Rebels

by Jill Williamson

  Tova backed up a step, out of her son’s way. “I’ll not have my home turned into a common passageway.”

  “Of course not, Mother,” Nash said, “but we must be flexible in this transition time.”

  “This is not a transition. All will return to normal soon enough. I will not have these upsiders putting ideas into my children’s heads.”

  Nash pulled his mother aside and waved Levi toward the door that led to the gate to Zane’s Midland house. “Peace, Mother. Perfect love casts out all fear.”

  Levi and Jordan stopped at the gate and waited for Nash.

  “Don’t talk to me about perfect love,” Tova said. “I have loved you all, and what has it gotten me? You all go upside, against my wishes!”

  “Mother, please. We’ll talk more on this later.” Nash kissed her forehead and joined Levi and Jordan at the gate. “Didn’t my father teach you how to open a gate? It’s quite simple.” He grabbed the wheel and turned it to the left until it clicked. “Once you hear the gears shift, you turn it back the other way until it opens.” He did this, and the door clicked again and popped away from its frame. Nash opened it and the hinges creaked with the weight of the iron door. “After you.”

  Levi, Jordan, and Nash followed the corridor to Zane’s basement. From there, they moved the shelves and curtain and went into the nest, where they found Ruston and Zane hunched over the GlassTop computer.

  “Hello,” Ruston said, straightening to greet them. “Levi, it’s good to see you awake. How are you?”

  “As well as any man whose wife has been taken to that place,” Levi said. “I don’t suppose there is any hope of going back for her?”

  Zane twisted his chair around. “It’s not looking good. They’ve installed cameras in all the rooms now, added an enforcer shift inside the harem, and they’ve sealed off that door in the kitchen. I guess they don’t care if there’s a fire exit or not. Now, if we had those SimSuits, we might have a chance. But Lhogan is not returning our taps.”

  “I owe him now,” Ruston said, “and he’s not eager to take such a risk again if he doesn’t have to.”

  “Could we start a fire? Then try and free them when they’re outside?” Levi asked.

  “I wouldn’t want to risk them getting trapped in there,” Zane said. “It’s too dangerous.”

  It was. “So we focus on Omar’s old plan: Operation Lynchpin?”

  “The sooner we can take down the government, the sooner you can get to Jemma,” Zane said.

  “But this isn’t a thing that can be rushed,” Ruston said. “We’ve been working toward this for years.”

  “And what have you learned?” Levi asked.

  “Much about enforcer protocol, how enforcers get their orders from the guild,” Zane said.

  “What do you know about those hooded people?”

  “The Ancients?” Zane turned back to his computer and pulled up a map. “They live in Teocalli Manor — a mansion in the forest at the northern curve of the bell.” He zoomed into the location and pointed to it on his screen. “They’re not allowed to come and go as they please. They have servants who see to their needs and enforcer escorts for when they are permitted to leave the manor.”

  “So they’re prisoners too,” Jordan said. “Who are they?”

  “Safe Landers believe they’re the wisdom of the past,” Ruston said. “They’ve forsaken moving on to the next life in order to stay here and advise the people.”

  “But what about what Ciddah said Mason overheard Renzor say,” Levi said. “That they wouldn’t have accepted Otley? Do you think they become Ancients to avoid liberation?”

  “It makes as much sense as anything,” Ruston said.

  “So that means liberation is death,” Jordan said.

  “Or something unpleasant,” Zane said. “It doesn’t seem pleasant to have to keep your face hooded and live in confinement. Yet these people choose it.”

  “We’ve tried to figure it out for years,” Ruston said. “But we’ve never known what to look for. Now that we know liberation ceremonies are prerecorded and that those who go through it are taken directly from the Champion Theater to wherever they’re liberated, perhaps next time we can have some vehicles waiting to follow the van when it leaves the amphitheater.”

  “I wish I would have thought to follow the van back to the RC on the traffic cams,” Zane said. “Then I could have seen where it went. I just assumed they were going back to the RC.”

  “Next time,” Ruston said.

  “Isn’t there a liberation tonight?” Jordan asked.

  “Liberation ceremony, yes,” Zane said. “But it is only the recording. And there are never trials at night. We need to monitor the trials somehow. Then we can try to track the vehicles that leave the amphitheater.”

  “We can’t wait around until then,” Levi said. “What about the Owl? The kids are still talking about him. Did it have as much success with adults?”

  “At first,” Zane said. “But the ratings are dropping fast. I’ve had to cobble together different videos and backgrounds to make it seem like new material, but the people are on to me. We need a new Owl.”

  “I’ll do it,” Levi said, feeling reckless and desperate to do something. “What do I have to do?”

  “I’m not sure you’ll fit in the suit,” Zane said. “Omar’s a lot smaller than you.”

  “Where is it?” Levi asked.

  “Upstairs. After Otley died, I went to Omar’s apartment and grabbed whatever I could before they came and cleaned it out. I went to Mason’s too, but he didn’t own anything but a suit and some medic scrubs.” Zane shrugged. “I thought Omar would want his paintings.”

  Such a thing had never occurred to Levi. “Thanks for doing that for him, Zane. What else did Omar have? Any weapons?”

  “No. He had the Owl costume and a bunch of art and paints, brushes, and canvasses. A few letters from Shaylinn.”

  “What kind of letters?” Jordan asked.

  “I didn’t read them. They were from the Messenger, which I know was Shay, so . . . you know how she is.”

  “No, I don’t,” Jordan said. “She never mailed me any Messenger letters. Why would she mail some to Omar?”

  “So if I can fit into that suit,” Levi said, hoping to distract Jordan from his nonsensical issues with Omar, “what do I have to do?”

  “We’ll make a plan for what to have you say,” Zane said. “We can add some of what we saw happen through the contact lenses. That Mason was liberated with only one X, that they were given no liberation ceremony. Stuff like that.”

  “And for Operation Lynchpin?” Levi asked. “What can we do to move that along?”

  “All the food comes from the Lowlands,” Ruston said. “We’ll need to figure out how to stop the shipments. The water comes from the dam.”

  “So we drive down there and see what’s what,” Jordan said. “See what we can burn.”

  “We don’t want to destroy the food or the water,” Levi said. “I don’t want to be responsible for thousands of people starving to death this winter. We just need to take control of them somehow.”

  “It won’t be easy,” Ruston said. “No one just drives to the Lowlands, not the way Highlanders can come into the Midlands, anyway. The road to the Lowlands leads outside the walls, so it’s heavily guarded.”

  “Can you make fake SimTags with Lowlands information?” Levi asked Zane.

  “Conceivably,” Zane said. “I’ve never seen a Lowland SimTag, though. I’ll ask my contact in Registration.”

  “Do you have any friends up at the dam?” Levi asked.

  “We’ve never had a man at the dam,” Ruston said. “They’re so far away from where we recruit that none of us have ever gotten to know anyone who tasks there.”

  “So we’ve got three goals,” Levi said. “The Owl, the Lowlands, and the dam.” It felt good to have a plan.

  “It’s a start, at least,” Ruston said. “And if Jemma gave them the information about the th
eater, that should distract them from what we’re really working on.”

  Levi took a deep breath through his nose, hating that Jemma had been the one to get caught. He should’ve insisted she stay behind. He shook his head — no use going over that territory again. She’d wanted to go. Now he wondered if she had given up the information on the theater. They’d better not have hurt her.

  “Let’s go see if you can fit into that suit,” Zane said.

  Levi followed him upstairs. The Owl suit was tight, but Omar had made it from an Old wetsuit, which was stretchy. Levi fit into it and was able to move surprisingly well. Once it was clear the headpiece fit as well, he and Zane went back down to record a new statement.

  “I’ll broadcast it tonight, in the middle of the liberation ceremony,” Zane said. “The task director general will love that.”

  A chill ran up Levi’s arms. This month’s ceremony should include the prerecorded footage of Mason and Omar. And Bender and Rewl and General Otley, as well. Time was going by faster than Levi wanted it to. They’d been in this place for two and a half months already.

  “Make sure to interrupt someone we don’t know,” Levi said. “I’d like to watch this one.” Though he didn’t know why. It would only make him upset.

  He and Jordan returned to the nest to watch the liberation ceremony that night. Levi sat in a chair beside Zane and focused on the big screen.

  Finley and Flynn were wearing matching purple outfits with silver hair, which meant that by tomorrow morning, purple would be flooding the streets and storefronts. Levi was glad to be underground.

  Luella Flynn opened with a tribute to Kendall Collin. Dozens of pictures flashed across the screen as Finley and Flynn took turns talking about the great times they’d had with the former Safe Lands queen. It was tragic that she’d been liberated so young, they said, but being a number one, she had many more lives to get it right. Best of luck to Kendall Collin in the next one.

  It had been two and a half weeks since Levi’s brothers had been captured. And he knew from what they’d seen through their contact lenses that they’d been sentenced almost two weeks ago. But to everyone else watching, it was as if they were just liberated.

  Levi’s hands were shaking. Watching this would provide no clue as to his brothers’ whereabouts, yet he stared at the screen, eager to see their faces.

  “Maybe we should kidnap Luella Flynn and see what she knows about liberation,” Jordan said.

  “Now there’s an interesting idea,” Zane said. “Maybe the Owl should pay her a visit.”

  “I’m game,” Levi said.

  Luella brought out a man named Garber Bloom, who had been a dancer who had taught Maroz Zerrik everything he knew, whoever Maroz Zerrik was. She introduced a video montage that showed clips from movies he’d been in, dancing and singing.

  “Why are we watching this dung?” Jordan said.

  “It might be your last chance to see Mason and Omar,” Zane said.

  Jordan grunted, and Levi knew what he was thinking. “We saw the last we’re going to see of them,” Levi said. “If by some miracle liberation isn’t death, and if they’re still alive, until we can learn the mystery of liberation, we can’t help them.” And maybe never could. Maybe whatever lay beyond liberation was a death camp like in that Schindler movie. Welcome to Bliss. Mass murder. “But I still want to watch. That way I can know how to word what I say as the Owl so I’m contradicting what they’ve said here.”

  “Fine,” Jordan said. “It’s a lot of fluffy nonsense, though. I can’t imagine Luella Flynn would have interviewed Mason or Omar.”

  “She couldn’t have. You never saw anything like that in their contacts, did you?” Levi asked Zane.

  “Nope. They weren’t important to the Safe Lands,” Zane said. “They’ll show their faces at the end and that’s about it. They don’t usually interview Xed people. Lonn was an exception.”

  “More like a warning,” Levi said.

  “Liberation has to be death,” Jordan said.

  It can’t be death, Levi thought, trying to convince himself.

  They suffered through another twenty minutes of the dancing man before Luella Flynn brought out a woman who’d tasked as a costume designer for twenty-two years. She got a standing ovation.

  Jordan threw an apple core at the screen. It bounced off and left a wet mark across the glass.

  “Whoa!” Zane said.

  “Jordan,” Levi said.

  “I’m sorry, but why does this place think dancing and acting and fashion is better than every other job? Seems to me it’s more work to task in construction or street cleaning or picking fields in the Lowlands. Why don’t we ever see a pig farmer getting interviewed by Luella Flynn, huh?”

  “Because pig farming and construction and street cleaning aren’t glamorous,” Levi said. “And perception of pleasure is all that matters here. So they show us what’s perceived as glamorous, hoping the viewers will love it and not ask where bacon comes from.”

  “That’s not exactly true,” Zane said. “There are some who are that naive, of course, but most know the guild is hiding things. But they go along with it because it’s in their best interest not to ask questions.”

  “The truth is your best interest,” Levi said. “And we have to find it.”

  “Shh!” Zane said. “It’s General Otley.”

  A still image of Otley’s face filled the screen. “Tyr Otley,” Finley Gray said. “Best known as the young enforcer who took down the rebel group VIRUS in 2076, Otley kept our land safe as Enforcer General for the past nine years.”

  Jordan groaned. “And I wasted my apple core on the fashion lady.”

  “You could use it again,” Zane suggested.

  “Why is Otley so far down the list?” Levi asked.

  “Don’t know,” Zane said.

  “Because he doesn’t sing and dance,” Jordan said.

  Finley went on for a long while about how great Otley had been and how much the Safe Lands would miss him. Levi wondered how many Safe Landers were secretly glad that Otley had been premie libbed.

  When the Otley tribute ended, the camera showed a close-up of Luella Flynn’s face. Her skin was silver and glittery, her eyes lime green. What a freak.

  “Safe Landers, join me in a moment of silence to honor the nationals who have passed on to the next life, including some nines who are entering Bliss. We send them our love and know that we will see them soon.”

  Luella faded away, and the camera showed a wide shot of the amphitheater and the distant Wyndo stage screen, slowly zooming back in. The first face appeared on the screen. A man with dark hair and SimArt lines on his forehead.

  “Jesmin Harres, six,” Finley Gray said, “tasked in engineering and design. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Mr. Harres.”

  “August Liv, three,” Luella said, “tasked as a level sixteen medic in the Men’s Health and Wellness Department. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Mr. Liv.”

  “This is stupid,” Jordan said. “How long are they going to make us wait?”

  “I told you, they’ll be on last,” Zane said. “Nationals are ranked by celebrity status, so the Xed come at the very end.”

  “Bertram Grice, five,” Finley Gray said, “enforcer, wall patrol unit. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Mr. Grice.”

  “Nella May, two,” Luella said, “tasked as an educator in the Safe Lands boarding school. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Ms. May.”

  “Leon Jaff,” Finley Gray said, “tasked as an educator in the Safe Lands boarding school. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Mr. Jaff.”

  “Do you think all those teachers got liberated because we took the kids?” Levi asked.

  “I wouldn’t doubt it,” Zane said.

  Levi didn’t know if he should feel sorry for them or not. He guessed not.

  “Angel White,” Luella said, “tasked as a matron in the Safe Lands nurs
ery. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Ms. White.”

  “A nursery worker too,” Levi said. “I bet she was the one who killed Kendall.”

  “More likely she’s the one who didn’t. Killing Kendall would have been seen as heroic by the guild,” Zane said. “I doubt they liberated whoever did that.”

  Jordan looked at Levi and frowned. “Can you believe that?”

  In this place, Levi could believe just about anything.

  Then Omar’s face claimed the screen. The picture had been taken back when he was wearing an enforcer’s uniform, complete with hat. It reminded Levi of the Old Colorado State Patrol hat Omar used to wear every day. The look on his face was smug, back when he thought this place was best for Glenrock.

  “Omar Strong, nine,” Finley Gray said, “tasked with the enforcers, in SimArt design, and in construction. The Safe Lands bids you enjoy Bliss, Mr. Strong.”

  “Cavek Rose,” Luella said, “tasked as a cook for Café Eats. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure in the next life, Mr. Rose.”

  “That’s it for Omar?” Jordan said. “He deserves more words than that! Those stinking maggots and their — ”

  “Jordan, look!” Levi gestured to the Wyndo screen.

  “Bender,” Finley Gray said, “a known rebel from the Midlands. No tasks on file, no full name, no number. The Safe Lands bids you pleasure, Mr. Bender, wherever you next find yourself.”

  “Wow,” Levi said. “Not a word about his killing Otley.” This place was bizarre. He’d never understand it.

  Then Mason’s face filled the screen.

  “Mason Elias, nine,” Luella said, “tasked in the Pharmco Pharmacy and as a level two medic in the Surrogacy Center. The Safe Lands bids you enjoy Bliss, Mr. Elias.”

  Tears filled Levi’s eyes, and he blinked them back. He never should have let them go after Shaylinn without him. He’d known they weren’t ready. But Ruston had convinced him. What did Ruston know about anything? His people hid underground with no desire to leave. Levi hadn’t wanted Jemma to go on this last mission either.

  From now on, Levi would trust his own instincts.

  “Time to interrupt this broadcast,” Zane said, tapping on his GlassTop keyboard.