by Simone Pond
A light comes on, blinding me for a second. It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust before I can fully see the figure standing across the room. It’s Dickson.
“You made it.” His brown eyes are sullen and dim. He’s not the same young man he was before my mother boarded the plane to Denver. He’s aged ten years.
“You look like crap,” I tell him.
“Guess it comes with the territory.”
“Yeah, mass genocide must be incredibly stressful.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” He starts to walk toward me.
I still don’t trust him. “Stay back!” I aim my Glock at his head.
“Calm down, William. There’s no need for that.”
“How do I know this isn’t a trap?”
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
“Why the change of heart?” I ask.
“He’s lost his mind.”
“No shit. He initiated a holocaust. You’re just figuring this out, Dickson?
“He’s getting worse. I mean really bad. Pulling things out of his hat without running them by anyone else. Murdering people left and right. I didn’t sign on for this.”
“Yeah you did.”
“I didn’t see this coming.” He starts crying.
“You’re a pussy. You know that?” I laugh.
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
Dickson regains his composure and holds out his hand for a shake. “I’m glad you came.”
I lower my gun, but I still don’t shake his hand. No one is to be trusted, but if I’m going to stop my father I need Dickson. I know he wants this to end—I see it in his eyes. “You could stop him on your own. Why do you want my help?”
“Because I’ve always liked you, William. I know you’ve been angry with me because your father gave me more attention, and then the whole thing with your mother. But you’re a good kid.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s with his elites. They called him in for an emergency meeting because they found out what he’s been up to.”
“And what’s that?”
“It’ll be easier to show you.”
Dickson takes me down to the lab and into one of the smaller rooms. I sit down in the examination chair to rest my aching body. “And what about this chip? I need you to remove it before it does any damage.”
“We’ll get to that later.”
He clicks on one of the monitors. “Just so you know, I didn’t want this. I was compartmentalized so I didn’t know the details until it was too late. I thought I was helping create a better future. Not destroy it. The New Agenda is bullshit.”
He types some information into the computer and pulls up previously recorded footage.
“Your father went ahead and did a bunch of final sweeps, starting with removing the military and government arms before they realized they weren’t safe. Then he moved onto the bunkers. To the people he promised to protect.”
On the monitor a cluster of white circus-like tents appear—Denver airport. The Subterranea. I think about Mother sitting in her cabana on the simulated Galapagos Islands. I stand up and run to the monitor, like this is going to help what’s already done.
“He sent in GBU-24s. Some of the best bunker-busting bombs ever invented. They penetrate deep into the ground, shredding whatever they touch and leveling everything for miles.”
I want to close my eyes, but instead I watch as multiple bombs plummet into the ground surrounding Denver airport. The earth bubbles up and bursts open, spreading volcanic fire for miles. Inside I cry out for my mother who never saw it coming. Who knows, maybe she always knew the Subterranea was just a holding pen. Nobody is safe—not even the people he was supposed to protect from the Repatterning.
The footage doesn’t stop there; there are more attacks on West Virginia, Oklahoma and Texas, pummeling what I can only guess were black op military divisions and government safe houses. He’s making sure there’s no military left to fight back. His killing frenzy shifted to the plantations, starting with the east coast. One by one, huge mushroom clouds canvassed the vast fields of crops, expunging the homes of the overseers and their families. He was going to destroy the Santa Barbara plantation with or without me. Knowing this takes away a few pangs of guilt.
“He was babbling on and on about how only a very select group will make it to the city centers. The rest must go. He said that starting from ground zero is the only way to get humanity back on track.”
The monitor shows one of the gargantuan solar-panel city centers sitting close to Lake Michigan—it must be the Chicago City Center. The land surrounding it has been torched. A missile whizzes across the sky and careens into the structure.
“See what I mean by out of control?”
“I don’t understand why he’s wiping out the centers.”
“He wants only the Los Angeles City Center to remain. It will be easier to manage the regeneration of human life with just one location.”
“And I take it the elites aren’t cool with any of this?”
“He’s taking out their relatives and now they’re worried he’ll remove them from the equation too.”
“He has to be stopped.”
“It’s not going to be easy. You know your father.”
“Yes, and so do you. That’s why we can stop him.”
“It’s not just him. It’s the elites.”
“I’m not afraid of them. We can do this together, Dickson.”
“They set up failsafes, so if any of them are harmed, everything is gone. All of it.” Even as he says this, I see a slight flicker of hope in his eyes.
“We need to come up with a plan before he gets back. Zach and the others will be here soon and they’re planning to take down my father and you. They’ll destroy your research. Decades worth, gone. But if you help me, I’ll help you. And for starters you need to get this damn chip out of me before it fries my brain.”
“It’s designed to integrate with your system, so I’m afraid it’s too late to do anything. Right now it’s monitoring and recording your thoughts.”
“Can you speed along the process, or make it less painful?”
“I’ll need to sedate you. Data extraction isn’t pleasant.”
I sit back in the chair so he can do whatever it is he needs to speed up the process. We’re running out of time. Electric shockwaves shoot up and down my spine and my nervous system goes haywire. It feels like fiery darts are shooting into every cell of my body. I bite down and clench through the pain. If I can get through this torture, I’ll be able to concentrate better and come up with a cohesive plan.
Chapter 21
I’ve had this dream before—it’s from a long time ago, when I was a boy. I’m at the beach with my father. The breeze is so thick with salt I can taste it on my lips. He’s contemplating the waves and I reach out for him, nudging his elbow to get his attention. His gray eyes brighten as he lifts me up into his arms.
“This could be ours, son.” He points to the sea.
“But the ocean belongs to everyone.”
My mind starts to pull out of my body and float away so that I’m watching the two of us from above. My father turns from the shore and carries me through the sand, stepping over dead bodies. He walks toward a whirling black hole. I try to fly down and swoop me out of his arms, but I’m stuck in the sky, helpless. Usually in the dream my father carries me into the darkness, but this time a woman with long auburn hair and glittering green eyes appears before us—the angel who came to my dream in Denver. She barricades my father and yanks my small body from his arms then runs toward the water.
“Who are you?” I yell from the sky.
She turns around and glances toward me, revealing her radiant beauty and rendering me speechless. My father rushes over, rips me from her arms and runs back toward the hole. I call out to the woman just as a towering wave plows forward and crashes onto the shore. She disappears under the
water.
I’m back in my body, squirming in my father’s arms as he carries me into the hole where we’re enveloped in oil-like water that’s sucking me deeper into its core.
“Nooo!”
My scream wakes me up. I’m still in the room, strapped to the chair. Dickson is standing over me. The extraction process is still going on. Zach and Dru haven’t come yet.
“How long does this thing take?” I ask.
“A few hours; maybe more. I’ll make sure your father can’t get to you—no matter what.” I see how important my safety is to him. All those years I thought he was keeping me from my father, but he was actually protecting me.
“We need to hurry it up, the others will be here soon.”
The door opens, but I can’t turn my head to see who it is. I can’t see what’s happening, but I hear footsteps.
“Step back, Dickson.” Zach shoves his shotgun into his cheek. Dru enters the room, holding her aim at Dickson.
Dru glances over at me. “What’s wrong with William?”
“Don’t disturb him, we’re doing a data extraction.”
My cells begin to tingle again and fire burns in my frontal lobe. My jaw locks and I can’t get any words out. I need to stop Zach before he kills Dickson and disrupts this process. I try to grunt out a noise, but it’s not audible.
“He looks like he’s in pain,” yells Dru.
“No, listen, I’m on your side. I know this looks bad, but I’m actually helping him. It’ll be less painful after the extraction.”
“Okay, enough of the chitchat. It’s over, Dickson.” Zach’s about to pull the trigger.
“Don’t!” I choke. “If he goes, we all go.”
“He’s right,” says Dickson.
“I’m pretty sure we can figure out a way around the failsafe, you asshole.” Zach goes over to Dickson and cracks his head with the butt of his gun. Dickson sinks to the floor, and Dru drags him over to the corner of the room.
“Wait, Dru. He’s with us. He’s going to help us.” I stand up and try to walk over to her, but something tugs me backwards. I reach around to find cables coming from the base of my skull that are plugged into one of the computers.
“Man, they did a number on you.” Zach inspects the back of my head and tries to pull out whatever is lodged in it, causing an electric rippling effect throughout my body like a million ice picks stabbing every nerve.
“Stop! Leave it for now.” I push his hand away.
Dru helps me sit back down. “So, why’d you go on without us?”
“I didn’t want you to have to come back here.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but that was stupid.” She smacks the side of my head.
“Not my head, please.” I smile and she gives me a quick hug.
Zach goes over to Dickson and is about to inject something into his neck.
“I implore you, don’t do this,” says Dickson.
“Shut up,” Zach yells in his face.
“If the codes aren’t entered at a specific time each day, a series of global bio-plagues will be triggered.”
“You’re gonna help us avoid that,” says Zach. “Give us the codes.”
“Even if I give you the codes, you still have to get to the professor. It won’t be easy. I want to help you.”
“We got here, didn’t we?” says Zach.
“I should’ve walked away when I had the chance.” Dickson shakes his head.
“You’re not walking away from anything today, John.” Zach lifts his gun again at Dickson.
“Zach! Listen to me: Dickson’s going to help us. You’re not going to kill him. This isn’t a vengeance mission.” I glance over to Dru for support, but she’s just chewing her nails. “Gotta keep a level head, remember?”
Zach takes a deep breath and lowers his gun.
Dickson rests his head between his knees to hide his tears.
“Did Sam and Dan make it?” I ask.
“Yeah, they’ve got what’s left of your father’s security detained. We’re gonna need their help,” says Zach. “Add that to your list of things, Dickson. Getting your men to take our orders. Capiche?”
Dickson groans. “It’s not just about entering codes into a computer and military-style assaults. We have to be logical and precise. If you want to outsmart the professor, we’ll need a solid plan. I can help you with that. Just give me a minute to think about how to get all of them back to the house. That’s the only way you’ll have a fighting chance.”
Chapter 22
Zach scans the computer for any information on the remaining plantations and city centers, while Dru keeps me company by the monitor, trying to comfort me while data is being pulled from my brain. Dickson sits at a desk, mulling over next steps. I daydream about sneaking Dru upstairs to my room. It’d be nice to hang out like regular teenagers—not worrying about bombs dropping, or how to kill my father. What keeps me going is the thought of being with Dru after this is all over. I picture the two of us in a cabin on a hillside near the ocean where we can grow old.
“I can’t figure out how to stop it from downloading,” she says.
“I told you, just leave it be for now. It’s collecting his entire consciousness,” says Dickson. “All your stored memories, books you’ve read, your studies, experiences and emotions attached to them. It’s the reason the elites commissioned your father to develop this technology. He promised he could procure the conscious mind and make it transferable.”
“Transferable to the bodies they’re planning to breed inside the new city,” says Zach.
Dickson stands up. “Let me help make the extraction more comfortable.”
Zach eyes Dickson. “Sit back down, or I’ll rip out the cables and screw up everything before I let you touch him.”
“Do that and William dies.”
“Just let it finish. I’m fine as long as Dru stays close.”
“After this bullshit capture finishes, Dickson, there will be no more experiments. This ends today,” says Zach.
“I know you’re ambitious, but you can’t seriously want to destroy all of this research. This is all we’ll have left to help us rebuild a new future,” says Dickson.
Zach walks over to him and gets in his face. “You’re not rebuilding anything.” He shoves Dickson against the wall and smashes his head against the tiles. Dickson drops and Zach starts kicking him.
“That won’t help us. Stop!” I want to run over, but the cables won’t reach that far.
Dru stands up. “Zach, cool it,” she shouts.
Zach can’t hear anything—he’s gone haywire. I hold Dru back to keep her from getting in the middle. Mid kick, Dickson grabs Zach’s ankle and knocks him off balance. Zach tries to regain his stance as he’s swaying on one foot, but Dickson donkey kicks him in the knees and Zach falls down hard. On the way down he bashes his head against the corner of the examination chair. He lies as cold as a stone. A pool of blood surrounds his head.
Dru runs over. “Zach!” She lifts up his head, but it slumps back. She listens for breathing and checks his pulse. From where I’m sitting it’s not looking so good. She shakes him, but he remains motionless. She gives him mouth to mouth and pumps his chest, but there’s nothing she can do—he’s gone. Dru collapses onto Zach’s dead body and sobs. After those years of hard work and getting this close to the end game, this is what takes him out.
“Dru.” I try to get her attention so I can help, but she’s crawling over to Dickson.
“You bastard!” She shoves her gun into his cheek.
“Dru, stop! Don’t do it. We’ll all die. You didn’t come this far to end it like this. Zach wouldn’t want it this way. Get control of yourself.”
“I hate you people. You’ve taken away everything. You’re gonna pay for this.” She cocks her gun and pushes into Dickson’s forehead.
If she pulls the trigger she’s killing our only hope. The monitor I’m hooked up to starts flashing images from my mind, like my life passing befo
re me: the ocean waves rolling to the shore, sunlight sparkling on each crest, my mother laughing at something cute I did as a child, Lane Dreyer’s flirtatious smile just before we tumbled into the champagne tower, Sarah’s face… Sarah… there she is with a child wrapped in her arms. My future child—how my subconscious mind imagines it will be… Dru can’t kill Dickson yet. She glares at Dickson, then toward me. When her eyes meet mine the space between us widens. I have to snap her out of it before she does something stupid.
“Dru—please don’t do it. There are still people we can save.”
Dickson stares at the monitor, focusing on the last image from my thoughts—the child in Sarah’s arms. He clears his throat. “Let me give you the codes, then you can kill me.”
“I just want out of this.” She aims her gun at him.
“I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” says Dickson.
“But it did happen.” Dru stands up and paces around the room, pointing her gun at Dickson.
“Please keep it together, Dru. Think about Sarah and the baby. Think about Lillian’s people in the woods. There are thousands more out there that we can save.”
“This was an accident. It wasn’t my intention to kill Zach.” Dickson tells Dru. “I’ve always been on your side.”
“Is that what you told yourself all those years, experimenting on us?” she asks.
“The professor had much more horrific experiments in mind, but I fought him the whole time. I was the one who helped get you and Zach to Denver.”
“You didn’t get us to Denver. You don’t have that kind of power.”
“I did everything I could to help you and Zach.”
“You could have tried harder, or let us go back to our homes. You people destroyed me. I’m ruined.” Dru turns the gun on herself, pressing it into her temple.
My heart stops. If she dies, there’s no reason for anything. “Dru, stop. Please stop. Take some deep breaths. You’re okay. Everything is okay.” I walk out as far as I can go. Sharp pulses begin stabbing into my brain. Burning acid shoots down my spinal cord. I fight through the pain to get closer. “Please, Dru. I need you.”