by Melissa Faye
I knew HQ’s precise location, and after marking it on the map, I handed Enzo his tablet back so he could navigate. His voice was shaky as he directed Charlie. I kept staring at Enzo. How did he end up on our side? How could it possibly be true?
Charlie insisted on stopping so he could look at my leg. He was a medical intern like me, and knew better what he was looking for. He inspected my injury. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out.
“It’s just a graze,” Charlie assured us. He looked at me with a mixture of awe, love, and concern. “We’ll get to HQ soon. For now, let’s wash this and cover it with something clean.”
Vonna and Enzo followed Charlie’s directions, and they patched my leg up quickly. We only had a few hours left until we got to HQ, and I insisted on sitting next to Charlie. Enzo and Vonna quickly fell asleep in the back seat with her head on his lap.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” I whispered to Charlie.
“He’s harmless. For now.”
I raised my eyebrows. Charlie shrugged.
“I just mean, he’s in love with Vonna and would do anything for her. That’s why he helped me get you out of there – in the name of love. I know we’re safe traveling with him, but I don’t know how long he’ll stay loyal.”
“HQ isn’t gonna like this,” I muttered. Charlie took my hand in his and I relaxed. Other Yami could make up her own mind on this one.
Like last time, the guards waved us in when they saw who we were. Or more specifically, when they saw who I was. It wasn’t just that I was Other Yami’s clone now. I had also been featured on a live telecast, accusing of being Other Yami and a traitor to the country. My bright red jumpsuit made my identity even more obvious.
I was desperate to get back into motion, joining the work at HQ and seeing how Enzo’s information could help us take all the Chancellors down. Charlie insisted that I visit the Med first, and I begrudgingly agreed. Vonna and Enzo disappeared in another direction.
Like Charlie said, my leg was just grazed. I felt better after I received a pain patch and an injection of something that made my head a little loopy. The doctor dressed my wound and assured me I wouldn’t need crutches. After spraining my ankle months ago and hobbling around for ages, that news was almost as exciting as changing out of my red jumpsuit.
Someone led us towards the main building. My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of seeing Other Yami again. Would she be proud of my progress? Disappointed that I was caught? Embarrassed that her own clone hadn’t accomplished more? Before I saw her, Vonna came running down the stairs towards us.
“They took Enzo!” She paused to catch her breath. “He helped us, and they locked him up. I can’t convince them he’s innocent. He’s different! Charlie, I need you to talk to them. Or Yami, can you talk to your clone?”
I looked at Charlie, but I couldn’t read his face.
“Maybe.”
Other Yami appeared at the top of the stairs with a stern look. “Why don’t you three come join us up here,” she commanded. Charlie helped me limp up the steps with Vonna close behind.
The central area of the command room, the Hub, was as crowded as it was the first time I was there. Most people were clustered around a tablet – the one Enzo took with him when we fled the Hideaway. Other Yami walked past them and we huddled off to the side in a small group.
“Please can you let me see –“ Vonna pleaded before Other Yami cut her off with a wave of her hand.
“We haven’t decided what we’re going to do with the young Chancellor yet, Vonna,” she explained. “For now, it will be best for you to stay away from him. We’re not sure where his motives lie and don’t want him getting information from any of us or trying to lead us astray. He may be young, but he was raised by a team of manipulators.”
Vonna’s lips clamped shut and her shoulders slouched.
“Right now, we’re using the tablet you brought with Enzo to copy the tracking program the Chancellors use to communicate with each other. We expect the Chancellors will cut off Enzo’s program soon, but the team is almost finished. Then we’ll have access to every Chancellors’ location around the country.”
“What about figuring out where the Chancellor is cloning himself?” I had been thinking about this since I spoke with Etta and Breck. He had to have a facility somewhere, and I doubted it was part of a standard community. The workings of the national government were a secret. The Chancellor could be operating out of some sort of national capitol for all we knew. There were probably dozens of potential locations for the Chancellor to use to facilitate continuous cloning of his own line.
“Are you thinking that’s only happening in one space?” Charlie asked.
“Probably,” I replied. “I could see him spreading his genetic materials out widely around the country for safekeeping, but he’d need a particularly loyal staff to handle cloning, childrearing, and training.”
Other Yami nodded thoughtfully.
“We think we have a location based on Enzo’s tablet. There always seem to be a few Chancellors in a site deep in the mountains to the west of us. There’s no known community there. It’s likely a center for the clones, and it is our best guess as to where most of his cloning happens.”
“So Enzo has been helpful...” Vonna muttered to herself. Other Yami raised an eyebrow but kept going.
“With this information, we’ll be able to see exactly where every Chancellor is at any given time. It’s what we spoke about many months ago, Yami. We’ll take them down all at once before he’s able to stop us.”
“What about the Gray Suits? Are we planning on fighting them directly?” Charlie was half involved in our conversation, and half mesmerized by the Hub. He looked all around as we spoke, taking in the various screens, the old TekCasts, the newer B-Bands that were laid out on tables, and a group of people near a window who were inspected one of the collars the NBs wore.
“You should work with them,” I whispered as I followed his gaze. “You can show them what you did to release all the NBs collars.”
“Ideally we’d like to have the soldiers on our side,” Other Yami continued. “Yami, when you were in training with Gianna, many of your fellow trainees had their own doubts. We can use that to our advantage.”
Other Yami led us over to the Hub, where she helped make some space for us at the main table. There was a large screen built into the middle, and Other Yami swiped around to a program labeled COMMS.
“We’re planning on making another national broadcast. Something to explain to people what’s really going on. That there are no more colors, and soldiers have no bright future ahead besides continuing their work or turning into NBs. We also think people don’t have the information they need about the fertility crisis. They think a cure is on its way. The Chancellor’s last message, where he told the country that Yami was me, hinted that this solution is still possible. We want people to know that a cure isn’t coming, and that they should have a say in how we move forward as a society now that we know.”
I sat down in a chair and scanned through the materials on the screen. There were multiple versions of the speech Other Yami was planning, with edits and rewrites covering the text. I caught bits and pieces of the speech. Sections about the Chancellor and his clones – apparently, not everyone knew about his clones even now – and sections about the real work of the Underground. They were exonerating me entirely and sharing the real truth about Other Yami’s contributions, while also honoring the work of rebels around the country. My eyes teared up. People would finally hear the truth that Omer and Breck advocated for so long ago back at Young Woods.
“When are you broadcasting?” I hoped it could happen right away. I would have liked to see it that day, or maybe the next. There was no time to wait.
“How are you going to talk about Enzo’s involvement?” Charlie addressed my clone. “I’m with you, Yami. I’ve been close to him over the last few weeks; it’s almost like we’re friends. I might be the closest person
to him outside of the Chancellors and perhaps Vonna.” She hid her face when Charlie mentioned her name. “I believe he is loyal to us now, but given his genes, I’m concerned for what he will be like in five or ten years.”
Vonna shook her head, downtrodden. I reached over and squeezed her hand. I didn’t know Enzo, but I loved both Vonna and Charlie. I couldn’t figure out how I felt and planning on going along with whether Other Yami decided.
“I’ve spoken with my team. We have two options.” Yami pulled up a particular section of the speech. Enzo’s name was all over it. “We can portray Enzo as our ally. He can speak to what the Chancellors are doing, and it provides us with credibility once people hear the truth directly from him. We could also portray him as a hostage, and use him to upset the Chancellors’ standard calm demeanor.”
Vonna, Charlie, and I hastily read through the paragraphs. There were two columns of notes representing the two possibilities. Vonna mumbled to herself while she read. Either way, Enzo was safe for now. No one was planning a permanent jail sentence or a public execution. It was a small victory.
“When is this happening?” I asked again. “How soon can this message go out?”
“I wanted you to see it,” Other Yami told me. “You’ve had more interaction with the Chancellors than almost anyone else here, myself included. You and your friends have a better understanding of what’s going on out in the breeder camps, soldier training facilities, and even the family camps. My team wants your input. After that, we’ll make the final decision and could present as soon as tomorrow.”
Charlie took my hand again and I met his eyes. I knew he was thinking exactly what I was thinking. Escaping the Hideaway and setting the NBs free was only the beginning, but it would provide more information and allies. Even I couldn’t feel pessimistic anymore. If nothing else, being there with Charlie, holding his hand, and seeing crinkles next to his eyes as he smiled in my direction gave me infinite hope. Something I had missed out on for many years of my life.
Chapter 25 – Charlie
The next twenty-four hours were a whirlwind. I met with the team working on the NB collars and shared the program on my B-Band for hacking into the servers where they stored collar security. We knew the location of seven breeding camps, and the rebels suspected that there weren’t any others. There weren’t enough breeders to fill additional camps for now. There were three Family Camps, and again, it was unlikely that enough people were pregnant or already had kids to warrant a larger number.
The team invited me to join the ten groups that would be traveling to camps to free the NBs, but I politely declined. I hadn’t seen Yami in ages, and I wouldn’t let her out of my sight again. Since we saw each other at the Hideaway, I knew a switch was flipped inside her. We were more than boyfriend and girlfriend. We had a true partnership, and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of the time I wanted to spend with her. And in the back of my head, I worried about her safety. As the last remaining clone of the head of the rebellion, a target followed her wherever she went.
Yami, Vonna, and I worked with the communications team to refine Other Yami’s speech. We made final edits, which were then run by Other Yami and several other trusted advisors. Other Yami was a different sort of leader from the others I’d interacted with. She was so similar to my own Yami – thoughtful, intelligent, driven – and I knew without a doubt that if my Yami hadn’t spent so long hiding out of sight after Alexis’s disappearance, she would have been as strong a leader as her clone.
Before we made our final decision about Enzo, Other Yami gave me permission to speak with him so I could better advise the team. Vonna wasn’t allowed to join me and spent several hours pouting. Young love was a difficult thing. I wasn’t much older than Vonna, and imagined that even if Yami was the most dangerous person at HQ, nothing would stop me from seeing her.
“Hey,” I said. Enzo was barricaded inside one of the smaller offices in the mansion. The room was protected by three armed volunteer guards all day long. They nodded hello as I entered but ignored our conversation. I got the feeling that most people in HQ were disgusted by Enzo’s presence. Enzo must have seen it too. I had never seen him so down. Someone leant him an old t-shirt and pants, and he lay on a small cot, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. He barely looked up when I joined him.
“Do you know what they’re going to do to me?”
I sat on the cot next to Enzo. He had helped us at immense personal risk, and now he was a pariah to both sides of the war. I cocked my head to the side. I couldn’t imagine exactly what he must be thinking, but I figured resentment and fear must be running around in his head.
“I don’t know. I’m trying to help them decide. Do you understand why this is so hard to figure out?”
Enzo sat up quickly and looked at me pleadingly.
“I look like the other Chancellors, but I don’t think I’m one of them,” he explained. “These people think I’m going to turn on them, but I already proved that I’m an asset here. No, I don’t understand what’s so hard.” He crossed his arms and clenched his jaw.
I breathed out slowly.
“You helped us escape the Hideaway. You released scores of NBs. You took a huge risk. You love Vonna – or at least you think you love each other. I don’t know.” Enzo made to interrupt, but I spoke over him. “What happens in a few years as you get older and resent what we’ve done to your clone line? What will you think when your clones are brought in for questioning? Some will go on trial. Some will be locked away forever. Some may be killed in the struggle. Will you still be on our side when that happens?”
Enzo pulled his knees to his chest and picked at his jeans. They hung awkwardly along his legs; they were too big. He needed a belt.
“I don’t like the idea of my clones being attacked,” he said. “I think most of them want to do what’s right. It’s about surviving as a nation, and we – they think this is how to do it.”
“At the expense of free will? By holding all of us hostage? Forcing all of us into slavery? Enzo, you have to see that their plan is corrupt. It’s evil. It’s not going to help us progress as a country when the people are unhappy.”
Enzo stared at the floor, then inspected the backs of each rebel protecting him from others and vice versa.
“I don’t know what to do. No one trusts me anymore. I don’t want to betray my clone line, and I don’t want to be a part of what they’re doing. But I can’t take part in attacks on my own clones. I need someone else to make this call.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“They usually make decisions for me,” Enzo explained. The Chancellors must have kept Enzo on a short leash.
“That’s pretty much what’s going to happen, Enzo.” I furrowed my eyebrows. It was the truth. Enzo needed to make up his mind about who he was going to be loyal to, or that decision was going to be made for him. And he probably wouldn’t like the end result.
I returned to the Hub, where Yami and Other Yami were making final edits to Other Yami’s speech. Vonna had left in a huff.
“She’s going to bring up Enzo as our ally. Nothing more.” Yami leaned over and I put an arm around her. “It’s too dangerous for him, no matter what we do. He’ll have to go to trial eventually. But for now we can’t let him be portrayed as our enemy.” I held her against my chest and squeezed her tight.
It wouldn’t be long now. Other Yami would be speaking for the entire rebellion in an hour or two. After that, we would just have to wait and see who believed her.
“MY NAME IS YAMI, AND unlike the Yami the Chancellor introduced as the rebel leader last week, I am the actual elected head of the Underground rebellion that’s fighting for each of you. The woman you saw is my younger clone. Since our rebellion began, our clone line has been retired, as has the clone lines of everyone who has joined the rebellion.
“My group’s goal is to ensure that each of you has choices. Where to live. Who to love. Whether or not you have children. We don’t want to disturb
the peace or cause pain, destruction, or death. We value our citizens’ lives and the communities that flourish and prosper. Everything the Chancellor said to you recently is a lie.
“My friends have worked for years to better understand the Chancellor and his plans for seizing completely control over our citizens. Part of his plan was to create a legion of his own clones to join his work and improve their stronghold over every decision we make. We believe that their secrets and lies are ruining what makes our country united: the desire to cure the fertility crisis.
“Unfortunately, the Chancellor has lied to you. There is no cure for the infertility that still plagues most of our people. Those of us who are fertile have one of a number of unique mutations that allow them to have children. The rest of us will never know what it’s like to have children biologically. Luckily for all of us, families are more than just biological relatives. Families are your friends and neighbors. They’re your fellow community members who have worked together for hundreds of years to make sure each of us have everything we need to guarantee we have happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives.
“To those of you currently serving as soldiers and guards: the Chancellors’ promise to promote you to Silver careers is a lie. The Chancellors are creating a society where breeders and biological families are protected and the rest of us serve as their slaves. Many of you are already experiencing this. Soldiers and guards will eventually meet the same fate. The Underground is working tirelessly to prevent you from living a life of forced servitude. But we need your help.
“We don’t want our disagreements to come to violence, but the Chancellor and his many clones are already resorting to violence to keep all of us in check. As he creates more clones of himself, he increases his power and influence. The only way for us to return the people’s free will is to overthrow the structures Chancellor Lorenzo has set up to keep us quiet and compliant.