by Melissa Faye
“Javi, please work with some of the other community members to assess the picture. I’d like a projected estimate of how many guards they might be using, how many adults may be present, and how many weapons we’ll need to take possession of the entire compound.” Ann looked back at the screen and shook her head. “I wonder how long the kids have been there. That’s a nice looking set up; it wasn’t built in the last year. Something like that must have been around for a long time.”
Which meant there could be kids there as old as Teo, or even older, who were stolen when they were infants. But the people in charge likely hadn’t seen resistance before. Maybe they wouldn’t see us coming.
I tried to help Javi’s team, but quickly realized I was no good at the work. The Gentle Acres leadership team had organized a rebellion before. They knew best what would be needed to take control of the complex.
Breck must have realized the same thing, because he came to sit with me in some chairs at the far end of the room.
“Etta’s in there,” he said. “And Charlie, and Sven. Do you think they’re even...”
“Of course they’re ok!” I snapped. “They have to be.”
“I can’t think about it,” said Breck. “Etta and Hope. I have a family now. How could I lose my family almost as quickly as I got them?”
“We were a family long before Hope was born,” I said. “And we’ll be a family no matter what.” I shook my head and looked out the windows. “Breck, you didn’t hear the Chancellor’s speech on the lawn. He wants people alive. Even if they’re just used as Grays, or worse, he wants us alive. Plus, Etta is still there. He wouldn’t want to lose someone who can have children.”
Breck leaned back in his chair and took a sip from a cup of water he’d been carrying. “It’s strange. How did Chancellor Lorenzo end up here? Did he have us followed? How could he know we’d end up in a community like this, or that this community would have information about the mutations?”
“And why does the head of one community out of thousands have this much power? All the Gray Suits, all the trucks and weaponry? The Chancellor is a nasty person and people follow him. But I wouldn’t expect him to have this much power.”
“At least he’s gone now,” said Breck. We hadn’t seen him leave, but could only assume he ran with the rest of the Gray Suits. Probably in an armored truck, surrounded by body guards. I hoped we’d never see him again, but didn’t dare count on it.
JAVI’S TEAM WORKED for several hours before they were prepared to present their plan to Ann and the others.
“We should have enough manpower and weapons to take over the complex,” he announced. They had left the picture Charlie sent me on the wall and Javi pointed out a few parts. “For an area this size, we expect no more than fifty Gray Suits. There should also be a dozen or so adults to watch the children. Maybe teachers, nurses. There are no manufacturing buildings or agricultural areas, so we have to assume most supplies are shipped in. That lowers the number of personnel further.”
“What will we need to make this happen?” I asked.
“We’ll need a lot of people,” one of Javi’s teammates said. “Maybe a hundred. Maybe less if we can get more information before we attack. We can work in waves. First send in a smaller group to scope out the situation and take over a few key spots like the cafeteria and office buildings. Then send in a second wave with full force.”
“What will happen to the Gray Suits and other adults who are helping make this complex run?” asked Alexis. “The Gray Suits are Grays who were bribed to do this work in exchange for Silver assignments. Can we limit their casualties?”
“They stole children, Alexis,” Breck spat. “They’re kidnappers. Think of what they did right here just a few days ago.”
Ann jumped in. “No, Alexis does have a point. We may be able to turn some of the Gray Suits if we can promise them better than what the government has promised. Gentle Acres runs without color assignments.”
“How do we know we can trust them?” Breck said. “How could we ever trust them again to be on our side?”
“We can’t,” said Javi. “But it’s still a good point. We could focus on containing the adults in the complex and share more with them about our research and what we know about the kids and their parents. We can tell them about life in Gentle Acres, and see what they would need to work with us.”
I crossed my arms. The Gray Suits had made the choice to work for the government based on desperation. Being Gray was a terrible way to live. In a way, I couldn’t blame them for making that choice. On the other hand, they had attacked camps and taken kids. Did they know what they were doing? Did they understand what they were doing when they attacked Gentle Acres?
I thought back to the man whose gun I stole on the mansion lawn. “I follow orders,” he told me. He didn’t say anything about wanting to kill anyone or believing in the government’s mission.
“Let’s do it,” I said. “We can work with the Gray Suits. We don’t need to kill them, and we may be able to trust them eventually.” Breck furrowed his brow. “They don’t seem like they know what they’re doing. Or that they know the whole truth. Trust me.” I said the last part directly to Breck. He looked away and muttered under his breath, but didn’t respond.
Javi went over the rest of his plan. My eyes glazed over. There were arrows and numbers and timelines. These people would come this way at this time while these people would...I found myself imagining what was happening to Charlie. Was he still alive? He had to be, right? No one could look at that cheerful face and those deep blue eyes and take his life. He was in that complex, alive. And I would help find him.
Chapter 19 – Yami
The next day, I rode in a truck with Alexis, Breck, and a man named Asher. Asher was much older than us. He was average height, so I could look him in the eye, but he must have been a weight lifter. His arms and legs bulged under his clothing. He looked like he could snap a tree in half. We were all glad he was there; he’d make a good soldier. Plus, he was a good driver.
We’d been given permission to be part of a sort of secret wave that would enter the complex between the first and second ones. We would look for Charlie, Etta, and Sven. Breck wanted to focus on Hope, but he was shot down. We didn’t need to find Hope. If all worked out, we’d seize control of the space and Breck would be able to see her soon enough.
Ann sent out a community-wide alert as soon as the team decided on a plan that evening. We quickly saw over one hundred volunteers, with more names signing up through the night and early morning. People with more experience were split unevenly between the waves. We’d need better trained soldiers at first. Plus, it gave the community a little extra time to train inexperienced volunteers to use their weapons, organize into units, and follow commands.
Before we left, Breck and I checked on Matana. She was still unconscious. She looked like she had aged ten years in just a few weeks; her hair was grayer than I remembered. I sat on the Care Unit next to her, and Breck took her hand.
“Is she going to be ok?” he asked me. I swiped through the information on the Care Unit’s screen. No changes.
“I don’t know, Breck. She has some brain swelling. And her vitals are the same as they were when we got here. I can’t tell if she’ll ever wake up.”
Breck squeezed Matana’s hand. She gave us a place to stay when we had nowhere else to go. She welcomed us back even after our friend betrayed her and I attacked her. She helped bring Hope into the world.
We sat in the room for a long time. Alexis finally messaged us. It was time to go.
WE DROVE ALONGSIDE the first wave, which consisted of five trucks packed with people. Our truck was set aside to carry most of the weaponry. Since we weren’t entering the complex first, our truck could be a sort of holding station for soldiers to dart back to when they needed medical help or more supplies. It would take at least eight hours to get to the camp given how slowly we would be driving. None of the trucks were in good shape, and there
wasn’t enough time for them to go through full repairs and safety checks.
I messaged Vonna while we drove. “Heading to save the day,” I wrote. “Wish me luck.”
“Are you going to that school???”
“On our way.”
“Good.”
I shut off my TekCast and stared out the window. I knew we were still hours away, but I kept my eyes peeled for signs of the complex approaching. Alexis teased me. “You can look all you want, Yami,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows. “Or you could take a nap.”
I WOKE WHEN I FELT the truck pull to a stop. It was late afternoon. Asher was driving, and quickly executed a turn back in the opposite direction. I looked out the windows and saw the other trucks doing the same.
“What’s happening?” I said as I leaned over Breck in the passenger seat.
He cursed under his breath, fuming.
“They knew we were coming,” Alexis said. “They’re waiting for us.”
I knelt in the back seat, looking out at the complex behind us. Sure enough, the Gray Suits stood at the ready. They surrounded two buildings – based on Charlie’s photo, it was the nursery and dorms. The first wave, with its thirty or so members, wouldn’t be large enough to take on this many Gray Suits lying in wait.
“We can’t wait here for the others,” Asher said. “It’ll take too long. Those guards will come for us sooner or later.” He drove until we reached the crest of a hill.
A woman from one of the trucks came to meet us. She looked to Asher for help.
“What do we do?” she said. “I have some highly trained men and women back in those trucks. But it might not be enough. If we wait for them to come to us, there will likely be more injuries. We need the protection of those buildings, and a place to corral the guards.”
Breck hopped out of the car. I stayed in place, watching. My ankle was mostly healed, though still stiff, and I didn’t want to push it before it was time to go.
“Then we head in,” said Asher. “Message Ann. Let her know about the change. Meanwhile I’ll talk to the team. We’ll make adjustments.”
We watched the team plan from the back of the truck. I lay on my side with my ankle resting on a bag. Breck sat at the end of the truck, swinging his legs back and forth. Alexis stood near me.
“How did they know we were coming?” Alexis said. “They attacked Gentle Acres right after we had a huge breakthrough. They’re here waiting for us. Even assuming they caught the others, we didn’t message any of them about when we were coming.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Someone told...someone,” I said. “There’s a mole. Who would do that?”
“No way,” said Breck. “None of these people...”
“We don’t know all of them, Breck.”
“They’re good people,” said Alexis. “None of them would do something like this.”
“Someone did,” I said. I leaned past Alexis to watch Asher’s team. Asher drew diagrams in the dirt with a stick, and everyone crowded around to see. “Alexis!” I cried.
Breck and Alexis stared at me.
“Get Asher back over here,” I said. “If there’s a spy, he could be part of that group. He could hear the plan.”
“What if it’s Asher?” Breck said. “How do we know we can trust him?”
“We can’t trust any of them,” Alexis said. “You’re right. Not even Asher.”
We stared at the group. I didn’t know them all by name, but I couldn’t imagine any of them hiding a secret like this. I remember how they rallied together when the Chancellor’s army attacked. How they rushed to help Matana. How they welcomed us in from the beginning. Still, I thought, it would just take one person to give us up.
My TekCast buzzed. A message from Vonna.
“What are you going to do?” it said.
“About what?” I replied.
“If the mission doesn’t go as planned?”
“It’ll all go fine, Vonna, I’ll keep you posted.”
A small inkling of a thought sat somewhere in my brain, telling me I was missing something very important.
It didn’t make sense. What are you going to do? How would Vonna know something was wrong? My heart beat fast and leapt into my throat. It couldn’t be.
I stared at the holoscreen and read the messages again, then scrolled up to all the messages I had sent her since she first contacted me. Then I read them again.
“Breck, look at this,” I whispered. I passed over my holoscreen. Alexis peered over Breck’s shoulder as he scrolled through the messages like I had. I waited and felt worry lines creasing my forehead.
“You told her about Hope being born. And Teo.”
I nodded.
“You told her about Gentle Acres!” Alexis said. “And about Charlie coming here to rescue the kids. This is your old mentee, right?”
“Yeah, that’s Vonna.”
“Yami...” Breck was quiet now too. “It doesn’t look like the message is from her TekCast. It’s someone else’s. It’s not registered.”
“Yeah, the Chancellor took hers...That’s the used one the camp gave her.”
“Are you sure? How do we know this is her?”
I swallowed hard and looked away. Why wouldn’t that be Vonna? How would someone know enough about me to pretend to be her?
“I’m the mole.” I leapt off the truck and walked quickly in the opposite direction, picking up speed as I left the rest of the group behind me. I left my TekCast behind: evidence of just how badly I had messed everything up.
I SAT DOWN FAR OFF from the rest of the soldiers, cursing myself for having been so stupid. I thought back to that first moment after Etta 2 and Teo arrived when I received Vonna’s message. I was worried Etta 2 was a plant; I didn’t have a single doubt about Vonna. She – or whoever was actually messaging with me – had told me nothing about where she was staying. I knew nothing about how she found the camp she was supposedly staying at, or who she knew there, or what she was up to. The details were all so vague. But my affection for her and my guilt over what I had asked her to do had clouded my judgment.
They only came for us at Matana’s camp once I told Vonna we were there with Hope and Teo. They only came for us at Gentle Acres when I told Vonna the exact name and location of the community. They knew Charlie, Etta, and Sven were coming to the school because I told Vonna. And they knew we were arriving today.
I looked over at where the trucks were parked. Asher was easy to pick out of the crowd. I thought I could see him wave his hands in the air and gesture angrily towards me. I saw Breck and Alexis huddle together, looking at me only occasionally. Breck held a second TekCast in his hand – mine.
Everything I had done had felt so important. I was protecting my friends. I spent so long keeping secrets for their sake. I didn’t even realize how secretive I was being about Vonna until I handed my TekCast to Breck. Someone would have noticed if I let them in. Now we were stuck. The Gray Suits would come for us, or we would attack them. Either way, we weren’t prepared. And we would lose.
Asher and the others began to distribute supplies amongst themselves, packing bags and putting guns in holsters. Breck and Alexis were still talking. They were looking at something on my TekCast – maybe rereading the messages and figuring out how to deal with my betrayal. Finally, Breck and Alexis made their way towards me.
I looked down at the ground where I sat. Dirt, with patches of grass and weeds. Little insects scurrying around. I realized I had been crying; my face and shirt were wet. I couldn’t bear looking Breck in the face. I was responsible for Hope’s kidnapping.
Alexis and Breck sat down on either side of me. My shoulders slumped. I wondered what it would be like to be water, and just melt away into the ground below my feet, snaking my way between twigs and brush until I was so dissipated, I wouldn’t be me anymore.
“Stop it,” Alexis said suddenly, breaking my chain of thought. I looked at her out of the corner of my ey
e. She was looking straight at me with a cold face.
“Alexis, I’m so –“
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself,” she continued. “It’s not helping.”
“But Hope –“
“You thought you were talking to Vonna. I would have done the same if it was Etta.” I felt Breck’s eyes on me but still wouldn’t look at him. “You made a mistake. But this self pity? I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“I would have done the same thing if it were you, Yami,” Alexis said. I sniffed loudly and tried to cover my face with my hands. “I’m so disappointed in you.” I flushed.
“I was so sure it was her,” I said. “I never questioned it. I should have verified it somehow.”
“No, I’m not disappointed about that,” Alexis replied. “Breck’s right. This isn’t like you. I’ve noticed how much you grew up since I saw you at your middle class graduation. You’re strong and determined. You’d do anything to protect the people around you.” Tears ran down my cheek and I tried to keep my breath even.
“I failed –“
“You made a mistake!” Breck snapped. “We need you to help fix it. Someone knows you care about Vonna and they’re using it to get information from you. Who do you think that might be?”
I hadn’t thought about who was messaging me; I just thought about my own guilt.
“It has to be your Chancellor,” said Alexis. “The one who came to Gentle Acres, right? Breck told me what happened between the two of you. He has to be involved.”
“So what do we do?” Breck asked. “You can make this better. Help us figure out what to do.” Breck handed me my TekCast.
I wiped my face with my sleeve and looked at Breck before taking the TekCast from his hand. He didn’t look angry; he looked impatient. Time was ticking away, and I needed to act. I opened up the messaging system to Vonna’s last note. She wanted to know what I’d do if the mission didn’t go as planned.