Ill-Fated (Ill-Fated Series Book 1)

by S. C. McMurray

  “Shh. He’s about to pray.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Yes, but shh.”

  Evelyn bowed her head, but kept her eyes open. The tall man began. He thanked somebody; Evelyn wasn’t sure who, for his daughter and for everyone present for her birthday, then concluded with something about mercy and grace. When he finished, chit chat resumed and everyone, almost in unison, dug into their pieces of cake.

  “So, that is what praying looks like,” Evelyn said as she took a bite of the cake.

  Lana took a seat at on a decorative bench at the end of the room and motioned for Evelyn to sit down. “Yep.”

  Evelyn sat down on the bench next to Lana. “And he believed that someone was actually listening?”

  “I guess so.”

  Evelyn spoke with her mouth full, “Interesting…”

  Lana perked up. “Oh! Before I forget.” Lana sat her plate down beside her and reached into the pocket of her hoody and produced a card. She handed it to Evelyn. “I know I’m a little late, but happy birthday.”

  Evelyn opened the envelope and pulled out the card. There was a shirtless hunk with chiseled abs and low cut jeans peering provocatively out at her. The words above him read You’ve caught his attention and he only has one question to ask you…Evelyn flipped open the card and rolled her eyes as she read, What should I get my girlfriend for her birthday? She glared playfully at Lana.

  “I thought you would like that.”

  “You know me so well,” Evelyn replied, sarcastically.

  They both laughed for a moment before Lana reached into another pocket and pulled out a small computer chip. Evelyn recognized it immediately. It was a memory chip for a holographic messenger.

  “Open your hand.”

  Evelyn did as directed.

  Lana continued, “This is your real present.” She placed the chip in Evelyn’s palm and folded her fingers over it. “I told you I would message you every day, once my mom and I got settled, and I wasn’t lying. Check it out, when you get a chance.”

  “Thanks, Lana.” She hugged her. “You are a good friend.”

  “I know.”

  Just then, the birthday girl’s father, the tall man with the thinning blonde hair walked up to them. “So, Lana, this is your friend.”

  “Yes, Mr. Cole, this is Evelyn.”

  He held out his hand and Evelyn shook it. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Evelyn.”

  Evelyn nodded politely. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Cole.” She thought she should say something nice, but she wasn’t good in these types of situations. “You have a beautiful family and a beautiful home.”

  He folded his hands together. “Indeed, I am very blessed.” He paused. “Tell you what, Lana, would you be willing to give Evelyn here a tour of the house?”

  Lana’s eyes met his like they were speaking some hidden language. “I don’t mind at all, Mr. Cole.”

  “Very good.” He said with a nod.

  Mr. Cole went away and mingled with some of the other guests, while Lana led Evelyn on a tour of the house. She opened a door to a room full of bright colors and teddy bears. “This is Lillian’s room. I told you she likes bears.” She closed that door and led Evelyn around the corner to another. She opened it and Evelyn felt a draft of cold air. Lana started down a set of steps and gestured for Evelyn to follow. “This is the basement, come on.”

  Despite the weird feeling in her stomach, Evelyn followed. About halfway down the steps, she said, “Umm, Lana, do you plan on murdering me?”

  Lana laughed, “You’ve got me. This was all an elaborate scheme to lure you down into this basement, so I could cut you up into tiny little pieces and feed you to my dog.”

  “You’re sick, Lana.”

  She smiled. “I know. I don’t even have a dog.”

  Laughing, Evelyn followed Lana down the steps and to the right to a part of the basement that had been sectioned off. There was another door.

  “Is this their laundry room or something?” Evelyn asked.

  “No,” Lana answered. “This is what you’ve been waiting for.”

  She knocked on the door and said, “She’s here.”

  The door opened from the other side and Evelyn followed Lana inside a room with a folding table in the center and maps tacked to the walls. A single light bulb hanging down from the ceiling was used to illuminate the room but the light didn’t quite reach the edges. There was a woman, probably in her early thirties, with dark hair tied up in a ponytail, keenly studying a map that was spread before them on the table and another person, arms crossed, leaning against the wall in the corner, face eschewed by shadow. Based on the build, Evelyn assumed the figure was a man but, she couldn’t be sure. Another man, mid-forties, with a kind face, introduced himself as Clive and welcomed them in.

  “Have a seat, ladies,” Clive said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  Lana sat down in a metal folding chair at the far end of the table. Evelyn, still unsure of what was going to happen, sat down beside her somewhat apprehensively. Clive turned to Lana. “So, this is the girl.”

  Lana nodded and glanced at Evelyn. “In the flesh.”

  “I take it you got the letter?” He asked Evelyn.

  Evelyn nodded.

  “What did it say?” He asked.

  At his question, the other woman at the table stopped what she was doing and stared at Evelyn with anticipation, as did Lana.

  Evelyn was confused. “You don’t know what the letter said?” She turned to Lana. “But you delivered it?”

  Lana responded, “Our orders were to deliver it, not to read it.”

  Evelyn looked at each one of them. She could see the hunger for information in their eyes. Finally, she asked, “Who are you people?”

  Clive leaned back and glanced at the dark haired woman. She nodded quickly and he turned his attention back to Evelyn.

  “Myself, your friend Lana,” he glanced at the dark haired woman, “Selena, and Rillian behind me are members of the Separatists Coalition.”

  Evelyn was in disbelief. “The SPC is real?”

  “Yes, Evelyn,” he answered.

  She suddenly felt a sense of panic. “Oh no…I shouldn’t have come here. The government is going to think I’m one of you.”

  “No they won’t,” Clive said, reassuringly. “They believe what they know, that you are at a birthday party. They have no reason to believe otherwise.”

  Evelyn rubbed her temples. “Wait…the birthday is just a cover?”

  “No.” Clive responded. “It is Lillian’s seventh birthday. Everett, her father, is one of us and we used the celebration of her birthday as way to meet without suspicion.” He leaned forward. “You must understand, Evelyn, that the American people are being watched…constantly.”

  Selena finally spoke. “OPTIC is always watching.”

  “Who is OPTIC?” Evelyn asked.

  “OPTIC isn’t a person,” Clive responded. “It’s the acronym for the surveillance program the government uses to monitor its citizens.”

  “OPTIC controls the drones and the satellites,” Selena, piped in. “He monitors GPS signals and phone conversations and internet traffic. OPTICS’s job is to root out any insurgency.”

  “And he’s damn good at it,” Clive added.

  “It’s the government’s job to protect our privacy,” Evelyn stated. “Isn’t what OPTIC is doing illegal?”

  Lana turned to Evelyn. “Those laws don’t mean anything to them, Eve. All they care about is their authority.”

  Clive added, “OPTIC doesn’t behave according to any law except those programmed into it.”

  Evelyn leaned back in her chair in an attempt to comprehend what she was hearing. “How do you know all of this?”

  Clive dropped his head a bit and took a breath. “Because I helped create him.”

  Evelyn was suspicious. “So you helped create a program that invades the privacy of all American citizens, then suddenly had a change of heart?�
�

  “Something like that, but it wasn’t sudden.”

  “Why isn’t OPTIC hunting you?” she asked quickly.

  “They think I’m dead. And I would be if they ever found out the truth.”

  Lana piped in, “we all would be.”

  Clive lowered his voice and said in disappointment, “they’ve already captured two of us this week.”

  On Clive’s statement, the man in the shadows shifted his weight from one leg to the other. It was the first time Evelyn saw him move.

  “When they capture us, they torture us for information and we always end up dead.” Selena added.

  Lana touched Evelyn on the hand. “That is why you mustn’t tell another soul about this to anyone, not even your Dad, Eve. They’ll find out and you and your whole family will perish.”

  She thought about that for a second. “Why do you risk so much?”

  Clive glanced around the room. “We all have our reasons.”

  Evelyn shook her head. “This can’t end well. First, General Thatcher, the Unionist Party, they’re too strong. No disrespect, but how do you expect to win?”

  “This isn’t about how many soldiers we have or the weapons at our disposal. It’s about a change in mindset. A return to the values that this country used to hold dear before war and greed changed everything.”

  “And you think bombing a satrapy checkpoint is going to change the mindset of the American people?”

  “That wasn’t us, Eve,” said Lana. “That was a government ploy to fool the people into fearing us and thinking we are the enemy.”

  Evelyn thought of her mother, wide-eyed, sitting at the edge of the cushions, watching the UNN broadcast of the coverage of the bombing. She shuddered.

  “And how do we win?” asked Clive, rhetorically. “That is where you come in.”

  Evelyn slunk down into her chair. “What do you mean?”

  “What did the letter say?” Selena asked.

  Evelyn repeated the words in her mind. You are the first of your kind and you will change the world. Suddenly, the words became heavy and she felt as if the weight of the world had been placed upon her shoulders.

  “I…I don’t know if I can do this?”

  Lana leaned closer to Evelyn. “Do what?”

  Selena spoke louder, “What did the letter say?”

  “Tell us, Evelyn,” implored Clive. “What did Dr. Larkin write to you?”

  She paused. “Dr. Larkin?”

  “Yes. Dr. Nicolai Larkin. What did he want?”

  N. L. she thought to herself, Nicolai Larkin. She turned back to Clive. “Do you know him?”

  “Yes. He is the reason I’m still alive.”

  “Is he here?” She asked.

  “Sadly, no. He’s too ill to travel.”

  “I want to speak with him.” Evelyn said as she reached into her bag and pulled out the letter from Dr. Larkin.

  She slid it across the table to Clive. He unfolded it and read it. When he was done, his eyes narrowed on Evelyn with curiosity. He handed the note to Selena who read it with a similar reaction, only more skeptical.

  Lana read it as well, then put her arm around Evelyn. “I always knew you were special.”

  Clive leaned back and rubbed his forehead for a moment. “It won’t be easy, but we can get her to Dr. Larkin.”

  Selena grimaced, it was obvious she didn’t like the idea. “It’s too risky, she’s being tailed by the Secret Service already, they’ll notice if she’s gone for a few days.”

  Instantly, Evelyn thought of the silver car she’d spotted earlier. “That’s who’s been following me?”

  “Yes and they seem to know something we don’t.” Clive said. “That’s why we need to get her to Dr. Larkin before it’s too late.”

  Selena sat back and crossed her arms. “You’re right, but I don’t know if we can pull this off.”

  Suddenly, the man from the shadows spoke. “We don’t have a choice.” He sounded younger than what Evelyn had been picturing.

  Clive nodded. “Rillian is right, we don’t have a choice…but she does.” He turned to Evelyn and said gravely, “if we take you to Dr. Larkin, there is no telling what the Secret Service will do to find out where you are. Do you understand?”

  She thought of her mother and especially her father. Her stomach began to churn as a fresh bead of sweat appeared on her brow. “I…I…” The three of them were pleading at her with their eyes. She felt herself beginning to tremble. “I…I…don’t think, I can do it.” She dropped her head. “I can’t risk my family.”

  Lana rubbed her back understandingly while Clive sighed in tempered disappointment. Selena slammed her fist on the table. “Damn it! We need her!”

  “She made her choice, Selena.” Clive fired back.

  Evelyn glanced up at Lana. “I think I’m going to go.”

  Lana nodded. “Okay. I’ll have Mr. Cole call a cab.”

  Selena shot to her feet, nostrils flaring. “No!”

  “Let her go,” said the man in the shadows.

  Selena looked back at the man in the shadows, then after a few seconds of huffing and puffing, sat down in her seat.

  Lana wrapped her arm around Evelyn and guided her through the door out of the room. “Come on, Eve, let’s go.” Evelyn followed Lana up the steps and out of the basement. Lana asked Mr. Cole to call a cab and he did so. Lana and Evelyn went outside into the warm night and sat on the front porch step waiting for the cab to show up.

  “I’m sorry, Lana. I just—”

  “—Don’t worry about it, Eve,” Lana offered. “At least you had a choice in the matter. My mom is a member, so I didn’t have a say at all.”

  “Thanks, Lana,” Said Evelyn. “This is all just so much.”

  “I know. Remember, we aren’t forcing you. That‘s the beauty of the Coalition. We aren’t like the government forcing our men and women to fight or forcing them to take aptitude tests that determine their future. We have a choice, and those of us who aren’t happy with your choice will get over it.”

  “Even Selena?”

  “Yes, even Selena. But, don’t be too hard on her,” Lana warned. “She has good reason to be angry with the government.”

  “Really?”

  “You remember Kim?” Evelyn nodded and Lana continued, “Selena was actually engaged to Kim’s older brother, but the Satrap refused to let them get married because he wasn’t born here like his sister.”

  “What happened?”

  “He fought the ruling by starting a petition, even had a lot of signatures until…”

  “Until what?”

  “Until he went to work one day and never came back.”

  Evelyn’s heart sank for Selena. “Wow…”

  Just then a yellow taxi appeared around the curve.

  “Your ride is here.” Lana pushed herself up off the step. She reached out and helped Evelyn to her feet before reaching into a small purse she’d been carrying. “Here’s some cash for the ride home.” She held out a folded up brand new United People of America twenty dollar bill.

  “Thanks Lana, but I’ve got money on my scanner.” Evelyn said, referring to the tiny device that had been inserted in her wrist when she was a newborn.

  Lana put the bill in Evelyn’s hand and closed her fingers around it. “No, I insist.”

  Evelyn sighed. “Okay.” They hugged and Evelyn picked up her bag and slipped it over her shoulders and started for the taxi.

  “Evelyn,” said Lana. “There is one more thing. If you change your mind and want to come back, First General Thorne has the key.”

  Evelyn looked at her strangely and murmured, “Okay,” then waved goodbye as she climbed into the backseat of the cab. She told the driver where to go and they pulled away.

  As the taxi passed under the yellow street lights lining the side of the road, Evelyn tried again to wrap her mind around what she’d just been told. She felt pity and was somewhat angry for the things that the government had done to people li
ke Selena, but enough to commit treason? And maybe OPTIC was a good thing. Wasn’t everyone safer? Wasn’t she safer? She sure didn’t feel like it. Maybe, Lana and her SPC friends were right.

  Despite the gears of her mind turning, she felt her eyes growing heavy. Lana said I could come back if I changed my mind. She decided she would go home and sleep on it.

  As the taxi merged with the speeding traffic of the interstate, Evelyn thought about Lana’s last words. First General Thorne has the key? She was still holding the money that Lana had given her. She opened her hand and examined it. It was a crisp twenty dollar bill, folded twice, with a picture of the stoic, cold faced, General Vivian Thorne printed on it.

  General Thorne has the key! Beneath the tiny portrait of General Thorne was an address written in ink. Evelyn swiftly began to unfold the bill in order to read the rest of the address and a small note fell out. Evelyn glanced at the driver, he was tapping the steering wheel to whatever rhythm he was hearing in his head. She held the small note close to her face and read it to herself, “For a clean break…” She quickly unfolded the bill to reveal a small yellow pill taped to the inside of it. She broke the pill free from the tape and held it out in front of her. She leaned back. “If this is the key, what is the door?

  Chapter Seven

  Evelyn was still staring at the tiny yellow pill sitting in the palm of her hand when the taxi pulled to a stop in front of her apartment building. She tucked the pill into the right front pocket of her jeans, and then paid the fare by waving her arm under a tiny device protruding from the middle of the console. Evelyn grabbed her bag and climbed out, feeling both uneasy and relieved, like she’d just been in a car wreck or something.

  She scanned the parking lot for the silver car she’d seen earlier. It wasn’t there, but her father’s car was. She’d thought she would beat him home, despite it being well after dark.

  “This isn’t good.”

  Evelyn was already on thin ice with him after the incident at school and she didn’t want to disappoint him anymore than she’d already done. So, she searched her mind for a story, an alibi, or anything she could tell her father as to why she was gone so late on a school night. She decided that she would tell him that she’d made some new friends and they invited her to a birthday party. He would be happy to hear that and it was kind of true, wasn’t it?