CYPHER: A Dystopian Novel

by Barbara Winkes

  Ami looked miserable. “All of this happened because of me.”

  “You didn’t ask for him to assault you. Come on. We’ve got a business to run.”

  * * * *

  All things considered, Ami couldn’t possibly complain. She had come clean, and still Katlena trusted her with $20,000 cash. Enough to buy a new name. Enough to make a run for it. Not that she would, not yet at least. Strange as it was, that kind of money and what it could do seemed unreal to Amy. She could forever leave the black and white clothes and the food deliveries behind, find another job. Maybe, if she stayed, Katlena would keep her in the IdA. With someone else’s name, bought and sold. There was something of a catch. If they wanted to overturn old cypher law, it seemed rather hypocritical if Ami bought herself a new identity first. She didn’t want to. She wanted her old name back, but she wasn’t sure if Katlena could make that happen, even as chief of the IdA.

  A lot depended on the Committee. One of the members was dead, the wife of Drago’s brother. Another one was the elusive Paul Trenton. His wife, however, was Drago’s niece. Two more people who had questioned Drago’s leadership. That might help even more than the assault charges against him.

  In the end, Ami had to do whatever possible to find Lily, make sure that she was all right, and that they could be together again. Even if it meant that she had to leave Katlena behind. Not today though. Today, Ami would be with her.

  Their first stop was at the Internal Affairs office for an update. The ambience differed greatly from their last visit. Everybody in the IdA was on high alert, but especially in this department. No coffee and banter.

  “What do you have for me, Catherine?”

  The IA officer straightened. “Bail hearing’s gonna be this afternoon. There were four other complaints. We found a former employee who is willing to testify.”

  “Jesus. Why was there never any investigation?”

  “Because he was never caught in the act? See, Katlena, you and I know how he ran this ship. This office was pretty much a joke until yesterday.”

  “What about the Committee? You guys are head of IA and you didn’t know they were investigating me, using cypher spies?”

  Ami cringed.

  Catherine looked uncomfortable. “All I know is that changes are overdue around here, and I hope you can make that happen. Everyone in this department is behind you. If the Committee wanted to take a closer look, I imagine you know why. They will be happy to know your loyalties aren’t with Drago.”

  Katlena looked offended at such a suggestion which told Amy how torn she must have been too, in the past days.

  “Okay. You keep me posted. I have some calls to make. At ten, I want every employee in the assembly hall, so make time for that.”

  “We will,” Catherine said. “Good luck.”

  Katlena gave her a wry smile. “I can use it.”

  The weight of responsibility was almost unbearable. Twenty-thousand dollars, and a phone number, only for emergencies. Katlena briefly conferred with Noelle about the undercover op, then settled behind her desk with a somber expression. The Committee had to back her up on this. They wouldn’t want a man accused of sexual assault running the IdA. They needed Paul Trenton on this. Katlena didn’t know how to reach him, but Ami did. It was probably dangerous to try from here, but what if Katlena was one voice short of support? If Drago came back to claim his old job, it would be a catastrophe.

  Katlena hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair with an expression that was somewhere in between smug and relieved.

  “Take that,” she said. “Drago’s niece, Trenton’s wife? She said she’d be fine to see ‘that pig rot in hell’. Meaning Drago, of course. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to reach her husband.” Worry colored her voice. “I’m afraid someone’s pulling strings…I hope nothing happened to him.”

  Ami reached into her pocket to take out the number Trenton had given her. “Let’s find out.”

  * * * *

  “Where are you, Ms. Moore?”

  “I’m here at the IdA,” Ami said, not bothering with a lie. The times of smokescreens were over. “Sir, you’re a member of the Committee.”

  “What the hell is this?” he asked, not raising his voice, but his anger came through anyway. “I told you to call only when—”

  “I told Inspector Cervantes.” Ami ducked slightly. “I had to, I’m sorry. She is on our side.”

  “So what does she want? I told you there’s no guarantee…”

  “Katlena doesn’t want out. She needs your voice in the Committee. So far it would be you and your wife for her. Drago’s brother certainly won’t vote against him, and his wife is dead. Two other members are undecided yet, and we need your help. We talked to Maryann already.”

  “She just lost her aunt and cousins. If you’re going to bother her now with your girlfriend’s political ambitions, maybe I misjudged you…51308. I didn’t give you this number to discuss…”

  “Please!” If he hung up on her, she’d lost, completely screwed it up. Ami couldn’t let that happen. “Whatever happens with the IdA, it’s without a leader at the moment, and that is even more dangerous. Katlena can handle this, if you let her. She won’t ask for anything else. Hell, she isn’t asking for this. I am.”

  “Ms. Moore.” To her surprise, there was a smile audible in his voice. “You’re fiercely loyal. I admire that. The truth is Maryann would be happy to see Drago finally held accountable. Tell Cervantes she has my vote. I guess that means you’ll stay whether or not everything will blow up around you? In spite of your daughter?”

  “If I call you in the evening, will your offer still stand?”

  Trenton sighed.

  “The inspector might need you, but we need you too, Ms. Moore. There are people here who could draw a lot of hope from meeting the woman who set out to challenge the system all by herself.”

  “I didn’t…” Ami said, bewildered. Katlena was returning this moment, so there was no more time to continue the argument. “I’ll call you later. Thank you for your support, sir.”

  * * * *

  “That’s a big deal. Thank you.” Katlena said. She seemed more relaxed and hopeful than when they had arrived this morning. Things had been going well so far. There was still the matter of determining whether the majority of employees accepted her as the new leader. Inspector Hale, Insa, Drago’s brother—they would not be with them. It was fifteen minutes to ten.

  Both of them jumped at the knock on the door. Noelle entered with a tray carrying three mugs.

  “Hey, Boss,” she said softly. “I thought you could use this. Congrats on the first steps.”

  “Thanks,” Katlena sighed. “I could use a coffee IV, actually. Thank you. Sit down for a moment.”

  “I have an inspector briefed and ready to go in whenever you give the go ahead. I’ll be with him. Hale doesn’t know yet.”

  “Good.”

  Noelle cast a quick look at Ami. “You’re going to change things around here like you always wanted to.”

  “That’s the plan,” Katlena confirmed.

  “Maybe Ms. Moore shouldn’t be wearing Cypher clothes at the meeting. I assume you’ll want her assignment here to be more…permanent.”

  Ami waited, holding her breath.

  “We haven’t discussed that yet,” Katlena said. “I appreciate your idea, but there’s no time.”

  “Well, she’s about my size. I always have a change of clothes in the car.”

  Somewhat resigned, Ami realized that with all their good intentions, these two women would need a little while longer to fully acknowledge her return to a complete identity. She wasn’t too fond of having them talk like she wasn’t in the room, but she was aware this had to happen in a matter of minutes.

  “It’s a good idea, what do you say?” Katlena turned to her.

  Sensibilities aside, Ami was excited and terrified. She hadn’t worn real clothes in public in five years. She had fantasized about going out with Katlena
, wearing a pretty dress. That’s all it had amounted to, a fantasy, unlike this offer.

  “If it helps, sure, why not.”

  Technically, she was breaking the law by wearing anything else than her 51308-stamped gear. In reality, it was hard to say what the law was anymore, because today, everything was changing.

  * * * *

  Katlena spared a moment to acknowledge Ami in the first row, wearing the clothes she’d borrowed from Noelle, jeans and a dark blue shirt. She didn’t want her to go tonight, but she knew that it wasn’t her choice. She wanted Ami with her, with or without the daughter. Katlena held on to the thought for a moment, then let it go. She needed to focus.

  “Good morning,” she greeted the employees, taking in the large group that had gathered. Pretty much everyone who worked in the building should be here right now. “I’ve called this meeting to inform all of you about some important changes that have taken and will continue to take place in the IdA. First of all, there’s an IA investigation against Chief Drago on severe charges. With the support of the Committee, I will take over his duties for the time being. There’ll be a hearing on the charges later this afternoon, and a press conference after that. We will go from there, until then I want all of you to report to me directly.”

  Insa’s hand went to her mouth. There were tears in her eyes.

  “Hey, wait a minute.” That was Hale, of course. “Why didn’t I know anything about that?”

  “You are being informed with everyone else,” Katlena told him. “At the moment, there’ll be no changes regarding the projects each of you are on. You work your cases as usual. I’ll bring myself up to date on them. We’ll schedule regular intra-departmental meetings to keep everyone in the loop.”

  “Do you expect Chief Drago to come back?” a young woman asked. Katlena had seen her briefly before. She worked in Records. She looked worried about that prospect.

  “I can’t foresee the court’s decision, but frankly, I don’t think he will. As I said, those were severe charges.”

  “Made by whom?” Hale asked acidly. “The cypher? Those girls are liars, you can’t trust them! You can’t take Drago’s job because some slut made wild accusations!”

  Some of her audience looked indecisive, men, some women even. Katlena had never known how much hate against cyphers the system that was supposed to protect them had created.

  “Five, Inspector Hale. That’s the number of accusations. One of those reports was filed by myself, none by a cypher. There were eyewitnesses.”

  The murmurs grew louder.

  “There is going to be a lot of attention, and I need everyone on board so we can handle this situation best. Remember that we still have murder investigations going on. If we want to show that the IdA still has any credibility, we need to stick together. Find those murderers, hold them accountable, and show our people that our laws are for them, not against their rights. Regardless of the Committee, I will need all of your help.”

  Insa started sobbing. She turned on her heels and hastily left the room.

  Another inspector spoke up. He was the one Noelle had prepared for the undercover op.

  “You got it, Chief Cervantes.” The woman who had asked about Drago returning, smiled. There were nods, and someone began to clap. An irritated Hale left the room as well.

  “Thank you. Let’s get to work, then. Just one more thing. You remember Ms. Ami Moore who’s been with us as an intern for a few days? As you can see, she is not wearing the numbers anymore and therefore everyone is to address her by her name. She will work as my personal assistant from today on.”

  She could see Ami’s eyes widen in surprise.

  “That would be all for now. Thank you for coming.”

  Noelle came up to her, patting her on the shoulder. “Who ever said power isn’t sexy,” she said with a wink.

  “Like it would do anything for you.” Katlena felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The ambience was still tense, but having most of the employees behind her was of immense importance. She could run the IdA. She’d always known. If the court denied Drago bail, she could breathe and start thinking about reforms.

  “Well, maybe it does?” Noelle joked. “Too little, too late, I know. What are you going to do about the less loyal?”

  “The Committee knows, so I won’t have to deal with Drago’s brother for now. He’ll come by if he has any concerns. Hale and Insa—I want someone to keep an eye on them.”

  “Got it, Boss. Congratulations. All went well… Chief Cervantes.”

  “Let’s give it today. If nothing blows up, literally and otherwise, we can say we’re on the safe side.”

  As the hours ticked by, Katlena tried not to think about the fact that Ami would likely leave her tonight. She didn’t care about the money. It was true, as chief of the IdA she would have no problem bringing her account back to more satisfying numbers. She didn’t want her to go, but there was the hearing to attend before she could deal with her personal life.

  “Personal assistant, right? You’re going to make me look like a bitch if I’m leaving,” Ami commented when they left Katlena’s office together.

  “I’m not trying to make you look like anything. I had to come up with something. You don’t have to be here, you know. It’s just a bail hearing; you won’t have to testify.”

  “I know.” Ami held her gaze for a moment before looking away. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I want to do what’s best for Lily. I hate the thought of you staying behind when the situation could still escalate. I hate it that I can’t seem to have both of you in my life.”

  “You could try,” Katlena said, trying not to let too much emotion color her voice, and failing. “Thank you anyway, for being here.”

  “I promised.” Ami fell silent after that. They entered the court room together where Drago, his lawyer and the IdA attorney was waiting for them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “A few years ago, during college I…I fell in with a bad crowd. I know it was stupid and all, but I was under a lot of stress, with my job and the classes. I tried drugs.”

  “Objection,” the IdA attorney said, obviously concerned about the surprise witness looking too sympathetic. For which he had reason. “Relevance.”

  “Sustained,” the judge said. “Ms. Moore, if you could please focus on the question.”

  “I just mean to say Chief Drago helped me so much,” the imposter continued. “There was a point when my life was in danger, and when I could help the IdA get to the dealers, they got me a new life. That’s what he did for me. The inspector and her…” She broke off, and for a few moments, there was a meaningful silence. Everyone in the room understood what she meant to say, judging from the looks. “They threatened me. They can’t be trusted—”

  “Objection!”

  “I must say I agree,” the judge intervened. “This is a bail hearing, and its sole purpose is to determine whether the defendant is granted bail until the trial starts. Ms. Moore’s testimony at this point is not relevant.”

  Next to her, Katlena breathed a sigh of relief. Ami was blocking out the sounds of voices after that, together with the rest of the scenery. She couldn’t stand looking at Drago who held her gaze intentionally, with that smirk on his face. She had no idea if the IdA attorney was actually good. Ami was sure though Drago could pay a high-profile and highly ruthless lawyer. If he was granted bail, the trial wasn’t off the table, but he could cause a lot more damage. Could she really leave Katlena alone with this mess? For the promise of what? Ami was sure once she had Lily back, those five years wouldn’t matter to her anymore. Maybe they would to Lily to whom she was a perfect stranger.

  Still, she had to try. When was the right moment?

  Ami was jolted out of her thoughts when Katlena’s fingers tightened around hers in a crushing grip. The judge banged his gavel, and Ami turned to Katlena who sat stiffly, disbelief showing on her face.

  The IdA attorney looked apologetic for some rea
son. When Drago passed them by on his way out, he grinned.

  “I’ll see you in your nightmares,” he said, walking out whistling.

  “Fuck,” Katlena said out loud, and the IdA attorney winced.

  Katlena was still chief of the IdA with the blessing of Paul and Maryann Trenton, but Drago had been granted bail for half a million dollars, not that hard for him to come by.

  * * * *

  Ami knew Katlena was worried about the press, but they didn’t seem too harsh on her. If anything, most attendees of the press conference appreciated a change in the IdA, the more radical, the better.

  There was another briefing regarding the undercover agent. So far, Drago had returned to his house and stayed there. Insa had turned in her resignation and also retreated to her residence. Hale was reported to be seen at his desk and fuming. The first day, given the stakes, seemed to have gone okay. Of course the appearance of the fake Ami Moore as a witness was a setback.

  While Ami was still sitting at Katlena’s desk, wondering about her options, Katlena returned with a pile of forms.

  “We must do this now,” she said. “Under existing cypher law, she has the right to wear your name, as much as that sucks. We fill this in, it will have today’s date and no one will question why you wore normal clothes to the meeting.”

  “What about the other cypher who’ll lose her life?” Ami asked, disheartened at the prospect.

  “This is only temporary, Ami. We’ll turn all of this around, but in the meantime, if you don’t have a name to sign papers, you and I are in trouble. Which means Drago will walk.”

  “We can’t let that happen.”

  “No, we can’t,” Katlena agreed. “This will take awhile. Then we can leave. We’ve accomplished a lot today.”

  Ami stole a glance at the time. Ten minutes to eight. She could still call.

  “Will you come home with me?” Katlena asked.

  The events of the past few days were like a kaleidoscope in her mind, her misfits at Shelton’s, the night in the holding cell, the attack. Drago. The many faces of Cara and Trenton. Her continuous fears, of not turning in the reports on time, of Drago, of being kicked out of the cypher program. The fear of never seeing Lily again.