by Matt Ward
A wave of exhaustion hit me. I was out cold before they’d exited the ward.
23
Always Prepared
I awoke feeling great and ready to get out of there. After a debate with the nurses, they agreed to release me.
Where was Fitz? We had to talk. My mind raced as I hurried through the crowded halls toward his room, ignoring the looks and waves as I passed. I didn’t have time for small talk.
Before I’d gone far, I bumped into a weary-eyed Zedda. “How ya feeling, hero?” she teased before turning serious. “Sorry about what happened. None of us knew she was going to do that.”
“Yeah, well... it’s okay.” I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. She was actually quite pretty in her own way. How I’d miss that? “What’s been going on? They wouldn’t let me leave...”
“You mean you haven’t heard about Hrun?” She gaped.
I shook my head. Maybe she’d have more details. “I mean, I heard something. Fitz mentioned—”
“He had a heart attack at the podium. He was in the medical ward before you. He... they couldn’t save him.” She swallowed hard, biting her lip. “No one expected it. He wasn’t young, but he wasn’t old either. It’s horrible.”
Jeez… “Who’s in charge now?”
“The whole Council, but in reality, the position falls to Lilia. She’s not happy, mind you. Said she prefers the VP role, but if the Initiative needs her, she’ll step up.” She paused. “Tough, huh? I wouldn’t want that kind of responsibility, especially not now.”
“Me neither.” I shook my head, studying her face. She seemed to be telling the truth.
“By the way, I did some digging, called in some favors.” A pained expression clouded her face. “Your family. I didn’t find anything. I’m sorry.”
They were all dead, weren’t they? I closed my eyes and fought back tears. “Thanks.” I couldn’t bring myself to say more. An uncomfortable silence descended.
Wait, Fitz... “Sorry, Zedda, I need to find Fitz. Wanted to thank him for coming to see me and stealing food from the mess. Best leftover bison meat ever,” I added with a fake smile.
“Okay… Get better.” She gave me a girlish smile and clapped my shoulder, her hand lingering a moment.
I headed for Fitz’s sleeping quarters but he wasn’t there, so I tried the mess. No luck.
Maybe he was training. I sprinted upstairs, pretending not to notice the onlookers.
He wasn’t in the fitness area. Had something happened? Had Lilia caught him?
Speaking of, Lilia and Paer were sparring on the mat. Without thinking, I waved and they signaled me over. That was stupid. Now I was trapped, unable to leave without being rude and making Lilia more suspicious. Where was Fitz?
“How ya feeling, kid?” Paer asked as I got closer. “No round two today, I think. Give it a week or so.”
I nodded absentmindedly, not paying attention. “I’ve been better, but I’m also feeling much better.”
Lilia looked concerned. “Have you eaten anything? You look beat.”
“Only what the nurse brought me yesterday. That’s a good idea.” I had my out. “I’m going to grab a bite to eat. When’s the next Council meeting? Do you guys want Fitz and I there?”
“There’s an emergency meeting at noon to discuss what happens next. Hrun’s passing was so sudden.” Lilia sighed, shaking her head. “The funeral’s not until tomorrow, but we need to keep things running smooth. He’ll be missed.”
She told me to drop by around one and I turned to go.
“Raek,” Paer said, “tell Lyam I want a rematch with him too.”
“I will,” I answered.
Running, I took the stairs two at a time. Had something happened? The main entrance inched open and a figure slid through: Fitz.
“Where have you been?” I asked. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“I’m sorry, son. Last night after I left you, I had to find out what was going on. Wanted to get the lay of the land and see if my contacts knew anything. Spent the night meeting old friends around the city, finding out who we could trust and if any could help us.”
“Would have been nice of you to tell me.”
His eyes darted around. “Shhh! It isn’t safe here. We need to find somewhere to talk.”
“I know the perfect place.” I led him to the abandoned sleeping quarters and we both slipped in.
“It’s worse than we thought,” he said. “I talked to some people. They said now’s the worst time for war. The towns are feeling more scared than angry, and the rebels are weaker than they think. The betting houses in Zone Three are in on the action. The line fluctuates between forty-five-to-one and fifty-to-one for the government. It doesn’t look good.”
“And that’s why they want me.”
“Exactly! They need a spark, something to light the fire in animotes everywhere. The videos Lilia talked about didn’t do it. Ten thousand views before the government pulled them. Now they’re gone, and not coming back. And there’s the other thing they didn’t tell us.” He paused. “The GDR’s considering increased enforcement in the towns. They’re worried about violence and plan to deploy cleanup squads in every town: small armed units to intimidate and end uprisings before they begin.”
“The army’s big enough?” That must be tens of thousands of soldiers...
Fitz laughed a pained laugh. “They can do anything. It’s the government we’re talking about. Their resources are limitless.” He shook his head. “Plus they control the money supply.”
“What if now’s our last chance?” I could hear the desperation in my voice.
“There’s no such thing as a last chance, son. Unless you give up or die, you haven’t lost. Besides, it’s suicide to stay. I don’t trust Lilia.”
“Okay, we’ll do it,” I said after a moment. “We’ll go. But when? By the way, Lilia and Paer said they want us at the end of the Council meeting at 13:00.”
He stroked his beard. “Interesting. That’ll tell us a lot. Let’s plan to leave tonight. I think we have to. Make things ready. Steal as much food as you can, enough to fill a pack. I’ll make other preparations. And Raek.” He grabbed me and pulled me closer. “Take this.”
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something. “Memorize it. It’s the name and address of an old friend I’d trust with my life. Just in case,” he added. “Quick, let’s go before anyone notices we’re missing.”
He left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
On the run, again. I’d been getting comfortable here. Would life ever be the same? I doubted it.
What was this paper?
Lars - 1104b Heartlow Drive.
24
Decisions
The rest of the morning was spent getting ready. I needed a bag to carry everything. I missed my burned pack. It had been a Winter Solstice present from Mom, my only that year. Painful memories stirred. Mom… But she’d say to “Pull yourself together.” I tried. I’d do it for her.
I had what I was wearing, not much else. I needed thicker clothes if we were going to be on foot.
The laundry room was empty. That was a good sign.
I hurried down the rows of washers and dryers, pausing at each.
A jacket, perfect. The door opened as I grabbed it. It was Henk.
“Doing laundry?” he asked.
“It’s that time of week.” He moved closer and I closed the dryer with my foot, tapping the start button while his back was turned. Phew, close one. “Good. Should be done in an hour,” I said, loud enough for him to hear. “Henk, can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Do we have any spare gear, uniforms or anything? Maybe a lost and found? The cops burned our bags so I don’t have much.”
“Zedda didn’t show you when she gave you the tour?” He laughed, shaking his head. “Give me a second to flip this and I’ll show you.” He walked to the machine I’d just closed, and opene
d it. “Laundry neighbors,” he remarked as I looked away. Something like that.
He messed with the load, took a few things out, and closed the door again. “Let’s go.”
We walked out the door and Henk said, “I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s Lyam like? He must be pretty cool.”
“What?”
“I mean, the guys a living legend.” There was a boyish envy in his voice I wouldn’t have expected.
I stopped. “What are you talking about?”
“Lyam, Lyam Harding.” His eyes widened. “You don’t know who he is?”
“Not really.” What else didn’t I know?
He snickered. “Man, he was one of the originals. He assassinated the old Minister of Security, Boris Yarin, went on more successful missions than anyone—except Paer—and rescued Lilia from prison.” He shook his head. “But his wife was killed in that failed op.”
My jaw dropped. “Fitz was married? Are we talking about my Science History teacher?”
Henk laughed, patting me on the back. “He’s a lot more than a teacher, bud.”
My mind was reeling. Why hadn’t he told me? He’d hidden his entire past from me. He was my best friend, and I barely knew the guy.
“We’re here.” Henk opened a small unmarked door, distracting me from Fitz’s deception.
We stepped into a room fit to burst: walls lined with layers of shirts, shoes, pants and more, a dizzying array of colors and patterns, even camo.
“This is a goldmine, Henk.” Vynce would have loved this. “Where’d we get it all?”
“You accumulate a lot of junk in forty years. Whenever we raid someplace valuable, we grab the good stuff before we blow it. Figure it ain’t stealing if it’s all made by animotes anyway. Take whatever you need.”
I thanked him and he left.
There were bags for Fitz and me, and I found fitting thermals in no time. Opening life-sized visuals of Fitz, I grabbed a few things for him as well.
My alarm buzzed, ten minutes until the meeting. I jogged back to my sleeping quarters and threw the clothes on my mat before heading out. On my way to the meeting, I dropped Fitz’s off too.
The door was closing as I got there, Fitz sliding into a seat.
I burst in. “Sorry I’m late! I was talking to Henk and lost track of time.”
“No worries, Raek.” Lilia beamed like she owned Hrun’s presidential chair. “Now we’re all here, let’s get started. As you know, Hrun passed away. His heart wasn’t as sound as it seemed. It’s a huge loss for all of us. He was a good friend, too.” She paused, swallowing hard. “But we can’t let his passing hold back the work he dedicated his life to. He wouldn’t want that. We owe him that much, at least.”
She’d have made a brilliant actress.
When it was clear no one had anything to add, she continued. “That is why I wanted you to come today, Raek, and you, Lyam.” She nodded at both of us. “We need to discuss the future of the Initiative, and your role in it. You’ve heard what I had to say at the meeting the last time the Council convened. What are your thoughts?”
Didn’t expect that. Um… “Well, it depends. I’m not keen on being a figurehead or spurring a rebellion,” I said. “Don’t get me wrong, I want animotes better off. We deserve a heck of a lot better than we’re getting. We’re third class citizens at best. That’s not right. But war?” I looked around. “Is that our only option?”
“What would you have us do?” Ganla snapped. “We lose ground, rights, and people every day. This can’t continue forever.”
“What Ganla’s trying to say, Raek,” Lilia chimed in, “is our options are limited. We can fight, we can try the diplomatic route, or we can wait… there isn’t another option. And waiting our way to victory isn’t going to work. The government and elites don’t even acknowledge us. They think they have us right where they want us, and, in a lot of ways, they’re not wrong.” She paused, a grim expression on her pretty face.
“Can we at least agree on that so far?” Lilia added.
Several heads nodded.
“For the political route, we need power. We need to force them to negotiate with us. If they don’t take us serious, it won’t work. That’s where you come in, Raek.” She smiled at me. “You’re unique, something they can’t take away from us. You’re the possibility of reuniting humanity, or at least bringing animotes and cynetics together. Imagine the power we could wield. We’d be seventy percent of the population. We could rewrite the rules and build a fairer world. Isn’t that worth fighting for?” She looked at me. “Isn’t that worth dying for?”
Of course it was. Did she think me a coward? “I’d give my life for that. But what if we fail? What if the towns rebel and we’re not ready?” Was I the only one worried about that? “What if the DNS break ‘em before the rebellion begins? I grew up in the woods, spent my days camping, hiking, and in nature. And if you light a fire and it doesn’t catch just right, it sputters and dies. But if you time it, you get a branch-burner of a bonfire. It’s about timing and coordination. See what I’m saying?” Maybe a camping metaphor was a bad idea for city folk.
Fitz locked eyes with Lilia. “How sure are we about these simulations? Oddsmakers are calling it very different.”
“We’ve run the numbers, Lyam,” Lilia said in a calm voice, her seething eyes betraying her true frustration. She looked at me and her face softened. “That’s a good analogy, Raek. Not perfect, but good enough.”
I wanted to make this work. “How could we guarantee success? What would we need?” The excitement was pulling me in. What if we could pull this off?
“Success is never guaranteed,” Paer replied. “We have to play the best hand we’re dealt.”
“But what about stacking the deck in our favor?” Fitz said. “What if we waited a couple of months, got teams in place, and coordinated with the towns and local militias. We’d stand a much better chance.”
“Unless things leaked. And things always leak. Accidents happen. You of all people should know, Lyam!” Lilia replied icily.
“Careful what you say next.” Fitz growled.
“I am the president of the Initiative, Lyam!” Her voice skyrocketed. “Remember that when you speak to me and dare to—”
“Enough!” Paer slammed her fist on the table. “Both of you are acting like children. We have work to do.”
“I’m sorry, Agtha, Lyam,” Lilia snapped. “It has been decided. It’s time. We prepare for war, we must. We all know it. It’s time to act.” She stared around the room, daring anyone to question her.
Fitz’s lip curled into a scowl. “You’re making a mistake, Lilia.”
Lilia’s temper flared. “Lyam, I am allowing you into this meeting! You’re not a Council member. You abandoned us all those years ago. I won’t fault you, but the fact remains. Now, Raek.” She turned back to me, voice softening again. “Do you understand the situation better now? You want to help us, right?”
I think so... I nodded.
“Good, that’s great!” She gave me an encouraging nod. “We have been preparing for years. Truth be told we never expected this, but we’ve always had contingency plans in place, and agents prepared to spread the message. We’ll spend a few days planning and coordinating like you said, to burn everywhere at once. That’s what it’ll take to succeed, and I don’t plan to sleep or rest until we do.” Her eyes blazed. “Now, Raek Mekorian, do I have your support? Will you be our champion? Will you help us?”
“I will. On one condition,” I added. “I want to be involved in the strategy and planning and I want Fitz—whatever you want to call him—to be in charge of the final operation.”
She stared at me for some time, her face an impenetrable stare. I held her gaze until she looked around the table. There were brief nods of assent.
“It’s settled,” Lilia said. “We prepare for war. I want each of you in touch with your local cells by the end of the day with updates and next steps. We will meet again tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. to g
o over progress and finalize things.”
There were nods all around.
25
Dirty Laundry
After the meeting ended, the Council split. Fitz, Lilia, Mico, and I ended up heading to grab food. I was exhausted and starving after seven straight hours of planning. We’d lost track of time.
When we got to the mess, the place was deserted. The trays made it obvious why: meatloaf and brussel sprouts. I cringed but was hungry enough not to care.
We all sat, and, despite earlier arguments, things felt cordial, friendly almost. It was nice for a change, and Mico told me about how he’d traveled with his parents serving a wealthy emulate family. He’d visited Old Europe’s cities and had stories from his parents and grandparents about London, Paris, and Rome, before they’d been reduced to a shadow of their former selves.
I’d never visited Zone Three, never thought about it. It wasn’t an option growing up. Animotes like us didn’t travel, certainly not overseas. Mom always said, “be happy to have food on the table. Many weren’t so fortunate.” Yet, it must be so cool. To see how people lived before the Fall, before modernity and the divergence would be fascinating.
Mico promised if we made it through this alive, he’d bring me. Somehow conversation shifted to Nazi Germany and the similarities to today. Next to me, Lilia mentioned a woman.
Fitz tensed, his shoulders stiffening. Something was up. But what? I tried to focus on what they were saying but Mico was going on about something to do with the Stasi. Why’d he have to be so loud?
“What’s this have to do with her?” Fitz’s nostrils flared as his voice rose.
“You know full well, Lyam,” Lilia whispered. Why was she whispering? “You’re resisting because of what happened to her. You don’t want to lose the boy too.” She noticed my gaze and I looked away, but not before she realized I’d been paying attention.