I rush over and peer into the surveillance room. On almost every screen I see large, black, skeletal-looking robots. They're in every compound and in every building in the city. There are dozens of them surrounding the control tower. But even more disturbing are the images of the people. Some are laying lifeless on the ground, but mostly everyone else looks frantic and desperate. They all seem to be talking to themselves in varying levels of frustration. Every once in a while, someone will try to attack a robot, but they'll promptly be shot. It's a scene of pathetic chaos.
"What's going on?" I ask Felix.
"The North sent in thousands of these robots," he explains hurriedly. "They infiltrated the control tower and shut off the transmitters. None of the Amplifiers are working."
Chapter 24
It's hard to hear what Roxy is trying to say over all the noise in the great hall. After everyone found out about what was happening in the Community, Roxy called an emergency meeting, and now all the Dissenters are gathered together, talking loudly and anxiously.
"Everybody sit down!" Blaine yells into a microphone.
The noisy conversations are immediately replaced by the sound of chairs scraping across the floor as we all find a seat. I end up sitting next to my mother and Jacqueline near the front of the room. Blaine hands the microphone to Roxy and the wiry woman stands on a small platform.
"Because of the gravity of the situation, I called all of you together to discuss our course of action. In the past, during times of crisis, we have discreetly infiltrated the Community to help where we can. However, considering the danger of this particular circumstance, we're going to stay out of this conflict."
There are a few murmurs, but nobody speaks up.
"The base will be on lockdown for the next few days. Please make the necessary preparations to remain here for the next week. At this time, our biggest priority is keeping everyone safe."
Roxy starts to step down from the platform and people start to get up from their seats. Apparently, the meeting is over. I look around incredulously. I can't believe that everyone is okay with this decision. Thousands of people are under severe attack and we're all just going to hide out down here and wait for the danger to pass? I'm so appalled that I can't keep the words from spilling out of my mouth.
"What are you afraid of?" I yell.
The hall becomes silent. Roxy stares at me in utter shock. I can tell she's not used to being challenged.
"What are you afraid of?" I repeat. "You're really going to sit here while thousands of people die?"
"Miss Quillen," Roxy says sternly, "I understand that you are unfamiliar with our standards of respect and our protocol in times of crisis, but I'll have to ask you to refrain from making a scene."
"I don't have to be familiar with your protocol to recognize that you're being selfish and cowardly," I retort, ignoring her attempt to silence me.
"With a threat this extensive, there is too much danger of being discovered," she explains, her hands starting to shake. "In addition, as Dissenters, we have removed ourselves from the Community. We are under no obligation to interfere with their problems."
"No obligation? There are family members and friends out there! You people are always preaching about free choice, why not let us choose individually whether we want to go or not?"
"We become weak when we are divided!" She exclaims, her face reddening. "Furthermore, assisting in this battle would be contrary to the integrity of this organization. We have been trying to disable the Amplifiers for years, and these robots have succeeded in doing so! Why would we want to reverse that?"
I feel like I might implode with fury.
"Are you crazy?" I shout, only vaguely aware of the whispers around me. "You can disable the Amplifiers in a time of peace. Disable them after everyone has had extensive therapy learning how to live without them. But you can't honestly lead me to believe that you want the Amplifiers shut off when there is an army of robots ready to shoot everybody! Was that really your plan? Sure, no one will be Amplified, but that's because no one will be alive!"
"Miss Quillen!" Roxy screams, loosing all composure. "Cease this mutinous behavior! The decision stands. We are staying here." She steps down and stands right in front of me. "As for you," she rasps, lowering her voice, "you will meet with the committee tomorrow morning."
I turn and walk briskly out of the hall, people moving out of my way as I pass.
I'm almost to my room when I hear someone call my name.
"Mari, wait!"
I turn around and see Miles running down the hall.
"Listen, Miles, I get it," I say quickly. "You Dissenters are all about self-restraint and not rushing irrationally into a battle even when you could potentially save a lot of lives."
"Mari, I agree with you."
"Oh."
I had a bunch of other stuff I was planning to say, but now there's no argument.
"I agree with you completely, Mari," Miles affirms, "but you should have addressed the issue with Roxy privately. Now a lot of people are questioning the decision."
"They should be, it's a stupid decision."
"It may not be the right decision, but once Roxy chooses a course of action, we have to respect that. Everyone is free to choose for themselves, but as a Dissenter, we have to agree to the dominant consensus. That's the reason this organization has survived for so long."
"Well, thank you for explaining it to me," I say curtly, and turn to leave.
"Mari," he calls, I turn back to face him, "I wish things could be different."
For the second time tonight, I lose it.
"You mean you wish I'd never gotten Amplified?" I demand. "You wish I wasn't so stubborn so I could have joined the Dissenters a long time ago and we could both happily avoid responsibility whenever a serious conflict came up? What exactly is it that you wish, Miles? Because I wish you hadn't abandoned me four years ago, leaving me depressed and friendless. I wish I didn't spend so much time thinking about you, worrying about you, wanting so badly to be near you and then getting frustrated that I feel that way. And sometimes, just sometimes, I wish you didn't have so much self control."
I stand there shaking and vulnerable, a little frightened at my own candor. Miles' eyes are shining. I'm surprised when he smiles and wraps his arms around me.
"I'm glad you're here," he whispers. He holds me for a few moments, then abruptly releases me and walks away.
I wonder when I'll ever be able to have a normal conversation with Miles instead of one that leaves me wanting to bash my head against a wall.
____________
The base is quiet. I slip out of my room, wearing the clothes I was wearing when I first came here. There's no sense in me running around in a Dissenter uniform when I go back to the Community.
I've been lying awake for the past few hours trying to figure out a way to escape from the base. They've locked up the entrance, and I don't know who has the keys or how I'd even persuade them to let me out. So I'm left with only one option: go out the way I first came in.
I tip toe to the innovation shop. Miraculously, the door is open. I don't want to turn on the lights, so I rely on the faint glow coming from the hallway to find what I'm looking for. I know there's one in here, I think, racking my brain to try and remember where I saw the grappling hook the other day. It seems like my memory has been dulled ever since my Amplifier was removed. Finally, I spot it underneath a table in the corner. I grab the heavy instrument and carefully leave the shop.
I approach the lake slowly, partly to make sure that no one is watching, but mostly because I'm genuinely scared. Remembering my encounter with the creatures lurking in the water makes my skin crawl. I climb onto a large rock on the edge of the water and gaze up at the small hole at the top of the cavern that leads to the surface. I make sure the rope attached to the hook is long enough and then hurl the hook up at the hole.
The hook falls about 3 feet short of the opening and drops into the water. I hurriedly pull
the rope back to bring the hook out, hoping one of the massive snakes doesn't latch on to it. The hook comes back with nothing attached to it, but I notice a lot more movement in the water. This time I swing the hook around a few times before releasing it into the air. It sails through the hole and catches on the other side.
I pull on the rope a few times. I can't fully test its strength since its at an angle, but it seems like it will hold. At least I hope it does. Otherwise I'll fall into the lake again, and I'm pretty sure Felix won't be there to save me from being devoured this time. I reach up as far as I can on the rope and jump out over the lake, pulling my feet up so they don't touch the water.
Thankfully, the rope holds as I sail into the center of the cavern beneath the opening. I start to climb. This will be nothing compared to climbing up the cable on the air barge, I think. But just as I'm nearing the top, I feel a sharp jerk on the rope below. I look down and almost scream. One of the monstrous snakes has clasped its jaws around the rope and is writhing around, trying to shake me loose. I cling to the rope and desperately try to keep climbing. I've just reached the top when a violent tug to the side loosens the hook's grip and the rope suddenly gives as the hook falls through the hole. I'm just barely able to grab on to the edges of the hole as I hear the hook splash into the water below. I start swinging from side to side, which makes it really difficult to keep my grip, but eventually I gain enough momentum to bring my leg over the side and pull myself through the hole.
I stand up and breathe in the cool, dry air. The night is still and peaceful, exactly the opposite of how I feel. I get my bearings, spotting the shack off to the left and heading down the small hill. It's time to do what I do best: run.
Chapter 25
When I come up on the farm I barely recognize it. All the crops have been demolished, I'm guessing either from the bombs or starving people. Probably both. All that remains of the other buildings are piles of rubble. The shelter we built under the silo is exposed and looks like a big pit in the ground.
I keep going until I get to my house. Or rather, what used to be my house. I can only make out the remnants of a few things; a table leg, a cabinet door, a piece of blanket. I feel empty. A huge part of my life is gone; all I have now are memories. I want to sit and mourn for my lost home, but this is not the reason I came back to the Community. I force myself to walk away.
As I continue on to the city I'm struck by how desolate my compound appears. Sure, it's the middle of the night, but it feels like nobody has been here for days. I shudder when I consider that maybe everyone here has been killed, and I run a little faster toward the city.
I see the first group of robots next to the Mall-cruiser station near the edge of the city. They look a lot bigger in reality than they did on the surveillance. Their skeletal bodies all move in unison as they walk jerkily back and forth in a line, apparently patrolling the station. I duck behind one of the Mall-cruisers and creep along behind it, hoping that the robots can't detect me.
It becomes easier to hide from the clusters of robots as I near the center of the city where the buildings are closer together. It's eerily quiet. The only sounds I hear are the clicking of the robots moving and the occasional moan from someone nearby. I try not to look too closely at the bodies strewn on the ground, afraid I might see someone I know. I nearly run into a stray robot coming out of an alley, but just as I'm about to collide with it, it springs to action and marches off in the other direction. I'm almost at the hospital when I trip over something and fall to the ground. I look back and see that I tripped over a pile of bodies. And on top of that pile is my brother Adrian.
My entire body is shaking as I stumble back to my older brother. He can't be dead, I think. I've been so awful to him this past year. We used to be so close, I can't lose him now. I kneel down to look more closely at him. There's no blood, no visible wounds. I reach down and feel his hand. It's warm. And he's breathing. Actually, it looks like everyone in the pile is breathing.
Suddenly, I hear the metallic clicking of the robots coming. I jump up and scramble into the nearest building, carefully shutting the door behind me.
"Mari?"
I turn around and see a pale figure with a mop of curly, red hair slouched against the wall.
"Joby!" I exclaim, rushing over to him. "Are you all right?"
"That depends on your definition of all right," he answers with an empty expression. I don't respond, so he continues. "Physically, I guess I'm all intact, but I feel so drained. I don't want to move. I don't want to do anything because I can't do anything," he explains pathetically.
"Joby, yes you can," I try to encourage him, but I understand how he must feel. All those weeks I laid in bed after I lost my Amplifier were excruciating. I had no ambition whatsoever, and that was only after three months of being Amplified. He hasn't done anything for himself for a year. I can't imagine what it would feel like for someone who's been Amplified most of their lives; all of their skills and abilities gone in a matter of seconds.
"It's hopeless, Mari," Joby wails, "we're all going to die!"
I know the situation looks bleak, but his tone is a little nauseating.
"Joby, tell me what happened," I urge, hoping to distract him from his misery.
"The robots surrounded the entire Community and marched everybody from the compounds into the city, and then they started shooting. Their weapons don't kill, but they'll knock you out for... well, for who knows how long? I don't think anyone who's been shot has woken up yet."
"Why aren't they killing anyone?"
"I don't know. It hurts to think about it," Joby whines.
I'm relieved to know that all those people lying on the ground out there aren't dead, but it's a little unnerving when I start to wonder what the North has planned. During this entire war, they haven't really killed anyone. They've only destroyed our buildings and resources. The only deaths I can think of have happened as a result of starvation or the Override.
"Do you know where anyone else is?" I ask Joby.
"I think I saw Alia and Liam hiding in one of the Mall-cruisers, and a group of non-Amplified people ran into the hospital."
"How did you know they weren't Amplified?"
"Because they were the only ones doing something. They were actually fighting back and trying to escape. All of us who are Amplified," he looks down at his hands, "well, we just got frustrated and gave up."
I close my eyes, remembering the skeletons of those who crossed out of the Community's perimeter. The same effect is taking place now. Without their abilities, they believe they're completely helpless.
"Okay, I'm going to go try to find Alia and Liam," I announce, starting to head to the door, but Joby grabs my hand and pulls me back toward him.
"Don't leave!" He begs. "It's been awful sitting here alone."
"Either you can stay here alone, or you can come with me."
His eyes fill with tears. "I can't go back out there," he whimpers.
"Then hopefully, I'll see you later," I reply, wrenching my hand out of his grip.
"Mari," he says quietly, "I'm sorry I tried to kill you at Training last year. That was the worst moment of my life. Ever since then, I've grown to hate myself more and more. I'm worthless."
I crouch down and look straight into his eyes.
"Joby, listen to me," I say sternly, as if I'm talking to a toddler, "you didn't try to kill me. You made a bad decision that allowed someone else to manipulate you. You can't worry yourself to death about things you did while you were Overridden. You are not pathetic. You're my friend."
I search his eyes, looking for some semblance of my old friend; his good heart, his carelessness, even his need to constantly fidget.
"Thank you," he whispers, and for a moment, it looks like he might smile, but then he returns to looking forlorn.
"Stay here. Be safe."
I slip out the door and back into the dangerous night. One thing is certain: I now know that I absolutely despise the Amplifiers.
____________
It's a lot easier to navigate through the city now that I know where most of the robots are. I'm approaching the Mall-cruiser station again when I see something that nearly makes me fall over. Parked next to one of the cruisers is a large tractor. Blaine's tractor. I wonder why he came here, especially since he's in direct violation of Roxy's decision. I climb up one of the massive back wheels and peer inside. It's empty. Where would he have gone?
Suddenly, I hear a noise from the Mall-cruiser behind me. I jump down from the tractor and edge closer to the window of the cruiser. I stand there for a moment, listening. I hear voices, but they're so faint I can't tell what they're saying. Slowly, I slide open the bottom window and crawl inside.
It's not that much darker in the Mall-cruiser, but it takes a couple seconds for my eyes to adjust. The compartment I'm in is empty, but I follow the sound of the voices over to one of the arenas. I push open the door and thankfully find Alia, Liam, and several other soldiers staring back at me.
Alia rushes forward. "Mari! You're alive!" She exclaims. "When I saw that your house had been destroyed, I thought you all had died!"
I guess my mom's plan was effective.
"What are you doing here?" Liam asks, coming up beside Alia. "Honestly, I don't know," I respond, realizing how stupid I sound. "I just wanted to make sure you guys were okay."
"Oh," Liam says, sounding a little defeated.
What? Was he hoping I'd have some brilliant plan to save everyone?
"How long have you guys been in here?" I ask.
"When we found out our Amplifiers weren't working, we decided to hide from the robots," Alia explains. "They started shooting right after we got into the cruiser. We haven't left since then."
"Where's the Governor?" I ask. "Maybe he could-"
"They kidnapped the Governor," Liam cuts in. "They're holding him in the control tower."
"How about the Restrainers?"
"Their personal transmitters are linked to the main control, so they're as useless as we are," Liam comments, letting out a bitter laugh.
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