"Here are the reports you requested, Agent Cato," she says in a flat voice. "Do you require anything else?"
I shake my head and stifle another yawn. "That will be all."
She nods and takes her leave. Partially rejuvenated, I close the door and return to my post to view the files saved on the digital reader. One of them produces something totally unexpected.
My discovery is unreal and perhaps this is the evidence that Ramos has been keeping from me. Anyone could have infiltrated BioLife on the day that Emerson was murdered, as long as he or she had well-made forged credentials. Anyone could have masqueraded as Ava Suarez and shot Emerson in cold blood. Anyone could have framed Charlotte Tatum.
The reason why? Because none of the scanners inside of BioLife were working that day. All scanners were malfunctioning. I peruse a work order that was put in that morning. How convenient. This piece of evidence is the biggest discovery I have made so far and this may very well prove Charlotte's innocence. There's no way in hell that she could have deactivated every single security checkpoint or handheld scanner in the place. She could have created false credentials or donned a disguise but it takes practically a miracle to silence vector scanners. If one scanner is down, then all scanners are down across the entire island. All scanners operate from a heavily encrypted portion of the Grid and no offense to Charlotte's talents, but I highly doubt that she's capable of hacking into a very hackproof system. Not even all of the engineers within the Core know how to manipulate the security protocols surrounding scanners.
Since Charlotte is incapable of pulling off such a feat, then who is? Only a select few individuals have access to scanner programs, as scanners are one of the government greatest weapons against crime. I hate to suggest that the Core is somehow involved in all of this but I can't suppress the inclination to believe so. I could never imagine that the institution I served so faithfully my entire fifteen years of existence could do something like this, but Emerson was unpopular and the claims that he supported the rebels were strong. Nevertheless, how people viewed Emerson does not justify his death or Charlotte taking the fall for all of this.
As I sit in the dim light, I contemplate my next move. Should I go to Ramos or even the Amber Army with this vital piece of information, or should I remain silent for a little while longer and wait for just the right moment to speak? I don't know. One thing is certain though: If this evidence gets out to the public, then I may very well be the catalyst for the crumbling of our perfect political structure. Because if what I can't help but to think about is true, then that means that our government was never perfect from the start.
Chapter Twenty One
Charlotte
Currently Listening To: "Whispers in the Dark" by Skillet
It takes me a long time to drift off to sleep that night. After eating dinner with Lilly, I spend the remainder of the evening lost inside the maze of my own mind, trying to decide if I want to tempt Scylla or Charybdis. The funny thing about it is that I can't decide which is worse—Scylla or Charybdis, BioLife or World State.
Lilly checks on me occasionally but I'm not in the mood for her company. She doesn't talk much whenever she emerges onto the back porch, where I sit watching the sea thrash violently against the cliff that Lilly's house overlooks. Lilly comes outside several times and watches me silently before retreating back into the house. I can always feel her eyes upon me, although I never hear her open the door. She's making sure that I haven't decided to toss myself into the foamy waves below. I've read that people used to do crazy stuff whenever he or she was depressingly upset.
By the time I force myself to bed, I've changed my mind over a hundred times. Just when I think that World State is the right choice, something whispers to me that BioLife will be easier. I try to ignore the whisper because I believe it's sprung from arrogance since I have done it before. Why not do it again?
I lay in bed for several hours before I finally fall asleep. When I do, I dream of a world where emotions aren't illegal. People walk around wearing smiles on their faces like a new fashion trend. Some people even scowl and it's wonderful.
Then I see my face among a sea of other faces, and of course I'm grinning broadly. I walk along with my family, my mother included. She's alive and my father is healthy. Scarlett isn't imprisoned and Abigail is still Abigail but far happier. The five of us board a monorail, where we're joined by Lilly, Emma, Aidan, little Elijah, and the White Agent boy who I find handsome. He's not wearing that clean white uniform that I despise so much, the clothing of the enemy. He smiles at me as his eyes fall upon me. He reaches out a hand and seizes mine. I feel his surprisingly smooth skin against mine and I return his smile.
All of us laugh and talk without a care in the world. The monorail zooms past billboards blinking with every color of the rainbow. The sun shines brightly from up above in a clear sky and—
Suddenly the dream turns pitch black and violent—a nightmare.
I am suddenly tackled and pinned to a bed in a dark room, where moonlight cascades across the floor. I open my eyes and blink in confusion and pain, as the weight of a stranger crushes my legs. I blink again, spotting familiar items inside one of Lilly's spare bedroom and that's when I realize I'm no longer dreaming. I am really being attacked!
A dark, shadowy figure leans over me and the pale moonlight slides across a face covered by a black mask. My arms are pinned to my sides and my legs are trapped beneath my attacker. I squirm to try and shake the person off of me but I can barely move a muscle. I also feel a strange sensation inside of me, like something creepy is trying to slither its way inside of my brain and bend my mind towards its will. I fight the sensation but it's difficult to do so while trying to escape from beneath the shadowy presence above me.
I open my mouth to scream, to scream for help, to scream for Lilly, but a hand quickly covers my lips. I can only breathe through my nose now.
"Scream and I'll kill you and your friend," a voice issues from somewhere behind the mask. It's distorted digitally, much like the Entity's voice. I can't tell if this person is a male or female, although the voice sounds more like a male based on modulation and pitch.
My assailant waits a moment until I nod my comprehension before removing the hand from my mouth.
I am in utter shock and disbelief. I'm confused beyond comprehension. How and why is this occurring? What did I do to deserve this? For a fleeting second, I believe that the White Agency and the cops have found me, but they wouldn't assault me like this. Someone has broken into Lilly's house and the only thing I can think of at the moment is that this is a robbery.
"What do you want?" I find the courage to ask even though I'm scared senseless. Robbers nowadays are typically those who are ravenously hungry after choosing to live isolated from everyone else. These people are stereotypically frail but this person doesn't feel that way.
"Where is it?" The voice breathes.
After getting past the initial surprise of being suddenly accosted in the middle of the night, I suddenly think about Lilly. I hope she's all right and that this person hasn't harmed her. I strain to listen for any sounds beyond this bedroom. I don't hear anything. All is silent.
"Where is what?" I retort, regaining my defiant courage. The stranger needs to be a little less vague.
"The package," the shadowy stranger says as if this was obvious by the previous question. "The package given to you by the Entity. Where is it?"
So, this is a robbery after all, but not one I had suspected. This person does not seek sustenance but rather the contents of the flash drive that Aidan helped me retrieve from the locked envelope.
"What do you want with it?" I don't know why I'm curious but for some reason I am.
"The Entity wants it back and he wants to know what's on the drive you've discovered."
"How do you know about the drive?" I'm trying to keep my attacker talking, as I think of something I can do to knock this person off of me. I can't move much but I might be able to shift jus
t enough to cause—
The figure chuckles. "The Entity has eyes and ears everywhere! We always know everything."
"I thought the Entity was in hiding?"
"The Entity never hides. He is everywhere and nowhere at all."
"But if he is as . . . everywhere as you say, then why doesn't he know what's on the drive?" Then, another thought strikes me like a lightning flash. "And why didn't he find this out before he turned the envelope with the drive inside over to me to give to Noah Emerson?"
"Because it wasn't a part of the deal he made with Dr. Cato," the figure tells me and I'm surprised that such information was given so freely. I note the nonchalant tone, even though the voice is heavily distorted. "And the Entity honors all of his contracts."
"What does Dr. Cato have to do with anything?" I question, trying to figure out why the renowned physician is involved in this mess. Perhaps that would explain why her White Agent son arrested her. The stranger moves a bit, freeing a part of one of my upper legs.
"Everything," the stranger speaks softly.
"Well, apparently the Entity doesn't honor all of his contracts since you are here to take the drive back to him," I say, trying to sound as nonchalant as the person who's crushing my body to the point of intense pain. My legs are asleep now so that if I managed to shove him or her off of me, I might not be able to slide out of bed.
"Situations change. The contract is now null and void since you opened the package." A brief pause and just when I'm about to get angry for being blamed for everything, the voice behind the dark mask speaks again. "Now tell me where the drive is hidden!"
At the same time, the figure moves just a hair and it's enough. I hurl all of my strength and weight into the heave and my sudden movement throws my attacker completely off guard. He or she tumbles off of me sideways, falling back and smashing his or her head against one of the bedposts. I scramble out of bed during the confusion, daring my stiff legs to work. I'm relieved that the pressure of the stranger's weight has finally been lifted. I search frantically for something to use as a weapon, as my attacker rises from the ground. The bedroom is decorated with small digital paintings like the larger one in the dining room downstairs and a couple of ebony statues. The rest is furniture that's too heavy for me to lift. I dive for the nightstand next to the bed and pick up one of statues. Gripping it like a tiny bat, I spin to face my opponent.
The figure is nothing more than a shade. I see movement in the dark and a gloved hand crosses into the glow of moonlight to feel the left temple where the bedpost struck. Then, unexpectedly, the figure growls and flees the room instead of charging me.
I stand there, transfixed, as the shadow disappears through the doorway and darts down the hallway beyond. I'm breathing heavy and fast, adrenaline coursing through my veins like blood. I hear a loud crashing noise somewhere and I wait for a few minutes, still clutching the statue tightly in my hand, to ensure that the infiltrator is surely gone. Then, I finally move, dropping the statue onto the bed, and rushing to find Lilly and ensure that she's okay. My attacker and I had made a lot of noise during our brief scuffle. Surely she would have heard it and come to investigate.
I flip on the lights in the hallway and follow the curve around to the second floor landing. Before I head down the adjacent corridor, leading to Lilly's room, I peer over the banister and stare down into the sitting room, which is lit by the blue-ish glow of the moonlight streaking through the glass walls. Nothing appears to be out of place. The person working for the Entity managed to break into Lilly's house and come straight up to me without searching the home first while Lilly and I were fast asleep.
Wait a second . . . I squint against the darkness in one corner of the sitting room and I see someone sitting slumped on the floor, not moving at all.
I turn away from the railing and make a dash down the twisting steps. As I draw nearer to the dark figure, my heart starts pumping double time. Fear seizes me yet again but it's worse than earlier. What if the intruder hurt Lilly since I didn't reveal where I've hidden the drive?
I slow my stride and inch my way closer and closer towards the still form. The dim light from the moon spills across the floor in front of me. I step into the pool of light and peek around the sofa. I find a crouching shadow projected against the opposite wall. I continue forward, bracing myself for the unwanted sight that might greet me. I take a deep breath and my eyes happen to look down at the floor, where I find several drops of blood dotting the hardwood. Cautiously, I move closer.
It's Lilly sitting on the floor and she suddenly starts making light sobs, which is hopefully a sign that she's fine. I look around. We're alone. There's no sign of my attacker anywhere.
I rush over to her and drop down to my knees. "Lilly, what's wrong?" I ask. "What happened?"
She has her head bowed and she doesn't lift it when she speaks to me. "Someone broke in. I heard a noise and so I came out of my room and downstairs to investigate. I saw a shadow coming down the steps. Whoever it was grabbed me and shoved me against the wall on his way out." She glances up finally and the left half of her face is thrust into the moonlight. Blood oozes from a wound to the side of her head. The blood I found on the floor came from her.
"Lilly," I gasp in horror at the sight of the gash. "We have to get you to the hospital."
But to this, Lilly shakes her head and tells me beseechingly, "No, I'll be fine. There's no need to get doctors involved or the authorities."
I nod in agreement, definitely not wanting to get the authorities involved. But I also express my concern for Lilly, which is plainly written upon my face. She's injured and she needs medical treatment.
"I can leave after you call the ambulance," I suggest. "You can tell them it was an attempted robbery, and I'll be gone before they arrive. I can't stay here anymore now anyways."
Lilly turns her golden eyes towards me after screwing them up in pain. She starts rocking back and forth. "Why do you need to leave?" She wonders.
"The person who broke in," I respond immediately. "He was here for me. He works for the Entity and he found me. If the Entity can find me so easily, then so can the White Agency. I need to get out of here and disappear."
"What did he want?" Lilly wants to know. "The flash drive?"
I nod. "The Entity wants to know what's on it. I guess we're taking too long trying to figure it out."
Lilly shakes her head suddenly and then winces in pain. "It doesn't make sense. The Entity would never do something like that. He would never send someone attack one of his Messengers." Then, she adds in an afterthought. "Unless of course, the Entity has a good reason for doing so."
"I think whatever made him go off grid or whatever is the hard drive that's in my possession," I tell Lilly. "He desperately wants to know what kind of crap he has gotten himself into by agreeing to get the package to Noah Emerson. The person who managed to break in tonight mentioned that Dr. Cato is involved, the famous scientist you know? And she's in prison now."
Lilly eyes me silently for a while and then she reaches out a hand to grasp mine. I don't stop her and her strange touch electrifies my insides, but of course it's unexplainably pleasurable. It helps to calm my nerves a hair. I still can't get used to how Lilly's touch affects me. Maybe she's just one of those people who can make others feel better simply by comforting them.
"I doubt that the Entity is behind this," Lilly purrs soothingly. "But I can get a few members of SAFE to look into it."
"Okay, but I'm still leaving," I tell her. "I can't . . . I can't . . . ."
My voice falters and I quit speaking. I don't have to say more. I know that Lilly understands my concern for her safety. She's my friend and I don't want to be responsible for something bad happening to her. Terrible fates await those who are close to me, which thankfully aren't even a handful of people. I have already lost Scarlett, my father, and Abigail and I don't want to lose Lilly too.
"If it makes you feel any better, I can have some SAFE rebels guarding the place,"
Lilly informs me.
I shrug. "Maybe. We'll see what happens after my . . . mission," I say softly. "I may not even be able to come back if I'm arrested, or worse."
"Don't talk like that," Lilly chides me. "You'll be fine." She hugs me and the pleasant feeling I'm experiencing intensifies.
I laugh bitterly. "You're comforting me when I'm supposed to be comforting you. I mean, you're the one who's bleeding.
And that is all it takes. Without warning, we both start laughing suddenly, and neither of us knows why. It's the first time I've laughed in a long time and I'm grateful for it. For in a few hours, I may not have anything else to laugh about ever again.
Chapter Twenty Two
Liam
I'm not sure if it's the knock on my door or the horrible nightmare that jolts me awake.
I'm shivering as I sit up in the hard bed, momentarily confused. Then I remember that I'm inside the orphanage and that the dream wasn't real—even though it felt so.
It was the first time I've dreamt in a long time. The Purge usually suppresses nighttime mind wanderings in addition to emotions. In the dream, I was branded a traitor by the Chancellor after I presented evidence on behalf of Charlotte Tatum. I ended up imprisoned with Dr. Cato and of course the Amber Army retracted their offer for me to join their ranks.
Charlotte was also finally caught and condemned to death as is the punishment for murdering a member of Parliament. She was allowed to visit me before her injection day. She thanked me for being one of the few people who thought she was innocent. She started crying and my dream self had a peculiar urge to grab her and bring her in close to me. But I didn't. I couldn't. Even though I was in jail I still couldn't give in to whatever emotional urges were pulsing inside of me.
Another knock at the door and I start. Trying to remember my training even though the Purge in my system from yesterday is almost spent, I slide out of bed.
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