by Simone Pond
She slowly gets out of the chair and once she gets her bearings, she reaches out to take her child. “Hi, Grace. I missed you.” She nestles into Grace’s delicate little face, inhaling her sweet scent.
“Find anything?” asks Joseph.
“I found Morray.” Ava holds Grace and walks around the room to get her circulation moving again. “Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
“I hit an archive file. I went way back.”
“How far?”
“To the twenty-first century. He was a teenager. It was during the Repatterning,” says Ava.
“Whoa, that’s three hundred years back.”
“I was in his head. Right there with him the whole time.” Ava pauses. “This may sound crazy and probably unbelievable, but Joseph, he wasn’t always a horrible person.”
Ava stands next to the window in the Administrative building, staring off to the setting sun. Morray’s memories collide into hers and she feels an overwhelming connection to the young Morray. She’s shocked at her discovery and her sympathy for him.
Joseph finishes putting away the equipment and walks over to the window. He kisses Ava’s cheek. “It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back.”
“I don’t know how I feel about you spending extended hours in Morray’s head.”
“It’s so strange, Joseph, but I feel connected to him.”
“Connected? Should I be worried?” He smiles.
“Morray was actually a decent person. His father was the diabolical one. He hated his own son. I have a much better understanding of why he turned out the way he did.” Ava never thought she’d have compassion for the man who held her people prisoner for centuries.
“That’s fascinating, but did you get any usable intel?”
Ava takes offense to Joseph’s tone. “I’m not any closer to knowing where he is, if that’s what you mean.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just getting impatient. We’ve been at this for a while and we’re not any closer to finding him.”
“But this is the first time I’ve been able to follow a string of cohesive memories. We’re making progress. It’s important to know his past, it could help us in the future.”
“You’re right.” Joseph nods. “I just don’t want you getting tangled up in his matrix.”
“As long as you’re overseeing the sessions, I’ll be fine. We’ll keep trying and eventually something will lead us to him.”
“You’ve been working hard at this; maybe we should take a break. Get back to the village for a few days?”
The last thing Ava wants is to step away. Not when she finally had a breakthrough. If they don’t get to him first, Morray will find a way back in and most likely make things worse than they were before. She’d prefer to plug right back into the mainframe and continue monitoring. She feels a strong desire to stay connected to Morray.
Joseph stares at her, waiting for a response.
She takes his hand. “We should stay in the city. I want to get back into the mainframe first thing tomorrow.”
Joseph pulls away. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
“I’m getting closer to understanding what makes Morray tick.”
“I don’t want you to jeopardize your physical or mental health. And I don’t wanna guilt trip you, but Grace needs her mother.”
Ava knows she belongs with her family, but something’s calling her back to Morray. She remembers when she escaped from the City Center not too long ago. She’ll never forget the fear of Morray chasing her down. He’d almost won. She doesn’t want her daughter to ever experience that fear, or have to fight for her freedom and survival.
“I’ve been through worse. Besides, this is for Grace.”
Part 2
The Trek
Chapter 10
I haven’t slept all night. We’re leaving the Subterranea today—this is the real deal, not some simulated holodome app. It’s time to break out and head west. I’m beyond ready to get out of this place and see the sky and breathe in fresh air. The trek will be tough and without any remaining supply chains food and water will be scarce, but it’ll be a million times better than this. I’d rather die a free man on the outside than live another day in a simulated paradise. If I need some motivation, I can think of America 2.0 and the images of starved hollow faces, or those dying from the virus the elites initiated, or the piles of bodies being tossed into ditches like garbage. My father did this. He and his Repatterning must be stopped.
The mandatory vaccine phase spread death so fast, I’m surprised there’s anyone left—but Zach assures me there are still many people to be saved. The ones living in those filthy emergency camps, being forced into slave labor to work on the city centers around the country, and the people working on the plantations, as well as those who ran off into hiding. There are the stragglers—more radical people—who took over vacated towns and are living like the lawless Wild West. Las Vegas has the largest population of stragglers, and the only reason it’s still standing is for entertainment value. America 2.0 gets the highest number of viewers on the nights they air Vegas footage. But like every other city that no longer serves a purpose in the new world, it will be decimated. Surgical missile strikes have already started taking apart places like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, along with their surrounding neighborhoods and districts. Everything is being burned down. We don’t know what’s happening around the world because communication has been cut off, and any outsider attempting to enter the country is obliterated on the spot.
“Hal,” I say.
“Yes, William?” she answers in her gentle tone. I’ve grown accustomed to female Hal and part of me will miss our daily interactions.
“I just wanted to hear your voice one more time.”
“Can I assist you with anything?”
“Prepare the shower for me. It’ll be a while before I have another one.”
I stay in the shower longer than usual, letting the hot water massage my head, wondering if I’m ready for this mission. Physically, yes. Mentally, maybe. Emotionally, iffy.
I get to the training facility early before the others arrive so I can pilfer a few extra bottles of the boost juice—just in case there’s an opportunity to enhance the journey outside. I doubt I’ll find any tabs out there. I shove some bottles into my bag with the other survival gear like water and non-perishables I’ve been squirreling away. I chug down a juice just as Sarah arrives. She waits alone at the far end of the hall, ignoring me. I’m too anxious to have a serious conversation anyway. Dru and Zach arrive together and the four of us step into the holodome for privacy.
“I’m gonna break it down real quick, so pay attention. No more second chances from this point on,” says Zach, chomping down hard on his gum. “We’re taking the Blue Line to the main transfer station. I got an access card to take the Red Line to the military base at the far end.”
My field of vision suddenly has a blurry edge to it. “Won’t we be monitored?” I ask, rubbing my eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have guzzled down the entire bottle.
“Yeah, we’re always being watched, but I worked it out with the head of security, explaining this is a training mission.”
“Yeah, but, what about, um, what if we get caught?” My voice sounds shaky.
“What’s up, Morray? You seem off.”
“Nothing, man. I’m cool. Just a little jittery.”
“He had some juice,” says Sarah, ratting me out. “The one with psychotropic enhancers.”
Zach stops chewing his gum and stares at me. “Why’d you do that? You knew this would be our only chance to get out. You tryin’ to jeopardize the mission?”
I step up to Zach, trembling with rage; I want to bash his head against the floor. “I told you, I’m with you. Don’t make me repeat myself.” My voice echoes throughout the holodome.
Zach grabs the collar of my shirt and I’m ready to throw a punch, when Dru steps in between and separates us. “Okay, let�
�s calm down.” She stares right at me. “William, you need to breathe. It’s okay. I’m right here. Breathe.”
My vision sways in and out of focus. I’m hypnotized by the flecks of yellow in Dru’s eyes that are flickering like a kaleidoscope. I’m getting dizzy. Every sound, smell and color is amplified. I close my eyes to get some control, but now I’m shooting through space at warp speed. It’s like trying to ride a tidal wave, but getting knocked around all over the place. Breathe, I hear Dru’s velvety voice. She’s still here, guiding me. I try to catch my breath, but I can’t stop coughing. My cells tingle like embers in a fire, then burst into flames. My body is combusting. I’m going to blow!
“Breathe, you idiot!” Sarah voice scrapes my ears.
Something drenches me and it’s like shards of ice splinters piercing my body and ripping open my skin. I drop to the ground and curl into a ball to protect myself.
“Stop!” I sound a million miles away.
“It’s just water. Snap out of it!” yells Sarah.
Zach leans down and injects something into my neck. My heart slows down and I’m able to catch my breath. I uncurl from my ball of protection to find the three of them looking down at me. “Man, that stuff is strong.” I laugh.
“Don’t pull that shit again.” Zach pulls me to my feet. “Gotta keep a level head.”
“Sorry, guys. I thought the extra kick would help.” I don’t tell them about the other bottles in my bag. I know under the right circumstances this juice will induce a phenomenal trip. This stuff is way stronger than any tab.
“Let’s focus on the plan. We get out at the first stop on the Red Line, break into the maintenance room, then crawl up through the air vents to the garage where we’ll wire a Jeep.”
“And we’ll just drive out?” I ask.
“Of course not. The Jeep is a distraction. You’re gonna drive out of the garage, plow right through the gate and head west.”
“That sounds risky. What if I get caught?”
“You will.”
“I don’t understand. You want me to get caught?”
“About a mile down, I want you to pull over and surrender. You’ll get into one of their vehicles and we’ll trail you.”
“You sound pretty sure of this plan.”
“It’s simple. While you’re distracting them, we’ll drive right off the lot.”
“I don’t know, dude, this sounds dicey.”
“You got this,” he says.
I appreciate his confidence in me and I’d like the chance to prove myself outside of the holodome, but I’m not sure about this arrangement. Splitting up seems dangerous. I want to trust him, but something about being used as a decoy doesn’t feel right. “What if they shoot me down?” I ask.
“They won’t shoot down Professor Morray’s son.”
“How will they know that?”
“I’ll let them know,” Sarah speaks up. “I’m going to override their frequencies and dispatch the information.”
“And I’m supposed to trust you with my life?” I blurt out.
“Why wouldn’t you trust Sarah?” asks Dru, shoving her hands in her pockets to stop from biting her fingernails.
“I, um…” I stumble over my words.
“It’s probably just the enhancers talking,” says Sarah, helping me out even though she’s pissed at me. I guess she’s not mad enough to put my life on the line. “I’ve got your back,” she says.
“You’re sure about all this, Zach?” I ask.
“A hundred and eighty percent.”
Dru puts her arm around my shoulder. “I know you can do this. Your reaction time and reflexes are exceptional. You’ll do great.” She slips me a quick kiss on the cheek.
Her confidence encourages me. For Dru, I’d barrel through a gate heading straight to hell, which is pretty much what I’ll be doing. “At least I’ll get to see the sky one last time.”
“You’ll see it a lot more than one last time,” says Dru, smiling.
“Let’s go.” Zach heads toward the door with his giant black duffle bag.
This is it—everything I’ve trained for—the great escape.
*
We get off at the first stop on the Red Line and follow Zach to the maintenance room. The door is locked, but Sarah uses her digi-pad to scan the numbers. Dru looks at her watch; it’s taking longer than we anticipated. He’d never say it, but I can tell Zach’s nervous by the beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. His sigh is the loudest when the door finally slides open. We lug our bags into the small room and gather around the air vent. Dru makes haste, using Zach’s shoulders as leverage to reach up to the air vent. She pulls herself inside and tosses down a rope. Sarah climbs first and I follow. I remember when climbing up a rope wasn’t an option for me. Zach tosses up the bags and climbs the rope. Sarah hacks into the system and we use the building schematic to figure out the proper path through the vents. The four of us crawl on our stomachs for over two miles. It’s hot and stuffy, but we stay focused and don’t say a word—we don’t want our voices to carry through the vents. Sarah uses a flashlight to signal distance and remaining time. I concentrate on my breathing to keep my anxiety levels under control. I picture the blue sky I’m crawling toward and imagine the warm sun touching my skin.
Sarah stops to check her digi-pad and signals to the left. We go another hundred yards and stop in front of a screen. Zach removes the panel and pokes his head out to scope the area below. Dru gives him the rope. There’s nothing to secure it, so he wedges his feet against the small space and motions for us to climb down. Dru goes down first, and Sarah’s next. I look down at the thirty-foot drop, pausing for a minute. Zach nudges me out and I inch my way down to the garage floor. We wait below. Zach drops down the bags and peers out from the opening.
“How’s he getting down?” I whisper.
“Jumping,” says Dru.
“He’ll break his legs.”
“We’re going to catch him.”
We gather together the bags and stretch a blanket over the pile, holding the edges with all of our strength. Zach’s a lot bigger than us and cushioning his fall will be tough. We hold tight and Dru signals to Zach who doesn’t hesitate. He comes down fast and hard, feet first. The impact yanks the blanket out of our hands. He rolls off to the side, clutching his ankle.
Dru helps him up. “Is it broken?”
“Just a piddley-ass sprain.” He tries to blow it off, but I know he’s in pain. “We gotta keep moving.”
Sarah gathers up the bags. “A little help,” she says to me.
I grab a few bags and head over to Zach.
“You okay?” I ask.
Zach limps along. “Here’s the deal. Morray’s gonna drive us to the entrance where we’ll get out and wait for him to barrel through the gate,” he says.
“When will Sarah let them know I’m Professor Morray’s son?”
“Just before you break through the gate,” says Sarah.
Dru wires one of the Jeeps and I get behind the wheel. This is the first time I’ve driven an actual car. They get in the back and use a blanket as cover to hide from the cameras. I drive up the winding ramp, my heart thumping so loud I can’t hear anything else. As I get closer to the surface, the sunlight glares brighter. I slip on my goggles. Despite the circumstances, I can’t stop smiling—we’re almost free. I slow down just before the entrance and they jump out and duck behind a truck. Dru’s already under the hood fiddling with the wires. She looks up one last time and gives me a nod of confidence. Zach gives me the thumbs up. Sarah points to the entrance.
This is it—my moment of truth.
I focus ahead and press down on the gas pedal. The Jeep races out of the garage and into the bright light. I pick up speed, heading straight toward the gate. I’m about a hundred yards from the exit when I notice the fence is electric. Zach forgot to mention that part. I’ll be fried the second I make contact. I’m up to fifty mph and there’s no turning back now. I keep pushing forward. So
me surprised officers block the gate and shoot in my direction. This isn’t looking good—I’ll either be gunned down or electrocuted. I press my boot all the way to the floor. I don’t care what happens. I’m happy I got to see the sky one last time. I’m up to eighty mph. Bullets ricochet off the Jeep and one cracks the windshield. I’m driving through a hailstorm, but I keep going.
Twenty feet away… Ten… Five…
I smash into the metal fence and close my eyes, waiting for the electric shock to rush through my body, but nothing happens. Either I’m lucky or Sarah deactivated the electricity. I careen forward with sections of the fence dangling off the Jeep. Sirens blare and a pack of Jeeps trail behind me. I head west as Zach instructed.
After a mile, I slow down and let the officers catch up so I can perform my fake surrender. I pull over to the side of the dirt road and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. A thick orangish brown cloud hangs over the Denver horizon. Fire whips across the entire terrain, from the suburbs to the Rockies. The flames blaze through every neighborhood, town, and the land in between. Telephone poles have collapsed and piles of smoldering rubble lay across the landscape. They’ve burned down Denver.
Three Jeeps surround me.
“Get out, hands up!” one of the officers yells. I count five of them—all pointing their rifles and pistols at my head. I hope Sarah’s message about my identity went out.
“I surrender,” I yell, stepping down from the Jeep.
“What the hell were you thinking, Morray?” The head officer approaches me and pats me down.
“I needed some fresh air,” I say. “But I see there is none.”
He kicks my boot, instructing me to face him. “If you weren’t Morray’s kid, you’d be dead. You know that?” he shouts in my face, yanking off my goggles. Even with the sky falling, I have to squint my eyes from the light.
“Yeah, I know. You’re not going to tell him about this, are you?”
“It’s not up to me.”
“Can your men please stop aiming at my head?”
“Men, stand down. We’re good here.”
The other officers stand down.