She's right. Even though Alia is my friend, I can't talk openly about Miles with her.
"We're told to look at every side of a situation," I explain weakly.
Alia looks like she might say something, but suddenly the air ship's navigation system starts beeping. We're just minutes away from the East's former settlement.
We land next to a slender building that may have been red at one time, but now it's a pale, sickly pink. The area looks about like our city, except instead of cement everything is made of metal and stone, and there's more foliage. It seems like there are roots and vines growing over every structure. We all walk off the air ship tentatively, uncertain of what we're looking for or where we should go. We move slowly in between a row of squat buildings.
"That looks official, let's try in there," Joby says, pointing to a large stone building off to the left. Inside the building we find several rooms full of chairs and desks. This must have been a school. We wander into an auditorium that has a large screen at the front. Clint investigates a podium at the back and manages to turn on the projector.
Suddenly we're accosted with bright, colorful images in what appears to be an old propaganda film. Men and women wearing tight, shiny outfits and inordinate amounts of loud makeup dance around and all recite the same, insipid line.
"Who needs ability when you can have beauty?"
I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I'm fairly certain these people, if we ever find them, would not be interested in attacking us.
"What's that noise?" Cassidy yells above the sound of the propaganda film. Clint switches off the projector, and at first, I hear nothing, but after a few seconds I notice a faint rumble. We rush outside of the school to try and see where the noise is coming from. We can't see anything, but the rumbling is getting louder. I run up the front steps of an adjacent building to see if I can get a better view. What I see off in the distance almost makes me fall over.
"Get in the ship!" I scream as I stumble down the steps. The others don't question me. They take off running. The ground begins to shake and I glance behind me. The first wave of the stampeding beasts appears at the far end of the street. I will my feet to run faster. I'm about 20 feet away from the ship when out of the corner of my eye I see horns. I recognize these creatures from when we tagged animals in the Preserve during Training. Buffaloes.
Clint is already getting us off the ground when I dive through the doors of the air ship. The buffaloes run all around us and occasionally run into the side of the ship, but they don't do much damage. Once we're in the air we can see thousands of them trampling through what used to be the East, smashing through the old structures and tearing up the landscape. If there was any evidence down there that could lead us to the new sector, it's probably destroyed now.
Chapter 17
"Where did those animals come from?" Tristan exclaims, inspecting a scrape on his elbow.
"They must have escaped from the Preserve, it's about 10 miles north of here," Clint answers. "The real question is how? That place has more security than our prison."
"Do you think we should go over and check it out?" Joby asks.
"That's not our assignment," Clint responds. "We'll just have to report it to the Governor when we get back from the East."
We all look at each other uncomfortably. We're aimlessly drifting eastward, and we're essentially back where we started with no clues as to where we'll find the East. I gaze through the ship's floor at the landscape below, remembering that there used to be guns on the bottom of the ship before we removed them. Suddenly, I have an idea.
"Hey, does this ship still have its weapons communication system?"
"Yeah," Tristan replies, "It's in the ceiling of the secondary cargo area."
Everyone stares as him.
"What?" He says defensively. "I explored the whole ship. It's something any normal person would do when stepping onto an air craft that was previously owned by our enemy."
"Fair enough," Clint responds. "But how is this supposed to help us?"
"Every time we were attacked by these air ships, the weapons would target crops and buildings, but never people," I explain. "We know now that the ships were probably controlled by just one person, General Remington, and there's no way he could have manipulated all the ships individually. So there must have been a feature that allowed the weapons to pinpoint specific elements or materials."
Clint starts to catch on. "If we could activate that system and program it to locate a specific material..."
"Like metal," Cassidy pipes up, "most of their old buildings were made out of metal."
"Then the ship would take us toward that substance!" Clint finishes excitedly. "Tristan, show me where that system is."
Clint and Tristan disappear into the storage area. A few moments later, they come back up. Clint's eyes are shining.
“We’ve found the East."
———
Five hours later, we pass over a mountain range and are nearly blinded from the reflection of the afternoon sun off of hundreds of buildings below us. At first I think it's glass, but as we get closer I squint and see that all the buildings are completely covered in mirrors. We might have been able to find this place if we had known the general vicinity, you can probably see the glare from 50 miles away.
We prepare our weapons and cautiously walk off the ship, but I still don't expect these people to be very violent. Walking out into the East is like entering a complex maze. With all the mirrors, it's hard to tell which ones are the real buildings and which ones are the reflections. Everywhere I look I see myself from every different angle. It's a little unnerving.
All the streets seem to be leading to a tall, circular building. We approach the massive double doors and stand there for a few moments, staring back at our reflections.
"I'll go in first to make sure it's safe," Clint volunteers. He slips slowly through the doors while we wait outside. I take a look around. The streets and sidewalks are all clean, and every structure is immaculate. Altogether, the place is pristine. And empty.
There's something about all this that feels eerily familiar. Joby must notice it too. He looks sick.
Suddenly, Clint pops his head out of the door.
"Guys, you've got to come see this," he says.
"Don't tell me they're all dead and decomposing," Joby moans.
"Well, they're not decomposing," Clint replies.
We walk through the doors and down a dark corridor that opens up into an immense, circular chamber, lined from top to bottom with thousands of the most beautiful dead people I've ever seen. They're all on display in glass cases, standing upright and dressed in various bright fabrics. Their faces are mesmerizing and their bodies are very impressive.
I walk around and examine the corpses. Whatever technology the East had allowed them to achieve physical perfection. They all have perfect skin, prominent cheek bones and jaw lines, large, bright eyes, thick hair, and amazing proportions. Every once in a while I'll catch a glimpse of my own reflection in the glass and I'll be startled by my lanky frame and unkempt red hair.
On the bottom of every case is a plaque with the person's name on it. Underneath the name, where you might expect some of their achievements or a message about their loved ones to be written, there is a list of their measurements and features. Height, weight, eye color, waist size, and so on. It all seems a bit hollow.
Alia comes up next to me as I'm studying a very attractive man with broad shoulders.
"I almost wish I could have lived in the East," she whispers, staring into the man's huge green eyes.
"So you could end up like this?" I respond.
"Yeah, I guess that wouldn't be ideal," Alia concedes, taking in all of the lifeless figures in front of her. "I wonder what made them do this?"
"They wanted to be preserved at their peak," Clint says suddenly. I jump. I hadn't noticed that he was behind us.
"Was that information in your Amplifier?" I ask.
"No
, it's in this pamphlet," he responds, holding up a booklet with a woman's face on it. "There were a bunch of these at the entrance."
"What else does it say?" Liam asks as he walks over.
"Basically that they would rather die beautiful than have to watch their bodies break down as they aged. So they all killed themselves by ingesting an incredibly powerful preservative, and now we have this museum of gorgeous cadavers."
"So they all just died out?" Brice exclaims. "They didn't reproduce?"
"Of course not. Who would want to ruin those figures?" Cassidy remarks, gesturing to a row of women with tiny waists.
I blow my hair out of my face in bewilderment. The North didn't want to lose their resources and the East didn't want to lose their beauty, and they both ended up wiping themselves out. How much longer do we have before our thirst for ability destroys us?
"Well," Clint announces, "let's get out of here. This place is giving me the creeps." We start to walk out of the chamber, and I see Clint slip something into his pocket.
"What was that?" I ask him.
"A souvenir," he responds, winking at me. I don't press him further. It was probably just the pamphlet.
I turn around and take one last look at the stunning mausoleum. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have nightmares for weeks.
Chapter 18
Governor Plenaris didn't have much to say to us, probably because we didn't have much to report. The briefing lasted about 10 minutes, and while he was surprised that everyone in the East is dead, he really didn't seem to care much. I guess to him it's just another few thousand potential enemies crossed off of his list.
Now I have three hours before my transport back to the prison leaves. I stop by my apartment and find I have an Adhesive waiting for me from Adrian. I lay down on my bed and apply the small strip to my temple.
The video message takes effect and I'm immediately surrounded by one of the recording rooms in his apartment complex. Adrian appears in front of me. He looks tense.
"Hey Mari," he begins, trying to force his mouth into a smile but failing, "I hope everything is good at the prison or wherever you are. They told me you're unreachable right now. When you get back, could you come see me? I need to talk to you. I'm doing my labor rotations in the research facility this week."
Adrian and the room fade as the Adhesive dissolves into my skin. I wonder what has him so worried and why he was so cryptic. Maybe what he wants to talk about is contrary to the Community or the Equality Movement. In any case, if it's bothering Adrian, it must be really bad.
I make my way over to the research facility, a small, angular building next to the control tower. It's easy to spot Adrian when I walk in, his massive frame is filling up one of the examination booths that line the back wall. I step past two people throwing a magnetic disk back and forth and approach my brother, who is hunched over a microscope and several trays of Euphorics capsules.
I watch him for a few minutes. He's completely absorbed in studying the pills. He'll take a capsule from one of the trays, then give himself a command.
"Adrian, determine the composition of this capsule."
Then he'll take the capsule and put it in one of two boxes on the floor next to him. I let him get through about 10 capsules before I finally walk up behind him.
"This looks really exciting," I say right into his ear. He whips around, nearly knocking over the microscope.
"Mari!" He exclaims. "Don't do that! You scared me!”
"Sorry," I respond lightly, not bothering to hide my amused expression. "How's it going?"
"Not good," he admits, glancing around to see if anyone is close enough to hear. "Some of the Euphorics capsules were modified," he whispers. "Everyone who took the modified capsules are having trouble with their Amplifiers."
"What do you mean?" I ask, but I think I already know the answer.
"They're still working, but they're not as strong. The Amplifiers will only pick up half of the commands given to them, and sometimes they'll just stop working in the middle of a command."
I press my lips together as everything falls into place. The load of Euphorics stolen by the Dissenters, the "dulled by Euphorics" note scribbled in Roxy's dwelling... this is the Dissenters strategy for weaning the Community off of the Amplifiers, and quite frankly, I think it's genius. It was a shock to everyone to suddenly have their Amplifiers shut off when the North's robots attacked several months ago, so the Dissenters are breaking them down gradually. It's still going to be unpleasant, but it's a much more effective system than just destroying everything all at once.
"So you weren't affected then?" I ask Adrian.
"No," he replies, "You actually convinced me not to voluntarily take Euphorics anymore. That's why they've assigned me here, to find and dispose of all of the modified capsules. Everyone who's Amplifier is defected has been assigned to the more menial labor positions. They'll probably have their Amplifiers replaced eventually, but that could take up to a year. In the meantime, things are starting to fall apart. With all the people affected, there just aren't enough qualified workers to fill the more complicated labor positions."
"I can imagine," I remark.
"Did you know something about this?"
"No," I reply carefully. Technically, I didn't figure it all out until just now.
"It's just that you were so insistent about staying away from the Euphorics, I thought that maybe ... " he trails off.
"Adrian, I was against them because they altered your mind in a really unsettling way." I state.
"I guess that makes sense," Adrian concedes. "But what I really want to know is why they aren't getting rid of the Euphorics altogether? Why are we still getting commands through the Override to take them?"
It's a good question, but I don't get to discuss it with him because suddenly he drops his equipment and lies down on the floor. His eyes are still open and looking at me, but otherwise, he doesn't move. I'm about to try to get him back up until I notice that almost every other person in the research facility has done the same thing. The one guy who's not lying on the floor shrugs his shoulders at me and then returns to work. It must be the Override commanding them to lie still like Adrian was telling me about before. I don't know how long this is going to last, so I awkwardly wave goodbye to Adrian and walk out of the facility, stepping over a few people on the floor in the process.
From the outside of the research facility I can just see the corner of the new building they’ve been constructing behind the hospital. I still have a little time before the transport leaves so I decide to go check it out. On the way over I see dozens of people who have stopped whatever they were doing and are lying still in the streets and on the steps of buildings. I notice a few of them looking at me and feel very conspicuous to be the only person moving around in the area.
I get to the building and am surprised to see that it's almost finished. They must have been using the Override Program for it even more than Adrian had mentioned. It's large and rectangular, and it looks like it's two stories tall. The front door is propped open so I walk in. The inside is nothing more than one massive, empty room. It looks like there might be something on the ceiling, but it's so dark that I really can't tell.
I can't imagine what the Governor is planning to use this for, but the blatant nothingness of it makes me shiver. It doesn't seem like anything special, but that's what frightens me the most.
Chapter 19
When I walk into the prison, I don't see a single guard. There are no guards in either of the prisoner sections and the guard's quarters is completely empty. I finally see a guard lounging in a chair in the hallway smiling stupidly.
“Hey, where is everyone?”
The guard jumps up. “What?” he exclaims, then calms down a little and says, “Sorry, I didn’t see you coming and you scared me. I’m watching a movie.” He adds as he touches the Adhesive applied to his temple. “We got a bunch of new prisoners in today, so, you know…” he says slyly and winks at me. I hav
e no idea what he’s talking about, but I don’t think he’s going to be very helpful with his optical and auditory systems occupied by the Adhesive movie, so I keep walking down the hall. As I near the arena I start to hear animated shouting. I break into a run, afraid that Miles is in trouble. I throw open the door to the observation room. Miles is nowhere in sight, but the scene in front of me makes me just as nauseous.
A dozen guards are crowded near the two way mirror, each clutching an Override machine. In the arena are the new prisoners that haven't had their Amplifiers removed yet, and they're all viciously fighting each other according to the guards' commands through the Override machines. It's hard to make out all of the commands, they're giving them so fast.
"Kick three people in the head."
"Knock the woman closest to you off her feet."
"Elbow the man to your right in the jaw."
"Run to the other side of the arena."
"Headbutt your neighbor."
"Roundhouse kick the tall one."
"Punch everybody else in the face."
It's a violent mess of arms and legs as each prisoner tries to complete their commands while getting pummeled on every side. A few other guards are watching the spectacle and taking bets on the winner. It's a disgusting display of misusing the Override, but I realize this is a perfect distraction. No one is paying attention to Prisoner 568 safe and alone in his cell.
I slowly make my way over to the control panel on the back wall and shut off the screen that shows Miles. I slip out of the observation room and walk down the narrow hallway that leads to the isolated cell. The keys and codes to all of the secured doors are locked in a case next to the first gate. The case can only be opened with a classified badge. Luckily, as a Restrainer, I have one of those badges.
It takes a while to get though all of the doors, mainly because I have to keep guessing which key or code goes to which door. When I get to the last door, there's no lock or keypad, just a screen flashing the word: “IDENTIFY."
I tap the screen to see if it will show me any other instructions, but nothing happens. I place my hand on it, wondering if it wants to scan my fingerprints, but it just keeps flashing its cryptic message.
The Restrainers: Third Book in The Amplified Series Page 8