Numb

by Isabelle Carey

  "Okay," he says suddenly, surprising me so much that I nearly jump. "We'll go to BioLife. When would be a—"

  "As soon as possible," I silence him. "But I have another matter to attend to, so I'll meet you at the nearest monorail station in about an hour."

  Liam nods and I rise from the sofa to disconnect the drive from his computer and return it to the envelope. Then, I take my leave. I ride the elevator down to the lobby and exit the Paradise Grand Hotel to sunshine. As I walk up the sidewalk, hurrying to rejoin Aidan, I can't help but to think about how quickly Liam agreed to help me. Did he see right through my plan, right through my disguise? If he knows it's me, is he planning to set me up and take me to a place where I have no chance of escaping this time? I shake my head. He doesn't know it's me. If he did, he would have arrested me inside of his apartment.

  Still, I'm paranoid.

  In an alleyway, a couple of blocks from the hotel, is where I enter the cloaking bubble enclosing Aidan's mobile home. The entire time I was walking, I expected Zeppelins to come dropping in on my head. I enter the trailer to find Elijah playing video games and Aidan sitting there, watching him. I notice immediately that Aidan's not wearing his usual happy demeanor. In fact, he looks worried, troubled even.

  I look around. Lilly should be here by now. She was supposed to meet us so that she could shadow me when I ride the monorail with Liam to BioLife. "Aidan, where's Lilly?" I demand to know.

  "Huh?" He seems to snap out of some kind of stupor when he speaks. He looks over at me, only then noticing my presence. He never looked up when I walked inside. "Lilly? Yeah, she's not coming. She got held up at the studio or something so I'm going with you."

  "You are?" I'm taken aback. Aidan rarely leaves his RV for anything. Even when he came over to Lilly to help protect us, he spent most of his time inside it.

  He nods but doesn't smile like he normally does. He doesn't seem too thrilled about secretly accompanying Liam and me.

  "Are you okay?" I ask him, concerned. He's acting very weird right now.

  "I'm fine," he tells me, popping open a can of Alacrity. Unlike Liam, he is not talented at hiding his emotions. I wonder if he ever was. He takes a swig of the drink and adds, "I guess it's time for us to get ready and alter the plan a bit. I'm assuming that you got Liam on board as you're not in handcuffs."

  I smile weakly, hoping to get one out of him. But alas, gone is his contented personality. I miss it already.

  "Yeah, he's meeting us at the monorail station in an hour."

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Liam

  The world is suddenly topsy-turvy.

  Normally, I wouldn't have agreed to help Olivia Cruz so easily. I accepted her words without too many questions, even though I felt—yes felt—strange about everything. How could I go from not having any chance of proving that Charlotte was innocent to having a possible chance within a matter of hours? How convenient that the package was Dr. Cato had turned over to the Entity found its way suddenly in Olivia's hands.

  Why would Charlotte Tatum trust a reporter in the first place? Like Olivia mentioned, all sources of media are controlled heavily by the Core. I would think that Olivia Cruz would be the last person Charlotte trusted. There were other ways that Charlotte could have gotten this information to me. She's employed by the Entity so one of his contacts could have done it easily without leaving a trace. Why go through Olivia Cruz?

  My head's pounding. I don't know what's going on. I feel like I'm out to explode for some reason as I wait in the monorail station for Olivia to arrive. If we carry through with this without alerting our superiors then both of us could possibly run into trouble. Olivia seems willing to take the risk, I could tell that much during our conversation. I suppose I'm willing as well. If Ramos can withhold information from me, then I can return the favor.

  That's why I agreed to help Olivia so easily, even though like I've mentioned before, there's something off about this whole situation. I can't place my finger on it but something seems different about Olivia Cruz as well. Maybe she's secretly under a lot of duress like myself, but she seems a bit preoccupied from what I've gathered while we were at my penthouse, distracted if you will, like she's in a hurry. We had time to discuss our venture into BioLife in greater detail, to do a little research first. If I had informed Ramos about this, maybe I could have gotten special permission to speak with my mother.

  My mother . . . Dr. Cato. I'm disappointed in her more so now, even if she might be my one and only hope for saving Charlotte. She was married to my father, maybe even mourned his death after cancer cells devoured his body alive. She could have possibly loved him. If that was true, then how could she fall in love with Noah Emerson? Their secret affair infuriates me as though Dr. Cato has betrayed me personally somehow. It was difficult watching her refer to Noah with affectionate phrases such as "my dearest" and "my love". The biggest blow came when she said that she loved him. I almost lost it then.

  Noah Emerson was affiliated with SAFE. They are the enemy. They are the bad guys. She shouldn't love someone like that even if she was stupid enough to love at all.

  But I'm a hypocrite in a way. I don't love Charlotte Tatum because love is for the mindless rebels; however, I have decided to help prove she's innocent, despite having the knowledge that she's a Messenger for SAFE. Isn't what I'm the same thing as what my mother did?

  I want to believe it's not but I'm not used to believing in anything.

  The monorail station is crowded like usual, bustling with commuters moving back and forth between work and school. People walk by mostly in silence as I sit in the arched terminal. I glance at my watch. Olivia's already a few minutes late.

  I'm dressed like a civilian in a collared shirt and slacks. I was going to wear my uniform but I didn't want to draw attention to myself. The stares I would have received would have made me feel guiltier about not informing the agency or the Amber Army about what I'm doing.

  I should contact Ramos but I resist the urge. I wish Sophia was here with me. She could be my confidant but would she keep the secret that I'm working a cloak and dagger mission with Olivia Cruz? I can't honestly answer that question because I never got to know Sophia really. The Purge prevents that. All I knew about her were her accolades.

  I don't know much about Olivia Cruz either. I watch as her face appears suddenly on one of the digital news feeds displayed on dozens of viewscreens throughout the terminal.

  "In international news, a meteorite has crashed into the sandy beaches of Saint Thomas, an island in the Caribbean Sea that's a part of the United States Virgin Islands," Olivia reports, standing against a backdrop of cool blue water reflecting golden sunlight. "It happened at about seven this morning Atlantic Standard time. Eyewitnesses near Magens Bay spotted a shooting star that collided with the shore, leaving a rather large impact crater. No one was injured and scientists have already started to recover meteorite samples for study, as well as fragments of a peculiar metal unknown to Earth . . . ."

  Olivia continues to feed the public the news story, even interviewing a few witnesses and a couple of prominent scientists. One of the witnesses admits that he spotted something move swiftly out of the wreckage. I nearly scoff as I see the patrolmen standing behind him waiting to question him no doubt for his bizarre story. His life is over if they find out that he has abandoned the Purge. I assume that this report was from a broadcast that happened yesterday as Olivia Cruz is definitely not in Saint Thomas today, but then a spot a four-letter word in the bottom right corner of the screen that contradicts what I presumed.

  Live.

  The news feed is live, which means that Olivia Cruz is definitely in Saint Thomas right now. So, who's masquerading as her, having visited my apartment and persuaded me to travel to BioLife with her to uncover information that my mother—Dr. Cato—left behind for her lover, Noah Emerson? Only one person comes to mind and I can't believe she had the audacity to do something like that.

  I'm tempted to stand up
and walk out of the monorail station, when the false Olivia Cruz saunters inside, looking around for me. I can still back out of this since she hasn't spotted me yet. I could blend in with the exiting crowd and leave without her knowing. Or I could expose her right here and now. But I promised I would help her. I shouldn't do any of those. I should trust her right now, although admittedly, it's a struggle.

  Trust—I don't know how. But I am intrigued by Dr. Cato's message, if intrigue is what I truly feel. What does she know? What did she find out while inside of the Core?

  Too late for me to leave if I wanted. Charlotte Tatum—because that's who's pretending to be Olivia Cruz—finds me faster than expected. She wanders over to me.

  "Ready?" She asks me the moment she's within conversation range.

  I nod, wondering if I'm going to regret my spur-of-the-moment decision. I've never been irrational before but I want to get to the bottom of this. I want the truth. I want to know why Dr. Cato would risk everything to make a secret message for Noah Emerson. I want to know why Charlotte Tatum would risk everything to find Emerson's killer when she could fare well on the run, hidden underground and protected by SAFE. And I want to know the identity of Emerson's killer, to serve justice once and for all.

  We board the proper monorail after passing through security and I can't help but to eye Olivia—no Charlotte—the entire time I follow her onto the tram. A scanner used by one of the guards confirms that she is Olivia Cruz but I know differently. It has to be her beneath the makeup and other disguises. She's fond of dressing up as others it seems. First, it was Ava Suarez, then Chloe Kent, who I'm not sure is an actual person, and now Olivia Cruz.

  We find empty seats and sit together side-by-side. I could easily subdue her right now if I wanted but I remain sitting as still as a statue. I inhale Charlotte's perfume and it overwhelms my sense of smell. She smells very pleasant but I ignore the sweet aroma. My eyes are the only parts of me that move, swiveling around to view the other commuters. The car is not as full as I would have expected, but then again not too many people are heading into the heart of the city at this hour of the day.

  There's an elderly lady sitting across from us. She doesn't even look up as we settle into our seats towards the back of the car. A man and his son stare blankly out the window a few seats in front us and a middle-aged woman types away on a laptop across from them, doing overtime work for her company. A black kid with dreadlocks, who I imagine is around the same age as Charlotte and I, joins us as well. He drops into the seat in front of the old lady and glances briefly at Charlotte before looking away quickly. My eyes linger on him a little longer than the others. He reminds me of the hungry vagrants who chose a life of poverty over serving the Core. He's terribly thin and yet he's not dressed in torn rags. Vagabonds also wouldn't try to ride the monorail, so I conclude that this guy is not homeless. He just doesn't eat much or perhaps he's on drugs. He seems a bit uneasy beneath it all. I notice this because of how stiff he sits.

  The monorail leaves the station shortly thereafter and we ride along in silence, listening to nothing but the news report coming through over the loudspeakers. We pass rapidly through a tunnel and out into blazing sunlight, gathering speed. I feel a pang of déjà vu, as I recall various trips via monorail with Charlotte Tatum. I didn't know during any of those rides that she would become one of the most notorious criminals since the Wanderer herself. I didn't know that I would be the only one willing to help defend her innocence. And I didn't know that I would one day care about her more than I should. Care. Such a strong word but I can't think of another word to describe why I don't have Charlotte in handcuffs right now, as she sits quietly next to me.

  I glance at her as she stares silently out the window. I watch her for several minutes, not paying attention at all to the people exiting the tram during the first stop or those entering to replace the ones who left. I'm so wrapped up in her because it amazes me how she looks so much like Olivia Cruz that I don't even notice at first that the monorail is slowing down again, way before the next stop.

  I look around, minutely perplexed. Everyone has joined Charlotte in gazing out of any window he or she could press a nose up against. Wondering what's going on, I stare past Charlotte and that's when I see them.

  Zeppelins. Three of them flying above the monorail almost silently. Two of them descend from the sky to land on the track behind the monorail as it enters another tunnel. Darkness tinged with dim lights along the passage outside swallows the monorail whole. Lights inside of the tram automatically turn on as the monorail glides to a complete stop. I look over at the boy with dreadlocks. He's sitting even more rigid and he's staring at Charlotte.

  What is going on? I face Charlotte and notice that she has gone pale behind her makeup. Could these Zeppelins be here for her? I didn't see any of them scanning the monorail before two of them landed. How would the cops inside know that she is on board? Scanners hadn't stopped her before and I'm certain she knows how to hoodwink them somehow, which is pretty much next to impossible. The monorail has also stopped, which means one thing—the crew in those two Zeppelins is about to board.

  I climb to my feet, ready to address them when they come, although I don't know what to really say. It will look strange that I'm here with Charlotte. How would I explain it all without being arrested myself? I could feign ignorance that I didn't know it was her. After all, she's wearing a disguise so I could convince them that I have been deceived. But I can't do that to her. I can't give up Charlotte today, not when we're so close to uncovering the truth.

  The guy who keeps looking at Charlotte also rises. He's connected to her somehow, perhaps backup if I ever discovered her true identity. Ironically, I know it's her so he is unnecessary. If he is some kind of bodyguard, he really doesn't look the part either.

  I stare out the back windows of the monorail and see dark shapes approaching in the shadows of the tunnel. Some of them bear flashlight in their hands. I see a few officers and dispersed here and there are a couple of Amber Army soldiers, much to my dismay. If the Amber Army is involved, then I need to get Charlotte out of here . . . .

  But the cops and soldiers board the monorail up front before I make up my mind. One of them addresses the conductor, while several of them make their way through the open and connected cars. I notice that they have their weapons drawn.

  Commuters make sure to steer clear of the newcomers, as they watch them walk by with blank stares. Charlotte stands up next to me and her eyes widen in the direction of her secret companion. He shakes his head quietly.

  The soldiers and the cops march directly up to the black boy. There are about a dozen in all and they appear to be here for him. I exhale a minuscule sigh of relief. No one knows that Charlotte Tatum stands only ten feet away. None of the soldiers or cops notices my presence either. I believe I'm completely unrecognizable without my uniform. Right now, I don't look like Liam Cato, the youngest White Agent of all time.

  "Aidan Richardson, you have been a slippery one," one of the Amber Army soldiers addresses him. "But we have finally caught up to you at last."

  The one called Aidan smirks. "Yeah, I guess you have."

  "You could only run for so long," the soldier continues, ignoring the fact that Aidan even spoke. "Now, come quietly and spare us any theatrics. We know how vermin like you prefer to act and we don't want to cause a scene here."

  "How did you find me?" Aidan asks curiously. "The scanners at the station accepted my false vector identity. There's no way you could have known I was—"

  "It doesn't matter how we found you. The relevant matter here is that you're too knowledgeable . . . and talented to be running around like a revolutionary. Your skills will be—"

  "No!" Aidan cries suddenly, cutting off the soldier and undoubtedly scaring a few people with his volume, although no one shows his or her fright. "I'm never going back there!"

  And then, something unexpected happens.

  Aidan attacks the nearest soldier, the one who tal
ked to him, but that wasn't what was so unexpected. I've seen criminals do crazy things when they no longer rely on the Purge, like attack authority. But what was unexpected in this instance was how Aidan moved. It was literally like a lightning flash. One moment he was standing still, screaming defiantly, and the next he had moved forward so quickly that it was almost unnatural.

  Aidan grabs the Lightning Discharger assault rifle clutched in the soldier's grasp and they play tug of war with it briefly before Aidan gains the upper hand. Aidan wrenches the rifle out of the soldier's grip and flips it around to aim at him. The other soldiers and cops react then, training their weapons on Aidan, ready to shoot him dead.

  "No," the Amber Army soldier, who has spoken the entire time, calmly prevents a firefight from ensuing in this narrow space. I shudder to think about the innocent casualties it would have caused. The soldier steps forward. "Aidan, give me back my weapon. Don't make things more difficult for yourself."

  "I'm not going back!" Aidan shouts again. "The Chancellor will not control me ever again!"

  The Amber Army soldier doesn't say anything for a while. He stands there, staring at Aidan behind his mysterious helmet. Then, he finally says, "So be it."

  Somehow, and this is more impossible than Charlotte possessing the skill to trick scanners, but somehow, the soldier unleashes electric sparks that he sends hurling towards Aidan's way. Aidan has his back pressed up against one of the rear seats of the monorail, cornered by the task force from the Zeppelins, leaving him in a vulnerable position.

  The electricity zips across the monorail towards Aidan. Where had it come from? The soldier? But how had he . . . .

  Aidan dodges the lightning at the last second but a spark clips the Discharger. It flies out of Aidan's hands and crashes into the ceiling of the tram. The power cell inside of the rifle explodes like fireworks. Everyone ducks as the electric explosion shatters a large hole in the roof of the monorail. The loudspeakers fall silent and the lights flicker before going dead, all except for one. Near darkness overtakes us all as the lights in the tunnel provide barely enough illumination to see. The one light that remains inside pulsates with a strobe effect.