by Marina Epley
I suppress a strong desire to punch him in the face. I realize Chase is not the one responsible for everything that’s happening, but can hardly overcome my anger toward him along with everybody connected to Elimination.
The next day Elimination captures fifty more breakers. They’re all transported straight into the death camps. There’s also news about the government increasing its budget for building additional concentration camps to hold all the breakers. They’re turning the entire country into a slaughter house.
I hear noises coming from outside in the corridor. Sounds like somebody has stumbled and fallen hard, cussing. I walk out of my room and find Victor sitting on the floor, smoking. His eyes are unfocused and foggy. I detect a sharp scent of alcohol. I’m guessing he’s on something else as well.
Swaying, Victor raises his head and says, “I don’t deny being a bad person. But I’m not all that bad.”
I don’t understand what Victor means. He attempts to stand up, but falls back onto the floor. His movements are slow and unnatural.
“Why are you doing this to yourself?” I ask.
“Because Browning and Wheeler think that I’m a terrorist,” Victor answers. “And I happen to have no inclination of becoming a terrorist.”
He’s completely drunk. I want to turn and leave, but something makes me ask, “What are you talking about, Victor?”
“Browning said he freaking trusted me and appreciated my work. He wants to give me a promotion. He’s recruiting me for his team of terrorist breakers.”
“What?”
“Yeah, I was a little surprised too. Unfortunately, I don’t have much choice. They’ll kill me if I refuse. They won’t allow me to live, staying on the outside and knowing what I know.”
I stand unmoving for a moment. I hope he’s just drunk and talking nonsense. I never had a high opinion of Browning, but I don’t want this to be true. I grab his shirt and half lead, half drag Victor toward the lab. He doesn’t resist. I make Victor repeat everything to Holtzmann. The professor listens silently with a distant expression.
“Elimination created those terrorists,” Victor tells. “I mean literally. They’ve sent Bulldog and his gang to perform the acts of terror. God only knows what Browning promised them. And now he wants me to join their little project of horrors. It’s my promotion.”
“Well, that explains a lot,” Holtzmann says calmly. I can’t understand how he can remain so indifferent.
“What are you talking about?” I ask. “Why would Browning do this?”
“Elimination had to receive special permission from the government to begin a total scanning of the population,” Holtzmann explains. “Also they needed to increase their budget. These latest violent acts of terror are the method Elimination utilized to manipulate the government to get what they wanted.”
“What about my team? Why did Browning create it?”
“To terminate a genuine threat to Elimination and replace that threat with their own terrorists, whom they hold on a short leash.”
I shake my head. I don’t believe it. Nobody would do this. It’s too much even for such vicious killers like Browning and Wheeler. They wouldn’t let breakers kill ordinary humans, would they? The images of the burnt bodies come to mind. I groan.
“We need proof,” I say. “Victor is drunk and could be making it all up. Sorry, but I’ve never fully trusted you, Victor.”
“I can’t say I blame you,” Victor comments. “But I’m afraid it’s the truth.”
Holtzmann opens Elimination’s top secret files on his laptop, which contain videos from the latest acts of terror. The mall had security cameras, some of which survived the fire. We watch them several times. The terrorists all wear military type clothing with ski masks concealing their faces. It’s impossible to identify them.
Suddenly, I notice a guy with only one eye. My heart skips a bit. I realize everything that Victor has said is true.
“That’s one of them,” I say. “He’s in Bulldog’s gang. I poked out his eye.”
I get the sensation of the floor floating away from under my feet. Drake didn’t lie. His group wasn’t responsible for the terrorism. They helped captured breakers. And I destroyed them. I eliminated the last defense and hope that breakers had. This is exactly what Browning and Elimination wanted. I’ve helped those who torture and kill breakers.
“That’s why the attacks were so different,” I hear Holtzmann’s voice. “There were two groups of attackers. One group was rescuing breakers while another was killing innocent people.”
I exit the lab and head to my room. Once there I hit the wall several times, then just walk in circles. What a fool! I believed I could outsmart Elimination. I thought I was saving innocent people and fighting against terrorists. Instead, Elimination turned me against my own kind. All this time I’ve been playing Browning’s game without suspecting anything.
Kitty comes to check on me. I tell her everything and she yells, “I’ve told you over and over my group wasn’t the terrorists! You wouldn’t listen. Now, they’re all gonna die! You’ve killed them!”
I don’t try to defend myself. Kitty is right.
I lie flat on my stomach in bed and press my face into a pillow. This all resembles a bad nightmare. A nightmare I’m stuck in and can’t find a way out. Everything I do makes the situation worse.
Kitty approaches, touching my shoulder gently. “Rex,” she says in a soft voice.
“Don’t touch me, Kitty,” I say. “Go back to your room.”
Sighing, Kitty leaves. I remain in bed, thinking about everything that’s happened. I hate Elimination. I hate myself for being an idiot. I can’t accept the fact that I’ve given a death sentence to all those breakers. Hammer was right. I’m a traitor.
But why did I make this choice to join Elimination in the first place? I needed to protect my own life. I wanted to save Kitty. I did what I had to do.
Stop, I say to myself. There are always options. I always had freedom to make decisions. That’s something even Elimination can’t take away. And I’ve made wrong decisions. In believing that I’m resisting, I’ve never really resisted. I did everything Elimination wanted me to do.
That’s enough. I’m not playing their games anymore. Time to do what I need to do. Time to fix all past mistakes as best I can. Kitty was right when she said I didn’t know what I want. Now I know. I want to destroy this damnable prison. I want to kill Wheeler, Browning and their squad of terrorists. I want to free all breakers.
How can I go about doing this? I realize I can’t accomplish it all by myself. I’ll need help. Where can I find help when all the breakers from Retaliation have been captured?
Not all of them. They had good equipment, even a helicopter, so they have supporters somewhere. I need to contact them. They may be breakers too, possibly strong breakers.
I spend the entire night, projecting my thoughts toward someone who may not even exist.
Nothing. I don’t know if anybody heard me or not.
In the morning Chase arrives, saying, “Some important people want to thank you for doing a great job. Let’s go.”
Chapter 25
“You’re kidding,” I say.
“I’m serious,” Chase reassures. “Your contribution in terminating one of the terrorist groups is highly appreciated. The government has even sent a representative to thank you in person. Coming all the way from public enemy number one, you’re becoming a quite valuable Elimination associate.”
I study his face carefully. Does he know the truth about the real terrorists? Most likely not. Probably only Browning, Wheeler and a few Elimination leaders are completely aware of what’s going on. At least that is what I want to believe.
Chase leads me toward Browning’s office. I’m not handcuffed and Chase doesn’t hold his rifle on me. We almost look like two Elimination soldiers, both wearing black. The only difference is that I’m not armed and have to wear a blocking collar around my neck.
A few officers co
me our way.
“Hey, breaker! You’re making quite a career here, aren’t you?” an officer asks, passing by.
I don’t like it, but make myself grin and answer, “Sure! Maybe I’ll even become your boss someday.”
The officer appreciates my joke, laughing. All Elimination employees must know that I’m participating in Holtzmann’s project. They don’t seem to perceive me as a prisoner or some kind of monster anymore. It makes me feel even more like a traitor.
“Making new friends?” Chase asks.
“I’m a breaker and they’re Elimination officers,” I answer. “We can never be friends.”
“If you say so,” Chase agrees.
We enter Browning’s office. The warden sits behind his desk, studying documents in a thick folder. A man wearing a suit and tie is sitting next to him, greeting us with an official smile. I recognize him instantly. He’s the same man whom Holtzmann and I met in this office during Browning’s meeting with Elimination executives. I’d seen him somewhere before, but couldn’t remember his name or title. He must be the government representative.
“Nice to see you, Rex,” he says, continuing to smile. “I’d like to discuss a few matters with you.” He looks at Browning. “Alone please.”
“Chase, leave us,” Browning orders.
After the door closes behind Chase, the man stares at Browning and adds firmly, “I said alone.”
Browning hesitates for a moment. Looks like he wants to protest, but doesn’t have the guts. Sighing, he gets up and walks out of his own office.
“Take a seat, please,” the man says in a most polite manner, motioning toward an empty chair.
I sit down, waiting. He studies me with cold eyes for a moment and says, “First of all, let me congratulate you on performing outstanding work. We’re very impressed by your level of skills and eagerness to help others.”
“Who are you?” I ask, interrupting.
“It doesn’t matter,” he answers. “For you, I’m only a messenger. You don’t need to know my real name or exactly whom I represent. You’re welcome to ask any questions you wish, although I unfortunately won’t be able to answer some of your questions. I simply don’t have the authorization to do so. You’ll be provided with information as you need. Later, you may get an opportunity to learn even more. It will completely depend on your willingness to cooperate.”
I’m listening carefully. Something is odd with this guy. He doesn’t act like an Elimination executive or government official, being too mysterious. I don’t really understand what this is all about.
“I’m working for some very powerful people,” he continues. “They’ve heard your request for support. My singular mission is to let you know that they’re willing to help.”
“What?” I ask, not understanding.
“Last night you contacted one of us. You asked for our help. We’re ready to support you.”
“Wait a second,” I say, thinking hard. “Are you a breaker?”
“As I’ve already stated, it’s not important who I am.”
“How can I trust you then? I know you must be working either for Elimination or the government. Why would they help me?”
His smile fades and he answers tiredly, “I’m not going to try to persuade you in trusting me. I don’t have to prove anything. It’s up to you what you choose to do next. I only hope you realize that you know very little about the real situation in the world. Everything you think you know and believe today may turn out to be false tomorrow. The people I work for are in power. Don’t bother wasting time trying to figure out who we are. You won’t be able to. They’ve been watching you for some time and have selected you for a special assignment in an upcoming mission. You may accept or reject it. They can always find somebody else.”
“I wouldn’t want to participate in a mission I don’t know anything about,” I say.
“What if I told you this mission could potentially save breakers from certain genocide?” he asks. “We know you’ve been wondering who provided the financial support for Drake and his breakers. Well, we did. We actually created Retaliation. Now, we need a leader for our breaker force in the coming war against ordinary humans. We would like to offer you this most important role.”
He pauses, waiting for my reaction. I’m trying to sort things out in my mind. Who is he? Why does his group want to support breakers in the war if they are associated with Elimination? There must be breakers among them if they knew what I was projecting. It all makes no sense to me. I can’t trust him.
“Why me?” I ask. “I helped destroy Retaliation. I’m probably the worst candidate you could possibly find. And anyway, Retaliation already has a leader in Drake.”
“Don’t worry about past mistakes you’ve made,” he smiles. “Nobody is perfect. You’re a very strong breaker and care genuinely about your kind. Every breaker in the country knows your face. You have the leadership qualities we need. They’ll follow you. As for Drake… he’s not exactly what we’re looking for. He wants power and doesn’t really care which side he’s on. You know this. Things will be easier when Drake is removed.”
“Drake is still alive,” I say.
“You could just kill him and take his place,” he suggests.
“I don’t want to kill Drake,” I protest. “I don’t really want to kill anybody. All I wish for is to protect and save innocent breakers from Elimination. We don’t need a war.”
“You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. If you want to be free, you’ll have to fight for your freedom. It’s time to decide what you really want and who you really are. If you really want to destroy this prison, then do so. Just let us know when we need to send the transport planes to pick you up.”
I stare at him in disbelief. This situation seems unreal. Our government can’t support breakers in a war against ordinary humans. It would only mean that our leaders are breakers themselves. But why then did they create Elimination to kill breakers? I don’t understand.
The messenger notices my expression and says, “We have the most modern aircraft and our pilots are well trained. We can provide arms, transport and financing, all in support of Retaliation. This will be your only chance to accept or decline this offer. Decline, and there won’t be any further assistance.”
Who the heck are they? Military?
“If you’re so powerful, why don’t you help breakers right now? Why do you need me and Retaliation?”
“You already have all information you need. Now, give me your answer. Do you want our help or not?”
I’m afraid to make the wrong choice. He’s waiting.
“I need time to think,” I answer.
“You have to answer right now,” he commands. “Yes or no. Learn to make prompt decisions. It will be necessary in the near future.”
“Yes,” I blurt out. “I need your support.”
“Good. Then you’ll have it,” he nods his head. No further explanation is forthcoming. He calls for the guards and Chase leads me away. I keep silent, thinking of everything that’s happened. Was I right to accept their support? I even don’t know who they are.
“What did he say to you?” Chase asks, interrupting the silence.
“Nothing much, just thanked me for my cooperation,” I answer, trying to sound bored. Chase seems to buy it. “By the way, this guy never even said who he was,” I add. “Isn’t that weird?”
“No, not really,” Chase answers. “He works in governmental secret service. Those guys are obsessed with obscurity.”
That’s nonsense. The messenger can’t work for the secret service, because he’s obviously a breaker. Moreover, he or his bosses must be telepaths, if they were able to receive my thoughts. How in the world can they work for the governmental secret service and be willing to help breakers? I get the feeling of being manipulated again. The messenger was right, I have no idea about the real situation in the world.
It doesn’t matter at the moment. All that really matters is how I can save innocen
t breakers and destroy this prison. I can’t do it alone, so I need this alliance with a group I know nothing about.
I ask Holtzmann to call a meeting for all members of my team, except Chase. He’s an Elimination officer and I doubt he’ll join us in organizing a riot among inmates.
When I enter the lab, my team and Holtzmann are watching the news. Kitty looks away from me, seemingly angry. I take a glimpse at the monitor. Lola reports about a shot breaker. He was exposed during scanning and attempted to escape. They show the concrete spattered with blood and then a dead body.
“He was eleven,” Holtzmann says. “They also arrested his parents, though they’re not breakers.”
“Turn it off,” I command. Holtzmann shuts down his laptop and I tell them what I have to say. After I’m done, a heavy silence falls over the room. I understand their hesitation. If we fail, we’ll all wind up dead. We speculate about who the messenger could have been, but can’t come to a sensible conclusion.
“This is our only chance,” I say finally. “We have to destroy this prison and free the breakers.”
“Sounds like fun,” Kitty says, her eyes sparkling with excitement. I’m not too sure about her. Should I really involve Kitty in this venture? She’s no child anymore, I remind myself. She’s a fierce and reckless member of Retaliation, and won’t think twice about shooting or killing if necessary.
“I’m in conditionally,” Jessie says. “I want to see Browning and Wheeler killed. And we have to rescue my parents, even though they’re not breakers. Otherwise, I won’t do it.”
“I don’t care whether they’re breakers or not,” I answer. “We’re taking your parents with us.”
“I’m sick with this place anyway,” Victor says. “I can hypnotize the guards if I can lose this collar.”
I can’t fully trust him, but I need his abilities to break the wills of the resistant.
“All right,” I say. “But if you sell us out, I’ll personally kill you.”
“Fair enough,” Victor sighs.
I look at Lena and Jimmy. They’re still kids and I feel bad, endangering them. But they’re also breakers and this is their war too. We all have to fight to gain back our freedom.