the stairs at the end of the hall. Wait, no. I haven’t actually seen those stairs! Argh, that’s just the dream! She felt she knew where the stairs were and where they led and it took concentration to realize that she had never physically seen them. She was not only depending on the stairs being in their dreamed place, but also the closet, uniforms, exit, campus layout and even a large hole in the ground. No, stop it. Options are pretty thin right now. I don’t have the time, or the courage, for doubts.

  As the sun began to lower in the sky, Cassie unplugged her clock. She weighed it in her hand, and then examined it closely. She decided one of the back corners was probably the sturdiest part. A knock came at the door; Cass jumped. It seemed earlier than usual, but she couldn’t check since her alarm was unplugged in her hand. Surprised, but with no further preparations to make, nor possessions to gather, Cassie quickly sat on her bed in the same position that she had dreamed. Hidden in her hand, under the blanket, lay the alarm clock. She took a deep breath and waited, praying that Diana wouldn’t notice the clock was missing. Suddenly it seemed there were a million things that could go wrong with this plan, and she almost backed out.

  Lieutenant Berg knocked again, more impatiently this time. Cassie twitched nervously on the bed. Lieutenant Berg positively pounded on the door. Cassie could hear her grumbling through the solid wood. She heard keys jangle. Cassie still wasn’t sure what to do. The door was pushed open. Lieutenant Berg looked at her angrily, and then rolled her eyes. Just as in the dream, she didn’t say anything; she just turned to set the tray on the dresser. Feeling emboldened by this similarity, Cassie silently stood and moved toward her, alarm raised. Remembering precisely where she’d hit her in the dream, she struck. To her utter astonishment Lieutenant Berg crumpled without a sound. Cassie quickly searched her pockets, and took her keys. She locked and bolted the door on her way out. Lieutenant Berg wouldn’t be able to warn anyone even if she woke up before Cassie was gone.

  Nervously, Cass glanced both directions in the hall. No one. She broke the glass covering the little alarm and pulled the lever. Immediately the alarm sounded and Cassie hurried away, almost running, in what she hoped was the direction of the stairs. She found herself satisfied again: the door was there, and behind it, stairs. She hurried down three flights until the identical plaque from her dream said “2nd Floor.”

  She left the stairs for the hall, and this, too, was empty. She walked to the closet expectantly, to see it just where it should be. She went in, and without hesitation walked to the back, unlocked the cabinet and pulled out the black uniform and silver watch.

  By the time she left the tiny room, the hall was thronging with people, all speeding toward the stairs. She joined the crowd, walking with the other black uniforms, and hoping none of them would notice she didn’t belong. She felt herself being jostled forcefully as people hurried to safety. She felt high with confidence bred from success.

  “It’s happening! They’re here!” She heard one tall uniformed figure whisper excitedly to his friend. The crowd pushed down the stairs, Cassie with them.

  Cassie hurried through the door near the bottom with the others. She stopped in surprise and several soldiers ran into her.

  “Watch it!” A large woman growled angrily.

  Cassie started walking again, to avoid drawing attention to herself. She wasn’t outside, where she was supposed to be. She was in another long hall. She must have taken the wrong door. She walked along slowly, following everyone else. It occurred to her after a moment that everyone in the hall had on black uniforms.

  “I don’t know. We’ve had several false alarms already,” a man with a thick mustache said.

  Cassie heard a soldier answer the other one she’d heard earlier. They were further away from her now and she picked up her pace to catch up to them.

  “Oh, come on! A fire alarm?” The tall one asked incredulously.

  “So? Could just be a drill,” Mr. Mustache said, his voice soaked with pessimism.

  “Why would they call us to Bess, then?” His friend challenged.

  “I dunno. Just in case, I guess. But I doubt it’s for real. They’re not coming back; it’s almost been two months now. He obviously doesn’t care.”

  “Don’t be so pessimistic! General Ramford still has hope, and he knows them the best!” Cassie had no doubt who they were referring to.

  “Maybe. But I’ve heard stories from Searchers that were here from the beginning. Apparently there was another girl a while ago, but he dropped her, too.” Cassie’s stomach fell. “The General had hoped to use her as well. When we moved in, though, she was gone. She never came back with them. It’s the same thing. He just picks up a girl every few years.”

  “Don’t say that with Berg around,” The taller one said. They chortled together.

  They turned down a hall. Cassie hesitated; she didn’t want to hear anymore. She wanted to turn back and go outside, but this would draw attention to her, so she continued on, cursing herself for not finding the right door.

  “I hope you’re wrong.” A severe-looking woman joined the two men. “We need a breakthrough soon. There are rumors that our funding has been cut. You know the group of Searchers that were assigned other jobs last month? I’ve heard it was only because there wasn’t enough money to keep them on the project. And the funding to keep Bess running is next.”

  “What! That’s crazy! Without Bess, we have no hope!” They turned again. Cassie kept careful track of where she was going. The only exit she knew of was at the base of the stairs, and she figured she should be climbing over the fence right about now.

  “I know, but think about how much it costs to keep the satellite grid scanning 24 hours a day!” she answered. “And there are only two of the original Senators from the committee in office. They’re being overruled,” She said dramatically.

  “How do you know?”

  “Diana Berg and I have been having lunch together lately. Apparently the General’s getting desperate.”

  “Which is why we’re called to Bess every time anything seems out of place.”

  “And why several guards are posted outside her room. It was me last week; most boring three hours of my shift!” The tall man grumbled. “But it won’t do any good. I tell you, they’ve abandoned her.”

  “Diana agrees with you. She doesn’t think the girl matters to him at all,” the woman said. Cassie wasn’t surprised the two were friends, this woman looked how Lieutenant Berg acted.

  “Yeah, of c
ourse that’s what she’d say,” he snickered.

  “All the same, let’s hear our instructions,” The other man answered, as they turned into a door on the left.

  Cassie hesitated. If the General was in there, she would be in danger. But an idea had occurred to her while she was walking with the others. This Bess seemed pretty important in their efforts to catch Kyler and Halle. And if money was tight… Cassie’s hesitation faded, she marched through the door with confidence.

  She hurried in following the trio, keeping hidden behind the tall man. They walked forward, toward the front of the room, so Cassie found a different group, and went by the back wall. She hoped that they weren't in specific spots; otherwise someone would surely notice her. Fortunately, the room was crowded and no one paid any attention to her.

  Once safely positioned, Cassie looked around the room. It was large, and obviously the operations center. There were two rows of desks at the front of the room, with black uniformed members sitting in front of various computers. When soldiers first came through the door, they went to the front of the room for a few moments before finding somewhere else to stand. Cassie looked to where her three informants were standing, they’d been going to Bess, they said.

  It wasn't hard to figure out where it was. There was a large machine at the front of the room, in between the desks and under a giant map of the world. It had a label above that said “BES”. There were little blinking lights on the map, with about fifteen green lights around the world: some over the ocean and some over each continent. Whereas there were at least a hundred little blue lights, but these were concentrated on land, most of them in a major city. She saw that in the southeast corner of New Mexico a clump of blue lights blended together. It was impossible to tell how many were there.

  She tried to analyze just how it would be possible to destroy this machine. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to be able to escape, now that she'd followed the wrong crowd, so she wanted to make use of her temporary freedom. If she destroyed this “BES”, it was possible that they would no longer be able to trace Kyler and Halle. And it was also possible, that if funding was fading, the General wouldn't be able to afford to get it fixed.

  As she analyzed the device, a door from the front-ride side of the room opened, and the General came in. Cassie instinctively shrank down a little bit. But the General's glance swept quickly past his Searchers. He spoke to one of the soldiers at the front, and the map changed. It zoomed in on the group of lights in New Mexico, until Cassie could see groups of buildings, trees and vehicles. All but a few of the lights were concentrated in one building.

  This building! Cassie realized with excitement. I'm in New Mexico!

  This discovery didn't especially help her, since she didn't know where anything was in New Mexico, but it comforted her to know, and to realize she was at least in the United States.

  “Alright, we don't see him on the map,” Ramford began, “I believe that means that he is disguised in an average way. He must have gotten in without alerting the system somehow, and I can't think of another way. The only thing to do is keep careful watch on all the exits. Don't let anyone out who isn't recognized by at least three other soldiers. That should require him to use his ability, and then we can trace him.

  “We need to keep a close eye on the entire fence, as well. Once he realizes he needs verification to leave by the door, he's more likely to try to fly over it and then blend in with his surroundings. So squadron A and D surround the fence, B go to the front gate, and C to the back. Each of you take ten privates with you, but do not let them know anything more than you have to.

  “Don't forget, he will not show up on the system simply by moving objects. He needs to change someone's thoughts! And just stun!” He added as an afterthought. “All intercoms open, and move!”

  There were mumbled complaints around Cassie.

  “Of course we won't shoot him.”

  “There's no one to catch.”

  “How many times will we review how to use BES?”

  “Ah, shoot, where's my earpiece?”

  The last comment caught Cassie's attention. The individual speaking was patting down his pockets. Cassie curiously investigated hers. She hadn't noticed earlier, but in a little pocket in her shirt, there was a small plastic piece, just the right size to go in her ear. She put it in, but was disappointed, she couldn't hear anything. It must not be activated. She thought sorrowfully.

  She waited at the back of the room nervously. What could she do? Everyone was leaving, and surely General Ramford would notice her if she remained behind. She fiddled with her earpiece, trying to fit in while giving herself time to think. She turned it over in her fingers and saw a tiny flesh-colored button. She hit it gently and put the plastic plug back in her ear. At first she didn't hear anything, but then she heard, from inside her ear as well as from the front of the room, the General making a general announcement, and from the sound of it, it was for the whole base.

  “So far there has been no evidence of a fire. Therefore we are on high alert for any unfamiliar faces, and especially for Targets K and D. There is to be no transportation off the base, but those attempting to get on should be welcomed.”

  The General chuckled. This didn't come through the earpiece. Then, the alarm changed from the fire alarm to the alarm Cassie remembered from her dream.

  “Where is Lieutenant Berg?" Cassie heard the General ask someone.

  “I don't know. She was dealing with the prisoner,” A uniformed soldier answered him.

  “No, she left for that a while ago.” The General looked puzzled, then slightly concerned. “I suppose she might have left during the fire alarm. Though with the alarm change, she should report in. I posted several guards at the girls’ door.”

  Cassie breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she was free, and no one was looking for her, yet. But the room was emptying quickly, and she couldn't think of what to do. She followed the last group out of the door, moving slowly. As they passed a bathroom, she ducked inside. She hid in a stall, locked it, closed the toilet lid, and sat down. She needed a weapon of some sort to destroy BES. A gun? A fire? She looked around helplessly. There was a toilet plunger. Despite herself she giggled quietly, picturing herself plunging a giant electronic device to its destruction.

  No, she needed either fire or water. And on further thought, Cassie decided that fire was the only way. Water would short everything out, but it was no guarantee they wouldn't be able to salvage it. No, I’ll do what Kyler’s father did. I’ll destroy it with fire.

  She heard voices over the earpiece, reporting in. Everyone was getting into position. They would go looking for Lieutenant Berg soon. Cassie had to hurry. She thought back to her dream, trying to remember anything that would help. The closet of clothes, was there anything else? Any weapons? She needed something capable of starting a spark. Papers would serve well as kindling, but she would need an accelerant for it to become hot enough to melt plastic.

  A grenade! She thought excitedly. If she could find a grenade and set it off around enough paper or wood, perhaps it would spread enough to destroy the machine. Or perhaps she could even set a grenade in a crevice on the machine, pull the pin and get out of there... only... that might hurt the people sitting at the desks.

  Summing her thoughts up, Cassie decided, I need a grenade, and a distraction to get them away from the machine. I just wish I knew how far they needed to be.

  She didn't think there were any weapons in the clothing room, but she couldn't think of anywhere else to look, so she quickly left the bathroom and headed back to the stairs.

  Bright lights flashed in the halls, accompanying the alarm this time. She didn't encounter anyone in the hall or on the stairs. On the second floor there were a couple of soldiers talking, but they didn't even glance her direction as she walked toward the thin room she'd entered before. She went to the back. There were a few other shelves, but they didn't have any weapons at all. She sighed, frustrated. She turned to
leave the room, but on the wall by the door was a small sign.

  A map! She thought with glee. It was only of the second floor, but maybe... She traced the halls quickly, but she couldn't see anything that looked like an armory. In fact, this room wasn't even on the map. And the door next door wasn't labeled as anything either. It wasn't even shown. Feeling hopeful, she left the closet to try the room next door.

  The General's voice startled her. She jumped and flipped around, but it was just through her ear. “Lieutenant Berg has not yet reported in, if anyone sees her please let me know. Squad 3, I need you to check on the girl.”

  Cassie tried not to panic. Her time was out. They would be looking for her any minute now. She quickly left the room and went to the one next door. The door wasn't locked, which seemed a bad sign. She quickly slipped inside and gasped. It was exactly what she was looking for. But every weapon was in a locked cage. She glanced through the bars, ignoring the guns of various sizes. She didn't want to be armed, unless it was with a stun gun, but she didn't know enough to recognize the difference. A grenade was different, however. She found a crate toward the rear of the room with a promising label. "Dangerous--Explosive" She took out Diana’s keys. There were at least twenty of them, she prayed one of them would fit.

  “General! The girl's not in her room!” A panicked voice said over the system.

  “What!”

  “But Lieutenant Berg is.”

  “What?” He sounded shocked.

  “She's unconscious; we're trying to revive her now. And what's more, the glass on the fire alarm outside her room was broken.”

  The General swore viciously. “So the girl has had over a half an hour now to move. And no one has seen her? Any indication of targets K or D?”

  “I don't think so, sir. In the confusion of the alarm it wouldn't have been hard for her to be overlooked as she exited the building. I don't think she would have even needed their help. But that means she must still be on the base.”